NOTES: The previous two passages from Mark 4 have encouraged us to rely on God's power through Jesus' ministry to be abundant (4:1-20) and to be responsive to our need (Mark 4:35-41). Today's passage shows us the role that we have, through simply reaching out in faith, to engage with God's power to transform. Healing and wholeness come in many different forms as we can see in this story. As we hear it again today, what healing are we seeking in our lives? Our families? Our community? Our nation? What will reaching out in faith look like for us?
SCRIPTURE: Mark 5:21-43
21 When Jesus had crossed again in the boat[a] to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. 22 Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet 23 and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.” 24 So he went with him.
And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. 25 Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. 26 She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” 29 Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 He looked all around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
35 While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” 36 But overhearing[b] what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” 37 He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. 38 When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” 40 And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” 42 And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. 43 He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.
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
With friends and strangers,
with family and neighbors, we gather:
Come among us, Healing God,
Come among us, Healing God,
with that love which never ends.
With faith reaching out to touch,
with hearts straining to trust, we hope:
Come among us, Friend of the broken,
with your compassion which makes us whole.
Come among us, Friend of the broken,
with your compassion which makes us whole.
With word and wonder,
with silence and song, we wait:
Come among us, Dryer of our tears,
Come among us, Dryer of our tears,
to lift us to our feet to follow you.
— written by Thom Shuman, and posted on Lectionary Liturgies. http://lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.ca/ Visit that site for other wonderful lectionary-based worship resources.
Invocation (UNISON)
Loving God,
we are yours.
We come as we are,
with our cares and concerns.
We long to touch you
and find healing in your embrace.
Strengthen our faith
and heal our brokenness,
that we may worship you with joy. Amen.
we are yours.
We come as we are,
with our cares and concerns.
We long to touch you
and find healing in your embrace.
Strengthen our faith
and heal our brokenness,
that we may worship you with joy. Amen.
— adapted from The Abingdon Worship Annual 2009, © 2008 Abingdon Press. Posted on the Ministry Matters website. http://www.ministrymatters.com/
We Contemplate God’s Word
Scripture
Sermon
We Pray Together
We Share Our Joys &
Concern
Prayer Hymn:#564 "He Touched Me" (all verses)
Praying Together (2 sample prayers below)
Our God and Creator, we give thanks for the United Sates of America and for all who have given or spent their lives to make this nation possible:
For those who gathered years ago in the face of overwhelming opposition to draft the Declaration of Independence;
For the delegates among them who brought with them an understanding of representative government, the rule of law, and the sovereignty of God;
For the brave foot solidiers whose courage turned back superior forces;
For the freedoms won and defended at great cost
And, for all those today that will not let us forget the cost of our freedom and our responsibility to help keep the torch of freedom burning brightly and to remain alert to any attempts based in fear to erode our freedoms.
Gracious God, we pray for all people for whom freedom is denied:
For those imprisoned for political reasons, for race, ethnicity or other prejudice, for economic reasons, for religious beliefs.
For those whose freedom has been taken away
by disabling illness, by severe drought or famine, by scarce resources, by the greed of others, by war.
Let all who lack freedom come face to face with the One in whose service is perfect freedom, a freedom no force on earth can take away. In your Holy Spirit may they find an everlasting source of power and the courage to grow beyond their captivity.
Merciful God, we pray now for ourselves:
If we have lost sight of goals once clear;
If we have pushed from our consciousness a cry for help from one who needs us;
If we have tried to do too much for those who need to do more for themselves;
If we assume the world will fall apart if we relax control for one minute;
If we are too much concerned about things and too little concerned about people.
Let there be born in us a fresh vision of what our lives will look like when we live them fully trusting in your love and fully permitting that love to take whatever shape it will around the needs of the world.
This we pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
-adapted from “Freedoms Won and Defended” by Robert Winfield Shaffer in Heartfelt Prayers for Your Life Today (Berea College Printing Services, 2017)
We thank you, Almighty God, for this our country—our sweet land of freedom, a haven of hope and above all our home and inheritance.
