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Worship Order for
Sunday
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Call to
Worship
One: Spring is about to break forth!
All: In all the land,
new life is happening!
One: Feel the wonder and power of God’s creative energy
All: Feel the awe and
joy of God’s love for us.
One: Let us worship God with a full sense of joy and
expectation.
All:
Let us open our hearts, our spirits, our souls, to God’s lavish
love. AMEN.
from
Cokesbury's
Worship Connection
written by Nancy C. Townley
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Confession and Assurance
Worship Leader:
Even now, God makes a way for us to be made whole. God wants to
bring us out of despair and to fill our hearts with laughter.
Please join me as we pray to the One who forgets our past to
offer us a new future,
Congregation (in bulletin):
God, whose name is
Grace: you are always in the business of surprising us with new
lives, new dreams, new hopes. But we are so busy opening up the
boxes where we have stored the past, making sure that each item
remains safe and unbroken, that we do not recognize what you are
doing. We are so blinded by the dull reflection of our old
habits, that we cannot see the fresh chances which are given so
freely to us. Our senses are so deadened by our desires that we
cannot smell the bouquet of joy that is in the air.
Forgive us,
God of Joy. By your mercy, mend our broken lives. You move
through us, rearranging the price tags on everything we value,
so we might be able to let go of all that holds us back from
faithful living. Then we can press on in following Jesus Christ,
our Lord and Savior, into that kingdom of hope and wonder.
Moment of Silence
Assurance of Pardon
(Congregation, in bulletin):
God comes to us to give living water to
thirsty people;
God comes to us to anoint us with the grace that wipes away our
sin;
God comes to fill us with joy.
Our tears are turned into rivers of grace;
our weeping becomes glad cries of praise.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
slightly adapted from
Lectionary Liturgies,
© 2010 Thom M. Shuman
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Pastoral Prayer
written closer to the time (if not at the
moment)
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For
Children
"Oil
for Anointing"
(As always, flow with the children. The important element is
not so much the words spoken, but the touch and smell of the oil.
Allow them to experience more than comprehend.)
There’s
something we do here as Jesus’ church. When somebody has a
special need, and really need God’s help - like when they’re
sick - we anoint them. Have you heard about this? It comes from
the Bible, where it says that we’re supposed to anoint those who
are sick with oil, and pray for them (James 5:14-16). When they
ask for it, that is. We don’t force anybody to be anointed.
What is
anointing? Anyone know? Have any of you ever seen someone
anointed? What do we do? That’s right, we put a little oil on
their forehead. As we do, we say something like: "You are
anointed for forgiveness, for strength, and for healing." And
we pray for them. There’s more to it than that, of course. But
that’s the big part.
There’s
nothing special in the oil. Do you want to feel it? See, it’s
just oil. It’s not really the oil that does anything. Just
something we can touch, to help us know that God is very near.
Sometimes the oil has a special smell. Can you smell it? Does it
smell good? The smell helps us remember how good God is.
One more
thing. I called it "anointing," right? Anointing is
putting oil on somebody. In the Bible, they put oil on kings when
they became kings. They just poured oil on their heads and let it
run down all over them. Does that sound weird? Why do you think
they did that? It was just part of the ceremony making them a
king. They were "anointed."
Does anyone
know what the word "Messiah" means? "One who is
anointed" by God. In another language the word is
"Christ." Have you heard that word? Yes, Jesus was
"Christ," anointed by God, like a king. And what do we
sometimes call ourselves as people who follow him? "Christ-ians."
People who are anointed by God.
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Returning
our Tithes and Offerings
When Judas
belittled Mary's gift to Jesus with a comment about how that
money could have been better spent, Jesus shifted the discussion
from putting someone down to lifting them up. Affirming Mary’s
gift, Jesus said, "You always have the poor with you, but you
do not always have me." Now, in lifting Mary up, Jesus was
not putting down the poor, or belittling those who seek to
respond to basic human need. His words actually return us back
to the book of Deuteronomy, where it says, "
Since there will never cease to be some in need on the
earth, I therefore command you, ' Open your hand to the
poor and needy neighbor in your land '
" (15:11).
That's the
invitation of this moment: "Open your hand." We are anointed to
be people of the open hand. As you return your offering, think
about what you might do this week that would be similar to what
Mary did. May your random acts of kindness pour out upon your
workplace or neighborhood and anoint the world around you with
the love and grace you have received from God.
Ushers, please collect our offering.
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Dedication
Good and Gracious God, when Jesus was anointed at Bethany, he
reminded us all that our earthly time would be short in
proportion to our heavenly time with you. We recognize that we
only have so much time to love, to laugh, to give, and to care
in this world. In this time of giving, we present these
generous gifts to be anointed by your hand to glorify the
promise of everlasting life. Through your son, Jesus Christ, we
pray. Amen.
Copyright © 2010 David S. Bell.
Reprinted with permission
from
www.DavidSBell.org
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Benediction
Go now, and press on in the path to which
God has called you.
Do not get caught up in the things of the past,
or in the things that the world prizes,
but welcome the new things God is doing,
and take the new paths that open through the places of death.
And may God pour life-giving waters into
your wilderness;
May Christ Jesus make you his own;
And may the Holy Spirit strengthen you
........for the race that lies before you.
©2001 Nathan
Nettleton
www.laughingbird.net
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(para traducir a español, presione la bandera de España)
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