The words we speak and sing make a difference in how we view ourselves, the world and our place in it, and our relationship with all Creation. These Worship Life resources speak a language of responsibility and lament, of hope and community, and of justice-making. Under this umbrella category, there are four subcategories: (Liturgies & Rituals; Readings & Prayers; Reflections & Poetry; and Songs). The listing of posts shown below includes items under all of these five categories.
This service is a journey – through praise and celebration, through confession and grief, and on to hope and hard work. Based on Pope Francis’ encyclical “On Care For Our Common Home” (2015), it looks at both the beauty of all Creation, and its devastation by human hands, our hands.… Read More »A Service Of and For Creation
To say we are all connected is a real understatement. The “we” and “all” and “connected” are grander and more vast than we can begin to imagine! We – people, critters, rocks, air, earth, fire, water – are connected to each other on this precious planet. And we are connected… Read More »Call to Gathering
We are in this together. We are in this together. We are a community, a beloved community, earth community. The goodness of Creation is real, the holy is in our midst, we are in this together, and together we move through the seasons of our times – the upheaval, the… Read More »Affirmation of Faith During These Times
Oh God of time and space we confess we are running out of both. Church is good at lament, and knows that it needs to be voiced as a community, a nation. In fact, one of the tasks of the prophet, according to biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann, is to help… Read More »Prayer of Confession and Lament for Creation
The journey leads us to an empty tomb Easter brings surprise Easter brings a shout and a sob Easter brings questions This song is written both from the perspective of the women at Jesus’ tomb on Easter morning, and from our perspective as well. Sometimes the lines between the two… Read More »Easter Anthem
This responsive reading was originally written for an Interfaith Service of Prayer and Healing following the 2020 election. It was a Zoom event planned and led by my home church (Washington Park UCC, Denver), and First Congregational UCC and Temple Beth Shalom, both of Ocala, Florida. It was inspired, in… Read More »Imagine! A Prayer for Community
Church has always had such powerful images for connectedness – Body of Christ, people of the table, covenant, communion of saints, for example. They transcend both time and space. They’re who we are. This reading celebrates and affirms our connectedness to all creation, and offers another image for our reflection… Read More »For Comfort and Calling
This Call to Worship explains just why we gather as a community of faith. It talks about work, and healing, and community, and what we are to be about. Together. We are part of something so much greater than ourselves, but we each have gifts and roles to play in… Read More »Called Together
Did you ever notice that, in the Bible, it seems like anytime angels make themselves known to a human, the first words they say are, “Fear not.” That doesn’t strike me as a very realistic expectation. A little fear in the face of this strange and divine presence is not… Read More »The Qualifier Angel
During National Poetry Month’s 2020 “Poem a Day” challenge, the prompt for one day was to write a Haiku variant that consisted of three lines – with one, two, three words. “Vigil” was the result – something stark and simple, like standing outside the courthouse or detention center or state… Read More »Vigil