There are many ways to respond to God's Word.  Possible ways of responding could include silent prayer, thanksgiving, prayers for others (intercessions), the offering, dedication and commitment.

  

When leading a congregation in silent prayer, a few seconds can feel a long time.  There is a need to pace silences so that they are right for a congregation, even if the silences feel amazingly long for the one leading prayer.  If you practise a prayer with silences at home beforehand - as a worshipper rather than a worship leader, you can gauge how long silences might be.  Of course you don't need a stopwatch or kitchen timer to get things right.  Relax into a prayerful approach and let the Spirit alert you to the people you are leading in prayer.  Remember that silent prayer is being used at this point in the service as a response to the Ministry of the Word.

  

Praise and thanksgiving are closely related.  Sometimes, prayers of adoration earlier in the service can become prayers of thanks too.  However, there is a difference between wonder and gratitude.  After the Ministry of the Word, it is appropriate to be thankful for God's goodness to us, for the good news of Jesus Christ, for the activity of the Holy Spirit.  So it is helpful to save gratitude for this part of the service and to focus on wonder, love and praise early in worship.

  

‘The Intercessions Handbook' by John Pritchard, published by SPCK, ISBN 0-281-04979-3 is a really useful resource (see LWPT bookshop Worship resources).  It explores what might be suggested by the words chosen when praying for others (there are pitfalls worth avoiding).  It offers models for developing your own prayers of intercession.  The first follows the pattern of the Alternative Service Book.  Another (of several options) uses ‘decreasing circles', beginning with ‘creation and the environment', moving through ‘nations in need', ‘local community' and ending with individual needs.  The rest of the book offers imaginative approaches to prayers for others in public worship and all-age worship.

  

Technically, this is not ‘the offertory' - which is the offering of bread and wine in the Service of Holy Communion.  Instead, this is the offering of our money, our lives, our love to a generous God, for use in God's service.  The money might be ‘collected' as people arrive, or during the service, or even by a bank standing order.  The ‘collection' itself is not important.  The offering is.

  

Often linked to the offering is a prayer of dedication, where we devote our gifts, our lives, our love to a god who is steadfast and faithful with us.  It is all too easy to let a prayer of dedication become a recognition of our inadequate commitment, but if the focus really is dedication, then we should not get sidetracked.  This is about our part in costly giving (a living sacrifice) following the costly giving of God the Father (John 3:16) and the costly giving of God the Son in his suffering and death.