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Worship Order for
Sunday
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Call to
Worship
(based on Psalm
86:1-10,16,17)
We place our trust in you, our Lord and our
God..
Your ear listens to catch our every word
- hearing even our unspoken cries.
We gather here today in the knowledge of
your goodness and your mercy, O God;
rejoicing in your love which surrounds
us and all who call on your name.
Let all nations bow down and glorify your
name.
For you are great and do wondrous
things; you alone are God.
May our witness to your love help turn
unloving lives around
For you O God, Creator, Redeemer and
Sustainer, do great and wondrous things.
by Moira B Laidlaw, from
Liturgies Online
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Prayer
of Confession
Creator God, free us, we pray, from a life enslaved to sin to a
life of righteousness by faith. Strengthen our belief in the
Lord Jesus Christ, so that we can, without hesitation, die to
this life believing in the freedom you promise. It is this
newness of life that we seek as we journey toward the life yet
to come! Amen.
by Eddie
Edmonds, pastor
Moler Avenue Church of the Brethren
Martinsburg, West Virginia
Church of the Brethren Living Word Bulletin
Anchor/Wallace, Sleepy Eye MN 56085, "The Living Word
Series"
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Graduate Recognition
“As we journey
toward the life yet to come…” This morning, we want to celebrate
a milestone in the lives of several persons in our congregation.
They have completed the requirements for an educational degree
and move on to the next leg of their earthly pilgrimage. Not all
could be here this morning, but those who are, please come
forward as I read your name.
We have four high
school graduates: ______ ______ from Fallston High School,
______ ______ also from Fallston High School, ______
______ from Eastern Technical High School, and ______
______ from Baltimore Polytechnic High School.
It’s our college
graduates who were not able to be here today. They are ______
______ from Towson University, ______ ______ from
Manchester College, and ______ ______ from St. John’s
College.
In the “Post-Grad”
category are ______ ______, who finished her requirements
as a school teacher toward a Master’s degree through various
colleges, and ______ ______, who successfully completed
her coursework with the Baltimore School of Massage.
Now, I forewarned you about
being prepared to share briefly where your path will lead from
here. Let’s just pass the microphone.
(sharing, then gift books)
“As we journey toward the life yet to come,” let’s
join our voices in reading responsively from the 12th
chapter of Romans, #850 in the back of the hymnal (grads will
find a copy in the front of their gift books). Why don’t you
grads read words in plain print and the rest of us speak what’s
in bold.
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Let love be genuine; hate
what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one
another with mutual affection; outdo one another in
showing honor.
Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve
the Lord.
Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere
in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend
hospitality to strangers.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not
curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those
who weep.
Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty,
but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be
wiser than you are.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take
thought for what is noble in the sight of all.
If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live
peaceably with all.
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room
for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance
is mine, I will repay, says the Lord."
No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they
are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by
doing this you will heap burning coals on their
heads."
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil
with good.
(Hymnal #850 - Romans 12:9-21
NRSV)
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Pastoral Prayer
When we are filled
with loss and despair,
you gladden our hearts
with your hope.
When every one around us
turns a deaf ear,
you lean over and put
your hand to your ear,
to hear our cries.
There is no love like you,
Compassionate God.
When we long
to continue in sin,
you call us
to live with you
in the kingdom of God.
When we have fallen,
our souls parched by death,
you lift us up,
holding us tight to your heart,
carrying us to drink at
the deep well of living water.
There is no grace like you,
Brother of the hopeless.
When the world would stuff
our pockets with fears,
you turn them inside out,
and fill them with the
smooth stones of hope.
Why we see nothing
on the horizon of life,
you hold up the sign
which reads 'follow Jesus!'
When we are weakened
by our foolish choices,
you strengthen us with
joy overflowing from your heart.
There is no peace like you,
Spirit of wisdom.
God in Community, Holy in One,
there is no like you in our lives.
