BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH
3rd SUNDAY OF CREATION TIME IN THE SEASON OF PENTECOST
FALL WORSHIP SERVICE
September 27, 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
Welcome & Announcements
Good Morning! On behalf of Bells Corners United Church, wherever you are, 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.
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:
- We have begun to open the sanctuary for a small number of people 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. In the next couple of weeks, we will 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. The numbers attending have been small, it’s true, but the experience of being in the sanctuary and worshipping together with others has been wonderful for many of us. One of the things we will be asking over the next while is why do people choose to attend or not to attend? We would be interested in your thoughts. Give us a call or drop me an email if you want to let us know what you think.
- If you are unable to attend in person, there are still 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. We have no intention of stopping any of these things in the near future.
- Due to the change in the weather, David’s Flowers are finished for this year, but thanks to the very generous donations from those who came by, a total of $3,235 has been raised to support online service provision over these difficult times. Thank you to all the volunteers who came out to help and to all those who donated to the cause!
- Watch for new plans for fundraising and ways to gather in community as we move into the fall. Planning is underway for a BCUC Outdoor Market on Saturday, October 17, from 10am to 2pm, to coincide with a similar sale happening that day at Christ Church Anglican. We hope to have sales areas for baking, deli, crafts, sewing/knitting, gift baskets and perhaps even a book table. To offer help or suggestions, please contact Bob and Ellen Boynton.
- Please remember that Grocery Gift Cards as well as Volume 2 of the book of Memories are available for purchase. Please call the church office to place your order and to arrange payment and pick-up.
- Next Saturday morning at 10:30am, I will be commissioned as a Diaconal Minister in the United Church of Canada. Due to the current health restrictions, it will be a small ceremony and the number of people allowed to attend is extremely limited. However, I would like to celebrate this milestone with all of you! The plan is to have this event live-streamed from Rideau Park United Church. The link will be sent to you in our usual weekly “BCUC Happenings” email on Thursday. If you are not on the recipients’ list for Happenings and wish to access the livestream, please contact the church office or Lorrie.
- 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 Acolytes: The Forster family
In the dawn’s cool glow, in the bright of the day, in the evening’s painted sky, in nighttime’s starry dark… The Christ Light shines, made bright by God’s love for all![1]
Call to Gather
We are not alone…
In these days of social isolation and rules to keep us safe,
It’s easy to feel like we are alone.
In these days where window is its and outdoor gatherings have replaced hugs and shared meals,
It’s easy to feel disconnected.
In these days when we can’t reach out to others for comfort or celebration,
It’s easy to feel that the world has become small and dark.
But we are not alone…
God calls us into relationship with one another in new ways,
And our faith reminds us that even when we feel most lonely,
God is with us.
We are not alone…
And so, we gather our hearts and minds in the spirit of community
And in the embrace of the one who binds us together in love.
Let us worship God - together!
Prayer of Approach
We reach out to you, even as you reach for us, O God,
And pray that in this hour of worship and beyond, we may know the touch of your hand,
Shaping us, molding us into the truly human creatures Jesus showed us you intend us to be.
Come into our hearts, Holy Spirit of love! Amen.[2]
Minute for Social Action
One of the focus points of the Service Outreach and Social Action committee for 2020 was promotion of a Basic Income Guarantee, for which this congregation has been very supportive. The COVID-19 crisis revealed so painfully the glaring inadequacies of our social services across the country. Members of BCUC moved quickly to have a ZOOM enabled discussion showing how a Canadian designed Basic Income could offer coverage of living costs for those below the Low Income Measure (or LIM) of poverty. If you missed it, the video and some selected resources are on BCUC website. The Canadian Emergency Response Benefits (CERB) is also giving support at the LIM level. Over the last months there has been growing public support for a Guaranteed Livable Basic Income (GLBI) being a sensible replacement for CERB, as it is phased out.
With so much development favouring a Guaranteed Livable Basic Income, let me give some updates on Basic Income and remind us that we must keep the pressure on for its long-awaited implementation. We begin right here in BCUC and refer to last week’s sermon where Lorrie so ably showed how the parable of the workers in the vineyard is interpreted as a livable basic income for that time. Keeping that message in mind, it is empowering to see the numerous opinion columns and webinars which have been encouraging us to push the federal government to include a Livable Guaranteed Basic Income in the Throne Speech.
Whether or not it was included in the Throne Speech, is important only as a significant step along the path of Basic Income adoption. Majority agreement would need to be followed by development of policies and Parliamentary debate to iron out the essentials. It is assured that the path toward a Basic Income will be long and difficult and we must continue to tell our politicians at all levels that we want social services which preserve dignity and improve the well-being of Canadians across all segments of our society. Thank you.
