BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH
20th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
SOSA SUNDAY
OCTOBER 18, 2020
The video recording of this service can be found here.
You can also dial-in by phone to listen to the audio recording at 613-820-8104
Gathering Music: to the Rising Sun - Torjussen
Welcome & Announcements
Good Morning! Welcome to this service of worship devoted to our mission of Service, Outreach, and Social Action. Each year, our SOSA committee take the opportunity and the responsibility to highlight one of the many projects that this congregation supports as we reach beyond the doors of our building here at Bells Corners United Church. This year they are excited to share with you a project of the Multifaith Housing Initiative that has been a long time in the making: Veterans’ House. We celebrate the progress being made on seeing this dream come to fruition and we hope you will gain a deeper understanding of the need for it in our community, as well as a glimpse into just one of the many projects that the SOSA Committee supports on our behalf. Today is also an opportunity for you to consider how you might want to be involved in the work of our SOSA committee. Perhaps there is a service project that you would like to take a hands-on part in or a cause that you would like BCUC to look at more closely. We can always use enthusiasts, fundraisers, letter writers, and creative minds. We would love to have you join us!
Here are a few announcements to highlight this week:
- We continue to open the sanctuary for a small number of people each Sunday as a way to offer a gathering of a few while still following the health protocols to keep everyone safe. If you would like to attend, please go the website or call the church office to register by the Friday morning preceding the service. You will be asked to answer a health questionnaire and given the procedures that have been put in place. We will be closely monitoring the changing health regulations to ensure that we are safely able to continue offering this modified in-person worship.
- If you are unable to attend in person, there are several ways you can still participate in worship, through the YouTube video, the audio version or the text of the service, through the links provided on our webpage. You can also call 613-820-8104 to listen to the service on your telephone.
- Wherever you are as you join us this morning or at whatever time you are tuning in, know that you are welcome. We are glad that you are here and we hope that today’s service offers you spiritual nourishment as we begin this new week.
- For our families with children and teens! Have you seen the weekly Sunday School and Youth activities on the BCUC website? We really miss having the kids together for classes and Youth group on Sunday mornings, and we want to keep them connected with what’s happening in our church community. Each week, we offer some activities based on the scripture theme of the online service. We hope you will check it out!
- Every Wednesday evening at 8pm, we invite you to join your prayers with others from the comfort of your own home. Wherever you are, say a prayer for the world, for your community, the congregation, your family, and yourself. This week, we offer particular prayers for the family and friends of Bev Cromb as they mourn her passing. She will certainly be missed by us at BCUC.
- Grocery gift cards and Volume 2 of the book of Memories are available for purchase. Please call the church office to reserve yours and arrange for payment and pick-up.
- For those who are able to join us by Zoom, there will be a “Virtual Fellowship Time” every Sunday at 11:30 am. The link will be sent to you by email. If you have not yet received it, please call the office for more information during regular church office hours.
For more announcements, please check the church website.
Let us now gather our hearts and minds for worship…
Lighting of the Christ Candle Acolyte: Angela Starchuk
We gather in worship as an outpouring of gratitude and awe. It is our practice of opening ourselves to God’s still, small voice of comfort. The voice of Jesus echoes; “come to me all who carry burdens”.
Call to Gather
May the God of grace be welcome in our midst.
May we receive the power and peace of divine love.
We are blessed because God heals, guides and unites us.
So that we may seek justice and compassion for all who have been left homeless and voiceless. Amen.
Prayer of Approach
Gracious God,
These moments of worship can change lives, can bind us together as a community of compassion,
and can give us purpose and direction. These are awesome moments we share in worship.
We thank you for the opportunity that is before us.
We thank you for the blessing that will assuredly be ours. Amen.
Hymn: “Let Us Build a House” More Voices #1
1. Let us build a house where all can dwell and all can safely live
A place where saints and children tell how hearts learn to forgive.
Built of hopes and dreams and visions, rock of faith and vault of grace;
Here the love of Christ shall end divisions:
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.
2. Let us build a house where prophets speak, and words are strong and true,
where all God’s children dare to seek to dream God’s reign anew.
Here the cross shall stand as witness and as symbol of God’s grace;
Here as one we claim the faith of Jesus:
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.
3. Let us build a house where love is found in water, wine and wheat;
A banquet hall on holy ground, where peace and justice meet.
Here the love of God, through Jesus, is revealed in time and space;
As we share in Christ the feast that frees us:
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.
4. Let us build a house where hands will reach beyond the wood and stone
To heal and strengthen, serve and teach, and live the Word they’ve known.
Here the outcast and the stranger bear the image of God’s face;
Let us bring an end to fear and danger:
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.
