BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH
4th SUNDAY OF CREATION TIME IN THE SEASON OF PENTECOST
World Communion Sunday
October 4, 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: Come to the Banquet Soloist: Susan TeGrotenhuis
Words & Music © Fay White, Grapevine Music
Song # 117649 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Welcome & Announcements
Good Morning! On behalf of Bells Corners United Church, I extend a warm welcome to you on the World Communion Sunday. We are glad that you have joined us and hope that this time offers what you need as you head into the next week.
If you are joining us online today, we will be marking World Communion Sunday in this service. Since we aren’t gathered in one place – or even at one time – the online version will offer a modified version of Communion, an “agape meal”. You may want to pause the video while you get yourself something to drink and eat as part of this ritual.
Here are a few announcements I want to highlight this week:
- We began to open the sanctuary for a small number of people for the month of September as a trial to see how we can offer a gathering of a few while still following the health protocols to keep everyone safe. We will now be looking at both the interest of people to attend and the feasibility of following the necessary procedures to decide how we will continue going forward. If you have comments to share, please contact us.
- In the meantime, 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.
- 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.
- A reminder that 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.
- Grocery cards as well as Volume 2 of the book of Memories are available for purchase from the church. Please call to arrange payment and pick-up.
- Plans are underway for an Outdoor Market on the grounds of the church on Saturday, Oct 17. This will be in conjunction with a similar sale at Christ Church Anglican being held on the same day. If you have ideas or suggestions – or if you would like to volunteer to help – please contact Bob and Ellen Boynton.
- 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.
Message from Ministry & Personnel
Good morning:
My name is David Stafford and I am speaking to you as the Interim Chair of the Ministery and Personnel Committee of Bells Corners United Church.
First a quick note about our Rev. Kim Vidal, who is currently on sick leave. While she receives medical attention for recent health concern, she is resting at home and any urgent pastoral messages should be sent to Rev. Lorrie. Please do not send messages directly to Rev. Kim at this time. If you wish to send cards or messages of good wishes, please send them to the Church office and they will be forwarded. Rev. Kim reports that she is slowly getting better, so we continue to keep her in our prayers.
Today, we welcome as our worship leader, The Reverend Lorrie Lowes, who was Commissioned yesterday as a Diaconal Minister in the United Church of Canada. The ceremony was conducted by the Eastern Ontario & Outaouais Regional Council at Rideau Park United Church in Ottawa. It was live streamed and hopefully many of you were able to participate.
After many years of extended study and several careers and life experiences, Lorrie has completed a further course of study in the Diaconate and today, she sees the results and reaps the benefits of that success. Today is an occasion for great celebration as Lorrie is now able to participate as a fully-fledged member of the Order of Ministry of the United Church and it is unfortunate that the Pandemic is affecting our ability to celebrate and welcome Rev. Lorrie in more appropriate ways. If you wish to send cards or messages of congratulations, please send them to the church.
The next step is a Service of Covenanting to take place at BCUC on a date to be determined when it is safe for more people to gather and participate. We will keep you apprised. In the meantime, Congratulations to the Reverend Lorrie Lowes as we continue to seek ways to be the church and make meaningful contributions to our community.
Let us now gather our hearts and minds for worship…
Lighting of the Christ Candle Acolyte: Raven Miller
As we now bring fire to this candle wick,
Making it glow with light,
May we also bring the fire of love,
To this time of prayer and worship.[1]
Call to Gather
What a tremendous day! We gather to celebrate!
With people from around the world, we join as partners on a journey.
We sing thanksgiving! We sing hope!
We are the church, strong and resilient in Christ.
With one voice, we proclaim God’s inclusiveness.
With one voice, we gather around the world today.[2]
Prayer of Approach
Our God, we draw near to you and to others in the faith.
We come remembering the taste of bread and wine.
We come remembering the freedom of forgiveness and the strength of your presence.
Draw us nearer to you.
Help us to know our lives start from faith and end in faith. Amen.[3]
Hymn: “We Are One” Voices United #402
1. We are one as we come, as we come, joyful to be here,
In the praise on our lips there’s a sense that God is near.
We are one as we sing, as we seek we are found,
And we come needful of God’s grace as we meet, together in this place.
2. We are one as we share, as we share brokenness and fear,
In the touch of a hand, there’s a sense that God is here.
We are one as we care, as we heal, we are healed;
And we share warmth in God’s embrace as we pray together in this place.
3. We are one as we feast, as we feast, peace becomes the sign;
In the bread and the wine there’s a sense of love divine.
We are one as we come, as we feast, we are fed;
And we feel God’s refreshing grace as we meet at table in this place.
4. We are one as we hear, as we hear, heart and hand unite;
In the word we receive there’s a sense that God is light.
