Sunday, September 27, 2020 - Creation Time III in the Season of Pentecost

September 26, 2020 Brian Stevens - Hope United Church

SEPTEMBER 27, 2020 - 11:00am

Creation Time III in the Season of Pentecost
The Congregation of Hope United Church

Worship Leader - Brian Stevens BA. MDiv

HopeUnited.ca

PRELUDE

WELCOME
Welcome everyone to our online ZOOM Sunday worship. My name is Brian Stevens, I am the Pastoral Charge Supervisor here at Hope United in Toronto and am so pleased to have you with us today. Our musicians today are Sandy, and myself. You can type greetings and comments at any time in the chat. A copy of the order of service was mailed out with your invitation. It is also available on our website HopeUnited.ca.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE LAND
With respect, we acknowledge the world views, spirituality, history and stewardship of the Mississauga of Scugog, the Hiawatha and the Alderville First Nations, on whose traditional lands our church resides.

We thank and honour the other indigenous peoples who share this land. As followers of the Jesus Way, we affirm our commitment as a people empowered to work in restoring broken relationships.

GREETING
I greet you in the name of our risen Lord and welcome you to our service of worship. Let us join together in our opening song “River”. The words will also appear on your screen and it is also in More Voices # 3.

“River”

CALL TO WORSHIP
(United Church of Christ)
I am the church; you are the church.
We are the church together.

We depend on our seniors and long-time members
to remember where we came from and where we have been.
We are the church together.

We depend on our children to retell our sacred stories as they grow.
We are the church together.

We depend on our youth and young adults
to ask us why we do things this way and to suggest something new.
We are the church together.

We need each other to be the church.
We are the church together.

OPENING PRAYER
(from Presbyterian Church worship Planner)
Steadfast God,
As the seasons change, we see that you are still at work in the world,
transforming hearts and situations.

We praise you for all you do to repair injustice,
bringing peace to places of hostility,
working for goodness to prevail among neighbours and nations.

You have shown us the true face of power in Jesus Christ,
reaching out with healing and hope to touch desperate lives.

Let us see the face of Jesus in this time of worship,
and fill us with renewed energy and insight this autumn,
so that we can join in your work to bring justice and joy into the world you love
in Jesus’ name. Amen.

LIGHTING OF THE CHRIST CANDLE
We light this candle as a symbol of Christ’s light in the world.
May it burn brightly within us all. Amen.

Sandy will now lead us in, “Touch us with Your light”.
The words will appear on your screen. We will sing it through twice.

“Touch us with Your Light”
Light from this candle burning bright
Light our way through dark of night.
Help us find our way to you
Guide us, touch us with your Light, O Lord.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION
(from Presbyterian Church worship Planner)
Lord of love, today we confess our sin of indifference.
Too often we turn away so we don’t have to see pain, suffering or injustice,
even when the evidence is right before our eyes.
We don’t like to feel uncomfortable.
We don’t want to feel responsible.
In your great mercy, forgive us, Lord.
Teach us a new way to live.
Give us courage to love others as you love us,
and to respond to the cries of others with the humility we have witnessed in Jesus. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON
(from Presbyterian Church worship planner)
The water of baptism has cleansed us and marked us as Christians. The prophet Micah declared that God requires of us these three things to live in ways that honour our Creator and live a faith filled life: to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God. To all who reject indifference and humbly seek reconciliation with God and neighbour, God offers forgiveness and peace. And so we too must forgive one another, ourselves and walk always in peace of Christ.

Let us sing together, three times through, the Gloria. It is Voices United # 37.
The words will also appear on your screen.

Voices United # 37 “Gloria”
Gloria, Gloria, in excelsis deo
Gloria, Gloria, alleluia, alleluia!

THE PEACE OF CHRIST
May the Peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.

Gavin will unmute our mics so that we may greet one another!

FIRST READING Exodus 17:1-7

The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?”

But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.” The LORD answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.

I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?

