 Getting reddy with Chenaniah Welcome The Rockburn congregation is pleased to be here.
Hymn : Church in the Wildwood there’s a church in the valley by the wildwood, No lovelier spot in the dale; No place is so dear to my childhood, As the little brown church in the vale. Refrain Come to the church in the wildwood, Oh, come to the church in the dale, No spot is so dear to my childhood, As the little brown church in the vale. How sweet on a clear, Sabbath morning, To list to the clear ringing bell; Its tones so sweetly are calling, Oh, come to the church in the vale. Refrain There, close by the church in the valley, Lies one that I loved so well; She sleeps, sweetly sleeps, ’neath the willow, Disturb not her rest in the vale. Refrain There, close by the side of that loved one, To trees where the wild flowers bloom, When the farewell hymn shall be chanted I shall rest by her side in the tomb. Refrain From the church in the valley by the wildwood, When day fades away into night, I would fain from this spot of my childhood Wing my way to the mansions of light. Refrain Reading of the Scripture in French by Mark Conversion de Saul 9Cependant Saul, respirant encore la menace et le meurtre contre les disciples du Seigneur, se rendit chez le souverain sacrificateur, 2 et lui demanda des lettres pour les synagogues de Damas, afin que, s’il trouvait des partisans de la nouvelle doctrine[a], hommes ou femmes, il les amène liés à Jérusalem. 3 Comme il était en chemin, et qu’il approchait de Damas, tout à coup une lumière venant du ciel resplendit autour de lui. 4 Il tomba par terre, et il entendit une voix qui lui disait: Saul, Saul, pourquoi me persécutes-tu? 5 Il répondit: Qui es-tu, Seigneur? Et le Seigneur dit: Je suis Jésus que tu persécutes. [Il te serait dur de regimber contre les aiguillons. 6 Tremblant et saisi d’effroi, il dit: Seigneur, que veux-tu que je fasse? Et le Seigneur lui dit:] Lève-toi, entre dans la ville, et on te dira ce que tu dois faire.7 Les hommes qui l’accompagnaient demeurèrent stupéfaits; ils entendaient bien la voix, mais ils ne voyaient personne. 8 Saul se releva de terre, et, quoique ses yeux soient ouverts, il ne voyait rien; on le prit par la main, et on le conduisit à Damas. 9 Il resta trois jours sans voir, et il ne mangea ni ne but. 10 Or, il y avait à Damas un disciple nommé Ananias. Le Seigneur lui dit dans une vision: Ananias! Il répondit: Me voici, Seigneur!11 Et le Seigneur lui dit: Lève-toi, va dans la rue qu’on appelle la droite, et cherche, dans la maison de Judas, un nommé Saul de Tarse. 12 Car il prie, et il a vu en vision un homme du nom d’Ananias, qui entrait, et qui lui imposait les mains, afin qu’il recouvre la vue. Ananias répondit: 13 Seigneur, j’ai appris de plusieurs personnes tous les maux que cet homme a faits à tes saints[b] dans Jérusalem; 14 et il a ici des pouvoirs, de la part des principaux sacrificateurs, pour lier tous ceux qui invoquent ton nom. 15 Mais le Seigneur lui dit: Va, car cet homme est un instrument que j’ai choisi, pour porter mon nom devant les nations[c], devant les rois, et devant les fils d’Israël; 16 et je lui montrerai tout ce qu’il doit souffrir pour mon nom.  Saul’s Conversion 9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. 10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. 11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” 13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall. Presenting Norm singing God's unchanging hands Norm, who is about to sing us all a song, rather than speak to you in his broken French, has asked me to relate this little story before he sings his song. It happened about ten years ago that he and Harley and others performed this servic and after the service was over Norm went walking among the tables of the antique vendors. While he was strolling around, a man signaled him to approach. The man saidhe had been at the service a while agoand had found it very pleasing and complemented Norm on his singing. He said, now there's something else I wanted to say about the service and I hope you will not take offense. That is that during the entire service not one person said even one single word in French. He said " I know you are all English and speak French poorly, but you could have said at least a little welcome and something else even in a broken French, to acknowledge us". Then he said , wagging his finger, " You know, God is not only for the English. Please don't take offense at this because no offense is intended. It is just a suggestion that this could be a good thing to include in the service if you have occasion to do it again". Well Norm said he was absolutely correct and apologized that we had been completely blind to this and would certainly fix it next time. What the man said touched Norm deeply as he recalled that just exactly when we delude ourselves into thinking