October 27, 2002
Jesus speaks to the law of love and not the book of rules. The law of love is the law that governs Jesus’ life. It is the law that has him break Sabbath rules and heal on the holy day. The law of love causes him to touch the untouchables, eat with sinners, befriend prostitutes, and restore all of these to community and into relationship with God. This law of love is also our calling, and is the heart and soul of our faith.
If you would like to stay seated for any or all of the “standing” parts of the service, please feel free to do so.
Hymn Sing
A time of silent preparation—Lighting the Christ Candle
Call to Worship (Responsive)
One: God is the love-maker
All: and we are made of love.
One: God is the life-giver
All: and we have been given life.
One: God is the hope-birther
All: and we are born of hope.
One: This is the way God meets us
All: and we meet God.
One: Come and know you are loved again.
All: We come to worship God.
One: Let us unite in prayer
All: Creator God, you have made us for yourself, and gifted us with earthly experience so we may learn the lessons and blessings of love, and serve you in Christ’s name. Remind us that the days we are given to accomplish our souls’ purpose are short and limited. As we worship together, fill us with your Spirit, that we may be enabled to see each moment as a precious gift and opportunity, and be strengthened to fulfill our earthly mission to your glory.
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Time
with the Young & the young at heart
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The Sunday School & Youth leave for their classes.
We Remain in God’s Presence Through Confession
Gracious God, we come to this place to be refreshed by your love. We know there are times when we hear your voice calling us to new life and we try to ignore you. We like to think that all we have we have gotten for ourselves, forgetting that all creation is the work of your hand, given to us to care for and share with one another. For those times when we forget you, God, forgive us… (Silent Confession)
Assurance of Pardon (One)
God comes to us, filling us with love and wrapping us in the whisper of grace. All anguish is taken from us, and given back, forgiven; and every moment is caressed with eternity. Thanks be to God! Amen.
Biblical Notes
The Death of Moses
Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the LORD showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, and the Plain—that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees—as far as Zoar. The LORD said to him, "This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your descendants'; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there."
Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord's command. He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated. The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.
Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the LORD had commanded Moses. Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
Hymn #641 “Lord Jesus, You Shall Be My Song”
Lord Jesus, you shall be my song as I journey, I'll tell everybody about you wherever I go:
for our life and our peace and our love is yourself. Lord Jesus, you shall be my song as I journey.
Lord Jesus, I'll praise you as long as I journey. May all of my joy be a faithful reflection of you.
May the earth and the sea and the sky join my song. Lord Jesus, I'll praise you as long as I journey.
As long as I live, Jesus, make me your servant to carry your cross and to share all your burdens and tears,
for you saved me by giving your body and blood. As long as I live, Jesus, make me your servant.
I fear in the dark and the doubt of my journey, but courage will come with the sound of your steps by my side;
and with all of my brothers you saved by your love, we'll sing to your dawn at the end of our journey.
The Great Commandment (Read from the New Revised Standard Version)
When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, ‘”You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this
question: ‘What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?’ They said to him,
‘The son of David.’ He said to them, ‘How is it then that David by the Spirit
calls him Lord, saying,
“The
Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your
feet’”? If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?’ No one was able to
give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more
questions.
One: This is the Good News of Jesus Christ
Hymn #82 “A Light is Gleaming”
A light is gleaming, spreading its arms throughout the night, living in the light.
Come share its gladness, God's radiant love is burning bright, living in the light.
When light comes pouring into the darkest place, it hurts our eyes to see the glow.
Sometimes a word of hope reminds us of our fears, our memories and tears. R
When night is round us and every shadow grows, a star is there to light our way.
It tells a story of Jesus who came near to say: 'God's light will ever stay.' R
And Jesus showed us a brighter path to walk. He showed us things we hadn't seen.
Now we, like Jesus, can help creation shine, and this will be a sign: R
So let us live in the brightness God has giv'n, and let us rise to see the dawn.
We trust that God is here asparkle and ablaze, - warming all our days. R
Laundry Day
Do you have trouble keeping up with your laundry? After sorting, soaking, washing, drying, folding, stacking and ironing, the hampers are full again. The kids are dressing from the piles of clean laundry in the family room instead of putting their clothes away, and you are washing clean shirts again in case they come out with fewer wrinkles. Laundry, don't you just hate it!
Well, I guess it's all in how you look at it. For some, laundry is a luxury. In downtown Ottawa, the Centretown Laundry Co-operative provides inexpensive laundry facilities for street people and low income residents. Nearly 250 members have paid the yearly fee of $1, which allows them to do their laundry for $1 a day. The co-op is partially supported by the Mission and Service Fund.
Co-op members are encouraged to take an active part in operating the laundry and in socializing with others. At monthly meetings, the group shares supper, experiences, and ideas. One member expressed his thankfulness for this interaction. "I came into the co-op to do my laundry for the first time. A volunteer was trying to hang a poster on the wall and since I am tall, I asked if I could help. It's been so long since I've done something for another person. It made me feel really good."
Your gifts to the Mission and Service Fund ensure that projects such as the Centretown Laundry Cooperative can continue. You can continue to make a difference for real lives by making a generous gift to the Mission and Service Fund today.
