Home Church, 4th Sunday after Pentecost, June 20, 2021, Rev. Karen Hollis

Home Church, 4th Sunday after Pentecost, June 20, 2021, Rev. Karen Hollis

We acknowledge these lands upon which we worship are the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation.

Preparing the Space Around Us

Whoever you are and wherever you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here! Welcome if you are gathering on zoom or if you are worshipping at home with the bulletin. We are one community and all part of the body of Christ. I invite you to prepare the space around you so that for the next hour you can be fully in this worship experience, not to keep out the realities of the world, rather to focus us in the midst of it all on God. If you need to go and get something or shift something around you, feel free.

Preparing the Space within Us

Let us prepare now the space within us for a time of worship. I invite you to sit quietly, perhaps with feet on the floor, taking a couple of deep breaths and bring yourself into this moment. Open yourself to the presence of God who is with us and within us . . . as you intentionally open yourself to God, open yourself also to what you need from this time of worship. 

Prelude: I Sing the Mighty Power   - VU #231

1 I sing the mighty power of God

that made the mountains rise,

that spread the flowing seas abroad,

and built the lofty skies.

I sing the wisdom that ordained

the sun to rule the day;

the moon shines full at God’s command

and all the stars obey.

 

2 I sing the goodness of the One

that filled the earth with food;

who formed the creatures with a word

and then pronounced them good.

O God, your wonders are displayed

where’er I turn my eye;

if I survey the ground I tread,

or gaze upon the sky!

 

3 There’s not a plant or flower below

but makes your glories known;

and clouds arise and tempests blow,

by order from your throne;

while all that borrows life from you

is ever in your care,

and everywhere that I may be,

you, God are present there.

 

Greeting                                                         
One:    The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, 

            and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

All:      And also with you     

 

Call to Worship -  The Pattern of Our Days, Iona, edited

One:    Come God; come walk with your people, for you alone are our strength and our joy.

All:      Come God; come walk beside us, behind us and before us 

            to guide us along our path, for you alone are our shelter and direction; and we put our trust in you.

One:    Come God, come seek and find and put us right, for you alone are the light in our darkness.

All:      Come God, we know you are near, the sound of your footsteps sets us dancing, so we come to praise and worship you!

 

Opening Prayer - BAS

O God our defender, storms rage about us and cause us to be afraid. Rescue your people from despair, deliver your children from fear, and help us all to trust you in times of need. We pray in Christ Jesus, Amen.

 

Hymn: Come and Find the Quiet Centre -  VU #374

1 Come and find the quiet centre

in the crowded life we lead,

find the room for hope to enter,

find the frame where we are freed:

clear the chaos and the clutter,

clear our eyes, that we can see

all the things that really matter,

be at peace, and simply be.

 

2 Silence is a friend who claims us,

cools the heat and slows the pace,

God it is who speaks and names us,

knows our being, face to face,

making space within our thinking,

lifting shades to show the sun,

raising courage when we're shrinking,

finding scope for faith begun.

 

3 In the Spirit let us travel,

open to each other's pain,

let our loves and fears unravel,

celebrate the space we gain:

there's a place for deepest dreaming,

there's a time for heart to care,

in the Spirit's lively scheming

there is always room to spare!

 

Prayer of Confession and Emptying          

God, we come before you with our worries and anxieties, our feelings of loneliness and helplessness, our desire to manage and control; we acknowledge how difficult it is to wrap our minds around the state of the world and continue to surrender to its reality. Help us to distinguish between things can and cannot control and give us grace to let go. 

 

Palms Down Palms Up Prayer - fr Richard Foster’s book Celebration of Discipline

Release Begin by placing your palms down as a symbolic indication of your desire to turn over any concerns you may have to God. Inwardly you may pray, ‘God, I release my control (anxiety, fear) over _____.’ Whatever it is that weighs on your mind or is a concern to you… release it. You may even feel a certain sense of release in your hands.

Receive After several moments of surrender, turn you palms up as 

a symbol of your desire to receive from God.  Perhaps you will pray silently, ‘God, I would like to receive your peace (your patience, your joy).’

Commune Having centered down, spend the remaining moments in silence and stillness. Do not ask for anything.  Allow God to commune with you, to love you.

Silent prayer of confession

Assurance of Grace 

Thanks be to God for the love that meets us right where we are. Thanks be to God for the courage to tell the truth and hear once again, you are beloved and free!

Peace of Christ 

Seeing as how we are reconciled with God, let us also be reconciled with one another by sharing the peace that Christ brings whenever we gather together. Please unmute and let us share peace among us. Those at the end of the alphabet, please join me: 

            N-Z:  The Peace of Christ be with you!

            A-M:  And also with you!

First Reading: 1 Samuel 17:32-49 (translation from “The Message”) - Nancy H.P.

Listen for the word of God to you this morning . . .

