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Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Beginning with Praise
(9:50 am)
“All creatures of…”
(vs. 1,3,5,7)
48 *Call to Worship
(back of bulletin) *Hymn
“Lord, whose love in humble service”
369 Sharing
a joy, a concern, a word of testimony or praise
*Hymn
“For the beauty of the earth”
89 *Postlude *Rise in body or in spirit #'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book Worship leaders - see basic guidelines |
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Leader:
Our faith is not based on a theology of scarcity,
People: but on joy from
sharing abundantly. Leader:
As the Israelites received an abundance of manna
People: we trust in God's
provision. Leader:
As Jonah experienced the God of abundant love in
People: we depend on God's
overflowing compassion. Leader:
As Paul looked forward to sharing abundantly with
People: we anticipate
sharing Christ in our neighborhood. Leader:
As Jesus taught, the kingdom of heaven is like a
People: so we rejoice in
God's steadfast love. Leader:
We have this joy to share as followers of Jesus Christ.
All:
Let us share
abundantly in praise and worship. by Tara Lea Hornbacker
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O God,
revised from
Vanderbilt Divinity Library |
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In the wilderness
1 - Our
worship today revolves around three Bible stories which share a
common theme. The first is from the book of Exodus. God’s people
have been delivered from slavery in Egypt, and rescued by the
parting of the sea. Wandering in the wilderness, they begin to
long for the life from which they had been set free. Listen. 2 - The whole congregation of the Israelites
complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The
Israelites said to them, 1 - “If only we had died by the hand of the
Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate
our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this
wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” 2 - Then the Lord said to Moses, 3 - “I am going to rain bread from heaven for
you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for
that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow
my instruction or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what
they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other
days.” 2 - Then Moses said to Aaron, 4 - “Say to the whole congregation of the
Israelites, ‘Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your
complaining.’” 2 - And as Aaron spoke to the whole
congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness,
and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. The Lord spoke to
Moses and said, 3 - “I have heard the complaining of the
Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in
the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know
that I am the Lord your God.’” 2 - In the evening quails came up and covered
the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the
camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the
wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the
ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, 1 - “What is it?” 2 - For they did not know what it was. Moses
said to them, 4 - “It is the bread that the Lord has given
you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather as much
of it as each of you needs, an omer to a person according to the
number of persons, all providing for those in their own tents.’” 1 -
(pause) Perhaps you have
guessed the theme, an attitude for which there is an antidote.
Turn to it in your bulletin, and let us read responsively the
first eight verses of Psalm 145. Where is says “left” and “right,”
that is your left and right, dividing the congregation into half.
By the way, you’ll be speaking this more than once.
scripture text from
the New
Revised Standard Version |
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One: I will praise you, my God and King, and
always honor your name.
All: I will praise you each day
and always honor your name. Left: You are wonderful, Lord, and you
deserve all praise, because you are much greater than anyone can
understand. Right:
Each generation will announce to the next your wonderful and
powerful deeds. Left: I will keep thinking about your
marvelous glory and your mighty miracles. Right:
Everyone will talk about your fearsome deeds, and I will tell all
nations how great you are. One: They will celebrate and sing about your
matchless mercy and your power to save.
All: You are merciful, Lord! You are kind and patient and always loving. from the
Contemporary English Version
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1 - Our
second Bible story is from the book of Jonah, the reluctant
prophet. Perhaps you remember that God called Jonah to go to the
city of Ninevah and call the people there to turn from their evil
ways. Jonah didn’t want to go. He boarded a ship bound in the
opposite direction, only a great storm led to his being tossed
into the sea and swallowed by a big fish. His life was spared when
that fish (forgive me) ‘puked’ him up on the beach. He figured he
couldn’t escape the task God wanted him to do, so he went to
Ninevah half-heartedly, and called the people there to repent.
This is where we pick up the story. Listen. 2 - When God saw what they did, how they
turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the
calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not
do it. But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became
angry. He prayed to the Lord and said, 3 - “O Lord! Is not this what I said while I
was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the
beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to
relent from punishing. And now, O Lord, please take my life from
me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 2 - And the Lord said, 4 - “Is it right for you to be angry?” 2 - Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city. The Lord God appointed a bush, and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, 3 - “It is better for me to die than to
live.” 2 - But God said to Jonah, 4 - “Is it right for you to be angry about
the bush?” 2 - And he said, 3 - “Yes, angry enough to die.” 2 - Then the Lord said, 4 - “You are concerned about the bush, for
which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into
being in a night and perished in a night. And should I not be
concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more
than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their
right hand from their left, and also many animals?” 1 - An
interesting tale of an ‘about face’ – several turning points, in
fact: 1) Jonah’s reluctant shift toward, rather than away from
Ninevah, 2) that great city’s turn from sin toward God, and 3)
God’s change of mind toward them. Our focus just now, however, is
on Jonah’s attitude, which needed some major readjustment. Do we
need an antidote for similar attitudes on our part today? … Let’s
turn again to Psalm 145. Perhaps it can also serve to inoculate us
for our own journey ahead.
scripture text from
the New
Revised Standard Version |
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Pastoral Prayer God of Peace, We pray for peace in every nation, Prince of Peace, May we seek justice that restores; May we grant mercy as You have given us
mercy, May we love our neighbor as ourselves. Spirit of Peace, May we bring peace in all we do. In the name of our God by
Rev. Mindi Welton-Mitchell
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Returning our Tithes and Offerings
Thus far in our worship, we have heard the complaints of both the
children of Israel in the wilderness and Jonah in Ninevah.
However, we have also heard the mercy, patience, and steadfast
loving kindness of our gracious God…
“Live your life in a manner
worthy of the gospel of Christ,” the apostle Paul encouraged
the church in Philippi. This good news flows from the same God who
gives manna to the hungry and a fresh start to those who turn from
evil toward good. May our lives flow from the same source. From
beginning to end, “this is God’s doing.” Ushers, please assist us as we return our
tithes and offerings.
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You have been challenged
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Interested in Sunday School? |
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International Lesson: |
International Lesson: |
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International Lesson: |
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International Lesson: |
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While one of our adult classes follows the International
lesson above (see
also), using |
For children and youth, we use the new |
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©2014 Peter
L. Haynes
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