Hybrid Church, 9th Sunday after Pentecost, August 7, 2022, Rev. Karen Hollis

Hybrid Church, 9th Sunday after Pentecost, August 7, 2022, Rev. Karen Hollis

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! 

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. 

Welcome & Announcements

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 & Opening Prayer                                Iona Community

One:  God, your constant love reaches the heavens; Your faithfulness 

          extends to the skies

All:    Your righteousness is towering like the mountains; Your justice is like the depths of the sea.

One:  We find protection under the shadow of your wings; We feast on the abundant food you provide

All:    You are the source of all life; and because of your light, we see the light.

Hymn: Joyful, Joyful v. 1,2,4 (organ)                                                                    VU #232

1 Joyful, joyful, we adore you,

God of glory, life and love;

hearts unfold like flowers before you,

opening to the sun above.

Melt the clouds of sin and sadness,

drive our fear and doubt away;

giver of immortal gladness,

fill us with the light of day.

 

2 All your works with joy surround you,

earth and heaven reflect your rays,

stars and angels sing around you,

center of unbroken praise.

Field and forest, vale and mountain,

flowery meadow, flashing sea,

chanting bird and flowing fountain,

sound their praise eternally.

 

4 Mortals, join the mighty chorus

which the morning stars began;

God's own love is reigning o'er us,

joining people hand in hand.

Ever singing, march we onward,

victors in the midst of strife;

joyful music lifts us sunward

in the triumph song of life.

 

Prayer of Confession                                            Adapted from Walter Brueggemann

From our limited human view, we try to know you, O God. We think we can pin you down and put you in a box. We imagine you out of our human experience; we call to you from our particular places of suffering. We give you names that only serve for a moment. You break free from us and show Yourself fresh beyond our grasp, more wondrous than our imagining. Assure us again that you are God . . . beyond us . . . for us, but beyond us, not at our beck and call, but always in your own way. 

Silent prayer of confession

Assurance of Grace 

God invites us to see more and know more of God as God’s revelation continues. Let us meet the Living God today and receive the grace God offers.

Passing of the Peace

Let us rise in body or spirit and share the peace of Christ that surpasses all understanding!

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: Genesis 15:1-6 (NRSV)                      Reader: Christine Blackburn

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir." But the word of the LORD came to him, "This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir." He brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be." And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness.

Psalm 33 (Voices United)                                                                      Reader: Christine Blackburn

Shout to God for joy, you righteous! 

Praise is fitting from loyal hearts.

          Give thanks to God with the harp; 

          sing praise to God with then ten-stringed lute.

Sing a new song to God; 

play skillfully with shouts of joy.

          For the word of God is true; 

          God’s every deed is faithful.

You love what is right and just; 

the earth is full of your constant love.

          By your word the heavens were made,

   the countless stars by the breath of your mouth.

You gathered the waters of the sea as in a goatskin;

you stored the deep in cisterns.

Let all the earth fear you, O God,

          let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe.

For you spoke and it came to be; 

You commanded and it stood firm.

You foil the plans of the nations, 

and frustrate the schemes of the peoples.

Your counsel, O God, shall stand forever,

the purposes of your heart through all generations.

Happy the nation who has you as God.

Happy the people you choose as you own.

Our heart rejoices in you, O God, 

because our hope is in your holy name.

Let your steadfast love be upon us as we put our trust in you.

Gospel Reading                                                                           Reader: Christine Blackburn

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 12:32-40 (N.T. Wright) 

‘Don’t be afraid, little flock. You Father is delighted to give you the kingdom’

       ‘Sell your possessions and give alms. Make yourselves purses that don’t wear out, a treasure in heaven that lasts for ever, where the thief doesn’t come near and the moth doesn’t destroy. Yes: where your treasure is, there your heart will be too.’

       ‘Make sure you’re dressed and ready with your lamps alight,’ said Jesus. ‘You need to be like people waiting for their master when he comes back from the wedding-feast, so that when he comes and knocks they will be able to open the door for him at once. A blessing on the servants whom the master finds awake when he comes! I’m telling you the truth: he will put on an apron and sit them down and come and wait on them. A blessing on them if he comes in the second watch of the night, or even the third, and finds them like that!

