Jesus Continues the Bread of Life Theme
Worship
Lectionary Worship Workbook
Series II, Cycle B
Adoration
Pastoral Invitation (Pastor and Ministers)
Before worship and before people enter the sanctuary, have several people, of all ages, lying in the chancel, "asleep." At the beginning of worship, have them "wake up" slowly, greet each other in slow motion, and then, with much enthusiasm, move out into the sanctuary to welcome the people to worship. Invite the congregation to pass on the greeting to one another by moving about the sanctuary. (Idea suggested by Avery and Marsh.)
Everyone: Allelluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Right Side: Christ is Lord!
Left Side: Christ is the Bread of Life!
Everyone: Christ is Lord; Christ is the Bread of Life!
Pastor: Speak your own part and applaud.
Hymn of Adoration
"God, Who Spins the Whirling Planets," Jane Parker Huber, 1978; Austrian hymn; Franz Joseph Haydn, 1797.
Prayer of Adoration
Invite the people to offer reasons for praise; incorporate them in your prayer of praise.
Confession And Forgiveness
Introduction to the Act of Confession
I invite us to take two minutes in silence to write down the situations, events, and people about whom we grumbled this past week. (Wait two minutes.) If you are similar to me, you can have 95 percent of your life going well, and grumble about the other five percent that is not going well. Silently, confess your grumblings. Pastor, verbally, will ask for forgiveness for our grumblings.
Response
"Lord, Have Mercy," harm. Richard Proulx, 1984. Substitute "for our grumblings," for the second, fourth, and sixth, "Lord, have mercy."
Introduction to the Act of Forgiveness
What do we hope will happen when we grumble? (Thirty seconds of silence.) Anyone care to respond? If no one responds, offer some possibilities; as, for example, we hope that someone will try to soothe us, rescue us, comfort us. Instead, I invite us to hear the words of Jesus the next time we begin to grumble. Read verses 35-40 from a modern translation (suggested translation: The Cotton Patch Version by Clarence Jordan).
Response
"Lord, Have Mercy, Richard Proulx. Substitute, "Thanks for mercy" for "Lord, have mercy." Sing as a round, with much energy. Sing it until the congregation sings it with energy.
Proclamation
Message with the Children of All Ages
Continue the theme of grumbling. Ask the children if they ever complain about anything. What's your favorite way to complain? On Home Improvement, it is "OOOOHHHH Man!" What do you hope will happen when you complain -- that your complaint will be stronger than the one denying your request? Probably. Compare the people's complaints with the children's complaints. Invite the children of all ages to offer thanks instead of grumbles.
Dramatizing the Gospel
Use this responsive reading. Needed are a reader; a group of people, perhaps the choirs; and "Jesus."
Reader: Introduces background of the passage and reads verses 22-25a.
Crowd: Master, when did you come here? (verse 25b)
Jesus: Verses 26-27.
Crowd: What must we do to carry out the work of God? (verse 28)
Jesus: Verse 29.
Crowd: Verses 30-31
Jesus: Verses 32-33.
Crowd: Lord, please give us this bread, always. (verse 34)
Jesus: Verses 35-40.
Reader: Verses 41-42.
Jesus: Verses 43-51.
Reader: This led to a fierce argument among the followers of Jesus, some of them saying, (verse 52a)
Crowd: "How can this man give his body to eat?" (verse 52b)
Jesus: Verses 53-58.
Reader: Concluding remarks.
Proclamation of the Good News
Identify the essence of Jesus as the Bread of Life, and the nature of the people's grumbling. Perhaps you have a similar situation as mine: When I graduated from seminary, I had an opportunity to become the Christian Education pastor in my home church. I said, "No," because the people would remember me as the little boy in the congregation.
Response
"Have Thine Own Way, Lord," Adelaide A. Pollard; George C. Stebbins (stanza 4 only).
Dedication
Stewardship Challenge
For the next seven days, write down the times when you grumble, and the times when you give thanks.
Hymn of Commitment
"Bread of Heaven, on Thee We Feed," Josiah Conder, 1824; alt.; French and Welsh melody; arr. Hugh Davies, 1906.
Charge to the Congregation
Who will prescribe something that will heal, cure, make us whole, healthy persons? We tried materialism. It failed. We tried humanism. It failed. We tried technology. It failed. We tried psychoanalysis. It failed. We tried freedom without restraint. It failed. Have we tried Jesus, the Bread of Life? If not, I invite us to do so; and if you want to talk about that, I am available, day and night.
Meditation
Augustine said, "We are restless until we rest in God." Is that the answer to our grumblings? Does wholeness come as we rest in the forgiveness of, acceptance by, confidence in Jesus, the Bread of Life? The New Testament shouts a resounding "Yes!"
Music Possibilities In Addition To Those Already Suggested
Music for Preparation: "A Psalm Prelude," Howells.
Hymn of Adoration: "We Praise You, O God, Our Redeemer, Creator" (used last week also).
Response to the Scripture: (Adult choir) "Anthem of Unity," John Ness Beck.
Hymn of Commitment: "Eternal God, Whose Power Upholds," Henry Hallam Tweedy, 1929; English folk melody; arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1906.
Response to the Benediction: "Lillies of the Field," chorus only. (Sing it until the congregation sings it with energy and enthusiasm; remind them that "amen" means that they agree, yes, indeed!)
Music for Dismissal: "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name," stanzas 1, 2, Edward Perronet, 1779, 1780; alt.; stanzas 3, 4, John Rippon, 1787.