This we know, as we pray together,
Our Father . . .
from
Lectionary Liturgies
copyright © 2008
Thom M. Shuman
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Commissioning our DR
work campers
Early next
Saturday morning, 7 of us will fly out of BWI bound for the
Dominican Republic. By nightfall we will be with our hosts in
the town of San Juan de la Maguana to spend a week working
beside and getting to know the folks in our sister church, the
Luz y Verdad Iglesia de los hermanos. Not all of us could be
here this morning to be commissioned in person, but we’re all
here in spirit. Would you come forward now?
According to
Luke’s gospel, when Jesus sent his disciples out, two by two,
town after town, to share the good news, he mentioned a few
guidelines for them to follow. Listen as Izzy and Terri read
them in Spanish and English:
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Izzy - 4No llevéis bolsa, ni alforja, ni
calzado; y a nadie saludéis por el camino.
Terri - 4Do not take a purse or bag or
sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
Izzy - 5En cualquier casa donde entréis,
primeramente decid: Paz sea a esta casa.
Terri - 5"When you enter a house, first
say, 'Peace to this house.'
Izzy - 6Y si hubiere allí algún hijo de
paz, vuestra paz reposará sobre él; y si no, se
volverá a vosotros.
Terri - 6If a man of peace is there, your
peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to
you.
Izzy - 7Y posad en aquella misma casa,
comiendo y bebiendo lo que os den; porque el obrero
es digno de su salario. No os paséis de casa en
casa.
Terri - 7Stay in that house, eating and
drinking whatever they give you, for the worker
deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to
house.
Izzy - 8En cualquier ciudad donde
entréis, y os reciban, comed lo que os pongan
delante;
Terri - 8"When you enter a town and are
welcomed, eat what is set before you.
Izzy - 9y sanad a los enfermos que en
ella haya, y decidles: Se ha acercado a vosotros el
reino de Dios.
Terri - 9Heal the sick who are there and
tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.'
(Luke 10:4-9 - Reina-Valera 1960& NIV) |
Now, our
circumstances are a bit different. Those first disciples of
Jesus didn’t know if they would be welcome in those homes and
towns long ago. We have been invited by our brothers and sisters
in Christ. They were bringing the gospel of Jesus to those
people and places. The good news is already flourishing in our
sister church. Even so, the encouragement to travel light,
physically and spiritually, to be people of peace, and to live
as fully as possible with our hosts is still valid. However,
that bit about “eating and drinking whatever” is one we’ll need
to watch, though we do agree to abide by their customs, even as
it pertains to how we dress. Working, playing, praying side by
side for a week, we and our Dominican Brethren will be witnesses
to the truth that, as Jesus said, 'The kingdom of God is near
you.'
As I will be on this journey as
well and, this time around, Izzy will not, I’ve asked him to
commission us with a prayer. Izzy?
(our head deacon will pray in Spanish &
English)
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Returning
our Tithes and Offerings
It's one thing to
speak out when everyone else is doing the same, to lift up our
voice in worship when doing so is a popular thing to do. It's
something else altogether when doing so may make us unpopular,
or worse. The prophet Jeremiah never won a popularity contest
for his speaking out for God. "I have become a laughingstock
all day long," he wrote, "everyone mocks me."
(20:7b).
How discouraging that would be – almost enough to make a person
quit being different and just try to become like everybody else!
However, something kept
Jeremiah going. Here's what else he wrote: "If I say, 'I
will not mention the Lord, or speak any more in his name,'
then within me there is something like a burning fire shut up
in my bones; I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot"
(20:9,
NRSV).
Or in a different translation, "I try to quit, and
keep silent about you, but your word begins to burn its
way out; I feel like I am going to explode. I use
up all my strength trying to hold it in, but it defeats
me every time" (Laughing
Bird Version).
