BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH
24th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
FALL WORSHIP SERVICE
NOVEMBER 15, 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: Roll Over the Ocean Erin & CGS
Welcome & Announcements
Good Morning! On behalf of Bells Corners United Church, I extend a warm welcome to you today and I greet you in the name of Jesus, our mentor and guide, and the very reason we gather together as a family of faith.
We continue to open the sanctuary for a small number of people each Sunday following the health protocols to keep us safe. If you would like to attend, please 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.
Wherever you are as you join us this morning – in your living room with your family, in your kitchen with a cup of coffee, or with the small group gathered in the sanctuary, know that you are welcome. We are glad that you are here and we hope that today’s service offers what you need as you head into the next week.
Here are a few announcements to highlight this week:
- Before the pandemic hit, we had planned to do another BCUC Photo Directory. We have decided to wait to complete this until things are a bit more stable. However, our photographer is happy to begin taking some of the photos now so that you can have them in time for Christmas gift giving - we just won’t produce the directory until we can get photos of the whole congregation. We have set aside Friday, November 20 for photo sittings - individuals or families - from 9:00am to 8:30pm. All health protocols will be in place and sittings will be spaced to allow for sanitizing between groups. Prints can be ordered and will be available in plenty of time for Christmas.
- The Ottawa West End Community Chaplaincy (OWECC) will be holding its Annual General Meeting on Sunday November 22nd at 2 p.m. via Zoom. If you are interested in attending please contact Marilyn Bruce by November 18th at marilyn.brucei@sympatico.ca or phone her at 613-828-0704.
- INVITATION TO JOIN THE LECTIONARY GROUP
We are pleased to invite you to join the lectionary group every Tuesday at10:30 am via Zoom. This learning group seeks to provide a nurturing space for those wanting to discuss or explore Biblical texts based on what Kim or Lorrie will preach about on Sunday. If interested please inform Kim or the office.
- For those who are able to join us by Zoom, there will be a “Virtual Fellowship Time” every Sunday at 11:00 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 Acolytes: Amelia and Georgia Baynes
With something as small as a candle, we can do great things. We can offer a light in the darkness. We can share that light with others until the whole world is filled with its glow and no dark corners are left to cause us fear. One small candle flame can ignite a fire powerful enough to offer comfort and warmth to everyone around us. This candle we light this morning reminds us that Christ is with us as we gather for worship – no matter when or where we may be. Let it also be a reminder to take this light of Christ with us wherever we go.
Call to Gather: Noah and Nicholas Berard
All that we are is a gift of God!
All that we have is a gift of God!
Every breath we take…
Every movement we make…
The life in which we partake…
Is a gift of God!
And so we gather –to receive and give back.
To listen and to teach,
To remind ourselves that we are stewards of all God’s gifts,
Blessed in the sharing of all talents and treasures!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.[1]
Prayer of Approach: Rev Kim
Holy One, you are invisible to us. We notice you only through your effects.
Come to us here today, affect us that we may be changed by you.
Open our hearts and minds to the glory of your creation and to our part in that creation.
Let us feel your warm embrace.
Grant that we may trust in you so completely that we accept the risk in so doing, that we maybe challenged by the path you set us upon, and be born again through your son.
We journey upon the path you set us, thankful for our journey together!
May we be all that we can be through your infinite love. Amen.[2]
Hymn: “I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me” - Voices United #575
1. I’m gonna live so God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime.
I’m gonna live so God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime.
2. I’m gonna work so God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime.
I’m gonna work so God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime.
3. I’m gonna pray so God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime.
I’m gonna pray so God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime.
4. I’m gonna sing so God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime.
I’m gonna sing so God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime.
