BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

TRINITY SUNDAY

May 30, 2021

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: Arrival of the Queen of Sheba – Handel (abridged with organ this time)

Welcome & Centering for Worship Rev. Kim Vidal

Good morning! On behalf of Bells Corners United Church, I welcome and greet you in the name of the Triune God: Creator, Christ and Comforter on this Trinity Sunday. Thank you for joining us in our virtual worship service today.

We are grateful for the Rev. Dr. Karen Boivin who will lead us in the time for the young at heart. Please make sure you have some pens and paper handy as you will need them during the story time.

As we continue to be on stay-at-home order, please be reminded that the work of the church carries on. Please take time to keep in touch with each other through prayers, phone calls, emails or via Zoom. Check also the many announcements on our website to keep you informed and give you opportunities to respond.

Friends, on this Trinity Sunday, may we feel the presence of the One-in-Three and the Three-in-One, known to us in many ways. May God as Wisdom, Light and Presence come into our hearts as we gather in worship.

Lighting of the Three Candles[1] Acolytes: Davidson Family

We light a candle in the name of God the Creator,
who lit the world and breathed the breath of life for us. (First candle is lit.)
We light a candle in the name of Jesus the Son,
who transformed the world with love and justice. (Second candle is lit.)
We light a candle in the name of the Holy Spirit,
who encompasses the world and blesses our souls with yearning. (Third candle is lit.)

We light three lights for the trinity of love:
God above us, God beside us, God beneath us:
The beginning, the end, the everlasting one.

Sung Response: Spirit of the Living God - Voices United #376 – Quartet with flute: Erin

Spirit of the Living God, Fall afresh on us.
Spirit of the Living God, Fall afresh on us.
Break us, melt us, mold us, fill us.
Spirit of the Living God, Fall afresh on us.

Call to Gather[2] Erin Berard

In the holy name of God:
Father, Mother, Creator, Life-Giver,
we gather in this place.
In the holy name of Jesus the Christ:
Son, Redeemer, Teacher, Friend,
we gather to praise!
In the name of the Holy Spirit:
Comforter, Sustainer, Daily Guide, Wisdom,
we gather to worship!
In the holy name of the One who is Three,
and the Three in One,
we gather to celebrate new life!

Opening Prayer[3]

This Happy Communion

Holiest Mystery,
Community of Love,
Creator, Christ, Spirit,
Three in One,
You in Christ,
Christ in us,
and everywhere, Spirit,
connecting, caressing, cajoling
us into the image of wholeness
tattooed on the heart and the soul
of every living thing.
We are not alone,
never isolated except in the imagination
of our wounded hearts.
Christ abides in us and we in Her,
and the joy of this is why we sing,
and why we pray,
and why we take our place in this happy communion.
Thank you for this banquet of love,
this feast of joy,
this miracle of common purpose. Amen.

Hymn: Spirit, Open My Heart - More Voices #79 - BCUC trio with violin: Leslie

Refrain

Spirit, open my heart
to the joy and pain of living.

As you love may I love,
in receiving and in giving,

Spirit, open my heart.

1.       God, replace my stony heart
          with a heart that’s kind and tender.
          All my coldness and fear
          to your grace I now surrender. R

2.       Write your love upon my heart
          as my law, my goal, my story.
          In each thought, word, and deed,
          may my living bring you glory. R

3.       May I weep with those who weep,
          share the joy of sister, brother.
          In the welcome of Christ,
          may we welcome one another. R

Storytime Rev. Dr. Karen Boivin

Welcome to our story time. I hope you have your paper and pencil handy for later.

Last year the Trinity Sunday service had a Celtic Christianity theme, and I would like to talk a little more about that on this Trinity Sunday.

The Celts were made up of a number of different peoples in Europe who shared a similar language, nature religion and culture. When Christianity came to Ireland 400 years after Jesus lived and taught, the people living there were Celts.

The Celts had one especially beautiful art form called Celtic knots that they used to decorate many things. It does look like a knot made of rope or vines, doesn’t it?

When the Celts became Christian, they also decorated church buildings, stain glass windows, Bible pages and crosses with Celtic knots and Christians continue to do so today.

