BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH
1st SUNDAY OF CREATION TIME IN THE SEASON OF PENTECOST
FALL WORSHIP SERVICE
September 13, 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: Fallen Embers – Enya
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 have begun 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. If you would like to attend, please go the website or call the church office to register by the Wednesday preceding the service. You will be asked to answer a health questionnaire and given the procedures that have been put in place. At the end of the month, we will look 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 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:
- David’s Flowers are available for purchase by donation every Saturday morning from 10:30 to 11:30, drive-through style. The flowers will be displayed on tables outside the main entrance, and everyone is asked to bring donations by exact change or a prepared cheque, and remain in your car to receive instructions from our volunteers. Thank you for your support!
- 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 Bev Wilcox as she mourns the death of her brother, and for Rev. Kim as she takes the time she needs to get well.
- Volume 2 of the book of Memories is available for purchase in either print or digital format. Please call the church office to reserve your copy and arrange payment and pick-up.
- You can also purchase Grocery cards by calling the church office.
- 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[1] Acolytes: Chris and Kaylee Brown
We light the Christ candle knowing that Christ’s love shines like a beacon for those of us who are troubled, who are anxious, who are unsure, welcoming us into the presence of our God, who loves us into fullness.
Call to Gather[2]:
We turn to the right
and Jesus gives us a sign to let go of the past, to offer forgiveness.
We turn to the left
And the Holy Spirit swirls the freshness of the present moment around us.
Then we recognize God’s voice behind us, urging us to move forward.
Come, let us follow the signs of our faith and breathe in the freshness of the Spirit
As we go forward into worship.
Prayer of Approach[3]
Caring Teacher,
So often we come to you with our questions.
Where are you? What should I do? Why me?
Other times we put questions in your mouth, assuming your main concern is our moral behaviour:
Were we judgmental? Did we give enough?
Loving, nurturing, and at times … challenging God, your actual questions often surprise us.
Freely ask them of us today for our hearts are open to hear them.
Question us, teach us, and guide us, we pray. Amen
Hymn: “All Creatures of Our God and King” Voices United #217
1. All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing:
Hallelujah, hallelujah!
Bright, burning sun with golden beam,
Soft, shining moon with silver gleam,
Sing praises, sing praises,
Hallelujah, hallelujah!
2. O rushing winds and breezes soft,
O clouds that ride the winds aloft,
Sing praises, hallelujah!
O rising morn, in praise rejoice,
O lights of evening find a voice:
Sing praises, sing praises,
Hallelujah, hallelujah!
3. Earth, ever fertile day by day
Brings forth rich blessings on our way:
Sing praises, hallelujah!
The flowers and fruits that verdant grow,
Let them God’s glory also show:
Sing praises, sing praises,
Hallelujah, hallelujah!
4. And everyone of tender heart,
Forgiving others, take your part:
Sing praises, hallelujah!
All who long pain and sorrow bear,
Praise God and yield up all your care:
Sing praises, sing praises,
Hallelujah, hallelujah!
5. Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship God in humbleness:
Sing praises, hallelujah!
Praise God eternal, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, three in one:
Sing praises, sing praises,
Hallelujah, hallelujah!
Words 1225 St. Francis of Assisi, trans 1919 Draper, Music 1623
Geistliche Kirchengesänge harmony 1906 Ralph Vaughan Williams ONE LICENSE #A-733214
Storytime for the Young at Heart Erin Berard
I’d like you to imagine you are the person in this pretend story.
Let’s imagine that you’re really interested in taking pictures, in photography, and one day your uncle lends you his really fancy camera to practice with. You have a really good time taking some pictures in your backyard, and then you put the camera down on your picnic table when you go inside to get a drink. And you forget about it overnight. And it rains. Oh boy… You’re in a lot of trouble now, and you’re probably going to have to use up a lot of your allowance for weeks or even months to come to pay to replace the camera.
So how would you feel when your uncle came the next day and saw the camera and he said, “Don’t worry. It was an accident. I understand. I forgive you. Don’t worry about paying for the repairs or replacing the camera. I’ve got it.”
