Service Sunday February 23, 2025

Worship Leader: Worship Leader:

Dr. Anne Beattie-Stokes

Music Director: Melissa Stephens

(For a Printer Friendly PDF version click this link)

All are Welcome!

Watch a video recording of the whole service using YouTube below.

The Gathering

Welcome and Announcements.
Focusing Moment.

HYMN: “Lord, Prepare Me to Be Sanctuary” MV #18

Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary,

pure and holy, tried and true.

With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living sanctuary for you.

(Sing 2 times)

LIGHTING THE CHRIST CANDLE:

Acknowledgement of Land

With gratitude and respect we acknowledge that our sacred space is located on Treaty 20 territory in the traditional lands of the Williams Treaties First Nations. We acknowledge that we as settlers and newcomers are party to these treaties, and so we seek to live in right relations with all as stewards of these lands and waters and as those who care for the needs of all people.

THE APPROACH

HYMN: “Come and Find the Quiet Centre” VU #374

1 Come and find the quiet centre

in the crowded life we lead,

find the room for hope to enter,

find the frame where we are freed:

clear the chaos and the clutter,

clear our eyes, that we can see

all the things that really matter,

be at peace, and simply be.

2 Silence is a friend who claims us,

cools the heat and slows the pace,

God it is who speaks and names us,

knows our being, face to face,

making space within our thinking,

lifting shades to show the sun,

raising courage when we're shrinking,

finding scope for faith begun.

3 In the Spirit let us travel,

open to each other's pain,

let our loves and fears unravel,

celebrate the space we gain:

there's a place for deepest dreaming,

there's a time for heart to care,

in the Spirit's lively scheming

there is always room to spare!

CALL TO WORSHIP:

One: Jesus says some very difficult things, things that are hard to understand,

and even harder to do.

All: We come to worship seeking understanding. We come seeking courage

and faith; we come so that we can faithfully follow the way of Jesus.

One: Today in scripture, we will hear some difficult teachings of Jesus that will

challenge and perhaps confound us.

All: We come to worship seeking understanding. We come seeking courage

and faith so that we can faithfully follow the way of Jesus.

One: Our scripture today also says that power was coming out of Jesus to heal and set free.

All: We come to worship seeking the power of Jesus in our lives and trusting

that we, too, will be set free to follow his way of justice and compassion.

One: Let us worship God.

PRAYER OF APPROACH AND CONFESSION

Holy One, we have gathered here in this place and online,

and together, we lift up our voices in praise.

With all its challenges and difficulties, the world is still a beautiful place.

Creation is full of wonders; loving and being loved transforms us,

and through Jesus, we have hope that justice will prevail.

From the fullness of our hearts, we praise you and thank you for your gifts.

Forgive us when we lose hope, or when we fail to love or act for justice.

Guide us in the way of Jesus, that we may make a difference.

For we pray in his strong and holy name.

Amen.

MINISTRY OF MUSIC:

LEARNING TOGETHER

THE WORD

SCRIPTURE: Luke 6:27-38

Leader: Hear and listen to what the Spirit is saying to the church.

ALL: Thanks be to God.

**HYMN: “Homeless People, Will You Listen?” VU #696 (Tune 333)**

1 'Homeless people, will you listen?

I, too, was a refugee.

Poor and hungry of my family,

I was born in poverty.'

So speaks Jesus to our sisters,

offering love and hope and peace.

In this man our God has met us

with a love that does not cease.

2 'Anxious people, can you hear me?

I was torn and hurt by fear.

Sick and suffering, maimed and wounded,

I knew doubt and bitter tear.'

So speaks Jesus to our brothers,

offering love and hope and peace.

In this man our God has met us

with a love that does not cease.

3 'Homeless people, will you listen?

I was also refugee.

Poor and hungry of my family,

I was born in poverty.'

So speaks Jesus to his followers,

friends of his must learn to give.

Life is ours to share with others.

We are bound with all who live.

4 'Anxious people, can you hear me?

I was torn and hurt by fear.

Sick and suffering, maimed and wounded,

I knew doubt and bitter tear.'

So speaks Jesus to his followers,

friends of his must learn to give.

Life is ours to share with others.

