Sunday Worship Service - October 31, 2021

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

23rd SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
REFORMATION & ALL SAINTS SUNDAY / WELCOMING NEW MEMBERS

October 31, 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: O A Song Must Rise MV 142

(Words & Music: Paul B. Svenson, 1995; arr. Bryn Nixon, 2006)

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. (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. 

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. 

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. 

Welcome & Announcements       Rev. Kim Vidal

Good day everyone! On behalf of Bells Corners United Church, I welcome and greet you in the name of Jesus Christ in today’s worship service. We gather from many places, distant yet connected by the spirit of God’s love that calls us to gather. We are delighted to welcome four new members to our service today. They are Simon & Ruby Linforth and Rev. Dr. Victor & Sally Lujetic. Thank you for choosing BCUC as your new faith community. Today, we also pause and remember the works of Martin Luther, the father of Reformation and many other reformers whose legacy of transforming the Christian faith continues to live in many Protestant and mainline Christian churches. We are also commemorating All Saints Day to remember all the saints past and present who are part of the cloud of witnesses of our faith. Wherever you are, whether you are joining us via online, or onsite, or even reading the printed text of the service in the comfort of your homes, we are glad that you have joined us today.

We continue worshipping in the sanctuary on Sunday mornings at 10 am with a maximum number of 50 people. If you wish to attend the service, you are more than welcome. As a faith community called to love and serve others, we highly recommend getting vaccinated as one of the best precautionary measures to protect yourself and others. Let us continue to be mindful of the health protocols such as masking, social distancing, hand sanitizing and staying home if you feel unwell. 

During this time of pandemic, 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 including Sunday School resources for your children at bcuc.org to keep you informed and give you opportunities to respond.

Friends, in the quiet of this moment, in the stillness of our hearts, I now invite you to centre yourself in the presence of God who calls us to gather in Spirit and in Truth. Let us gather in worship.

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

In our praying and in our listening,
in our longing and in our dreaming,
in our singing and in our stillness,
we light this Christ Candle to remind us that
we are One in the Spirit of Love. 

Call to Gather       Rev. Lorrie Lowes

(Sue Webb, The Gathering, Pentecost 2 2021,Year B. Used with permission.)

Come, you saints of God,
let us praise and worship the God
who has gathered us together.
Come, you saints of God,
you who are called
to carry out God’s work in the world.
Come, you saints of God,
remember all those who have gone before us
the faithful who have carried the torch of faith
and lit the way.
We remember those who have helped us on our journey
and accompany us still.
In the communion of saints, let us gather in worship.                             

Prayer of Approach

(Seasons of the Spirit, Reformation Resources)

Reforming God, we give you thanks
for your love and your blessing.
As we gather today,
Fill us with a spirit of openness to your Spirit,
to hear and receive your promises
and to keep our covenant with you.
Where we commit mistakes, guide us.
Where we are in error, direct us.
Where we are in need, provide for us.
Where we are divided, reunite us.
And where we are close-minded, reform us and make us new.
We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hymn:   A Mighty Fortress VU 262

(Words & Music: Martin Luther, 1529)

1 A mighty fortress is our God, 
a bulwark never failing;
our helper sure amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing:
for still our ancient foe 
doth seek to work us woe;
power and malice great, 
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth he has no equal.

2 Did we in our strength confide, 
our striving would be losing,
were not the right man on our side, 
the man of God's own choosing:
dost ask who that may be? 
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth his name, 
from age to age the same,
and he must win the battle.

3 And though this world, with devils filled, 
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God hath willed 
the truth to triumph through us:
the prince of darkness grim, 
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure, 
for lo! his doom is sure,
one little word shall fell him.

4 That word above all earthly powers, 
no thanks to them, abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours 
through Christ, who with us sideth:
let goods and kindred go, 
this mortal life also;
the body they may kill: 
God's truth abideth still,
God's kingdom is forever.

Welcoming New Members   Rev. Kim

In our onsite worship service today, we warmly welcome Simon & Ruby Linforth and the Rev. Victor & Sally Lujetic. Today we welcome them into our church family as they transfer their membership to BCUC. Let us offer our support, our prayers and our heartfelt wishes to these new members on this momentous occasion.

Storytime for the Young at Heart     Rev. Lorrie

If you have been in the church at all during this long time when Covid has kept us from enjoying our usual activities, you will have seen that lots of things have happened to make our great building even better. The two labyrinths – outside and in the main hall - have been repainted so the paths are clear and bright; there is a brand-new floor in the gym with no more pieces of wood loose and dangerous; there is a lovely new portico over the front entrance that is welcoming, especially on rainy days. Other things have been fixed and improved too, things that you might not notice right away like fixing the furnace or painting the garden furniture. We are very proud of our church building, not just for Sunday mornings but for all the activities that happen here during the week – both church activities and community ones – nursery school, meetings, special events and celebrations, music lessons, martial arts classes… It’s a place that the whole community of Bells Corners has access to – a place where learning, gathering, planning, and building relationships all happen. And we can’t wait for this pandemic to be over so that our building will be bustling with activity again!

This makes me think of the building project that is happening in Chipembi, Zambia. They don’t have a place where things like this can happen. The money we are raising, along with our partners at Emmanuel United Church, is making it possible for the people of that village to build a place where this kind of community building can happen. Just like here at BCUC, it will have some offices for the people who work in the church but it will also have space for things like literacy lessons for people who didn’t have a chance to go to school, for social gatherings and meetings, for the young folks in the area to get together, for music, and for the children to enjoy activities like Camp Chipembi!

When we talk about Jesus’ commandment to love other people as we love ourselves, I think this is the kind of thing he was hoping would happen – that we would all share our gifts so that everyone has the opportunity to live happy lives and to build strong communities.

Here at BCUC, we have already raised over $10,000 to help with making this dream of a place like ours come true for the people of Chipembi. But we still have a way to go. Have you thought about how you might be able to help with this project? Maybe you can do some chores around the house that Mom and Dad might be willing to pay for… even a small donation is a big help and it’s kind of exciting to be taking part in a project that will make such a big difference in the lives of our friends so far away!

We still need a few thousand dollars to make it possible for the people in Chipembi to complete this project - and we hope we will be able to continue helping our friends in Zambia even after the building is finished. We would also like to show our love by making sure that Camp Chipembi can happen again next year, and as time goes on, we’d like to help them realize some of their other dreams, like having more classrooms in the school and improving the medical centre. We want to continue to build our relationship with the people of Chipembi, to make new friends, to share our cultures, to make a connection right around the world… to show them that we care.

Who knows? Maybe one day you will have the opportunity to meet our friends in person and to see the community we’re helping them build. Maybe one day they will even be able to visit us here at BCUC! Wouldn’t that be cool?! In the meantime, we can show our love by helping their dreams come true, and I think it will help make God’s dream for the world come true too.

Let’s close this time with a prayer:

Loving God, we know that when Jesus talked about loving our neighbour, he didn’t mean just the people next door but people all over the world. We are grateful for the many opportunities we have and we want this kind of opportunity to be possible for all children in the world.

Thank you for this chance to show our love for our neighbour by helping this dream come true for the community of Chipembi. Amen.

Hymn: Jesu, Jesu VU 593

(Words: Tom Colvin, 1969; Music: Ghanaian Folk Song)

Refrain:
Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love,
show us how to serve
the neighbours we have from you.  

1.    Kneels at the feet of his friends,
silently washes their feet,
master who acts as a slave to them. R 

2.    Neighbours are rich and poor,
varied in colour and race,
neighbours are near and far away. R

3.    These are the ones we should serve,
these are the ones we should love,
all are neighbours to us and you. R

4.    Kneel at the feet of our friends,
silently washing their feet,
this is the way we should live with you.   R

Prayer for Illumination Reader:  John MacFarlane

(Susan Lukey, Pentecost 2, Gathering 2018, Year B. Used with Permission.)  

Scripture alone! Faith alone! Grace alone! Christ alone! For the glory of God alone! With these gifts, the Reformers led by Martin Luther invited all of us to study and interpret scripture. May we receive your Word, gracious God and let it stir in our hearts and shape us anew. Amen.

The Reading:   Mark 12: 28-34 (NRSV)

The Great Commandment  

28 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 

29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 

30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 

31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 

32 Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; 

33 and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 

34 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.

May the light of Christ dwell where the word is spoken. Thanks be to God!

Sermon:   “It’s All About Love!”         Rev. Kim

Prayer: (Ignatius of Loyola, The Spiritual Exercises)
Take, and receive all my liberty, my memory,
my understanding, and my entire will,
all that I have and possess.
You have given all to me, to you I return it.
All is yours, do with it what you will.
Give me only your love and your grace,
that is enough for me. Amen.

The famous American theologian Frederick Buechner once said: “Of all powers, love is the most powerful and the most powerless. It is the most powerful because it alone can conquer that final and most impregnable stronghold that is the human heart. It is the most powerless because it can do nothing except by consent.”

Love is a radical word. We say it almost all the time. We try to express it in many ways. And yet for some reasons, love is also the most violated, abused and misunderstood of all words. In our gospel reading today, a scribe, an ancient Jewish record-keeper, approached Jesus with a question: "Which commandment is the first of all?” I’m not sure if he was testing Jesus or if he was really sincere. I’m leaning toward sincere because there’s no animosity in the question. This Scribe seems genuinely impressed with Jesus’ answers and he honestly wants to hear Jesus’ views on what the greatest commandment was.

I’m sure the scribe knows that there were 613 laws in the Torah. How was a person to keep track of them all, let alone prioritize them? And Jesus brilliantly and insightfully answers with two commandments from the Torah that he learned growing up: The first was the shema - “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength” (Deuteronomy 6: 5) and the second, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Leviticus 19: 18). “There is no other commandment greater than these.” In this text, the word used to define love is the Greek word agape, meaning self-giving love, unconditional love or a love without thought of return or reward. Loving God –loving your neighbours as you love yourself – these two cannot be separated. You cannot love God if you hate or do not love your neighbour. Similarly, you cannot love your neighbour if you do not love God who is the source of love.

The scribe totally agrees, and elaborates on Jesus's answer with an insight: to love God and neighbor is “much more important than whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Showing love is more important than piety, ritual, tradition, or religious practices. Jesus commended the scribe and calls him “wise’. But for Jesus, the scribe is still on the edge of entering God’s reign. He was almost there but not quite there yet. Something was still missing. Jesus tells him, "You are not far from the kin-dom of God" (12:34). There are some possible ways of interpreting this line from Jesus. First - all it will take for the scribe to enter God’s kin-dom is to love God holistically - with all his heart, all his soul, all his mind, all his strength. The word "all" appears a lot of times in this short text. Apparently, all it will take to enter God’s reign, according to Jesus, is all of the love the scribe has got! Second – Jesus was telling the scribe to walk the talk! To show love in action not only in words. Three– perhaps Jesus is telling him that the kin-dom is very close to the scribe. Jesus is the door to that kin-dom – and he is standing right in front of the scribe - if only the scribe will pay attention and notice how Jesus is teaching about God’s reign through his parables and examples, to follow Jesus’ way of life. Jesus knows that God’s love permeates all areas of life and it is this love that challenges the scribe and us to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. I like what Bruce Epperly writes about this passage: “Today, we need to love God with all our minds – to be wise and intelligent Christians, placing the quest for truth above all else whether in theology, in politics, in science and research…wherever there is truth and healing and love, God is its source…”

And who is our neighbour that we are called to love and serve? In his book – The Great Spiritual Migration, Brian McLaren writes: “You can’t learn to love people without being around actual people—including people who infuriate, exasperate, annoy, offend, frustrate, encroach upon, resist, reject, and hurt you, thus tempting you not to love them…The way of love, is the way of annoyance, frustration, disappointment, unkindness, need, conflict, humiliation, opposition, and exhaustion.   No one would choose love if love weren’t in the end, its own reward.” Our neighbours are not only those who are close to us through friendships and familial connections. Our neighbours are also those who long to be accepted of who they are. Our neighbours are those ignored by the society yet wanting our care and compassion. Our neighbours are the street marchers who confront those in power. Our neighbours are the homeless people with the desire to have decent lives. Our neighbours are the privileged and the affluent wanting to reach out for friendship and understanding.  Our neighbours are those facing life’s uncertainties because of illness or loss of employment. Our neighbours are those in our community wanting to be affirmed and welcomed. Ours is not only about seeing others as a neighbour; our calling is also to become the neighbour we would like to meet.

Today marks the 504th anniversary of the Reformation, a movement that began on October 31, 1517 when the religious reformer Martin Luther, a Roman Catholic priest, nailed 95 theses to the door of the Church at Wittenberg in Germany. This action was a result of Luther's lifelong struggle to get beyond his questions, his doubts and his struggles, in order to gain a more desirable faith, particularly on the issue of indulgences being practiced at that time. As a young monk and theologian, Luther struggled with the human incapacity to love God holistically and sought a satisfying answer to his questions. He believes that the Christian life is made manifest by loving God and one’s neighbour. Luther understands this love as self-giving divine love. To love God for Luther means to consider God to be goodness itself and the source of everything good. Going back to the Gospel story, it seems to me that Luther was saying, if we truly love God with all of our being, no religious institution or empire is over and above God’s love. As human beings created by God, we bear God’s image and God’s love. And this is the love that we offer our neighbours – friends and strangers alike. Luther ushered in a new faith movement grounded in love that United Church is now part of. 

What can this mean in these hard days when families, communities, and churches are breaking apart over political, social, religious and cultural differences that seem unbridgeable?  In this time of pandemic crisis, you might ask, “How is God calling me to love others?” There are many tangible needs in our communities. Loneliness and isolation, fear, grief, uncertainty, the lack of human touch – these are just some of the issues we are facing these days – add to that the ongoing social ills – poverty, racism, violence in all forms. As you are able, consider how God might be calling you to listen to others or speak a comforting word, to help provide food or other necessities to those who are lacking, or to share other blessings with those who are struggling. Even in times of social distancing, we can safely reach out in love. God calls us to be a blessing and, most importantly, to provide hope to those who are hopeless through our prayers and actions. We are the face of God on earth. We are bearers of love to the world. God is at work in each of us. Remind ourselves Victor Hugo’s line from his famous novel Les Misérables, “To love another person is to see the face of God.”

Today at BCUC, we have welcomed 4 new members to our church family. They have made their commitment to be witnesses and doers of God’s love. BCUC is a spiritual home where humble, loving saints, past and present, lived and continue to act out their faith on a day to day basis. You are saints who practice radical love, deep compassion, connectedness and hospitality. Saints who share their gifts and talents for the betterment of the community and the world. Saints who embody the vision Jesus has shared throughout his life. Saints who remember their history of being a reformed Christian Church. I am blessed to journey with saints like you as you inspire and teach me to walk the talk. Dear friends, on this Reformation and All Saints Sunday, as we celebrate who we are as God’s beloved people –I offer these words from a song written by Leonard Cohen as we go about our mandate of loving God and our neighbours:

“Ring the bells that still can ring 
Forget your perfect offering 
There is a crack in everything 
That's how the light gets in.
Ring the bells that still can ring:
the bells of friendship, the bells of hope.
the bells of love, the bells of joy
The cracks are there for all to see. Let the light shine in.
And still we connect. And still we embrace.
And still we stand. And still we find time.
And still we become light of the world.”

Thanks be to our loving God. Amen.

Sources:
BCUC Lectionary Group, “Walk In Love” by Debie Thomas, journeywithjesus.net, 2021; Commentary on Mark 12 by Bruce Epperly, patheos.org

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

Let us gather our hearts and minds in prayer. Gracious God, source of all life, you dwell beyond us and within us and you call us to gather as a community of faith. Empower us as we reflect by word and action the good news of your love that has touched all of us. Inspire us by the prompting of your Spirit: that we may dream new dreams and find wisdom in our visions. Give us a courageous heart, a bold voice and openness of mind, and above all else, ears that listen and hearts that empathize. Help us, to discover Your way: storytelling and dialogue which leads to understanding; ideas which challenge growth; a journey which will bring hope.

Faithful God, giver and renewer of life, with hearts full of hope we look expectantly forward as we reflect on what it means to be church in this day and in this age. Let your enduring and sustaining love continue to support and direct us along new paths. Help us to celebrate the diversity of spiritual gifts within our congregation and in the wider community. We give thanks for the dedication and faithfulness of this congregation and celebrate the legacy of the past and the nurturing of new beginnings.

Loving God, we confess that often we are overwhelmed by life's problems and challenges. Help us to seek your guidance, to consider the burdens of others and not just our own. May your healing presence and comfort be experienced by all those who are in need especially in this time of pandemic. We pray for those suffering from loneliness and depression, for those who are facing life’s difficulties, those who are grieving the loss of loved ones. We pray for those awaiting medical test results and those who are recuperating in hospitals and homes. We pray for our new members – Victor, Sally, Simon & Ruby, that they may continue to be your instruments of love and light. Awaken in us the joy of serving you through our prayers and through our acts of kindness.

God of peace, we are grateful: for our family, children in our midst, friends and loved ones who bless and enrich our lives; for the challenges of living together; for your call to work for peace and justice in our world. Help us to look beyond boundaries, beyond denominations, beyond doctrines and beyond our own self-interest. Protect us not to lose heart in the face of so many challenges: the threat of war, famine, environmental destruction, diseases and natural disasters.

Open us to the depth of your love and grace that we might know ourselves, and others, as beloved in your sight. Remind us that we all have important gifts to offer in your service.

Empowering God, Grant us vision, which is open to all the surprising ways you choose to make yourself known. Grant us courage and faith in you, knowing we are blessed by your love and mercy. All these we ask in Jesus’ name who taught his disciples this ancient prayer we now recite together.

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kin-dom come, thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kin-dom, the power and the glory, Forever and ever, Amen. 

Invitation to Offer        Rev. Lorrie

The Swiss theologian Karl Barth once said that grace and gratitude go together like heaven and earth. The Way of Jesus Christ is the life lived in gratitude for the God who created us and claimed us as children.

I now invite you to offer your gifts of time, talents and resources as expressions of your gratitude to God’s blessings.  If you are not on PAR and wish to send in your offering and donations, you can drop them in the slot by the kitchen door of the church or mail them to BCUC. You can also send in your support through e-transfer. Thank you for your continued love and support to BCUC.

Offertory Prayer

(Kate Gregory, Pentecost 2, Gathering 2017, Year A. Used with permission.)

Creator God, you gave us gifts and we have used them: we offer them now to you in love and wonder. Be pleased to accept our gifts in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Sending Forth     Rev. Kim

(Wanda Winfield & Carol Frost, Pentecost 2, Gathering 2021, Year B. Used with permission.)  

May we leave this place,
Conscious of our heritage of faith.
All good things come from God.
As we leave this place,
May we remember God’s blessings to us.
We are children of the living God.
Let us leave this time together, renewed and inspired by those
who have lived as saints before us and among us.
May we continue to grow in our faith
as we seek to live the Way of Jesus. Amen. 

Hymn:   For All the Saints VU 705

(Words – William W. How, 1864; Music – Ralph V. Williams, 1906)

1 For all the saints, who from their labours rest, all who by faith before the world confessed, your name, O Jesus, be forever blest. Hallelujah, hallelujah!

2 You were their rock, their fortress, and their might: you were their captain in the well-fought fight; you, in the darkness drear, the one true light. Hallelujah, hallelujah!

3 O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
yet all are one within your great design.
Hallelujah, hallelujah!

4 The golden evening brightens in the west,
soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest; sweet is the calm of paradise the blest.
Hallelujah, hallelujah!

5 But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day the saints triumphant rise in bright array: as God to glory calls them all away.
Hallelujah, hallelujah!

6 From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast, through gates of pearl streams in the countless host, singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: Hallelujah, hallelujah!

Departing Music: I, The Lord of Sea and Sky VU 509

(Words & Music: Daniel L. Schutte, 1981)

1 I, the Lord of sea and sky,
I have heard my people cry.
All who dwell in deepest sin
my hand will save.
I who made the stars of night,
I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall I send?

Refrain:
Here I am Lord.
Is it I Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.

2 I, the Lord of snow and rain,
I have borne my people’s pain.
I have wept for love of them,
they turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone,
give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak my word to them.
Whom shall I send? R

3 I, the Lord of wind and flame,
I will tend the poor and lame.
I will set a feast for them;
my hand will save.
Finest bread I will provide,
till their hearts be satisfied.

Sunday school activities - October 31, 2021

Mark 12: 28-31

28 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 

29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 

30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 

31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 

This week’s scripture reading is probably the most familiar lesson that Jesus taught. Two things are important:

1. Love God

2. Love your neighbour as yourself

The second one wasn’t a brand-new idea for Jesus and his followers. It was an important part of the Jewish faith that Jesus grew up in. It is often called the “Golden Rule” and it shows up in almost every culture and faith in the world. Sometimes we hear it said like this: “Treat others the way you’d like to be treated.”

For Discussion

1.     Can you think of some times when this has been a difficult rule to follow?

2.     What do you think would happen if everyone in the world actually followed this rule?

3.     If you follow this link (PDF), you will see this message in the writings of thirteen different faiths! Which ones do you like the best? Why?

Response Activity Ideas

Storytime: Do Unto Otters – Laurie Keller

Listen and watch this story:

Give examples of times you’ve been friendly, said “Please and Thank you,” cooperated with others, shared, and done the other things Mr. Rabbit expects from the otters.

Draw a picture of you or the characters in the book following the “Golden Rule”!

Boomerang

A boomerang is a great object to represent the idea of the “Golden Rule” that we give what we want to get back. 

What do you ‘get back’ when you help, serve, and love others?

Following the directions on the video make your own boomerang! 

Write the Golden Rule on it, or another culture’s variation of the rule, and decorate.

Circles of Love

Print out the worksheet or make one of your own by drawing concentric circles or cutting out larger and larger circles of paper.

• In the centre circle, write your name and write ways you care for yourself.

• In the next circle, write ‘My Family’ – How is love shown in your family?

• In the next circle, write ‘My Friends’ and record ways you are kind and considerate with your friends.

• In the next circle, write ‘My Community’ – How can you be a loving neighbour?

• In the last circle, write ‘The World’ and write some ways you can spread love beyond our church and city.

Click to pring PDF

Sunday Worship Service - October 24, 2021

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

22nd SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

SOSA SUNDAY 

October 24, 2021

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

(*We give thanks for resources used in preparing this service from the UCC.  © 2017 The United Church of Canada/L’Eglise Unie du Canada. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike Licence.  To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ca.)

Gathering Music:  My Soul Cries Out          MV120

My soul cries out with a joyful shout

that the God of my heart is great,
and my spirit sings of the wondrous things, that you bring to the ones who wait. 
You fixed your sight on your servant’s plight, and my weakness you did not spurn, 
so from east to west shall my name be blest.

Could the world be about to turn?

Refrain

My heart shall sing of the day you bring. 

Let the fires of your justice burn. 

Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near, 

and the world is about to turn!

Though I am small, my God, my all,

you work great things in me,

and your mercy will last 

from the depths of the past

to the end of the age to be.

Your very name puts the proud to shames, and to those who would for you yearn, 

you will show your might, put the strong to flight, for the world is about to turn.

