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Woship Resources 2009-2010 — Year C: Live Generously, Love Courageously
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C: 2009-2010 Resource Index
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Minister through Love
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Scriptures: Acts 11:1–18; Psalm 148; Revelation 21:1–6;
John 13:31–35; Mosiah 1:32; Doctrine and Covenants 157:11–12
Prelude
Gathering Hymn of Praise: “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven” HS 41
OR “When Morning Gilds the Skies” HS 35
OR “God of Grace and God of Laughter” SP 10
Welcome, Announcements, and Concerns
Call to Worship: Mosiah 1:32
*Hymn: “Earth and All Stars” HS 49
OR “Mighty God, Transforming God!” NS 38
OR “Halle, Halle, Hallelujah” Worship & Rejoice 5
*Invocation
*Congregational Response: “Santo, Santo, Santo” NS 43
Use one verse only in a chosen language.
Focus Moment
Read the book That’s How Much God Loves You! by Chris Shea to the
children. Talk with them about how God’s love for them can be shared through
their love for their friends, family, and the world. (HarperFestival, 2008),
ISBN: 0060838760
Disciples’ Generous Response
Each Sunday, as part of the Disciples’ Generous Response, we ask you to
integrate the message of “share equally” between Local and World Ministries
Mission Tithes. Generosity stories are provided to keep the church in touch
with how contributions to Mission Tithes spread the peace of Jesus Christ.
Please use the stories, testimonies, and up-to-date contribution information
as part of your offertory ministry. Visit
www.CofChrist.org/generositystories to print a copy, or contact your
pastor, congregational financial officer, or worship coordinator for a copy.
Offertory Statement: “A disciple practices generosity as a spiritual
discipline in response to God’s grace and love.” This is
stewardship principle #1 from Becoming a Generous Disciple (The
Presiding Bishopric, 2004), 2. The expanded statement is available at
www.CofChrist.org/generosity/default.asp.
Blessing and Receiving of Oblation and Mission Tithes
Hymn: “Yesu, Yesu, Fill Us with Your Love” HS 407
OR Ministry of Music: “Let All You Do Be Done in Love”
Have this sung by a choir or trio. Sheet music is by Sandra T.
Ford, © 2002. Published by Hinshaw Music Inc., P. O. Box 470, Chapel Hill,
NC 27514; HMC1864, Mixed Voices, SAB, with Keyboard.
OR “Help Us Express Your Love” HS 415
Scripture: Doctrine and Covenants 157:11, 12
Communion Message
Based on John 13:31–35
Sacrament of Communion
Confession of God’s People
People: O God, we have heard your voice of love and have closed our
hearts away; We have heard your call to discipleship and have followed other
paths; We have heard your song of harmony and have chosen to sing our own
discordant tunes. Forgive us, O God, for the many times we have refused to
listen, to follow, to love.
Leader: Lift up your eyes and see my face; lift up your hands and receive
of my abundance; lift up your hearts and allow me to fill them with joy,
hope, love, and peace.
All: We see. We receive. We are filled. Thanks be to God!
—Crystal R. Hunter, 2008
Hymn of Preparation: “Forgive Our Sins as We Forgive” HS 108
Use the tune for HS 338, omitting the repetition of
the last line of each stanza.
OR “How Shall We Come Before You Now” HS 106
OR “Gather Your Children” SP 3
Blessing and Serving of Bread and Wine
Pastoral Prayer for Peace
See a suggested prayer following this worship outline.
*Closing Hymn: “I Have Called You by Your Name” R-10
OR “Make Us, O God, a Church That Shares” HS 484
*Sending Forth Statement
Amen! What God has purified is no longer unclean. God, the Alpha and the
Omega, the first and the last, has made all things new. He lives with us as
our God. He has shown to the nations of the world the repentance that leads
to life, that all might be his people. Upon the thirsty he has poured out
water from the springs of eternal life. Praise the Lord!—Acts
11 and Revelation 21 adapted
*Postlude
Pastoral Prayer for Peace by Jeff Goodwin, Herndon, Virginia, USA
God of wonders, hear our prayer. We are unworthy of your love and mercy,
yet you do not withhold it from us. We know our place is with you. Forgive
us our separations. We know that you embrace us even as we turn away to
pursue other goals. Your reach is cast beyond the scope of our sight, and
there is no depth from which we cannot be rescued. We are prone to be
broken, afraid, and alone. We have driven the wedge of self-indulgence
between our hearts and your Spirit. And yet, amidst our lofty stance in our
own minds, you seek to draw us near. Your divine presence cannot be denied.
You are in the dark beyond the influence of the sun. You are in the silence
of the space beyond shape and form. You were there before time began, and
you will be there when time loses its meaning. You are.
