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Worship Order for
Sunday
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Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Long Green & Kanes Rds., near Glen Arm, Md.
July 8, 2012
Worship 10:00 am
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“But
the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable,
gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits,
without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a
harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who
make peace.”
(James 3:17-18) |
Beginning with Praise
(9:50 am)
"For we are strangers
no more"
322
Announcements
Prelude
Call to Worship Psalm 123
*Hymn
"Come,
we that love the Lord" 14
*Opening Prayer
A Moment to
Connect us to our Global Church
Sharing
a joy, a concern, a word of testimony or praise
(please be brief, and aware of God's listening presence)
Responsive Prayer of the
People
720
Hymn
"For the healing of the
nations"
367
Scripture
Matthew 5:38-48
(pew Bibles p. 839)
Video
"Sowing
Seeds of Peace"
(the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria)
Scripture
Matthew 5:21-26
(pew Bibles p. 838)
Responding with our Tithes and Offerings
Offertory
(Please sign the attendance pad
and pass it on)
*Hymn
"Strong,
righteous man of Galilee" 540
*Unison Closing
Prayer 756
*Postlude
*Rise in body or in spirit #'s are from Hymnal:
A Worship Book
Worship leaders - see basic
guidelines |
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Call to
Worship
Listen to the
Psalmist:
1To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
2As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their
master,
as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her
mistress,
so our eyes look to the
Lord our God,
until he has mercy upon us.
3Have mercy upon us, O Lord,
have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
4Our soul has had more than its fill of
the scorn
of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.
(pause to be clear that the
Psalm has ended)
Arise, in body or spirit, and
“Come, we that love the Lord.
Let our joys be known.”
We are marching on holy
ground.
Psalm 123
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Opening
Prayer
You, Lord God, who sit
enthroned in the heavens, are the source of peace in a violent
world. In you we discover hope when and where we are tempted to
think there is none. You surprise us daily, not only with the
regular rising of the sun, but also with unexpected joys that
dot the landscape of our lives. Amid our discouragement, you
pour out your Holy Spirit, and we are refreshed, strengthened,
and renewed. And so, we are empowered to lift up our eyes and
look beyond the horizon with expectation, knowing that in your
mercy, contempt can change to respect, enemies can be
transformed to friends, and peace rises like seeds planted in
the wilderness to become a harvest of righteousness.
Bless this hour of worship with
an awareness of your presence, O God. Open the eyes of our
hearts as we stand upon the holy ground of this dwelling place,
such that when we head from here to our other neighborhoods, we
will be aware that you precede us there. This we pray in the
name of the One who said, “I am with you always, to the end of
the age.” Amen.
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A Moment to Connect us
to our Global Church
At this very moment,
delegates from most every congregation of the Church of the
Brethren are gathered for worship at our Annual Conference in
St. Louis. Gary Miller is there representing you. Also in
attendance are Sue Ellen and Richard Wheatley, and Pastor Pete.
In his absence, we will be inspired by a video of the Church of
the Brethren in Nigeria, which we will view after sharing and
praying over our joys and concerns.
In 2009,
Pastor Pete
traveled to Nigeria, and met many of the persons you will
see interviewed in this video. Markus Gamache was driver, guide,
and companion to the group with whom Pete journeyed. Of note is
that Markus was raised in a Muslim family and chose to follow
Jesus as an adult. However, he maintains his relationships with
the Muslim community and is a salt-of-the-earth peacemaker.
Samuel Dali and Toma Ragnjiya are mighty peace evangelists among
the Brethren. They are seeking to model another way of living
with people of other religions, leaning upon the teachings of
Jesus emphasized by the Brethren who shared the gospel in
northeast Nigeria many years ago. We have much to learn from
them.
Since this video was made,
there has been more violence. On June 10, in the city of Biu in
Borno state,
gunmen opened fire during a Sunday morning service at an EYN
(Church of the Brethren) congregation there. An usher and
another worshipper were killed, and others were injured. Then, a
week later,
a Brethren church in the city of Kaduna was burned in an
attack, and three people were killed. Can you imagine how you
might feel, or what you might do in response, as a follower of
the Prince of Peace, if that happened here? Let’s make this our
first concern to be shared this morning, that our brothers and
sisters in Nigeria will be in our prayers.
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Responsive Prayer of the People
ALL: Listening God,
you hear our prayers before we speak,
yet welcome our praying;
therefore we come with confidence
to lay our requests before you.
Leader: We pray for Christian everywhere,
for our denomination and our congregation,
for faithfulness and strength to persevere in righteousness.
We pray for the whole people of God.
People: Lord, hear our prayer.
Leader: We pray for the nations of the world,
for all leaders
and for those who make policy decisions.
We pray for the commonwealth of our global community.
People: Lord, hear our prayer.
Leader: We pray for those who are overcome by violence,
for victims of injustice or oppression,
and for those in poverty or pain,
We pray for all who need healing and peace.
People: Lord, hear our prayer.
Leader: We pray for those who endure trials,
for those who are dying,
and for those who mourn.
We pray for all who need comfort and hope.
People: Lord, hear our prayer.
Leader: You have heard the prayers of your people, O God.
We rest in the comfort of your care,
as we pray in Jesus' name.
ALL: AMEN
#720, Copyright © 1992 The Hymnal
Project
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Returning
our Tithes and Offerings
We often pick and choose the scriptures we take literally. What
if we were to take these words of Jesus seriously? How might it
affect our speech? Is it only an insult – the kind that gets us
in spiritual trouble – when the person we insult is someone who
thinks like us? Are we off the hook with God if they are of
another religion? Can our “brother” with whom we need to
reconcile be someone very different from us? Perhaps it
wouldn’t be a good idea to take this scripture literally this
morning, for our imperfections might make for an empty offering
plate. What if we took it seriously, however? Is there someone
with whom you need to make peace? Think about that person as you
return your offering just now, and prayerfully consider what you
might do this week to make a first step at reconciliation. Our
Nigerian brothers and sisters have set us a mighty example. Are
we brave enough to follow the “strong righteous man of Galiliee”
in the way of peace with them?...
Ushers, please guide us in
the discipline of stewardship.
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Unison Closing Prayer
O God,
for too long the world
has called us to war,
and our dead lie sprawled
across the bleeding centuries.
But you
break the bow and shatter the spear,
calling us to sow seeds of peace
in the midst of despair.
In tenderness,
may we take the tiniest sprouts
and plant them
where they can safely grow
into blossoms of hope. AMEN
Hymnal #756
©1988
Linea Reimer Geiser
Used by permission
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