Bulletin – Sunday, October 22, 2023 – Homecoming

Sunday, October 22, 2023
Homecoming

Approach

Welcome

Acknowledgement to the Territory

One:   Please join me in an Acknowledgement to the Territory.
All:      Indigenous peoples, for thousands of years, have walked on this land. We acknowledge the first peoples and their stewardship throughout the ages. The relationship with the land we worship and live on is part of Treaty 1 and is the center of our lives. Our water comes from Treaty 3 and our hydro from Treaty 5 territories. We acknowledge errors made in the past by those arriving from other lands and we pledge to work towards the right relationships with all First Nations people.

Lighting the Christ Candle

One:   What can we gather from this candle today?
All:      What new comfort can it provide?

One:   Light the wick and we will see.
All:      Is the flickering light enough to bring us what we need?

One:   It is more than enough as we engage with all that Christ is.
All:      We feel the presence of Christ among us as we watch the flame.

Call to Worship

One:   Holy, holy, holy is the name of God.
All:      We praise God’s name above all others.

One:   Rulers come and go, but we are here to worship our Creator.
All:      God is first, last, and forever.

One:   Sing to God all your love and adoration.
All:      With joy we break out in song that gives glory.

One:   Let us find our way to God as we join together.
All:      We are one as we open ourselves to God’s almighty presence.

Hymn – “Part of the Family” (VU #395)

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

You know the reason why you came,
Yet no reason can explain;
So share in the laughter and cry in the pain,
For we are a part of the family.

God is with us in this place,
Like a mother’s warm embrace.
We’re all forgiven by God’s grace,
For we are a part of the family.

There’s life to be share in the bread and the wine,
We are the branches, Christ is the vice.
This is God’s temple, it’s not yours or mine,
But we are a part of the family.

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

Prayer of Approach and Confession

One:   We are sometimes afraid to approach you, God. We often feel lost for words, or we feel guilty about our behaviour. We come to you today with humble hearts that recognize our need for you. Hear our prayers as we voice our less than perfect actions.
All:      In the light of day, we sometimes forget that you, God, are in control. We don’t always acknowledge that it is you who make our lives possible, who transform us and give us hope. We ask for forgiveness as we strive to be aware of all the ways you work in our lives, when we see all the things that seem like such a coincidence, and yet we can be assured that you have intervened. Forever indebted to your loving care. Amen.

Words of Assurance

Creation Connection

One:   The Seventh Generation Principle is based on an ancient Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) philosophy that the decisions made today should result in a sustainable world seven generations into the future. The first recorded idea of the Seventh Generation Principle dates back to the writing of The Great Law of Haudenosaunee Confederacy, written somewhere between 1142-1500 A.D. The Great Law formed the political, ceremonial, and social basis of a Five (later Six) Nation Confederacy (the Mohawks, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, Seneca, and Tuscarora), and is thought to have influenced the American Constitution, due to Benjamin Franklin’s great respect for the Haudenosaunee system of government.

One:   It’s a great tool to think about the long-term impact and consequences—intended and unintended—of the decisions we make about our environment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHg3enCCyCM

One:   Let us pray.
All:      Creator God, as we continue to understand and come to accept our role in diminishing your creation, help us to move forward mindful of the effect that our decisions today will have on the creation for generations in the future. Help us to think about our decisions as ones we make, not just for our short-term “this is the way I like it” comfort, but on behalf of God’s plan. As Christians, help us to make our decisions as if we wanted the Words of Jesus—to love one another—to thrive and live at least until seven generations into the future. Amen.

Hymn – “This is God’s Wondrous World” (VU #296)

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

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

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

The Word

Scripture Reading:         Psalm 99

One:   You reign, O God, and the peoples tremble, you sit enthroned upon the cherubim, and the earth is quaking.
All:      You, O God, are great in Zion, you are exalted over all the nations.

One:   Let them praise your great and awesome name: holy are you and might, a ruler who delights in justice.
All:      You have determined what is fair, you have done in Jacob what is just and right.

One:   Moses and Aaron were among your priests, Miriam among those who called on your name; they called you, God, and you answered.
All:      In the pillar of cloud you spoke to them, they kept your teachings and the law that you gave them.

One:   O God, our God, you answered them; to them you were a forgiving God, though you punished their offences.
All:      Proclaim the greatness of God and worship on God’s holy hill; for God, our God, is the Holy One.

