TO OUR GUESTS, we extend a warm welcome. We invite you to participate in signing our Friendship Folder, adding your address and phone number if you'd like to receive our church newsletter or a pastoral call. When we pray the Lord's Prayer at Bethel, we say "sins...sin against us" rather than "debts..." or "trespasses..."; during "a time for sharing" we welcome prayer requests from the congregation. On first Sundays each month, all who put their trust in Christ and who have received baptism in any Christian church are invited to share his sacred meal. We are glad you are with us. Please come again.

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The Service For The Lord’s Day
Bethel Presbyterian Church
Healing and Wholeness Service
May 29, 2005

OPENING SENTENCES

Our help is in the name of the Lord

who made heaven and earth.

NEW TESTAMENT   1 Peter 1:3

Give praise to God the Almighty, by whose great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

HYMN #380   O, Christ the Healer Erhalt Unt, Herr

CALL TO CONFESSION

Jesus said: Ask and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

For every one who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Friends in Christ, God knows our needs before we ask, and in our asking prepares us to receive the gift of grace. Let us open our lives to God’s healing presence, forsaking all that separates us from God and neighbor. Let us be mindful not only of personal evil but also of our communal sins of family, class, race, and nation. Let us confess to God whatever has wounded us or brought injury to others, that we may receive mercy and become for each other ministers of God’s grace.

CONFESSION OF SIN

Eternal God, in whom we live and move and have our being, whose face is hidden from us by our sins, and whose mercy we forget in the blindness of our hearts: Cleanse us from all our offenses, and deliver us from proud thoughts and vain desires, that with reverent and humble hearts we may draw near to you, confessing our faults, confiding in your grace, and finding in you our refuge and our strength; through Jesus Christ your Son.

DECLARATION OF FORGIVENESS

OLD TESTAMENT   Ezekiel 37

*HYMN #322   Spirit of the Living God

MEDITATION   Sojourner   Rev. Patricia Harvey

INTERCESSION FOR HEALING

God, our creator, your will for us and for all your people is health and salvation:
Have mercy on us.
Jesus Christ, Son of God, you came that we might have life and have it in abundance:
Have mercy on us.
Holy Spirit, dwelling within us, you make us temples of your presence:
Have mercy on us.
To the triune God, the source of all love and all life, let us offer our prayers.
For all who are in need of healing, (Silent or spoken prayers are welcome)
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer
For all who are disabled by injury or illness (silent or spoken prayers are welcome)
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer
For all who are troubled by confusion or pain (silent or spoken prayers are welcome)
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer
For all whose increasing years bring weariness (silent or spoken prayers are welcome)
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer
For all about to undergo surgery, (silent or spoken prayers are welcome)
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
For all who cannot sleep, (silent or spoken prayers are welcome)
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
For all who practice the healing arts, (silent or spoken prayers are welcome)
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer

(Any other petitions can be spoken here)

Into your hands, O God, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

LAYING ON OF HANDS AND ANOINTING WITH OIL

(Those desiring the laying on of hands and anointing with oil come forward.)

You may make your prayer request known to Rev. Marc Sherrod or Rev. Pat Harvey

THANKSGIVING

Gracious God, source of all healing, in Jesus Christ you heal the sick and mend the broken. We bless you for this oil pressed form the fruits of the earth, given to us as a sign of healing and forgiveness, and to the fullness of life you give. By your Spirit, come upon all who are anointed with this oil that they may receive your healing touch and be made whole, to the glory of Jesus Christ our Redeemer …

(Join together in the Lord’s Prayer)

Amen.

HYMN #280   Amazing Grace

BLESSING AND BENEDICTION

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord

*POSTLUDE

*All who are able may stand.

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THE SERVICE FOR THE LORD’S DAY
Bethel Presbyterian Church
Second Sunday after Pentecost
May 29, 2005

CALL TO WORSHIP

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.

God is present when every morning dawns. God brings peace in the midst of chaos.

Be still, and know that God is here. God provides comfort and is with us in all the moments of our days.

God is our refuge and strength. Let us worship our ever faithful and loving God.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

*HYMN #561   My Country, ‘Tis of Thee   America

*CALL TO CONFESSION

When we are in bondage, God offers to set us free. When we are poor, God in Christ identifies with us and offers us riches money cannot buy. When we are lonely and discouraged, the Holy Spirit is our Comforter, pointing us beyond ourselves. Everyone who calls on God, our Creator and Parent, for help will be saved. Let us together seek the healing only God can provide.

