Sunday Worship Service - April 17, 2022

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

EASTER SUNDAY ALL-AGES / COMMUNION

April 17, 2022 – 10 am

The live service will be broadcasted and recorded on YouTube, check your email for the link. The live service should be available by phone Monday midday at 613-820-8104.

Gathering Music/Introit: Sing Forth, Every Voice, for the Lord is Risen
BCUC Choir

Music from “The King Shall Rejoice” by Handel, Psalm 118 arrangement © 2002 Hal Hopson

Welcome & Centering for Worship
Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Hallelujah!

Good Morning! What a joy it is to greet you on this Easter morning! Welcome to this service of worship and praise. We are happy that you have joined us today – in person, in real time on the streaming link, at another time with the recording, or on the telephone. It is good to be able to celebrate in so many ways!

Though we have reopened the sanctuary for in-person worship, we are still being cautious as we realize the virus is still making its rounds. As a faith community called to love and serve others, we highly recommend getting fully vaccinated and still being mindful of the health protocols like masking, social distancing, hand sanitizing, and staying home if you feel unwell.

We also hope that you will continue to take time to reach out to each other through prayers, phone calls, emails, or video chats when it isn’t possible to gather in person.

Today is a day where hope rises: Spring weather is arriving, green shoots are poking up in our gardens, the days are getting longer, and the pandemic seems to be getting less dangerous even though it seems more rampant. 

Today is a day of the celebration of hope:

Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed!

Let us join together to worship God.

Lighting of Christ Candle
Acolytes:  Chris and Kaylee Brown

(Fern Gibbard, Gathering L/E 2019, p 41. Used with permission.)

On this Easter morning,
We shout and sing the glad news:
Jesus Christ is risen indeed!
We light the Christ candle because he is here among us.
Hallelujah! Amen. 

Sung Response: “Halle, Halle, Halle” – Voices United #958

Halle, halle, halle - lujah! (3x)     Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Call to Gather
Rev. Kim Vidal

(Gord Dunbar, Gathering L/E 2018, p40. Used with permission.)

Well-come to worship.
Let’s yell, “Yahoo!” in praise of God’s goodness!

YAHOO! Ooh, that felt good. YAHOO!

Let’s shout “Hurray!” in praise of Christ’s good news!

HURRAY! Yes, that certainly hit the spot. HURRAY!

Let’s whisper, “Thanks!” in praise of the Spirit’s leading!

Thanks, Shhhh. Our hearts beat with a silent beat of thanks.

Let’s raise our hands as a sign of rejoicing!

(Everyone raises their hands)

Let’s applaud God’s healing among us in American Sign Language!

(Everyone raises their hands over their heads, if possible, and makes jazz hands)

Let’s blow kisses of thanksgiving for a bounty of blessings.

(Everyone blows kisses toward the communion table)

Let’s share our joy and our praise for God within each other.

(Everyone shares in one of the ways above that suits them)

Prayer of Approach

(Richard Bott, Gathering L/E 2019, p43. Used with permission.)

In this moment of mystery, in this moment of hope, in this moment of life, loving God –
Open our hearts to the wonder!
Open our senses to the possibilities!
Open the tombs we’ve created, and show us they are empty of what we’ve come to expect,
But full of the new possibilities.
Alleluia! Let it be!
Amen. 

*Hymn: This is the Day – More Voices #122

This is the day that God has made; we will rejoice and be glad! (2x)

Refrain (2X):
Singing hallelu, singing hallelu,
Singing hallelu! We will rejoice and be glad! 

Voici le jour que Dieu a fait; nous le vivrons dans la joie. (2x)

Refrain (2X):
Chantant Allelu, chantant Allelu,
Chantant Allelu! Nous le vivrons dans la joie 

Storytime
Rev. Kim

Good morning!

Today is Easter Sunday! This is a happy day for Christians all over the world because we are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus!

Hmm. The word resurrection is certainly a big word. Remember the story of how Jesus died on Good Friday? Well, that is not the end of Jesus’ story. We, Christians, believe that Jesus rose again. That is a simple definition of the word resurrection – Jesus is risen from the dead. Now the question is – how did that happen?

When I think of Jesus rising again from the dead, it reminds me of wonderful things that we see around us.

(slide1) Take, for example – a caterpillar cocooning itself like a dead worm and then, in a matter of days, that caterpillar will turn into a beautiful butterfly!

(Slide 2) Think of a seed that seemed lifeless at first, but when planted in the soil and nourished with water and sunshine, that lifeless seed will turn into an apple tree with lots of flowers and fruits.

(Slide 3) Or think of a deflated balloon but when filled with air, it changes into an awesome shape that can float in the air. It’s amazing, isn’t it, how God can make these things happen.

Can you think of other examples where something insignificant might change into something different and beautiful and full of life?

The story in John tells us that after Jesus died, his body was laid in a tomb with a stone that sealed it. But when Mary Magdalene visited his tomb on Easter morning, the stone was rolled away and Jesus’ body was gone. It must have been devastating for Mary to realize that the tomb was empty. She cried the longest in her life. Her teacher, her beloved friend, Jesus, is gone. Then she heard someone call her name: “Mary!” and when she looked up, as the story goes, standing in front of her was Jesus. I think Mary, at first, thought it was the gardener who was in front of her. Mary did not know it was Jesus because, perhaps, Jesus’ appearance was changed. That is how John told the story.

I don’t know about you, but for me, the resurrection of Jesus is like baking Easter cookies. Yes – you heard it right! Baking yummy Easter cookies! Last night, I found a recipe shared by the Rev. Gord Dunbar in 2015.  

(Slide 4) So, I prepared all the ingredients needed: crushed pecans, a tablespoon of vinegar, egg whites, a pinch of salt and a cup of sugar. When I looked at these ingredients, they reminded me of Jesus’ life on earth. He certainly taught us to be salt of the earth. Jesus showed us that life is both sweet like sugar and sour like vinegar. He had days that were bubbly and at their peak. But sadly, he was crushed and eventually was crucified because he taught that God’s love is for everyone, no matter who they are, and that angered some of those in power. 

(Slide 5) So, I mixed all of these ingredients – symbolic of the life and death of Jesus, and baked them in the oven. And after a few minutes, voila! The fluffy mixture turned into a hard, cracked surface but the inside is hollow. Looking at the hollow cookie, I felt like Mary – sad and disappointed at first – but when I tasted it, the whole thing just melted in my mouth. And it made me rejoice and say alleluia! 

The resurrection of Jesus is a moment of a sheer celebration! Jesus died but we made him alive again and again through our acts of love, kindness and compassion. We made him come to life every time we offer God’s unconditional love to others and the whole of creation. Jesus lives again when we commit ourselves to following in his footsteps. Jesus is alive in our hearts, in our minds, in our lives, like a yummy Easter cookie filled with sweetness and love that changes God’s world to a better place.

Let us pray. Easter God, thank You for the gift of Jesus in our lives. Help us to offer your unconditional love and share the good news of Jesus’ resurrection through our words and acts of love, kindness and compassion. Alleluia! Christ Risen in us! Alleluia! Amen.

Hymn: Hey Now! Singing Hallelujah!  - More Voices #121

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

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

2.    Jesus healed people and he helped them be well.
Hey now the tomb was empty.
He taught about God in the stories he’d tell.
Hey now, the tomb was empty. Refrain 

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

4.    Jesus had power and they took him away.
Hey now, the tomb was empty.
They nailed him on a cross and they killed him one day.
Hey now, the tomb was empty. Refrain 

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

Prayer for Illumination
Reader: Bernice Miller

God of joy and delight, open our hearts to receive your Word anew, and give us hope as an Easter people.

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

20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to their homes.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

May we find ourselves renewed through this story of hope.

Thanks be to God.

Anthem: Mighty to Save
BCUC Choir

Words & Music © 2006 Fielding & Morgan, arrangement © 2010 Sorenson

Sermon:  Why Are You Weeping?
Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Here we are this morning, gathered together in a sanctuary filled with flowers and hallelujahs! Today is the day we celebrate the story that defines us as Christians, the one story that sets us apart from all other religions in the world. Today we shout the message of hope and conviction to the world:

He is risen!
Death does not have the last word!
Jesus lives!
Look! God is creating something new! 

Hallelujah!

And yet, we weep…

We weep for a world where violence and oppression still make people cower in bunkers … where people are forced to leave their homes – their lives – and rush to join the crowds who gather at the borders, looking for safety…

We weep for a world where children go hungry, where water isn’t safe to drink, where lack of even the basic necessities of life result in disease and death…

We weep for a world where greed and the lust for power fill some pockets to overflowing while others struggle to put a meal on the table, a roof over their heads, shoes on their children’s feet…

We weep for a world where people suffer – good people who have done everything right – where pandemics go on and on, where some elderly folks are warehoused rather than cared for with the dignity they deserve, a world where a person can feel lonely and alone in a crowded, bustling city…

Sometimes, in all this weeping, shouting “Hallelujah” can seem almost inappropriate…

It struck me this week, as I read the resurrection stories, that no one seemed to be celebrating on those first days after Jesus was crucified. The hallelujahs that we raise on Easter morning aren’t reflected in the accounts of that first son-rise…

The contrast between our hymns of celebration and the passage from John that we heard this morning suddenly struck me in the heart when Mary arrived at the tomb, distraught with grief, wanting more than anything to give her beloved teacher the dignity in death that was stripped away from him in such a graphic way on the cross. I imagined how horrible those hours from sundown on Friday, when the sabbath time began to this early morning walk to the tomb where she had seen him placed must have been. Hours of grief, hours of distress, hours of desperately wanting to do something but being bound by her religious obligation, and perhaps some fear of what will happen next, what will happen to his friends and followers. She was determined, though. She arrived at the tomb as soon as she was able, as soon as the sabbath had ended and she was free to move again – even before the sun rose. She made her way in the dark, carrying the oils that would help her erase that image of his execution like a criminal, his broken and beaten body, the death cries and the stench of others hanging there, the shame and disgrace that accompanied such a death. Like Mary of Bethany who just days ago, washed those beloved feet with nard mixed with tears and wiped them with her hair, this Mary would bathe and anoint his body and give him the love and decency he so deserved. She was on a mission to right a wrong.

And when she arrived, the stone had been rolled away and that beloved body was gone…

Can you imagine what that sight, that realization, would have done to her?

“Woman, why are you weeping?”

In this increased state of distress, she turns to those who would understand, those who loved him as much as she did, those who were grieving just like her, those who would know what to do… and, in shock, these grieving men run to the tomb. No, no, no! It can’t be true. We will go there and it will have been a trick of the light, a trick of her grief… They don’t walk, they run! They need to see… to prove it wrong…

The first disciple arrives, outrunning Simon Peter, desperate to be the one who says, “It’s ok! It’s ok! He is here, just as we left him.” … but he stops short when he is faced with the horrible truth… the stone has been rolled away, the body is gone… who would do such a thing? How can this be happening? Is this what he was trying to tell us – that he would rise from the dead? Oh, please, let him be alive! Let this nightmare be over, let him come around the corner and tell us it was all a mistake…

“Why are you weeping?”

Peter sees him standing there as he arrives… Would he wonder what this man has seen inside the tomb? He goes past him – right inside – there must be some explanation… He needs to see for himself…

And the two men return home – not running this time. Confused… disappointed… distressed… maybe resigned to the realization that it is really over, that he is really gone…

“Why are you weeping?”

And Mary is left alone again… her basket of oils unopened… her need to make things right thwarted… the frustration and grief of the last few days washing over her again… unable to leave… unable to accept this insult added to injury… she bends down to look in the tomb again… she sees two angels there…

“Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for? Who do you expect to find here?”

Someone is behind her and she turns her head to see…

“Woman, why are you weeping?”

Ah! It must be the gardener! He will be able to sort this out…

Confused… Distraught… Inconsolable…

And then she heard it… He called her by name!

She turns around … and in that gardener’s face she recognizes him – her teacher! – her beloved Jesus! … and in his words she hears the message that they all need to hear

I am going to my Father… your Father… my God… your God…

… a message for his brothers, his family, the ones who would now carry on…

And she told them, “I have seen the Lord!”

“Woman, why are you weeping?”

Is this not time for the Hallelujah?... Why are they not praising?

But it isn’t there… even if we continue to read John’s gospel or the writings of the others… no Hallelujahs… no celebration…

What we do find is a growing awareness… through their grief, they begin to see that they were wrong: It isn’t all over… It is just beginning…

Death did not have the final word…

We have just journeyed through the forty days of Lent – days of darkness, of confession, of deep reflection…

We have journeyed through that last week in the life of Jesus – a triumphant parade of hope… an intimate night of lessons about servanthood and love… a betrayal from a close friend… a crowd stirred to violence by shouts of rhetoric… a show of might and power to squash it all – the hope, the call to serve, the love, the new way forward… a final blow of disgrace and cruelty to end any thoughts of continuing in this new direction…

“Why are you weeping?”

The question is asked, over and over again…

I wonder… Is it really a question meant to dismiss the real grief of Mary, of Simon Peter, of all those who had loved and followed Jesus? Do these angels, this gardener, Jesus himself, not understand what they are going through?

Or… is it a challenge?

Why are you weeping? – Is it sadness that you have lost your friend, your teacher, your leader – your brother?

… or are you weeping because it’s over? Are these tears a sign of defeat? A sign that this power tactic worked? That death – that evil – has won?

I think Mary finally got it… “I have seen the Lord!” she tells them, and she passes on his message.

It’s not the end of the road… it’s the beginning of the next leg… He has shown the way and now it’s their turn to lead. Their Brother and their Father will be there to support them on the way.

There is a time for weeping, for sure. There is a time for grief, for fear, for disappointment, for frustration, anger, despair – for all the feelings Mary and the disciples were feeling on that first Easter morning. They are human emotions and they are all completely appropriate reactions to a death – particularly a death as unjust, as cruel, and as unnecessary as the death of Jesus. Certainly a “Hallelujah!” would have seemed out of place!

But… “Why are you weeping?” Is it because of the loss of a beloved one? Ok, that’s good, that’s understandable, that’s to be expected. Let me offer you comfort.

“Why are you weeping?” Is it because it’s all over now and you see no reason to go on? Let me help you celebrate the life of the one you lost. Let me help you see how you can share their legacy, how you can build on what they began.

There are many things in this world that cause us to weep – still – two thousand years after the death of our beloved teacher.

The sorrow, the anger, the despair, the frustration – all those emotions we feel when we look at the problems in our world today – they are all causes for weeping. Our grief is justified.

But it can’t stop there. These emotions are also a call to action – a challenge to each one of us to follow in the steps of Jesus – the one we call the Risen Christ – a call to use those emotions to cause the world to change.

It’s what it means to be a Christian, after all, a follower of Jesus, isn’t it? To be a Christian is to live in hope that the world can change – that the world is changing – and that we have what it will take to make that change happen – a sense of service, a sense of justice, love for our neighbour and for Creation. To be a Christian is to celebrate the life of the one who showed us the way and to celebrate our faith that following this path is exactly how that change will take place.

So, here we are this morning, gathered together in a sanctuary filled with flowers and hallelujahs! Today is the day we celebrate the story that defines us as Christians, the one story that sets us apart from all other religions in the world. Today we celebrate that he has called us by name. We celebrate that “we have seen the Lord!” Today, we shout the message of hope and conviction to the world:

He is risen!
Death does not have the last word!
Jesus lives!
Look! God is creating something new! 

Hallelujah! – a most appropriate word for today – Hallelujah!
Amen. 

Communion

Hymn:  Bread for the Journey - More Voices #202

Pain pour la route, pour nos chemins.
De Dieu la coupe, aujourd’hui, demain.

Bread for the journey, food for the way.
Cup full of blessing, tomorrow, today.  

Invitation:

This is the table of the risen Christ.
In this feast comes the root of our joy.
In this feast gleams the promise of the earth and the glory of all creation.
In this feast comes the Christ, Saviour and Friend to all. 

Call to Give Thanks:

Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed!
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Lord or God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise. 

Prayer of Thanksgiving:

Hallelujah, thanks and praise, ever-living God, worker of wonders, maker of miracles, author of all life and giver of life eternal!
Out of chaos and fear you bring beauty and hope.
Out of despair and death you create courage and new life.
And so, with the risen Christ, who makes all things new by the power of his resurrection, we join in the song of a new day to sing your praise:

Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God of Hosts!
Heaven and earth are full of your glory!
Heaven and earth praise you, O God most high! 

Remembering Jesus at Table:

We do what Jesus did the night before he died.
He took bread, gave thanks, broke the bread, and gave it to his friends, and said,
“Take, eat; remember me.”
Then he took the cup, and said, “Take, drink; remember.” 

Affirmation of Memory and Hope:

By sharing this loaf and cup,
We proclaim Jesus,
Crucified and risen,
Our judge and our hope. 

Prayer for Transformation:

Holy God, pour your Spirit on us, that we may know Christ in the breaking of bread, and that, in word and deed, we may be channels of your love, peace, and justice in the world.

Concluding Praise:

Praise be to God, the Source of love!
Praise be to Christ, Love incarnate!
Praise be to the Spirit, Love’s power!
Praise be to God! Amen. 

Breaking the bread and Filling the Cup:

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life,
Whoever comes to me will never be hungry; 
Whoever comes to me will never be thirsty.” 
The gifts of God for the people of God. 

Sharing the Bread and Cup

The Bread of Life.
The Cup of Blessing. 

Prayer After Communion:

Life-giving God,
May we who share Christ’s body, live his risen life;
May we who drink his cup, bring new life to others;
May we, whom the Spirit lights, give light to the world.
Keep us firm in the hope you have set before us,
So that we and all your children shall be free,
And all creation will live to praise your name.
Amen 

Hymn:   Bread for the Journey - More Voices #202

Pain pour la route, pour nos chemins.
De Dieu la coupe, aujourd’hui, demain. 

Bread for the journey, food for the way.
Cup full of blessing, tomorrow, today.  

Prayers of the People
Rev. Lorrie

(Ted Dodd, for DOTAC, April 2022. Used with permission.)

God of Easter,
Roll away the stone of sadness, turn our mourning into dancing.
God of Resurrection,
Race with us to the site of new life, turn our crying into mirth.
God of the Empty Tomb,
Help us to see angels who make holy inquiry, turn our grief into joy.
God of Easter, grant us hope and a sense of daylight.
In the face of the challenges of this year, so much is
confusing,
upsetting and
stressful.
God of Resurrection, grant us peace and a spirit of prayerfulness.
In this warring, virus world, a lot of us are weeping,
in grief,
in fear,
in anxiety.
God of the Empty Tomb, grant us reassurance and
a willingness to see the world without despair.
Despite death and misunderstanding and tears,
Easter happened.
A stone was rolled away.
Angels appeared.
Jesus spoke Mary’s name.
God of the gospel good news,
speak each of our names, that we might know assurance and faith.
God of Easter,
roll away the stone of sadness, that we might be people of hope.
God of Resurrection,
race with us to the site of new life, that we might live in courage.
God of the Empty Tomb,
help us to see angels, that we might experience strength.
We come to you in the name of Jesus, the Risen One, and in the words
he taught us to use when we pray 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.  

Anthem: Meekness and Majesty
BCUC Choir

Composition © 1986 Graham Kendrick, arrangement © 1991 Jack Schrader

Invitation to Offer
Rev. Kim

I now invite you to offer your gifts of time, talents and resources as expressions of your gratitude to God’s blessings and your commitment to the work.  If you are not on PAR and wish to send in your offering and donations, you can drop them in the 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 (In Unison)

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

*Hymn: Christ the Lord is Risen Today Voices United #157 (alternate words)

1.    Christ the Lord is risen today, hallelujah!
All creation join to say, hallelujah!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, hallelujah!
Sing, O heavens, and earth reply, hallelujah! 

2.    Love’s redeeming work is done, hallelujah!
Fought the fight, the battle’s won, hallelujah!
Lo, our sun’s eclipse is o’er! Hallelujah!
Lo, he dwells in death no more! Hallelujah! 

3.    Lives again our glorious King, hallelujah!
Where, O death, is now your sting? Hallelujah!
Once he died, our souls to save, hallelujah!
Where your victory, O grave? Hallelujah! 

4.    Hail the Lord of earth and heaven, hallelujah!
Praise to you by both be given! Hallelujah!
Every knee to you shall bow, hallelujah!
Risen Christ, triumphant now. Hallelujah! 

Sending Forth
Rev. Lorrie Lowes

(Elaine Bidgood Sveet, gathering L/E 2016, p44. Used with permission)

Go out with joy this Easter morning!
May the hope and power of this holy day strengthen you.
Let your Alleluias ring!
Alleluia! Amen! 

Departing Music

Sunday school activities - April 17, 2022

Materials adapted from: The UCC GO Project  (Copyright 2022)

Story

Easter — the story of Jesus’ resurrection — is one of the most important stories for Christians. Every Sunday when Christians gather together, they celebrate a mini version of this day, remembering how Jesus died and rose again, and how that has changed the world. There are four different stories about the resurrection in the Bible. In this one, from the Gospel of John, we hear that Jesus appears first to Mary Magdalene and then tells her to share the news with all the others. You can also notice that

Mary doesn’t immediately recognize Jesus, as though she isn’t quite ready to believe in what God can do.

Video:

Wondering

I wonder why Mary didn’t recognize Jesus?

I wonder why Jesus chose to appear to Mary?

I wonder what it would feel like for Jesus to call us by name, especially when we’re sad?

I wonder how we can share the news of the resurrection with others?

I wonder how God’s love can change the world?

Music

Response Activity Ideas

Lenten Toolbox: Butterfly

The butterfly has long been a Christian symbol of the resurrection, for a caterpillar disappears into a cocoon and appears dead, but emerges later more beautiful and powerful than before. The four stages of the butterfly’s life are symbolic of the stages in the life cycle of Christ:

Stage 1: The butterfly begins as a tiny egg; and Jesus began as a dream from God, made real through Mary carrying the baby Jesus.

Stage 2: The egg turns into the larva/caterpillar stage; and Jesus grows into a child and then man - learning each day.

Stage 3: Chrysalis stage - when the caterpillar cocoons itself breaking down its cellular forms and becomes something new; and after Jesus is crucified and spends days in the tomb preparing to resurrect.

Stage 4: Adulthood - when the butterfly emerges from the cocoon and flies away, and when Jesus is resurrected and leaves the tomb.

Make yourself a butterfly!  Try these folded paper butterflies or search for another idea online.

