Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael
Worship
Lectionary Worship Workbook
Series II, Cycle B
Pastoral Invitation
In the Name of God, the Evangel, the Author of the Good News, welcome to all of you evangels, receivers and sharers of the Good News. Good morning, evangels. You know who you are and whose you are.
Response (Pastor and evangels)
e: Yes, we do know who we are. We have come today to celebrate our calling in Christ.
P: I invite you to be honest during, and beyond, worship. I invite you to be open to God's Word, Jesus the Christ.
e: We are honest; we are open to God's Word.
P: We continue to praise God, the Evangel, as God's evangels. And all the people said, (your favorite praise word)!
Hymn for the first half of Epiphany
"From a Distant Home." (Introduce a new hymn each month; use it no less than four weeks; remember that most worshipers will be present no more than twice.)
Prayer of Praise
Praise hymns focus on God, not on us.
The evangels Face Up To Themselves
Introduction to the Act of Recognizing Our Humanity
Why are the lives of so many church members, those whom God has called as evangels, strangely contrary to the principles of Christianity? Answer: Simply because we take no initiative to put God, or allow God to be, in all of our actions. It is no easy matter for God to save us, when half the time, at least, we do not want to be saved, because we are so much at home in the darkness.
Act of Recognizing our Humanity
Prayed by the evangels: God, the Evangel, you have said that we shall have no other gods before you. We confess that our false gods, which take many forms, some subtle, some seemingly acceptable, nevertheless demand our ultimate allegiance. We worship our possessions, our work, our loved ones, our hopes for the future, as though these things could satisfy our deeper needs. Forgive us, Lord, for the way that we evangels try to manipulate you to achieve our worship of these false gods. We pray for strength, wisdom, and energy to serve the lesser gods of our own making, instead of making these things a means of our glorifying and praising you. Forgive us, Evangel, and create a new spirit of love and devotion to you with us evangels.
Introduction to the Act of Receiving New Life
The Good News is for all, even for you and me, no matter what form and content our sin takes. God is always ready to forgive more than we are. If left to us, we will hold grudges, and justify them, forever. If, in our thinking and behavior, we lose the hope for forgiveness for anyone, including ourself, we never had hope in the first place.
P: O Lord, the Evangel, open our eyes, ears, mouth,
M: And we shall see, hear, speak your Good News.
Response
"Open My Eyes That I May See," Clara H. Scott, 1895 (Psalm 119:18).
The evangels Respond To God's Good News
Message with the Children of All Ages
Give a brief history about how God called you to become a Christian. Help the children get beyond the so-called magical view, which even too many adults still carry. God is no magician, despite the Cecil B. DeMille approach to the scriptures.
Response
"Open My Eyes That I May See" (Why not use it twice?)
Reading from the Scripture
Dramatize the reading, using a reader, Philip, Nathanael, Jesus. If people are unable to memorize their parts, they can read with little reliance on the script.
Proclamation of the Good News
Expand on your own call to become a Christian; or ask two or three people to express their call.
Stewardship Challenge
Before receiving the offering, ask the people to write down one, two, or three ways they will choose to be evangels this week. Before receiving the offering, hand out the Epiphany stars, only to those who have not yet received one.
Hymn of Commitment
"How Clear Is Our Vocation, Lord," Fred Pratt Green, 1981; C. Hubert Parry, 1888.
Charge to the Congregation
"If you want your neighbors to know what Christ will do for them, let them see what Christ has done for you" (Henry Ward Beecher).
The evangels Scatter for the Ministry for Which the Evangel Called
Meditation
"Religion is falling in love with God" (Bishop Carey). "Christianity is accepting the reality that God has been in love with us all the time. The calling of the evangels is to tell others that Good News."
Music Possibilities In Addition To Those Already Suggested
Music for Preparation and Dismissal: Medley of Epiphany hymns. Identify the hymns; ask the people to read the words and hum the tunes.
Hymn of Praise: "O Lord, Our God, Most Earnestly," The Psalter, 1912; alt., 1972; from Psalm 63:1-8.
Response to the Act of Recognizing our Humanity: "Lord, Bless and Pity Us," The Psalter, 1912; alt., 1972, from Psalm 67.
Response to the Stewardship Challenge: "Antiphon," Dupré.
Hymn of Commitment: "Reach Out to Your Neighbor," words and music by Roger Copeland, from A New Now. (See Appendix I for address.)
