Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29
Worship
Lectionary Worship Workbook
Series IV, Cycle B
Call To Worship
Psalm 104:1-9
Leader:
Praise the Lord, O my soul.
People:
O Lord our God, you are very great;
Leader:
You are clothed with splendor and majesty.
People:
You wrap yourself in light as with a garment;
Leader:
You stretched out the heavens like a tent;
People:
You make the clouds your chariot and ride on the wings of the wind.
Leader:
You set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.
People:
You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
Leader:
The waters rose above the mountains.
People:
But at your rebuke the waters fled,
Leader:
Down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them.
People:
O God, you are an awesome God.
Job 38
Leader:
The Lord answered Job out of the storm. He said:
People:
Who is this who questions me without knowing all the facts?
Leader:
Brace yourself and I will question you,
People:
Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?
Leader:
Who marked off its dimensions?
People:
On what were its footings set?
Leader:
Who laid its cornerstone,
People:
While the morning stars sang together and the angels shouted for joy?
Leader:
Can you speak to the clouds and have them cover the earth with water?
People:
Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?
Leader:
Who endowed the heart with wisdom?
People:
Who gave understanding to the mind?
Leader:
Did you teach the lioness to hunt?
People:
Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out?
Leader:
Surely you know Job.
People:
But Job was silent before the majesty of God.
Leader:
Let us worship God.
People:
Amen.
From Amy Grant's song "El Shaddai."
Leader:
El Shaddai, El Shaddai,
People:
God Almighty,
Leader:
El Elyona,
People:
God in the highest,
Leader:
Adonai,
People:
Lord.
Leader:
Age to age you are still the same,
People:
By the power of your name.
Leader:
El Shaddai, El Shaddai,
People:
God Almighty,
Leader:
Erkamkana,
People:
We will love you,
Leader:
Adonai,
People:
Lord.
Leader:
We will praise and lift you high,
People:
You who Abraham called El Shaddai.
A multi-reader Call To Worship.
Reader 1:
I said, "Lord, why are innocent people being killed in the Sudan?"
Reader 2:
I cried out, "Papa, hopelessness and hatred in the Holy Land. When will it end?"
Reader 3:
I asked, "Children starving in Malawi while we have abundance. Righteous God, where is justice for the children?"
Reader 4:
I listened to one who had been tortured by an evil tyrant in Iraq and wondered, "How long, O Lord, must we suffer a world filled with Hitlers, Stalins, Husseins, and the like?"
All 4 Readers:
How long, O Lord?
Reader 1:
And then I heard a quiet voice say,
Reader 2:
"My child, where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?"
Reader 3:
"When I made the clouds and wrapped them like a blanket around the earth?"
Reader 4:
"Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place?"
Reader 1:
"Do you give the horse his strength or clothe his neck with a flowing mane?"
Reader 2:
"Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom?"
Reader 3:
"Does the eagle soar at your command and build his nest on high?"
Reader 4:
Then I realized that I spoke of things I did not understand,
Reader 1:
Things too wonderful for me to know.
Reader 2:
For your ways, O God, are higher than mine.
Reader 3:
Your thoughts are beyond me.
Reader 4:
But I do know this,
Reader 1:
That you are God,
Reader 2:
Awesome in power,
Reader 3:
Unending in love,
Reader 4:
And I am yours.
Reader 1:
And these things I know are enough. Amen.
This reading could also be used elsewhere in the service as a dramatic reading or as a responsive reading. If you choose to use it as a dramatic reading, an alternate Call To Worship is provided below.
The above reading could be followed with a hymn or song affirming God's faithfulness.
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
To God Be The Glory
Our God, Our Help In Ages Past
These choruses might also work:
God Of Wonders (from the City on a Hill worship CD and book)
Humble Thyself In The Sight Of The Lord
Awesome God, Rich Mullins
Holy, You Are Still Holy
Prayer Of Confession
In the reading from Mark, James, and John are led astray by their own delusions of grandeur. We all hear voices that seek to lead us away from "The Way."
Leader:
Whispers from the shadows come every day,
People:
"Come this way."
Leader:
"Let me show you something."
People:
"Over here, I have something for you."
Leader:
"Don't worry, we won't get caught."
People:
"Who says it's wrong?"
Leader:
Always calling us, these voices, to follow them,
People:
To go astray,
Leader:
To disobey.
People:
And we listen,
Leader:
Too often, we listen,
People:
And end up lost.