Hymn: “For the Fruit of All Creation” Voices United #227
1. For the fruit of all creation, thanks be to God.
For the gifts to every nation, thanks be to God.
For the ploughing, sowing, reaping, silent growth while we are sleeping.
Future needs in earth’s safe keeping, thanks be to God.
2. In the just reward of labour, God’s will is done.
In the help we give our neighbour, God’s will is done.
In our worldwide task of caring for the hungry and despairing,
In the harvests we are sharing, God’s will is done.
3. For the harvests of the Spirit, thanks be to God.
For the good we all inherit, thanks be to God.
For the wonders that astound us, for the truths that still confound us,
Most of all that love has found us, thanks be to God.
Words © 1970 Fred Pratt Green, Hope pub. Music: Welsh folk melody
Song #30684 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Storytime for the Young at Heart Erin Berard
Which apple would you rather have? (Shows 2 apples, one ‘perfect’, the other discoloured/misshapen)
In the parable we read today, there are 2 children who are asked to do their chores. One says “Yes, yes, sure, of course I’ll do my jobs,” but doesn’t actually do any work. The other says, “No, I don’t want to,” but later realizes they should do what is right, and goes and completes all their required chores. In the end, which one did what they were supposed to?
Have you ever had a classmate or teammate like the first person? Someone who says all the right things around their teachers or parents, but then around other kids they are completely different and can sometimes be rude or unkind; or someone who promises things like an invitation to a party or a place in the game, but doesn’t follow through?
Have you ever known someone like the second person? Maybe it’s someone who make a bad choice, but realizes their mistake and tries to fix it; someone who maybe didn’t know how to do something properly, but they take the time to learn and figure it out?
It’s like these apples…
This one is beautiful, the perfect example of an apple, but you know what? It is actually completely fake and has no food value at all! Nothing to contribute to my hungry stomach! It didn’t live up to the expectations.
Whereas this one seems pretty unappetizing… but when I open it up, it has edible fruit, and seeds to grow new apples, even if the fruit had started to spoil. Good things now, and the promise of more good to come.
Let’s remember that it’s what inside that counts. Even if we, and others around us, have made mistakes we can say sorry and try again. God forgives us and wants us to keep trying to do what’s right, keep trying to do God’s work in the world.
Hymn: “I’m Gonna Shout, Shout” More Voices #183
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!
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!
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: Chris Brown
You are the Storyteller, you are the Word, you are God.
Allelujah!
Bless the reading. Bless the listening. Bless the sharing. Bless the love.
In Christ’s name! Amen.[3]
The Reading: Matthew 21:23-42
The Authority of Jesus Questioned
23 When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28 “What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. 30 The fatherwent to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to all of us. Amen.
Sermon: “By What Authority?”
Next Saturday morning I will be commissioned as a Diaconal Minister in the United Church of Canada. There will be a laying on of hands, some prayers and promises, and presentations and music. From that moment on, I will have the authority to serve communion, baptize, and marry (once Ontario agrees); I will be authorized to wear a stole and a clergy collar and to use the title Reverend. Just a short, beautiful ceremony and then… I will have all this authority!
Well, those of you who have journeyed these past five years with me – my family, my friends, and all of you here at Bells Corners United Church – know that a ceremony, no matter how important and meaningful, isn’t all it takes for a person to earn the authority that comes with being commissioned or ordained into ministry. It even takes more than study. Yes, I took a lot of courses in theology, spirituality, worship and the writings in the Bible; I took courses in church history and church polity; I took courses in pastoral care and in ethics and, because I was in the diaconal stream, I also took courses in Social Justice and Christian Education. I did field placements both here at the church and at the Ottawa West End Community Chaplaincy. I worked with two wonderful diaconal mentors and two field supervisors, one of whom was Reverend Kim, and committees of folks who helped me make connections between the work and my faith. It was a lot of work! But even all that, with the reading and the study and the assignments completed and my diploma in hand, didn’t give me that authority. It also took a lot of soul-searching and wrestling with my understanding of my own faith. It took hours and hours of interviews with folks in our presbytery and in our conference and then in our region, interviews that drilled down into my soul to determine if I was truly called to this role, what gifts I have to offer, and if I was really ready to take on the sacred responsibility that comes with it. The ceremony next weekend is the culmination of that journey, a time to affirm that readiness and commitment before God, a time to acknowledge and celebrate the work we have all done to come to this point, and to mark the beginning of the next stage in my faith journey, my life journey.