We are bound with all who live.

MESSAGE:

“Healing our Hearts, Healing the World”

There is no audio recording this week but you can read the message below.

OUR RESPONSE

OFFERTORY PRAYER:

Generous God, from Jesus we have received grace upon grace so that like you we may be generous in giving. Bless what we give and who we are, and make us a blessing in the world. Through Jesus our Christ, we pray. Amen.

**PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE and A CONTEMPORARY INTERPRETATION OF THE LORD’S PRAYER: (paraphrase) VU #916**

Eternal Spirit, Earth-Maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,

Source of all that is and that shall be. Father and Mother of us all,

Loving God, in whom is heaven: The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!

The way of your justice be followed by peoples of the world!

Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!

Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.

With the bread we need for today, feed us.

In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.

In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.

From trials too great to endure, spare us.

From the grip of all that is evil, free us.

For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,

now and forever. Amen.

HYMN: “Christ Has No Body Now but Yours” MV #171

Refrain

Christ has no body now but yours,

no hands but yours.

Here on this earth, yours is the work,

to serve with the joy of compassion.

1. No hands but yours to heal the wounded world,

no hands but yours to soothe all its suffering,

no touch but yours to bind the broken hope

of the people of God.

2. No eyes but yours to see as Christ would see,

to find the lost, to gaze with compassion;

no eyes but yours to glimpse the holy joy

of the city of God.

3. No feet but yours to journey with the poor,

to walk this world with mercy and justice.

Yours are the steps to build a lasting peace

for the children of God.

4. Through ev’ry gift, give back to those in need;

as Christ has blessed, so now be his blessing,

with ev’ry gift a benediction, be

to the people of God.

Sending Forth:

One: We are rich.

All: Let our hearts be with the poor to bring equity.

One: We are well-fed.

All: Let our hearts be with the hungry to bring justice.

One: We are, for the most part, happy and content.

All: Let our hearts be with the grieving so they do not walk alone.

One: If we are hated for speaking out, let us have courage.

All: Let our hearts be with Jesus who brings healing and hope.

One: Let us go, then in the power of Jesus our Christ.

All: We go in his name. We are not alone. Thanks be to God.

SUNG BLESSING: VU #454 (Two Times)

May God who creates you give you light,

may God who sustains you make you wise,

may God who protects you give you joy,

may God who surrounds you give you peace. ©

A Time of Fellowship

lf you earn $25,000 a year, you are richer than 89.6% of the people in the world.

You're in the richest 10.4o/o of the global population,

and your income is 5.9 times the global median.

Earning that much makes you rich compared to the rest of the world,

but earning $25,000 a year in Canada, puts you just above the poverty line.

So which words of Jesus apply - woe to you who are rich?

or blessed are you who are poof

lf your income is $60,000 a year, you are richer than 97.9% of the people in the world.

You're in richest 21% of the global population,

and your income is 12.7 times the global median.

Earning that much compared to the rest of the world makes you rich,

but earning $60,000 a year in Canada makes you just comfortable.

It puts you in a category Jesus never dreamed of - the middle class -

you're not rich, nor are you poor.

So as we hear these blessings and woes pronounced by Jesus,

should we call ourselves blessed or cursed?

Poor or rich? Empty or full?

Weeping about our lives or basically content with our lot?

Reviled and rejected or treated with respect?

Slotting ourselves into these categories defined by the blessings and woes of Jesus,

which were spoken in a time when reality was much different than ours,

is not easily done.

Most of us are neither rich nor poor. Most of us are well-fed, but some can't buy healthy food.

lVlost of us are happy, but we all live through bereavement, while some live with chronic pain,

and others are worried about a child or a parent or a partner.

Most of us are liked and respected, but some have also been criticized,

even hated for speaking out.

At various times in our lives, we are all these things Jesus names.

The reality in which Jesus lived, though,

was defined by a stark line between rich and poor,

hungry and well-fed, weeping and laughing, reviled and respected.

So in his blessings and woes, Jesus is naming the injustice and inequity of his world

He's telling his followers that this is not how he imagines the world should be.

Our economic and social/political realities today in Canada are quite different.

We have a middle class, not just rich people and poor people.

