Mifflin Avenue United Methodist Church

11:00 AM Worship                Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost               16 October 2011

 

GATHERING

   Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Thy Word                                                                J.G. Walther     

 

GREETING AND WELCOME                                                                         (Zeta Thomas)     

 

*INTROIT

   Grateful                                                                                                                                    

 

*CALL TO WORSHIP                                                                                   (Larry Viehland)

   God of the Universe:

   You hold the world in your hands.

   You provide for our every need.

   Your love is abundant, overflowing.

   You alone are worthy of our praise.

   Let us praise you with our lips and our lives—

   not grudgingly, but with a willing heart.

 

   Our Lord, Jesus Christ:

   You are the giver of all that we have.

   May we be thankful for each blessing, material and spiritual.

   Help us to give back the portion that is required.

   Forgive our selfishness, in wanting to keep what we have.

   Remind us that all that we have is on loan to us

   and that your will is to share whatever we have been given.

 

   Holy Spirit:

   We thank you for the gifts that you give us to serve,

   for your ever-present strength that empowers us.

   Guide us as we seek to give ourselves to others.

   May we honor the Holy Trinity with our lives of love.

   Amen.

  

*HYMN  UMH 114

   Many Gifts, One Spirit                                                                                               Katherine

PRAYER  in unison                                                                                          (Larry Viehland)

   O Lord our God,

   you are always more ready to bestow your good gifts on us

      than we are to seek them,

      and are willing to give more than we desire or deserve.

   Help us so to seek that we may truly find,

      so to ask that we may joyfully receive,

      so to knock that the door of your mercy may be opened to us;

   through Jesus Christ our Savior.  Amen.

    

ANTHEM

   All Good Gifts                                                                                                            N. Sleeth

 

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION                                                                  (Larry Viehland)

 

FIRST READING                                                                                               (Gael Agnew)

   1 Corinthians 12:4-11

 

SECOND READING                                                                                       (Kendall Barry)

   Romans 12:6-8

 

   The Word of the Lord.

   Thanks be to God.

 

CHILDREN’S MESSAGE                                                                        (Nicole Slobodnyak)

 

SERMON                                                                             (Kristian Perry and Zeta Thomas)

 

LITANY                                                                                                               (Zeta Thomas)

   Lord, we have promised to uphold your church with our gifts.

   Help us to give freely.

   You have called us to serve one another with whatever gifts we have.

   Help us to give freely.

   We know that using the gifts you have given us brings glory to your name.

   Help us to give freely.

   Lord, you gave each of us different gifts so that we may

   equip the saints and build up the body of Christ.

   Help us to give freely.

   Jesus, we have freely received the gift of your love.

   Help us to give freely.  Amen.

 

HYMN  UMH 393

   Spirit of the Living God                                                                                          Living God

 

SHARING OUR JOYS AND CONCERNS                                                    (Zeta Thomas)

 

PASTORAL PRAYER                                                                                       (Zeta Thomas)

 

THE LORD’S PRAYER  in unison                                                                     (Zeta Thomas)

    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.

 

*THE PEACE

 

OFFERING                                                                                             (Gary Burdick, soloist)

   Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled                                                                            O. Speaks

 

*DOXOLOGY  UMH 95

 

*PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING                                                                    (Zeta Thomas)

 

*HYMN  UMH 593

   Here I Am, Lord                                                                                              Here I Am, Lord

 

*BENEDICTION                                                                                                (Zeta Thomas)     

 

*GOING FORTH

   With Might and Majesty                                                                                              S. Scott

 

*Those who are able are invited to stand.

 

                Thank you to all who made Laity Sunday a special service this morning!