Comparison between Jesus and John the Baptist; Jesus' Thanks to the Father; Jesus' Invitation to Us
Worship
Lectionary Worship Workbook
Series II, Cycle A Gospel Texts
Celebrating The Presence Of God
Invitation to the Celebration
In a football game, if a team huddles for more than 25 seconds, it is penalized. The huddle is as important for a football team as the huddle of corporate worships is for the community of faith. All that God ever intended the worship to be is the huddle. We come together for the purpose of going out and hitting the line. For the next hour, or in my case, the next 75 minutes, we huddle in order to get back into the thick of the action -- because worship is not primarily something that happens between God and the church, but rather, something that happens between God and the world.
Declaration of Joy (Reverently shouting)
(Moffett's Translation of Psalm 150)
(R.S. - Right Side; L.S. - Left Side)
All: Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
R.S.: Praise God in the sanctuary!
L.S.: Praise God in the heaven of power!
R.S.: Praise God for mighty deeds!
L.S.: Praise God for sovereign strength!
R.S.: Praise God with a bugle blast!
L.S.: Praise God with lute and lyre!
R.S.: Praise God with the drum and dance!
L.S.: Praise God with strings and flute!
R.S.: Praise God with resounding cymbals!
L.S.: Praise God with the clash of cymbals!
All: Let everything that breathes, praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah. Amen!
(Sexist language eliminated. During the reading, use the instruments mentioned, or facsimiles, to reinforce the reading.)
Hymn of Praise
"All Creatures of Our God and King" (Francis of Assisi, 1225; trans. and para. William Henry Draper, c. 1910; alt.; harm. Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1906). Augment the organ with all the musical instruments.
Prayer of Praise
Be certain to focus on who God is, the One who invites us to worship, no matter what our situation or condition.
Response
Use a musical version of Psalm 150.
Celebrating The Act Of Forgiveness
The Act of Confession
The story is told of a Scottish preacher (though the response is not limited to Scottish people). One day he stood at the fringe of a Salvation Army meeting on a street in Edinburgh. A young uniformed girl with a tambourine asked him, "Are you a Christian?" He replied sternly, "I am a professor in a theological school." When the girl returned to her companions after his rebuff, she sighed, "What a face for a Christian." Which model do we want for our life, the response to John or Jesus? Or neither? What keeps us from living the joy-life? (Two minutes of silence.)
The Assurance of Pardon
(Have someone prepared to give the assurance from where he/she is sitting; make certain that everyone can hear.) From To Believe in God (former Sister Corita): "To believe in God is to get so attached to everything that it can't give you up; is to have the great faith that someone, somewhere is not stupid; is to have somebody who knows you through and through, and likes you still and all; is to be able to die and not be embarrassed." And to believe in God is ... (you finish the sentence; and write it on your friendship card. Print it in the church newsletter).
Response
"O Rejoice in the Lord Always" (by John F. Wilson; tune: "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore," in Folk Encounter, Hope Publishing Company. See Appendix I for address).
Celebrating The Word
Message with the Children of All Ages
Contrast the people's responses between Jesus and John. Bring in a cartoon of Snoopy dancing. To Snoopy, "dancing is the only pure art form." Jesus, too, knew how to dance to life. If some of your congregation are "anti-dancers," offer this definition of Simeon Stylites, writing in the Christian Century, April 27, 1967: "By dancing, I mean the feeling of spiritual joy which tells us that here is something too big and lively to permit us to be content with a sedate walk, a joy which needs some rhythm to make it."
Response
"The Lord of the Dance" (American Shaker melody, Sydney Carter, 1963). Ask the teenagers to lead the congregation; and use a variety of musical instruments.
Reading from the Newer Covenant
Have Jesus and John and a group of people. The people, with sarcasm, speak verse 17. Jesus responds to their griping. Jesus then prays to the Father. Have Jesus then walk out in the midst of the people to offer the invitation found in verses 28-30. Ask if anyone has any response to the invitation.