Leader:
O Lord, forgive us for listening to the voices in the shadows.
People:
Help us to hear and obey only your gentle voice,
Leader:
The still small voice that directs us into paths of righteousness and truth,
People:
The only voice of the one who loves us,
Leader:
And desires our best and highest good.
People:
O Lord, let us hear. Amen.
May be used in conjunction with the Job passage.
Leader:
O Lord, where were you today,
People:
When a bomb exploded,
Leader:
Another child was born with AIDS,
People:
An innocent man was kidnapped,
Leader:
A marriage was shattered,
People:
A young person tried to end it all.
Leader:
O Lord, where were you?
People:
And I hear him say,
Leader:
I was there in those who came to the rescue,
People:
And in the couple who adopted that AIDS baby,
Leader:
In all those who prayed,
People:
In the pull to reconcile,
Leader:
In the hand that reached out to the hurting.
People:
I was there in every bit of light
Leader:
Shone into the darkness.
People:
Father, forgive us for missing you.
Leader:
Open our eyes that we may see
People:
Glimpses of truth thou hast for me.
Leader:
Amen.
Assurance Of Pardon
This one goes well with the Confession immediately above.
Leader:
Let us be certain of this good news, there is peace on earth and good will to those on whom God's favor rests.
People:
And on whom does God's favor rest?
Leader:
On all those who humble themselves before him.
People:
Let us humble ourselves.
Leader:
Amen.
This is a more general Assurance Of Pardon.
There is a broad way and a narrow way. The broad way is easy and popular, but ultimately leads nowhere.
The narrow way is hard and lonely; but Jesus Christ walked before us and walks it with us and it leads to life. The choice is ours.
This is the good news.
Prayer Of Dedication
Gracious God -- No amount of offering is enough to say thank you for the gift you have given. We cannot begin to repay, but we ask that you take these offerings now and make of them what you will. And we ask that you give us hearts that are ever more aware of the priceless gift you have given, that we may become men and women who live with a deep sense of the gift we have received. Amen.
Prayer For Illumination
The voice of the reader is not the voice of God.
The voice of the preacher is not the voice of God.
The voices of the singers are not the voice of God.
And yet, Lord, in these voices we hope to hear you.
Help us to hear your words through these men and women who read, preach, and sing for your glory. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
This one is a narrative prayer. Different, but very beautiful. It is more a proclamation than a prayer, but you can end it, if you like, with a simple prayer.
Long had they been estranged, the daughter having taken a path she knew her father would not approve. So she moved away. Never answered his calls or returned his mail. She eradicated every evidence of him from her life. And then she heard that he was ill. Cancer. It was going to get him. She wanted not to care, but there was still something in her, some spark of love for him. So she went. At the hospital she hoped he'd be asleep. She would give him a little kiss on the forehead, say a prayer over him, and be gone.
But her plans went awry. When she saw him -- though the years and the cancer had despoiled his face -- she saw only the daddy who once held her near and sang sweet songs to her, and kissed her goodnight. She took his hand and sat for hours by his bed.
And then -- when she'd just about given up all hope that he'd awaken, his eyes blinked open, "Ahh" he said, "my sweet Susan. I love you."
She wept. He died. But not before he spoke to her the words of her salvation.
We are often like her -- abandoning our Father. But he -- like her earthly father -- is always ready to say, "I love you."
Benediction
May the Lord give you strength to do what you alone are called to do.
Hymns
All People That On Earth Do Dwell
Blessed Are They That Believe
By Faith In Christ I Walk With God
Faith Is The Victory
God Is So Good
God Of Abraham Praise, The
God Of Grace And God Of Glory
God The Omnipotent
Great Are You, O Lord
Great Is The Lord
Holy, Holy, Holy
How Majestic Is Your Name
I Sing The Mighty Power Of God
I Will Call Upon The Lord
Immortal, Invisible
King Of Heaven, Lord Most High
Sing Praise To God Who Reigns Above
Contemporary Choruses
Awesome God, Rich Mullins
Here I Am To Worship, Tim Hughes
I Stand In Awe, Mark Altrogge
Lord, Be Glorified
Open Our Eyes, Lord
Praise Adonai
Surrender
Other Music
Concert Of The Age, Phillips, Craig, and Dean
A celebration of creation.
Hammer, The, Bebo Norman
Beautiful song about how God shapes us.
Testify To Love, Avalon
Creation testifies to God's love.
