The power of God's name
Worship
LECTIONARY WORSHIP AIDS
Series II
Exegetical note: The famous tripartite (so-called "Aaronic" or "Priestly") blessing in this passage is presented as a liturgical way to put God's name on Israel, which to the ancient mind meant to bestow upon them the full force of God's very being, saving presence, and sustaining providence.
Call to Worship
(based on Psalm 67)
Leader:
May God's grace and blessing be upon us!
People:
MAY GOD'S FACE SHINE UPON US!
Leader:
May God's ways be known upon the earth!
People:
MAY GOD'S SAVING POWER BE SEEN BY ALL NATIONS!
Collect
Gracious and blessed God, you have made your face to shine and your countenance to glow upon all the people of the earth. Help us who bear your name and the name of the Christ feel the power of those names: that, thus renewed by your mighty presence, we may find the strength to become redemptive forces in a weak and weary world. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen
Prayer of Confession
Good and bountiful God, we confess that we take such pride in making names for ourselves, we seldom feel the force of your divine name, which we bear as Christians; and that we therefore live sad and sorry lives that may bring worldly recognition, but bear little heavenly fruit. Forgive us, we pray, and help us to tap the deep reserves of your holy power, so that we not only may strengthen ourselves, but may become channels of your divine energy to others. In the power of the name of Jesus we pray. Amen
January 1
(When observed as Holy Name)
Second Lesson: Philippians 2:9-13
Theme:
The exalted name of Jesus
Exegetical note: It is not a terribly smooth transition from the final part of the Philippians hymn (vv. 9-11), which exalts Jesus' name, to the admonition to the reader (vv. 12-13) to work out her or his own salvation "with fear and trembling" and with a sense of God's being "at work" within. But the connective presupposition may well be the ancient belief that one's name entails one's very power and presence.
Call to Worship
(based on Psalm 67)
Leader:
Let all the nations be glad and sing!
People:
FOR GOD JUDGES THEIR PEOPLE WITH EQUITY!
Leader:
Let all the peoples yield praise to God!
People:
FOR GOD, OUR GOD, HAS BLESSED US!
Collect
Holy God, you have let the power and glory of your name be known by all the world's people. Now let us feel its presence and grace as well: that, moved by both your majesty and your mercy, we may realize and reflect your divine work and will in our lives, and may bear and share with others the name above every name, in which we pray. Amen
Prayer of Confession
Heavenly God, we are sad to confess that we take both your name and that of the Christ in vain, by failing to recognize what redemptive power those names have, and that we wear them as though mere labels or badges. Forgive us, we pray, and remind us of the awesome holy energy that is ours by virtue of your grace. Teach us to use that d.ivine force for ourselves, and to direct it to others, so that all the world may know you and your desire to save. In the power of the name of Jesus we pray. Amen
January 1
(When observed as Holy Name)
Gospel:
Luke 2:15-21
Theme:
The power in the name of Jesus
Exegetical note: Luke's mention of the name Jesus (from the Aramaic Yeshua) here (with respect to the child's circumcision) and in 1:31 seems to recognize its importance by asserting that it was bestowed by an extraordinary agent (an angel); but in neither place is he as explicit as Matthew (1:21) about its meaning: "Yahweh saves." Other New Testament testimony makes it clear that by Luke's day, Christians venerated that name and regarded it as powerful, exalted, and salvific.
Call to Worship
(based on Psalm 67)
Leader:
In the name of Jesus, let us worship God!
People:
IN THE NAME OF JESUS, LET US SING AND PRAY!
Leader:
In the name of Jesus, let us find release!
People: IN THE NAME OF JESUS, LET US TRUST AND HOPE!
Collect
Ageless God, you have sent us one whose very name means your presence and salvation. Inspire us now with his holy and heavenly power: that, beholding even the newborn Christ, we may see there your promise of redemption and our hope for salvation. In the name of Jesus, which assures us that "God saves," we trust and pray. Amen
Prayer of Confession
Almighty God, it grieves us to confess how lightly we take Jesus' name, how easily we affirm it, and how casually we wear it, forgetting the divine power and promise to save that is in it and the one who bore it. Forgive us, O God, and teach us to take it seriously, to affirm it boldly, and to wear it proudly as the hope, not only for ourselves, but for the world as well. In the mighty, exalted, redemptive, healing, precious name of Jesus, the Christ, we pray. Amen
Call to Worship
(based on Psalm 67)
Leader:
May God's grace and blessing be upon us!