Words & Music © African American Spiritual Song #95386
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Storytime for the Young at Heart Rev. Kim
When I was 9 years old, I had this huge ambition to be a great diva singer someday. I was already a good singer and when I was 10, I learned to play the guitar. I’ve got talent in music! One day I joined a singing contest called “Stairway to Success”. The first prize winner would win – are you ready for this? – five pesos (which is equivalent to less than 25 cents) and a litre of Pepsi-Cola! I had to enter that contest! I had to win the Pepsi – never mind the five pesos! I practiced the song, “The Way We Were” by Barbra Streisand and in a week’s time, I was so ready to win that Pepsi! To make the story short I won the contest. Yes! I’ve got talent! Looking back now, I knew that my singing talent had been harnessed somehow at a very young age and I never buried that talent – I used it all the time.
Think about some of the special gifts or talents God gave you. I got thinking about what talents people at BCUC have. I came up with a long list. Just to name a few – Noah plays piano, Nicholas sings, Arcadie draws, Inara reads well, Phoenix and Raven play the fiddle. We have “big kids” too who have wonderful talents – Wendy dances, Keith sings, Erin plays the flute, Abe plays organ and piano, Ruth bakes…Wow! BCUC sure got has super talents!
In our parable today, Jesus talks about talents in a very different way. It was not about what things we can do best but it was about money. A Bible scholar named Richard Henderson said that one talent was the equivalent of the wages a day labourer would make in fifteen years. So if someone earned $10,000 in one year, a talent would be about $150,000 – a huge sum of money in Jesus’ time which probably would be about 6 million dollars or more in today’s standards.
I’m sure many of us remember this story: "A master went away on a journey, and entrusted his servants with a certain amount of money- each according to his ability. To the first he gave 5 talents, to the second, 2 and to the third, 1." The first two servants decided to use their talents - they invested their money and earned more out of their hard work. The third servant, however, did not use his talent. He buried it in the ground. Maybe because of fear. Maybe he was not smart like the two other servants. Maybe he was keeping it safe. Sometimes we find ourselves like the third servant. We are afraid to use our talents because we might make mistakes or we might use them in the wrong way or simply because we don’t have the confidence. Sometimes it is easier for us to hide them. Sometimes we feel embarrassed to show what we can do or maybe we are just holding on to them because are not given the opportunity or an invitation to use them. What do you think will happen if we do not use or share our talents?
No matter what talents or gifts you have, no matter how big or small, God expects you to use them. God wants you to say, “Yes, I can!” God doesn’t want your talents to go to waste. God wants you to take those gifts and use them to help others or to make the world a better place. Even a small act of kindness can go a long way. So use your talents! Don’t hide or bury them or else they will be wasted.
I wonder what you will be doing with the gifts and talents that you have? I hope you will take up the challenge and say, “Yes, I can!”
Let me close with a prayer. Generous God, we thank you for the gifts and talents you have given to each of us. We pray that we will use these gifts in good and wonderful ways to show others how amazing your love is. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Hymn: “I’m Gonna Shout, Shout” – More Voices #183
1. I’m gonna shout, shout, shout out my love for Jesus, for Jesus!
I’m gonna shout, shout, shout out my love for God’s most holy child!
For whatever I might do today, at home, at school, at work, at play,
I’ve got Jesus’ love deep down inside of me!
2. I’m gonna raise, raise, raise up my hands for Jesus, for Jesus!
I’m gonna raise, raise, raise up my hands for God’s most holy child!
For whatever I might do today, at home, at school, at work, at play,
I’ve got Jesus’ love deep down inside of me!
3. I’m gonna dance, dance, dance all around for Jesus, for Jesus!
I’m gonna dance, dance, dance all around for God’s most holy child!
For whatever I might do today, at home, at school, at work, at play,
I’ve got Jesus’ love deep down inside of me!
Words & Music © 1998 Bruce Harding www.evensong.ca
Song # 121969 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Prayer for Illumination Reader: Katrina teGrotenhuis
God, sometimes the words we hear in scripture challenge us more than we like. There are times when all we want is to hear something life-affirming and easy. But then you bring us words that call us to be more, to do more, and to love more. Open us to the challenge of these words and strengthen our faith; for we ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen.[3]
The Reading: Matthew 25:14-30 (NRSV)
The Parable of the Talents
14 “For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 15 to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. 17 In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18 But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20 Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29 For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 30 As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Hear what the Spirit is saying to all of us. Amen.