Refrain

From the halls of power to the fortress tower, 

not a stone will be left on stone. 
Let the king beware for your justice tears, 

ev’ry tyrant from his throne. 
The hungry poor shall weep no more, for the food they can never earn; 
there are tables spread, ev’ry mouth be fed, for the world is about to turn.

Refrain

Though the nations rage from age to age, 

we remember who holds us fast:

God’s mercy must deliver us 

from the conqueror’s crushing grasp. 
This saving word that our forebears heard is the promise which holds us bound,

‘til the spear and rod can be crushed by God, who is turning the world around. 

Refrain

Welcome & Centering for Worship:     Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Good morning and welcome to this service of worship from Bells Corners United Church. We are so glad you have joined us today, whether you are in the sanctuary, viewing the YouTube video from home, listening to us on your telephone, or reading the service from the comfort of your chair. It’s a blessing to have you share this time with us. 

This morning is SOSA Sunday at BCUC. SOSA is an acronym that stands for Service, Outreach, and Social Action, vital aspects of our life as a congregation who follows the teachings of Jesus. I am grateful to the members of our SOSA Committee who have helped to plan and take part in the service, and to the United Church of Canada for the resources provided to help us do so.

Even in these pandemic times when our activities are restricted, our faith community is still busy and vibrant! Please take a moment to look at the announcements at the end of our video and on our website to see what is happening at BCUC and to find opportunities where you can take part. 

Let us now gather our hearts and minds for worship with the lighting of the Christ candle.

Lighting of the Christ Candle:                    Acolytes: Karen & John Boivin

 As we light the candle this morning, we centre ourselves in the assurance that God is with us in all times and places, in the assurance that Jesus is among us as we gather to understand the messages of scripture and their place in our world today. As we begin this time together, with open hearts and minds, may the Holy presence and this shining light guide us on the path to realizing God’s kin-dom here in this earthly world.  

Call to Gather:*                                                  Ellie Topp

There is a great longing for justice making and keeping,

A hunger for the waters of justice, a thirst for the ever-flowing streams of righteousness.

There is a spiritual poverty that accompanies all other forms of poverty –

Fragmented and dislocated community, frustrated values, webs of indifference.

We are called to be attentive, faithful in sharing what we can out of the resources and connections that are at hand.

Opening Prayer: *                                                 Ellie Topp

Holy One, 

There are times when charitable food, even warm suppers and timely hampers, do not satisfy the deeper and wider longings for justice.

The emptiness in people’s bellies and pocketbooks are not the only realities. 

As we crave the food of justice, so we feel cravings for fairness and equality.

Embarrass us, even trick us, into breaking cycles and systems of indifference that breed cynicism and unfair distributions of power.

In the name of Jesus, your challenging and nourishing presence in our midst. Amen.

Hymn:   There’s A Spirit in the Air   VU 582

(Words: Brian Wren, 1969; Music: John Wilson, 1969)

1 There's a spirit in the air,
telling Christians everywhere:
"Praise the love that Christ revealed,
living, working in our world."

2 Lose your shyness, find your tongue,
tell the world what God has done:
God in Christ has come to stay.
Live tomorrow's life today!

3 When believers break the bread,
when a hungry child is fed,
praise the love that Christ revealed,
living, working, in our world.

4 Still the Spirit gives us light,
seeing wrong and setting right:
God in Christ has come to stay.
Live tomorrow's life today!

5 When a stranger's not alone,
where the homeless find a home,
praise the love that Christ revealed,
living, working, in our world.

6 May the Spirit fill our praise,
guide our thoughts and change our ways.
God in Christ has come to stay,
live tomorrow's life today!

Storytime:                      - Erin Berard

Today I'm going to share a few pages from On Our Street: Our First Talk About Poverty,  (by Dr. Jillian Roberts and Jamie Casap).  This story is full of big questions.  Let's check out the first big question in this book:

"On the walk to school today, I saw a man sleeping on the street.  He had all his belongings around him.  Why would he sleep outside?"

This book has big questions, and it also has ideas that help us think about the answers.

"That person is sleeping on the street because he does not have a permanent place to live.  That person is experiencing homelessness. ...People are often in that situation because of poverty.  Poverty is a big problem in our world today."

Have you heard that word before?  It can mean a lot of different things.  Basically it is when someone doesn't have enough money for shelter, clothing, or food.

"Are there children who are homeless?" What do you think?  Yes.  People of all ages can experience homelessness.

"Young children who are homeless may live with their families in community shelters.  These shelters provide families with food, warm clothing, and basic services.  Some families may even live in their cars."  Older children sometimes experience homelessness because they have run away from their homes where they did not feel safe or loved.

"Are homeless people the only ones who live in poverty?  

"No, being homeless is only one kind of poverty.  There are other kinds of poverty that are harder to see, like when people are not able to go to school or the doctor."  People may not have enough food to eat or the proper clothing to wear for cold days, or hot days, or rainy days.  

In our Sunday School materials this week, there's a video of a girl who is experiencing poverty, and she has a hard time getting enough food to eat.  

One more big question I'd like to share  from the book:

"What can we do to help people who live in poverty?

I bet you have some great ideas.  I love what they have at the top - "One of the best things you can do is care.  Ask questions.  Remember that everyone matters, and we can work together to help those living in our community."  That's the big part, isn't it?  The SOSA committee is doing a great job partnering with all sorts of community groups to help build the community and make it stronger and help the people who don't have all the basic needs.  Think about things you can do, too.  I love the ideas here like donating food and toiletry items to food banks.  Anything we can do to learn about each other, show respect for one another, and help each other out.
Let's have a prayer together:

Loving God, thank you for all the blessings we have - food to eat, a place to stay, warm clothing.  God, bless the work of the SOSA committee, and help us find ways we can support our communities, too.  Amen.

Hymn:     What Does the Lord Require of You?     VU701

What does the Lord require of you? 

What does the Lord require of you? 

Justice, kindness,

Walk humbly with your God.

To seek justice,

and love kindness,

and walk humbly with your God.

Prayer for Illumination:           Reader: Barbara Bole Stafford

O God, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that as the scriptures are read and your Word is proclaimed, we may hear what you are saying to us today. Amen.

Readings:  Micah 6:6-8 and Jeremiah 9:23-24

Micah 6:6-8  What God Requires

6 “With what shall I come before the Lord,
    and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
    with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lordbe pleased with thousands of rams,
    with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
    the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
    and what does the Lordrequire of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
    and to walk humbly with your God?

Jeremiah 9:23-24 NRSV

23 Thus says the Lord: Do not let the wise boast in their wisdom, do not let the mighty boast in their might, do not let the wealthy boast in their wealth; 24 but let those who boast, boast in this, that they understand and know me, that I am the Lord; I act with steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord.

Together may we reflect on the Word and be moved into the world. Amen.

Sermon:   “To Seek Justice, Love Kindness, and Walk Humbly in Today’s World” 

-      Rev. Lorrie Lowes

I had a difficult time choosing the readings for this year’s SOSA Sunday service, not because it was hard to find appropriate ones but because there are so manythat are perfectly suited to a service devoted to Service, Outreach, and Social Action. In fact, as we read through our Bible – both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament, it is very clear that the kind of life we are called to as Christians is deeply rooted in those very things - service, outreach, and social action. And so, I chose these two readings that speak to what it takes to live out this calling – kindness, justice, right relations, and humility. When we look at the life and ministry of Jesus, we can see these things in action. It is obvious that these readings from the Old Testament - the Hebrew scriptures that formed the foundation of his own faith - were the foundation of what Jesus lived and taught. As his followers, it is right that these should form the foundation of our own work in the world.

The words of Micah in the familiar hymn roll off our tongues: “What does the Lord require of you? To seek justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God.” Words written thousands of years ago, in a world very different from ours today. Let’s take some time this morning to look at how these concepts apply in our lives, in the huge global community where the needs are not only many, but complicated. What actions are these words calling us to in this time and place where we find ourselves

Those of us in this congregation, here in the capital of Canada, live in one of the wealthiest and most peaceful places in the world. Yet, even in this wonderful place, we hear cries for justice… 

…justice for the thousands of indigenous children sent to residential schools, and for the generations affected by them

…justice for the different… those who are different in looks, in sexuality, in gender identification, in ability, in culture or language or belie 

…justice for the poor, the underpaid, those without a roof over their heads or enough food to eat, those who work hard and still struggle to make ends meet, and those unable to work

… justice for those suffering from disease, injury, mental illness or addictions

… justice for those looking for a place safe from violence – from places far away or from situations right here in our own community

… justice for those who cannot speak for themselves, the very young, the very old, the infirm

Kindness is certainly a place to begin as we face these many calls for justice and that kindness has to begin with open ears, open hearts, and open minds – even as we open our doors and our wallets…

These two things – justice and kindness – are easy to get behind, even if they are not always easy to do. It makes sense to us that everyone should be treated fairly and with kindness, of course, but it’s not always easy to be kind to someone who is lashing out in hurt and anger… and the path to justice is not always clear. It’s complicated. Perhaps that’s where the humble walking… the humility… comes in.

In our lectionary study group this week, we struggled a bit with this concept of being humble. How do you walk humbly with God? It seems pretty easy when we think of God as being all-knowing, all-wise, all powerful. In God’s presence it would seem natural to be awed and humbled – but how do we walk humbly with God in this world – a world that seems so full of loud voices, of the powerful, pushing their way to the front of the line so their views can be heard? Won’t they drown out the humble, kind voices in the background?  When we think of social activism – the kind that leads to justice – we expect loud voices and standing up front. We talk about fightingfor justice. How can we fight for justice by being humble? Where does being humble fit in this picture? 

Perhaps it’s our understanding of that word, humble, that is causing the confusion. We realized in our study group that we equate being humble with being meek and mild. It seems odd, then, to put it in the same list as seeking justice. Being kind, perhaps - that can be a quiet thing and it fits with our Jeremiah passage about not boasting – but when is the struggle for justice a quiet thing? Especially when the injustices we see are so widespread and blatant? Especially when there are so many powerful forces around us who are not on the same page? Doesn’t the fight for justice need self-confidence? Can we be self-confident and humble at the same time? How does that work?

When trying to understand Old Testament scriptures, especially when we want to apply them to today, I find that it can be helpful to look at what modern Jewish theologians have to say – and one of my favourites is Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. Here’s what he says:

“Humility — true humility — is one of the most expansive and life-enhancing of all virtues. It does not mean undervaluing yourself. It means valuing other people.”

“…humility is not thinking you are small. It is thinking that other people have greatness within them.”

These statements speak to me. They turn around my thinking that being humble means being self-effacing. It doesn’t mean diminishing our own strengths; it means trusting that those around us also have strengths – strengths we should also not diminish. 

Last Sunday, October 17, was marked as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.  It’s an observance that was declared by the United Nations General assembly in 1992 – and I am embarrassed to say that this year was the first time I was aware of it. Poverty, says the UN, is a violation of human rights – it’s an injustice. 

This year, the SOSA committee decided to make poverty the focus of this worship service, with particular emphasis on the concept of a GLI – a Guaranteed Liveable Income. This is a concept that the United Church of Canada is putting much effort and support towards, and one that members of SOSA have put much effort and study into. We know that this is a complicated issue – even a contentious one. We are not demanding – or even asking – that you put your support behind this on oursay-so. We are asking, however that you give it thoughtful consideration, that you take the time to read, to ask your questions, to listen to the stories - that you do the hard work – with open minds and hearts… and with that attitude of humility.

So, I am not going to preach to you this morning about the virtues, or the shortcomings, of GLI; this is the United Church, after all – a place where we proudly say, “You don’t have to leave your brain at the door”, a statement that also means that we encourage and expect you to use that brain in a way that both satisfies your intellect and moves you along the path that Jesus asks us to follow – a path where loving your neighbour as yourself is the key consideration, a path where we seeking justice and spreading kindness are how we show that love, and a path we walk with open hearts and minds, and the humble understanding that we don’t hold all the wisdom in the room. 

I am going to ask you to look at the injustice of poverty through that lens – to look at our present social programs that attempt to bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots and to consider ways of both improving the system and making it align with our calling as followers of the teachings of our Bible, both the prophets of the Hebrew scriptures and the example of Jesus.

I want to share a story with you, one that had a profound effect on my own thinking about poverty and how we deal with it in our society. It happened when I was doing a field placement with OWECC that involved being in the community houses of the subsidized housing areas we served, often on the days when the food banks were in operation. Over the year that I was doing this work, I had the opportunity to see several different food banks – at Pinecrest Terrace, Morrison Gardens, and the Parkdale Food Centre. I wasn’t involved directly in the food banks themselves but in building relationships with the folks who used them. Each food bank was unique in its approach and I was able to see the effect using a food bank had on the clients. I won’t go into all of the details this morning, but two of them used a system where clients took a number on arrival and “registered”, then waited for a worker to invite them to an upstairs office where they were told what they could have, according to their need as determined by an official formula. The worker then filled out a form that matched those needs with what food was available that day – with some choice given to the client where possible. The client then went back downstairs to wait till they were called for their turn in the basement where they handed over the list and a volunteer got the items for them. It was efficient. Then the client got to lug everything upstairs and carry it home. There was some great stuff in those bags, for sure. We are pretty good at donating food, after all – food that we feel is appropriate. People on both sides were usually kind and polite… My visit to the Parkdale Food Centre showed me something completely different. Clients arrived and rode an elevator to the basement where the food bank is housed. When they arrived, they stopped at a small office and gave their name. A worker punched it into the computer and a list was printed that showed their allotment – not by specific food items but by categories – 3 items from this category, 2 from that one, etc. Then they continued down the hall to a room with a big harvest table offering coffee, muffins or scones – sometimes soup and sandwiches – and a group of people chatting comfortably while they waited their turn to shop – yes shop. They were given a shopping cart and they walked the aisles of shelves that were organized by those categories on their sheet. A worker accompanied them to help if needed – reaching things, interpreting, or explaining the list or the items that were there. (one lady I know refers to this as having a “personal shopper”). When they got to the dairy section, everyone got a dozen eggs, a carton of milk, and butter. Around the corner from that was the produce section – laid out just the way we expect at the grocery store. At this point, the worker stood back and the shopper helped themselves to whatever they wanted – no restrictions on items or quantities. The same was true of a shelf of personal care items – toothbrushes, shampoo, menstrual products, diapers, deodorant…

Two very different approaches. Two very different ways of showing justice, kindness, and humility.  Two different systems for offering a helping hand to someone, both got the job done but one kept the client’s dignity intact and trusted them to choose what would best meet the needs of their family at this particular time, one that allowed for cultural choices, times of celebration where a cake mix and a bottle of pop might be called for, or specific dietary restrictions - with no questions asked, no explanation necessary.

All three food banks offered a generous and necessary service but I suspect you have already thought about which place you’d rather go. 

Being poor is expensive – not just emotionally, but in practical terms. It doesn’t allow you to take advantage of sales or bulk buying. It doesn’t give you the choice to “shop around”. It doesn’t give you the opportunity to put some money aside to get the things that will move you ahead – more schooling, transportation, a better place to live. Our social safety nets are wonderful; they allow for medical care, for assistance with housing and food security, for education – but they often come with many restrictions, restrictions that keep people from moving beyond needing them. Are there people who take advantage of those systems? We know there are. Will there be people who take advantage of a GLI? Yes, there will. But I encourage you to read the stories of how the pilot projects of Basic Income Guarantees changed the lives of so many. How not having to prove to the authorities and proclaim to the community that you need help kept dignity intact and gave both opportunity and enough self-confidence to get a job, or go back to school, to be a member of the community. 

Our readings from Micah and Jeremiah this morning ask us to do the work of justice and kindness with humility – the kind of humility that Rabbi Sacks talked about, the kind of humility that values others and honours their wisdom. The kind of humility that invites people into community rather than fortifying the walls that separate those on the margins from those on the inside.

So, on behalf of SOSA – and Micah, and Jeremiah, and Jesus, and all who are struggling to find justice – I ask you to read what the UCC has to say about GLI, to read the stories, ask the questions and have the discussions, to put aside ego and open yourself to the wisdom of others. Don’t be satisfied with what you’ve read on Facebook or heard on the street or even here this morning. Take the time to do the work – to seek justice, love kindness , and walk humbly with your God.

Amen.

Prayers of the People & the Lord’s Prayer:   Peggy Aitchison

―GLI prayer, Rev. Susan Eagle, Chair, Shining Waters Social and Ecological Justice Commission, with Barry Rieder, Jane Finch Community Ministry

God of all peoples,
Creator of a grand cosmos and tiny infants,
Source of nurture and creation,
you call us into relationship with each other. 

We remain in our own judgment
when we turn away from those of us who suffer
in the midst of affluence and pandemic
and the struggle to survive.

Open us to the cries of others 
and our hearts to your persuasive Spirit.
May we acknowledge the needs among us
and advocate for the fair distribution of resources.

May we learn the politics of justice and adequacy,
that we may act with justice,
love kindness, and move with humility.

Today we remember all who struggle to survive.
We specifically hold in our hearts
low-income racialized communities,
who have experienced the most challenges with COVID.

We pray for our political leaders,
that they act with compassion
as they are asked to give leadership
to implement a guaranteed livable income.

Remind us, Holy Wisdom, that through your love
we encounter in each person, friend, or stranger
Christ’s light and love in the world.

Grant that we may promote the justice and acceptance
that enables peace, a true shalom.
Help us to remember that we are one world and one family.

All this we ask in the name of Jesus and in these ancient words he taught his disciples:

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kin-dom come, thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses 
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kin-dom, the power and the glory, 
Forever and ever, Amen.

Invitation to Offer:         

We each come with our own special gifts and we come as a gifted congregation, marked by abundance. 

And so, we take this time to offer our gifts - our time, talents and treasures. 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, you’ve lit the way and we’ve noticed the need. We offer our gifts that they may, in turn, reflect your light and reveal your love. Amen.[1]

Sending Forth:  Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Go into the world with the courage and conviction to seek justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.

May the blessing of God, the giver of every good and perfect gift;

And of Christ, who summons us to service;

And of the Holy Spirit, who inspires generosity and love, 

Be with us all. Amen.

Hymn:   My Love Colours Outside the Lines          MV13

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.

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.

Refrain:

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.

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.

Refrain

Departing Music: Let Us Build a House        MV1

[1]Cheryl Stenson, Gathering A/C/E 2021 – 2022, p48. Used with permission.

Sunday school activities - October 24, 2021

This week we are celebrating SOSA Sunday - that stands for Service, Outreach, and Social Action. These are things that are very important to us at BCUC! Jesus’ life was an example of reaching out to helping others and of working hard to change things in our world that make life difficult or exclude people. These are the things we do to show that we love our neighbour.

Did you know there are people in our own community who struggle to buy enough food for their families? If your school has a breakfast programme or provides snacks, you will know that it is one way that the community reaches out to make sure every student has the nutrition they need for good learning.

Take a look at Rosie’s Story in the video below.

Discussion

Breakfast and snack programmes are offered to every student who wants to take part. You don’t have to “prove” that you need it. Why do you think this is important?

I wonder... if you have ever felt so hungry that you couldn’t concentrate at school.

I wonder... what you would do if you found out one of your friends or classmates was hungry.

I wonder... how our country or leaders could work together to make sure no child goes to school hungry.

Response Activity Ideas

Healthy Meals

Using grocery flyers, cut out foods for a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner for someone your age that would help them play hard and focus at school.  If you help with grocery shopping, maybe you could choose some of those items off the store shelves and put them in your cart, then drop off the items into the food bank bins on your way out of the store!  If not, perhaps you can add some items to your family grocery list for your grown-ups to buy and donate!

Wants vs. Needs

What’s the difference between things we need and things we want?

Make a T-chart of the things you NEED to live (shelter, clothing, etc) and things that you WANT or HAVE (such as ice cream, hockey skates) that make life better, but aren’t necessities.  How would you feel if you were without some of the things on the NEED list?  How would it change how you acted, worked, and played?

Older Children / Youth: Guaranteed Livable Income

Currently, a single adult in Ontario who needs support receives $733 dollars per month through social assistance.  This amount leaves a person below the poverty line and this money is only there for people who have no other options. Talk to your family about some of your household expenses – how far would $733 dollars a month go?  What would you prioritize?  

The idea of a ‘guaranteed livable income’ is to make sure everyone has something more like $1900 per month, which is more realistic to cover the cost of necessities like food, shelter, water, heat.  With this amount of money may be able to do more than just (barely) survive, and be able to contribute to the community in positive ways.  What difference would it make, do you think, if you knew at least your basic necessities were covered?

Find out more about about GLI at https://united-church.ca/social-action/act-now/create-guaranteed-livable-income-program

(Source: Sheridan-Jonah, Thea. “Racism, Poverty, and a Livable Income” 40 Days of Engagement on Anti-Racism accessed on Oct. 18, 2021. https://united-church.ca/sites/default/files/2021-10/antiracism-40_day08.pdf)

Sunday school activities - October 17, 2021

Theme Discussion

This little video will tell you about today’s scripture reading:

James and John were two of Jesus’ closest disciples. They wanted to be sure that they got the best seats in heaven – right beside Jesus – so that everyone would recognize how close they were to him. They wanted to be singled out as the closest friends of Jesus. They asked Jesus to promise them those seats. The other 10 disciples were pretty angry when they found out what James and John were up to! They all thought of themselves as Jesus’ BFF.

Well, Jesus not only tells them that he wasn’t in charge of assigning seats, but he tells them that sitting right beside him would also mean that they would have to live the way he did, do the work, and accept the suffering. They say they can handle that – but then he adds something interesting! He says that in order to be the leader, you have to be a servant.  It’s not all about getting what you want; it’s about being the kind of person people can rely on to help and to make sure that everyone else has what they need first.

The disciples wanted the power and the prestige that being right next to Jesus would bring – but Jesus reminded them that they had to give up a lot and work hard for others to earn that place at the head of the table.

Have you ever wished that something would just magically happen without your having to work for it? Maybe you wished for the highest marks in the class, or to be recruited to the NHL! We know these things take a lot of work and dedication – and that once you have them, then you are expected to continue to strive to be the best. Can you think of some other examples of this?

Who do you think makes the best leader - someone who pushes their way to the front of the line to make sure they get what they want, or someone who helps everyone in the line get what they need?

Have you ever made a “wish list”? Often these include gifts we want for our birthday or for Christmas. Try making a new kind of wish list that would make both you and others happy.

Response Activity Ideas

Helping Hands

Jesus told the disciples that people who work hard for others are the real winners!  What are some ways you could help others in your family and neighbourhood?

Trace your hand on coloured paper and cut out several times.  On each write or draw a job (clearing the table, taking out garbage, etc.), or a kind action (giving a hug, reading to someone, etc.) that you could do for someone else.

You could display your hands in your home by making a wreath or mobile out of them to remind you to look for ways to work for others.  Or maybe staple them together as coupon book to give to your family that they could cash in for your services!

Super Leaders!

Print out the super-hero template.  Inside the outline, write down (or draw) as many qualities or actions you can think of to describe the kind of leader Jesus is and calls to be.  Which of the ideas will you strive to be or do this week?

