Jesus' healing of the deaf man who had a speech problem
Worship
Lectionary Worship Workbook
Planning Ideas And Resources For The Entire Church Year
Pastoral Invitation to the Celebration
One pastor did this:
Developed the call to worship from the James 1 passage, as for example, We come to worship - to celebrate, to declare, to affirm who we are, whose we are, what we do, where we go - in the power of the crucified, risen Lord. So, let's face it: God invites us to worship every Sunday; and today, we have responded with a 'yes.' Rejoice!
Continue with this printed litany between pastor and ministers:
Pastor:
God, our Creator, Liberator, Sustainer, has called us, invited us to worship.
Ministers: We have come. (Give several reasons why and how people have come, and ask them to respond only with the one that best fits them.) I have come - joyfully and expectantly, dragging my heels, I had nothing else to do, I wanted to see my friends, (give your own if different from the above.)
Pastor:
I look and listen for God, and invite you to do the same, in what we do here, now.
Ministers: We seek an invasion of God's Spirit to bring a new dimension to our lives, our hearing, seeing, speaking, being, in order to shake us out of our lethargy and apathy.
All: Be it so!
The Act of Recognizing our Humanness and The Act of Receiving New Life
Suggestion:
Before we examine another's hearing, speaking, seeing, being; before we see another's face, we need to see our own. The Bible, through the Spirit of God, causes us to do just that. I invite us, today, to look at the lives and actions of Cain and Abel, who represent you and me.
1. What was there in Cain that caused his anger to erupt in murder? Here are some possibilities, which may speak of our own responses:
a) Maybe he thought that his parents favored Abel (similar to the Smothers Brothers.)
b) Maybe they were engaged in a sibling rivalry.
c) Maybe he got jealous that God accepted Abel's offering.
d) Maybe he had a brain tumor.
e) Maybe he had a psychotic break, and experienced temporary insanity.
(any of these sound familiar when we get angry?)
2. What was there in Abel that Cain would want to kill him? Here are some possibilities:
a) Maybe the parents treated Abel better than Cain; that is, perhaps Abel was the favored son who became a spoiled child.
b) Maybe he was self-righteous, and lorded it over his brother.
c) Maybe Abel made fun of, taunted, ridiculed, ignored his brother.
d) Maybe Abel was more handsome, or intelligent, or clever than Cain.
e) Maybe he wouldn't share.
f) Maybe he talked behind his back.
(any of these sound familiar?)
give three to five minutes for silent meditation.
(Idea inspired by lost resource.)
Follow this litany between pastor and ministers:
Pastor:
In the awareness of the tragedy between Cain and Abel, which also respresents the tragedy of our own brokenness and alienation, I invite us to remember the Good News of our liberation.
Ministers: In Christ, our self-worth has been declared.
Pastor:
Christ enlightens our past history. Christ gives the present new significance. Christ fills the future full of new possibilities.
Ministers: In Christ we are free. I invite us to live responsibly.
Pastor:
We have been forgiven, accepted, received; we can rejoice in Christ's promise and power.
Ministers: So be it! Amen!
Message with the Children of All Ages
Try this:
Invite a deaf person, or a person with a speech impediment, such as stuttering, to be with you. Introduce the person to the children. You may want to give a brief history of how this happened. Maybe the person uses sign language, which he could use to speak with the children. Tie in with the Scripture. Sometimes Jesus healed such people; other times he didn't. We don't always know why. Sometimes doctors can bring healing to the body; sometimes they can't. Even though not everyone could be, or was, healed, this didn't lessen Jesus' love for them.
Ask the deaf, speech impeded person to conclude with prayer, through sign language or slow, deliberate speech.
Proclamation of the Word
One pastor did this:
Using the James passage as the beginning, he focused on the theme, "Every Face Tells a Story." After introducing the theme, he played the tape recording of Olivia Newton-John singing the song by the same name. He said, every face does tell a story; and it tells a different story every time we see it. The King James Version uses the word "face" over 400 times. Jesus looked at every face as if it were the only one in the world. For those who want to take a risk, provide some mirrors so the people can see themselves and each other. Think about messages we give and receive about looking and staring, and a lot of other unhealthy messages. We make value-judgments about others by what we perceive to see on their faces, and never check it out.
You may want to conclude with a similar approach:
"I could never have looked on Jesus' face without tears filling my eyes." Pilate did. The crowd did. The disciples did.
Yet through it all, Jesus kept looking at their faces with emphatic compassion, "Forgive them, they don't know what they're doing." Then conclude by say-ing that Jesus keeps looking at our faces also, even when we act indifferently, selfishly, angrily, even when we demand our own way, do our own thing, drive our own bargain, and Jesus keeps responding, "Father, forgive Wayne, and (list the names of several of the members) because they don't know what they're doing either."
