Open our hearts, O Lord, to give heed to what is said by your Son.
God’s People Gather … Acknowledgment of Land
Call to Worship:
Voice 1: Let us come together in community, acknowledging the presence of Spirit in all creation.
All: Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.
Voice 2: To you, O God, we cry, for fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
All: Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.
Voice 3: The whole creation waits with eager longing.
All: Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.
Voice 4: Just as Jesus came up from the water of baptism, the heavens were opened.
All: Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.
Voice 1: Jesus was driven out into the wilderness. He fasted for forty days and forty nights.
All: Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.
Voice 2: If we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
All: Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.
Voice 3: In our weakness we do not know how to pray as we ought.
All: Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.
Voice 4: For God so loved the world...
All: Amen.
Hymn: “Oh the Deep Deep Love of Jesus”
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
vast, unmeasured, boundless, free.
Rolling as a mighty ocean
in its fullness over me.
Underneath me, all around me,
is the current of thy love;
leading onward, leading homeward,
to thy glorious rest above.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
spread his praise from shore to shore.
How he loves us, ever loves us,
changes never, nevermore.
How he watches o'er his loved ones,
died to call them all his own;
how for them he’s interceding,
watches o'er them from the throne.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
love of every love the best.
'Tis an ocean vast of blessing,
'tis a haven sweet of rest.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
'tis a heaven of heavens to me;
and it lifts me up to glory,
for it lifts me up to thee.
Words: Samuel Trevor Francis (1834-1925), tune: Thomas J. Williams (1869-1944). © Public domain.
Healing Prayer:
With open wings a seagull skims the spray,
Sounding the depth below, a great whale sings,
Your Spirit moves amongst them as they play
With open wings.
Now open me to all your Spirit brings,
Move in me too as I begin to pray,
That love may ripple out in shining rings.
Speak to my soul through all you made this day,
Through all that swims and flies and swoops and swings,
And let your Spirit lift the words I say
With open wings. Amen
(by Malcolm Guite)
Storytime: “Maps”
To Hear God’s Word
1st Reading: Romans 8:18-27
Psalm 18:1-7; 16-19
2nd Reading Mark 1:9-13
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church. Thanks be to God.
Sermon: “Your Wild Soul”
Offertory Hymn: VU 675 Will Your Anchor Hold
Will your anchor hold in the storms of life?
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife,
when the strong tides lift and the cables strain,
will your anchor drift, or firm remain?
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
fastened to the rock which cannot move,
grounded firm and deep in the Saviour's love!
It will surely hold in the straits of fear,
when the breakers tell that the reef is near;
though the tempest rave and the wild winds blow,
not an angry wave shall our bark o’erflow.
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
fastened to the rock which cannot move,
grounded firm and deep in the Saviour's love!
It will surely hold in the floods of death,
when the waters cold chill our latest breath,
on the rising tide it can never fail
while our hopes abide within the veil.
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
fastened to the rock which cannot move,
grounded firm and deep in the Saviour's love!
When our eyes behold, through the gathering night
the city of gold, our harbour bright,
we shall anchor fast by the heavenly shore,
with the storms all past forevermore.
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
fastened to the rock which cannot move,
grounded firm and deep in the Saviour's love!
Words: Priscilla Jane Owens, 1882; music: William James Kirkpatrick, 1882. © Public domain.
The Doxology: VU 541 “Praise God From Whom . . .”
Offertory Prayer
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
Your everlasting love reaches out to us;
We long for your vision, O God; we long to see as you see. We long for a world where no child goes to bed hungry, and no old person is denied the care and comfort they need.
Your everlasting love reaches out to us;
We long for your vision, O God; we long to see as you see. We long for a way of seeing others that centres on their potential and not on their perceived weaknesses.
Your everlasting love reaches out to us;
We long for your vision, O God; we long to see as you see. We long for a way of studying the scriptures that enables us to question freely and be led wisely.
Your everlasting love reaches out to us;
We long for your vision, O God; we long to see as you see.
