Welcome To Worship
At
East Brentwood
Presbyterian Church
Sunday, May 7, 2017
10:00 a.m.
4th Sunday of
EASTER
An Invitation to Wonder
Sunday, May 7, 2017
The congregation is asked to use the time of the pre-service
music as a period of silent prayer and preparation.
Thought before Worship
Wows come in all shapes and sizes, like people. - Anne Lamott, Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers
We Gather to Worship God
Welcome & Announcements
A Murmuration
*Opening Acclamation Genesis 1:1-28a
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,
the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep,
while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said,
Let there be light.
It was so. And God saw that the light was good.
Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters,
and let it separate the waters from the waters.
It was so. And God saw that it was good.
Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place,
and let the dry land appear.
It was so. And God saw that it was good.
Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed,
and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.
It was so. And God saw that it was good.
Let there be lights in the sky to separate the day from the night;
and let them be for signs and seasons, for days and years,
and to give light upon the earth.
It was so. And God saw that it was good.
Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures,
and let birds fly above the earth.
Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind:
cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.
It was so. And God saw that it was good.
Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness;
and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air,
the cattle, and all the wild animals and creeping things upon the earth
So God created humankind in God’s image, in the image of God,
God created them; male and female.
And God blessed them….
*Opening Song “He Never Failed Me Yet” Ray
©1982 JENSON PUBLICATIONS, INC.
International Copyright SecuredMade in U.S.A. All Rights Reserved
Standing Before God
Blessed are you, O God, God of all Creation. In the beginning you have separated light from darkness and placed all your creative works in our hands.
Forgive us as we have been poor stewards of your good gifts.
Take our rubbish, the greed indulged, the broken promises, our anger, our resentments.
Take the long list of sin
that warps our being
and weave your forgiving love
that makes of waste
a growing place.
Time for silent reflection
Response “Trisagion” Ortega
Holy God.
Holy and mighty.
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy, have mercy on us.
Assurance of Forgiveness
Friends, believe the good news.
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Passing of the Peace
As God through Jesus has recognized and forgiven each of us, let us now ourselves recognize and forgive each other by sharing God’s peace with one another. The Peace of Christ is with you!
And also with you.
*Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father
And to the Son and the Holy Ghost
As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be
World without end, amen
As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be
World without end amen.
Amen, amen
Amen, amen
Amen ,amen
Children Sing
“We Sing Hosanna” Kids’ Music & Drama
“Santo, Santo” Trad. Argentina
“Lord, I Lift Your Name on High”
CCLI Song # 117947, Rick Founds
© 1989 Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publishing (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.) For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com
CCLI License # 2212591
Time with the Children
We Listen for the Word of God
Prayer for Illumination
A Reading Tennessee Tamil Academy
Scripture Proverbs 8:22-31
Translation by Dr. William Brown
In the beginning God created me.
God created me.
Me!
ME!
I was woven from the very beginning,
Woven,
Woven in the womb.
Before the Big Bang, I was birthed.
Before earth and all stars,
Before the hills were set in place,
I was born.
Before the moon kindled the darkness,
Before the wind kindled the fire,
Before the rain filled every ocean,
I was there.
There I was!
And there, and there, and there!
I was beside God growing up,
Growing and developing,
Nurtured and loved,
Growing in God’s ways.
I was God’s delight day by day,
Day by day,
Day by day
[Day By Day
Day By Day
Oh Dear Lord
Three things I pray
To See thee more clearly
Love thee more dearly
Follow thee more nearly
Day by Day]
I was the de-light of the world,
Playing and dancing,
Dancing and delighting,
Playing in God’s wondrous world,
In God’s world of wonders!
Playing with the children of Adam and Eve,
With lions and tigers and bears. (repeat)
Oh my!
Amen!
Let’s play!
Reflection “The Nature of Wonder” John R. Hilley
Our Response
Prayers of the People
We Respond to God’s Love
Offering
Offertory “Day by Day” Schwartz
*Doxology #606
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise God, all creatures here below;
praise God above, ye heavenly host;
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
*Prayer of Thanksgiving & Dedication
We Go from Here to Serve
*Hymn #14 “For the Beauty of the Earth”
*Parting Words
Bless to us, O God,
The moon that is above us,
The earth that is beneath us,
The friends who are around us,
Your image deep within us,
The day which is before us. Amen.
*Please stand if you are able.
Immediately following the service we will reconvene outside for the Blessing of the Bicycles and Wheels. Everyone is invited to participate. Following the blessing there will be a brief mini parade. Then the food line will open.
