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Worship Order for
Sunday
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Setting the stage
As the
congregation sings "Come
to the table" (vs. 1-2), the
children's choir processes, carrying items for the worship center
up front. The older ones carry the heavier items (cross,
candlesticks), and the younger ones carry items like a robe, a
ring, sandals, and table items for a simple feast (as in the story
of the prodigal son). The last child is the acolyte who lights
the candles.
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Opening
Prayer
Holy God, we
come here this morning asking you to have mercy upon us, for we have
fallen short of your ideas and of your ideals. But we also come here
as a thankful people, for we know that you have had mercy upon us,
and that, when we lay our lives before you, your mercy is accepted
deep into our souls in ways we don’t even understand. We thank you
for being faithful to us even when we are not faithful to you. We
thank you for refusing to give up on us long after we thought we had
given up on you. We thank you for being here with us, and in us, and
for working through us. It is with deep, deep gratitude, Holy God,
for your love, your kindness, and your mercy, that we come here
before you, opening ourselves more fully to accept this Presence
that fills us byond our deserving. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
by Eric Elnes, Igniting
Worship Series: The Seven Deadly Sins, p. 56-57.
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Alleluia
Choir
"Now
is the Time!"
(based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-2,4)
To ev'rything there is a season
For ev'rything God has a plan
A time to speak, a time for silence
A time to mourn and a time to dance!
To ev'rything there is a season,
For ev'rything God has a plan,
A time to plant, a time for harvest
A time to cry and a time to laugh!
O Lord we praise You, Creator, Redeemer
Power and glory and riches are Yours
We sing Your praise and Your glory together
For now is the time.. .now is the time....
For now is the time to sing Your praise!
We join our voices in celebration
In ev'ry language we sing Your praise
One voice, one message for ev'ry nation
Now is the time....
Now is the time to tell Your story, sing Your glory!
To ev'rything there is a season,
For ev'rything God has a plan
A time to speak, a time for silence
A time to mourn and a time to dance!
To ev'rything there is a season
For ev'rything God has a plan
A time to speak, a time for silence
Now is the time to sing God s praise
Now is the time to sing praise!
by Jean Anne Shafferman
©2002 Alfred Publishing Co.
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Intercessory Prayer
written closer to the time (if not at the
moment)
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Preface
to Scripture Reading
If the old, old song ("Far, far away from my loving
father") we just sang made you think of a story Jesus told, about a
wayward son lost in "prodigal," self-destructive living,
and about a waiting father who refused to give up on him - well,
that is exactly the ground we will walk just now. We pick up this
old, old story up back at home, after the father has welcomed his
lost child with jubilation. If you’re unfamiliar with this parable
of Jesus, don’t worry, Pastor Pete will fill you in. Our focus,
however, is on the rest of the story, upon someone who may be just
as lost as his younger brother, but not know it. Listen:
Luke
15:25-32
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Giving
Thanks
Envy saps us of our ability to
truly appreciate the blessings which surround us. Gratitude, on the
other hand, restores to us the joy of living. Even when things don’t
happen as we might wish they would, God’s blessings continue to
overflow.
Instead of reaching for your wallets
or purses just now, or pulling out your offering envelope and
placing it in the plate as it is passed down your pew, let’s take
these few moments to consider the blessings of God. For what are you
thankful?
As sister Eva plays some music to
help us ponder, use your bulletin insert to write down any and
everything that comes to mind. Don’t worry about spelling and
legibility, for no one but you and God will read your list. You
might just be surprised how much you write down. Let it flow freely
and naturally from your heart.
Then, as we "raise" our
final "hymn of grateful praise" "for the beauty of
the earth" to the "Lord of all," you are invited to
bring forward both your financial gift and this gratitude list you
will have just written down, and place them in the baskets that the
ushers will be holding up front, as your way of giving thanks to God
this morning.
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Benediction
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(para traducir a español, presione la bandera de España)
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