Christians decorate with Celtic knots in part because they can help us to think about God and our life with God. Let’s trace the path of the Celtic knot. Did you notice where the rope started and ended? That’s right! There isn’t an end or beginning, just one continuous line that goes round and round. God too has no beginning or end. God has been, and will always be, with us and so will God’s love for us.

Is the knot neat or messy? If you look in one area with lots of crossing lines it can look like a bit messy but when we look at the whole things, it’s very neat with a repeating pattern. Did you notice that the rope keeps going under and over, under and over itself? Life too has its ups and downs. When there is trouble in our life, or we are worried about something, it can feel sometimes like our life is all mixed up and won’t straighten out. We may even feel like God has left us, like the rope disappearing underneath where we can’t see it. But the rope is still there, isn’t it? So, when we are having a hard time, the knot reminds us that God and God’s love is always with us and soon the troubled time will be behind us and we will be enjoying good times again where we feel joy and feel God’s presence with us. The whole beautiful knot reminds us that God wants a beautiful abundant life for us.

There is one special knot used in Christianity to help talk about the Trinity called the Triquetra. It is a way to say that there is one God and yet we can experience God in different ways. There are three different shapes in the knot, but it is one rope making them.

First loop: It often feels like there aren’t enough words in the world to describe how wonderful God is. Imagine how great God’s love must be to create this beautiful world and love all its creatures. We sometimes try to explain this with words like Creator, Father, or Mother.

Second loop: Other times God seems closer to being human. We feel God within us as love and prayer, or between us and other people when they love or help us or together, we help others. Then God reminds us of Jesus and all he taught so we call this way of encountering God sometimes as Son or Jesus Christ.

Third loop: Other times it feels like God is giving us encouragement to live well and do good, like a little push in the right direction and we say then that God is like a Holy Spirit.

It’s time to draw a Trinity knot! It helps to first put a dot in the middle of our paper for the center of the knot and then three dots equally distant from it in a triangle for the points of the three loops. Now let us connect the dots trying to keep the same distance from the center dot each time we pass. Then following the same path again make a second line to make it look like a rope. Lastly colour in the rope so that it looks like it is going under and over itself.

There are many free Celtic knot designs on the web that you can print and colour or copy. Or you might like to try designing your own. If you do any of these, we hope you will send a copy to the church.

Will you join me in a prayer please, repeating the lines after me:

God, we are grateful for the many ways we experience you and your love.
And we thank you for the gift of art and how it helps us to draw closer to you. Amen.

Hymn: Dance with the Spirit - More Voices #156 – TeGrotenhuis family

Dance* with the Spirit early in the mornin’,
          dance* with the Spirit throughout the long day.
          Work and hope for the new life a-bornin’,
          listen to the Spirit to show you the way.

*move , sing

Prayer for Illumination Reader: Ian Howes

Wise God within us, may these words move, challenge, inspire and deepen our understanding of who you are: Source of Life, Living Word, and Bond of Love. May we listen with an open mind and a heart ready to be transformed. Amen.

The Gospel Reading: John 3:1-17 (NRSV) Nicodemus Visits Jesus

3 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

11 “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe; how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

May the Wisdom of God: Lover, Beloved and Love give us understanding as we ponder on this Gospel story. Thanks be to God!

Sermon: “To Be Born Again!” Rev. Kim Vidal

A 4th century Christian presbyter and a brilliant theologian from Alexandria, Egypt named Arius couldn’t sleep one night. He was disturbed by a new doctrine put together by Bishop Hosius of Cordoba, Spain and his cohorts. The doctrine presents the nature of God the Father and God the Son as of one substance or of the same essence. This doctrine, which will be named later on as Trinitarianism was the answer of Emperor Constantine to the theological divisions confronting the newly recognized Christian Church particularly on the person, nature and role of Jesus the Christ. Arius was not in agreement that God the Father and God the Son are equal and of the same essence. So, he wrote a counterattack to the doctrine and made his dissension known to all the priests and church leaders in Alexandria. Arius argued that "if the Father created the Son, he that was created had a beginning of existence: and from this, it is evident, that there was a time when the Son was no longer in existence. It therefore necessarily follows, that the Son is a finite being while the Father is infinite and eternal.” Therefore, according to Arius, the Father and the Son could not be of the same substance. Are you still with me?

