Home Worship for Sunday March 21, 2021

Staying home is a form of loving your neighbor. Think about it, you may be staying home for your own health but in reality you then become less of a carrier to others that you might come in contact with. We hope you will feel close to God who is near even if we are far apart. May God Bless you and Keep you.


If you are in a high risk category, it is highly recommended that you remain safe as much as possible. Caregivers and family members are encouraged to do the same, so as to not jeopardize their loved ones. If you are not comfortable attending socially distanced activities, please stay home and stay in touch!

Prelude: I Love To Tell The Story

I love to tell the story

Twill be my theme in glory

to tell the old, old story

of Jesus and his love!

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Call to Worship

(inspired by Jeremiah 31:31-34)


Leader: The Lord is making a new covenant with the people of God.

People: Here in this place, Christ writes the law of love on our hearts.


Leader: We are children of the living God.

People: Together, let us worship the Lord of Love!

Opening Hymn: There's a Wideness in God's Mercy

Verse 1
There's a wideness in God's mercy, like the wideness of the sea
There's a kindness in God's justice, which is more than liberty

Verse 2
There is welcome for the sinner, and more graces for the good
There is mercy with the Savior, there is healing in His blood

Verse 3
For the love of God is broader, than the measure of our mind
And the heart of the Eternal, Is most wonderfully kind

Verse 4
If our love were but more simple, we should rest upon God's word
And our lives would be illumined, by the presence of our Lord


CCLI Song # 123216. Frederick William Faber | Lizze Shove Tourjee © Words: Public Domain. 
Music: Public Domain. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com. CCLI License # 625707.

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Prayers of the People

(inspired by Luke 10: 25-37)


God of love, give us a deep love for you, so that we can see the world as you see it, feel the compassion you feel, and be a people whose lives mediate your love to others.


So open our eyes that we might see what the Good Samaritan saw. Grant us the insight to see the need in others, the wisdom to know what to do, and the will to do it. And so we pray for all those, who in many and various ways, have been stripped, beaten and left for dead.


We pray for children who must grow up in the most awful of circumstances, especially for those starved of love, or food, or shelter or security. May they receive the future you have planned for them.


We pray for those we might cross the road to avoid. Who have been excluded socially because of their race, their financial status, or their history. May the dignity that is theirs be restored to them.


We pray for those whose need we would rather not face up to, because it requires action of us, those who suffer atrocities because of war, unjust trade rules, or oppressive governments. May the world receive a true picture of their suffering and the factors that cause it, that justice may be done.


Open our eyes, that we might not cross the road from human need. Give us a deep love for you, that we might see your love at work in this world, and that we might Go and do likewise.


~ posted on the Faith and Unity Department of the Baptist Union of Great Britain http://www.baptist.org.uk/prayers-of-intercession.html

Love Connection Four Ethel Logan


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Scripture Luke 10:25-37 CEB

Loving your neighbor

A legal expert stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to gain eternal life?” Jesus replied, “What is written in the Law? How do you interpret it?” He responded, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.”  But the legal expert wanted to prove that he was right, so he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He encountered thieves, who stripped him naked, beat him up, and left him near death. Now it just so happened that a priest was also going down the same road. When he saw the injured man, he crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. Likewise, a Levite came by that spot, saw the injured man, and crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. A Samaritan, who was on a journey, came to where the man was. But when he saw him, he was moved with compassion. The Samaritan went to him and bandaged his wounds, tending them with oil and wine. Then he placed the wounded man on his own donkey, took him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day, he took two full days’ worth of wages and gave them to the innkeeper. He said, ‘Take care of him, and when I return, I will pay you back for any additional costs.’ What do you think? Which one of these three was a neighbor to the man who encountered thieves?”  Then the legal expert said, “The one who demonstrated mercy toward him. Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Sermon Love is the Way: Leave No One Behind

Why do we find it hardest to love the people who need us most?


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Offering Prayer

Giving is a part of our worship to God. Partner with us as we share God’s hope and healing to our community and beyond. Contribute here: Oceanview Give. Thank you for helping show Christ real and relevant to the world.


Offering Prayer: God of compassion, hear our offering prayer. In our giving, and in all our offerings, may it be our lives, our love and devotion that we bring to your altar. May we remember in our giving that you loved us so much that the sacrifice of your Son on the cross for us was not too great a cost. Our gifts are meager in comparison, but let them remind us of what you gave first. In Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, we pray. Amen.

"Neighbour" by Verses

A contemporary song about loving your neighbor.

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Lenten Blessing

Whatever wilderness the Spirit has brought you to:

walk in boldness, as a beloved child of God

walk in peace, under the shelter of the Most High

walk in faith, knowing Christ walks with you. 

Amen.


Source: Joanna, https://spaciousfaith.com/2013/02/15/worship-pieces-lenten-offertory-prayer-and-benediction/

Blessing: O Love Divine Verse Three

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Revised Common Lectionary

Further Readings for the Fifth Sunday in Lent, March 21, 2021, from The Revised Common Lectionary, Year B.


1st Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34

Psalm: Psalm 51:1-12

2nd Reading: Hebrews 5:5-10

Gospel: John 12:20-33


https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/

Mission Focus: CROS Summer Camps

CROS Ministries Summer Camp is a  nine-week, summer day camp program for children, who have completed kindergarten and just finished 8th grade, living in Title I zip codes (neighborhoods receiving federal funding for schools where at least 40% of the students are from families with low incomes) in Lake Worth. The program is built upon a Christian foundation that promotes  school readiness, ensures proper nutrition, and guarantees a safe nurturing place for campers to call "home" during the day.


We can help support CROS Camps this year by collecting and donating the following items: 

  • Paper plates, 
  • Paper bowls, 
  • Plastic Cups (8 oz or smaller), 
  • Napkins, 
  • Tall Kitchen trash bags, 
  • Dixie Cups, 
  • Plastic silverware (knives, forks, spoons),
  • Aluminum Foil, 
  • Plastic Wrap, 
  • Wax Paper, 
  • Solo Cups, 
  • Dish Soap, 
  • Hand Soap, 
  • Brown Paper Bags (lunch sacks).


Deadline to bring in items to the church is Sunday, May 9th. 


For more information, contact Emily Zarzycki

CROS Ministries

3677 23rd Avenue South, #B-101

Lake Worth, FL 33460

(561) 233-9009 · (561) 233-9819 (fax)

www.crosministries.org