Fifth Sunday After The Epiphany
Worship
Lectionary Worship Workbook
Series IV, Cycle B
Call To Worship
The Isaiah passage is a great one to use to proclaim aloud as a Call To Worship. Use two readers for this.
Reader 1:
Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told to you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
It is God who sits above the earth,
And its inhabitants are as mere grasshoppers;
It is God who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
Who brings the rulers of the earth to nothing.
Scarcely do these rulers come on the scene
And God blows them away like stubble.
Who can compare to God?
Reader 2:
Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
Yahweh is the everlasting God,
The creator of the ends of the earth.
Yahweh does not faint or grow weary,
His understanding is beyond us.
He gives power to the faint and strength to the weak.
Even youths will faint and be weary,
Even young people shall fall exhausted;
But they who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength.
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not be weary,
They will walk and not be faint.
Come, let us wait for the Lord.
This one is based on an earlier section of Isaiah 40, Isaiah 40:12-14.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?
Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or given him counsel?
Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him,
Who was it that taught him knowledge or helped him to understanding?
Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales;
Let us worship this God!
Psalm 147 is pure praise. It could be used responsively.
Leader:
Praise the Lord!
People:
For it is good to praise our God
Leader:
Who is gracious and deserves our praise.
People:
The Lord builds up the people;
Leader:
Heals the brokenhearted,
People:
Binds up our wounds.
Leader:
The Lord lifts up the downtrodden,
People:
And casts the wicked down to the ground.
Leader:
Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
People:
For God takes pleasure in those who fear him,
Leader:
And who hope in his steadfast love.
People:
Amen.
Lastly, a less traditional approach. The passages speak of healing and restoration this morning. God wills to heal and restore us each time we enter the sanctuary of worship. In order to find this healing we must turn our attention away from the world and toward God. Try this approach as a reminder to the people to turn their attention.
This is God's time; time for worship.
It is a time for setting aside your frustration over a work situation.
Let it go, at least for now, and rest in God's love for you.
It is a time for setting aside your anger at someone who has wounded you.
Let it go! God has forgiven your worst sin, so you should forgive and let go.
It is a time for setting aside your feelings of inferiority and inadequacy.
Remember that you have been finely crafted by the creator of the universe.
You are a gem, a jewel, a child of God.
In this time this morning allow the light of God's love to banish those feelings;
Your worry, judgment, anger, fear.
Release them!
And let the Lord of all love lift you high into his presence
ÊÊWhere peace
ÊÊÊÊAnd grace
ÊÊÊÊÊÊAnd joy abound,
ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊCome -- let us draw close to God.
Prayer Of Confession
We will begin this week with something rather general.
Leader:
"For those who have ears to hear," said Jesus, "Let them hear."
People:
Father, we confess that we often listen,
Leader:
But do not hear.
People:
We often understand,
Leader:
But do not obey.
People:
We do not need better ears,
Leader:
But stronger wills
People:
To act on what we have heard;
Leader:
To live what we know.
People:
Help us, Lord.
Leader:
Help us.
People:
Amen.
God's healing is not just for the physical body, in fact, the physical healings of Jesus and others just point us to the deeper healings of the spirit. This is the healing that leads to peace. This confession reminds us of this.
Introduction to the prayer:
She told of days spent hiding in a hole dug beneath the floor. It was the only way her parents could keep her safe.
His tale involved gangs roaming the streets killing people almost at random.
Her husband was caught in a crossfire between rival political factions. He took no sides but was a casualty of war nonetheless.
A dozen of his friends were already dead. Victims of life on the streets. He believed that life was cheap and his was worth little.
And on go the stories, from faraway places and neighborhoods next door.
Pray with me. Lord, for grumbling about a small inconveniences -- we beg forgiveness. For allowing an unexpected circumstance, a change in plans, an unplanned obstacle, a little bump in the road, or small detour to steal our joy -- we seek your pardon. Teach us, Lord, to have such a large view of life that nothing small can obscure our view of you and your love. Nothing; not a financial crisis; not a lost job; not a difficult boss; not a bad decision; not a failed venture; nothing, Lord, for your love, in the end, overcomes all. Amen.
Here is a slightly more dangerous Prayer Of Confession.
Leader:
Let's think for a moment about the selfishness that resides in each one of us.
People:
I'd rather not!
Leader:
Me either. But it is that hidden selfishness that silently suffocates the Spirit of God within us. So let's think. Let's unearth the place where we are currently being self-centered.
(Time of silent prayer)
Leader:
Now that you have found that place, that sin, pray this prayer with me as a way of giving it up to God.
