May 10, 2026 Sixth Sunday of Easter
Mother’s Day
Find this service at www.graceunitedthornbury.ca/live
Leading us today in Worship:
Minister: Rev. Dr. Brian Goodings
Director of Music: Dr. Christopher Burton
Lay Reader: Jim Oliver
Leader: regular font ~ All: bold font ~ Sung words: bold italics.
Asterisk * Indicates when the congregation may stand if able.
Scripture for meditation:
Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said. “Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way.” Acts 12:22
We gather Together in Community
PRELUDE:
Selections from "The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book"
“A Stewardship Second:”
Stewardship is a lifelong journey, and we all have much to contribute on the trek
WELCOME:
LIGHTING the CHRIST CANDLE:
“Draw the Circle Wide” MV #145(Chorus)
Draw the circle wide. Draw it wider still.
Let this be our song, no one stands alone,
Standing side by side, draw the circle wide.
OUR COMMITMENT to SAFER SPACE & ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the LAND:
Grace United Church is inclusive and intentionally embraces people of all gender
identities and sexual preferences. Everyone belongs here and is valued.
In gratitude and respect, The United Church of Canada gathers, worships, and works on Indigenous lands across Canada.
CALL to WORSHIP: (from Canadian Council of Churches)
Breathe into us the wind of unity that recognizes our diversity;
Breathe into us tolerance that welcomes and makes us community,
Breathe into us fire that unites what is torn apart and heals what is ill;
Breathe into us grace that overcomes hatred and frees us from violence,
Breathe into us life that faces and defeats death;
Blessed be the mercy of God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The One that makes all things new. Amen!
*OPENING HYMN: VU #606
“In Christ There is No East or West”
1 In Christ there is no east or west,
in him no south or north,
but one great family of love
throughout the whole wide earth.
2 In him shall true hearts everywhere
their high communion find;
his service is the golden cord
close binding humankind.
3 Join hands, then, people of the faith,
whate’er your race may be;
all children of the living God
are surely kin to me.
4 In Christ now meet both east and west,
in him meet south and north;
all Christ-like souls are one in him
throughout the whole wide earth.
Lighting the Children’s Lantern
Theme Conversation: Mother’s Day
We Listen Together
SCRIPTURE READINGS:
(New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition)
John 14: 15-22 (Jesus reassures)
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
“I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me, and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?”
Acts 17: 22-31 (Paul in Athens)
Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, “Athenians, I see how extremely spiritual you are in every way. For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. From one ancestor he made all peoples to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps fumble about for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us. For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said,
‘For we too, are his offspring.’
“Since we are God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals. While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
RESPONSE: VU #371 “Open My Eyes” v.1
Open my eyes, that I may see
glimpses of truth thou hast for me;
place in my hands the wonderful key
that shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for thee,
ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine!
ANTHEM:
“Create in Me a Clean Heart”- A. B. Sherman
SERMON: “I’m Religious not Spiritual” Rev Brian Goodings
PASTORAL & LORD’S PRAYER: (VU#960 Sung)
*HYMN:VU #333 “Love Divine”
1 Love divine, all loves excelling,
joy of heaven to earth come down,
fix in us thy humble dwelling,
all thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, thou art all compassion,
pure, unbounded love thou art;
visit us with thy salvation,
enter every trembling heart.
2 Come, almighty to deliver;
let us all thy grace receive;
suddenly return, and never,
nevermore thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
serve thee as thy hosts above,
pray, and praise thee, without ceasing,
glory in thy perfect love.
3 Finish, then, thy new creation;
pure and spotless let us be;
let us see thy great salvation
perfectly restored in thee,
changed from glory into glory,
till in heaven we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee,
lost in wonder, love, and praise.
We Respond to God’s Word
INVITATION to the OFFERING:
When we look at the world through God’s economy, there are no shortfalls, no deficits, no overdrafts, no running in the red. In God’s household, there is plenty. There is a rich and meaningful life for each of us. I invite you to give of yourself out of this assurance, offering to others from all that God has already given to you.
