Sunday Worship Service - May 2, 2021

 BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

5th SUNDAY OF EASTER / BCUC 170TH ANNIVERSARY

May 2, 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: Church in the Wildwood – Dr. William Savage Pitts (yes really)

 (Announcement Slides)           (old church piano style, out of tune and clunky)

Acknowledgement of Territory              Rev. Lorrie Lowes

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 & Centering for Worship            Rev. Kim Vidal

Good day everyone! I welcome and greet you in the name of Jesus Christ as we worship together on this 5th Sunday of Easter. From the comforts of your homes or wherever you are, and whatever time of the day, we are so glad you have joined us in our virtual worship service!  Today we are celebrating 170 years of ministry at Bells Corners United Church. We give thanks for the many ways God nurtures and feeds us, guides our roots to sink deep, and with God’s grace and blessing, bears fruits of love, justice, kindness and wisdom. Happy birthday BCUC!

Let us now centre ourselves in the presence of God who made us witnesses in the world and called us to be a loving faith community. Let us gather in worship.

Lighting of Christ Candle           Acolytes:  Kim Family  

On this anniversary Sunday, we light this Christ candle to honour and to celebrate who we are as a community of faith. We do so by giving thanks for the varieties of gifts that we share and of the love that bind us together. May the light of Christ be our guide today and in the years to come.                                                                                                               

Sung Response: Halle, Halle, Halle – Voices United #958        BCUC choir

Halle, halle, hallelujah! (3X)
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! 

Words trad, liturgical text and Music arr. © 1990 IONA Community, GIA Pub
Song # 02351 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Call to Gather          Rev. Lorrie Lowes

People of God, welcome.
We are part of God’s household,
a caring community of worship,
learning, sharing, and serving.
We are here to celebrate
the precious memories of loved ones,
for relationships that grow dearer with time,
and the stories that bind us together.
God never stops creating, redeeming,
and sustaining within us,
among us, and throughout the whole of creation.
May the Spirit of Christ be present in our gathering
and accompany us in our scattering.
May we come to worship the God who transforms all life.

Prayer of Approach[1]

Loving God, Your Spirit calls us to be church.
With the faithful who went before and those who will come after,
you offer us the gifts needed to be the Body of Christ,
people of God, co-creators of your new world. 
Remind us to listen to your voice when our ears are closed to your call,
to pay attention when our eyes lose sight of self-giving,
to have a grateful heart when we misuse your generosity.
Be present with us in the midst of our joy and sorrow, pain and healing, despair and hope.
We ask this prayer in the name of Jesus, the head of this church. Amen.

Hymn: How Firm A Foundation – Voices United #660    - BCUC Quartet

1 How firm a foundation, you servants of God,
is laid for your faith in his excellent word!
What more can be said than to you has been said,
to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

2 "Fear not, I am with you; O be not dismayed!
For I am your God and will still give you aid;
I'll strengthen and help you, and cause you to stand,
upheld by my righteous omnipotent hand.

3 "When through the deep waters I call you to go,
the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
for I will be with you, your troubles to bless,
and sanctify to you your deepest distress.

4 "When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie,
my grace, all-sufficient, shall be your supply:
the flame shall not hurt you, I only design
your dross to consume, and your gold to refine.

5 "The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose
I will not -- I will not desert to his foes;
that soul, though all hell should endeavour to shake,
I'll never -- no, never -- no, never forsake!"

Words: “K” in John Rippon’s A Selection of Hymns, 1787; Music: Welsh Folk Melody
Song Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved 

Storytime                    Rev. Lorrie Lowes

I think it’s finally spring! The grass is getting green again, leaves are popping out on the trees, and plants are poking up in the garden. I even saw dandelions adding their cheery yellow to the neighbourhood this week!

When I was a little girl, I lived in the Niagara region of southern Ontario. It’s a little bit warmer there than here in Ottawa and so it has longer summers – and one the great things about that is that it’s a perfect place for growing fruit. Niagara in the springtime is full of blossoms – pink ones on cherry and peach trees, white ones on apples and pears. The orchards are beautiful with row after row of flowering trees. The thing I always found amazing is that every single one of those blossoms has the potential of becoming a fruit.

Sometimes my mom would cut a few branches of those blossoms and bring them home so we could enjoy them in the house. They were beautiful and smelled really good, but you know what? No matter how much we cared for those branches, none of those blossoms turned into a cherry, or apple, or peach, or pear. Once they were cut away from the tree, they didn’t get the nutrients they needed to develop any further.

In our Bible reading today, Jesus talks about another fruit that grows in Niagara, and around here too – grapes! Jesus says, “I am the vine and you are the branches, and God is the gardener who helps them grow.” Grapes are a fruit that grows really well in the area of the world where Jesus lived and so it makes sense that he would choose this fruit for his story. The people listening would have known a lot about how grapes grow, so they would understand what he was talking about.

So, let’s think about grapes… Like all plants, the first thing you need to grow a grape vine is a seed. You need to plant the seed in good soil that has the right nutrients in it to help the plant grow and to develop good roots to keep it strong and stable in the ground. A grape seed doesn’t grow into a tree; it grows into a vine and branches grow off that vine. Those branches are where the grapes will grow but, just like the fruit trees I talked about, the branches need to stay attached to the vine in order to grow fruit. The vine brings up the water and nutrients from the soil that are needed to make good juicy grapes. A grape vine with all its branches can’t stand up by itself like a tree can, it needs something to attach to, like trees or bushes or a fence. The branches have little tendrils that wrap tightly around other things to help them climb up so they can reach the other important thing they need to grow – sunlight and rain.

Wild grapes climb their way up whatever is nearby. They can choke out other plants in their hurry to get up to the sunlight. Wild grapes are not really good for eating, unless you are a bird. They are tiny and pretty sour. The kind of grapes we eat are grown in a vineyard. A gardener takes care of them, making sure they have the right nutrients in the soil and fertilizer. They also make sure the grapes have a fence to climb so that they can spread out and reach the sunlight and rain without having to climb above trees. They can use their energy to produce sweet juicy fruit instead.

So, then what did Jesus want us to understand when he said, “I am the vine and you are the branches, and God is the gardener”? What do we need to grow into good followers of Jesus?

First, we need seeds. I think these are maybe the lessons that Jesus taught about how to love your neighbour and all of creation…

We can think of these seeds need as the environment we grow and live in – our family and friends, the books we read, the games we play, even the movies and television we watch. We can surround ourselves with good influences or poor ones, can’t we?

Jesus says he is the vine. I think that means he is there to support us as we grow. He gives us the strong roots that are grounded in God’s dream for us and the world. He gives us things we need to know to grow strong and stable, just like the grapevine carries nutrients and water to its branches. Jesus doesn’t mention the fence. Maybe he knew that his listeners would already make than connection because it is so important to growing grapes. I think we need a kind of fence too – something that works along with Jesus that we can wrap ourselves tightly along to give us strength and stability. For me, that would be our faith family and our community.

We are the branches that Jesus says need to stay attached to that vine. If we cut ourselves off then we can’t continue to grow and develop. If we stay connected, then we will have the energy to do the kind of work that Jesus wants us to do – kindness, justice, love. I think that’s the kind of fruit we produce – and then that fruit goes on to nurture others, it passes on the nutrients to help the world flourish.

If we think of God as our gardener, then we know that we are being taken care of in a loving way. God provides the nutrients we need and trims some of the extra wild stuff away so we can us our energy to produce that good fruit in a strong and healthy way.

It’s a nice way to think about who we are as followers of Jesus – he is the vine, we are the branches, and God is our caring gardener!

Let’s finish with a prayer: Thank you, God, for Jesus who invites us to connect with him to receive the things we need to grow strong and healthy and loving. Help us to share those gifts with others. Amen.

Hymn: Many Are the Lightbeams - Voices United #588 - CGS/Bell Canto - Erin

2. Many are the branches of the one tree.
Our one tree is Jesus.
Many are the branches of the one tree;
We are one in Christ.

3. Many are the gifts given, love is all one.
Love’s the gift of Jesus.
Many are the gifts given, love is all one;
We are one in Christ.

4. Many ways to serve God, the Spirit is one,
Servant spirit of Jesus.
Many ways to serve God, the Spirit is one;
We are one in Christ.

5. Many are the members, the body is one,
Members all of Jesus.
Many are the members, the body is one;
We are one in Christ.

Words: Cyprian of Carthage, 252, Swedish para., Anders Frostenson, 1972. English trans. © David Lewis, 1983; Music © Olle Widestrand, 1974, arr. by Leonard Lythgoe , 1995.
Song # 01706 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Prayer for Illumination            Reader: Rev. Karen Boivin

God, our sure foundation, open the scripture to us
and open us to the scripture so that we can hear your message
of love in songs, in word and in prayers. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Gospel Reading: John 15:1-8 (Common English Bible)    The True Vine

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vineyard keeper.2 He removes any of my branches that don’t produce fruit, and he trims any branch that produces fruit so that it will produce even more fruit. 3 You are already trimmed because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. A branch can’t produce fruit by itself, but must remain in the vine. Likewise, you can’t produce fruit unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, then you will produce much fruit. Without me, you can’t do anything. 6 If you don’t remain in me, you will be like a branch that is thrown out and dries up. Those branches are gathered up, thrown into a fire, and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified when you produce much fruit and, in this way, prove that you are my disciples.

May we find ourselves renewed in this Gospel reading. Thanks be to God!

Sermon: “Jesus: A True Vine”           Rev. Kim Vidal

When I was young, my father planted a lone grapevine in our front yard. I saw him constantly checking the vine – watering it, making sure no bugs are around to pester it, trims and prunes the branches, making them shorter so they will not grow so wild and all over the place. He once said that the fruits are produced closest to the vine because that’s where the nutrients are most concentrated. If the vine is healthy, you are sure that the trimmed branches remain healthy as well. I think my dad was right based on what I have read about an owner of a vineyard who talked about how he takes care of his grapevines. He said that he often prunes and trims the branches from his vines because by having shorter branches, it allows for more minerals and nutrients to go to the grapes on the remaining branches, thus making better wine. After a year or so, the grapevine in our front yard bore fruits. You can tell from my father’s face how delighted he was over the first bunch of red small grapes even though I must say they are the sourest grapes I’ve ever tasted!

Today’s reading in John portrays Jesus as a True Vine.  But this is not the only metaphor fleshed out in this text. We also read God as the vine grower, the one who removes and trims unfruitful and healthy branches.  And who are the branches? John says, we are! The Lutheran Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber expresses her reflection on today’s Gospel lesson. She writes: “…What I wish Jesus said is: “I am whatever you want me to be. And you can be whatever you want to be: vine, pruner, branch, soil...knock yourself out.” What Jesus actually said is: “I am the vine. My Father is the vine grower. You are the branches. Dang. The casting has already been finalized. Vines, and branches off of vines, are all tangled and messy and it’s just too hard to know what is what... Not only are we dependent on Jesus, but our lives are uncomfortably tangled up together. The Christian life is a vine-y, branch-y, jumbled mess of us and Jesus and others. Christianity is a lousy religion for the “do it yourself!” set.[2]  It seems to me that Bolz-Weber’s point makes sense. Nowhere in this passage does John’s Jesus teaches that we are not independent or do-it-yourself folks - that we cannot do it alone, that we cannot pull ourselves up when life puts us down – that we need to be connected to the vine, portrayed by Jesus, in order to be productive and strong and resilient.

For those who are hardcore gardeners, you would probably agree that growing vines don’t care about personal space. It’s a messy, twisty, jumbly thing. It stretches, it spreads, and it invades. It grows in all kinds of tangled up directions, and its densely interwoven branches are just about vague from each other. Rev. Debie Thomas said that like grapevines, “our spiritual lives are meant to be tangled up together. We are meant to live lives of profound interdependence, growing into, around, and out of each other. We cause pain and loss when we hold ourselves apart, because the fate of each individual branch affects the vine as a whole.”

But there are words in this passage that gives me discomfort. They sound like words of judgment: cleansed, cut off, remove, thrown away, burned, trimmed, pruned! They tell me that we need to undergo a painful transformation – that we need to experience sufferings or pain or stresses in life or to cut us off from something, in order to be healthy and strong and to bear more fruits. But in John’s theology and faith, these are necessary– the branches are trimmed or pruned in order to produce even more luscious, delicious, healthy fruit. Attentive, careful trimming and pruning of living and dead branches would truly bring forth more abundant leaves, or flowers or fruits. The use of the vine metaphor speaks about our lives as followers of Jesus and our relationship with him, even though we might want to argue about it.

At last Tuesday’s Lectionary group, we have discussed the meaning of pruning and trimming. Both words were used in translating the Greek word kathairie, which literally means to purge, to cleanse, or to cut off. Peggy Aitchison commented that trimming is a more gentle, loving way of cutting off leaves and branches and twigs whereas pruning is a more tedious and harsher way of tending to the plants and trees. A horticulturist once explained that pruning is needed to prevent loose or dead branches from harming other plants and it allows flowers and fruit to flourish. Pruning is not meant to stunt growth, but to stimulate the plant or tree. On the other hand, trimming is a way of tidying up a plant or a tree by removing overgrown branches. Excessive overgrowth is harmful since it reduces the amount of moisture and light a plant or tree receives, so trimming is also an important process. Pruning and trimming are both necessary in the growth of a plant or tree.

Trimming is a word that we often do in our lives whether we are aware of this consciously or unconsciously. A good example is weight. There’s a funny little prayer in my sister’s bathroom that I cannot forget. It says “Dear God if you cannot make me skinny, make my friends fat!” When we gain weight–we do all kinds of things to shed off those extra weight - treadmill, aerobics, power walking, hot yoga, diet…yes- we go the extra mile and sweat it out. Another thing that we trim is our age. Don’t we all like to have our wrinkles stretched or our skin looking fabulous? Cosmetics or surgeries will do the trick! There’s a radio commercial about a senior’s day at The Bay that entitles those 60 years or over for a nice chunk of discount all over the store. Towards the end of the commercial, you can hear this line: “oh by the way – since 40 is the new 60, we would like to see ID, please!”

There is another word that I think we need to trim: that word is “distraction”.  We live in a society full of distractions. They most certainly can detract us from our growth, focus, and happiness, as well as sidetrack us from other new ideas or opportunities. We need to be careful not to let things or people take time away from areas where we could better use our time, focus, and energy. A quick survey shows that 59% of iphone users check email the second it arrives, 83% check it while on vacation, and 53% even check it when they are in the bathroom. Some of us are distracted by work that we do not have quality time anymore with our children. And it's not just our children who are busy—simultaneously doing their online schooling, listening to music, playing video games and talking on the phone. It's also us, the grown ups who are unable to concentrate and stay focused as we suffer through one interruption after another.

As a faith community, there are lots of things that needs trimming or pruning in order to find our home in Jesus, the vine and God the vinegrower. There are resentments and anger and indifferences that need to be cut off; inappropriate and hurtful words that should be eliminated; a “holier–than-thou attitude” that needs letting go or the “I am always right and you’re not” behaviour that affects relationships. Jan Pound commented that as a faith community, we need to trim the old ways of doing things and to embrace a newer process that makes us refocus our energy. We need to let go of our old ways of having only the adults run the church and letting the younger ones be a part of the show. And how do we keep the young branches stay connected to the vine? One way to do this is to engage and integrate the children, youth and young adults in the life of the church. We need to listen to them and to give them opportunities to share their talents and gifts and to encourage them to create a space for their creativity and leadership to shine.  

Strange as it seems, rather than this John passage being harsh, they are, in the long run, words of comfort and hope for us as we celebrate our church anniversary. They are words of wisdom to keep us on the right track. I think John used the metaphors of the vine, the vinegrower and the branches to remind us of what would actually happen when we are not connected to Jesus and his way of life. John would say - we end up cut off, withered, useless, like the branches and dead twigs that we clean up from our yard and thrown away or burn. But cutting away the dead growth is necessary for new life to take place. And being a follower of Jesus apparently doesn't spare us in the process. We are trimmed and pruned so that we may stay close to Jesus’ agenda of love, justice and kindness, not wandering too far away like wild trailing branches, attaching ourselves to unnecessary things and resulting in a tangled mess of a life.

If Jesus is the vine and we are the branches, what do these metaphors mean for us? Debie Thomas says: we have only one task: to abide.  To hang in there for the long haul. To abide is to stay rooted in place. But it is also to grow, to change, and to multiply. If we abide, we’ll get trimmed. We’ll get pruned. If we abide, we’ll bear fruit. If we abide, we’ll have to accept nourishment that is not of our own making. If we abide, we will have to coexist with the other branches. We will have to live a life that is messy, crowded, tangled, and twisty. A life that’s deeply rooted and also wildly fertile.

Abiding in Jesus the vine means admitting that we are not only independent, do-it-yourself people who can boast “I did it my way.” Abiding in Jesus means accepting that we are also dependent on the vine, the vinegrower and the other branches. It means graciously receiving the nourishment the vine offers us but also consenting to being pruned by the vinegrower: to letting go of the things that hinder our growth, things like fear and hatred, greed and jealousy, grudges and resentment, shame and guilt, and all the other vine-y, branch-y tangly things that messes us up. By being tangled up and connected with the branches, we are able to connect with each other, in the words of Eugene Peterson, to become “intimate and organic”. Do we see our congregational life as abiding in Jesus, the vine and God as the vinegrower? Do we even know or think about what abiding would look like? And maybe that's the place to start – to what do we feel connected?

On this Anniversary Sunday, Jesus invites us to be real, to be honest about who and what we are, even if that means admitting that we need trimming or pruning to make us bear good fruit. We are not called to quietly continue as an insignificant wandering branches, moving steadily through the seasons of our life but failing to thrive or to increase our growth.  The one who shapes our lives, God as a vinegrower, wills us to flourish and grow and to feed others from the strength we get from our relationship with Jesus, the true vine. Yet there are more challenges and even opportunities to be revealed to each of us on this remarkable journey of faith.

May we continue to think freely and talk openly about who we are and how we are called to be. May we continue building a community that has love as its highest aim above personal gratification. May we follow in the steps of those who have given us a great beginning; the founders and foreparents of this congregation, who believed there was an exciting ministry to be had in this place and in this community. May God lead us into the future and give us the faith to serve.  “I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.” Let these words of Jesus inspire our living and being on this 170th anniversary year of BCUC and in the years to come. We have certainly come a long way! Amen.

Other sources that helped me in this sermon:

• BCUC Lectionary Group

• Debie Thomas, “Abide” Sermon on John 15: 1-8, 2018.

• Rev. Dr. Ritva H. Williams, “I am the Vine, You are the Branches”, sermon on John 15: 1-8, 2015.

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

O God our help in ages past our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home.

We offer our prayers today as we mark another year in the life and ministry of our congregation here at Bells Corners United Church. We pray that your Holy Spirit may continue to inspire us in our call to serve others, as we offer vibrant worship services and as we commit ourselves into a loving community following the example of Jesus, a true vine and with your guidance as our vinegrower.

May we continue to pass on our faith, hope and love to succeeding generations; that we may serve the communities in which we live and the wider world with commitment, vision and enthusiasm. Use us to be your heart and your hands, as we comfort the sorrowful, offer strength for the anxious, compassion for the sick, and concern and love for all.

We pray for all who hold positions of responsibility in worship, teaching, caring, social outreach or administration; and for each member and adherent, young and old alike, with their diverse gifts; that together we may fulfill our call eagerly, conscientiously, and with imagination, strengthened by your Spirit and upheld by one another’s prayers.

God of Healing, we pray for those whom the world is dark especially in this time of pandemic. We pray for those dealing with pain and suffering, loneliness, homelessness, poverty, disability, hunger, addictions, and broken relationships. We pray for those who are ill, at home or in hospital; those who are housebound; those who are grieving the loss of loved ones; and those who are worried or depressed;

We ask for your guidance and blessings upon the essential workers and healthcare people who make our lives easier as we live through the challenges of COVID-19. We pray for the many countries in the world who are struggling in saving the lives of people affected by the virus particularly in India, Brazil, the UK and other European countries and here in Canada.

Spirit of Life, as we celebrate this anniversary time, we cannot only look backwards at our history but we must also celebrate the present and look forward with optimism. Walk with us into the coming years in the life of this church. May we who this day celebrate and remember who we are as people of faith in our constant walk with you, may go forward in hope and in joy.

You, who journey with us, hold our lives together in the thread of your amazing grace. We rejoice with hope and great joy, remembering Jesus Christ, the mover and shaker of our faith as we abide in his love now and in the years to come.

All these things we ask in the name of 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. Lorrie Lowes

The God of yesterday, today and tomorrow holds each one of us in tender love and care. God is gracious and good, and no one is insignificant in God’s eyes. So we respond to everything God is doing in the life of this faith community and the world by offering a portion of the bounty we have received. Let us joyfully share our gifts of time, talents and resources as expressions of our 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 mail slot by the kitchen door of the church. You can also send in your support through e-transfer. Thank you for your continued love and support to BCUC.

Offertory Prayer[3]

Creator God, take these gifts that represent the fruits of our love for you, for our community and for ourselves. Use these gifts, as you use us, to spread your message of love throughout the world. Amen.

Sending Forth[4]              Rev. Kim Vidal

Live wholeheartedly;
God calls us to make every minute count.
Live adventurously;
God calls us to uncharted places and challenging situations.
Live faithfully;
God calls us to remember where our true allegiance lies.
Live compassionately;
God calls us to notice and to work alongside those ignored or forgotten.
As we go from this time of worship, may we be inspired to live as God calls us to live.
May we go knowing that God goes with us in this adventure called life. Amen.

Hymn:   “Deep in Our Hearts”  - More Voices #154  - BCUC Quartet

1. Deep in our hearts there is a common vision;
Deep in our hearts there is a common song;
Deep in our hearts there is a common story,
Telling Creation that we are one.  

2. Deep in our hearts there is a core is a common purpose;
Deep in our hearts there is a common goal;
Deep in our hearts there is a sacred message,
Justice and peace in harmony. 

3. Deep in our hearts there is a common longing;
Deep in our hearts there is a common theme;
Deep in our hearts there is a common current,
Flowing to freedom like a stream. 

4. Deep in our hearts there is a common vision;
Deep in our hearts there is a common song;
Deep in our hearts there is a common story,
Telling Creation that we are one.  

Words © 1995 John Oldham, Music © 1996 Ron Klusmeier, musiklus
Song #117654 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Departing Music: March – Occasional Oratorio – Handel        organ

Zoom Fellowship – 11 am

[1] Inspired by a prayer posted in www.united-church.ca

[2] Nadia Bolz-Weber in her sermon, “Vine and Branches: I Want to be a Sunflower for Jesus” (2015).

[3] Deborah Ambridge-Fisher, Gathering, Lent/Easter 2021, Year B. Used with permission.

[4] David Sparks, Gathering, Pentecost 2 – 2020 Year A.  Used with permission.

Sunday school activities - May 2, 2021

Theme Discussion

In today’s reading from the book of John, Jesus explains his relationship to God and to us by comparing this idea with a vineyard, a place where grapes are grown. He says that God is like the vineyard keeper, or gardener, who creates the vision of what the vineyard could be - will look like and what it will produce. God cares for creation the way a gardener cares for the plants, making sure the soil has the right nutrients, that the vines have a strong support system and access to the sunlight and rain they need to grow. Jesus is like the strong vine that has its roots deep in that garden that God created. The vine can provide those nutrients to the branches that grow out of it, just like Jesus gives us the good lessons we need to grow strong and loving. We are like the branches who grow strong and healthy by using the nutrients or lessons that Jesus provides. The fruits we bear are the ways we work to make the world a better place and help it grow with justice, kindness, and love.

You can’t grow good grapes by simply sticking a branch into the soil, just as you can’t grow a tree by planting a piece of wood. They need to be attached to roots in order to get what they need to grow.

What are the “roots” that help you grow?

Who are the people in your life that are the “gardeners” that God hopes will help you grow strong and healthy?

What “nutrients” do you think it takes to grow a good person or a good follower of Jesus?

What “fruits” or gifts can you give to make the world a better place?

Response Activity Ideas

My Vine

Version 1 (younger):

Materials: construction paper, scissors, pencil, glue

Trace your forearm and hand onto brown, green, or black paper and cut it out.  This is your vine or tree and branches. Stick this onto a brown or black paper that represents the soil and think about the people who make you feel safe and secure.  Cut out some leaf shapes out of construction paper to stick onto your branches.  As you put each one on, think about the people teach you and give you what you need to be strong and healthy.  Finally, draw and cut out some of your favourite fruit to stick on the vine.  As you do, think of ways you can make the world a better place.

