Our
service draws to a close.
We go out with hope rising in our souls.
In
this season of shorter days and longer nights.
may
you see sparks of hope in the lights of the season,
may you find hope
simmering in the quietness of the night.
we
celebrate the gifts that both light and darkness have to offer.
Go
out secure that God who is made known in light and dark; who is
revealed in Jesus, whose birth we await; and who works in us through
the Holy Spirit is with you every step of the journey to the manger.
Thanks
be to God who brings us hope! Amen.
Worship Offerings
A collection of worship resources I have written. Feel free to use them and/or adapt if they are helpful. For credit it would be suitable to give my name (Gord Waldie).
Saturday, November 18, 2023
Commissioning for Advent 2023
Thursday, October 26, 2023
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING For November 5, 2023
God
of our ancestors, ourselves, and our children,
as
we live out our faith, surrounded and supported by our cloud of
witnesses,
we
give thanks for all those who have gone before us:
for
their faithfulness to a new vision of what the world could be,
for
the ways they passed on the story and the hope,
for
the foundation they left for us to build on.
And
we give thanks for those people in our cloud who are still living:
the
ones who taught and teach us the stories of faith,
the
ones who show us daily what it means to live as people of love,
the
ones who give us hope for the future.
God
of our children, ourselves, and our ancestors, we sing songs of
thankfulness and praise
for
the witnesses who have told, tell now, and will tell, the stories
that reveal Your activity in the world.
for
the clouds of people that have done, are now doing, and will do,
things to increase the amount of faith, hope and love in the world;
We
offer these words in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Saturday, October 14, 2023
For October 22, 2023 -- Proper 24A, 21st After Pentecost
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
OF TREATY
As
people of faith we affirm that all this land is owned not by people
but by God. Over the centuries many different children of God have
lived and loved on this land. Before Europeans arrived along the
banks of Bear Creek this was the home of the Cree and the Beaver.
Then the Metis, people who share ancestry with those who were here
before and those who came later, arrived.
As
time went on a treaty was signed, an agreement about how the land
would be shared. Here in Grande Prairie and area we live on land
shared under Treaty #8 and in Metis Region #6.
As
beloved children of God, gathered from many different parts of God’s
creation, may we share God’s land together as Treaty people.
CALL
TO WORSHIP
May
the Peace of Christ be with you
And
also with you.
God
has invited us to gather together,
for
a time of singing, praying, and listening; a time of being in
community.
We
come to be reminded what gives us life in abundance.
We
come to celebrate the presence of God, who holds all creation in
their hands.
OPENING PRAYER
God of life, the ancient Psalmist writes:
The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it
As your beloved children, living in the world that you love,
we open our hearts and souls to your presence.
In this time of worship, move within and around us.
Remind us of the gifts we have received. Move us to share those gifts with you by sharing them with the world around us.
We pray in the name of Jesus, who reminds us of your love, calls us to live in your Way, and encourages us to pray saying...
PRAYER
FOR & ASSURANCE OF GRACE
Gift
Giver, God of Grace, who offers us life in abundance,
All
that we have, all that we are, all that surrounds us, belongs to you.
Sometimes
we forget that. Sometimes we claim to own things that are not ours.
And
when we forget, when we lose sight of how many gifts we have
received, we start to forget that your gifts are given to be shared.
God
of Grace, God who offers us life in abundance,
help
us to share freely and cheerfully out of our abundance,
help
us give back to you by giving to the world around us,
help
us remember that all the world is yours, shared with your world as an
act of love.
God
of Grace, Gift Giver, we live through your grace. And for that we are
truly thankful.
Amen
Thursday, September 14, 2023
PRAYER FOR & ASSURANCE OF GRACE for Worldwide Comunion Sunday
God
you invite us to the table,
where
we can eat and drink and experience a fellowship of hope and love.
