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All Saints

Worship
Lectionary Worship Aids, Cradled in God's Heart
Series VIII, Cycle A
Call To Worship
One: At all times we are called
to bless God's name.
All: Our lips drench with praises,
our hearts exult in God.
One: The proud will bend knees in worship,
the humble will lift glad songs.
All: We are set free from our fears,
we have searched for God and been found.
One: Our faces glow with thanksgiving,
our spirits overflow with grace.
All: God has wiped away our tears,
God has fed us from the storehouses of hope.

Prayer Of The Day
They are gathered around you,
God of Forever and Ever.
Some are well known,
like Martin Luther,
Mother Teresa,
C.S. Lewis,
Helen Keller,
and so many more.
Some have been forgotten,
like Agnes and Cadoc,
Tuda, Mary of Egypt,
and Ebba,
while others have days named after them.

But many are ordinary folk,
such as the teacher from second grade
who guided our fingers under the words;
the nurse in the hospital
who held our hand while blood was taken;
the coach who trusted us with the ball,
not the end of the bench.

There is an old man who left retirement behind him,
and an barren woman who laughed at your promise;
there are popes, princes, and power-brokers,
who are taught heaven's hymns
by the paupers and pretenders;
there are those who moved mountains
and those who murmured in the wilderness;
there are those who founded the church,
and those who floundered on the waves of Galilee.

All saints,
just like us,
singing your praise forever and ever,
and we join in their anthem
even as we pray as Jesus has taught us, saying,

Our Father ...

Call To Reconciliation
When God sets the table of the Lamb, all will be welcome -- the young and the old; those who were faithful, and those who failed; those who followed Jesus, and those who lost their way. Let us confess to God our unsaintly ways, knowing how quick God is to forgive.

Unison Prayer Of Confession
We did not listen, when the Teacher spoke, God of Sinners.
Rich in pride and arrogance,
our spirits have no need for a kingdom;
taught to not let anyone see us cry,
we refuse your comforting arms;
seeing the rich and successful have their way,
we yearn to inherit their hardened hearts;
noticing the hungry standing by the side of the road,
we make sure we get more than our share of the world's
resources;
taking note of how he merciful are pushed aside,
we develop callouses on our souls.
Forgive us, Saint Maker, that we follow the wrong examples and listen to false teachings. It is the peacemakers who live into your hope; it is those whose hearts are shaped by yours, who are able to see you in the poor and broken; it is those who give themselves to serve others who are your saints, following the example of Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Savior, our Shepherd, guiding us to the wellsprings of life.


Silence is kept

Assurance Of Pardon
One: When we seek God, we are found;
when we cry out, we are heard;
when we confess, we are forgiven and made new.
All: We can taste the yeasty flavor of grace, we can drink the deep wine of hope, we can find our home in God's heart receiving mercy and new life. Thanks be to God. Amen.
UPCOMING WEEKS
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Easter 4
28 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
33 – Children's Sermons / Resources
23 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
5 – Pastor's Devotions
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Easter 5
33 – Sermons
140+ – Illustrations / Stories
34 – Children's Sermons / Resources
30 – Worship Resources
35 – Commentary / Exegesis
5 – Pastor's Devotions
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Easter 6
30 – Sermons
180+ – Illustrations / Stories
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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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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.
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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?

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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.

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

The Immediate Word

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For April 28, 2024:
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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.

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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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