When you’ve made it, think of it emerging from your Lenten Toolbox – full of new life!  Your self-care tools and efforts can leave you refreshed and renewed!

Flowering Cross

Explore the move from sorrow into joy by decorating a cross with flowers, butterflies and other symbols of joy.  Jesus died on the cross. It was a symbol of fear for people in the ancient world. But from this cross comes new life. It is now a symbol of God’s love and the new life that God makes for us. On Easter Sunday we celebrate how God overcomes our fear and death with new life and love.

Print out the cross template, and, using any colouring tools you wish, fill the cross with flowers, butterflies, and other symbols of new life. We can remember that something that made people afraid can also bring us great joy.

Click to print PDF

God’s Love Slideshow

God’s love can bring life when things seem hopeless, as God does by raising Jesus from the dead.  God transforms the death of Jesus into something unexpected, bringing a new experience to the followers of Jesus. We can see the ways in which God is at work in the world, bringing new life to places of despair through love.

Do a web search for news stories, images, or articles that show God’s love at work in the tough and scary places in the world.  Look for helpers, new chances, fresh starts, unexpected generosity and kindnesses.  Gather your findings in a slideshow presentation format.  Share with your family, explaining where you see the new life, love, and hope in your collection.

(Alternatively, search physical magazine and newspapers, and cut out articles, images, and headlines, and collect them in a scrapbook format)

Resurrection Rolls

This fun baking project reminds us of the empty tomb. The marshmallows inside the crescent roll will melt and stick to the pastry, as though they disappear from inside the “tomb.” But the rolls will still taste good!

Supplies: 2 8oz cans of crescent rolls, 16 large marshmallows, ½ cup of butter, 2 tbsp cinnamon, ¼ cup of sugar

Instructions:

1.      Preheat the oven to 375˚F.

2.      Open the cans of crescent rolls. Unroll the dough and separate.

3.      Melt the butter in a microwave.

4.      Mix the cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl.

5.      Dip each marshmallow into the melted butter. Then dip it into the cinnamon-sugar.

6.      Place each marshmallow in the centre of a crescent roll. Close the dough around the marshmallow.

7.      Place on a baking sheet. Bake for 10–12 minutes.

Good Friday Service - April 15, 2022

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE

April 15, 2022 – 10 am

Ministers: Rev. Lorrie Lowes and Rev. Kim Vidal
Music Director: Abe TeGrotenhuis

Moment of Silent Reflection (Musical Prelude by Abe)  

Opening Words[1]
Rev. Lorrie

Dear friends, gather round
I have a story to tell
of one who reached inside himself
and took a handful of love
like a pile of stardust
and said: this is for you
it is all you need
it is all you will ever need
there is enough here
to change the whole world
take it
many laughed at him
mocked him
and ignored the invitation
but some dared to take it
and those who did
noticed something about this love
they found they could do what the gift-giver could do
they could stand with the lost
welcome the traveler
eat with the hungry
they found themselves doing what the man first did to them
give something of themselves to others
they became like the man
offering themselves
and as they offered themselves
others took the invitation
and many still do
and many still trust/
it is enough to change the whole world.

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

Call to Gather[2]
Kim

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

Never do we notice God’s presence more than today – this day we call “Good”.
Nowhere do our hearts break more than today – this day we call “Good”.
Nowhere do we experience the power of love more than today –
this day we call “Good”.

We bless God that we can come to this place,
in the sadness of our living,
and even here, find love,
as we wait with a dear one
for the kindness of death to arrive.
Come and let us worship God. 

Hymn: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross   VU 149

(Words: Isaac Watts, 1707; Music: Psalmody in Miniature, 1780)

1 When I survey the wondrous cross
on which the Prince of glory died,
my richest gain I count but loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride.

2 Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
save in the death of Christ, my God:
all the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to his blood.

3 See, from his head, his hands, his feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown?

4 Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were a present far too small:
love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.

Opening Prayer
Kim

Into the shadows of chaos, the light of the world stops.
From the silence of death, the word of God breaks free.
For the emptiness of our souls, the Bread of Life is broken.
Together, let us pray. [3]

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

(Moment of Silence)

Hear now God’s words of love:
On the cross, Jesus prayed, “Abba, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
That prayer is for us as well. We are loved, we are restored. Amen. 

Ministry of Music: My Lord is Weeping – Liebergen
BCUC Choir

Prayer for Illumination  (In Unison)
Reader: David Stafford

Holy God, we have followed Jesus to the cross. Help us to receive your Word in our midst and let it bring comfort to us as we sit awhile and mourn on this Good Friday. In your name. Amen.

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

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

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

Ministry of Music: Throned Upon the Awful Tree – Ellerton/Hopkins
BCUC Choir

Sermon: “Jesus: The Forsaken One”
Kim

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ministry of Music:  Keep Me Near the Cross – Crosby/Willmington/Doane
BCUC Choir

Congregation:
In the cross, in the cross, be my glory every,
Till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river

Prayer of Lament  (Responsively)
Lorrie

“Forgive Us Lord and Remember Us”[4]                         

Jesus Christ, standing at the foot of your Cross on this Good Friday, we look back to see all those things that led you to the Cross. When you declared that you came to announce freedom to the poor from their poverty,
the affluent among the pious deeply resented it.
When you spoke about God’s inclusive and welcoming love,
those who took pride in their election and covenant sought to crush you.
Your proclamation of the nearness of the Just Reign of God,
incurred suspicion from powers-that-be.
You were deeply troubled.
Yet you retained your confidence in God.
If we had been there, we like to think we would not have done this to you.
But still some of us resent your bias towards the poor, while others find it a constant challenge.  We find loving people of other faiths difficult.
We sometimes erect barriers of fear and suspicion and do not accept inclusivity and justice as Gospel values.
Forgive us, Jesus. Forgive us, God.
Repentance opens us, Forgiveness frees us. May the acceptance of your forgiveness lead us to follow the truth you set before us.
Remember us in your reign. Amen. 

*Hymn: Were You There?  VU 144

(Words & Music: African-American spiritual, arr. Melva Wilson Costen, 1987)

1 Were you there when they crucified my Lord? (Were you there?)
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord? (Were you there?)

2 Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? (Were you there?)
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? (Were you there?)

3 Were you there when the sun refused to shine? (Were you there?)
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when the sun refused to shine? (Were you there?)

4 Were you there when they pierced him in the side? (Were you there?)
Were you there when they pierced him in the side?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they pierced him in the side? (Were you there?)

5 Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? (Were you there?)
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? (Were you there?)

*The Dismissal[5]
Kim

This is a day of shadows.
This is a day called good,
but it is hard to see sit that good.
This day is a day when the presence of God can be seen
even within moments of despair.
And so, we say with confidence:
This is God’s Friday.
This day marks not just the end of life,
but the beginning of new hope.
Let us leave this place in hope, knowing God is with us.
We are not alone. Thanks be to God. Amen. 

Musical Postlude (People leave in Silence)

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

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

[3] Bev Ripley Hall & Beth W. Johnson, Gathering, L/E 2017. Used with permission.

[4] Worship Ways, UCC 2008 (Revised and shortened)

[5] Bill Steadman and Catherine Somerville, Gathering, L/E 2017 (Year A). Used with permission.

Maundy Thursday Service - April 14, 2022

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

MAUNDY THURSDAY

April 14, 2022

Gathering Music

*** If you are joining us from home, please have bread and drink ready to share in the Agape Meal***

Thank you to our readers for tonight’s service: Eithne barker, David Stafford, and Neil Lowes.

Welcome & Centering                                             

Good evening, everyone, and thank you for joining us tonight – in person or by Zoom – as we continue our journey through Holy Week. It’s not an easy journey. A week that began with a triumphal parade into Jerusalem now takes a darker turn. It would be so much easier to head straight to the joy of Easter morning, wouldn’t it? But, in order to understand and fully appreciate the profound depth of that joy, we really need to follow Jesus and his disciples on that last week, to celebrate with them the sacredness of Passover, so steeped in the history of their ancestors – our ancestors – and to feel the chaos, confusion, and sorrow that followed the hope-filled excitement of Palm Sunday. So, tonight we will join Jesus and his closest friends as they gather together in an upper room to celebrate the night that God led the people out of slavery in Egypt, the time of Passover.

Lighting of the Christ Candle:                      

(Richard Bott, Gathering L/E 2016, p62. Used with permission)

Even as the days grow longer, Jesus’ time grows short.
Even as the Christ-Light shines, the world works to hide it:
To hide Christ’s hope,
To hide Christ’s understanding,
To hide Christ’s love.
But we will not let the Christ-light or the Christ-love be hidden.
Even on our way to the cross, in the best, in the worst,
Christ’s light shines. 

Sung Response: Don’t Be Afraid MV 90

(Words; John Bell & Graham Maule, 1995; Music: John Bell, 1995)

Don’t be afraid. My love is stronger,
my love is stronger than your fear.

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

*Call to Gather (Responsively)                              

(Susan Lukey, gathering Lent-Easter 2022, p 39. Used with permission)

Come, let us journey with Jesus this evening.
Come, O people, to journey the way of passion.
We travel with heavy hearts.
Come, O people, to journey through shadow and valley.
We travel in trust and in faith.
Come, O people, to journey the way of conviction.
We travel in love and in hope. 

Maundy Thursday Liturgy  - adapted from Ali Smith, Gathering L/E 2016, p 65, with permission:

Hymn:  Silent Night (vs 1) VU67

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace, 
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Lorrie

We remember, from a few short months ago, the story of Jesus’ birth.
Calmness, contentment, concord… these words could be used to set the scene.
O God, how we want to stay in that sweet place, adoring the holy child, oohing and aahing, brimming with peace. But, like it always does, time marches on… 

Hymn: Tell Me the Stories of Jesus (vs 1) VU357

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

That baby did grow up and he became the type of man to make his mother proud.  Courageous, compassionate, convinced… that is what he became.

Surely, God we can stay by the seashore a little while longer. Perhaps we can hear one more sermon or see one more person healed. But that time, too, has passed.

Hymn: Were You There (vs 1) VU144

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord? 

Here we are, preparing to say good-bye.

Chaos, commotion, calamity… that is how this night will end. When the mob shows up in the idyllic garden with lanterns and torches and swords, they will arrest the one who changed the world.

We know what comes next. It makes us anxious, God, for we have heard the story before. We know we must go there, but first we ask for just a little more time with our friend, a moment longer to prepare ourselves so we may fully live though death is near.

Let us go now to the upper room.

The Reading: John 13:2-5, 12-17

And during supper 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4 got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him.

12 After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 16 Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

Hymn: Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us With Your Love (vs 1) VU593

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. (Refrain) 

Body Prayer 

(This is a participatory prayer that you can do comfortably from your chair, with your feet on the floor)

(Maggie Watts-Hammond, Gathering L/E 2021, p71. Used with permission)

When the disciples came to the upper room, they had been walking for miles. They were tired and a little frightened, their hands were clenched and their feet were sore, and they were breathing so fast. Place your hand on your heart and take a deep breath in…for God is as near to you as the air you breathe… and breathe out. And now take another deep breath as you feel your heart slow, for the journey of the day is over and you are already here.

And say after me:

Look upon us, O lord, and let all the shadows of our souls vanish before the beams of thy brightness.

And Jesus came, hot and footsore but smiling: a day was ending and a new era beginning. Roll your shoulders forward and back – it’s been a long day and you can relax in the presence of the Christ.

And say after me:

Look upon us, Lord, and fill us with holy love.

The disciples saw he had a bowl and water for their tired feet. Raise your right foot slightly from the floor and set it down – the foot that symbolizes a thousand journeys. And lift your left foot from the floor and set it down; the foot that has crossed a thousand thresholds now crosses into the upper room.

Repeat after me:

Look upon us, Lord, and open to us the treasures of thy wisdom.

Set your hands upon your knees as you would if Jesus was kneeling before you with his bowl. And, lean forward as if you are leaning toward him as he leans toward you. And imagine he takes your feet in his hands, a touch of gentle grace that makes that foot feel fresh. And imagine the feel of water, warm enough to relax, cool enough to refresh.

And repeat after me:

All our desire is known unto thee, therefore perfect what thou hast begun, and what thy Spirit has awakened in us, let us ask in prayer.

Raise your hands, palms inward beside your face. Gently lay your left hand on your left cheek. Now stretch your right hand out forward toward Christ.

Repeat after me:

Look upon us, Lord. We seek thy face. Turn thy face unto us and show us thy glory.

Lower your hands into the prayer position, palms almost touching, thumbs toward your heart, leaving space in between for the God you have known but don’t know yet. And breathe once more into the presence of God.

Repeat after me:

Look upon us, Lord. Then shall our longing be satisfied and our peace shall be perfect. Amen.

Now rest your hearts – and rest your hands open upon your knees – as we begin the ritual that first began that night.

Before all the pandemonium, there was a beautifully intimate moment in an Upper Room – a room made holy by the love that was present there.

There was a man who was anxious, a man who was afraid, a man who was savouring a moment of comfort surrounded by his friends. He was a man who knew he was about to be betrayed, knew he would be arrested, and knew he would be denied… but, for now, he was just a person having dinner with his friends, eating and chatting…

Knowing what was to come, he left his friends – and us – with a special gift for remembrance:

Reading

“The Farewell Tear” by Joyce Rupp

a feast of friendship
a story of betrayal
a memory of gifts given 

you look with such intense love
on each one gathered there,
mist covers your deep brown eyes
as you hold each one in your gaze,
you close your eyes and I see
the farewell tear of friendship
as it follows the curve of your cheek. 

you take the bread,
bless it gently, profoundly,
with old words and new.
(do you mean to say it is yourself?) 

and then the wine,
again with words old and new.
(do you mean to say this, too,
is now yourself?) 

you look again at each one there
and give the eternal gift:
“remember me and do the same.” 

like those around the table then,
so with us who gather now,
if we knew how close our hearts
are held inside of yours,
we would always be amazed
that you meant this for us, too. 

how shall we ever be brave enough
to do what you have done,
when grief engulfs our every breath
and each memorial word
is laden with our loss?           

Communion/Agape Meal

Joyce Rupp so beautifully tells the story of that last meal Jesus shared with his friends. And so, as we gather tonight, we are reminded of Jesus’ instructions to his followers: 

Hymn: Bread for the Journey     MV202 (English/ French/English)

Bread for the journey, food for the way.
Cup full of blessing, tomorrow, today. 

Pain pour la route, pour nos chemins.
De Dieu la coupe, aujourd’hui, demain. 

Bread for the journey, food for the way.
Cup full of blessing, tomorrow, today. 

On the night before he died, Jesus took a loaf of bread, gave thanks, broke it, and said, “Take and eat; whenever you do this, remember me.”

Likewise, after supper, he took the cup, saying, “This is the wine of the new covenant; whenever you drink it, remember me.”

By remembering Jesus in this way now, we claim our common heritage and we proclaim the mystery of faith:

Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again. 

Let us pray:

Send, O God, your Holy Spirit upon us and what we do here,
That we and these gifts, touched by your Spirit, may be signs of life and love to one another, and to the world.

With Jesus, we pray together, saying: 
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. 

The bread of tomorrow. (Bread is broken) 

The cup of new life. (Cup is poured)

Come, join the feast at Christ’s table! (Bread and wine are consumed)

Let us pray:

We give thanks that bread broken brings wholeness;
that wine poured out replenishes;
that time spent with Christ and one another is gift and grace.
Amen. 

Hymn: Bread for the Journey MV202 (English/French/English)

Bread for the journey, food for the way.
Cup full of blessing, tomorrow, today. 

Pain pour la route, pour nos chemins.
De Dieu la coupe, aujourd’hui, demain. 

Bread for the journey, food for the way.
Cup full of blessing, tomorrow, today. 

Reading: John 13:33-35

33 Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ 34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Matthew 26:30, 36-39

30 When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. 38 Then he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.” 39 And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.”

Reading:

Gethsemane by Mary Oliver

The grass never sleeps.
Or the roses.
Nor does the lily have a secret eye that shuts until morning.

Jesus said, wait with me.  But the disciples slept.

The cricket has such splendid fringe on its feet,
and it sings, have you noticed, with its whole body,
and heaven knows it never sleeps.

Jesus said, wait with me.  And maybe the stars did, maybe               *
the wind wound itself into a silver tree, and didn't move,
maybe
the lake far away, where once he walked as on a
blue pavement,
lay still and waited, wild awake.

Oh the dear bodies, slumped and eye-shut, that could not
keep that vigil, how they must have wept,
so utterly human, knowing this too
must be a part of the story.

Hymn: Go to Dark Gethsemane (vs 1) VU133

Go to dark Gethsemane, you that feel the tempter’s power;
Your redeemer’s conflict see; watch with him one bitter hour;
Turn not from his grief away: Learn from him to watch and pray. 

Reading: Matthew 26:45-50

45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.”

47 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him.” 49 At once he came up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you are here to do.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested him.

Hymn: Stay With Us Through the Night VU182

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

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

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

Sending Forth

(Gill LeFevre, Gathering Lent – Easter 2022, p40. Used with permission.)

Whatever the next hours hold, remember that you are blessed by God, and strengthened by God.
When the wilderness looms, take comfort in God’s love, that your life may affirm the good news of Jesus Christ.
You are beloved. Amen. 

Departing Music

Sunday Worship Service - April 10, 2022

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

PALM SUNDAY

April 10, 2022

Theme: “Being Stones that Won’t Keep Silent”

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: Light of the World is Jesus arr © Mark Hayes 
Piano: Abe - Feb 2016

Song #1029313 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Welcome & Centering for Worship
Rev. Kim Vidal

Good day everyone! My name is Rev. Kim Vidal and on behalf of BCUC, I welcome and greet you in the name of Jesus Christ on this Palm Sunday. Today marks the entrance of Jesus in Jerusalem with the crowd waving palm fronds and leafy branches and spreading their cloaks on the ground. We are glad that you have joined us in our worship service today.

We have reopened our sanctuary for an in-person worship service at 10 am. If you are comfortable attending the service, you are more than welcome. As a faith community called to love and serve others, we highly recommend getting fully vaccinated and still being mindful of the health protocols like masking, social distancing, hand sanitizing and staying home if you feel unwell. Take note that our worship service today continues to be offered via Youtube, by email and by telephone.

Please be reminded of the Holy Week schedule and mark it on your calendar. We hope that you can join us on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Details are in the announcements.

A friendly reminder to please take time to keep in touch with each other through prayers, phone calls, emails or via Zoom. Check the many announcements on our website, including Sunday School resources for your children, at bcuc.org. There are many opportunities to participate and offer your support to the various Lenten initiatives: the Lenten SOSA appeal to support FAMSAC; Hymn-Sing and Memorial Flowers to remember your loved ones. Details are posted in the announcements. 

Friends, on this Palm Sunday, know that we are all connected and embraced in God’s love. Pray for each other and take comfort and inspiration from the words of Psalm 46: “God is our refuge and strength. A very present help in trouble.” Let us gather in worship and welcome Jesus in our hearts. 

Lighting of Christ Candle
Acolytes:  Nicole Beaudry & Gerald Okolowsky

(Richard Bott, gathering, L/E 2016, Year C. Used with Permission)

(Light the Christ Candle)

On this Palm Sunday, as we wave palm branches
and journey towards Holy Week,
we will not let the Christ-light
or the Christ-love be hidden.
Even on our way to the cross,
in the best, in the worst,
Christ’s light shines!

Sung Response: Don’t Be Afraid - More Voices #90
Susan Feb 2021

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

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

Call to Gather
Rev. Lorrie Lowes & family

(Richard Bott, Gathering, L/E 2022, Year C. Used with permission)

Here he comes!

Voices 1, 2, 3: Who?

The Messiah! The Christ! God’s chosen one! Hosanna!

Voices 1, 2, 3: Hosanna! Hallelujah!

He’s at the gates now.
He’ll be arriving any minute.
Have your palm branches ready!

Voices 1, 2, 3: Hosanna! Hallelujah!

That’s right!
Here comes Jesus the Messiah!
Hey, ho, away we go,
Riding on a donkey!

Voice 1: Wait! Why is Jesus riding on a donkey and not on a horse?

Voice 2: Why does he look so quiet in the middle of our parade?

Voice 3: Where is his army? Has he come to save the people?

Riding on a donkey.
No shouts of rebellion.
No army.
Just a message.
God’s kin-dom is coming and God’s kin-dom is here.
Just a message.

Voices 1, 2, 3: Love one another as I have loved you.

Prayer of Approach  (In Unison)

(Laura J. Turnbull, Gathering, L/E, 2022. Used with permission)

God of celebration, we line up with the crowd to herald the coming of your chosen one. May the enthusiasm we feel this day continue into the shadowed and difficult days of Holy Week. Journey with us on this Palm Sunday so that we are strengthened for the most holy of weeks. With voices of hope, we shout, “Hosanna!” Amen.

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

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

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

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

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

Storytime
Rev. Lorrie

Today is Palm Sunday! It’s the day we march into the sanctuary waving our palm leaves. Oh! Didn’t anyone tell you that you need a palm branch to wave this morning? Sorry! I guess I didn’t think about telling you ahead of time. Can you find something close by that you can wave around when the time comes?

You know, that’s a bit like what happened on that day when Jesus entered Jerusalem. People didn’t know till the last minute that he was coming. When they heard that he was on his way, they thought, “Oh, my goodness! Jesus is coming! We need a parade!”

They didn’t have time to organize the bands and the baton twirlers and floats and flags, so they used what they could find close by. They used leaves from the trees around them – and we think those were probably palm trees. They cheered! HOSANNA! BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD! And they spread their cloaks on the ground to make a special path – kind of like the red carpet that movie stars walk on at the Oscars. They were excited and they needed to show it!

Parades are a great way to celebrate, aren’t they? We use them to celebrate special holidays. We use them to celebrate when our home town teams win big championships. We sometimes have a parade when someone important comes to town - like the Queen - and we want everyone to know that we like what this person is doing for us.

Today we are celebrating that day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and the crowd went wild! They were really liking the message that he was preaching. He was giving them hope that things would get better in the world. They shouted “Hosanna!” which can be translated as “God saves!” It sounds like a good thing for us to shout today too! It is a cheer that is full of hope – the kind of hope that is needed when a tough time seems to go on and on.

There haven’t been many parades over the past couple of years – at least not the kind where people crowd together on the side of the road while colourful floats drive by and marching bands play music while clowns dance in the street and sometimes elves hand out candy canes while we excitedly watch for Santa to appear…  I miss that fun!