At
this table you give us a foretaste of the Kingdom:
where
all will eat and drink together,
where
all will be fed as they need,
where
all are loved and accepted.
You
call us to make the table of Life and Love an open, welcoming place,
and we try.
But
sometimes we fence some people out,
some
eat their fill and others go away hungry,
sometimes
we act in ways that are unworthy of your table of hope.
God
of Grace, who meets us at the table,
we
rejoice in the invitation, we lament those times we have not lived up
to the vision.
Help
us keep the table open, help us ensure that all are fed there.
The
God who invites us to the table does so with arms that are open wide.
God keeps the table set so we can come back again and again to be fed
and refreshed. We are always welcomed at the table as forgiven,
loved, hungry children of God. Let us continue to eat and drink and
be refreshed.
Thanks
be to God! Amen.
Tuesday, August 22, 2023
For September 3, 2023 --Proper 17A
OPENING
PRAYER
Source
of life, you catch our attention, you pique our curiosity.
And
we turn from our regular day, we step off the well-worn path, we
investigate what is happening.
Only
to find ourselves on holy ground, standing in your presence.
Creator
God, who invites us to stand on holy ground, in this time together,
Renew
us, we pray, in body and soul.
Open
our ears and hearts and souls to hear your voice.
Feed
and strengthen us so that we can go from here refreshed and
energized.
Then
lead us back out to live and serve.
We
pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
PRAYER
FOR & ASSURANCE OF GRACE
God
of bushes that burn and not get consumed, God of our ancestors,
we
stand in your presence with questions and uncertainties.
You
invite us, challenge us, call us to bring Good News of liberation to
our neighbours.
And
our uncertainties surge forward:
Who
are we to take on this task? Who exactly are you to ask it of us?
Our
uncertainties, our doubts, our questions
may
be ways we try to avoid the invitation, the challenge, the call.
So
help us, we pray, to work past them
through
your grace may we be empowered to share that Good News, even if we
still have doubts, and questions, and uncertainties.
The
God who spoke to Moses out of a burning bush, who
met Jonah in the belly of the big fish, and
who called Peter and Andrew from their fishing nets, calls
to us. God meets our questions and doubts and encourages us to
continue to live and serve. We are able to play our part in the drama
of faith and life because God is with us.
Thanks
be to God. Amen.
COMMISSIONING
We were called to take a break from the everyday and sit in God’s presence.
We have listened for God’s voice. We have eaten at God’s table.
Now our worship ends, and our service continues
We respond to God’s invitation to share Good News of love and liberation with the world around us.
Go now to live and love and serve.
Go knowing that God who was once revealed in a burning bush, who was made flesh in Jesus of Nazareth, who has blown through Creation since the beginning is with you.
Always and everywhere. Hallelujah!
Saturday, June 10, 2023
Prayers for our Affirming Celebration (afternoon of June 11)
INVOCATION & LIGHTING OF CANDLES
Source of Life and Love, you call us together to support each other.
You bring light into our world, light that darkness can not defeat (Christ Candle is lit)
The world you created, the world you love, has such diversity
A variety of ages, birthplaces, genders, sexual expressions, racial origins, a multi-hued picture
All beloved parts of your beloved family, all part of the rainbow that makes up the light (Rainbow Candle is lit)
As we gather here this afternoon, fill our hearts with love for all our neighbours,
remind us that all are welcome, that all belong in the world you love.
And help us ensure that this love, this welcome, this belonging, is part of how we all live together.
Amen
PRAYER OF CELEBRATION AND COMMITMENT
God who has created and is creating,
Source of life and love in abundance,
Holy Mystery who is Wholly Love.
Over and over in our faith story you remind us
to draw the circle wider,
you urge us to welcome the outcast and the stranger.
Over and over again in history you have shown us that
the arc of the moral universe may be long
but it bends inexorably toward justice.
And you invite us along for the journey
toward overwhelming acceptance,
full inclusion, justice for all.