Would you feel grateful? Relieved? What a kindness!
Let’s imagine some time goes by, and it’s your birthday! You get that camera you’ve been waiting for! You have a great time taking pictures of the birthday celebrations… until your brother accidently dumps a big glass of fruit punch all over your brand-new camera.
Would you be as willing to be forgiving as your uncle was to you?
It’s hard to forgive others sometimes, isn’t it?
But Jesus tells us we should be always ready to forgive others.
When Jesus tells a similar story about forgiveness, Peter asks him, So Jesus, how many times should I forgive someone before enough is enough? (Is it like, ‘3 strikes, you’re out’?) Peter suggests seven times - Is seven times enough, Jesus? Jesus says, No, Peter, try seventy times, or even seventy times seven times. That’s like 490!
I couldn’t keep track of saying sorry that many times! But that’s not really the point, is it? Jesus is trying to tell us that we should keep on forgiving over and over and over again, just like God forgives us over and over and over again for all the mistakes and bad choices we make every day.
Let’s try to follow that example and forgive others as we have been forgiven.
Hymn: “Listen, God is Calling” More Voices #97
Listen, God is calling, through the Word inviting,
Offering forgiveness, comfort and joy.
Words & Music © Traditional Tanzania song, translation: Olson, Arr. © More Voices 2007
Song #01607 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Prayer for Illumination[4] Reader: David Stafford
For the word of God in scripture, among us and within us,
Thanks be to God. Amen.
The Reading: Matthew 18: 21-35 NRSV “The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant”
21 Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.
23 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; 25 and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. 26 So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. 31 When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. 35 So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Hear what the Spirit is saying to all of us. Amen.
Sermon: “Extravagant Forgiveness” Lorrie Lowes DM
In today’s scripture reading, we meet the “Story Telling Man” again. Jesus often used parables to teach both his disciples and the crowds who gathered to hear him as he conducted his itinerant ministry. Most of these stories, we have found, take a familiar theme and turn it on its head. The endings are not at all what we, or the people of his time, are expecting. They usually take us by surprise and challenge us to think about things from a whole new perspective. This one, the story of the unforgiving servant, however, seems to be an exception. Not only does the unforgiving man get punished, but Jesus warns us that the same fate awaits anyone who acts in this way – that God will torture those who are unforgiving. What a scary thought! Rather than Jesus’ usual assurance of God’s grace, we are threatened with God’s anger. Perhaps it is the logical ending to the story, but it flies in the face of everything we have come to understand about God and about Jesus. What on earth are we supposed to do with this?
“So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
There are many scholars who believe that this last verse was not, in fact, a direct quote from Jesus at all. They believe that the writer of the book of Matthew added this, that it fit with his own interpretation of what Jesus was teaching that day. So, does that mean we should just ignore that sentence and move on? Should we have just left it out of today’s reading? Even without that direct threat, the ending of the story leaves us with the same challenge: What was Jesus trying to teach with this parable that day?
Forgiveness is a difficult concept for all of us. In Jesus’ time, rabbis addressed this problem with a formula. Forgiveness for a repeated event, they recommended, should be extended no more than three times. After that, I guess, the gloves were off! Peter, in his question to Jesus, was being very generous to suggest forgiving seven times. I imagine he knew that Jesus wouldn’t be so harsh and so he doubled the recommended number and then some. Jesus responds – and I imagine him speaking with a laugh – “Seven times? Try seventy-seven!” In some translations, he says seventy times seven! Obviously, he is not asking Peter to keep a tally. I believe he is making the point that there really is no limit to the forgiveness we should be willing to give. It’s the kind of answer that says to Peter, “You really don’t get it, do you?” Peter is focussed on the process, Jesus is focussed on the intent, the love, that should be behind the act of forgiving. And so, he turns to his usual method for getting a difficult idea across; he tells a story.
