Lent 5
Worship
Lectionary Worship Workbook, Series IV, Cycle C
Soul Motion
You shall pass judgment on yourself. That is the hardest thing of all ...
If you succeed in judging yourself, it is because you are truly wise.
(The king on a planet to the prince)
-- Saint Exupery, The Little Prince
Call To Worship
Leader: You're here! Winter seems displaced by the new growth of spring. This is the fifth Sunday in Lent -- with one more to come: Palm Sunday.
(Candles counting the Sundays in Lent can be lighted.)
People: We are glad for the longer days and enjoy later sunsets and the brightness of the rising moon.
Leader: This very moment is ours to appreciate. Scriptures tell us not to dwell on the past but to watch for the new things that God is doing.
People: In the spring light, we let go of old guilt and as Easter comes, we relish new energies in nature and in our own souls.
Leader: Thank God for resurrecting us and all creation!
People: Thank God for Jesus, his teaching, his dying, and his rising again!
Prayer Of Thanksgiving (Leader)
Living God -- how happy we are when beauty and goodness surround us! How pleased we are when things seem to be going our way! What pleasure we feel when we realize that your Spirit is sustaining us moment by moment. This hour, our full attention turns to you and we listen for your voice. Amen.
Call To Confession (Leader)
These moments are for you to reflect on your inner activities. Pray with me and then continue your reverie in silence.
Community Confession (Unison)
Holy One -- our minds are open before you.
When temptations come -- for they surely will -- give us clarity about your hopes for our lives.
When idols sneak into our thoughts and activities, remind us not to play games with your grace and power.
Nurture our souls with words and silences, with relationships and fresh opportunities.
We walk the human path Jesus walked; grant us insight to be faithful. Amen.
Sermon Idea
John's text is known by most Christians, but this sermon might consider the ways we gather to care for one another and the rituals we use to indicate our appreciation and encouragement. The Philippians section reminds us that rites and rituals do not necessarily satisfy our longings to be close to God. What aspects of the church's life together might be enriched with new language in liturgy, with reframed baptismal vows, or with time in the context of worship to articulate honest response to the sermon? Is it possible that we really could befriend one another in the faith family with financial support as well as emotional support? What would it look like within the faith family to make resources available as well as a beautiful building? According to John, might the church's goals to feed the hungry and promote justice outside the faith family be secondary to caring for those within the membership? The poor are always with us, Jesus reminds his first-century friends.
Contemporary Affirmation (Unison)
The Holy comes to us in many different ways. God continues to create in and around us, leading us to food for our souls and our bodies.
We find courage in Jesus of Nazareth who resisted the temptations that come to humankind: power over others, material wealth that obscures divine goodness, and arrogance that resists attention to divine presence.
With the Holy Spirit enthusing us, we choose to live in ways that are hospitable and gracious, insightful and generous in kind deeds.
Together, we have a significant voice in our culture to demand justice for all.
In our living and in our dying, we are not alone. God is with us. Amen.
Offertory Statement (Leader or Unison)
Brightening this corner of town is part of our work. Money allows us to help refugees settle into their new homes; money and skills keep our building functioning well; money, skills, and time enable us to mentor the next generation. Give as you are led.
Doxology
O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High (v. 5, modified)
tune: DEO GRACIAS
All glory to the living God for love so deep, so high, so broad;
The Trinity whom we adore forever and forever more.
Prayer Of Thanksgiving (Leader or Unison)
Great Mystery -- we know that your affirmation and guidance empower us for daily living. Thank you for your love that flows through us to make your kingdom palpable in our city. Amen.
Intercessory Prayers (Leader or Readers)
Fathering God -- Jesus of Nazareth envisioned humankind being helpful to one another. He spoke of a new reign -- a kinship that banished oppression, starvation, war, and destruction of the land. How good that sounds to us 2,000 years later! We pray for that kingdom to come to this planet. We pray for collaboration among all nations and tribes. As the global economy shifts, let us not destroy the earth. As profit becomes a vociferously demanding idol, let us not sacrifice children's education and health anywhere in the global village. Bring renewed self-control out of climate changes and out of America's imposition of Western democracy in eastern lands.
