Liturgical Resources

Call to Worship

In the dry and arid places of our lives, God, come and bring new life.
God, fill our mouths with laughter and our tongues with shouts of joy!

In the lonely and isolated places of our lives, God, come and bring connection.
God, fill our mouths with laughter and our tongues with shouts of joy!

When we forget all you have done for us, God, come and help us tell the stories of your acts among us.
God, fill our mouths with laughter and our tongues with shouts of joy!

Beloved, come and let us worship God who saved and sustained us in the past and saves and sustains us now to be an Advent people of joy.
God, fill our mouths with laughter and our tongues with shouts of joy that we may live as messengers of hope, peace, joy, and love in a hurting world. Amen.

Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, May 2026.

Opening Prayer

Come to this sanctuary, this house, this home, Holy Christ,
And let us receive you with lavish welcome.
You are the Restorer of our fortunes,The Promise of new life –
We pour out our praise to you.
Fill this room with your Spirit:
The sound of wind, the warmth of flame, the scent of perfume
And fill our hearts with your compassion,
Not just in this time and place,
But in all times and in all places,
So that as we celebrate the great things you have done for us,
We may also embody the love you give to all. Amen.

Posted on the United Church of Christ’s Worship Ways Archive, http://www.ucc.org/. Re-posted on the re:Worship blog at https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2013/02/opening-prayer-psalm-126.html.

Prayer of Confession

Lord, you know that the time we’ve spent away from you has been filled with turmoil, disappointment, frustration, heartache, and despair. We have forgotten all about being blameless and turning the other cheek. We gave in to urges to be petty, spiteful, and hurtful. And while “telling it like it is” sure felt good at the time, we now find ourselves empty, confused, and ashamed. Today, we come here for Sabbath, for rest, refreshment, and renewal. Lord, we want to be sanctified and holy; we do. We want to be kind, to hold on to the good and encourage and greet each other in love, but you’re going to have to help us—a lot. Fill our mouths with praise and laughter, our hearts with joy and peace, and our souls with quiet satisfaction. This is our prayer. Amen.

Words of assurance

The grace of our Lord is all over us, no matter what comes or what goes. Whether there are floods, earthquakes, overdue bills, disease, hardheaded children, unresponsive parents, betrayal, unfaithfulness—it doesn’t matter because God is bigger than all the things that perplex us. May our hearts and minds be filled with confidence and peace. Amen.

Written by Cynthia A. Bond Hopson in The Africana Worship Book, Year B (Nashville: Discipleship Resources, 2007), 148.

Benediction

May God bless you with joy that surpasses all understanding, rooted not in what goes right or wrong but in God’s faithful, steadfast love that even now is at work, in-breaking the kingdom of God among us and inviting us to join in with laughter and delight. Amen.

Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, May 2026.