Focusing on Christ-like behaviors; becoming more active instruments of God's peace & love
NEC Sunday Worship – 4 PM on 2020-06-14
In today’s worship we have leadership from Bill, Merle, Sheri, Steve and all those worshiping, including: Garnet, Lisa, Bev, Bob, Betty, Janet, Marilyn, Laura …
Who have I not included in that list of people who is also attending?
Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing.
Know that the LORD is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.
For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
STEVE – shares a prayer of his choosing
Morning Has Broken – Page 1
Morning has broken like the first morning,
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird
Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!
Praise for them springing fresh from the Word!
Sweet the rain’s new fall sunlit from heaven,
Like the first dewfall on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where God’s feet pass.
Mine is the sunlight! Mine is the morning
Born of the one light Eden saw play!
Praise with elation praise every morning,
God’s re-creation of the new day!
SHERI reads Genesis 18:1-15,
The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day.
He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground.
He said, “My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant.
Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.
Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on–since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.”
And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.”
Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it.
Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
They said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” And he said, “There, in the tent.”
Then one said, “I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him.
Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?”
The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’
Is anything too wonderful for the LORD? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son.”
But Sarah denied, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. He said, “Oh yes, you did laugh.”
SHERI – shares a prayer of confession of her choosing
Precious Lord – Page 18
PRECIOUS LORD Words & Tune:Thomas Dorsey,1938
Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, help me stand
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home
When my way grows drear,
Precious Lord, linger near
When my life is al-most gone,
Hear my cry, hear my call,
Hold my hand lest I fall
Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home
Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, help me stand
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home
BILL READS Matthew 9:35-10:8
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness.
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;
therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness.
These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans,
but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’
Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.
BILL leads discussion – any commentary we want to share about scriptures/songs?
STEVE: Sharing of Joys & Concerns
Prayer – concluding with The Lord’s Prayer
In the Garden – Page 15
I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses,
And the voice I hear, Falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses.
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.
He speaks, and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody That He gave to me,
Within my heart is ringing.
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.
I’d stay in the garden with Him
Tho’ the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; Thro’ the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.
STEVE – AS WE CLOSE… (in unison:)
Friends,
Life is short
and there is precious little time
to gladden the hearts of those who travel with us…
So make haste to be kind,
and be swift to love,
because in every act of love and kindness, the God who first formed us,