C2W for Easter Sunday Cross Fit Faith

Here’s a Call to Worship for Easter Sunday based on Luke 24:1-12, 36-48, “A Way of Life” in the Cross Fit Faith worship series.

The Call
Christ is risen!
   Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Hear the bells ring out the Good News
(listen as the bell rings)
We are an Easter people,
   Alleluia is our song!
Our lives too ring out the Good News
   by our words and thoughts and actions.
We come today, despite the many other places we could be
   to celebrate our God of Life and embrace the new life only Christ can give!

Good Friday Prayer Stations

We’ve traditionally had low attendance for Good Friday services, so a few years ago we moved to holding open Good Friday prayer stations for most of the day. This allows many more people to participate. When you download the PDF of this year’s prayer stations you’ll get all the written materials you’ll need along with signs and a list of other the items for each station.
This year we worked hard to find prayer stations that didn’t need a lot of work to set up and didn’t require things we’d have to go searching for. I expect set-up and tear-down will take less than an hour! These are a compilation of various ideas we’ve found or come up with so you can use freely!

Download the complete Good Friday Prayer Stations PDF here: Good Friday Prayer Stations 2019

Check out my past posts for Maundy/Holy Thursday ideas and a fun Easter Sunrise Worship.

Happy Holy Week! God’s got this! And remember, no matter what happens (or doesn’t happen) this week Jesus will rise on Easter morning! TBTG! 😀

I’ll continue to share liturgy and worship resources throughout the year. Be sure to subscribe by clicking the +Follow button below so you won’t miss a thing!

Happy planning!

Maundy Thursday Taize Worship

Maundy Thursday is my favorite worship service of the Christian year! Yes, for me it even tops Christmas Eve and Easter. Jesus knew this was his last chance to show his friends God’s Truth and he does not disappoint! Teaching us what love is, giving us a new covenant open to everyone, sharing one last blessing with those he loved even though he knew they would soon desert him… that’s the good stuff.
This year, we used a Taize style worship for Ash Wednesday and it was so well received we decided to do it again for Holy Thursday. We’ll be holding this worship service around tables in our Community Room with candles and Communion elements on each table. The service includes the song By My Side from Godspell and a poem/reflection on Jesus’ foot washing by Rev. Carol Ferguson.

Download the PDF worship outline here: Maundy Thursday Taize Worship 2019

There’s more Holy Week resources coming.. I’ll be sharing our Good Friday prayer stations soon! Check out my Easter Sunrise worship and be sure to subscribe!

Happy (almost) Holy Week! May the odds be ever in your favor!

C2W for Palm Sunday Cross Fit Faith

Here’s a Call to Worship for the sixth Sunday of Lent, Palm/Passion Sunday based on Luke 19:29-40, 22:14-21, 33-34, “Perfection Not Required” in the Cross Fit Faith worship series.

This Call to Worship has been adapted from  Rev. Christine Sobania Johnson’s Short Litany as Holy Week Begins, posted on her blog, Freshly Squeezed Liturgy

O God, today we come to cheer Jesus on as our champion and hail him as our hero.

   Forgive us tomorrow when our enthusiasm wanes. 

Today we have entrusted you to rescue us from our pitiful circumstances.

   Forgive us on Tuesday when we decide we can take care of ourselves. 

Today we make you the centerpiece of our very existence.

   Forgive us on Wednesday when we forget to remember who you are. 

Today we call out to you loudly by name.

   Forgive us on Thursday when we pretend that we’ve never met you. 

Today we stare at you with the star struck eyes of fans and groupies.

   Forgive us on Friday when we avert our eyes because it’s too painful to see you on the cross. 

Today we express our unsuppressed hopefulness in the future you have in store for us.

   Forgive us on Saturday when we believe all is lost. 

Today we are boldly certain of the earthly ways you will redeem us.

   Restore us on Sunday when we are startled and awed by your rising.

Communion Liturgy of Poetry & Song

I recently had the rare joy of attending a worship service where my friend and colleague Rev. Rachel Morse introduced us to a beautiful simple song she had us use as a sung response throughout the liturgy. When I found out it was based on a Wendell Berry poem I loved it even more!

So thanks to Rachel’s inspiration and because April is National Poetry Month, I created another Communion Liturgy using Rev. Amy McCreath’s song, What we need is here that was inspired by the closing line of Wendell Berry’s poem, “The Wild Geese.”

Click here to download the PDF for a Communion Liturgy of Poetry & Song

As Holy Week nears, I’m planning to share a Maundy Thursday Taize service as well as Good Friday prayer stations! Be sure to click the follow button below to subscribe so you don’t miss any of that resource-y goodness!
And be sure to check out my resources from years past for a Kids’ Easter Vigil script, a Palm Sunday Responsive reading (sermon alternative!), and a fun little Easter Sunrise service!

Happy Holy Week Planning!

C2W Lent 5 Cross Fit Faith

Here’s a Call to Worship for the fifth Sunday of Lent based on Luke 11:1-10, “When It Gets Hard” in the Cross Fit Faith worship series.

The Call

God calls us and despite all that has happened this week,

    O God, we are here.

We did not stay on track, we missed the mark more than once but

    O God, we are here.

We missed opportunities to trust you and tried to handle things ourselves but

    O God, we are here.

We fell off the wagon again this week and yet

    O God, we are here!

Our faith may feel stagnant and blasé but

    O God, we are here.

We are here.What we need is here.

    O God, we are ready to receive all that you would give.