The United Church of Canada Bathurst Pastoral Charge First United Church, Bathurst THE COMMUNITY GATHERS

Transcription

1 The United Church of Canada Bathurst Pastoral Charge First United Church, Bathurst February 28, 2016 Third Sunday of Lent Clergy Rev. Blair Lewis Organist Martha Vickers Office Adm. Isabel Clouston Greeters Julie & Harvey Spence Custodian Alan Wilcox All musical selections reprinted under licence #606499, LicenSing for Churches. Lectionary for today Isaiah 55:1-9 Psalm 63:1-8 I Corinthians 10:1-13 Luke 13:1-9 Lectionary for next Sunday Joshua 55:1-9 Psalm 32 II Corinthians 5:16-21 Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 THE COMMUNITY GATHERS The asterisk * identifies those times in the service where the congregation is invited to stand as able. We welcome the Men s choir today and thank them for leading our music. *Choral Opening: Spirit, Open My Heart #MV 79 Spirit, open my heart to the joy and pain of living. As you love may I love, in receiving and in giving, Spirit, open my heart. Welcoming: Let us strive to know God, whose coming is as sure as the sunrise. God will come to us like the rain, like spring rains that water the earth. Hosea 6:3 Welcoming One Another: Welcoming Friends Worshipping by CD: Announcements: -1- Call to Worship: Lighting of the Christ Candle: One: God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit You are with us, All: Like Light spilling through snow covered trees, You are with us. One: Like wind whistling in the dark hours of the night, you are with us. All: Like water ever smoothing sparkling sea glass, You are with us. One: We are embraced by your presence, All: We open our hearts to you. One: As we light the Christ candle we are encouraged by your love. All: We release our thoughts to you, and we are intrigued by your mysteries, As we search for your way for our lives. A Lenten Candle Liturgy: (Four candles are lit before the service) Today is the third Sunday of Lent. Lent is a time to think about the things that block us from following God s way of loving and caring for this world and one another. Today we extinguish our third Lenten candle. This candle represents fear. As the candle is blown out, let us pray in silence for God to remove fear within us and in our world that stops us from trusting God. Extinguishing of Third Candle: Knowing that God accepts us for who we are, but loved us into who we can be, let us join together in this song. Choral Response: Take, O Take Me as I Am Take, O take me as I am; Summon out what I shall be; Set your seal upon my heart And live in me, in me. -2- #85 MV

2 Prayer of Approach: (in unison) Creating God, still Centre of the world you have made, we come to you in this season of turning and returning. We do not know how to seek you with our whole hearts, but we know you are our source and our destiny. In the midst of life, we return to you, we turn toward you. We thank you that you receive even the broken heart, the troubled conscience, the conflicted spirit. Amen. *Opening Hymn: There s a Wideness in God s Mercy Children of All Ages: *The Lord s Prayer: #271 VU THE SERVICE OF THE WORD Prayer for Understanding: (in unison) God of call, God of transformation, God of our daily journey; help us to discern your still, small voice. Open us to change and growth that we may walk with Christ. We pray that You will guide us on our way. Amen Scripture Readings: Chesley Eddy Old Testament Lesson: Isaiah 55:1-9 Responsive Psalm: Psalm 63 : 1-8, #781VU Gospel Lesson: Luke 13 :1-9 *Hymn: How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds #344 VU Minute for Mission: THE COMMUNITY RESPONDS Presentation of Gifts and Self to God: Choral Response: Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were an offering far too small; Love so amazing, so divine. Demands my soul, my life, my all. *Prayer of Dedication: (in unison) Gracious God, bless and transform all that we offer: our faltering steps, our brokenness, our hope, our risking, our hearts, that your covenant may be written on our hearts and we may be a blessed and transformed covenant people. In Jesus name. Amen. Prayer of Confession: (in unison) God, you have called us to be pilgrims. Forgive us when we weary of the journey and seek security rather than the open road. Forgive us when we feel the risk of the journey is too great. Grant us pilgrim spirits in this winter season and lead us to the new life of Easter. Amen. Choral Response: And When You Call for Me #96 MV And when you call for me, I have already answered. And when you call for me, I am already there. Meditation: Anthem: The Food of God for the People of God -3- Words of Assurance: Silent Prayer / Reflective Music: -4-

