Service Sunday July 21, 2024

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All are Welcome!

Watch a video recording of the whole service using YouTube. We had a couple of glitches so the recording starts part way through and is in two parts. Sorry about that.

The Gathering

Welcome and Announcements.
Focusing Moment.

Acknowledgement of Land

The land on which this building sits, and the places where most of us are worshiping today, is land that has been walked on, hunted on, and lived on for thousands of years. It is the Traditional land of the Anishnaabeg people, and it is with humility and respect that we give thanks that we are here, in the space where we are in touch with Creator who made it and who made us. May our worship honour the relationships that are celebrated and invited here, and may we always remember the story of this land, the people who live here, and the call to live with respect and thanksgiving.

Call to Worship:

One: We look at the hills around us; we are awestruck at the splendour of the lakes, captivated by the endless, starry skies,

ALL: and joy fills our hearts for all God has given us.

One: We remember the support and encouragement of family and friends in the journey of life,

ALL: and thanksgiving overflows for all God has given us.

One: We think back to the inspiration that has been ours in church: the down-to-earth leaders, the soaring song and music,

ALL: and our worship resounds with praise for all God has given us.

One: We consider the future with all its joys, its uncertainties, and its challenges,

ALL: and we rest secure in the loving presence that God will always give us.

One: We come to worship God.

Written by David Sparks, Summerland, B.C.

Gathering, Pentecost 2024, p.42. Used with permission.

Hymn: Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” VU #651

1 Guide me, O thou great Jehovah,

pilgrim through this barren land.

I am weak, but thou art mighty,

hold me with thy powerful hand.

Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,

feed me till I want no more,

feed me till I want no more.

2 Open now the crystal fountain,

whence the healing stream doth flow;

let the fire and cloudy pillar

lead me all my journey through.

Strong deliverer, strong deliverer,

be thou still my strength and shield,

be thou still my strength and shield.

3 When I tread the verge of Jordan,

bid my anxious fears subside;

death of death, and hell's destruction,

land me safe on Canaan's side:

songs of praises, songs of praises

I will ever give to thee,

I will ever give to thee.

Opening Prayer: Spoken in Unison

Holy One, we thank you for the gifts you have given. For life, both new and old. For love of friend and stranger. For Christ alive in our hearts. We ask that you bless our gathering, that our words, our actions, and our love—our lives themselves—might be living reflections of your love. In Christ’s name, we ask these things. Amen

Written by Richard Bott, Grace U.C., Burlington, Ont.

Gathering, Pentecost 2024, p.43. Used with permission.

MINISTRY OF MUSIC:

LEARNING TOGETHER:

HYMN: “Jesus Loves Me” VU #357

1 Jesus loves me, this I know,

for the Bible tells me so;

little ones to him belong,

in his love we shall be strong.

Refrain Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.

2 Jesus loves me, this I know,

as he loved so long ago,

taking children on his knee,

saying, 'Let them come to me.' Refrain

3 Jesus loves me still today,

walking with me on my way,

wanting as a friend to give

light and love to all who live. Refrain

THE WORD

Scripture: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

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

ALL: Thanks be to God.

MESSAGE

“Sheep Without a Shepherd”

Listen to an audio recording of the message below or read the message at the bottom of this page.

**OUR RESPONSE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE and THE LORD’S PRAYER:**

(sung VU #960)

HYMN: “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say” VU #626

1 I heard the voice of Jesus say,

'Come unto me and rest;

lay down, O weary one, lay down

your head upon my breast.'

I came to Jesus as I was,

weary and worn and sad;

I found in him a resting place,

and he has made me glad.

2 I heard the voice of Jesus say,

'Behold, I freely give

the living water; thirsty one,

stoop down, and drink, and live.'

I came to Jesus, and I drank

of that life-giving stream;

my thirst was quenched, my soul revived,

and now I live in him.

3 I heard the voice of Jesus say,

'I am this dark world's light;

look unto me, your morn shall rise,

and all your day be bright.'

I looked to Jesus, and I found

in him my star, my sun;

and in that light of life I'll walk

till travelling days are done.

YOUR GENEROSITY MATTERS

PRESENTATION OF OUR OFFERINGS

Offertory Prayer In Unison

Knowing that you are the source of hope, O God, we offer our gifts in support of Christian worship and education. We provide them also to heal the inequalities and damage caused when humanity has acted as if we are God. Bless our gifts and our giving. Amen

Written by Karen Boivin, Osgoode-Kars U.C., Ottawa, Ont.

Gathering, Lent-Easter 2024, p.35. Used with permission.

SUNG BLESSING:

Spirit God: be our breath, be our song.

Blow through us, bringing strength to move on.

Through change, through challenge, we’ll greet the new dawn…

Spirit God, be our song. ©

Sending Forth:

One: Go forth from here, picking up and carrying with you what you need to engage the struggles and the challenges of life. Cast off the armour of past ages and old ways that are no longer life-giving. Trust in God and you will find abundant life.

ALL: Amen!

Written by Beth W Johnston, Bridging Waters P.C., Nipawin, Sask.

Gathering, Pentecost 1, 2023, p.48. Used with permission.

