EVANGELICAL THEOLOGICAL FACULTY, LEUVEN

COURSE ASSIGNMENT 5: WORSHIP DESIGN

ADVANCED LITURGY

PROFESSOR: DR. C. Cherry

BY

Filip De Cavel

HEVERLEE - LEUVEN, BELGIUM

June 2012

1. INTRODUCTION

The following order of service revolves around the meeting of Jesus with two

people who could not be further apart from each other than humanly possible in the

time and culture of first century Israel: Jairus and the sick woman in Mark 5.

He is a man, she is a woman. He is named, she remains anonymous. Jairus is a

religious man, she would probably be a religious outcast because of her perpetual

uncleanness. We do not know if Jairus was poor, but she was. He is assertive and

meets Jesus full frontal while the woman in a very timid way approaches Jesus. There

is no resemblance between them and they might have never met in real life if it was

not for Jesus.

In Jesus they come together because they need Him and His powers. The

narrative will serve, apart from being the choice of text to preach from, as a template

for our worship, in fact for our lives. We come as a united people, united in

brokenness. There brokenness is expressed in them kneeling down for Jesus. The

whole narrative expresses emotions of fear, hope, lostness, worship and faith. These

are great ingredients for a wonderful liturgy.

The narrative as it will be expressed through the liturgy will serve as a mirror

to our own lives. In this way we hope to be send away with the same blessing Jesus is

offering the once sick — now healed — woman...I mean ‘daughter’.

2

2. PART ONE: ESSAY ON FOUR-FOLD ORDER

1.1. The Gathering

The Gathering is the corporate answer to a Call to Worship of every individual

believer. This individual leaves his or her house to join all the other believers. As such

they become an embodied and communal reaction of those who are ‘called out’, the

ekklēsia. In other words, at that point of Gathering, the church becomes the church

visible by virtue of answering that call, of saying “yes” to God’s invitation.1

Two aspects are worth noting: It is called out of somewhere else and it is being

called in to a space, a body. These two elements who should be part of the same coin,

emphasises some important truths about the Gathering. First, it is our answer to our

Creator’s renewed call of “Adam, where are you?” (Gen. 3:9). We don’t hide as a new

people. The Gathering answers to God, “Here we are!”. We are called out of our

hiding place to enter His hiding place (Ps. 32:7).

The second aspect, the be called in, emphasis, as the Gathering progresses, the

dialogue that develops between God and the worshipper.2

3

1 See also Constance M. Cherry, The Worship Architect : A Blueprint for Designing Culturally Relevant and Biblically Faithful Services (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010), Kindle Electronic Edition: Chapter 4: Location 861.

2 This development from being called out, to being called in, I would argue, fits the movement from the general to the specific as pointed out by Cherry. See also Ibid., Kindle Electronic Edition, 896.

1.2. The Word

The context of the early churches and for that matter for the most part of its

existence was one of orality, a culture of speaking Gods word and listening to it. In a

post-Reformational context we might applaud the reading and the listening to God’s

Word, the reality is also that Scripture and sermon have become vehicles of theology

and doctrine. The moment of the Word in this sense might become reduced to a

moment of commentary which, in all fairness, is nothing wrong with.

But Scripture is much more then that. It God’s story that shapes our thinking,

our imagination and our actions. We are not so much interested in the commentary of a

man or woman, but in being shaped by that Word that enters liturgy through a

variations of pathways (creed, songs, exhortation, drama,…).

1.3. The Response to the Word

In celebrating the Lord’s Supper, or the Table, God has made it easy for us

humans. We do what we normally do: eat and drink. We eat and drink what we like:

wine and bread. In that symbolic moment of embodied drama we act out a response

very similar to what we, dependent creatures, do everyday: we eat and drink bread and

wine together.

The difference is here is the one who prepared it by way of the same biological

elements as by the way he offers it as an evocation of what Christ has done for us. To

put it mildly unrespectful, it is a recipe prepared with love straight out of

‘grandmother's kitchen’.

4

1.4. The Sending

As intentional the three previous parts have been prepared and experienced, so

often this last part has become synonymous for the one thing that keeps us from

discussing the sermon while drinking coffee.

As we have been called out the world and called in to the Gathering, so we are

send out by Him and called back to the world to take up our responsibilities as His

witnesses. We might not end with saying “have a nice week” but in the sending there

is the element of hope that through us others might have a good week.

