Bulletin – Sunday, September 6, 2026 – Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday, September 6, 2026

We Gather as People of Faith

Welcome

Lighting the Christ Candle

We light the Christ Candle as a reminder of the light of Christ that came into the world for all. May this flame remind us of God’s presence with us in worship today and always. Let us worship in the light of Christ.

Announcements

Please join in the singing of the Hymn “We are One” (Voices United #402)

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

We are one as we share, as we share brokenness and fear,
In a breath and a prayer, there’s a sense that God is here.
We are one as we care, as we heal, we are healed;
And we share warmth in Gods’ embrace as we pray together in this place.

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

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

Call to Worship

One:   Come, let us wake up to the presence of God.
All:      We come with open hearts and willing spirits.

One:   Teach us the way of your wisdom.
All:      Give us understanding, O God.

One:   Turn our hearts toward love and our eyes toward our neighbours.
All:      Lead us in the path of life.

One:   The night is passing; the day is near.
All:      We will put on Christ and walk in the light.

Prayer of Approach and Confession

God of light and life, we come before you grateful for another day and another opportunity to become more fully the people you call us to be. Teach us, O God, because there is much we do not know. Give us understanding, because information is not the same as wisdom. Lead us, because we can lose our way even when we are convinced that we are right. Turn our hearts from envy, resentment, fear, and self-interest. Turn our eyes from the things that distract us from what matters. Open our eyes to people whose needs we have overlooked. Open our hearts to those whose stories we do not yet understand. Forgive us for the times our words have wounded, our silence has excluded, our choices have harmed, or our attention has been consumed by things that cannot give life. Teach us again and again the way of love. Turn us toward your light. And give us courage to walk the path you place before us. Amen.

Words of Assurance

Hear the good news: God does not wait for us to become perfect before drawing near. God continues to teach, lead, turn, forgive, and give life. In Christ, we are invited to begin again. We are not defined by our failures, but called forward by grace. Thanks be to God.

Sung Response – “Amen” (Voices United #967)

Amen, Amen, Amen.
Amen, Amen, Amen.

We Hear God’s Word

Scripture Readings

The first scripture reading is from Psalms 119:33-40

³³ Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I will keep it to the end. ³⁴ Give me understanding, that I may keep thy law and observe it with my whole heart. ³⁵ Lead me in the path of thy commandments, for I delight in it. ³⁶ Incline my heart to thy testimonies, and not to gain! ³⁷ Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; and give me life in thy ways. ³⁸ Confirm to thy servant thy promise, which is for those who fear thee. ³⁹ Turn away the reproach which I dread; for thy ordinances are good. ⁴⁰ Behold, I long for thy precepts; in thy righteousness give me life!

The second reading is from Romans 13:8-14

⁸ Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. ⁹ The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. ¹¹ Besides this you know what hour it is, how it is full time now for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed; ¹² the night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; ¹³ let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. ¹⁴ But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

May God speak to us through these readings of scripture.
Thanks be to God!

Reflection – Awake to Love

Please join in the singing of the hymn – “All Who Hunger” (Voices United #460)

All who hunger, gather gladly, holy manna is our bread.
Come from wilderness and wandering. Here, in truth, we will be fed.
You that yearn for days of fullness, all around us is our food.
Taste and see the grace eternal. Taste and see that God is good.

All who hunger, never strangers; seeker, be a welcome guest.
Come from restlessness and roaming. Here, in joy, we keep the feast.
We that once were lost and scattered in communion’s love have stood.
Taste and see the grace eternal. Taste and see that God is good.

All who hunger, sing together; Jesus Christ is living bread.
Come from loneliness and longing. Here, in peace, we have been led.
Blest are those who from this table live their lives in gratitude.
Taste and see the grace eternal. Taste and see that God is good.

We Respond to God’s Word

Invitation to Share

As we prepare to receive the offering, we remember that love is not only something we feel. Love becomes tangible in the ways we give our time, our abilities, our money, our attention, and our care. Every gift becomes part of the ministry of Christ in this community and beyond it.

Let us offer what we can, with gratitude and joy.

Offering Sung Response “We Give You But Your Own” (Voices United #542)

We give you but your own,
What e’er the gift may be,
All that we have is yours alone,
We give it gratefully.

Offering Prayer (Worship Leader)

Gracious God, receive these gifts and use them for the work of love. May our money become ministry, our abilities become service, our time become presence, and our congregation become a place where people encounter welcome, justice, compassion, and hope. Teach us to give not from obligation, but from gratitude for all that you have first given us. In Christ’s name. Amen.

Prayers of the People

One:   God of creation, hear our prayer.
All:      Hear our prayer, O God.

Invitation to the Passing of the Peace

Please offer one another the peace of Christ in a way that you feel comfortable and respects others’ space.

The Prayer that Jesus Taught

One: Please join me in praying the prayer Jesus taught us to pray: Our Creator who is like our Mother and…
All:    Our Father, who art in heaven hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom 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 them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

We Go Into God’s World

Please join in the singing of the hymn – “Go To the World” (Voices United #420)

Go to the world! Go into all the earth.
Go preach the cross where Christ renews life’s worth,
Baptising as the sign of our rebirth.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Go to the world! Go into everyplace.
Go live the Word of God’s redeeming grace.
Go seek God’s presence in each time and space.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Go to the world! Go struggle, bless and pray;
The nights of tears give way to joyous day.
As servant Church, you follow Christ’s own way.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Go to the world! Go as the ones I send,
For I am with you ‘til the age shall end,
When all the hosts of glory cry “Amen!”
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Commissioning

As we leave this place, do not leave the scriptures behind. Carry them with you. Carry the prayer, “Teach me.” Carry the call, “Wake up.” Carry the command, “Love one another.” Pay attention this week. Notice the neighbour who needs kindness. Notice the moment when you are tempted to react rather than listen. Notice the distractions that pull your eyes away from what gives life. And notice where God may already be working. Go with confidence that the light is here, and that Christ goes with you.

Extinguish Candle

Benediction

May God teach you the way of wisdom and turn your heart toward love. May Christ be the clothing you wear—visible in your words, your choices, your courage, and your compassion. May the Holy Spirit turn your heart in love toward your neighbour. The night is far gone. The day is near. Go in peace, awake to love and walking in the light of Christ. Amen.

Sung Response – “Halle, Halle, Halle” (Voices United #958)

Halle, Halle, Hallelujah!
Halle, Halle, Hallelujah!
Halle, Halle, Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Halle, Halle, Hallelujah!
Halle, Halle, Hallelujah!
Halle, Halle, Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Halle, Halle, Hallelujah!
Halle, Halle, Hallelujah!
Halle, Halle, Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!