Bulletin – Sunday June 6, 2021

Sunday, June 6, 2021

Second Sunday after Pentecost / Communion

Approach

Lighting the Candle

We light this candle today acutely aware of the darkness that has come to our world, the darkness that has come to the lives of our indigenous brothers and sisters, the darkness of death and betrayal. We long for light in the midst of this darkness and so we gather together this day. We gather to remember, for we should never forget, we gather in community, to find comfort and solidarity. We gather to worship, to find God in the midst of grief and sadness.

Call to Worship

One: We gather here in your presence, God,

All: In our need, and bringing with us the needs of the world.

One: We come to you, for you come to us in Jesus,

All: And you know by experience what human life is like, all of its pain and sorrow.

One: We come with our faith and our doubts;

All: We come with our hopes and our fears.

One: We come as we are because you invite us to come,

All: And you have promised never to turn us away.

Litany of Lament – based on Psalm 13

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I bear pain in my soul,
and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Lord, our Lord, we feel forgotten.

This abuse rips apart our faith.

The victims, our sisters, our brothers, are alone in despair.

How long must this persist?

 Consider and answer me, O LORD my God!
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”;
my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.

The perpetrator of this abuse is winning!

Please, Lord, stop him!

We cannot bear to see this fool—

the enemy of our sister, our brothers, and of us—

believe he is successful.

But I trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD
because he has dealt bountifully with me.

We long to sing praise,

to have our sisters and our brothers begin to sense your goodness again.

For deep down, we trust in your goodness. Amen.

(adapted from A Time to Weep on Reformed Worship website)

Hymn – MV #79- “Spirit, Open My Heart”

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.

God, replace my stony heart with a heart that’s kind and tender.
All my coldness and fear to your grace I now surrender.

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.

 Write your love upon my heart as my law, my goal, my story.
In each thought, word, and deed, may my living bring you glory.

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.

May I weep with those who weep, share the joy of sister, brother.
In the welcome of Christ, may we welcome one another.

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.

The Word

Scripture Reading:            Jeremiah 31: 15 – 17

¹⁵Thus says the Lord:

A voice is heard in Ramah,

lamentation and bitter weeping.

Rachel is weeping for her children;

she refuses to be comforted for her children,

because they are no more.

¹⁶ Thus says the Lord:

Keep your voice from weeping,

and your eyes from tears;

for there is a reward for your work,

says the Lord:

they shall come back from the land of the enemy;

¹⁷there is hope for your future,

says the Lord:

your children shall come back to their own country^.

Scripture Reading:            Matthew 5: 1 – 12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. ²Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

³“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

⁵“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

⁶“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

⁷“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

⁸“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

⁹“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

¹⁰“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.

Thanks be to God!

Meditation – “More than lament, more than thoughts and prayers!”

Anthem – “Taken”

The Response

Communion

Invitation:

Jesus said,

“Come to me all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

I invite you to join me as we come to this table together today, as we meet Christ our Savior and our hope at this meal.

Words of Institution:

Christ has given us this supper to nourish and sustain us in this life.

In this bread and cup, Christ offers us his love.

Our Lord, Jesus Christ, on the night before he gave himself for us, gathered with his friends, and he took the bread, saying,

“This is my body, which is given for you.”

And later he took the cup, and said,

“This is my blood, which is poured out for you.”

These are the gifts of God.

For the people of God.

Prayer of Intercession

We remember the children of the Indian residential schools.

We remember how they were plucked up from their homes

by a system of arrogance that denied a good way of life.

Their tears, their hunger, their loneliness, and their fears are not forgotten

The shame that was taught, lingers yet.

The pain that was inflicted upon their bodies remains.

We remember the parents; the aunties; the uncles;

the grandmas and grandpas left to grieve the empty places

in their homes and their communities.

Mothers were left with tear-stained aprons;

fathers suffered in unyielding silence;

how was it they were expected to carry on,

having lost their joy, their purpose?

Sung response:

Peace for the children, peace peace.

Peace for the children we pray.

