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Worship Order for
Sunday
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Call to
Worship
(2 Thessalonians 1:2-4, 11-12)
Listen to how the apostle Paul began his second letter to the
church of the Thessalonians. May these ancient words lead us
into worship:
2Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3We must always give
thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right,
because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of
everyone of you for one another is increasing. 4Therefore
we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your
steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the
afflictions that you are enduring.
11To this end we always pray for you,
asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will
fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith,
12so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in
you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the
Lord Jesus Christ.
Okay, sisters and brothers here in Long Green, with God’s grace
let us rise in body or spirit and glorify God. Turn to #110,
take a deep breath, and let loose what cannot be silenced. “Oh,
for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise, the
glories of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace.”
from the 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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Opening
Prayer
We worship you, O God, with words of praise and adoration spoken and
sung in the name of Jesus who brought your love song to us in
person. In harmony with you, he puts new words in our mouths, new
intentions in our hearts, and new blessings in our lives. May our
lives so resonate with these gifts of grace that we sing your love
song anew in ways which glorify you and bring blessings to others.
We praise you for all those who have lived and who do live saintly
lives. Lives testifying to hearts in tune with the sacrificial love
of Jesus Christ. Lives open to the transforming power of your
Spirit. We praise and adore you O God for their faithful witness and
pray that our lives may reflect such faithfulness as we worship and
glorify you in prayer and praise, with music and melody, with hearts
and voices and lives totally in tune with yours. This we pray in
Jesus’ name. Amen
by Rev
Moira Laidlaw,
Uniting Church in Australia
from
Liturgies Online
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For
Children
"All
Hallow’s Eve"
(based on
Psalm 32:7)
Are any of you
going trick-or-treating tonight? Maybe you’ve already done so
earlier this weekend. If you have, that’s okay. What is/was your
costume? Halloween is a fun holiday, isn’t it? Of course, there
are some scary parts, too. Does anything scare you about
Halloween?
“Halloween” –
that’s a funny name. Notice, it’s not “holloween.” What
does “hollow” mean? That’s right – empty. Something that is
“hollow” has nothing in it. It’s empty. But this isn’t “holloween,”
it’s “halloween.” Do you know what “hallow” means?
It means “holy.” Not “holy” as in “full of holes,” but “sacred”
or “special.”
In church we
sometimes pray a prayer that begins, “Our Father who art in
heaven, hallowed be thy name,” or holy is your
name… We sometimes say that a cemetery, a place where dead
people are buried, is hallowed ground. That means it is holy
ground.
Many churches
celebrate a special day they call “All Saints Day.” A “saint” is
someone who God has made holy. That doesn’t mean that there is
something spooky about them, that they walk around with a halo
around their head. Actually, everyone who trusts in God and
follows Jesus is a “saint.” A church cemetery is full of the
bodies of saints who have died and are now with Jesus in heaven.
On “All Saints Day,” which is tomorrow, we remember these
people.
Now, another word
for “saint” (someone whom God has made holy) is “Hallows,” so
that tomorrow is also known as “All Hallows Day.” Question: what
is the day before Christmas called? That’s right – Christmas
Eve. With that in mind, do you know why we call today
“Halloween?” Can you figure it out? “Halloween” is short for
“All Hallows Eve,” the day before “All Hallows Day.”
I asked you
earlier if anything scares you about Halloween. It’s okay to be
scared. On Halloween, we pay attention to our fears, the things
that frighten us. But we also remember that God surrounds us;
that even if scary things happen, God will take care of us. God
is our hiding place when trouble happens, even if that trouble
happens because we trust in Jesus, because we may be showing God
in how we live.
It’s okay to be scared. In fact, on Halloween it’s fun to laugh
at the things that may scare us – the ghosts and goblins and
monsters. These things are really “hollow,” they’re empty next
to God. And God says to us, “Don’t be afraid.” Tonight, when
it’s dark and something scares you, I want you to listen for God
to speak, saying, “Shhh, it’ll be all right.” I think that’s the
real meaning of Halloween.
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Pastoral Prayer
written closer to the time (if not at the
moment)
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Returning
our Tithes and Offerings
Please pray with me.
Hearing the
witness of your prophet Isaiah, O Lord, help us “cease to do
evil,” but rather “learn to do good.” Lead us to “seek justice,
rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.”
Teach us the wise use of the resources you provide, both
personally and as a congregation. We dedicate these offerings to
your glory and our neighbor’s good. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Ushers?
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Benediction
God is
the rock to which you cling,
your hiding place.
This doesn’t mean that now you should go
where no one can find you.
Instead, this week, I invite you:
come down out of your own sycamore tree.
Jesus is coming to your home,
to where you work
or learn
or play.
Don’t be afraid. It’ll be all right.
Today salvation has come to this house,
because you too are a son or daughter
of Abraham and Sarah.
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(para traducir a español, presione la bandera de España)
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