Mothering God -- Jesus of Nazareth trusted that you and he would establish a neighborly way for humankind to be in the world. We as human creatures have failed to facilitate justice and hospitality. We have feared those different from ourselves. We have accumulated our material goods without recognizing the affect on the earth and other residents. We are frightened that water, food, and health care will exceed the budgets of many people we say are your children. So our prayer is that you enable all humankind to share the available water, oil, and grain. Let it begin with us.
Majestic God -- like the psalmist, we admire the oceans, the sand, and the rocks, and we imagine romantic things about the ocean and sky! We crave vacations from our work days to relax in the beauty of creation. Thank you for holding it all together. We admire the bodies we have, too. We're glad when they function well and we retreat to physicians when they are off balance. We pray for health -- as much as our bodies and psyches can handle; give us courage when disease invades; give us peace when our days are numbered.
Loving God -- thank you for this place we call our church home, for the companions who sit with us week after week. Thank you for the history and for tomorrow's dreams. Make joyful noises among us, dance with us, and paint with vibrant colors and illicit rich music as we are filled with your Presence. Amen.
Benediction (Leader)
May the road continue smooth before you;
May there be enough light along the way;
May peace greet you at every crossroad
And joy accompany you to the end.
Through whatever pain and suffering is yours to endure
Know that God is in it with you.
Amid every temptation that comes to you
Be aware that wisdom is yours for the asking.
Music
Be Still My Soul
Words: Katharina von Schlegel, 1752; tr. Jane Borthwick, 1855, alt.
Music: Jean Sibelius, 1899; arr. The Hymnal, 1933
FINLANDIA
Breathe On Me, Breath Of God
Words: Edwin Hatch, 1878, alt.
Music: Robert Jackson, 1888
TRENTHAM
Come And Find The Quiet Center
Words: Shirley Erena Murray, 1989
Music: Traditional American melody; arr. Jack Schrader
BEACH SPRING
Come Down, O Love Divine
Words: Bianco of Siena (15th century); tr. Richard F. Littledale, 1867, alt.
Music: Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1906
DOWN AMPNEY
Where Restless Crowds Are Thronging
Words: Thomas Curtis Clark, 1953
Music: William Lloyd, 1840
MEIRIONYDD
If you succeed in judging yourself, it is because you are truly wise.
(The king on a planet to the prince)
-- Saint Exupery, The Little Prince
Call To Worship
Leader: You're here! Winter seems displaced by the new growth of spring. This is the fifth Sunday in Lent -- with one more to come: Palm Sunday.
(Candles counting the Sundays in Lent can be lighted.)
People: We are glad for the longer days and enjoy later sunsets and the brightness of the rising moon.
Leader: This very moment is ours to appreciate. Scriptures tell us not to dwell on the past but to watch for the new things that God is doing.
People: In the spring light, we let go of old guilt and as Easter comes, we relish new energies in nature and in our own souls.
Leader: Thank God for resurrecting us and all creation!
People: Thank God for Jesus, his teaching, his dying, and his rising again!
Prayer Of Thanksgiving (Leader)
Living God -- how happy we are when beauty and goodness surround us! How pleased we are when things seem to be going our way! What pleasure we feel when we realize that your Spirit is sustaining us moment by moment. This hour, our full attention turns to you and we listen for your voice. Amen.
Call To Confession (Leader)
These moments are for you to reflect on your inner activities. Pray with me and then continue your reverie in silence.
Community Confession (Unison)
Holy One -- our minds are open before you.
When temptations come -- for they surely will -- give us clarity about your hopes for our lives.
When idols sneak into our thoughts and activities, remind us not to play games with your grace and power.
Nurture our souls with words and silences, with relationships and fresh opportunities.
We walk the human path Jesus walked; grant us insight to be faithful. Amen.
Sermon Idea
John's text is known by most Christians, but this sermon might consider the ways we gather to care for one another and the rituals we use to indicate our appreciation and encouragement. The Philippians section reminds us that rites and rituals do not necessarily satisfy our longings to be close to God. What aspects of the church's life together might be enriched with new language in liturgy, with reframed baptismal vows, or with time in the context of worship to articulate honest response to the sermon? Is it possible that we really could befriend one another in the faith family with financial support as well as emotional support? What would it look like within the faith family to make resources available as well as a beautiful building? According to John, might the church's goals to feed the hungry and promote justice outside the faith family be secondary to caring for those within the membership? The poor are always with us, Jesus reminds his first-century friends.
