22 Nov Worship Bulletin: 11/26/23
Welcome to Worship at the McPherson Church of the Brethren
We invite your active participation in the life of this congregation, as together we continue to grow in grace and seek justice for God’s creation.
Sunday, November 26, 2023 @ 10:15 a.m. – Thanks Giving Sunday
Gathering Music | “Come, You Thankful People, Come” | arr. Gerald Peterson
Ellen Gilbert, organ
Video Welcome
Sharing Time | Joys & Concerns | Ann Stover
Centering Music | “Now Thank We All Our God” | arr. Stanley Saxton
Ellen Gilbert, organ
Responsive opening Prayer | John Birch (lightly adapted)
Call us to service God;
to be your eyes and ears, hands and voice in this, your world.
Open our eyes God;
not only to the beauty and love which you create,
but also to the injustice, hate and suffering that humankind generates.
Open our ears God;
not only to the chattering of this coming week,
but also to the searching, fears and questioning of all whom we shall meet.
Open our hands God;
not only to those we choose our lives to share,
but also in welcome, love and fellowship to all who you draw near.
Open our mouths God;
not only to speak platitudes and simple words,
but to also speak the truths you lay upon our hearts.
Call us to service God;
to be your eyes and ears, hands and voice in this, your world. AMEN
Opening Song | “Brothers and Sisters of Mine are the Hungry” | #142
Story for the Children | Barbara Wagoner
Video Invitation to Give
Give online or send a check made payable to “McPherson Church of the Brethren,” 200 N. Carrie, McPherson, KS 67460
Musical Offering | “O Divine Redeemer” | Charles Gounod/arr. Robert Thygerson
Ellen Gilbert, piano
Companion Scripture | Ezekiel 34:11-26, 20-24 | God’s Sheep
11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. 12 As a
shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep.
I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.
13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I
will bring them into their own land.
I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land.
14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land.
There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the
mountains of Israel.
15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord.
16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays.
I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy.
I will shepherd the flock with justice.
20 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says to them:
See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.
21 Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns until you
have driven them away,
22 I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered.
I will judge between one sheep and another.
23 I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them
and be their shepherd.
24 I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.
♫Scripture Song | “Gentle Shepherd, Come and Lead Us” | #352
Scripture Focus | Matthew 25:31-46 | The Sheep and the Goats
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.
32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd
separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right,
‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since
the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you
gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you
clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When
did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see
you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply,
‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine,
you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left,
‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to
drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me,
I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison,
and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply,
‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Message | “Balancing the Scales of Justice” | Jerry Bowen
♫Sending Song | “For We are Strangers No More” | #322
Sending Words
♫Sending Music | “Sing to the Lord of Harvest” | arr. John Carter
Ellen Gilbert, piano
Videography and Editing: Eric Goering
Music Coordinator: Ellen Gilbert
Choir Director: Becky Snell
Technical Crew: Eric Goering, Ryan Goering, Shane Kirchner, Steve Lolling & Chris Whitacre
Chancel Decoration Team: Jill Brax, Colleen Gustafson, Michele Johnson, Shane Kirchner & Lara Schoming