ST. COLUMBA ANGLICAN-UNITED CHURCH
I am the way, the truth, and the life, says the Lord; no one comes to the Father, but by me. ~John 14.6
The Community Gathers (life and work of the church)
Acknowledgment of Land
Call to Worship
Come into this place for reflection. We come, open to the teachings of Christ.
Come into this time for prayer. We come, open to the Spirit’s nudges.
Come into this space for worship. We come, open to the way of God.
Come and be nourished by the fellowship we share, and the movement of the Spirit of God in our midst. We come, open to a future hope today.
We lift up in worship the presence of Christ for us and for others. Jesus Christ brings light and love to the world.
May we seek justice, resist evil, and affirm wholeness as we continue on our journey. Thanks be to God.
Hymn: MV 30 It’s a Song of Praise to the Maker
1. It’s a song of praise to the Maker, the thrush sings high in the tree.
It’s a song of praise to the Maker, the gray whale sings in the sea,
And by the Spirit you and I can join our voice to the holy cry
and sing, sing, sing to the Maker too.
2. It’s a call of life to the Giver, when waves and waterfalls roar.
It’s a call of life to the Giver, when high tides break on the shore,
And by the Spirit you and I can join our voice to the holy cry
and sing, sing, sing to the Maker too.
3. It’s a hymn of love to the Lover; the bumblebees hum along.
It’s a hymn of love to the Lover; the summer breeze joins the song,
And by the Spirit you and I can join our voice to the holy cry
and sing, sing, sing to the Maker too.
4. It’s the chorus of all creation; it’s sung by all living things.
It’s the chorus of all creation; a song the universe sings,
And by the Spirit you and I can join our voice to the holy cry
and sing, sing, sing to the Maker too.
Words Ruth Duck and music Ron Klusmeier copyright © 1992
Prayer of Approach
Gather us together, Great Spirit. Fill your hearts here with goodness, your worship with creativity, your world with new possibilities, and your church with promised gifts. Gather and fill us, Great Spirit, in these days of Spring, with all those things you have stored up for us. Amen.
Children’s Time
Song: He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands
1. He’s got the whole world in his hands…
2. He’s got all of our islands…
3. He’s got everybody here…
Afro-American spiritual. Copyright public domain
To Hear God’s Word
Psalm: Psalm 66:8-20
Refrain: You, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.
The Gospel: John 14:15-21
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God.
Sermon
To Respond in Prayer and Action……
A New Creed
We are not alone, we live in God’s world.
We believe in God: who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh, to reconcile and make new,
who works in us and others by the Spirit.
We trust in God.
We are called to be the Church:
to celebrate God’s presence,
to live with respect in Creation,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope.
In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us.
We are not alone. Thanks be to God.
Prayer of Confession
The grace-filled wonder of the Easter season offer us the opportunity to explore our human complexities through the lens of God's saving love. Trusting in God's promises let us confess our sins:
Jesus, forgive us our sins. Forgive the sins we can remember and the sins we have forgotten. Forgive the wrongs we have done and the good we have failed to do. Forgive the times when we have been weak in the face of temptation, and those when we have been stubborn in the face of correction. Forgive the times when we have been overly proud, and those when we have failed to boast of your works. Forgive the harsh judgements we have made, and the undue leniency we have shown. Forgive the lies we have told and the truths we have avoided. Forgive us the pain we have caused, and the over-indulgence we have practiced. Jesus have mercy on us, and make us whole. Amen
Adapted from the Early Irish (from A Celtic Primer p. 95)
Words of Assurance
Compassionate One, hear our prayer: stretch out your hand in healing love.
Create in us a clean heart, O God, and renew your Spirit within us. Amen
The Peace
The peace of Christ be with you all.
And also with you.
The Offering
Hymn: CP 321 All Hail the Power of Jesus Name (v. 1,2,5,6)
1 All hail the power of Jesus' name! Let angels prostrate fall;
bring forth the royal diadem and crown him Lord of all;
bring forth the royal diadem and crown him Lord of all.
2 Hail him, the heir of David's line, whom David Lord did call,
the God incarnate, life divine, and crown him Lord of all;
the God incarnate, life divine, and crown him Lord of all.