Tremble, Nicole Nordeman
God is awesome.
Psalm 104:1-9
Leader:
Praise the Lord, O my soul.
People:
O Lord our God, you are very great;
Leader:
You are clothed with splendor and majesty.
People:
You wrap yourself in light as with a garment;
Leader:
You stretched out the heavens like a tent;
People:
You make the clouds your chariot and ride on the wings of the wind.
Leader:
You set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.
People:
You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
Leader:
The waters rose above the mountains.
People:
But at your rebuke the waters fled,
Leader:
Down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them.
People:
O God, you are an awesome God.
Job 38
Leader:
The Lord answered Job out of the storm. He said:
People:
Who is this who questions me without knowing all the facts?
Leader:
Brace yourself and I will question you,
People:
Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?
Leader:
Who marked off its dimensions?
People:
On what were its footings set?
Leader:
Who laid its cornerstone,
People:
While the morning stars sang together and the angels shouted for joy?
Leader:
Can you speak to the clouds and have them cover the earth with water?
People:
Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?
Leader:
Who endowed the heart with wisdom?
People:
Who gave understanding to the mind?
Leader:
Did you teach the lioness to hunt?
People:
Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out?
Leader:
Surely you know Job.
People:
But Job was silent before the majesty of God.
Leader:
Let us worship God.
People:
Amen.
From Amy Grant's song "El Shaddai."
Leader:
El Shaddai, El Shaddai,
People:
God Almighty,
Leader:
El Elyona,
People:
God in the highest,
Leader:
Adonai,
People:
Lord.
Leader:
Age to age you are still the same,
People:
By the power of your name.
Leader:
El Shaddai, El Shaddai,
People:
God Almighty,
Leader:
Erkamkana,
People:
We will love you,
Leader:
Adonai,
People:
Lord.
Leader:
We will praise and lift you high,
People:
You who Abraham called El Shaddai.
A multi-reader Call To Worship.
Reader 1:
I said, "Lord, why are innocent people being killed in the Sudan?"
Reader 2:
I cried out, "Papa, hopelessness and hatred in the Holy Land. When will it end?"
Reader 3:
I asked, "Children starving in Malawi while we have abundance. Righteous God, where is justice for the children?"
Reader 4:
I listened to one who had been tortured by an evil tyrant in Iraq and wondered, "How long, O Lord, must we suffer a world filled with Hitlers, Stalins, Husseins, and the like?"
All 4 Readers:
How long, O Lord?
Reader 1:
And then I heard a quiet voice say,
Reader 2:
"My child, where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?"
Reader 3:
"When I made the clouds and wrapped them like a blanket around the earth?"
Reader 4:
"Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place?"
Reader 1:
"Do you give the horse his strength or clothe his neck with a flowing mane?"
Reader 2:
"Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom?"
Reader 3:
"Does the eagle soar at your command and build his nest on high?"
Reader 4:
Then I realized that I spoke of things I did not understand,
Reader 1:
Things too wonderful for me to know.
Reader 2:
For your ways, O God, are higher than mine.
Reader 3:
Your thoughts are beyond me.
Reader 4:
But I do know this,
Reader 1:
That you are God,
Reader 2:
Awesome in power,
Reader 3:
Unending in love,
Reader 4:
And I am yours.
Reader 1:
And these things I know are enough. Amen.
This reading could also be used elsewhere in the service as a dramatic reading or as a responsive reading. If you choose to use it as a dramatic reading, an alternate Call To Worship is provided below.
The above reading could be followed with a hymn or song affirming God's faithfulness.
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
To God Be The Glory
Our God, Our Help In Ages Past
These choruses might also work:
God Of Wonders (from the City on a Hill worship CD and book)
Humble Thyself In The Sight Of The Lord
Awesome God, Rich Mullins
Holy, You Are Still Holy
Prayer Of Confession
In the reading from Mark, James, and John are led astray by their own delusions of grandeur. We all hear voices that seek to lead us away from "The Way."
Leader:
Whispers from the shadows come every day,
People:
"Come this way."
Leader:
"Let me show you something."
People:
"Over here, I have something for you."
Leader:
"Don't worry, we won't get caught."
People:
"Who says it's wrong?"
Leader:
Always calling us, these voices, to follow them,
People:
To go astray,
Leader:
To disobey.
People:
And we listen,
Leader:
Too often, we listen,
People:
And end up lost.
Leader:
O Lord, forgive us for listening to the voices in the shadows.
