Hospitality Prayer

Holy God,
hospitality does not always come easily.
There are so many other things to do, important things.
I have responsibilities that get in the way of my best intentions.
Give me eyes to see that possibilities and a heart big enough
to make room for someone else.  Amen.

~ written by Maneno Huandikwa Kwa Choo. Posted on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?id=175390252539942&story_fbid=490855277660103

Call to Worship: Called to Reach Out

Here’s an opening call to worship from the Minnesota Council of Churches.

Call to Worship

We are a community of faith
that has been created by the love of God.
We are the people who have been set free
by the world of forgiveness in Jesus Christ,
and are therefore a people called to reach out
to the sojourners in our midst and in other lands,
people whose lives cry out for the warm embrace of fellowship.
We have come not to exalt our own goodness,
but to praise the holiness of God.
We have come not to boast of what we have done,
but to proclaim the redeeming work of Jesus Christ
by extending the hand of community
to refugees, displaced persons and asylum seekers.
With all our being,
we will praise God and tell of God's goodness
in our acts of kindness and love
toward the "least" among us in our times.

~ from The Uprooted Ones: Remembering Refugees (Uniting Church in Australia),  In Welcoming the Stranger, posted on the Minnesota Council of Churches website. http://www.mnchurches.org/refugeeservices/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Refugee-Sunday-Service-Planning-Materials.pdf

Commission and Benediction: Proper 17 C

Here’s a closing commission and benediction inspired by the suggested scripture readings for Proper 17C (especially Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16).  It was written by Bruce Prewer.

Sending for Proper 17C

It’s time to go.
Time to re-engage with the secular world.

Time to put the faith into deeds .
Time to practice uncalculating love.

Time to meet the Christ who waits for you.
Time to share his boundless hope.

You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

With the blessing of God, in your mind and heart, let
            each morning be a joy to you,
            each path be a joy to you,
            each neighbour be a joy to you.
Now and always..
Amen!

~ written by Bruce Prewer, and posted on Bruce Prewer’s Home Page. http://www.bruceprewer.com/DocC/C51sun22.htm

Commission and Benediction: Proper 17 C

Here’s are sending words inspired by the suggested scripture readings for Proper 17C, the 15th Sunday of Pentecost.  It was written by Nathan Nettleton.

Commission & Benediction: Proper 17 C

Go now and walk in all God’s ways.
Keep your lives free from the love of money
but let love between people continue and be honoured.
Show hospitality to strangers.
Pray for those who suffer torture and imprisonment
and do not neglect to do good.

And may God be your strength;
May Christ Jesus be for you a fountain of living water;
And may the Holy Spirit raise you to life
...with all God’s righteous ones.

We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.

~ Copyright © 2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net

Call to Worship, Prayer: Psalm 81

Here’s a call to worship litany and opening prayer inspired by Psalm 81.  It comes from A Psalm and a Prayer.

Call to Worship
(inspired by Psalm 81)

Sing aloud to God our strength!
Shout for joy to the God of Jacob!
Raise a song.
Sound the tambourine.
Play sweet music with the harp.
Hear, O my people, while I admonish you.
If you would but listen to me!
There shall be no strange god among you.
You shall not bow down to a foreign god.
I am the Lord your God.
Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.
I would feed you with the finest of the wheat,
and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.

Opening Prayer
(inspired by Psalm 81)

O God, we gather in Your presence to praise Your Holy Name,
with songs on our lips and love in our hearts.
We gather here, because we find joy and love,
peace and understanding, among Your people.
We seek to serve You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
our Lord and Savior.
Deliver us from slavery to all sins.
Save us from those who would deceive us.
Teach us the way that we should go each day.
Fill us with Your Holy Spirit
that we might have the comfort of Your presence within us day and night.
And now we pray together in Jesus’ Name: “Our Father. . .”

~ from A Psalm and a Prayer. http://apsalmandaprayer.com/psalm81.htm

Opening Prayer: Proper 17 C

Here’s an opening prayer inspired by the suggested scripture readings for Proper 17, Year C, especially Hebrews 13: 1-8, 15-16 and Psalm 81.  It was written by Moira B. Laidlaw.

