Worship And Lay Leaders Handbook
Compiled by Dr. Maynard Pittendreigh

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Calls To Worship
Opening Prayers or Prayers of Adoration
Prayers of Confession
Assurance of God's Grace or Pardon
Prayers for Illumination
Offertory Sentences
Offering or Dedication Prayer
Prayers of the People
Lord's Prayer and Apostles' Creed

 Serving As Worship Lay Leader

In the days prior to the service…

1. The pastors will send you an email describing what you will be doing.  A copy of this email is sent to the Office Manager – so if you don’t have this email by Friday morning, call the church office!  Either the pastor or the Office Manager will resend the email.
2. If there are unison prayers to read, the text will be given to you.  If you will do a Scripture Reading, you will be given the text.
3. If you do not receive an email by Thursday evening, call the church office on Friday morning. 
4. Practice speaking what you will say, including reading your prayers aloud.
5. Read the Scripture aloud, using the NIV, or New International Version.  This is the pew Bible that we provide to the congregation.  Think about HOW to read it.  Use various inflections or pauses as appropriate.
6. Be careful about pronunciation.  If you have a question, one source you can find online is

http://www.briannelsonconsulting.com/bible/pronunciation.html

This web page has an extensive list of names and other difficult words to pronounce.  Find the word in question and click that word, then click the “.wav file” and you will hear the word pronounced.

The day of the service…

1. Arrive Early!!!
2. Arriving “on time” means you are late! 
3. Report to the Sound Engineer 15 minutes before the service for a sound check.  Remember, the Sound Engineer is a volunteer, so be patient if there is no one at the sound booth.  You may need to look around and ask an usher where the Sound Engineer is.
4. After the sound check, go to the choir room.  This should be 5 to 10 minutes before the service.
5. The choir and worship leaders will have prayer together.
6. After the prayer, the pastors and lay leader will enter the Sanctuary together.  Simply follow them in – they will enter either from the choir room directly into the Sanctuary, or they will process from the Narthex into the Sanctuary. 

During the Service…

7. Enter the Sanctuary and take your seat.   The two outside, larger seats, are for the pastors.  You may take either of the smaller, inside seats.
8. Participate in worship.  If you are not leading that segment of worship directly, your participation by standing, singing, sitting, bowing the head are all actions that help people know what to do in worship.
9. Focus on your action.  Unless you are giving the announcements, please refrain from greeting the congregation [“good morning”] before you speak.  It creates an awkward moment for the congregation because they are not expecting it. The result is confusion about whether to reply or keep quiet.
10. SPEAK UP, SPEAK UP (act as if there is no microphone) and speak clearly, and perhaps a little slower than normal (nervousness will make you want to speak faster, avoid that temptation!) If people can’t hear or understand you, they can’t worship!
11. Invite the people to join you in whatever it is you are leading. Remind them where it (e.g. call to worship, Scripture, Apostle’s Creed) can be found. Remember there will be some who are unfamiliar with our worship style and order of service.

What if I make a mistake???

• Don’t worry.  Remain calm. 
• Don’t draw attention to it by telling people you made a mistake – they probably didn’t even notice.  For example, if the worship service has the Word for Children before the Scripture Reading, and you begin the Scripture Reading, don’t stop – keep on.  The pastor can lead us back to the Word for Children and most people won’t notice – or if they do they will assume the change was intentional. 
• If you ask people to sit when they were supposed to remain standing, don’t ask them to stand back up – just move on.  We can pray or sing in the seated position just as well as standing.

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Call To Worship

1          From Psalm 118:24
This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

2          From Psalm  95:1, 2
O come, let us sing to the Lord
and shout with joy to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into God's presence with thanksgiving,
singing joyful songs of praise. 

 3          From Psalm 116:12, 13
What shall we return to the Lord
for all the good things God has done for us?
We will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.

 4          From Psalm  34:3
O praise the Lord with me,
let us exalt God's name together.

5          From Psalm 96:1, 2
O sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing, and give praise to God's name;
tell the glad news of salvation from day to day.
 

6          From Psalm 100:1, 2, 5
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come into God's presence with singing!
For the Lord is a gracious God,
whose mercy is everlasting;
and whose faithfulness endures to all generations.
 