Version 2 (older):

Create your own vine and garden outline using words!  To make the branches, roots, fruit, and gardening tools, write the experiences or names of those who support you in growing your ‘vine’ following the questions in the Theme Discussion.   To make longer lines you could use phrases, sentences, or repeat names.  Draw in any extra details to complete your picture.

Planting scraps

Have you ever tried planting fruits or veggies from the food scraps? Sometimes you don’t need to buy seeds to start a fresh new plant. Give it a try! Click here for ideas using kitchen scraps to regrow produce.

As you plant or prepare your old fruits or veggies, think about how the new shoots are dependent on the strong foundation and past growth of the old plant, nutrients of the soil all around, and your careful attention… just like we ourselves are growing out of the experience, nurture, and love of our biological, church, and community families. Can you make other connections between your planting project and this week’s bible passage and image of Jesus as the ‘vine’?

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Sunday Worship Service - April 25, 2021

 BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER – Good Shepherd Sunday

April 25, 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:  Sheep May Safely Graze - Bach organ 2 minute version

Welcome & Announcements          Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Welcome, everyone! It is wonderful to greet you this morning on behalf of Bells Corners United Church. We are so pleased that you are joining us from wherever you are in these days when we are unable to gather in the church sanctuary.

The work of the church continues during this time of lockdown and so there are many announcements on our website today. I will just highlight a few:

• The Interfaith Committee invites you to take part in a joint outreach project to thank the workers in the Environmental Department of the Queensway Carleton Hospital. These 170 folks who do the necessary work to keep our hospital clean and sanitized are often overlooked and deserve our recognition. If you would like to sew scrub caps, please contact Alison Bridgewater for more information. We are also collecting donations of store-bought, individually packaged, nut-free snacks and drink boxes or cash donations to allow us to purchase these items. Again, please contact Alison for further details.

• The Service, Outreach, and Social Action committee (SOSA) held the first in a series of free gardening workshops this week. We hosted close to 20 people and the information was appreciated by all. Don’t forget that, in conjunction with this “Veg-Out” program, we are also offering rain barrels, composters, and accessories for sale though rainbarrel.ca/bcuc/ The proceeds from this sale will go to Famsac, our local foodbank.

• You can still request hymns in memory of loved ones or in celebration of a joyful occasion. Requests can be made for a suggested minimum donation of $30 by contacting the church office, and will be featured in an upcoming worship service between now and the end of May.

For more details, and more announcements, please visit our website.

Now, let us prepare our hearts and minds for worship.

Lighting of Christ Candle        Acolytes: Norm and Jan Pound

On this Good Shepherd Sunday, we light this candle to remind us that we do not face the challenges of life alone. God is with us and cares for us like a good shepherd cares for the flock. Let the light and warmth of this small flame remind us of the guidance and comfort of that loving care.

Sung Response: Halle, Halle, Halle – Voices United #958 BCUC choir

Halle, halle, hallelujah! (3X)
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! 

Words trad, liturgical text and Music arr. © 1990 IONA Community, GIA Pub
Song # 02351 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Call to Gather    Rev. Lorrie Lowes

The Lord is our shepherd.
We shall not lack for anything.
Our Lord gives us rest, and revives our spirits.
We follow in right pathways because we belong to God.
Even when we endure hardship and suffering, our God is never far from us.
Let us celebrate our God, whose love for us shows no bounds.
We praise God who keeps our lives.[1] 

Prayer of Approach

Shepherd, enfold us into that place you call home.
May we learn to express your work through our actions.
We come seeking. Fill us with a great awe and unconditional understanding.
May this time together refresh us and renew us, this day and always. Amen[2] 

Hymn: God, We Praise You for the Morning -  Voices United #415 Susan, Mary & Bram

1.    God we praise you for the morning;
Hope springs for with each new day,
New beginning, prayer and promise,
Joy in work and in play. 

2.    God, we praise you for creation,
Mountains, seas, and prairie land.
Waking souls find joy and healing
In your bountiful hand. 

3.    God, we praise you for compassion,
All the loving that you show;
Human touching, tears, and laughter,
Help your children to grow. 

4.    God, we praise you for your Spirit,
Comforter and daily friend,
Restless searcher, gentle teacher,
Strength and courage you send. 

5.    God, we praise you for the Saviour,
Come that we may know your ways.
In his loving, dying, rising,
Christ is Lord of our days. 

6.    Hallelujah, hallelujah!
Hallelujah, hallelujah!
Hallelujah, hallelujah!
Christ is Lord of our days!

Words trad, liturgical text and Music arr. © 1990 IONA Community, GIA Pub
Song # 02351 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Storytime               Erin Berard

In today's Bible passage, Jesus compares himself to a good shepherd.  I don't actually know any shepherds - do you? - but we sure do hear a lot about them in the Bible!  Many people in the place where Jesus was were shepherds (and there still are nowadays in lots of places in the world… just not here in Bells Corners!).  They were or knew about shepherds, so the people Jesus was talking to would understand the connection he was trying to make.  He wanted to explain that he was trying to do for people, what a good shepherd would do for the sheep.  A good shepherd would be someone who makes sure their animals are well-fed and healthy, someone who is willing to protect the sheep from predators and go after the ones who get lost.  Jesus explains that the sheep would know a good shepherd's voice and respond to it, and that good shepherds would know the voices of their sheep, too.

In this week's Sunday School materials, I posted some links to videos of shepherds calling to their sheep.  Check them out!  It's so neat to watch them come running from over the hills when they hear that familiar voice.  There's also a video of random people trying to call the sheep, and the sheep don't move a muscle!  When the real shepherd speaks though, all the heads pop up immediately to see where that familiar voice is calling from!

Do you listen and come when your parents call?  

When I call Ainsley there's a good chance she'll respond: "Be there in a minute!"  She learned that from hearing the book Hurry Up, Franklin many, many times…  

So… mostly, right?

Do you hear Jesus' shepherding voice calling you?

Perhaps we're still learning to hear and to recognize Jesus' voice.  I think that maybe it's that voice inside of us which is helping us make good choices, reminding us to be generous or kind, encouraging us to use our skills and strengths.

Where else do we hear Jesus' voice of love? Maybe it's not even in actual words!  Maybe we 'hear' it in the actions of people feeding and caring for us, encouraging us and teaching us.

We don't always listen when we're called or follow instructions, though do we?  The good news is that even if we miss the Good Shepherd's guiding voice and make missteps - just like a sheep getting lost or hurt - God is there to love us, forgive us, and set us on the right path again.

Let us pray: Thank you God for your constant love that we can hear in caring words and see in the loving actions of our parents, teachers, and friends.  Help us to be like shepherds to those around us, too.  Amen

Hymn: Are You A Shepherd? - More Voices #126 Mary Schmieder

1.    Are you a shepherd, good shepherd who leads us
Safely through danger while calming our fears?
Are you a father who shelters and feeds us,
Shares in our laughter and tears. 

          Refrain:
          Yes, you are shepherd, parent, and teacher
          But you are greater than all that we know.
          Holy and living, loving and giving,
          God, you are with us, wherever we go. 

2.    Are you a mother, good mother who bears us,
Comforts, protects us and helps us to rest?
Are you a teacher who daily prepares us,
Challenging students to offer their best?   Ref 

3.    Great, gentle shepherd, forever beside us,
Lead all your children through paths that are right.
Great, loving parent, wise teacher, you guide us.
We want to love you and bring you delight.  Ref 

Prayer for Illumination              Reader: Jordan Berard

Loving God, we pray that you will open our hearts and minds to hear your message of love in song and word. Amen

The Reading: John 10:11-18

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

May we find ourselves renewed in this ancient reading. Thanks be to God!

Sermon: Jesus - A Good Shepherd – but not the Only Shepherd          Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Shepherd. It’s an image we hear throughout the Bible, in both the Old and the New Testaments. And although we are not as familiar with this occupation today, it is an image that was very familiar to our ancestors. The job was not one that many aspired to, perhaps, but it was vital to the lives of the people in ancient times. They depended on sheep for food and for clothing and even for religious rites. The shepherd image was used often to describe a good leader who both guided and cared for his people. Moses was a shepherd; David was as well – quite literally before they took on their God-given roles and responsibilities. It seems that God knew that the attributes of a good shepherd were just the kind of attributes that would make for a good leader or a good ruler. A good shepherd knew the terrain, was willing to travel far and in difficult circumstances to ensure that the flock entrusted to him was well-fed and protected from predators. A good shepherd knew his sheep well, recognizing them even when they were mixed in with other flocks, paying close attention to each one, checking them over for signs of injury or illness or distress. A good shepherd was more concerned with the well-being of his charges than with his own need for the comforts of a sheltered home and a warm bed. He wasn’t usually the owner of the flock but cared for them like a parent would care for his children. He knew that they needed the community of the flock to be safe, that a sheep lost and alone was easy prey for the wild animals that shared the mountains and valleys. He would risk his own safety to bring them back into the fold. He built a relationship of trust with his flock. This wasn’t just a job; it was a calling.

When God needed someone to guide, protect, and care for humankind, a shepherd was the right kind of person for the job. A good shepherd was someone that God could trust, and that others would trust enough to follow.

I think we would all agree that Jesus was this kind of a leader too. Unlike Moses and David, he wasn’t plucked from the actual role of shepherd and given this new responsibility. According to our faith stories, he was chosen for the task from before his birth and developed the attributes of a good shepherd leader as he grew. He loved God’s flock. He cared enough about each one to watch for signs of injury, illness, and distress and to do something about it when he found them. He drew them into community where they could nurture and protect each other. He lived with them in the same difficult conditions that they faced in the world. He was committed to his calling, even to the point that he would risk his own safety to stand up for the rights and needs of the flock. He instilled a sense of trust, a sense of comfort, and a sense of being cared for in the hearts of his followers.

When we think of good shepherds, especially in the context of the Bible, the scripture that first comes to mind for many of us is the 23rd Psalm. Most of us – at least in my generation, know this one by heart… “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want…” If I pause here, I bet many of you will continue with the rest of the words in your mind, if not out loud! Psalm 23 is arguably the most familiar Bible passage in the world. Even non-churchgoers are familiar with it. We use it whenever comfort is needed – at funerals, or in times of grave illness or trouble. We like the serene images of green pastures and clear, quiet streams. It promises care and protection, sustenance and security. It gives us the assurance of God’s presence and care – a care that is abundant, with overflowing cups and lavish banquets!

The psalm doesn’t claim that God will erase all evil and suffering. It acknowledges the reality that life isn’t always easy and that there will be some really difficult and scary times. In the 23rd Psalm, there is no promise that belonging to God’s flock will mean that all the nasty stuff will go away. What it does promise is that we can trust that God will always be with us and will sustain us, even at the scariest of times. We are safe, in good hands.

Psalm 23 is easy to love. It gives us the loving care of a shepherd without telling us we are simply sheep. The images change from sunny pastures to banquets in the midst of battle. No matter the situation, our shepherd God takes care of us.

But today, we heard another shepherd analogy, from the book of John. It gives us a very different set of images. Wolves are coming and those hired to help care for the sheep run for their own safety, leaving the sheep vulnerable and unprotected. The good shepherd not only stays but actually lays down his life for the sheep.

On the surface, this good shepherd is a metaphor for Jesus who was willing to sacrifice himself for us (some would say for our sins) but I wonder if it’s that simple. I do think a good shepherd would be willing to jump up and fight for what was most important to him – his sheep – but then, what happens if the wolves overcome that shepherd? Where would that leave those vulnerable sheep? Following this metaphor, it would seem that our shepherd Jesus would certainly be our champion and protector as long as he was alive but that his followers would be on their own if he was killed in the action.

In many ways, I think this is exactly what Jesus’ followers thought. They felt safe and strong in the company of their teacher but, after he was arrested and then executed, they scattered and tried to hide – just as the sheep would do if a wolf overcame the brave shepherd. Is that the end of the story? Does the metaphor fall apart here?

I can tell you that this week in our Lectionary Study, we struggled with this passage. It’s not as easy to love as the 23rd Psalm, for sure. It seems to tell us that Jesus’ role, like that of a good shepherd is full of danger and that to fill that role he would be required to lay down his life. To me, it seems to be missing the point somehow. For one thing, it doesn’t give any responsibility – or credit - to us sheep who follow him.

This train of thought led me to do some more reading and thinking about shepherds. Here is where my thoughts took me…

There are many stories about shepherds in the Bible, but I can’t think of a single one where there is just one shepherd wandering alone with his flock. They seem to travel in groups. Think about the Christmas narrative, for example. The multitude of angels came to proclaim the good news to shepherds tending their sheep.

My reading tells me that, most often, shepherds would travel together, each with his own flock, but together for safety and company. When they all headed out in the morning, each shepherd would call his own sheep and they would follow the right voice. They could mingle together all day – but when the shepherd called to settle them for the night or even to take them home, there was no confusion about which sheep belonged to which shepherd. They would follow the voice they knew and trusted. They knew that he was present. They knew that they could trust him in the day to find sustenance, and in the night to give them security and protection. But, if something happened to their shepherd, there were others to step in – to keep them on the right path, to give them what they needed to survive, to offer them security and protection, to lead them home.

In talking with my Midrash group this week, one colleague recalled a sermon entitled, “Jesus the Good Shepherd – but Not the Only Shepherd”. She didn’t tell us the content of that sermon but that title really got me thinking! What happens if we reframe the metaphor this way? … Jesus is the Good Shepherd, but not the only one.

I actually found that, by changing my perspective in this way, a whole lot more was opened up for me. Just as one shepherd would not put the health and safety of his flock in his own precarious hands without a contingency plan, Jesus didn’t put the future of the world and God’s dream for it solely on his own shoulders. He gathered a group of people around him who he could teach, people who would see the importance of that future, that dream, and would share in his passion for moving it forward. Jesus was the leader, but he left many competent leaders behind him. They may not have seen it in the first shock of his death, but we know that they were able to rally and to take on Jesus’ mission soon afterward… and we are proof that it didn’t end with them. Looking at it this way made me realize that, perhaps we are not just the sheep – an identity that is a bit uncomfortable for me at the best of times – maybe we aren’t expected to sit back and rely completely on God to make our lives safe and comfortable; perhaps there is a shepherding role here for us as well, a role that is not so passive, a role that takes commitment and courage, a role that gives us some of the responsibility. That makes a lot more sense to me.

In our Lectionary Study discussion, we also struggled with verse 16:

“I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also and they will listen to my voice. So, there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

We worried that this is often taken to mean that, in order to be loved and cared for by God, you need to follow Jesus, otherwise you are out of luck. It makes it sound as though there is an exclusive club that you can only enter if you take Jesus as your leader. While some denominations would argue that this is exactly what this verse means, it doesn’t seem to fit with our United Church theology that understands God to love and care for all of humanity and all of creation.

I think this image of “Jesus as the Good Shepherd - but not the only shepherd”, can help us here as well. If we accept the understanding that several shepherds would travel together, each with their own flock, and that all of the shepherds felt responsibility for the entire group, that they pastured in the same places and drank from the same streams, then this exclusivity doesn’t make sense. One shepherd wouldn’t go around collecting sheep from the other shepherds’ flocks. He cares about them and will help them like his own, but he doesn’t need to steal them away from where they are safe and comfortable to do so.

Using this new twist to the metaphor I hear Jesus saying, “You are my flock, but I still have some responsibility for the other flocks too. I need to make sure they hear my voice and can recognize it as a voice they can follow safely as they mingle together in the pasture or on the hillside all day. They will follow their own shepherd at the end of the day, but we are all on the same journey to find sustenance and we are all guided by good shepherds leading us in the same direction. Most of the time we are all just one big flock.” To me that “voice” becomes the message of love that Jesus taught – one that is not so different from the messages of other faith leaders – to love one another, to work toward a fair distribution of the world’s resources for all, to care for creation so that it can thrive.

Jesus is our shepherd and a good one – but he’s not the only shepherd.

The end of this reading gives us one more piece to ponder…

“ …I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again.”

Rather than reading this as a prediction of his crucifixion, or as a confirmation that Jesus was put on this earth by God to die for our sins, I now hear this as contradiction of those beliefs.  He states that he has the power to choose what to do with his life. He knew the danger in what he set out to do but felt that it was important enough to take the risk. In the end it was his choice, a choice given to him by God.

The two shepherd images – one in Psalm 23 and the other in the Gospel of John – give us two very different pictures, for sure, but I don’t think we have to choose between them. They serve different purposes. Psalm 23 gives us comfort in the knowledge that God is always with us, especially when we are most afraid and vulnerable. The difficult situation isn’t removed, but the support we need is there to get us though. There are times in our lives when this is the shepherd we need – the shepherd who makes us rest and offers sustenance and peace; a shepherd who allows us to be the sheep in need of care and comfort… The passage in John, on the other hand, gives us a shepherd who challenges us to follow in his footsteps – a shepherd who points out that the job is not an easy one but that it is one that is vital to the life of humanity and all of creation, a shepherd who reminds us that there are others on the same journey, and of the need to work together for the good of all. This shepherd gives us a choice. Which will we be? - a good shepherd, fully committed to the task? …  a hired hand who sees it as a good job as long as it isn’t too uncomfortable… or maybe a sheep who learns which shepherd to trust?

Jesus is the ideal shepherd, and we’d all like to be that committed and courageous, of course, but sometimes we can only be the hired hand and sometimes we need to be the sheep.

The image of the shepherd is a good one, I think. I feel secure knowing that my shepherd God is always there to care for me. Jesus showed us this care in action - an ideal shepherd for this world. But I also like the reminder that he could not do it all alone…

Jesus is the Good Shepherd – but not the only one. Amen

Prayers of the People                Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Gracious God,
you care for me; I need nothing more.
We confess that we colour our lives with want.
Some of us long for more possessions;
others strive for more privilege or power.
Some of us seek greater productivity and output;
others want their perspective to prevail.
Teach us the way of “I shall not want.”
You lead me into a haven of peace and rest.
Today, may we live as non-anxious presence,
may we reflect a prayerful engagement,
may our conversations and interactions be blessed with spirit-filled breathing.
You breathe new life into me and lead me in new ways.
Restore our souls.
Lift our vision.
Guide our lives.
You are with me, and comfort me,
even when the way of the world seems lost.
In the midst of reports from Myanmar and Mozambique, Ethiopia and Ukraine,
with the headlines composed of COVID variants and the St. Vincent volcano,
with the news detailing the horror and trauma of mass shootings and racial injustice,
with the numbing, painful reality of creation in crisis,
you call us to compassionate change and committed peace-making.
And so, we pray for the planet,
its leaders,
those on the frontlines,
those grieving,
those afraid,
those alone.
In the face of those who trouble me
you provide for me and pour out your blessings.
Grant us steady patience.
Grant us holy impatience.
Grant us the discernment to know when calm tolerance is the loving response,
and the wisdom to know when prophetic outrage is loving faithfulness.
God of justice and compassion you are with me always
and have promised to sustain me all my life.
Gratitude for all the blessings.
Appreciation for all that is sacred.[3] 

We ask these things in words that express our present reality and in the familiar and comforting words shared by Jesus so long ago:

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. Lorrie Lowes

As the flock who are nurtured and led by the shepherd Jesus, we are called to share our gifts of time, talents and resources so that we may show the care and love of the shepherd to others. If you are not on PAR and wish to send in your offering and donations, you can drop them in the mail slot by the kitchen door of the church. You can also send in your support through e-transfer. Thank you for your continued love and support to BCUC.

Offertory Prayer

God, you are like a shepherd to us and you lead us in green pastures.

When our cup overflows, inspire our generosity, so that we may continue to change the world according to your will. Amen

Sending Forth                 Rev. Lorrie Lowes

As you face this new week, listen for the voice of the good shepherd, who was willing to lay down his life for the message the world needs to hear. Share his message by sharing his love, with courage and conviction, with open heart, open mind, open hands, and open arms for all the world. And as you go, be assured that God accompanies you on the journey. Amen.

Hymn:  Psalm 23 God is My Shepherd - Voices United #748 Mary & Erin Berard (flute)

1.    God is my shepherd, I'll not want,
I feed in pastures green.
God grants me rest and bids me drink
from waters calm and clean.
Through daily tasks, I'm blessed and led
by one I have not one seen.

2.    Restored to life each morning new,
I rise up from the dust
to follow God whose presence gives
me confidence and trust.
I praise the name of God today;
in God I put my trust.

3.    When I must pass through shadowed vale,
where loss and death await,
I will not fear for God is there,
my shepherd strong and great,
whose rod and staff will comfort me
and all my fears abate. 

4.    No enemy can overcome,
no power on earth defeat
the ones anointed by God's grace
and fed with manna sweet.
My cup is filled and overflows
as I my Savior greet.

5.    Goodness and mercy all my days
will surely follow me;
and where God reigns in heaven and earth,
my dwelling place will be.
My shepherd blesses, cares, and leads
through all eternity.

Scottish Psalter, adapt © 1992 Lavon Bayler, Music: James L Macbeth Bain, harm © 1934 Gordon Jacob
Song # 87691, 05319 & 20515 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Departing Music: He Shall Feed His Flock Like a Shepherd - Handel organ
from the Messiah - (2 and a half minute version)

 Zoom Fellowship – 11 am

[1] Wanda Winfield, Gathering L/E 2018, p41. Used with permission.

[2] From Jim McKean, Gathering L/E 2014, p43. Used with permission.

[3] Ted Dodd, for the Diaconal Community, April 2021. Used with permission.

Sunday school activities - April 25, 2021

Good Shepherd Sunday: Theme Discussion

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday. There are many references to shepherds in the Bible; have you ever wondered why?

In Biblical times, being a shepherd was not a glamorous job; it didn’t make you rich and it was hard, dirty work, but it was really important work. In those days people relied on sheep for many things – clothing, food, and even religious ceremonies. Sheep needed a lot of care. They needed fresh places to graze and clean water to drink. Shepherds had to take the sheep out of the villages, towns, and cities to pasture in the country. They had to move daily to find new places for the sheep to graze and drink. Sheep were very vulnerable. They didn’t have claws or sharp teeth to fight off wild animals like wolves, they couldn’t run fast, and if they were knocked down and landed on their backs, they needed help to get up. The shepherds had to lead them, protect them, and take care of them. They were often away from home for a long, long time.

So, what do you think would be the best kind of person to be a good shepherd? I think they would have to be strong to walk so far and to be able to lift a sheep. I think they would need to be brave to fight off wild predators. I think they would have to know the countryside really well so they could lead the sheep to good pastures and good water. I think they would have to know a lot about what to do if a sheep got sick or hurt. I also think they would have to really love sheep to be willing to take on such a difficult job and do it well. The owners who hired shepherds would have to have a lot of trust in them to send them off with such important and valuable animals.

So, shepherds, at least good ones, were strong, brave, knowledgeable, wise, and they really loved the flock they were entrusted with. This is a list that would also make a good leader or a good ruler, don’t you think? Today we talk about Jesus being the good shepherd. He was all of these things for the people who followed him.

1.     Think about the leaders in our world. Parents, teachers, government leaders, ministers, heads of corporations and managers. Would the qualities of a good shepherd help them do their work in the same way?

2.     Tell about some people you have met or that you’ve heard about that you think are “good shepherds” and what they do that makes them so.

3.     Are there times when you needed to be a “good shepherd”? What skills and qualities did you need to do that?

4.     A good shepherd was an image that the people in Biblical times understood. If you were going to use a different image for today, what would it be? Why?

Response Activity Ideas

Click to print PDF

Shepherd Qualities

Print out the outline of a shepherd, or draw your own.  Inside, using different coloured pencils or different writing styles, write down different qualities a good shepherd (and good leaders in any context) should have.  This could be adjectives, examples of leaders who have these skills, actions they take, or whatever else helps explain your thinking. You could also cut out descriptive words from old magazines or newspapers to glue into the template.

Shepherd’s Calling

In today’s Storytime part of the service, Erin talked about how the sheep recognize the voice of their shepherd. 

Here is a video of a shepherd calling for his sheep – they hear, and come from a long way off!

Here different people are trying to call the sheep.  Watch the different reaction when their shepherd calls:

Think about the voices you hear around you – family, political leaders, media, faith leaders, Youtubers, etc.  Who do you listen to?  Who do you trust enough to follow?  How do you know you’re making the right choice?