Opening Prayer
(inspired by Psalm 81, Hebrews 13)

Holy God,
we praise you as the one who is the same
yesterday, today and forever.
Your yearning to shower blessings on your people has not changed.
As you delivered the people of old from slavery in Egypt,
so you deliver us from whatever enslaves us
through the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ.
He endured death so that he could nourish us
with the sweetest gift of all—his life.
Accept our praise and adoration, we pray,
for we offer them in Jesus’ name
and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen

~ written by Moira B. Laidlaw, and posted on Liturgies Online. http://www.liturgiesonline.com.au/index.php

Call to Worship: Psalm 81

Here’s a responsive call to worship litany inspired by Psalm 81.  It was written by Steven Schweitzer.

Call to Worship
(inspired by Psalm 81)

Sing aloud to God our strength.
We celebrate our God,
who provides stability in difficult times.
Shout for joy to the God of Jacob.
We praise our God,
who loves us more than we can imagine.
Proclaim the grace and mercy of the God who says,
"I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
so that you would no longer be slaves."
We praise our God, who gives us freedom to live,
to dance, to thrive in spacious places of rest and comfort.
Listen to God and walk in the ways of Wisdom.
We will hear the Words of Life as "honey from the rock"
that sustain us through our journey in this world.
We sing songs of joyful praise to God our strength,
to the God of Jacob, who grants us peace.

~ written by Steven Schweitzer.  Posted on the Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren website. http://rockhay.tripod.com/worship/orders/2010/10-08-29.htm

Prayer of Confession: Proper 17 C

Here’s an act of confession inspired by the scripture readings for Proper 17 C, especially Luke 14: 1, 7-14.  It was written by Thom Shuman.

Call to Reconciliation
Despite all the ways we speak of sin –
failures, mistakes, intended acts,
Scripture tells us that we are stubborn-hearted,
wanting only our way. 
But if we pause to listen to God,
if we open our mouths (and our hearts) to confess our sin,
God will fill our emptiness with forgiveness and hope.
Let us pray together, as we say,

Unison Prayer of Confession
We are always uncomfortable, Watching God, 
when you notice how we want to sit in the seats of honor.
We can be so proper, so good, so well-off,
that it is easy to imagine we are superior to the poor.
We are so busy completing our 'To Do' list each day,
that we forget to do good when we have the chance.

Forgive us, Welcoming God.
Fill our emptiness with your grace and humility
that we would spend our lives alongside Jesus, 
our Lord and Savior,
throwing a party for the poor, the damaged,
the prisoner, the lost, the oppressed.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
This is the good news:
after what God has done for us,
what can anyone or any thing do to us?
We are new people, graced by our loving God.
Forgiven, embraced, welcomed by our God, 
we will offer open hearts and serving hands 
to everyone we meet.
Thanks be to God.  Amen.

~ written by Thom Shuman, and posted on Lectionary Liturgies. http://lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.ca/2010_08_01_archive.html

Readers' Theatre: Jeremiah 2: 4-13

Here’s a readers’ theatre setting of Jeremiah 2: 4-13.  It is set for two voices.

Readers’ Theatre
(Jeremiah 2: 4-13)

Listen to the word of the Lord, people of Jacob—
all you families of Israel! 
This is what the Lord says:

What did your ancestors find wrong with me
that led them to stray so far from me?
They worshiped worthless idols,
only to become worthless themselves.
They did not ask,

Where is the Lord
who brought us safely out of Egypt
and led us through the barren wilderness—
a land of deserts and pits,
a land of drought and death,
where no one lives or even travels?

And when I brought you into a fruitful land
to enjoy its bounty and goodness,
you defiled my land and
corrupted the possession I had promised you.
The priests did not ask,

Where is the Lord?

Those who taught my word ignored me,
the rulers turned against me,
and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal,
wasting their time on worthless idols.

Therefore, I will bring my case against you.
I will even bring charges against your children’s children
in the years to come.

Go west and look in the land of Cyprus
go east and search through the land of Kedar.
Has anyone ever heard of anything
as strange as this?
Has any nation ever traded its gods for new ones,
even though they are not gods at all?
Yet my people have exchanged their glorious God
for worthless idols!
The heavens are shocked at such a thing
and shrink back in horror and dismay.

For my people have done two evil things:
They have abandoned me—the fountain of living water.
And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns
that can hold no water at all!

Readers' Theatre: Hebrews 13: 1-8, 15-16

Here’s a readers’ theatre setting of Hebrews 13: 1-8, 15-16, the suggested epistle reading for Proper 17, Year C.  It is set for two voices.

