Worship - May 16, 2010

note: most of the worship materials below were provided by
the Church of the Brethren youth ministry office for National Youth Sunday,
tied into the theme for this summer's National Youth Conference.

Call to Worship

1: We gather today amid a culture of �more.�

2: We are told to do more

1: To get more.

2: To buy more.

1: To earn more.

2: To have more.

Both: More, more, more.

1: Today, though, we invite you to focus not on what you lack

2: But on what you already have.

1: To simply �be�

2: To pause and breathe in God�s Spirit among us

1: Because you already are more;

2: More than meets the eye;

1: Because of the presence of Jesus Christ within you.

2: More than we could be on our own.

1: More than we can imagine.

2: More than anyone might expect.

1: Not because of what we have,

2: But because of who we are, and whose we are.

1: More.

Both: Much more.

2: So come, vessel of God!

1: Let us worship Christ together.

by Walt Wiltschek

Invocation

God of light and love, remind us daily of your presence in us. When we feel ordinary, remind us of your extraordinary creation. When we feel inadequate, remind us of your extraordinary power. When we feel unworthy, remind us of your extraordinary grace. When we feel unsure, remind us of your extraordinary wisdom. Be with us, embolden us, shine through us. In your name we pray, Amen.

by Walt Wiltschek

For Children
"The Missing Piece"

(read the story)

(then:)

So obviously we do not have a physical missing piece that we are always trying to fill but we do still have a missing piece. There is a space in each of us that can only be filled by God. We may try to fill it with other things or people but there is only one thing that will fit into the missing space. When we fill our missing space with God then we become �More than Meets the Eye.� People can�t see that we have God in us by just looking at us most of the time but God is there and shines through us. Jesus was our perfect model for how to live with the light of God shining out for everyone to see. Like Jesus, people will know that we have the light of God in us by our love.

Prayer

Dear God,
Thank you for filling our missing pieces. Help us to love others so that they can see that you have filled our missing piece! And thank you for making us �More than Meets the Eye.� Amen.

book by Shel Silverstein, the rest written for National Youth Sunday 2010 (no author noted)

Pastoral Prayer

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

NYC Skitapaloosa
"More Than Meets the Aye!"

Props for the skit � bible and 2 pirate costumes. The pirate outfits don�t have to be too complex. Eye patches, wigs, and crazy pirate clothes could work well, but you don�t have to go all out with the costumes unless you want to.

Character � All of the characters can be a guy or a girl. Also, Youth 2 and 3 can be combined into one role if there aren�t enough youth to do the skit, and the narrator can take the role of a Youth later on in the skit if they need to. The pirate lines can be divided between more than 2 people if there are a lot of people that want to do the skit.

*Narrator is off to the side of the stage reading the scripture below and can sit down once he or she finishes. Everyone else is off stage, and not visible if possible.

Narrator - ⁶For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
⁷But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
¹⁶Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

*Pirates enter on stage, and talk in the best pirate accent they can.

Pirate 1- Arrr, did you hear that, I told ye there be treasure in these parts.

Pirate 2 � Aye, that you did! Once we find this loot, we�ll be the richest pirates to sail the 7 seas.

Pirate 1 � Then we can hide the treasure

Pirate 2 � And look for it again! It will be a pirate�s life for us the rest of our lives!

Pirate 1 � Nothing Better. But there is one thing we need to find this treasure. We need A MAP!

Pirate 2 � But where are we going to find this map? Maybe one of these church goers will know how to get to this treasure they speak of.

Pirate 1 � Ahoy there�s one! (Pirates turn to Youth 1 who can be a guy or girl) Ello there Jack.

Youth 1 � �My names not Jack.

Pirate 2 � Does it look like we care, we�re pirates.

Pirate 1 � We hear you all talking about this treasure in jars of clay. Where be these jars of clay. Arrr ye hiding them? We want to steal it and keep it all to ourselves.

Pirate 2 - because that�s who we arrr. We�re pirates!

