June 15th, 2025

Trinity Sunday

Father’s Day

Find this service at www.graceunitedthornbury.ca/live

Leading us today in Worship:
     Minister: Rev. Dr. John G. Smith
     Music Director: Dr. Christopher Burton
     Lay Reader: Sandy Eagles

Leader: regular font ~ All: bold font ~ Sung words: bold italics.
Asterisk * Indicates when the congregation may stand if able.

We Gather 

PRELUDE
A Medley of Favourite Hymns - Compiled by C. Burton

Stewardship Second
Discipleship is about listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit and learning to keep generosity at the heart of our actions.

WELCOME

LIGHTING the CHRIST CANDLE
We gather today in the light of the Light of the World.
As we draw near to this light,
we gather to listen, to pray, and to be filled from the Source of love and wisdom.
As we light this candle, may our hearts and minds be opened to Christ’s light and love.
And may our worship lead us further to the depth of God’s infinite love for us.

OUR COMMITMENT to SAFER SPACE & ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the LAND
We believe all people are made in the image of God and are entitled to dignity and respect.  At Grace United Church we try to offer a safer, inclusive and generous space for all who are seeking a faith community.  We offer full participation of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, all races, ages and abilities in the life and work of the ministry.
Grace United Church is situated on the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway First Nation. We acknowledge that they are the first stewards of this land and we respect their histories and past and present cultures. We will work to recognize and remove barriers to reconciliation.

CALL to WORSHIP
Today is the day we will celebrate that we are blessed.
Today is the day we will lift up our voices and our hearts
and declare we are children of the Beloved,
the apple of God’s eye.
No matter who we are or what circumstances surround us on this day,
Let us hear today that we are blessed.

Today is a day unlike any other day.
It is the best day so far, and we are grateful to be living it.
This is the day that the Lord has made for us!
And this is the day we will place ourselves totally in the hand of God’s love.

Today is a blessing day.
Today we will know deep down how full of grace and love and truth we are.
On this blessing day, we will declare:
That we are free of fear. We are free of shame.  We are free of unproductive thoughts!
We are free to live our lives with divine determination,
dedicated to the full life God has in mind for us.

That makes this an amazing day.
May it be so!  Amen!  May it be so!!

*HYMN:  VU #315  “Holy Holy Holy”
1. Holy, holy, holy! Lord God almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee;
holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty,
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

2. Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee,
casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.

3. Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee,
though the eye made blind by sin thy glory may not see,
only thou art holy; there is none beside thee,
perfect in power, in love, and purity.

4. Holy, holy, holy! Lord God almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy name in earth and sky and sea;
holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty,
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

OPENING PRAYER:
Creator, Provider, Giver of Life,
In your image, you created us! You made us the way we are!
May we find, in our worship today, the divine footprint you have left in our hearts.
May we find the divine spark, the one that makes us who we are,
Burning bright in the depths of our hearts.

Christ our Friend, our Companion, our Light,
In your heart, you hold us!
May we find, in our worship, the source of love that you left with your disciples,
And the wind/breath of Pentecost which brought them back to life.
May we find the source of light and hope still alive within us,
Bringing us back to life and love this very moment!

Holy Spirit, our Comforter, our Compassion, and our Guide,
In your spirit, you walk our walk with us!
May we find, in our worship, the living breath that will lift us up and help us soar.
And may we find your living compassion that will lead us to acts of compassion and love,
In the work of healing and loving the world around us.

(a moment of quiet prayer)

As I live every day,
I want to be a channel for peace.
May I bring love where there is hatred
And healing where there is hurt;
Joy where there is sadness
And hope where there is fear.
I pray that I may always try
To understand and comfort other people
As well as seeking comfort
and understanding from them.
Wherever possible, may I choose to be
A light in the darkness,
A help in times of need,
And a caring honest friend.
And may justice, kindness, and peace
Flow from my heart forever.  Amen.

*HYMN:   MV #12 “Come Touch Our Hearts”
1. Come touch our hearts that we may know compassion,
from failing embers build a blazing fire;
love strong enough to overturn injustice,
to seek a world more gracious, come touch and bless our hearts.

