BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT / INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

BCUC Annual General Meeting March 7, 2021

*Check the audio recording and link to video recording of this service at bcuc.org
You can also dial-in by phone to listen to the audio recording at 613-820-8104

Gathering Music: You Raise Me Up - BCUC Choir

We begin our worship service by acknowledging the territory where most of us gather and where I am located. We acknowledge that we are gathered on the unceded traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe First Nation. We pay respect to the elders past and present and honour all indigenous people’s reverence of this land throughout the ages. May we live in peace and friendship to sustain the earth and all its people. Thank you for permitting us to live and work on this land.

Welcome & Announcements Rev. Kim Vidal

Good day everyone! On behalf of BCUC, I welcome and greet you in the name of Jesus Christ on this Third Sunday in Lent and the Celebration of International Women’s Day. We are also gathering for our Annual General Meeting today, March 7 at 11 am via Zoom.

Since Ottawa is in the orange zone, we are able to gather in the sanctuary for a modified worship service at 10 am with a maximum number of 28 people invited to gather. The Public Health strongly recommends to stay at home but if you wish to attend, please call the office to register and be reminded that the usual protocols will be in place which include masking, social distancing, hand sanitizing and staying home if you feel unwell.

We continue to offer worship service in a number of ways. Check our website at bcuc.org, for our worship service in audio, video and text formats with the weekly announcements, online meetings, events and other updates. You can also listen to the service via telephone by dialing 613-820-8104. Please continue to reach out by connecting with each other through emails, phone calls and prayers.

If you would like your favourite hymn sung in memory of a loved one or in celebration of a joyful occasion, please let the office know. With a suggested minimum donation of $30, your hymn request will be featured in one of the Sunday services from February 28 until May 23. Proceeds from this fundraising will help enhance our worship experience. Please send your name, hymn request and dedication to the office via email. Donations can be made by e-transfer, cash or cheque payable to BCUC with the note: “Hymn-Sing”. Thank you for supporting this initiative.

LENTEN APPEAL 2021: This year the SOSA committee has chosen to help people from the social housing neighbourhoods of West Ottawa to experience a weekend at Camp Otterdale.

Participants will be contributing but they will also need sponsorships of $50 per person. Please consider how you can help an individual or family to experience a much-needed break this summer. You can send in your donation via cash or by cheque payable to BCUC or by etransfer with the note: Lenten Appeal 2021. Please call the office for more details.

I invite you to participate in the Prayer Circle every Wednesday at 8 pm. Wherever you are, light a candle and say a prayer for the world, your community including our congregation, your family, your friends and yourself.

Due to the AGM, there will be no Zoom Fellowship today at 11 am but we will resume next Sunday, March 14. For all other announcements, please visit the website.

Centring Words

Friends, in this season of Lent, we know what God desires of us:
That we do justice, and love kindness, and walk humbly with God.
We gather this morning to remind each other about that,
To remember that now is always the right time to do these things.
So with thanks in our hearts, let us worship God.

Lighting of the Christ Candle: Acolytes: Jan & Norm Pound

Light and warmth are returning to the land wherever we are.
Light and warmth are represented in the light of Christ that glows from this flame.
May the symbol of this lit candle remind us of the reality of the land and the light and warmth of our presence with God.[1]

Sung Response: Don’t Be Afraid – More Voices #90 Susan TeGrotenhuis

Don’t be afraid. My love is stronger, my love is stronger than your fear.
Don’t be afraid. My love is stronger and I have promised, promised to be always near.

Call to Gather: [2] Erin Berard

On this Annual General Meeting Sunday,
we are summoned here by our Holy God,
Who calls us each by name, and gathers us together
in the unity of Jesus Christ.
Young and old and middle-aged,
Individuals and families,
Soft-spoken and outspoken,
We hear our names being called to join in worship.
This sanctuary of love is a place
To pursue God’s vision for all people:
unity and joy and faith expressed through different gifts.
Let us worship together.

Prayer of Confession & Words of Assurance: Rev. Kim Vidal

Gracious God, we confess that we do not always follow your will. We do not reach out to those in need because we see no connection between their need and our faith. We have often failed to listen to your whispers which call us to build a community where freedom, equality and dignity for all, especially women, are assured. Forgive us. Restore us. Open our eyes to your truth. Amen.

