Celebrations With Grace

WORSHIP CELEBRATION

A Gathering of Friends
 Sunday, Oct. 18^th, 2009
Meeting at the Lakeview Town Hall

We welcome everyone to come as they are and join in the celebration of Jesus’ teaching no matter where they are in their journey of faith. (Arabella)

Welcome songs led by Becky Walker

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Please turn off your cell phones, get a fresh cup of coffee - water — snacks and join us in the worship of our Heavenly Father.  

PRELUDE AND WELCOME: Ideas of a name for “A Gathering of Friends”
a. In His Footsteps Church
b. Church of Blessings
c. Bless You Church     (instead of saying Thank you to people say “Bless You”)
d. Friends Seeking Christ
e. My Heart’s Home

_Becca__Prayer of Approach: Let us Pray together…
One: You, O God are supreme and holy.
All: You create our world and give us life.
One: Your purpose oversees everything we do.
All: You have always been with us. You are God.
One: You, O God, are infinitely generous, good beyond all measure.
All: You came to us before we came to you.
One: You have revealed and proved
All: Your love for us in Jesus Christ, who lived and died and rose again.
One: You are with us now.
All: You are God.
One: You, O God, are Holy Spirit.
All: You empower us to be your gospel in the world.
One: You reconcile and heal; you overcome death.
All: You are our God. We worship You.

All: Amen.

GLORIA PATRI – “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Amen

Scripture Lesson: Psalm 118:24; “This is the Day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Children’s Sermon: Two Days about Which Not to Worry
There are two days in every week about which we should not worry, two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.
One of these days in Yesterday –with all its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains. Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control. All the money in the world cannot bring back Yesterday. We can not undo a single act we performed; we can not erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone forever. Hopefully we learned something.
The other day we should not worry about is Tomorrow—with all its possiblities, its burdens, its large promise and its promise of a better day. Tomorrow is also beyond our personal control. Tomorrow’s sun will rise, either in splendor or behind the clouds, but it will rise. Until it does we have no control over tomorrow… for it is yet to be born. Hopefully we will learn something tomorrow.
When we add the burdens of yesterday and tomorrow we break down and go crazy. Today is the only day we can experience and make a difference.
Therefore, seize Today. Use what you have learned from Yesterday, remember what you hope for tomorrow, and make Today the best possible day. Today comes only once.

Enter God’s Courts with Praise Hymn:

Prayers of Gratitude: Prayers of Intercession: Mary Haggart
Meetings/Encounters with God:

In Christ Footsteps by St. Francis of Assisi
All: “Almighty, eternal, just and merciful God, grant us the desire to do only what pleases you, and the strength to do only what you command. Cleanse our souls, enlighten our minds, and inflame our hearts with your Holy Spirit, that we may follow in the footsteps of your beloved Son, Jesus Christ.”

Response: “Hear our prayer O Lord. Hear our prayer O Lord. Incline Thine ear to us and grant us Thy peace. Amen.”

_Carolyn___Now as our Savior Christ has taught us, let us pray together:
“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, for ever and ever. Amen.”

Hymn of Faith;

Pastor Grace: The Great Thanksgiving:

Holy Communion. Jesus never tells us to receive it daily, weekly, monthly, yearly or once in your life. He simply tells us how much we need it and how great it is and He figures we will act accordingly. Then He tells us to do it often. He figures we will receive the Lord’s Supper as often as we can.

The Lord’s Supper is like kissing your wife or husband. The minute you have to place rules on how often, then the kiss loses its affectionate force. No one who is in love would ever say, “I think we have kissed enough,” or “That kiss will have to do for the rest of the day.” No one says, “How often do we have to kiss?” Instead we ask, “How often do we get to kiss?” We kiss and get kissed as often as we can.

The Lord’s Supper is more than a kiss from God. Through Holy Communion God gives us the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation through the body and blood of Jesus. We need and want these blessings all the time. So the question should not be, “How often do we have to take communion?” Rather we should ask, “How often do we get to take communion.”

Arabella will pass the Celebration Cups.

The Holy Communion  Arabella  

Breaking of the Bread and Wine
Invitation to the Lord’s Table
Matt. 11:28; John 6:35; Matt 5:6

Jesus said: Come to me,
all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest.

I am the bread of life.
Whoever comes to me will never be hungry,
and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Amen.

Breaking of the Bread and Wine Arabella

The one presiding takes the bread and breaks it saying:
“We give you thanks that the Lord Jesus,
on the night before he died,
took bread,
and after giving thanks to You,
He broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take, eat.  This is my body, given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”  Now everyone peel back the first thin cover and partake of the Bread of Life together.