Maze

Click to print PDF

Psalm 23 Crayon Resist Art

Read the familiar Psalm 23 which describes God being like a shepherd.  How does it make you feel?  What comes to mind as you hear the words? 

Using white crayons or oil pastels, draw the outlines of hills and ponds, or whatever else the text makes you think of, then fill in the areas with water colour paints.

Psalm 23 – New Revised Standard Version

A Psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;

3 He restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake. 

4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff—
they comfort me. 

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long. 

Sunday Worship Service - April 18, 2021

 BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

Third Sunday of EASTER – EARTH SUNDAY

April 18, 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:  All Things Bright and Beautiful - Voices United #291 – Music team

In memory of our parents (Rev. Lorrie and Neil Lowes)

Refrain:
All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful: in love, God made them all.

1.    Each little flower that opens, each little bird that sings,
God made their glowing colours, God made their tiny wings. 

2.    The purple-headed mountains, the river running by,
The sunset and the morning that brightens up the sky. 

3.    The cold wind in the winter, the pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden: God made them every one. 

4.    The rocky mountain splendour, the lone wolf’s haunting call,
The great lakes and the prairies, the forest in the fall. 

5.    God gave us eyes to see them, and lips that we might tell
How great is God our maker, who has made all things well.                           

Words 1848 Cecil Francis H. Alexander, alt. Music: Trad. English melody; adapt. 1915 by Martin Shaw
Song # 94233 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Welcome & Announcements               Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Good Morning! On this Earth Sunday I welcome you to today’s service of worship from wherever you are on this amazing planet we call home. In the stories we share through song, scripture, reflection and prayer today, I hope you find whatever you need – inspiration, insight, connection, comfort or hope. We are so happy that you are joining us!

Although we are not able to meet in person these days, the work of the congregation at BCUC continues! There are many items in the announcements that are posted on the website and I will only highlight a few.

The Interfaith committee with members from both BCUC and the Jami Omar mosque invites you to take part in a joint outreach project to thank and recognize a group of frontline workers who are often overlooked but absolutely necessary to the health and safety of our local hospital. The Environmental department of the Queensway Carleton Hospital are the folks responsible for the cleaning and sanitizing so necessary to keep both patient and health care providers safe, especially in this time of pandemic. We hope to provide them with required scrub hats and with a treat to let them know that they are loved and appreciated. If you would like to sew some hats, Alison Bridgewater will be happy to provide you with the pattern and material if needed. As the hospital does not accept home-made goods at this time, we are looking for donations of store-bought, individually packaged, nut free snacks or small financial donations so we can purchase these in bulk. Contact Alison for more details.

Did you know that you can listen to the wonderful music of BCUC on YouTube? Abe has uploaded more than 60 of our recorded hymns to date. You can find the link in the announcements on the webpage.

The Service, Outreach, and Social Action Committee has embarked on a project to encourage back yard and balcony gardeners this summer with free workshops - beginning this Tuesday -  from some of our wonderful experts here at the church, and an opportunity to purchase rain barrels, composters, and accessories with proceeds going to Famsac. Details can be found on the website and on our Facebook page. Here is Karen Boivin to tell you more about it!

SOSA Moment for Mother Earth             Karen Boivin

(Karen is seen lying on her garden bench)

You may think I am vegging out on a beautiful spring day. But that’s not how we Veg Out at BCUC. Veg Out is an initiative to encourage everyone to grow more vegetables this summer for our homes and to share with neighbours and food programs.

Last summer with the pandemic providing more time on people’s hands and more concern about food security many people turned to vegetable growing for the first time or with more gusto.

(Rainbarrels in the background)

The 100 mile diet is great, but 20 ft is even better in reducing carbon emissions.  And it’s wonderful knowing what has gone into our food. 

To provide healthy, natural, free food and water for growing vegetables, 

VEG Out includes the sale of a variety of rain barrels, and their accessories, plus composters with curbside delivery on May 15 th, just before the May long weekend planting. It’s recycling at its best; rain and plant material to make more veg! Rain barrels also prevent runoff and the flooding and pollution it can cause.

(View of the garden and public path)

At my house we also expanded our veg gardening last year into what I’ve jokingly referred to as Fiddlers Farm.  There were some unexpected results. The Pandemic led a lot more walkers to use the public path behind our house. Wonderful conversations went on over the back fence with neighbours and newcomers to our area where garden tips and questions were shared, children were shown where their tomatoes came from and excess cucumbers were shared.

Now, I am not much of a farmer or a fiddler and I look forward to learning from the many experienced gardeners at BCUC.  There is a VEG OUT Facebook page setup where novice to expert can share questions, tips, successes and challenges. 

And a series of VEG OUT Zoom Workshops will unfold to match the gardening season with the first Apr 20th on constructing Raised Beds, Hoop Gardens, Cold Frames and Choosing Soil.

In Genesis God says, “I give you ever seed bearing plant on the face of the earth and every tree that has fruit with see in it. They will be yours for food.”

Let us encourage friends and neighbours to join us in growing this bounty to eat and to share. Please check out the details of the Veg Out Program in your bulletin.

Lighting of Christ Candle   Acolytes: Clarke and Ellie Topp

In the very first book of the Bible, in the very first chapter, we read that God’s first act of creation was “Let there be light.” Just as God brings light out of darkness and chaos, we light this candle to acknowledge that holy presence with us - our very first step as we prepare our hearts and minds for worship.

Sung Response: Halle, Halle, Halle – Voices United #958 – BCUC choir

Halle, halle, hallelujah! (3X)
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Words trad, liturgical text and Music arr. © 1990 IONA Community, GIA Pub
Song # 02351 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Call to Gather    Rev. Lorrie Lowes

As bees gather to collect the nectar of blossoms, we gather to be nourished by the love of the great Creator.

As turtles bask in the warmth of the sun, we long to soak in the warmth of God’s Spirit.

As parched plants stretch deep in search of water, we pray to the one who is the Living stream to keep us rooted and strong.

As all life is sustained by the delicate balance of our planet, we pray for the wisdom to protect and respect all that God has blessed us with.

Come, let us worship our Creating God.[1]

Prayer of Approach

O God, who cracks open the seed, the soil, and even the grave and brings forth new life, we praise you for your wondrous touch.

You, the one who stretches the daylight, warms the air, melts the shadows and cold within us, we praise you for your healing touch.

You, the one who sets birds singing and hearts laughing, we praise you for your renewing touch.

This day we bring everything to you, in us, in our lives, and in our world, that is wrapped in winter coldness. Work your wonder in us. Let patience and strength take root. Let hope bud where none seems possible. Let passion and a courage for what is right flower in us. May life rise out of empty hearts and broken places. Work your Easter wonder in us. All praise be yours. Amen.[2]

Hymn: Morning Has Broken   - Voices United #409   - BCUC choir

1.    Morning has broken like the first morning,
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird.
Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!
Praise for them springing fresh from the word. 

2.    Sweet the rain’s new fall sunlit from heaven,
Like the first dew-fall on the first grass.
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden,
Sprung in completeness where God’s feet pass. 

3.    Ours is the sunlight! Ours is the morning
Born of the one light Eden saw play!
Praise with elation, praise every morning,
God’s re-creation of the new day! 

Words © 1931 Eleanor Farjeon, Music Gaelic Melody, harmony © 1982 Alec Wyton
Song # 118118 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved 

Storytime: “Rhythms of Creation”         Karen Boivin

(Sound of Karen playing the djembe drum)

     Hi! It’s Karen, back from the garden. Welcome to Story Time and a special welcome to the children and youth with us today. I am excited to be talking to you on Earth Day Sunday because my drum always makes me think of the earth and how to care for it.

     Let me introduce you to my djembe drum. Can you guess what the body is made of? Right, it’s wood! In fact, its carved from one tree trunk. And what is the head of the drum made of? It’s the skin of a goat. The wood reminds me of all the vegetation on the planet: trees, shrubs, flowers, and all the other plants. And the top, of all the creatures the animals, reptiles, birds, fish and insects. Who is missing? The people! Playing it with human hands we add humanity!  All living things are represented by the drum.

     One more thing is needed for sound to come out. If you could put your hand inside the bottom you would feel a big rush of air coming out when I hit it that creates the music.  In the book of Genesis, it talks about God’s Spirit coming like a big wind or a big breath to create everything on earth.

      I am always very careful not to drop my drum or knock it over because the wood could crack. And I never wear jewelry when I’m playing in case it puts a hole in the skin. If either of those things happened, it wouldn’t play well anymore. And drummers tighten their hands when we play to bring our fingers and thumbs up so we don’t whack them on the wood edge which hurts a lot. Being careful around the drum is a reminder to be careful around all of creation; treating our bodies well and caring for all of nature; the creatures and vegetation, waters, earth and sky. 

    Did you notice these strings on the drum? They hold the skin on. Sometimes over time the skin stretches, and the drum goes from saying “BOOM BOOM” to “plop plop”. Then I have to weave more of these diamonds to tighten it. But not too many…because then what might happen?  Pop! The skin tears and no more music. It’s about getting the balance right on how tight to make it.  Caring for the earth is also about getting the balance right but this time it’s about how much we take from nature for our own use; not taking so much that nature can’t recover. Drummers treat their drums with great respect out of gratitude to the trees and animals that made them possible. It’s good to give thanks and respect to nature in gratitude for the food, housing, and good things that we get from the earth.

   We play rhythms on drums. A rhythm is a pattern that repeats itself. The earth has lots of repeating patterns too. Can you think of some? The days and nights, the four seasons, the ocean tides, and our heartbeat and breath are some. Drum rhythms are usually played in a group with each person playing a different rhythm at the same time and yet it makes a beautiful song. Doesn’t that sound tricky! It works because 1) Everyone listens carefully to one another too hear how the rhythms go together. 2) Each person leaves space for the other person’s rhythm to fit in. 

If I just wailed away on the drum everyone else in the group would think what’s the use trying to play and would go home. There are two hints as to how we can care for the Earth. Making sure everything and everyone has space to live comfortably and safely. And to listen closely to what nature and other people are telling us about what they need.

   So, let’s play together. You can push the computer back and use the table top, or sit on the floor and use the seat of a hard chair, or put a book in your lap. Remember, keep your hands tight so thumbs and fingers are up. And you don’t need to hit hard to make music. We are going to hit near the edge of our drum with the pads just below our fingers. First our right hand and then our left.  There is a saying “if you can say it you can play it” so say “Da….Da” as you hit the edge.  Now we will hit further in on our drum with the heel of our palm “Boom….Boom”.  Let’s put the two together “Da, Da, Boom….Boom”   Let’s do the same thing but on the Boom Boom but this time make them a little closer together “Da, Da, Boom Boom”.  Now we put those two patterns together  “Da, Da, Boom….Boom / Da, Da Boom Boom.   Now I will get you started with the rhythm and you keep playing it when I switch to another rhythm. This is where the listening comes in. The internet often causes a lag so you may have to adjust a bit to make them sound good together.

I bet that sounded awesome. Let’s offer a prayer now:

Holy God, we thank you for the rhythms of the earth and all the creatures that live on it. We ask you to help us to listen carefully to its needs and to help provide the right balance so everything on earth has the space it needs for abundant life. Amen.

Hymn: “O Beautiful Gaia” - More Voices #41   - Music team

Refrain:
O beautiful Gaia, O Gaia, calling us home.
O beautiful Gaia calling us on. 

1.    Soil yielding its harvest, O Gaia, calling us home.
Soil yielding its harvest, calling us on. 

2.    Waves crashing on granite, O Gaia, calling us home.
Waves crashing on granite, calling us on. 

3.    Pine bending in windstorm, O Gaia, calling us home.
Pine bending in windstorm, calling us on.

4.    Loon nesting in marshland, O Gaia, calling us home.
Loon nesting in marshland, calling us on.

Words & Music © 2000 Carolyn McDade & Atlantic Singers, Arr © 2006 Lydia Pederson
Song # 125416 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved 

Prayer for Illumination             Reader: Ruth Howes

The light of Christ has entered this place. Now let the light enter our hearts, as we receive the words of scripture. Send your light, O God, like the first morning; send your Spirit like the first bird. Amen[3]

The Reading: Genesis 2: 4b-9, 15      Another Account of the Creation

In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, 5 when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground; 6 but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole face of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. 8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.

May we find ourselves renewed and re-created in this ancient reading. Thanks be to God!

Sermon: “Which Story is True?”

Today in the church calendar we celebrate Earth Sunday. It’s a time to celebrate the wonder of this place we call home and a time to focus our attention on the effect our way of life has on it. It’s also a good time, I think, to look at the creation stories found in the Bible. Yes, I said “stories” because there are more than one. There is the beautiful poetry of Genesis 1 – “In the beginning…” where God creates the Earth over six days, adding more wonder each day and declaring at the end of each one, “And God saw that it was good.” Humans appear at the very end of the work on the sixth day – first come all the other creatures of the water, the sky, and the land. And then, humankind is created in the image of God, male and female.

“And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’ God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.”

This was the end of God’s work week and on the next day God rested. God was satisfied with a job well done and a world functioning smoothly.

And then, just a few verses later, we read a different creation story, the one we heard Ruth read for us today. In this one, God creates humankind right at the beginning, as soon as there is dry land to stand on. In fact, this story tells us that “the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground.” God breathes life into him and then creates a garden from that same dust, with every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden to till it and keep it.” After that God uses that same dust to form every animal of the field and bird of the air… and finally, a partner for man is created from his very body – the same body that was created from that same dust.

Of course, millennia have passed since these stories were first told. The world has progressed and science has added a lot of information and understanding about not only the beginnings of life on this planet but also on the context of this planet we call Earth in the vastness of the universe. Today we know much more about evolution and how living things adapt to the changes that have happened over the eons of time. We have a new creation story to add to our repertoire.

All of these stories have common elements but each one is unique. The problem for our modern minds is that they seem to be totally different stories… Which one are we supposed to believe? …Which one is true?

Thomas King is an award-winning author and scholar of Native descent. One of his areas of scholarship is aboriginal oral traditions and storytelling. In his Massey Lecture series for CBC, captured in his book, “The Truth About Stories”, he talks about how our view of the world is connected to the stories we hear and the stories we tell. “There are no truths,” he says, only stories.” We build our truths from the stories we hear, the stories we live, and the stories we tell. Each time a story is told, it changes slightly depending on who is doing the telling, or where, or when. It might change because of the mood of the storyteller or the reaction of the audience. When a story is passed from person to person, it can change to emphasize the things the teller found most important or what they think is most important for you to know. The story might change, but it always contains some element of the original.

Each lecture or chapter in King’s book begins with a creation story that he knows about the world being built on the back of a turtle. He’s heard the story many times and every telling is different, he says, but in every telling, the world never leaves the turtle’s back and the turtle never swims away. That’s the important part, the part we need to hear.

To me, that’s the place we find our truths. The way we learn about the world. I think of it like this: “I don’t know if it really happened this way, but I know this story is true.”

In our first creation story, humankind is created last. What does this tell us about our place in the evolution of the world? It certainly seems to fit with what Darwin and science have shown us, doesn’t it? Everything was in balance, all needs were addressed – food, air, water, companionship. It’s interesting that men and women arrive just when God is ready for a rest. God gives humans a job, puts them in charge, gives them dominion over it all, and then settles into a blessed and hallowed day of rest.

In the second, man is created first, then all of the other living things, both plant and animal, and finally woman. This time man is present to witness the wonder of creation, to marvel at the diversity of life that comes from the same dust, to see how each piece fits into the whole, to witness the intricate weaving of the needs and gifts of all living things, the interdependence built in to the whole amazing picture. Man was there to witness the beautiful choreography from the very beginning. And, once again, God gives man a job. Man is placed in the heart of it all, to till it and keep it. Up to this point, man is set apart from the other living things created by God. He is a separate entity, with all this incredible world in his hands. God brings each new living thing to man and asks him to name them. He is unique – one of a kind, in the same way God is unique – there is no other one. Man is given a role in creation by naming and categorizing each thing God creates. Man is given a responsibility to care for creation and to help it grow – to till it and keep it. But man is not God; he needs companionship, he needs a partner. When God sees this, woman is created – not as a new creation from the dust of the earth but out of the very man himself. She is the same, but unique in her own right. She is separate and yet part of the whole. Together they are given the gift of choice, the gift of free will.

I don’t know if it really happened this way, but I know the stories are true.

The first “truth” in the creation stories, for me, is that in creating this incredible world, humans are just one small part of that creation but an important part, unique and different from the rest. Whether we came at the very beginning or at the end, we humans were given special responsibility to maintain creation and to help it grow.

Another “truth” I hear in these stories is that we humans have a unique relationship with God. We are trusted with knowledge and insight into the workings of this amazing world – not just of our planet home but, more and more, of the universe itself.

Whether man and woman were created together or whether they are part of the same body, I hear the truth that they are equal in the eyes of the Creator and are meant to work together as partners in carrying out the responsibility they were given.

The truth in each of these stories – including the science that we now know – is that everything was created from the same elements, the same dust, the same “star dust” that was swirling about in that chaos before Creation.

The question, perhaps, is not “did things really happened this way?”, but rather “what do we do with these truths?”

Today, Earth Sunday, and Thursday on Earth Day, we are reminded to celebrate the beauty and complexity of the world, and our place in it. It is not a religious holiday, although the premise certainly fits with our beliefs and those of many other faiths. The message of this focus on the Earth is one that transcends religious beliefs. It is a vital call to all of us who inhabit this planet. It is a call to all of humanity to see, not only the beauty and bounty Earth has to offer us, but also the effect we are having on it – to remind us of our responsibility.

I recently watched a documentary by David Attenborough called “A Life on This Planet”. In it, he reflects on the changes that have happened to our natural world over the ninety years he has been alive. It’s very powerful and I highly recommend that you watch it. It features the incredible beauty of our world that we expect from David Attenborough, but it also lays out, in stark statistics and disturbing footage, the places and species that are wounded and dying. Underlying it all is the clear message that this devastation is happening because of us. We humans, the ones entrusted with the responsibility and the ability to “till and tend” Creation, have instead exploited the gifts it offers to the point where it is struggling to survive. Maybe we’ve been caught up in the power of that “dominion over” and of naming everything rather than the responsibility that came with them. He begins with a walk through the city of Chernobyl, the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster. When it happened, 35 years ago, the city was evacuated. Because of the intensity of the radioactive fallout that will last for hundreds of years, it remains uninhabited.  What we might expect to be a dry, burnt out place, is anything but. In the decades that have passed, nature has made a comeback. Plants have come up through the concrete, trees flourish – some even growing through buildings! Wild animals have come back and are multiplying. The truth that David Attenborough wants us to hear is that Creation will survive in spite of whatever disaster strikes – natural or man-made. It may not be the same, in fact it will likely be transformed, but life of some kind will rise again.

Spring is a perfect time to be reminded that the force of life is strong and resilient. After months of freezing temperatures, of ice and snow, of short hours of daylight, our gardens are coming alive! Forsythia bushes burst into bloom, flowers push their way up through the earth, buds appear on branches, birds and frogs begin to sing a chorus of love songs. Some of it happens because we have taken good care to protect the plants and to feed the wildlife through the hard months, and some of it happens in spite of us.

In this season of Easter, resurrection is the source of our celebrating and the source of our hope. We read last week about the disciples, huddled in a locked room after Jesus’ execution who found him once again among them. We read on Easter Sunday about how Mary, devastated by the loss of her teacher, encounters him again in the voice of a stranger in the garden outside the empty tomb. In the season of Easter, we encounter the story of the disciples meeting Jesus in a stranger on the road to Emmaus who shares a meal with them, and again on a beach sharing an unexpected bounty of fish. Jesus is resurrected over and over again in the weeks following his crucifixion. Most of the time he is not recognizable as the man they knew, even to those who loved him most – but he is alive again in words spoken, in meals shared, in the ordinary but amazing blessings of their lives. His body had been broken but his spirit and his dream lived on. For me, in many ways, he is that part of the creation story that never changes, the truths… use the gifts you have been given to care for creation, help it grow and flourish… there is enough here for all… there is wisdom and order in the diversity and complexity… life is eternal… We hear it all again in the stories of Jesus.

A meteor devastated the life on earth in the time of the dinosaur, but new life emerged from the dust. Chernobyl was poisoned but new life emerged from the rubble. Winter kills the green of our summer gardens but new life emerges every spring. The new may not look like the same as what was lost but the life that God breathed into the dust at the time of Creation continues to grow and evolve in new and sometimes even stronger ways. We are surrounded by resurrection.

What is humankind’s role today? Is it any different from the role given to the first humans in our creation stories?

The miracle of Creation is that it thrives on diversity and bio-diversity. Each living thing depends on others for life and provides the necessities of life to another. It is beautifully designed to provide enough for all. The world is designed to carry on living. We have the power to help it flourish or to exploit it to the point where it can’t sustain us anymore. It all depends on how we interpret our role of “dominion over every living thing” or “till and keep the garden”.

Two creation stories in our faith tradition and many more in the traditions of other faiths and cultures throughout the world… Many creation stories in our modern world, stories of our beginnings, stories of our past, and stories about what is to come. I believe there are truths in every one of them, lessons to be learned, lessons to warn us and guide us and lessons to help us remember the glorious miracle of this world we live in with all its beauty and complexity.

Some of the stories in Thomas King’s book are traditional tales; many are personal experiences. Like the stories in the Bible, the truths and the lessons aren’t spelled out for us in black and white. We are expected to find in them the truth we need to hear in our context, from our place in the world.

Thomas King begins each chapter of his book just the way the Bible begins, with a Creation Story. In both cases, this serves to ground us and prepare us for what is to come. At the end of each chapter, he reminds us of the power stories wield – all stories. Stories may change over time and over the telling – even the stories that convey the facts of science and history change as we gain new information and insight and understanding – but they are vital to who we are and who we will become. And so, on this Earth Sunday as we contemplate our own creation stories, I leave you with Thomas King’s parting words:

“Take this story; it’s yours. Do with it what you will. Cry over it. Get angry. Forget it. But don’t say in the years to come that you would have lived your life differently if only you had heard this story. You’ve heard it now.”

Prayers of the People               Rev. Lorrie Lowes

(A prayer written by Pope Francis in 2015)

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures. You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.

Pour out upon us the power of your love, that we may protect life and beauty. Fill us with peace, that we may live as brothers and sisters, harming no one.

O God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes.

Bring healing to our lives, that we may protect the world and not prey on it, that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.

Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain at the expense of the poor and the earth.

Teach us to discover the worth of each thing, to be filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize that we are profoundly united with every creature as we journey towards your infinite light. We thank you for being with us each day.

Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle for justice, love and peace​.[4]

All these things we ask in the name of Jesus, who showed love for all creation in his actions and his teachings, and the words he taught his disciples:

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. Lorrie Lowes

On this Third Sunday of Easter, as we celebrate the gifts of new life and the beauty of creation, we are invited to share our gifts of time, talents and resources as expressions of our 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 mail slot by the kitchen door of the church. You can also send in your support through e-transfer. Thank you for your continued love and support to BCUC.

Offertory Prayer

Your love, O God, is evident as we look around us: birds and flowers, sky and sea, animals and plants, all work together toward the perfection you intend for the world.

Help us, as we look upon your world, to live out our praise as we respond to you for your great self-giving love. Amen[5]

Sending Forth                Rev. Lorrie Lowes

May we be blessed by air and water, by earth and fire, by land and sky.
May we be a blessing to all that blesses us.
May we go with the brightness of Earth in our blood, attuned to the sacredness of the world where we live, and listening for our parts in the healing of the planet.
May we go as kindred of tree and seal and dear, of moss and flower, eagle and orca, as kindred of all the living world.
May we go to love and serve the God of Creation.[6]           Amen.

Hymn:  Called By Earth and Sky     More Voices #135   - BCUC Choir

Refrain:
Called by earth and sky,
promise of hope held high.
This is our sacred living trust,
treasure of life sanctified,
Called by earth and sky. 

1.    Precious these waters, endless seas,
Deep oceans dream,
Waters of healing, rivers of rain,
The wash of love again. 

2.    Precious this gift, the air we breathe;
Wind born and free.
Breath of the Spirit, blow through this place,
Our gathering and our grace.

3.    Precious these mountains, ancient sands;
Vast fragile land.
Seeds of our wakening, rooted and strong,
Creation’s faithful song.

4.    Precious the fire that lights our way,
Bright dawning day.
Fire of passion, sorrows undone,
Our faith and justice one.

