LITURGICAL RESOURCES LINKED TO TEXTS AND THEMES
The liturgical resources listed here are © Stephen Hamilton Wright, 406 Grant St., Wausau WI 54403, unless otherwise noted. They may be adapted and used in single-use worship materials with the following notice in the worship program: “[name liturgical element] © [insert year] Stephen Hamilton Wright, used by permission.” No other permission is necessary, but please notify the author of dates of use and number of copies at the address above or at shwright@firstpreswausau.org. Permission for inclusion in permanent worship supplements must be negotiated in advance.
Genesis 22:1-19
John9/vision/Lent
Psalm 72
Psalm 103
Psalm 139
Matthew 2:1-12(Epiphany)
Matthew 4:12-22
Matthew 5:1-12
Luke 15:1-10
Romans 8:12-25
Revelation 21 and 22
Dealing with Disaster
A Service for the Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church
Between Christ The King and Advent
THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION
Music for Advent
Advent Prayers
Christmas Eve
GENESIS 22:1-19
2005
CALL TO WORSHIP
Come, now, sing and pray to God, Who blesses us abundantly.
The Light of the world gives light to our eyes.
Come, make praise for God’s steadfast love; rejoice in the gift of salvation.
God meets us here and touches our deepest needs.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
God Who sees beyond our seeing, God Who knows beyond our knowing: we confess that we want to follow, but not too closely; we want You to claim us, but without obligation; we want You to provide for us, without risking what we already have. Forgive us. Lead us to trust You fully. Grant us courage to offer our full lives to You, so that we may be fully alive; through Jesus Christ, Who makes us truly at one with You. Amen.
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John 9/vision/Lent
In the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we are already forgiven for our sins, and called to new life in God. We confess our continuing sin now, to ask for God’s help in moving farther along that journey of new being.
Let us pray
Healing Power of our lives: we confess that we are often blind to Your way. We blame others for their problems, and believe that You punish them for sins. We do underestimate the complexity of the world, or miss seeing trouble as opportunity for good. Forgive us. Open our eyes to the power to change things; show us the wonder of walking in the way of Jesus, and let our lives carry His presence to all the world; for we pray in His Name. Amen.
Please pause for a few moments of silent confession and reflection.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON AND PASSING THE PEACE liturgist
Hear the good news: in Jesus Christ, God calls us to new life. Before we answer, God already claims us, and by the Holy Spirit cleanses us and draws us into community. Friends, believe the good news of the Gospel:
In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!
Because we have been reconciled to God in Christ, we can also be at peace with one another. The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Let the people now share the peace of Christ with each other:
“The peace of Christ be with you.” “And also with you.”
THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION
Jesus came to the world to show the love of God as a human reality. He came to show mercy and healing, and to open all eyes to new possibilities. In His Name, and in His generous spirit, we invite all of you to share this meal of remembrance, where the Spirit binds us ever again in fellowship with Jesus and with all believers of every age. From every church or from no church, whatever your condition or manner of life, we invite all who feel in need of the love of Jesus to share in this sacrament.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to praise God.
Give thanks to the Power who is all things holy.
It is right to show thanks with our whole lives.
Let us pray.
God before all, Light within light and the One who orders the days:
we praise You with our whole hearts, with every particle and breath and idea of our being-ness; for the whole universe testifies to what You are, and in Your being all things exist and endure. Our human story is Your story, from the fears and doubts of our very first ancestors, through our struggle between sin and obedience, to rejoicing in the promise of a reality better than our best imagining. We thank You that at last we saw Your new way in Jesus, who came to lead us from our struggles into lives full of meaning and joy. Your existence is beyond our understanding, and Your goodness overwhelming, so we lift our voices together with all that is to praise You:
[insert Wright/Wright sanctus]
You are indeed holy, God of all, and the sum of Your blessings comes to life in Jesus. He opens our eyes, pushes sin away, speaks Your truth, and fills us with hope. When His first followers lost sight of Him, He found them, and once again broke bread and shared their cup as He had so many times; and in that act of companionship, they saw Him in new light. Even now, He teaches all who will hear, finds all who are searching, and answers hardened doctrine with words of wonder, welcoming all people to join His journey of love, justice and mercy.
