NOTES: With Pentecost behind us and the summer before us, we reconsider the energy flow that comes from living life in the Spirit. This Sunday is also Memorial Day and we remember the people who lost their lives fighting for their country. The promise of Ezekiel is that the very bleakest of situations can be transformed by the breath of God and the miracle of new life.
SCRIPTURE: Ezekiel 37:1-14
37:1 The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.
37:2 He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry.
37:3 He said to me, "Mortal, can these bones live?" I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know."
37:4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
37:5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.
37:6 I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD."
37:7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.
37:8 I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them.
37:9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live."
37:10 I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.
37:11 Then he said to me, "Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.'
37:12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel.
37:13 And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people.
37:14 I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken and will act," says the LORD.
8:30 AM Order of Service
The Gathering
Welcome
Prelude
We Gather in The Light of Christ
Lighting the Christ Candles
Children come forward to light the candles as we share the responsive reading.
Leader: In the beginning, God said,
People: 'Let there be light' and there was light!
Leader: We light these candles today,
People: Because God is with us in this time and in this place!
Hymn of Praise:#720 "O Beautiful for Spacious Skies" (all verses)
Call to Worship
Leader: The prophet asks - Can our
soul-weary bones live again?
People: O God, you know!
Leader: We ask - Can we dance again
after mourning, loss and grief?
People: O God, you know!
Leader: The gift is sure and
unmistakable:
People: God’s breath poured out as
new life for weary souls!
Leader: Let us celebrate the gift
of God’s new life,
People: And come to worship God in
laughter and dancing!Invocation (UNISON)
Compassionate
God,
the
wind of your Spirit is the very sign of life
for
all who long for you.
One
breath from you and we are rescued
from
the arid valley of dry bones
and
filled with the holy hope you grant to all your faithful children.
Let
our whole lives be filled with the life-breath of the Spirit,
that what looks to us to be death
may reveal new life. Amen.
~ from Come
Out! On the Breath of God, Service Prayers for the fifth Sunday of Lent,
written by the Rev. Elizabeth Dilley.
Posted on the United Church of Christ’s Worship Ways website. http://www.ucc.org/worship/worship-ways/
We Contemplate God’s Word
Scripture
Sermon
We Pray Together
We Share Our Joys &
Concern
Prayer Hymn:#680 "O God of Every Nation" (all verses)
Praying Together
Our Father, we thank you for people who refuse to take no for an answer:For the person who knows we are settling for less than our best
and refuses to relent until we are persuaded
to strive for the excellence we are capable of achieving;
For the person who knows we have what is required
to lead a group of people, to sort troubled emotions, to fight for what is right,
to solve a problem, to endure a difficult challenge;
For the person who knows how badly we have been hurt by someone we trusted,
and who stands by us until we regain our capacity to love and trust again;
For those who know our weaknesses,
but will not give up until we know our strengths.
Remind us of all the times that the best gifts have come from people who irritated us by their persistence;
Our prayers go out this morning for those who feel left behind:
Those whose grown children
have moved away to start life on their own;
Those who have lived longer than most of their friends;
especially those who have lost buddies in combat
or family who died in service to their community.
Those whose grief for a loss or a loved one demands
that they keep a different pace than their friends and family;
Those who return from military service to find themselves
marching out of step with life at home, and
especially where trauma or injuries intensify the sense
of being left out, left behind.
May they all find friends who will stay behind with them, who will help them gain fresh perspective, look more realistically at the present moment, and envision what they can yet accomplish with their lives.
We spend our lives walking, running, marching through daily routines, until something happens and life brings us up short.
On this Memorial Day, help us remember
the extraordinary sacrifices of life, liberty and peace of mind
that have been made by soldiers, first responders,
activists and ordinary citizens in extraordinary moments.
Open our eyes to the precious cost of an “ordinary life.”
Help us live lives that rise to the value that has been placed on them
by the sacrifice of others.
