Sunday, November 11, 2012

Litany for 18 November 2012

Proper 28
Call to Worship
L: Our hearts exult in God!
P: There is no Rock like our Redeemer.
L: God breaks the bows of the mighty.
P: The lowly are lifted up and given strength.

L: God fills the hungry with good things,
P: and the rich are sent away empty. 

L: God raises up the poor to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor.
All: Our hearts exult in God! The Most High will thunder in heaven.

           from 1 Samuel 2:1-10 and Luke 1:46-55
                          Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Litany for 4 November 2012

Proper 26
Call to Celebration 
L: Praise God with all your soul!
P: We will praise God as long as we live!
L: God brings justice to the oppressed and sets the prisoners free.
P:  God gives food to the hungry and opens the eyes of the blind.
L: God watches over the stranger, as with Ruth in the Bible.
P: God upholds the orphan and the widow, as with Naomi.
L: God lifts up those who are bowed down.
All: Let us sing praises to our God!
           from Psalm 146:1-10 and Ruth 1:1-18
                              Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Litany for 28 October 2012

Proper 25
Call to Celebration
L:  By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land.
P: By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days.
L: See, we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses!
P: Both here at Davis United Methodist Church and in the greater church.
L: By faith we too are called to establish God’s reign here on earth.
All: We rejoice, for God has done great things for us.
                from Hebrews 11:29-30; Psalm 126:3 
                                  Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Litany for 21 October 2012

Proper 24
Call to Worship
L: We have so many blessings!
P: Praise be to God.
L: Food, shelter, rich earth, friendships, beautiful weather.
P: Praise be to God!
L: We are blessed, and called: to use our gifts,
P: to give food to the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty,
L: to clothe the naked, and take care of the sick,
P: to visit those in prison, and to welcome the stranger.
All: Let us use God’s blessings to build God’s kingdom. Amen.
             from Matthew 25:34-39
                               Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Litany for 7 October 2012

Proper 19
Call to Celebration
L: In the beginning there was nothing.
P: There were no people and no animals.
L: There were no trees and no flowers.
P: There were no mountains and no valleys.
L: And it was dark. But God said, "Let there be light."
P: And there was light. And God saw that the light was good.
L: God called the light day,
P: And the darkness night.
L: So evening came and then morning.
All: This was the first day. Amen.
            from Genesis 1:1-5

                             Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Litany for 30 September 2012

Proper 21
Call to Celebration
L: God’s law is perfect -- it revives the soul.
P: God’s decrees are sure -- they give us wisdom,
L: the wisdom Queen Esther showed in saving her people.
P: God’s precepts are right -- they make our hearts rejoice.
L: God’s commandment is clear -- it enlightens our eyes, as it did 

with King Ahasuerus after Queen Esther spoke to him.
All: Let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O God, our rock and our redeemer.

from Psalm 19:7-9 and Esther 7:1-6
                             Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Monday, September 24, 2012

Litany for 23 September 2012

Proper 20
Call to Celebration:
L: Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked or sit in the seat of scoffers.
P: Happy are those whose delight is in the law of God, who meditate on it day and night.
L: For those who wish to be first must be last of all and servant of all.
P: For those who welcome a child in God’s name, welcome God into their hearts.
L: They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season.
All: Their leaves do not wither, and in all that they do, they flourish.
from Psalm 1:1-3 and Mark 9:30-37

                              Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Friday, September 21, 2012

Litany for 16 September 2012

Proper 19
Call to Worship:
Leader: The heavens are telling the glory of God!
People: And the firmament proclaims God’s handiwork!
Leader: God is glorified by this: that we bear much fruit--
People: as we follow God’s commandments and abide in God’s love.
Leader: So, let us love one another as God has loved us.
All: Let the words our our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, God, our Rock and our Redeemer.
from Psalm 19 and John 15:8-12
                              Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Litany for 9 September 2012

Proper 18 
Call to Celebration
L: Without Your love, God, we are broken.
P: Our mouths cannot speak, our ears cannot hear,
L: Our hands cannot feel, our feet cannot walk.
P: Without Your love, no sound comes from our throats: we are mute.
L: O God, for Your true love,
P: For Your faithfulness to us,
L: We rejoice.
All: O Praise be to You, O God!
                              Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Monday, August 20, 2012

