Connie Davidson

July 3, 2021

Worship services

Sunday Worship Service - July 4, 2021

Connie Davidson

July 3, 2021

Worship services

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

July 4, 2021

6th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Worship Leader: Rev. Kim Vidal

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: Walls Mark Our Bound’ries

1.Walls mark our bound’ries and keep us apart;
walls keep the world from our eyes and our heart.
Tables are round, making room for one more,
welcoming friends, we had not known before.

Refrain
So build us a table and tear down the wall!
Christ is our host.... There is room for us all!

2.Walls make us sure who is in and who’s out;
walls keep us safe from all question and doubt,
but at a table in open exchange
new ties are formed as our lives rearrange.

Refrain

3.Once we were strangers, divided, alone.
hate and distrust built a wall stone by stone.
Now at a table the bread that we share
joins us to Christ in a circle of care. Refrain

Acknowledgement of Territory

As we begin our worship today, we remember that, in this congregation, we live and work on the unceded traditional territory of the Algonquin and Anishinaabe Peoples. We give thanks for their stewardship of the land and the water, the plants and the animals, through many generations. We also acknowledge their story, and our place in it, with sorrow. As we continue to live on this land with respect for it and for its people, may we commit to working toward truth, justice and reconciliation. All my relations.

Welcome & Centering for Worship

Good morning! On behalf of Bells Corners United Church, I welcome and greet you in the name of Jesus Christ on this 6th Sunday after Pentecost. I’m glad that you can join us in our virtual worship time of contemplation, prayers and reflection.

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

Beginning next Sunday, on July 11th, we are re-opening our sanctuary for in-person worship service at 10 am with a maximum number of 50 people. The Public Health strongly recommends staying at home but if you wish to attend the service, please call the office to register until Friday at 11 am. For the safety of all attendees, the usual health protocols will be in place which include masking, social distancing, hand sanitizing and staying home if you feel unwell. Take note too that our worship service will still be offered via Youtube, by email and by telephone.

Friends, I now invite you to open your hearts to God’s healing love and justice as we gather in worship.

Lighting of the Christ Candle[1] Acolytes: Wendy Morrell & Dan Lanoue

O warm and comforting flame,
sparkle, sparkle now!
Guide us into safe soul refuge.
Though shadows prevail, in mood or mind,
we follow the light in to the calm.
How we long for and look for this light,
and flickering, here it is:
Christ – the light of day – the bright
and comforting twinkling night light,
the infinite and lovely flame of serenity.
We welcome you, light of Christ!

Call to Gather & Prayer of Approach[2] Erin Berard

Come into this electronically connected space-
from couch or office, from comfy recliners
or favourite rocking chairs,
from kitchens or bedrooms. The healing Christ welcomes us all.
We come as we are – unshaven or well coifed,
dressed up or in jammies, eating brunch or brushing teeth.
Though separated by distance, we come as one.
Come to worship across the distance but united in faith.
We come to listen, to pray, to sing, and to rejoice!

Let us pray:

Loving God, as we worship together,
may you forge among us deeper relationships in creative ways,

may you journey with us as we learn to connect through technology,
may you breathe into our souls the hope of your good news,
may you teach us to thrive while staying home.
Show us that your might resides in our all, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hymn: Come Touch Our Hearts - More Voices #12 (verses 1-4) BCUC choir

1.    Come touch our hearts that we may know compassion,
          from failing embers build a blazing fire;
          love strong enough to overturn injustice,
          to seek a world more gracious, come touch and bless our hearts.

2.       Come touch our souls that we may know and love you,
          your quiet presence all our fears dispel;
          create a space for spirit to grow in us,
          let life and beauty fill us, come touch and bless our souls.

3.       Come touch our minds and teach us how to reason,
          set free our thoughts to wonder and to dream;
          help us to open doors of understanding,
          to welcome truth and wisdom, come touch and bless our minds.

4.       Come touch us in the moments we are fragile,
          and in our weakness your great strength reveal;
          that we may rise to follow and to serve,
          steady now our nerve, come touch and bless our wills.

Time for the Young at Heart: Learning a Song with Erin Berard

Jesus made friends and talked to a lot of people that the rules of his time said he shouldn't - women, tax collectors, kids who the disciples were trying to shoo away, and others that people considered outcasts. Jesus healed people even on Sabbath, because he wanted to help and to show that love was more important than the rules.
In today's Bible passage, Jesus noticed one person touching his robe out of all the people in the crowd around him and wanted to immediately find out who it was. He let the woman who reached out to know that she was a daughter - a child of God, even with all the health challenges she was having.

The next hymn, MV186, mentions some of those stories, and has a great refrain thanking God for unconditional love for all of us. I think it's new to us, so I'll introduce the refrain.

Song: Because Jesus Felt - More Voices #186 (verses 1, 2, 4) Erin Berard

1. Because Jesus felt a woman touch his coat,
and said, “Your faith has made you well,”
I know that God takes notice,
and knows my name, and loves us all:

Refrain
So thank you, thank you, God. Thank you, God!
Thank you, thank you, God. Thank you, God!

2. Because Jesus ate with people who’d gone wrong,
and said, “You are forgiven now,”
I know that God forgives me,
and hears my name, and loves us all: R

4. Because Jesus sat with children on his knee,
and said, “I’m glad to meet you all,”
I know God thinks I’m lovely,
and sings my name, and loves us all: R

Prayer for Illumination Reader: Jan Pound

Open our hearts to your Word this day, O God.
Open our minds to the mystery of your truth.
Help us live in such a way that others
may see your power shining in us. Amen.

The Gospel Reading: Mark 5: 25-34 (NRSV) Jesus and the Hemorrhaging Woman

25 Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. 26 She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” 29 Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 He looked all around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

May God’s wisdom give us understanding as we ponder on this Gospel story. Thanks be to God!

Sermon: “Breaking Barriers”

If I just touch the hem of his garment, I will be healed! That's what she told herself, this nameless, unknown, isolated bleeding woman, driven by nothing but faith. We don’t know her history nor the place where she came from. She’s anonymous; another face in the crowd. What we do know is that she is physically sick, spiritually desperate, and socially in need of acceptance. She has been bleeding for 12 years. Before she met Jesus, no one has been able to help her – not any topnotch physician nor even the village’s shaman. She’s spent all she had: time, money, energy. She even sold her farm and her priceless jewelleries for all I know. Some of us have been there like her, dealing with a prolonged illness or stubborn medical condition. She’s only gotten worse. Day after day, year after year - it’s always the same. No one wants to come close to her. She can’t even lie down on the same bed with her husband. Or worse, perhaps her husband had abandoned her. No one dared to touch her. She was deemed unclean – thanks to a Mosaic law that says: “If a woman has a discharge, and the discharge from her body is blood, she shall be set apart seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening.” (Leviticus 15: 19). For 12 years, this bleeding woman was a pariah to her community. She could not enter the Temple, the heart and soul of her religious community. She was isolated and alone, devoid of human touch from her loved ones and from those who knew her. She was left drained of life and warmth: tired and weak, frustrated and hopeless, angry and resentful, sorrowful and grieving, empty and searching. If you know what that is like, perhaps you know the hemorrhaging woman in today’s gospel. At one level, this is a story of an individual woman. At another level it is the human story - our own story.

If I just touch the hem of his garment, I will be healed! That was her new philosophy – one that will change her life forever. She went through the overcrowded street to find Jesus that day and breaks down barriers that would hamper her from being healed. In a desperate act of social and religious disobedience, she pursues an encounter with Jesus. She knew she should not be mingling with the crowds and was forbidden to touch any man, least of all Jesus. Her heart beats wildly and fast as she plans her actions carefully. She knows she is breaking the purity law. She is aware that she could not touch another human being, much more a male person other than her husband or children and yet here she is – crawling down the dusty ground. Who, in her desperate condition, wouldn’t gather up every bit of spare energy to find him? Just touching the hem of his garment will do it, she tells herself. She crouches low to the ground, and with every inch of her remaining strength, she stretches and makes contact with the hem of Jesus’ garment. As soon as she touches the hem, a burning sensation runs through her body like an electric shock. In that moment she was transfused with and by a power so strong that she could not explain what it was. It was as if a surge of energy was released. The connection was made and a relationship established. Life no longer discharged out of her but flowed into her. Whether we take this as superstition or a healing miracle, Mark tells us that the hemorrhage stopped and healing took place.

What exactly is healing? How is being healed different from being cured? In her book, Absolute Truths, author Susan Howitch clarifies the difference between a cure and a healing. She said: “A cure signified the banishment of physical illness, but a healing could mean not just a physical cure, but a repairing and strengthening of the mind and spirit to improve the quality of life even when no physical cure was possible.” The Rev. Michael Lindvall tells of a story of his friend who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease when the man was still in his fifties. The friend and his wife prayed for healing. Twenty years later, the friend was in the last debilitating stages of the disease. Nevertheless, the friend told Rev. Lindvall that his prayers had been answered. The friend said in all sincerity, “I have been healed not of Parkinson’s disease, but I have been healed of my fear of Parkinson’s disease.”

Mark says that the hemorrhage stopped but the healing continued. “Who touched my clothes?” Jesus asked. Jesus knows that some energy or power was taken from his body and he wants to know who caused it. Theologian Bruce Epperley writes: “When the woman touches Jesus’ garment, the healing energy of the universe is released. A power flows from Jesus that heals her body cells as well as her soul. The power is so great that it unsettles Jesus, the healer, who looks all around for the recipient of his energy…” In that moment, Jesus breaks the barriers of his day. He reached out to a woman who was deemed ritually unclean by her community. Jesus was calling her out – to be made known…to come forward –and tell her story. Jesus knew that she had spent twelve long years having other people impose their assumptions and prejudices on her. She was shamed into silence by her religion. How the woman’s heart must have raced! She was caught of her disgrace. Now she will be ostracized again or worse, might be stoned to death for her crime. But she came out to the open, with trembling and fear as she pours out her sad story. Liz Curtis Higgs calls her a woman who stole a healing miracle! Stolen or freely given, Jesus would not allow her to remain invisible anymore.

To her surprise, Jesus calls her “Daughter.” Jesus said: “Daughter, your faith has made
you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” Jesus reminded her that she is a child of God, deserving of love and grace, as any other human being, and blesses her on the way to wholeness and dignity. She has now gained a new identity- a daughter, a child of God, a member of the human community. She was free at last! Mark did not tell us if she had been cured completely of her disease but for sure, she was completely healed. Healed from her fear, her loneliness, her invisibility. She was made whole again!

This powerful story reminds me of Martin Buber’s “I-Thou” encounter rather than an “I-it” relationship. At one point, Buber writes: “I believe that the key to creating society that is nourishing, empowering and healing for everyone lies in how we relate to one another.” In the I-Thou encounter, Buber explains that we relate to each other as authentic beings, without judgment, qualification, or objectification. It is characterized by mutuality, directness, presence, empathy and respect. You become like the “other”. The I-it, on the other hand relates to the “other” as object – someone or something that we manipulate, use or abuse. I believe that Jesus is a practitioner of the “I-Thou” relationship and teaches us to emulate the same. It is through seeing the other as us that we are able to break down any barriers that deter the other of healing.

The truth of the matter is this: there is enormous brokenness, pain, and suffering in our world today, in our communities, in our families, and in our individual lives. We crave healing and wholeness. We need reconciliation and restoration. On July 1st, we have commemorated Canada Day but for me and perhaps many of us, this year was different and it was difficult to remember this annual historic day. In light of the tragic discovery of unmarked graves of now more than 1000 indigenous children in former Residential Schools in British Columbia & Saskatchewan; add to that the recent killing of a Muslim family in London, Ontario; the unending plight of the black and Asian communities, the LGBTQS and other marginalized sectors in the community, and the ongoing battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, we are hemorrhaging from grief, fear, uncertainty, isolation and loneliness. We are bleeding from divisiveness, indifference, apathy, racism and a host of personal and social inequities that needs attention and healing. Unless we are fully transformed – unless we become advocates of the “I-Thou” encounter, unless we seek God’s grace and treat others as our own mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, daughters, sons – unless we break down barriers that divide and kill, unless we reach out and touch even just the hem of power that is life-giving, the bleeding will continue. The bleeding will not stop.

So what must we do as individuals and as a congregation to stop the bleeding? What barriers must we break in order for others to be set free – to be healed and become whole again? Jesus taught us one important mandate that we should not ignore: “Love your neighbour as you love yourself.” If it doesn’t look like love, it is not life-giving. So, what looks like love? Debie Thomas has this to offer: “Love looks like… the one whose heart melts at the cry of a desperate father. The one who visits the sick child and takes her limp hand in his. The one who risks defilement to touch the bloody and the broken. The one who insists on the whole truth, however falteringly told. The one who listens for as long as it takes. The one who brings life to dead places. The one who restores hope. The one who turns mourning into dancing. The one who renames the outcast, “Daughter,” and bids her go in peace.” So go, my friends, and heal the bleeding, hurting world with love. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Sources that helped me with my sermon:

Liz Curtis Higgs, The Woman Who Touched Jesus, todayschristianwoman.com.
Michael K. Marsh, No Longer Drained of Life, interruptingthesilence.com
Alisa Bair, Lady Liberty and The Hemorrhaging Woman, Alisabair.net.
Michael Lindvall, Feasting on the Word – Year B, Volume 3: Pentecost and Season After Pentecost 1 (Propers 3-16).
Debie Thomas,“When Daughters Go in Peace”, journeywithjesus.net
Bruce Epperley, patheos.org.

Prayers of the People & the Lord’s Prayer

Let us gather our hearts in this prayer:

God of time and seasons, we give you thanks for painting our summer with vibrant colours, warmth and rain. Your abundant love screams from all creation – plants and trees, animals and humans, the vastness of the skies, lakes and rivers teeming with marine life. Your joy fizzles in every moment where love is shown. Your presence moves our hands, our heart and our feet to offer justice and kindness and we become healers and truth-tellers.

Jesus, our brother, friend and empowerer, we come through prayer to pay attention to your teachings – how you included everyone in your circle of love. We recognize the holy in you, in your radical hospitality which breaks down barriers and transforms minds and hearts and lives. We are in awe at your good news of justice and how you have opened yourself to an aching, hurting, struggling world. Empower and implore us to model our loving on yours. And in doing so, may we become barrier-breaking people so that your gifts of light, love and life will flow through each and every member of the human family and the whole of creation.

Spirit of Life, we pray for those celebrating happy news – the birth of a baby, the celebration of birthdays and anniversaries, those who are moving to a new home, those who have completed their vaccinations and those enjoying the gifts of summer. We also pray for healing and wholeness for those who are in need, for those seeking treatments in hospitals and in homes. We lift those who are grieving the loss of loved ones and those who continue to bleed because of fear, anxiety, loneliness or isolation. We continue to pray for the indigenous communities as they grieve the loss of many children who died in residential schools and in their continuing struggles to seek truth and reconciliation. Empower us to journey with them as well as the marginalized communities. In silence we pray for all of those that we name hearts…

Through the teachings of Jesus and the Holy Spirit’s leading, and in grateful thanks of God’s grace we offer you these ancient words in prayer as Jesus taught us:

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

Jesus felt tender compassion for the suffering people he met and taught us to do the same. This day, you and I are called to respond to Jesus’ example to offer healing, love and compassion as the need arises. Let us offer our gifts of time, talents and treasures so that the ministry of this church will be a growing, vibrant witness to God’s healing love. If you are not on PAR and wish to send in your offering and donations, you can drop them in the mailbox by the kitchen door of the church or mail them to BCUC. You can also send in your support through e-transfer. Thank you for your continued love and support to BCUC.

Offertory Prayer

Gracious God, we offer the work of our hands and our hearts, our time and talents, our commitment with joy and generous spirits. Bless these gifts to heal our community and the world of its pain. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Sending Forth

(Inspired by a Blessing of Diversity written by Clare McBeath and Tim Presswood, Xavier. Edu)

May God the Creator who created a world of diversity and vibrancy,
go with us as we embrace life in all its fullness.
May Jesus the Christ who teaches us to care for strangers and foreigners,
go with us as we try to be good neighbours in our communities.
May the Spirit of diversity who breaks down our barriers and celebrates community,
go with us as we find the courage to create a place of welcome for all.
Today and in the days to come. Amen.

Hymn: Though Ancient Walls - Voices United #691 - BCUC Choir

1 Though ancient walls may still stand proud and racial strife be fact,
though boundaries may be lines of hate, proclaim God's saving act!

Refrain:

Walls that divide are broken down;
Christ is our unity!
Chains that enslave are thrown aside;
Christ is our liberty!

2 When vested power stands firm entrenched and breaks another's back,
when waste and want live side by side,
it's Gospel that we lack. R

3 The truth we seek in varied scheme,
the life that we pursue,
unites us in a common quest
for self and world made new. R

4 The church divided seeks that grace,
that newness we proclaim;
a unity of serving love
that lives praise to God's name! R

5 This broken world seeks lasting health and vital unity.
God's people by God's Word renewed,
cast off all slavery! R

Departing Music: America the Beautiful (or O Mother Dear, Jerusalem!)

Zoom Fellowship – 11 am

[1] Jani Francis, Gathering, Pentecost 1 2021 (Year B). Used with permission.

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

Connie Davidson

July 3, 2021

Sunday School

Sunday school activities - July 4, 2021

Connie Davidson

July 3, 2021

Sunday School

Reading of the story

God's Story: Abraham and Sarah

Theme discussion

Trust is something that a lot of us struggle with, it’s hard to know who we should trust and when we should stop trusting them, especially when they make promises. If god had told you to leave your home and go to a new place that you’d never seen before, would you? Abram and Sarai trusted god and followed him, and he kept his promise because god always keeps his promises and we should trust him when he tells us to do something.

Was there ever a time that you had to leave something or someone you loved? If you did what or who were you leaving?

Was there ever a time that you trusted someone? Was it a good idea to trust them, did they keep their promises?

How does it feel to be always connected to God as part of his big family? Does it help you to trust people?

Craft

We are going to make a paper chain to remind ourselves how we're all connected to God as part of his family. For this craft we will need paper, scissors, crayons or markers, and tape.

Step 1: Cut the paper lengthwise into three strips.

Step 2: Fold the paper accordion style, each fold should make a square. Cut any extra off.

Strip of paper folded into four sections

Step 3: Draw a person on your paper, the arms should touch the sides.

A person drawn on the first section of the paper. The ends of the arms touch the fold on one side and the cut end on the other.

Step 4: Cut out your person by cutting along the line, be careful to leave the arms attached.

Four paper dolls connected by their hands.

Step 5: Decorate your paper chain and customize your people!

Paper dolls decorated with clothes and faces.

Step 6: Tape the ends together to make a circle, if you want a longer chain connect multiple strips of paper.

Colouring sheets

Connie Davidson

June 26, 2021

Worship services

Sunday Worship Service - June 27, 2021

Connie Davidson

June 26, 2021

Worship services

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

June 27, 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: The Rose - Amanda McBroom Abe-electric piano

It's the heart, afraid of breaking
That never learns to dance
It's the dream, afraid of waking
That never takes the chance
It's the one who won't be taken
Who cannot seem to give
And the soul, afraid of dying
That never learns to live

…

Just remember in the winter
Far beneath the bitter snows
Lies the seed that with the sun's love
In the spring becomes the rose

Lyrics © Warner-tamerlane Publishing Corp., Third Story Music, Inc.

Welcome & Centering for Worship Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Good morning! On behalf of Bells Corners United Church, I welcome you to this service of worship from wherever you are. We are really pleased that you have chosen to join us this week!

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

Friends, I now invite you to open your hearts to God’s generous gifts of love and life abundant as we gather in worship.

Lighting of the Christ Candle Acolyte: Liam Murray Eaton

As we light this candle, we light a symbol of the presence of Jesus with us individually and as a community of faith.

As we light this candle, we acknowledge it as guiding us to Jesus’ vision of the kingdom of God, the kingdom of God that is our call and the framework for our discipleship.[1]

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

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

Call to Gather & Prayer of Approach Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Our God of abundance, infinite in grace, surrounds us with blessings, but never overwhelms us with them.

There is enough, always enough, of what we need.

But it is hidden, tucked beneath the surface, waiting for us to release it, if we will act with generosity and grace.

So, we gather to learn anew our calling as co-creators with God, whom now we worship.[2]

Let us pray:

Loving God,
The summer beckons, but we are still too busy.
Our minds and our calendars are overflowing with “to-dos.”
Calm our souls and still our hearts that we may be present with you, and in you this day.
Show us how to breathe deeply of your love.
Instruct us how to listen for the whispers of your guidance.
Enliven us to the stirring of your Spirit within.
Equip us to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, we pray.
Amen.[3]

Hymn: This is the Day More Voices #122 BCUC music team

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

Storytime: Anna’s Garden - Karen Boivin

Anna was a long time member of her church. She was a widow living on the farm where she and her husband had brought up their family. Now in her senior years she was having trouble walking and felt more secure staying close to home, so she hadn’t been out to church services for quite a while.

She looked forward to her weekly visit from Tim, a friend and member of the church pastoral care team. She always made something special for their tea time together. During one visit she mentioned to Tim how disappointing it was not to feel well enough to tend what had always been her very impressive kitchen garden. Oh well she said, “I can’t eat all those vegetables myself anyway. And I certainly don’t have the energy to make them last longer by preserving them.” That didn’t sound too convincing. On his way home Tim couldn’t stop thinking about how disappointed she sounded.

The next time Tim visited Anna, he had a proposition. Would she be willing to let church families tend her kitchen garden for her? Of course she could take all the produce she wanted from it, but maybe the rest could be donated to the town food bank? Anna was intrigued but unsure. The garden was a lot of work.

“Tell me more,” she said. Eventually they came up with a plan that made Anna excited to offer up her garden.

Driving home Tim secretly worried however that he might not be able to find the volunteers to make the plan work. However when it was time for the ground of the garden to be prepared a caravan of church families arrived at Anna’s farm. Anna had been like a grandma or a favourite aunt to many of the younger church members and they had missed seeing her. Under her direction, children and their parents and other church members set to pulling out old stalks from the year before and grass that had already begun to encroach from the edges. The soil was turned over and clumps broken up. There was a real party atmosphere on the farm with everyone working hard, laughing together and enjoying the ice cold lemonade and chocolate chip cookies Anna had ready for them.

