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July 13, 2025: 5th Sunday after Pentecost

Rev Dr John Smith

Sunday, July 13, 2025

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July 13th, 2025

5^th Sunday after Pentecost

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: Debby Weale

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

We Gather

PRELUDE
Selected Hymns - Compiled by C. Burton

WELCOME

Stewardship Second
Stewardship is as much about nourishing communities and nourishing spiritual health as it is about money.

LIGHTING the CHRIST CANDLE
As we come to worship in this Pentecost season
We turn to light the candle which reminds us:
Christ’s Spirit is always with us!
Christ's spirit fills us, heals us, and completes us.
Christ’s light enlivens us, and gives us strength,
for the living of these days.
May it be so! Amen!

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
Come people of God!
Come and give thanks to the Creator for life and love.
Come and give thanks with your whole heart.
Come and worship with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.
We gather in this Sacred Chapel, this Holy of Holies,
In this place where God dwells in the depths of our beings.
In our worship, let us kindle the fire of God’s gracious love.
In our worship, let us kindle the fire of love for neighbour and self.
God’s Spirit calls us to life.
God’s Spirit calls us to actions of mercy and justice.
God’s Spirit calls us to love the world as God loves the world.
God’s Spirit calls us to acts of kindness and generosity.
God’s Spirit calls us to humility, giving all that we have
for the love of God and love of neighbour.
So we come together now, forming again a Sacred Circle,
For here and now, we are one.
We are all related in the circle of God’s love.
We are all valued, we are all loved.
Let us worship now in the light of life, in the vitality of life
And with the Spirit of Life alive within us, AMEN.

*HYMN: VU #288 “Great is Thy Faithfulness”
1. Great is thy faithfulness, God our Creator;
there is no shadow of turning with thee;
thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
as thou hast been thou forever wilt be.
Refrain:
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided -
great is thy faithfulness, ever to me!

2. Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
join with all nature in manifold witness
to thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.
Refrain:
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided –
great is thy faithfulness, ever to me!

3. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow –
wondrous the portion thy blessings provide.
Refrain:
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided -
great is thy faithfulness, ever to me!

OPENING PRAYER
May there be, in my heart and my soul, a still place of light, O God.
And in that still place, may I find the center-point of your love.

May I find in this centre point, the fire that lights my soul.
May I find in this centre point, the joy that seeks to be expressed.
May I find in this centre point, the love that embraces all things,
the love that enlarges my heart to miraculous proportions!

God, may your Spirit stir within us this morning.
May we be filled with the gifts of your Spirit,
And may we use those gifts to the fullest today.

As Jesus fed the multitudes on the hillside of Galilee,
So too feed us on the inside,
with hope and courage, compassion and grace.
Help us to know that as we are nurtured in our souls,
our souls will be able to nurture the world around us.

O God, our world is caught in darkness and grief.
There is fear and despair in many places.
People are lost, are despairing, are
spiritually empty –
Show us the way and we will begin again today.

Make of us a heart-centre here in this place,
a centre-point of light and love
For our community
And for our world….

(a moment of quiet prayer)

Prayer: (by Scott Kearns & Gretta Vosper)
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.

In My Life: A Reading on Psalm 23 (Author Rev. John)
In this life, I have everything I need;
I want for absolutely nothing.
How can this be, you ask?
I am full of calm, full of joy, full of love.
In my heart I have found quiet waters,
where my body can rest and my mind can stop racing.
In my soul I have found lush meadows of sweeping grass,
which arrest me with their beauty,
and fill me deep awareness.
At every moment of every day,
I am close to Love,
restored inwardly in my heart and soul.
I am full of Love Eternal.
I know there will be tough times ahead.
I know that I may need to cross rivers of deep fear,
facing illnesses I can’t control,
or problems I can’t fix.
I know my journey through life will end at some point.
But, in this life, I have everything I need;
I want for absolutely nothing.
In my mind’s eye, a banquet of blessings fills my day;
my cup is so full, it runs over the top.
Surely this will be so, each and every day of my life.
Surely I am close to Love, wherever I am.
I am full of Love Eternal, forever and always.

*HYMN: VU #296 ” This is God’s Wondrous World”
1. This is God’s wondrous world,
and to my listening ears
all nature sings, and round me rings
the music of the spheres.
This is God’s wondrous world;
I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas,
God’s hand the wonders wrought.

2. This is God’s wondrous world:
the birds their carols raise;
the morning light, the lily white,
declare their Maker’s praise.
This is God’s wondrous world:
God shines in all that’s fair;
in the rustling grass or mountain pass,
God’s voice speaks everywhere.

3. This is God’s wondrous world:
O let me ne’er forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is God’s wondrous world:
why should my heart be sad?
Let voices sing, let the heavens ring:
God reigns, let earth be glad!

We Listen

SCRIPTURE READING
Colossians 1: 1- 14 (Contemporary English Version)
From Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from Timothy, who is also a follower.
To God's people who live in Colossae and are faithful followers of Christ.
I pray that God our Father will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!
Each time we pray for you, we thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have heard of your faith in Christ and of your love for all God's people,

Luke 10: 25 - 37 (Common English Version)
A legal expert stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to gain eternal life?”
Jesus replied, “What is written in the Law? How do you interpret it?”
He responded, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.”
But the legal expert wanted to prove that he was right, so he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus replied, “A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He encountered thieves, who stripped him naked, beat him up, and left him near death.Now it just so happened that a priest was also going down the same road. When he saw the injured man, he crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way.
Likewise, a Levite came by that spot, saw the injured man, and crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way.A Samaritan, who was on a journey, came to where the man was. But when he saw him, he was moved with compassion.The Samaritan went to him and bandaged his wounds, tending them with oil and wine. Then he placed the wounded man on his own donkey, took him to an inn, and took care of him.The next day, he took two full days’ worth of wages and gave them to the innkeeper. He said, ‘Take care of him, and when I return, I will pay you back for any additional costs.
'What do you think? Which one of these three was a neighbor to the man who encountered thieves?”
Then the legal expert said, “The one who demonstrated mercy toward him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

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

MINISTRY of MUSIC
“Sheep May Safely Graze” - J.S. Bach/C. Burton

SERMON: “When the Pastor Gets Arrested!”

We Respond

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.

PRAYERS of the PEOPLE

THE LORD’S PRAYER (VU #910)

INVITATION to the OFFERING
We have been instructed to love our neighbour. We are called to love God with all that we are and all that we have. Through our love of God and neighbour we are rich in so many ways. I invite you to share with this community and all those whose lives are touched through it.

PRAYER of DEDICATION of OUR OFFERINGS
Spirit of Life, giver of every perfect gift, we offer our thanks for this life and its gifts. Bless these offerings and those given outside this time of worship. May our contributions both here and in every part of our lives—our time, our skills and our money—work towards a world of justice and peace. We pray that it be so. 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

What’s Up at Grace?

We Go Out

*CLOSING HYMN: VU # 227 “For the Fruit of all Creation”
1. For the fruit of all creation, thanks be to God.
For the gifts to every nation, thanks be to God.
For the ploughing, sowing, reaping,
silent growth while we are sleeping,
future needs in earth’s safekeeping, thanks be to God.

2. In the just reward of labour, God’s will is done.
In the help we give our neighbour, God’s will is done.
In our worldwide task of caring
for the hungry and despairing,
in the harvests we are sharing, God’s will is done.

3. For the harvests of the Spirit, thanks be to God.
For the good we all inherit, thanks be to God.
For the wonders that astound us,
for the truths that still confound us,
most of all that love has found us, thanks be to God

*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.