In this story, Jesus uses a very concrete example that everyone can relate to – money. He hits his listeners hard where it counts, right in the pocketbook! To get a clear idea of just how hard, we need to understand the money he is talking about. The first slave, we are told, owes the king “ten thousand talents”. A talent was a measure of weight. One talent weighed around 130 pounds. If we consider that this was probably referring to silver, the usual currency of the time, one talent represented about 15 years of work for the typical labourer. Ten thousand talents, then, would require 150,000 years of income. It is an amount that would be impossible for the slave to ever pay back! The fellow slave, we are told, owes the first a hundred denarii. One denarius was apparently the average wage for a day’s work, so, not nearly such an unreasonable amount of debt. So, the king has forgiven a debt of around $10 million dollars and the forgiven slave is demanding payment of, perhaps, $2000, three or four months’ income. It’s not a small amount, by any means, but one that could reasonably be paid off over time.
So, who are the characters in this story? I think it’s natural to assume that the king represents God. In the beginning of the story at least, this king acts in the way we would expect God to. He listens to the plea of the slave, “Have patience with me!” He even seems to accept this totally impossible commitment that in time the debt – that $10 million dollars – will be paid in full. Surely, he realizes that this is not going to happen. He could follow through with his original plan to throw the guy in prison and sell all of his assets, including his wife and children, and at least recoup some of that money. Instead, he chooses to forgive the debt entirely. That sounds like the God we know.
So, I guess if the king is God, that makes the slaves all of us humans… The first slave must be pretty wealthy. If he owes the king ten million dollars, I would think he is living a pretty luxurious life after all. The second slave is more like many of us, I guess, managing alright but working hard to support our lifestyle and sometimes depending on credit to make that happen. When we talked about this in the Lectionary Study Group this week, we thought about how the experience of these two slaves fit with what we know in society today. Jan talked about farmers. They work on bank credit. They borrow money to plant the crops with the expectation that they will be able to pay it back at harvest time. If there is a particularly bad year, the banks are less likely to continue to carry the debt of the small farmers than they are of the ones with huge properties and the greater potential of recovering to turn a profit the following year. Sue also noted that the same thing happens when we take out a loan at the bank. If you owe a thousand dollars, you are in big trouble if you can’t make your payments, and yet it seems that millionaires get by – often by shifting the debt from their large corporation to smaller ones under their control, letting the little guys take the hit for the big guy’s mistake. Sounds a lot like what the wealthy slave was trying to do to the one who owed him money. The more the world progresses, the more human nature remains the same…
But, let’s go back to Jesus and this parable. I don’t think the lesson he was trying to teach was that the wealthier you are, the less likely you are to suffer… and I’m still struggling with the ending of the story where that seemingly benevolent king is suddenly out for blood when he finds out that the recipient of his good will isn’t acting the same way. What happened to the unending grace we are promised by God? What happened to the seventy-seven gifts of forgiveness?
It makes me think that, perhaps, this king doesn’t represent God at all. Maybe he is just human like us. Forgiveness is a difficult thing for us mere mortals, especially when we’ve been burned more than once. Forgiving someone can seem like giving them a pass – or more than that, giving them permission to hurt us again… and again. We want to be loving to our neighbours, but even we Christians don’t want to be suckers, opening ourselves to abuse by those very people we are showing that love to. It’s a nice ideal, but in the real world, we tend to be wary of doling out forgiveness at every turn. We are afraid of being taken advantage of; we are afraid of setting ourselves up to be used.
But, when Jesus talks about forgiveness, is that really what he’s asking us to do?
When Peter asked the question, “How many times should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”, he is focussing on the expectation that he must forgive or face the wrath of God. With that attitude, it’s all about saying the words, not about truly offering forgiveness. “OK, I’ll give you 6 more chances but then watch out!” Is that a sincere act of forgiveness? Will that change the relationship and the trust between the two parties?
It makes me think about those times with children when we say, “Apologize to your sister!” and we get the snarky response, “Sorry!” We all know they aren’t sorry at all, but the offended child is then expected to say, “It’s ok.” Problem solved! Conflict ended!... but is it really? Chances are, the injured party is still hurting or angry and the offender thinks they got away with it. Often, the minute you turn your back there is another poke or a tongue stuck out…. But what else can we do?