Amen
Collect: Creator of the Cosmos;
We lift your name high today, like a blanket of praise, thank you that you cover and embrace a fallen world.
Thank you for this grace, that flows endlessly to us each day.
Lord, we celebrate your love, as we lay our burdens down at the foot of the cross.
Thank you that we can breathe in resurrection life,
Thank you that we are fully redeemed and restored.
Lord, today we drink in once again the hope of eternal life
And the promise of heaven. Thank you for your presence.
Amen
The Lord’s Prayer
Closing Hymn: VU 380 She Flies On
She comes sailing on the wind, her wings flashing in the sun;
on a journey just begun, she flies on.
And in the passage of her flight, her song rings out through the night,
full of laughter, full of light, she flies on.
Silent waters rocking on the morning of our birth,
like an empty cradle waiting to be filled.
And from the heart of God the spirit moved upon the earth,
like a mother breathing life into her child.
Many were the dreamers whose eyes were given sight
when the Spirit filled their dreams with life and form.
Deserts turned to gardens, broken hearts found new delight,
and then down the ages still she flew on.
She comes sailing on the wind, her wings flashing in the sun;
on a journey just begun, she flies on.
And in the passage of her flight, her song rings out through the night,
full of laughter, full of light, she flies on.
To a gentle girl in Galilee, a gentle breeze she came,
a whisper softly calling in the dark,
the promise of a child of peace whose reign would never end,
Mary sang the Spirit song within her heart.
Flying to the river, she waited circling high
above the child now grown so full of grace.
As he rose up from the water, she swept down from the sky,
and she carried him away in her embrace.
She comes sailing on the wind, her wings flashing in the sun;
on a journey just begun, she flies on.
And in the passage of her flight, her song rings out through the night,
full of laughter, full of light, she flies on.
Long after the deep darkness that fell upon the world,
after dawn returned in flame of rising sun,
the Spirit touched the earth again, again her wings unfurled,
bringing life in wind and fire she flew on.
She comes sailing on the wind, her wings flashing in the sun;
on a journey just begun, she flies on.
And in the passage of her flight, her song rings out through the night,
full of laughter, full of light, she flies on.
Words and music: Gordon Light. Words and music copyright © 1987 Common Cup Company. Arrangement and French translation: © 1994 Andrew Donaldson. All rights reserved. Used with permission. Reprinted under OneLicense.net License #A-720359 (#117717).
The Blessing
Threefold Amen
Announcements:
Reprinted and podcast with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-720359. All rights reserved.
- Mission Focus this month is Kairos Canada
- Council meeting today at noon, via Zoom and in person
- Bible Study 5pm this Tuesday at the church and via Zoom
- Loaves and Fishes Food Bank Wednesday 1-2 pm in the parking lot at the church
- September Diocesan Post available online, and also limited paper copies
- Orange Shirts available for a suggested donation of up to $20 limited sizes M to 2XL
With regret, due to the concerns surrounding COVID-19, we will not be offering refreshments following Mary Giesbrecht’s “Celebration of Life” on Saturday, September 26th. On Sunday, September 27th, for those who wish, you are invited to come for coffee at Connie’s (15 – 7100 High View Rd.), between 2 and 4 pm. We know many are concerned about COVID-19 and their health. We completely understand if you feel unable to come. Blessings to all, Connie.
“Maps” by Holly Ordway
Antique maps, with curlicues of ink
As borders, framing what we know, like pages
From a book of travelers’ tales: look,
Here in the margin, tiny ships at sail.
No-nonsense maps from family trips: each state
Traced out in color-coded numbered highways,
A web of roads with labeled city-dots
Punctuating the route and its slow stories.
Now GPS puts me right at the centre,
A Ptolemaic shift in my perspective.
Pinned where I am, right now, somewhere, I turn
And turn to orient myself. I have
Directions calculated, maps at hand:
Hopelessly lost till I look up at last.
Rev. Alastair’s Quote of the Day:
“What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity.” ~J. Addison
