Crandall United Methodist Church

Worship Guide

August 3, 2025

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

Creating Disciples of Jesus who Transform the World

ENTRANCE WITH PRAISE

Greeting:

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

People: And also with you!

Special Music:  “Holy Spirit”  Stefanie

Centering Words:

Breathe in holy love. Shine with holy light.

*Call to Worship:

Leader:    Give thanks to God,

People:   for God’s steadfast love lasts forever.

Leader:    God accompanies us in our distress,

People:   as we cross the threshold to worship’s blessings.

Leader:    Give thanks to our God,

People:   for God’s steadfast love abides with us.

Leader:    Let us enter this space for worship,

People:   celebrating God’s works for humankind.

Leader:    Let us pray. 

ALL: Spirit of hope and renewal, as the dawn nudges us awake, summon us with your presence. Wrap us with the cloak of your wisdom and grace. As your light breaks the horizon this day, help us see the love revealed in your realm. Nourish us with your wisdom and guide us with your hope, for we hunger to know you better. Amen

Hymn: “We Gather Together”

We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;

he chastens and hastens his will to make known.

The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing.

Sing praises to his name; he forgets not his own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,

ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine;

so from the beginning the fight we were winning;

thou, Lord, were at our side, all glory be thine!

We all do extol thee, thou leader triumphant,

and pray that thou still our defender will be.

Let thy congregation escape tribulation;

thy name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!

PROCLAMATION OF THE WORD

Words of Assurance

The steadfast love of God radiates within our spirits, encouraging us to abandon unhealthy paths.

God’s grace fills our hearts with hope, as we rejoice in God’s redeeming presence.

Amen.

*Gospel Reading: Luke 12:13-21

¹³ Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵ And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” ¹⁶ Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. ¹⁷ And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ ²¹ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

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: “Holy Living”

Hymn: “Be Thou My Vision”

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;

naught be all else to me, save that thou art.

Thou my best thought, by day or by night,

waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word;

I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord;

thou and thou only, first in my heart,

great God of heaven, my treasure thou art.

Great God of heaven, my victory won,

may I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s Sun!

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,

still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

Sermon: “Set Your Mind” Colossians 3:1-11

¹ So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, ³ for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

⁵ Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). ⁶ On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. ⁷ These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. ⁸ But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. ⁹ Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. ¹¹ In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!

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: “I Am Thine, O Lord”

I am thine, O Lord, I have heard thy voice,

and it told thy love to me;

but I long to rise in the arms of faith

and be closer drawn to thee.

Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,

to the cross where thou hast died.

Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,

to thy precious, bleeding side.

Consecrate me now to thy service, Lord,

by the power of grace divine;

let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,

and my will be lost in thine.

Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,

to the cross where thou hast died.

Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,

to thy precious, bleeding side.

O the pure delight of a single hour

that before thy throne I spend,

when I kneel in prayer, and with thee, my God

I commune as friend with friend!

Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,

to the cross where thou hast died.

Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,

to thy precious, bleeding side.

There are depths of love that I cannot know

till I cross the narrow sea;

there are heights of joy that I may not reach

till I rest in peace with Thee.

Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,

to the cross where thou hast died.

Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,

to thy precious, bleeding side.

Benediction

Hymn: “Go Now In Peace”            

Go now in peace, Never be afraid.

God will go with you each hour of ev-ry day.

Go now in faith, stead-fast, strong and true.

Know He will guide you in all you do.

Go now in love, and show you be-lieve.

Reach out to others so all the world can see.

God will be there watching from above.

Go now in peace, in faith, and in love.

    Amen! Amen! Amen!