Words & Music © 2005 Pat Mayberry, Arr © 2005 Marg Stubbington
Song # 119776 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Departing Music: All Things Bright and Beautiful – arr. Rutter          Abe – synth sounds

Zoom Fellowship – 11 am

[1] Juanita Austin, Gathering L/E 2016, p46. Used with permission.

[2] Bill Steadman, Gathering L/E 2018, p48. Used with permission.

[3] Robin Wardlaw, Gathering L/E 2021, p47. Used with permission

[4] Pope Francis, https://catholicclimatemovement.global/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Aprayerforourearth.pdf with permission to share.

[5] Beth W. Johnston, Gathering L/E 2016, p47. Used with permission.

[6] Brian Day, Gathering L/E 2021, p52. Used with permission.

Sunday school activities - April 18, 2021

Earth Sunday

Theme Discussion

One of the lessons that the pandemic has taught us is to not take things for granted.

Things that used to be easy and natural for us to do aren’t so easy these days.  Can you think of some examples of things we used just do easily that now take many more steps or things that we can’t even do anymore?

Here are some ideas: Going to school means wearing a mask, carrying hand sanitizer, not sharing supplies, and not playing games that require close contact. Visiting your grandparents might only be possible on Zoom or, when it’s safe, meeting somewhere outside while being careful to keep your distance – no more hugs and kisses from family outside your household! Spring Break doesn’t mean a trip somewhere or going to the movies with your friends, but just more time at home. Playing in the gym while the grown-ups have coffee after church hasn’t happened in a long time, nor have family dinners together before choir practice or singing together at all.

When things are easily available to us, we often forget how important they are. We take them for granted. One of the things we most take for granted is the gift of living on the Earth. It’s all we know, there isn’t another place to go. We are entitled to it just by being born. The danger of taking something for granted is that you don’t appreciate it and so you don’t take care of it.

Today is Earth Sunday in the church and this Thursday is Earth Day all over the world. It’s a time to remember what an amazing place this Earth is! And a time to remember that we need to take care of it.

What are some things you can do to take care of the Earth this week? Are these things you can do all year round and not just on Earth day?

What are some things you can do to remind yourself and others of the wonder and the beauty of the Earth so you don’t take it for granted?

Response Activity Ideas

Mindful Walk

Take a quiet walk in your neighbourhood, or sit out on your front or back step.  As you walk or sit, try to be mindful and pay attention to what is happening in the moment all around you.  Try to notice 5 different colours, 4 different sounds, 3 different textures, and 2 different smells. Or maybe you could try to notice opposites – something rough/something soft, something bright/dull, etc.  During this quiet activity did you notice something new in this familiar location?  Say a short prayer of thanks for the beautiful variety and blessings in nature.

One Small Change Earth Pledge

As a family or on your own, make a promise to make one small change for the better of the planet. This could be something like committing to only using reusable straws or only using bar soap instead of that which comes in plastic bottles.  Make a colourful poster to put up in your home to remind everyone of your promise (“We pledge to….”) and have everyone sign it!  For a bigger challenge, make a list of small changes you could make, one a month, for the next year, then celebrate your progress next Earth Day! 

Recycled Earth Craft

Materials: old magazines, flyers, or catalogues, cardboard, glue, pencil

Make an Earth collage using torn coloured papers! 

Cut out a circle from cardboard.  Sketch outlines for the landmasses areas if you wish to make it look realistic, or just make your own creative landforms!  Flip through magazines to find blue, brown, white, and green colours and tear the pages into small pieces. Glue the pieces down overlapping slightly to cover the cardboard completely.   Source and more detailed instructions are available at: https://iheartcraftythings.com/earth-day-collage.html

Sunday Worship Service - April 11, 2021

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER

April 11, 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:  Tell Me The Stories of Jesus   Voices United #357  - BCUC Choir

In celebration of those who love to tell stories (Chris Spence)    

1 Tell me the stories of Jesus I love to hear;
things I would ask him to tell me if he were here; scenes by the wayside, tales of the sea,
stories of Jesus, tell them to me.

2 First let me hear how the children stood round his knee; and I shall fancy his blessing resting
on me; words full of kindness, deeds full of grace, all in the love-light of Jesus' face.

3 Tell me, in accents of wonder, how rolled the sea, tossing the boat in a tempest on Galilee;
and how the Master, ready and kind,
chided the billows, and hushed the wind.

4 Into the city I'd follow the children's band,
waving a branch of the palm-tree high in my hand; one of his heralds, yes, I would sing
loudest hosannas! Jesus is King!

5 Show me that scene in the garden of bitter pain; and of the cross where my Saviour
for me was slain. Sad ones or bright ones,
so that they be stories of Jesus, tell them to me.

Words: 1885 William H. Parker; Music: 1903 Frederick Challinor © National Christian Ed Council
Song Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Acknowledgement of Territory         Rev. Lorrie Lowes

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 Bells Corners United Church, I welcome and greet you in the name of Jesus Christ on this second Sunday of Easter also known as Low Sunday. After a spiritually intense and emotionally draining week particularly the celebration of Easter Sunday, we are so ready for a low-key Sunday. Thank you for joining us in today’s service.

In this time of provincial stay-at-home order when we cannot gather physically in the church building, please remember to reach out through emails, phone calls, letters or cards, prayers or via Zoom.  

We have exciting eco-friendly programs called Veg Out & Rainbarrel Fundraising hosted by the members of our Service, Outreach and Social Action Committee. Please note as well that the Hymn-Request is still ongoing until May 23rd. Details of these initiatives are posted on our website at bcuc.org or call the office for more information.

We offer our sincere condolences to the McDonald Family in the passing of Bill on March 25th. Please remember the family in your thoughts and prayers.

Friends, I now invite you to centre yourself in the presence of our welcoming God who calls us to gather with a joyful heart and alleluias. Let us gather in worship.

Lighting of Christ Candle    Acolytes:  Mandy & Meighen Crow

The radiance of Christ’ light shines on us.
We are gathered together knowing that the Risen One is here among us.
With grateful hearts, let us welcome the light of Christ. 

Sung Response: Halle, Halle, Hallelujah – Voices United #958  - BCUC Choir

Halle, halle, halle-lu-jah (3X)
Hallelujah, hallelujah1

Words trad, liturgical text and Music arr. © 1990 IONA Community, GIA Pub
Song # 02351 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Call to Gather    Rev. Lorrie Lowes

The door to the upper room was shut and barred,
but the Risen Christ stood among them.
The entrance of our hearts may be sealed,
but the Spirit of Jesus embraced us all.
The gateways to our lives may be rusty and stiff,
but the love of Christ opens the gate and welcomes all who hunger for God.
Let us worship the Holy One and give praise to God.

Prayer of Approach[1]

Creator God, we bring our doubts and our questions,
and as you touch our second thoughts,
you turn them into adventures.
Come now, O spirit,
and create a moment of awakening
where we can sense you among us
and the world can witness in us
the good news that resurrection brings. Amen. 

Hymn: Joy Comes with the Dawn – Voices United #166  - BCUC Choir

Refrain:
Joy comes with the dawn;
joy comes with the morning sun;
joy springs from the tomb
and scatters the night with her song,
joy comes with the dawn.

Weeping may come;
weeping may come in the night,
when dark shadows cloud our sight. R

Sorrow will turn,
sorrow will turn into song,
and God’s laughter make us strong. R

We will rejoice,
we will rejoice, and give praise,
to the One who brings us grace. R

Words & Music © 1985 Gordon Light, Common Cup, arr. © 1995 Nan Thompson
Song #117798 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Storytime                Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Do you ask a lot of questions? It’s a natural thing to do if you are a kid, especially when you are really young. The world is new to you and you are trying to make sense of it all, right?

What makes the wind blow?

How do birds know when it’s time to fly south or when it’s time to come back?

Why do worms come out after it rains?

When will I be able to ride a bike?

Who decides the speed limit?

Where does God live?

And lots of Why? Why? Why?

So many questions and so much to wonder about!

Sometimes we ask questions because we don’t know the answer, and sometimes we ask questions because we see or hear something new that makes us question what we thought before. We might ask an expert for an answer, or we might try to figure it out ourselves, we create a theory – a way to make sense of something new…

And the wonderful thing about asking questions is that it usually leads to new learning! And learning is a wonderful thing. Now, kids are expected to ask lots of questions, but it is just as important for all of us to keep asking questions no matter how grown up, or well-educated, we might be. If we stopped asking questions, the world would never change, new discoveries would never be made, new ways of curing or preventing diseases would never be found.

In today’s scripture reading we hear that Jesus’ disciples were very upset and scared after Jesus was arrested and crucified. They locked themselves in a room and were afraid to leave. They were sure that all the good work Jesus had done in his life was over and that all the promises of a better world would never happen.  Jesus came to them and said, “Peace be with you.” I think that’s a way of saying, “Settle down, think this through. You can’t hide in this room forever.” One of the disciples, Thomas, was missing. We aren’t told where he was but we know that he had left that room for a while and when he came back, the others told him that Jesus had been with them. Well, that just didn’t make any sense to Thomas! From everything he knew about people who died, he was sure it was impossible for them to come back for a visit. He said, “I’ll believe it when I see it!” He is known as “Doubting Thomas” because he didn’t just believe what the others said. He needed proof; he needed some way to make it make sense in his mind. He had a lot of questions.

I often wonder what the conversation was like in that room when Thomas came back to join his friends. The story doesn’t say that the disciples made fun of him or that they kicked him out. I imagine that they talked and talked. They shared what the knew and they shared what they saw, and they shared what it all meant… and, eventually, Jesus came to Thomas too.

I think this story can teach us a lot. I think it tells us that when things get really hard or even scary, it helps to settle down and think things through. I think it tells us that it’s ok to be confused and to ask questions when something we hear doesn’t make sense. I think it tells us that sometimes it’s easier to figure things out when you are with people you know and trust, and can share your thoughts.

Some questions we have are easy to answer – you can find the answers in a book or look them up on Google – but some questions are never completely answered. I think questions about God and the Bible and faith fall into this category. Sometimes we think we know the answer but then something happens to make us wonder. Sometimes things happen that even make us doubt! Those are hard things to think about – they are hard to find quick answers to. But, you know what? I think these are some of the best questions to ask. I think they lead to new learning and understanding and even deeper faith. This is true for kids… and also for adults.

I will let you in on a little secret… Even ministers don’t know the answers to some of these questions! Even ministers have questions of their own! Even ministers are still learning about God and Jesus and the Bible. You might think we’d like to hide that, but the truth is, we learn a lot by asking questions and talking with others who have both understanding and questions of their own.

One of the things I love most about my work here in the church is the conversations I have with people where we can talk about those questions – just like Thomas and the other disciples were able to do in that room. The questions aren’t scary to me; they are ways to learn and understand even more. And I especially love the questions that come from the young members of our church family! You might have questions that I can answer right away, or questions I can find the answers to in a book, or even questions that I can’t answer. No matter what our questions are, I hope we can be brave enough to share them, like Thomas was, and open enough to think them through together like his disciple friends were. I have a feeling that Jesus will want to be there for the conversations too!

Hymn: Draw the Circle Wide – More Voices #145  - Erin Berard

Refrain
Draw the circle wide. Draw it wider still.
Let this be our song, no one stands alone,
standing side by side, draw the circle wide.

1.       God the still-point of the circle,
‘round whom all creation turns;
nothing lost, but held forever,
in God’s gracious arms. R

2.       Let our hearts touch far horizons,
so encompass great and small;
let our loving know no borders,
faithful to God’s call. R

3.       Let the dreams we dream be larger,
than we’ve ever dreamed before;
let the dream of Christ be in us,
open every door. R

Words & Music © 1994 Gordon Light, Common Cup, arr © 1998 Michael Bloss, Wood Lake Books
Song # 117657 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Prayer for Illumination         Reader: Rick Morrison

O God, like the disciple Thomas, we were not in that room when Jesus appeared among the disciples breathing peace. With your Word of Life, help us to understand that the Risen Christ is in our midst. May we carry the Good News of your love to the world.  Amen.

The Gospel Reading: John 20:19-31 (NRSV)       Jesus Appears to the Disciples

19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Jesus and Thomas
24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

The Purpose of This Book
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

May we find ourselves renewed in this Eastertide story. Thanks be to God!

Sermon: “Jesus: A Welcoming Presence”  Rev. Kim Vidal

Overwhelmed! The disciples were overwhelmed three days after Jesus died. There they were, huddled together in a room with locked doors, in their fear and confusion, not knowing where to turn or what to do next. They were grieving the death of Jesus -their leader and teacher – the one who had held them together. With Jesus dead, all their hopes, their visions, their sense of direction and purpose in life went in the tomb as well. They were left only with an overwhelming sense of failure, of loss, of fear and of shame. They knew they had deserted Jesus in his hour of need. And then, suddenly, according to our story, there he was, right there, in their midst, before their very eyes. Jesus appeared before them and the disciples experienced his presence.

How would you feel if you were one of those disciples in that room? Will you be scared? Will you run away? Will you panic or pass out? Now don't you think that maybe just for a moment some of the disciples might have been afraid that Jesus might be angry with them for abandoning him – and in Peter's case for even denying him three times? But John’s gospel told us what happened. There were no recriminations, no anger, no condemnation or judgment, not even an expression of disappointment and hurt. Instead, Jesus offered a gift: "Peace be with you."  Jesus offered a welcoming presence – a gift of peace. After a while, Jesus offered them the gift of the Holy Spirit – doesn't just give it to them, but breathes the Spirit into them. It was the life-energy of one who tells them to go out and offer peace, offer forgiveness and spread love to others and the world.

But wait – where was Thomas? He was not with the other disciples in that locked room when Jesus first appeared. Where could Thomas be? The gospel writer John didn’t tell us. All we could do is to assume that he could have probably went to his own little niche grieving the loss of Jesus; or he might have been checking if the territory is safe again; or maybe he is trying to find out the truth why Jesus was killed; or a good guess would be that he was out and about getting on with his life, looking for food to sustain him and the other disciples for the long haul.

The name, Thomas, sounds very English but it is in fact a transliteration from an Aramaic word “toma” which simply means “twin”. In Greek, he was “Didymus” which also means “twin”. So in essence, we don’t really know Thomas’ real name at all. And we certainly have no idea who his twin was. In fact, we know very little about him. All we know for certain comes from John’s gospel and there Thomas makes his own voice heard only three times — all towards the very end of Jesus’ life on earth. It was him who said boldly at Lazarus’ death: “"Let us go and die with Jesus." What he’s saying is simply this: “If Jesus is going to die, I for one don’t want to go on living.” This was not a Gloomy Thomas, for me he was a Loyal, Allegiant Thomas.

The next time we meet Thomas is at the Last Supper. Jesus told the disciples about his Father’s house. “In it there are many rooms,” Jesus says. “I’m going to get some ready for you, and then I’ll come and take you there. Don’t worry; you know where I’m going.” All the other disciples nodded in agreement. But Thomas gave Jesus a “what-are-you-trying to tell us look”. “No I don’t get it,” Thomas says. “We haven’t the slightest idea where you are going. How can we know the way?” And we might be tempted to think: what an oddball! For all its worth, Thomas here expressed a very real concern that he honestly didn’t have a clue what Jesus was talking about. He was not oddball Thomas, he was Honest, Inquisitive Thomas.

And this morning, we meet Thomas for the third and final time. The disciples told Thomas about the appearance of Jesus. And Thomas’ reaction made him a realist, a practical and a concrete guy. "Except I see the mark of the nails in his hand and touch his side, I will not believe." He was plainspoken and straight to the point. He was not embarrassed to ask questions. He wanted plain answers so he could truly understand what was going on and be able to take the next steps. So while we do not know where he was that night – we know for sure he had left the house!

The sign in the novelty store says, “Pretty to look at, lovely to hold, but if you break it, consider it sold!” As clear as water.  Makes sense but I don’t get it. How could I possibly buy something if I could not even touch it, smell it or scrutinize it?  How do I know that what I am paying for is worth my money? How am I sure that something is authentic without even touching it or verifying its make? I need to see it, feel it, check it. A basic human instinct!

And Thomas was very much like that. I learned from Sunday School that we should not emulate him. We call him “the doubter” or the “bad seed”. Some would call him a “show-me disciple” because he needed to see proofs before jumping to conclusions. Is doubting too bad that it made Thomas carry this label for over 2000 years of Christianity? I wonder if Thomas was more of a questioner or a seeker rather than a doubter. I confess, I am a Thomas, too – or perhaps most of us – I think we are all his twin sisters or brothers! I wonder why we take part in dismissing Thomas so easily. Perhaps because we’ve often found ourselves in Christian communities where voicing one’s doubts or even questioning the Bible or some of the doctrines in the church were discouraged big time! We do not often talk about our uncertainties or failures because of fear that others might put us down or judge us as unbelievers or faithless people. And in churches that display mostly niceties, I’ve discovered all sorts of anxieties and resentments confronting people. I’ve talked and listened to a number struggling alone with deep questions because they were afraid of how others might react to their questions and skepticism. Doubting and raising questions sometime frighten us. That’s why we have easily rejected Thomas!

There was a time when, in the scientific world, the earth was considered flat and that the sun circled around it. The idea was accepted, but a few brave souls, Galileo in particular, bravely dared to doubt that theory. Deeper examination shows that every scientific advance started with doubt. Galileo was right when he called doubt as the father of discovery. Rev. Dr. William Self, a Baptist preacher, in one of his sermons, tells us that “half of us are like Thomas; we are afraid to believe. Half of every heart is a Thomas. Doubt does not overtake us in the night but, rather, it creeps up on us slowly, one step at a time.” And Rev. Self ended his sermon with these challenging yet wise words: “Doubt is like a front porch. All of us go through it before we get into the house of faith.”

When Jesus appeared the second time to his disciples in the closed room, Thomas was there. And far from rebuking or criticizing Thomas, Jesus offered to meet his conditions. "OK Thomas –you get what you want- put your fingers in my hands and touch my side.”  It was through this personal encounter that Jesus was made real to Thomas. In fact, Thomas exclaimed: “My Lord and my God!” Thomas experienced the welcoming presence of Jesus. Through Thomas, we were given the “thumbs up” to question, to doubt, to quest, to seek.  For that moment in time, Thomas becomes the, “real twin”, the alternate identity of every human being who loves to inquire, to explore, to seek answers. According to historical accounts, Thomas was regarded as the patron saint of the converted Christians in India. He was believed to have travelled outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel, travelling as far as the Malabar Coast which is in modern-day Kerala State of  India.

Jesus himself was like Thomas. Jesus did not sit still. Jesus questioned the status quo. And in his questioning, he showed his true self as a welcoming presence for others. He questioned that violence was the best way to resolve conflicts, so he said, "Forgive one another." He questioned that long prayers and rigid dietary laws were essential to faith. Jesus preached about a compassionate and just faith. He questioned why Samaritans and Syrophoenicians and those deemed to be second class citizens such as the poor, the widows, women and children were inferior. He told parables lifting up these inferior people who according to him constitute God’s kin-dom.  Jesus taught us that the capacity to question is the prelude to faith.

In Ontario, we were ordered to stay at home for about 4 weeks due to the climbing cases of the Covid-19 virus and its variants. How are we experiencing the welcoming presence of the Holy in our homes?  Do you feel God’s presence in the ordinary, mundane events of your day-to-day life? What does this current situation mean for a questioning, doubting, questing people like you and I? Staying home for me is a wise act of faith in this time of pandemic. If we cannot meet in the church building for worship service, I believe that God is still working among us wherever and whenever we intentionally experience the presence of God. This could be in the form of gathering time or in ways of praying, loving, healing, caring actions for one another. It's true that Jesus asked for faith, but he did not ask for a blind faith that would entail jeopardizing our health and well-being. I am convinced that Jesus wants us to have an open-minded, well-informed faith. The poet Rainier Rilke offers this wisdom, "Live the questions now…you will eventually live into the answers."

Live into the answers.  That would be the promise for all of us today. Because sometimes the demand to see and touch, the need to question and to seek answers, the call to be like Thomas, are not indications of a short-sighted faith.  They are marks of true faith. Thanks be to God! Amen.

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

Let us gather our hearts in prayer.

Surprising God, like Thomas, we often find it difficult to see signs of your welcoming presence, to believe that your Spirit is alive among us. Open our eyes to receive your presence in our lives. Thank you for coming through the locked doors of pride and isolation when our fears overwhelm us. Thank you for revealing yourself to the disciples, when all they could think of was their grief and fear of the unknown. Thank you for your patience with Thomas and with us in our quest for proof and unanswered questions that we carry. 

Like Thomas, we sometimes fail to experience the Spirit of Christ because we are not paying attention. Remind us that we experience him in the lives of those transformed by your grace. We have seen him in the faces of everyone whose love encourages us. Call us to bring healing to the scarred people and places of the world.

We thank you for all who are connected to us and who need care and compassion. We hold them in our hearts and pray for the healing of mind, body and soul. We pray for those awaiting medical test results and those who are facing treatments and surgeries. We pray for those who are alone, who are alienated from their families, those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. We pray for the McDonald family as they grieve the death of their father, Bill. We ask for your healing love and blessings for those who are in the hospitals. May your presence be felt by all those who are staying at home and for those who are fighting to survive from the ravages of this pandemic. Sustain us with courage and comfort us with your peace. Now in silence, hear the deepest concerns of our hearts.

Empowering God, may we live the Easter Spirit of renewal, greening and growth, this day and always. Give us peace and remind us of your welcoming presence. Help us to see you this week, to take note, to experience the beauty of this earth or hear your grace in the word that someone speaks to us. These we pray in the name of the Welcoming Christ who taught us this prayer long ago:

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

On this Second Sunday of Easter, as we celebrate the power of resurrection as a community of faith, we joyfully share our gifts of time, talents and resources as expressions of our 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 mail slot by the kitchen door of the church. You can also send in your support through e-transfer. Thank you for your continued love and support to BCUC.

Offertory Prayer

Holy God, help us to share your power so that this offering is multiplied
and brings relief to those needing to know you, the Risen One. Amen. 

Sending Forth[2]                  Rev. Lorrie Lowes

May the Risen Christ come through the locked doors of our hearts
and make his home deep within us and in our world.
May the Risen Christ find here hospitality and welcome,
justice and peace for all.
May the blessing of God be ours as we leave:
The blessing of doubt to be our guide;
The blessing of peace to calm our troubled spirits;
The blessing of friendship to be our companion.
Go in peace. Amen. 

Hymn:  We Shall Go Out with Hope of Resurrection – Voices United #586  - BCUC Choir

We shall go out with hope of resurrection;
We shall go out, from strength to strength go on;
We shall go out and tell our stories boldly;
Tales of a love, that will not let us go.
We’ll sing our songs of wrongs that can be righted;
We’ll dream our dreams of hurts that can be healed;
We’ll weave a cloth of all the world united
Within the vision of new life in Christ.

We’ll give a voice to those who have not spoken;
We’ll find the words for those whose lips are sealed;
We’ll make the tunes for those who sing no longer.
Expressing love alive in every heart.
We’ll share our joy with those who still are weeping.
Raise hymns of strength for hearts that break in grief,
We’ll leap and dance the resurrection story,
Including all in circles of our love.

Words © 1993 June Boyce-Tillman, Music Trad. Irish, arr © 1982 John Barnard, Hope Pub
Song # 77677 &24490 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Departing Music: I Have Called You by Your Name – More Voices #161 – BCUC Choir

In loving memory of Jonas Mitchell (Judith MacDonald)

1 I have called you by your name, you are mine;
I have gifted you and ask you now to shine.
I will not abandon you; all my promises are true.
You are gifted, called, and chosen; you are mine.

2 I will help you learn my name as you go;
read it written in my people, help them grow.
Pour the water in my name, speak the word your soul can claim,
offer Jesus’ body given long ago.

3 I know you will need my touch as you go;
feel it pulsing in creation’s ebb and flow.
Like the woman reaching out, choosing faith in spite of doubt,
hold the hem of Jesus’ robe, then let it go.

4 I have given you a name, it is mine;
I have given you my Spirit as a sign.
With my wonder in your soul, make my wounded children whole;
go and tell my precious people they are mine.

Words and Music © 1998 Daniel Charles Damon
Song #54619 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Zoom Fellowship – 11 am

[1] Inspired by the prayer of Peter Chynoweth, Gathering, Lent/Easter 2021, Year B.

[2] Bob Root, Gathering, Lent/Easter 2015.

