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October 26, 2025: Music Sunday Morning Service

Dr. Christopher Burton

Sunday, October 26, 2025

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October 26^th, 2025

Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost

MUSIC SUNDAY

Find this service at www.graceunitedthornbury.ca/live

Leading us today in Worship:
Worship Leader & Director of Music: Dr. Christopher Burton
Scripture Reader: Norine Baron
Guest Musician: Karen James, flute

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

We Gather

PRELUDE: “Berceuse” - G. Fauré

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.

WELCOME

A Stewardship Second
Remember that people of faith have been the key to some of the most incredible changes in our society. How does your faith call you to be a change maker?

LIGHTING the CHRIST CANDLE
The light of understanding, the light of compassion, the light of community are all represented by the light that shines out from this candle. Let that light illumine our lives, our worship, and our way forward, as we gather as God’s people.

OUR COMMITMENT to SAFER SPACE & ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the LAND
Long before settlers discovered this land, there were people who lived here and cared for the land and water for the generations of children who would follow them; people who worshipped their creator. Grace United Church is situated on the traditional territories of the Anishinaabek, Six Nations of the Grand River, Haudenosaunee, and Wendat-Wyandot-Wyandotte peoples, located within the boundary of Treaty 18 region of 1818. We humbly acknowledge the First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples of Canada as traditional stewards of the land on which we work and worship and are committed to working actively toward genuine restitution and reconciliation.
At Grace, we strive to make all of our spaces - including our sanctuary during worship – as safe a place as possible. We celebrate and honour the holy truth that all people are made in the image of God and are innately entitled to dignity and respect. Any practice, religious or otherwise, which explicitly or implicitly indicates that some people are more beloved than others, goes against our core beliefs here at Grace. We join together in an ongoing commitment to learning how we can live out genuinely welcoming and inclusive behaviour in all.

CALL to WORSHIP
Welcome in the name of the One who calls us to gather. Welcome as a member of this community on this day. May the One who calls us be praised and may our community be strengthened in the words, prayers, and songs we sing and share and pray today.

OPENING PRAYER
Living God, we come together, with words of commitment and hymns of praise. May this time renew our spirits, so that confident in you, and emboldened by one another, we might return to the world in strength and grace. Inspire us to be faithful friends, generous neighbours, bold disciples, and daring advocates, encouraged by this community and your abiding love.
In the name of the Holy One, Jesus. Amen.

*OPENING HYMN: VU #382 "Breathe on Me, Breath of God"
1. Breathe on me, breath of God,
fill me with life anew,
that I may love what thou dost love,
and do what thou wouldst do.

2. Breathe on me, breath of God,
until my heart is pure,
until my will is one with thine,
to do and to endure.

3. Breathe on me, breath of God,
till I am wholly thine,
until this earthly part of me
glows with thy fire divine.

4. Breathe on me, breath of God,
so shall I never die,
but live with thee the perfect life
of thine eternity.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION
As music floods our souls,
quietens our busy minds,
and softens our hearts,
we pause to remember
that we are not all that we are called to be.
We falter. We fail. We fall.
We break faith with our best selves.
We let ourselves and others down.
(silent prayer)

WORDS OF ASSURANCE
When we cry out to God from the hard places in our lives,
we find Christ’s hand outstretched to catch us where we are.
Accept the grace that meets us with mercy and understanding.
Be renewed in the new life of Christ in us and with us, today and always.

We Listen

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
Welcoming God, draw us close to your heart of love. Fill us with compassion and recognition of your grace. Reveal your truth in the words that are shared and in the silent moments. Help us to notice your voice of acceptance. May the familiar be heard in a new way as we receive the words of scripture today. We ask, in Jesus' name. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READINGS
PSALM 65: VU #782
Refrain: Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion.

Praise is due to you O God, in Zion;
to you shall vows be performed.
You give heed to prayer; to you all mortals shall come.
The burden of our sins is too great for us,
but you will purge them away.

Refrain: Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion.

Blessed are the people you choose
and bring to dwell in your courts.
We shall be filled with the blessings of your house,
your holy temple.
With awesome deeds you answer our prayers for deliverance,
O God our saviour--
you that are the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the far-off seas.
By your strength you make fast the mountains,
and gird yourself round with power.
You still the raging of the seas,
and the roaring of the waves, the tumult of the peoples.
Those who dwell at earth's farthest bounds are awed by your wonders;
the gateways of both morning and evening
shout for joy.

Refrain: Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion.

You visit the earth and water it,
you make it very fruitful.
The waters of heaven brim over their banks,
providing us with grain,
for so you have prepared the land,
drenching its furrows, settling its ridges,
softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.
You crown the year with goodness,
and your paths overflow with plenty,
The pastures of the wilderness abound with grass,
and the hills are girded with joy.
The fields are clothed with sheep;
the valleys are decked with wheat,
so that they shout and sing for joy.

Refrain: Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion.

Joel 2: 23-32   New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
O children of Zion, be glad,
and rejoice in the Lord your God,
for he has given the early rain for your vindication;
    he has poured down for you abundant rain,
    the early and the later rain, as before.
The threshing floors shall be full of grain;
    the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
I will repay you for the years
    that the swarming locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
    my great army that I sent against you.
You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied
    and praise the name of the Lord your God,
    who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel
    and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is no other.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.