Pastoral Invitation (Pastor and Ministers)
Before worship and before people enter the sanctuary, have several people, of all ages, lying in the chancel, "asleep." At the beginning of worship, have them "wake up" slowly, greet each other in slow motion, and then, with much enthusiasm, move out into the sanctuary to welcome the people to worship. Invite the congregation to pass on the greeting to one another by moving about the sanctuary. (Idea suggested by Avery and Marsh.)
Everyone: Allelluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Right Side: Christ is Lord!
Left Side: Christ is the Bread of Life!
Everyone: Christ is Lord; Christ is the Bread of Life!
Pastor: Speak your own part and applaud.
Hymn of Adoration
"God, Who Spins the Whirling Planets," Jane Parker Huber, 1978; Austrian hymn; Franz Joseph Haydn, 1797.
Prayer of Adoration
Invite the people to offer reasons for praise; incorporate them in your prayer of praise.
Confession And Forgiveness
Introduction to the Act of Confession
I invite us to take two minutes in silence to write down the situations, events, and people about whom we grumbled this past week. (Wait two minutes.) If you are similar to me, you can have 95 percent of your life going well, and grumble about the other five percent that is not going well. Silently, confess your grumblings. Pastor, verbally, will ask for forgiveness for our grumblings.
Response
"Lord, Have Mercy," harm. Richard Proulx, 1984. Substitute "for our grumblings," for the second, fourth, and sixth, "Lord, have mercy."
Introduction to the Act of Forgiveness
What do we hope will happen when we grumble? (Thirty seconds of silence.) Anyone care to respond? If no one responds, offer some possibilities; as, for example, we hope that someone will try to soothe us, rescue us, comfort us. Instead, I invite us to hear the words of Jesus the next time we begin to grumble. Read verses 35-40 from a modern translation (suggested translation: The Cotton Patch Version by Clarence Jordan).
Response
"Lord, Have Mercy, Richard Proulx. Substitute, "Thanks for mercy" for "Lord, have mercy." Sing as a round, with much energy. Sing it until the congregation sings it with energy.
Proclamation
Message with the Children of All Ages
Continue the theme of grumbling. Ask the children if they ever complain about anything. What's your favorite way to complain? On Home Improvement, it is "OOOOHHHH Man!" What do you hope will happen when you complain -- that your complaint will be stronger than the one denying your request? Probably. Compare the people's complaints with the children's complaints. Invite the children of all ages to offer thanks instead of grumbles.
Dramatizing the Gospel
Use this responsive reading. Needed are a reader; a group of people, perhaps the choirs; and "Jesus."
Reader: Introduces background of the passage and reads verses 22-25a.
Crowd: Master, when did you come here? (verse 25b)
Jesus: Verses 26-27.
Crowd: What must we do to carry out the work of God? (verse 28)
Jesus: Verse 29.
Crowd: Verses 30-31
Jesus: Verses 32-33.
Crowd: Lord, please give us this bread, always. (verse 34)
Jesus: Verses 35-40.
Reader: Verses 41-42.
Jesus: Verses 43-51.
Reader: This led to a fierce argument among the followers of Jesus, some of them saying, (verse 52a)
Crowd: "How can this man give his body to eat?" (verse 52b)
Jesus: Verses 53-58.
Reader: Concluding remarks.
Proclamation of the Good News
Identify the essence of Jesus as the Bread of Life, and the nature of the people's grumbling. Perhaps you have a similar situation as mine: When I graduated from seminary, I had an opportunity to become the Christian Education pastor in my home church. I said, "No," because the people would remember me as the little boy in the congregation.
Response
"Have Thine Own Way, Lord," Adelaide A. Pollard; George C. Stebbins (stanza 4 only).
Dedication
Stewardship Challenge
For the next seven days, write down the times when you grumble, and the times when you give thanks.
Hymn of Commitment
"Bread of Heaven, on Thee We Feed," Josiah Conder, 1824; alt.; French and Welsh melody; arr. Hugh Davies, 1906.
Charge to the Congregation
Who will prescribe something that will heal, cure, make us whole, healthy persons? We tried materialism. It failed. We tried humanism. It failed. We tried technology. It failed. We tried psychoanalysis. It failed. We tried freedom without restraint. It failed. Have we tried Jesus, the Bread of Life? If not, I invite us to do so; and if you want to talk about that, I am available, day and night.
Meditation
Augustine said, "We are restless until we rest in God." Is that the answer to our grumblings? Does wholeness come as we rest in the forgiveness of, acceptance by, confidence in Jesus, the Bread of Life? The New Testament shouts a resounding "Yes!"
Music Possibilities In Addition To Those Already Suggested
Music for Preparation: "A Psalm Prelude," Howells.
Hymn of Adoration: "We Praise You, O God, Our Redeemer, Creator" (used last week also).
Response to the Scripture: (Adult choir) "Anthem of Unity," John Ness Beck.
Hymn of Commitment: "Eternal God, Whose Power Upholds," Henry Hallam Tweedy, 1929; English folk melody; arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1906.
Response to the Benediction: "Lillies of the Field," chorus only. (Sing it until the congregation sings it with energy and enthusiasm; remind them that "amen" means that they agree, yes, indeed!)
Music for Dismissal: "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name," stanzas 1, 2, Edward Perronet, 1779, 1780; alt.; stanzas 3, 4, John Rippon, 1787.