The next week another parade of cars made it up her driveway with church friends and family ready to start the planting. Children and adults followed Anna’s directions careful about where, how many and how deep to plant the seeds. They had a real feeling of accomplishment when they were done and looked forward to seeing what was going to come up.

It had been a little harder for Tim to fill up the weeding roster but eventually he had a family name on the list for each week. Many of the seed planters had signed up excited to see what came of their hard work. An unexpected bonus of this project was the number of visitors that now came to Anna’s farm. She got to know the families in her congregation better and had a lot more excuses to bake! And they too were blessed by her wonderful stories and knowledge. And each week when Tim came by for his visit he also harvested whatever was ready; offering it first to Anna and taking the rest to the foodbank who were very excited to receive this fresh produce.

There was one role in the garden however that Anna had insisted she wanted to do and was perfectly capable of doing. She wanted to do the watering. Early morning watering had always been her favourite part of the tending. “Fantastic,” said Tim.

One act of generosity often leads to another; actually more than another; one leads to two leads to four and on and on! Tim’s visiting Anna and looking for a solution to Anna’s disappointment over her garden led Anna to happily offer her garden, her watering and hospitality to the project; the congregation members then offered their time, labour and friendship for it to unfold; and Tim took the weekly deliveries of fresh vegetables to the foodbank for their patrons to enjoy. And because of all this ….everyone had a happier summer!

Hymn: Small Things Count – Voices United #361 Erin, Lowes & Bram

1. Small things count, so Jesus said:
Cups of water, crumbs of bread,
Small things done because we’re kind
Count as big things in God’s mind.

2. Small things make the big things grow:
Grains of yeast inside the dough,
Puffs that fill a big balloon,
Notes that make a happy tune.

3. Every hair that’s on our head,
Every sparrow, Jesus said,
God takes care of, counts, and knows,
God loves us from top to toes!

4. Small things count, so Jesus said:
Cups of water, crumbs of bread,
Small things done because we’re kind
Count as big things in God’s mind.

Prayer for Illumination[4] Reader: Will Wightman

Gracious God, take the words I will speak and bless them.
Take the listening we will bring to the Word
and empower our reflection with action. Amen.

The Epistle Reading: 2 Corinthians 8:7-15

7 Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you—so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.

8 I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. 10 And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something— 11 now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means. 12 For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has—not according to what one does not have. 13 I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between 14 your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance. 15 As it is written,

“The one who had much did not have too much,
and the one who had little did not have too little.”

Herein is wisdom. Thanks be to God.

Sermon: “From the Fear of Scarcity to the Joy of Generosity”

When Neil and I sold our big family home, just two years ago, we got a huge lesson in what it means to have too much stuff! We were downsizing to a house less than half the size of the one we had brought our kids up in, and from a large rural property with many outbuildings to a small suburban lot with a tiny garden shed. We gave away furniture and treasures, we passed on lawn equipment and tractors to our kids, we sold a few things, and we filled a dumpster – twice!

Although we were at first a bit reluctant to let go of things that “still had some good in them”, once we settled into our new home, we found that we didn’t miss those things at all – and that we still have too much “stuff”. So, now we find ourselves downsizing once more – and there is still a lot to get rid of. It’s a little easier this time, but it amazes me that there is still so much of it!

One of my favourite things to do these days is to haunt the “Buy Nothing” site in our area. People post things that they no longer want or need, and others snap them up. Sometimes, people post that they are looking for something and others realize they have just that item lurking in the dark corner of a cupboard somewhere. It’s not so much “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure” as being able to fill a need for someone else out of your own abundance. We have been able to gift others with things as big as bedroom furniture and as small as a tiny bottle of essential oils for a toddler’s tummy troubles or a few tablespoons of an ingredient to finish a recipe, and everything in between… We have been the beneficiaries of this community generosity too – drywall and light fixtures when we were getting the basement finished, and packing boxes as we get ready to move again. It is a wonderful community building project. It’s an opportunity to recycle rather than send things to a landfill. It’s an opportunity to meet others and to share our abundance – along with making each of us aware of how blessed with abundance we are!

I think you can see how, in the midst of this, I was drawn to this reading from another one of Paul’s letters to the people of Corinth. He is asking them to be generous. It’s not a command but a request. Sounds a bit like a stewardship campaign, doesn’t it? He is, after all, asking for money to support another community of Christians – and that, in turn, reminded me of our Advent and Lenten Appeals to support worthy causes locally and globally… and I wondered, why does it feel easier to be generous on my “Buy Nothing” site than it is to write a cheque or increase our PAR contributions? How is it different?

As I was pondering this, I came across a wonderful article written by Walter Brueggemann from 1999, entitled “The Liturgy of Abundance, The Myth of Scarcity”. In it, he talks about how we, in North America have invested our lives in consumerism and our love affair with “more”. This isn’t a new revelation, of course. We know we live in a consumer society where status and success are often judged by the size of your house or the kind of car you drive, or the clothes you wear. What was new for me in Brueggemann’s article was that there is precedence for this attitude in the Bible, right back to the Hebrew Scriptures in the book of Genesis. The Bible starts out with a liturgy of abundance, according to Brueggemann:

“Genesis I is a song of praise for God's generosity. It tells how well the world is ordered. It keeps saying, ‘It is good, it is good, it is good, it is very good.’ It declares that God blesses -- that is, endows with vitality -- the plants and the animals and the fish and the birds and humankind. And it pictures the creator as saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply.’ In an orgy of fruitfulness, everything in its kind is to multiply the overflowing goodness that pours from God's creator spirit.”

The fruitfulness of the world, says Brueggemann, is guaranteed, and evidence of this is present throughout the book of Genesis – until the 47th chapter. Then Pharoah dreams there will be a famine – so he organizes control and monopoly over the food supply. He is so worried that there isn’t enough, he wants to get it all. Sound familiar? It reminds me of the crazy toilet paper hoarding that happened at the beginning of this pandemic. We can laugh at that because it seems absurd, but I think we can find many serious examples of that kind of hoarding behaviour in society today – in the hoarding of natural resources, wealth, and power that goes on all the time in the name of business and growth and success.

Pharoah’s actions are based on fear and this myth of scarcity. In his attempt to control the food supply, he becomes ruthless. When the crops fail, the peasants turn to Pharoah, through Joseph, for help. In return for food, they first give up their land, then their cattle, and finally their freedom. Even then, Pharoah is so worried about them being too numerous that he orders Hebrew baby boys to be killed, and, when that fails, he tells Moses to take them all away – and the Exodus begins.

By this time, that fear of scarcity is engrained, even in the Israelites. Remember the grumbling that happened on that journey? “We should have stayed in Egypt. At least we had food to eat there!” Once again, God’s gift of abundance comes through in the form of manna – enough for everyone… you can’t trade it for anything… it spoils if you try to hoard it… but there is always enough. No one has too much, no one has too little or goes hungry. There is enough for everyone.

The stories in our scriptures go on and on, and Brueggemann says that these stories warn us, again and again, that possessing land, property, and wealth makes people covetous. We see evidence of this all through history – wars fought over land, colonizers destroying cultures to gain power and control of property and resources – and it continues today with mining companies razing villages and killing those who fight back in third world countries, in big corporations clear- cutting ancient forests and stripping the vegetation for profit or to make way for their own enterprises.

Creation was designed to provide abundance for all. We read that in our scripture. We sing about it in our hymns… Another quote from Brueggemann:

“Whether we are liberal or conservative Christians, we must confess that the central problem of our lives is that we are torn apart by the conflict between our attraction to the good news of God's abundance and the power of our belief in scarcity -- a belief that makes us greedy, mean and unneighborly. We spend our lives trying to sort out that ambiguity.”

Jesus knew this about us humans… in Matthew, we hear him say, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Letting go of our possessions is hard – and seems to get harder as our possessions increase.

I am reminded of a funny story Neil tells of a time when he was working for a large public corporation (I won’t say which one, it doesn’t really matter). He was working at his desk when his pen ran dry and so he went to the stationery stock room and asked for a pen. The woman at the desk said, “I can’t give you one. I just have one left and someone might need it.” I guess it didn’t dawn on her that someone who needed it was standing in front of her. She was afraid to let the last one go.

She was afraid to be without a safe stash… we are all afraid of scarcity and so we hang on tight to what we have and we do our best to make that safe stash grow. We spend our lives worrying about not having enough. Jesus tried to tell us that we were worrying about the wrong thing and missing the point.

Again, in Matthew 6, he tells his followers:

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?

I don’t think Jesus is telling us to just stop working and expect that everything we need will drop into our laps. Birds work hard to find the seeds or insects they need to eat. They work hard to build their nests and raise their young. The ecosystem is designed for their needs to be met – until we humans intervene anyway. I think Jesus is saying that we are so afraid of scarcity that we are missing the incredible abundance that is built right into creation… that this fear keeps us from seeing that there is plenty for all.

He tells the story of the wealthy land owner who has a particularly good season and builds bigger and bigger barns to store his grain but dies that very night. Wealth and possessions can’t buy us life.

I don’t think these scriptures are telling us to give everything away and hope for some divine benevolence. I think the message is to relax and stop worrying about scarcity. It’s that fear that is skewing the balance so that a small number of people hold all the resources while so many live without… so that the natural world is stripped of its ability to sustain life.

Be generous, says Paul to the Corinthians. Help other communities grow and thrive just like you are doing.

When I think of the kind of generosity that Jesus taught, I think of the joy that comes with the kind of giving that happens in our “Buy Nothing” group. There is no bartering, no expectation of paying anyone back or getting the best deal. It is all about sharing our abundance with others to meet a need or just to put a smile on another person’s face. Many posts begin with, “I loved this when my babies were small and it’s time to pass it on to another new mom”… or “My rhubarb is producing more than I can use, anybody want some?”… I find myself wishing I had three or four of something I am offering so I could give them to everyone who needed them – and I know I’m not the only one. This isn’t charity – it doesn’t just flow one way. It’s the generosity of sharing your abundance no matter how big or small it may seem. It’s a sharing among people who care about each other, whether they are long-time neighbours or people they have never met. It’s good for everybody involved, and it’s good stewardship of the environment. It’s loving your neighbour being lived out in a community.

You don’t have to be wealthy to be generous. As Paul tells the Corinthians, “I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you.” It’s about finding that balance between abundance and need.

We are blessed with many very generous people in our congregation here at BCUC – and I’m not just talking about what goes in the collection plate. During this time of pandemic, many hearts have been warmed by people offering to pick up groceries for shut-ins, sharing baking with friends and neighbours, making phone calls and sending emails to each other – all ways of making sure our love for our neighbour doesn’t stop just because we can’t be together physically. Imagine a world where this kind of care and generosity spread further, even globally.

Creation was designed to provide abundance for all. Do we have the faith to believe that is true? Can we put aside our fear of scarcity and find ways to restore that balance? I worry that, if we don’t, we will continue to destroy that very creation we were tasked to protect.

Sallie McFague who passed away not too long ago, was a theologian who taught at the Vancouver School of Theology, here in Canada. She believed that we are called, not just as Christians, but as part of humanity, to work toward restoring that balance. Her book, “Life Abundant”, gives a powerful message about the urgency of doing so - and I recommend it to you. She knows that it will take a huge shift in our thinking before this can happen – a shift that is very similar to Brueggemann’s shift from the myth of scarcity to the liturgy of abundance. Without that shift in thinking and understanding, the kind of generosity that Jesus taught and Paul asks from the Corinthians can never truly take place. We have a lot of work to do before we get there – but it is urgent work.

We cannot make that shift happen overnight on a global scale, but we can start by applying that shift to our own attitudes and actions.

If you could put aside your fear of scarcity, and trust that there is enough for all, what do you have in abundance that you could share? Is it something tangible like money or clothing or food? Or is it something intangible like time or expertise, joy or comfort, or perhaps a voice that can speak up to injustice?

The story of manna in the book of Exodus talks about a time when “The one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had little did not have too little.” We can see in our reading today that it was a lesson Paul felt the people of Corinth still needed to hear when he was writing his letters, and it is a lesson our world still needs to hear today.

May it be so. Amen.

Prayers of the People & the Lord’s Prayer Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Extravagant God,
We thank you for this amazing Creation that you have designed,
For the intricate web of life that works to ensure abundant life for all living things.
Help us learn to be stewards of this world so that your plan to provide for all will flourish.
Help us remember to trust your divine plan and let go of the fear of scarcity.

This day, in the spirit of generous love, we offer our petitions for those who are hurting,
That they be blessed with your healing grace and our healing acts of love.

We pray for all who live in fear…
We pray for all whose lives are touched by violence…
We pray for all who live in want for the necessities of life…
We pray for all who suffer from illness or injury…
We pray for those who feel forgotten and ostracized by society…
We pray for those who mourn…
We pray for all who struggle with the isolation this pandemic brings…

Help us to be your hands and feet in this hurting world, that we open our hearts and hands to give generously so that others can live in abundance and love.

All this we ask in the name of Jesus, our example and our guide,
And in this ancient prayer he taught his followers:

Invitation to Offer Rev. Lorrie Lowes

As we have been loved, so may we love others.

As we have been fed, so may we feed others.
As we have received from God’s hand blessings beyond measure, may we also generously share with one another and with God’s world. Let us present our offerings.[5]

If you are not on PAR and wish to send in your offering and donations, you can drop them in the mailbox by the kitchen door of the church, mail them to BCUC, or send in your support through e-transfer. Thank you for your continued love and support to Bells Corners United Church.

Offertory Prayer

Ever-giving God, you lavish us with great abundance. Grace, comfort, and eternal life are priceless gifts. Empower us to herald that truth in word and action. May these offerings be only a small part of our commitment to your way of extravagant sharing. Bless all they represent, as you sanctify us in your love. Amen.[6]

Sending Forth Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Go out in Jesus’ name with ready hands to bring God’s kingdom into this world.
Go out to bring love and justice into a world of hurt and pain, knowing that God is with us always. Amen.[7]

Hymn: “Go Make a Diff’rence” - More Voices #209 Music Team

Refrain: Go make a diff’rence. We can make diff’rence.
Go make a diff’rence in the world. (2x)

1. We are the salt of the earth, called to let the people see,
the love of God for you and me.
We are the light of the world, not to be hidden but be seen.
Go make a diff’rence in the world.

2. We are the hands of Christ reaching out to those in need,
The face of God for all to see.
We are the spirit of hope; we are the voice of peace.
Go make a diff’rence in the world.

3. So let your love shine on, let it shine for all to see.
Go make a diff’rence in the world.
And the spirit of Christ will be with us as we go.
Go make a diff’rence in the world!

Departing Music: O Canada (only 4 days away (and it’s independence day next Sunday))

Zoom Fellowship – 11 am

[1] Bill Perry, Gathering Pentecost 1 2018, p32. Used with permission.

[2] Rod Sykes, Gathering Pentecost 1 2018, p34. Used with permission.

[3] Gord Dunbar, Gathering Pentecost 1 2016, p33-34. Used with permission.

[4] David Sparks, Gathering, Pentecost 1 2018, p43. Used with permission.

[5] Karen MacNeill, Gathering Pentecost 1 2021, p51. Used with permission.

[6] Laura Turnbull, Gathering Pentecost 1 2021, p52. Used with permission.

[7] Fern Gibbard, Gathering Pentecost 1 2020, p47. Used with permission.

Connie Davidson

June 19, 2021

Worship services

Sunday Worship Service - June 20, 2021

Connie Davidson

June 19, 2021

Worship services

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

INDIGENOUS DAY OF PRAYER

June 20, 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: Without Seeing You – David Haas recorders: Erin Berard

This haunting piece was written as a Communion song for the funeral of the composer’s brother-in-law, who died after a long struggle with AIDS. The composer felt a strong sense of not being able to ‘see’ his friend after his death. It is a positive statement of the strength of connection that can be found with God and with others, even in the absence of physical presence.

Refrain:

Without seeing you we love you.
Without touching you we embrace.
Without knowing you we follow.
Without seeing you we believe.

Acknowledgement of Territory Rev. Lorrie Lowes

We gather to worship, to celebrate, and to lament!

We honour the Algonquin and Anishnaabe peoples of this unceded territory and their long stewardship of this land.

We rejoice that God calls us to be distinct yet united.

We praise God with joy and thanksgiving, and seek God’s wisdom for right relationship.[1]

Welcome & Centering for Worship Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Good morning! On behalf of Bells Corners United Church, I welcome you to this service of worship from wherever you are and I wish a “Happy Fathers’ Day” to all of the dads and loving father figures in our lives.

Today is set aside in the United Church of Canada as the Indigenous Day of Prayer. In light of the discoveries over the past two weeks and the wounds these discoveries have reopened, I invite you into a time of deep reflection and renewed commitment to the goal of reconciliation. I want to offer my gratitude to all those who have contributed to this morning’s worship and give special thanks to Esther and Marlon Stewart for their gifts of knowledge, music, and ceremony that they so generously share with us each year. As they embark on their journey home to British Columbia, we wish them well and want them to know how much they will be missed in this congregation. It is our hope that the bonds formed in their time as members of this faith family will continue to grow, even as they move so far away.

Friends, I now invite you to open your hearts to God’s healing love and justice as we gather in worship.

Nisga’a Peace Song Esther & Marlon Stewart (& lighting 4 candles)

Lighting of the Christ Candle Acolyte: Mandy Crow

We gather to share in God’s dream of abundant life for all.

We gather to give and receive gifts of deep emotion, deep wisdom, and deep love.

With gratitude, we gather as a community to praise God, to seek transformation, and to celebrate the power of the Spirit who is always moving.

We light this candle to remind us that we are not alone as we do the work toward God’s dream.

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

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

Call to Gather & Prayer of Approach Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Creator God, Great Spirit, we pray our thanks for the opportunity to gather in this sacred space. Here we are most aware of the gift of wind and the four directions from which it comes.

Here we are most aware of the gift of sun and the four directions on which it shines.

Here we are most aware of the gift of humanity: and the four directions in which we exist.

Here we are most aware of the gift of Creation and the four directions which support our living, breathing, and being.

This day we pray thanksgiving for the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people of Canada and we commit ourselves to be people of reconciliation in the tradition of our beloved Jesus. We pray in his name. Amen.[2]

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

Refrain

Spirit, open my heart
to the joy and pain of living.
As you love may I love,
in receiving and in giving,
Spirit, open my heart.

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

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

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

Storytime Rev. Lorrie

Hymn: Lord Prepare Me to Be a Sanctuary - More Voices #18 – Erin & friends

Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary,
pure and holy tried and true; with thanksgiving,
I’ll be a living sanctuary for you.

Words & Music © John W. Thompson and Randy Scruggs, 1982 Kruger Organisation Inc
Song #119603 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Prayer for Illumination[3] Reader: Raven Miller

Gracious God, take the words I will speak and bless them.
Take the listening we will bring to the Word
and empower our reflection with action. Amen.

The Epistle Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 NRSV The Gift of Love

13 If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Herein is wisdom. Thanks be to God.

Sermon: “Reconciliation Begins With Love”

If you are one of the people who reads ahead to see what the Sunday service is going to be about, you may have noticed that I originally chose a different reading for today. Both readings are part of the same letter Paul wrote to the Corinthians. The one I first chose talked about reconciliation and, at first read, it seemed like a good message for this Indigenous Day of Prayer. However, the more I read it, the more I realized that it has been interpreted very differently by others than by me. In fact, I can see where it may well have been used to justify the atrocious way in which the indigenous peoples of this continent were treated. So, I decided instead to offer this reminder from Paul about love. You see, the first reading opens the door to feelings of superiority – the idea that our faith is the only true faith and all others are not just different, but wrong and even dangerous… that as “ambassadors of Christ” we are called to save others by converting them or save the world by destroying them. When I think of being an ambassador for Christ, I think about spreading his messages of love and inclusion. I hope that was what Paul had in mind… but he sure didn’t spell that out in this letter. And so, I turned to 1Corinthians 13 with its familiar message about love.

This is a reading that we usually hear at weddings, but I can tell you that romantic love was not what Paul had in mind when he wrote that letter to the squabbling people of Corinth. And I think it’s a part of that letter that must have been passed over in the early days of this country as irrelevant to colonialism. In my mind, as a follower of Jesus, that makes no sense. In my understanding, the lessons he taught, the way he acted, the way he treated others, was all based on that foundation – the foundation of love.

I can tell you that the past couple of weeks has been incredibly emotional for me. I can’t say that I was shocked or surprised by the discovery of children’s remains in an unmarked site in Kamloops. We were told that they were there – not just these 215, but literally thousands of others who simply disappeared from the Residential Schools without a trace. We were told in the Truth and Reconciliation process and its report. We were told by survivors of those schools. We heard the stories and then we buried those children again -under mounds of paper this time. We buried them, perhaps because some truth is too difficult to face.

I have been reminded by some people that I shouldn’t judge because, until forensic testing is complete, we don’t know how each of these children died… and perhaps that is true if we want to know the exact cause of death of each individual, but what do we hope to find? Are we looking for a way to deny that there was any wrongdoing? Are we looking for a way to ease our collective conscience and say, “See, it wasn’t anybody’s fault! The Canadian government who came up with the plan for the Indian Residential School system and the churches who put that plan into practice aren’t to blame!”? Really? Is that what we hope to find when the firsthand stories of survivors tell us of barbaric physical abuse, and of neglect for the basic needs of these young children. Is that what we hope to find when government documents show reports from doctors who witnessed the rampant spread of tuberculosis throughout the schools and pleaded for changes in the standards of health care, nutrition and cleanliness that could have halted the spread and helped some of these children back to health – and when documents show that the government decided it was not going to act on those recommendations, even to the point of firing the doctors who made them? Do we really hope to find that more than 4000 children died of natural causes in these institutions that our forebears created?

Or do we just find it all too painful to deal with?

Earlier this month, I accompanied Esther and Marlon to a vigil on Parliament Hill. Esther was having a very difficult time dealing with the emotions brought up by the discovery of children’s bodies in unmarked graves. They both felt they needed to respond in some way. They went to Parliament Hill to drum and sing, and in hope of finding others there to share their grief. We got a short email the next morning from Esther telling us that they were going again:

“Just thought I would share. If you can’t make it understandable. Please say prayers for all those hurting today!”

