PRELUDE:  
Nancy & Norm 
 
PROCESSIONAL: Thy Word 

CALL TO WORSHIP:
God has given us breath to live and spirit to sing. 
Thanks be to God. 
God has gathered us into a community of care and worship. 
Thanks be to God. 
Let us worship God with love, thanksgiving and praise. 
Thanks be to God. 

WELCOME & COVID RULES: 
  
OPENING HYMN: 
#56 Great Is Your Faithfulness Vs. 1 & 2 
 
OPENING PRAYER & THE LORD'S PRAYER:
Lord, we gather together this morning to worship You and to pray. We pray that You will always be there to light our way.  We strive every day to resist evil and pray that Your light will always shine on. May 
others see Your glory through us and come to worship You as the Living God. And we continue to pray with Your words, saying: 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 debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS, BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES: 

OFFERING: There will not be the usual collecting of our offering. 

God's kingdom is brought to this earth whenever we choose, and we bring our unique gifts. To pray for God's kingdom means we are making a commitment to create a world here on earth that closely mimics what we imagine heaven to be like. Every decision we make, every choice, every action, every offering has the potential to bring God's promised kingdom to life here. We are all given different gifts so we can all bring a small piece of God's kingdom in the way we are gifted to bring it. Let us pray: Gracious God, accept these gifts, and with them and our lives, to be used in Your service, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ​

SCRIPTURE READINGS: 

Psalm 19:12-14
New International Version

12 But who can discern their own errors?
    Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
    may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
    innocent of great transgression.
14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
    be pleasing in your sight,
    Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Acts 2:36-41
New International Version
36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
James 1:12-18
New International Version
12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
HYMN:        #3     What A Friend We Have In Jesus Vs. 1 & 2
 
PRAYER:
Lord, please forgive us for what we have done to You. We offer up this forgiveness prayer in hopes that You will look at our mistakes and know that we didn't mean to hurt You. We know that You know we are not perfect. We know that what we did went against You, but we hope that You will forgive us, just as You forgive others like us. We will try, Lord, to change. We will make every attempt to not give in to temptation again. We know that You are the most important thing in our life, Lord, and we know that what we did was disappointing. We ask, Lord, that You provide us with guidance in the future. We ask for the discerning ear and open heart to hear and feel what You are telling us to do. We pray that we will have the understanding to remember this time and that You give us the strength to go in a different direction. Lord, thank you for all You do for us. We pray that You pour Your grace upon us. This we pray in Your name, Amen.

​SOLO: 

"Wide River To Cross"  Norm Rennie

​MEDITATION:   

M:istakes

"lf we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." 1 John 1:8. Have any of you ever made a mistake? Be honest. Hands up if you've ever made a mistake. See, even my hand is up r When you made that mistake, whether big or small, did you do anything about it? You've probably heard the story of the man who got up early and dressed in the dark, only to find out later, when he got to work, that he was wearing one blue sock and one Argyle sock, He couldn't go back home to change them, so when anyone noticed, he just said, III have another pair just like them at home!" The lesson: if
you learn to chuckle at your mistakes, you will seldom be short of laugh material.

We all make mistakes, and some of these mistakes are funny, like the two different socks. But we don't like admitting that we've made a mistake because we get embarrassed and we think those who saw or know about our mistakes will look down on us. Most of us don't like to admit when we're wrong. Some say the three hardest words for a man
to say is "I love YOU," but it's probably more true that the three hardest
words for us to say are "I was wrong."

Some mistakes are quite serious, and, at the very least, can cause of lot of problems. A drum major on parade in a California town tossed his baton which hit two 4000-volt power lines, melting the baton as well as blacking out a ten block area and putting a radio station off the air. A bank robber told the teller not to give him the cash but to deposit the money into his checking account. Thank God for dumb criminals. On his first assignment for a newspaper, a rookie reporter drove a company car to a car-crushing plant, parked in the wrong area, and returned from interviewing the manager just in time to see the vehicle compacted into scrap metal.

However, some mistakes turn out to be very good. Alexander Fleming left a pile of dirty petri dishes stacked on his workstation before he left on vacation and when he returned home he discovered a lot of contamination. He dumped most of the dishes in a vat of Lyso!. But when he got to a dish containing staphylococcus, something odd caught his eye. The dish was covered in colonies of bacteria except in one area where a blob of mold was growing and that's when penicillin was identified. From that little act of scientific sloppiness, we got one of the most widely used antibiotics used today. Other discoveries made by mistakes include the slinky, Post-it notes, the colour mauve, plastics, Corn Flakes and Wheaties, the pacemaker and many others. 


These mistakes brought something positive, but not all mistakes end up that way. In life, all Christians will make mistakes, but we should all want to use our mistakes for good and to learn from them. Everyone makes mistakes, even those in the Bible. Ask yourself, are you gaining wisdom from your mistakes?

All of us have said things we wish we hadn't and we have dome things we wish we hadn't done. But what is past is done and we don't get a do-over with our past mistakes. So how can we fix it? There's only one place to find the answer and that's the Bible. Everyone makes mistakes, even those in the Bible. The heroes of the faith were not perfect, they had their share of blunders. But God will always forgive us our little mistakes and our largest sins as long as we ask for His forgiveness. I'll give you a few examples: first from Isaiah 1:18, "Come now, let us reason together says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." And from Daniel 9:9, "The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have reb lled against Him." From Micah 7:18-19. "Who is a God like you who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us." So let's ask ourselves, once we ask for forgiveness are we gaining wisdom from mistakes?

Now, let's listen to a Bible story about making a mistake.

When Jesus came out of the wilderness, having passed through the great temptation, He was filled with the Spirit of God. He came once again to the place where John was baptizing. It was late afternoon and John was standing with two of his disciples, John and Andrew. After seeing Jesus, John the Baptist said to his disciples, If Look! There is the Lamb of God." Hearing this, John and Andrew quickly ran to Jesus. Jesus asked, "What are you looking for?"

They asked Him where He was staying and Jesus invited them to come and see. John and Andrew spent the rest of the day with Jesus, but first Andrew said, "I want my brother Simon to be in on this." Then Andrew brought Simon to Jesus, and Jesus named him Simon Peter.

The next day Jesus was determined to go to Galilee, but first He found Philip and told him to come with Him. And Philip went and found his friend Nathanael whose home was in Cana. 

When Jesus met Nathanael He said, "Here is really an Israelite, true and honest." Nathanael was surprised that Jesus knew who He was. Jesus told him that He noticed him earlier under a fig tree praying secretly under the tree's branches. And then Nathanael knew that Jesus was the Son of God.

Jesus asked, "Do you believe? You shall see greater things. I'm telling you that you will see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

That made Nathanael think of Jacob's dream. In his dream, Jacob saw a ladder or stairway reaching from heaven to earth, and angels going up and down on it. Nathanael had called Jesus the Son of God, but Jesus called Himself the Son of Man. That made a connection between heaven and earth. Nathanael was a very thoughtful man, and he thought a lot about what Jesus had said. He realized that Jesus is the ladder reaching from heaven to earth: Son of God, Son of Man. And
through Him God sends the angels from heaven to earth to care for us.

Then they all left and went straight to Nathanael's home in Cana. On the third day there was a wedding there and Jesus was asked to attend. Jewish weddings were steeped in tradition and ritual. One of the customs was providing an extravagant feast for the guests. Something went wrong at this wedding however, because they ran out of wine early. In that culture such a miscalculation would have been a great humiliation for the bridegroom. Mary, Jesus' mother, was also attending the wedding. It was an open wedding where everybody was welcome. There were more people than had been expected, perhaps because they heard that Jesus was there. Before long the refreshments were gone. The bridegroom was very embarrassed. But Mary quietly said to Jesus, "They have no wine."

Jesus replied, "Do not try to direct Me. It isn't time yet for Me to act." But His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever He tells you to do."

Jesus loved His mother and He wouldn't disappoint her when He could help it. The servants stood looking at Him, waiting. There were six big jars standing there. They had probably held the wine that was now depleted or perhaps they had been filled with water for household use. However, they were empty now.

Jesus told the servants to fill the jars with water. They hurried to the well and drew the water, bucket after bucket, and poured it into the six big jars. Soon all six jars were full of water.

Then Jesus said, "Draw some out and take it to the master of the feast."

They did as they were asked and the master of the feast tasted it. Then he called to the bridegroom. He said, "Everyone else serves his good wine first, and his poorer wine after the guests have drunk a lot. But you have kept back your good wine until now."

The master of the feast didn't know, the bridegroom didn't know and all the guests didn't know where the good wine had come from. But the servants knew, and it didn't take long to let all the people know that Jesus, the Son of Mary, had turned six big jars of water into wine. And Jesus' fame grew.

Turning water into wine at the wedding at Cana was the first miracle Jesus performed. This miracle, showing Jesus' control over physical elements like water, marked the beginning of His ministry. Like His other miracles, it benefited people in need. Not only did Jesus produce a large quantity of wine, but the quality of it astonished the banquet master. In the same way, Jesus pours His spirit into us in abundance, giving us God's best. And after they saw this miracle the disciples began to see how amazing Jesus really was. 

Running out of wine was hardly a life or death situation, nor was anyone in any physical pain. Yet Jesus interceded with a miracle to
solve the problem. God is interested in every aspect of our life. What matters to you and me matters to Him.

We all make so many little mistakes and blunders. And there's a knock, knock joke that can help remind us what to do. Knock, Knock. Who's there? Leon. Leon who? Leon me when you're not strong. So when we get discouraged and sometimes we get depressed, and we know exactly what to do, we can always lean on Jesus. Because if Jesus is our guest, He will know what to do. He will take the little, common things we have in our homes and make them sweeter than anything we could purchase. Jesus doesn't offer us anything cheap. Everything He offers us is the very best.

I leave you with you two questions: Have you ever asked Jesus to come and be a guest in your life? Is Jesus a friend of yours?

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, we thank you that Mary believed in Jesus and encouraged Him to begin His ministry at the wedding at Cana and help us to be bold disciples. Like the master of the feast at Cana, everyone makes a mistake, big or small. Thank you for the many times You have given us a second chance. We ask that You provide us with guidance. We accept the responsibility for the mistakes we make. We know You have given us Your grace. We know You have given us Your mercy. Forgive us for the times we have made bad choices and help us forgive ourselves. This we ask in Your name. Amen.


CLOSING PRAYER:      
God loves us like a good parent and is present in every aspect of our existence. Let God's joy, peace, love and justice be the reality for us as we live the way Jesus taught us to live. Let us always stay centered on God's
love, for that is the true reality in this, our present, and in all our future. This we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. 

CLOSING HYMN:  #42 lean On Me

BENEDICTION & CHORAL AMEN:   Go now, and live out our song of praise to God. Discipline yourself in all things, however small, so that you may attain the prize of salvation that is yours in Jesus Christ. We go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

POSTLUDE:  Nancy & Norm

Psalm 145 : 1-8
New International Version
Psalm 145
A psalm of praise. Of David.

1 I will exalt you, my God the King;
    I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you
    and extol your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
    his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation commends your works to another;
    they tell of your mighty acts.
5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty--
    and I will meditate on your wonderful works
6 They tell of the power of your awesome works--
    and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They celebrate your abundant goodness
    and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
    slow to anger and rich in love.


