Worship 18
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Nancy C. Townley was an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. She consulted on visual arts, drama read more…
Worship Connection: March 21, 2021
By Nancy C. Townley
Worship Connection: August 1, 2021
By Nancy C. Townley
Worship Connection: November 28, 2021
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COLOR: Green SCRIPTURE READINGS: Exodus 33:12-23; Psalm 99; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Matthew 22:15-22
Call to Worship #1: Though there are rulers, presidents, kings, queens, God is the Lord of all life. In God we live and move and have our being. God requires our faithfulness and our service. We reach out to others with the same kind of love with which God has touched our lives. Come, let us worship the Lord who is always with us. Let us praise God who walks daily by our side. AMEN. Call to Worship #2: Celebrate God’s love, which has been poured into your life! Forgiveness, encouragement, support, and healing are gifts of God to us. Reach out and care for those around you. We will be people of peace and justice. Shout for joy! Sing God’s praises always! AMEN. Call to Worship #3: [Using THE FAITH WE SING, p. 2220, “We Are God’s People,” offer the following call to worship as directed.] What joy we have in the Lord! What peace fills our spirits! We are God’s people The chosen of the Lord! Choir: singing verse 1 of “We Are God’s People” We have been called to serve. We have been challenged to offer justice and peace. God goes with us in our ministries. God is with us wherever we are. Choir: singing verse 3 of “We Are God’s People” AMEN. AMEN! Call to Worship #4: Welcome to worship, just as you are! We come, seeking, needing healing. God will always give you healing! We come, praying and praising! Blessed are you whose faith is in the Lord! For in God’s love and healing power we are strengthened to be of service to others. AMEN.
God, you are our refuge. When the world gets to be too much with us, we turn to you for consolation and healing. Help us today to hear your words of compassion. Enable us to be those who would willingly serve all people in need. For we ask these things in the name of Jesus our Lord. AMEN.
We are so easily pulled this way and that way by those who would promise instant healing for all the world’s woes. We want to have everything be whole and happy, and we don’t know what to do, so we pay attention to those voices that cry the loudest, whether they are voices of blame or promise. In our fearfulness, we love to place blame for all our woes on the shoulders of a few people. In our anguish, we seek instant answers from sources that are very unreliable. Lord, help us. Turn us around. Help us know that you are our Lord and you have provided much for us. You have given to us abilities, and understanding, and ways in which we can be those who would bring peace and justice. You have blessed our lives. Heal and restore our spirits, Lord. Help us truly place our trust in you and to work in ministries that uplift people. This prayer we offer in Jesus’ name. AMEN.
The Lord has given to us gifts and abilities to work for peace and justice. You are especially blessed by God. Go into this world in confidence of God’s presence and love. AMEN.
Lord, we enter these “gates” with thanksgiving and praise. Many of us have come with burdens, seeking your healing; others have come with joys, celebrating the goodness and blessings that abound. Each one is welcome here. We know that there is much work to be done in this world. Injustice, greed, isolation, alienation all exist when we have forgotten to be your people of peace. As we have spoken the names of people who are dear to us, seeking prayers for their needs, let us also remember to be faithfully working for you in all that we do. Help us give to you our complete faithfulness. Teach us to be good citizens of your kingdom here on earth. Be with us as we go from this place. For we ask this in Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
[This may be done in monologue/readers’ theater style. You may want to have Reader 1 at the pulpit/lectern, while Reader 2 is placed either in front of the congregation or at another reading station. This monologue/response needs to be rehearsed, and you should use people who are excellent readers and who can read with expression. I suggest that the Pastor be present at the practice for interpretation or assistance, if possible.] Reader 1: The Pharisees sent people to Jesus. They said, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere and teach the way of God in accordance with truth and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality.” Reader 2: Wow! Listen to them buttering Jesus up, trying to get on his good side, flattering him. They really want something, don’t they! They aren’t approaching him because they believe in him; they are just setting him up to test him, to trap him. Reader 1: And, they continued, “Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor or not?” Reader 2: There it is, the TRAP! Get him to say, yes it