“Master,” said David, “don’t give up hope. I’m ready to go and fight this Philistine.” Saul answered David, “You can’t go and fight this Philistine. You’re too young and inexperienced—and he’s been at this fighting business since before you were born.” David said, “I’ve been a shepherd, tending sheep for my father. Whenever a lion or bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I’d go after it, knock it down, and rescue the lamb. If it turned on me, I’d grab it by the throat, wring its neck, and kill it. Lion or bear, it made no difference—I killed it. And I’ll do the same to this Philistine pig who is taunting the troops of God-Alive. God, who delivered me from the teeth of the lion and the claws of the bear, will deliver me from this Philistine.” Saul said, “Go. And God help you!” Then Saul outfitted David as a soldier in armor. He put his bronze helmet on his head and belted his sword on him over the armor. David tried to walk but he could hardly budge. David told Saul, “I can’t even move with all this stuff on me. I’m not used to this.” And he took it all off. Then David took his shepherd’s staff, selected five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the pocket of his shepherd’s pack, and with his sling in his hand approached Goliath. As the Philistine paced back and forth, his shield bearer in front of him, he noticed David. He took one look down on him and sneered—a mere boy, apple-cheeked and peach-fuzzed. The Philistine ridiculed David. “Am I a dog that you come after me with a stick?” And he cursed him by his gods. “Come on,” said the Philistine. “I’ll make roadkill of you for the buzzards. I’ll turn you into a tasty morsel for the field mice.” David answered, “You come at me with sword and spear and battle-ax. I come at you in the name of God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel’s troops, whom you curse and mock. This very day God is handing you over to me. I’m about to kill you, cut off your head, and serve up your body and the bodies of your Philistine buddies to the crows and coyotes. The whole earth will know that there’s an extraordinary God in Israel. And everyone gathered here will learn that God doesn’t save by means of sword or spear. The battle belongs to God—he’s handing you to us on a platter!” That roused the Philistine, and he started toward David. David took off from the front line, running toward the Philistine. David reached into his pocket for a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine hard in the forehead, embedding the stone deeply. The Philistine crashed, facedown in the dirt.

Psalm 9:9-20  (Voices United)  - Christine Blackburn

I will give thanks to you, God, with my whole heart;

I will tell of all your marvelous deeds.

       I will be glad and rejoice in you;

       I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

You are the stronghold for the oppressed,

a tower of strength in a time of trouble.

       Those who cherish your name will put their trust in you,

       for you, O God, have never failed those who seek you.

Sing praises to the One who dwells in Zion;

proclaim to the peoples the deeds God has done.

       For the One who avenges blood has remembered,

       and has not forgotten the cry of the poor.

Have pity on me, God;

       consider the trouble I suffer from those who hate me.

You are the One who lifts me up from the gates of death,

so that I may recount all your praises within 

the gates of the city, and rejoice in your saving help.

The nations have fallen into a pit of their own making;

in the net they laid in secret, their own feet are entangled.

       You have made yourself known, O God, and given judgement;

       the wicked are trapped in the work of their own hands.

The wicked go down to the Dead,

all the nations that are heedless of God.

       The needy shall not always be forgotten;

       the hope of the poor shall not forever be vain.

Rise up, O God; do not let mere mortals prevail.

Call the nations to account before you.

       Put them in fear, O God;

       let the nations know that they are but human.

 

Gospel Reading   - Christine Blackburn

One:      God be with you.       

All:        And also with you.

One:      The Good News of Jesus Christ according to Mark;

All:        Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Mark 4:35-41 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

One:  This is the Gospel of Christ; 

All:    Praise be to Jesus Christ

Reflection:   

Silent Reflection

Apostle’s Creed  

Let us affirm our faith . . . 

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

 

Prayers of the People   - Mona Smart

One:    God of Steadfast Trust and Love          

All:      Hear Our Prayers

Lord’s Prayer  -  Ecumenical Version

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial

and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, 

and the glory are yours

now and for ever. Amen.

Offering   -    Tim Leadem

Offering Prayer Let us pray . . .                                              

Where can we go from you presence, O God; your love finds us everywhere you go. Your persistent love meets us in the joys and challenges of our lives and tells us we belong. Your persistent love meets us as we gather: a community on a journey, sustained in your blessing. May this alays be a place of welcome, where your love is known. Amen.

Hymn: How Firm a Foundation  v. 1,2,3,5  -    VU #660

1 How firm a foundation, you servants of God,

is laid for your faith in his excellent word!

What more can be said than to you has been said,

to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

 

2 "Fear not, I am with you; O be not dismayed!

For I am your God and will still give you aid;

I'll strengthen and help you, and cause you to stand,

upheld by my righteous omnipotent hand.

 

3 "When through the deep waters I call you to go,

the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;

for I will be with you, your troubles to bless,

and sanctify to you your deepest distress.

 

5 "The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose

I will not -- I will not desert to his foes;

that soul, though all hell should endeavour to shake,

I'll never -- no, never -- no, never forsake!"

 

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation, in the Church and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen.

 

Blessing    -    Iona Community

If you are with another person, you’re invited to bless each other, taking every other line.

 

One:      The Creator’s blessing be yours on your road, on your journey,  guiding you, cherishing you.

Male:     The Son’s blessing be yours, wine and water, bread and stories,  feeding you, challenging you.

Female:The Spirit’s blessing be yours, wind and fire, joy and wisdom,               comforting you, disturbing you.

All:        The Angel’s blessing be yours, on your house, on your living, guarding you, encouraging you. Let us walk together, a community on a journey, sustained in God’s blessing. Amen!

One:      Let us go now in peace to love and serve the Lord.

All:        Thanks be to God! Alleluia!

 

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