Response to the Benediction: "Alleluia Chorus," from "Lilies of the Field."
In the Name of God, the Evangel, the Author of the Good News, welcome to all of you evangels, receivers and sharers of the Good News. Good morning, evangels. You know who you are and whose you are.
Response (Pastor and evangels)
e: Yes, we do know who we are. We have come today to celebrate our calling in Christ.
P: I invite you to be honest during, and beyond, worship. I invite you to be open to God's Word, Jesus the Christ.
e: We are honest; we are open to God's Word.
P: We continue to praise God, the Evangel, as God's evangels. And all the people said, (your favorite praise word)!
Hymn for the first half of Epiphany
"From a Distant Home." (Introduce a new hymn each month; use it no less than four weeks; remember that most worshipers will be present no more than twice.)
Prayer of Praise
Praise hymns focus on God, not on us.
The evangels Face Up To Themselves
Introduction to the Act of Recognizing Our Humanity
Why are the lives of so many church members, those whom God has called as evangels, strangely contrary to the principles of Christianity? Answer: Simply because we take no initiative to put God, or allow God to be, in all of our actions. It is no easy matter for God to save us, when half the time, at least, we do not want to be saved, because we are so much at home in the darkness.
Act of Recognizing our Humanity
Prayed by the evangels: God, the Evangel, you have said that we shall have no other gods before you. We confess that our false gods, which take many forms, some subtle, some seemingly acceptable, nevertheless demand our ultimate allegiance. We worship our possessions, our work, our loved ones, our hopes for the future, as though these things could satisfy our deeper needs. Forgive us, Lord, for the way that we evangels try to manipulate you to achieve our worship of these false gods. We pray for strength, wisdom, and energy to serve the lesser gods of our own making, instead of making these things a means of our glorifying and praising you. Forgive us, Evangel, and create a new spirit of love and devotion to you with us evangels.
Introduction to the Act of Receiving New Life
The Good News is for all, even for you and me, no matter what form and content our sin takes. God is always ready to forgive more than we are. If left to us, we will hold grudges, and justify them, forever. If, in our thinking and behavior, we lose the hope for forgiveness for anyone, including ourself, we never had hope in the first place.
P: O Lord, the Evangel, open our eyes, ears, mouth,
M: And we shall see, hear, speak your Good News.
Response
"Open My Eyes That I May See," Clara H. Scott, 1895 (Psalm 119:18).
The evangels Respond To God's Good News
Message with the Children of All Ages
Give a brief history about how God called you to become a Christian. Help the children get beyond the so-called magical view, which even too many adults still carry. God is no magician, despite the Cecil B. DeMille approach to the scriptures.
Response
"Open My Eyes That I May See" (Why not use it twice?)
Reading from the Scripture
Dramatize the reading, using a reader, Philip, Nathanael, Jesus. If people are unable to memorize their parts, they can read with little reliance on the script.
Proclamation of the Good News
Expand on your own call to become a Christian; or ask two or three people to express their call.
Stewardship Challenge
Before receiving the offering, ask the people to write down one, two, or three ways they will choose to be evangels this week. Before receiving the offering, hand out the Epiphany stars, only to those who have not yet received one.
Hymn of Commitment
"How Clear Is Our Vocation, Lord," Fred Pratt Green, 1981; C. Hubert Parry, 1888.
Charge to the Congregation
"If you want your neighbors to know what Christ will do for them, let them see what Christ has done for you" (Henry Ward Beecher).
The evangels Scatter for the Ministry for Which the Evangel Called
Meditation
"Religion is falling in love with God" (Bishop Carey). "Christianity is accepting the reality that God has been in love with us all the time. The calling of the evangels is to tell others that Good News."
Music Possibilities In Addition To Those Already Suggested
Music for Preparation and Dismissal: Medley of Epiphany hymns. Identify the hymns; ask the people to read the words and hum the tunes.
Hymn of Praise: "O Lord, Our God, Most Earnestly," The Psalter, 1912; alt., 1972; from Psalm 63:1-8.
Response to the Act of Recognizing our Humanity: "Lord, Bless and Pity Us," The Psalter, 1912; alt., 1972, from Psalm 67.
Response to the Stewardship Challenge: "Antiphon," Dupré.
Hymn of Commitment: "Reach Out to Your Neighbor," words and music by Roger Copeland, from A New Now. (See Appendix I for address.)
Response to the Benediction: "Alleluia Chorus," from "Lilies of the Field."
