Call to Worship

One:    We gather together as God’s anointed children;
All:      Together, though we are divided.
One:    We praise the works of the Creator God, who created us to worship unceasingly;
All:      Together, though we are divided.
One:    We recognize the unity of the Trinity, the mysterious three-in-one;
All:      Together, though we are divided.
One:    We implore you, Jesus Christ, to gather us together as a “hen gathers her brood.”  Your Church remains divided, though you call us to unity.  We recognize our divisions and denounce them as unfaithful; we acknowledge that we sing your praises, though with a divided tongue.  We profess along with your apostle Paul that there is indeed “one body and one Spirit,” and we ask that your Spirit descend upon us—your Body— today. 
All:       We pray this in the name of the One “who is above all and through all and in all,” Amen.(by Jason R. Jenkins)

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Prayer of Confession

Let us seek the forgiveness of God and of each other for the divisions that have hindered Christian witness: Lord we have sinned against you and against each other. Lord, have mercy.
O Christ, our divisions are contrary to your will and have impeded our common witness to you.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, we have not loved you enough in our brothers and sisters, created in your image, but different from us.
Lord, have mercy.
Creator God, let us no longer live beside each other as strangers. Satisfy the longings of our hearts, grant our rightful requests, and unite us soon in one Holy Church through Jesus Christ, who with you in the communion of the Holy Spirit lives and reigns eternally.   Amen.(anonymous)

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A Prayer for Unity

Holy One, whose love has been poured into our hearts through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit, and who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish far more than we can ask or imagine, infuse us with a longing for reconciliation.
Help us maintain the unity of your Spirit
in the bond of peace. In these days when people and places
are affected by strife and its threat, make us light to the world.
When we get tired and confused,
take us by the hand and show us the way forward.
Help us transform barriers into bridges.    Amen.

(by Rev. Dr Diane C. Kessler, Executive Director, Massachusetts Council of Churches)

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A Call for the Unity of Christ’s Disciples

For every congregation of the Church—that we may end the sin of our division which makes a mockery of the Cross of Jesus before the world.
Lord hear us.
For every congregation of the Church—that the Spirit of the Lord may remove from between us the walls of separation which do not reach to heaven.
Lord hear us.
For every congregation of the Church—that we may reach out to meet one another and rejoice to find that we are brothers and sisters in Christ.
Lord hear us.
For every congregation of the Church—that we may all be one, worshipping God as beloved sons and daughters, in spirit and in truth.
Lord hear us.
For every congregation of the Church—that we may commit ourselves to the non-violent way of Jesus and transform society through offering forgiveness and receiving peace.
Lord hear us.
O God, unite all the congregations of the Church in Jesus, our Lord and Savior. May your will be done among us and your kingdom come soon, through Christ who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, forever and ever.        
Amen.

(adapted, from Clonard Monastery, Northern Ireland)