There have been times when people created a sort of impromptu parade, though, to thank the frontline workers during the pandemic or to celebrate the birthday of someone in a nursing home or hospital. At those times, people made lots of cheerful noise by singing or cheering and banging pots and pans.

I think it’s still important to celebrate the things that are important in our lives, don’t you? We seem to have forgotten a bit lately – maybe because the big change we were hoping for, the end of the pandemic, hasn’t happened yet. Maybe we need a parade to celebrate how well we’ve done in handling these tough couple of years and to celebrate our hope that an end to this pandemic is coming if we all keep doing our part in keeping each other safe.  So, today, let’s celebrate the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem when the people were filled with excitement and hope, just like us.

Let’s pray – and then grab whatever is close that you can use to wave around – or use your hands to cheer – and, right after the “Amen”, shout “Hosanna!”:

This morning, God,
Even though we aren’t all together in the church,
We still want to shout “Hosanna!” like the people who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem.
We want to send that same message of hope and faith to this hurting world today.
Amen

HOSANNA!!! 

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

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

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

Prayer for Illumination
Reader: Keith Bailey

God of the journey, let your grace, let your love, let your hope flow through your Word to us. Let your Word transform us today and always. Amen.

The Gospel Reading: Luke 19: 28-40 (NRSV)
Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

28 After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
29 When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, 
30 saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 
31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’” 
32 So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. 
33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 
34 They said, “The Lord needs it.” 
35 Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. 
37 As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!”
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” 
40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”

May these words renew us and give us assurance of hope in this time and in this place.
Thanks be to God!

Sermon: “Being Stones That Won’t Keep Silent!”
Rev. Kim

Prayer: Nothing can separate us from God’s love. As we commemorate Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem, may our silent hearts of stone be transformed so that we may shout Hosanna! Blessed is Jesus who comes in the name of God who is love. Amen.

On our trip to Nicaragua in 2015, we visited the crater of the historic Volcano Masaya, a famous tourist spot just outside Managua. On the way there, we dropped by a museum for a tour, informing us of the history of the volcano as well as other relevant seismological information.  I learned that in the days before the arrival of Christopher Columbus, the Masaya Volcano was worshiped by the local people as they viewed that any disturbing behaviour of the volcano was signs of displeasure from their gods. In the 16th century, the Spanish colonizers called the Masaya Volcano the "Mouth of Hell" and placed a wooden cross near the top of the crater to rid the volcano of the demonic spirits who were thought to inhabit it. Since then, there have been at least nineteen eruptions, with the last one taking place in 2008. Towards the end of the tour, a large lava rock grabbed my attention. This rock was emitted in Masaya’s biggest eruption which occurred almost 6,500 years ago. On top of the rock was a caption that says: “The Stones Also Speak” which reminds me of the last verse in today’s text: “if the disciples were silent, the stones would shout out.”

If rocks and stones could indeed speak, they'd have a lot to say. Think of fossil rocks that have layers of dinosaur-era oil and natural gas between them, or those rocks that have been blown out of volcanoes, or those that have been washed down oceans and lakes and rivers, pushed by glaciers and flash floods. Think of Mt. Rushmore where the heads of the four famous US presidents were sculpted to represent the founding, growth and preservation of the United States.  Or the spectacular Canadian Rockies, which is made up of layered sedimentary rock such as limestone and shale that speak of God’s wondrous creation?  What would those rocks and stones say to us?

The story of Palm Sunday was captured by the four gospel writers. Each one has their own version of the story. Mark, who wrote some 50 years after the first Palm Sunday, tells us that Jesus’ parade into Jerusalem was not a spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment event. Mark spends more time telling us about the preparations than about the event itself.  Matthew wrote his account around 60-70 years after the event and can’t seem to decide between a colt and a donkey. Matthew has the disciples bring both a donkey and a colt and Jesus sits on them and rides them into Jerusalem. I wonder how Jesus did that! The crowd spread their cloaks and leafy branches on the road.  John, who wrote his own version some 70 to 80 years after the event, the leafy branches are named as branches of palm trees. Waving palm branches in ancient times was a tradition that conquering military leaders were welcomed home from battle. The Gospel of John hints that Jesus is a conquering hero and this particular parade is an ironic antithesis to a military parade. As the crowd waved these branches in that procession, the crowd chanted words from Psalm 118: “Save us, we beseech you, O Lord.”  “Save us” in Hebrew is hosanna. That phrasing was typically followed with the words: “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” 

Luke gets around to telling the story at the same time as Matthew. The colt in Mark becomes a donkey. The crowd did not wave palm fronds or leafy branches but spread their cloaks on the ground. There was no mention of hosanna and Jesus was proclaimed as a king. It was only Luke who mentioned the stones that would not be silent. Luke has a fascination with stones. At one point, he reports that John the Baptist, in his call for repentance, warns Israel that “God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.” It was Luke who said that Jesus laments over Jerusalem, the city “that kills prophets and stones those who are sent to it.” And on yet another occasion, when some were admiring the temple and the beautiful stones that adorned it, Jesus warned that there would come a day when not one stone of the temple would be left on top of another. You will also remember that one of the temptations in the wilderness that began those forty days of Lent was the temptation to turn stones into bread. And perhaps the most notable reference to stones in the Lukan gospel has to do with that stone that was rolled away from the entrance to the tomb where Jesus’ body was laid in death, but pushed aside at Easter.

In today's reading, we hear of the Pharisees commanding Jesus to silence his disciples and followers when they got carried away, perhaps making a noise that Jesus is king! But Jesus answered them with a daring remark, “I tell you, if my disciples were silent, even the stones would cry out.”  There is a certain relentless quality to what unfolds from this point on. Jesus is someone determined to follow God and be God’s voice to the people. He has a cause. He becomes a cause, a stoppable movement that rocks the world. Even the stones cannot keep from crying out that certain truth. 

If the stones cried out, what exactly would they say? The crowd who welcomed Jesus exclaimed, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of God!” If the stones cry out, the first thing they would say is a shout of praise to Jesus who was a new and different kind of king. They would proclaim that the reign of God was near. They would dare tell everyone about the compassionate care of Jesus. They would boldly announce that Jesus was the one who healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, offered movement to the paralyzed and inspired hope in the discouraged. 

The stones would sing out about the kind and inclusive way Jesus spoke to women, children, the poor, and the oppressed. The rocks would proclaim Jesus' wise teachings. They would tell how Jesus challenged those in authority, by pointing out their hypocrisy and holding them accountable. If the stones cry out, they would say that Jesus was a peaceful reformer not a violent military leader. The stones proclaim that Jesus didn't abuse power or hoard any power for self-gratification. Jesus was and is willing to share power with anyone who desires to live in the right relationship with God, with others and with all of creation. If the stones cry out, they will shout that Jesus did not condemn others like those who were about to condemn and stone a woman accused of adultery.

Can you hear the stones proclaiming these things? Sometimes the world’s noise is so deafening we cannot hear the subtler voices that need to be heard. The city’s sounds, for instance, are so distracting.  The vehicles speed their way to workplaces, schools, busy streets and homes. The police sirens and ambulances on their missions of intervention, rushing to the scenes of emergency and violence, of fires and accidents. There are arguments everywhere and audio systems so loud they shake the windows and our eardrums. Our community has its sounds, its shouts and cries. Far away from here, there are cries of grieving people and the sound of war in Ukraine that shatters the silence of the night, and turns laughter into tears, and joy into sorrow. Were we silent, I suppose, the very stones themselves would cry out, for the violence and hatred that has been spilled upon them, for the shattering they have endured, for the cries and grieving they have heard from so many. When we listen with our very own hearts, the stones have their stories to tell.

Imagine that you are holding a stone in your hand. What would that stone tell you right now? Is it asking you to be an instrument of love for those who are grieving and lonely and vulnerable? Is it telling you to offer peace by being a peacemaker for the world? Is it provoking you to open your heart and hands in offering compassion and justice? Is the stone shouting at you – challenging you to follow the ways of Jesus? Is the stone giving you an important message that God is love and nothing can separate us from that love, in that love, ever?

Sadly, a few days from now, that love will be tarnished by greed and violence. The crowd will shout “Crucify him!” and another act of injustice will take place. Jesus will be put to death. But come next Sunday, after the events of this coming Holy Week, there will come another shout, a joyful expression of resurrection, a truth of which even the stones will speak, when the stone is rolled away from the empty tomb.

Friends, take heart! On this Palm Sunday, let the stones speak to you. Listen with your heart. Do not let the stones do the shouting alone. Take up the challenge. Be the stones yourselves. God will not allow us to be silent in the face of injustice, violence or death! Hosanna! Blessed is Jesus who comes in the name of God. Amen.

Prayers of the People
Rev. Kim Vidal

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

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

God of healing, gently touch the lives of those needing comfort and wholeness in distressed lives and souls, particularly those who have been affected by the COVID pandemic and from other diseases. With love and earnest concern, we pray for those carrying heavy burdens. Use us to comfort those who have suffered deep losses in their lives. Heal those who are troubled and distressed. Assure those awaiting medical results with good news. Disturb us to afflict the comfortable and comfort those afflicted, particularly those who have felt discriminated against, marginalized or ostracised because of the colour of their skin, or their ethnicity or religious beliefs. Remind us to stand with the people of Ukraine as they seek to free themselves from the horrors of war. O God, teach us to be advocates of your unconditional love. Through your light, we become light. Through your love, we are able to love.

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

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

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

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

Invitation to Offer
Rev. Lorrie

On that first Palm Sunday, the disciples went into the village to find what Jesus asked for, with only these words, “The Lord needs them.” May we respond today and always with our gifts, our time, and ourselves, because the Lord still needs them.

(Wanda Winfield, Gathering L/E 2018, p 36. Used with permission)

I now invite you to offer your gifts of time, talents and resources as expressions of your gratitude to God’s blessings and your commitment to the work.  If you are not on PAR and wish to send in your offering and donations, you can drop them in the 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 (In Unison)

(Laura J. Turnbull, Gathering, L/E 2022, Year C. Used with permission).   

God of the journey, we present gifts
– our very best and our very selves.
May all we share be graciously received.
In the name of the giving Christ, we pray. Amen. 

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

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

Refrain:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sending Forth
Rev. Kim Vidal

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

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

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

Go in peace this day
and in the days to come. Amen. 

Online Departing Music: Be Thou My Vision
Abe – June 2020

arr © Mark Hayes Song #BP1919 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214.
All rights reserved 

Live Departing Music: Lord, I Stretch Out My Hands to You
BCUC choir

© Althouse Song #39992 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214.
All rights reserved

Sunday school activies - April 10, 2022

Theme Discussion

This Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week in the church. It begins with Palm Sunday, a time when we wave our palm branches to remember Jesus’ exciting entrance into Jerusalem. On that day, the people welcomed Jesus like a hero or a king. They lined the road, waving their branches and shouting “Hosanna!”, which means “Save Us!”  They were sure he was about to save them from the oppressive Roman power. It was an exciting and hopeful day. 

Because we usually attend church only on Sundays, it’s easy to skip over the rest of Holy Week and jump right to Easter – but there are other important stories we should hear, stories about the things that happened that week. They are not happy stories, but they are important to our understanding of our faith.

The week that Jesus and his disciples went to Jerusalem was a very special week in the Jewish calendar. It was the celebration of Passover. Thousands of people travelled to this big city that week because the Temple was there – the most important place of worship for the Jewish people. It was a big festival and Jesus took this opportunity, like many others, to visit with friends and celebrate together.

One day, Jesus went to the Temple in Jerusalem to worship, an important part of the Jewish celebration leading up to Passover. When he arrived, however, he found that there were many vendors there selling things the people need - but cheating them to make a big profit. He thought this was a terrible thing to do in such a holy place! He got very angry, turning over their tables and chasing them away. It started a big fight and that made the leaders angry with Jesus.

On Thursday, - the day we call Maundy Thursday, Jesus had a special Passover meal with his disciples. Remember that in those days, people wore sandals and their feet got very dusty. Usually, when people entered a house, a servant would wash their feet. Well, this time, Jesus did something very strange! He put a towel around his waist and washed the feet of his friends. He wanted to show them that we it is important to be servants to each other. He had many important things to tell his friends that night. It is at this dinner that he shared the wine and the bread with them and tells them to remember him each time they do this. It is the story that we remember each time we celebrate Communion in church. This special dinner is the last time Jesus was with his disciples because he was betrayed and arrested that night. The Temple leaders were afraid that Jesus is causing too much trouble with the Jewish people. They feel they need to stop him.

On Friday, Jesus was crucified. It is a very dark day in the church calendar. Jesus died on a cross. His followers thought this was the end of all the wonderful work that Jesus has been doing.

It was a hard week for Jesus and his followers – full of both celebrations and very scary events. It is hard for us to read about too - but we know that Easter Sunday is coming! Jesus will be alive again in the world!

You can watch some of these stories in this video:

Wondering

How do you think the disciples felt about having Jesus wash their feet?

How do you think you might feel if someone important wanted to wash your feet?

How can we show love for each other by serving them?

What surprises you about these stories? 

Music

Response Activity Ideas

Lenten Toolbox: Footprints

Each week, we’ll be making different things to add to the toolkit that remind us of how we can come closer to God.

This week, cut out and decorate footsteps to remind you of the wonderful ways Jesus taught us about loving and caring for others. When you’re having a tough time - feeling lonely, scared, or worried - you could put your feet on the footprints, and think about feeling connected and comforted by God, always walking along with you.

Click to print PDF

Palm Sunday – Palm Craft

Materials: printout of template, glue, scissors, assorted green paper (tissue, construction, wrapping, etc.), fabric, or felt cut or torn up into little pieces.

Make a palm branch!  On the BACK of the template, cover the whole area where the leaf is (on the reverse) with a collage of green paper pieces overlapping each other.  When the area is completely covered, and the glue dry, flip over to show the template.  Cut out around the lines carefully.  Now the green side is in the shape of the palm leaf.  Attach a stick or dowel to the stem, if you wish, and wave your palm branch high!

Click to print PDF

Maundy Thursday – Foot Washing

Check out this video: Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet by Saddleback Kids

Jesus performs an action that was usually done only by servants: washing away the dust and dirt from a person’s feet. But Jesus showed his friends that no one is more important than anyone else. This is what it means to love like Jesus: to serve each other willingly.

Many churches include a foot washing ritual as part of their Maundy Thursday service. During the service, people are invited to come up and wash each other’s feet, remembering Jesus’ command to do the same. Gather basins, cloths, towels, and warm water to wash each others’ feet at home.

Good Friday – Origami Cross Activity

Follow the instructions in the video below to make paper pieces for Calvary:

Sunday Worship Service - April 3, 2022

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT

April 3, 2022

Lenten 2022 Theme: “The Way of Being” 

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: What is this Lovely Fragrance?
Adapt: BCUC Choir June 2016

Old French Carol translated: Ysobel, Arrangement © 1942 Healey Willan, Oxford University Press
Song #80984 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Acknowledgement of the Territory 
Rev. Lorrie Lowes

(Peter Chynoweth, Gathering Lent /Easter 2022, p30. Used with permission.)

This land on which we gather is the unceded territory and traditional land of the Algonquin and Anishnaabe people. We worship Creator on this land and acknowledge with respect the thousands of years of ceremony and relationship that are etched in footprint, fire, and faithfulness on the soil and rock that surrounds us.

Welcome & Centering
Rev. Kim Vidal

Good day everyone! My name is Rev. Kim Vidal and on behalf of BCUC, I welcome and greet you in the name of Jesus Christ on this Fifth Sunday in Lent with the theme of “Being Bold”. We are glad that you have joined us today.

In-person worship service at 10 am continues to be offered so if you are comfortable attending the service, you are more than welcome. As a faith community called to love and serve others, we highly recommend getting fully vaccinated and still being mindful of the health protocols like masking, social distancing, hand sanitizing and staying home if you feel unwell. Please take note that our Sunday worship service continues to be offered via Youtube, by email and by telephone.

Holy week begins on Palm Sunday, April 10th. Please take note of the Holy Week schedule and mark it on your calendar. We hope that you can join us as we gather on those significant Lenten and Easter services.

A friendly reminder to 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. There many opportunities to participate and offer your support to the various Lenten initiatives: the Lenten SOSA appeal to support FAMSAC; Hymn-Sing and Memorial Flowers to remember your loved ones. Details are posted in the announcements.

Friends, in this season of Lent, we know what God desires for us:
To remind ourselves that the message of Jesus is all about unconditional love. To remember that now is the right time to put this kind of love into action. With grateful hearts, let us gather in worship.

Lighting of the Christ Candle
Acolytes: Ellen & Bob Boynton

(Rev. Gord Waldie, worship offerings.blogspot.com)

We light this candle as a sign of
God's Spirit at work in the world.
May its light brighten our spirits.
May the light of Christ shining through us
brighten the world. 

Sung Response: Don’t Be Afraid - More Voices #90
Susan Feb 2021

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

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

*Call to Gather (Responsively)
Rev. Lorrie Lowes

This is the gathering place of God and all God’s people.
We give thanks to God for God’s extravagant love.
Come all who need comfort.
God weaves in us a sure, fragrant hope.
Come all who need love.
God recreates in us the unconditional love of Christ.
Come all who need God.
God offers us the heart of the Divine. 
With boldness and daring hope, let us worship God. 

Prayer of Confession (In Unison) 
Rev. Lorrie Lowes

(Carol E. Bayma, Gathering, Lent-Easter 2014, Used with permission.)

We are loved by God – with a love that goes beyond anything we could imagine.
Let us then turn toward God with our prayer of confession:

Holy God, we are quiet in your presence. Perhaps we are too quiet, still and lifeless. We make our excuses that we do not understand what you want from us. Our throats close up as we wait to be sure of what you want us to say. Our hands wither while we wait for you to tell us how much we should give. Our feet stiffen waiting for you to tell us how much far to walk. Our hearts grow cold as we wait for guidance about whom we should love. Forgive us, forgive our sin of hopelessness, we pray.

Moment of Silence

What can sustain us in the days to come, what will nourish us on our Lenten journey? Look, here is all the sustenance we need: God's love, God's word, God's hope.
God’s never-ending mercy washes over us, making us new, again and again.
Thanks be to God.  Amen. 

Hymn: Said Judas to Mary - Voices United #129
Grace Notes & BCUC March 2016

1 Said Judas to Mary, 'Now what will you do
with your ointment so rich and so rare?'
'I'll pour it all over the feet of the Lord
and I'll wipe it away with my hair,' she said,
'wipe it away with my hair.'  

2 'Oh Mary, oh Mary, oh think of the poor -
this ointment, it could have been sold,
and think of the blankets and think of the bread  
you could buy with the silver and gold,' he said,
'buy with the silver and gold.'

3 “Tomorrow, tomorrow I’ll think of the poor,
Tomorrow”, she said, “not today,
for dearer than all of the poor in the world
is my love who is going away”, she said,
“my love who is going away.” 

4 Said Jesus to Mary, 'Your love is so deep,
today you may do as you will.
Tomorrow you say I am going away,
but my body I leave with you still,' he said,
'my body I leave with you still.'  

5 'The poor of the world are my body,' he said,
'to the end of the world they shall be;
the bread and the blankets you give to the poor
you'll know, you have given to me,' he said,
'you'll know you have given to me.'

Words & Music © 1964 Sydney Carter, Stainer & Bell
Song #38707 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Storytime
Rev. Lorrie

Have you ever been given a really extravagant gift by someone – something so amazing and crazy that you can hardly believe they gave it to you? I have! On my birthday, when I turned 40, I stopped at the post office on my way to work because there was a card in my mailbox telling me that I had a parcel. That’s exciting, right? Everyone likes getting parcels on their birthday! So, I decided that I would pick it up that morning rather than wait till I was on my way home. What a great start to my day!

When I got to the post office, I couldn’t believe what was waiting for me! It was a BIG box – and it was from my friend Mary who had moved far away to Alberta. I missed her a lot and I could hardly wait to open that parcel. What on earth could it be? I imagined all kinds of things on my drive to the school – maybe it was something she made… or maybe it was a joke gift (she had a great sense of humour and always liked to make me laugh… Maybe it was a birthday cake! I was so curious!

I think I opened that parcel even before I took my coat off! And you wouldn’t believe what was inside! There was a whole pile of little presents, each one wrapped individually, in lots of different birthday papers! Know how many there were? 40! One for every year of my birthday!

It took me all day to open those presents because I just opened one little gift at a time. My students were excited, the other teachers in the school were excited… those gifts kept us all smiling all day long! It was incredible! Mary had been planning this present for a whole year! Every single one of those little gifts said something about our friendship, about things she knew made me happy or were interesting to me, or reminded me of something we had done together. It was amazing! My students and my colleagues thought it was crazy that Mary did this! What a lot of work for one birthday!

This is the most extravagant gift I have ever been given – not because it was worth a lot of money, but because it was something that Mary had planned for a whole year! It told me how much my friend loved me – so much that she thought about me often, even though she lived so far away. When she saw little things that reminded her of me, she wrapped them up and tucked them away for this special day. It was a gift I will never forget – a gift more extravagant than anything I could imagine. A gift that told me how much love my friend has for me.

In our scripture reading at church this Sunday, we hear about another extravagant gift. Jesus’ friend Mary pours an expensive perfumed oil on Jesus’ feet –something so expensive that it would take a whole year for someone to earn enough money to buy it. The other people who were there at the table that night thought she was crazy to do this! One even said that it was a waste! She could have sold that oil for a lot of money and used it to help the poor. But, you know what? I think I can understand why she chose to do this instead. She loved Jesus so much that she had to find a way to express that love with something so special that he would know just how deep it was, something no one would ever forget.

I think God’s love for us is like that – incredibly extravagant. We see it in the beauty around us that just never ends. We feel it in the love we share with those around us. We hear it in the messages the Bible writers give us when they tell us that God is always with us, that God loves us and always will, that God wants the very best for each one of us…special little gifts that God gives us to open every day of our lives. What an extravagant gift-giver God is!