We Respond In Giving And Gratitude
God, help us to love and serve you in all that we offer and all that we do. Help us to remember that what we do for one another, we do for you whose spirit dwells in each of us. Amen.
Hymn #713 “I See a New Heaven”
I see a new heaven. I see a new earth as the old one will pass away,
where the fountain of life flows and without price goes to all people who abide in the land.
There, there on the banks of a river bright and free,
yielding her fruit, firm in her root, the Tree of Life will be. R
There, there where death dies and our lives are born again,
body and soul, struggling but whole like flowers after the rain. R
There, there where the darkness brings visions from above.
There where the night, bearing new light, reveals the promise of love. R
There, there where we work with the love of healing hands.
Labour we must, true to our trust to build a promised new land.
Commissioning (Responsive)
One: Love is not the destination:
All: love is the way.
One: Love is not the answer:
All: love is the question.
One: Love is not the reward:
All: love is the task.
One: Go to live out that task in the world, where God is already waiting for us. And the God who is love, remains with us, and all whom we love, now and forever more.
Choral Amen
#298 “When You Walk From Here”
When you walk from here, when you walk from here.
Walk with justice, walk with mercy, and with God’s humble care.
Postlude
The Life And Work Of The Congregation
We mourn the loss of one of our church family, Raymond Clark whose service was held here on Friday and some of whose flowers remain in the sanctuary. We also share our condolences with several of our church families as they mourn the loss of family members: Hank & Lil Iwanicki whose daughter, Sherry Carstensen, died this past week; Bill & Wendy Wolcoski who mourn the passing of Bill’s dad, Frank Wolcoski; Al & Marilynn Piotrowski who mourn the loss of Al’s sister-in-law, Mary Piotrowski.
Flowers are placed in the Sanctuary this morning
by
Edna Forsythe
in loving memory of her husband,
George
Thought For Today
Words should be weighed
and not counted.
Yiddish Proverb
A presentation by Joyce Madsen and Clair Woodbury, staff team from the Congregational Life Centre, Edmonton.
The scripture readings today include what we know as the Great Commandment: “Love God, and love your neighbour as yourself.”
Loving our neighbours as ourself is a two-fold task:
o Knowing ourself, our strengths and weaknesses, understanding our relationship with God and how we live that out, as well as . . .
o Knowing our neighbour: who are they? What language do they speak? What needs to they have?
The people who settled Medicine Hat many years ago saw needs among their neighbours and created a congregation to meet those needs. They knew they could accomplish more working together than they could independently.
This congregation has evolved since that time,
o building projects to respond to growth and fires,
o renovations to meet changing needs,
o new programs for new generations.
The great challenge for the church today is discovering our role in the 21st Century. This is a time of terrorism, great opportunity, individualization, great wealth, and spiritual hunger.
Many people would like to recapture quieter times. The reality is we can’t go back, so if the future is important to us we need to create the future we want (or the one that God wants for us).
To do that, we have to begin with the reality of where we are — the culture we are a part of and the needs we can serve.
Our young grandchildren are growing up with resources and knowledge our parents could not, in their wildest dreams, have imagined. Telephones that follow you around; internet access that connects them with the world, instantly; a scientific understanding that continues to develop and provide knowledge we didn’t know we didn’t know.
How do we build a church that will meet their needs? We model what Jesus did.
We discern a vision for the community that stretches and energizes us. One that will clarify our direction, motivate people to action and coordinate the work done.
We work toward this vision from our understanding of ourself — our values and our mission. Values that provide criteria from which we can make decisions, and a mission that reminds us of why we are here as Westminster United Church.
The group that met with us yesterday began this work. They identified four Core Values. Core values are statements that help keep all the people and groups and committees and staff on the same track as they make day to day decisions about goals and actions.
1. We acknowledge the presence of God in every person.
2. We discover and explore new ideas that enhance out vision.
3. We foster relationships with God through use of our resources and facilities.
4. We recognize that everyone has gifts and needs, and offer the opportunity for growth.
Each of these has roots in the life of the early church.
An effective Mission Statement guides decision-making. It focus vision. It describes the way we connect with one another and with God. It energizes everyone. This is the Mission Statement developed by those who attended the workshop and spent the day working on behalf of the whole congregation:
We are journeying together
in God’s love . . .
to discover,
nurture and
`share
our gifts.
These words are not cast in stone. The workshop document contains two alternate versions for people to look at.
What would Jesus say if he were to appear today at Westminster Church? Here are some suggestions:
o Is there any pizza left? (Jesus was a practical person.)
o Don’t be afraid to share yourselves. Everyone’s contribution has value and is needed.
o Well done!
We want to finish by sharing with you two songs that were created at the workshop, both based on the Mission Statement that was developed. Here are a couple of verses from the one written to the tune “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
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A Mission Statement was our aim, was our aim, was our aim,
A Mission Statement was our game,
Listen as we sing.
Loving God in all we do, all we do, all we do,
Loving God in all we do
Is sure to make us true.
Gifts and talents must be shared, must be shared, must be shared,
Gifts and talents must be shared
To show how we all care.
May God bless you as you carry our your mission in this place.
