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Sixth Sunday Of Easter

Worship
Acts 10:44-48
1 John 5:1-6
John 15:9-17
Psalm 98
Sixth Sunday of Easter - B
Charles And Donna Cammarata
Lectionary Worship Workbook
Series IV, Cycle B
Call To Worship
These two Calls To Worship are based on the theme of Psalm 98 -- "Sing to the Lord a New Song."
Leader: Play your music now, O Lord.
People: Use your servants to strum the strings of your Word that your song would come to life in us.
Leader: We ask in the name of the Maestro himself, Jesus Christ.

(Moment of silence)

Leader: God of music, we come to celebrate you,
People: To praise you with song, and hymn,
Leader: To rejoice with lips and voices,
People: To raise hands and hearts,
Leader: And be raised up ourselves.
People: You are greatly to be praised, Yahweh,
Leader: Lord of lords,
People: King of kings,
Leader: The one and only God.
People: We love you.
Leader: We thank you.
People: Amen.
Leader: Hallelujah.
People: Amen.

Another Call To Worship.
Leader: Grace: People: A generous attitude toward another,
Leader: Forgiveness: People: Acceptance in spite of,
Leader: An ability to overlook flaws and mistakes.
People: Kindness.
Leader: This is the nature of our God.
People: And this is the reason we sing.
Leader: Let us praise him.
People: Amen.

Loosely based on 1 John 5:1-6.
Leader: Grace and Truth are twin sisters. The slightly older Grace always makes sure people know God loves them no matter what. She reminds people that no sin is so great that the work of Jesus on the cross of Calvary is not greater. Her sister, Truth, makes sure that people know that God is always holy, no matter what.
People: Grace provides the energy needed to forget the past, with its sin and pain, and to press on toward the future.
Leader: Truth shows us what that future ought to look like.
People: Grace and Truth,
Leader: Twin sisters revealing the nature of our God,
People: A God who is to be praised.
Leader: Let us praise God!


Prayer Of Confession
Too little grace and too much legalism in too many Christian circles. This prayer confesses our penchant toward the Pharisaical.
Leader: Grace we forget, O Lord; by judging ourselves to be better people or better Christians than others;
People: By focusing on their problems, rather than our own.
Leader: Truth we forget, O Lord; by envisioning a future that is centered on us and our needs, rather than on you;
People: By being self-serving, rather than serving others.
Leader: Forgive our forgetting.
People: Remind us to remove our own sin first.
Leader: Give us a vision of your thrilling future.
People: We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

More on how we judge and prejudge.
Leader: For focusing on skin color,
People: Style differences,
Leader: Theological nuances,
People: Unfamiliar cultural practices,
Leader: And all of our other differences;
People: And allowing those differences
Leader: To come between us in Christ,
People: Father, forgive us.
Leader: And turn our eyes
People: And hearts
Leader: To the truth that there is one God,
People: One Lord,
Leader: One baptism,
People: One Body of Christ,
Leader: Of which we are all a part. Amen.

Finally a unison offering.
All: This morning we make a simple confession: We have not loved as we ought. We have been impatient and unkind. We have been arrogant and rude. We have been so busy demanding our rights that we have neglected our families and friends. Lord, teach us to love for we do not know how. Amen.


Assurance Of Pardon
Sometimes we find it important to remind ourselves and our people that forgiveness is not without its price. It requires repentance. This Assurance Of Pardon reminds us.
Forgiveness comes only with repentance. Know this: God is faithful to forgive if we sincerely turn away from our sin, from our prejudice. Let us turn and receive his freely given forgiveness.


Prayer Of Dedication
Jesus said, "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy." May our offering be an act of gratitude given from merciful hearts.


Prayer For Illumination
Father of life, may all of us have ears to hear your word in scripture, song, and sermon. Speak to us words that affirm who we are; remind us of who we ought to be; and encourage us to continue our sojourn from one to the other. Amen.


Pastoral Prayer
A common misconception among Christians is that if we just try harder we could fix all the world's problems. This prayer points out that saving the world is not our task, just being faithful in whatever God has shown us to do.

