Service Sunday October 27, 2024
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All are Welcome!
Watch a video recording of the whole service using Youtube below.
The Gathering
Welcome and Announcements.
Focusing Moment.
Acknowledgement of Land
We live and work and worship on treaty land in the heart of Anishinaabe nation. As we celebrate the rich bounty of harvest from local gardens from other places-fruits, vegetables, grains from the fields, the last of summer’s flowers and a rich array of autumn leaves-we are reminded that we are called into right relationship with the land and our neighbours at Curve Lake (Treaty 20). We affirm the need to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and to strive for reconciliation.
Written by Dora White, Minnedosa U.C., Minnedosa, Man.
Gathering, Pentecost 2, 2021, p.41. Used with permission.
Call to Worship:
One: We are in a between time, between the past and the future.
ALL: God is in the space between past and future.
One: We are in a place between what we know and what we will yet learn.
ALL: God knows what we know and what we have yet to learn.
One: We are in a reformation time, when the church must re-form into what God dreams.
ALL: God is wisdom and knowledge that will guide the transformation.
One: We open our hearts and spirits to experience the wisdom of the “in-between” as we worship today because
ALL: God is in our in-between time.
Written by Jeanne Wilson, Trillium U.C., St. Catherines, Ont.
Gathering, Pentecost 2024, p.48. Used with permission.
Hymn: “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing” VU #326
1 O for a thousand tongues to sing
my great Redeemer's praise,
the glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of God's grace.
2 Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
that bids our sorrows cease;
'tis music in the sinner's ears,
'tis life and health and peace.
3 He speaks, and listening to his voice,
new life the dead receive,
the mournful broken-hearts rejoice,
the humble poor believe.
4 Hear him, you deaf; you voiceless ones,
your tongues again employ;
you blind, behold your Saviour comes,
and leap, you lame, for joy!
5 My gracious Master and my God,
assist me to proclaim,
to spread through all the earth abroad
the honours of your name.
A SONG OF FAITH: Spoken in Unison
We place our hope in God.
We sing of a life beyond life
and a future good beyond imagining:
a new heaven and a new earth,
the end of sorrow, pain, and tears,
Christ’s return and life with God,
the making new of all things.
We yearn for the coming of that future,
even while participating in eternal life now.
Divine creation does not cease
until all things have found wholeness, union, and integration
with the common ground of all being.
As children of the Timeless One,
our time-bound lives will find completion
in the all-embracing Creator.
In the meantime, we embrace the present,
embodying hope, loving our enemies,
caring for the earth,
choosing life.
Grateful for God’s loving action,
we cannot keep from singing.
Creating and seeking relationship,
in awe and trust,
we witness to Holy Mystery who is Wholly Love.
Amen.
MINISTRY OF MUSIC:
LEARNING TOGETHER:
Hymn: “What A Friend We Have in Jesus” VU #664
1 What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.
2 Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful,
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
3 Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Christ the Saviour is our refuge;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do our friends despise, forsake us?
Are we tempted to despair?
Jesus' strength will shield our weakness,
and we'll find new courage there.
THE WORD
Scripture: Mark 10:46-52
Leader: Hear and listen to what the Spirit is saying to the church.
ALL: Thanks be to God.
MESSAGE
“The Son of Timaeus Sees”
Listen to an audio recording of the Message below or read it at the bottom of this page.
OUR RESPONSE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE and A Contemporary Interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer:
Creation is holy. Life is mystery.
The kin-dom is the world we live; the earth and the heavens.
May we this day have bread to eat.
May we plant seeds of grace.
May we forgive those who grieve us dearly.
May we be spared life’s trials. May evil be vanquished.
With our lives, may we strive to be love and light,
now and forever. Amen.
Written by Diane Robinson, St. James U.C., Regina SK
Gathering, Pentecost 2, 2018. Used with permission.
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.
PRESENTATION OF OUR OFFERINGS
OFFERTORY PRAYER:
Holy One, we delight in giving back and paying forward through our gifts and donations here today. Bless these gifts abundantly for the benefit of whomever they serve, wherever they serve.
Amen.
Written by Jani Francis, St. Andrew’s U.C., Indian Head, Sask.
Gathering, Pentecost 2 2021, page 36. Used with permission.
SUNG BLESSING: VU #227 v 2
In the just reward of labour, God's will is done.
In the help we give our neighbour, God's will is done.
In our worldwide task of caring
for the hungry and despairing,
in the harvests we are sharing, God's will is done. ©
Sending Forth:
One: Well, friends, we’re launched–and whatever the time is at this moment, it is the time to be about God’s work that we are called to. It is in God’s time that it will be accomplished. It is God’s love that will make it all possible. So, listen for God, put your hand in God’s hand and get on with it! Go do God’s work. Go share God’s love.
ALL: Amen!
Written by Bob Root, Peterborough, Ont.
Gathering, Pentecost 2, 2021, p.39. Used with permission.
A Time of Fellowship
© Music Reproduced with permission under License number A-605748, Valid for: 26/10/2023 - 25/10/2024; One License - Copyright Cleared Music for Churches.
Sermon 27 October 2024
“The Son of Timaeus Sees”
Mark 10:46-52
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.
Blind Bartimaeus; poor Blind Bartimaeus.
Some say it as if “blind” were his first name.
The name “Bartimaeus” literally means the son of Timaeus, or son of uncleanness.
We don’t know how long he had been blind.
Apparently, he could see at one time.
I imagine it may have been most of his life.
Imagine what it must have been like to be blind in Jesus’ day.
It certainly isn’t easy now, but it was much harder back then.
Back then they didn’t have canes for the blind or seeing-eye dogs.
Back then they didn’t have government assistance or the CNIB.
The blind were forced to beg in the streets.