Most especially, show us the value of our lives in your eyes,
you who did not stop at death to redeem us, but sacrificed everything to love us.
This we pray, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
-adapted for Memorial Day from "To Strive for Excellence" by Robert Winfield Shaffer, Heartfelt Prayers for Your Everyday Life, (Berea College Printing Services: 2017)
We Gather at The Lord’s Table
Invitation to the Table
Communion Hymn#590 "Kum Ba Yah" (verses 1, 3, & 4)
Communion Hymn#590 "Kum Ba Yah" (verses 1, 3, & 4)
The Elder’s Prayer of
Communion
Words of Institution
The Lord’s Supper
All are welcome to share at the
Table. Come forward using the center
aisle. As you partake of the bread and
the cup you are welcome to place an offering in the wooden bowl in front of the
table. The offering you share supports
the ministries and life of Christ’s church.
The Lord’s Prayer
We Go Forth into the World
Challenge for Discipleship
Discipleship Hymn#722 "This is My Song" (all verses)
Blessing
People: For God has placed the light in us!
Leader: We go in peace!
People: Amen!
Children extinguish the candles as we share the responsive reading.
Leader: The light that was in one place at one time, is now in all places and all times,People: For God has placed the light in us!
Leader: We go in peace!
People: Amen!
10:40AM Service
Welcome
Prelude
Prelude
We Gather in the Light of Christ
Call to Worship
Leader: The prophet asks - Can our
soul-weary bones live again?
People: O God, you know!
Leader: We ask - Can we dance again
after mourning, loss and grief?
People: O God, you know!
Leader: The gift is sure and
unmistakable:
People: God’s breath poured out as
new life for weary souls!
Leader: Let us celebrate the gift
of God’s new life,
People: And come to worship God in
laughter and dancing!Hymn of Praise:#720 "O Beautiful for Spacious Skies" (all stanzas)
Invocation (UNISON)
Compassionate
God,
the
wind of your Spirit is the very sign of life
for
all who long for you.
One
breath from you and we are rescued
from
the arid valley of dry bones
and
filled with the holy hope you grant to all your faithful children.
Let
our whole lives be filled with the life-breath of the Spirit,
that what looks to us to be death
may reveal new life. Amen.
~ from Come
Out! On the Breath of God, Service Prayers for the fifth Sunday of Lent,
written by the Rev. Elizabeth Dilley.
Posted on the United Church of Christ’s Worship Ways website. http://www.ucc.org/worship/worship-ways/
Passing of the Peace
We return to our seats as the piano music begins.
Hymn of Faith:#85"Eternal Father, Strong to Save" (stanzas 1, 3, & 4)
We Offer Our Hearts to God
Call to Offering
The offering you share supports
the ministries and life of Christ’s church.
Offertory
Doxology CH #46
Prayer of Dedication
We Contemplate God’s Word
Scripture
Anthem
Children’s Sermon
Sermon
We Prayer Together
We Share Our Joys &
Concerns
Prayer Hymn:#680 "O God of Every Nation" (all stanzas)
Our Father, we thank you for people who refuse to take no for an answer:
For the person who knows we are settling for less than our best
and refuses to relent until we are persuaded
to strive for the excellence we are capable of achieving;
For the person who knows we have what is required
to lead a group of people, to sort troubled emotions, to fight for what is right,
to solve a problem, to endure a difficult challenge;
For the person who knows how badly we have been hurt by someone we trusted,
and who stands by us until we regain our capacity to love and trust again;
For those who know our weaknesses,
but will not give up until we know our strengths.
Remind us of all the times that the best gifts have come from people who irritated us by their persistence;
Our prayers go out this morning for those who feel left behind:
Those whose grown children
have moved away to start life on their own;
Those who have lived longer than most of their friends;
especially those who have lost buddies in combat
or family who died in service to their community.
Those whose grief for a loss or a loved one demands
that they keep a different pace than their friends and family;
Those who return from military service to find themselves
marching out of step with life at home, and
especially where trauma or injuries intensify the sense
of being left out, left behind.