Sunday school activities - April 11, 2021

Theme Discussion

Last Sunday was Easter and we celebrated that, even though he died on a cross, just a few days later Jesus was alive again in the world. Today’s scripture reading comes from the book of John, Chapter 20, verses 19-31, and it tells about what happened to the disciples after that day.

The disciples were very scared because soldiers were gathering up Jesus’ friends and followers. They were afraid that they would be arrested too. They hid together in a locked room. One day,  Jesus came to them and said, “Peace be with you.” I think that’s a way of saying, “Settle down, think this through. You can’t hide in this room forever.” One of the disciples, Thomas, was missing. We aren’t told where he was but we know that he had left that room for a while and when he came back, the others told him that Jesus had been with them. Well, that just didn’t make any sense to Thomas! From everything he knew about people who died, he was sure it was impossible for them to come back for a visit. He said, “I’ll believe it when I see it!” He is known as “Doubting Thomas” because he didn’t just believe what the others said. He needed proof; he needed some way to make it make sense in his mind. He had a lot of questions.

Have you ever heard something that seemed too good to be true? Or maybe you have heard of something that just doesn’t seem to make sense to you. When this happens, you might say, “I’ll believe it when I see it!” just like Thomas did. In our story Jesus came to the room again and was so close that Thomas could not only see him but touch him as well.

Sometimes when we have doubts or questions about things, that can be solved by actually seeing with our own eyes – but sometimes we can “see” things in another way. We might say, “Oh, now I get it!” or, “Now that you’ve explained it this way, I can see what you mean.” It might even be a feeling or an idea or an experience that shows us that what we heard is true.

Jesus told Thomas, “Do you believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” We can’t see Jesus in the way those people 2000 years ago would have seen him – but we can see him in other ways. We can get to understand him in the stories we read. We can see him in the good things that are happening in the world.

1.     What are some things that you couldn’t believe when you first heard about them? How did you come to realize that they were true (or false)? Tell about

• Something you believed when you saw it with your own eyes

• Something you “saw” when you learned more and could understand

2.     Is it ok to change your thinking?

3.     When you hear something that seems too amazing (or crazy) to be true, what do you do? Do you just dismiss it as false? Do you look for more information? Do you just believe what you heard? Are there times when each of these responses are appropriate?

Response Activity Ideas

Seven Blind Mice - Thinking about perspective and misinformation

Listen to the story Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young:

• What caused all the mice to argue?  Were the first 6 mice right in their opinions or wrong?  Think about the word ‘perspective’.

• How did White Mouse investigate the Something differently? 

• How is this like today’s Bible passage? How is it different?

• Think about how the ‘Mouse Moral’ could be applied to the information we get through social media and Google searches.  What could ‘seeing the whole’ mean in that context? 

Older kids and teens could explore this resource from Common Sense Education about ways to critically analyze the information they are getting online.

Click to print PDF

Guessing Games

Practice your describing, thinking, and questioning skills. 

• Play 20 questions with your family!  One person chooses a mystery object without telling anyone else. They could give a starting clue like telling whether it's a person/place/thing. As a team, everyone else can ask up to 20 questions before making their guess as to what the mystery object might be. Every question can only be a yes/no question. This game can also be reversed so that everyone in the group knows the answer except one guesser.

• Descriptive Similes – Played like eye-spy, but instead of sharing a colour for others to guess, the leader gives descriptive phrases (Ex: It’s rough like old pavement, tall as a house, brown like mud, but also green as new grass, stretching arms like an octopus…. A tree!)

• Mystery Bag – put an item or items in a brown paper bag and see if others in your family can guess the object(s) by feel!

Wordsearch

Click to print PDF

Sunday Worship Service - April 4, 2021

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

EASTER SUNDAY

WORSHIP SERVICE & AGAPE MEAL

April 4, 2021

The video recording of this service at can be found here.
You can also dial-in by phone to listen to the audio recording at 613-820-8104

Gathering Music: Jesu Joy – Bach, arr. Craig Duncan - Violin: Leslie Wade

Welcome & Announcements              Rev. Kim Vidal

Good day everyone! I welcome and greet you in the name of Jesus Christ as we celebrate Easter with an Agape Meal!! Let this day fill you with joyful celebration and excitement as we proclaim that we are made alive in Christ and Christ is made alive through us!

In this time of provincial shutdown, we can still gather in the sanctuary for a modified worship service at 10 am with a maximum number of 22 people. The Public Health strongly recommends staying at home but if you wish to attend our service, please call the office to register and be reminded that the usual health protocols will be in place which include masking, social distancing, hand sanitizing and staying home if you feel unwell.

We continue to offer our worship service in audio, video and text formats. Check our website at bcuc.org to access the worship service and the weekly announcements including Sunday School resources for your family. You can also listen to the service via telephone by dialing 613-820-8104. In this time of lockdown, please continue to reach out by connecting with each other through emails, phone calls and prayers.

Friends, on this Easter Sunday, let us remind ourselves that the Easter message of Jesus is all about love. To remember that now is the right time to put this love into action. So with hearts filled with alleluias, let us now gather in worship.

Lighting of Christ Candle:    Acolytes: Wendy Morrell & Dan Lanoue

We are here on this Easter morning,
surrounded by the promises of faith.
We give thanks to God for light:
the light shed by the sun, moon and the stars,
the light that guides our way.
We light this Christ candle knowing that we are the body of Christ.
This is the light that we give each other as we share
our joy, our trust, our Easter hope.
We are risen in Christ and Christ is risen in us!
Hallelujah!

Anthem: Risen Up! – Lantz      Soloist: Keith Bailey with BCUC choir – recorded live 2017

Call to Gather & Prayer of Approach:[1]    Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Come to settle into the comfortable rituals of worship,
gathering from a physical distance or within a distance of time.
We come longing for the familiarity of life’s rhythms when so little is familiar.
Come to celebrate our faith story of resurrection
joy and of new life – of hope lived into a future
where the risen One blazes light into our gloom.
We come to breathe deeply the fresh air of
renewed faith welling within us.
Christ is risen!
Christ is risen indeed!
Hallelujah! God is good!

With trust in the Spirit’s leading and in the story we treasure, let us pray:
God who gathers us, who upholds us, and who
enlivens us, we praise you for your joy that springs out of despair;
we honour you as we humbly receive your healing loving-kindness;
we submit to your path of self-giving love
proclaimed in the Risen Christ.
In our separation, unite us.
In our isolation, connect us.
In our loneliness, embrace us.
Into the risen Christ’s light,
lead us into dance of possibility. Amen.

Hymn: This is the Day More Voices #122 - BCUC music team (remastered from 2020)

1 This is the day that God has made; we will rejoice and be glad! 2x
Singing hallelu, singing hallelu, singing hallelu!
We will rejoice and be glad! 2x  

2 Voici le jour que Dieu a fait; nous le vivrons dans la joie. 2x
Chantant Al-le-lu! (3x); nous le vivrons dans la joie.
Chantant Al-le-lu! (3x); nous le vivrons dans la joie. 

Repeat verse 1

Words and music © 2003 Bruce Harding      www.evensong.ca  French © 2005 David Fines
song# 117875 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved.

Greetings from Chipembi (Rev. Lwao’s message)

Today we share the joy and hope of Easter with followers of Jesus around the world. We are reminded of this in this greeting from Rev. Lwao and our friends in the congregation of the United Church of Zambia in Chipembi.

Storytime           Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Happy Easter everyone! Do you have any plants in your house? Sometimes people have plants for a very long time. They can tell you stories about where this plant came from and how long it has been in their care. Sometimes those plants were a gift from someone or maybe they were started from a little cutting from someone else’s plant.

We have this Christmas cactus at our house. We used to have one that was enormous! It was given to Neil by an elderly lady named Thelma at our last church. We think it was about 50 years old! People were always amazed to see it when they came to visit. It grew and grew and sometimes, pieces would get broken off the long leaves. Neil would sprout those pieces and plant them in new pots. We could give our friends and family new plants that had come from Thelma’s original Christmas cactus. It was a nice way to spread the joy of that magnificent old plant far and wide.

When we moved into our new house in Almonte, we just couldn’t find a good place for that huge plant. The places that were big enough didn’t get enough light and the spots by the windows just couldn’t accommodate its size. So, we had to give it away. Our daughter, Sara, has it at her house now – and she loves it just as much as we did. A whole new group of people are seeing that beautiful plant and they are excited to take a cutting home to grow their own. Thelma’s cactus is still spreading joy – and cuttings are growing into new big plants, just as beautiful as the one Thelma gave to Neil.

We were sad to say goodbye to that old plant when we sent it to Sara’s house – but we know that it is still alive and thriving. We still have this smaller one with us. It started from a piece that broke off of Thelma’s Christmas cactus. You know, even if that huge old plant dies, it will continue to bring joy and beauty all over the place! All those new plants are carrying on the life of the original one – and so Thelma’s Christmas cactus will always be alive as long as we take care of those new ones, and as long as people keep telling the story and passing on new clippings.

This past week – Holy Week - is a difficult one in the life of the church. We remember that, after the big parade that welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with palm branches and shouts of “hosanna”, things got dark and scary for Jesus and his followers. A few days later Jesus was arrested and at the end of the week he died on a cross. His friends and followers were scared and upset. They thought their time with Jesus was over forever and that all the good news and hope he preached was gone with him in the tomb.  But on Easter Sunday, our stories tell us that that the tomb was empty and that Jesus was alive in the world!

I think the story of Jesus is a bit like the story of Thelma’s Christmas cactus. We don’t have that big plant with us anymore but we know that it continues to grow with every small cutting that someone plants and cares for… and as long as people continue to nourish those plants and tell the story, and share cuttings with others, Thelma’s Christmas cactus will live forever.

We don’t have Jesus, the man, with us today but he is still alive in the world. We meet him in every scripture story told, every prayer that we say, and most of all, in every act of hope and love that is done in the world. We keep Jesus alive by remembering the things he taught, by loving our neighbours and by taking care of each other and all of creation. As long as we continue to nourish those things and share his message, Jesus will continue to live and his love will grow in new places and in new hearts.

Won’t that make the world beautiful? That sounds to me like a good reason to shout, “Hallelujah!”

Hymn: Hey Now! Singing Hallelujah! - More Voices #121 (verses 1,3,5)  – CGS/Bell Canto

Refrain:
Hey now! Singing hallelujah!
Hey now! The morning has come!
Hey now! Singing hallelujah!
The tomb was empty at the rising sun.

1.    Jesus loved people and he made them friends,
Hey now, the tomb was empty.
He called to the children and the women and men.
Hey now, the tomb was empty. R

3.    Jesus loved people and they said he was a king.
Hey now, the tomb was empty.
He turned all the tables on everything.
Hey now, the tomb was empty. R

5.    Jesus loves people and he lives again!
Hey now, the tomb was empty.
Calls us disciples and he calls us his friends.
Hey now, the tomb was empty. R

Words & Music © 1998 Linnea Good, Borrealis Music
song# 97084 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved.

Prayer for Illumination[2]        Reader: Ellen Boynton

The light of Christ has entered this place. Now let the light enter our hearts, as we receive the words of scripture. Send your light, O God, like the first morning; send your spirit, like the first bird. Amen.

The Gospel Reading: The Resurrection of Jesus (John 20:1-18- NRSV)

20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to their homes.
11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

May we find ourselves renewed in this Easter story. Thanks be to God!

Song: Sing Allelu! - Schram    CGS & Bell Canto – Director Erin Berard

Words & Music © 2010 Ruth Elaine Schram Lorenz Music
song# 100855 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved. 

Sermon:      “Jesus: A Wisdom Teacher”   Rev. Kim Vidal

In modern Jerusalem, I was told, that if you walk beyond a place called the Damascus Gate for a block or so, you will see the Garden Tomb, a place, as tradition has it, where Jesus could have been buried. It is hard to miss. It is now a huge tourist attraction in Jerusalem. There are big tourist buses all around and a steady stream of pilgrims and tourists heading up the narrow alley to the ticket gate. Outside the garden, there are vendors of all kinds, selling everything from olive rosary beads to prayer shawls and artifacts. Before reaching the Garden Tomb, there are sellers of another kind, those who would have the tourists believe in the idea that Jesus’ tomb is right in the garden. There it is just off to the left as you enter, a deep cave carved out of a stone wall. An enormous rock is rolled to the side and inside, an outer room and an inner one. It is not hard to imagine that this is an ancient burial place where Jesus might have lain. But one finds it difficult to be gripped by terror and amazement, especially because the Garden Tomb Shop seems to be doing a bustling business, while dozens of tourists are busy taking selfies and pictures standing close to the boulder outside the tomb.

The Garden Tomb reminds me of the gospel writer John’s depiction of the first Easter filled with dramatic presentation. “Early in the morning, while it was still dark….”  That’s where Easter really begins.  It begins in darkness.  It begins with fear, uncertainty, pain, death and a profound loss.  

Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene, went to the tomb and discovered the unexpected. The stone covering the tomb was removed. In her panic, Mary rushed to tell Peter and the beloved disciples, John, about what happened! “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and I do not know where they have laid him!”  In those days, tomb robbers were very common. Mary must have thought that someone stole Jesus’ body! Upon hearing Mary’s news, Peter and John sprang into action. They ran to investigate The Mystery of the Empty Tomb! The two disciples took off to verify that Mary’s announcements were true! You see, in those days, women’s words were not taken seriously. Women could not even stand as witnesses in a court. Peter and John must attest to her testimony and verify it with their very own eyes.

A little humour was included by the Gospel writer when John the beloved disciple outran Peter. It was like a marathon contest! John arrived at the tomb first and won the gold medal while Peter settled for silver. John bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there but did not go in. For John, that was enough proof that indeed, the body of Jesus was missing! But Peter was the better investigator. Or at least the more curious one.  Peter entered the tomb. John quickly followed him inside and they confirmed Mary’s story: The stone rolled away? Check. Empty tomb? Check. Linen wrappings lying there? Check. Cloth from Jesus’ head rolled up and lying separately? Check. OK – everything’s in order. What Mary said was true. Nothing more to see here. It’s time to go home! Despite their anxious running and curious investigating, they just got up and leave. Peter and John’s role at that point was over.

In contrast to the two male disciples’ reactions, Mary stayed. She stood beside the entrance of the tomb and wept for the longest time in her life. The Good Friday event still lingered in her mind. Her beloved Jesus was crucified. He was dead and now his body was missing. What will happen next? Don’t we all have that moment when we all weep for something that was taken from us? or when someone we love dies? or when we have been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness? In her distressed state, Mary bent down to look into the tomb and saw angels sitting where Jesus’ body was supposed to be lying and asked her: “Woman, why are you weeping?” Foolish angels! Don’t they know that people cry in graveyards to grieve someone’s death? Mary’s honest response was: “I am weeping because they have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid him! Where will I find him now? Will I ever see him again? I’ve lost him forever!

In that weeping and wailing, meanwhile according to John’s account, Jesus was standing there, and asked Mary the same question, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Thinking that he was the gardener, Mary said: “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” For Mary, without the body, she is still living in a Good Friday world. Like Mary, we still live, as if it is always a Good Friday world; a world where violence, suffering, greed, and death reign with stubborn propensity. Our world is still stuck in the despair of Good Friday. Even this morning, I know that some of you are still grieving for lost loved ones or anxious because of illness or broken relationships; the world is still mourning the death of thousands of people due to COVID-19; fear looms large as we hear news of the pandemic shutdown in many parts of Canada; people are still put down or killed because of their racial ethnicity or religious beliefs; poverty and famine continue to affect third world countries. For many of us, it seems that every single day is endlessly Good Friday, with no hope in sight. But take heart. In every sadness, there is joy. In every Good Friday, there is Easter Sunday.

Then Mary heard her name being called. “Mary!” Jesus called her by name as he had done so many times before. “Mary!” Mary turned around and just what did she see? Did she see someone that looked like the Jesus she had followed? Was it the Jesus on the cover of Time Magazine? or the one painted on the stained-glass window? Had her tears or her grief so blinded her that she couldn't see well enough to recognize that familiar face or does a resurrected body somehow looked different with scars and wounds? He called her name again. “Mary!” as if saying: “Stop looking for a dead body! I am not there anymore – look at me with a new faith and a new hope.” Was it Mary’s imagination that told her that it was Jesus? Excitedly she called out to him: “Rabbouni! Teacher!” In that very moment, Mary claims her place as Jesus’ rabbinical student and disciple.

Mary looked up to Jesus as a wisdom teacher. In Ancient Near East, a “wisdom teacher” is a recognized spiritual leader. In addition to priests or prophets who have religious authority, there was also a third category called in Hebrew as a “moshel moshelim”, or wisdom teacher, a teacher of the transformation of a human being—in league with the authors of the Hebrew wisdom literature such as Ecclesiastes, Job, and Proverbs. Wisdom teachers may be the early precursors to the rabbi whose task it was to interpret the law and culture of Judaism. The hallmark of these wisdom teachers was their use of aphorisms, short sayings or riddles, and parables rather than prophetic pronouncements or divine decree. They spoke to people in the language that people understood, the language of story rather than law. Parables, such as the stories Jesus told, are a wisdom genre belonging to mashal, the Jewish branch of wisdom tradition. Jesus himself must have had an enlightenment experience. Jesus invites his hearers to leave conventional wisdom behind in order to live by an alternative wisdom.

In her joy, Mary ran to touch Jesus, her wisdom teacher, with every intent to embrace him. But Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father.” “Mary, do not touch me. Stop holding onto me; stop clinging to me. Let me go. You can't keep me. It can't be like it was before. Things are different now. Let go of the details of my old self.” Jesus is free of the grave. His spirit, his memories, his wise words and teachings about love and justice are roaming at large in the world now. He will not be confined again – not even in the tomb where they have laid him at first. He asked Mary to tell others about him. Mary went back to her community and announced, “I have seen the Lord!”. I interpret Mary’s words like this: “I have experienced Jesus’ presence in my life!” To Mary and those first disciples, the risen Christ was more than a memory and more than a strong cause for justice. To them, he was a living memory that continues to shape their lives and gives them a sense of hope. This hope emanates in the lives of followers for generations every time they remembered Jesus in the breaking of the bread and in the sharing of the stories.

As a young girl, I literally believed that Jesus rose —physically, bodily from the dead.  That’s what I was taught by the pastor of our church and my teachers in Sunday School. As long as I believed in that kind resurrection, I thought it was safe and I belong to the fold of believers.  Later, as an adult, I began to question the true meaning of resurrection and through my seeking and questioning, I was able to discern that the story of resurrection was a metaphor, a parable - not as a literal, historical fact, but a powerful story of transformation, renewal, and rebirth.  After reading some scholars’ works on the writings of Paul, followed by Mark, Mathew, Luke and John of their accounts on resurrection, I concluded that resurrection happened in the life of the first believers. Jesus’ friends and followers experienced Jesus’ continued presence even after he died and that became a profound meaning of resurrection for me.

The question that Easter asks of us is not, ‘Do you believe in the doctrine of the resurrection?’ but rather ‘how have you experienced the risen Christ? How have you encountered the risen Christ in the particulars of your own messy and beautiful lives?  Carter Heyward says it beautifully: “resurrection was no longer “an event in the life of Jesus; resurrection happened in the life of his friends.”  It happened to Mary. It happened to his first disciples. It happens to you and me. The power of resurrection is with us here and now. We are the body of Christ. We are the church. What does Jesus' resurrected body look like today? It may look a lot like you and I. Look around you, today. Look for the life of Christ in one another. Look. The faith community, both past and present, is Christ’s spiritual body. And through this resurrected body, we know where the Risen Christ lives: it lives in this body of believers. Seen this way, Easter becomes the resurrection of Jesus’ vision, values and hope, his message of love, freedom and justice through us - through those who follow in his way.

Easter calls us to gather in the traditions of love, freedom and justice that are critical in our time. Easter is Black Lives Matter. Easter is Against Asian Hate. Easter is embracing the LGBTQ and Two Spirit Community. Easter is Partnership with Chipembi. Easter is giving hope to people in this pandemic time. We follow the road to Easter as did the unridden colt, who carried Jesus into Jerusalem, not knowing where the road will lead, but remained faithful to the journey. Easter alleluias are not cheap acclamations that we can chant meaninglessly. Alleluias emerged from the courage of the broken, weeping hearts of Good Friday people who did not give up and looked forward to Easter hope.

On this Easter Sunday, as we break bread and share the cup of grace, may we celebrate the power of life over death, the strength of love over hatred, but also immense beauty in our brokenness and pain. May we experience Christ in the face of others, in places where love and healing is needed, and in every moment of joy and sorrow. May we declare with Mary, with Peter, with John and with the first followers of Jesus these powerful Easter words: “We are made alive in Christ!” and “Christ is made alive in us!” “Alleluia! Amen!”

Sources:
BCUC Lectionary Group
Nancy Rockwell, “Easter Visions”, patheos.org
Debie Thomas, “I Have Seen the Lord” April 14, 2019, journeywithjesus.net
Barbara Lundblad, Commentary on John 20: 1-18, workingpreacher.org
Cynthia Bourgeault, The Wisdom Jesus: Transforming Heart and Mind—A New Perspective on Christ and His Message 
(Shambhala: 2008), 23-24.
Marcus Borg, Jesus as Wisdom Teacher in Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time.

Prayers of the People:  “A Prayer for Easter” by Ted Dodd Rev. Lorrie Lowes

God of Easter,
Roll away the stone of sadness, turn our mourning into dancing.

God of Resurrection,
Race with us to the site of new life, turn our crying into mirth.

God of the Empty Tomb,
Help us to see angels who make holy inquiry, turn our grief into joy.
In our world of pandemics, it can feel like we are in perpetual night.
COVID-19 continues despite denial and vaccines.
Violence rages in homes and on the streets.
Creation is groaning.

God of Easter, grant us hope and a sense of daylight.
In the face of the challenges of this year, so much is
confusing,
upsetting and
stressful.

God of Resurrection, grant us peace and a spirit of prayerfulness.
In this virus world of social isolation, a lot of us are weeping,
in grief,
in fear,
in anxiety.

God of the Empty Tomb, grant us reassurance and a willingness to see the world without despair.
Despite death and misunderstanding and tears,
Easter happened.
A stone was rolled away.
Angels appeared.
Jesus spoke Mary’s name.

God of the gospel good news,
speak each of our names, that we might know assurance and faith.

God of Easter,
roll away the stone of sadness, that we might be people of hope.

God of Resurrection,
race with us to the site of new life, that we might live in courage.

God of the Empty Tomb,
help us to see angels, that we might experience strength. Amen. 

The Agape Meal        Rev. Lorrie Lowes & Rev. Kim Vidal

“Agape” is the New Testament Greek word for “self-giving love”. The kind of love that comes from God and models God’s loving choice for our well-being and all of Creation. In the Christian tradition, agape is also the name for informal meals and times of togetherness and mutual sharing which remind us of all those meals Jesus shared with his friends and the unity that his Spirit continues to give us even today.

Hymn: We Gather Here – Voices United #469 – BCUC music team

We gather here in Jesus' name,
his love is burning in our hearts like living flame;
for through the loving son God fashions us as one:
Come take the bread, come drink the wine, come, share the Lord.

No one is a stranger here, - everyone belongs;
finding our forgiveness here, we in turn forgive all wrongs.

He joins us here, he breaks the bread,
the One who pours the cup is risen from the dead;
the One we love the most is now our gracious host:
Come take the bread, come drink the wine, come, share the Lord.

We are now a family of which Christ is the head;
though unseen he meets us here in the breaking of the bread.

We'll gather soon where angels sing;
we'll see the glory of our Lord and coming King;
now we anticipate the feast for which we wait:
Come take the bread, come drink the wine, come, share the Lord.

Words & Music © 1984 Bryan Leech, Fred Bock Music
song# 121249 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved.

Proclamation (Kim)

We enter the story when a meal has been shared,
when prayers of thanksgiving have been spoken, when fellowship shared.
This is the place and this is the time.
Here and now, God waits to break into our experience.
We remember that when Jesus was with his friends, he took a piece of bread, and after blessing it, he broke it and gave it to them, saying: "Take, eat. This is my body, given for you. Whenever you eat this, remember me." Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, passed it to his friends, saying: "Drink. This cup poured out for you is God’s eternal love, making a new covenant. Whenever you drink it, remember me."

Loving One of wondrous stories, we remember the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and we praise him for the love he poured out to all people of colour, race and creed. And so, recalling the spark and wonder of his life, the anguish of his death, and the hope of his resurrection, we proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ reigns in our hearts.

