Welcome to worship at Faith
Memorial United Church. No matter how you are finding us- in person, by email
or on our website or Facebook site, we are glad to have you with us
Thanks to all who prepared our
hot dog and salad lunch as we shared in some community building time.
Reminder next Sunday after
worship is Session meeting.
Also, next Sunday is Food
Bank Sunday so please remember your non-perishable items and personal items
to add to our box.
Watch for another gathering to
review the latest edition of Broadview. Coming soon!
Since time immemorial,
Indigenous peoples have occupied and cared for the land which many call Canada.
In our worship together this day, in this area, we gather on the traditional
land of the Wabanaki peoples, predominantly the lands of the Mi’kmaq, Maliseet,
Wolastoqiyik and Passamaquoddy. As a community of faith, we seek to rebuild
right relations with these people, to learn from them and to live on this land,
their land with respect and gratitude for its creation and Creator.
We meet together in the light
of Jesus Christ who shows us ways to work with all people for a world turned
upside down.
Call to Worship:
We come into God’s presence
from many different places.
We come with songs of joy
and shouts of gratitude.
We come carrying heavy burdens
and sighs of suffering.
We come to be refreshed and
renewed by God’s love.
We come to offer our praise to
God and to be salted with God’s grace.
Let us worship God together!
Opening Prayer: (adapted
from Worship Ways, United Church of Christ)
Holy God, as we come together
in worship,
bind us together that we may
be at peace with one another.
May our harmony extend beyond
our songs.
May our distinctiveness be
welcomed, our identities be celebrated, and our differences be a source of
delight.
May your church serve as a
beacon for belonging and demonstrate the beloved community you intend in our
world.
We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Hymn: 154 MV Deep in our Hearts
Prayer of Confession: (adapted
from Katelyn Gordon, Associate Pastor for Congregational
Life, Providence Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, NC)
God, we confess that we have
put stumbling blocks in front of others.
We confuse people about what
it means to be your disciple when we say that we are Christians but then we
treat others poorly, use our words as weapons, and deny love to others who are
different from us.
… silence
…
We confess that our hands have
caused us to stumble.
We have clenched our fists in
anger, closed our hands in greed, and shoved our hands into our pockets instead
of reaching out to others.
… silence
…
We confess that our feet have
caused us to stumble.
We have walked away from
those who are in need, stood still when we should have acted, and dug our heels
into the ground out of stubbornness and spite.
…
silence …
We confess that our eyes have
caused us to stumble.
We have been too focused on
ourselves, pretended not to see those around us who are hurting, and overlooked
opportunities to serve you.
… silence
…
We confess that we have made
decisions on the basis of people’s theology; their sexual orientation; their
cultural background; their political stance....
Forgive us if our actions, or
lack of action,
have contributed to whether
people feel welcomed into,
or excluded from, our faith
community.
Gracious God, please walk
beside us, guide us, catch us when we stumble. Strengthen us by your
Spirit that we may live lives that are true reflections of your love, grace,
and mercy. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
Words of Affirmation:
God’s favour is never-ending
and God’s compassion never fails.
Even as we confess the many
ways we stumble and cause others to stumble,
God never abandons us.
God continues to show us
goodness, mercy and love.
Every day is a new beginning
with God. Amen.
Readings and Reflection: for AUDIO link click here, starts
at about 2-minute mark
What
Kind of World Do We Want?
Our first reading this morning
is from the book of Esther. Our lectionary gives us only one reading from
Esther, a few verses, which hardly does it justice. So, this morning, rather
than give you simply those few verses, I am going to read to you a summary
version of the book of Esther from Laura Alery’s story Bible entitled Read,
Wonder, Listen. In this story we hear an account of a remarkable woman who,
with her heart pounding in fear, chose to speak the truth to a king in order to
save her Jewish people from death. One of the interesting things about this
book is that God is never mentioned. Yet, through the wisdom and courage of
Esther’s actions, it is not hard to see God at work in hidden and unspoken ways
to preserve God’s people.
Esther
Our gospel reading this
morning follows on the heels of last week’s reading where, if you recall, the disciples
were arguing about who was the greatest. You might remember how Jesus took a
child in his arms and said, “Whoever welcomes one such
child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the
one who sent me.” Yet, still it seems, the disciples are just not getting it.
We might imagine Jesus, with that same child still in his arms, rolling his
eyes as once again, the disciples demonstrate that they are still concerned
about status and competition, totally self-absorbed and preoccupied with
drawing lines around who is in and who is out of the circle. This time, it is
John who tattles to Jesus.
Mark
9:38-50
38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone
casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he was
not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop
him, for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward
to speak evil of me. 40 Whoever is not against us
is for us. 41 For truly I tell you, whoever gives
you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no
means lose the reward.
42 “If any of you cause one of these little
ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for you if a great
millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. 43 If
your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter
life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable
fire. 45 And if your foot causes you to
sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two
feet and to be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye
causes you to sin, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom
of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, 48 where
their worm never dies and the fire is never quenched.
49 “For everyone will be salted with
fire. 50 Salt is good, but if salt has lost its
saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in
yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
Since
learning of the death of a well-known and well- respected former moderator of
our United Church of Canada, The Very Rev. Dr. Lois Wilson, there have been all
kinds of folks sharing little stories and anecdotes. One that caught my
attention was from Pam Byers of Hamilton, Ontario who wrote of a time when she remembered
Lois talking about an incident when she lived in central Toronto. One
day she was walking through a park in her area and she was accosted by a group
of teenage boys. Byers recounts – “I don’t know what happened, except that
afterward she went to the local high school and got the principal's permission
to speak to the students at an assembly about what kind of neighbourhood they
would want to live in.
What an amazing way to react! Not with anger; not with accusations, but with a
calm, articulate approach, speaking to the youth as intelligent people.
I’m sure it had a great impact on them.”
Such a
great question for these young people and for us too, isn’t it? What kind of
neighbourhood, what kind of world, what kind of church do we want to be a part
of?
I
think that was the very question Jesus was trying to get the disciples to
ponder too. In seeing someone else, not one of the twelve, driving out a demon,
healing in Jesus’ name, the disciples, namely John, react. Hey, he is not
following “us”. Note John doesn’t say, he is not following you, Jesus. He is
not following us. In other words, he is not doing things the way we do things.
He is outside our circle. He needs to be stopped. We can’t allow this to
continue. We might say, as we were talking about a few weeks ago, that John is
“othering” this unknown exorcist. John’s attitude and most likely the attitude
of the other disciples was still “If they are not with us, they must be against
us.”
Yet,
Jesus says to the disciples, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a deed of
power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is
not against us is for us.” In essence just the opposite of the way the
disciples are thinking.
In
other words, Jesus implies, before you go any further you first need to
understand that discipleship is not a competition. It isn’t about being first.
It is about being a follower, doing the things I call you to do- like being
inclusive, demonstrating compassion, working for justice, caring for the
marginalized, the suffering and the hurting of this world. Now ask yourselves, when
this unknown person reached out and healed another in my name, was he not
following in the ways I have outlined to you? How then can you say that he must
be stopped? Can’t you see that I don’t need people who point fingers at others?
We are all in this together. You do you and let everyone else be. Stop
comparing yourself to others and what they are doing, especially when those
other folks are acting out the values I am calling you to live by.
As I
was reading this week, I liked the way Debie Thomas interprets Jesus’ challenge
to those earlier disciples and ultimately, to us:
The longer I’m a Christian, the more
overwhelmed I am by the radical nature of Jesus’s openness, inclusivity, and
hospitality. Every time I think I’ve made my circle wide enough, Jesus says,
“No, make it wider.” Every time I think I’ve drawn an appropriate line in
the sand between “us” and “them,” saint and sinner, inside and outside, Jesus
pours the sand back over the line until it disappears.
Too
often we designate ourselves as God’s bouncers
But
the truth is, we are called to be God’s generous and
welcoming hosts. Hosts who throw the doors of the kingdom wide
open. Hosts who understand that there’s enough divine goodness, mercy,
and justice to go around. Hosts who trust that God can handle our
diversity — and delight in it as well. Hosts who respond with joy
and gratitude whenever “deeds of power” are done in Jesus’s name.
In
other words, pay attention to the kind of movement and mission we are building
together here. And it is that, Jesus says, a movement and not an exclusive club.
Our challenge is to unite, not divide. And it is so challenging to us, isn’t it,
especially as we live in an increasingly pluralistic world. On our daily
encounters we meet people of other faiths and of no faith whatsoever. Yet, what
I hear Jesus saying in this passage is that we need to remember that good can
come from many different places. As he says, if they are not against us, they
are for us.
Think
for a minute of all the many helpers in our world who serve meals to the
hungry, who act quickly in the face of disasters like earthquakes, wildfires,
hurricanes, who work to repair houses and communities and who care for the
wounded. Think of the workers in our food banks, our shelters and the many
agencies working to reach out to any number of needs in our world. Are they all
professed followers of Jesus? Indeed no. Some are Muslims, Jews, Buddhists,
people of many different Christian denominations and people of no religious
background whatsoever. Yet, are they working to make lives better? Then, I am
confident that Jesus’ answer to this would be a loud shout of Hooray! We can
use all the help we can get to work for a better world. Compassion done by
anyone is still compassion. Imagine what a different world we would have if
everyone recognized that and worked in collaboration. Imagine how much more
attractive we as churches and as Christians would be to others if we worried
less about the number of people in attendance in our pews or the number of
converts and more about the amount of good that could happen as we united
efforts for healing and justice. Imagine how much more could be accomplished by
political parties if they came together and worked for these bigger issues
rather than denouncing one another!
I see
this passage and the way Jesus responds to the disciples’ protests at this unknown
healer’s ability to help another person as a challenge to us as churches as we
work for the kind of world God intends. Preserving exclusive power over working
for justice and healing in this world did not seem to be a priority for Jesus.
The criteria in which he measured another’s action had more to do with asking
is good being done? Is justice being carried out? Are needs of the hurting
being alleviated? Is injustice being protested? Are the homeless being housed?
Are people being included and restored to community? Is the refugee finding
support? Are more people receiving access to adequate health care? Then these
actions need to be affirmed and those doing them need to be recognized as our
allies rather than our adversaries.
In the
pluralistic world in which we live, I do believe that people are watching our
actions as a church. Regrettably, I also believe that many have lost interest
in churches because they can’t see any difference between people inside
churches and those outside. Take this story as but one example:
In the
days following the 9/11 tragedy, an outdoor baseball stadium in New York was
the site of a gathering where prayers were offered by religious leaders of many
different traditions. Sure enough… a group from a diocese where one of the
bishops who participated started a movement to get rid of the bishop because by
participating, they said he recognized the legitimacy of the prayers of others.
Imagine!
It sometimes
seems that so many folks are so worried that somehow in partnering with other
denominations, with other religions and with people of no religion, that
somehow their own beliefs will get watered down or be diminished. In fact,
where groups have been intentional about such partnering, it is just the
opposite. Their own faith has been enhanced and deepened. I think of the young
Muslim man who was at my door a few weeks ago and how excited he was to learn
of our United Church’s intentional ecumenical and interfaith partnerships in
working for things like climate justice, peace and world hunger to name but a
few issues facing our world today.
Further
along in that same gospel this morning, Jesus warns us about setting stumbling
blocks before others. He invites us to approach our interactions with people of
other faith groups and of no particular faith with a spirit of openness and
respect.
Does
this mean we will always agree on all things? Of course not. But in the words
of a well-respected Anglican commentator, Herb O’Driscoll, “if we are (as
churches) to make any social contribution, it will be while working in
conjunction with those whom we may not necessarily see eye to eye on
everything, but with whom we do have a particular good purpose in coming
together.” That is why, through the work of our Mission and Service of the
United Church of Canada we don’t go around trying to start separate programs
and initiatives but work in partnership with the people already active and
serving to alleviate needs and providing support in such a variety of ways.
Our
friend Ralph Milton, in his book Angels in Red Suspenders, describes how so
often we as Christians lament that we have some 22,000 denominations. It is the
same within the Jewish faith. There are many different sects. The same with
Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Indigenous communities. Yet, why should we
lament, he asks. After all, how many different kinds of people are there? None
of us are the same. Why would the Creator be upset with a variety of religions?
Maybe God delights in all the variations. Maybe it is us, Milton says, who fail
to understand that all of these can contain truth. Maybe the more important
question we need to be asking boils down to that simple one that Lois Wilson
asked those teenage boys- what kind of world, what kind of neighbourhood, what
kind of church do we want to live in and be part of?
I
think if Jesus were to answer that it might be a world, a church, a community
and a neighbourhood, with less finger pointing and less tribalism, one where no
one group has exclusive franchise over the practice of justice and compassion
and where all work toward a path marked by peace and partnership. In other
words, less competition, more co-operation, more conversation and a greater
display of compassion. As Jesus probably would say to us, rejoice, be glad, and
do whatever you can to support and link arms in solidarity and service with all
who carry out these actions. For through such efforts, the new world I have
been talking about is breaking in and you, my friends, can celebrate its birth
with me. Amen
Your Generosity
Matters/Our Gifts are Received
Your response
has been profound and powerful.
Credit:
Photo by Derek Sutton on Unsplash
A
short while ago, we shared that a Pastors Retreat is being planned for October
of 2024. This retreat will provide badly needed respite for northern United
Church ministers who are facing a crisis.
The
number of deaths in their northern communities has been immense. The grief of
burying community members, especially young people, has been overwhelming. The
emotional toll of ministering to a grieving community is enormous.
Your
response has been profound and powerful. When we shared that leaders are in
dire need of rest and renewal, you went into action. Thanks to your generous
and outstanding support of Mission and Service, this retreat is going to be a
reality.
The
retreat will provide rest, training in crisis management, and spiritual
renewal, and will allow leaders to return with renewed strength to help those
in need. Pastors will participate in a blend of activities, including learning
about vicarious trauma and experiencing relaxation opportunities through art
therapy, beading workshops, and sharing circles.
Thank
you for your expression of compassion through Mission and Service that has ensured that this retreat
will move forward.
Hymn: 575 VU I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me
Prayer
for Orange Shirt Day/National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Powerful
Christ,
we are
grateful that you came to us as a child,
who
grew out of a community that nurtured, supported, and taught you the way of
your ancestors.
You
have asked us to do the same:
to treat every child as we would treat you,
to love every person as you have loved us.
We are
grateful that
your power is rooted in love, not force;
your strength is displayed through community, not might.
You
have taught us to work toward a better world where all of creation thrives,
and where every child matters.
On
this Orange Shirt Day,
we
remember Phyllis Webstad as a child,
and
the stolen childhood of all the children forcibly raised by church-run
institutions, known as residential schools.
We
lament how these institutions
stole from children the opportunity to grow in a safe and loving
environment,
stole from Elders the opportunity to share their teachings and
wisdom with younger
generations; and
stole from communities the opportunity to live
intergenerationally.
We
mourn the children who never made it home,
the communities that were destroyed,
the broken hearts,
the stories never shared, and
the shattered relationships.
We ask
that you provide
comfort to all who are seeking healing and who daily wrestle with
the ongoing harmful legacy of
these colonial institutions,
strength to all who name how colonial powers have harmed us as
peoples and as a nation;
often at great personal cost, and
courage to all who are working toward reconciliation.
Christ
Child,
As you
grew, you reminded us to always welcome and care for children.
We
remember your children today.
We
lament and acknowledge the sinful ways that colonial powers tried to eradicate
Indigenous cultures within Canada,
breaking Indigenous families,
removing children from their homes while destroying communities.
And we
pray for healing,
so
that we who live together in this country
can also work together to build a better future
where all children are cherished, beloved, and given what they
need to thrive.
So
that we may treat all children as we would treat you, our Beloved.
May it
be so.
We
continue to pray in the words Jesus taught us saying… Our Father…
Hymn: 169MV When Hands Reach out Beyond Divides
Blessing:
Let us
go forth into this new week, open to the diverse ways that the love of Christ
is shown forth in the world.
May we
find ways to partner with all who are joining efforts to alleviate the pain and
suffering in this world by working to see that needs are met and all are
welcomed and included.
May
God bless us and hold us as we strive for justice, peace and wholeness in our
community, our church and the world.
May we
long for and work for the kind of world God has in mind for us all. Amen.
*******************
Happy First Day of Fall!
Reminder that next Sunday,
Sept. 29 we are hoping you will wear an orange t-shirt or sweater or
scarf to mark National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We will
take a group photo by our Every Child Matters flag out front. (I have my
personal shopper out looking for one for me!!)
Also, next week, we will enjoy
BBQ hotdogs and salads after worship.
Enjoy the crisper days!
Since time immemorial,
Indigenous peoples have occupied and cared for the land which many call Canada.
In our worship together this day, in this area, we gather on the traditional
land of the Wabanaki peoples, predominantly the lands of the Mi’kmaq, Maliseet,
Wolastoqiyik and Passamaquoddy. As a community of faith, we seek to rebuild
right relations with these people, to learn from them and to live on this land,
their land with respect and gratitude for its creation and Creator.
With the lighting of this
candle, we symbolize the presence of Christ welcoming us into this time of
worship.
Call to Worship:
We come here today not
because we are clever
but because God
welcomes the slow learners.
We come here not because
we are wise,
but because God
loves us in spite of our folly.
We come, because as
disciples of Jesus, we are called to greatness.
But the greatness Jesus
speaks about has nothing to do with being first in line or the top of the heap,
No, as Jesus says, the
greatest persons will be found among those who
humbly serve as Jesus
did.
God invites us to follow
in this whole new way.
Let us take those first steps together with God as our
guide.
Opening Prayer: (responsive- adapted from Rod Sykes,
from a bulletin)
“We’re number one!”
“We’re number one!”
Shout it on the
soccer field, in the school gym, at the Multiplex or at the “Bun” Veysey Active
Living Centre. Hear it echoed on billboards, on YouTube, in election polls and
television ads.
The louder we shout our success, the deeper we wonder
within-
are we really good enough?
But here is a glimpse of glory, a promise of true
satisfaction;
When the reign of God is what our lives reflect, all our
life is inverted;
the world of normal is turned upside down.
For Jesus says, “To be first… you must be last.”
Help us, God of grace, to learn the gift of giving
ourselves in service to you and others. Amen.
Hymn: 12 MV God of the Bible
Prayer of Confession: (adapted from Moira Laidlaw, and posted on Liturgies Online)
Holy God, we know that in your eyes it is not social
status,
or wealth or reputation that count,
and we confess how easily we become fixated with our
position in the world.
You risked personal comfort and security
when you reached out to those on the edge of your
society,
lepers and sinners—people whom others considered unclean.
Forgive us when we fail to meet your challenge
to identify with those whom society would call worthless.
You showed us that the journey of discipleship
is a journey into servanthood and powerlessness.
Forgive us for being tempted to pursue power
and to favour competition over compassion.
You, Lord, saw the good in everyone
and showed us exactly what it means to be the servant of
all,
while too often we see others as rivals
in the race for success, influence and popularity.
“Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and
servant of all.”
Imprint these words on our hearts
and put your living Spirit within us, we pray,
so that we serve others and you
with wisdom, understanding, love and compassion. Amen.
Words of Affirmation: (adapted from Worship
Ways, United Church of Christ)
We are image bearers of
the divine.
God’s grace and mercy reaches
out to us as we turn to ways of justice and righteousness.
May Wisdom guide us and
Holy Love use us for the glory of God and the blessing of our neighbours in
humanity and in creation.
Thanks be to God!
Readings and Reflection: Click
here for Audio version
A
Different Kind of Greatness
Growing up between two
brothers in a neighbourhood of mostly boys, I quickly learned to roll with the
punches. I recall a couple of games that we used to play. One was called scrap
pile. Someone would yell scrap pile on Chris or scrap pile on Shawn and
everyone would run toward that person and pin them to the ground so that we
were all one big heap with the individual on the bottom struggling to free
himself. Another game was called King of the Hill. We needed a huge snow pile
for that, preferably one that the plough made after a snowstorm. Then, we would
scramble to the top of the hill with everyone vying to be its lone occupant
while pushing everyone else down to the bottom. As you can see, it is a wonder that
I survived childhood with all my limbs in tact!
To be king of the hill, top of
the heap, top dog, the strongest, the greatest, to get the first-place ribbon, the
most popular, the most successful- all these are born out in so many ways in
our world today. Not that ambition or some friendly competitive spirits are
unwelcome things. We do need some or we would never get out of bed in the
morning or off the sofa! The difficulty comes when our desires and ambitions
lead to self-centredness and the dismissal of others. Like when we adopt the
attitude that says I will achieve my goals no matter who I have to scramble
over or push out of my way. It doesn’t take much imagination in our lives and
in the world at large to see just how such selfish ambitions lead to toxic
messes in relationships, communities, in politics, and between nations.
In our first reading this
morning, James looks around at his world and sees many of the same kinds of
things at play. He recognizes the damage and disorder that the pursuit of such
earthly wisdom brings. In its place, he urges us to focus on a counter-cultural
kind of wisdom- one that leaves no room for envy or selfish ambition. He
invites us to look at the world and our neighbours in the way God looks at
them. Let’s listen to these timely words that challenge our common
understandings of power, success and greatness:
James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a
13 Who is
wise and knowledgeable among you? Show by your good life that your works are
done with gentleness born of wisdom. 14 But if you
have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be arrogant and
lie about the truth. 15 This is not wisdom that
comes down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. 16 For
where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and
wickedness of every kind. 17 But the wisdom from
above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy
and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. 18 And
the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
4 Those
conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come
from your cravings that are at war within you? 2 You
want something and do not have it, so you commit murder. And you
covet something and cannot obtain it, so you engage in disputes and
conflicts. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You
ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get
on your pleasures.
7 Submit
yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw
near to God, and he will draw near to you.
Seeking after status and
greatness also seemed to be preoccupations of the disciples. Today we find them
further along on their journey with Jesus. Just as we heard in last week’s
gospel, Jesus predicts for a second time his upcoming suffering and rejection
at the hands of the authorities. Last week, it was Peter alone who protested
that this could ever happen to the one he identified as Messiah. This time, it
seems, as commentator Brian McLaren captures it, all 12 of the disciples come
out looking like the 12 stooges on a sit com. Somehow, they seem to have a
different script than the one Jesus is following.
Mark 9: 30- 37
30 They
went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know
it, 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to
them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill
him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” 32 But
they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.
33 Then
they came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were
you arguing about on the way?” 34 But they were
silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. 35 He
sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must
be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Then he took
a little child and put it among them, and taking it in his arms he said to
them, 37 “Whoever welcomes
one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me
but the one who sent me.”