May they all find friends who will stay behind with them, who will help them gain fresh perspective, look more realistically at the present moment, and envision what they can yet accomplish with their lives.
We spend our lives walking, running, marching through daily routines, until something happens and life brings us up short.
On this Memorial Day, help us remember
the extraordinary sacrifices of life, liberty and peace of mind
that have been made by soldiers, first responders,
activists and ordinary citizens in extraordinary moments.
Open our eyes to the precious cost of an “ordinary life.”
Help us live lives that rise to the value that has been placed on them
by the sacrifice of others.
Most especially, show us the value of our lives in your eyes,
you who did not stop at death to redeem us, but sacrificed everything to love us.
This we pray, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
-adapted for Memorial Day from "To Strive for Excellence" by Robert Winfield Shaffer, Heartfelt Prayers for Your Everyday Life, (Berea College Printing Services: 2017)
Praying Together
Our Father, we thank you for people who refuse to take no for an answer:
For the person who knows we are settling for less than our best
and refuses to relent until we are persuaded
to strive for the excellence we are capable of achieving;
For the person who knows we have what is required
to lead a group of people, to sort troubled emotions, to fight for what is right,
to solve a problem, to endure a difficult challenge;
For the person who knows how badly we have been hurt by someone we trusted,
and who stands by us until we regain our capacity to love and trust again;
For those who know our weaknesses,
but will not give up until we know our strengths.
Remind us of all the times that the best gifts have come from people who irritated us by their persistence;
Our prayers go out this morning for those who feel left behind:
Those whose grown children
have moved away to start life on their own;
Those who have lived longer than most of their friends;
especially those who have lost buddies in combat
or family who died in service to their community.
Those whose grief for a loss or a loved one demands
that they keep a different pace than their friends and family;
Those who return from military service to find themselves
marching out of step with life at home, and
especially where trauma or injuries intensify the sense
of being left out, left behind.
May they all find friends who will stay behind with them, who will help them gain fresh perspective, look more realistically at the present moment, and envision what they can yet accomplish with their lives.
We spend our lives walking, running, marching through daily routines, until something happens and life brings us up short.
On this Memorial Day, help us remember
the extraordinary sacrifices of life, liberty and peace of mind
that have been made by soldiers, first responders,
activists and ordinary citizens in extraordinary moments.
Open our eyes to the precious cost of an “ordinary life.”
Help us live lives that rise to the value that has been placed on them
by the sacrifice of others.
Most especially, show us the value of our lives in your eyes,
you who did not stop at death to redeem us, but sacrificed everything to love us.
This we pray, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
-adapted for Memorial Day from "To Strive for Excellence" by Robert Winfield Shaffer, Heartfelt Prayers for Your Everyday Life, (Berea College Printing Services: 2017)
We Gather at The Lord’s Table
Invitation to the Table
Communion Hymn#590 "Kum Ba Yah" (verses 1, 3, & 4)
Communion Hymn#590 "Kum Ba Yah" (verses 1, 3, & 4)
The Elder’s Prayer of
Communion
Words of Institution
The Lord’s Supper
All are welcome to share at the
Table. Come forward using the center
aisle. As you partake of the bread and
the cup you are welcome to place an offering in the wooden bowl in front of the
table. The offering you share supports
the ministries and life of Christ’s church.
The Lord’s Prayer
We Go Forth into the World
Challenge for Discipleship
Discipleship Hymn:#722 "This is My Song" (all stanzas)
Discipleship Hymn:#722 "This is My Song" (all stanzas)
Acolytes come forward.
Blessing
Leader: We go in peace!
People: Amen!
Parting Song:#433 "Blest Be the Tie That Binds" (stanza 1)
Acolytes extinguish the candles as we share the responsive reading.
Leader: The light that was in one place at one time, is now in all places and all times,
People: For God has placed the light in us!Leader: We go in peace!
People: Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment