July 10th, 2022
5th Sunday After Pentecost
Find this service at www.graceunitedthornbury.ca/live
Leading us today in Worship:
Worship Leader: Rev. Christine Smaller
Music Director: Dr. Christopher Burton
Scripture Reader: Shirley Woolner
~ Leader: regular font ~ All: bold font ~ Sung words: bold italics
Asterisk * Indicates when the congregation may stand if able.
You are welcome to respond in prayers and to sing the hymns throughout the service while wearing a mask at all times.
PRELUDE:
Sonata Opus 10 #1 2nd Mov’t ~ L. van Beethoven
GREETING: (2 Cor. 13:13)
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE TRADITIONAL TERRITORY
CALL TO WORSHIP:
Holy God, we come together to worship,a people who would like to think that we love youwith all our hearts and souls, with all our might.
But there are so many other things in our lives that clamor for our attention that we often relegate you to Sundays, and times when we want you to rescue us.
Gather us all in this morning and help us stop and pay attention to you, instead of crossing the street and pretending we can’t see what is happening in front of us.
Show us, this morning, how we can love you with all our heart, all our soul and all our strength.
*OPENING HYMN: VU 375 Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness
Refrain
Spirit, Spirit of gentleness,
blow thro’ the wilderness calling and free,
Spirit, Spirit of restlessness,
stir me from placidness,
Wind, Wind on the sea.
1. You moved on the waters, you called to the deep,
then you coaxed up the mountains from the valleys of sleep;
and over the eons you called to each thing:
wake from your slumbers and rise on your wings.
Refrain
Spirit, Spirit of gentleness,
blow thro’ the wilderness calling and free,
Spirit, Spirit of restlessness,
stir me from placidness,
Wind, Wind on the sea.
2. You swept thro’ the desert, you stung with the sand,
and you goaded your people with a law and a land;
and when they were blinded with their idols and lies,
then you spoke thro’ your prophets to open their eyes.
Refrain
Spirit, Spirit of gentleness,
blow thro’ the wilderness calling and free,
Spirit, Spirit of restlessness,
stir me from placidness,
Wind, Wind on the sea.
3. You sang in a stable, you cried from a hill,
then you whispered in silence when the whole world was still;
and down in the city you called once again,
when you blew through your people on the rush of the wind.
Refrain
Spirit, Spirit of gentleness,
blow thro’ the wilderness calling and free,
Spirit, Spirit of restlessness,
stir me from placidness,
Wind, Wind on the sea.
4. You call from tomorrow, you break ancient schemes,
from the bondage of sorrow the captives dream dreams,
our women see visions, our men clear their eyes,
with bold new decisions your people arise.
Refrain
Spirit, Spirit of gentleness,
blow thro’ the wilderness calling and free,
Spirit, Spirit of restlessness,
stir me from placidness,
Wind, Wind on the sea.
OPENING PRAYER:
Most of us really do want you to be the one
in whom we live and move and have our being.
We really do want to hear your voice
above all of the other voices in our lives.
But we get bogged down in the daily routine.
We forget who we are.
We forget who you are.
We forget what the church is supposed to be.
So here we are, standing before you today,
with our human foibles
and our short attention spans,
asking you to make yourself known to us,
to help us to recognize the presence of the Holy,
God, continue to challenge us, inspire us,
and make us into the people you want us to be,
so we can love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Amen.
PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION:
Un-stop our ears, O God, that we may hear your Word proclaimed this day. Open our minds and hearts to be transformed by your loving wisdom. Teach us, Lord, that we may follow you more faithfully and love you with all our heart, all our soul and all our strength.
READINGS: (NRSV)
Deuteronomy 30:9-14
and the Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all your undertakings, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your soil. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, just as he delighted in prospering your ancestors, when you obey the Lord your God by observing his commandments and decrees that are written in this book of the law, because you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
“Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?’ No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.
Psalm 25 VU 752 (Refrain 1)
Refrain
To you, O God, I lift my soul,
to you I lift my soul.
To you, O God, I lift my soul; my God, in you I trust.
Let me not be put to shame, nor let my foes gloat over me.
Let none who wait for you be shamed;
let them be shamed who wantonly break faith.
Show me your ways; teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me;
for you are God my saviour.
For you I wait all the day long.
Refrain
To you, O God, I lift my soul,
to you I lift my soul.
Remember your mercy, O God, and your steadfast love,
for they are as old as time.
Do not remember the sins and offences of my youth.
According to your steadfast love remember me,
for your goodness’ sake, O God!
Refrain
To you, O God, I lift my soul,
to you I lift my soul.
You are upright and good, O God,
therefore you show the path to those who go astray.
You guide the humble to do what is right,
and teach the lowly your way.
All your ways are loving and sure
for those who keep your covenant
and commandments.
Refrain
To you, O God, I lift my soul,
to you I lift my soul.
Luke 10:25-37
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
An expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbour as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”
But wanting to vindicate himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and took off, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came upon him, and when he saw him he was moved with compassion. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, treating them with oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him, and when I come back I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
RESPONSE:
The word of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to God.
MUSICAL INTERLUDE:
Improvisation on a Hymn ~ C. Burton
SERMON
*HYMN: VU 271 There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy
1. There’s a wideness in God’s mercy
like the wideness of the sea;
there’s a kindness in God’s justice
which is more than liberty.
