Worship - May 2, 2010

1 - Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

2 - �Behold, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.�

1 - And the one who was seated on the throne said,

2 - �Behold, I am making all things new.�

1 - Also he said,

2 - �Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.�

1 - Then he said to me,

2 - �It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life��

1 � Please rise in body or spirit and put into song what we behold, a first word from our lips in response to our mighty God.

Opening Prayer

Wondrous God, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, we hunger and thirst for your kingdom, that your will be done on earth even as it is in heaven. Grant us this hour a foretaste of �home.� If there be tears, wipe them away in this eternal moment. Rise in us that we might rise in you on this resurrection day. Help us to hear in the words spoken, as well as within the silences between the lines, your Word for this time and this place. May this Word to us not return to you empty, but rather accomplish what you intended. This we pray in the name of the Lamb who was slain for us, and who has risen and begun his reign. Alleluia. Amen.

Unison Confession of Sin

Let us join our voices now in a time of confession, revealing our hope as well as our fears, doubts, and sins. Please turn in your hymnal to #692, or look to the screen, and read with me�

O God,
      you rule the world from end to end
            and for all time.
You alone are God. In you alone we hope.

Forgive our sins.
Heal our diseases.
Save our lives from destruction.

We repent of our stubbornness and pride.
We desire to yield ourselves more fully to your will.

Keep us in your presence
      that we might serve and witness in the world,
      through Jesus Christ, our Lord. AMEN

Hymnal #692 - written by Ernest Fremont Tittle,
adapted from A Book of Pastoral Prayers,
Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, New York and Nashville, � 1951

Returning our Tithes and Offerings

Every day we are summoned by God to live larger than we imagine possible. This does not mean that we are called to spend and spend, living beyond our means, grabbing for everything we can get. That is the message of every advertisement we see, with its own promise that buying a particular product will bring happiness and fulfillment � a false revelation. In God�s realm, however, we are invited daily to envision a world larger than our own needs, where all of creation � all of which is included in the new heaven and new earth � all God�s �critters� have a place in the choir.
What we do with our wealth now, all of it a gift from God, is colored by this vision. When we look at the world around us, our money becomes an extension of God�s kingdom, what the Lord is doing. We become part of God�s response. That is huge! Are you willing to live large as part of God�s mission in the here and now?

Thank you, Lord, for summoning us to live out our praise through the work of these hands, minds, and hearts. You have provided for us the means to not only survive, but also thrive and pass along the gift. You encourage us daily to step out by faith into a life much bigger than we dare imagine. Here is yet another step along the way. In Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Pastoral Prayer

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

Benediction

Indeed, may God go with you now
            down from this holy hill.
Join with all creation in praise,
      mixing words with deeds,
                   resurrection songs with random acts
                         of kindness and mercy,
             telling and showing love,
      just as you have been told and shown
            the love of the One who will
                  wipe away every tear.

And may God be your beginning and your end;
May Christ Jesus make his home among you;
And may the Holy Spirit give you a vision
........of the all-embracing love and goodness of God.

second paragraph borrowed from and
�2001 Nathan Nettleton LaughingBird.net