Worship - February 19, 2006

Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Long Green & Kanes Rds., near Glen Arm, Md.
February 19, 2006
Worship 10:00 am, Sunday School 11:10 am

"So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean." (2 Kings 5:14)

Morning Praise (9:45 am)
Announcements
Prelude

Call to Worship Psalm 30:1-5

*Hymn "Praise, I will praise you, Lord" 76

*Opening Prayer

Words of God’s mercy Psalm 30:6-12

Response (vs. 1,2,3,6) "Amazing grace!" 143

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

Scripture 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Children’s Time "A race to share"

Bell Ringers "Jesus loves me" -Bradbury
(Pre-schoolers then leave for playful worship)

Responsive Prayer of the People 720

Scripture 2 Kings 5:1-19

Message "All pleasantries aside"

Song "Like Naaman"

Responding with our Tithes and Offerings

Offertory

*Hymn "Guide me, O thou great Jehovah" 582

*Benediction

#'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book

Worship leaders - see basic guidelines

Call to Worship
Psalm 30:1-5
(Laughingbird version)

I’ll be singing your praises, every chance I get, LORD,
........because you got me out of deep trouble
................and spared me the gloating of my enemies.

I pleaded for help, LORD God,
........and you stepped in and healed me.

They were nearly ready to pronounce me dead
........but your brought me back, LORD;
you put me back on my feet
........when I was about to be carried to the morgue.

So I’m singing your praises,
........and I’m encouraging everyone to do the same;
................to name you with joyful thanks.

We manage to get you angry at times,
........but it blows over in a moment
................because your mercy keeps on keeping on.
........We may have an evening of bitter tears,
................but by morning your mercy has us smiling again.

Opening Prayer

God of healing and wholeness, we come with thanksgiving in our hearts for all the evidence of your goodness and mercy - found not only in stories of old, but in lives today. Lives bruised with tragedy find consolation when touched by your gracious Spirit; lives scarred with suffering and rejection have hope renewed through the power of the living Christ. We praise and adore you for hearts and lives transformed by your grace and mercy and we pray that our lives will reflect your great acts of kindness. Arouse in us we pray, a love like yours so that we reach out to this wounded and troubled world with the compassion of Christ, proclaiming the gospel with integrity to friends and strangers alike. This we pray in Jesus' name. Amen

by Moira B Laidlaw
www.liturgiesonline.com.au/

Words of God’s mercy
Psalm 30:6-12
(Laughingbird version)

I was guilty of taking your goodness for granted;
........I thought I had it made.
You had put me on top of the world
........but I got all too full of myself.
You stepped aside — made me stand alone —
........and I turned to jelly!

I realized how much I needed you, LORD,
........and in my panic I begged you for mercy.

"What good is my blood to you?" I cried.
........"How will it help if I’m in the grave?
Can a corpse sing your praises?
........Will a gravestone publicize your goodness?
Give me another chance, LORD.
........Please, LORD, bail me out one more time."

And sure enough, you did, LORD.
........You turned my tears to laughter;
........you set my dragging feet dancing;
........you dusted me off and dressed me up for a party.
So now I’m singing your praises
........from the bottom of my heart,
................and no one can shut me up!

You are my God, LORD,
........and I’m eternally grateful.

For Children
"A race to share"

With a pair of ice skates draped over the shoulder:

"I thought I’d bring my old skates with me this morning. It’s been a while since I actually put them to use, you understand, but the Winter Olympics going on this week in Italy inspired me to take them out of the closet and dust them off (start putting them on, or trying). Have any of you been watching the Olympics on TV? What is your favorite event? (get responses/interact)

"There! (Stand up and wobble) Ouch! Now I remember why I put them in the closet. It’s hard to skate. You’re up on this skinny blade and just standing up and balancing on it is problem #1. Moving forward is problem #2, especially when you’re on the ice, which is slippery. Those speed skaters and the people who dance or do fancy stuff on the ice make it look easy. But it is not. Whew! Let me sit down and take these off (do so).

"How do you think they do it? Did they just put on their skates - like I did just now - and, ‘poof!,’ they instantly knew how to do this stuff? Yes, I know, they are much younger and better in shape than I am. But is it being young and fit that does it? Yes, in part. But even being fit just doesn’t happen with the ‘poof!’ of some magic wand. Right? It takes a lot of hard effort. Just like learning how to skate fast, or jump high on the ice, or do all those fancy things on skates. Practice, practice, practice. I wonder how many hours those who won the gold medals this week spent practicing, all the days, weeks, months, and years leading up to now. All that ‘dedication’ and ‘self-discipline’ - two big words - to win a race.

"Did you know that being a Christian is like this. It involves ‘practice, practice, practice,’ and those big words ‘dedication’ and ‘self-discipline.’ There isn’t a magic wand that goes ‘poof!’ and all of a sudden we’re doing triple-axle Jesus stuff. Guess what? We fall down a lot as we follow Jesus. It’s not easy, but we have the best coach of all - Jesus. And the best thing about the race that Jesus invites us to skate is that we invite everyone else to join in. It’s a race we share.

"Now, I understand that this morning some of you are going to put on your skates, excuse me, put on your bells, and share with us a special message. I want to thank you, in advance, for ringing out that Jesus loves us, echoing what most of the rest of you sang just 2 weeks ago during worship. Share the race!"

Responsive Prayer of the People

ALL: Listening God,
               you hear our prayers before we speak,
                     yet welcome our praying;
               therefore we come with confidence
                      to lay our requests before you.

Leader: We pray for Christian everywhere,
                   for our denomination and our congregation,
                   for faithfulness and strength to persevere in righteousness.
             We pray for the whole people of God.

People: Lord, hear our prayer.

Leader: We pray for the nations of the world,
                   for all leaders
                   and for those who make policy decisions.
             We pray for the commonwealth of our global community.

People: Lord, hear our prayer.

Leader: We pray for those who are overcome by violence,
                   for victims of injustice or oppression,
                   and for those in poverty or pain,
             We pray for all who need healing and peace.

People: Lord, hear our prayer.

Leader: We pray for those who endure trials,
                   for those who are dying,
                   and for those who mourn.
             We pray for all who need comfort and hope.

People: Lord, hear our prayer.

Leader: You have heard the prayers of your people, O God.
We rest in the comfort of your care,
as we pray in Jesus' name.

ALL: AMEN

Returning our Tithes and Offerings

We move now to another story of a leper, this one from the New Testament. It’s interesting to note that Jesus did not go wash in the Jordon. He did, however, give one command which, as it turned out, this leper did not fully obey. Listen:

(read Mark 1:40-45)

What is your offering this day? How will you respond to the good news in your life - not just with what you put in the plate as it is passed down your pew this morning, but with what you place in the plate of your dail life as you pass through it this week? The ushers can help with the first, but the second is up to you ... and God.

Benediction

Go into the world knowing that your life has been
         blessed by the great mercy of God,
         touched by the compassionate love of Jesus Christ,
         cleansed by the penetrating power of the Holy Spirit.

by Moira B Laidlaw
www.liturgiesonline.com.au/