Outdoor option:  Have someone in your family lie down on your driveway in a ‘super-hero’ pose and trace around them with sidewalk chalk.  Inside the person-shape, write all your combined ideas about the qualities of the best leaders.

Older children/youth extension:  Compare your list of good leader traits to people in authority or power that you know (principals, elected government officials, public health leaders, CEOs in big corporations, etc).  In what ways do they live up to your ideals?  What kind of perks do they get from being ‘at the top’?  What are some challenges and responsibilities they face?  How would you feel if you were in their roles and how would you aspire to act?  

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Sunday Worship Service - October 17, 2021

 BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

21st SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
CELEBRATION OF BAPTISM

October 17, 2021

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

Gathering Music:  River MV3

(Words & Music: Julian Pattison, 2003)

1.       River, rush-a-down to the ocean blue,
          River from a mountain high.
          River, as you do what rivers do,
River, draw the Spirit nigh.

2.       Spirit, come-a-down to the river-side,
          Spirit, spark of wondrous thought.
          Spirit, I am free for you to guide,
          Spirit, pray that I be taught! 

3.       Water, let me drink of your healing pow’r,
Water, strength and life you give.
Water, as I travel with each hour.
Water, help my body live.

4.       River, flow-a-down where you ran before, River, source of clearer view.
          River, as I walk your rocky shore,
          River, see my journey through.
          See my journey through. (2x) 

Welcome & Centering for Worship     Rev. Kim. Vidal

Good day everyone! On behalf of BCUC, I welcome and greet you in the name of Jesus Christ on this 21st Sunday after Pentecost. Today, we are happy to welcome the families and friends of Jessica & Kory Thomas as we celebrate the baptism of their child, Makenzie Bertrand Thomas during the onsite service in the sanctuary. Wherever you are, whether you are joining us via online, or onsite, or even reading the printed text of the service in the comfort of your homes, we are glad that you have joined us today.

We continue worshipping in the sanctuary on Sunday mornings at 10 am with a maximum number of 50 people. Due to the Covid variants that continue to pause some health threats to the community, the Public Health recommends staying at home, but if you wish to attend the service, you are most welcome. As a faith community called to love and serve others, let us be mindful of the health protocols such as masking, social distancing, hand sanitizing and staying home if you feel unwell. It is also highly recommended to get vaccinated as one of the best precautionary measures to protect yourself and others.

During this time of pandemic, 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 including Sunday School resources for your children at bcuc.org to keep you informed and give you opportunities to respond.

Friends, at the font and at the table, in the church and in the world, in our tears and in our laughter, we meet Christ. Let us come as faithful people, centering ourselves in God as we worship together.

Lighting of the Christ Candle        Acolytes: Peck-Jones Family

Friends, as we light this Christ candle, remember the promise expressed by these words: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.” (Isaiah 43: 1-2)                                          

Call to Gather     Rev. Lorrie Lowes

(Bill Steadman, Gathering Pentecost 2-2018 Year B. Used with permission)

We come into this space,
prepared to celebrate the God of energy and truth,
aware of the needs of the world,
and open to the Spirit that leads us.
We trust in God to guide our journey.
God supports us as we seek to share life with others.

In words and in songs, in stories and in prayers,
in quiet times and happy times,
God is with us!

Opening Prayer

(Gord Dunbar, Gathering ACE 2016-2017 Year A. Used with permission)

Let us pray…
Holy God, you have fashioned and formed us in your image, calling us by name.
You fire in us a shining glaze that reflects your tender loving care.
We ask that you pour your love upon us, a refreshing, cleansing water
calling out all that is Christ in us, shining into our world.

Remind us in our gathering today that we are your beloved,
for we see your love reflected in ourselves and in one another.
In the name of God: Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, we pray. Amen.

Hymn:   Praise the Lord with the Sound of Trumpet VU 245

(Words & Music: Natalie Sleeth, 1975)

1 Praise the Lord with the sound of trumpet,
praise the Lord with the harp and lute,
praise the Lord with the gentle sounding flute.

Praise the Lord in the field and forest,
praise the Lord in the city square,
praise the Lord anytime and anywhere.

Praise the Lord in the wind and sunshine,
praise the Lord in the dark of night,
praise the Lord in the rain or snow

or in the morning light.

Praise the Lord in the deepest valley,
praise the Lord on the highest hill,
praise the Lord, never let your voice be still.

2 Praise the Lord with the crashing cymbal,
praise the Lord with the pipe and string,
praise the Lord with the joyful songs you sing.

Praise the Lord on a weekday morning,
praise the Lord on a Sunday noon,
praise the Lord by the light of sun or moon.

Praise the Lord in the time of sorrow,
praise the Lord in the time of joy,
praise the Lord every moment,

nothing let your praise destroy.

Praise the Lord in the peace and quiet,
praise the Lord in your work or play,
praise the Lord everywhere in every way!

Celebration of Baptism: Makenzie Bertrand Thomas

Parents: Jessica & Kory Thomas
Godparents: Cheryl Moore & Mark McCue

In our onsite worship service today, we welcome Makenzie Bertrand Thomas, child of Jessica and Kory Thomas. Today we welcome her into our church family through the sacrament of baptism. We also welcome the godparents, Cheryl Moore and Mark McCue. Let us offer our support, our prayers and our congratulations to Makenzie and her family on this momentous occasion.

Children’s Anthem:  Welcome to the Family of God (N. Sleeth)   CGS & Bell Canto    Directed by Erin Berard

Welcome! Welcome!
Welcome! Welcome!
Welcome to the fam’ly of God!
You’ve been washed in the water
and given a name;
Never again will you quite be the same!
So, Welcome! Welcome!
Welcome! Welcome!
Welcome to the fam’ly of God!
Welcome! Welcome!
Welcome! Welcome!
Welcome to the fam’ly of God!
You’ve been blessed by the Spirit and greeted with love
Chosen and claimed by the Lord up above!
So, Welcome! Welcome!
Welcome! Welcome!
Welcome to the fam’ly of God!

Storytime  Rev. Lorrie

When I was setting the table for our Thanksgiving dinner last weekend, I counted all the people who would be there – and we were 13! So, I put all the leaves in the table and figured out how to get that many of us around the table… I put 5 chairs on one side of the table, against the wall, and 6 on the other side where there was more room to pull your chair out, and one at each end. When I was just finishing, my grandsons came in and started choosing where they wanted to sit. This is a new house for all of us, so nobody has a “usual” seat.

What seat would you pick? Would you want to be on the wall side where there was more elbow room or on the other side where you could push your chair out if you wanted to leave the table? Or would you want to sit at one of the ends – at the head of the table? Which is the best seat?

In our Bible reading today, two of the disciples – James and John – come to Jesus with a request. They want to pick the best seats in heaven, one on each side of Jesus. They want to get their dibs in first and they want Jesus to promise them those best seats right now. And Jesus says, “Really? Are you sure you want those seats?” He understands that those places come with a lot of work and responsibility. They will have to be willing to face all the work and suffering that Jesus has to deal with – but they assure him that they are up for the challenge.

When the other disciples hear what James and John are trying to do, they aren’t very happy. What makes those two think they are so special? Well, Jesus tells them all that he can’t make that decision anyway and that the places of honour they imagine in heaven will be places that are earned, not just picked. To earn that special place, they will be expected to be servants to each other and the world. Leaders don’t just have privileges, they have huge responsibilities. If you want to be a leader, Jesus tells his friends, you have to be willing to put others ahead of you, to help them first. You don’t become a leader by pushing your way to the front, you become a leader because you make life better for the people around you.

Our Thanksgiving table worked out really well. In the end, the kids picked seats on the side with more chairs – because they know they are smaller and take up less space than the adults. They also were proud to be able to help clear the dishes and let the adults relax after dinner.

Everyone was comfortable and happy. I’m proud of those kids! Can you guess which seat I picked? The one right next to the kitchen! I think it’s the best place of all – and it was even better because I had three helpers!

Let’s finish with a prayer:

Loving God, sometimes we think we can ask you for anything and you will give it to us because we know you want us to be happy. But often you know better than we do what will be best.

Help us to think carefully about the wishes we have and the choices we make. Help us see that we are happiest when we make sure the people around us are happy too. Amen.

Hymn:    Let Us Build A House MV1

(Words & Music: Marty Haugen, 1994)

1        Let us build a house where love 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.

Prayer for Illumination  Reader: Jordan Berard

God of Wisdom, as we ponder on your Word, remind us again that we are your beloved children. Open us to receive your spirit of grace and inspire us to embrace your life-giving Word. Amen.

Gospel Reading:   Mark 10: 35-45 (NRSV)

The Request of James and John

35 James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 

36 And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” 

37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 

38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” 

39 They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; 

40 but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

41 When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. 

42 So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 

43 But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 

44 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. 

45 For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

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

Sermon:   “Who Wants to Sit Beside Jesus?”   Rev. Kim Vidal

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable to you, O God, our rock and our strength. Amen.

Let’s admit it! Seating arrangements can be at times frustrating, tricky or deceiving! How many of you have attended a wedding reception and did not enjoy every minute of it because you were seated with someone that you are not on good terms with? What about in a public gathering when someone asked you to move because you are sitting in a VIP seat? Or that time in a restaurant when you waited to be seated for more than 30 minutes because you were in a party of 2 and those in larger groups were seated first even if you were way ahead of them?

In high school, I always wanted to sit in the front row so I could listen well to the teacher. But I also had a selfish motive behind this. I would like the teacher to notice how attentive I was so if I ask a question she would at least remember me and perhaps give me a good mark. On one particular day, the class was preparing for project presentations. One classmate asked if she could switch seats with me because she was a bit nervous and sitting in front will give her enough confidence. I told her I was in the same boat with her and I don’t want to be called first. I managed to convince her to stay where she was. With assurance, I told her not to worry because I felt that the presenters would be called by their last names in alphabetical order as that was the usual practice. My classmate’s last name is M and mine is V so that would have given us enough time to muster our confidence when it was our turn to speak. To my surprise, the teacher announced that the presentations will be done row by row beginning with those sitting in the front row. My assumptions were totally wrong. To add to my consternation, I was called first. That did not sit well with me and I was not able to deliver my presentation with confidence. A lesson learned.

“Be careful what you wish for.” How many times have we heard this aphorism? Singer 
songwriter Luke Combs wrote a song with the same title and this is what he said:

“…sometimes things are not what you think they're going to be. What you want is not always what you need…Sometimes what you think you'll find. It is not quite what real life has in store
So be careful what you wish for.”

In our Gospel story today, brothers James and John made a peculiar request to Jesus. Known as the Greek word “boanerges” meaning “sons of thunder”, the brothers were outspoken, hot-tempered and were not shy to ask or tell Jesus or anyone else what they want. They were the ones who asked Jesus, in another story, to rain down fire on those people who refused to offer Jesus and the disciples hospitality. But there’s another side of their upbringing as to why they are so assertive. James and John came from a more affluent family than Simon and Andrew and the rest of the other disciples. Their father Zebedee, owned a fishing business with large fishing boats and employed many people. They must have received whatever they have asked from their wealthy parents. They felt they were entitled to be treated differently from the other disciples.  After all, didn’t they follow Jesus and left a life of comfort behind? Why wouldn’t they expect a little something in return on the day when their leader moves up on top? They were counting on Jesus to be a winner not a loser. They followed Jesus and had seen him in action – teaching, healing the sick, socializing and doing some extraordinary things - someone who will bring down the Roman oppressors and liberate the people from their impoverished state. They truly believed that Jesus was a winner and being on the good side of the winner makes them winners too! 

James and John approached Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” Whatever we ask! We have words for this attitude: demanding? high maintenance? arrogance? “We’re entitled to something here, Jesus.  After all, we’ve sacrificed a lot to be your disciples.” The request sounds a bit like children asking their mom or dad to promise to give their request or their wish without even telling them first what it is. “Please swear on your heart that you’ll do this for me!” This way of asking is almost always part of our prayers. “Oh, God, please give me this and give me that. I am counting on your answering this prayer of mine because I deserve it.” Ever requested or prayed for one like this before?  Well, Jesus, being how good and considerate he was, listened to the brothers’ request but Jesus did not make any promises. Neither did he reprimand them – something he is quite capable of doing at other times. He simply listens to their question, and responds with a question, “What is it that you want me to do for you?” How may I be of service to you? 

Without mincing their words, James and John say: “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” “Glory” isn’t a word we use much these days.  It sounds very churchy and sacred.  But let’s face it: we do have our modern version of glory in this day and age. Prestige, fame, entitlement, privilege, distinction, success, honour, pride. James and John do not only want to get the best seat with Jesus but they want to retire as privileged disciples of Jesus. In fact, they don’t simply want this honour; they’re convinced that they deserve them. That they’re entitled to them. So what’s the big deal about sitting at the right and left of Jesus? It was customary in Jesus’ time, when gathering for a dinner or a feast, for example, to have the places of honour assigned to the VIP’s – the very important people. The most coveted positions were at the right or the left hand-side of the host. Those seats were reserved for those representing people with power. 

Jesus replied with disbelief at their request, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” Jesus was actually telling them, “I am going to suffer a great deal, I don’t think this is the joyride you’re expecting. Are you willing to drink the cup – to experience tremendous challenges and hardships and be baptized with the baptism of rocky road and service? Do you still want to follow me?” Impulsively, the brothers replied, “Yes, we are able!” This may be a call to all of us. How much do we say “I am able” when really, we are not? Not because of our own limitations or inabilities. But because what is being asked of us is not who we are and should be. James and John and perhaps the rest of the disciples do not understand who Jesus is or what his whole mission is about. Jesus did not come to be a powerful ruler but to be a servant-leader.

The word that is translated as follow in most instances in the Gospel is rooted in the Greek word for "road." To follow Jesus, to claim a place in the reign of God, is to be on the road, journeying with the rest of humanity, embracing what may happen along that road. To follow Jesus, first and foremost, is not merely to secure a glorious seat. To drink the cup and to be baptized by the same spirit as Jesus is to be on the road, encountering life in movement and motion, rather than anticipating a stationary life seated at the right or left of some royal throne. To drink the cup and to be baptized is to feast at a table of grace; and this life is a life far more concerned with giving than with keeping, a life more attuned to sharing than possessing, more committed to caring than indulging. To live this life, one must be prepared for living, a life of service. Out of this service, a spirit of servant leadership emerges. Leadership comes through those who are prepared, not to dominate, but to serve and even to suffer at the side of Jesus. Jesus is saying not only to James and John but to all of us – “If you will be my followers, prepare to serve with love because that is what your faith is about.”

We may be angry at James and John’s request like the other 10 disciples.  But on a more positive side, I think the two brothers placed their full trust in Jesus.  Debie Thomas writes: “James and John cling to the belief that Jesus will win in the end.  They put their trust in him — his word, his love, his leadership, his faith.  Given what they’ve seen, heard, and experienced, they can’t conceive of a meaningful future apart from their Teacher.  Their personal hopes and dreams —imperfect though they might be — are rooted in Jesus… Jesus tells his disciples that true greatness is not found in climbing to the top and exercising power over others. Rather, true greatness, true leadership is found in serving and loving others.”

Today we have witnessed the baptism of Makenzie. We have committed to nurturing her, supporting her and her family to live a life of love and justice. Remind yourself that our true worth lies in our relationships: with God, with each other, the whole of creation and how we treat one another. When we treat the other with value and dignity, loving each other, encouraging each other, recognizing each other’s gifts, and helping each other live out our individual callings in the world… when we are free of the desperate need to “be on top,” free of our fear, that we find our self-worth and real selves.

Do you want to sit beside Jesus?  Then prepare yourself for a life of service and love.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Sources: The BCUC Lectionary Group
Joseph S. Pagano, “Winners and Losers”, October 17, 2021, Sermons That Work website.
Kathleen L. Wakefield, “How We Want” October 19, 2003 Sermons That Work website.
Debie Thomas, What Glory Looks Like, 14 October 2018. Journey with Jesus. net

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

Holy One, we give you thanks today for the blessing of welcoming a young child into our faith family, for the joy of hearing a little one’s voice in this place after so many months of pandemic restrictions. We miss the sounds of children in this place. We miss seeing familiar faces, raising our voices in song, and gathering together for fellowship. Give us the patience and the wisdom we need to see this dark time through.

Open our senses to the many blessings that surround us at this time of year – the changing colours, the bountiful harvest, the busy-ness of birds, animals, and people as we all begin to prepare for the winter ahead. Thank you for the rhythms of life that remind us that life is still abundant, constant, and hopeful, even in times of ongoing restrictions.

We pray for those in our faith family who are facing difficulties due to illness, isolation, insecurity, and grief. May they continue to feel your presence and our love. May these be the lights on their paths to comfort and healing.

We pray for all those in our home communities, especially those dealing with struggles we cannot see. We pray for our neighbouring communities of faith, our friends at Christ Church, St. Martin de Porres, and the Jami Omar mosque. Help us in our common work toward making the world a better place for all.

We pray for our leaders, municipal, provincial, and federal and for leaders around the globe. Give them the wisdom to see responsibility of the privilege and power they possess so that they are used for the common good rather than personal gain. May we all learn to align our wishes and wants with the dream of your kin-dom on earth.

Source of gratitude, love, and hope, hear the joys and concerns we express aloud and the ones we hold silently in our hearts as we recite together the words that Jesus shared with his followers so long ago…

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kin-dom come, thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kin-dom, the power and the glory,
Forever and ever, Amen.

Invitation to Offer        Rev. Kim

On a morning like this, when we celebrate the blessing of a new baby and the joy of baptism, we are reminded to share our many blessings with others. And so, we take this time to offer our gifts of time, talents and treasures. 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

(Glad Faith Klassen, Gathering, Pentecost 1, 2021 Year B. Used with permission)

God our Creator, giver of all good and perfect gifts, we bring our praise for who you are, the one who is and was and is to come. You continue the work of creating, of giving and forgiving, and we give thanks for it all, embracing your grace and love. Help us on our journey to live the mystery of being born of water and spirit. Be patient with us as we learn to embrace your grace and extend it to others. We offer up to you all we are, all we have, and all we are becoming, in the name of Jesus, our perfect example. Amen.

Sending Forth  Rev. Kim

(Inspired by the prayers of David Sparks and Beth Johnson, Gathering 2016-17. Used with permission)

People of God,
We have listened, we have shared.
We have sung, we have prayed,
We welcomed a new child and her family.
We have been about God’s work.
Go forth from this holy place with hope.
Christ will be recognized among family,
friends and strangers.
Go forth as God’s baptized people,
knowing that the refreshing waters
will sustain you in your journey. Amen.

Hymn:   Would You Bless Our Homes and Families VU 556

(Words: Walter Farquharson, 1974; Music: Ron Klusmeier, 1974)

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: I Have Called You by Your Name MV 161

(Words & Music: Daniel Charles Damon, 1995)

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

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

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

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

Monthly Zoom Fellowship – 11 am

Sunday Worship Service - October 10, 2021

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

CREATION TIME 5 / THANKSGIVING SUNDAY

ALL-AGES WORSHIP SERVICE

October 10, 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:  Touch the Earth Lightly VU 307

(Words: Shirley Erena Murray, 1991; Music: Colin Gibson, 1991)

1 Touch the earth lightly, use the earth gently,
nourish the life of the world in our care;
gift of great wonder, ours to surrender,
trust for the children tomorrow will bear.  

2 We who endanger, who create hunger,
agents of death for all creatures that live,
we who would foster clouds of disaster,
God of our planet, forestall and forgive!  

3 Let there be greening, birth from the burning,
water that blesses and air that is sweet,
health in God’s garden, hope in God’s children,
regeneration that peace will complete.  

4 God of all living, God of all loving,
God of the seedling, the snow and the sun,
Teach us, deflect us, Christ reconnect us,
Using us gently and making us one. 

Welcome & Centering for Worship   Rev. Kim Vidal

Good day everyone! On behalf of BCUC, I welcome and greet you in the name of Jesus Christ on this Fifth Sunday of Creation Time in the Season of Pentecost. Today, we are celebrating Thanksgiving Sunday. Wherever you are, whether you are joining us via online, or onsite, or even reading the printed text of the service in the comfort of your homes, we are glad that you have joined us today.

We continue worshipping in the sanctuary on Sunday mornings at 10 am with a maximum number of 50 people. Due to the Covid variants that continue to pause some health threats to the community, the Public Health recommends staying at home, but if you wish to attend the service, you are most welcome. As a faith community called to love and serve others, let us be mindful of the health protocols such as masking, social distancing, hand sanitizing and staying home if you feel unwell. It is also highly recommended to get vaccinated as one of the best precautionary measures to protect yourself and others.

During this time of pandemic, 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 including Sunday School resources for your children at bcuc.org to keep you informed and give you opportunities to respond.

Friends, on this Thanksgiving Sunday, we come with grateful hearts, not just for all the blessings that we have received, but for who God is within us. We gather now in worship to show our gratitude in song, in word and in prayer.

Lighting of the Christ Candle    Acolytes: Amelia & Georgia Baynes

The Light of Christ brings hope.
It is the Light of Life and Love.
A beacon of Creation fire.
Let us give thanks for the Light
That shines for all of us!

Call to Gather[1]       Rev. Lorrie Lowes        

We gather this morning to celebrate the Harvest Home!
We are surrounded by the beauty and bounty of the earth.
We gather with hearts filled with gratitude as our senses take in all that we’ve received;
the warm embrace of our church family;
the sight of produce fresh from garden, orchard and field;
the aroma of roast turkey and fresh baked pumpkin pie;
the sound of wild geese overhead and the crush of leaves beneath our feet;
the expectation of a feast awaits us.
For the bountiful blessings, in praise and thanksgiving,
Let us gather as friends and neighbours. 

Embodied Echo Prayer [2]    Berard Family

Please repeat after me…                        

Holy God,
you were with us when we were born,
you are with us as we grow,
you are with us when we hurt,
you are with us when we are whole.
Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!
Would you help us to see?
Would you help us to hear?
Would you help us to love?
So we might change ourselves.
So we might change the world! Amen.

Hymn:     This is the Day that God Has Made  MV 122 (English & French)

(Words & Music: Bruce Harding, 2003; French trans. David Fines, 2005)

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

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

Repeat 1

Storytime  Rev. Lorrie

“The Secret of Saying Thanks” written by Douglas Wood and illustrated by Greg Shed, Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York, 2005.

From the cover flap:

“Perhaps you’d like to know a secret, one of the happiest ones of all. You will surely find it for yourself one day. You’ll discover it all on your own, maybe when you least expect it. If you’ve not yet discovered the secret of saying thanks, it’s waiting for you. The secret can be found in the sunrise that offers promises for the day ahead, or in the gentle shade of a tree sheltering you from the hot rays of the sun, or on the rock that offers rest from a long walk. In the inspirational text that made him a bestselling, internationally acclaimed author, Douglas Wood offers a spiritual homage to nature, home, and family. Greg Shed’s stunning portraits of the natural world tenderly portray all of the many ways in which we can say thanks for the wonders we sometimes take for granted in life.”

Here is the secret if you’ve not already guessed it…

“The heart that gives thanks is a happy one, for we cannot feel thankful and unhappy at the same time… We don’t give thanks because we’re happy. We are happy because we give thanks.”

