Heart, Soul, Mind and Strength

Written By:
John Leach
Bible Refs: Mrk 12:30, Luke 10:27, Matt 22:37

This is a fantastic call-and-response style liturgy to encourage people to bring all they are to worship.  It is based on Jesus' challenge to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength in contemporary language.  Sam had three thousand people shouting it at the top of their lungs in the Spring Harvest Big Top, but it would work just as well in a small gathering.  The leader does the bits in normal type and the congregation the bits in bold (obviously...)
 

Come to worship!  Come and give God all you are!
Put your hearts into it:
make up your minds to give him the best.
With all our hearts we worship.

Open up your souls and spirits:
let his Spirit move you and touch you.
With all our souls we worship.

Don't switch off your brains:
worship thoughtfully and intelligently.
With all our minds we worship.

Put your back into it:
never tire of exalting God and showing others you mean it.
With all our strength we worship.

All creation worships God,
everything I am comes to give him the best I can.


(C) John Leach/engageworship.org

 

John is executive director of the Music and Worship Foundation, author of great books like 'Living Liturgy', and has just recently become the vicar of St John the Baptist, Folkestone.

Comments / Responses

Please sign in to add your comments - ask questions, disagree, add your own perspective.

Previous Comments:

Sharon Tedford
07 May 2009 14:12
Love it! Well received by all ages in a recent Sunday service. Thanks for the clear and simple language. Really helpful and useful resource. More John....!
Tammy Gould
11 May 2009 23:38
I like this one...can't wait to use it. Thank you...
Neil Morgan
19 Jun 2009 19:01
Great idea!! Do you think John would be averse to me taking his idea and changing some of the wording (I'll credit him accordingly, of course)? I don't think the language used herein is what would work at my church, for some reason...
Sign up as a friend for free to download media, add your own comments, and receive email updates.
Worship as Art, or Design?
Word choice is both a helpful and tricky thing in virtually communications. Not so very long ago what was...
darrell a. harris
Hand Payers
I've used this a few times. It works well in pretty much every setting; youth festivals, morning and evening services,...
Jimmy Orr
Support EngageWorship.org
engageworship.org and our contributors offer these resources and their time in creating them for free. Could you give a financial gift to ensure the future of this ministry?
February 2012
engageworship & MWF Supporters' Day
25th Feb 2012, 10am-4pm

March 2012
Youth Worship Training
3rd Mar 2012, 12am

FINALIST: 2011 Christian New Media Awards
Preparing for Lent
I know we've only just finished with Christmas, but Lent starts on 22 Febuary this year, and if you want to make the most of this rich season ...
Jesus' Final Week family communion service
Bible Refs: John 12:1-3, Matt 21:1-11, John 2:13-20, Luke 22:14-20, Luke 23:33-49
Advent Lament
Bible Refs: Isa 21:12-14, Isa 35:1-3, Isa 41:16-18, Isa 43:15-17