Or, you may want to deal more specifically with the deaf, speech-impeded man, and how Jesus reached out to him. Or, you may want to explore Jesus' remark asking them to tell no one.
Stewardship Challenge
Consider this:
The stewardship of healing. We think that healing belongs to the medical or counseling profession. Jesus gave the gift of healing to us. We can bring wholeness or hurt, by the way we talk. We can rip people apart, shred them, crush them with our words, or we can affirm, appreciate them with our words.
Charge to the Congregation
Try this:
Say, if you felt free to speak one word, one sentence of enouragement to the person on your right or left, what would you say, how would you say it? What would your face express - in the name of the Christ who loves us and frees us to be and to do?
Benediction
Consider this:
Use the traditional benediction, "The Lord bless you and keep you." After each line, add, "... when you go ... where you go ... as you go ... and the Lord give you peace, not the anxious peace of the world, but the anticipating peace of the Christ."
Planning for Your Congregation
Suggestions
Your Situation
I. Other Scriptures
Liturgist:
Psalm 119:129-136
Psalm 146
Proverbs 2:1-8
Isaiah 35:4-7
James 1:17-27
James 2:1-5
II. Suggested Hymns
Coordinator:
"When Morning Gilds the Skies"
German Hymn, 18th (?) century Trans. by Edward Caswall, 1854, 1858; alt.
"Not Alone for Mighty Empire"
William Pierson Merrill, 1909, 1910; alt., 1972 (You may want to eliminate stanza 2.)
"Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus"
Charles Wesley, 1744 (No need to limit hymns to certain seasons.)
III. Other Music Possibilities
Organist/Choir director:
Music for Preparation
"Two Chorales"
Buxtehude
Response to the Children's Message
"Let the Beauty of Jesus"
Albert Orsbon
from Folk Encounter, Hope Publishing Company
Response to the Assurance of Pardon
Adult Choir
"The Touch of the Master's Hand" Author Unknown
Response to the Stewardship Challenge
"No Greater Love"
Carmichael
Music for Dismissal
"O Sing a New Song to the Lord" from Psalm 96
Para. in the Scottish Psalter, 1650; alt.
IV. Bulletin Cover
Church secretary:
V. Bulletin Symbols
VI. Miscellaneous Details (Assignments:)
Ushers
Candlelighters
Hosts/Hostesses
Banners
Flowers
Greeters
Posters
Name-tags
Others
One pastor did this:
Developed the call to worship from the James 1 passage, as for example, We come to worship - to celebrate, to declare, to affirm who we are, whose we are, what we do, where we go - in the power of the crucified, risen Lord. So, let's face it: God invites us to worship every Sunday; and today, we have responded with a 'yes.' Rejoice!
Continue with this printed litany between pastor and ministers:
Pastor:
God, our Creator, Liberator, Sustainer, has called us, invited us to worship.
Ministers: We have come. (Give several reasons why and how people have come, and ask them to respond only with the one that best fits them.) I have come - joyfully and expectantly, dragging my heels, I had nothing else to do, I wanted to see my friends, (give your own if different from the above.)
Pastor:
I look and listen for God, and invite you to do the same, in what we do here, now.
Ministers: We seek an invasion of God's Spirit to bring a new dimension to our lives, our hearing, seeing, speaking, being, in order to shake us out of our lethargy and apathy.
All: Be it so!
The Act of Recognizing our Humanness and The Act of Receiving New Life
Suggestion:
Before we examine another's hearing, speaking, seeing, being; before we see another's face, we need to see our own. The Bible, through the Spirit of God, causes us to do just that. I invite us, today, to look at the lives and actions of Cain and Abel, who represent you and me.
1. What was there in Cain that caused his anger to erupt in murder? Here are some possibilities, which may speak of our own responses:
a) Maybe he thought that his parents favored Abel (similar to the Smothers Brothers.)
b) Maybe they were engaged in a sibling rivalry.
c) Maybe he got jealous that God accepted Abel's offering.
d) Maybe he had a brain tumor.
e) Maybe he had a psychotic break, and experienced temporary insanity.
(any of these sound familiar when we get angry?)
2. What was there in Abel that Cain would want to kill him? Here are some possibilities:
a) Maybe the parents treated Abel better than Cain; that is, perhaps Abel was the favored son who became a spoiled child.
b) Maybe he was self-righteous, and lorded it over his brother.
c) Maybe Abel made fun of, taunted, ridiculed, ignored his brother.
d) Maybe Abel was more handsome, or intelligent, or clever than Cain.
e) Maybe he wouldn't share.
f) Maybe he talked behind his back.
(any of these sound familiar?)
give three to five minutes for silent meditation.