Wouldn’t you have liked to be
a fly on the wall as the disciples are arguing with one another? We can only
wonder how the conversation might have went:
Perhaps Simon or Andrew would
be claiming that they were the greatest because they were the disciples who
were first to be called by Jesus. We have seniority. We have been here the
longest.
Peter might be saying yes, but
when Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” I was the one who had the right
answer. I raised my hand first and said he is the Messiah. Right answers make
me great.
Perhaps then the others chimed
in and said, “Yes, Peter, but Jesus rebuked you so you’re not so great.
Or then maybe Peter, James and
John came back with something like surely we are Jesus favourites. He confides
in us. He chose us to go up the mountain of transfiguration with him and we are
the ones who saw him there with Moses and Elijah.
Or again, Peter might assert
his status of greatness when he remembered that he was the one who walked on
water toward Jesus.
Then the others once again
might have disclaimed Peter by saying, yes, Peter but you sunk!
So, on and on this discussion
would have gone. Each of the disciples jostling for who is the number one
disciple. I performed the most miracles when he sent us out. He trusts me the
most, I just know it.
Now imagine Jesus overhearing
all this as he once again tries to explain his downward journey to suffering
and the cross. Then, as he turns around to ask them what they are arguing
about, what happens? They go silent. Maybe the way we might have acted at
school when we were caught passing a note to a friend across the aisle. Sort of
like something a 5-year-old might do when caught doing something wrong like
pulling the cat’s tail or sneaking a forbidden cookie from the cookie jar. The
parent might say, ah Billy or Katie, what were you just doing? And then the
inevitable response, “nothing.”
We might wonder how could
these disciples be so thick-headed? Jesus is trying to tell them something
important and what do they do? They change the subject. It is a way of avoiding
the hard stuff. They turn to boasting because they are afraid and feeling
insecure, anxious, no doubt, in that what Jesus is speaking about may really be
true.
Now before we dump too much on
the disciples let’s remember that it is human nature to find something
irrelevant to talk about when we do not wish to deal with something important.
Or when we are unsure. Or when we are too embarrassed to ask any further
clarifying questions. Sometimes too rather than listening, we divert the
conversation because we don’t want to appear to be stupid in the eyes of
others. Or we simply and plainly don’t want to deal with the new information
presented to us. It is not hard for us to see ourselves in them.
I liken it a bit to those
times when we find ourselves in a situation where we know we are supposed to
know something, but don’t. Like when we are at a gathering, say, and we run
into an acquaintance but we forget their name. Then when another person comes
along, we fail to introduce them to the first person and instead of admitting
our memory lapse, we change the subject. We divert the conversation out of
embarrassment instead of simply admitting we forgot their name.
I see the disciples doing
something like that. They try to escape the awkwardness of the situation rather
than asking for help in understanding more about what Jesus is trying to
explain to them. Maybe they are thinking that if they ignore their fear, it
might go away if they could become more secure about their own status and
greatness.
Are we really any different
than they are? We get caught in the same kind of arguments that the disciples get
caught in. We do it all the time. We create all kinds of pecking orders. We do
it in our churches and between churches. We claim to be the more faithful. We say
that we have served at the most church suppers. We boast about numbers of
people in the pews. We hear it in political rhetoric. Let’s make American Great
Again. We draw lines between long time residents and immigrants and name one as
better. Such arguments generally do not present us in the best light or bring
out the best in us.
This is where in our passage
Jesus offers a whole new kind of wisdom that promises to take the disciples
away from their self-seeking ambitions. You have it all wrong, he says. You are
measuring greatness with the wrong scale. Greatness, he says, is not found in being
number one, in achieving status, power, privilege or wealth, or in all the ways
our earthly wisdom chooses to define it. Instead, he says, greatness is found
in service. And to further illustrate this, he places a vulnerable child in
their midst, saying to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name
welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
In Jesus’ culture, this child was a virtual nobody, the bottom of the social
heap. This child cannot repay you. He or she cannot invite you to dinner or
loan you $100. They have no status. Yet when you welcome such vulnerable ones,
you welcome both me and the one who sent me.
In other words, Jesus says,
let me redefine greatness for you. It has nothing to do with grasping for
prominence, stroking your ego and worrying about your reputation in the eyes of
others, but everything to do with humble service and welcome to the least among
us. It is not about successful programs in our churches, weekly attendance or
how many likes our Facebook pages have. Jesus turns all this upside down. And
really, when you think about it in church terms, it is not about getting people
in, but sending people out by making them willing to sacrifice for the greater
good rather than concentrating on their own self interest and status. It is the
call to us as faith communities to present a countercultural alternative to the
systems at play in our world.
I like the way a writer named
Michael Marsh, in a piece called Becoming Our Better Selves calls
us to think about greatness:
Who is the best person you’ve ever met? I
am not asking about the greatest but the best. Why did you pick her or him?
What qualities or characteristics make her or him the best?
I’m guessing it wasn’t their
fierce competition or their indifference to the well being of another. I doubt
it was because of the position they hold or their reputation. And it probably
wasn’t because they praised you or told you what you wanted to hear. And
chances are it wasn’t because they were rich, powerful, or successful. And I’ll
bet you didn’t review his or her resume before naming them as the best person
you’ve ever met.
I’m betting it was because of
her or his authenticity, honesty, and integrity. What you saw is what you got.
You could count on them. They had your back. They were there when you needed
them. They saw you, respected you, and listened to you. They took your life as
seriously as and sometimes more seriously than their own.
They spoke truth even when it
hurt because they cared about you. They saw more in you than you often saw in
yourself. They believed in you and committed themselves to you. They offered
wisdom and insight into your life that was more than just telling you what to
do. They cared and made a difference.
They enlarged your life and
world. They inspired you. They were your strength, hope, and faith when you
were weak, despairing, and unbelieving. They made space and place for you in
their life. They made you feel that you were important and mattered to them.
They loved and accepted you.
They didn’t judge, compare, or compete. They forgave you. They freed you from
the pecking orders of your life and world. They brought out the best in you.
The bottom line is that they
put your life and well being ahead of their own. They called you into your
better self. They helped you recognize the way you want to be and live and if
you already knew this they helped you remember when you had forgotten.
What about you and me? I
wonder what others are saying about us. Are you and I the best person someone
has ever met or are we just arguing about our greatness?
Such
are the qualities of greatness of which I believe Jesus speaks. What if we were
to pick just one or two of these qualities and try to live them in our lives?
I can’t help but think that as
we continue to grow in our faith, we will learn to see greatness in this
countercultural way. And we can only pray and hope that as we do so, we might gain
that bit of insight to understand James’ vision of the wisdom that comes from
above, a wisdom that is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of
mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. Amen.
Your Generosity Matters/ Our
Gifts are Received
The Tomken Grove Afterschool
Program aims to encourage community among local children.
Credit: Westminster United Church
“I’m going to sleep here!”
Amarah, age 6, threatens from under the table. Along with her sisters, she
hides from her family at the Tomken Grove Afterschool Program’s pickup time.
This is a common occurrence because every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., the children
feel that two hours together is not enough.
Through the passion of
Westminster United Church in Mississauga, ON, the Tomken Grove Afterschool
Program aims to encourage community among local children. The program creates a
recreational space outside of school where neighbourhood kids can spend time
together in an electronics-free environment.
Some form of physical activity
is always scheduled: dance battles, obstacle courses, hula-hooping, spending
time outdoors, and more. Snacks such as fresh fruits and yogurt keep the kids
healthy and energized, and everyone is involved in cleanup responsibilities for
snack and outdoor time, which encourages independence and innovation.
Your gifts through Mission
and Service help programs like this as they encourage community and
connection. Thank you.
Hymn: 575
VU I’m Gonna Live So
Prayers of Thanksgiving and
Intercession:
God, as we consider the
awesomeness of your creation, we marvel at the many ways all nature reveals
your goodness- the ripening of the fields speaks of your generosity, the birds
in flight overhead speak of your freedom, tiny ants demonstrate your
persistence even in the face of obstacles along the way. You bring strength and
courage to each of us when we are afraid and wisdom and new direction when we
are faced with choices and challenges. Teach us how to recognize the difference
between human wisdom and your wisdom, between human ideas of greatness and your
vision of greatness found through humility, integrity and service.
We pray this day for all among
us who are facing the challenges of rising costs and financial insecurity, for
the many who living in the midst of famines and droughts, for the many who have
lost everything in fires and storms. We pray for all agencies and individuals
who are working to alleviate the suffering of others, helping them to rebuild
their lives and their communities. We pray for all who are working for peace in
a world so divided by bitter conflicts, violence and war. Send your Spirit upon
all who are facing discrimination because of who they are or where they have
come from. We lift before you all who are struggling with mental or physical
illnesses, disability or a difficult diagnosis, all who face death this day and
all who weep for loved ones who have died.
We ask for your guidance for
all who serve in our governments, our communities, our churches and our
volunteer organizations. Show them ways to develop policies of care and
compassion for the weakest and most vulnerable among us, especially the hungry
and the homeless, the migrants and the many who are feeling lonely or unloved.
O God, we offer these prayers
in the name of Jesus, whose life of service and love and radical inclusiveness
provides us with a model of the path to true greatness as your beloved people.
With thanks for the strength he gives us for each step along the way, we pray
together saying… Our Father…
Hymn: 595 VU We are Pilgrims on a Journey
Blessing:
The Book of James
instructs God’s beloved: “Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your
good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom.”
Go with these words on
your hearts,
And may the God of wisdom
guide you;
The Christ of mercy walk
beside you;
And the Spirit of hope
inspire you each and every day,
Now and always.
Amen
*****************
Since
time immemorial, Indigenous peoples have occupied and cared for the land which
many call Canada. In our worship together this day, in this area, we gather on
the traditional land of the Wabanaki peoples, predominantly the lands of the
Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Wolastoqiyik and Passamaquoddy. As a community of faith, we
seek to rebuild right relations with these people, to learn from them and to
live on this land, their land with respect and gratitude for its creation and
Creator.
No
matter what has happened in our lives this week, no matter what we have done or
left undone, the light of Christ welcomes us to this time of worship.
Call to Worship: (Written
by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries)
Beloved, the voice of Wisdom
calls to us from the street corner, the grocery store aisle, the noisy dinner
table, and the quiet places of our hearts. Will you listen?
Yes, with God’s help, we will
listen!
Wisdom calls to us with hard
truths, showing us where we’ve strayed in our hearts and as a community and
urging us back onto God’s path. Will you follow?
Yes, with God’s help, we will
follow!
Wisdom’s call persists through
the twists and turns, the rough patches, the barely discernible paths forward,
and the moments we feel completely lost. Will you hold onto Wisdom wherever she
takes you?
Yes, with God’s help, we will
hold onto Wisdom!
Then Beloved, let us worship
God together as we cling to wisdom on our journey along the path of salvation
paved with God’s love.
Yes! Let us worship God
together! Amen.
Opening Prayer:
Holy Wisdom of God, we have
come in response to your call to worship you.
We come from busy agendas and neighbourhoods.
We come from quiet
contemplation and boisterous joy.
We come in grief and with
hope.
We have come to be in
community with one another.
We come to gather in your
name, to honor your presence, and to give you praise. Amen
Hymn: 686 VU God of Grace and God of Glory
Prayer of Confession: (Written
by Rev. Andy James, New York. Posted on LiturgyLink)
We long for wisdom, O God, but
prefer that it be our own.
We turn away from the ideas of others
and ignore the possibility and promise that come
from life together with you.
Most of all,
we drown out your gift of Wisdom as she seeks to get our attention,
for we believe that we know better
or would prefer to decide where we make her welcome.
Forgive us, loving God.
Bring an end to the self-righteousness that ignores you,
and awaken us anew to the Wisdom that comes only from you.
Show us how to walk in your ways
and listen to your promise each and every day. Amen.
Words of Affirmation
From the beginning of time,
God has been at work, speaking through words of wisdom, restoring us and
forgiving us.
In the public squares of our
communities and in your word, Wisdom invites us to turn and pay attention.
As we listen to her counsel, we
are redirected and promised new beginnings.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Readings and Reflection: To
Hear Audio Version of this, click here:
When Wisdom Shows Up
Our
first reading this morning comes from the book of Proverbs. If you have ever
turned to it, you will know that it contains all sorts of little pithy sayings
and instructions for life. Along with other books like Job and Ecclesiastes,
Proverbs is part of a genre of scripture known as “wisdom literature.” In our
reading for today, wisdom is depicted as a woman preaching in the streets,
clamoring for attention where people are going about their busy lives, yet
meeting with resistance. As I try to visualize this, I think perhaps of Lady
Wisdom standing on a soap box at a busy city intersection or maybe at a street
protest in front of the legislature or the parliament buildings or wherever
people are known to gather, maybe even at the front entrance to a busy Tim
Horton’s coffee shop, desperately trying to capture our attention and to get
her point across. Yet, despite her best efforts at making her pitch, her words
are ignored. People cross over to the other side of the street or parking lot.
They avoid her counsel and head in their own direction. Let’s listen to her
cries:
Proverbs 1: 20-33
20 Wisdom
cries out in the street;
in the squares she raises her voice.
21 At the busiest corner she cries out;
at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
22 “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing
and fools hate knowledge?
23 Give heed to my reproof;
I will pour out my thoughts to you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 Because I have called and you refused,
have stretched out my hand and no one heeded,
25 and because you have ignored all my counsel
and would have none of my reproof,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when panic strikes you,
27 when panic strikes you like a storm
and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you.
28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;
they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
30 would have none of my counsel
and despised all my reproof,
31 therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way
and be sated with their own devices.
32 For waywardness kills the simple,
and the complacency of fools destroys them;
33 but those who listen to me will be secure
and will live at ease without dread of disaster.
We can hear her frustration. She
minces no words as she calls the foolish ones to pay heed to her. Yet, they
continue to go on their merry way, refusing to follow her, convinced they know
what is best. Kind of like the way our GPS might give us directions for
arriving at our destinations but we turn the wrong way, we think we can figure
it out for ourselves and then we have to turn around and start over.
In light of this reading, I
have been thinking a bit about wisdom this week. In the midst of so much
information, so many talking heads, such easy access to things like google,
artificial intelligence, ask Siri or ask Alexa, where do we seek wisdom as
opposed to information, facts or knowledge? How do we recognize wisdom speaking
to us in our midst? What might wisdom be saying to us in the midst of issues
like the climate crisis or the growing polarization between nations and
individuals? What might wisdom be saying to us as a church? Where might she be
calling out to us to heed her counsel? What does it mean to choose the ways of
wisdom, to pay attention and not bury our heads in the sand? How do we
recognize wisdom’s voice in the midst of the many other voices that call out
for our attention? And better still, are we prepared for what wisdom asks of
us? Are we prepared to let go of our own egos and head in new directions?
These were the very questions
facing the disciples as they came to a turning point in their journey with
Jesus. So far, they had followed and listened and watched as he taught and
healed and as he entered into dialogue with the scribes and Pharisees. Now, as
they approached the outskirts of the Roman town of Caesarea Phillipi, known for
its worship of idols and random gods, Jesus poses a question to see if they have
the wisdom to recognize just who he is and where their journey with him is
heading.
Mark 8: 27-38
27 Jesus
went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi, and on the way,
he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And
they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one
of the prophets.” 29 He asked them, “But who do you
say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” 30 And
he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.
31 Then
he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering and be
rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes and be killed and
after three days rise again. 32 He said all this
quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But
turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind
me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human
things.”
34 He
called the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “If any wish to
come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow
me. 35 For those who want to save their life will
lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the
gospel, will save it. 36 For what will it
profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37 Indeed,
what can they give in return for their life? 38 Those
who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation,
of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his
Father with the holy angels.”
As you can see, bold Peter had
the right answer to Jesus’ question. You are the Messiah. Nonetheless, that
right answer, on its own, did not constitute wisdom. In Peter’s mind, Messiah
meant the one who would, by power and force, conquer the Romans and restore the
fortunes of Israel. It is little wonder then that when Jesus goes on to speak
about his upcoming rejection, suffering, death and resurrection, Peter will
have nothing to do with that kind of image of a Messiah. No way. No how. Jesus
then outlines it in very plain language. Choosing the ways of God’s wisdom,
being my follower will mean losing your life in order to gain it. It will
involve letting go of the ways of a world dominated by greed, corruption,
self-seeking and arrogance in order to embrace an alternate path. Peter,
however, is stuck in a “human” way of thinking. Jesus continues to point out
that his new way of wisdom and the direction of his journey will be anything
but easy or attractive. It will mean embracing a whole new identity and a new
understanding, a way that will mean transformation. It will mean quite
literally going beyond the mind we as humans have and thinking as God thinks.
Instead of trying to save our own lives, following Jesus’ ways of wisdom will
mean losing our lives, letting go of our own ego, our grasping after power and
privilege and turning to the ways of justice, love and compassion. When this
kind of wisdom shows up in our lives, we will live in a different way and be
part of a whole different story than what the world at large is telling us.
It reminded me of a story from
many years ago that I stumbled upon in my reading this week from an article
written in Feasting on the Word by James Hopkins. On Oct. 2, 2006, Charles Carl
Roberts entered a one room school in the Amish community of Nickel Mines,
Pennsylvania. He lined up 10 young girls and shot them at point blank range,
killing 5 of them. If you recall the story, in the face of this unspeakable
atrocity, this Amish community insisted that if they were true to their faith,
true to their heritage and true to the memory of these innocent victims, they
must not be overcome by this evil but overcome evil with good. They said they
would find a way to forgive. So, they embraced and cared for not only the
families of the victims but also the family of the shooter. In the words of
that community, they said, “We want to model another way, a better way.” It
meant letting go rather than holding on. It meant that rather than seeking
revenge, they chose compassion.
That is no doubt an extreme example
of just what can happen when wisdom shows up in our midst, when loving God and
loving neighbour are not just platitudes we repeat but words that transform our
priorities and our actions.
The name Bob Homme may not be
familiar to you. But you will recognize him if I told you he was the Friendly
Giant on the longest running children’s show in Canada. I know when I was
growing up, he was a favourite in our household morning routines. The format of
the show was simple- minimal characters – Jerome the giraffe and Rusty the
rooster. Homme believed in the power of imagination and the importance of
fierce respect for children. Everyone was welcome, valued and respected. Less
well known about Homme, however, is the fact that he lived the values he
portrayed on that show. Despite repeated offers of money and worldwide
syndication when his sponsors wanted him to expand the marketing of Friendly
Giant to include play figures and other money-making appeals, he refused. He
couldn’t be bought and maintained his values of inspiring and entertaining
children, not exploiting them. Simply another
example of what happens when wisdom shows up in the busy and yet, ordinary,
places of our lives. When we listen to wisdom’s voice and heed her call, we are
pushed to discover what real and abundant life looks like. We live in a
different way. We learn to choose different priorities. And more often than
not, when we listen to wisdom, we will find ourselves sent out in different
directions, directions that run counter to the world’s values and the things
like greater wealth, more popularity or success- the very things that our world
often lures us into thinking will complete us and make our lives more
fulfilling or more meaningful.
For Peter, hearing Jesus’ call
to follow in this new way of God’s wisdom, with a whole new understanding of
where the journey was heading, was startling to say the least. It meant more
than simply having the right answer to Jesus’ question, “who do you say that I
am?” It meant learning to let go of his own ego, dying to self and finding
fulfillment in service to others. I
suspect that for Peter and the others, identifying Jesus as Messiah was only
step # 1. Figuring out just what just what kind of Messiah Jesus was talking
about would involve lots more revisions as he continued on his journey with
Jesus to Jerusalem. And, as we know, Peter was notorious for putting his foot
in his mouth, for making gaffes along the way and for revealing his lack of
understanding. Still, he doesn’t give up. He keeps on asking the hard questions,
keeps on trying to figure out what it means to follow Jesus to unknown
destinations that promise to be both dangerous and life giving.
It is the same for us. When we
listen for Jesus’ wisdom in our lives, we too will be led to new discoveries, to
embrace new and often counter-cultural priorities based on kindness, love,
generosity, humility and service to others. Instead of feathering our own
nests, we will be asked to broaden our concern. Instead of seeking our own
safety and security, we will be called to take risks. Instead of grasping at
power, prestige and privilege, we will be challenged to let go and to be
redirected. Or as the writer of the Message translation puts Jesus words so
plainly: “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in
the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and
I’ll show you how.” I am pretty sure that is what happens when wisdom
shows up in our lives and in our world, when we are called into a life-long
relationship of learning with Jesus and losing ourselves in service to others.
We get out of the driver’s seat and put ourselves in the passenger seat or
maybe even in the back seat. We let Jesus do the steering. We give up the need to be in control of the
journey, the destinations and even the detours and stops along the way. We
simply go along for the ride and open ourselves to the experiences along the
way. Such is the journey of life.
Then, when that voice of wisdom comes calling
out to us at work, in the marketplace, in a crowded waiting room, in the
headlines of our news, in the silence of our thoughts, in the conversations
with our friends and families, in the cries of those in need, in the beauty of
creation, in the experience of worship or in any of the countless ordinary,
everyday moments of our lives, we stop, heed her words and follow where we are
being led. Amen.
Your Generosity Matters/ Our
Gifts are Received
Sophie with Rev. Omo, previous
minister and mother of current minister at Myakojima Church, with the
Newfoundland flag.
Credit: David McIntosh
Sophie Fitzgerald was one of
two United Church young adults selected to attend the Minority Youth Forum in
Japan, hosted by the Center for Minority Issues and Mission.
Sophie writes about her
experience:
“As a young woman in my 20s
who has lived and grown up in the United Church, I have always felt God’s call
to spread God’s love and peace in any way that I can. Being involved with many
organizations and missions with the church, I’ve had the privilege to do this
many times in many provinces across Canada but never internationally, until
this past March where God called me to travel to Miyakojima island.
“On a tour of the island, we
saw exactly what the Japanese military is doing to Miyakojima. We saw how they
are taking the beautiful beaches and using them as training camps, putting up
missile bunkers in the middle of town next to peoples’ homes and so much more.
We sat and talked about how our generation can help the people of Miyakojima
have peace once again, and how peace cannot be created with military and
military weapons. Throughout these conversations and visits to these sites you
could feel an overwhelming presence of our Creator, and was saddened when
coming to the terms that everything beautiful that God created was being
destroyed and will be destroyed if war does occur.