Now, as we take the signs of His presence again, and share in His meal, we ask the Spirit to breathe over us and through us, and to blow on these gifts of bread and cup, so that we may be fully united once again with each other and with Jesus, showing His love through the whole creation. Trusting the power of the Spirit, we pray now as Jesus taught His disciples:
Our Father in heaven: hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil; for the kingdom, the power and the glory are Yours, now and forever. Amen.
WORDS OF INSTITUTION
On the night when Jesus was arrested, when He was eating with His disciples, He took a loaf of bread, and said a prayer of thanks. Then He said,
This bread is my new body, which is all of you. Whenever you eat it, remember me.
After supper, He took a cup of wine; and He said,
This cup is the new covenant, marked by the witness of my blood. Whenever you drink it, remember me.
These are the gifts of God for the people of God.
DISTRIBUTION OF THE ELEMENTS
Please eat the bread when it is served, and hold the cup until all drink together.
After distribution:
In the bread Jesus gave, we are joined with His new body.
In the cup Jesus shared, we bear witness to the life He brings.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Amen.
Let us pray.
O God, we thank You for these gifts of love, given through our Savior. Help us now to obey Your call to love all Your children, to do justice and show mercy, and to live in peace with Your whole creation. Guide us through the desert of life, quench our thirst with the living waters, satisfy our hunger with the bread of heaven. Give us strength to serve You faithfully until the promised day of resurrection, when with the redeemed of all the ages, we will feast with You at Your table in glory. Amen.
Back to TopPSALM 72
Call to worship
Come worship the One who comes to bring justice.
Praise God who rules in righteousness!
Worship Him who defends the poor and needy.
May His righteousness and peace abound in all generations!Back to Top
PSALM 103
2005
PRAYER FOR HEALING
Blessed be our Creator, the One who heals all our diseases, Who redeems our lives from the Pit. Keep us safe within your mercy; heal us and those we love. Renew us and strengthen us that we may live ever to sing Your praise.
PSALM 139
2005
CALL TO WORSHIP
O Lord, You search us and know us, through and through, better than we know ourselves.
Call forth all the good in us, and lift our hearts to You.
You know our ways and our paths, our words and our thoughts, and You follow us everywhere.
Give us wings like the morning and wash us in Your brightness, making us always eager to sing Your praise.
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MATTHEW 2:1-12 (Epiphany)
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Light of the world: we confess that we are more familiar with the ways of politicians and kings than we are with You. We look to the rich and powerful to guide our choices. We cooperate with the status quo in order to make our way easier. We are slow to challenge expectations that seem normal, so we are blind to Your Light. Forgive us, and fill us with true wisdom, so that we will discover in Jesus the model humanity You intend for all people, and turn our steps to follow Him. Amen.
Back to TopMATTHEW 4:12-22
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
2005
God beyond us, God beside us, God blowing through us: shine brightly upon us, and assure us of our place with You.
Stronghold of our lives: save us from fear, and set us free to serve and love all people.
Dear Redeemer: give us a thousand tongues to sing Your praise and glory, rejoicing in Your grace.
Help us honor and proclaim Your Name through all the broad earth.
Stiller of storms, Master of seas: rock our boat whenever we rest too easily.
Teach us new ways and new goals to serve Your ancient purpose of love.
Great Reconciler: save us, Your church, from the folly of division and quarreling.
Lead us from the weakness of division to the wisdom of the Cross.
Guide us ever on Your pathway, past tempting sounds and dazzling sights; keep us safe from enemies, and shield us from sin.
Speak Your commands, and make us listen; give us grace to follow to the end, wherever You lead us.
Lord of love: by Your wounds, You redeemed us for life eternal. Heal our wounds in this life. Take away disease and pain; turn grief into hope, and mourning into gladness.
From the chaos of disasters, bring a new creation of hope; transform the hatred of war into the joy of peace.
In all that we do, O God, let us walk in Your way, day by day, as Christ teaches us in the prayer He gave us:
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MATTHEW 5:1-13
2005
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Holy and Merciful One: we confess that we keep missing Your message. We get caught up in selling and buying, strength and security, prestige and popularity. We fear looking foolish, so we look for evidence and arguments to prove Your way. We worship You in the sanctuary, and neglect You in the world outside. Forgive us, O God. Teach us the blessings of being different than the world expects. Lead us in the paths of mercy and justice, walking humbly with You, as we proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to all; for we pray in His Name. Amen.
