Mennonite Church Saskatchewan Assembly 2015 Worship Sessions Friday 6:45 - 7:00 Gathering songs - with the Clay, Zac, Jordan, Curtis Over my head StJ #18 I want Jesus to walk with me HWB #439 I just keep trusting my Lord PPT They’l know we are Christians by our love PPT Come walk with us StJ #2 Friday, 8:15 pm, Walking with God: with each other, worship & memorial service* Special Guests: A Buncha Guys A BUNCHA GUYS… “WALK BY FAITH” based Hebrews 11 ”HE NEVER FAILED ME, YET Congregational songs: Come walk with us I’m pressing on the upward way (StJ 2, theme song), (StJ 96) Scripture – John 15:1-7 Offering Music: A Buncha Guys - One Faith, One Hope, One Lord Centering words We hear the sounds of footsteps, many footsteps Some loud, some quiet, some confident, some hesitant Some fast and some slow, some heavy and some light And all of them following Jesus…all of them walking with God Message – Josh Wallace “Walking with God: With Each Other” Josh started his message with a story about a fellow named Todd and an experience with footwashing. Did he want Todd to wash his feet? Todd did wash Josh’s feet. John 13 – Jesus washes his disciples feet - Jesus lays down his respectable outer garment; Jesus lays down his life for his friends. Jesus commands love; Jesus demonstrates love to the uttermost. . . . John 15 – the vine and the branches – branches need to be connected to the vine. “But connection isn’t the focus of the picture Jesus paints here. Our connection to him and to the life of God is a function of our fruitfulness. Bearing fruit, not staying connected, is at the centre of Jesus’ words.” . . . “Our fruitfulness is measured, according to Jesus, by how we treat one another.” . . “What does Jesus say to us tonight? He says, ‘Love each other.’ He says, ‘Now that I have cared for your feet, you also should care for one another’s feet.’ He says, ‘You did not choose me, but I have chosen you to go and bear much fruit.’” “Jesus has called us as friends. Let us enact that friendship tonight and tomorrow, even when we stand in disagreement, even when we feel misunderstood or insulted or betrayed. Let us lay aside the outer garment of honor and ‘being right,’ and choose the humbling work caring for one another, the work of friendship. Let us bear much fruit. Amen.” Congregational song: Guide my feet HWB #546 Memorial Sending Song: A Buncha Guys - I will come to you in the silence Saturday, 9:00 am, Walking with God: with the stranger* (8:45- 9:00, Gathering songs) Darrell- djembe, Jerry – bass guitar God loves all His many people HWB 397 We are walking in the light of God We will walk with God StJ 78 My Lord knows the Way PPT We will follow Jesus StS 40 Scripture – Luke 4:16-21 Congregational song: How can I say (StS 117) Centering words We hear the sounds of footsteps, many footsteps Some loud, some quiet, some confident, some hesitant Some fast and some slow, some heavy and some light And all of them following Jesus…all of them walking with God Message – Krista Loewen and Joe Heikman: Walking with God: with the stranger Krista started off telling us about a phone call she had received at the church office. From Angela – who told about difficulties that life had thrown her way. And, now, at the end of her rope, she just needs $20 to set things back on a manageable path. . . . What do you do when a stranger needs help? Sob stories abound . . . we know the right answer, but the first reaction is often suspicion. Do our prejudices show up? We’ve all heard the Good Samaritan story multi times – who is our neighbour? Our highest goal is “hospitality”. “Hospitality goes beyond simply meeting the need, giving the stranger what they ask for. Hospitality is an invitation into relationship, inviting the stranger into a place of safety and warmth, inviting them to join you as an equal, as a guest of honor in the place where you live.” The parables and stories that Luke uses to tell of Jesus’ ministry on the way to Jerusalem are stories of hospitality for the lost and strangers. These parables are unique to Luke and really drive home the point that in order to live as a disciple we are to show kindness to others. The Good Samaritan: The Rich man and Lazarus – stories about God’s upside down kingdom – calling us to welcome the outsiders, invite them into our lives. When we share our lives with strangers we don’t know what will happen. Joe had a parable of his own, a street person named Archie. Archie often needed help, Joe never needed anything from Archie – until one day Archie came by with a story – a sad story about his pastor at a Chinese church he attended – ending with: “You know,” Archie told me reverently, “even pastors are weak. But God uses them.” Joe said “I’ve never heard the voice of God more clearly in my life.” “As a stranger, Archie was someone for me to help, someone who needed the things I had to give. But when I let him in, when I listened, he was a prophet, speaking God’s truth into my life.” Angela got the money and Joe and Krista opened themselves up to a relationship with her. Krista concluded with: “Realizing this makes me wonder what we as MC Sask hold onto that keeps us from inviting people in and being hospitable. Who are we separating out from our communities and lives? Who are we making our strangers? We are here today to make policy and budget decisions. How can we make these decisions to better serve our strangers? Not only are we called to be careful stewards of our own possessions and lives but, to also to be our brother and sister’s keepers in the same respect.” Congregational Song: Come walk with us (StJ 2, theme song) Saturday PM, 1:15 pm, Walking with God: beyond our walls, communion service* Special Guests: Mount Royal Mennonite Church Choir Gathering songs: Leaning on the Everlasting arms, I want to walk as a child of the light HWB 544 Choir Call to worship Choir - Spirit, Sing Offering, MRMC choir Hold on to the Rock – during the offering Scripture – John 17:20-23 Centering words We hear the sounds of footsteps, many footsteps Some loud, some quiet, some confident, some hesitant Some fast and some slow, some heavy and some light And all of them following Jesus…all of them walking with God Message – Daniel Janzen - Walking with God: Beyond our Walls Daniel began his message with a personal story about preparing for a 2010 MCC assignment in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Venturing beyond his familiar territory, he tried to prepare himself for the situation in which he would find himself. He then shared some of his learnings about walking beyond his walls: 1) Stuff is already growing in the yard beyond the Wall where I went out. In the case of the MCC assignment, other workers had been there before him. So, we need to realize that “God is already at work, long before we have gotten there.” So; “Be on the lookout for what God is already doing.” 2) Looking from the balcony is not the same as going outside and participating. Classes help but they don’t necessarily prepare you for the real things you will experience, people / customs are different. Beliefs need to be informed by practise. “God transforms us the most when we are engaged with people outside our walls.” 3) When you walk beyond your walls you are entering into someone else yard. “The ways in which God is transforming or growing me is different than the way you. God, however, is moving in the both of us, but because the geography of our backyards are different, God is doing different things. God is doing different things in different places.” Congregational song: Beauty for Brokenness (StS 115) Communion with MRMC choir singing Come Unto Me Let Our Prayer Rise Up to You Congregation Song: Go my friends in grace Blessing prayer for the afternoon (StS 57) (StJ 174) * For a more detailed version of the services, including prayers, scripts, and song lyrics, contact Kirsten Hamm-Epp or Russ Regier
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