Prelude Lost in the Waves
Acknowledgement
For thousands of years, Indigenous people have walked in this land, on their own country. Their relationship with the land is at the centre of their lives.
We acknowledge the Indigenous People of Canada and their stewardship of this land and its water throughout the ages. Welcome
Welcome to this time of worship here at St. Paul, we hope you enjoy your time with us this morning
As we enter into this sacred time together
We come from our own places to this special sacred place.
This is a place where we know we can share community and be blessed.
Let us celebrate the richness and diversity of life.
In the beginning was the word, grounded in God, rooted in care
Through the word all things were made, love was displayed and as we listen, God speaks “I am for you”
In the word life found its source, death found its end, light shone
Neither death doubt or darkness could extinguish the light and the voice of God continues to shout “I am for you”
The word was in the world at the time of creation, unrecognized and unknown
the word came into the world to be one with all of humankind, convincing us through sight and mind, reminding us all of God’s promise “I am for you”
All who receive the word by God are blessed, sisters and brothers because of this guest
And the word of God proclaims in time and space, showing now a human face and yet the message remains strong and true as God says “I am for you!”
We pray:
In this season of Lent, may we become more aware of the presence of God. May we see this presence in each other, hear it in the music, and experience it, as we give and receive gifts of love. Amen
(Two purple candles, pink candle and Christ candle are lit prior to worship)
Today we continue our journey toward Easter, by reflecting on how fear can cause us to turn away from God. Fear can paralyze our ability to respond and grow. Fear of death, of getting old, of being alone, of growing up, of loving, can rob our lives and our relationship with God of all signs of vitality.
Being afraid can stop us from doing new things, learning new things, and meeting new people. Being afraid can stop us from doing what we know God wants.
Our covenant with God is not like a covenant with people which ends if one party breaks the conditions of the agreement. God keeps the covenant even when we do not. God forgives. Even so, we often live as though we don't really trust God's promises. We are apprehensive, even fearful of the future; we let guilt eat away at us; we mistrust one another; we refuse to take risks because we cannot come to fully trust in the good news of the gospel - God's message of love to the world.
As we put out the fourth candle let us thing of the ways in which we have not trusted God. Let us remember the kind of trust that Jesus showed us by the way he lived. (Pink candle is extinguished.)
Let us pray:
You, O God are the ever-faithful One. We confess our lack of trust in your promises. O God, breakthrough our fear which separates us from one another. Empower us to respond to your call - like Jesus, with courage and conviction. Amen.
A Reading from the Book, Numbers (21:4-9) (Message translation)
They set out from Mount Hor along the Red Sea Road, a detour around the land of Edom. The people became irritable and cross as they traveled. They spoke out against God and Moses: “Why did you drag us out of Egypt to die in this godforsaken country? No decent food; no water—we can’t stomach this stuff any longer.”
So God sent poisonous snakes among the people; they bit them and many in Israel died. The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke out against God and you. Pray to God; ask him to take these snakes from us.”
Moses prayed for the people.
God said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it on a flagpole: Whoever is bitten and looks at it will live.”
So Moses made a snake of fiery copper and put it on top of a flagpole. Anyone bitten by a snake who then looked at the copper snake lived.
Listen for the leading of the Spirit R: Thanks be to God
Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22
Give thanks to the Lord who is good, and whose mercy endures for ever. Let all those whom the Lord has redeemed proclaim that God redeemed them from the hand of the foe.
The Lord gathered them out of the lands; from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. Some were fools and took to rebellious ways; they were afflicted because of their sins. They abhorred all manner of food and drew near to death’s door.
Then they cried to you, O Lord, in their trouble, and you delivered them from their distress. You sent forth your word and healed them and saved them from the grave. Let them give thanks to you, O Lord, for your mercy and the wonders you do for your children. Let them offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving and tell of your acts with shouts of joy.
A Reading from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians (2:1-10) The Message
It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.
Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
Listen for the leading of the Spirit R: Thanks be to God
Gradual Hymn You Have Passed By (CP 510)
You have passed by, you came
Like fire that lights the skies;
Sparks falling your name
Glow in our hearts like eyes.
In tatters hand your word,
Draped round our world and torn;
Now we shall live in you;
Like clothing you are worn.
You have passed by, as brief as footprints on the sea;
Why did you go so far? You went too far from me.
You are forever now as deep in God as breath;
No stillness captures you, unthinkable your death.
You have passed by, a strange and yet familiar face,
A fragment of our being, a flickering light, a trace.