This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

PSALM 78 Voices United # 792

Refrain: We will tell new generation of the wonders God has done!

Give heed to my teaching, O my people,
Turn your ears to the words of my mouth.
          I will open my mouth in a parable;
          I will reveal the hidden meaning of things in the past.
What we have heard and known
What our parents have told us,
We will not hide from their grandchildren,
          But declare to the next generation
          The testimony that you gave to Jacob
          And the law you appointed in Israel.
          Which you commanded them to teach their children,
That the next generation might know them, children yet unborn,
And these in turn should arise, and tell their children,
          That they should put their trust in you
          And not forget your great deeds,
          But keep all of your commandments.

Refrain: We will tell new generation of the wonders God has done!

Marvelous things you did in the sight of our ancestors,
In the land of Egypt, in the plain of Zoan.
          You divided the sea and let them go through
          And made the waters stand like a wall
By day you led with a cloud
And all the night long with a beacon of fire.
             You split rocks in the wilderness,
             And gave drink in plenty as from the great deep.
You brought streams out of the rock,
             And made water run down like rivers!

Refrain: We will tell new generation of the wonders God has done!

GOSPEL READING Matthew 21:23-32

When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

Hear the Good News of Christ!
Praise to you, O Christ.

More Voices # 4 “All Who Are Thirsty”
All who are thirsty
All who are weak,
Come to the fountain
Dip your heart in the stream of life.
Let the pain and the sorrow
Be washed away
In the waves of his mercy
As deep cries out to deep.
We sing Come, Lord Jesus come.
Come, Lord Jesus come,
Come, Lord Jesus come,
Come, Lord Jesus come.

All who are thirsty
All who are weak,
Come to the fountain
Dip your heart in the stream of life.
Let the pain and the sorrow
Be washed away
In the waves of his mercy
As deep cries out to deep.
We sing Come, Lord Jesus come.
Come, Lord Jesus come,
Come, Lord Jesus come,
Come, Lord Jesus come.

Holy Spirit come
Holy Spirit come
Holy Spirit come
Holy Spirit come.

REFLECTION: “Water and Life ” - Brian Stevens

MUSIC MINISTRY
"Let the River Run" by Carley Simon (Sung by Sandy)
Let the river run,
Let all the dreamers
Wake up the nation,
Come, the New Jerusalem.
Silver cities rise,
The morning lights,
The streets that meet them;
And sirens call them on
With a song.

It's asking for the taking,
Trembling, shaking,
Oh, my heart is aching,
We're coming to the edge,
Running to the water,
Coming through the fog,
Your sons and daughters
Sing the greatest songs
that are the stars
and blaze a tail of desire
through the darkening dawn.
It's asking for the taking

Ooh Ooh
Oh, my heart is aching
We're coming to the edge
Running on the water
Coming through the fog.

Let the river run,
Let all the dreamers
Wake up the nation,
Come, the New Jerusalem.

Let the river run,
Let the river run,
Let the river run,
Let the river run,
Let the river run.

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
O God, you have called your laborers to give their gifts.
Bless these offerings so that they reflect the work of the kingdom of heaven.
With Christ, our servant, we pray. Amen.

Let us join our voices in thank as we sing “Your Work, O God Needs Many Hands”. It is the first verse from Voices United # 537 and the words will also appear on the screen.

VU # 537 DOXOLOGY “Your Work, O God Needs Many Hands”
Your work, O God needs many hands to help you everywhere
And some there are who cannot serve unless our gifts we share.

Because we love you and your work, our offering now we make;
Be pleased to use it as your own, we ask for Jesus sake.

PRAYERS OF THE DAY
(from world vision)
Let us centre our hearts in prayer

Lord we offer thanks for the water of life…
We are blessed to have such abundance of water in our nation,
yet not all share equally in this blessing.

We must commit to water for all…and live into that commitment
Water is life…water is a gift from creation
Water is a most special gift from you our creator God
A gift for all…