Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Long Green & Kanes Rds., near Glen Arm, Md.
November 6, 2011
Worship 10:00 am              Sunday School 11:10am

National Junior High Sunday 

  Beginning with Praise (9:50 am)                  "Kum-bah-yah"
  Announcements
  Video Prelude

  Call to Worship

*Hymn                       "Brethren, we have met to worship"                             8
                                                                 (bluegrass version)

*Opening Prayer

  Scripture Jam on Ephesians 2:19-22 (and related themes)

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

  Prayer Song                             "Grace like rain"

*Pastoral Prayer

  Song                                  "Blessed be your name"

  Responsive reading

  Invitation to Giving

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

*Song                                           "Everyday"

*Offertory Prayer

  Scripture                                Matthew 25:1-13

  Message                               "A frantic dash" (mp3)

*Song                                    "Go light your world"
                                                      (change "candle" to "lantern")

*Blessing

*Rise in body or in spirit

#'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book

Worship leaders - see basic guidelines

Call to Worship

Leader: Listen! The story of God is unfolding…

Women: It is the story of Abraham and Sarah, of Moses and the Exodus.

Men: It is the story of the prophets and the kings.

Leader: It is the story of Jesus and his followers.

Women: A story of sadness and hope, joy and pain.

Men: Of courage and redemption, faith and doubt.

Leader: It is my story.

Women: It is my story.

Men: It is my story.

All: This is our story. This is God’s story.

Leader: Listen! The story of God is unfolding…

by Cindy Lattimer
Associate Pastor, Lancaster Church of the Brethren
from National Junior High Sunday 2011 Resources
Church of the Brethren
  

Opening Prayer

by Cindy Lattimer
Associate Pastor, Lancaster Church of the Brethren
from National Junior High Sunday 2011 Resources
Church of the Brethren
  

Scripture Jam
on Ephesians 2:19-22 (and related themes)

1: Once upon a time…
2: That’s how many stories begin.
3: But this story has a different beginning.
1: It begins at the beginning.
2: The very beginning,
3: In the beginning…
1: It begins with God
2: Lord of all creation,
3: Maker of heaven and earth
1: It’s a big story,
2: But it’s our story, too
3: And the story of a God who loves us.
1: In the midst of this sweeping tale,
2: There’s a place just for us.
3: Because through Jesus Christ,
1: We belong.
2: YOU belong.
3: You already belong.
ALL : We belong.
1: Hear these words from Ephesians:
2: It’s plain enough, isn’t it?
3: You’re no longer wandering exiles.
1: The kingdom of faith is now your home country.
2: You don’t need a passport
3: Or even an ID card
1: You’re no longer strangers or outsiders.
2: You belong here
3: Right here
1: You belong!
2: With as much right to the name Christian as anyone.
3: Don’t let anyone tell you differently.
1: God is building a home,
2: And God is using us all
3: Us!
1: No matter how we got here
2: In this building.
3: The foundation is laid
1: God used the apostles and prophets for that
2: And now God is using you
3: Yes, you
1: God is using you, fitting you in brick by brick
2: Stone by stone
3: Piece by piece
1: God is building the church with you,
2: And with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone
3: The one who holds all the parts together.
1: We see it taking shape
2: One day at a time
3: Day by day
1: A holy temple built by God
2: All of us built into it
3: A temple in which God is quite at home
1: Brick by brick,
2: Stone by stone,
3: Piece by piece,
1: Day by day.
2: A temple where we belong.
3: Part of God’s story.
ALL: Amen.

by Walt Wiltschek
campus pastor, Manchester College
from National Junior High Sunday 2011 Resources
Church of the Brethren
  

Pastoral Prayer

The following prayer is slightly adapted from one which was prayed with the youth at the National Junior High Conference last summer. It was written by Walt Wiltschek, campus pastor of Manchester College. This prayer involves some movement on your part, so please stand in body or spirit and pray with me. Listen for some instructions along the way....

