April Yamasaki

An Intergenerational Call to Worship

aprilyamasaki.com // An Intergenerational Call to Worship
For our intergenerational worship one Pentecost Sunday, we had flowers and party decorations at the front of the church (thank you, Marcia Janzen!), I made a chocolate cake with icing for the children to share, we sang “Happy Birthday, Dear Church,” blew out the candles on the cake, and then I preached on Pentecost as the often forgotten holiday that we don’t want to forget. It was quite a celebration!

Lord, we gather —
as infants in our parents’ arms,
as children with our snacks and crayons,
as youth whispering with our friends —
we’re just learning what it means to worship.

Lord, we gather —
as young adults trying to find our place within the church,
as parents caring for our children,
as mid-life people with mid-life questions,
as older adults wondering why the questions haven’t stopped —
we’re just learning what it means to worship.

Lord, we gather —
as people with lives too busy or not busy enough,
bursting with energy or already looking forward to that afternoon nap,
content, discontent, or somewhere in between —
we’re just learning what it means to worship.

We come before you today with our unique personalities and experiences,
ready and not yet ready for this time together.
Draw us by your Spirit into your embrace.
Turn our thoughts and voices to thankfulness and praise. Amen.

_____________________

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6 responses

  1. Elfrieda Avatar
    Elfrieda

    April, we are doing a series of intergenerational services at our church (Jubilee Mennonite in Winnipeg). The worship committee has done a great job of planning. I really like your prayer and would love to use it when I lead worship a few Sundays from now. Would you be okay with that?

    Reply
    1. April Yamasaki Avatar
      April Yamasaki

      Yes, thanks for asking and letting me know – I hope it will make a good contribution to your worship.

      Reply
      1. Elfrieda Avatar
        Elfrieda

        I know it will!

        Reply
  2. Wendy Janzen Avatar
    Wendy Janzen

    April – I did almost exactly the same thing in our worship service this past Pentecost – cake, balloons, singing, etc. Except I didn’t have a lovely litany like you wrote. I’m going to save this for future use. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  3. Elsie Hannah Ruth Rempel Avatar
    Elsie Hannah Ruth Rempel

    I Love it, April! Thanks for sharing it with your blog circle.

    Reply
  4. April Yamasaki Avatar
    April Yamasaki

    You’re welcome, Wendy and Elsie – I’m glad you’re part of my circle 🙂

    Reply

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