7          Based on Micah 6:6, 8
With what shall we come before the Holy One,
and bow ourselves before God on high?
God has shown us what is good.
What does the Holy One require of us,
but to do justice,
and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with our God? 

8          From Micah. 1:11
From the rising of the sun to its setting
my name is great among the nations,
says the Lord of hosts.

9        From John 4:23
The hour is coming and now is
when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: 
for the Father seeks such to worship him.
 

• If the prayer is not printed in the bulletin, you may construct the prayer in your own words. 
• This prayer should be brief and to the point.  It should contain elements of praise and adoration. 
• If there is no Prayer of Confession in the service, it is good to include an element of confession in this prayer.
• If there is an obvious theme for the day’s service, such as a national tragedy that has occurred or an installation of elders, feel free to use that theme as a part of the prayer.
• You may also want to have the prayer reflect the Christian calendar. 
• The following are simply suggestions.  You may use any of these prayers verbatim, or to help you construct your own prayer.

1. 

Almighty God,

  unto whom all hearts are open,

  all desires known,

  and from whom no secrets are hid;

Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit,

  that we may perfectly love thee,

  and worthily magnify thy holy Name;

  through Christ our Lord. Amen.

2

Gracious Father,

We come with joy to worship you.

Forgive our sins

   that this joy may be pure.

Receive our praise and adoration

   that you may be blessed by our worship.

Speak to us through your Word,

   that we may hear your guidance for our lives.

In the name of Christ we pray, Amen.

3. 

Almighty God,

   who pours out on all who desire it

   the spirit of grace and supplication;

   deliver us, when we draw near to thee,

   from coldness of heart

   and wanderings of mind,

that with steadfast thoughts

   and kindled affections,

      we may worship thee in spirit and in truth;

          through Jesus Christ our Lord.name of Christ we pray, Amen.

4.      For Advent

O Lord:

Keep us awake and alert, watching for your kingdom.

Make us strong in our faith

   so we may greet your Son when he comes,

   and joyfully give him praise.

Amen

5.  Christmas Eve

Give us, O God,

such love and wonder,

that with shepherds and wise men and pilgrims unknown,

we may come to adore the holy child, the promised King;

and with our gifts worship him,

our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Amen.

6.  Christmas Eve

As you come into the stillness of night, great God,

    enter our lives this night.

Overcome darkness with the light of Christ’s presence,

   so that we may clearly see the way to walk,

   the truth to speak,

   and the life to live for him,

Amen

7 Epiphany (January 6^th)

God our Father,

who by a star led people from far away to see the child Jesus:

draw us and all people to Christ,

so that praising you now,

we may in life come to meet you face to face.

Through Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.

8 Lent

Almighty God:  you know that in this world we are under great pressure.

At times, we cannot stand. 

We yield to temptation and fall into sin.

Stiffen our resolve and make faith strong,

so we may dig in against temptation and, by your power, overcome;

through Jesus Christ we pray.  Amen.

9 Lent

Almighty God,

   your Son fasted forty days in the wilderness,

   and was tempted as we are but did not sin.

Give us grace to direct our lives

   in obedience to your Spirit,

   that as you know our weakness,

   so we may know your power to save;

   through Jesus Christ our Redeemer,

   who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

   one God, now and forever.   Amen. 

10 Lent

Almighty and most merciful God,

kindle within us the fire of love,

that by its cleansing flame we may be purged of all our sins

and made worthy to worship you in spirit and in truth;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

11 Lent

O Lord God,

you led your people through the wilderness

and brought them to the promised land.

So guide us.

Enable us to follow our Savior,

so that we may walk through the wilderness of this world

toward the glory of the world to come;

through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.   Amen.  

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Prayers of
Confession

• If the prayer is printed in the bulletin, you will want to let people know where they can find the prayer.  You might say something like: “Using the Prayer of Confession found in the bulletin, let us join our voices together in prayer.”
• If the prayer is not printed in the bulletin, you may introduce the Prayer of Confession with a simple: “Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.” 
• If the prayer is not printed in the bulletin, you may construct the prayer in your own words.  The confession should be general enough so that all participants in worship may find it to be applicable.  Each prayer should include not only admission of our sins, but a request for forgiveness.