3 Pastoral Prayer: One: O Jesus who wept over the death of Lazarus, be with all who grieve. O Jesus who wept over the state of Jerusalem, be with our cities, our villages, and our centres of worship. O Jesus who wept alone in Gethsemane, be with all who feel alone, all who face difficult decisions. All: O Jesus who wept, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? be with all who are tortured, all who are victims. One: O Jesus who offered up prayers with loud cries and tears, hear our prayers.... our requests.... All: O Jesus who wept in sympathy and frustration, O Living God who knows all our pain and joy, be with us in our lives. Amen. THE COMMUNITY GOES FORTH *Closing Hymn: Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah #651 VU *Commissioning: All: Giving and Sustaining God we experience your compelling call to undertake our daily journey; we hear your voice inviting us into the wilderness where our journey begins; we trust in your presence with us on the way. One: Guide and support us through the wilderness. Inspire us to follow Christ in worship, and in witness; in Jesus name we pray. *Choral Closing: Stay with Us through the Night Stay with us through the night. Stay with us through the pain Stay with us, blessed stranger Till the morning breaks again. Organ Postlude: #182 VU vs.1 Bulletin update #10 (Feb. 28 th ): UCC Mir. Presbytery Refugee Project Family Info: Work continues with the Albboud family. Dental issues are being addressed. The boys have had their hair cut. Language and academic assessments were completed this week. Our committee has leased the second dwelling and prepare for our next family. Presbytery/project news: Several submissions welcome pictures were submitted Refugee volunteer c tee share a meal with our family Feb. 29 th Recruitment meeting March 2 nd, 7pm at St Andrew s United (Miramichi) for those wanting to work directly with the second family *** Join use on Facebook: (Call Gerald to contribute) *Blessing: May the blessing of God give us strength for the journey; may the Spirit of wisdom give us vision for the road; may the love of Christ make us caring companions; as together we go forth in the Lenten time. Amen

4 Church News This Week at First United Feb. 29 March 5 Sunday 2pm Confirmation Class - Monday 6:15 Beavers Rms. 1.2&3 DEMH Tuesday 2pm Bible Study Eddy Rm 6:15 Cubs & Scouts DEMH GYM Wednesday 9-12pm TAB Rms. 1,2&3 6:30 Choir Practice Peanut Butter for Volunteer Centre Commitment December 31, Total to Date 183 To meet our obligation, we will need to collect jars of peanut butter per week. The Volunteer Center supplies, on average, 500 households monthly. Confirmation Classes: If anyone is interested in attending confirmation classes, please contact the church office at Classes will be held on Sunday s starting this afternoon and Confirmation will take place at Easter. Miller Bursary Guidelines: The recipient of the Miller Bursary must be a student from BHS or ESN, a member of First United Church and have achieved the highest overall average of those eligible. The Upper Room for March and April are in the Narthex. Please feel free to take one. A container for donations is located with the publication. St. Patrick s Celebration: The Pastoral Care team of First United is hosting a St. Patrick s celebration to be held on March 15 th (Storm date March 16) from 1:30-3:30. Come join with us for an afternoon of music, talk and light refreshments. A donation of non-perishable food items will be accepted at that time. These items will be kept on hand at First United in the instance that a request is made for groceries. The Sunrise Breakfast held on Feb. 21 raised $1, Thanks to all the volunteers who make these events possible. Our next event is the Ham and Scallop supper to be held on April 7, February is Suicide Prevention Month Mental Health is Everyone s Concern Most of us have heard the terms mental illness or mental disorder or psychiatric condition. These terms are used to describe a wide range of different conditions but what they have in common is that they all affect a person s emotions, thoughts and behaviours how they see themselves, see the world around them, and how they interact in that world. The key difference from having a bad day or week is both the duration and magnitude of the impacts on your life. There are many different kinds of mental disorders. One in five Canadians, over the course of their lives, will experience a mental illness and what that ultimately means is that every single family in Canada will in some way be affected. There is nobody in Canada who can stand up and say Not my family, not my aunts or uncles or cousins or grandparents, children, siblings, spouse or self. And yet the reluctance to talk about mental illness, to acknowledge it openly, to treat it as a form of human suffering like any other illness, relates in part to how threatening this set of illnesses is to our sense of who we are. Mental illness cuts across all age, racial, religious, or socio-economic categories. It s important to take time to think about your emotional well-being and your "mental fitness." Assess your emotional health regularly. Consider the particular demands or stresses you are facing and how they are affecting you. Give yourself permission to take a break from your worries and concerns. Recognize the dedicating even a short time every day to your mental fitness will reap significant benefits in terms of feeling rejuvenated and more confident. Mental illness can affect anyone, at any time. We can make a difference. Thank you! For reading my messages every week, and I leave you with a thought. If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito in the room. -Anita Roddick -8-

