GREETINGS ANNOUNCEMENTS
MINUTE FOR MISSION
HYMN #401 Worship the Lord
CALL TO WORSHIP
One: The day was long, it was filled with fear.
They fled for home, wanting to leave it all behind.
ALL: A STRANGER JOINED THEM.
HE WALKED WITH THEM. HE TALKED WITH THEM.
One: The events of the day had taken hold of them.
Each step felt heavy, their hearts were filled with dread.
ALL: ON THEY WALKED, OVER HILLS AND THORUGH THE VALLEY.
WITH EACH STEP THEY MOVED FARTHER AWAY…
One: They approached a town,
The light was growing dim, the sun was setting.
ALL: STAY WITH US STRANGER, THEY CALLED,
THE DAY IS SPENT, THE NIGHT HAS COME
One: Together they found comfort and safety.
ALL: IN THEIR HEARTS LAY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS,
WITHIN THEIR SOUL SAT UN-NAMED GRIEF.
One: And then the stranger took bread and broke it…
ALL: THEIR EYES WERE OPENED,
THEIR HEARTS WERE ENFLAMED,
THEIR SOULS REJOICED.
PRAYER OF APPROACH:
One: In life, in death,
In life beyond death,
ALL: WE ARE NOT ALONE!
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!
One: In the steps of the journey
In the breaking of the bread.
ALL: WE ARE NOT ALONE!
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!
One: From Jerusalem to Clanwilliam
From Minnedosa to Galilee
ALL: WE ARE NOT ALONE!
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!
One: From the empty tomb to the shore of Galilee
From the upper room to a distant village
ALL: WE ARE NOT ALONE!
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!
One: In life, in death,
In this world and beyond
ALL: WE ARE NOT ALONE!
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD! AMEN.
HYMN #642 Be Thou My Vision
PRAYER FOR WHOLENESS
One: Merciful and Almighty God
Through the rising of the Christ from the grave,
You broke the powers that enslave us
You broke the power of death over us.
ALL: IN THE BREAKING OF THE BREAD
YOU OPENED THE EYES OF THOSE WHO COULDN’T SEE YOU.
One: Holy and Loving God,
Through the mystery of The Resurrection
You set us free
ALL: HELP US TO FIND IN OUR LIVES
THAT WHICH NEEDS TO DIE,
HELP US TO FIND IN OURSELVES
THAT WHICH NEEDS RENEWAL
HELP US TO FIND IN OUR COMMUNITY
THAT WHICH NEEDS TRANSFORMATION
(pause)
One: Resurrect in our lives,
ALL: FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE.
One: Renew and recreate us O Holy One,
ALL: AS YOU RAISED CHRIST FROM THE GRAVE,
RAISE US FROM LIVES IN NEED OF YOU…
One: Guide our steps
ALL: AS WE FOLLOW THE RISEN ONE. AMEN.
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Luke 24:13-35
Intro to the Gospel readings …
Throughout this reading we hear the words – peace/shalom, faith, believe and most outrageously – JOY.
The happenings of today’s reading come in the hours after Mary had returned from the tomb and told the disciples that it is empty and that she has been told by mysterious visitors that Jesus is risen and no longer dead …
What thoughts and feelings were tearing through the disciples and those who had been following Jesus?
Two of those in his entourage have headed out of town – fleeing to the village of Emmaus that was to the west in the hills of Judea … they were seeking solace and comfort from the fear and the very real threat of retribution by the Roman and Jewish authorities. As they walked the 20 kilometers they were talking about the events and happenings that had just washed over all of them … And then they were joined by a stranger and before sundown, they would experience for themselves the Resurrection in the most unexpected of ways and in the most unexpected of places …
Such is our lesson from the reading – to open our eyes to the Holy wherever we may find it …
Psalm 4 (pg. 727 V.U.)
HYMN #169 Good Christians All, Rejoice and Sing
STORY STOOL:
CHOIR ANTHEM:
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Acts 3:12-19
Intro to the reading from Acts:
In the context of fear and a very real threat to those who followed Jesus, Peter and the others step and begin to speak boldly and courageously about who Jesus was and what his life, death and resurrection means to the world …
We can argue for hours and hours and hours – well, in truth, we can argue for centuries about the Resurrection because that is just what the Church has done – but we will continue to have disagreements because each of us understand what the resurrection is and was in a different way.
As a people of faith – faith in the resurrection we proclaim our certainty in the Resurrection and look for its presence in our lives -
What proof of presence of the resurrection in our lives, look to the example of Peter and the others who had been in ministry with Jesus. One day they are cowering in fear in the upper room, then in a matter of hours they are brazenly standing in the courtyard the temple – the very temple whose authorities had helped to orchestrate Jesus’ arrest, trial and death – and they are proclaiming loudly and boldly that Jesus has risen and without fear they are witnessing to their faith …
From fear to courage …from death to life … our readings today challenge our understanding of the world and ask us how we are living the resurrection …
Luke 24:36-48
Intro to the second part of Luke:
We have spoken of, and encountered the resurrection. We’ve noted the use of words like peace/shalom, faith, believe and JOY. But the question remains – what shall we do with these things …
Holding these things together in our faith and our lives is the gift of prayer. Not prayer as a divine wish list we give to a heavenly santa, but prayer as the conversation we have in our lives with the HOLY.
We can call God by many names. We can call God the higher power, or Jehovah or Yahweh. We can speak of God as our friend and companion, as the creator or as the sustainer of life – but our readings today remind us that whatever terms we use, what ever concepts we call to mine, whatever way we chose to speak of God – it is how we experience God that really matters.
The disciples, in the hours and days following Jesus’ death experienced the Resurrection in a very real and tangible way. A way that sent them out into the world transformed and forever changed. There was no fear nor trepidation in them after their experience with the Resurrection. They went with boldness and courage to proclaim to the world the simple truth – “He is Risen.”
Our challenge is to live the prayerful life that is intimately connected with the Holy presence of God that is all around us …
SERMON:
So, where is the Spirit in this moment? Where is the Holy as we sit here right now? Where do we find the Holy as we leave this place and return to our lives?
The undercurrent of our Gospel reading is a lesson in finding the Holy in the midst of the mundane and not only having our hearts burn with that discovery, but having the vision and the faith to see and experience for ourselves the Holy that is often found in the ordinary and everyday moments.
Our readings find the disciples leaving Jerusalem later in the day in which Mary Magdalene came and said “the tomb is empty … He is risen!” They were no doubt filled with apprehension and fear. Their departure was probably more about safety then anything else … they were fearful of what was swirling around them, and fearful of the outcomes over which they had no control.
So they walked from Jerusalem to Emmaus, a small village about the same distance Minnedosa is from Basswood or Cadurcis. You could walk it in a couple of hours … The disciples were doing just that – walking down the well worn road that lead from Jerusalem out to the coast a few dozen kilometers distant beyond Emmaus. As they walked they talked – it seems from the text that they were talking about the events that had just occurred – the arrest, trial and execution of their teacher and friend. In a sense they did what all of us do when we’re with friends and trying to pass the time: they talked about politics and recent events in their lives (in this case they were one and the same).
As they walked a stranger joined them. He joined their conversation too. He listened and spoke – he guided the disciples through the writings of the prophets that their teacher had turned to so frequently. He explained the events of recent days by using the ancient words of the prophets who came down out of the hills and called the people to faithfulness …
What is significant in this reading is the moment after the two travelers invited the stranger to stay with them … the night had come, and it was seldom safe to travel the roads through Israel, even with the Roman occupation … so they invited him to join them, which he did. Then in a startling moment as they sit down to supper, the stranger takes the bread and offers a blessing and breaks the bread … in that moment the eyes of the disciples are opened and they recognize the stranger as Jesus. The same Jesus that Mary had told them earlier in the day – that he had risen.
The key phrase: “in the breaking of the bread” is one that is central to our understanding of what it means to be Church. We gather around the table and we break the bread and pour out the cup. In the breaking of the Bread our eyes are to be opened and we are to see, not only in the communion before us, but in the gathering of those around the table, the holy – the Risen One. We should find Christ in the moment when we take the bread and break it.
And so, the question we should ask ourselves when we read this story of the traveling disciples and the stranger, is whether or not we have the courage and the faith to have our eyes opened and to find and experience the Holy presence of the Risen Christ in our OWN lives not just here when we have communion, but throughout our daily lives?
This experience is perhaps lived most fully when we confront death and loss.
How often after a death or loss do we say or think – “I wish I would have said …” or “Gee, I wish I would have done this …”
Or how many of us have ordinary mundane things in our homes that have now become precious heirlooms because they once belonged to someone we’ve cared deeply about and have lost them, or they were gifts form someone we’ve said farewell to?
We all have such things – things imbued with memories and history and meaning because … because of what once was.
Frequently we will hear people say – “if only I had known – I would have …” and we express a regret of things said or not said, actions taken or not taken – regret that we often call “the woulda, shoulda, coulda’s …”
Our Gospel reading this morning is a challenge to seize that moment – not later – but when it happens. Our readings challenge us to seize the day, and live in the holy right now in our day to day lives and to find the holy in the ordinary and mundane.
As people of the resurrection we are to say, to do and to express what is in our hearts and souls. Like the call from the teacher in Dead Poets’ Society, we are to seize the day – carpe diem – and no longer put off for later what we can and should be doing today.
This is not an advocating of mindless consumerism or hedonism that puts me ahead of everyone else. It’s not about the toys, the status, the vacations – we’ll not find the satisfaction in these things – but rather it is an embracing of the HOLY in the relationships within our lives. We are to find God, not just here in Church one day a week, but finding God in the idle chit chat over coffee with a friend or neighbour.
It can begin with the simple thought of – If I know this person that I’m talking to is NOT going to be here in three hours what would I do differently? Would I waste my time chatting about the weather, or will I tell them what they mean to me? Will I focus on last night’s scores, or speak instead of what’s important?
The reality that the Emmaus Road experience teaches us is that our faith is reflected in how we treat others. Living in the Holy leaves no room for dishonesty and manipulations, and living in the Holy calls us to reject such things when we’ve experienced them. Living in the Holy, and opening our eyes to its presence in our lives is about focusing on what’s important in our lives and our relationships.
There’s an old adage that observes that you will seldom hear people say – “If I had it to do over, I would have spent more time in the office …” How true that is … the lesson for people like me who are work-aholics and who will willingly work 60-80 hours a week, is to slow down and re-prioritize. It tells me that the extra 20-30 hours that I often spend a week doing work tasks aren’t really that important after all, and often they aren’t appreciated anyway.
For the rest of us, those who are not work-aholics, we learn to value what’s important – family, friends – the relationships that give life its meaning.
Where I saw this most clearly was a few years ago when I was called to preside at the funeral of a woman who had lived with Down Syndrome throughout her life. As I sat with her family none of them said anything about her being Down Syndrome. They said – “she had never married, … she lived in care … she didn’t talk much …” Finally I teased it out of them that she was different, and in time her brother finally said – “she had down syndrome.”
I asked them to tell me about her – what did she like to do, what was important to her, what gave her life meaning … They then talked about her love of chocolate, her love of gifts – both giving and receiving, her love of flowers – they spoke of the aggravation of going to formal gardens with her: she had to smell EVERY flower, hugs, she loved to give and receive hugs from her family and caregivers, and colouring – her nieces, now young women in their 20’s laughed as they recalled the hours and hours they still spent colouring with Auntie – she loved to colour …
In a few short minutes we compiled a long list of things that this woman liked to do. Simple, ordinary, almost childish things that she liked to do and experience. In the eulogy, I mused about what the world could be like if we followed her lead and gave one another more gifts, enjoyed chocolate a little more, and spent more time colouring then fretting over things that don’t really matter anyway … and hugs, what kind of a world would we have if we had the courage to offer and receive more hugs?
At the end of the service the mother of this women came to me and wept as she said that for the first time she could see her daughter as a gift from God rather then simply retarded. She told me that when her daughter was born, the priest at her home parish told her that her daughter was a “monster and should be institutionalized, for the good of the family,” something she resisted her whole life … Now, in death she could see the Holy in the simple things like colouring, giving presents and giving gifts.
This is the lesson of Emmaus – when we least expect it, when we think we have it all sewn up – when we are focused on what WE think is important – then, just when we think we know all the answers God WILL break through and startle us. The Holy – The Resurrection – the very presence of the living God is all around us. Our challenge – our call – our taks – is to open our eyes to see and to live it.
The disciples saying: “Didn’t our hearts burn within us?” tells us all we need to know – when we encounter the holy – wherever it is – our hearts will burn within us. Our responsibility in faith is to feel that burning, and to lay aside our petty concerns, our petty politicking, our petty egos and focus instead on the presence of the Holy that stirs within us and calls us to something higher and something new.
The first step comes from a comment made in Bible Study on Friday. One of our number said her mother had a plaque on the wall that said – “Don’t say or do anything that you wouldn’t want to be saying or doing when Jesus comes…”
And so it begins – our readings speak of joy, peace (Shalom) and faith – they celebrate the holy in the ordinary. It begins by living our lives with faith and by seeing and celebrating the Holy wherever we find it.
In the coming days, may we have the courage, the faith and the vision, to not only find the Holy, but to let the burning within our hearts and souls live and celebrate the Holy in every moment. In the coming days may we live that Holiness in everything we do …
May it be so – thanks be to God – let us pray …
OFFERING:
OFFERTORY:
PRAYER OF DEDICATION:
HYMN: #563 Jesus, You Have Come to the Lakeshore
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE THE LORD’S PRAYER
HYMN: #232 Joyful, Joyful We Adore You
COMMISSIONING/BENEDICTION:
SUNG RESPONSE: HYMN #424 May the God of hope Go with Us
The worship has ended…
…the work of God’s people has just begun
Go in peace
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
M&S Lunch – following worship today! All are welcome.
Confirmation Classes will resume next Saturday at 12:30 at Minnedosa Bowl.
Today is Camping Sunday – our thoughts, prayers and best wishes to the Board, Staff and Volunteers of Prairie Spirit United Church Camp as they prepare for this year’s camping season.
AOTS – meet this Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m.
Concert of Choirs and Quartets – May 9th, 7:30 p.m., MCCC. Proceeds to the Rebuilding Fund.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Thursday, April 27, 2006
One more step along the road we go ...
