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Worship Service for Caregivers

Based on Psalm 90

Worship Service for CaregiversBased on Psalm 90

With Instructions for Worship Leaders

Background:

This is a plan for an interdenominational worship service for persons who are ministering to loved ones suffering age-related dementias. This is a population that often has difficulty coming to church. Sometimes the difficulties are practical (e.g., how to arrange someone reliable to stay with and care for the persons suffering dementia while the caregiver attends worship). Sometimes the difficulty is the caregiver has very strong feelings (anger, frustration, grief, fear, guilt, etc.) that they fear impedes their relationship with God. Sometimes the difficulty is simply facing the community, as where others will ask and all those powerful feelings associated with the situation will surface, or when the caregiver simply feels that the church service will leave them feeling more isolated.

The service would be sponsored by a local inter-faith group (whether ordained ministers or lay) who understand the challenges of caregivers. The service would include, from each participating community, representatives who are not primary caregivers, so that bonds are established or strengthened between the faith communities and the caregivers.

In advance of the service, when extending invitations to caregivers to participate in this service, the participating communities would also offer to arrange a reliable respite caregiver who could care for the persons suffering dementia during the absence of the caregiver.

Worship leaders should be attentive to the degree of comfort participants feel in this mixed tradition service, and should provide enough instructions so that no one is wondering what to do when. There is a particular challenge in planning a service which will include people who have not been to church in quite a while. We want those who haven’t been here in a while to feel welcome and accepted and even loved.

In the pages that follow, you will find these documents:

Page Content

2 . . . . . Background of the Service Plan

3 . . . . . Outline of the Service

4 . . . . . Service with instructions for worship leaders

13 . . . . . Service leaflet for participants

© 2016 Genevieve R. Bishop. All rights reserved. Permission to reprint may be requested by email to [email protected].

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mailto:[email protected]



Structure of the Service

Part I: We come before God

Welcome Call to worship Remembering God’s enduring care

Part II: We bring ourselves, as we are

Acknowledging our challenges Setting it all before God Prayer of humility

Part III: Comfort and commitment

Renewed certainty of God’s goodness Greeting of peace Prayer of thanksgiving

Part IV: We are sent anew

Commissioning: Go with God

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Service, with Instructions

Welcome and Introduction:

The welcome and introduction below are separated into a plan for 4 worship leaders (“WL”) and 1 choral leader. These divisions are easily adjusted in accord with your particular circumstances.

This service does not include a musical prelude because the attention before the service should be on welcoming all participants.1

Worship leaders should greet service participants as they arrive, welcoming the participants and introducing themselves. As the participants arrive, worship leaders should greet them and should gather the names of both the caregivers and the names of the persons for whom the caregivers provide care. These names will be incorporated into the second part of the service. When all participants have been greeted, welcomed, and seated, the worship leaders should come to the front of the sanctuary/nave to begin the service.

Leader 1:

It is my honor to welcome each of you to this special service. This is not a community that usually worships together – and that is all the more reason why I want to thank you for coming today. Let me start by saying that – though you may not know a single other person who is here today – you – every single one of you – is welcome! We truly are glad you came. Everyone here is united by the circumstance of caring for a family member or another loved one who suffers Alzheimer’s Disease and other related dementias. From our perspective, if you are here, you belong here. We hope that You now have a place to turn. Do not worry about being a stranger or about not knowing anyone else. You belong here and we are glad you came.

Leader 2:

This worship service is the first of its kind for our communities. Today we bring together persons from ….. (here, name all the faith communities present). We welcome all of you, and we also welcome those who have joined us today who do not claim any particular faith community as their own. Regardless of where you’ve been or where you haven’t been, you are welcome here.

1 A prelude may be selected and used if the worship leaders are confident that it will not distract from welcoming the participants. If a prelude is used, it should be something familiar and should avoid the air of performance.

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Leader 3:

Our service today is based on Psalm 90. Psalm 90 is an ancient prayer of the Hebrew people. It is so old that it is attributed to Moses. Psalm 90 has been selected for today because it reminds us that God has been with us from the very beginning. God has always been God. Before the creation of the world, before the mountains of this earth came to be, before this universe came to be as it is. God has always been – and always will be – God.