And how was it that their community could continue to come together

to celebrate life and move together toward a bright future,

when their future was gone?

How long will it take to strengthen family, homes, and spirits?

How long will it take to heal the memories?

Who must we be and what must we do

to restore integrity and dignity to your world?

Sung response:

Peace for the children, peace peace.

Peace for the children we pray.

God of all great transformation, in our lament, we cry out to you.

God of all healing power, in our pain, we call your name.

God of all life, in our hope, we come before you in humble prayer.

We pray that all your children may once again sing

and dance the songs planted in their hearts since time immemorial.

We pray that in their play and in their learning

they be strengthened in wisdom and truth.

May they carry the knowledge of their ancestors—

those ways of life that brought abundance and joy

to this pilgrimage on earth.

We pray for the children’s health and wholeness;

may they reconnect with your unending love

that they may once again know who they are,

their giftedness and their value.

We remember those children who have found their home in you.

We acknowledge those who left this earth

having heard no words of apology or lament.

We are grateful that you hold these ones close

and have granted to them eternal peace.

Sung Refrain
Peace for the children, peace peace.

Peace for the children we pray.

Scripture tells us that creation groans with labor pains,

waiting for healing and redemption—

and the Spirit groans alongside us.

We do not know how to pray; there are not words to express all that we feel.

And yet, we hold on to the promise that God is with us, and we bring all that we are and the people that we love before God. Let us pray.

Sung response:

Peace for the children, peace peace.

Peace for the children we pray.

Loving God, we gather in worship, offering our praise, yet also acknowledging there is pain in our midst. In whatever situation we may find ourselves, you graciously welcome us into your presence. Held in your Spirit, we can sing (A New 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.
We are not alone.
Thanks be to God.

Held in your Spirit, we can also admit that it is not always easy to sing these words, and there are times when we cannot sing them. While we yearn to trust in your promise, we have experienced the reality of lies, deceit, dishonesty, death and despair. Some of us have been left wounded by the words and actions of others, so much so that our voices fall silent. For those who cannot join in the song today, we sing on their behalf:

Sung response:

Peace for the children, peace peace.

Peace for the children we pray.

Sometimes all we can do is cling desperately to these words as life around us changes. We pray for those among us who are in transition, those who are mourning losses, those who are sick, and those experiencing the turbulence of the seasons of life. Today, we lift up the families and communities of those 215 young children whose bodies were just found in Kamloops – our hearts are heavy with the pain of the families. We weep with them all. We pray that your presence be with them all. Yet, we are confused, we are angry, we are sad. We do not know how to pray.

We also bring our sisters and brothers to you, praying that they too feel your presence at this time in their lives….(prayer list). May this community be a place of safety for them and for all seeking refuge. May we find comfort and rest in your Word.

Sung response:

Peace for the children, peace peace.

Peace for the children we pray.

In all manner of things, when praise resounds from our lips, when pain silences our souls, and all moments in between, your love endures and sustains. Give us the faith to trust in your love and hope in your Word that all will be well. Amen.

(adapted from Sarah Van Zetten-Bruins)

Sung response:

Peace for the children, peace peace.

Peace for the children we pray.

Following the path of One of peace,

We work for healing, we work for peace;

Peace for the children today.

Communion Distribution

Hymn – VU #595 (V 1-4)– “We are Pilgrims”

We are pilgrims on a journey, fellow travellers on the road;
We are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.

Sister, let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you;
Pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.

I will hold the Christ-light for you in the night-time of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you, speak the peace you long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping, when you laugh I’ll laugh with you;
I will share your joy and sorrow, till we’ve seen this journey through.

Benediction

As we conclude this time of worship and prayer,

we know that always, God goes with us:

through the presence of the Spirit and the presence of one another

Hear these words of blessing:

May the grace of Jesus Christ,

the love of God,

and the presence of the Holy Spirit,

be with you all, now and forever. Amen.

Response – “We are All One People”

We are all one people,
We all come from one Creation way on high.
We are all one nation under one great sky,
You and I.
We are all one people.
We are all one colour if we try.