“We all need to come together
to be a community, a community of God’s children striving to seek peace in the
world. All people of compassion, wisdom, and belief need to come together in
order to take care of one another, and to take care of our beautiful world that
the Creator made. Systems of injustice can only be resolved with community and
partnership with one another. I am blessed that I get to bring the partnership
and stories of the people of Miyakojima island back to my island of
Newfoundland.”
The Youth Forum is an
ecumenical initiative of churches in Japan, supported by The United Church of
Canada and Mission and Service. Your generosity through Mission
and Service helps programs like this one that inspire peace and
learning. Thank you.
Hymn: 575
VU I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me
Prayers of Thanksgiving and
Intercession:
God of all creation, you gift
us with the eternal cycles of day and night, the ever-changing seasons, the
intricacies of a spider web glistening in the early morning dew, the laughter
of children at play on the streets and playgrounds, the calmness of a gently
flowing river and the beauty of a sunset to complete our days.
We also know and give thanks
for your presence as we learn about the despair of war in so many places, the
anguish of violence on our streets and in our homes, the discouragement of long
waiting times for surgery and treatments in our hospitals, the pain in our
hearts for our loved ones who struggle with illness, addiction or loneliness,
the cries of creation that asks for our care, the voices of so many who are
experiencing loss or grief of all different kinds.
God, we pray that in these and
all the situations of our lives that we might be open to your voice of wisdom
crying out for a change in our attitudes and actions. Teach us to pay
attention. Show us how we might align ourselves with your love in our choices,
in our words, in our relationships, in our community involvement and in the
sharing of our resources.
Help us, like Peter and the
disciples to wrestle with the identity of Jesus in our lives and in the places
where he is calling us to follow and to serve. In the noise and chaos of life,
in the quiet moments of contemplation may we welcome your wisdom and direction,
even when it shakes us up and sends us on unfamiliar pathways.
We offer these prayers, along
with the prayers that rest on our hearts alone, in the name of Jesus, praying
as he taught us saying… Our Father…
Hymn: 561
VU Take Up Your Cross
Blessing
May we be blessed with a holy
resolve to pay attention to Wisdom whenever and wherever she shows up in our everyday
lives,
that we may be guided by her
counsel and know that Wisdom will always lead us down the path of God’s love.
Amen.
*************************
Thanks to all for sharing
those Grandparenting God Moments! I am certain you will find many more as you
are gifted with the joys and blessings of grandparenting.
Thanks to all who contributed
to the 170 pounds of food for the food bank last Sunday.
In case you haven’t found it
yet, in the worship service there is a recorded version of the
scriptures and reflection. So if your eyes are weary, just click the link
before the printed readings and reflection part when you get to it. It is the
same section that is on the Facebook site each week.
Have a blessed week.
Since time immemorial,
Indigenous peoples have occupied and cared for the land which many call Canada.
In our worship together this day, in this area, we gather on the traditional
land of the Wabanaki peoples, predominantly the lands of the Mi’kmaq, Maliseet,
Wolastoqiyik and Passamaquoddy. As a community of faith, we seek to rebuild
right relations with these people, to learn from them and to live on this land,
their land with respect and gratitude for its creation and Creator.
The light of Christ who opens
us to ever widening circles and pathways.
Call to Worship: (from
Thom Shuman, Lectionary Liturgies)
What good is it if we say
we love all people,
but give special treatment to a few?
God calls us to love others as deeply
as we love ourselves, with no strings attached.
What good is it if we say we want
God to show mercy towards us,
but are quick to judge others?
God calls us to forgive our sisters and brothers,
to let mercy triumph over judgment.
What good is it if we say we trust God in every moment,
but live guided by our fears?
We will speak and act as those who trust God to come
and live in our fearful hearts.
Opening Prayer (from Worship Ways,
United Church of Christ, Rev. Dr. Cheryl A.
Lindsay)
Holy
One, our Maker, we gather to worship you, to renew our spirits,
and to
connect as a community.
Some
of us crave a joyful noise,
some
flourish in quiet contemplation,
others
desire movement,
while
others need to ponder our thoughts.
However,
we worship, we gather here.
In
this place, we find you in the midst of us.
In
this connectivity, we know that your covenant remains in effect.
May
your Spirit guide, empower, and speak. Amen
Hymn: 291 VU All Things Bright and Beautiful
Prayer
of Confession:(adapted
from Worship Ways, the United Church of Christ)
Holy One, we confess all the
ways in which we fail to live up to the faith we profess.
We clamour for success; we
worship power and lust for privilege.
We confess that we don’t look
too different from the world.
We confess our tendency to
exclude rather than to include,
to form closed groups rather
than open communities,
and to prioritize comfort
rather than embrace curiosity.
Don’t give up on us, God.
Challenge us and empower us to
be your faithful disciples.
Help us to truly love our
neighbour, whether family, friend, stranger, or foe, as ourselves and with the
love you demonstrate toward us. Amen.
Words of Affirmation
Beloved,
God’s grace is sufficient to meet us in weakness.
And yet, faith without works
lacks power, conviction, and life.
Let our commitment to the
gospel and a life with Christ be reflected in our attitude and actions toward
those with different life experiences, identities, and cultures.
Be opened to the
possibilities, wonders, and joy that the diversity of God’s creation presents
to us. Amen.
Readings and Reflection:
Turning
Points on the Road
In thinking about this back-to-school
week, I couldn’t help but reminisce about my own school days. I don’t know what
it was like for you but I do remember how in elementary school and high school
and even, to some degree, in my undergraduate days at Mount Allison, we often distinguished
between various groups of students. In my elementary school, up until grade 7,
I think most of us walked to school as we all seemed to live in the
neighbourhoods surrounding the school. Yet about grade 7, the north part of
Moncton out towards the Magnetic Hill area began to grow. Lots of new housing
and subdivisions built up. But there were no local schools to accommodate the
growing number of students. So, they got bussed in to our school. We called
them the bus kids and I remember the rivalries that took place as everyone
learned to adapt to the changing face of the school culture. As kids we had
names that tended to categorize one another into distinct groups- there were
the “jocks” who played football and probably every other sport going. There were
the “class clowns”. And the “brainiacs”. Sometimes it was the type of music
they listened to or the people they hung around with, or whether or not they
were in with the popular group. Then at Mount Allison there were categories
based on the type of studies you were doing- music, fine arts, science,
commerce, arts and so on. Or the residence you lived in or if you were a townie.
It is human nature to divide
into these kinds of groups and assign labels to another group. We do it all the
time. We say things like he or she is
from away. They grew up in the city. They’ve lived here for generations. I remember
her parents. I worked with his grandfather. Such distinctions are a natural
means of identifying people. Nothing wrong with that. The difficulty comes,
however, when these categories become walls that exclude or cause us to dismiss
another, or when they lead to unfair biases, assumptions and stereotypes. More
and more, it seems to me, that our world is inundated with news stories,
political rhetoric and everyday conversations in person or on social media that
seem to reflect deep-rooted divisiveness, tribalism and sometimes, downright
hatred that is making me ask why is this kind of speech and behaviour becoming
so much more pronounced and permissible in our world? Whatever happened to
decency and compassion, despite our differences? In my conversations with many
of you I hear you asking similar kinds of questions.
As I was asking myself these
things, I came across a new word called “othering”.
Here is how one entry on a
website describes it and I think you will get the idea:
“Othering is a phenomenon in which some
individuals or groups are defined and labeled as not fitting in within the
norms of a social group. It is an effect that influences how people perceive
and treat those who are viewed as being part of the in-group versus those who
are seen as being part of the out-group.
Othering also involves
attributing negative characteristics to people or groups that differentiate
them from the perceived normative social group.
It is an “us vs. them” way of
thinking about human connections and relationships. This process essentially
involves looking at others and saying "they are not like me" or
"they are not one of us."
In our scriptures this
morning, this theme of “othering” is related to the idea of showing favouritism
or partiality to one group over another.
In our reading from James, the
writer, once again, is especially hard on us church folks. In this passage he
reminds us how we all are guilty of showing favouritism and partiality, even
when we think we don’t. He uses the example of social- economic favouritism
here, the ways we often give those with wealth or influence more power and
prestige. But there are lots more ways that we “other” based on language,
culture, race, country of origin, appearance, marital status, gender, sexual orientation
to name but a few. Let’s listen to James.
James 2: 1-17
My
brothers and sisters, when you show favoritism you deny the faithfulness of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who has been resurrected in glory. 2 Imagine
two people coming into your meeting. One has a gold ring and fine clothes,
while the other is poor, dressed in filthy rags. 3 Then
suppose that you were to take special notice of the one wearing fine clothes,
saying, “Here’s an excellent place. Sit here.” But to the poor person you say,
“Stand over there”; or, “Here, sit at my feet.” 4 Wouldn’t
you have shown favoritism among yourselves and become evil-minded judges?
5 My
dear brothers and sisters, listen! Hasn’t God chosen those who are poor by
worldly standards to be rich in terms of faith? Hasn’t God chosen the poor as
heirs of the kingdom he has promised to those who love him? 6 But
you have dishonored the poor. Don’t the wealthy make life difficult for you?
Aren’t they the ones who drag you into court? 7 Aren’t
they the ones who insult the good name spoken over you at your baptism?
8 You do
well when you really fulfill the royal law found in scripture, Love your
neighbor as yourself. 9 But when you show favoritism, you
are committing a sin, and by that same law you are exposed as a
lawbreaker. 10 Anyone who tries to keep all of the Law but
fails at one point is guilty of failing to keep all of it. 11 The
one who said, Don’t commit adultery, also said, Don’t commit murder. So
if you don’t commit adultery but do commit murder, you are a lawbreaker. 12 In
every way, then, speak and act as people who will be judged by the law of
freedom. 13 There will be no mercy in judgment for anyone
who hasn’t shown mercy. Mercy overrules judgment.
14 My
brothers and sisters, what good is it if people say they have faith but do
nothing to show it? Claiming to have faith can’t save anyone, can it? 15 Imagine
a brother or sister who is naked and never has enough food to eat. 16 What
if one of you said, “Go in peace! Stay warm! Have a nice meal!”? What good is
it if you don’t actually give them what their body needs? 17 In
the same way, faith is dead when it doesn’t result in faithful activity.
We almost want to say but
James, give us a break here! We are all human. We all have bias. Impartiality
is difficult. As we will see in our next reading, even Jesus struggled with it.
That is, until he reached a turning point and became aware of another way. I
like the way the story Bible book, Read Wonder Listen: Stories from the
Bible for Young Readers introduces our gospel passage from Mark:
“We all like to draw maps. To
put people in their place. Insiders. Outsiders. Us. Them. Most of the time,
Jesus threw out the maps. He opened up closed circles. But now and then even
Jesus needed a reminder of how far God’s love would reach.” And if you remember
from last week’s gospel, Jesus denounced the scribes and Pharisees for making
distinctions between clean and unclean based on hand washing traditions. Today,
if you listen carefully, it is Jesus who realizes that he is the one making
distinctions.
Mark 7: 24-37
4 From
there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house
and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape
notice, 25 but a woman whose little daughter had an
unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his
feet. 26 Now the woman was a gentile, of
Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her
daughter. 27 He said to her, “Let the children be
fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But
she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the
table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then he
said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your
daughter.” 30 And when she went home, she found the
child lying on the bed and the demon gone.
31 Then
he returned from the region of Tyre and went by way of Sidon toward the Sea of
Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32 They
brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech, and they begged
him to lay his hand on him. 33 He took him aside in
private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat
and touched his tongue. 34 Then looking up to
heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 And
his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 Then
Jesus ordered them to tell no one, but the more he ordered them, the more
zealously they proclaimed it. 37 They were
astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes
the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”
I want us to pause here for a
moment and ask ourselves a question. Knowing what you know about Jesus, his
compassion, his desire for others’ healing and inclusion in the wider community,
why would his initial response to this woman’s request for healing for her
daughter be so cruel? Imagine referring to her as a dog! Certainly, this is not
the image of a perfect Jesus that most of us have in our minds. It is not at
all what we would have expected of him. We would expect that he would have said
something more along the lines of sure, I’ll be right over or at the very
least, just let me have one little power nap and then I’ll help her. What is
going on here? Why is Jesus “othering” her by speaking with such prejudice?
Certainly, his response to her
is surprising, if not downright shocking. Why is he saying this? And yet, to
the people of his culture living in the midst of tensions between the people of
Israel and the Gentile territories, the use of this slur “dog” to refer to
Gentiles was common on the part of his own people. They would have agreed with
him. It was their way of “othering” this woman and treating her as “not one of
us”, someone with whom marriage, business transactions and even such simple
things as the sharing of a meal or an ordinary conversation was forbidden. But
don’t we think or expect that Jesus would rise above all this?
Somehow, I think that depends
on just how we see Jesus. Ponder with me for a minute. Was Jesus born knowing
everything? Or did he, like us, have to learn as he went along in life? I like
how writer Scott Horzee asks this, “Can Jesus still learn? Surely somewhere he
had to learn to count and recite his ABC’s or when he went to school for the
first time, did he just pretend to learn them?”
What if, just like us, Jesus
was the product of his time, shaped by the prejudices, biases and entitlements
of his culture? What if he, too, had his blind spots based on his upbringing and
the words he heard others speaking? What if as Luke 2 says as “he grew in
wisdom and stature” Jesus also had to deconstruct some of these biases?
I can’t help but think that is
what he does in this passage when the woman boldly speaks up to him saying, “Sir, even
the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” It is then that
Jesus gets it. Good answer. She’s right. She is making a good point. I like how
Barbara Brown Taylor describes this moment:
“You can almost hear the huge
wheel of history turning as Jesus comes to a new understanding of who he is and
what he has been called to be.” Thanks to this woman’s persistence in the
conversation, she becomes the hero who opens Jesus to a wider world view. He is
now stretched in his understanding of the larger nature of his mission and
ministry- not just to Jews alone, but to Gentiles, to the whole world. The love
of God shows no partiality, no favouritism. The realm of God has no “others”
And Jesus’ realization of this
new learning quickly shows itself in action as a man who is deaf, also from
Gentile territory, is brought to him. This time, there is no hesitation on the part
of Jesus. This time, unlike the woman’s daughter whom he healed from a
distance, Jesus gets up close and personal- putting his finger in the man’s
ears and touching his tongue with spit and saying Be Opened.
It's a great story about the
nature of genuine faith- always learning, always evolving, always stretching us
and pushing back the boundaries of insiders and outsiders, us and them, always
surprising us and shocking us in its inclusion of all peoples in God’s realm.
When confronted with his own
embedded biases, Jesus is rattled to the core. There’s a quote that says it
best- “humility is the willingness to become teachable.” And, as it was for
Jesus, so it is for us. The first step is in being aware of our biases, our
assumptions and the many ways that we, like Jesus, struggle with inclusion of
so many different voices and perspectives. Being open can be exhausting. It
involves crossing barriers and boundaries that we may not wish to cross and
mixing with people we may never have mixed with before. Yet, when we find ways
of doing so, we, like Jesus will be transformed in our mission and ministry
together, shaped into the kind of community God calls us to be.
I conclude with these
challenging words from the “othering” website I was reading that we, as the
community of faith here at Faith Memorial United, might challenge one another
to present to this world a different way:
Understanding and countering othering is
not just an academic exercise; it is a moral imperative, a call to action for
every individual and institution. The journey will be challenging, demanding
constant vigilance and a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths. But
within the struggle lies the promise of a future where diversity is not just
tolerated but celebrated, where every individual feels valued and connected,
and where the tapestry of human experience is woven with threads of empathy,
acceptance, and understanding. Let us commit to unraveling the fabric of
othering, stitch by stitch, and forge a more inclusive and compassionate world
for all. Amen.
Your Generosity Matters/ Our
Offerings are Received
Moments of growth are at our
heart.
Credit: oksanashufryc
Through your generous support
of Mission and Service, our partners are nurturing seeds of wisdom and faith in
communities across the globe. By supporting educational initiatives, individuals
are empowered to explore their spirituality, deepen their knowledge, and build
a better future for themselves and their communities.
Imagine a classroom of kindergarteners
in a refugee camp where children eagerly gather to learn about the
world and their place in it. Picture a young adult discovering the profound
teachings of their faith for the first time, safely supported by their
peers. Consider a group of parents and
guardians gathered in a workshop, sharing their hopes and dreams for their
communities, guided by mentors who inspire them to lead with compassion and
justice. Imagine people learning and restoring lost
languages to preserve precious history and culture.
These moments of growth are at
our heart, and they are made possible by your compassion and generosity. As we
look to the future, the impact of educational initiatives through Mission and
Service partners becomes even clearer. Every lesson learned, every skill
acquired, and every relationship built contributes to a larger tapestry of hope
and resilience.
Whether it's a child in a
rural classroom or an adult in a leadership program, the education provided
through Mission
and Service partners is a beacon, guiding individuals toward a path of
faith, understanding, and service. Together, we are sowing the seeds of a more
compassionate world. Thank you.
Hymn:575 Vu I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me
Prayers of Thanksgiving and
Intercession
Creator God, as we journey into
this month of transition, with cooler nights, migrating geese honking overhead, the work of
harvest beginning on the land, we give thanks for the summer season that has
been ours to enjoy- for opportunities to be together with friends and families,
for the gift of travel and restoration and for a chance to renew our commitment
to serving you.
At the same time, we remember
in prayer all those among us who have not been able to find rest, the many who
have been touched by suffering, who have lost loved ones to death, others among
us who are anticipating surgery or medical procedures in the wake of a
difficult diagnosis, the many who have lost their homes and places of work due
to wildfires, the many who are struggling with difficult choices about what
comes next for them, the many who are anxious about so many things like climate
change, their families and the economy. We pray for the many who are feeling
unloved or unappreciated, the many who are living in deplorable living
conditions, longing for safety, for food, for peace in the midst of war and
violence all around them.
We give thanks for the life
and ministry of Jesus, who through his openness to new learnings dared to cross
boundaries, to break down barriers and to offer healing to so many. Through him
we continue to learn how your circle is wider than we can ever imagine, taller
than our fences and deeper than our biases and our assumptions.
As we learn more and more
about Jesus, we come to realize that there is so much we miss as we look
through our eyes trained to see only the familiar, the expected and the safe. Thank
you, God, that you don’t see this way- that
you look at each of us- woman
and man, old and young, rich and poor, gay and straight, black and white, and
you love what you see. Thank you for how you see us, God. Please give us new
eyes to see ourselves and others the way you do.
We offer these our
prayers, O God, in the name of Jesus, our teacher and our friend, saying
together… Our Father…
Hymn: 145 MV Draw the Circle Wide
Blessing: 349 VU
*******************
Welcome to our worship service
for this first day of September.
Special blessings to all who
are starting back to school this week- students, teachers and of course,
parents!
Next Sunday is
Grandparents’ Day. To all the grandparents in the congregation, please come
ready to share your “God Moments” that have involved something your
grandchildren said or did that inspired you to think about God and your place
in God’s world in a different way.
Looking forward to your
snippets, either spoken or, if you prefer, jot down a note to read during God
moments next week!
Many thanks to all who shared
their items for the food bank today and to Arlene for delivering them to the
food bank.
Have a great start up to fall
week!
Since
time immemorial, Indigenous peoples have occupied and cared for the land which
many call Canada. In our worship together this day, in this area, we gather on
the traditional land of the Wabanaki peoples, predominantly the lands of the
Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Wolastoqiyik and Passamaquoddy. As a community of faith, we
seek to rebuild right relations with these people, to learn from them and to
live on this land, their land with respect and gratitude for its creation and
Creator.
As we mark this transition
time into the fall season, we are reminded of the light of Christ that guides
our way forward.
Call to Worship: (for
Labour Day, written by Robin Wardlaw, in the Gathering, Pentecost 1, 2024)
The work of God is love.
Loving God is our work.
Let us work together.
In love, let us work together
with God.
And may this time of worship
inspire the loving work God calls us to do.
Opening Prayer:
On this Labour Day weekend, we
pause, O God, to worship you.
May our hearts and minds, and
every aspect of our lives be transformed by your word that speaks to us here,
and in every moment of our lives.
Touch us and reshape us by our
worship of you this day that we might be strengthened and led forth to live as
the people you call us to be-
putting the faith we profess
with our lips into compassionate care for others and humble service to you.
Amen.
Hymn: 661 VU Come to My Heart
Prayer of Confession: (adapted
from Carolyn Brown, from her blog Worshipping with Children)
God, we want to obey you in
everything and always do what is right.
But we often obey our
own wants and wishes instead.
We
wish all our words were true and sincere. We do not mean to slander
others.
But we are surprised and
disappointed at the words that come out of our mouths.
We like to think that we are
quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger,
But too often, we have spoken too quickly without
listening or really hearing what another has said.
We
want to treat our friends well. We do not intend to spread rumours.
But we too often mistreat those we love most
and we do spread rumours.
In our heads we honour those who honour you
But we act like we have
more respect for whoever is
popular at the moment.
We
like to think that we always do what we promise, no matter how much it costs,
But we know that is not true.
Forgive us and remake us
into the people you created us to be.
We pray in Jesus’
name. Amen.
Words of Affirmation:
The letter of James challenges
us “to welcome the word planted deep inside us.”
That word is love, and as we
welcome it, we can be sure that God listens to our cries and offers forgiveness
freely and lavishly.
We listen and understand that
this gift of mercy and love is from God.
It brings us hope and a fresh
start.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Readings and Reflection:
For Audio Link, click here:
Letting Our Whole Lives Speak
Reflection
prepared by Rev. Susan Estabrooks, Faith Memorial United Church,
Florenceville-Bristol, NB
Today, after the last few
weeks of that rather intensive chapter from John’s gospel on Jesus as the Bread
of Life, we get to move on toward some of the more practical, nitty gritty instructions
for living out our lives of faith. But before we do so, let’s give our
attention to a few questions to get us warmed up a bit. What does it mean to live an authentic faith? Can
we be faithful Christians by sitting in our homes, reading scripture and
praying yet never uttering the name of Jesus to anyone else or ever lifting a
finger to offer help to someone? Or is faithfulness a matter of being seen as a
pious person, following certain practices and traditions of the faith like
worshipping regularly, offering our gifts and resources to help others and using
what we learn from Jesus to make the world a better place? What does a faithful
person look like or act like? Is it about speaking more or listening more or acting
with greater justice, generosity and compassion? Is faith a private, internal
thing we keep to ourselves or is it a public and outward response to God’s
presence and grace in our lives? Or is a mix of both?