Leader 4:

Psalm 90 isn’t all praise, though, and so it is also a good psalm to use when we are really aware of the challenges of our lives. Sometimes we don’t really want to start thinking about all those challenges, but we know they are there. We know (and God knows) that the work you do in caring for a family member or loved one who suffers Alzheimer’s or another age-related dementia is very difficult. You feel the physical and emotional and spiritual exhaustion. On top of those challenges, it is often extremely lonely. There are days when the whole experience leads to so many emotions – frustration, sorrow, anger. Today, through Psalm 90, we will be able to bring all of our challenges and all of those difficult emotions to God. We come just as we are and that’s truly fine.

Choral leader:

Before we begin, I’d like to speak a few words about the music we will use. We have tried to stay with music selections most people have probably at least heard. I hope you will venture to join in song, even if you don’t really think you know the music, or even if you think you don’t have a great singing voice. None of that really matters because music is a tool for expressing our emotions. We’ve already heard from Worship Leader 4 that it’s fine to bring yourself just as you are today, so don’t give a second thought to whether you know the song or whether you think you can’t sing. It will all be fine. Just let your voice express all that you bring to today’s service.

Now let us begin with a moment to quiet our hearts.

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Call to Worship

WL: Let us approach God, the infinite, everlasting, loving God.

All: Lord, you have been our dwelling place from one generation to the next.From everlasting to everlasting, you are God.

WL: Let us approach God, the God who has always been our loving God. The God who existed before the earth. The God who existed before the mountains came into being.


WL: Let us approach God, the God who is the refuge and strength of all those in need.


Remembering God’s Enduring Care

WL: God has sustained and helped each of us, especially in those moments when we felt alone and overwhelmed. Psalm 90 has been put into a beautiful song, a song that is probably familiar to most of us – O God, Our Help in Ages Past. As we sing stanzas 1 and 3 of this beautiful hymn, let’s recall all the ways and times that God has sustained and helped us over the years.

Hymn: O God, Our Help in Ages Past, Psalms for All Seasons, #90B

Our God, our help in ages past,our hope for years to come,our shelter from the stormy blast,and our eternal home.

Before the hills in order stoodor earth received its frame,from everlasting you are God,to endless years the same.

WL: It is true! God has sustained and helped each of us over the years. Let us spend a quiet moment now being reminded by this short litany of things God has already done for us. As we pray this brief litany, you may need to work a bit to remember the last time you really felt like God was holding you up. That’s okay. Together, let us recall some of the good things God has done in all of our lives.

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Instruction: Worship Leaders will alternate reading lines of this litany, pausing for a moment of reflection between each line. Note that the plural is deliberately used here so that the participants are invited to a sense of shared life experiences.

Alternating WLs:

You have sustained each of us, O God, during this journey of life. (Pause)

You were with each of our mothers when we were born. (Pause)

Over the years, you sent us teachers, friends, colleagues, and family who encouraged us at difficult times. (Pause)

You gave us young people, babies and children, whether our own or those of our family and friends, who reminded us that life is beautiful and precious. Life is to be treasured. (Pause)

You gave us work to do, and tasks that challenged us and made us reach beyond the skills we had at each point in time. (Pause)

You sometimes sent us teenagers and young adults. These surely challenged us and sometimes tried our patience, but they also taught us to question, to re-think our worn out values – and they got us to try new things. (Pause)

You gave us colleagues on this journey of life, people who have made us smile, people who have given us a good laugh, people who have truly been our friends. (Pause)

You sometimes allowed us to give support for others we love, encouraging them and giving them strength as they faced life’s challenges. (Pause)

You sent us people of faith, people who believed in you even when we doubted. You sent us the person who got us to come here today. (Pause)

You sent Jesus for all of us. Sometimes, when our days are hard and long, we forget that Jesus knows these experiences. Jesus is our hope and our help and our salvation. Today we remember this. (Pause)

WL: When we remember these things, we know that God has been here for us through all the moments of our lives. This is true for us, and it was true for all those who came before us. God has been our dwelling place, our refuge in all generations!

All: Lord, you have been our dwelling place from one generation to the next.From everlasting to everlasting, you are God. Remembering these things, we praise you and we thank you!

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Acknowledging our Challenges

WL: Even though we know that God has sustained and helped each of us, we know that life at this moment is not particularly smooth. At this time, we bring before God all those challenges.

