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Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Camp Sunday
Beginning with Praise
(9:50 am) "Teresa’s prayer"
Call to Worship
Isaiah 43:16-21
(from
The Message) *Song "Indescribable" Sharing
a joy, a concern, a word of testimony or praise
Scripture
Jeremiah 18:1-6 *Hymn
"Have
thine own way"
504 *Postlude *Rise in body or in spirit #'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book Worship leaders - see basic guidelines |
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Call to
Worship
1 - This is what God says, 2 - the God who builds a road right through
the ocean, 1 - who carves a path through pounding waves, 2 - The God who summons horses and chariots
and armies - 1 - they lie down and then can’t get up; 2 - they’re snuffed out like so many candles: 1 - “Forget about what’s happened; 2 - don’t keep going over old history. 1 - Be alert, be present. 2 - I’m about to do something brand-new. 1 - It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? 2 - There it is! I’m making a road through
the desert, rivers in the badlands. 1 - Wild animals will say ‘Thank you!’ - the
coyotes and the buzzards - 2 - Because I provided water in the desert,
rivers through the sun-baked earth, 1 - Drinking water for the people I chose, 2 - the people I made especially for myself, 1 - a people custom-made to praise me. (pause a moment to indicate the scripture
reading is finished) 2 - Were you listening? God makes all things
new. 1 - This is not just something from days gone
by. 2 - Nor is it only about the far off future. 1 - This promise applies to the here and now. 2 - Look what God
is doing! 1 - You hold in your hand a cup of water. 2 - Recall the promise of water to wet the
whistle of God’s people, in preparation for praise. 1 - Drink it now and get ready to sing. 2 - God is making
all things new! (motion for everyone to stand) The
Message. |
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Creating God, you have called us here together to do a new thing.
Open our eyes to see you in new places; open our minds to
experience you in new ways; open our hearts to Christ in old and
new friends. Amen. from the
summer camp curriculum,
p. 211 |
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Hearing what God did this summer at Shepherd’s Spring
As you may have guessed, the theme for our summer camp program
this year was “All
Things New,” with the encouragement to “Look
what God is doing!” Now, we don’t have time this morning to
read all the scriptures that were woven into a week of camp. We
will only focus upon a few. You have already heard the first in
our Call to Worship, words from the prophet Isaiah
(43:19–21).
This promise of God formed the theme for the day campers arrived:
“A New Thing.”
Imagine being a camper. You come with your parents, but soon they
will leave, which is either exciting or frightening, or perhaps
both. After registering comes the wagon ride to your cabin, and
the choosing of your bunk. You may know some of the other campers,
or you may not. You may have been here before and know what to
expect, or you may not. The promise through it all is this: “God
wants to do a new thing with me this week. How will I respond?”
Every day has a theme and scriptures to go with it. Do the campers
remember these? Maybe or maybe not. However, let’s quickly list
them. Please note that the curriculum was written for seven days.
Since we only had six days of camp in a typical week, we had to be
creative, adapting as we went. The theme for the second day was “New
Creation,” based upon the
first chapter of Genesis and a
portion of Psalm 104. The important point for this day was
that “Creation is past, present, and future—and we are part of it!” Since
the creation story is pretty familiar, this was the day that often
was omitted or merged with the days around it.
Day three brought the scripture we will focus upon later in this
morning’s worship, especially the Bible reading from the prophet
Jeremiah (18:1–6,
along with
Isaiah 64:8 and
Genesis 2:4–7). This day’s theme was “New
Shape,” with the encouragement that “God
is always working with me. I need to be open to God’s shaping of
me like clay in the potter’s hand.”
“New Expressions”
was day four’s theme, based upon readings from the book of Exodus
(31:1–13)
and the gospel of Luke (10:38–42).
In it, we learned that “God
gave me gifts to be creative. God gives me rest to be re-created.”
This was followed in day five by the theme of “New
Understanding.” “God
calls me to know God more and more and take next steps of faith
and discipleship. New understanding results in new behavior.”
A story from the book of Acts (17:19–34)
was the focus.
Common to every day is the word “new.”
A New Thing,
a New Creation, a
New Shape,
with New
Expressions and
New
Understanding. For all this to happen, we have the gift of
“New Life”
in Christ. That was the theme for day six, as the campers started
moving toward re-entering life back home. Based upon readings from
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians (4:1,
15–16, 22–32) and the book of Acts
(11:26),
come a decision, based upon a promise: “I’m
going to live more fully for and with God. God will constantly be
renewing me. I can always grow up more and more in Christ.”
This leads to the final day’s theme, as the campers leave the
shelter of a six day home in the woods: “New
Community.” Grounded in some words from Paul’s letter to
the Philippians (1:3–6),
we exit knowing that “God
isn’t finished with us! God is with us wherever we go.”
That was a summary of the curriculum for the summer. It was lived
out in a variety of ways, since every week was different. We want
to move now toward a time of personal sharing. While we sing the
next song, I invite anyone who was at camp to come forward,
whether you were on staff like me, or a camper, or a volunteer
counselor, or if you were there this summer in some other
capacity. Come on down! |
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An informal time of sharing, each person having been encouraged
ahead of time to ponder what they might say about their experience
at camp this summer. What was the favorite part? Challenges? etc.
Listen to what they had to
say. Along the way, we sang few
a
few fun songs
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written closer to the time (if not at the moment)
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Returning our Tithes and Offerings
Within a prayer confessing the sins of God’s people, the prophet
Isaiah added the following. Listen.
“Yet, O Lord, you are our
Father;
Our offering this morning has two parts to it. First, we will pass
the plates, and you are invited to give. Soon afterward, however,
another basket will come your way, from which you are welcome to
take a piece of clay. Okay, so it’s not actually clay, but rather
playdough, which is less messy and easier to clean up. Still, take
a bit of it and pass the basket on to the next person. We’ll let
you know what to do with it in a bit. For now, let’s give and
receive. *Isaiah 64:8 |
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It seems fitting to end our time of worship with a reminder that
God is not finished with us. Over the years, our young people have
been shaped by the Potter’s hand through the experience of camp
ministry. Some have even returned to serve in this outdoor
setting, helping others to also drink from the Shepherd’s Spring.
As always, we need to build upon this experience as a
congregation. Throughout the year, it’s up to us
The apostle Paul began his letter to the Philippians with the
following encouragement, words that gave focus to the last day at
camp this year, as campers turned toward home. May they bless us
as we head back to our homes and schools and workplaces. God is on
the move everywhere we go. Listen and be sent forth:
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©2013 Peter
L. Haynes
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