Join me in a little prayer:

Extravagant God, thank you for showing us how much you love us, in so many ways, every day. Help us share your extravagant gift with everyone we meet. Amen

Hymn: A Prophet-Woman Broke a Jar - Voices United #590   (alternate tune 716)
BCUC Choir

1 A prophet woman broke a jar
By love's divine appointing
With rare perfume she filled the room
Presiding and anointing
A prophet-woman broke a jar
The sneers of scorn defying
With rare perfume she filled the room
Preparing Christ for dying

2 A faithful woman left a tomb
By love's divine commission
She saw she heard she preached the word
Arising from submission
A faithful woman left a tomb
With resurrection gospel
She saw she heard she preached the word
Apostle to apostles

3 Though woman wisdom woman truth
For centuries were hidden
Unsung unwritten and unheard
Derided and forbidden
The Spirit's breath the Spirit's fire
On free and slave descending
Can tumble our dividing walls
Our shame and sadness mending

4 The Spirit knows the Spirit calls
By love's divine ordaining
The friends we need to serve and lead
Their powers and gifts unchaining
The Spirit knows the Spirit calls
From women men and children
The friends we need to serve and lead
Rejoice and make them welcome

Words © 1991 Brian Wren; Music © 1869 Robert Lowry (alternate tune: keep from singing)
Song #83036 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Prayer for Illumination (In Unison)
Reader: Tamara Glanville

Through your life-giving Word, O God, fill us with the presence of your Spirit,
and help us grow as your disciples of extravagant love. Amen.

The Reading:   John 12: 1-8 (NRSV)
Mary Anoints Jesus

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2 There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. 3 Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” 6 (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

May God’s Love and Wisdom dwell where the Word is spoken. Thanks be to God!

Sermon: “Being Bold” 
Rev. Kim

Prayer:  God of extravagant love, speak to us through your Word, so that we may know your truth, grow in faith and break spiritual jars of perfume in the name of Jesus. Amen.

It has been proven by scientists that while words and numbers travel to the thinking part of the brain, smells and fragrances connect to the emotions. The smell of the salty breeze, for instance, reminds me of the beach where I grew up. That aroma of fish stew being cooked brings me back to my mom’s kitchen in the Philippines. A whiff of the Old Spice cologne reminds me of my dad.  But there’s this one smell that vividly reminds me of my childhood - that of a rubbing ointment called Vicks Vaporub. This topical ointment is made from camphor, eucalyptus oil and menthol. I was about 7 years old and I was very sick with nasal congestion. It was hard for me to breathe. My mom tended to me with a small blue bottle of this ointment and rubbed it on my chest, my back and my throat. Doctors say that it doesn't relieve nasal congestion. But the strong menthol smell may trick our brain, so you feel like you're breathing through an unclogged nose. And it worked for me. So, every time I smell that strong odour of Vicks, it transports me back to that particular episode in my childhood.

Our gospel story today is a story of fragrance - a story that connects not to logic or rationality but to the emotional part of our brain. Jesus and his disciples were invited for dinner at the home of his friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus in Bethany. A few days prior to this table gathering, according to John’s account, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. This dinner might be a time of celebration – a moment of thanksgiving – a day to savour the gift of a second life for Lazarus reuniting with his sisters and his friends. Martha was at her usual best self – in the kitchen, scurrying around, preparing food and mixing drinks for the guests. And Mary, for sure, is getting herself ready for a big surprise of the night.

As the dinner progressed, no one noticed that Mary slipped from the dining room until she came back holding a jar of costly perfume in her hands.  The jar was filled with costly nard – a very expensive fragrant ointment used for burial made from the spikenard plant found in the Himalayan regions of India.  Without saying a word, she kneels at Jesus' feet, breaks open the lid of the jar, pours out a large portion of that perfume onto Jesus’ feet and the house is filled with fragrance. The strong scent of nard is everywhere - in every nook of the room, filling everyone’s nostrils. It must have been almost hard to breathe. Smells can overpower us like no other sense can. The fragrant smell in our story cannot be taken lightly or be overlooked.

To the surprise of the guests, mostly males, Mary loosens her long hair. It was a taboo in Jesus’ time for an honourable woman to loosen her hair in front of any man who is not her spouse.  In those days, it was acceptable to anoint the head of kings or emperors with oil or perfume.  But to pour the fragrant perfume on the feet of Jesus is considered a scandalous act. The mere touching and wiping of Jesus’ feet with Mary’s hair raised eyebrows and gaping mouths among her audience. A moment of awkward silence. And for us today who listen to this story, we might even interpret this as a disturbing, intimate act. Come to think of it – a woman wiping the feet of a man with her long hair and the fragrant smell of the perfume filling the room—it certainly creates havoc in one’s senses. It would certainly cause a stir, particularly among churches today, with a no-scent policy!

What do we do with this story? Mary loves her friend Jesus and believes in him. She had listened to him preach the good news and had a direct conversation with him. She had witnessed him raise her brother Lazarus from the dead. Mary’s act is undoubtedly a moment of thanksgiving for the gift of life. But Mary’s actions also allude to something more significant – a prelude of what’s forthcoming for Jesus. This story, for sure, is not about economic justice, but rather a prophetic statement, a lavish demonstration of the meaning of true love. Mary knew, more than any of the disciples, that Jesus’ death was near. The nard perfume poured on Jesus’ feet is to disguise the smell of a decaying body while it waits to be buried. The perfume becomes the smell of death. Jesus does not miss the symbol. Mary has anointed Jesus with the smell of death, the scent that is slowly building in our nostrils as we get closer to Good Friday.

This was Mary’s moment – her opportune time. It is in the present that she must show her true love for Jesus. Mary’s action foreshadows not only Jesus’ death on the cross but also Jesus’ washing the feet of his disciples at the last supper- symbolic of Jesus’ servant leadership. Like Mary, would you offer a most priceless possession to someone whom you utterly trust and believe in, especially when that someone is facing an untimely death? Would you give your best attention to that person, even if it would cost a year’s wage? 

And even before we answer these questions, Judas reads our minds and notices everything that some of us are about to say. "Why oh, why wasn't this perfume sold for a whole lot of money and given to the poor? That perfume costs about 300 denarii! How many hungry or sick or homeless people could have been helped with that money? To pour it all out at one time on one person does not make sense. This is too much.  This giving has gone overboard. It's excessive.  We cannot afford this. This is totally unacceptable!” That's what the pragmatic, practical inner voice would tell us to say.  

Mary boldly responds to the call of love at the moment. Knowing what Jesus was about to face; knowing that he was in urgent need of companionship, comfort, and solace; knowing that the time was short to express all the gratitude and affection she carried in her heart, Mary showed her love extravagantly. Given the choice between an abstracted need to help the poor and the concrete need that presents itself at her own doorstep, around her own dinner table, Mary chooses Jesus.  In doing so, she ends up caring for the one who is denied room at the inn like the present-day refugees fleeing from war and violence. For the one who has no place to lay his head during his years of ministry like the homeless in our communities.  For the one who knew hunger and pain and humiliation like the marginalized people in our midst. For the one whose crucified body will be laid in a borrowed tomb like those who were displaced because of greed.  In other words, it is the poor Mary serves, when she serves Jesus.  Just as it is always Jesus we serve, when we love and care for those who need our attention, those whom God places in front of us, here and now.

Mary embodies a new way of being a woman for her time. She was bold! She was courageous! She was vulnerable! She broke a code of conduct and liberated herself with a new way of seeing and doing things. Mary took a big leap of faith and risked losing herself amidst cultural barriers of her time.  So did Judge Emily Murphy who fought for the rights of Canadian women to be acclaimed as “qualified persons”; so did Nellie McClung who rallied for women’s right to vote and to hold public offices; so did the black activist Rosa Parks who refused to move to the back of the bus. So did Rev. Lydia Gruchy, the first woman to be ordained in the United Church of Canada. All of these women have tremendous extravagant love for humanity especially those who are vulnerable and whose voices are ignored by society.  Sometimes the way of risky, outpouring of extravagant love is the best way to turn the world upside down.

The extravagant love displayed by Mary’s bold action - that is how God loves.  Wildly, Excessively. Wasteful.  God’s love is a love that breaks free from all barriers, dogmas and creeds that try to contain it. For Mary, extravagant love goes above and beyond a price tag—indeed, it is priceless, like God’s love for all of us. 

Friends, what is the jar of perfume you are holding at this moment?  What precious, good and beautiful thing are you being called – as individuals, and as a community of faith, that is particular to this time and place? Will you break that jar of perfume that you are keeping? For whom and for what purpose?

The cheap Vicks Vaporub that my mom used to comfort me had little earthly value, compared to the costly perfume Mary anointed Jesus with. But the gesture was the same: it was an act of bold but tender, unconditional, extravagant love. May your fragrant jars of love be opened, offered and used for good, extravagant reasons, emptied to the last drop! Thanks be to God. Amen.

Prayers of the People and the Lord’s Prayer (written by Ted Dodd)
Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Holy One
We are living with threats of going nuclear.
Refugees are on the move,
The most recent, more contagious strain is disheartening.
Tornadoes and other wild weather touch down on the planet.
And divisions and polarities add to the feeling of scarcity and isolation.
Dear and good God, I could do with a little extravagance.
Someone open a bottle of costly perfume and fill the house with fragrance and beauty,
generosity and love.
Remind me, and everyone else, that you anoint us with so many good and golden things.
Your creation filled with such blessing --
the first signs of spring,
the smell of cedar,
the colour of cornflowers,
the song of the loon,
the crashing of waves on the shore,
the tides going in and out, each and every day.
Your creatures bless us with their creations –
the sound of the violin in Lark Ascending,
the lyrics that capture Both Sides now,
the way a Rothko painting can get you to see red for the first time,
the leap of a grand jeté,
the stand-up that kills cynicism and despair,
cinema and theatre that stretches and illuminates,
books.
Your people bless one another –
the spirit of giving from donors,
heartfelt messages of support at a loved one’s end,
dinners hosted with grace and kindness,
the aunt who sent money in birthday cards,
the chaplain at the end of the bed,
challenges from friends to be our best selves.
In a weary world, your gospel anoints us -- reminding us
that our teacher preached about upending the status quo,
that the kin-dom vision is not about power grubbing,
that crucifixion is not the last word.
And we give thanks for all that anoints us,
for it is more than time to remember these gifts.
Hear our prayers as we recite together the words Jesus gifted to his followers:

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

Invitation to Offer
Rev. Kim

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 (In Unison)

Holy One, accept these gifts we offer as a token and a symbol of the offering of ourselves in Christ’s service. May all that we offer of ourselves and our resources, be acceptable, and blessed by you, Gracious God. Amen

Sending Forth
Rev. Kim

Let us go forward into our community, our homes, our lives,
living as God would have us live, with joy and daring faith,
offering abundant love.

May we find blessing in living as Jesus taught us,
with kindness, gentleness and a bold spirit,
that all whom we meet might know God’s extravagant love. Amen. 

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

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

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

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

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

Words and Music © 1995 Gordon Light; arr. © Andrew Donaldson            Common Cup Company
Song #119027 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Departing Music:  Alabaster Box
Recording © 1999 CeCe Winans, PureSprings Gospel

Words & Music © 1997 Janice Sjostran, Pure Psalms Music All rights reserved

Sunday school activites - April 3, 2022

Modified from resources provided by: The UCC GO Project 2022

Theme Discussion 

In our worship service this morning we heard a story about an extravagant gift that Mary gave to Jesus. It was an unexpected way that Mary showed just how much love she had for him. There are many stories in the Bible about ways that God shows us love. Often they are not stories about God directly, but about other people showing that love in a way that seems unexpected. One of those stories is the one Jesus tells about the Lost Sheep. You can watch it here:

Going deeper with the story

Jesus shares with us a vision of a great community of people where everyone is welcome, where God loves each and every person – even people who have made mistakes! God celebrates when people who have made mistakes admit them and work to do good things instead. This is cause for great rejoicing among all of God’s people. To rest in God’s presence is not only to find love, peace, delight, and hope. It is also to experience the overwhelming joy of people gathered together in the life-giving presence of God. This is what we experience in the resurrection of Jesus at Easter when God reveals that there is always new life in the midst of hardship.

Wondering

I wonder if you can imagine the lost sheep being found. Can you name that sheep?

I wonder if you have ever felt like you were lost? What was it like to be found?

I wonder if there are people in your life who have helped to “find” you?

I wonder what other things God celebrates in our life?

I wonder how we can experience the loving presence of God in our everyday life?

Music

Response Activity Ideas

Lenten Toolbox: Oil

This week, add a small bottle of moisturizer to your toolbox!  If you don’t have one, fill a small container with cooking oil (olive, coconut, etc.) and include that instead.  When you need a self-care moment, take a small amount of lotion or oil and gently and mindfully massage your hands (or feet).  Think with gratitude about the work your hands (or feet) do for you day after day.

Postcards

Materials: postcards, notecards or cardstock cut to 4x6 or 5x7, markers, stickers and writing supplies, stamps.

God loves each and every person and we are called to share love and connection with all of God's creation! Everyone loves to receive a card or letter in the mail. Sending love via a card or letter is a great way to remind someone they are loved.  Use a pre-made postcard, or make a beautiful design or picture to decorate the front.  Write a brief message, then fill in the address, stamp it, and send it off!

Shepherd Detective Game (young children)

In this activity, everyone else leaves the room while a stuffed sheep (or other toy) is hidden. They are then called back in and race to find the missing sheep. Whoever finds it first gets to hide it for the next round.

As you play, think about God’s deep love of all people and how excited God is to find a person who was lost. Think about how energized you were to search for the missing sheep — God is just as excited!

The Lost Sheep Puzzle Activity (older children)

Materials: Puzzle (This activity is best if it can be prepared ahead of time, by removing one piece from the puzzle, unseen by the kids/youth, and hiding it somewhere in the room) 

Work together to complete the puzzle. Once it becomes clear that one piece missing, work together to go and find it — and celebrate when it is returned!

This activity reinforces the fact that everyone matters in God’s love. All of us together make a rich community and we must support one another. We celebrate when we are all together, and that we are all needed.

Sunday Worship Service - March 27, 2022

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT

March 27, 2022

Lenten 2022 Theme: “The Way of Being” 

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: Prayer for Today
BCUC Choir 2022, flute: Erin Berard

A choir anthem for Joan & Geoff Gale in memory of loved ones

God in heaven, I make my prayer for all the people everywhere
who live in fear or pain or doubt; Whose homes are gone, and hopes run out.
God in heaven, I make my prayer for all the children everywhere
Who live in terrible, warring places; Who live with hunger and strange sad faces.
God in heaven, I make my prayer for all good people everywhere
who live in comfort, love and peace; And pray sincerely for strife to cease;
But who do not always hear the call of those who live with nothing at all.
God in heaven, hear my prayer! Help all people everywhere
To come closer together in plenty and need,
And to make our world your home, indeed.

Text, Tune & Accompaniment: 1988 Mary Coulson, Margaret Tucker, Choral arr. Michael Kemp
Song #CGA855 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved 

Welcome
Rev. Kim Vidal

Good day everyone! My name is Rev. Kim Vidal and on behalf of BCUC, I welcome and greet you in the name of Jesus Christ on this Fourth Sunday in Lent with the theme of “Being Prodigal”. We are glad that you have joined us today.

We have reopened the sanctuary for in-person worship service at 10 am. 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 fully vaccinated and still being mindful of the health protocols like masking, social distancing, hand sanitizing and staying home if you feel unwell. Please take note that our Sunday worship service continues to be offered via Youtube, by email and by telephone.

A friendly reminder to 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. Please take note of the many opportunities to participate and offer your support to the various Lenten initiatives: the Lenten SOSA appeal to support FAMSAC; Hymn-Sing and Memorial Flowers to remember your loved ones. Details are posted in the announcements.

Minute for Social Action
Ellie & Clarke Topp

A Guaranteed Livable Income is Society Expressing Unconditional Love

Guaranteed Livable Income:
– recovers and secures human dignity
all are valued - no ‘undeserving poor’
– unleashes human potential
allows life changes with education and retraining
– improves health and well-being
better food and housing reduce stress on healthcare
encourages better communal participation and relationships
– supports those who lose jobs
from technology, climate change and outsourcing
Support Guaranteed Livable Income for All! 

Centering for Worship 
Rev. Kim

Friends, in this season of Lent, we know what God desires for us:
To remind ourselves that the message of Jesus is all about unconditional love.
To remember that now is the right time to put this kind of love into action.
With grateful hearts, let us gather in worship. 

Lighting of the Christ Candle
Acolytes: Peck-Jones Family

As we journey through Lent, 
as we move towards Holy Week,
we light this candle as a symbol of our trust in Jesus Christ. 
May its light remind us that God is with us and we are not alone. 

Sung Response: Don’t Be Afraid - More Voices #90
Susan Feb 2021

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

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

*Call to Gather (Responsively)  (www.ministrymatters.com) 
Erin Berard

From darkness and despair, from being lost and lonely, God calls us home.
Even though we have been selfish and let God down, we are still called beloved.
Remember the welcoming love of God which has been poured out for us.
Our hearts rejoice at the wondrous ways in which God loves and forgives us.
Remember that in all your ways you can trust in God’s compassion. Welcome home! 

Prayer of Confession (In Unison)
Erin

In this season of Lent when we contemplate the path Jesus walked,
let us seek God in this prayer of confession. Together, let us pray.

God, sometimes we wander into far countries of the soul without ever thinking where we are going. We take your love for granted; we presume that we can always find our way back to you, when we’re not busy, when it’s more convenient. And then we find ourselves in places where we do not want to be, and we wonder how we got there. Lonely and afraid, we do not know where to turn. Speak to us, O God, help us find the way to the place where we always belonged. Welcome us back home with your love. Amen.    

Moment of Silence

As we walk with God, we are transformed day by day.
God’s never-ending love journeys with us,
making us new, again and again. Thanks be to God!

Hymn: Come Touch Our Hearts - More Voices #12 (verses 1-4)
BCUC choir June 2020

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

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

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

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

5.       Come touch us now, this people who are gathered,
          To break the bread and share the cup of peace;
          That we may love you with our heart, our soul, our mind, our strength, our all,
          Come touch us with your grace.

Words Music © 2002 Gordon Light, arr © 2002 Andrew Donaldson  Common Cup Co.
Song #118062  Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved 

Storytime
Erin Berard

My kids let me borrow their crayons so I could colour this page from my Lenten Journal. 

(Erin colours then drops and breaks several crayons).  Oops… Well maybe I can borrow a gel pen…  Can I use your gel pens?  Thanks!  (Erin colours then snaps the pen).  Uhh.. Could I use your markers now?  "NO!"  Hmm…  I guess it was "Wreck this Journal" not "Wreck your pens"... I guess I'm not really taking care of their things….

Jesus tells a parable to his followers about a son who is given a lot of money from his father, and goes off on his own.  The son is careless and wastes all the money, just like I was careless with the kids' crayons and pens.  The son has nothing left, but feels too embarrassed to go back home to his family - he really messed up.  He's scared about how much trouble he'll get into and how angry his parents will be.  But really, he hasn't got a lot of choice, because he has nothing at all, so he goes home hoping his parents could maybe pay him to do chores and stuff.

But as the son is walking up the lane, and before the son can even apologize, the father is running out, cheering at the sight of him, and calling people up to throw a huge party!

(Music) "Let's have a party!  Let's make a racket! I'm as happy, I'm as joyful as ever I can be! Let's have a party!  Let's make a racket, 'cause the lost has returned to me!"

Whoa! That was unexpected!  The son couldn't believe that his dad could still love him after all he had done.  (Maybe the dad did sit down later with the son and talk about money management and responsibility, but the most important thing was that the son was home and wanted to make amends and try again!)  Having his son back and having a good relationship with him again was more important than the money.

We can look at things like that in our own lives, too.  Maybe a fight or argument over something somebody broke or took isn't really worth it anymore - maybe it's time to move on and try to have the friendship, the person, back again.  (I think my kids will forgive me and still love me even though I broke some of their stuff… ) We can remember that God loves us, and is happy to forgive us when we mess up, and have us try again to make kind, loving choices.  

In today's Sunday School materials, we hear about how we are God's masterpiece, and that God is delighted by us, just like the Father in the parable rejoiced when the son came back.  Doesn't that give you a great feeling to be called delightful, and that someone thinks we're a masterpiece?

Let's have a prayer:

Loving God, thank you for welcoming us and loving us with your arms wide open. 
Help us to forgive those around us who have made mistakes,
and to celebrate the people we love. Amen 

Hymn:  O God, Send Out Your Spirit - More Voices #25
Erin & Abe March 202

Refrain: O God, send out your Spirit; renew the face of the earth. (2x)

1.       We bless you, O God, for you are so great.
Your Spirit uncovers hidden beauty and grace.
Though times we deny all the pain and the tears,
Your Spirit empowers us and soon we face our fears. Refrain: 

2.       Ev’ry prayer we pray, sacred word, sacred rite,
is for the ones who are left waiting outside.
Ev’ry sermon we preach, ev’ry Spirit-filled tune;
Love says, “Remember why we do the things we do.” Refrain: 

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

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

Words & Music © 1996 Jesse Manibusan; Ref: The International Commission on English in the Liturgy
Song # 83176 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Prayer for Illumination (In Unison)
Reader: David Stafford

Wise and forgiving God,
we pray that our speaking and living will reach out to others
and bring your Word honour and gratitude. Amen. 

The Reading: Luke 15: 11-32 (NRSV)
The Parable of the Prodigals

11 Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. 13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. 14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. 16 He would gladly have filled himself with[b] the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”’ 20 So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. 21 Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’[c] 22 But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.

25 “Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. 27 He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ 28 Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ 31 Then the father[d] said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’”

May God’s Love and Wisdom dwell where the Word is spoken. Thanks be to God!

Sermon: “Being Prodigal”
Rev. Kim

Prayer: Holy God, may we welcome your holy presence
among us and within us as we listen and reflect on your Word today. Amen.

“…he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.”

I remember quite well that day when Justin was in Grade 1. Because we live less than one kilometer from the school, we did not have the option of having him being picked up by the school bus and bringing him home. I have to drop him off and pick him up from school. On that particular day, I went to school to pick Justin up but he was not there. I went to check with his classroom teacher but I was told that he had already left. I checked the playground and no sign of him. I went around the school building – still no sign of him. I started to panic. Where could he be? I drove around the street and he was not in sight. My body, at that point, started to shake. What happened to Justin? Where was he? 

Thinking of the worst-case scenario, I decided to go home and planned to call the police. To my relief, Justin was not lost or had been kidnapped or was in danger. He was already home. He told me that he walked with his friend, took the longer way, and was so proud that he was able to find his way home with his beaming expression “I did it, Mom!”. Instead of getting upset at him, I just gave him a big hug with tears flowing from my eyes.