(Moment of Silence)

Hear now the words of God’s assurance:
As we walk with God, we are transformed day by day.
God’s never-ending love journeys with us,
making us new, again and again. Thanks be to God!

Hymn: Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness (Souffle, vent doux du Saint-Esprit) - Voices United #375 BCUC band (June 2020)

Refrain:
Spirit, spirit of gentleness, blow through the wilderness, calling and free,
Spirit, spirit of restlessness, stir me from placidness, wind, wind on the sea.

1-Tu touchas la terre Esprit créateur
Tu dressas les montagne, en gloire et splendeur;
à travers les âges, tu crias à tous vents:
“déployez vos ailes, sortez du néant.”

Refrain:
Souffle, vent doux du Saint-Esprit;
Tu grâce me conduit hors du desert.
Souffle, grand vent du Saint-Esprit,
secoue notre apathie, vent, vent sur la mer.

2-You swept through the desert, you stung with the sand,
and you goaded your people with a law and a land;
and when they were blinded with idols and lies,
then you spoke through your prophets to open their eyes. R (English)

3-You sang in a stable, you cried from a hill
then you whispered in silence when the whole world was still;
and down in the city you called once again,
when you blew through your people on the rush of the wind. R (French)

4-You call from tomorrow, you break ancient schemes.
From the bondage of sorrow all the captives dream dreams;
our women see visions, our men clear their eyes.
With bold new decisions your people arise. R (English)

Storytime: Erin Berard

What makes you really mad or upset?

Are you okay with your siblings playing with your stuffies… as long as they stay away from your very special teddy you sleep with! That’s too far! You don’t mind too much if your sister borrows your bike, but when it comes back scratched… too far! Maybe you're fine with some teasing or smack talk on the soccer field, but when some pushing or shoving gets in the mix… not cool!

What is just NOT OK? Where do you draw the line?

In our Bible passage today, we hear about a time when Jesus saw that things were NOT OK and just lost it on the people at the Temple in Jerusalem. The merchants who were there selling animals were overcharging and the money changers were cheating people - they were taking advantage of the people who had come to the city to celebrate Passover.

Seeing all this, Jesus decided, I guess, that it wasn't enough to do what he was usually doing: modelling how to love one another, welcoming the outcasts of society, healing, and teaching about God's love... NO - this went too far!!

He went in and started throwing things around and yelling at people. STOP! God's house is not for making money, it was a holy place for the Jewish people to come to feel one with God and refocus themselves on their faith. This is NOT OK!

I wonder… what would Jesus get super-upset about nowadays? What issues would get Jesus so riled up that he'd start throwing stuff around and yelling?

This week we celebrate International Women's Day. I wonder what modern-day Jesus would say about women's rights? This is a great time to recognize the great accomplishments women have made - to celebrate progress and lift up inspirational women so they may be role-models for young people around the world. But it's supposed to be more than just a time to say "Thanks, women!" as if it were a "Mother's Day" for all women… It's a time for all of us to remember to, not just be thankful for what’s been done, but, like Jesus, to put our foot down, and say “NO, it’s NOT OK” when we see things that aren’t fair or right, like rude name-calling, treating girls like they’re less able than boys, or when girls aren’t given equal opportunities as boys. To remember to DO something about it and make change.

I'm sure there are other issues that REALLY bother you, too. When Greta Thunberg saw how climate change was not being taken seriously, she got mad and did something about it! When Malala saw how limits were being put on girls' education, she got mad and did something about it! It might seem hard when you're just a kid, but you can do it. Like Jesus showed us, it's okay to get mad sometimes, if you're getting mad about something really important. You can stand up for those who you see or hear are not being treated right. You can say, "No, that's NOT OK!"

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for the story about Jesus and how he taught us about a good kind of anger. Make us brave to stand up for those who need help. Teach us to say “no, that’s not OK” and do something about it with love and fairness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Hymn: O God, Send Out Your Spirit - More Voices #25 v3 & 4 Erin Berard

Refrain:

O God, send out your Spirit; renew the face of the earth.
O God, send out your Spirit; renew the face of the earth.

