Calling the disciples to a special ministry.
Worship
Lectionary Worship Workbook
Planning Ideas And Resources For The Entire Church Year
Pastoral Invitation to the Celebration
One pastor did this:
Begin, Welcome to the celebration. Come on! Follow the Christ who calls us to worship for a particular purpose. We're here today to find out what that purpose is. So, ready or not, we continue.
You may want to follow with this, or a similar, litany, between pastor and ministers:
Pastor:
We have come, maybe reluctantly, maybe expectantly, because the living God has invited us to come.
Ministers: We have come, with reluctance and expectation, to affirm who we are, whose we are, what we do, where we go, in the power of the world's Savior.
Pastor:
We affirm our life, corporate and personal, in the midst of life's awesomeness, for the sake of the world, for which the Savior was born.
Ministers: Be it so! Amen!
The Act of Recognizing our Humanness and The Act of Receiving New Life
Suggestion:
Begin the act with a statement of C. S. Lewis. "Most of us are not following Christ vividly enough to constitute a threat either to the devil or to the status quo." Give the people time to consider that statement. Then, follow with this, or a similar, bidding prayer of confession:
1. for ourselves - for hearing the radical, revolutionary message of the Savior's calling while failing to heed our integrating it into our lives. (silence)
2. toward our neighbor - for our hesitancy about living visibly and sharing verbally the good news of the significance of the Savior's birth through our lives. (silence)
3. with our Lord - for taking his name in vain, that is, casually, lightly; from our worshiping ideas about God rather than God. (silence)
Conclude with 1 John 2:1-2:
Pastor:
When we sin, we have a pleader with God, Jesus Christ, the righteous. And he is the one who has paid the price for our I-centeredness, and not for ours only, but also for the brokenness of the whole world. The grace of the Lord Christ be with all of us. (my translation)
Ministers: We believe this truth with our mind; help us to put it into our behavior. Amen!
Message with Children of All Ages
Consider this:
Ask them to share some good news that happened to them this past week. Then, ask what they did when they first heard about, or experienced it. They probably spread it all over the community as quickly as possible. Tie that in with Andrew's telling his brother, Peter, about Jesus. When we have something important to share, we share it. That's also true about our faith.
Proclamation of the Word
Consider these ideas:
At a church trial some years ago, one of the members of the congregation seeking to leave the denomination, said, "No new truth has been revealed since 1620." We may feel that way in attempting to say something new about the calling of the disciples. Those early disciples, despite their constant misunderstanding of the life and ministry of Jesus, surely must have caught a glimpse of some new hope, faith, and love in the person of Jesus. And despite the odds, they were willing to take the risk of obedience. Discuss what "follow me" meant to them, and the possibilities for us today. Many in the contemporary church seem to say, "I can't do it; I can't witness." The fact is that we do witness, if we admit it or not. Provide some new possibilities for witnessing, with some new symbols. Some new symbols for me include Snoopy who dances to life amidst absurdity (maybe you will want to review Samuel Beckett's writings and the theater of the absurd), the hymn, "The Lord of the Dance," the qualities of a good fisherman, or even, the old "Mission-Impossible" series.
Stewardship Challenge
Consider this:
The Stewardship of our Calling to share the good news, not only with our money, but also through our lives. Invite the people to replace, "I can't do it," which usually means, "I won't do it, and you can't make me," with the affirmation to take one risk this week to share with a friend what the Savior means to me.
Charge to the Congregation
Suggestion:
Shakespeare said, "Assume a virtue though you have it not; for it is a fact that the dynamic power of habit can build it into your character." The approach that I use in counseling is this: "It is easier to act your way into a new way of thinking and feeling, than to think and feel your way into a new way of acting." What new action are you willing to take this week to express yourself as a Christian?
Planning for Your Congregation
Suggestions
Your Situation
I. Other Scriptures
Liturgist:
Psalm 63:1-8
Psalm 67
Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-10
1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)
1 Corinthians 6:12-20
II. Suggested Hymns
Coordinator:
"O Lord, Our God, Most Earnestly" from Psalm 63:1-8
The Psalter, 1912; alt., 1972
"Lord, Bless and Pity Us" from Psalm 67
The Psalter, 1912; alt., 1972
"Reach Out to Your Neighbor" Words and Music by Roger Copeland
A New Now, Hope Publishing Co. 308 South Main Place Carol Stream, Ill. 60187
III. Other Music Possibilities
Organist/Choir director:
Music for Preparation and Dismissal
Medley of Epiphany Hymns
Response to the Prayer of Praise
"Ye Lands, to the Lord Make a Jubilant Noise" Wolff
Response to the Stewardship Challenge (Offertory)
"Antiphon" Dupre
Response to the Benediction
"Alleluia Chorus" from "Lilies of the Field"
IV. Bulletin Cover
Church secretary:
V. Bulletin Symbols
VI. Miscellaneous Details (Assignments:)
Ushers
Candlelighters
Hosts/Hostesses
Banners
Flowers
Greeters
Posters
Name-tags
Others
One pastor did this:
Begin, Welcome to the celebration. Come on! Follow the Christ who calls us to worship for a particular purpose. We're here today to find out what that purpose is. So, ready or not, we continue.
