Worship - April 11, 2004

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

Easter

"They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back."
(Mark 16:3-4)

Morning Praise (9:45 am)
Announcements
Prelude

Responsive Call to Worship 714

*Hymn "Christ the Lord is risen today" 280

*Opening Prayer

Scripture Acts 10:34-43

Anthem                              "Praise the Risen Lord"                               Martin
                                                                     Alleluia Choir
                                         (Pre-schoolers then leave for playful worship)

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

Hymn "Christ, we do all adore thee" 105

Pastoral Prayer

Scripture Isaiah 65:17-25

Returning our Tithes and Offerings

Offertory

Hymn (vs. 4&5) "Were you there" 257

Scripture Luke 24:1-12

Anthem                                     "Easter Song"                                      Herring
                                                              (words/chords, music)
                                                                          Shalom!

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

*Hymn Medley                        "God sent his Son"                            (see insert)
                                           (vs.1-3) "Amazing Grace!"
                                       "Lord, I lift your name on high"

*Benediction

#'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book

Worship leaders - see basic guidelines

Responsive Call to Worship

He was the Son of God.
         He was the Son of Man.
He came down from heaven.
         He was born in a stable.
Kings came to his cradle.
         His first home was a cave.
He was born to be a king.
         He was a child of Mary.
He was the greatest among rulers.
         He was the least among servants.
He was loved and honored.
         He was despised and rejected.
He was gentle and loving.
         He made many enemies.
He counseled perfection.
         He was a friend of sinners.
He was a joyful companion.
         He was a man of sorrows.
He said, "Rejoice."
         He said, "Repent."
"Love God with all your heart."
         "Love your neighbor as yourself."
"Don't be anxious."
         "Count the cost."
"Deny yourself."
         "Ask and receive."
In him was life.
         He died on a cross.
He was a historic person.
         He lives today.
He was Jesus of Nazareth.
         He is Christ the Lord.

Hymnal #714
adapted from We Gather Together, Kenneth I. Morse,
©1979 Brethren Press.

Opening Prayer

Gracious Source of Life, on this morning we gather and sing "Alleluia," for the sadness and fear of Good Friday has been replaced as we rejoice in the life and power of Easter Sunday. From death rises new life; out of despair rises powerful hope.
O God of wonder and suprises, rise in our lives this Easter morning, that divine grace and human love may spill forth from each of us and our lives may witness to your resurrection power. In the spirit of the risen One we pray. Amen.

- by Carol Wise, from For All Who Minister,
©1993, Brethren Press, p. 44

Pastoral Prayer

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

Scripture
Isaiah 65:17-25
(in an Australia paraphrase)

This year's theme at Shepherd’s Spring & Mardela (our district's camps) this summer will be "Join the party." For Christians, Easter is the biggest party ever - a celebration of something that seems almost too good to be true. Jesus the Christ was killed in a very cruel way. And yet, lo and behold, he is not dead. On the third day the stone was rolled away. He is alive! And because he lives, we really live - now, as well as after we breathe our last breath. Too good to be true? You decide.
Just now, let’s invite the prophet Isaiah to "join the party." His words to Israel may also have seemed then to be too good to be true. God’s promise may still sound strange to earthly realists, who see Jerusalem today as anything but "a place of joy," "full of happy peaceful people." But this is where our hope lies. Listen as I read Isaiah’s words in an Australian paraphrase, which in some places may have a peculiar "down under" twang. God speaks hope to all people everywhere. Listen to the Lord:

I, the LORD, am on the verge of making
........the heavens and the earth brand new again.
The traumas of the past will be long forgotten,
........fading from memory.

Kick up your heels and start the party!
........Celebrate what I’m bringing into existence.
I’m creating Jerusalem as a place of joy,
........a place full of happy peaceful people.

Jerusalem will be my pride and joy,
........and its people will be my greatest delight.
Cries of fear will no longer be heard there,
........and the sounds of grieving will be gone for good.

Never again will there be babies who die young,
........or adults who don’t live to a ripe old age.
If anyone dies at a hundred,
........people will say they were cut down in their prime;
if they fall short of a hundred,
........it will seem like some horrible curse.

They will live secure in the houses they have worked for;
........they will enjoy the fruits of their own labours.

Never again will anyone build a house,
........only to have the bank confiscate it.
Never again will anyone sweat and toil
........only to see the profit go to someone else.

My people will live long and sturdy like the great trees;
........my chosen people will love their work and enjoy its fruits.

Their work will not be wasted,
........their children will not be doomed.
I, the LORD, will see that their children flourish,
........and that all will be well for their children’s children.

I will answer their prayers before they’ve passed their lips;
........I’ll tune in before they’ve opened their mouths.

The dingo and the lamb will feed side by side;
........the crocodile will go vegetarian;
................snakes will bite nothing but the dust!
There will be no killing or maiming on my holy mountain;
........I the LORD, have given my word!

Returning our Tithes and Offerings

Please pray with me.

Lord, too quickly we think the work we do for you is wasted. Too easily we slip into a sense of doom and gloom as we look ahead. But you are Lord of heaven and earth, and it is your kingdom we anticipate. As that fateful Friday long ago led to our new resurrection day, and that stone which kept in the stench of death was rolled away to reveal an empty tomb, fill us with this same - almost too good to be true - hope. May it color everything - our work, our play, our simple day-by-day living. You have invited us to join your party. We bring with us our gifts. Help us to truly celebrate. Christ the Lord is risen ... today! Amen!

Ushers?

Benediction

The tomb is empty.
         No stone can hold in the risen Christ.
Therefore, by God’s resurrection power,
         dare to step forth into your everyday world
                  and be a "living stone" for him -
                           "fragile," yes, but ALIVE in Christ!
Amen? Amen!