We consecrate this day to the celebration of the sacred ideals of justice and independence, which brought it to birth. We praise you, our Creator, for our nation's beauty: its snow capped mountains, ancient forests and shimmering deserts; its mighty cities and its rural quiet; its roaring seashores, crystal clear springs, still lakes and coursing rivers; its hills and caverns; its ploughed fields and its echoing wilderness.
For everything good in the reasons that brought us here: a spirit of adventure, a triumph over all odds, determination for deliverance, desire for opportunity, a quest for education, a passion for exploring, love of family, a sense of mission we thank you. For all of the many places from which we have come, that have given each of us strength to share, we praise and thank you. How blessed and rich we are in one another! From this vast reservoir of ability, intelligence and talent, O Lord, let us draw fully and together meet the challenges of our day.
Let us not rest, O Lord, until we have ushered in the day when children of every colour, creed and condition, male or female, may without barrier or impediment partake equally in opportunities to fulfill the potential with which you have endowed them. May we, who have so prospered under the blessings of our birthright, extend those blessings across every boundary of privilege and prejudice.
Inspire our determination to fulfill our nation's highest pledge. Grant that by the power of Your Holy Spirit we may with courage and wisdom contend with every tyranny yet unconquered in our midst.
Call to our remembrance the sacrifice and foresight of our nation's founding fathers and mothers, that we may not retreat into merely private pursuits, but rise to the call of duty in our day as they did in theirs. Grant that we, too, may live not merely for the present or for ourselves but that we may serve the future with action in accordance with our best traditions.
We, who are first citizens of Your kingdom, O God, seek Your guidance that we may be also good citizens of our country. Strengthen and enlighten us by Your grace that our love of our country may express itself in our love and care of one another.
Deliver us from meager sentimental patriotism. Give us hearts that seek to serve our beloved country, that our precious freedom be not idly squandered in vain and self-centered pursuits, nor perverted into the practices that deny it to others, but ever be directed to its safekeeping and to the preservation of that expansive liberty of mind, heart and will, which you, O Lord, first gave us. In the name above all names, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
— adapted from Worship Service for Our Nation,
Our God and Creator, we give thanks for the United Sates of America and for all who have given or spent their lives to make this nation possible:
For those who gathered years ago in the face of overwhelming opposition to draft the Declaration of Independence;
For the delegates among them who brought with them an understanding of representative government, the rule of law, and the sovereignty of God;
For the brave foot solidiers whose courage turned back superior forces;
For the freedoms won and defended at great cost
And, for all those today that will not let us forget the cost of our freedom and our responsibility to help keep the torch of freedom burning brightly and to remain alert to any attempts based in fear to erode our freedoms.
Gracious God, we pray for all people for whom freedom is denied:
For those imprisoned for political reasons, for race, ethnicity or other prejudice, for economic reasons, for religious beliefs.
For those whose freedom has been taken away
by disabling illness, by severe drought or famine, by scarce resources, by the greed of others, by war.
Let all who lack freedom come face to face with the One in whose service is perfect freedom, a freedom no force on earth can take away. In your Holy Spirit may they find an everlasting source of power and the courage to grow beyond their captivity.
Merciful God, we pray now for ourselves:
If we have lost sight of goals once clear;
If we have pushed from our consciousness a cry for help from one who needs us;
If we have tried to do too much for those who need to do more for themselves;
If we assume the world will fall apart if we relax control for one minute;
If we are too much concerned about things and too little concerned about people.
Let there be born in us a fresh vision of what our lives will look like when we live them fully trusting in your love and fully permitting that love to take whatever shape it will around the needs of the world.
This we pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
-adapted from “Freedoms Won and Defended” by Robert Winfield Shaffer in Heartfelt Prayers for Your Life Today (Berea College Printing Services, 2017)
We thank you, Almighty God, for this our country—our sweet land of freedom, a haven of hope and above all our home and inheritance.
We consecrate this day to the celebration of the sacred ideals of justice and independence, which brought it to birth. We praise you, our Creator, for our nation's beauty: its snow capped mountains, ancient forests and shimmering deserts; its mighty cities and its rural quiet; its roaring seashores, crystal clear springs, still lakes and coursing rivers; its hills and caverns; its ploughed fields and its echoing wilderness.