Youth 1 � Yes, I understand the whole pirate thing, but I�m pretty sure this treasure is available for everyone. Think of this treasure more as a light that helps all to see in the darkness. Here, take this, I think it will help.

*Youth 1 hands the Pirates a bible.

Pirate 1 � Shiver-me-timbers, (turns and whispers loudly to Pirate 2) she/he just gave us the map!

Pirate 2 � (Whispers back to Pirate 1) We arrr some mighty swashbuckling pirates after all, I�m not surprised, she/he is probably terrified of us.

Pirate 1 and 2 � Fair winds Jack, and thanks for the map.

*Youth 1 walks off stage

Pirate 2 � So what does the map say?

Pirate 1 � Well, let�s have a looksy. (flips pages till he lands on a page in Corinthians or close to it.) Ah here we go, it�s in 2nd Corinthians.

Pirate 2 � that sounds like a good place for treasure.

Pirate 1 � it says, �But we have this treasure in jars of clay� blah blah blah, skip ahead skip ahead �Therefore we do not lose heart.� Blah blah blah �So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.�

Pirate 2 � There that�s it, it�s a clue. It says we need to focus our eyes on what is unseen�so obviously we need to close our eyes to find this treasure.

*Pirates close eyes and wave arms around. If you have pirate eye patches then these could be used to cover both eyes.

Pirate 1 � Have ye found any treasure yet?

Pirate 2 � arrr, that be a negative.

*Youth 2 and 3 walk on stage towards the pirates.

Youth 2 � excuse me sirs, but you look like you are in need of some help, can we(I) help you?

Pirate 1 � what? Who said that?

Pirate 2 - Arr ye treasure?

Youth 3 � No, we�re(I�m) not treasure. Oh are you all those pirates? I heard you were looking for some treasure or something. But if you want my advice, I don�t think having your eyes closed is going to help you find any treasure.

Pirate 1 � Aye, they (she/he) be right. (Pirates open their eyes) But then what does this map mean for us to do when it says to fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen?

Youth 2 � Can I have a look at that map of yours?

Pirate 1 � As long as ye don�t steal it, then certainly.

*Pirate 1 hands over the bible to Youth 2

Youth 2 � thank you�just what I thought, this �map� of yours is actually the greatest map of them all. It tells you how you should live your lives so that through you, God�s light can shine!

Pirate 2- I think I�ve heard of this God character before. And you�re telling me this whole map is about God�s glory?

Youth 3 � Yep that�s it.

Pirate 2 � Wow, that God must have done some pretty awesome things.

Pirate 1 � Yeah, but doesn�t God hang around with that Jesus fellow? I heard he was quite the rebel.

Pirate 2 � Arrr, that�s my kind of Youth.

Youth 2 � Well, yes Jesus did change a few things, like he showed us how we should live our

live, and he performed all kinds of miracles, like feeding the five thousand, and walking on water.

Pirate 1 � What?!? He walked on water�without a boat? He must have been the best pirate in�. history.

Youth 3� I don�t know about pirate�but he was a pretty important person, he was God�s son after all. And that verse you were speaking of, about fixing your eyes on what is unseen, not on what is seen. That means that you should focus your life on what Jesus wants you to do. He doesn�t want you to get all wrapped up in materialistic things like the ones you buy with a lot of money. He wants you to focus on pleasing him by serving others and worshiping the Lord.

Pirate 2 � Wait, so let me get this straight, Jesus says we do not need to worry about any treasure hidden in the ground?

Youth 2 � It says right here that what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Pirate 1 � So this Jesus wants us to store up some eternal treasure in Heaven, by doing good in this world?

Youth 3 � Exactly

Pirate 2 � Why that sounds like a grand deal for us pirates. An eternal treasure...and we don�t even have to pillage and plunder...in fact we are suppose to do the opposite!

Pirate 1 � Aye, but we�d be some funny pirates then, what if other pirates make fun of us� you know, call us Care-Too-Much Beard the Pirate, or even Captain ______ (insert pastor�s name) or something?