It must have been soul-crushing for a parent when a child is really gone.  But the half an hour I experienced losing Justin - an experience shared by many parents when they cannot find their child at an amusement park or a shopping mall or when they can’t find their child in school, were some of the most frightening moments of my life.

Because, when it comes down to it, losing a child makes one vulnerable and heartbroken.  This might be the reason why today’s parable speaks to most of us, because we know how it would feel when someone we love is lost. But it will also cause us to celebrate in joy when what we have lost is found! 

“…he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.”

Teachings from Sunday School and traditional preachers taught us that the word prodigal is associated with a wayward son who has left his family and community to reckless living, squanders his inheritance but returns home to find that his father welcomes him with love and forgiveness.  But the word “prodigal” really means “extravagant, wasteful, reckless and lavishly abundant.”  To call this story the parable of the prodigal son is a misnomer. I would rather call it the parable of the prodigals. The three major characters in this parable were all prodigals.

Come to think of it - the younger son wasted his resources on reckless living; the older son abundantly used his time and energy to get himself upright with comfortable living; and the father extravagantly poured out his love to both of his children. This parable is rich and best captures all the important elements of life in relationships--grief, betrayal, trust, forgiveness, compassion, loneliness, jealousy, generosity, pride, and best of all, a welcoming love. It's the kind of story that goes deep and wide all at once and it should be revisited throughout life, since it has a tremendous capacity to look at relationships from different angles and heal our wounds over and over again. Susan Young offered the word inter-dependency. These three characters are interdependent with each other. Without one character, this parable would not have the same message we would like it to have.

Let’s admit it – family issues of sibling rivalry, favouritism, “I’m in-you’re out” dynamics – all play a part in this rich parable.  The younger son is driven by curiosity and a desire for independence to undertake a quest in a faraway country. He is anxious, impulsive and precocious, wanting to leave home early even though he risks his father's life and health in order to taste that glorious freedom. No doubt, his decision profoundly disturbs his father and his community. In those days, for a younger son to leave home and demand his inheritance upon leaving was as if he was wishing his father dead. The ancient readers would have seen this as a violation of the commandment to honour their mother and father. What we are dealing with here is something more than an adolescent rebellion, or defiant behavior, or rejection and betrayal of all that has been freely given--family, parenthood, community, life. So he took off with a fat sum of money, but when he squandered all of his inheritance, the younger son lived and fed the pigs. NT Scholar Bernard Brandon Scott calls this “apostasy” – the abandonment or renunciation of his religion. Pigs were deemed unclean in the Jewish law and to eat with them meant the younger son drifted away from Torah and religious traditions. He became the lowest of the lowest.

Think, for a moment, about the dutiful older son who stayed at home. He did everything his father told him to do, was probably a little glad to see his annoying brother leave in the first place, and was more than upset to see him come back.  We know that he was resentful when his younger brother returned home. Is it possible that he remained home not out of duty but because he was afraid of risks? And that he envied and resented his more adventurous and freedom-loving brother? Could some of us be like the older son – always doing the “dutiful” thing but scared of what’s out there, therefore putting on a persona of resentment and pride? I can see myself in the older brother. Not because I resent my siblings and wish they would go away. But I am not a big fan of high life – the adventurous, frivolous life out there. I don’t want to hurt the feelings of my parents. I love being home.

Accept it or not, we have been like all three prodigals in the story. We are like the younger son in so many ways – we have run away from various issues in life – we have tarnished our relationships with people we love; we have wasted our resources and talents on reckless living. 

At times, we could be like the older son. We put our time and effort in being perfect but also erecting walls of indifference and callousness; we have given ourselves into unwanted pride and we cannot even make ourselves “forgive and forget”. The question now is, how do we go home again? 

And here is where some of us resonate with the father. I like Bernard Brandon Scott's interpretation of the father. In Jesus’ time, fathers were authoritative figures who were distant and remote from their children. To wait for a wayward child means that this father, in the eyes of the audience, is a fool and has little honour. When he saw the son coming home, the father ran to meet him. Scott says that this action is so unorthodox for the ancient people, especially for fathers. To run means to hike up his robe to knee length, showing his legs, which is an act of disgrace. To make matters worse, the father kisses his son – again another act that is so not fatherlike. Scott concludes: “this father behaves in ways that are typical of a mother who has to maintain close ties with her sons…This image of the father in the role of the mother challenges the fundamental male hierarchy as the model for understanding the sacred.”

Which character are you in this parable? Have you left home? Or your comfortable life because of family differences or because you just want independence and want to experience some adventure out there? What would it mean for you to return, to come home again, to love, forgiveness, acceptance? A return to home is a return to love and a state of being loved. We come home, by first returning to ourselves and then returning to a life filled with compassion even as we recognize the compassionate embrace of God.

What about our church family here at BCUC? Where are we in the parable? Have we got that sense of welcoming love here at BCUC? What would it mean for us here to take this risky, boundary-less love into our lives? What grudges would we feel compelled to give up? What prejudices and biases would start to melt? What healing of relationships might be born? What self-hatred could be disarmed and forgiven?

Did you notice too that the parable is open-ended? The parable abruptly ends, leaving the conflict between the brothers unresolved. How would you write its ending? For me, I always like a happy ending where the main characters will find a way to sort their conflicts and differences and then live happily ever after.  I would like the sons to follow the father’s script. I would like the older son to be moved by his father’s compassion and forgiveness and, in return, his bitterness and anger towards his younger brother will be replaced with acceptance and he will become buddies with his brother, even though it’s a hard choice to make. I would like the younger son to truly repent, to be accountable for his wayward actions and humbly admit to his older brother and his father that he committed mistakes and that he will promise to be more responsible, to change into a better person. I would like the father to continue to love both sons unconditionally as if they were his best friends, to have open communication with them, to listen to them, to guide them to the right direction and to teach them to surrender their male honour. 

Phillip Yancey, author of What’s So Amazing About Grace? concludes in his book that Jesus’ parables of extravagant grace include no catch, no loophole disqualifying us from God’s love.  Yancey declares that when we decide to “come home” to God it feels like the discovery of a lifetime.  We were lost and we were found! And God rejoices of our return! Now it’s time to celebrate! Amen.

Sources: Inspired by the Sermon of Nadia Bolz-Weber, Re-Imagine the World, a book written by Bernard Brandon Scott, and the BCUC Lectionary Group

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

Open our hearts...Open our minds... Open our lives to you, O loving God... Hear our prayer.

Holy and Gracious One, the one of prodigal grace, we give you thanks for the gift of life and for the blessings of this life, for family and friends and love abundant. In this season of Lent, lead us through the challenges and struggles, the tired times, moments of despair and bleak places. Be with those who weep or cannot sleep, those who have no peace or those who seek release and comfort them with your welcoming, unconditional love.

The parable today talks about the love shown to us in the teachings of Jesus. God is like a waiting parent for prodigal children ready to welcome and restore them to life.  God is like the host of the lost, the least, and all who long for home, those who wander from life-giving ways and waste the gifts they have been blessed with.  Welcome us back, we pray, so that we may celebrate and rejoice in your presence forever;

Let our hearts, our homes and BCUC be welcoming places - places of return built by a love that bends towards those who return here. Let us be a place where the only appropriate response to love that has come to the end of its longing, is to serve the fatted calf, feast and celebrate, send up balloons, and prepare the party for that which has been lost and has returned to be among us. We pray for all those from whom we are estranged. Bring healing to strained or broken relationships. Forgive us for the times we have wronged others, whether by ignorance, neglect, or intention. We pray for those who are sick, the lonely, the grieving and the people of Ukraine in the midst of war.

Fill the world with hope and peace, sustained by God’s mercy. Let us be transformed in all our broken ways so that we can be made whole. And in wholeness, may we be the hands and heart of Christ.  We ask these in the Spirit of Jesus Christ who gathers us in 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’s love has always been abundant, in every time and place. We are grateful to a generous and loving God for every sign of new life.

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 (In Unison)

God of great wonders, we join with you in the joy of giving.
You give us life and breath, you fill the world with beauty,
our hands with bounty, and our hearts with the desire to give.
Accept these gifts, and ourselves in your service. Amen. 

Sending Forth
Rev. Kim

Time and time again,
God waits for us with a welcoming love.
With open arms we return to God.
Go out into the world to be God’s loving embrace for others.
We will go with God’s blessings. Amen. 

Hymn:  O God, How We Have Wandered - Voices United #112
BCUC Choir 2022

1 O God, how we have wandered and hidden from your face;
In foolishness have squandered your legacy of grace.
But how, in exile dwelling, we turn with fear and shame,
As distant but compelling you call us each by name. 

2 And now at length discerning the evil that we do,
By faith we are returning with hope and trust in you.
In haste you come to meet us, and home rejoicing bring,
In gladness there to greet us with calf and robe and ring. 

3 O God of all the living, both banished and restored,
Compassionate, forgiving, our peace and hope assured.
Grant now that our transgressing, our faithlessness may cease.
Stretch out your hand in blessing, in pardon and in peace.

Words © 1980 Kevin Nichols, Music 1836 Henry Smart
Song reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved 

Departing Music: Bring Him Home
Men’s Chorus March 6, 2016

© Schönberg/Boublil/Natel lyrics: Kretzmer arr.Brymer (from Les Misérables) All rights reserved

Sunday school activities - March 27, 2022

(Materials Copyright: The UCC GO Project 2022)

Theme Discussion

The theme for this Lent through our Sunday School resources and our Lenten ‘Wreck This Journal’ has been rest and self care following Jesus’ example.  Check out this week’s video with another example of Jesus teaching the disciples to take time away.

The new reading for today is:

Ephesians 2:10 - For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

God created an amazing world and we are God’s delight: God’s piece of art, God’s masterpiece. We are made so that we might do the good things God planned for us long ago... which Jesus says is to love our neighbour in the same way that God loves us.

We don’t know exactly how Jesus played but we do know Jesus talked about love a lot. Jesus often ate meals with his friends and welcomed people in. He gave thanks. He seemed to notice and delight in the things around him. He noticed birds and plants and told stories about everyday things. He was present in his environment and present in his relationships. This suggests he delighted in the world around him and joyfully gave thanks for it.

Wondering

• I wonder what a work of art is?

• I wonder what it feels like to be God's work of art?

• I wonder what delights you? Or makes you feel full of joy?

• I wonder what delights God?

Music

Response Activity Ideas

Lenten Toolbox – Blowing Bubbles

Basic Homemade Bubble Solution
1 cup water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup or 2 tablespoons glycerin
4 tablespoons dishwashing liquid.

Mix up a batch of bubbles, by combining the above ingredients in a small jar.  Create a bubble wand by curling one end of a pipe cleaner around in a circle or using a large straw.

Play with bubbles can be a meditative prayer activity.  Take deep breaths in and blow the bubbles with a slow, steady exhale.  Think about sending a prayer to God in each bubble as they float around the room or outside.

Tightly cover the jar of bubbles and place in your toolbox for another time.

Delight in Nature

Try sprouting a seed!  You could use dried beans, seeds from inside a fruit or veggie you have in your fridge, or from a seed packet.  Place a few in a ziptop bag with a damp paper towel.  Close the bag and tape it to a sunny window to make a mini-greenhouse.  Be patient… then delight in the new life growing right before your eyes!

Delight in Laughter

Did you know that laughter boosts your immune system?! The goal of the following exercises is to encourage more laughter in our time together and lives - to delight in God's laughter!

• Make laughter milkshakes: Mix your own laughter milkshakes. Have everyone hold a pretend glass in their hands. Say, "Imagine all the funny thoughts you are going to put into the milkshake... think of the funniest things you’ve done, times when you’ve had the giggles and of things that really made you laugh. Put all of those thoughts into your milkshake. Shake it all around and drink it up. Feel your body start to laugh. Let the laughter bubble up... laugh and let it all up and out. Drink three laughter milkshakes!" Delight in watching everyone drink from theirs and as everyone begins to laugh.

• The ‘Copy My Laugh’ Game: Stand in a close circle. One person can start off with a laugh that will then be copied by the next person, and so on. The goofier, the funnier!

• No Smile Game: Pair off and see who can withhold from smiling the longest – sure to make everyone laugh pretty quickly.

Delight in Colour – Milk and colour experiment

Materials: Milk, liquid food colouring (not gel), dish soap, q-tips, a shallow pan or plate, towels or paper towels in case of mess.

Pour a thin layer of milk in a shallow pan. Add drops of food colouring all around in the milk.  Dip the q-tip into the dish soap, then press the cotton swab into the drop of colour. Press it down in one spot and hold it for about 15 seconds. Continue to play in all the colours and see what shapes you can get!

What’s happening: For a very basic explanation, milk is made up of minerals, proteins and fats. The dish soap starts to break up the milk. The soap molecules move around, trying to attach to the milk. We can see it because of the food colouring. Normally, we wouldn’t see it happen.

Delight in Play – for Youth/Young Adults

Check out this information sheet about play styles. Read it and think about these questions:

• Which one(s) feel the most like you?

• What ways that you play feel most refreshing or energizing?

• Do you have similar play styles to your friends or family?

• Do you have enough play in your life? If not, where it is missing? How could you can add more play?

Sunday Worship Service - March 20, 2022

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT

March 20, 2022

Lenten 2022 Theme: “The Way of Being” 

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: Fairest Lord Jesus – Voices United #341
Duet: Ellen & Bernice Nov 2020

Bill & Nora McGee In memory of loved ones  

1 Fairest Lord Jesus, ruler of all nature,
O thou of God to earth come down:
thee will I cherish, thee will I honour,
thou my soul's glory, joy, and crown.

2 Fair are the meadows,
fairer still the woodlands,
robed in the blooming garb of spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
who makes the troubled heart to sing.

3 Fair is the sunshine,
Fairer still the moonlight,
and fair the twinkling, starry host;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
than all the angels heaven can boast.

4 All fairest beauty heavenly and earthly,
wondrously, Jesus, is found in thee;
none can be nearer, fairer or dearer
than thou, my Saviour, art to me.

Arr © 1958 Stewart Landon, Words 1677 German Crusader’s Hymn, Music 1842 Silesian Folk Melody 
Song #1050509 & 97906  Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Welcome & Centering for Worship 
Rev. Kim Vidal

Good day everyone! My name is Rev. Kim Vidal and on behalf of BCUC, I welcome and greet you in the name of Jesus Christ on this Third Sunday in Lent with the theme of “Being Truthful”. We are glad that you have joined us today.

We have reopened the sanctuary for in-person worship service at 10 am. 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 fully vaccinated and still being mindful of the health protocols like masking, social distancing, hand sanitizing and staying home if you feel unwell. Please take note that our Sunday worship service continues to be offered via Youtube, by email and by telephone.

A friendly reminder to 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. Please take note of the many opportunities to participate and offer your support to the various Lenten initiatives: the Lenten SOSA appeal to support FAMSAC; Hymn-Sing and Memorial Flowers to remember your loved ones. Details are posted in the announcements.

Friends, let us take this moment to reflect what truth God is calling us to embrace in this season of Lent. Let us now worship together in spirit and in truth.

Lighting of the Christ Candle
Acolyte: Elly Crow, Conor Morris & Cian

Christ candle, burning bright, 
Guiding our way in this season of Lent.

Christ candle, glowing light, 
The blessing of God, giving new sight. 

Sung Response: Don’t Be Afraid - More Voices #90
Susan Feb 2021

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

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

*Call to Gather (Responsively)
Erin Berard

God will surprise us with kindness.
Our lives will be carried beyond the horizons of
human mercy and enrich us with overflowing love.
Pause, turn around on the Lenten road and see a new reality.
On this road we may find in faith, the gifts of God through Christ.
Then in celebration we will refresh the world,
with generosity beyond the ordinary.
Let us worship the God of second chances. 

Prayer of Confession (In Unison)
Erin

In this season of Lent when we contemplate the path Jesus walked,
let us join together to seek God in confession. Let us pray together:
There are times when we do not walk in God’s ways,
when we do not grow the way God wants.
Sometimes our actions do not help others to grow:
we laugh at them, we put them down, we are mean.
Sometimes we hurt people by telling them that
bad things “are God’s will” and making them feel worse.
Sometimes we give up on others,
and write them off as bad, useless, hopeless, worthless.
Sometimes we reject the care that God offers us:
we think we can grow without Jesus,
without the guidance of God who lovingly prunes us and guides our growth.
Forgive us, O God when we forget what you offer us.  

Moment of Silence

Erin: Each of us is known to God, each of us is forgiven by God, each of us is made whole by God.
Praise be to our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. Amen

Hymn: In the Bulb, there is A Flower - Voices United #703
BCUC Choir Feb 2021

Ian & Ruth Howes In loving memory of family and friend

1.In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree;
in cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter there's a spring that waits to be,
unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

2.There's a song in every silence, seeking word and melody;
there's a dawn in every darkness bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery,
unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see. 

3.In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity;
in our doubt there is believing; in our life, eternity.
In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory,
unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

Words and Music © 1986 Natalie Sleeth
Song #52456 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Storytime
Erin Berard

I’ve got some seeds here that I want to get started so they’ll be ready for the garden later this Spring.  I’ve got some basil, peppers, and tomatoes.

What do I need to do to help these seeds grow?  

Yes, water, sunshine and warmth, and soil for support and nutrients. 

(plants some seeds in an egg carton with dirt and water)

They will need space to grow, too - they can’t be too crowded.  I’ll have to thin them out by pulling up some of them so they don’t block the sun for the others, and allow them to grow to their full size.

In the parable for today, Jesus tells a story about a tree in a garden that wasn't making fruit.  The owner of the garden wanted to get rid of it - it was just taking up space.  The gardener, however, asks for more time - to give it another chance to do its job - to make fruits for people or animals to eat.  Maybe the gardener wanted to give it extra water, or prune it differently, or give it more nutrients, or find a way to give it more or less sun.

What if we imagine we were like fruit trees or bushes (I'd be a raspberry - yum! What about you?) But seriously, we don’t make real fruit for people and animals to eat… what could we produce or make for other people… How about love, kindness, peace, patience…. Those sound like the kind of things God would want us to do.  

So what do we need to grow and be the best we can be?  Good food, water, a home, for sure.  What about loving adults - parents, grandparents, teachers, babysitters?  Loving caregivers, like the gardener in the story, tend to us, guide us, and help us to grow.  God is also helping and encouraging us all the time, just like God helps trees to grow good fruit.

I love that in this story, the gardener doesn’t give up when the tree doesn’t do exactly as it is supposed to.  We’re all still learning and God and those around us can give us a chance to be forgiven and try again when we’re not at our best.

Let us pray:

Loving God, you have blessed us with a beautiful world, food to eat, and opportunities to learn and grow. Thank you for those around us who nurture and care for us in body, mind, and soul.

Help us to share our fruits - kindness, patience, gentleness - with all those we meet.

Amen

Hymn: There is Room for All – More Voices #62
BCUC Choir May 2021

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

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

Words and Music © 2004 Bruce Harding evensong.ca         French © 2006 David Fines
Song # 127055  Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Prayer for Illumination (In Unison)
Reader: Ellen Boynton

God of plenty and of open doors,
you feed the deep places in our spirits
and speak the words that evoke turning for the good.
Send your Spirit to illuminate us with your Word of Life.  Amen. 

The Reading: Luke 13: 1-9 (NRSV) Repent or Perish

13 At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4 Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7 So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ 8 He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

May God’s Love and Wisdom dwell where the Word is spoken. Thanks be to God!

Sermon: “Being Truthful” 
Rev. Kim

Prayer: Create in us a clean heart, O God,
so that your Word may renew and transform us in Jesus’ name. Amen.
“Why do people suffer?”
“Why do bad things happen to good people?”
“Where is God in these situations?”  

The Rev. William Sloane Coffin was senior minister of Riverside Church in New York City, when his son Alex was killed in a tragic car accident. Alex was driving in a terrible storm; he lost control of his car and careened into the waters of Boston Harbor. Rev. Coffin thanked all the people for their messages and acts of condolence. But he also got upset at those who had hinted that Alex's death was God's will. "I knew the anger would do me good," he said. "Do you think it was God's will that Alex never fixed that lousy windshield wiper...that he was probably driving too fast in such a storm? Do you think it was God's will that there were no street lights along that stretch of the road and no guard rail separating the road and Boston Harbor? The one thing that should never be said when someone dies is, 'It is the will of God.' Rev. Coffin closed his homily with these words: “My own consolation lies in knowing that when the waves closed over the sinking car, God's heart was the first of all hearts to break.”

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus is being pulled into a conversation about two tragic stories in Galilee - two events that were probably familiar to first century people. The first one was a politically sanctioned murder, of how Pilate ordered Roman soldiers to murder some Galileans in the temple alongside their animal sacrifices. This act was not only offensive and revolting, but also sacrilegious and ungodly. The second one is a random accident of 18 construction workers who were crushed when the Tower of Siloam fell on them. Jesus’ questions were direct: “Do you think those Galileans who were killed under the hands of Pilate were worse sinners than all other Galileans? Do you think the labourers were worse sinners than those whose lives were spared from the crash?” Jesus went on to say that just because people suffer a nasty, horrible death does not mean they were worse sinners than anybody else. He reminded his hearers that they should not think for one moment that the murdered Galileans and the victims in Siloam were responsible for their fate… any more than those who died in Ukraine or those who died and are still suffering from the COVID pandemic or those in tragic car accidents. Jesus implies that the victims did nothing wrong, nothing that caused their deaths. Both events tell the truth that our human life is unsteady, imperfect and short.

I grappled with two theological issues from this text. One is the understanding of sin and sinfulness, and two, the connection between suffering and punishment. The common understanding of sin at the time of Jesus was that of a cause and effect. Most people in those times believed that when tragedy strikes, it was a punishment from God because of human sinfulness. They believed that good things happen to good people. And when bad things happen, it is the result of the person’s sinfulness or alienation from God. Instead of saying that the Galileans were murdered because they were seen as posing a threat to the existing regime, people think they were killed because they must have done something terrible to anger God. What about those who were crushed by the tower? Instead of looking at construction mishaps, people say it was time for them to die.  This was the conventional wisdom in Jesus’ time, and I know some of us today have the same line of thinking. However, Jesus implies that we must not equate tragedy with divine punishment. 

