Summer Worship Service – July 18, 2021

Opening Prayer:

God, Thank you for the music all around us.
Each morning we hear it from the moment we open our ears;
the low notes of wind around the eaves,
the whoosh of water as it comes from the tap,
the glug glug as it drains,
the throaty whistle of the boiling kettle,
the metallic tap of the spoon against the cup,
the jazz percussion of our feet on the steps.
The sounds of our day,
so familiar we hardly pay attention.
Thank you for the ability to hear.

Thank you for the sounds of life:
the chatter of the squirrel,
the deep purr of a cat,
the sharp calls of a blue jay,
the sound of someone we love laughing.
Give us wisdom to enter this day with good sounds,
tones and pitches and words that affirm, encourage, cherish,
our sounds affecting the world in a positive way.

We pray for all who sing a sad song today;
the grieving, the lonely, the lost.
We pray especially for those who have lost their voice
and feel silenced or oppressed.
There are many singing freedom songs around our world,
and so today we pray for the safety of these singers.
Give their song the strength to convince and convert,
the power to ward off war.
There are too many war songs,
we don’t want to hear another one.

Thank you for your songs, love songs, which we are invited to sing.
Thank you for all the parts you’ve made for the song;
soprano, alto, tenor, bass.
Thank you for the children’s part and the senior’s part,
thank you for the youth part and the part for middle agers,
thank you for the crazy baby descant
that we all love to hear.

You are the Great Composer .
We long to be composed each day in your image,
singing your elegant score truly, clearly,
following your rhythm by heart,
finding our voice in your beautiful world.
Hearing you in the music of life.
This is our prayer.  Amen.

(Source:  https://carolpenner.typepad.com/leadinginworship/2011/06/music-prayer.html)