A Scouts’ Own Service

Call to Worship

``Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the lands.
Serve the Lord with gladness. Come into His presence with singing. 
Know that the Lord is God. It is He that made us, and we are His; 
we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.''

Opening Hymn

GOD BLESS AMERICA 

God bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with a light from above.
From the mountains,
To the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam,
God bless America,
My home sweet home!
God bless America,
My home sweet home!

Invocation

CAMPER'S PRAYER 

God of the mountains and hills, make me tall and strong;
Tall enough and strong enough to right some wrong.
God of the stars, make me steadfast and sure;
God of every lake and stream, flow through my life & make it clean;
Let me do nothing base or mean.
God of the trees and woods, keep me fresh and pure;
God of the rain, wash from my life all dirt and stain;
Pure and strong let me remain.
God of the seed and soil, plant in my heart thy love;
God of the darkness and day, through shadows or light, be my stay. 
Guide thou my way.
God of the radiant sun, light thou my life;
God of the glorious dawn, make each day a fresh start.
God of the evening peace and quiet, keep me free from fear & strife.
God of the gay, free birds, sing in my heart.
God of the surging waves and sea, wide horizons give to me;
Help me to see the world as thou would have it be;
God of the lovely rose, make me lovely, too;
God of the morning dew, each day my faith renew.
God of all growing things, keep me growing, too.
--- George Earle Owen

Hymn

Amazing Grace
How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
I one was lost but now I’m found,
Was blind, but now I see.

Was grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers
Toils and snares I had already gone
‘Tis grace that led me safe this far
And grace will lead me home.

Responsive Reading

(Psalm 46) 

(L) God is our refuge and strength,
(P) A very present help in trouble. 

(L) Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved,
(P) And though the mountains be toppled into the depths of the sea. 

(L) Though it's waters rage and foam,
(P) The Lord of hosts is with us. 

(L) The God of Jacob is our stronghold. 

Meditation

When night ends...

"How can we determine the hour of dawn - when the night ends and the day begins?" the rabbi asked of his students. 

"When, from a distance, you can distinguish between a dog and a sheep?" one of his students suggested. 

"No" the rabbi answered. 

"Is it when you can distinguish between a fig tree and a grapevine?" another student asked. 

"No" he replied. 

"Please tell us the answer, then" said the students. 

"It is when you can look into the face of a human being and have enough light to recognize in him your brother," the wise teacher replied. 

"Until then, it is night, and the darkness is still with us."

Message

"WE LEARNED IT ALL IN KINDERGARTEN" (BE SEATED) 

Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox. These are the things I learned: 

Share everything. 

Play fair. 

Don't hit people. 

Put things back where you found them. 

Clean up your own mess. 

Don't take things that aren't yours. 

Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. 

Wash your hands before you eat. 

Live a balanced life. Learn some and think some, and draw and sing and dance and play and work every day some. 

Take a nap in the afternoon. 

When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands and stick together. 

Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup. The roots go down and the plant goes up, and nobody really knows why, but we are all like that. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup - they all die. So do we. 

And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you ever learned, the biggest word of all: 

LOOK. 

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The golden rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and sane living. Think of what a better life it would be if we all had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap. Or if we had a basic policy in our nation and other nations always to put things back where we found them and cleaned up our own messes. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together. 

Benediction

Prayer Composed By Chief Yellow Lark 
A Blackfoot Indian

Oh, Great Spirit,
whose voice I hear in the winds and whose breath gives life to all the world,
hear me. 

I come before you,
one of your many children.
I am weak and small. 

I need your strength and wisdom.
Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset;
my ears sharp so I may hear your voice. 

Make me wise, so I may learn the things you have taught my people, 
the lessons you have hidden under every rock and leaf. 

I seek strength, not to be superior to my brothers,
but to be able to fight my greatest enemy--myself. 

Make me ever ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes,
so whenever life fades, like the fading sunset, my spirit will come to you without shame.