“In the same way he took the cup saying:
This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood,
shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.
Whenever you drink it, do this in remembrance of me.”
Now everyone peel open the cover on the celebration cup and partake of the unfermented fruit of the vine together.

Prayer of Thanks and Faith

_Arabella_: Great is the mystery of faith:
ALL:    Christ has died,
            Christ is risen,
            Christ will come again.

Pastor Grace: Today’s Lesson/Sermon.  Who Am I?

The JourneyI can define my life as an improvised work in process. Where I am at this moment in my life is not my planned destination.  It can be said that I have had many “incarnations” in this life. There have been many people, places and phases in my life that were important at different stages in my life.  I am still a student of spiritual awakening, who tries to live in an attitude of Gratitude. I am a traveler. If anyone is interested I have made some copies of my vita, both educational and vocational journeys.

As a traveler I have chosen to place myself at the disposal of the mysteries of life. The traveler has learned to continue in faith, love and self-honor on her path, looking at everything in ways the traveler can honor who they were in times past and who they may yet become.

Attending a variety of churches and having friends of different faith backgrounds, volunteering in homeless shelters and soup kitchens or living in a co-op or a tent. God has used every experience to lead me into a vocation to serve others. All the twists and turns and by-ways have created a journey toward God. I feel that my varied past will enable me to communicate with a wide variety of people and interact in many situations. I believe that the ministry of being a Chaplain is one that best supports my gifts and calling.

As the traveler I learned to praise the Lord as much for a closed door as an open door. If He did not close the wrong door the traveler would never find the right door. When one door closes, it forces the traveler to change course. Illness, loss of job, death, moving, all are doors closing and others open. Then finally the right door opens and the traveler walks right into a blessing. Psalm 37:23 “the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.”

 

 

In  YOUR GOD IS TOO SAFE by Mark Buchanan, he describes Jesus as “He went here, He went there, moved by seeming whim, chance, need, second thought and afterthought, and some inward tug of holy instinct. His zigzagging journey was anything but the anxious rushing about that characterizes our own living.” This is a book about not getting stuck, in your life or in your religion.
 
The sacred journey itself may become more important than the ending

. The traveler experiences having to walk in faith and living in the question, in the now, having the strength and the power to move forward even when she has no clue what the outcome may be, having the patience to roll with the grand plan God has mapped out, that the traveler also creates.

The unknown becomes larger than the known. The more you learn, the more you know you don’t know. It was during some of the toughest times, through faith, and through God that the greatest experiences and triumphs have occurred.
The traveler in her search may come to realize that what seemed to be reality was only a glimpse of such. The more the traveler sees, feels and experiences affects how this “reality” is lived. My grandmother used to say “All in good time.” Perhaps what she really meant was “All in God’s time.” 

 It is on this journey that I answered the call to learn and become a Chaplain.

 

 

There is an important difference between a career and a calling. A career seems to have a goal, a well-marked course and an expected outcome. I was going to be a teacher and a therapist.

 A vocation or calling is different. The emphasis is not on following a pre-determined path but to responding to a voice – God’s call. This is walking by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthian 5:7)

There is the notion that God never calls us to do what we are not prepared to do. (1Thessalonians 5:24). This is a little scary; as life is always clearer through the rear-view mirror than though the windshield. (Hindsight is always 20-20) Sometimes I think that God trusts me too much. Yet, I know that there is nothing that God and I together can not handle if I will just let go.
          
 The call to be a Christian:
We are called to serve God. We are in a relationship with God. He is the potter, we are the clay. (Isaiah 64:8), Jesus is the vine, we are the branches. (Mark 3:14.)

This call started inward in my heart and mind and has moved outward in my actions. My massage business card showed Heart to Hands to God. I believe that the bodywork that I do is a Gift from God, and as a Chaplain the work of Hands of Blessing will grow.

 

 

 I believe that massage is an act of prayer and it is an act of compassion. By compassion, I mean the desire to be present and receive the suffering of another. I have offered this sacred touch that combines the “laying on of hands and the anointing with oil” that reverences the body and honors the human person as a manifestation of God.

The art of anointing lets the person know that they have value. This has shown itself to be true when I have offered Hands of Blessing Massage at the soup kitchen in Glenwood. Some of the homeless smell, have sores, have lice, are weak, some are tough and gruff; for the most part they have been shunned by society. During the massage I stop smelling the sores and dirt and hear a sigh as the person surrenders to the healing power of unconditional care. Romans 12:9 “Don’t just pretend that you love others. Really love them…Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other.”

The secret call
The voice that pesters and gives deep inner nudges to do more. The intangible sense that God is calling me to become a Chaplain as a vocation and a discontent with other forms of work.
This call came not with fire or flash of lightning. It has been in the form of a dialogue, an ongoing conversation with God that lasts throughout my day and life. God continues to invite me to consider His intentions for my energies. To use the gifts He has bestowed upon me to be used for His greater good. The Voice tells me to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8) As Sojourner Truth said “I talk to God, and God talks to me.”

