Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Long Green & Kanes Rds., near Glen Arm, Md.
January 19, 2014
Worship 10:00 am          Sunday School 11:10am

  Beginning with Praise (9:50 am)                      "What is this place"                     1
  Announcements
  Prelude

  Call to Worship - based on Psalm 40                                   (back of bulletin)

*Hymn                          "My hope is built on nothing less"                            343

*Opening Prayer

  Sharing a joy, a concern, a word of testimony or praise
                                 (please be brief, and aware of God's listening presence)

  Prayer of the People (ends with Lord’s Prayer)

  Prophet Word                    Isaiah 49:1-7             from the Common English Bible

  Returning our Tithes and Offerings

  Song                               "Open the eyes of my heart"                       see insert
                              (Please sign the attendance pad and pass it on)

  Gospel Word                            John 1:29-42

  Message                        "Behold the lamb of God" (mp3)

  Hymn                                      "Come and see"                                          20

  Epistle Word                         1 Corinthians 1:1-9                   from The Message

 Invitation and Prayer

  Hymn                     (vs. 1-2) "Open my eyes, that I may see"                       517

  The Bread                                           (in unison:)
                                        "This Bread which we break
                               is the communion of the body of Christ"

  Hymn                     (vs. 3-4) "Open my eyes, that I may see"                       517

  The Cup                                      (in unison:)
                                          "This Cup which we bless
                               is the communion of the blood of Christ"

*Hymn                            "Sent forth by God’s blessing"                              478

*Closing Prayer

*Postlude

*Rise in body or in spirit

#'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book

Worship leaders - see basic guidelines

Call to Worship

Men:       I put all my hope in the Lord.

Women:  I waited patiently for the Lord.

Men:       He leaned down to me.

Women:  He turned to me and heard my cry.

Men:       He lifted me out of a slimy pit,

Women:  Out of the mud and mire,

Men:       And set my feet on solid rock,

Women:  And gave me a firm place to stand.

Men:       He put a new song in my mouth,

Women:  A hymn of praise to our God.

Men:       Many people will learn of this and be amazed.

Women:  Many will see and fear the Lord.

All:        They will trust the Lord and be blessed.

Men:       We will proclaim and speak of what God has done!

Women:  We will tell of this good news, and will not hide it!

All:         No one can compare with the Lord, our solid rock
                and source of strength. Let us praise him this day.

by Emily LaPrade Van Pelt
Antioch Church of the Brethren
Rocky Mount, Virginia
Church of the Brethren Living Word Bulletin
Anchor/Wallace, Sleepy Eye MN 56085, "The Living Word Series
    

Opening Prayer

O God, author of eternal light
         lead us in our worshiping this day:
                  that our lips may praise you,
                  our lives may bless you,
                  and our meditations glorify you,
                  through Christ our Lord. AMEN

Hymnal #673
Sarum Missal, 11th c.
Hymnal, #673
     

Prayer of the People
(ends with Lord’s Prayer)

There is none like you,
      God of infinite patience.
You promise to listen to us,
      always.
You speak more words
            of hope and grace
      and offer more acts
            of mercy and hope
      than we can count
            on the fingers and toes
                  of every person who ever lived.

There is none like you,
      Shaper of servants.
Gathering up all the words
      we should never have spoken,
            you rearrange them into
                  stories of peace and reconciliation.
Sweeping up the messes
      we leave littered behind us,
            you recycle them into gifts
                  which soften the hardest hearts.

There is none like you,
      Ever-listening Spirit.
You gather up all our cousins
      scattered throughout the earth,
            bringing us to the Table of life.
You point the way to Jesus
      when we have lost sight of him
            on the fog-filled days of our souls.

There is none like you,
God in Community, Holy in One,
and our hearts will sing new songs
even as we pray, saying,
Our Father . . .

by Thom M. Shuman
Immanuel Presbyterian Church
Cincinnati, OH
from Lectionary Liturgies
  

Isaiah 49:1-7

1 - Listen to me, coastlands;
          pay attention, peoples far away.
     The Lord called me before my birth,
          called my name when I was in my mother’s womb.
     He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
          and hid me in the shadow of God’s own hand.
     He made me a sharpened arrow,
          and concealed me in God’s quiver,
               saying to me,

2 - “You are my servant,
             Israel, in whom I show my glory.”

