Sunday, May 13, 2012

Sabbath Renewal Day 2012, Part 4: Worship Resources

Part 4 of 4 in the Sabbath Renewal Day 2012 Packet:


Worship Resources
Rev. Dale Rood, Dodge Center, MN

Calls to Worship
The call to worship is meant to invite people to come together in worship. It is meant to make
people aware of the presence of God in their midst as they have gathered to worship. These call to
worship sentences are chosen with that aspect of invitation in mind, and they would be appropriate for any gathering for worship. They are especially appropriate for Sabbath worship, however, because worship is especially appropriate on Sabbath.
Psalm 29:1-2; Psalm 95:6-7; Psalm 96:1-3; Psalm 100:4-5; Psalm 103:20-22; Psalm 118:24; Psalm 122:1; Isaiah 40:4-5; Isaiah 40:28-31; Matthew 11:28-30; John 4:24; John 7:37b-38; Hebrews 2:9-11; Revelation 4:11; Revelation 12:10-11

Responsive Calls to Worship
Psalm 95:7-10a (NIV)
Leader: Ascribe to the Lord, O families of nations.
People: Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
L: Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
P: Bring an offering and come into His courts.
L: Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness;
P: Tremble before Him, all the earth.
ALL: Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
Psalm 100:4-5 (NIV)
Leader: Enter into His gates with thanksgiving
People: and into His courts with praise;
L: Give thanks to Him,
P: and bless His name.
L: For the Lord is good,
P: His love endures forever,
ALL: His faithfulness continues through all generations.

Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV)
Leader: Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden,
People: and I will give you rest.
L: Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me,
P: for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
ALL: and you will find rest for your souls.
L: For My yoke is easy,
P: and My burden is light.

Responsive Scripture Reading
Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12; Leviticus 23:3; Isaiah 58:13-14; Mark 2:27-28
Leader: Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy.
People: Six days you shall labor and do all your work.
L: But the seventh day is the Sabbath to the Lord your God.
P: In it you shall do not work:
L: you, nor your son, nor your daughter,
P: nor your male servant, nor your female servant,
L: nor your cattle,
P: nor your stranger who is within your gates. (Ex. 20:8-10)
L: For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth,…
P: Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt,…
L: In six days the Lord made the sea, and all that is in them.
P: The Lord your God brought out from Egypt by a mighty hand and by an
outstretched arm;
L: Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
P: Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
(Ex. 20:11, Dt. 5:12)
L: Six days shall work be done,
P: but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest,
L: a holy convocation.
P: You shall do no work on it;
L: It is the Sabbath of the Lord
P: in all your dwellings. (Lev. 23:3)
L: If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
P: From doing your pleasure on My holy day,
L: And call the Sabbath a delight,
P: The holy day of the Lord honorable,
L: And shall honor Him not doing your own ways,
P: Nor finding your own pleasure,
L: Nor speaking your own words,
P: Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord. (Is 58:13-14a)
L: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil,
P: to save life or to kill?
L: The Sabbath was made for man,
P: and not man for the Sabbath.
ALL: Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.

Isaiah 55:1-2, 6-11
Leader: “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters;
People: And you who have no money, Come buy and eat.
L: Yes, come, buy wine and milk
P: Without money and without price.
L: Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
P: And your wages for what does not satisfy?
L: Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good.
P: And let your soul delight itself in abundance.”
L: Seek the Lord while He may be found,
P: Call upon Him while He is near.
L: Let the wicked forsake his way,
P: And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
L: Let him return to the Lord,
P: And He will have mercy on him;
L: And to our God,
P: For He will abundantly pardon.
L: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
P: Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
L: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
P: So are My ways higher than your ways,
ALL: And My thoughts than your thoughts.
L: For as the rain comes down and the snow from heaven,
P: And do not return there,
L: But water the earth,
P: And make it bring forth and bud,
L: That it may give seed to the sower
P: And bread to the eater.
L: So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
P: It shall not return to Me void.
L: But it shall accomplish what I please,
P: And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

For The Beauty Of The Earth: A Responsive Reading with Hymn
Leader: The heavens declare the glory of God
People: And the firmament shows His handiwork. (Ps. 19:1)
L: The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness,
P: The world and those who dwell therein.
L: For He has founded it upon the seas,
P: And established it upon the waters. (Ps. 24:1-2)
ALL: Sing first stanza, “For the Beauty of the Earth”

L: Day unto day utters speech,
P: And night unto night reveals knowledge. (Ps. 19:2)
L: Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:
P: They neither toil nor spin,
L: And yet I say to you
P: that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (Matt. 6:28b-29)
ALL: Sing second stanza, “For the Beauty of the Earth”

