Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Long Green & Kanes Rds., near Glen Arm, Md.
February 15, 2004
Worship 10:00 am Sunday School for all ages 11:15 am

  Morning Praise (9:45 am)
  Announcements
  Prelude

  Call to Worship

*Hymn               (vs. 1,3,5,7) "All creatures of our God and King"                     48

*Opening Prayer

  For Children            "Make sure you’re plugged in"
                                         (Pre-schoolers then leave for playful worship)

  Sharing a joy, a concern, a word of testimony or praise

  Hymn                               " God, who touches earth"                                   511

  Pastoral Prayer

  Anthem                                 "Hymn of Promise"                                    Sleeth
                                                       Shalom!

  Scripture                            1 Corinthians 15:12-20                  from The Message

  Returning our Tithes and Offerings

  Offertory

  Scripture                                   Luke 6:17-26

  Message                                 "Plain truth"

*Hymn                              "O bless the Lord, my soul"                                 600

*Benediction

#'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book

Worship leaders - see basic guidelines

Call to Worship
Based on Psalm 1 and Jeremiah 17:5-10

Blessed are those who trust in God - in God alone;

their lives are rooted in God's righteousness and nourished by God's word.

They are like trees planted beside a stream, soaring high and rooted deep;

tapping into the water below - their foundations are strong, even in times of drought.

Woe to those who trust only in themselves - who mock God and all things sacred;

Dried up and useless, they are blown about like tumbleweed - in all directions - hindering and obstructing the way of the righteous.

adapted from Liturgies Online
   

Opening Prayer

         Heaven and earth proclaim your glory, O Lord our God. ‘Burning sun,’ ‘silver moon,’ ‘rushing wind,’ ‘clouds that sail,’ ‘all creatures of our God and King,’ we add our "alleluia" to the chorus already being sung all around us.
         Forgive us, Lord, for not listening to the awe and wonder spoken through all that you have made. And even when we do open our ears and eyes, O God our Creator, forgive us for paying more attention to what you have created than to you. You are far greater than the limits of our imagination. Your goodness and mercy surround us all the days of our lives.
         On this day of Sabbath rest, we stop our maddening race to create and control our own lives - even for just an hour - and turn to you. On this resurrection day, we open our hearts and minds to your renewing touch. So, come, Lord Jesus. Through your Spirit, we rise to new life.      Amen.
     

For Children
"Make sure you’re plugged in"
Psalm 1 :2-3a

needed: 2 electric lamps — one plugged in and one not

         You probably have lamps that look something like these in your home. Why do you have lamps? They look nice. Maybe your family bought some lamps to match other things in your house. But we have lamps for a more important reason — to make light.

         So, let’s have light. (Turn on the one that is plugged in.) There is light. (Turn the switch on the second.) There is no light from this one. See, it also has a bulb. (Turn the switch several times.) Do you know why this light works, and this one does not? (Let the children discover that one is not plugged in. Plug the second one in and turn it on.)

         You already know that lamps have to be plugged in in order for them to make light. Do you know that you also need to be plugged in to a source of power in order for you to do what God wants to help you do? Listen to part of Psalm 1. It says, "They find joy in obeying the Law of the Lord, and they study it day and night. They are like trees that grow beside a stream, that bear fruit at the right time, and whose leaves do not dry up."

         The psalm says that people who study God’s Word are like trees near a stream of water. Trees that have water grow and produce fruit. Trees that do not have water cannot grow or produce fruit. They will die without water. Trees need water just like these lamps need electricity.

         People also need a source of power. We need food to make our bodies grow. Without food we would not be healthy and would soon die. But we need more than food. We also need power for our spiritual lives. God gives us that power through Jesus Christ.

         We connect to God’s power in Christ when we read and hear his Word. In the Bible he tells us that Jesus came to live with us. We learn that Jesus helped people. Sometimes he helped one person who was sick by making that person well. Then he helped all people by dying on the cross to forgive everyone s sin. He rose from the dead. He came back to be with us in a special way.

         When you hear the gospel, the good news that Jesus is your Savior, you are like a tree growing near a river or like a lamp that is plugged into an electrical outlet. You receive power from God. You know God loves you. You know you are forgiven. You know he helps you.

         All of us have times when we feel we run out of power. We feel as though our lights won t go on. When that happens, remember where your power comes from. Make sure you re plugged in to the message from God. Listen to the story of Jesus. He gives you the power to light up your life.

by Eldon Weisheit, The Psalms for Children, pp. 32-33.
    

Pastoral Prayer

written closer to the time (if not at the moment)

Returning our Tithes and Offerings
(refers to the Anthem,  "Hymn of Promise," and 1 Corinthians 15:12-20)

         As the offering plates are passed just now, take the time to also pass the attendance pads, signing your name. When finished, please don’t put them in the offering plate... Now, would you pray with me.

cover of bulletin

back of bulletin
BLESSINGS AND WOES

Where is the blessing, mothers of Iraq?
         Is it there, mother of Zanib, in the streets with raw sewage,
                  where your children play?
         Or Iqbal, was it with you when you lifted your sons
                  from a pile of bombed rubble?
                           - Heider, dead, but Moustafa, only injured
                                    with a piece of shrapnel embedded near his spine.

- Peggy Gish, Athens, Ohio
Church of the Brethren Living Word Bulletin
Anchor/Wallace, Sleepy Eye MN 56085, "The Living Word Series"