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Worship Order for
Sunday
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Call to
Worship
1 - Jesus once said to his disciples,
2 - "Whoever welcomes (a) child in my name welcomes
me." (Matthew 18:5)
1 - He also promised them that
2 - "where two or three are
gathered in my name, I am there among them." (Matthew
18:20)
1 - After he rose from the dead, before he ascended to heaven to
be with God, our Lord sent his disciples forth with this challenge,
2 - "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given
to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded
you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
(Matthew 28:18-20)
1 - In answer to that challenge, with an ability far beyond that
of a simple fisherman, the apostle Peter preached his first sermon,
ending with this invitation,
2 - "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the
name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you
will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts
2:38)
1 - And the apostle Paul, that Pharisee who once had been an
enemy of Christ until he was blinded by the light and given new
sight, encouraged the believers in Philippi to:
2 - "Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ
Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard
equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead, he emptied
himself, taking on the form of a servant, being born in human
likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and
became obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross.
Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that
is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bend ... and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father."
1 - So, brothers and sisters, arise and welcome every child in
Jesus’ name. Live by the promise of his presence. Respond to his
challenge to repent and go forth, both in his name. Seek the mind of
Christ, and be encouraged for the path that lies ahead. Confess that
Jesus is Lord. Give glory to God.
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Opening
Prayer
Gathered in your name, O Lord, trusting in the promise of your
presence and power, seeking to be faithful to your calling, we
praise you. Forgive us when we forget why we are here. Forgive us
when we trust so much in our own reasons and planning and think that
everything depends upon us. And forgive us when we lose sight of
where and to whom you are sending us.
It is by your
"wonderful grace" that we live. Even now, in this very
moment. So, yes, Lord - in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!
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Congregational
affirmation of faith
Faith is a
verb. It is by faith that we live, trusting "step by
step" that God is faithful. Along our journey with Jesus, we
grow in becoming able to give voice to our faith, to speak it out
loud in our own words, to share from the heart what needs to be
shared with others. Throughout this month several persons will be
given the opportunity during worship to give voice to their faith,
to share what their baptism has meant to them, to speak what
Christ has been about in their lives as they seek to bear his
name. If you feel called to be one of these persons, please see
Pastor Pete.
Before we ask
___________ to come forward and share, let’s turn in our hymnals
to #712. As the early church sought to give voice to their faith,
these words came into being. We call them the "apostles’
creed," the word "creed" coming from the Latin word
"Credo," which simply means "I believe." While
Brethren have shied away from formal creeds that have been used by
some to control and manipulate the faithful, we acknowledge the
important of belief. We can affirm the basic creeds of
Christianity, like this "apostle’s creed," but in a
larger sense we say that the whole New Testament is our creed,
turning to it again and again seeking the mind of Christ.
Still, can we not
give voice to our faith together with these old, old words from
some of the first believers? If you are able, please join in this
affirmation.
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven
and earth
I believe in Jesus, God's only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived
by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary.
suffered under Pontius Pilate.
was crucified, died, and buried;
he descended to
the dead.
On the third day,
he rose again;
he ascended into
heaven,
he is seated at
the right hand of the Father
and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy
catholic* church.
the communion of
saints,
the forgiveness
of sins,
the resurrection
of the body,
and the life
everlasting.
* universal
Hymnal #713, English translation
of The Apostle's Creed,
prepared by the English
Language Liturgical Consultation ELLC, © 1988.
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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
"You did
not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear
fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you
whatever you ask him in my name." (John
15:16)
To bear the
name of Christ does not mean that we walk around with a name tag
that says, "Christian." Of course, names are important.
The Deacons, for instance, learn your names by taking attendance
every Sunday. If you come on a regular basis and miss a Sunday, we
notice and send you an email or letter, listing the joys and
concerns that were shared so that you can pray with us over them. We
couldn’t do this if we didn’t note, by name, that you were
missing. That’s why it’s important that you help us by filling
out the attendance registers, writing your name in so that we can
read it. Make sure you do so as the offering is passed.
Of course, bearing
the name of Christ is more than writing your name on an attendance
pad (as important as coming to church is!), or wearing a name tag
that says, "Christian." Jesus says it has something to do
with "bearing fruit." Ponder what that means as you return
your offering just now. Ushers?
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Dedication
Gracious God,
grant that the
words we hear this day,
may be so grafted
within our hearts
that they bring
forth fruit
to the honor and
praise of your name,
through Jesus
Christ, our Lord. AMEN
adapted from Hymnal #752, itself adapted from
"Order of Worship," Worship the Lord,
ed. James R. Esther and Donald J. Bruggink,
© 1987 The Reformed Church in America.
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(para traducir a español, presione la bandera de España)
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