All:
Father, I have this sin, this selfishness that I can't seem to overcome.
Leader:
I judge people constantly.
People:
I talk about others all the time.
Leader:
I am so undisciplined that I neglect you.
People:
I can't stop being busy and neglecting my family.
Leader:
I focus way too much on money and material things.
People:
I am too easily angered.
Leader:
I give in to the sins of the flesh.
People:
I hate.
Leader:
I deceive.
People:
I disrespect.
Leader:
I, we, come before you now, Lord,
People:
Begging you to take this sin from us. We are weak. You are strong.
Leader:
Here is our sin,
People:
Take it. Take the need to do it.
Leader:
Take the desire that leads to it.
People:
Take it all from us. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
Assurance Of Pardon
This Assurance goes with the previous Prayer Of Confession.
Leader:
There are certain sins I have struggled with for years. Sins I have learned that I cannot conquer on my own. But I have come to understand that if I yield that sin to him, if I really give it up, he will remove it from me.
People:
He will?
Leader:
He will. So give him your gossip, he will begin extracting it from you. Give him your judgment, and anger. Give him the desires of your flesh, your need to protect yourself, your laziness.
People:
And God will start freeing me from it?
Leader:
Today. This moment.
People:
It doesn't seem possible.
Leader:
But with God, all things are possible.
People:
Amen.
I love the Assurance Of Pardon. A weekly upper! A chance each Sunday to confidently proclaim the good news. This one asks a tiny bit of participation on the part of the congregation.
One of the most empowering forces in the universe is forgiveness. Stand up in this truth for a moment. (Get the congregation standing if they are not already)
You have been forgiven; completely cleansed of all your sin and freed from its power over you!
SAY YES! (Get them to say a loud YES)
Now go and live like free people, that others may be freed as well.
Prayer For Illumination
Let us pray: God of love, as we hear your Word this morning, let us become your word for others. May the love we hear become the love we are. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
One theme of the readings for this week is healing. Why not do some of what Jesus did? Why not encourage your congregation to pray for one another by laying on of hands? Yikes! You mean right in the worship service? Well, yes. I was a bit nervous the first time I suggested it to my congregation, but they took to it well and now it is a regular feature of our worship. And there is great power in the intimacy of it. In our congregation we have a time of sharing concerns for prayer which we follow by praying. If your congregation doesn't do this, you might try it just for this Sunday. If your church is too big for such an exercise, just ask them to form themselves into small groups. I prepared my congregation for this exercise by working ahead of time with the church's elders so that each group formed below would have a prayer leader.
Introduction to the prayer:
For Jesus and the early church, prayer for healing was a routine experience. But for them there was a practice that we often neglect. Often when they prayed they did so by placing their hands on heads and shoulders or on the afflicted parts of the body of the one who was in need. Many of us seem a bit uncomfortable with this practice in the church today. But it is marvelously healing. There is an intimacy and an energy and a love that is generated by our touch of one another. This morning let's pray in this wonderful ancient way.
If you shared a joy or concern this morning -- please stand.
Now, I know this is a bit unconventional, but would the rest of you in the congregation please stand and gather around these people in groups.
Those of you who shared a concern, would you please take a moment and share it again with your little group.
Elders, would you please now lead the group in a prayer with the laying on of hands.
(When the groups seemed finished I asked them to pray with me and I closed this time of prayer.)
Will you pray with me? Lord, life is often hard. Help us to cling to you in these times; to always be able to see your hand moving in our lives and circumstances; to believe that all things are possible with you and to know that victory is ours in Christ. Amen.
Benediction
Have you not known? Have you not heard? Yahweh is the everlasting God. Those who wait for him will mount up with wings like eagles.
Hymns
Be Still And Know
Great Are You, O Lord
He Touched Me
Here Now The Name
How Blessed, From The Bonds Of Sin
How Sweet The Name Of Jesus Sounds
I Lay My Sins On Jesus
Jesus, I Come
Jesus Is Lord Of All
Jesus We Just Want To Thank You
Moment By Moment
Praise, My Soul, The King Of Heaven
Praise To The Lord, Almighty
There Is A Balm In Gilead
There's A Wideness In God's Mercy
Contemporary Choruses
Change My Heart, O God, Eddie Espinosa
He Has Made Me Glad, Leona Von Brethorst
He Knows My Name, Tommy Walker
My Redeemer Lives, Reuben Morgan
Power of Your Love, The, Geoff Bullock
We Bring The Sacrifice Of Praise, Kirk Dearman
Other Music
Heal Me, Aaron/Jeffrey
A simple prayer to be healed of that which keeps us from God.
