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Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Beginning with Praise
(9:50 am) "What is this place"
1
Turning toward the Living Christ *Hymn
"Praise
him, praise him!"
100
Amid our worries and distractions A
moment of Silence
We come to God’s Table together Sharing
a joy, a concern, a word of testimony or praise
We welcome and are welcomed *Hymn "Softly
and tenderly Jesus is calling"
491 *Postlude *Rise in body or in spirit #'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book Worship leaders - see basic guidelines |
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One: We are here because Christ has called
us.
All: We assemble in response to his word.. One: Prepare to rise above your fickle moods,
All: With God’s help, we will. One: Give God the best that you can!
All: We offer him heart, and soul, and mind, and strength. One: Let us then worship God. by
Bruce Prewer,
Uniting Church in Australia. |
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God our most holy Friend, we come to you with gratitude and awe.
You are a God whose glory fills heaven and earth! Praise belongs
to you forever! by
Bruce Prewer,
Uniting Church in Australia. |
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A Gospel Story comes to life
This morning, we are going to act out a familiar story found only
in the Gospel of Luke. It immediately follows the parable that was
the focus of my message last Sunday – “The Good Samaritan.” As you
may remember, the main character in that story was someone most
Jewish folks back then would not have considered “good.” He was a
person who people may have seen as out of place in the
neighborhood in which this story supposedly took place in the
imagination of Jesus. It might have been like a young black man in
a hoodie walking through a gated community in Florida.
The question that brought out this story was this: “Who is my
neighbor?” If the second commandment is “love your neighbor as
yourself,” that’s a relevant question. Jesus answered it by
showing an outsider doing on the road what good hospitality calls
all of us to do. Compassion led the good Samaritan to reach out
and care for a man robbed and beaten and left for dead. He took
this man to a local inn, which was his home away from home, and
provided for his ongoing care. This was an example of true
hospitality, what it means to “love your neighbor as yourself.”
And the person you’d least expect to be the hero, was.
After Jesus told this story, and challenged the lawyer who asked
the question to “go and do as this Samaritan did,” he and his band
of disciples moved on down the road they were traveling to
Jerusalem. Let’s act out what happened next. For this I need three
volunteers.
38Now as Jesus and his
disciples went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a
woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.
39She had a sister named Mary, who
sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying.
40But Martha was
distracted by her many tasks…”
Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to
Jesus
(Martha does so) and asked, “Lord, do you not
care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell
her then to help me.” 41But
the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and
distracted by many things; 42there
is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which
will not be taken away from her.”
That’s where this story ends, the last verse of chapter 10. Like
many Gospel stories, we are left wondering what happened next.
What did Martha do with what Jesus said? Did it change the
relationship between these sisters? What do
we do with what
Jesus said? Does it change our relationships?
(Thank the actors, who return to their pews.)
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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They are there in the Bible: men and women who are as weak, as
foolish, as prone to sin as we are.
Every page, every story reveals to us our brokenness. Yet
every page, every story tells us of the One who longs to make us
whole. Let us confess our sins, and clear the way for God's
reconciling love to work within us, Please join me, as we pray,
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In the mirror we call scripture, Revealing God, we see ourselves
for who we are and are not.
We whine about those who are not doing what we think they
should, and ignore our failings.
We speak words which nibble away at the life in our family
and friends. We step
over the poor on our way to get more and more, ignoring their
needs. A moment of Silence by Thom M. Shuman |
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One: Christ Jesus comes to reconcile us to
God, so we can be reconciled to one another. All:
When we are in Christ, everything becomes new. Our past is just
that - our past! One: Do you really believe this - that your
past is done, and you are a new person? All:
Thanks be to God! We will go forth and live as reconciled people.
Amen. by Thom M. Shuman |
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written closer to the time (if not at the moment)
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Our delegate, John Ness, will share the first of a series of brief
reports from the 2013 Annual Conference of our denomination.
Listen to what he had to say in this initial installment. |
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Returning our Tithes and Offerings
Living God, we invite you into our minds and hearts in this hushed
moment of praise and thanksgiving.
We listen for your invitation to forget our daily stress
and to unwind in your embrace.
You enfold us in your peace extending beyond needless
worries and everyday troubles.
We worship you with these gifts and with spirits renewed by
your grace. We pray in
the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, whose message transcends time.
Amen. Copyright © 2013
David S. Bell. |
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“Let mutual love continue,” it says in the 13th chapter of
the book of Hebrews, followed by this encouragement: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,
for by doing that some have
entertained angels without knowing it.” Step into God’s gift of hospitality this
week.
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©2013 Peter
L. Haynes
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