In our scriptures today, we are
given lots of evidence that it is indeed that mix, that balance between
thinking and doing and in so doing, always questioning the motivation behind
our words and our actions. The life of faith is a call to engage our whole
selves- mind, heart, will and intellect along with our eyes and ears, our hands
and feet.
In our reading from James, I
think it is the public part of faith that gets highlighted the most. We are
reminded that faith is not just left behind as we leave Sunday worship.
Instead, it follows us out into the workplace, at home, in our relationships
and in our choices about how we will respond to the needs of the world that
present themselves before us. Do we turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to the cries
of the oppressed? Do we let our faith inform how we vote, the products we buy
at our stores, the people with whom we choose to interact, the words we speak
or how we live together in community?
Let’s listen to some of the
wisdom James offers:
James 1:17-27
7 Every
good gift, every perfect gift, comes from above. These gifts come down from the
Father, the creator of the heavenly lights, in whose character there is no
change at all. 18 He chose to give us birth by his
true word, and here is the result: we are like the first crop from the harvest
of everything he created.
19 Know
this, my dear brothers and sisters: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to
speak, and slow to grow angry. 20 This is because
an angry person doesn’t produce God’s righteousness. 21 Therefore,
with humility, set aside all moral filth and the growth of wickedness, and
welcome the word planted deep inside you—the very word that is able to save
you.
22 You
must be doers of the word and not only hearers who mislead themselves. 23 Those
who hear but don’t do the word are like those who look at their faces in a mirror. 24 They
look at themselves, walk away, and immediately forget what they were
like. 25 But there are those who study the perfect
law, the law of freedom, and continue to do it. They don’t listen and then
forget, but they put it into practice in their lives. They will be blessed in
whatever they do.
26 If
those who claim devotion to God don’t control what they say, they mislead
themselves. Their devotion is worthless. 27 True
devotion, the kind that is pure and faultless before God the Father, is this:
to care for orphans and widows in their difficulties and to keep the world from
contaminating us.
In our gospel reading today,
we are introduced once again to one of those many times when the scribes and
Pharisees criticize Jesus and his disciples for not following in the traditions
of the elders. Scripture doesn’t paint this group of learned lay people very
well. We often think of the scribes and Pharisees as nit pickers. However, they
were not bad people. They were serious about living out their faith. They were
devoted to God and to living honourable lives by following the purity rules of
their ancestors in the faith. It was these traditions that were meant to keep
people grounded and moving along in their faith. Unfortunately, however, in
concentrating only on the external outward observance of these traditions, the
scribes and Pharisees had become bogged down. Instead of seeing these
traditions as a means of helping to give life to the people, they were stifling
life.
Here is the conversation that
Mark shares with us:
Mark 7:1-7, 14-15, 21-23
Now when the Pharisees and
some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, 2 they
noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is,
without washing them. 3 (For the Pharisees, and all
the Jews, do not eat unless they wash their hands, thus observing the
tradition of the elders, 4 and they do not eat
anything from the market unless they wash, and there are also many other
traditions that they observe: the washing of cups and pots and bronze kettles
and beds.) 5 So the Pharisees and the scribes asked
him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders
but eat with defiled hands?” 6 He said to them,
“Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,
‘This people honors me with
their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
7 in vain do they worship me,
teaching human precepts as doctrines.’
8 “You
abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”
14 Then
he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and
understand: 15 there is nothing outside a person
that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.”
21 For it
is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: sexual
immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, avarice,
wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, folly. 23 All
these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
To the scribes and Pharisees,
then, it would seem, faithfulness was a matter of externals- adhering to a
certain set of traditions that reminded them of God’s holiness in their lives
and that identified them as God’s people. So, when they see the disciples of
Jesus not following these traditions regarding the proper washing of hands
before meals, they are outraged. This washing of hands had nothing to do with
hygiene as we might think of it today. It had everything to do with making
their mealtimes sacred by honouring God. In noticing that the disciples failed
to participate in this tradition, the scribes and Pharisees were quick to see
what they felt to be an act of disrespect for God’s law. Why are the disciples
not doing as we do? Why are you, Jesus, messing with our traditions?
We need to remember though
that in responding to their accusation, Jesus does not condemn the practice of
ritual cleansing. Nor does he, as a faithful Jew, condemn any of the traditions
of the elders. Jesus was well steeped in all these traditions. From the time he
was knee high to a grasshopper, Jesus would have understood that such
traditions were part of a healthy life of faith, of following and honouring God.
But, on their own, traditions did not add up to holiness. The problem, however,
as Jesus pointed out to them was that these very practices intended to bring
life and health to the people had now become barriers to reaching out with
love, integrity and mercy. In being so focused on the externals of their faith,
in keeping up appearances by doing all the right things according to tradition,
they were sending energy in the wrong direction. They had forgotten the
intention of the traditions to the point that these practices had become a bone
of contention, a means of drawing a line in the sand and putting people into
categories of clean and unclean, insiders and outsiders.
As I was considering this
conversation between Jesus and the scribes and Pharisees, I was reminded of a
story I heard years ago about a newly minted priest in a small-town church in
upstate New York. He followed a well- loved priest who had been there over
thirty-five years. So here was this new priest in his first church; he had a
great desire to do well. He had been at the church several weeks when he began
to perceive that the people were upset at him. He was troubled.
Eventually he called aside one
of the lay leaders of the church and said, "I don't know what's wrong, but
I have a feeling that there's something wrong."
The man said, "Well,
Father, that's true. I hate to say it, but it's the way you do the Communion
service."
"The way I do the
Communion service? What do you mean?"
"Well, it's not so much
what you do as what you leave out."
"I don't think I leave
out anything from the Communion service."
"Oh yes, you do. Just
before our previous priest administered the chalice and wine to the people,
he'd always go over and touch the radiator. And, then, he would--"
"Touch the radiator? I
never heard of that liturgical tradition."
So, the younger man called the
former rector. He said, "I haven't even been here a month, and I'm in
trouble."
"In trouble? Why?"
"Well, it's something to
do with touching the radiator. Could that be possible? Did you do that?"
"Oh yes, I did. Always
before I administered the chalice to the people, I touched the radiator to
discharge the static electricity so I wouldn't shock them."
For over thirty-five years,
the people of his congregation had thought that was a part of the holy
tradition. That church has now gained the name, "The Church of the Holy
Radiator."
Perhaps it is a ludicrous
example but it happens, doesn’t it? Being faithful people can sometimes get
reduced to doing the right things, and following certain traditions or doing
certain outward actions while losing sight of our motivations, or perhaps never
really questioning why we do certain things in the first place. We can become so glued to the tradition, that
the tradition loses its meaning and impact. It’s not really hurtful or harmful,
but it’s not all that helpful or beneficial either. Christian tradition was
never intended to be static, but dynamic, and always evolving. I can’t help but wonder if that was what Jesus
was getting at when he called the scribes and Pharisees to examine their
tradition of ritually washing their hands. Certainly, the intention of that
tradition had started out all well and good but over time it lost its purpose
when the performing of that ritual became more important than the God being
worshipped.
Remember Tevye in Fiddler on
the Roof when he asks why do we wear a prayer shawl? His answer comes back in
the form of a song that, in essence, says “we do it because we’ve always done
it that way- it’s tradition!” We also can laugh at ourselves too knowing that the
way we’ve always done things sometimes gets translated as ‘the right way of
doing things!” Tevye’s answer of tradition often becomes our answer too,
doesn’t it? As much as we love our various traditions in our homes, our church
and our community, as much as they anchor us and help us know who we are and
what God expects of us, we can also laugh at them too. We need to always keep
them in balance by rethinking them from time to time to see if they are still serving
to help us come closer to God and to one another. We need to ask whether or not
they have outlived their usefulness. Perhaps something has changed in our
culture. I know one of the recent things our Session was looking at was the
timing of our Christmas Eve service. Whereas it has been our tradition to have
an early evening service, lately we have realized that that tradition may no
longer be helpful to the many in our community of faith who don’t drive at
night and the other slightly younger folks who now leave the area to go
celebrate with family in other places in the evening.
When I was young and serving
communion as a teenager in my home church, there was this elaborate detail a
couple of us had to do before the great thanksgiving prayer. We had to uncover
and fold this huge white cloth that was over the prepared elements. None of us
cared to be on that duty because we worried about toppling over one of the
trays in the process. Thankfully, that tradition got revisited! Why? Because it
was getting in the way of meaningful worship for those of us who were assisting.
In our homes we do that all
the time. When someone new enters our families, familiar patterns around the
celebration of holidays might shift. Or as we age, maybe instead of all the
family coming to our place, we go to their place and a new tradition develops.
I think the life of faith is
like that too. It involves that kind of adapting and reinterpreting of
traditions that we might hold onto. Otherwise, in seeking to live faithfully as
the scribes and Pharisees did, we run the risk of judging those who may not do
things in exactly the same way as we do. Always, as Jesus says to us, we need
to remind ourselves that no matter what practices we uphold as our tradition or
what good works we do in the public aspects of our faith, we still need to
question the intentions or motivations on our hearts when we do them. Our words
and our actions, as James reminds us, are the windows of our souls. The
traditions we follow and the actions we carry out are indicators of the
priorities of our hearts, of what matters most for us.
As that congregation with the
young priest probably laughed about later, doing something just because it
always had been done that way just didn’t make sense. In fact, as they watched
what they felt was a slip- up of that priest every Sunday, it came to concern
them so much that they missed the nourishment found around that communion
table, didn’t they? It probably was a good lesson for them in reflecting on
what really mattered - worshipping God and showing God’s love in action,
letting our faith inform all aspects of our living. The internal and external
together. The private and the public as a unit. Or, as we said earlier engaging
our whole selves- mind, heart, will and intellect along with our eyes and ears,
our hands and feet; and letting our whole lives speak. Amen
Your Generosity Matters/ Our
Gifts are Received
The beauty of nature reminds
children of the simple joys of friendship and gratitude.
Credit: Cave Springs Camp
Have you ever stepped into a
forest surrounded by birds chirping, insects calling, and leaves rustling in
the wind? The leaders at Mission and Service partner Cave Springs Camp in
Beamsville, ON, are encouraging children to leave the hustle and bustle behind
to enjoy moments of connection with nature and each other.
Nestled right on the Niagara
Escarpment, the joyful sounds of children discovering and playing echo
throughout the campgrounds. “I found a salamander!” someone exclaims as other
campers rush over to see. Something as simple as “Look at this cool rock!” draws
laughter and excitement. These moments of connection are powerful, allowing
everyone to be present and supportive.
In such a peaceful setting,
the beauty of nature reminds children of the simple joys of friendship and
gratitude. This experience can inspire a deep appreciation for the earth and a
desire to take care of it. Children make music, worship, explore creativity
through art, challenge themselves, and connect with others, all together in
nature.
Your support of Mission
and Service allows children to continue connecting in nature at United
Church camps. Thank you.
Hymn: 575 VU I’m Gonna Live So God
Can Use Me
Prayers of Thanksgiving and
Intercession:
God, we are thankful to be
living in this wondrous world you have created for us- a place of birds and
rocks and rivers, of oceans and trees and animals, of people who act in caring
ways for one another, a place where laughter and good times are shared with
family and friends.
This is indeed your wondrous
world. Yet, sadly too, it is a place where many do not know the goodness around
them because they are overwhelmed by difficulties, clouded with hatred or
oppression, preoccupied with finding enough to eat, or a place to sleep, or a
job.
Within this wondrous world, O
God, help us to celebrate your goodness by finding ways to share what we have,
by reaching out to those among us who are ill, who are grieving, who are
addicted or anxious about so many things, by changing systems of injustice into
systems of caring so that those who cannot appreciate your goodness might come
to experience them, even just a little, and know that you are a loving God who
seeks justice and righteousness and inclusion for all people.
Teach us to honour you, not
just with our lips but with our actions. Show us how to be patient and
compassionate listeners. On this Labour Day weekend we pray for workers
everywhere, those who find their employment meaningful and purposeful, those
who struggle in the face of abusive or unfair working conditions and those
whose work feels unfulfilling.
We pray for all for whom this
time is a time of transition- for students and teachers at the beginning of a
new school year, for the many who are leaving the security of familiar places
to study or to work, and for the many who are considering alternative living
arrangements because of ongoing health or mobility concerns.
We pray for the ongoing needs
of our world in the face of war, disease and climate changes, for all who are
in positions of leadership in our countries and communities that peace, justice
and equality for all might be their aim.
Finally, O God, as we go into
the fall months, help us to consider our traditions, the things that we hold
near and dear to us. Teach us to examine and celebrate the things that build us
up as families and communities while at the same time, learning to let go of
the things that have served their time. Gift us with a spirit of imagination
and renewal, that together, we may find ways of reinventing ourselves as we
keep your law of love first and foremost in our words and actions.
In the name of Jesus, our
light and our way, we pray together saying… Our Father…
Hymn: 427 VU To Show by Touch and Word
Blessing:
Our God who called us together
to be hearers of the word,
now sends us out to be doers
of that same word.
May the words we speak, the
care we show as we listen, and the actions we take at home, at school, at work
and in the community,
be windows to others of the
love of God in our hearts. Amen.
*************************
Welcome to worship service for
Aug. 25 at Faith Memorial United Church.
Hope you are enjoying this
beautiful day.
Thank you to all who
contributed to our offerings of school supplies that will go to the Food Bank
this week.
Reminder that next week we are
back to our regular first of the month offerings of non-perishables, personal
hygiene supplies, etc. for food bank.
Since time immemorial,
Indigenous peoples have occupied and cared for the land which many call Canada.
In our worship together this day, in this area, we gather on the traditional
land of the Wabanaki peoples, predominantly the lands of the Mi’kmaq, Maliseet,
Wolastoqiyik and Passamaquoddy. As a community of faith, we seek to rebuild
right relations with these people, to learn from them and to live on this land,
their land with respect and gratitude for its creation and Creator.
We light the Christ Candle to
centre us as we worship and to remind us that in all the decisions we make, big
or small, we are not alone. We have light for our way.
Call to Worship:
Jesus said: 'I am the Bread of
Life . . .
This is a tough teaching, too
tough to swallow.
Jesus said: 'Whoever does not
receive the kingdom of God
like a child shall not enter
it.'
This is a tough teaching, too
tough to hear.
Jesus said, “Love your
enemies, do good to those who hate you.”
This is a tough teaching, too
tough to practice.
Jesus said to all he met:
'Follow me.'
Discipleship is tough. We need
help.
Come let us receive strength
for the journey.
Opening Prayer:
From the joys and struggles of
this week, we come to worship you, O God.
Be to us the Bread of Life,
nourishing us with truth and strengthening us for service to you and to this
world.
Feed our minds with your word.
Sharpen our awareness of your
presence,
that we may leave this time
refreshed and renewed
ready to once again say ‘yes’
to following in your ways. Amen.
Hymn: 626 VU
I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say
Prayer of Confession:
If it was easy to follow
Jesus,
we would not need to ask
for forgiveness.
But, God, it is tough—
tough to say 'yes,'
tough to be graceful,
tough to be loving,
tough to stand against
injustice and oppression,
tough to see the world as
Jesus sees it.
It means we have to
change.
We would rather stay
where we are and as we are.
It takes courage and
patience to proclaim your gospel in word and deed.
Yet, God, we remember.
You are our strength.
You give us all we need.
Help us to lean on you.
Amen.
Words of Affirmation (from
Thom Shuman, Lectionary Liturgies)
.
Today, receive the Bread of
Life;
today, hear the words of
eternal hope;
today, trust in the One who
hears your prayers,
and showers grace and
forgiveness upon you.
Today, we are set free to
serve God's people,
and to sing God's praises.
Thanks be to God.
Amen.
Readings and Reflection: for audio link, click here:
Make
Your Choice!
“When you come to a fork in
the road, take it.” That’s a familiar quote attributed to baseball legend Yogi
Berra. To me, it implies making a choice. Do something. Don’t just waffle. Move
ahead and get on with it. This being said, however, sometimes making a choice
in life is a long and arduous task. We find ourselves weighing the pros and
cons. If I choose this, then this will happen. If I choose that, then there is
a possibility that things might not work out. Life is full of these sorts of
crossroad moments, turning points or tipping points where we find ourselves
caught between options that can have some very distinct outcomes for us. The
problem being, of course, is that we never know how our choices will really
work out unless we actually forge ahead with them. So, we do our best in
thoughtfully and prayerfully considering what might or could happen. If it is a
medical decision, for instance, we listen to the information being given to us
by the specialists. If it is a financial decision, we look at the spreadsheets
prepared by an advisor. If it is a renovation for our home, we sit down with a
contractor and so on. But, usually, in the end, the final decision is up to us.
When I was young and living at
home, my mother had an interesting way in helping me learn to make responsible
choices. She was not one to weigh in quickly with her opinion, preferring, I
think, to act more so as a kind of guide on the side. Nonetheless, after I
would announce that I was going to do this or that, I can still remember the
phrase she would use with me- it was always something like, well, we all make
our choices. And when she said that, I never really knew what she thought. All
it did was make me think all the more and make sure I was really seeing the
issue or the decision from all angles. Sometimes, of course, the choice led to
positive outcomes, sometimes not. Still, it was my decision, and either way, I
would learn to bear the consequences of the actions and hopefully learn and
grow from them.
Both of our readings this
morning centre upon people coming to a crossroads where significant life
choices are needing to be made. In both cases, there is no beating around the
bush, no watering down of what is being asked of the people and no pretending
that the implications of the choices will not have long lasting impact on their
lives.
Our first passage finds the
people of Israel on the threshold of the Promised Land. The past and the future
are in view and yet the people are called to a moment of present tense decision
making. Joshua doesn’t mess around with them. He is calling them to make their
choice- Will they remain faithful by renewing their covenantal relationship
with the God of life or will they worship the false gods and idols of their
ancestors? Joshua, a little like my mother perhaps, says the choice is yours to
make.
Joshua 24: 1-2a, 14-18
Then Joshua gathered all the
tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges,
and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. And
Joshua said to all the people, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel:
Long ago your ancestors—Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor—lived beyond the
Euphrates and served other gods.
‘Now therefore revere
the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the
gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve
the Lord. Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose
this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the
region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are
living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.’
Then the people answered, ‘Far
be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other
gods; for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our
ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did
those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went,
and among all the peoples through whom we passed; and
the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived
in the land. Therefore, we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.’
So, at least for the present
moment anyway, they are committed to that choice. Nonetheless, we know our
history as God’s people. It doesn’t take long before things go awry. Soon, God
sends prophets to try to call people back to remembering their promises to
follow and serve God alone. Finally, as we know the story only so well, God
sends Jesus.
And, once again, Jesus calls
the people to make their choices. In our gospel this week, we pick up the bread
of life discussion that we have been following the last couple of weeks- the
story that began with the 5000 being fed the loaves and fishes and then
continued as Jesus called himself the bread of life, the bread from heaven, the
bread that would nourish them. We heard last week how he encouraged the people
to eat of his flesh, to be nourished by his teachings and his ways and to
receive the new life he offered them. Today’s passage is a bit of overlap from
last week. It describes the turning point, the crossroads and decision-making
time that is now at hand for the followers. Crunch time. As for the people on
the threshold of the Promised Land, there are choices to be made.
John 6: 56-69
56 Those
who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me and I in them. 57 Just
as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats
me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread
that came down from heaven, not like that which the ancestors ate, and they
died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” 59 He
said these things while he was teaching in a synagogue at Capernaum.
60 When
many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can
accept it?” 61 But Jesus, being aware that his
disciples were complaining about it, said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then
what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It
is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have
spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But among you
there are some who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who were
the ones who did not believe and who was the one who would betray him. 65 And
he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it
is granted by the Father.”
66 Because
of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with
him. 67 So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also
wish to go away?” 68 Simon Peter answered him,
“Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We
have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”
The would-be followers were
now discovering that sustained belief in Jesus is difficult. Earlier, Jesus had
given them food for their stomachs but now, so it seemed, when there was no
further miracle forthcoming, no more freebies; only words and teachings from
Jesus, all kinds of talk from Jesus that seemed to many of them to be, pardon
the pun, just too much to swallow. They start to look for the exits. Let’s face
it- who wants to stick around with a fellow that talks like this? Jesus is
asking too much of them. He is challenging them to see things with a new
perspective. They dig their heals in. Who knows, maybe some of them are saying,
give me that old time religion, it is good enough for me! Besides, there are
also all those other teachings that don’t sit well with them- things like
turning the other cheek, dying to their old ways, loving their enemies, going
the extra mile, losing their lives to gain them, trusting that the last will be
first and the first last, denying self- these teachings are all too hard, they
will demand too much of them. It is all too countercultural. As commentator
Debie Thomas, proclaims this is not Jesus for Dummies. What Jesus is asking
will challenge them each and every day of their lives. It will push them to
make decisions all the time, not just once in a while. As Thomas continues, it
is a wonder how Jesus had anyone left at all, that anyone would actually stick
around. Yet, in just this one chapter of John, if you note, Jesus, if you are
counting heads, goes from a crowd of 5000 to just a handful. Obviously, he
wasn’t worried about what the statistics showed! Almost like Jesus is saying to
them, “Look this is a free world and you are free to walk away or even quit all
together. Pick an easier, less demanding way if you like. But that is not what
I am offering you. Again, as my mother might say, we all make our choices.
And many do leave. They vote
with their feet. They take their balls and bats and they go home, as we say.
This is not for me. I’m out of here. Interesting too, Jesus doesn’t at this
point water down the message to make it more palatable to their ears. Nor does
he chase after them or even worse zap them for their choices! It would seem
that right from the beginning Jesus knew that his ministry would both repel and
attract. The life of faithfulness is always a choice. So, it is then that the earlier crowds start
to thin out.
We get it, don’t we? Much of
what Jesus says is hard. Like those early crowds, faith causes us to ask
questions. We can relate to some of their emptiness, some of their questions
that crop up when things in our lives and in our world make it difficult to see
God’s presence. Illness happens or our relationships turn sour. War and
violence seem to prevail. We might wonder am I following Jesus in vain? Why do
I keep on praying or worshipping in community with others? Why do I bother
offering my gifts, my time, my money? If we are honest with ourselves, I think
we have all been there with those crowds who fanned out and returned to their
homes.
But then, every once and a
while, there are those moments of clarity, moments that remind us ever so
subtlety that this alternative, countercultural path that we are on is leading
us to greater love, to greater purpose and meaning for our lives. It is then,
kind of like when little Kailie last week offered us that reminder of bread for
the journey, that in Jesus we are given that something more that nourishes our
living.