(555 words)

5

3. PART TWO: ORDER OF SERVICE

The Gathering

Call to Worship from Isaiah 55:1-2

Greeting

Chorus: The Feast is Ready to Begin (Graham Kendrick, 1989)

Hymnal reading: Jesus, stand among us (William Pennefather, 1855)

Chorus: Jesus stand among us (Graham Kendrick, 1977)

Scripture reading: Gospel of Mark 5:21-33

Communal reading: A meditation on the Hymn of St. Patrick

Antiphonal prayer

Word

Sermon based on the Gospel of Mark 5:21-43

Solo: Where there once was only hurt (Tommy Walker, 1992)

Response to the Word

Hymn: It is not death to die (Bob Kauflin, 2006)

Silent reflection

Spontaneous prayer

Chorus: He is exalted (Twila Paris, 1985)

Time of sharing and testimony

Intercessory prayer

Sending

Scripture reading: Gospel of Mark 5:34-43

Chorus: What Can I Do? (Paul Baloche, 2008)

Benediction

6

4. PART THREE: EXPLANATION

Introduction

The Order of Service is based on a sermon theme this writer has preached (A

Tale of Two Daughters) which in turn is based on a text from the Gospel of Mark. It is

the story of Jesus healing Jairus' daughter and a sick woman in Mark 5:21-43. As the

text of the sermon is not transcribed here I will briefly explain its main message as it

will give impetus to the order of service.

It is a story of faith and hope that finds a climax in Jesus facing the woman and

speaking life into her: “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed

from your suffering” (Mk 5:34, NIV). In same manner Jairus is encouraged to act

likewise.

It is the only time in the Gospels Jesus is expressing a relationship to someone in

this manner, using the word ‘daughter’. It is as if Jesus is saying to Jairus, “You have a

twelve year old daughter who is dying, but this ‘daughter’ of mine has also been dying

for twelve years”. This idea of Jesus healing/raising these daughters will be the

framework for this service.

In the following text I will accentuate the specific liturgical elements in bold

(e.g. a Call to Worship, Greeting, Proclamation,…).

7

The Gathering (25’)

The Gathering opens with a scriptural Call to Worship based on an invitation

from Isaiah 55:1-2 (NIV): It is an invitation to the Thirsty.

The leader proclaims with a loud voice: Isaiah 55:1-2.

Then the leader would go on with a greeting in a more personal form of an

invitation and in welcoming manner, he proclaims this welcoming.

“In Jesus, God has prepared a feast of good things for all who accept his invitation. So feel welcomed and greeted by our Heavenly Host. Come on: the feast is ready!”3

This will be the introduction to the first chorus based partially on Isaiah 55. It

is a very festive and celebratory up-tempo chorus with references to other invitational-

type of biblical feast (e.g.. John 1, the wedding at Cana).

In terms of narrative flow there are a strong invitational elements (“Come, all

you who are thirsty) combined with a Christological greeting in the paraphrased “In

Jesus, God….” closed with an appropriate festive song of thankfulness which could be

introduced as complementary to the invitation from Isaiah. We come, He offers, we

thank Him.

In terms of the main theme, the leader can highlight that God is a God of

invitation. Even if religion, sickness or mere men stops us from approaching Jesus (as

with the sick woman), the invitation is already send out by God and became specific

in Jesus (i.e. from the general to the specific).4

8

3 A variation on the introductionary chant of “The Feast is Ready to Begin” (No. 412) in Worship Today: Songs and Hymns for the Whole Church (Spring Harvest, 2001).

4 Ibid., Kindle Electronic Edition, Location: 903.

In this song there is a responsive and acclamation piece of praise with short

statements of praise and thanksgiving by the congregation (i.e. “Jesus, Jesus, we thank

You, we thank You For Your love, for Your love”). The congregation sings the chorus:

The Feast is Ready to Begin (Graham Kendrick, 1989).

When the chorus has finished the leader speaks the words of a hymn by

William Pennefather (1855).

The above spoken hymn is a prelude to the following song. The congregation

answer to the above hymn with a chorus that starts with the same words, “Jesus, stand

among us”. These lyrics serves two purposes. First, they are creedal confessions of

the risen Christ and our communal participation in the risen Christ.

Secondly it anticipates the tension arising in the theme texts of the Gospel of

Mark where there is clearly fear and division. Two cultures collide with Jairus as a

religious figure versus the sick woman who does not want to be noticed. Suddenly

Jesus stands among them and unites them in their brokenness for there is no other

ground apart from their brokenness and His mercy to unite them.

As the congregation sings they can join hands at the appropriate time in the

song as participatory answer to the reality of the risen Christ that unites us as well.

The congregation sings the chorus: Jesus stand among us (Graham Kendrick,

1977).

