Hybrid Church, 15th Sunday after Pentecost, September 18, 2022

Hybrid Church, 15th Sunday after Pentecost, September 18, 2022

Rev. Karen Hollis

Musician: Dorothy Dittrich

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!

Welcome & Announcements

If you are gathering in person, on zoom or worshipping at home with the bulletin, welcome! We are one community, one in the body of Christ. 

Centering & Stillness

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                                              

One:  God said, “Come closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, 

          for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5)

All:    Holy is the soil we walk on, 

          Holy is everything that grows, 

          Holy all beneath the surface, 

          Holy every stream that flows.               (Edmund Banyard, Earth Gospel)                                                   

Opening Prayer                                                                                          

Ground of our Being, we come with gratitude for every gift that sustains life in Your world. Plant seeds in our gratitude for deeper understanding of our place in your creation and teach us how to offer gratitude with our hands, as well as our hearts. In Jesus our great teacher we pray, Amen.

Hymn: Called by Earth and Sky  MV #135

Refrain:

Called by earth and sky, 

promise of hope held high.

This is our sacred living trust, 

treasure of life sanctified,

Called by earth and sky. 

1Precious these waters, endless seas,

Deep oceans dream, 

Waters of healing, rivers of rain,

The wash of love again. R

2Precious this gift, the air we breathe;

Wind born and free.

Breath of the Spirit, blow through this place,

Our gathering and our grace. R

3Precious these mountains, ancient sands;

Vast fragile land.

Seeds of our wakening, rooted and strong,

Creation’s faithful song. R

4Precious the fire that lights our way,

Bright dawning day.

Fire of passion, sorrows undone,

Our faith and justice one. R

Prayer of Confession                                                            

Our culture raises us to be consumers of God’s world. It teaches that we can take as much as we can pay for . . . and even what we will pay off later. As we enter into this time of confession, let us wonder if this approach truly nourishes our spirits.

How much is enough, O God? How much is enough?

Silent prayer of confession

Assurance of Grace

Friends, hear the good news. God meets us in the space of difficult questions, not in judgement, but in love, as we look deeper into our own humanity. Receive the grace God offers today as a companion on the journey. 

 Passing of the Peace

Jesus said to his disciples, “My peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” Let us share his peace with one another:

One:    The peace of Christ be with you! 

All:      And also with you!

You are invited to turn to those directly around you and share Christ’s peace. Those on zoom, please unmute and share with one another.

Reader: By the gift of your Spirit, calm and quiet our souls that we may hear your Word today and be lifted up to walk with you. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen

First Reading: Exodus 16:9-16, 22-23 (The Message)   Reader: C. Woodward

Moses instructed Aaron: “Tell the whole company of Israel: ‘Come near to God. He’s heard your complaints.’” When Aaron gave out the instructions to the whole company of Israel, they turned to face the wilderness. And there it was: the Glory of God visible in the Cloud. God spoke to Moses, “I’ve listened to the complaints of the Israelites. Now tell them: ‘At dusk you will eat meat and at dawn you’ll eat your fill of bread; and you’ll realize that I am God, your God.’” That evening quail flew in and covered the camp and in the morning there was a layer of dew all over the camp. When the layer of dew had lifted, there on the wilderness ground was a fine flaky something, fine as frost on the ground. The Israelites took one look and said to one another, man-hu (What is it?). They had no idea what it was. So Moses told them, “It’s the bread God has given you to eat. And these are God’s instructions: ‘Gather enough for each person, about two quarts per person; gather enough for everyone in your tent.’” The People of Israel went to work and started gathering, some more, some less, but when they measured out what they had gathered, those who gathered more had no extra and those who gathered less weren’t short—each person had gathered as much as was needed. Moses said to them, “Don’t leave any of it until morning.”

Gospel Reading  Reader: Catherine Woodward

As is your custom, please stand or sit for the reading of the gospel. 

Reader: God be with you.       

All:      And also with you

Reader:           The Good News of Jesus Christ according to Luke

All:          Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Luke 9:10-17 (NRSV) 

On their return the apostles told Jesus all they had done. He took them with him and withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida. When the crowds found out about it, they followed him; and he welcomed them, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed to be cured. The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place.’ But he said to them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said, ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.’ For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, ‘Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.’ They did so and made them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

Reader: This is the Gospel of Christ.   

All:          Praise be to Jesus Christ       

Reading: Honourable Harvest (Braiding Sweetgrass)   Reader: C. Woodward

The guidelines for the Honourable Harvest are not written down, or even consistently spoken of as a whole – they are reinforced in small acts of daily life. But if you were to list them, they might look something like this:

Know the ways of the ones who take care of you, so that you may take care of them.

Introduce yourself. Be accountable as the one who comes asking for life.

            Ask permission before taking. Abide by the answer.

            Never take the first. Never take the last.

            Take only what you need.

            Take only that which is given.

            Never take more than half. Leave some for others.

            Harvest in a way that minimizes harm.

            Use it respectfully. Never waste what you have taken.

            Share.

            Give thanks for what you have been given.

            Give a gift, in reciprocity for what you have taken.

            Sustain the ones who sustain you and the earth will last forever.

 

Reflection:     Reciprocal Care

Silent Reflection

Hymn: My Love Colours Outside the Lines     MV #138

1My love colours outside the lines,

exploring paths that few could ever find;

and takes me into places

where I’ve never been before,

and opens doors to worlds outside the lines.

2My Lord colours outside the lines,

turns wounds to blessings, water into wine;

and takes me into places

where I’ve never been before

and opens doors to worlds outside the lines.