The Re-Building Committee of Minnedosa United Church has met twice ... the first meeting was a process of getting aquainted with the work we had before us ... the second meeting has begun in earnest the process of envisioning and actualizing the new building that WILL replace the one we lost to fire.
The tasks on the table right now are consulting with possible partners who might want to work with us in the redevelopment of our site, and interviewing and considering possible architects to help us in the redevelopment ...
I've been told by several people that the simple fact that as a congregation we've continued to mark the passing of the Church seasons and we've been continuing to function in a "business as usual" is remarkable. I would like to think that it is what prairie people do - when adversity strikes they don't sit and bemoan the hardship. Instead they help each other up and dust one another off and carry one ... and that's just what we've been doing.
It's not a denial of what happened, but a simple statement of - "we are an Easter people ..." and we WILL and DO live the resurrection by continuing to do what we have always done - being a living presence of God's community in Minnedosa.
The other things I've been told is that we've progressed fairly rapidly on the process of envisioning and actualizing the rebuilding of a building. It has only been three months, and we're already starting to talk to architects ... Along the way, the leadership of Wilf Taylor has meant that we've had conversations about what we want in the new building and we have a "wish list" to work with, and we've talked about location, partners and other things that sometimes takes weeks and weeks to get to. I'm sure we'll have some heated discussions when it comes to things like colour and room sizes ... but for now, the process is moving ahead smoothly and relatively quickly.
Along with it donations continue to trickle in ... every gift helps and is appreciated, and offers of any number of items continues ... (I have to wonder how you respectfully say "thanks but no thanks for your offer of red, and blue hymn books??" We don't want them either ...)
In many ways it's been a great journey ... there's some issues that need to be addressed, and there will have to be some decisions made ... but in the mean time, the walk to rebuilding continues, and in time a new building will rise on Main St ... with each passing week we simply take one more step along the road ...
L'chaim,
The tasks on the table right now are consulting with possible partners who might want to work with us in the redevelopment of our site, and interviewing and considering possible architects to help us in the redevelopment ...
I've been told by several people that the simple fact that as a congregation we've continued to mark the passing of the Church seasons and we've been continuing to function in a "business as usual" is remarkable. I would like to think that it is what prairie people do - when adversity strikes they don't sit and bemoan the hardship. Instead they help each other up and dust one another off and carry one ... and that's just what we've been doing.
It's not a denial of what happened, but a simple statement of - "we are an Easter people ..." and we WILL and DO live the resurrection by continuing to do what we have always done - being a living presence of God's community in Minnedosa.
The other things I've been told is that we've progressed fairly rapidly on the process of envisioning and actualizing the rebuilding of a building. It has only been three months, and we're already starting to talk to architects ... Along the way, the leadership of Wilf Taylor has meant that we've had conversations about what we want in the new building and we have a "wish list" to work with, and we've talked about location, partners and other things that sometimes takes weeks and weeks to get to. I'm sure we'll have some heated discussions when it comes to things like colour and room sizes ... but for now, the process is moving ahead smoothly and relatively quickly.
Along with it donations continue to trickle in ... every gift helps and is appreciated, and offers of any number of items continues ... (I have to wonder how you respectfully say "thanks but no thanks for your offer of red, and blue hymn books??" We don't want them either ...)
In many ways it's been a great journey ... there's some issues that need to be addressed, and there will have to be some decisions made ... but in the mean time, the walk to rebuilding continues, and in time a new building will rise on Main St ... with each passing week we simply take one more step along the road ...
L'chaim,
Sunday, April 23, 2006
To the ends of the earth ... the legacy of a non-doubting Thomas
GREETINGS ANNOUNCEMENTS MINUTE FOR MISSION
HYMN #173 Thine Is the Glory
CALL TO WORSHIP
One: This is the Good News of Easter –
The Grave is empty,
Christ is Risen
ALL: HALLELUJAH! HE IS RISEN INDEED.
One: This is the Good News of Easter –
The light shines in the darkness
and the darkness can never put it out.
ALL: ONCE WE WERE NO PEOPLE,
NOW WE ARE GOD’S PEOPLE:
THE LIVING BODY OF CHRIST
One: In the quiet in the garden,
In the hush of the upper room
The Risen Christ greets us
ALL: WITH HANDS STILL WOUNDED
WITH FEET STILL DRIPPING WITH DEW
THE RISEN ONE CALLS BY NAME.
One: Death and darkness are dispersed,
ALL: RESURRECTIONS ABOUND,
WE ARE AN EASTER PEOPLE
OUR SOULS ARE FILLED WITH HALLELUJAH!
HYMN #155 Jesus Christ Is Risen Today
PRAYER OF APPROACH:
One: Just before daybreak,
Mary went to the tomb.
ALL: A VOICE CALLED: “MARY.”
One: As she stood weeping in the garden,
a voice spoke to her saying,
ALL: WHY ARE YOU LOOKING FOR THE
LIVING ONE AMONG THE DEAD?
HE IS NOT HERE …
One: As she stood in the garden a voice said,
ALL: DO NOT BE AFRAID,
BUT GO AND TELL THE OTHERS…..
One: In the quiet of the evening the disciples cowered in the upper room
ALL: AND A VOICE SAID
“PEACE BE WITH YOU”
One: In the quiet of the evening,
Thomas came filled doubt,
ALL: WITH BOLDNESS AND FEAR HE SAID,
“UNLESS I SEE AND TOUCH, I WILL NOT BELIEVE”
One: In the hushed darkness of the night
Behind locked doors, they gathered
ALL: AND A VOICE SAID
“PLACE YOUR HAND HERE AND BELIEVE…”
One: In the quiet murmur of our day
ALL: A VOICE CALLS US BY NAME,
A VOICE CALLS US IN PEACE
A VOICE CALLS US TO BELIEVE. AMEN.
HYMN #396 Jesus, Stand among Us
PRAYER FOR WHOLENESS
One: We are an Easter people,
A people of The Resurrection
ALL: WE SEARCH FOR SUNBEAMS IN THE STORM
WE CELEBRATE CROCUSES IN THE SNOW
WE FIND THE SIGNS OF SPRING
STIRRING IN THE WINTER’S THAW
One: We are an Easter people,
ALL: IN THE FACE OF DEATH WE CELEBRATE LIFE.
IN THE DARKNESS WE PROCLAIM LIGHT.
One: We are an Easter people,
ALL: WE LEAP AND DANCE,
OUR BEINGS SATURATED WITH HALLELUJAHS,
BECAUSE THE LORD LIVES, WE LIVE.
One: We are an Easter people,
ALL: WE ARE A PEOPLE OF THE RESURRECTION!
HALLELUJAH!
SCRIPTURE READINGS: John 20:19-31
Acts 4:32-35
CHOIR ANTHEM:
STORY STOOL:
HYMN: #856 Miren Que Bueno (Psalm 133)
SERMON:
Church tradition tells us that Thomas, the one who said he wouldn’t believe unless he saw with his own eyes, the wounds in Jesus’ hands, and placed his hand on the wound on Jesus side … Thomas, the one who has come down through history to us known as “Doubting Thomas” … the same figure we’ve encountered in our readings today, was the one who carried the Church into the far east and founded the Christian Church in India and the sub continent. Thomas, tradition tells us journeyed far beyond the then known world to share the Gospel.
So, if Thomas was one of the first missionaries to travel far beyond the confines of Israel and also the Roman empire, why is it that he comes down to us as a sad figure? Calling someone a doubting Thomas is not an edifying statement – it is a criticism.
But is Thomas, the one who had the courage to speak his doubt, a negative figure in this morning’s reading?
What if, Thomas’ bold proclamation that he will not believe unless he sees and feels the resurrected Christ for himself, is actually a bold and courageous act?
As contemplated Thomas this week, my mind has been drawn to innumerable examples in history of individuals who stood up for what they believed in. Individuals who said simply to the crowds around them – “this is not what I will believe in … this is not what I will be about …” and they boldly charted their own path, sometimes in the very face of the society and the power structures in which they lived and moved.
Think of Galileo Galilie, the astronomer and scientist. Galileo boldy explored things like gravity and astronomy, and came to the conclusion that the earth revolved around the sun, not the sun revolving around the earth. “Outrageous” screamed the authorities of the day … and they drove Galileo to his knees and forced him to renounce his own theories …
Then quietly, some five hundred years later the Catholic Church said -“Oops, we were wrong … Sorry Galileo. You were right !!” Too bad Galileo wasn’t around to hear the long overdue apology.
It would be lovely to say that such things hardly ever happen, but over and over throughout human history we encounter again and again moments in time when the authorities, or the majority say – “you’re wrong,” only to be proven in the fullness of time to be the one in error. And usually, the Church is central in that process …
We could cite Columbus sailing westward into the Atlantic Ocean – the people he left behind believed in the core of their being, that the foolhardy sailor and his three ships would sail off the end of a vast flat disc that was the way they understood the earth … history, and our presence in North America proved Columbus a visionary. The flat earth-er – well, they’ve become a quaint anachronism in our modern society. And again, the Church was proven wrong …
In the modern era the struggle of minorities for equal rights may be another more obvious example of just such a moment when the majority, who hold the reigns of power are proven in time to be simply WRONG.
A powerful example of this call comes form a letter that Martin Luther King wrote in 1963 while sitting in a jail cell in Birmingham Alamaba for engaging in acts of civil disobedience. While King and others demonstrated and were arrested, the Christian and Jewish leadership of Birmingham and other cities called for an end to the disobedience. They pointed to the laws of the land and said – “Mr King you’re wrong,” They pointed to the Bible and said – “Mr King you’re wrong.” They pointed to the faith and the traditions of the Church and said – “Mr King you’re wrong.”
The leaders – the rabbis and priests and ministers of the South called on King to end his demonstrations and instead, wait for the right to vote, wait for equality, wait for things to change … “Wait Mr King,” they called – “Just wait.”
So from a jail cell King wrote in reply to their call to wait:
For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant 'Never." We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that "justice too long delayed is justice denied."
We have waited .for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God- given rights. The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward gaining political independence, but we stiff creep at horse-and-buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter. Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging dark of segregation to say, "Wait." But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six- year-old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people; when you have to concoct an answer for a five-year-old son who is asking: "Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?"; when you take a cross-county drive and find it necessary to sleep night after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel will accept you; when you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading "white" and "colored"; when your first name becomes "nigger," your middle name becomes "boy" (however old you are) and your last name becomes "John," and your wife and mother are never given the respected title "Mrs."; when you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what to expect next, and are plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you no forever fighting a degenerating sense of "nobodiness" then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait. There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair. I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience.
It was the leaders of the Church that told Martin Luther King and the minorities of the US to wait … wait … wait … Morality rested in the jail cell with King, yet the authorities and those holding power believed they were right.
Like a modern day Thomas, King spoke from the heart and called for justice – justice that transcended the laws of the United States. Over and over he said – sometimes God’s justice runs counter to the laws of the land – sometimes God’s justice makes us very uncomfortable …
The struggle against Apartheid is another example of the Church around the world telling the likes of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu that they were wrong in their fight. Churches around the world said for many years that those would we opposing Apartheid were simply WRONG … hmm, who has history proven to be right?
So how do we live a Thomas experience in the modern era?
Questions and doubt have a place in faith, questioning the way things are, and having the courage and the boldness to stand up for what we know is right is a good place to start.
Thomas stood opposed to the other disciples who excitedly told him that they had seen the risen Christ. Thomas wouldn’t profess belief until he saw and touched and experienced the Risen Christ for himself … Thomas had to live the resurrection first hand before he would say – “I believe.”
In the church we don’t like the Thomas experience. We want things nice and calm and everyone going with the flow … We don’t want the boat rocked. We don’t want to be stirred from our complacency. So we use the term doubting Thomas with derision.
We tell the likes of Martin Luther King and Desmond Tutu to wait. We scoff at the likes of Galileo and Columbus, laughing at their foolishness … We tend to follow like peacable, calm sheep … we don’t want to rock the boat.
But Thomas’ proclamation “My Lord and My God,” is not a statement of complacency nor cowardice. Thomas set the conditions for his belief and he BOLDLY walked forward … and then suddenly, before him stood the Risen Christ and when Thomas put his hand “just here” the power of the Resurrection surged through him and he simply said – “my Lord and my God …” and when he rose from his knees it was Thomas, doubting Thomas who bravely, brashly and boldly went out beyond the known corners of the world – far beyond the comfort of Galilee, perhaps even as far as modern day Thailand proclaiming to all whom he met the Good News that “He is Risen.”
Does this sound like the actions of a cowardly doubting wimp?? Thomas laid out his conditions for belief, and when they were met it was HIM (doubting Thomas) who boldly ventured way beyond the known world proclaiming the Risen Christ …
The challenge for us of the modern Church is to stand in that moment with Thomas and share his boldness and his courage – to share his willingness to stand opposed against the crowd. In the Church history shows us that such individuals are often the ones who take us by the hand into wonderful new areas of discovery, justice and learning – but when they stand up and speak their mind, they are seldom appreciated …
May we have the courage to hear the Thomas’ in our midst who challenge our assumptions and who are guided by the Spirit to lead us beyond our comfort zone, and even beyond the known world … May we have the courage to swim against the crowd, even when they claim to be right …
May it be so, thanks be to God …
Let us pray …
HYMN #703 In the Bulb There Is a Flower
OFFERING:
OFFERTORY:
PRAYER OF DEDICATION:
HYMN: #82 A Light Is Gleaming
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE THE LORD’S PRAYER
HYMN: #424 May the God of Hope Go with Us
COMMISSIONING/BENEDICTION:
SUNG RESPONSE: HYMN #884 You Shall Go Out with Joy
The worship has ended…
…the work of God’s people has just begun
Go in peace
====================================================
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Lunch – following worship service next week. Join in the fun, food and fellowship
Observer Subscriptions are due!! (We’ve had mention in The Observer twice since November). Cost is $14/year. For information call Marion McNabb or the church office.
Thanks to the generous responses of the community over the Easter weekend.
Ø The Maundy Thursday dinner at the Covenant Church donated $1400 to the Rebuilding Fund.
Ø The Good Friday service at MCCC donated $1250.00 to the Rebuilding Fund
Ø The Easter Sunday service at Townview Manor donated $300.00 to the Rebuilding Fund.
