‘God of grace and God of glory’: A call to worship

The following call to worship was shared during the closing worship service of the 2026 Conference on Thursday morning, July 2, with leadership from Gail Heisel.

And it has a back story.

Heisel is the elected member of the Annual Conference Program and Arrangement Committee who held responsibility for worship services this year (she concludes her term on the committee with this Conference).

She has been collecting a file of worship resources for decades. When searching for a call to worship for the closing service, she discovered a mimeographed sheet in the file with a piece from the early 1980s. She and the committee updated the language but continued to pair it—as it originally had been used—with the hymn “God of Grace and God of Glory.”

After including this call to worship in the Conference planning, Heisel attended a memorial service for her uncle where “God of Grace and God of Glory” was sung—and found out that it was one of his favorite hymns.

*The elected members of the 2026 Annual Conference Program and Arrangements Committee with Gail Heisel at the microphone, at left Laura Sellers and at right Amber Harris. Photo by Daniel Murrell II*

Call to Worship with ‘God of Grace and God of Glory’

All: We live in unsettled days, dear God. The looming climate change, the energy hunger of AI, the gulf of polarization. What spiritual energy, spiritual power is accessible? Will you bestow upon us Lord, upon your church, that power, that energy, our true source of life? Lord, we know too well the “hosts of evil” that surround us, overwhelm us. We pray dear God, let not fear pluck away the gifts we would share.

Sing Verse 1

All: Lord, we are awash in guns and weapons of mass destruction. How proud and arrogant we are, “rich in things and poor in soul.” Lord, it’s so easy to become discouraged; to become stuck and numb. Grant us wisdom and courage for the living of these days in service to our siblings at home and around the world.

Sing Verse 2

One: Oh God, our refuge and strength, who loved us first, whose love we know in your Son, may we keep your commandment, that we love one another as you loved us.

All: May we love tenderly those nearest to us as well as those deemed “enemies.” My we love tenderly by being willing to risk hurt, pain, and conflict in order to lift up the Body of Christ.

One: Oh God, who loves us, may we, like Jesus, turn the other cheek, seeking to heal and bind each other’s wounds.

All: Help us to help each other, each other’s love to share; to offer aid and feel another’s care.

One: Help us to build each other up, to help each one improve, following the example of the Man of Galilee.

All: So that, loving tenderly, we may become a beloved community of your people, who keep your commandment to love one another as you have loved us. Amen.

Sing Verses 3 and 4

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