Christmas 1993
Call to Celebration
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
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Second Sunday after Christmas 2 Jan 1994
Call to Celebration
L: We rejoice in God's gift of a new year.
P: Praise God, O nations, praise God!
L: The beginning of the new year fills us with hope.
P: We come and sing aloud on the highest of mountains,
L: We are radiant over the over the goodness of God,
P: Over the bounty which is ours at the opening of this new year.
L: Young women rejoice in the dance,
P: Young men and old are merry.
L: God turns our mourning into joy,
P: God comforts us and gives us gladness in place of sorrow.
All: We rejoice in God's gift of a new year!
inspired by Jeremiah 31:12-14
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Invocation
O Creator of New Life, through Your promise we are filled with hope for the new year, by Your comforting we are filled with joy and energy to begin anew. In the beginning was Your Word; Your law and promise came to use through Moses; grace and truth we receive through Jesus Christ. May Your Word become flesh through us in this new year as we seek to more closely imitate the grace and truth we learn from the life of Jesus of Nazareth. May Your grace and truth shine through us and in our actions. Amen.
inspired by John 1:1-18
Invocation by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Baptism of the Lord 9 Jan 1994
(First Sunday after Epiphany)
(First Sunday after Epiphany)
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
P: Pour out your hearts before God.
L: God is a refuge for us
P: Our hope is in God.
L: God alone is our rock and our salvation
P: On God rests our deliverance, our honor.
L: Power and steadfast love belong to GodP: Trust in God at all times.
All: Let us pour out our hearts before God, our Mighty Rock.
from Psalm 62:5-12
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Invocation
O God, You are our strength and comfort. In difficult times when we are hurting, You comfort us and give us healing. As we recover, You give us strength and call us to new challenges. Be with each of us today in our pains and sorrows. Then, as You did so long ago with Simon and Andrew, James and John, call us out to be Your disciples, Your healing presence to those around us in their difficulties. This is our prayer, O God. Amen.
L: God has sent redemption and has commanded a covenant for eternity.
All: God's praise endures forever. Holy and awesome is God's name. Amen.
from Psalm 111
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Invocation
Creator and Redeemer God, You have placed each of us in this world to live in it and care for it together. You call us to follow your law and commandments. Yet, You also call us to love our neighbors. You ask that we be sensitive to their culture and and beliefs, even when they are very different from our own. You teach us that love is more important than law. Joined together in worship today, we give thanks to You, O God, with our whole hearts. Amen.
L: Praise God!
P: For God is gracious and a song of praise is fitting.
L: God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
P: God determines the number of stars and gives names to each one.
L: God lifts up the downtrodden,
P: God gives to the animals their food.
L: Sing to God with thanksgiving,P: Make a melody to God on the lyre,
All: For God is great and God's understanding is beyond measure. Amen.
from Psalm 147:1-11
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Invocation
O Heavenly Creator, You are all things to all people. You lift us up when we are depressed, You bind our wounds when we are injured, You provide us with food when we are hungry. Christ, through his life, has taught us about Your will, as he comforted, healed and fed the people in his day. Send us out from this sanctuary as Your hands and feet in our world today, in imitation of Christ, Your Son, Amen.
Invocation
O God of Creation, God of Glory and Light, You have made the light and formed out planet. You have created us in Your image, man and woman. Through our baptism in Jesus Christ You fill us with the Holy Spirit. And, through the Holy Spirit, You continually call us to do Your will. We are blessed by Your creative and continuing love. We thank you, God. Amen.
Second Sunday after Epiphany 16 Jan1994
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 Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Invocation
O God, our Creator, You have formed us from head to toe. As written very simply in a children's book: "God made the stars. God made the sea. God made you. God made me." We are part of Your wonderful creation. May we glorify You and Your creation in the care we give to our health and to the health of our planet. May we thus be good stewards of Your creation. This is our prayer, O God. Amen. (quote from God Made Me, by Dandi Daley Mackall, 1992)
Third Sunday after Epiphany 23 Jan1994
Call to Celebration
L: Trust in God at all times, O people,P: Pour out your hearts before God.
L: God is a refuge for us
P: Our hope is in God.
L: God alone is our rock and our salvation
P: On God rests our deliverance, our honor.