I saw this as a cry for support from a friend and as a cry for support from a church she loves, even though this is a church that was part of the horror. It was a call for recognition of the pain she and all indigenous people were feeling. It was a call for love. As her friend, her minister, a face of the church… I wanted to answer that call. At her urging, I took my drum. I wore my collar… can I admit to you that both of these things felt a bit risky to me? Was it really right for me to drum in this indigenous ceremony as a non-indigenous person? By wearing that collar, was I putting myself out as a target for people who are angry with the church?

The three of us walked a few blocks from a parking lot to Parliament Hill – Esther and Marlon in their regalia, me in my ministerial black, all three of us carrying frame drums. One man we passed asked Marlon, “Are you going to protest?” Marlon quietly answered, “No, we are going to mourn.”

We were greeted on the Hill by a young indigenous woman who had met Esther and Marlon the day before. She was thankful to see them arrive and excited to tell them that there was even media present. She was feeling proud to have organized something like this, to be making a contribution to the people of her culture.

The Centennial Flame was surrounded by children’s shoes – all sizes… running shoes, dress shoes, winter boots, moccasins… There were bouquets of flowers tucked among the shoes, many of them orange.

A small crowd had gathered in a circle around the flame – indigenous folks, tourists, business people, even a few politicians and the Speaker of the House at one point. There were seniors and young people, adults and families with children and babies. There were media folks with cameras and microphones too, but they faded into the background as the ceremony began… It wasn’t a carefully choreographed event. No podium had been set up. There wasn’t a program. It was simply a pouring out of grief and love.

The young woman who had greeted us began with a few words of welcome and then offered a smudge to the people present… and to the empty shoes. Marlon and Esther led the drumming and singing, encouraging others to join if they could or if they felt moved to do so. A Peace Song… A song of Welcome… the drums and the haunting sound of the conch shell offered the rhythm – a heartbeat and a cry.

They offered a dance from their tradition and, just before she began dancing, Esther spontaneously told the group gathered that she wasn’t dancing for her own sorrow, but for the children who never got the chance to dance. She divided the crowd into four sections and taught them the dance for each of the four clans of her people… and they danced. They followed Esther around the circle – Eagles, Wolves, Killer Whales, and Frogs. People of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds danced together as one tribe – for the children who never returned home.

I learned a lot on that sunny Tuesday morning.

I would have understood loud protests. I would have understood bursts of anger. I would even have understood harsh words aimed at those of us who were there as “outsiders” – white folk, politicians, media, and a minister from a guilty church… but what I saw was mourning, respect, inclusion. I saw thanksgiving for little souls set free. I saw sacred ceremony. I saw the kind of love Paul wrote about in action.

One of the most powerful learnings in my training for ministry happened on a day when our class was joined by a class of theology students from the Sandy Saulteaux Spiritual Centre – a school that trains indigenous ministers in the United and Anglican churches. When they arrived in our circle, before we began our day, the “Keeper of the Bundle” from Sandy Saulteaux moved to the centre of the space and opened a suitcase. One by one she took items from that case – first a blanket that she spread carefully on the ground and then several objects – a feather, a bowl, a shell, and more. She held and explained the significance of each piece before she laid it on the blanket, where it came from, who had given it, why it was significant… It became a part of our worship centre for the day. It was beautiful… but the biggest learning for me happened at the end of the day when the Keeper of the Bundle entered the circle once again to put each item back in the suitcase – carefully and with words of thanks for each piece.

I found it very moving, but more than that, I came to understand that there was much more to this than sharing sacred objects and setting up a display for reflection.

The bundle held the story of this group, this class of students and their school. It held their history, moments of pride, moments of struggle, moments of sharing, moments of joy and moments of sorrow. It held all their memories and all their hopes for the future. It told us their unique story. Each piece represented an intimate glimpse into the life of this class and it was all laid bare for us to see.

And, I think the most important part of that process for me was the careful repacking at the end of the day with just as much care, attention, and storytelling as it was given in the unpacking.

I thought about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and all of the listening circles that happened across the country. I thought about how difficult it must have been for people to share their innermost thoughts, their painful memories. How raw and exposed they must have felt to lay it all out there for the world to see. Did you know that there were always elders available at these sessions for support to anyone who needed it? Now I think I better understand their role. They were there to help people repack their bundles so that they could face the world again. They were there to help them keep it all safe.

In creating relationship – deep and honest relationship – we take the risk of telling our stories, of putting it all out there for the other to see. It is a sign of trust to open ourselves to another person. And if that relationship is good, we help each other pack those stories – and ourselves - up again safely.

The news of the discovery of 215 children’s remains in an unmarked grave have laid open the wound of the Indian Residential School System for our indigenous brothers and sisters who mourn and for all of us who share their grief and bear the shame of being part of a society built on the principles that gave rise to that system in the first place, a society that continues to favour those of us in the dominant “western” culture and marginalize our indigenous brothers and sisters.

During the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, our indigenous brothers and sisters bravely opened their bundles for us. They told us their painful stories. We heard from Residential School Survivors and those who continue to be affected by their parents’ and grandparents’ experiences of that system. We even took a pretty raw and honest look at the legislation that put those institutions in place and opened the records that were available to us – a tentative peek into the bundles that we inherited. We asked for forgiveness. We made a list of actions that need to be taken… and we went home.

In some ways, to me it seems like we hastily shoved our individual bundles – the shock and the grief - back into their packages and hurried out the door without looking to see if our brothers and sisters needed help packing theirs, without trusting them to help us put our own back together. We revealed the pain and the hope but then we hid it all away from sight before anyone could deal with it. We left our indigenous family to deal with theirs on their own - again. We didn’t take enough time to grieve together, to hope together, to really take a step on the path of reconciliation… together. We didn’t take the time to give thanks for each piece, to recognize its value, and to pack it away carefully… not to hide it but to keep it safe and secure… until we needed to unpack it again.

We can’t change history. We can’t pretend it didn’t happen, no matter how much we wish it away. We’ve heard the stories now.

On that Tuesday morning two weeks ago, on Parliament Hill, I learned the beauty of looking at hard truth through a lens of love.

I heard it in these words:

“We aren’t going to protest; we are going to mourn.”

“We are dancing for the children who never got the chance to dance.”

“We want you to join us in the dance.”

I experienced it in the trust implicit in an invitation to “Come with us – wear your collar and bring your drum,” a recognition of our common grief and common hope for relationship, for reconciliation.

I believe Paul understood this. He knew that words were nothing more than a noisy gong if they weren’t accompanied by love -

“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things,” says Paul to the divided people of Corinth.

He wasn’t talking about romantic love; he was talking about the kind of love that was shown on a bright Tuesday morning in a diverse group gathered in a sacred circle around hundreds of tiny, empty shoes.

Prayers of the People & the Lord’s Prayer Rev. Lorrie Lowes & Esther Stewart

Grandparent God, look at our brokenness—
we know that in all creation
only the human family has strayed from the Sacred Way.
We know that we are the ones who are divided
and we are the ones who must come back together
to walk in the Sacred Way.

As we reflect on the history of the relationship
between the church and Aboriginal peoples,
we pray for openness.

In our learning and in our growing, may there be healing.

As we open ourselves to the stories
of Aboriginal peoples hurt and wounded
by residential school and other experiences,
we pray for compassionate listening.

In the telling and in the hearing, may there be healing.

As we feel the pain of individuals and communities
and recognize our impoverishment of spirit
through our failure to honour the gifts of different cultures,
we pray for a hunger for new ways
of walking the earth together.

In our recognition of the need for forgiveness and for change, may there be healing.

As we work together to embody
the spirit of reconciliation and healing,
we pray for expectant anticipation that our life together
in the church will be enriched and deepened.

In the giving and in the receiving, may there be healing.

As we move forward as the people of God,
lifting up and supporting our sisters and brothers
of all tribes and races, we pray for God’s richest blessings.

In the honouring and in the sharing, may there be healing.

Grandparent, Sacred One,
teach us love, compassion, and honour
that we may heal the earth and heal each other. [4]

all this we ask in the name of Jesus who taught us to draw the circle wide, and in the words he taught his followers:

Invitation to Offer Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Our offering today, and every day, is an act of love. We give from what we have and as we are able; but always, we give in hope and faith and love.

Offertory Prayer

The world is very much with us this day: places of peace and places of conflict.

Receive these gifts from our hands and hearts, so that the world may be changed through them, by the power of your Spirit working in them and working in us. Amen.[5]

Sending Forth Rev. Lorrie Lowes

And now, may the blessing of God be ours as we leave.

Move from here a reconciled and reconciling people with assurance that Creator God, Great Spirit accompanies you this day and every day. Amen.

Hymn: “Hey Ney Yana” - More Voices #217

Refrain:
Hey ney yana,
hey ney yana,
hey ney yana,
hey ya hey yo,
hey ya hey yo.

1. I walk in beauty, yes I do, yes I do,
I talk in beauty, yes I do, yes I do,
I sing of beauty, hey ya hey yo,
hey ya hey yo. (Refrain)

2. I leave in beauty, yes I do, yes I do,
I sleep in beauty, yes I do, yes I do,
I dream of beauty, hey ya hey yo,
hey ya hey yo. (Refrain)

Words & Music: Brook Medicine Eagle, as taught by Leonard Eagle Cloud Howell
Song # VT836 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Departing Music: If a Tree Falls

Songwriters: Bruce Cockburn

If a Tree Falls lyrics © Rotten Kiddies Music Llc, Bro N Sis Music Inc., Bro N Sis Music, Inc.

Zoom Fellowship – 11 am

[1] Laura Turnbull, Gathering Pentecost 1 2021, p37. Used with permissions.

[2] Carolyn Wilson Wynne, The Covenant of Reconciliation: Worship Service for the Indigenous Day of Prayer 2020

[3] David Sparks, Gathering, Pentecost 1 2018 (Year B). Used with permission.

[4] Celebrate God’s Presence, p530-531. Used with permission.

[5] Kate Crawford. Gathering Pentecost 1 2019, p49. Used with permission.

Connie Davidson

June 18, 2021

Announcements

Donations still needed for Veterans’ House

Connie Davidson

June 18, 2021

Announcements

For a comprehensive tour of Veterans’ House (2020 Lenten Appeal Project), follow this YouTube link: https://youtu.be/U4jSut5EAZM Although the walks are over, donations are still needed. Our BCUC Team has raised $1,482. That’s still a long way from our $3000 goal! Donations can be made online or by cheque. Please see the MHI website for further instructions. www.multifaithhousing.ca/tulipathon.

Connie Davidson

June 18, 2021

Announcements

Veg Out: Tour David Donaldson’s farm

Connie Davidson

June 18, 2021

Announcements

Mark your calendars for the next event which will be a visit to see the vegetable and flower gardens at David Donaldson’s Cedar Hill farm, outside Pakenham. David is holding an Open House on Monday June 21, 10am – 5pm. Rain date will be Tuesday June 22.

Connie Davidson

June 16, 2021

Announcements

Summer Bible Study

Connie Davidson

June 16, 2021

Announcements

Do you ever wonder why the book of Lamentations was written and was included in the Hebrew Scriptures? Join Rev. Kim for a 5-weekly Bible Study in the summer (July 6, 13, 20, 27 & Aug. 3) and explore the “voices of lament” in this almost forgotten book. Meetings will be on Tuesdays at 10:30 am. The reference book for this study is Lamentations & the Tears of the World by Kathleen M. O’Connor. You may buy the book if you wish but not required. Contact the office at (613) 820-8103 or office@bcuc.org to let Rev. Kim know if you are interested.

Connie Davidson

June 12, 2021

Worship services

Sunday Worship Service - June 13, 2021

Connie Davidson

June 12, 2021

Worship services

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

CAMPING & CHRISTIAN EDUCATION SUNDAY

Theme: “Friends Forever in God’s Love”

June 13, 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

CLANG CLANG CLANG “Good morning campers! Rise and Shine you sleepy heads!”
“Time to get out there and do our morning exercises!”
“I wanna see ya touch the ground and reach for the sky!”

Morning Stretches Music: Like A Rock - More Voices #92 Music Team & CGS

Like a rock, like a rock, God is under our feet.
Like the starry night sky, God is over our head.
Like the sun on the horizon, God is ever before.
Like the river runs to ocean, our home is in God evermore.

Welcome & Greeting Rev. Kim Vidal

Good morning! Welcome to our Camping Sunday in the name of Jesus Christ, as we celebrate the ministry of Christian Education at BCUC! Camping is one of the largest youth and children’s programs in the United Church that develops confidence and leadership skills among our young ones. For those of you who are avid campers, we know that camping builds up friendships in many forms and fosters relationships with one another, with creation, and with God. I invite you to participate in today’s service as a time to reflect and renew our enthusiasm in the rich traditions that nourish us, as well as in new and exciting ways that inspire and encourage us. Today’s service is a re-enactment of a one-day camping filled with songs, activities and moments of reflection. So, RISE, SHINE and join in the fun!

Please join me as we recite together this ancient Sanskit poem attributed to the Hindu poet Kalidasa as we enter this time of gathering:

Listen to the Salutation of the Dawn:

Look to this day!
For it is life, the very life of life,
In its brief course
Lie all the verities and realities of your existence:

The bliss of growth,
The glory of action,
The splendor of beauty,
For yesterday is but a dream
And tomorrow only a vision,
But today well lived makes every yesterday
a dream of happiness
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Look well, therefore, to this day!
Such is the salutation of the dawn.

Lighting the Christ Candle Acolytes: Wightman family

As we light this candle, we are reminded of the flame in each of us;
a fire of passion to be shared with the world.
Through Jesus, the physical reminder of God on Earth,
we feel the power and love inside ourselves.
With this invitation we are welcome; safe and ready to shine.

© 2016 The United Church of Canada/L’Église Unie du Canada. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution
Non-commercial No Derivatives (by-nc-nd) Licence.

Hymn: This Little Light of Mine (Traditional) soloist: Sheryll Highstead

This little light if mine, I’m gonna let it shine (3X)
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Hide it under a bushel, no! I’m gonna let it shine (3X)
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Everywhere I go, I’m gonna let it shine (3X)
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

This little light if mine, I’m gonna let it shine (3X)
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine

Traditional Spiritual
Song #84048 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Gathering Circle:[1] Noah & Nicholas

One:   Shhh, did you notice that?
Two: People are talking, whispering, laughing…
One:   That too, but more…
Two: There’s the hum of electricity, the speakers, instruments ready to break out into song.
One:   That too, but more… a vibration.
Two: Hey, do you feel that?
One:   I feel a bit chilly, I feel thirsty…
Two: That too, but more…
One:   I feel a bit nervous in front of all these people…
Two: That too, but more… a presence!
Both: God is here!
One:   That’s it! God is here!
Two: That’s it! God, the vibration, presence, in us, through us, around us, God is here!
Both: Let’s celebrate!

Gathering: More Voices #26 Your Love is Amazing BCUC music team

1.       Your love is amazing, steady and unchanging,
          your love is a mountain, firm beneath my feet.
          Your love is a myst’ry, how you gently lift me.
          When I am surrounded your love carries me.

Refrain
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah
Your love makes me sing. (2X)

2. Your love is surprising, I can feel it rising,
all the joy that’s growing deep inside of me.
Ev’ry time I see you all your goodness shines through.
I can feel this God song rising up in me. Refrain

3. Repeat verse 1 and refrain
Hallelujah!

Sharing a Camp Memory Raven Miller

Gathering: I’ve Got the Joy BCUC Music Team

1. I've got the joy (joy), joy (joy), joy (joy)! (3x)

Refrain
Down in my heart (clap, clap)
Down in my heart (clap, clap)
Down in my heart to stay,
Down in my heart to repeat
stay.

2. I've got the love… (3x)

Refrain

3. I've got the light… (3x)

Refrain

4. I've got the joy! (3x)

Words traditional, Arranged and Music; Amy Grant
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

***Let’s Do Craft with* *Erin:***

Welcome, come on in! Welcome to the craft room!

Today we’re going to make a stick friend! Or maybe if you want a fine-motor challenge, you’ll want to try making a tiny worry doll!

While you’re at camp your stick friend might be a friend to talk to if you’re feeling homesick. It’s something to take back home with you to remind you of your camp family! The most important thing you’re going to need is your stick! So, if you have brought you’re stick found on the ground, that’s great, or you may find something inside your craft space like craft sticks, or if you want to make something very small, toothpicks. The other thing you’re going to need is things to wrap around the stick.

As you can see from my example, I’ve used yarn and lace. You might have fabric pieces, pipe cleaners or felt… anything you have around that you could use to decorate by wrapping around the sticks. Permanent markers, googly eyes, and glue might be other helpful tools to have around.

So, I’ll show you how I made my stick person; I’ve got another one here to make a friend. What I’ve done is used a marker to drawn on a face and I’ve used a pipe cleaner to make some arms. I think this time I’ll start with some fabric. So I’ve got some fabric strips here and I’ll start by wrapping it around the stick. I’m not gluing it on - I’m going to keep it simple and just wrap the fabric around to hold it in place.

I think I want a little bit more. I’ll just keep wrapping, covering over where the last piece ended to hold it in place. Now I’ll change it up and grab some yarn, and use that. Again, I’m not glueing it, I’m just going to wrap it over the place where the fabric ended and just keep wrapping down the stick. I might want to add some legs with another pipe cleaner or just leave it. I can just cut the yarn and wrap it around itself and tie a knot; no need for glue.

Alright, I think now I want to add a hat. I’ve got a little piece of felt here that I can put on top and a little loop of thread to put around and tighten it up. Ta-da! A nice partner for my first stick buddy!

If you want to make something very small, what I’ve done here is used toothpicks broken up into smaller pieces. Put 2 of them together for the legs, and a third in the middle for the body and I would start wrapping in the middle, using something like embroidery floss. Wrap around to attach the body and the leg pieces, then perhaps changing colours, and you go up to wrap around the sticks for the arms. So that is what I did. Then you can add hair or other details with little pieces of floss that I glued on.

I can’t wait to see what you’ve made! I hope you’ll share them with all of us at church so we can enjoy your cool creations!

Song: Shout for God - Voices United #246

1
Shout for God (Shout for God!)
Make a happy sound!
(Make a happy sound!)
Clap for God! (Clap for God!)
God is all around! (God is all around!)

2
Hush for God! (Hush for God!)
Let the quiet sing. (Let the quiet sing.)
Wait for God. (Wait for God.)
Deepest feelings bring.
(Deepest feelings bring.)

3
Sing for God! (Sing for God!)
Sing a pleasant song.
(Sing a pleasant song.)
Work for God. (Work for God.)
Good replaces wrong.
(Good replaces wrong.)

4
Praise our God! (Praise our God!)
Care for all God’s friends!
(Care for all God’s friends!)
Love our God! (Love our God!)
God’s love never ends!
(God’s love never ends!)

Nature Walk / Turkey Hunt with Abe

Slap your knees like you’re marching and repeat after me:

We’re goin’ on a turkey hunt (We’re goin’ on a turkey hunt)
We’re gonna catch a big one (We’re gonna catch a big one)
I’m not afraid (I’m not afraid)
I’ve got my camera (and binoculars) …

Hymn: “I’m Gonna Shout, Shout” – More Voices #183

I’m gonna shout, shout, shout out my love for Jesus, for Jesus!
I’m gonna shout, shout, shout out my love for God’s most holy child!
For whatever I might do today, at home, at school, at work, at play,
I’ve got Jesus’ love deep down inside of me!

I’m gonna raise, raise, raise up my hands for Jesus, for Jesus!
I’m gonna raise, raise, raise up my hands for God’s most holy child!
For whatever I might do today, at home, at school, at work, at play,
I’ve got Jesus’ love deep down inside of me!

I’m gonna dance, dance, dance all around for Jesus, for Jesus!
I’m gonna dance, dance, dance all around for God’s most holy child!
For whatever I might do today, at home, at school, at work, at play,
I’ve got Jesus’ love deep down inside of me!

Writing Camping Prayers Kim

I am so glad we’re having this Camping Sunday! You see, I love camping and I have many camping memories growing up as a child and as a teenager. Camping is a great way to re-connect with each other through a shared experience. Sharing the same tent, or a Recreational Vehicle, or a cabin has a way of uniting and strengthening friendships and family bonds.

Having activities together like hiking, eating, biking, orienteering, exploring nature, worshipping together or campfire events make camping so much fun and a relaxing activity. Camping helps us to get away from the stresses of work, school, and technology and to focus on relationships and connections and our faith as well.

One of the things I really love about camping is the spiritual component that takes place before mealtimes, at the beginning of the day and before bedtime. I’m sure you must have heard of this famous line: “A family that prays together, stays forever!” or “Friends that pray together remain connected forever!” Camping for sure, glues us together like a family. We become siblings and bosom friends.

Do you remember those songs or prayers that we sing or rap before we eat together?
I remember singing Johnny Appleseed or the Superman Grace or what about the famous God is Great and God is good “repeat after me” grace with some “we will rock you” tapping and clapping? It goes like this and I’d like you to repeat after me:

“God is great… God is good…
And we thank God…for this food…

By God’s grace…must all be fed…
Give us God…our daily bread… Ah-men…”

Today, we will write our own version of this grace.
I wrote mine and here’s what I came up with:

God is awesome, God is fun.
And we thank God for hotdogs and buns.
By God’s love, must all be nourished.
Thank you God for our food to eat. Amen.

Here’s what I’d like you to do. Write your own version of this prayer by simply filling in the blanks. Don’t worry if your words don’t rhyme. The important thing is - you have put together your thoughts and what you’d like to pray for. Remember to have fun!

Try writing it yourself!

God is ______, God is _______.
And we thank God for _______.
By God’s _____ must all be ______.
_______ God _________. Amen.

The other prayer that is close to my heart is the famous Psalm 23rd. In my camping days as a youth in the Philippines, we always close the day by reciting Psalm 23rd followed by the singing of “taps”. This Psalm talks about God as our Shepherd. I’ll read to you this Psalm taken from the NRSV of the Bible. Join me in reciting it if you wish:

Praying Psalm 23 – The Lord Is My Shepherd (NRSV)

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.