We in the modern world are not far from the ancient people in interpreting tragic news. Those murdered school children? Well, it happened because we’ve banned prayers in schools. Those two towers that collapsed in New York City on Sept. 11?  Oh - it was God’s punishment on a corrupt and immoral society. Those people who died from the fire? That must be their fate. If someone is ill, if someone dies, or if someone suffers, some of easily point fingers at God – to explain the situation as “God’s will” or “God’s turning away from us” or even “the absence of God” in our lives. We often conclude that sufferings are God’s punishment. But I disagree with this view – do you? Jesus says, “no.” That’s not how this works. The sun continues to shine and the rain falls on both the just and the unjust.

You may or may not agree with me, but I believe that suffering is caused by our human condition. We make bad choices that lead to our own failures. We are a flawed humanity. We are not perfect – and so is the world we live in. In addition, there are natural disasters and tragedies beyond our human control. Suffering is not a form of punishment. Suffering comes to us because we make choices irresponsibly or because of things beyond our control. Suffering is also caused by personal and systemic sins. The murderous acts of terror – as well as those horrific actions of today’s tyrants that we read about in the news – are sins that alienate us from God’s love. Sin has consequences, and there are all kinds of bad behaviour that contribute to much of the misery in the world, and the more we can stand up and confront these sins, whether personal or systemic, the less suffering there will be.

Jesus taught his listeners this profound truth: “unless you repent, you too will perish.” I think Jesus doesn’t mean to say that if you do not change or turn around or transform from your evil ways and turn to God, that you’ll stop breathing or physically die. I think what Jesus was trying to say here is that if you do not repent, you will never experience the fullness or abundance of life God has in store for all of us. Matt Skinner calls it “the destruction of one’s soul.” One can never be satisfied and content with what one has. They will always be consumed by emptiness or restlessness, or bitterness, anger, fear or anxiety.

Despite the fact that life sometimes may appear to be tragic and harsh, Jesus is calling us to a transformed life - to repent from embracing doctrines or ideologies that teach of a God who punishes and sends violence, tragedy, illness and death to people and the whole of creation; to repent from pointing fingers at someone for your own mistakes and wrongdoings; to repent of believing that retribution is accepted to get even;  to repent of one’s acts that harm others. Jesus calls us to repent. To turn around. To change for the better. 

Unless we are about the truth that leads to change, we’re just going in circles, unproductive and fruitless, like the fig tree in the parable Jesus told his followers. The fig tree was not doing what it’s supposed to do. It does not produce fruits. The owner’s response to the tree’s lack of productivity is to cut it down. But the gardener, full of hope and compassion, stood up for the tree. The gardener begged the owner to give the tree another year to live. A second chance. A year of reprieve, a year of grace. It is limited time, but it is a time to turn around, to heal and to grow. With good loving care, the gardener knows that it’s worth the wait.

How do we interpret this parable? What if the owner is not God but those of us who value productivity the most? Those who take rigid rules seriously? Those who measure human value by good works and achievements? The vineyard owner is one who measures human value by how good people are, if they are following all the rules, if they are doing what they are supposed to do? Or those that do not meet the owner’s standards. It is this kind of owner that sees an unproductive tree and demands that it be cut off.

The gardener could be God or Jesus or the practitioners of unconditional love that proclaims the value of the fig tree not in terms of the fruits or works or accomplishments - but hopes in good faith that this tree, once given a second chance, might turn around and bear fruit. 

I believe the fig tree is all of us. Sometimes we are unproductive, malnourished or unable or unwilling to nourish others.  Other times we are achievers, we bear fruit. Sometimes we feel helpless or hopeless, ignored or dismissed.  Sometimes we feel on top of the world and ready to take another step. Sometimes we mess up. Other times we are OK. The gardener steps forward and challenges the opportunistic owner to quit his judgmental character and offer the fig tree a second chance, another season, another year, some more space to begin again.

Jesus is saying through this parable that in the midst of tragedy or unfortunate events, don’t blame the victims of violence, the victims of hunger, the victims of poverty, the victims of grief, the victims of suffering. Don’t try to explain away the tragedy by blaming it on God or on others. Instead, Jesus wants us to repent. That is the truth of this difficult gospel.

Dear friends, we have heard some basic truths as people of faith. Many of us do not bear the fruit in our lives we would like to bear. But take heart. There is still time to turn our lives around. Why not make this your commitment in this season of Lent? It’s never too late. Your second chance is awaiting your response. Amen.

Sources:
BCUC Lectionary Group; Inspired by the commentaries, sermons and reflections of Barbara K. Lundblad,  Bill Coffin,  David R. Henson, and Alyce Mackenzie, Debie Thomas and Matt Skinner.

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

God of us all, as the winter season changes to spring, 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 repentance 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 BCUC that we may listen and pay attention to one another, particularly to 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 truth and 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 people in Ukraine as they seek to find refuge in this time of war. We ask for your spirit of peace to prevail and to embrace them in your love. For the protesting people in Russia who are not in favour of this war, for their voices to be heard. For the world leaders to find solutions to stop this war in the name of peace and the freedom to live.

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

Invitation to Offer
Rev. Kim

God’s love has always been abundant, in every age. We are grateful to a generous and loving God for every sign of new life. We come together to thank God and to offer our gifts so that the ministry of this church will continue to grow and be a blessing to the world.

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

Offertory Prayer (In Unison)

Holy One, accept these gifts we offer as a token and a symbol of
the offering of ourselves in Christ’s service. May all that we offer of
ourselves and our resources, be acceptable, and blessed by you,
Gracious God. Amen

Sending Forth
Rev. Kim

As you walk through the world,
look up, look out, look all around,
seeking those who need love;
love that you may show them,
love by which they may know of God’s love.
We are called to be God’s people.
Let us follow in love, hope and trust. Amen.

Hymn: Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us with Your Love - Voices United #593
TeGrot family Nov 2020

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

Words & Music Arr. © 1969 Tom Colvin    Ghanaian Folk Song         Hope Pub.         
Song #00047 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Departing Music: Love Divine, All Loves Excelling – Voices United #333 
Choir Mar 2022

Desna Sulway In honour of Vernon’s Life

1.    Love divine, all loves excelling, joy of heav’n, to earth come down,
fix in us thy humble dwelling, all thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love thou art.
Visit us with thy salvation; enter ev'ry trembling heart.

2.    Come, Almighty, to deliver, let us all thy grace receive.
Suddenly return, and never, nevermore they temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing, serve thee as thy hosts above,
pray, and praise thee without ceasing, glory in thy perfect love.

3.    Finish, then, thy new creation; pure and spotless let us be.
Let us see thy great salvation perfectly restored in thee.
Changed from glory into glory, till in heav’n we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love and praise.

Words: 1747 Charles Wesley & Music 1831 Rowland Pritchard.   
Song #84255 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Sunday school activities - March 20, 2022

(Materials Copyright: The UCC GO Project 2022)

Theme Discussion

Check out this week’s cartoon:

We know how God loves us, and because of that, we know how God wants us to love others. Jesus taught us to love God with all our heart and soul. Jesus also taught us to love others as God loves us and as we love ourselves.

God’s dream (God’s vision of shalom, the kingdom of God) reminds us of God’s hope for us and the world. When we are overwhelmed by things or full of worry, it can be hard to know if we should take care of ourselves or be there for others. Sometimes we just want to take care of ourselves or ignore everybody else.

When we rest in God’s love, we know we are cherished and cared for. When we rest in God’s peace, we can be fully present in the moment. When we rest (and play!) in God’s delight, we can find joy all around us. When we rest in these ways, we fill up our spirits and we can also rest in God’s hope and be part of making God’s dream come true.

It’s not just taking care of others and it’s not only taking care of ourselves. When we care for ourselves, we care for others. We can be good friends to all people. We can love beyond boundaries, we can care for our neighbours and ourselves because we know God loves us all.

Wondering

• I wonder what God’s love feels like?

• I wonder what it would be like to love and care for others like God cares for us?

• I wonder if it’s easy or hard to do that?

• I wonder what it would be like if everyone was welcome and cared for and had everything they needed? I wonder where God is when we are welcoming and caring for our neighbours?

Music

Response Activity Ideas

Lenten Toolbox: Love Your Neighbour Jar

We are called to love our neighbours as God loves us and as we love ourselves. Think of ways we can love our neighbours, and think about who our neighbours are, expanding from a neighbour being just the ones next door to everyone we meet.

Materials: Jar, stickers, coloured paper, glue, scissors

Start by decorating your “Love Your Neighbour” jar with a colourful label, stickers, coloured paper shapes, or any other designs you wish. 

Next, brainstorm ways that you can love your neighbours and write them down on a big list, adding a drawing if you want. Cut them apart and put them in the jar.

At home, try to do something to help people every day or every few days. Pull an idea out and try to do that. The jar can also go in the Lenten tool box, although we can help our neighbours all the time.

Self-Portrait

Create a self portrait, reflecting on the physical aspects of identity. This activity relates to the Greatest Commandment to love ourselves as God loves us and to love our neighbours as we love ourselves. It begins to explore who we are, and how what we look like can affect how others see us. It also celebrates diversity.

Look in the mirror and describe the shape of your face; skin colour and complexion; eye shape and colour; hair colour, texture, length and style; nose shape; and other characteristics like birthmarks, freckles, glasses, braces, etc.

Using whatever art supplies you have available – paint, crayons, markers, etc. – take your time and create a detailed self-portrait.

Discuss:

• What do you notice about your self-portrait?

• How does your self-portrait reflect aspects of your identity in terms of race, ethnicity and other identity characteristics?

• How do you look similar to and different from people in your family, friends and classmates?

God’s Dream Village

Watch the video for If the World Were a Village:

Discuss:

• What does it need to make sure everyone has what they need?

• What does your world look like?

• What does it need to be God’s dream for the world?

Design a village for 100 people, imagining what the world would be if God’s dream was lived in the world today.

You can draw this world, sculpt it out of clay or play dough, build it out of blocks or loose parts, or create it in other ways. 

As you work think about:

• What do you like the best? What needs improvement?

• What aspect is most important?

• What the world be like if God’s dream were here now…

Lord’s Prayer Rewrite – Youth activity

Think about the Lord’s Prayer as a vision for Shalom.

Read traditional and contemporary versions of the Lord’s prayer then see if you're up for writing your own. As you read different versions explore what imagery comes to you for God's Shalom. Think about what you like, don't like, agree with, disagree with, etc.

Traditional (Breaking it down):

Our Father, (A greeting)
who art in heaven, (how we know God)
hallowed be thy name (Acknowledge the mystery)
thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth (A Shalom Vision)
as it is in heaven. (to come to life on earth)
Give us this day our daily bread; (take care of our daily needs)
and forgive us our trespasses (forgive us)
as we forgive those who trespass against us; (help us forgive others)
and lead us not into temptation, (what is temptation?)
but deliver us from evil. (What is evil?)
For thine is the kingdom The power and the glory (may your love last always)
Forever and ever
Amen. 

Contemporary:

Eternal Spirit, Source of all that is and ever shall be,
Loving Parent in whom we discern heaven,
May knowledge of your holiness inspire all peoples,
And may your commonwealth of peace and freedom flourish on earth
Until all of humankind heed your call to justice and compassion.
May we find the bread that we need for today,
And for the hurts we cause one another
May we be forgiven in the same measure that we forgive.
In times of trial and temptation, help us to be strong;
When life seems overwhelming, help us to endure;
And thus from the yoke of sin deliver us.
May you reign in the power of human love, Now and forever.
Amen.
(Adapted from the prayer book of the Anglican Church of New Zealand) 

Now try writing your own! 

Sunday Worship Service - March 13, 2022

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT

March 13, 2022   

Lenten 2022 Theme: “The Way of Being”

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: When Peace Like A River
BCUC Choir Mar 2021

In loving memory of Young Hoon Kim (Kim Family)

1 When peace like a river attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll;
whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
"It is well, it is well with my soul."

Refrain:
It is well with my soul;
it is well, it is well with my soul.

2 Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate
And has shed His own blood for my soul. R

3 O Lord, haste the day when my faith shall
be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend; even so, it is well with my soul. R 

Words: Horatio Spafford, 1865, Music: Philip Bliss, Arr. © 1985 Dale Grotenhuis
Song # 97950 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Welcome & Centering for Worship
Rev. Kim Vidal

Good day everyone! My name is Rev. Kim Vidal and on behalf of BCUC, I welcome and greet you in the name of Jesus Christ on this Second Sunday in Lent. We are glad that you have joined us today.

We have reopened the sanctuary for in-person worship service at 10 am. 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 fully vaccinated and still being mindful of the health protocols like masking, social distancing, hand sanitizing and staying home if you feel unwell. Please take note that our Sunday worship service continues to be offered via Youtube, by email and by telephone.

A friendly reminder to 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. Please take note of the many opportunities to participate and offer your support to the various Lenten initiatives: the Lenten SOSA appeal to support FAMSAC; Hymn-Sing and Memorial Flowers to remember your loved ones. Details are posted in the announcements.

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

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

We give thanks for the light of Christ,
our guide in this season of Lent.
As we light this candle,
may it remind us of our hope in Jesus Christ,
to teach us again how to love,
how to break down walls and to build bridges.
May this light enflame our hearts with God’s love. 

Sung Response: Don’t Be Afraid - More Voices #90
Susan Feb 2021

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

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

*Call to Gather (Responsively) 
Rev. Lorrie Lowes

(Jim McKean, Gathering, Lent/Easter 2022. Used with permission.)

God calls us each and every moment of the day.
God calls us through the tears of sadness.
God calls us through the tears of joy.
God calls.
How we acknowledge this call is up to us.
Our choice to gather to worship is one way we accept God’s call.
Come, then, let us gather in worship. 

Prayer of Confession (In Unison)
Rev. Lorrie

(Christine Leblanc, Gathering, LE 2022. Used with permission)

Let us offer to God our prayer of confession. Together, let us pray:
Our God is a God of love. All goodness.
An ever-present Presence in our lives who guides and directs us.
We take a moment to reflect upon our lives, knowing that God holds tenderly all that causes broken relationships in our lives.
Our shortcomings.
The moments we did not act out of love toward others or ourselves.
The times when we were hurt by the actions of others. 

A Moment of Silence

Our God is a God of love.
All goodness.
An ever-present Presence in our lives who guides and directs us.
We take a moment to reflect upon our lives, knowing that God holds tenderly all that causes broken relationships in our lives. Amen. 

Hymn: Throughout These Lenten Days and Nights – Voices United #108
BCUC Mar 1 2015

1 Throughout these Lenten days and nights
we turn to walk the inward way,
where, meeting Christ, our guide and light,
we live in hope till Easter Day.

2 The pilgrim Christ, the Lamb of God,
who found in weakness greater power,
embraces us, though lost and flawed,
and leads us to his Rising Hour.

3 We bear the silence, cross and pain
of human burdens, human strife,
while sisters, brothers help sustain
our courage till the Feast of Life.

4 And though the road is hard and steep,
the Spirit ever calls us on
through Calvary's dying, dark and deep,
until we see the coming Dawn.

5 So let us choose the path of One
who wore, for us, the crown of thorn,
and slept in death that we might wake
to life on Resurrection Morn!

6 Rejoice, O sons and daughters!
Sing and shout hosannas! Raise the strain!
For Christ, whose death Good Friday brings
on Easter Day will rise again!

Words © 1996 James Gertmenian; Music 1864 W.H. Havergal
Song #12108 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Storytime
Rev. Lorrie

How would you describe Jesus to someone who had never heard the Bible stories about him? Would you describe the way he looked? That would be hard because there are no descriptions of him like that in the Bible. We never hear what colour his hair was, or his eyes, or his skin… nowhere does it tell us if he was a tall man or short. I bet you have a picture of him in your mind though – maybe because of the illustrations you’ve seen in Children’s Bibles, or in paintings by famous artists, or maybe from your own imagination.

The interesting thing is that everyone seems to have a different idea of what he looked like. Next time you are in the church, take a look at the poster on my office door. It has many pictures of Jesus and every single one is different. Each artist has painted the picture of Jesus in their mind, the face they imagine when they think of him. Isn’t it strange that with all the stories written about Jesus, not one mentions what he looked like? I wonder if maybe that’s because his appearance was not the important part of who he was. Maybe that’s because he looked like an ordinary man, one who wouldn’t stand out in a crowd.

The Bible might not describe what Jesus looked like, but there are lots of names the writers use to describe who Jesus was. Can you remember some of them? The Son of God… Teacher… Healer… Shepherd … Sometimes those names describe him as a leader - the Prince of Peace… King of the Jews… or Saviour. There are so many different ways he is described… Well, in today’s scripture reading Jesus describes himself - but in a very different way. He says he is like a mother hen who wants to gather her baby chicks under her wings to protect them. Isn’t that an interesting image? Not a rooster, as we might expect a man to say, but a mother hen… 

Have you ever spent time around chickens? My daughter, Katie, has a barn full of chickens at our house – mostly hens, but a few roosters too. And, you know what, they are very different from each other. They don’t just look different, but they behave differently too. Both roosters and hens tend to be very protective. A rooster protects the hens by being aggressive – flapping his wings, making a lot of noise, and even pecking at anyone or anything that he thinks is a danger to his hens. Hens protect their chicks in a very different way. If they sense some danger, they make a special clucking noise that tells the babies to come quickly and then she covers them up with her wings and sits there quietly with them tucked underneath her.

Can you imagine what it might feel like to be a little chick underneath your mother? I think it must be a very warm, safe place to be. When I have reached under a hen to collect an egg, I can feel how warm and soft and cozy it would be. All those fluffy feathers feel like a big soft blanket that can wrap those babies up and still give them room to breathe. Even if there is lots of noise or trouble around, under those wings it’s quiet and warm and it must feel safe. 

It’s an image that we might not think of when we are asked to describe Jesus – but I think it is an important one. I think that Jesus is telling his listeners that fighting isn’t the only way to provide protection and safety, that there is a softer, gentler way that is just as effective – maybe even more effective. I think he is telling them, that with him, they can feel safe.

This week in the news we are hearing a lot of scary stories about the attack that Russia is making on the people of Ukraine. I can’t imagine how scary and dangerous the situation is for the people who live there. The children must be so scared! When the bombing and shelling comes close, they all run to bunkers and subway stations underground. I’m sure they are still scared, but I have seen a lot of stories and videos of people huddled together in blankets, of mothers reading stories to their children, and even of a little girl sweetly singing the song from “Frozen” to everyone. They seem to me a lot like those chicks tucked under the mother hen – finding a little bit of comfort and safety in a very dangerous situation.

I think that, maybe, that’s what Jesus is trying to tell us:

“Listen when I call you and follow quickly… Even when the world seems scary or dangerous, if you do these things, you will be safely tucked under my wings, wrapped up in God’s love.”

Let’s pray:

Gentle Jesus,
Help us to listen for your call to us.
Help us to follow that call to the way you want us to go,
And when life gets scary, help us remember that you will keep us
Tucked warm and safe like a chick under its mother’s wing.
We pray for the children in Ukraine, and all those children who are facing war and violence in today’s world. Please keep them wrapped up safely in God’s love.
Amen. 

Hymn: “Listen, God is Calling” - More Voices #97

Listen, God is calling, through the Word inviting,
Offering forgiveness, comfort and joy.

Words & Music © Traditional Tanzania song, translation: Olson, Arr. © More Voices 2007
Song #01607 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved 

Prayer for Illumination (In Unison) 
Reader: John Boivin

(Allister Rose, Gathering, LE 2015. Used with permission)

Loving God, as our faith grows through the study of your Word,
may we share that Word with others so they may come to know you as well.
In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen. 

The Reading: Luke 13: 31-35 (NRSV) 
Jesus Laments over Jerusalem

31 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to Jesus, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 
32 Jesus said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. 
33 Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ 
34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 
35 See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

This is the Word of God.

Anthem: God See the Children
CGS/Bell Canto – Director: Erin Berard

God sees the children playing in the dirt,
God hears the children -- crying when they're hurt.

It hurts God too, to see the despair,
when we've been given enough to share,
and hearts to care, and love for ev'ry one.

God sees the children run away in fright;
God hears the children -- crying in the night.
It hurts God too, to see the despair,
when we've been given enough to share,
and hearts to care, and love for ev'ry one.

Give us the strength to be poor with the poor,
to be happy though our selfish hearts cry out for more
when we've been given enough to share,
and hearts to care, and love for ev'ry one.

God sees the children from all different lands,
God hears the children -- trying to understand.
It hurts God too, to see the despair,
when we've been given enough to share,
and hearts to care, and love for ev'ry one.

Words © Sandy Boyce & Music © Kathy Pike
Song Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved 

Sermon: “Being Vulnerable”
Rev. Kim

Between 1953 to 1955, a Roman Catholic Franciscan church was built on the foothills of Mount Olives, facing the old city of Jerusalem called Dominus Flevit, which is Latin for “The Lord has wept”, symbolic of Jesus’ lamenting over Jerusalem. The church building is shaped like a teardrop which embodies Jesus’ lament and sorrow for the city that he loved. Inside the sanctuary of the church adorning its altar was a circular mosaic artifact believed to be created in the 7th century. The most dominant image in the mosaic is that of a hen – standing tall and courageous, her wings stretched wide. Under the wings are chicks gathered at her feet. Along the circumference of the mosaic is a Latin inscription of Jesus’ words: “Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” Those last words— “you were not willing” — are intentionally placed at the bottom of the mosaic, in an area where all the tiles are red, perhaps like spilled blood, at the hen’s feet. Besides the hen and the chicks, there is another character in this picture. Although it is not visible in the mosaic, you might imagine it lurking out of sight, waiting to strike. That other character is the fox that threatens the chicks. 

Our journey towards the Holy Week is just a few weeks away and we are now beginning to feel the tension. Jesus is slowly moving out from his ministry in Galilee and traveling towards Jerusalem; the place where he would encounter his political and religious enemies and eventually his death. In this passage, we see Jesus pouring out his vulnerable self. We hear of the Pharisees acting like local sympathizers and have warned Jesus to “get away from Jerusalem because Herod wants to kill him.” But instead of heading for the nearest hole to hide, Jesus sends the Pharisees to relay a message to Herod that he called The Fox that Jesus has business to complete in Jerusalem and it will be on his timetable, not Herod’s. 

