Worship - September 18, 2011

Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Long Green & Kanes Rds., near Glen Arm, Md.
September 18, 2011
Worship 10:00 am Sunday School 11:10am

The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” (Exodus 16:3)

Beginning with Praise (9:50 am) "Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee" 71
Announcements
Prelude

We are led into Worship with Psalm 105:1-6

*We sing "Brethren, we have met to worship" 8

*We pray the prayer Jesus taught 731

We remember the Exodus story through Psalm 105:37-45

For Children "Remembering"

Scripture Philippians 1:19-30

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

Hymn "Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus" 340

Pastoral Prayer

Gospel story Matthew 20:1-16

Returning our Tithes and Offerings

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

Scripture Exodus 16:2-15

Message "A bad case of the if only’s" (mp3)

*Hymn "Guide me, O thou great Jehovah" 582

*Benediction

*Postlude

*Rise in body or in spirit

#'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book

Worship leaders - see basic guidelines

Call to Worship
Psalm 105:1-6

One - O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples.

All - Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works.

One - Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

All - Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually.

One - Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,

All - O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

We pray the prayer Jesus taught

Our Father in heaven,
    hallowed be your name,
    your kingdom come,
    your will be done,
    on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
    as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
    and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
    now and for ever. AMEN

Hymnal #731, from Praying Together
English translation of the Lord’s Prayer
© 1988 English Language Liturgical Consultation (ELLC).
Used by permission.

We remember the Exodus story
through Psalm 105:37-45

As you may recall, God’s people were enslaved in Egypt, and the Lord heard their cry for help. Moses was the man sent to set them free in that hour. Psalm 105 is an invitation to remember that story and, in hearing it once again, to make it our story. Think of this as a prayerful recollection, for the Bible paraphrase from which I will read addresses the words not just to us, but to God. Listen and worship.

You led Israel out of slavery,
........carrying off money and goods,
................and every one of them made it out safely.
The local people were glad to see the last of them,
........because they were terrified of them.

You rolled out a cloud like a blanket for them,
........and lit up the night with a fire.
They asked for meat and you gave them quail;
........all they could eat, you dropped from the sky.
You opened a rock and water poured out,
........flowing like a river in the desert.

You were true to your word, LORD,
........just as you promised your trusty worker, Abraham.
Your led your chosen people to freedom,
........laughing and singing with joy.

You gave them lands as a gift
........and made them rich at the expense of others.
In return you asked that they follow what you said,
........and stick to doing things your way.

You are the greatest, LORD!

For Children
"Remembering"

Remembering is important. Without remembering we don’t know where we have been. And if we don’t remember where we have been, we might not know where we are going. Did any of you ever get stung by a bee? Did it hurt? Now tell me, those of you who have been stung by one, when you see a bee, do you walk right up to it and try to touch it? “What a cute little bee. Come, let me pet you.” Of course not. You remember what it felt like to get stung and you stay away, right?

It’s not just the bad things that are good to remember. Though it is good to remember that bees sting, and that poison ivy makes you itch, and that you have to be careful around stairs because you can fall down them, and that you don’t stick things in an electric outlet (ever done that? Ouch!), or that…. [let kids come up with some]. It’s good to remember the bad things, so you don’t do them again. But it’s also good to remember the good things.

We remember what ice cream tastes like, which makes us want to eat some again. We remember how good it feels to do something nice for someone, which makes us want to be helpful more. We remember places we been and we want to return. We remember getting a good grade, and how proud we were to get it, and we want to do it again. Remembering is important.

Now, summer is over. I want to hear from each one of you one thing you most want to remember from it. I suppose it could be a bad thing, cause those are good to learn from. But do you know what I’d like to hear? I’d like to hear one good memory from each of you. Something that made you very happy. Something that you will take with you in your mind for the rest of the year. Now, as you are thinking about what you might share, let me tell you what Beth told me. I knew she was going to be away this weekend, so I asked her mother to ask her and then tell me what Beth said was the best thing about her summer that she wants to remember all year.

