Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Long Green & Kanes Rds., near Glen Arm, Md.
June 16, 2013
Worship 10:00 am          Sunday School 11:10am

Father’s Day

   Beginning with Praise (9:50 am)               "Holy Spirit, Truth divine"               508
  Announcements
  Prelude                                "Prelude in F Major"                                     Bach

  Call to Worship                            Psalm 32                           (from The Voice)

*Hymn                              "Wonderful grace of Jesus"                                 150
                                   (sing verse 2 without accompaniment)

*Opening Prayer

  Litany of Recognition and Honor for Father’s Day

  Hymn                                  "Faith of our Fathers"                                  (insert)

  Returning our Tithes and Offerings

  Offertory                    "Cast Thy Burden Upon the Lord"             Mendelssohn
                              (Please sign the attendance pad and pass it on)

  Sharing a joy, a concern, a word of testimony or praise
                                (respond to each with either of the below)
                                  "For this we pray, for this we pray."
                             "We thank you, Lord. We thank you Lord."

  Anointing a sister

  Scripture                                   Luke 7:36-50

  Message           "From behaving badly to living gladly" (mp3)

*Hymn                            "Lord, I am fondly, earnestly"                               514

*Benediction

*Postlude                                 "None But Christ"                          McGranahan

*Rise in body or in spirit

#'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book

Worship leaders - see basic guidelines

Call to Worship
Psalm 32

¹How happy is the one whose wrongs are forgiven,
    whose sin is hidden from sight.
²How happy is the person whose sin the Eternal will not take into account.
    How happy are those who no longer lie, to themselves or others.
³When I refused to admit my wrongs, I was miserable,
    moaning and complaining all day long
    so that even my bones felt brittle.
⁴Day and night, Your hand kept pressing on me.
    My strength dried up like water in the summer heat;
    You wore me down.

              [pause while acolyte lights candles on worship center]

⁵When I finally saw my own lies,
    I owned up to my sins before You,
    and I did not try to hide my evil deeds from You.
I said to myself, “I’ll admit all my sins to the Eternal,”
    and You lifted and carried away the guilt of my sin.

              [pause while anointing oil is placed on worship center]

⁶So let all who are devoted to You
    speak honestly to You now, while You are still listening.
For then when the floods come, surely the rushing water
    will not even reach them.
⁷You are my hiding place.
    You will keep me out of trouble
    and envelop me with songs that remind me I am free.

              [pause while tub & towel are placed on worship center]

⁸I will teach you and tell you the way to go and how to get there;
    I will give you good counsel, and I will watch over you.
⁹But don’t be stubborn and stupid like horses and mules
    who, if not reined by leather and metal,
    will run wild, ignoring their masters.
¹⁰Tormented and empty are wicked and destructive people,
    but the one who trusts in the Eternal is wrapped tightly in His gracious love.
¹¹Express your joy; be happy in Him, you who are good and true.
    Go ahead, shout and rejoice aloud, you whose hearts are honest and straightforward.

scripture text is from The Voice Bible
Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc.
The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society
All rights reserved.
       

Opening Prayer

Eternal God, whose steadfast love and mercy
        are greater than our ability to comprehend,
                we celebrate your wonderful grace.
    Like King David dancing before the ark of the covenant
         when it re-entered the life of your people long ago,
                  let your hair down today
                       and rejoice with your people here and now.
May the wind of your Spirit blow among us this hour,
         the flame of your presence ignite in us
                      not only the will,
                              but the ability to live out
                                      what you have created us to be.
With hearts that are often far from honest
                                                 and straightforward,
           we thank you for the forgiveness
                  we have received in Christ Jesus.
    Keep nudging us toward your Kingdom, O Lord,
         like a father who encourages his children
              to leave the nest and fly.
                       This we pray in the name of the One
                             scripture calls your Son.
                                      Amen.
     

Litany of Recognition and Honor for Father’s Day

One: On this day we recognize our fathers and stepfathers, those who have nurtured and guided us in our lives.

 All: We thank You, O God, for those who have been fathers to us.

One: We honor our grandfathers, our uncles and brothers, those who have demonstrated love and care to us in our lives.

 All: We thank You, O God, for those who have been like fathers to us.

One: We appreciate our teachers, leaders and pastors, who have been both male and female, but we especially honor those who have extended fatherly tenderness and love in our lives in our past and present.

