The Celebration of the Gospel
May 29, 2016 —2nd Sunday after Pentecost
Only speak the word, and my servant shall be healed.
— Luke 7.7
_______ We Gather as the Body of Christ_______
GREETING
PRELUDE Processional #2 (LOVE) Louise Frier (Ringtones)
[As we listen to the music we quiet our minds and bodies,
listen for our hearts’ deepest desires,
and become present to the Holy One who is lovingly present for us.]
* CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: God of life, Source of all wholeness, heal us.
All: Grant us your grace, O God. Give us life.
Christ, healer of all brokenness, we turn to you.
We offer you our hearts, that our trust may deepen.
Holy Spirit, power of healing and love, flow in us.
Fill us with your grace, that we may bear healing in this world. Amen.
* SONG O Lord, You’re Beautiful Black hymnal # 2064
(10:30) CHILDREN’S TIME
____________We Attend to the Word__________
PRAYER OF THE DAY
God of grace, we come broken, hungry and hopeful. You have power to heal, power to bless, power to give life. We open our hearts to your grace. Only speak the word, and we shall be made whole. Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT 2 Kings 5.1-14
Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man, and the king admired him, because through Naaman God had given Aram a victory . He was a mighty warrior. And he suffered from leprosy. Now on one of their raids the Arameans had taken a young Israelite girl captive, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only Naaman would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” So Naaman went in and told his king just what the Israelite girl had said. And the king of Aram said, “Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.”
Naaman went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robe and said, “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.” But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robe, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your robe? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.”
So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of Yahweh his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage.
But his servants approached and said to him, “With all respect, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? Then why not, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.
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GOSPEL Luke 7.1-10
[Jesus heals a Roman commander’s beloved servant. The centurion understands that Jesus has authority over the spirits just like he has authority over the soldiers he commands. ]
After Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. A centurion there had a slave whom he valued highly, and who was ill and close to death. When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave. When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy of having you do this for him, for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us.”
And Jesus went with them, but when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; therefore I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.”
When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.
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SERMON
SONG Come and Fill Our Hearts Black hymnal # 2157
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
[Anyone who wishes may share a prayer concern at the microphone.]
PASSING THE PEACE
THE WORD IN SONG Peace
Joshua Kramer, words by Steve G-H (Ringtones)
Wonder, beauty, all of Creation:
God, you give us gladly your grace.
In your loving is our belonging:
we, your children, live in your peace.
Mercy, healing, love and forgiveness,
Jesus, you give freely to me.
Gentle Savior, oh, how you love me!
May I cherish your peace in me.
Holy Spirit, Spirit of healing,
change us, use us, breathe peace in us.
Shine with your light in all our living.
Bless us, fill us. May we be your children of peace.
__________We Share at Christ’s Table __________
OFFERING OUR GIFTS Deep River
African American Spiritual arr Lloyd Larson (Ringtones)
* COMMUNION SONG In Remembrance of Me Black hymnal #2254
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING Black hymnal # 2257
THE PRAYER OF JESUS
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.
OFFERING THE GIFTS
Pastor: This is the Lamb of God who heals the wounds of the world.
Happy are those who are called to Christ’s supper.
All: Lord, I am not worthy to receive you,
but only say the word and I shall be healed.
SHARING THE HOLY MEAL
[Everyone is welcome at the table of Christ’s self-giving love.
The bread is wheat-, soy- and dairy free.]
PRAYER OF BLESSING
Gracious God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. We trust your power to heal; send us out as the servants of that love, for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ and then power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.
* SONG Jesus’ Hands Were Kind Hands Blue hymnal #273
_______We Are Sent in Ministry to the World____
THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD
* THE BLESSING AND SENDING FORTH
RESPONSE We stand and sing to our neighbors:
May the grace and peace of Christ be with you my friends.
Go and share the love of God, love that never ends.
POSTLUDE Recessional in D Robert J. Powell
[During the postlude there are people ready to pray with you at the candles in the corners.]