Grace United Church | United Church in Thornbury, ON

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June 14, 2026 Third Sunday after Pentecost

Guest Speaker - Karen James

Sunday, June 14, 2026

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Service and Hymns

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June 14th, 2026

Third Sunday after Pentecost

Find this service at www.graceunitedthornbury.ca/live

Leading us today in Worship:
Worship Leader: Karen James
Director of Music: Dr. Christopher Burton
Lay Reader: Heather Dickson

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 – C. Burton

A Stewardship Second
Give joyfully, give gratefully, give without boasting.

WELCOME

LIGHTING the CHRIST CANDLE: (adapted from Rev. John Smith)
We light this candle as a symbol of Christ’s light.
We bring our hearts and souls and minds to this place Knowing even when we cannot see it
Christ’s light shines in our world.
We answer the call as we light it again today
To give thanks, to share hope, and to let our own light shine bright.

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
Come in, all of you.
Those arriving with joy,
and those arriving tired.
Come in, those carrying gratitude,
and those carrying questions.
We come as we are,
seeking God’s presence among us.
Some weeks we arrive ready to sing; to sing for joy
Other weeks we arrive carrying burdens too heavy for song.
And still, God meets us here.
In joy and in struggle,
God continues to reach toward us.
So let us gather together.
Let us worship with honest and open hearts.
Let us remember that we do not walk alone.

*HYMN: VU #342 “You Servants of God”
1. You servants of God, your Saviour proclaim,
and publish abroad that wonderful name;
the name, all victorious, of Jesus extol;
whose kingdom is glorious and rules over all!

2. God rules from on high, almighty to save,
whose Word still is nigh, a presence we have.
The great congregation God’s triumph shall sing,
ascribing salvation to Jesus, our king!

3. Salvation to God who sits on the throne!
Let all cry aloud and honor the Son!
The praises of Jesus the angels proclaim,
bow down in deep reverence, and worship the Lamb.

4. Then let us adore and give as is right,
all glory and power and wisdom and might,
all honour and blessing, with angels above,
and thanks never ceasing, and infinite love.

OPENING PRAYER
Loving God,
We come into this place as we are—carrying a mix of
things we can name and things we can’t quite put words
And still, you welcome us.
We thank you for this gathering, for the chance to
breathe, to listen, to remember what matters.
Open our hearts today. Quiet what is noisy in us. Help us
be present—to you, to one another, and to the world you love.
And as we hear your word, we also remember the wisdom
passed down to us through the people who shaped us.
Help us to notice that where we put our energy and
attention is where our lives begin to move.
Guide us gently toward what is good and life-giving.
And teach us, not just to talk about faith, but to live it.
May what we believe show up in how we treat each other.
In small kindnesses. In patience. In care that others can actually feel.
Be with us in this time of worship.
And when we leave, don’t let it end here—carry it with us
into our ordinary days.
In Christ’s name we pray,
Amen.

*HYMN: MV#186 “Because Jesus Felt”
1. Because Jesus felt a woman touch his coat,
and said, “Your faith has made you well,”
I know that God takes notice,
and knows my name, and loves us all:
Refrain
So thank you, thank you, God. Thank you, God!
Thank you, thank you, God. Thank you, God!

2. Because Jesus ate with people who’d gone wrong,
and said, “You are forgiven now,”
I know that God forgives me,
and hears my name, and loves us all:
Refrain
So thank you, thank you, God. Thank you, God!
Thank you, thank you, God. Thank you, God!

3. Because Jesus went to heal a little girl,
and said, “Get up, and have some food,”
I know God cares about me,
and speaks my name, and loves us all:
Refrain
So thank you, thank you, God. Thank you, God!
Thank you, thank you, God. Thank you, God!

4. Because Jesus sat with children on his knee,
and said, “I’m glad to meet you all,”
I know God thinks I’m lovely,
and sings my name, and loves us all:
Refrain
So thank you, thank you, God. Thank you, God!
Thank you, thank you, God. Thank you, God!

