Worship on the Web STARTERS FOR SUNDAY Sunday 15th June 2008 Readings Genesis 18: 1 – 15 ( 21: 1-7 ) Psalm 116: 1 – 2, 12 – 19 (or Exodus 19: 2-8a ) Psalm 100 Romans 5 :1- 8 Matthew 9: 35 – 10: 8 ( 9 – 23 ) To find background information on all the readings please go to www.gbod.org.worship and follow links to lectionary helps and preaching helps. This is the website of the United Methodist Church in America and although some references are particular to either the Methodist or the American contexts, there are resources which can be useful in our tradition and situations. The website also has further links which you might find useful and /or interesting. Most of the following worship ideas / resources are related to the gospel passage. Please feel free to use or adapt them to your own particular situation. Possible themes from the other passages are Genesis 18 – hospitality, promise, surprises of faith, hope Psalm 116 – serving, gratitude, prayer Romans 5 – suffering, hope, endurance Matthew 9: 35 – 10:8 ( 9 – 23 ) - Theme - Called by name, sent to serve Jesus, the teacher, preacher and healer, was filled with compassion for those around him, whose needs he saw clearly. In the earlier verses of chapter 9, the stories of the paralysed man, the official’s daughter, the woman who touched Jesus’ cloak, the two blind men and the man who could not speak are all told. Jesus responded to each of these people with compassion. Jesus saw the needs of each of these individual people. However, they were not the only ones who needed Jesus’ help. As he looked around at the people in the crowd, he saw their needs. To Jesus, the people seemed lost, like sheep without a shepherd, and their lostness, their brokenness, their confusion and their need moved him to the depth of his being and his heart was filled with pity. So much needed done. In these verses from Matthew’s gospel the 12 disciples (symbolic of the 12 tribes of Israel) are named and sent to do this work. These 12 were ordinary folk and an extraordinary mixture of folk, who ended up doing amazing things. (Further details of the instructions given to them by Jesus are listed in the optional verses for the lectionary today.) Reflecting on Matthew 9: 35 - 10:8, focus on how we too are called, named and sent, in our time and place, how do we share in the work of carrying God’s love into the world, looking on all people with compassion as Jesus did ? What sort of things are already going on in the life of your congregation to show God’s love in the world ? What are the needs in your community? Encourage your congregation by what they already do and dream dreams to challenge thinking on what more could be done for your time and your place. Prayers Collect (Common Order, page 676) Almighty God, without you we are not able to please you. Mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through jesus Christ our Lord, who I alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. The Spirit of God affirms to our spirit that we are God’s children. He comes to the aid of our weakness. Romans 8: 16, 26 Opening Words Come – you are called by God Come – you are named by Christ Come – you are sustained by the Spirit. Come – with your whispers of love Come - with your shouts of joy Come - with your songs of hope and worship God Opening Prayer Great God , your love has called us here, Great God , your grace has named us yours, Great God, your mercy has brought us to this new day. We come to worship you for you are a loving God, a gracious God, a merciful God. We come to worship you for you are a God who calls, a God who names, a God who brings new beginnings. Great God, when we have closed our ears to your call when we have been slow on the uptake and when we have wondered what is in it for us forgive us. When we have assumed you would not want to name us as disciples, when we have forgotten that you love each one of us so much that you know our names, and when we have named others falsely, hiding our own faults behind our accusations forgive us. When we have turned away from your new beginnings, when we have been afraid of new beginnings, and when our words, actions and attitudes have denied new beginnings to others forgive us. Forgive us, call us, name us and give us a new beginning this day in the name of Christ our Lord (if you wish, the Lord’s prayer could be included here ) Amen. With the children Bring a book which gives the meaning of names. Pick out the names of some of the children present. Pick some names in the list of disciples from the gospel reading. Talk about these names and about how everyone is known by their name. Talk about how the disciples are called by name to be followers and then sent to show love. Talk about how we are called by name to be followers and then sent to show love. Have, already prepared, a big arrow shape on card with the name Jesus written in big letters on point of arrow. Get children to write their names on the arrow and point the arrow out of door, either by sticking