We're not under the domination of an empire that makes those it has conquered suffer

But that having been said, there are still huge inequities here and around the world.

And Jesus is saying to us as to people in his own day,

this is not how the world is intended to be.

He's telling us that God has a preferential love for those who are suffering

and for those in need.

He's saying that like a parent, God cares first for the child in need,

not because they're more loved, but because they're hurting,

and a parent's heart aches when their child is suffering.

So what we need to realize as we try to understand the complexity of this passage,

is that if God's heart is aligned with the poor, with the hungry and those who weep,

with the rejected and the reviled,

that's where our hearts need to be also.

We need to realize, that in the beatitudes, Jesus is teaching this spiritualtruth:

that whether we are rich or poor,

if we are not humble and open, we won't seek the reign of God;

we won't care about justice and peace, about inclusion and equity.

Whetherwe are well-fed or hungry, if we are not empty,

if our hearts are full of worry or pride or love of things,

we won't be hungry for the God who is Love.

And to learn how to do that, we look at the context

in which Luke has set this version of the beatitudes.

Jesus has been on the mountain communing with God in prayer.

At daybreak, he summons the disciples and chooses twelve to be apostles

He then comes down the mountain to a level place,

and finds there a huge crowd of people who have come to hear him,

and to be healed of their diseases.

Luke says that they were all trying to touch him,

because power was pouring out of him and healing them all.

To be healed from our preoccupation with power and privilege,

with happiness and having stuff,

we need to hear Jesus and touch him.

We need to come humble and hungry and hollowed out,

listening to his words and reaching out to touch him.

When we do, power pours out of him; our hearts are healed,

and we are empowered us to do the work of healing the world

Whether we are laughing or weeping, if we are seeking our own happiness,

if we are not leaning into grief and pain and loss, but avoiding it,

we won't care about those who are weeping.

We are, Jesus says, to align our hearts to God's Love for those who suffer.

For our own healing and for the world's healing,

our hearts need be aligned with God's Love seen in Jesus;

they need to beat with the energy of Love - love for the poor, love for the hungry,

love for the weeping and rejected ones of this world.

So every day, make a habit of ehoosing how your heart will beat.

lVake a habit, every morning, of starting the day by saying:

"Today, let my heart beat with the energy of Love."

When ysq'rg tgmpted tp b'ty qgmqlhins thet yqq {qn't really nqqC,

look around, see how much you have, and say to yourself,

"Today, let my heart beat with the energy of Love,

Today, let my heart be with the poor."

Then, do what you can to make a world where the poor are lifted up -

tike supporting a guaranteed basic income for all.

When you sit down to a meal, and realize,

that even though groceries are expensive, you have enough,

say to yourself, "Today, let my heart beat with the energy of Love.

Today, let my heaft be with the hungry."

Then, do what you can to make a world where the hungry are filled,

not just through food banks, but by making sure that everyone has enough resources

to feed themselves and their families.

When you meet a friend for coffee or gather in church for worship,

and realize how blessed you are, no matter what your situation,

to be part of a community that cares for one another,

say to yourself, "Today, let my heart beat with the energy of Love

Today, Iet my heart be with those who weep."

Thqni Ce what yolt Qen tp eqrlfqfi !hs,grieving, !.lntil they qen laugn qgaini

Do what you can to walk with those who weep until their sufferings are eased.

When people compliment you, when you feel respected and loved,

think of those in this world who are being reviled, those who are hated,

those who are being forcibly deported, and say to yourself,

"Today, let my heart beat with the energy of Love.

Today, let my heart be with those who are gay, lesbian and trans-gender.

Let my heart be with the migrant, the refugee, and the undocumented."

Then do what you can to bring change by speaking the truth of Jesus -

that we are to love God, love our neighbours, and love our enemies.

Do what you can to create a community and a country

where all are welcomed and treasured by electing a government

that aligns with these values.

When we hear and touch Jesus, through prayer or in creation,

in scripture or in a dream, his power pours through us,

and our hearts beat with the energy of Love.

With that beating heart of Love,

we are empowered to act for justice, for equity and for peace -

and so the world is healed and the reign of God comes near,

one life and one little bit at a time.

We are not alone.

Thanks be to God!