L: Power and steadfast love belong to GodP: Trust in God at all times.
All: Let us pour out our hearts before God, our Mighty Rock.
from Psalm 62:5-12
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Invocation
O God, You are our strength and comfort. In difficult times when we are hurting, You comfort us and give us healing. As we recover, You give us strength and call us to new challenges. Be with each of us today in our pains and sorrows. Then, as You did so long ago with Simon and Andrew, James and John, call us out to be Your disciples, Your healing presence to those around us in their difficulties. This is our prayer, O God. Amen.
Fourth Sunday after Epiphany 30 Jan1994
Call to Celebration
L: Great are the works of God!
P: Praise God!
L: Full of honor and majesty is God's work
P: Praise God!
L: The works of God's hands are faithful and just
P: God's laws are trustworthy.L: God has sent redemption and has commanded a covenant for eternity.
All: God's praise endures forever. Holy and awesome is God's name. Amen.
from Psalm 111
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Invocation
Creator and Redeemer God, You have placed each of us in this world to live in it and care for it together. You call us to follow your law and commandments. Yet, You also call us to love our neighbors. You ask that we be sensitive to their culture and and beliefs, even when they are very different from our own. You teach us that love is more important than law. Joined together in worship today, we give thanks to You, O God, with our whole hearts. Amen.
5th Sunday after Epiphany 6 February 1994
Call to CelebrationL: Praise God!
P: For God is gracious and a song of praise is fitting.
L: God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
P: God determines the number of stars and gives names to each one.
L: God lifts up the downtrodden,
P: God gives to the animals their food.
L: Sing to God with thanksgiving,P: Make a melody to God on the lyre,
All: For God is great and God's understanding is beyond measure. Amen.
from Psalm 147:1-11
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Invocation
O Heavenly Creator, You are all things to all people. You lift us up when we are depressed, You bind our wounds when we are injured, You provide us with food when we are hungry. Christ, through his life, has taught us about Your will, as he comforted, healed and fed the people in his day. Send us out from this sanctuary as Your hands and feet in our world today, in imitation of Christ, Your Son, Amen.
7th Sunday after Epiphany 15 February 2009
Call to Worship
L: O God, I cried to you for help, and you healed me.
P: You have brought my soul up from the depths of despair, and restored me to life.
L: You have turned my mourning into dancing;
P: You have changed my sackcloth into gladness.
L: We weep during the night, but joy comes with the morning!
All: We cannot be silent! We sing and give thanks for your healing power!
taken from Psalm 30
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Third Sunday in Lent 15 March 2009:
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
Palm Sunday 5 April 2009:
Call to Worship
Call to Worship
L: This is the day which God has made.
P: Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
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: Let us rejoice in this day which God has made.
taken from Psalm 118
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
for Good Friday 2009
Call to Worship
One: O God, you have called us, each one.
All: Through the life of Jesus you have shown us the wayOne: Let us approach with true hearts in full assurance of faith,
All: with our hearts sprinkled clean and our bodies washed with pure water.One: You inspire us to provoke one another to love and good deeds,
All: not neglecting to meet together, but encouraging one another.We raise our voices together in joyful praise. Amen.
from Hebrews 10:19-25
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
for Good Friday 2009
Call to Worship
One: O God, you have called us, each one.
All: Through the life of Jesus you have shown us the wayOne: Let us approach with true hearts in full assurance of faith,
All: with our hearts sprinkled clean and our bodies washed with pure water.One: You inspire us to provoke one another to love and good deeds,
All: not neglecting to meet together, but encouraging one another.We raise our voices together in joyful praise. Amen.
from Hebrews 10:19-25
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
5th Sunday in Easter 10 May 2009
Call to Worship
Invocation
Invocation
L: We worry about war and famine and AIDS,
P: We worry about global warming and global recession.
L: And yet, the Bible tells us simply, the poor will eat and be satisfied;
P: And, those who seek God will praise God.
L: We remember, and turn to God.
All: Let us worship before God.
based on Psalm 22:26-7
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Pentecost 22 May 1994
Call to Celebration
L: Manifold are your works, O God!
P: The earth is full of Your creatures.
L: They look to You to give them food,
P: When You open Your hands, they are filled with good things!