L: Do not let the son of the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord speak, saying,
P: “The Lord has utterly separated me from His people.”
L: Nor let the eunuch say,
P: “Here I am, a dry tree.”
L: For thus says the Lord: “To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths,
P: And choose what pleases Me
ALL: And hold fast My covenant.
L: Even to them I will give in My house
P: And within My walls a place and a name. (Isaiah 56:3-5a)
ALL: Sing third stanza, “For the Beauty of the Earth”

L: Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to the Lord to serve Him,
P: And to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants —
L: Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
P: And holds fast My covenant —
L: Even them I will bring to My holy mountain,
P: And make them joyful in My house of prayer. (Isaiah 56:6-7a)
ALL: Sing fourth stanza, “For the Beauty of the Earth”

The following can be used as a responsive reading in worship in which the pastor or leader plays the
role of “Teacher,” and the congregation the role of “School.” It can also be done as a Sabbath School lesson, or it can be printed out and made available to people as a reference.
A Sabbath Catechism
From the Sabbath Recorder, April 19, 1920 (adapted)
Teacher: Why are we Christians?
School: We are Christians because we have repented of our sin and transferred our trust for
salvation to Jesus Christ alone, and are following Him day by day as our Lord. We
believe it is through Jesus Christ alone that God gives us his gift of eternal life.
Teacher: Why are we Baptists?
School: We are Baptists because immersion in water, as practiced and enjoined by Jesus and His
disciples, is a symbol and a pledge of our new and risen life in Christ.
Teacher: Why are we Seventh Day Baptists?
School: We are Seventh Day Baptists because we desire and purpose to do our best in keeping
the commandments of God.
Teacher: Who is our example and guide in Sabbathkeeping?
School: Our example and guide in the matter of the Sabbath is Jesus Christ.
Teacher: When was the Sabbath established?
School: The Sabbath is a constituent part of the Bible story of Creation.
Teacher: How is the Sabbath treated in the law of Moses?
School: The Sabbath is given a central and important place in the Decalogue.
Teacher: What did the Hebrew prophets teach about the Sabbath?
School: The Hebrew prophets put great emphasis on the spiritual and moral value of the
Sabbath.
Teacher: Does the New Testament change the Sabbath principle?
School: There is no evidence in the New Testament that the Sabbath principle was changed.
Teacher: Does the New Testament substitute another day for the seventh day for Sabbath observance?
School: There is no evidence in the New Testament that another day was substituted for the
Seventh Day for Sabbath observance.
Teacher: Did Jesus abolish the Sabbath or change the day?
School: Jesus did not abolish or annul the Sabbath, neither did He change the day.
Teacher: What did Jesus do for the Sabbath?
School: Jesus explained the true meaning of the Sabbath. He spiritualized and glorified its use,
making it no longer a burden, but a blessing to mankind.
Teacher: What did Jesus say about the Sabbath?
School: Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.”
Teacher: Is the Sabbath a burden or a hardship?
School: The Sabbath should be our joy and delight, our pleasure to do God’s will and keep His
commandments.
Teacher: How can we promote the observance of the Sabbath?
School: By believing it, by loving it, by teaching it, by being loyal to it, by keeping it faithfully,
and by making it a vital part of our lives.
Teacher: To this end let us pray
ALL: We thank you, Father, for the Sabbath Day. May it be a blessing to us week by week,
and all the time. Help us to be true and loyal and keep the Sabbath right in Your sight.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Suggested Musical Selections
Sabbath songs for Sabbath welcoming and/or Sabbath meals:
Bless Now Thy Children” by Elmo Fitz Randolph (tune: “Oh God, Our Help In Ages Past”)
Bless now Thy children as we bring
Our thanks for daily food.
And hear us as in joy we sing
Our Sabbath gratitude. Amen.
God, Grant Us Grateful Hearts” by Elmo Fitz Randolph (tune: “Now Thank We All Our God”)
God grant us grateful hearts
On this our Sabbath Day.
As to the feast we come,
Let gladness reign, we pray.
For life and faith and hope
Our fathers sang Thy praise —
In Spirit with them joined
To Thee our thanks we raise.
Now We Light Our Sabbath Candles” by Elmo Fitz Randolph (tune: “Vesper Hymn”)
Now we light our Sabbath candles,
Bless Thy children with their light.
Thankful we surround this table,
Sabbath peace bring us tonight.
God be praised — Thy name we honor,
Christ be Thou our beacon bright.

