Jesus Predicted His Death
Worship
Lectionary Worship Workbook
Series II, Cycle B
We Offer Ourselves In The Spirit Of The Living Christ
Invitation to the Celebration (Pastor and Ministers)
P: Good morning, Lenten celebrants; welcome to the Second Sunday of Lent. Welcome to the celebration of life in Jesus the Christ, the one who will soon face the horror of the cross.
M: We come today to be reminded of that horror, along with the Christ's final victory over sin, death, the grave, on our behalf.
P: I invite us to listen with our ears, to see with our eyes, and to be open with our minds.
All: Speak to us, Lord, and we will hear what you have to say, see what you have to show, and act upon what you reveal to us.
Hymn of Praise
"God of Grace and God of Glory." (Hymn for the first three Sundays of Lent.)
Prayer of Praise
Incorporate the theme that God is in charge, even when we think that we know better, as did Peter.
We Receive New Life
Introduction to the Act of Recognizing Our Humanity
At whom did you point your finger this past week, either literally or in your mind? (One minute of silence to write down the names of those people.) Now, write down next to those names your reason for pointing your finger. (One minute of silence.) As you look at your list of people, what did you hope would happen? Did it? What actually did happen? (One minute of silence.) Most pointy fingers mean "you should or shouldn't; you must, or must not; you better or better not." The Eleventh Commandment says, "Thou Shall Not Should." Think for a few moments about what happened to Peter when he attempted to "should" Jesus. (Silent prayer.)
Introduction to the Word of Acceptance and New Life
Peter thought that he knew better than Jesus; his mistake! Same for us. Until we see the cross as stumbling block or folly, we will never see it as essential for our new life. I invite us to look at the cross, covered with the daily newspaper, and to offer, silently, our gratitude to the Christ who paid the supreme price, not only for us, but for those people represented in the newspaper. (Two minutes of silence.)
Response
"Thank You, Lord!" Richard Avery and Don Marsh, from The Avery and Marsh Songbook. (See Appendix I for address.) The authors suggest several variations about how to sing it.
We Are Listening
Message with the Children of All Ages
Give an example of a time when someone told you something, and you immediately disagreed. Invite the children to offer examples in their life. Ask them what happened. Did they ever apologize? Tell them about Peter and Jesus. The Bible never tells us if Peter apologized. Conclude with a prayer of forgiveness.
Reading of the Scripture
Have the disciples in the chancel. Jesus is speaking to the congregation. Peter takes Jesus aside, to "give him the word." Jesus "nails" Peter. And then, Peter turns to the crowd once again.
Proclamation of the Good News
Perhaps you will want to incorporate these ideas: If the cross has never offended you before, I hope that it does today. If it does offend you, that is perfectly scriptural. "The cross is a stumbling block to the Jews, and foolishness to the Gentiles." That's still true for much of the world, even much of the church today, as we center on the love of God, and ignore God's holiness. Yes, the cross is downright ridiculous, stupid, to many around us, who either do not understand, or who couldn't care less about its meaning. However, to those who have responded to Jesus the Christ, it is both the power and wisdom of God.
We Respond In Faithful Obedience
Stewardship Challenge
Use Michel Quoist's "Prayer Before a Twenty-Dollar Bill," from Prayers. (See Appendix II for address.)
Hymn of Commitment
"My Song Is Love Unknown." (Hymn for the first three Sundays of Lent.)
Charge to the Congregation
The church, you and I, no matter how it responds to God, still belongs to God, not to us. God needs the body, every part of the body, every cell in the body, committed and obedient to the building of God's Kingdom on earth. And all the people affirmed...!
Meditation
"How many rebukes do we need to hear from Christ before we finally realize and accept who is in charge of this world?" (WHK).
Music Possibilities In Addition To Those Already Suggested
Music for Preparation: Medley of Lenten hymns, or "Pastorale," by Franck.
Response to the Word of Acceptance and New Life: "O God of Bethel, Whose Hand," Philip Doddridge, 1736, and others as in Scottish Paraphrases, 1781; alt. 1972.
Response to the Proclamation: "He Who Would Valiant Be," John Bunyan, 1684; adapted by Percy Dearmer, 1906.
Hymn of Commitment: "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah," William Williams, 1745; stanza 1 trans. by Peter Williams, 1771; stanzas 2 and 3 trans. by William or John Williams, 1772.
Response to the Benediction: "Day By Day," from Godspell, St. Richard of Chichester (alt.) Stephen Schwartz, from Folk Encounter. (See Appendix I for address.)
