Signs of the end
Worship
Lectionary Worship Workbook
Planning Ideas And Resources For The Entire Church Year
Pastoral Invitation to the Celebration
Consider this:
In the Name of the living God, welcome. Let's begin where today's Scripture begins: In a few years, there will be nothing left of this building. Therefore, we need to know that this building is not the church. We are the church in this building for a few hours during our lifetime. Thus, as John Stott has pointed out, "Before Christ sent the church into the world (I add, a frightened, angry world), he sent the Spirit into the church. The same order must be observed today."
Have you received the Spirit?
If so, I invite you to respond with this litany between pastor and ministers; if not, I invite you to invite the Spirit to invade you:
Pastor:
It's obvious, we are here, at least in body.
Ministers: We are here; yet we know that we deny our humanity, and thus, keep the Spirit out. We know that we are stubborn, and often, live to and for ourselves. We act as though we do not love life; we war against life by the way we talk and act. We hurt each other; we hurt ourselves. We are sick from it. And now, we seek new life in your love and power.
Pastor:
Giver of life, heal us, and free us to be your people.
Ministers: Holy Spirit, speak to us. Help us to listen. Come, fill us - now!
The Act of Recognizing our Humanness and The Act of Receiving New Life
Suggestion:
We've seen God as God is; now we see ourselves in the light of who God is. We may not like what we see. We will not receive the Spirit, however, until we see that we do not like what we see.
I invite us to share in this prayer: (print)
Almighty God, Holy God, we speak of your presence with us, but we try to go it on our own. We pray for your help, but we do not accept your will. We profess that your love abides within us, but we are so impatient with our neighbors. We say we love our enemies, but we barely love our relatives. We tell others about our faith, but we fail to act it out. We portray a living Savior, but we fail to make him real. We call you "Father/Mother," but we act like orphans. We confess our sins, but we ignore our Sin. Save us, God, from being swallowed up by our inhibitions.
(source unknown, revised)
Message with the Children of All Ages
Consider this:
Have you children ever been scared? What are some things that have scared you? Give them opportunity to share. Express some of your own fears. Without going into great detail of the Scripture for today, suggest that some people use these passages to scare people into the church. That happened to me between the ages of 16 and 20. People were predicting the end of the world, and I'd better accept God before it was too late. We need to be careful when we read the Bible; we also need to hear the words of Jesus about the end; because none of us knows when our end will come. Maybe some of your close friends and relatives already have died, long before you thought they would. The Boy Scouts have a motto, "Be prepared." Jesus said that to us long before the Boy Scouts were invented.
Proclamation of the Word
Consider these ideas:
You may want to spend a bit of time dealing with the problem of these passages, and their exploitation by some contemporary religious writers and their E.T.A. (estimated time of arrival for Christ.)
You may want to spend the bulk of the message on the last part of Mark 13, about taking heed, watching, and getting ready; for as the poet says, we lose life, not by dying, but by never preparing ourselves to die.
Stewardship Challenge
Suggestion:
The stewardship of watchfulness and readiness. Think of the time we waste on the trivial and banal and the temporary. What kind of new decisions are you willing to make this week to change the course of your life from irresponsible to responsible behavior?
Charge to the Congregation
Try this:
Despite the fact that in a few years nothing will remain of this building, will you, and you, and you, and I remain in the Spirit? If we do, it won't happen by magic, by fate, by luck; it will happen because we have become responsible. For, "It's the set of the sail and not the gale that determines the way we go." (source unknown)
Planning for Your Congregation
Suggestions
Your Situation
I. Other Scriptures
Liturgist:
Psalm 145:8-13
Psalm 16
Daniel 7:9-14
Daniel 12:1-3
Hebrews 10:11-18
II. Suggested Hymns
Coordinator:
"O Lord, You Are Our God and King"
from Psalm 145;1-7 The Psalter, 1912; alt., 1972
"Jesus, Lead the Way"
Nicolaus L. von Zinzendorf, 1721 Recast by Christian Gregor, 1778
Trans. by Arthur W. Farlander, 1939; alt., 1972
"Jesus Shall Reign" Based on Psalm 72 Isaac Watts, 1719
"O Spirit of the Living God"
James Montgomery, 1823; alt., 1972
III. Other Music Possibilities
Organist/Choir director:
Music for Preparation
"What God Ordains Is Right" Kellner
Choral Introit
Adult Choir
"O Come Let Us Worship"
Elvey
Response to the Scripture Adult Choir
"Spirit of God"
Scholin
(Indicate page number for people to follow words.)
