"Watch Night Service 2021"

Call To Worship/Prayer

Let us worship the Triune God.

Let us worship the One who spoke in the beginning and created something out of nothing.

Let us worship the Triune God.

Let us worship the One who took on the clothing of humanity to set those who were oppressed free.

Let us worship the Triune God.

Let us worship the One whose Spirit rests continually upon us, calling us from sorrow-filled endings to bright new beginnings.

Invocation

The end of the year is upon us and tonight we gather to offer the strides as well as the struggles of this year to God. We gather to give to the Creator both our hopes and our fears, as we gather to worship the Lord our God. Holy Spirit, fill our hearts and our lives tonight as we worship. Grant us each the strength to sing our sing, to pray our prayer, and to listen for the Word that will drive our fears away and move us to offer praise and thanksgiving. Inspire us tonight we pray, in Jesus name, Amen.

Altar Call/Rededication

I remember with gratitude the fruits of labor of others, which I have shared as part of the normal experience of daily living.

(pause) We come, thanking you for guidance and direction. Go before us, O God, and draw us into the future where you are.

I remember the beautiful things that I have seen, heard and felt— some, as a result of definite seeking on my part, and many that came unheralded into my path, warming my heart and rejoicing my spirit.

(pause) We thank you for watching over us and caring for us through the old year, as we walked in the light of your love. We thank you for your promises of peace, healing, and justice.

I remember the moments of distress that proved to be groundless and those that taught me profoundly about the evilness of evil and the goodness of good.

(pause) You have led us in the past. Guide us now, and always, that we might choose to do your will and follow your way. We are pilgrims in a barren land.

I remember the new people I have met, from whom I have caught glimpses of the meaning of my own life and the true character of human dignity.

(pause)

I remember the dreams that haunted me during the year, keeping me ever mindful of goals and hopes which I did not realize but from which I drew inspiration to sustain my life and keep steady my purpose.

(pause)

I remember the awareness of the spirit of God that sought me out in my aloneness and gave to me a sense of assurance that undercut my despair and confirmed my life with new courage and abiding hope.

All praise, honor, glory, and thanks to you, our God, through Jesus Christ our risen Savior and Lord.

Benediction

We gathered in peace to give God praise. We gathered in joy to give God thanks. We gathered, by God’s grace, to experience a love that we can neither outgrow nor outlive.

So go forth in the name of the Lord, To calm uneasy spirits; To heal the broken-hearted; To lift up the down-trodden; To proclaim God’s message of love and hope in the world.

For in so doing, we are being redeemed, now and forevermore, Amen.