ST. PAUL S UNITED CHURCH 30 Main Street South, Brampton, ON L6W 2C4 E-Mail: stpaulsoffice@on.aibn.com Web: www.stpauls.brampton.on.ca Phone: 905-451-1405 Service of Worship - 10:30 a.m. Day of Pentecost June 8 th, 2014 St. Paul s - a caring, Christian community, sharing the love of Jesus through our words and actions. Worship Theme: Pentecost (Transfer of Membership and Communion) (*Please stand as you are able.) Music for listening as we prepare for worship The Approach of The People of God Welcome and Life and Work at St. Paul s Lighting of the Christ Candle *Call To Worship: The Spirit descends like a dove, bringing peace to unite the world in a just and caring community. The Spirit comes like a breath, bringing life to renew the people of God. The Spirit spreads like fire, bringing energy for witnessing to the love of God. Spirit of the living God, come to us and transform our lives by your power. *Opening Hymn Spirit of the Living God [Voices United #376] *Prayer of Approach and Confession Almighty God, who gives life and power to your church through the gift of your Spirit: Inspire us to bear witness to our living Lord. Quicken us to a recognition of your presence. Create in us grateful hearts. Challenge our minds with your wisdom. Encourage us with a heightened vision and hope. If the pervasive evil spirits of this secular world have imposed themselves into our lives without us hardly realizing it - if we have allowed our own ego to slag our souls with tawdry wants and selfish scheming - if we have received your forgiveness with eagerness, yet have withheld forgiveness from those who have hurt, rejected or maligned us: Loving God, fill us with the Spirit of Christ, and let all that is rude and rough, twisted and foolish, tired and pessimistic be lifted from us. For your love s sake. Amen! Assurance of Pardon Choir Anthem of the Day Transfer of New Members Chair of The Council: Rev. Phil, today I present the following persons wishing to transfer their membership in The United Church of Canada to St. Paul s United Church. The following have been baptized and confirmed as members of other churches and wish to be included on our membership roles: Joy Rodgers and William (Bill) Witterick. Minister: (To the Transferring Candidates) Do you promise to walk in faith with fellow members of this Congregation as we seek to fulfill our ministry and mission as the Church of Jesus Christ? The Candidates respond: I do, God being my helper. Minister: (To the Congregation) Members of the household of God, I commend these persons to your love and care. Will you do all in your power to increase their faith, confirm their hope, and perfect them in love? The Congregation responds: We will, God being our helper. 1
Congregation to the Candidates: We give thanks for all that God has already given you and we welcome you in Christian love. As members together with you in the body of Christ and in this Congregation of The United Church of Canada, we renew our covenant with one another to faithfully participate in the ministries of the Church by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. A Blessing: The God of all grace, who has called us to eternal glory in Christ, establish you and strengthen you by the power of the Holy Spirit, that you may live in grace and peace. *The United Church Creed 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. *Passing of the Peace We are not alone. Thanks be to God! *Hymn with our Youth It Only Takes a Spark vs 1&2 [V. U. #289] A Time for the Young and Young at Heart *Hymn with our Youth It Only Takes a Spark vs 3 [V. U. #289] Choir Anthem of the Day Listen To The Word of God The Lectionary Readings: 1 st Lesson: Book of Acts 2: 1-21 This is the witness of the Early Church. Thanks be to God. Psalm Selection: Psalm 104 [Voices United #826] Refrain: Bless, O my soul, the Almighty, who rules all creation. Praise God, O my soul. Eternal God, you are great indeed. You clothe yourself with light like a garment. You spread the heavens like a tent; you lay out the beams of your dwelling on the waters above. You make the clouds your chariot, and ride on the wings of the wind. You make the winds your messengers, and flames of fire your servants. 2 3
You fix the earth on its foundations, so that it can never tremble. You cover the earth with the ocean as with a cloak. R When the waters covered the mountains, they fled at your rebuke; at the sound of your thunder, they took flight. They flowed over the mountains, ran down the valleys to the place you had appointed for them. There you set limits not to be passed, that they might not again cover the earth. R The Gospel: John 20: 19-31 This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God. Text for the Sermon: Then he said to Thomas, Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe. Thomas answered him, My Lord and my God! John 20: 27-28 NRSV Sermon: The Power of Doubt *Hymn of The Word Spirit of Gentleness [Voices United #375] God s People Respond The Offertory Special Music *Choral Hymn Breathe On Me Breath of God [Voices United #382] *Offertory Prayer The Sacrament of Holy Communion The Invitation 4 Minister: Friends, this is the joyful Pentecostal Feast of the people of God. According to scripture, when our risen Lord was at table with his disciples, he took the bread, and blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him. This is the Lord s table. Our Saviour invites those who trust him to share the feast which he has prepared. Prayer of Great Thanksgiving Minister: Let us pray: In your wisdom, Holy God, you made all things and sustain them by your power. You formed us in your image, setting us in this world to love and serve you, and to live in peace with your whole creation. When we rebelled against you and refused to trust and obey you, you did not reject us, but still claimed us as your own. You sent prophets to call us back to your way. Then in the fullness of time, out of your great love for the world, you sent your only Son to be one with us, to redeem us and heal our brokenness. We praise you for Jesus Christ who was tempted in every way we are, yet without sin, and who, having overcome temptation, is able to help us in our times of trial, and to give us strength to take up the cross and follow him. Minister: Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with choirs of angels, and with all the faithful of every time and place, who forever sing to the glory of your name: Holy, holy, holy God of power and might, Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Minister: You are holy, O God, and blessed is Jesus Christ, your Son, your Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. He lived as one of us, knowing joy and sorrow. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, opened blind eyes, and broke bread with outcasts and sinners. Dying on the cross, he gave himself for the life of the world. Raised from the grave, he won for us victory over death. We praise you that Christ now reigns with you and will come again to make all things new. We give you thanks that the Lord Jesus on the night before he died, took bread, and after giving thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take, eat. This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way he took the cup, saying: This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this in remembrance of me. Remembering your gracious 5
acts in Jesus Christ, we take this bread and wine from the gifts you have given us, and joyfully celebrate his dying and rising, as we await the day of his coming. With thanksgiving, we offer our very selves to you to be a living and holy sacrifice, dedicated to your service. Minister: Gracious God, pour out your Pentecostal Spirit upon us and upon these your gifts of bread and wine, that the bread we break and the cup we bless may be the communion of the body and blood of Christ. By our Spirit make us one with all who share this feast, united in ministry in every place. As this bread is Christ s body for us, may we be the body of Christ in the world. As this cup of Blessing is a symbol of sacrifice may we be a blessing to the world. The Lord s Prayer (sung) Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil for the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen. *The Closing Hymn Lead On, O Cloud of Presence [V.U. #421] *Sending Forth and Blessing The Great Amen [More Voices #208] Organ Postlude PARTICIPANTS IN THIS MORNING S SERVICE Minister Rev. Philip Rodgers Minister, Child, Youth, Family Kathleen Cairnie-Sorensen Organist Iain Morrison Chair of Council David Hymers Church Officer Jack Drew Co-ordinating Greeter Mary Sarginson Greeters: Sylvia Buskard, Laurel Del Genio, Kathy McKelvey, Bill & JoAnne Parry. Refreshments Trustees Breaking of The Bread - Lifting The Cup of Blessing Holding out both the bread and the cup to the people, the minister says: The gifts of God for the people of God. The People of God Are Served Communion (By Intinction) Prayer after Communion: Loving God, we thank you that you have fed us in this Sacrament, united us with Christ, and given us a foretaste of the heavenly banquet in your eternal kingdom. Send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise and glory, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. 6 7
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