Litany for the Church

 John Wilkinson
Pastor, Third Presbyterian Church
Rochester, NY

2002 Covenant Conference
Opening Worship, November 7, 2002

One: We confess and acknowledge one God alone, to whom alone we must cleave, whom alone we must serve, whom alone we must worship, and in whom alone we put our trust. (Scots Confession, 1560)

All: Let us seek, in all that we say and do and are, to cleave to God and to trust God’s promises.

One: Our only comfort in life and in death is that we belong — body and soul — not to ourselves, but to our faithful savior Jesus Christ. (Heidelberg Catechism, 1562)

All: Let us seek to live in the sure promise that in life and in death we belong to God.

One: The church is the assembly of the faithful, a communion of all saints, citizens of the one commonwealth, the one city, in the fellowship of all good things. (Second Helvetic Confession, 1561)

All: Let us seek to live together as citizens and to build a city of reconciliation and joy.

One: As the saints of God, we are united to one another in love and have communion in each other’s gifts and graces. (Westminster Confession, 1647)

All: Let us seek to use our gifts with integrity and to dwell in perfect unity.

One: The church’s commission, upon which its freedom is founded, consists in delivering the message of the free grace of God to all people in Christ’s stead, and therefore in the ministry of his own Word and work. (Barmen Declaration, 1934)

All: Let us seek to be bold witnesses to Christ’s grace, proclaiming to cities and nations the living Word among us.

One: Life is a gift to be received with gratitude and a task to be pursued with courage. (Confession of 1967)

All: In a broken and fearful world, the Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing. (A Brief Statement of Faith, 1991)

One: With an urgency born of this hope, the church applies itself to present tasks and strives for a better world. (Confession of 1967)

All: May we, the church of Jesus Christ, be joyful in our worship, be generous in our giving, be abundant in our caring, be courageous in our proclaiming, for the sake of the world God loves so much and for the sake of the church entrusted to our care. Amen.