Now I challenge you to write your own version of this Psalm. I know it might be a bit difficult for some of you but if you do this activity as a family, or with someone you might be surprised how you can come up with a beautiful version of this timeless Psalm.

A few nights ago, I wrote my own version of this Psalm and this will be our closing prayer.
Let us pray:

Kim’s Version of Psalm 23:

God is my Wise Teacher;
all my learnings will be met.
God gives me knowledge and wisdom,
and encourages me to act out my faith,
that heals and transforms the world.
God journeys with me in search for truth.
Sometimes I fail and stumble and walk through difficult challenges,
but I will not be discouraged, for I know a better tomorrow will come.
God’s resilience will be my inspiration. God’s faithfulness, my strength.
God will not give up on me, even in my moments of doubting and searching.
God’s Spirit empowers me – I am richly blessed beyond measure.
Intelligence, perception, insight, and understanding
shall follow me each day of my life.
And I will find enlightenment with my Wise Teacher forever. Amen.

Lighting the Campfire:

Fire’s burning, fire’s burning!
Draw nearer, draw nearer!
In the gloaming, in the gloaming,
Come sing and be merry.

Hymn: It Only Takes a Spark (Pass it On) - Voices United #289

1. It only takes a spark to get a fire going,
and soon all those around
can warm up in its glowing:
That’s how it is with God’s love,
once you’ve experienced it:
you spread God’s love to everyone,
you want to pass it on.

2. What a wondrous time is spring
When all the trees are budding,
The birds begin to sing,
The flowers start their blooming;
That’s how it is with God’s love,
Once you’ve experienced it:
You want to sing,
It’s fresh like spring,
You want to pass it on.

3. I wish for you, my friend,
this happiness that I’ve found
on God you can depend,
it matters not where you’re bound;
I’ll shout it from the mountain top;
I want my world to know:
The Lord of love has come to me,
I want to pass it on.

Learning Songs with Erin: Jesus Loves Me Rock

Jesus loves me this I know
for the Bible tells me so,
little ones to him belong
in his love they will grow strong.

Singing
Na na na na na na na na na Whoo!
Na na na na na na na na na (2X)

Sing about his love,
His love is what we sing about
Sing about his love,
His love is what we sing. (repeat)

Singing
Na na na na na na na na na Whoo!
Na na na na na na na na na (2X)

Yes, Jesus loves me (clap, clap)
(2X)
Yes, Jesus loves me,
the Bible tells me so

Jesus loves me when I'm good,
when I do the things I should.
Jesus loves me when I'm bad,
even though it makes him sad.

Singing
Na na na na na na na na na Whoo!
Na na na na na na na na na (2X)

Sing about his love,
His love is what we sing about
Sing about his love,
His love is what we sing. (repeat)

Singing
Na na na na na na na na na Whoo!
Na na na na na na na na na (2X)

Yes, Jesus loves me (clap, clap)
(2X)
Yes, Jesus loves me,
the Bible tells me so

Love Round

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and
all your soul, and all your mind, and
love all humankind as you would love yourself

Love…… The Lord your God….. With all your Heart…..
And all your soul and mind and love all humankind.

We’ve got Christian lives to live, We’ve got Jesus love to give,
We’re got nothing to hide because in God we abide.
Love.

***Storytime with* *Lorrie***

As a child, I loved going to camp and I really liked the evening tradition of campfire with its songs and skits and stories. It was a special time with friends, old and new, a sort of celebration of all the great things we had done together during the day. I wish we could all be together today to do something like that, but since that’s not possible, we’ll do our best to recreate that experience virtually today.

This is the day we would traditionally celebrate the end of our regular Sunday School and Youth programs for the summer. It’s a time to thank all of the people who helped out and we’d celebrate our successes. Most of all we’d celebrate all of the kids in our church family. We want you to know how important you are to all of us. I hope you know just how much life you add to the life of our church – the learning and the work we do in our mission to make the world a better place. You are our inspiration, and our hope for the future. You may think your voices are small, but you carry more weight than you know.

Let me tell you a story. Imagine that we are sitting around a campfire. This is a traditional tale from the book “One Hundred Wisdom Stories From Around the World” by Margaret Silf, and it’s called “How Much Does a Snowflake Weigh?”

It was deep winter and the snow was falling steadily upon the hillside.

A tiny mouse crept out of its hole for a little break in its long winter sleep. Drowsily, the little mouse looked around and twitched its whiskers, and would have gone back to sleep inside its hole, had not a tiny voice echoed from somewhere out there in the white winter world: “Hello, little mouse. Can’t you sleep?”

The mouse looked around and caught sight of a tiny bird sitting shivering on a bare branch just overhead. “Hello Jenny Wren,” said the mouse, pleased to find some company on this bleak day. “I just came up for a bit of air before I go back to sleep for the rest of the winter.”

But it was so good to find company that, for a while, the mouse and the wren sat there together, huddled beneath the lowest branches of a pine tree, watching the snow falling and enjoying a little congenial conversation.

“So, how much do you think a snowflake weighs?” the mouse asked the wren suddenly.

“A snowflake weighs almost nothing,” the wren replied. “A snowflake is so insignificant, it carries almost no weight at all. How could you possibly weigh a snowflake?”

“Oh, I disagree,” said the mouse. “In fact, I can tell you that last winter, around this time, I woke up from my winter dreaming and came out here for a breath of fresh air, and because I had no companions and nothing better to do, I sat here, counting the snowflakes as they fell. I watched them settling on these branches and covering the pine needles with a blanket of whiteness. I got as far as two million, four hundred and ninety-two thousand, three hundred and fifty-nine. And then – when the very next snowflake fell and settled on the branch – the branch dropped right down to the ground and all the snow slid off it! So, you see, just that one last snowflake weighed enough to make the branch sink down and all the snow slide off. So a snowflake does weigh something. It does make a difference!”

The wren, who was only a tiny little bird herself and didn’t think she had much influence on the great big world around her, pondered for a long time over the mouse’s story. “Perhaps,” she thought to herself, “it really is true that just one little voice can make a difference.”

Let’s finish with a little prayer:
Thank you, God, For my voice, no matter how small it may seem,

And thank you for the people in my church family who know that
I have important things to say. Amen.

Roll Over the Ocean

1. It's me, it's me, it's me who builds community (3x)
It's me who builds community (clap, clap, clap)

2. It's you... 3. It's love... 4. It's Christ...

Chorus
Roll over the ocean, roll over the sea,
Roll over the ocean in the deep blue sea (Hey!)
Roll over the ocean, roll over the sea,
Go and do your part and build community.

Sung Lord’s Prayer: Erin leading

Our Father, (Our Father)
Who art in heaven, (Who art in heaven),
Hallowed be thy name, (Hallowed be thy name),
Thy kin-dom come, (Thy kin-dom come),
Thy will be done, (Thy will be done),
On Earth as it is in heaven, (On Earth as it is in heaven).
Give us this day our daily bread, (Give us this day our daily bread),
And forgive us all our trespasses, (And forgive us all our trespasses),
As we forgive those who trespass against us, (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, (For thine is the kin-dom),
The power and the glory, (The power and the glory),
Forever and ever, (Forever and ever),
Ah-ah-men, (Ah-ah-men)
Ah-Ah-men

Offering Invitation Lorrie

Jesus said, “Bring the little children to me.” We know that he understood the importance of nurturing them as they grow, and we are all called to offer that same love and support to the children and youth of the world today. One small way we do this is to offer our gifts of time, talent, and resources so that the ministry of this church can help to build the kind of community that makes this possible. If you are not on PAR and wish to send in your offerings and donations, you can drop them in the mail slot by the kitchen door of the church, mail them to BCUC, or donate by e-transfer. As always, we thank you for your continued love and support to the work of Bells Corners United Church.

Offertory Prayer

Creator God, On this day we celebrate the children and youth in our church family;

We celebrate all those who love them, nurture them, and help them grow as your people in the world. Bless our offerings of time, talents and treasures that they may be used to ensure that all of your children, young and old feel the joy, support, and love they need to enjoy life to the fullest. In the name of the one who reminds us of the important role of children in our faith journey, we pray. Amen.

Sending Forth Kim Susumcamp.org – Worship Ideas for Sunday Camping Service

Now may God, who brought you here,
tune up your ears for hearing,
open your eyes for seeing,
clear your sinuses for smelling,
cleanse your palate for tasting,
and open your mind for imagining.
The living God calls you to live “radically different”
each day of your lives. Amen!

Taps

Day is done, gone the sun
From the lakes, from the hills, from the sky
All is well, safely rest God is nigh.

Departing Music: Praise the Mother, Praise the Father Too

Praise the Mother praise the Father too
Praise the Lord of all and the source of you
Praise the River ever flowing through
To the ocean of who we are.
repeat

Hey ma-ma hey-ya,
um-bay, um-bay (4X)

“Alright guys, Lights out, time to go to sleep!”

Zoom Fellowship – 11 am

[1] Jen Fletcher-Power, All in the Same Boat Camping Sunday, UCC Website.

Connie Davidson

June 5, 2021

Worship services

Sunday Worship Service - June 6, 2021

Connie Davidson

June 5, 2021

Worship services

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

2nd SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

June 6, 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: My Love Colours Outside the Lines – More Voices #138 BCUC band

(also requested by Barb & David)

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

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

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

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

Acknowledgement of Territory Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Welcome & Centering for Worship Rev. Kim Vidal

Good morning! On behalf of Bells Corners United Church, I welcome and greet you in the name of Jesus Christ on this second Sunday after Pentecost. I’m glad that you can join us in our virtual worship time of contemplation, prayers and reflection.

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

Friends, I now invite you to open your hearts to God’s healing love and justice as we gather in worship.

Lighting of the Christ Candle Acolytes: Bob & Ellen Boynton

The light is all around us –
a sign of the season for us as God’s people.

The flame of this Christ candle reminds us
of the beauty and presence of the light
that paints the sky, bathes the land
and brightens our path.
Thanks be to the Creator for fire and sun,
for flame and symbol, for the light of Christ.

Peter Chynoweth, Gathering, Pentecost 1 2021 (Year B). Used with permission

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

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

Call to Gather & Prayer of Approach Rev. Lorrie Lowes

If you are carrying the stresses and strains of living in a complex world,
if you feel at times like God has abandoned you,
find the heartbeat of God in our gathering within divine mystery.
If you are puzzled by the choices of your neighbours
or family members make, if you are wondering
how to make your own choices with so many options,
come and discover the voice of Christ
speaking to our hearts of wholeness.

Come to commune with God within us, God beyond us,
And God among us, reaching into restorative relationship
With the Holy One in prayer:
Powerful Spirit, who breathes us into freedom
And insight, guide us on the Way of Jesus that we find zeal
for faithfulness; enflame our trust in you
that we become proclaimers of good news;
and strengthen us for the challenge of your call
and the price for loving. Amen.

Gord Dunbar, Gathering, Pentecost 1 2021 (Year B). Used with permission

Hymn: It’s A Song of Praise to the Maker - More Voices #30 - BCUC choir

1. It’s a song of praise to the Maker,
the thrush sings high in the tree.
It’s a song of praise to the Maker,
The gray whale sings in the sea,

Refrain

And by the Spirit you and I
can join our voice to the holy cry
and sing, sing, sing to the Maker too.

2. It’s a call of life to the Giver
when waves and waterfalls roar.
It’s a call of life to the Giver
when high tides break on the shore R

3. It’s a hymn of love to the Lover;
the bumblebees hum along.
It’s a hymn of love to the Lover,
the summer breeze joins the song R

4. It’s the chorus of all creation;
it’s sung by all living things.
It’s the chorus of all creation;
a song the universe sings R

Storytime Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Good Morning.

Can you imagine someone coming to your house and taking you away from your family? Can you imagine you just having to go with them even though your parents cried, and you had to leave everything behind? Can you imagine being taken to a school hours and hours away from your home and left there with hundreds of other kids, with teachers who didn’t speak your language or even dress like you? How would you feel? Scared, sad, angry, upset? I’m sure I would. It’s hard to imagine that anything like this could really happen, especially in a country like Canada, but it did.

I usually like to start my Time for the Young at Heart with something cheery and upbeat, but this week the news of the terrible discovery on the grounds of the Kamloops Indian Residential School has made me very sad. Back in history, beginning when Canada was a young country, First Nations Children were sent to Residential Schools. They were far away from home so the children had to sleep there. These schools were created by the Canadian Government and the Christian churches in Canada to make those children more like the European settlers. The children were taught English culture and the English language. They were not allowed to speak their native language or wear their own clothes. Brothers and sisters were not allowed to speak to each other. The teachers wanted the kids to forget all about their homes and culture so that they would be less like their own families and more like them. Because the schools were so far from their homes, the children didn’t get to see their parents often and when they did, they had trouble talking to them because their parents didn’t speak English and the children had lost much of their own language. The schools were crowded and the children weren’t taken care of in the way a loving family would. A Residential School was not a happy place to be. These schools caused a lot of problems for our First Nations people that are still being felt today.

All the residential schools are closed now and we know that they were a terrible idea. The schools are closed but the problems they caused have not gone away. There is a lot of work that needs to be done to repair the damage and to heal the relationship between the First Nations people and rest of Canadian society.

The news this week has made people very sad. So many children who were sent to Residential schools never got to go home again. Until this mass grave was found, their families held on to the hope that they were alive and safe somewhere. Now that hope is gone and they are grieving.

Just a couple of weeks ago I talked to you about how important a loving family is for all of us. Even when children – or people of any age – need to be separated from their families for some reason, we know that they still need people around them who love them and care for them in the way a family should. We talk about our congregation as a family and we talk about loving all people as God’s family. Right now, members of our family are hurting and we are all being called to show them love and care.

It's hard to know sometimes what to do to show that love. I think in the case of the indigenous people, the best thing we can do now is to listen to their stories and to learn more about their experience and their culture. We have a lot to learn from them about loving all of God’s creation. Jesus may not have met them when he was teaching so long ago, but they understand his message of love for your neighbour. It is a central part of their culture and their spirituality. They clearly understand that your neighbour includes all living things and the earth itself.

Our church, the United Church of Canada, was the first to apologize to the First Nations people about the way they were treated and for the terrible experience of the Residential Schools, and we can be proud of that. But saying, “We’re sorry” is just the beginning of the journey to making things better. It doesn’t make the hurt go away. We need to show that we don’t want something like this to ever happen again. Our next steps are to listen and to learn. We need to be ready to show our love for each other in real ways, not just in words.

For me, the hardest thing to understand about all of what happened, is the fact that people thought it was okay to treat children in such a cruel way. I can’t imagine how anyone thought this was a good idea as a way to give them a better life. It makes no sense to me at all.

Where I see the most hope today is in your faces – the faces of all children who are growing up here in Canada. When I was a child, I never heard about Residential Schools, even though they were still open. But we have all heard the stories now and we all have the opportunity to do a better job of being friends - and family – to those around us, even if they seem to be different from us. Every child, every person, deserves to feel loved and special. It is what God wants for the world. I promise to work hard at this and I hope you will too. I hope that you keep reminding us all that everyone deserves the kind of love that Jesus taught.

Let’s finish with a prayer:

Creator God, We pray for the children who were in the Indian Residential Schools and we pray for their families and everyone who loved them. Help us be the loving family that will help to heal the deep hurts that are being felt today. Amen

Hymn: Teach Me, God, to Wonder - Voices United #299 – BCUC music team

1. Teach me, God, to wonder,
teach me, God, to see;
let your world of beauty capture me.

Refrain:
Praise to you be gi-ven,
love for you you be lived,
life be celebrated, joy you give.

2. Let me, God, be open, Let me loving be;
Let your world of people speak to me. R

3.Let me, God, be ready, let me be awake,
in your world of loving my place take. R

4. Teach me, God, to know you,
hear you when you speak,
see you in my neighbour when we meet. R.

Prayer for Illumination[1] Reader: Marion Dugas

Gracious God, take the words I will speak and bless them.
Take the listening we will bring to the Word
and empower our reflection with action. Amen.

The Gospel Reading: Mark 3:1-6 (Common English Bible)

Jesus Heals a Man with a Withered Hand

1 Jesus returned to the synagogue. A man with a withered hand was there.
2 Wanting to bring charges against Jesus, they were watching Jesus closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.
3 He said to the man with the withered hand, “Step up where people can see you.”
4 Then he said to them, “Is it legal on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they said nothing.
5 Looking around at them with anger, deeply grieved at their unyielding hearts, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he did, and his hand was made healthy.
6 At that, the Pharisees got together with the supporters of Herod to plan how to destroy Jesus.

May God’s wisdom give us understanding as we ponder on this Gospel story.
Thanks be to God!

Sermon: “Stretch Out Your Hand” Rev. Kim Vidal

It was Sabbath day. And for a devout Jewish man like Jesus, Sabbath is a day he would never miss. On this particular Sabbath, the Pharisees were watching Jesus to see whether he would break a Sabbath law. A man with a withered hand was there. We don’t know for sure if he was a regular member of the synagogue or perhaps he was invited by the Pharisees to trap Jesus. But the man caught Jesus’ attention. This nameless man has been suffering with a withered hand for so many years. Mark didn’t tell us if the man’s condition was a result from severe arthritis or rheumatism. Or perhaps he had hand atrophy - a condition that causes the muscles of the hand to deteriorate and wither away. When the hand is immobile for an extended period of time, the muscles begin to lose power and size. Can you imagine what life would be like if your hand was immobile and crippled? Your hand is wasted – you can’t do a lot of things – be it gardening, playing your favourite sport or playing a musical instrument - no writing or computer games, no baking or cooking, you get the picture - life could get pretty limited, boring and so unpleasant if that's all we had of the world.

When Jesus saw him – this man with a withered hand was probably in the back corner. He doesn’t want to be noticed and kept covering his withered, crippled hand like a big bad secret that he had kept for so many years. But Jesus called the man to come forward. You can feel the tension in the room when everyone gazed at the man and waited for Jesus to do his next act. Jesus raised some questions directed to his onlookers –to those who apply strict religious observance of the Sabbath: “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save life or to kill?” But no response came from any of the religious men. They were silent. There is nothing more dreadful when looking at someone’s misery and remaining silent. Silence speaks very loudly when it comes to the pains of a hurting human being.

The man perhaps was surprised too. I wonder if it made him very nervous. I wonder if he truly wanted to be noticed or felt very uncomfortable to be seen. He was used to being invisible. He was after all, a man with a physical disability. When the people in his village saw him coming down the street, they didn't say, "Here comes Joseph or Thomas." They said, "Here comes that man with a withered hand." That's how he was known — not by his name nor his family history nor what he does for a living. He was known by labels: the crippled man, the handicapped man, the one whose hand looks different from us, the "man with a withered hand." But in that moment of encounter, he could not even understand the healing that was coming to him in the person of Jesus, the healer.

In front of the scrutinizers, Jesus did something that I'm sure no one had done to him for a long, long time - something that violated the religious custom of the day. Jesus healed the man on a Sabbath day. Jesus asked the man to stretch his hand and the man’s withered hand was restored to health! His hand was freed from its physical state of bondage. In the first century world where Jesus and the man lived, having any physical deformity was a curse – a result of being sinful. The man’s condition was viewed as God’s punishment for something he or his parents had done. Just like the blind Bartimaeus or the bent-over woman or the hemorrhaging woman. He was deemed to be not only physically withered but spiritual as well. I can easily imagine myself as a spiritual cripple if I had suffered physical deformities like he had. In essence, he had lost not only his dignity and self-worth but his humanity as well. He suffered a condition of spiritual emptiness. If people thought about him at all, it was probably with scorn, seeing him as cursed. If this story was made into a movie, you might think that the climax had come unfolding into a happy ending when the man’s withered hand was restored to health. But to our surprise, a twist in the story was about to unfold. Jesus’ compassion and act of love for this man with a withered hand provoked anger and outburst from the religious leaders of the synagogue. Mark writes: “The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the supporters of Herod to plan how to destroy or kill Jesus”

It was the inappropriate timing of Jesus’ healing that ignited the religious leaders’ anger. Afraid to confront Jesus directly, they were enraged that Jesus had violated the fourth commandment by "working" on the Sabbath (Exodus 20:9 and Deuteronomy 5:12–15). I’d like to imagine that in that moment of anger, the leader of the Pharisees stood up and addressed the assembly: 'Folks, we are here to worship God, to offer praise and prayers and to read and listen to God's words. We are not here to do works of healing. This is Sabbath – a day of rest. Couldn't Jesus have waited just one day to do his healing business when the Sabbath would be over? And for you, man with a withered hand and those of you who are here, come and be healed on those other days not on the Sabbath." In today’s context, this story makes no sense. We offer healing or any other help as the need arises. But let me explain here that we do an injustice to the Pharisees if we write them off completely as bad people. You see, they were good people—it was their duty to preserve and protect those things that were sacred for them— laws, rituals, traditions, culture — that mediated faith for them. Don’t we do exactly the same thing when we hold fast to our favourite worship practices, our cherished spiritual disciplines, and our beloved traditions? I like what Debie Thomas has to say about this: “The Pharisees were not wrong to uphold the Sabbath. They were absolutely right. But rightness is not love. Rightness is not compassion. Rightness will never get us to Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath. Only compassion will do that.”

Jesus challenges the Pharisaic law. Jesus explodes at their human callousness and their hypocrisy. I understood this reaction of Jesus as vouching that human compassion, healing, and wholeness are far more important than religious rightness and rituals. In the first few verses prior to this story, Mark wrote about Jesus presenting his arguments about the meaning of Sabbath. Jesus said to his listeners:

“Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry

and in need of food? He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions.” Then Jesus continued with this aphorism, “The Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath.” For Jesus, compassion and love would not wait one more day to heal a human being in need. This man, says Jesus, is a beloved child of God. He is part of humanity and blessing for the whole world. He is not the man with a withered hand. He belongs to God’s human family. He shall not be put aside, ignored and labelled to keep him in his place. He will be restored to wholeness.

I imagine, more than anything else, the thrill, the joy felt by the man after being healed of his withered hand. And I imagine that he run back to his family and friends, or whatever village, or perhaps whatever community, he belongs and celebrated his healing experience. He felt free. He felt his hand like a new part of his body. He was made human once more. Can you imagine how the man felt at that moment? No more numbness of fingers and weakness of muscles. No more having to hide his hand from people. No more ostracism and rejection from the community. He was made whole again!