People:
Help us to hear and obey only your gentle voice,
Leader:
The still small voice that directs us into paths of righteousness and truth,
People:
The only voice of the one who loves us,
Leader:
And desires our best and highest good.
People:
O Lord, let us hear. Amen.
May be used in conjunction with the Job passage.
Leader:
O Lord, where were you today,
People:
When a bomb exploded,
Leader:
Another child was born with AIDS,
People:
An innocent man was kidnapped,
Leader:
A marriage was shattered,
People:
A young person tried to end it all.
Leader:
O Lord, where were you?
People:
And I hear him say,
Leader:
I was there in those who came to the rescue,
People:
And in the couple who adopted that AIDS baby,
Leader:
In all those who prayed,
People:
In the pull to reconcile,
Leader:
In the hand that reached out to the hurting.
People:
I was there in every bit of light
Leader:
Shone into the darkness.
People:
Father, forgive us for missing you.
Leader:
Open our eyes that we may see
People:
Glimpses of truth thou hast for me.
Leader:
Amen.
Assurance Of Pardon
This one goes well with the Confession immediately above.
Leader:
Let us be certain of this good news, there is peace on earth and good will to those on whom God's favor rests.
People:
And on whom does God's favor rest?
Leader:
On all those who humble themselves before him.
People:
Let us humble ourselves.
Leader:
Amen.
This is a more general Assurance Of Pardon.
There is a broad way and a narrow way. The broad way is easy and popular, but ultimately leads nowhere.
The narrow way is hard and lonely; but Jesus Christ walked before us and walks it with us and it leads to life. The choice is ours.
This is the good news.
Prayer Of Dedication
Gracious God -- No amount of offering is enough to say thank you for the gift you have given. We cannot begin to repay, but we ask that you take these offerings now and make of them what you will. And we ask that you give us hearts that are ever more aware of the priceless gift you have given, that we may become men and women who live with a deep sense of the gift we have received. Amen.
Prayer For Illumination
The voice of the reader is not the voice of God.
The voice of the preacher is not the voice of God.
The voices of the singers are not the voice of God.
And yet, Lord, in these voices we hope to hear you.
Help us to hear your words through these men and women who read, preach, and sing for your glory. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
This one is a narrative prayer. Different, but very beautiful. It is more a proclamation than a prayer, but you can end it, if you like, with a simple prayer.
Long had they been estranged, the daughter having taken a path she knew her father would not approve. So she moved away. Never answered his calls or returned his mail. She eradicated every evidence of him from her life. And then she heard that he was ill. Cancer. It was going to get him. She wanted not to care, but there was still something in her, some spark of love for him. So she went. At the hospital she hoped he'd be asleep. She would give him a little kiss on the forehead, say a prayer over him, and be gone.
But her plans went awry. When she saw him -- though the years and the cancer had despoiled his face -- she saw only the daddy who once held her near and sang sweet songs to her, and kissed her goodnight. She took his hand and sat for hours by his bed.
And then -- when she'd just about given up all hope that he'd awaken, his eyes blinked open, "Ahh" he said, "my sweet Susan. I love you."
She wept. He died. But not before he spoke to her the words of her salvation.
We are often like her -- abandoning our Father. But he -- like her earthly father -- is always ready to say, "I love you."
Benediction
May the Lord give you strength to do what you alone are called to do.
Hymns
All People That On Earth Do Dwell
Blessed Are They That Believe
By Faith In Christ I Walk With God
Faith Is The Victory
God Is So Good
God Of Abraham Praise, The
God Of Grace And God Of Glory
God The Omnipotent
Great Are You, O Lord
Great Is The Lord
Holy, Holy, Holy
How Majestic Is Your Name
I Sing The Mighty Power Of God
I Will Call Upon The Lord
Immortal, Invisible
King Of Heaven, Lord Most High
Sing Praise To God Who Reigns Above
Contemporary Choruses
Awesome God, Rich Mullins
Here I Am To Worship, Tim Hughes
I Stand In Awe, Mark Altrogge
Lord, Be Glorified
Open Our Eyes, Lord
Praise Adonai
Surrender
Other Music
Concert Of The Age, Phillips, Craig, and Dean
A celebration of creation.
Hammer, The, Bebo Norman
Beautiful song about how God shapes us.
Testify To Love, Avalon
Creation testifies to God's love.
Tremble, Nicole Nordeman
God is awesome.