A blind person couldn’t work in the fields or work a trade.
And no one wanted to take the time to try to teach them.
There was no Braille or audio-books.
Bartimaeus probably had to depend on others for everything.
He begged for the money to buy his food.
He had to trust some friend to keep track of his money for him.
He had to rely on someone else to lead him to a street corner to beg and then to lead him home again.
Bartimaeus was a prisoner to his blindness.
He couldn’t leave his house without an escort.
And he had to rely on others to meet his daily needs.
Bartimaeus lived his life in darkness.
Not just the darkness of eyes that cannot see.
But the darkness of a life with no hope.
His life was a dark existence of wandering aimlessly.
He was in a prison whose walls were very real even though he could not see them.
Blind Bartimaeus; poor Blind Bartimaeus.
Now, imagine me as Bartimaeus.
(sit on the floor)
When we meet Bartimaeus in the Gospel of Mark he was doing what he did every day: begging.
But this was the high point of the begging season.
The Passover was approaching and many pilgrims were coming through Jericho on their way to Jerusalem only 15 miles away.
Religious people on a pilgrimage were generous.
So there Bartimaeus sat in darkness begging for tokens from strangers.
He would call to the passersby:
“Sons of Abraham, have mercy on a blind beggar.”
“God blesses those who show mercy to the needy.”
“The God of Mercy loves the merciful.”
He would call blindly into the crowd hoping someone would hear.
On this particular day Jesus and his disciples were on their way to the Passover and they were passing through Jericho.
Bartimaeus had heard of Jesus, of his teachings and his healings.
When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was passing by he began to hope.
“Could this man of God heal me?”
“If he is truly the prophet that people say he is, if he is the Messiah as some say he is, he can heal me.”
But how does a blind man find a stranger in a crowd of travelers passing by.
Jesus was his hope, but he had little hope of finding Jesus.
He couldn’t see the way to go, but he could shout.
So Bartimaeus raised his voice.
“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.
Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.”
One of the people in the crowd rebuked him;
“The Rabbi is on his way to Jerusalem.”
“He doesn’t want to stop to give you a coin.”
But he continued, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Jesus heard him.
Jesus knew that he was more than a beggar seeking silver.
This cry for mercy came from deep inside the man calling.
So Jesus called Bartimaeus to him and asked him,
“What do you want?”
The people probably expected him to ask for money, but instead he said,
“I want to see again.”
Jesus said, “Your faith has made you whole.”
At that moment Blind Bartimaeus could see.
Blind Bartimaeus was no longer blind.
The Son of Timaeus could see.
Jesus had brought light to Bartimaeus’ darkened world.
(stand up and go back to the pulpit)
Bartimaeus was not the only blind person in that crowd.
Many of the people on that road that day were blind.
Sure they could see with their eyes, but like Bartimaeus they were dwelling in darkness.
They had no idea where Jesus was headed and what he would do when he got there.
They had the light of God, Jesus, right there in their midst.
And they were blind to his presence.
The people thought Jesus was going to Jerusalem.
He was on the road that leads to Jerusalem and Jerusalem was a popular destination for the religious at that time of year.
But Jerusalem was not Jesus’ final destination.
They thought that when Jesus got to Jerusalem he would go to the temple and then the palace.
He would go to both places, but he was on the way to somewhere else.
They thought Jesus would end his journey on a throne, but to their surprise that throne was on the other side of the tombs from Jerusalem.
The author of light and life was walking through their town and only one person would ask to see him.
People did make requests of Jesus.
You may remember some of those stories from previous Sundays.
They said, “Jesus, tell me, can a man divorce his wife?”
“Jesus, can my brother and I sit at your right and left hand when you are the king?”
“Jesus, what will happen in Jerusalem?
What are you going to do to Herod when you’re the king?”
Only one said, “Teacher, let me see.”
Only one asked Jesus to give light to his darkened eyes.
Many today are blind.
They are blind but they don’t know it.
They are so blind they are blind to their blindness.
The people on that road to Jericho had the source of eternal light and heavenly vision in their midst and they could not see.
Today people are lost without direction.
They wander through life as if they were blind.
Most people are blind to the very presence of the Spirit of God.
Jesus walks into the darkness of our world just as he did that day in Jericho.
Most people miss the significance of his entry.
He appears to be just another religious person walking down the road with so many other religious people.
He is just another prophet or saint, or miracle worker.
Some come asking for mercy.
“Jesus, Son of Abraham, you look like as nice man.
Could you spare a dime?”
But then some recognize that Jesus is someone more.
Jesus, the descendant of David, is God’s chosen king.
One of the blind sons or daughters of uncleanness cries out.
“Jesus Son of David have mercy on me.”
Jesus knows that this is more than someone seeking silver.
Jesus says, “What do you want from me?”
And the child of uncleanness replies, “Let me see.”
Through faith the blind one becomes the seeing one.
Jesus, the author of light, is passing by here today.
Have you heard of him?
Some say he is God’s chosen king.
They say he has wisdom greater than all our scholars.
They even say he can raise the dead.
It is reported that he gives sight to the blind.
As he passes by what will you do?
Will you ask for the answer to some theological question?
“Jesus, a woman had seven husbands.
In the resurrection, which one will be her spouse?”
Will you request the solution to a moral dilemma?
“May a man divorce his wife?”
Will you ask for some goodie?
“Jesus, buddy, can you spare a dime?”
Or will you ask him to let you see?
Jesus, the author of light, is passing by here today.
This room is full of light.
I am not talking about the light of light bulbs.
I am talking about the light of God’s love and hope:
the light of life and meaning,
the light of eternal purpose,
the light of Jesus Christ the Son of God.
Do you see it?
Thanks be to God. Amen.
