WORSHIP - SUNDAY, MAY 3
Christ
is risen!
He
is risen, indeed!
Special
Music “Risen”
Call
to Worship (Psalm 23)
The
Lord is my Shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He
leads me beside still waters;
He restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil, for you are with me.
Your rod and your staff
They comfort me.
You preparest a table before me
In the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil, for you are with me.
Your rod and your staff
They comfort me.
You preparest a table before me
In the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;.
My
cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me
All the days of my life
And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
My whole life long.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me
All the days of my life
And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
My whole life long.
**Hymn
“Precious Lord, Take My
Hand”
Opening
Prayer
Holy
Shepherd, you know your sheep by name. lead us to
safety through the valley of COVID-19.
Bring
wisdom
to doctors. Give understanding to scientists. Endow caregivers with
compassion and generosity. Bring healing to those who are
ill.
Protect those who are most at risk. Give comfort to those who have lost a loved one. Welcome those who have died into your eternal home. Stabilize our communities. Unite us in our compassion.
Protect those who are most at risk. Give comfort to those who have lost a loved one. Welcome those who have died into your eternal home. Stabilize our communities. Unite us in our compassion.
Remove
all fear from our hearts. Fill us with confidence in your care.
Guide us by your voice, that we may walk in certainty and security
to the joyous feast you have prepared for us in your
house, where we celebrate with your forever. We pray these
things in the name of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who first taught us
to pray:
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
Good
News
We
have been forgiven and we are always loved.
Special
Music “My Deliverer”
Children’s
Message “What We Want”
Source:
www.sermons4kids.com
Sometimes
we write lists before we go to the grocery store, so we won’t
forget anything. Sometimes we write to-do lists when we have a lot of
things we have to do. Have you ever written a list?
I
wrote a list of things that I want! Let’s see what I have on here…
A
fuzzy warm blanket. Doesn’t that sound nice? What else… a new toy
to play with when I’m bored… maybe a new bike… these are all
things that I want.
I
wrote this list, but then I was reading in my Bible this morning in
the book of Psalm, chapter 23. I want to share it with you.
It
says, “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.” I shall
not be in want! Did you hear that? The Bible tells us that with the
Lord as our shepherd, we will have everything we need or want!
Let’s
keep reading… “He makes me lie down in green pastures… he
restores my soul, he comforts me… my cup overflows!” So that
means instead of a warm fuzzy blanket, I have God to comfort me!
When
my soul is restless, when I feel bored, God will restore my soul!
When I feel like I don’t have enough, and I want something more…
God will show me that he has made my cup overflow. That is amazing!
After
I read that, I made a new list. I wrote? “Jesus.” Because I know
that even though I may see fun toys or comfy blankets in the
world, the only thing I really need or want is Jesus.
I’m going to carry this list in my pocket, to remind me.
Let’s
pray: Hello, Jesus. Thank you for always being with us. Thank
you for making sure we have everything we need. Amen.
Giving
Thanks Even
though we are not able meet together, please continue to financially
support the mission of God and the ministry of Christ through your
gifts and offerings by contributing either through the mail or by
electronic giving. Thank you.
Special
Music “Green
Pastures and Still Waters”
Prayer
Heavenly
Father, we seek to be the sheep of your holy pasture. As we dedicate
these offerings, helps us to examine carefully the deepest recesses
of our own hearts. Guide our ways so that we may share abundantly
your love and your compassion with those seeking your pasture. We
pray in the name of the Risen One. Amen.
Song
of the Heart “Savior
Like a Shepherd Lead Us”
Scripture
Reading John 10: 1-10
The
Message “Shepherd or Gate?”
Pastor Dave Barrett
HE
IS RISEN!
HE
IS RISEN INDEED!