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH
God our Redeemer, our Deliverer, and our Judge: You have brought us out of trouble to circumstances overflowing with hope, again and again. Lead Your church now; show us what to do now. Teach us what You mean by justice; train us in kindness; give us the grace of humility before You and all our neighbors.
Hope of the hopeless: bless the poor in spirit; all who suffer from doubt or confusion about You, those dragged down by illness or infirmity, and all whose spirits are drained by the struggle of being poor.
Bless those who mourn, separated by death from friends and family. Grant them comfort.
Bless the meek, the weak, the ground-down, the gentle ones: show us their needs, and their deserving, and secure their equal share of all Your generosity. Soften our hearts and open our hands to share generously with those too timid or weak to make their own way.
Bless all who hunger and burn for Your kind of righteousness: grant them protection and satisfaction, according to Your will.
Bless the givers of mercy: doctors and nurses, deacons and ministers, parents and partners, aid workers around the Indian Ocean and across the world, all who bring loving words and skills to those in need. Help them, guide them, and use them for Your good purposes.
Bless the peacemakers: peer mediators on playgrounds, people protesting war, politicians and public figures trying to work Your will among the tangled ways of nations. Protect soldiers trying to deliver ballots and protect polling places in Iraq; guard and guide all who do their jobs to make cooperation and trust between people and nations possible.
Amazing God: You turn folly and weakness into power and wisdom. Turn us to trust You completely; make us sure about Your way, and mold us more and more into truthful messengers of Jesus Christ, Who taught us when we pray to say:
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LUKE 15:1-10
2005
CALL TO WORSHIP
God risks everything to help people who have wandered into danger.
We come to worship God Who wants to gather all people together.
God celebrates the details of life, and rejoices when we get it right.
We come to worship God Who wants us to share joy.
God comes to protect the weak and poor from those who have enough, and take more.
We come to worship God Who calls us all to serve together.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Loving God: in Jesus Christ You call us to share the joy of Your company, and to call our neighbors to join us; but we confess that we are easily distracted by our own ideas about comfort. We wander vaguely after better opportunities, and choose our own company first. We neglect neighbors, and avoid strangers. Forgive us, O God; lead us together with all people to celebrate Your love as the greatest value of our lives. Amen.
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
Great Shepherd, Searcher, and Friend: thank You for finding us, and sending us to share Your love with all people. Accept the offerings we bring today, and lead us to use them to gather all people into Your company, to celebrate with Jesus Christ in the bond of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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ROMANS 8:12-25
2005
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
O God, You fill us with hope and promise to renew the whole creation; we confess that we are slow to hear Your messages, and impatient with Your schedule. We want change to happen now, and we rush ahead of You to get results. Forgive us. Brighten our vision, give us confidence in Your plans, and prepare us for redemption along with the whole creation, made possible by the faith of Christ our Pioneer. Amen.
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REVELATION 21 and 22
2005
CALL TO WORSHIP
Christ has come to fill our eyes with new visions:
to see the way God works for peace.
Christ has come to be God’s peace among us:
to call all nations to be healed at the tree of life.
Christ has come to show us how to live expecting the new heaven and new earth:
to feed the hungry, to lift up the oppressed, and restore the whole creation.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
God of love and light: You sent Jesus Christ to be Your peace and presence among us, and from the ends of the earth You call all people to His holy table. Forgive our dividing ways, and all the feelings that keep us apart. Humble pride that puts us above our neighbors. Save us from worshipping our way of doing things, instead of demonstrating Your love. Teach us how to live Your way of peace and sharing among people of every faith and no faith, so that at last all may come together in Your light, through Jesus Christ, the Lord of all. Amen.DEALING WITH DISASTER
2005
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Almighty God: we confess that we have been slow to pay attention to the needs of our neighbors. When storms swirl, we wish we had been better prepared to help. When terrorists strike, we wonder why we did not see the danger. When war erupts, we forget how long it will last. Forgive us for not being ready. Forgive us for shaping the world to insure our own comfort. Forgive us for opinions that harden and divide. Make us faithful, and keep us prepared to be Your helpers in a world full of pain; in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Back to TopA SERVICE FOR THE PEACE, UNITY AND PURITY OF THE CHURCH
*CALL TO WORSHIP based on Ephesians 2:13-20
In Christ Jesus, by His obedience, we are brought together with strangers and enemies.