Philippians 1 : 21-30


New International Version

21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.
Life Worthy of the Gospel27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit,[a] striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

Matthew 20:1-16

New International Version

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.
“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’
13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Matthew 20: 1-16 Just Standing Around
In many farming communities, migrant day laborers stand on corners from the early hours of the morning, waiting for someone to hire them. Workers who are standing at the corner of a park, the market, or the  hardware store in the early afternoon have probably been up since four or five in the morning.

Those who do not get hired by the various local landowners will probably have nothing to eat that night. Often the people who are hired first are the young, strong men--the people who are healthy and in the prime of their lives.

The older folks, the women, and children are the ones who suffer most. They often wait all day long to be hired.
 
They wait, they hope, they pray that someone will come...needing them... wanting them... with mercy and grace.

Oftentimes they go home empty handed. Or if they are hired toward the middle or end of the day, they certainly won't make enough money to survive.

The social situation in Jesus' day was that many small farmers were being forced off their land because of debt they/incurred to pay Roman taxes. This violated God's command in Leviticus that land could not be taken away from the people who work it, but of course the Romans didn't care about this.

As a result, large pools of unemployed people gathered each morning, hoping to be hired for the day. They were the displaced, unemployed and/or underemployed workers of their day. Those still waiting at five o'clock had little chance of earning enough to buy food for their
families that day.

Yet our Landowner pays even them a full day's wage.

In this parable, about the way things work in the kingdom of heaven, the landowner, of course, represents God. The day laborers waiting in the marketplace to be hired are the lost, the hungry, the broken, the marginalized.

They are the lost sheep. The lost coin. They are the meth addicts. They are the prostitutes. They are the reviled tax collector, and the corrupt businessperson. They are the least, the last, the lost: They are you and me, or our neighbor next door. And they are all waiting for something.
 
Maybe they are searching for meaning in life. Maybe they are desperate. Maybe they are hungry. Maybe they are thirsty. 

But.... the Landowner is out looking for them. He's looking to take them from the marketplace to the vineyard. He's looking to care for them, to have mercy on them. 

He has work for them to do. and He will pay them all the same wage--whether they are hired first or last...whether they/are the most hated criminal in the world, or the most venerated saint.

The beginning of this parable is fairly typical of many of Jesus' parables, and it's consistent with ancient farming and modern farming for that matter. The landowner goes out to hire day laborers, and he does so early in the morning.
 
The laborers agree on a denarion for the day's work. 

Then, after this familiar opening scene, the parable becomes increasingly strange.

With each moment the parable starts feeling less like a story about farming, and the characters seem to be less and less the owner of a real vineyard and real farm laborers.

The owner goes back to the marketplace later in the morning and in the mid-afternoon, searches out and finds more unemployed workers.

We are told that they are "standing around the marketplace doing nothing" and that the landowner promises to pay these folks "whatever is right."
 
This really is very unusual because generally a farm owner would have hired all the laborers he needed early in the morning. But this guy keeps going back and looking for more!!!

As we read the parable, we start to get the sense that the landowner hires these people later in the day not because he needs them, but simply because they are there. In other words--they need him!!!

Then, the story gets even stranger.

The landowner goes back to the marketplace at the end of the day. He finds more laborers "standing around." Now, these would be the laborers that no one else wanted. These would be the real outcasts. The real hard-cases. These would be the paralytics, the blind those with  missing limbs, the lepers, the old, the widows and the very young.

"Why are you just standing around here doing nothing all day long?" the landowner asks. "Because no one hired us,' they replied. And so he responded, 'You also go work in my vineyard.'" And Notice that the landowner doesn't even promise to pay them anything.

Then, when the day ends, the landowner not only pays those who were hired last first, he also pays everyone the same wage.

But those who were hired first grumbled against the landowner. They got a little angry, like maybe they might have been taken advantage of.
 
This parable is kind of similar to the parable of the Prodigal Son. The older son in the story is furious that the younger brother who squandered his inherirance is welcomes home by their father with joy and a great celebration.

It is not fair.
It,s not fair that the older son, who stayed home and did what he was supposed to do, doesn't get morethan what the younger son gets.

An how unjust it is that the landowner doesn't pay those who labored all day more money than those who only worked an hour. How unfair of the landowner to treat all the laborers equally!!! I tell you friends, it all just smacks of socialism!
 
But... One thing that the persons who were hired earliest in the day miss, is that they were given the great privilege of working much longer than those major outcasts; the folks who had to stand around all that time, being rejected again and again--wasting much of their lives.

To be invited into the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of the Vineyard Owner is the greatest thing that can ever happen to us. As soon as we start working for God, our lives take on meaning. We begin to move towards transformation, and we experience a peace and a joy that the world can never know. And we have life, REAL life, right here and now!!!!

To come in late is to miss all that. How could we ever grumble?  
 
Think of the miserable experiences for those who do not yet know the Lord. Think of the misery, to have to live in this broken, dog-eat-dog world without a personal relationship with God...without hope, without meaning and without ever experiencing the UNCONDITIONAL love
of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

One thing we learn from this parable is that the landowner gives everyone in the story work. Each of the laborers are eventually employed.

They all begin the day in the same situation, but by the time the day is done, those hired early in the morning easily forget where they started.

Life is a marketplace of people waiting for the opportunity to do what they were created to do. Every person has great potential which is waiting to be discovered. And all of the laborers in Jesus' parable were people of great potential as well. And they would have stayed in the marketplace all day if the Landowner had not come and offered them a job.

The Landowner's call--like our call from God--was the beginning of their self-worth and their productivity.

Our only choice is whether to answer the call to work in Goc 's kingdom or to stand idle and waste our lives. And it's not God's will that anyone's life should be wasted, so God extends the invitation repeatedly, searching and seeking out the lost in order to gather in as many people as possible into God's vineyard.

Everyone is equally deserving or undeserving of the opportunity to work, and the reward is equal for all as well.
 
"I want to give to this one who was hired last the same as I give you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or are you resentful because I am generous?"

The landowner has the right to pay His workers not on the basis of what they themselves have done, but on the basis of His own compassion.

And those of us who worship this kind of God must also imitate His generosity, mercy and love. God has called all of us to go into the marketplace, over and over again, inviting the precious human creatures He loves, saying, 'You also go into the vineyard.'
 
We serve a God Who's generosity is outrageous!!! We should rejoice and be glad!!!
 
And friends, we should get to work!!! AMEN

Sum it up! 

Matthew 22: 34-40
But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. 35 One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, 36“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ 38“This is the great and foremost commandment. 39“The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ 40“On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”


Introduction
    Since the beginning of the time of the Scriptures and of the Commandments People have been trying to sum up the commandments into its essence..     It has been documented that there are 613 Commandments in the scriptures We are very well acquainted with the 10 Commandments, and if you notice the first half of the Commandments are addressing man’s relationship with God And the second half of the Commandments are addressing man’s relationship with man  Overtime, other commandments and laws were added to the 613, or 10 Commandments by teachers of the law… their intention was to control and to prevent people from transgressing the law altogether.

Jim Cantalon said 
“If you can imagine the law as a circle, and then a fence around that circle made up of extra laws to prevent the people from even approaching the circle.” It was virtually impossible to keep the 613 laws, or the10 Commandments, let alone these extra burdens. 

The main message
So what then are people to do?
Thanks be to God that a way has been provided! Thanks be to God for the “good news“. Thanks be to God for the saviour of the world not just the nation of Israel. Our Lord Jesus Christ , His finished work on the cross.  And for these words which we have from our saviour which are very precious, that is “To love the Lord your God…etc. And your neighbor…etc” 

Thank you for the cross
Picture the cross…. A vertical and horizontal plain… 

What do you learn from this passage and from the cross?
That you cannot have one without the other!
Why?... man’s relationship with God … to be right with our God
Why?... man’s relationship with man … to exercise justice with our Neighbor. 



We live in a time now where everything is coming to a head,, so to speak Everybody has an opinion of what is right and what is wrong. Some peoples idea of right, is other peoples idea of evil, and vice versa. How can I be? 

People spew out all kinds of things on the Internet that many of us get involved with. But I’m telling you it’s like a rabbit hole that just goes on and on.
So, How are Christians, those who put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ,. How are we to think, and behave?
What is our source of truth? What is our guidebook? 

Well I submit to you today, and I will submit to you tomorrow and every day of my life. That the holy scripture in your Bible is the only source of truth. Do you wanna be right with God? Then you have to do it on His terms!
     We as a human race are prideful, we like to come up with our own ideas. With our own ways with our own systems. We like to take this and that from the Scriptures that we like. And throw the other things away. 
     I have a way of saying that when it comes to the Lord Jesus. Sometimes we throw the baby out with the bathwater.. we think Jesus is OK, we just don’t like his book… we like to picture Jesus born in a manger on Christmas morning, but we don’t like to picture him coming back in the clouds with glory to judge the nations! We love the idea of the Jesus who says. “Suffer not the little children to come onto me” but we cringe at the part where Jesus says. “Depart from me for I never knew you“.. 
    No we are the most blessed of people, when we except the whole counsel of God. We are truly saved from what we deserve when we give our lives to Christ. We are truly enlightened when we are doers of the law and not just hearers.

I admit to you that there are many parts in this book that sometimes make me cringe,, but it’s the parts that reveal the character of humanity,, and our incredible resourcefulness to invent wickedness..  but not the parts that reveal the character of God!

What must our mantra be?
Let’s sum it up!    Matthew chapter 22

    When we can wrap our minds around this concept.. I love the Lord our God with all our hearts., 
That it is a concept of love. A concept of thankfulness for what The Lord has done and is doing and, not so much a concept of don’t do this don’t do that make sure you do this make sure you do that.
    Then we will begin to realize that as we allow the sanctification process of the Holy Spirit to work in us that we just naturally become more Christlike , More loving, more patient, more obedient, more willing etc.
    And notice you can’t have one without the other, by that I mean it’s first relationship with God that is nurtured and cherished by us. Then the natural consequences and working out is our relationships with our neighbours.

If you love God and ate your neighbors. You’re a liar
If you love your neighbours but can’t stand the things of God. You’re lost

We all have to repent of such ways of thinking.
God first and foremost with its natural outflowing to your neighbours.

If I may suggest, because this is The problem that I face almost weekly when I argue and negotiate with the Holy Spirit…
     I say to my self and to the Lord, Of course in my daily devotions. Because I’m so good…. “But I can’t stand this person“ and you after all Lord are most understanding and can excuse me on this can’t you?     And then I read His book and come to my senses. NO 
So rather than trying to find something loveable in the unlovable. I pray this way… Lord love this person through me! Lord make me a vessel of your will. Not my will Lord but yours…
     Then and only then most times, not always. I can find the patients and the love to Direct to those who are not quite so lovable.

I wish I could do the same thing when it comes to the love for food. But unfortunately no matter how much I pray. Brussels sprouts still taste like brussels sprouts.

So may We all be encouraged today by this passage in Matthew chapter 22. And may we all go out and meditate on this mantra.
And may we implement it now in every day for the rest of our lives.
God bless you … AMEN

Call to Worship
Lord we are in your presence
Let us be in the right mind to worship you
Lord we are in your presence
Let the hills and valleys hear our prayer
Lord we are in your presence
Let our united prayers fold back the power of disease
Lord we are in your presence
Let our presence wash your feet with our grateful tears of joy
Amen.

Welcome & Covid rules - (Betty)

Opening Hymn - #20 Morning Has Broken.