3We’ll never walk on water

If we’re not prepared to drown,

body and soul need a soaking from time to time.

And we’ll never move the gravestones

if we’re not prepared to die,

and realize there are worlds outside the lines.

4My soul longs to colour outside the lines,

tear back the curtains, sun, come in and shine;

I want to walk beyond the boundaries

where I’ve never been before,

throw open doors to worlds outside the lines.

Affirmation of Faith   

You are the new song.

You are the next beat in my heart.

You are the praise and possibility. 

You are the present and the future.

I believe the Light of the World has come this day. 

I see it now in all days. 

Those gone and those to come aflame in love.

Your love wrapped in human form,

Your love learned in justice and in mercy,

Your love risen over death.

I believe love has come on this day.

I believe love has and will always come.                                             

Prayers of the People   Mona Smart             

One:  Loving God

All:    Hear Our Prayers

Lord’s Prayer (sung)       VU #959 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.

Invitation to the Offering 

Lay Assistant please come forward

Doxology                                                                                                                                         CP #669

Praise God the Source of life and birth,

Praise God the Word, who came to earth.

Praise God the Spirit, holy flame.

All Glory, honour to God’s name.

Offering Prayer          enfleshed, adapted

Spirit of Christ, grant us sustained focus on what is life-giving so that restoration, joy, and mutuality may flow in our relationship with the rest of creation. According to our abilities, we offer each other gifts of money, relationship, and labor that it may be so. Amen.

Invitation to Communion

This table of bread and wine is now to be made ready. It is the table of company with Jesus; it is the table of sharing with the poor of the world, with whom Jesus identified himself; it is the table of communion with the earth, in which Christ became incarnate; it is the table of radical welcome in the name of our God. Come to this table, whether you are online or in person; it is Christ who invites us to meet him here.

The Great Thanksgiving        enfleshed

The Holy One be with you

And also with you

Open your hearts to the One who is Love

We open our hearts to you, O God

Let us give thanks to God, who gathers us together

To the One who welcomes us to the table, we give thanks and praise

God, your invitation to come and feast in your presence is but a taste of the love you extend to us every day. By your very nature, you are always seeking us out – searching for ways to connect us and connect with us. You meet us in the most ordinary of places and you make them sacred. By your grace, we come to recognize the holiness that dwells in the world around us, in our neighbors, in our own internal depths.

Therefore we join our voices with your people on earth and all the company of the heavens, singing praise to you,

Sanctus        MV #203

O Holy, holy, holy God, O God of time and space.

All earth and sea and sky above bear witness to your grace.

Hosanna in the highest heav’n, creation sings your praise.

And blessed is the One who comes and bears your name always!

Blessed are you and blessed is your eternal table. You welcome all who thirst for justice and hunger to grow in love. You ask us to extend this same welcome to all our neighbors, but God, since our beginning, we have struggled.

And so in your love for us, you took on flesh in Jesus. Through his life, you pointed to your presence on the margins. You revealed the sacredness in all life. You showed us how to live together, even among forces of destruction. His commitment to practicing love knew no bounds – not even the bounds of death.

On the night of his arrest, Jesus shared a meal with his companions.

He took bread, blessed it, broke it, gave it to his disciples and said:

“This is my body which is given for you.

Do this in remembrance of me.”

After the meal, he took the cup, blessed it, and shared it saying:

“This cup that is poured out is the new covenant.”

In remembrance of all you have done to save us,

we proclaim the mystery of our faith:

Christ was birthed among us.                     

Christ was killed among us.

Christ rises again among us. 

Pour out your Spirit on these gifts, O God. Make these ordinary elements into the Sacred gift of your presence with us once again. May they awaken us anew to your everlasting invitation into a life of resurrection. Aliven us in our pursuit of a world where all needs are met, power is balanced, and the worth of every creature and creation is celebrated.

Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ, 

in the unity of the Holy Spirit, 

all glory is yours, 

Almighty God now and forever, 

Amen

Breaking the Bread

One:  “I am the bread of life,” Jesus says. “Whoever comes to me will never be hungry; whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

All:    Taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are they who trust in him!

One: These are the gifts of God for the people of God.

All:    Thanks be to God.

One:  Let us all who are gathered here receive Christ in our hearts. Those gathered in the sanctuary are also invited to receive a wafer.

Those on the socially distanced side of the sanctuary, please remain seated to be served in the pew. Those on the non-socially distanced side, please keep to your right as you process up behind the communion table to receive and continue around, back to your seat.

Communion Hymn: Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ     VU #468

1Let us talents and tongues employ,

reaching out with a shout of joy:

bread is broken, the wine is poured,

Christ is spoken and seen and heard.

Refrain:

Jesus lives again,

earth can breathe again,

pass the Word around:

loaves abound!

2Christ is able to make us one,

at the table he sets the tone,

teaching people to live to bless,

love in word and in deed express. R

3Jesus calls us in, sends us out

bearing fruit in a world of doubt,

gives us love to tell, bread to share.

God (Immanuel) everywhere! R

Prayer After Communion     enfleshed

God, by the bread of heaven and the cup of life, you make us one body. Bind us together by your spirit that we might live into your hopes for us, a community centered in Christ and rich in compassion, commitment, courage, and care. May it be so.

Hymn: What Does the Lord Require of You     VU #701

What does the Lord require of you? 

What does the Lord require of you? 

Justice, kindness, 

walk humbly with your God.

To seek justice, and love kindness,

And walk humbly with your God.

Thank You

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.

A-M:  The Son’s blessing be yours, wine and water, bread and stories,

          feeding you, challenging you.

N-Z:   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!