Hymn:  Ev’ry Day is a Day of Thanksgiving MV 185

(Words & Music: Leonard Burks)

Ev’ry day is a day of thanksgiving, God,
you’ve been so good to me.
Ev’ry day you’re blessing me.
Ev’ry day is a day of thanksgiving.
I will glorify you, O my Lord, today!

                              Repeat 

You keep blessing me, blessing me, blessing me.
You opened the door that I might see,
you’re blessing me.
And you keep blessing me, blessing me, blessing me.
I will glorify you, O my Lord, today!         

Prayer for Illumination[3] Reader: Ruth Howes       

Without the guidance of your Spirit, O God,
your Word would be mere words on a page, tales of long ago.
Inspire our hearing and quicken our faith,
so that your Word may become a message from you.  Amen.            

The Gospel Reading: Matthew 6:25-33 (NRSV)

Do Not Worry

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?  

28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 

29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 

30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 

31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 

32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 

33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

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

Sermon:   “Thanks-Giving, Thanks-Living!”  Rev. Kim

Gracious God, thank you for the gift of your Word being opened to us in our hearing today. As we reflect on your Word, open our hearts and our minds to listen to them with understanding. Amen.

In an anxious-driven, worry-wart world, we are sometimes comforted by popular songs that make us shun away from the worries of the day.  In the movie Lion King, for instance, there is a song called Hakuna Matata, which literally means “do not worry for the rest of your days!” Another song called “Don’t Worry Be Happy” popularized by Bob McFerrin in the late ‘80s has a light-hearted fun to it which makes the song unforgettable. “Don't worry. Be happy. Cause when you worry your face will frown, and that will bring everybody down.” 

While it’s true that these songs do not exactly convey the same sentiment that Jesus expresses in today’s gospel reading, they offer us a kind of wisdom that life is much brighter when we stop worrying and get on with life. I think we can all agree that everyone is worried about something. The sad truth is – there are still millions in the world, particularly those in third world countries who live below poverty line. They worry about the basic necessities of life – food, shelter, clothing, safety, health, education.

In Canada where we live, we may not worry so much about what we will eat or wear, as many did in Jesus' time. The first century Jewish people were under an oppressive regime that condoned poverty, illiteracy and social injustices - a society where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The poor peasants worry about the next food on the table or clothes to protect them from the harsh scorching sun or to keep them warm at cold nights. The rich worry about their lands and animals and whatever property they own. Will the Roman rulers seize their properties if they could not pay their taxes? Will they be killed for fighting for their rights? Were they risking their lives when they follow the Rabbi Jesus?

Today, we may have different worries from those of Jesus’ time, but we worry all the same. I once read an article as to what an average person's anxiety is focused on. Results show that 40% are about things that will never happen; 30% -- about things in the past that can't be changed; 12% -- about criticisms by others, mostly untrue; 10% -- about health, which gets worse with stress; and 8% -- about real problems that will be faced.

We worry about the COVID pandemic.  When will this pandemic ease up on us? We worry about our health and those we love. What will the test results show? When will I get better? Will I make it to retirement, to see my children's children, or even another year on this earth? We worry about relationships. We worry about what people think about us. Will they like me or hate me? Will they remember me? Will I fit in the circle? I often observe that parents, love to worry about their children. Will they be safe, successful, and financially stable? Will they get into the right school, get the right job, marry the right person (and stay married)? Will they have children and will those children ever learn to behave? Will our kids keep the faith, go to church and treasure the values we raised them with, or will they go their own way? Some of us are worried about getting old and being fragile.

We worry about ongoing wars, or political upheavals in the world – of terrorism and the threats of those who would harm Canadians abroad or at home. We worry about natural disasters that disturb our quiet stability or even take the lives of people.

Some of us worry about our congregation – how we will get everything done around here in this pandemic time with finances tight and expenses getting higher? And some of us might even worry about our faith in God. Will God continue to be present in my life despite my shortcomings? Will I have to answer for those unpleasant things I have done or unkind words that I said?

Yes, we could go on and on about our worries and they never seem to end. Worry comes in many flavours, shapes and sizes. And sometimes we make the mistake of masking them by saying “Oh, I'm not worried, I'm just concerned”. Sometimes we tend to rationalize things in order to justify our anxious state. Here is where worrying would take its toll. If we allow the worries in this life to take charge of us, we would not have time for anything else. Life can be stressful and may not be worry-free, but I believe there is a better alternative than unwarranted worrying. How many of us realize that worrying leads to fruitless results and wasteful use of time and energy? Walter Kelly writes: “Worry is faith in the negative, trust in the unpleasant, assurance of disaster and belief in defeat...worry is wasting today's time to clutter up tomorrow's opportunities with yesterday's troubles.”

Jesus asked the same question: “And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?” I think Jesus is trying to point us to the heart of the question of worry. Do we trust God? Do we trust God to provide for our daily needs? Do we trust God to hold us in times of uncertainties and seemingly hopeless situations? Do we rely on God’s grace to journey with us through life?

In order to understand his argument why we should not worry, Jesus points us to nature and uses two examples: the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. What we see when we look at the birds is not a lesson on laziness or waiting for their food to come. They still dig their worms and hunt for bugs and pad their nests with twigs and leaves. They fly from yards to forests, finding seeds from bird feeders, or from trees or from the earth. But Matthew’s Jesus says it is God that feeds them. It is God that provides for their needs. Birds are birds and yet they go about their work not worrying when the sun comes up tomorrow. Look at the lilies of the field; which have no will of their own to labour and spin, they don’t lie awake at night fretting over which pair of slacks would go best with a red sweater. Again, Jesus claims God takes care of them. If God delights in adorning grass like lilies, that's here today and gone tomorrow, then surely God will look after our human needs.

What then should we do when worries attack us? Should we just sit down and do nothing? Some of us understand this text as an excuse for taking little or no responsibility for one’s life, that we should just completely trust God to provide everything we need as we sit tight and become idle. Yet, as one Bible commentator notes, the challenge to trust in God does “not exclude working and having property. The words are directed to people involved with sowing, reaping, storing in barns, toiling, and spinning, but who are called to see that their life is not obsessed with these things.” (from The New Interpreter’s Bible). Our culture is anxiety-driven, it keeps people consuming, it keeps us busy, competitive, grasping at too much power, and to sustain in our belief system that having control and wealth makes one successful in life. With these weighing on our hearts and minds, our priorities can lead to further anxieties about whether we will have enough or be enough. It follows that the more worried we are, the less loving we can be; and the less loving we are, the less satisfied and thankful we’ll be for what we already have and who we already are. Jesus is teaching us to move away from obsessions that create and sustain chronic acute worrying. 

We are not birds or lilies. We are God’s human family. The birds and lilies have taught us that God can be counted on to provide for us and does so abundantly. Through God’s grace, we are given daily bread, roof over our heads, not to mention family and friends, fresh air, the warmth of the sun, land, animals and all of creation. I believe that God uses others and human situations to lead us to opportunities in making our lives far better and enriching; providing comfort when we are scared. God enters our lives though others with inspirational nudges, with power to cope, with the will to make wise choices and with comforting and healing grace. 

On this Thanksgiving Sunday, let this prayer inspire us: “I thank you, God, for waking me up this morning.”  Waking up to a new day provides us with new possibilities and adventures, for giving thanks and for living a life of gratitude. When we give thanks and live thanks, we trust that even in the wilderness, there is a wellspring of fresh water and bread for the journey. St. Brigid, who embodied the Divine Feminine in Celtic spirituality, teaches us that gratitude is grounded in appreciation and sharing.  Our abundance does not fully belong to us; it is intended to uplift the vulnerable in our midst and delight the spirit of those whom we encounter, sharing our abundance in response to the abundance we receive.  In the world St. Brigid imagines, everyone has enough because everyone is willing to share with their neighbour. This is the lesson that Jesus taught his followers to rely on God’s providence, not to worry, but to have a grateful heart. “Being thankful makes sense”, says Melody Beattie. “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.”

“Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Instead of worrying, let us give thanks instead. Give thanks and live thanks! Live faithfully. Trust in God.  Let me close with this prayer written by St. Brigid: 

“I should like a lake of finest ale, for the king of kings. I should like a table of the choicest food, for the family of heaven. Let the ale be made from the fruits of the earth, And the food be forgiving love. I should welcome the poor to my feast, for they are God’s children. I should welcome the sick to my feast, for they are God’s joy. Let the poor sit with Jesus at the highest place. And the sick dance with the angels. God bless the poor, God bless the sick, And bless our human race. God bless our food, God bless our drink, all homes, O God, embrace.” Amen.

A Prayer of Thanksgiving & the Lord’s Prayer: “Choose Thanks”[4] Rev. Kim

God, there are days we do not feel grateful.
When we are anxious or angry. When we feel alone.
When we do not understand what is happening in the world or with our neighbors.
When the news is bleak, confusing. God, we struggle to feel grateful.
But this Thanksgiving, we choose gratitude.

We choose to accept life as a gift from you,
and as a gift from the unfolding work of all creation.
We choose to be grateful for the earth from which our food comes;
for the water that gives life; and for the air we all breathe.

We choose to thank our ancestors, those who came before us,
grateful for their stories and struggles,
and we receive their wisdom as a continuing gift for today.

We choose to see our families and friends with new eyes,
appreciating and accepting them for who they are.
We are thankful for our homes, whether humble or grand.

We will be grateful for our neighbours, no matter how they voted,
whatever our differences, or how much we feel hurt or misunderstood by them.

We choose to see the whole planet as our shared commons,
the stage of the future of humankind and creation.

God, this Thanksgiving, we do not give thanks.
We choose it. We will make this choice of thanks with courageous hearts,
knowing that it is humbling to say “thank you.”

We choose to see your sacred generosity,
aware that we live in an infinite circle of gratitude.
That we all are guests at a hospitable table around
which gifts are passed and received.

We will not let anything opposed to love take over this table.
Instead, we choose grace, free and unmerited love,
the giftedness of life everywhere.
In this choosing, and in the making, we will pass gratitude onto the world.
We choose thanks. Amen.

We ask this prayer of thanksgiving in the name of Jesus Christ who gave thanks and lived thanks and taught his disciples 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

In this season of harvest and plenty when we are grateful for God’s amazing bounty, we are called to share the gifts we have been given with others. Time, talents, and treasures are all wonderful ways to further the mission of this church and the building of God’s kin-dom in the world. 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

Fill us with gratitude, O God. From you, all blessings flow.
To you, all gratitude shall return. Empower us, as a gracious people,
overflowing with compassion and love, to shape our lives and the world for good. Amen. 

Sending Forth[5]    Rev. Lorrie

Let us leave this time and place of worship
remembering God’s goodness to us:
a goodness known in Creation, in relationships.
Let us commit ourselves to lives of thanksgiving and thanks-living,
remembering that when we are simply grateful, life is simply great!
Let us go now with smiles on our faces,
with joy in our hearts,
with purpose and in kindness,
To be God’s people in all the places life calls us to be.
May you go forth in peace. Amen 

Hymn:  Sing to the Lord of Harvest VU 519

(Words: John Samuel Bewley Monsell,1866; Music: Johann Steurlein, 1575, harm. Healey Willan, 1958)

1 Sing to the Lord of harvest, 
sing songs of love and praise, 
with joyful hearts and voices 
your hallelujahs raise;
by whom the rolling seasons 
in fruitful order move; 
sing to the Lord of harvest 
a joyous song of love. 

2 God makes the clouds drop fatness, 
the deserts bloom and spring,
the hills leap up in gladness, 
the valleys laugh and sing. 
God fills them all with fullness, 
all things with large increase; 
and crowns the year with goodness, 
with plenty and with peace. 

3 Bring to this sacred altar 
all things God's goodness gave, 
the golden sheaves of harvest, 
the souls Christ died to save:
your hearts lay down before him 
when at his feet you fall, 
and with your lives adore him 
who gave his life for all.

Departing Music:    Great is the Lord (Michael W. Smith)

Monthly Zoom Fellowship – No Zoom meeting today. Join us on October 17, 2021 at 11 am.

[1] Phil Hobbs, Gathering, Pentecost 2, 2016.

[2] Whole People of God, October 4, 2015.

[3] Inspired by the prayer of Beth W. Johnson, Gathering, Pentecost 2, Year C, 2013, Used with permission.

[4] Diana Butler Bass

[5] Bob Root, Gathering, Pentecost 2, 2018. Used with permission.

Sunday school activities - October 10, 2021

Theme discussion

Today we are celebrating Thanksgiving! We folks here at BCUC sure have many things to be thankful for, don’t we? Strange as it may seem though, when things are going well in our lives, we often forget to give thanks. Thanksgiving is a day to remind us of all the wonderful things that are in our lives.

The story we read in the Time for the Young at Heart today, “The Secret of Saying Thanks” reminds us that we are surrounded by many things to be thankful for every day – in nature, and in the people who love us – things we often take for granted. It’s a reminder to look for those things that make us feel comfortable and loved and happy.

The ‘secret’ that this story shares with us is this:

“The heart that gives thanks is a happy one, for we cannot feel thankful and unhappy at the same time… We don’t give thanks because we’re happy. We are happy because we give thanks.”

How can you use this secret to make you feel happy, even when you’re having a hard day?

The examples given in the book don’t talk about new toys, or nice clothes, or big parties. They are things that are around us every single day: sunshine, flowers and trees, rocks and hills, birds and animals, the moon and stars, the people who love us…

Today when you celebrate the things you are thankful for, take a look around you at the wonderful things that are there for you every day. Take a moment to say “thank you” to those things. This is what makes Thanksgiving Day special. It reminds us of the secret:

“We don’t give thanks because we’re happy. We are happy because we give thanks.”

Response Activity Ideas

Thankful Yoga

This activity from kidsyogastories.com matches up key lines from the story “The Secret of Saying Thanks” to a yoga pose.  Read the ‘story line’ in the first column, then try the pose described and illustrated in the other two columns.  Breathe deeply and focus your mind on being grateful for God’s gifts and the sense of happiness these thoughts bring.

Click to print PDF (5 pages)

Daily Gratitude

Does your family have a special time each day to practice an attitude of gratitude?  Some people do this around the dinner table, others before bed. Today, make a plan to build a time for gratitude into your family’s routine.  It doesn’t have to be complicated, but it’s great to have a plan or routine so you can keep it up! 

Some ideas:

• Hang a white board in a prominent place and encourage each family member to write down something they’re thankful for sometime during the day.  Read them together before bedtime!

• Good, Great, Wow! - When you’re getting tucked into bed, think of something good, something great, and something fantastic (wow!) that happened that day. Grown-ups could share, too!  This helps keep looking for the positives even on not-so-great days.

• As a table grace before dinner, have everyone contribute something they feel grateful for that day.

• Gratitude journal - Get a little notebook for each member of the family (or one shared book), and make a plan to pause for 5 minutes together each day and record 3 things you’re thankful for.

Gratitude Tree Craft

Check out this brief video and make your own tree for Thanksgiving.

Materials: small branch, vase, construction paper, scissors, writing tools, hole punch, string (alternatively, use real leaves that aren’t too dry and brittle, and write on them with Sharpies)

Sunday Worship Service - October 3, 2021

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY / AGAPE MEAL (COMMUNION)

October 3, 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: There’s A Spirit in the Air   VU 582

(Words: Brian Wren, 1969; Music: John Wilson, 1969)

1 There's a spirit in the air,
telling Christians everywhere:
"Praise the love that Christ revealed,
living, working in our world."

2 Lose your shyness, find your tongue,
tell the world what God has done:
God in Christ has come to stay.
Live tomorrow's life today!

3 When believers break the bread,
when a hungry child is fed,
praise the love that Christ revealed,
living, working, in our world.

4 Still the Spirit gives us light,
seeing wrong and setting right:
God in Christ has come to stay.
Live tomorrow's life today!

5 When a stranger's not alone,
where the homeless find a home,
praise the love that Christ revealed,
living, working, in our world.

6 May the Spirit fill our praise,
guide our thoughts and change our ways.
God in Christ has come to stay,
live tomorrow's life today!

Acknowledgement of Territory         Rev. Lorrie Lowes

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 & Announcements         Rev. Kim Vidal

Good day everyone! On behalf of BCUC, I welcome and greet you in the name of Jesus Christ on this Fourth Sunday of Creation Time in the Season of Pentecost. Today, we are celebrating World Communion Sunday with an Agape Meal. Wherever you are, whether you are joining us via online, or onsite, or even reading the printed text of the service in the comfort of your homes, we are glad that you have joined us today.

We continue worshipping in the sanctuary on Sunday mornings at 10 am with a maximum number of 50 people. Due to the Covid variants that continue to pause some health threats to the community, the Public Health recommends staying at home, but if you wish to attend the service, you are most welcome. As a faith community called to love and serve others, let us be mindful of the health protocols such as masking, social distancing, hand sanitizing and staying home if you feel unwell. It is also highly recommended to get vaccinated as one of the best precautionary measures to protect yourself and others.

During this time of pandemic, 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 including Sunday School resources for your children at bcuc.org to keep you informed and give you opportunities to respond.

Friends, on this World Communion Sunday, as we gather around the table of grace and partake the bread and the cup, may God the Creator nourish us by the sacrament of a welcoming and inclusive love.  Let us now gather in worship.

Lighting of the Christ Candle              Acolytes: Kim Family

We light this candle to remind us of God’s love and light, and that the Risen Christ is always with us. As we gather for communion, let us be reminded of these words from the Apostle Paul: “Let no one deceive you with empty words. For once you were like night, but now in Christ you are light. Love as children of light- for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true.” (Ephesians 5:8-10)

*Call to Gather & Opening Prayer              Rev. Lorrie Lowes

(Inspired by the prayer of Kate Crawford, Gathering, Pentecost 2, Year A, 2014. Use with Permission.)

In the presence of loaves and drink on our table,
and in the company of all the saints in the world,
we gather in this sacred place to prepare an earthly feast.
Yeast and flour and oil combine, freshly pressed wine,
like hope and love and joy.
The bread of faith rises in our midst.
The cup of grace touches us with hope.
God calls us to come and dine this day
with our brothers and sisters of the global village.
We come and dine in the presence of God whose Spirit ministers to us. 

Let us pray:
Loving God, as we gather to share bread around this table,
we pause to remember other tables, other times, other hands.
We come remembering the taste of bread and wine.
We come acknowledging the freedom of forgiveness and the strength of your presence.
Gather us in to be your people: in love, in faith, in service. Amen.

Hymn:   Come In, Come In, and Sit Down   VU395

(Words & Music: James K. Manley, 1984)

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

Storytime      Rev. Lorrie

Welcome, everybody!

I know that Rev. Kim already welcomed everyone to this morning’s worship service – but I want to make sure that you know that message of “Welcome!” was meant especially for you… yes, you! Each and every one of you.

I really miss seeing you all in person on Sunday morning. I miss saying good morning to each of you as you arrive with your families or walk past my office door. Saying it on a video just isn’t the same as when I see you in person. I miss you soooo much! But, we have to keep each other safe until this pandemic is over, and that means our welcomes can’t include hugs, even our smiles are hidden behind masks. A video is about the closest thing I can offer you for now. So, “WELCOME!!!” and I hope you feel all the love and excitement I am trying to put into that word.

I’ve been thinking about that word, “welcome” this week. You see it on welcome mats at people’s front doors. You see it on signs as you enter a new town or city. I’m not sure that’s the kind of welcome I’m trying to send to you though… It’s missing something… and, know what? I think our Bible story gives us a hint about that missing piece!

It’s a story you are familiar with – one I usually read at baptisms. The disciples are trying to keep the children from bothering Jesus and when he notices this, he tells them “No, don’t stop them! Let them come to me.” And then it says, “he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.” He didn’t say, come over here kids and sit quietly while I talk to the grown-ups. “He took them up in his arms.”

When I read that last part, I picture Jesus crouching down with his arms wide open and a big smile on his face. He wouldn’t even have to say the word “Welcome!” It’s the kind of welcome you get from your grandma when you knock on her door. It’s the kind of welcome that says, “I love you so much!”

That’s the kind of welcome I want to give each and every one of you this morning. And I think that’s the kind of welcome God wants to give us every day. So, next time you say a prayer, I hope you picture God with arms wide open, ready to scoop you up in love.

Now, when Grandma or Grandpa opens up their arms to welcome you, I bet you open your arms for that hug… so, this morning, when we say our prayer, let’s open our arms to receive that hug from God. Ready?

Dear God,

Thank you for loving us. Thank you for welcoming us with open arms.

Thank you for the love of our faith family at BCUC and keep us safe until we can welcome each other again in person. Amen.

Hymn:  I’m Gonna Shout   MV183

(Words & Music: Bruce Harding, 1998)

1 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! 

2 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! 

3 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!

Prayer for Illumination          Reader: Rick Morrison

Gracious God, be with us now as we turn to the pages of your Word.
We ask for your Spirit of Wisdom, to help us understand your will for us. Amen. 

The Reading:   Mark 10:13-16 (NRSV)

Jesus Blesses Little Children

13 People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. 15 Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

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

Sermon:   “Bring the Children to the Table”       Rev. Kim Vidal

I still remember the first communion I received as a child. In the United Methodist tradition, we gathered around and knelt on a rail when we receive the elements from the pastor.  At age 11, I was so excited to join the other children as we anticipate the snack of the day! A small bread cut in 1 by 1 inch and grape juice poured in mini cups. At that young age, I may have never understood what it meant to participate in a communion but for me, it certainly was the highlight of the service which was far better than listening to the long-winded sermon!

Today, Christians, particularly those from the mainline Protestant denominations who are members of the World Council of Churches, are celebrating World Communion Sunday – that’s right! It’s worldwide – not just here in Canada but all over the world. Originally named as Worldwide Communion Sunday, this special Sunday was first introduced in 1933 by a Presbyterian minister, the Rev. Hugh Thomson Kerr who ministered at that time in a large church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  It takes place every first Sunday of October, the purpose of which is to bring Christian churches together in a service of unity and ecumenical cooperation. This is one Sunday every year for many Christians around the world to experience God’s invitation to feast together, affirming their journey with Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life. Although we are celebrating this sacrament in the context of a global community, reality is - there are still some Christian denominations who makes the sacrament of communion an exclusive privilege for the few. Some churches have some boundaries or policies regarding who can or cannot take communion. There are some churches who will only offer communion to their members or those of the same denomination.  Other churches have a special card like a passport for those who can take communion. Some churches do not even serve communion to children or those youth who have not been confirmed.

In our gospel story today, the disciples displayed an unwelcoming behaviour. They were shooing away the parents who brought their children to be touched by Jesus. But Jesus got upset with the disciples for doing this. Let’s be honest—sometimes children drive us crazy. For modern readers like us, this particular story sounds like a case of annoyed disciples rolling their eyes because a disruptive child is making it impossible to hear the sermon during a worship service. Why do you think the disciples stop people from bringing the children to Jesus? Several reasons come to mind. In Jesus’ time, children were considered nobodies. They were powerless. It could be that the disciples were trying to protect Jesus from the crowds in general, trying to give their leader some breathing space. Jesus had far more important things to do than entertaining these nobodies. Or perhaps the disciples were just applying the norm of the day - cultural values that deny children a meaningful place in society. Another possibility is that these children were sick, diseased, even gravely ill. After all, their parents are bringing them to Jesus “that he might touch them,” a phrase in Mark that is almost always associated with healing. The desperate parents want Jesus to reassure them that things will get better for their children. Children embody a particular kind of heartbreak when they are ill because they are so innocent, young, and vulnerable. And so perhaps the disciples were trying keep at bay the possible endless stream of parents who would bring their sick and diseased children to him.

