Call To Worship: Transforming Relationship with God and Each Other (based on Romans 12:1-2)

We have gathered together to connect with God, who calls us away from the broken patterns and mindsets which we have sometimes gotten used to living within. In their place, we are invited into transformative relationship with God and with one another. So let's give thanks for this extraordinary, boundless, and life-giving grace.

Call To Worship: May We Be Open To Goodness (based on Genesis 1:31)

As we gather today, may we have hearts that are open to the beauty of God's hope and goodness. May our minds be open to the vast expanse of God's love. May we always be on the lookout for all of the grace which surrounds us in the universe which God created and called "good." As we seek to follow God's path, may every part of our lives be worship.

Advent Call To Worship: God's Light Came To Shine Into Dark Spaces (based on Luke 1:46-55, Matthew 4:16)

In Advent, we celebrate the gift of God’s light,  Jesus. 

According to Jesus’ mother Mary, it was extraordinary that this gift was made available to everyone - even those of low social status and those pushed to the margins by forces of power and greed.  The angels proclaimed the very same message to the shepherds, saying that Christ’s birth was “good news of great joy for all people.”

So like Mary, the angel chorus, and the shepherds; may we give thanks to God for the gifts of inclusive love and boundless grace which can be received by all. 

Advent Call To Worship: A Message Of Hope For All (based on Luke 1:46-55)

Christ coming to earth is a message of hope for all people! All of those who aren't held in high value by the powers-that-be are now called "blessed" in God’s sight.

The mercy and love of God is good news to the poor, it is liberation to all of the oppressed, and it is the extending of welcome to all of the marginalized and excluded. God’s mercy and love is poured out for all who need it in every generation.

For this incredible grace, we come now to give thanks.

Call To Worship: Rehumanize Us, Triune God (based on 2 Timothy 1:7)

God, open our ears to the sound of your still, small voice. Jesus, open our eyes to the light of your love.  Spirit, open our minds and hearts to the beauty of hope.

God the Trinity, may your perfect example of selfless community remind us of the dignity which we all possess and cause us to see that dignity in all of humanity.

May that divine work begin within us now, and may our spirits be open to connect with you, as we give thanks and praise.

Call To Worship: Power In Weakness, Wisdom In Foolishness (based on 1 Corinthians 1:18-31)

God, we are grateful that you continually restore and renew our minds so that we can follow your way of love. You show us power in what often seems like weakness and wisdom in what often seems like foolishness to our all-too-often cynical and calculating minds.  This truth gives us a reason to hope for eventual wholeness in the midst of current brokenness.

So often, our culture wants to be dazzled by what is showy and what glitters. God, help us to live more  fully than that by reminding us to seek out all of the everyday ways that your grace flows to us.

In gratitude, may we come simply and honestly now to give you praise.

Call To Worship: Open Eyes & Hearts in God's World (based on Ephesians 5:8)

We gather this morning seeking to connect with God, whose presence lives within us and surrounds us. May our eyes be open to see God's goodness so that we view the world as God does. May our hearts be open to God's mercy, so that we care for all of God's world.

For God's endless compassion and love, we give thanks and praise.

Call To Worship: Eyes and Hearts Open (based on Ephesians 4:10 and Micah 6:8)

We gather this morning seeking to connect with God, whose presence lives within us and surrounds us. May our eyes be open to see God's goodness so that we view the world as God does. May our hearts be open to God's mercy, so that we care for all of God's world; pouring out justice, kindness, and radical grace.

For God's endless compassion and love, we give thanks and praise.

Call To Worship: God, We Look To You (based on James 1:17)

God, as we gather now, we look to you. As our source of life, make us new again. As our source of hope, give us peace and joy. As our source of love, help us to grow in grace.

In gratitude for your all-encompassing goodness, we come to give thanks and praise.

New Year Call To Worship: Live In Awareness (based on Ephesians 4:1)

A new day has dawned. A new year is about to begin. Jesus, may we look to how you've showed us to live. As we move towards our hopes and dreams for the future, Spirit, may we listen for your voice. As we enter a new year with anticipation and excitement, and as we gather now to give thanks and praise, guide us God.

Call To Worship: The Infinite Goodness Of God Is Available To Us (based on Ephesians 3:18)

The bottomless depth of God's mercy, the infinite expanse of God's grace, and the endless wellspring of God's love: all of these are available to us as we join in God's work of restoring all of creation to the fullness of life and original goodness it was created for.