is lawful and they will prove him to be a fool. They think that he is after their money and all their possessions. They probably wonder if he is going to take over their jobs, ruin their lives. Reader 1: Jesus was aware of their cunning trick. And he asked them to give them the coin that is most commonly used to pay taxes to the emperor. “Whose image is on this coin and by what title is he called?” They said “It is the emperor.” Reader 2: Hah! Now he’s got them! They are the ones trapped although they don’t know it yet. Reader 1: Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Reader 2: Sounds simple enough: give the emperor the tax that is asked for. But what’s this “give to God the things that are God’s”? Wasn’t he just responding to their question, trying to spring their own trap on them? What are we supposed to give to God? Reader 1: “When the people heard this, they were amazed, and they left him and went away.” Reader 2: Everything is God’s. Every thing belongs to God. Everything, in all creation. We . . . we belong to God. We are God’s, beloved, chosen, redeemed. We are God’s. How incredible is that?! [As the Pastor is speaking, helpers are bringing forward the long paper chains that have been created and are placing them at the base of the cross, trailing them over the worship center and onto the floor toward the congregation.] PASTOR: Incredible? Perhaps, but perhaps not. You see, God has always loved us all, and we are God’s own people. God has chosen us to be a blessing to others, to promote healing, to create atmospheres in which all people are welcomed and accepted, to reach out in compassion to each other and to all who are in need. We give to God the things that are God’s; we give ourselves, our hearts, our souls, our spirits, our energy, and our minds, in loving and joyful service to God. Today you wrote your name on this strip of paper, not knowing its purpose or its use. It was formed into a circle, a reminder of the continual love of God in our lives, and it is linked with others. Each circle/link gains strength and support from the others. We are not alone. God is with us, lifting, encouraging, and healing us for service, to link with others in compassionate ministry. Thanks be to God. AMEN.
Blessed and redeemed, go forth into this world, linked together, in the knowledge and love of God; and the peace of God, which passes our understanding, will go with us, everywhere, now and forever. AMEN.
THE TRADITIONAL COLOR FOR THIS SUNDAY IS: GREEN [Note: there is an interesting way to make this worship setting interactive. Have strips of paper, about ¾” wide and 5-6” long, given out to each person in the congregation. Ask them to write their name on the piece of paper as they enter and give it to the people who will be collecting them in a basket. As the slips are handed in, have several people, armed with scotch tape, take each strip with the name facing out, and make them into a circle, linking them with other circles, forming a paper chain. During the reading the long paper chain--or several paper chains--will be brought forward and placed on the worship center at the base of the cross, trailing over the edge of the worship table and onto the floor toward the congregation.] SURFACE: The only riser on the worship center is a center riser, about 3” high, on which the brass cross will be placed. FABRIC: Cover the worship center with green fabric so that it puddles to the floor. CANDLES: Place a 8” white pillar candle on the left and the right of the cross. FLOWERS/PLANTS: Place vines or trailing plants on the outside of the white pillar candles. ROCKS/WOOD: Not necessary for this setting. OTHER: If you do not already use one, place a brass cross on the worship center. Have pencils, pens, and strips of paper (¾” x 5-6”) ready for people to write their names on. Have baskets ready to receive these strips. Have several rolls of scotch tape ready for the workers to use as they form the paper chains.
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Meditation “It seems to me that in joining a church you leave home and home town to join a larger world. The whole world is your new neighborhood and all who dwell therein – black, white, yellow, red, stuffed and starving, smart and stupid, mighty and lowly, criminal and self-respecting, American or Russian – all become your sisters and brothers in the new family formed in Jesus. By joining a church you declare your individuality in the most radical way in order to affirm community on the widest possible scale.” William Sloane Coffin, from Credo (pages 142-143)
CALL TO WORSHIP (Psalm 23, adapted) One: As God is our shepherd we need nothing else.
Many: We rest in green pastures and walk by still waters, which renews and refreshes our spirits.
God guides us along paths of righteousness
And walks with us through shadowed valleys so we are not afraid. The shepherd’s staff comforts us.
God set the banquet table for us in the presence of our enemies. There, we’re anointed with oil and our cup overflows.
Goodness and mercy shall never depart from us as long as we dwell in the house of God.
