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Sunday Morning worship (MAD Youth Winter Retreat 2009)
Video – “Jesus Calms the Storm” (1 min, 58 sec.)
Invitation (as cabinet members pass out paper and pencils) Take a moment, again, to think about what you are afraid of. When we worship, we come to God as we are, fears and all. We don’t drop them at the door. We bring them to God. Right now, before we start singing our praise, praying our prayers, and listening to scripture, take a moment to write down one of your biggest fears at this point in your life. Nobody else needs to see it. Once you’ve written it down, fold it up and stick it in your pocket. (give time for people to do this, then)
Gathering Songs - "Heart of Worship" (cabinet members gather up pencils as we sing)
Opening Prayer O God who is greater than the most powerful forces in this world, enable us to be still and know that you are God. O Lord who answers out of the whirlwind of everyday life, breathe in us your Holy Spirit to strengthen, comfort, and guide us in the midst of the storm. O still, small voice, speak to us right now, that we might face into our fears and become agents of change in our homes, in our communities, in our world. We pray all this in the name of the One who calmed the raging sea. Amen.
Scripture (Isaiah 6:1-4, read and on .ppt slides) In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
Praise Songs - "Glory" - "Let the redeemed" - "Grace like rain"
Scripture Reading (Isaiah 6:5, read and on .ppt slide) "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am lost! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
Silent Dramatization 5 cabinet members, sitting scattered among the other youth in the hall, stand – one at a time – and each hold up their own placard, showing it to everyone, then hang it around their head and stand still, looking down and forlorn. The five placards state: - Loneliness - Humiliation - Pain - Failure - Rejection
Scripture Reading (Isaiah 6:6-7, read and on .ppt slide) Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
Silent Dramatization Russ gets up and quietly taps 3 previously chosen cabinet members also sitting among the youth and bring them forward. They huddle for a few moments, then Russ sits and the 3 go to the 5 who are standing – one at a time. With each, they tap on the shoulder and get them to look up, then silently ask for the placard, which each give up – at first reluctantly, then gladly. The 3 then give a new placard, which each of the 5 looks at (but shows no one else in the room), then holds close to their breast as they walk to the front of the room and stand facing the youth (with what is on the placard still not visible). One at a time they come forward until all are standing side by side. When done, the 3 come forward also and stand with them. When ready, the 5 each proudly hang their placard around their heads, one after the other, until the placards form the sentence: "With Him" ... "I" ... "am" ... "not" ... "afraid" At this point Pete and Jan come forward and, one at a time, anoint all 8 – one making a cross with the oil on the forehead and the other saying, "With Him, be not afraid" (Jan and Pete take turns at being both the anointer and the speaker).
Invitation (Pete turns to the youth and says something like the following while the 8 cabinet members go in pairs to the 4 corners of the room. Each pair has a basket and a vial of oil) Earlier, you wrote down on piece of paper and stuffed in your pocket a fear you are currently facing. You are invited to give to God that fear and recognize the power you have been given to step out by faith into it. In the 4 corners of this room are 4 teams of your friends in Jesus. If you feel so moved, quietly go up to one of those teams, place your folded up fear in the basket – no one needs to see what you’ve written – and be anointed by them and you just saw them anointed up front. You are free to choose to quietly do this by yourself or with one other person (please, no more than that). Then return to your seat, being respectful of others by not talking. This is a holy moment.
Anointing (videos playing during anointing) - "Who am I?" by Casting Crowns - "Everlasting God" by Chris Tomlin (When it seems as if all who have wished to be anointed have had the opportunity, then move on to the next part)
Scripture Reading (Isaiah 6:8, read and on .ppt slide) Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
Song – "Here I am, Lord"
Prayer Holy God, by your grace: you touch our fears with the fire of your compassion; you touch our brokenness with the fire of your forgiveness; you touch our hearts with the fire of your love.
Jesus Christ, by your grace: you step into our lives and an unpredictable journey begins; you challenge us to new thinking, with overflowing results; you so confront our doubts that we can cast out our fears.
Holy Spirit, by your grace: you give us eyes to see the emptiness of our world; you give us ears to hear the good news; you give us words to bring hope to all people.
God in Community, Holy in One, by your grace we are who we are: your children, your people, your church, praying together as Jesus taught us, saying, Our Father . . . (Lord’s Prayer)
Closing Song - "Go light your world"
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