Hybrid Church 7th Sunday after Pentecost July 16, 2023

Christ Church Gabriola

A Collaborative Anglican – United Church

Open to All

                                                                                                                                                                     (photo by Lubo Minar, Unsplash)                           

Hybrid Church

7th Sunday after Pentecost

July 16, 2023

Rev. Sally Bullas

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

Whether 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      (Rex AE Hunt)  

“Come in. Come into this place which we make special by our presence.  Where the ordinary is sanctified, the human is celebrated, the compassionate is expected. Together we make it a holy place with our every act of celebration.”  

                                                (invitation to sit in silence)

Introit: Gather Us In x2   MV #7

          Gather us in, ground us in you.

Gather us in, ground us in you.
Gather us in, gather us in,
ground us, ground us in you.  

Lighting of the Christ Candle  

One:  Christ is our Light.

All:    Thanks be to God!

(the Christ Candle is lit)

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

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

All:     And also with you

Hymn: Come In, Come In and Sit Down         VU #395

          Refrain:

Come in come in and sit down,
you are a part of the family.
We are lost and we are found,
and we are a part of the family.

1You know the reason why you came,
yet no reason can explain,
so share in the laughter and cry in the pain,
for we are a part of the family. R

 2God is with us in this place,     

like a mother's warm embrace.

We're all forgiven by God's grace,
for we are a part of the family. R

3There's life to be shared 
in the bread and the wine, 
we are the branches Christ is the vine. 

This is God's temple, it's not yours or mine,

but we are a part of the family. R

4There's rest for the weary and health 
for us all, there's a yoke that is easy, 
and a burden that's small. 
So come in and worship and answer the call, 

for we are a part of the family. R                

Opening Words           (Rex AE Hunt)
One:  Let there be joy in our coming together this morning.

All:    Let there be compassion heard in the words we speak, 

          and love in the songs we sing.

One:  Let there be silence for the voice within us and beyond us.

All:    Let there be joy in our coming together.                                          

Opening Prayer          (From the words of Elizabeth M Strong, adapted by Rex AE Hunt)
One:  Spirit of life, present in this hour...

All:    may we always sense our present-ness when we gather in this sacred place. 

One:  May all who enter here find comfort and wisdom in this community.

All:    Today we celebrate a dream awakening.

          Today we celebrate with renewed hope in our hearts.

          Today we act on an audacity of hopes and dreams for the             future.

One:  Today we begin the hard work for justice, equity and

          compassion in all human relations, for today is a day like no              other and it is ours to shape with vision and action.

All:    Let us be together and celebrate a dream awakening.                  Amen.                                            

Passing of the Peace

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

Genesis 25:19-34 (NRSV)   Reader: Mona Smart

These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, sister of Laban the Aramean. Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. The children struggled together within her; and she said, ‘If it is to be this way, why do I live?’ So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her,‘Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples born of you shall be divided; one shall be stronger than the other,the elder shall serve the younger.’ When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they named him Esau. Afterwards his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. When the boys grew up, Esau was a skilful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents. Isaac loved Esau, because he was fond of game; but Rebekah loved Jacob. Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. Esau said to Jacob, ‘Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am famished!’ (Therefore he was called Edom.) Jacob said, ‘First sell me your birthright.’ Esau said, ‘I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?’ Jacob said, ‘Swear to me first.’ So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Psalm 119    VU #838

Refrain:  Happy are they who follow your law, O God!

Happy are those who live a blameless life, who follow your law, O God.

       Happy are those who keep your decrees,

       who seek you with their whole heart.

They also do no wrong but walk in your ways.

       You have given your precepts for us to keep diligently. R

O that my ways might be steadfast in the keeping of your statutes.

       Then I will not be put to shame,

       when I hear all your commandments.

I will truly thank you from the heart, when I learn your righteous decrees.

       I will keep your statutes. 

       O do not utterly forsake me. R

Gospel Reading:         Reader: Mona Smart

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 the Christ according to Matthew

All:     Glory to you, Christ Jesus.

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!’

‘Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.’

 

          Reader: This is the Gospel of Christ.   

          All:           Praise be to Jesus Christ       

Reflection:   “Breaking Up Isn’t So Hard to Do”

Hymn: Dear God, Who Loves All Humankind        VU #608

                                                                                                                          (Alternate Tune:  Repton, VU#504)

1Dear God, who loves all humankind,

forgive our foolish ways;

reclothe us in our rightful mind;

in purer lives thy service find,

in deeper reverence, praise.

2In simple trust like theirs who heard,

beside the Syrian sea,

the gracious calling of the Lord,

let us, like them, without a word,

rise up, and follow thee.

3O sabbath rest by Galilee!

O calm of hills above,

where Jesus knelt to share with thee

the silence of eternity,

interpreted by love!

4Drop thy still dews of quietness,

till all our strivings cease;

take from our souls the strain and stress,

and let our ordered lives confess

the beauty of thy peace.

5Breathe through the heats of our desire

thy coolness and thy balm;

let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;

speak through the earthquake, wind and fire,

O still, small voice of calm!

Affirmation of Faith:                                (from The New Zealand Prayer Book)

You, O God, are supreme and holy.

You create our world and give us life.

Your purpose overarches everything we do.

You have always been with us. 

You are God.

You, O God, are infinitely generous,

good beyond all measure.

You came to us before we came to you.

You have revealed and proved

your love for us in Jesus Christ,

who lived and died and rose again.

You are with us now. 

You are God.

You, O God, are Holy Spirit.

You empower us to be your gospel in the world.

You reconcile and heal; you overcome death.

You are our God. We worship you.

Offering

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       (Rex AE Hunt)

One:  May these gifts be brought to life as:

All:    new hope of healing,

          fresh ways of coping,

          a chance to rest,

          a chance to work,

          a way to live gracefully.

Prayers of the People     Paddy Waymark                                                                                       

One:  Loving Spirit

All:    Hear our Words of Prayer

The Prayer of Jesus                                                                                                   VU #959      

 Our Father in heaven, 
          hallowed be your name,

          your Kin-dom 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 kin-dom, the power
          and the glory are yours,

          now and forever.

Hymn: Arise, Your Light is Come                VU #79

          1Arise your light is come!

          The Spirit’s call obey;

          show forth the glory of your God,

          Which shines on you today.

          2Arise your light is come!

          Fling wide the prison door;

          proclaim the captives liberty,

          good tidings to the poor.

          3Arise your light is come!

          All you in sorrow born,

          bind up the broken hearted ones

          and come comfort those who mourn.

          4Arise your light is come!

          The mountains burst in song!

          Rise up like eagles on the wing;

          God’s power will make us strong.

Thank You

 

Blessing      (Rex AE Hunt)

One:    Let us take on this week’s life with 
All:      renewed hope and imagination...
One:    In our lives, may we know the holy meaning,