By what authority do I stand in the pulpit today, or facilitate a Lectionary Study, or create Sunday School curriculum? Is it a ceremony that gives me that authority? Is it a stole or a clergy collar? Is it my diploma or my other university degrees? No, my authority comes from my life experience that led me to this call, the work I have done to find and use my gifts – and, perhaps most of all, it comes from the trust you have in me, the confidence that I am someone who you can rely on to fill the role as a minister to this congregation.
In our gospel reading today, Jesus is teaching in the temple. Just the day before, he had caused quite a scene in this same place – overturning tables and chasing the sellers and money changers out into the street. It’s an event I like to call his “temple tantrum”. And so, on this day, Jesus has returned to the temple and is teaching – a more fitting thing to be doing in that place. More fitting, perhaps, but a total disruption of business as usual – and so the chief priests and elders come to challenge him:
“By what authority do you do these things?”
In other words, “What makes you think you can walk in here and change everything? Who made you the boss here?”
They are talking about the events of these few days, yes, but I think they are also questioning the content of his teaching, his re-interpretation of scripture, and his going around offering healing and forgiveness to people.
Where others are amazed and comforted and encouraged to see the world in a new way, the chief priests and elders are skeptical. More than that, they are angry! It’s not so much that they are curious about his authority as they are threatened by the power that this authority gives him. They need to find a way to not only get rid of him, but to discredit him in the eyes of his followers. Although he is known as a rabbi, a teacher, he is not a priest and he has certainly not been recognized by the powers of the day, both religious and secular, to change the way things work. They are in this elevated position, with the permission of Rome to keep the traditions of the Jewish faith, as long as that also means keeping the people under control and preventing them from rising up against that imperial power. They have made a compromise in order to keep the faith alive under a government that doesn’t share their beliefs – and it doesn’t hurt that doing so has been very rewarding to them in worldly ways as well. Upsetting things as Jesus was doing would not only hurt them personally but it would upset the peace that they have negotiated with Rome. They are angry and they are scared of what this stirring up of the people will bring.
So, they come up with a way to discredit him in front of those followers. They ask him a question that will force him to show his credentials – of which he has no formal ones – and to even blaspheme by attributing his power to God. They have set a trap.
I was a teacher for many years before I started down this road to ministry and before that, a social worker. One of the most powerful things I learned over the years is that for real learning or change to take place, you don’t tell people what to do or give them answers, you ask questions to make them consider what they already know and to find the answers and solutions within themselves. Careful guidance is important, for sure, but for meaningful learning to happen, the work needs to be done by the one seeking to understand… “How do I figure out the answer to this math question?” I could give them a formula, but if they don’t understand why it works, they will be back to ask the same question tomorrow… “What do I do about my rebellious daughter?” I might be able to tell them how I dealt with my own children but sending them home with a “Lorrie says you have to do this!” could backfire and then I am the blame for the rift in the relationship and nothing changes, in fact, it could make matters worse. A question that leads to new insight is a very powerful tool.
When I think back through the stories of Jesus’ ministry with this in mind, I see what a master teacher and healer he was. No healing story I can think of comes with a simple wave of his hand or a touch – I hear affirmations like “Your faith has made you well.” I hear challenges like, “Take up your mat and go home.” “Go show yourselves to the priests.” “Wash the mud off your eyes.” I hear “Try something new, cast your nets on the other side of the boat.”
When he is teaching, I don’t hear, “This is what you must do!” I hear parables and stories designed to make the listeners consider their own position and how a change in perspective can lead to a change in the world.
In this reading today, Jesus asks a question – not to get the priests to give a pat answer but to get them thinking about why the answer is important to them. Do they want to stir the people against him or do they want to expose their struggles with their own beliefs?
And while they are still pondering the question, he tells this parable. At first glance, it doesn’t seem to connect with the issue at hand at all – but we know this Jesus well enough to know that he isn’t just telling a story to give himself or the priests time to figure out next steps. There must be a point to it…
“Which of the two did the will of his father?” he asks.
If we view the story through the lens of Hebrew teachings – neither of the sons were following the commandment to honour your mother and father… neither of them showed their father the respect he deserved. One refused to do what he was asked and the other mouthed the words with no intention of following through.
In the end, however, we are told that the son who was honest about his intentions, changed his mind and went into the vineyard to work. He “changed his mind.” What does that tell us? Did he just decide that he had nothing better to do so he might as well go do this work he really didn’t want to do? Or did he think about what he had done and change his mind about what was important, what he cared about?
In the end, which son is most likely to be redeemed in the eyes of the father – the one who said the things expected of him but then didn’t follow through or the one who did the work?
