And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks:

nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

Isaiah 2:4

16 November 2014 Worship at 10:30am

www.riverofhopehutchinson.org

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Music to Prepare Us for Worship

Gathering Songs/Hymns – “Be Unto Your Name” and “Canticle of the Turning”

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Welcome, Worship Orientation 101, You Are Here Clipboards

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No Longer Strangers Prayer God of the stranger, Help us to see you outside of worship, outside of Sunday, and outside of ourselves. You reach out to us in the most unlikely ways. Help us to always seek you in new people and new experiences. Amen.

Meet Someone New We practice being Christians by extending our hand in friendship to people we may not know very well or at all. If we can’t do it here, in worship, where else can we do it? Go ahead, make the first move. “Hi, my name is _____________. You’re new to me.”

Reprise of 2nd gathering song to gather everyone back together.

Greetings of grace through God, Jesus Christ, & the Holy Spirit The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the community of the Holy Spirit is with you all. And also with you.

Confession and Forgiveness In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Let us confess that God is God and we are not. Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Silence for reflection Most merciful God, we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways,

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Pronunciation Guide:

Rabshakeh: RAB-shah-kuh

Lachish: lah-KEESH

Eliakim: ee-LAI-uh-kihm

Hilkiah: hihl-KAI-uh

to the glory of your holy name. Amen. Fear not sisters and brothers. God, who is full of grace and abounding in steadfast love, meets us in our sin and transforms us for God’s glory and the healing of God’s world. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, your sins are forgiven. Be now at peace. And we say, thanks be to God. Thanks be to God! Amen!

Read Pastor Laura: Our story and God’s story continues today in Isaiah 36:1-3, 13-20; 37:1-7; 2:1-4 Narrator: In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, King Sennacherib of

Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. The

king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem,

with a great army. He stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to

the Fuller’s Field. And there came out to him Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was in

charge of the palace, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the

recorder. Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the

language of Judah,

Rabshakeh: Hear the words of the great king, the king of Assyria! Thus says the

king:

King of Assyria: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you. Do not let Hezekiah make

you rely on the Lord by saying, The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of

Assyria.

Rabshakeh: Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria:

King of Assyria: Make your peace with me and come out to me; then everyone of you will eat from your own vine

and your own fig tree and drink water from your own cistern, until I come and take you away to a land like your

own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards. Do not let Hezekiah mislead you by saying,

The Lord will save us. Has any of the gods of the nations saved their land out of the hand of the king of

Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they delivered

Samaria out of my hand? Who among all the gods of these countries have saved their countries out of my hand, that

the Lord should save Jerusalem out of my hand?

Narrator: When King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the

house of the Lord. And he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, and Shebna the secretary, and the senior

priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. They said to him,

Pronunciation Guide:

Shebna: SHEEB-nah

Joah: JOH-uh

Asaph: AY-saf

Hamath: HAY-mehth

Arpad: AR-pahd

Pronunciation Guide:

Sepharvaim: SEF-ahr-vyhm

Amoz: AY-muhz

Hezekiah: heh-zeh-KAI-uh

Sennacherib: seh-NAK-er-ihb

Assyria: a-SIHR-ee-uh

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Priest: Thus says Hezekiah, This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the

birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. It may be that the Lord your God heard the words of the

Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that

the Lord your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.

Narrator: When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, Isaiah said to them,

Isaiah: Say to your master, “Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with

which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me. I myself will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a

rumor, and return to his own land; I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.”

Narrator: [On another occasion, the people heard] the word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and

Jerusalem.

Isaiah: In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and

shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. Many peoples shall come and say,

People: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may

teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.

Isaiah: For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge

between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their

spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

Narrator : Tune in next week for the continuing saga that is our story and God’s story.

All: Thanks be to God.

Children’s Time

Sermon

Post-Sermon Connection It is not true that humanity will forever hunger. This is true: I am the bread of life and those who come to me will never hunger. It is not true that justice is lost from the world. This is true: the Lord requires justice. It is not true that peace has gone. This is true: I give you my peace, a peace the world cannot give. It is not true that the church is coming to an end. This is true: behold I make all things new, beginning with you. It is not true that worry and anxiety will follow us everywhere we go. This is true: Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. It is not true loneliness is the fate of humanity. This is true: I am with you always to the end of time.

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Hymn/Song of the Day – “The Stand”

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Apostles’ Creed I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead.* On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

*Or, "he descended into hell," another translation of this text in widespread use.

Prayers for All People - It is our duty and our joy to pray not only for our own lives and for the church but for the world, especially those in need. Each petition will end with, “Hear us Oh God” and your prayer response is “Your mercy is great.”

Offering All that we have and all that we are comes from God. Let us give back to God in a spirit of generosity. There will be enough. Please put your offering of gratitude to God in the plate as it passes by.

Offering Song – “Seek Ye First”

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Setting the Table As the kids help set the table, they circle around the table and lead the congregation in the table prayer written by Martin Luther: Let’s pray: Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest. And let these gifts to us be blest. Amen.

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The Great Thanksgiving

It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our Savior Jesus Christ; who on this day overcame death and the grave, and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life. And so, with all the choirs of angels, with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

Words to bless the meal O God of resurrection and new life: Pour out your Holy Spirit on us and on these gifts of bread and wine. Bless this feast. Grace our table with your presence. Amen.

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The Lord’s Prayer You are invited to join hands with those around you in prayer. If you are not the hand-holding type, then simply fold your hands in front of you or hang onto this bulletin as you pray.

Our Father in heaven hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

Invitation to The Meal You are welcome to this meal. If you hunger and thirst for grace and mercy that comes through Jesus Christ, then Christ has set this table just for you. Bring all that you are and all that you have to the table. You will be fed. You will be forgiven. There will be enough.

Communion Songs/Hymns – “God of Grace and God of Glory” & “Lord, Let My

Heart Be Good Soil”

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Bless

Blessing After the Meal May the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in God’s peace. Amen.

Why does our church exist? What is our purpose? We go out to transform lives through Jesus Christ.

Blessing to GO… We go with God’s blessing into a world that is often chaotic and not peaceful or welcoming of God. We go into the chaos to bless others in God’s name.

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+ You are a blessed child of God! Now Go! And bless others in God’s name

Sending Song – “What a Fellowship, What a Joy Divine”

Go in peace – serve the Lord! Thanks be to God