Scripture Reading:         Matthew 22:15-22

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. ¹⁶ So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one, for you do not regard people with partiality. ¹⁷ Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” ¹⁸ But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? ¹⁹ Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. ²⁰ Then he said to them, “Whose head is this and whose title?” ²¹ They answered, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” ²² When they heard this, they were amazed, and they left him and went away.

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

Meditation – “Who’s in Charge Here?”

Anthem – “I Thank You, O My God (Salamat Sy Iyo)”

I thank you, O my God,
I thank you, O my God,
I love you every day,
I claim you every way.

I give my life to you, O great, holy God,
I hive to you my all: my heart and my soul.
It is not hard to do, to give you everything,
All precious stones or gold; to you my heart will sing.

The only prayer I know that you, God, will acclaim:
From deep within my heart I sing praise to your name!
For you are all I need, and this my only task,
Yes, this is all I ask.

Offering

Offering Response – “Grant Us, God, the Grace” (VU #540)

Grant us, God, the grace of giving,
With a spirit large and free,
That ourselves and all our living
We may offer faithfully.

Offering Prayer

The Response

Prayers of the People

One:   When you hear “Lord in your Mercy” please reply with “Hear our prayer”.

One:   As we look to your today, dear God, we are especially aware of the strife in our world. The Israel-Hamas battle rages on and so many innocent and not so innocent people are being killed. We pray for this conflict to be resolved. We don’t understand how this could happen, but we pray that you will be with all those who are struggling for their lives. Lord in your Mercy.
All:      Hear our prayer.

One:   We are truly thankful for the wealth of our nation and all that has been provided. Help us to share with our neighbours who may not have enough to eat. May we have generous hearts to those who don’t have friends and family. We pray that we find time for others in our busy lives. Lord in your Mercy.
All:      Hear our prayer.

One:   There are so many distractions in our world, and it is so easy to forget to acknowledge you, loving God. We get swept up in our lives, worshiping things that are here today and gone tomorrow. May we remember to give thanks and seek your guidance daily. Lord in your Mercy.
All:      Hear our prayer.

One:   Help us, dear God, to honour the earth that we live on. We pray that each blade of grass, every bee, all the creatures in the fields will be given due respect. Our world is literally burning, and it is up to us, with your help, to find ways to stop the desecration of your creation. Lord in your Mercy.
All:      Hear our prayer.

One:   Our family and loved ones are important to us, healing God. We have concerns for all of those in our church family who need your touch. Be with the following people as we bring these names before you in prayer…Lord in your Mercy.
All:      Hear our prayer.

One:   Jesus taught us to pray these words. As we say them together, may we listen and make them our own.
All:      Our Father / Mother, who are 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 those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Hymn – “Faithful God, You Have Been Our Guide”

Faithful God, you have been our guide, year by year walking by our side,
Blessing challenge and healing strife, leading us on the way of life,
Faithful God of the living covenant, lead us onward in this new day.
Faithful God of the living covenant, lead us onward in this new day.

You have called us to be a light, sign of justice and truth and right.
You have made us a rainbow sign, colours showing your peace design.
Faithful God of the living covenant, lead us onward in this new day.
Faithful God of the living covenant, lead us onward in this new day.

God, whatever the future holds, keep us faithful as life unfolds.
Write your covenant on our hearts; send the gifts that your love imparts.
Faithful God of the living covenant, lead us onward in this new day.
Faithful God of the living covenant, lead us onward in this new day.

Benediction

One:   There are many people and points of view asking for our allegiance. Laundry detergent wants our loyalty. When we sift through all the noise and listen, really listen to the voice of God, we find that most of what we hear is not important. At the end of the day, it is God who matters, it is God who makes our day.
All:      We are truly loved by our Almighty God. This strengthens our resolve to be part of the Divine plan, the Divine vision for the world. The voice that speaks in our ear and the Christ that lives with each of us will lead us to the place that God intends. Thanks be to God.

Response – “Sent Out in Jesus’ Name” (MV #212)

Sent out in Jesus’ name, our hands are ready no
To make the world the place in which the kingdom comes.

The angels cannot change a world of hurt and pain
Into a world of love, of justice and of peace.
The task is ours to do, to set it really free.
O, help us to obey, and carry out your will.

Sent out in Jesus’ name, our hands are ready no
To make the world the place in which the kingdom comes.