A Time of Fellowship

Sermon 21 July 2024

“Sheep Without a Shepherd”

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Gracious God, be with us today in this place, in the Scriptures and in our words.

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts praise your Holy name. Amen.

The great John the Baptist was dead.

The people were lost.

But Jesus was just getting going in his ministry.

He had chosen his twelve disciples and had even sent them out to teach and heal.

After days of constant ministry the exhausted disciples came back to Jesus excited about all they had done and seen.

Jesus could see that his disciples needed a chance to rest and think about and talk about all they had done.

So Jesus tried to take the disciples on a retreat to talk about what was happening.

You noticed I said, “tried.”

No sooner did they get some place then someone would recognize Jesus and tell others.

And before they knew it there was a crowd of people.

It became so bad that Jesus didn’t have any time to eat much less debrief his disciples.

So they tried once again to leave the crowds by crossing the Sea of Galilee.

But as soon as they got to the other side they were recognized and people came flocking to him.

Jesus and his disciples had no time to eat or sleep or even pray.

What were these people thinking?

Couldn’t they see what they were doing to Jesus and his disciples?

Couldn’t they see that Jesus was overworked?

Couldn’t they tell that Jesus needed a quiet meal and some down time with his closest friends?

What were they thinking?

Mark tells us exactly what they were thinking.

They were thinking of themselves.

They were thinking that Jesus could heal them.

We can admire the faith that says,

“If only I could touch the edge of his coat”

But in many ways it was a self-serving faith.

If the crowds had really listened to what Jesus was saying they would have made room for the sickest of the sick to see Jesus first and all would have been orderly.

Why did Jesus put up with it?

Their selfishness was contrary to everything he was teaching!

Why didn’t he just say, “Forget it; you selfish people. I’m going to teach my disciples.”

But Jesus didn’t say that.

The Bible tells us that when Jesus saw the crowds he had compassion for them.

Why did he have compassion on these selfish mobs?

Because they were like sheep without a shepherd.

You know sheep are really helpless.

When Jesus says that the people were like sheep without a shepherd, this is what he had in mind.

The people were helpless and lost.

So instead of being mad at them for their selfishness, Jesus was led to compassion by their helplessness.

I think I understand a little of what Jesus felt.

When I was at Emmanuel College I served one year as a chaplain at the Kitchener-Waterloo Hospital.

As part of that experience, I was regularly asked to be the “on call” chaplain.

The “on call” chaplain would carry a pager.

Some nights were quiet but that was the exception.

The K-W hospital had many beds, a regional trauma center and a regional cancer centre.

Every time someone died or had a spiritual crisis the chaplain was called, especially to the Emergency Room.

Usually, the pager would go off as soon as I fell asleep.

It was always hard to know when I would be finished after a call.

But despite this constant onslaught of demands, despite the masses of human suffering pressing upon us “on call” chaplains, we seldom got angry or irritated.

We knew that when the pager went off someone was suffering.

And like Jesus, we felt compassion for the people who were in genuine need.

As a father I have experienced a similar thing.

Most of the time, if you wake me up in the middle of the night and make me get out of bed, I can be pretty grumpy.

Just ask Amanda.

Yet there are times when Lily or Emily or Thomas get me out of bed with a fever or some other ailment, my heart goes out to them.

Instead of scolding them for waking me in the wee hours of the morning, I respond with compassion.

I have to admit, I do not always have compassion for the needy in our world.

Sometimes I lose patience with them.

I sometimes see people in need who are unwilling to help themselves.

They could get a job if they tried, I think to myself.

They could deal with their problems if they tried.

I sometimes see people whose way of life has landed them in the trouble they are in.

They wouldn’t be addicted if they hadn’t started in the first place.

They wouldn’t be alone if they had been true to their spouse.

I sometimes see people who seek after material things and value things instead of people.

And they wonder why they feel so isolated and alienated.

A nice house and car and stereo are wonderful but they can’t keep you company or give you a hug.

Like the crowds that came to Jesus, some people come to the church to be served and not to serve.

People “pick” their churches by asking “What can the church do for me?”

The truth is God called them to the church and they should be asking themselves where God wants them.

In other words “ask not what your church can do for you but what you can do for God’s church.”

It has been said that 10% of the people in any church do 90% of the work.

And that is true not only of Christian work in the church but also Christian service outside the church.

The same people who are keeping the church going with their volunteer time and offerings are also the ones witnessing in service in the community in many cases.

It is no wonder that so many church workers get burned out.

They give and give and give until they are emotionally and spiritually exhausted.

At this point it would be so easy to point to Jesus and say

“He didn’t give up, you shouldn’t either.”

But I am not Jesus and neither are you.

We are mere humans, we need to rest and recuperate.

Jesus recognized that he and his disciples needed a retreat to recharge their spiritual batteries.

So take time to feed spiritually and rest in the presence of the Lord.

Even the most dedicated Christian servant needs some private time of devotion and worship.

Even “on call” chaplains are not “on call” all the time.

This summer, let us re-energize ourselves so that the God given compassion that is within all of us will be ready to flow freely once again when the time is right.

Thanks be to God. Amen.