Canada Day service prepared by Nancy Campbell

WORDS OF WELCOME: 


So Jesus came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. Welcome to worship! Jesus calls us here from far and near to hear a message of peace. Whether you feel far from God, or near to Him, this peace can be yours this morning, a gift from the God of grace,

Let us pray: God of grace, you know are hearts, you know what we need even when we ourselves don't know what it is. This morning, fill us with peace; peace that passes understanding, peace that bubbles over, peace that needs to be shared, so that we can be Your disciples with good news for our neighbours near at hand, and our neighbours far away.

Now let us pray together the prayer Jesus 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 gory. Amen.

Scripture


Psalm 72:1-8
King James Version (KJV)


72 Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son.

2 He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.

3 The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.

4 He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.

5 They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.

6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.

7 In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.

8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

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PRAYER FOR CANADA DAY: 


O Lord, we gather in Your presence on this Sunday before Canada Day. We read of Your "dominion" in Psalm 72, and claim this promise-that Your will would prevail in this land. We pray for the movement of Your Holy Spirit across this nation and for the work of Your church in every city and village.

O Lord, make us mindful of Your generosity, and glad to do Your will. Bless our land with honest industry, truthful education, and an honourable way of life. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride, arrogance, and from every evil course of action. Make us, who come from many different backgrounds and cultures, a united people-one in purpose and vision. Give our government a spirit of wisdom and compassion, that there may be justice and peace in our land. When times are prosperous, lead us to thanksgiving, and when times are troubled, lead us to a deepening trust in You.

All this we ask in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

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QUOTES FROM CANADIANS (and others):


"Canada is an interesting place, the rest of the world thinks so, even if Canadians don't" Terence M. Green


"Canadians are generally indistinguishable from Americans, and the surest way of telling                                                                                                                                the two apart is to make the observation to a Canadian."                                                               Richard Staines


"There are no limits to the majestic future which lies before the mighty expanse of Canada with its virile, aspiring, cultured, and generous-hearted people." 
Sir Winston Churchill


"In a world darkened by ethnic conflicts that tear nations apart, Canada stands as a model of how people of different cultures can live and work together in peace, prosperity, and                                                  mutual respect."            Bill Clinton


"I don't even know what street Canada is on."  
Al Capone

                                                                                                                                                                  "When I'm in Canada, I feel like this is what the world should be like."                                            Jane Fonda


"Canadian girls are so pretty it's a relief now and then to see a plain one." 
Mark Twain


"Canada is the greatest nation in this country."
Former Toronto Mayor Allan Lamport


"Canada is a country whose main exports are hockey players and cold fronts. Our main                                                                                                       imports are baseball players and acid rain."                                                                                           Pierre Elliot Trudeau


"Your Majesty, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and Madame Houde thanks you                                                           from her bottom too."     
Montreal Mayor Camillien Houde in 1939 to King George VI

SKIT:         "Knowing You"

The theme of "Knowing You" is how well God knows us. The characters are a loving husband, who's a nice guy, with a sense of humour, and quiet at times, and his loving wife, who also has a sense of humour and is somewhat of a talker.

The scripture reference is from Psalm 139:1-6. "0 Lord, You have searched me and known me; You know when I sit down and when I rise up. You understand my thoughts from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, 0 Lord, You know it all."


Cast: 
Nancy- Loving wife, sense of humour and somewhat of a talker
Randy- Loving husband, nice guy, sense of humour, quiet at times

Selection From Mary's songbook with Gordon Rennie

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So What Do Canadian Have To Be Proud Of?
compiled by Nancy Campbell


I'm going to start with a short poem written by Anastasios especially for Canada Day.


Red and white flooded the streets.
Tears flowed down the faces of many.
As cries, yelled out of victory. It was truly an emotional sight, Even for the strongest of us. Who broke down with tears, On this day, on July 1, 1867;
When we became a nation. When we became Canada!


So what do Canadians have to be proud of? I found a list of 24 reasons on the internet that I'd like to share with you.


1.      Smarties

2.      Crispy Crunch & Coffee Crisp

3.      The size of our football fields and one less down

4.      Baseball is Canadian

5.      Lacrosse is Canadian

6.      Hockey is Canadian

7.      Basketball is Canadian

8.      Apple pie is Canadian

9.      Mr. Dress Up kicks Mr Rogers butt

10.  Tim Hortons kicks Dunkin' Donuts butt

11. In the war of 1812, started by America, Canadians pushed the Americans back. .. past their White House. Then we burned it...and most of Washington, under the command of William Lyon McKenzie who was insane and hammered all the time. We got bored because they ran away, so we came home and partied ... go figure!

12.  Canada has the largest French population that never surrendered to Germany

13.  We have the largest English population that never ever surrendered or withdrew during any war to anyone, anywhere

14.  Our civil war was a bar fight that lasted a little over an hour

15. The only person who was arrested in our civil war was an American mercenary, who slept in and missed the whole thing ... but showed up just in time to get caught

16.  We knew plaid was cool far before Seattle caught on

17.  The Hudsons Bay Company once owned over 10% of the earth's surface and is still around as the worlds oldest company

18.  The average dog sled team can kill and devour a full grown human in under 3

minutes

19 . We still know what to do with all parts of a buffalo

20.  We don't marry our kin-folk

21.  We invented skidoos, jet-skis, Velcro, zippers, insulin, penicillin, zambonis, the

telephone and short-wave radios that save countless lives every year

22.  We all have frozen our tongues to something metal and lived to tell about it

23.  A Canadian invented Superman, BUT MOST IMPORTANT

24.  The handles on our beer cases are big enough to fit your hands with mitts on.

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"In the Moment." "Give me a moment. " "Just a moment, please. " We live our lives "in the moment'  from moment to moment. For some of us moments flee by without a second thought. We have habits, routines, and schedules that keep us moving through life quite literally "without a moment's notice. "

In relationships withfamily and friends, we live moment to moment. 'Time to get up. " "Does this dress make me look fat?" "I love you. " A moment can be a seemingly insignificant span of time. The light changes from red to green. Waitingfor the commercial to end The time it takes for a web page to load

Many moments require us to make choices: "Mom, can I go to the movies?" "Do you wantfries with that?" "Are you going to church today?"

A moment can also change our lives forever: "Will you marry me?"

"That car came from out of nowhere. " Congratulations, it's a boy!"


Skits can create great moments. Moments of laughter. Moments of tears. Hopefully they will entertain the audience and create memorable moments that cause you to stop, and think, and ponder. Ponder what? Well, each skit is different-but hopefully each one will make you think about how you spend your moments. Your moments in life alone, with family and friends, with strangers ... your moments with God.  I hope our two skits today make your moments count!

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SKIT:         "The Impertinence of Being Emestine"

There are three themes in "The Impertinence of Being Ernestine"; loving your neighbour, prayer and living at peace. Ernestine is an elderly Christian lady with a short temper and no patience. Lionel is a young Christian man who is generally likeable and tries hard to get along with others and who is patient to a point.

The scripture reference is taken from Galatians 5:14; "For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself""; and from Proverbs 3:29, "Do not devise harm Against your neighbour while he lives securely beside you. "

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O God of people, we pause to acknowledge You again. Your sovereignty over our lives and our country. We remember before You our comrades now departed this life. We honour them for their loyalty to God and country,for their good deeds, andfor their friendship. Make us reverent in the use of freedom, just in the exercise of power, and generous in the protection of weakness. Inspire the men and women who direct our nation, that they may guide it wisely and well. May the good works You have begun ns us be brought to perfection, that our nation may be strong and our people secure and happy. Let us depart in peace and may God's blessing be with us all.


AMEN