Bulletin – Sunday, June 4, 2023 – Trinity Sunday / Pride Sunday

Sunday, June 4, 2023
Trinity / Pride

Approach

Lighting the Christ Candle

We light this candle remembering that God created light, the Saviour loved light, and the Holy Spirit offers us the fire to stir from apathy.

Call to Worship

One:   Come, give thanks to God,
All:      the one who pours out abundant grace on us.

One:   Come, give thanks to Christ,
All:      the one who strengthens and appoints us.

One:   Come, give thanks to the Holy Spirit,
All:      the one who sustains our faith,

One:   Come, give thanks to the Triune God,
All:      the one who is eternal, immortal, and invisible.

One:   Come let us worship God with our whole hearts!

Hymn – “We Are One”

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 the touch of a hand 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 God’s 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 wine there’s a sense of love divine.
We are one as we come, as we feed, we are fed;
And we feel God’s refreshing grace as we meet at table in this place.

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.

Prayer of Approach and Confession

One:   There is a medieval legend…come from forgetting this truth.
All:     Forgive us for forgetting. Forgive us for going it alone. Draw us back to your circle of love. Remind us that we are your people and are all members of one family. Amen.

Words of Assurance

The Word

Prayer of Illumination

Scripture Reading:           2 Corinthians 13:11-13

¹¹ Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Be restored; listen to my appeal; agree with one another; live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. ¹² Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.

¹³ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

Scripture Reading:           Matthew 28:16-20

¹⁶ Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him, but they doubted. ¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God!

Anthem – “The Play of the Godhead”

The play of the Godhead, the Trinity’s dance,
Embraces the earth in a sacred romance:
With God the Creator, and Christ the true Son,
Entwined with the Spirit, a web daily spun
In spangles of mystery, the great Three-in-One.

The warm mists of summer, cool waters that flow,
Turn crystal as ice when the wintry winds blow.
The taproot that nurtures, the shoot growing free,
The life-giving fruit, full and ripe on the tree:
More mystic and wondrous, the great One-in-Three.

In God’s gracious image of co-equal parts,
We gather as dancers, uniting our hearts.
Men, women, and children, and all living things,
We join in the round of bright nature that rings
With rapture and rhythm: Creation now sings!

Meditation – “The Trinity Mystery”

Hymn – “Body, Mind and Spirit”

Body, mind and spirit, holy, earthly trinity,
Joy of God, Creator, life lived abundantly.

Body, mind and spirit, challenged, battered by earth’s ills,
Know that Christ rests with in us, and stormy water stills.

Body, mind and spirit, nurtured in community,
Prayer, concern, loving action, faithful humanity.

Body, mind and spirit, in God’s image born to be.
Sing, rejoice in life most sacred. Revel in mystery.

Offering / Response

Invitation

Response – “What Can I Do?”

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

Blessing

One:   God has blessed each one of us with gifts to be used co-operatively for the strengthening of the Body of Christ and the fulfillment of God’s purposes.
All:      May we rejoice in our gifts and offer them with humility and willingness. May we encourage the gifts we see in others and may we abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Response

Prayers of the People

Response – “A New Creed”

We are not alone,
we live in God’s world.

We believe in God:
who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new,
who works in us and others by the Spirit.

We trust in God.

We are called to be the Church:
to celebrate God’s presence,
to live with respect in Creation,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope.

In life, in death, in life beyond death,
God is with us.

We are not alone.
Thanks be to God.

Hymn – “Go, Make a Difference”

Go make a difference, we can make a difference.
Go make a difference in the world.
Go make a difference, we can make a difference.
Go make a difference in world.

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

Go make a difference, we can make a difference.
Go make a difference in the world.
Go make a difference, we can make a difference.
Go make a difference in world.

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

Go make a difference, we can make a difference.
Go make a difference in the world.
Go make a difference, we can make a difference.
Go make a difference in world.

So let your love shine one, let it shine for all to see.
Go make a difference in the world.
And the spirit of Christ will be with us as we go.
Go make a difference in the world.

Go make a difference, we can make a difference.
Go make a difference in the world.
Go make a difference, we can make a difference.
Go make a difference in world.

Benediction

Response

May the grace of Christ attend us,
And the love of God surround us,
And the Holy Spirit keep us,
Now and every, always.
Amen, amen, forever and ever,
Amen.

(Sources: Gathering 2014, Gathering 2024, Pastoral Prayers to Share, Year A, by David Sparks)