Instructions
Due to today’s weather, our church building is closed. Even so, the church is still very much alive. This morning, you are invited to worship at home, wherever you are, trusting that Christ meets us beyond walls and schedules.
Below is a simple order of worship you may follow on your own, with your household, or at whatever pace fits your morning. Feel free to adapt it for your setting. There is no need to rush.
Prepare Your Space
Before beginning, take a moment to settle in.
You may wish to light a candle, place a Bible nearby, or pause for a few quiet breaths. Children are welcome to move, draw, or listen in their own way.
Call to Worship
Today is not like other days.
But it is still the Lord’s day.
Even though we are separated from our church family we gather as a household to worship.
Let us worship the Lord our God.
Opening Prayer
Keep my mind ever marveling
at the wondrous depth of your love
and kindness to us.
Keep my heart soft and moldable
to your infinite, all-encompassing grace.
Keep my hands and feet courageous and bold,
willing to risk the dare
that whatever you have for me today
is far greater than my fear.
This is your day, O Lord,
and I am humbled again
by your merciful invitation to join you in it.
Thank you for this day.
Amen.
Today is your day, Lord.
Not mine,
not theirs,
not ours,
but yours.
Help me to see each ray of sunlight,
each drop of rain,
each gust of wind,
as a constellation of grace,
signs of your working in me,
through me, and around me.
Keep my eyes open
to see you in all the hidden places
and hidden faces I encounter each day.
Scripture
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.”
Video Devotional
Family Activity
Grab some paper and markers. You may even want tape to piece multiple pages together for larger families.
Draw a big vine on your paper.
Each family member traces their hand as a leaf and writes or draws one fruit God helps us grow (love, kindness, patience, helping, forgiving).
Remind one another that it is important to stay connected to God in order to grow.
Hang it where your family can see it this week.
Reflection Questions
Jesus says, “Abide in me.” When have you noticed yourself feeling rushed or overly busy this week? What might it look like for you or your family to slow down and spend time with Christ instead of hurrying on to the next thing?
Jesus compares our lives to branches connected to a vine. What helps you feel close to Christ? What makes it harder to stay connected?
Jesus says that staying connected to Christ leads to joy. That kind of joy feels different from being entertained or getting what you want. Where have you seen that deeper joy in your life or family?
Prayers of the People
We pray too for other people in other places where changing weather patterns only compound
the suffering and harm, division and strife that plague so many communities.
Be with those who are afraid today. Be their guard and their shield.
Be with those who cry out for justice. Be their advocate and defender.
Be with those who are working for peace. Be their strength and their guide.
Be with those who fervently pray “your will be done.” Be their comfort and their joy.
This is your world, and these are your people.
Shepherd them and us into the loving purposes of your kingdom.
You, O God, have been our help in the past,
and you are our bright hope for years to come.
Bless us now as we worship you.
Grant us your presence and support us now and always with your love.
In the name of Jesus Christ, your Son and our Savior, who taught us to pray by saying…
"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,
for ever and ever."
Amen.
O God of all grace and every mercy,
We’re grateful that you have kept us safe through a week of work, of travel, of learning, of play.
We thank you that you have protected many of us from the cold
and we remain glad for the blessing of shelter during winter storms and always.
For furnaces that warm us,
for sturdy walls that provide a buffer between the cold and us,
for sweaters and blankets we can wrap around ourselves,
for coats to wear when we do go outside—
for all these blessings,
and for the money we have to purchase it all in the first place,
we give to you, our Provider God, our thanks and praise.
We are mindful too of the many people
in this city and elsewhere whose shelters are inadequate,
if they have a roof over their heads at all.
We summon to mind those who cannot pay the gas bill,
those whose coats are threadbare,
and those whose poorly insulated walls fail to keep the wind at bay.
We cannot be grateful for the ways you provide for most of us, O Lord,
without praying for your provision in the lives of others.
In your good name, help your people always
to be reaching out with care and compassion and in so doing
to be the hands and fingers of you, O God.
Invitation to Give
Though we are not together, the work of the church continues this week and all the weeks of the year. Your giving makes that possible and is an important component of your discipleship. If you would like to make a contribution online you can click the button below.
Benediction
“May the LORD bless you and keep you; may the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you; may the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen. ”