1 - But I said,
         “I have wearied myself in vain.
                I have used up my strength for nothing.”
     Nevertheless, the Lord will grant me justice;
          my reward is with my God.
     And now the Lord has decided—
          the one who formed me from the womb
               as his servant—
                    to restore Jacob to God,
                         so that Israel might return to him.
     Moreover, I’m honored in the Lord’s eyes;
          my God has become my strength.
               He said:

2 - It is not enough, since you are my servant,
          to raise up the tribes of Jacob
               and to bring back the survivors of Israel.
     Hence, I will also appoint you as light to the nations
          so that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.

1- The Lord, redeemer of Israel and its holy one,
          says to one despised,
               rejected by nations,
                    to the slave of rulers:

2 - Kings will see and stand up;
          commanders will bow down
               on account of the Lord, who is faithful,
                    the holy one of Israel,
                         who has chosen you.

from the CEB
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
  

Returning our Tithes and Offerings

Generous God,
you have already given us all that we need.
Help us trust your continued care,
that we may share with others
the abundance of your blessings.
Strengthen us for service,
and remind us of the great joy
that awaits those who answer your call.
Accept our gifts and give us new songs of praise
as we celebrate the opportunity to be in ministry,
in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Ushers, please come forward to guide our giving.

by Laura Jaquith Bartlett
Program Director at the Alton L Collins Retreat Center
from MinistryMatters
    

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

(During the singing of the previous song, two deacons come forward,
one carrying an envelope containing the scripture reading.
Once the music ends, the deacon without the envelope says:)

             Shifting from sermon to communion, let’s listen to the beginning of 1 Corinthians. It comes to us in the form of a letter.

 (pause as the other deacon opens the envelope and takes out the letter)

             Yes, the words are ancient, though made contemporary by the paraphrase from which we’ll read. This letter was originally written to group of people who probably met in each other’s homes, folks who lived and died nearly 2,000 years ago, who are now part of that “cloud of witnesses” through whom scripture still speaks to us today. Yes, there is much in this letter specific to their particular needs at that time. However, as we listen to it being read, I challenge you to hear these words as being addressed to us today?

The other deacon then reads 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 using the page from the envelope

Invitation and Prayer

“Never forget that.”
In other words, “Remember.”

            It is easy to forget. We forget where we put our keys. We forget something we were supposed to pick up at the store. We forget a meeting. We forget a face. We forget a piece of our past.

            To help us remember, we tie a ribbon around our finger, we make a list, we check our calendar, we look up a picture, we write in a journal.

            On this day, we break and eat a bit of unleavened bread and drink from a little cup – all to remember what should never be forgotten. As we eat and drink, these tangible remembrances refresh our God-given brains and a flood of blessings pour forth. In touch and taste, we once again come and see what God has already done in Christ Jesus, experiencing it anew in this gathered body… Join me in prayer.

(as the Deacons distribute the bread we sing:)
"Open my eyes, that I may see"
(Hymnal #517, vs. 1-2)

(in unison:)   “This Bread which we break is the communion of the body of Christ”

(as the Deacons distribute the cup we sing:)
"Open my eyes, that I may see"
(Hymnal #517, vs. 3-4) 

(in unison:)  “This Cup which we bless is the communion of the blood of Christ”

Closing Prayer

May God,
who comes to us
in the things of this world,
bless your eyes
and be in your seeing.

May Christ,
who looks upon you
with deepest love,
bless your eyes
and widen your gaze.

May the Spirit,
who perceives what is
and what may yet be,
bless your eyes
and sharpen your vision.

May the Sacred Three
bless your eyes
and cause you to see.

 from In the Sanctuary of Women
copyright © Jan L. Richardson
posted on the painted prayerbook.
suggested by Jonathan Shively on EvangeLectionary