L: When You hide Your face, they are dismayed;
P: When You take away their breath, they die and return to dust.
L: Yet, when you send forth Your spirit, they are created, You renew the face of the earth.
All: May God's glory endure forever, May our meditation be pleasing to God, Amen.
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Invocation
Creator God, God of Renewal and Life, Your creation fills us with wonder.When we look at Your creation we are amazed. Each day as arise, we meet your vibrant and beautiful creation. Yet, in the midst of life we also meet sadness and even death. We know that it is especially in the difficult times that You are with us. Help us each day, O God, to open our hearts to Your renewing spirit, that we may be recreated to serve You. Amen.
Pentecost?? 31 May 2009
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.
God calls us to speak Truth,
P: In a language that others can understand.
L: To be advocates for the immigrant, the homeless
P: To be comforters of the lonely, the hopeless.
All: Let us be inspired to do God’s will! Amen.
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Trinity Sunday 29 May 1994
Call to Celebration
L: Holy, holy, holy! God of all creation!
P: The whole earth is full of your glory!
L: Your voice is over the waters,
P: Your voice is powerful and full of majesty.
L: Holy, holy, holy! God of all creation!
P: You send strength to your people,
L: You bless your people with peace.
P: Whom will you send, who will carry your message?
All: Here we are, God, send us!
from Isaiah 6:1-8 and Psalm 29
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Invocation
God
of all creation, God most holy, hear our prayer today. We are so often a
lost people. We feel unworthy of your love and blessing. And yet, you
are everpresent, standing on the sidelines, touching us, healing our
brokenness, bolstering our confidence, freeing us from our own feelings
of guilt. You call us into readiness, you give us courage to say, "We
are your people, God, ready to serve; Here we are, send us!" Amen.
Proper 5 (old) 5 June 1994
Call to Celebration
L: Be merciful to us, O God, be merciful.
P: We cry to You Most High,
And you send forth your steadfast love and faithfulness.
L: In the shadow of your wings we take refuge, O God.
P: Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
L: Let your glory be over all the earth.
P: We will sing and make melody!
Awaken, soul! Awaken, harp and lyre!
All: Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
Let your glory be over all the earth!
from Psalm 57 (no longer anywhere in lectionary)
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
(this lectionary reading no longer appears in the lectionary for Proper 5... what happened??)
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
(this lectionary reading no longer appears in the lectionary for Proper 5... what happened??)
Invocation
O God Most High, you reach us each day as you have for generations. You send messengers to comfort the afflicted, just as in ancient times you sent David to be a comfort to Saul. You give refuge to those fleeing storms and destruction as you did David when he was in danger. We too have taken refuge under your wings: we remember the help and comfort we received at the time of the earthquake as we picked up the broken pieces of our lives. We pray that even in difficult times we might sing your praise as faithfully as David, that we might sing and make melody as cheerfully as our own Joe De La Cruz. This is our prayer, Amen.
Proper 6 (old) 12 June 1994 (Father's Day)
Call to Celebration
L: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
P: Therefore we will not fear, though the mountains shake,
L: For God is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge.
P: God makes wars cease to the end of the earth,
L: God breaks the bow, shatters the spear, burns the shields,
All: Let God be exalted among th enations! Let God be exalted in the earth!
from Psalm 46 - NOW Year A Proper 4
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Invocation
O God, our refuge and strength, you are by our side through great times and small moments. You make an end to war and you make the tiniest mustard seed sprout. You give us refuge in times of fear and you nurture in us the strength for new growth. You are father and mother, our mentor for good parenting, the example we try so hard to imitate, as parents, as partners, as daughters and sons, and as friends. For all this, we give you thanks, God, on this Father's Day. Amen.
Invocation
O God, our refuge and strength, you are by our side through great times and small moments. You make an end to war and you make the tiniest mustard seed sprout. You give us refuge in times of fear and you nurture in us the strength for new growth. You are father and mother, our mentor for good parenting, the example we try so hard to imitate, as parents, as partners, as daughters and sons, and as friends. For all this, we give you thanks, God, on this Father's Day. Amen.
Proper 6 14 June 2009
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)
(drawn from Psalm 92)
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Proper 9 (NOW) 19 June 1994
Call to Celebration
L: Great is God,
P: And greatly to be praised!