He is our peace; He has broken down the walls between us.
Jesus proclaimed peace to those who were far off and those who were near.
Through Him, by the Holy Spirit, all people everywhere can come close to God.
We are not strangers and aliens anymore;
we are citizens of the household of God, and Jesus Christ is our cornerstone.
*HYMN 442 The Church’s One Foundation
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Loving God: in Jesus Christ You call us to new life, united as one people in Your family. We confess that we cling to our divisions and our ways of seeing people. We sort the world into “us and them,” and even divide the church. We fail to keep Christ at the center, and focus on worldly distractions instead. Forgive us for building factions around language, ideology, politics, and social issues. Send the Holy Spirit to remake us once again, and fill our thoughts with Your truth and Your love, keeping us whole and faithful as Your Church; through Jesus Christ, our Hope and our Peace. Amen.
*HYMN 434 Today We All Are Called KINGSFOLD
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH from the Book of Order, Chapter 1
All power in Heaven and earth is given to Jesus Christ by Almighty God, who raised Christ from the dead and set Him above all rule and authority, all power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. God has put all things under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and has made Christ Head of the Church, which is His Body.
Christ calls the Church into being, giving it all that is necessary for its mission to the world, for its building up, and for its service to God. Christ is present with the Church in both Spirit and Word. It belongs to Christ alone to rule, to teach to call, and to use the Church as He wills, exercising His authority by the ministry of women and men for the establishment and extension of His Kingdom.
Christ gives to His Church its faith and life, its unity and mission, its officers and ordinances. . . .
. . . The Church confesses that He is its hope and that the Church, as Christ’s Body, is bound to His authority and thus free to live in the lively, joyous reality of the grace of God.
*PRAYER OF DEDICATION
Christ our Rock: thank You for calling us to service as Your people. Accept our offerings today; in our giving unite us, and give us grace and courage to spread Your love through the whole world, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
*HYMN 420 God of Grace and God of Glory CWM RHONDDAPrayers for the week between Christ the King and Advent
Maker of Time, Keeper of Years and Seasons, God of every day: we stumble into Your presence this day, in a time between thanksgiving and expectation. We have called Jesus our King, and now we wait for His story to start all over. Guide us on this journey. Make our waiting hopeful, and our expectation a reason for gratitude, knowing that in the Spirit of all life You do indeed walk with us, every moment and into every age. Amen.
Faithful One: as we wait and hope, rushing too much and already tired, keep us steady. Take the bits and blobs we throw together, sort them out, and make them and us useful for Your good purposes in this world; through Christ, who comes among us. Amen.ADVENT
Prayer of confession
Dear Lord: we confess that we are doing it again. We let the promise that You are coming into the world turn into time that makes us crazy. So many parties and programs and shopping trips run us out of time to focus on You. You have to be born in a stable to remind us what a mess our days become. Forgive us, Promised One. Slow us down so that we can pay attention to You, and celebrate the way You can change even us. Amen.
Prayer for God’s presence
Come to us, God our Savior. Walk beside our shopping carts. Live underneath our Christmas trees. Shine in the lights on our gutters and railings. Teach us to wait, and teach us Your way, through Jesus Christ, who still comes to turn our hearts to you. Amen.CHRISTMAS EVE PRAYERS 2007
Power of life, Energy inside atoms:
we wait for light tonight.
In a world ripped by war and poverty
on a planet neglected and abused by human carelessness
in communities reeling from violent outbursts and shattered economies
in homes where grief, separation, or abuse vacuum joy from the air
we need the light of life.
So, we dare to pray:
be with us now.
Be real for us now.
In the wonderful story we celebrate tonight
help us find a place
and move us to make room for others.
Peace who honors all peace:
Change us into peacemakers
help us think deeply about the consequences of our actions
and make us honest in the reasons for our choices
clear the minds and soften the hearts of leaders who decide for all of us,
with or without our consent
and make their actions promote peace for all.