(Silent Prayer)

*UNISON CONFESSION OF SIN

Loving God, quiet our souls to hear your voice. Calm our spirits so that we may be reassured once again of your presence. We confess that we have broken covenant with you. Our intentions are good, but we so often fail to keep the promises we make to be your disciples, to treat others as we would like to be treated. We confess that we have not always followed our words of good will with action. Forgive us for the opportunities we have missed, for wasting the many gifts you have given us. Give us courage to live as your people, forgiven and loved in your mercy. Amen.

*ASSURANCE OF PARDON

God hears our cries and forgives all who are penitent and believing. God provides the resources for our rescue and redemption. Whoever trusts God will not be disappointed. Whoever reaches out to others in the Spirit of Christ will know the joy of God’s love. You are forgiven. You are accepted. You are loved. Share these gifts.

Thanks be to God! In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven!

*CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSE   Gloria Patri   Hymn #579

FIRST READING Deuteronomy 8:11-20

SECOND READING Acts 2:42-47

GOSPEL READING Luke 18:18-27

SERMON   A Different Drum   Rev. Marc Sherrod, ThD

*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH

This is the good news which we have received, in which we stand, and by which we are saved, if we hold it fast: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day, and that he appeared first to the women, then to Peter, and to the Twelve, and then to many faithful witnesses. We believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus Christ is the first and the last, the beginning and the end; he is our Lord and our God. Amen.

*HYMN #422   God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending   Beach Spring

PRAYER CONCERNS AND A TIME FOR SHARING

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE & THE LORD’S PRAYER

DEDICATION OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS

*DOXOLOGY   Hymn #592

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

*HYMN #414   As Those of Old Their Firstfruits Brought   Forest Green

*CHARGE AND BENEDICTION

*CONGREGATIONAL RESPONSE God Be with You Till We Meet Again    Hymn #540

*POSTLUDE

*All who are able may stand.

A Special Thank You

The flowers are given by Frank & Marilyn Harris in honor of Marilyn's father who celebrates his 93rd birthday today.

The Liturgist today is Edith Miles.

The Ushers are Carol Brown & Ruth Ann Ludwig.

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THIS WEEK'S EVENTS

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Sunday	May 29	Healing & Wholeness Service Prison Ministry No Youth Group	9:00 A.M
Monday	May 30	Memorial Day - Office Closed
Thursday	June 2	Youth Return from Mission Trip
Saturday	June 4	Music Recital Rehearsal Music	6:00 P.M. – 7:30 P.M.
Sunday	May 29	Recital No Youth Group	3:00 P.M.

   

 

Giving Last Week

Budget	$2,902.40
Grace School	$45.00
Youth Mission Trip	$50.00
Notepads	$6.00
Pass Through Gift	$ 240.00
Youth Minister	$100.00
TOTAL	$3,343.40

 

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The Inward Journal
by Howard Thurman

The Good Deed

Service of Praise and Holy Communion
Brushy Mountain Site 2
Wartburg, Tennessee
May 29, 2005

Led by Ministers and Members of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Bethel Presbyterian Church in Kingston, various members of the community, and YOU.

CALL TO WORSHIP (Paraphrase of Romans 8:18-24)

Leader: In the darkness and emptiness of much we call life, the Spirit moves among us, calling us into new being.

People: We are here to seek light amid the shadows, fulfillment out of hollowness and despair.

Leader: From separation and bitterness, apathy and hatred, God, in Christ, calls us to steadfast love and reconciliation.

People: We have come to find healing and peace, to experience forgiveness, acceptance, and purpose.
Leader: In the midst of the ordinary, God has come to us. In our everyday worlds, God continues to visit and redeem.

People: Come, Holy Spirit, to baptize us with fire. We await your word and the power of your benediction.

*HYMN (Chosen by the musicians and members of the congregation)

*CALL TO CONFESSION

Leader: Too often our hearts are cold and without gratitude. Too often our hands are passive and unwilling to carry out acts of mercy. Too often our lips are pursed tightly, unwilling to speak words of love. Too often we are indeed separated and alienated from our better self, separated and alienated from God. Let us confess our separation and alienation. Let us join together in the prayer of confession.