1

Almighty God,

   you have raised Jesus from death to life,

   and crowned him Lord of all.

We confess that we have not bowed before him,

   or acknowledged his rule in our lives.

We have gone along with the ways of the world,

   and failed to give him glory.

Forgive us and raise us from sin,

   that we may be your faithful people,

   obeying the commands of our Lord Jesus Christ,

   who rules the world

   and is head of the church, his body.

In his name we pray, Amen.

2

We confess to you, Lord, what we are:

   we are not the people we like others to think we are;

   we are afraid to admit even to ourselves what lies in the depths of our souls.

But we do not want to hide our true selves from you.

We believe that you know us as we are, and yet you still love us.

Help us not to shrink from self-knowledge;

   teach us to respect ourselves for your sake;

   give us the courage to put our trust in your guiding power.

Raise us out of the paralysis of guilt and fear

   and take us into the freedom and energy of forgiven people.

And for those who through long habit find forgiveness hard to accept,

   we ask that you would break their bondage and set them free.

Through Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.

3

God our Father,

   we have sinned against you

   in thought, word and deed:

   we have not loved you with our whole hear;

   we have not loved our neighbor as ourselves.

But you have kept faith with us.

Have mercy on us;

   strip us of all that is un-Christian;

   and help us to live up to our calling;

   through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

4

Merciful God,

   we confess to you now that we have sinned.

We confess the sins that no one knows

   and the sins that everyone knows.

We confess the sins that are a burden to us

   and the sins that do not bother us

      because we have grown used to them.

We confess our sins as a church.

We have not loved one another

   as Christ loved us.

We have not forgiven one another

   as we have been forgiven.

We have not given ourselves

   in love and service for the world

   as Christ gave himself for us.

Father, forgive us.

Send the Holy Spirit to us,

   that he may give us power to live

   as by your mercy,

   you have called us to live.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

5

All or part of the following may be used…

Lord, please forgive our sins,

and set us free from them.

We confess to the sin of pride:

We have been sure of our own goodness and importance

and have looked down on others.

Help us to appreciate the true worth of other people.

We confess to the sin of envy:

We have been displeased when others have been more successful

or sought after than we have been.

Help us to be glad when others prosper.

We confess to the sin of self-indulgence:

We have had enough and more.

Yet we have neglected the needs of others.

Help us to deny ourselves so that others may not be in want.

We confess to the sin of unchastity:

In one way or another we have used sex wrongly.

Help us to create and uphold right relations between men and women,

both in and out of marriage.

We confess to the sin of anxiety:

We have worried about many things.

Help us to trust you to see us through.

We confess to the sin of laziness:

We have been lukewarm Christians.

Make us eager to do your will.

We confess to you our sins

and we ask for your forgiveness.

In the name of Christ we pray, Amen.

6

Eternal God,

   in whom we live and move and have our being,

   whose face is hidden from us by our sins,

   and whose mercy we forget in the blindness of our hearts:

Cleanse us from all our offenses,

   and deliver us from proud thoughts and vain desires,

   that with reverent and humble hearts

   we may draw near to you,

   confessing our faults,

   confiding in your grace,

   and finding in you our refuge and strength;

   through Jesus Christ your Son.   Amen

7

Almighty and merciful God,

   we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep.

We have followed too much

   the devices and desires of our own hearts.

We have offended against your holy laws.

We have left undone those things which we ought to have done;

   and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.

O Lord, have mercy upon us.

Spare those who confess their faults.

Restore those who are penitent,

   according to your promises declared to the world

   in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And grant, O merciful God, for his sake,

   that we may live a holy, just, and humble life

   to the glory of your holy name.   Amen

8

Gracious God,

   our sins are too heavy to carry,

   too real to hide,

   and too deep to undo.

Forgive what our lips tremble to name,

   what our hearts can no longer bear,

   and what has become for us

   a consuming fire of judgment.

