Worship - January 30, 2011

Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Long Green & Kanes Rds., near Glen Arm, Md.
January 30, 2011
Worship 10:00 am Sunday School 11:10am

The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float. “Lift it out,” he said. Then the man reached out his hand and took it.
(2 Kings 6:6-7)

Beginning with Praise (9:50 am) "Be thou my vision" 545
Announcements
Prelude

Call to Worship

*Hymn "Praise, I will praise you, Lord" 76

*Unison Prayer 699

Scripture Matthew 5:1-12

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

Responsive Prayer 721

Hymn "Lord, thou dost love" 387

Returning our Tithes and Offerings

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

Scripture 2 Kings 6:1-7

Message "Finding our edge" (mp3) Ben Barlow

*Hymn "How clear is our vocation, Lord" 541

*Benediction

*Postlude

*Rise in body or in spirit

#'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book

Worship leaders - see basic guidelines

Call to Worship

Children of God,
         It's time to take off your shoes,
                  Step out of your comfort zone, and
                           Wade with trust into the stream of God's mercy.
         Stand still for a moment, barefoot, on holy ground.
                  Let the healing waters wash your feet.
         Take a deep breath as Love soaks into your soul.
Be silent and listen for God's word to us today.

Read Micah 6:6-8.

How shall we worship our God?
         We have heard what the Lord requires of us.
                  Leave empty talk and pride behind.
                           We must walk the walk.
                  Prepare to step out in faith, even into troubled waters.
         Only God knows where we might need to go.
                  Don't be afraid.
         Jesus will guide our steps along the way,
                  Teaching us to walk humbly,
                           To love boldly,
                  To serve God with body, soul, mind, and strength.
         Let us pray for the humility and courage
                  To follow where the Spirit leads.

by Mary Jo Bowman, Mount Solon, Virginia
Church of the Brethren Living Word Bulletin
Anchor/Wallace, Sleepy Eye MN 56085, "The Living Word Series"

Unison Prayer

Lord, our God,
         great, eternal, wonderful
         utterly to be trusted:
                  you give life to us all,
                  you help those who come to you,
                  you give hope to those who cry to you.
Forgive our sins, secret and open,
         and rid us of every habit of thought
         that stands against the gospel.
Set our hearts at peace,
         so we may live our lives before you
                  confidently and without fear,
                  through Jesus Christ, our Lord. AMEN

Hymnal #699. Based on a prayer from
The Liturgy of St. Basil of Caesarea, 4th c.,
adapted from Contemporary Prayers for Public Worship,
ed. Caryl Micklem, copyright © 1956 1967 SCM Press, Ltd.

Responsive Prayer

           Almighty God,
                    from whom comes each good gift of life,
                    we remember your loving kindness and your uncounted mercies
                             as we join in grateful praise.
           For all your gifts to us and to our human race;
                    for our life and the world in which we live,
                    we give you thanks, O God.
           For the order and constancy of nature;
                    for the beauty and bounty of the world;
                    for day and night, summer and winter, seed-time and harvest;
                    for the varied joys which every season brings,
                    we give you thanks, O God.
           For the work we are enabled to do,
                    and the truth we are permitted to discover;
                    good there has been in our past,
                    and for all the hopes which lead us on toward better things,
                    we give you thanks, O God.
           For all the joys and comforts of life;
                    for homes and families;
                    for our friends;
                    for the love, sympathy, and goodwill of persons near and far,
                    we give you thanks, O God.
           For all cultures, wise government and just laws which order our common life;
                    for education and all the treasures of literature, science, and art,
                    we give you thanks, O God.
           For the discipline of life;
                    for the tasks and trials which train us to know ourselves
                    and which bring us to accept one another,
                    we give you thanks, O God.
           For the desire and power to help others;
                    for every opportunity of serving our generation in ways large or small,
                    we give you thanks, O God.
           For the gift of Jesus Christ, and everything which is ours as his disciples;
                    for the presence and inspiration of your Holy Spirit throughout our days,
                    we give you thanks, O God.
           For the tender ties which bind us to the unseen world;
                    for the faith which dispels the shadows of earth
                    and fills the closing years of life with the light of hope,
                    we give you thanks, O God.
ALL: God of all grace and love,
                    we have praised you with our lips
                    for all the richness and meaning that life holds for us.
           Now send us into the world to praise you with our lives,
                    through Jesus Christ, our Lord. AMEN

Hymnal #721, taken from
The Hymnal of the United Church of Christ, ©1974.
United Church Press, 700 Prospect Ave., E.,
Cleveland, OH 44115-1100

Returning our Tithes and Offerings

(a simple invitation given by worship leader, in his own words)

Benediction

to be chosen/written and delivered by preacher