You may want to follow with this, or a similar, litany, between pastor and ministers:
Pastor:
We have come, maybe reluctantly, maybe expectantly, because the living God has invited us to come.
Ministers: We have come, with reluctance and expectation, to affirm who we are, whose we are, what we do, where we go, in the power of the world's Savior.
Pastor:
We affirm our life, corporate and personal, in the midst of life's awesomeness, for the sake of the world, for which the Savior was born.
Ministers: Be it so! Amen!
The Act of Recognizing our Humanness and The Act of Receiving New Life
Suggestion:
Begin the act with a statement of C. S. Lewis. "Most of us are not following Christ vividly enough to constitute a threat either to the devil or to the status quo." Give the people time to consider that statement. Then, follow with this, or a similar, bidding prayer of confession:
1. for ourselves - for hearing the radical, revolutionary message of the Savior's calling while failing to heed our integrating it into our lives. (silence)
2. toward our neighbor - for our hesitancy about living visibly and sharing verbally the good news of the significance of the Savior's birth through our lives. (silence)
3. with our Lord - for taking his name in vain, that is, casually, lightly; from our worshiping ideas about God rather than God. (silence)
Conclude with 1 John 2:1-2:
Pastor:
When we sin, we have a pleader with God, Jesus Christ, the righteous. And he is the one who has paid the price for our I-centeredness, and not for ours only, but also for the brokenness of the whole world. The grace of the Lord Christ be with all of us. (my translation)
Ministers: We believe this truth with our mind; help us to put it into our behavior. Amen!
Message with Children of All Ages
Consider this:
Ask them to share some good news that happened to them this past week. Then, ask what they did when they first heard about, or experienced it. They probably spread it all over the community as quickly as possible. Tie that in with Andrew's telling his brother, Peter, about Jesus. When we have something important to share, we share it. That's also true about our faith.
Proclamation of the Word
Consider these ideas:
At a church trial some years ago, one of the members of the congregation seeking to leave the denomination, said, "No new truth has been revealed since 1620." We may feel that way in attempting to say something new about the calling of the disciples. Those early disciples, despite their constant misunderstanding of the life and ministry of Jesus, surely must have caught a glimpse of some new hope, faith, and love in the person of Jesus. And despite the odds, they were willing to take the risk of obedience. Discuss what "follow me" meant to them, and the possibilities for us today. Many in the contemporary church seem to say, "I can't do it; I can't witness." The fact is that we do witness, if we admit it or not. Provide some new possibilities for witnessing, with some new symbols. Some new symbols for me include Snoopy who dances to life amidst absurdity (maybe you will want to review Samuel Beckett's writings and the theater of the absurd), the hymn, "The Lord of the Dance," the qualities of a good fisherman, or even, the old "Mission-Impossible" series.
Stewardship Challenge
Consider this:
The Stewardship of our Calling to share the good news, not only with our money, but also through our lives. Invite the people to replace, "I can't do it," which usually means, "I won't do it, and you can't make me," with the affirmation to take one risk this week to share with a friend what the Savior means to me.
Charge to the Congregation
Suggestion:
Shakespeare said, "Assume a virtue though you have it not; for it is a fact that the dynamic power of habit can build it into your character." The approach that I use in counseling is this: "It is easier to act your way into a new way of thinking and feeling, than to think and feel your way into a new way of acting." What new action are you willing to take this week to express yourself as a Christian?
Planning for Your Congregation
Suggestions
Your Situation
I. Other Scriptures
Liturgist:
Psalm 63:1-8
Psalm 67
Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-10
1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20)
1 Corinthians 6:12-20
II. Suggested Hymns
Coordinator:
"O Lord, Our God, Most Earnestly" from Psalm 63:1-8
The Psalter, 1912; alt., 1972
"Lord, Bless and Pity Us" from Psalm 67
The Psalter, 1912; alt., 1972
"Reach Out to Your Neighbor" Words and Music by Roger Copeland
A New Now, Hope Publishing Co. 308 South Main Place Carol Stream, Ill. 60187
III. Other Music Possibilities
Organist/Choir director:
Music for Preparation and Dismissal
Medley of Epiphany Hymns
Response to the Prayer of Praise
"Ye Lands, to the Lord Make a Jubilant Noise" Wolff
Response to the Stewardship Challenge (Offertory)
"Antiphon" Dupre
Response to the Benediction
"Alleluia Chorus" from "Lilies of the Field"
IV. Bulletin Cover
Church secretary:
V. Bulletin Symbols
VI. Miscellaneous Details (Assignments:)
Ushers
Candlelighters
Hosts/Hostesses
Banners
Flowers
Greeters
Posters
Name-tags
Others
