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Worship Order for
Sunday
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Opening
Prayer
Living God,
for whom no stone
is too heavy to roll aside,
to whom we turn
through every struggle and discouragement in life,
from whom we derive
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow;
we sing our praise to you.
Let every instrument be tuned for your glory.
Yes, Lord, tune our
very lives to glorify you,
that we may hear echoes of your song throughout this week.
Fill not only this hall,
but also our places of work,
our class rooms,
our kitchens and bedrooms,
our play grounds,
with the sound of your glory,
that we might be always aware that
there is no place we can go
that you haven’t been there first,
preparing the way.
We open our heart, soul, and mind to you now.
In the name of the
risen Christ, we pray. Amen.
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For
Children
"How do you expect an answer
when you don't even listen?"
Psalm
46:10
I intend to
talk with the children about when I received my first set of
walkie-talkies as a child, and how - with a walkie-talkie -
you can't listen unless you stop talking and release the button.
It's often like that when we pray. We are always talking to God.
Maybe we need to take our fingers "off the button" and
listen. We like to hear ourselves talk. However, we need to be
still at times. Beyond prayer, can we give your brothers and
sisters a chance to express themselves, also? People today intrude
on other people with their music - often playing it at a loud
volume so that other folks hear it loud and clear, whether or not
they care to listen. It seems today we are all trying to out-shout
others. But God is still whispering to us. Can you hear?
Ed Lewis
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I
Should Have Been Crucified
by Gordon Jensen
I was guilty with nothing to say
and they were coming to take me away;
But then a voice from heaven was heard that said,
"Let him go, take me instead!"
chorus: And I should have been crucified!
I should have suffered and died!
I should have hung on the cross in disgrace,
but Jesus, God's Son, took my place!
Crown of thorns, the spear in His side,
and the pain should have been mine,
The rusty nails were meant for me,
yet Christ took them and let me go free. (chorus)
©1972 by John
T. Benson Pub. Co.
All rights reserved. To purchase online, click
here
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Pastoral Prayer
written closer to the time (if not at the
moment)
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Returning
our Tithes and Offerings
For us in the
northern hemisphere of this globe, Easter comes with the signs of
Spring. All nature seems to proclaim that new life is sprouting
and blooming around us. However, what if we lived on the other
half of this globe? There it is the time of harvest. Plants are
preparing for Winter. As you return your offering just now, think
about what would Easter mean for us if, instead of lilies and
tulips, this season of resurrection came to us with sheaves of
gathered grain and fallen leaves... Please pray
with me.
Thank you,
Lord, for the good news that, from now on, every morning is Easter
morning, no matter what the season of life may be. Bless the
harvest that these offerings represent. As we put them to use,
bless our planting and sowing. In the name of the risen Christ, we
pray. Amen.
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Benediction
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