“Beautiful, fresh language for Christians of all denominations.... These prayers can enrich our worship, transforming our hearts and—ultimately—strengthening our world.”

—Rev. Canon Jan Naylor Cope, vicar, Washington National Cathedral

“Beautifully written.... An inspiring gift to all those who gather weekly to shape and sustain themselves as God’s faithful people.”

—Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, general secretary emeritus, Reformed Church in America

“A powerful, prayerful, extremely useful worship aid [for] progressive congregations of many denominations and small-base communities alike.... Browse the table of contents when you need just the right prayer for many occasions.”

—Diann L. Neu, cofounder and codirector of the Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER); coeditor, New Feminist Christianity: Many Voices, Many Views

“In plain but powerful words, [this book] says exactly just what we all would want to say to God.”

—Bishop Eugene Taylor Sutton, Episcopal Diocese of Maryland 

“Simply and beautifully conveys the rich tradition of communal prayer.... It is sure to enrich the devotional life of both individuals and faith communities.”

—William Dietrich, spiritual director; former executive director, Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation

“Stirring... A delightful, creative gift of nurture and inspiration for faith communities and personal meditation.”

—Rev. Jann Aldredge-Clanton, PhD, author, She Lives! Sophia Wisdom Works in the World and Inclusive Hymns for Liberating Christians

“A rich treasury.... All will find an invitation to congregational intercession that is at once comprehensive and concretely real.”

—Rev. Taylor W. Burton-Edwards, director of worship resources, the General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church

“[A] rich collection.... Bring[s] human need before God in a poignant and compassionate way. Growing out of the life of one church, this book will bless many.”

—Ruth Duck, ThD, professor of worship, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary

“These prayers give us the right words to remember who we are, who God is, and the nature of the journey we are on together.... They help us reconnect with what matters most.”

—Kayla McClurg, author, Passage by Passage: A Gospel Journey; facilitator, inward/outward

 

 

How did you come to write this book?
We are both part of the small group that organizes worship for our church. As a group, we study the lectionary readings for each new season, looking for themes that resonate with the given scriptures, the life of the congregation and the world around us. From that theme, we develop the various parts of the liturgy, such as the call to worship, the confession and assurance and the benediction that will be used for the five or six or seven weeks of a particular liturgical season. Each season, these liturgies are posted on our church Web site, available for anyone to use and adapt as they wish. Over the years, we have received remarkable notes from pastors and other people in places as far away as Australia and New Zealand, as well as from various parts of the United States, thanking us for making these creative inclusive-language resources available.

We also share the privilege of leading worship, which includes composing prayers that invite the congregation into particular parts of the service. These prayers are not subject to the group editing process that smooths out the rough edges of the liturgy, so they retain the evidence of each person�s individual writing style. While others have come and gone from the group, the two of us have been writing together for about twenty years and have become so attuned to each other�s writing that we often do not remember who wrote what. It seemed natural to compile a book of the prayers we�ve been collecting over the years, arranged for all the Sundays of the three-year lectionary cycle.

Why is inclusive language important to you?
Both of us grew up in a world where God was referred to almost exclusively in male terms. After a lifetime of prayer, contemplation and study, we have come to understand that God is bigger, deeper and more mysterious than the �old man in the sky� image that peers down at us from countless Renaissance paintings. Reading our Bibles, we find God referred to as the rock of our salvation, imagined as a spring of living water and likened to a mother hen gathering her chicks under her wing. Metaphors like these remind us that it is impossible to comprehend God in any one image. If we human beings are made in the image of God, then everyone needs to be able to see themselves included in our images of God�men and women; old and young; people who are gay, straight, bi, transgender, or impossible to define; those whose skin is dark and those whose skin is pale; and any other kind of people. Inclusive, expansive and imaginative language for God leaves us, and those with whom we pray, open to the Divine Mystery who holds us all in love.

How do you hope others will use this book?
We hope others will use these prayers in their own private devotions, in leading worship and as models for their own imaginative, inclusive prayers.

Download a printable version

This is a guide for small groups that come together to work with Calling on God. Ideally, the group will take several weeks to write fresh prayers in the style used in the book, basing them on the lectionary scripture readings, other written reflections, and events in the community and the wider world.

