Hybrid Worship Creation 2 16th after Pentecost 13 September 2026 Rev. Deborah van der Goes

 

                The world needs more people who wave at crows,

                     thank the rivers and talk to cats like equals.

                                                       

Hybrid Worship

Creation 2

16^th after Pentecost

13 September 2026

Rev. Deborah van der Goes

Music: Francis Armstrong

 We acknowledge that 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!

Words for Worship

Words of response are in bold & italics

Prelude

Welcome

Land acknowledgement

We prayerfully acknowledge with thanksgiving that we gather on the unceded territories of the Snuneymuxw people. Gracious God, help us to seek a new relationship with the first peoples here, one based in honour and respect. Amen

Let us pray together.

God, by whatever name we call You…

however we experience You in our individual lives,

we come today ready to celebrate Your Presence. 

As we gather together, open our hearts to notice your voice.

In the song of birds… in the rustle of leaves…

in the warmth of the sun

 in the wetness of the rain.

In the wisdom of other peoples and cultures.

In our own longing for connection and Oneness.

Thank you for this time of prayer, reflection and learning.

We come ready and grateful to receive You.

Confession and Forgiveness

Before God, with the people of God, I admit my fears and failings…

the way I wound my life, the lives of others, and the life of the world

May God forgive you; Christ renew you,

and the Spirit enable you to grow in love. 

Before God, with the people of God, we confess our fears and failings. The ways we wound our lives, the lives of others,

and the life of the world.

May God forgive you; Christ renew you,

and the Sprit enable you to grow in love. 

With the whole church, We affirm that we are made in God’s image, befriended by Christ, empowered by the Spirit.

With people everywhere, We affirm God’s goodness at the heart of humanity, planted more deeply than all that is wrong.

With all creation,

We celebrate the miracle and wonder of life: the unfolding purposes of God, forever at work in ourselves and the world. Amen.                                                                                                 2

Opening Hymn: All things Bright and Beautiful                     CP #416

The Collect – Prayer of the Day    (Adapted fr Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis)

Ever living Creator God, you bring forth and sustain every living thing; help us grow in compassion and care for the multitude of your creatures, that we may see them as brothers and sisters that sing your never-ending praise. Through Jesus Christ, our Shepherd and guide, who with you and the Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and forever.”

Amen.

Preparation for a participatory re-telling of Scripture

Hebrew Scripture: Genesis 1:1-2:3                         Storyteller: Tim Leadem

“The Beginning”

Hymn: God of the Sparrow                                                       CP #314

Gospel Readings                                            Reader: Deborah van der Goes

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

God be with you. 

            And also with you

The Good News of Jesus the Christ according to John

            Glory to you, Christ Jesus.

Gospel Acclamation: Halle, Halle                                          VU #958

            Halle, Halle, Hallelujah

John 1:1-5 

“The Word Became Flesh”

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The Good News of Jesus the Christ according to John

Glory to you, Christ Jesus.

Gospel Acclamation: Halle, Halle                                          VU #958

            Halle, Halle, Hallelujah

Sermon: “The Specialist Creatures”

Affirmation of Faith

Hear, O people of God,

The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart,

with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.

This is the first and greatest commandment.

The second is like it:

Love your neighbor as yourself.

There is no greater commandment than these.

Life & Work of the Church

Prayers of the People                                                 Catherine Woodward

Loving God,

            Hear our Prayers.

Lords 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 forever. Amen.

Peace of Christ

May the peace of Christ be with you.

And also with you.

Let us share the peace of Christ with one another

(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)

Offering

(offering now to be collected. quiet music when collected bring forward)

Offering Prayer                                                                        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.                                                  4

Holy Communion

Liturgy for the Islands and Inlets Anglican Church

Assistants: Rob and Susan Brockley

Invitation                                                                                                

Here is the table of the Lord.

We joyfully gather at the Lord’s table, open to all.

The Great Thanksgiving                                               

God is here

            The Spirit is with us

Lift up your hearts and minds.

            We lift them to God.

Let us give thanks to God the Creator.

            It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Great Creator, with wit and wisdom you formed the universe. In

expectation, your Spirit brooded over all: the midwife of transformation.

At your Word, the skies, the seas, the lands and all life came to be. In

you, all created things shared life with one another. In ceremony and

song, dance and art, these relationships were portrayed and honoured by the first peoples of these Islands and Inlets. The plants, the cedars, the creatures of forest, sea and air revealed your wonder and majesty. When we turned from you, connections were broken and creation suffered. Still, you continued to bring light from night, freedom from slavery, and life from death. Therefore, together with our ancestors in faith and with your beloved creation we sing: 

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 heaven, creation sings your praise.

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

We praise you, Source of all, for the living Word: Jesus Born in poverty;

a child refugee, a worker with his hands. He gathered disciples and taught and healed the people. He freely shared our sorrow, joy, and pain. In vulnerability, he showed power over sin and triumphed over death. 

On the night before Jesus died, he feasted with his companions. He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to them saying, “Take, eat, this is my body which is given for you, do this to remember me.”

After supper he took the cup and when he had given thanks, he gave it to his companions saying, “Drink this, all of you; this is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and the world for the forgiveness of sins.

Whenever you drink it, do this to remember me

Entering into the mystery of faith we call:

Come Source of life.

Come, transforming Word.

Come, Creator Spirit.

With his sacred presence unbounded by space and time, we offer to you

this bread and cup. Send your Breath of Life, like wind, blowing where

it will, north, east, south and west. May your Spirit brood over these

gifts and all who feast at this table offering a foretaste of the eternal

feast to come.

May all who share your abundant gifts be incorporated as one body

and one holy people, joined in the offering of Jesus’ birth, life,

death and resurrection for the reconciliation of all things. Reveal the

unity of your Church and the mystery of our communion with our holy

forebears and those yet to be born, that we may be guided in faith and

walk gently on the earth. Glory and honour to you Triune God, dynamic

of love, complete and perfect unity, now, and in all ages.

Amen.

Breaking of the Bread

Loving God,

as we break bread and share the cup,

we give thanks for the bread and the wine,

fruits of your earth and of our labour.

We commit ourselves to your service

and that our lives may proclaim the mystery of faith.

Sharing of the Bread and Cup

We offer you, O God, this bread and this wine.

Send your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts,

That all who eat and drink at this table

And all the tables of the world

may be one body, one holy people

Communion is Shared

All are welcome at the Lord’s table. Gluten free wafers are available on request. 

Prayer after Communion

Gracious God,

May our participation in these sacramental gifts transform us that we may live lives of thanksgiving and be faithful to your will.

Closing Hymn: Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee                       CP #425

Blessing For Here and at Home

God of all consolation, in your unending love and mercy

you turn the darkness of death into the dawn of new life.

May we who seek to listen to the Great Spirit

trust in your power to restore all things,

who gives life to all creation. Amen.

Postlude    

 

Front cover credit: Earthy Herbs @canna.pothecary                                                                         7                                                  

What do the tall trees say
To the late havocs in the sky?
They sigh.
The air moves, and they sway.
When the breeze on the hill
Is still, they they stand still.
They wait.
They have no fear. Their fate
Is faith. Birdsong
Is all they've wanted, all along.
______________________________

Off in the woods in the quiet
morning a redbird is singing
and his song goes out around him
greater than its purpose,
a welcoming room of song
in which the trees stand,
through which the creek flows.
______________________________

I know that I have life
only insofar as I have love.
I have no love
except it come from Thee.
Help me, please, to carry
this candle against the wind.

 

 

 

 

 

From “This Day: Collected and New Sabbath Poems”

By Wendel Berry (1934-2026)