Readers’ Theatre
(Hebrews 13: 1-8, 15-16)

Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters.
Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers,
for some who have done this have entertained angels
without realizing it! 

Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself.

Remember also those being mistreated,
as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.

Give honor to marriage,
and remain faithful to one another in marriage.
God will surely judge people who are immoral
and those who commit adultery.

Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have.
For God has said,

I will never fail you.
I will never abandon you.

So we can say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper,
so I will have no fear.
What can mere people do to me?”

Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God.
Think of all the good that has come from their lives,
and follow the example of their faith.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

 Therefore, let us offer through Jesus
a continual sacrifice of praise to God,
proclaiming our allegiance to his name. 

And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need.
These are the sacrifices that please God.

Litany: Psalm 112

Praise the Lord!

How joyful are those who fear the Lord
and delight in obeying his commands.

Their children will be successful everywhere;
an entire generation of godly people will be blessed.

They themselves will be wealthy,
and their good deeds will last forever.

Light shines in the darkness for the godly.
They are generous, compassionate, and righteous.

Good comes to those who lend money generously
and conduct their business fairly.

Such people will not be overcome by evil.
Those who are righteous will be long remembered.

They do not fear bad news;
they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.
They are confident and fearless
and can face their foes triumphantly.

They share freely and give generously to those in need.
Their good deeds will be remembered forever.
They will have influence and honor.

The wicked will see this and be infuriated.
They will grind their teeth in anger;
they will slink away, their hopes thwarted.

Prayer of Confession: You Call Us

Here’s a prayer of confession about the call of Christ.  It was written by Bruce Prewer.

Prayer of Confession

You call us
and we ignore your whisper,
listening to the voices of this world.
You call us
and we choose a different path,
following our own devices.
You call us
to be your voice in this world,
to be your hands in this world,
to be your feet in this world,
to proclaim your peace,
your comfort,
forgiveness,
healing,
love
and grace.
Forgive us,
open our ears,
call us again,
and use us.

~ written by John Birch, and posted on Faith and Worship. http://www.faithandworship.com/

Prayer of Confession: Jeremiah 2

Here’s a prayer of confession and words of assurance inspired by Jeremiah 2.  It was written by Rev. Christopher Ney.

Confession and Assurance of Pardon
(inspired by Jeremiah 2)

Dear God, we have known you since the time
you led our ancestors from bondage to freedom.
We have found no fault in your promise. 
Yet we wander from the path that you have set and
put our faith in other “gods”
which lead us away from justice, compassion and hospitality. 
We forsake your blessing.

Forgive our faithlessness and our arrogance.
Restore us to right relationship with you
and all those in our midst.

God is merciful and slow to anger.
God seeks the lost and extends the invitation again and again.
God welcomes us when we turn to God.
Friends, believe the Good News of the Gospel,

In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.

~ written by Rev. Christopher Ney, and posted on the United Church of Christ’s Worship Ways website. http://www.ucc.org/worship/worship-ways/year-c/p/pentecost-ordinary-time-15.html

Prayer: Signs of Hospitality

Here’s a prayer of thanksgiving and petition from the Diocese of Canterbury website.

Prayer

Ever-loving God,
we bow before you in reverence.
You search for us, care for us,
and welcome us home.
We belong to you.

Transform us into your likeness,
and feed us through your generous Word.
As we wait for the Spirit
make us more and more signs of your hospitality,
so your kingdom may come, on earth as in heaven.
Amen

~ from Nine Days of Prayers 2012, posted on the Diocese of Canterbury website. http://www.canterburydiocese.org/247liveit/novena2012/pocketprayers2012.pdf

Confession: The Least of These

Here’s a prayer of confession from Many Voices.

Prayer of Confession
(inspired by Matthew 25:31-46)

God of the people,
you have called us to walk humbly before you
and to share in the struggle with the least of these,
yet we have failed to live up to this call.
Today, we come before you
asking your Spirit to empower us
to be agents of transformation for the world.
Make us a chalice from which all the oppressed
can find the living waters of God,
who calls us to live a life of service, of humility,
and of reconciliation with you, with creation,
and with the world. Amen.

Prayer of Hospitality & Compassion

Open my eyes that they may see the deepest needs of people;
Move my hands that they may feed the hungry;
Touch my heart that it may bring warmth to the despairing;
Teach me the generosity that welcomes strangers;
Let me share my possessions to clothe the naked;
Give me the care that strengthens the sick;
Make me share in the quest to set the prisoner free.
In sharing our anxieties and our love,
our poverty and our prosperity,
we partake of your divine presence.