This idea of brokenness opens up space for expressing our offerings of

failures. The last word of both the chorusses, fear, is exactly the emotion that will

connect us with a time of confession.

A time of confession will draw us first to the Gospel reading but only up to

the point in the text where the woman trembles with fear (v. 33). It is at the same time

9

the moment within the Gathering that will set the stage for the Word. The text will be

recited in a more dramatic fashion with the necessary pauses. Although it will be the

first time the believers will hear the text, it will be again the word fear at the near end

that will need to caught our attention but we move a step further. The last word is

truth. The truth is spoken, in this case not by Jesus but by the women.

Vers 33 is pact with meaning and action that invites the believer to do just the

same in this time of confession: knowing (that Jesus healed), came and fell (a gesture

of worship), trembling with fear (our attitude of reverence and awe) and telling the

truth (confession). Again the flow of the narrative of the text and the Gathering meet

each other here as we prepare for confession. It is important to stress that we are not

left with the emotion of fear but are moved towards Jesus out of His touch and healing

power.

A lector reads Mark 5:21-33 (NIV).

The leader says something like: “We come as the woman with fear and

trembling. But meeting Jesus is an encounter extraordinary. For one, it invites us to see

ourselves in light of His presence. What happens then is simple and profound: We tell

Him the truth. We open our hearts. Let us open our hearts by citing the following

meditation.”

After reading this Scripture and saying the above, the reader invites the

congregation to answer with a communal reading of the following text out of David

Adam’s The Cry of the Deer: Meditations on the Hymn of St. Patrick.

10

In the text above there is the same expression of knowing as seen in the life of

the sick woman. There is confession of failure linked with the creedal confession of

His salvation acts.

Before we listen to the Word, we need to become aware.The leader invites to a

prayer based on Alternative Worship. It is an antiphonal prayer that helps to believer

to come full circle in this gathering with the opening text of Isaiah 55:1-2: “Come, all

who are thirsty!” The difference though with the Isaiah text is that the thirstiness

becomes something personal and explained in terms of why we are thirsty (cf. Psalm

42). So here again we move from the general invitation of all people to the concrete

and the personal weariness of the thirsty soul.

In this sense the Gathering is also complete enough to stand on its own. The

theme, although based on the need for us to approach Jesus (like Jairus and the sick

woman) becomes a journey starting with an invitation to all and leading up to an

encounter between Him and me, ending with Him offering me water.

The leader invites us now to listen to Gods Word as explained by the preacher

in the following way: “Let us come to the Fountain of Life. He invites us to listen with

honesty and truth so we might open ourselves to Him, kneel and be healed by His

word.”

11

Word

The preacher starts a ± 25 minute sermon: A Tale of Two Daughters (Jesus

Heals Jairus' Daughter - Mark 5:35-43). At the end of the sermon the leader resumes

his or her role. Still part of the Word-part, the leader invites the congregation to listen

to a song brought as a solo. The leader asks the congregation to imagine as if the song

is sung by the healed woman. It could be suggested to adapt the song — normally

brought with a ‘latin’ feel — to a more gospel-based style. Lively yet not to rhythmic.

The leader’s intention is to create room for ‘feeling’ the gladness of the blessed

woman, to emphatize with her thankfulness.

This song will also bridge the Word with the Alternative Response to the Word.

A singer sing the solo: Where there once was only hurt (Tommy Walker, 1992).

12

Response to the Word

The leader made a transition from the Gathering — which had the emphasis on

the invitation to come and be celebrative and honest in light of His presence — to the

Word. The Word is the story of two ‘daughters’ that invites us to join each other in our

mutual brokenness. We kneel before the Healer. How should we respond?

We responded initially by listening to the joy she might have experienced by

listening to the solo. Now the leader asks the congregation to respond before we move

on in our text since the narrative has not ended yet. The following hymn is a soft song

that moves away from the particular to the general, from the woman to us. It is a

meditation on the cross and more importantly, on how the cross is the answer to the

woman’s predicament and ours.

The congregation sings the hymn: It is not death to die (Bob Kauflin, 2006).

This song offers a mood of silence and reflection. The Leader asks the

congregation to be silent for a moment as they continue to read the lyrics on the

screen. We are invited to offer this song as a prayer in response to the story of the

healing of the woman, Jesus ‘daughter’. This song opens our eyes to the reality that

we are all His sons and daughters.

At this point in the service every part has been led by the leader. After a time of

silence it would fair to expect a responsiveness in the people’s heart they would like to

express. The leader opens the floor for spontaneous prayer. The leader might suggest

a variation by asking those who would like to respond in a prayer, open up or end the

prayer in the following way: “Lord, you call me Your son/daughter”.

