Worship - February 9, 2003

Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Long Green & Kanes Rds., near Glen Arm, Md.
February 9, 2003
Worship 10:00 am Sunday School for all ages 11:15 am

"Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing."
(Isaiah 40:26)

Morning Praise (9:45 am)
Announcements
Prelude

Call to Worship

Hymn (vs. 1) "Holy Spirit, come with power" 26

Moment of Silence

Scripture Psalm 147:1-11

*Hymn "Great is the Lord" 87

*Prayer

Sharing a joy, a concern, a word of testimony or praise

Pastoral Prayer

Scripture Isaiah 40:21-31

For Children "A great strength"

Hymn                      "They that wait upon the Lord" (repeat)                         584
                                             (lyrics/chords ... midi file)
                                   (children leave for choir practice or pre-school play)

Responding with our Tithes and Offerings

Offertory

*Hymn "Blessed assurance" (sung antiphonally) 332

*Prayer

Scripture Mark 1:29-39

Message "Wide-eyed by starlight"

*Hymn "And I will raise you up" 596

*Benediction

#'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book

Worship leaders - see basic guidelines

Call to Worship

Jesus promised,
         "where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."
Jesus promised,
         "I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 18:20, 28:20)
We are called together by his promise, empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Come, sisters and brothers, open yourselves to the Lord.
         In the quiet of this moment, still seated, let�s sing the first verse of #26, then pause in silence, anticipating the Word of God.

Prayer

Great God, we hope in your steadfast love. May what we say and do this day, what we ponder in our hearts this hour, even what we feel in these very moments reveal this hope. For we trust not in the wisdom of our words, the power of our actions, the truth of our reflections, or even the grace of our emotions. We hope, instead, in your steadfast love alone, O Lord. This we pray in name of the One who embodied this love all the way to the cross. Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

For Children
"A great strength"

Theme - With God in Our Lives, We Are Strong
Scripture - Isaiah 40:31
Object - Piece of string and braided yarn

(Ahead of time, braid three pieces of yarn into a length of about ten inches. Bring a string of the same length.)

         I need a volunteer who has really strong muscles. Do you think you can break this string? (Volunteers are eager to try! Pick one person.)
         You do? Let s see. Wow! You were able to break the string! That didn t look hard at all. That string was easy to break.
         Now I need another strong volunteer. This job is harder. Do you think you can break this braided yarn? Do you want to try? It will be hard. Can t do it? What if you hold one end and I pull on the other? We still can t do it. This yarn is stronger because it s braided and woven together.
         A verse in the Bible says, "Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."
         If we don t let God into our lives, we re like the string that s easily broken. But when we let God in our lives, we re strong like the braided yarn. God weaves strength into our lives.
         Talking to God through prayer, learning about God through reading and listening to Bible stories, and coming to church are things that help us to know more about God so we can be strong in our lives.
         Even though God is in our lives, there will still be times when we feel hurt or sad. But because God is with us, we can be strong like the braided yarn. God gives us strength for our lives. If we begin to feel weak, we can always build that strength as we pray to and trust in God.

Let s pray:
Dear God, thank you for your great strength! Thank you for the strength you put in our lives! Help us to always trust in you. Amen.

by Donna McKee Rhodes
from More Little Stories for Little Children
�1997, Herald Press, pp. 51-52
(a great resource! buy it!)

Responding with our Tithes and Offerings

         None of us walk by faith alone. Our strength comes from the Lord, who helps us to "mount up with wings like eagles ... run and not be weary ... walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31) Furthermore, God gives us one another, that we might walk by faith together.
         Please turn to #332 in your hymnal, a song very familiar to many of us. The words are personal - "Jesus is mine ... this is my story, this is my song." We don�t, however, sing them alone. When the time comes, I invite you to sing this hymn antiphonally. On each verse, the right (your right, not mine) or organ side will sing the first phrase:
                           "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!"
         The left or piano side will respond with the second phrase:
                           "Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!"
         Followed by the right side singing:
                           "Heir of salvation, purchase of God."
         And the left answering:
                           "born of his Spirit, washed in his blood."
         Both sides will then unite and sing the refrain together. If in doubt, just sing.

For now, remembering what we have already received from the Lord, let�s respond with our tithes and offerings. Will the ushers now come forward to serve.

Prayer

"They that wait upon the Lord" ... "watching and waiting, looking above" ... "shall renew their strength." Thank you, God. Help us to wisely use what we have already received, and to eagerly anticipate your promises which have yet to be fulfilled. In Christ Jesus, we pray. Amen.