WL: Surely one of our challenges is time. Though there are moments when time drags before us, there are also moments when time flies before us. We know that each day that passes is a day that we will never be able to recover, a day we will never be able to live again. Thinking about time, let us turn once again to Psalm 90, to read together the words that passed through the psalmist’s mind as he reflected on the passing of time:

All: You, O Lord, have been our refuge in every generation.Before the mountains came into being,Before You brought forth the earth and the world,From eternity to eternity You are God.You return us back to dust;You decreed, “Return you mortals!”For in your sight a thousand years are like yesterday that has passed,Like a watch in the night.You engulf us in sleep;At daybreak, we are like grass that renews itself;At daybreak it flourishes anew, but by dusk it withers and dries up.From eternity to eternity, You are truly our God. (Psalm 90:1-6)

WL: When we are honest, we know that the brevity of time is not our only challenge. There are so many challenges, almost too many to count. Some of those challenges come from outside - like the failing health of our loved one, or their inability to communicate, or the money worries that follow us, or the constant pull on our worries and our emotions and our energies… There truly are too many to name.

WL: When we are honest, we know also that some of those challenges come from within us as well. Sometimes we struggle with frustration or anger or anxiety. Often with sadness. Today, we bring ourselves, just as we are, and we ask God’s help and grace for all of our challenges.

Placing the Whole of Our Lives before God

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Choral leader:

As we return once again to pray, using the thoughts of Psalm 90, we will incorporate a musical refrain into our prayer. I’ll sing it once and then I’d ask that you join me in repeating it after each moment of prayer. Psalms for all seasons, #102A. Use only v. 1, repeating as indicated.

O Lord, Hear My Prayer... (3x – choral leader first, then twice with congregation)

WL: In You, O God, we find refuge.Throughout all eternity you are God.But we are mere mortals, simple humans. Our days pass quickly, our lives pass in a flash.Give us courage to live well, always trusting you, our God.

Refrain: O Lord, Hear My Prayer

WL: Teach us to count our days properly. Remind us that you know our hearts, you know all our failings. Nothing is hidden from you. It is right for you to be angry with us. For sometimes we are angry even with ourselves.Yet you surround us with compassion. Draw near to us now, despite our weaknesses and our failings. Come, assure us of your unfailing love.


WL: Our days are in your hands, O God. Bless all that we do and all whom we love.At this moment, we entrust into your hands those for whom we provide care:(Here, read the names of all those for whom the caregivers provide care.)Surround each of these with your care.Give us wisdom of heart that we may know how to love them as you do.


WL: Turn to us now, O God.Bring calm and strength to each caregiver present with us today:(Here, read the names of all the caregivers present.)Show us your favor. Bless the work of our hands.Turn to us, O God, and fill our hearts with peace.

Refrain: O Lord, Hear My Prayer (2x)

Prayer of Humility

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All: Merciful God, we humbly come before you at this moment.Acknowledging both our best selves and our worst selves,We know there are times we act from love and times in which we do not.Look with favor upon our lives and, in your mercy, forgive our failings.Soften our hearts that we may forgive ourselves.Give us courage to forgive others.In the name of Jesus, your Son, and strengthened by your Spirit,We now place our hope and trust in you. AMEN!

Renewed Certainty of God’s Care

WL: We have come before God today, and have placed in God’s hands all the cares and concerns of our lives. Let us know listen, hear, and be assured of the promises of God, given to us through the teachings of Jesus:

Reader: The Word of God comes to us today from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 6, verses 25 through 30:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”

These are the words of our scriptures. These are spoken for each of us. Let us now spend a few moments considering how to apply these in our own lives.

Instruction: Allow the community present to spend a few moments of quiet. The worship service bulletin contains a few reflective questions for those who may need this assistance.

Hymn: After a few minutes have passed, a soloist or small choral group will sing

“Like A Child Rests” - Psalms For All Seasons #131E.

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WL: We have been assured in this service of God’s enduring love, God’s forgiveness, and God’s care. These assurances bring us peace. Let us now greet those around us with a gesture of peace, that we may all be assured that others will continue to support and to pray with and for us even as we leave this service.

Instruction: Allow a few minutes for the exchange of peace. Worship leaders should also exchange signs of peace with participants.

WL: Let us now pray together in thanks and hope.

All: Lord God,At times we feel like strangers on this earth.We are so easily taken aback by life’s many challenges.Like a gentle breeze, you breathe upon us the Spirit of peace.Transfigure now the desert of our doubts.Prepare us to be bearers of your love,Bearers of hope, bearers of reconciliation.As you send us back into the chaos and challenges of our daily lives,Remind us that you have been our refuge in the past and you care for us even now. You have been our God since the beginning of timeAnd you will be our God through all our days, no matter what life brings.Remain with us.Allow peace and hope to reign in our hearts. Amen!