Opening Prayer and Lord’s Prayer

Announcements and Special Days - (Betty)

 There will not be the usual collecting with plates for our offering.
A collection box is available...Thank You!

Offertory Prayer - (in unison)
We place these gifts into your hands, O God. Infuse them with your transforming grace that they may become seeds springing forth with new life, new songs of praise and new hope for people everywhere. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Hymn - #90 Put Your Hand in the Hand

Prayer in Troubled Times

Scripture: Psalm 8        &       Matt 19 1-6

Psalm 8 New International Version
1 Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
    in the heavens.
2 Through the praise of children and infants
    you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
    to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens,
    the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
    which you have set in place,
4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
    human beings that you care for them?
5 You have made them a little lower than the angels
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
    you put everything under their feet:
7 all flocks and herds,
    and the animals of the wild,
8 the birds in the sky,
    and the fish in the sea,
    all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

​Matthew 19:1-6 New International Version
Divorce
19 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

Message:    “Out of the Mouths of Babes”

 Message - Out of the Mouths of Babes

I was 4 years old when I remember starting to ask about the the realities and uncertainties of the world around me.
“Sweet Mother, if I keep growing will I hit the ceiling someday?”
“Sweet Mother, is elephant soup made from elephants? Why isn’t it grey?”
“Dear Father, why is that man walking up the steps of the Jewish temple, or church?”
After a particularly poignant dream, I said to my father, “You know, I can play the violin.” 
My father was a total realist and pooh-poohed what I had claimed. “No, my Joe, you can’t play the violin yet, but some day, you might, with lots of practice.”
But I insisted that I could play it now. I told him I played it in my dream when I was asleep.
So he went and got my little violin from my toy closet and asked me to play it for him.
So, I did, and after several screes and screws, I put the little violin down and felt very sad. I knew that I had played it beautifully. See, it wasn’t so much that I failed to repeat my fluid dream performance. It wasn’t that I felt bad for myself. It was that I felt bad for my father. I knew how much he loved violin music, and I wanted him to hear it the same way I had played it in my dream, like an angel, perhaps.

You see, it is my belief that children have a special link to the Lord. It is a link born instinctively of love, a love that springs naturally from innocence and from an instinctive reaction to the world around them, carried forward by them at birth from their Creator. It is a love expressed by a need to share unselfishly in acts of giving, hugging, laughing, and creating. The creation is expressed in the way they play, the way they draw, the way they sing, the way they exuberantly give of themselves.

This is why Jesus spoke in Luke 18:15-17:
People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Unfortunately, most so-called mature adults lose this connection to God as they grow older. Even Paul said in 1 Corinthians:

“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.”

“I put the ways of childhood behind me.”

This is what adults do. They put childhood ways behind them. Of course, it is difficult not to do so. Childhood ways are often in conflict with our survival needs, so we suppress those ways, we forget our innocence, we forget our instinctive love for each other, we put behind “our childish ways.” These are the ways that I put behind me when I couldn’t play the violin for my father.

So, it becomes a challenge as we further and further suppress our childhood to remember and to retain the best parts of that childhood and to bring these with us into maturity. In a sense, this is what Jesus teaches us. When He says, Love God above all things, he is suggesting to us that God is the most important element of our lives. More important than any material or earthly concern. And how can we express that love for God? Love your neighbour as yourself. God is in us, God is in all our neighbours, God is present in all things, little children recognize this presence instinctively. So, our challenge is to retain this knowledge, this recognition, into our aging years and keep the God connection, the love connection with all people, our family, our friends, and also our enemies.

How are some of the ways that children express their love? Let me offer you some vibrant examples by kids of all ages and both genders.
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds ,
'What does love mean?
The answers they got were broader, deeper, and more profound than anyone could have ever imagined !

See what you think:

'When my grandmother  got arthritis , she couldn't bend over and paint
her toenails anymore.. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.' 
Rebecca, age 8

'When someone loves you , the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.' 
Billy, age 4

'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne
and they go out and smell each other.' 
Karl, age 5

'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him , to make sure the taste is OK.' 
Danny, age 8

'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and just listen.'​
Bobby, age 7 
(Let me stop for a few seconds while you all just listen for a bit…did you hear and feel the love?)

If you want to learn to love better you should start with a friend who you hate. 
Nikka, age 6
(we need a few million more Nikkas on Earth)

During my piano recital , I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared any more. 
Cindy, age 8

'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes
and has to go out and buy new ones.' 
 Lauren, age 4  
(Now I’m not sure if that is entirely love, but I’m also not sure it isn’t.)


'You really shouldn't say  'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.'
Jessica, age 8
(I really, really, love that one.)


When I turned 5, my mother left my father and, together with my future stepfather, we escaped Hungary and eventually ended up in Montreal. A whole lot of things took place during that time, but what I want to bring out with this story is the reaction of a child to the event. The event of divorce. As you may know, Jesus was against divorce even if Moses approved of it in certain narrow circumstances. The point I want to draw out is that when parents divorce, it’s the children who take the greatest emotional hit. That, at least, was my personal experience. Now, I know there are many reasons parents divorce. Some are more readily justified than others. But I don’t want to delve into all those reasons, or even some. And children, to all appearances, can bounce back from the trauma and lead future fruitful lives.

I had a stepfather who raised me with fondness and a good heart. I received the benefit of his life experience and I was grateful for it. From him, I received fine examples of manhood in every possible way, hard work, physical activity, ethical behaviour, and tenacious attachment to principles. God was good to me. If I had to lose my father, He made sure I gained one just as good.

Of course, that didn’t remove the pain of finding out I would never see my birth father again, or so I imagined, even when at the age of 20 I met with him again in a bittersweet reunion. Even though my parents are all gone now, the pain of those early years of separation has never entirely washed away. That’s just the way a child hurts. It’s a permanent hurt. Oh, yes, I bounced back. I received no mortal wound, but it was a lifelong wound nonetheless.

That’s why Christ was so protective of all children. That’s why he said:

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.”

Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. 
The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. 
  

The winner was a four-year-old child, whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman, who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old  Gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.  When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry.’

Children bounce back. Children are inherently optimistic. One year when I was coaching hockey with 12 year olds, one of the first things I taught them was to chant, “We’re No. 1, we’re No.1,” as they left the dressing room and took to the ice. Of course, there was always one kid who would ask, “But Coach, what if we’re not No. 1? What if we don’t win any games?”
​
So, I asked him, “Did I ever say anything about winning games, Ted?”
“No.”
“The thing is, Ted, you have to be No. 1 in your head and in your heart before you can be that in the standings. In fact, once you know that, the standings don’t matter so much any more.”

Adults may not accept the wisdom in that principle as easily as kids.

Here’s what I mean. A writer wrote this little story:

On my way home one day, I stopped to watch a Little League baseball game being played in a park near my home. As I sat down on a bench behind the first base line, I asked one of the boys what the score was.

“We’re behind 14 to 0, he answered with a smile.
“Really,” I said. “I have to say you don’t look very discouraged.”
“Discouraged?” he said with a puzzled look. “Why should we be discouraged? We haven’t been up to bat yet.”

Then there’s the little story about a young man named Jamie Scott. His mother knew he had his heart set on winning a part in the school play, but since he was the youngest boy trying out, she was afraid he wouldn’t win a part. On the day the parts were awarded, Jamie’s mother drove to school to pick him up. As she drew near, Jamie rushed up to her, his eyes shining with excitement. “Guess what?, Mom, he shouted.
“What?”
“I’ve been chosen to clap and cheer”   

There’s another boy who will grow up to be a winner.

Of course, we can’t always be constantly optimistic. We can’t always be brimming with confidence, no matter how strong our beliefs are. But we can always put our trust in a loving God. We can always know that he has our back, that we will never be left alone.

Closing Prayer, the babes speak.

Jesus God

We believe in you
Thank you for the joy and beauty of this world
Thank you for all the animals and the growing things
Thank you for the stars up in the ether and
Thank you for the oceans that surround us with a water world.
When we see all such beauty and wonder
We have to take it all in and when we do
We see your face and all the love in it.
Amen Lord. Amen



Solo - I Still Believe in You  (Joe - a cappella)
​
I Believe in You

I walked in wonder by the woods
as darkness claimed the day
I felt your presence, Lord, be near
It prompted me to say
Since You’re the all in all
I know what I must do
is whisper to the quiet night
that I believe in you.

And then my restless heart grew still
When came a sure reply
"My son, you are beloved to me
I heard your lonely cry"
Then all that was before
Was ever more so true
That anywhere within the night
I still believed in You.

I believe in You. I believe in You.
No one else could light the stars
And make the ocean blue,
I believe…in You.


And then the weight of all my fears
were washed away from me
I grew as placid as a cloud
And deep as any sea
Yes, I had wandered far
Much farther than I knew
When I decided to be still
I still believed in you.


I believe in You. I believe in You.
All the journeys I have made
Each a different hue.
I believe in You. I believe…In You.
You’re the one who lit the stars
And made my oceans blue.





Hymn - #29 Swing Low Sweet Chariot

Benediction & Choral Amen
      
Postlude: Nancy & Norm
 
 Announcements:  Welcome to our Rockburn Church Service!
     Thank you Joe, Nancy and Norm for leading us in worship today. 
​

CALL TO WORSHIP:
For the freedom we enjoy to worship you
WE THANK YOU GOD
for your Word that brings us knowledge
WE THANK YOU GOD
For your gift that brings us life
WE THANK YOU GOD
For the salvation we have in Jesus
WE THANK YOU GOD
Songs:
Praise Him Praise Him #103
To God Be the Glory #62
We Are One in the Spirit #80

Scripture Reading: John 13:1-17
​
John 13:1-17
New International Version
Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet
13 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.


Meditation:
"WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE ANYWAY?"

I usually wake up early, and often listen to the radio. On Sunday mornings at 5 am there is a program from Ireland called Doc on One, which is simply documentaries about Irish people, of all types, basically telling their stories.

A few weeks ago, the story was of 2 Irish girls who became involved in the Hare Krishna sect. The way they told it, at the age of 15 or 16, they were just hanging around, bored when they were approached by members of the sect. They thought it was silly, but they showed up at the
celebration they had been invited to. They said they first thought the idea of all the candles and chanting and the bowing down to dolls or images was again, silly. But they went again. And again. Until gradually they became members of the sect and ended up going to India, where they stayed for 2 or 3 years before returning to Ireland, married to Indian men from the sect, and each with a baby.

Another day I was driving and listening to CBC to an interview with a young person who was talking about Wicca. Wicca is the whitewashed modern name for witchcraft worship. The interviewer was asking if the situation of the pandemic had brought more people than usual to the doors of the Wiccans. The answer was yes, it had.

I thought back to the bombing of the World Trade Centre in New York City. At that time the western world went into a crisis of fear, and the churches filled up with people seeking comfort and solace from God or their otherwise ignored religion. I haven't heard of the same kind of response this time. For one thing, we have not been allowed to gather together, the doors of the churches have been closed, and most group activities have been shifted to online meetings.

But my question was, after hearing about the Irish girls and the young person interviewed on CBC, why did they turn to these non-Christian groups? Could they not find what they were seeking in the Christian Church?

The Irish girls said they were bored, there was nothing to do, and they were attracted to the liveliness and passion of the Hare Krishna group. They also said, more importantly, they were made to feel welcome, like part of a family. They were embraced and enfolded into a family group, a private world of all-encompassing support.