5. Let us build a house where all are named, their songs and visions heard
And loved and treasured, taught and claimed as words within the Word.
Built of tears and cries and laughter, prayers of faith and songs of grace;
Let this house proclaim from floor to rafter:
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.
Words and Music © 1994 Marty Haugen, GIA pub
Song #00004 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Storytime for the Young at Heart Erin Berard
How do you draw a house? I’d need make some walls, a roof, a door, maybe some windows to let light in. If it was an apartment, it might be really tall, or depending on where I live, maybe my house could be more like a tent. Basically it would still have those elements, wouldn’t it? So there… (drawing) that’s a house.
Hmm… but is that all that’s important in a home? When you did those first Google Meets with classmates back in April, (or maybe in mid-September for those of you doing remote learning now), everyone was pretty excited to show off their houses to their friends, weren’t they? People showed off their favourite quilt, their special stuffies, cute pets, little sisters. Did anyone show off their windows, or roof in your class? Although these are things we might need to create a HOUSE, they are not the things we think about too much when we think of what is important about our HOME, is it? It’s the people you talk to about your day, it’s the special comforts you have, like snuggling a pet or stuffy when you’re feeling sad, it’s a place to be yourself, and where people understand and support you and love you.
The Veteran’s House project here in Ottawa that we’re talking about in the service today is different from some other MHI housing. Not only will it be an affordable roof and walls for veteran’s without homes, but it will have community support built into it, too. There will be places indoors and out to get together with others, people available to help with mental health issues, and a community of people with similar experiences that might ‘get’ what someone else is going through. That will really help it seem like more of a HOME and not just a HOUSE, I think.
Let’s give thanks for all the things that make our houses a home, and for all the people working in our community to help everyone have a place to call home.
Hymn: “Draw the Circle Wide” More Voices #145
Refrain:
Draw the circle wide. Draw it wider still.
Let this be our song, no one stands alone,
Standing side by side,
Draw the circle wide.
1. God the still point of the circle, ‘round whom all creation turns;
Nothing lost, but held forever, in God’s gracious arms.
2. Let our hearts touch far horizons, so encompass great and small;
Let our loving know no borders, faithful to God’s call.
3. Let the dreams we dream be larger, than we’ve ever dreamed before;
Let the dream of Christ be in us, open every door.
Words and Music © 1994 Gorden Light, arr © 1998 Michael Bloss
Song #117657 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Prayer for Illumination Reader: Barbara Bole Stafford
Eternal God,
In the reading of the scripture, may your Word be heard;
In the meditations of our hearts, may your Word be known;
And in the faithfulness of our lives, may your Word be shown. Amen[1].
The Reading
Psalm 55:1-8
1 Give ear to my prayer, O God;
do not hide yourself from my supplication.
2 Attend to me, and answer me;
I am troubled in my complaint.
I am distraught 3 by the noise of the enemy,
because of the clamor of the wicked.
For they bring trouble upon me,
and in anger they cherish enmity against me.
4 My heart is in anguish within me,
the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and trembling come upon me,
and horror overwhelms me.
6 And I say, “O that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest;
7 truly, I would flee far away;
I would lodge in the wilderness;
8 I would hurry to find a shelter for myself
from the raging wind and tempest.”
Matthew 25:31-40
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’
Hear what the Spirit is saying to all of us. Amen.
Sermon: “Healing From the Shrapnel of the Soul” Guest Preacher: Rev. Andrew Love
“It is wonderful. I drove up here earlier today to produce a recording of this video. And I was amazed at how far along this initiative had come in terms of construction and development. All the work, all the energy, all the financing that has gone into this so far has already produced amazing results.And when this is completed and our homeless veterans are here being housed, being supported, we're going to realize just how significant this initiative will have been, not only to the veterans who will call this home, but hopefully to communities across this country.I want to take a minute now to just lift up and really celebrate the work that's being done by the Multifaith Housing Initiative. Faith communities, drawn across the great spectrum of the faith traditions in the Ottawa region have come together to support this. They're supporting it because it is direct, realcharity working in our community now. And it is something that draws heavily on what we understand the importance and value of charity to be –sound use of resources, stewardship of financial and human capital, all geared towards really identified value and benefit. Changing people's lives. That's what Veterans' House is about.I come to this to support this initiative, not only as a United Church Minister but as a chaplain in the Canadian Armed Forces. As such, I've worked with a lot of men and womenwho have been deployed in domestic and overseas operations, often, multiple times, and they've come home carrying deep and intense scars that affect every part of their lives.Our Scripture readings today, that we invite you to consider as part of your worship, really speak to just the reality of what operational stress means, and what it means over the longer-term especially when it's cumulative. The psalm that we selected for you, Psalm 55, really presents the problem of what it means to be a soldier returning from operations. In many ways, it's a story of betrayal. And that's something that often men and women who have served feel: intense betrayal.In the psalm, David lifts up and then at the same time mourns intensely that sense of betrayal. Treachery within his own family. And the treachery of his most trusted advisor, Ahitophel. His own son Absalom turns against him. And I think if we really were to look at this in depth, we would see so many parallels to what many men and women talk about when they talk about post operational stress. And indeed, when they talk about post traumatic stress. It speaks to something that is the undercurrent of all the issues of many, I would submit to you, all the veterans who end up homeless. They come to, what we're starting to understand as moral injury. Moral injury is something that sometimes gets connected to post traumatic stress disorder. It's a subset of it but it's at the heart of what we're talking about when we're talking about what I would consider to be some of our most vulnerable people in our society today.
