Worship - April 14, 2013

Call to Worship

On this third Sunday of Easter, we are drawn into worship with a scene from the last book of the Bible. In it, John stands in the very presence of God, a revelation unfolding before him. He has heard a heavenly choir sing, and in the fifth chapter a scroll has been handed by the One who sits on the eternal throne to a Lamb �standing as if it had been slaughtered� (5:6). This scroll will be opened by that sacrificed lamb in the chapters that flow after this, unveiling God�s last word on evil, prayer, witness, politics, judgment, salvation, and heaven. The choir then sings a new song to this lamb, this crucified and resurrected Messiah, �You are worthy to open the scroll�� (5:9-10)
Please rise in body or spirit with John, whose revelation calls us into the presence of the Lord. Close your eyes and be silent for a few moments, so that your prayerful imagination might be opened to worship. Cover your eyes with your hands, and do not remove them until the organ begins to play and you then open your eyes and heart to sing praise� Be still just now.

(silence)

¹¹Then I looked,
            and I heard
                        the voice of many angels surrounding the throne
                                    and the living creatures
                                    and the elders;
                        they numbered myriads of myriads
                                    and thousands of thousands,
                                                ¹²singing with full voice,
            �Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered
                        to receive   power
                                    and wealth
                                    and wisdom
                                    and might
                                    and honor
                                    and glory
                                    and blessing!�
¹³Then I heard every creature in heaven
                                                and on earth
                                                and under the earth
                                                and in the sea,
                                                and all that is in them, singing,
            �To the one seated on the throne
                        and to the Lamb be blessing
                                                and honor
                                                and glory
                                                and might forever and ever!�
¹⁴And the four living creatures said,
            �Amen!�
                        And the elders fell down and worshiped.

(after slight pause, organ begins intro to:)
"Thine is the glory" #269

Revelation 5:11-14 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.

Opening Prayer

O living Christ,
    come to us in the glory of your risen power;
    come to us in the humility of your wondrous love.
Come and reign among us!
Let new life course through our veins,
    new love bind us together,
    and new vision spur us on to follow you forever.
Even so, come Lord Jesus.  AMEN

Hymnal #677, The Iona Community, Scotland,
The New Book of Christian Prayers,
� 1986 Tony Castle. Edited by Tony Castle.
Crossroad/Continuum Publishing Company.

Responsively Reading Psalm 30

All - I will praise you, LORD!

One - You saved me from the grave and kept my enemies
from celebrating my death.

All - I prayed to you, LORD God, and you healed me,
saving me from death and the grave.

One - Your faithful people, LORD, will praise you with
songs and honor your holy name.

All - Your anger lasts a little while,

One - but your kindness lasts for a lifetime.

All - At night we may cry,

One - but when morning comes we will celebrate.

All - I was carefree and thought,

One - "I'll never be shaken!"

All - You, LORD, were my friend, and you made me
strong as a mighty mountain.

One - But when you hid your face, I was crushed.

All - I prayed to you, LORD, and in my prayer I said,

One        - "What good will it do you if I am in the grave?
                  Once I have turned to dust, how can I praise you
                  or tell how loyal you are? Have pity, LORD! Help!"

All - You have turned my sorrow into joyful dancing.

One - No longer am I sad and wearing sackcloth.

All - I thank you from my heart,

One - and I will never stop singing your praises,

All - my LORD and my God....

One - God has, indeed, "turned (our) mourning into dancing."

Contemporary English Version
�1995 by American Bible Society

Pastoral Prayer

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

A story, a testimony, an invitation to give

One of our members, Willard Wymer, will share a story* he recently received from his daughter, which will lead into a story of his own. He has appreciated chauffering children from the Baltimore area to appointments at the Shriner's hospital in Philadelphia. He'll tell a bit about this experience as a sort of testimony to what God does through us. At the end, he'll extend a invitation to return our tithes and offerings.

*p.s. the truth behind this story goes beyond details added later by others. A child's gift was instrumental in building up the Baptist Temple in Philadelphia, now part of Temple University. The old facility has been renovated into the Temple Performing Arts Center.

John 21:1-19
(from The Voice)

[The roles of Narrator, Jesus, Peter, and Beloved Disciple, are recruited ahead of time. Just prior to the reading, the Pastor or worship leader invites four other persons to join him/her up front to act out this story, in the roles of Thomas, Nathanael, and the sons of Zebedee. The pastor/worship leader is one of the �two other disciples,� along with the Beloved Disciples. These last-minute recruits simply follow the lead of the pastor/worship leader. All the disciples are gathered together up front Jesus stands on the left side.. Once the quick instructions are shared, and everyone is in position, the Narrator begins to read from the lectern.]