13

This spontaneous prayer is a highly formational moment since it will

internalize the emotions of the story as encountered through the meeting with and

healing by Jesus into the hearts of those present.

To end this time, the leader will invite the musicians to start playing a chorus,

He is Exalted (Twila Paris). It is this writers experience that this chorus reinforces the

reality of the exalted one to Whom we pray and have prayed. The lyrics are a

resounding ‘Yes!’. The opening mood of the song is rather flowing and has a

crescendo towards the middle that exemplifies the movement from a stature of sitting

down in quiet prayer to a stature of standing and praising.

The congregation sings the chorus: He is exalted (Twila Paris, 1985).

The Leader proceeds: “How did this sick woman experienced His kingship? He

said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your

suffering v. 34).” Her sending might well be Jairus’s frustration. Her life returned

through the healing and the blessing. Jairus’s daughter in the meantime died.

For the leader this an opportunity to move away from the focus on ourselves to

the needs of others. If we were to be aligned in spirit with the woman, it is with a

purpose: to remain strong in our faith in Him. We might be healed but other might find

it difficult to come with the same expectations.

This might open a time for testimonies and responses to these testimonies. The

leader might ask the congregation to be sensitive to those who might feel like Jairus.

When all hope seems lost, the Lord is still there and speaks, ““Don’t be afraid; just

believe (v. 36).” The congregation is invited to sit in pairs or threes. In this more

intimate context people are free to express either their story of frustration or

unanswered prayers. The others in the group can prayer for them.

14

After a 3 till 5 minutes, the leader closes this time with an invitation to join the

corporate setting.

He prays the following: “Dear God, thank you for being in control of my

destination. Give me faith to believe that You are doing more than I see right now.

Help me to receive the new name You give me.”5

Not so much the sending of the woman is the emphasis here but the sending of

Jairus. The interesting twist is that the sending is all quiet even secretive. A miracle but

Jesus returns to the mundane of food. He tells them all to be quiet about what

happened. In itself this reading does not invite the congregation to be joyful, rather

silent. How could this narrative’s ending still inspire an appropriate ending of this

service?

15

5 Deeper Walk : A Relevant Devotional Series, (Lake Mary, Fl: RELEVANT BOOKS, 2002), 21.

Sending

The leader starts the Sending reading the last part of the narrative: Mark

5:34-43.

The sending is paradoxically a not-sending. The leader confronts the

congregation with this: “What does this mean for us? Shall we be quiet? Shall we who

have brought back to live be silent?” It is a rhetorical question at first so the

congregation can ponder before answering. Ironically, the leader answers with a

profound “no!”, after the cross, we should not be silent. “The empty grave screams it

out, ‘He is risen!’ and so are you!” But before we resolve this tension we can word this

tension with a song: What Can I Do? (Paul Baloche). It questions how we can respond

and the song offers the answer. It is a responsive song to His revelation, in this

particular song, His general revelation (especially verse 1). But then, the second verse,

talks about God’s particular revelation in Christ and His saving grace at the cross.

Again we answer, “make everything a hallelujah”.

The congregation sings the chorus: What Can I Do? (Paul Baloche, 2008).

How can the congregation be send out with the appropriate benediction? Since

both Jairus and the sick woman came to Jesus with a request — a prayer — it seems

befit to end with a benediction focus on prayer. It is a Trinitarian prayer written by

Richard Foster. To combine the benediction with the prayerful nature of the story

makes this sending as a revisit of our main characters a powerful remembering of

where we came from.

The leader asks the congregation to stand. The leader speak out a benediction.

The end.

16

5. PART FOUR: APPENDIX

As it was asked, part four consists of all the worship material. To be able to

follow the flow, I have kept the text from part three and integrated this time all the

songs and prayers with the appropriate footnotes.

The Gathering opens with a scriptural Call to Worship based on an invitation

from Isaiah 55:1-2 (NIV): It is an invitation to the Thirsty.

The leader proclaims with a loud voice:

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.”

Then the leader would go on with a greeting in a more personal form of an

invitation and in welcoming manner, he speaks:

“In Jesus, God has prepared a feast of good things for all who accept his invitation. So feel welcomed and greeted by our Heavenly Host. Come on: the feast is ready!”6

This will be the introduction to the first chorus based partially on Isaiah 55. It

is a very festive and celebratory up-tempo chorus with references to other invitational-

type of biblical feast (e.g.. John 1, the wedding at Cana).

