Worship Order for Sunday

Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Long Green & Kanes Rds., near Glen Arm, Md.
July 14, 2013
Worship 10:00 am

 

      Then a despised Samaritan journeyed by. When he saw the fellow, he felt compassion for him. The Samaritan went over to him, stopped the bleeding, applied some first aid, and put the poor fellow on his donkey. He brought the man to an inn and cared for him through the night.”      (Luke 10:33-34 from The Voice)

   Beginning with Praise (9:50 am)            "Seed, scattered and sown"             454
  Announcements
  Prelude

   Call to Worship                                                                    (back of bulletin)

*Hymn                                   "Fairest Lord Jesus"                                      117

*Opening Prayer

  Encouragement from Scripture                       Colossians 1:1-14

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

  Praying Together Psalm 25:1-10                                                     (see insert)

  A Moment of Silence, then "Jesus loves me"                                               341

  Pastoral Prayer

  Returning our Tithes and Offerings

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

  Scripture                                   Luke 10:25-37

  Message                      "Cared for by my neighbor" (mp3)

  Special Music                        "In Remembrance"                        Courtney/Red

  Prayer of Thanksgiving

  Communion

*Hymn                            "Sent forth by God’s blessing"                              478

*Benediction

*Postlude


*Rise in body or in spirit

#'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book

Worship leaders - see basic guidelines

Call to Worship

One:    As we gather today, may we understand God's presence
           among us.

All:       Open our hearts and minds to receive you, O God. Fill us
           with your knowledge as we grow in wisdom and faith.

One:    In the daily routine of life we have become impatient. We
            fail to listen. We are not willing to follow and be
open to
            your presence, to your work in the world.

All:      We confess our shortcomings, O God. Restore us, and
           
open us to the movement of the Holy Spirit.

One:    Help us lead lives worthy of you, Lord. May our lives be
           
fully pleasing to you as we grow and bear good fruit.

All:      We are here to praise and honor you, O God. May we lift
            our minds, hearts, and hands to honor you.

One:    As we gather to worship, fill us with your joy as we give
           
thanks to you!

by Linda Beachley, pastor
Nanty Glo Church of the Brethren
Nanty Glo, Pennsylvania
   
  

Opening Prayer

            Lord God, as we listen to your Word, as we whisper our prayers, as we lift our voices in praise to you, may we fully understand the spiritual blessings you have prepared for us. May we be fervent in our prayers in seeking your will, today, and in the days to come. In your name, we pray. Amen.

by Linda Beachley, pastor
Nanty Glo Church of the Brethren
Nanty Glo, Pennsylvania
   
 

Praying Together
Psalm 25:1-10

 

             This is an alphabet psalm. Each lettered verse is a separate prayer within the larger prayer. The New Jerusalem Bible actually presents the verses so that each one begins with an English word that follows alphabetical order, e.g. adoration, but, calling, direct. We will read these verses together, pausing between each to allow the words to be prayed through us.

 

  1 ADORATION I offer, Yahweh, 2 to you, my God.

 

    BUT in my trust in you do not put me to shame, let not my enemies gloat over me.

 

  3 CALLING to you, none shall ever be put to shame, but shame is theirs who groundlessly break faith.

 

  4 DIRECT me in your ways, Yahweh, and teach me your paths.

 

  5 ENCOURAGE me to walk in your truth and teach me since you are the God who saves me.

 

    FOR my hope is in you all day long— 7c such is your generosity, Yahweh.

 

  6 GOODNESS and faithful love have been yours for ever, Yahweh, do not forget them.

 

  7 HOLD not my youthful sins against me, but remember me as your faithful love dictates.

 

  8 INTEGRITY and generosity are marks of Yahweh for he brings sinners back to the path.

 

  9 JUDICIOUSLY he guides the humble, instructing the poor in his way.

 

10 KINDNESS unfailing and constancy mark all Yahweh’s paths, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

 

Psalm 25:1-10 from the New Jerusalem Bible
copyright © 1985 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd.
and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc.
as suggested by Carolyn C. Brown from
Worshiping with Children
a marvelous resource for actively including children in worship
 

Pastoral Prayer

Such simple words to sing, O Lord, and yet we spend a lifetime discovering and living out what they mean. To be loved is the cry of each human heart from the moment of birth, trusting in the arms that enfold us. There is no decision to be made at that point, just a parent’s care to be received – if we are so blessed. “Momma loves me, this I know, for her loving tells me so.” Momma’s arms are your arms, O heavenly Daddy.

