Worship Words

Last month, I joined my Dad, sister, niece, and nephew at a special worship service. A church my Dad served when I was a child was having their final service. While I hadn’t been back in that space in decades, it felt so familiar as soon as we entered the doors. Across the driveway is the home where we lived where I caught the bus each morning for elementary school, where my sister and I played in the yard making obstacle courses for ourselves, the garage where my Mom held many yard sales, and then we entered the church where my Dad preached for six years. Time seemed to slip away as the surroundings felt so comfortable to me. This is the place where I was loved and taught about God’s love. Many of those who loved me so well are no longer there, and yet we saw some friendly faces who hugged us as if it hadn’t been so long since we last saw each other.

The closing of a church is a hard, sad day. And I think this church did it well. For the first time in my life, I took communion at this church that nurtured me. It seemed fitting that it was the only time I would get to do so within these walls. As the final Amen sounded, I gave thanks for this place and all of God’s children who had ever entered these doors.

God of Beginnings and Endings and All Time in between. The end can be so hard and sad especially when a church is having its final service. Help us to remember all the good that poured out of this place and the people’s lives who were changed by this congregation. For the saints of this place who rest from their labors, we thank you for their faithfulness. For the remaining members who now look for a new church home, we give thanks for their faithfulness to this church and ask you to walk with them for the next part of the journey. For those of us who were touched by this church in some way throughout the years, give us a sense of your peace knowing that although this ending is sad that this is not The End. God, you are still at work through your children in this world. So give us the strength we need for this day and the new challenges that we must face. Keep us faithful to you. And help us to remember the stories we learned when we were young, so that we may share them with those who need a reminder of your goodness. Amen. Amen. Amen.

As I was sitting out on my deck recently listening to the sounds filling the air, I felt a need to give thanks. Here is the prayer that bubbled up from that time. I hope you might share a prayer with all that shared space with you when you are outside next.

Creator and Creating and Creative God,

For the gifts of this amazing place and planet we call home, we give you thanks.

For the birds that fly through the skies and share their special songs, we give you thanks.

For the waves that lap onto the shores, we give you thanks.

For the voices and laughter of neighbors who also call this area home, we give you thanks.

For the moments of silence when all creation is holding its breath, we give you thanks.

For the clouds drifting across the sky and airplanes flying high overhead, we give you thanks.

For the many reminders that we share our spaces with other beings both great and small, we give you thanks.

Thank you, Wonderful God, for creating us to be in relationship with you, with each other, and with this planet. Help us to nurture all those relationships. Amen.

Does this ever happen to you? A long awaited good thing is about to occur. You want and need sleep. If sleep comes, it might be in short bursts. Each time you look at the clock you wonder why you are awake again. The internet is full of explanations for why and what to do about it. Search out those answers if you are interested.

Here’s my story. The alarm is set for 5:30 am to catch a flight to see my family who I last saw 8 months ago. To say I am excited is an understatement! I have done all the things to go to sleep and I keep waking up. So, while I try to go back to sleep for the twentieth time, here is the prayer I prayed.

God of All Good Things, You created us in your image and so wonderfully. In the middle of the night, I wonder why you didn’t give us an off switch. Just a simple way to slow our swirling thoughts and excitement down for a bit for sleep before a big, big day. I’m not telling the Creator of All how we should have been made. Just wondering how to get a little rest before my alarm goes off in two hours and fifteen minutes. Just wondering and wondering. Thank you for the ability to feel so much excitement that we can’t sleep. Thank you for long awaited reunions and other joyous celebrations that have us awake as we count down the minutes until we can get started on the big event. Thank you for creating us not as robots and instead as beings filled with emotions too big to be contained by sleep. As I close my eyes to try again to sleep, grant me rest, Holy One, and if good rest doesn’t come before my alarm then grant me the energy to enjoy the big day tomorrow. Big yawn. Amen.

I love the feeling of crisp new notebook. Clean pages ready for me to scribble all over. I am trying to look at each new month in much the same way. New opportunities waiting for me. What will this month hold? Good days and hard days. Laughter and tears. Probably some weather that I don’t love. And so many opportunities.

God of Endless Possibilities! We begin a new month today filled with promise. We bring to this new month all that we are-our joys and sorrows, our dreams and failures, our memories of the past and our wishes for the future. All of this is present as this new month begins. Whatever this month holds, we are grateful to know we do not walk this way alone. You are present with us. You guide us if we only pay attention. You support us when we relax enough to be supported. You love when we seem most and least lovable. As this new month begins, we open ourselves to the possibility of goodness in our lives and goodness to share with others. Open us to receive what is to come. Amen.

Ugh! That has been my word of the week. I had great plans which got sidetracked by that which has been sidetracking many of our plans for the past two years. Everyone is fine. We are pivoting and making new plans.

I know I am not alone in this. Every single person I have talked to today had questions about how to know what is the right thing to do, and when is it safe to do this, and how do I know? So many questions with no easy, right answers. The only right answer for me was to create a prayer for times of disappointment. When you need this prayer, I invite you to pray with me.

Why, God? Why? I don’t even have the words to express my disappointment. I am sad and might cry. I am mad and would like to use up some of this angry energy in a productive manner. I don’t want to make a plan b, plan c, and plan d and throw them all out the window when plans must change again. I want to stop being so disappointed with how things are going in my community and my country. Truthfully, God, I wanted to be done with COVID by now and would like to be living in life after COVID. We all know that isn’t our reality, and so I hand over to you one more big bag of disappointment. Add it to the pile! I know you will hand me back some patience, a glimmer of hope, and so much love as you see this pain and hurt too. So with my next deep breath, I will hold tightly to the hope and feel surrounded by your love. I will remain patient for different days ahead and know that this disappointment won’t last forever. Amen.

This is a responsive reading with parts 1 and 2 that could be read with two people or a congregation and leader. The words of the Psalm are in quotation marks. Psalm 19:1-2,7-10, 14 is used.

1-“The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.”

2-Listen! Do you hear? Listen to nature informing us about the God of all creation. Listen!

1-When should we listen? When should we expect to hear good news?

2-“Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.”

1-“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple;”

2-Revive us, God. Breathe new life into our weary bodies.

1-Explain to us again your way. We want to follow you, and we need your help.

2-“the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes;”

1-“the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever, the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.”

2-We delight in you, Gracious God, and know you instruct us in the way to life.

1-“More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold, sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.”

2-You paint a beautiful picture of how much we should want to follow you. 

1- “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Amen.

2-“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” Amen.