God is a pretty powerful nudge. While as followers
of Jesus it is never easy to go a different path than everyone
else, it is also hard to resist God's nudges once we have said
"yes" to Him. God's Word burns in our very bones. Speaking of
nudges, it's time to return our offerings to the Lord. As you
respond to this nudge, think about Jeremiah and how he couldn't
keep silent even if he tried….. Let's pray.
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Keep nudging us,
Lord, even when we're tempted to shut up about you,
or to stop walking in your ways. Burn within us the
fire of your Word and Spirit, that we may "work
out our salvation with fear and trembling"
(Philippians 2:12), bringing to the surface
what you have already worked deep within us through
Jesus Christ. Nudge us with this time of offering.
Nudge us with your written Word. Nudge the pastor as
he preaches and us as we actively listen. Thank you,
Lord. Amen.
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Benediction
Live purposefully,
for God hears the voice of every child.
Live trustingly
for even the hairs of our heads are numbered.
Live bravely,
for fear of failure is overshadowed by the grace of Christ.
The cool head of Christ Jesus guide you,
the immovable rock of God's love underpin you,
the warm fires of the Spirit embolden you,
today and always.
Amen!
by
Bruce Prewer, Uniting Church in Australia
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Bulletin Insert
Brother Beahm's Golden Anniversary
On July 23, 1931, Brother I.N.H.
Beahm celebrated the 50th Anniversary of his ordination.
Later featured as "The Little Man" in the children's book by Dorothy
Brandt, he was known in the early days of his ministry as the "Boy
Preacher." He was a very popular preacher who traveled across the
denomination, and he was known for calling out upon his arrival
"Brother Beahm is here."
To mark the special occasion a
convoy of cars set out before dawn on a 200 mile journey. Included
were three stenographers, the Reading, Pennsylvania singers, and
several other Brethren to provide support and encouragement.
Brother Beahm preached twenty
sermons that day, beginning at 4:00 AM at the Sutphin Home where he
preached on "The Morning Star," and concluding with a sermon titled
"How to be Saved and Church Ordinances" at an 8:30 PM service at the
Valley Church. Other topics included "The Day Dawn," "The Sunrise,"
"Work," "Giving," "Prayer," "Fasting," "A Sevenfold View of the
Kingdom," "The Supremacy of the Bible" and "The Supremacy of the
Church."
Brother Beahm was known as a
defender of the faith as once delivered, and worked hard to keep
Brethren from straying into what he considered false pathways, but
even though he was skeptical about the way the church was taking, he
prevented a split in the late 30's when he arrived at a Bible
conference that took place at the Mummert Meetinghouse in Southern
PA.
It was expected, according to the
story, that Beahm, like Moses, would lead the true believers out of
the Egypt that the Church of the Brethren had become. Other
influential church leaders were at the conference but they were not
invited to speak. Brother Beahm, however, rose before an audience
of over five hundred people, in an atmosphere described as electric,
and said, "Brethren, I know the significance of this meeting. I
know why you have gathered, what you intend to do. I know why you
invited Brother Beahm to come and preach." And then he said, "I am
here to preach to you, and tell you why I am staying with the Church
of the Brethren and why I think you ought to."
The original conclusion of 1966
children's book about his life was removed, perhaps because it was
thought inappropriate or irreverent, but the "lost ending" was
restored in the 1996 reissue. In the book Brother Beahm dies, goes
to heaven, but finds that St. Peter has fallen asleep so he
announces himself at the heavenly gate, shouting "Brother Beahm is
here!"
And that's the Tercentennial
Minute for Sunday, June 22, 2008.
by Frank Ramirez, pastor of the Everett, PA
Church of the Brethren
posted by permission
The Everett church
graciously makes available these weekly vignettes from Brethren
history
to all who are interested during this
300th
anniversary year of our denomination.
Frank will be the guest preacher for our Homecoming on October
26, 2008
(this is our congregation's 100th anniversary year)
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(para traducir a español, presione la bandera de España)
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