In response to Arius’ position, the Council of Nicaea was formed in 325 CE presided by the emperor himself. The Nicene Creed, which professes that “Jesus, the Son, who was begotten not made, is being of one substance with the Father…” was adopted as the official statement of the Christian Faith. The creed was revised in 381 CE to include the third person in the Trinity- God, the Holy Ghost, also known as the Holy Spirit. Arius was pronounced as a heretic, burnt all of his writings and books except for 3 or 4 that survived. Arius and many of his adherents were exiled to Palestine for about 10 years. With the influential support from church leaders in Asia Minor and from Constantia, the sister of Emperor Constantine, Arius and his followers were allowed to return from exile and his readmission into the church after consenting to a compromise formula. But shortly before he was to be reconciled, however, Arius collapsed and died while walking through the streets of Constantinople.

I started my sermon with some historical notes on the doctrine of Trinity to give us some understanding as to when and how the doctrine existed that became very much part of our Christian teachings and beliefs. Like Arius, many followers of the Christian faith today, would likely argue that the doctrine of Trinity is no longer relevant and poses many theological and Christological issues that perhaps do not make sense to them. The church fathers who proposed this doctrine chose to designate the Trinitarian Formula as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. There is no doubt, however, that this designation is both hierarchical and patriarchal. And the major problem flowing out of this is that the Christian Church itself, following the culture of its day, also became obsessed with hierarchy and patriarchy – top down and male dominated. This approach has had profound and oftentimes devastating political, religious and social consequences especially for women. So, what do we do with this archaic doctrine that was passed on to us by the church fathers of the 4th century? Do we really need to embrace this particular doctrine of faith? Are we allowed to debate it, discuss it, wrestle with it, or even question its relevance? I believe that taking time to intentionally and thoughtfully re-examine the doctrine of Trinity is absolutely crucial to our understanding of the nature and character of God. And yes, we are certainly on the right track to discuss it, wrestle with it or even disagree with it.

In today’s Gospel story written about 300 years before the formulation of the Trinitarian doctrine, someone approached Jesus because he had some issues with his faith. His name was Nicodemus – a Pharisee, a ruler, a teacher. Nicodemus literally means “conqueror of the people” or “the people’s victory”. No wonder he rose to the ranks of being part of the Sanhedrin, the supreme council in Jesus’ time. Nicodemus represents some of us in many ways. He was a leader, a rich guy, top of the religious class, well educated, powerful and privileged. He was an interpreter of the Torah and the Jewish tradition. He had a significant level of control, both over his own life and the lives of other people. Nicodemus, however, had a weakness that John the gospel writer claimed. This conqueror of people was not that confident to go public with his interest in Jesus. He came one night, in the dark streets of Jerusalem to speak with Jesus, when no eyes can see nor ears can hear, so he can keep his faith secret, separated from the rest of his public life. It’s interesting to note how John contrasted the two men: Nicodemus as a teacher of the law met the Rabbi Jesus, a teacher come from God.

John borrowed a lot from Isaiah contrasting darkness with light. John’s concept of Jesus as light, break through the darkness and illuminates people with love, grace, and truth. But darkness and light need each other, like faith and doubt, to be whole and to bring balance into one’s journey. Nicodemus came to Jesus with his assumptions and his proud knowledge of what he knew was the truth. “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus responds without being distracted by his praise or his compliments. Nicodemus was surprised at Jesus’ recommendation. “Nicodemus, you must be born again!” or in some translations “born from above.” Nicodemus’ jaw dropped. He could not believe what he heard. That he needed to start his life over - to undergo a “rebirthing process”.