(Idea inspired by lost resource.)
Follow this litany between pastor and ministers:
Pastor:
In the awareness of the tragedy between Cain and Abel, which also respresents the tragedy of our own brokenness and alienation, I invite us to remember the Good News of our liberation.
Ministers: In Christ, our self-worth has been declared.
Pastor:
Christ enlightens our past history. Christ gives the present new significance. Christ fills the future full of new possibilities.
Ministers: In Christ we are free. I invite us to live responsibly.
Pastor:
We have been forgiven, accepted, received; we can rejoice in Christ's promise and power.
Ministers: So be it! Amen!
Message with the Children of All Ages
Try this:
Invite a deaf person, or a person with a speech impediment, such as stuttering, to be with you. Introduce the person to the children. You may want to give a brief history of how this happened. Maybe the person uses sign language, which he could use to speak with the children. Tie in with the Scripture. Sometimes Jesus healed such people; other times he didn't. We don't always know why. Sometimes doctors can bring healing to the body; sometimes they can't. Even though not everyone could be, or was, healed, this didn't lessen Jesus' love for them.
Ask the deaf, speech impeded person to conclude with prayer, through sign language or slow, deliberate speech.
Proclamation of the Word
One pastor did this:
Using the James passage as the beginning, he focused on the theme, "Every Face Tells a Story." After introducing the theme, he played the tape recording of Olivia Newton-John singing the song by the same name. He said, every face does tell a story; and it tells a different story every time we see it. The King James Version uses the word "face" over 400 times. Jesus looked at every face as if it were the only one in the world. For those who want to take a risk, provide some mirrors so the people can see themselves and each other. Think about messages we give and receive about looking and staring, and a lot of other unhealthy messages. We make value-judgments about others by what we perceive to see on their faces, and never check it out.
You may want to conclude with a similar approach:
"I could never have looked on Jesus' face without tears filling my eyes." Pilate did. The crowd did. The disciples did.
Yet through it all, Jesus kept looking at their faces with emphatic compassion, "Forgive them, they don't know what they're doing." Then conclude by say-ing that Jesus keeps looking at our faces also, even when we act indifferently, selfishly, angrily, even when we demand our own way, do our own thing, drive our own bargain, and Jesus keeps responding, "Father, forgive Wayne, and (list the names of several of the members) because they don't know what they're doing either."
Or, you may want to deal more specifically with the deaf, speech-impeded man, and how Jesus reached out to him. Or, you may want to explore Jesus' remark asking them to tell no one.
Stewardship Challenge
Consider this:
The stewardship of healing. We think that healing belongs to the medical or counseling profession. Jesus gave the gift of healing to us. We can bring wholeness or hurt, by the way we talk. We can rip people apart, shred them, crush them with our words, or we can affirm, appreciate them with our words.
Charge to the Congregation
Try this:
Say, if you felt free to speak one word, one sentence of enouragement to the person on your right or left, what would you say, how would you say it? What would your face express - in the name of the Christ who loves us and frees us to be and to do?
Benediction
Consider this:
Use the traditional benediction, "The Lord bless you and keep you." After each line, add, "... when you go ... where you go ... as you go ... and the Lord give you peace, not the anxious peace of the world, but the anticipating peace of the Christ."
Planning for Your Congregation
Suggestions
Your Situation
I. Other Scriptures
Liturgist:
Psalm 119:129-136
Psalm 146
Proverbs 2:1-8
Isaiah 35:4-7
James 1:17-27
James 2:1-5
II. Suggested Hymns
Coordinator:
"When Morning Gilds the Skies"
German Hymn, 18th (?) century Trans. by Edward Caswall, 1854, 1858; alt.
"Not Alone for Mighty Empire"
William Pierson Merrill, 1909, 1910; alt., 1972 (You may want to eliminate stanza 2.)
"Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus"
Charles Wesley, 1744 (No need to limit hymns to certain seasons.)
III. Other Music Possibilities
Organist/Choir director:
Music for Preparation
"Two Chorales"
Buxtehude
Response to the Children's Message
"Let the Beauty of Jesus"
Albert Orsbon
from Folk Encounter, Hope Publishing Company
Response to the Assurance of Pardon
Adult Choir
"The Touch of the Master's Hand" Author Unknown
Response to the Stewardship Challenge
"No Greater Love"
Carmichael
Music for Dismissal
"O Sing a New Song to the Lord" from Psalm 96
Para. in the Scottish Psalter, 1650; alt.
IV. Bulletin Cover
Church secretary:
V. Bulletin Symbols
VI. Miscellaneous Details (Assignments:)
Ushers
Candlelighters
Hosts/Hostesses
Banners
Flowers
Greeters
Posters
Name-tags
Others
