Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Long Green & Kanes Rds., near Glen Arm, Md.
October 9, 2011
Worship 10:00 am              Sunday School 11:10am
 

  Beginning with Praise (9:50 am)          "Jesus, the very thought of thee"         588
  Announcements
  Prelude                                       "Psalm XIX"                                   Marcello

  Call to Worship                          Isaiah 25:1-9

*Hymn                       "From all that dwell below the skies"                           49

*Opening Prayer

  Unison Scripture                            Psalm 23                                            814

  Returning our Tithes and Offerings

  Offertory                         "The Lord is My Shepherd"                         Koschat
                                        (Please sign the attendance pad and pass it on)

*Response                        (vs. 1) "Lord, thou dost love"                               387

*Dedication

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

  Pastoral Prayer

  For Children                    "Walter Was Worried"      by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

  Scripture                                 Philippians 4:1-9

  Song                                       "Joy in the Lord"                                    (insert)

  Message          "The Guardian of our hearts and minds" (mp3)

*Hymn                          "Savior, like a shepherd lead us"                            355

*Benediction

*Rise in body or in spirit

#'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book

Worship leaders - see basic guidelines

Call to Worship
Isaiah 25:1-9

 (Congregation, as prompted:)
“O Lord, you are my God;
I will exalt you, I will praise your name.
for you have done wonderful things,
plans formed of old, faithful and sure.”

For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; the palace of aliens is a city no more, it will never be rebuilt. Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you.

(Congregation)
“O Lord, you are my God;
I will exalt you, I will praise your name.
for you have done wonderful things,
plans formed of old, faithful and sure.”

For you have been a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat. When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm, the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place, you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds; the song of the ruthless was stilled.

(Congregation)
“O Lord, you are my God;
I will exalt you, I will praise your name.
for you have done wonderful things,
plans formed of old, faithful and sure.”

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.

(Congregation)
“O Lord, you are my God;
I will exalt you, I will praise your name.
for you have done wonderful things,
plans formed of old, faithful and sure.”

It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain.

(Congregation)
“O Lord, you are my God;
I will exalt you, I will praise your name.
for you have done wonderful things,
plans formed of old, faithful and sure.”

from the Revised Standard Version.
Copyright 1946, 1952, 1959, 1973
by the Division of Christian Education of
the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
  

Opening Prayer

            Almighty God, source of every blessing, your generous goodness comes to us anew every day.  By the work of your Spirit lead us to acknowledge your goodness, give thanks for your benefits, and serve you in willing obedience.  Indeed we pray you to pour out your Holy Spirit upon us, that we might celebrate with you and you with us, as we offer our worship and ourselves to you this day; through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

by Richard J. Fairchild (adapted),
United Church of Canada.
  

Unison Scripture
Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want;
      he makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;
      he restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
      for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
            I fear no evil;
      for thou art with me;
      thy rod and thy staff,
            they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me
            in the presence of my enemies;
      thou anointest my head with oil,
            my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
            all the days of my life;
      and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Hymnal #814
from the Revised Standard Version.
Copyright 1946, 1952, 1959, 1973
by the Division of Christian Education of
the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
  

Returning our Tithes and Offerings

If there is any scripture that people take to heart, even if they don’t know much else in the Bible, the 23^rd Psalm is it. I’ve often wondered why. Perhaps it’s because it’s short and simple. Basic trust lies at the heart of it. There is someone watching over us, guarding and guiding and providing. We are not alone in dark times, nor defenseless. We are headed somewhere with full stomachs and healed wounds. What reason, then, do we have to be afraid? “Remember this,” we tell ourselves through this psalm, especially when we face into difficulty. “Remember, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want....”

            Indeed, remember this as you return your offering just now. Whether you are going through a dark valley or are on the edge or in the middle of some green pasture, remember your guardian and guide and provider. May the Lord shepherd your giving and living. Ushers?
  

Dedication

            Cheerful givers, God, that’s what you love. Not because we feel it’s expected of us, something we “ought” to do, but because we want to give. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a degree of sacrifice here. We could have spent this on something else. But we have chosen to let it go, to return it back to you. Of course, we know it’s headed somewhere else, as you draw us into your shepherding task. As “cheer”-ful givers, may we grow in becoming “cheer” leaders, encouraging one another, focusing upon the good, reaching out. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
  

Pastoral Prayer

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

Benediction

Go into this week filled with
         the peace of God
                  which passes all human understanding,
         the mind of Jesus Christ
                  which surpasses all human thinking, and
         the power of the Holy Spirit
                  which outlasts all human strength.

from Liturgies Online, by Rev Moira Laidlaw, Uniting Church in Australia.