Fifth Sunday after Epiphany 
February 5, 2023
“Break Forth”

Call to Worship (inspired by Psalm 112:1-10)
One: Praise the Holy One! Be in awe of God!
Many: Happy are those who delight in the Holy One’s presence!
One:  Fear no evil. Keep your heart firm. Be secure in God!
Many: Happy are those who delight in the Holy One’s protection!
One: Arise for what is right. Be pursuers of justice. 
Many: Happy are those who delight in the Holy One’s power!

Invocation
Sovereign God, we gather as a community to worship you in spirit and in truth. May we resist empty actions. Let our rituals and routines hold meaning and connect us to you. May seek an encounter with you to receive your revelation and be transformed, healed, and renewed. Let it be so. Amen. 

Prayer for Transformation and New Life
Righteous One, it is not easy to follow your path. Your way requires sacrifice and intention–resisting cultural norms and societal pressures and abandoning our need to control and to function from our own power. Sometimes, we add complexity in order to assure ourselves it is not possible to be faithful. Yet, your way is simple. Soften our hearts and encourage us to return to the journey with you.

Words of Grace
God, who is faithful, can redeem our detours and misdirections on the journey for our good and the good of others. God’s invitation to covenantal life has no expiration date, and the Holy One receives us with joy and grace when we take even  a step toward the kindom. 

Invitation to Generosity
The generous life imagines the possibilities of the kindom of God realized through the sharing of our gifts. Generosity glorifies God and connects us as neighbors. When we give of our time, talent, and treasure, we declare our trust in the abundance of God’s continuing creative acts and participate in the realization of the kindom on earth.

Prayer of Dedication and Thanksgiving
God of Heaven and Earth, receive our gifts as a deposit of trust in your faithfulness and a seed of hope for the flourishing of your kindom.

Benediction
Break forth in the world secure in the love of God. Break forth into the kindom for love of God and neighbor.
Trust. the good news.
Proclaim the good news.
Be the good news.

Break Forth: Service Prayers for the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany was written by The Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Lindsay, Minister for Worship and Theology, United Church of Christ.