5 Let every kindred, every tribe, on this terrestrial ball,
to Him all majesty ascribe, and crown him Lord of all;
to Him all majesty ascribe, and crown him Lord of all.
6 O that, with heaven's sacred throng, we at his feet may fall,
lift high the universal song, and crown him Lord of all;
lift high the universal song, and crown him Lord of all.
VU 541 The Doxology: Praise God from whom all blessings flow; praise him, all creatures here below; praise him above ye heavenly host; praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Offertory Prayer
God of glory, accept all we offer you this day, and bring us to that eternal city of love and light, where Christ is King. We ask this in his name. Amen
Prayers of the People
In our Shared Ministry Church Cycles of prayer, we pray for…
The church
The authorities
The World
The Local Community
Those in need
The departed and those who grieve
Creator, Conspire with us to create a world where all have access to nutritious and sustainable food sources, and none live with scarcity or food insecurity.
Redeemer, Save us from oppressive and unjust systems. Mobilize us to be a part of a world response that works in partnership with those of good will to foster equitable resource sharing.
Sustainer, Cultivate our resilience and expand our imaginations, so that we might continually find new ways to answer the call to end hunger— until all may flourish. Amen.
Mother Chicken & Mother Elephant ~by Gilberto Aguirre
Mother Chicken and Mother Elephant were very good friends. They took walks every afternoon together. One day Mother Elephant went to Mother Chicken’s for their daily walk and Mother Chicken said that she couldn’t go because she had laid some eggs. Mother Elephant went away sad.
The next day she came back again and Mother Chicken said that she couldn’t go because she was laying her eggs. This went on for many days.
Mother Elephant became very concerned about her friend because she loved her very much. Mother Elephant had a very big heart. Mother Chicken could become ill from laying down for so long and not taking her exercise.
At the end of two weeks Mother Elephant could not wait any longer. She went to Mother Chicken, desperate to help her, and said, “Mother Chicken, I cannot bear to see you like this. It is taking so long. I am your friend and I want to help you.” Then she lifted her from the nest and gently sat on the eggs.
Often communities that we care about do not walk at the pace that we would want them to, so it is our role to walk with them at their speed. Like Mother Elephant, too much development work rushes in, thinking it knows the answers, and ends up crushing the communities that it wants to assist.
(Taken from a story told by Gilberto Aguirre from CEPAD, Nicaragua when he visited the UK in 2014, “Words of Hope: Thoughts and Reflections from Amos Trust,” p. 36.)
An Earth Prayer ~by Nancy Wood
Earth teach me stillness, as the grasses are stilled with light.
Earth teach me suffering, as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility, as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring, as the mother who secures her young.
Earth teach me courage, as the tree which stands all alone.
Earth teach me limitation, as the ant which crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom, as the eagle which soars in the sky.
Earth teach me resignation, as the leaves which die in the fall.
Earth teach me regeneration, as the seed which rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself, as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness, as dry fields weep with rain.
(“Earth Prayers from Around the World,” ed. Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon, p. 176)
Lord’s Prayer
Collect: Almighty God, whose Son was crucified yet entered into glory, may we, walking in the way of the cross, find it is for us the way of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever Amen
Hymn: MV 92 Like a Rock
Like a rock, like a rock, God is under our feet.
Like the starry night sky God is over our head.
Like the sun on the horizon God is every before.
Like the river runs to ocean, our home is in God evermore.
Words: Ken K Wehlander and music: Linnea Good copyright © 1999 Borealis Music.
Benediction
Threefold Amen
Announcements:
Gila’kasla…May God bless you and your loved ones through this challenging time. May you know that you are not alone. May you know the presence of Christ and that the church family is here for you.
Words reprinted and hymns sung during podcast under OneLicense.net License #A-720359
Website: www.stcolumbaporthardy.ca
- Bible Study Tuesday at 5 PM on Zoom (contact Rev. Alastair if you’d like to join)
- Loaves and Fishes May 20, 1-2pm (church parking lot)
- Ark Youth May 26 7pm on Zoom
If you are able to give financially to support the church’s ministry, various options are listed on our website: https://www.stcolumbaporthardy.ca/pages/giving