L: God's holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth!
P: We ponder your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple.
L: Your name, O God, like your praise, reaches to the ends of the earth.
All: Great is God, and greatly to be praised!
(drawn from Psalm 48)
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Invocation (Proper 6??):
We ponder your steadfast love, O God, here in the midst of your church. We are in awe of your holy mountain which seems perfect compared to our own creations. We are humbled. And yet you, overlooking our shortcomings, call us to be your ambassadors; you entrust to us your message of reconciliation for our broken world. We pray for the strength and vision to respond with vigor to your calling to be peacemakers and healers - in our neighborhood, in our workplace, in our town and in our world. Hear our prayer, O God. Amen.
(inspired by II Corinthians 5:18-6:2: This is now LENT 4th)
Proper 7 21 June 2009
Call to Worship
L: Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion.
P: Declare God’s deeds among the peoples.
L: For those who know God’s name put their trust in God.
P: God does not forget the cry of the afflicted, nor forsake those who seek.
L: The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
P: A stronghold in times of trouble.
All: We sing praises to the Lord! Thanks be to God.
(from Psalm 9:9-12)
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Proper 10 July 1994
Call to Celebration
L: The earth is God's and all that is in it,
P: The world and those who live in it.
L: For God founded it on the seas,
P: And established it on the rivers.
L: Lift up your heads, O gates!
All: That the King of glory may come in.
L: Who is the Kind of glory?
P: The Lord strong and mighty
All: The Lord of hosts. Amen.
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Invocation
Almighty God, we come to worship You. We come as we are, broken and hurting, hopeful of Your healing touch, of Your renewing word. Lift up our heads, O God, that we may receive Your blessing. Open our hearts that we may hear Your calling for our lives. This we pray. Amen.
Proper 13 2 August 2009
Call to Worship
L: God, You are the bread of life.
P: Whoever comes to You will never be hungry,
L: Whoever believes in You will not be thirsty.
P: You give us the true bread from heaven,
L: Food that endures for eternal life.
P: In You there is one body, one Spirit.
L: One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
All: One God of All. Let us worship God.
(exerpts from Ephesians 4:4-6, John 6:27-35)
(exerpts from Ephesians 4:4-6, John 6:27-35)
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Invocation 7 August 1994
Creator God, you have created us. You nurture us. You are our Bread of Life. In return, you call us to respond with life-giving love to those in our community and world who are in need. You call us to give food to the hungry and do defend the cause of the oppressed. You call us to open our hearts for understanding our brothers and sisters around the world. Give us the courage to respond to your call in our lives. This is our prayer. Amen.
Proper 15 16 August 2009
Call
L: Let us give thanks to the Lord with our whole hearts.
P: Praise the LORD!
L: Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.
P: Full of honor and majesty is God’s work,
L: God’s righteousness endures forever.
All: Holy and Awesome is God’s name!
from Psalm 111
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Proper 16 23 August 2009
Call
L: Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. O God
P: How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!
L: My soul longs to be in your presence.
P: My heart and my flesh sing for joy to you, O living God.
L: Happy are those whose strength is in you, O Lord of hosts,
All: Happy are those who trust in you. Let us praise God.
from Psalm 84
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Proper 17 30 Aug 2009
Call
L: O God, your throne endures forever.
P: Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity.
L: You call us to walk blamelessly, to do what is right,
P: And speak the truth from our hearts.
L: You ask that we be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger,
P: Yet also that we be doers of the word and not merely hearers.
All: Open our hearts that we may hear, understand, and do your word.
drawn from the lectionary readings
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Proper 23 11 October 2009
L: O God, satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad, all our days!
P: Your love is enough!
P: Your love is enough!
L: Show your work to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.
P: Your power is sufficient!
L: Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands!
All: Let us rejoice and be glad, all our days! Amen.
Psalm 90:14-17
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Proper 25 25 October 2009
L: My soul makes its boast in the LORD;
P: Let the humble hear it and be glad.
L: For God consoles and leads us all,
P: God lets us walk by brooks of water.
L: O magnify the LORD with me,
All: Together we exalt God’s name. Praise be to God!
Psalm 34:2-3; Jeremiah 31:9
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
Call to Celebration by K.K. Hudson-Bates
