Worship Service October 11, 2020 

 

Gathering  Preparation for Worship  

“The heavens are telling the glory of God;     and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech,     and night to night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words;     their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth,     and their words to the end of the world.” (Psalm 19:1-4) 

 “Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made.” (Romans 1:20a)  

 

 

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Call to Worship The Lord be with you; and also with you. 

 As the hand is made for holding and the eye for seeing, you have fashioned me for joy. Share with us the vision that shall find it everywhere: in the wild violet’s beauty, in the lark’s melody; in the face of a steadfast woman; in a child’s smile; in a father’s love; in the purity of Jesus. 

 

 Song We plow the fields and scatter (WT 176 - Mathias Claudius, tr. Jane M. Campbell / Johann A.P Schulz, 1800) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ8dEkjmEMg 

  Song Now thank we all our God (WT 179 - Martin Rinkart, tr. Catherine Winkworth / Johann Crüger) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g0BSC7eNXQ    Opening Prayer  

Father, fill this space with your Spirit.  May this be a place  where the weak renew their strength  and seek for their working lives a noble consecration.  May this be a place  where the poor find relief,   where the friendless find fellowship.  May this be a place   where the tempted find power to resist temptation,   where the sorrowing find comfort,   and the bereaved believe the truth 

that death has no dominion over their beloved.  

May this be a place   where the fearful find new courage  

and where the doubting have their faith and hope confirmed.  

   

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May this be a place   where the careless are awakened,   where those who are oppressed are freed.  May many be drawn by your love   and then go into the world, 

their doubts resolved and their faith renewed,  their sins forgiven and their hearts aflame with your love. 

Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   Confession and Assurance of Forgiveness  

We confess the sin that stands between us and God: If we say we have no sin,   we lie to ourselves and the truth is not in us.  But if we confess our sins,   God is reliable and just and will forgive our sins   and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)  

 Almighty God, our heavenly Father: We have sinned against you and against our neighbor,  In thought, and word, and deed, through negligence, through weakness,  through our own deliberate fault. We are truly sorry and repent of our sins. 

 [Pause and reflect in silence.] 

 For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, who died for us, forgive us all that is past. And grant that we may serve you in newness of life, To the glory of your name. Amen. 

 Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. 

  

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Song of Response Grace greater than our sin (WT 474 - Julia H. Johnston /                             Daniel B. Towner) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xUYE8s_Efw  

  

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,   so that everyone who believes in him  

will not perish but have eternal life.  God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,   but to save it. (John 3:16-18a) 

There is no judgment awaiting those who trust in Jesus Christ.  

As far as the east is from the west,   so far has He removed our transgressions from us.  Just as a father has compassion on his children,   so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. (Psalm 103:12-13) 

  The Peace  

To all who have been called to the faith,   who are loved by God our Father,   and kept by the peace of Jesus Christ,   and empowered by the Holy Spirit, may grace, mercy and peace be yours in abundance this day.  As it was in the beginning, is now until the end—world without end, Amen! 

 The peace of Christ be with you. 

May God give you peace. Shalom. 

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Proclaiming   Prayer for Illumination 

 Holy God of mercy and truth,   you have promised never to break your covenant with us.  As we are surrounded by the changing words   of this present generation,  may we hear and understand  that you and your holy Word do not change.  Just as you taught,  the Holy Spirit,   whom the Father has sent in your name, this Helper will teach us all things   and bring to our remembrance all that you have said.   Therefore, we hold fast to your promise   of truth and illumination in our lives and in our worship. Amen.  

 Song O Breath of Life (CCLI #5439290 - Elizabeth Ann Porter Head / Trevor Hodge) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lpCy3Qq3VI  

  

Psalm 65  

1 Praise awaits you, our God, in Zion;  to you our vows will be fulfilled. 2 You who answer prayer,  to you all people will come. 3 When we were overwhelmed by sins,  you forgave our transgressions. 4 Blessed are those you choose  and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house,  of your holy temple.  5 You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,  God our Savior, 

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the hope of all the ends of the earth  and of the farthest seas, 6 who formed the mountains by your power,  having armed yourself with strength, 7 who stilled the roaring of the seas,  the roaring of their waves,  and the turmoil of the nations. 8 The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;  where morning dawns, where evening fades,  you call forth songs of joy.  9 You care for the land and water it;  you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water  to provide the people with grain,  for so you have ordained it. 10 You drench its furrows and level its ridges;  you soften it with showers and bless its crops. 11 You crown the year with your bounty,  and your carts overflow with abundance. 12 The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;  the hills are clothed with gladness. 13 The meadows are covered with flocks  and the valleys are mantled with grain;  they shout for joy and sing. 

  

Deuteronomy 8:7-18  7 For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; 8 a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; 9 a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.  10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle 

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down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.  

This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. 

 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 

 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.  13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.  16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 

 This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.   

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Luke 17:11-19  11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”  14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.  15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.  17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”  

This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. 

 

 Healing of the ten lepers by JESUS MAFA 

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Song of Response Sing of the Lord’s goodness (WT 165 - Ernest Sands) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49Zr-14GrNM 

 Sermon Giving thanks - your advantage and God's glory (2 Corinthians 4:7-18) [The link to the sermon video will be posted here, sometime after it is recorded on Sunday.] 

 Response Glory to God in the highest, 

and peace to God’s people on the earth. Amen.  

Responding  

The Apostles’ Creed  

Let us affirm our faith:   

We believe in God, the Father almighty,  creator of heaven and earth.  

 We believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,  

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit  and born of the virgin Mary.  

