from Patricia Lull and Gloria Dei Lutheran Chuch in St. Paul, MN

People of God, both your work and your rest are now in God.  Will you endeavor to pattern your life on the Lord Jesus Christ, in gratitude to God and in service to one another, at morning and evening, at work and at play, from this day until the day of your death?
 

Response

I will, and I ask God to help me.
 

Let us pray.  Holy God, holy and glorious, you came among us once in human time and we beheld your glory.  As we join the whole creation in longing for the dawn of redeeming grace, turn our lives into living signs of your presence.  Give us patience to trust in your return and courage to live out our baptismal calling this week in confidence that the day of your return is at hand; for the sake of Christ, who came and who will come again.
 

Response

Amen

from Worship & Daily Life:  A Resource for Worship Planners, 1999 Discipleship Resources, United Methodist Church)

Sisters and brothers, we are not dismissed.
We are not just free to go.
Christ sends us!
Go [forth] in the power of the Spirit
To love and serve the Lord.
Go to help and heal in all you do.
Thanks be to God!

You have come;
You have heard;
You have listened.
May your understanding cause you to respond.
Go forth into the world and dare to make a difference.

Leader

Lord, your love has brought us here,
 

Response

By your love send us forth.
 

Leader

May your love be active in us

As we wake or sleep, work or rest, serve or wait.
 

Response

Draw us by the needs of others into the way, the truth, and the life we see in Christ.
 

All

We follow in faith.  Amen

Sisters and brothers, whom will you see this week?
What will they need?  Will you dare to see their
Need and love them with the love of Christ? 
In Christ’s name go and be good news!

We are sent in Christ’s name!  Thanks be to God!

Sisters and brothers, God does not ask you to go to far off places.
God sends you back to people and places you do know.
God sends you in the power of the Spirit. 
Go where the kind word is needed.
Go where the risk of love will make a difference.
Put your feet in the street and go!

From “Litany for the Ministry of the Laity” by J. Fletcher Lowe in Ministry in Daily Life:  a Guide to the Baptismal Covenant, The Episcopal Church Center, 1996.

Leader

Let us thank God for those persons who have responded to Christ’s call to serve him in the world.
 

Response

Lord, we know that you call us in the Great Commandment to love our neighbor.
 

Leader

For those who seek to glorify you and to serve their neighbor through their daily vocation. . .
 

Response

We give you thanks, O Lord.
 

Leader

For those who are actively involved in the political process of our community, state, and nation:
 

Response

We give you thanks, O Lord.
 

Leader

For those who work for social justice, fair housing, and equal opportunity for both sexes and all races:
 

Response

We give you thanks, O Lord.
 

Leader

For those who work to improve the quality of life in our communities – engineers, contractors, architects, landscapers, fire and police personnel:
 

Response

We give you thanks, O Lord.
 

Leader

For those who work to improve the quality of life in our communities – engineers, contractors, architects, landscapers, fire and police personnel:
 

Response

We give you thanks, O Lord.
 

Leader

For those who serve as homemakers, providing care, nourishment, and a secure haven for families:
 

Response

We give you thanks, O Lord.
 

Leader

For those who teach and care for our children, both salaried staff and volunteer aids:
 

Response

We give you thanks, O Lord.
 

Leader

For those who minister to the sick as medical professionals, as visitors or volunteers:
 

Response

We give you thanks, O Lord.
 

Leader

For those who visit the lonely and the shut-in, and for those who find time to listen to the troubled and distressed:
 

Response

We give you thanks, O Lord.
 

Leader

For those who serve the hungry, the homeless, and the unemployed:
 

Response

We give you thanks, O Lord.
 

Leader

For all those those labor and effort are unseen and unsung, but who carry out Christ’s ministry in the world:
 

Response

We give you thanks, O Lord.
 

Leader

Let us thank God for the love we have experienced in Christ Jesus, who motivates and empowers us to serve others in his name.
 

All

O Lord, we recall the words of your Son when he said, “I came not to be served, but to serve.”  He saw our needs and he ministered to us in love.  We thank you for calling us to follow in his footsteps.  We ask you to work through us, and help us always to work for you.  Keep our eyes open to the possibilities around us; grant us strength and courage to serve Christ and others.  In his name we pray.  Amen