Proclamation of the Good News
Consider the theme: "Learning to Dance." One translation of Psalm 25 reads, "Worship the Eternal in festive attire." Someone said to a friend, "Take your mind out and dance on it. It is getting all caked up."
Response
(Choir) "Ye Followers of the Lamb" (arr. Ferguson; Shaker Tune).
Celebrating Our Gifts
Stewardship Challenge
For the super-brave, ask your people to dance down the aisles to place their money in the offering plates on the communion table. For the less risky, use this remark by a Chicago teenager to the question, "What does it mean to be Christ-like?" "We should dance in the midst of absurdity." The world, in many ways, does seem absurd; but so what, it always has, as for example, when people stoned the prophets, crucified the finest man who ever lived, burned the martyrs, and still do.
Charge to the Congregation
Where do we look for people dancing to life today? Look around this week for the "dancers" and write down what you discover. Are you one of the dancers? If not, what's keeping you from dancing to life?
Celebrating Our Departure
Benediction
You are dismissed to dance with Jesus; for, as Jerome Murphy has said, "If we leave it to the Spirit, there will be nothing left in the church but Jesus and dancing."
Response
Chorus only, "Lord of the Dance." Sing as you leave the sanctuary.
Meditation
Once again, from the lips, so to speak, of Snoopy, "To those of us with real understanding, dancing is the only pure art form." And, "feeling groovy!"
Music Possibilities In Addition To Those Already Suggested
Music for Preparation: Medley of Holy Spirit hymns or "Solemn Prelude," T. Tertius Noble.
Hymn of Praise: "Sing Praise to God, Who Reigns Above," Bohemian Brethren Hymnal, 1566; trans. by Frances E. Cox, 1864; alt.
Response to the Proclamation: (Choir) "Awake My Heart," Jane Marshall.
Offertory: "O God, Thou Great God," Karg-Elert.
Hymn of Commitment: "Rejoice, O Pure in Heart," Edward H. Plumptre, 1865; alt. Refrain added in 1883.
Music for Dismissal: Medley of dance tunes or "Postlude," Green.
Invitation to the Celebration
In a football game, if a team huddles for more than 25 seconds, it is penalized. The huddle is as important for a football team as the huddle of corporate worships is for the community of faith. All that God ever intended the worship to be is the huddle. We come together for the purpose of going out and hitting the line. For the next hour, or in my case, the next 75 minutes, we huddle in order to get back into the thick of the action -- because worship is not primarily something that happens between God and the church, but rather, something that happens between God and the world.
Declaration of Joy (Reverently shouting)
(Moffett's Translation of Psalm 150)
(R.S. - Right Side; L.S. - Left Side)
All: Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
R.S.: Praise God in the sanctuary!
L.S.: Praise God in the heaven of power!
R.S.: Praise God for mighty deeds!
L.S.: Praise God for sovereign strength!
R.S.: Praise God with a bugle blast!
L.S.: Praise God with lute and lyre!
R.S.: Praise God with the drum and dance!
L.S.: Praise God with strings and flute!
R.S.: Praise God with resounding cymbals!
L.S.: Praise God with the clash of cymbals!
All: Let everything that breathes, praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Hallelujah. Amen!
(Sexist language eliminated. During the reading, use the instruments mentioned, or facsimiles, to reinforce the reading.)
Hymn of Praise
"All Creatures of Our God and King" (Francis of Assisi, 1225; trans. and para. William Henry Draper, c. 1910; alt.; harm. Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1906). Augment the organ with all the musical instruments.
Prayer of Praise
Be certain to focus on who God is, the One who invites us to worship, no matter what our situation or condition.
Response
Use a musical version of Psalm 150.
