Call to Worship

Leader: Gather together, servants of God.

People: We come to worship our Master and Friend.

Leader: Enter into the joy!

People: Through the week we have used our gifts and talents to share the gospel message in our jobs, in our homes and in our communities. We gather now as brothers and sisters in Christ to celebrate God s love among us. May the the Holy Spirit move each one of us to find renewed joy in serving God with love and humility.

by Amy Messier, pastor
Trotwood, OH Church of the Brethren
Church of the Brethren Living Word Bulletin
Anchor/Wallace, Sleepy Eye MN 56085, "The Living Word Series"

Opening Prayer

         Upon receiving your invitation, Holy God, we have come to sing praises to you this day. Grant us the grace to feel your Spirit already among us. Bless this time of worship, accepting our prayers, songs, words, and works, that we may be renewed and your name be given glory and honor. Amen.

by Amy Messier, pastor
Trotwood, OH Church of the Brethren
Church of the Brethren Living Word Bulletin
Anchor/Wallace, Sleepy Eye MN 56085, "The Living Word Series"

Time for Children
"Tick, tick, tick"
Matthew 25:14-30

props: a one minute egg timer, a coded message of some sort and a drawing to color (great if they connect to the scripture, as in a lectionary based children’s bulletin), pencils, and crayons. Some kind of backing for the sheets of paper (a book or magazine) might be good.

         I want to try an experiment on you children this morning. Is that okay? The goal of this experiment is to see if a minute of time always feels the same. I have three things I’d like you to do, one at a time, each within one minute of time. I have a timer right here to tell us when that minute is up.
         The first thing I’d like you to do (but not until I tell you) is to walk around the sanctuary three times. Notice, I said "walk." I didn’t say "run." We don’t run in the sanctuary. This is a special place for us to worship God. You can "walk," however. If your "walk" gets too close to a "run," there are people sitting next to the aisle who will slow you down to a "walk" (right, folks?). Okay, let’s see if you can walk three times around the sanctuary in a minute, starting right now...
         Wonderful. Now the next thing I want you to do in a minute’s time is to complete these sheets. For you older children, there is a message on this sheet I want you to decode. For you younger children, there is another sheet with a picture for you to color. Try to color within the lines as best you can. You can choose which you want to do. Here are the sheets, with pencils and crayons... Is everyone ready to start? You have one minute. Go!
       Stop! You can finish decoding or coloring later. We have one more experiment. In this one I want all of you to stand up and for one minute do not move. Stand still. No talking. Don’t move a muscle (except the ones which help you stand still). Are you ready? Go!
         Thank you very much. You may sit down. Now some questions. When you were walking around the sanctuary, did one minute seem a lot of time, or not enough? When you were decoding or coloring, did that minute pass quickly or slowly? When you were standing still, how long did that minute seem? Did the minute feel the same all three times? (Discussion)
         Jesus told a story about three servants who were given money to take care of during the time their master was away on a trip. Perhaps you know that parable. Anyway, they each had the same amount of time, but they used it differently. I wonder if the time felt different to each of them. When you enjoy what you’re doing, like maybe two of those servants did, time goes very fast. When you don’t, like the third servant may not have, it goes very slow. Right? Just think about it.
         Well, now is the time for some of you to go sing with the Alleluia choir, and others of you to go to preschool play. May that time go fast!

Stewardship Moment

         An interesting thing happened along the way of this week’s "Stewardship Moment." Originally, Kay ____ was to share about the importance of tithing not just finances, but also time and talent. Something came up, however, and she needed to place this morning’s responsibility into someone else’s hands. That "something" was caring for her elderly mother, who underwent an unforseen surgery this past week.
         Keep this in mind as we share what Kay had intended to say, written in the form of a conversation between her and God. You see, contributing our time and energy is not easy, for there are many important responsibilities that weigh upon us all. God calls us to "honor our father and mother," for instance. Kay is doing the right thing by caring for her parents at this time.
         Imagine that she is with us this morning, however. Eva will step into Kay’s shoes for a moment. Listen to her conversation with God:

GOD: Well, Kay _____, you didn’t make it last week for the work day at the church.

Kay: I know, God, and I feel badly, but I forgot.

GOD: How could you forget? You are on the Stewardship Commission and they sponsored the work day!

Kay: Yes, but I had so many things to do at home and the time went by so fast.

GOD: I give you 24 hours a day, allowing for 8 hours of sleep. What do you do with the remaining 16 hours? What are your priorities?

Kay: Well, I do come to church every Sunday and I play the organ sometimes. Also, I didn’t know whether or not there would be jobs that I could do here at the church on the work day.

GOD: Everyone has been given talents - some specialized, some ordinary. You can wash windows and dust, you may not do them much at home but I know you know how.

Kay: You’re right, GOD — there is plenty of time and talent wasted in this world. We don’t have to be highly educated, wealthy or gifted to be good stewards. All of us can read God’s word, pray for understanding and guidance, and witness to others by teaching or example in our lifestyle.

         Christ said this in Luke 11: 42: "Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone."
         Good stewardship does not stop at cashing the paycheck and putting money in the offering plate. Giving of one’s time and talent is just as important. Ponder that as you give. Will the ushers come forward to serve?

Benediction

         We go now with joy as faithful stewards of God s gifts, with peace as witnesses to the glory of Jesus Christ, and with hope as ministers of the gospel.

by Amy Messier, pastor
Trotwood, OH Church of the Brethren
Church of the Brethren Living Word Bulletin
Anchor/Wallace, Sleepy Eye MN 56085, "The Living Word Series"