Your light is in my blood, my body is your day;
I hope my whole life long to meet you on the way.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. John (3:14-21) NRSV
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
"Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God."
The Gospel of Christ R: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ
The Homily
God of mercy and compassion, your Word calls us home to faith and love. Accept all we offer you this day, in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen
Affirmation of Faith
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come.
We believe in God, who created all things:
for by God’s will they were created and have their being.
We believe in God the Son,
who was slain: for with his blood, he purchased us for God,
from every tribe and language,
from every people and nation.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit:
the Spirit says, 'Come!' Even so come, Lord Jesus! Amen.
(Adapted from New Patterns for Worship, and throughout Common Worship: http://www.churchofengland.org/prayerworship/worship/texts/newpatterns/contents/sectione.aspx)
Prayers of Intercession
Acknowledgement
For thousands of years, Indigenous people have walked in this land, on their own country. Their relationship with the land is at the centre of their lives.
We acknowledge the Indigenous People of Canada and their stewardship of this land and its water throughout the ages. Welcome
Welcome to this time of worship here at St. Paul, we hope you enjoy your time with us this morning
As we enter into this sacred time together
We come from our own places to this special sacred place.
This is a place where we know we can share community and be blessed.
Let us celebrate the richness and diversity of life.
Gathering Hymn A SPENDTHRIFT LOVER IS THE LORD (CP177)
A spendthrift lover is the Lord
who never counts the cost
or asks if heaven can afford
to woo a world that's lost.
Our lover tosses coins of gold
across the midnight skies
and stokes the sun against the cold
to warm us when we rise.
Still more is spent in blood and tears
to win the human heart,
to overcome the violent fears
that drive the world apart.
Behold the bruised and thorn-crowned face
of one who bears our scars
and empties out the wealth of grace
that's hinted by the stars.
How shall we love this heart-strong God
who gives us everything,
whose ways to us are strange and odd:
what can we give or bring?
Acceptance of the matchless gift
is gift enough to give.
The very act will shake and shift the way we love and live.
In the beginning was the word, grounded in God, rooted in care
Through the word all things were made, love was displayed and as we listen, God speaks “I am for you”
In the word life found its source, death found its end, light shone
Neither death doubt or darkness could extinguish the light and the voice of God continues to shout “I am for you”
The word was in the world at the time of creation, unrecognized and unknown
the word came into the world to be one with all of humankind, convincing us through sight and mind, reminding us all of God’s promise “I am for you”
All who receive the word by God are blessed, sisters and brothers because of this guest
And the word of God proclaims in time and space, showing now a human face and yet the message remains strong and true as God says “I am for you!”
We pray:
In this season of Lent, may we become more aware of the presence of God. May we see this presence in each other, hear it in the music, and experience it, as we give and receive gifts of love. Amen
(Two purple candles, pink candle and Christ candle are lit prior to worship)
Today we continue our journey toward Easter, by reflecting on how fear can cause us to turn away from God. Fear can paralyze our ability to respond and grow. Fear of death, of getting old, of being alone, of growing up, of loving, can rob our lives and our relationship with God of all signs of vitality.
Being afraid can stop us from doing new things, learning new things, and meeting new people. Being afraid can stop us from doing what we know God wants.
Our covenant with God is not like a covenant with people which ends if one party breaks the conditions of the agreement. God keeps the covenant even when we do not. God forgives. Even so, we often live as though we don't really trust God's promises. We are apprehensive, even fearful of the future; we let guilt eat away at us; we mistrust one another; we refuse to take risks because we cannot come to fully trust in the good news of the gospel - God's message of love to the world.
As we put out the fourth candle let us thing of the ways in which we have not trusted God. Let us remember the kind of trust that Jesus showed us by the way he lived. (Pink candle is extinguished.)
Let us pray:
You, O God are the ever-faithful One. We confess our lack of trust in your promises. O God, breakthrough our fear which separates us from one another. Empower us to respond to your call - like Jesus, with courage and conviction. Amen.
The Proclamation of the Word
A Reading from the Book, Numbers (21:4-9) (Message translation)
They set out from Mount Hor along the Red Sea Road, a detour around the land of Edom. The people became irritable and cross as they traveled. They spoke out against God and Moses: “Why did you drag us out of Egypt to die in this godforsaken country? No decent food; no water—we can’t stomach this stuff any longer.”
So God sent poisonous snakes among the people; they bit them and many in Israel died. The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke out against God and you. Pray to God; ask him to take these snakes from us.”
