RESOURCES:Service Book for the Use of Ministers Conducting Public Worship © 1986; Gatherings LE 2021; www.unitedchurchofcanada.ca
Let us worship together as we read! You can follow along with the service which will be livestreamed on Facebook at 10AM Sunday morning.
For those who are not on Facebook, we will be posting the video onto our YouTube channel early in the week.
MUSICAL PRELUDE
ANNOUNCEMENTS
WELCOME & CALL TO WORSHIP:
One: God be with you
All: And also with you.
One: To the God of Earth,
All: we come as creatures of Earth.
One: To the God of the cosmos,
All: we come as beings made of stardust.
One: To the God of mystery and making,
All: we come to the One who is our source and home.
One: We come to worship and seek wisdom. May it be so.*
1st SCRIPTURE READING:
(1 John 3:16-18, NRSV)
All: O God, we know love by this,
That [Jesus] laid down his life for us-
And we ought to lay down our lives for one another.
How does [Your] love abide in anyone
who has the world’s goods
and sees a brother or sister in need
and yet refuses to help?
[God’s reply to us is this;]
Little children, let us love, not in word or speech,
but in truth and action. Amen.
OPENING HYMN:
Voices United #333 “Love Divine, All Love Excelling”
CONFESSION:
One: The wisdom of God seems foolishness at times,
and so we ignore God’s voice.
But it doesn’t go away—
it waits for the still quiet moments
to whisper hope and encouragement.
We cannot run away from God,
so let us come into God’s love with our prayers.
Let us pray.
All: Holy God, when I survey the wondrous cross,
I confess that I want to run away like the other disciples,
for it is too much.
I want to decorate it with painted eggs and butterflies
in order to remove the images of its horrors from my mind.
I want to have you swoop in
and rescue Jesus at the last moment,
to say, “Just kidding…”
But there it is, ever before me,
calling me to follow,
even to pick it up and carry it for a while.
There you are,
broken and bleeding,
showing the depth of your love
and engagement with the world.
There it is. There you are.
Grant me your strength and grace
to pick up my cross and follow.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
WORDS OF ASSURANCE:
One: Jesus proclaimed that God’s love was abundant and free.
All: For God so loved the world.
One: We are loved.
All: No one or no thing is outside of God’s love.
One: Thanks be to God. Amen!
Psalm 23 (Voices United pp. 747) The Lord is my shepherd.
MINUTE FOR MISSION
SCRIPTURE:
Acts 4:5–12 Peter testifies before the high priests.
John 10:11–18 Jesus is the good shepherd.
MESSAGE
INVITATION TO OFFERING
PRAYER OF DEDICATION:
All: Loving God, Mother of us all,
May these gifts, given gratefully,
Be brought to life through the power of Your creative Spirit.
Multiply and use them to bring the word,
And the touch of Jesus to Your people in this place
And throughout the world. Amen.
JOYS AND CONCERNS
HYMN:
Voices United #766 “As the Deer Pants for the Water”
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE & THE LORD’S PRAYER:
BLESSING:
One: Let us go in peace to be agents of peace,
knowing that we never go alone,
for the grace of Jesus,
the love of God,
and the peace of the Spirit are always with us.
All: Amen.
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