A HUGE thanks to Eleanor for her music leadership over the Eatser weekend – Eleanor played FIVE services in four days. Thanks Eleanor, and thanks to the choir!
Thanks to Cal Frost for ALL his help at Tanner’s Crossing School last Sunday morning.
Thanks to Perry, Dean and Jennifer at Minnedosa Funeral Services for the use and their support of the Maundy Thursday Service.
Thanks to the AOTS for last week’s brunch.
A belated thanks to Nancy McKay and the women of Curves for their donation to the Food Cupboard at the beginning of April.
Concert of Choirs and Quartets – May 9th, 7:30 p.m., MCCC. Proceeds to the Rebuilding Fund.
Memorial Service at the Personal Care Home – Tuesday, April 25th, 2006 at 2:30 p.m. All are welcome.
Building Committee meeting – Tuesday, April 25, 06 at 7 p.m. at the Adult Learning Centre.
HYMN #173 Thine Is the Glory
CALL TO WORSHIP
One: This is the Good News of Easter –
The Grave is empty,
Christ is Risen
ALL: HALLELUJAH! HE IS RISEN INDEED.
One: This is the Good News of Easter –
The light shines in the darkness
and the darkness can never put it out.
ALL: ONCE WE WERE NO PEOPLE,
NOW WE ARE GOD’S PEOPLE:
THE LIVING BODY OF CHRIST
One: In the quiet in the garden,
In the hush of the upper room
The Risen Christ greets us
ALL: WITH HANDS STILL WOUNDED
WITH FEET STILL DRIPPING WITH DEW
THE RISEN ONE CALLS BY NAME.
One: Death and darkness are dispersed,
ALL: RESURRECTIONS ABOUND,
WE ARE AN EASTER PEOPLE
OUR SOULS ARE FILLED WITH HALLELUJAH!
HYMN #155 Jesus Christ Is Risen Today
PRAYER OF APPROACH:
One: Just before daybreak,
Mary went to the tomb.
ALL: A VOICE CALLED: “MARY.”
One: As she stood weeping in the garden,
a voice spoke to her saying,
ALL: WHY ARE YOU LOOKING FOR THE
LIVING ONE AMONG THE DEAD?
HE IS NOT HERE …
One: As she stood in the garden a voice said,
ALL: DO NOT BE AFRAID,
BUT GO AND TELL THE OTHERS…..
One: In the quiet of the evening the disciples cowered in the upper room
ALL: AND A VOICE SAID
“PEACE BE WITH YOU”
One: In the quiet of the evening,
Thomas came filled doubt,
ALL: WITH BOLDNESS AND FEAR HE SAID,
“UNLESS I SEE AND TOUCH, I WILL NOT BELIEVE”
One: In the hushed darkness of the night
Behind locked doors, they gathered
ALL: AND A VOICE SAID
“PLACE YOUR HAND HERE AND BELIEVE…”
One: In the quiet murmur of our day
ALL: A VOICE CALLS US BY NAME,
A VOICE CALLS US IN PEACE
A VOICE CALLS US TO BELIEVE. AMEN.
HYMN #396 Jesus, Stand among Us
PRAYER FOR WHOLENESS
One: We are an Easter people,
A people of The Resurrection
ALL: WE SEARCH FOR SUNBEAMS IN THE STORM
WE CELEBRATE CROCUSES IN THE SNOW
WE FIND THE SIGNS OF SPRING
STIRRING IN THE WINTER’S THAW
One: We are an Easter people,
ALL: IN THE FACE OF DEATH WE CELEBRATE LIFE.
IN THE DARKNESS WE PROCLAIM LIGHT.
One: We are an Easter people,
ALL: WE LEAP AND DANCE,
OUR BEINGS SATURATED WITH HALLELUJAHS,
BECAUSE THE LORD LIVES, WE LIVE.
One: We are an Easter people,
ALL: WE ARE A PEOPLE OF THE RESURRECTION!
HALLELUJAH!
SCRIPTURE READINGS: John 20:19-31
Acts 4:32-35
CHOIR ANTHEM:
STORY STOOL:
HYMN: #856 Miren Que Bueno (Psalm 133)
SERMON:
Church tradition tells us that Thomas, the one who said he wouldn’t believe unless he saw with his own eyes, the wounds in Jesus’ hands, and placed his hand on the wound on Jesus side … Thomas, the one who has come down through history to us known as “Doubting Thomas” … the same figure we’ve encountered in our readings today, was the one who carried the Church into the far east and founded the Christian Church in India and the sub continent. Thomas, tradition tells us journeyed far beyond the then known world to share the Gospel.
So, if Thomas was one of the first missionaries to travel far beyond the confines of Israel and also the Roman empire, why is it that he comes down to us as a sad figure? Calling someone a doubting Thomas is not an edifying statement – it is a criticism.
But is Thomas, the one who had the courage to speak his doubt, a negative figure in this morning’s reading?
What if, Thomas’ bold proclamation that he will not believe unless he sees and feels the resurrected Christ for himself, is actually a bold and courageous act?
As contemplated Thomas this week, my mind has been drawn to innumerable examples in history of individuals who stood up for what they believed in. Individuals who said simply to the crowds around them – “this is not what I will believe in … this is not what I will be about …” and they boldly charted their own path, sometimes in the very face of the society and the power structures in which they lived and moved.
Think of Galileo Galilie, the astronomer and scientist. Galileo boldy explored things like gravity and astronomy, and came to the conclusion that the earth revolved around the sun, not the sun revolving around the earth. “Outrageous” screamed the authorities of the day … and they drove Galileo to his knees and forced him to renounce his own theories …
Then quietly, some five hundred years later the Catholic Church said -“Oops, we were wrong … Sorry Galileo. You were right !!” Too bad Galileo wasn’t around to hear the long overdue apology.
It would be lovely to say that such things hardly ever happen, but over and over throughout human history we encounter again and again moments in time when the authorities, or the majority say – “you’re wrong,” only to be proven in the fullness of time to be the one in error. And usually, the Church is central in that process …
We could cite Columbus sailing westward into the Atlantic Ocean – the people he left behind believed in the core of their being, that the foolhardy sailor and his three ships would sail off the end of a vast flat disc that was the way they understood the earth … history, and our presence in North America proved Columbus a visionary. The flat earth-er – well, they’ve become a quaint anachronism in our modern society. And again, the Church was proven wrong …
In the modern era the struggle of minorities for equal rights may be another more obvious example of just such a moment when the majority, who hold the reigns of power are proven in time to be simply WRONG.
A powerful example of this call comes form a letter that Martin Luther King wrote in 1963 while sitting in a jail cell in Birmingham Alamaba for engaging in acts of civil disobedience. While King and others demonstrated and were arrested, the Christian and Jewish leadership of Birmingham and other cities called for an end to the disobedience. They pointed to the laws of the land and said – “Mr King you’re wrong,” They pointed to the Bible and said – “Mr King you’re wrong.” They pointed to the faith and the traditions of the Church and said – “Mr King you’re wrong.”
The leaders – the rabbis and priests and ministers of the South called on King to end his demonstrations and instead, wait for the right to vote, wait for equality, wait for things to change … “Wait Mr King,” they called – “Just wait.”
So from a jail cell King wrote in reply to their call to wait:
For years now I have heard the word "Wait!" It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This "Wait" has almost always meant 'Never." We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that "justice too long delayed is justice denied."
We have waited .for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God- given rights. The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward gaining political independence, but we stiff creep at horse-and-buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter. Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging dark of segregation to say, "Wait." But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six- year-old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people; when you have to concoct an answer for a five-year-old son who is asking: "Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?"; when you take a cross-county drive and find it necessary to sleep night after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel will accept you; when you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading "white" and "colored"; when your first name becomes "nigger," your middle name becomes "boy" (however old you are) and your last name becomes "John," and your wife and mother are never given the respected title "Mrs."; when you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what to expect next, and are plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you no forever fighting a degenerating sense of "nobodiness" then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait. There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair. I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience.
It was the leaders of the Church that told Martin Luther King and the minorities of the US to wait … wait … wait … Morality rested in the jail cell with King, yet the authorities and those holding power believed they were right.
Like a modern day Thomas, King spoke from the heart and called for justice – justice that transcended the laws of the United States. Over and over he said – sometimes God’s justice runs counter to the laws of the land – sometimes God’s justice makes us very uncomfortable …
The struggle against Apartheid is another example of the Church around the world telling the likes of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu that they were wrong in their fight. Churches around the world said for many years that those would we opposing Apartheid were simply WRONG … hmm, who has history proven to be right?
So how do we live a Thomas experience in the modern era?
Questions and doubt have a place in faith, questioning the way things are, and having the courage and the boldness to stand up for what we know is right is a good place to start.
Thomas stood opposed to the other disciples who excitedly told him that they had seen the risen Christ. Thomas wouldn’t profess belief until he saw and touched and experienced the Risen Christ for himself … Thomas had to live the resurrection first hand before he would say – “I believe.”
In the church we don’t like the Thomas experience. We want things nice and calm and everyone going with the flow … We don’t want the boat rocked. We don’t want to be stirred from our complacency. So we use the term doubting Thomas with derision.
We tell the likes of Martin Luther King and Desmond Tutu to wait. We scoff at the likes of Galileo and Columbus, laughing at their foolishness … We tend to follow like peacable, calm sheep … we don’t want to rock the boat.
But Thomas’ proclamation “My Lord and My God,” is not a statement of complacency nor cowardice. Thomas set the conditions for his belief and he BOLDLY walked forward … and then suddenly, before him stood the Risen Christ and when Thomas put his hand “just here” the power of the Resurrection surged through him and he simply said – “my Lord and my God …” and when he rose from his knees it was Thomas, doubting Thomas who bravely, brashly and boldly went out beyond the known corners of the world – far beyond the comfort of Galilee, perhaps even as far as modern day Thailand proclaiming to all whom he met the Good News that “He is Risen.”
Does this sound like the actions of a cowardly doubting wimp?? Thomas laid out his conditions for belief, and when they were met it was HIM (doubting Thomas) who boldly ventured way beyond the known world proclaiming the Risen Christ …
The challenge for us of the modern Church is to stand in that moment with Thomas and share his boldness and his courage – to share his willingness to stand opposed against the crowd. In the Church history shows us that such individuals are often the ones who take us by the hand into wonderful new areas of discovery, justice and learning – but when they stand up and speak their mind, they are seldom appreciated …
May we have the courage to hear the Thomas’ in our midst who challenge our assumptions and who are guided by the Spirit to lead us beyond our comfort zone, and even beyond the known world … May we have the courage to swim against the crowd, even when they claim to be right …
May it be so, thanks be to God …
Let us pray …
HYMN #703 In the Bulb There Is a Flower
OFFERING:
OFFERTORY:
PRAYER OF DEDICATION:
HYMN: #82 A Light Is Gleaming
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE THE LORD’S PRAYER
HYMN: #424 May the God of Hope Go with Us
COMMISSIONING/BENEDICTION:
SUNG RESPONSE: HYMN #884 You Shall Go Out with Joy
The worship has ended…
…the work of God’s people has just begun
Go in peace
====================================================
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Lunch – following worship service next week. Join in the fun, food and fellowship
Observer Subscriptions are due!! (We’ve had mention in The Observer twice since November). Cost is $14/year. For information call Marion McNabb or the church office.
Thanks to the generous responses of the community over the Easter weekend.
Ø The Maundy Thursday dinner at the Covenant Church donated $1400 to the Rebuilding Fund.
Ø The Good Friday service at MCCC donated $1250.00 to the Rebuilding Fund
Ø The Easter Sunday service at Townview Manor donated $300.00 to the Rebuilding Fund.
A HUGE thanks to Eleanor for her music leadership over the Eatser weekend – Eleanor played FIVE services in four days. Thanks Eleanor, and thanks to the choir!
Thanks to Cal Frost for ALL his help at Tanner’s Crossing School last Sunday morning.
Thanks to Perry, Dean and Jennifer at Minnedosa Funeral Services for the use and their support of the Maundy Thursday Service.
Thanks to the AOTS for last week’s brunch.
A belated thanks to Nancy McKay and the women of Curves for their donation to the Food Cupboard at the beginning of April.
Concert of Choirs and Quartets – May 9th, 7:30 p.m., MCCC. Proceeds to the Rebuilding Fund.
Memorial Service at the Personal Care Home – Tuesday, April 25th, 2006 at 2:30 p.m. All are welcome.
Building Committee meeting – Tuesday, April 25, 06 at 7 p.m. at the Adult Learning Centre.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
What a difference six years can make ...
Six years ago I stood on the same spot as where I took this picture and took a photo that I took home to BC and showed to Mag and our family and friends as we tried to discern if the Spirit was calling me ministry in Minnedosa ...Today where there once was a majestic church that has been there for 99 years (back in 2000), there is a vacant sand filled lot ... What a difference six years can make??
Now there is no building but the process of discernment continues ... today the discernment is shared by many people. It includes envisioning what will replace what once was ... it includes keeping the momentum and the enthusiasm up in the long months ahead ... and it includes deciding if my ministry here in Minnedosa will continue ...
In this season of Resurrection we yearn to hear the whisper of the Spirit ... in this season of Resurrection we know that God is calling us forward, its the direction that needs some clarifying ...
L'chaim,
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Gathering to worship ... (Meeting of Presbytery)
Today, we had a Presbytery Meeting. We drove to the bustling metropolis of Kenton south of Hamiota ... the meeting went very well (always a nice thing at Presbytery), and we had a wonderful meal.
As part of the meeting it was the turn of Minnedosa to lead the opening worship service. I am quite proud of the order of service, so I decided to post it here ... enjoy. For our worship service, we carried the banners gifted from the churches in Winnipeg and shared the stories of where they came from and the journey we've been on since the fire ... It was a time of refreshment and support, it was a good day:
As part of the meeting it was the turn of Minnedosa to lead the opening worship service. I am quite proud of the order of service, so I decided to post it here ... enjoy. For our worship service, we carried the banners gifted from the churches in Winnipeg and shared the stories of where they came from and the journey we've been on since the fire ... It was a time of refreshment and support, it was a good day:
Assiniboine Presbytery
Order of Service
Morning Worship – April 20th 2006
Order of Service
Morning Worship – April 20th 2006
Gathering & Words of Welcome:
Call To Worship:
One: This is the Good News of Easter –
The Grave is empty,
Christ is Risen !!
