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Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren
Thanksgiving Sunday
Beginning with Praise
(9:50 am) “We
gather together” 17 *Responsive Call to Worship
670 *Hymn
“For the beauty of the earth”
89
Prayerful Hymn
“The King of love my shepherd is”
170 Sharing
a joy, a concern, a word of testimony or praise
*Hymn
“God, whose farm is all creation”
391 *Hymn
“Now thank we all our God”
86 *Postlude “Firstfruits” Lehman *Rise in body or in spirit #'s are from Hymnal: A Worship Book Worship leaders - see basic guidelines |
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Leader:
Our God,
Hymnal
#670, © 1988 Ruth A. Yoder |
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1 - Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name
throughout the earth! 2 - You made your glory higher than heaven! 1 - From the mouths of nursing babies you
have laid a strong foundation 2 - because of your foes, in order to stop
vengeful enemies. 1 - When I look up at your skies, at what
your fingers made — 2 - the moon and the stars that you set
firmly in place — 1 - what are human beings that you think
about them; 2 - what are human beings that you pay
attention to them? 1 - You’ve made them only slightly less than
divine, crowning them with glory and grandeur. 2 - You’ve let them rule over your handiwork,
putting everything under their feet— 1 - all sheep and all cattle, the wild
animals too, 2 - the birds in the sky, the fish of the
ocean, 1 - everything that travels the pathways of
the sea. 2 - Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name
throughout the earth! 1 - Amen!
Psalm 8 from the Common English Bible |
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Reading Gospel as a Confession
One:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with
him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations
will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from
another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he
will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.
Then the king will say to those at his right hand, All:
‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was
hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me
something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was
naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of
me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ One:
Then the righteous will answer him, All:
‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or
thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we
saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you
clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and
visited you?’ One:
And the king will answer them, All:
‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these
who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ One:
Then he will say to those at his left hand, All:
‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire
prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you
gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I
was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not
give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ One:
Then they also will answer, All:
‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger
or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ One:
Then he will answer them, All:
‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least
of these, you did not do it to me.’ One:
And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous
into eternal life.” (Silence, then “The King of
love my shepherd is” - #170)
scripture text from
the New
Revised Standard Version |
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Bekki Foster
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Returning our Tithes and Offerings
And the Shepherd King said to the sheep, “I
was a stranger and you welcomed me.” We are thankful for the
welcome extended by the Family Crisis Center to women and children at a very vulnerable
point in their lives, a ministry we have helped make possible.
Our Christmas project for them begins today. You saw the tree in
the entryway as you arrived this morning. On it are an assortment
of ornaments. On the back of each one is written a suggestion for
a gift you are invited to go and purchase. The mothers and
children in the shelter came up with a wish list. Some of them
involve clothing in a specified size. Others are toys. Feel free
to take as many ornaments as you’d like. Just don’t take “more
than you can eat,” as we say around the Thanksgiving table.
Bring your purchased gift back to church no later than Sunday,
Dec. ___, and place it - unwrapped - on the stage in the
fellowship hall. Please include the ornament with it, so we can
keep track. We say “unwrapped,” because we are also giving to
these mothers the joy of preparing gifts for their own children at
a time when they have very little. Thank you, ahead of time, for
this act of kindness. “Truly
I tell you,” Jesus said, “just
as you did it Ushers, come and guide our giving of tithes
and other offerings.
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In these first four Sundays of November, we have been on a journey
through the book of Ruth. In the opening verses of this fourth
chapter, we witnessed a refugee family leaving their home in
Bethlehem due to a famine. Elimelek, his wife Naomi, and their 2
sons, Mahlon and Chilion, made their way to the country of Moab to
find a better life. There Elimelek died, leaving a single mother
and two sons, who married Moabite women. Then these also died.
Naomi was now far from home in a desperate situation, with two
daughters-in-law.
So begins a bitter trek back home to Bethlehem. Along the way,
Naomi convinced one daughter-in-law, Orpah, to turn back. But the
other, Ruth, stuck to her like glue. In one of the Bible’s
strongest statements of commitment, Ruth (a non-Israelite) told
her mother-in-law: “Wherever
you go, I will go; and wherever you stay, I will stay. Your people
will be my people, and your God will be my God.” The first
episode ended as they arrived in Bethlehem. “Look, it’s Naomi,”
her relatives exclaimed. But this older woman was at that point a
lost soul. “Don’t call me
Naomi (which means “pleasant”), she replied. “Call
me Mara (which means “bitter”).
For I left here full, but I
return empty.”
In the second chapter, the barley harvest began. Ruth took the
initiative and went out in the fields to glean what was left
behind by the reapers. According to the law of Moses, those who
harvest are commanded not to take everything from the fields.
Leftovers were to go to the poor. Nowhere in the law, however,
does it say that those who glean must ask permission. Ruth,
however, went above and beyond the requirements of the law – as
she does throughout this story – and asked for permission of the
landowner, whose name was Boaz. Impressed by what he heard of this
woman, Boaz himself went beyond what the law demands, and made
sure Ruth had plenty. As it turned out, Boaz just happened to be a
close relative of Elimelek, something immediately recognized by
Naomi when Ruth returned, her arms full of food. Their condition
was no long “empty.” Bitterness began to fade away.
The third episode in this story is a make-it-or-break-it moment,
when all could be lost … or found. Naomi was enabled to again see
possibilities, but she cooked up a risky plan. She told Ruth to
clean up, dress up, perfume up, and go to the threshing place at
night. After a long day of separating the grain from the chaff,
Boaz slepy there. “Go,
uncover his feet, and lie down next to him,” Naomi instructed.
“He will tell you what to
do.” This is a move few mothers, except the most desperate,
would ask of their daughters. Everything could have gone terribly
wrong. It all could have fallen apart in this moment of truth.
However, when Boaz covered up his chilly feet, and discovered a
woman, Ruth took a step beyond her mother-in-law’s directions.
When Boaz asked, “Who are you?” she replied, “I am Ruth, your servant, spread you cloak over me, for you are
next-of-kin.” In other words, she called Boaz to
responsibility. And to his credit, this older gentleman responded
rightly. He promised to make sure things went right for Ruth and
Naomi. However, there was one little glitch. A closer relative
lived, who had first right of redemption, a matter to be settled
the next day.
If this sounds a little strange, understand that in the law of
Moses, the brother (or brother-through-the-covenant) of a man is
supposed to marry that man’s wife and take care of her if he dies
(Deuteronomy
25:4-6). We get a glimpse of this old practice in a
question Jesus was once asked (Mark
12:18-27). We are stepping onto ancient soil at this
point. To help us visualize what happens in the final chapter of
the book of Ruth, we will watch a well-done rendition of it in
Claymation. The video begins at the end of chapter 3, when Ruth
returns to Naomi from the threshing floor. May those who have
eyes, see – and those who have ears, hear…
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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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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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©2015 Peter
L. Haynes
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