Moses prayed for the people.
God said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it on a flagpole: Whoever is bitten and looks at it will live.”
So Moses made a snake of fiery copper and put it on top of a flagpole. Anyone bitten by a snake who then looked at the copper snake lived.
Listen for the leading of the Spirit R: Thanks be to God
Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22
Give thanks to the Lord who is good, and whose mercy endures for ever. Let all those whom the Lord has redeemed proclaim that God redeemed them from the hand of the foe.
The Lord gathered them out of the lands; from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. Some were fools and took to rebellious ways; they were afflicted because of their sins. They abhorred all manner of food and drew near to death’s door.
Then they cried to you, O Lord, in their trouble, and you delivered them from their distress. You sent forth your word and healed them and saved them from the grave. Let them give thanks to you, O Lord, for your mercy and the wonders you do for your children. Let them offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving and tell of your acts with shouts of joy.
A Reading from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians (2:1-10) The Message
It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.
Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
Listen for the leading of the Spirit R: Thanks be to God
Gradual Hymn You Have Passed By (CP 510)
You have passed by, you came
Like fire that lights the skies;
Sparks falling your name
Glow in our hearts like eyes.
In tatters hand your word,
Draped round our world and torn;
Now we shall live in you;
Like clothing you are worn.
You have passed by, as brief as footprints on the sea;
Why did you go so far? You went too far from me.
You are forever now as deep in God as breath;
No stillness captures you, unthinkable your death.
You have passed by, a strange and yet familiar face,
A fragment of our being, a flickering light, a trace.
Your light is in my blood, my body is your day;
I hope my whole life long to meet you on the way.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. John (3:14-21) NRSV
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
"Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God."
The Gospel of Christ R: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ
The Homily
Offering Hymn Seek Not In Distant Ancient Hills (CP 470)
Seek not in distant, ancient hills
The promised holy land,
But where you live do what God wills
And find it close at hand.
A single heaven wraps around
This whirling, watered stone,
And every place is sacred ground
Where God is loved and known.
To climb the templed, footworn peak
Where pilgrims long have trod,
Unlock the bolted soul and seek
The present, living God.
In spirit and in truth, you’ll find
What human thought can’t be frame;
The source of breath and pulse and mind,
The primal wind and flame.
God of mercy and compassion, your Word calls us home to faith and love. Accept all we offer you this day, in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen
Affirmation of Faith
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come.
We believe in God, who created all things:
for by God’s will they were created and have their being.
We believe in God the Son,
who was slain: for with his blood, he purchased us for God,
from every tribe and language,
from every people and nation.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit:
the Spirit says, 'Come!' Even so come, Lord Jesus! Amen.
(Adapted from New Patterns for Worship, and throughout Common Worship: http://www.churchofengland.org/prayerworship/worship/texts/newpatterns/contents/sectione.aspx)
Prayers of Intercession
God of the blessed we praise you, for mercy shown, grace given, living water, Spirit’s power.
We ask you for daily strength, hope for tomorrow, your word to guide, strong feet to follow
The Psalmist says:
“Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long.” (Psalm 25:4-5)
God of the oppressed we bring to you the broken ones, forgotten ones, exploited and abused ones.
Bring freedom and release, love and compassion to damaged hearts and souls
(silence)
God of compassion Hear our prayer
God of the distressed, we bring to you the grieving ones, hurting ones, suffering and wounded ones.
Bring wholeness and healing comfort and relief, to broken bodies and minds
(silence)
God of compassion Hear our prayer
God of the dispossessed we bring to you the lonely ones, the homeless ones, thirsty, tired and penniless ones. Bring hope and sustenance physical and spiritual food, to hungry bodies and souls
(silence)
God of compassion Hear our prayer
The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. May the peace, love and compassion of the Lord Be with you now and always. AMEN
(from faithandworship.com)
Pray for those who celebrate Birthdays and Anniversaries in March
God of all creation, we offer you grateful praise for the gift of life. Hear the prayers for those who celebrate their birthdays and anniversaries in March we rejoice in your gifts of life and love, family and friends. Bless those who celebrate with your presence and surround them with your love, that they may enjoy many happy years, all of them pleasing to you. We ask this through Christ our savior. Amen.
(Adapted from the United Methodist Book of Worship)
Collect of the Day
Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world, evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Lord’s Prayer (sung)
Blessing (based on John 3: 16-17)
Just as God’s Word was sent into the world to heal and redeem,
so God sends you into the world this day to be light and love, healing and hope.