Sermon: “Well Done, Good and Trustworthy Servant!” Rev. Lorrie Lowes
Yet another parable from the book of Matthew for us to ponder today! This time we hear the story of three men who were each entrusted with large sums of money while their master was away. None of the three squandered the money they were given. None of them spent it on themselves or put it in their pockets and high tailed it out of town to set themselves up for a better life, a luxurious life, free from the rule of the master. Really, all three seem quite responsible and worthy of the trust the master put in them. So, I was shocked at the master’s reaction when he returned home, weren’t you? If anything, I would have been more concerned about the huge risks the first two took with that money that didn’t belong to them. They really had a lot of chutzpah! (I thought I’d throw in a Yiddish word there to fit with the Jewish origin of the story. Chutzpah. It means audacity, or bravery that borders on rudeness.)
The money we are talking about here are no small amounts. As Rev. Kim mentioned in her Children’s Time, by today’s standards we are talking about millions of dollars! The trust the master put in these men, the responsibility they were given was huge! Even the man who was only given one talent was holding 15 years-worth of wages for a minimum wage worker. He was handed millions of dollars in today’s terms. I can understand why he decided to play it safe and bury that money for safe-keeping until the master got back. I think I might have done the same thing. That’s a lot of responsibility and he took the safest action of the three. So, yes, I was quite taken aback at the harsh reaction of the master. And I am quite certain that the people hearing the story would have been shocked as well.
And that’s the way parables go, isn’t it? Every single one we’ve heard from Jesus contains a twist, something that just doesn’t seem to fit, something to force us to think outside the box. And so, I read the story again…
It’s obvious to me now that these men were no lowly slaves. They weren’t house-boys or men who worked in the stables. I think they must have been very well-educated, responsible men. Their relationship with their master must have involved an awful lot of trust and respect for him to leave this treasure with them when he wasn’t even close by to keep an eye on what they did with it. He must have known that they would live up to his expectation of making that money grow for his benefit and the benefit of his household.
And he was right in trusting them! Not one of them took off with the money! That’s pretty amazing in itself now that we know the value of what he gave them. Even if they were afraid of him, as the third servant seems to imply, I think you could get pretty far with that kind of coin and hide for a very long time. But, they all stayed and the master came home to find his money had not been stolen or squandered. In fact, in the case of the first two servants, it had grown substantially!
These men had no doubt about the master’s motivation in leaving them with these riches. They knew – and accepted – that it wasn’t theirs to do with as they pleased. It was entrusted to them for the glory and honour of the master – to further his influence and power – and, I suspect, they realized that doing so would mean a better life for all of them.
I heard a story once, about a basketball team playing in a championship game. This team was the underdog. Everyone figured it was a given that their opponents would beat them easily and win the championship. But, to everyone’s surprise the underdogs won! A reporter asked the coach what he thought happened. It seemed miraculous that these players could pull together such a fantastic game! “Well,” he told the reporter, “When they went into the game, everyone knew what he had to give. And each one gave more than was expected of him.
This is a real “feel good” story. Given the circumstances, it would have been completely understandable for this team to go out on the court and just play enough to make it a basketball game - just the bare minimum. But, they had enough respect for the game, respect for the coach, for their fans and for each other that they took up the challenge. They were there to do their best. They gave more than they thought they were capable of - they took the risk of pushing and they came out on top!
Sounds a bit like those first two servants, don’t you think? They could all have done the bare minimum and given the money back to the master when he returned. That was a pretty safe thing to do. And that’s exactly what the third servant did. The other two, however, took a risk. They put the talents that the master gave them to work. What a brave thing to do! If the master was upset with the servant who protected the money and did nothing more, imagine how he would have felt if the first two had risked his money and lost it!
This master knew what he was doing though. He gave to each “according to his abilities”. He gave the most to the man who he knew could handle the responsibility. He trusted that he had trained him well and that he had the tools to do a great job.
So, the first two put that training to work and doubled the investment the master gave them. Now here comes another kicker in the parable! What was the reward for taking this risk and making such a great profit? More responsibility! “You have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things!” I guess you could look at it as a kind of promotion – but I wonder if the servants saw it that way.