17

6 A variation on the introductionary chant of “The Feast is Ready to Begin” (No. 412) in Worship Today: Songs and Hymns for the Whole Church (Spring Harvest, 2001).

In terms of narrative flow there are a strong invitational elements (“Come, all

you who are thirsty) combined with a Christological greeting in the paraphrased “In

Jesus, God….” closed with an appropriate festive song of thankfulness which could be

introduced as complementary to the invitation from Isaiah. We come, He offers, we

thank Him.

In terms of the main theme, the leader can highlight that God is a God of

invitation. Even if religion, sickness or mere men stops us from approaching Jesus (as

with the sick woman), the invitation is already send out by God and became specific

in Jesus (i.e. from the general to the specific).7

In this song there is a responsive and acclamation piece of praise with short

statements of praise and thanksgiving by the congregation (i.e. “Jesus, Jesus, we thank

You, we thank You For Your love, for Your love”).

Chorus: The Feast is Ready to Begin (Graham Kendrick, 1989)8

The trumpets sound, the angels singThe feast is ready to beginThe gates of heav'n are open wideAnd Jesus welcomes you inside

Sing with thankfulnessSongs of pur delightCome and revel in heaven's love and lightTake your place at the table of the KingThe feast is ready to beginThe feast is ready to begin

Tables are laden with good thingsO taste the peace and joy He bringsHe'll fill you up with love divineHe'll turn your water into wine

18

7 Ibid., Kindle Electronic Edition, Location: 903.

8 “The Feast is Ready to Begin” (No. 412) in Worship Today: Songs and Hymns for the Whole Church (Spring Harvest, 2001).

Jesus, Jesus, we thank You, we thank YouFor Your love, for Your loveFor Your joy, for Your joyJesus, Jesus, we thank You, we thank YouFor the good things, for the good thingsYou give to us, You give to us

The hungry heart He satisfiesOffers the poor His paradiseNow hear all heav'n and earth applaudThe amazing goodness of the Lord

When the chorus has finished the leader speaks the words of a hymn by William

Pennefather (1855):9

Jesus, stand among usIn Thy risen power;Let this time of worshipBe a hallowed hour.

Breathe the Holy SpiritInto every heart;Bid the fears and sorrowsFrom each soul depart.

The above hymn is a prelude to the following song. The congregation answer

to the above hymn with a chorus that starts with the same words, “Jesus, stand among

us”. These lyrics serves two purposes. First, they are creedal confessions of the risen

Christ and our communal participation in the risen Christ.

Secondly it anticipates the tension arising in the theme texts of the Gospel of

Mark where there is clearly fear and division. Two cultures collide with Jairus as a

religious figure versus the sick woman who does not want to be noticed. Suddenly

19

9 “Jesus, Stand Among Us”, Words: William Pennefather, http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/j/s/jstandau.htm (accessed June 4, 2012).

Jesus stands among them and unites them in their brokenness for there is no other

ground apart from their brokenness and His mercy to unite them.

As the congregation sings they can join hands at the appropriate time in the

song as participatory answer to the reality of the risen Christ that unites us as well.

Chorus: Jesus stand among us (Graham Kendrick, 1977):10

Jesus, stand among usAt the meeting of our livesBe our sweet agreementAt the meeting of our eyesO Jesus, we love You, so we gather hereJoin our hearts in unity and take away our fear

So to You we're gatheringOut of each and every landChrist the love between usAt the joining of our hands11

O Jesus, we love You, so we gather hereJoin our hearts in unity and take away our fear

This idea of brokenness opens up space for expressing our offerings of

failures. The last word of both the chorusses, fear, is exactly the emotion that will

connect us with a time of confession.

A time of confession will draw us first to the Gospel reading but only up to

the point in the text where the woman trembles with fear (v. 33). It is at the same time

the moment within the Gathering that will set the stage for the Word. The text will be

recited in a more dramatic fashion with the necessary pauses. Although it will be the

first time the believers will hear the text, it will be again the word fear at the near end

that will need to caught our attention but we move a step further. The last word is

truth. The truth is spoken, in this case not by Jesus but by the women.

20

10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hy0mW2mmLU8 (accessed June 4, 2012)

11 Here the congregation will hold hands.

Vers 33 is pact with meaning and action that invites the believer to do just the

same in this time of confession: knowing (that Jesus healed), came and fell (a gesture

of worship), trembling with fear (our attitude of reverence and awe) and telling the

truth (confession). Again the flow of the narrative of the text and the Gathering meet

each other here as we prepare for confession. It is important to stress that we are not

left with the emotion of fear but are moved towards Jesus out of His touch and healing

power.