Dan Clendenin writes: “When religious rituals like Sabbath-keeping and fasting — or our Bible studies, sermons, church attendance, and retreats — are divorced from human health and wholeness, whenever a believer "turns away from others, your own flesh and blood" (Is. 58:7), then our religion has gone very bad indeed. Conversely, when you care for your neighbor like you would care for your own self, you have fulfilled the deepest purposes of all religious rituals.”[2] . If we are called to follow Jesus and to love the way Jesus loved, it's clear then that this story gives us a model of what it means to be the living church - the Body of Christ - not just on Sundays but every single day of our lives.

Mark says that Jesus was deeply grieved at the callousness of the religious leaders. Jesus lamented their unyielding hearts. What is our response as the body of Christ when we encounter the man with the withered hand? Must we yield our hearts to respond? Should we wait a day or two to show our compassion and love? Or should we act here and now as Jesus did that Sabbath morning? I’m sure most of us had the occasion to encounter the man with a withered hand. And there are so many of him in our community or even in our congregation that sometimes we easily ignore. Let me describe him:

- He could be a patient suffering from Covid-19. He is there, in the hospital’s ICU, fighting for his life and longing for to be healed.
- He could be the new immigrant wanting to learn how to speak English so he could earn a living to feed his family. He is there, in our cities and our neighborhoods, longing for people to recognize him.
- He could be a young teenager suffering from identity crisis and being bullied at school for being different. He is there, alone in the night, longing for acceptance from his loved ones and peers.
- He could be a woman suffering from depression and mental illness, stigmatized by the lack of support from the community. She is waiting for us to journey with her in her condition.

At some point in our lives, we too, were like him - withered and shriveled and wasted over by loneliness, or grief, or depression or illness.

The indigenous community was crippled and withered not on their own doing but because of colonialism and racial apathy. The residential schools that were run by the Christian churches and supported by the government, stripped the indigenous peoples, particularly children, of their culture, their language, their spirituality, and uprooted them from their land, families and homes. This past week was very difficult for many of us as we listened and learned with shock and grief about the 215 remains of indigenous children found in the grounds of Kamloops Residential School. This news starkly portrayed the deeply ingrained atrocities inflicted by the Residential Schools upon the indigenous peoples. God is deeply grieved in our unyielding hearts. We need to be more vigilant and do something about this issue. We must act now and listen to their stories and work for truth and reconciliation.

Today, compassionate healing love calls us over. God is calling us to a work of completing and bringing together that which has been started by Jesus. This is our calling – to call forth those who are hurting and in pain – to find a way to listen to their stories and learn their names. But we do not stop there. Concrete action is needed. We do whatever it takes to offer healing, life and wholeness.

Jesus taught us that the most important thing is not the correct enactment of a ritual or religious law, but the spontaneous answer to the cry of human need, any time and any place. Thanks be to God. Amen.

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

Let us gather our hearts in prayer.

Here in this moment and place, O God, we come to you. We are yours in the silence of our being. We are filled with new awareness of your great love and compassion. Prayerfully, we come to hear your word and celebrate the Gospel which makes us new beings. Like the powerful story of compassionate healing shown by Jesus, empower us to become compassionate healers to friends and strangers alike.

God of tender care, we pray with those who are praying. We join the spoken and silent prayers that come to you from our community in Bells Corners and the nearby communities; from our homes and street corners; from places of sorrow and joy; from war zones and prison cells, from hospital rooms and festive tables, from voices throughout the world. With bowed heads or heads held high, standing boldly, sitting or kneeling quietly, we pray to you in earnest gratitude. We ask for your guidance and rest in your comfort.

God of justice, we pray for those who are crying for help; for those of us whose bodies and spirits need healing from you. We pray for women and men who seek love and support from others; for children who sleep in hunger; for all who are imprisoned by walls or worries, for all those who are hopeless because they feel rejected or in the midst of grieving. For those whose bodies and spirits are withered because of illness or injustice.

Today, we pray for all who are grieving the death of the 215 indigenous children whose remains were discovered in Kamloops Residential School. We remember the indigenous communities especially the residential school survivors in their struggles to share their stories. Nudge us to listen and to act. Remind us that the heartbreaking impact of the residential schools put upon the indigenous communities resulted to genocide, family dysfunction, cultural uprootedness, chronic and infectious diseases, mental illnesses, substance abuse and suicidal behaviours, particularly among the young people. Let me offer this blessing of peace written by Jan Richardson to our indigenous brothers and sisters in their continuing struggle for truth and reconciliation: I cannot claim/ to still the storm/ that has seized you, cannot calm/ the waves that wash through your soul, that break against your fierce and aching heart. But I will wade into these waters/ will stand with you in this storm, will say peace to you / in the waves, peace to you / in the winds, peace to you / in every moment that finds you still within the storm.

For your steadfast love and goodness to us, we give you thanks O God, our Refuge. Hear this our common prayer and those of our hearts which we offer. These we pray in the name of Jesus Christ who taught us this ancient prayer we now recite together:

Invitation to Offer Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Offertory Prayer

Sending Forth Rev. Kim Vidal

Bob Root, Gathering, Pentecost 1 2018 Year B. Used with permission
And now, in the care of our healing God, we go,
thankful for a love that knows neither beginning nor ending;
grateful for a hope that gives us courage to live day by day.

May we go out with joy, sure of our place in the good heart of God.
May we go out to be a blessing to a world so in need of God’s care
that only we can give. Amen.

Hymn: Like A Healing Stream - More Voices #144 – Erin Berard

1.Like a healing stream in a barren desert,
Spirit water bringing life to dusty earth,
God is trickling through our lives
as in a dream unfolding,
promising revival and rebirth
like a healing stream.

2.Like a gentle rain on a thirsty garden,
Spirit water come to nourish tiny seed,
God is bubbling through the soil
to coax a new creation
yearning for an end to want and need
like a gentle rain.

3.Like a river strong with a restless current,
Spirit water rushing on to distant shore,
God is carving out a channel
in a new direction,
calling for an end to hate and war
like a river strong.

4.Like a mighty sea reaching far horizons,
Spirit water with a love both deep and wide,
God is working in our hearts
to shape a new tomorrow:
God will always challenge and provide!
Like a mighty sea… like a river strong…
like a gentle rain… like a healing stream.

Departing Music: Without Seeing You, We Love You – David Haas soloist & recorders: Erin Berard

Paraphrase of 1 Peter 1: 8 This haunting piece was written as a Communion song for the funeral of the composer’s brother-in-law, who died after a long struggle with AIDS. The composer felt a strong sense of not being able to ‘see’ his friend after his death. It is a positive statement of the strength of connection that can be found with God and with others, even in the absence of physical presence.

Refrain:

Without seeing you we love you.
Without touching you we embrace.
Without knowing you we follow.
Without seeing you we believe.

1.We return to you deep within,
Leave the past to the dust.
Turn to you with tears and fasting,
You are ready to forgive. (Refrain)

2.The sparrow will find a home
Near to you oh God.
How happy we who dwell with you,
For ever in your house. (Refrain)

3.For ever we sing to you
Of your goodness, O God;
Proclaiming to all the world
Of your faithfulness and love. (Refrain)

4.For you are our shepherd
There is nothing that we need.
In green pastures we will find our way,
In waters of peace. (Refrain)

Zoom Fellowship – 11 am

[1] David Sparks, Gathering, Pentecost 1 2018 (Year B). Used with permission.

[2] Dan Clendenin, “He Put His Hands on Her”, http://www.journeywithjesus.net

Connie Davidson

June 5, 2021

Sunday School

Sunday school activities - June 6, 2021

Connie Davidson

June 5, 2021

Sunday School

Theme Discussion

Listen to the story, “Stolen Words”:

This week, the news was full of the sad story of indigenous children taken away from their families and sent to Residential Schools. The idea was to make the children more like the European settlers in Canada, to make them forget their language and their culture. It broke apart families and caused a lot of hurt for our First Nations neighbours. They are still hurting today and the news of so many children who died and were buried in Kamloops has made all of us both sad and angry.

Have you ever hurt someone? Maybe you struck out in anger, or maybe you just bumped them by accident. When that happens, we are usually asked to apologize, to tell the hurt person that we are sorry. Does that help? Does it make all of the hurt go away? What else do we need to do to make the situation better and to be friends again?

When we become friends again with someone we have hurt, that’s called “reconciliation”. That’s what Canadians hope will happen between the indigenous people and all the other people who call Canada home. The United Church of Canada said “sorry” for the Residential Schools in 1996 but we are still working to make things better. We need to make life better for indigenous people in our country and we need to show them love and respect. It will take a lot of work and a lot of time for the hurt to go away.

Jesus taught us to love our neighbours. How can we show our indigenous neighbours that we love them and that we really want to make up for the hurt that was caused by the Residential Schools? One way is to listen to their stories and to learn about their culture. They have so much to teach us about caring for each other and for the earth.

In just a couple of weeks we will be celebrating the Indigenous Day of Prayer at BCUC. What a great opportunity to learn and share stories! We are so blessed to have Esther and Marlon Stewart in our congregation. They love to share their culture with us. This is one way we can get to know each other better – and that’s a big part of reconciliation.

Response Activity Ideas

Show of Support Shoe

Many are responding to the recently discovered burial site at the Kamloops Residential School by leaving shoes as a memorial to the many children who lost their lives.

(Image source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/survivors-families-react-ottawa-to-215-bodies-kamloops-residential-school-1.6047161)

Write and/draw a message of support, a promise to do better and learn more, a call for more action, or a prayer on this shoe. Where will you post it? How will you act upon what you wrote?

Four Directions – Sacred circle

Materials: colouring tools, scissors, glue, cardstock/construction paper, hole punch, yarn/string

Read about the significance of the Four Directions and the Seven Sacred teachings common to many First Nations peoples on the print out. What connections can you make to our Christian beliefs and teachings?

Cut out the Sacred circle and glue it onto cardstock or construction paper. On the back of each colour, write/draw the key elements and meanings of each section.

Next, cut out the feathers. On each, write one of the Seven Sacred teachings, then attach them to your circle with yarn or string to hang below.

Share what you learned with someone else!

Nature Printmaking

A connection to our natural world is a vital part of indigenous cultures. As part of this year’s Solstice Festival, Algonquin artist Emily Brascoupé-Hoefler taught students about printmaking using natural materials in a virtual presentation. Try it out yourself!

Materials: paint, flat tray or plate, brush or small roller, paper, collection of leaves, petals and/or flat stones, etc. (This can also be done with markers instead of paint!)

Choose the first item you would like to print. Set it on your tray and paint a very thin layer of paint over it (or colour it heavily with marker). Carefully pick it up, then press the item down onto the paper, coloured side down, and press firmly all over the backside, before lifting gently away. Repeat with other items, experimenting with colour, repeated prints, and layering of prints.

Inuit and First Nations Music and Games

Learn more watching these videos!

Throat-singing:

Inuit games:

The bear song:

Connie Davidson

May 29, 2021

Worship services

Sunday Worship Service - May 30, 2021

Connie Davidson

May 29, 2021

Worship services

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

TRINITY SUNDAY

May 30, 2021

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

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

Welcome & Centering for Worship Rev. Kim Vidal

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Call to Gather[2] Erin Berard

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

Opening Prayer[3]

This Happy Communion

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

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

Refrain

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

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

Spirit, open my heart.

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

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

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

Storytime Rev. Dr. Karen Boivin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*move , sing

Prayer for Illumination Reader: Ian Howes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sources:

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

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

Let us join our hearts prayer.

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

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

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

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

All these things we ask in the name of the Jesus Christ who holds us together in love and taught his disciples and friends this prayer:
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kin-dom come, thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kin-dom, the power and the glory,
Forever and ever, Amen.

Invitation to Offer Rev. Kim Vidal

The Triune God present in all of creation, holds each one of us in tender love and care. So we respond to all the blessings we have generously received from a loving Creator. Let us gather our gifts of time, talents and treasures and offer them to God in gratitude and praise.

If you are not on PAR and wish to send in your offering and donations, you can drop them in the mailbox by the kitchen door of the church or mail them to BCUC. You can also send in your support through e-transfer. Thank you for your continued love and support to BCUC.

Offertory Prayer

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

Sending Forth[4] Rev. Kim Vidal

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

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

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

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

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

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

Words Reginald Heber, 1820; Music: John Bacchus Dykes, 1861
Song Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Departing Music: Trumpet Tune – Purcell organ

Zoom Fellowship – 11 am

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

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

[3] Bruce Sanguin, If Darwin Prayed.

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

Connie Davidson

May 29, 2021

Sunday School

Sunday school activities - May 30, 2021

Connie Davidson

May 29, 2021

Sunday School

Theme Discussion

Do you know what a simile is? It’s when we compare something to something else using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’, such as when we say “I’m as busy as a beaver!” or “I sing like a bird!”. We aren’t really beavers or birds, but these sentences help make a picture in our minds to explain how things are; we are LIKE those things.

Can you complete these similes?

It is as straight as…

My uncle is as tall as…

The decoration shines like…

Those kids are as loud as…

She runs like…

It is as sweet as…

I am as fast as…

My friend swims like…

Now what if you were asked to describe God? It is so hard, isn’t it?! Many of us come to church and Sunday School to ask questions and figure that out. The Bible and our discussions are often full of similes and symbols to try to explain God and God’s vision for the world.

When Jesus was on Earth, he talked and taught a lot about what God was like, what God kin-dom was all about, and people asked him lots of questions. One of those people was Nicodemus. Here’s his story:

Jesus used similes and other comparisons to help Nicodemus understand. He told him to really be part of God’s kingdom, it’s like being born again! What do you think that really meant? Maybe Jesus meant Nicodemus needed to start all over in learning about God wants for us - to stop worrying about all the laws and rules and to let his decisions and actions be based on love.

Sometimes those comparisons are still tricky to understand, aren’t they?! But the great thing to remember is there is not just one way to explain or know God. In the Storytime today, Rev. Karen showed us the triquetra symbol that helps to explain and show how there are many ways to thinks about God. Sometimes we try to explain God as a loving caregiver with words like Creator, Father, or Mother. Other times God seems closer to being human, like Jesus, and the love and support shared between people around us. Other times God is like a Holy Spirit giving us encouragement to live well and do good. God can be like more than one thing for us, and God may mean different things to different people.

Where do you ‘see’ God?

How or when do you feel God’s presence?

What is God ‘like’ for you?

Response Activities

Triquetra Drawings

Print out the triquetra page or draw one of your own (Click here for an easy tutorial!). Think of the 3 different loops of the knot as three different ways you understand God or feel God’s presence. Draw something that represents each of the ideas inside the three loops.

Alphabet Challenge

Can you think of a way to describe God using each letter of the alphabet? You could use adjectives – God is Loving! Or similes – God is like a Mother hen! Or short phrases – God Guides us!

Celtic Knot Colouring

Print and colour the designs or try your hand at drawing your own!

Connie Davidson

May 22, 2021

Worship services

Sunday Worship Service - May 23, 2021

Connie Davidson

May 22, 2021

Worship services

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

PENTECOST SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE

May 23, 2021

Theme: “Many Languages, One Spirit”

The video recording of this service can be found here.

Gathering Music: O A Song Must Rise - More Voices #142 – BCUC music team

Hymn Request by Barbara Bole & David Stafford

Refrain
Oh a song must rise for the spirit to descend
Oh a song must rise once again (again)
Singing out God’s praises and glory,
the faithful voices blend,
Oh a song must rise for the spirit to descend.

1. From the mountains to the valleys,
from the desert to the sea,
a song must rise once again.
From the voices of our leaders,
the voice of you and me,
a song must rise for the spirit to descend. R

2. From poverty and riches,
from the voice of young and old,
a song must rise once again. (again)
From the free and the imprisoned,
the timid and the bold,
a song must rise for the spirit to descend. R

3. From ev’ry house of worship,
in ev’ry faith and tongue,
a song must rise once again.
From the villages and cities
a new song must be sung,
a song must rise for the spirit to descend. R

Welcome & Centering for Worship– Rev. Kim Vidal

Good day everyone! Buenas dias! Bonne journee! Masantos ya agew!

On behalf of Bells Corners United Church, I welcome and greet you in the name of Jesus Christ as we celebrate Pentecost Sunday. On that very first Pentecost gathering, the gift of the Holy Spirit gave the followers of Jesus the ability to speak in a multitude of languages to proclaim God's love and power. Today, we will celebrate this gift of languages as we embrace our common ground as a human family under one Spirit!

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

Friends, as we worship together,
May we feel the presence of the Holy Spirit, like those people gathered on that very first Pentecost gathering. May the winds of change and the tongues of flame rush into our hearts and empower our souls. Let us now centre ourselves in the presence of God as we gather in worship.

Lighting of Christ Candle Nicole Beaudry & Gerald Okolowsky

Gerald:
We light this Christ candle
as we invite the Holy Spirit to come to us.
Let this light burn in our hearts
as we experience Christ through the gathered community.
Come, Holy Spirit! Be with us today.
Fill our hearts with joy and confidence!

Nicole:
Nous allumons cette bougie du Christ
en invitant l’Esprit Saint à venir à nous.
Que cette lumière brûle dans nos cœurs
alors que nous rencontrons le Christ à travers la communauté rassemblée.
Viens, Esprit Saint! Sois avec nous maintenant.
Remplis nos cœurs de joie et de confiance!

Sung Response: Holy, Holy, Holy (Santo, Santo, Santo) - Voices United #951 - TeGrots

Holy, holy, holy
My heart, my heart adores you
My heart is glad to say the words:
You are holy, God!

Santo, santo, santo,
Mi corazon te adora!
Mi Corazon te sabe decir
Santo eres Dios!

anonymous, Argentina

Call to Gather Rev. Lorrie Lowes

People of God,
Peace be with you.
Salaam alaykum.
Namaste.
Shalom alaichem.

Holy Spirit, Advocate, Friend, Wind and Flame:
You break down barriers of language, race, and culture,
and heal the divisions that separate us.
Come, Spirit of Power, make us bold witnesses of your redeeming love.
Come, Reconciling Spirit and unite us all in the love of God.
Come, Creator Spirit and make us new creations in Jesus Christ.[1]
Come, let us gather to celebrate!

Pentecost Prayer with Movement[2] Wendy Morrell & Dan Lanoue

Come, Holy Spirit! Bring your mighty power into our lives.
Rush through our spirits, inspiring us to witness to the great love of God.
Come, Moving Spirit! Burn light bright flames in our hearts.

Emblazon us with the confidence of faith that our lives will show your love.
Come, Embracing Spirit! Advocate, Friend, Wind and Flame
You break down barriers of language, race, and culture,
and heal the divisions that separate us.

Come, Indwelling Spirit! Be with us today in our thoughts and our prayers.
Come, Wise Spirit! Be with us in our words and our deeds.

Come, Creator Spirit! and make us new creations in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Hymn: Come, O Holy Spirit – More Voices #23 – BCUC music team

1 Come, O Holy Spirit, set the Church on fire;
strike it as the lightning hits a posing spire.
Burn away the structures and consume
the sham of our holy systems:
Come, in Jesus’ name!

Refrain

          Come, come, come, in Jesus name!
          Take our hearts by storm.
          All the world lies open
          Pentecost is now!
          I said a -       Repeat refrain

2 Blow away the cobwebs of our stubborn past.
Come, send flying from us myths unfit to last.
Wind of change, refresh us and disturb our calm;
teach us what true love is,
take our hearts by storm. R

3 Free us from the babble of our Babel mind;
spark in us a language all can understand.
Lighten then our darkness,
Come and show us how, all the world lies open:
Pentecost is now! R

Words © 1972 Fred Kaan rev. 1998– Hope Publishing Co. Song # 18536
Music © 2000 Ron Klusmeier www.musiklus.com Song# 80560 French © 2006 David Fines
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Storytime Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Have you ever been so excited about something that you just couldn’t hold it in? Have you ever had such an amazing experience that you had trouble explaining it to other people? Maybe you were so excited or so happy that you felt like you were going to burst!

Sometimes that excitement can happen to a whole group of people at the same time – like when your soccer team wins the cup, or when you are in the stands at a really exciting NHL playoff game at the Canadian Tire Centre. At times like this when everyone gets so excited that they can’t stay in their seats and they have to stand up and yell, it can get really noisy! You can’t even hear what the person next to you is saying but you can tell by their face and their jumping up and down just how they feel. Even the players on the ice seem to feel the excitement and skate faster. Everyone gets caught up in it all. It’s like the excitement rushes right through the building, making everyone jump and shout. And that’s the sort of game when we leave the arena saying, “Wow! That was amazing!” Sometimes the noise carries on even after the game ends and people are heading home – more cheering and honking of horns. If you try to tell someone about it the next day, you might say things like, “I thought I was going to explode with excitement!” or maybe “When he was charging down the ice with the puck, I felt like my heart was going to jump right out of my chest!”

Today is Pentecost Sunday and this is the day when we celebrate a time when the disciples and followers of Jesus were all together and they felt that same kind of excitement. It wasn’t because of a hockey game, of course, or any kind of sport. It happened when they were talking together about Jesus and the amazing things he did and the amazing ideas he had. They became fired up and ready to carry on sharing those amazing things in his name and change the world! They couldn’t wait to get started! When they describe what happened in the room where they gathered they said, “The Spirit blew through the room like a mighty wind!” They described the energy of everyone in that room by saying that they all had flames on their heads. They were so caught up in the excitement about carrying Jesus’ work and message out into the world, that we might say they were on fire! Their excitement spilled out onto the streets and people passing by caught that excitement and wanted to be part of it too. Our scripture story tells us that, even the people who were visiting from other countries and cultures could understand what these folks were talking about. They were speaking to each of them in a language that they could understand.

What an amazing day! In fact, it was so amazing that we still celebrate that feeling more than two thousand years later. We think of it as the church’s birthday – not just one church like Bells Corners but all the people around the world who follow Jesus’ teachings and carry out his mission in the world to help God’s dream come true. It started on that day in Jerusalem but the excitement and the message have spread all over the world to people who speak many different languages. So today we remember that day and how those people felt as a reminder to us about the amazing things we can do too when we let the Spirit rush through us as we take up the challenge that Jesus gave us – to spread the incredible power of love and set it loose to change the world.