I think that is exactly what
happened to Peter at one of those crossroads moments in his life. When Jesus
asked him, how about you, what is your choice, do you also wish to go away,
Peter responds, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal
life. We have come to believe and know that you
are the Holy One of God.” In other words, just where would we go? What are our
alternatives?
Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr expresses
Peter’s words like this:
“What you demand of us, Jesus,
is so difficult that we are almost tempted to follow the multitude in their
desertion. But you have helped us to look profoundly into the meaning of life
and we are not able to find a decent alternative to your way and your truth.”
Somehow, what Peter had seen
and experienced so far was enough to get him to stake his claim. Since leaving
behind his fishing business, he had had a taste of the abundant and eternal
life Jesus was talking about and he wanted to learn and grow more.
His response sounded similar
to a little story I came across this week in a periodical I receive called
Christian Century:
Wallace Bubar tells about
a newcomer who came to their church and went through a new member class—but was
reluctant to join. He read a lot and asked a lot of
questions. He wasn’t sure if he was a skeptic…a seeker…or an
agnostic, but he was pretty sure he wasn’t a Presbyterian. He asked
the minister a lot of questions about the creeds…other religions…the
relationship between faith and science…and what it means to believe in
Jesus. He nodded politely when the minister tried to formulate
answers to each question, but the minister could tell he wasn’t persuading
him.
In
the end, this newcomer said, “Thanks. I appreciate your time, but I
just I just don’t think this is for me.” They shook hands and
parted.
The
next Sunday, the minister noticed the man slip into a pew in the back of the
church. He stood and sang the hymns with everybody else, but he
didn’t join in when they recited the creed. But when it was time for
communion, he came down the aisle.
The
minister said he was thinking he’d like to ask this man if he’d had some kind
of epiphany since they’d last talked, but he didn’t. Instead, he
said, “The body of Christ, given for you” as he gave him the bread.
After
the service, he greeted him and said, “I didn’t think we’d see you here
again.”
The
man shrugged—perhaps as Peter must have shrugged.
“Lord,
where else can we go?”
Somehow, it seemed that this
man recognized that it was in that faith community and at the table, although
he couldn’t quite put his finger on it or explain it, where there was something
that he needed, something that could feed him in a way that nothing else could.
Jesus invites us to
follow him in his ways of love and life. Still, the more we reflect on this,
the more difficult the journey of faith becomes. It will draw us into some
tight corners. It will demand much of us. It will not always make us popular.
It will draw us beneath the surface of our lives, into our workplaces, our bank
accounts, our decisions about how we vote, where we will place our priorities,
and how we will navigate our relationships. By times we will be called to go
deeper and take risks that we never thought we would have to take. We may very
well be compelled to go in directions that will make us feel vulnerable.
Sometimes, it may even feel that our whole lives are being reordered. Over and
over again, we will indeed reach those forks in the road, where we are called
to respond to Jesus, not just with our voices, but with our lives. The
challenges of denying ourselves, taking up the cross and following him sometimes
will feel like too much for us, too hard to accept. We might desire a simpler
way that makes us feel more in control of our own lives.
To go or to stay? As Joshua
presented it to the people of Israel- to faithfully serve God or to serve the
gods and idols of your ancestors? As Peter realized, the risks are many. Yet,
so too, are the blessings. It all comes down to making choices, this day and
every day. Amen.
Your Generosity Matters/
Our Offerings are Received
A gem of a United Church
The mountains are
reflected in the window of Waterton United Church.
Credit: Ruth Richardson
Canadian churches grace
unique places: restaurants, storefronts—even movie theatres. Perhaps the most
serene of all settings, though, is a national park.
Waterton United Church is
situated in the heart of Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta. Although the
United Church has had a presence in the park since 1955, the current building
was dedicated in 1961. The cathedral window in the sanctuary, designed to frame
the mountains, offers a breathtaking view.
“Architect George Watson
framed Mount Vimy,” explains Carol Watt, Secretary. “People who aren’t involved
in the church but just stop to visit look out captivated by the view of the
mountain over the lake. It’s a special thing that happens. It touches something
deep within.”
Your gifts through Mission and
Service help the church remain open year-round. In the summer, Sunday
services take place from late June through September with support from guest
ministers. Other services are offered during holy days throughout the year.
Youth groups use the building as retreat space, and the chapel is a popular
space for weddings. With a small room and kitchenette behind the sanctuary, the
church also draws leaders who want to retreat.
“Providing space for
spiritual reflection and retreat is an important aspect of the ministry we provide,”
says Watt.
A newsletter reads,
“Waterton United offers a unique ministry to the wealth of summer visitors who
flock happily into the national park and then find this gem of a United Church
of Canada.”
Thank you for supporting
churches in remote places that witness in a unique way to the majesty and grace
of God.
Hymn: 202 MV Bread for the Journey
Prayers of Thanksgiving
and Intercession:
(written by John van de
Laar on Sacredise)
In defiance of corruption
and falsehood,
we commit to truth and
integrity
and we pray for honesty
and uprightness
to increase in our world.
In defiance of
apathy and hatred,
we choose to be proactive
in love
and we pray for
understanding and peace
to increase in our world.
In defiance of
scepticism and cynicism,
we embrace the mystery of
faith
and we pray for humility
and wonder
to increase in our world.
In defiance of
self-interest and human arrogance
we celebrate God’s
salvation
and we pray for
compassion and faith
to increase in our world.
In defiance of all
that would oppose God’s purpose among us
we choose again to follow
Christ,
and we continue to pray,
not just now, but at all
times.
Teach us, O God, to serve
you even in those many moments when we find your teachings too tough to follow.
We lift before you the many among us who are struggling with life choices, the
many who are weary and worn out, the many who are ill at home, in hospitals and
care homes, the many among us who are hungering for fresh insights to old
problems or a fresh start, the many who are longing for justice in the face of
oppression and hope in the midst of despair. We pray for teachers, students and
parents in the midst of both the stresses and joys of new beginnings this fall.
In a moment of silence, we lift before you people and places where your healing
spirit and comforting presence is needed this day…
Hear these our prayers, O
God, as we offer them through strong name of Jesus, the Bread of Life, our
bread for the journey… saying together the prayer he taught us… Our Father…
Hymn: 567 VU Will You Come and Follow Me
Blessing:
The way is long,
let us go together.
The way is difficult and not always clear,
let us help each other.
The way is joyful,
let us share it.
The way is Christ’s, for Christ is the way for
us as Christians,
let us make the daily choice to follow him.
The way is yours and mine,
let us go in love and peace. Amen.
******************
Welcome to our worship service
for Aug. 18 at Faith Memorial United Church.
Reminder:
Please bring in school
supplies to add to our offerings for next Sunday. They can be placed in food
bank box in foyer and will be sent to Food Bank in time for start up of School.
For those of you who receive
Broadview Magazine or can borrow a copy, we will be gathering across from the
Community Hall ( the old school) at the tables and benches on the riverfront on
Sat. Aug. 24 to discuss some of the articles from the Sept. issue. Time: 10:30 am. Obviously, weather
permitting.! An opportunity for community building, fellowship and learning
together. Watch for more details later in week !!!
Land Acknowledgement
Since time immemorial,
Indigenous peoples have occupied and cared for the land which many call Canada.
In our worship together this day, in this area, we gather on the traditional
land of the Wabanaki peoples, predominantly the lands of the Mi’kmaq, Maliseet,
Wolastoqiyik and Passamaquoddy. As a community of faith, we seek to rebuild
right relations with these people, to learn from them and to live on this land,
their land with respect and gratitude for its creation and Creator.
Jesus Christ, the Bread of
Life, the Light of the World and of our lives.
Call to Worship:
Jesus said, “I am the Bread of
Life. I am the bread which came down from heaven.”
Jesus said, “Whoever comes to
me shall never be hungry; if anyone eats this bread, my body, they will have
eternal life.”
How do we know Jesus as bread?
By walking and talking with
Jesus, by learning about Jesus and living with Jesus, by loving as Jesus loved
and teaching as Jesus taught, by healing as Jesus healed and doing God’s will
as Jesus did.
In our worship today, may we
feed upon the living bread.
Opening Prayer:
Bread of heaven, we come to
this sacred time and place
hungering for nourishment of
our souls and spirits.
As we worship you in
community,
may our deepest hungers be
finally and fully satisfied with the living bread you offer.
May we wait and listen for
your leading in this hour.
Give us your bread of hope and
compassion
that we may also feed others
and be witnesses to your transforming love as we serve in your name. Amen.
Hymn: 194 MV Bread of Life, Feed My Soul
Prayer of Confession:
O God, we spend so much of our
lives pursuing things which do not matter.
We squander so much of our
time and resources in meaningless activities and
seemingly urgent needs.
We forget that it is the
nourishment of you Son, Jesus, our life-giving bread that sustains us.
In him we have all that we
need to live our lives with purpose and meaning.
In him our greatest hungers
are satisfied.
In his life and teachings, we
have eternal life, now and forever. Amen.
Words of Affirmation
Seeing our brokenness and
hunger,
God, in Christ, gives us food
for our souls, bread for our journeys.
In Jesus, we are offered more
than enough to live fully as forgiven people.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Readings and Reflection;
Audio version of reflection:
Click here:
Soul Food
There is no doubt about it. For
most of us, but, regrettably, at the same time not all of us, life is full of a
multiplicity of choices. We go to a restaurant and a menu is placed before us. So
many choices. What do I feel like eating? What am I hungering for? Something
healthy and nutritional? Something sweet and savoury? Something that will stick
to my ribs? Something light? Then there are the bigger choices we make in life-
like where to live, what education or career to pursue, whether or not to enter
into a relationship with someone, whether or not to have children, whether or
not to leave a relationship.
In his letter to the
Ephesians, Paul addresses still bigger, more all-encompassing choices. Things
like what we will give our time and energy to and the core values that will
influence those choices. In turning from their old selves to their new selves,
he encourages the people in the Ephesus, and ultimately us, to give some
careful consideration to how, in our everyday lives, we will choose to live out
our expression of faith. Paul knew that living a Christian way of life was
challenging. It was countercultural and it would require daily effort. So, much
like our reading from last week, this week’s advice from Paul to the Ephesians
continues with yet more instructions to the early church.
Ephesians 5: 15-20
15 So be careful to
live your life wisely, not foolishly. 16 Take
advantage of every opportunity because these are evil times. 17 Because
of this, don’t be ignorant, but understand the Lord’s will. 18 Don’t
get drunk on wine, which produces depravity. Instead, be filled with the Spirit
in the following ways: 19 speak to each other with
psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; sing and make music to the Lord in your
hearts; 20 always give thanks to God the Father for
everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Last week, as you might
remember, we read the story of the feeding of the 5000.
As we might imagine, many now
see Jesus as their food security, their meal ticket, their way to a free lunch.
And, in all fairness to them, why wouldn’t they? Life was hard for these folks.
Who wouldn’t want to crowd around this person who could perform a miracle that
would supply food for their growling stomachs? Jesus, however, in the ensuing
verses of John 6, moves the conversation with them in a whole new direction. The
bread you are after, he says, won’t last. You will continue to hunger again. I
am the bread of life, the bread that will satiate your hunger. I will give you
satisfaction that no other means can give you.
In response the people mutter
among themselves. Kind of like how it was for the woman at the well, if you
recall, who was offered living water that would quench her thirst forever. The
same as it was for Nicodemus when Jesus spoke to him about being born anew or
born from above. It is difficult to understand. The same with the crowds who
follow Jesus. This metaphor of Jesus as the bread of life is confusing. The
crowds are bewildered. What is he talking about? Isn’t he Jesus who grew up
around here? How can he be making such claims about himself?
As the chapter continues,
Jesus gets more than a little irritated with them for missing the point of that
sign of the loaves and fishes. He tries to show them that it was pointing to
his identity but in all their muttering, he can see that they were not
interested in knowing who he is. They were only interested in following him for
what’s in it for them. What they are hungering for is fleeting. The bread he
offers is the bread that will endure, the bread that will be all that is needed
to sustain them for life. Each time Jesus kicks the conversation up another
level, the people get more and more confused, angry and as we will see in our
passage for today, even revolted and disgusted by his words.
John 6: 51-58
51 I am
the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will
live forever, and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my
flesh.”
52 The
Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his
flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Very
truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his
blood, you have no life in you. 54 Those who eat my
flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the
last day, 55 for my flesh is true food, and my
blood is true drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh and
drink my blood abide in me and I in them. 57 Just
as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats
me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread
that came down from heaven, not like that which the ancestors ate, and they
died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.”
To the crowds, these words
become the last straw. What is he talking about here, they ask. Eating his
flesh? Drinking his blood? Ew. Yuck. They are shocked and they resist all the
more.
Poor Jesus. No matter what he
says, they just can’t seem to get the picture of what he is talking about. As
much as he longs to feed them, they turn the other way. He’s trying to say to
them, don’t just understand me and debate me in theory in your minds. Don’t
just follow me because I filled your stomachs. Don’t just say you believe so
that you can get a free meal. Instead, take what I offer you to heart. Feed on
my teachings to you, ingest them and let them go beyond your minds to your souls
and to your living. Lift your eyes off your selves. Notice the brokenness of
the world. Connect with what God is doing in the world. Be transformed in your
living and know that eternal life begins by following in my ways right here and
now as well as continuing beyond death. Live that life fully in this moment. Be
dependent on me. I am the bread of life- the universal staple, the staff of
life. In other words, I am all you need, the true food, the true drink that
will sustain you.
Sounds simple enough, doesn’t
it? Yet, how often like those crowds, we look in so many other directions. We
hunger for so many other things that do not endure. As church communities, we
try this. We try that. There’s a story about Horace Greely a newspaper editor
in the United States who many years ago received a letter from a church that
was in dire financial straits. They had tried strawberry socials. They had had
oyster suppers and turkey suppers. So, they wrote a letter to the editor of the
paper wondering if he had any advice about how to keep their struggling church
from disbanding. Greely wrote back, Try Christianity!
While that might sound rather
humorous to us, I think it is probably closer to what Jesus was saying to the
crowds than we might imagine. Consume what I have to offer. Take it in, he
says. This is what will give you life, abundant life, right here, right now,
from this moment on. This is what will bring you lasting security. It will fill
you with purpose and meaning. Anything else and you will find yourself
hungering again and again.
Yet, this message is so
counter-cultural to the world we live in, isn’t it? The advertising that comes
at us likes to play on our desire for a quick fix. Buy this gadget, this toy,
this house, this car and you will have all your needs satisfied. Go on this
vacation and you will fulfill all your hungers.
Some of you might have heard
the current story that is circulating in the news about a man named Bryan
Johnson. Johnson has devoted his body and substantial wealth to trying to
reverse aging, spending upwards of $2 million USD per year as a unique human
experiment. Basically, Johnson, in his mid forties, is “hungering” to look the
same age and to be in the same shape as an 18-year-old. His Instagram tagline
is “Death is our only foe.” The thing is, it requires a lot of discipline—the
level of which most of us would say goes well past extreme. Johnson gets up at
5:30 AM and goes to bed at 8:30 PM; he doesn’t eat past noon. He takes 64 supplements
in the morning alone, and has a medical room in his house where a team of
doctors perform experimental procedures and tests on him. This seems more than
fanaticism and the results are in his DNA, his muscles and his nerves and
appear to be bearing fruit in his life expectancy.
Of course, this is not the
kind of hunger Jesus speaks of, nor is it a life of abundance and joy and
discipleship to Christ. Jesus is encouraging us to hunger for what brings
purpose and meaning to our lives. The drive to truly live a full and abundant
life can be fuelled by only one thing. And it is not found in a pill or a
procedure, or in the purchase of the latest gadget that catches our attention.
It’s found in the food and drink that is the living Christ. This is what will
sustain us over the long haul. It is what will bring us true satisfaction and
lasting nourishment for our souls that will give us what we need to live as his
disciples in this ever-changing and often uncertain world in which we find
ourselves. By absorbing his teachings, his wisdom, and his ways, we will have
his life abiding in us. We will have everything we need to reach out to others
as we pursue the work he calls us to do in the world. His food is the food that
will stick to our ribs. It will sustain us through life’s ups and downs. It
will fortify us in a way that no physical food can do. So, we pray give us
today, and every day, our daily bread that will truly satisfy. In the midst of
life’s choices and hungers, it is everything we need. Amen.
Your Generosity Matters/Our
Offerings are Received
Your gifts through Mission and
Service support programs that encourage youth in their faith.
Audacious Hope, the national
youth and young adult event, brought together over 450 energetic young people
and passionate youth leaders July 3-6, 2024, for an unforgettable experience at
Brock University in St. Catharines, ON. Through the combined efforts of The
United Church of Canada Rendez-vous team and The Presbyterian Church in
Canada’s Uplift team, this landmark event was the first-ever collaborative
youth event by the two denominations.
Each day included inspiring
and vibrant worship led by the incredible Adele Halliday and Mitchell Anderson.
Attendees were captivated by a lineup of phenomenal speakers and workshop
leaders, including Moderator the Right Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne.
Your generosity through Mission
and Service helps continue programs and workshops that encourage youth
in their faith. Thank you.
Hymn: 202MV Bread for the Journey
Prayers of Thanksgiving and
Intercession:
O God, we are thankful this
day for the gift of bread by which our stomachs are filled and our bodies are
nourished and strengthened to do your work in the world. Today we are reminded
in scripture of how Jesus offers us his living bread for our spirits, bread
that brings deeper meaning and purpose to our living, bread that sustains us
through all the times of our lives, through all the wildernesses through which
we travel. Remind us of that bread always, especially when we are tempted to
think that we are self-sufficient, that we have all the answers and can rely
solely on ourselves. Help us to stop running after the glitz and the glitter,
the easy wealth and show us once again that it is you whom we need to nourish
our souls. You are the one who gives us the bread that endures.
We remember this day all for
whom this summer holds deep challenges, the many trying to rebuild their homes,
lives and businesses after recent floods and wildfires, the many who are facing
hatred and discrimination because of their beliefs, their gender, sexuality or
country of origin, the many whose lives are lived in the face of war, terror
and violence. We pray for families who are worried about the rising costs of
food and school supplies, the many who struggle with homelessness, hunger,
mental or physical illnesses, addictions or loss of any kind. We pray for young
people preparing to leave home for the first time to pursue education or
employment in other places. Grant them your wisdom and courage in their
transitions.
As we have lifted up names of
people and situations which lay heavy on our hearts today that need your
healing touch, help us to remember that we stand continually in need of your
healing mercy. May we be open to your words and direction in our lives and in
our faith community as we reach out and seek to serve the needs that present. And
together, we offer our prayers in the name of Jesus Christ, our Living Bread
who sustains us on our journeys and who taught us to pray with him saying, Our
Father…
Hymn: 651
VU Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah
Blessing: (written
by Karen Hammond Croxall, Trinity U.C., Uxbridge, Ont. Found in Gathering
2024 Pentecost 1)
The Eternal God sends us out
to feed people the bread of life.
May God grant us discernment
on how best to show God’s love
and share the bread of life with all we meet.
With thankful hearts, we leave
this place,
filled with the memory of God’s true promises
and the joy of God’s spirit in us. Go and share it now. Amen.
*********************
Since
time immemorial, Indigenous peoples have occupied and cared for the land which
many call Canada. In our worship together this day, in this area, we gather on
the traditional land of the Wabanaki peoples, predominantly the lands of the
Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Wolastoqiyik and Passamaquoddy. As a community of faith, we
seek to rebuild right relations with these people, to learn from them and to
live on this land, their land with respect and gratitude for its creation and
Creator.
We light this candle to remind
us that with Christ’s love and presence in our lives, we have all that we need.
Call to Worship: (from
Ministry Matters website)
Why have you come to this
place?
We have come to find Jesus.
Why have you come today?
We are tired in body and spirit.
Jesus bids you sit and be at ease.
We are hungry with nothing to eat.
Come and eat your fill.
But there are only five barley loaves and two fish.
There is plenty for all.
Will we find wholeness here?
Jesus gathers the fragments of our lives,
that nothing may be lost.
Opening Prayer (Adapted from The
Abingdon Worship Annual 2009, © 2008 Abingdon Press)
God of our hopes and
dreams,
we are empty, and long to be filled;
we are hungry, and long to be fed;
we are lost, and long to be found.
Gather us into your love in this place
and pick up the pieces of our lives,
just as Jesus gathered up the fragments
of the five loaves and two fish
that remained after feeding the five thousand.
Call us anew to eat our fill
and to find our true nourishment in Jesus,
the bread of heaven. Amen.
Hymn: 501 VU Break Now
the Bread of Life
Prayer of Confession:
Generous God of
overflowing grace,
we admit those times when
we are too timid to offer what we have,
when we feel our gifts
are not enough, or too small to make any difference.
Forgive
us for those moments
when we fear that sharing what we have
will lead to our own impoverishment,
so we sit in silence and stillness even when those around us are in need.
We
need your help and encouragement to help us see and imagine abundance
and
opportunity rather than scarcity and deficiency.
Show
us ways of daring to dream new solutions by offering what we have
for
the good of others and the healing of this world.
Transcend
our self-centredness, greed and fear.
Help
us to be a people who know the hope that is found in the generosity you
have shown
to us in your gift of Jesus.
May we
come to know through him that we are enough. Amen.
Words of Affirmation: (Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Lindsay
who serves as Minister for Worship and Theology for the United Church of
Christ.)
Beloved, you are enough.
God’s grace, strength,
love, and hope meet you with sufficiency.
Through the Holy One’s
sustaining power, we can gather the fragments that make our lives beautiful and
God’s kindom real in the world.
Readings and Reflection:
Not
Enough is not the Final Answer
Karl Rahner, a theologian,
once said that “it is better to say that we are becoming Christians rather than
to say that we are Christians.” We grow into our identity as Christians we
struggle with life’s challenges and decisions, as we live through different
experiences together. In this sense then, I don’t believe that we ever reach an
arrival point where we can say, oh yes, now we have it all together, now it all
fits. Instead, we might better describe
our lives together as works in progress. We don’t have all the answers. We need
constant reminders about how to live in the ways of Jesus and how to build up
the Body of Christ as we work together in community.
It was the same in the early
Christian communities too. Even in Biblical times, things were far from perfect.
Living as loving people did not come easy. In fact, it was hard work. No doubt,
people in places like Ephesus, much like us, needed some instruction from time
to time as they sought to live the transformed life as followers of Jesus. Here
at Faith Memorial United, at the start of our meetings, we review some
body-building tips called Holy Manners, created by former United Church
Moderator, Rev. Marion Pardy. Those of you who
attend our meetings are familiar with them. It was no different in the early
church. In our first passage this morning, Paul outlines some similar kinds of
practical tips for the community of faith at Ephesus. We’re reading them this
morning from Eugene Peterson’s Message translation:
Ephesians 4: 25- 5:2:
25 What
this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your
neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after
all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.
