“From John Wesley’s Sunday Service of the Methodists of North America in 1784, through the hymnals, rituals, and books of worship of our antecedent denominations, our official worship resources have defined our Church. They celebrated our heritage in worship and formed new disciples of Jesus Christ. Out of this tradition comes The Unted Methodist Book of Worship.” (from the preface of the BOW).
I wonder if people are aware of the deep roots of the worship we celebrate at The Table. The ordering of things such as welcome and scripture and message and communion is planned each week. Our worship series rise out of our listening and learning in Kitchen Tables and from our Deep Commitment cards. Our visuals are created by multiple individuals who, inspired by the word, bring it forth in shape, line color, image and experience. We are inspired by the generations of disciples of Jesus Christ before us and hope to inspire others who will follow.
Here is a morning prayer to begin your days from the section of Daily Praise and Prayer (BOW p. 568)
Eternal God, hallowed be your name.
Early in the morning, before we begin our work, we praise your glory.
Renew our bodies as fresh as the morning flowers.
Open our inner eyes as the sun casts new light upon the darkness.
Deliver us from all captivity.
Like the birds of the sky,
give us wings of freedom to begin a new journey.
As a mighty stream running continuously,
restore justice and freedom day by day.
We thank you for the gift of this morning,
and a new day to work with you. Amen.
(Masao Takenaka, Japa, 20th century. BOW p. 570)
~linda