3. Ev’ry time a person reaching out is turned away
by the racist prejudicial attitudes of hate,
We are called to break the silence, sanctioning the shame,
stepping cross the lines of this sometimes unholy game. Refrain:

4. Sources of oppression that we haven’t really faced;
Human inhumanity upon the human race.
Spirit ever faithful, Spirit ever true,
Rain down all around, and ev’ry heart renew. Refrain

Prayer for Illumination: Reader: Mary Schmieder

God of the Scripture, may your Word grant us courage and conviction
to listen and to act in faith. Amen.

The Reading: John 2:13-22 (NRSV) Jesus Cleanses the Temple

13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18 The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking of the temple of his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

May the Light of Christ dwell where the Word is spoken. Thanks be to God!

Sermon: “Jesus: A Social Prophet” Rev. Kim Vidal

A man by the name of Theo spent three years working in the poor sector of an urban city. He was confronted with issues of poverty, homelessness, addiction, racism, sexism and the misery of people who live in desperate situations. One day Theo decided that he was going to go to a theological college to be a minister. The Church Board asked him to be interviewed by the Regional Council Education and Students Committee. On his interview day, the chair asked him, “What is your call?” And he responded “outrage”. The chair responded, “No, no, what’s your real call?” And, again, Theo responded “outrage.”

For most Christians, being angry, especially in church is not acceptable. We were taught even at a young age that anger is the very opposite of the virtues of love, patience, gentleness, and forgiveness. Some of us have great difficulty with the idea of an angry, wrathful, violent God depicted in the Hebrew scripture. And if we have difficulty with the idea of an angry God, it is even more ludicrous for us to think of Jesus as someone who lost his temper in an angry fit.

Over the centuries, artistic depictions of Jesus were intentionally devoid of humour or negative emotions such as anger. They were usually sombre, serious and solemn: Jesus praying in the garden; Jesus holding the little lamb; Jesus knocking on a door, to name a few. So when we encounter an angry Jesus in our gospel story today, with some kind of a “temple tantrum” as Lorrie puts it, when he overturns the tables and driven out the money changers and animal vendors. we were overwhelmed, surprised, shocked – with a possible reaction of “I can’t believe Jesus could have done this!” After all, we were taught that Jesus was supposed to be meek and mild, soft-spoken, kind and gentle. He taught us to turn the other cheek and love even our enemies. To be honest, I feel a sense of relief when I hear this particular story in John. For here is Jesus reacting as anyone might react in a situation where justice is the demand of the day and requires something must be done rather than being silent. He was outraged! This story makes me say. “Bravo Jesus!! You are a human like us after all!!” This passage, known as “Jesus Cleanses the Temple” is, I think, a misrepresented title. The truth is, it’s about anger—a holy and righteous anger, according to Jan Pound, that was his motivation for his action. It was the prophetic side of Jesus that compelled him to claim his values and live them out—thus making it a powerful story.

Jesus' disruption that day in the temple was a sign of Jesus' disagreement of the way things were. But what made Jesus angry? Didn’t he realize that when he entered Jerusalem – it was the holiest time of the year for the Jewish people? It was the Passover Festival which drew thousands of pilgrims to pay their homage in the temple; people in the temple courts were only doing what was required of them to do under Jewish law. They were buying and selling animals for the purpose of offering God a sacrifice in the temple. It was inconvenient for the pilgrims to bring their own animal sacrifices, as they travelled from far distance to Jerusalem for the Passover. The money changers were necessary because the people couldn’t use the Roman money, which had the inscription of the emperor on it. They needed to exchange the Roman currency for the Jewish shekel, which was used to support the temple priests as well as the maintenance of the temple with a temple tax.

In spite of the temple priest burning incense and other scented elements, nothing could mask the stench of slaughter and blood. Jesus’ anger fuels his actions. As a social prophet, he then proceeds to make his political and religious statement. As Reza Aslan states in his book, Zealot, “Think of the Temple as a kind of feudal state employing thousands of priests, singers, porters, servants, and ministers while maintaining vast tracts of fertile land tilled by Temple slaves on behalf of the high priest and for his benefit.” If one looks at the Temple Tax along with the profits made from the money changers (which enabled the Temple to take a cut) …it is easy to catch a glimpse of just how threatening Jesus was to the whole system. Remember the Reformation father Martin Luther who nailed the 95 theses against the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century? Of how he was outraged of the indulgencies people have to pay in order for them or their loved ones to go to heaven or be spared from going to purgatory or hell when they die?