There might be other hundreds of reasons for the disciples doing wat they have done but what we do know is that Jesus will have none of it. Jesus scolds his disciples’ snobbish attitude and welcomes the children as guests and friends. Jesus takes a step further by saying that it is “to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.” Think about that, for a moment. God’s reign belongs to the children – those who have no voice, the weak, the ill, the marginalized, the most vulnerable. If this is true, it is like no other kingdom or reign we’ve ever heard of. Not only that, but Jesus also says that only those who receive the Kingdom of God like these children will enter it. I like what Rev. David Lose has to say about this: “When we look to our strengths or power or possessions to secure our future and good, we will be disappointed. Only those aware of their brokenness and need, after all, can receive help…Those who are confident of the kingdoms of the world will look upon this spectacle as foolishness. But those who are broken, hurting, alone or ill will look and see God there…eager to gather them into God’s healing arms and embrace them in redemptive love.”

Sometimes we are just like the disciples. We get irritated when children run around the sanctuary or make some noise during the service. We want the children to act like adults when they should act like children. If Jesus so welcomes the children to come to him and be blessed by him, who are we to put a stop to them? Why do some churches bar children from taking communion? Communion is a sacrament of grace.  In the holy moment of eating and drinking, one can feel the presence of God.  God welcomes people of all ages, colour or faith at this table of grace, so why would we get in the way of that sacred meeting? We also need to remind ourselves that this table is not our table. It is God’s table. This is not a Bells Corners United Church table. It is a table for everyone who accepts the invitation to eat and drink together remembering Jesus as the gracious host. Communion is like a family meal time where everyone – children and adults alike gather to eat and share the stories of the day There’s no children’s table that is separate from this table. Some parents say, “We don’t let our children partake communion until they fully understand what’s going on.”  Children might not fully understand what’s going on, but they know what it means to be left out.  And I will never tolerate having a child feel that way in any congregation I am called to minister. For me, it’s OK if we let our children think that communion is like a snack time.  We have the responsibility as adults to teach them as we journey together.  Children will eventually understand the meaning of communion when we teach them and let them experience this sacrament of remembrance.  Instead of saying to the children, “the bread and grape juice is the body and blood of Christ” why don’t we say to them “with this bread and juice, Jesus wants you to remember how much God loves you.”  That’s all they need to know. That’s all any of us need to know.

We are the body of Christ. We are all God’s children who gather around God’s table of grace. Jesus shared a simple meal of bread and wine to have his disciples remember him, something he had shared with them countless times before, and something they would share together after he was gone.   Together they would sit, share the stories of Jesus, break the bread, share the wine in remembrance, in fellowship and in thanksgiving.

Today, Christians from Canada, the United States, Philippines, Brazil, South Africa, England, Ireland, Scotland, South Korea, Australia - all over the world are gathering to be fed.  They gather in cathedrals, churches, urban and suburban places of worship.  They gather in small buildings, in chapels, outdoors, indoors, in Zoom, wherever two or three are gathered. God’s children, like you and I, people of different race and economic means, of different political persuasion, people of different abilities, those who know freedom, those who do not, migrant workers, peasants, royalty, all gather today to be fed with the bread and wine - to appease their deep physical, spiritual and moral hunger for God.

Friends, on this World Communion Sunday, when we remember that God comes to us in the caring acts of the community gathered, let us return our gratitude for the grace offered to us in Jesus the Christ. And let us find, at this table, strength for our journey. Let's recommit ourselves to the Good News, welcoming such as these children as Jesus taught us. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Sources used:

• BCUC Lectionary Group

• David J. Lose, Reflections on Mark 10:13-16, davidlose.net

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

(written by Rev Abi and posted on A Place for Prayer, http://revgalprayerpals.blogspot.ca/)

Lord as we gather around this wonderful meal 
everywhere and in every place; 
bless us all your children. 

As we eat this bread and drink this cup 
linking arms around the world,
pour your grace into us all. 

Grace us with your presence 
as we quietly and loudly pray to you. 

May we see in each other 
your light, your love and you.
May it not matter our differences, 
our names, our languages,
our looks, and our way of doing things.
May what matter today and everyday be that we are one in you. 

And as we pray many we call to mind our brothers and sisters
who are unable to be with us today whether in body or spirit.
May you bring comfort to those who are grieving, lonely,
heartbroken, ill or broken of spirit. 

May you strengthen those whose lives feel shattered,
don’t make sense, in crisis, and experiencing loss.
May you say the healing word to those who need it.
May you bring the human touch of love 
to those who have not been touched.
May you love the unloved through us. 

May you shine your light 
into those whose world is covered in darkness.
May you use us to feed the hungry, 
clothe the ones who need clothes,
give a cup of water to those who are thirsty,
shelter the homeless, visit the sick and those in prison. 

May lives be awakened to you, Lord, 
to your love and to your kingdom 
whose door is always open to all. 

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. 

Communion Hymn: We Gather Here VU 469

(Words & Music: Bryan Jeffery Leech, 1984)

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

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

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

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

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

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

I now invite you for an agape meal. Please make sure you have a piece of bread or crackers and a cup or a glass of your favourite drink.

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

Invitation (Kim)

(Gord Dunbar, The Gathering, Pentecost 2, 2021 (Year B). Used with permission)

The table is for everyone, a table of new light and of generous welcome.

To this table we bring our fears and our dreaming.

The risen Christ invites the whole human race to become light and love.

With hundreds of millions of our siblings worldwide – we are gathered by God’s invitation – in all our diversity and in all our difference.

The call to this table is for each person: doubtful or uncertain, broken or whole, stranger of friend, neighbour or foe. No one is barred. All are welcome to be nourished in Christ’s name.

Prayer of Consecration (Lorrie)

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

The Sharing of the Bread and the Cup (Kim)

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

Prayer after the Meal (Lorrie)

For the bread we have eaten, for the wine we have tasted, for the life we have received, we thank you, loving God. Empower us to live as Jesus has lived, to bring new life to others and to give light to the world. Amen.

Invitation to Offer           Rev. Kim Vidal

I now invite you to offer your gifts of time, talents and resources as expressions of your gratitude to God’s blessings.  If you are not on PAR and wish to send in your offering and donations, you can drop them in the slot by the kitchen door of the church or mail them to BCUC. You can also send in your support through e-transfer. Thank you for your continued love and support to BCUC.

Offertory Prayer

God of the global village, we bring this offering to join the gifts of others around the world.
We offer these gifts and our lives in your service. Amen.

Sending Forth    Rev. Kim Vidal

On this World Communion Sunday,
we have tasted God’s goodness,
we have seen God’s generosity and fairness.
we have been blessed with a legacy of faith,
we have welcomed children to the table.
Go out to live love, to serve others, to rejoice in our communion,
in the name of God, Creator, Christ and Companion. Amen. 

Hymn:  Christ Has No Body Now but Yours   MV171

(Words adapted by Stephen S. Warner, 2003 from St. Teresa of Avila; Music: Rick Gunn, 2006)

Refrain
Christ has no body now but yours
no hands but yours.
Here on this earth, yours is the work,
to serve with the joy of compassion. 

1.       No hands but yours to heal the wounded world, no hands but yours to soothe all its suffering, no touch but yours to bind the broken hope of the people of God. R

2.       No eyes but yours to see as Christ would see, to find the lost, to gaze with compassion; no eyes but yours to glimpse the holy joy of the city of God. R

3.       No feet but yours to journey with the poor, to walk this world with mercy and justice. Yours are the steps to build a lasting peace for the children of God. R

4.       Through ev’ry gift, give back to those in need; as Christ has blessed, so now be his blessing, with ev’ry gift a benediction, be to the people of God. R

Departing Music: He Shall Feed   (Handel)

Zoom Fellowship will be held on Sunday, October 17, 2021 at 11 am.

Sunday school activities - October 3, 2021

Theme Discussion

Mark 10: 13-16 - Jesus Blesses Little Children

13 People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. 15 Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

This is a familiar story, one that we often use at baptisms in our church. It’s a message that Jesus welcomes everyone – even little children – with open arms.

Why do you think the disciples tried to keep the children away from Jesus?

Do you feel welcome or unwelcome at church? What makes you feel that way?

Do you think there might be some people who don’t feel welcome at church? What things can we do to change that?

In this story, Jesus tells the people gathered that you need to receive that welcome to God’s kin-dom the way a little child does. Let’s unpack that a bit…

When someone welcomes you with arms wide open, how do you react? Is it different if that person is someone you know well or someone you have just met? What makes that difference?

Trust, love, and acceptance are all important parts of being able to open your arms to receive a welcome like that – and they are all important parts of being open to God.

Do you think this is easier for children than it is for adults? Why?

Response Activity Ideas

Loving You THIS Much

Materials: construction paper, scissors, colouring tools, glue/tape

Trace your hands on construction paper and cut out.  Cut out a long strip of paper (glue or tape 2 strips together to make it longer if you wish) and accordion-fold it. Attach a hand on each end of the strip.  Finally, write a message on the hands and/or paper strip that reflects your ideas about this Bible passage, maybe:

“Jesus Welcomes Us with Open Arms” OR “God Loves Me THIS Much – and more!”  OR “All Are Welcome Here!” OR “I love you SO much!”

Jesus Loves Me Song – Rock You version

Tap twice on your legs and then clap once.  You’re ready to listen and sing along with the CGS and Bell Canto camp version of Jesus Loves Me!

Challenge!  Can you write a new verse about Jesus welcoming everyone in place of the ‘Jesus loves me, this I know’ section?

JESUS LOVES ME/WE WILL ROCK YOU

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 Na na na na na na na na na Whoo! Na na na na na na na na na

Sing about his love, His love is what we sing about Sing about his love, His love is what we sing. Sing about his love, His love is what we sing about Sing about his love, His love is what we sing.

Singing Na na na na na na na na na Whoo! Na na na na na na na na na Na na na na na na na na na Whoo! Na na na na na na na na na

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 Na na na na na na na na na Whoo! Na na na na na na na na na

Sing about his love, His love is what we sing about Sing about his love, His love is what we sing. Sing about his love, His love is what we sing about Sing about his love, His love is what we sing.

Singing Na na na na na na na na na Whoo! Na na na na na na na na na Na na na na na na na na na Whoo! Na na na na na na na na na

Yes, Jesus loves me (clap, clap) (2X) Yes, Jesus love me, The Bible (clap) tells me (clap) so.

Word Search

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Sunday Worship Service - September 26, 2021

 BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

CREATION TIME 3

September 26, 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:  You Raise Me Up (BCUC Choir)

Welcome & Centering for Worship     Rev. Kim Vidal

Good day everyone! On behalf of BCUC, I welcome and greet you in the name of Jesus Christ on this third Sunday of Creation Time in the Season of Pentecost. Wherever you are, whether you are joining us via online, or onsite, or even reading the printed text of the service in the comfort of your homes, we are glad that you have joined us today.

As we enjoy the beauty of God’s creation all around us, 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 including Sunday School resources for your children at bcuc.org to keep you informed and give you opportunities to respond.

We continue worshipping in the sanctuary on Sunday mornings at 10 am with a maximum number of 50 people. Due to the Covid variants that continue to pause some health threats to the community, the Public Health recommends staying at home, but if you wish to attend the service, you are most welcome. As a faith community called to love and serve others, let us be mindful of the health protocols such as masking, social distancing, hand sanitizing and staying home if you feel unwell. It is also highly recommended to get vaccinated as one of the best precautionary measures to protect yourself and others.

Friends, this day, we offer our gratitude for the gifts of the earth lavishly offered to us by a loving Creator. May we do so with praise and thanksgiving and a commitment to care for the earth and to serve each other. Let us now gather in worship.

Lighting of the Christ Candle         Acolytes: David Stafford & Barbara Bole

As we light this Christ candle,
Let us remind ourselves that God, the Creator,
lit the light in the darkness and breathed life into all of creation.
We are created in God’s image and Jesus calls us to be a light to the world
and the salt of the earth.

Call to Gather & Opening Prayer      Rev. Lorrie Lowes

(Tony Tuck, The Gathering, Pentecost 2, 2021, Year B. Used with permission)

In the name of God, the Creator, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
We gather, marvelling at the beauty of creation
as we breathe in the splendour of life.
We are surrounded by all the signs of God’s creation;
God’s fingerprints are all around us.
Praise be to God!

Let us pray.

We are surrounded by life, and we are related and connected
to all the created world through you, O God.
Let us dwell respectfully in this amazing creation,
remembering that in this wondrous world,
we are not alone.
We are all part of heaven and earth.
In gratitude we declare, God is good
and everything God makes is good.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Hymn:    “Morning Has Broken” VU 409

(Words – Eleanor Farjeon, 1931; Music – Gaelic melody)

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

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

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

Storytime  Rev. Lorrie

You may have heard that Neil and I have moved to a new house! Did you know that we have moved in with the Kelly family? One of the very best things about moving to this property is that our grandchildren live right next to us and we can see them every day!

This year, we were here for all the excitement of going back to school. They shopped for school supplies and new clothes and they couldn’t wait to see who their teacher would be and who would be in their class. And they picked out a special outfit to wear on the first day of school. I bet you were excited too.

I want to share a story with you about a little girl who was going to school for the very first time. Her name is Phyllis Jack and she lived on a reserve in northern British Columbia with her Granny. When she was 6 years old, she went to the Mission School. Just like you, she was really excited about going to school. Her family didn’t have very much money but somehow her Granny managed to buy her a new outfit to wear to school. She remembers that day clearly. Here’s what she says:

“I remember going to Robinson’s store and picking out a shiny orange shirt. It
had eyelets and lace, and I felt so pretty in that shirt and excited to be going to school!”

She sounds like every little girl and boy I know who is excited about starting school – especially with a brand-new special outfit.

But, Phyllis’ first day of school was very different from yours. It was a Residential School, a place where she stayed night and day. The teachers spoke a different language and she couldn’t understand what they were saying. On that first day, all of the students had their clothes taken away and they were given different clothes to wear. Phyllis never saw her special orange shirt again. She couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t give it back to her. It was her shirt, a special shirt, a gift from her Granny that she had picked out herself.

So, that little girl who was so happy and proud to be going to school, didn’t feel happy or cared for anymore. She didn’t want to stay at this school. She wanted to go home – and she wanted her orange shirt back. Phyllis wasn’t just feeling sad on that first day of school. She felt sad and unloved for much of her life. The colour orange always reminds her of that feeling.

Canada has named September 30 – this Thursday – as the Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We’ve heard a lot of upsetting stories in the news this year about Residential Schools and the terrible experiences of the children who went to them. This day is meant to remind us of the many ways the indigenous people of Canada have been treated over the years. It is a day for us to think about how we can change this and how we can help to heal the hurt they have experienced in the past and still live with today.

You may have heard this day called “Orange Shirt Day”. That’s because we can wear orange to remember this story about Phyllis Jack. This is a simple way for us all to say, “You are important and we love you,” not just to Phyllis but to all of the children who went to residential schools and all of the people who have lived their lives in the shadow of the trauma they caused.

You might notice that the stole I am wearing today is orange. If you were in the sanctuary at BCUC, you would see that the whole chancel is decorated in orange too, and that Rev. Kim is wearing an orange robe – not just for one day or one week. Orange is the colour of the season of Creation in the United Church. Isn’t that great coincidence? We can be reminded every day in this season that God created this beautiful world for everyone. We can remember Phyllis Jack’s special orange shirt and how her happy spirit was broken on that first day of school. It’s a reminder to us all to treat everyone we meet with love.

Will you be wearing orange on Thursday? I will. Let’s turn this reminder of sad times back into the happy colour orange was meant to be.

Let’s finish with a prayer:

Creator God, the Residential School stories make us sad and we are sorry that so many children were hurt over the years. Help us to show love to everyone we meet, whether they are like us or different in some way. Help us spread the kind of joy that the colour orange brings to our world with orange sunsets, orange leaves, orange pumpkins, and even orange shirts. Amen

Hymn:     “Roll Over the Ocean”         (CGS)

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

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

Prayer for Illumination  Reader: Ellen Boynton

(Beth W. Johnson, The Gathering, Pentecost 2, 2013, Year C. Used with permission)

O God, you call us to new beginnings to explore our faith
with your Word that sustains us.
Inspire us as we search out new opportunities
for our learning and reflection. Amen. 

The Gospel Reading: Mark 9 :38-50 (NRSV)

Another Exorcist
38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 
39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 
40 Whoever is not against us is for us. 
41 For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.

Temptations to Sin
42 “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. 
43-44 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 
45-46 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. 
47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, 
48 where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.
49 “For everyone will be salted with fire.
 50 Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

May we find ourselves renewed through this difficult story of faith. Thanks be to God!

Sermon:   “Stumbling Blocks or Stepping Stones?”

I would like to begin my sermon with a poem written by American writer Robert Lee Sharpe entitled: “A Bag of Tools”
Isn't it strange how princes and kings,
and clowns that caper in sawdust rings,
and common people, like you and me,
are builders for eternity?
Each is given a list of rules;
a shapeless mass; a bag of tools.
And each must fashion, ere life is flown,
A stumbling block, or a Stepping-Stone.” 

 “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we tried to stop him! We tried to stop him, because he is not one of us – he is of another circle – another tribe, he’s different.” That’s how a lot of religious prejudices and biases start, don’t they? Not one of us! Not in our circle! Not in our denomination! The condescending attitude of the beloved disciple, John, struck a chord in me. There had been times when I was just like him. I sneered at those street preachers with microphones who were preaching about the end times and the second coming of Jesus. I detest attending conservative Christian churches who cried loudly when praying and those who believed in speaking in tongues. I am very cautious of those two people who knocked on my door to discuss about faith and spirituality. Growing up Methodist, I was shunned to dance, to smoke, and to listen to “worldly music.” I was even taught that the Roman Catholics were not “true” Christians. I was just like John and the disciples! And perhaps, many of you felt the same way too.

Thank goodness, Jesus did not listen to him. John’s tattletale will not get far with Jesus.  “I don’t think you should stop him, John – he is doing something good in my name! And, I know what you want to do next! You want to put a stumbling block in his way. Not only do you want to exclude him, you want to make sure he fails!” Jesus immediately turns the tables on the disciples, warning them that they are the ones in danger of doing harm. It's as though Jesus was saying, "The problem is not the folks outside our group. Don't worry about them -- they are not the problem. Rather, check yourselves and see if you are stumbling blocks. Look at how you exclude people who live, believe, worship, serve, and practice differently than you do.  Look at how smug and superior you feel when others fail.  Stop being stumbling blocks.”  Jesus’ words pierced like an arrow pointed to my heart.

The words “stumbling block”, according to American theologian Ched Meyers has its roots from the Greek word skandaliso- to scandalize. To scandalize, usually translated as ‘to cause to stumble,’ is a term used by Mark to denote rejection of God’s message or desertion of Jesus’ way.  Think about the diversity of Christianity in our modern world and the way Christianity have caused this “scandalizing.”  We, who claim as the body of Christ, we who claim to follow Jesus, I’m sure, have done many scandals or placed stumbling blocks in the way of following Jesus or in proclaiming the best intent of the gospel. Karoline Lewis writes: “Stumbling blocks have many manifestations when it comes to faith: excuses, blame, doubt, rejection, disbelief. They thrive on rules and stipulations, adjudications and manipulations, judgment and expectation. Whose faith is greater; who seems to believe more. Who follows the rules better than I do. As if Jesus came to set up a competition.”

I almost did not preach on today’s gospel reading. I find this text blunt and repulsive. This is one of the many biblical texts that should not be taken literally. Else, most of us would have been maimed, amputated and blind.  It’s difficult to read these words about demons, hell, and mutilation!  And what about this reference in wearing a millstone around your neck and throwing yourself into the sea? Is Jesus proposing to better kill ourselves than being scandalizers? Tell me if you are comfortable listening to these verses. I’m not. These Markan words - from the same Jesus, who only last Sunday, took a little child into his arms and taught his disciples about serving others! But I don’t think this passage is about condemnation. Rather, they make us realize of our human nature.  We exclude.  We judge.  We condemn.  We compare.  We put others down.

In our lectionary group discussion last Tuesday, it was pointed out that these verses were disjointed. They seemed to be taken from small chunks of writings that were put together but not in a chronological order. Traditional interpretations regard these jumbled sayings as hyperbole or exaggeration. The hand, the foot and the eye were considered by 1st century Jews to be sources of sinfulness and temptations. The hand was associated with theft, fraud, forgery; the foot with robbery or runaway slaves; the eye with adultery and sexual misconduct. For centuries, preachers and scholars have used this text to underscore the individual Christian notion of personal sin and the doctrine of hell. While I find these texts very disturbing, I feel strongly that Jesus was teaching his disciples something of highly importance. Why would Jesus speak so harshly about “causing one of these little ones – those of other circle – of other tribe - of other faith, who believe in me to stumble”?  Because Jesus wants his disciples to be radically welcoming and inclusive. He wants them not to make a big deal of who’s out or in, who belonged or excluded. Jesus wants them to move away from the “us-them” mentality and be gracious hosts to one another specially those who are not in the same circle. Jesus was not in favour of what Debie Thomas calls “bouncers” of faith – of those who provide tight security, refuse entry to people who aren’t members or allowed inside, and “bounce” or throw out those who doesn’t follow rules.  In a broader sense, a bouncer’s job, according to Debie Thomas, is “to serve as gatekeepers for the institution they serve.  They screen who is an insider and who is an intruder. They make sure they only allow those who deserves entry to come in and reject those who are not in the circle.” So here’s the good news. Jesus wants his disciples and us to be God’s generous and welcoming hosts.  Hosts who throw the doors wide open.  Hosts who understand that there’s enough divine goodness, mercy, justice and to go around.  Hosts who believe that God delights in diversity. Hosts who respond with joy and gratitude whenever acts of love and kindness are done in Jesus’s name. 

The symbolic meanings of hand, foot, and eye are an invitation to discern any behaviour, self-conception, or world view that hinder anyone in attaining a fuller relationship with God and with all of creation, humans included. This is a reminder to remove any stumbling block that obstructs an open path to God and what God stands for: be it love, justice, peace, compassion. Jesus here is warning us against tripping up others and stumbling ourselves. Instead of us becoming stumbling blocks, Jesus calls us to be stepping stones –to pave the way for God’s love to flourish in the world, to be able to have a dialogue with people of other denominations or faiths instead of arguing who owns the “real” truth.

I was a stumbling block. It took me many years of self-reflection, discernment, study and practice for me to become a stepping stone. I am evolving - still in the process of transformation and I realize it’s a difficult process but with God’s help, I know it is possible. I just have to push myself really hard!  And if you ask me what made me change from a stumbling block to a stepping stone? It’s none other than this radical teaching of Jesus to be welcoming and inclusive. What about you? How are you getting in the way of the Good News? Are you a stumbling block or a stepping stone?

