Call to Worship

Easter people, in the midst of our questions and doubts, Jesus answers:
I am the way, the truth, and the life.

In the midst of our worry and distress, Jesus assures us:
I am the way, the truth, and the life.

In the midst of misinformation, confusion, and distrust, Jesus reminds us:
I am the way, the truth, and the life.

In the midst of dead ends and impossible challenges, Jesus shows us:
I am the way, the truth, and the life.

Come, let us worship as we learn to follow Christ, our way, our truth, and our life.
Come, let us worship! Thanks be to God! Amen.

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

Prayer for the Day

Ever-gracious, Way-Making God,
we celebrate the gifts of your Spirit.
You have not fed us a diet of shame or shrinking,
but with the milk of your truth,
you have made us strong and faithful servants of Christ.
You call us to take up the mantle of justice and to follow wherever faith leads us.
You fill us with strength and hope,
and you invite us to share in the cost and joys of discipleship.
You promise us splendor and beauty in this life and in the world to come.
Meet us here, we pray,
that your word will be fulfilled in our hearing
and that your Spirit will fill us with courage. Amen.

Written by Rev. Elizabeth Dilley on the Worship Ways (United Church of Christ) website at https://www.ucc.org/worship-way/easter_5_may_10/.

Prayer of Confession

Merciful God:
We claim that you sent Jesus to us to take away the sin of the world and to say that we are part of that sin. Maybe our small errors add up; or maybe there is no degree to sin, that one is as hurtful as another. Help us not to dwell on vocabulary. Help us not to focus on what sin means but to acknowledge that we do things that hurt other people, and the creation, and ourselves, and you. Come into our hearts, then, and give us strength and courage to be less hurtful and more loving. These things we pray in the name of Jesus, who showed us how this is done. Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness
Friends, hear the good news: Jesus came not to condemn us, but to love us and save us and show us the way. Know that we are forgiven and be at peace.
Alleluia! Amen.

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

Benediction

May God bless you as you leave this place to follow the Way, to seek after the Truth, and to rejoice in the Life of the Triune God who draws us together and sends us out to be agents of Resurrection life in a hurting world. Amen.

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