Sunday, January 16, 2022

Fruitland United Methodist Church
Communion Sunday

Prelude “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands”
                                             Traditional African-American spiritual arranged by Lani Smith
Welcome
The lighting of the candles and welcoming the neighborhood to worship

Interlude “El Shaddai” by Michael Card

*Call to Worship
 Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

*Calling Song “Thou Art Worthy” TFWS #2041
Thou art worthy,
Thou art worthy,
Thou art worthy, O Lord,
To receive glory,
Glory and honor,
Glory and honor and pow'r
For Thou hast created,
hast all things created,
Thou hast created all things;
And for Thy pleasure
they are created -
Thou art worthy, O Lord.

Responsive Reading Psalm 36:5-9
Leader; Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.
People: Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your judgements are like the great deep; you save humans and animals alike.
Leader: How precious is your steadfast love, O God! All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
People: They feast on the abundance of your house, and your give them drink from the river of your delights.
All: For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.

Unison Invocation
You invite us to Your presence, to the table of Your feast, to Your walk of companionship, to Your mission of well-being.
We take timid steps toward home and are welcomed. Now, in this hour meet us not according to our flaws but according to Your generous self-giving:
Be our Christmas, and start the world again;
Be our Easter, and draw us from death to new life;
Be our Pentecost, and breathe on us to begin again as we live and pray in Jesus name. Amen.

Message “Shabbat” The Chosen – Episode 2
Last Sunday we met several people: Mary of Magdala, Nicodemus, Simon and his brother Andrew, and Matthew. This Sunday we are going to see how they observed Shabbat (Sabbath in English), the Jewish day of rest. Mary, Nicodemus, Simon, and Matthew each observed Shabbat. Their Shabbat experiences were different.

Shabbat is the day of the week when observant Jews obey the Fourth Commandment (Exodus 20:8-11 and Deuteronomy 5:12). In these passages we see two different reasons for keeping the Shabbat:

• in Exodus the reason is that God rested
• in Deuteronomy the reason is simple justice, keeping the strong from exploiting the weak.

Sabbath traditions vary among Jews just as Christian worship traditions do. Does your family have any religious traditions like this? What religious traditions were you raised with?

Shabbat begins Friday night at sundown. A family meal is the centerpiece of the evening and begins with candle lighting and prayers. The woman of the house begins the ceremony with a blessing and candle lighting. Usually there are
two candles on the table.

Altar flowers today are in remembrance of Debra Street’s Mother, Eva. She will pray: Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us to light the candle of Shabbat and of the Day of Remembrance.

Other prayers are offered during the meal and often the conversation is directed toward the reasons for a special day of rest. Following the Shabbat meal, the family would go to bed and attend synagogue services the following day.

Jesus attended synagogue services “as was his habit” (Luke 4:16). The evening meal and the synagogue services were the Sabbath traditions with which Jesus was raised.

Religious disciplines, such as Sabbath keeping, are important. Parents and congregational leaders have a responsibility to provide instructional opportunities. However, it is possible to become “legalistic” about specific ways to learn about and honor God.

Some of the most dramatic confrontations between Jesus and the religious leaders of his day were about Sabbath keeping. Jesus clarified the purpose of Sabbath keeping when he said, “The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath.” (Mark 3:27)

Mark 3:1-5 records a confrontation between Jesus and some religious leaders during a Sabbath service. Read about it some time.

Let us never be guilty of making our religious tradition more important than God’s grace.
​
Oh yes, watch for “the wink.”
Enjoy!

The Communion Service
Communion Hymn “Open Our Eyes Lord” TFWS #2086
Open our eyes Lord
We want to see Jesus
To reach out and touch Him
And say that we love Him
Open our ears Lord
And Help us to listen
Open our eyes Lord
We want to see Jesus

The Apostles Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy universal church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.

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.
Let us confess our sin before God and one another.

Prayer of Confession and Pardon
Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. Our faith has been tested and we have stumbled. Forgive us, we pray. 
Our feet have strayed from the path of Christ and we have wandered from you.
Forgive us, we pray. 
We have put our faith in the loud voices of this world, ignoring your whispers.
Forgive us, we pray.
We do want to follow Jesus, the Christ, in whose name we pray.
Amen.

Leader: Hear the good news;
Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. That proves God’s love for us.
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.
Thanks be to God!

Bread and Cup

Please pray:
Eternal God, we give you thanks for this holy mystery in which “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
Strengthen us in mind, body and soul for the days ahead. May your Spirit fill us as we live and pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

Sending Hymn “I Stand Amazed in the Presence” UMH #371 (Verses 1 and 5)
I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me,
A sinner, condemned, unclean.
How marvelous! How wonderful!
And my song shall ever be;
How marvelous! How wonderful!
Is my Savior’s love for me.

When with the ransomed in glory
His face I at last shall see,
‘Twill be my joy thro’ the ages
To sing of His love for me.
How marvelous! How wonderful!
And my song shall ever be;
How marvelous! How wonderful!
Is my Savior’s love for me.

Postlude “Battle Hymn of the Republic” by William Steffe
                                              Arranged for piano and organ by Tedd Smith and Don Hustad

Thank you for Worshiping with us today!

(CCLI License #1552544)