2. There is no place where earth’s sorrows
are more felt than up in heaven;
there is no place where earth’s failings
have such gracious judgement given.
3. There is plentiful redemption
in the blood that Christ has shed;
there is joy for all the members
in the sorrows of the Head.
4. Troubled souls, why will you scatter
like a crowd of frightened sheep?
Foolish hearts, why will you wander
from a love so true and deep?
5. For the love of God is broader
than the measures of the mind,
and the heart of the Eternal
is most wonderfully kind.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE:
Our prayer today is for all who are victims of cruel laws and petty laws, those who’re subjected to prejudicedenied opportunities, excluded, pushed to margins.
The Lord our God is one:
We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for all those who’re betrayed,who don’t know loyalty, who fear to trust, or to love,and who don’t realise that they’re already loved by you.
The Lord our God is one:
We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for the landless and homeless,the refugee and evicted, those who find themselves in foreign places and strange places.
The Lord our God is one:
We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for the overworked and the underpaid, for those in dangerous work and those in compassionate work, for those who long to work but are denied the opportunity
The Lord our God is one:
We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for the Church, for all the branches of the vine including this one we gather as part of, today:
body of Christ, people of Christ,
for whom the Lord our God is one:
We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for the creation gifts,
this earth in all its mighty wonder, yet tender fragility,
the gifts of life and resources to treasure.
The Lord our God is one:
We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Our prayer today is for those who lie close to our hearts
those whom we worry about, those whom we miss,
those who carry disproportionate burdens at this time …
Silent Prayers
The Lord our God is one:
We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
The Lord our God is one:
We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
The Lord our God is one:
We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
As a child turns to a loving caregiver who watches over them, we turn in prayer to you O God, who are our heavenly parent, our mother,
Our Father, who art in Heaven…
PASSING THE PEACE OF CHRIST
The Peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
We share the peace of Christ by typing in the chat box.
You may also think of one person with whom you would like to share the peace of Christ.
MUSIC for PASSING the PEACE:
Prelude ~ M. Ravel
PRAYER OVER THE OFFERING:
Our prayer today is for the gifts we give
that we will give generously and thankfully
and that we’ll use these gifts with wisdom and love.
The Lord our God is one:
We will love with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength.
Donate online: www.graceunitedthornbury.ca, select “Give”
or contact the office by email: graceucworship@gmail.com
phone: 519-599-2438 to arrange a cheque pick-up, or an e-transfer
Mail: Grace UC, 140 Bruce St. S. PO Box 219, Thornbury, ON N0H 2P0
Care, Prayer, Share
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
*HYMN: MV 154 Deep in Our Hearts
1. Deep in our hearts there is a common vision;
deep in our hearts there is a common song;
deep in our hearts there is a common story,
telling Creation that we are one.
2. Deep in our hearts there is a common purpose;
deep in our hearts there is a common goal;
deep in our hearts there is a sacred message,
justice and peace in harmony.
3. Deep in our hearts there is a common longing;
deep in our hearts there is a common theme;
deep in our hearts there is a common current,
flowing to freedom like a stream.
4. Deep in our hearts there is a common vision;
deep in our hearts there is a common song;
deep in our hearts there is a common story,
telling Creation that we are one.
*COMMISSIONING and BENEDICTION:
*SUNG BLESSING: Go Now in Peace
Go now in peace. Never be afraid.
God will go with you each hour of every day.
Go now in faith, steadfast, strong and true,
Know God will guide you in all you do.
Go now in love, and show you believe.
Reach out to others so all the world can see.
God will be there, * within, around, above.
Go now in peace, in faith and in love.
Amen, amen, amen.
(*alternate words: watching from above)
POSTLUDE:
Waltz in A Minor ~ F. Chopin
*****
RESOURCES USED
LITURGY SOURCES: The following are used with permission:
Call to Worship & Opening Prayer: Adapted from a prayer written by Katie Cook, in Sacred Seasons, Pentecost/Ordinary Time 2000.
Prayer of Illumination: C. Smaller
Dedication of Offering and Prayers of the People adapted from a prayer written by Rev. Iain Macdonald. Posted on the Church of Scotland’s Starters for Sunday website.
HYMNS and SUNG VERSES
- Psalm Refrain: Music: Michel Guimont 1994. Music copyright © 1994 G.I.A. Publications, Inc.. One License 608577
- “Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness:” Words: James K Manley 1975. Music: James K Manley 1975Words and music copyright © 1975 James K. Manley. One License #608577
- “There is a Wildness in God’s Mercy:” Words: Frederick William Faber 1854, alt.Music: Johann Ludwig Steiner 1723. Public Domain
- “Deep in Our Hearts:” Words: John Oldham, 1995. Music Ron Klusmeier, 1996Words copyright © 1995 by John Wesley Oldham. Used by permission.Music copyright © 1996 by Ron Klusmeier. Used by permission.. One License #608577
- "Go Now in Peace:” Words by Don Besig and Nancy Price. Copyright © 1988 Harold Flammere. Music: Inc. Alternate words used with permission. One License #608577
SCRIPTURE PASSAGES:Scripture Passage from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission.
Prelude: Sonata Opus 10 #1 2nd Mov’t ~ L. van Beethoven
Interlude: Improvisation on a Hymn ~ C. Burton
Music for Passing the Peace: Prelude ~ M. Ravel
Postlude: Waltz in A Minor ~ F. Chopin
All in Public Domain