Litany for 19 Aug 2012

Proper 15
Call to Worship
L: Full of honor and majesty is God’s work.
P: God is gracious and merciful.
L: God sent redemption to the people; Holy and awesome is God’s name.
P: Awe of God is the beginning of wisdom;
L: The works of God’s hands are faithful and just..
All: Let us give thanks with our whole heart.  Praise God!
                from Psalm 111
                                Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Litany for 12 August 2012

Proper 14
Call to Worship
L: Out of the depths we cry to you, O God.
P: Hear our voices! Let your ears be attentive to our supplications!
L: Sometimes, we admit, we have done wrong.
P: If you, God, should count our sins, who would be left?
L: But there is forgiveness with you. O Israel, hope in God!
All: For with God there is steadfast love and great power to redeem.
                from Psalm 130

                                         Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Friday, July 27, 2012

Litany for 5 Aug 2012

Proper 13
Call to Worship
L:  God, you desire truth in our inward beings;
P:    teach us wisdom in our inmost hearts.
L:  When we repent of the wrongs we have done,
P:    let us hear joy and gladness once again;
L:  Create in us clean hearts, O God,
P:    and put a new and right spirit within us.
L:  Restore to us the joy of your salvation,
P:    and sustain in us willing spirits to do your work.  Amen.
                  from Psalm 51:1-12

                                         Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Litany for 29 July 2012

Proper 12 - 29 July 2012
Call to Worship
L: You are just and kind in all your doings.
P: and near to all who call on you in truth.
L: When we fall, even as did David who fell so far,
P: you lift us up to see a better way.
L: When we are bowed down with heavy hearts,
P: you reach out to us and raise us up.
All: We give thanks to you, God.
from Psalm 145:10-18 and 2 Samuel 11:1-15
                        Call to Worship by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Litany for 22 July 2012

Proper 11    -  22 July 2012
Call to Worship
Leader: O God, with your holy oil you have anointed David.
People: Your faithfulness and steadfast love were with him always.
Leader: So too, you call out to each of us in our day,
People: And your faithfulness and steadfast love are with us always.
Leader: As David did so long before us, we cry out,
All: You are our God, the Rock of our salvation! Amen.
                 from Psalm 89:20-37
                          Call to Worship by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Litany for 15 July 2012

Proper 10        July 15, 2012
Call to Worship
 One: The earth is God's and all that is in it,
All: The world and those who live in it.
One: For God founded it on the seas,
All: And established it on the rivers.
L: Lift up your heads, O gates!
All: That the God of glory may come in. Alleluia! Amen.
    from Psalm 24:1-10
                          Call to Worship by K.K. Hudson-Bates  

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Litany for 24 June 2012

Proper 7     24 June 2012
Call to Worship
L: God is a stronghold in times of trouble,
P: a stronghold for all who are needy or oppressed.
L: Yahweh does not forget the cry of the afflicted,
P: nor forsake those who seek help.
L: Sing praises to God, who dwells in Zion.
All We sing praises to God! Alleluia!
                        from Psalm 9:9-12 

                                         Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Litany for 17 June 2012

Proper 6 17 June 2012
Call to Worship
L: It is good to give thanks to the Lord.
P: We give thanks with the music of the lute and the harp!
L: For in God, all things are possible! Even a shepherd can be anointed king!
P: And a carpenter can bring light to the world.
L: Sing praises to the Most High!
P: We sing praises with the music of the lyre.
All: Praise be to God! Alleluia!          
                   (drawn from Psalm 92)
                                         Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Litany for 10 June 2012

Proper 5 10 June 2012
Call to Worship
L: God, we give thanks to you with our whole hearts.
P: We bow down in front of your holy temple to give thanks.
L: Sing of the ways of God!
P: You protect us; You educate us; You love us. 
L: Great is your glory, God..
P: You stretch out your hand to us.All: Your steadfast love endures for all time. Praise God!
                                         Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Litany for 27 May 2012

