Worship - April 19, 2015

Call to Worship

1 - On this third Sunday of Easter, it may seem strange to begin with a prayer for deliverance.

2 - We are, after all, in a good news season, full of “Alleluias” and resurrection stories.

1 - Before we rise, however, we lie down, which is where the fourth Psalm ends.

2 - Let’s listen to this lament which leads us to lie down and sleep in peace.

1 - Be prepared, however, to rise with Christ in our first hymn.

2 - Psalm 4. A Psalm of David.

(pause)

1 - Answer me when I call, O God of my right! You gave me room when I was in distress. Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer.

2 - How long, you people, shall my honor suffer shame? How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies?

1 - But know that the Lord has set apart the faithful for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.

2 - When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent.

1 - Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord.

2 - There are many who say, “O that we might see some good! Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!”

1 - You have put gladness in my heart - more than when their grain and wine abound.

2 - I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.

(pause)

1 - Are you ready to rise? Turn to #273 in your hymnal.

2 - If you are able, stay seated for each of the three verses, but rise up as you sing the refrain.

Hymn - “Low in the grave he lay” - #273

Psalm 4 from the New Revised Standard Version
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

Opening Prayer

When we are blinded by anger, you pour out your love for all to see;
when we wonder what tomorrow will bring, you call us to trust in you;
when sadness fills our hearts, you plant gladness in our hearts.
God of Easter: touch us with your grace.

You show us your hands, so we may reach out to mend the broken;
you show us your feet, so we may walk with those the world passes by;
you show us your face, so we may know who our sisters and brothers look like.
Risen Christ: touch us with your compassion.

You open our eyes, so we may see God's love;
you open our minds, so we may welcome God's Word;
you open our lips, so we may be God's witnesses.
Spirit of Hope: touch us with your peace.

God in Community, Holy in One, open us to your presence,
as we pray as Jesus has taught us, saying,
(The Lord's Prayer)

by Thom M. Shuman
transitional pastor at Galloway Presbyterian Church
Columbus, OH
from Lectionary Liturgies

Luke 24:36b-48
The Easter Story

1 - I wish they wouldn’t do this?

2 - Who? Do what?

1 - The people who pick out these Bible passages for us to read. They begin in the middle of a story.

2 - I still don’t know what you’re annoyed about.

1 - The first verse of this passage from the gospel of Luke. It begins, “While they were talking about this…” What was it they were talking about?

2 - Oh, I see what you mean. What were they talking about, anyway?

1 - Well, two of them had just returned with an interesting story. They had been heading home to Emmaus, feeling pretty down because Jesus had died.

2 - When was this?

1 - The day Jesus rose from the dead, but they didn’t understand what was going on.

2 - It is a lot to take in.

1 - Suddenly, on that road, there was a man walking with them who explained everything. They had no idea who he was. But when they got to a stopping place, they invited him to stay for dinner. During the meal this mysterious stranger picked up a loaf of bread, and broke it, and shared it with them. In that moment they recognized him. It was Jesus. Then he disappeared.

2 - Vanished? … Just like that?

1 - Just like that! Then those two disciples raced back to Jerusalem to tell their story to the rest of them. That is what they were talking about.

2 - So that’s where we begin reading in the gospel of Luke.

1 - Yes, all the disciples were together trying to make sense of it all.

2 - Chapter 24, verses 36 to 48.

(pause)

1 - While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them.

2 - “Peace be with you.”

1 - They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost.

2 - “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet. See that it is I myself. Touch me and see. A ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

1 - When Jesus had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. But even in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering. He asked them:

2 - “Have you anything here to eat?”

1 - They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence. Then he said to them:

2 - “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you – that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.”

1 - Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures.

2 - “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in my name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”

(pause)

1 - That was a reading from Luke’s Gospel.

adapted from Ralph Milton’s E-zine for people of faith with a sense of humor
scripture text from the New Revised Standard Version
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

For Children
“A touch of peace”

Two weeks ago some of you helped decorate our sanctuary with the word “Alleluia” in many languages. Do you see them still up on the walls? Do you remember what “Alleluia” means? (“Praise God”) Today, I’d like us to lift up another word, only we won’t be putting it up on the wall. We’ll be putting it into our hands.

In the Easter story we just heard, the disciples were gathered together and Jesus came to them. What was the very first thing he said to them? Were you listening? He said, “Peace,” as in “Peace be with you” (in Aramaic that would be “shlama,” in Hebrew, “shalom”). That’s the first thing he said to them: “Peace.” Now, the disciples were, at first, afraid of him. Why? Were you listening? It was because they thought he was a ghost. What did he do to help them not be afraid? “Touch me,” he said. And they did. He wasn’t a ghost. He was real.

What I’d like you to do right now is to go to everyone in the congregation and do what Jesus did. Extend your hand and touch each person with a handshake. As you do, say, “Peace be with you.” Maybe they will say, “Peace be with you, also.” Wouldn’t that be good? Are you ready to do it? Let share “a touch of peace” with each other, an Easter greeting from Jesus.

