Proper 7 C ( June 23): Listening/Time Out/Restoration

 

 

There is a 2022 version of this blog with lots more resources - see my archive at left

Bible Readings: 1 Kings 19:1-15a, Psalm 42 and 43, Galatians 3:23-29, Luke 8:26-39.

About the Images:

Upper Left: This is a Microsoft free clip art with my text.

Upper Right: This is my image - please feel free to user it for worship purposes and other related activities.

Middle Left: This free image comes fro the excellent Heartlight site see my link column at left.

Middle Right: This image comes from the awesome Church Galleries website which was decimated by hackers last year. At present it is possible to buy these images very cheaply - however this particular one is free on the site this week.  Well worth the subscription!!! Visit the website at www.churchgalleries.com
Lower Left:  I chose this image to go with the first few verses of Psalm 42.  It is my image of the Australian outback so please feel free to use it for worship and related activities. 

Call To Worship: Elijah Meditation

Found in "Meeting God" in He Was in the World by John L. Bell, Wild Goose Publications, 1995, ISBN 094798870X, page 67 (pictured at left).

Opening Response: In Quietness and Darkness
Found in Present on Earth by The Wild Goose Worship Group, Wild Goose Publications, 20028, ISBN 0901557642, page 32 (pictured at right).  This goes well with the Galatians reading and particularly with verse 28.

Listening song: Deep Calling Deep
By Margaret Becker (and Charlie Peacock) on her album Grace or on WOW 1996 (pictured at left).This is a song about going deeper with God.

Prayer: Psalm 42 or 43
Have Psalm 42 or 43 on a screen or on a handout for everybody. Ask people to work in groups of three or four and write a two sentence prayer together. Have the first sentence describe something that makes our hearts seethe in turmoil (43:5 and a number of other verses in both psalms) and the second sentence ask God for forgiveness or help with this. Depending on the size of your congregation, either ask one person from each group to read out their prayer for the benefit of all or ask for five or six groups to volunteer to share their prayers.

I Kings Reading:
The verses of the old chorus Be Still and Know That I am God fit well with this reading. Have pauses in the reading where the relevant verse is sung.

Theme Idea: Time Out: God Restores Us...
1. When Others Hurt Us: Use the story of Elijah found in 1 Kings 19.

2. When We Hurt Ourselves: Use the story of Johnny Cash in the Nickajack Cave found in Spiritual Journeys by Jason Boyett, Relevant Books, 2003, ISBN 0972927603, page 13 (pictured at right)
3. When We Hurt for No Apparent Reason: Use the Luke story.

Quote: Mother Teresa
"We all long for heaven where God is but we have it in our power to be in heaven with Him right now - to be happy with Him at this very moment. But being happy with him now means: loving as He loves, helping as He helps, giving as He gives, serving as He serves, rescuing as He rescues, being with him for all the twenty four hours, touching Him in His distressing disguise. (A Gift For God)

Poem: Listening
by Brian Wren and found in Resources for Preaching and Worship - Year C compiled by Hannah Ward and Jennifer Wild, Westminster John Knox Press, 2003, ISBN 066422508X, page 194 (pictured at left). This works really well with projected images and music.

Adult Response: Time Out
This will only work in places where you have available a sweet/lolly/candy (whatever your word is) called a Time Out. They come in two sizes here in Australia and I bought enough of the small ones so that everyone in the congregation could have one. Then I said something alone the lines of:
These readings challenge us in two ways;
1. They encourage us to take time out to spend time with God. God wants us to know that time spent seeking God, saying what is on our minds and revealing how we are feeling is not time wasted. The challenge for us is to make the time. Take the Time Out home, find a space in your day, and as you eat the Time Out, spend time with God. Make sure you put the empty wrapper somewhere where it will remind to take time out for God.
2. In each story the person is encouraged to go back into their communities to share their experience of God with others. When you sit at home in your small quiet space with God and your Time Out, remember to listen to God and discover where God is calling you to share your particular experiences.

Also:

Listening songs: Psalm 42a and Psalm 42b

Both these songs are by Sons of Korah and found on their album, Rain (pictured at right).

Poem and Prayers: Ensign
A great prayer and collect and poem found in Dad and Daughter by Ron Gordon and Jennie Gordon, 2012, ISBN 9780646586601, page 162 (pictured at left). To order a copy of this excellent book email jennie.gordon@billanook.vic.edu.au

Adult Response: The Demons That Won't Let Me Go
Found in Bringing the Word To Life Together: Year C by Andrew Collis and Dorothy McRae-McMahon, Mediacom, Adelaide, 2012, ISBN 9781921945083, page 94-6.  This is based on the gospel reading.