For everything good in the reasons that brought us here: a spirit of adventure, a triumph over all odds, determination for deliverance, desire for opportunity, a quest for education, a passion for exploring, love of family, a sense of mission we thank you. For all of the many places from which we have come, that have given each of us strength to share, we praise and thank you. How blessed and rich we are in one another! From this vast reservoir of ability, intelligence and talent, O Lord, let us draw fully and together meet the challenges of our day.
Let us not rest, O Lord, until we have ushered in the day when children of every colour, creed and condition, male or female, may without barrier or impediment partake equally in opportunities to fulfill the potential with which you have endowed them. May we, who have so prospered under the blessings of our birthright, extend those blessings across every boundary of privilege and prejudice.
Inspire our determination to fulfill our nation's highest pledge. Grant that by the power of Your Holy Spirit we may with courage and wisdom contend with every tyranny yet unconquered in our midst.
Call to our remembrance the sacrifice and foresight of our nation's founding fathers and mothers, that we may not retreat into merely private pursuits, but rise to the call of duty in our day as they did in theirs. Grant that we, too, may live not merely for the present or for ourselves but that we may serve the future with action in accordance with our best traditions.
We, who are first citizens of Your kingdom, O God, seek Your guidance that we may be also good citizens of our country. Strengthen and enlighten us by Your grace that our love of our country may express itself in our love and care of one another.
Deliver us from meager sentimental patriotism. Give us hearts that seek to serve our beloved country, that our precious freedom be not idly squandered in vain and self-centered pursuits, nor perverted into the practices that deny it to others, but ever be directed to its safekeeping and to the preservation of that expansive liberty of mind, heart and will, which you, O Lord, first gave us. In the name above all names, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
— adapted from Worship Service for Our Nation,
We Gather at The Lord’s Table
Invitation to the Table
Communion Hymn#419 "All Who Hunger, Gather Gladly" all verses
Communion Hymn#419 "All Who Hunger, Gather Gladly" all verses
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#73 "There's a Wideness in God's Mercy" (verses 1, 2, & 4)
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
With friends and strangers,
with family and neighbors, we gather:
Come among us, Healing God,
Come among us, Healing God,
with that love which never ends.
With faith reaching out to touch,
with hearts straining to trust, we hope:
Come among us, Friend of the broken,
with your compassion which makes us whole.
Come among us, Friend of the broken,
with your compassion which makes us whole.
With word and wonder,
with silence and song, we wait:
Come among us, Dryer of our tears,
Come among us, Dryer of our tears,
to lift us to our feet to follow you.
— written by Thom Shuman, and posted on Lectionary Liturgies. http://lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.ca/ Visit that site for other wonderful lectionary-based worship resources.
Hymn of Praise:#725"God of the Ages, Whose Almighty Hand" (stanzas 1, 2, & 4)
Invocation (UNISON)
Loving God,
we are yours.
We come as we are,
with our cares and concerns.
We long to touch you
and find healing in your embrace.
Strengthen our faith
and heal our brokenness,
that we may worship you with joy. Amen.
we are yours.
We come as we are,
with our cares and concerns.
We long to touch you
and find healing in your embrace.
Strengthen our faith
and heal our brokenness,
that we may worship you with joy. Amen.
— adapted from The Abingdon Worship Annual 2009, © 2008 Abingdon Press. Posted on the Ministry Matters website. http://www.ministrymatters.com/
Passing of the Peace
We return to our seats as the piano music begins.
Hymn of Faith:#720 O Beautiful, for Spacious Skies" (all stanzas)
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:#564"He Touched Me" (all stanzas)
Praying Together (2 sample prayers below)
Our God and Creator, we give thanks for the United Sates of America and for all who have given or spent their lives to make this nation possible:
For those who gathered years ago in the face of overwhelming opposition to draft the Declaration of Independence;
For the delegates among them who brought with them an understanding of representative government, the rule of law, and the sovereignty of God;
For the brave foot solidiers whose courage turned back superior forces;
For the freedoms won and defended at great cost
And, for all those today that will not let us forget the cost of our freedom and our responsibility to help keep the torch of freedom burning brightly and to remain alert to any attempts based in fear to erode our freedoms.