ALL: HALLELUJAH !!
One: This is the Good News of Easter –
The light shines in the darkness
And the darkness can never put it out.
ALL: HALLELUJAH !!
One: This is the Good News of Easter –
Once we were no people,
Now we are God’s people.
ALL: HALLELUJAH !!
One: Christ is our Peace,
Our indestructible peace,
We now share it with each other …
(Greeting One Another in Shalom …)
One: This is the Good News of Easter –
The Grave is empty,
Christ is Risen !!
ALL: HALLELUJAH !!
One: This is the Good News of Easter –
The light shines in the darkness
And the darkness can never put it out.
ALL: HALLELUJAH !!
One: This is the Good News of Easter –
Once we were no people,
Now we are God’s people.
ALL: HALLELUJAH !!
One: Christ is our Peace,
Our indestructible peace,
We now share it with each other …
(Greeting One Another in Shalom …)
HYMN: 173 Thine is the Glory
SCRIPTURE READING: John 20:19-31
PRAYER:
One: Just before daybreak,
Mary went to the tomb.
ALL: A VOICE CALLED: “MARY.”
One: As she stood in the garden a voice said,
ALL: WHY ARE YOU LOOKING FOR THE
LIVING ONE AMONG THE DEAD?
HE IS NOT HERE …
One: As she stood in the garden a voice said,
ALL: DO NOT BE AFRAID,
BUT GO AND TELL THE OTHERS
THAT THEY WILL SOON SEE ME.
One: As she stood in the garden
a stranger greeted Mary,
and she recognized a friend:
ALL: JESUS THE CHRIST, WE GREET YOU!
YOUR HANDS STILL BEAR THE WOUNDS,
YOUR FEET ARE STILL WET FROM THE DEW,
THE MEMORY OF OUR NAMES REMAINS UNDIMMED BY THREE DAYS
OF DEATH AND DARKNESS.
One: Risen One, you meet us
in the stillness of the cemetery,
you greet us in the solitude of an upper room,
your presence sends death and darkness fleeing …
ALL: YOU ARE ALIVE!!
THE WORLD CAN REJOICE !!!
HALLELUJAH !!! HE IS RISEN !!
HE IS RISEN INDEED !!!
One: Just before daybreak,
Mary went to the tomb.
ALL: A VOICE CALLED: “MARY.”
One: As she stood in the garden a voice said,
ALL: WHY ARE YOU LOOKING FOR THE
LIVING ONE AMONG THE DEAD?
HE IS NOT HERE …
One: As she stood in the garden a voice said,
ALL: DO NOT BE AFRAID,
BUT GO AND TELL THE OTHERS
THAT THEY WILL SOON SEE ME.
One: As she stood in the garden
a stranger greeted Mary,
and she recognized a friend:
ALL: JESUS THE CHRIST, WE GREET YOU!
YOUR HANDS STILL BEAR THE WOUNDS,
YOUR FEET ARE STILL WET FROM THE DEW,
THE MEMORY OF OUR NAMES REMAINS UNDIMMED BY THREE DAYS
OF DEATH AND DARKNESS.
One: Risen One, you meet us
in the stillness of the cemetery,
you greet us in the solitude of an upper room,
your presence sends death and darkness fleeing …
ALL: YOU ARE ALIVE!!
THE WORLD CAN REJOICE !!!
HALLELUJAH !!! HE IS RISEN !!
HE IS RISEN INDEED !!!
REFLECTION:
HYMN: 703 In the Bulb
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE – THE LORD’S PRAYER:
(PARAPHRASE – PAGE 916)
(PARAPHRASE – PAGE 916)
COMMISSIONING/BENEDICTION:
One: We are an Easter People.
ALL: IN DEATH WE PROCLAIM LIFE.
IN DARKNESS, WE CELEBRATE LIGHT.
One: We are an Easter People.
ALL: WE SEARCH FOR SUNBEAMS IN THE STORM,
WE CELEBRATE CROCUSES IN THE SNOW,
WE FIND THE SIGNS OF SPRING
STIRRING IN THE WINTER’S THAW …
One: We are an Easter People,
ALL: WE LEAP AND DANCE,
OUR VERY SOULS FILLED WITH HALLELUJAHS!!
THE LORD LIVES,
WE LIVE!!
One: We are an Easter People,
ALL: RESURRECTIONS RESOUND
IN OUR COMMUNITY
AND THROUGHOUT OUR WORLD !!
WE ARE AN EASTER PEOPLE !!
HALLELUJAH !!!
HYMN: 567 Will You Come and Follow Me.
BLESSING: 349 Voices United
Let us go in peace,
The world is waiting for us and
For our ministries …
Shalom !!
One: We are an Easter People.
ALL: IN DEATH WE PROCLAIM LIFE.
IN DARKNESS, WE CELEBRATE LIGHT.
One: We are an Easter People.
ALL: WE SEARCH FOR SUNBEAMS IN THE STORM,
WE CELEBRATE CROCUSES IN THE SNOW,
WE FIND THE SIGNS OF SPRING
STIRRING IN THE WINTER’S THAW …
One: We are an Easter People,
ALL: WE LEAP AND DANCE,
OUR VERY SOULS FILLED WITH HALLELUJAHS!!
THE LORD LIVES,
WE LIVE!!
One: We are an Easter People,
ALL: RESURRECTIONS RESOUND
IN OUR COMMUNITY
AND THROUGHOUT OUR WORLD !!
WE ARE AN EASTER PEOPLE !!
HALLELUJAH !!!
HYMN: 567 Will You Come and Follow Me.
BLESSING: 349 Voices United
Let us go in peace,
The world is waiting for us and
For our ministries …
Shalom !!
Monday, April 17, 2006
He is Risen ... He is Risen Indeed !!!
(today I've posted the bulletin and the meditation for Easter Sunday's 11am service. This year the service was held in the Band Pit of the Elementary School here in town: Tanners' Crossing. I would be remiss not to say thank you to Cal Frost, one of the school custodians for all the work he put in yesterday helping us with the various aspects of the service. And thanks to the staff and adiministration of TCS and Rolling River School Division for allowing us to use the Band Pit for our services ... Things went very well. The services flowed well, and the brunch hosted by the AOTS was delightful. We may have another Easter Sunday on the road - but wherever we meet, we remain an Easter People who together proclaim in faith the certainty that: He is Risen ...)
Sunday April 16th 11am service:
SCRIPTURE READING: John 19:31-42
CHOIR ANTHEM Who Is The Man?
SCRIPTURE READING: John 20:1-10
CALL TO WORSHIP
One: Early in the morning,
While the dawn is just breaking
Three women appear
ALL: WHILE THE WORLD SLEEPS,
THEY BRAVE THE DARKNESS…
One: The sun begins to rise
The light is growing
Shadows shrink and flee
ALL: LOOK, THE TOMB IS EMPTY.
HE IS NOT HERE.
WHERE CAN HE BE?
One: Why look for the Risen One among the dead?
He is not here.
He told you what would be.
ALL: HE HAS BEEN RISEN?
One: The sun warms the earth.
Somewhere a bird sings.
ALL: HE HAS BEEN RISEN
THE GOOD NEWS HAS COME TO PASS.
CHRIST IS RISEN!
HYMN #155 Jesus Christ Is Risen Today
PRAYER OF APPROACH:
One: This is the season of Easter:
ALL: THE CELEBRATION OF RESURRECTION,
One: the festival of hope,
ALL: THE PROMISE OF NEW BEGINNINGS,
One: the dance of faith,
ALL: THE SONG OF JOY,
One: the music of gladness,
ALL: THE HYMN OF LOVE.
One: Sing praises to God, you faithful,
give thanks to God’s holy name!
ALL: WEEPING MAY LINGER FOR A NIGHT,
BUT JOY COMES IN THE MORNING.
One: God turns our weeping to dancing
and clothes us in gladness.
ALL: MAY WE PRAISE GOD AND NOT BE SILENT!
THANKS TO YOU, O GOD, FOREVER! AMEN.
HYMN #166 Joy Comes with the Dawn
SCRIPTURE READING John 20:10-18
PRAYER FOR WHOLENESS:
One: Lord God,
Early in the morning,
When the world was young,
You made life in all its beauty and terror;
You gave birth to all that we know.
Hallowed be your name,
ALL: HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME.
One: Early in the morning,
When the world least expected it,
A newborn child crying in a cradle
Announced that you had come among us,
That you were one of us.
Hallowed be your name.
ALL: HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME.
One: Early in the morning,
Surrounded by respectable liars,
Religious leaders,
Anxious statemen
And silent friends,
You accepted the penalty for doing good,
For being God:
You shouldered and suffered the cross.
Hallowed be your name.
ALL: HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME.
One: Early in the morning,
A voice in a guarded graveyard
And footsteps in the dew
Proved that you had risen,
That you had come back
To those and for those
Who had forgotten, denied and destroyed you.
Hallowed be your name,
ALL: HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME.
One: This morning,
In the multi-coloured company
Of your Church on earth and in heaven,
We celebrate your creation, your life,
Your death and resurrection,
Your interest in us;
So we pray,
ALL: LORD, BRING NEW LIFE,
WHERE WE ARE WORN AND TIRED;
NEW LOVE,
WHERE WE HAVE TURNED HARD-HEARTED;
FORGIVENESS,
WHERE WE FEEL HURT
AND WHERE WE HAVE WOUNDED;
AND THE JOY AND FREEDOM
OF YOUR HOLY SPIRIT,
WHERE WE ARE PRISONERS OF OURSELVES.
(silence)
One: To all and to each,
On his community and on his friends,
Where regret is real,
Jesus pronounces his pardon
And grants us the right to begin again.
Thanks be to God!
ALL: AMEN.
CHOIR ANTHEM: Christ Is Arisen
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Psalm 118 (parts 1,2,3), pg 837 V.U.
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
HYMN #179 Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Give Thanks
THE STORY STOOL:
EASTER PRAYER:
One: Jesus Christ, you meet us;
Your hands still holed,
But your breath warm,
And your conversation engaging.
ALL: DEATH HAS NOT CHANGED YOUR ACCENT
OR DIMINISHED YOUR LOVE.
One: And though the world
Should still show signs of its imperfection,
The good news is that you have destined it
And all its people to be made whole.
ALL: SO, AS ON THIS EASTER MORNING
WE ARE GATHERED IN YOUR HOUSE
AND CHEERED BY YOUR GOSPEL,
JOIN US,
AS YOU JOINED YOUR FIRST DISCIPLES.
AMEN.
HYMN #175 This Is the Day That God Has Made
SERVICE OF CONFIRMATION:
QUESTIONS TO CONFIRMANDS:
One: On behalf of Minnedosa United Church,
I present the following persons
whom we welcome into the membership
of this community of faith:
Will you join with us
as together we celebrate God’s presence,
live with respect in creation,
love and serve others,
seek justice and resist evil?
RESPONSE: I WILL, WITH GOD’S HELP.
CONGREGATIONAL COMMITMENT
One: Dear friends in Christ,
let us pledge to these persons our support and care.
ALL: AS YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST,
WE REJOICE IN THE GIFTS YOU BRING TO US.
WE PLEDGE TO YOU OUR LOVE AND OUR SUPPORT.
WITH GOD’S HELP, WE WILL TOGETHER LIVE OUT
THE MISSION AND MINISTRY OF CHRIST’S CHURCH.
THE NEW CREED (in unison) pg. 918 V.U.
One: In the name of Jesus Christ,
we welcome you to the privileges and responsibilities
of membership in this congregation.
We give thanks to God for your witness among us.
HYMN #509 Here I am, Lord
REFLECTION:
I discovered the Winnie the Pooh stories late in life … it came one weekend when as a university student, I was among a group of us who had met the year previous on a study tour to Israel, and decided to have a camping weekend in the Green Mountains of Vermont. At night, sitting around the campfire we took turns reading to each other the AA Milne stories … I remember my friend Wayne not being able to finish the story of Winnie the Pooh getting stuck in Rabbit’s hole after having made a bit of a pig of himself … The absurdity of the story and the poetry of the language combined to offer wonderful stories for children of all ages …
What struck me that night as I moved beyond the Disney images of Winnie the Pooh and his friends, images I was very familiar with – was the simple realization that in Winnie the Pooh and his circle of friends, we can see ourselves …
So today as we stand on the edge of the empty tomb and ponder what the empty tomb and the whispers of resurrection mean, and how we shall speak of such things … it’s worth considering which character we are most like in the Winnie the Pooh stories … As we share our faith and prepare to tell the world around us about the resurrection, will we do it like Winnie, like Tigger, or perhaps Eeyore, or maybe Piglet, or Rabbit ??? Which character are we in our faith journey ??
Winnie the Pooh is the anti-hero. He is kind and naïve and somewhat dim witted … he tends to focus on food rather then any other tasks, and he is known to sing little ditties to comfort himself while embarking on onerous and stressful tasks … doesn’t Winnie sound like the Church in the modern era? Gatherings for food often take presidence, and of course our hymns and worship are about comfort and familiarity …
Or perhaps we are more like Tigger: bouncy, energetic, somewhat thoughtless, and totally oblivious to others … Tigger launches into STUFF, and wreaks havoc as he literally bounces through life – think of Rabbit’s reaction to Tigger?
Of course some of us are like Rabbit – steadfast and loyal, but uptight and overly concerned with the details and the perfection of the things he’s trying to do … his dominant emotion is a mild anger (usually directed at Tigger) that quickly gives way to outrage and frustration …
Or we could be like Piglet – loyal and gentle, but overwhelmed with fret and worry about ALL things … Piglet, being small and vulnerable spends his time worrying over things that he has no control over to begin with …
Perhaps we are like Owl – wise, foolish old Owl … Owl is the wise figure, but his fault lies in his inability to realize that he’s NOT as a smart or as wise as he thinks he is … He is too caught up in maintaining his reputation to realize his own short comings … he is wise and able to share his counsel – just not have insight for himself …
Or maybe we are like Kanga or Roo. Kanga, the mother – caring, nurturing and protective. Roo – the scamp and adventurer, a companion for the foolhardy Tigger. Roo is often the one who encourages Tigger onto bigger and more outrageous adventures …
Or perhaps we’re like Christopher Robin – the wise god like figure of 100 acre woods. Silly Old Bear rolls off his lips. He takes in the scenes around him and with disdain waves off the foolishness of his friends living in a place where reality is elastic and unpredictable …
So, how shall we speak of the Resurrection??
