Crandall United Methodist Church

Special Music: “Revelation Song” Stefanie

 

Centering Words:

 

Unless the Lord builds the house, the builder’s work is pointless.

 

*Call to Worship:

 

Leader:    Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.

People:   Build us into a spiritual house, O God, and we will be a holy people.

Leader:    Unless the Lord guards the city, the guards keep watch in vain.

People:   Guard our hearts and minds, that we may walk in your ways.

Leader:    Unless the Lord is the center of our worship, our words and praise are in vain.

People:   Here and now, Holy One, may we taste eternity.

Leader:    Let us pray.

 

 

ALL: God of infinite possibilities, when the world says, “No,” you say, “Yes!” The world warns against marrying foreigners, but you transform honest love into a blessing for all people. The world lauds the industry of the rich, but you cherish the sacrifice of the poor. Build us into a household of love and guard the walls of our spirit, that we may remain strong in service to one another.  Amen.

 

Hymn: “More Precious than Silver”

 

Lord, you are more precious than silver,

Lord, you are more costly than gold.

Lord, you are more beautiful than diamonds,

and nothing I desire compares with you.

 

Lord, you are more precious than silver,

Lord, you are more costly than gold.

Lord, you are more beautiful than diamonds,

and nothing I desire compares with you.

 

Lord, you are more precious than silver,

Lord, you are more costly than gold.

Lord, you are more beautiful than diamonds,

and nothing I desire compares with you.

 

PROCLAMATION OF THE WORD

 

Words of Assurance

 

Even the smallest gift is precious to God when we share what little we have to give.

Even the smallest gesture is holy in God’s sight when it is offered with great love.

Rejoice, God is building us into a spiritual house, a house of infinite worth.

Thanks be to God!

 

*New Testament Reading: Hebrews 9:24-28

 

²³ Thus it was necessary for the sketches of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves need better sacrifices than these. ²⁴ For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. ²⁵ Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; ²⁶ for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. ²⁷ And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, ²⁸ so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

 

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: “Selfless Giver”

 

Hymn: “Come, Thou fount of Every Blessing”

 

Come thou Fount of every blessing,

tune my heart to sing thy grace;

streams of mercy, never ceasing,

call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

sung by flaming tongues above.

Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,

mount of thy redeeming love.

 

Here I raise mine Ebenezer;

hither by thy help I'm come;

And I hope, by thy good pleasure,

safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,

wandering from the fold of God;

he, to rescue me from danger,

interposed his precious blood. 

 

O to grace how great a debtor

daily I'm constrained to be!

Let thy goodness like a fetter,

bind my wandering heart to thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

prone to leave the God I love;

here's my heart, O take and seal it,

seal it for thy courts above.

 

Sermon: “Out of Their Abundance” Mark12:38-44

 

³⁸ As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, ³⁹ and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! ⁴⁰ They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

 

⁴¹ He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. ⁴² A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. ⁴³ Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. ⁴⁴ For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

 

RESPONSE TO THE WORD

 

Hymn: “Whatever You Do”              

 

"Whatever you do to the least ones of these,

I tell you in truth that you do unto me!"

Lord Jesus, you taught us! May we learn anew

that when we serve others, we also serve you.

 

When poor, waiting children pray hunger will end,

when those long-forgotten cry out for a friend,

when thirsty ones whisper, "O Lord, where are you?" —

we hear, in their longing, that you're calling, too.

 

In prisons and jails, Lord, we find a surprise;

we see you in people whom others despise.

At hospital bedsides we offer a prayer

and find, when we visit the sick, you are there.

 

When we reach to others in flood-stricken lands

and offer our hearts there, and offer our hands —

we notice, Lord Jesus, the gift of your grace:

we see, in the crowds of the suffering, your face.

 

"Lord, when did we see you?" Your teaching is clear

that when we serve others, we're serving you here.

And when your church heeds you and helps those in pain,

then out of the chaos, hope rises again.

 

Psalter: A Modern Affirmation  

 

Where the Spirit of the Lord is,  

there is the one true church,  

apostolic and universal,  

whose holy faith let us now declare:

 

We believe in God the Father,  

infinite in wisdom,  

power, and love,  

whose mercy is over all his works,

and whose will is ever directed

to his children's good.

 

We believe in Jesus Christ,

Son of God and Son of man,

the gift of the Father's unfailing grace,

the ground of our hope,

and the promise of our deliverance

from sin and death.

 

We believe in the Holy Spirit

as the divine presence in our lives,

whereby we are kept in perpetual

remembrance of the truth of Christ, 

and find strength and help in time of need.

 

We believe that this faith

should manifest itself in the service of love

as set forth in the example of our blessed Lord,

to the end that the kingdom of God may come upon the earth. Amen

 

Gloria Patri           

 

Glory be to the Father and to the Son

and to the Holy Ghost;

as it was in the beginning,

is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen. Amen.

 

Prayers of the People: Joys and concerns

Silent Prayer, Pastoral Prayer     

 

SENDING FORTH

 

Hymn: “Together We Serve”

 

Together we serve, united by love,

inviting God's world to the glorious feast.

We work and we pray through sorrow and joy,

extending your love to the last and the least.

 

We seek to become a beacon of hope,

a lamp for the heart and a light for the feet.

We learn, year by year, to let love shine through

until we see Christ in each person we meet.

 

We welcome the scarred, the wealthy, the poor,

the busy, the lonely, and all who need care.

We offer a home to those who will come,

our hands quick to help, our hearts ready to dare.

 

Together, by grace, we witness and work,

remembering Jesus, in whom we grow strong.

Together we serve in Spirit and truth,

remembering love is the strength of our song.

 

Benediction

Hymn: “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus”   

 

I have decided to follow Jesus,

I have decided to follow Jesus,

I have decided to follow Jesus,

no turning back, no turning back.