The other young person divulged that he, or she, was transgender, and though wished to be in a church, was not welcomed anywhere in the traditional faith groups. He didn't feel like he belonged and felt cast out. He then explored other ways to practice his "spirituality" and to make the story short, had, under the banner of Wicca, essentially developed his own belief and ritual system tailor-made to himself.

Where was the church? Where were the Christians around them who could have had an influence on these lives? Both Ireland and Quebec are places where the church has had a huge presence. Was there truly no-one who shone the light of truth, or no church where they felt at home, embraced in a loving family?

Jesus said he came to save the LOST, not the ones who had it together and who already knew God. He came for those who needed Him, who were in crisis in their lives and saw no hope or redemption anywhere. He talked about how the good shepherd leaves all the rest of the "safe" sheep to go out on a special search for that one lost one.

He tells us that He is the light of the world and we are to reflect that light. He tells us that we are the salt of the earth, the salt that brings out the true flavour of life. Speaking of salt, it truly is an amazing substance. As a cheese maker I learned to appreciate salt like never before. Salt is a preservative, because it kills bacteria. Salt when dosed correctly enhances flavour. Salt dehydrates, and also absorbs moisture and creates texture. At one point Health Canada decided to inform Canadians about the dangers of over consumption of salt, and scheduled meetings with cheese makers to tell them they had to reduce the salt content of cheese. Cheese makers just rolled their eyes and laughed. Because the salt used in cheese making has to be dosed exactly. You cannot use too much or the bacteria that helps create the cheese dies, and using too little allows unwelcome bacteria to grow. Salting in cheese making is an exact science. Needless to say, the meetings were cancelled and Health Canada acted like it had never been a topic. Anyway back to salt.. if salt loses its saltiness, it's no longer good for anything except to be thrown out in the dirt. If Christian's lose their influence on the world around them, they are of no use to the Kingdom of God. We are the salt of the earth. We are called to enhance life fight the negative and work for the best result in lives of others. Matt 5:13)

Matthew 5:13
New International VersionSalt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

How do we become that salt, how do we reflect the light of Christ? How do we be there when a 15 year old girl needs to know she is loved, or someone on the fringes of our society seeks acceptance and support?

We know that Jesus told us the main job is to
1. Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart and soul and mind, and
2. 2. Love your neighbour as yourself. 
3. Sounds easy but it is not. Our hearts are divided, we love ourselves more than anyone or anything else, we like our comfort and our own circle of friends and customs.

When I was widowed in Switzerland I decided to move back to Canada so my girls could have extended family and grow up surrounded by that love. I moved to BC where my sister and family lived. It is a small town, a couple thousand people with a few churches. I went one Sunday to a local church. No one greeted me. Noone welcomed me, asked who I was or offered me a coffee that they were all lined up for after the service. If I hadn't already been a believer, I could very well have turned my back on Christianity that day. So what was that all about?? Where in those hearts was the message from Jesus to love your neighbour as yourself? And loving God first means following His directives.

How do we put that love into action? It seems like it's more than donating to the Red Cross or World Vision, or filling a shoebox for Christmas gifts for poor kids somewhere.

How does a daily life of living for Christ look?

Php 2:14-16 "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.

In this passage Paul tells us we are to shine like the stars. People in the dark see the light, are attracted to it, and when they approach, they are given the word of life.

Matt 5:14-16

Matthew 5:14-16
You are the light fo the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light so shine before others that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.

Many people live in darkness, fear and loss of all kinds. We as Christians know that God has given us the gift of life through Jesus, and because we know Him, we glow from inside with that love and peace. People see that.

1 Thess 5:15-22 says Make sure nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you"

So in these couple of passages only we have a few directives on how to be the light

-don't whine
-do good
-be fair
-be kind
-be joyful
-pray (that is, ask God to act whether in our own hearts or those of others)
-be thankful (in all things)

Matt 28:18-20
"Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of  the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age"

In past ages, this call went out and many responded by becoming missionaries, travelling out all over the world. But becoming a missionary to a foreign land is not the only or even perhaps the best way to bring light and the word of hope and life to people.

Think again of people who have influenced your life in a positive way, who perhaps convinced you that following Jesus was the answer.
Were they fair? Were they kind? Were they joyful? Were they thankful? Or were they whiners, selfish and unkind, complainers or backstabbers? I doubt it. In short did they exhibit the love of God in their daily lives? Ultimately it boils down to our every day lives, how we live them, how we are there for others in need, how we surrender daily, or even every second of every day to the authority of Jesus in our lives, the Giver of true life, the one who loves us most. The one who exhibited that love by His ultimate sacrifice for us, for me for you, in that He gave His own life so that we could know the salvation, peace and joy of knowing God.

Let us be that light, let us be the one who is there for a young person who feels like they don't belong, or for someone who needs to know there is indeed goodness in the world. Let us be the one who says, "here, I can help you carry that" or "is there something that I can do for you?" Or simply, "hello, my name is xxx, can I get you a coffee?" It doesn't have to be complicated, it just has to be a sharing of the gift, a reflection of the light, expression of the joy of life we have been given.

ELUDE:     Nancy & Norm
PROCESSIONAL: Thy Word
CALL TO WORSHIP: We come as seekers, unsure of what we seek.
We come freely.
We come as followers, not understanding the One we follow.
We come freely.
We come to worship, even though we don't know how.
We come freely.
By Your grace, Lord, meet us where we are. Meet us here & now.
We come freely.

WELCOME & COVID RULES:

OPENING HYMN:   #28 I Saw The Light (Mary's Songbook)

OPENING PRAYER & THE LORD'S PRAYER: Lord, we come before You this morning to pray and to praise. As the sun rises, may Your hope rise up in us. As the birds sing, may Your love flow out of us. As the light floods into this new day, may Your joy shine through us. We come before You, 0 Lord, and drink in this moment of peace, that we may carry something of Your hope, love and joy in our hearts, today and throughout the week. And now, as You taught us: 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 debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

ANNOUNCEMENTS, BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES:
OFFER1NG: There will not be the usual collecting of our offering. Instead, you can put your offering in the "Bentley" box.

Offertory Prayer:       
Lord, as we offer our gifts to You today, we remember the questions Jesus put to His disciples, "Who do people say that I am? And who do you say that I am?" We pray that we might be ready to answer, not only with our voice, but also with our lives and our commitment to You, saying, You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." In his name, we pray. Amen.

Amazing grace with Norm Rennie

SCRIPTURE READINGS:  
Psalm 25:1-7
New International VersionPsalm 25Of David.1 In you, Lord my God,
    I put my trust.
2 I trust in you;
    do not let me be put to shame,
    nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3 No one who hopes in you
    will ever be put to shame,
but shame will come on those
    who are treacherous without cause.
4 Show me your ways, Lord,
    teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are God my Savior,
    and my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,
    for they are from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth
    and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
    for you, Lord, are good.

Luke 9:51-62
New International VersionSamaritan Opposition51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then he and his disciples went to another village.
The Cost of Following Jesus57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”
But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”
62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Luke 14:25-33
New International VersionThe Cost of Being a Disciple25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

HYMN:          
#109 I Have Decided To Follow Jesus (Mary's Songbook)
PRAYER OF COMMITMENT:       
Let us pray: You are my Lord and my God. We know from Your Word that a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart is a sacrifice, 0 God, that You will not despise. We come before You now to offer ourselves to You, our body, our mind and our soul. We are Yours atone. We confess that we are sinners and ask for Your forgiveness. We repent, and with Your help, we can turn away from sin and instead, turn toward You.
Lord, we freely submit ourselves to You and ask that only You will lead us. Lead us Lord upon that narrow path which You have chosen for us, so that our destiny may be fulfilled exactly as You have planned for us.
We submit ourselves to You and commit to doing everything we do, to saying everything we say, and to choosing everything we choose, for the sake of Your kingdom. This we pray in Your name. Amen.

 Scraps, Shavings And Rags

Luke 14:28 --- "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't
you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough
money to complete it?"
Whenever I go shopping, whether it's for groceries, clothes, appliances or toner and paper for my printer, I always ask myself, "Can I afford it?" It's so easy to buy things. If you see something you like or want, you just give the cashier your credit or debit card, and the item is yours. You don't even have to leave your home to purchase things you can just buy it online, and have it delivered to your front door!

Sadly, this action has put a lot of people in debt. Items are repossessed, homes are foreclosed and lives are ruined. People are starting to realize the dangers of buying without thinking about the consequences. They think twice before buying a new car, new patio furniture or a big screen TV.

Jesus tells us to ask ourselves, "Can I afford it?" But it's not just a car or new TV that costs something. Being a Christian costs something too. In reality, it costs everything! Jesus told his disciples and He's telling us, to count the cost and always ask, "Can I afford it?" Think about the huge cost of following Jesus as one of His disciples. It's a wonderful gift from Him that Jesus allows us to follow Him.

I'm going to ask you a few questions and I'm sure you all know the answers. What is sawdust? Next, what are shavings? Then what are chips? Who knows what filings are? What do we call little pieces of cloth? What are ravelings? And lastly, what are crumbs?

Now that we have this collection words, I wonder what we can make of it. How much of a house can we make from shavings, chips and sawdust? How good a water pipe can be made from just filings? How much of a coat can be made from nothings but scraps and ravelings? How satisfying a meal can be made from nothing but crumbs? How much of an airplane can be built out of bits and junk and leftovers?

You can see where I'm going with this, right? We can't make something worthwhile out of leftovers bits and pieces. We need whole pieces to work with, whether it's lumber, yards of cloth, time or energy. When we want to build a house, or make a dress, or make dinner, we decide what it's going to take to complete the task. We look at our materials and plan how we can get it out to the best advantage, then we cut and fasten each piece into place. That just makes good sense!

"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?" Jesus is calling people to follow Him in discipleship and He's reminding them that it's like building a tower that you don't want to leave unfinished because you don't have enough commitment or enough resources to finish it.

Jesus says: "Be sure you count the cost before signing up for discipleship." He doesn't want you to sign up lightly and then be surprised when you find the cost is high. It's difficult to count the cost when you don't know what the future is going to bring. Jesus requires a commitment to the highest possible cost. If you can do this, then there will be no surprises. Just say to Jesus, "I am Yours at any cost!'

Jesus enjoyed spending time with His disciples and forging relationships with them. He also gave them important instructions about how they should follow Him. Sometimes they were misguided in how eager they were. They were all about serving Jesus. They were excited about the idea of following Him, but they didn't always realize the full extent of what that meant. Jesus knew His time on earth was almost done and He wanted His disciples to understand that they would have to make sacrifices too. But the disciples wanted to approach things with violence. Jesus silenced their enthusiasm, but they were still confused about how much it might mean to follow their Master.
.
Think about it this way: You have tickets to a concert that you've been looking forward to for weeks. But at the last minute, you're invited to another event which is also important to you. The two events are on the same day at the same time. You're going to have to choose the event that is most important to you and sacrifice or let go of the other event. In our Christian life, nothing should come before Jesus. We must be willing to make sacrifices in order to sincerely follow Jesus.

Remember the scripture reading this morning: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters — yes, even their own life "In. such a person cannot be my disciple. And whosoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything, you cannot be my disciple."