The Isaiah passage is a great one to use to proclaim aloud as a Call To Worship. Use two readers for this.
Reader 1:
Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told to you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
It is God who sits above the earth,
And its inhabitants are as mere grasshoppers;
It is God who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
Who brings the rulers of the earth to nothing.
Scarcely do these rulers come on the scene
And God blows them away like stubble.
Who can compare to God?
Reader 2:
Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
Yahweh is the everlasting God,
The creator of the ends of the earth.
Yahweh does not faint or grow weary,
His understanding is beyond us.
He gives power to the faint and strength to the weak.
Even youths will faint and be weary,
Even young people shall fall exhausted;
But they who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength.
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not be weary,
They will walk and not be faint.
Come, let us wait for the Lord.
This one is based on an earlier section of Isaiah 40, Isaiah 40:12-14.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?
Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or given him counsel?
Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him,
Who was it that taught him knowledge or helped him to understanding?
Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales;
Let us worship this God!
Psalm 147 is pure praise. It could be used responsively.
Leader:
Praise the Lord!
People:
For it is good to praise our God
Leader:
Who is gracious and deserves our praise.
People:
The Lord builds up the people;
Leader:
Heals the brokenhearted,
People:
Binds up our wounds.
Leader:
The Lord lifts up the downtrodden,
People:
And casts the wicked down to the ground.
Leader:
Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
People:
For God takes pleasure in those who fear him,
Leader:
And who hope in his steadfast love.
People:
Amen.
Lastly, a less traditional approach. The passages speak of healing and restoration this morning. God wills to heal and restore us each time we enter the sanctuary of worship. In order to find this healing we must turn our attention away from the world and toward God. Try this approach as a reminder to the people to turn their attention.
This is God's time; time for worship.
It is a time for setting aside your frustration over a work situation.
Let it go, at least for now, and rest in God's love for you.
It is a time for setting aside your anger at someone who has wounded you.
Let it go! God has forgiven your worst sin, so you should forgive and let go.
It is a time for setting aside your feelings of inferiority and inadequacy.
Remember that you have been finely crafted by the creator of the universe.
You are a gem, a jewel, a child of God.
In this time this morning allow the light of God's love to banish those feelings;
Your worry, judgment, anger, fear.
Release them!
And let the Lord of all love lift you high into his presence
ÊÊWhere peace
ÊÊÊÊAnd grace
ÊÊÊÊÊÊAnd joy abound,
ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊCome -- let us draw close to God.
Prayer Of Confession
We will begin this week with something rather general.
Leader:
"For those who have ears to hear," said Jesus, "Let them hear."
People:
Father, we confess that we often listen,
Leader:
But do not hear.
People:
We often understand,
Leader:
But do not obey.
People:
We do not need better ears,
Leader:
But stronger wills
People:
To act on what we have heard;
Leader:
To live what we know.
People:
Help us, Lord.
Leader:
Help us.
People:
Amen.
God's healing is not just for the physical body, in fact, the physical healings of Jesus and others just point us to the deeper healings of the spirit. This is the healing that leads to peace. This confession reminds us of this.
Introduction to the prayer:
She told of days spent hiding in a hole dug beneath the floor. It was the only way her parents could keep her safe.
His tale involved gangs roaming the streets killing people almost at random.
Her husband was caught in a crossfire between rival political factions. He took no sides but was a casualty of war nonetheless.
A dozen of his friends were already dead. Victims of life on the streets. He believed that life was cheap and his was worth little.
And on go the stories, from faraway places and neighborhoods next door.
Pray with me. Lord, for grumbling about a small inconveniences -- we beg forgiveness. For allowing an unexpected circumstance, a change in plans, an unplanned obstacle, a little bump in the road, or small detour to steal our joy -- we seek your pardon. Teach us, Lord, to have such a large view of life that nothing small can obscure our view of you and your love. Nothing; not a financial crisis; not a lost job; not a difficult boss; not a bad decision; not a failed venture; nothing, Lord, for your love, in the end, overcomes all. Amen.
Here is a slightly more dangerous Prayer Of Confession.
Leader:
Let's think for a moment about the selfishness that resides in each one of us.
People:
I'd rather not!
Leader:
Me either. But it is that hidden selfishness that silently suffocates the Spirit of God within us. So let's think. Let's unearth the place where we are currently being self-centered.
(Time of silent prayer)
Leader:
Now that you have found that place, that sin, pray this prayer with me as a way of giving it up to God.
All:
Father, I have this sin, this selfishness that I can't seem to overcome.