Commissioning: Go With God

WL: My sisters and brothers, as we conclude our worship service, we turn our thoughts once more to Psalm 90. I pray that you have found in this ancient prayer some assurance, something of a home, a way to bear your heart and your fears and your concerns to God. Let us carry in our hearts the refrain we have heard throughout this service, so that we may return to us when, in the days to come, we need assurance that God will always be with us. Let us together proclaim that refrain once more, that it may always be etched in our hearts.

All: You, O Lord, have been our refuge in every generation.Before the mountains came into being,Before You brought forth the earth and the world,From eternity to eternity You are God.

WL: Go now in peace, in the knowledge that your God is with you.Go now in confidence, in the certainty that God will strengthen you.Go now in joy, remembering always that God loves you!

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WL: Let the blessing of God – the Father and Creator, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, come upon you today and settle with you. Go now in peace to love and to serve God and others.

All: Amen!

Instruction: Worship Leaders should greet participants once again as they leave, making note of responses to the service so that these can be considered in planning follow up services for this community.

© 2016. Genevieve R. Bishop. All rights reserved.

Permission to reprint may be secured by email request to [email protected]

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God, you have been our refugeThroughout all of life!

Before even the mountains came to be…

Worship Service for Caregivers [Church Name][Date of Service]

© 2016. Genevieve R. Bishop. All rights reserved.

Permission to reprint may be secured by email request to [email protected]


Participant Service Leaflet

Our Worship Service Will Draw from Psalm 90

Welcome and Introductions

A Word from our Choral Leader

Call to Worship

Leader: Let us approach God, the infinite, everlasting, loving God.

All: Lord, you have been our dwelling place from one generation to the next.

From everlasting to everlasting, you are God.

Leader: Let us approach God, the God who has always been our loving God.

The God who existed before the earth.

The God who existed before the mountains came into being.



Leader: Let us approach God, the God who is the refuge and strength of all those in need.



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A Moment of Remembering God’s Enduring Care

Hymn: O God, Our Help in Ages Past (Stanzas 1 and 3)

Our God, our help in ages past,

our hope for years to come,

our shelter from the stormy blast,

and our eternal home.

Before the hills in order stood

or earth received its frame,

from everlasting you are God,

to endless years the same.

Leaders: Together, let us recall some of the good things God has done in our lives.

You have sustained each of us, O God, during this journey of life. (Pause)

You were with each of our mothers when we were born. (Pause)

Over the years, you sent us teachers, friends, colleagues, and family who encouraged us at difficult times. (Pause)

You gave us young people, babies and children, whether our own or those of our family and friends, who reminded us that life is beautiful and precious. Life is to be treasured. (Pause)

You gave us work to do, and tasks that challenged us and made us reach beyond the skills we had at each point in time. (Pause)

You sometimes sent us teenagers and young adults. These surely challenged us and sometimes tried our patience, but they also taught us to question, to re-think our worn out values – and they got us to try new things. (Pause)

You gave us colleagues on this journey of life, people who have made us smile, people who have given us a good laugh, people who have truly been our friends. (Pause)

You sometimes allowed us to give support for others we love, encouraging them and giving them strength as they faced life’s challenges. (Pause)

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You sent us people of faith, people who believed in you even when we doubted. You sent us the person who got us to come here today. (Pause)

You sent Jesus for all of us. Sometimes, when our days are hard and long, we forget that Jesus knows these experiences. Jesus is our hope and our help and our salvation. Today we remember this. (Pause)

WL: When we remember these things, we know that God has been here for us through all the moments of our lives. This is true for us, and it was true for all those who came before us. God has been our dwelling place, our refuge in all generations!

All: Lord, you have been our dwelling place from one generation to the next.From everlasting to everlasting, you are God. Remembering these things, we praise you and we thank you!

Acknowledging our Challenges

WL: Even though we know that God has sustained and helped each of us, we know that life at this moment is not particularly smooth. At this time, we bring before God all those challenges.

WL: Surely one of our challenges is time. Though there are moments when time drags before us, there are also moments when time flies before us. We know that each day that passes is a day that we will never be able to recover, a day we will never be able to live again. Thinking about time, let us turn once again to Psalm 90, to read together the words that passed through the psalmist’s mind as he reflected on the passing of time:

All: You, O Lord, have been our refuge in every generation.Before the mountains came into being,Before You brought forth the earth and the world,From eternity to eternity You are God.You return us back to dust;You decreed, “Return you mortals!”For in your sight a thousand years are like yesterday that has passed,Like a watch in the night.You engulf us in sleep;At daybreak, we are like grass that renews itself;At daybreak it flourishes anew, but by dusk it withers and dries up.From eternity to eternity, You are truly our God. (Psalm 90:1-6)

Placing the Whole of Our Lives Before God

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Hymn: O Lord, Hear My Prayer

O Lord, hear my prayer; O Lord, hear my prayerWhen I call, answer me.O Lord, hear my prayer; O Lord, hear my prayer.Come, and listen to me.