God’s Spirit Poured Out
Then afterward
    I will pour out my spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
    your old men shall dream dreams,
    and your young men shall see visions.
Even on the male and female slaves,
    in those days I will pour out my spirit.
I will show portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke.
The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.
Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved, for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

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

*HYMN: VU #530 "All Beautiful the March of Days"
1. All beautiful the march of days,
as seasons come and go;
the hand that shaped the rose has wrought
the crystal of the snow,
has sent the silvery frost of heaven,
the flowing waters sealed,
and laid a silent loveliness
on hill and wood and field.

2. O’er white expanses sparkling pure
the radiant morns unfold;
the solemn splendours of the night
burn brighter through the cold;
life mounts in every throbbing vein,
love deepens round the hearth,
and clearer sounds the angel hymn,
good will to all on earth.

3. O God, from whose unfathomed law
the year in beauty flows,
yourself the vision passing by
in crystal and in rose;
day unto day declare thro’ speech,
and night to night proclaim
in everchanging words of light
the wonder of your name.

ANTHEM: "A Jubilant Song"- Mary Lynn Lightfoot

SPECIAL MUSIC: “Sonata for Flute and Piano, 2nd Movement” - F. Poulenc

*HYMN: MV #30 "It's a Song of Praise to the Maker
1. It’s a song of praise to the Maker,
the thrush sings high in the tree.
It’s a song of praise to the Maker,
The gray whale sings in the sea,
Refrain:
And by the Spirit
you and I can join our voice to the holy cry
and sing, sing, sing to the Maker too.

2. It’s a call of life to the Giver
when waves and waterfalls roar.
It’s a call of life to the Giver
when high tides break on the shore,
Refrain:
And by the Spirit
you and I can join our voice to the holy cry
and sing, sing, sing to the Maker too.

3. It’s a hymn of love to the Lover;
the bumblebees hum along.
It’s a hymn of love to the Lover,
the summer breeze joins the song,
Refrain:
And by the Spirit
you and I can join our voice to the holy cry
and sing, sing, sing to the Maker too.

4. It’s the chorus of all creation;
it’s sung by all living things.
It’s the chorus of all creation;
a song the universe sings,
Refrain:
And by the Spirit
you and I can join our voice to the holy cry
and sing, sing, sing to the Maker too.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Trusting in the power of God to deliver us,
let us make our prayers of intercession for all,
saying: God our Saviour, hear our prayer.
We pray for the church . . .
Deliver us from the power of evil
and strengthen us to serve you,
all for the glory of your eternal realm.
God our Saviour, hear our prayer.
We pray for the world . . .
Pour out your Spirit on all flesh,
so that the people of every nation
may share visions and dreams of peace.
God our Saviour, hear our prayer.
We pray for this community . . .
Let this be your dwelling place—
where even the sparrow finds a home
and the swallow a nest for her young.
God our Saviour, hear our prayer.
We pray for loved ones . . .
Be merciful to the sick and suffering.
Let your peace and goodness
be their comfort and strength.
God our Saviour, hear our prayer.
Merciful and mighty God, as you are one,
make us one with you through Jesus Christ,
whom you have sent to redeem us,
and in whose holy name we pray. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER: (Spoken, traditional words, VU 921)
We lift this prayer in the words that Jesus gave his disciples to pray together, and so, together, we say: heavenly parent, our mother, Our Father…

We Respond

PASSING THE PEACE OF CHRIST

INVITATION TO THE OFFERING
Loving God, we recognize that your blessings come in so many ways; we seek to be a blessing to others. Use and multiply these gifts so that the work of our church here and around the world can be sign of your caring presence. Amen

PRAYER OF DEDICATION OF OUR GIFTS
Abundant God, bless our commitments. Let our gifts of love multiply and shower the world with love. Let us be each other's encouragement and building up. 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 #633 "Bless Now, O God, the Journey"
1. Bless now, O God, the journey
that all your people make,
the path through noise and silence,
the way of give and take.
The trail is found in desert
and winds the mountain round,
then leads beside still waters,
the road where faith is found.

2. Bless sojourners and pilgrims
who share this winding way,
whose hope burns through the terrors,
whose love sustains the day.
We yearn for holy freedom
while often we are bound.
Together we are seeking
the road where faith is found.

3. Divine Eternal Lover,
you meet us on the road.
We wait for lands of promise
where milk and honey flow.
But waiting not for places,
you meet us all around.
Our covenant is written
on roads, as faith is found.

*COMMISSIONING & BENEDICTION
And now may the river of God, flowing generously in you and through you, be your guide on your journey and bless you on your way, bringing refreshment and hope to everyone you meet.
May you be full of the river of God every moment of your life.
Amen.

*SUNG BLESSING: MV #95 "How Deep the Peace"
How deep the peace, the confidence, of those whose
wrongs are forgiven.
How deep the peace, the confidence, of those whose
hearts are healed.

POSTLUDE: “Sonata in E Flat Major, BWV 1031 3rd Movement” - J.S. Bach