26-27 Go
ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel
for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil
that kind of foothold in your life.
28 Did
you use to make ends meet by stealing? Well, no more! Get an honest job so that
you can help others who can’t work.
29 Watch
the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only
what helps, each word a gift.
30 Don’t
grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in
you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t
take such a gift for granted.
31-32 Make a
clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one
another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in
Christ forgave you.
5 1-2 Watch
what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from
their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn
a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but
extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give
everything of himself to us. Love like that.
For our Gospel reading this
week, I’m going to do a bit of a recap and go back a bit to include a
lectionary passage from a couple of weeks ago. That’s because this is the
summer when our lectionary includes 5 Sundays using parts of John 6, the bread
of life passages. Rather than begin somewhere in the middle, I thought it best
if we heard the story that prompted Jesus to speak of himself as the bread of
life. So, let’s open ourselves to new reflections as we hear the story of the
feeding of the 5000, followed by the story of Jesus walking on water.
John 6: 1-21
6 After
this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of
Tiberias. 2 A large crowd kept following him because
they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. 3 Jesus
went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. 4 Now
the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. 5 When
he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip,
“Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He
said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. 7 Philip
answered him, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them
to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew,
Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a
boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so
many people?” 10 Jesus said, “Make the people sit
down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place, so they sat down,
about five thousand in all. 11 Then Jesus took the
loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were
seated; so also, the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 When
they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over,
so that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered
them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who
had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. 14 When the
people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the
prophet who is to come into the world.”
15 When
Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him
king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
16 When
evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got
into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and
Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became
rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When
they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and
coming near the boat, and they were terrified. 20 But
he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then
they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the
land toward which they were going.
One night a week or two ago, on
the National, I was drawn into an interview that Ian Hanomansing was conducting
with a volunteer firefighter from Jasper. Her own house and business had been
burnt down. Yet, her remarks showed an abundance of resiliency. She noted that
the hotel was still there. There were lots still there. Half the town was still
there. The people are still there. Yes, she said, there is a void but it is the
people who make Jasper. We have each other. The future of our town is shiny and
bright.
I was more than inspired by
her words and frankly, I tried to imagine myself in her shoes. I am not so sure
in the face of such devastation and destruction that I could be quite that
hopeful. I think I would have been more like the disciples caught in that
crisis of needing to feed a large crowd with what looked to be very scarce or
limited resources. In the aftermath of that fire, it would be far easier to cry
out something like- we are overwhelmed, we don’t know where to begin, how will
we ever recover. Yet, this woman, in the midst of what must have felt like an
impossible situation chose to build on what still remained, on the strengths
that they had as a community.
There is a fancy name for this
in organizational theory. It is called appreciative inquiry. Rather than
focussing on deficits and what may be missing in a community or what is broken,
it chooses to look around, to ask questions of one another and to figure out
the gifts and strengths that are present.
This is what I see Jesus doing
as the crowds gather around him and dinner time approaches. Jesus begins by asking the disciples a
question, “Where are we going to buy food for all these people to eat?” We
might imagine the disciples anxiously wringing their hands. After all, they
were in the middle of the wilderness with no sign of a Tim’s anywhere. Imagine
for a minute what it might be like for us if, after worship someday, great
crowds flocked at our doors in search of food. Commentator Karen Marie Yust
describes a typical congregation in the face of such a situation: The outreach
committee might say something like well, we have earmarked a small amount for
mission but what you are suggesting, Jesus, is more than we possibly could
entertain. The worship committee might say we have no time for this. We have
big worship plans for next week’s anniversary celebration. The building and
grounds committee perhaps might be calculating the effects of all these people
on the landscaping, trampling all over the grass.
It is a little like what we
see happening in the actual story in the gospel. First of all, there is Philip,
whom we might imagine having a pencil and paper in hand or maybe a calculator or
a spreadsheet. His hand is running through his hair. There is no way Jesus. It
is not going to work. I have done the math. This is simply nothing in the
budget to support such a project. Even 6 months wages would not be enough for
each of these people to get even a little bite. It is hopeless, Jesus. Too much
need here, not enough resources. Can’t be done.
It is a refrain with which we
as church folks are familiar, isn’t it? Scarcity. Not enough. We’d like to help
but the money and resources can only be spread so far. Besides, we’re too old.
There is not enough of us. We don’t have the energy or the talent or the time.
It can’t be done, Jesus. The Bible is full of similar examples. Moses, in
hearing the call to go to Pharoah and convince him to let the Israelites out of
slavery, says no way, God, I am not eloquent enough. Jeremiah says I am not old enough. Abraham
and Sarah say we are not young enough. Not enough.
Then we come to Andrew who is
just a wee bit more hopeful. He scans the crowd and finds a boy with 5 loaves
and 2 fish. But, he says, that is so little it is almost futile in the midst of
the circumstances. A pittance. It will never be enough.
Yet, in these loaves and
fishes Jesus sees possibility. I can work with that. He implements a plan. Bring
it to me. It is something. It is a start. Then, we know how the story goes.
Jesus blesses the loaves and fish and distributes them among the hungry crowd.
And everyone has enough and then some.
It is interesting to note that
this story of the feeding of the 5000 appears in all 4 of the gospels and even
twice in a couple of the gospels. And I think its significance has much to do
with Jesus pointing out who he is – the provider of abundant life, the one who
does not accept “not enough” as our final answer and who encourages us to look
beyond the impossible to what is possible.
Over the years there has been
much speculation about how this miracle came about. Was it that Jesus
miraculously multiplied the 5 loaves and 2 fish on his own? Or could it be, as
some have proposed, that the little boy in the story had something to do with
inspiring the others to offer the food they had? Let’s face it. Given the nine-mile
journey around the lake to catch up with Jesus, it is highly unlikely that the
largely Jewish crowd would have set out on their trek without taking some
ceremonially clean food with them in their baskets. We might wonder too if when
Andrew scanned the crowd for food, maybe the majority of the folks kept their
food under their picnic blankets while the boy’s food was readily visible. Did
the boy offer it willingly or did he protest? Who knows? Yet, we might also
wonder somehow if in seeing this transaction take place, the crowds were
spurred from their selfishness and sparked to generosity too. Sort of like a ripple
effect. We might imagine the story the little lad told his parents when he got
home – how he shared his food and it just seemed that there was more and more
until everyone had enough and then some.
Either way we choose to see
this story, it is still a miracle- a miracle of abundance, a miracle of
sharing, a miracle of generosity. It serves to remind us how Jesus can work
with all those times when we cry “not enough” to make what we have “more than
enough.” It involves some risk for sure. It means perhaps letting go of our
preconceived ideas of what we may think to be impossible. It means looking
around and discovering our assets, what is in our hands right now as that
volunteer firefighter in Jasper did after the wildfire.
And it is so true, isn’t it?
Sometimes as a small congregation we wonder what we can offer. It can become
very easy for us like the disciples to look at the problems or the crisis at
hand and just shrug our shoulders and say what can we do. The needs are so
great and there are too few resources. Anything we offer, we say, is just a
drop in the bucket. We wonder what difference that can of beans or that package
of spaghetti might make in the grand scheme of the mounting hunger in our area.
Yet, we forget the impact it might have on the child who is trying to learn or
on the adult on the path to employment. We wonder what difference we can make
in the midst of so much violence in our world. Yet, we remember Paul’s tips for
building community in that young church at Ephesus and each of us, individually
and collectively do what we can to model living together in more loving and
inclusive ways, learning to appreciate the gifts and resources that are among
us and encouraging generosity in one another.
Every day there are
invitations extended to us to be the miracle in the lives of others, to put
what we have on the table. Not enough is never the final answer.
The late Robert Kennedy put it
this way:
“Let no one be discouraged by
the belief that there is nothing one woman or man can do against the enormous
array of the world’s ills, against misery and ignorance, injustice and
violence. Each time people stand up for an ideal or strike out against
injustice or act to improve the lot of others, they send a tiny ripple of hope
and crossing each other from a million different centres of energy and daring,
those ripples build a current which can sweep through the mightiest walls of
oppression and resistance.”
So, what if the miracle of the
loaves and fishes is still possible, even today, even here among us as we learn
to work together and place what we have into the hands of Jesus? What if we all
shared just that little more from what we have, not from what we don’t have?
What if, as Ralph Milton says, “we stopped being so paranoid and started being
more generous? What if our countries did the same? What if we discovered that
there really is enough to go around? It is totally impractical, of course, he
says. Who would think of such a crazy idea? A small child perhaps on the shore
of the Galilee some 2000 years ago who offered his lunch?”
Could we do the same? Could we
dare to courageously offer what we deem to be our “little” or our “not enough”
and make a difference? Our call is simply to look around and within ourselves,
to appreciate the gifts and resources at hand and to imagine the possibilities
when they are shared. And then to trust God that it will be more than enough.
Amen.
Your Generosity Matters/ Our
Gifts are Received
This trip filled my heart with
joy, hope, and love.”
Youth Forum group at the beach
Credit: David McIntosh
Ashley Keeping was one of two
United Church young adults selected to attend the Minority Youth Forum in
Japan, hosted by the Center for Minority Issues and Mission.
Ashley writes:
“Just like Miyako residents, I
live on an island and can relate to their everyday lives on their island, as it
was small and humble just like here in Newfoundland. There was one prominent
difference. The majority of the residents are seeking peace from their own
government, something we don’t have to worry about here in Canada. God called
upon me to see how the people of Miyako Island are living, and to share with
everyone their struggle for peace.
“The Minority Youth Forum
program brought together young adults from Canada, Japan, and Taiwan. The Youth
Forum experience showed me how powerful it is to bring youth together to share
our culture, to share our faith, and to share our stories. To be able to have
discussions with youth from other cultures about how we can change the world
gives me so much hope for our future.
“This trip filled my heart
with joy, hope, and love for the wonderful people that I can now forever call
friends. It also taught me that you need to find, keep, and treasure peace, as
well as pursue it for the rest of your time, and that I will do. Thank you,
Miyako, for everything you taught me.”
The Youth Forum is an
ecumenical initiative of churches in Japan, supported by The United Church of
Canada and Mission and Service. Your generosity through Mission
and Service helps programs like this one that inspire peace and
learning. Thank you.
Hymn: 577
VU I’ve Got Peace Like a River
Prayers of Thanksgiving and
Intercession:
Creator God, we come to you in
thanksgiving for the many ways we have tasted and experienced your abundance –
in the beauty of these summer days, in the flowers in our gardens, in the
freshness of fruits and vegetables, in the lushness of forests, in the
gentleness of flowing rivers, in the lapping of the waves on the shoreline, in
the warmth of friendships and community bonds. May we never forget to notice
and appreciate the blessings of all that surrounds us. Teach us to respond with
generosity by using the gifts and resources and skills you have placed at our
disposal and in so doing, may we witness to the love and the mercy you continue
to share with us.
Keep us mindful of the many
among us who lack the basic necessities of life, all who are burdened by fears
of scarcity, all who find each day filled with unpredictability and anxiety,
all who face turmoil and upheaval, all who long for security and peace in the
face of bombs and terror, all who hunger for food, for acceptance or healing of
mind, body or spirit. We continue to pray for the people of Jasper as they
rebuild and regroup after wildfires. Stand with them in the rubble and give
them strength as they grieve so much loss. Help them as they work together
toward a new future.
We pray for those we know and
love who face loss of many kinds, who long for companionship and some small
gesture from others to remind them that they are loved by you, O God, and that
in your eyes, who they are is enough.
Hear these our prayers, both
spoken and unspoken, as we offer them in the strong name of Jesus, the Bread of
Life, who taught us to pray… Our Father…
Hymn: 355 VU For the Crowd of Thousands
Blessing
Go from this place knowing
that with Christ all things are possible.
With all our gifts joined
together through Christ, we have more than enough to accomplish great things.
Take with you the blessing of
your calling,
the grace Christ has given you
and the certainty that no one
else can take your place among God’s people.
You are enough! You are a gift
to the Body of Christ.
Now go and be a gift to God’s
world.
Amen.
************************
Hi Folks -- Reminder - there is no church service
this Sunday.
Following are some links to services you can access.
Saint James United Facebook Page (live stream services)
Hope United Church Facebook Page (live stream services)
Have a great weekend -- stay cool. See you on August
11th.
Pass
It On!
July 28, 2024
Welcome
& Announcements
God
Moments
Land
Acknowledgement
Since
time immemorial, Indigenous peoples have occupied and cared for the land which
many call Canada. In our worship together this day, in this area, we gather on
the traditional land of the Wabanaki peoples, predominantly the lands of the
Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Wolastoqiyik and Passamaquoddy. As a community of faith, we
seek to rebuild right relations with these people, to learn from them and to
live on this land, their land with respect and gratitude for its creation and
Creator.
Lighting of the Christ Candle:
We
recognize and praise God’s wonderful world just as the psalmist did in Psalm
104:24, “O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.” (NRSV)
Opening Prayer:
Creator God,
We thank you for bringing us together in
this place,
to celebrate the recreation, the
re-creation, of enjoying the fun and community of camping.
We thank you for all the people in our
lives, and especially those who have gathered with us.
We also thank you for all of creation; the
hills and trees,
the rocks, the water, the animals of field
and forest.
We thank you for your love for us; the
love that we in turn share with one another.
Open our hearts to receive your word, to
learn more about creation and your love.
Guide us in your love and the spirit of
creation
so that we might be examples for others to
follow. Amen.
Call to Worship:
Leader: At some camps, a bell
rings to signal the beginning.
Let’s begin Camping Sunday the same way.
Bell Rings
The
bell is ringing.
We gather for instruction.
Let’s
go to the warmth of the campfire.
Can we bring smores?
Of
course! We will all share the warmth of God’s love!
Let’s get started!
Hymn: “It Only Takes a Spark
(Pass It On),” VU 289
Prayer of Approach:
One: Creator God, the spark has kindled a
fire.
All: We
gather for its warmth and light.
One: Your love is the warmth that fills our
hearts.
All: Your
love lights the way.
One: First, we experience the warmth and light of
your love,
All: And
then we pass it on.
One: Pass it on.
Prayer of Confession:
Dear God, we love your creation,
yet sometimes refuse to care enough for
it.
We love our neighbours as you have taught
us,
yet sometimes we hurt them or refuse to allow
our differences to transform us.
Your love for us surrounds us in every
way,
yet sometimes we fail to acknowledge it.
Out of your timeless greatness, dear God,
please keep loving and forgiving us.
Guide us to do, say, and think according
to your will.
Guide us to live
in respectful relationship with creation.
And when there are temptations or other
examples to follow that lead us away from you,
we ask that you set us aright, yet again.
Our trust in you is complete.
Amen.
Assurance of God’s Blessing:
God is
the beginning, and through God all things have come into being. God is life and
that life brings abundant freedom and live-giving peace for all people. God’s
love shines in the most difficult times, and nothing can separate us from that love.
Scripture:
John 15:1–8
The Vine and the Branches
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the
gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every
branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful.
3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in
me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain
in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you
remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do
nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown
away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it
will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit,
showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Message: Camping might be just what we need!
Life
has certainly changed in the last few generations. The population balance has
moved from rural to urban with less than 20% of Canadians living in rural
areas. The majority of people you meet as you meander through life will know
more about subways, computer technology, and Siri than how to plant and grow
enough food to last the winter.
Our
very bodies have changed over the millennia. Looking at drawings of ancient
humans, you will see different facial structures, based partly on the fact that
they did not have as large a forebrain as we do. People are taller today than
they were just 150 years ago. We change and we adapt.
Yet,
we wonder if the current rate of change in our techno-world is a little faster
than we can handle. Many are replacing typical conversation with social media and
texting. Some people see a “food source” as being the local grocery story,
rarely thinking of the flowchart of activity before an item lands on a grocery
shelf. And the food we buy is often a little suspect with respect to how
natural it is.
When
even children are being treated for stress and anxiety, and young teens turn to
increasingly self-destructive behaviour, we wonder what is happening. While
there is a growing interest in spirituality, formal commitment to a spiritual
community is becoming less common. Can young people develop spiritual
connections that provide boosts and strength for both joy and sorrow? Do young
people have communities on which they can rely?
We are
hyper-vigilant to care about the safety of today’s youth: the right kind of car
seats, the best cribs, organic food, safety rules for school and bus, properly
trained child care providers, and so on. We follow best practices for
discipline and give children choices so that they feel valued. Yet we often
keep them inside, inside our house, inside our cars, inside our schools… We can
often keep them safely not outside.
Church
camp helps to address a few gaps in our best intentions to provide for our
children, youth, young adults, and people of all ages. Whether it be a church
retreat, a day camp, or a week-long outdoor summer camp, church outdoor
ministries/camps are providing unique experiences for people of all ages. These
ministries are:
·
An invitation
to question everything, from the everyday to the mysterious
·
Opportunities
to gain personal meaning through discovering, naming, claiming, and celebrating
our God-given gifts and talents
·
Time
to stretch our imaginations and grow our creativity
·
Occasions
to find meaning in community as we engage in acts of mercy and justice
·
Holistic
ministry that combines body, mind, and spirit
·
Inclusion
in a community that points toward something larger than individual concerns
·
Opportunities
to wonder and deepen our awareness of the environment and respect for nature
·
An
experience of “Sabbath” as we step away from society’s hectic way of life
·
Leadership
development opportunities for both staff and campers
Spending
time outside used to be so common and so natural. Today, it is the subject of
studies. Author Jill L. Ferguson contributed the following ideas in a 2017 online article in The
Huffington Post. She
said that spending time outside can prevent myopia or nearsightedness in
children. It can benefit the mental health of adults and children. It encourages
exercise, which then correlates to better academic achievement. And spending
time outside exposes children to nature, which helps reduce stress levels. Wow—who
knew?
In today’s scripture passage, Jesus compares himself to
a vine, with productive, fruit-growing branches. Neither the branches nor the
fruit will survive without the life-giving vine. Neither will they thrive
without God. The pulsing life of our faith is the vine that encourages our good
works, our understanding, and our love that encompasses God’s creation.
At church camps, campers and counsellors work to bear
the following fruit: They create, play games, exercise, lead and follow. They
make new friends, help others, problem-solve together, sing. They explore
nature even as they interact with it. They add to their understandings of
diversity, equality, fairness, and faith. They become productive, growing
branches that receive sustenance from the vine of Christ’s example and guidance.
Through Gifts with Vision, you can support
United Church Camps in important ways:
-Camp Ta-Wa-Si, in Johnston Point, NB, wants to make
the camp experience accessible in every way for children from diverse
communities. The camp is providing more sponsorships than ever before, so that
families of all racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds can send their
children to camp. Their advertising and recruiting focus on underserved areas
of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, including nearby First Nations communities.
Camp programs will include activities and guest speakers that will celebrate
diversity within the area. You can help Camp Ta-Wa-Si give even more children
the chance to discover new horizons, create possibilities, and build memories
at camp.
-And United Church camps across the country turn to
the Camping Trust for projects big and small. Not every project is a
tug-at-your-heartstrings, tailor-made-for-magazines story. Some are more
functional than flashy—like fixing a hole in a roof or constructing
gender-neutral washrooms. But every project is an important part of bringing
camping ministry to life, and every grant from the Camping Trust helps make
United Church camps possible.
So let’s sit outside, together, around the campfire of
our imagination. You will realize that the warmth you feel doesn’t come only
from the fire, but also from your connections with those around you, and a
growing understanding of your place in the universe. Your smiles, your songs,
your thoughts become a prayer of gratitude to Creator God. And something inside
you wants this to last forever. Amen.
Invitation
to Offering/Service:
As we gather, we recognize that we are truly blessed;
to live in God’s wondrous Creation,
to have family and friends and neighbours that we can
depend upon.
As God has blessed us
we, in turn, share a portion of that blessing with
others,
our time, talent, and tithes,
in support of the work of God’s church and our camping
mission.
The offering will now be received.
Minute for Mission: Click here for link to article
On a windy weekday morning in
February, you might expect a camp to be quiet, anxiously awaiting the hustle
and bustle that summertime will bring. But on the escarpment in Lincoln, ON,
Cave Springs Camp is anything but quiet.
A Nature School for youth
operates daily on the lower floor of the new Conference Centre. Staff take
bookings for weddings, corporate events, and birthdays, and in the afternoon a
youth group will arrive to enjoy the year-round facilities.
Cave Springs Camp hasn’t
always been this way. Not so long ago, programming would only run in the
summertime, with some bookings into the fall if weather permitted.
Program Director Lance Wright
enthusiastically expresses his deep gratitude for the people who have made
year-round facilities and programs possible. Looking outside on a February
weekday, Lance can see children at the Nature School experimenting with the
wind instead of hiding from it indoors on a phone or computer. Lance’s passion
for creating lifelong memories and inspiring faith and self-confidence shines
through his work to build a caring and dynamic community atmosphere.
From the vibrant colours of
spring to the warm sunshine of summer, the crisp air of fall, and the magical
snow-covered landscapes of winter, Cave Springs Camp provides an ever-changing
backdrop for people of all ages to appreciate outdoor activities and adventures.
Your generosity through Mission and Service is helping
children, teens, and adults to reconnect with nature at any time of the year.
Thank you.
Stay tuned for a video from
Cave Springs Camp coming later in 2024!
Hymn: Peace Like a River VU 577
Prayers of the People:
God of
love, we can learn a lot from the cooperation and fun of camp. In life, as at
camp, learning and challenges become stepping stones to our growing maturity. Thank
you for surrounding all of us with love, guidance, and forgiveness.
We
turn away from you sometimes and doubt you or stop seeking to understand your
terms, as opposed to our terms. So today, dear God, our prayers for the people
include ourselves and others like us who need reminders about your commitment
to us.
Help
us to take on a mantle of caring for all life—no matter what our differences
are—so that we can make a real difference in the world. There are so many struggling
for food or peace, for safety, or for the freedom to worship. We sometimes feel
so helpless. Guide us to ways in which we can help those in need; open us to
receive your teachings. Help us let our
little lights shine by showing love to all.
Help
us to accept changes in our understanding of your word that encourage deeper
thinking, shifts in perspectives and understanding, which can all lead us to a
stronger faith. Bless those who are struggling with physical or mental illness,
those grieving losses of any kind, and those who are attempting to find honesty
in relationships in social, family or work situations. God, help those who are
suffering find strength in your love and feel renewed in their faith.