it to the wall near door or by placing the arrow on the floor in the direction of the door and talk about following Jesus out of the church and into the world with the message of love. Prayer of commitment / dedication You will need to have wee bits of paper and pens ready. You will need a couple of folk to explain to people what they should do. As people are arriving at church each person is given a wee bit of paper and asked to write their name on it and give it back to the helper – make sure everyone is included. Get helpers to divide papers with names written on them into a few baskets (same number of baskets as number of offering plates would work well ). As the offering is being uplifted, helpers follow on with baskets and people take a piece of paper out of the basket. As the children will have put their names in the baskets, if they have gone to their own groups, there will be more names in the baskets than there are people in the church – helpers should distribute extra names to appropriate number of people (ie.- some people have two or more). Explain that we are going to pray for each other using the names we have on the pieces of paper – it does not matter whether you know the person whose name you have personally or not. We are called by name We are sent to journey with faith, to heal with compassion, to speak with love. We are called by name We are sent to journey without baggage, to heal without judgement, to speak without pride. We are called by name We are sent to journey to heal, to speak. Lord Jesus, thank you for calling this disciple by name and today we pray for the disciple whose name we hold for a moment in the palm of our hand. We pray that this disciple may hear your call once again and be ready to journey with faith, to heal with compassion and to speak with love (pause for a moment of quietness). Lord Jesus, thank you for calling each one of us by name, and today we pray that we may hear your call once again. We commit ourselves to journeying with faith, to healing with compassion, to speaking with love. We bring our lives and this money in response to your call. Use our lives and this money in your service. Amen This prayer could be followed by singing either CH4 250 ‘Sent by the Lord’ or CH4 800 ‘Thuma mina’. Other possibility Invite someone from the congregation who is involved in outreach/serving ministry to speak about their work and why they do it, as an example of a disciple called, named and sent. Sending Out Called by name Called by grace Called by Jesus Go now to journey with faith to heal with compassion to speak with love. Go now into the world and may the blessing of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be with you this day and always. Amen Hymns and Songs Hymn references are taken from Church Hymnary: fourth Edition, denoted as CH4, followed by the hymn number:- Great God your love has called us here CH4, number 484 Praise I will praise you Lord CH4, number 175 Will you come and follow me CH4, number 533 O for a thousand tongues to sing CH4, number 382 Sent by the Lord CH4, number 250 Thuma mina CH4, number 800 Children of God CH4, number 521 Christ be our light CH4, number 543 As a fire is meant for burning CH4, number 252 Jesus and me – one of the early songs from Fishy music suitable for church groups. Check www.fischy.com for a wealth of musical resources for church and school. The following extra choices of hymns and songs have been selected by the Music Panel, from the Worship and Doctrine Task Group:- Genesis All my hope on God is founded CH4, number 192 Romans We sing the praise of him who died CH4, number 405 Love of the Father, Love of God the Son CH4, number 610 May the mind of Christ my Saviour CH4, number 536 Come, Holy Ghost, our hearts inspire CH4, number 598 Thanks to God whose word was spoken CH4, number 605 We sing a love which sets all people free CH4, number 622 And can it be, that I should gain CH4, number 396 What wondrous love is this, O my soul CH4, number 395 He is Lord, he is Lord CH4, number 443 Crown him with many crowns CH4, number 459 Father of heaven, whose love profound CH4, number 483 Most glorious Lord of life, that on this day CH4, number 215 There is a Redeemer CH4, number 559 Romans & O Breath of life, come sweeping through us Matthew CH4, number 595 Matthew God of freedom, God of justice CH4, number 263 Love divine, all loves excelling CH4, number 519 Son of God, eternal Saviour CH4, number 468 When Jesus saw the fishermen (suitable for children) CH4, number 340 Blest are they, the poor in spirit CH4, number 341 The reign of God, like farmer’s field CH4, number 343 Go in grace and make disciples CH4, number 682 Short songs Come, Holy Spirit CH4, number 758 God has made laughter, laughter for me CH4, number 764 Jesus, tawa pano (Jesus we are here) CH4, number 773 A word about the author This material was prepared by Rev Karen Harbison, Minister at Trinity Church, Hamilton. This information was printed from www.churchofscotland.org.uk/worship