Bulletin – Sunday, November 12, 2023 – 24th Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday, November 12, 2023
24th Sunday after Pentecost
Approach
Welcome
Lighting the Christ Candle
One: We live in a time of turmoil. It is hard to find peace in the world or in our hearts. In this anxious time, we turn to the light of Christ to ground us, to guide us, to comfort us.
All: May the light of Christ be our peace. Amen.
Call to Worship
One: You are here. I am here. The choir is here. We’re all here. As scripture assures, “Where two or three are gathered in my name. I am there among them.” So let us worship with joy, for our God, Creator, Christ, and Spirit is among us!
Hymn – “God of the Bible” (MV #28)
God of the Bible, God in the Gospel,
Hope seen in Jesus, hope yet to come,
You are our centre, daylight or darkness,
Freedom or prison, you are our home.
Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise, God always faithful, you do not change.
Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise, God always faithful, you do not change.
God in our struggles, God in our hunger,
Suffering with us, taking our part,
Still you empow’r us, mothering Spirit,
Feeding, sustaining, from your own heart.
Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise, God always faithful, you do not change.
Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise, God always faithful, you do not change.
Those without status, those who are nothing,
You have made royal, gifted with rights,
Chosen as partners, midwives of justice,
Birthing new systems, lighting new lights.
Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise, God always faithful, you do not change.
Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise, God always faithful, you do not change.
Not by your finger, not by your anger
Will our world order change in a day,
But by your people, fearless and faithful,
Small paper lanterns lighting the way.
Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise, God always faithful, you do not change.
Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise, God always faithful, you do not change.
Hope we must carry, shining and certain
Through all our turmoil, terror and loss,
Bonding us gladly one to the other,
Till our world changes facing the Cross.
Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise, God always faithful, you do not change.
Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise, God always faithful, you do not change.
Prayer of Approach and Confession
One: Let us take a few moments to center ourselves. Take a few deep breaths, get as comfortable as you can, ground yourself and let your worldly thoughts slip away.
Pause
All: Holy God, Creator of us all, it is our desire that our relationship with you and with creation will always be strong. Our love for you shall never cease. Let temptation never get between us. If our devotion ever becomes weak, grow our faith and call us to seek renewal. In Christ’s name we pray. Holy God, we cannot change the past but with you, we are co-creating our future. We cannot change our past, but we can discover new ways and come to new understandings. Forgive us our trespasses, and deliver us from the evil of arrogance and ignorance. Humbly we let us face our limitations. We are a small part of the great web of creation. In the turning of the season, may we be like the trees; as the leaves fall, so also may we let go of everything that keeps us bound to the ways that block your love: fear, prejudice, self-importance. Holy God, by your grace and with confidence in your goodness, we offer our prayers for ourselves and others, for our shared future, and for the world’s healing. Amen.
Words of Assurance
One: The wisdom of God is that we are loved by God. It is wisdom revealed through grace, Grace, that we cannot ask for, earn, or buy but is a gift, freely given to us. When we encounter this gift of grace, we encounter the world through God’s perspective, a place filled with love of God, a love we are invited to share with others and with all of creation.
All: Thanks be to God for this good news. Amen.
Prayer of Illumination
One: Holy One, as we open your word, open your hearts and minds to recognize and receive your wisdom for this day. Amen.
The Word
Scripture Reading: Psalm 78 (from Everyday Psalms by James Taylor)
One: If I say, “Once upon a time,” everyone knows a story is starting. I do not know the meanings of my stories; I merely pass them on as they were passed to me. Only you can decide what they mean to you.
All: This is our story. This is where we came from.
One: When you hear this story, you must also tell it, so that others may be know where they come from.
All: Our story is not limited to our own lives.
One: We belong to a long line of travelers, snaking in single file through history; we bear with us…
All: …the beliefs, the convictions, the experiences given to us from those who passed this way before.
One: From Abraham and Sarah, from Rachael and Jacob, from David and Bathsheba. From Mary and Jesus, we learn our family story.
All: Only by knowing where we come from can we know where we are going. Only by knowing who we are can we know that God is with us, Amen.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:1-13
1 Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten young women took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those young women got up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. 11 Later the other young women[d] came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ 13 Keep awake, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God!
Anthem – “Caring Community”
Imagine the dream of Creation, imagine the song of a thousand seas,
Sun and moon, the colours of dawning, the Holy in all that we see.
Called to this covenant, called to the Dream,
Guided by Love we will be,
Gathered by Spirit, one body, one mind,
As a caring community.
Beyond all that’s broken and shattered, beyond all that tears us so far apart.
Still, our gifts, our healing, our wholeness, lie deep in the dream of your heart.
Called to this covenant, called to the Dream,
Guided by Love we will be,
Gathered by Spirit, one body, one mind,
As a caring community.
