Order of Worship, April 15, 2012

Chilmark Community Church
April 15, 2012
Prelude: Little Prelude in E flat minor J.S. Bach

Gathering and Announcements

Introit :  Hymn 328
Call to Worship: Psalm 133 (UMH 850)

*Hymn  548 “In Christ There is No East or West”

Children’s Moment

Confession :  Let us , in the silence of our hearts, acknowledge  all that separates us from God, …………………
(unison)
Light of the world,
shine upon us
and disperse the clouds of our selfishness,
that we may reflect the power of the resurrection
in our life together. Amen.

Proclamation and Praise (See Below for commentary)
Acts 4:32-35
Hymn 2222 “The Servant Song”
1 John 1:1-2:2
Hymn 206  “I want to walk as a Child of the Light”
John 20:19-31
Hymn 384 “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” vs. 1,2

Concerns and Celebrations
God invites us to bring our doubts and fears,
our joys and concerns, our petitions and praise,
and offer them for the earth and all its creatures.

Prayers of the People, concluding with:
Receive these prayers, O God, and transform us through them,
that we may have eyes to see and hearts to understand not only what you do on our behalf, but what you call us to do
so that your realm will come to fruition in glory. Amen.
Prayer for the church:
Spirit of promise, Spirit of unity, we thank you that you are also the Spirit of renewal.  Renew in the whole Church that passionate desire for the coming of your kingdom which will unite us in one mission to the world.
The Lord’s Prayer

Offering
*Hymn 95 “Praise God From Whom All Blessing Flow”
Prayer of Dedication (unison)
Loving God, you bring the gift of Resurrection and a redeemed life through the locked doors of our hearts. Sometimes we react with joy, sometimes with fear, sometimes with doubt.  Bless these gifts we give as an extension of your hands reaching out to the world through us, and may those we can’t see and may never meet be touched because we gave from our hearts. In the name of the risen Christ, we pray. Amen. (John 20:19-31)
Musical offering: “Your Raise Me Up” Helen Stratford

Benediction (unison)
The Lord did not abandon Thomas to his unbelief, nor will the Lord abandon us to ours. God hears our cries for help and answers. God knows how we struggle to believe what we can’t see or touch. Let us know that our Invisible God makes forgiveness visible to our hearts and souls. Let us see God at work in our lives from this day forward. Let us trust our spiritual sight more each day. Amen

Postlude: Andante Telemann

Please join us for “coffee”  in the fellowship hall after the service.
________________________________________
Organist:  Carol Loud:
Worship Leaders:  Emily Broderick & Virginia Mc Clure
Next Week’s Lessons: Acts 3:12-19;Psalm 4; 1 John 3:1-7;
Luke 24:36b-48

Emily read several introductions from  Conversations, The Message Bible” by Eugene H. Peterson.  Here are just two of them.

“The arrival of Jesus signaled the beginning of a new era.  God entered history in a personal way, and made it unmistakably clear that he is on our side, doing everything possible to save us.   It was all presented and worked out  in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  It was, and is, hard to believe–seemingly too good to be true.

But one by one, men and women did believe it, believed Jesus was God alive among them and for them.  Soon they would realize that he also lived in them.  To their great surprise they found themselves living in a world where God called all the shots.. had the first word on everything; had the last word on everything.  That meant that everything, quite literally every thing, had to be re-centered, re-imagined, and re-thought.”  p1481

Re. John 20:22

“The phrase “breathed into them; is the identical phrase used in Genesis 2 when the Lord God breathed life into Adam, who at once became a “living soul:.  ….The same Spirit that moved over the chaos and became articulate in the (creation)…now moves in the disciples so that they can continue the creation work of Christ, “the firstborn over all creation”…That same Spirit moves over the chaos of our lives as well, bringing form out of formlessness and fullness out of emptiness, resulting in a new creation.”

 


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