Hybrid Church, “Work and Worship are One”, April 16, 2023 Rev. Sally Bullas

Hybrid Church, “Work and Worship are One”,April 16, 2023 Rev. Sally Bullas

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       (Inspired by Ephesians 1:12)

We, who set our hope on Christ, live for the praise of God’s glory.(invitation to sit in silence)

Introit: Gather Us In              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.

The Christ Candle is Lit 

One:  Christ is our light.

All:    Thanks be to God!

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

Opening Words                       (From “Gathering” written by Laura Turnbull, adapted)   

One:  We are called to be the church.

All:    We celebrate the joy of service, outreach, caring, and giving              p          raise to our Maker.                

One:  Let us sing thanksgiving!  We have good news to share.

All:    Praise God!  We are blessed abundantly!

Hymn: Praise Our Maker           VU #316

1Praise our Maker, peoples of one family:
God is love, God is love!

Praise our Maker, peoples of one family:

God is love, God is love!

2Love our Saviour, followers of Jesus:

God is love, God is love!

Love our Saviour, followers of Jesus:

God is love, God is love!

3Care for others, children of the Spirit:

God is love, God is love!

Care for others, children of the Spirit:

God is love, God is love!

Opening Prayer           (Inspired by a prayer from “Gathering,” written by Laura Turnbull)

One:  Beloved God, we are so incredibly thankful for your grace.

All:    You lavish us with blessing upon blessing.

One:  We marvel at the commitment and dedication of your followers.

All:    This community of faith is richly blessed with followers of             Jesus.

One:  May we show each other just how much each person is valued.

All:    Guide us now as we take stock and step out with renewed             strength and vision, supporting one another and inspired             by your Spirit as we respond to our call to be disciples.                         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

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 12: 1, 4-20                                 Reader: Angela Nutter

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot were to say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear were to say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body.

       Reader: Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.   

       All:           Thanks be to God.       

Reflection:   “Many Members…One Body”

Silent Reflection

Hymn: Let Us Build a House vs. 1,3,4,5  MV #1

 1Let us build a house where love can dwell

 and all can safely live,

 a place where saints and children tell

 how hearts learn to forgive.

 Built of hopes and dreams and visions,

 rock of faith and vault of grace;

 here the love of Christ shall end divisions:

Refrain: All are welcome, all are welcome,

all are welcome in this place.

3Let us build a house where love is found

in water, wine and wheat:

a banquet hall on holy ground

where peace and justice meet.

Here the love of God, through Jesus,

is revealed in time and space;

as we share in Christ the feast that frees us: (Refrain)

4Let us build a house where hands will reach

beyond the wood and stone

to heal and strengthen, serve and teach,

and live the Word they've known.

Here the outcast and the stranger

bear the image of God's face;

let us bring an end to fear and danger: (Refrain)

5Let us build a house where all are named,

their songs and visions heard

and loved and treasured, taught and claimed

as words within the Word.

Built of tears and cries and laughter,

prayers of faith and songs of grace,

let this house proclaim from floor to rafter: (Refrain)

Reaffirmation of the Christ Church Gabriola Covenant:

Gracious and Loving God, we, Christ Church Gabriola, followers of Jesus Christ, shared Anglican and United ministry, who welcome all persons into our community, who are shaped by your call and by the people you call to our community of faith—we covenant with You and with one another:

(CONNECT)

·       to lovingly support each other as we grow in Christ, creating opportunities to connect with each other in fellowship

·       to welcome and integrate into our community all persons as children of God

·       to become a multi-generational community

·       to share the good news with everyone, including those who have not valued church as it has been

·       to be relevant and effective in sharing God’s love
to bring the church into the future

(WORSHIP)

·       to worship you with openness to the movement of your Spirit in our midst, using the grounding we have in our traditions, inclusive language, musical diversity, and creativity       

(LEARN AND GROW)

·       to learn and grow together through exploring the Christian tradition, spiritual practices, and progressive theologies

·       to offer to the wider community safe space to engage in conversations about matters important to life, faith and the world

·       to inform ourselves about issues of social justice, giving priority to local issues

·       to use respectful communication in discussing social justice issues, and to examine each issue from multiple perspectives

(SERVE)

·       to live in love and justice, and to work for the well-being of the earth and its inhabitants

·       to stay relevant to and in relationship with the community and world around us

·       to serve the island by offering our own resources, collaborating with other agencies, and drawing on our connections with the wider community.

This we covenant, in Christ’s name. Amen

Offering Invitation

Offertory                                                                                                                                          MV #191

            What can I do? What can I bring?

            What can I say? What can I sing?

            I’ll sing with joy.  I’ll say a prayer.

            I’ll bring my love.  I’ll do my share.

Offering Prayer      (From “Gathering,” written by Frances Flook)

One:  Let us bring to God our gifts,  

All:    in response to God’s gracious love. 

One:  Let us bring to God our lives,

All:    in response to God’s call to serve others.  Amen. 

Prayers of the People          Paddy Waymark                                                                                                    

One:  God of Love,

All:    Hear Our Prayers

The Prayer of Jesus (sung)   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.                

Blessing        (From “Gathering,” written by Susan Girard, adopted)

One:      As we shift from this time of worship to focus on our work as a church, may we be filled with new understanding, renewed by grace, and supported in love.

All:    May we take our worship into the world as messengers of reconciliation and compassion who are blessed to be part of Christ Church Gabriola.

One:  And all God’s children say…

All:    Amen!

Hymn: In Loving Partnership We Come    VU #603

1In loving partnership we come, 

seeking, O God, your will to do.

Our prayers and actions now receive; 

we freely offer them to you.

2We are the hands and feet of Christ, 

serving by grace each other’s need.

We dare to risk and sacrifice 

with truthful word and faithful deed.

3Loving community we seek; 

your hope and strength within us move.

The poor and rich, the strong and weak 

are brought together in your love.

4In loving partnership, O God, 

help us your future to proclaim.

Justice and peace be our desire, 

we humbly pray in Jesus’ name.