that everything is as it should be between ourselves and God, a message is sent to remind us that there is still much work to be done. Traduction / translation in French! En vous présentant Norm Rennie qui va chanter pour nous maintenant, il a tenu à ce que je vous relate un fait vécu qui l’a énormément touché et qui explique ma présence en avant ce matin. Pour les habitués de cette exposition antique de la vallée de la Châteauguay, vous reconnaîtrez très certainement Norm qui chante souvent à ces services. Il y a 10 ans Harley et la congrégation de l’église presbytérienne de Rockburn était responsable de ce service, et Norm avait chanté. Après la célébration, il est allé faire un tour parmi les kiosques des exposants . Un homme l’a interpellé pour le complimenter en lui disant qu’il avait trouvé le service bien plaisant et qu’il avait bien aimé les hymnes que Norm avait chanté. Il lui dit : j’ai une petite remarque à vous faire cependant à propos de la célébration et je ne veux pas que vous soyez offensé… il dit : "Pendant tout le service, personne n’a dit un seul mot de français durant toute la célébration. Je comprend bien que vous êtes en majorité des anglophones et que votre connaissance du français est limité mais j’aurais apprécié qu’au moins un petit bienvenue en français même mal prononcé soit dit afin que vous reconnaissiez que nous les francophones sommes aussi présents." Il dit en montrant du doigt: " Vous savez Dieu n’est pas juste pour les anglophones. Svp ne soyez pas offensé mais prenez le comme une suggestion d’inclure un peu de français dans votre célébration." Norm a reconnu qu’il avait entièrement raison et il s’est excusé de ne pas y avoir pensé et a promis qu’il remédierait à la situation. Cet épisode a amené Norm a penser que quand on croit illusoirement que tout va bien entre Dieu et nous et qu’on pense qu’on fait les choses comme il faut, un message nous est envoyé pour nous faire penser qu’on a encore un petit bout de chemin de plus à faire et qu’on peut faire mieux. God's unchanging hands Time is filled with swift transition, Naught of earth unmoved can stand, Build your hopes on things eternal, Hold to God’s unchanging hand. Refrain: Hold to God’s unchanging hand, Hold to God’s unchanging hand; Build your hopes on things eternal, Hold to God’s unchanging hand. Trust in Him who will not leave you, Whatsoever years may bring, If by earthly friends forsaken Still more closely to Him cling. Covet not this world’s vain riches That so rapidly decay, Seek to gain the heav’nly treasures, They will never pass away. When your journey is completed, If to God you have been true, Fair and bright the home in glory Your enraptured soul will view. Prayer time Creator and still creating God. As we live each day, we want to be your disciples, following in your footsteps, doing what you would do, Therefore we want to be a channel for peace. We want to bring friendship where there is hatred; healing where there is hurt; joy where there is sadness; and comfort where there is fear. Let us at all times try to understand others and delay judgement untill we have walked a mile in their shoes. On these grounds Today, we are many families, with multiples religious backgrounds. All are good if we are true to our understanding of the short life of Jesus of Nazareth. May the eternal principles of Jesus, justice, truth, kindness, peace flow from our hearts without price or discrimination  Sermon by Harley Bye "Who held the rope?" Paul's escape Over the wall in a basket, with a rope several people holding the rope. Make the rope longer....Who held the rope? Begging the answer :
Picture Christianity without Paul
That is Paul... what a life What a life, those who held the rope! unnamed unknown , but they were there. Today we give honour by acknowledging they existed. Those who are here today represent generations of foreparents who held the rope. Farms, schools, churches, are all the 7 things to learnreminders that someone was there...tangible reminders. We can do no less. But exactly what are the intangible ropes; let me be more specific : Here they are written by the same guy that escaped in a basket suspended by a rope, held by unnamed friends. Paul wrote to Philippians and explained the 7 things to hang onto, valid then, valid now: "Finally, brothers, 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." Hold those ropes... Amen Hymn Refrain: Amigos de Cristo; we're friends of the Lord; Amigos de Cristo; we're friends of the Lord. For we've been forgiven, and we've been restored, Amigos de Cristo; we're friends of the Lord. 1. Friends of the covenant renewed each morn; baptized and loving it, we've been reborn. Gift of the dove is ours for evermore. Amigos de Cristo; we're friends of the Lord. (Refrain) 2. Born of a family, the young and old, we'll be on hand to see new life unfold. We understand the need to be made whole. Amigos de Cristo; we're friends of the Lord. (Refrain) Benediction          
