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Worship Order for
Sunday
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Call to
Worship
With friends and strangers,
with family and neighbors, we gather:
Come among us, Healing God,
with that love which never ends.
With faith reaching out to touch,
with hearts straining to trust, we hope:
Come among us, Friend of the broken,
with your compassion which makes us whole.
With word and wonder,
with silence and song, we wait:
Come among us, Dryer of our tears,
to lift us to our feet to follow you.
by
Rev. Thom M. Shuman, Interim Pastor
Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati, OH
from
Lectionary Liturgies
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Opening
Prayer
You watch, Timeless God:
as we go hurrying and scurrying about,
our worries and fears crowding around us
until we can scarcely take a breath.
You wait,
as we struggle to keep up with you,
constantly distracted by the fears
which drain our faith and hopes.
You hope,
as we go from promise to promise,
leaving each one broken behind us,
the world bankrupting our dreams.
You watch, you wait, you hope,
and hearing the cries from the depths
of our despair and brokenness,
you lift us to our feet,
breathing new life into us.
God in Community, Holy in One,
we offer our hearts to you,
even as we pray as we are taught,
Our Father . . .
by
Rev. Thom M. Shuman, Interim Pastor
Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati, OH
from
Lectionary Liturgies
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Unison Confession
Lord Jesus,
blind I am, do
thou enlighten me;
naked I am, do
thou clothe me;
wounded, do thou
heal me;
dead, do thou
quicken me.
I know of no light,
no physician,
no life, except
thee. AMEN
Hymnal #700
by Menno Simons, 16th c., "Meditation on the 25th
Psalm,"
from The Complete Writings of Menno Simons,
translated by Leonard Verduin, ed. J.C. Wenger,
© 1956 Herald Press, Scottdale, PA 15683.
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Mark
5:21-43
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Separate the two stories and help listeners hear
them both, ask two readers (one
male, one female) to read this text. The man starts
reading from the lectern. At the proper time, the
woman comes from her seat and nudges him aside to
read her part, then steps aside walking out a side
door to make space for the man to finish the story.
Encourage the readers to take the roles of Jairus
and the sick woman and to read dramatically as those
people might have told this story about themselves. |
Man: When Jesus had
crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd
gathered around him; and he was by the sea. Then one of the
leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him,
fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter
is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so
that she may be made well, and live.” So he went with him. And
a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him.
Woman: Now there was
a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve
years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had
spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew
worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the
crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, “If I but touch his
clothes, I will be made well.” Immediately her hemorrhage
stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her
disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him,
Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my
clothes?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd
pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ” He
looked all around to see who had done it. But the woman,
knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling,
fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to
her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and
be healed of your disease.”
Man: While he was
still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say,
“Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?”
But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the
synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” He allowed no one to
follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.
When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he
saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had
entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep?
The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him.
Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and
mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child
was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,”
which means, “Little girl, get up!” And immediately the girl
got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At
this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered
them that no one should know this, and told them to give her
something to eat.
as suggested
by Carolyn C. Brown
from
Worshiping with Children
scripture text
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.
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For
Children
"Don’t
Interrupt!"
Talk about the preceding gospel story with the children,
using the following suggestion by Carolyn C. Brown
from
Worshiping with Children:
"Children are often told by adults not to interrupt them, but
are often interrupted by adults who want them to stop what they
are doing to do whatever the adult wants NOW. This story
provides them both good news and a challenge. The good news is
that when the sick woman interrupted Jesus, he did not get upset
but stopped to help her. So, Jesus is willing to hear from us
whenever we need him. We don’t have to worry that we are
interrupting. The challenge is that as Jesus’ disciples we are
called to be like Jesus. That means we need to be willing to be
interrupted too. We need to pay attention to the needs of
others around us and be willing to stop what we are doing when
they need us."
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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
(follows reading of
2 Corinthians 8:7-15)
“If the
eagerness is there,” Paul wrote, “the gift is acceptable…”
Webster’s dictionary says that someone who is “eager” is “marked
by keen, enthusiastic, or impatient desire or interest.”
Enthusiasm and eagerness are important when it comes
to making use of the resources that God has provided us. It’s
good to be excited about where the Lord is leading and
what we are doing with God’s help. One of the struggles we face
along the way, however, involves how to remain enthusiastic
as we continue the journey. Impatience can lead our
desire to diminish. It can cause our interest to
wander. The path upon which Jesus leads us is a long and winding
road. Is your eagerness of the lasting variety? Are you
in this for the long haul? “If the eagerness is there,”
Paul wrote, “the gift is acceptable…” Ponder those words
as you return your offering. Ushers?
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Benediction
As you head into this week,
actively wait upon the Lord.
Remember that, for Jairus,
waiting involved seeking out
and going to Jesus.
Recall that for the suffering woman
in that same gospel story,
waiting involved reaching out
and touching his cloak,
even when such an act
seemed unthinkable.
Don’t let your “waiting” be passive.
Have faith, even amid a sea of trouble.
Boldly trust in the One who is
your Creator and
Savior and
Strength.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is the faithfulness of God.
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