            God, we come to you on holy ground, for anywhere you are is a holy place…

Now I invite you all to take a quarter-turn to your left and face the south. In this direction, pray for people in North Carolina and Alabama who have lost homes to storms, for people in Haiti still recovering from an earthquake, for our Brethren churches in Haiti and the Dominican Republic and Brazil, for people throughout the Caribbean and Latin America who are desperately trying to get by from day to day. Pray for the leaders of our country in Washington, that they might work together and make wise decisions.

Now take a quarter-turn to your left and face east. Remember the courage of the first Brethren who came from Europe to Germantown and started a new church in a new land. Pray for those working today in the urban centers of Philadelphia, New York, and elsewhere. Pray for countries in difficult economic situations and places where war still rages in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, sometimes involving people we know and care deeply about.

Take another quarter-turn to the left and face north. Pray for all those who earn their living from the waterways of the Great Lakes and the environmental and economic challenges they are facing. Remember our neighbors in Canada and the churches who come together there to worship in a variety of languages. And as a compass needle is always pulled north, pray that our inner compasses might always turn toward God’s Spirit.

And now take one more quarter-turn to the left to face west. Lift up in prayer the great swath of our country that rolls out from here. Pray for those still suffering after tornadoes in Missouri and Oklahoma and wildfires in Arizona and Texas. Pray for our denomination’s Annual Conference happening in Saint Louis next summer.

Finally, sit back down right where you are. Take a moment to think about the families you’re a part of – your family at home, your global family, your church family. And remember also who and whose you are--that you already belong, simply because you’re a child of God. Take a moment to pray for at least one person whose name was mentioned during our time of sharing this morning.

…God, on this holy ground we thank you. Amen.

by Walt Wiltschek
campus pastor, Manchester College
from National Junior High Sunday 2011 Resources
Church of the Brethren
  

Responsive reading

One: They say, “Be satisfied with the way things are.”

All: But WE say, “Jesus calls us to something better.”

One: They say, “Be cautious. Look before you leap.”

All: But WE say, “We want to live our faith boldly!”

One: They say, “You’re not old enough, not big enough, not strong enough, not talented enough.”

All: But WE say, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

One: They say our little piece can’t make a difference.

All: But WE say enough little pieces can change the world.

One: They say it can’t be done.

All: But WE say, “With God, anything is possible.”

One: They say: “The problems are too big. The task is too large. End of story.”

by Walt Wiltschek
campus pastor, Manchester College
from National Junior High Sunday 2011 Resources
Church of the Brethren
  

Invitation to Giving

You belong here! No matter our circumstances, God is using each of us. We have different stories, talents, and gifts. Praise God for our differences that are to work together for His purpose! As we are willing to step out and into God's call for us, we will begin to see amazing things take shape! How will you share what you've been given for the building of God's Kingdom?

by Sarah Kolbe
Coordinator of Youth & Young Adult Ministries
at Spring Creek Church of the Brethren
from National Junior High Sunday 2011 Resources
Church of the Brethren
  

Offertory Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for the role You have given each of us have in building this church and Your Kingdom. Thank You for all You have blessed us with! May we work together with these gifts to continue Your work here on earth. AMEN.

by Sarah Kolbe
Coordinator of Youth & Young Adult Ministries
at Spring Creek Church of the Brethren
from National Junior High Sunday 2011 Resources
Church of the Brethren
  

Blessing

Brethren leader Dan West used to say that the church should be “absurdly happy, absolutely fearless, and always in trouble.” That’s not being in trouble just for fun, or just because you’re bored, or just because you want to break the rules, or just for your own sake—it’s being in trouble when doing what God calls you to do causes you to bump up against your culture and the way things have been. It’s being in trouble because bringing about a new day can mean bucking some old traditions. It’s being in trouble because Jesus’ world-shaking spirit is in you. You’ve heard the story, and that’s the plot line—Jesus coming to the world for us, disciples recognizing his identity and call, and us then continuing that work every day, no matter what. Go out into the world being absolutely fearless to follow God’s call for your life. Amen.

by Walt Wiltschek
campus pastor, Manchester College
from National Junior High Sunday 2011 Resources
Church of the Brethren