Response to the Stewardship Challenge
"Beside Still Waters" Hamblen
Music for Dismissal
"Prelude and Fugue in C Major No. 1" Bach
IV. Bulletin Cover
Church secretary:
V. Bulletin Symbols
VI. Miscellaneous Details (Assignments:)
Ushers
Candlelighters
Hosts/Hostesses
Banners
Flowers
Greeters
Posters
Name-tags
Others
Consider this:
In the Name of the living God, welcome. Let's begin where today's Scripture begins: In a few years, there will be nothing left of this building. Therefore, we need to know that this building is not the church. We are the church in this building for a few hours during our lifetime. Thus, as John Stott has pointed out, "Before Christ sent the church into the world (I add, a frightened, angry world), he sent the Spirit into the church. The same order must be observed today."
Have you received the Spirit?
If so, I invite you to respond with this litany between pastor and ministers; if not, I invite you to invite the Spirit to invade you:
Pastor:
It's obvious, we are here, at least in body.
Ministers: We are here; yet we know that we deny our humanity, and thus, keep the Spirit out. We know that we are stubborn, and often, live to and for ourselves. We act as though we do not love life; we war against life by the way we talk and act. We hurt each other; we hurt ourselves. We are sick from it. And now, we seek new life in your love and power.
Pastor:
Giver of life, heal us, and free us to be your people.
Ministers: Holy Spirit, speak to us. Help us to listen. Come, fill us - now!
The Act of Recognizing our Humanness and The Act of Receiving New Life
Suggestion:
We've seen God as God is; now we see ourselves in the light of who God is. We may not like what we see. We will not receive the Spirit, however, until we see that we do not like what we see.
I invite us to share in this prayer: (print)
Almighty God, Holy God, we speak of your presence with us, but we try to go it on our own. We pray for your help, but we do not accept your will. We profess that your love abides within us, but we are so impatient with our neighbors. We say we love our enemies, but we barely love our relatives. We tell others about our faith, but we fail to act it out. We portray a living Savior, but we fail to make him real. We call you "Father/Mother," but we act like orphans. We confess our sins, but we ignore our Sin. Save us, God, from being swallowed up by our inhibitions.
(source unknown, revised)
Message with the Children of All Ages
Consider this:
Have you children ever been scared? What are some things that have scared you? Give them opportunity to share. Express some of your own fears. Without going into great detail of the Scripture for today, suggest that some people use these passages to scare people into the church. That happened to me between the ages of 16 and 20. People were predicting the end of the world, and I'd better accept God before it was too late. We need to be careful when we read the Bible; we also need to hear the words of Jesus about the end; because none of us knows when our end will come. Maybe some of your close friends and relatives already have died, long before you thought they would. The Boy Scouts have a motto, "Be prepared." Jesus said that to us long before the Boy Scouts were invented.
Proclamation of the Word
Consider these ideas:
You may want to spend a bit of time dealing with the problem of these passages, and their exploitation by some contemporary religious writers and their E.T.A. (estimated time of arrival for Christ.)
You may want to spend the bulk of the message on the last part of Mark 13, about taking heed, watching, and getting ready; for as the poet says, we lose life, not by dying, but by never preparing ourselves to die.
Stewardship Challenge
Suggestion:
The stewardship of watchfulness and readiness. Think of the time we waste on the trivial and banal and the temporary. What kind of new decisions are you willing to make this week to change the course of your life from irresponsible to responsible behavior?
Charge to the Congregation
Try this:
Despite the fact that in a few years nothing will remain of this building, will you, and you, and you, and I remain in the Spirit? If we do, it won't happen by magic, by fate, by luck; it will happen because we have become responsible. For, "It's the set of the sail and not the gale that determines the way we go." (source unknown)
Planning for Your Congregation
Suggestions
Your Situation
I. Other Scriptures
Liturgist:
Psalm 145:8-13
Psalm 16
Daniel 7:9-14
Daniel 12:1-3
Hebrews 10:11-18
II. Suggested Hymns
Coordinator:
"O Lord, You Are Our God and King"
from Psalm 145;1-7 The Psalter, 1912; alt., 1972
"Jesus, Lead the Way"
Nicolaus L. von Zinzendorf, 1721 Recast by Christian Gregor, 1778
Trans. by Arthur W. Farlander, 1939; alt., 1972
"Jesus Shall Reign" Based on Psalm 72 Isaac Watts, 1719
"O Spirit of the Living God"
James Montgomery, 1823; alt., 1972
III. Other Music Possibilities
Organist/Choir director:
Music for Preparation
"What God Ordains Is Right" Kellner
Choral Introit
Adult Choir
"O Come Let Us Worship"
Elvey
Response to the Scripture Adult Choir
"Spirit of God"
Scholin
(Indicate page number for people to follow words.)
Response to the Stewardship Challenge
"Beside Still Waters" Hamblen
Music for Dismissal
"Prelude and Fugue in C Major No. 1" Bach
IV. Bulletin Cover
Church secretary:
V. Bulletin Symbols
VI. Miscellaneous Details (Assignments:)
Ushers
Candlelighters
Hosts/Hostesses
Banners
Flowers
Greeters
Posters
Name-tags
Others