Humbly,
we ask your blessing on these our intensions…
Together,
we pray as you have taught us to pray: Our Father…
Hymn: This is God’s Wondrous
World VU 296
Benediction:
Take
the warmth and light represented by this fire into your lives.
Take
the warmth and light of God’s love into your lives.
May
the fun and faith of church camps, reside in your minds and hearts.
And…remember
to pass it on.
—David Root and Nancy Rouble,
Board members for Camp McDougall in Northern Ontario
Welcome to this opportunity to
praise God on this beautiful summer Sunday.
Hope that these summer days
are allowing you the opportunity to deepen your relationship with God as you
learn to step back and find rest for your souls.
Have a good week!
Since time immemorial,
Indigenous peoples have occupied and cared for the land which many call Canada.
In our worship together this day, in this area, we gather on the traditional
land of the Wabanaki peoples, predominantly the lands of the Mi’kmaq, Maliseet,
Wolastoqiyik and Passamaquoddy. As a community of faith, we seek to rebuild
right relations with theses people, to learn from them and to live on this
land, their land with respect and gratitude for its creation and Creator.
As we light this candle, we
welcome the presence of the risen Christ here with us today. We remember that
wherever two or three are gathered in his name, he will be there.
Call to Worship* (Inspired
by Psalm 89)
Holy One is with us. God’s
hand remains with us.
God’s love is steadfast. God’s
strength is enough. We can rest in God’s presence.
Holy Love keeps their covenant
from generation to generation and establishes our future.
God’s love is steadfast. God’s
strength is enough. We can rest in God’s presence.
Let us worship God together
and praise the Holy Name!
God’s love is steadfast. God’s
strength is enough. We can rest in God’s presence.
Opening Prayer:
Wonderful Creator, you come to
us with power and gentleness, strength and compassion, peace and joy.
We come to you with hope and
hopelessness, love and heartbreak, thanksgiving and lament.
In you we seek and find our
rest in all of our coming and going.
May our worship of you this
day open us to your voice.
May our souls be restored as
we dwell in your presence. Amen.
Hymn: 374 VU Come and Find the Quiet Center
Prayer of Confession*:
Holy God, we confess that our
lives keep us consumed more with “doing” than with “being.”
We race along at breakneck
speed.
We crowd our lives with
activity.
We scarcely have time to catch
our breath.
We acknowledge that you call
us to rest in your truth, your love, and your peace without letting go of our
responsibility to embody your good news in the world.
We struggle to balance the
rhythms of rest and renewal in our lives.
We long to find that quiet
centre where we can seek your guidance and direction.
Lead us, we pray, to the
refreshment we can find in you, where you are our peace, our hope, and our
standard. Amen.
Words of Grace and Affirmation
Beloved, you do not journey
alone.
In community with the Holy One
and one another, we find grace and strength to heed the call to discipleship.
In Christ, we carry the good
news and reflect a God who is near to us, faithful to redeem, and affirms our
rest and renewal.
Thanks be to God! Amen
Readings and Reflection: For AUDIO link, click here:
Give
it a Rest!
Did you know that in China the
polite answer when someone asks you “How are you?” is “I am very busy. Thank
You.” We might laugh at that but I can’t help but wondering if we here in
Canada are any different. Families, it seems, are stretched to the limits-
driving children to a flurry of different activities. This time of the year we
are busy with yard work or entertaining company. We, too, when asked about how
we are doing, often reply “I am so busy.” Almost like we have a discomfort with
downtime. Kind of like being busy is a badge of honour. It seems we live in a
culture where busy is best even to the point where often we identify ourselves
by what we “do” rather than who we are.
I wonder to myself if that is
how it is supposed to be? Is this how life is meant to be lived… by occupying
every waking moment with something? Some of you might remember Robert Fulghum’s
book, All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. In it
he makes a rather bold statement when he says, “Think what a better world it
would be if all the whole world had cookies and milk at 3 pm every afternoon
and then lay down with our blankies for a nap.” No doubt, if that happened, we
would all come back with more creativity and clarity about life. We would gain
a fresh perspective and perhaps even some new discoveries. Think of Isaac
Newton sitting under that apple tree and figuring out the law of gravity. Or Archimedes
while sitting in the bathtub and coming up with the theory of displacement.
Amazing, isn’t it what a little reflective time can bring about.
As we come to worship in the
middle of summer, I invite you for these few moments to reflect with me on this
addiction we seem to have with busyness.
Last week, you might recall,
we had the story of David dancing in the street as the ark of the covenant was
brought into Jerusalem. This week, we find David resting in his beautiful palace
filled with cedar. Yet, he is having difficulty resting. In fact, he is feeling
a little guilty in that he has this luxurious residence while God is in a plain
tent. David gets the bright idea to do something. He will build God a home.
Yet, God has something else in mind. God puts the brakes on David’s ambition.
2 Samuel 7: 1-14a
7 Now
when the king was settled in his house and the Lord had given him
rest from all his enemies around him, 2 the king
said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the
ark of God stays in a tent.” 3 Nathan said to the
king, “Go, do all that you have in mind, for the Lord is with you.”
4 But
that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, 5 “Go
and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me
a house to live in? 6 I have not lived in a house
since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I
have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. 7 Wherever
I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with
any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my
people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’ 8 Now
therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says
the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the
sheep to be prince over my people Israel, 9 and I
have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from
before you, and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great
ones of the earth. 10 And I will appoint a place
for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own
place and be disturbed no more, and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as
formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges
over my people Israel, and I will give you rest from all your enemies.
Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make
you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and
you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who
shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He
shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom
forever. 14 I will be a father to him, and he shall
be a son to me.
So, there we have it. God puts
the brakes on David’s ambition- kind of like God saying, “whoa a minute, David.
Thanks, but no thanks. You are not the one who will build me a house. I never
even asked for a house. When the time is right, I will do the building, not
you. You don’t get to control me. I am the one in charge and I will set the
agenda and the timeline. I will lay the foundation for a dynasty of rulers who
will come after you. So, in the meantime, David, give it a rest. I have something else in mind.”
What a great lesson for all of
us. Yes, the work of God involves all of us but it doesn’t depend solely on us.
I can’t help but think this is why, as the apostles return from their first
mission work experiences, Jesus invites them to a time of rest. I like how
commentator Debie Thomas expresses it- “God will survive our naps!” Let us
listen and try to imagine the noisy gathering as these pumped-up apostles compare
notes of all they had experienced in their travels:
Mark 6: 30-34, 53-56
30 The
apostles gathered around Jesus and told him all that they had done and
taught. 31 He said to them, “Come
away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were
coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And
they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. 33 Now
many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from
all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34 As he
went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them, because they
were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.
53 When
they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the
boat. 54 When they got out of the boat, people at
once recognized him 55 and rushed about that whole
region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And
wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the
marketplaces and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak,
and all who touched it were healed.
While I am sure Jesus was eager
to hear of the apostles’ successes and failures on their journeys, Jesus could
also probably detect that these apostles were more than a little wired upon
their return. He sees the need for them
to take time to debrief and reflect, to unplug as we might say. Time to gain
some perspective. As it turned out, taking that time away proved difficult in
that the crowds continued to follow them. Yet, he knew what we all know – that
overwork and over function won’t get us anywhere. In calling them away to a
deserted place, he modelled for us the importance of rest.
And this was not the first
time he did this. His entire ministry, despite the constant demands on him, sought
to establish that rhythm of action and retreat. It did not mean running away or
disengaging from faith, but allowing those moments for God to speak to him, to receive
the necessary recharging in order to rebuild his energy.
Somewhere I read this week a
little story about Martin Luther. Apparently, he is said to have taken two
hours every day to pray. When asked how he fit that into his busy schedule, he
said he never could finish his schedule if he didn’t have those two hours.
Sooner or later, we come to
the realization as David did, and as Jesus attempted to model for those first
apostles, that we are not responsible for fixing everything and everyone who is
broken. Our worth does not come from a packed calendar. And, whether we like to
believe it or not, as much as we are all valued and beloved by God, we are not
indispensable. The world needs us, yes indeed. But on the other hand, the world
can also manage without our constant input. The sun still shines. The tides
will rise and fall. And we only can come to that realization when we learn to
give ourselves that permission in our days to give it a rest. And by rest I
think we can interpret that as not just as a few hours off or a vacation, but
rest from want of success, power and the desire to get ahead. A chance to reprioritize
what is important as David was called to do. An opportunity to learn what is
really important- what really matters in the grand scheme of things. I remember
a friend who spoke this truth to me once when she said, “Ask yourself in 20
years from now, how important will what you are so concentrated on today matter
in the grand scheme of things?” What will the priorities you set for this day
mean in the long term?
In inviting the apostles to a
time of processing their experiences, I can’t help but think that he was
reminding them and us that there is no shame in taking that step back. At no
point do we see him pumped by hoarding the limelight. He knew that not
everything depended on his ability to be out there. As we have said so many
times before, so much of the ministry we do is about planting seeds and then
giving it a rest. Not everything that grows depends on us having our finger in
it all. Certainly, the work of Jesus in carrying that good news to the world
involves us, but it doesn’t depend totally on our efforts alone. Like it or
not, without us, Christ still can make himself and his ways known. Sometimes it is as much about our being as our
doing. As our hymn earlier said it so well, Be at peace and simply be.
Summer time is a great time
for us to think about those things that restore our spirits- maybe it is
sitting in a favorite thoughtful place as Winnie the Pooh liked to call it, a
beautiful vista perhaps, a favourite chair with a refreshing drink, whatever it
is that allows you that break from being in perpetual motion, that permits you
to prioritize healthy and life-giving rest as a spiritual practice. A place
where you can allow yourself to grapple with the truth of your lives- with what
really matters. An opportunity to reflect on your unique role in bringing about
the Kingdom of God while at the same time recognizing that this work God gives
us is not all about us. A time to remember that we are not the centre. God is.
The things we do in sharing the gospel and reaching out are our ways of
responding to God’s grace in our lives. They are not a means of earning that
grace. So, let’s give each other the
permission we need to simply give it a rest. We owe it to ourselves, to our
families and friends, to our community and most of all to our God. As Jesus
says to those returning apostles, so he says to us: “Come away to a deserted
place all by yourselves and rest a while.” Permission granted. It is then as we
stop and listen that we remember the one thing that is essential—we are beloved
by God. It is in reflecting on that wonderful and awesome reality, we can truly
rest and gain perspective. Amen.
Hymn: 577
VU Peace Like a River
Your Generosity Matters/ Our
Offerings are Received
Working hard to keep the
Inuinnaqtun language alive
Credit: Pitquhirnikkut
Ilihautiniq/Kitikmeot Heritage Society
These days, most of us have
access to technology that allows us to learn the world’s common languages. But
countless languages—including many Indigenous languages—can only be learned
from their few remaining speakers.
Revitalizing a lost language,
as one of our partners in Nunavut is doing, is an important way to preserve not
just the language but also the culture that surrounds it.
The Inuinnaqtun language is
the cultural foundation of the Inuinnait people, who live in the central
Canadian Arctic. The literal meaning of the word Inuinnaqtun is “to be like an
Inuinnaq (a person).” Today, fewer than 600 people can still speak Inuinnaqtun
fluently. Many lost the language when they were removed from their communities
and sent to residential schools.
Pitquhirnikkut
Ilihautiniq/Kitikmeot Heritage Society in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, is working
hard to keep Inuinnaqtun alive. One-on-one language immersion sessions with
mentors inspire reconnection. Through everyday conversations at home and on the
land, mentorship is helping to heal the wounds of systemic oppression.
In partnership with Mission
and Service, Inuinnaqtun language mentors get resources to allow them to spend
300 hours a year working with their apprentices to begin to restore the
language.
Your gifts to Mission
and Service help partners continue to restore language and culture.
Thank you.
Prayer
Slow Me Down, Lord!
By Wilfred A. Peterson (August
21, 1900 - June 2, 1995)
Slow
me down, Lord!
Ease the pounding of my heart
By the quieting of my mind.
Steady my harried pace
With a vision of the eternal reach of time.
Give me,
Amidst the confusions of my day,
The calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tensions of my nerves
With the soothing music of the singing streams
That live in my memory.
Help me to know
The magical power of sleep,
Teach me the art
Of taking minute vacations of slowing down
To look at a flower;
To chat with an old friend or make a new one;
To pat a stray dog;
To watch a spider build a web;
To smile at a child;
Or to read a few lines from a good book.
Remind me each day
That the race is not always to the swift;
That there is more to life Than increasing its speed.
Let me look upward
Into the branches of the towering oak
And know that it grew great and strong
Because it grew slowly and well.
Slow me down, Lord,
And inspire me to send my roots deep
Into the soil of life's enduring values
That I may grow toward the stars
Of my greater destiny.
****************
May this be our prayer, O God,
in the midst of all in our lives and our news that distracts our calm this
morning and all that keeps us from finding true rest in you.
May we lift it before you in
the midst of all those places in our lives and in the lives of friends and
strangers alike
where there is emptiness of
peace and hope,
where there are struggles with
illness,
where there is suffering in
the face of violence or other forces beyond our control,
where discrimination is a
daily reality
where life is frustrating
because of poor choices and the inability to find a way forward.
O God, in the stillness of
these moments,
send your peace and promise
with signs of new possibility and real hope.
Fill us with energy and
compassion to reach out to those facing difficult times.
May we become the gift we have
received in Jesus,
for it is in his name we pray,
saying the words he taught us:
Hymn: 278 VU In the Quiet Curve of Evening
Blessing: *
In your coming and going, may
you encounter Jesus on the journey.
In your coming and going, may
you touch the source of power and healing.
In your coming and going, may
you find rest.
Come and go in peace.
*Adapted from: Coming and
Going: Service Prayers for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost Year B written
by the Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Lindsay who serves as Minister for Worship and
Theology for the United Church of Christ.
****************
Since time immemorial,
Indigenous peoples have occupied and cared for the land which many call Canada.
In our worship together this day, in this area, we gather on the traditional
land of the Wabanaki peoples, predominantly the lands of the Mi’kmaq, Maliseet,
Wolastoqiyik and Passamaquoddy. As a community of faith, we seek to rebuild
right relations with theses people, to learn from them and to live on this
land, their land with respect and gratitude for its creation and Creator.
The light of Christ guides us
as we worship and in all of life.
Call to Worship: (Written by Dr. Lisa
Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, May 2024.)
When we witness our work bear good fruit and
rejoice in all God has done among us…
we gather for worship.
When misunderstanding and misinformation
threaten to divide instead of unite us…
we gather for worship.
When we dance together in the joy of knowing we
belong to God and one another…
we gather for worship.
When we stumble and bumble our way forward as
God’s grace guides us into greater love and deeper communion…
we gather for worship. Thanks be to God.
Opening Prayer:
Gracious God,
you are the Source of
life and love in all creation,
In a world marked by
bitterness, you are compassion.
In a culture marked by
confusion, you are the truth that sets us free.
In a world obsessed by image
and keeping up appearances, you are our alternative way.
Your strength is
comfort when we are fearful.
Your wisdom is guidance
amidst the many choices we face.
For all that you are
and all that you give,
God, our Maker,
Christ, our Saviour,
and Spirit who leads us
into life,
we offer you all
honour, praise, and worship,
now and always. Amen.
Hymn: 224 VU Sing a Happy Hallelujah
Prayer of Confession: (adapted from thoughts written by Beth Merrill
Neel on her blog, “Hold Fast to What Is Good,”)
Our hearts are hard, O God
–
Soften them with your
love.
Our hands are clenched,
O God –
Open them with your
grace.
Our voices have spoken
before our minds have been in gear, O God-
Free us to seek your
forgiveness.
Our long-held grudges
have gotten the better of us, O God-
Direct us to what we
know is a better way- your way.
Our feet are planted
too firmly, O God –
Invite us to dance with
you.
Our lives are not our
own, we know –
Let us live and move
and have our being in you, O God. Amen.
Words of Affirmation
As God extends blessing throughout all the
earth and into the heavens,
So God extends grace to all and forgives us our
wrongdoing.
Thanks be to God!
Scripture Readings and Reflection: Audio Link
Keeping Up Appearances
Keeping up appearances. As I
pondered our readings this week, my memory kept hearkening back to that British
sitcom from the 1990s I think it was. You might remember it- the one that
starred the eccentric social climber Hyacinth Bucket who preferred to call
herself Hyacinth Bouquet. Constantly worried about her image, she did anything
she could to come across to others as more refined than she actually was. Her
delusions of grandeur despite her working-class status led her to find herself
in all sorts of predicaments that, of course, provided many laughs for the
viewers of the show.
I think that the appeal of
this comedy was that it gave us a humorous glimpse of a frequent temptation we
face as humans- and the lengths that we often go to in order to look good in
they eyes of others. We see it almost every night on the news as we follow the events
leading up to the presidential election south of the border, don’t we? One of
my favourite little stories about this desire to save face is the one about a
newly minted lawyer who was especially concerned about keeping up his
appearance. When a prospective client walked toward his office door, the
lawyer wanted to look busy and important so he picked up the phone on his desk
and started talking:
“Look Henry, about that
amalgamation deal, I think I’d better run down to the factory and handle it
personally. Yes. No. I don’t think 3 million will swing it. We better have
Rogers from Seattle meet us there. Ok. Call you later.”
The lawyer hangs up the phone,
looks up at the visitor and says, may I help you?
His prospective client says:
You can’t help me at all. I’m just here to hook up your phone!
In our first reading this
morning, it seems that David’s wife, Michal, who was also Saul’s daughter, is
struggling with David’s lack of decorum as he dances with all his might in the
street. David is bringing the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem. This was the
portable box that had accompanied the people of Israel throughout their
wilderness journey. As I understand it, the ark of the covenant contained three
things- a piece of manna to remind them of God’s provision, Aaron’s rod and the
stone tablets given to Moses on Mount Sinai. For many years this ark had been
forgotten by the people. Now David has dug it out of the archives and processes
it to Jerusalem, the City of David, which will now be the centre of Israel’s
religious life. To the people, this procession was to mark a new beginning, an
expression of renewed solidarity with God. Yet, Michal has a hard time
celebrating given that it also meant the end of her father Saul’s reign. This,
along with the fact that David treated her as an object to get power, a pawn in
the political game, causes her to resent David and to be embarrassed perhaps by
all the frivolity and reckless abandon displayed by David in the street.
2 Samuel 6: 1-5, 12b-19
David again gathered all the chosen men of
Israel, thirty thousand. 2 David and all the people
with him set out and went from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of
God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who is
enthroned on the cherubim. 3 They carried the ark
of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on
the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new
cart 4 with the ark of God, and Ahio went
in front of the ark. 5 David and all the house of
Israel were dancing before the Lord with all their might, with
songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.
12 David went and brought
up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with
rejoicing, 13 and when those who bore the ark of
the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatted
calf. 14 David danced before
the Lord with all his might; David was girded with a linen
ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel
brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of
the trumpet.
16 As the ark of
the Lord came into the city of David, Michal, daughter of Saul looked
out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord,
and she despised him in her heart.
17 They brought in the ark
of the Lord and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had
pitched for it, and David offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being
before the Lord. 18 When David had finished
offering the burnt offerings and the offerings of well-being, he blessed the
people in the name of the Lord of hosts 19 and
distributed food among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men
and women, to each a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of
raisins. Then all the people went back to their homes.
Our gospel reading today is
probably going to make you cringe. It is probably not a passage you remember
hearing from your Sunday School days. That’s because it deals with a pretty
gruesome story- the beheading of John the Baptist. We might even wonder why the
writer of Mark, known for his fast pace in sharing the story of Jesus, suddenly
spends 15 verses telling about the circumstances leading up to this violent
death. Besides, Jesus isn’t really mentioned in this story. Yet, Mark
sandwiches it between the story of the sending out of the apostles two by two,
which we heard last week, and their return, which we will hear next week. We
can’t help but wonder if Mark is trying to tell us something about how the good
news as we talked about last week, will often have political implications as it
challenges the status quo.
In this story we have several
characters- there is Herod (not the same Herod who was around at the time of
Jesus’ birth but another Herod, Herod Antipas, his son). Then there is Herod’s
wife, Herodias, whom he unlawfully stole from his brother. And there is yet
another Herodias, his step daughter. (I know, not much imagination when it
comes to names back then!)
What we have here is the
makings of a good drama, almost like something from Shakespeare perhaps,
something like Macbeth or Hamlet. An adulterous king, a scheming woman, a
dancing girl and a violent death. As we listen to it today, though, I want you
to pay close attention to the actions of Herod because, in many ways, what he
does pretty much foreshadows what Pilate did in the midst of Jesus’ trial. He
caves. All for the sake of keeping up appearances.
Our story opens with Herod
hearing about Jesus’ reputation growing. We might remember that Jesus’ ministry
began just at the time when John the Baptist was arrested. This arrest led to
his death and Herod is now having a flashback to that birthday party where just
after he blew out the candles on his cake, he also snuffed out the life of John
the Baptist. Now it seems he is more than a bit haunted by what he had done.
I am reading this from a
translation called the Voice because, I think, it helps us to fill in some of
the details a little better.
Mark 6: 14-29
14 Jesus had become so
well known that King Herod received reports of all that Jesus was doing. Some
were saying that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead and
that these mighty works were the fruits of his resurrection.
Others (disagreeing): 15 No,
this Jesus is Elijah, returned to work on the earth.
And still others said He was another of the
prophets.
Herod (to himself): 16 No,
it is John, the prophet I beheaded, risen from the dead.
For the blood of John was on his hands. 17-18 Herod
had imprisoned John in the days before Jesus began His teaching. John
had preached to Herod that he should not have married his own brother’s wife,
Herodias, for so it is written in the Hebrew Scriptures: “It is not
lawful for one to marry his brother’s wife.”
19 Herodias held a grudge
against John and would have had him killed, but she couldn’t. 20 Herod
feared John as a holy and righteous man and did what he could to protect him.
John taught hard truths, and yet Herod found he usually liked hearing
them.
So, Herod had put John in prison instead of
executing him; 21-22 and there John sat until Herod’s
birthday, when the governor held a great state dinner. That night, Herod’s
stepdaughter danced beautifully for the state officials; and the king
proclaimed a solemn vow in the presence of his honored guests, military
officers, and some of the leading men of Galilee.
Herod: Ask me whatever you wish, and I will
grant it. 23 Whatever you want, I will give you—up
to half my province.