A
few years ago, Sally and I traveled with a group to Ireland. Prior
to our going, I was told by an acquaintance that Ireland was not very
exciting and not worth visiting. We would be disappointed. I was
told that there was nothing to see in Ireland except green grass and
sheep. We went anyway. I am very glad we did. Yes, there is a lot
of green grass and sheep, but there is also a beautiful countryside
filled with warm and welcoming people. And they speak English.
Ireland is a beautiful and exciting place to visit and one which I
hope to visit again
One
of the numerous stops on our tour was to a working sheep farm. The
owner explained about the sheep, their usefulness, their care and
then introduced us to his working sheep dog. The sheep dog’s name
was Jack. The owner demonstrated how through a system of calls and
whistles, Jack corralled and collected the sheep, directed and moved
the flock around the pastures all without injury or damage to the
sheep. It truly was an impressive exhibition of an extremely well
trained sheep dog working with his shepherd tending sheep.
Here
is a picture of Jack at work, tending the sheep.
The
farmer also explained that there are sheep dog competitions. He
stated that Jack had entered several such competitions, placed very
well and was well known in the area. I will leave to your
imagination to describe a sheep dog competition.
Before
we wrestle with the scripture lesson for today, let’s begin with a
unifying statement. For the past several years we as a United
Methodist congregation have made a statement following the Lord’s
Prayer. We have said together responsively, “Hear the good news!.
We have been forgiven, and we are always loved.” Those statements
are directly connected to John’s scripture lessons for today:
- Hear the good news!
- We have been forgiven!
- We are always loved!
Let’s
put this scripture lesson in context. Immediately preceding this
lesson, Jesus is in conversations with Jewish leaders. They are
discussing the young man whom was born blind and Jesus heals. Jesus
wants those gathered around him to not only see the difference in the
responses between him and the Jewish leaders to this young man; but
also to understand the concept of good shepherds and bad shepherds,
good leaders and bad leaders. Jesus wants those gathered around him
to comprehend how some leaders will tend and care for those in need;
and how some will simply continue to abuse, neglect and take
advantage of those whom are in need.
Immediately
following this scripture lesson, Jesus makes the statement that he is
the good shepherd. So this scripture lesson is to instruct us not
only in the qualities of a good shepherd; but also instruct us in how
we get to the place where God’s love prevails.
We
are to understand that a good shepherd comes to us directly. He does
not climb over walls or come to us from a side or at an angle. He
does not come to us in the darkness. He comes to us directly. He
calls us by name, he knows us. And we know him. He leads us out.
He walks ahead of us. He care for us. And by all those actions, we
know that we are loved.
We
also are to understand that Jesus is the only way to our God, the
Father. We are to understand that through his calling to us, and
through our responding to his call, we are saved. Through our
interactions and acceptance of Jesus Christ, we have life and we have
life abundantly. Through our interactions and acceptance of Jesus
Christ, we have been forgiven.
Jesus
is both our shepherd and our gate. Let us pray:
Lord
we simply say thank you. Thank you for sending your Son, Jesus
Christ to us and for us. Thank you for providing us with a shepherd
whom truly and deeply loves us for all that we are. And thank you
for providing a way for us to come to you, that we may have life
abundantly with you. We pray all this in your Son’s name. Amen.
Reflection Questions.
1.
What good news has God brought you this week?
2.
Do you sometimes have problems accepting God’s forgiveness for
yourself? What has God promised us about forgiveness?
3.
How have you experienced God’s love this week?
Song
of Sending: “You Are
Mine”
Benediction
May
the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine
upon you, and be gracious onto you. May the Lord lift up the light
of His love upon you and give you peace.
God
in peace. Serve the Lord.
Going
Forth “God
Will Take Care of You”
“Go
Now in Peace”
Song
“Every Move I Make”
LIVE
STREAM – HOLY COMMUNION
9:30
am - Donnellson, Embury and Fort Madison UMCs Facebook pages
10:30
am: Youtube -- https://youtu.be/iozH4VyDCA8
Please
have a piece of bread and a small glass of grape juice ready for
each person in your household who is participating.
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