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Worship Order for
Sunday
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Call to
Worship
What more could a country want than to have
you as their God?
To be your cherished people,
LORD, is the best thing in life.
You keep your eye on the whole earth;
you see each and every one of
us.
Though you are seated in power, LORD,
you concern yourself with all
who live on earth.
You shaped us, inside and out,
and you watch everything we do
with interest.
No army can guarantee our safety;
the toughest fighter is not
invincible.
Pinning our hopes on military might is
futile;
brute force cannot make life
worth living.
It is you, LORD, who watches over all who
respect you;
you, whose love and loyalty
give us confidence.
You are our only hope when death closes in;
our only security when times
are tough.
We put our trust in you, LORD;
you alone can help and protect
us.
Because of you, our hearts are bursting
with joy;
your name stands out and fills
us with confidence.
Surround us with your love, LORD.
We’ve pinned all our hopes on
you
and on your rock-solid love.
©2001 Nathan
Nettleton
LaughingBird.net
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Opening
Prayer
We praise you, our
sovereign "king," greater than any earthly ruler, and our
"shield and defender" in times of trouble. As we have just sung,
you are our "maker," our "redeemer," and even our "friend" in
Christ Jesus. We may not fully grasp what it means for you to be
"pavilioned in splendor," or what your "chariots of wrath" are
all about. We just trust in your "tender" and "firm" "mercy," as
well as your faithfulness to us even as we are still learning
how to be people of faith in response. Forgive our stumbling
attempts, and teach us day by day what it means to trust in your
promises as we seek to keep our own. Bless this time of worship
with your Spirit’s presence. In your name, Amen.
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Remembering God’s Promise
Genesis 15:1-6
Fourteen chapters
of the first book in the Bible are devoted to the story of
Abraham and his wife, Sarah. It all begins with God calling this
older couple to leave the comfort of a life they had known and
step out by faith in a direction known only by a two-fold
promise. First, the Lord vowed a new land to call home would be
theirs. Second, the sound of children would grace this childless
family of two. At age 75, this patriarch set out with his wife
into the unknown, armed only with God’s promise.
Three chapters
later in the story as we have received it, neither land nor
children have appeared on the horizon, and the time has come for
a heart-to-heart discussion with the One who made the promise.
As is often the case, it happens at night, when darkness tends
to illuminate doubts and fears. As I read, recognize that
Abraham still goes by the name of Abram, and Sarah – Sarai. That
change happens at the next heart-to-heart discussion in a later
chapter.
Genesis 15:1-6 is
but the beginning of an evening episode that involves the
sacrificing of several animals, a smoking pot, a flaming torch,
and the remaking of a covenant, which I will not read. The focus
for us this morning is the remembering of God’s promise upon
which Abram’s faith is based. Listen.
read
Genesis 15:1-6
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For
Children
"Looking
up"
Come and sit beside
me on this top step. How about we just all lie back and look up.
Isn’t this niece? Can you see all the stars up there? You can’t?
Why not? Oh, of course – there’s a roof above us. All we can see
is the wood up there. Well, imagine that ceiling wasn’t there.
Can you see the stars now? You can’t? What’s the problem now?
Hmm, I see. It is daytime. The stars come out AT NIGHT, don’t
they?! We can see one star during the day. What star is that?
You’re right, it’s the sun. The sun is a star in the sky.
Okay, I want you
to imagine that there is no roof above us, and that it is
nighttime. Have you ever been outside on a clear night and been
able to see the stars in the sky, especially when there are no
other lights getting in the way? Imagine that it’s one of those
nights and we are looking up at the stars. Can you do that?
There are lots and
lots of stars. Do you think you could count them all? Why not?
There are too many of them to count. And even when we think
we’ve counted them all, there are many, many more that are
beyond our ability to see lying here on the ground. We’d need a
telescope to see them. But even with a telescope there’d be even
more than we count count, or even see. Lots and lots of stars.
A long time ago,
God made a promise to a fellow named Abraham and his wife Sarah.