This sounds extremely harsh to us. After all, we know we shouldn't hate people, especially our family members. But Jesus isn't exactly telling us to hate our parents, spouses and children. He's just pointing out how important it is to follow Him. If we can't give Him our full attention and be willing to let go of other things, then it's difficult to truly obey Him. Following Jesus means reading His Word, recognizing what He has said and following His directions every day.

Yes, Jesus painted a very harsh picture for His disciples. It's a picture of difficult choices.. Jesus knows that we are too easily distracted by all the things we think are urgent in our life; our material desires and our physical comforts, and this often leads to failure in our whole-hearted commitment to Him.

Earlier we talked about scraps, shavings and rags, and that these things cannot make a solid or complete anything. We need whole pieces to work with. But more than that, we know that piling one board on top of another board, and another board on top of that only makes a pile of lumber. It doesn't make a house until we fit each board into its place.

During my lifetime, I've met people who think they can make a worthwhile life just haphazardly, without any plan toward which to work — just piling up scraps of time, ravelings of thought and a few shavings of energy. But that isn't the way to really make a life. It just makes a pile of days. We should plan our days to the best advantage. Take time to plan with the great master builder, Jesus Christ. Plan the sort of life we want to make out of our days and then we should fit each day into that plan.

Making a life is fitting together those things which make your character — your courage, your self-control, your fairness, your purity. Making a living is important, it's what helps care for the body. But making a fife, a life dedicated to Jesus Christ, that is a life that cares for the soul.

There is no cost that you can pay in following Jesus that won't be made up to you a thousandfold in the resurrection. Al! the so-called costs and losses are nothing compared to following Jesus and giving ourselves compkleteiy to Him. If we keep our hearts focused on Jesus and follow Him, it will guide us to God's blessings in our life. To truly follow Jesus Christ, we must consider the cost and put Him above everything else.

Let us pray: Lord, You call us to follow You, to put aside our own selfish interests even if the path is difficult or is heading in a direction we wouldn't have thought of choosing. Help us to see with eyes of faith rather than from our own human point of view. Teach us to follow You without fear, knowing that You are always with us, leading the way. This we earnestly pray. Amen.


CLOSING PRAYER:           
As we take our worship and prayer from this place and into our daily lives, may our lives be sustained through Your love. May we continue to
know Your presence and power in the lives we lead. May we feel Your presence walking beside us and know the power of the Spirit in both our actions and our words. Keep us on the path you have shown us and help keep our faith in You ever present. Amen.

CLOSING HYMN:    #103 Praise Him, Praise Him  (Mary's Songbook)
BENEDICTION & CHORAL AMEN:        May the Father's hand keep you from stumbling, the footprints of Jesus give you confidence to follow, and the fire of the Holy Spirit keep you warm and safe in your walk with God this day and every day. Amen.


SOLO:            "Drifting Too Far From The Shore"    Norm Rennie

Transformation. Psalms 86:11-17
A man was lying on the couch of his psychiatrist.

When the psychiatrist asked the man what his problem was, the man told him he had all kinds of fears about the future. The man took a deep breath and looked up to the ceiling.... "Doctor," he said, "I'm worried about the Covid-19 Pandemic, the economy, political and social upheaval, climate change, our diplomatic relations with China..." and he went on and on. Until he was interrupted by the psychiatrist with "Shut up and move over," as he proceeded to climb on the couch next to him.
​
I've missed you guys, here in the new world.

How are you all doing? Or maybe I could ask: "How is it with
your soul?"
Are you struggling?
Are you sad, depressed, anxious?
Do you miss rock and roll, and jamming, and your band-matesand your gigs? Oh wait, that's probably more me....

It's the peak of summer.

Temperatures have been in the mid-nineties, and COVID-19 infections are spiking.

We have to wear masks, and wait in line, and wash our hands.And we have to bathe. And we have to brush our teeth. And eat our vegetables. Yuck.

A lot of folks feel uncomfortable going to the neighborhood pools or the beach. Many don't want to go to a restaurant, and you can't go to a movie theater, so those normal places of  escape from the sun and stress of summer are shuttered.

We are also witness to a heated political season south of the border. People (people like me...) are taking sides and arguing. 

It's also a time of racial unrest. With marches, protests and violence rocking countries across the world and close to home. It's kind of like the world has hit a boiling point, hasn't it?     
                                          
Stupid 2020.

And so, we have the makings for frustration, stress, anxiety and, perhaps, depression.

Is anyone getting a bit stir crazy?

I know I am.

Out at Dundee, we generally have an outdoor service at my family's place at the lake in July or August. One of my favorite services of the year. We were excited about it, and disappointed when we figured it would be too complicated and risky to undertake. Probably the right decision, but we were disappointed all the same.

And the virus rages on.

And tempers and temperatures are rising. A couple of weeks ago, a good friend of mine called and told me his wife wanted a divorce.

This, for him, came right out of the blue. We talked on the phone a lot during that time. He admitted that he has been under a lot of stress, and has been allowing that stress to get in the way of his marriage. How could it not? These are incredibly stressful times.

I have a friend who's a single mother to two children; absolute darlings in normal times. Do you know what happens to darling tween-aged boys when they're cooped up inside for months? Friends, it's not pretty.

I have another friend who, like so very many, is obsessed with Social Media. He finds it impossible to not reply to political things people post that he strongly disagrees with. This inevitably ends up in angry words with a "friend" over the internet. Each time he does this, it ruins his entire day. He also reads every single comment and remarks that people following  up to his post.. None of this does anything except him angry,
frustrated and depressed.. We say things on the internet that we would probably never say to someone's face.

It's kind of like road-rage. When we sit down in front of a computer and get onto Facebook or Insta-tweet or somesuch, it's like we become a completely different animal. We read these very public arguments and we think: How do people get caught up in this mess?

But we all do get mixed up in the "mess" to some extent, don't we? And getting mixed up in the mess, the controversy, the anger, the hate-filled words only leaves us frustrated, angry and depressed.

After-all, we are Christians. And Christians aren't supposed to get caught up in the hatred and anger of the world. We are called to be different.

We are called to love.

We are called to resist evil and love our enemies and turn the other cheek. 

We are called to be humble, and we are called to serve others.  
                              
We are to be the light of the world; the salt of the earth.

We are to be Christ to our community, to our neighbors.

We are to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation
of the world.

So, when we get involved in fighting about worldly things, trying to hurt others... Well, how couldn't we feel displaced and unhappy? It's like having what the psalmist calls "a divided heart," is it not?

It's a little like saying:

"I'm going to give my life to following you Lord, but not going
all the way."

"I plan to become distracted and encumbered by worldly
things."

"I am going to continue my angry streak."

"I am going to love God and some of my neighbors...not all of them, but only some—only the ones who think like me."

Our Psalm for this morning is a "Psalm of Lament." To lament is to express deep sorrow, grief or regret. And lament is a major theme in the Bible.

The Psalms of Lament are beautiful poems or hymns expressing human struggles.
The men and women of the Bible were as real as we are today.

They danced and sang, rejoiced and laughed, argued and confessed, lamented and mourned. They expressed emotions to God in prayer just as we do.

And so, when we encounter difficult struggles and need God's rescue, salvation, and help, the Psalms of Lament are a good place to turn.

In Psalm 86, David is dealing with a gang of people who are rising up against him; they seek his life. People that hate him and that hate God. And he is terrified. And I'd imagine he is tempted to hate these people back.

"0 God," David cries out, "the insolent rise up against me; a band of ruffians seeks my life, and they do not set you before them. But you, 0 Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness..."
"...give your strength to your servant..."

"Show me a sign of your favor so that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame, because you, Lord, have helped and comforted me."

What is David praying for here? Is he praying for strength to destroy his foes? Is he asking God to strike down those who are after him? No.

He is praying to God for transformation. Whatever has caused these people to hate David, David is praying that God will so transform him—that they will see it and become transformed themselves. So much for revenge.

When Jesus later teaches us to love our enemies, perhaps this is what Jesus means.

"Teach me your way, 0 Lord, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name."

In David's time of need, as he is being tormented by those who seek his life David turns to God. And when it really comes down to it, in times of trouble, God is the Only One we can turn to. There is no one else as committed to us and there is no one else Who has the power to rescue us.

When the Apostle Paul was struggling with sin, he cried out: "Who will rescue me from this body of death?" The answer, of course, was right there: "Jesus Christ our Lord!"

David knew the answer as well. And so, in the midst of suffering, David found the renewal of hope. And that hope is found in God and God alone. Everyone who has experienced new birth through faith in Christ, has experienced the forgiveness of God, the steadfast love of God, the miracles of God. But just about everyone who has experience all these things has also found something within themselves that could be described as being something like an divided heart.

We want to follow Christ, but we want something else as well. • And sometimes the something else wins. And when that happens we lose. And so, we return to God, longing for transformation which is a life-long journey, a day to day affair, a minute by minute thing.

I know I live a good deal of my life with a divided heart, and I'm probably not alone. My heart is divided between who I am and who I want to be...what I say and what I do... my joys and my sorrows... promises made and promises broken... my commitments and my wanderings... living faithfully and living as if I were self-sufficient.

The fragments of my heart are many. And maybe you know this about yourself as well. Mayby you can also name the ways your heart is divided. I suspect we are all, for various reasons, in this bind.

My first response to my divided heart is usually to try harder, do better, and to fix the circumstances of my life. I've discovered, though, that this brand of glue doesn't hold things together.

The way of the Lord and what we need to learn is wholeheartedness. To live this way means we can hold nothing in reserve—we need to be open and willing to risk our whole heart for God, in the service of others, seeking what Jesus is offering us with Himself

And so, in this Psalm of Lament, David is asking God to forgive him for whatever sin he has committed which has caused these people to hate him so... He is praying that, God will change him by teaching him God's ways, so that he may walk in God's truth with an undivided heart for the sake of the world. Talk about resisting the lure of hatred. Talk about grace born of prayer.

For what David has learned is this: he— not his enemies needs the patience and steadfast love of God; he—not they-- needs to be forgiven; he—not they—need renewed concentration to resist sin; he—not they—needs to focus on God's teaching, on learning God's ways afresh. And isn't this what all of our mistakes and "getting caught up in the mess of the world" boils down to?

We need to focus on self and not on what others think.

We need to focus on God and loving God and loving neighbor with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.

That is the only way that our answer to the question of: "How is it with your soul?" will be "It is well, it is well, it is well."

As the psalmist says: "Teach me your way, 0 Lord, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name. 

Imagine how well we would be able to live in these trying times: As a people transformed through prayer.

People transformed to the way God wants us to be.

Amen,

ROCKBURN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH   August 9, 2020.

WORSHIP LEADER: Kevin Harvey

PRELUDE:                 Nancy & Norm

PROCESSIONAL:    Thy Word    
           
CALL TO WORSHIP:          
In the name of Jesus Christ, I welcome you to worship!
It is a delight to be together to worship God!
We lift our voices with joyful hearts!
It is a delight to be together to worship God!
May the grace of God, the love of Jesus,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us now in this hour and always.