He suffered under Pontius Pilate,  was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. 

On the third day he rose again.  He ascended to heaven  

and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.  From there he will come  

to judge the living and the dead.  

We believe in the Holy Spirit,  the holy universal church,  the communion of saints,  the forgiveness of sins,  the resurrection of the body,  and the life everlasting. Amen. 

 Song “Glory be to the Father” ( Gloria Patri, traditional 2 nd century text / Henry W. Greatorex, arr. Robin Beuchamp) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYFjVO8VMeg 

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Prayers of the People  

Bless, O God, all creation. The sun that rises every morning and clouds that bring us rain and the moon in the dark night sky. Bless us that we may be a blessing to all we meet.  Heal us, O God, from all  that ails us—illness, dis-ease, despair, hunger, thirst, all. Heal us and all creation.  Bless the leaders of nations fill them with wisdom. Bless the leaders of cities and towns that all can work in unity for the wellbeing  of everyone, all creation.  Help us, O God to be your disciples. To listen with open ears and heal with open hearts. Help us, O God to be your disciples. Amen. 

  

Holy and unchanging God,  we lift our voices and hearts to you this morning. Grant to us, O Lord, according to the riches of your glory,  to be strengthened with power through your Holy Spirit. May Christ dwell in our hearts through faith,  so that we may be rooted and grounded in his unchanging love; accept our prayers as we were to taught to pray, saying:   

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The Lord’s Prayer  

Our Father in heaven,  hallowed be your name;  your kingdom come,  your will be done,  

on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us today our daily bread.  Forgive us our sins  

as we forgive those who sin against us.  Preserve us in the time of trial,  

and deliver us from evil.  For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,  

now and forever. Amen.  Song If you believe and I believe (SJ 32 - Zimbabwe traditional, arr. John L. Bell) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nrQ5z96k1Y  

 If you believe and I believe and we together pray, the Holy Spirit must come down and set God’s people free, and set God’s people free, and set God’s people free; the Holy Spirit must come down and set God’s people free. 

  

 

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Offering Prayer 

https://www.bakerview.org/give/  

Good and gracious God, source of all life, Our minds alone cannot fathom such splendor. Our hearts can only respond in awe, praise and gratitude. 

 May we always walk gently upon this earth, in right relationship, nurtured by your love, 

taking only what we need, giving back to the earth in gratitude, sharing what we have, 

honoring all with reverence, reconciling and healing, mindful of those who will come after, 

recognizing our proper place as part of, not apart from, your creation.  Grant us the strength and courage, we pray, 

for such radical transformation into your kin-dom. Then we, too, with the very stones will shout, “Hosanna!” 

 

  

 

 

   

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Sending     Charge  

Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God, the Almighty;  just and true are your ways, O King of the nations. Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name?  For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you,  for your righteous acts have been revealed. (Revelation 15:3-4) 

 As we leave this holy time of Spirit-filled worship,  take with you the truth of an unchanging and holy God.  We shall be his people.  Take with you the truth of his unchanging word.  We shall obey his voice and bring glory to his name.  Take with you his unchanging truth.  We shall go out into the world   with the message of God's love   and a steadfast hope for the future.  Amen! 

  Song of Response God, who touches earth with beauty (WT 490 - Mary S. Edgar) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPtz6yUhYJE  

  Benediction  

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,  the love of God  

and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 

Amen.     

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 Worship Matters 

Understanding our Liturgy  Ordinary Time represents the longest time period in the church calendar. This season comes in two parts: the first is between Epiphany and Lent; the second is from the end of Easter to the beginning of Advent. In Ordinary Time we celebrate each Sunday as a mini-Easter, re-membering the good news of Christ’s life, death and resurrection. We also remind each other of the demand this Gospel places on our lives: what does following Jesus mean for us, day by day?  During the first part of Ordinary Time the Gospel lesson is read from the centre aisle, facing the cross; reading the Gospel in the midst of the congregation represents Christ’s presence with his disciples. In the second part of Ordinary Time - after Ascension Sunday - the Gospel lesson is again read from the front.  The colour for Ordinary Time is green, symbolizing hope and growth. This is a season of discipleship as we focus on the long obedience of Jesus in the same direction. After the Ascension, Jesus’ disciples – through the centuries and around the world - witness to his faithfulness as they live in the power of the Holy Spirit.     CCLI #184516 Unless otherwise indicated, readings and prayers have been reprinted by permission from The Worship Sourcebook (CRC Publications, 2004) and scripture may be found in the New International Version (2011). The painting “Healing of the ten lepers” by JESUS MAFA, a community art response to scripture, may be found on the Revised Common Lectionary website. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=48295 Our Prayer of Intercession was written by Terri and posted on A Place for Prayer. http://revgalprayerpals.blogspot.ca The Shigaraki Jar (Tsubo), is from 17th century Japan - stoneware with natural ash glaze and kintsugi gold lacquer repairs - now at The Met. https://www.design-is-fine.org/page/93 Our Offering Prayer is excerpted from “Prayer for Global Restoration” by Michelle Balek, inspired by Hildegard of Bingen. http://www.olljustice.org/groups-justice-prayers.html Songs marked WT are in the Mennonite Brethren hymnal, Worship Together (1995). HWB is Hymnal: A Worship Book (Faith & Life Press, 1992). SJ is Sing the Journey: Hymnal: A Worship Book, Supplement I (Faith & Life Resources, 2005).   

Scriptures for October 18, 2020 Exodus 33:12-23 • Psalm 99 • 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 • Matthew 22:15-22 

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