Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Long Green & Kanes Rds., near Glen Arm, Md.
March 14, 2004
Worship 10:00 am Sunday School for all ages 11:15 am

Third Sunday of Lent

  Morning Praise (9:45 am)
  Announcements
  Prelude

  Call to Worship                         Isaiah 55:1-3

*Hymn                              "O bless the Lord, my soul"                                   80

*Unison Lord’s Prayer

  Scripture                                    Isaiah 55:6-7

  For Children              "Lessons from a turntable"
                                         (Pre-schoolers then leave for playful worship)

  Litany of Confession

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

  Hymn                          "What a friend we have in Jesus"                             574

  Pastoral Prayer

  Returning our Tithes and Offerings

  Offertory

  Song                                        "Living Stones"

  Scripture                                    Luke 4:1-13

  Message                       "the stone of temptation"
               Fragile, living stones - a "Passion" series based upon 1 Peter 2:4-10

*Hymn                         "Lo, a gleam from yonder heaven"                            591

*Benediction

#'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book

Worship leaders - see basic guidelines

Unison Lord’s Prayer

Our Father who art in heaven,
         hallowed be thy name.
                  Thy kingdom come,
                  thy will be done,
                           on earth as it is in heaven.
         Give us this day our daily bread.
         Forgive us our debts,
                  as we forgive our debtors,
                           and lead us not into temptation,
                                    but deliver us from evil.
         For thine is the kingdom,
                           the power, and
                           the glory forever. Amen
    

For Children
"Lessons from a turntable"

objects: a portable record player and Lego® man

         Do you have any idea what this is? Have you ever seen one of these? It’s a record player. When I was your age, there were no such things as CD’s. You know what a CD is, don’t you? What are CD’s? Yes, you put them in a CD player and out comes music. Perhaps you also have cassettes at home that also have your favorite songs recorded on them. Well, there weren’t even cassettes back when I was growing up. There were, however, records. And we used to listen to music off of our records using this - a record player.

         Now, I didn’t bring this record player this morning for us to listen to music. You see, when I was your age, I liked these machines for a whole other reason. I’d play with them without records. It was fun to put things on the turntable and watch what happens when the player is turned on. Of course, if your parents still have a record player at home, DON’T PLAY WITH IT LIKE THIS! If you do, I’ll get in trouble. So will you.

         Here, let’s put this Lego® man on the turntable - that’s what it’s called, by the way, a "turntable" - and see what happens. Isn’t that cool? The Lego® man went flying off. Shall we try it again? It can go even faster. Look. (It’s also fun to listen to music at faster and slower speeds, but that’s a whole other story). Anyway, can you figure out why they call it a "turntable?" That right. It’s because it turns around and is flat - like a table.

         One more question. Why do you suppose the Lego® man flies off the turntable like that? Oh, you’re so smart, you must’ve learned that in school. It’s something called "centrifugal force" (I have a hard time pronouncing that sometimes). When something spins around, like this turntable, "centrifugal force" is what pulls stuff away from the center. I don’t fully understand it. I just know it happens, because of all the, um, "scientific experiments" (yeah, that’s what they were) I used to conduct on my family’s record player.

         Someone once said that the power of "sin" is sort of like that. What is "sin?" Bad stuff? Well, yes. The things God doesn’t want you to do? That, too. You could say that "sin" is whatever pulls you away from God, and from what God created you to be. Sometimes these things are lots of fun, or at least we think they are - that is, until we go flying off. Imagine being the Lego® man on the turntable. If this was you (send him flying) that might not feel so fun, especially if you keep doing it over and over and over again. We’re not made of plastic, you see.

         "Sin," someone once said, is a "centrifugal" force that pulls us away from the center, from God, from the people God made us to be. By the way, there is another force that does just the opposite. It pulls you toward the center. Maybe you’ve felt it if you ever rode one of those fast rides at the amusement park which go round and round. Part of you is being pulled away, but another part is being pulled toward the middle. This other force is called, "centripetal." You don’t need to remember these big words. Just remember that this other force is with you every day, always pulling you toward God. Even when you seem to be flying off the turntable, God doesn’t let go. Let’s pray.

Thank you, God, for not letting go of us. Amen.
     

Quote:          "The power of sin is centrifugal. When at work in human life, it tends to push everything toward the periphery. Bits and pieces go flying off until only the core is left. Eventually bits and pieces of the core itself go flying off until in the end nothing at all is left. "The wages of sin is death" is St. Paul's way of saying the same thing." - Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking, Harper & Row: 1973, p. 88.

Litany of Confession
He Will Abundantly Pardon
based upon Isaiah 55

Carol Scheppard
Lebanon Church of the Brethren
Mt. Sidney, Virginia
Church of the Brethren Living Word Bulletin
Anchor/Wallace, Sleepy Eye MN 56085, "The Living Word Series"
     

Pastoral Prayer

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

Returning our Tithes and Offerings

         The following scripture provides our theme for this season of Lent. Consider it a "road map" for our journey through the passion of Christ toward Easter. Listen.

Please pray with me.
    

         Will the ushers come forward and receive our tithes and offerings? As the plates are passed, please also sign and pass the attendance registers.
      

Living Stones
I Peter 2:4ff

Chorus:
         Living stones, living stones, we are holy, living stones,
         built upon the firm foundation that is Jesus.
         And as we cling to that Rock who became a stumbling block
         we remember we are living stones

1.
See, in Zion He is known, a chosen precious cornerstone.
And the ones who come to trust in Him will never know the shame
that He bore on that Cross when it seemed that all was lost.
He’s a Stone that makes men stumble, the Rock that makes them fall.
                                   (Chorus)

2.
By the Word of his mouth we are made one holy house.
Though we live as scattered strangers, we are not homeless, we are free.
We are one family, one fold, one Overseer of our souls;
Says we are His own possession, we are living stones.
                                   (Chorus)

Written by Michael Card
© 2002 Mole End Music (ASCAP)

clips of this song can be heard at grassrootsmusic.com and artistdirect.com
These words are for learning only (the song is copyrighted).
Commit the tune & words to memory, then sing from the heart.
Be thankful for the musician's gift, and bless the Lord.
      

Benediction

As you step forward into this brand new week, remember:

(reprise from above, sung by pastor)

         Living stones, living stones, we are holy, living stones,
         built upon the firm foundation that is Jesus.
         And as we cling to that Rock who became a stumbling block
         we remember we are living stones