To Our Members and Guests: please sign our friendship pad.
For those of you with young children, please check out the shelf of children's Bibles located on the shelves in the sanctuary. There are several different age-appropriate versions available for their use during the service. Please re-shelve them before you leave the building.
About Today’s Service & Activities
Participants in Today’s Service: Pastor: John Hilley; Music Director: Nate Strasser; Musicians: the choir, Kid’s Music & Drama Club; Liturgist: Paul Rein.
This week we begin a new series “An Invitation to Wonder”. This series explores wonder, awe, and the spectacle of creation as a core feature of Christian faith and practice. If there is one central testimony about God throughout the Bible, it is this: God is encountered in wonder. “Who is like you among the gods, O Lord? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, praise-worthily awesome, working wonder?" (Exodus 15:11). Today and in the coming weeks we will have opportunity to experience and reflect on the many aspects of wonder in relation to theology, science, music, poetry, biblical study, art, and contemplating God's creation, with the end goal of discovering ways to cultivate a sense of wonder of God's Word and World in the context of our lives and in the world around us. Why my interest in this theme of “wonder”? I believe we are experiencing a cultural moment when we are discovering the failure of arguments. We are living in a divisive time where people are talking past each other. This series and our activities will be a time of “going marveling” to use a term from Fred Craddock and his roots of the north Georgia red clay. Going marveling might just help us deepen our sense of connection to self, neighbor, community, and creation. I hope you will come marveling with us!
Welcome to East Brentwood
To Our Members: East Brentwood gladly welcomes first-time and returning visitors. By introducing yourself and sharing a warm greeting, you express the hospitality of our congregation. Please share a smile and welcoming word to those around you.
To Our Guests: We offer education and fellowship opportunities in the mornings and evenings for children, youth and adults. Please see the calendar of events for dates and times.
Evolving from a rich musical history, EBPC strives for diversity of music in worship. On any given Sunday, worshippers may experience our choir sharing traditional or new hymns, handbells ringing, our praise band ensemble performing contemporary Christian songs, or guest vocalists or musicians sharing southern spirituals, Celtic, bluegrass, classical, shape note, jazz, Americana, soul, or other musical genres.
Our Mission
East Brentwood Presbyterian Church is a community church made up of a loving, welcoming family of believers in honest conversation with God. We seek to emulate the ministry of Jesus through compassionate service, with stimulating and relevant exploration of God’s Word, and by sharing that Word and God’s many blessings with our neighbors in Middle Tennessee and around the world.
Calendar Events Coming This Week ~ At a Glance
Sunday, May 7—SPRINGAPALOOSA
9:00 a.m. Adult Education
10:00 a.m. Worship
11:00 a.m. Blessing of the Bikes, potluck, & activities
4:00 p.m. PYG for High School Youth
Wednesday, May 10
9:30 a.m. Staff Meeting
6:00 p.m. Adult Learning Circle
6:00 p.m. Kids’ Music & Drama Club
6:08 p.m. 608 for Middle School Youth
6:30 p.m. Choir Practice
7:30 p.m. Praise Team
Friday, May 12
6:30 p.m. Preschool Graduation
Sunday, May 14—Communion
9:00 a.m. Adult Education
10:00 a.m. Worship
10:00 a.m. Upwards
4:00 p.m. PYG for High School Youth
Praise and Prayers
† Prayers of healing and strength for Debra Swartz, sister of Mary Ellen Hofstetter, who has multiple health issues.
† Prayers for Mary Weisz who is in hospice care and for Marcie and Bob Gilchrist.
† Prayers of healing and strength for Ron Rein.
† Prayers for Bill and Ruth Miller who are temporarily in Louisville, Kentucky and would be happy to receive mail at Presbyterian Homes of Kentucky, 2116 Buechel Bank Road, #102, Louisville, KY 40218.
† Prayers for the health of the churches in the Peten Provence of Guatemala who our mission team met on their recent trip.
† Prayers of healing for Ric Brown (friend of the Beattys) as he recovers from an illness and car accident.
† Prayers for Brent Byers and his family.
† Prayers for our nation and its leaders.
† Prayers of healing for Carrie Jane Hopkins.
† Prayers for those facing addictions, either their own or those of family members and loved ones.
† Prayers for the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian’s Zambia Synod and for mission coworkers Charles and Melissa Johnson who are working in Lusaka.
If you have a prayer request or celebration that you would like to share, please contact Richard Strecker, Congregational Care moderator by e-mail: streckr1@aol.com or phone 615.472.1502.