Narrator: ¹There was one other time when Jesus appeared to the disciples�this time by the Sea of Tiberias.
This is how it happened:

²Simon Peter, [he waves]

Thomas (the Twin), [he waves]

Nathanael (the Galilean from Cana) [he waves]

the sons of Zebedee, [they wave]

and two other disciples [they wave]

were together.

Simon Peter (to disciples): ³I am going fishing.

Disciples: Then we will come with you.

[they pretend to jump in a boat and row over to the right side of the sanctuary up front. Then start pretending to cast nets into the �water� one just one side of the boat and pull them back in, quickly growing discouraged. After a bit of this, the narrator continues.]

Narrator: They went out in the boat and caught nothing through the night. ⁴As day was breaking, Jesus was
standing on the beach; but they did not know it was Jesus.

Jesus: [yell, perhaps with a �Hey!� or two at first to get their attention] ⁵My sons, you haven�t caught any fish, have you?

[The disciples in the boat peer off into the distance toward the voice, then all answer, not quite in unison, yelling back.]

Disciples: No.

Jesus: ⁶Throw your net on the starboard side of the boat, and your net will find the fish.

[they do so, with growing amazement.]

Narrator: They did what He said, and suddenly they could not lift their net because of the massive weight of the fish that filled it.
⁷The disciple loved by Jesus turned to Peter and said:

Beloved Disciple: It is the Lord.

[all the disciples pretend to do as the narrator � who pauses periodically to allow them to do so � says. All but Peter pull their �boat� up in front of the pulpit to the right and wait. Meanwhile, Jesus goes and sits on the top step to the left on the raised area up front, and pretends to make a fire.]

Narrator: Immediately, when Simon Peter heard these words, he threw on his shirt (which he would take off while he was
working) and dove into the sea. ⁸The rest of the disciples followed him, bringing in the boat and dragging

in their net full of fish. They were close to the shore, fishing only about 100 yards out. ⁹When they arrived

on shore, they saw a charcoal fire laid with fish on the grill. He had bread too.

Jesus (to disciples): ¹⁰Bring some of the fish you just caught.

[During the lines that follow, Peter helps to unload the catch from the boat and brings some �fish� (a basket of baked Goldfish� is on the stand in front of the pulpit) to Jesus. The disciples follow and sit on the steps.]

Narrator: ¹¹Simon Peter went back to the boat to unload the fish from the net. He pulled 153 large fish from the net.

Despite the number of the fish, the net held without a tear.

Jesus: ¹²Come, and join Me for breakfast.

[As the narrator reads, Jesus passes the basket of baked Goldfish� to the disciples, who each take some and eat. The pastor/worship leader motions to the congregation to eat the fish they received when other baskets were passed during the singing of the preceding song.]

Narrator: Not one of the disciples dared to ask, �Who are You?� They knew it was the Lord. ¹³Jesus took the bread and

gave it to each of them, and then He did the same with the fish. ¹⁴This was the third time the disciples had

seen Jesus since His death and resurrection. ¹⁵They finished eating breakfast.

[When the �meal� is done � give it some time, the scene focuses upon only Jesus and Peter who have the following exchange. The rest of the disciples freeze in place]

Jesus: Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these other things?

Simon Peter: Yes, Lord. You know that I love You.

Jesus: Take care of My lambs.

Narrator: ¹⁶Jesus asked him a second time . . .

Jesus: Simon, son of John, do you love Me?

Simon Peter: Yes, Lord. You must surely know that I love You.

Jesus: Shepherd My sheep. [pause, then;] ¹⁷Simon, son of John, do you love Me?

Narrator: Peter was hurt because He asked him the same question a third time, �Do you love Me?�

Simon Peter: Lord, You know everything! You know that I love You.

Jesus: Look after My sheep. ¹⁸I tell you the truth: when you were younger, you would pick up and go wherever

you pleased; but when you grow old, someone else will help you and take you places you do not want to go.

Narrator: ¹⁹Jesus said all this as an indicator of the nature of Peter�s death, which would glorify God.
After this conversation, Jesus said,

Jesus: Follow Me!

[All freeze in place for a few moments, then quietly return to their seats.]

scripture text from The Voice� translation � 2011 Ecclesia Bible Society
[items in italics in brackets] are my own stage directions

Benediction

Empower us
     to nurture those newborn in faith,
     to search for those still scattered
     on the hillsides of the world
     waiting for shepherd love.
Empower us
     to gather together
     your other sheep
     in our communities
     and to the ends of the earth.
Empower us, Lord,
     to tend your flock. AMEN