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Worship Order for
Sunday
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Opening
Prayer
O God,
we come to sing songs of praise,
to give you glory and honor and authority
in our lives, today and evermore.
We know that this is much easier
to say than to do;
So we come here to ask your help,
and to support one another,
as we seek to follow your way
and obey your commands.
Speak to us with authority once again. Amen.
by Ken
Kline Smeltzer
from Living Waters: Worship Resources for Congregational Life
No. 30, March 1996
Church of the Brethren General Board
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For
Children
"Seeing
Double"
SCRIPTURE LESSON: John 20:24-"But
Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not
with them when Jesus came."
OBJECTS NEEDED: Twins, or a picture of
twins
CONCEPT: All of us are fooled sometimes, so we want to be
careful about what we believe. We know that we can believe most
of all that Jesus has risen from the dead.
This story is taken from
Bearing Fruit: Sermons for Children,
by
Harold Steindam (©1994, United Church Press,
Cleveland, pp.54-55). You have to pick up the book to read the rest of it.
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Pastoral Prayer
written closer to the time (if not at the
moment)
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Receiving a new member
[After being "introduced" by a member
of our congregation...]
Minister:
Knowing that Christians never fully arrive, but are always in
the process of becoming, do you now reaffirm your faith in Jesus
Christ as Lord and Savior?
Candidate:
I do.
Minister:
Believing that Christianity is experienced in a faith community
that supports and strengthens us in time of weakness and doubt,
and that learns from us as we learn from it, do you promise to
live and share with us in the bonds of Christian fellowship?
Candidate:
I do.
Minister:
Recognizing that the church is organized to fulfill its mission,
will you worship, serve, and share in the program of this
congregation by your prayers, regular attendance, loyal service
and outreach, and faithful stewardship?
Candidate:
I will.
Minister:
Becoming a member of this congregation, will you make every
effort to witness to the Christian gospel and keep alive the
concerns of the Church of the Brethren where you live and work?
Candidate:
I will.
Congregation:
Minister:
(turning to the congregation)
If you, as the body of Christ gathered here, are willing to
welcome our sister with joy and affection into this household of
faith, pledging your help, your prayers, your concern for her
and her family, would you please stand and let us together
commit ourselves anew to Christ and his mission. The words are
found in the back of your hymnal, #793.
adapted from For All Who Minister
(A Worship Manual for the Church of the Brethren),
©1993 Brethren Press, pp. 143-144.
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Congregational
Commitment
We commit ourselves to follow Jesus Christ,
through whom God has made friends with the world
and in whose name we share the work of reconciliation.
We commit ourselves to the way of the cross,
living a life of simplicity, self-denial, and prayer.
We commit ourselves to love each other,
serving the church,
and sharing our time, talents, and possessions.
We commit ourselves to care for the world,
bringing good news to the poor,
setting free the oppressed,
and proclaiming Jesus as Liberator and Lord.
In this commitment we find joy, peace, and new life.
Hymnal #793
Copyright©1977
Mennonite
Church of the Servant,
1505 Fairview, Wichita, KS 67203.
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Returning
our Tithes and Offerings
Revelation 1:4-8
As you take time
to return your offering to God this morning, chew on the
following words from the last book in the Bible, a greeting from
“John to the seven churches that are in Asia.”
Listen:
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Grace to you and peace
from him who is and
who was and
who is to come, and
from the seven spirits who
are before his throne, and
from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness,
the firstborn of
the dead, and
the ruler of the
kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and
freed us from our sins by his blood, and
made us to be a kingdom,
priests serving his God and
Father,
to him be glory and dominion forever and ever.
Amen.
Look! He is coming with the clouds;
every eye will see him, even those who pierced him;
and on his account all the tribes of the
earth will wail.
So it is to be.
Amen.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the
Lord God,
who is and
who was and
who is to come,
the Almighty.
The New Revised Standard Version,
copyright 1989 by the Division
of Christian Education of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the
United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Those words place
what we have to give into context. Our gifts aren’t the end all
and be all. It’s not all up to us. THANK GOD! We’d be in big
trouble if it were. What we have to offer, whether it be our
money or our time or our energy or our ability, fits into what
God has already done, what the Lord is doing now, and what’s up
God’s sleeve for the future. Do we got that straight?
Okay, as the plates are passed and you respond with your
offerings, let the memorized words to the Doxology (you know,
“Praise God from who am blessings flow…”) be your silent prayer
of gratitude. Ushers?
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Benediction
Go now
to love and forgive,
for as God sent Christ,
so now Christ is sending you.
Obey God above any other authority
and bear witness to Christ’s resurrection life.
And may God continue the work of salvation in you;
May Christ Jesus meet you in your doubts and fears;
And may the Holy Spirit fill you with peace
........and speak through you
with mercy.
©2001 Nathan Nettleton,
LaughingBird.net
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(para traducir a español, presione la bandera de España)
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