PRAYER of DEDICATION of OUR OFFERINGS:
Gracious God, you are the source of all that we have and all that we give. May these gifts help change the world so all who ask, receive, and all who hunger are filled. Bless these gifts and the ministries of this congregation and of the wider church through Mission and Service. 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
DEDICATION HYMN: MV #191”What Can I Do?” (2x)
What can I do? What can I bring?
What can I say? What can I sing?
I’ll sing with joy. I’ll say a prayer
I’ll bring my love. I’ll do my share.
What’s up at Grace?
We Begin our Service in the Name of Christ!
*HYMN: VU #352 “I Danced in the Morning”
1 I danced in the morning when the world was begun,
and I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun,
and I came from heaven and I danced on the earth;
at Bethlehem I had my birth.
R Dance, then, wherever you may be;
I am the Lord of the dance, said he,
and I’ll lead you all, wherever you may be,
and I’ll lead you all in the dance, said he.
2 I danced for the scribe and the pharisee,
but they would not dance and they would not follow me;
I danced for the fishermen, for James and John;
they came with me and the dance went on.
R Dance, then, wherever you may be;
I am the Lord of the dance, said he,
and I’ll lead you all, wherever you may be,
and I’ll lead you all in the dance, said he.
3 I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame;
the holy people said it was a shame;
they whipped and they stripped and they hung me high,
and left me there on a cross to die.
R Dance, then, wherever you may be;
I am the Lord of the dance, said he,
and I’ll lead you all, wherever you may be,
and I’ll lead you all in the dance, said he.
4 I danced on a Friday when the sky turned black;
it’s hard to dance with the devil on your back;
they buried my body and they thought I’d gone,
but I am the dance and I still go on.
R Dance, then, wherever you may be;
I am the Lord of the dance, said he,
and I’ll lead you all, wherever you may be,
and I’ll lead you all in the dance, said he.
5 They cut me down and I leap up high;
I am the life that will never, never die;
I’ll live in you if you’ll live in me;
I am the Lord of the dance, said he.
R Dance, then, wherever you may be;
I am the Lord of the dance, said he,
and I’ll lead you all, wherever you may be,
and I’ll lead you all in the dance, said he.
*COMMISSIONING,
*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:
"Rosemary" F. Bridge
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.
HYMNS and SUNG VERSES:
-“Draw the Circle Wide:” Words and music: Gordon Light, 1994; arrangement: Michael
Bloss, 1998; French translation: Denise Soulodre, 2006. Words and music copyright © 1994 Common Cup. Company, www.commoncup.com. Arrangement copyright © 1998 Wood Lake Books. One License #608577.
-In Christ There is No East or West:” Words: John Oxenham. Music: African-American spiritual, adapted and harmonized by Harry T. Burleigh. Public Domain.
-”Open My Eyes:” Words, Music: Clara H. Scott 1895. Public Domain.
-“Love Divine:” Words: Charles Wesley. Music: Rowland Huw Prichard. Public Domain.
-“The Lord’s Prayer:” Adpt. from a chant by R. Langdon. Public Domain.
-“What Can I Do?” Words and music: Paul Rumbolt and Michele McCarthy; arr. Alan
- Whitmore, 2005. Words and music: Paul Rumbolt and Michele McCarthy; arr. Alan C. Whitmore, 2005. Words and music copyright © by Paul Rumbolt and Michele McCarthy. www.paulrumbolt.com Arrangement copyright © 2005 Alan C. Whitmore. One License #608577.
-“I Danced in the Morning:” Words, Harmony: Sydney Carter 1963 © 1963 Stainer & Bell Ltd. Used by permission of Hope Publishing Company. Music: Shaker melody. Words, Harmony: Hope Publishing Company, Stainer & Bell Ltd. Music: Public Domain . One License #608577
-“Go Now in Peace:” - Words by Don Besig and Nancy Price © 1988 Harold Flammer
Music, Inc. Alternate words used with permission. Reproduced with permission.
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.
Prelude: Selections from "The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book"
Anthem: “Create in Me a Clean Heart”- A. B. Sherman
Postlude: "Rosemary"- F. Bridge