5. Because Jesus lived and died, and lives with God,
and says’ “I’m with you all the time,”
I know that God is near me,
and calls my name, and loves us all:
Refrain
So thank you, thank you, God. Thank you, God!
Thank you, thank you, God. Thank you, God!

Lighting the Children’s Lantern

Theme Conversation

We Listen

SCRIPTURE READINGS: All from the New International Version
Psalm 100
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;

Come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.

It is He who made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with Thanksgiving
And his courts with praise:

Give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever:
His faithfulness continues through all generations.

Matthew 9:34-10:8
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

RESPONSE
Let these words guide us in our lives and remind us who we are. Thanks be to God.

ANTHEM: “River in Judea”
Words by Linda Marcus, Music by Jack Feldman

SERMON: “Show, don’t tell”

*HYMN: MV #161” I Have Called You by Your Name”
1. I have called you by your name, you are mine;
I have gifted you and ask you now to shine.
I will not abandon you;
all my promises are true.
You are gifted, called, and chosen;
you are mine.

2. I will help you learn my name as you go;
read it written in my people, help them grow.
Pour the water in my name,
speak the word your soul can claim,
offer Jesus’ body given long ago.

3. I know you will need my touch as you go;
feel it pulsing in creation’s ebb and flow.
Like the woman reaching out,
choosing faith in spite of doubt,
hold the hem of Jesus’ robe,
then let it go.

4. I have given you a name, it is mine;
I have given you my Spirit as a sign.
With my wonder in your soul,
make my wounded children whole;
go and tell my precious people
they are mine.

We Respond

INVITATION to the OFFERING: (adapted from Rev. John Smith)
We are called to share the Good News about God’s love. We honour the time, talent and labour represented in our gifts today. Our gifts that enable us and others to continue the ministry that Jesus began. Let us present our offering.

PRAYER of DEDICATION of OUR OFFERINGS: (adapted from Rev. John Smith)
God, we joyfully share our offerings in celebration and gratitude for all we have received. May these gifts and those given through PAR and online, be used to continue your work wherever they are needed. Amen

DEDICATION HYMN: VU #543 v.1
We give thee but thine own,
whate’er the gift may be;
all that we have is thine alone,
a trust, O Lord, from thee.

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

PRAYERS of the PEOPLE & The LORD’S PRAYER (VU 910)
Loving God, We come to you as your people, with grateful hearts. You know the things we carry—the joy we can speak easily, and the concerns we hold more quietly.
We pray for places where there is conflict and pain, where peace feels far away and hope is hard to hold onto. Be with all who live with fear today. Surround them with safety, and move the hearts of those who have power to choose peace.
We pray for our communities close to home. For neighbours who are struggling in ways we may not see. For those facing loneliness, illness, financial stress, or uncertainty about what comes next. Give us eyes to notice, and hearts willing to respond.
We pray for those who are tired— in body, mind, or spirit. For moms and dads. For those who are caring for others and feel stretched thin. For those who are grieving and for those who are simply trying to make it through another day. Help us to show them that they are not alone.
And we pray for ourselves. Teach us to pay attention to where we place our energy. And help us not only to speak about love and faith, but to live in ways that others can see and feel them.
We bring you all our prayers, and in all of this, we join together in the prayer that Jesus taught us, saying…
Our Father…

What’s up at Grace?

We Go Out

*HYMN: VU #337 “Blessed Assurance”
1. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of the Spirit, washed in Christ’s blood.
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Saviour all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Saviour all the day long.

2. Perfect submission, perfect delight!
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
angels descending, bring from above
echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Saviour all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Saviour all the day long.

3. Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Saviour am happy and blessed;
watching and waiting, looking above,
filled with God’s goodness, lost in Christ’s love.
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Saviour all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Saviour all the day long.

*COMMISSIONING
Go now into your week, paying attention—to where you put your time, your energy, your care. That’s the direction your life will start to take.
And don’t just talk about what you believe. Let it show up. In how you treat people. In the small things you do when no one’s really keeping score and no one is watching. In the way you choose kindness when it would be easier not to.
Go bravely. Go honestly. Go ready to live what you’ve been given.
And may you always feel not only God reaching out to you no matter where you stand. Amen

*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