Crandall United Methodist Church

Worship Guide

October 1, 2023

Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost

Creating Disciples of Jesus who Transform the World

ENTRANCE WITH PRAISE

Greetings:

Minister: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

People: And also with you!

Special Music:  “10,000 Reasons”  Charles

Centering Words:

Be of one mind, the mind of Christ. Be of one Spirit, the Spirit of God’s love. Be of one purpose as beloved people of God.

*Call to Worship:

Leader:    The God of glory awaits,

People:   welcoming us to worship and praise.

Leader:    The Christ of humility is here,

People:   welcoming our needs and prayers.

Leader:    The Spirit of love gathers us in,

People:   binding us together as one.

Leader:    Let us pray.

ALL: God of wondrous love and glorious deeds, shower us with your love and quench our thirst for grace. Strengthen us with your Spirit of power and embolden us to live our faith. Humble us with the example of Christ and remind us to regard one another as beloved children of God. Amen.

Hymn: “Wonderful Words of Live”

Sing them over again to me,

wonderful words of life;

let me more of their beauty see,

wonderful words of life;

words of life and beauty,

teach me faith and duty.

Beautiful words, wonderful words,

wonderful words of life.

Beautiful words, wonderful words,

wonderful words of life.

Christ the blessed one gives to all,

wonderful words of life;

sinner, listen to the loving call,

wonderful words of life;

all so freely given,

wooing us to heaven.

Beautiful words, wonderful words,

wonderful words of life.

Beautiful words, wonderful words,

wonderful words of life.

Sweetly echo the gospel call,

wonderful words of life;

offer pardon and peace to all,

wonderful words of life;

Jesus, only Savior,

sanctify forever.

Beautiful words, wonderful words,

wonderful words of life.

Beautiful words, wonderful words,

wonderful words of life.

PROCLAMATION OF THE WORD

Words of Assurance

Christ is at work within you, filling you with mercy and grace.

Christ enables you to work for God’s good pleasure.

Thanks be to God. Amen

*Old Testament Reading: Exodus 17:1-7

¹ From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. ² The people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” ³ But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” ⁴ So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” ⁵ The Lord said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. ⁶ I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. ⁷ He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Leader:   This is the Word of God, for the People of God

People:  Thanks be to God!

WORD AND RESPONSE

Time with Young Friends: “Jesus Loves Me”

Children’s Message: “Testing God”

Hymn: “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name”

All hail the power of Jesus’ name!

Let angels prostrate fall;

Bring forth the royal diadem,

and crown him Lord of all.

Bring forth the royal diadem,

and crown him Lord of all.

Ye chosen seed of Israel’s race,

ye ransomed from the fall,

hail him who saves you by his grace,

and crown him Lord of all.

Hail him who saves you by his grace,

and crown him Lord of all.

Sinners, whose love can ne’er forget

the wormwood and the gall,

go spread your trophies at his feet,

and crown him Lord of all.

Go spread your trophies at his feet,

and crown him Lord of all.

Let every kindred, every tribe

on this terrestrial ball,

to him all majesty ascribe,

and crown him Lord of all.

To him all majesty ascribe,

and crown him Lord of all.

Crown him, ye martyrs of your God,

who from his altar call;

extol the Stem of Jesse’s Rod,

and crown him Lord of all.

Extol the Stem of Jesse’s Rod,

and crown him Lord of all.

O that with yonder sacred throng

we at his feet may fall!

We'll join the everlasting song,

and crown him Lord of all.

We'll join the everlasting song,

and crown him Lord of all.

Sermon: “Quarreled & Tested” Matthew 21:23-32

²³ When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” ²⁴ Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. ²⁵ Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” ²⁷ So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

²⁸ “What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ ²⁹ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. ³⁰ The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. ³¹ Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. ³² For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

 RESPONSE TO THE WORD  

Prayers of the People: Joys and concerns

   Silent Prayer, Pastoral Prayer

THE SACRAMENTS OF HOLY COMMUNION

Invitation, Prayer of Confession and Pardon:

Christ our Lord invites to his table

       all who love him,

who earnestly repent of their sin

and seek to live in peace with one another.

