Move

ENTRANCE

All lights on, all candles lit before the service begins. Prelude or other instrumental introduction to the service might be on “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” (UMH 127). Then the choir or ensemble gets up, moves into a ring around the congregation, and starts to clap and sing, joined by the congregation after singing stanza 1 the first time.

“You’ve Got to Move” (st 1-2) Africana Hymnal 4077

WORD AND RESPONSE

Clapping continues at a more subdued level during the reading of Scripture and becomes more pronounced during the singing.

Narrator and The Lord are unseen voices. Jonah appears at the front, stage right, lying down, gets up when he hears the word coming to him, and moves briskly to stage left on the narrator’s cue.

Scripture Jonah 3:1-3a, 10 (NRSV), 4-9
(Paraphrase Taylor Burton-Edwards)

Narrator:
The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time.

The Lord:
Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.

Narrator
So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD.

“You’ve Got to Move” (st 3) Africana Hymnal 4077
Clapping picks up during the singing, then resumes at a more subdued level. Jonah moves toward center stage and into the center aisle at narrator’s cue.

Narrator:
Jonah spent the day going into the heart of the city, crying out as he walked,

Jonah:
Forty days more, and Nineveh will be overthrown!

“You’ve Got to Move” (st 1) Africana Hymnal 4077
Clapping picks up during the singing, then stops.

Narrator:
The people believed God. They proclaimed a fast, and everyone great and small, from the king to the animals of the field, put on sackcloth, turned from their evil ways, and cried out to God.

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God repented from the calamity God had planned to bring upon them; and did not do it.

Sermon “Move”

Prayers of the People

Deacon or Lay Prayer Leader:
With all our hearts, and all our minds, and all our strength, let us pray to our Lord.
People: Lord, have mercy.

With all who are forced to move by circumstances beyond their control,
by weather, war, violence, employment, or need for specialized health care…
People: Lord, have mercy.
With all whom you call to move,
from places of comfort to places of greater challenge,
from one form of service to another,
or from employment to being laid aside for a time…
People: Lord, have mercy.

With leaders in the church and leaders in the nations and corporations of the world
who constantly call those they lead and serve to move
from injustice to greater justice,
from poverty toward sustainability,
from isolation toward interdependence,
from wastefulness toward stewardship of the earth,
from conflict toward reconciliation,
from fear toward hope…
People: Lord, have mercy.

And for ourselves,
for your Spirit to keep striving with us,
to turn from our evil ways,
to strengthen our resistance to temptation,
to increase our resolve to grow in doing good,
and to overcome our immaturity
until we are perfected in love…

Song: “Give Me a Clean Heart” (3x) TFWS 2133

ABBREVIATIONS
AH = The Africana Hymnal

BOW = United Methodist Book of Worship

CCLI = Christian Copyright Licensing International, SongSelect

TFWS = The Faith We Sing (2000)

UMH = United Methodist Hymnal

W&S = Worship & Song (2011)

SOZ = Songs of Zion

If your congregation has a custom of coming to an altar to kneel and pray, you may wish to invite them to do so during the singing of this song. Otherwise, singing in place, standing or kneeling, would be appropriate.

In the name of Jesus, who taught us to pray:

The Lord’s Prayer

THANKSGIVING

Deacon or Pastor:
God has heard our cries. We are forgiven and at peace with God through Jesus Christ.

The peace of Christ be always with you.
People: And also with you.

So let us share the peace of Christ with those around us,
and our gifts with the church and all the world.

The offering is collected while the peace is offered; and these songs are sung by choir, ensemble, and/or congregation.
“Over My Head” TFWS 2148, Africana 4075, SOZ 167
“Now Thank We All Our God” UMH 102

SENDING FORTH

Deacon or Pastor:
When the Lord gets ready, we’ve all got to move.
High or low, rich or poor, we’ve got to move.
One or two, me or you, we’ve got to move.
So move, church.
And keep moving forward as the Spirit leads.

Song:
“Moving Forward” Africana Hymnal 4143 (CCLI# 4992525)
OR
“I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me” TFWS 2153

Postlude
Reprise of “You’ve Got to Move” Africana Hymnal 4077