Music for Dismissal: Medley of Lenten hymns. (Give the hymn number, and encourage the people to remain for the music.)
Invitation to the Celebration (Pastor and Ministers)
P: Good morning, Lenten celebrants; welcome to the Second Sunday of Lent. Welcome to the celebration of life in Jesus the Christ, the one who will soon face the horror of the cross.
M: We come today to be reminded of that horror, along with the Christ's final victory over sin, death, the grave, on our behalf.
P: I invite us to listen with our ears, to see with our eyes, and to be open with our minds.
All: Speak to us, Lord, and we will hear what you have to say, see what you have to show, and act upon what you reveal to us.
Hymn of Praise
"God of Grace and God of Glory." (Hymn for the first three Sundays of Lent.)
Prayer of Praise
Incorporate the theme that God is in charge, even when we think that we know better, as did Peter.
We Receive New Life
Introduction to the Act of Recognizing Our Humanity
At whom did you point your finger this past week, either literally or in your mind? (One minute of silence to write down the names of those people.) Now, write down next to those names your reason for pointing your finger. (One minute of silence.) As you look at your list of people, what did you hope would happen? Did it? What actually did happen? (One minute of silence.) Most pointy fingers mean "you should or shouldn't; you must, or must not; you better or better not." The Eleventh Commandment says, "Thou Shall Not Should." Think for a few moments about what happened to Peter when he attempted to "should" Jesus. (Silent prayer.)
Introduction to the Word of Acceptance and New Life
Peter thought that he knew better than Jesus; his mistake! Same for us. Until we see the cross as stumbling block or folly, we will never see it as essential for our new life. I invite us to look at the cross, covered with the daily newspaper, and to offer, silently, our gratitude to the Christ who paid the supreme price, not only for us, but for those people represented in the newspaper. (Two minutes of silence.)
Response
"Thank You, Lord!" Richard Avery and Don Marsh, from The Avery and Marsh Songbook. (See Appendix I for address.) The authors suggest several variations about how to sing it.
We Are Listening
Message with the Children of All Ages
Give an example of a time when someone told you something, and you immediately disagreed. Invite the children to offer examples in their life. Ask them what happened. Did they ever apologize? Tell them about Peter and Jesus. The Bible never tells us if Peter apologized. Conclude with a prayer of forgiveness.
Reading of the Scripture
Have the disciples in the chancel. Jesus is speaking to the congregation. Peter takes Jesus aside, to "give him the word." Jesus "nails" Peter. And then, Peter turns to the crowd once again.
Proclamation of the Good News
Perhaps you will want to incorporate these ideas: If the cross has never offended you before, I hope that it does today. If it does offend you, that is perfectly scriptural. "The cross is a stumbling block to the Jews, and foolishness to the Gentiles." That's still true for much of the world, even much of the church today, as we center on the love of God, and ignore God's holiness. Yes, the cross is downright ridiculous, stupid, to many around us, who either do not understand, or who couldn't care less about its meaning. However, to those who have responded to Jesus the Christ, it is both the power and wisdom of God.
We Respond In Faithful Obedience
Stewardship Challenge
Use Michel Quoist's "Prayer Before a Twenty-Dollar Bill," from Prayers. (See Appendix II for address.)
Hymn of Commitment
"My Song Is Love Unknown." (Hymn for the first three Sundays of Lent.)
Charge to the Congregation
The church, you and I, no matter how it responds to God, still belongs to God, not to us. God needs the body, every part of the body, every cell in the body, committed and obedient to the building of God's Kingdom on earth. And all the people affirmed...!
Meditation
"How many rebukes do we need to hear from Christ before we finally realize and accept who is in charge of this world?" (WHK).
Music Possibilities In Addition To Those Already Suggested
Music for Preparation: Medley of Lenten hymns, or "Pastorale," by Franck.
Response to the Word of Acceptance and New Life: "O God of Bethel, Whose Hand," Philip Doddridge, 1736, and others as in Scottish Paraphrases, 1781; alt. 1972.
Response to the Proclamation: "He Who Would Valiant Be," John Bunyan, 1684; adapted by Percy Dearmer, 1906.
Hymn of Commitment: "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah," William Williams, 1745; stanza 1 trans. by Peter Williams, 1771; stanzas 2 and 3 trans. by William or John Williams, 1772.
Response to the Benediction: "Day By Day," from Godspell, St. Richard of Chichester (alt.) Stephen Schwartz, from Folk Encounter. (See Appendix I for address.)
Music for Dismissal: Medley of Lenten hymns. (Give the hymn number, and encourage the people to remain for the music.)