Set us free from a past that we cannot change;

   open to us a future in which we can be changed;

   and grant us grace

   to grow more and more in your likeness and image;

through Jesus Christ, the light of the world.   Amen

9

Merciful God,

   in your gracious presence

   we confess our sin and the sin of this world.

Although Christ is among us as our peace,

   we are a people divided against ourselves

   as we cling to the values of a broken world.

The profit and pleasures we pursue

   lay waste the land and pollute the seas.

The fears and jealousies that we harbor

   set neighbor against neighbor

   and nation against nation.

We abuse your good gifts of imagination and freedom,

   of intellect and reason,

   and have turned them into bonds of oppression.

Lord, have mercy upon us;

   heal and forgive us.

Set us free to serve you in the world

   as agents of your reconciling love in Jesus Christ.   Amen.

10

Almighty God,

   you love us, but we have not loved you.

You call, but we have not listened.

We walk away from neighbors in need,

   wrapped in our own concerns.

We condone evil, prejudice, warfare, and greed.

God of grace,

   help us to admit our sin,

   so that as you come to us in mercy,

   we may repent, turn to you, and receive forgiveness;

through Jesus Christ our Redeemer.  Amen.

11

Merciful God,

   we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart.

We have failed to be an obedient church.

We have not done your will,

   we have broken your law,

   we have rebelled against your love.

We have not loved our neighbors,

   and we have refused to hear the cry of the needy.

Forgive us, we pray.

Free us for joyful obedience;

   through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen.

12

Merciful God,

   we confess that we have sinned against you

   in thought, word, and deed,

   by what we have done,

   and by what we have left undone.

We have not loved you

   with our whole heart and mind and strength.

We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.

In your mercy forgive what we have been,

   help us amend what we are,

   and direct what we shall be,

   so that we may delight in your will

   and walk in your ways,

   to the glory of your holy name.   Amen.

13

Holy and merciful God,

   in your presence we confess

   our sinfulness, our shortcomings,

   and our offenses against you.

You alone know how often we have sinned

   in wandering from your ways,

   in wasting your gifts,

   in forgetting your love.

Have mercy on us, O Lord,

   for we are ashamed and sorry for all we have done to displease you.

Forgive our sins,

   and help us to live in your light,

   and walk in your ways,

   for the sake of Jesus Christ our Savior.   Amen.

14

Eternal God, our judge and redeemer,

   we confess that we have tried to hide from you,

   for we have done wrong.

We have lived for ourselves and apart from you.

We have turned from our neighbors and refused to bear the burdens of others.

We have ignored the pain of the world,

   and passed by the hungry, the poor, and the oppressed.

In your great mercy forgive our sins

   and free us from selfishness,

   that we may choose your will

   and obey your commandments;

   through Jesus Christ our Savior.   Amen.

15

Merciful God,

   you pardon all who truly repent and turn to you.

We humbly confess our sins and ask your mercy.

We have not loved you with a pure heart,

    nor have we loved our neighbor as ourselves.

We have not done justice, loved kindness,

    or walked humbly with you, our God.

Have mercy on us, O God, in your loving-kindness.

In your great compassion,

   cleanse us from our sin.

Create in us a clean heart, O God,

   and renew a right spirit within us.

Do not cast us from your presence,

   or take your Holy Spirit from us.

Restore to us the joy of your salvation

   and sustain us with your bountiful Spirit.   Amen.

16 Christmas Day

God of grace and truth,

   in Jesus Christ you came among us

   as light shining in darkness.

We confess that we have not welcomed the light,

   or trusted good news to be good.

We have closed our eyes to glory in our midst,

   expecting little, and hoping for less.

Forgive our doubt, and renew our hope,

   so that we may receive the fullness of your grace,

   and live in the truth of Christ the Lord.   Amen.

17 Epiphany

God of glory,

   you sent Jesus among us as the light of the world,

   to reveal your love for all people.

We confess that our sin and pride

   hide the brightness of your light.

We turn away from the poor;

   we ignore cries for justice;

   we do not strive for peace.

In your mercy, cleanse us of our sin,

   and baptize us once again with your Spirit,

   that, forgiven and renewed, we may show forth your glory

   shining in the face of Jesus Christ.   Amen.

