Worship Order for Sunday

Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Long Green & Kanes Rds., near Glen Arm, Md.
April 4, 2010
Worship 10:00 am              Sunday School 11:10am
  Easter Sunday

      “Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.”   (Luke 24:10-11)

  Beginning with Praise (9:50 am)
  Announcements
  Prelude

  Call to Worship

*Hymn                                  "Morning has broken"                                     648

*Opening Prayer

  Bringing Forth the Symbols of the Resurrection
                    (in response to each:)
        
One: Alleluia! Christ is risen!
        All: Christ is risen indeed!

*Hymn                           "Christ the Lord is risen today"                               280

  Scripture                            1 Corinthians 15:19-26

  For Children                    "The Easter Balloon"

  Sharing a joy, a concern, a word of testimony or praise
                                 (please be brief, and aware of God's listening presence)

  Pastoral Prayer

  Seraphim                                 "Mighty to Save"                          (Morgan/Fielding)

  Returning our Tithes and Offerings

  Offertory                  (Please sign the attendance pad and pass it on)

  Scripture                                   Luke 24:1-12

  Message                                        "Leros" (mp3)

*Hymn                         "Proclaim the tidings near and far"                            282

*Responsive Benediction

*Postlude  

*Rise in body or in spirit

#'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book

Worship leaders - see basic guidelines

Call to Worship
(based on Isaiah 65: 17-25)

Be glad and rejoice in what God is creating - a new heaven and a new earth.
The promise of joy and gladness for all people.
The promise of Eden restored, where every living creature lives in harmony.
Promises fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who died to defeat evil, and rose to
give us life.

So let us be glad and rejoice in what God has created in us - new life - the life
of the risen Christ.
Alleluia!  Amen!

by Moira B Laidlaw
  

Opening Prayer

We thank you, God, for this brand new morning, broken open for us like an egg whose shell cracks wide and gives way to life. With awe and wonder, we stand and behold what we scarcely can speak, our “Alleluia, Christ is risen!” an exclamation all-too-insufficient to convey the hope this day stirs within us. Move among this band of Jesus followers, taking us as we are and nudging us toward your future, O God. Forgive and live, really Live in and through us. Not just today, but every morning, as we daily die to sin and rise to new life with Christ. That is our unspoken longing, the seed you have planted within through your Holy Spirit, the very air we breathe. Dwell in this service of worship, Lord, as these symbols of resurrection point us toward your kingdom. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Please be seated.

 

Bringing Forth the Symbols of the Resurrection

The Shroud

(Two people carry a plain white cloth and lay it on the worship center with these words:)

This reminds us of the cloth in which they wrapped the body of Jesus. On Easter morning it was found empty, lying in the tomb where Christ’s body had been placed.
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Christ is risen indeed!

The  Fragrant Oil

(A jar filled with fragrant oil is placed on the worship center with these words:)

This fragrance reminds us that very early on Easter Day some women came to the tomb to prepare Jesus’ body for proper burial. The women were the first to hear of Jesus’ resurrection.
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Christ is risen indeed!

The Stone

(A stone - as large as possible -  is placed on, or in front of, the table with these words:)

This stone reminds us that on the resurrection morning, the stone which sealed the tomb was rolled away.
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Christ is risen indeed!

The Bread

(A large loaf is  placed on the table with these words:)

This bread reminds us that on the first Easter evening, Jesus walked and talked with two of his followers on the road to Emmaus. It was not until he broke bread with them that they recognized who he was.
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Christ is risen indeed!

The Cup

(The cup is placed on the table with these words:)

This fruit of the vine, representing Christ’s blood, helps us to remember that Jesus died for us.
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Christ is risen indeed!

The Cross

(A rough hewn cross is placed against the front of the table with these words:)

The cross you see is an empty cross. Jesus is not dead. He is risen.
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Christ is risen indeed! 

THE CANDLE

(A lit ‘Christ candle’ is placed on the table or stand with these words:)

This candle reminds us that Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Christ is risen indeed! 

further adapted from a service by Moira B Laidlaw,
who borrowed it from a liturgy by Norman Hogg W.A.,
 published in ‘On the Move’ some years ago.
   

