Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Long Green & Kanes Rds., near Glen Arm, Md.
June 26, 2011
Worship 10:00 am              Sunday School 11:10am
 

  Beginning with Praise (9:50 am)                "Let the redeemed"            (see insert)
  Announcements
  Prelude

  Call to Worship                   "The Kingdom Dance"                         (see insert)

  A Beginning Word                Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18

*Hymn                                     "Holy, holy, holy!"                                      120

*Opening Prayer

  Recognizing our Graduates

  A Franciscan Blessing                                                                    (see insert)

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

  Prayer Song                                   "Fluye"

  Pastoral Prayer

  Scripture                               Matthew 10:40-42

  Returning our Tithes and Offerings

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

  Song                                        "Grace like rain"                             (see insert)

  Scripture                                  Romans 6:12-23        (Laughing Bird version)

  Message                   "Living in the freedom of God" (mp3)

*Hymn                              "Make me a captive, Lord"                                539

*Benediction

*Postlude  

*Rise in body or in spirit

#'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book

Worship leaders - see basic guidelines

A Beginning Word
Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18

1 - Your love, God, is my song, and I'll sing it! I'm forever telling everyone how faithful you are. I'll never quit telling the story of your love- how you built the cosmos and guaranteed everything in it. Your love has always been our lives' foundation, your fidelity has been the roof over our world.

2 - You once said, "I joined forces with my chosen leader, I pledged my word to my servant, David, saying, 'Everyone descending from you is guaranteed life; I'll make your rule as solid and lasting as rock.'"

1 - Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise, who shout on parade in the bright presence of God.

2 - Delighted, they dance all day long; they know who you are, what you do - they can't keep it quiet!

1 - Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us - you've been so good to us!

2 - We're walking on air! All we are and have we owe to God, Holy God of Israel, our King!

from The Message, Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson
  

Opening Prayer

1 - Faithful God,

2 - Lord of the dance,

1 - Holy God,

2 - merciful and mighty,

1 - our song begins with your love.

2 - We have gathered yet again to tell your story,

1 - which becomes our story,

2 - and to sing your song,

1 - to which we add our harmony,

2 - which flows from your Spirit.

1 - Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us,

2 - and our praise is but one way it rises to the surface.

1 - May the way we live reflect your glory,

2 - not just in this hour,

1 - but throughout the week ahead.

2 - This we pray in the name of the One

1 - who sets us free to dance your dance.

2 - Jesus Christ.

1 - Amen!

Recognizing our Graduates

            Our 2011 graduates from college or high school come forward for us to celebrate with them this finish line, which is a starting place for the next leg of their race through life. We give each the opportunity to tell what their next steps are, and to share with them a gift (a book).
  

A Franciscan Blessing

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.

Amen.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

Amen.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.

Amen.

May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

Amen.

And the Blessing of God, who Creates, Redeems and Sanctifies, be upon you and all you love and pray for this day, and forever more.

Amen.

Author unknown
 

Pastoral Prayer

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

Returning our Tithes and Offerings

It’s a hot summer day and you step into a convenience store to grab something to quench your thirst. Arrayed before you are several glass doors, behind which are refrigerated bottles or cans of this soda or that tea, sometimes numbering over a hundred choices. And that is but the beginning of the cold beverage options available.

How, then, are we to hear this scripture about a simple cup of water? It’s not Coke or Pepsi or Mountain Dew. It’s not Snapple or Sobe or Nestea. It’s just water, and not some fancy bottled brand imported from a clear mountain stream in Switzerland. It’s simply a cup of water, drawn by hand from a well and thus colder than the above-ground temperature in a hot, dry land.

            “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me,” Jesus said, and the giving or receiving of a simple cup of water takes on a different meaning as we consider that Jesus is in the middle of it all… As you return your offering, think about the simple act of drawing water from a well and freely sharing it with a stranger who then becomes a friend. Welcome Jesus with your gift.

Ushers?

Benediction

As you move on into the days that lie ahead,
      live in the freedom of God!
      Breathe in the fresh air of the Spirit.
      Follow the One who said,
             “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light,” and
      get hooked on honesty and integrity
            so that you will grow into the wholeness
                  that God intended for you.
Step out into the kingdom dance!
Amen!