Service Sunday March 16, 2025

2nd in Lent

Worship Leader: Rev. Diane Bennett-Jones

Music Director: Melissa Stephens

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All are Welcome!

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

The Gathering

WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS:
FOCUSING MOMENT:
LIGHTING OF THE CHRIST CANDLE:

Acknowledgement of Land

All: Since time immemorial First People's lives and spirituality have been deeply connected to this land. As we gather for worship, we acknowledge that this land has been inhabited, cared for, and loved by many indigenous peoples over many thousands of years, including Anishinaabe people. We are grateful to have the opportunity to gather and worship here. May we live with respect and gratitude for this land and all its peoples.

OPENING HYMN: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty” VU#315

1 Holy, holy, holy! Lord God almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee;

holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty,

God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

2 Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee,

casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;

cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,

which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.

3 Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee,

though the eye made blind by sin thy glory may not see,

only thou art holy; there is none beside thee,

perfect in power, in love, and purity.

4 Holy, holy, holy! Lord God almighty!

All thy works shall praise thy name in earth

and sky and sea;

holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty,

God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

THE APPROACH

CALL TO WORSHIP:

One: God is our light and our salvation;

All: whom shall we fear?

One: God is the stronghold of our life;

All: of whom shall we be afraid?

One: God conceals and protects us from harm.

All: God lifts us up to stand on higher ground.

One: God is our light and our salvation

All: Let us give thanks and worship God.

(Based on Psalm 27)

Opening Prayer

All: Loving God, you gather us as a hen gathers her young under her wings.

You watch over us in all the changes and unknowns of our lives.

In times when certainties are few and trust is difficult, keep us mindful of your faithfulness.

In times when we see no reason for hope, teach us to hope against hope, as you have taught your people throughout the ages to hope.

Be with us, God, as we worship you. Amen

(Written by Laura J Turnbull, Grace Pastoral Charge, Swift Current, SK, Gathering)

Prayer of Confession

All: Holy and welcoming God,

You offer protection and direction to us.

You repeatedly show us the holy way.

Yet we fail to accept your love and go off on our own.

Too often we act as if we do not need or want your care.

Forgive our selfishness, we pray.

Words of Assurance

One: Jesus wants to gather us together,

as a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings.

God's love and mercy enfold us, even in the darkest night.

Let us rejoice in this good news.

All: Thanks be to God!

(Written by Laura J Turnbull, Grace Pastoral Charge, Swift Current, SK, Gathering)

MINISTRY OF MUSIC

LEARNING TOGETHER

HYMN: “Come Touch Our Hearts” MV #12

1. Come touch our hearts that we may know compassion,

from failing embers build a blazing fire;

love strong enough to overturn injustice,

to seek a world more gracious, come touch and bless our hearts.

2. Come touch our souls that we may know and love you,

your quiet presence all our fears dispel;

create a space for spirit to grow in us,

let life and beauty fill us, come touch and bless our souls.

3. Come touch our minds and teach us how to reason,

set free our thoughts to wonder and to dream;

help us to open doors of understanding,

to welcome truth and wisdom, come touch and bless our minds.

4. Come touch us in the moments we are fragile,

and in our weakness your great strength reveal;

that we may rise to follow and to serve,

steady now our nerve, come touch and bless our wills.

5. Come touch us now, this people who are gathered,

to break the bread and share the cup of peace;

that we may love you with our heart, our soul,

our mind, our strength, our all, come touch us with your grace.

THE WORD

SCRIPTURE: Luke 13:31-35

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

ALL: Thanks be to God.

MESSAGE:

“The Fox and The Hen”

There is no audio version of the message today. You can read the message below at the bottom of the page.

OUR REPSPONSE

YOUR GENEROSITY MATTERS:

PRESENTATION OF OUR OFFERINGS

OFFERTORY PRAYER

All: God of Love,

In dedicating our resources to the work of your Church,

We also dedicate our lives to you.

In asking you to bless our offerings, we also ask that you bless us too. Accept us and our gifts we pray in Jesus’ name.

Amen

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE and

THE LORD’S PRAYER: (sung VU #960)

HYMN: “Oh Jesus, I Have Promised” VU#120

1 O Jesus, I have promised to serve you to the end;

remain for ever near me, my Saviour and my friend:

I shall not fear the journey if you are by my side,

nor wander from the pathway if you will be my guide.

2 O let me feel you near me: the world is ever near;

I see the sights that dazzle, the tempting sounds I hear;

my foes are ever near me, around me and within;

but, Jesus, then draw nearer and shield my soul from sin.

3 O let me hear you speaking in accents clear and still,

above the storms of passion, the murmurs of self-will;

O speak to reassure me, to hasten or control;

now speak, and make me listen, O guardian of my soul.

4 O Jesus, you have promised to all who follow you,

that where you are in glory your servant shall be too.

And Jesus, I have promised to serve you to the end;

O give me grace to follow, my Saviour and my friend.

Sending Forth:

One: Let us go now remembering who we are and to whom we belong.

Let us go with the grace of God, the love of Christ,

and in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit and be the church.

All: Amen

SUNG BLESSING: MV#214 “May God’s Sheltering Wings”

May God’s sheltering wings,

her gathering wings protect you.

May God’s nurturing arms,

her cradling arms sustain you,

and hold you in her love,

and hold you in her love.

A Time of Fellowship

Luke 13:31-35 - 'The Fox and The Hen'

In Isreal, halfway down the western slope of the Mount of Olives, just across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem, there is a small Franciscan chapel that was built in 1956 on the ruins of a Byzantine church.

