Worship - November 20, 2005

   All: How do you measure the greatness of God?
         Is it measured by the heights of the heavens?
         Is it measured by the depths of the seas?

One: Come, Spirit of wisdom, reveal yourself to us that we may ...
              Know of God s unending hope,
              Feel assured of his glorious inheritance,
              Comprehend the immeasurable greatness of his power.

All: O God, open the eyes of our hearts.

by Helen Osborne, minister of visitation
York, PA First Church of the Brethren
Church of the Brethren Living Word Bulletin
Anchor/Wallace, Sleepy Eye MN 56085, "The Living Word Series"

Unison Invocation

Wondrous God, we seek your wisdom this day. Your glory is all around us. Your presence greets us in the very air we breathe. The earth and everything in it comes from you. Come into our hearts and fill us with your immeasurable greatness. Amen.

by Helen Osborne, minister of visitation
York, PA First Church of the Brethren
Church of the Brethren Living Word Bulletin
Anchor/Wallace, Sleepy Eye MN 56085, "The Living Word Series"

For Children
"Smelly saints"

Do you smell what I smell? Mmmmm! Can you smell the turkey cooking? Mr. Mike and his helpers have been hard at work getting our annual Thanksgiving meal ready. After Sunday School we�ll all go eat it. It makes my mouth water just to smell it. How about you? This is almost my favorite part, you know - the anticipation. The whole building is full of the smell of the meal that�s cooking away - and it�s a good smell.

Unlike a meal, "Faith" and "Love" are not really things that we can smell, though in a way we can. When people trust in the Lord, it shows. When they truly love one another, you know it. It�s in the air. You can feel it. Even when there are disagreements, if people have faith in God and love for each other, you know it�s going to be okay. No matter what.

Faith and love are cooking away in this room, just as surely as the turkey and all the fixings are cooking away in our church kitchen. Can you smell them? There�s an aroma to faith and love. No, I�m not talking about someone�s perfume or another person�s breath. I�m not even talking about whether or not I put on my underarm deodorant this morning. (smell) I did! The aroma of people trusting God and loving one another is very appealing. Other folks are drawn to it. It smells so good that they want to, as the Bible says, "taste and see that the LORD is good" (Psalm 34:8a).

Would you do me a favor? Today, as you participate in church - in worship and Sunday School and later during the meal - would you pay attention to the smell of faith and love in God�s people here? See if you can smell, or taste, or touch, or see, or hear how we are trusting God and loving each other today. For one thing, I know the love that has gone into Mr. Mike and his helpers fixing the meal. I�ve heard their laughter as they have enjoyed working together. They are trusting that what they�ve made will be enough to feed everyone. When I later eat the food, that�s going to add to the taste. And I�m going to be very thankful - not just for the food, but for the people who prepared it and for the people with whom I�ll eat it.

Okay, you�ve got your assignment. "Be smelly saints" today. Sniff out faith and love. Share faith and love so that others smell it in you. And thank God for it all.

Invitation to bring forward pledges

Okay "smelly saints," we have tasted and seen that the Lord is good. It�s appropriate on a day such as this that we give thanks by a pledge of faith in God for the coming year. Most of you received a letter a few weeks back asking you to prayerfully consider what you might return to the Lord in 2006 out of the abundance that you have received. If you didn�t get this letter, it may be because you are new among us and we want to give you time to "smell us out" before making a financial commitment like this. In case you want to participate anyway, or if you misplaced or forgot your letter, there is a tear-off pledge form in your bulletin that you are free to use.

Of course, we express our trust in God and our love for one another with more than money. There�s more than one smell to the "aroma" of God�s people, just like right now I can smell more than just the turkey cooking away in the church kitchen. Even so, now is the time to commit yourself financially. These pledges are between you and the Lord. Our financial secretary confidentially will help you to keep track of your giving with a statement at the end of the year that can be used for tax purposes.

As we sing our next hymn, you are invited to bring your pledge forward and place it in the basket up front. May the Lord open the eyes of our hearts, so that we might know the hope that God is calling us to step forth into. May the Lord open the eyes of our hearts, so that we might sense "the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints." May the Lord open the eyes of our hearts, so that we might taste "the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe." "Come, ye thankful people, come! Raise the song of harvest home, " #94 in your hymnal.

Pastoral Prayer

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

Returning our Tithes and Offerings

As you return your offering to the Lord just now, remember these words with which God instructed Aaron and his sons to bless the Israelites.

"The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious to you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you,
and give you peace." (Numbers 6:24-26)

Ushers?

Benediction