Bulletin – October 23, 2022 – Homecoming Sunday
Sunday, October 23, 2022
Homecoming Sunday
Approach
Lighting the Christ Candle
As we light this candle this morning we are reminded of God’s presence with us in this place and God’s presence with us wherever we go. Help us to remember God is always calling us home into God’s presence, God’s love, God’s grace. We come together today to celebrate God’s presence with us today and every day.
Call to Worship
One: God welcomes us here,
All: whether we come from close by or many kilometers away.
One: God rejoices that we are here,
All: just like a loving parent embraces a lost child.
One: God celebrates that we have come home,
All: to this place of worship.
One: Let us life our hearts and voices to God!
All: Let us worship the Creator, Christ and Spirit. Amen.
Hymn – “Come In, Come In and Sit Down”
Come in, come in and sit down,
You are a part of the family.
We are lost, and we are found,
And we are a part of the family.
You know the reason why you came,
Yet no reason can explain;
So share in the laughter and cry in the pain,
For we are a part of the family.
Come in, come in and sit down,
You are a part of the family.
We are lost, and we are found,
And we are a part of the family.
God is with us in this place,
Like a mother’s warm embrace.
We’re all forgiven by God’s grace,
For we are a part of the family.
Come in, come in and sit down,
You are a part of the family.
We are lost, and we are found,
And we are a part of the family.
There’s life to be shared in the bread and the wine,
We are the branches, Christ is the vine.
This is God’s temple, it’s not yours or mine,
But we are a part of the family.
Come in, come in and sit down,
You are a part of the family.
We are lost, and we are found,
And we are a part of the family.
There’s rest for the weary and health for us all;
There’s a yoke that is easy, and a burden that’s small.
So come in and worship and answer the call,
For we are a part of the family.
Prayer of Approach and Confession
Loving God, we know that you have made us for yourself and that our hearts are restless until they rest in you. As we pray those ancient words from the early church, be with us now. Gather us this day trusting that you have made us for yourself.
On this Homecoming Sunday still our restless hearts. Bring us home to you once again so that we might truly rest in you. O God, we trust that your desire for us to be at home with you and creation, with others and with ourselves.
Yet, so often though we feel beside ourselves, so often we are out of sorts with others and we know we are off kilter with your creation. There are so many times when we don’t sense your presence at all. We feel lost and alone.
Seek us out God. Bring us to our senses. Centre us and return us home to you and to ourselves. Return us to your creation and your community. Bring us home O God. Bring us home without fear. Bring us home with love. Bring us home we pray as we sing together…
Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary,
Pure and holy, tried and true;
With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living
Sanctuary for you.
Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary,
Pure and holy, tried and true;
With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living
Sanctuary for you.
With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living
Sanctuary for you.
Words of Assurance
Time for All Ages
Hymn – “When We Come Together”
When we come together gladly
Our community grows strong.
When we meet to tell our story,
When we join to sing our song,
We are celebrating friendship,
We are building bonds of peace;
Pass a vision to each other,
Let God’s spirit never cease.
All are welcome at our table
To be nourished by the Word.
Christ extends the invitation,
We respond as we have heard.
He does not demand perfection
When we worship in his name,
For the last shall be the first here;
God forgives us just the same.
In our crowded lives we’re searching
For a meaning we can share.
Will we find some room for patience,
Will we take the time to care?
But when two or more are gathered,
Christ will be there with us too,
Then the Spirit grows among us,
Giving joy to all we do.
The Word
Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 50:6
6 My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains; from mountain to hill they have gone, they have forgotten their fold.
Scripture Reading: Luke 15:1-10
1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 So he told them this parable: 4 “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? 5 When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6 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.’ 7 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.
8 “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? 9 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.’ 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God!
Meditation – “To be Lost and to be Found”
Anthem – “He’s Always Been Faithful to Me”
Offering / Response
Grant us, God, the grace of giving
With a spirit large and free,
That ourselves and all our living
We may offer faithfully.
The Response
Prayers of the People
One: O Shepherding God, on this Homecoming Sunday we give thanks for homes that are places of shelter and safety complete with nurturing and growth. And yet, O Holy One we know that not all homes are like this. Some places of instability or indifference. Some suffer from abuse and violence. Help us to make all our homes—those places where we live and worship and play and learn, places full of life in abundance. May our homes be places where the lost truly can be found…We pray to you loving God.
All: Hear our prayer today.
One: O Christ incarnate, you search your house until all are found. Find O Christ those who are lost in war and violence—in Ukraine and is so many other places where refugees are seeking a safe home. Help us to offer our support through governments, churches, non-profits and in whatever way possible…We pray to you loving God.
All: Hear our prayer today.
One: O Prince of Peace, we pray that diplomatic solutions might be found so that a just and last peace may be secured…We pray to you loving God.
All: Hear our prayer today.
One: O Sustaining Spirit, we bring before you those who are on our hearts and minds…those who are ill…those coping with treatments…those we are grieving…those in stressful transitions…those named through our prayer list…and for ourselves…We offer all our prayers through Jesus the Christ who taught us the Lord’s Prayer as we sing together…
“The Lord’s Prayer”
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today 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 – “Grace Alone”
Every promise we can make,
Every prayer and step of faith,
Every difference we will make
Is only by His grace.
Every mountain we will climb,
Every ray of hope we shine,
Every blessing left behind
Is only by His grace.
Grace alone which God supplies,
Strength unknown He will provide.
Christ in us, our Cornerstone,
We will go forth in grace alone.
Every soul we long to reach,
Every heart we hope to teach,
Everywhere we share His peace
Is only by His grace.
Every loving word we say,
Every tear we wipe away,
Every sorrow turned to praise
Is only by His grace.
Grace alone which God supplies,
Strength unknown He will provide.
Christ in us, our Cornerstone,
We will go forth in grace alone.
Grace alone which God supplies,
Strength unknown He will provide.
Christ in us, our Cornerstone,
We will go forth in grace alone.
We will go forth in grace alone.
Benediction
Go forth from here today knowing that we find our home in God no matter where we go, no matter where we are. Go forth from here knowing, that as you go, God goes with you today and every day. Amen.
(adapted from a service at Kamloops United, 2013)
Response – “Sent Out In Jesus’ Name”
Sent out in Jesus’ name, our hands are ready now
To make the world the place in which the kingdom comes.
Sent out in Jesus’ name, our hands are ready now
To make the world the place in which the kingdom comes.
The angels cannot change a world of hurt and pain
Into a world of love, of justice and of peace.
The task is ours to do, to set it really free.
O, help us to obey, and carry out your will.
Sent out in Jesus’ name, our hands are ready now
To make the world the place in which the kingdom comes.
Sent out in Jesus’ name, our hands are ready now
To make the world the place in which the kingdom comes.
