Saturday September 30 th, Whoever you are, and wherever you are in your journey of life, you are welcome in this place

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1 Followers of the Celtic Way 7051 Guelph Line, Campbellville ON L0P 1B0 Traditional Territory of the Wendat People Phone: (905) Website: Saturday September 30 th, 2017 Whoever you are, and wherever you are in your journey of life, you are welcome in this place For Pastoral Emergencies, please contact Rev. Nigel Bunce at or or Introductory Music Gathering of the Community Call to worship We are here in the presence, in the peace, in the power of God: Glory to you, creator God. We are here, with our friends and family to worship you: Glory to you, creator God. May this be a time of blessing for all of us: Glory to you, creator God. 1

2 May this be a time that nourishes us, purifies us, heals us and transform us: Glory to you, creator God. Amen Opening Song: I sing the mighty power of God R81, Tune Lindisfarne 1. I sing the mighty power of God that made the mountain rise, That spread the flowing seas abroad, and built the lofty skies. I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day; The moon shines full at his command and all the stars obey. 2. I the goodness of the Lord that filled the earth with food; He formed the creatures with his word, and then pronounced them good. Lord, how thy wonders are displayed where er I turn my eye; If I survey the ground I tread, or gaze upon the sky! 3. There s not a plant or flower below but makes the glories known; And clouds arise, and tempests blow, by order from thy throne; And all that borrows life from you is ever in your care, And everywhere that we can be, you, God, are present there. Isaac Watts Sharing the Peace The peace of the Lord be always with you And also with you The Peace is exchanged. Some people may be uncomfortable sharing the peace. Please respect their decision. Prayers for God s Creation and Thanksgiving Let us give thanks to God, always and for everything, saying, We thank you, Lord. For the beauty and wonder of creation, We thank you, Lord. For all that is gracious in the lives of men and women, revealing the image of Christ; for our daily food, for our homes and families and friends, We thank you, Lord. For minds to think and hearts to love; for health, strength, and skill to work, and for leisure to rest and play, We thank you, Lord. For those who are brave and courageous, patient in suffering and faithful in adversity; for all who pursue peace, justice, and truth, and for all holy people whose lives have reflected the light of Christ, We thank you, Lord. Amen. Chant: When I m afraid, Jesus calms the stormy waters of my soul First reading: Matthew 8: Hear the Word of God 2

3 Our ears are open Jesus got into a boat, and his disciples followed him. A great gale arose on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but Jesus was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, Lord, save us! We are perishing! And he said to them, Why are you afraid, you of little faith? Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. The disciples were amazed, saying, What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him? For the Word of God in Scripture, for the Word of God among us; for the Word of God within us Thanks be to God. Poem for Reflection In the Storms of Life I think it s a dream. I m in a boat, pitching and tossing, tossing and tumbling. Now I see sky, now I see sea. Waves crashing down, waves over me. Alone in a boat, the boat of my life. Just me, only me, alone in my life. Alone, Afraid, Disoriented, Rudderless; This is my life. Life is hard. I look round the boat scared and alone. But who s over there, asleep in my dream? Asleep in the boat? How can he sleep? Wake up, wake up, We re drowning I say. And waking he tells storms to be still. And the storms obey. Sea now is calm. Stranger has gone. No more in a boat, I stand on the shore. Alone once more. I too wake from sleep. What did that dream mean? Has my life changed? Will storms be still? I do not know. But this I do know. When alone in the storms, battered and low, I need not fear. Jesus is there. Reflection Song: Be still my Soul G31 1. Be still, my soul: for God is on thy side. Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain. Leave to thy God to order and provide; who through all changes faithful will remain. Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend through stormy ways leads to a joyful end. 2. Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake to guide the future, even as the past. Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake; all now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still, my soul: life s tempests still obey the voice that once the waves wide fury stayed. 3

4 3. Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on when we shall be forever in God s peace. When disappointment, grief and fear are gone, love s joys restored, our strivings all shall cease. Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past, all safe and blessèd we shall meet at last. Affirmation of Faith We believe and trust in God the Creator, source of all being and life, the one for whom we exist. We believe and trust in Jesus the Christ, who took our human nature, and lived and died as one of us. We believe and trust in the Holy Spirit, who breathes life into the people of God and makes Christ known in the world. Prayers of the People Michelle Normandin The Lord s Prayer Our heavenly Creator, may your name be praised in all the world. May we follow what we perceive as your will, today and every day. Give us bread, enough for today. Keep us in your straight path, and help us forgive those who have hurt us in any way. May we be kept free from all temptations and always remember to offer you praise and glory. Amen. Prayer of forgiveness O God, gladly we live and move and have our being in you. Yet always in the midst of this creation-glory, shadow and darkness: around us in the earth, sea and sky, the abuse of matter; beside us in the broken, the hungry and the poor, the betrayal of one another; and often, deep within us, a striving against your Spirit. O Trinity of love, forgive us that we may forgive one another, heal us that we may be people of healing, and renew us that we also may be makers of peace. Amen. Offertory Song: We give you but your own(repeated as chant)vu 542Tune: Sandys We give you but your own, what ever the gift may be; All that we have is yours alone, we give it gratefully. Prayer over the Gifts Blessed are you, O God, maker of all things. Through your goodness you have blessed us with these gifts: ourselves, our time and our possessions. Use us, and what we have gathered, in feeding the world with your love. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. Amen. 4

5 Second reading, from Pelagius, Letter to Demetrias, 5 th Century Those who follow Christ often believe that only Christians are capable of doing good. They assert that Christianity has a monopoly of virtue. But this assertion is quite contrary to what we can observe. All of us have met non-christians who are tolerant, temperate, chaste, generous and kind; we have met non-christians who reject the pleasures and honours of this world, choosing instead the way of simplicity and humility. In short, we have met non-christians who reflect the virtues of Christ himself. If only Christians were good, then God would not be good, because [he] would have denied the rest of humanity the freedom to choose goodness. The goodness we see in non-christians is proof of the goodness of God, who has granted every person, regardless of race or religion, the freedom to choose good or evil. The advantage of being a Christian is that through the teaching of Jesus Christ we learn more fully the nature of goodness; and through his example, we are inspired to do good ourselves. Address Music Reflection Nigel Bunce Closing Prayers All things are born of you, O God. We carry within us your light and your life. In the mystery of matter and deep within our souls are your dream for oneness the oneness of the universe, vast and ever vibrating with the sound of its beginnings; the oneness of the earth, greening and teeming as a single body; the oneness of the human soul, sacred in its multitude of forms. Grant us your dream of oneness, amid life s glorious multiplicities. Amen. Blessings (said) (from Carmina Gadelica) God, bless to us this day, God, bless to us this night ; Bless, O bless. Thou God of grace, each day and hour our lives ; Bless, O bless. Thou God of grace. Each day and hour of our lives. God, bless the pathways on which we go, God, bless the earth that is beneath our feet; Bless, O God, and give to us Thy love, O God of gods, bless our rest and our repose; Bless, O God, and give to us Thy love, and bless, O God of gods, our sleep tonight. Pour down from heaven every blessing upon us. Be patient with us, and grant us, O Saviour of Glory, the peace of God, the love of God, and God s affection. Grant us to do on earth at all times as angels and saints do in heaven; each shade and light, each day and night, give us your peace. Amen. 5

6 Closing Song: Stay with us Lord Jesus Christ (repeated as chant) CP194 Stay with us, O Lord Jesus Christ, night will soon fall. Then stay with us, O Lord Jesus Christ, light in our darkness. Please join us for a light meal afterwards This Week our musician is Roger C. Bond 6