Lord, when I was young, I thought that if we only tried a little harder we could make peace and bring unity to this world. I have since discovered that it is infinitely more difficult and complicated than I thought. Lord, show us the way only you know. Show us the way to a world without tyrants; without hatred; without violence; without war and death. Show us the way to thy kingdom come on earth as in heaven, and strengthen us to live the way you show. Help us to begin with the smaller tasks of loving the people in our midst who are in need. Today we pray not only for them, but for ourselves, to do something for them! Amen.


Benediction
John 15:12
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.


Hymns

He Is Lord

He Lifted Me

I Gave My Life For Thee

I Heard The Voice Of Jesus Say

In His Cross I Glory

It Took A Miracle

Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee

Let's Just Praise The Lord

Make A Joyful Noise

My Savior's Love

My Tribute

Now I Belong To Jesus

O, How He Loves You And Me

O The Deep, Deep Love Of Jesus

Since I Have Been Redeeemed

Sometimes "Alleluia"

Under His Wings


Contemporary Choruses

Change My Heart, O God, Eddie Espinosa

Let My Words Be Few, Matt Redman

Power Of Your Love, The, Geoff Bullock

We Bring The Sacrifice Of Praise, Kirk Dearman
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The Immediate Word

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For February 15, 2026:

CSSPlus

Bethany Peerbolte
The disciples see Jesus transfigured with Moses and Elijah, and then Jesus tells them to tell no one. I don’t think I would have been up for the task of keeping that secret. I know this because the first time I played The Green Wall a friend told me the secret and I had the hardest time not telling everyone else the answer.
Good morning, boys and girls. Kermit the Frog came along with me this morning. How many of you watch Kermit on public television? (Let them answer.) I've watched a bit of Kermit myself. One of the things he does that I like the best is when he pre tends that he is a television newscaster. When he does this he always reports events as an eyewitness. How many of you like his eyewitness TV reports? (Wait for a show of hands.) Can anyone tell me what it means to be an eyewitness? (Let someone answer.) It means that someone actually saw an event take place. That
SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND AT HOME

Materials:
Blue construction paper
White cotton balls
Glue
Alphabet pasta

Directions:

1. Give each of the children a piece of blue construction paper.

2. Tell the children to use the cotton balls to make clouds and glue them onto the paper.

3. Have the children use the pasta letters to spell, "Listen to him," by gluing the letters on the blue construction paper under the cotton ball clouds.
And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. (v. 2)

Good morning, boys and girls. Today is the Transfiguration of our Lord and it is one of the special days of the church year. Today we talk about Jesus changing in several ways while three of his disciples -- Peter, James, and John -- watched. How did he change? The Bible says that the face of Jesus became as bright as the sun and his clothes became gleaming white. There were other things that happened that the disciples remembered and

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
Transfiguration is a celebration of God’s glory and how that glory is revealed in Christ when he was transfigured. The festival was observed as early as the sixth century in Eastern Christianity, but did not become a festival in the Catholic Church and its Protestant heirs until just 70 years prior to the Reformation. Sermons in line with this festival will aim to focus the flock on coming to appreciate a bigger, more majestic picture of God and Christ than what they brought to church. Assurance will be provided that this majestic God overcomes all evil.
William H. Shepherd
It was the most boring sermon I ever heard, until it became the most interesting.

At first, I did not understand what had come over my student. Up to this point in the class, I thought she had been getting it. She laughed when I quoted Kierkegaard, "Boredom is the root of all evils." She nodded her head when I said that the dullest presentation would not be redeemed by the soundest content. Her critiques of the other students' sermons were right on target.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:
When Jesus was transfigured up on the mountain, God said, "This is my son whom I love, listen to him." In our worship today, let us listen to Jesus.

Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes I find it difficult to hear your voice.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I hear so many voices that I don't know which voice is yours.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I turn away from your voice because I don't want to hear it.
Lord, have mercy.

