| Worship Order for Sunday | ||
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Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Beginning with Praise
(9:50 am)
"Seed, scattered and sown" 454 Call to Worship
(back of bulletin)
*Hymn
"Fairest
Lord Jesus"
117 Sharing
a joy, a concern, a word of testimony or praise
*Hymn
"Sent forth by
God’s blessing"
478 *Postlude *Rise in body or in spirit #'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book Worship leaders - see basic guidelines |
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One:
As we gather today, may we understand God's presence
All:
Open our hearts and minds to receive
you, O God. Fill
us
One:
In the daily routine of life we have become impatient.
We
All:
We confess our shortcomings, O God.
Restore us, and
One:
Help us lead lives worthy of you, Lord. May our lives be
All:
We are here to praise and honor you,
O God. May we
lift
One:
As we gather to worship, fill us with your joy as we give
by
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Lord
God, as we listen to your Word, as we whisper our prayers,
as we
lift our voices in praise to you, may we fully understand the
spiritual blessings you have prepared for us. May we be fervent in
our prayers in seeking your will, today, and in the days to come.
In your
name, we pray. Amen. by
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This is an
alphabet psalm. Each lettered verse is a separate prayer within
the larger prayer. The New
Jerusalem Bible actually presents the verses so that each one
begins with an English word that follows alphabetical order, e.g.
adoration, but, calling, direct. We will read these verses
together, pausing between each to allow the words to be prayed
through us.
1
ADORATION
I offer, Yahweh, 2 to you, my God.
BUT in
my trust in you do not put me to shame, let not my enemies gloat
over me. 3
CALLING
to you, none shall ever be put to shame, but shame is theirs who
groundlessly break faith. 4
DIRECT
me in your ways, Yahweh, and teach me your paths. 5
ENCOURAGE
me to walk in your truth and teach me since you are the God who
saves me.
FOR my
hope is in you all day long— 7c such is your
generosity, Yahweh. 6
GOODNESS
and faithful love have been yours for ever, Yahweh, do not forget
them. 7
HOLD not
my youthful sins against me, but remember me as your faithful love
dictates. 8
INTEGRITY
and generosity are marks of Yahweh for he brings sinners back to
the path. 9
JUDICIOUSLY
he guides the humble, instructing the poor in his way. 10
KINDNESS
unfailing and constancy mark all Yahweh’s paths, for those who
keep his covenant and his decrees.
Psalm 25:1-10
from the
New Jerusalem Bible |
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Such simple
words to sing, O Lord, and yet we spend a lifetime discovering and
living out what they mean. To be loved is the cry of each human
heart from the moment of birth, trusting in the arms that enfold
us. There is no decision to be made at that point, just a parent’s
care to be received – if we are so blessed. “Momma loves me, this
I know, for her loving tells me so.” Momma’s arms are your arms, O
heavenly Daddy. Our bodies
grow, our minds expand, and the simple becomes complicated. Trust
shifts to faith, and then doubt, and we question whether or not
you even exist, O God, forgetting what it was to be
unconditionally loved and cared for. Our childlike wonder is
almost lost amid our adult concerns… Almost… Still the melody is
there, like a lullaby deep within. You love us,
O God, unconditionally. Jesus’ arms are your arms. This we know,
though not like we know all that we have wisely studied in school.
Your story and our story connect. We belong to you, as a child
belongs to a parent – kinship, not ownership. No matter how big we
have become, how strong we think we are, you are always bigger,
and in our weakness we find your strength. Not in our
own power do we depend, Lord God. When we speak our concerns, as
two or more gathered in Jesus’ name, we trust in the arms that
have held us since our birth. We have faith that you will uphold
those we have mentioned this morning, that you – in fact – already
are embracing them. “Jesus loves them, this we know, for the Bible
tells us so. Little ones to him belong, they are weak but he is
strong.” And in response comes the cry of our hearts, “Yes!” …
Amen. |
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Returning our Tithes and Offerings Did you know
that when we use the word, “Amen,” we are speaking in Hebrew, the
language of the Old Testament? Because we usually bring our
prayers to a close with it, we often think that “amen” means, “the
end.” The truth is, however, our “amen” is but the beginning. You
could think of it as an affirmation, “this I believe!,” or an
exclamation, “this is truth!,” or as a plea, “let it be so!” The
simplest meaning is “Yes!” We are
responding to the “Yes!” of God with our own “Yes!” Like in the
song we sang as part of our prayer, “Yes” or “amen,” Jesus loves
me – this I believe, this is truth, or even let it be so (when I
struggle to believe it). In response to the steadfast love of the
Lord made known to us in Jesus Christ comes the simple, yet
profound cry, “Yes,” I will live out of that love, I will follow
love's call, I will be a beloved disciple. Our
offerings are like an “amen.” They flow as a response to God’s
goodness, not as a pre-payment for services to be rendered. As you
return your offering in the following moment, allow it to be your
“amen,” which is far from being “the end.” On this first day of a
new week, this celebration of resurrection day, may this be our
fresh start, the beginning of what God will be about within,
among, around, and beyond us.
Ushers, please guide our giving. |
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(When the song is finish,
with all having received bread
Lord God, you were moved by compassion to cross over to our side
of the road, your Son as our Good Samaritan. Here you bandaged our
wounds, taking them upon yourself. You continue to carry us to a
healing place. Thank you, Lord. We remember! |
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This bread
which we break is the communion of the body of Christ.
(the deacons then distribute
the cups as meditative music is played) This cup of
the New Testament is the communion of the blood of Christ. |
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This week,
may the Spirit |
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©2013 Peter
L. Haynes
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