Crandall United Methodist Church

Worship Guide

June 18, 2023

Third Sunday After Pentecost

Creating Disciples of Jesus who Transform the World

ENTRANCE WITH PRAISE

Father’s Day Welcome

Greetings:

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

People:    And also with you!

Special Music: “I’m Listening”  Stefanie & Charles

Centering Words:

Is anything too wonderful for God? What shall we return to God for all of God’s bounty?

*Call to Worship:

Leader:    People of God, run to our welcoming God.

People:   Holy One, you never pass us by.

Leader:    People of God, proclaim our love for the God of Love.

People:   Beloved One, you hear our voices; you answer our cries and receive our praise.

Leader:    People of God, sing God’s good news to the world.

People:   Empowering One, you give us power to be signs of the kingdom of power.

Leader:    Let us pray.

ALL: Loving God, you remind us that the kingdom of heaven has come near. Open our eyes, our faith, and our hearts that we may perceive and celebrate your presence. Give us eyes, as Abraham and Sarah before us, to see you on our doorsteps, as you promise us unimaginable joy. Give us the faith of Paul to trust your eternal and unfailing love. Give us hearts empowered by your Son, Jesus Christ, to show your compassion to the harassed and the helpless. We ask in the name of Jesus, who reconciles us to you and sends us forth to be your reconciliation in the world. Amen.

Hymn: “Father, We Have Heard You Calling”

Father, we have heard you calling

to your church in every age;

for a sign of true devotion

for a sacrifice of praise.

In this place where you have brought us,

may we always seek to be

one in love and one in worship

-- children of eternity.

Jesus Christ, our faith's perfecter,

priest and advocate above.

We would reach our broken nation

with the truth of your great love.

So transform our feeble witness,

may we always live to be

one in love and one in worship

-- children of eternity.

Holy Spirit, fire of heaven,

fall upon us here today.

Bring release, bring tears, bring passion,

then transform your church, we pray

As you pour your grace upon us,

may we always thirst to be

one in love and one in worship

-- children of eternity.

Praise we bring to God the Father,

Praise we bring to God the Son,

Praise to God the Holy Spirit,

Praise to you, the three in one.

Trinity of love inspire us,

may we always strive to be

one in love and one in worship

-- children of eternity.

PROCLAMATION OF THE WORD

Words of Assurance

People of God, the Holy Spirit pours God’s love into our hearts.

In Jesus Christ, we share the grace and glory of God.

Thanks be to God. Amen

*Old Testament Reading: Genesis 18:1-15, 21:1-7

18 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. ² 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. ³ He said, “My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. ⁴ Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. ⁵ 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.” ⁶ And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.” ⁷ Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. ⁸ 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.

⁹ They said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” ¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. ¹² So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?” ¹³ The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ ¹⁴ 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.” ¹⁵ But Sarah denied, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. He said, “Oh yes, you did laugh.”

21 The Lord dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised. ² Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him. ³ Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah bore him. ⁴And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. ⁵ Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. ⁶ Now Sarah said, “God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.” ⁷ And she said, “Who would ever have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

WORD AND RESPONSE

Time with Young Friends: “Jesus Loves Me”

Children’s Message:  “That Could Never Happen”

Hymn: “Faith of Our Fathers”

Faith of our fathers, living still,

in spite of dungeon, fire and sword;

O how our hearts beat high with joy

whenever we hear that glorious Word!

Faith of our fathers, holy faith!

We will be true to thee till death.

Faith of our fathers, we will strive

to win all nations unto thee;

and through the truth that comes from God,

we all shall then be truly free.

Faith of our fathers, holy faith!

We will be true to thee till death.

Faith of our fathers, we will love

both friend and foe in all our strife;

and preach thee, too, as love knows how

by kindly words and virtuous life.

Faith of our fathers, holy faith!

We will be true to thee till death.

Sermon: “Is Anything too Wonderful” Matthew 9:35-10:8

³⁵ 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. ³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; ³⁸ therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

10 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. ² 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; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

⁵ These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, ⁶ but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷ As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ ⁸ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.

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: “This is My Father’s World”

This is my Father’s world,

and to my listening ears

all nature sings, and round me rings

the music of the spheres.

This is my Father’s world:

I rest me in the thought

of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;

his hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father’s world,

the birds their carols raise,

the morning light, the lily white,

declare their Maker’s praise.

This is my Father’s world:

He shines in all that’s fair;

in the rustling grass I hear Him pass;

he speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father’s world.

O let me ne’er forget

that though the wrong seems oft so strong,

God is the ruler yet.

This is my Father’s world:

why should my heart be sad?

The Lord is King; let the heavens Ring!

God reigns; let the earth be glad!

Benediction