Worship Tools #
Worship Outline #
Additional Scriptures
Psalm 16; John 20:19–31; Acts 2:14a, 22–32
Preparation
Bring a white trash bag, enough small pieces of paper and pencils for everybody for the Call to Worship. Set up a small table at the front. Hand out the paper and pencils when people enter the worship space. For “Hear and Respond,” place a single chair by the podium, making sure the table does not block it.
Prelude
Welcoming Hymn
“Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” CCS 87
OR “Come Away from Rush and Hurry” CCS 83
Joys and Concerns
Welcome
Call to Worship
Explain that everyone has things in life that are hard to carry; ask them to think about theirs and write them on their paper. The papers will be read aloud. Do not write names on the papers. Give them time to do this. Then direct them to crumple their papers when they’re ready and place them on the table. When all that will participate have done so, invite people to the table to choose a paper. Be sure to make provision for those who cannot come to the table.
We all have difficult experiences and concerns. Sometimes, to see our blessings we must release our concerns. But we can’t do it alone. We’re not supposed to do it alone. Please come and choose a paper other than yours. Come to the podium and read it aloud. Then crumple the paper again and put it in the trash bag.
Hopefully, everyone will choose a paper and will read it aloud. This might get intense. Place the trash bag on the floor by the table for the rest of the service. When finished say:
Christ is with you. We are with you. You are not alone.
Hymn
“We Are One in the Spirit” CCS 359
Encourage participants to sing in languages other than their own.
OR “Let Your Heart Be Broken” CCS 353
Invocation
Response
Dwelling in the Word: 1 Peter 1:3–9
First Reading: As you hear the scripture the first time, empty your mind and allow the words to wash over you.
Second Reading: As you listen a second time, what word, phrase, or concept attracts your attention?
Third Reading: During the final reading listen for the Spirit’s whisper. What insights for your life do you hear?
Turn to a neighbor and share what you experienced with this text.
Hymn
“Seek Ye First” CCS 599
The song is written in English, Spanish, and French. Develop a plan and direct the group when to sing in Spanish, when to sing in French, and when to sing in English.
OR “Rejoice, Ye Saints of Latter Days” CCS 81
Prayer for Peace
Light the peace candle
Prayer
Loving Creator God,
Living is difficult, but we sing our song to you. We know your love as we live within a world that seems to control who we are, what we do, and our perceptions. But as we hold up our experiences of your love, we know that we are not alone. Let our choices be responsible that promotes unity no matter how diverse we are. Guide us toward kindness and peace. Amen.
Ministry of Music or Community Hymn
“In Christ There Is No East or West” CCS 339
OR “Give Thanks for Life” CCS 563
Sharing in the Spoken Word
Based on 1 Peter 1:3–9
Disciples’ Generous Response
Statement
Part of being one with one another is recognizing our ability to give. Not only do we give our love and support to one another, but we also give our tithes so others can know God and feel our love and support. The need is great. All we need to do is to respond to the need that surrounds us as a global community.
Blessing and Receiving of Local and Worldwide Mission Tithes
Hymn to be sung as offering is received
“Help Us Express Your Love” CCS 621
OR “From You I Receive” repeat several times CCS 611
Encourage participants to sing in languages other than their own.
Unison Reading: 1 Peter 1:3–9
Project or print the text for all to be able to easily read aloud together.
Drama: “Hear and Respond” see below
Closing Hymn
“I Have Called You by Your Name” CCS 636
OR “Prophetic Church, the Future Waits” CCS 362
OR “May the God of Hope/Dios de la esperanza” CCS 652
Encourage participants to sing in a language other than their own.
Sending Forth: Doctrine and Covenants 164:9:d–f
Postlude
Drama: “Hear and Respond”
by Debra Bruch, Used with permission.
Characters
Emotion
Mind
Body
Spirit
Props
Each character has a piece of paper with their allegorical character name boldly printed on it and attached to their clothing (EMOTION, MIND, BODY, SPIRIT).
Special Instructions
Age and gender are not specified and can be mixed. The drama is fast paced.
Drama
BODY enters and sits down on a chair. EMOTION follows in step with BODY, nearly stepping on BODY’s heels and sits on top of BODY. Sitting on BODY, EMOTION lets out a long and loud sigh and collapses fully against BODY. MIND enters right behind.
Mind: Can you possibly be any more dramatic?
Body: muffled Get off of me!
Emotion: not moving I’m exhausted!
SPIRIT enters animated and happy. SPIRIT gives a little dance while humming a short section of “The Spirit of God Like a Fire is Burning.”
Mind: You’re happy.
Body: Get off of me!!
Spirit: We’re connected. We’re connected. We heard the word! … Emotion, what are you doing?
Body: Help!
Spirit: Emotion, get off of Body.
Emotion: Who put you in charge?
Spirit: Get … off!
Emotion: getting off of Body All right. All right.
Spirit: Uh-oh. I can’t hear as well as I could a moment ago. What’s going on?
Body: Nothing.
Emotion: Nothing.
Mind: Nothing.
Spirit: You know what? That just might be the problem.
Emotion: Who cares?
Spirit: What do you mean, who cares? Emotion, didn’t you have a good time? Mind, weren’t you enlightened? Body, didn’t you feel invigorated?
Body: Yeah, but now it’s over and…
Spirit: It’s not over. Nothing’s over. It’s just begun.
Emotion: Oh please. You have it easy. You’re connected to God.
Spirit: We’re connected to God. We’re all one person, you know.
Emotion: One person?
Spirit: Yes, one person! Emotion, Mind, Spirit, Body…all one person!
Mind: My heavens, we have Dissociative Identity Disorder.
Spirit: No. No.
Body: Is that like multiple personalities?
Mind: Yep.