We are one as we leave, as we love, we are loved;
And we seek justice in God’s ways as we move together from this place.
Words © 1988 Doreen Lankshear-Smith, Music © 1987 Jeeva Sam, arr. © 1995 David Kai
Song #59e0e28addd02 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Storytime for the Young at Heart Erin Berard
Have a look at some of these pictures of people gathered to eat with friends and family in different places all around the world. Do they remind you of special meals or get-togethers you’ve had? What were you eating? Who was there? What was the occasion?
Next weekend we’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving here in Canada. With more and more cases of Covid-19, we might not be able to gather like we usually do this year, as we try to limit the number of people we’re in contact with, but I know we’ll find ways to make it a special time to check-in with family virtually and to give thanks for all the things we have been blessed with.
An important gathering for Jesus and his followers was the last time they gathered to eat together before he died on the cross. Jesus passed around bread and asked them to eat some and then a cup of wine and asked them to take a drink. And Jesus asked them to remember Him every time they did this.
At BCUC, we have juice and bread together to remember this Last Supper and God’s love for us and think about the Holy Spirit working in us and through us.
Christian communities all around the world celebrate Communion, some every day or every week, and others only on special occasions. Today is a special day called World Wide Communion where all these communities celebrate communion on the same day. It’s like having a big family meal together!
Whether or not your family does something special to represent communion today, you could still take time to remember Jesus and his teachings, and think of all the other communities around the world remembering and celebrating with you.
Hymn: “Come All You People” More Voices #2
Come all you people, come and praise your maker (3X)
Come now and worship your God.
U-ya-i-mo-se, ti-na-ma-ten Mwa-ri (3X)
U-ya-I mo-se zvi-no.
Words, Music and paraphrase © 1986 Alexander Gondo, World Council of Churches
Arr. © 1995 John Bell Iona Community GIA Pub
Song #00027 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Prayer for Illumination Reader: Neil Lowes
God, the words you speak have power:
power to create,
power to disturb,
power to heal.
Help us to hear your Word for us today. Amen[4].
The Reading: Matthew 21:33-46 NRSV
The Parable of the Wicked Tenants
33 “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. 34 When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. 35 But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’ 39 So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is amazing in our eyes’?
43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. 44 The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. 46 They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to all of us. Amen.
Sermon: “The Danger of Rejecting the Cornerstone”
Today is World Communion Sunday. It is that day in the year when we intentionally join with our Christian brothers and sisters around the globe to celebrate that sacrament that is so foundational to the way we remember our deep connection with each other and with Jesus in a ritual act of sharing a meal. Our global table looks very different this year. Jesus’ invitation to all to join at the table comes with many new protocols as we blend the call to hospitality with the call to care for the well-being of each other. However, strange as it may seem, I pray that it will help to quench our spiritual thirst and fill the empty place that this living with social distancing has left.
Our gospel reading this morning certainly doesn’t convey the same feelings of love for your neighbour, or hope, that we’ve heard in the parables and stories so far in this season of Creation. I have to admit that I was tempted to pass it over and look for something more upbeat and celebratory for today. However, I know that Jesus never taught his followers to look for an easy way out. I know that his teachings were designed to be challenging, to get us thinking about the world from a new perspective, so I decided to stick with it and see if I can make sense of what the lesson is here for us today…
We heard last week that Jesus was teaching in the Temple after throwing out the sellers and money changers. The chief priests and elders of the Temple were not impressed by his actions and demanded that he show his credentials. They could see that he was not only gaining a following but was stirring the people against the system that was holding the peace, the oppressive Pax Romana, and the same system that was offering a very comfortable life for that elite group of religious leaders. Jesus countered their questions with questions of his own and with a story to make them think about what “authority” really means. It felt like the lesson was done, that the parable had had its intended effect. I got the impression that the chief priests and elders had backed down… but apparently that wasn’t the case because Jesus immediately goes into a new story… “Listen to this…” he says as he launches into this rather violent tale of the tenants in the vineyard. It’s full of greed and murder and, it seems, a threat of punishment from God.
In our Lectionary Study this week, we read this scripture passage a couple of times. We read it from a couple of different translations of the Bible. We wondered if the writer of Matthew had really heard this story from Jesus or if it was told to further his own agenda. Well, Matthew isn’t the only gospel writer to tell the tale. The same story shows up in Mark and in Luke – and also in the book of Thomas, a book that didn’t make it into our canon. Hmmm… so it’s important in some way for sure.
The story reads like a prophecy from Jesus. At first thought we are tempted to think of the landowner as God, of Jesus as the son and heir, and the greedy, violent tenants as the chief priests and elders. The message is simple then and quite clear: If you wicked people kill God’s son, you will be put to a miserable death and God will take the kingdom back and give it to someone who will do a better job. The little quote from Psalm 118 seems to back up this interpretation:
“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes.”
