Bulletin – July 26, 2020

Sunday, July 26, 2020

Approach

Lighting the Christ Candle

This candle dances with the presence of the Spirit, reminding us of the warmth of the community in which God calls us to gather and the light that shines with wisdom, insight, and clarity for us in our time of worship.

Call to Worship

Come in love.
We come softly.

Come singing.
We come in sorrow and in joy.

Come prayer-filled and in wonder.
We come to worship God, now that we were made in love..

(adapted from Peter Chynoweth, Gathering, Pentecost, 1 2020, page 33)

Hymn – “Teach Me, God, to Wonder”

Teach me, God, to wonder, teach me, God, to see;
Let your world of beauty capture me.
Praise to you be given, love for you be lived,
Life be celebrated, joy you give.

Let me, God, be open, let me loving be;
Let your world of people speak to me.
Praise to you be given, love for you be lived,
Life be celebrated, joy you give.

Let me, God, be ready, let me be awake,
In your world of loving my place take.
Praise to you be given, love for you be lived,
Life be celebrated, joy you give.

Teach me, God, to know you, hear you when you speak,
See you in my neighbour when we meet.
Praise to you be given, love for you be lived,
Life be celebrated, joy you give.

Prayer

Holy Spirit, we gather as a community to pray. We gather seeking new understanding of your power for all humanity, for all God’s children.

Open our lives to new experiences. Open our hearts to a greater love so all may be warmed by your presence, today and every day.

Giving and Forgiving God: we confess those times when we have been indifferent to the needs of your world.

We confess those times when we have remained silent instead of challenging injustice and hate. We confess those times when we have surrendered to self-interest, self-satisfaction, fearfulness, or indifference. We confess those times when we have made wrong choices that have harmed others and ourselves. Heal and restore us we pray. Amen.

(adapted from Diane Robinson and Jim McKean, Gathering, Pentecost, 1 2020, pages 38 and 40)

Words of Assurance

Time for All Ages

Hymn – “God, You Meet Us”

God, you meet us in our weakness,
Giving strength beyond our own,
By your Spirit, by your people,
Showing we are not alone.

God, you meet us in our sorrows
With the comfort of your voice,
By your Spirit, by your people,
Helping crying hearts rejoice

God, you meet us in our neighbours,
When your strength and voice the need.
Yours the Spirit, we your people,
Sharing love in word and deed!

The Word

Scripture Reading:

Genesis 28:10-19a

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God!

Meditation – “Meeting God”

Anthem – “Jesus, Teach Me”

The Response

Prayer

Teach me your ways, God, that I may come down from my heights and be open to the same Spirit who moved over the face of the waters in the first day of creation and moves also over the chaos of this time to fashion a day like this, a world like ours, a life like mine.
O God, teach me your ways.

Teach me your ways, God, and make me aware of the miracles of life, of warm and cold, of starkness and order, of screaming wind and impenetrable silences, and of the unfathomable mystery of amazing grace in which I am kept.
O God, teach me your ways.

Teach me your ways, God, that I may praise you for all the surprising, ingenious ways You bless me, and for all the wondrous gifts You give me, along with all the pain and joy I sustain.
O God, teach me your ways.

Teach me your ways, God, that I may accept my own talent openly, nurture it hopefully, develop it faithfully, and give it freely.
O God, teach me your ways.

Teach me your ways, God, that I may love your kindness and practice it toward the hungry of the world, the poor and sick, and oppressed, that I may learn the healing humility that comes from You. That we might be instruments of your love in the world and help us to be mindful of those in this community who need to feel your presence in their lives today…May we be your presence to each of them.
O God, teach me your ways.

Teach me your ways, God, so that my heart is flooded with your mercy—emptying it of what makes it firmly opposed to your ways, so that it beats more in rhythm with you and pounds greatly for your kingdom.
O God, teach me your ways.

Teach me your ways, God, as Jesus taught us to pray to you:
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Hymn – “He Leadeth Me”

He leadeth me; O blessed thought!
O words with heavenly comfort fraught!
Whate’er I do, where’er I be,
Still ‘tis God’s hand that leadeth me.

He leadeth me! He leadeth me!
By his own hand he leadeth me!
His faithful follower I would be,
For by his hand he leadeth me!

Sometimes ‘mid scenes of deepest gloom,
Sometimes where Eden’s bowers bloom,
By waters calm, o’er troubled sea,
Still ‘tis his hand that leadeth me.

He leadeth me! He leadeth me!
By his own hand he leadeth me!
His faithful follower I would be,
For by his hand he leadeth me!

Lord, I would clasp thy hand in mine,
Nor ever murmur nor repine,
Content, whatever lot I see,
Since ‘tis my God that leadeth me.

He leadeth me! He leadeth me!
By his own hand he leadeth me!
His faithful follower I would be,
For by his hand he leadeth me!

And when my task on earth is done,
When by thy grace the victory’s won,
Even death’s cold wave I will not flee,
Since God through Jordan leadeth me.

He leadeth me! He leadeth me!
By his own hand he leadeth me!
His faithful follower I would be,
For by his hand he leadeth me!

Benediction

As we go from here, hear again the promises of God, made long ago to our ancestor Jacob, and still true for us today:

I am the Lord your God, the God of Abraham and Isaac. Know that I am with you, and will keep you wherever you go. I will not leave you until I have done everything that I have promised.

Let’s go from here in the assurance that our faithful God goes with us.

Response

Thank God, thank God.
Thanks in the morning, thanks in the noon time.
Thank God, thank God.
Thanks when the sun goes down.