So if you are still thinking what made Jesus angry? Here’s a good answer. BECAUSE THE PEOPLE HAD LOST THE ORIGINAL SENSE OF WHAT THE TEMPLE STOOD FOR. According to two well-known NT scholars Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan, the temple developed a theology connecting this world to its source in God. As the mediator of forgiveness and purification, the temple mediated access to God and became a centre of devotion. This was what the temple originally stood for. When Jerusalem fell into the hands of the Roman Empire in 63 BCE, Rome ruled through the high priest, the temple and a local elite group, mostly wealthy patrons. With Herod’s power, the temple became the centre of a domination system that oppresses the people: rule by a few, economic exploitation and religious legitimation. A very angry Jesus drove them out, overturned tables with a whip of cords because he objected to the outward show of loyalty to Rome, or offering animal sacrifice without the corresponding purity of heart. The Temple for Jesus represented Israel's identity and spiritual dignity; it was not merely a place to worship, but a powerful, proud symbol of the spiritual and physical existence of the people. Now it became a marketplace, a consumers’ paradise devoid of any pure intent of worshipping God. It is no wonder that Jesus came up with the kind of righteous anger he expressed. It was an appropriate response to the presence of injustice boiling in the heart of Jesus.

Like Jesus, can we be justified in our righteous anger? I think of those protesters who voiced their grievances to then US President Donald Trump and his cohorts against children being separated from their parents and families. What about those who were angry because of what this pandemic has brought to them – death of loved ones, the rise of mental issues, unemployment and sense of fear and hopelessness? What about the anger displayed by those seeking justice for murdered indigenous and black people? Do they have a right to their anger and to expressing it in the ways they do? What about us here in church- when we display our remorse or disagreements over some issues? Do we have a right to express anger despite the fact that church people are taught to be nice and loving? And what about the display of anger by women of the Democratic Republic of Congo and other places in Africa when women and young girls were targets of violent rape, and school girls were taken and used as sexual slaves? Ought women not to display such emotion because anger makes them wild and un-Christian? How then should women defend themselves? Beverly Wildung Harrison wrote an essay about the power of anger and this is what she says: “Where anger rises, there the energy to act is present....We must never lose touch with the fact that all serious human moral activity, especially action for social change, takes its bearings from the rising power of human anger. Such anger is a signal that change is called for, that transformation in relation is required.”[3]

I strongly believe Jesus as a social prophet taught us that anger for anger's sake is worthless. But anger, if it is holy and righteous and motivates us for justice, love and compassion, is a valuable expression of our hope for a new, whole, and healed community of God's people. Jesus' display of anger was a holy and righteous response because he was one whose whole being is illuminated in God's light, and who therefore naturally acts with justice and compassion. When we are angry as a righteous response to evil or injustice, then anger may become the work of liberating grace in our relationships and in our relation to the injustice of the world.

When asked to justify his violent actions with a sign, Jesus responded with an enigmatic saying: "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." Traditional interpretations taught us that: “He’s talking about the new temple, his own body, which will be killed but will rise again in three days.” But here’s another way of looking at this text: God chose to localize love and justice in a human body. John’s theology of an incarnated God is present here. God becoming human through Jesus leads us to profess that the new temple is not made of bricks and mortar but one with flesh and blood. Rev. Dr. Peter Samuelson inspires us with his words: “Jesus came/ to not just destroy the temples we build to serve ourselves / but to raise up a new temple for us,/ a temple in which we can truly be reconciled to God. / God's divine love lives in each one of us through the grace which is extended to us today, even as that grace blessed the righteous angry Jesus as he turned over the tables for the sake of justice and compassion.

On this Annual General Meeting when we gather as the body of Christ, remember that we are called to embody God’s love, compassion and justice in the places we are called to be. Be bold. Be vigilant. Express your righteous and holy anger and make the world tremble with love, compassion and justice. Thanks be to God. Amen.