Jesus is obviously the cornerstone to the kingdom that God is asking us to build, right?
Seems to fit with the story – but what a dangerous image that is! In fact, it has been used at times throughout history to condemn the Jewish people. Jesus and his followers were all Jews themselves. How does that make sense? And what happened to Jesus’ teachings that tell us of a forgiving God who is always ready to offer grace and a chance to turn your life around?
Once again, I have to believe that Jesus is giving his listeners something other than a blatant threat. His stories always challenge us to look at things in a new way. His stories always take what we think we know and turn it upside down… Perhaps we’d better look again…
What if the cornerstone doesn’t refer to Jesus or to any person or group of people? What if instead the cornerstone is a set of commandments or a set of teachings from Jesus? …
If we make that shift in perception, watch what happens… the teachings about how to build the kingdom of God are rejected by the builders… who are the builders that Jesus is addressing in the tale? Who are the “people” that will be given the kingdom when those builders throw out the cornerstone?
Let’s hear the parable again… I have embellished the words a bit, but I haven’t changed any of the events…
There was a landowner – really a good guy with good intentions. He put a lot of effort and investment into creating a vineyard. It had a fence to keep animals out. It had a wine press built right in to help with production at harvest time; it even had a watchtower so it could be protected from mischief makers. He then leased this well-equipped and well thought out vineyard to some people who knew how to grow and harvest grapes and turn them into a product for sale. Together, they made a covenant – you get to use my vineyard and in exchange for the investment of buying the land and developing it into a good one, you will give me a share of the profits. It seemed like such a good arrangement and he trusted them so much that he was quite comfortable in leaving the country – perhaps to build an investment property somewhere else. At harvest time, he sent his servants to collect his share. There was no reason for them to be afraid of the journey. It was the arrangement the landlord had made with tenants he had entrusted with his property. When they arrived, however, instead of celebrating a good year, they were beaten and some were even killed. When the landowner learned of this, he must have thought there had been some kind of misunderstanding! He didn’t send out an army of enforcers, he sent another group of servants to straighten it out. They were met with the same fate. Well, the landowner decided to send his son to sort it out once and for all. He was the heir to the business after all was being taught the art of the job under his father’s tutelage. The tenants would greet him with the respect of a trusted partner. But that’s not what happened. The tenants were not backing down. They had decided that they deserved to take the vineyard away from the family who developed it and keep it for themselves. They were ready to destroy anyone who got in their way. And so, the son of the landowner also met a violent end. What will the tenants expect to happen when the grieving and betrayed landowner arrives?
The cornerstone of the landowner’s business was not simply his son and heir. He was important on many levels of course, but the cornerstone of his business was a trusted relationship amongst people with the same goal in mind – a successful wine growing business and a prosperous life for everyone involved – himself, his family, his tenants and even his servants. He had proposed a win-win situation. Even his slaves were respected and trusted enough to be sent in his stead to conduct the business of picking up the profits at harvest time. There was enough mutual respect and trust to give him authority without having to wield power. The tenants, on the other hand, broke the trust by looking only for their own benefit rather than for the benefit of all.
It seems from our reading this morning that the Pharisees recognized that Jesus saw them as the tenants in the story. They had been entrusted with managing God’s people in a way that furthered the healthy growth of that world and all its inhabitants. The authority that was given to them as leaders of the faith had been corrupted by the power that came with it. They had turned their efforts to benefitting themselves rather than building God’s kingdom.
The Pharisees were afraid – not of Jesus the man who was teaching in the temple, but of what he was teaching. What Jesus was building, with those teachings as his cornerstone, was a world of shared abundance. This was a threat to the opulent life they had built for themselves on the backs of those they had been chosen to lead.
Who are we in the story and what does it have to do with the world today?
Lord Acton, a British historian, famously said, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
We can see so many examples in the world today where this is true. We see it too often in government leadership. Right now, that is perhaps most evident in places like Belarus where a dictator, unwilling to concede that he lost the election, uses horrific force and violence against the peaceful protesters who are gathering in crowds of more than 100,000 daily even two months after that election. We see it brewing south of the border where a president is trying to wield his power to ensure that he remains in office no matter what the constitution says. We see it in countries in the Middle East where extremists re-interpret the teachings of Islam to ensure the people are kept under strict control. We see it in mega corporations who exploit cheap labour and destroy natural resources to increase their profit margins. We see it where the rich live and work in opulent buildings while homeless people beg outside their doors…
On this World Communion Sunday, let us be reminded what the cornerstone of our faith is. Let us remember what we celebrate with this sacrament. Is it the man we call Jesus, the one we recognize as the Christ, or is it everything he stood for and taught? … Who do we want to be in the story? … Are we living our lives in a way that ensures abundant life for all or just a few?
