May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our hearts, that we may know what is the hope to which he has called us. ~Ephesians 1.17, 18  

Announcements

Acknowledgement of Land  

The Gathering (To be spoken to the woodland and garden, its trees and creatures)

We come as friends We have been given the keys to your wood We have been entrusted with caring for you We come as lovers of God and lovers of the world We find you to be a magical and peaceful woodland We come in peace Will you welcome us? We will do our best to help you flourish To maintain your peace and beauty To learn the skills we need And to manage the woodland motivated by love and respect For the One whose wood it is And all of you creatures whose home it is. Will you welcome us?

(Stand or sit in silence, go and place a hand on a tree, pick a blade of grass, gaze into a flower, plant your feet gently on the earth and listen for the call of Creation.)

Thank you! We have arrived ~From Jonny Baker “Prospect Wood: The Journey Begins”  

Hymn: VU 409  Morning Has Broken  

Morning has broken like the first morning,
blackbird has spoken like the first bird.
Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!
Praise for them, springing fresh from the Word!

Sweet the rain's new fall sunlit from heaven,
like the first dewfall on the first grass.
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden,
sprung in completeness where God's feet pass.  

Ours is the sunlight! Ours is the morning
born of the one light Eden saw play!
Praise with elation, praise every morning,
God's recreation of the new day!  

Words: Eleanor Farjean Music: Gaelic melody; harm. Alec Wyton. Words © 1957 Eleanor Farjean by permission of David Higham Associates. Music: Public Domain. Harmony from The Hymnal 1982 © The Church Pension Fund Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. OneLicense.net License #A-720359 (#27554)  

One:  God’s love covers all the earth:
All: O come let us worship  

Lord, the air smells good today;
straight from the mysteries within the garden of God. The trees in their prayer, the birds in praise, the first blue violets, kneeling.
Lord, the air smells good today

Story Time: “Out of the Way Places”  

The Proclamation of the Word
Hebrew Scripture:  Exodus 3:1-15
Psalm 105: 1-6, 23-26, 45b
The Gospel  Matthew 16: 21-28  

Sermon: “This Searching God of Ours”  

Affirmation of Faith: Together let us proclaim the faith of our baptism…

I believe in God, who has created all life and continues to create new life within and without me. I believe in Jesus, son of God, son of man, the Saviour of the world. By his life, his death and his resurrection from the grave, I can know the true depth of human possibility and experience the true joy of abundant life. I believe the Holy Spirit is present now and always calling me to faith, giving me gifts, and empowering me for service. I believe the church is the community of faith called to experience the fullness of life through God’s Word made flesh in Jesus Christ. Amen  

Offertory Hymn: VU 562 Jesus Calls Us  

Jesus calls us; o’er the tumult
of our life’s wild restless sea,
day by day his clear voice sounding,
saying, “Christian, follow me.”  

Long ago apostles heard it
by the Galilean lake,
turned from home and toil and kindred,
leaving all for Jesus’ sake.  

Jesus calls us from the worship
of the vain world’s golden store,
from each idol that would keep us,
saying, “Christian, love me more.”  

In our joys and in our sorrows,
days of toil and hours of ease,
still he calls, in cares and pleasures,
“Christian, love me more than these.”  

Jesus calls us: by your mercies,
Saviour, may we hear your call,
give our hearts to your obedience,
serve and love you best of all.

Words: Cecil Frances Alexander, 1852, altered; music: William Herbert Jude, 1874. Words and Music: Public Domain.  

VU 542    We give you but your own…  

Prayer over the Gifts

Intercessions & Thanksgiving
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  

(Let us pray with confidence to the Lord, saying, “Lord hear our prayer.”)  

Lord, guard & direct your Church in the way of unity, service, & praise
Lord, hear our prayer.

Give to all nations an awareness of the unity of the human family.
Lord, hear our prayer.

Cleanse our hearts of prejudice and selfishness, and inspire us to hunger and thirst for what is right.  
Lord, hear our prayer.

Teach us to use your creation for your greater praise, that all may share the good things you provide.
Lord, hear our prayer.

Strengthen all who give their energy or skill for the healing of those who are sick in body or in mind.
Lord, hear our prayer.

Set free all who are bound by fear and despair.
Lord, hear our prayer.

Grant a peaceful end and eternal rest to all who are dying, and your comfort to those who mourn.
Lord, hear our prayer.  

A Prayer of Gratitude for the Earth
The earth, our home, one tiny planet spinning in space in the vastness of the universe is extraordinary with its wonderful creatures, plants, landscapes, and habitats.
To gaze at the ocean’s horizon, to walk in a forest and listen to birdsong, to climb a mountain, to sleep under a starry sky, to hold a newborn baby’s tiny fingers in a hand, to enjoy a freshly cooked meal with friends, all evoke wonder and thankfulness. What a gift life is, what a gift it is to be alive! The Christian story is fundamentally a story about the world, the heavens and the earth that have been made good and entrusted to us as gift to look after with love, tenderness and care. ~Prayer by Gerard Kelly  

The Lord’s Prayer (to be recited in one’s mother tongue)  

Hymn:  VU  567 Will You Come and Follow Me?  

Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?
Will you go where you don't know and never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown,
will you let my name be known,
will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?  

Will you leave yourself behind if I but call your name?
Will you care for cruel and kind and never be the same?
Will you risk the hostile stare
should your life attract or scare?
Will you let me answer prayer in you and you in me?  

Will you let the blinded see if I but call your name?
Will you set the prisoners free and never be the same?
Will you kiss the leper clean,
and do such as this unseen,
and admit to what I mean in you and you in me?  

Will you love the 'you' you hide if I but call your name?
Will you quell the fear inside and never be the same?
Will you use the faith you've found
to reshape the world around,
through my sight and touch and sound in you and you in me?  

Christ, your summons echoes true when you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow you and never be the same.
In your company I’ll go
where your love and footsteps show.
Thus I’ll move and live and grow in you and you in me.  

Words: John Bell, The Iona Community; music: Scottish traditional; arr. The Iona Community. Words and arrangement copyright © 1987 WGRG (Wild Goose Resource Group), The Iona Community, G.I.A. Publications Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission. Reprinted under OneLicense.net License # A-720359 (#00077) and CCLI License # 11033010 (4791063).

The Blessing

Threefold Amen

Announcements:

Music is reprinted & podcast with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-720359. All rights reserved.

Mission Focus is Kairos Canada and its anti-racism work

Rev. Alastair again has regular office hours at church, but by appointment only, as the church doors remain locked except for Sunday morning. Please contact him by phone or email to set up an appointment. Regular hours are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.

Bible study is restarting Tuesday Sept 8 at 5:00 pm. It will continue primarily on Zoom (contact Rev. Alastair for an invitation) but we are exploring ways to have limited in-person options too.  

Rev. Alastair’s Quote of the Day: “It wouldn’t be a picnic without the ants!” ~unknown