Gerald G. May in The Dark Night of the Soul describes what I believe: “The divine presence doesn’t intend us to suffer, but is instead with us in all the experiences of life, in both suffering and joy. And that presence is always inviting us toward greater freedom and love.”

The ecclesiastical call.
The community of The Congregational Church of the Valley had recognized that I have a call to serve. The church had called on me to develop my gifts and assist our Minister. I am called for prayers, hospital and nursing home visits, to attend Conference meetings and represent the small church; giving the children’s sermon and to serve as the Substitute minister.
 
After much prayer and soul-searching, reading and asking, questions I decided that this is the path I am called to be on.

 

 

Chaplain Ministry Is…
Listening, when you’d rather fix the problem.
Searching for the joy, when it’s easier to say “it’s not fair.”
Helping, when you feel like you’re the one that needs the help.
Telling God, “use me,” when you’d rather ask to be rescued.
Encouraging, even when you don’t understand God’s reasoning.
Hugging when it feels awkward.
Saying, “let’s pray right now,” instead of “I’ll pray for you.”
Serving, when you doubt you have anything left to give.
Comforting, by being the flicker of light in others’ dark caverns.
[Author unknown]

Now a new Church family is calling on me to develop the gifts that God has given.

1 Thessalonian 5:1 So encourage each other and build each other up…”

My prayer life is strengthened when I pray with and for others. Kierkegaard says “Prayer does not change God, but it changes the one that offers it.”

Thomas Aquinas follows suit with “By prayer man renders himself capable of receiving.”

Goethe speaks to the pastoral soul: “Do you not see God? By every quiet spring, under every blossoming tree he meets me in the warmth of his love.”
Prayer has allowed and energized me to step forth into the unknown with a known God.

Life is not a clear straight path, it is more like steppingstones that enable us to change course and direction and still stay on the God given path. 

 

 

Life is a mystery that God has given to us.
With the twists and turns my own life has taken I am able to minister to the “whole person’ who must be cared for, and no one aspect of the person can be treated in isolation. In a Hospital the Chaplain cares for the emotional, spiritual and mental well being of the person as others care for the physical. And yet sometimes the Chaplain is the person to get a glass of water for the patient. In the community the Chaplain is also to care and minister to the Whole person.

It is important to accept a person wherever they are on their Spiritual Journey. As a Chaplain to offer prayer, a blessing, anointing of oil, Bible or other sacred text reading as will offer them hope, to help the client have their spiritual needs met.  As a Chaplain I strive to show the unconditional love of Jesus Christ to those in need. “Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate.” (Luke 6:36)

 Life is confusing.

 

 

We can’t take for granted that everything will be the same tomorrow as it is today.

There are hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural and human-made disasters that can wipe out our sense of security on a whim, in an instant.

 We can’t be sure that we - or those we love - will be healthy and alive tomorrow.

We can’t presume good faith of others.

We can’t trust that an adult will take good care of a lost child.

We can’t even guess whether the driver on the road next to us is normal, healthy, on drugs or drunk.

There is NOTHING that we can be entirely sure of. NOTHING!

Not things, not finances, not circumstances, not people, not even feelings.
JUST THE LOVE OF GOD.

 

How then is one to create and maintain a degree of balance, certainty, or power within oneself? By necessity, an individual power/energy center HAS TO BE based on faith and assumption.

We have to assume that tomorrow will be at least somewhat similar to today.

We have to assume that we have at least some power, ability and adequacy to deal with challenge and survive whatever may come our way.

 Without the belief in SOME certainties and without SOME permanent values we’d be passive like snowflakes shoved around by chance.

The only sense of permanence available to us is faith.

Faith takes many forms whichever you choose, faith has the capacity to become your compass in life; the one thing that never fails. 1 John 4:10 “This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us…”

As a Chaplain I can help people to explore how they wish to handle life’s storms.

The journey continues. I have moved to Arkansas to open a small resort with my mother.
The Biblical passage: “When ever two or more are gathered, I am there.” describes for me the new Church, the Gathering of Friends or whatever we may be called. The local Church is a reminder that we are not alone. The local church helps to build and develop the gifts of the community and its members.

 

 

Peace and Blessings
Chaplain Grace Michelle Haggart

Let us pray: Dear Lord, help us to minister and to build the gifts you have given each of us to the glory and in the Blessings of Your Love.

CALL TO OFFERING AND PRESENTATION OF GIFTS
Doxology and Prayer of Dedication;
“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.”