~ Canaan Banana, Zimbabwe, in With All God’s People: The New Ecumenical Prayer Cycle (Geneva: WCC Publications, 1989), 344.  Posted on Prayers and Creeds. http://prayersandcreeds.wordpress.com/2010/08/27/prayer-of-hospitality-compassion/

Call to Worship: Arise!

Here’s a call to worship from Elizabeth Rice.

Call to Worship

Sisters and brothers – arise.
Arise and lift your hearts
Arise and lift your eyes
Arise and lift your voices.

The living God,
The living, moving Spirit of God
has called us together -
in witness
in celebration
in struggle.

Reach out toward each other.
Our God reaches out toward us!
Let us worship God!

~ written by Elizabeth Rice. Posted on the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand website.

Litany of Hospitality

Here’s a prayer litany on the theme of hospitality.  It was written by Christine Sine.

Hospitality Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ,
we believe you welcome us all to your banquet table.
May we open our arms to embrace you,
May we see you in the face of a stranger,
May we welcome you in the love of a friend.

We believe you welcome the abandoned, the misfit, the wretched to your feast.
Forgive us for the times we have allowed our prejudices to overrule,
and rejected you because you are different, ostracized or despised.

We believe that there is beauty hidden in each person,
Forgive us for the times we have failed to see your face,
because you are disabled, poor, or homeless.

We believe we are all precious in your sight.
Forgive us for when we have counted you unworthy of our love,
for when we have been indifferent to your cries.

We believe we are called to share life together as members of one family,
Forgive us for when we have been unconcerned for your suffering,
and failed to see others in your worldwide community as you do.

We are all created in God’s image,
redeemed by Christ,
filled with the Holy Spirit.

We are all invited to feast at God’s banquet table.
We are welcomed into God’s eternal kingdom,
with all the peoples’ of the earth.

Our Father in heaven…

~ adapted from A Litany of Hospitality written by Christine Sine.  Posted on Word Made Flesh. http://www.wordmadeflesh.org/argentina/2009/06/a-litany-of-hospitality/

Prayer for Others: God of Hospitality

Here’s a prayer of intercession from Rev. Abi’s Long and Winding Road blog.  Her inspiration came from the suggested scripture readings for Proper 17, Year C, many of which explore the theme of hospitality.

Prayer of Intercession
(inspired by Hebrews 13: 1-8, 15-16, Luke 14: 7-14)

Gracious God,
You are a God of hospitality;
there is none like you that invites all to come to you.
You have invited all to your home, to your table, and to your arms.
Lord, would that all would hear and receive this good news.
Lord, help us to remember
that no one is better than anyone else in your Kingdom.
Help us to then treat each other the way you treat people.

Generous God,
Because you treat us with your tender love,
We take time to pray for our friends, family members
and others who need you more than ever.
Pour out your healing on all who need it.
Be generous with your transforming love
for those who needs it in their lives.
Bring forth your reconciliation in families,
and in places where it is needed.

Gifting God,
You give us the gifts of the spirit to use to further your Kingdom
and to be the Body of Christ in the world.
We take time to remember the people devastated by Hurricane Katrina
[substitute any other more recent situation or disaster]
and to thank you for the restoration that has already taken place.
Empower us to continue to be your hands and feet
to continue the work that needs to be done there
and in so many other places.

There is none like you God in your love, your generosity,
your gifting and your hospitality.
And we thank you that you are in our lives,
working in us and through us
to let people know your kingdom is open to all.
In the name of your Son, who opened the doors for all
and broke down barriers that kept people from you, Amen.

~ written by Rev Abi, and posted on Rev Abi’s Long and Winding Road blog. http://vicarofwadley.blogspot.ca/

Call to Worship, Prayer: Radical Hospitality

Here’s a call to worship and opening prayer on the theme of radical hospitality.  It was written by Cynthia Langston Kirk.

Call to Worship

Welcome to a time of wonder
and music that calls us home
Welcome to hear God’s words that inspire and challenge
and to reminders that we are offered holy hospitality -
Hospitality that teaches us how to open our lives to others
leading us to fully live open minds, open hearts, open doors.

