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Prelude: This Is God’s Wondrous World
Acknowledgement
Welcome
Gathering song: 474 CP Jesus Where’er Thy People Meet
Jesus, where’er thy people meet,
there they behold thy mercy seat;
where’er they seek thee, thou art found,
and every place is hallowed ground.
For thou, within no walls confined,
inhabitest the humble mind;
such ever bring thee where they come,
and going, take thee to their home.
Here may we prove the power of prayer
to strengthen faith and sweeten care,
to teach our faint desires to rise,
and bring all heaven before our eyes.
Lord, we are few, but thou art near;
nor short thine arm, no deaf thine ear;
O rend the heavens, come quickly down,
and make a thousand hearts thine own!
Gathering prayers
Come, let us dwell in God’s shelter.
Let us dwell in God’s work of art.
Come, because the Earth is the Lord’s.
And God’s earth is our home.
We live in God’s world: we are not alone.
We share this life with the heavens and the earth,
with the waters and the land,
with trees and grasses,
with fish, birds, and animals,
with minerals and creatures of every form,
and with all our brothers and sisters.
God is good and everything God makes is good.
God is love
and everything God makes is love’s fruit.
Let us worship God!
Let us pray.
Creator God, you make all things
and weave them together
in an intricate tapestry of life.
Teach us to respect the fragile balance of life
and to care for all the gifts of your creation.
Guide by your wisdom
those who have power and authority,
that, by the decisions they make,
life may be cherished
and a good and fruitful earth may continue
to show your glory and sing your praises. Amen.
Collect of the Day
Creator God,
from you every family in heaven and earth takes its name.
You have rooted and grounded us in your covenant love,
and empowered us by your Spirit to speak the truth in love,
and to walk in your way towards justice and wholeness.
Mercifully grant that your people, journeying together in partnership,
may be strengthened and guided
to help one another to grow into the full stature of Christ,
who is our light and our life. Amen
The Proclamation of the Word
A Reading from the prophet, Jeremiah 4:11-12. 22-28
At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem: A hot wind comes from me out of the bare heights in the desert toward my poor people, not to winnow or cleanse— a wind too strong for that. Now it is I who speak in judgment against them.
“For my people are foolish, they do not know me; they are stupid children, they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but do not know how to do good.” I looked on the earth, and lo, it was waste and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light. I looked on the mountains, and lo, they were quaking, and all the hills moved to and fro. I looked, and lo, there was no one at all, and all the birds of the air had fled. I looked, and lo, the fruitful land was a desert, and all its cities were laid in ruins before the Lord, before his fierce anger. For thus says the Lord: The whole land shall be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end. Because of this the earth shall mourn, and the heavens above grow black; for I have spoken, I have purposed; I have not relented nor will I turn back.
Listen for the leading of the Spirit. Thanks be to God.
Psalm 51:1-10
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving-kindness;
in your great compassion blot out my offenses.
Wash me through and through from my wickedness
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against you only have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight.
And so you are justified when you speak
and upright in your judgement.
Indeed, I have been wicked from my birth,
a sinner from my mother’s womb.
For behold, you look for truth deep within me,
and will make me understand wisdom secretly.
Purge me from my sin, and I shall be pure;
wash me, and I shall be clean indeed.
Make me hear of joy and gladness,
that the body you have broken may rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquities.
A reading from the first letter of Timothy 1;12-17
Listen for the leading of the Spirit. Thanks be to God.
Gradual Hymn: 519 CP The Lord’s My Shepherd
The Lord's my Shepherd, I'll not want;
he makes me down to lie
in pastures green; he leadeth me
the quiet waters by.
My soul he doth restore again, and me to walk doth make within the paths of righteousness, e'en for his own name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through death's dark vale,
yet will I fear none ill,
for thou art with me; and thy rod
and staff me comfort still.
My table thou hast furnished
in presence of my foes;
my head thou dost with oil anoint,
and my cup overflows.
Goodness and mercy all my life
shall surely follow me;
and in God's house forevermore
my dwelling place shall be.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke 15:1-10
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ
Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. “Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
The Gospel of Christ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ
Homily
A New Creed (United Church of Canada)
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.
We are not alone. Thanks be to God.
Prayers of the People
Caring God, we thank you for your gifts in creation:
for our world, the heavens tell of your glory;
for our land, its beauty and its resources, for the rich heritage we enjoy.
We pray:
for those who make decisions about the resources of the earth, that we may use your gifts responsibly;
for those who work on the land and the water, in city and in industry, that all may enjoy the fruits of their labours and marvel at your creation;
for artists, scientists and visionaries, that through their work we may see creation afresh.
Silence
We thank you for giving us life; for all who enrich our experience.
We pray:
for all who are deprived of fullness of life, for prisoners, refugees, and those who are sick;
for those in politics, medical science, social and relief work, and for your Church, for all who seek to bring life to others.
Silence
We thank you that you have called us to celebrate your creation. Give us reverence for life in your world.
We thank you for your redeeming love; may your word and sacrament strengthen us to love as you love us.
Silence
God, Creator, bring us new life. Jesus, Redeemer, renew us.
Holy Spirit, strengthen and guide us.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
Offertory Hymn: 408 CP Wind Upon the Waters
Wind upon the Waters, voice upon the deep
rouse your sons and daughters, wake us from our sleep
breathing life into all flesh, breathing love into all hearts,
living wind upon the waters of my soul.
Showers from the heavens, water from the earth
gift so wholly given, source of every birth,
joy of every living thing, making all creation sing
shower down upon the dry earth of my soul.
