Service Sunday November 17, 2024
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All are Welcome!
The Gathering
Welcome and Announcements.
Focusing Moment.
Acknowledgement of Land
We begin this time of worship by acknowledging that we are meeting on the land of the Anishnaabeg people. This land has been inhabited by Indigenous peoples from the beginning. We thank all the generations of Indigenous people who have taken care of this land and been its stewards for thousands of years. We give thanks for the countless ways they have assisted the settler peoples who came to inhabit the land. We also recognize the contributions Métis, Inuit, and other Indigenous peoples have made in shaping and strengthening this region, the provinces, and Canada as a whole. Meegwetch. All my relations.
THE APPROACH
Call to Worship:
One: Children of God, when wars and rumors of wars circle all around, Jesus says:
All: Do not be alarmed. This is not the end.
One: When earthquakes, hurricanes, fires, famines, and floods produce chaos and destruction, Jesus says:
All: Do not be alarmed. This is not the end.
One: When misinformation and disinformation try to dismantle relationships of trust in our families, churches, cities, and nation, Jesus says:
All: Do not be alarmed. This is not the end.
One: Children of God, whatever leaves you feeling unsteady, insecure, scared, and confused today--do not be alarmed. This is not the end.
All: We come to worship God who inscribes our ending, our beginning, and everything in-between in Love. Thanks be to God! Amen.
Hymn: “O Love, How Deep” VU #348
1 O love, how deep, how broad, how high!
It fills the heart with ecstasy,
that God, in Jesus Christ, should take
our mortal form for mortals' sake.
2 God sent no angel to our race
of higher or of lower place,
but wore the robe of human frame,
and freely to this lost world came.
3 For us he was baptized, and bore
a holy fast, and hungered sore;
for us temptations sharply knew;
for us the tempter overthrew.
4 For us he prayed, for us he taught,
for us great daily works were wrought,
by words and signs, and actions, thus
still seeking not himself, but us.
5 For us to wicked foes betrayed,
scourged, mocked, in purple robe arrayed,
he bore the shameful cross and death;
for us at length gave up his breath.
6 For us he rose from death again,
for us he went on high to reign,
for us he sent his Spirit here
to guide, to strengthen and to cheer.
7 To God whose boundless love has won
salvation for us through the Son,
to God all praise and glory be
both now and through eternity.
A NEW CREED: Spoken in Unison
We are not alone; we live in God’s world.
We believe in God: who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new, who works in us and others by the Spirit.
We trust in God.
We are called to be the church: to celebrate God’s presence,
to live with respect in Creation, to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil, to proclaim Jesus crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope. In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God.
MINISTRY OF MUSIC
TIME FOR THE YOUTHFUL
Hymn: “Lead On, O Cloud of Presence” VU #421
1 Lead on, O cloud of Presence, the exodus is come.
In wilderness and desert our tribe shall make its home.
Our slavery left behind us,
new hopes within us grow.
We seek the land of promise where milk and honey flow.
2 Lead on, O fiery Pillar, we follow yet with fears,
but we shall come rejoicing though joy be born of tears.
We are not lost, though wandering,
for by your light we come,
and we are still God's people. The journey is our home.
3 Lead on, O God of freedom, and guide us on our way,
and help us trust the promise through struggle and delay.
We pray our sons and daughters
may journey to that land
where justice dwells with mercy, and love is law's demand.
THE WORD
Scripture: Mark 13:1-8
Leader: Hear and listen to what the Spirit is saying to the church.
ALL: Thanks be to God.
MESSAGE
“Do Not Be Alarmed”
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE and THE LORD’S PRAYER: (spoken VU #921)
HYMN: “My Lord, What A Morning” VU #708
My Lord, what a morning.
My Lord, what a morning.
My Lord, what a morning
when the stars begin to fall.
1 You'll hear the trumpet sound
to wake the nations underground,
Looking to my God's right hand
when the stars begin to fall. R
2 You'll hear the sinner cry
to wake the nations underground,
Looking to my God's right hand
when the stars begin to fall. R
3 You'll hear the Christian shout
to wake the nations underground,
Looking to my God's right hand
when the stars begin to fall. R
Your Generosity Matters:
PRESENTATION OF OUR OFFERINGS
OFFERTORY PRAYER:
Merciful God, whose wisdom surpasses all understanding, we offer these gifts as a token of our faith and devotion. In a world full of uncertainties, may these offerings be used to spread your hope and love. Teach us to listen to your voice amid the noise and to trust in your steadfast presence. Bless our giving, that it may build your kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
SUNG BLESSING: The Blessing Song” (John Wesley Oldham) once only
We wish you the blessing of faith to sustain you,
friends to support you, challenge to stir you,
songs to empower you, peace to refresh you,
tears to release you, laughter to heal you,
love to nurture your soul.
Sending Forth:
One: May the Spirit that leads through fire and flood
The Spirit that baptizes with power
The Spirit of expectation and hope
Lead, strengthen, and guide you
This week and always.
ALL: Amen!
A Time of Fellowship
© Music Reproduced with permission under License number A-605748, Valid for: 26/10/2024 - 25/10/2025; One License - Copyright Cleared Music for Churches.
