Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Long Green & Kanes Rds., near Glen Arm, Md.
August 29, 2010
Worship 10:00 am
 

  Beginning with Praise (9:50 am)
  Announcements
  Prelude                                       "In Summer"                                    Stebbins

  Call to Worship                                                                (see back of bulletin)

*Hymn                         "God of the earth, the sky, the sea"                            53

*Opening Prayer

  Scripture                                 Proverbs 25:2-7                          (from The Message)

  For Children                                "Heroes"

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

  Hymn                         "O Master, let me walk with thee"                            357

  Pastoral Prayer

  Scripture                            Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

  Returning our Tithes and Offerings

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

*Response                        (vs. 4) "Lord, thou dost love"                                387

*Dedication

  Scripture                                  Luke 14:1, 7-14

  Message                          "Little things matter" (mp3)

*Hymn                          "Will you let me be your servant"                             307

*Benediction

*Rise in body or in spirit

#'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book

Worship leaders - see basic guidelines

Call to Worship

Leader:  Sing aloud to God our strength.

People: We celebrate our God, who provides stability in difficult times.

Leader:  Shout for joy to the God of Jacob.

People: We praise our God, who loves us more than we can imagine.

Leader:  Proclaim the grace and mercy of the God who says, "I brought you up from the land of Egypt, so that you would no longer be slaves."

People: We praise our God, who gives us freedom to live, to dance, to thrive in spacious places of rest and comfort.

Leader:  Listen to God and walk in the ways of Wisdom.

People: We will hear the Words of Life as "honey from the rock" that sustain us through our journey in this world.

All:       We sing songs of joyful praise to God our strength, to the God of Jacob, who grants us peace.

by Steven Schweitzer, academic dean
Bethany Theological Seminary, Richmond, Indiana
Church of the Brethren Living Word Bulletin
Anchor/Wallace, Sleepy Eye MN 56085, "The Living Word Series"
   

Opening Prayer

            Holy God, we praise you as the one who is the same yesterday, today and forever. Your yearning to shower blessings on your people has not changed. As you delivered the people of old from slavery in Egypt, so you deliver us from whatever enslaves us through the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ. He endured death so that he could nourish us with the sweetest gift of all - his life Accept our praise and adoration, we pray, for we offer them in Jesus’ name and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen

by Moira B. Laidlaw, from Liturgies Online
 

For Children
"Heroes"

            Adding onto the summer theme of church camp, as shared last week by our children, Ed Lewis will explore with them what it means to be an ordinary "hero" in Christ.
 

Pastoral Prayer

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

Returning our Tithes and Offerings

            Eugene Peterson paraphrases that last verse in the following way: “Make sure you don’t take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship - a different kind of ‘sacrifice’ - that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets.”

            As you return your offering this morning, think about how you have worshipped God this week “in the kitchen, the workplace, or on the streets.” What have you done to “let mutual love continue”? Have you shown “hospitality to strangers,” perhaps entertaining angels without knowing it? How have you built up your own marriage, or the marriage of someone else? Have you been content with what you have, and how has this been evident in your lifestyle? Let this be your offering just now, in addition to the money you place in the plate. And if your money is your only offering from this week, offer up a confession, and look ahead to next week.

Ushers? Please guide our giving.
 

Dedication

O God,
you invite us to participate in a hospitality which is something else!
Help us not only to accept it with thanksgiving,
but to freely share it with those whose lives are restricted or crushed
by the meanness of this world.
Make us not only receivers
but generous and unpretentious givers.
To the glory of your name, through Christ Jesus.
Amen!

by Bruce Prewer, adapted
Uniting Church in Australia
 

Benediction

            As you move on from this place, you are not leaving behind God’s table. The Lord is welcoming you to a feast outside the walls of this building, beyond the doorway of our fellowship. Open your eyes to the little things that matter in your everyday world, where God is living and active. Open your hearts to those around you and welcome them to your table. You may just be entertaining angels in the process. Wonders never cease!