I think there has to be more to that exchange of forgiveness and apology. There needs to be a communication between the parties involved – and sometimes a mediator to help that communication take place. What if, instead of saying, “Apologize to your sister!”, we begin with, “Johnny, what you did to Sally has made her very angry (or hurt, or upset). Can you tell me what’s going on that you felt like doing that and Sally, can you tell Johnny why you are crying?” You can be sure it won’t be an easy conversation. It will quickly turn into “Well she said (or did) something first….!” Or “It’s not fair that…!” and there will likely be lots of strong emotions expressed on both sides. Instead of getting a quick interchange of “I’m sorry” and “It’s ok”, you will be forced to get to the bottom of the issue and help work out a solution.
It’s this kind of confrontation that is necessary if we are looking for true reconciliation, for real healing of the situation. It’s how we teach our children to treat each other with respect.
This isn’t just a childhood problem though. Even as adults, when someone wrongs us, are we really looking for an apology or are we demanding justice? Be honest… more often than not we want blood! We want them to pay for what they’ve done.
Is a simple apology - forced or not - ever enough?
Does telling someone they are forgiven solve the problem?
From my days in parenting and in teaching, I can tell you that it doesn’t work that way with kids. From my days as a social worker, I can tell you that it doesn’t work with adults either. Think about the couple that is struggling in their marriage and, often as a last resort, turns to counselling. They will likely say they are there to sort out their problems, but when the conversation begins, they are really looking to the counsellor to justify their anger. At least in the beginning, each one is trying to get the counsellor on their side. A powerful question to think about in this situation, or in any conflict for that matter, is “What outcome are you hoping for?” Sometimes, (dare I say often?), if things have progressed to the point where they are seeking outside help, they have already decided that the marriage is over. What counselling can do in that case, is to heal the relationship to the point where they can part ways but still function respectfully in the future – something that’s especially vital when there are children involved. So, the apology might come in the form of “I’m sorry I can’t be the partner you need to make this relationship work.” And then the forgiveness comes with “What can we do to make sure we don’t continue to hurt each other and those around us?” Once we get past the hurt and anger, the demand for revenge, reconciliation is a much bigger possibility.
We can think about this on a bigger, societal scale, when we apply the same thinking to the Black Lives Matter movement or to the Truth and Reconciliation process here in Canada. In order for any change or healing to take place, there needs to be a time for sharing our hurts, for listening to the other perspective, for creating a real way forward. “We said we were sorry; can’t you just accept that and move on?” doesn’t really address the situation.
We can’t put a limit on this. We can’t arbitrarily decide that seven apologies or seventy-seven is the limit to which we are willing to go. It’s not the formula that counts, it’s the process of finding the way forward.
There is a quote, sometimes attributed to Nelson Mandela, but also to Alcoholics Anonymous, Buddha and several others, that comes to mind for me. “Holding on to resentment is like drinking poison and expecting the wrongdoer to die.” Forgiving someone makes us vulnerable and open to being hurt but that risk is absolutely necessary if we want real change to take place.
In the parable about the unforgiving servant, the wicked slave is turned over by the king to a life of torture. Perhaps that king was not meant to represent God, after all, but is rather a symbol of our own instinct for self-preservation and the consequences of not listening to our conscience. Perhaps the king in the tale is ego…
Love your neighbour as you love yourself, is the message we hear from Jesus over and over again. God offers the gift of unending grace, he tells us. What an extravagant gift that is! Can we take up the challenge to offer that same gift to others… not just seven times, but seventy-seven times… or more? Amen
Prayers of the People and the Lord’s Prayer
Holy One,
Over and over again, you offer us your gifts of love and grace. Your compassion is not bound by the limits of time or even by our success or failure in carrying out your dream of peace, harmony, and justice in this world. Through the words and example of Jesus, you call us to live out our gratitude for that extravagant gift by loving our neighbour. Help us to remember those lessons as we struggle to carry them out in the harsh reality of day to day living.