Prayer of Consecration & the Lord’s Prayer    (Lorrie)

Let us pray.
Loving friend and companion, we welcome your presence with us. May these gifts of bread and cup, nourish our bodies, hearts and minds. And may our spirits be refreshed as we live in the light of your presence, with us now, and at all times and places. Send now your Holy Spirit upon this bread and this cup, O God that they might be our remembrance and our proclamation of the presence of Jesus Christ with us, through us and in us. Let us now recite the prayer that Jesus taught his followers:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kin-dom come.
Thy will be done in 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,
For ever and ever. Amen.

The Sharing of the Bread and the Cup (Kim)

Let us now share and partake the bread and the cup reminding us of God’s unconditional love.
This is the bread – food for the journey. Take, eat and be nourished by God’s love.
This is the cup – drink for the journey. Take, drink and be sustained by God’s grace.

Prayer after the Meal      (Lorrie)

We give you thanks, O God, for your gifts of hope, love and justice. With gratitude, we acknowledge that the broken bread and the cup poured out have brought us into unity with one another. In our common sharing of the feast this Easter, you have graced us by your presence, transforming us in the life and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Wisdom Teacher. Amen.

Invitation to Offer    Rev. Kim Vidal

On this Easter Sunday, as we celebrate our unity as a community of faith, we joyfully share our gifts of time, talents and resources as expressions of our 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. You can also send in your support through e-transfer or canadahelps.org. Thank you for your continued love and support to BCUC.

Offertory Hymn: What Can I Do? - More Voices #191  -  BCUC music team

What can I do? What can I bring?
What can I say? What can I sing?
I’ll sing with joy. I’ll say a prayer.
I’ll bring my love. I’ll do my share.

Words and Music © 2005 Paul Rumbolt & Michele McCarthy, arr. © 2005 Alan Whitmore       
Song # 82970 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved.

Offertory Prayer

Rejoicing! Celebrating! Giving thanks!
Gracious God, hope and new life are your amazing gifts to us.
As we offer our gifts back to you, remind us that we are Easter people
and you call us to sow seeds of love and justice in the world. Amen.

Sending Forth           Rev. Kim Vidal   

Face your times of mourning and weeping;
God brings us face–to-face with the empty tomb.
Face your doubts and your fears.
We take courage from Jesus, Rabbouni, Wisdom Teacher.
Go forth this Easter Day filled with faith, hope and love.

May the blessing of God who is Love,
of Jesus Christ who is known in the breaking of the bread
and of the Spirit who gives us new life be with us all.
Hallelujah! we are risen in Christ!
Hallelujah! Christ is risen in us! Amen.

Hymn:  Welcome, Happy Morning – Voices United #161

1. "Welcome, happy morning!" age to age shall say:
hell today is vanquished; heav'n is won today.
Come the, true and faithful, now fulfil your word;
This is your third morning: Rise O buried Lord!

Refrain: Welcome, happy morning! age to age shall say;
hell today is vanquished, heaven is won today!

2. Earth with joyful welcome clothes itself for spring;
Greets with life reviving our returning king:
Flowers in every pasture, leaves on every bough,
Speak of sorrows ended; Jesus triumphs now! Refrain.

3 Author and sustainer, source of life and breath;
You for our salvation trod the path of death:
Jesus Christ is living, God forevermore!
Now let all creation hail him and adore. Refrain.

 Words after Venantius Fortunatus ca 582, J. Ellerton 1868 revised © 1982 Hope Publishing
song# 61307 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Departing Music: Jesus Christ is Risen Today - Voices United #155

(slides - Easter Memorial Flowers)             BCUC congregation recorded live 2017

Zoom Fellowship – 11 am

[1] Gord Dunbar, Gathering, Lent/Easter 2021 (Year B). Used with permission.

[2] Robin Wardlaw, Gathering, Lent/Easter 2021 (Year B), with words from Morning Has Broken. Used with permission.

Sunday school activities - April 4, 2021

The Scripture Story – Easter Morning according to John

When Mary Magdalen went to the tomb where they put Jesus’ body, she was very sad. She was grieving the death of her teacher and best friend, Jesus. But when she got there, the huge stone that blocked the entrance to the tomb had been rolled aside and the tomb was empty! Imagine how she felt! She thought someone had stolen his body – and that upset her even more! She ran to tell Peter and another disciple. They all ran to see. All the men saw when they looked in the tomb were the linen wrappings that had covered Jesus’ body. They knew he had died and now his body was gone and so they went home, even more upset – but Mary stayed there. When she looked back into the tomb, she saw two angels who asked her, “Woman why are you weeping?” and then, behind her she heard another voice asking her the same question. At first, she thought it was the gardener but then he called her and she knew it was Jesus. She ran and told the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!”

Theme Discussion

When the disciples looked into the tomb, all they saw was emptiness, but when Mary stayed and took a new look, she saw angels – and we know that angels usually bring “good tidings”. Because she stayed, Mary was able to hear Jesus call her. She couldn’t touch him but she knew he was with her and she could talk with him.

• How do you think her feelings changed when this happened?

• How do you think the disciples felt when she told them, “I have seen the Lord!”?

Sometimes we are like the disciples who only saw the emptiness, and sometimes we can be like Mary who was able to see something wonderful even in the hardest of times. We have had a hard year with the Covid-19 Pandemic and all the changes that has meant for us.

• Can you think of some good things that you have seen or heard or experienced this past year?

• Have these things made it easier for you to accept the hard parts and disappointments of this year?

• Are there some things that you can do to help others feel better too?

We have lots to celebrate today! In Canada, Easter comes just as the winter is ending. The days are getting longer, the air is getting warmer, and it seems like the earth is coming alive again. It’s a time for celebration, even though we still have some chilly days ahead and the pandemic is still keeping us apart. It’s a time to shout “hallelujah!” Easter is the end of the sad days of Lent. We are reminded that Jesus and his love are still alive in the world. “Hallelujah! Hallelujah!”

Response Activity Ideas

Resurrection Rolls

Bake a treat together that represents Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Ingredients:

• 1 (10 ounce) can refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

• 8 large marshmallows

• ¼ cup melted butter

• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

• 2 tablespoons white sugar

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

• Separate crescent rolls into individual triangles.

• In a small bowl, mix together cinnamon and sugar.

• Dip a marshmallow into melted butter, then roll in sugar mixture. (The marshmallow represents Jesus’ body, and how it might have been prepared for burial with oils and spices)

• Place marshmallow into the center of a dough triangle. Carefully wrap the dough around the marshmallow. Pinch the seams together tightly to seal. (This represents Jesus being sealed in the tomb) Place on a baking sheet. Repeat.

• Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. (Waiting, like the 3 days before Jesus rose)

• Enjoy when slightly cooled. (When the rolls are broken open, you can see the empty tomb – the marshmallow has disappeared – Jesus is risen!)

Pop-up card – Hallelujah! (based on a redtedart.com activity)

A plain exterior of your card can open up to reveal Hallelujah and signs of new life!

Materials: construction paper, scissors, glue, colouring tools

• Fold a sheet of construction paper in half and trim away the 2 short sides to make it rounded like a hill or tomb shape. Colour and add details.

• Print and cut out the Hallelujah, butterflies (or both), or make your own pop-up

• Accordion fold the chosen shape(s) into 6 parts (5 folds)

• Glue the outermost parts down to the inside of the card

• Decorate the interior with other symbols of new life and good news!

Click to print PDF

Another butterfly pop-up card idea with a printable template is available here: https://www.easypeasyandfun.com/butterfly-pop-up-card/

Illustrated Ministry Package – Good News Bulletin Board

Read the reflection on pg 53-54, then create a ‘Good News’ bulletin board together as a family.  This could be a temporary or permanent addition and tradition to have in your home.  Use a cork board, chalk board, white board, or large piece of paper as a place for family members to jot down good news of the day such as:  I passed my test!  We’re having your favourite meal for dinner.  I remembered to return my library books! 

Share and celebrate the good news!

There is also a colouring sheet on pg. 57 of the package.

Good Friday Service - April 2, 2021

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE

April 2, 2021

Moment of Reflection:  Voices United #135 Beneath the Cross of Jesus – Violin: Leslie Wade

Opening Words:[1]

Dear friends, gather round
I have a story to tell
of one who reached inside himself
and took a handful of love
like a pile of stardust
and said: this is for you
it is all you need
it is all you will ever need
there is enough here
to change the whole world
take it

many laughed at him
mocked him
and ignored the invitation

but some dared to take it
and those who did
noticed something about this love
they found they could do what the gift-giver could do
they could stand with the lost
welcome the traveler
eat with the hungry
they found themselves doing what the man first did to them
give something of themselves to others
they became like the man
offering themselves
and as they offered themselves
others took the invitation
and many still do
and many still trust
it is enough to change the whole world.

Today I invite you to listen with your heart.
Through these words and music,
may we find our hearts warmed
by a love that is stronger than our fear,
and stronger even than the finality of death. Welcome to Good Friday.

Invitation to Gather and Opening Prayer[2]

I now invite you to gather in worship:

Surely God is in this time and place.
Help me notice.
Help me notice.
Help me notice.

Never do we notice God’s presence more than today – this day we call “Good”.
Nowhere do our hearts break more than today – this day we call “Good”.
Nowhere do we experience the power the power of love more than today –
this day we call “Good”.
We bless God that we can come to this place
in the sadness of our living,
and even here, find love,
as we wait with a dear one
for the kindness of death to arrive.
Come and let us worship God. 

Let us pray. [3]

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
My Comforter, I have a need for your comforting presence.
In my troubled hours, you were always present.
Listen to my prayer.
Listen to my heart.
Holy God, you call us to walk the way of the cross,
but we choose the way that is easy,
or the one that promises us the best return.
Forgive us: open us to the faithful way,
the way of radical trust,
the way of true joy.
Journey with us as we take these final steps
of the Lenten journey.

(Moment of Silent Reflection)

On the cross, Jesus prayed, “Abba, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
That prayer is for us as well. We are loved, we are restored. Amen. 

Music: Voices United #136 O Come and Mourn with Me – Choir 2017

Gospel Reading: “The Death of Jesus”    Matthew 27: 45-50 (NRSV) Rev. Lorrie Lowes

45 From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 46 And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” 48 At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last.

May these words of sorrow remind us that death is part of human condition. But God’s love assures us of life even in the midst of grief and fear. Amen.

Music: Panis Angelicus – Cesar Franck  arr. Craig Duncan -  Violin: Leslie Wade

Sermon: “The Forsaken One”              Rev. Kim Vidal

And about three o’clock, Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli lama-sabachthani?’ that is ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ (Matthew 27:46)

I don’t understand why but sometimes life is a big disappointment. People we love die. Families fall apart. Friends betray us and we too often hurt those we love most.  Life is not always a bed of roses. Or, as some would say, -- there are times when "Life sucks!" It sucks away our hopes and dreams; it steals away what is good and the beautiful; it robs us of joy and laughter; and even love itself seems to die.  Life just doesn't 'live up' to our hopes and expectations. And sometimes it is agonizingly disappointing when the pain and suffering become nearly unbearable.

And here is Jesus hanging on the cross feeling abandoned and forsaken by his dear daddy, Abba! Father, God - Why oh why have you forsaken me?

During the six hours of his dying, he expressed the full range of human anguish—from the absence of water to the absence of God. “Eli, Eli, lama-sabachthani”. In the execution of a man whose only fault is to speak truth to power, the most heart-wrenching word of the dying Jesus to God is uttered. Sabachthani, forsaken: do you know what this means? It means "to abandon, to let go, to leave." It is awful to be forsaken. We like to say that no one is an island. It isn't natural for anyone to be totally alone. We long for companionship and we need others to go through our life’s journey. But when you are forsaken, you are on your own, you become an island in the flowing stream of humanity – lonely, isolated, alone. Jesus felt abandoned and forsaken by his disciples and friends. One betrayed him, another denied him, and who knows how many of them left in hiding afraid to be identified as his friends. To be forsaken means that no one is able or willing to help you. You are totally alone and helpless.

Some years ago, a famous scholar did a comparison of the death of Socrates and the death of Jesus. When the Greek philosopher Socrates was condemned to die, he drank a cup of hemlock poison with great serenity. In the face of death—with no god to call on—Socrates discussed the pros and cons of immortality with composure and reasonableness. He died the way we would like to die. Scholars call it “death with dignity.”

When we turn to the death of Jesus, we see it was nothing like the death of Socrates. In the Garden of Gethsemane Mark says he was trembling. Matthew says he threw himself to the ground, while Luke says he was sweating and his sweat fell like great drops of blood. He doesn’t want to drink the cup of death. He doesn’t want to be alone. Can’t you watch for just one hour? When the end comes he is not in control but is calling out desperately like a child abandoned by its parent.

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?". Was not Jesus, the pious believer, simply reciting a verse he had known since childhood? After all, this was a verse quoted from Psalm 22. Dying people, amazingly, revert to prayers that formed them in their younger, healthier days—the way a person who hasn’t spoken for days may recite the Lord’s Prayer. "Now I lay me down to sleep," says the 90-year old in the nursing home, "I pray the Lord my soul to keep." O perhaps some would recite the ever-beautiful Psalm 23rd, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want…”

Was Jesus really forsaken by God or did he only feel abandoned? We have these moments ourselves. When we are plunged into a deep place and feel abandoned by God, we too, will cry out to God. We may feel we are praying—desperately, fervently, unknowingly—to an Absence, like believers left hanging in the dark. St. John of the Cross spoke of the believer’s dark night of soul. Luther spoke tremblingly of the hidden God. The German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that his generation might have to live as if there was no God but always in the presence of God.

Take heart. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” were spoken by Jesus to express his despair – a human emotion that is so real when one faces death. Jesus' friends knew it. His mother Mary agonizingly witnessed his son slowly dying. Can you feel it? They, too, were devastated. Their leader, their wisdom teacher, their beloved friend dies. He was supposed to be the one who would save them from their social, political and religious oppressions. Without him, their hopes die as well. And there is no one to replace him. Not in that moment of sorrow.

On this day, when death seems to take over our senses and our heart, Jesus affirms the truth about dying, of being abandoned and being forsaken by the God of love. But somehow, we forgot one thing. Others live with hope. There were the women and the beloved disciple at the foot of the cross. There was his mother who keeps on praying that he would no longer suffer. Yes, they held on to the painful disappointments of losing Jesus, but they lived to spread the good news of God’s love and his teachings to others. There was Joseph of Arimathea who came forward to wrap the body of Jesus with spices and lay it in a tomb. Deep in his heart, Joseph knew that Jesus deserves a burial fit for a decent, honourable man, And a stone is rolled in place to cover great sadness and disappointment.

When life is a painful disappointment, we do what we can. We wait. We sit on our agonizing loss and wait. It is all we can do to look at the stone in front of the tomb and to weep. Life may abandon us, forsaken us, crucify us but we are not alone. The women, the beloved disciple, mother Mary, those believers did not give up. They were with Jesus until his death. And did Jesus give up on God? I don’t think so. Jesus clung to God with all his might during the darkest hour of his life. And so must we.

On this Good Friday, we take all the unbearable failures and let-downs of our lives, wrap them up with spices and lay them in the tomb. And we wait as we cling to the God of hope. And God would seem to speak, but barely a silent whisper to those parts of our souls, a voice buried in the despair of the cross: “In this world of death, of violence, of hurts and pains, I will bring about something new. Just wait in hope. There is new life that awaits us at the tomb.”  Amen.

The Dismissal

And now receive God’s blessings:
As we go into the growing shadows of this Good Friday
into the silent unknowing of Holy Saturday,
may we carry in our hearts, the crucified Christ.
May our hearts open like a waiting tomb, a tender womb,
and in the sheltered silence, may we cradle all that is wounded, all that is broken.
We go embracing all that is touched by pain and fear until we feel the pulse of new life begin to stir. For God is not done with us yet.
Go in peace and in love. Amen. 

Blessing: May the Love of God Shine Through You – Choir 2017

[1] Roddy Hamilton, posted in Listening to the Stones blog.

[2] Bob Root, Gathering Lent/Easter 2021, Year B. Used with permission.

[3] Bev Ripley Hall & Beth W. Johnson, Gathering, LE 2017.

Maundy Thursday Service - April 1, 2021

Bells Corners United Church

MAUNDY THURSDAY

Text and Audio only

Adapted from a liturgy written by Doug Varey, while at Northminster U.C., North York, Ontario.

Maundy Thursday takes its name from the Latin ‘mandatum’, meaning commandment, in reference to the new commandment Jesus gives his disciples at the Last Supper: “I give you a new commandment that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” (John 13:34)

Please have the following prepared as you begin the service:

• A jug of water and a basin

• A towel

• Bread

• Wine or Juice

• A lit candle

Prelude: Voices United #147 – What Wondrous Love is This

The Betrayal and Arrest

Sacred silence: filled.
Holy moment: overflowing.
Haunting seconds: brimming. 

Tonight, too much happens
in the holy story to comprehend.
Too much fear and deceit, too many questions and confusion, too few words and too little space.
Heaven is teetering.
The basin is waiting.
The action is joined.
The holy one of God moves.
The darkness encroaches.
The light crumples.
Bread breaks,
and wine spills. 

Sacred silence: filled.
Holy moment: overflowing.
Haunting seconds: brimming. 

A questioning promise,
A broken covenant, a wondering band of followers, and a worried Messiah.
Won’t you wait here a while?
Won’t you wait here a while?
Long enough,
long enough, to grasp even a glimpse, and hold even a fraction, of a broken heaven.  

(silence)

Prayer

Holy God, we come to worship in the gathering shadows of Jesus’ suffering and death. We come with his friends, the men and women who have followed him in every place and generation, to live once again this story of service and betrayal, of weakness and courage. We come to witness your love in action. Be with us, we pray, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hymn: Tell Me the Stories of Jesus – Voices United #357

1        Tell me the stories of Jesus I love to hear,
things I would ask him to tell me if he were here:
scenes by the wayside, tales of the sea,
stories of Jesus, tell them to me.

2        First let me hear how the children stood round his knee,
and I shall fancy his blessing resting on me;
words full of kindness, deeds full of grace,
all in the lovelight of Jesus' face. 

3        Tell me, in accents of wonder, how rolled the sea
          tossing the boat in a tempest on Galilee!
          And how the Master, ready and kind,
          chided the billows and hushed the wind. 

4        Into the city I'd follow the children's band,
waving a branch of the palm tree high in my hand;
          one of his heralds, yes, I would sing
          loudest hosannas! Jesus is king! 

5        Show me that scene in the garden of bitter pain;
and of the cross where my Saviour for me was slain.
          Sad ones or bright ones, so that they be
          stories of Jesus, tell them to me. 

Water of Forgiveness; Water of Baptism

(pour some of the water into the basin – you will do this 3 more times during the prayer)

Prayer:

Servant God, kneeling, bending, serving us. Take our dusty journeys, and wrap your hands around them. Every path we have trodden in life: every word that has taken us to hurtful locations, every thought that has moved us toward the shadows, every act that has led us into rough places, wash away the pain, as we confess, and you forgive.

(during a moment of silence, pour more water)

Take the wounds of our traveling and hold them in your healing hands: every journey of remembrance that holds too many memories, every burden we carry that weighs us with anger that we cannot let go, every place we have visited that holds too much pain. Wash away the lingering, as we let go and let you heal.

(during a moment of silence, pour more water)

Take the discomfort of our values, and wash and wipe and cleanse as you serve us:

every lesson about love we have not learned, every heavenly value we have not grasped, every truth of your Realm we have ignored. Wash away the hesitation, as we accept your love, and offer our love too.

(during a moment of silence, pour more water)

Jesus says: Come you who are weary, you who are heavy laden. Come, and let my hands refresh your living. Let me be your servant, and witness heaven on earth. (silence)

Sharing the Word

Psalm 116    Voices United #836

Refrain:
How can I repay you God, for all the goodness you show to me? 

I love you, God, because you heard my voice
when I made supplication,
          because you turned your ear to me,
          when I called upon your name.
The cords of death entangled me,
and the pangs of the Grave laid hold on me;
          I suffered distress and anguish.
Then I called upon the name of God:
          'O God, I pray, save my life.'  Refrain 

How can I repay you, God,
for all the good things you have done for me?
          I will take up the cup of salvation,
          and call upon the name of God.
I will pay my vows in the presence of all God's people. Refrain

Precious in the sight of God is the death of the saints.
          O God, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the child of your maidservant.
          You have freed me from my bonds.
I will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
          and will call upon the name of God. Refrain
I will pay my vows to God in the presence of all God's people,
in the courts of the house of God, in your midst, O Jerusalem. 

Gospel - John 13: 1-17

Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father.

Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him.

And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself.

Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"

Jesus answered, "You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet."

Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no share with me."

Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!"

Jesus said to him, "One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you."

For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, "Not all of you are clean."

After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am.

So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.

Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

(If you are following the audio version, you may want to pause it here)

Hand Washing – One by one, dip your hands in the water and have the next person dry them… the towel is passed to the next person while the one who dried dips their hands, until all have taken part.

Meditation

Footsteps could be heard running through the streets toward Caiaphas’ lodging, but few heard them as bitter herbs, radish, and celery were tasted.

Soldiers’ sandals sounded as they marched the alleyways out of the city as they always did, in tens, but this time with a purpose that was different.

No one’s attention was drawn to them as roast lamb with slices of garlic was cut to make the Passover feast.

At one table, a betrayer was accused. A holy man and his followers faced each other.

Only two of them knew who had done it, and one of them was soon to leave under the noise of the shouting.

He would walk the cobbled street under moonlight, passing menorahs in each window, slithering through wafts of roast lamb and turmeric and coriander toward a secret meeting place among the trees and shadows.

But not yet.

Round the table in an upper room voices fell silent, and Jesus took the unleavened bread and, with a face drawn and tired, ripped it. “This is my body,” he said. The followers looked at each other, foreheads furrowed. “Take it and eat it, all of you.”

Twigs snapped under the trees. The high priest’s door shut. Footsteps went scurrying.

And as they ate a piece each, chewing over silent questions, Jesus took the cup of wine that every Passover meal requires and staring into it said, “This is my cup, my life poured out for you, the sign of the new covenant. Drink of it, all of you.”

And as whispers were heard around the city and religious leaders moved by stealth to the meeting place, they did drink – all of them.

If they had listened maybe they would have heard what was happening in heaven and in the streets.

But their ears were filled with the back and forth of questions and silence.

The world was turning against them, and only one person in that room could hear it.

Here is that bread, broken.

Jesus said, “The bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world.”

They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

He said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. And anyone who comes to me I will never drive away.”

Here is the cup, filled.

Agape Meal - Sharing the Bread and Wine

In remembrance of that night, tonight we take bread and share it. (share the bread at your table)

In remembrance of that night, we share the cup of grace, a symbol of the new covenant (share the wine or juice at your table)

Prayer after the Meal

God our saviour, power of loving service in the world, we thank you for Jesus, who on the night he was betrayed, gave himself to his friends in humble service, and in bread and wine. May we do the same for the whole world, as we follow his example. Amen

Living in the Shadows

God of anguish,
                    let us walk with you,
                    into the darkness. 

God, who knows the shadow is coming, hold us as we walk into the world’s darkness. 

God of passion,
                    we kneel with you, praying,
                    through the night,
while the world conspires against you and tries to put an end to love.

God, kneel with us, as we pray, too, through the night, and forces gather around us, and betray love’s future. 

God of the day and night,
                    we follow,
                    holding your cup,
                    trusting your will,
                    the shadows seem so long.  

God, who lives in us,
                    help us to keep trusting Jesus,
                    through the deep night. Amen. 

Hymn – Stay With Us Through the Night # 182

1        Stay with us through the night.
          Stay with us through the pain.
                    Stay with us, blessed stranger
                    till the morning breaks again. 

2        Stay with us through the night.
          Stay with us through the grief.
                    Stay with us, blessed stranger
                    till the morning brings relief. 

3        Stay with us through the night.
          Stay with us through the dread.
                    Stay with us, blessed stranger
                    till the morning breaks new bread.

From the Upper Room to the World

Love has moved out. The room is silent.

The table is left: broken bread still sitting there, wine half finished, herbs and lamb scattered across the table.       

In the distance you can hear footsteps moving through the olive grove, whose they are we do not know.

The room hangs, suspended in time, cushions scattered, crumbs across the floor, a basin and a towel sit by the door.