1 John 3:1-7
The Gospel Lived

1 - From the Easter story, we turn toward how this gospel is lived.

2 - In the first letter of John, we hear of the effect of God’s love upon those who trust and follow Jesus,

2 - and how we are in the process of becoming more than we can even imagine being.

1 - Listen.

(pause)

1 - What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are.

2 - But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he’s up to.

1 - But friends, that’s exactly who we are: children of God. And that’s only the beginning. Who knows how we’ll end up!

2 - What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we’ll see him—and in seeing him, become like him.

1 - All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus’ life as a model for our own.

2 - All who indulge in a sinful life are dangerously lawless, for sin is a major disruption of God’s order.

1 - Surely you know that Christ showed up in order to get rid of sin. There is no sin in him, and sin is not part of his program.

2 - No one who lives deeply in Christ makes a practice of sin.

1 - None of those who do practice sin have taken a good look at Christ.

2 - They’ve got him all backward.

1 - So, my dear children, don’t let anyone divert you from the truth.

2 - It’s the person who acts right who is right, just as we see it lived out in our righteous Messiah.

scripture text from The Message.
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002.
Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group

Pastoral Prayer

This is, indeed, a day of new beginnings, Lord of the Sabbath. You step before us into the rest we need for the living of our days. You help us to leave behind the things that pull us down, “laying to rest the pain that’s gone,” as we just sang. You reach out to us with your word of peace and joy; the touch of your Spirit restoring us to wholeness, and energizing our journey with you.

On this day, Lord of the resurrection, we bring to you our requests on behalf of others, trusting that you will provide for them as you take care of us. You have heard our spoken concerns on their behalf, and know what lies upon our hearts, even before we are able to frame it into words. Go beyond our limited asking and get to the root of what is needed, expanding out further than we can see. In your wisdom, guide us to be your hands and hearts in the most appropriate ways.

Lord of life, continue to speak on this day, through the all-too-inadequate words we utter, as well as in the silence and in the song. Help us to listen more deeply, not only today, but every day, that we might love more dearly and follow more nearly.

In your name, we pray. Amen

Acts 3:1-10
The Gospel Energized

1 - Do you remember the reaction of the disciples to the risen Jesus on Easter?

2 - Now listen to a gospel story from a bit further down the road.

1 - Pay attention to the difference between Easter and here, a day not long after Pentecost, when the disciples were energized for the tasks that lay ahead.

2 - Something has changed. Do you hear it?

(pause)

1 - One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon. And a man lame from birth was being carried in.

2 - People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple.

1 - When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said,

2 - “Look at us.”

1 - And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said,

2 - “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.”

1 - And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.

2 - Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.

1 - All the people saw him walking and praising God, and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple;

2 - and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

scripture text from the New Revised Standard Version
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

Returning our Tithes and Offerings

Yes, this is a time for bringing our monetary offerings to God, gifts which help this church fulfill the tasks God has called us to do. However, let’s not confuse the contents of our wallets with the content of our character. Those around us need more than money, as important as economics are to life today. The truth is this: we have much more to offer. Like Peter, we offer ourselves in Jesus’ name. Ponder this as the plates are passed, and remember what that changed disciple said long ago, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.”

Ushers, please come and assist our giving.

Acts 3:12-20a
The Gospel Proclaimed

1 - Here we go, again.

2 - What do you mean

1 - The people who picked the Bible passages for today begin - again - in the middle of a story.

2 - Okay, what is it this time?

1 - This one starts out “When Peter saw it…” … What “it” did Peter saw?

2 - You mean, “see.”

1 - Huh?

2 - What did Peter see, not saw.

1 - See…Saw … you know what I mean.

2 - I do. I think it has something to do with what we read earlier, about a lame man being healed, and the reaction of those nearby when it happened.

1 - Yes, but it wasn’t the healing that Peter saw (did I get it right that time?)

2 - You did.

1 - What he saw was the size of the crowd that quickly gathered.

2 - Indeed, we are missing verse 11, which mentions this. But I think what is important is that Peter was not only energized to heal…

1 - He was empowered to speak, which is what he then did when he “saw” the crowd gathered.

2 - Correct. Shall we read?

(pause)

1 - When Peter saw it, he addressed the people,

2 - “You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk?

1 - The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him.

2 - But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead.

1 - To this we are witnesses.

2 - And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know;

1 - and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.

2 - “And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.

1 - In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer.

2 - Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…

Benediction

If the God who raised Jesus from the dead is for us, who dare be against us?
We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

Step out into the world in humble confidence:
there is nothing about to happen that God has not foreseen,
and no situation where Christ will not be there ahead of you,
preparing a place and an opportunity for you.
Thanks be to God.

The peace of God, which goes beyond all understanding, keep your hearts and minds
in the knowledge of God, and of Jesus Christ, God’s Son.
And the blessing of God all-loving,
the Creator, Redeemer and Counsellor,
will be with you now and always.
Amen!

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