Worship Order for Sunday

Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Long Green & Kanes Rds., near Glen Arm, Md.
June 14, 2009
Worship 10:00 am
 

      But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.”  (Luke 6:35)

  Morning Praise (9:45 am)
  Announcements
  Prelude                             "As Torrents in Summer"                                Elgar

                                                 text:
As torrents in summer, Half dried in their channels,
Suddenly rise, tho' the sky is still cloudlesss.
For rain has been falling.
Far off at their fountains;

So hearts that are fainting Grow full to o'erflowing,
And they that behold it, Marvel, and know not
That God at their fountains
Far off has been raining!
                                                             - Henry W. Longfellow

  Call to Worship                       Psalm 147:1-11

*Hymn                        "Immortal, invisible, God only wise"                            70

*Opening Prayer

  Scripture                                  Romans 5:6-11

  Sharing a joy, a concern, a word of testimony or praise
                                 (please be brief, and aware of God’s listening presence)

  Prayer Hymn                        "Lead us, O Father"                                      359

  Pastoral Prayer

  For Children                "Lesson of a clover leaf"

  Scripture                                 Romans 12:14-21

  Returning our Tithes and Offerings

  Offertory                                      "Andante"                                  Beethoven
                                        (Please sign the attendance pad and pass it on)

*Response                               (vs. 4) "Lord, thou dost love"                               387

*Dedication

  Scripture                                   Luke 6:27-36

  Message                          "What do you expect?" (mp3)
                                                    (“Plain Truth” sermon series - 2)

*Hymn                           "Gracious Spirit, dwell with me"                            507

*Benediction

*Postlude                       "Take thou my hand, O Father"                         Silcher

*Rise in body or in spirit

#'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book

Worship leaders - see basic guidelines

Opening Prayer

O God, author of eternal light
         lead us in our worshiping this day:
                  that our lips may praise you,
                  our lives may bless you,
                  and our meditations glorify you,
                  through Christ our Lord. AMEN

Sarum Missal, 11th c.
Hymnal, #673
   

Pastoral Prayer

 

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

 

For Children
"Lesson of a clover leaf"

            On this third Sunday of the season of Pentecost, a week after Trinity Sunday, we'll look at a 3 leaf clover and think about God simply in a trinity of ways. Influenced by, tho' not really borrowed from a children's story in Bearing Fruit (Sermons for Children, ©1994, United Church Press, Cleveland.), by Harold Steindam, pp. 70-71.
  

Returning our Tithes and Offerings

            Powerful words. Easy to speak, ridiculously easy. Difficult to actually do. In this letter of Paul, these words are prefaced by the following verse: “Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers” (12:13). In a nutshell, that is what we seek to accomplish when we pass the plates. Our offerings go toward the needs of the church itself, but they also flow out those we do not know. Once upon a time, as scripture reminds us, we were ourselves strangers of God, enemies even. But God drew a circle that included us. As you place your offering into it, look at the circular shape of the plate that will pass before you, and imagine what you might do this week to extend hospitality to a stranger. In so doing, through you God draws an ever wider circle. Are you willing?

Ushers?
 

Dedication

When we were strangers,
            you sought us and brought us to your table, O Lord.
When we were enemies,
            you took our violence upon yourself that we might be reconciled.
Blessed by all that you have freely given,
            we shift from clenched fist to open hand,
                         from grasping to sharing,
                         from dividing walls to ever-widening circles,
                         from fear toward faith.
We confess, God, that this transformation does not happen easily.
We still have a long way to go.
But you are with us, step by step.
Thank you.
Amen.
 

Benediction

 

(para traducir a español, presione la bandera de España)

 

Interested in Sunday School?
Below is a growing list of possible sites to visit. As you discover others, please let us know.

International Lesson:
Faith and Life Resources
Mennonite Publishing House

International Lesson:
Mennonite Weekly Review

(scroll down on left to "Sunday School lessons)

International Lesson:
Christian Standard
(one week ahead)

International Lesson:
Living Web Sunday School Project

 
International Lesson:
Adult Bible Studies
from The United Methodist Publishing House
(click "supplemental resources" and "current events supplement" under both the "Student" and "Teacher" sections in the left hand column)
  

While one of our adult classes follows the International lesson above (see also), using
A Guide for Biblical Studies,
published quarterly by our denomination,
another class often uses one of the
Good Ground series,
also published by Brethren Press.

For children and youth, we use the new
Gather Round curriculum
(developed jointly by the Church of the Brethren and the Mennonite Church)

 

©2009 Peter L. Haynes
(unless otherwise stated, worship resources were written by him)

 

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