WELCOME & COVID RULES: Betty     Hall protocol next time

OPENING HYMN:  # 20  Morning Has Broken (3 verses)  Mary’s Songbook  
 
OPENING PRAYER & THE LORD’S PRAYER: 

ANNOUNCEMENTS, BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES:    Betty   
                                      
(There will be not be the usual collection of our offering …if you wish to give a basket is placed on the Church steps)   

OFFERTORY PRAYER: Merciful Lord, you have provided each of us with many similar, yet unique gifts.  Thank you, Lord, for the talents and abilities of people within this congregation.  We are a blessed people!  Now, we unite as one body to share in this worshipful act of the offering.  Giving is such a joy-filled experience!  Thank you, Lord, for this opportunity to support the transformation of people’s spiritual lives through the ministry and mission of this body of Christ.  Amen. 

HYMN:        #14    Sweet By & By, (3 verses)   Mary’s Songbook

PRAYER: 
     
MEDITATION:         “Thy Kingdom Come”

In this letter to the Hebrews we see, that when Christ came first, it was to offer his life a ransom. But we also learned the second coming where salvation will be truly realized!
Hebrews 9:28
English Standard Version28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

(B)
We are the church should not shy away from the messages concerning the return of Christ, of the judgement of the world of the lost. And salvation for the righteous. If we were to do so, it would be gross negligence and irresponsible. For the Old Testament and New Testament has hundreds of passages concerning first and second coming. Prophecies fulfilled and yet to be fulfilled. But,,, let's not be so eager and so preoccupied that we ourselves predict dates etc.

Because nobody knows the hour of Christ's return. However we can know the seasons.

Matthew 24:36
English Standard Version No One Knows That Day and Hour36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son,[a] but the Father only.
(C)
Next we read of an event where the doctrine of the rapture of the church is mentioned. There are lots of theories to when that will happen during the tribulation. And my point that I want to stick to is that it will happen.

Most teach that the rapture happens before the tribulation starts, so I'm in the middle. And some of the end.

But one thing we can be sure of and be comforted by is that Christ is coming for us to set up his kingdom here on earth!

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
English Standard Version16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

(D)
Last week Nancy mentioned this passage and it was this passage that inspired to prepare this message. There is much here from chapter 24.

Somethings we can learn from this passage. Jesus was a profit. And he prophesied correctly. And here we see Jesus warns us of many false prophets. False prophets from. inside the church, and we are warned to be careful. And to do that we need to know this book called "the Bible" it is our lifeline to the eternal God...

Matthew 24 1-51
English Standard Version Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple 24 
Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
Signs of the End of the Age3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. .....

(E)
Here in this next passage we see that we should be encouraged to fellowship and go to church and minister to one another. Notice where it says. All the more as you see the day approaching...
Hebrews 10:24-25
English Standard Version24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

(F)

Jesus has the authority to give eternal life, and to judge the world!
Sometimes we read parts in the Scriptures and it makes us uneasy. But that is part of the job of the Holy Spirit to change us from the inside, so that we will be changed and ready for The kingdom
Romans 2:6-8
English Standard Version6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking[a] and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and ???

(G)

Apart from reading the word, praying, going to church and doing our Christian traditions. Our saviour asks us to be busy serving one another.

Here's where I have a bone to pick with us man. And something needs to change in us. We are often too guilty of leaving a job at serving one another to The women. And there's no excuse in saying that they are better at it. Yes they probably are. But we are to serve one another and 
Service involves sacrifice. For those of you to serve in the church and serve in your community. Thank you. And God bless, may we all follow and do the same.

Matthew 24:42-51
English Standard Version42 
Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. .....

(H)
When Christ does return. It will not be in secret it will not be something we have to figure out. Why? Because
Revelation 1:7
English Standard Version7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail[a] on account of him. Even so. Amen.
(I)
Concerning the kingdom. And the end of this age. It is not until the gospel has been preached to all nations. And we are very close and accomplishing that. But there still more to do.
Matthew 24:14
English Standard Version14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
(J)
How will Jesus return again. In the clouds, coming from glory
Acts 1:11
English Standard Version11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
(K)
What is the best thing about the kingdom of God? I try to imagine it, and I have a very hard time picturing it. Even after knowing all the Scriptures and visualizing and then imagining what it will be like. It's almost too much for me. But this I do know for certainty. That the Lord will be there!
Hallelujah. And it is amazing to think that Jesus the God of the universe who doesn't need us. Is busy preparing a place for us.
John 14:3
English Standard Version3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
 (L)
Here we see you again in Jesus speaking of the prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem, that will happen some decades later and 70 AD, but we also see an added detail, that the end will calm when the time of the Gentiles is accomplished
Luke 21:20-24
English Standard VersionJesus Foretells Destruction of Jerusalem20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, 22 for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. 23 Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
(M)
Do you know that when you read the book of revelation there is a promise that you will be blessed? Blessed are those who read and keep the words of this book
Revelation 1:3
English Standard Version3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
(N)
For those of us a little older and knows what it's like to have aches and pains and not be able to run so fast etc. The hope of having a glorified body that never grows old never get sick and never dies is amazing. Not to mention what we would be able to accomplish...
1 John 3:2
English Standard Version2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears[a] we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
Are you ready?
Let's pray

Kevin sings: “In Christ Alone”

CLOSING PRAYER:

CLOSING HYMN:  # 12 Jesus Loves Even Me (verses 1 & 2) Mary’s Songbook

BENEDICTION & CHORAL AMEN:       
POSTLUDE:  Nancy & Norm

THIS IS THE DAY
This is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made,
We will rejoice, we will rejoice, and be glad in it,
This is the day that the Lord has made,
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
This is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made.

Open to us, open to us the gates of God,
We will go in, we will go in, and praise the Lord,
Open to us the gates of God, we will go in and praise the Lord,
Open to us, open to us the gates of God.

You are our God, you are our God, we will praise your name,
We will give thanks, we will give thanks, for your faithfulness,
You are our God, we will praise your name,
We will give thanks for your faithfulness,
You are our God, we will praise your name.

THE GREAT PHYSICIAN NOW IS NEAR
The great physician now is near, the sympathizing Jesus,
He speaks the drooping heart to cheer, of hear the voice of Jesus.

Refrain:
Sweetest note in seraph song, sweetest name on mortal tongue,
Sweetest carol ever sung, Jesus, blessed, Jesus.

And when to that bright world above we rise to be with Jesus,
We’ll sing around the throne of love his name, the name of Jesus......Refrain

REJOICE, THE LORD IS KING
Rejoice, the Lord is King, your sovereign Lord adore,
Give thanks, o mortals, sing and triumph evermore.
Lift up your heart; lift up your voice; rejoice, again I say, rejoice.

For Christ the Saviour reigns, the God of truth and love,
When Jesus purged our stains, he took his seat above.
Lift up your heart; lift up your voice; rejoice, again I say, rejoice.

Rejoice in glorious hope, for Christ the judge will come
And take the faithful up to their eternal home.
We soon shall hear the archangel’s voice; the trump of God shall sound, rejoice.

August 2, 2020

PRELUDE: Nancy & Norm
PROCESSIONAL: Thy Word
CALL TO WORSHIP: ONE: It is a good day to be gathered together. ALL:  This day is a gift from God. ONE: It’s a good day to give thanks. 
ALL:  This day is a gift from God. ONE: It’s a good day to ask for help. ALL:  This day is a gift from God. ONE: It’s a good day to worship God. ALL:  This day is a gift from God.

WELCOME & COVID RULES:

OPENING HYMN: #78 This Is The Day

OPENING PRAYER & THE LORD’S PRAYER:  
ANNOUNCEMENTS, BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES:

SCRIPTURE READINGS:
Ezekiel 38:14-16 2 
Ezekiel 38:14-16
New International Version14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety, will you not take notice of it? 15 You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. 16 You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.

Peter 3:3-5 2 
2 Peter 3:3-5
New International Version3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water.

Thessalonians 1:5-10
1 Thessalonians 1:5-10
New International Version5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
HYMN: #359 The Great Physician Now Is Near
PRAYER:
MEDITATION: Broken Training

Have you ever taken time to think about athletes? Whether its a tennis player, a swimmer, a cyclist or a football player, they all have something in common: they need to stay in shape.

Perhaps you've been to dinner with an athlete and when it came to dessert he or she refused to eat any. Why? Because he was in training. Not eating a lot of sweets isn't the only thing a coach wants you to do. He doesn't want you to smoke, drink alcohol or keep late hours. The coach wants his players to keep in shape and he enforces his rules until the end of the season. But if a player refuses to give up these things, he won't be as good a player as he could be. This isn't good for the player, the coach or the team. We always want the best player we can get!

Mark 13:13 says, "Whosoever stands firm to the end will be saved." In sports, the team or individual that plays hard to the end, wins the game. For example, in baseball it's important to hit the ball, run to first base, reach second and then third base. But the most important part of the game, the only thing that finally matters, is to reach home plate. What a disappointment it is for a player to reach third base but the third strike out comes and he never reaches home.

Jesus often used shock therapy to get His followers attention in order to drive home his point. And today, in these continuing difficult times, the signs of the times should shock Christians into re-evaluating their faith. Just think of the terrible disasters that have happened in 2020: the Australian bush fires, the Puerto Rico earthquakes, the Ukraine plane crash, the Canadian military helicopter crash, the Snowbirds crash, the mass shooting in Nova Scotia and of course, the coronavirus pandemic. All these things happened in the first six months of this year. And these are the most catastrophic of events. I haven't even mentioned the hundreds of other terrible things that go on everywhere in the world on a daily basis: murders, rapes, suicides, racism, tornadoes, hurricanes, flood, droughts — the list goes on and on.

Now let's go back to the book of Mark and concentrate on Chapter 13. First, I'd like to ask a question. When you're travelling, especially by plane, how many of you have been mesmerized by a specific landmark on your descent? For example, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Sydney Opera House, The Great Wall of China or the Statue of Liberty. And, the Twin Towers in New York City until that day in September 2001 when these man-made wonders tragically toppled to the ground after being attacked by terrorists.

A similar thing happened over 2000 years ago. Then, the people marveled at a man-made wonder of the world only to be shocked by a prediction of the destruction of that great building. This prediction was made by Jesus as He and His disciples made their way to the Mount of Olives during the last week of Jesus' ministry here on earth.

Jesus had been teaching in the temple, and as He and His disciples left the temple, they noticed the foundation stones. They were very large and joined so tightly together that they seemed like living rock. And Jesus said, "Do you see all this? I tell you, not one stone will be left here. They shall all be torn down."

The disciples were silent thinking about this as they climbed the slopes of Mount Olivet. But before they went over the crest, Jesus stopped and sat down with His disciples looking back upon the city. Alone now, with no crowds around them, the disciples asked Jesus: "Tell us when all these things will happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and when will the world come to an end?" It seemed to them that the temple couldn't possibly be destroyed until judgement day.
 
Jesus knew that His disciples couldn't understand how many hundreds of years it would be before the second coming. Their minds were focused on the prophecy that Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed. So Jesus told them of the destruction of Jerusalem, and made it the sign of the end of the world, when He would come again in glory.

"Let no one deceive you," He said, "for many will come in My name and many will be deceived. You will hear of wars and rumors of war, but don't be alarmed. They have to come, but that isn't the end. All this will just be the start of sorrows. They will persecute you and put you to death and you will be hated because you bear My name. Many will betray and hate one another. And because evil will increase, the love of many will become cold. But he who holds on to the end will be saved."

Thirty eight years later the prophecy was fulfilled when a Roman general captured the city, slaughtering a million people and capturing nearly a hundred thousand more. The temple was burned and in searching for the melted gold and silver in the ruins, the Roman soldiers tore down the remaining walls.