Therefore, let us confess our sin before God

and one another.

Merciful God,

we confess that we have not loved you

with our whole hearts.

We have failed to be an obedient church.

We have not done your will,

we have broken your law,

we have rebelled against your love,

we have not loved our neighbors,

and we have not heard the

cry of the needy.

Forgive us, we pray.

Free us for joyful obedience,

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Hear the good news:

Christ died for us while we were yet sinners;

that proves God's love toward us.

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.

Glory to God. Amen

 The Great Thanksgiving  

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

It is right, and a good and joyful thing,

always and everywhere

to give thanks to you,

Father Almighty, creator of

heaven and earth.

You formed us in your image and

breathed into us the breath of life.

When we turned away, and our love failed,

your love remained steadfast.

You delivered us from captivity,

made covenant to be our sovereign God,

and spoke to us through your prophets.

And so,

with your people on earth

and all the company of heaven

we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord,

God of power and might,

heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes

in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

Holy are you, and blessed is your Son

Jesus Christ.

Your Spirit anointed him

to preach good news to the poor,

to proclaim release to the captives

and recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

and to announce that the time had come

when you would save your people.

He healed the sick, fed the hungry,

and ate with sinners.

By the baptism of his suffering,

death, and resurrection,

you gave birth to your church,      

delivered us from slavery to sin and death,

and made with us a new covenant

by water and the Spirit.

When the Lord Jesus ascended,

he promised to be with us always,

in the power of your Word and Holy Spirit.

On the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said:

"Take, eat; this my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

When the supper was over, he took the cup,

gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said:

"Drink from this all of you;

this is my blood of the new covenant,

poured out for you and for many

for the forgiveness of sins.

Do this, as often as you drink it

in remembrance of me."

And so,

in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,

we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving

as a holy and living sacrifice,

in union with Christ's offering for us,

as we proclaim the mystery of faith

Christ has died;

Christ is risen;

Christ will come again.

Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here,

and on these gifts of bread and wine.

Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ,

that we may be for the world the body of Christ,

redeemed by his blood.

       By your Spirit make us one with Christ,

one with each other,

and one in ministry to all the world,

until Christ comes in final victory,

and we feast at his heavenly banquet.

Through your Son Jesus Christ,

with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church,

all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father,

now and forever.   Amen

And now with the confidence of children of God, let us pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever.

Amen

Sharing of the Cup and Loaf

Moment of Prayer and Meditation

Prayer of Thanks

Eternal God, we give you thanks

for this holy mystery

in which you have given yourself to us. 

Grant that we may go into the world

in the strength of your Spirit,

to give ourselves to others,

in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Amen

SENDING FORTH

Hymn: “Victory in Jesus”

I heard an old, old story,

how a Savior came from glory,

how he gave his life on Calvary

to save a wretch like me;

I heard about his groaning,

of his precious blood's atoning,

then I repented of my sins

and won the victory.

O victory in Jesus,

my Savior for ever!

He sought me and bought me

with his redeeming blood;

he loved me ere I knew him,

and all my love is due him;

he plunged me to victory

beneath the cleansing flood.

I heard about his healing,

of his cleansing power revealing,

how he made the lame to walk again

and caused the blind to see;

and then I cried, "Dear Jesus,

came and heal my broken spirit,"

and some how Jesus came and

brought to me the victory.

O victory in Jesus,

my Savior for ever!

He sought me and bought me

with his redeeming blood;

he loved me ere I knew him,

and all my love is due him;

he plunged me to victory

beneath the cleansing flood.

I heard about a mansion

he has built for me in glory,

and I heard about the streets of gold

beyond the crystal sea;

about the angels singing

and the old redemption story,

and some sweet day

I'll sing up there

the song of victory.

O victory in Jesus,

my Savior for ever!

He sought me and bought me

with his redeeming blood;

he loved me ere I knew him,

and all my love is due him;

he plunged me to victory

beneath the cleansing flood.

Benediction