Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Long Green & Kanes Rds., near Glen Arm, Md.
April 27, 2014
Worship 10:00 am          Sunday School 11:10am

Second Sunday of Easter

  Beginning with Praise (9:50 am)         “Come, ye faithful, raise the strain”        264
  Announcements
  Prelude                                “Prelude in D Minor”                                   Bach

  Call to Worship                          1 Peter 1:3-9                                      (insert)

*Hymn                          “I know that my Redeemer lives”                            279

*Opening Prayer

  Scripture                                    Acts 2:22-32                                      (CEV)
                                                    (preface to reading)

  For Children

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

  Hymn                             “In the bulb there is a flower”                              614

  Pastoral Prayer

  Scripture                                       Psalm 16                                         (CEV)

  Returning our Tithes and Offerings

  Offertory                                “To a Wild Rose”                           MacDowell
                              (Please sign the attendance pad and pass it on)

  Scripture                                   John 20:19-31

  Message                   “Laughter in the face of fear” (mp3)

*Hymn                                “Low in the grave he lay”                                 273

*Benediction

*Postlude                                   “Christ is Risen”                                      Kold

*Rise in body or in spirit

#'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book

Worship leaders - see basic guidelines

Call to Worship

One: Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

All: Because of his great mercy he gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills us with a living hope, and so we look forward to possessing the rich blessings that God keeps for his people.

One: He keeps them for you in heaven, where they cannot decay or spoil or fade away. They are for you, who through faith are kept safe by God's power for the salvation which is ready to be revealed at the end of time.

All: We can be glad about this, even though it may now be necessary for us to be sad for a while because of the many kinds of trials we may suffer.

One: Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you will receive praise and glory and honor on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed.

All: We love him, although we have not seen him, and we believe in him, although we do not now see him.

One: So rejoice with a great and glorious joy which words cannot express, because you are receiving the salvation of your souls, which is the purpose of your faith in him.

1 Peter 1:3-9, adapted, from the Good News Translation
Copyright © 1992 by the American Bible Society
      

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,
    new joy be our strength,
    and new vision spur us on to follow you forever.
Even so, come Lord Jesus.  AMEN

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

Preface to Acts 2:22-32 reading

             Today is the second Sunday of Easter. There is a whole season ahead for us to rejoice that Christ has risen from the dead. Our worship began with the words of Peter, written many years after that first Easter. He had grown a great deal at that point from the cowering disciple he once had been. As we shall see later, on the first resurrection day, he and the rest of the twelve were in hiding, lost in fear. Before we read that account from John’s gospel, however, let’s turn 50 days after Easter, and listen to what he had to say on Pentecost, the day the church was born. We’ll only hear a portion of his very first sermon, delivered to crowds of people wondering what was going on with these disciples, who were anything but trembling cowards. Peter is now acting like someone who is “sent” forth, an “apostle.”

Acts 2:22-32

For Children
“Yoj in my heart”

             This morning, I’d like to talk about how important it is to have “Yoj” in your heart. That’s right: Y…O…J… (lay out the 3 letters). Nutritionists tell us that we need at least a cup of yoj every day to live long and healthy lives. Did you know that? Every day! At least a cup, if not more. So, next time you are in the supermarket with your mom or dad, I want you to look for yoj on the shelves and make sure they pick some up for your family. You can eat yoj anytime – for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You can even eat yoj for a snack… What? You’ve never heard of yoj? Really? (look at the letters, then hit yourself in the forehead). Oh, my. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean YOJ. I got confused. I meant JOY, which spells what? “Joy.”

             I’ve been silly, haven’t I? Do they sell JOY in the grocery store? No. Is JOY something you can eat? No. Is JOY important every day? Of course it is! Now is a time / a season to be filled with joy. Last week we celebrated that Jesus is alive. He is not dead. He rose from the grave. This news fills us with happiness. It makes us laugh and sing. Speaking of singing, there’s a song about this I want us to sing. Some of you may know it. It’s got some fun extra verses. Let’s sing:

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart,
            down in my heart, down in my heart
I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart,
            down in my heart to stay.
                        And I'm so happy, so very happy,
                        I've got the love of Jesus in my heart.
                        And I'm so happy, so very happy,
                        I've got the love of Jesus in my heart.

Extra verses:

I've got the peace that passes understanding down in my heart...

I've got the far out faith that freaks out farmers down in my heart...

I've got the glorious hope of my blessed redeemer way down in the depths of my heart...

I've got the mighty Messiah that manifests miracles down in the depths of my heart...

Well, if the devil doesn't like it he can sit on a tack...

Pastoral Prayer

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

Returning our Tithes and Offerings

             “You have shown me the path to life,” the Psalmist said (16:11, CEV), “and you make me glad by being near to me. Sitting at your right side, I will always be joyful.” Laughter is connected to joy and gladness. With that in mind, here are some madcap thoughts to tickle your funny bone, attributed to deadpan comedian Steven Wright.

Borrow money from pessimists -- they don't expect it back. Half the people you know are below average. 99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name. 82.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory. All those who believe in psycho kinesis, raise my hand. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. I almost had a psychic girlfriend,...but she left me before we met. How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink? When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane. I intend to live forever.....so far, so good. What happens if you get scared half to death twice? Why do psychics have to ask you for your name? Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it. The problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard. The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll have to catch up. Everyone has a photographic memory; some just don't have film.

             Had enough? Folks sometimes say, “give until it hurts.” What if sharing from the abundance God has provided made us joyful, instead? How about “give until you’re glad”? … Ushers?

Benediction

Utterly happy are those who never saw Jesus,
      yet have believed in him.

Take your joy out into the world,
let it influence the quality of your daily work
and the way you deal with both friends and enemies.

May God who raised up Christ
      uphold you by day and night;
May Christ who breathed his forgiving soul into his friends
      indwell you by day and night;
May the Spirit who makes life fun for us,
      enthuse you each day and night,
            this day and for eternity.
Be blessed.
Amen!

adapted from Resources: Based on the Revised Common Lectionary,
by Bruce Prewer, Uniting Church in Australia