Nicodemus is our man. He asked questions on our behalf. “How can an adult be born a second time? I can’t go back into my mother’s womb to be born again!” Nicodemus is unable to think beyond established norms. Having already born from his mother’s womb, he wonders how is it possible for a person to have another birth. He knows of "old birth" but not "this new birth." Nicodemus could function well in the kingdom of the Sanhedrin and of the Roman Empire, but God’s reign needed another kind of life orientation. Jesus’ response was direct to the point that sounds like this: “I’m introducing you to something that transcends your curiosity, your prejudices, your theology and your uninformed biases. You’ve come asking for a sign to validate what you already know. I want to turn your world upside down to where you will see reality as it really is. It is a world totally out of your control. You’ve got to be born again, anew from above, if you are to enter that new world.” Jesus here offers a whole new possibility- a radical reorientation of life.

It is ironic that a fundamental movement in Christianity has been built around Nicodemus’ defensive mis-hearing of Jesus in this passage. This movement had interpreted those two words, “born again” as a ritual of “receiving Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Saviour” that has very little to do with radical internal transformation and justice-oriented missiology. The “born again” brand of Christianity really does not require a change of name and identity. Jesus offered being born again of water and spirit! Nicodemus had been born into the traditions of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law. He had been born into the concerns for holiness and ritual purity as the main tenets of his religious tradition. Now Jesus' language implied there was another way, a different possibility needed for the faithful. It was not about converting from one religion to another. Unless Nicodemus allows God to change his whole way of being in the world, he will not be able to perceive God at work. Jesus explains that by the living water and by the creative and wild Spirit, God gives people rebirth and become spiritual beings. This what I think Jesus told Nicodemus, "Check your heart Nicodemus. Is it God and what God stands for who’s in there – is it true love, compassion or justice consuming you or is it your own religious, political and social biases and affiliations that make you who you are? "Being born again is a breaking free of distorted beliefs to transformative grounding. It is a breaking free of restricted, prejudiced, judgmental life into a life-giving, welcoming, abundant life. As such, being born again is painful. Like physical birth it involves leaving behind the past and breaking open into God’s grace. Spiritual birth takes labour on our parts.

Towards the end of the text is where the allusion to the doctrine of Trinity shows up in this story. The Johannine Jesus refers to all three persons of the Trinity. God is the One who loves the world and who, unwilling to let it perish. God is incarnated through Jesus, the begotten Son, whose life on earth helped liberate, heal and restore the people in subversive ways. Like the breath of God in the creation story, the Spirit gives life. God’s Spirit blows wherever it wishes, yes even to those who do not perceive its presence.

I’m sure some of you are facing a Nicodemus moment. Perhaps a job no longer makes sense, or you are moving into the difficult night of a divorce or living with a terminal illness or the loss of someone you love. Perhaps you are fed up with the depressing news about the world in this pandemic time. Perhaps you are feeling restless or uncertain; spiritually, or that your life path feels confusing, unclear, sometimes encased in fog. Perhaps you are experiencing a siege of negativity which brings with it, frustration, irritation and anxiety. Or you are going along and everything is great, but you are wondering what life is all about. Is this all there is? These are Nicodemus moments; those times when we might like a good late-night conversation; those times when we would be glad to hear answers to our questions.

So here is the Good News! The Triune God is a Holy mystery. A multi-faceted sacredness - creating, indwelling, sustaining, resisting, recreating, challenging, guiding, liberating, completing. Marcus Borg suggested that when we step away from a literalist understanding, ‘Trinity’ shows that God is not primarily a lawgiver and a judge but the compassionate one. And the religious life is not about requirements, but about relationship.” It encompasses God as a creative energy, present in Jesus - a just companion in our journey and alive in a community through the Spirit of mutual trust and friendship. When we acknowledge a Loving God, following the teachings of Jesus the Beloved, who promotes the Spirit of Love, imagine how the world will be like. A world where hatred and violence will be no more, where we are able to embrace the other as our sister or brother no matter what colour of the skin, no matter which status in life, no matter what creed one professes. Name and question the injustices of today and act upon them with a passionate heart. Embrace informed doctrines and theology that offer radical newness. In honour of Nicodemus, let us participate in his and our own rebirth. Let's do our part in the process of breaking free from the old and entering into the new and abundant life the Triune God has in store for all of us. Let me close with a Trinity Blessing from Jan Richardson from her book, In the Sanctuary of Women:

May God, who comes to us
in the things of this world,
bless your eyes and be in your seeing.