Go now to be light for the world!
And may the grace and peace of God the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Sustainer come upon you this day and remain with you always. Amen.
— from “O Merciful God: God of Wisdom: Prayers for the Fourth Sunday in Lent,” written by Rev. Kathryn Matthews Huey and the Rev. Susan A. Blain. Posted on the United Church of Christ’s Worship Ways website.
Hymn What Wondrous Love Is This (CP 400)
What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this,
that caused the Lord of bliss
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul!
When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down
when I was sinking down, sinking down,
when I was sinking down,
beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside his crown for my soul, for my soul,
Christ laid aside his crown for my soul.
To God and to the Lamb, I will sing, I will sing,
to God and to the Lamb, I will sing.
to God and to the Lamb,
who is the great I AM,
while millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing,
while millions join the theme, I will sing!
And when from death I'm free, I'll sing on, I'll sing on,
and when from death I'm free, I'll sing on.
And when from death I'm free,
I'll sing God’s love for me,
and through eternity I'll sing on, I'll sing on,
and through eternity I'll sing on!
Dismissal
The God we worship is never confined to this holy place.
So go and travel with the God who is found
in ordinary and surprising places.
Those who dodge growing pains will never arrive at their full spiritual height.
As you prepare to leave this special place, pray that you may have the courage
to stretch once more towards the goals set by Jesus of Nazareth.
There is no shame in failing. But there is in not trying. (Bruce Prewer 2006).
Post Christmas Lullaby
We ask you for daily strength, hope for tomorrow, your word to guide, strong feet to follow
The Psalmist says:
“Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long.” (Psalm 25:4-5)
God of the oppressed we bring to you the broken ones, forgotten ones, exploited and abused ones.
Bring freedom and release, love and compassion to damaged hearts and souls
(silence)
God of compassion Hear our prayer
God of the distressed, we bring to you the grieving ones, hurting ones, suffering and wounded ones.
Bring wholeness and healing comfort and relief, to broken bodies and minds
(silence)
God of compassion Hear our prayer
God of the dispossessed we bring to you the lonely ones, the homeless ones, thirsty, tired and penniless ones. Bring hope and sustenance physical and spiritual food, to hungry bodies and souls
(silence)
God of compassion Hear our prayer
The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. May the peace, love and compassion of the Lord Be with you now and always. AMEN
(from faithandworship.com)
Pray for those who celebrate Birthdays and Anniversaries in March
God of all creation, we offer you grateful praise for the gift of life. Hear the prayers for those who celebrate their birthdays and anniversaries in March we rejoice in your gifts of life and love, family and friends. Bless those who celebrate with your presence and surround them with your love, that they may enjoy many happy years, all of them pleasing to you. We ask this through Christ our savior. Amen.
(Adapted from the United Methodist Book of Worship)
Collect of the Day
Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world, evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Lord’s Prayer (sung)
Blessing (based on John 3: 16-17)
Just as God’s Word was sent into the world to heal and redeem,
so God sends you into the world this day to be light and love, healing and hope.
Go now to be light for the world!
And may the grace and peace of God the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Sustainer come upon you this day and remain with you always. Amen.
— from “O Merciful God: God of Wisdom: Prayers for the Fourth Sunday in Lent,” written by Rev. Kathryn Matthews Huey and the Rev. Susan A. Blain. Posted on the United Church of Christ’s Worship Ways website.
Hymn What Wondrous Love Is This (CP 400)
What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this,
that caused the Lord of bliss
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul!
When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down
when I was sinking down, sinking down,
when I was sinking down,
beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside his crown for my soul, for my soul,
Christ laid aside his crown for my soul.
To God and to the Lamb, I will sing, I will sing,
to God and to the Lamb, I will sing.
to God and to the Lamb,
who is the great I AM,
while millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing,
while millions join the theme, I will sing!
And when from death I'm free, I'll sing on, I'll sing on,
and when from death I'm free, I'll sing on.
And when from death I'm free,
I'll sing God’s love for me,
and through eternity I'll sing on, I'll sing on,
and through eternity I'll sing on!
Dismissal
The God we worship is never confined to this holy place.
So go and travel with the God who is found
in ordinary and surprising places.
Those who dodge growing pains will never arrive at their full spiritual height.
As you prepare to leave this special place, pray that you may have the courage
to stretch once more towards the goals set by Jesus of Nazareth.
There is no shame in failing. But there is in not trying. (Bruce Prewer 2006).
Post Christmas Lullaby
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