We give you thanks for the many blessings in our lives – the celebration of new babies and the extending of loving families their arrival brings, where we embrace new roles of parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and siblings. We thank you for the extravagant gift of ever-growing circles of love. Let it be a reminder to spread that abundance to all we meet.
Your gift of compassion for each of us reminds us to be compassionate to those around us, particularly to those who suffer due to illness, grief, loneliness, or fear. Today we ask your blessing particularly on Bev Wilcox and her family as they mourn the passing of her brother, and all those in our midst who struggle with such losses in this time when health precautions keep us from offering support to each other in person. We pray for Rev. Kim, that she will find the rest and care she needs to come back to us in full health. We pray for Mandy Crow as she recovers from surgery. And we pray for all the caregivers who work on the front lines and behind the scenes to help the healing take place. We pray for all those feeling the loneliness that the pandemic precautions have caused. Help us to remember to reach out to each other through telephone, email, cards, and prayers so that the love we want to share is felt in the hearts of those we cannot see or touch.
We pray for all of Creation, that the interconnectedness of each living thing is honoured by all who share this planet. Help us to find the way to ensure that the basic necessities of life and health are distributed in a way that ensures abundant life for all.
We pray for our leaders here at home and around the world that their decisions and their motivations serve to advance your dream of peace and harmony. Let the desire for power and greed be outweighed by the love for neighbour and a wish for justice for all.
Help us as we struggle to become the people you want us to be. Help us practice the kind of extravagant grace that you are so willing to offer to us.
We ask these things in the words that Jesus taught…
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
One of the many ways we show our love for our neighbour is by sharing our gifts.
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.
Offertory Prayer[5]
Ever giving God,
We bring these gifts as a response to the many gifts you offer to us.
We have been blessed in so many ways;
May our response this day be a means of blessing others. Amen.
Sending Forth
Enter the world with God’s love reflecting from your heart. Grant forgiveness to your neighbour, and remember, likewise, to seek forgiveness from them.[6]
And as you go, remember that you are held in God’s guiding love and blessed with the extravagant gift of God’s forgiving grace.
Amen
Hymn: “Your Hand, O God, Has Guided” Voices United #274
1. Your hand, O God, has guided your flock from age to age;
The wondrous tale is written, full clear on every page.
Our forebears owned your goodness, and we their deeds record.
And both to this bear witness:
One church, one faith, one Lord.
2. Your heralds brought glad tidings to greatest as to least;
They bade them rise and hasten to share the heavenly feast.
And this was all their teaching, in every deed and word,
To all alike proclaiming:
One church, one faith, one Lord.
3. Through many days of darkness, through many scenes of strife,
The faithful few fought bravely to guard your people’s life.
Their gospel of redemption, sin pardoned, earth restored,
Was all in this enfolded:
One church, one faith, one Lord.
4. And we, shall we be faithless? Shall hearts fail, hands hang down?
Shall we evade the conflict and cast away our crown?
Not so: in God’s deep counsels some better thing is stored;
We will remain unflinching,
One church, one faith, one Lord.
5. Your mercy will not fail us, nor leave your work undone;
With your right hand to help us, the victory shall be won;
And then, by earth and heaven, your name shall be adored,
And this shall be our anthem:
One church, one faith, one Lord.
Words 1864 Plumptre, Music 1898 Harwood, desc © 1991 Renwick
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Departing: Puff Balls - Keats
Zoom Fellowship hosted by Lorrie at 11:30 am. Link has been emailed. See you there!
[1] Fern Gibbard, Gathering Pentecost 2, 2020, p32. Used with permission.
[2] Norah Laverty, Gathering Pentecost 2, 2020, p 34. Used with permission.
[3] Karen Boivin, Gathering, Pentecost 2, 2014, p32. Used with permission.
[4] Gord Dunbar, Gathering Pentecost 2 2020, p41. Used with permission.
[5] Beth W Johnston, Gathering Pentecost 2, 2017, p 39. Used with permission.
[6] George Allan, Gathering Pentecost 2, 2020, p45. Used with permission.