Develop a Discipleship System
Call to Worship
Children of God, when fears press in on every side, we can proclaim with confidence:
God is our light and salvation! Whom shall we fear?
When our problems overwhelm us and we feel pressed in on every side, we can declare with confidence:
God is the stronghold of our lives! Of whom shall we be afraid?
No matter the troubles we face, we seek after God and to live in the house of God forever.
God shelters and protects us in the day of trouble.
Come, let us worship God with joy, for God is our light and salvation!
We come to worship as bearers of the Light. Thanks be to God! Amen.
Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, July 2025.
Pastoral Prayer
God of all creation,
who called every being into life,
who is mindful of humankind in all its diversity,
who embodies us with dignity,
granting different gifts and talents to shape life in this world,
we ask for your Spirit to unite us
where we face lack of understanding and disunity
in our churches, in our communities, in our countries.
And in silence, we lay before you the burdens of our hearts.
(Silence)
We ask for your Spirit to unite us
in the face of the conflicts, hatred, and violation of life
experienced in so many regions of the earth
and, in silence, we bring to you the pain of the victims.
(Silence)
We ask for your Spirit to unite us
wherever fear prevents us from caring for our neighbour,
from meeting people of different ethnicities, cultures,
and faith communities with respect
and, in silence, we bring to you the brokenness of human relationships.
(Silence)
God of all creation,
in Christ, we are reconciled,
and so we ask for your uniting Spirit
to help us overcome all our divisions
that we may live in peace.
Posted on the Monthly Prayers page of the Christian Aid website, http://www.christianaid.org.uk/. Re-posted on the re:Worship blog at https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2017/09/prayer-for-unity-amidst-diversity.html.
Prayer of Confession
Holy Christ,
we come to You knowing that we have fallen away
from your intentions for us.
We have followed the paths of greed and envy,
turned away from our brothers and sisters in need
in order to satisfy our own desires.
You gave your life for us,
and yet we are willing to give so little at times.
Forgive us for not understanding that You laid down your life for us.
Forgive us for not recognizing the sacrifice of love,
to live for others instead of ourselves.
Call us back to repent and return to the kingdom of God.
In your precious name, we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
Christ continues to lay down his life for us,
so that we might have life.
Christ continues to show us the way,
so that we might live into the truth and the life.
Christ continues to love us,
so that we might love God and love our neighbors as ourselves.
Know that you are forgiven, loved, and given new life. Amen.
Written by Rev. Mindi, and posted on Rev-o-lution, http://rev-o-lution.org/. Re-posted on the re:Worship blog at https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2017/01/prayer-of-confession-epiphany-3a.html.
Benediction
God is our light, our hope, our all in all:
Blessed be God, now and forever!
Christ is our home, our life, our joy:
Blessed be God, now and forever!
Our worship concludes; our service continues.
Blessed be God, now and forever!
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/benediction-god-is-our-light.html.