I wonder why Jesus chose hen as a metaphor for him? Why not a lion or a bear or even a mighty eagle? The lectionary group believes that lions, bears, eagles - all portray power, prestige and affluence – three things that symbolize what a typical Messiah would be. Jesus, on the other hand, was the opposite. He was humble and non-violent, yet strong and compassionate like a mother hen. Barbara Brown Taylor said at one point that: “A hen is what Jesus chooses, which is pretty typical of him. He is always turning things upside down, so that children and peasants wind up on top while kings and scholars land on the bottom… Jesus is like a mother hen who stands between the chicks and those who mean to do them harm. She has no fangs, no claws, no rippling muscles. All she has is her willingness to shield her babies with her own body. If the fox wants them, he will have to kill her first.”

In Hellenistic thought, the fox is regarded as clever but sly and unprincipled. Foxes are generally seen as cunning and sneaky animals. My concept of foxes comes primarily from Aesop’s Fables, particularly the story of the fox and the crow, where the fox flattered the crow who found a piece of cheese. The fox sweet-talked the crow by saying that the crow has a beautiful voice. The crow took the bait and let out a squawk, the cheese, of course, falls straight to an open-mouthed fox and eats it. A fox could also be someone who is cruel, arrogant and one who shows no mercy, like in the story of the fox who enticed the gingerbread man to cross the river, ending in the tragic devouring of the gingerbread man. In that same manner, we sense Jesus' anger and disgust with "that fox" Herod—sly, cunning and manipulative. Who is Herod in this story?

In 2014, the Israel Museum in Jerusalem premiered the first ever exhibition of Herod "the Great", including 250 artifacts from his tomb.  Herod the Great was an ambitious builder, and a few recent biographies have tried to rehabilitate his reputation, but most historians remember him as a paranoid and ruthless madman. He murdered one of his ten wives, two of his sons, and numerous opponents.  But the Herod in this particular story in Luke is Herod Antipas, one of the sons of Herod the Great. Herod Antipas is the same Herod spoken of by Matthew - the one responsible for slaughtering the infants; the one who tricked the Magi to inform him where the infant Jesus was; the one who beheaded John the Baptist out of a whim. Foxes like Herod Antipas are the ones who create mistrust and fear, betrayal and confusion. Yes, even the deaths of innocent people.

Jesus ignored the warnings of his death and did not back down. In those moments of self-reflection and encounter, Jesus had an outburst of emotions. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!  How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!"  It was in that moment that Jesus showed his vulnerability. He wept for the people of Jerusalem. He showed his true emotions by shedding tears for the city that God loves. Oftentimes we think of Jesus as devoid of human emotions. Sometimes it is difficult for some of us to see these maternal and emotional sides of Jesus.  Like a mother who is anguished by the wrongdoings of her children, Jesus wept. Jesus wept for Jerusalem. He wept for the people who had gone astray. He cried for the prophets before him, slaughtered in the name of God. He cried for the oppressed people, living in misery and economic poverty. Jesus wept. Jesus showed his vulnerability with frustration and expressed it with tears.

We too, sometimes, are afraid to show our true selves – our true emotions. We are afraid of being seen as weak or incompetent or less than. So, we cry in the closet or in the bathroom. We put on a mask or pretend to be strong or someone else. We don’t want to look silly – we don’t want to show that we are vulnerable. We act like a fox but deep inside us is a hen wanting to reach out with love and compassion. A famous quote from American author Brené Brown kept me thinking about vulnerability. She said that “Society has taught us that vulnerability is synonymous with weakness—but it’s just the opposite. Vulnerability is the willingness to show up and be seen by others in the face of uncertain outcomes. There’s not a single act of courage that doesn’t involve vulnerability.” It is this kind of vulnerability and openness that God calls us to follow.  Being vulnerable requires strength and it requires courage. Jesus taught us the power of vulnerability. That we can be who we are in front of God and others. Being vulnerable is strength in itself. Showing your authentic, true self is being honest about who you are. Remember that God loves you in your weaknesses and in your strengths. 

Foxes and hens – sadly, this is still the world’s reality. Foxes kill chickens because they are hungry, and chickens, flightless birds who are fenced into people’s yards, are an easy meal. We can name situations involving foxes and hens in the world today. Like the ongoing war instigated by a Russian dictator against the people in Ukraine. Like the hate crimes targeting Muslims, Jews and Black people. Like those children in our schools being bullied because of their looks or stature. Like the unresolved cases of the missing and murdered indigenous women. Foxes are all around us. That’s why the way of Jesus is to follow the way of the hen, which provides refuge, security, safety, freedom and shalom.

If Herod is a fox and Jesus is a hen . . . well, you don’t have to be a farmer to know how this story turns out, leading us into the next episode of the Lenten story—that bloody mess of violence and crucifixion coming up on Good Friday. But we’re not there yet. And this I know – as long as you and I and many out there commit to being vulnerable mother hens that gather chicks under their wings – mother hens who champion the rights of others, mother hens who fill the world with love, peace, justice and compassion, mother hens who choose to stand their grounds and say no to injustice and acts of violence, the foxes out there will not win. The foxes will not be in control as much as they think they are. Let us embrace the Way of the Hen — the way of Jesus that follows the road of inclusion, acceptance and reconciliation. So that it won’t be a tyranny of fear and anger that dictates the course of our future, but love, peace and justice.  Let God enfold you in the tender, passionate love of a mothering hen. Amen.

Sources that helped me with my sermon:

• BCUC Lectionary Group

• The writings of St. Anselm, Barbara Brown Taylor & Mardi Auld Glass, Ray Medeiros

• Aesop’s Fables – The Fox & The Crow; The Fox & the Gingerbread Man

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

God of love, God of compassion,
We come to you in prayer today in gratitude for the joys in our lives and with concern for the things that weigh heavy on our hearts.
We pray for all those in our families, our church, our community, and the world, who are suffering from illness or injury… grief or loneliness… hunger both physical and spiritual…for those living with fear and violence…
Today we pray especially for the situation in Ukraine that both saddens and angers us, a situation that sparks fear in our hearts and in the hearts of our brothers and sisters around the globe. And so, we share this prayer from:

(Rev Sharon Hollis, President, Uniting Church in Australia)

God of peace, God of mercy
We pray for the people of Ukraine,
We lament the violence that has come to their country
We ask for comfort for those who mourn,
hope for those who despair and compassion for all who suffer.
We plead for an end to violence and aggression in their land
We pray for the people of Russia,
We give thanks for those who protest for peace and pray for ongoing courage
We ask for a change of heart in those who commit acts of aggression and war against their fellow citizens and neighbours
We pray for Russians who will suffer because of sanctions and war
We pray for leaders around the world
We pray that world leaders might work for an end to war and for establishing of peace
We seek wisdom for those who are making life and death decisions about how to respond to violence and threats of violence
We ask for courage for those who campaign for peace.
We pray for aid workers and journalists
We give thanks for the willingness of aid workers to work in situations of war and unrest in order to meet the needs of others
We ask for safety, wisdom and compassion for all working to alleviate suffering and heal the wounded
We pray for journalist and media organisations reporting the situation in Ukraine and Russia, may they report truthfully and compassionately.
We pray for peace
We lament violence around the world
We plead for the ceasing of violence and the establishment of peace
We pray that you might give us a desire for peace and a willingness to work and hope and pray for peace each day.
Holy One, hear our prayers both the spoken and those hidden in our hearts as we pray together the words that Jesus taught:

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

The image of Jesus as a mother hen who gathers the chicks under her wings is with us in amazing and powerful ways, bringing new hope and healing into the world. May we participate in the ministry of our church with that great hope, trusting in the promises of God.

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 (In Unison)

Lenten God, like Jesus, we look toward the Holy City
and wonder what is before us.
We know that, for some,
it is a journey of hunger and loneliness.
So it is that we share these offerings.
Receive them and transform them into your love. Amen. 

Sending Forth
Rev. Kim

(Rt. Rev. Richard Bott, Gathering, LE 2020. Used with permission)

Every breath that is breathed,
every beat of the heart,
every smile and tear,
is a prayer.
May we find healing,
may we find hope,
may we find God,
in the tears, in the smiles, the beats and the breaths,
in every moment that was,
every moment that is,
every moment to come. Amen. 

Hymn: Spirit God, Be Our Breath – More Voices #150
BCUC Feb 2021

1.Spirit God: be our breath, be our song.
Blow through us, bringing strength to move on. Our world seems inward, defensive, withdrawn. Spirit God, be our song. 

2.Patient God: soothe our pride, calm our fear.
Comfort us. When we know you are near
we grow more certain, our vision is clear.
Patient God, calm our fear.

3.Loving God: be our voice, be our prayer.
Reaching out, joining hands as we share, we seek your guidance through friendship and care. Loving God, be our prayer. 

4.Spirit God: be our breath, be our song.
Blow through us, bringing strength to move on. Through change, through challenge, we’ll greet the new dawn. Spirit God, be our song.

Words & Music © 1997 Bruce Harding
Song # 117764 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Departing Music: Just a Closer Walk
BCUC Choir Oct 1 2017

In loving memory of Efraim Vidal Sr. (Kim Family)

1 I am weak but Thou art strong,
Jesus keep me from all wrong.
I’ll be satisfied as long as I walk,
Let me walk, close to Thee. 

Refrain:
Just a closer walk with Thee
Jesus grant my humble plea!
Daily walking close to Thee
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be. 

2 Through this world of toil and snares,
If I falter Lord who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee. R 

3 When the journey here is o’er,
Time for me will be no more.
Guide me to Thy distant shore.
To thy shore, oh dear Lord, to Thy shore. R 

Anonymous Arr. © 1975 Ed Lojeski
Song # 272080 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Sunday school activities - March 13, 2022

Copyright @ The UCC GO Project 2022

The Story

This one time... Jesus fell asleep during a major storm!

Here's the story:

Jesus Stills a Storm (Mark 4:25-41, NRSV)

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Wondering

I wonder what it feels like when you feel worried?

I wonder what it takes for you to feel calm in times of stress?

I wonder why Jesus was sleeping during a storm?

Music

Watch the music video from our friend Josh:

Response Activity Ideas

Lenten Toolkit – Option 1: Gratitude Journal

Gratitude and mindfulness are healthy for our brains and help us connect to the abundance of life and bring us closer to God. Often we get stuck on what we have to do, or the pressures we feel or stuck in a rut of complaining. Gratitude and mindfulness can transform our day to day activities.

Make a journal to keep in your toolkit!  Materials needed:  Cardstock, plain or lined paper, stapler (or hole punch and string), writing tools

Fold a piece of cardstock and paper in half to make a cover. Cut the plain or lined paper in half and insert it into the cardstock cover.  Staple the book together or use yarn and a holepunch to create a booklet.  Decorate the cover if desired.

Each day, find a time to think about what you are thankful for, or what brings you peace. Print out the list of Gratitude Prompts if you need some ideas to get started. You may might want to write or draw what they are grateful for, or use it as a bedtime reflection with parents.

Lenten Toolkit – Option 2: Mindful Breathing/Grounding

Noticing things with our senses helps us be more fully present in our bodies instead of worrying about what might happen later or what has already happened. Jesus reminded Martha to be present in the moment. When we are feeling all over the place or worried about stuff, this can help us to rest in God’s peace, and to be present right now.

We have five senses in our bodies - sight, taste, touch, smell, and sound. This grounding activity can help to calm us with our five senses when we are anxious, nervous, impatient, sad, or any other emotion we're working through.

Take two deep breaths, then name:

• 5 things you can see around you

• 4 things you can touch around you

• 3 things you can hear around you

• 2 things you can smell around you

• 1 thing you can taste

Draw your own cue card with the 5-4-3-2-1 mindful grounding technique instructions to include in your Lenten Toolkit!

Movement: Yoga

Yoga is a great practise to help bring calm and mindfulness and settle our mind, body and spirit. When we do yoga or other mindful practises, we can rest in God’s peace. Try one of these routines together.

(5 min sun salutation)

(15 min - kids)

(15 min – teens)

Movement: Music/Dance

Make up your own dance moves (or a whole routine!) to this song and think about the things you’re grateful for!

Sunday Worship Service - March 6, 2022

BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT / AGAPE MEAL

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

March 6, 2022

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: Sweet Hour of Prayer – Bradbury arr. Matt Hyzer    Abe Feb 2021

Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Acknowledgement of the 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 First Sunday in Lent with an Agape Meal. We are glad that you have joined us today.

We are now in the Lenten season – this 40-day period is an opportunity to reflect inwardly, a time of renewal, a time of confession and repentance and for others, a time of contemplative fasting or giving up of something. May this Lenten journey bring you closer with God, with others and with yourself.

We have reopened the sanctuary for in-person worship service at 10 am. 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 fully vaccinated and being mindful of the health protocols like masking, social distancing, hand sanitizing and staying home if you feel unwell. Please take note that our Sunday worship service continues to be offered via Youtube, by email and by telephone.

A friendly reminder to 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.

Our Annual General Meeting will take place today via Zoom at 11:15 AM.  Check your email for the Zoom link.

Friends, let us centre ourselves in the Spirit of God as we begin our journey in Lent. Let us now gather in worship.

Lighting of the Christ Candle        Acolytes: Fowler Family

We give thanks for the light of Christ,
our guide in this season of Lent.
Strong and unafraid, persistent and unrelenting.
May this light enflame our hearts with God’s grace and love. 

Sung Response: Don’t Be Afraid - More Voices #90       Susan Feb 2021

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

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

*Call to Gather         Rev. Lorrie Lowes

(Lorraine MacKenzie Sheppard, Gathering, Lent/Easter 2017. Used with permission)

Lent is a time of returning,
returning to God, our first love.
Lent is a time of turning away,
turning away from sin that wastes us.
Lent is a time of lifting,
lifting guilt’s heavy burden.
Lent is the time of renewing,
renewing heart, mind and soul.
Now is the time:
Lent’s hard, joyful pilgrimage begins. 

Prayer of Confession         Rev. Lorrie Lowes

(An excerpt from Wendy Maclean’s “Inspiration”, Gathering, LE 2022. Used with permission)

During Lent, silence is our desert.
We are sent by the Spirit to encounter temptations.
We are ministered there in our exhaustion, to provide for our souls,
by the mercy that arises in the emptiness…
We are formed by many kinds of silence:
silence that wounds and betrays,
silence that blesses and renews.
May our silence be a spacious invitation for lost voices in forgotten languages
to share the gospel of mountains and rivers.
Holy One, Great Spirit, Creator of Life:
Meet us where we stand, tempted by bread and pinnacles,
and give us words, if words are what you need for justice,
and silence, if that is the way to resist the temptation
to hear only what we want to hear,
to receive only what we want to receive…
Pray your wisdom into our famished desert hearts
Until our words and silence dance together
And feast in the wonder of being heard and loved. Amen.  

A Moment of Silence

Hymn:  Jesus Tempted in the Desert - Voices United #115  BCUC Quartet  Feb 2021

1.Jesus, tempted in the desert;
lonely, hungry, filled with dread:
“Use your power,” the tempter tells him, 
“Turn these barren rocks to bread!”
“Not alone by bread,” he answers, 
“Can the human heart be filled.
Only by the Word that calls us
is our deepest hunger stilled!” 

2.Jesus, tempted at the temple,
high above its ancient wall:
“Throw yourself from lofty turret,
angels wait to break your fall!”
Jesus shuns such empty marvels,
feats that fickle crowds request:
“God, whose grace protects, reserves us,
we must never vainly test.”

3.Jesus, tempted on the mountain
by the lure of vast domain:
“Fall before me! Be my servant!
Glory, fame, you’re sure to gain!”
Jesus sees the dazzling vision,
turns his eyes another way:
“God alone deserves our homage!
God alone will I obey!” 

4.When we face temptations power,
lonely, struggling, filled with dread,
Christ, who knew the tempter’s hour,
come and be our living bread.
By your grace, protect, preserve us
lest we fall, your trust betray.
Yours, above all other voices,
be the Word we hear, obey.”

Words © 1990 Herman Stuempfle; Music 1844 The Sacred Harp; Harmony © 1978 Ronald Nelson
Song # 09669 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved 

Storytime          Rev. Lorrie

This Sunday is the first Sunday of Lent, the time leading up to Easter. We usually think of Lent as a kind of sad time, a time that you think about things you want to change about yourself, a time to confess things you’ve done that might not be what God wishes for you and, for many people, it’s a time of fasting - of giving up something they really like – like chocolate, or coffee, or social media…

There’s a place for all of that, for sure. We are human after all and sometimes we make mistakes - but after two years of living with a pandemic, I think we need to think about Lent a bit differently this year! So, this year, we are going to focus on self-care. I think we all need to take some time to remember that we were created in love and that God loves us forever and wants us to love ourselves too.

Erin and I have put together a package for you. Hopefully you will have received it this week. It’s a journal with a twist! It’s called “Wreck this Journal” – sounds like fun already!

Each week has a very short Bible verse and then a fun activity for you to do each day, right on the page, an activity that will make sure that journal is a wreck by the time Easter comes – but here’s the interesting thing… each one of those activities is something that will help you take care of yourself. So, at the end, your journal will be a wreck but you will feel even better than you did when you started.

I bet some of you have already done the first few activities because they were meant to start on Wednesday, but if you haven’t started yet, that’s ok. It will be easy – and fun – to catch up.

If we missed getting your package to you, or if you would like a copy to share with someone else (or even if you are an adult who wants to feel like a kid again!), please call the office or drop by. There will be a few extra copies there or I would be happy to make some more.

Let’s make this Lenten season a time to feel good about who we are, to be grateful for our blessings, and to take care of that special person God loves so much – YOU!

Let’s pray:
Thank you, God, for all the love you put into making me who I am.
Help me remember to take care of this special person you created,
And to love myself as much as you love me. Amen.

Hymn: Guide My Feet – trad. African-American  - CGS/Bell Canto – Erin – Mar 2021

1.    Guide my feet while I run this race (x3)
For I don’t want to run this race alone. 

2.    Hold my hand while I run this race (x3)
For I don’t want to run this race alone.

3.    Stand by me while I run this race (x3)
For I don’t want to run this race alone. 

4.    Search my heart while I run this race (x3)
For I don’t want to run this race alone.

Traditional African American Reprinted under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Prayer for Illumination        Reader: Jan Pound

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 in this season of Lent. Amen. 

The Reading: Luke 4: 1-13 (NRSV) The Temptation of Jesus

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”

5 Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only God.’”

9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’

11 and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
    so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”

12 Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 
13 When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

May the Spirit of Love and Wisdom dwell where the Word is spoken. Thanks be to God!

Sermon:  “Being Human”     Rev. Kim

Prayer: Loving God, let your wisdom guide our understanding. Grant us clarity in proclaiming the truth of your Word. Amen.

We begin our Lenten journey with Jesus being led by the Spirit in the wilderness. Did Jesus realize that the temptations he was about to experience were a power struggle to choose between good and evil? one that would test his humanity to the fullest? Did Jesus know beforehand that he would wrestle with the devil?  Walter Brueggemann defines the devil not as a red-eyed figure with a pitchfork but as “that sneaky quiet voice of seduction who offered Jesus three alternatives to consider.” Each of these temptations lures Jesus to contradict his identity as an advocate for love and justice – to abandon the connection as God’s beloved child. In the lectionary group this past Tuesday, there was a discussion about the tension between the good and evil, which is a basic human condition. This whole temptation story revolves around this tension. Every time that voice of seduction offers something – be it food or political power or security, Jesus responds with his deep faith and trust in God by quoting words in the Hebrew Scripture. 

First, the devil tells Jesus to turn stones into bread. “Bread” here is not just something that appeases physical hunger. It is also a symbol of physical comfort - an integral part of what it means to live as a human being. We know how Jesus loved attending social gatherings, particularly where food is involved. In testing Jesus to magically appease his hunger, the devil invites Jesus to deny the reality of Jesus’ human weakness.  Instead of waiting, paying attention to his hunger, and leaning into God for his lack of strength, the devil asks Jesus to cheat his way, to disrespect and manipulate creation for his own satisfaction. But Jesus responded with a better option: “One does not live by bread alone”, which means that there are other human hungers that need God’s presence in our lives.  Debie Thomas said this: “…we can trust that when God nourishes us, it won’t be by magic or quick fix. It won’t be manipulative and disrespectful.  It won’t necessarily be the food we’d choose for ourselves, but it will feed us, nevertheless.”

Second, the devil offered Jesus political power by showing him all the empires and wealth of the world. With Roman occupation causing so much fear, Jesus could use his political power to free the people from oppression. The political world in Jesus’ days was one that was violent, cruel and oppressive. Jesus stood his ground and said: “worship the Lord your God – this God who is loving and just and merciful – this God who is non-violent.” Jesus chose to be non-violent rather than becoming a subject to a violent political power. This is happening now in Ukraine. People were invaded and murdered in the name of empire expanding. And what evils tyrant dictators have done in the name of greed and power? The non-violent Jesus calls us to participate in the political realm, by truly loving our neighbours in a non-violent way: offering compassion and radical hospitality whenever it’s needed; to love and welcome others without seeking remuneration; doing acts of justice that is restorative, not retributive; to stand for what is true and what is right.

Finally, the third temptation targets Jesus’ safety net. Being human is to seek safety and security. We long to be safe from physical and emotional harm; safe from frailty and disease; safe from accidents; safe from death.  To believe that we are free from all kinds of danger targets our deepest fears about what it means to be human in a broken, dangerous world.  Jesus teaches us that having faith in God will not guarantee safety and security all the time. We will still suffer, feel pain and die. But one thing is for sure - we are loved and embraced in our human limitations.  Not out of it. God does not have a magic wand to punish the evil and reward the good! Instead, God calls us to be responsible and accountable in making the world a better place.  Our humanity is tested all the time. This is a fact of life. Whether it comes to us in the guise of illness, a thorny relationship, a troubled child, a sudden death, or a crippling addiction, we are tested all the time. This is part of our human existence.

Friends, how do you deal with temptations in life? How do you respond to that voice of seduction when it lures you to move away from God and from those values that Jesus taught us?

Lent is a time to wrestle with the hard questions that we avoid or put on hold for the rest of the year. Questions like: "How can I be fully human?  Can I say no to temptations that move me away from my relationship with God, with others and with myself?   Am I able to accept fear and death as part of life?  What is my call as a person of faith in the world? Some of us may think that we cannot do anything to solve or put a stop to all the evils in the world. But we know that this is an understatement. We don’t have to think big.  Jan Pound reminded the lectionary group to start small. She shared a story about three sisters and their spouses who took a day trip to a park in Nevada. Following a deserted trail around the back side of the cave, one of the men found the most incredible gift: a little quilted heart with a tag reading, “I need a home.” No one knew who placed that quilted heart in the desert of Nevada, but that beautiful little heart started a whole movement for the global quilting community known as “I Found a Quilted Heart” to cheer up a stranger or to bless someone with a simple act of love. Quilted hearts were left in many public places around the world for that random person to find one. It’s a small act of kindness with a big purpose: to spread love and joy among people.