18 Lent

God of mercy,

   you sent Jesus Christ to seek and save the lost.

We confess that we have strayed from you

   and turned aside from your way.

We are misled by pride,

   for we see ourselves pure when we are stained,

   and great when we are small.

We have failed in love,

   neglected justice,

   and ignored your truth.

Have mercy, O God, and forgive our sin.

Return us to paths of righteousness

   through Jesus Christ, our Savior.   Amen.

19 Easter

Almighty God,

   in raising Jesus from the grave,

   you shattered the power of sin and death.

We confess that we remain captive to doubt and fear,

   bound by the ways that lead to death.

We overlook the poor and the hungry,

   and pass by those who mourn;

   we are deaf to the cries of the oppressed,

   and indifferent to calls for peace;

   we despise the weak,

   and abuse the earth you made.

Forgive us, God of mercy.

Help us to trust your power

   to change our lives and make us new,

   that we may know the joy of life abundant

   given in Jesus Christ, the risen Lord.   Amen.

20 Pentecost

Almighty God, you poured your Spirit upon gathered disciples

   creating bold tongues, open ears,

   and a new community of faith.

We confess that we hold back the force of your Spirit among us.

We do not listen for your word of grace,

   speak the good news of your love,

   or live as a people made one in Christ.

Have mercy on us, O God.

Transform our timid lives by the power of your Spirit,

   and fill us with a flaming desire to be your faithful people,

   doing your will for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen.

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Assurance of God’s Grace

• It should be brief.
• It can be a Scripture verse.

The Assurance should end with “This is the Good News of the Gospel, therefore let us sing to the glory of God.”  These words help serve as a cue for the Organist to start the Gloria Patri.

You may construct your own.  Following are a few suggestions.

1

The mercy of the Lord

is from everlasting to everlasting.

I declare to you, in the name of Jesus Christ,

we are forgiven.

May the God of mercy,

who forgives you all our sins,

strengthen us in all goodness,

and by the power of the Holy Spirit

keep us in eternal life.

This is the Good News of the Gospel, therefore let us sing to the glory of God.

2        Based on I Timothy 1:15 and I Peter 2:24

Hear the good news!

The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance,

that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

He himself bore our sins

in his body on the cross,

that we might be dead to sin,

and alive to all that is good.

I declare to you in the name of Jesus Christ,

we are forgiven.

This is the Good News of the Gospel, therefore let us sing to the glory of God.

3 Based on I Timothy 1:15

Here are words you may trust, words that merit full acceptance: 

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” 
This is the Good News of the Gospel, therefore let us sing to the glory of God.

4 Based on Romans 8:34 and II Corinthians 5:17

Hear the good news!

Who is in a position to condemn?

Only Christ,

and Christ died for us,

Christ rose for us,

Christ reigns in power for us,

Christ prays for us.

Anyone who is in Christ

is a new creation.

The old life has gone;

a new life has begun.

Know that we are forgiven

and let us be at peace.

This is the Good News of the Gospel, therefore let us sing to the glory of God.

5 Based on I Timothy 1:15

Listen!  Here is good news.

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”

He will forgive you in your failure.

He will accept you as you are.

He will set you free from evil’s power.

He will make you what you were meant to be.

This is the Good News of the Gospel, therefore let us sing to the glory of God.

6 Based on I John 1:8,9   

Hear these comforting words from I John 1:8 and 9.

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth

is not in us, but if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful

and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all

unrighteousness.”

This is the Good News of the Gospel, therefore let us sing to the glory of God.

7 Based on Joel 2:13

We read in Joel 2:13 this exhortation: 

“Return to the Lord your God,

for he is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

This is the Good News of the Gospel, therefore let us sing to the glory of God.

8 Based on John 3:16

We read in John 3:16, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that whoever believes in him would not perish, but have everlasting life.”

This is the Good News of the Gospel, therefore let us sing to the glory of God.

9  Other helpful passages for those who may wish to construct a different Assurance of God’s Grace

·        Psalm 32:5

·        Psalm 51:2-5

·        Proverbs 28:13

·        Isaiah 45:21-22

·        Jeremiah 33:8