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Proper 27 | OT 32 Worship Resources

Worship
Lectionary Worship Aids
Series VI, Cycle B
First Lesson: Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17
Theme: Happy Ending


Call To Worship
The story of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz is one of love, loyalty, and responsibility. As we gather together to worship God Almighty, the Father of us all, let us receive his love, renew our loyalty, and accept our responsibility for our families, loved ones, and neighbors.

Come, let us worship.

Collect
Almighty God, we give you thanks for lives set free from despair when things go wrong. Enable us to see clearly one another's needs so that we may be a ministering community. Give us strength to do your will and courage to accept our responsibility for others. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Prayer Of Confession
We confess, Lord, that sometimes when we put our trust in you we use that as an excuse for doing nothing ourselves. Wake us up, we pray, that we may seek your will and then plan and strategize to carry it out. Amen.

Hymns
"Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee"
"God Will Take Care Of You"

* * *

Second Lesson: Hebrews 9:24-28
Theme: Christ Takes Away Our Sins


Call To Worship
Christ died once and for all time to remove the barrier of sin that keeps us from God, and to demonstrate the forgiving and loving nature of our Heavenly Father. Christ continues to stand at the doorways of our hearts, pleading for us to let him enter and thus accept God's love.

Come, let us worship our merciful God made known to us through Jesus Christ.

Collect
O God, our help in ages past and our hope for years to come, we graciously accept your merciful and forgiving love. May your Holy Spirit inspire our prayers as we worship you in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer Of Confession
Good Lord, save us from halfheartedness in our service to others. May our commitment to do your will be complete, and may we find joy in the full use of all that we are and have in the service of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Hymns
"Great Is Thy Faithfulness"
"How Like A Gentle Spirit"

* * *

Gospel Lesson: Mark 12:38-44
Theme: Sacrificial Giving


Call To Worship
If our actions do not agree with our teachings then we are in trouble. Jesus warned us about giving out of our abundance to gain recognition, when he calls us to give sacrificially of our time, talents, and money in order to serve him.

Come, let us worship God who provides for our needs and asks us to provide for the needs of others.

Collect
Almighty God, what we give to you is nothing compared to the sacrifice of himself that Jesus made upon the cross for us. Bless this time of worship, we pray, that it may be a time when we rededicate ourselves that we may be used by you in the building of your kingdom, and in sharing the Good News of your forgiving love with those who do not know you. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Prayer Of Confession
Yes, Lord, we, too, have been guilty of contributing to the work of your Church the crumbs left over after our feasting. We have not known the joy of giving because we have felt no pain in letting go such small amounts of our blessings. May your Spirit inspire us to give not what we think we can afford, but what we know in our hearts we ought to be giving for your work. Amen.

Hymns
"Take My Life, And Let It Be"
"I Would Be True"
UPCOMING WEEKS
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Easter 4
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160+ – Illustrations / Stories
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34 – Commentary / Exegesis
5 – Pastor's Devotions
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30 – Worship Resources
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Easter 6
30 – Sermons
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New & Featured This Week

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Kalas
In the sometimes-tiresome debate over science and scripture with respect to creation, it’s easy to become distracted. While the argument typically requires a focus on the how, we may lose sight of the what. And so, for just a moment, let me invite us to think for a moment about what God created.
Mark Ellingsen
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Bill Thomas
Acts 8:26-40
As a local church pastor, I was often asked if I would baptize a child whose family were not members of the church. Some churches rebelled against this, but I remember this scripture — the hunger for understanding and inclusion of the Eunuch and Philp’s response — to teach and share and baptize in the name of our God. How could we turn anyone away from the rite of baptism?

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
“Dad, I think you worked a miracle.” Rolf slowly walked around the tree. “After that windstorm, I assumed this tree was as good as gone.”

“We just needed to give the branches time to heal and come back,” Michael replied.

 “I know, but so many of them were battered and broken I figured that it couldn’t recover. Now though it looks just like it did before the storm.” Rolf paused. “Do you think it will bear any fruit this summer?”

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A live plant that produces fruit, and a broken branch from that plant. I used a tomato plant from a local greenhouse. Ideally, find a plant with blossoms or small fruit already growing. If you use a different kind of fruit-producing plant, just change the script to fit.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent!

The Immediate Word

Christopher Keating
Katy Stenta
Thomas Willadsen
Mary Austin
Elena Delhagen
Dean Feldmeyer
Quantisha Mason-Doll
For April 28, 2024:
  • On The Way To Gaza by Chris Keating based on Acts 8:26-40. On the way to Gaza, Philip discovers the startling ways the Spirit of God moves across borders, boundaries, customs, and traditions.
  • Second Thoughts: Abiding by Katy Stenta based on John 15:1-8.
  • Sermon illustrations by Mary Austin, Tom Willadsen, Elena Delhagen, Dean Feldmeyer.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus is the vine, we are the branches. In our service today, let us absorb from the vine all the nourishment we need.


Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes our branches become cut off from the vine.
Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes our branches are withered.
Christ, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes we fail to produce good fruit.
Lord, have mercy.

SermonStudio

Stan Purdum
We will meet Psalm 22 in its entirety on Good Friday, but here the lectionary designates just verses 23-31. The lectionary psalms generally illuminate the week's First Lesson, which in this case is about the covenant initiated by God with Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 17. The nine verses from this psalm, while not inappropriate, nonetheless leave us looking for an obvious connection with the First Lesson.

John S. Smylie
I think some people are natural-born gardeners. Our Lord grew up in a society that was familiar with agriculture. The images that he used to explain the ways of his Father in heaven are familiar to his audience. Growing up, my closest experience to agriculture was living in, "the Garden State." Most people, when they pass through New Jersey, are surprised to see that expression on the license plates of vehicles registered in New Jersey. Most folks traveling through New Jersey experience the megalopolis, the corridor between New York City and Washington DC.
Ron Lavin
A pastor in Indiana went to visit an 87-year-old man named Ermil, who was a hospital patient. A member of his church told the pastor about this old man who was an acquaintance. "He's not a believer, but he is really in need," the church member said. "I met him at the county home for the elderly. He's a lonely old man with no family and no money."

Paul E. Robinson
"Love is a many splendored thing...." Or so we heard Don Cornwall and the Four Aces sing time and again. Of course you or I might have other words to describe love, depending on our situation.

Love. "I love you." "I love to play golf." "I just love pistachio lush!" "It's tough to love some people." "Jesus loves me, this I know."

Love.

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