Contemporary Affirmation (Unison)
The Holy comes to us in many different ways. God continues to create in and around us, leading us to food for our souls and our bodies.
We find courage in Jesus of Nazareth who resisted the temptations that come to humankind: power over others, material wealth that obscures divine goodness, and arrogance that resists attention to divine presence.
With the Holy Spirit enthusing us, we choose to live in ways that are hospitable and gracious, insightful and generous in kind deeds.
Together, we have a significant voice in our culture to demand justice for all.
In our living and in our dying, we are not alone. God is with us. Amen.
Offertory Statement (Leader or Unison)
Brightening this corner of town is part of our work. Money allows us to help refugees settle into their new homes; money and skills keep our building functioning well; money, skills, and time enable us to mentor the next generation. Give as you are led.
Doxology
O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High (v. 5, modified)
tune: DEO GRACIAS
All glory to the living God for love so deep, so high, so broad;
The Trinity whom we adore forever and forever more.
Prayer Of Thanksgiving (Leader or Unison)
Great Mystery -- we know that your affirmation and guidance empower us for daily living. Thank you for your love that flows through us to make your kingdom palpable in our city. Amen.
Intercessory Prayers (Leader or Readers)
Fathering God -- Jesus of Nazareth envisioned humankind being helpful to one another. He spoke of a new reign -- a kinship that banished oppression, starvation, war, and destruction of the land. How good that sounds to us 2,000 years later! We pray for that kingdom to come to this planet. We pray for collaboration among all nations and tribes. As the global economy shifts, let us not destroy the earth. As profit becomes a vociferously demanding idol, let us not sacrifice children's education and health anywhere in the global village. Bring renewed self-control out of climate changes and out of America's imposition of Western democracy in eastern lands.
Mothering God -- Jesus of Nazareth trusted that you and he would establish a neighborly way for humankind to be in the world. We as human creatures have failed to facilitate justice and hospitality. We have feared those different from ourselves. We have accumulated our material goods without recognizing the affect on the earth and other residents. We are frightened that water, food, and health care will exceed the budgets of many people we say are your children. So our prayer is that you enable all humankind to share the available water, oil, and grain. Let it begin with us.
Majestic God -- like the psalmist, we admire the oceans, the sand, and the rocks, and we imagine romantic things about the ocean and sky! We crave vacations from our work days to relax in the beauty of creation. Thank you for holding it all together. We admire the bodies we have, too. We're glad when they function well and we retreat to physicians when they are off balance. We pray for health -- as much as our bodies and psyches can handle; give us courage when disease invades; give us peace when our days are numbered.
Loving God -- thank you for this place we call our church home, for the companions who sit with us week after week. Thank you for the history and for tomorrow's dreams. Make joyful noises among us, dance with us, and paint with vibrant colors and illicit rich music as we are filled with your Presence. Amen.
Benediction (Leader)
May the road continue smooth before you;
May there be enough light along the way;
May peace greet you at every crossroad
And joy accompany you to the end.
Through whatever pain and suffering is yours to endure
Know that God is in it with you.
Amid every temptation that comes to you
Be aware that wisdom is yours for the asking.
Music
Be Still My Soul
Words: Katharina von Schlegel, 1752; tr. Jane Borthwick, 1855, alt.
Music: Jean Sibelius, 1899; arr. The Hymnal, 1933
FINLANDIA
Breathe On Me, Breath Of God
Words: Edwin Hatch, 1878, alt.
Music: Robert Jackson, 1888
TRENTHAM
Come And Find The Quiet Center
Words: Shirley Erena Murray, 1989
Music: Traditional American melody; arr. Jack Schrader
BEACH SPRING
Come Down, O Love Divine
Words: Bianco of Siena (15th century); tr. Richard F. Littledale, 1867, alt.
Music: Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1906
DOWN AMPNEY
Where Restless Crowds Are Thronging
Words: Thomas Curtis Clark, 1953
Music: William Lloyd, 1840
MEIRIONYDD