Men and women who we asked to serve overseas, or in domestic operations, we asked them to do important but difficult work. And I believe as a country, we have a unique obligation, a special obligation to them. And that's what drives me. And I know it drives a lot of people to support this initiative.When we talk about moral injury, we're talking about an assault on one's sense of confidence and expectation of the capacity to act in a moral and ethical manner. And, you know, moral injury usually comes as a consequence of acts or as a witness to acts. Things that were done to the person, or what the persons did themselves or maybe what they didn't do in the face of obvious moral transgression. These kinds of moral injury affect people at a very deep, visceral way. It's an injury that takes hold and it affects every aspect of their lives.And in many ways, it leads to a spiral, a spiral down. Fellow United Church Minister, military chaplain John Nites, he calls this the Elijah effect. And he draws from the narrative of 1 Kings to talk about the descent into darkness and suicidal thoughts that Elijah experienced. And he captures this nicely when he talks about the idea of shrapnel of the soul ... shrapnel of the soul. That's exactly what veterans start to experience. As a serving military chaplain, I work with men and women who are still in the Armed Forces, and I see the moral injuries being played out in many different ways. But Ialso understand how difficult that transition is from active military service to becoming a veteran. And in some cases, people just don't get the support services that they need, or, for a host of reasons, they don't, they choose not to access those services. Well, in those instances, it becomes extremely difficult to hold down a job, to maintain and nurture strong relationships, to make sound moral and financial decisions. And the enticement of different addictions -drugs, alcohol, and other addictions takes hold. And then the spiral just goes worse and worse and worse. And soon that veteran is homeless. It doesn't take much when the moral injury is deeply felt. I think for us, as churches, the response is obvious. Jesus lays out in the Gospel of Luke, quoting from Isaiah, a pretty clear indication of what out moral priorities should be. Jesus says we are to focus on issues of poverty, to bring release to captives and the oppressed, to bring up the broken hearted, to proclaim God's providence over debt. Not just financial debt, but the incredible burden of guilt, the debt of guilt that many people feel. And that is so, so true when it comes to veterans who are struggling with operational stress and moral injury. Our reading today from the Gospel of Matthew 25, really just puts it in stark terms for us. Jesus is very much saying that, as a church, we will be judged on the credibility of our response to the call that Jesus offers us in the Gospel of Luke. And, as I compete, here against all the different sounds, and the trucks and the movement and the hustle and bustle (on this construction site), might I be so presumptuous as to paraphrase Matthew 25, and offer to us, a very clear indication of why and how we should respond. For it is the homeless in our society that are hungry and in need of food, thirsty and the need of drink, lost and isolated and need of a shelter and support, mentally and physically ill and in need of care. Imprisoned in their own thoughts of trauma, betrayal and moral injury. Veterans' House, as it is being built now, has been the product so far, of faith communities throughout this region, and many other concerned citizens. We're asking United Churches now to support this
initiative, to not only help with the completion of the construction, but the continued operations and the support services that will be vital to helping veterans reclaim their lives and rebuild their lives. This isn't going to solve the problem of homelessness, either for veterans or homelessness in general, but I'm absolutely convinced it is going to empower many people to realize they truly are blessed as God's children. And that the experiences they had, don't define them. We offer them hope through Veterans' House. I believe this is the kind of initiative that will be a model for other communities across Canada. And I invite you now, as churches, to discern exactly how you can support and can continue to support Veterans' House. May God bless you in that mission. Amen.
Multifaith Prayer for Veterans’ House
Christian Representative – by Major-General Chapdelaine, Chaplain General of the Canadian Armed Forces, delivered by Rev. Capt. Andrew Love, Acting Brigade Chaplain, 33CBG, Canadian Armed Forces:
“In the respect of individual conscience and belief, I invite you to take this moment for prayer or personal reflection: God of hosts; we are grateful togather under the shelter of peace afforded to us by those who have offered themselves in service to Her Majesty’s Canadian Forces, on land, at sea, or in the air. As a people of memory, gratitude, and respect we stand ready to fulfil our duty of love and care, so that those who have given so much might be granted the safe haven they have provided to us. Lest we forget.”