Will we focus on other things? Will we sing our ditties and divert our attention? Will we bounce our way along, or will we allow the seriousness of the moment overwhelm us ??
The parallels between us and the characters of the Winnie the Pooh stories can (if we open ourselves to it) be startling … in those small fuzzy characters we can and do find ourselves … The challenge for us, for the Church in the modern era is to share our stories – our faith – with the people around us in a way that celebrates the story and retells it in a fresh new way …
None of us know what happened in that moment in Jerusalem (I have shelves of books that debate what the resurrection really was – trust me – I’ve moved them a couple of times in the last couple of months) but none of us can say for certainty – this is what happened. The job of the Easter Church is to draw our own conclusions – find our place in faith where we understand and experience the Resurrection, and then to go out into the world and embody and share the resurrection … tell the story and give to our community – to our world – to ourselves the hope and the certainty that says boldly – He is Risen – we will rise – the world will be recreated, again and again and again …
Death and destruction and darkness will NOT have the final say … Resurrection will come and it will recreate the reality around us … It may NOT be an easy journey from here to the moment when the words “He Is Risen” become real – but they WILL become real … they are real.
We are an Easter People. This year we may not have the resurrection of our losses that we’ve experienced in the last couple of months, but we are making our way slowly, step by step to that moment of resurrection when we will be able to look back and see only life … and hope …
I know in my life I tend to be more like Eeyore then I care to even think about … the ho-hum woe is me approach to life is one that I am most comfortable with … the challenge for me – and for all of us, is to see in ourselves our shortcomings and our strengths and to over come the things that would trip us up …
Today, as we move from the empty tomb and we struggle, along with the disciples, to make sense of the Easter story unfolding around us, our calling is to share our journey, our struggles and our discoveries in a way that builds community – a way that makes us laugh until tears roll down our cheeks – in a way that brings us comfort when we are weeping – in a way that lives, proclaims and embodies hope …
Somedays we just put one foot in front of another … other days we can bounce through life like Tigger … other days we’ll sing our ditties as we hunt the huffalumps … every day we move forward one step, one moment at a time … That’s the journey of faith. That’s the call we’ve heard as we stood at the empty tomb and pondered where we’ll go from here …
AA Milne ends his stories of Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin with the words: wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest, a little boy and His Bear will always be playing …
Today, our enchanted place is found in the simple words: “He is risen … He is risen indeed!” What we do with this proclamation is what will determine where and how and when we live out the Resurrection in our community and in our world …
May we have the courage and the boldness to embrace without fear, the stories of our faith, and to tell of the resurrections we’ve lived …
And may we form and embody the enchanted place where Christ lives in us as a risen presence … now and always …
May it be so – thanks be to God … let us pray …
OFFERING
OFFERTORY
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
SPECIAL MUSIC Sing a New Song by: Aaron Hutton and David Comrie
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE LORD’S PRAYER
HYMN: (insert) Every Morning Is Easter Morning
COMMISSIONING/BENEDICTION:
One: In life, in death,
In life beyond death,
ALL: JESUS CHRIST IS LORD.
One: Over powers and principalities,
Over all who determine, control,
Govern or finance the affairs of humankind,
ALL: JESUS CHRIST IS LORD.
One: Of the poor, of the broken,
Of the sinner against and the sinner,
ALL: JESUS CHRIST IS LORD.
One: Above the Church,
Beyond our most excellent theologies
And in the quiet corners of our hearts,
ALL: JESUS CHRIST IS LORD.
One: Thanks be to God.
ALL: AMEN.
SUNG RESPONSE: HYMN #649 (vs 3,4) Walk With Me
The worship has ended…
…the work of God’s people has just begun
Go in peace
Sunday April 16th 11am service:
SCRIPTURE READING: John 19:31-42
CHOIR ANTHEM Who Is The Man?
SCRIPTURE READING: John 20:1-10
CALL TO WORSHIP
One: Early in the morning,
While the dawn is just breaking
Three women appear
ALL: WHILE THE WORLD SLEEPS,
THEY BRAVE THE DARKNESS…
One: The sun begins to rise
The light is growing
Shadows shrink and flee
ALL: LOOK, THE TOMB IS EMPTY.
HE IS NOT HERE.
WHERE CAN HE BE?
One: Why look for the Risen One among the dead?
He is not here.
He told you what would be.
ALL: HE HAS BEEN RISEN?
One: The sun warms the earth.
Somewhere a bird sings.
ALL: HE HAS BEEN RISEN
THE GOOD NEWS HAS COME TO PASS.
CHRIST IS RISEN!
HYMN #155 Jesus Christ Is Risen Today
PRAYER OF APPROACH:
One: This is the season of Easter:
ALL: THE CELEBRATION OF RESURRECTION,
One: the festival of hope,
ALL: THE PROMISE OF NEW BEGINNINGS,
One: the dance of faith,
ALL: THE SONG OF JOY,
One: the music of gladness,
ALL: THE HYMN OF LOVE.
One: Sing praises to God, you faithful,
give thanks to God’s holy name!
ALL: WEEPING MAY LINGER FOR A NIGHT,
BUT JOY COMES IN THE MORNING.
One: God turns our weeping to dancing
and clothes us in gladness.
ALL: MAY WE PRAISE GOD AND NOT BE SILENT!
THANKS TO YOU, O GOD, FOREVER! AMEN.
HYMN #166 Joy Comes with the Dawn
SCRIPTURE READING John 20:10-18
PRAYER FOR WHOLENESS:
One: Lord God,
Early in the morning,
When the world was young,
You made life in all its beauty and terror;
You gave birth to all that we know.
Hallowed be your name,
ALL: HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME.
One: Early in the morning,
When the world least expected it,
A newborn child crying in a cradle
Announced that you had come among us,
That you were one of us.
Hallowed be your name.
ALL: HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME.
One: Early in the morning,
Surrounded by respectable liars,
Religious leaders,
Anxious statemen
And silent friends,
You accepted the penalty for doing good,
For being God:
You shouldered and suffered the cross.
Hallowed be your name.
ALL: HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME.
One: Early in the morning,
A voice in a guarded graveyard
And footsteps in the dew
Proved that you had risen,
That you had come back
To those and for those
Who had forgotten, denied and destroyed you.
Hallowed be your name,
ALL: HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME.
One: This morning,
In the multi-coloured company
Of your Church on earth and in heaven,
We celebrate your creation, your life,
Your death and resurrection,
Your interest in us;
So we pray,
ALL: LORD, BRING NEW LIFE,
WHERE WE ARE WORN AND TIRED;
NEW LOVE,
WHERE WE HAVE TURNED HARD-HEARTED;
FORGIVENESS,
WHERE WE FEEL HURT
AND WHERE WE HAVE WOUNDED;
AND THE JOY AND FREEDOM
OF YOUR HOLY SPIRIT,
WHERE WE ARE PRISONERS OF OURSELVES.
(silence)
One: To all and to each,
On his community and on his friends,
Where regret is real,
Jesus pronounces his pardon
And grants us the right to begin again.
Thanks be to God!
ALL: AMEN.
CHOIR ANTHEM: Christ Is Arisen
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Psalm 118 (parts 1,2,3), pg 837 V.U.
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
HYMN #179 Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Give Thanks
THE STORY STOOL:
EASTER PRAYER:
One: Jesus Christ, you meet us;
Your hands still holed,
But your breath warm,
And your conversation engaging.
ALL: DEATH HAS NOT CHANGED YOUR ACCENT
OR DIMINISHED YOUR LOVE.
One: And though the world
Should still show signs of its imperfection,
The good news is that you have destined it
And all its people to be made whole.
ALL: SO, AS ON THIS EASTER MORNING
WE ARE GATHERED IN YOUR HOUSE
AND CHEERED BY YOUR GOSPEL,
JOIN US,
AS YOU JOINED YOUR FIRST DISCIPLES.
AMEN.
HYMN #175 This Is the Day That God Has Made
SERVICE OF CONFIRMATION:
QUESTIONS TO CONFIRMANDS:
One: On behalf of Minnedosa United Church,
I present the following persons
whom we welcome into the membership
of this community of faith:
Will you join with us
as together we celebrate God’s presence,
live with respect in creation,
love and serve others,
seek justice and resist evil?
RESPONSE: I WILL, WITH GOD’S HELP.
CONGREGATIONAL COMMITMENT
One: Dear friends in Christ,
let us pledge to these persons our support and care.
ALL: AS YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST,
WE REJOICE IN THE GIFTS YOU BRING TO US.
WE PLEDGE TO YOU OUR LOVE AND OUR SUPPORT.
WITH GOD’S HELP, WE WILL TOGETHER LIVE OUT
THE MISSION AND MINISTRY OF CHRIST’S CHURCH.
THE NEW CREED (in unison) pg. 918 V.U.
One: In the name of Jesus Christ,
we welcome you to the privileges and responsibilities
of membership in this congregation.
We give thanks to God for your witness among us.
HYMN #509 Here I am, Lord
REFLECTION:
I discovered the Winnie the Pooh stories late in life … it came one weekend when as a university student, I was among a group of us who had met the year previous on a study tour to Israel, and decided to have a camping weekend in the Green Mountains of Vermont. At night, sitting around the campfire we took turns reading to each other the AA Milne stories … I remember my friend Wayne not being able to finish the story of Winnie the Pooh getting stuck in Rabbit’s hole after having made a bit of a pig of himself … The absurdity of the story and the poetry of the language combined to offer wonderful stories for children of all ages …
What struck me that night as I moved beyond the Disney images of Winnie the Pooh and his friends, images I was very familiar with – was the simple realization that in Winnie the Pooh and his circle of friends, we can see ourselves …
So today as we stand on the edge of the empty tomb and ponder what the empty tomb and the whispers of resurrection mean, and how we shall speak of such things … it’s worth considering which character we are most like in the Winnie the Pooh stories … As we share our faith and prepare to tell the world around us about the resurrection, will we do it like Winnie, like Tigger, or perhaps Eeyore, or maybe Piglet, or Rabbit ??? Which character are we in our faith journey ??
Winnie the Pooh is the anti-hero. He is kind and naïve and somewhat dim witted … he tends to focus on food rather then any other tasks, and he is known to sing little ditties to comfort himself while embarking on onerous and stressful tasks … doesn’t Winnie sound like the Church in the modern era? Gatherings for food often take presidence, and of course our hymns and worship are about comfort and familiarity …
Or perhaps we are more like Tigger: bouncy, energetic, somewhat thoughtless, and totally oblivious to others … Tigger launches into STUFF, and wreaks havoc as he literally bounces through life – think of Rabbit’s reaction to Tigger?
Of course some of us are like Rabbit – steadfast and loyal, but uptight and overly concerned with the details and the perfection of the things he’s trying to do … his dominant emotion is a mild anger (usually directed at Tigger) that quickly gives way to outrage and frustration …
Or we could be like Piglet – loyal and gentle, but overwhelmed with fret and worry about ALL things … Piglet, being small and vulnerable spends his time worrying over things that he has no control over to begin with …
Perhaps we are like Owl – wise, foolish old Owl … Owl is the wise figure, but his fault lies in his inability to realize that he’s NOT as a smart or as wise as he thinks he is … He is too caught up in maintaining his reputation to realize his own short comings … he is wise and able to share his counsel – just not have insight for himself …
Or maybe we are like Kanga or Roo. Kanga, the mother – caring, nurturing and protective. Roo – the scamp and adventurer, a companion for the foolhardy Tigger. Roo is often the one who encourages Tigger onto bigger and more outrageous adventures …
Or perhaps we’re like Christopher Robin – the wise god like figure of 100 acre woods. Silly Old Bear rolls off his lips. He takes in the scenes around him and with disdain waves off the foolishness of his friends living in a place where reality is elastic and unpredictable …
So, how shall we speak of the Resurrection??
Will we focus on other things? Will we sing our ditties and divert our attention? Will we bounce our way along, or will we allow the seriousness of the moment overwhelm us ??
The parallels between us and the characters of the Winnie the Pooh stories can (if we open ourselves to it) be startling … in those small fuzzy characters we can and do find ourselves … The challenge for us, for the Church in the modern era is to share our stories – our faith – with the people around us in a way that celebrates the story and retells it in a fresh new way …
None of us know what happened in that moment in Jerusalem (I have shelves of books that debate what the resurrection really was – trust me – I’ve moved them a couple of times in the last couple of months) but none of us can say for certainty – this is what happened. The job of the Easter Church is to draw our own conclusions – find our place in faith where we understand and experience the Resurrection, and then to go out into the world and embody and share the resurrection … tell the story and give to our community – to our world – to ourselves the hope and the certainty that says boldly – He is Risen – we will rise – the world will be recreated, again and again and again …
Death and destruction and darkness will NOT have the final say … Resurrection will come and it will recreate the reality around us … It may NOT be an easy journey from here to the moment when the words “He Is Risen” become real – but they WILL become real … they are real.
We are an Easter People. This year we may not have the resurrection of our losses that we’ve experienced in the last couple of months, but we are making our way slowly, step by step to that moment of resurrection when we will be able to look back and see only life … and hope …
I know in my life I tend to be more like Eeyore then I care to even think about … the ho-hum woe is me approach to life is one that I am most comfortable with … the challenge for me – and for all of us, is to see in ourselves our shortcomings and our strengths and to over come the things that would trip us up …
Today, as we move from the empty tomb and we struggle, along with the disciples, to make sense of the Easter story unfolding around us, our calling is to share our journey, our struggles and our discoveries in a way that builds community – a way that makes us laugh until tears roll down our cheeks – in a way that brings us comfort when we are weeping – in a way that lives, proclaims and embodies hope …
Somedays we just put one foot in front of another … other days we can bounce through life like Tigger … other days we’ll sing our ditties as we hunt the huffalumps … every day we move forward one step, one moment at a time … That’s the journey of faith. That’s the call we’ve heard as we stood at the empty tomb and pondered where we’ll go from here …
AA Milne ends his stories of Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin with the words: wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest, a little boy and His Bear will always be playing …
Today, our enchanted place is found in the simple words: “He is risen … He is risen indeed!” What we do with this proclamation is what will determine where and how and when we live out the Resurrection in our community and in our world …
May we have the courage and the boldness to embrace without fear, the stories of our faith, and to tell of the resurrections we’ve lived …
And may we form and embody the enchanted place where Christ lives in us as a risen presence … now and always …
May it be so – thanks be to God … let us pray …
OFFERING
OFFERTORY
PRAYER OF DEDICATION
SPECIAL MUSIC Sing a New Song by: Aaron Hutton and David Comrie
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE LORD’S PRAYER
HYMN: (insert) Every Morning Is Easter Morning
COMMISSIONING/BENEDICTION:
One: In life, in death,
In life beyond death,
ALL: JESUS CHRIST IS LORD.