24 She went out and
consulted with her mother, Herodias, who had only one great desire and
told her daughter what she must say.
Herod’s Stepdaughter (immediately,
in response to Herod): 25 I want the
head of John the Baptist—right now—delivered to me on a platter.
26 Herod was horrified,
but he had sworn an oath and could not break his word in front of his invited
guests. 27 So immediately he sent an executioner to
the prison to behead John and bring them the head. 28 It
was brought to the girl upon a platter, and she took it to her mother.
29 When
John’s disciples were told of this, they came for his body and gave it a proper
burial.
So, you see, there was Herod,
much like Pilate was a little later on, caught between a rock and a hard place,
caught between knowing what was right and on the other hand, pleasing others by
saving face. We are told that up to this time, Herod had chosen to protect John
the Baptist. In fact, he kind of liked listening to what he had to say even
though his message was disturbing and as some versions of scripture say
“perplexing”. Kind of like maybe the way we all were fascinated by Al Gore and
his message about climate change in that documentary called An Inconvenient
Truth that came out nearly 20 years ago. Remember how we all listened to that
even though that message was brutal and terrifying? I think that is how Herod
must have seen John the Baptist- as someone who pulled no punches, whose words
were somewhat credible but who demanded far too much of him. Kind of like the
way prophets throughout history have often been interpreted- odd and jarring,
but interesting nonetheless, pushing us to an upside down way of seeing the
world.
Herod, then, it seems might
have preferred to spare the life of John the Baptist for these very reasons.
Yet, he had made a promise at that party to his step daughter in front of all
his supporters. He was caught between saving face and doing the right thing,
between keeping up appearances by protecting his own prestige and power and preserving
a life- the life of John the Baptist.
It was that public image and
protection of his own interests that won out.
While we might conclude that
this is indeed a pretty gruesome story of manipulation, something that might
make for a good tv drama, when we really thing about it, what we see happening
here still takes place in our world today all the time. Mark, in telling it and
using 15 verses to do so, is making a point. It is the world he is living in- a
world that struggled every day with the power and might of the Romans and all
the brokenness that this power brought to bear on the people. It is a reminder
to those first disciples and to us as disciples of today that, as commentator
Moffatt Churn says, “if we think that following Jesus will be a walk in the
park and bring us glory and success, think again. We could very well end up in
hot water.” While it might be easy to fall for the idea that following Jesus
will make you rich or successful, what is known as the “prosperity gospel” and
is preached by many, it is much harder, as Nadia Bolz Weber says, “to sign up
for the idea that Jesus bids us to come and die. People don’t usually line up
around the block for that.”
And while we might think this
whole story of the beheading of John the Baptist is a bit far-fetched from our
world, perhaps we should think again. While we may not kill people like Herod
did, we do get caught up in worry about what others think of us and in valuing
our reputations, our status and our popularity in the eyes of others more than
we value the truth.
As Debie Thomas writes, “ we
live in a world where the innocent are detained, tortured and killed while
others stand by, where young girls are made to be sexual objects for powerful
men, where speaking the truth to power is a rare and revolutionary act, where
we like to distance ourselves from truth that we would rather not hear, where
we, like Herod, worry about losing face or sounding stupid or admitting our
mistakes or humbling ourselves in front of the people we are desperate to
impress and where people within our reach lead lonely lives and die meaningless
deaths and we barely notice. All we have to do is watch the nightly news and we
get it. We choose silence for the sake of convenience. We back away when
justice seems too messy, when being vulnerable makes us uncomfortable.”
So, I ask again, where is the
good news in this gruesome story today? Well, I think the good news is that in
Jesus Christ we are shown another way. A way that is not caught up in winners
and losers. A way where all are welcomed because of God’s grace. A way where
might does not equal right. A way that runs counter to keeping up appearances
and worrying about our reputations. A way that does not let power and the need
to be right overtake our better judgement. A way that transforms our hearts.
This is the Good News- that
there is another kind of power, another way of living. A way that lets go of
revenge, anger, resentment and the desire for retaliation we see so present in
our world. And this way begins with
paying attention to the power revealed through the love and life of Jesus
Christ, to the abundance of his mercy and justice. No, maybe it is not the
stuff of prime-time dramas or the evening news. But it is to this kingdom and
to this realm that Jesus invites us. Amen.
Hymn: 577 VU
I’ve Got Peace Like a River
Your Generosity Matters/ Our
Gifts are Presented
Young leaders poised to advocate for climate
justice and inspire their communities
Credit: Yowanda Yonggara
Mission and Service partner the World Student
Christian Federation Asia-Pacific collaborated with the Bangladesh Student
Christian Movement on a workshop called “Youth Leading Change: Climate Justice
through Cultural Movement.” Through discussions and activities, it aimed to
raise awareness among young people about climate challenges and empower them to
take local actions.
Over four days, 50 passionate students from
various regions of Bangladesh came together to address the critical issue of
climate change. They explored the severe impacts on communities and
livelihoods, particularly the displacement caused by floods. Floods force
families to migrate to Dhaka, now one of the world’s most densely populated
cities.
The heart-wrenching stories of displaced
families deeply resonated with the participants, igniting their determination
to drive change. Equipped with knowledge and tools, these young leaders are now
poised to advocate for climate justice and inspire their communities.
Your generous support of Mission
and Service helps make workshops like this possible. Thank you.
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
God of love, you know us through and through,
you know all our joys, all our strengths, all our weaknesses and our growing
edges. Your patience with us never ceases to amaze and astonish us. You hear us
when we cry to you, when we wrestle with our many choices, when we worry
needlessly about keeping up appearances and when we preoccupy our minds and
lives with so many things that in your grand scheme for this world, matter so
very little. We thank you for placing us in community with one another, with
families and friends, with neighbours and strangers through whom we receive
support and many kindnesses along the way. We thank you for gifts and abilities
and opportunities you give us to reach out beyond ourselves, to touch lives both
near and far. May we do with generosity and true humility.
We thank you for how, through the life of Jesus
the servant, you model for us another way- a way of weakness and simplicity, a
way of caring for the neglected, of feeding the hungry, of protecting the
threatened, of challenging the powerful, a way of love and understanding and
peace. To the world, that so often worships before altars of success,
popularity and personal comfort at all costs, this way can seem so foolish. Give
us courage, nonetheless, to hold fast to your truth and to live with integrity
as we strive to follow you.
We pray this day for the leaders of our
province, our country, the countries of our world and our local communities as
they strive to serve with honesty and with an eye to the needs of others. Strengthen
the resolve of all who struggle to create justice where it has been
compromised, to build understanding amidst division and to dare to speak the
truth to those whose power has been allowed to corrupt. We pray also for those
who work quietly and efficiently behind the scenes of power and influence to improve
the lives of others and we thank you for their witness.
We lift before you all who are sick in mind,
body or spirit, all who are facing death, others among us who are working
through grief or loss, the many who are lonely, angry or unhappy, feeling
overwhelmed by life and longing for stability or even the slightest glimpse of
hope. Soothe these concerns, O God, and help us all to keep our hearts and
spirits open to the hope and comfort you offer.
Receive these prayers, both spoken and
unspoken, O God, as we offer them in the strong name of Jesus Christ, who
taught us to pray as one saying… Our Father…
Hymn: 176 MV Three Things I Promise
Blessing:
We are sent by God to be God’s people in the
world.
Daily life often leaves us conflicted about
what action to take.
The way is not always clear. It is easy to
cave.
In Jesus, we discover a power rooted in God’s
love.
In him, abundant life is for all.
We go to live that life, dancing like David
with all our might to God’s glory and praise. Amen.
**************
Welcome to our worship service at Faith Memorial United!
Sure is a steamy one out there today.
We enjoyed our strawberry shortcakes after
worship today courtesy of Shauna and Charlie!
Thanks to all who remembered your donations to
food bank. As always, you can add items anytime but we do try to highlight the
first Sunday of the month.
Reminder that Covid is still out there. If you
do not have a test kit, we still have some available at the church on the table
in the hall.
Have a good week and keep cool and hydrated!
Since time immemorial, Indigenous peoples have occupied and cared for the land which many call Canada. In our worship together this day, in this area, we gather on the traditional land of the Wabanaki peoples, predominantly the lands of the Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Wolastoqiyik and Passamaquoddy. As a community of faith, we seek to rebuild right relations with theses people, to learn from them and to live on this land, their land with respect and gratitude for its creation and Creator.
In the name of Jesus Christ
from whom we draw light and power for our living, we light this candle.
Call to Worship: (Written
by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, April 2024.)
When our bodies feel unable
and incapable, and the voices all around us disparage and criticize our bodies
as weak and worthless, God calls to us…
Open your heart to your
weakness and my strength.
When we persist in the false
belief that we should and must do everything on our own, never asking for help
and persisting in our drive for full independence, God calls to us…
Open your heart to your
weakness and my strength.
When we feel shame because we
need help, and the deep vulnerability of our needs pierces our hearts, God
calls to us…
Open your heart to your
weakness and my strength.
Listen! Pay attention! God
calls to us in our weakness, not to erase our frailties or bemoan all the
things society may tell us we lack, but to empower us within the vulnerability
of our humanness, naming us Beloved in the fullness of who we are.
May we open our hearts in
worship to receive the goodness in our weakness and the power in the strength
of God’s love for all of God’s vulnerable creation.
Opening Prayer:
We open our hearts to receive
your wisdom, O God.
When we ponder your greatness,
we are filled with awe.
We think of the tremendous
responsibility to which Jesus commissioned the first disciples.
Help us as we worship, to feel
again that same spirit of mission,
that we, too, may be equipped
to serve in your name.
May your power meet us in our
weakness. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
Hymn: 624 VU Give to Us Laughter
Prayer of Confession:
Intro: Paul talks about power
being made perfect in weakness.
Paul says that he boasts of his weaknesses so
that the power of Christ may dwell in him. In the spirit of Paul’s reflections,
let us pray:
Forgive
us the times when we ignore you, O God,
and
depend on our own strength to do things our own way.
Forgive
us for believing
that
we have to be hard and domineering
if we
want to get ahead in life.
Forgive
us when we use our power selfishly or aggressively,
ignoring
that indwelling, Christ-given power
which
frees us to be vulnerable.
Permeate
our lives with your grace, Lord,
so
that we can affirm with Paul
that
we are content with weaknesses for your sake,
and
fill us with the knowledge
that
it is when we allow ourselves to be empowered by you,
that
we are truly strong. Amen.
Words
of Affirmation
Hear
again the good news: that Jesus’ grace is sufficient for us all—
sufficient
for us to be forgiven in his name.
Receive
that grace and rejoice in the power to live in his strength.
Thanks
be to God!
Scripture
Readings and Reflection:
AUDIO format available by clicking here:
Power Made Perfect in Weakness
Sometimes we forget just how
challenging it is to share the Good News. We live in a world where even our
churches can get caught up in notions of secular success. Even though we may
not always say it, we think it. We like to have influence in our communities. We
think that our numbers in the pews or the money in our offering plates is the
measure of our “success”. We worry about “saving” our churches instead of living
out our faith in daily life. We sometimes even find ourselves more concerned
about our reputations or with the trappings of power and privilege instead of
serving God. We like to be liked, to be respected and in control.
How often, however, do we ask what
really is the church for? Well-known Biblical commentator William Willimon in
an article I was reading in a periodical called Pulpit Resource asks this very
question that might cause us to ponder. “Are we as a church about meeting our
own needs or are we as the church about rearranging our needs, or,
better still, giving us needs we never would have had, had we not come to
worship? What if the church is not here to meet needs but to hear a call to be
part of the countercultural activity of serving God in a world that does not worship
God? Why do we come to church anyway? Willimon says that most of us would
answer this by saying we come to be reassured that we are on the right path, or
to seek help for our problems or to share community with like-minded people.
Yet, he asks, is that all the church is- a place to meet our needs? What
if God has a different idea about church as something more than merely
satisfying its “customers”? What if it is to discern what God is calling us to
be and do? Willimon’s reflections intrigue me as I hope they do you too. It
seems to me we all have expectations about our faith communities and the kind
of power we as Jesus’ followers should have. Sometimes, though, I wonder if in
getting caught up in how the world defines ‘success’, that we start relying
more on our own power than on the power of God that so often speaks to us in
our weakness and our vulnerabilities. When we step back to let go just that
little bit in humility, the grace of God becomes all the more evident.
It strikes me that often it is
through the fiery trials and struggles of life, like when we experience rejection
and resistance, that we experience the most personal growth. For instance, I
would think we all have the experience somewhere in our lives of perhaps
applying for a job, or asking a person out on a date and being turned down.
While shocking and disappointing at first, when dealt with in a healthy way by
talking it over with a trusted friend maybe, we find a way of moving on in a
new way.
Our readings this morning
carry with them these sorts of revelatory moments. I think you will find it rather
reassuring that as writer Nadia Bolz Weber writes, “Rejection has been the
travelling companion of the Gospel from the beginning” And she adds, “Don’t
take it personally!”
Our first reading shares one
such example from Paul’s faith journey. Just to set the context a bit, Paul is
attempting to share Christ’s message in the midst of what we today would call
on the internet as a group of “influencers”. Known as the “super apostles”,
they boast of their powerful spiritual experiences of speaking in tongues,
spectacular visions and miracle working abilities. They take great pleasure in
undermining Paul whose ministry has been plagued by things like shipwrecks,
imprisonment and personal suffering which they see as a sign of his “weak”
faith. Yet, Paul, even in the midst of all this mud-slinging and finger
pointing, isn’t going to play their game. Let’s listen to how he looks to
Christ and finds personal strength not in his own ability or power but in God’s
power and ability to use him, even in the midst of his weaknesses. In other
words, even in his weaknesses and sufferings, his power is found in God’s grace.
And it is that grace that will prove sufficient as he learns to serve God with
humility.
2 Corinthians 12: 2-10
2 I know
a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether
in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. 3 And
I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know;
God knows— 4 was caught up into paradise and heard
things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat. 5 On
behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast,
except of my weaknesses. 6 But if I wish to boast,
I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it,
so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from
me, 7 even considering the exceptional character of
the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was
given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from
being too elated. 8 Three times I appealed to the
Lord about this, that it would leave me, 9 but he
said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in
weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the
power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am
content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for
the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
In a somewhat similar way to
Paul, Jesus too had his credibility tested on countless occasions. In our
gospel reading this morning, it happens among the people we might least expect
it- his hometown friends and neighbours. At first, when he returns, they are
pleased and excited to see him, patting themselves on the back for what a fine,
young man they as a community had raised up. Yet, it doesn’t take long before
they turn a cold shoulder on him. They are turned off because they couldn’t get
what he is about. As people today who love to say of churches, “he didn’t meet
their needs.” While our text from Mark does not give us any indication what he
said or did, for some reason it proved unsatisfying. No doubt, it disturbed
them and challenged them or called them to see their priorities and values
differently. They wanted nothing to do with him so they begin to cut him down a
peg or two. Isn’t he Mary’s son? Who does he think he is and where did he get so
wise all of a sudden? Isn’t he just one of us? They were not interested in
learning anything more about him. I like how the Message scripture words this: We
had no idea he was this good! So, they tripped over what little they knew of
him and fell, sprawling. Or maybe they were just too frightened to learn
anything more because of the changes it might mean for them. So, they do much
like we often do when something new and challenging comes to the surface- they
take offense to protect themselves from going any further with Jesus.
As a result of this resistance and unbelief,
Jesus was unable to do the kind of things he was able to do elsewhere. Yet,
despite their close- mindedness and Jesus’ perceived inability to “satisfy the
customers” as we say, there was still no stopping the good news. Let’s listen
to how Jesus, even in this vulnerable position in which he found himself,
handled their resistance:
Mark 6:1-13
Jesus
left that place and came to his hometown. His disciples followed him. 2 On
the Sabbath, he began to teach in the synagogue. Many who heard him were
surprised. “Where did this man get all this? What’s this wisdom he’s been
given? What about the powerful acts accomplished through him? 3 Isn’t
this the carpenter? Isn’t he Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joses, Judas,
and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” They were repulsed by him and fell
into sin.
4 Jesus
said to them, “Prophets are honored everywhere except in their own
hometowns, among their relatives, and in their own households.” 5 He
was unable to do any miracles there, except that he placed his hands on a few
sick people and healed them. 6 He was appalled by their
disbelief.
Then Jesus traveled through
the surrounding villages teaching.
7 He
called for the Twelve and sent them out in pairs. He gave them authority over
unclean spirits. 8 He instructed them to take nothing for
the journey except a walking stick—no bread, no bags, and no money in their
belts. 9 He told them to wear sandals but not to put on
two shirts. 10 He said, “Whatever house you enter,
remain there until you leave that place. 11 If a place
doesn’t welcome you or listen to you, as you leave, shake the dust off your
feet as a witness against them.” 12 So they went out and proclaimed
that people should change their hearts and lives. 13 They
cast out many demons, and they anointed many sick people with olive oil and
healed them.
I hope you caught it. While
appalled by their disbelief, what did Jesus do? Did he fire off a nasty Facebook
message for all to read? Did he reprimand his townsfolk? Did he call out for
fire from the skies to be cast upon them? Did he condemn them and take offense?
Did he enter into a shouting match and try to “win” them over to his new way of
seeing the world? Did he throw up his
hands in defeat and say, well, I’m never going to speak another word about
God’s love and grace ever again.
No, none of the above.
Instead, and this is where he is a lot like Paul with the taunting of those super
apostles, he simply acknowledged to himself that he was up against a hard crowd
and moved on to other villages. And he knew he could only do so much. As
Barbara Brown Taylor put it, “He lit the match but they blew out the flame.” He
left them to let his light shine somewhere else.
Meanwhile, the disciples had
seen and experienced all this. So, in calling them out to their mission, he
wants them to realize that just like him, they too will experience resistance
and sometimes even rejection. It is then, when like Paul, they will need to rely
most readily not on their own power but on the power of God working through
them in their weakness. When they go out, he encourages them to travel simply,
to travel in supportive teams of two, to not go from house to house but to enter
and stay at the house that offers them hospitality. In other words, be a good
guest. If you find yourself unwelcome by resistance to your message, don’t make
a scene. Don’t fret. Don’t be stopped by
it. Don’t grow bitter. Simply shake off the dust from your feet and move on.
Almost like he is saying, remember my experience in my hometown? Remember, you
won’t always be successful. You are only planting seeds. Expect some failure
and resistance along the way. Some of what you do will yield results right
away. Some might germinate after a long while. Some may never. Just keep on
moving on and being faithful in getting the good news out there. Do what you
can but don’t kick yourself if results aren’t forthcoming. Or as Paul said so
well, sometimes it is so true, power can be made perfect in weakness. One never
knows where the good news might just be taking root, just beneath the surface.
Such a great message for us,
don’t you think, as churches today, especially when we so often bemoan our
influence and position in society. How often we feel like we are so weak
compared to whatever we think the golden era of churches might be. How often it
feels like it is a tough crowd out there. Still, Jesus says, get out there. Go
beyond the doors and walls of our church buildings. Go with humility, as guests.
And remember there is no instruction here from Jesus about converting the
masses. Simply go. Be. Listen and share the good news where the people are- do
what you can where you find yourselves and simply move on. Even in what you may
feel to be your weakness, remind yourself that that is so often where we find
God’s strength at work. And remember- not even Jesus said it would be easy! Amen.
Your Generosity Matters/ Our
Offerings are Received
The emotional toll of
ministering to a grieving community is enormous.
Credit: Lindsay Victoria
Northern United Church
ministers are facing a crisis. The number of deaths in northern communities has
been immense, and the grief of burying community members, especially young
people, has been overwhelming. The emotional toll of ministering to a grieving
community is enormous, and ministers are in dire need of rest and renewal.
A ministers’ retreat is being planned for October
2024. The retreat will provide rest, training in crisis management, and
spiritual renewal, and will allow leaders to return with renewed strength to
help those in need. Ministers will participate in a blend of training and
respite opportunities, including learning about vicarious trauma and
administering Naloxone, and relaxation opportunities through art therapy,
beading workshops, and sharing circles.
Through your generous support
of Mission and Service, this retreat is on its way to being a reality.
Every dollar donated will be
matched by a contribution from the Healing Fund. Thank you.
Prayers of Thanksgiving and
Intercession
Loving God, in the warmth of
these summer days, we are grateful for this time to be together as we worship
you. Thank you for these moments of pause and reflection as we call to mind the
events and experiences of this past week. Thank you for opportunities that this
summer brings to be outside, to marvel at your works in creation. Thank you for
reunions with family and friends that summertime travel makes possible.
We give thanks that just as Jesus
called those first disciples and sent them out to do your work of spreading the
good news of your love and grace to people near and far, so you send us. May we
be open to receiving the insight and hospitality that others offer along the
way. Show us how to travel lightly and simply, bringing nothing with us but
your hope and healing. Give us courage in the face of adversity and strength in
the midst of our weaknesses. Keep us open to your power to bring new
possibilities in the many places of our lives and our world where barrenness
prevails.
We name before you situations
where hardship, suffering, mental, physical or spiritual illness are a constant
presence. We think of the many in our country who are homeless, the many among
us who suffer with addictions, the many who are feeling unloved, forgotten or
pushed aside. We remember especially the aboriginal churches and communities of
Northern Ontario and Manitoba as they are overwhelmed by increasing numbers of
suicides, missing and murdered women and drug addictions. We pray for the
people of the Caribbean in the aftermath of a hurricane and others in our world
bearing the brunt of natural disasters and rebuilding. We continue to offer you our prayers for peace
with justice in Ukraine and the Middle East, asking that your wisdom might be
upon all the world leaders in what feels like such a time of unrest. Show us
ways that we might be channels of your love and light as we work for healing
and reconciliation in all the places where hatred and division prevail.
We offer these prayers in the
name of Jesus, who encourages us to keep on planting seeds as we continue to
move forward in the power of your Holy Spirit to be the people you call us to
be. And we pray together with Jesus saying… Our Father…
Hymn: 660 VU How Firm a Foundation
Blessing
Like the first disciples of
long ago, we are sent out to proclaim the good news.
Imagine the possibilities!
Just as they were reminded to
lean on God’s power and not their own,
So are we invited to live in trust
that our needs will be met.
Just as they were called to
shake the dust off our feet and to keep on keeping on,
So are we encouraged to pick
ourselves up in when the going gets tough.
There is much to be done and
many places where God’s message of love and grace is needed.
May God give us courage.
May Christ bring us peace.
May the Holy Spirit send wind
for our sails.
Amen and amen!
********************