Rock and hill and garden, wood and desert sand,
prairie field and meadow shaped by loves own hand
Love that fills the world around, springing up from barren ground
grow your love within the garden of my soul.
Blazing light of wonder, flame that pierces night,
burst the dark asunder, fill our souls with light.
Lord of glory, fill the skies, make an end to hatred's cries
be the blazing sun of justice in our lives.
Wind upon the waters, rains upon the sand,
grace your sons and daughters, newborn by your hand.
Come O Spirit and renew all the life that comes from you,
send your winds upon the waters of my soul.
Prayer over the Gifts
Generous God,
all good gifts come from you and you reveal glimpses of your grace through them.
Thank you for inviting us to be partners with you in caring for your creation.
We offer these gifts now, knowing that they come first from you,
then from other members of your family of creation, then from us.
Bless these symbols of our awareness
that we depend upon you and your creation for all that we call “ours.”
Please accept these gifts and our desire to be your partners.
In your name we pray. Amen.
Eucharistic Prayer 4
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is right to give you thanks and praise,
O Lord, our God, sustainer of the universe,
you are worthy of glory and praise.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
At your command all things came to be:
the vast expanse of interstellar space,
galaxies, suns, the planets in their courses,
and this fragile earth, our island home;
by your will they were created and have their being.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
From the primal elements you brought forth the human race,
and blessed us with memory, reason, and skill;
you made us the stewards of creation.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
But we turn against you, and betray your trust;
and we turn against one another.
Again and again you call us to return.
Through the prophets and sages you reveal your righteous law.
In the fullness of time you sent your Son, born of a woman, to be our Saviour.
He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities.
By his death he opened to us the way of freedom and peace.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
Therefore we praise you, joining with the heavenly chorus,
with prophets, apostles, and martyrs, and with those in every generation
who have looked to you in hope,
to proclaim with them your glory, in their unending hymn:
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord
God of power and might
Heaven and Earth of your glory are full
Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest.
Blessed is one who comes in the name of the Lord
Blessed is one who comes in the name of the Lord
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord
God of power and might
Heaven and Earth of your glory are full
Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, for sending us Jesus, the Christ,
who on the night he was handed over to suffering and death,
took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, gave it to his friends,
and said, “Take this, and eat it: this is my body which is given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.”
In the same way, after supper, he took the cup of wine;
he gave you thanks, and said, “Drink this, all of you:
this is my blood of the new covenant,
which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
Glory to you for ever and ever.
Gracious God,
we recall the death of your Son Jesus Christ,
we proclaim his resurrection and ascension,
and we look with expectation for his coming
as Lord of all the nations.
We who have been redeemed by him,
and made a new people by water and the Spirit,
now bring you these gifts.
Send your Holy Spirit upon us
and upon this offering of your Church,
that we who eat and drink at this holy table
may share the divine life of Christ our Lord.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
Pour out your Spirit upon the whole earth
and make it your new creation.
Gather your Church together
from the ends of the earth into your kingdom,
where peace and justice are revealed,
that we, with all your people,
of every language, race, and nation,
may share the banquet you have promised;
through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ,
all honour and glory are yours, creator of all.
Glory to you for ever and ever. Amen.
The Lord’s prayer: We pray our common prayer that Christ taught us.
Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your beloved community of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and forever. Amen.
(Adapted from The New Zealand Book of Prayer | He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa. This version of the Lord’s prayer was influenced by Maori theologians)
The Breaking of the Bread
“I am the bread of life,” says the Lord.
“Whoever comes to me will never be hungry;
whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
Taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are they who trust in him!
The gifts of God for the People of God.
Thanks be to God.
The Communion
Hymn during Distribution: Dakota Hymn
Many and great oh God are thy things, Maker of earth and sky. Thy hands have spread the heavens with stars. Thy fingers spread the mountains and plains. Lo at the word the waters were formed. Deep seas obey thy voice. Grant unto us communion with thee. Thou star abiding one. Come unto us and dwell with us. With Thee are found the gifts of life. Bless us with life that has no end Eternal life with thee.
Many and great oh God are thy things,
Maker of earth and sky.
Thy hands have spread the heavens with stars.
Thy fingers spread the mountains and plains.
Lo at the word the waters were formed.
Deep seas obey thy voice.
Prayer after Communion:
Let us pray.
Gracious God, you have given us much this day:
the wheat and grapes which found our feast,
the wit and will to transform them into bread and wine,
and the precious presence of your Son who transfigures and redeems
all that we have broken and lost.
Send us out now to care for this fragile earth our island home.
Grant us the wit and will to transform the toxic, irreverent ways we live,
through the saving presence of your Son, Jesus Christ,
who goes before us and calls us into this world you love.
To Christ, to you, and to the Holy Spirit be honour and glory, now and forever. Amen.
The Blessing
Announcements
Closing Hymn: 418 CP Draw the Circle Wide
Chorus Draw the circle wide. Draw it wider still. Let this be our song, no one stands alone, Standing side by side, draw the circle wide. God the still point of the circle, Round whom all creation turns; Nothing lost, but held forever, In God’s gracious arms. Chorus Let our hearts touch far horizons, So encompass great and small; Let our loving know no borders, Faithful to God’s call. Chorus Let the dreams we dream be larger, Than we’ve ever dreamed before;
Let the dream of Christ be in us,
Open every door. Chorus x2
The Dismissal
Loving God, lead us that we may stand firm in faith for justice.
Teach us love. Teach us compassion. Above all, out of love and compassion, teach us to act.
Amen.
Postlude
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