Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Long Green & Kanes Rds., near Glen Arm, Md.
September 28, 2003
Worship 10:00 am
Sunday School cancelled for this special day

Homecoming

  Morning Praise (9:45 am)
  Announcements
  Prelude

  Choral Call to Worship             "Holy Ground"                                arr. Ferrin

  Opening Prayer

*Hymn                        "All hail the power of Jesus’ name"                           106

*Confession                                                                            (back of bulletin)

*Hymn                        (vs. 1) "Bless'd be the tie that binds"                          421

  Welcome

  For Children                            "Coming home"
                                        (Pre-schoolers then leave for their special time)

  Hymn                       (vs. 1 & 2) "New earth, heavens new"                          299

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

  Hymn                       (vs. 3 & 4) "New earth, heavens new"                          299

  Pastoral Prayer

  Anthem                                  "Canon of Praise"                           arr. Hopson

  Scripture                               Colossians 3:12-17

  Message                               "In Jesus’ Name"
                                                Rev. Scott Duffey

  Hymn                         "Will you let me be your servant"                             307

  Responding our Tithes and Offerings

  Offertory

*Song                             "Lord, I lift your name on high"                   (see insert)

*Choral Benediction             "Shalom Good Friends"

#'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book

Worship leaders - see basic guidelines

Opening Prayer
(refers to Exodus 3:1-6, 14; Revelation 4:8, 11; 5:12)

         We stand before no burning bush, Lord God, like Moses long ago; but we recognize your presence in this moment and in this place. You are the God of those who, by faith, have listened and followed where you have led, whether in Bible times or in the recent history of your people. You are the great "I am who I am" who continues to set your children free through your Son and your Spirit. Yes, we are aware that when we worship you, O God, we are surrounded by a heavenly host, who sing "Holy, holy, holy." We hear the witness of those who have gone before us, revealing that, "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created." We add our voice to theirs, just now, and sing our praise of Jesus. "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" It is his name we have gathered to worship. And it is in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
     

Confession
(based upon Philippians 2:5-11)

All - All hail the power of Jesus’ name!

One - "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus."

All - We are standing on holy ground. Help us to take off our sandals,
               Lord, and walk in the Spirit.

One - "Though he was in the form of God, he did not regard equality
               with God as something to be exploited."

All - We are hungry for what really matters. Help us to open our hands,
               Lord, and receive what we truly need,
               not what we think we must have.

One - "He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born
               in human likeness."

All - Wandering mindlessly through this world, we confess we are lost,
               Lord. Show us the way.

One - "Being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient
               to the point of death-- even death on a cross."

All - (silence - don’t speak, just look up at the cross).

One - "Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name
               that is above every name."

All - "so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend," mine included.

One - "in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue
               should confess that"

All - "Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

One - "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus."

All -                                (sing, #421, vs. 1:)
          Bless’d be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love.
          The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above.
    

Welcome

(spoken with words chosen at the moment)
    

For Children
"Coming home"

         Do any of you know what happened here in Long Green Valley 100 years ago? Very good! The story of this congregation began. It all started with a dream. Do any of you ever have dreams of things you’d like to see happen? Well, there was a fellow by the name of John Matthias Prigel who, after he became a Christian and was baptized, had a dream (a dream from God) of starting a church right here. He was a farmer who lived just down the road, where some of his family still lives.

         He dreamed of a Brethren church in this valley, and he pulled together some other people who also dreamed of a new church. If I have the story right, in 1902 they asked the folks in the Amish Mennonite church up the street if they could use their meetinghouse for Brethren services, and those Mennonites agreed. By the way, there isn’t a Mennonite church up the street any more, though there is a cemetery - perhaps you’ve seen it. Their church burned down a long time ago, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

         Anyway, John Prigel and some other Brethren started meeting together to study the Bible and worship. In 1903, inspired by a powerful preacher named Charles Bonsack, five persons asked to be baptized. It happened in April, 100 years ago, that the first Brethren were baptized right here in Long Green Valley. It took place in a stream on John Prigel's farm. There were five of them in all: Ida and Lillie Nafzinger, Emma Neuhauser, John Breidenbaugh, and Maggie Glee. Let’s pause a moment and see if anyone here today is related to one of those five persons. Would you raise your hand.

         That baptism began this church. Well, actually, I’m not sure when exactly you’d say it began, because it’s hard to put a date on a dream. One could say this church really started when John Prigel and some others began talking about meeting together here, or when their plans actually happened up at the Mennonite church. Or, we could also say the church started when a Sunday School met for the first time in 1906, or when the first Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren meetinghouse was built and dedicated in 1908.

         For me, that baptism seems a pretty good way of beginning. It happened 100 years ago. Of course, when those five people were baptized, they weren’t thinking about us celebrating the 100 anniversary of the church. They were just getting right with God and following Jesus. Their eyes were on the work Jesus was calling them to do in this valley. Their eyes were also on a future far beyond today. Coming home for them was looking ahead to being with Jesus in their heavenly home. That, we believe, is where they are now.

         Today is our special "Homecoming" celebration, when we remember the past, and rejoice at being reunited with some folks that many of us haven’t seen for a while, even as we welcome new people - like you - to be a part of the story of this church. But, you know, our real homecoming will take place in the future when our dream of heaven (a dream from God) becomes real and we will be reunited with God. Let me read something from the Bible about this homecoming: Revelation 21:1-5.
     

Pastoral Prayer

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

Responding our Tithes and Offerings

(spoken with words chosen at the moment,
connecting with what has just be preached)