But now, on the Mount of Olives, Jesus continued His prophecy. He looked far into the future saying, "Immediately after the troubles of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will give no light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and all the powers of heaven will be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man and all the nations of earth shall mourn when they see Him coming in the clouds of heaven in all His power and glory."

But of all the signs of His coming, the greatest Jesus told them was this: "The gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness to all nations and then the end will come." And then Jesus warned the disciples not to be deceived by people claiming to be the Christ, who were false messiahs.

We've all heard of cult leaders who have deceived large numbers of people by warning them that the end was near. Their followers gathered on a mountain top, a ranch or in some far away jungle, simply because they had been tricked by some fanatic into believing that God had told him to take them into seclusion to await the end. Jesus was so accurate in His prophecy that some so-called preachers would use disasters to proclaim that the end is near. We Christians mustn't get caught up in the panic associated with catastrophes, which have been, and will continue to be, the kind of things that happen in an imperfect world.

As I said earlier, we want the best players we can get. Giving up things is not all that is expected of athletes in training. They have to exercise and work out every day in order to keep their muscles toned. They study the rules and plays of the game so they won't bring a penalty on the team. Then, they sit down with their coach and figure out their strategy so they can reach their goal in spite of the opposition.

There's a lot of work, even in play. Almost any game you think of takes work. The bigger the game, the harder the work. And we need a coach. Take a moment to think about the big game which each one of us has to play, whether we want to or not! It's the great game of life. Some of us are good players and others are not.

Jesus is a wonderful coach in this game of life. He wants the people on His team to train so they will be the best players they can be. Like any coach, there are some things He asks you not to do. He asks you not to be evil minded, not to envy, not to steal or kill. He asks you to exercise every day in purity, in faith, in prayer, so that your spiritual muscles will be strong. And He asks you to study His rule book, the Bible. Don't be the person who loses in the game of life because you didn't train. "Whoever stands firm to the end will be saved."
 
Let us pray: Dear Lord, we ask Your blessing on the game of life we play every day. Give each one of us the courage to play the game in a way which by our words and actions is pleasing to You. We ask You to bless each one of us. Keep us under the protection of Your Son, Jesus Christ, and help us be aware of His presence with us as we participate in the game of life. Amen.
 
CLOSING PRAYER:
CLOSING HYMN: #267 Rejoice The Lord Is King
BENEDICTION & CHORAL AMEN:
POSTLUDE: Nancy & Norm

 
Call to worship:
One: Give thanks to the Lord for he is Good
All: His love endures forever
One:The Lord is with me, I will not be afraid
All: His love endures forever
One: The Lord is with me, He is my Helper
All: His love endures forever
One: the Lord is my strength and my song
All: His love endures forever
One: The Lord is God, and He has made his light shine upon us
All: His love endures forever
One: You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God and I will exalt you. Give
thanks to the Lord for He is good
All: His love endures forever


Scripture readings:
Deuteronomy 10:12-21

New International VersionFear the Lord12 And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
14 To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. 15 Yet the Lord set his affection on your ancestors and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations—as it is today. 16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. 19 And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. 20 Fear the Lord your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. 21 He is the one you praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.
Romans 8:18-26
New International VersionPresent Suffering and Future Glory18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that[a] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.


MESSAGE

"So what are we afraid of?"
We as a society, both local, national and international, are experiencing something unprecedented in our generation. A world-wide disease pandemic that threatens to take many lives, and indeed has taken many lives. So far, the measures taken to save lives and protect the vulnerable, have had massive repercussions on the daily lives of millions of people. Many people live in fear of becoming sick. A lot of the measures that the authorities and individuals have taken are based on that fear.

As I thought about it, it occurred to me that FEAR is the "expectation of loss". The fear of sickness, fear of death etc is actually the expectation of loss of life, of loss of health, loss of relationship with loved ones, loss of normal everyday life, loss of control of our life as we know it.

Even before the current situation erupted in March, I had been thinking about the concept of FEAR. We are used to fear, we deal with fear every day; words like "fear" and "afraid" populate our vocabulary. "I am afraid I can't make it"; "I planned to paint the shed, but I am frightened it is
going to rain" "I am afraid you are too old for the reduced price ticket.." thousand of ways we use the words afraid, frightened, or fear in our everyday speech.

I recently concluded a certification as a Herbalist. A herbalist defines disease or sickness as an "abnormal state" or a condition where the cells and tissues are not functioning as "normal", rather than a state whereby a foreign element has been introduced. In order to treat disease, a herbalist uses plants and natural elements to assist the body in regaining a healthy, or normal, condition. A support mechanism, if you will, rather than an attack on the diseased cells with a substance toxic to the body.

I thought in a way, the state of fear is similar: a condition where we expect loss or lack of what we believe we need or are entitled to. Fear is an abnormal state, a state where we are lacking peace and wholeness, and one that threatens or challenges the condition of our lives, or our very life. Indeed, living in fear can actually affect the state of one's physical and mental health.

At the moment, authorities are warning that one of the consequences of the pandemic, even for those who were not actually sick with the virus, is mental illness, or to look at like it a herbalist would, a state of lack of complete mental health.

The Bible talks a lot about fear. In fact, churches have a not-so-good reputation of capitalizing on fear in order to keep people under control. We have all heard the phrase "put the Fear of God into you". The many empty churches perhaps tell the story that this method did not work in the long run. People are tired and fed up of being controlled by fear. Being told we have to behave or "God with get you" or God will punish you, or take away the things or people we love.

Is this true? Is this what God does? The Bible does tell us to "fear God". Let's look at what it actually says:

Deut. 10:12-21.
Here God actually gives us some definitions of what "fear of God" looks like. Speaking to the tribe of Israel at the time, He said that all He asks of His people is to fear the Lord your God. In fact, if God IS Love, then the command to "fear" Him, is given in our best interest, for our protection.

He goes on to say: love Him, serve with all your heart and soul, observe the Lord's commands. Then we are safe, under HIS umbrella, if you will.
Prov 8:13 to fear the Lord is to hate evil

Ps 11:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, all who follow His precepts have good understanding

Prov 10:27 the fear of the Lord adds length to life
Prov 14:27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death
Prov 15:33 the fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honour
Prov 19:23 the fear of the Lord leads to life, then one rests content, untouched by trouble
Prov 29:25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe

From these verses we see that the Fear of the God isn't quite the shaking in our boots type of fear that we are led to believe it is. It is actually a decision to obey Him, to follow His ways and seek Him. Rather than the former mentioned kind of fear, it is the respect and honour given to a God who is all-powerful, who is the One in charge of life, and who ultimately is the one who gave Himself for us that we may have abundant life.

We read in Ps 27, that the Lord, whom we respect and honour as the all-powerful, the one who holds life in His hands, is our light and salvation, the stronghold of our life. Therefore, whom shall I fear? Of whom shall I be afraid? Certainly not the giver of life.

How do we enter into this condition of peace, of not having fear of circumstances, of experiencing the strength of God, his light and salvation?

I would like to read some verses from Psalm 34 and 37. When you go home today perhaps take some time and read carefully through both Psalms. I think you will find they are almost a checklist of what we can do to claim this protection and the peace it brings. Not only that, we can implement that promise, by speaking our commitment to God.

Psalm 34 has special importance to me, as at one point in my life at a
time of fear and stress, this psalm gave me the strength and hope to believe that God would look after things and all would be well. Which it was.

The Bible tells us that perfect love drives out fear (1John 4:16-19). Jesus has given His life for us, and there is no greater love than this (John 15:13). Perfect love comes from God, who actually says "God is Love". Jesus actually tells his followers "do not be afraid". He calls us to trust Him, that He is our comfort and in the midst of all the troubles of life, He brings us peace.

The kind of peace that doesn't make sense, that no one can really understand. Though things don't always go smoothly, and life is never perfect, there is the peace that comes from knowing that in Jesus, there is really nothing to lose. And that is essentially what we fear. Fear of losing what we have, losing our way of living, our loved ones, our life.

As the Apostle Paul said, "for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21) Death is no longer something to be afraid of (1Corinthians 15:55 "Where O Death is your victory? Where O death is your sting?").

In Christ I have the promise of true life, assurance of eternity with Him, and I need not fear for anything. The everyday circumstances that challenge us really cannot remove us from that place of peace, knowing that our very lives are in the hands of the One who loves us most. The Lord will not forsake his faithful ones, those who take refuge in Him, they will be protected forever.

CALL TO WORSHIP (from Psalm 46) Randy

God is our protection and our strength. He always helps in times of
trouble
So we will not be afraid if the earth shakes, or if the mountains fall into the sea.
​We Will not fear even if the oceans roar and foam, or if the mountains shake ​at the raging sea.
There is a river which brings joy to the city of God. This is the holy place where God Most High lives.
God is in that city, and so it will not be shaken, God will help her at dawn.
Nations tremble, and kingdoms shake. God shouts and the earth crumbles.

CANADA DAY LITANY:  Nancy
This is God's land. From coast to coast, from the far off reaches of the north, to the windswept shores of east and west, to the border with our southern neighbour, God is present in this land

Here are God's people. From Aboriginal Nations to recent immigrants, from fifth generation farmers to newly arrived professionals. God's people surround us.

Now is God's time. Even amid our limited ability to travel and be with others this
summer, God is with us, amid the bird song, the fresh smells of summer and the limited
way we can gather together, we honour this holy day together.
This is a time to honour God. Let us give thanks and praise

CANADA DAY PRAYER: 0 God, we gather in worship after many months of being apart. We
reflect on our nation this Canada Day Sunday. We reflect on the people within it and our
ways of building and being a better community. We look for ways to be Your people in
this community and in this country. We seek a renewed understanding of what it means
to be a country of compassion and to form a land of principles, integrity and justice.
May we live with confidence and hope in our service to one another, strengthened for
this service by the gifts of Your Spirit, this day and every day. Amen

PRAYER:      
God of hope and love, as our world seems more and more chaotic in this time of pandemic, help us open our hearts and minds to Your peace. Sometimes, when we are alone, bombarded by news and statistics, we may feel lonely, scared, apprehensive and afraid that nothing will ever be the same again. In those moments, be with us so that we may feel Your love surrounding us and help us to remember that You will never leave us.

Give us the strength to reach out to other people to share our feelings and fears and to listen to theirs so that together we may find calm in knowing that we are your people and You give us all we need, moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day. In all things and no matter how we feel, give us the knowledge and wisdom to always give thanks to You that the gift of gratitude may help us return to You and overcome the fear that threatens us. Bless us God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen

Offertory Hymn:        
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him, all creatures here below:
Praise him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

Offertory Prayer:       
God of Promise, many of us have trouble discerning the Living
Christ in our lives. Use these gifts to quiet the traffic and turmoil of life's stresses. Enable us through our faithful giving to discover a deeper reverence for the humble and gentle message of Jesus Christ. Lift our heavy burdens so we can prayerfully respond to the peace and calm repose that You provide for us today and forever. in the name of Jesus
Christ, we pray. Amen.

Song with Kevin Harvey
​

Scripture reading
Lamentations 3:17-26
New International Version17 I have been deprived of peace;
    I have forgotten what prosperity is.
18 So I say, “My splendor is gone
    and all that I had hoped from the Lord.”
19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
    the bitterness and the gall.
20 I well remember them,
    and my soul is downcast within me.
21 Yet this I call to mind
    and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”
25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
    to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
    for the salvation of the Lord.
​

Romans 8:18-30
New International Version 
Present Suffering and Future Glory
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that[a] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[b] have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

​
Philippians 4:4-9
New International Version 
Final Exhortations
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

MEDITATION : Yes God is among us.

