Rewards
Worship
Lectionary Worship Workbook
Series II, Cycle A Gospel Texts
Celebrating The Presence Of God
Invitation to the Celebration
In the name of the Living Christ, welcome, welcome, welcome! Hear the promise of Jesus: "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me." So, let's spend a few moments welcoming each other in the name of the Christ. (R.S. - Right Side; L.S. - Left Side)
All: Allelu! Allelu! Allelu!
R.S.: Praise the Lord!
L.S.: Christ is Sovereign!
All: Praise the Lord! Christ is Sovereign! (three times)
All: (Speak your part and applaud!)
If this is awkward the first time, practice it several times. And, it's okay not to do it perfectly. The goal is to free the people to respond with enthusiasm and energy. In a sense, you, the pastor, are the cheerleader to help make this happen.
Response
"Allelu!" (words and music by Ray Repp, Folk Encounter, Hope Publishing Company. See Appendix I for address).
Prayer of Praise
Focus on the theme of welcoming, how God has welcomed us and how God calls us to welcome each other and a world that's dying to hear Good News.
Hymn of Praise
"O God the Creator"Ê(Elizabeth Haile and Cecil Corbett, 1977; Joy F. Patterson, 1989). It's okay to use the same hymn within the same month. One way to teach a congregation a new hymn is to use it as a hymn of the month.
Celebrating The Act Of Forgiveness
The Act of Confession
"We have become so 'sensitive' to the needs of individuals that we give all of our emphasis to acceptance and none to accountability" (from Pastoral Administration). Jesus kept saying, "Go and sin no more." Luther said, "Cut it out." I say, "Give it up -- anything which separates you from God, others, yourself." (Silence.)
Prayer of Confession
(Unison) As our humanity bumps up against a tense and broken world, it is so easy for us to draw back into ourselves, Lord. We begin to play the role of victim, feeling fearful, angry, powerless, allowing our lives to be determined by outside forces. Soon we become separated from ourselves, performing the acts required by society but out of touch with our real needs, feelings, hopes. We pray that you will reawaken life within us, that we will find the courage to rediscover who we are, and that we will take control of our lives and begin to shape our futures, and the future of your world, as we welcome the world each day that we arise, in the power and presence of Jesus the Christ. So be it!
The Assurance of Pardon
God in Christ invites us to give up those choices that get us into trouble. At the same time, God in Christ welcomes us to God's world, the world to which God sent the unique one-of-a-kind son to bring newness and wholeness.
Response
"There's a Sweet, Sweet Spirit" (Doris Akers, 1962). Have the musicians play through the hymn while the people read it silently; then sing it.
Celebrating The Word
Message with the Children of All Ages
Invite them to think about rewards. When do they get them; when are they withheld? So often, at least with adults, rewards are based on this idea: "I'll do this for you if you'll do that for me," a tit for tat. You may have trouble with Jesus' words. So, explore, on the children's level, how Jesus' reward system differs from ours.
Response
Even though we may have difficulty understanding how God rewards us, we are called to respond out of thanksgiving for what we have received. So, let's sing the chorus only to "O Let's Get On" (words and music by Richard Avery and Don Marsh, Folk Encounter, Hope Publishing Company. See Appendix I for address).
Reading from the Newer Covenant
Again, have your scripture reader memorize the passage, and walk around the sanctuary speaking the words of Jesus.
Proclamation of the Good News
Consider this idea: As we respond to the ministry of the Christ, whatever form it takes, do we think about the reward we will receive? Or is the very act of ministry reward enough? It is so easy to become self-righteous, "My works are better than yours." Or, as a well-known church educator said years ago, "If you vote for that particular presidential candidate, you can't possibly be a Christian."
Celebrating Our Gifts
Stewardship Challenge
If we believed that we received no eternal rewards for our faith, that the act alone was our reward, what shape and content would our giving take? (Silence before receiving the offering.)
Dedication Prayer
Lord, we give out of gratitude. Do what you will with this money, and with us.
Celebrating Our Departure
Charge to the Congregation
"Just to Live is Holy" (Abraham Heschel).
Hymn of Dedication
"Give to Me, Lord, a Thankful Heart" (Caryl Micklem, 1973).
Meditation
"If I were an angel, I'd say to all the flowers in the world, 'Grow, grow, grow' " (source unknown).
"To take up the cross of Christ is no great action done once and for all (nor is it done to get a reward); it consists in the continual practice of small duties [responses] [some of] which are distasteful to us [while others bring extreme joy, no matter what the reward]" (John Henry Newman; brackets mine, WHK).
Music Possibilities In Addition To Those Already Suggested
Music for Preparation: "The Sound of Silence," words and music by Paul Simon, from Warner Brothers' Publications, Inc., 75 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10019.
Hymn of Praise: "The God of Abraham Praise," Daniel ben Judah Dayyan, c. 1400; trans. by Newton Mann, 1885; and William Channing Gannett, 1910; alt. (You may want to substitute "God" for "His.")
Response to the Confession: "Gloria Patri." Vary the tune.
Response to the Assurance: "Come, My Soul, You Must Be Waking," Friedrich R. L. von Canitz, (1654-1699). Trans. attr. to Thomas Arnold and Henry J. Bucknoll, 1838, 1841; alt. (Clarify the word "soul" to mean "spirit,"Êin order to clarify the fact that Christians do not believe in the "immortality of the soul.")
Hymn of Praise: "O Lord, You Are Our God and King," The Psalter, 1912; alt., 1972. Or "Take My Life, and Let It Be Consecrated," Francis Ridley Havergal, 1874. (You may want to point out that some church members read the hymn, "take my life and let it be.")
Response to the Benediction: "Day by Day," Richard of Chichester (alt.), copyright 1971 by Valando Music, Inc., and New Cadenza Music Corp.