Prayer

God of the Widow at Zarephath,
God of Joseph the Forgiver,
we stand in awe of people who showed hospitality
in the midst of sacrifice and betrayal.
Take us deep into the heart of hospitality.
Help us to understand that the generosity the world needs
often demands sacrifice on our part.
Be with those who have never known a table
blessed by laughter and welcome,
who have seldom heard affirmations
and who do not know your abiding love.  
Remind us, O God, that we are to set many tables,
to speak blessings often
and to be your love in the world.
In the name of Christ we pray. Amen.

~ Copyright © 2011 Cynthia Langston Kirk. Posted on Piercing Stories. http://www.piecingstories.com/blog/2011/09/05/call-to-worship-and-prayer-radical-hospitality/

Prayer of Hospitality

Here’s another hospitality prayer.  This one was written by Rev. Naomi King.

Hospitality Prayer

Beloved, teach us to open our shuttered hearts
and our portioned and boarded up spirits
with bold generous and with courageous hospitality.
Estranged and alienated so often and from so much,
sustain us in making circles of welcome out of gatherings of strangers.
Around the table of wonder, meet us in abundance,
drawing out our stories
and showing us how to weave together community with steadfast love.
The wells of life are our responsibilities;
teach us to care for them together,
with forbearance, forgiveness, gratitude, and rejoicing.
When we are cast out and wandering,
may we find welcome and compassion
that calls us back into accountable relationship,
into the ways of healing, into the ways of peace.
Generation after generation has wrested and exiled
or been dispossessed.
Generation after generation has learned anew
how to make welcome,
how to make home wherever they are, however they are,
and how to welcome You, Beloved,
in welcoming enemies, strangers, and exiles
into a life of transforming love. Amen.

~ written by Rev. Naomi King, and posted on The Wonderment. http://thewonderment.typepad.com/

Unison Prayer of Confession: Hospitality

Here’s a prayer of confession on the theme of hospitality.  It was posted on the website of the Columbia Presbyterian Church.

Unison Prayer of Confession

For the times we are afraid of the stranger,
for the times we refuse the stranger,
because we think our resources are just too meager,
Lord, forgive us.

For the times we stereotype the stranger
as enemy,
as dangerous,
as inferior somehow,
Lord, forgive us.

For the times we are too busy trying to impress our guests—
the times we think we are being hospitable,
but instead serve only our own needs—
Lord, forgive us.

For the times we miss the gift of the stranger,
for the times we close our door in fear,
for the times we miss your face in the other,
Lord, have mercy. Forgive us.

~ from the Columbia Presbyterian Church, Decatur, Georgia.  http://www.cpcdecatur.org/images/documents/4-26-09%20Bulletin.pdf

Prayer of Confession: Hospitality

Here’s a prayer of confession on the theme of hospitality.  It was written by Loreto Conroy.

Prayer of Confession

Knowing that our God walks with us in our confusion,
our doubts, our failings, our struggles,
we now come humbly before God to ask for mercy.

For the times we fail to offer hospitality
to those in our world who suffer injustice, oppression, and poverty, we pray:
God, have mercy on us and your people

For the times we lack courage to address the causes
of injustice, oppression and poverty, we pray to our God:
God, have mercy on us and on your people.

For the times we give in to despair and resignation
when confronted with the injustice of our world, we pray to our God:
God, have mercy on us and on your people.

For the times we allow our fears to triumph
over the call to solidarity, we pray to our God:
God, have mercy on us and on your people.

Merciful God, receive our petitions.
Heal the brokenness in our hearts and in our world
caused by injustice, indifference, selfishness and fear.
Open our hearts to hear the cries of your suffering people.
Support us as we seek to respond in solidarity and with hospitality. Amen.

~ from Offering Hospitality to Refugees compiled by Loreto Conroy.  Posted on http://www2.crcna.org/site_uploads/uploads/crwrc/resources/refugee/crwrc_RefugeeKitLiturgy.pdf

Prayer: For those who minister

Here’s a prayer of preparation for ministers of hospitality.  It comes from the Year of Faith website.

Prayer of Preparation for Ministers of Hospitality

Heavenly Father,
You sent your Son as a model for hospitality and ministry.
May I have the courage to walk in his ways and serve your people.
Prepare my heart to love all who come through the door today.
Give me eyes to see their needs and their gifts,
and grace to respond wisely to each situation.
I ask this through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.