5 Community Events The Ladies Auxiliary to Herman J. Good VC Branch 18, Royal Canadian Legion Turkey Dinner Includes coffee, tea, and dessert. Sunday, March 6, 2016 Served from: 5:00pm-6:00pm Cost: $14.00 Tickets are on sale at the Legion. World Day of Prayer: March 4 th, 3pm. Holy Family Parish Church. Written by the World day of Prayer Committee of Cuba. Theme: Receive Children, Receive me. Contact Sybil Hill for information Bean Supper (with Brown Bread & Dessert) Saturday, March 5, :30 6:30 pm Saint George s Anglican Church Hall 432 King Avenue Tickets: $ 8.00 Adults, $ 5.00 Children 12 and under Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling the Church Office at If there are any tickets remaining they will be available at the door. Proceeds to Local Syrian Refugee Campaign. Family & Community Breakfast Saturday, March 12, 2016, 8:00 10:30 am Saint George s Church Hall, 432 King Ave. I've seen and met angels wearing the disguise of ordinary people living ordinary lives. ~Tracy Chapman~

6 Maritime Conference IAC & Youth Forum Miramichi Presbytery WHAT IS IAC and YOUTH FORUM? Maritime Conference 2016 May 26 May 29, 2016 Mount Allison University Participant Application Intermediates at Conference (IAC) and Youth Forum (YF) are each a place of community and a place of faith where United Church youth, between the ages of Gr. 7 Gr. 9 (IAC) and Grade 10 and age 19 (YF), meet from across the Maritimes, the Gaspé, and Bermuda. It takes place during the Annual Meeting of Maritime Conference, which is a gathering of representatives who make decisions and set policies for the United Church of Canada. IAC and YF meet as two separate groups. Each group creates an inclusive, diverse and safe community of over a hundred youth in the name of Christ. Each provides a place for youth to explore their faith and to learn more about the United Church of Canada while sharing in music, worship and fun in a spirit-filled community. Don t let the cost frighten you from applying. Most churches have funding available to help cover the costs of registration and travel. Your church, UCW, presbytery and/or local community groups are good places to ask for support. Ask your minister about how these groups can help! Miramichi Presbytery will be providing $50. towards your registration. A non-refundable deposit of $25 must be paid to the Presbytery and accompany your application. This fee will be deducted from the total cost of your fee. The remainder of your fee must be paid in full to the Presbytery by May 15, 2016 Payments will not be collected at the time of registration. All cheques must be made out to Miramichi Presbytery HOW TO APPLY Application forms are available from local United Church Congregations. Please complete the form and return it to the minister of the congregation, who will distribute it to the Christian Life and Growth Chair at their Presbytery. Applications must be returned to your minister by March 25, Participants will be notified of the status of their application from the Presbytery by April 1, Participants will be contacted via from the IAC and YF registrars by mid-may with further information on the event. COST AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE The cost of IAC and Youth Forum is $275 per participant. This fee includes all activities, meals, accommodations, and a t-shirt. Travel expenses are in addition to this price.

7 Isaiah 55:1-9 New International Version (NIV) Invitation to the Thirsty 55 Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. 3 Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. 4 See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a ruler and commander of the peoples. 5 Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations you do not know will come running to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor. 6 Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. 9 As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Luke 13:1-9 New International Version (NIV) Repent or Perish 13 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 6 Then he told this parable: A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, For three years now I ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil? 8 Sir, the man replied, leave it alone for one more year, and I ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down. 7 Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.