Mother Teresa talked about her experience with her Master: “I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish he didn’t trust me so much.”
So, back to Jesus and this parable... Just what was he trying to tell the people then and what does it mean for us today?
If we think of the master in the story as God, what is being entrusted to us the servants? Isn’t it interesting how the word “talent” is still meaningful today, in a slightly different context? When we think of God-given talents or gifts in light of this story, we can see that, just like the master who didn’t give to each servant equally, God distributes those “talents” to each according to his ability. We are also given resources - time... opportunities... finances...
What happens if we don’t cultivate these talents? If we don’t practice the piano, or speak the new language we are learning? If we don’t keep on exercising? If we don’t keep in touch with friends or family members? …We lose them!
What happens if we don’t seize opportunities? They slip by! If we are afraid to take the risk? We often live with regret.
“Use it or lose it!” the familiar saying goes.
But what happens if we do use the gifts we are given? If we have the courage to live the way God wants us to? It often leads to greater joy - and more opportunities to use those gifts in an even bigger way.
Like the master in the parable, I can imagine God being pleased when we use our gifts and when we cultivate those gifts - and being disappointed - maybe even displeased - when we play it safe. Is this what Jesus was trying to say?
Sometimes, I look around at the talents some others have been given and I confess that I wish I too had some of those gifts. Imagine the good works I could do if I had money like Bill Gates! Imagine what I could accomplish if I had the medical and scientific knowledge to cure cancer or even this virus! But God has entrusted me with talents “according to my ability” and it is up to me to use them in the best way possible. I can take the risk to do that, or I can bury them, just like the third servant. It’s up to me..
A few years ago, I retired. I had been a teacher for 22 years. I worked as a coach for other teachers in the school board and I worked with the Ministry of Education as well. I was tired and I felt that I had given all I could to teaching. I was pretty excited to be able to stay at home and be a Grandma to my three little grandchildren. I loved it! But I also found that I had quite a lot of time on my hands. So... I decided to take the Lay Preaching course. I had always been very involved at my church and I enjoy writing and speaking in front of people so this seemed to be a good fit. I was also interested in learning more about the Bible and how to write prayers - and just to spend some time with other people who were interested in the same things. Well, God had some other plans for me, I guess! An opportunity came to me to apply for a job as Congregational Designated Minister at Bells Corners United Church. At first I said, “I’m not qualified for that!” but... others thought I was and kept encouraging me to apply... The more I learned about the job, the more I realized that it was actually a pretty good fit! I have a degree in Social Work as well as my teaching degree... I have worked with volunteer organizations ... I have worked with children and adults... It started to sound like a job leading Christian Education and Pastoral Care might just be the best way to combine all the things I had done well so far in my life. Sometimes I think God saw me sitting back on the gifts I was given - burying them in the ground? - and so he offered me an opportunity to use them all, to leave my little comfort zone and try something brand new. I could have stopped at “I’m not qualified for this!” and probably thought no more about it. But am I ever glad I took the risk and applied for the job! I loved the work! I was learning and growing every day. I thought, “This is it! I have found the perfect job for me. I am using all of my talents – God-given ones and ones I worked hard to develop!” I was ready to glide through a few more years and then look at retiring again. However, just like the two servants who worked hard to develop the money they had been entrusted with… yes, a call to more work and responsibility came through loud and clear. So, several years of work and study later later, here I am with a new title and new responsibilities – thinking, “Yes! I have finally accomplished what God had in mind for me all along.” (but, I admit that I’m almost afraid of what God will expect of me next!)
Did you notice that the master in the story was just as pleased with the servant who gave him four talents as he was with the one who gave him ten when he returned from his trip? It wasn’t the amount of the return but the effort each put into the task that counted. Big profit or small, he called both in exactly the same way to “enter into the joy of your master”.
