Invocation Prayers: 20 Openings for Church Services and Events
An invocation is a short opening prayer asking God to be present and at work in the gathering that is about to begin.
Where it goes in the service
At the start — after the call to worship in a service, or as the first item on the program at an event. Usually 30 to 90 seconds. Longer prayers belong later in the service as a pastoral prayer.
What is a invocation?
An invocation "invokes" — it calls on God to be present. It is the first prayer of a service or event, and it is deliberately brief: it asks God to do something in this gathering, and then gets out of the way.
Inside a worship service, the invocation usually follows the call to worship. Outside of church, invocations open all kinds of gatherings — banquets, graduations, civic meetings, sports banquets, city council sessions — where a member of clergy or a lay leader is asked to "open us in prayer."
Those two settings call for different prayers. A Sunday invocation can be fully and explicitly Christian. A civic invocation is prayed in front of people of many faiths and none, and most leaders adjust the address and the closing accordingly without pretending to be something they are not.
7 invocation prayers you can use this Sunday
Free to copy, print, and project. Scripture is quoted from public-domain translations, so no permission is required.
A Simple Sunday Invocation
SundayLord God, you called us here before we thought to come. Now be among us. Open what is closed in us, soften what has gone hard, and speak clearly enough that we cannot mistake your voice for our own. We ask it in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
— Original
Invocation Before the Word
Before the sermonAlmighty God, your word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. By your Spirit, open the scriptures to us and open us to the scriptures, that we would not merely hear but obey. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
— Original, with Psalm 119:105 (WEB)
Invocation for a Church Meeting
MeetingsFather, we have business to do, and we would like to do it as your church rather than as a committee that prays at the start. Give us patience with each other, honesty about what we want, and the humility to change our minds. Let what we decide here be recognizable as the work of Jesus. Amen.
— Original
Invocation for a Meal or Banquet
BanquetGracious God, for this food, for the hands that prepared it, and for the friendship around these tables, we thank you. Bless what we are about to receive, bless the conversation that goes with it, and make us mindful of those who will not eat tonight. Amen.
— Original
Invocation for a Graduation
GraduationGod of every beginning, we give you thanks for these graduates — for the work they have finished and the people who carried them to this day. Go with them into what comes next. Give them courage where the path is unclear, friends who tell them the truth, and work that is worth doing. Amen.
— Original
Invocation for a Civic Gathering
CivicGod of all people, we ask your presence over this gathering. Give wisdom to those who will speak and patience to those who will listen. Grant that the decisions made here would serve the good of this whole community — especially those with the least voice in it. We ask this humbly. Amen.
— Original
Invocation for a New Year
New YearLord of all our days, we stand at the start of a year we cannot see. We bring you what we are carrying out of the old one — the grief, the debt, the hope we had almost given up on. Go before us into January. Be our God in this year as you were in the last. Amen.
— Original
How to write your own
- 1Ask for one thing. An invocation that asks for eight things is a pastoral prayer wearing the wrong hat.
- 2Address God in a way that fits the occasion — "Almighty God" for a formal service, "Father" for an intimate one, "God of all people" for a civic setting.
- 3Name the gathering out loud. "Be present in this sanctuary," "bless this meeting," "go with these graduates." Generic prayers feel prefabricated because they are.
- 4Do not preach in it. The invocation is not the place to instruct the congregation while pretending to address God — everyone can tell.
- 5Time it. Ninety seconds is long for an invocation. Practice reading it aloud with a timer once.
- 6For civic invocations, decide your closing in advance rather than in the moment, and be consistent about it.
How different traditions handle it
Lutheran services open with an Invocation naming the Trinity ("In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit"), which is a distinct and more formal usage than the free-form opening prayer common in Baptist and non-denominational churches. In Catholic and Anglican practice the equivalent function is served by the Collect of the Day. Many congregations use "invocation" loosely to mean any opening prayer, and that is fine — just be consistent inside your own bulletin.
Frequently asked questions
How long should an invocation be?
Thirty to ninety seconds. If you need three minutes, what you have written is a pastoral prayer, and it belongs later in the service.
Is an invocation the same as an opening prayer?
In most churches, yes, the terms are used interchangeably. In Lutheran practice, "the Invocation" specifically means the trinitarian formula that opens the liturgy, which is narrower.
How do I give an invocation at a non-religious event?
Keep it brief, address God in broadly accessible terms, pray for the people and the purpose of the gathering rather than for their conversion, and choose your closing phrase ahead of time. Most leaders find they can be entirely sincere without being confrontational.
Keep a record of what was actually said
The invocation you wrote is in your notes. The sermon that went with it usually isn't. Transcribe every service and build a searchable archive your congregation can go back to — the Church Plan is $19/month for as many sermons as you preach.
Related parts of the service
Calls to Worship
A call to worship is the opening words of a service — a summons, usually from the Psalms, that tells a gathered crowd it has become a worshiping congregation.
Pastoral Prayers
A pastoral prayer is the long prayer of the service, in which one voice carries the whole congregation's thanksgiving, grief, and intercession to God.
Opening Prayers for Church Services
An opening prayer sets the tone of a service in under a minute — gathering a distracted room and turning its attention toward God.
Benedictions
A benediction is the spoken blessing that sends a congregation out at the end of worship — not a closing prayer, but a pronouncement of God's favor over his people.
Everything else in the service
Planning the rest of the service
- Sermon resources for all 66 books — themes, famous chapters, and preaching notes to pair with the readings.
- Sermon length calculator — check the service fits the time you actually have.
- Sermon outline generator — turn a text and a big idea into a preaching outline.
- Sermon series ideas — plan a season, then build the liturgy around it.