Hybrid Church Third Sunday After Pentecost June 18, 2023

Hybrid Church

Third Sunday After Pentecost

June 18, 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  

“In this moment and place we sense the indwelling essence of spirit and stand humbled before its mystery.  We know and are known by something larger than ourselves.  Grace awakens in us a natural compassion, allowing us to be kinder with ourselves and with other living beings.”                         

(From “Life Prayers” edited by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon)

 

(invitation to sit in silence)

 

Introit: Lord, Prepare Me to Be a Sanctuary                                      MV #18 

          Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary, 

          pure and holy, tried and true;

          with thanksgiving, I’ll be a living

          sanctuary for you.  (x2)

 

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:  As a Fire is Meant for Burning                                                        VU #578

 

Opening Words                                                                          (Alla Renee Bozarth, “Life Prayers”)
Hold out.  Take only the worthy guest.  You are the guardian.  
You the sacred host, your body the temple. 
Keep your sanctuary safe.  
Receive no one without deep mutual welcome.  
Take in only angels—those sent by God bearing messages of recognition—I see you, entire, complete, wholly—all suffering, all goodness, all power, all mirth.  
Bright radiance inside, and the silence, the darkness.  
Such ones as can speak these words will inspire you to conceive and help you to give birth to the divine child.

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Opening Prayer                                                                             (Alistair MacLean, “Life Prayers”)
One:  Many a time I wish I were other than I am. 
All:    I weary of the solemn tide; of the little fields; of this                                             brooding isle. 
One:  I long to be rid of the weight of duty and to have my part in                            ampler life. 
All:    O thou, who art wisdom and pity both, set me free from the                    lordship of desire. 
One:  Help me to find my happiness in my acceptance of what is my                      purpose:  
All:    in friendly eyes;

          In quietness born of trust,

  And, most of all, in the awareness of your presence in my           spirit. 
                                                     

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 18:1-15 (NRSV)                                                      Reader: Mona Smart

The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. He said, ‘My lord, if I find favour with you, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.’ So they said, ‘Do as you have said.’ And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, ‘Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.’ Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.They said to him, ‘Where is your wife Sarah?’ And he said, ‘There, in the tent.’ Then one said, ‘I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.’ And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah 

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were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, ‘After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?’ The Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh, and say, “Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?” Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son.’ But Sarah denied, saying, ‘I did not laugh’; for she was afraid. He said, ‘Oh yes, you did laugh.’

 

Psalm 116                                                                                                                                            VU #836

Refrain:             

How can I repay you, God, for all the goodness you show to me?

 

I love you, God, because you heard my voice

when I made supplication,

          because you turned your ear to me,

          when I called upon your name.

The cords of death entangled me,

and the pangs of the Grave laid hold on me;

          I suffered distress and anguish.

Then I called upon the name of God.

          O God, I pray, save my life.   R

How can I repay you, God,

for all the good things you have done for me?

          I will take up the cup of salvation,

          and call upon the name of God.

          I will pay my vows in the presence of all God’s people.   R

Precious in the sight of God is the death of the saints.

          O God, I am your servant;

I am your servant, the child of your maidservant.

          You have freed me from my bonds.

I will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving.

          and will call upon the name of God.

I will pay my vows to God in the presence of all God’s people,

          in the courts of the house of God, 

          in your midst, O Jerusalem.   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.                                                    4

Matthew 9:35 - 10:8 (NRSV)

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.’ Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax-collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: ‘Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.

          

Reader: This is the Gospel of Christ.   

          All:                     Praise be to Jesus Christ       

 

Reflection:                   “Who Said It Would be Easy?”

 

(Silent Reflection)

 

Hymn: There’s a Spirit in the Air (v.1,2,5,7)                                            VU #582

 

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.

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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

 

Offertory: What Can I Do? (x2)                                                                             MV #191

             

Offering Prayer                                                                                                          (Glen E. Rainsley)

One:  Good and gracious God, source of all our resources, teach us to 

          serve you with generosity generation upon generation.
All:    Turn our intentions into offerings and our hopes into actions.
One:  Enable us to grow in faithfulness through the practice of giving. 

All:    In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.                                   

 

Prayers of the People                                                           Betty Schultze                                                                                            

One:  Loving God,

All:    Hear Our Prayers

 

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: Draw the Circle Wide                                                                                       MV #145

 

Thank You

 

Blessing                                                                                                (Glen E. Rainsley, adapted)

One:  May our lives be transformed by God’s grace.

All:     May our actions be informed by the wisdom of Word and Spirit.

One:  And may the love of Christ be at the heart of all we do.

All:                  Allelujah and Amen!