Let’s finish with a short prayer:

Exciting and Energizing God, Let your Spirit rush through us like it did those people on the day of Pentecost so long ago. Make us feel like we are “on fire” as we go out into the world with acts of love, kindness, and justice. Help us spread that Pentecost joy, hope, and excitement everywhere we go. Amen.

Hymn: Come, O Holy Spirit, Come (Wa, Wa, Wa, Emimimo) – Voices United #383

CGS/Bell Canto & Director: Erin Berard

Come, O Holy Spirit, come
Come, O Holy Spirit, come
Come, come, come.

Wa, wa, wa, Emimimo
Wa, wa, wa, Emimimo
Wa-oh, wa-oh, wa-oh.

O viens, Esprit, viens.
O viens, puissant, Esprit viens.
Viens, viens, viens.

English © 1986 I-to-Loh/Kimbrough, Jr., French © 1990 Joelle Gouel, Harm © 1986 Samuel Solanke
Yoruba Traditional, Song # 17508 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214.
All rights reserved

Prayer for Illumination Reader: Erin Berard

Spirit of Life, Holy Wind, Flame of Justice, anoint us to be your people of Good News. Breathe upon us and fill us with your spirit. Challenge us by the truth of your Word and by your wisdom, empower us with your love. Amen.

Gospel Reading: John 15:26-16:15 (NRSV)

The Coming of the Advocate and the Work of the Spirit

26 “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. 27 You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.

16 “I have said these things to you to keep you from stumbling. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, an hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God. 3 And they will do this because they have not known the Father or me. 4 But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; 11 about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine. For this reason, I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to all of us. Thanks be to God!

Sermon: “Jesus: A Truth-Teller” Rev. Kim Vidal

It was a week of truth-telling! This was my overall impression of the Festival of Homiletics that I participated in via online this past week. The more than 1000 participants and the presenters came from diverse origins – African-Americans, Canadians, African-Caribbean, Asians, Europeans, Latinx, Indigenous Peoples. They hailed from different theological and doctrinal backgrounds: traditional, evangelical, progressive, trinitarian, emergent, indigenous, monastic. They embodied various religious denominations and sexual orientations. All came to that cyberplace, virtually together – completely captivated and blown away by the sacred and radical truth-telling prepared by a plethora of fantastic preachers, lecturers and worship leaders. The 5-day Festival with the theme “Preaching for A Future Church” offered the Good News as the main course served on a platter of gourmet sermons, uplifting music, palatable prayers, delicious stories and appetizing words of blessing awakening, challenging and thanksgiving.

When the Festival ended, the world to my knowledge had not changed in a radical, life-changing way. We are still in the wildernesses of the Covid-19 pandemic, of racism, of polarization, of homophobia, of civil wars, of gun violence and of deaths and illnesses in many forms - but I’m sure that each of those present in the Festival including myself, may have been transformed - carried away new thoughts and experiences and the power to “preach the truth.” Personally, the whole experience moved me was as if God was inviting me to reclaim and to discover once more the wonder of savouring and tasting each divine bite of what it means to be a preacher – a good news bringer, a truth-teller. And this sowing of the truth, whose seeds nudge me to speak the good news, is in fact quite like seeds of the first Pentecost, the first birthday of the Christian Church. Only in that time and place, 2000 years ago, the celebration was inaugurated by the holy babbling and chaotic movement of the Holy Spirit. We all remember the story: a large gathering of diverse people; a sound like that of a violent wind; flames of fire appearing on each head of those gathered; their sudden and ability to speak and understand in different languages. The experience was both chaotic and spectacular – a day to remember and to celebrate. Yes – similarly, I felt the whooshing winds of Pentecost in the Festival week of truth-telling. I was blown away, amazed, captivated and surprised by the fiery passion of those fantastic truth-telling preachers that left me wanting more.

In today’s reading in John, Jesus knew one big truth - that he was being pursued by the powers-that-be. He knew that sooner or later he would be arrested and crucified for rocking the political, social, imperial and religious boats of his time and place. And so, in his last moments, he gathered his disciples and delivered what we know as his farewell discourse. Today’s text is but a snippet of that discourse - last words of Jesus to his beloved friends and followers whom he knows would be mourning his death. Jesus knew that his disciples were anxious and scared and he made every effort to prepare and affirm them, so they would be ready to face reality when he was gone. He knew that they would find the way ahead difficult without him by their side. He was not going to leave them orphaned. Thus, there was the promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit, known as the Greek word parakletos in John’s Gospel which literally means “the one on the side.” In English, it is called paraclete meaning the Advocate, Helper, Lawyer, Companion, Counselor or Comforter. It was this Advocate who came to the disciples’ assistance when Jesus was gone.

In his book Unfettered Spirit: Spiritual Gifts for the New Great Awakening, Bob Cornwall explored this Spirit in John: “As helper, the Spirit empowers members of the body of Christ to serve and care for their neighbor. As comforter, the Spirit comes alongside us, bringing hope to the hopeless and comfort to the grieving and suffering in our midst. In this idea of the Spirit serving as advocate, we see the Spirit giving witness to Jesus, putting forward his case to humanity. The image of counselor speaks of one who offers guidance and direction. It is just one Greek word, and yet it offers so many possibilities for us to engage one another in Jesus’ healing presence.”

John calls this advocate the Spirit of Truth. Why truth? Because truth is synonymous with Jesus. According to John, Jesus is the truth. He lived and preached truth. What is this Spirit of Truth that Jesus had promised his followers? Is this the same Spirit that we read in Acts – that Pentecost Spirit portrayed in descending doves and tongues of flames accompanied by chaotic, whooshing wind that made people speak in different languages? No – this is not the same spirit of the Pentecost unleashed where the community was commissioned as a movement to live out their faith as followers of Jesus. This Spirit in John, this Spirit of Truth, is a more personal, one-on-one, “spirit of intimacy”. This Spirit is pictured as more subdued than the scene in Acts. No fire, no violent winds, no foreign languages. It sounds like the Spirit in John is much more docile, tamed and unperturbed.

But I’d like to believe though that this Spirit of Truth is an agitator. She will not be silent when injustice is present. This Spirit of Truth will not back down when acts of compassion and peace are disturbed. Come to think of it - the Spirit as an Advocate prompted the disciples to be living witnesses and testifiers of the truth. They became truth-tellers. They shook things up. And we know that Jesus got himself killed when he spoke truth to power. The Spirit of Truth empowered the disciples to offer disruptive, life-changing testimonies that led them to lose their lives. Similarly, the Spirit of Truth as a Companion will support and nurture us and, best of all, to help us discern good decisions and judgement as we journey through life.

Why did Jesus gift his followers with the Spirit of truth? The answer boils down to one word: LOVE! Nancy Rockwell writes: “To truly love God and others, as Jesus Christ invites us to be, is to find kinship across the aisles of politics and the tables of family, the corridors of power and the barred cells of prisons, the poverty of homelessness … and perhaps most vitally in our world, across the divide of races and religions. It is you inside that burka, and me in that Kurdish tribal dress, you in that Hasidic fur trimmed hat and me cooking kosher, you in that threading ceremony so vital for a Hindu boy and me serving your tiger mother in the Asian way. And what unites us in our tears, and what unites us is our loneliness. In all of this, we are One, in Jesus Christ, in God, and in each other. And no longer are there reasons – or options – for departing from one another’s sorrows or needs. And so no longer is there a private happiness. Now there is shared conversation, and we are immersed in each other’s life.”

Where and how does this Spirit of Truth show up in our individual and communal lives?

The Spirit of Truth shows up in the midst of our grief. There is plenty for us to grieve these days. Just this week, we are grieving the seemingly unending cases of Covid-19 and its variants resulting to deaths in Canada and in many parts of the world; we grieve the loss and the failing bodies of our loved ones due to life-threatening illnesses; we grieve the continued violence in Israel and Palestine and the displacement of people particularly women and children; we grieve the ever growing list of people of colour – blacks, Asians, Hispanic, indigenous and the LGBTQS+ who are unjustly targeted, imprisoned and murdered; we, like the disciples, are heartbroken, confused, in denial; and the Spirit of Truth nevertheless shows up right where we are.

The Spirit of Truth shows up in times of unexpected joy. A baby being delivered on highway 407 went viral and brought moments of joy and amazement to many. A woman, believed to be the oldest person in Europe at 116, has overcome Covid-19 and had fully recovered, just days before she celebrates her 117th birthday. In a news last Thursday more than 46 per cent of Canadians have been vaccinated with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The warm weather is giving people the chance to enjoy the outdoors. These are moments of joy!

The Spirit of Truth shows up in times of uncertainty and change. Maybe some of you are there right now. When you don’t know what will happen tomorrow or where you are going or how you’ll get there, the Spirit of Truth will guide you.

The Spirit of Truth embodied by Jesus is the spirit that both disturbs and calms–which simply means that the Good News of God’s love is broken open to the world wildly and unobtrusively. The expressed power of the Holy Spirit is experienced through our lives – through us who come together in diversity and unity. The gracious Spirit of God continues to take us by the hand, walks with us, equips us, and journeys with us. We can take comfort in the promise that we are not alone. But when we are immersed in the Spirit of Truth, there is no turning back. We are mandated by Jesus to be truth-tellers, to be bearers of justice and love to a world of blame game, power struggles, fear, mistrust, and an unwelcoming atmosphere.

Dear friends, it is time to work. God is not done with us. Be open to the Spirit of Truth and spill out through the doors of your heart to reach out. Be a truth-teller like Jesus. Let us rejoice in being alive as we have never been before. Let the Spirit of Truth fall afresh on us, opening our lips to preach and sing and our hearts to love. May the Spirit of Truth ignite our hearts and inflame our souls that we may burn anew with God’s love. May the Spirit of Truth give us the power of vibrant living, believing and holy singing; to take our words and speak through them; to take our minds and think through them; to take our hearts and set them on fire. No one shall be an orphan and no one shall be lost. And all shall be loved. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Sources:
Nancy Rockwell, A Bite in the Apple “ Riding the Heavenly Way”, patheos.org..
Bob Cornwall, Unfettered Spirit: Spiritual Gifts for the New Great Awakening, p. 28].
Jenny Perkins Kiser, “The Spirit Shows Up.” A Pentecost Sermon on John 15:26–16:15, In Church News, Sermons by Covenant Baptist May 21, 2018.

Prayers of the People[3] Rev. Lorrie Lowes

God of us all,
In these days when vaccines are becoming available and the number of new Covid cases begins to slow, we begin to look forward to easier times, but we are impatient and wary at the same time. The psychological effects of isolation and worry are taking their toll. We ask:
What now?
What next?
Where do we go from here?
Two thousand years ago, a band of disciples felt lost and leaderless. Their leader, rabbi and teacher had been executed. They held to the hope and joy of their Easter faith, but they also questioned:
What now?
What next?
Where do we go from here?
In the story of Pentecost, the Spirit moves amongst these disciples like the wind.
The disciples were energized, strengthened and mobilized. In the pattern of Pentecost, the winds of God blow us out of apathy, isolation, and despondency, help us to make changes, enable us to take action.
Holy Spirit, come like the wind.
Breath of God, renew us.
Energizing Spirit, bring us conviction and strength.
In these days when the news is full of acts of violence and injustice, we want to take action, to right the wrongs, we want to do the work toward peace, reconciliation, and justice – but we feel overwhelmed. We feel small and powerless.
In the story of Pentecost, a conviction took hold of their hearts like a fire. The spirit was moving in the disciples. They were able to understand in new ways, with deep passion, and with strongly felt faith. Where once there was despair and apathy and disillusionment, there was now hope and energy and meaning. The Spirit’s fire was burning.
Holy Spirit, warm our lives with your presence.
Fire of God, enflame our commitment.
Spirit of Passion, be born anew in your people.
In these days when there are so many loud voices with differing opinions and points of view, we struggle to discern what is right and true. In our own quest to be heard above the noise, we stop listening; we miss opportunities to understand each other and to work toward solutions that will benefit all.
In the story of Pentecost, people from many lands and of many languages came together, and there was a miracle of understanding and unity.
Holy Spirit, help us to listen to one another.
Spirit of Pentecost, grant us the ability to respect each other.
God of Possibilities, enable understanding in our midst.
On this day of Pentecost, we open our hearts to you, God of us all and
We open our lives to the rushing presence of the Spirit,
And with grateful hearts, we unite in this prayer that Jesus taught us in many languages:

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 Offering Rev. Kim Vidal

Pentecost people! We have received gifts too numerous to count. Now we have a chance to give in thanks and joy. Your offering will enable our church to be a Pentecost presence in this community and the world—to reach out in passionate commitment and bring the wind and fire of the Spirit of Truth to a people and a world that so desperately need it.[4]

I now invite you to offer 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 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 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.

Offertory Prayer:[5]

As Pentecost people, we offer these gifts with generous spirits
for the loving transformation of this world. Hallelujah! Amen.

Sending Forth: In many languages - (UCC Video – used with permission)

(English, Cantonese, Korean, Pangasinense, Bunun, Japanese)
“God of power, may the boldness of your spirit transform us.
May the gentleness of your spirit lead us.
May the gifts of your spirit equip us
to serve and worship you now and forever. Amen.”

Hymn: She Comes Sailing on the Wind – Voices United #380 - TeGrotenhuis family

Refrain:
She comes sailing on the wind,
her wings flashing in the sun;
on a journey just begun, she flies on.
And in the passage of her flight,
her song rings out through the night,
full of laughter, full of light, she flies on.

1. Silent waters rocking on the morning of our birth, like an empty cradle waiting to be filled. And from the heart of God the Spirit moved up on the earth, like a mother breathing life into her child.

2. Many were the dreamers whose eyes were given sight when the Spirit filled their dreams with life and form. Deserts turned to gardens, broken hearts found new delight, and then down the ages still she flew on. R

3. To a gentle girl in Galilee, a gentle breeze she came, a whisper softly calling in the dark, the promise of a child of peace whose reign would never end, Mary sang the Spirit song within her heart.

4. Flying to the river, she waited circling high above the child now grown so full of grace. As he rose up from the water, she swept down from the sky, and she carried him away in her embrace. R

5. Long after the deep darkness that fell upon the world, after dawn returned in flame of rising sun, the Spirit touched the earth again, again her wings unfurled, bringing life in wind and fire as she flew on. R

Departing Music: “Dakilang Katapatan” (Great Faithfulness)

Words & Music: N. Arnel De Pano, Published by Papuri!
A music ministry of the Far East Broadcasting Company Philippines

Guest Choir: Dagupan City First United Methodist Church Vested Choir (Philippines)

Arrival of the Queen of Sheba – Handel Abe: synths

Requested by Yvonne McCartney

11 am – Zoom Fellowship

[1] Paul Detterman, excerpt, Reformed Worship Magazine.

[2] Inspired by the prayer of Paul Detterman, Reformed Worship Magazine.

[3] Based on a reflection written by Ted Dodd for the Diaconal Community, May, 2021.

[4] ministrymatters.com

[5] Richard Bott, Gathering, Pentecost 1, 2021. Used with permission.

Connie Davidson

May 22, 2021

Sunday School

Sunday school activities - May 23, 2021

Connie Davidson

May 22, 2021

Sunday School

Watch the video

Theme Discussion

This is an interesting story! Can you imagine what it would have been like to be with Jesus’ disciples and followers that day? Have you ever been at a gathering where it seemed like the spirit of the crowd was just getting bigger and bigger? (“We Day”... a major sporting event… Rendezvous...) There was a Spirit at work in this group for sure. The excitement in the room was so great that it spilled out into the street. People thought they must be drunk! They just couldn’t wait to share their enthusiasm with the whole world.

Can you think of a time when you felt excited about a project to help others? At BCUC, we often work together on this kind of project. We call it “outreach” because we are reaching out beyond the wall of the church to make a difference in the world. Sometimes we collect things for Famsac, and one year the Sunday School collected items for the Wild Bird Care Centre. Sometimes we collect money to help children in faraway places, like we did with our “Sleeping Children Around the World” campaign. It feels good when we can do outreach projects like this, especially when we can share our enthusiasm with those around us and have them join in.

Can you think of an outreach project that you would like to do to help others?

Response Activity Ideas

Make a plan

If you’ve thought of a project you’d like to do, write it down and make a plan to help you get organized and be able to follow through with your great idea. Print and fill in the template, or make your own planning sheet!

If you’re still looking for ideas, check out the Doing Good Together website for lots of family-friendly community outreach ideas!

Pentecost Noise-maker

Make an instrument and join in a noisy celebration at Pentecost!

Materials: Paper plate, markers/crayons, curled ribbon, Dried beans/pasta, Tape, glue gun/stapler

Colour and decorate the back side of the paper plate. Cut many 6-12” length pieces of curled ribbon and tape them sticking out all along the edge of the paper plate. Place a handful of beans or pasta into the centre of the plate, then fold in half and secure with stapler or gluegun. Shake and dance and celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit!

(source: https://www.kixcereal.com/kix-cereal-paper-plate-noise-maker/)

Colouring Page

Connie Davidson

May 21, 2021

Announcements

Rainbarrel fundraising sale is now closed

Connie Davidson

May 21, 2021

Announcements

Rain Barrels will be delivered to the church. You will be notified. Thanks to all who have supported this project to make it very successful!

Connie Davidson

May 20, 2021

Event resources

UCC Guaranteed Livable Income video

Connie Davidson

May 20, 2021

Event resources

This video shows highlights from the fifty UCC Guaranteed Livable Income vigils held across Canada on April 8, 2021

Connie Davidson

May 15, 2021

Worship services

Sunday Worship Service - May 16, 2021

Connie Davidson

May 15, 2021

Worship services

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

7th SUNDAY OF EASTER

May 16, 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: May, Sweet May – Schumann Flute : Erin Berard (recorded Spring 2016 concert)

Welcome & Centering for Worship Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Good Morning and welcome to this service of Sunday Worship from Bells Corners United Church! We are so happy that you have joined us today. In this time of continuing shutdowns and stay-at-home orders, we really miss gathering together in person but, while the sanctuary is closed, we feel blessed that technology allows us to connect in some way. Thank you for all you are doing to stay in touch with your friends and family. It is so important as this time of isolation seems to go on and on.

Just a reminder that the church office is open from nine to noon each weekday morning if you have business to conduct. Just call in advance to let Ruth or Ellen know you are coming and they will be ready to meet you at the kitchen door of the church. We ask that you not use the front entrance at this time while the portico is under construction.

Our rain barrel sale was very successful and is now closed. We are pleased that so many folks in the church and the surrounding community have taken this opportunity to make an environmentally great choice in their gardening – and we are happy to be able to give back to the community by donating the proceeds to Famsac, our local food bank. We expect this donation to be over $700 when all is said and done. Watch for the final tally in next week’s announcements.

In spite of the restrictions, BCUC continues to be a vibrant and active congregation. There are many announcements about the life and work of the church on the announcement page of our website. Please take the time to read them.

I now call on Ellie to give a minute for Social Justice on behalf of the Service, Outreach, and Social Action Committee.

Minute for Social Justice Ellie Topp

Mission & Service is often described as the “lifeblood” of our church. That’s because it runs through the veins of everything we do together as a church. If you have ever sung out of a United Church hymnbook, your life has been touched through Mission & Service. If you have been cared for by a United Church minister including our own Rev Kim and Rev Lorrie, Mission & Service has had an impact on you. From Bells Corners, to Ontario, across Canada and around the world there are organizations doing life-changing work that is supported through Mission & Service.

If your church matters to you, then Mission & Service should matter too. Through Mission & Service, we help transform lives and inspire purpose. In other words, we connect action and faith.

For example, right now, our United Church is exploring what it means to be in transition when people wander in a metaphorical dessert. Through an initiative called Faith on the Move, our gifts to Mission & Service help the church to advocate for those who must leave their homes as refugees, migrant workers, those who become homeless, and other marginalized groups. It’s no coincidence that we are studying being “on the move.” Not only is our faith always in transition, but our United Church literally reaches out to people who are displaced for whatever reason.

While most people leave their home countries for work, millions of others are forced to leave because of conflict, persecution, and terrorism. The United Nations reports that for the first time in the history, the number of people forced to leave their home has topped 70 million. Think about that. It’s one thing to be “on the move” because we’ve made a choice. It’s another to be forced out.

Part of this Faith on the Move initiative is a webinar study series which is available on the United Church website. The link to this series is given in today’s announcements. The development of resources like these are partially subsidized through Mission & Service so that they can be offered at a reasonable cost and in many cases, no cost.

BCUC has a history of giving strong support to the M&S Fund. In 2020 we donated $42,750 which included $1,500 from the UCW, $39,000 from the BCUC budget and the rest through flow-through donations.

As Christians, we are called to help build a better world. To do that, our faith needs to connect with our action, and our support for Mission & Service is a significant way we do this.

…And now, friends and family in faith, let us centre ourselves for worship.

Lighting of Christ Candle Acolyte: Raven Miller

Jesus said, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there.” It was a promise to his followers that even death could not end the transformational work he had begun in the world. It was a promise that he would be with them as they continued this work.

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

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

Call to Gather Rev. Kim Vidal

I invite you to the worship service today with the following words:
When we arrive here in this space, we come as we are:
Questioning,
Wondering,
Hoping.
We come knowing that God accepts us just as we are:
Learning,
Praying,
Singing.
Let us quiet our minds and still our hearts so that in this place,
we might strengthen our lives and find our spirits inspired.
Let’s feel the spirit of God here amongst us today and always.[1]

Prayer of Approach

In this world, where the turn of the globe seems to bring new stories
of destruction and death, open our hearts to life, O Christ.
Open our senses to the beauty of birdsong,
to the hope of a smile, to the wonder of a gentle touch.
Open our hearts, that we might know your love
resurrected in our love, every moment, every day.
May it always be so.[2]
Amen.

***Hymn: “Let Us Build a House” - More Voices #1*** Abe & Susan TeGrotenhuis

1. Let us build a house where all can dwell and all can safely live
A place where saints and children tell how hearts learn to forgive.
Built of hopes and dreams and visions, rock of faith and vault of grace;
Here the love of Christ shall end divisions:
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.