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( written by Harley Bye read by E. Waller) Pastoral Prayer God of the Universe, superlative metaphore, Cosmic Mystery, how should we address thee? Your reality is revealed to us by the amazing harmony observed every where- from the infinitely small components of the atom to the mind boggling distant galaxis. Such knowledgecompell to proclaim the words of the Psalmist : " The heavens declare the glory of God, our planet demonstrate his handiwork. Such a confluence of theology and astronomy teases the mind and fires the imagination. Lord God, we are deeply grateful for today, and for this assembly of apostles....We thank you God for us. Expand our understanding of how best to use each golden hour alotted to us. Sparks fly upwards, a compass points North, and the River of time flows onward. For this unique hour, we share Today this morning, we say again "Thank you" May the Joy of the Lord be with us today and forever....Amen` The scripture : Song of Songs Chapter 2 : 8-13 8 Listen! My beloved! Look! Here he comes, leaping across the mountains, bounding over the hills. 9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Look! There he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice. 10 My beloved spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me. 11 See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. 12 Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. 13 The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.” Hymns of choice : Gordon Rennie Part of the family How great Thou art To God be the Glory The commentary The scripture today is called the Song of Songs. It is a book of the Old Testament.It is a narative poem about a young man and his sweetheart. In the poem, they speak back and forth, sharing their feeling of love. A theorem is a proposition open to further though and study. It is our theorem today that love and faith are best expressed in song and poetry. The hymns of the church combine the Two= the words are always poetry, and the tune is the music. Together is said what often cannot be expressed otherwise. We are beings with a vast ocean of memories and feelings, dimley felt which ordinarary prose cannot find the words to express. So much happens in life that is irrational the we echo the thoughts of Bruce Springsteen "I don't know what to believe" The text today is verse 12 of Song of Songs, Chapter 2 " flowers appear on the earth, and the season for singing has come" The peotry of love is made into songs of love, and love is everywhere- whether romantic love, the love of life, the love of friends, love of country, or love of God. This is the time for singing, says the author. The "song of songs" is the title of this book. In some translations it is called the Songs of Solomon. Most people have never read this book. It is never read in churches. Song of Songs is a poem about romantic love and physical intimacy. We do not know who wrote it ( Tradition says it was Solomon) nor who first published it, and certainly , we do not know why the bishops of the church included it as part of the Canon of Holy Scripture. ( Perhaps a little erotica seemed natural to them- nowadays some bishops have been indited for excessive erotica) At any rate, this book is a beautiful picture of physical and romantic love, and reminds us that God made man and woman as we are, Sensuous love and intimacy are part of a healthy life and according to this author, something to sing about. Yes! love is something to sing about, weather romantic love between man and his wife, or about friendships and most of all about God and about country. The beloves ( the woman) says in today's text - " arise my darling, flowers have appeared on earth, the season for singing has come....AMEN Hymns of choice : Betty Waller In the bulb there is a flower I'll fly away Old rugged cross By Norm Rennie and Rob Ireland Time is filled with swift transition, Naught of earth unmoved can stand, Build your hopes on things eternal, Hold to God’s unchanging hand. Refrain: Hold to God’s unchanging hand, Hold to God’s unchanging hand; Build your hopes on things eternal, Hold to God’s unchanging hand. Trust in Him who will not leave you, Whatsoever years may bring, If by earthly friends forsaken Still more closely to Him cling. Covet not this world’s vain riches That so rapidly decay, Seek to gain the heav’nly treasures, They will never pass away. When your journey is completed, If to God you have been true, Fair and bright the home in glory Your enraptured soul will view. Hymns of choice : Eric Pritchard Wings of a dove God sees the little sparrow fall Battle hymn of the republic Beyond the Sunset Amen   |
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