There is a rustle of leaves among the trees, a brushing of garments caught on branches, the sound of knees breaking twigs as they kneel.

The room is cold, full of questions.

The air is deep with the smell of betrayal and panic, of accusations and unfinished stories.

But something deeper is gone, and gone forever a presence, a hope.

Footsteps sound on their way past the house out of the city. The room is dull.

Shadows stretch across unfinished bread and half-drunk wine, a breeze from the empty window fills the space, and crumbs roll and tablecloth flutters as the wind searches and cools the wound of that room; a ghostly presence, filling the hole, haunting love.

There is a gathering of noise, shouts, and silence.

From the room all there is to hear is distant muttering. The trees capture the sounds and clasp the moment of betrayal.

Suddenly, all at once, the wind changes direction, the silence sinks, there is a cry somewhere in the city, and a kiss is traced on a carpenter’s cheek.

It is the moment of betrayal.

The night has truly arrived.

(pause and extinguish the candle)

Postlude: Amazing Grace/My Chains Are Gone

Sunday Worship Service - March 28, 2021

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

PALM SUNDAY Theme: “Jesus: A Movement Leader” [1]

March 28, 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:  Bless the Lord, O My Soul - More Voices #46 - BCUC music team

(Photo Parade prepared by Rev. Lorrie Lowes)

Welcome & Announcements               Rev. Kim Vidal

Good day everyone! I welcome and greet you wherever you are on this Palm Sunday. One year ago, on Palm Sunday last year, we posted our very first service on Youtube. So today is our first anniversary for our online worship service. I can’t believe how the year went by so quickly. And the gathering slides certainly showed us how our children have grown and some of us, older and wiser. If you were able to pick up a palm frond from the church, please make sure you use it as part of your worship centre. If not, you may use a piece of cloth or a leafy branch. Use them as symbols of Palm Sunday commemorating Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem. Join in the procession!

Since Ottawa is in the red 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 staying at home but if you wish to attend, please call the office to register and be reminded that the usual health protocols will be in place which include masking, social distancing, hand sanitizing and staying home if you feel unwell.

We continue to offer our worship service in audio, video and text formats with the weekly announcements, online meetings, events and other updates. Check our website at bcuc.org to access the service. 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.

I would like to highlight some announcements:

• As we enter Holy Week in the coming days, please note that text of the service for Maundy Thursday on April 1st and Good Friday on April 2nd will be emailed to you and the audio recording will be posted on our website.

• We will celebrate Easter Sunday on April 4th with an Agape Meal online and a communion during the modified onsite service.

• 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 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.

• We are also receiving Memorial Flower Donations in memory of your passed loved ones.  You may offer a minimum donation of $10 and a virtual flower display with your loved ones’ names will be included in the online version of the service on Easter Sunday.  Some live flowers will be placed in the Sanctuary. Please send your donation including your memorial request to the Church Office by March 31.  For payment options, please send in cash or cheque payable to BCUC with the note Easter Flowers.

• 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.

• And finally, Join us for a Zoom Fellowship today at 11 am.

For all other announcements, please check our website.

Despite continued physical distancing and self-isolation, we are indeed the church! On this Palm Sunday, know that we are all connected and embraced in God’s love. Pray for each other and take comfort and inspiration from the words of Psalm 46: “God is our refuge and strength. A very present help in trouble.” Let us wave palms, branches or cloths, as we welcome Jesus, our movement leader. Let us gather in worship.

Lighting of Christ Candle       Acolytes:  Wightman Family

We light this Christ candle to remind us of the light of truth.
May this light enflame our hearts with God’s grace;
keep us in the radiance of Christ’s presence;
and fill our hearts with the Spirit of hope.

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.

Words © 1995 John Bell & Graham Maule; Music © 1995 John Bell, IONA GIA Pub
Song # 98424 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Opening Words           Rev. Kim Vidal

There was a time when Lent was a dangerous time for Jews. There was a time and still a time when Christians were incited to hatred and violence against Jews. But there was a time before time, indeed the foundation of Christian time, when there were no Christians. At this time, a charismatic Jew named Yeshua also known as Jesus, came to celebrate the Passover. Jesus drew large crowds as he popularized the teachings of the liberal, Jewish school of thought. There was a time when Palm Sunday told a different story.

The first gospel writer Mark, written about 20 years after the first Palm Sunday, gives us a sense that Jesus’ parade into Jerusalem was not a spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment event. Mark spends more time telling us about the preparations for Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem than about the event itself. My reading of the passage made me think that this parade was intended as a peasant protest against Rome, an organic movement that operates with secret codes and a network of Jesus supporters operating "under the radar."  It would seem that Jesus and his peasant followers intentionally set themselves in stark contrast with the powerful display of Roman military. It was like a modern-day demonstration or an organized protest against the powers-that-be.

Based on historical probes by some NT scholars, like Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan, particularly the political and religious atmosphere when Rome ruled Judea from 31 BCE to 37 CE, they tell us that there could well have been two processions on that day in Jerusalem, on what we now call Palm Sunday. The first one, we know so well, called “the peasant procession”– the one we commemorate today with the waving of palm and leafy branches and spreading cloaks on the road. Coming from the other direction into Jerusalem, according to Mark, we remember Jesus riding a colt, accompanied by his peasant followers and disciples shouting Hosanna which literally means, “God save us!”

But Borg and Crossan reason, that, with crowds of devout Jews flowing into Jerusalem to celebrate The Passover Festival, particularly their liberation from Egypt, the Roman military led by Governor Pilate would put on a display of force, of pomp and circumstance, to deter the Jews from getting any ideas about trying to fight for liberation from Rome. Pilate’s entrance to Jerusalem would have been impressive - a visible manifestation of Imperial Roman power, a show of strength designed to prevent any thoughts of insurgency or violent rebellion against Roman rule. There would have been the sound of marching soldiers on foot, cavalry on horses, leather armour, helmets, weapons, banners, golden eagles mounted on poles, and sun glinting on metal and gold. It would have been designed to make the people feel afraid and powerless.

Scene 1 – TeGrotenhuis Family

1:  Did you hear? The Messiah is coming!

2:  Coming here?

1: Yes – coming to Jerusalem, to celebrate the Festival of the Unleavened Bread!

2: Well, let’s grab some palm branches and wave them high! Let’s give the Messiah the best welcome we know!

Call to Gather               Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Jesus, a light of the world, bringing hope for the future;
one who will set us free.
Welcome Jesus! Hosanna!

Jesus, a bearer of justice,
one who will overturn oppressive rulers and colonial powers.
Welcome Jesus! Hosanna!

Jesus, a compassionate healer, who shares our pains,
who understands and comforts.

Welcome Jesus! Hosanna!

Jesus, a movement leader,
who wipes all tears away and ushers in a peaceful kin-dom.

Hosanna to Jesus! Blessed is the One who comes in the name of God!
Hosanna in the highest!

Prayer of Approach:  (written by Ken Wotherspoon, Gathering, LEP, 1987.)

As the gates of the city swung open to welcome Jesus,
so may our hearts be opened to God’s Spirit among us.
As Jesus wept for the people, so may we weep for those
who suffer at the hands of those who have forgotten how to love.
Let our worship today express the joy and sorrow,
the laughter and weeping of that first Palm Sunday. Amen.

* Hymn:      Hosanna, Loud Hosanna  - Voices United #123 – BCUC music team

1 Hosanna, loud hosanna
the happy children sang;
through pillared court and temple
the lovely anthem rang:
to Jesus, who had blessed them,
close folded to his breast,
the children sang their praises,
the simplest and the best.

2 From Olivet they followed
'mid an exultant crowd,
the victory palm-branch waving,
and singing clear and loud;
the Lord of earth and heaven
rode on in lowly state,
content that little children
should on his bidding wait.

3 "Hosanna in the highest!"
That ancient song we sing,
for Christ is our Redeemer;
earth, let your anthems ring.
O may we ever praise him
with heart and life and voice,
and in his humble presence
eternally rejoice.

Words 1873 Jennette Threlfall; Music trad 18th century German
Song # 97922 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Scene 2 - TeGrotenhuis Family

1: I don’t know about this. Something’s making me feel a bit uneasy.

2: Yeah – I know what you mean. There’s too much hype for my liking.

1: Something always goes wrong when crowds get too excited.

2: And they’re definitely too excited!

Scene 3 – Berard Family

1: Look at this guy – he’s attracting quite a following.

2: And have you heard about what he’s teaching?

1: A bit. What have you heard?

2: He’s shown blatant disregard for the Sabbath. He even encourages his disciples to work on the Sabbath.

3: I heard that he seems to mock the laws –it’s like making fun of Moses’ teachings.

4:  He follows those liberal teachings of Hillel, you know.

3:  Hillel?

4: You know – the Rabbi who summed up the whole Torah into one sentence.

3: Ha! Oh yeah – how did that go?

4: Hillel said, “What is hateful to you, do not do unto your neighbour. This is the entire Torah, all the rest is commentary.”

1: I think I heard this Jesus say something like that.

2: Darn right. Jesus is spreading the same liberal garbage and attracting hordes of people. And look at how they practically worship him. Talk about blasphemy!

1:  It does seem to be getting pretty out of hand.

2: (Shouting) Hey, Rabbi! Order your disciples to stop!

4: Jesus said, “I tell you, if these people were silent, the stones would shout out. ”
(Luke 19:40)

1:  Well, I guess he put you in your place.

2: No one makes fun of me like that and gets away with it. These people need to know what he’s really like. It’s the only way they’ll understand.

Hymn:   Sanna Sannanina  - Voices United #128 (An African Version of Hosanna)

Sanna, sannanina, sanna, sanna, sanna, (2x)
Sanna, sanna, sanna, sannanina, sanna, sanna, sanna (2x)

Words & Music: traditional South African, arranged © 1993 Nicholas Williams
Song # 75948 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Scene 4 – Lorrie & Neil Lowes

1 – Lorrie:  Someone just told me that Jesus said you should hate your family?

2 –Neil: What?

1: Yeah, apparently, he said to turn your back on your own family,

spit on the dust and shake your sandals and leave them

if they don’t give all they have to some beggar walking by.

2: I guess there’s another side to Jesus that isn’t so angelic!

Prayer for Illumination:  Reader: Keith Bailey

God of the journey, whose Word silences the shouts of the mighty, quiet within us every voice but your own. Speak to us through your Word of hope and courage, that by the power of your Holy Spirit, we may welcome Jesus’ entrance into our hearts. Amen.

The Gospel Reading: Mark 11: 1-11 (NRSV) Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

11 When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’” 4 They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, 5 some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. 7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. 9 Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 11 Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

May these words renew us and give us assurance of hope in this time and in this place.

Thanks be to God!

Hymn:      And On This Path  -  More Voices #8      - BCUC Music team

1.    And on this path, the gates of holiness are open wide, (3X)
Open wide! (3X) The gates are open wide! 

2.    So enter in, the gates of holiness are open wide, (3X)
Open wide! (3X) The gates are open wide! 

3.    And on this path, the gates of holiness are open wide (3X)        
Open wide! (3X) The gates are open wide!

Words © 2000 Lynn Bauman, Music © 2003 Linnea Good, Borrealis Music
Song # 99739 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Scene 5 – Lorrie & Neil

1: Jesus is running into some serious trouble. I don’t have a good feeling about this. He’s being constantly challenged by the scribes who are trying to discredit him and yet he’s giving incredible wise responses.

2: Yeah – today I heard Jesus sum up the Torah by saying, “Love God with your whole being, and love your neighbour as yourself.”

1: Ha! As long as that neighbour is not a scribe!

2: Maybe that was his point. How do we love someone we totally disagree with?

1: I don’t know, but he sure ticked them off at the temple yesterday. He actually sat there and watched who put how much into the treasury! I’m sure glad he didn’t watch what I put in. Anyway, all of these highfalutin professionals came up and made it fairly obvious how much money they were putting in. Then, this widow, who had nothing, came up and put a couple of coppers in. Jesus then called a bunch of us over and said, “You see that poor woman? She just gave more than the rest of them put together because she gave all she had.”

2: Gee, he’s gonna get himself killed. And I think he knows it. Wow! I’d give my life to stop that from happening.

1: Honestly, I don’t know if I can do that!

Prayers of the People            Rev. Kim Vidal

God of all times and places, our Lenten journey brought us today to enter the Holy Week. As in Jesus’ time, the people waved palms and leafy branches and spread their cloaks on the road in praise of Jesus, the movement leader who entered Jerusalem in the name of God. Like stones that won’t be silenced, we see the crowds shouting hosanna! which was replaced a few days after with “crucify him!”

What would it be like if we were among the crowd that day?  Will we offer our loud praises and recognize the leadership of Jesus? Will we offer our solidarity with the peasants and not be intimidated by the presence of political, religious and military powers? Or will we run away and hide in fear of being crucified or worst, get killed for our voices of protest? O God, help us to remember that Jesus entered Jerusalem bearing his teaching of non-violence, truth to power and love beyond the grave. Forgive us when we are lost in confusion and doubt. With the grace of Your spirit, enfold our daily lives with insight and clarity that we may know your presence within each of us. In this Holy season, help us to fast from resentment, hostility, and apathy and instead feast on love, peace and joy that you lavishly offer for our journey to Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

God of healing, gently touch the lives of those needing comfort and wholeness in distressed lives and souls, particularly those who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic especially those who lost their loved ones from this virus and from other diseases. With love and earnest concern, we pray for those carrying heavy burdens. Use us to comfort those who have suffered deep losses in their lives. Today, we remember Jean Watson and family in the death of her brother-in-law, Ken Watson this week. Heal those who are troubled and distressed. Assure those awaiting medical results with good news. Disturb us to afflict the comfortable and comfort those afflicted, particularly those who have felt discriminated, marginalized or ostracised because of the colour of their skin, or their ethnicity or religious beliefs. On a cheery note, we pray for those celebrating happy occasions and moments of joy. We ask for your blessing upon Rev. Lorrie Lowes and Nicole Beaudry who both celebrated their birthday on March 27. O God, teach us to be advocates of goodness and embrace us all with your unconditional love.

Passionate God, reach into our hearts and our minds and spark us into action. Move us to see the needs of your hurting world. Where there is poverty, help us to share our wealth. Where there is war and division, help us to share your peace. Where people grieve, help us to share your compassion. For it is in you, O God that we are changed. Through your light, we become light. Through your love, we are able to love. Through your generosity, we give.

Prepare us now to enter into the Holy Week with a heart willing to change and a heart ready to accept your forgiveness. And with grateful hearts, let us unite as we sing this prayer that Jesus taught us:

The Lord’s Prayer (Sung) - Voices United #959     - BCUC Choir

Our Father, in heaven, hallowed be your name.
your kingdom come, your will be done on earth, as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil,
for the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours, now and forever.  

Music © 1986 David Haas, GIA publications
Song #01814 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

The Offering Invitation    Lorrie

In times of stress, in times of angst, we do not know what to do.

In times of need within this world and this community, we feel overwhelmed.

In times of abundance, in times of poverty, we ask God how we can give to this church, to the wider community, to our family and friends and 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 and your commitment to the work.  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:[2] (together)                                       

Like palms of rejoicing, like cloaks on the ground,
we bring these gifts and offer them here.
Let both gifts and the givers be lifted up,
blessed, and sent forth to do your will. Amen. 

Scene 6 – Berard Family

1 : He’s losing it! He’s done for.

2 : Yeah – I can’t believe he killed a fig tree. And just because it didn’t have any figs on it. It’s not even the season for figs!

1: And what he did in the temple! Whipping people and turning over their tables! They didn’t know what hit them!

2: What side of the bed did he get up on this morning?

Scene 7 – TeGrotenhuis Family

1: Jesus definitely had a bad day today.

2: You know, I think he’s going through huge stress right now. I heard him talking an awful lot about death and the end times. I think he knows that something terrible is about to happen.

1: Maybe he’s trying to warn us about something.

2: I don’t like how those temple leaders are talking. They really feel threatened by him, and I think they’re out to get him.

1: What can we do? I thought this was going to be a happy day!

2: Well, Jesus made his point. He told us to stay alert, to watch, to pray. Maybe that’s all we can do right now.

Closing Words            Rev. Kim Vidal

The image of Pilate's procession of military power and imperial control might have given us a different perspective when we read the story of Jesus and his peasant followers entering Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday.  A procession of rag-tag group of peasants and common-folk waving branches and cheering on their leader who is doing his best to keep his seat on an unbroken colt. Could it have been more than a spontaneous welcome for a beloved leader?

What are we, 21st century Christians have to do with Palm Sunday?  Why do we wave our palm fronds and shout our hosannas? Why do we continue with this tradition that started 2000 years ago? Like the first century peasants who followed Jesus’ way of life, we too must have felt the urge to join the Jesus Movement, perhaps joining a march of protest or a statement of some sort – a march offering our voice in many forms: voice against the evil of bigotry and hypocrisy of our culture; voice to question our obsession and greed for material goods; voice to advocate against hatred, injustice and violence we might inflict, or perhaps voice to support those who are affected by COVID-19 pandemic that held us helpless and isolated in many ways.

A good question to ask is this: Where is God’s grace in this Palm Sunday story? I think grace is found in the sense of freedom and liberation that Jesus offered to his first century followers that continue to inspire us today. Jesus points a way of being in the world that proclaims love in many forms– his calm, non-anxious presence that offered God’s grace to the people - his humility and his message of peace and non-violence that gave the people comfort and made them follow him.

Friends, on this Palm Sunday, Jesus, the movement leader is on his way to his death. He will be crucified few days after entering Jerusalem; after he encountered the powers-that-be; after he and his followers have voiced their protests against oppression and their “NO” to the status quo. This is why the story of Jesus riding into the center of power of his time has such resonance in our own time. The first Palm Sunday offers us a way to reshape our own stories that they may embody the same hope: hope of compassion, hope of healing, hope of genuine freedom and justice for all. In this one moment, we can make a way for Jesus, the movement leader. We can throw our cloaks on the ground with humility and sing our songs of hosannas and celebration, yes, even our songs of pain and protests. Palm Sunday allows us to entrust our uncertainties and our fears in God’s grace, in every circumstance and in every, holy week of our lives.  May this Palm Sunday be one more act of witness, one more step in our journey of following Jesus’ Way—one that leads to healing and life for all. Thanks be to God. Amen.

*Thanks to the BCUC Lectionary Group for their invaluable insights and reflections on Palm Sunday and to Borg & Crossan’s book, The Last week.

*Hymn:    I Danced in the Morning  - Voices United #352     - BCUC Music team

1  I danced in the morning when the world was begun, and I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun, and I came from heaven and I danced on the earth;  at Bethlehem I had my birth.

Refrain:

Dance, then, wherever you may be;
I am the Lord of the dance, said he,
and I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
and I'll lead you all in the dance, said he.

2  I danced for the scribe and the Pharisee,
but they would not dance and they would not follow me; I danced for the fishermen, for James and John; they came with me and the dance went on. R

3  I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame; the holy people said it was a shame;
they whipped and they stripped and they hung me high, and left me there on a cross to die. R

4 I danced on a Friday when the sky turned black;  it's hard to dance with the devil on your back; they buried my body and they thought I'd gone, but I am the dance and I still go on. R

5 They cut me down and I leap up high;
I am the life that will never, never die;
I'll live in you if you'll live in me;
I am the Lord of the dance, said he. R

Words © Sydney Carter 1963; Music: Shaker Melody adapt. and harm. © Sydney Carter 1963
Song # 01248 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Sending Forth           Rev. Kim Vidal

The God who rejoiced with Jesus
as he was acclaimed by the Palm Sunday crowd,
celebrates with we us we journey through the Holy Week.

The God who stayed with Jesus
as he endured agony and death on that dark hill,
will stand with us in the testing times of life.

Jesus, our leader, you are eternally faithful.
With open hands, we wait on you.
With open hearts, we receive you. Amen.

Departing Music:  Sleepers, Wake  - Voices United #711    - BCUC Choir

Written in the 16th century by Pastor Nicholai during a plague in Germany
Dedicated to all COVID-19 victims and sufferers (Bill McGee) 

1 'Sleepers, wake!' the watch are calling,
their notes from Zion's watchtower falling:
'Awake, awake, Jerusalem!
Midnight comes, no longer slumber,
nor let dull sleep your senses cumber.
Wise virgins, haste, or do you dream?
The bridegroom draweth near!
Arise, your lamps show clear. Hallelujah.
Yourselves array this marriage day
to meet the bridegroom on his way.'  

2 Zion hears the sentries singing,
her heart within for joy is springing,
she wakes, she speeds with glad surprise.
For her God comes down all glorious,
in grace most strong, in truth victorious,
her light is come, her star doth rise.
Welcome! thou worthy crown,
Lord Jesus, God's dear Son, hosanna!
We join the throng that streams along
and fills thy banquet hall with song.  

3 Let all creatures sound thy praises,
now earth its voice with heaven raises,
with harps' and cymbals' joyful tone.
Gates of pearl swing wide before us,
thy guests who join that blessed chorus
of angels that surround thy throne.
No eye hath seen, nor ear
was yet so blest to hear such rejoicing!
Henceforth may we eternally
sing hallelujahs unto thee.

Words: Philip Nicolai 1598, trans, Jay Macpherson 1970 Music: Hans Sachs ca 1513, adapt. Philip Nicolai 1599, harm Johann Sebastian Bach 1731 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

11 am – ZOOM Fellowship

[1] The skits in today’s service is adapted from a liturgy written by Loraine Mackenzie Shepard published in the Gathering, Lent/Easter/Pentecost, 2007.

[2] Kate Crawford, Gathering Lent-Easter 2014.

Sunday school activities - March 28, 2021

Today is Palm Sunday! It is the last week of Lent and the beginning of Holy Week. If we were in the church together, we would be having a parade but, just like last year, today we are celebrating online.

When we hold our Palm Sunday parade, we are acting out the story of Jesus and his disciples entering the city of Jerusalem. They were going there because they were all devout Jewish men and it was the time of Passover, a very special Jewish celebration to remember the time when their ancestors were set free from slavery in Egypt and began their long journey home to Jerusalem – a story we read about in the Old Testament. This city was where the Temple stood and people came from all over the area to celebrate Passover in this sacred place.

In Jesus’ time, the Jewish people were ruled by Rome and not treated very well. The Romans allowed them to practice their religion – as long as they didn’t get any ideas about freeing themselves like people in the story. Many thousands of Jewish people would be in Jerusalem to celebrate in this week so the Romans would be watching them carefully to make sure there wasn’t any trouble. I don’t think Jesus and his disciples set out to cause trouble – but the people had heard about him and were excited to see him coming. Add this to the excitement of Passover itself and you can see why the crowds gathered and started a parade! Some had heard that Jesus was the Messiah and so they expected him to come and save them from the harsh Roman rule. They were cheering because they believed that Jesus was the hero that would change the world for them.

When we celebrate Palm Sunday at BCUC, we include some protest signs to remind us that life was unfair and difficult for the Jewish people at that time. When they thought about their ancestors being freed from slavery in Egypt, they would probably dream of a time they could be free from Rome. So, to remember this, we put messages on our signs to protest the things that were so hard and unfair:

“No more taxes!”

“Feed the Poor!”

“Protect the Widows and Children!”

“Give us Back our Land!”

The people in the first Palm Sunday parade probably were probably not openly protesting. They were more likely celebrating the hope that a better world was about to begin – and they put all their hope in their hero, Jesus. The parade was a hero’s welcome for him.

Can you think of some people who are heroes of hope for a better world today?

If there was a parade like this today, what do you think might be on our signs? Would they be signs of protest or signs of hope?

Response Activity Ideas

Breaking News!

Retell the first Palm Sunday parade as if you are a news reporter.  Print and use the template, or create your own by hand or on the computer.  Consider including a description of what might have been seen, made-up ‘quotes’ from different people on the street. Can you be a balanced reporter sharing the excitement of the crowd as well as the concerns of the religious leaders?

Click to print PDF

Hero ‘Palm’ Branch

Materials: green paper, scissors, glue, cardboard or paint stir stick, writing tools

Make a palm branch from your palms to recognize the helping hands who bring hope to us and our community!  Trace your hand about 4-8 times onto green paper and cut out.  On each, write the names of people or professions you consider to be ‘heroes of hope’ around you.  Cut a strip of cardboard or use a paint stir stick (or similar) to be the stem.  Glue the ‘palm’ leaves along the stem.  When dry, wave your branch proudly to thank the heroes in your life and our community!