Leader In You, O God, we find refuge.Throughout all eternity you are God.But we are mere mortals, simple humans. Our days pass quickly, our lives pass in a flash.Give us courage to live well, always trusting you, our God.


Leader: Teach us to count our days properly. Remind us that you know our hearts, you know all our failings. Nothing is hidden from you. It is right for you to be angry with us. For sometimes we are angry even with ourselves.Yet you surround us with compassion. Draw near to us now, despite our weaknesses and our failings. Come, assure us of your unfailing love.


Leader: Our days are in your hands, O God. Bless all that we do and all whom we love.At this moment, we entrust into your hands those for whom we provide care:(We pray now for these…)Surround each of these with your care.Give us wisdom of heart that we may know how to love them as you do.


Leader: Turn to us now, O God.

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Bring calm and strength to each caregiver present with us today:(We pray now for all those present…)Show us your favor. Bless the work of our hands.Turn to us, O God, and fill our hearts with peace.

Refrain: O Lord, Hear My Prayer (2x)

Prayer of Humility

All: Merciful God, we humbly come before you at this moment.Acknowledging both our best selves and our worst selves,We know there are times we act from love and times in which we do not.Look with favor upon our lives and, in your mercy, forgive our failings.Soften our hearts that we may forgive ourselves.Give us courage to forgive others.In the name of Jesus, your Son, and strengthened by your Spirit,We now place our hope and trust in you. AMEN!

Renewed Certainty of God’s Care

Reader: Matthew 6:25-30

Moments of quiet reflection:

What worries you today? Consider the lilies of the field and the birds of the air: doesn’t God care for these? God is asking you to trust…. Ask God to help you surrender your cares

Musical Reflection: Like a Child Rests

Exchanging A Greeting of Peace

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Leader: Let us now pray together in thanks and hope.

All: Lord God,At times we feel like strangers on this earth.We are so easily taken aback by life’s many challenges.Like a gentle breeze, you breathe upon us the Spirit of peace.Transfigure now the desert of our doubts.Prepare us to be bearers of your love,Bearers of hope, bearers of reconciliation.As you send us back into the chaos and challenges of our daily lives,Remind us that you have been our refuge in the past and you care for us even now. You have been our God since the beginning of timeAnd you will be our God through all our days, no matter what life brings.Remain with us.Allow peace and hope to reign in our hearts. Amen!

Commissioning: Go With God

Leader: Let us together proclaim that refrain once more, that it may always be etched in our hearts.

All: You, O Lord, have been our refuge in every generation.Before the mountains came into being,Before You brought forth the earth and the world,From eternity to eternity You are God.

Leader: Let the blessing of God – the Father and Creator, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, come upon you today and settle with you. Go now in peace to love and to serve God and others.

All: Amen!

Thank you for being with us today.

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Psalm 90

A prayer of Moses, the man of God.

1 Lord, you have been our help, generation after generation.2 Before the mountains were born, before you birthed the earth and the inhabited world— from forever in the past to forever in the future, you are God.

3 You return people to dust saying, “Go back, humans,”4 because in your perspective a thousand years are like yesterday past, like a short period during the night watch.5 You sweep humans away like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning.6 True, in the morning it thrives, renewed, but come evening it withers, all dried up.7 Yes, we are wasting away because of your wrath; we are paralyzed with fear on account of your rage.8 You put our sins right in front of you, set our hidden faults in the light from your face.9 Yes, all our days slip away because of your fury; we finish up our years with a whimper.10 We live at best to be seventy years old, maybe eighty, if we’re strong.But their duration brings hard work and trouble because they go by so quickly. And then we fly off.11 Who can comprehend the power of your anger? The honor that is due you corresponds to your wrath.12 Teach us to number our days so we can have a wise heart.

13 Come back to us, LORD! Please, quickly! Have some compassion for your servants!14 Fill us full every morning with your faithful love so we can rejoice and celebrate our whole life long.15 Make us happy for the same amount of time that you afflicted us— for the same number of years that we saw only trouble.16 Let your acts be seen by your servants; let your glory be seen by their children.17 Let the kindness of the Lord our God be over us. Make the work of our hands last. Make the work of our hands last!

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