May we, as individuals, seek your holy presence now. May we pull
ourselves closer to the creative force that you are and join with your
energy. Allow us to synchronize with the ebb and flow of the universe. May
we feel the hum of your creation in all of its patterns and waves. Allow us
a glimpse of your salvation that will set our hearts to rest. Envelop us in
your loving arms and protect us from our own anxieties. Allow us the bigger
picture of your vision. May we see the beauty of the whole of creation, and,
in so doing, lose sight of ourselves. Let us see the face of your Son in the
smiles of those around us. May we seek to minister in love to those we meet
in our daily activities. As we do this, we know our service to others will
bless us with a sense of peace and purpose. May we treasure the moments in
which we can say, “I am at peace with my God.”
May we, as a church community, seek your holy presence now. May we pull
ourselves together as members of the body of Christ Jesus who lived, died,
and rose again so that we might spend forever in your glory. May we
establish missions in our congregations to support the spread of the gospel
and uphold the principles of Zion. Allow us to drop our differences and band
together as brothers and sisters, united in the most just cause of all: the
salvation of the planet. May we remind one another that we do not need to
cure all of the world’s ills in order to make a difference. Allow us to
share in the celebration of small victories in the war against injustice and
oppressive entities. As we engage in these efforts, may they draw us closer
to you. May we treasure the moments in which we can say, “We are at peace
with our God.” We now rest our thoughts and cares in the foundation of your
promises. Amen.
Sermon Helps
Scriptures: Acts 11:1–18; Psalm 148;
Revelation 21:1–6; John 13:31–35
Exploring the Scriptures
The scripture from John 13:31–35 shares a powerful message to love one
another. Jesus gives this challenge to his closest companions and disciples. On
the surface, it seems simple to live out. Jesus asks the disciples to love one
another like he has loved them. This particular commandment of Jesus focuses on
the love within the group of believers.
First, consider this commandment in contrast to the broader commandment to
love one’s neighbor as oneself (Matthew 19:19; 22:39 and Mark 12:30). Loving our
neighbor seems much harder than loving someone with whom we are close. After
all, our neighbor may be different than us and have habits and traditions that
are uncommon to our experience. Those in your congregation share common
experiences and traditions that contribute to a sense of community-building.
This creates a natural breeding ground for love within the community, doesn’t
it?
Next, consider this commandment compared to the more demanding commandment to
love one’s enemies (Matthew 5:55 and Luke 6:27–35). It seems reasonable to infer
that it is easier to love people within our faith community than it is to love
our enemy. After all, the thought of loving our enemies seems almost
incomprehensible, yet it boldly represents the radical and countercultural
message of Jesus.
So this particular commandment of Jesus seems easy to follow. We hear Jesus’
words expressed in John 13:34–35 and we respond, “No problem, Jesus. We want to
love one another. That is why we hang out with one another, share a common name
as a community, and pursue a common mission in the world together. We have
chosen to be together in this community and have already committed to love one
another.”
But wait—when a stranger walks into our faith community unannounced, do they
know we are Christians by our love for one another? What if Jesus loved us like
we love one another? Would that form of love be fulfilling to us? This
commandment of love may seem simple to live out on the surface, but in reality
it is a radical call to love.
Reading this particular passage with the rest of John 13 helps us understand
the difficulty of loving within the community. This chapter begins with Jesus
expressing a deep form of love for his disciples as he served the followers by
washing their feet. Peter misunderstood this extreme act of love. Then Jesus
announced that someone he loves will betray him. So amid a misunderstood
expression of love and an anticipated act of betrayal, Jesus calls on the group
to love one another like he loves them. Undoubtedly, the disciples were all
thinking how committed they felt to loving both Jesus and one another, but the
chapter ends with Jesus foretelling Peter’s denial.
John 13 is a poignant reminder of how difficult love within the community can
often be, and yet how pressing it is that we practice our Christian love with
one another. It was so important to the author of John that it is the only
commandment recorded in this Gospel. As you dwell in the world today, sense the
beauty of Christian community created by loving one another like Jesus loves us.
Remember that it takes continued focus and commitment to minister through love
to one another. As we share in the Communion today, we receive the symbols of
God’s constant love for us in Christ and remember our call to love others.
Central Ideas
1. The writer of John records only one commandment from Jesus: Love one
another like I have loved you. This affirmation and commandment are
represented in Communion.
2. Ministering through love with one another within the faith
community is not as easy as it sounds.
3. Ministering through love to one another needs continued focus and
commitment.
Questions for the Speaker
1. Is the commandment to love within the faith community, as
expressed in this scripture, easier to follow than the commandment to love
your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 19:19; 22:39 and Mark 12:30) or to love
your enemy (Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:27–35)?
2. Do others know you and your congregation are Christians by your
love for one another?
3. How often in congregational life do you betray one another with
unkind thoughts, words, or actions? How often do you compete against one
another for attention, power, or position? How can you transform your
thoughts, actions, and words to express love for one another like Jesus
loved you? How does sharing in Communion transform you?
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C: 2009-2010 Resource Index
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