One: Over powers and principalities,
Over all who determine, control,
Govern or finance the affairs of humankind,
ALL: JESUS CHRIST IS LORD.
One: Of the poor, of the broken,
Of the sinner against and the sinner,
ALL: JESUS CHRIST IS LORD.
One: Above the Church,
Beyond our most excellent theologies
And in the quiet corners of our hearts,
ALL: JESUS CHRIST IS LORD.
One: Thanks be to God.
ALL: AMEN.
SUNG RESPONSE: HYMN #649 (vs 3,4) Walk With Me
The worship has ended…
…the work of God’s people has just begun
Go in peace
Sunday, April 16, 2006
The Day of Resurrection Arrives ...
Today we celebrated our Easter Services in the Band Pit at Tanners Crossing School. Our first service was at 9am, followed by a brunch of hotcross buns, boiled eggs and wonderful fellowship hosted by the AOTS Mens' Club.
Then at 11am, we celebrated our Easter Service with the full congregation. The Choir shared two wonderful musically pieces. And in the service we welcomed into membership through Confirmation four of our young people. It was a wonderful service, that even though it wasn't in a home that is ours, was a celebration of community.
Following our 11 o'clock service, Eleanor Taylor (Our organist and music director) went to Townview (the highrise on Main St and 4th Ave SE, for lunch with the residents and a third Easter Service. We reused the 9am liturgy, and with a small gathering of about 2 dozen residents had a lunch and a great service.
Today I will post here the order of service for the 9am and the 1:15 services, and tomorrow I will post the order of service for the 11 o'clock service (it's a good way to ensure you'll come back ...). For now - what follows is the order of service we used at the Pit at 9am and in the 6th floor common space at 1:15 ... the Reflection I used for both services was an Easter Litany from the Iona Community's book "Stages on the Way" where four disciples share their reflections on the Easter/Resurrection experience ... Today, inspite of being a pilgrim people was a day of proclaiming our certainty in the simple statement: "He is Risen !!! He is Risen Indeed !!"
MINNEDOSA UNITED CHURCH
Sunday April 16th 2006
Easter Sunday 9am Service
One: The Church is Good Friday.
Darkness burnt into blackness,
Abysmal absence of anything good.
We acknowledge that death is real
And we tremble for a world that would kill its God.
Our feet stand in quicksand;
Our voices echo sterile silence.
We huddle together to meet the dark and the death,
Forgetting what was taught us …
Forgetting that somewhere
A seed is sprouting
Somewhere a child is growing …
(Ann Weems)
SCRIPTURE READING: Mark 16:1-8
HYMN: #155 Jesus Christ is Risen Today (vs 1,2 & 4)
CALL TO WORSHIP:
One: This the Good News:
the grave is empty,
Christ is Risen.
ALL: HALLELUJAH !!
One: This is the Good News:
the light shines in the darkness
and the darkness can never put it out.
ALL: HALLELUJAH !!
One: This is the Good News:
Once we were no people
Now we are God’s people
ALL: HALLELUJAH !!
One: Christ is our peace,
The indestructible peace
We now share with each other
ALL: AND WITH THE WORLD !! AMEN.
One: The Church is Easter.
Out of Death: Life.
Out of darkness:
A lush green world.
Flowers in the ice
Sunrays in the storm
Mustard seeds galore
Our souls enter a spiritual springtime,
Our bodies given over to leaping and dancing,
Our very beings saturated with hosannas.
Our shouting crashes in upon this world:
The Lord Lives. (Ann Weems)
ALL: WE LIVE !!!
One: Resurrection resound throughout our community!!
ALL: CHRIST IS RISEN !!! HALLELUJAH !!
HYMN: #179 HALLELUJAH, HALLELUJAH, GIVE THANKS
EASTER REFLECTION:
EASTER LITANY:
One: Eternal God, your Word declares
That the love which is laid down in faith
will be raised and produce a great harvest.
This we celebrate as we proclaim:
ALL: CHRIST HAS DIED,
CHRIST IS RISEN,
CHRIST WILL COME AGAIN.
One: we remember and praise you
For the saints and the martyrs of this and every age.
ALL: THESE LIVES, LIKE SEEDS,
DROPPED TO THE GROUND
YET THEIR WITNESS HAS BORNE FRUIT
AND ENABLES US TO SAY:
CHRIST HAS DIED,
CHRIST IS RISEN
CHRIST WILL COME AGAIN.
One: We pray for your Church throughout the world
And for that part to which we belong,
That it may be ready to spend
And to be spent in your service,
That the love of self preservation
May be set aside,
That the deaths you demand of it
May be embraced joyfully,
And that through all it may proclaim:
ALL: CHRIST HAS DIED,
CHRIST IS RISEN,
CHRIST WILL COME AGAIN.
One: In silence,
We surrender ourselves
And all that we count important
To God’s will and purpose.
For we cannot know
The glory of Christ’s Resurrection
If we do not have the fellowship of his sufferings
And we cannot expect to gather
the Kingdom’s harvest
If we do not sow the kingdom’s seed.
In us, and through us,
May your Spirit proclaim:
ALL: CHRIST HAS DIED,
CHRIST IS RISEN,
CHRIST WILL COME AGAIN.
HALLELUJAH !!
READING: “And the Glory” by Anne Weems
HYMN: #412 THIS IS THE DAY, THIS IS THE DAY.
COMMISSIONING / BENEDICTION:
One: The Risen Christ goes with us!
ALL: IN CHRIST THERE IS NO FEAR.
One: The Risen Christ goes with us!
ALL: IN CHRIST DOUBTS ARE FACED.
One: The Risen Christ goes with us!
ALL: IN CHRIST PEACE IS FREELY SHARED.
One: The Risen Christ goes with us!
ALL: WITH THE RISEN CHRIST,
WE WILL GO FORTH IN JOY AND HOPE!! AMEN.
Then at 11am, we celebrated our Easter Service with the full congregation. The Choir shared two wonderful musically pieces. And in the service we welcomed into membership through Confirmation four of our young people. It was a wonderful service, that even though it wasn't in a home that is ours, was a celebration of community.
Following our 11 o'clock service, Eleanor Taylor (Our organist and music director) went to Townview (the highrise on Main St and 4th Ave SE, for lunch with the residents and a third Easter Service. We reused the 9am liturgy, and with a small gathering of about 2 dozen residents had a lunch and a great service.
Today I will post here the order of service for the 9am and the 1:15 services, and tomorrow I will post the order of service for the 11 o'clock service (it's a good way to ensure you'll come back ...). For now - what follows is the order of service we used at the Pit at 9am and in the 6th floor common space at 1:15 ... the Reflection I used for both services was an Easter Litany from the Iona Community's book "Stages on the Way" where four disciples share their reflections on the Easter/Resurrection experience ... Today, inspite of being a pilgrim people was a day of proclaiming our certainty in the simple statement: "He is Risen !!! He is Risen Indeed !!"
MINNEDOSA UNITED CHURCH
Sunday April 16th 2006
Easter Sunday 9am Service
One: The Church is Good Friday.
Darkness burnt into blackness,
Abysmal absence of anything good.
We acknowledge that death is real
And we tremble for a world that would kill its God.
Our feet stand in quicksand;
Our voices echo sterile silence.
We huddle together to meet the dark and the death,
Forgetting what was taught us …
Forgetting that somewhere
A seed is sprouting
Somewhere a child is growing …
(Ann Weems)
SCRIPTURE READING: Mark 16:1-8
HYMN: #155 Jesus Christ is Risen Today (vs 1,2 & 4)
CALL TO WORSHIP:
One: This the Good News:
the grave is empty,
Christ is Risen.
ALL: HALLELUJAH !!
One: This is the Good News:
the light shines in the darkness
and the darkness can never put it out.
ALL: HALLELUJAH !!
One: This is the Good News:
Once we were no people
Now we are God’s people
ALL: HALLELUJAH !!
One: Christ is our peace,
The indestructible peace
We now share with each other
ALL: AND WITH THE WORLD !! AMEN.
One: The Church is Easter.
Out of Death: Life.
Out of darkness:
A lush green world.
Flowers in the ice
Sunrays in the storm
Mustard seeds galore
Our souls enter a spiritual springtime,
Our bodies given over to leaping and dancing,
Our very beings saturated with hosannas.
Our shouting crashes in upon this world:
The Lord Lives. (Ann Weems)
ALL: WE LIVE !!!
One: Resurrection resound throughout our community!!
ALL: CHRIST IS RISEN !!! HALLELUJAH !!
HYMN: #179 HALLELUJAH, HALLELUJAH, GIVE THANKS
EASTER REFLECTION:
EASTER LITANY:
One: Eternal God, your Word declares
That the love which is laid down in faith
will be raised and produce a great harvest.
This we celebrate as we proclaim:
ALL: CHRIST HAS DIED,
CHRIST IS RISEN,
CHRIST WILL COME AGAIN.
One: we remember and praise you
For the saints and the martyrs of this and every age.
ALL: THESE LIVES, LIKE SEEDS,
DROPPED TO THE GROUND
YET THEIR WITNESS HAS BORNE FRUIT
AND ENABLES US TO SAY:
CHRIST HAS DIED,
CHRIST IS RISEN
CHRIST WILL COME AGAIN.
One: We pray for your Church throughout the world
And for that part to which we belong,
That it may be ready to spend
And to be spent in your service,
That the love of self preservation
May be set aside,
That the deaths you demand of it
May be embraced joyfully,
And that through all it may proclaim:
ALL: CHRIST HAS DIED,
CHRIST IS RISEN,
CHRIST WILL COME AGAIN.
One: In silence,
We surrender ourselves
And all that we count important
To God’s will and purpose.
For we cannot know
The glory of Christ’s Resurrection
If we do not have the fellowship of his sufferings
And we cannot expect to gather
the Kingdom’s harvest
If we do not sow the kingdom’s seed.
In us, and through us,
May your Spirit proclaim:
ALL: CHRIST HAS DIED,
CHRIST IS RISEN,
CHRIST WILL COME AGAIN.
HALLELUJAH !!
READING: “And the Glory” by Anne Weems
HYMN: #412 THIS IS THE DAY, THIS IS THE DAY.
COMMISSIONING / BENEDICTION:
One: The Risen Christ goes with us!
ALL: IN CHRIST THERE IS NO FEAR.
One: The Risen Christ goes with us!
ALL: IN CHRIST DOUBTS ARE FACED.
One: The Risen Christ goes with us!
ALL: IN CHRIST PEACE IS FREELY SHARED.
One: The Risen Christ goes with us!
ALL: WITH THE RISEN CHRIST,
WE WILL GO FORTH IN JOY AND HOPE!! AMEN.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Maundy Thursday Service ...
Tonight we gathered in the Chapel of Minnedosa Funeral Services to celebrate our Maundy Thursday service ... The Chapel is in the former Museum building across from the CPR station. I would like to say thank you to Perry, Dean and Jennifer from MFS for all their help in making the location of the service possible, and thanks to Lois and Donna for all their helping in organizing and co-ordinating the service and the coffee to follow. And of course - I MUST say a hearty thank you (again and again and again) to Eleanor Taylor for her unwavering and astonishing music leadership. I've often said that my job is so much easier with competent, and capable musical leadership behind you ... and I have that here - thanks Eleanor !!!
Anyway - below is the bulletin of our service ... There is NO Good Friday bulletin to post. Tomorrow we will join with the community Good Friday service in the Community Conference Centre. The offering that is collected will be donated to our Rebuilding Effort. So this year we join with our protestant sisters and brothers in a community worship service. Next year remains to be determined ...
Tonight the Covenant Church held a Seder Meal, and the proceeds from it will be donated to our Rebuilding Fund ... even on this journey, we are being cared for, cared about and supported by our sisters and brothers both locally and around the world - it is truly awesome. The darkness will not prevail ... The resurrection will come.
But first - the bulletin for tonight's service:
CALL TO WORSHIP
One: Holy God, we come to worship….
ALL: IN THE GATHERING DARKNESS WE DARE TO COME
One: Companion God, we come with his friends
ALL: WE ARE HIS FOLLOWERS,
MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE FOLLOWED HIM,
IN EVERY PLACE AND EVERY GENERATION
One: Servant God, we come to again live the story
ALL: A STORY OF SERVICE AND BETRAYAL
A STORY OF WEAKNESS AND COURAGE
One: Eternal God, we come to worship
ALL: TO WITNESS YOUR LOVE IN ACTION,
BE WITH US IN JESUS’ NAME. AMEN.
HYMN # 382 Breathe on Me, Breath of God
SCRIPTURE READING: Exodus 12:1-14
PRAYER FOR WHOLENESS:
One: If we have used your house for our purposes as if you did not mind or it did not matter,
ALL: LORD, FORGIVE US.
One: If we have cosseted your house in tradition,
rather than hallowed it by prayer,
ALL: LORD, FORGIVE US.
One: If we have made it a house for one nation,
or part of a nation,
or for part of the Church,
ALL: LORD, FORGIVE US.
One: And if we can see clearly
the misuse others make of your house
and are blind to our own malpractices,
ALL: LORD, FORGIVE US.
One: Kindle in us and in all your people
the desire to make all your sanctuaries
the shop windows of heaven
rather than religious theme parks of earth.
We ask this for your own name’s sake.
ALL: AMEN.
HYMN #494 Those Hearts That We Have Treasured
SCRIPTURE READING: John 13:1-17
BREAKING THE BREAD AND SHARING THE CUP:
One: Blessed are You, O Creator of the Universe.
ALL: YOU GIVE US BREAD AND WINE
FRUIT OF THE EARTH, AND HUMAN LABOUR.