Invitation to the Celebration
In the name of the Living Christ, welcome, welcome, welcome! Hear the promise of Jesus: "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me." So, let's spend a few moments welcoming each other in the name of the Christ. (R.S. - Right Side; L.S. - Left Side)
All: Allelu! Allelu! Allelu!
R.S.: Praise the Lord!
L.S.: Christ is Sovereign!
All: Praise the Lord! Christ is Sovereign! (three times)
All: (Speak your part and applaud!)
If this is awkward the first time, practice it several times. And, it's okay not to do it perfectly. The goal is to free the people to respond with enthusiasm and energy. In a sense, you, the pastor, are the cheerleader to help make this happen.
Response
"Allelu!" (words and music by Ray Repp, Folk Encounter, Hope Publishing Company. See Appendix I for address).
Prayer of Praise
Focus on the theme of welcoming, how God has welcomed us and how God calls us to welcome each other and a world that's dying to hear Good News.
Hymn of Praise
"O God the Creator"Ê(Elizabeth Haile and Cecil Corbett, 1977; Joy F. Patterson, 1989). It's okay to use the same hymn within the same month. One way to teach a congregation a new hymn is to use it as a hymn of the month.
Celebrating The Act Of Forgiveness
The Act of Confession
"We have become so 'sensitive' to the needs of individuals that we give all of our emphasis to acceptance and none to accountability" (from Pastoral Administration). Jesus kept saying, "Go and sin no more." Luther said, "Cut it out." I say, "Give it up -- anything which separates you from God, others, yourself." (Silence.)
Prayer of Confession
(Unison) As our humanity bumps up against a tense and broken world, it is so easy for us to draw back into ourselves, Lord. We begin to play the role of victim, feeling fearful, angry, powerless, allowing our lives to be determined by outside forces. Soon we become separated from ourselves, performing the acts required by society but out of touch with our real needs, feelings, hopes. We pray that you will reawaken life within us, that we will find the courage to rediscover who we are, and that we will take control of our lives and begin to shape our futures, and the future of your world, as we welcome the world each day that we arise, in the power and presence of Jesus the Christ. So be it!
The Assurance of Pardon
God in Christ invites us to give up those choices that get us into trouble. At the same time, God in Christ welcomes us to God's world, the world to which God sent the unique one-of-a-kind son to bring newness and wholeness.
Response
"There's a Sweet, Sweet Spirit" (Doris Akers, 1962). Have the musicians play through the hymn while the people read it silently; then sing it.
Celebrating The Word
Message with the Children of All Ages
Invite them to think about rewards. When do they get them; when are they withheld? So often, at least with adults, rewards are based on this idea: "I'll do this for you if you'll do that for me," a tit for tat. You may have trouble with Jesus' words. So, explore, on the children's level, how Jesus' reward system differs from ours.
Response
Even though we may have difficulty understanding how God rewards us, we are called to respond out of thanksgiving for what we have received. So, let's sing the chorus only to "O Let's Get On" (words and music by Richard Avery and Don Marsh, Folk Encounter, Hope Publishing Company. See Appendix I for address).
Reading from the Newer Covenant
Again, have your scripture reader memorize the passage, and walk around the sanctuary speaking the words of Jesus.
Proclamation of the Good News
Consider this idea: As we respond to the ministry of the Christ, whatever form it takes, do we think about the reward we will receive? Or is the very act of ministry reward enough? It is so easy to become self-righteous, "My works are better than yours." Or, as a well-known church educator said years ago, "If you vote for that particular presidential candidate, you can't possibly be a Christian."
Celebrating Our Gifts
Stewardship Challenge
If we believed that we received no eternal rewards for our faith, that the act alone was our reward, what shape and content would our giving take? (Silence before receiving the offering.)
Dedication Prayer
Lord, we give out of gratitude. Do what you will with this money, and with us.
Celebrating Our Departure
Charge to the Congregation
"Just to Live is Holy" (Abraham Heschel).
Hymn of Dedication
"Give to Me, Lord, a Thankful Heart" (Caryl Micklem, 1973).
Meditation
"If I were an angel, I'd say to all the flowers in the world, 'Grow, grow, grow' " (source unknown).
"To take up the cross of Christ is no great action done once and for all (nor is it done to get a reward); it consists in the continual practice of small duties [responses] [some of] which are distasteful to us [while others bring extreme joy, no matter what the reward]" (John Henry Newman; brackets mine, WHK).
Music Possibilities In Addition To Those Already Suggested
Music for Preparation: "The Sound of Silence," words and music by Paul Simon, from Warner Brothers' Publications, Inc., 75 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10019.
Hymn of Praise: "The God of Abraham Praise," Daniel ben Judah Dayyan, c. 1400; trans. by Newton Mann, 1885; and William Channing Gannett, 1910; alt. (You may want to substitute "God" for "His.")
Response to the Confession: "Gloria Patri." Vary the tune.
Response to the Assurance: "Come, My Soul, You Must Be Waking," Friedrich R. L. von Canitz, (1654-1699). Trans. attr. to Thomas Arnold and Henry J. Bucknoll, 1838, 1841; alt. (Clarify the word "soul" to mean "spirit,"Êin order to clarify the fact that Christians do not believe in the "immortality of the soul.")
Hymn of Praise: "O Lord, You Are Our God and King," The Psalter, 1912; alt., 1972. Or "Take My Life, and Let It Be Consecrated," Francis Ridley Havergal, 1874. (You may want to point out that some church members read the hymn, "take my life and let it be.")
Response to the Benediction: "Day by Day," Richard of Chichester (alt.), copyright 1971 by Valando Music, Inc., and New Cadenza Music Corp.