Yes, God Is Among Us
Let us begin with prayer: This hour we turn to You, 0 Lord, in full knowledge of our frailty, our vulnerability and our great need as your mortal creatures. We cry to you, as one human family, unsure of the path ahead, unequal to the unseen forces around us, frightened by the sickness and death that seems all too real to us now. Stir up Your strength and visit us, 0 Lord; be our shield and rock and hiding place. Guide our leaders, our scientists, our nurses and doctors. Give them wisdom and fill their hearts with courage and determination. Make this time, 0 Lord, a season of blessing for us, that in fear we find You mighty to save, and in illness or death, we find the cross to be none other than the way of life. All this we ask in the name of the One who bore all our infirmities, Jesus Christ, our Risen and victorious Lord. Amen.

For the past 4 months we have been living in a new reality. As Christians we believe that God is in control, has a grand plan for us all. So it's easy for us to question why a pandemic has engulfed the entire world and caused such chaos. Life is different from what we've known. We've had to self isolate, keep 2 meters distance, no social interaction. It's been a difficult time for everyone.


Fifteen years ago, during the SAM outbreak, we were still able to attend our places of worship. This time, we have to protect ourselves and others in an attempt to slow down this virus. Shutting down restaurants, community centers, schools, businesses and churches has been enforced to keep our social distances. There have been postponed weddings and no funerals. it has been a social duty that we've had to accept.


The wisdom of our faith allows us to say: Yes, God is among us. We didn't need to be in church to be with God, but it sure feels great to back this morning, even though our service is being celebrated in a different way.


Social distancing means we are restricted on what we can do and where we can go. And even though things are starting to open up, we still need to be vigilant. This is hard on all of us. I've missed my children and grandchildren, but I'm thankful they're well and safe. I've missed my church family and wish I could give each one of you a great big hug, but that will have to wait.


I Peter 1:5-7 says: In this you greatly rejoice, though now, for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that reality of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honour and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.


We really don't know how strong our faith is until it is put to the test. The testing of our faith produces patience and patience is the ability to persevere, to hold up and continue when others are ready to give up.


It's been a scary few months. Even if you're healthy and at no risk, you could unwittingly be a carrier and expose someone who is vulnerable. That is why people have had to work from home. We have not been able to visit our loved ones in hospitals or care homes. It's been hard for so many, but necessary for overall safety of everyone.


Perhaps some of us are questioning our faith and asking ourselves, "Why did God allow this to happen?"


God is letting us know just how vulnerable we mortals are. But think about this: if it wasn't for God's mercies, we would experience even more threats to our existence. Right now the world is not what God intended it to be. The world and its people have lost sight of their faith and the goodness of others. We move too quickly through life and this makes us vulnerable.


The wisdom of our faith and the witness of the church throughout the ages is to say, "Yes, the Lord is among us." We don't need to be in church to be with God. God's presence is not quarantined.


God is letting us experience just how much we are not in control of our
existence. We tend to think we can make plans, work the plans, and the plans will all lead to the goal, the future, we ourselves have imagined for ourselves. It just doesn't work that way. And God is letting us experience that fact.


God is using this crisis to minimize our divisions and dissidence. The last few years have witnessed communities and nations being torn apart. The spreading of Covid 19 is bringing us together to face a common threat. I believe God is using it to help people experience again what it feels like to work together for the common good.


God is showing us, once again, that when we all start looking out for each other, life is fuller. Even if we are still motivated by self-interest. Hoarding all the toilet paper and hand sanitizer at the grocery store is self-defeating; it only makes it harder for others to be healthy. People are beginning to think of the consequences for everyone. Just think, if we could learn to look out for the whole community in non crisis times what a better world this would be!


God is bringing us to a place to cry out for healing. This crisis has been
difficult for our medical systems to handle. We need help from beyond the systems and people who wouldn't have normally prayed are now praying big time!


In this time of physical distancing to stop the spread of the virus, we are
discovering more about how deep our human longing is for community. We live in a society with great divisions and we all know of people who are alone in a time of despair and anxiety. We must take the love that God has given us and reach out to others in the ways that are available to us. This is not something we do to earn the favour of God. Instead, staying in contact with others is how God blesses us, letting us be a conduit of grace to those we call, write and meet with online.


The current state of our world is uneasy at best. It seems each one of us is choosing to handle the Covid 19 crisis differently. We see memes popping up all over social media making light of a dire situation. Friends and family in medical professions work on the frontlines of this pandemic every day. Parents isolate with their children, seeking protection from exposure. Others are going about things flippantly as if there isn't any actual threat to human life. It has created a sense of helplessness. Collectively we seem uncertain of where to turn. Society at large has lost a perceived sense of control, and the realities of death and grief seem to be staring everyone in the face.


But in the midst of uncertainty there is One who is in control. There is One we can turn to. There is One who holds the whole world in His hands. God is graciously reigning over the world in the midst of fear and panic. He is not threatened by this pandemic, nor is He surprised. Our suffering from disease should be expected in the Christian faith. The Bible speaks clearly of Jesus' authority over sickness.


While the Covid 19 virus is certainly serious, we as Christians can put our trust in the fact that God is in control. Jesus has the authority and power to heal who He wants, when He wants and how He wants. We may not fully understand God's plan in the midst of this pandemic, but we can trust that His plan is always for our good and His glory. Even as our plans change, the purpose of the Lord remains faithful. In this trial, Jesus does not leave us, the cross remains our only hope of assurance.


God will not leave us or forsake us now or ever. He made sure of that
through the life, death and resurrection of Christ. If you believe the gospel and seek to live in the light, then you can take heart that Jesus, in all His power and might, is walking with us during this time of uncertainty.


Let us pray: We have come before You today knowing that You are with us. In this time of persistent change and unknowing, we crave Your ever present grace. In this time of many questions and few answers, we are desperate for Your truth. In this time of confusion and uncertainty we desire Your constant love. Speak peace to the fears we name in our hearts and minds. Calm the inner and unspoken anxieties we carry. Soothe our wearied and worried souls from the incessant apprehension. For those who bodies bear illness, we pray. For those whose spirits are devastated by isolation, we pray. Help us remember that You are with us, for You alone give us strength. In Your holy name, we pray. Amen.

BENEDICTION & CHORAL AMEN:        (Thessalonians 2:1647)
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word. Now may the Lord of peace himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance, The Lord be with you all.

podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cDovL3RhbGtpdG91dC5qb3ljZW1leWVyLmxpYnN5bnByby5jb20vdGFsa2l0b3V0&episode=Njg4ODFjOWItZDMxNi00Yzk4LWJjMDctZjMwMDUyYjVlYThh&hl=en-CA&ved=2ahUKEwiAn5DYq-roAhVnRN8KHSXeC_YQieUEegQIAxAG&ep=6​​

Halleujah!     This Song says it all

https://youtu.be/tbX4ZlmFVPw?t=3

 EASTER SUNDAY CANDLE LIGHTING LITURGY
(Suggestion …you may like to light a candle after reading this)
 Christ The Lord Is Risen Today
The Risen Saviour shines upon you! Let this place resound with joy, echoing the mighty song of all God’s people!
The Lord be with you                                                                  And also with you                                                                                         
Lift up your hearts                                                                      We lift them up to the Lord.                                                          
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.                                            It is right to give thanks and praise.

It is indeed right that with open hearts, clear minds, and exuberant voices we should praise You, unseen God, creator of all that is, and Your only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who has ransomed us by His death, and has risen triumphant from the grave.

Therefore, in joy of this blessed morning, when sin is washed away and mourning is turned to joy, accept our sacrifice of praise. Grant that this Easter candle make our darkness light, for Christ the morning star has risen, never again to set, and is alive and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

The Gate of Everlasting Life

Almighty God, who through your only‑begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord’s resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
— Book of Common Prayer, 1979 version, Amen.

Easter Scripture Readings:
 
Mark 16:5-7
5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 
6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 
7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ ”
 
 
Luke 24:1-12
1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 
2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 
3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 
4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 
5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 
6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 
7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 
8 Then they remembered his words. 
9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 
10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 
11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 
12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.


On the Road to Emmaus
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples
36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
The Ascension of Jesus50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.
 


There are 2 versions of the  "Christ the Lord has Risen Today!" 

please take a listen to them ...they are both wonderful!

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzy7jFNUc3w&list=RDnzy7jFNUc3w&index=1

 Dear God,
Thank you that you make all things new. Thank you for the victory and power in your Name. Thank you that you hold the keys over death, that by your might, Jesus was raised from the grave, paving the way for us to have new life with you. Thank you that you had a plan, that you made a way.

We confess our need for you…fresh…new…again. We ask that you renew our hearts, minds, and lives, for the days ahead. We pray for your refreshing over us.

Keep your words of truth planted firm within us, help us to keep focused on what is pure and right, give us the power to be obedient to your word. We trust that your voice speaks louder and stronger, reminding us we are safe with you and that your purposes and plans will not fail. We ask that you will be our defense and rear guard, keeping our way clear, removing the obstacles, and covering the pitfalls.
 
Shine your light in us, through us, over us. May we make a difference in this world, for your glory and purposes. Set you way before us. May all your plans succeed. We may reflect your peace and hope to a world that so desperately needs your presence and healing.
 
Thanks be to you God, for your indescribable gift! To you be glory and honor, on this Easter Sunday, and forever.
In Jesus’ name. Amen
 
 
Corona Virus Prayer
Jesus Christ, you traveled through towns and villages “curing every disease and illness.” At your command, the sick were made well. Come to our aid now, in the midst of the global spread of the coronavirus, that we may experience your healing love.

Heal those who are sick with the virus. May they regain their strength and health through quality medical care.

Heal us from our fear, which prevents nations from working together and neighbors from helping one another.

Heal us from our pride, which can make us claim invulnerability to a disease that knows no borders

Jesus Christ, healer of all, stay by our side in this time of uncertainty and sorrow.

Be with those who have died from the virus. May they be at rest with you in your eternal peace.

Be with the families of those who are sick or have died. As they worry and grieve, defend them from illness and despair. May they know your peace.

Be with the doctors, nurses, researchers and all medical professionals who seek to heal and help those affected and who put themselves at risk in the process. May they know your protection and peace.

Be with the leaders of all nations. Give them the foresight to act with charity and true concern for the well-being of the people they are meant to serve. Give them the wisdom to invest in long-term solutions that will help prepare for or prevent future outbreaks. May they know your peace, as they work together to achieve it on earth.

Whether we are home or abroad, surrounded by many people suffering from this illness or only a few, Jesus Christ, stay with us as we endure and mourn, persist and prepare. In place of our anxiety, give us your peace.

Jesus Christ, heal us. Amen
​
This originally appeared in ‘America Magazine 
 
 
"New Easter Song"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCQsK1t9EKY

Easter Grace Blessing
​May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us this day.
May this meal be blessed as we gather to celebrate together.
May your love be shared amongst us as we enjoy the gift of fellowship.
May we remember to give out the grace and forgiveness that you have freely given us,
And may we always give thanks for your sacrificial love.
Amen.