2. Let us build a house where prophets speak, and words are strong and true,
where all God’s children dare to seek to dream God’s reign anew.
Here the cross shall stand as witness and as symbol of God’s grace;
Here as one we claim the faith of Jesus:
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.

3. Let us build a house where love is found in water, wine and wheat;
A banquet hall on holy ground, where peace and justice meet.
Here the love of God, through Jesus, is revealed in time and space;
As we share in Christ the feast that frees us:
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.

4. Let us build a house where hands will reach beyond the wood and stone
To heal and strengthen, serve and teach, and live the Word they’ve known.
Here the outcast and the stranger bear the image of God’s face;
Let us bring an end to fear and danger:
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.

5. Let us build a house where all are named, their songs and visions heard
And loved and treasured, taught and claimed as words within the Word.
Built of tears and cries and laughter, prayers of faith and songs of grace;
Let this house proclaim from floor to rafter:
All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.

Storytime Erin Berard

Have you been on any field trips with your class recently? Certainly not the kind where you all get to board a bus, and visit an outdoor education centre or the Art gallery, eh? But how about virtual field trips? One of my kids got to go to the Johnson Space Centre in Texas with his class! There is NO way he would have been able to take a bus there if this were any other year. But with the pandemic, all these museums and education centres have had to make their programs online, so now anyone can go, not just those within driving distance!

Johnson Space centre visits are not just for Texans!

It's like what we're doing with our online services - the message and experience of the worship service can now be for more than just the people who can physically walk through the doors at BCUC. People from all over the world can check it out, and see what we're doing. We're sharing our knowledge, our learning, our experiences, our talents, our important projects, our community of love with more and more people!

Our worship service is not just for the members of BCUC!

In today's Bible passage, Peter and other Jewish followers of Jesus were asked to go teach a group of non-Jewish people about Jesus, and they felt pretty weird about it because it went against their customs to even associate with them. Peter shared about Jesus, and these 'outsiders' understood this gospel and were filled with God's Holy Spirit. It was a real eye-opener for the Jews! Peter figured out then that it wasn't up to him and the others to decide who is 'good enough' or 'right type' to be Jesus' followers.

Jesus' message of love was not just for the Jewish people!

So, in the same way, God's love isn't just for us inside the building at BCUC, or just inside our family homes as we watch on this screen.
God's love isn't just for people who call themselves Christians.
God's love is for everyone - all the people in our big human family.

So what are some ways we share that love? I'm sure you can think of lots.
We do it when we pick up trash and care for the planet that belongs to all living creatures.
We do it when (as Covid rules allow) we let everyone join our recess games, not just our friends.
We do it when we stand up for someone being bullied because of their accent or clothing.
We do it when we listen and learn about cultures and traditions that are different from our own.
I bet you can come up with more ideas, too.

Let's have a prayer:

Dear God, We are so grateful for your constant love.
Help us to share that love with EVERYONE we meet,
generously and without rules or boundaries. Amen

***Hymn:* There is Room for All – *More Voices #62*** BCUC choir

English:

There is room for all
in the shadow of God’s wing;
there is room for all, sheltered in God’s love.
And I rejoice and sing,
“My refuge and my rock, in whom I trust.”
There is room for all, there is room for all!

French:

Chacun a sa place
á l'abri sous l'aile de Dieu;
Chacun a sa place en l'amour de Dieu.
De joie, je chanterai:
"Mon refuge en lequel je me confie”.
Chacun a sa place, chacun a sa place.

Prayer for Illumination Reader: Denis Watson

Challenging God, you have guided your people throughout the ages to sing and pray and reflect. You invite us to listen to timeless stories. Help us to receive the ever-new message of radical love. May it find a place to rest deep in our souls, so that we might draw strength and courage. May it stir us to action. May it guide us, always, to live as followers of Jesus Christ. Amen[3]

The NT Reading: Acts 10: 44-48 (The Living Bible)

44 Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those listening! 45 The Jews who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit would be given to Gentiles too! 46-47 But there could be no doubt about it, for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
Peter asked, “Can anyone object to my baptizing them, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?” 48 So he did, baptizing them in the name of Jesus, the Messiah. Afterwards Cornelius begged him to stay with them for several days.

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

Sermon: “Even Them?” Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Bells Corners is truly a welcoming church. You can feel it as soon as you walk through the doors. If that happens to be on a Sunday morning, you are certain to be met by David and he will make you feel like he’s been waiting there just for you. In fact, when I asked the Lectionary group this week what it means to be welcoming, the first answer was to be “like David – genuine and true”. I certainly agree, and I can tell you that there are many others in our congregation who make a visitor or newcomer feel that welcome. When I was applying for the CDM position here at BCUC, I tried to sneak in, incognito, on a Sunday morning – you know, sit near the back and slip out during the Departing Music… but I was befriended by the ladies who shared my pew. They complimented my singing and encouraged me to join the choir! It wasn’t pushy. I didn’t feel like I needed to run away – it was genuine and true. Neil and I have often said that there is something special about our BCUC community. Many churches welcome guests and are wonderful hosts, but BCUC opens their arms and draws you into the family. It feels different somehow…

In this passage from the book of Acts that we heard this morning, Peter has been invited by Cornelius to come and share his message. A little background might help us understand just what is taking place here. In the verses preceding today’s reading, both Peter and Cornelius have had visions. Cornelius is a Roman Centurion and very devout. In his vision, he is visited by an angel of God who tells him that his devotion is noticed by God and that he should send for Peter, who is staying in Joppa. Peter is traveling the countryside, sharing the gospel of Jesus. The work is tiring and he is very hungry. While food is being prepared, he goes up to the rooftop to pray. In his vision, a large sheet is lowered down from the heavens and it is filled with all kinds of four-footed creatures, and reptiles, and birds. A voice tells him to get up and kill something to eat. Peter responds that he can’t do that because these animals are unclean. The voice tells him that God made them, so he can’t call them unclean. He resists three times and then the thing is taken back up into the heavens. Just as Peter is puzzling about this vision, the men that Cornelius sent are at the gate, looking for him. The Spirit tells Peter to go meet them and to go with them without hesitation. He gives the men food and lodging for the night and they all head out to meet Cornelius in Caesaria. Cornelius is waiting for him and has gathered together his relatives and close friends to hear what Peter has to tell them.

It is a story of hospitality. Cornelius extends an invitation to Peter to come and share his story. Peter accepts the invitation, even though Cornelius is a Gentile and “unclean” according to Jewish law. Cornelius invites the people he cares about to share in the experience and Peter has brought an entourage of devout Jewish Jesus followers with him. Cornelius is certainly a welcoming host and Peter is a polite guest – but is anyone completely comfortable with the situation?

Upon arrival in Caesaria, when Peter sees all the people assembled to meet him, he tells them, “You know, it’s unlawful for me to associate with Gentiles but God has shown me that I shouldn’t call anyone profane or unclean, so here I am. Why did you ask me to come?” Polite, but not really warm, is it?

Cornelius answers Peter by telling him about his vision. “I sent for you because God told me to. So, what have you got to tell me?”

These two men are not together by choice. They are meeting because God told them to meet.

And so, Peter tells them about Jesus.

I wonder how Peter felt about sharing the gospel story. Was he worried that they wouldn’t understand? After all, these folks weren’t Jews. Did he think they might dismiss what he had to say? Would they believe him? Would they really get it? He was doing what God had told him to do – but did he really think it would make a difference? How did he expect to be received? With suspicion? As a friend?

And what about Cornelius? He certainly seemed excited by the prospect of meeting the man God recommended to him – so excited that he invited his family and close friends to be there too! So excited that he fell at Peter’s feet and worshipped him when he arrived. What was he expecting from this meeting? Was he surprised to find that Peter was, in his own words, “only a mortal”?

And what about the others who were there? Why did they come? Were they curious? Was it out of loyalty to Peter or to Cornelius? Was it to provide support or even protection for them? How did they feel about the strangers they were about to meet? Were they afraid of them? Did they look down on them? Did they anticipate new relationship, new friendships or resistance? What did they expect would happen as a result of this meeting?

There is a line in this morning’s reading that really stood out for me, and I think it gives us a hint that will answer some of those questions. In the version we heard Denis read, it says, “The Jews who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit would be given to Gentiles too!” The nrsv says they were “astounded!” The Message says “They couldn’t believe that the Holy Spirit was poured out on outsider non-Jews.”

After all they had heard from Jesus about loving your neighbour – even the ones who don’t look like you, or think like you, or speak like you – even those you consider enemies – after all of that, they were “amazed” and “astounded” that the gift of the Holy Spirit would be given to Gentiles too!

So, this makes me wonder if “welcome” is what Jesus was talking about when he said, “Love one another”… or was he talking about “inclusion”, and what is the difference between the two?

Peter was given a message in his vision that everything created by God is good, that there is no such thing as “unclean” when it comes to the food put in front of him. He makes the connection that God also created all the people and so they are not unclean either. This realization allows him to meet with the Gentiles in Caesaria. He and his entourage were willing and ready to share the gospel message with them – but they weren’t ready for God to treat them in the same way as God treated the Jews, the “chosen ones”. They were “amazed” and “astounded” that the gift of the Holy Spirit would be given to these outsiders. It was totally unexpected.

They were ready to welcome them into the wonderful gospel message, but they weren’t ready to include them as equals in this faith community.

What I hear is the difference between “You are welcome here” and “You belong here.” It’s the difference between being a welcome guest, even an honoured guest, and being part of the family. Both are good, but they aren’t quite the same. When we talked about this in our Lectionary study, Sue made the difference clear when she said, “You love your friends and are really happy when they visit – but you don’t give them chores to do, and you don’t want them to tell you how to decorate your house or raise your children.” There’s a line there that guests, even welcome ones, are expected not to cross. It’s subtle, but it’s there. The guests know it and so do their hosts. It doesn’t need to be spelled out. But if one side misinterprets where the line is, people get uncomfortable.

Peter and his followers were excited to share their message with the Gentiles. They were excited to tell them about how their relationship with Jesus had changed their lives. This group of Gentiles were excited to hear from Peter, they were obviously moved by what he had to say and ready to become a part of this movement. So, what was the problem?

When the Holy Spirit filled these outsiders, these folks who were ritually unclean, just as the Holy Spirit had filled them at Pentecost, they were “amazed” and “astounded”! They knew that God loved everyone, of course, but did God really love everyone enough to give them a Pentecost experience? Really? Even these Gentiles who weren’t circumcised and didn’t follow the laws? Even them??

It marks a turning point, I think. Peter finally understood. “Can anyone object to my baptizing them, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?”

I wonder if any person in that group of Jewish visitors had reservations? I wonder if any one of them held back their objection to save face with Peter and their friends. I wonder if there were a few who wanted to say, “Wait a minute, let’s think about this.”

The Gentiles were welcome, of course. The Jesus followers were very happy that they wanted to join the movement. They were welcome! But… were they included?

Inclusion is a topic that is central to the mission of the United Church of Canada. We value diversity. We open our doors to everyone. “All are welcome here!” is a signature claim on church doors and websites and letterhead. We even sing it in our hymns! And we mean it. But is that welcome enough to make the transformation in the world that Jesus hoped to see?

Welcome is wonderful and it is vital – but is it enough? What else needs to happen to move from welcome to inclusion? How do we move from “all are welcome” to “you belong here”? It’s a question we often ponder, not just at Bells Corners, but throughout the church.

We are a welcoming church, absolutely, but is it enough? When we “draw the circle wide” are we drawing others into our family or are we being good hosts? Sometimes the shift between the two is a smooth transition. Everyone is comfortable with it because we all blend together well. But what happens when we aren’t so much alike? When we come from vastly different backgrounds or education or social situations? What happens when our race or culture or sexual identity is not the same? Is it as easy then to cross that invisible line from hosting an honoured guest to making them part of the family? Or do we hesitate and ask, “Even them?”

Tomorrow is the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Bi-phobia, so this is a timely example to explore. This date was chosen because May 17, 1990, was the day the World Health Organization made the decision to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder. It’s a day that brings awareness to the discrimination and violence faced by people with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions, and sex characteristics. The United Church of Canada has worked hard over the years, even prior to that milestone in 1990, to change that situation for the LGBTQ+ community. We ordain and commission gay and trans ministers, we celebrate same-sex marriages, we welcome these individuals and families into our congregations. We have come a long way and we can be proud of the work that has been done. However, if we are to move from welcome to inclusion, there is still more work to do.

When someone new is added to a family unit, everyone changes. It can be a new baby or a spouse; it might be a stepchild or an aging in-law. No matter who we welcome in, we still have the choice of making them roommates or family members. It takes effort on both sides and it changes the dynamic of the family and each of the individuals involved. A faith community is no different, really. We can welcome honoured guests or we can make the extra effort to grow the family. We need to be honest with ourselves about our intentions and we need to be open to the changes that will inevitably take place for everyone. It’s not a matter of opening or closing the door; it’s the difference between saying, “Come on in!” and saying, “Welcome home!”

One of the things I like best about today’s scripture reading comes right at the end of the passage. Right after the baptism, Cornelius begs Peter to stay with them for several days. I like it because, to me, it is a sign that the story doesn’t end with a baptismal celebration; it moves from a story of welcome to one on the path to inclusion. The work isn’t finished. There is more to learn on both sides. Peter will stay to teach them more, yes, but also to learn from them. If they are to become truly part of the family, they need to accept each other, not in spite of their differences, but because of them and because of the richness that diversity can bring.

I will end my reflection this morning the way I began… Bells Corners is truly a welcoming church. You can feel it as soon as you walk through the doors… Many churches welcome guests and are wonderful hosts, but BCUC opens their arms and draws you into the family. May we continue on this sacred journey together, my friends as we open our doors, our arms, our hearts and our minds. May we be able to answer the question, “Even them?” with a heartfelt, “Yes, especially them! They are part of the family!”

Amen.

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

God of Light, God of Love,
you fashion each of us in your image,
reflecting the presence of your Spirit and fullness of your grace.
You call us into being as whole persons;
you call us into community to be one in you.
Yet too often we choose to see others as less than ourselves
because of the colour of their skin. Or because they are not like us.
Or because they call you with different names.

But you invite us into right relationship with you and with each other.
You invite us to love you whom we have not seen;
but how can we love you
when we cannot love those who are clear reflections of you?

Remind us once again that we are all kin, that we are one in you,
O God, who created us all.
We are all sisters and brothers, walking in the light of your love.
Help us to love our neighbours even more than we love ourselves.
Make us humble and encourage us to draw the circle wide
where everyone has a place on your table of grace.
Forgive us for attitudes of superiority and privilege which result in oppression;
forgive us for binding others within structures of racism, bigotry and injustice,
and so abandoning your beloved ones to wildernesses of exclusion.
Provide us with the courage to care, the vision to imagine a new relationship,
the wisdom to speak out, and the passion to stand up and be heard.

In the name of the justice-seeking God, may we continue to provide hope and peace in the world;
- for people battered by civil war,
- for those who work in keeping an open dialogue between opposing communities,
- for farmers who risk planting fields even when landmines might be present,
- for those who have been left homeless or who have fled as refugees because of violence or war,
- for people and countries ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic,
- for our faith community facing the challenges of illness, grief, isolation, and disconnect.
And finally, we pray for ourselves.
Sometimes we feel depressed, defeated and weary.
Some of us have tangled relationships we need to undo.
Some of us are struggling with health issue or how to cope with life.
Teach us to stay strong and to be courageous in these challenging times.

God of Light, God of Love,
teach us to embrace equality and justice for all people around the world.
Create in us the desire to bring change in our world.
Unveil our hearts so that your light may shine through us.

These we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our beloved leader and teacher,
who broke barriers of exclusion and who taught us to pray this ancient prayer..

Invitation to Offer Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Since its beginning, the church was meant to be a place of chosen family - a community of outcasts and outlaws, dreamers, prophets, and humble disciples of Love. In the company of Divine Presence, we create belonging and nurture justice. With gratitude for the Sacred Labors of Love in this place, let us bring our offerings to God and one another.

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

Hey, God, it’s just us – just this diverse crowd of people gathered. We come for your blessing on what we give, but also for your blessing for who we are becoming as we give. May “just us”, by your blessing, become the justice of discipleship. Amen.[i]

Sending Forth Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Beloveds, let us go with hearts full of courage,
that we might practice love that disrupts bigotry.
Let us go with minds open to experiencing God
in ways strange and unexpected, in ways ordinary and everyday.
And let us go with joy, for the Creator of all life goes with us. Amen.

Hymn: Who is My Mother? - More Voices #178 - Kim - guitar, Erin – flute, Abe

1 Who is my mother, who is my brother?
All those who gather round Jesus Christ:
Spirit blown people born from the Gospel
sit at the table, round Jesus Christ.

2 Differently abled, differently labelled,
widen the circle round Jesus Christ:
crutches and stigmas, culture’s enigmas,
all come together round Jesus Christ.

3 Love will relate us, colour or status
can’t segregate us round Jesus Christ:
family failings, human derailings
all are accepted round Jesus Christ.

4 Bound by one vision, met for one mission
we claim each other, round Jesus Christ:
here is my mother, here is my brother,
kindred in Spirit, through Jesus Christ.

Departing Music: Basin Street Blues – Spencer Williams arr. Lacanski flute : Erin Berard

Zoom Fellowship – 11 am

[1] Doug Reid, Gathering L/E 2019, p42. Used with permission.

[2] Richard Bott, Gathering L/E 2019, p43. Used with permission.

[3] Laura Turnbull, Gathering Lent Easter 2021, p37. Used with permission.

[i] Gord Dunbar, Gathering Lent Easter 2021, p37. Used with permission.

Connie Davidson

May 15, 2021

Sunday School

Sunday school activities - May 16, 2021

Connie Davidson

May 15, 2021

Sunday School

Theme Discussion

Do you like having friends over to your house? It’s something we’re missing during this pandemic for sure – inviting friends in or going to their houses to play or study or listen to music, just to hang out together. Most of you probably have some really close friends that you like to do this with. They are welcome in your house and you are welcome in theirs. Sometimes we say a close friend is almost like a brother or sister! - but, there are some differences, aren’t there?

Most friends wouldn’t go ask your Mom or Dad for a snack if they were hungry or just go look in your fridge – they’d be more likely to ask you and then you would ask your parents or just go get them something. If they were cold, they might ask to borrow a jacket or a sweater, but it’s not likely that they would just go open your closet and help themselves. There are some things you can do when you are at home that you just wouldn’t do when visiting someone else’s house, no matter how close a friend they are.

Of course, you are very welcome and they want you to be happy and comfortable in their home, but there is just something different when that home isn’t yours. Your friend’s parents might love you very much, but it’s unlikely that they would treat you exactly the same way they treat their own children. They probably wouldn’t check to see if you finished your homework, or tell you what to wear, or pack your lunch for school every day. It’s unlikely that they would plan your birthday party or expect you to be with them on Christmas morning. No matter how much they love you, that would be strange. You are a friend and a guest – but you aren’t their child.

In today's Bible passage, Peter and other Jewish followers of Jesus were asked to go teach a group of non-Jewish people about Jesus, and they felt pretty weird about it because it went against their customs to even associate with them. Peter shared about Jesus, and these 'outsiders' understood this gospel and were filled with God's Holy Spirit. Peter and his friends were surprised! They had welcomed these new friends into their faith, but God took that welcome a big step further and made them part of the family.

1. How is a friend the same as a member of your family? How are they different?

2. What are some things you expect to do when you are at home with your family that you wouldn’t expect at a friend’s house?

3. Have you ever been the new kid at school or on a team or in a club? How does that feel? What needs to happen before you feel like you belong in the group?

4. How do you think we can make people feel welcome in our church? How do you think we can make them feel like they belong?

Response Activity Ideas

You Are Welcome Here

The lyrics for one of the CGS and Bell Canto Singers’ favourite anthems is on this worksheet. It’s about someone who is not sure they belong, but the rest of the group welcomes them and reminds them that ALL are welcome in God’s family. Read (or sing!) through the words and in the space below or on a separate page, draw a picture that represents the lyrics.

All Are Welcome Here Book

Read and listen to the story:

What are some ways the teachers and classmates made each other feel welcome?

What would it be like to be at a school like that? Does your school have the same feeling? Why or why not?

What do you think would happen if that same welcoming attitude carried on into the community outside of school?

How could we make everyone feel welcome in our neighbourhood?

Colouring Sheet

Connie Davidson

May 8, 2021

Worship services

Sunday Worship Service - May 9, 2021

Connie Davidson

May 8, 2021

Worship services

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

6th SUNDAY OF EASTER / CHRISTIAN FAMILY SUNDAY

May 9, 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

Longing – Cornelius Gurlitt – piano: Noah Berard

À la claire Fontaine. - Gerhard Wuensch – piano duet: Monica & Samantha

(Family Photo Slides)

Welcome & Centering for Worship Rev. Kim Vidal

Good day everyone! In the name of Jesus Christ and on behalf of Bells Corners United Church, I welcome and greet you as we celebrate Christian Family Sunday. Our parent God invites us into right relationship with each other as sisters and brothers, mothers and fathers, grandpas and grandmas, cousins and relatives in the name of Love. Families come in all sizes, shapes and colours, and no matter what kind of a family one belongs, we are all part of the human family and the whole of creation. We take inspiration from our indigenous friends’ who taught us this wonderful teaching: “all my relations.” It reinforces that everyone and everything has a purpose, is worthy of respect and caring, and has a place in the grand scheme of life. Remember, we all live together in our home called the Mother Earth. So let us celebrate our kinship with each other and all of creation.

Today is also Mothers’ Day. This is a day to pay respect and honour all mothers, nurturers and life givers, past or present. Not every woman is a mother but all of us have mothers and some of us are mother-like figures who tend, protect, care, love, nourish and give life to others including animals and other living things. So, take a moment today and greet or remember your mother. Show how grateful you are for her unconditional love, devotion, kindness, wisdom and her presence.

Let us now centre ourselves in the presence of God, our Parent who loves us unconditionally like a mother or a father – one who embraces us with a joyful, “Welcome home my beloved!” Come, let us worship together!