       ‘But you should know this: if the householder had known what time the thief was coming, he wouldn’t have let his house be broken into. You too should be ready, because the son of man is coming at a time you don’t expect.’

 

Reader: This is the Gospel of Christ.   

All:          Praise be to Jesus Christ       

Reflection  - How Big is Your God?  (see attached)

Silent Reflection

Hymn: Immortal, Invisible (organ)                                                                    VU #264

1 Immortal, invisible, God only wise,

in light inaccessible hid from our eyes,

most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,

almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.

 

2 Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,

nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might;

thy justice like mountains high soaring above

thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.

 

3 To all, life thou givest, to both great and small;

in all life. thou livest, the true life of all;

we blossom and flourish, like leaves on the tree,

then wither and perish; but naught changeth thee.

 

4 Thou reignest in glory, thou rulest in light,

thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;

all laud we would render, O help us to see

'tis only the splendour of light hideth thee.

New 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 - Paddy Waymark  (see attached)

One:  God of Truth,

All:    Hear Our Prayers

Lord’s Prayer (spoken)                                                                                 

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.

Offering

Doxology (organ)                                                                                                                 CP #669

Praise God the Source of life and birth,

Praise God the Word, who cam to earth.

Praise God the Spirit, holy flame.

All Glory, honour to God’s name.

Offering Prayer

Creator God, from the dust of stars you brought us into existence to participate in your creation. Receive the offerings of our hands and hearts today and bless them, that we may serve your wondrous and delicate world. Amen.

The Great Thanksgiving

God, our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer made life out of nothing but love, cares for life for no reason but love, guides and protects life for no reason but love. 

God called Mary to dance with Love and bring Love into the world. In love, God calls us, beloved creatures, made in God’s own image, to feast with God and with each other, that we may taste and see God’s goodness, delight in God’s’ ways of justice and peace, learn to recognize and love our neighbour, receive the healing God offers, and work with gladness and courage for the in-breaking of God’s realm on earth. 

With love, our Creator God calls us to this table inviting us to break bread, share the cup, delight in those good gifts of Earth, and be renewed by God’s sustaining love.

Sanctus                                                                                                           MV #203

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!

What we do here, we do in imitation of what Jesus first did. 

To his followers of every age, Jesus gave an example and command rooted in the experience he shared with his disciples in an upstairs room in Jerusalem. At his last meal with his friends Jesus called them and us to remember . . .

 

On the night before he was betrayed, gathered around a table with his friends, Jesus took bread, gave thanks to you, O God, broke it, and shared it among them, saying:

this is my body broken for you and for all. Do this in remembrance of me.

After supper, Jesus took the cup, and after giving you thanks, gave it to them, saying:

drink this, all of you, this is the cup of the new covenant, which is poured out for all. As often as you do this, remember me.

Loving God we rejoice in the gift of your grace, remembering Christ’s life and death, proclaiming his resurrection, waiting in hope for his coming again. Grant that, in praise and thanksgiving, we may so offer ourselves that our lives may proclaim the mystery of faith.

Acclamation                                                                                                          MV #204

Sing Christ has died and Christ is risen, Christ will come again! Sing Christ has died and Christ is risen, Christ will come again!      

Bless these gifts with the presence of the Holy Spirit and bless us who have gathered here out of love for you, and strengthen us by these gifts to serve you in the world and share your love with everyone we meet. Through Christ, with Christ and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honour are your, 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: Break Now the Bread of Life (organ)       VU #501

1 Break now the bread of life, Saviour, to me,

as once you broke the loaves beside the sea.

Beyond the sacred page I seek you, Lord;

my spirit waits for you, O Living Word.

 

2 Bless your own truth, dear Christ, to me, to me,

as when you blessed the bread by Galilee;

then shall all bondage cease, all fetters fall,

and I shall find my peace, my all-in-all.

 

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.

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: I Sing the Might Power of God         (organ-different tune)    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.

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!

 

Organ Postlude