May Christ, who looks upon you
with deepest love, bless your eyes
and widen your gaze.

May the Spirit, who perceives what is
and what may yet be,
bless your eyes and sharpen your vision.

May the Sacred Three bless your eyes
and cause you to see. Amen.

Sources:

BCUC Lectionary Group
Peter Woods, “Rebirthing the Powerless Rabbi”, thelisteninghermit.com.
Alyce Mackenzie, “Nicodemus”, patheos.org
Josh Blakely, “Not What We Know but What We’ve Been Given”, https://joshblakesley.me
Judith Jones’ Commentary on John 3: 1-17, workingpreacher.org

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

Let us join our hearts prayer.

Creator, Christ, Comforter, like Nicodemus at night, we come as needy people. Our hearts hunger for love. Our minds thirst for peace. Our dry spirits long to be watered by your grace. In times when uncertainties confront our comfortable lives, keep us mindful of your faithfulness. In times when we see hopelessness around us, fill us with your light so we can be witnesses of your love to the world.

Life-Giver, Friend, Sustainer, we long for the many ways of being a community of love, a community that embraces inclusion, compassion, justice, and truth. We yearn to work towards living in right relationships and in healing the world. Like in Jesus’ day, this longing and yearning can often be met with resistance, hostility and rejection, So we ask that you strengthen our faith and give us the gift of courage to face whatever challenge that may come our way. Help us to be resilient in difficult times.

Abba, Jesus, Spirit, we pray for homes that are nurturing and safe. We pray for families free of domestic violence and neglect, where all the children can grow without fear. Empower us to make your love a reality in every home we know. We pray for all who suffer, for the sick and the lonely, for those awaiting surgery and medical treatments, for those grieving the loss of a loved one, for those trapped in anxiety and fear, or those downtrodden by hopelessness and despair. We pray for those who walk beside us on our journey, whose lives are a blessing to us.

Justice-Seeker, Good Shepherd, Advocate, empower us to welcome people of every colour, ethnicity and creed. Encourage us to be advocates of the sacredness of human life that welcomes all. We pray for those who are living the reality of terror, violence, war, unrest, hunger, displacement and the continued challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Deliver us from fear, greed, and all evil things that keep us away from your love.

All these things we ask in the name of the Jesus Christ who holds us together in love and taught his disciples and friends this prayer:
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 Triune God present in all of creation, holds each one of us in tender love and care. So we respond to all the blessings we have generously received from a loving Creator. Let us gather our gifts of time, talents and treasures and offer them to God in gratitude and praise.

If you are not on PAR and wish to send in your offering and donations, you can drop them in the mailbox 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

We offer these gifts, O Triune God, as we spread your love through the wisdom of Jesus and the indwelling of the Spirit in our hearts. May they bring healing and hope to our congregation, our community and the world. Amen.

Sending Forth[4] Rev. Kim Vidal

And now, touched by God’s Spirit, which makes us free,
held in God’s love, which gives us strength,
befriended by God’s Son, who breaks down walls,
let us live with hearts wide open
to all the adventure,
all the pain,
all the joy, of being God’s people,
in every place life calls us to be. Amen.

Hymn: Holy, Holy, Holy – Voices United #315 - BCUC Quartet with descant: Erin

1 Holy, holy, holy! Lord God almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee;
holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty,
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

2 Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee;
casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
which were, and art, and evermore shalt be.

3 Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee,
though the eye made blind by sin thy glory may not see,
only thou art holy; there is none beside thee,
perfect in power, in love, and purity.

4 Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy name in earth and sky and sea;
holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty,
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

Departing Music: Trumpet Tune – Purcell organ

Zoom Fellowship – 11 am

[1] Inspired by Christpieces.files.wordpress.com

[2] Richard Bott, Gathering, Pentecost 1 2021 (Year B). Used with permission.

[3] Bruce Sanguin, If Darwin Prayed.

[4] Bob Root, Gathering, Pentecost 1 – 2018 Year B. Used with permission.

Sunday Worship Service - May 30, 2021