Today we gather here in this place to celebrate.
Today we recognize that this community of faith has jumped aboard the town car of justice
and made a public commitment to make;
your abundant love,
your promise of abundant life,
your hope for a world where all are fully included and allowed to be
exactly who you created them to be,
explicit in our life together.
We make a public pledge to be intentional about sharing that vision of the world not only within these walls,
but also in the world outside them –
in Grande Prairie and in the wider world
in the best ways we can.
Today we celebrate the wondrous diversity that makes up your world,
the amazing rainbow of identities that makes up the spectrum of our community.
May all of your beloved children:
whenever they were born,
wherever they were born, wherever they live now,
whatever the colour of their skin,
whatever their gender identity or sexuality,
however they express their identity,
may they all know your abundant life and love.
God who has called us to this place and time,
Love Incarnate who has moved us to make this commitment today,
help us live out the pledge we make public this day.
Help each of us, as individuals and as communities,
be open to have old assumptions and understandings challenged.
Give each of us the courage to stand alongside our neighbours,
to speak out against voices that would demean or condemn them
simply for being who you created them to be.
In a world so often filled with hatred and fear and division,
may our voices be ones of inclusion and love and faith.
We pray in the name of Jesus, who commands us to love each other as we love ourselves,
to love each other as you first loved us.
For in doing this, sharing this wonderfully abundant inclusive love,
folk will know that we are indeed your people
and following your Way.
Amen.
Tuesday, May 30, 2023
For June 11, 2023 -- Affirming Celebration
CALL
TO WORSHIP
All
who are thirsty, all who are tired, all who wish to be refreshed,
All
of us, whoever we are, where ever we find ourselves in life,
Old
and young; cis-gendered, trans and non-binary; dark and pale skinned;
neuro-typical and neuro-divergent,
Long
time members of the community and first-timers,
All
are welcome to come here to pray, to sing, to be in God’s presence
We
have come to worship the God who created and loves us all.
Let
us worship together...
OPENING
PRAYER
Welcoming
and inviting God, you have called us together this morning.
We
have come to listen for your wisdom, to be refreshed by your
presence.
In
this time of prayer and song and listening,
move
in our hearts, awaken in us a commitment to welcome your diverse
family in our community.
Then
when our time of worship is over,
lead
us back out to proclaim the wideness and inclusiveness of your love
and hope.
We
pray in Jesus’ name as we share a prayer like he taught his friends
long ago...
PRAYER
FOR & ASSURANCE OF GRACE
Holy
Mystery who is Wholly love, you call us to build a new community,
one
where all are welcome, one where all are included.
Sometimes
we get it right, sometimes we get it wrong.
There
are days when we only see the differences between us and forget that
others are part of your beloved family.
There
are times when the community of Christ has openly attacked others
because of their skin colour, or age, or sexuality, or gender
Where
we get community and inclusion right, celebrate with us
Where
we miss the chance to include all our neighbours, to welcome the
diversity of your family, through grace, help us get back on track.
...time
of silent prayer...
There’s
a wideness in God’s mercy, like the wideness of the sea. God has a
vision for what kind of a community we could be and God helps us take
small steps or large leaps to live out that vision. When we miss the
mark we are offered grace, forgiveness, and renewal. We are
encouraged to learn and try again.
Thanks
be to God! Amen.
COMMISSIONING
Go
now into the world committed to live out these words:
Through
Faith, we walk on the path Jesus set for us.
The
people of St. Paul’s Belong… Believe… Love... Listen… Lead.
(St. Paul’s Mission
Statement)
As
you go, carry with you the wide, boundless love of God that breaks
down boundaries
We
pledge to love the world God loves, to see and welcome our neighbours
as beloved siblings
And
trust that God: who has created and is creating; who is made known in
Jesus, the Word-made-Flesh; and who works in all of us through the
Holy Spirit is with you whoever you are and where ever you go.
Hallelujah!