*PRAYER OF CONFESSION

O God, our God, we confess that we have not always lived for you. You have invited us into new life, yet we have closed our eyes and ears and hearts against that invitation. You have shown us the way to love, yet we have chosen too often the path of uncaring. You have called us to the ministry of reconciliation, yet often we find ourselves tempted to turn away from others. You have challenged us to generosity, but many times we would rather keep to ourselves. Enter our lives, God, once again. Release us from the bonds of self-centeredness. Create in us a renewed openness to your love, that we may share your love with others. Amen.

*WORDS OF PARDON

Leader: God promises us that in the midst of our brokenness and our failures, there are signs of wholeness, hope, and resurrection. God works in us to change despair and depression into awareness, breaking down the walls that divide, healing wounds of the spirit, and creating the power to live joyfully in new ways.

People: In Christ, we are given new life.

Leader: God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

People: In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Thanks be to God!

*THE PEACE (Please greet your neighbors in some way.)

*RESPONSE (All singing: “Amazing Grace” stanza 1):

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see.

FIRST SCRIPTURE LESSON Deuteronomy 8:11-20 (Read responsively)

Leader: Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God, by failing to keep his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes, which I am commanding you today.

People: When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them,

Leader: and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied,

People: then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,

Leader: who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, an arid wasteland with poisonous snakes and scorpions. He made water flow for you from flint rock,

People: and fed you in the wilderness with manna that your ancestors did not know, to humble you and to test you, and in the end to do you good.

Leader: Do not say to yourself, “My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth.”

People: But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today.

Leader: If you do forget the Lord your God and follow other gods to serve and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish.

People: Like the nations that the Lord is destroying before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God.

SECOND SCRIPTURE LESSON Acts 2:42-47

MEDITATION   A Different Drum   Rev. Marc Sherrod, ThD

INVITATION TO THE LORD’S TABLE

(NOTE: The Lord’s Table is open to all who trust in Jesus Christ and God’s grace.)

GREAT PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

Minister: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Minister: Lift up your hearts.

People: We lift them to the Lord.

Minister: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

People: It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Minister: It is truly right and our greatest joy to give you thanks and praise, eternal God, creator and ruler of the universe. With the majesty of your hand, you shaped this world and all that is in it. By your Holy Spirit, you breathed life into human form, and set us on the earth to praise and serve you. When we wandered from your ways and were lost in sin’s wilderness, your truth burned in the hearts of prophets who called your people to return to the path of righteousness. In the fullness of time you sent your Son to be our deliverer. In every age your Holy Spirit has led us in your ways. Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with choirs of angels and with all the faithful of every time and place, who forever sing to the glory of your name:

People: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord, God of power and might, Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

Minister: You are holy, O God of majesty, and blessed is Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. At his baptism by John, your Spirit came with gentle wings, settling on him your blessing. In the wilderness of temptation, your Spirit stood by with power. In his life and ministry, your Spirit led him to serve the poor, proclaim freedom from sin’s bondage, open eyes with faith’s sight, and befriend the friendless and the outcast. In all he did and said, he announced the coming of your saving might. By his death on the cross and rising from the tomb, he broke the power of death, and led the way to eternal life. Ascended to rule from on high, Christ prays for us and promises the coming of peace and power. Remembering all your mighty and merciful acts, we take this bread and this wine from the gifts you have given us, and celebrate with you the redemption won for us in Jesus Christ. Accept this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving as a living and holy offering of ourselves, that our lives may proclaim the One crucified and risen. Praise to you, Lord Jesus:

People: Dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in glory.

Minister: Gracious God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these your gifts of bread and wine, that the bread we break and the cup we bless may be the communion of the body and blood of Christ. By your Spirit unite us with the living Christ and with all who are baptized in his name, that we may be one in ministry in every place. As this bread is Christ’s body for us, send us out to be the body of Christ in the world. By the fire of your Spirit, O God, forge us into one church, many and different people, together in Christ’s embrace. Set our hearts aflame with a love for the truth and the desire to do your will, that our witness to Christ may burn brightly in lives of joyful discipleship. Keep us faithful in your service until Christ comes in final victory and we shall feast with all your saints in the joy of your eternal realm. And now, as our Savior taught us, we humbly pray:

ALL: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and 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.

THE BREAKING OF THE BREAD AND SHARING OF THE CUP

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

SPECIAL MUSIC AND TESTIMONY by visitors and by residents of Brushy Mountain Site 2

*BENEDICTION