[after sharing Beth’s memory, encourage each child to share, then end in a prayer]

Dear God, thank for memories of things which hurt that help us to stay away. But thank you even more for all the good memories that warm our hearts and show us what we might do in the future. Amen.

Scripture
Philippians 1:19-30

Stuck in a Roman detention center, the apostle Paul wrote a remarkably joyful letter to his friends in the church he started in Philippi. Following the usual greetings and salutations, he says this:

³I thank my God every time I remember you, ⁴constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, ⁵because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.

If only we would remember more with gratitude than remorse! He goes on to place his current troubles (he is in prison, after all) in a larger context, trying to see what God might be doing for good through it all. He then says the following, words that can influence our sharing with one another just now – if we allow the Lord to move among us. Listen.

Through your faithful prayers and the generous response of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, everything he wants to do in and through me will be done. I can hardly wait to continue on my course. I don't expect to be embarrassed in the least. On the contrary, everything happening to me in this jail only serves to make Christ more accurately known, regardless of whether I live or die. They didn't shut me up; they gave me a pulpit! Alive, I'm Christ's messenger; dead, I'm his bounty. Life versus even more life! I can't lose.

As long as I'm alive in this body, there is good work for me to do. If I had to choose right now, I hardly know which I'd choose. Hard choice! The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better. But most days, because of what you are going through, I am sure that it's better for me to stick it out here. So I plan to be around awhile, companion to you as your growth and joy in this life of trusting God continues. You can start looking forward to a great reunion when I come visit you again. We'll be praising Christ, enjoying each other.

Meanwhile, live in such a way that you are a credit to the Message of Christ. Let nothing in your conduct hang on whether I come or not. Your conduct must be the same whether I show up to see things for myself or hear of it from a distance. Stand united, singular in vision, contending for people's trust in the Message, the good news, not flinching or dodging in the slightest before the opposition. Your courage and unity will show them what they're up against: defeat for them, victory for you—and both because of God. There's far more to this life than trusting in Christ. There's also suffering for him. And the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting. You're involved in the same kind of struggle you saw me go through, on which you are now getting an updated report in this letter.

Philippians 1:3-6 from 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.

Philippians 1:19-30 from The Message
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson
Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Pastoral Prayer

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

Returning our Tithes and Offerings

Isn’t it good to hear a story about people being hired instead of laid off? A fair daily wage was offered and given to all, even those who had worked the least. Of course, we know this is just a story. We know that jobs just don’t find you, you have to find them. We know that people are not really paid like this, for which we are thankful. We’d probably be among the complainers, don’t you think? However, Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is like this landowner. It makes you wonder, doesn’t it? What does all this “last will be first and first will be last” stuff mean? Think about it as you return your offering. But first, let’s pray.

God, we struggle to figure out our own economy, which doesn’t seem to be in very good shape right now. Everyone has an opinion on who is to blame or what we must do to make it better. We wish they all truly had the desire of this landowner in Jesus’ story, to employ people in good work, and to give fair wages. Maybe they do. Help that to be the starting point. As for your economy, O Lord, we are still baffled by how it all happens in your way of doing business. But that’s good, because you are God and we are not. Thank you for being so generous. Amen.

Ushers?

Benediction

As you go through this week, remember.
      Don’t just remember what I said this hour,
            though that would be good.
      Remember the Exodus story,
            and how “Jehovah” guided the children of Israel
                  out of slavery, through the wilderness,
                        providing manna along the way to the promised land.
      Remember the Gospel story,
            and how “Jehovah” in Jesus, led (and continues to lead) us
                  out of captivity to sin and onward through uncertain territory,
                        providing us with daily bread along the way to glory land.
      Forget the “in only’s,”
            and remember what’s most important.

Be sustained by God, your creator and provider.
Be set free by Christ, your deliverer.
Be empowered by the Holy Spirit, your strength.
Amen!