Crandall United Methodist Church

Worship Guide

February 2, 2025

Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

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: Charles

Centering Words:

Love guides the way through every season, in every situation, and in every life.

*Call to Worship:

Leader:    Let us gather to listen deeply.

People:   Word of God, speak.

Leader:    Let us gather with childlike faith.

People:   Ageless wisdom, reveal.

Leader:    Word of God, speak.

People:   Your servants are listening.

Leader:    Let us pray.

ALL: God of love and life, speak to our hearts this day. Speak words of wisdom and faith. Open our hearts and minds to perceive your message of love, even when it’s hard to hear. Strengthen our faith to answer your call, even when we don’t feel confident or capable. Be our

   wisdom, our strength, and our love, that we may bring your wisdom, strength, and love to the world. Amen.

 Hymn: “O God, Our Help in Ages Past”

Our God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come,

our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home.

Under the shadow of thy throne still may we dwell secure;

sufficient is thine arm alone, and our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood, or earth received her frame,

from everlasting thou art God, to endless years the same.

A thousand ages in thy sight are like an evening gone;

short as the watch that ends the night before the rising sun.

Time, like an ever rolling stream, bears all who breathe away;

they fly, forgotten, as a dream dies at the opening day.

Our God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come,

be thou our guard while life shall last, and our eternal home.

PROCLAMATION OF THE WORD

Words of Assurance

Faith, hope, and love remain.

But it is through the greatest of these, love, that we forgive and are forgiven.

Thanks be to God. Amen

*Old Testament Reading: Jeremiah 1:4-10

⁴ Now the word of the Lord came to me  saying,

⁵      “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

and before you were born I consecrated you;

I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

⁶      Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.” ⁷ But the Lord said to me,

“Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’;

for you shall go to all to whom I send you,

and you shall speak whatever I command you.

⁸      Do not be afraid of them,

for I am with you to deliver you,

says the Lord.”

⁹      Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me,

“Now I have put my words in your mouth.

¹⁰     See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,

to pluck up and to pull down,

to destroy and to overthrow,

to build and to plant.”

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: “With All Your Heart”

Hymn: “Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness”

Spirit, spirit of gentleness,

blow through the wilderness, calling and free,

Spirit, spirit of restlessness,

stir me from placidness, wind, wind on the sea.

You moved on the waters, you called to the deep,

then you coaxed up the mountains from the valleys of sleep;

and over the eons you called to each thing;

wake from your slumbers and rise on your wings.

Spirit, spirit of gentleness,

blow through the wilderness, calling and free,

Spirit, spirit of restlessness,

stir me from placidness, wind, wind on the sea.

You swept through the desert, you stung with the sand

and you goaded your people with a law and a land;

and when they were blinded with idols and lies,

then you spoke through your prophets to open their eyes.

Spirit, spirit of gentleness,

blow through the wilderness, calling and free,

Spirit, spirit of restlessness,

stir me from placidness, wind, wind on the sea.

You sang in a stable, you cried from a hill,

then you whispered in silence when the whole world was still;

and down in the city you called once again,

when you blew through your people on the rush of the wind.

Spirit, spirit of gentleness,

blow through the wilderness, calling and free,

Spirit, spirit of restlessness,

stir me from placidness, wind, wind on the sea.

You call from tomorrow, you break ancient schemes.

From the bondage of sorrow the captives dream dreams;

our women see visions, our men clear their eyes.

With bold new decisions your people arise.

Spirit, spirit of gentleness,

blow through the wilderness, calling and free,

Spirit, spirit of restlessness,

stir me from placidness, wind, wind on the sea.

Sermon: “In Your Hometown” Luke 4:21-30

²¹ Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” ²² All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” ²³ He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’ ” ²⁴ And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. ²⁵ But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of   Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; ²⁶ yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. ²⁷ There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” ²⁸ When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. ²⁹ They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. ³⁰ But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

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.

Before the mountains were brought forth, or you had formed the earth, from everlasting to everlasting, you alone are God.

You created light out of darkness and brought forth life on the 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.

In the fullness of time you gave your only Son Jesus Christ to be our Savior, and at his birth the angels sang glory to you in the highest and peace to you people on earth.

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 in whom you have revealed yourself, our light and our salvation.

You sent a star to guide wise men to where the Christ was born; and in your signs and witnesses, in every age and through all the world, you have led your people from far places to his light.

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. 

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: “Lord of the Dance”

I danced in the morning when the world was begun,

and I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun,

and I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth,

At Bethlehem I had my birth.

Dance, then, wherever you may be;

I am the Lord of the Dance, said he.

And I’ll lead you all wherever you may be,

And I’ll lead you all in the dance, said he.

I danced for the scribe and the Pharisee,

but they would not dance and they would not follow me;

I danced for the fishermen, for James and John;

they came to me and the dance went on. 

Dance, then, wherever you may be;

I am the Lord of the Dance, said he.

And I’ll lead you all wherever you may be,

And I’ll lead you all in the dance, said he.

I danced on the sabbath when I cured the lame,

the holy people said it was a shame;

they whipped and they stripped and they hung me high;

and they left me there on a cross to die.

Dance, then, wherever you may be;

I am the Lord of the Dance, said he.

And I’ll lead you all wherever you may be,

And I’ll lead you all in the dance, said he.

I danced on a Friday and the sky turned black;

it’s hard to dance with the devil on your back;

they buried my body and they thought I’d gone,

but I am the dance and I still go on.

Dance, then, wherever you may be;

I am the Lord of the Dance, said he.

And I’ll lead you all wherever you may be,

And I’ll lead you all in the dance, said he.

They cut me down and I leapt up high,

I am the life that’ll never, never die;

I’ll live in you if you’ll live in me;

I am the Lord of the Dance, said he.

Dance, then, wherever you may be;

I am the Lord of the Dance, said he.

And I’ll lead you all wherever you may be,

And I’ll lead you all in the dance, said he.

Benediction

Hymn: “Until Jesus Comes” 

Until Jesus comes,

Until Jesus comes,

I’ll be watching and waiting

Until Jesus comes.

Until Jesus comes,

Until Jesus comes,

I’ll be watching and waiting

Until Jesus comes.