2. Come touch our souls that we may know and love you,
your quiet presence all our fears dispel;
create a space for spirit to grow in us,
let life and beauty fill us, come touch and bless our souls.

3. Come touch our minds and teach us how to reason,
set free our thoughts to wonder and to dream;
help us to open doors of understanding,
to welcome truth and wisdom, come touch and bless our minds.

4. Come touch us in the moments we are fragile,
and in our weakness your great strength reveal;
that we may rise to follow and to serve,
steady now our nerve, come touch and bless our wills.

5. Come touch us now, this people who are gathered,
to break the bread and share the cup of peace;
that we may love you with our heart, our soul,
our mind, our strength, our all, come touch us with your grace.

We Listen 

Theme Conversation:    What’s a Trinity

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Proverbs 8: 1- 4 & 22- 31      New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Does not wisdom call
    and understanding raise her voice?
On the heights, beside the way,
    at the crossroads she takes her stand;
beside the gates in front of the town,
    at the entrance of the portals she cries out:
“To you, O people, I call,
    and my cry is to all who live.
“The Lord created me at the beginning of his work,
    the first of his acts of long ago.
 Ages ago I was set up,
    at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
 When there were no depths I was brought forth,
    when there were no springs abounding with water.
 Before the mountains had been shaped,
    before the hills, I was brought forth,
 when he had not yet made earth and fields
    or the world’s first bits of soil.
 When he established the heavens, I was there;
    when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
 when he made firm the skies above,
    when he established the fountains of the deep,
 when he assigned to the sea its limit,
    so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
     then I was beside him, like a master worker,
and I was daily his delight,
    playing before him always,
 playing in his inhabited world
    and delighting in the human race.

John 16: 12 - 15   The Message
“I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t handle them now. But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is. He won’t draw attention to himself, but will make sense out of what is about to happen and, indeed, out of all that I have done and said. He will honor me; he will take from me and deliver it to you. Everything the Father has is also mine. That is why I’ve said, ‘He takes from me and delivers to you.’

RESPONSE
These words from scripture are meant to guide us, nurture us, and teach us.
Thanks be to God!

ANTHEM: “Go Into the World” - Natalie Sleeth

SERMON:   “The 100 Names for God, or,   Let’s Be Less Dogmatic!”

*HYMN:  MV #27   “ Creator God You Gave us Life”
1. Creator God you gave us life,
your image formed within our souls,
yet through the mist of time and space,
we search for that which makes us whole.
Refrain:
Through hands that paint majestic skies,
and voices chanting melody,
with words that reach beyond the page,
we comprehend your mystery.

2. In ev’ry flow’r and ev’ry tree,
we see your great diversity,
yet greater still we see your love,
expressed in our humanity.
Refrain:
Through hands that paint majestic skies,
and voices chanting melody,
with words that reach beyond the page,
we comprehend your mystery.

3. When with our hearts, our hands our minds,
we share our gifts with all the world,
our spirits soar beyond the veil,
to touch the very face of God.
Refrain:
Through hands that paint majestic skies,
and voices chanting melody,
with words that reach beyond the page,
we comprehend your mystery.

We Respond 

INVITATION to the OFFERING
Let us open our hearts and live without fear. Let us give without thought of what we may receive in return, share without restriction, and live in the certainty that our gifts will be multiplied in our ministry here, and across the world through Mission and Service.

PRAYER of DEDICATION of OUR OFFERINGS
O God, we give in thanks for this community of faith, for the wider church, and for all those who live and give boldly. Bless these gifts, and those given through PAR and online, that we may be a church that lives in generosity. Amen.

Donate online:   www.graceunitedthornbury.ca,  select “Donate”
     or contact the office by email: accounting@graceunitedthornbury.ca
     or  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
     or  Offering Plate at the back of the sanctuary.