Leader:
I judge people constantly.
People:
I talk about others all the time.
Leader:
I am so undisciplined that I neglect you.
People:
I can't stop being busy and neglecting my family.
Leader:
I focus way too much on money and material things.
People:
I am too easily angered.
Leader:
I give in to the sins of the flesh.
People:
I hate.
Leader:
I deceive.
People:
I disrespect.
Leader:
I, we, come before you now, Lord,
People:
Begging you to take this sin from us. We are weak. You are strong.
Leader:
Here is our sin,
People:
Take it. Take the need to do it.
Leader:
Take the desire that leads to it.
People:
Take it all from us. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.
Assurance Of Pardon
This Assurance goes with the previous Prayer Of Confession.
Leader:
There are certain sins I have struggled with for years. Sins I have learned that I cannot conquer on my own. But I have come to understand that if I yield that sin to him, if I really give it up, he will remove it from me.
People:
He will?
Leader:
He will. So give him your gossip, he will begin extracting it from you. Give him your judgment, and anger. Give him the desires of your flesh, your need to protect yourself, your laziness.
People:
And God will start freeing me from it?
Leader:
Today. This moment.
People:
It doesn't seem possible.
Leader:
But with God, all things are possible.
People:
Amen.
I love the Assurance Of Pardon. A weekly upper! A chance each Sunday to confidently proclaim the good news. This one asks a tiny bit of participation on the part of the congregation.
One of the most empowering forces in the universe is forgiveness. Stand up in this truth for a moment. (Get the congregation standing if they are not already)
You have been forgiven; completely cleansed of all your sin and freed from its power over you!
SAY YES! (Get them to say a loud YES)
Now go and live like free people, that others may be freed as well.
Prayer For Illumination
Let us pray: God of love, as we hear your Word this morning, let us become your word for others. May the love we hear become the love we are. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
One theme of the readings for this week is healing. Why not do some of what Jesus did? Why not encourage your congregation to pray for one another by laying on of hands? Yikes! You mean right in the worship service? Well, yes. I was a bit nervous the first time I suggested it to my congregation, but they took to it well and now it is a regular feature of our worship. And there is great power in the intimacy of it. In our congregation we have a time of sharing concerns for prayer which we follow by praying. If your congregation doesn't do this, you might try it just for this Sunday. If your church is too big for such an exercise, just ask them to form themselves into small groups. I prepared my congregation for this exercise by working ahead of time with the church's elders so that each group formed below would have a prayer leader.
Introduction to the prayer:
For Jesus and the early church, prayer for healing was a routine experience. But for them there was a practice that we often neglect. Often when they prayed they did so by placing their hands on heads and shoulders or on the afflicted parts of the body of the one who was in need. Many of us seem a bit uncomfortable with this practice in the church today. But it is marvelously healing. There is an intimacy and an energy and a love that is generated by our touch of one another. This morning let's pray in this wonderful ancient way.
If you shared a joy or concern this morning -- please stand.
Now, I know this is a bit unconventional, but would the rest of you in the congregation please stand and gather around these people in groups.
Those of you who shared a concern, would you please take a moment and share it again with your little group.
Elders, would you please now lead the group in a prayer with the laying on of hands.
(When the groups seemed finished I asked them to pray with me and I closed this time of prayer.)
Will you pray with me? Lord, life is often hard. Help us to cling to you in these times; to always be able to see your hand moving in our lives and circumstances; to believe that all things are possible with you and to know that victory is ours in Christ. Amen.
Benediction
Have you not known? Have you not heard? Yahweh is the everlasting God. Those who wait for him will mount up with wings like eagles.
Hymns
Be Still And Know
Great Are You, O Lord
He Touched Me
Here Now The Name
How Blessed, From The Bonds Of Sin
How Sweet The Name Of Jesus Sounds
I Lay My Sins On Jesus
Jesus, I Come
Jesus Is Lord Of All
Jesus We Just Want To Thank You
Moment By Moment
Praise, My Soul, The King Of Heaven
Praise To The Lord, Almighty
There Is A Balm In Gilead
There's A Wideness In God's Mercy
Contemporary Choruses
Change My Heart, O God, Eddie Espinosa
He Has Made Me Glad, Leona Von Brethorst
He Knows My Name, Tommy Walker
My Redeemer Lives, Reuben Morgan
Power of Your Love, The, Geoff Bullock
We Bring The Sacrifice Of Praise, Kirk Dearman
Other Music
Heal Me, Aaron/Jeffrey
A simple prayer to be healed of that which keeps us from God.