Today’s reading ends with another hyperbole: “…everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” For the ancient Hebrews, salt is a symbol of the covenant – a symbol of right relationships. Salt is a valuable commodity for preserving, purifying, and adding flavour to foods. Salt preserves good relationship - our acts of generosity, our care for each other, our gestures of friendship, our acts of kindness, that spice up our life together and keep it from spoiling. We are to be salted with fire to be stepping stones. Being salted with fire is to “be at peace with one another” - about right relationships – about welcoming others – about being radical hosts. Be salted with fire. Be a stepping stone. Reach out. Invite. Welcome. Include. You are in the right path.
As you reflect further on this difficult passage, let me close with a poem written by Andrew King entitled: “If Your Foot Causes You to Stumble”
These words of seeming mutilation:
how strange to us, the exaggeration for heightened effect.
The need for change is what they’re about –
to rearrange one’s attitudes, actions, use of speech, habitual ways.
If what we reach for is not to serve someone in love
but to serve ourselves (choosing to shove aside another’s dignity or need),
then it’s our selfishness and greed that cause us from the path to fall (forgive the feet);
it is the stubborn call of pride that just won’t bend
(and not the hand) that most offends.
If our path from God’s has swerved,
look well inside, to that which serves the will.
There - seek healing.
And maybe start with where most hurting dwells – the heart. Amen.

Sources that helped me with my sermon:

1.     BCUC Lectionary Group
2.     Karoline Lewis, On Seeing Yourself, www.preaching.org., Sept 20, 2015.
3.     Travis Meier quoting Ched Meyers, http://www.thebartimaeuseffect.com/the-gospel-of-mark/mark-938-50, 2015.
4.     Debie Thomas, “Hosts, not Bouncers”, Journey with Jesus. Net
5.     Andrew King, A Poetic Kind of Place

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

Let us gather our hearts in prayer… Like gentle rain from above, so are your gifts of life to us, great God. In your mercy you move our hearts from anxiety to an act of gratitude. Like the sun that rises in the morning so is the steadfastness of your love that provides for us. In your mercy, you move us from trust in things we’ve made to trust in your goodness and promises. Like a surprise gift, you offer us possibilities and a chance to breathe again. In your mercy, you move us from fear to courage in your ways. In your love, you transform us from being stumbling blocks to stepping stones.

Generous and merciful God, move us to be companions to the sick, the lonely and those who experience life’s harsh challenges. Give us the opportunity to feed those in the world who are hungry and to give water to the thirsty. Give us the awareness that you are present even in our most vulnerable, fearful places.

O God, bless us now with this Franciscan blessing as we hope to become stepping stones, welcoming and inclusive hosts, salted with fire:

May God bless us with discomfort,
At easy answers, half-truths,
And superficial relationships
So that we may live
Deep within our heart.

May God bless us with anger
At injustice, oppression,
And exploitation of people,
So that we may work for
Justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless us with tears,
To shed for those who suffer pain,
Rejection, hunger and war,
So that we may reach out our hand
To comfort them and
To turn their pain to joy

And may God bless us
With enough foolishness
To believe that we can
Make a difference in the world,
So that we can do
What others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness
To all our children and the poor.

These we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our good and wise teacher, who taught us to trust in God as we recite this prayer together…

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kin-dom come, thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kin-dom, the power and the glory,
Forever and ever, Amen.

Invitation to Offer        Rev. Lorrie

In this season of harvest when we are blessed with nature’s amazing bounty, we are called to share the gifts we have been given with our neighbour. Time, talents, and resources are all wonderful ways to further the mission of this church and the building of God’s kin-dom in the world. 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

(Ali Smith, The Gathering, Pentecost 2, 2017 Year A. Used with permission.)

Creator God, you give us our daily bread
so that we might have all we need to survive and to thrive.
In return, receive here our offering
so it can be used to nourish others and the world. Amen.

Sending Forth  Rev. Kim

(Bob Root, The Gathering, Pentecost 2, 2021 Year B. Used with permission.)

May the blessing of God,
who made us in love and for relationship
with one another and all creation;
the blessing of Jesus,
whose footprints are deep on our earth
and deep in our hearts;
and the blessing of Spirit,
who blows through us and around us,
go with us this day and always.
Go and be a blessing. Amen.

Hymn:   “Go Make A Diff’rence”        MV 209

(Words & Music: Steve Angrisano and Tom Tomaszek, 1997)

Refrain:
Go make a diff’rence.
We can make a diff’rence.
Go make a diff’rence in the world.
Go make a diff’rence.
We can make a diff’rence.
Go make a diff’rence in the world. 

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.   R 

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.   R 

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 Hymn: Go Now in Peace (Besig/Price)

Sunday school activities - September 26, 2021

September 30 has been designated as a “Day for Truth and Reconciliation”. You might know it as “Orange Shirt Day”. This morning, in the church service, we heard the story about Phyllis Jack’s orange shirt that sparked the “Every Child Matters” movement. It’s a story about how one little girl’s experience on her first day of school made her feel that she didn’t matter, that her feelings weren’t important, and that no one cared about her. Here’s the story again, in case you missed it:

“I want to share a story with you about a little girl who was going to school for the very first time. Her name is Phyllis Jack and she lived on a reserve in northern British Columbia with her Granny. When she was 6 years old, she went to the Mission School. Just like you, she was really excited about going to school. Her family didn’t have very much money but somehow her Granny managed to buy her a new outfit to wear to school. She remembers that day clearly. Here’s what she says:

“I remember going to Robinson’s store and picking out a shiny orange shirt. It
had eyelets and lace, and I felt so pretty in that shirt and excited to be going to school!”

She sounds like every little girl and boy I know who is excited about starting school – especially with a brand-new special outfit.

But, Phyllis’ first day of school was very different from yours. It was a Residential School, a place where she stayed night and day. The teachers spoke a different language and she couldn’t understand what they were saying. On that first day, all of the students had their clothes taken away and they were given different clothes to wear. Phyllis never saw her special orange shirt again. She couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t give it back to her. It was her shirt, a special shirt, a gift from her Granny that she had picked out herself.

So, that little girl who was so happy and proud to be going to school, didn’t feel happy or cared for anymore. She didn’t want to stay at this school. She wanted to go home – and she wanted her orange shirt back. Phyllis wasn’t just feeling sad on that first day of school. She felt sad and unloved for much of her life. The colour orange always reminds her of that feeling.”

This story reminded me of another one that we have used at church: “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” You can listen to it here:

Can you give some examples of when your bucket was filled?

Have you ever felt that someone was dipping into your bucket?

How are some ways you can fill someone’s bucket?

Think about Phyllis’ story.

When was her bucket filled?

Who dipped into her bucket?

Phyllis’ story is her personal one, but the way she was treated and the way she felt was experienced by all the First Nations children who were sent to Residential Schools. They grew up with empty buckets.

Can you think of some ways that we can help to fill the buckets of First Nations people in Canada?

Response Activity Ideas

Fill the Bucket

Let’s Collaborate! – Visit this document and add a text box or two to the bucket on page 1 with your ideas for filling the buckets of Indigenous Peoples of Canada.  Read the ideas others have posted as well!

            OR

On your own – Print out the bucket template on page 2 of the above presentation and fill it with your own ideas.

First Nations Schools

How does your school experience compare to that of Phyllis and some of the other residential school survivors whose stories you’ve heard?  Write or draw about some of the differences and similarities in your school experience and what you know about theirs.

Many current First Nations schools are not well-funded enough to provide the resources and safe spaces the students need to learn.  Find out more by reading about Shannen’s Dream and learn about ways to respond.

Colouring Sheets – by Michelle Stoney, Gitxsan artist

Feather – “First of all the feather represents so much in our culture. Maybe too much to even explain so I’ll just say what it means to me in the hand and this one. To me it means strength and healing, we really value the feather and it means so much to us. I know we use it for smudging, and to me that represents cleansing .

Inside the feather is the spirit of the 215 children. The face on the bottom is not an animal. That is how I draw people , and I wanted to make long flowing hair, that they were forced to cut.”

Click to print PDF

Leaf – “This is a truth and reconciliation day colouring page I made…I don’t really have a story behind it, but this is what I was thinking … September 30th is the first truth and reconciliation day, it takes place in the fall. The tree these trees fall from represent their nation to me. And these are the children that left and didn’t come back. I added the same things I added to the feather I did last year. And added some hearts, because we will never forget them.”

Click to print PDF

See more of her work and find other generously-offered colouring images for personal use at: www.facebook.com/mstoneyart/photos/

Sunday Worship Service - September 19, 2021

 BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

CREATION TIME 2

September 19, 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: “O Beautiful Gaia”   MV41

(Words & Music: Carolyn McDade; Arr., Lydia Pedersen, 2006)

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

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

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

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

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

Welcome & Centering for Worship     Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Good morning and welcome to this service of worship at Bells Corners United Church on this second Sunday in the Season of Creation. At this time, we continue to offer our Sunday services through, video and audio on our website, and by telephone. The church is also open for modified in-person worship each week and we are happy to see people in the pews on Sunday morning. The Public Health folks warn that we still need to follow precautions as the new Covid 19 variants are still with us so we take distancing, masking, and sanitizing very seriously. While we are doing our best to avoid transmission of the virus, please remember that getting vaccinated is one of the best protections you can give yourself and those around you. If you are not comfortable gathering in this space or you feel unwell, the best precaution is still to take part in worship from home. 

As we settle in to the routines of life that September brings, let’s not forget to enjoy the wonder this time of year holds for us – cool nights for sleeping, days that are not too hot or too cold, the changing colours of nature, and the opportunities to reconnect with friends and colleagues. This year, we are also celebrating the gradual re-opening of the church building and the rhythm of Sunday morning worship that so many of us have missed over the past year and a half of the pandemic. Let us think of this time of year – especially this year – as a season of hope and refreshing renewal. Now let us centre ourselves for worship with the lighting of the Christ candle.

Lighting of the Christ Candle        Acolytes: The Berard Family

(Scott Martin, Pentecost 2 2021, p 30. Used with permission.)

There once was a wonderful man who did wonderful things and they said, “He is the light of the world.” In his light, the light of Christ, we gather.                     

Call to Gather & Opening Prayer (Based on Psalm 19: 1-6)     Rev. Kim Vidal

(Rod Sykes, Gathering Pentecost 2 2015, p30. Used with permission)

Honour the child.
The child within,
the spirit that echoes from our youth,
yearns to dance in the light.
Honour the child.
The child in our midst,
the silent one who dares not speak,
longs to sing a song of praise.
Honour the child.
The Child of God, Jesus the Anointed One,
touches our spirit, welcomes little ones,
leads us all to worship our God. 

Opening Prayer

(Richard Bott, Gathering Pentecost 2 2015, p26. Used with permission)

In the rush of the wind, in the laugh of a child,
in the beat of our hearts, speak to us, God.

In the purr of a kitten, in the lap of the waves,
in the warmth of our hands, speak to us, Christ.

In the cry of the moment, in the dance of our feet,
in the crackle of the flame, speak to us Holy Spirit.

We are listening. Amen.

Hymn:    “It’s a Song of Praise to the Maker”    MV30

(Words: Ruth Duck, 1992; Music: Ron Klusmeier, 1992)

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 bumble bees 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. Kim

Who among you wants to be the best? I do, sometimes. I want to have the best marks in school, win at competitive games or look my best. Admit it – we love to win. We love to be on top of everything. We want to be the greatest. We want to be the best. But how do you know who is the best or the greatest? Do we always have to aim for the best? What would happen if we fail?

Let me share a story that I learned when I was young. This is an indigenous story about the legend of the Rainbow written by Anne Hope in 1976.[1]

“Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel: all claimed that they were the best, the most important, the most useful, the favourite.

Green said: “Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I was chosen for grass, leaves, trees–without me, all animals would die. Look out over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority.”

Blue interrupted: “You only think about the Earth, but consider the sky and sea. It is the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea. The sky gives space and peace and serenity. Without my peace, you would all be nothing.”

Yellow chuckled. “You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth to the world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, the stars are yellow. Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without me, there would be no fun.”

Orange started next to blow her trumpet. “I am the color of health and strength. I may be scarce but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important vitamins. Think of carrots, pumpkins, oranges and mangos. don’t hang around all the time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you.”

Red could stand it no longer. He shouted out: “I am the ruler of all of you. I am blood! Life’s blood. I am the color of danger and of bravery. I am willing to fight for a cause. I bring fire to the blood! I am the color of passion and of love, the red rose, the poppy and the poinsettia. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon!”

Violet rose up to his full height. He was very tall and spoke with great pomp: “I am the color of royalty and power. Kings, chiefs, and bishops have always chosen me for I am a sign of authority and wisdom. People do not question me. They obey.”

Finally, Indigo spoke, much more quietly than all the others but with just as much determination: “think of me. I am the color of silence. You hardly notice me, but without me, you all become superficial. I represent thought and reflection, twilight and deep water. You need me for balance and contrast, for prayer and inner peace.”

And so all the colors went on boasting and quarreling, each convinced of their own superiority. Soon, their quarreling became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening! Thunder rolled and boomed! Rain started to pour down relentlessly. The colors crouched down in fear drawing close to one another for comfort.

In the midst of the clamor, Rain began to speak: “You foolish colors, fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate the rest. Don’t you know you were each made for a special purpose, unique and different? Join hands with one another and come to me.”

Doing as they were told, the colors united and joined hands. The rain continued: “From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across the sky in a great bow of colors as a reminder that you can all live in peace. The rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow.”

And so, whenever a good rain washes the world and a rainbow appears in the sky, let us remember to appreciate one another”.

In our Gospel story today, Jesus heard the disciples arguing about which one of them was the best.  So, Jesus stepped in to end the argument. Jesus tells his disciples that if they want to be the best, they have to think of others first before themselves. They have to help others and serve those in need.  Likewise, Jesus wants us to put others first before ourselves. Greatness or being the best according Jesus, is about loving and welcoming others and showing them that we care. It is not about competition. Greatness is about encouraging others and making them feel special.  Jesus wants us to win at helping others.

I’m sure it was a hard lesson to learn for the disciples, so it will be difficult for us too.  But just like learning anything else, we have to put what we have learned to action.  Look for ways to serve others in your own simple way.  And even though you won’t get an award, a prize or a round of applause, God will be cheering you on, and that’s better than any reward you could ever get. Imagine how the world will be like if we do just that!

Let me close with a prayer:

Dear God, thank you for Jesus who taught us about the meaning of being great. Help us to remember that to be the greatest, we must be willing to love and welcome others. Amen.

Hymn:     “There is Room For All”     MV62

(Words & Music: Bruce Harding, 2004; French Trans., David Fines, 2006)

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 a l’abri sous l’aile de Dieu;
Chacun a sa place en l’amour de Dieu.
De joie, je chanterais: “Mon refuge  en lequel je me confie.”
Chacun a sa place, chacun a sa place. 

Prayer for Illumination  Reader: Keith Bailey

Creator God, let your words speak in each heart.
Let the truth set each one free.
Let the gospel story inspire us for justice.
Let the Spirit’s presence fill us with joy. Amen. 

The Gospel Reading: Mark 9 :30-37 (NRSV)

Jesus Again Foretells His Death and Resurrection
30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” 32 But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.

Who Is the Greatest?
33 Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” 34 But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. 35 He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

May we find ourselves renewed through this story of faith. Thanks be to God!

Sermon:   “How to Be First: A Christian’s Guide to Greatness”  Rev. Lorrie

There once was an anthropologist who was studying a tribe in Africa. One day, he called the children together and told them they were going to play a game. He showed them a big basket of fruit and then hung that basket from a tree at the other end of the meadow. “When I say, ‘go’ everybody run to that tree,” he told them. “The first one to get there wins the basket of fruit!” The children were very excited. He had them all stand up in a line… “Ready… Set… GO!”

With glee, the children all joined hands and ran to that tree together and then sat down to share the fruit. Well, this surprised the anthropologist! “Why would you do that? You could have had that whole basket of fruit for yourself!”

The children were confused. “How can we be happy if one of us is sad?” they asked.

This story is a familiar way to illustrate the concept of “ubuntu”, a philosophy that is central to many African cultures.

I can’t help thinking that I don’t know many children in our culture who would have done the same thing – maybe a few individuals would consider the idea, but would they be able to convince a whole group to buy in? Would they be able to convince the fast runners, the ones with long legs, the hungriest?

Competition and the desire to be the best, the first, the richest, the most loved, the most beautiful, the fastest… seems to be ingrained in us. I wonder, is this concept of ubuntu particular to African cultures or is competitiveness something that is unique to western society? Is it innate or is it learned?

In our reading from the book of Mark this morning, Jesus is trying to find some private time with his disciples. He wants some time away from the crowds to teach them, to delve deeper into the things they have seen and heard.

In the verses preceding today’s passage, Jesus has taken Peter, James, and John up the mountain – it’s the story of the transfiguration, when these three disciples get a glimpse of who this man they follow really is. The others are left below, dealing with the crowds. A boy, possessed by a spirit is brought to them for healing but they are unsuccessful in casting the spirit out of him. An argument has ensued with the scribes, the crowd is not happy. Jesus calms the situation by healing the boy and then moves on with his disciples.

It seems that he is lost in his own thoughts on this trek. He has tried to bring up the topic of how bad things are going to get once more – that he will be betrayed into human hands and they will kill him, but that he will rise again. They don’t engage. They don’t understand and are afraid to ask him about it. Perhaps they just don’t want to have to deal with such a scary thought. So, it seems that Jesus moves apart from them. I imagine him thinking this through, looking for a way to get his friends to listen to the reality he sees coming, to plan next steps.

As they continue along the road, he can tell that they are arguing about something but he isn’t part of the conversation. Once they stop and are alone together in the house in Capernaum, he asks them, “What were you arguing about back there?” and they don’t want to tell him because they were arguing about who was the greatest.

Now here, I think is where our competitive North American mindset might influence our understanding – even without us noticing it! I would wager that most of us read that line and assume that the disciples were engaged in a battle of “I’m better than you!” I’m the favourite, …the oldest, the smartest, … any of a myriad of superlatives. It makes sense, of course. They wouldn’t want to tell Jesus that’s what they were arguing about because they knew it was something he wouldn’t like, something that wouldn’t please this man they had grown to know and love.

So, what if we turn off our western minds for a minute and look at this statement through a different lens… What if, rather than fighting for bragging rights, these men were holding each other up as examples of greatness? Maybe the argument would go like this…“I think it’s obvious, Peter, that you are the greatest. You are the one who can talk to him as an equal”…  “Oh, no, not me! It’s obvious how much he loves you, John.” “But Andrew was the first one he called, I think he is the greatest.”…

Makes some sense, doesn’t it? After all, were these men following Jesus because he was famous? … Or was it because of his message and his way of being in the world? Would they really have left their lives behind and headed out into the unknown just to gain some fame and glory by hanging on his coat tails? Would they have stuck with him through the hard road and not considered heading home to family and comfort – especially when he keeps telling them that it’s going to get harder, that he facing rejection and danger, even death? Had they really not learned anything from him all this time? Did any one of them believe that he was capable of leading the others into this scary future?

Jesus seems to sense that this is what they were arguing about on the road. And so, he talks to them about what it means to be great when you are a follower of the Way.

“Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” It seems counter intuitive, doesn’t it? We know that Jesus teaches humility – but what can be gained in the work toward God’s kin-dom if we all allow ourselves to be humble servants? Would the corrupt powers of the world topple because they had obedient servants, ready to meet their every need or would they be strengthened because we all bowed to them?

I don’t think this is what Jesus had in mind. And I think the writer of Mark has left a lot out of Jesus’ lesson. Maybe that’s because we are expected, like the disciples, to understand, if we’ve been paying attention on this journey we’ve been on with Jesus, on the meaning of his ministry.

We know that Jesus was not the Messiah the people were expecting. He wasn’t there to raise a large angelic army who would beat the oppressors with violence. So, how did this humble man, a man who preached love, who healed the sick, who cared about everyone, even the outcasts of society… how did he think this could change the world?

I believe his solution was to empower the oppressed, not to overpower the oppressors. How do you change the world as a Christian, a follower of Jesus? Can it change by exchanging an existing power with a new one, with a new victor who raises his sword over the dead and wounded bodies of his enemies and shouts, “I win! I am now the greatest!” Or do you change the world by ensuring that everyone – the weak, the sick, the poor, the oppressed, and even the enemy and the oppressor – that everyone has what they need, physically and emotionally, to face the world with dignity. Perhaps, as Jesus teaches, you change the world by opening eyes and hearts to lift the gaze from “me and mine” to care for each other in the spirit of ubuntu. Jesus wasn’t out to humiliate the powerful. He didn’t want to change places with them. He proposed a new world view where we acknowledge that each person has gifts from God – powers that can be used to make the world a better place.

If you want to be first, you need to be last, according to Jesus. You need to be moving those with the gifts needed at the moment, to the front of the line; you need to be willing to support from the back. This doesn’t just apply to the disciples. It doesn’t just apply to followers of Jesus. If we want the world to change in the way God dreams, everyone needs to be willing to take their place at the back. If we want to make the greatest change, we need to get rid of the notion that the line from first to last is fixed in place. It’s not about using our power to reach back and give someone else a hand up, we need to give them the space and the support to move up to join us.

And then Jesus brings a child into their circle. Is this a signal that he’s moving on to a new topic to ponder, or is this child connected to what he’s been saying? We know that children were not considered important members of society in Jesus’ time. They were loved, they were nurtured, they were taught – but they weren’t consulted when decisions needed making in the family or in the world. Remember the story I usually read at a child’s baptism? The disciples try to keep the children from bothering Jesus. They aren’t as important as adults. They don’t know or understand as much. But Jesus gathers the children in. He says we need to be more like them if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven. I wonder if he was thinking along the same lines as the children in our story about ubuntu…

So, here in this house in Capernaum, Jesus pulls a little child close. Right in the middle of this serious discussion with his disciples, in a moment when he finally has their undivided attention and can do some teaching, he puts the child among them.

“Whoever welcomes one such child in my name, welcomes me.” One such child… That word, “such” stands out to me… Jesus could have left it out: “Whoever welcomes one child in my name, welcomes me…” What made this child different? What made this child stand out? Why was this the child he wanted the disciples to pay attention to?

I think about all the pictures I’ve seen of Jesus with children. Think about it… They are always sitting quietly at his feet, listening intently or smiling as he hugs them. Sweet, well-behaved, quiet, engrossed in what Jesus is saying to the crowd… Is that realistic? For those of you who have any experience with kids, is this what you would expect? You might hope for it, of course. You might lecture them before Jesus arrives and tell them not to misbehave, and some would comply… for a little while, anyway.

“One such child …”  This child caught Jesus’ attention in the middle of a serious discussion with his disciples, a teaching moment that he had been trying to organize for a while… I am imagining a child who has gotten tired of being quiet and still, a disruption but not because they were trying to be bad, just trying to be heard – and I think this child is an integral part of the lesson.

Jesus is offering a guide to greatness – be humble, don’t push your way to the front of the line, empower others to take the lead, … acknowledge that others have gifts to offer – not just the lovable ones but also the difficult, the troublemakers, the misfits, the down and out, the ones who are not even part of the line. Listen. Listen to the wisdom around you – even from someone as low and as helpless – even as disruptive as this child was in the society of that time.