Sabbath choruses for worship:
Lord of Love” author unknown (tune: “Day Is Dying In the West”)
Lord of love, Thou Spirit bright,
Grant us fellowship in Light.
Use our lives to Thine increase,
Bring to us Thy Sabbath peace,
Thou ever nigh.
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of Thee.
Heaven and earth are praising Thee,
Oh, Lord, most high!

Oh Blessed Day!” by Edward Holston (tune: “The Doxology”)
Oh blessed day, Thou dost ordain
Our Father God, we hallow now.
May Sabbath thoughts be free from stain,
May reverent hearts before Thee bow.

On the Sabbath” by Kecia Thompson Gordon (sometimes called “The SDB Jungle”) © 1997 Kecia
Thompson Gordon (tune: “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”)
On the Sabbath, the holy Sabbath we worship Christ, the Lord. (repeat)
Wee, weee, We worship Christ the Lord, Wee, weee, We worship Christ the Lord.
In the church, the mighty church, the people sing their praise. (repeat)
Wee, weee, The people sing their praise, Wee weee, The people sing their praise.
The seventh day, this is the day that the Lord hath made. (repeat)
Wee, weee, the day the Lord hath made. Wee, weee, the day the Lord hath made.
(There are additional stanzas, but they don’t contribute to Sabbath worship.)

Sabbath Celebration” attributed to Elmo Fitz Randolph and Larry Graffius
Thanks we bring and adoration to Thee, O Lord.
Sabbath hours of inspiration now we afford.
Rest and worship, joyous friendship, shared today in Christ’s great love.
Crown Thy day and send us forward blessed from above. (Repeat last two lines.)

Sabbath, Sabbath” by Jeanne Yurke © 1980 by Jeanne Yurke (tune: “Love Round”)
Sabbath, Sabbath. Here’s the day that we love best.
Day of worship, day of rest, The day our God blest.

The Sabbath’s Here” by Barbara Saunders (tune: “Tallis Canon”)
The Sabbath’s here, let’s celebrate.
Work of the week just let it wait.
Together we will share and see
How special we can help it be.

This is the Day” stanza 1 by Les Garrett, stanzas 2 and 3 author unknown ©1967, 1980 Scripture in
Song/Admin by Maranatha! Music in USA and Canada, ARR, ICS, UBP
Ps. 118:24 This is the day, this is the day that the Lord hath made, that the Lord hath made.
I will rejoice, I will rejoice and be glad in it, and be glad in it.
This is the day that the Lord hath made.
I will rejoice and be glad in it.
This is the day, this is the day that the Lord hath made.
Ps. 122:1 I was so glad, I was so glad when they said to me, when they said to me,
Let us go in, let us go in to the house of God, to the house of God.
I was so glad when they said to me,
Let us go in to the house of God.
Let us go in, let us go in to the house of God.
Jn. 14:6 Jesus is the Way, Jesus is the Way and the Truth and Life, and the Truth and Life.
No one can come, no one can come, except through Him, except through Him.
Jesus is the Way and the Truth and Life.
No one can come, except through Him.
Let us rejoice, let us rejoice and be glad in Him.
There are no copyright issues for the above songs except for “This Is The Day,” in which case a CCLI# will be necessary. Copyright attributions should be identified on music copy where a copyright is noted. This is done to protect their music from misuse. As long as no music score is published, there should be no copyright infringement with “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” for the chorus “On the Sabbath.”

Other worship songs and choruses:
(CCLI copyright licensing should be used in making copies of the following choruses)
Agnus Dei, by Michael W. Smith
As the Deer, by Martin Nystrom
Be the Centre, by Michael Frye
Beautiful One, by Tim Hughes
Better Is One Day, by Matt Redman
Come, Now Is the Time To Worship, by Brian Doerksen
Draw Me Close To You, by Kelly Carpenter
Everlasting God, by Brenton Brown, Ken Riley
Forever, by Chris Tomlin
Happiness Is To Know the Savior, by Ira F. Stanphill
He Has Made Me Glad, by Leona Von Brethorst
Here I Am To Worship, by Tim Hughes
I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever, by Martin Smith
I Will Call Upon the Lord, by Michael O’Shields
I Will Celebrate, by Rita Baloche
I Will Celebrate, Sing Unto the Lord, by Linda Duval
I Will Offer Up My Life, by Matt Redman
In the Secret, by Andy Park
Jesus, We Celebrate Your Victory, by John Gibson
Let’s Forget About Ourselves, by Bruce Ballinger (also known as “We Have Come Into His House”)
Lord, I Lift Your Name On High, by Rick Founds
Love You So Much, by James Taylor
Majesty, by Jack Hayford
Majesty, by Delirious
O Lord, You’re Beautiful, by Keith Green
Psalm 9, by Sally Beck
Quiet of This Moment, by Terry Butler
Shout to The Lord, by Darlene Zschech
Such Joy, by Don Harris
Take Me In, by Dave Browning
Take My Life, by Scott Underwood
There Is Joy in the Lord, by Sheri Keaggy
There’s a Sweet, Sweet Spirit in This Place
Think About His Love, by Walt Harrah
We Bow Down, by Twila Paris
We Want to See Jesus Lifted High
We Will Glorify, by Twila Paris