Pentecost 27 May 2012
Call to Worship
L: A great wind rushes through our gathering.
P: Tongues of fire rest on each of us.
L: The presence of the Holy Spirit is among us.
P: God calls on each of us to speak Truth,
L: In a language that others can understand.
P: To be advocates for the immigrant, the homeless
L: To be comforters of the lonely, the hopeless.
All: Let us be inspired to do God’s will! Amen.
Acts 2:2,3 and John 15:26, 16:13
                                       Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Litany for 13 May 2012

Sixth Sunday of Easter -- 13 May 2012
Call to Worship
L: Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;
P: break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
L: Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,
P: with the lyre and the sound of melody.
L: Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
P: the world and those who live in it.
L: Let the floods clap their hands;
P: let the hills sing together for joy
All: at the presence of the LORD!! Alleluia!
             Psalm 98:4-9
                                       Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Litany for 6 May 2012

5th Sunday in Easter     6 May 2012  
Call to Worship
L: We worry today about war and famine and intolerance.
P: We worry about global warming and economic recession.
L: But, the Bible tells us there is no fear in love.
P: With God, we know the day will come when the poor eat and are satisfied,
L: when war is no more,
P: and the environment on our earth is restored.
L: Let us turn our hearts toward that day,
All: Loving one another because love is from God.
              
based on Psalm 22:26-7, 1 John 4:7
                                       Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Litany for 29 April 2012

4th Sunday in Easter  -  29 April 2012
Call to Worship
L: We know love by this, that Jesus laid down his life for us.
P: And so, let us lay down our lives for one another,
L: for God's love abides in those who see a brother or sister in need
P: and reach out to help them.
L: God’s love is shown in the healing of the sick,
P: and the feeding of the hungry.
All: Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. Amen.

from 1 John 3:16-18
                                       Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Litany for 15 April 2012

2nd Sunday in Easter     15 April 2012
Call to Worship:
L: God, you call us to follow in the footsteps of early Christian communities,
P: in worship and in fellowship.
L: As a community we reach out to those in need,
P: in our worship and our fellowship.
L: As believers we raise those needs in prayer,
P: in worship and fellowship.
All: Together, we join our hearts to praise God, in worship and in fellowship!
inspired by this week's lectionary readings
                                        Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Litany for 8 April 2012 - Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday 8 April 2012:
Call to Worship
L: O God, too often we miss the meaning of Easter.
P: We see the tomb with the stone pulled aside.
L: We see the linen wrappings.
P: We see the cloth rolled up in a place by itself.
L: We stand with Mary, weeping outside the tomb,
All: not comprehending, disbelieving, afraid.
L: Guide us so that we too can say, as Mary did before us,
All: We have seen the Lord! Alleluia!
                    inspired by John 20:1-18

                                         Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Litany for 1 April 2012 - Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday            1 April 2012:
Call to Worship
L: This is the day which God has made.
P: Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
All: Hosanna!
L: Open the gates of righteousness
     that we may enter and give thanks.
P. O give thanks to God, for God is good,
     God’s love endures forever.
All: Hosanna in the highest!
                               taken from Psalm 118 
                                          Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Litany for 25 March 2012

Fifth Sunday in Lent 25 March 2012
Call to Worship
L: Redeemer God, You desire truth in our inward beings;
P: Teach us wisdom in our hearts.
L: You have said that a grain of wheat must sink to the earth before it is fruitful,
P: And as it dies, it bears much fruit.
L: So let us offer up our lives to serve and follow You, O God,
P: And in so doing open our hearts to joy and gladness.
All: We rejoice in Your words, O God.
from Psalm 51:6-8 and John 12:23-26
                                             Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates 


Litany for 18 March 2012

Fourth Sunday in Lent - 18 March 2012
Call to Worship
L: O, give thanks to God, for God is good.
P: God’s steadfast love endures forever.
L: God loves us so much that God gave us a son,
P: So that everyone who believes, may not die,
All: But have everlasting life. Amen.
 

from John 3:14-21
                                           Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates  

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Litany for 11 March 2012

Occasionally, I can just pull out a Call I've written in the past and use it just as it is. This is one of those Sundays. This one I wrote back in 2009, but I don't think I need to change anything in it.