Youth 2 � Well, that�s why the scripture also says �We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.� No matter what, God�s going to be with you. Do what God wants you to do, and trust me, it is God that is going to allow you to do great things. �We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.�

Pirate 2 � Aye so that�s what the map means by �jars of clay�. We are those jars of clay and we are to let God�s light shine from within us. So in a way, we�ve had this treasure available to us all along. All we had to do was believe in God and trust in God�s word.

Youth 3 � Now you�ve got it. So what do you say we go out into the world and be like Jesus. You know, be a little radical, change the way you live, and stand up for God�s word and others. After all, it is through God that we are more than meets the EYE! (say it like a pirate would say AYE)

Pirate 1 � Aye, More than meets the AYE � this bible, it�s full of Pirate lingo. Let�s work on this treasure they speak of.

*everyone walks off.

The End!

by Tyler Goss
based on 2 Corinthians 4:6-10; 16-18 (NIV)

Jars of Jam!

1. It started

2. On your marks, get set, go!

1. I started when God

3. Our God

2. Said �Light up the darkness!�

3. And our lives

1. My life

2. Your life

3. Our lives

1. Filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all Bright and Beautiful.

All. How Awesome!

2. If you only look at us,

1. You might well miss the brightness

3. We carry this precious message

2. Message? Like a text message?

1. Or maybe an instant message!

3. No this message is more like a �through God we can do anything� kind of message

2. And we carry this message in the unadorned clay jars of our ordinary lives.

1. It is not us who has this all-surpassing power, it is God.

3. For through God we�ve been pressed on every side

2. Surrounded and battered by troubles

1. But still we have not been crushed

3. We�ve been perplexed

2. Wait what?

3. See what I mean

1. We�ve been perplexed but we know God knows what to do.

2. We�ve been spiritually terrorized

3. Persecuted

1. Bullied

2. But not abandoned

3. God hasn�t left our side

1. Gad hasn�t left our side? (Turn to side where no one else is on and wave and say hi to God) Oh hi God

3. We�ve been thrown down

2. But not broken

1. What they did to Jesus they do to us

2. But don�t worry, you will not be alone

3. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

1. So that in us, He lives!

3. Therefore don�t lose heart

2. Never stop

1. We�re not giving up

3. How could we!?!

2. Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us,

1. On the inside

3. Where God is making life

2. Not a day goes by without God�s unfolding grace

1. Amazing Grace how sweet the sound!

3. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times

2. Potatoes?

3. I don�t know, that�s what the scripture said

1. I think it means our momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs anything rough times we may face.

2. So we need to fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen

3. We fix our eyes on God

1. Because through God, there is far more in us than meets the eye

All. Through God, WE are more than meets the eye

3. The things we see now are here today

2. But gone tomorrow.

1. But things we can�t see now will last forever

3. For-E-Ver (if you�ve seen the movie �The Sandlot� say Forever like they do in the movie, but if you have no clue how to say it, just say each syllable slowly.)

2. That�s a long time. It�s well worth the small potatoes.

1 and 3. Agreed.

by Tyler Goss

Returning our Tithes and Offerings

Instead of an usher coming to you to receive your offering, you are invited to bring your offering forward while Nicci and others sing the next song. There are various earthen vessels up front with light shining out of them, next to which are baskets to receive what you have to give. Think about how you are like a jar of clay shaped by the hands of the Master Potter, and how God�s light shines through you. If you would, wait until she starts singing to quietly come forward.

Dedication

Leader: God of Creation, Your glow transforms our beings.

People: You breathe light into our lives, this day, this hour.

Leader: To the world, we are simple jars of clay.

People: To You, we are far more than meets the eye.

Leader: To the world, our power is insignificant.

People: To You, we are change makers, world shakers, healers of the earth.

All: God of all, awake us to the strength of Your mystical flame.

by Kay Guyer

Benediction

�It started when God said, �Light up the darkness!� and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.� Go from this place, reminding yourself and others that we carry the light of the Holy Spirit inside of us. But let�s not just keep it there. Instead, let it beam forth from our thoughts, our words, and our actions. Go with God to light up the darkness!

by Becky Ullom