A lector reads Mark 5:21-33 (NIV).

21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake.(Pause)22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23 He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him.A large crowd followed and pressed around him. (Pause)25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.30 At once Jesus realised that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. (Pause)33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear (pause), told him the whole truth.

21

The leader says something like: “We come as the woman with fear and

trembling. But meeting Jesus is an encounter extraordinary. For one, it invites us to see

ourselves in light of His presence. What happens then is simple and profound: We tell

Him the truth. We open our hearts. Let us open our hearts by citing the following

meditation.”

After reading this Scripture and saying the above, the reader invites the

congregation to answer with a communal reading of the following text out of David

Adam’s The Cry of the Deer: Meditations on the Hymn of St. Patrick.12

Lead: Know that He was crucified and lives, walks with you. Let Him walk into your past.ALL: We offer our failures and frustration, All that I wish to forget, All that I cannot forgive, All that hurts and pains me,

Lead: He walks into rooms that we thought locked indeed, that He may bring peace.ALL: We offer our failures and frustration, All that I wish to forget, All that I cannot forgive, All that hurts and pains me,

Lead: Experience that peace, His forgiveness and His living presence. He accepts you as you are.ALL: We offer our failures and frustration, All that I wish to forget, All that I cannot forgive, All that hurts and pains me,

ALL: Lord, walk into areas that seem to be breaking down and we know that You offer Your presence, resurrection and life. We know that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ.

22

12 David Adam, The Cry of the Deer, 1st American ed. (Wilton, Conn.: Morehouse-Barlow, 1987), 42, 43.

In the text above there is the same expression of knowing as seen in the life of

the sick woman. There is confession of failure linked with the creedal confession of

His salvation acts.

Before we listen to the Word, we need to become aware.The leader invites to a

prayer based on Alternative Worship.13 It is an antiphonal prayer that helps to believer

to come full circle in this gathering with the opening text of Isaiah 55:1-2: “Come, all

who are thirsty!” The difference though with the Isaiah text is that the thirstiness

becomes something personal and explained in terms of why we are thirsty (cf. Psalm

42). So here again we move from the general invitation of all people to the concrete

and the personal weariness of the thirsty soul.

In this sense the Gathering is also complete enough to stand on its own. The

theme, although based on the need for us to approach Jesus (like Jairus and the sick

woman) becomes a journey starting with an invitation to all and leading up to an

encounter between Him and me, ending with Him offering me water.

Lead: It’s been a hot day You’ve been out in the heat Had nothing to drink And are thirsty

ALL: My soul thirsts for You, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is not water.

Lead: What does it feel like to be thirsty? Your mouth is dry, You are weary, Your whole body longs for water.

ALL: Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters.

23

13 Jonny Baker, Doug Gay, and Jenny Brown, Alternative Worship : Resources from and for the Emerging Church (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2004), 133-34.

The leader invites us now to listen to Gods Word as explained by the preacher

in the following way: “Let us come to the Fountain of Life. He invites us to listen with

honesty and truth so we might open ourselves to Him, kneel and be healed by His

word.”

24

Word

The preacher starts a ± 25 minute sermon: A Tale of Two Daughters (Jesus

Heals Jairus' Daughter - Mark 5:35-43). At the end of the sermon the leader resumes

his or her role. Still part of the Word-part, the leader invites the congregation to listen

to a song brought as a solo. The leader asks the congregation to imagine as if the song

is sung by the healed woman. It could be suggested to adapt the song — normally

brought with a ‘latin’ feel — to a more gospel-based style. Lively yet not to rhythmic.

The leader’s intention is to create room for ‘feeling’ the gladness of the blessed

woman, to emphatize with her thankfulness.

This song will also bridge the Word with the Alternative Response to the Word.

Solo: Where there once was only hurt (Tommy Walker, 1992):14

Where there onceWas only hurtHe gave His healing handWhere there onceWas only painHe brought comfortLike a friendI feel the sweetnessOf His lovePiercing my darknessI see the brightAnd morning sunAs it ushers inHis joyful gladness

You've turned my mourningInto dancing againYou've lifted my sorrowsAnd I can't stay silentI must sing

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14 “Where there once was only hurt” (No. 468) in Worship Today: Songs and Hymns for the Whole Church (Spring Harvest, 2001).