Reading:

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt And Jo Perry-sumwalt
Contents
What's Up This Week
A Story to Live By: "Seeing Clearly"
Shining Moments: "Charlie Is Glowing" by Deb Alexander
"The Horse Whisperer" by William Lee Rand
Scrap Pile: "Picture This" by John Sumwalt


What's Up This Week
by John Sumwalt

Argile Smith
Keith Hewitt
Peter Andrew Smith
David O. Bales
Contents
What's Up This Week
"Glenda's Surprise" by Argile Smith
"It Was Just My Imagination" by Keith Hewitt
"The Terrible Dark Day" by Peter Andrew Smith
"In Secret" by David Bales


What's Up This Week

SermonStudio

Mark Wm. Radecke
You go into the movie theatre, find a seat that's suitable, clamber over some poor innocent slumbering in the aisle seat, taking pains not to step on toes or lose your balance. You find a place for your coat, sit down, and get ready to watch the movie. The house lights dim; the speakers crackle as the dust and scratches on the soundtrack are translated into static, and an image appears on the screen. It is not the film you came to see. It is the preview of coming attractions, a brief glimpse of the highlights of a film opening soon.
John N. Brittain
Leslie D. Weatherhead, the great British preacher who served many years at City Temple on Holborn Viaduct in London, told the story of the elderly gentlemen who sat on the benches near the church trading stories. As one might expect, in addition to the good old days, a popular topic of conversation was their aches, pains, and ailments. "I have heard that such-and-such a clinic has a very effective regimen of treatment for this," one fellow would say. "Well, I understand that Dr. So-and-So is very efficacious in dealing with this particular ailment," another would counter.
Stephen M. Crotts
Grandma was well into her eighties when she saw her first basketball game. It was a high school contest in which two of her great-grandsons played. She watched the action with great interest. Afterwards everyone piled into the van to get some ice cream, and a grandson inquired, "Grandmama, what did you think of the game?" "I sure liked it fine," she chirped. And then a little hesitantly she added, "But I think the kids would have had more fun if somebody had made the fellow with the whistle leave the players alone!"
R. Glen Miles
Whenever I read from the book of Exodus, especially a text which includes a visit by Moses to the mountaintop to be in the presence of God, I get an image in my mind of Charlton Heston in the movie version of The Ten Commandments. I'll bet you have that problem too, don't you? It doesn't matter if you were born a decade or two since that movie was first released. It gets a lot of play on television, especially during "holy seasons" of the year like Easter.
Joe E. Pennel, Jr
Remember that fog we had last November? I had to venture into it early that Sunday morning. I left home about 6:00 a.m., long before most people even thought about getting up. The fog was dense. My automobile headlights would not cut it. Visibility was reduced to about ten feet. I turned on my dimmer lights and hoped that on-coming traffic would do the same. As I drove, I felt like my car was pushing through a tunnel of smoke.
John T. Ball
There is an old story about a Sunday school teacher who asked a young girl in her class why her little brother wasn't coming to Sunday school any longer. The girl replied, "Well, to tell the truth, he just can't stand Jesus!" Her brother had more of Jesus than he wanted.
Thom M. Shuman
Call To Worship
One: We gather as the faithful of God,
we come to listen to what God has to say to us.
All: God has invited us to this place;
may our faces reflect our hopes and our hearts.
One: We gather as the faithful of God,
people of the new covenant of hope and promise.
All: We boldly enter into the presence of God,
hoping to be transformed into new people.
One: We gather as the faithful of God,
our fears melting away in the heart of God.
All: We come to share in the freedom of the Spirit,
Amy C. Schifrin
Martha Shonkwiler
Gathering Litany
Divide the congregation into two parts (left and right would be easiest here) with the choir or assisting minister as a third voice besides the pastor (marked "L" in this litany).

L: Looking for the Light.
I: Looking for the Light.
II: Looking for the Light.
P: This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.
L: Looking for the Light.
I: Looking for the Light.
II: Looking for the Light.
P: Do not be afraid.

Intercessory Prayers

Special Occasion

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