People:
MAY GOD'S FACE SHINE UPON US!
Leader:
May God's ways be known upon the earth!
People:
MAY GOD'S SAVING POWER BE SEEN BY ALL NATIONS!
Collect
Gracious and blessed God, you have made your face to shine and your countenance to glow upon all the people of the earth. Help us who bear your name and the name of the Christ feel the power of those names: that, thus renewed by your mighty presence, we may find the strength to become redemptive forces in a weak and weary world. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen
Prayer of Confession
Good and bountiful God, we confess that we take such pride in making names for ourselves, we seldom feel the force of your divine name, which we bear as Christians; and that we therefore live sad and sorry lives that may bring worldly recognition, but bear little heavenly fruit. Forgive us, we pray, and help us to tap the deep reserves of your holy power, so that we not only may strengthen ourselves, but may become channels of your divine energy to others. In the power of the name of Jesus we pray. Amen
January 1
(When observed as Holy Name)
Second Lesson: Philippians 2:9-13
Theme:
The exalted name of Jesus
Exegetical note: It is not a terribly smooth transition from the final part of the Philippians hymn (vv. 9-11), which exalts Jesus' name, to the admonition to the reader (vv. 12-13) to work out her or his own salvation "with fear and trembling" and with a sense of God's being "at work" within. But the connective presupposition may well be the ancient belief that one's name entails one's very power and presence.
Call to Worship
(based on Psalm 67)
Leader:
Let all the nations be glad and sing!
People:
FOR GOD JUDGES THEIR PEOPLE WITH EQUITY!
Leader:
Let all the peoples yield praise to God!
People:
FOR GOD, OUR GOD, HAS BLESSED US!
Collect
Holy God, you have let the power and glory of your name be known by all the world's people. Now let us feel its presence and grace as well: that, moved by both your majesty and your mercy, we may realize and reflect your divine work and will in our lives, and may bear and share with others the name above every name, in which we pray. Amen
Prayer of Confession
Heavenly God, we are sad to confess that we take both your name and that of the Christ in vain, by failing to recognize what redemptive power those names have, and that we wear them as though mere labels or badges. Forgive us, we pray, and remind us of the awesome holy energy that is ours by virtue of your grace. Teach us to use that d.ivine force for ourselves, and to direct it to others, so that all the world may know you and your desire to save. In the power of the name of Jesus we pray. Amen
January 1
(When observed as Holy Name)
Gospel:
Luke 2:15-21
Theme:
The power in the name of Jesus
Exegetical note: Luke's mention of the name Jesus (from the Aramaic Yeshua) here (with respect to the child's circumcision) and in 1:31 seems to recognize its importance by asserting that it was bestowed by an extraordinary agent (an angel); but in neither place is he as explicit as Matthew (1:21) about its meaning: "Yahweh saves." Other New Testament testimony makes it clear that by Luke's day, Christians venerated that name and regarded it as powerful, exalted, and salvific.
Call to Worship
(based on Psalm 67)
Leader:
In the name of Jesus, let us worship God!
People:
IN THE NAME OF JESUS, LET US SING AND PRAY!
Leader:
In the name of Jesus, let us find release!
People: IN THE NAME OF JESUS, LET US TRUST AND HOPE!
Collect
Ageless God, you have sent us one whose very name means your presence and salvation. Inspire us now with his holy and heavenly power: that, beholding even the newborn Christ, we may see there your promise of redemption and our hope for salvation. In the name of Jesus, which assures us that "God saves," we trust and pray. Amen
Prayer of Confession
Almighty God, it grieves us to confess how lightly we take Jesus' name, how easily we affirm it, and how casually we wear it, forgetting the divine power and promise to save that is in it and the one who bore it. Forgive us, O God, and teach us to take it seriously, to affirm it boldly, and to wear it proudly as the hope, not only for ourselves, but for the world as well. In the mighty, exalted, redemptive, healing, precious name of Jesus, the Christ, we pray. Amen