 All: We thank You, O God, for those who have fulfilled a fatherly role in our lives.

One: Loving God, You have been both Mother and Father to us. Abba, Father, we remember how Jesus called out to You on earth, recognizing that You are closer to us than our earthly parents. Your love and care for us are felt in the ways we are loved and cared for by others. We thank You for all the male figures in our lives who have shared Your love with us. We ask that You guide and nurture new fathers and fathers-to-be. We seek Your forgiveness for fathers who have fallen short, for models of fatherhood that were limiting rather than embracing, for that is not Your model. You are our ever-loving Parent, Father of us all. Grant Your wisdom to all fathers and fatherly figures to love their children as You have loved Your children.

 All: We thank You, O God, for fatherhood and motherhood, for the blessing of parents in our lives.

One: Abba, Father, we pray with those who are mourning the loss of fathers today, and for those whose fathers were absent or abusive. Ease their pain on this day, loving God. May they know Your embrace, and that You are more than Father or Mother to us–You are the all-loving, all-caring Parent, Creator of heaven and earth, who knows the hairs on our heads.

 All: We thank You, O God, that You are always with us, that You will never leave us or forsake us.

One: We thank You for this day, and ask that You bless all of Your children with Your love, as a wonderful father loves their child.

 All: Amen.

by Rev. Mindi Welton-Mitchell, from rev-o-lution.org.
She is pastor at Burien Community Church,
and co-editor at [D]mergent.
  

Returning our Tithes and Offerings

             In honor of Father’s Day, we shifted the wording of what we just sang back from the wording in our hymnal, where it is “Faith of the Martyrs.” Written in the mid-1800’s, this song is not really about fatherhood, but rather about the faithfulness of the early church, which endured great persecution. The author, Frederick W. Faber, was ordained in the Church of England, but converted to the Roman Catholic Church. This hymn was partly his call for England to return to Catholicism, the “faith of our fathers.”

            Our own Anabaptist forefathers and mothers experienced persecution by both Protestants and Catholics during what is often called the “Radical Reformation.” They heard in this hymn a call not to Rome, but to radical discipleship, obediently following Jesus, the suffering lamb of God, wherever he leads. If you look on the front of your hymnal, you will see a symbol that was and is important to the faith of our Anabaptist fathers and mothers – a lamb in the midst of briars.... Pray with me.

Ushers?
      

Anointing a sister

             In the New Testament letter of James it says: “Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.”  (5:13-16)

             Our sister, _______, has requested that we anoint her in preparation for her surgery on Tuesday. When we anoint, we often do so in a smaller, more informal setting, surrounded by deacons and family and friends. It seemed appropriate today to do so in this larger setting of worship, for our whole fellowship has been a tremendous support to our sister through the past several years. This service involves a time of confession, letting go of sins and fears that can stand in the way of healing. This has already been done in smaller setting this past week, so we now come to the actual anointing according to our practice as Brethren.

             First, let me invite our sister to come forward, along with our deacons. I now invite any of the rest of you who would like to join us up front to come and surround her as we anoint and pray for her. After anointing her, we will lay hands upon her, which is simply connecting through touch. Not every hand needs to touch her. You may simply rest your hand upon the shoulder of someone who is touching her, or old their hand. In layng hands upon her, we are not here to push her down, but to lift her up to the Lord. I will begin with spoken prayer, then open up a time for anyone else to pray. When I sense all have spoken who feel so led, we will end in unison with the Lord’s prayer. Understood? Let’s begin.

            ___________, upon your confession of faith in the love and power of God, your willingness to commit your life completely to God in sickness or in health, and your desire to live your life for God's glory, you are now being anointed with oil in the name of God,
                     for the forgiveness of your sins,
                     for the strengthening of your faith, and
                     for healing and wholeness according to God's grace and wisdom.

 Prayer and Lord’s prayer
after hugs and other signs of support, we return to our seats.

statement at end is from "For all who Minister," ©1993, Brethren Press, p.262
for more on this New Testament ordinance of the church, click here.
  

Benediction

As you move on from this time and place
    and head out into the world of this week,
        may God’s Holy Spirit enable you
            to live gladly and not behave badly.
    This may involve some change on your part,
                          or some tears,
                          or letting down your hair,
                          or washing someone’s feet ... whatever.
At the end of the day,
    may you hear Jesus say:
            “Your faith has saved you.
                       Go in peace.”