MAY THEY BECOME FOR US
THE BANQUET OF ETERNAL LIFE.
One: Thanks and Praise be to you, O God,
You have created life from the dust,
You sustain us, even in the harshest desert.
ALL: WE THANK YOU THAT EVEN IN THE FACE OF TEMPTATION AND TRIAL,
YOU ARE PRESENT
One: You direct and guide us
ALL: YOU RENEW AND REVIVE US
One: From the journey in the desert to the modern era,
we are your people
ALL: WE PRAISE YOU FOR SENDING JESUS AS
YOUR SUFFERING SERVANT TO WALK BEFORE US THE WAY…
HOLY COMMUNION by Ann Weems
One: Eat. Drink. Remember who I am.
Eat. Drink.
Remember who I amso you can remember who you are.
Eat. Drink. Remember who I am
so you can remember who you are
and tell the others.
Eat. Drink.
Remember who I am
so you can remember who you are
and tell the others
so that all God’s people
can live in communion…
In holy communion.
SCRIPTURE READING: Luke’s Version of the The Last Supper
HYMN #480 Let Us Break Bread Together
SHARING OF THE BREAD AND THE CUP:
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION:
One: We will remember the soothing,
ALL: AND NOT FORGET THE JARRING.
One: We will remember the sweetness,
ALL: AND NOT FORGET THE SOUR.
One: We will remember the jagged desperateness of Judas,
ALL: AND OWN IT;
IT IS OUR STORY TOO.
One: We will remember
Women: the passion of love,
Men: the smell of perfume,
Women: the pain of rejection,
Men: the stench of blood money.
One: And to help us on the journey,
to help us hold the tensions,
to help us face both the delight and difficulty,
ALL: WE WILL SAY YES
TO GOD’S GENEROSITY IN CREATION,
WE WILL SAY YES
TO GOD’S JUDGMENT POURED OUT
ON HUMANKIND,
WE WILL SAY YES
TO GOD’S JUSTICE IN JESUS,
One: Jesus, who taught us to pray saying together the words,
ALL: “OUR FATHER……”
SCRIPTURE READING: John 18 & 19
HYMN #182 Stay with Us through the Night
LITURGY FOR DARK DAYS:
One: My god, my God, why have you forsaken me?
I have cried desperately for help,
but still it does not come.
ALL: DURING THE DAY, I CALL TO YOU, O GOD,
BUT YOU DO NOT ANSWER.
I CALL AT NIGHT, BUT GET NO REST.
One: Yet you are the one enthroned as the Holy One,
You are the one whom Israel praises.
ALL: OUR ANCESTORS PUT THEIR TURST IN YOU;
THEY TRUSTED YOU AND YOU SAVED THEM.
One: They called to you and escaped from danger;
They trusted you and were not disappointed.
ALL: BUT I AM NO LONGER A MAN: I AM A WORM;
I AM DESPISED AND SCORNED BY EVERYONE.
One: All who see me, jeer at me;
They stick out their tongues and shake their heads.
ALL: “YOU RELIED ON THE LORD, WHY DOESN’T HE SAVE YOU?
IF THE LORD LIKES YOU, WHY DOESN’T HE HELP YOU?”
One: It was you who brought me safely through birth,
And when I was a baby, you kept me safe.
ALL: I HAVE RELIED ON YOU SINCE THE DAY I WAS BORN,
AND YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN MY GOD.
One: Do not stay away from me!
Trouble is near and there is no one to help.
ALL: MANY ENEMIES SURROUND ME LIKE BULLS,
LIKE FIERCE BULLS FROM THE LAND OF BASHAN.
One: They open their mouths like lions,
roaring and tearing at me.
ALL: MY STRENGTH IS GONE
LIKE WATER SPILT ON THE GROUND.
MY BONES ARE OUT OF JOINT,
MY HEART IS LIKE MELTED WAX.
One: My throat is dry as dust, my tongues sticks to my mouth.
You have left me for dead in the dust.
ALL: A GANG OF EVIL MEN SURROUNDS ME.
LIKE DOGS, THEY CLOSE IN ON ME,
TEARING MY HANDS AND FEET.
One: O Lord, don’t stay away from me!
Come quickly to my rescue.
ALL: SAVE ME FROM THE SWORD;
SAVE MY LIFE FROM THESE DOGS.
One: Rescue me from these lions.
I am helpless before these wild bulls.
ALL: I WILL TELL MY PEOPLE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE.
I WILL PRAISE YOU IN THE ASSEMBLY.
One: Praise him, you descendants of Jacob!
Worship him you people of Israel!
ALL: HE DOES NOT NEGLECT THE POOR;
HE ANSWERS WHEN THEY CALL FOR HELP.
One: Future generations will serve him;
and will speak of the Lord to those following them.
ALL: PEOPLE NOT YET BORN WILL BE TOLD:
“THE LORD SAVES HIS PEOPLE.”
One: ….I will strike the shepherd
And the sheep will be scattered…
COMMISSIONING/BENEDICTION:
A time of fellowship shall follow,
Please feel free to stay….
Go in peace.
Anyway - below is the bulletin of our service ... There is NO Good Friday bulletin to post. Tomorrow we will join with the community Good Friday service in the Community Conference Centre. The offering that is collected will be donated to our Rebuilding Effort. So this year we join with our protestant sisters and brothers in a community worship service. Next year remains to be determined ...
Tonight the Covenant Church held a Seder Meal, and the proceeds from it will be donated to our Rebuilding Fund ... even on this journey, we are being cared for, cared about and supported by our sisters and brothers both locally and around the world - it is truly awesome. The darkness will not prevail ... The resurrection will come.
But first - the bulletin for tonight's service:
CALL TO WORSHIP
One: Holy God, we come to worship….
ALL: IN THE GATHERING DARKNESS WE DARE TO COME
One: Companion God, we come with his friends
ALL: WE ARE HIS FOLLOWERS,
MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE FOLLOWED HIM,
IN EVERY PLACE AND EVERY GENERATION
One: Servant God, we come to again live the story
ALL: A STORY OF SERVICE AND BETRAYAL
A STORY OF WEAKNESS AND COURAGE
One: Eternal God, we come to worship
ALL: TO WITNESS YOUR LOVE IN ACTION,
BE WITH US IN JESUS’ NAME. AMEN.
HYMN # 382 Breathe on Me, Breath of God
SCRIPTURE READING: Exodus 12:1-14
PRAYER FOR WHOLENESS:
One: If we have used your house for our purposes as if you did not mind or it did not matter,
ALL: LORD, FORGIVE US.
One: If we have cosseted your house in tradition,
rather than hallowed it by prayer,
ALL: LORD, FORGIVE US.
One: If we have made it a house for one nation,
or part of a nation,
or for part of the Church,
ALL: LORD, FORGIVE US.
One: And if we can see clearly
the misuse others make of your house
and are blind to our own malpractices,
ALL: LORD, FORGIVE US.
One: Kindle in us and in all your people
the desire to make all your sanctuaries
the shop windows of heaven
rather than religious theme parks of earth.
We ask this for your own name’s sake.
ALL: AMEN.
HYMN #494 Those Hearts That We Have Treasured
SCRIPTURE READING: John 13:1-17
BREAKING THE BREAD AND SHARING THE CUP:
One: Blessed are You, O Creator of the Universe.
ALL: YOU GIVE US BREAD AND WINE
FRUIT OF THE EARTH, AND HUMAN LABOUR.
MAY THEY BECOME FOR US
THE BANQUET OF ETERNAL LIFE.
One: Thanks and Praise be to you, O God,
You have created life from the dust,
You sustain us, even in the harshest desert.
ALL: WE THANK YOU THAT EVEN IN THE FACE OF TEMPTATION AND TRIAL,
YOU ARE PRESENT
One: You direct and guide us
ALL: YOU RENEW AND REVIVE US
One: From the journey in the desert to the modern era,
we are your people
ALL: WE PRAISE YOU FOR SENDING JESUS AS
YOUR SUFFERING SERVANT TO WALK BEFORE US THE WAY…
HOLY COMMUNION by Ann Weems
One: Eat. Drink. Remember who I am.
Eat. Drink.
Remember who I amso you can remember who you are.
Eat. Drink. Remember who I am
so you can remember who you are
and tell the others.
Eat. Drink.
Remember who I am
so you can remember who you are
and tell the others
so that all God’s people
can live in communion…
In holy communion.
SCRIPTURE READING: Luke’s Version of the The Last Supper
HYMN #480 Let Us Break Bread Together
SHARING OF THE BREAD AND THE CUP:
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION:
One: We will remember the soothing,
ALL: AND NOT FORGET THE JARRING.
One: We will remember the sweetness,
ALL: AND NOT FORGET THE SOUR.
One: We will remember the jagged desperateness of Judas,
ALL: AND OWN IT;
IT IS OUR STORY TOO.
One: We will remember
Women: the passion of love,
Men: the smell of perfume,
Women: the pain of rejection,
Men: the stench of blood money.
One: And to help us on the journey,
to help us hold the tensions,
to help us face both the delight and difficulty,
ALL: WE WILL SAY YES
TO GOD’S GENEROSITY IN CREATION,
WE WILL SAY YES
TO GOD’S JUDGMENT POURED OUT
ON HUMANKIND,
WE WILL SAY YES
TO GOD’S JUSTICE IN JESUS,
One: Jesus, who taught us to pray saying together the words,
ALL: “OUR FATHER……”
SCRIPTURE READING: John 18 & 19
HYMN #182 Stay with Us through the Night
LITURGY FOR DARK DAYS:
One: My god, my God, why have you forsaken me?
I have cried desperately for help,
but still it does not come.
ALL: DURING THE DAY, I CALL TO YOU, O GOD,
BUT YOU DO NOT ANSWER.
I CALL AT NIGHT, BUT GET NO REST.
One: Yet you are the one enthroned as the Holy One,
You are the one whom Israel praises.
ALL: OUR ANCESTORS PUT THEIR TURST IN YOU;
THEY TRUSTED YOU AND YOU SAVED THEM.
One: They called to you and escaped from danger;
They trusted you and were not disappointed.
ALL: BUT I AM NO LONGER A MAN: I AM A WORM;
I AM DESPISED AND SCORNED BY EVERYONE.
One: All who see me, jeer at me;
They stick out their tongues and shake their heads.
ALL: “YOU RELIED ON THE LORD, WHY DOESN’T HE SAVE YOU?
IF THE LORD LIKES YOU, WHY DOESN’T HE HELP YOU?”
One: It was you who brought me safely through birth,
And when I was a baby, you kept me safe.
ALL: I HAVE RELIED ON YOU SINCE THE DAY I WAS BORN,
AND YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN MY GOD.
One: Do not stay away from me!
Trouble is near and there is no one to help.
ALL: MANY ENEMIES SURROUND ME LIKE BULLS,
LIKE FIERCE BULLS FROM THE LAND OF BASHAN.
One: They open their mouths like lions,
roaring and tearing at me.
ALL: MY STRENGTH IS GONE
LIKE WATER SPILT ON THE GROUND.
MY BONES ARE OUT OF JOINT,
MY HEART IS LIKE MELTED WAX.
One: My throat is dry as dust, my tongues sticks to my mouth.
You have left me for dead in the dust.
ALL: A GANG OF EVIL MEN SURROUNDS ME.
LIKE DOGS, THEY CLOSE IN ON ME,
TEARING MY HANDS AND FEET.
One: O Lord, don’t stay away from me!
Come quickly to my rescue.
ALL: SAVE ME FROM THE SWORD;
SAVE MY LIFE FROM THESE DOGS.
One: Rescue me from these lions.
I am helpless before these wild bulls.
ALL: I WILL TELL MY PEOPLE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE.
I WILL PRAISE YOU IN THE ASSEMBLY.
One: Praise him, you descendants of Jacob!
Worship him you people of Israel!
ALL: HE DOES NOT NEGLECT THE POOR;
HE ANSWERS WHEN THEY CALL FOR HELP.
One: Future generations will serve him;
and will speak of the Lord to those following them.
ALL: PEOPLE NOT YET BORN WILL BE TOLD:
“THE LORD SAVES HIS PEOPLE.”
One: ….I will strike the shepherd
And the sheep will be scattered…
COMMISSIONING/BENEDICTION:
A time of fellowship shall follow,
Please feel free to stay….
Go in peace.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
A cool web site ...
It's spring !!!
On Sunday a large flock of pelicans flew over Minnedosa. There had to be 30 or more birds. They came in low from the south, circled the lake, then headed off to the north. There was little open water - so they continued on ther way north ...
But it is a wonderful sign of spring ... geese, robins, pelicans ... the harbingers of spring are arriving.
On Sunday night one of Mag's Birthday phone calls was from a friend in BC who while chatting told us of a very cool web site from Hornby Island ... it is a live web cam broadcast of a bald eagle nest !!!
As I type this entry, the sounds of birds chirping, crows sqwaking and the mother eagle screeching is echoing around our living room and drving one of our cats nuts !! (He's decided there's no birds in the house and has NOW resumed his nap ...)
It's a very cool site - I invite my readers here to check it out (high speed and broad band connections work best). It is worth watching (and listening to). In time there will be eaglets - and it will be very exciting !!
http://www.infotecbusinesssystems.com/wildlife/
A BC sign of spring - nesting eagles ... thanks to the techies who have made this happen.
Watching the eagles and the pelicans - you can't help but say:
L'chaim
On Sunday a large flock of pelicans flew over Minnedosa. There had to be 30 or more birds. They came in low from the south, circled the lake, then headed off to the north. There was little open water - so they continued on ther way north ...
But it is a wonderful sign of spring ... geese, robins, pelicans ... the harbingers of spring are arriving.
On Sunday night one of Mag's Birthday phone calls was from a friend in BC who while chatting told us of a very cool web site from Hornby Island ... it is a live web cam broadcast of a bald eagle nest !!!
As I type this entry, the sounds of birds chirping, crows sqwaking and the mother eagle screeching is echoing around our living room and drving one of our cats nuts !! (He's decided there's no birds in the house and has NOW resumed his nap ...)
It's a very cool site - I invite my readers here to check it out (high speed and broad band connections work best). It is worth watching (and listening to). In time there will be eaglets - and it will be very exciting !!
http://www.infotecbusinesssystems.com/wildlife/
A BC sign of spring - nesting eagles ... thanks to the techies who have made this happen.