When justice cries out from the shadows, when kindness and mercy have lost their way.
Lead us now, our faith turned to action, with strength and with courage we pray.
Called to this covenant, called to the Dream,
Guided by Love we will be,
Gathered by Spirit, one body, one mind,
As a caring community.
We offer the work of our living, and lift up the love of our open hearts.
Share the joy, the laughter, the daring, remembering all that we are.
Called to this covenant, called to the Dream,
Guided by Love we will be,
Gathered by Spirit, one body, one mind,
As a caring community.
Meditation – “Being Ready”
Hymn – “When I Needed a Neighbour” (VU #600)
When I needed a neighbour, were your there, were you there?
When I needed a neighbour, were you there?
And the creed and the colour and the name won’t matter, were you there?
I was hungry and thirsty, were you there, were you there?
I was hungry and thirsty, were you there?
And the creed and the colour and the name won’t matter, were you there?
I was cold, I was naked, were you there, were you there?
I was cold, I was naked, were you there?
And the creed and the colour and the name won’t matter, were you there?
When I needed a healer, were you there, were you there?
When I needed a healer, were you there?
And the creed and the colour and the name won’t matter, were you there?
Wherever you travel I’ll be there, I’ll be there,
Wherever you travel I’ll be there.
And the creed and the colour and the name won’t matter, I’ll be there.
Offering Invitation
One: We have come to worship God and to express our love. Part of that involves putting love into action. Let us do so in the act of presenting our offering for the love of others.
Offering Response – “Grant Us, God, the Grace” (VU #540)
Grant us, God, the grace of giving,
With a spirit large and free,
That ourselves and all our living
We may offer faithfully.
Offering Blessing
One: Bless these gifts we offer, Gracious God, shaping them to being life, beauty, and colour to the greys of life; rooting them in the movements of for justice and peace, branching them throughout the world in loving partnership, invigorating them by the rainbow of our sharing and caring. Amen.
The Response
Prayers of the People
One: God who dwells among us
All: God who dwells within us.
One: God who calls us to dwell together. Let us now gather ourselves in prayer. Help us, O God, to be ready to build your world as You want it to be: a world where technology and experts joyfully help the struggling and the fearful; a world where the hugely rich give help to the stunningly poor; a world where urban growth slows to allow space for animals, birds and plants that were here long be us.
All: With a spirit of resolve, we will make sure that God’s necessary work is done.
One: Help us, O God, to be ready with sharing and caring to build communities where local authorities provide all-day care for the elderly infirm and the very young; a neighbourhood where schoolchildren can find refuge in times of emergency and police response is quick, neighbourhoods and communities work towards sharing resources and ideas without the game of “one upmanship.”
All: With a spirit of resolve, we will make sure that God’s necessary work is done.
One: Help us O God, to be ready with compassion and understanding, so that the bereaved are given time to grieve and the spiritual caregivers are respected; so that those we know and those we do not know, we are ill in body, mind, and spirit, are given care and time to heal. There are those who come to mind whom we name aloud or hold silent in our hearts…
Time of Reflection…
All: With a spirit of resolve, we will make sure that God’s necessary work is done.
One: Be ready for the challenges that come your way. Be alert to God’s call even if it is surprising and unexpected. Face up to fast-failing relationships and welcome fresh friendship opportunities. Be ready for challenging questions of the very young, especially around questions of faith. Let us be ready but gentle with ourselves as we face the gradual decline of our body and the certainty of death. Be ready, you never know the hour or the day.
All: With a spirit of resolve, we will make sure we are ready for God’s work and God’s world.
One: We offer these and all our prayers in the name of your love lived on earth through Jesus the Christ, who taught us to pray in the language of our hearts, saying together.
All: Our Father / Mother, who are 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, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Hymn – “To Show by Touch and Word” (VU #427)
To show by touch and word devotion to the earth,
To hold in full regard all life that comes to birth,
We need, O God, the will to find the good you hade of old in mind.
Renew our minds to choose the things that matter most,
Our hearts to long for truth till pride of self is lost.
For every challenge that we face we need your guidance and your grace.
Let love from day to day be touchstone, guide, and norm,
And let our lives portray your word in human form.
Now come with us that we may have your wits about us where we live.
Benediction
One: From this sacred place of prayer and praise, cross and table, well-worn pews, God, we leave to prepare and work to build the world you envisioned. Help us live every day for you. Bless now your people as we journey, Loving God, Holy Friend. Send your Holy Spirit upon us to guide your people onward till once more we meet again. God in Peace and Love.
Response – “May the God of Peace” (MV #224)
May the God of peace and of all good,
May the God of peace and of all good
Be always with you. Amen!
May God’s peace be with you. Amen!