Gracious God, we pray for all people for whom freedom is denied:
For those imprisoned for political reasons, for race, ethnicity or other prejudice, for economic reasons, for religious beliefs.
For those whose freedom has been taken away
by disabling illness, by severe drought or famine, by scarce resources, by the greed of others, by war.
Let all who lack freedom come face to face with the One in whose service is perfect freedom, a freedom no force on earth can take away. In your Holy Spirit may they find an everlasting source of power and the courage to grow beyond their captivity.
Merciful God, we pray now for ourselves:
If we have lost sight of goals once clear;
If we have pushed from our consciousness a cry for help from one who needs us;
If we have tried to do too much for those who need to do more for themselves;
If we assume the world will fall apart if we relax control for one minute;
If we are too much concerned about things and too little concerned about people.
Let there be born in us a fresh vision of what our lives will look like when we live them fully trusting in your love and fully permitting that love to take whatever shape it will around the needs of the world.
This we pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
-adapted from “Freedoms Won and Defended” by Robert Winfield Shaffer in Heartfelt Prayers for Your Life Today (Berea College Printing Services, 2017)
We thank you, Almighty God, for this our country—our sweet land of freedom, a haven of hope and above all our home and inheritance.
We consecrate this day to the celebration of the sacred ideals of justice and independence, which brought it to birth. We praise you, our Creator, for our nation's beauty: its snow capped mountains, ancient forests and shimmering deserts; its mighty cities and its rural quiet; its roaring seashores, crystal clear springs, still lakes and coursing rivers; its hills and caverns; its ploughed fields and its echoing wilderness.
For everything good in the reasons that brought us here: a spirit of adventure, a triumph over all odds, determination for deliverance, desire for opportunity, a quest for education, a passion for exploring, love of family, a sense of mission we thank you. For all of the many places from which we have come, that have given each of us strength to share, we praise and thank you. How blessed and rich we are in one another! From this vast reservoir of ability, intelligence and talent, O Lord, let us draw fully and together meet the challenges of our day.
Let us not rest, O Lord, until we have ushered in the day when children of every colour, creed and condition, male or female, may without barrier or impediment partake equally in opportunities to fulfill the potential with which you have endowed them. May we, who have so prospered under the blessings of our birthright, extend those blessings across every boundary of privilege and prejudice.
Inspire our determination to fulfill our nation's highest pledge. Grant that by the power of Your Holy Spirit we may with courage and wisdom contend with every tyranny yet unconquered in our midst.
Call to our remembrance the sacrifice and foresight of our nation's founding fathers and mothers, that we may not retreat into merely private pursuits, but rise to the call of duty in our day as they did in theirs. Grant that we, too, may live not merely for the present or for ourselves but that we may serve the future with action in accordance with our best traditions.
We, who are first citizens of Your kingdom, O God, seek Your guidance that we may be also good citizens of our country. Strengthen and enlighten us by Your grace that our love of our country may express itself in our love and care of one another.
Deliver us from meager sentimental patriotism. Give us hearts that seek to serve our beloved country, that our precious freedom be not idly squandered in vain and self-centered pursuits, nor perverted into the practices that deny it to others, but ever be directed to its safekeeping and to the preservation of that expansive liberty of mind, heart and will, which you, O Lord, first gave us. In the name above all names, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
— adapted from Worship Service for Our Nation,
Our God and Creator, we give thanks for the United Sates of America and for all who have given or spent their lives to make this nation possible:
For those who gathered years ago in the face of overwhelming opposition to draft the Declaration of Independence;
For the delegates among them who brought with them an understanding of representative government, the rule of law, and the sovereignty of God;
For the brave foot solidiers whose courage turned back superior forces;
For the freedoms won and defended at great cost
And, for all those today that will not let us forget the cost of our freedom and our responsibility to help keep the torch of freedom burning brightly and to remain alert to any attempts based in fear to erode our freedoms.