Muslim representative - CaptainBarbara Helms:
“For our veterans—for those who have served here and abroad, who have done their duty with honour and have learned to soldier on without rest, to protect us here at home, we own a debt that cannot be adequately repaid.
Hence it is fitting that coming home, they have a home to which to come—a shelter, a place of rest, a neighbourhood, a community which supports them—where they belong and where their continued contributions are recognized and valued. Puissiez-vous maintenant et pour toujours avoir votre propre maison protégée, votre propre demeure de sécurité et de paix. For you who have pledged unlimited liability and served without rest to protect the safety and peace of our homes and our nation--may you now, and forever, have your own protected home, your place of rest, your own abode of safety and peace.”
Jewish representative - Rabbi Reuven Bulka:
"We live in a blessed country. But a twist of fate many years ago could have changed the entire world. Our blessings were made possible by those who were willing to put their lives on hold, and on the line, to defend freedom. The more we love our country, the more we love and we venerate our veterans. May our veterans live out their years energized and inspired by our eternal gratitude and appreciation to them. Amen."
Prayers of the People and the Lord’s Prayer
Based on everything that you have heard in this service so far...please join with me in these words of prayer. Eternal God, the testimony of holy scripture is clear: you call us to be expressions of healing and hope for the most vulnerable people in our society. From the words of the great prophets, like Isaiah, to the witness and ministry of Jesus Christ, you have called us to empower the impoverished, to release the captives of oppression and injustice, to care for those suffering physical and mental health challenges. Today, we pray for a small but important example of this moral imperative: we pray for continued support for Veterans’ House –as it is being built, and when it is in operation. We pray for the work of the Multifaith Housing Initiative, and all the faith communities who are a part of it. We pray for growing awareness of the needs and aspirations of homeless people in our community. We pray that each church that is part of this shared service will discern how it can best support the work of Veterans’ House. For each church that is part of this service, we pray for those who carry heavy burdens this day. And in the silence of our own prayers, we lift up to you the thoughts and concerns that are closest to our hearts. And we offer this prayer in the sure and certain bond that brings together all United Churches of Region 12 and throughout Canada, in the name of Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together when we gather in his name, saying,
Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kin-dom come, thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kin-dom, the power and the glory,
Forever and ever,
Amen.
Invitation to Offer
Some people are required to offer much, even their lives, in the service of justice and of freedom. We too have the opportunity to serve justice and freedom with our lesser gifts of time, talent, and money, for the work of our faith community. As always, if you are not on PAR, offerings and donations can be dropped in the slot by the kitchen door of the church or mailed to BCUC or sent in by e-transfer.
If you wish to make a donation to Veterans’ House, please go to www.multifaithhousing.ca for information.
Thank you for your continued love and support to BCUC and to the Service, Outreach, and Social Action projects that are part of our mission.
Offertory Prayer
We sing of God’s good news lived out, a church with purpose: gifts shared for the good of all, instrument of the loving Spirit of Christ. We sing of God’s mission. Amen.
Sending Forth
(based on the Song of Faith)
In Jesus’ resurrection, God overcomes death. Nothing separates us from the love of God.
The Risen Christ lives, present to us and the source of hope. We place our hope in God -Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Grateful for God’s loving action. Amen.
Hymn: “Christ Has No Body Now But Yours” More Voices #171
Refrain:
Christ has no body now but yours, no hands but yours.
Here on this earth, yours is the work, to serve with the joy of compassion.
1. No hands but yours to heal the wounded world, no hands but yours to soothe all its suffering,
No touch but yours to bind the broken hope of the people of God.
2. No eyes but yours to see as Christ would see, to find the lost, to gaze with compassion;
No eyes but yours to glimpse the holy joy of the city of God.
3. No feet but yours to journey with the poor, to walk this world with mercy and justice.
Yours are the steps to build a lasting peace for the children of God.
4. Through every gift, give back to those in need: as Christ has blessed, so now be his blessing,
With every gift, a benediction be, to the people of God.
Words © 2003 Stephen Warner adapt from Teresa of Avila, Music © 2006 Rick Gunn
Song #36222 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
We give our sincere thanks to the Eastern Ontario Outaouais Regional Council for the worship resources prepared for this service.
Departing: Guide Me O Thou Great / Kleine Nachtmusik
Organ/Piano duet - arranged by Linda McKechnie
Zoom Fellowship hosted by Lorrie at 11:30 am. Link has been emailed. See you there!
[1] Celebrate God’s Presence, p44