Worship - October 7, 2007

Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Long Green & Kanes Rds., near Glen Arm, Md.
October 7, 2007
Worship 10:00 am, Sunday School 11:10 am

Worship with Holy Confidence

"Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us..." (Hebrews 10:19-20a)

Morning Praise (9:45 am)
Announcements
Prelude "From Thy Throne So High" Gluck

Gathering "Brethren, we have met to worship" 8

Entering into God�s presence Isaiah 6:1-3

*Praising "Holy, holy, holy!" 120

*Opening Prayer

Being honest with God Isaiah 6:4-8

Scripture focus Hebrews 10:11-22

Message "Holy Confidence"

Singing "Open the eyes of my heart"
(words/chords, midi)

Moments of Silence

Affirming our faith 716

Rededicating our Deacons

Invitation to Love Feast

Responding with a joy, a concern, a word of testimony or praise

Praying "Spirit of the living God" 349

Pastoral Prayer

Responding with our Tithes and Offerings

Offertory "How Great the Wisdom" McIntyre
(Please sign the attendance pad and pass it on)

*Sending "Move in our midst" 418

*Blessing

*Postlude "Allegro Moderato" Rinck

#'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book

Worship leaders - see basic guidelines

Entering into God's Presence

God�s call of the prophet Isaiah is remembered as a holy moment that shook the foundations of his being. With these very words, let us enter into God�s presence in this sanctuary, aware that we are likewise standing on holy ground. Be prepared to speak what the seraphs said, a verse we will say in unison three times before singing #120 in the hymnal. The words are printed in your bulletin and are projected on the screen. Be prepared to read them when I motion to you... Listen, now, to Isaiah:

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said: (motion to congregation)

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory."
(Congregation speaks in unison 3 times, increasing in volume)

Opening Prayer

"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.... Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing... To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever! " Amen.

(Revelation 4:11, 5:12,13, NRSV)

Being honest with God

We continue with Isaiah�s account of his own calling by God. In the presence of holiness, the prophet was moved to confession. As we come before the Lord in worship, honesty is important for the integrity of our relationship. False fronts won�t do. "Stop pretending," says God. Come as you are, warts and all, or do not come at all. Listen, and be ready to speak (when I motion to you) the words of Isaiah in your bulletin and on the overhead. Allow this confession to become your own, then listen to the forgiving word of God:

"The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: (motion to congregation)

(Congregation in unison:)
"Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a person of unclean lips,
and I live among a people of unclean lips;
yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts! "

Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: "Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out."

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" And I said,

(Preacher:)
"Here am I; send me!"

(Prayer by preacher:)

Lord, you have called me to preach. Unlike Isaiah, may the things I say be understood. May my words not "make the mind of this people dull, and stop their ears, and shut their eyes, so that they may not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and comprehend with their minds, and turn and be healed." Instead, open the eyes of our hearts, Lord. May the words of my mouth, and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.

Affirming our faith

No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid,
         which is Jesus Christ.
In Christ the whole building is joined together
         and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.
And in Christ we too are being built together
         to become a dwelling in which God lives by the Spirit.
As we come to Christ, the living Stone -
         rejected by builders but chosen by God -
         we also, like living stones,
         are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood,
         offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
So then we are no longer foreigners and aliens,
         but citizens with God's people and members of God's household,
         built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
         with Christ Jesus as the chief cornerstone.

Hymnal #716, �1992 The Hymnal Project,
based on 1 Corinthians 3:111, 1 Peter 2:4-5,
and Ephesians 2:19-22, New Revised Standard Version

Rededicating our Deacons

Last week, we witnessed the deacons of our church in action, as three of them surrounded a sister in need during our time of sharing joys and concerns, and led her to a quiet place to talk and pray. This is an awesome calling in the church, to be such a servant. Let us pause this morning to rededicate our deacons to a new year of service. As they come forward just now, let me read what Paul had to say about deacons in his first letter to Timothy. I�m reading from The Message.

"The same goes for those who want to be servants (i.e. deacons) in the church: (be) serious, not deceitful, not too free with the bottle, not in it for what they can get out of it. They must be reverent before the mystery of the faith, not using their position to try to run things. Let them prove themselves first. If they show they can do it, take them on. No exceptions are to be made for women�same qualifications: serious, dependable, not sharp-tongued, not overfond of wine. Servants in the church are to be committed to their spouses, attentive to their own children, and diligent in looking after their own affairs. Those who do this servant work will come to be highly respected, a real credit to this Jesus-faith." (1 Timothy 3:8-13)

I thank God for your ministry in this church, and the unique ways you each fulfill this calling. You each apply the gifts God has specially given to you, from the care you take in baking communion bread and preparation for love feast and communion, to the care you give reaching out to those who hurt. You have each answered God�s call with your own, "Here am I, send me." Be confident in the Lord, knowing that it is God who does a good work in you, and it is the Lord who both begins and will complete this good work. May God bless this new year of service... Pray with me.

         Holy God, bless these servants you have called forth with a boldness like that of Stephen, one of the first deacons. By faith, he long ago fulfilled his appointed task of making sure all were fed daily from the table of the early church, even those likely to be forgotten and neglected. By faith, however, he also made use of his other gifts from you, even in the face of strong opposition, becoming the first martyr of the church for simply speaking the truth.
         Refresh these servants anew with a similar faith, that they might lay aside timidity and be bold in their calling as your servants here in this church. Be in their hands as they reach out to the least, the last, and the lost. Be in their hearts as they comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. Be in their minds as they seek to simply speak the truth in love. Help them to fulfill their calling to the best of the ability that you have given to them, each in their own unique way. This we pray in the name of the One who oversees all, our true Shepherd Jesus. Amen.

Invitation to Love Feast

Perhaps you have been watching "The War," a documentary about World War II by Ken Burns, currently airing on PBS. If so, did you know that World Communion Sunday - which is today - began in 1940, as the clouds of this war were spreading across the globe? Remembering that the church of Jesus Christ is bigger than any country is just as important today as it was 67 years ago. Fear still divides the peoples of God�s earth. On this day we celebrate our oneness in Christ, the Prince of Peace, in the midst of the world we are called to serve � a world ever more in need of peacemaking.

(Those Deacons willing to do so - not all are gifted in public speech
like Stephen was - will each read a line of the following invitation:)

- As deacons, we are preparing the tables for Love Feast tonight.

- Through his Word, his Spirit, and his body (this church), Jesus will lead us this evening.

- It is "his" table around which we will gather, after all.

- There we will wash feet, and share a meal, and eat his bread and drink from his cup.

- A place around this table is set for you.

- Come and share with us his feast of Love.

- It all starts at 6:30pm.

Pastoral Prayer

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

Responding with our Tithes and Offerings

Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21) Please pray with me.

At your suggestion, Lord Jesus, we desire to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven. Money does not earn us a place in heaven. Our money does represent an earthly treasure which we return to you. Be pleased to use these gifts to your glory. Amen.

Ushers?

prayer by Hilbert J. Berger, from Now, Concerning the Offering,
�1987 by the author. Discipleship Resources, p. 21.

Blessing

Worship, yes, is a "holy hill," a place where and a time when the Spirit of God does, indeed, "move in our midst." However, as you go from this sanctuary remember that every moment and every place is sacred - because Christ goes there ahead of you. Be aware of God�s presence throughout this week, even where you least would expect the Holy One to be. May the Lord bless you with a sense of holy confidence, that you - by faith - may walk every day with humility (always) and boldness. As God has touched your life, so touch the lives of others - in Jesus� name. Amen.