But what about that poor guy who was condemned into the darkness? That still seems awfully harsh. It doesn’t seem to fit with the God of love and grace that Jesus taught about. I wonder if, perhaps, that darkness was of his own making. Instead of being welcomed into the joy of his master, he was condemned to continue living in fear and anxiety about what will happen next – a pretty dark way to live for sure.
No talent is too small. God has given them to us in love. Think about the talents God has given to you. Are you using those talents in a way that gives glory and honour to God? Is there some new way you can be using your gifts? I think perhaps the message in this parable is that by accepting that challenge, we all have the opportunity to earn the praise, “Well done, good and trustworthy servant! Well done!”
Prayers of the People (Rev. Lorrie Lowes) and the Lord’s Prayer
(Sacred Dance by Wendy Morrell and friends)
Generous and challenging God,
You have entrusted us with so many gifts – the amazing beauty of your creation, the love and support of family and friends, our comfortable first-world lives, and the abilities to make those lives rich and meaningful. Is it ever enough to just say thank you and then tuck those gifts away for safe-keeping? Today we are reminded to bring our gifts out into the open, to nurture them and make them grow.
We come to you today, as we often do, with concerns big and small – concerns for ourselves, for those around us, and for the world itself. Our world is faced with the difficulties of illness and poverty, of conflict and hardship, of injustice and lack of the things necessary to healthy living. Help us to see how we can use the talents we have been given to face these concerns in ways that not only make the world a better place but that also bring honour and glory to you.
Help us to accept the responsibility that comes with the gifts you bestow on each one of us. Help us to make good use of our unique talents to make them grow and to further your dream of God’s kin-dom here on earth.
We ask these things in response to the teachings of Jesus and in the words we now repeat together…
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: Rev. Kim Vidal
We have all been given gifts, each one unique to God’s vision of what we can do in the world. These gifts have been entrusted to us to further the building of God’s kin-dom. Our time of offering is one opportunity to share our gifts of time, talents and resources.
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.
Hymn: “What Can I Do?” - More Voices #191
What can I do? What can I bring?
What can I say? What can I sing?
I’ll sing with joy. I’ll say a prayer.
I’ll bring my love. I’ll do my share.
Words and Music © 2005 Paul Rumbolt & Michele McCarthy, arr. © 2005 Alan Whitmore
Song # 82970 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Offertory Prayer
Loving, Gentle, Wonderful God, you gave us gifts, and we have used them, filtered them, multiplied them, regenerated them; we offer them now to you as love, gentleness, and wonder. Be pleased to accept our gifts, we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.[4]
Sending Forth: Rev. Lorrie Lowes
May the blessing of God, the giver of every good and perfect gift;
And of Christ, who summons us to service;
And of the Holy Spirit, who inspires generosity and love,
Be with us all.[5]
Amen.
Hymn: “Go Make a Diff’rence” - More Voices #209
Refrain:
Go make a diff’rence.
We can make diff’rence.
Go make a diff’rence in the world.
Go make a diff’rence. We can make a diff’rence.
Go make a difff’rence in the world!
1. We are the salt of the earth, called to let the people see,
the love of God for you and me.
We are the light of the world, not to be hidden but be seen.
Go make a diff’rence in the world.
2. We are the hands of Christ reaching out to those in need,
The face of God for all to see.
We are the spirit of hope; we are the voice of peace.
Go make a diff’rence in the world.
3. So let your love shine on, let it shine for all to see.
Go make a diff’rence in the world.
And the spirit of Christ will be with us as we go.
Go make a diff’rence in the world!
Words and Music © 1997 Steve Angrisano and Tom Tomaszek spiritandsong.com
Song # 82988 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Departing: Breach (on video)
Zoom Fellowship hosted by Lorrie at 11:00 am. Link has been emailed. See you there!
[1] Richard Bott, Gathering Pentecost 2 2020, p35. Used with permission.
[2] Roger West, Gathering Pentecost 2 2020, p38. Used with permission.
[3] Susan Ivany, Gathering Pentecost 2 2017, p 37. Used with permission.
[4] Kate Gregory, Gathering Pentecost 2 2017, p39. Used with permission.
[5] Celebrate God’s Presence, p71