Home Church May 8, 2022 4th Sunday of Easter

Home Church

May 8, 2022

4th Sunday of Easter

Guest Presiders: Susan Brockley, Mona Smart, Charlie and Christine Blackburn

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

Whoever you are and wherever you are on life’s journey,

you are welcome here!

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. We 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, in the midst of it all, on God. If you need to go and get something or shift something around you, feel free.

Announcements

Preparing the Space within Us

Let us now prepare 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. 

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           Thom Shuman1

Day by day, God leads us:

          to the deep, deep pools of peace,
          to the green, lush lawns of grace.

Day by day, Jesus calls us:

          to pour out ourselves in service,
          to anoint the stranger with hope.

Day by day, the Holy Spirit shows us:

          the community we could be,
          the family we are called to become.

Opening Prayer      Mary Petrina Boyd2

Loving Shepherd,
you know our names;
you care for us.
When we face darkness and death,
walk beside us.
When we hunger for your love,
fill us with your presence.
When we are fearful,
feed us at your table.
May we dwell in the house of goodness and mercy
all the days of our lives. Amen.

Hymn: In the Bulb There is a Flower    VU # 703

1 In the bulb there is a flower;

in the seed, an apple tree;

in cocoons, a hidden promise:

butterflies will soon be free!

In the cold and snow of winter

there's a spring that waits to be,

unrevealed until its season,

something God alone can see.

2 There's a song in every silence,

seeking word and melody;

there's a dawn in every darkness,

bringing hope to you and me.

From the past will come the future;

what it holds, a mystery,

unrevealed until its season,

something God alone can see.

3 In our end is our beginning;

in our time, infinity;

in our doubt there is believing;

in our life, eternity.

In our death, a resurrection;

at the last, a victory,

unrevealed until its season,

something God alone can see. 

Prayer of Confession        Rev Dan Carmichael (adapted)3

Lord, like a shepherd,

You never stop searching for Your people,
Your care for us anticipates our need.
Before we recognized we needed Your grace,
in love, Jesus gave His life for our forgiveness.

We confess that we need Your forgiveness,

we confess our sins:
You are the Shepherd  and we are Your flock,

but we admit the times we have tried to take Your place  

and take control ourselves.

We admit that we have not always trusted

Your good news to be good for us.

At times we have pleaded with You to care for us,
but we have held back from caring for others

and ignored the needs of others.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Forgive us in the name of Jesus.
Loving Shepherd, 

teach us by the Holy Spirit to follow You

in the days and places of the weeks ahead.
Through Jesus Christ we pray, Amen. 

Silent Prayer of Confession  

Assurance of Grace     Bruce Prewer4

One: My friends, it is good to be here in the flock of Christ Jesus, where saving grace abounds, and our cup is full and running over.

All:    Here we “fear no evil’ for God forgives our sins and “restores  our soul and leads us in the paths of right living for his name’s sake.” Thanks be to God!

Peace of Christ 

The peace of Christ that surpasses all understanding binds us together in this worship space.  Let us share this peace with one another.

          A-M: The Peace of Christ be with you!

          N-Z: And also with you!

First Reading: Acts 9: 36-43   Reader: Paddy Waymark

Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, ‘Please come to us without delay.’ So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.

Second Reading Psalm: Psalm 23      Reader: Paddy Waymark

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

   He makes me lie down in green pastures;

he leads me beside still waters;

   he restores my soul.

He leads me in right paths

   for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,

   I fear no evil;

for you are with me;

   your rod and your staff—

   they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

   in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

   my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

   all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

   my whole life long.

Gospel Reading       Reader: Paddy Waymark

One:      God be with you.       

All:        And also with you

One:      The Good News of Jesus Christ according to John

All:        Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

John 10: 22-30 At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered, ‘I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.’                 

          One: This is the Gospel of Christ; 

          All:   Praise be to Jesus Christ

Reflections:    ( see attached)

 Comfort                            Christine Blackburn

Silent Reflection                    

Healing Legacy                 Charlie Blackburn

Silent Reflection    

Thinking about Tabitha   Mona Smart

Silent Reflection

Creed 

Let us affirm our faith . . . 

We are not alone,

    we live in God’s world.

 We believe in God:

    who has created and is creating,

    who has come in Jesus,

       the Word made flesh,

       to reconcile and make new,

    who works in us and others

       by the Spirit.

We trust in God. 

We are called to be the Church:

    to celebrate God’s presence,

    to live with respect in Creation,

    to love and serve others,

    to seek justice and resist evil,

    to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,

       our judge and our hope.

In life, in death, in life beyond death,

    God is with us.

We are not alone.

    Thanks be to God.

Prayers of the People             Mona Smart                                      

One:  God of Mystery and Love,

All:    Hear Our Prayer

Lord’s Prayer

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.

Invitation to the Offering      Mary Petrina Boyd5

This morning we heard the story of Tabitha, her good works and her acts of charity.  May we take a moment to think of what we can offer to God.                        

The Shepherd cares for us,  

providing all that we need in abundance.

The Shepherd calls us to love one another

in truth and action.

May our gifts reflect our trust in the Shepherd’s care.

May our offerings show our willingness to love one another.

Offering Prayer       Mary Petrina Boyd6       

Let us pray together.

God of love,
you abide with us;
you provide for all our needs
and guide us in your ways.
Out of gratitude for your care,
we bring our gifts before you.
Use them for your work of caring,
that all may feast at the table of abundance,
walk without fear,
and drink deeply
from the cup of compassion. Amen.

Please join me in saying…

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.

Hymn: He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands

He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got you and me Brother in His hands,
He's got you and me Brother in His hands,
He's got you and me Brother in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got you and me Sister in His hands,
He's got you and me Sister in His hands,
He's got you and me Sister in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got everybody here in His hands,
He's got everybody here in His hands,
He's got everybody here in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

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.

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

A-M:  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  ommunity 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!

Thank You

1Thom Shuman, lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.com

2Mary Petrina Boyd, posted on Ministry Matters. http://www.ministrymatters.com/

3Rev Dan Carmichael (adapted); posted on The Church of Scotland’s Weekly Worship   

   website. http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/ 

4http://www.bruceprewer.com/DocC/C31east4.htm

5Mary Petrina Boyd, posted on Ministry Matters. http://www.ministrymatters.com/

6Mary Petrina Boyd, posted on Ministry Matters. http://www.ministrymatters.com/