Sabbath hymns:
There should be no issues with copyrights for the following, with the possible exception of “There Is
Rejoicing in the Land” by Herb Saunders.
God’s Holy Sabbath Day” by A. W. Coon (tune: “Amazing Grace”)
This is the holy Sabbath Day, The day that God has blessed,
A sacred monumental day And type of heavenly rest.
This joyful day to us was given, Nor has it been made void;
The sweetest day of all the seven, To serve and praise the Lord.
Then let us keep it with delight, And raise our heart to heaven;
And hail with joy its sacred light, The light that God hath given.
O let us spend each Sabbath Day In love and sweet accord;
So when our days are passed away We’ll rest with Christ our Lord.

Queen of the Week” by Madeleine Fitz Randolph (tune: “Crown Him With Many Crowns”)
Queen of the week she comes, The blessed Sabbath Day
Our thankful hearts rejoice and sing, Our cares are cast away.
Dependent on God’s care We find this promise true
From even unto evensong This day I give to you.”
Great gift of God to us, The Holy Sabbath Day
His wisdom saw the need of man To rest and praise and pray.
May we our best gifts bring Our lives rededicate
To serving Christ our heavenly king whose day we celebrate.

There Is Rejoicing in the Land” by Herb Saunders (tune: “All Creatures of Our God and King”)
There is rejoicing in the land. Everything is in God’s hand. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Another Sabbath has begun! Rejoice all you who know God’s Son!
Alleluia, Alleluia. Alleluia, Alleluia. Alleluia!
This day brings each of us the best. And from the daily toil our rest. Alleluia, Alleluia.
To each of us belongs God’s love, Through God’s own Spirit, Heavenly Dove,
Alleluia, Alleluia. Alleluia, Alleluia. Alleluia!
May we in one accord give praise. Voices and hearts of thanks we raise. Alleluia, Alleluia.
To God, Creator, Three in One, His Sabbath Day has now begun.
Alleluia, Alleluia. Alleluia, Alleluia. Alleluia!
It is suggested that for the above songs, it might be appropriate to follow or precede the singing of
these hymns with the singing of the original hymns to whose tune these Sabbath hymns are sung.

Another Six Days’ Work Is Done” by Joseph Stennett (tune: “Where Cross the Crowded Ways of
Life”)
Another six days work is done. Another Sabbath is begun.
Return, my soul; enjoy thy rest in this, the day that God hath blest.
O that our thoughts and thanks may rise as grateful incense to the skies.
And draw from heaven new joy and light, the promise of eternal life.
This heav’nly calm within the breast is the dear pledge of glorious rest,
Which for the church of God remains the end of cares, the end of pains.
In holy duties let this day, in holy pleasures pass away.
How blest a Sabbath thus to spend in hope of one that ne’er shall end!

God of the Sabbath” by William C. Daland

O Day of Rest and Gladness” by Christopher Wordworth Note: The version of the hymn suggested
here is taken from a Seventh-day Adventist hymnal, and the words here are truly reflective of Sabbath,
rather than the First Day.

Remember the Sabbath” by Fanny Crosby

Other hymns appropriate for Sabbath Renewal Day:
(There are many more hymns that could be chosen. These are only a few to whet the appetite.)
Faith of Our Fathers
For the Beauty of the Earth
Give of Your Best to the Master
Have Thine Own Way, Lord!
Help Me to Be Holy
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
In My Heart There Rings a Melody
Just a Closer Walk with Thee
More Like the Master
O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing
O My Soul, Bless God the Father music by Christopher F. Witt
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart
Teach Me Thy Way, O Lord by B. Mansell Ramsey

Please also take a look in the May 2012 Sabbath Recorder (www.sabbathrecorder.org) for new Sabbath songs to share during your worship experience. 

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