 

Our bodies grow, our minds expand, and the simple becomes complicated. Trust shifts to faith, and then doubt, and we question whether or not you even exist, O God, forgetting what it was to be unconditionally loved and cared for. Our childlike wonder is almost lost amid our adult concerns… Almost… Still the melody is there, like a lullaby deep within.

 

You love us, O God, unconditionally. Jesus’ arms are your arms. This we know, though not like we know all that we have wisely studied in school. Your story and our story connect. We belong to you, as a child belongs to a parent – kinship, not ownership. No matter how big we have become, how strong we think we are, you are always bigger, and in our weakness we find your strength.

 

Not in our own power do we depend, Lord God. When we speak our concerns, as two or more gathered in Jesus’ name, we trust in the arms that have held us since our birth. We have faith that you will uphold those we have mentioned this morning, that you – in fact – already are embracing them. “Jesus loves them, this we know, for the Bible tells us so. Little ones to him belong, they are weak but he is strong.” And in response comes the cry of our hearts, “Yes!” … Amen.
  

Returning our Tithes and Offerings

Did you know that when we use the word, “Amen,” we are speaking in Hebrew, the language of the Old Testament? Because we usually bring our prayers to a close with it, we often think that “amen” means, “the end.” The truth is, however, our “amen” is but the beginning. You could think of it as an affirmation, “this I believe!,” or an exclamation, “this is truth!,” or as a plea, “let it be so!” The simplest meaning is “Yes!”

 

We are responding to the “Yes!” of God with our own “Yes!” Like in the song we sang as part of our prayer, “Yes” or “amen,” Jesus loves me – this I believe, this is truth, or even let it be so (when I struggle to believe it). In response to the steadfast love of the Lord made known to us in Jesus Christ comes the simple, yet profound cry, “Yes,” I will live out of that love, I will follow love's call, I will be a beloved disciple.

 

Our offerings are like an “amen.” They flow as a response to God’s goodness, not as a pre-payment for services to be rendered. As you return your offering in the following moment, allow it to be your “amen,” which is far from being “the end.” On this first day of a new week, this celebration of resurrection day, may this be our fresh start, the beginning of what God will be about within, among, around, and beyond us.

 

Ushers, please guide our giving.
  
 

Prayer of Thanksgiving

 

(When the song is finish, with all having received bread
from the deacons during the music, invite all to join in prayer.)

 

             Lord God, you were moved by compassion to cross over to our side of the road, your Son as our Good Samaritan. Here you bandaged our wounds, taking them upon yourself. You continue to carry us to a healing place. Thank you, Lord. We remember!
            This bread in our hands, and the cup we will soon share, are tangible expressions of this remembrance. Bless the grain and the grapes which went into this simple meal. Bless our eating and drinking. Through them, may we see the cross and the empty tomb, and proclaim the Way of Christ from crucifixion to resurrection.
            In our remembrance, guide us beyond ourselves to our neighbors for whom Jesus also died. Help us to be about his ongoing work in this world, the kingdom possibilities you open up to us, O God. Empower us to extend this table, and become good Samaritans to others in Jesus’ name, recognizing your Spirit in them, being surprised by goodness along the way, even in persons we’d least expect. In so doing, help us also to see you within our own hearts. If truth be told, our inner being can be just as dark as any other sinner. But thanks be to you, O God, for redeeming us in Christ. May your grace overflow.
            This we pray in the name of the One who said, “Take and eat, and remember.” This we believe! This is truth! Let it be so! Yes! Amen!
  

Communion

 

This bread which we break is the communion of the body of Christ.

 

(the deacons then distribute the cups as meditative music is played)

 

This cup of the New Testament is the communion of the blood of Christ.
  

Benediction

This week, may the Spirit
                                    give you the strength and
                                    grant you the grace
            to go out and love the Lord your God
                        with all your heart, and
                        with all your soul, and
                        with all your strength, and
                        with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself.
            This we believe!
                        This is truth!
                                    Let it be so!
                                                Yes!
                                                            Amen!
  

 

 

©2013 Peter L. Haynes
(unless otherwise stated, worship resources were written by him)

 

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