*Grateful appreciation for the BCUC Lectionary Group for helping me
with their reflections and input on the gospel text.

Prayers of the People and the Lord’s Prayer: Rev. Kim Vidal

Good caring presence within us, around us, and above us. Hold us in a sense of mystery and wonder. Let the fullness of your goodness inspire and empower us in our daily living. Let the world know your ways of caring, justice and compassion through us. As Jesus have modeled for us in the gospel story, let righteous and holy anger help us connect with the world especially in those places that need healing.

O God of hope, on this our Annual General Meeting, give our church - vision, commitment, and passion for your love and justice. Strengthen our ministries, our leaders, our life together as a faith community. Bless all of our dreams in bringing about transformed lives and healed relationships. Instill in us your spirit of compassion so that we can share your message of abundance with others. As a compassionate community, we continue to pray for our sisters and brothers who long to seek recovery from illness, for comfort and for wellness. We pray for those who have lost their way, physically, emotionally and spiritually. We pray for those who know loneliness, want. or grief. And now in silence, we pray for those we name in our hearts… <Silence>

On this International Women’s Day, we pause and pray for all women in the world to reclaim voices against all kinds of issues that dehumanize them: acts of injustice, domestic violence, poverty, lack of education, human rights violations, unemployment, rape, wars, to name a few. Remind us that a challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change. Help us forge a gender equal world by celebrate women and their achievements; by raising awareness against bias; and by being an advocate for equality.

Dear God, you call us into a journey of faith. With you as our strength and with the light of your love, and the knowledge that you are always with us, we can strive to do your work and attain wholeness. We pray for our world which teeters on the challenges of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Give us leaders who are less interested in being powerful and more interested in being caring and doing right. We pray for ourselves. Help us to not forget your ways. Let us walk with you. Incline our hearts to your steadfast and upright understanding. May we treasure your words in our hearts in whatever we say and do, so that our lives may reflect your way of light and love to others. These we ask in the name of Jesus who taught his disciples this prayer we now recite 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

The Holy Scripture contains stories about God’s own generosity. We are recipients of the gifts of a beautiful creation, the good green earth and all living things that live here with us. On this winter morning, we come together to thank God and to offer our gifts so that the ministry of this church will continue to grow and be a blessing to the world.

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:

God, we have learned that when we give away, we are enriched;
and when we let go, we receive. Bless what we give and let go this day. Amen.

Sending Forth: Rev. Kim Vidal

As we leave this place, God says to you and me:
I am with you. I hold you. I care for you.
I am on this journey with you.
My steadfast love is always with you. Go in peace.
This is Lent. This is the journey. Amen.

Hymn: My Love Colours Outside the Lines – More Voices #138 BCUC band (May 2020)

1 My love colours outside the lines,
exploring paths that few could ever find;
and takes me into places where I’ve never been before,
and opens doors to worlds outside the lines.

2 My Lord colours outside the lines,
turns wounds to blessings, water into wine;
and takes me into places where I’ve never been before
and opens doors to worlds outside the lines.

Bridge:

We’ll never walk on water if we’re not prepared to drown,
body and soul need a soaking from time to time.
And we’ll never move the grave-stones if we’re not prepared to die,
and realize there are worlds outside the lines.

3, 4 My soul longs to colour outside the lines,
tear back the curtains, sun, come in and shine;
I want to walk beyond the boundaries
where I’ve never been before, throw open doors
to worlds outside the lines. Bridge

Departing Music: What A Friend We Have in Jesus – Voices United #664 - BCUC Choir
In loving memory of Bill, Larry & Grant (Pat Atkinson)

1 What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer!

2 Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer!
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer!

3 Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge--
take it to the Lord in prayer!
Do your friends despise, forsake you?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he'll take and shield you;
you will find a solace there.

11 am – ZOOM Annual General Meeting

[1] Peter Chynoweth, Gathering, Lent/Easter 2021. Used with permission.

[2] Celebrate God’s Presence. A Book of Services. Used with permission.

[3] "The Power of Anger in the Work of Love: Christian Ethics for Women and Other Strangers", pp. 13-14.

Sunday Worship Service - March 7 2021