Watching the eagles and the pelicans - you can't help but say:
L'chaim
Sunday, April 09, 2006
From Hosannas to Horrors ... awaiting the Hallelujahs ...
CLERGY: REV. SHAWN ANKENMANN
MINISTER EMERITUS: ELGIN HALL
ORGANIST/CHOIR DIRECTOR: ELEANOR TAYLOR
MINISTRY: THE PEOPLE OF GOD GATHERED HERE
April 9th 2006
DEDICATION OF ‘VOICES UNITED’ HYMN BOOKS
IN MEMORY OF PAT & PAULINE BAKER
HYMN # 126 Ride On, Ride On, the Time is Right
SCRIPTURE READING: Mark 11:1-10
HYMN # 127 Ride On, Ride On in Majesty!
CALL TO WORSHIP
One: Humble and riding on a donkey,
ALL: WE GREET YOU.
One: Acclaimed by crowds and caroled by children,
ALL: WE CHEER YOU.
One: Moving from peace of the countryside to the corridors of power,
ALL: WE SALUTE YOU, CHRIST OUR LORD.
One: You are giving the beasts of burden a new dignity;
you are giving majesty a new face;
you are giving those who long for redemption a new song to sing.
ALL: WITH THEM, WITH HEART AND VOICE,
WE SHOUT “HOSANNA!”
HYMN # 124 He Came Riding on a Donkey
PRAYER OF APPROACH/PRAYER FOR WHOLENESS:
One: Lord Jesus Christ,
… over the broken glass of our world, the rumors meant to hurt,
the prejudice meant to wound, the weapons meant to kill, ride on …
trampling our attenpts at disaster into dust.
ride on,
ALL: RIDE ON IN MAJESTY
One: … over the distance which separates us from you,
and it is such a distance, measurable in half truths,
in unkept promises, in second-best obedience, ride on …
until you touch and heal us, who feel for no one but ourselves.
ride on,
ALL: RIDE ON IN MAJESTY
One: … through the back streets and the sin bins
and the sniggered-at corners of the city,
where human life festers and love runs cold, ride on …
bringing hope and dignity where most send scorn and silence.
ride on,
ALL: RIDE ON IN MAJESTY
One: For you, O Christ, do care and must show us how.
On our own, our ambitions rival your summons
and thus threaten good faith and neglect God’s people.
In your company and at your side,
we might yet help to bandage and heal the wounds of the world.
ride on,
ALL: RIDE ON IN MAJESTY AND TAKE US WITH YOU.
AMEN.
PRESENTATION FROM WESTWORTH UNITED CHURCH
We were presented with two beautiful banners from the folks at Westworth United Church. One banner was a representation of children and the animals of God’s creation. The animals were ones you would find around Minnedosa. It is beautiful. Then the Sunday School children of Westworth, not to be left out, sent us a beautiful banner or hand coloured butterflies … Both banners were received with joy and will be cherished in the coming days. Thanks to our family and friends at Westworth – the banners are lovely.
CHOIR ANTHEM: Hosanna, Hosanna We Sing
ANNOUNCEMENTS: MINUTE FOR MISSION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: Mark 14:1-10
Psalm 31 (part 2- pg 758 V U)
HYMN: (insert) You Are Salt For the Earth
STORY STOOL:
Raise your hand if …
you’ve ever been to a wedding in our old church
you’ve ever been to a funeral in our old church
you’ve ever been to a shower or a social event in our old church
you’ve ever had anything to do with nursery school
you’ve ever been to a dinner at the old church
you’ve ever been to a UCW tea at the old church
you’ve ever sung in one of Jean Stephenson’s choirs
you’ve ever listened to one of Jean Stephenson’s choirs
you’ve ever listened to a special choral event by the senior choir
you’ve ever contemplated the stain glass windows rather then listening to the sermon (be honest)
you’ve ever sat in the sanctuary alone
you’ve ever prepared food for a congregational event
you’ve ever helped on a work bee at the church
you’ve ever helped with one of the many renovation projects
you’ve ever been involved with Sunday School
you’ve ever been to Lee’s for fries and coke as a Sunday School class
you’ve shed a tear or three at the loss of the building …
you miss our old building
When I came in 2000, I was in a team ministry with Kathy Platt, who has gone on to ministry in McCreary-Kelwood and Alonsa Pastoral Charge. During her time here, Kathy periodically used a “stand up if …” time during worship. I opted for that today. My intent was, as I stated by way of introduction, not to lament what we’ve lost, something we’ve been doing since the fire, but to step back and celebrate the 105 years of memories like those listed above, that we still carry with us …
I ended my reflection talking about the Fries and Coke at Lee’s by noting that now both Lee’s and the Church are gone, but for the generations who have missed out the opportunity to have their Sunday School Classes troop across the street, they will have the opportunity in the new building to create new memories … the number of people who raised their hands was startling … especially for the question about the stained glass windows … we all carry many memories of our old sanctuary ad we all miss it … but today we celebrated what it meant to us.
HYMN: # 120 (vs 1 & 2) O Jesus I Have Promised
SCRIPTURE READING: Mark 14:12-20, 22-26
HYMN: # 120 (vs 3 & 4) O Jesus I Have Promised
REFLECTION: “The Journey Ahead … “
Today we begin our Easter Journey … today we would have waved our palms and cried out our hosannas … (if the palms had survived the fire …) … but figuratively we have done this.
In the coming days we will move into the events of Holy Week. The days ahead are not comfortable, or warm and fuzzy – they are difficult days that remind us that life is filled with challenges and that sometimes life is harsh and unfair. The message they bring is strangely familiar to us as a community of faith … there are parallels in the events we will be reading about, in the events we’ve been living in the last few weeks …
In a few moments, we will turn our face from the celebrations in the streets of Jerusalem as we begin to read farther in the Gospel of Mark, and begin to hear the story of what lies between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. The tendency in the Church regrettably is to jump from the Hosannas of Palm Sunday to the Hallelujahs of Easter, and to leave the darkness and the discomfort behind.
But, as community of faith, we can’t merely make that jump … next week we will be celebrating our Easter rites in a School meeting space … not in our beloved sanctuary that for 105 years has been home … our experience as a pilgrim people takes on added poignancy next week as we will gather in the pit of the elementary school to proclaim the coming of Easter.
We are an Easter people who will speak the words, but who will experience a very real disconnect within our souls … it won’t feel like Easter. For us the Resurrection is still a distant goal …
So, how do we journey into the darkness that lies ahead ??
Today and not only in the week ahead, but in the weeks ahead we need to remember, we need to name and we need to own the simple reality that we are all experiencing this journey in vastly and very different ways. Some weeks ago I spoke of our journey as a journey from the ashes of what once was out along a road that stretches off to the horizon. Some of us are up over the next hill, some have moved way out in front and are scoping out the distant horizon – but many of us are straggling along in various places along the way … Some of us have grown tired and have stopped to rest … some have stumbled and need a hand to get up … some of us are still back in the ashes of what once was and aren’t ready to move.
Our challenge as a Church – as an Easter people moving to the Resurrection that we know WILL come, is to remember that we are each where we need to be right now. The hurts, the burdens, the sorrows and the joys that roll within us, perhaps even occurring simultaneously – all of it that we are experiencing is a perfectly normal responses to a very abnormal set of circumstances. As individuals and as people we are journeying through the various stages and manifestations of grief …
We are in a parade – some are waving their palm branches, knowing that we will in time rebuild and some have been able to come to terms with the fire and its consequences … while others are standing on the side lines watching, but not wanting to part take … and still others are off somewhere else wishing it would all go away …
In Jesus’ day, when he entered Jerusalem at the head of the parade, he also invoked a lot of anger … Anger among the priests and authorities … anger among his followers who felt he hadn’t gone far enough … anger among his followers who felt he had gone too far … and even anger within himself, as he realized that not everyone was in the same place as he was …
On the heels of the triumphant entry into Jerusalem we find Jesus cursing a fig tree that had no fruit (it was the wrong season) – then Jesus rolls into the temple and begins tossing over tables and baskets of coins as he drives the merchants and money changers from the temple …
We tend to jump from the image of Jesus riding on a donkey coming into Jerusalem to the idealized imagery of Jesus rising from the tomb clothed in dazzling white, having vanquished death and offering the resurrection to one and all … We don’t like the darkness … we don’t like the sorrow … we don’t like the anger … we don’t like the thought that frailties and failings could play a part in Jesus death.
We don’t like an angry Jesus … it isn’t what we’ve learned in Sunday School, but it is what we read in our texts … What do we do with the anger that comes in the face of loss and grief?? Do we dismiss it and say words of platitude and comfort? Or do we name our own frustrations, madness, and anger and realize that this journey we make figuratively in our texts and worship is the same journey we make in reality in our lives?
In the coming week, we confront our own frailties and our failings and we move not deeper into the darkness but to the glorious dawn of Easter morning … The darkness may be all around us – but our eyes as a people and as a community of faith are focused on events beyond the moment. We are an Easter People - in our case, the fullness of Easter is some months away, but we are an Easter People.
We will say the words, we will proclaim our faith – but until we gather in a sanctuary that is our own, we will only partially experience the resurrection …
So the challenge we face today together, and alone – is to know that wherever we are on this journey – whether we’re over the next hill, or whether we’re sitting to catch our breath, or whether we’re still back weeping over the ashes – wherever we are, it’s okay – and we are still part of the same community. We’re all moving forward at different speeds, having different experiences, and feeling different emotions.
The lesson of Holy Week for us this year is to name the vast array of emotions that come with startling and traumatic events, and to help one another as we move through them and experience them for ourselves.
I would venture to say that the most powerful and meaningful text for us this morning in the readings we will share comes in the deep darkness of Maundy Thursday when following the meal, Jesus and his disciples venture across the city of Jerusalem to the Garden of Gethsemene. There Jesus retreats to a place where he prays alone … He begs God to relieve him of what lies ahead … his disciples sleep … and across the valley from the temple come the authorities to arrest him …
Our readings today end with the simple painful truth of verse 50 in the 14th Chapter of Mark where it says simply: “all of them deserted him and fled …”
What must if have been like for the disciples to have abandoned Jesus and each other and to have fled into the night??
How lonely that must have felt?? How utterly abandoned did they feel in that moment?
(pause)
And yet, we have been living that moment … we’ve spoken and sung and proclaimed the words – “the church didn’t burn down, because the church is not the building – the church is the people” But it has been a lonely experience to live that truth …
This Holy Week – in the hours and days and even weeks ahead, we are the disciples who have deserted Him and fled into the night … We are the ones living out that moment and those feelings of loneliness and abandonment… The challenge is to remember, to proclaim and to live the very concept that God is with us … it begins by remembering that the person sitting in the pew next to you is hurting too … they are having similar feelings to you … they are on this journey too … We are NOT alone – we live in God’s world, with each other …
This week we will move from Hosannas to Hallelujahs, but we WILL carry in our hearts sadness, anger, and a variety of emotions … but with every step of the journey we will know that even when we feel utterly alone – God is still with us … and we are with each other. We must never forget that … even in the darkness and despair – the light will come …
May it be so … thanks be to God … let us pray …
OFFERING:
OFFERTORY:
PRAYER OF DEDICATION:
HYMN: # 132 (vs 1-3) Bitter Was the Night
SCRIPTURE READING: Mark 14:26-32
HYMN: # 137 Love That Clothes Itself in Light
SCRIPTURE READING: Mark 14:33-50
HYMN: # 105 Dust and Ashes Touch Our Face
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE THE LORD’S PRAYER
HYMN: # 152 There Is a Green Hill Far Away
COMMISSIONING/BENEDICTION:
One: Jesus, Prince of Peace, humble and riding on a donkey.
ALL: JESUS, DISTURBER OF THE PEACE, YOU UPSET BAD RELIGION WHEN IT GETS IN THE WAY OF GOD.
One: Jesus, upsetter of the self-righteous, you turn questions on their head, offering no instant answers, but showing the way.
ALL: JESUS, LOVER OF THE LOST,
YOU SAY “FORGIVE”
WHEN WE WANT TO SHOUT “CONDEMN!”
One: Jesus, host at the table,
you share your best even in the face of our worst.
ALL: JESUS, SAVIOR OF THE WORLD
… YES, EVEN THE WORLD
WHICH WANTS YOU UNTIL IT MEETS YOU.
SUNG RESPONSE:# 134 Shadows Gather Deep and Cold
The worship has ended…
…the work of God’s people has just begun
Go in peace
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
A THANKS AND WELCOME TO OUR GUESTS FROM WESTWORTH UNITED IN WINNIPEG FOR THEIR GIFT OF THE BANNER.
Thanks to the MINNEDOSA GRAIN GROWING PROJECT on the banquet last week. A good time was had by all, and the food was wonderful.
BUILDING COMMITTEE: Members are: Jean Garbolinsky, Elgin Hall, Charlie Kingdon, Bill Jury, Ron Kingdon, Barry McNabb, Edith Parsons,
Beth McNabb, Wilf Taylor and Shawn Ankenmann. Thanks again to all
who filled out surveys and helped in this important piece of work.
(there will be no Building Committee Meeting on Monday night …)
BOARD MEETING: Wednesday, April 19, 7:00 pm, at Minnedosa Adult Learning Centre
UCW MEETING: Wednesday, April 19, 2:00 pm, at Amy Kozak’s
CHOIR PRACTICE: this Tuesday, April 18, at 7:30 pm at the Covenant Church. New members are ALWAYS welcome …
… practice for the Community Choir, for the Good Friday Service, will be at 8:00 pm in conjunction with regular Choir practice.
NEW MEMBERS ARE DEFINITELY WELCOME TO JOIN IN.
BIBLE STUDY – meets again April 21st in the Meeting Room of the Library.
HOLY WEEK: Easter Services:
Maundy Thursday – April 13th – 7:30 pm at Minnedosa Funeral Services
(by the arena). Service of Communion
Good Friday – April 14th – 11:00 am at MCCC (Community Choir)
We will be joining the Community Good Friday Service
Easter Sunday – April 16th – 9 am service at Tanner’s Crossing School Pit
- Brunch provided by AOTS Mens Club
- 11 am service – Tanner’s Crossing School Pit
Anyone requiring or willing to offer a ride to Church on Sundays, please call the office. 867-2674
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