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!

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.

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.

 

 

C2W Lent 4 of Cross Fit Faith

Here’s a Call to Worship for the fourth Sunday of Lent based on Luke 10:38-42, “Mindset is Everything” in the Cross Fit Faith worship series.

The Call

God calls us into presence.

    We come ready and willing to work on our faith.

Let us soak up the Love that improves us

    and pulls us from the dark corners of our minds.

For this next hour, let us focus solely on God, practicing our connection 

    so we know how to return to God this week when life brings us down.

Raise our souls and minds, O God, to focus on only what is necessary,

    our connection to You.

 

C2W for Lent 3 of Cross Fit Faith

Here’s a Call to Worship for the third Sunday of Lent based on Luke 9:18-24 & Matthew 11:28-30, “The The Tools for Success” in the Cross Fit Faith worship series.

The Call
Jesus calls us saying, ‘If you want to follow me, pick up your cross daily and follow.’
And so we’ve come, leaving our lives behind for this hour.
Jesus welcomes us saying, ‘Let me take your burdens and lighten your load.’
And so we hand over our worries, doubts, and fears to God.
Jesus calls us to leave behind the life we would make for ourselves and receive the life of freedom and joy only God can give.
We are here, trying to give up control, ready to receive the loving care of our
Creator who we worship today.

C2W for Lent 2 Cross Fit Faith

Here’s a Call to Worship for the second Sunday of Lent based on Luke 6:20-31, “The Principles” in the Cross Fit Faith worship series.

The Call

We’ve left comforts and responsibilities to be here today,

   to gather together and be inspired by the founder.

But God calls us to an upside-down way of life.

   Love our enemies? Bless our attackers? Give to all who ask?

Jesus shows us how those who harm

   can only be loved back to justice.

We who were lost were only loved back to life.

   This is God’s only way, to love us inspite of ourselves.

So let us follow and worship the Christ today

   as we learn the principles of our faith, to love and be loved.

C2W for Lent 1 Cross Fit Faith

Here’s a Call to Worship for the first Sunday of Lent based on Luke 4:1-21, “Meet the Founder” in the Cross Fit Faith worship series.

The Call

The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness and is leading us too.

   We too will be tempted and tested.

As we begin our Lenten journey, let us be led by the Spirit,

   even into the uncomfortable places.

As we seek to follow Jesus in these 40 days,

   and our whole lives long,

may we be faithful and obedient to the perfecter of our faith, Jesus the Christ,

   who came to preach good news to the poor, proclaim release to the prisoners 

and to liberate the oppressed!

   This is our teacher and savior we follow and worship this day.

Cross Fit Faith Prayer for Illumination

Bulletin Cover Image for Cross Fit Faith worship series

This Wednesday begins the season of Lent! We’ll be starting this holy season of preparation with an evening Ash Wednesday Taize Worship service. Our worship series, Cross Fit Faith, will help us use Lent as a time to get our souls in shape as we answer Christ’s call to ‘pick up our cross daily and follow’ while remembering Jesus also tells us his ‘yoke is easy’ and his ‘burden is light’. To highlight the restful aspect of our faith training, we’ll be sharing Porter’s Gate Worship Project’s, In the Fields of the Lord as our special music the first Sunday of Lent. We’ll also be using the following as our Prayer for Illumination each week through Easter:

Pray: Gracious Guide, lead us now through your Word and our worship. Grow in us a faith we can live each day. Following the way of Christ, our holy trainer in faith, we live and pray. AMEN

I’ll be sharing Calls to Worship for each week of this series as well. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any future posts! (Just click the ‘Follow’ button below)

Happy (almost) Lent! And happy planning!

Ash Wednesday Taize Worship

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent, known for fasting, penance, and contemplation. This year for Lent, we’re getting our souls in shape with my series called Cross Fit Faith. This Ash Wednesday service compliments that series but can also stand on its own.

Ash Wednesday already tends to be contemplative so I thought it would a great opportunity to introduce our congregation to Taize style worship. I’m planning on leading this simple service on guitar and we won’t use any bulletins, hymnals, or screens as these tend to be more distracting than helpful in this style of worship.

Click to download the service outline here: Ash Wednesday Taize Worship 2019

I will continue to post liturgies, calls to worship, and prayers for the Cross Fit Faith series. Be sure to subscribe if you don’t want to miss a post!

Happy almost Lent! And happy planning!

Cross Fit Faith for Lent

Health and fitness has become its own culture and much like the Church, these programs seek to help people tackle the challenges of personal growth and improvement. Any good plan will tell you it’s not a quick fix, it’s not a diet, but learning a new way of life that often means unlearning old habits and beliefs.
Lent is the perfect time to train in our faith. This series approaches the journey of spiritual growth like a health and fitness plan for the soul. Using the theme of ‘taking up our cross daily’ and following Jesus, we’ll be exploring daily practices for spiritual growth while balancing Christ’s call to bear our crosses with his promise that his ‘yoke is easy’ and his ‘burden is light’.
Download the entire 7-week worship plan here: Cross Fit Faith Lenten Worship Plan

To compliment this worship series, all of our Bible study groups will be reading Juan Huertas’ daily devotional, The Sanctuary for Lent 2019.
We’ll also be using SALT Project’s Family-Friendly Lenten Devotional, Breaking the Chains during our Family Faith Nights.

I will continue to post liturgies, prayers, Calls to Worship, and more related to this theme. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any of the resourcey goodness!

Happy Planning!