For Children
The Easter Balloon

Theme: Easter promises that all people will come back to life.
              Easter celebrates the day when Jesus overcame death and was returned to life. According to Paul, this event was a demonstration of what will happen for all people. All will be raised to life, just as all will die.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:22

Device: A balloon; a marking pen

Goals:  To communicate the meaning of Easter
             To affirm that all people will die
             To affirm that all people will come back to life

Technique: The balloon will be used to symbolize people. This is best done by choosing one child to identify with the balloon.
         Ask the children, "Who makes us alive?" They will know that God does this. Affirming their answer, ask the children to pretend the balloon is a person. Suggest that they name the balloon after a particular child, choosing one from volunteers. Blow up the balloon and make the child alive. After the balloon is inflated, draw a face on it, letting the children tell you what to draw. Shall you draw eyes? Shall you draw a nose? A big one? Do anything that makes the balloon more like a person. If you've named the balloon after a girl, for example, take someone's Easter hat and place it on the balloon.
         After the balloon has been transformed, ask the children what happens to all people who have been made alive by God. They all die. All of us here will die. Let out the air and show them the deflated, wrinkled balloon. The face on the balloon will look deathly. But what happened to Jesus after he died? The children will, we hope, know this. Do they think they will come back to life too? God made Jesus alive again, and that is also what God will do to all of us. After we die, God will make each one of us alive, just like Jesus. Blow up the balloon again. This time, tie a knot at the end of the balloon. Easter promises us that we all will come back to life after we die, and never die again.

Notes: You can tie this lesson to the description of God breathing life into a human being in Genesis 2:7.
            After this lesson, all the children wanted balloons. If you want to go to the expense, you may give each child a balloon.
            If you have time, each child may draw his or her face on a balloon and go through the lesson together.

by Bucky Dann,
pp. 64-65 in Better Children's Sermons.
     

Pastoral Prayer

 

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

 

Returning our Tithes and Offerings

            God of all Ages, you have emptied the tomb and set us free from our burdens.  Hope has overshadowed fear.  Comfort has replaced neglect.  Faith has gained victory over doubt.  The bounds of everyday living, often overwhelming our souls and weakening our spirits, are liberated by Jesus Christ.  Today, we recommit to offering comfort, hope, and faith as your generous disciples to others who are driven by fear, neglect, and doubt.  We offer these gifts in honor of your Easter promise.  Alleluia and Amen.

Ushers?

prayer © 2010 David S. Bell.
Reprinted with permission
from www.DavidSBell.org
 

Responsive Benediction

With Christians of every age, with Christians from every nation, we proclaim:
Christ our Lord is risen today!
Death, where is your sting? Grave, where is your victory?
Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Christ is risen!
Christ is risen, indeed! Alleluia! Amen.

by Jack W Lowe, jr., from Living Waters:
Worship Resources for Congregational Life
,
No. 18, March 1994 (Church of the Brethren).
  

 

(para traducir a español, presione la bandera de España)

 

Interested in Sunday School?
Below is a growing list of possible sites to visit. As you discover others, please let us know.

International Lesson:
Faith and Life Resources

Mennonite Publishing House

International Lesson:
Mennonite Weekly Review

(scroll down on left to "Sunday School lessons)

International Lesson:
Christian Standard
(one week ahead)

International Lesson:
Living Web Sunday School Project

 
International Lesson:
Adult Bible Studies
from The United Methodist Publishing House
(click "supplemental resources" and "current events supplement" under both the "Student" and "Teacher" sections in the left hand column)
  

While one of our adult classes follows the International lesson above (see also), using
A Guide for Biblical Studies,
published quarterly by our denomination,
another class often uses one of the
Good Ground series.

For children and youth, we use the new
Gather Round curriculum
(developed jointly by the Church of the Brethren and the Mennonite Church)

 

©2010 Peter L. Haynes
(unless otherwise stated, worship resources were written by him)

 

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