God promised that they would have children. They didn’t have any
children when God made this promise. And they were pretty old,
past the age when people usually have children. But that was
just the beginning of God’s promise.
It wasn’t just one
child God promised Abraham and Sarah. God promised that their
children would have children, and these grandchildren would have
children, and so it would go – that they’d have great, great,
great, great, great, great, great, great, great, (lots of great)
grandchildren. God promised that all these children down through
the years would number more than all the stars in the sky.
That’s a lot of children!
Now, when God made
this promise, I imagine Abraham was doing pretty much what we’re
doing right now. He was looking up and imagining all the stars.
One thing I want you to remember. I imagine that as Abraham
looked up, there was a star way, way, way off there in the sky,
maybe one he could really see, one that required a powerful
telescope to see.
Well, you know,
that star way up there – in God’s promise to Abraham, that star
was you (and that one was you, and that one was you, etc.). You
were a part of God’s promise to Abraham, long, long ago. So was
I. So was everyone in this room. We are part of the fulfillment
of God’s promise to Abraham. Think about that the next time you
look up at the night sky.
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Responsive Prayer
ALL: Listening God,
you hear our prayers before we speak,
yet welcome our praying;
therefore we come with confidence
to lay our requests before you.
Leader: We pray for Christian everywhere,
for our denomination and our congregation,
for faithfulness and strength to persevere in righteousness.
We pray for the whole people of God.
People: Lord, hear our prayer.
Leader: We pray for the nations of the world,
for all leaders
and for those who make policy decisions.
We pray for the commonwealth of our global community.
People: Lord, hear our prayer.
Leader: We pray for those who are overcome by violence,
for victims of injustice or oppression,
and for those in poverty or pain,
We pray for all who need healing and peace.
People: Lord, hear our prayer.
Leader: We pray for those who endure trials,
for those who are dying,
and for those who mourn.
We pray for all who need comfort and hope.
People: Lord, hear our prayer.
Leader: You have heard the prayers of your people, O God.
We rest in the comfort of your care,
as we pray in Jesus' name.
ALL: AMEN
#720, Copyright © 1992 The Hymnal
Project
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Returning
our Tithes and Offerings
The word “gospel”
literally means, “good news.” In the scripture I just read we
might hear the invitation of Jesus to let go our fear as some
really “good news.” After all, fear eats away at our sense of
well-being. However, in the very next breath Jesus challenges us
to also let go of our abundance of possessions. Do we hear that
as “good news,” as well? Call it, “Gospel with a bite.”
Now, there are preachers of prosperity on the airwaves today who
apparently forget this particular sound-byte of our Lord.
“Follow Jesus and you’ll have money galore,” they seem to say.
Is that really what he says?
This scripture is
not just about the unexpected arrival of the kingdom, which will
come like a thief in the night, when least expected. It is also
about the unexpected nature of God’s realm. The “good news” is
that it is not about who has the most marbles at the end of the
game. That’s how the world usually turns. It’s about the sharing
of those marbles, which is how the kingdom of God becomes real.
“Let go,” Jesus says, “and give to others.” Herein we find our
true treasure.
Let’s pray:
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Help us to live by faith rather
than fear, O Lord.
Guide us through our self-giving to receive your
treasure. Amen. |
Ushers?
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Benediction
(voice 1, from lectern):
Go now with God;
be not tempted to stay in the safety of known places.
Move from where you are to where God points.
Hasten from here toward a God who beckons.
(voice 2, from left side –
midway back):
Go now with God;
be not tempted to go only in your time,
when it suits, when it is sure.
Bestir yourself now, for now is God’s time.
(voice 3 , from right side –
midway back):
Go now with God,
elect not to go alone;
give your allegiance, your destination to no other;
choose to go with God.
(voice 4, from the back):
Go now with
God.
Go in the faith that
there is no valley so low
no wilderness so vast
no passage so crooked
no way so confused
that God is not already there
waiting to be with you. Amen.
by Earle W. Fike, Jr., from
For All Who Minister,
©1993 Brethren Press, p.124-25
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(para traducir a español, presione la bandera de España)
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