Call To Worship: Where Love Rules Over All (based on Proverbs 16:7)

The Forge (Swords Into Plowshares) by Bo Bartlett

God of grace, we have come to catch a glimpse of your kingdom of kindness; a world where loves rules over all, where enemies embrace. We want to see a world where division and fear disappear in light of your love. 

We come to be reminded again of who you are, what you've done, and what you will continue to do. You are loving and trustworthy, with limitless and overflowing grace, and you don't give up on us.

For this, we give you thanks and praise.

Call To Worship: God Is Always Within and Around Us (based on 1 Corinthians 3:16)

God is gracious and merciful.  God is full of compassion and love. Even though we may feel alone at times, God is always within and around us.  For this constant and tireless grace, may our hearts and souls be filled with gratitude.

So let's join together and give thanks.

Call To Worship: God Is The Creative Spark of All Life (based on Isaiah 6:3)

God, you are the creative spark of new life. We have come seeking you in this new day. As the architect of life and wholeness, we ask that you would open our souls to your stirring. 

Spirit, you are the creator of awe and beauty. Open our eyes to your ever-surrounding and indwelling presence.

Jesus, you are the one through whom everything came into existence. Open our hearts to your love and hope.

Everything that God creates is good. The entire universe is filled with God’s goodness. For this all-encompassing grace, we give thanks and praise.

Call To Worship: Take Up Our Cross and Follow (based on Matthew 16:24)

Loving God, you call us to turn away from our own selfish interests, to take up our cross, and to follow you. To find our lives, may we live them in service of your mission.

As we come before you this morning, give us open hearts and open hands. Make us eager to hear your voice and seek your guidance. Open our minds to your ever-present spirit that is always moving within and around us. Open our spirits to your nudging and open our lives to your love.

Call To Worship: Doing Work of Jesus In The World Today based on Luke 4:18

Our job is to bring the spirit of Christ’s message and to do the work of Jesus in the world today. In Luke 4:18, Jesus said that work was to: “... [t]o proclaim good news to the poor, freedom for the prisoner,  recovery of sight for the blind, and to set the oppressed free.”

Today, it is up to us to be the good news of love and liberation. We can do this once we see the world through the eyes of God, who sees those who are suffering and oppressed as “blessed.”

For this boundless and limitless grace, we give thanks and praise.

Call To Worship: Re-centering Ourselves With God's Presence (based on Matthew 22:39)

God, you call us to live in ways that honor you and bless our neighbors. Your goodness is our source for the love, justice, and peace which you've tasked us with pouring out into your world.

So we come once again seeking to recharge in your life-giving presence. As we re-center ourselves around your perfect love, may you shape and reshape our hearts to be more like yours.

May what we say, sing, and hear this morning open our spirits to connect with you, God, and lead us to be your hands and feet to the world which you created and called "good."

Call To Worship: The Expanse Of God's Love Shaping Who We Are (based on Genesis 1:31)

As we gather today God, help us to listen so that we may hear your voice in this world that you created and called “good.” God, open our minds to the vast expanse of your love. Help us to allow it to shape who we are. God, open our eyes to see your fingerprints in all that surrounds us, so that our lives will be worship to you.

Call To Worship: As We Gather, Help Us To Be Fully Present (based on Psalm 46:10)

God, as we gather this morning, some of us may be distracted. Help us to feel some calm. Some of us are carrying worry. Help us to feel some peace.

Some of us have lives that are cluttered. Help us to find some room to breath. Some of us have minds that are racing. Help us to feel some stillness. Some of us are clinging tightly to things due to fear. Help us to feel some calm.

Help us to be fully present as we come seeking connection with you and each other.

Call To Worship: Doing Work Of Jesus In The World Today (based on Luke 4:18)

As followers of Jesus, our job is to bring the spirit of Christ’s message and to do the work of Jesus in the world today. In Luke 4:18, Jesus says that work is: “... [t]o proclaim good news to the poor, freedom for the prisoner, recovery of sight for the blind, and to set the oppressed free.”

It is up to us to be the good news of love and liberation.

So as we gather, may we learn to see the world through the eyes of God, who sees those who are suffering and oppressed as “blessed.” May we learn to listen for the call of “Your Kingdom come, on earth as in  heaven ..." which cries out all around us for God’s restoration, mercy, and healing here and now.

God, may your kingdom come as we give thanks and praise.