Does this version of greatness ring true for you? Think about the “great” people you have known in your life. Where did their power lie? Were they the ones at the top of the ladder or the ones supporting it from the base?

If you were having an argument about who is the greatest, would you want to be the one at the top with the power to do what you want, or would you want to be the one empowering from below? Which position of power feels most dangerous and scary to you? Which seems harder? Which one do you think might continue to affect the world when you’re gone?

Tomorrow we are faced with choosing leaders for our country. It’s a time to look past our own greatness and to elect those who have the power to make our country great. It’s a hard decision for each one of us. Does it help to think in terms of ubuntu, to think about who can make life better for all of us rather than just ourselves or our small circle? Does Jesus give us any guidance here to help us choose who should be first?

These few short verses in our reading from Mark this morning give us so much to think about… Sometimes I wish the Bible or God would just give us a clear answer but Jesus warns us, over and over again, it’s just not that simple to follow him. Amen.

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

(With inspiration from Joe Milner, St. Louis University, https//liturgy.sluhostedsites.org)

God of us all, As the season changes once again and we move from summer freedom back to the regular routines of life – work, school, clubs, and committee meetings, help us to remember to look beyond our own busy-ness to both the beauty and the needs around us.

Jesus challenges us to look at the world with new eyes, to put our egos aside and consider the deeper meaning of greatness – the greatness to which you call each of us. As we strive to become the people you need us to be, in the world as you envisioned it:

We pray: For this church that we may be servants of one another, particularly of those in need, and that this church be an example of love lived out in the world.

We pray: For greater awareness, that we may recognize our common humanity in spite of differences in race or culture, or status, and that we strive to accompany one another along the journey of life.

We pray: For a spirit of humility, that we may recognize all our gifts as gifts from God, gifts to be used and shared. And we pray that we may recognize our need for one another in our quest to become our fullest selves.

We pray: For a clearer recognition of healthy and unhealthy ambitions, that we may be aware of the motivations that stir our hearts, and respond to those that lead us closer to God and toward greater wholeness in ourselves, our communities, and the world.

We pray: For the poor and powerless in our society, that we may hear their voices, understand their pain, and humbly walk alongside them through life’s challenges, that we use our privilege to empower others rather than to lift ourselves.

We pray: For all who have been impacted by hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, or wildfires, that God will strengthen them, remove the obstacles which they encounter, and guide them to the assistance they need.

We pray: For healing and strength, that the Good News of Jesus may bring hope to the sick and strength to those who care for them. We pray especially for those in our faith family who are facing illness, injury, and grief. Let them feel the love with which we hold them.

We pray: For all of the burdens in our hearts, voiced or held in silent thought, and through these ancient words we repeat together with followers of Jesus throughout the world…

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

We are called to plant seeds of grace, hope, and justice; to wait for God’s mystery to work in the hearts and minds of others. The gifts we offer are seeds that reap a harvest beyond our imagining. I now invite you to offer your gifts of time, talents and treasures as our response to God’s abundant 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

(Kate Gregory, Pentecost 2, Gathering 2017, Year A)

Creator God, you gave us gifts and we have used them:
we offer them now to you in love and wonder.
Be pleased to accept our gifts in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Sending Forth  Rev. Lorrie

(Jamie Miller, Gathering Pentecost 2 2021, p39. Used with permission.)

As Jesus called the children to come to him
and the disciples to follow him, we too have a calling,
a calling to live out the word,
to be the love and do the work of Christ’s church.
May you feel rooted by your faith in God,
inspired by the stories of Jesus,
and lifted by the Guiding Spirit along your way. Amen.

Hymn:   “May the God of Hope”         VU 424

(Words – v1 Alvin Schutmaat, 1984; v2 Fred Kaan, 1993; Music – Argentine Folk Melody)

1 May the God of hope go with us every day,
filling all our lives with love and joy and peace.
May the God of justice speed us on our way,
bringing light and hope to every land and race.

Refrain:
Praying, let us work for peace,
singing, share our joy with all,
working for a world that's new,
faithful when we hear Christ's call.

2 May the God of healing free the earth from fear,
freeing us for peace, both treasured and pursued.
May the God of love keep our commitment clear,
to a world restored, to human life renewed. R 

Departing Hymn: This is God’s Wondrous World VU 296 

(Words: Maltbie Davenport Babcock, 1904; Music: English traditional melody, adapt. Franklin L. Sheppard 1915; adapt. Stanley Oliver 1929.)

1 This is God's wondrous world, 
and to my listening ears 
all nature sings, and round me rings 
the music of the spheres. 
This is God's wondrous world; 
I rest me in the thought
 of rocks and trees, of skies and seas,
God's hand the wonders wrought. 

2 This is God's wondrous world: 
the birds their carols raise,
the morning light, the lily white,
declare their Maker's praise.
This is God's wondrous world:
God shines in all that's fair;
in the rustling grass or mountain pass,
God's voice speaks everywhere.

3 This is God's wondrous world:
O let me ne'er forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet.
This is God's wondrous world: 
why should my heart be sad? 
Let voices sing, let the heavens ring:
God reigns, let earth be glad.

Zoom Fellowship – 11 am

[1] Based on an Indian Legend by Anne Hope – 1978

Sunday school activities - September 19, 2021

Theme Discussion

Reading: Mark 9: 30-39

Do you always like to be first in line? What about being first in games or contests? Would you like to receive an award or a prize for being the first? I’m sure most of us do. The person who ran the fastest, or sang with the most beautiful voice, or shot the most goals wins the prize. That’s normally how it works, right? But if we think about it, we cannot be first or the greatest or the best all the time.

In our Bible story today found in Mark 9: 30-39, Jesus heard his disciples arguing about which one of them was the best or the greatest. Jesus stepped in to end the argument. Jesus said that those who are last will be first and those who are first will be last. This really sounds weird and confusing, doesn’t it? What do you think Jesus means by this verse?

Well, I think Jesus was saying that greatness is not about being the first all the time although that is very good in many ways. Greatness or being the best means to think of others first before ourselves. When you help those in need or when you care for others or reach out to those who are lonely, you are actually putting others first before you.

Have you let someone go first in line? Have you given your seat to someone in the bus? Or let your brother or sister take the first pick of freshly baked cookies? Have you shared your favourite toy with someone that is not a close friend? How did you feel?

Jesus wants us to win by loving others and showing that you care. When you make others feel special, that is also being a winner. Do you think this makes sense? Do you agree with Jesus?

There’s also another part of the Bible story which is really neat. Jesus took a child and showed the child to his disciples and said: “Whoever welcomes this small child welcomes me and whoever welcomes me, welcomes God who sent me.” Children were not very important at the time of Jesus. They had no rights. They were not considered the greatest members of the society. But Jesus thought otherwise. Why do you think Jesus uses a child as a model of teaching greatness to his disciples and to us?

Jesus upholds that children are very special.  To be the greatest or the best, you have to pay attention to children, to notice them and give them love. Do you think children are special? Why?

Response Activity Ideas

Great People

If you were asked, who are some of the greatest people in history, who comes to mind?  What is it that has made them ‘great’?  Do an internet search to learn more about some great people.  There are some ideas below. What can we learn or copy from their life and experiences?

https://kids.kiddle.co/Mahatma_Gandhi

https://kids.kiddle.co/Nelson_Mandela

https://kids.kiddle.co/Kublai_Khan

https://kids.kiddle.co/Marie_Curie

Topsy-turvy

This is another one of Jesus’ teachings where things seem backwards – the last shall be first – which can seem confusing until we think about it for awhile.  It’s like an optical illusion – it seems one thing at first, but when you study it, or change your view point, something else becomes clear. 

Follow the tutorial here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B29Y-fkPVTY to draw a double-sided person – one that is happy on one side and sad at the other.  Try modifying it by adding more details (eyebrows/mustache?) to make it your own.  As you view from the ‘happy’ direction, think of ways you and your family can be great by putting others first!

Rainbow

Did you hear Rev. Kim’s Storytime this week?  If not, check out the video or text version of it on the BCUC website.  Using watercolours, (or other colouring tools on hand), illustrate the story she tells of all the rainbow colours arguing, but learning that they are all important and valued.

Sunday Worship Service - September 12, 2021

 BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

CREATION TIME 1

September 12, 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: This is God’s Wondrous World - arranged by Phil Keveren       Abe:piano

Welcome & Centering for Worship:     Rev. Kim. Vidal

Good day everyone! On behalf of BCUC, I welcome and greet you in the name of Jesus Christ on this first Sunday of Creation Time in the Season of Pentecost.  The liturgical colour of Creation Time is orange which is a warm colour associated with creativity, enthusiasm, fruitfulness, fall and harvest and the changing of seasons. Orange is the red of passion tempered by the yellow of wisdom. Wherever you are, whether you are joining us via online, or onsite, or even reading the printed text of the service in the comfort of your homes, we are glad that you have joined us today.

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.

Our sanctuary has re-opened for in-person worship service on Sunday at 10 am with a maximum number of 50 people. The Public Health recommends staying at home but if you wish to attend the service, you are most welcome. 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, this day, we offer our gratitude for the gifts of the earth lavishly offered to us by a loving Creator. May we do so with praise and thanksgiving and a commitment to care for the earth and to serve each other. Let us now gather in worship.

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

(Richard Bott, The Gathering, Pentecost 2, 2016 Year C. Used with Permission)

All creation is made of star stuff.
From the basic building blocks of the universe,
come fire, air, earth and water.
All creation sings praise to the Creator of all.
Warmed by this flame, we go where Christ’s light shines!

Call to Gather & Opening Prayer: (Based on Psalm 19: 1-6)   Rev. Lorrie Lowes

(Gord Dunbar, The Gathering, Pentecost 2, 2021 Year B. Used with permission)

Listen!
Wow! The music of the spheres without words,
sings to our hearts of God’s glory.
Look!
Incredible! The myriad mysteries of deep space,
light years of complexity,
blaze with God’s majesty.
Notice!
Amazing! The intricate weaving of life’s rhythms,
the pulse of creation,
dances with joy in God’s love.
Come! We come to celebrate God’s goodness in our lives!

Let us pray:

Our hearts fill with awe, O God,
For your Spirit works within us all.
You gift us as Christ’s body to become one,
In wholeness, one with all of creation.
Empower us for that purpose this morning,
We pray, that we may heed, hope and heal in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Opening Hymn:   Called by Earth and Sky – More Voices #135   BCUC choir

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

1 Precious these waters, endless seas,
deep ocean’s dream, waters of healing,
rivers of rain, the wash of love again.

Refrain: (French)
Du-ciel et de la terre,
Nous entendons l’appel’
Nous de-vons ché-rir l’univers,
é-crin de vie, pré-cieuse et belle;
du-ciel et de la terre.

Verse 2 (French)
Pré-cieux est l’air que l’on respire,
libre est le vent; Es-prit qui souffle,
viens nous in-struire, de grâ-ce
nous com-blant.

Refrain: (French)

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

Refrain:

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

Refrain:

Words & Music © 2005 Pat Mayberry, Arranged © 2005 Marg Stubington, Translation: 2006 David Fines
Song#119776 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved.

Storytime  Rev. Lorrie

Read Aloud – “The Doorbell Rang” by Pat Hutchins

Mom bakes a dozen cookies for Sam and Victoria to share – yummy ones that look and smell as good as Grandma’s! Just when they are about to eat them, the doorbell rings and two more children arrived. This happens over and over again until there is just enough for one cookie each – and the doorbell rings again…

Did you wonder what the children would do when the doorbell rang that last time? Mom thought they should just gobble up their cookies before she opened the door but those children decided to wait and see who was there. I was surprised! Were you? This was a hard decision to make, wasn’t it? It was pretty easy to share when there were enough cookies for everyone, but those kids were still willing to share the cookies, even if it meant they might not get one for themselves. What a nice surprise when it was Grandma at the door with more!

In our Bible reading today, Jesus tells his disciples that following him will sometimes be very hard to do but, if they are going to be true followers of his teaching, they will make the difficult choices – and they will feel better about it in the end. Of course, he was talking about choices a lot harder than sharing cookies but the idea is the same. Jesus says there is no point in just making yourself happy if it turns you into a selfish person who is not very nice. He says you will be rewarded for sticking to his teaching about showing love to everyone. It might not always mean that you get more cookies – but it will make you feel better about the person you are growing to be! I think these children were good followers of Jesus, don’t you?

Hymn: Will You Come and Follow Me? -Voices United #567  TeGrotenhuis family Jan 2020

Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?
Will you go where you don't know and never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown, will you let my name be known,
will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?

Will you leave yourself behind if I but call your name?
Will you care for cruel and kind and never be the same?
Will you risk the hostile stare should your life attract or scare?
Will you let me answer prayer in you and you in me?

Will you let the blinded see if I but call your name?
Will you set the prisoners free and never be the same?
Will you kiss the leper clean and do such as this unseen,
and admit to what I mean in you and you in me?

Will you love the "you" you hide if I but call your name?
Will you quell the fear inside and never be the same?
Will you use the faith you've found to reshape the world around,
through my sight and touch and sound in you and you in me?

Christ, your summons echoes true when you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow you and never be the same.
In Your company I'll go where your love and footsteps show.
Thus I'll move and live and grow in you and you in me.

Words: © 1987 John Bell, Music Scottish traditional
Song # 87129  Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Prayer for Illumination         Reader: Tamara Glanville

Creator God, let your words speak in each heart. |
Let the truth set each one free.
Let the gospel story inspire us for justice.
Let the Spirit’s presence fill us with joy. Amen. 

The Gospel Reading: Mark 8:27-38 (NRSV)        Who Do You Say That I Am?

27 Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 

28 And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 

29 He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” 30 And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 

32 He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 

33 But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 

35 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 

36 For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 

37 Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 

38 Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

May we find ourselves renewed through this story of faith. Thanks be to God!

Sermon:   “When Fine Print Matters”       Rev. Kim

          Have you ever found yourself excited about something - only to find out that you literally have sold your soul by not reading the fine print?  Admit it – most of us do not read the fine print. Maybe, we should! Here are some ridiculous true-to-life stories about people who found themselves at a losing end because they didn’t bother to read the fine print.

In 2014, FSecure, a cyber security company based in London UK ran an experiment to see if people are reading the fine print by offering a free Wi-Fi access. Before they could get on the Internet, users had to check a box agreeing to "assign their first-born child to FSecure for the duration of eternity." Still, 6 people signed up, but the company providing the Wi-Fi said the clause likely wouldn't be enforceable in a court of law.

Few years later, Manchester-based Wi-Fi company, Purple, promoted a similar experiment by offering a free public Wi-Fi for two weeks. The company inserted a clause in its agreement "to illustrate the lack of consumer awareness of what they are signing for when they access free WiFi." About 22,000 people who signed up, inadvertently agreed to 1,000 hours of community service — including cleaning toilets, scraping chewing gum on the streets and "relieving sewer blockages."

          How many of us have been tricked by fine prints that somehow quashed our expectations or have given us high hopes leading to other information that make us “not buy into it”? We are so engrossed in reading the big bold letters and we sometimes forget to ask the question, “what’s the catch?” The catch is a disclosure that is almost always penned in tiny mouse print that we easily ignore. That happened to Peter and the other disciples in this Gospel story.

          Jesus wondered how he was being perceived by people. What was the big bold letters that advertise his presence to those, whom he healed, touched, spoken to. Was he being seen as one among them? a healer? a preacher? a revolutionary leader? or a nut case?? He asked the disciples, "When you're out there, when you're talking to people or drawing water at the well or helping those in need, what are the people saying about me?” The disciples began to answer in big, bold claims -- familiar names in large print that are popular among the people in those days: JOHN THE BAPTIST…ELIJAH…A PROPHET. The disciples were filled with such hope and expectation. Like them, it was so easy for us today to identify Jesus in large prints as: REFORMER, LEADER, THE WAY, THE HEALER, TRUTH-TELLER, LIBERATOR, ACTIVIST. We think Jesus might be flattered to hear those big bold titles he was associated with. But Jesus was looking for more. So Jesus challenges his disciples and asks them: “But, who do you say that I am?” Peter rose to the occasion – just like all those times when he just opens his mouth without even thinking and said: “You are the MESSIAH”.

          Peter was one who understood church marketing. Fun and entertainment is always in style and sacrifice or sweating it out is always a put down. Talking about bearing burdens ad discomfort are in no way to promote the church. Church marketing is one strategy nowadays to lure people to come to church. One rich church mailed a glossy advertisement to each household in the neighbourhood with big bold large print poster telling the public that their church is a 3-C church: “casual, creative and contemporary.” On a fine print, they listed five reasons for people to “Come and check them out”: (1) jeans and t-shirts, no suits and ties; (2) no guilt. Leave your wallet at home; (3) positive sermon you will enjoy; (4) awesome programs for kids and teens; (5) pop, rock, country—our band rocks.  Another church promises “we won’t make you listen to organ music; the service won’t take more than an hour; we won’t visit your home unannounced; we will let you remain anonymous; we serve espresso drinks, free cotton candy to children 12 and under!” Sales gimmicks might draw a big crowd, but so does Lady Gaga. But promoting God the way we promote business is not what Jesus had in mind.

The large print of Jesus as the Messiah was obvious to Peter. He believed that when he left his career as a fisherman, when he dropped his fishing nets, left his family and the security of home and had followed Jesus--Peter had found the Messiah - someone powerful who will put down the Roman oppressors. Someone like King David who trampled down the enemies of Israel. And as he followed Jesus with the other disciples, Peter began to see the signs of the in-breaking of God’s reign--the sick was healed, the lepers were cleansed, the blind regained vision, the crippled walked, a tax collector became a disciple, people were fed. So when asked who Jesus was, he exclaimed, "You are the Messiah!" Peter understood messiahship in the tradition of the return of a David-like king, of a mighty, conquering hero, not one who will be put to death.

          Jesus doesn't deny the truth of what Peter says, but there is more to that large print. When Jesus points to Peter and the other disciples the fine print of suffering, rejection, and death, the disciples do not want to hear it. Peter rebukes Jesus. He taps Jesus on the shoulder and motions for a word in private: “Jesus, what are you talking about? Your popularity is skyrocketing. You don’t need to talk about suffering or dying.” Peter was ticked off – he could not sign off the fine print of following his hero, Jesus, the Messiah – all his dreams were shattered in one big explosion.  Peter was so hopeful -- he was so excited. Jesus was the one -- he was the one who would restore Israel to its former glory. He was the one he had been waiting for since the time of King David. Peter was not expecting a Messiah that would be defeated. Peter was looking for a Saviour who was stronger than anyone -- who would take care of all the threats and who would overpower all opposition -- someone who would rescue him and the people from the mess they were in. Peter rebukes Jesus for talking nonsense... suffering and rejection and being killed. That was not part of Peter's agenda for the Messiah. And Jesus took his turn, rebukes Peter, and calls him Satan! As if saying, “Peter, stop being a deceiver. I’ve had enough of this in the wilderness! What you’re thinking is the complete opposite of what God calls me to do and to be.”

Jesus continued talking about the fine print -  the hard stuff of being a disciple which we do not want to read, much more buy into it. "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me." What does it mean to deny oneself and to take up one’s cross? What does it mean to follow someone who has been crucified by the ruling power? Are we expected to die for what we believe? Do we have to give up our personal ambitions?  forget about our own comforts?  speak and listen to people we do not find interesting? care about people who wronged us? Who doesn’t already have enough suffering in their lives without looking for more? What will we have left if we give ourselves away?

          But come to think of it. Why did the disciples continue following Jesus? Why didn’t Peter and the rest of them leave and go home after knowing what it takes to be a Jesus’ follower? Why are we still here following Jesus and his way of life?  Because Peter and the disciples knew in their hearts that Jesus lived the way God wills every human being to live, which is a life of love, humility, justice and compassion. A life lived in putting others first. Because Jesus initiated a movement that believes in God’s power to change and transform lives. Because the God revealed in Jesus shows up even in broken places of our lives and in the world. Because in Jesus, we discover, not the God we may want, but the God we desperately need. This God will meet us in the places of our brokenness and wholeness and will embrace us with grace and love. Because life is never the same after Jesus showed us the way to God.

          A few years ago, in one of our lectionary group discussions, Peggy Aitchison shared a story about a Norwegian man her family hosted one summer. On Sunday morning, Peggy invited him to go to church and he said, shall I bring a sacrifice? Peggy was surprised to hear this but then she came to realize that in Norway, sacrifice means the Sunday offering.  This story made me think seriously about my faith. What does my offering - my sacrifice - say about my commitment in following Jesus? Our day-to-day choices are not likely to lead to martyrdom, but each day we have to decide how we will spend our time, our resources, our talents, our lives.

          Denying ourselves and bearing our own crosses may mean so many things. It could mean walking the extra mile, standing with the people who are losing, doing good that will receive no applause, building homes and partnerships in far-flung Nicaragua or Zambia, treating marginalized and disabled people as children of God, shopping for someone else’s groceries, reading stories to someone else’s children, taking flowers to someone who’s not a 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, marching with the blacks, the indigenous people, or the climate change activists in their pursuit of a just society . I could go on and on... And what do you get in return? Nothing fancy - just a dose of tremendous comfort and peace of mind knowing that you have made a difference in someone’s life and in the world. Denying oneself reminds me of the song, Put a Little Love in Your Heart and when you do, the world will be a better place for you and me!

          As we continue to journey as the body of Christ in this season of creation time, Jesus invites us to be his followers. It never means that we give up our dignity, but it does mean that we will take on the mantle of faithfulness and life-giving commitments. We will speak as Jesus speaks. We will act as Jesus has come to act. There will be times in our lives when we realize that in losing our agenda, our power, our resources, our relationships, we find our true identity, our call and our purpose. It's not that nothing is lost. It's that something more important is gained. Read the fine print, put it to heart and live in good faith. Thanks be to God. Amen.

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

Come all of you who seek a sanctuary and a time to listen to God within. Bring your heart, your needs and your acknowledgement of the sacred in your midst. Let us join our hearts in prayer.

O Great Love, we give thanks for this cycle of surprising life, its challenges, its beauty and its delights... informed by your presence in and through it all. And yet, some days, words fail us when we wish to speak of love or life or hope. No words come - instead we shed tears, feel our brokenness and an outburst of despair. Those times we turn wordless from the world and from you. Take our hands, show us how to return with hope renewed, with energy to love others and work for change, with attention to the beauty that lives in all our lives.

Help us to see the blessings each day brings. Help us to see the thoughtful gestures of those around us. Help us to see the beauty of the earth and to commit ourselves to be good stewards of the whole of creation. Help us to see the richness of our Christian heritage taught and lived by Jesus. Help us to see the satisfaction in doing something well. Help us to see the workings of your hand in our lives. Give us the far-off vision of things yet unseen.
Like Peter and the other disciples, help us to have the courage to understand what it means to follow Jesus and to present our questions or even our doubts. Help us to be faithful to your way of life and know you richly as our God.