Celebrating The Act Of Forgiveness
The Act of Confession
The story is told of a Scottish preacher (though the response is not limited to Scottish people). One day he stood at the fringe of a Salvation Army meeting on a street in Edinburgh. A young uniformed girl with a tambourine asked him, "Are you a Christian?" He replied sternly, "I am a professor in a theological school." When the girl returned to her companions after his rebuff, she sighed, "What a face for a Christian." Which model do we want for our life, the response to John or Jesus? Or neither? What keeps us from living the joy-life? (Two minutes of silence.)
The Assurance of Pardon
(Have someone prepared to give the assurance from where he/she is sitting; make certain that everyone can hear.) From To Believe in God (former Sister Corita): "To believe in God is to get so attached to everything that it can't give you up; is to have the great faith that someone, somewhere is not stupid; is to have somebody who knows you through and through, and likes you still and all; is to be able to die and not be embarrassed." And to believe in God is ... (you finish the sentence; and write it on your friendship card. Print it in the church newsletter).
Response
"O Rejoice in the Lord Always" (by John F. Wilson; tune: "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore," in Folk Encounter, Hope Publishing Company. See Appendix I for address).
Celebrating The Word
Message with the Children of All Ages
Contrast the people's responses between Jesus and John. Bring in a cartoon of Snoopy dancing. To Snoopy, "dancing is the only pure art form." Jesus, too, knew how to dance to life. If some of your congregation are "anti-dancers," offer this definition of Simeon Stylites, writing in the Christian Century, April 27, 1967: "By dancing, I mean the feeling of spiritual joy which tells us that here is something too big and lively to permit us to be content with a sedate walk, a joy which needs some rhythm to make it."
Response
"The Lord of the Dance" (American Shaker melody, Sydney Carter, 1963). Ask the teenagers to lead the congregation; and use a variety of musical instruments.
Reading from the Newer Covenant
Have Jesus and John and a group of people. The people, with sarcasm, speak verse 17. Jesus responds to their griping. Jesus then prays to the Father. Have Jesus then walk out in the midst of the people to offer the invitation found in verses 28-30. Ask if anyone has any response to the invitation.
Proclamation of the Good News
Consider the theme: "Learning to Dance." One translation of Psalm 25 reads, "Worship the Eternal in festive attire." Someone said to a friend, "Take your mind out and dance on it. It is getting all caked up."
Response
(Choir) "Ye Followers of the Lamb" (arr. Ferguson; Shaker Tune).
Celebrating Our Gifts
Stewardship Challenge
For the super-brave, ask your people to dance down the aisles to place their money in the offering plates on the communion table. For the less risky, use this remark by a Chicago teenager to the question, "What does it mean to be Christ-like?" "We should dance in the midst of absurdity." The world, in many ways, does seem absurd; but so what, it always has, as for example, when people stoned the prophets, crucified the finest man who ever lived, burned the martyrs, and still do.
Charge to the Congregation
Where do we look for people dancing to life today? Look around this week for the "dancers" and write down what you discover. Are you one of the dancers? If not, what's keeping you from dancing to life?
Celebrating Our Departure
Benediction
You are dismissed to dance with Jesus; for, as Jerome Murphy has said, "If we leave it to the Spirit, there will be nothing left in the church but Jesus and dancing."
Response
Chorus only, "Lord of the Dance." Sing as you leave the sanctuary.
Meditation
Once again, from the lips, so to speak, of Snoopy, "To those of us with real understanding, dancing is the only pure art form." And, "feeling groovy!"
Music Possibilities In Addition To Those Already Suggested
Music for Preparation: Medley of Holy Spirit hymns or "Solemn Prelude," T. Tertius Noble.
Hymn of Praise: "Sing Praise to God, Who Reigns Above," Bohemian Brethren Hymnal, 1566; trans. by Frances E. Cox, 1864; alt.
Response to the Proclamation: (Choir) "Awake My Heart," Jane Marshall.
Offertory: "O God, Thou Great God," Karg-Elert.
Hymn of Commitment: "Rejoice, O Pure in Heart," Edward H. Plumptre, 1865; alt. Refrain added in 1883.
Music for Dismissal: Medley of dance tunes or "Postlude," Green.
