Spirit Unbound

Liturgical Resources 

Call to Worship

Beloved, the Spirit of Truth gathers us here to receive and discern God’s good news working among us.
Come, Holy Spirit, come!

The Spirit of Love draws us together to receive and restore life-giving relationships with God and one another.
Come, Holy Spirit, come!

The Spirit of Freedom knits us together to receive and renew the bonds of empathy, justice, and peace that bind us together in the work for liberation and wholeness.
Come, Holy Spirit, come!

Beloved, the Holy Spirit is here, moving and working among us. Will you come and receive all the Spirit has to give?
We come to receive the Spirit’s abundant and gracious gifts that we may be a people who live out God’s truth, love, and freedom in our neighborhood, community, and throughout all creation. Amen.

Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, December 2025.

Opening Prayer

Send forth your Spirit, O God, and renew the face of the earth. Dwell among us, even though your presence will startle and unsettle us. Grant us your peace, we pray, as justice and love pour down upon the yearning earth. Amen.

Written by Mary Sue Gast in Touch Holiness: Resources for Worship, Updated, ed. Ruth C. Duck and Maren C. Tirabassi (Cleveland: The Pilgrim Press, 2012), 105.

For use in worship services, include the following permissions statement:
Reprinted by permission of the publisher from Touch Holiness, ed. Ruth C. Duck and Maren C. Tirabassi. Copyright © 1990 by The Pilgrim Press.

Prayer of Confession

The act of confessing our sin is not simply a recitation of our faults and wrongs, but also an opportunity to receive God’s mercy and share in that abundant grace. Confident of God’s love for us, let us offer our prayers, first in silence.

Silent prayer

Holy God, we ask for your help, your power, your Spirit, so that we can amend our lives and grow more each day into the image of Christ. We confess that we fear what is different. We confess that it’s easier to lock the doors of our community than to receive those who don’t look like we look, love like we love, or vote the way we vote. We confess that we have not lived out your call to share in abundant life and unconditional love. We believe that you have the power to turn us around to a more inclusive way of living, so we ask you to do that. We ask you to give us the courage to change. We ask that you give us the energy, intelligence, imagination, and love to be your people in all we say and do. Amen.

Written by Beth Merrill Neel on her blog, “Hold Fast to What Is Good.” Used with permission. https://holdfasttowhatisgood.com/liturgy/prayer-of-confession/.

Benediction

Family of God, go now in the blessing of the Spirit who inspires you to seek God’s truth, empowers you to share God’s love with empathy and compassion, and emboldens you to live in the freedom of the Spirit who binds us to God and one another that we may be truly free. Amen.

Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, December 2025.