Camp & Conference Sunday ‘09
 
Call to Worship Give thanks to our God Whose love endures forever. You sun and moon, you stars of the sky: Give to our God your thanks and praise. Sunrise and sunset, night and day: Give to our God your thanks and praise. All mountains and valleys, Wooded hills and level plains, Glacier, avalanche, mist and snow: Give to our God your thanks and praise. Rabbits and squirrels, sparrows and hawks, Catfish and mussels, oak and cedar, Give to our God your thanks and praise. Let all creation praise the Lord. Prayer of the Day / Opening Prayer God of all delight, grant us that joy which no one can take from us, the joy of having a work to do, of having a life to live; grant us the joy that comes with trust, and that will carry us through temptation, anxiety and grief. God of love, let us not serve you grudgingly like slaves, but with the gladness of children who delight in you and rejoice in your work. We pray these things in the name of your son, Jesus. Amen. Hymn of Praise Presbyterian Hymnal #368 “Peace Like a River” Confession Creating God, too often our actions disfigure your world, or take your freedom from others, or deprive others of hope. Too often we distort your peace, and choose death over life. Sometimes these sins are plain to us, some are harder to see, and some we cannot face at all. Forgive what our lips tremble to name; set us free to hear your word to us; set us free to serve you with joy. Assurance of Pardon God the Creator brings you new life, forgiving and redeeming you. Take hold of this forgiveness and rejoice. The Peace One of God’s greatest gifts is the gift of life in community. Look around you. You are blessed by the warm embrace of the people of God. Let us share the Christ’s peace with one another. The peace of Christ be with you. And also with you. Hymn Pres Hymnal #369 “I’m Going to Live so God Can Use Me” Prayer for Illumination O, Lord, you are the refining fire that cleanses us, and the fire of inspiration that burns within us. With your Word this day, set our lives ablaze: cleansing our hearts and minds of fear, and kindling the fires of compassion and service. Hebrew Reading: 2 Kings 5:1-17 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. And the king of Aram said, “Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.” He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.” But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage. But his servants approached and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean. Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company; he came and stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel; please accept a present from your servant.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will accept nothing!” He urged him to accept, but he refused. Then Naaman said, “If not, please let two mule-loads of earth be given to your servant; for your servant will no longer offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god except the Lord. Psalm  30 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit. Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.” By your favor, O Lord, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed. To you, O Lord, I cried, and to the Lord I made supplication: “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper!” You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever. Epistle Reading: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified. Gospel Reading: Mark 1:40-45  A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, ‘If you choose, you can make me clean.’ Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I do choose. Be made clean!’ Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, saying to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’ But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter. Sermon (Sermon suggestion: the lectionary passage from the gospel tells the story of a person who had an encounter with Jesus, and that person’s response to that encounter. The leper meets Jesus, has an encounter with Jesus that leaves him changed, and then, as a response to the encounter, returns to the worshipping community. The story has places of convergence with the process of going on retreat or going to camp that can allow the preacher to tie the theme of the day with the gospel message.) Affirmation of Faith We trust in God, whom Jesus called Abba, Father. In sovereign love God created the world good and makes everyone equally in God's image   male and female, of every race and people, to live as one community. But we rebel against God; we hide from our Creator. Ignoring God's commandments, we violate the image of God in others and ourselves, accept lies as truth, exploit neighbor and nature, and threaten death to the planet entrusted to our care. We deserve God's condemnation. Yet God acts with justice and mercy to redeem creation. Minute for Mission -- CAMP CAREW (Get one of your congregation who has attended Camp Carew or worked/volunteered at Camp Carew to speak about their experience; OR Call us at CampCarew and we’ll arrange for you to have a guest speaker!) Prayers of the People God of all Creation, As we gather together on this Sunday to celebrate the ministry of Camps and Conference Centers all around the world, we offer our gratitude for the ways in which these places have touched the lives of so many of your people; we offer praise and thanks for all the hundreds of church leaders and ministers who heard your call on their lives in a camp and conference setting; we lift our gratitude for the opportunities for renewal and growth that young people and people of all ages have found at these places; and we thank you for all of the congregations, volunteers, and dedicated leaders who make these ministries possible. Gracious God, we lift our hearts in prayer for those who will be attending camps and retreats this year, especially those who will be attending camps and retreats at Camp Carew; we ask that, even now, you prepare their hearts for the work that you will do in their lives during their time at Camp Carew; we ask that you guide the work of the staff and volunteers at Camp Carew as they work on the site, and hire staff, and publicize the camps, and do all of the work required to provide wonderful opportunities for the people of this presbytery to experience your love and your presence, and to find your blessing of Christian community. (continue prayer as the needs of the congregation at this time give guidance.) Offering (If your congregation would like to take up a special offering for Camp Carew and need special bulletin inserts or materials, please let us know.) Prayer of Thanksgiving God of Grace, you pour out your blessings upon us in so many ways: the wind in the trees, the sun and the rain, the peaceful lakeshores and the rushing rivers. We give these gifts in grateful response. See that they are used in sharing your grace with those who are in need of it. Hymn Presbyterian Hymnal #338 “Kum Ba Yah” Charge and Blessing This week, wander through the world with the eyes of a child; steep yourself in the wonder of all of God’s creation; share your compassion and friendship with a stranger; and walk in the knowledge that God goes with you. Amen. FURTHER IDEAS FOR CAMP/CONFERENCE SUNDAY Decorate the sanctuary to help set the scene and build enthusiasm for the theme of worship: use tents, borrow a canoe, build a fake campfire, etc. Use your coffee hour or fellowship time: offer s’mores or other camp fare as some of the snacks Request a copy of the Camp Carew promotional DVD to play before or after the service Get one of your congregation who has attended Camp Carew or worked/volunteered at Camp Carew to speak about their experience; OR Call us at Camp Carew and we’ll arrange for you to have a guest speaker! Consider taking up a special offering for Camp Carew Use the Camp Carew bulletin inserts (available after January 24) in your bulletin on Camp and Conference Sunday If you are not using the Presbyterian Hymnal, look for camp songs in your hymnal. If you need suggestions, contact Camp Carew. Summer Camp 2009 brochures will be distributed at the Presbytery meeting on February 12. Don’t forget to pick yours up and display them on Camp and Conference Sunday. Don’t forget about your youth meetings! Camp and Conference Sunday is a wonderful occasion to celebrate in worship, but it is also a wonderful occasion to celebrate at youth gatherings, too.