Giver of Life, we pray for your healing and comforting presence in the lives of those needing care, giving thanks for all those who opened their hearts to pray for them and are present with them.  We pray for those in need of healing, relief from symptoms of diseases, and wholeness of mind and spirit. We pray for those in retirement homes and nursing facilities, for those recovering at home and for those hoping that each day new mercies will come. We pray for those who are alone, who are alienated from their families, those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. We also remember those who are celebrating wonderful occasions and milestones in life. And now in silence, hear the deepest concerns of our hearts.

God of peace, we pray for the storms battering our communities in many forms; the wars and conflicts that never seem to reconcile; the continuing global economic fears. We feel afraid and powerless. We pray for refugees and many displaced people in the world. We pray for all the leaders of the world that they may make wise choices for everyone and that they may lead us to honour one another and serve the common good.

When you call our names, Creator God, you call us into a journey of faith following the example of Jesus. May we treasure your words in our hearts in whatever we say and do, so that our lives may reflect your way of light and love to others. These we ask in the name of Jesus who taught his disciples this prayer.

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

God invites us to take part in God’s caring for the earth and for one another. The gift of creation reminds us of God’s abundant generosity and invites us to live with gracious offering of our time, talents and treasures. 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

God of earth and sky, in response to your abundant love that you offer us, we offer our gifts: time, talent and treasures for the life of this congregation and the lives of many in the world. Amen.

Sending Forth  Rev. Lorrie

(Sheryl McLeod, Gathering Pentecost 1 2021, p53. Used with permission.)

God blesses us in so many ways.
As God’s beloved, we know God’s love,
we follow Christ’s way,
and we are sustained by the Holy Spirit’s persistence.
Now go into the world extravagantly
scattering God’s seeds of love. Amen. 

Hymn:   Praise with Joy the World’s Creator – Voices United #312    Keith, Sheryll, Angela

1 Praise with joy the world's creator,
God of justice, love and peace,
Source and end of human knowledge,
God of grace shall never cease.
Celebrate the Maker's glory,
Power to rescue and release.

2 Praise the Christ who feeds the hungry,
Frees the captive, finds the lost,
Heals the sick, upsets religion,
Fearless both of fate and cost.
Celebrate Christ's constant presence -
Friend and Stranger, Guest and Host.

3 Praise the Spirit sent among us
Liberating truth from pride,
Forging bonds where race or gender,
Age or nation dare divide.
Celebrate the Spirit's treasure -
Foolishness none dare deride.

4 Praise the Maker, Christ and Spirit,
One God in Community,
Calling Christians to embody
oneness and diversity.

This the world shall see reflected
God is One and One in Three.

Words © 1985 The Iona Community, alt.; Music: John Goss, 1868
Song #40528 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Departing Music: Great is the Lord – Michael W. Smith                     Abe:organ

Zoom Fellowship – 11 am

Sunday school activities - September 12, 2021

Theme Discussion

Hello!  What’s your name?  Nice to meet you!  There’s more to a person than just their first name, though, isn’t there?

Go around the room taking turns with your family talking about each other: What are some (kind!) names and adjectives you have to describe the others?  (Sister, helper, reader, best cupcake baker, etc.)

If other people were asked to describe you, would they all say the same thing? What they say about you will depend on how they have experienced you. Your parents, your siblings, your friends, your teacher, your coach – each one would likely describe you in a different way. Who do you think knows you best?

Today’s Bible story, Mark 8:27-38, has two parts to it:

In the first part, Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They give many different answers. They have heard people say Jesus is John the Baptist, or a prophet like Elijah, or Jeremiah, come back to life. When Jesus asks, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter says, “You are the messiah.” Jesus tells them that they must keep this a secret because the people coming to see him wouldn’t understand.

The disciples have spent more time with Jesus than most other people and so they are beginning to understand that God has given him a very special role to play in the world. I think Jesus might be worried that if they call him the Messiah or the Saviour to other people who don’t know him so well, they will expect him to be like a king or a great military leader.

How does the way someone describes you change the way they act with you, or expect you to act? 

Next, Jesus tells his disciples that there are going to be some hard times ahead and that the leaders will not like what he does and says. He tells them he will suffer and even die. Peter isn’t happy with this kind of talk. He takes Jesus aside and tells him to stop scaring everybody with this negative talk. Jesus gets cross with Peter and tells him that they all need to hear these things because they need to know what they are getting into by following Jesus. It will be hard and even sometimes scary and dangerous.

What do you think it would have been like to travel with Jesus as the disciples did?

What do you think is the hardest thing Jesus asks us to do as his followers?

How do people around you react when you do those things? How do you feel about yourself when you do them?

Response Activity Ideas

Jesus is like…. I am like…

Gather colouring tools and print out the worksheet (or use blank paper).  At the top, draw a picture that represents the name or image you have for Jesus, and fill in the sentence to explain what you drew.  At the bottom, think about yourself.  What skills, qualities, gifts can you share with others?  What are you like for the people around you?  Again, draw a picture and explain with words.

Doing the Right Thing Poster (WWJD?)

Choose an inspirational quote or Bible verse that could remind you to consider what the right thing to do in a situation might be, even it’s not the easiest choice or the option you’d prefer.

Using markers, paint, or crayons OR working on the computer with different fonts and colours, make a small poster to put up at home or get tucked into your planner or a binder at school.

Here are some ideas to consider:

Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching. – C.S. Lewis

Do the right thing. It will gratify some and astonish the rest. – Mark Twain

When in doubt, don’t. – Benjamin Franklin

Knowing what’s right doesn’t mean much unless you do what’s right. - Theodore Roosevelt

Wordsearch

Click to print PDF

Sunday Worship Service - September 5, 2021

 BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

15th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

September 5, 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: I Have a Dream – ABBA (Ulvaeus/Andersson)      Abe:instrumental

I believe in angels Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels When I know the time is right for me
I'll cross the stream, I Have a Dream             © 1979 Universal Music Pub All rights reserved

Acknowledgement of Territory           Rev. Lorrie Lowes

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    Rev. Kim. Vidal

Good day everyone! On behalf of BCUC, I welcome and greet you in the name of Jesus Christ on this 15th Sunday after Pentecost. Wherever you are, whether you are joining us via online, or onsite, or even reading the printed text of the service in the comfort of your homes, we are glad that you have joined us today. On this Labour Day weekend, we remember and give thanks for all those who shoulder the tasks of human labour, both active and retired—in the farms, marketplaces, in factories and offices, in schools and churches, and in family living. We also lift up all the students and teachers who are returning to school in the coming week.

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.

Our sanctuary has re-opened for in-person worship service on Sunday at 10 am with a maximum number of 50 people. The Public Health recommends staying at home but if you wish to attend the service, you are most welcome. 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, let us come as a welcoming people, centering ourselves in a loving, welcoming God as we worship together.

Lighting of the Christ Candle        Acolytes: Fowler Family

"No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand so that those who come in can see the light.” (Luke 8:16)

May the light of Christ shines on!                                                                  

Call to Gather & Prayer of Confession     Rev. Lorrie

(Kate Crawford, The Gathering, Pentecost 2, 2014. Used with permission)

Come, people of dancing waves and burning sun!
Come to worship God!
Come, people of refreshing rains and growing things!
Come to this place of prayer and praise!
Come to sing! Come to deepen faith!
Come to rest in God’s love!
Come and we are strengthened!
We are lifted up in this community of friends!
Come, let us worship and give thanks!
People of God, the Spirit calls.
The Spirit calls us to a life of responsive relationship.
Sometimes we ignore or forget this call.
Let us not be afraid to seek healing for our brokenness and pain.
Let us confess and draw once again in the relationship that is truly life-giving.

Let us pray:

Broken, we turn to you.
Hurting, we look to you.
Mourning, we lean on you.
Failing, we beg of you.
Hear our confession as we offer our silent prayers.

(Moment of Silence)

You call us blessed and so we are blessed,
for this and for all your mercies, thanks be to God!

Hymn:   Come, Let Us Sing of a Wonderful Love – Voices United #574           Mary Schmieder

1 Come let us sing of a wonderful love,
tender and true, tender and true,
out of the heart of the Father above,
streaming to me and to you:
wonderful love, wonderful love
dwells in the heart of the Father above.

2 Jesus, the Saviour, this gospel to tell,
joyfully came, joyfully came,
came with the helpless and hopeless to dwell, sharing their sorrow and shame,
seeking the lost, seeking the lost,
saving, redeeming at measureless cost.

3 Jesus is seeking the wanderers yet;
why do they roam? why do they roam?
Love only waits to forgive and forget;
home, weary wanderers, home!
Wonderful love, wonderful love
dwells in the heart of the Father above.

4 Come to my heart, O thou wonderful love!
Come and abide, come and abide,
lifting my life till it rises above
envy and falsehood and pride:
seeking to be, seeking to be
lowly and humble, a learner of thee

Words: Robert Walmsley, 1900, Music: Adam Watson
Song reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Storytime  Rev. Lorrie

“This Is Our House” by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Bob Graham

Read by Rev. Lorrie, Katie, Owen, Bree & Jack Kelly and their friend Barrett Burgess

This is a story about some children who find a big cardboard box and use it to make a playhouse. One child, George, decides that it is his house and makes up reasons to exclude all the other children – no girls allowed, or small people, or twins, or people who wear glasses, or who like tunnels. When George leaves to go to the bathroom, the other children all go in the house and exclude him when he comes back because he has red hair. George throws a tantrum but then stops and thinks… he declares that everyone is welcome in the house because “This Is Our House!”

George learned a big lesson, didn’t he? The other children showed him that excluding others makes everyone unhappy and that welcoming everyone is a lot more fun.

In our Bible story today, a Syrophoenician woman asks Jesus to heal her daughter. We would expect Jesus to do this for her, wouldn’t we? - but this woman is from another country. She looks different and sounds different from the people Jesus knows. Jesus was brought up amongst people who said that people like this woman were no good and so he says he can only help the Jews. He excludes her! This woman, a stranger, teaches Jesus a lesson about inclusion. Jesus listens to what she has to say and realizes that God would not want him to exclude anybody, not even someone so different. Jesus changes his thinking and the woman’s daughter is healed.

Jesus learned from the Syrophoenician woman, just like George learned from the children in the book we heard this morning. Both of them came to understand what the situation looked like from the other people’s view and realized that excluding them made no sense at all.

There are so many things we can learn if we take the time to listen. Sometimes what we hear can change our thinking and make life better for everyone.

Hymn:    Seek Ye First the Kingdom - Voices United #356      Ellen, Chris, Bernice & Angela

1 Seek ye first the Kingdom of God,
and God’ righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you.
Hallelu, hallelujah!

2 Ask and it shall be given unto you;
seek and ye shall find;
knock and the door shall be opened unto you.
Hallelu, Hallelujah!

3 We do not live by bread alone,
but by every word
that proceeds from the mouth of God. 
Hallelu, Hallelujah!

Words & Music © 1972 Karen Lafferty, maranatha music
Song reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved 

Prayer for Illumination         Reader: James Eaton

Be with us, O God, as we reflect on your Word.
Open our eyes, our ears and our hearts
to listen to your voice and make of us
witnesses and doers of a living faith in Christ. Amen. 

The Gospel Reading: Mark 7:24-37 (NRSV) - Jesus & the Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith

24 From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, 
25 but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him,
and she came and bowed down at his feet. 
26 Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin.
She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 
27 He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 
28 But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 
29 Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” 
30 So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

May we find ourselves renewed through this story of faith. Thanks be to God!

Sermon:   “Who Deserves the Crumbs?” Rev. Kim

In our partnership visit to Nicaragua in 2015, there were two kinds of dogs that caught my attention. One was the street smart and the other, the upper class.  It was impossible to ignore the street-smart dogs that roamed around the city of Managua especially in the barrios or villages on which we did our work. Everything about these dogs’ demeanor and appearance were so different from the dogs we are accustomed to seeing here in Canada. The street-smart dogs were unbelievably skinny with ribs and hipbones sticking out, almost disturbingly in some cases. Most likely they have no owners and no families and no particular people to take care of them. They scavenge food wherever they can find it: in garbage, from the sewers, on the streets and scraps from people. The upper-class dogs, on the other hand, were properly fed and well taken care of. They were owned by the host families and the middle class, those who live in rich neighbourhood where we stayed. 

If there is a wide gap between the rich and the poor in Nicaragua, likewise, dogs have similar fate there. I remember Elly Crow’s comments one night when we gathered for reflection. She said: “I feel sad looking at the dogs on the streets. In Canada, we feed our dogs with human food and are considered family members. But here, they are left on the streets to survive on their own.” Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere.  And I certainly understand that getting enough to eat and basic survival are real concerns for a considerable proportion of the population. Nicaraguans, like other people everywhere, choose to feed their children first. Only when poverty is adequately addressed by the worldwide community can the lives of individuals of all species, including dogs, be expected to improve.

How would you feel if someone calls you a dog? If you answer this question in Jesus’ time, you will realize that calling someone a dog is an outright insult and a put down. Let’s admit it. In this particular story in Mark, Jesus uttered a racial slur by calling the Syrophoenician woman and her sick, dying child, “dogs”. Calling Gentiles "dogs" was a form of verbal abuse. We call it racial prejudice in our modern language. Although the term “race” was a human construct brought about by the slavery of Africans in the 17th century, we can say that “racism” is already present in Jesus’ time as verbal and physical abuse, but also in less explicit ways, more hidden, covert and unconscious. Perhaps “racism” in the Bible is closer to the word “prejudice.” As a Jewish man, Jesus was brought up in a tradition that taught a covenant theology where Jews were the only people on earth who deserves God’s mercy and grace. This is absolutely one of those difficult gospel moments with which Christians must wrestle. Who is this Jesus, portrayed in this Markan story, who seemed to be scornful of other ethnic groups? How are we to understand such an indifferent and prejudiced Jesus? 

In this story, a Syrophoenician woman, challenges Jesus to practice what he preaches. The woman nagged and begged Jesus to heal her daughter who was diagnosed with an unclean spirit. In those days, it was unseemly for any woman to approach Jesus directly, but she was also a Syrophoenician, a Gentile, a foreigner, an intrusion into the holy boundaries set by Mosaic laws. This woman, living in Tyre, which is modern-day Lebanon, just beyond the borders of Israel, is a descendant of those who were the most outcasts of the outcasts. The Markan Jesus barely listened to her plea and then uttered an odd remark: “it is not fair to take the children's food and feed it to the dogs.”

If one is familiar with Mark’s agenda of showing Jesus as being sent first to the Jewish people, the children in this story refers to the Jewish people, the one whom God favoured above all others and the dogs were the Gentiles, the pagans, the unclean, the outsiders. Jesus turns the woman away by using a metaphor that implies a limited supply of food that only the privileged – the children of God - may eat while those in the margins – the dogs - go hungry.  Now isn’t that something? Surely Jesus of all people should know that God's goodness is extravagant - that there is more than enough food for everyone. And this is essentially what the Gentile woman points out to Jesus. She believes that in God’s abundant grace, there's plenty of food for everyone – children and dogs alike.

The woman does not back down. She had a crumb of confidence and that was enough to make her persist. The woman answers Jesus’ remark point-blank: "You are right, Sir, but dogs eat the children’s crumbs under the table. Yes, Sir. I agree that you were sent first to the house of Israel. Yes, I understand that we may not be your first priority. But I also believe that there is more than enough to feed us all. If we are dogs, then at least let us have a dog's rations. You have more than enough to feed us with the crumbs, some scrap of grace for someone a dog like us that are left under the table.” Karoline Lewis interprets the woman’s response like this: "What are you going to do, Sir? Judge me by my race and colour -- or judge me by my heart? Who are you to reject me when the God of justice, the God beyond borders said yes to me. God said yes to me when you came here in Tyre, this pagan land instead of spending all your time in Jerusalem. It’s okay to be me, so get over yourself, Sir”. Jesus was mesmerized, awestruck by her remark. Her response stopped Jesus from his tracks. It was a learning moment for him. Jesus realizes that the woman tells the truth. And when the truth gets told? The world changes. Her world changed. Same for Jesus. The rest of Jesus’ ministry was never the same again because of her.  Jesus learned a lesson from this outsider, this non-Jewish, marginalized woman. Her faith astounds Jesus: "Woman, you have made an excellent point. You’re right- You get the same food as all of God's other children anyway, so why not have a seat at the table?" In that historic encounter, the "dog" becomes a dinner guest and gets to sit at the table with the "children.” And Jesus healed her dying daughter!

This story should stop us also in our tracks. David Henson comments that this story “presents Christians with some difficulty, particularly if we understand ethnic prejudice and racism as the systemic sins they are. When faced with the complexities of personal and systemic sin, it is much easier to think of Jesus as transcending them all and loving all peoples regardless of skin color or culture of origin. We want Jesus to be the simple, easy answer to all our problems and to all of society’s problems. Perhaps part of the difficulty of this passage…is that we want Jesus to be colorblind. We want Jesus to be colorblind because that’s what many of us want to be or think we should be.”  Don’t you find this story encouraging and challenging? I do.  Jesus, the rabbi, the leader of a movement, the Jewish man from Nazareth became a learner just like many of us. His teacher was a woman, an outsider, a Syrophoenician, a gentile. From his encounter with this woman, Jesus realizes that God’s love was for all people, that there were no outsiders, no distinction of ethnicity, colour or creed. From this point on, Jesus does not hold his healing power to only those in the inner circle, but expands the circle of God’s mercy and grace to include those once considered outsiders. Jesus opens himself to the whole world Jews and non-Jews alike.

Does anyone deserve only the crumbs? Or should we all have a seat at God’s table of grace no matter how poor or rich we are, no matter what faith we possess, no matter if we are children or dogs? Jews or non-Jews? Does God have boundaries regarding those receiving God’s grace? I strongly believe that the day the good news went to the “dogs” was the day it came to all of us. We are the recipients not of the crumbs under the table but a whole feast laid for us on the table. No one deserves the crumbs. We deserve to eat real food, real grace, real blessings from God. Through the Syrophoenician woman’s faith and persistence, Jesus fully understood that in God's love, there was more than enough food to go around!

How can we not pay attention to this story when the world is in a mess?  When millions of refugees, migrants and immigrants across the world come to ask persistently for sanctuary and shelter in a new country, who come seeking the crumbs from the bounteous table of richer nations? This week, the world continues to be in horror as thousands of Afghans are fleeing their beloved country because of a change of government that dehumanizes particularly women, children and those of ethnic and religious minorities. This crisis has revealed so many failings and injustices. It highlights the evils of war, violence and persecution that desecrates humanity.

Dear friends, how do we respond as the body of Christ on the issue of racism?  Are we willing to be an ally and to have our boundaries pushed back and to let go of the walls that divide people and communities? We don't have to go far to have our boundaries pushed back. We can proclaim Jesus and act like Jesus to a lonely new neighbour, to change our behaviour towards whites and non-whites and those of other faiths, to support and advocate for the refugees and immigrants that knocks on our doors for safety and refuge. The opportunities to serve are limitless. Where ever we are tempted to draw back, to judge, to turn away, to avoid someone's eyes, to tighten our protective circle - that's where God is calling us to let go of our limits, to a right relationship with someone outside our boundaries, our comfort zones. Who deserves the crumbs? No one - because God’s grace is outrageously abundant for all. We can all eat together on God’s table of grace. Thanks be to God! Amen.

Sources that helped me with my sermon:

1. Rev. Peter Lockhart, Does Jesus learn a lesson? A Different Heresy.

2. Heidi Husted, Christian Century, August 16, 2000

3. David R. Henson, “Crumbs: Jesus and the Ethnic Slur”, Lectionary Reflection, Mark 7:24-37, September 2, 2015, patheos.org.

4. Alyce Mackenzie, Jesus Is In the House! Reflections on Mark 7:24-37. patheos.org.

5. Commentaries of Karoline Lewis, preaching.org.

6. Elly Crow’s reflection – Mission Trip to Nicaragua 2015.

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

Holy One,

We marvel at the wonders of Creation and all the blessings we have been given.

We know that this planet and all life that inhabits it are suffering, in great part because of the way we humans have used earth’s resources without thought about how it affects the beautiful balance of nature. We know that many people around the world are suffering due to exclusion because of perceived differences – race, skin colour, sexuality, economic status, or differing abilities. We know that change is necessary to ensure that we, and all living things, can continue to thrive as you intended – but we also know that change is difficult.

Help us to learn. Help us to be open to new ways of living in respect with each other and with the ecosystem that supports all life. Help us to look at our way of life through new eyes, with the new information and wisdom that is available to us, with new understanding, and with your dream for creation as our focus and goal.

We pray for those who are dealing with the terrible effects of climate change – fires, floods, earthquakes, and ravaging storms. Move us to provide immediate relief and move us to action that will keep these things from worsening in the future.

We pray for all who are suffering today from illness, injury, grief, or loneliness. Help us to listen with open hearts and minds, that we can be a source of compassion and comfort.

We pray for all those living with fear and violence, for those experiencing the terrors of war, oppression, and abuse. We pray for all who have suffered from this pandemic – physically, economically, emotionally, and mentally. Help us to be agents of justice and a source of help and hope.

As Jesus was open to the wisdom of the Syrophoenician woman, may we be open to the voices of wisdom around us. Help us to look past our cultural assumptions and our fear of change so that we can transform our lives in a way that transforms the world.

All these things we ask in the name of Jesus, who urges us to see the world through the eyes of compassion and justice, and in the words he taught his disciples:

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kin-dom come, thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kin-dom, the power and the glory,
Forever and ever, Amen.

Invitation to Offer        Rev. Kim

Engaging the wholeness of life is what God is all about. Our ministry as a church is to accompany others in this journey toward wholeness and so we offer our time, talents and treasures knowing that we are all God’s beloved children. 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

Teach us God to offer the very best of who we are. Through these gifts, may we offer hope, joy and healing to a world so much in need. Receive what we offer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Sending Forth  Rev. Kim

Go from this place like the Syrophoenician woman:
bold, daring, ready to take a risk.

Go to be a blessing!
Be people of courage!
Be people of healing and love!

Go to bless others because you have been blessed
and tell the world that God: Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer
loves us all! Amen. 

Hymn:    “Bless Now O God the Journey”  - Voices United #633

1      Bless now, O God, the Journey
that all your people make,
the path through noise and silence,
the way of give and take.
The trail is found in desert
and winds the mountain round,
then leads beside still waters,
the road where faith is found.

2      Bless sojourners and pilgrims
who share this winding way,
whose hope burns through the terrors,
whose love sustains the day.
We yearn for holy freedom
while often we are bound.
Together we are seeking
the road where faith is found.

3      Divine Eternal Lover,
you meet us on the road.
We wait for lands of promise
where milk and honey flow.
But waiting not for places,
you meet us all around.
Our covenant is written
on roads, as faith is found.

Words © 1989 Sylvia Dunstan, GIA pub,  Music: 1898 Basil Harwood
Song #08081 reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved 

Departing Music: Thank You for the Music – ABBA                 Abe:instrumental

So I say Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing
Thanks for all the joy they're bringing
Who can live without it? I ask in all honesty
What would life be?
Without a song or a dance, what are we?
So I say thank you for the music
For giving it to me

Songwriters: Benny Andersson & Bjorn Ulvaeus © 1978 Universal Music Publishing
All rights reserved

Zoom Fellowship – 11 am