When you imagine this table that we share today with our brothers and sisters around the world, what shape do you imagine it to be? If it is a rectangle who sits at the head? Is it a circle? Is there room enough… is there enough… for everyone? Amen.
Prayers of the People and the Lord’s Prayer
Holy One,
As we worship together on this day of World Wide Communion,
Keep us mindful of both the joy of common roots and the responsibility to care for each other in all the places those roots grow in your name.
We pray for a hurting world that teeters in the unbalance of the haves and the have-nots.
We pray for those who struggle through each day under heavy loads – oppression, war, violence and injustice.
We pray for those who suffer illness, injury, loneliness and grief.
We pray for all those who dare to stand up and offer healing in body, mind and spirit.
We pray for those who carry the cornerstone of our faith in their hearts and actions.
Help us to become the people who produce the fruits of your kin-dom.
All these things we ask in the name of Jesus and in the ancient words we share with our Christian brothers and sisters around the world…
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.
Communion/Agape Meal
Today is a special one for me as I celebrate Communion for the first time as a Commissioned Diaconal Minister in the United Church of Canada. It is one of the things I most looked forward to on my journey toward ordered ministry. For those gathered Sunday morning in the sanctuary, this will be a traditional sacrament of Communion with all of the words and actions of this sacred rite, with the necessary adjustments to follow the current health protocols and keep us safe. For those joining us through the magic of technology, it will look a little different again as we gather our own elements to represent the cup and the loaf, gathering in our own corners of the world. Wherever and whenever you take part in this meal today, remember that people all around the world are finding new ways to acknowledge this common part of our Christian faith.
And so…
We remember that when Jesus was with his friends, he took a piece of bread, and after blessing it, he broke it and gave it to them saying: “Take, eat. This is my body, given for you. Whenever you eat this, remember me.” And today, as we eat, we remember these words.
Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, passed it to his friends saying, “Drink. This cup poured out for you is God’s eternal love, making a new covenant. Whenever you drink it, remember me.” And we do this today in remembrance of those words.
Let us pray:
Loving One of wondrous stories, we remember the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and we praise him for the love he poured out to all people of every colour, race and creed.
Transforming God, you call us to feast together in the banquet of your love. As we eat and drink, may we become vessels of healing and joy to those who are in need of your grace, proclaiming the good news that Jesus came to give life, and give it abundantly. Amen.
Invitation to Offer
I now invite you to offer your gifts of time, talents and resources as expressions of your gratitude to God’s blessings. If you are not on PAR and wish to send in your offering and donations, you can drop them in the slot by the kitchen door of the church or mail them to BCUC. You can also send in your support through e-transfer. Thank you for your continued love and support to BCUC.
As we receive God’s gifts in abundance, let us also share our gifts with others.
Offertory Prayer
Abundant God, full of surprises! A simple loaf of bread becomes food for a hungry world. A chalice of unfermented wine becomes hope for the young and not so young. Today we join hands with siblings in Christ all around the world. Today we share our offerings, knowing that they, like the loaf and cup, will help to bring new life to this congregation and to the world that you so love. Receive them with delight, we pray. Amen.[5]
Sending Forth
Strengthened and fed,
People of God,
People of courage,
Go forth as love-bearers to a hurting world.
Amen.
Hymn: “Deep in Our Hearts” More Voices #154
1. Deep in our hearts there is a common vision;
Deep in our hearts there is a common song;
Deep in our hearts there is a common story,
Telling Creation that we are one.
2. Deep in our hearts there is a core is a common purpose;
Deep in our hearts there is a common goal;
Deep in our hearts there is a sacred message,
Justice and peace in harmony.
3. Deep in our hearts there is a common longing;
Deep in our hearts there is a common theme;
Deep in our hearts there is a common theme;
Deep in our hearts there is a common current,
Flowing to freedom like a stream.
4. Deep in our hearts there is a common vision;
Deep in our hearts there is a common song;
Deep in our hearts there is a common story,
Telling Creation that we are one.
Words © 1995 John Oldham, Music © 1996 Ron Klusmeier, musiklus
Song #117654 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Departing
Zoom Fellowship hosted by Lorrie at 11:30 am. Link has been emailed. See you there!
[1] www.prayersandspirituality.com
[2] Laura Turnbull, Gathering Pentecost 2 2020, p45. Used with permission.
[3] Camillia LaRouche, Gathering Pentecost 2 2015, p42. Used with permission.
[4] Celebrate God’s Presence, 16M001, p37
[5] Laura Turnbull, Gathering Pentecost 2 2020, p45. Used with permission.