Teach us new stewardship for the environment.
Let us be joyful so that those who need it most may share our light.
Weaver of the web of love:
in the days that follow this night of nights
send us to the sick and lonely
show us how to help the poor
teach us to speak truth in a world of empty aims and common deceit
and care for those we never find.
Make way in the world tonight for Jesus
in Him, show us light,
and make us light for the whole world.
Amen.THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION
In the name of Jesus, Jewish child of Bethlehem and Nazareth, the one who conquered death and sets all spirits free, we invite you now to this time of sharing the common things of life: the bread, the cup, and prayers for ourselves and the wider world. Whether you are sure about Jesus or filled with doubt, whatever church you call home or if you have no church, whether you feel ready or not, you are welcome to share the gifts of this table, because this is the sure and certain symbol of His love for all people, and the promise of a life of joy.
At this table we are called to forgive, and Jesus has forgiven us; and we are called to weave our spirits together, even as the Spirit weaves us into God. This is where we learn what it means to see that Jesus is the Risen One.
Lift up your hearts, now, in praise.
We lift them up to praise God.
Give thanks to the Power who is all things holy.
It is right to show thanks with our whole lives.
Let us pray.
Life within all life, Spirit who fills all spirits: thank You for the mystery of beginnings we cannot see, springing forth for reasons beyond our comprehension. We can only explain it by love, moving through infinity to call forth Being of every kind, stretching to repair the sins of our first ancestors, calling people to vast journeys of faith and freedom, speaking direction with a voice of sheer silence and the sound of mighty waters. In the fullness of time, at the center of our history, you came among us in Jesus, the human child of humble birth, so that we might at last see the human shape of truly holy life. Your works astound us, O Holy One, and therefore, with all that is, has been, and will be, we sing praise to You:
[Susan will provide music to print with this, or give you something else]
Holy, holy, holy, holy
Power of power, strength of strength
Your glory shines in all that is
Save us from another way
The One who shows Your way is blessed:
Jesus, first of all our race
May we ever walk with Him
Holy, holy, holy, holy!
You are holy, O God, above all others and all else, and Your highest blessing lives in Jesus, Your true Being in this world. Born in danger, He knows our fears; facing temptation, He knows our weakness; eating with outcasts as well as insiders, He knows our divisions; healing the sick, He knows our pain; welcoming foreigners, He knows our fences; telling us how to pray, He knows our need; praying alone, He knows our doubts. In teaching us to live, He drew the sentence of death, but because of Your great love, He lives again, in a way that is ever new.
Sure of our fellowship with Jesus, we offer ourselves now, to be lifted up as servants for the whole world; and so we ask the Spirit to pray in our prayers, to breathe through our breath, and now to move over these gifts of bread and cup to unite us once again with each other and with Jesus, that our lives may be as His. So, we pray now as Jesus taught His disciples:
Our Father in heaven: hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil; for the kingdom, the power and the glory are Yours, now and forever. Amen.
WORDS OF INSTITUTION
On the night when Jesus was arrested, when He was eating with His disciples, He took a loaf of bread, and said a prayer of thanks. Then He said,
This bread is my new body, which is all of you. Whenever you eat it, remember me.
After supper, He took a cup of wine; and He said,
This cup is the new covenant, marked by the witness of my blood. Whenever you drink it, remember me.
These are the gifts of God for the people of God.
DISTRIBUTION OF THE ELEMENTS
Please eat the bread when it is served, and hold the cup until all drink together.
After distribution:
In the bread Jesus gave, we are joined with His new body.
In the cup Jesus shared, we bear witness to the life He brings.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Amen.
Let us pray.
O God, we thank You for these gifts of love, given through our Savior. Help us now to obey Your call to love all Your children, to do justice and show mercy, and to live in peace with Your whole creation. Guide us through the desert of life, quench our thirst with the living waters, satisfy our hunger with the bread of heaven. Give us strength to serve You faithfully until the promised day of resurrection, when with the redeemed of all the ages, we will feast with You at Your table in glory. Amen.
Copyright 2007 First
Presbyterian Church Wausau