Third Sunday in Lent        11 March 2012:
Call to Worship
L: The heavens are telling the glory of God!
P: The firmament proclaims God’s handiwork!
L: God’s voice goes out through all the earth,
P. God’s words to the end of the world.
L: Yet too often we do not listen, God’s voice is not heard.
P: Too often we defile your temple, we pollute your earth.
All: Open our ears that we might know your Glory,
       and our eyes that we might receive your word!  
                                    drawn from Psalm 19
                                             Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Litany for 26 February 2012

First Sunday in Lent
Call to Worship
L: In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee,
P: And he was baptized by John in the Jordan.
L: Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water,
P: He saw the heavens torn apart, and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.
L: A voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
P: And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.
All: The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Amen.
        from Mark 1:9-15

Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Litany for 19 Feb 2012


Transfiguration Sunday

L: You are mighty, God.
P: You summon the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
L: Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, You shine forth.
P: You do not keep silence.
L: You call to the heavens above and to the earth, saying,
All: “Let light shine out of darkness.”   Amen.
         from Psalm 50:1-6,  2nd Corinthians 4:6
                     Call to Worship by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Litany for 12 February 2012


Sixth Sunday After Epiphany
Call to Worship

L:  O God, we cry to you for help, and you heal us.
P: You restore us to life.
L: In your grace, we may weep in the night,
P: But, joy comes in the morning.
L: You turn our mourning into dancing,
P: You take off our sackcloth and clothe us in joy.
All: We sing praises to you, God, and give you thanks.
from Psalm 30
                     Call to Worship by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Litany for 5 February 2012

Fifth Sunday After Epiphany
Call to Worship
L: Let us sing praises to God;
P: For God is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
L: For God gathers the outcasts of Israel.
P: And heals the brokenhearted, binding up their wounds.
L: Sing to God with thanksgiving;
P: Make a melody on the lyre.
All: Praise the LORD!
          from Psalm 147:1-11, 20c

                Call to Worship by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Monday, January 16, 2012

Litany for 22 January 2012

Call to Worship
for 22 January 2012, Third Sunday After Epiphany


L: As God called Jonah to proclaim the message to Ninevah,
P: We are called today.

L: As Jesus called Simon and his brother Andrew,
P: God calls each of us by name.

L: God speaks to us. Listen.
P: We silence our hearts to hear.
All: Our hope and power are in God. Amen. 

         themes from the lectionary readings for this day
                  Call to Worship by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Litany based on the Lectionary for 15 January 2012

Second Sunday after Epiphany     15 January 2012
Call to Celebration

L: O God, You have searched us and known us.
P: You know when we sit down and when we rise up.
L: You read our thoughts from far away;
P: Even before a word is on our tongues, O God, You know it completely.
L: For it was You who formed our inward parts,
P: You who knit us together in our mothers' wombs.
L: We are fearfully and wonderfully made!
All: Wonderful are Your works, O God!
         from Psalm 139
                  Call to Worship by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Litany for 15 January 2012, MLK, Jr. Sunday

Litany for Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday
15 January 2012

L: Shout out, do not hold back!
P: Lift up your voice like a trumpet!

L: Is not this the fast that God chooses:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
P: to undo the thongs of the yoke,
and let the oppressed go free? 

L: Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
P: and bring the homeless poor into your house?

L: Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
P: Then your light shall rise in the darkness
and your gloom be like the noonday.

L: And you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.
All: Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Amen.          from Isaiah 58

                   Call to Worship by K.K. Hudson-Bates

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Call to Celebration for Christmas day 2011-12-25
L: In those days a decree went out that all should be registered.
P: Sing to God, all the earth.
L: Joseph went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to the city of David called Bethlehem, and with him Mary, to whom he was engaged.
P: Declare God's glory, God's marvelous works in all the nations!
L: Mary was expecting a child.
P: O sing to God a new song!
L: While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.
P: God is great and greatly to be praised!
L: And she gave birth to her firstborn son.
P: Let the heavens be glad and let the earth rejoice!
All: Alleluia! Amen.
                                        from Psalm 96 and Luke 2:1-20