Bulletin: Garasene Man

Prayers by Rev. Dr.  Barb Hedges-Goettl please credit 🙂
Welcome and Announcements Reader
Prelude Go, Tell it On the Mountain (Blue, 29)
Opening Prayer**
O God, in this time of worship, speak a word to us:
a word of life, a word of encouragement, a sustaining, life-changing, word,
for we know that with your word you heal the sick, cure the infirm,
and even raise the dead.
So come into this house and speak, Lord—speak, for your children are listening.
In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Call to Worship (Romans 9:16, 26-28) Reader
One: Everything depends not on what we humans want or do,
Many: but only on God's mercy;
Not only from among the Jews but also from among the Gentiles
we are the people God calls.
God says, “the people who were not mine,
I will call ‘My People’
the nation that I did not love
I will call ‘My Beloved’
And in the very place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called the children of the living God.”

*Opening Hymn God of Compassion, in Mercy Befriend Us Blue, 261

*Call to Confession Reader
Sometimes we are tossed and thrown by what goes on around us.
Let us renew our trust in God.
Prayer of Confession (unison)

God, the forces that pummel us are legion.
The things that call to us are like an unruly mob.
At times we are battered, hit left and right by tough situations.
At times we are bereft, falling into hopelessness.
At time we are bemused, not knowing what to make of it all.
Forgive us for not turning more constantly to you,
our constant help in times of need. (Silent Confession)

Words of Assurance:
See how much the Lord does for us, how he shows mercy on us.
We thank God for the Good News: In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.

Gloria Patri: (Blue #579) “Glory Be to the Father”

Passing of the Peace: The peace of Christ be with you. And also with you.

Minute for Mission

Prayers of the People/Lord’s Prayer (traditional) Blue Hymnal, p. 14

Celebration of Birthdays and Anniversaries Reader

Offering Hymn God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending Blue Hymnal, 422

* Doxology (Blue, #592) Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow

* Prayer of Dedication (unison) Pastor

Prayer for Illumination Blue Hymnal, 11
Scripture Reading: Mark 5:1-20 Reader

Message

*Confession of Faith – The Apostles’ Creed (Traditional) Blue Hymnal, p.14

*Closing Hymn Live Into Hope Blue Hymnal, 332

*Charge and Benediction Pastor

Postlude O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee (Blue Hymnal, 357)

Author: katyandtheword

Pastor Katy has enjoyed ministry at New Covenant since 2010, where the church has solidified its community focus. Prior to that she studied both Theology and Christian Formation at Princeton Theological Seminary. She also served as an Assistant Chaplain at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital and as the Christian Educational Coordinator at Bethany Presbyterian at Bloomfield, NJ. She is an writer and is published in Enfleshed, Sermonsuite, Presbyterian's today and Outlook. She writes prayers, liturgy, poems and public theology and is pursuing her doctorate in ministry in Creative Write and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. She enjoys working within and connecting to the community, is known to laugh a lot during service, and tells as many stories as possible. Pastor Katy loves reading Science Fiction and Fantasy, theater, arts and crafts, music, playing with children and sunshine, and continues to try to be as (w)holistically Christian as possible. "Publisher after publisher turned down A Wrinkle in Time," L'Engle wrote, "because it deals overtly with the problem of evil, and it was too difficult for children, and was it a children's or an adult's book, anyhow?" The next year it won the prestigious John Newbery Medal. Tolkien states in the foreword to The Lord of the Rings that he disliked allegories and that the story was not one.[66] Instead he preferred what he termed "applicability", the freedom of the reader to interpret the work in the light of his or her own life and times. View all posts by katyandtheword