Gracious God, we pray for all people for whom freedom is denied:
For those imprisoned for political reasons, for race, ethnicity or other prejudice, for economic reasons, for religious beliefs.
For those whose freedom has been taken away
by disabling illness, by severe drought or famine, by scarce resources, by the greed of others, by war.
Let all who lack freedom come face to face with the One in whose service is perfect freedom, a freedom no force on earth can take away. In your Holy Spirit may they find an everlasting source of power and the courage to grow beyond their captivity.
Merciful God, we pray now for ourselves:
If we have lost sight of goals once clear;
If we have pushed from our consciousness a cry for help from one who needs us;
If we have tried to do too much for those who need to do more for themselves;
If we assume the world will fall apart if we relax control for one minute;
If we are too much concerned about things and too little concerned about people.
Let there be born in us a fresh vision of what our lives will look like when we live them fully trusting in your love and fully permitting that love to take whatever shape it will around the needs of the world.
This we pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
-adapted from “Freedoms Won and Defended” by Robert Winfield Shaffer in Heartfelt Prayers for Your Life Today (Berea College Printing Services, 2017)
We thank you, Almighty God, for this our country—our sweet land of freedom, a haven of hope and above all our home and inheritance.
We consecrate this day to the celebration of the sacred ideals of justice and independence, which brought it to birth. We praise you, our Creator, for our nation's beauty: its snow capped mountains, ancient forests and shimmering deserts; its mighty cities and its rural quiet; its roaring seashores, crystal clear springs, still lakes and coursing rivers; its hills and caverns; its ploughed fields and its echoing wilderness.
For everything good in the reasons that brought us here: a spirit of adventure, a triumph over all odds, determination for deliverance, desire for opportunity, a quest for education, a passion for exploring, love of family, a sense of mission we thank you. For all of the many places from which we have come, that have given each of us strength to share, we praise and thank you. How blessed and rich we are in one another! From this vast reservoir of ability, intelligence and talent, O Lord, let us draw fully and together meet the challenges of our day.
Let us not rest, O Lord, until we have ushered in the day when children of every colour, creed and condition, male or female, may without barrier or impediment partake equally in opportunities to fulfill the potential with which you have endowed them. May we, who have so prospered under the blessings of our birthright, extend those blessings across every boundary of privilege and prejudice.
Inspire our determination to fulfill our nation's highest pledge. Grant that by the power of Your Holy Spirit we may with courage and wisdom contend with every tyranny yet unconquered in our midst.
Call to our remembrance the sacrifice and foresight of our nation's founding fathers and mothers, that we may not retreat into merely private pursuits, but rise to the call of duty in our day as they did in theirs. Grant that we, too, may live not merely for the present or for ourselves but that we may serve the future with action in accordance with our best traditions.
We, who are first citizens of Your kingdom, O God, seek Your guidance that we may be also good citizens of our country. Strengthen and enlighten us by Your grace that our love of our country may express itself in our love and care of one another.
Deliver us from meager sentimental patriotism. Give us hearts that seek to serve our beloved country, that our precious freedom be not idly squandered in vain and self-centered pursuits, nor perverted into the practices that deny it to others, but ever be directed to its safekeeping and to the preservation of that expansive liberty of mind, heart and will, which you, O Lord, first gave us. In the name above all names, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
— adapted from Worship Service for Our Nation,
We Gather at The Lord’s Table
Invitation to the Table
Communion Hymn#419 " All Who Hunger, Gather Gladly"(all stanzas)
Communion Hymn#419 " All Who Hunger, Gather Gladly"(all stanzas)
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:#73" There's a Wideness in God's Mercy" (stanzas 1, 2, & 4)
Discipleship Hymn:#73" There's a Wideness in God's Mercy" (stanzas 1, 2, & 4)
Acolytes come forward.
Blessing
Leader: We go in peace!
People: Amen!
Parting Song:"May the Lord, Mighty God"
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!