PRAYER OF INVOCATION Caring and Gracious God, you are the shepherd who gathers us together today to celebrate with grateful thanksgiving the community in which we live. We are nourished by its diversity, brought about by the unique gifts each person contributes. Be with us in this time of worship and encourage us to never cease welcoming the strangers we meet and accepting the gifts they bring. Grant that they will enrich our lives and will be a reminder of the joy that comes when all will be one in you. Amen.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION O God, we live in a diverse community. There are people of different colors and abilities. There people with different sexual orientations. There are people on the left and the right, young and old, rich and poor. Yet, our church doesn’t reflect this diversity. We would love others as you do, but we can’t. We’ve erected walls built upon our biases, fears, and insecurities that keep us apart. Forgive us that we cannot love as unconditionally as you. Help us to take down those walls so we may welcome the stranger and truly be one community together. Amen
WORDS OF ASSURANCE We know we fall short in our discipleship. We’ve confessed our sins before God. We look to God to repent of our sins and transgressions. By God’s overflowing steadfast love and mercy we are forgiven. Thanks be to God.
OFFERING Think of the beginning of the 23rd Psalm and the words we pray every week, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Taken together, God promises to provide us with what we need to live today so we may see tomorrow. When we think of what we actually have, though, we have more than enough. We give honor and thanks to God when we make our generous offering from our abundance.
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING Thank you, God, for the ministries of the people of your church. Thank you, God, for the bounty of your blessings you have poured out upon us. We have taken a portion of our abundance and given it to you in grateful thanksgiving. Consecrate this offering. May it help to support the ministries of this church that will dismantle the walls that divide us so all people will be one in the new family gathered in Christ Jesus. Amen.
BENEDICTION Jesus taught us that when we welcome the stranger we create a new community where all are one in God. Let us continue the work that Jesus started by welcoming the strangers who cross our paths knowing that God is with us and protects as we pursue our ministries of healing and hope. Proclaim God’s glory through your work. Go in peace.
Worship Idea: “We must face the fact that in America, the church is still the most segregated major institution in America. At 11:00 on Sunday morning when we stand and sing and Christ has no east or west, we stand at the most segregated hour in this nation. This is tragic. Nobody of honesty can overlook this. Now, I’m sure that if the church had taken a stronger stand all along, we wouldn’t have many of the problems that we have. The first way that the church can repent, the first way that it can move out into the arena of social reform is to remove the yoke of segregation from its own body.” Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from his 1963 speech at Western Michigan University http://www.wmich.edu/library/archives/mlk/q-a.html
Citing the studies of Michael Emerson of Rice University and Mark Chaves of the University of Arizona, John Dart wrote an article in The Christian Century that noted the remarks that Dr. King made in 1963 substantially remained unchanged.1 Defining a “mixed” congregation where at least 20% of the members are racially or ethnically diverse, both studies found that less than 90% of the congregations in the United States could be classified as “mixed.” Emerson found the congregations with the poorest record were mainline Protestant churches, about 2 – 3 %.
While the scope of Emerson’s and Chaves’ studies concentrated on race and ethnicity, our communities are far more diverse than that. While not ignoring race and ethnicity, we could broaden our understanding of diversity to include: physical and mental ability, sexual orientation, economic class, immigration status, and theological/political perspectives. Our life together as a community becomes richer for its diversity.
King’s words express the current reality of diversity within our congregations. Coffin’s offers a vision of possibility. Which describes your church? Which do you prefer? Why?
Consider using the sermon time as a way to discuss the richness of possibility that comes with true diversity.
1. Introduce the topic using a short film clip, available on YouTube (www.youtube.com), from My Big Fat Greek Wedding . Gus Portokalos (Michael Constantine) offers a toast to his daughter and son-in-law at their wedding during which he explains the derivation from Greek of both family names. (Search using “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” for the search term.)
2. If you can eat in your worship space, offer two types of fruit salad, one that is made only with various melons and the other with different types of fruits, such as melons, berries, and seasonal fruits, such as peaches, nectarines, plums, and apricots.2 Let people sample both salads and comment about them, noting flavors, textures, and appearance.
3. Move the discussion towards diversity in congregational life and the benefits and blessings it would be. Also, cover the difficulties that increased diversity might pose. Finally, have the congregation identify the first steps it should take to increase d
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