musical meanderings and theological thoughts
for use in worship
Let all creation bless the Lord;
let the faithful sing God’s glory.
The Lord lifts up those who fall,
and provides food according to the seasons.
The Lord is just and full of compassion;
God is near whenever we call.
Let us worship the Lord whose kingdom is everlasting,
whose words are faithful and full of grace.
Citation: Psalm 145:10–18
View post to donate →Makes a good call to worship for services celebrating art, creativity, justice work, as well as Wesleyan theology, hymnody, and history.
Love divine, all loves excelling—
fill our hearts with passion and life.
Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit—
inspire our words, our motions, our art.
Come, Almighty, to deliver—
lead our hands and feet in the work of justice.
Finish, then, thy new creation—
speak beauty into chaos, and let harmony unfold.
Citation: “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling,” Charles Wesley
(with a slight reference to “Sunday in the Park with George,” Stephen Sondheim)
Makes a good call to worship for graduation days, back to school, wisdom literature sermon passages, and similar occasions.
In the beginning was the Wisdom* of God,
before the dust of the earth and the depths of the sea.
She rejoiced at the beauty of life on the earth;
The Lord rejoiced in her.
Whoever finds wisdom finds the heart of God;
whoever seeks wisdom is blessed.
Come and join in the work of creation!
Come and dance in the presence of God!
Citation: adapted from Proverbs 8:22–36
You may also consider adding the following footnote to your bulletin:
* Fun fact: Some commentators equate Lady Wisdom from Proverbs with Christ.
[sung refrain 1: 2x]
Almighty and all-loving God,
as we begin once more to journey with you to the cross,
as we look closely at our lives and our world,
we find ourselves trapped in so much of the same sin and brokenness
you came into the world to save us from,
and we find ourselves crying out, How long, O Lord?
How long must we wait for your justice to roll down like waters?
[sung refrain 1]
How long, O Lord,
must we watch temperatures rise, glaciers melt,
storms worsen, and trash accumulate?
How long must we battle the despair that looms
when we realize how much there is to change
and how little we can do alone?
Save us, O God of creation—
bind us together to do what we cannot do alone,
and step in to do what we cannot do together.
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
[or sung refrain 1]
Continue reading “Prayers of the People: Lament Form for Lent” One: As the nights grow longer, we see an echo of our uncertainty as we walk through a life filled with unknowns.
Many: As we look around at the horrors of the world, we fear what the future may hold, and sometimes we find ourselves lost in despair.
One: Yet, with the prophets of old, we hope for a time when wars shall cease, justice will roll down like waters, and the hungry will be filled with good things.
(the candle across from the pink one is lit)
Many: As we light the candle of hope, O God, we pray that your light would shine amidst our uncertainty and despair, that we might catch a glimpse of your presence beside us even in those moments we feel most lost and alone.
(add for a first-week Hanging of the Greens or Blessing of the Greens service:)
One: Bless this Advent wreath to be a sign of the fire of your Holy Spirit as we prepare again for your coming in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Wait for the Lord,
For dawn is breaking to light the paths of peace.
Wait for the Lord,
For the kingdom of heaven is drawing near.
Wait for the Lord,
For the Creator is making all things new.
Wait for the Lord,
Be strong; take heart.
Citations: Ps 27:14; Luke 1:78–79; Matt 4:17; Rev 21:5
View post to donate →For use in a service in which Chrismons are placed upon the tree by members of the congregation during the Communion.
Eternal God, heavenly Creator, we give you thanks for this holy mystery in which you have given yourself to us. May these fruits of the earth sustain us as we await your birth into the world, and may this tree, arrayed in splendor, remind us of the mystery of Christ, in whose death we find life, as we are drawn to resurrection alongside him. Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you and all creation with gladness; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Based in part on the blessing of the Chrismons prayer from the United Methodist Book of Worship.
View post to donate →Feast day: Christ the King/Christ the Sovereign/Reign of Christ
Come to the table, you who hunger for food and for justice,
For the Savior sets a feast, without price or partiality.
Come to the water, you who are weary and heavy-laden,
For the Shepherd shelters the body and restores the soul.
Come to God’s presence with singing and with dancing,
For the Lord is good, whose steadfast love endures forever.
Come and rest in the new creation,
For the Kin[g]dom of Heaven draws near.
Trusting in the incarnate God who weeps when we mourn and dances when we rejoice, let us join our bodies and our minds in prayer, saying:
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray for the church and all who encounter it:
We pray for all those who have been nurtured by the church
and found life and joy within its walls,
and for all who have followed your call
into positions of leadership.
We pray also for all who have been rejected by the church,
who have seen only pain and grief within its walls.
Heal our brokenness and bring us ever closer
to truly being the body of Christ for the world.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Continue reading “Prayers of the People: Basic Litany 2” Holy Jesus, Almighty God, Creator and Redeemer of all life,
On this Easter day we praise you with our whole heart, mind, and voice,
As we celebrate the mysterious Passover
In which you yourself are the Paschal Lamb;
For by your death and resurrection you have freed us from our sins
As once you freed your people from slavery in Egypt.
What might have been a day of mourning after your death
You have made instead a day of rejoicing and a feast,
For in the very night we thought all hope was lost
You saw fit to work your transformation of the world.
This is the day/night when you brought our ancestors
Out of slavery, leading them through the Red Sea on dry land.
This is the day/night when you delivered us from the bonds of death and sin,
And brought us to life with you as you rose victorious from the grave.
How wonderful is the mystery of your unfailing grace, O God,
That you would give yourself in exchange for your mortal creation.
How holy and blessed is this day when earth and heaven are joined
And all creation is reconciled to you who love us even unto death.
O God our Savior, look favorably upon us your Church and continue in us the live-giving work you began in the hours before dawn on that first Easter day. Make us a beacon of your eternal love and grace; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, that things which had fallen to disrepair are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our risen Lord. Amen. Alleluia.
Based in part on the English text of the Exsultet chant.
Plagal Cadence 