Tap your debit card at the door of the church, or Donate to Grace United Church Thornbury through CanadaHelps.org.   Our account is set up with them now and it is easy to register.  Tax receipts are given automatically at the time of giving.                                   Care, Prayer, Share

A Wayfaring Prayer:  Margaret Silf
Creator God, source of all creation:
I come into an awareness of your presence,
knowing myself to be just a small and broken,  yet loved and cherished
piece of that creation;
And knowing that in this timeless moment,
I am in the presence of all those you call blessed.
That which is of you, deep in the core of my being
makes me long to be part of the great adventure of making your Dream for creation
a reality on this planet Earth.
It makes me long to be alongside you,
living out my part of your Christ-life in this world.

I know that this may lead me into sorrow, as well as joy.
The road may bring rejection and misunderstanding and even pain and poverty,
both material and spiritual.
Yet, deep down, this is what I really desire:
To be with you in this venture.

So let me choose today O God, as the guiding principle of my life,
to let my dream and your Dream become one.
Let this be my response to the call of Life you have left vibrating deep in my own heart.
I pray that every day,
You will draw me ever more deeply into your Way.

Let us share now the concerns and prayers of our community.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

What’s up at Grace?

GOING FORTH

*CLOSING HYMN: VU #481 “Sent Forth by God’s Blessing”
1. Sent forth by God’s blessing, our true faith confessing,
the people of God from this dwelling take leave.
The supper is ended, O now be extended
the fruits of this service in all who believe.
The seed of Christ’s teaching, receptive souls reaching,
shall blossom in action for God and for all.
God’s grace did invite us, God’s love shall unite us
to work for the kingdom and answer its call.

2. With praise and thanksgiving to God ever living,
the tasks of our everyday life we will face.
Our faith ever sharing, in love ever caring,
embracing God’s children of each tribe and race.
With your feast you feed us, with your light now lead us;
unite us as one in this life that we share.
Then may all the living with praise and thanksgiving
give honour to Christ and the name that we bear.

*COMMISSIONING

*SUNG BENEDICTION: “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
“Ave Maria” (based on Prelude in C Major by J.S. Bach) - Charles Gounod 

*****

SOURCES: The following are used with permission:

Stewardship Second & Invitation to the Offering & Prayer of Dedication of our Offerings from: © 2024 The United Church of Canada/L’Église Unie du Canada. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ca. Any copy must include this notice.
Lighting of Christ Candle & Call to Worship: written by Rev. Dr. John G. Smith
Prayers: written by Rev Dr. John G. Smith
As I live every day: This prayer is copyright of Scott Kearns and Gretta Vosper and used here with permission
A Wayfaring Prayer: (c) Margaret Silf in her book Wayfaring, Ave Maria Press, New York,  2009

HYMNS and SUNG VERSES:
- “Holy, Holy, Holy:” Words: Reginald Heber. Music: John Bacchus Dykes. Descant: © 1971 Godfrey Hewitt, c/o Marion Hewitt, 10-12 Clarence St., Ottawa, ON K1N 5P3. Words, Music: Public Domain. Descant: Godfrey Hewitt, c/o Marion Hewitt. CCLI #11203479.
- :Come Touch Our Hearts:” Words and music: Gordon Light, 2002; arr. Andrew Donaldson, 2002 Words and music copyright © 2002 Common Cup Company, www.commoncup.com. Arrangement  copyright © 2002 by Andrew Donaldson. One License # 608577
- “Creator God You Gave Us Life:” Words and music: Judith Snowdon, 2004 Words and music copyright © 2004 by Judith Snowdon.
- “Sent Forth by God’s Blessing:”

- “Go Now in Peace:” - Words by Don Besig and Nancy Price © 1988 Harold Flammer Music, Inc. Alternate words used with permission. Reproduced with permission. One License # 608577

Scripture Readings:
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Message: Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson

Prelude: A Medley of Favourite Hymns” - Compiled by C. Burton
Anthem: “Go Into the World” -  Natalie Sleeth.  Copyright 1979 Choristers Guild, distributed by The Lorenz Corporatio.  One License #608577.
Postlude: “Ave Maria”  (based on Prelude in C Major by J.S. Bach) Charles Gounod Copyright 1999 by Hal Leonard Corporation. One License #608577