These past few days, our television screens and social media have been full of images of Ukrainians in the wilderness of war! An unnecessary war of choice instigated by a Russian dictator. Ukraine is Russia’s neighbour with a shared history, traditions and people.  The results of this war are familiar to many of us: deaths, particularly of civilians and children, the displacement of people, the destruction of nature and infrastructure, human agony, fear and rage! Whether we like it or not, as people of faith, we are tremendously affected by this war. We cannot but think of and lament with the people of Ukraine, who are enduring yet another violent chapter in their communal life. We also think of those courageous Russians who risked their lives in protesting against this war. Many people all over the world are standing with the people of Ukraine. Various church communities have planned vigils and calls to prayer of support. And we do so not because Ukraine is the invaded nation or because we admire the Ukrainians’ resilience and strength, but because we know that Ukraine’s cause is just and because they, like us, are vulnerable human beings facing imminent danger and death. We may not be able to stop the war in our own way, but one small thing we can do is to pray. Pray for peace. Pray for the people in Ukraine. Pray for the Russians who are against this war. Pray for the leaders that they may seek God’s wisdom and respect the sanctity of life. It might be a simple, small gesture to pray, but prayers when gathered together make a big difference in the lives of the people and the world.

On this Annual General Meeting Sunday, when we gather in communion as the body of Christ, remember that we are called to persistently resist that which endangers humanity. We are called to embody God’s love, compassion and justice in the places we are called to be. Be bold. Be vigilant. Express your humanity with integrity and make the world tremble with love, compassion and justice. As we share the bread and cup, ponder what part of your Lenten journey needs this nourishment. And may our faithful God not only lead us into the wildernesses of our lives but also journey with us.  Amen.

Sources:

• BCUC Lectionary Group Nancy Rockwell, The Politics of Temptation, Patheos.com

• Walter Brueggemann, Remembering Who We Are, Collected Sermons.

• Debie Thomas, Journey with Jesus.

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

Our prayer today was written by diaconal minister, the Rev. Ted Dodd.

Let us gather our hearts in prayer.
You who refused to turn stone into bread,
yet fed the hungry;
You who rejected a grab for far-reaching political authority,
yet preached a realm of peace and justice;
You who rebuffed the temptation to test God by jumping off a roof,
yet went to the cross trusting in new life and God’s grace;
we come to you in our own wilderness:
sanctions and brazen assaults,
war and nuclear threats;
we come to you in the midst of harshness and hostility:
blockades and debates about the meaning of freedom,
lifting restrictions and lingering anxiety;
we come to you surrounded by despair and difficulty:
environmental gloom and climate change desperation,
species loss and forest clearing.
In the myriad of personal and societal trials, troubles, and tests,
lead us not into temptation.
Deliver us from evil.
In this season of Lent may the Spirit lead us.
Renew our faith.
Restore our vision.
Return us to hope.
All these we ask in the name of Jesus who taught us to pray… 

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. 

The Agape Meal          Rev. Kim & Rev. Lorrie

“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)     (Peter Chynoweth, The Gathering, ACE 2019-2020. Used with permission)

Sharing food is an important part of our holy celebrations and gatherings with friends and family. We know that eating at table is one of the ways we experience companionship, share love and stories, nurture our social connections and satisfy our physical needs for sustenance. On this first Sunday in Lent, we are invited by God to gather at this table where we share bread and drink as important symbols of our existence as a faith community, symbols of welcome to those who come to worship and eat at table with us. This is God’s table! These are God’s gifts. May we know and experience the welcome that is intended.

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 Lenten journey. Take, eat and be nourished by God’s love.
This is the cup – drink for the Lenten 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. Lorrie

The Holy Spirit that led Jesus on his wilderness experience is with us in amazing and powerful ways, bringing new hope and healing into the world. As we remember our own moments of wilderness, may we participate in the ministry of our church with that great hope, trusting in the promises of God. In our giving this morning, our love overflows in generosity.

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

(Karen Boivin, Gathering, LE 2022. Used with permission.)

Loving God, may these gifts be a catalyst for truth
about how we are blessed
and how we are broken
and how we are given to your world for hope and healing. Amen.

Sending Forth    Rev. Kim

Go and seek hope in the wilderness of your life.
Go forth with open hearts, confident of God’s love.
Go and seek relationships of wholeness with others.
Go forth knowing that God will be with you.
May the peace of God,
the hope in Jesus Christ
and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit
transform and strengthen us in our wilderness encounters
today and always. Amen. 

Hymn: When We Are Tested - More Voices #65 (tune:Slane)   BCUC cong Feb 14 2016

1        When we are tested and wrestle alone,
          famished for bread when the world offers stone,
          nourish us, God, by your word and your way,
          food that sustains us by night and by day.

2        When in the desert we cry for relief,
          pleading for paths marked by certain belief,
          lift us to love you beyond sign and test,
          trusting your presence, our only true rest.

3        When we are tempted to barter our souls,
          trading the truth for the pow’r to control,
          teach us to worship and praise only you,
          seeking your will in the work that we do.

4        When we have struggled and searched through the night,
          sorting and sifting the wrong from the right,
          Saviour, surround us with circles of care,
          angels of healing, of hope, and of prayer.

Words © 1996 Ruth Duck, Music Traditional Irish Melody
Song #29480 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Departing Music: Amazing Grace - arr. Schrader      BCUC choir Jan 28, 2018

Words John Newton, Music Virginia Melody, arr. © 1998 Jack Schrader
Song #106127 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

11:15 am – BCUC Annual General Meeting

Sunday school activities - March 6, 2022

(Materials Copyright @ The UCC GO Project 2022)

Theme Discussion

Watch this little cartoon video about a passage from the book of Matthew, or read it below:

Or read the passage. This version is taken from a modern translation of the Bible called “The Message”.

Matthew 11:28-30

28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Going Deeper With the Story

Jesus knew the importance of balance in his life. He never rushed or seem hurried. He took his time, even when he had so much ministry to do! He often took time by himself to rest and recharge. He models to us spiritual rest, physical rest, and mental rest. He told us over and over to love others as we love ourselves, and to love others as God loves us. This week we're going to explore what it looks and feels like to love ourselves abundantly through resting in God's love for us - to see how that allows us to love others well.

Wondering:

• I wonder what love is?

• I wonder how you know or feel that you are loved?

• I wonder how you tell or show other people that you love them?

• I wonder what unconditional love feels like? (To receive it? To love others that way?)

Optional – Go Even Deeper…

Read these passages:

Luke 10:27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

John 13:34-35 “Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.”

• Do you notice any differences in these ideas of love?

• I wonder what difference it makes when we say love others as we love ourselves and when we say love others as God loves us?

• What happens when we don’t love ourselves?

• I wonder what messages you get about yourself? (From social media? From peers? From advertising?)

• How do you keep a positive relationship with yourself and your confidence?

Music:

MV77 – “Be Still and Know”

Response Activity Ideas

Lenten Toolbox and Emotions Tool

Each week, we’ll be suggesting different things to add to a toolkit that can remind us of how we can come closer to God, strengthen our relationships, and to know ourselves better. If you wish, find a shoebox or similar container and decorate it with coloured paper, paint, stickers, or any other art supplies you have available to hold all the items.  While decorating, brainstorm ways you identify and express your feelings. How do you know you are happy, sad or frustrated? How can you read other people's emotions? Do you sometimes not know how you feel?

Today’s tool is an emotions wheel, to help you find a name for the feelings you are having.  It could be printed and posted in a common area or a place in your home where people go to cool off when they’re upset. 

Challenge:  Instead of printing it out, try drawing simple faces for all of the words on the emotions wheel, maybe using a mirror to help you capture the different expressions!

Click to print PDF

Bookmark Craft

Make a bookmark with an affirmation that you can look at each night, that reminds you that you are a beloved child of God.

Cut a piece of cardstock or thin cardboard into a bookmark shape of your choice.  Decorate it using paint, or fabric and modge podge, or stickers, or adding a ribbon, etc.  Next, write out an affirmation that reminds you that you are always loved by God, no matter how your day went, what you’ve said or done, and that you’ll get a fresh start the next day!  Attach this to your bookmark.  Alternatively, type out an affirmation in a fancy font and print it out to glue on.

Ideas for affirmations:

• I am a beloved child of God.

• God loves me, no matter what.

• God’s love wraps around me like a blanket.

• God knows me and loves me.

• God’s love for me is forever and always.

• God’s love for me is bigger than a mountain.

Love List

Make a list of all the people you love and people who love you. You can write down their names, draw their picture or collect pictures of them. You could keep it simple (e.g. pencil on lined paper) or decorate and colour the page.  You can look at this and remember all the people who care for you. Remember that love is limitless: no matter how many people we care for, there is always room for more love in our hearts. Through loving others, we have a small glimpse of how God loves us.

Did you receive a Lenten “Wreck This Journal” package, with fun, easy activities to do on each of the 40 days of Lent, yet?  If not, and you would like one, please contact the church office!

Ash Wednesday Service - March 2, 2022

ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE

March 2, 2022 – 6:00 PM

(Tap/click on the triangle below to listen to the full service while you follow the text)

PREPARATION FOR THE JOURNEY

Gathering Hymn: In the Quiet Curve of Evening – Voices United #278 Lorrie, Kim & Susan

1 In the quiet curve of evening, in the sinking of the days,
in the silky void of darkness, you are there.
In the lapses of my breathing, in the space between my ways,
in the crater carved by sadness, you are there.
You are there, You are there, You are there.

2 In the rests between the phrases, in the cracks between the stars,
in the gaps between the meaning, you are there.
In the melting down of endings, in the cooling of the sun,
in the solstice of the winter, you are there.
You are there, You are there, You are there.

3 In the mystery of my hungers, in the silence of my rooms,
in the cloud of my unknowing, you are there.
In the empty cave of grieving, in the desert of my dreams,
in the tunnel of my sorrow, you are there.
You are there, You are there, You are there.

Words & Music © 1993 Julie Howard
Song # 67797 reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Opening Invitation & Welcome      Rev. Kim Vidal

As we enter into this sacred space,
put away the pressures of the world that ask us
to perform,
to take up masks,
to put on brave fronts.
Silence the voices that ask you to be perfect.
This is a community of compassion and welcoming.  
We bring all that we are and all that we yet can be,
to this safe and ordinary place.

Welcome to our Ash Wednesday service -  a time to begin the season of Lent, a time to remember that from the dust of the earth, the ashes of stars long burnt out, we were created, and to the earth we return. Ash Wednesday invites us to come back to earth, to wonder at the gift of life, my life, our life with the earth, the shared body of our existence. Ashes were once trees and shrubs, and places where life was lived to its fullest. Once they were full of life. Now they are black and grey. Dry. Lifeless. But mixed with the waters of our baptism make good fertiliser: it will help the seeds of the gospel take deeper root in us and bring forth the fruits, the harvest of justice, peace, and generosity. These are ashes worth wearing. May we accept this gift.  And be blessed. And be assured we will be different at the end of this season. Our faith journey rises and falls with each season, as we experience our own times of joy and pain, wellsprings full and wilderness deserts. On Ash Wednesday, we recognize our own season of wandering from God, where we feel distant, aloof. God desires to draw us back into God’s embrace. In this time of Lent, we reflect on our faith journey, we confess and repent of our own shortcomings, what we have done to separate us from others and from God, and we seek forgiveness and reconciliation with God and others. We seek healing and hope. We seek renewal of our faith life. Just as spring is waiting deep in the ground beneath us, so we know that what seems lost will be found, and will be restored. Come, let us gather in worship.

The Invocation         Rev. Lorrie Lowes     

We come, God.
We come as we are. We can come in no other way.
Our heart holds our joys, our burdens, our hopes,
our dreams, our successes, our failures.
We come to meet you and have our hope renewed.
We come to you seeking life in all of its fullness.
Grant that the symbol of ashes, the dust of once-joyous palms,
may remind us of our mortality,
but more than that, may they remind us of the life toward which you call us.
Bless us and help us prepare ourselves for the journey.
As we sing the next hymn, I invite you, if you wish, to light a candle as a symbol of Christ journeying with us in the season of Lent. 

Hymn: “Dust and Ashes Touch Our Face”  Voices United #105    Kim, Lorrie & Susan

1 Dust and ashes touch our face,
mark our failure and our falling.
Holy Spirit, come,
walk with us tomorrow,
take us as disciples,
washed and wakened by your calling. 

Refrain:
       Take us by the hand and lead us,
       lead us through the desert sands,
       bring us living water,
       Holy Spirit, come.

2 Dust and ashes soil our hands --
greed of market, pride of nation.
Holy Spirit, come,
walk with us tomorrow
as we pray and struggle
through the meshes of oppression. R 

3 Dust and ashes choke our tongue
in the wasteland of depression.
Holy Spirit, come,
walk with us tomorrow,
through all the gloom and grieving
to the paths of resurrection. R

Words © 1989 Brian Wren & Music © 1995 Ron Klusmeier
Song # 00436 & 80229 reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Invitation to Confession      Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Lent is a journey of deepening reflection and renewal, an opportunity to make new commitments in faith. We now prepare for the journey by setting aside burdens that would weigh us down. Let us turn to God in confession.

Prayer of Confession

O God, in this quiet place of prayer and humility before you, the tears of our regrets fall on the ashes of truth. We listen to the grief in the sighing of your longing people reaching hopefully towards compassion and justice. And we hear, in our minds’ memories, reminders of many missed moments for the announcing of prophetic truth, when our courage and commitment failed us. (Silence)

As life reaches out to hold us into good, we often let it pass and turn our faces from the costly road on which Christ walked. (Silence)

And now, O God as your children, our hearts weep, when we remember the divine dreams and visions shining before us in Jesus the Christ. We remember our claiming of your name as God’s people and the many betrayals of the great hope in which we are called as your children this day. (Silence). 

We look at the cross and the light of your life in all the world. We acknowledge that this longing is often reduced to ashes, and becomes a burnt sign of our lost aspirations. In sadness we know who we wanted to be and who we really are. (Silence)

Words of Assurance

God who loved you in the beginning loves you still.
Be assured that God stays with you,
in all the twists and turns of life. Amen. 

CALL TO THE JOURNEY

Sung Response: Don’t Be Afraid - More Voices #90              Susan TeGrotenhuis 2021

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

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

Reading 1:  Selected Verses from Isaiah 58 (NRSV)             Reader: Ross Mutton

Is not this the fast that I choose: 
to loose the bonds of injustice, 
to undo the thongs of the yoke, 
to let the oppressed go free, 
and to break every yoke? 

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, 
and bring the homeless poor into your house; 
when you see the naked, to cover them, 
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?

Then your light shall break forth like the dawn...

The Lord will guide you continually, 
and satisfy your needs in parched places, 
and make your bones strong; 
and you shall be like a watered garden, 
like a spring of water, 
whose waters never fail. 

Sung Response

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

Reading 2:  Blessing the Dust  (Jan Richardson)   Reader: Barbara Bole

All those days you felt like dust,
like dirt, as if all you had to do
was turn your face toward the wind
and be scattered to the four corners
or swept away by the smallest breath
as insubstantial— did you not know
what the Holy One can do with dust?

This is the day we freely say we are scorched.
This is the hour we are marked by what has made it through the burning.
This is the moment we ask for the blessing that lives within
the ancient ashes, that makes its home
inside the soil of this sacred earth.

So let us be marked not for sorrow.
And let us be marked not for shame.
Let us be marked not for false humility
or for thinking we are less
than we are but for claiming
what God can do within the dust,
within the dirt, within the stuff
of which the world is made
and the stars that blaze in our bones
and the galaxies that spiral
inside the smudge we bear.

Sung Response

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

Reading 3: Marked by Ashes (Walter Bruegguemann)   Reader: Jan Pound

Ruler of the Night, Guarantor of the day . . .
This day — a gift from you.
This day — like none other you have ever given, or we have ever received.
This Wednesday dazzles us with gift and newness and possibility.
This Wednesday burdens us with the tasks of the day, for we are already halfway home
     halfway back to committees and memos,
     halfway back to calls and appointments,
     halfway on to next Sunday,
     halfway back, half frazzled, half expectant,
     half turned toward you, half rather not.

This Wednesday is a long way from Ash Wednesday,
   but all our Wednesdays are marked by ashes —
     we begin this day with that taste of ash in our mouth:
       of failed hope and broken promises,
       of forgotten children and frightened women,
     we ourselves are ashes to ashes, dust to dust;
     we can taste our mortality as we roll the ash around on our tongues.

We are able to ponder our ashness with
   some confidence, only because our every Wednesday of ashes
   anticipates your Easter victory over that dry, flaky taste of death.

On this Wednesday, we submit our ashen way to you —
   you Easter parade of newness.
   Before the sun sets, take our Wednesday and Easter us,
     Easter us to joy and energy and courage and freedom;
     Easter us that we may be fearless for your truth.
   Come here and Easter our Wednesday with
     mercy and justice and peace and generosity.

We pray as we wait for the Risen One who comes soon.

Sung Response

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

Moment of Intentional Silence           Rev. Kim Vidal

"Silence is God's first language," wrote the 16th-century mystic John of the Cross. And silence is the normal context in which contemplative prayer takes place. But there is silence and then there is silence. There is an outer silence, an outer stopping of the words and busy-ness, but there is also a much more challenging interior silence, where the inner talking stops as well. I invite you at this moment to open yourself to God through an open intentional silence, as we let go, as we lay down what is past and look to the future. In silence, we take into our daily life signs of hope and healing. In silence, we reach beyond ourselves to share the lives of others and touch a wider world. Let us take a few moments of intentional silence.

Affirmation of Faith:  As we share this day of commencing our Lenten journey, let us affirm our faith together. We believe in Jesus Christ who, even on the lonely way towards Jerusalem, holds us fast, as we dare to enter and stay with our realities. Here, within the ashes of our lost hopes, the Holy Spirit will be found, inviting us again to a true encounter with our past and present and joining us as we face what has been and moving us toward a new day. Amen.

Hymn: “Stay With Us”  Voices United #182      Erin, Kim, Lorrie & Susan

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

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

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

Words © 1988 Walter Farquharson & Music © 1989 Ron Klusmeier
Song #80489 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

PLANNING FOR THE JOURNEY

Blessing of the Ashes & Prayer for the Journey   Rev. Lorrie Lowes

May these ashes be blessed. May they be for us a symbol of our return to the earth.
May we be blessed. May we be earthed in your everlasting love, as forgiven and forgiving people.
Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return.
Know that God’s love will bless you in your journey.

Let us pray.

God our Creator, you have formed us out of the dust of the earth. May these ashes be to us, a sign of our humanity so we may remember that only by your gracious gift are we given abundant life; through Jesus Christ our Saviour, who taught us 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.

THE JOURNEY BEGINS

Hymn: “Bless Now O God the Journey”   Voices United #633    Abe, Susan & Lorrie

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

Sending Forth    Rev. Kim Vidal   

Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.
Let the memory of your incomplete humanity
awaken you to the wonders, joys, sorrows, and pain of life.
Let the ashes we wear be the ashes of transformation;
of awakening to the beauty and love of seizing the moment
and living it to the fullest.
Let it be said of you that here in this little part of eternity
that you lived fully, loved extravagantly and helped humanity evolve into all that God dreamed we can be!
We affirm that we are fearfully and wonderfully made
In the image of God: Creator, Christ and Spirit One. Amen.

Sunday school activities - February 27, 2022

Theme Discussion

Our Bible story today is called “The Transfiguration”. When something is transfigured, it means that it is changed to look completely different. A word we might use more often is “transformed”. In this story, Jesus, Peter, James, and John have climbed up to a mountaintop to get away from the crowds. While they are there, they have an experience that makes them feel God’s presence with them and they see Jesus in a whole new way. Jesus seems to be talking to Moses and Elijah, two very important prophets in the Old Testament.

Have you ever had an experience that made you feel that God is right there? Sometimes it might happen when we are in nature – standing on a mountaintop always gives me that feeling! Or it might happen when you see new life – a chick hatching, a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis, meeting a brand-new baby brother or sister… That feeling is often hard to explain to someone else. It just fills you up and sometimes makes you feel like crying. It’s a good feeling, almost a magical feeling, and sometimes we wish we could just hang on to it.

That’s how Peter felt that day in our story. He wanted to build some shelters and stay right there on the mountaintop. But, those feelings don’t last forever and we have to get back to everyday living. Jesus and his friends had to go back down the mountain and carry on with their work.

This kind of experience is powerful! It gives us energy. The symbol that is often used for this experience is light. Light makes things easier to see and this kind of experience makes it easier for us to see the wonders in our world, the blessings in our lives, and the places where we need to share our love.

Can you think of time when you have felt this way, when you felt the love of God around you?

When we talk about being a light to the world, what are we hoping to transform?

Can you think of places or times in your life where we could be a light but don’t step up to the task?

Response Activity Ideas

Shine Like the Sun Craft

In today’s Storytime, Erin talked about how God’s love is like sunlight giving warmth and energy to everything around.  Make a shining sun to remember that message.

Cut out a large circle from yellow or orange paper and write “Let your light shine!” on it.  Glue it on a plain piece of paper. Make rays coming out from the sun using yellow or orange sticky notes (or regular paper) cut into thin strips.  On each, write a way you can pass on your loving light to others: complimenting someone, helping a neighbour with shoveling, writing a note to a distant relative, helping a friend at recess, etc.  Stick or glue these rays all around the sun, shining for everyone around!

Be the Light Switch Cover

Make yourself a reminder to ‘be a light’ for others every time you enter or leave your room!  With parental permission, carefully remove your light switch cover.  Using paint and/or permanent markers, decorate the cover with a message like, “Be the Light”, or “I can shine brightly!”, or “Light-up someone’s day”, etc.  When dry, reattach to the light switch.

Illustrated hymns

Read the lyrics for the hymns/songs used in today’s church service found in today’s service bulletin. Choose one and make an illustration of a particular verse or the whole song.  Older children/youth could consider why these songs were chosen to go along with the scripture passage and themes of the service, and try to include that meaning in their pictures.