Worship Order for Sunday

Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Long Green & Kanes Rds., near Glen Arm, Md.
November 3, 2013
Worship 10:00 am          Sunday School 11:10am

      God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.  (1 John 4:16)

  Beginning with Praise (9:50 am)                               "Let us Love"
  Announcements
  Prelude Video                           "Abide in me"                           (John 15:9-17)

  Song                                  "Here I am to worship"

  Call to Worship

*Song                                  "Blessed be your name"

*Opening Prayer

  For Children                                 "Oddly"                           by Joyce Dunbar

  Song                                        "Kum-bah-yah" (new version)

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

  Song                                           "Sanctuary"

  Pastoral Prayer

  Returning our Tithes and Offerings

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

  Scripture Jam/Choral reading based on 1 John 4:16 – 18

  Message                             "Waiting in place" (broken sound system, no mp3)

  Litany

*Song                                        "Testify to love"

*Benediction

*Postlude Video                   "Love’s the only house"              Martina McBride


*Rise in body or in spirit

#'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book

Worship leaders - see basic guidelines

Prelude Video

 

link

Call to Worship

One: The generous love of God abounds.

All: We celebrate and give thanks for God’s infinite love.

One: The unending grace of God surrounds us.

All: With humble joy, we give thanks for the astounding gift of God’s grace.

One: The joy of being a child of God encompasses us.

All: With gratitude for a God who knows us by name, we give our thanks.

One: The steadfast love of God is always present and always ours.

All: Let us celebrate the overwhelming love of God. Come, let us worship and sing our praise!

adapted for 2013 Junior High Sunday
by David Shetler from the Homiletics website
      
 

Opening Prayer

             Gracious and loving God, we give you thanks for your never-ending love which you lavish on all your children. There were many times this week in which we felt ourselves in the middle of your love. We thank you for that blessing!
            God we confess that there were times this week when we allowed fear to drive us away from your love and we found ourselves in the middle of hell itself. God, please forgive us.
            Loving God, may we continue to open ourselves up to your Spirit and allow you to continue the work of perfecting your love within us so that we become the people you created us to be. By your grace, help us to live in your love and continue to extend that love to the world. Amen.

written by Jon Keller
for 2013 Junior High Sunday
  

For Children
Oddly
by Joyce Dunbar

             “God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.” Storypath contributor Noell Rathbun-Cook, writes, "There are a multitude of children’s stories on the topic of love. In reading this text from 1 John, I was drawn into wondering what it is to abide in love. How can that experience be described? Though an odd little book, Oddly is a literary image of the way love can change us and draw us home. Through love we find our true selves, our purpose in life, and we find what it is to be home."
    

Pastoral Prayer

 

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

 

Returning our Tithes and Offerings

             You alone are God! You alone are worthy of our praise and worship! It is to you who we offer our time, our talents, and our resources. Today, we bring you our gifts of money in response to the ultimate gift of love that you have freely given to us in your unique son, Jesus Christ. God, please accept these gifts as a symbol of our gratitude and love for you. Bless us and these gifts, and use them both to spread your love to the very ends of the earth. Amen.

written by Jon Keller
for 2013 Junior High Sunday

  

Offertory Video

 

Shepherd's Spring
 

youtube link
 

the next episode
  

Scripture Jam/Choral reading
based on 1 John 4:16 – 18, NRSV

*Reader # 1 is quoting scripture;
other readers are providing commentary

1 - So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.

3 - To know and to Believe that God Loves us …

4 - Without question, without doubt….

2 - It’s a factual belief – God loves us.

1 - God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God,

2 - Abide – put up with, stand for, tolerate, stomach

3 -  God is love

1 - And those who abide in love abide in God,

2 - To stand for love… to stand for God

4 - Without wavering

3 - All the time

1 - And those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.

4 - God lives in us…

2 - If we live in God

3 - If God lives in us.

4 - We live in God…

1 - Love has been perfected

2 - just what the doctor ordered

4 - seamless, without flaw, unspoiled

3 - ideal, complete

1 - Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment,

3 - Boldness?

2 & 4 - Confidence!

1 - On the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world.

2 - As he is…

3 - So are we…

4 - A mirror… a reflection

3 - Of love

2 - Of God

1 - There is no fear in love,

2 - No Fear?

4 - Not in love.

3 - There is no fear in love.

1 - but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment,

3 - Oh, punishment

4 - punishment is connected with fear

2 - But there is no fear in love

3 - perfect love has no fear

1 - and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.”

2 - What do you fear?

4 - Certainly not God!

3 - For God is Love

2 - Love is God

4 - Do you believe it?

2 - Do you know it?

1,2,3 - God is Love!

written by Michele Gibbel
for 2013 Junior High Sunday

    

Litany

Leader: We live in a world where fear abounds.

People: God, perfect your love in us and drive out our fears.

Leader: We live in a world where fear causes us to worry.

People: God, perfect your love in us and drive out our fears.

Leader: We live in a world where fear causes us to be greedy.

People: God, perfect your love in us and drive out our fears.

Leader: We live in a world where fear causes us to keep quiet.

People: God, perfect your love in us and drive out our fears.

Leader: We live in a world where fear causes us to be judgmental.

People: God, perfect your love in us and drive out our fears.

Leader: We live in a world where fear causes us to hate.

People: God, perfect your love in us and drive out our fears.

Leader: We live in a world where fear causes us strike back.

People: God, perfect your love in us and drive out our fears.

Leader: We live in a world where our fears cause us not to love.

All: God, perfect your love in us and drive out our fears!

written by Jon Keller
for 2013 Junior High Sunday
   

Benediction

             May God, who is able to do abundantly more than all we can ask or imagine, bless our hearts with love, our minds with peace, and our homes with joy!

written by Jon Keller
for 2013 Junior High Sunday

based on Ephesians 3:20
  

Postlude Video

 

link

 

Interested in Sunday School?r> 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:
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)

International Lesson:
International Bible Lesson
a weekly column by L.G. Parkhurst, Jr.
in "The Oklahoman" newspaper
also found
here

International Lesson:
Living Web Sunday School Project

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.

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

 

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

 

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