For Your joy has come

Where there onceWas only hurtYou gave YourHealing handWhere the onceWas only painYou brought comfortLike a friendI feel the sweetnessOf Your lovePiercing my darknessI see the brightAnd morning sunAs it ushers inYour joyful gladness

Your anger lastsFor a moment in timeBut Your favour is hereAnd will on me forAll my life time

You've turned my mourningInto dancing againYou've lifted my sorrowsAnd I can't stay silentI must singFor Your joy has come

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Response to the Word

The leader made a transition from the Gathering — which had the emphasis on

the invitation to come and be celebrative and honest in light of His presence — to the

Word. The Word is the story of two ‘daughters’ that invites us to join each other in our

mutual brokenness. We kneel before the Healer. How should we respond?

We responded initially by listening to the joy she might have experienced by

listening to the solo. Now the leader asks the congregation to respond before we move

on in our text since the narrative has not ended yet. The following hymn is a soft song

that moves away from the particular to the general, from the woman to us. It is a

meditation on the cross and more importantly, on how the cross is the answer to the

woman’s predicament and ours.

Hymn: It is not death to die (Bob Kauflin, 2006)15

It is not death to die, to leave this weary roadAnd join the saints who dwell on high who’ve found their home with GodIt is not death to close the eyes long dimmed by tearsAnd wake in joy before your throne delivered from our fears

O Jesus, King of graceYou bore the cross in our placeThough we suffer for a timeWe will reign with you on highAnd it is not death to die.

It is not death to fling aside this earthly dustAnd rise with strong and noble wing to live among the justIt is not death to hear the key unlock the doorThat sets us free from temporal years to praise you evermore.

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15 This is the updated version by Bob Kauflin (Sovereign Grace Music). It is adapted from a poem by George Bethune. The original hymnal text was written by the French speaking Swiss revival preacher and writer of hymns, Henri A.C. Malan (1787-1864) "Non, ce n'est pas mourir que d'aller vers son Dieu" (1832), translated into English by George W. Bethune (1847). http://www.hymnary.org/text/it_is_not_death_to_die?text=2&textDefault=editor&tab=about&visited=true and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sna3Fp4LZ9g ((accessed June 14, 2012).

O Jesus, King of graceYou bore the cross in our placeThough we suffer for a timeWe will reign with you on highAnd it is not death to die.

This song offers a mood of silence and reflection. The Leader asks the

congregation to be silent for a moment as they continue to read the lyrics on the

screen. We are invited to offer this song as a prayer in response to the story of the

healing of the woman, Jesus ‘daughter’. This song opens our eyes to the reality that

we are all His sons and daughters.

At this point in the service every part has been led by the leader. After a time of

silence it would fair to expect a responsiveness in the people’s heart they would like to

express. The leader opens the floor for spontaneous prayer. The leader might suggest

a variation by asking those who would like to respond in a prayer, open up or end the

prayer in the following way: “Lord, you call me Your son/daughter”.

This spontaneous prayer is a highly formational moment since it will

internalize the emotions of the story as encountered through the meeting with and

healing by Jesus into the hearts of those present.

To end this time, the leader will invite the musicians to start playing a chorus,

He is Exalted (Twila Paris). It is this writers experience that this chorus reinforces the

reality of the exalted one to Whom we pray and have prayed. The lyrics are a

resounding ‘Yes!’. The opening mood of the song is rather flowing and has a

crescendo towards the middle that exemplifies the movement from a stature of sitting

down in quiet prayer to a stature of standing and praising.

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Chorus: He is exalted (Twila Paris, 1985):16

He is exalted the King is exalted on HighI will praise YouHe is exalted forever exaltedAnd I will praise His name

He is exalted the King is exalted on HighI will praise HimHe is exalted forever exaltedAnd I will praise His name

He is the Lord Forever His truth shall reignHeaven and Earth Rejoice in His holy nameHe is exalted the King is exalted on high

He is exalted the King is exalted on high

The Leader proceeds: “How did this sick woman experienced His kingship? He

said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your

suffering v. 34).” Her sending might well be Jairus’s frustration. Her life returned

through the healing and the blessing. Jairus’s daughter in the meantime died.

For the leader this an opportunity to move away from the focus on ourselves to

the needs of others. If we were to be aligned in spirit with the woman, it is with a

purpose: to remain strong in our faith in Him. We might be healed but other might find

it difficult to come with the same expectations.

This might open a time for testimonies and responses to these testimonies. The

leader might ask the congregation to be sensitive to those who might feel like Jairus.

When all hope seems lost, the Lord is still there and speaks, ““Don’t be afraid; just

believe (v. 36).” The congregation is invited to sit in pairs or threes. In this more

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16 “He is exalted” (No. 139) in Worship Today: Songs and Hymns for the Whole Church (Spring Harvest, 2001).

intimate context people are free to express either their story of frustration or

unanswered prayers. The others in the group can prayer for them.