Why does he say that the sinners are in a better position to enter the kingdom of God than those who have dedicated their lives to following the rules? Which were willing to look at their lives in a new light and change what they considered important? Who was willing to examine what they cared about? Who was more focussed on following rules to the letter rather than searching their hearts to understand the intent of those rules?
Where did Jesus’ authority come from to give him the power he had with the people? Did it come from a diploma or a ceremony? Or did it come from his life experience and the work he did to not only read the scriptures but figure out what God was really challenging people to do? Did it come from those words at his baptism, “This is my beloved son in whom I am well-pleased?” or from the actual work he did - and was willing to do - in order to please God? Did it come from his telling the people what to do and what to believe – or from his way of challenging them to think for themselves and act accordingly?
Is he saying that all Priests are bad and all sinners are good? Or is he asking us to question who we are in the story and what we are willing to do to follow the will of God and move this world closer to what God intends for it to be?
Rituals and ceremonies are important to what we do as a church. I don’t think any of us, or Jesus himself, would argue with that. They serve as signposts on our faith journeys and they also remind us about what we do as Christians and why we do it. They aren’t simply a way of parading pomp or of saying magic words. In our United Church tradition, we more often make covenants rather than vows. Our promises are grounded in our willingness and our intent to following the example of Christ and the will of God. They are our acknowledgement that we don’t do any of this alone. Our rituals are a reminder of who and whose we are. They acknowledge not only the work we have done but the expectations of us as we move forward.
Next week is very important to me. I am excited to acknowledge the work I have done and all the work you have done to take us to this point in our faith journeys – but it doesn’t mark the end of the road for me or for any of us. If anything, it challenges us to celebrate what we have done and to use what we have learned in the process to help us move further along this path that God calls us to.
So, today I don’t leave you with answers. Today I leave you with questions:
What gives us the authority to call ourselves Christians?
Who gives us the authority to try to change the world?
Who are we willing to be in the story?
Amen.
Prayers of the People and the Lord’s Prayer
Holy One,
As summer days turn cooler and the gardens begin to fade, we stir from our pandemic cocoons, venturing out to school and work, a little wary of the dangers outside our homes.
But the trees have begun dressing for the parade of colour that comes with the changing of the season, a reminder that life goes on and that there is still much beauty in this world.
As you awaken our senses, awaken too our love for our neighbour. Let us be stirred into action that we may be a blessing to others.
We pray for those lacking the basic needs of life: clean water, clean air, nourishing food, and a shelter against the changing weather…
We pray for those who feel alone, forgotten, or unloved.
We pray for those who are grieving the loss of loved ones, the loss of employment, the loss of health, the loss of hope…
We pray for those who are anxious and afraid – those facing war, unrest, violence, uncertainty…
We pray for our leaders, for our front-line workers, for our teachers and their students…
We pray for our community, for this church, for our families…
We pray for ourselves that we might look beyond the stresses of these Covid days with hope for a brighter tomorrow.
All of the joys and the concerns that we express aloud, and all those we carry in our hearts, we bring to you as we repeat the ancient prayer that Jesus taught his followers:
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
Even in these days of social distancing and isolation, when our church building is closed to many, we are still called to be the church in the world, sharing our blessings with others.
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
Because we live in a world where many are at the limit of their strength,
We bring these gifts for the building of a church that will share burdens and gladden hearts.
May it be so. Amen.[4]
Sending Forth
With the confidence of the presence of God within and around us,
With the promise of the companionship of Christ on our every journey,
With the enlivening of the Spirit to keep us joyful,
Let us go now to be God’s people in the world.[5]
Amen.
Hymn: “Great is Thy Faithfulness” Voices United #288
1. Great is thy faithfulness, God our Creator;
There is no shadow of turning with thee;
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
As thou hast been thou forever wilt be.
Refrain:
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed thy hand hath provided
Great is thy faithfulness, ever to me!
2. Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To they great faithfulness, mercy, and love.
3. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Wondrous the portion thy blessings provide.
Words © 1923 Chisholm, Music © 1923 Runyan, Hope Pub. Descant © 1995 Segger
Song # 1658 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Departing: From a Distance - Gold
Zoom Fellowship hosted by Lorrie at 11:30 am. Link has been emailed. See you there!
[1] Richard Bott, Gathering Pentecost 2 2015, p30. Used with permission.
[2] George Allan, Gathering Pentecost 2 2013, p26. Used with permission.
[3] Richard Bott, Gathering Pentecost 2 2015, p38. Used with permission.
[4] John Moses, Gathering Pentecost 2 2015, p39. Used with permission.
[5] Bob Root, Gathering Pentecost 2 2015, p41. Used with permission.