Emotion: Really? Cool!
Spirit: Okay, you’ve got it all wrong. Together, we’re whole; we’re one.
Emotion: Can we choose our own names?
Spirit: We need to be healthy and that takes…
Emotion: dramatic I’ll be Emotion, the Magnificent!
Mind: You’ll be Emotion, the Insane.
Body: I’ll be asleep.
Spirit: You’re not listening. You’re not listening!
Body: Okay, Spirit. Okay. I know what you want. You want us to stay connected to God. You want us to respond.
Spirit: Yes, I do.
Body: The thing is, I work for a living. I have a lot of stress in my life. I don’t always feel too good. I have enough to do without the added stress, without any more responsibility.
Emotion: whining I’m so…so…overwhelmed!
Mind: I get really energetic, but then there’s the low, you know? I don’t like it.
Spirit: I know and that’s my point. If we work together and live a holistic life, you won’t experience the low and you won’t feel stressed.
Mind: Doesn’t make sense.
Emotion: Not the sharpest tack in the box today, are ya?
Spirit: Look. All we have to do is focus outward. Not inward, but outward.
Emotion: I can’t do that.
Spirit: Sure you can, Emotion. I’ve seen you do it. You’ve felt compassion for other people. That’s focusing outward you know.
Emotion: whining Let me put it another way. I don’t wanna.
Mind: You’re whining, Emotion.
Body: It IS pretty stressful.
Spirit: Look around you. Everything’s here to help you.
Mind: What do you mean?
Spirit: The setting sun, the sky, the trees, the Earth itself will renew us. Fellowship renews us. Worship renews us. All we have to do is focus outward and the stress lowers.
Body: That’s it?
Spirit: You want energy? You want a way to connect to God without the low? Wake up in the morning and ask God, “What have you got going on today that I can be a part of?” Then focus outward and expect surprises.
Emotion: Really? And what if we don’t LIKE surprises?
Spirit: We focus outward, and we can really help people without feeling that we have more responsibility. A smile helps. Listening to somebody helps. Just caring helps. Stewardship helps.
Emotion: Oh, that.
Spirit: The more we focus outward and respond to whatever need we see, the better we can hear God. Get it? It’s a cycle. We hear, we respond; we hear, we respond; and hear again. And it’s the best high we can ever experience.
Body: And we can hear God? Even at work?
Spirit: Even at work. Even when things go wrong. We need to work together. We need to live a holistic life. We need to be healthy. Even you, Body!
Mind: Okay. Fine. Let’s do it.
Body: I’m game.
Spirit: “What have you got going on today that I can be a part of?” It’s a big adventure!
Emotion: as they exit Does this mean I can’t whine anymore?
Spirit: Oh sure, you can whine.
SPIRIT picks up the trash bag and carries it off.
Mind: Hey, it’s what you do.
Body: At least you’re good at something!
Emotion: Nice. Thanks. Thanks a lot. Love you, too!
Sacred Space: Small-Group Worship Outline #
Coming soon!
Sermon Helps #
Exploring the Scripture
An old saying is, “The purpose of preaching is to comfort the distressed and distress the comfortable.” The First Letter of Peter provides inspiring advice for those in need of being comforted. Today’s passage begins a message of hope to people who are oppressed. Bible scholars propose the intended audiences are Gentile slaves and concubines in Asia Minor who had little power or possibility to free themselves from being dominated by those who “owned” them. These opening verses of the First Letter of Peter identify the type of enduring faith in Christ that provides hope, an eternal inheritance, joy, and salvation even when circumstances might otherwise lead to despair.
The counsel given to these distressed people is to persist in peaceful hope because the risen Christ creates a divine inheritance for the faithful that any earthly power cannot reduce. This counsel is given in contrast to the violent uprisings during the first century CE other distressed people chose to start. The inheritance described in the passage emerges through an enduring faith that does not rely on empirical evidence or physical experience with Jesus but a knowledge, belief, relationship, and trust in the resurrected Christ. This valuable inheritance promised by God is eternal and triumphs over the physical suffering of the faithful. This reality is the essence of having divine joy.
Underlying the entire First Letter of Peter is the paradoxical question about the nature of God. “How can an omnipotent, all-loving God allow great evils that create great suffering?” The question continues to be an essential question of theology; however, as the writer the letter proposes, the faith community’s suffering connects them to the cross. Christ’s suffering creates a background for our suffering, and the Christ-modeled response to oppression and domination is through nonviolence. Although some people reading the First Letter of Peter (such as pro-slavery and anti-women’s-rights advocates) decided passive acceptance of oppression was the will of God; God’s judgment referenced by the prophets and by Jesus denounces oppressors and dominators. The God’s judgment is righteousness resulting in humility, love, hospitality, health, and wholeness for all creation. The salvation of souls is less to do with a future event and more to do with how people receive and live in God’s righteousness in the present.
Living in response to the resurrection calls people to promote peace, well-being, and comfort for all suffering and struggling with life circumstances. Living in response to the resurrection also calls people to challenge those who create and perpetuate the means of oppression and suffering. When we genuinely pay attention to its message, resurrection, new life in Christ provides comfort to the distressed and disruption for the comfortable.
Central Ideas
- The resurrected Christ shows God’s great love and provides hope to people in despair.
- Through Christ, God provides a divine inheritance for the faithful who suffer.
- Earthly powers cannot reduce the promise of God’s inheritance for people.
Questions for the Speaker
- Who, today, are the oppressed people most in need of a message of hope and divine inheritance?
- How do we experience the promise of God — as people who are distressed? As people who are comfortable?
- How do we enliven genuine faith that places our trust more in Christ and less in life-ease and pleasures?
Lessons #
Adult Lesson #
Youth Lesson #
Children’s Lesson #