Calls to Worship: 25 Responsive Openings for Your Service

Leader: Shout for joy to Yahweh, all you lands! People: Serve Yahweh with gladness. Come before his presence with singing. Leader: Know that Yahweh, he is God. It is he who has made us, and we are his. People: We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Leader: Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise. All: Give thanks to him, and bless his name. For Yahweh is good. His loving kindness endures forever.

— Psalm 100 (WEB)

Leader: Oh come, let's sing to Yahweh. People: Let's shout aloud to the rock of our salvation! Leader: Let's come before his presence with thanksgiving. People: Let's extol him with songs! All: For Yahweh is a great God, a great King above all gods.

— Psalm 95:1–3 (WEB)

Leader: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. People: Therefore we won't be afraid, though the earth changes. Leader: Be still, and know that I am God. All: Yahweh of Armies is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge.

— Psalm 46:1–2, 10–11 (WEB)

Leader: Lift up your heads, you gates! People: Be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory will come in. Leader: Who is this King of glory? All: Yahweh of Armies is the King of glory!

— Psalm 24:7, 10 (WEB)

Leader: We come in the dark of the year, watching. People: We are waiting for a light that has been promised. Leader: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. People: The light has shined on those who lived in the land of the shadow of death. All: Come, Lord Jesus. We are ready to wait for you.

— Original, with Isaiah 9:2 (WEB)

Leader: Christ is risen! People: He is risen indeed! Leader: Death has been swallowed up in victory. People: Death, where is your sting? All: Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

— Original, with 1 Corinthians 15:54–57 (WEB)

Leader: Come, all who are tired of pretending. People: We come as we are. Leader: Come, all who are carrying more than they can name. People: We come with full hands and tired hearts. Leader: Jesus said: Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. All: We come. Meet us here.

— Original, with Matthew 11:28 (WEB)

Leader: The Spirit of God is not tame and is not far off. People: Come, Holy Spirit. Leader: Fill this room as you filled that one. People: Come, Holy Spirit. All: Give us tongues to speak of what God has done — and ears to hear it in a language we did not expect.

— Original

Leader: I will bless Yahweh at all times. People: His praise will always be in my mouth. Leader: My soul shall boast in Yahweh. People: The humble shall hear of it and be glad. All: Oh magnify Yahweh with me. Let's exalt his name together.

— Psalm 34:1–3 (WEB)

Leader: Praise Yahweh, my soul! People: All that is within me, praise his holy name! Leader: Praise Yahweh, my soul, and don't forget all his benefits, People: who forgives all your sins, who heals all your diseases, All: who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies.

— Psalm 103:1–4 (WEB)

Leader: Praise Yah! Praise God in his sanctuary! People: Praise him in his heavens for his acts of power! Leader: Praise him for his mighty acts! People: Praise him according to his excellent greatness! All: Let everything that has breath praise Yah. Praise Yah!

— Psalm 150:1–2, 6 (WEB)

Leader: Give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, People: for his loving kindness endures forever. Leader: This is the day that Yahweh has made. All: We will rejoice and be glad in it!

— Psalm 118:1, 24 (WEB)

Leader: I will exalt you, my God, the King. People: I will praise your name forever and ever. Leader: Every day I will praise you. People: I will extol your name forever and ever. All: Great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised! His greatness is unsearchable.

— Psalm 145:1–3 (WEB)

Leader: Sing to Yahweh a new song! Sing to Yahweh, all the earth. People: Sing to Yahweh! Bless his name! Leader: Proclaim his salvation from day to day! All: Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!

— Psalm 96:1–3 (WEB)

Leader: God, you are my God. I will earnestly seek you. People: My soul thirsts for you. My flesh longs for you, All: in a dry and weary land, where there is no water.

— Psalm 63:1 (WEB)

Leader: I was glad when they said to me, All: Let's go to Yahweh's house!

— Psalm 122:1 (WEB)

Leader: Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, People: and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat. Leader: Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. All: We come with nothing. Let us worship God.

— Isaiah 55:1 (KJV)

Leader: The heavens declare the glory of God; People: and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Leader: Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. All: Let the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, our strength, and our redeemer.

— Psalm 19:1–2, 14 (KJV)

Leader: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, People: which was, and is, and is to come. Leader: Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: All: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

— Revelation 4:8, 11 (KJV)

Leader: Do not be afraid. People: Why should we not be afraid? Leader: Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. People: For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. All: Glory to God in the highest. Come, let us worship him.

— Original, with Luke 2:10–11 (KJV)

Leader: Arise, shine; for thy light is come, People: and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. Leader: The light did not stay in Bethlehem, and it was never only for us. All: We come to worship the God of every nation, who has come looking for all of them.

— Original, with Isaiah 60:1 (KJV)

Leader: Rend your heart, and not your garments, People: and turn unto the LORD your God. Leader: For he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness. All: We come as we are, dust and beloved. Let us worship God.

— Original, with Joel 2:13 (KJV)

Leader: We did not grow this ourselves. People: Every good gift comes down from the Father. Leader: We did not earn this table, this roof, this breath. People: Every good gift comes down from the Father. All: So we come with full hands and open ones. Let us give thanks.

— Original

Leader: A year has closed behind us. People: God was in it, even where we could not see him. Leader: A year stands open in front of us. People: God is already there, waiting for us to arrive. All: Let us worship the God of all our years.

— Original

Leader: We are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses. People: We are not the first to sing this, and we will not be the last. Leader: Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, All: and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.

— Original, with Hebrews 12:1 (KJV)

What is the difference between a call to worship and an invocation?

A call to worship is addressed to the people — God summons them to worship. An invocation is addressed to God — the people ask him to be present. The call comes first, and many services use both.

Does a call to worship have to be responsive?

No. A single reader can deliver one effectively. But giving the congregation a spoken line is one of the cheapest ways to move a room from audience to participants.

Which Psalms work best?

Psalms 95, 100, 96, 34, 103, 145, and 150 are the classic choices for praise. Psalms 46, 42, and 62 work when the congregation needs room to be honest before it is asked to be glad.

Who should lead the call to worship?

Anyone — this is a natural place to involve lay leaders, youth, or a family. Rotating readers also signals that worship belongs to the whole congregation rather than the staff.