View fullsize

Holy Week Scavenger Hunt

As a family, try finding the objects on this list (PDF) to represent the events of Holy Week.  They could be real objects or pictures or toys to signify the items.  Collect them together in a basket, box, or slideshow of images to interact with over the week.  Consider adding one or more items such as a butterfly or sprouting plant to represent Easter Sunday, too!

Illustrated Ministry Lenten Package

Jesus was seen as a hero for the people living under Roman rule.  He championed the rights of the poor and oppressed, and taught a different way.  This is explained more on pg 47-48 in the package.  The colouring sheet on pg. 51 is great celebration (like a palm parade) of children, and of Jesus’ way of turning what we think we know upside down!

Sunday Worship Service - March 21, 2021

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT – RACIAL JUSTICE SUNDAY

March 21, 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: Put Peace Into Each Other’s Hands – Voices United #173 – Erin Berard

In honour of Asian & Black Lives  - Charles and Eithne Barker

1.    Put Peace into each other’s hands
And like a treasure hold it,
Protect it like a candle flame,
With tenderness enfold it. 

2.    Put Peace into each other’s hands
With loving expectation;
Be gentle in your words and ways,
In touch with God’s creation. 

3.    Put Peace into each other’s hands
Like bread we break for sharing;
Look people warmly in the eye;
Our life is meant for caring. 

4.    Give thanks for strong yet tender hands,
Held out in trust and blessing.
Where words fall short, let hands speak out,
The heights of love expressing. 

5.    Reach out in friendship, stay with faith
In touch with those around you.
Put peace into each other’s hands;
The Peace that sought and found you. 

Words © 1989 Fred Kaan Music © 2004 Ron Klusmeier
Song # 106122 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Welcome & Announcements        Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Good Morning!

Since Ottawa is in the red 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 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.

Memorial Flower Donations: To provide an opportunity for families to remember loved ones who have passed, we are providing a virtual Easter flowers memorial donation option for this year.  Funds will be used to buy flowers for the sanctuary for Easter Sunday and to create a fund for sanctuary flowers throughout the year. As in the past, you may make a minimum donation of $10. A virtual flower display with the loved ones’ names and the memorial will be included in the online version of the service on Easter Sunday.  Some live flowers will be placed in the Sanctuary. Please send your donation including your memorial request to the Church Office by March 31.  For payment, the following are options:

• Drop off your request with either cash or cheque through the mail slot at the kitchen door

• Mail in your request with a cheque to the Church Office

• Email your request to the Church Office, and pay via e-transfer – mark your transaction “Easter Flowers” in the message line of the e-transfer (not preferred since there is a charge/transaction)

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.

There will be a Zoom Fellowship today at 11 am, so please join us if you are able.

For all other announcements, please check our website.

Centering for Worship:   Let us prepare our hearts and minds for worship.

Lighting of the Christ Candle     Acolytes: Lynda and Neville Reed

In this world where the news seems often dark and cold, we welcome the light and comfort of a candle flame.

Today we light this candle to remind us that we are not alone; Christ is always with us.

Let it also remind us of the many forms of light that he brought into the world –

The light of love…
The light of awareness…
The light of justice…
The light of peace…
The light of hope.

As we light this flame, let us also be reminded that we are asked to shed this light wherever we go and in whatever we say or do.

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. 

Words © 1995 John Bell & Graham Maule; Music © 1995 John Bell, IONA GIA Pub
Song # 98424 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Call to Gather        Rev. Lorrie Lowes

In this place, at this time, let God call out of us what is good.
In this place, at this time, let us surrender what does harm.
In this place, at this time, let us be filled with worship.
We are an offering to God. Let us present ourselves freely.[1]

Prayer of Confession & Words of Assurance      Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Ever-Abundant God, we open our hearts to you this day, and offer these truths: Today we live in the fear that encompasses us. Today we live with the prejudice that is right in front of us. Today we live with the ignorance that dwells within us. Today we live with the doubt that holds us back. Help us, we pray, that we will find courage in unlikely places, discover the world with new and gracious understandings, move to those places where love is needed, and have faith that you are with us. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. (moment of silence)

Friends, hear the good news that God listens to our prayers, understands our concerns, and holds us close in this time of confession and truth-telling. Know that today we have been given the grace and the courage to go into the world and spread this good news. Amen.[2]

Hymn: In Christ There Is No East or West – Voices United #606 (tune Crimond)

1.    In Christ there is no east or west,
in him no south or north,
But one great family of love
throughout the whole wide earth.

2.    In him shall true hearts everywhere
Their high communion find; 
His service is the golden cord
Close binding humankind.

3.    Join hands, then, people of the faith,
Whate’er your race may be;
All children of the living God
Are surely kin to me. 

4.    In Christ now meet both east and west
In him meet south and north;
All Christ-like souls are one in him
Throughout the whole wide earth. 

But one great family of love
throughout the whole wide earth.

Words 1908 John Oxenham, Music 1915 James Macbeth Bain, Harmony 1934 Gordon Jacob
Song # 84249 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved 

Storytime           Erin Berard

Sing with me if you remember this one:

The more we get together, together, together,
The more we get together, the happier we’ll be
‘Cause your friends are my friends, and my friends are your friends,
The more we get together, the happier we’ll be.

© Ken Whiteley / Raffi Cavoukian Reprinted under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved 

Now wait a minute, I know we’re into the Red Zone restrictions here in Ottawa! Please don’t think I’m encouraging anyone to go gather and socialize with all your friends! 

That’s not what I’m getting at.  Perhaps I need to change the action word in the song to get my meaning across… what about “The more we work together… or the more we support each other…”

That’s because today I’m thinking about what it means to be an ALLY.  Have you heard that word before?   Maybe you’ve heard about countries being allies as they work together to protect each other or solve a problem when there is conflict, or, I don’t know, something like a pandemic.

We use the word ally a lot nowadays to talk about being someone who might stand up for the rights of people of colour and Indigenous peoples, even though they are not actually part of those groups.  We know these groups often have to face racism in their day to day lives and people who are allies want to do things to change that.

Jesus sets the example for us, doesn’t he, of how we should act?  Standing up for poor travelers being cheated, eating with people who were considered ‘different’, listening and talking and including all people. 

Now how do we work to become an ally? 

Listen and learn! Does your class library or online reading website have books by diverse authors?  If not, ask for them or seek them out.  Do you feel like you’re learning about the viewpoints of different cultures in history class?  If not, ask about it, or learn more on your own time. The more you know, a better ally you can be.

Listen and act! What if you see people being teased or hurt because of their skin colour or culture? If you’re not feeling comfortable stepping up and saying something in the moment, don’t just let it slide by – because that makes it seems like you agree – tell a grown-up what you saw and heard. That’s a way to be an ally. 

So let’s sing that song again, but change some of the words:

The more we work together, together, together,
The more we support others, the stronger we’ll be
Diverse voices are important,
And I can be an ally
The more we learn and listen, the stronger we’ll be. 

Hymn:  Guide My Feet – trad. African-American  - CGS/Bell Canto – Erin - director

1.    Guide my feet while I run this race (x3)
For I don’t want to run this race alone. 

2.    Hold my hand while I run this race (x3)
For I don’t want to run this race alone. 

3.    Stand by me while I run this race (x3)
For I don’t want to run this race alone. 

4.    Search my heart while I run this race (x3)
For I don’t want to run this race alone.

Traditional African American Reprinted under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Prayer for Illumination          Reader: Tamara Glanville

In the shadow of conflict, we gather as people seeking peace. You, O God, reach out inviting us to journey the path of reconciliation and justice. May your Word grant us courage and conviction. Amen[3]

The Reading: Psalm 51:1-10 NRSV

1 Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
    blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
    and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
    and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
    and blameless when you pass judgment.
5 Indeed, I was born guilty,
    a sinner when my mother conceived me.

6 You desire truth in the inward being;
    therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
    and blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and put a new and right spirit within me.

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

Sermon: Create in Me a Clean Heart        Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Today is Racial Justice Sunday, and I think it is fitting that it falls in the season of Lent. This is a season of confession and repentance and we take that seriously each week with our prayers of confession. We take stock of our lives and our actions; we think about how our actions move us away from God and God’s purpose; we ask for forgiveness, and we commit to turning our lives around. We are assured that God forgives us and loves us, and we put ourselves on a straighter path. All this is important. It’s good to take the time to be intentional about looking at our lives as Christians and to take stock of how they fit with God’s dream and Jesus’ example. Racial Justice is certainly an issue that needs examining in this process. It’s a bit trickier than most issues, however, because it is sometimes hard to recognize in our own lives. We, as predominantly white, privileged Canadians, often think of it as a problem “out there”, as something that doesn’t pertain to us.

The Psalm that Tamara read for us this morning is attributed to David. It is certainly full of confession and repentance. In order to understand it, we need to know the story of David and Bathsheba, and the prophet Nathan. So, in a nutshell, it goes like this…

By this time, David was King – chosen by God and anointed by Nathan. He was a great military leader and well-loved by his people. He lived a life of power and luxury. His life was a far cry from his beginnings as a shepherd boy, too low in the birth order of his family to ever expect to become the head of the family or to inherit much at all in the way of land or wealth. His life had taken an unexpected turn when God chose him to lead the people, and life was good beyond his imagination. One day, we’re told, he saw Bathsheba bathing on the roof of her house. She was beautiful! He sent his servants to bring her to the palace. She would be honoured to be noticed by the king! This was not to be a one-night stand, of course; David fell in love with her and wanted to take her as a wife. The problem was that she was already married and her husband was Uriah, one of his greatest generals, and also a friend. He wouldn’t cause Uriah to be disgraced. Uriah was away, fighting battles for the king. David decided to give Uriah a job that put him into a position on the front line, leading the assault – a dangerous but important role. Uriah was killed in the battle. David took the mourning widow, Bathsheba, as his wife. What he was doing seemed reasonable and admirable – in his own eyes as well as in the eyes of most around him. By marrying Bathsheba, he protected her honour and took care of his friend’s widow. God and Nathan didn’t quite see it that way, however. Nathan tells King David a story about a wealthy man with a huge flock of sheep who doesn’t want to give up one of his own sheep to serve his important guests, so he steals the one and only lamb of his poor neighbour instead. David reacts with outrage and says the man should be put to death! Nathan points out that David’s actions are exactly the same, and so we have David’s plea to God, his confession and his request for forgiveness.

So, how does this story relate to Racial Justice? Well, I think in some ways, we are much like King David. He didn’t see that what he was doing was wrong. In his mind, taking Bathsheba in the first place, he was giving her an incredible compliment – she had won the notice and the love of the king! He didn’t take her as a mistress but as a wife. By marrying her, he was elevating her status and her lifestyle, while saving her from the difficult position of widow. Uriah died in battle, but David didn’t kill him by his own hand, it was just one of the hazards of being a brave general in the King’s army, after all. He was really quite honourable in all of this – or so he thought, until he was shown the full brunt of his actions. His position as king gave him not only great responsibility but a lavish lifestyle and a great amount of privilege. He was a good man – history remembers him as a good ruler and beloved by God – but he was blind to the harmful effect his good deeds could have on those around him – even those he considered friends, even those he loved.

He had sent his servants to bring back the woman who caught his eye. Could they have spoken up to tell him that he shouldn’t do this, that she was the wife of a man he loved and depended on? He offered himself to Bathsheba. An honour, perhaps, but did she have any choice, any power to say no? If she had refused the advances of the king, what would the consequences be for her, for her husband and his position? He gave Uriah an order to lead his troops in battle – from the front line. Could Uriah, who was actually there on the battlefield, tell him that this particular battle was a bad idea? That he was putting, not just Uriah, but all of his soldiers in grave danger? So many questions… Questions that would never be asked of David because he held the power and the privilege of his position in that society. If any of those people had voiced their concerns or posed those questions, would he even have listened? Or would have said, “Don’t be ridiculous! Look what I’ve done for Bathsheba, out of love and honour…I didn’t rape her, I love her and she loves me!... Look at how I put Uriah into the responsible and honoured role of leader… Yes, some terrible things have happened - but I didn’t kill anyone. I didn’t hurt anybody… How can you put any blame on me? I am a good person.”

When it comes to racism, we tend to think of it as a problem “out there”. It’s not a problem in our community, and certainly not in our church. “I am not a racist!” is a statement that most of us in this congregation would be comfortable with. We have friends who have brown or black skin. We welcome people of all skin colours and cultures into our midst. We are friends with the people of the Jami Omar mosque.  Horrific things are happening in the world, particularly to our brothers and sisters who don’t look like us, but we aren’t doing those things. We are good people.

Almost a year ago, a black man named George Floyd died at the hands – or rather the knee – of a police officer in Minneapolis. The footage of that knee on the neck of a restrained man for eight minutes was seen all over the world, igniting racial tensions and deeply held grief. His cry of, “I can’t breathe,” will haunt us forever. Just this past week, 6 people of Asian descent were murdered in Atlanta by a white gunman. These cities are a long way from Bells Corners and the racial strife in the United States is well-known and visible to the world. We look at what happens to people of colour to the south of us and condemn it. What does it have to do with us? We aren’t like that police officer. Things like that don’t happen here… Do they?

Or are we, like King David, seeing only from our position of privilege. Have we ever asked the people of those diverse groups that we welcome into our midst what their experience is? And if we do ask, are they comfortable enough to tell us the truth? Do we listen to understand or do we immediately go on the defense… I was only trying to help… It was only a joke… You are taking it the wrong way… Of course, I would never do something to hurt you, I care about you… You are reading more into this than is actually there… You are being overly sensitive…

We take offense at being labeled racist. Robin Diangelo, has written a book about it called “White Fragility”. For us, the term ‘racist’ comes with the connotation of wickedness. What we hear is ‘bad person’. We put up our defenses, we stop listening, we close our ears and our minds.  Anne Bishop, a Canadian author, also tackles this in her book, “Becoming an Ally”. She tries to explain racism in a different way:

Remember that everyone in an oppressor group is part of the oppression. It is ridiculous to claim you are not sexist if you are a man or not racist if you are white, and so on… all members of this society grow up surrounded by oppressive attitudes; we are marinated in it. It runs in our veins; it is as invisible to us as the air we breathe… A white person never becomes “non-racist” but is always a “recovering racist.”

A “recovering racist”… Perhaps this is easier to understand. We are familiar with this concept in terms of addiction or alcoholism. I have a friend who has been sober for close to 40 years. We would say she has licked the problem – but she can never let her guard down. In her mind, she will always be a “recovering alcoholic”. Particularly in a culture where drinking is socially acceptable, even socially expected, it would be so easy for her to slip back into old habits… Anne Bishop says recovering racists are often referred to as “anti-racist” but I wonder if this is just another way to make ourselves feel that we have licked the problem and can let our guard down. That term still sounds to me like, “I’ve fixed my problem; I’m not a racist anymore, and so now I just get to call out other people’s racist behaviour.” The temptation might be to close our ears, our hearts, and our minds once more. I think we need to stop taking offence and start taking responsibility. We aren’t bad people, but we have a lot to learn and a lot to unlearn.

In our Lenten sermon series, Rev. Kim and I have been looking at some of the identities of Jesus. In choosing an Old Testament reading this week, I do not mean to stray from this theme. So, let’s take a look at Jesus in the context of his time and place in history. The first and perhaps most important thing to remember about Jesus, the man, is that he was a devout Jew. His mission wasn’t to destroy the Jewish religion, far from it. He wanted people to look at the sacred teachings and writings with new eyes. He wanted people to hear God’s message from a new perspective. When we examine the perspective of the people of his time, we see a culture with a long history of oppression. The way society works is tied to power – whoever is at the top, has power over everyone below. That power changes hands throughout the Old Testament and I’m sure this was the case for centuries before that. A conquering tribe takes possession of the land and control over all that is in it, including the people. Eventually, there might be an uprising and another war happens – sometimes turning that power structure upside down so that a new hierarchy is in place – but there is always a hierarchy. It is accepted as “the way the world works”. In Anne Bishop’s words, they were marinated in it. They couldn’t imagine anything different. Jesus’ mission was to change that dynamic, to bring peace on earth. What the Jewish people of his time interpreted that to mean was that the oppressor – Rome – would be destroyed and so they would be liberated. But then what? Without a whole new way of thinking about how the world works, the liberated, the “good guys” would then hold the power over and the control of everything. The cycle would continue. I don’t think this is what Jesus, or God, had in mind. This Messiah was not a conquering warlord but a social activist.  His message to the people was not about who is good and who is bad. His message was about God’s love for all people and all of creation. Love your neighbour as you love yourself, love your enemy, love creation, love, love, love… Jesus’ mission wasn’t to put people who looked like him and worshipped like him in charge of the world. His mission was to break down the barriers that divide people, to replace “power over” others to “power with”. He showed over and over again that there is enough to go around – enough food, enough wealth, even enough wine for a good celebration – as long as we see each other as equal rather than in a hierarchy, as long as we see  the world’s resources as gifts for all, rather than owned and controlled by the current mightiest.  His message was one of change through love and peace, not through violence and fear. His social activism was new and creative. He didn’t use weapons or might to change things, he used stories that people could identify with. His message was one of relationship – of really knowing your neighbour, of listening with an open heart, of taking care of each other because we are all loved by God, not in spite of our differences but because of them.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God,” David implores, “and put a new and right spirit within me.”

His plea came after his eyes were opened to the problem with his actions, after he was able to hear God through the prophet Nathan, after he was willing to let down his defensiveness and admit that, even as a good person, he had a lot of work to do.

The way the world works hasn’t really changed that much over the 2000 years since Jesus walked among us. Slavery has been abolished, residential schools have been closed, apologies have been made – but still people who are different from us in some way – skin colour, sexuality, culture, faith, really anything other than white, straight, of European descent, able-bodied, and even male – are still disadvantaged. We can say we love them all and we can work toward changing that reality, but until we listen, really listen to what their experience is, until we acknowledge that we all still have work to do, the kind of change that Jesus preached may never happen.

There is so much more to say on this difficult topic of racial justice. A Sunday sermon can barely scratch the surface, but I will end here with my confession to you: I am a recovering racist. I don’t say this to apologize but to acknowledge that I have much to learn and unlearn. It is my fervent prayer that I will have the courage to open my ears and my mind to see where my life of privilege causes harm and that God will help me as I do the work to create a clean heart. I hope you will join me. Amen.

Sources:

• Becoming an Ally: Breaking the Cycle of Oppression in People” (third edition) by Anne Bishop, Fernwood Publishing Co., Halifax and Winnipeg. 2015

• “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism” by Robin Diangelo, Beacon Press, Boston. 2018

• Mission and Service, UCC, June 4, 2020.

• Grateful for the reflections, input and wisdom of the BCUC Lectionary Group

Prayers of the People and the Lord’s Prayer   

Holy One,

On this Racial Justice Sunday, we wish we could celebrate the work that has been done in the world to end racial discrimination but the news tells us that it is not yet time for such celebration. We read in the news every day, examples of the oppression of people who struggle in this world because of the importance that is placed on the tone of a thin layer of cells that are meant to protect us. This week we have been newly horrified by the murder of 6 Asian women at the hands of a white gunman. We pray for their families and their community. We pray for ourselves that we might open our eyes and our hearts to recognize our role in making the way forward so slow and difficult.

Creator of all races and peoples, who loves each of us for our uniqueness, we offer our prayers of petition:

We pray for an end to discrimination in all its forms…

We pray that each person may be respected and valued as a child of God

We pray that the church may be a witness and a universal sign of unity among all peoples…

We pray that each of us may acknowledge our part in mistakes and sins of the past pertaining to discrimination and racism…

We pray for a spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation among peoples who share a history of mutual mistrust, hatred, or aggression…

We pray that the victims of prejudice may forgive those who persecute them, and that their persecutors may have a change of heart…

We pray that the church will continue to strive to make every element of human life correspond to the true dignity of the human person…

We pray for those who have struggled in the past, and continue to do so today, for civil rights, economic justice, and the elimination of discrimination based on race, nationality, sexuality, or religion…

We pray for the conversion of the hearts and minds of those who allow another’s race to influence their relationships and limit their openness…

We pray that we may work to influence the attitudes of others by expressly rejecting racial or ethnic stereotypes, slurs and jokes, and be affirming of the cultural contributions of every racial, ethnic, and religious group in our world…

We pray that we may make a personal commitment to abolish social structures which inhibit economic, educational and social advancement of the poor…

We pray that we may work for decent working conditions, adequate income, housing, education, and health care for all people…

Holy One, source of our life, we acknowledge you as Creator of all people of every race, language, and way of life. Help us to see each other as you see us: your sons and daughters loved into being, and sustained by your parental care. Keep watch over our hearts so that the evil of racism will find no home with us. Direct our spirits to work for justice and peace so that all barriers to your grace which oppress our brothers and sisters will be removed.[4]

All this we ask in the name of Jesus, our example in social activism, and in the words he shared with 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

We know that social change can only come about with open hearts that receive God’s message, open eyes and ears to witness the places in our world where there has been a straying from that path, courageous voices open hands to offer help where needed. We also know that investment of our treasure is needed for much of this work to move forward.

I now invite you to offer your gifts of time, talents and resources as expressions of your gratitude to God’s blessings and your commitment to the work.  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

When you reach out, it means the world to us, O Christ. When we reach out to the world, that outreach gives meaning to your name. bless this offering, we pray, that it may touch many in the world. Amen.  

Sending Forth             

As we go forth from this time of worship, our loving and compassionate God is with us.
As we become aware of our need to change, God supports us.
As we find courage to walk the faithful path, God journeys with us.
When we are tempted to turn back, God renews our vision.
When we joyfully follow the way of Jesus, God celebrates with us!
As we make this Lenten journey, God’s courage and peace will be ours!
Thanks be to God! Amen.[5]

Hymn: My Soul Cries Out    More Voices #120  - BCUC Choir, violin: Leslie Wade

1.    My soul cries out with a joyful shout that the God of my heart is great,
And my spirit sings of the wondrous things that you bring to the ones who wait.
You fixed your sight on your servant’s plight, and my weakness you did not spurn,
So from east to west shall my name be blest. Could the world be about to turn? 

Refrain:
My heart shall sing of the day you bring. Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears for the dawn draws near, and the world is about to turn. 

2.    Though I am small, my God, my all, you work great things in me,
And your mercy will last from the depths of the past to the end of the age to be.
Your very name puts the proud to shame, and to those who would for you yearn,
You will show your might, put the strong to flight, for the world is about to turn. 

3.    From the halls of power to the fortress tower, not a stone will be left on stone.
Let the king beware for your justice tears every tyrant from his throne.
The hungry poor shall weep no more, for the food they can never earn;
There are tables spread, every mouth be fed, for the world is about to turn. 

4.    Though the nations rage from age to age, we remember who holds us fast:
God’s mercy must deliver us from the conqueror’s crushing grasp.
This saving word that our forebears heard is the promise which holds us bound,
‘Til the spear and rod can be crushed by God, who is turning the world around. 

Words © 1990 Rory Cooney; Music: Traditional melody, Ireland
Song # 90528 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Departing Music:  “I the Lord of Sea and Sky” – Voices United #509 – BCUC Choir

In loving memory of Gail (Ross Mutton)      violin: Leslie Wade

1.    I the Lord of sea and sky, I have heard my people cry
All who dwell in deepest sin, my hand will save.
I who made the stars of night, I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them? Whom shall I send? 

Refrain:
Here I am, Lord. Is it I Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart. 

2.    I, the Lord of snow and rain, I have heard my people’s pain.
I have wept for love of the; they turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone, give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak my word to them. Whom shall I send?” 

3.    I, the Lord of wind and flame, I will tend the poor and lame,
I will set a feast for them; my hand will save.
Finest bread I will provide till their hearts be satisfied.
I will give my life to them. Whom shall I send? 

Words & Music © 1981 Daniel L. Schutte      New Dawn Music
Song #80670 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved.

11 am – ZOOM Fellowship

[1] Elaine Bidgood Sveet, Gathering Lent/Easter 2016, p28. Used with permission.

[2] Julie Hutton, Gathering Lent/Easter 2021, p35. Used with permission.

[3] Laura Turnbull, Gathering Lent/Easter 2018, p 34. Used with permission.

[4] Based on Prayers for the Elimination of Racism by the Augustinian Secretariate for Justice and Peace (midwestaugustinians.org). Used with permission.

[5] David Sparks, Gathering Lent/Easter 2020, p38. Used with permission.