After a 3 till 5 minutes, the leader closes this time with an invitation to join the

corporate setting.

He prays the following: “Dear God, thank you for being in control of my

destination. Give me faith to believe that You are doing more than I see right now.

Help me to receive the new name You give me.”17

Not so much the sending of the woman is the emphasis here but the sending of

Jairus. The interesting twist is that the sending is all quiet even secretive. A miracle but

Jesus returns to the mundane of food. He tells them all to be quiet about what

happened. In itself this reading does not invite the congregation to be joyful, rather

silent. How could this narrative’s ending still inspire an appropriate ending of this

service?

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17 Deeper Walk : A Relevant Devotional Series, (Lake Mary, Fl: RELEVANT BOOKS, 2002), 21.

Sending

The leader starts the Sending reading the last part of the narrative.

[H]e took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

The sending is paradoxically a not-sending. The leader confronts the

congregation with this: “What does this mean for us? Shall we be quiet? Shall we who

have brought back to live be silent?” It is a rhetorical question at first so the

congregation can ponder before answering. Ironically, the leader answers with a

profound “no!”, after the cross, we should not be silent. “The empty grave screams it

out, ‘He is risen!’ and so are you!” But before we resolve this tension we can word this

tension with a song: What Can I Do? (Paul Baloche). It questions how we can respond

and the song offers the answer. It is a responsive song to His revelation, in this

particular song, His general revelation (especially verse 1). But then, the second verse,

talks about God’s particular revelation in Christ and His saving grace at the cross.

Again we answer, “make everything a hallelujah”.

Chorus: What Can I Do? (Paul Baloche, 2008):

Verse 1:When I see the beauty of a sunset's glory, Amazing artistry across the evening skyWhen I feel the mystery of a distant galaxyIt awes and humbles me to be lovedBy a God so high

Chorus:What can I do but thank You,

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What can I do but give my life to YouHallelujah, hallelujahWhat can I do but praise You, Everyday make everything I do a hallelujahA hallelujah, hallelujah

Verse 2:When I hear the story of a God of mercyWho shared humanity and suffered by our sideOf the cross they nailed You to, that could not hold YouNow You're making all things new by the powerOf Your risen life

How can the congregation be send out with the appropriate benediction? Since

both Jairus and the sick woman came to Jesus with a request — a prayer — it seems

befit to end with a benediction focus on prayer. It is a Trinitarian prayer written by

Richard Foster. To combine the benediction with the prayerful nature of the story

makes this sending as a revisit of our main characters a powerful remembering of

where we came from.

The leader asks the congregation to stand.

A Benediction

May you know, by the power of the Holy Spirit,

receive the spirit of prayer. May it become, in the name of Jesus Christ,

the most precious occupation of your life. And may the God of all peace

strengthen you, bless you and give you joy.

— Amen.18

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18 Richard J. Foster, Prayer : Finding the Heart's True Home, 1st ed. ([San Francisco]: HarperSanFrancisco, 1992), 273-74.

6. CONCLUSION

To develop a strong and meaningful narrative by means of a Four-Fold order is

a daunting task. There is so much to cover. The flow, the content be it theological,

musical or pastoral, and also the interaction between all those present. The latter is a

skill that can not be translated to paper. It is something one learns by doing it

consistently and with passion.

This particular essay has been fruitful in that it stretched my thinking. Usually

my ministry is of an educational kind. To prepare and give a sermon is something that

I have come to enjoy. But to translate the theme of a sermon to music, to a particular

flavour with its roots in the biblical narrative, took a lot of time and work. Even now I

sense that I have probably missed out on some key features that might have balanced

or enriched the service.

Still, looking back, I’m grateful for the opportunity to experience once again

the joy of struggling with the preparation of the liturgical context as one of the most

blessed moments of the week.

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Bibliography

Adam, David. The Cry of the Deer. 1st American ed. Wilton, Conn.: Morehouse-Barlow, 1987.

Baker, Jonny, Doug Gay, and Jenny Brown. Alternative Worship: Resources from and for the Emerging Church. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2004.

Cherry, Constance M. The Worship Architect: A Blueprint for Designing Culturally Relevant and Biblically Faithful Services. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010.

Deeper Walk : A Relevant Devotional Series. Lake Mary, Fl: Relevant Books, 2002.

Foster, Richard J. Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home. 1st ed. [San Francisco]: HarperSanFrancisco, 1992.

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