Lighting of Christ Candle Acolytes: Monica, Samantha & Dave Jones

As we light this Christ candle on this Christian Family Sunday, may these words from
1John 4:7-8 be our guiding words: “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

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

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

Call to Gather[1] Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Sisters, brothers, children, welcome to this place!
Mothers, fathers, sing praises to God.
Grandmas, grandpas, share the story.
Aunts, uncles, dance with joy.
Family by love, Christ’s own body.
Family by Spirit, God calls us as one.
As one family, we come to worship our God.

Prayer of Approach[2]

God, creator of us all, we gather to worship you.
We come as individuals, we come in family units,
we come as neighbours and friends.
We come here where we are known by name,
welcomed with all our fragilities and strengths.
We gather with kindred spirits who long
to live faithful to your calling.
Guide us, inspire us, challenge us,
comfort us, and nurture us in this time of worship
so that we might be enabled to return
to our daily lives ready to engage fully
with all of your creation. We pray. Amen.

Hymn: We Are One - Voices United #402

1- We are one as we come, as we come, joyful to be here,
in the praise on our lips there’s a sense that God is near.
We are one as we sing, as we seek we are found,
and we come needful of God’s grace as we meet together in this place.

2- We are one as we share, as we share brokenness and fear,
in the touch of a hand there’s a sense that God is near.
We are one as we care, as we heal, we are healed,
and we share warmth in God’s embrace as we pray together in this place.

3- We are one as we feast, as we feast, peace becomes the sign,
in the bread and the wine, there’s a sense of love divine.
We are one as we come, as we feed, we are fed,
and we feel God’s refreshing grace as we meet at table in this place.

4- We are one as we hear, as we hear heart and hand unite,
in the word we receive there’s a sense that God is light.
We are one as we leave, as we love, we are loved;
and we seek justice in God’s ways as we move together from this place.

Storytime Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Did you make breakfast for your Mom this morning? Or give her a card and a hug? That’s right! This is the day we usually celebrate our Mothers, but you might have noticed that, in the church, today is called “Christian Family Sunday”, not “Mother’s Day”. Did that make you wonder a bit?

I think that it makes a lot of sense when you think about all the different kinds of families there are in this world. Some families don’t have someone who is specifically called “Mom” or “Mother” or “Mama” but that doesn’t mean the people in that family don’t have someone who loves and cares for them in the way a good mother would. It might be an aunt or a grandmother, or a friend; it might be a father or grandfather or uncle! In fact, I hope that everyone has at least one person who loves them like that. There are also lots of women in our world who might not have any children of their own but still love other children in that way, people who become part of our family through their love rather than their birth. I guess the point is that we want to include everyone who should be honoured on this day. When we call it Christian Family Sunday, we get to include all of those caring and loving folks. It’s a reminder that there are many different kinds of families and that every one of them includes people who care for each other like a mother would, the kind of people that make you feel that you are loved and safe and at home with them.

In today’s scripture reading, Jesus talks about this kind of love. He tells his followers to love each other the way he loves them, to make themselves at home in that love. The way he describes this love sounds a lot like being a mother – but he calls them friends. This reminded me of a memory I have from when I was very little – when I was around 3 or 4 years old. I remember being out shopping with my mom. We were crossing the street so she took my hand and I was so filled with love at that moment that I needed a way to tell her. So, I said, “We’re best friends, aren’t we Mom?” It was a way of telling her that I knew she would do everything she could to make sure I felt cared for, protected, secure, and happy – and that I would do everything I could to make sure she felt that way too. It is the kind of love that goes both ways. I think this is the kind of love that Jesus was talking about too… and I think this is the kind of love that we want to celebrate today.

I hope you let your Mom know how special she is to you today and I hope you also remember to celebrate all the people in your life who fill that role for you – in your family and in the world of people who are like family to you, today and every day.

Let’s say a short prayer:

Thank you, God, for family and friends who love us and help us grow. Today I especially ask you to bless my mother and help me to be a blessing. Amen

Hymn: Come In, Come In and Sit Down - Voices United #395 Kim-guitar, Erin-flute

Refrain:

Come in come in and sit down,
you are a part of the family.
We are lost and we are found,
and we are a part of the family.

1 You know the reason why you came,
yet no reason can explain,
so share in the laughter and cry in the pain,
for we are a part of the family. R

2 God is with us in this place,
like a mother's warm embrace.
We're all forgiven by God's grace,
for we are a part of the family. R

3 There's life to be shared
in the bread and the wine,
we are the branches Christ is the vine.
This is God's temple, it's not yours or mine,
but we are a part of the family. R

4 There's rest for the weary
and health for us all,
there's a yoke that is easy,
and a burden that's small.
So come in and worship and answer the call, for we are a part of the family. R

Prayer for Illumination Reader: Barbara Bole

Embracing God, continue to surprise us and breathe your spirit freshly upon us as your church family; that renewed in faith, we may know your wisdom through your Living Word. Amen.

The Gospel Reading: John 15:9-17 (The Message) - Love One Another

9-10 “I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love.
11-15 “I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.
16 “You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.
17 “But remember the root command: Love one another.

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

Sermon: “Jesus: A Family Friend” Rev. Kim Vidal

“Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.” These are the words of Jane Howard, author and actress.

Over the years, the meaning of family has taken a different spin. There used to be a time when a nuclear family is defined as the basic unit of a society which includes a father, a mother and children. Nowadays we have so many family configurations and definitions. Some belong to a blended family or an extended family. Others might have a single mom or a solo dad who look after their family. You might even know someone who has two moms or two dads, or those raised by their grandparents or foster parents. We also have couples who don’t have any children but looks after pets who become part of their family!

What keeps a family together? What makes a family a shelter from the storm? Well, one simple answer is LOVE. A loving family sticks together through thick or thin. Rudyard Kipling writes: “A family shares things like dreams, hopes, possessions, memories, smiles, frowns, and gladness...A family is a clan held together with the glue of love and the cement of mutual respect. When there is love and mutual respect, a family becomes a shelter from the storm, a friendly port when the waves of life become too wild. No person is ever alone who is a member of a loving family” (from Fingertip Facts).

The church family is another kind of family to which we belong. It is like our spiritual home where relationships are treasured and nurtured. We become siblings in faith and treat each other as kin. We encourage each other in love and offers that love to the wider community. This church family is a haven of friendship– a place of prayer for kindred souls, a safe space for learning, nurturing and growing, where friends, young and old alike have a place to call it their second home.

An elderly woman was interviewed by reporters on her 102nd birthday. When asked about the benefits of living past 100 years, the woman answered, “No peer pressure! All of my friends were gone! So let’s talk about “friends.” In our lectionary group this past Tuesday, the members came up with words that best describe what true friendship means. Let me share some of these words: reciprocal relationship, equal footing, trust, counting on each other, give and take, non-judgemental, being present, selfless love, always on call, being a good listener. What about you? What kind of friends do you have? Why do you call them friends? What makes you stick with each other? A middle school teacher asked her class to write imaginative definitions of a friend. These were the descriptions she received:
“A friend is a pair of open arms in a society of armless people.”
“A friend is a warm bed on a cold and frosty night.”
“A friend is a mug of hot coffee on a damp cloudy day.”
“A friend is a beautiful orchard in the middle of the desert.”
“A friend is a hot bath after you have walked 20 miles on a dusty road.”

Today’s reading in John portrays Jesus calling his disciples 'friends.' One of the most common verbs for “love” in Greek is phileō and the Greek word for friend, philos, comes from this verb. In the first century world, a “friend” is immediately understood as “one who loves.” This fundamental connection between love and friendship is an essential starting point for reclaiming friendship as a resource of faith and ethics for us today. Jesus, a model of wonderful friendship, speaks of his disciples as 'friends' not followers, not servants, not subordinates, not second-class citizens. Just simply friends. He called them "friends" because everything he has learned about God, Jesus has "made known" to them. Friendship for Jesus is a word of intimacy and depth. What Jesus has "made known" to the disciples is the very heart of God, which is self-giving and unconditional love. For philosophers like Plato, friendship was a key social relationship. In the Symposium, Plato writes, “Only those who love – those called friends wish to give their lives for others.”

Two dimensions of friendship in the first century Mediterranean world— the gift of one’s life for one’s friends and the use of frank and open speech—informed the way that the Gospel of John and its readers understood the language of friendship. To be considered a friend was to be in a position of honour. Being a friend meant being treated as kin –they now become part of one family. To be a friend meant to look out for the welfare of the other, to put the other's needs on an equal footing. Friendship implied reciprocity -- to consider someone a friend meant counting on that person to return that level of concern and care. When John’s Jesus calls his disciples "friends" he is investing them with this kind of concern. He has shared with them what God has revealed to him, and he has given them the task of going out and sharing this revelation with the world. Jesus relates to his followers in an egalitarian way. He had rejected the word "servants" in favour of "beloved friends"-- a relationship of equality. In the foot washing episode which is a story unique in the Gospel of John, Jesus offers himself completely to his disciples, assuming the social role of a beloved friend, in order to give a tangible shape to his love. Friends, not masters, wash the feet of guests, and in the foot washing, Jesus makes the ultimate act of hospitality and friendship. Kris Lewis says “Jesus calls his disciples friends and in doing so, he upsets the usual teacher-pupil relationship, he breaks boundaries, and he brings a new dimension to the bond he has with his disciples. No longer are they master and servant. Rather, they are ‘friends’ with all that entails.”

This gospel reading in John is part of Jesus’ farewell discourse. Jesus, in his final speech, prepares his disciples, as best as he is able, for his ultimate departure. He tells them many times and, in many ways, how much he loves them. He taught them and mandated them to love one another as he and God, his Father have loved them. Jesus knows the struggles they will face without him. But they will need to rely on each other, trust each other, look out for each other, reprove each other, and forgive each other. In other words, they will need to be more than a group of people who love and follow Jesus. They will need to think of each other as friends. Jesus’ definition of love and friendship in John is summed up in this familiar verse: "No one has greater love than this, than to lay down one's life for one's friends" (Jn. 15:13). There are several ways how to understand this verse. Eugene Peterson translates this in a more modern way: “This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends.” But the best one I picked so far is a contemporary reading of this verse offered by the Listening Hermit, Peter Woods: “There is no greater unconditional love than when someone gets their ego out of the way for another.”

Our day-to-day choices are not likely to lead to martyrdom or literally dying for others, but each day we have to decide how we will spend our time, our resources, our talents, our lives. How do we do this? Getting your ego out of the way could mean walking the extra mile, standing with the people who are being put down, doing acts of kindness that will receive no applause, building partnership with people in Chipembi and other places in the world that needs our care, treating the marginalized, people with addictions and the physically and mentally challenged as friends, shopping for someone else’s groceries, reading stories to someone else’s children, taking flowers to someone who’s not a bosom friend, visiting someone else’s mother in the nursing home, talking about faith when we would rather be silent, doing good for people who will do not good to us in return, praying not for an easier life but for strength to give our lives away. I could go on and on... And what do we get in return? Nothing fancy – perhaps a word of thanks and a murmur of appreciation or maybe just a dose of tremendous comfort and peace of mind knowing that we have made a difference in someone’s life. But – we might also gain a friend or two or more and we become a family!

To think of Jesus as a family friend means that we can find Jesus in our human friendships and connections. We are able to see the face of Jesus in the faces of those not only who we care for but also those who are ignored by society or those who felt lost, scared or anxious. By being friends, we create a family. Let me close with a paraphrase of Psalm 8 entitled “Friendship flowers” written by Rev, James Taylor in his book Everyday Psalms:

O God, what glorious gifts you have given.
Above the marvels of nature rises the miracle of friendship.

Friends take time for each other. They put their lives in each other’s hands.

Stars and nebulas are far away, but friends are near at hand.
Friendship flowers unpredictably.
The desert blooms, the ice melts, the distance disappears.

Friendship has no parallel in the world.
Envy and jealousy dissolve.
Fear and suspicion evaporate.
This is how God meant the world to be.
Nothing compares with the wonder of friendship.

O God, our God, what a glorious gift you have given! Amen.

Sources:

BCUC Lectionary Group, Alyce Mackenzie, patheos.org., Gail R. O’Day, “I Have Called You My Friends”
Lynne M. Dolan, “Friendship”, James Taylor, Everyday Psalms

Prayers of the People & the Lord’s Prayer Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Today, O God, on this Christian Family Sunday we pray for all households
created and blessed by your love. We give thanks and pray for our families.
We thank you for families rooted in love, where character is formed and values are learned,
where lives are filled with hopefulness and laughter.
We acknowledge that families often disappoint us.
People fight; people hurt one another. Forgive us, gracious God.
Where there is pain, resentment, or bitterness, enter with your healing love.
Open our hearts to families who suffer abuse and violence.
Increase our compassion towards all with painful memories.
We pray with hope that all families may be a source of blessing and abundant life.

Today, O God, we pray for our faith family. We give thanks for the love and support our
members give to each other, especially through this past difficult year of pandemic. We pray
that this sense of caring community remains strong. Give us patience and resilience to see this
hard time through. We pray with hope for the day that we can gather again as your children.

Today, O God, we pray for all those whose lives are especially difficult due to illness or injury,
loneliness and isolation, grief, worry and stress. We pray that they feel your presence and find
the strength and support they need to cope with the present and feel hope for the future. Keep
our hearts open to the needs of our neighbours near and far that we may be part of that
strength and support. We pray with hope that your message of love will be enacted and felt.

Today, O God, we pray for this planet we call home; all of its inhabitants, and all of its
resources. We pray that we can be good stewards of this world and that we pay attention to
how our way of life affects it. We pray with hope for the healing of the earth.
All these things we pray in the words that Jesus taught those he called friends and family:

Invitation to Offer Rev. Kim Vidal

God has blessed our lives with relationships—joy inspiring and challenging.

In response to God’s blessings in our lives, 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, you have blessed our lives with relationships that both inspire and challenge.
We offer these gifts so that we might continue to build relationships with one another and with your whole creation. Bless these gifts that they may bring wholeness and life abundance to all your people. We pray. Amen.

Sending Forth Rev. Kim Vidal

God gives life. God renews life. God is life.
We celebrate the life within us and let it overflow to enliven the world.
May the faithfulness of mothers, fathers, sons and daughters be affirmed and celebrated.
May God’s gift of love, Christ’s abiding peace, and the Spirit’s wisdom
bless all families this day and in the days to come. Amen.

Opening Hymn: Would You Bless our Homes and Families - Voices United #556

“In celebration of our families” (Sue & Rick Morrison)

1 Would you bless our homes and families,
Source of life who calls us here,
in our world of stress and tension,
teach us love that conquers fear.
Help us learn to love each other
with a love that constant stays;
teach us when we face our troubles,
love’s expressed in many ways.

2 When our way is un-demanding,
let us use the time that’s ours.
To delight in simple pleasures,
sharing joys in gentle hours.
When our way is anxious walking
and a heavy path we plod.
Teach us trust in one another
and in you, our gracious God.
3 From the homes in which we’re nurtured,
with the love that shapes us there,
teach us God, to claim as family
everyone whose life we share.
And through all that life may offer,
may we in your love remain,
may the love we share in families
be alive to praise your name.

4 Let us reach beyond the boundaries
of our daily thought and care
till the family you have chosen,
spills its love out everywhere.
Help us learn to love each other
with a love that constant stays;
teach us when we face our troubles
love’s expressed in many ways.

Departing Music

Ashokan Farewell – violin: Amelia Baynes

O Pastorzinho – a British folk tune – violin duet: Georgia & Amelia

Zoom Fellowship – 11 am

[1] Seasons of the Spirit, 2015.

[2] Jackie Harper, “Kin to One Another”, united-church.ca

[3] Jackie Harper, “Kin to One Another”, united-church.ca

Connie Davidson

May 8, 2021

Sunday School

Sunday school activities - May 9, 2021

Connie Davidson

May 8, 2021

Sunday School

Theme Discussion

Today is the day we traditionally call “Mother’s Day”! It’s a day to celebrate Moms and the hard work they do and the love they share. What are some ways a mother shows love for her child?

In the church calendar, though, today’s celebration has been changed to “Christian Family Sunday.” Why do you think that is? It makes it a great day to honour all the people who love us with the kind of loving relationship between a mother and child.

Even though most of us will still celebrate the mothers in our lives today, it’s a good reminder that there are many other people who love us and care for us in our lives and that we should celebrate them too. Are there other people in your life that show you this kind of love?

In our scripture reading today, Jesus gives his disciples the commandment to “Love one another as I have loved you.” We have heard this in other scripture readings too. It is probably the most important thing Jesus ever said. If everyone really did this, the world would be more like the world that God dreams for us. So, it makes sense that it is repeated over and over again!

In this reading from John 15:9-17, that we heard today, Jesus tells his disciples that he loves them the way God loves him. He invites them to make themselves “at home” in that love. I think he means that his love for them is safe and secure, that it will never go away. He tells them that he wants them to share all the joy that he feels. This sounds a lot like the way a mother loves a child, doesn’t it? But Jesus doesn’t call them that, he calls them friends.

Maybe calling them “friends” is a reminder that the love and care are meant to go both ways!

What are some ways friends show their love for each other?

Can you think of some ways the love of a mother and the love of a friend are the same and ways they are different?

Response Activity Ideas

Heart Wreath

Print out the hearts (or make your own) and cut out each one. Arrange the hearts in order to make a selection from the Bible passage from today. These could be coloured and glued down around the edge of a paper plate or circular piece of construction paper like a wreath. Extra hearts are included, and/or make your own from different coloured paper to fill out the wreath. In the centre, draw a picture showing a way of loving others the way Jesus showed us.

Connected Family/Friends – Heart paper chain

Materials: construction paper or card stock, writing tools, scissors, tape or stapler

Cut many strips of paper approx. 1”x 11”. On each, write the name of someone you love – it could be family members, friends, pets… Next, fold each strip in half, with the names on the outside. Bend in the open edges of one piece to make a heart shape and secure with tape or staples. Loop another strip through the first heart and form into a heart as before. Continue to make a long chain of love!

Scripture Word Cloud

Read the today’s scripture passage on the handout and make a word cloud highlighting the words and ideas that are in Jesus’ message.

“I love you more than…”

A silly game to play with your family:

Start by saying “I love you more than…” followed by something beginning with the letter A. Then the next person says, “I love you more than…” repeating your item, and then adding another item beginning with the letter B. Continue like this, with each person trying to remember all the came before, as well as adding something for the next letter. Can you get to the end of the alphabet?

6th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Gathering Music: Walls Mark Our Bound’ries

Acknowledgement of Territory

Welcome & Centering for Worship

Lighting of the Christ Candle[1] Acolytes: Wendy Morrell & Dan Lanoue

Call to Gather & Prayer of Approach[2] Erin Berard

Hymn: Come Touch Our Hearts - More Voices #12 (verses 1-4) BCUC choir

Time for the Young at Heart: Learning a Song with Erin Berard

Song: Because Jesus Felt - More Voices #186 (verses 1, 2, 4) Erin Berard

Prayer for Illumination Reader: Jan Pound

The Gospel Reading: Mark 5: 25-34 (NRSV) Jesus and the Hemorrhaging Woman

Sermon: “Breaking Barriers”

Prayers of the People & the Lord’s Prayer

Invitation to Offer

Offertory Prayer

Sending Forth

Hymn: Though Ancient Walls - Voices United #691 - BCUC Choir

Departing Music: America the Beautiful (or O Mother Dear, Jerusalem!)

Reading of the story

God's Story: Abraham and Sarah

Theme discussion

Craft

Colouring sheets

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Gathering Music: The Rose - Amanda McBroom Abe-electric piano

Welcome & Centering for Worship Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Lighting of the Christ Candle Acolyte: Liam Murray Eaton

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

Call to Gather & Prayer of Approach Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Hymn: This is the Day More Voices #122 BCUC music team

Storytime: Anna’s Garden - Karen Boivin

Hymn: Small Things Count – Voices United #361 Erin, Lowes & Bram

Prayer for Illumination[4] Reader: Will Wightman

The Epistle Reading: 2 Corinthians 8:7-15

Sermon: “From the Fear of Scarcity to the Joy of Generosity”

Prayers of the People & the Lord’s Prayer Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Invitation to Offer Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Offertory Prayer

Sending Forth Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Hymn: “Go Make a Diff’rence” - More Voices #209 Music Team

Departing Music: O Canada (only 4 days away (and it’s independence day next Sunday))

INDIGENOUS DAY OF PRAYER

Gathering Music: Without Seeing You – David Haas recorders: Erin Berard

Acknowledgement of Territory Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Welcome & Centering for Worship Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Nisga’a Peace Song Esther & Marlon Stewart (& lighting 4 candles)

Lighting of the Christ Candle Acolyte: Mandy Crow

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

Call to Gather & Prayer of Approach Rev. Lorrie Lowes

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

Storytime Rev. Lorrie

Hymn: Lord Prepare Me to Be a Sanctuary - More Voices #18 – Erin & friends

Prayer for Illumination[3] Reader: Raven Miller

The Epistle Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:1-7 NRSV The Gift of Love

Sermon: “Reconciliation Begins With Love”

Prayers of the People & the Lord’s Prayer Rev. Lorrie Lowes & Esther Stewart

Invitation to Offer Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Offertory Prayer

Sending Forth Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Hymn: “Hey Ney Yana” - More Voices #217

Departing Music: If a Tree Falls

CAMPING & CHRISTIAN EDUCATION SUNDAY

Morning Stretches Music: Like A Rock - More Voices #92 Music Team & CGS

Welcome & Greeting Rev. Kim Vidal

Lighting the Christ Candle Acolytes: Wightman family

Hymn: This Little Light of Mine (Traditional) soloist: Sheryll Highstead

Gathering Circle:[1] Noah & Nicholas

Gathering: More Voices #26 Your Love is Amazing BCUC music team

Sharing a Camp Memory Raven Miller

Gathering: I’ve Got the Joy BCUC Music Team

Let’s Do Craft with Erin:

Song: Shout for God - Voices United #246

Nature Walk / Turkey Hunt with Abe

Hymn: “I’m Gonna Shout, Shout” – More Voices #183

Writing Camping Prayers Kim

Hymn: It Only Takes a Spark (Pass it On) - Voices United #289

Learning Songs with Erin: Jesus Loves Me Rock

Love Round

Storytime with Lorrie

Roll Over the Ocean

***Let’s Do Craft with* *Erin:***

***Storytime with* *Lorrie***