This multi-session discussion guide is modeled after the collaborative process that has evolved in the Celebration Circle mission group in Seekers Church for writing a fresh liturgy for each season of the liturgical year. As members of your group, encouraged by the prayers in Calling on God, combine traditional scripture, contemporary events and fresh ideas into prayers for community and personal worship, we believe you will encourage one another to bring this approach to prayer into other settings.

This outline suggests a five-session program for your group to work with Calling on God and explore fresh ways of preparing inclusive prayers for worship. Each session includes:

• An opening prayer from the book
• Time for group members to check in with each other
  
• Some work together as a group
  
• A closing prayer developed by a member of the group in the style of Calling on God
• A suggestion for some work between group sessions to help prepare for the next meeting.

SESSION ONE

Opening Prayer The person convening the group will offer the opening prayer from the current week in Calling on God.

Sharing

• Who are you?
• What has been your experience with liturgical prayers?
• What interests you about this group and this approach to prayer?

Working Together

• Decide on the group�s structure and interactions:
  • Determine the number of sessions and the frequency of meetings,
  • Discuss opportunities to share the results of the group�s work in other gatherings,
  • Establish the confidentiality level in personal sharing.
• Select a liturgical season of 4 to 8 weeks to work with as a group.
• Review the section in Calling on God that describes the liturgy development process used in Seekers Church.

Closing Prayer

The convener may offer the closing prayer or ask for some other volunteer.

Homework

• Read the lectionary scriptures for the season selected by the group.
• Read the prayers in Calling on God for the season.
• Pay continuing attention to current events at the global, national, local and individual levels.

SESSION TWO

Opening Prayer

The convener will offer the opening prayer from the current week in Calling on God.

Sharing

How has your preparation for this meeting affected your prayer life?

Work Together

• Brainstorm possible themes for the worship season the group has selected.
  • List significant moods, events and expectations at the global, national, local and individual levels that might inform prayer during the chosen season.
  • List major images, parables and stories from the lectionary scriptures for the chosen season.
• Select one of the themes to guide the writing of prayers for the season.

Closing Prayer

The convener may offer the closing prayer or ask for some other volunteer.

Homework

Search through favorite readings for a �reflection paragraph� or poem that can focus the prayers being written by the group.

SESSION THREE

Opening Prayer

The convener will offer the opening prayer from the current week in Calling on God.

Sharing

How has your search for a reflection paragraph or poem for this meeting affected your prayer life?

Work Together

• Share reflection paragraphs or poems.
  • Rotate sharing by letting each participant read one contribution at a time.
  • Make a list of each item by author and key word so they can be found easily for later rounds of sharing.
• Once all contributions have been read, repeat those that are of most interest to members of the group. Then select one paragraph or poem to provide focus for group work.
• Identify common types of liturgical prayers as a focus for further group work, like the call to worship, the confession and assurance or the benediction.
• Have each group member select one of these categories for homework focus. (Try to have at least one person working on each type of prayer.)

Closing Prayer

The convener may offer the closing prayer or ask for some other volunteer.

Homework

• Have the member who contributed the selected poem or paragraph share it with everyone so all members of the group have access to it for reference.
• Have each group member prepare a draft of the type of prayer they selected during the meeting, based on the theme, scripture for the season and ideas from Calling on God.

SESSION FOUR

Opening Prayer

The convener will offer the opening prayer from the current week in Calling on God.

Sharing

What challenges did you encounter in preparing for this session?

Work Together

• Share the prayers in a sequence based on a common order of worship.
  • One example would be: call to worship, opening prayer, confession, assurance, thanksgiving and praise, petition and intercession, benediction.
  • You might use prayers from Calling on God for the opening prayer, the prayers of praise and thanksgiving and the prayers of petition and intercession.
• Invite group members to share favorite lines from each other�s contributions.

Closing Prayer

The convener may offer the closing prayer or ask for some other volunteer.

Homework

• Have each group member write fresh prayers for a community in which she or he is a participating member.
• If possible, arrange to lead worship for that group or offer the new prayers at an appropriate time.

SESSION FIVE

Opening Prayer

The convener will offer the opening prayer from the current week in Calling on God.

Sharing

What was your experience in offering more inclusive prayers in another group?

Work Together

• Reflect on the challenges, opportunities and accomplishments of using more inclusive prayers.
• Discuss whether to continue with another liturgical season, change the focus of the group, or conclude the meetings.
• Thank one another for lessons learned.

Closing Prayer

Conclude this session with a prayer offered by all members of the group.