The chapel was designed in the shape of a teardrop and inside, at the front over the alter is a high arched window that looks out over Jerusalem. Iron grillwork divides the view into sections, like that of a stained-glass window. The difference is that the glass is not coloured. It is clear, and through the window you can see the old walls and the Temple Mount of the holy city.

At the bottom of the window, set in the iron grillwork is a cross so that when you look through the window, it appears superimposed over Jerusalem.

The chapel is called Dominus Flevit - which in English means "The Lord wept." And according to tradition, it was there that Jesus wept for Jerusalem.

The temple in Jerusalem was the main religious centre for the Jewish people. It was believed to be the dwelling place of God, and the place where God’s glory would be revealed.

When Jesus was a baby, his parents, Mary and Joseph had brought him to the temple to dedicate him to God.

And it was at the temple that Simeon and Anna delivered their prophecies about Jesus.

And later, when Jesus was 12 years old, he spent time at the temple asking questions of the elders, and was surprised when his parents thought he was lost and didn’t realize they would find him there in ‘His father’s house.”

Throughout his life, Jesus spent a lot of time at the temple, but unfortunately, along with all of its religious prestige and power, came the abuse of that power, false teachings and hypocrisy.

Over the years, prophets had emerged who spoke out against their religious wrong doings and tried to appeal to the people of Jerusalem to change their ways, but they had been unsuccessful, and some paid dearly with their lives…

-Zechariah, had been stoned to death in the courtyard of the temple;

-Uriah, had been struck down with a sword and buried in an unmarked grave;

-And Jeremiah, had almost shared their fate, when he was thrown into a muddy cistern and left to die.

The city of Jerusalem was also the political center of the region, where King Herod had his palace. But unfortunately, along with all of his political prestige and power, came the abuse of that power too. And Herod was not only a corrupt leader, he was also pathologically paranoid and had anyone he considered a threat eliminated.

Well in Today’s Gospel reading, Jesus, who is at the height of his ministry, is on his way to Jerusalem. He has just entered the region of Galilee and begun preaching that “when people come from all over the world, from east and west, and north and south, to take their places in the Kingdom of God, the last will be first, and the first will be last."

What Jesus is in effect saying that someone like Herod, who considers himself first, will be last in the Kingdom of God, and this puts Jesus

at the top of Herod's hit list, which is very bad news indeed.

So, some Pharisees come and offer Jesus some friendly advice. They say to him, "Get away from here. Leave this place if you want to live, because Herod wants to kill you."

Sometimes it may feel like the world is full of bad news.

Who among us isn’t concerned about the great divide between…

the rich and the poor, the powerful and the weak, and the haves and have nots.

Who among us isn’t concerned about the violence, inequality and injustice that persists today.

And who among us isn’t concerned about the ‘Herods’ of our world – Those who seem to be willing to do anything to get and keep, power and control, and wealth and fame,

-people who believe they are entitled to be first,

-people who have no intention of ever being last.

-people who take advantage of others to get what they want,

-people who try to intimidate and bully anyone who gets in their way,

-people who feel threatened by diversity, equality, and inclusion, and want us to give up on our mission and ministry as followers of Jesus, of making these tings a reality.

Well, the good news is that Jesus won’t be intimidated, bullied or scared off and with great distain he tells the Pharisees, "Go and tell that fox that I will keep on casting out demons and healing people today and tomorrow; and on the third day I will finish my work and accomplish my purpose. Yes, today, tomorrow and the next day I must, and I will, make my way to Jerusalem.”

Even though Herod considers himself a mighty lion, Jesus calls him a sly cunning fox.

Jesus has work to do and warnings from the Pharisees and threats from Herod will not keep him from completing it. Jesus knows they are powerless to stop him. He trusts God completely and after naming Herod a fox, Jesus describes himself as a mother hen.

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I longed to gather your people together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me!”

Jesus could have chosen a different kind of animal to describe himself, such as the mighty eagle in the Book of Exodus or the powerful leopard or angry bear in the book of Hosea, but Jesus chose to describe himself instead as a mother hen, who gathers her chicks under her wings and is willing to give her life to protect them from anyone or anything that means them harm.

In Isreal, in the chapel of Dominus Flavit, below the window, sits an altar. On the front of the altar is a mosaic of a white hen with a golden halo. Her red comb resembles a crown, and her wings are spread wide sheltering seven yellow chicks that crowd around her feet. The hen looks ready to spit fire if anyone comes near her chicks.

The Good News for us today, is that Jesus' desire for us, is the same as his desire was for the people of Jerusalem long ago – He wants to gather us in and bring us closer to God. He wants to…

Shield us when times are tough,

Shelter us through the storms of in life,

Strengthen us when we feel weak,

Protect us, comfort us, enfold us and empower us with the love of God,

And this is exactly what he does.

Jesus knew that the ‘Pharisees’ and ‘Herods’ of the world were powerless to stop him in his mission and ministry. He trusted God completely and we should too. Because when we live the way Jesus taught us – when we stand up for what is right – when we love our neighbours and work for peace and justice and equality in our world, nothing and no one, - not even the ‘Herods’ of our world - can stop us.

So, as you continue your Lenten journey this week, I invite you to remember this and consider what it means for how you live your life.

I invite you to let Jesus gather you in under his wings and know more fully the steadfast love of God,

And I invite you to listen closely to how the Spirit is calling you to live out your faith.

To God be the Glory!

Amen

Sources: ‘As a Hen Gather’s Her Brood’ article by Barbara Brown Taylor.