Trinity-St. Andrew’s United Church
Order of Worship
Sunday, September 29, 2024 – 19th after Pentecost
We welcome Danah Lee-Krieger, who will be leading us in worship today.
Prelude
Words of welcome, announcements
Lighting the Christ Candle
As we light our Christ Candle, we are reminded that we gather in the name of Jesus, who is the light of the world. He bids us to come, just as we are, even if we are tired, worn, and weary. For we, are a city on a hill for all to see. As the new season of fall is upon us, may our hearts seek to be more like our Saviour, our brother and friend, sweet Jesus; shining our light in the darkness.
Call to Worship
In the face of the world’s darkness, we light a candle to God, the Creator, who lit the first light in the darkness. In a world torn apart by conflict, we light a candle to Jesus Christ whose way of reconciliation shines for all to see. In our time of doubt, we light a candle to the Holy Spirit who sets our faith on fire and gives us courage to shine with the truth. Come, let us share this light, and celebrate God’s presence with us. Come, let us worship God.
Hymn: Morning Has Broken VU 409
- Morning has broken like the first morning,
blackbird has spoken like the first bird.
Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!
Praise for them, springing fresh from the Word!
- Sweet the rain’s new fall sunlit from heaven,
like the first dewfall on the first grass.
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden,
sprung in completeness where God’s feet pass.
- Ours is the sunlight! Ours is the morning
born of the one light Eden saw play!
Praise with elation, praise every morning,
God’s recreation of the new day!
Prayer of Approach
Loving God of Many Names, We know you are here in our midst now. For you have promised that where 2 or 3 are gathered in your name, you are there. May we remember all of your promises. May we lean on and know that you never break your promises and that your ways are so good. Please continue to reveal yourself to us and guide our steps. Continue to breathe life in us, so that we may be people of steadfast hope. Help us hear your words, that challenge us to trust in your grace and mercy. Break our hearts for what breaks yours. And help us be community of faith that stands for social justice. We ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Scripture Reader: Valerie Miller
Scripture: Isaiah 49:13-16
Gospel Lesson: Luke 15:11-32
Hymn: Just as I Am VU 508
- Just as I am, without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidd’st me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
- Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
yea, all I need, in thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
- Just as I am, though tossed about
with many a conflict, many a doubt,
fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
- Just as I am, thy love unknown
has broken every barrier down;
now to be thine, yea, thine alone;
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Homily: “You’re Welcomed”
Special Music
The Offering
We give thanks for everyone who continues to support TSA and our many ministries. Your gifts of support and encouragement mean a lot to us. You can get more information about making a donation by contacting the church office or by visiting our website. For all the gifts you share, for all the people you bless by your serving and giving as a disciple of Jesus, we give thanks.
Offering Song: Know That God is Good MV 104
Know that God is good, (3x)
God is good, God is good.
Offering Prayer
God, whose giving knows no ending, we offer up the treasure that you have entrusted to us; we offer up the skills and time that you have graciously given to us; we offer up ourselves in service and praise. Receive these gifts by your grace. Multiply and use them through the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish Christ’s work of love in the world. Amen.
Hymn: God of the Bible (Fresh as the Morning) MV 28
- God of the Bible, God in the Gospel,
hope seen in Jesus, hope yet to come,
you are our centre, daylight or darkness,
freedom or prison, you are our home.
Refrain: Fresh as the morning, sure as the sunrise,
God always faithful, you do not change. (2x)
- God in our struggles, God in our hunger,
suffering with us, taking our part,
still you empow’r us, mothering Spirit,
feeding, sustaining, from your own heart. Refrain
- Those without status, those who are nothing,
you have make royal, gifted with rights,
chosen as partners, midwives of justice,
birthing new systems, lighting new lights. Refrain
- Not by your finger, not by your anger
will our world order change in a day,
but by your people, fearless and faithful,
small paper lanterns, lighting the way. Refrain
- Hope we must carry, shining and certain
through all our turmoil, terror and loss,
bonding us gladly one to the other,
till our world changes facing the Cross. Refrain
Pastoral Prayer, Lord’s Prayer
Loving God, we thank you for this community of faith here at TSA. We thank you for the joy of serving you and the blessings that you continually bestow on each of our lives. We lift up in prayer our brothers and sisters in Christ who are sick, and for those who are suffering and undergoing lifesaving treatments. We prayer for those are battling with things that rob them of the joy of living. May they feel your presence and know your peace, even when walking through dark valleys. Let us take a moment of silence to lift up loved ones who need prayer. Continue to shape us and mold us to be more like you. Let us join together using the words that Jesus taught us.
Hymn: Blessed Assurance VU 337
- Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretastes of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of the spirit, washed in Christ’s blood.
Refrain: This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Saviour all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Saviour all the day long.
- Perfect submission, perfect delight!
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
angels descending, bring from above
echoes of mercy, whispers of love. Refrain
- Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Saviour am happy and blessed;
watching and waiting, looking above,
filled with God’s goodness, lost in Christ’s love. Refrain
Benediction
May God bless you and keep you. May God make his face shine upon and be gracious to you. Go now in peace. Amen.
Choral Amen Wherever You May Go MV 216
Refrain: Wherever you may go, I will follow,
and your people shall be my people too.
Wherever you may go, I will follow,
for I would be faithful, loyal and true.
- Say the word and I will stay,
I will never go away,
we will travel side by side
and God’s love will be our guide. Refrain
- From beginning to the end
I will always be your friend,
when you need me, I’ll be there,
you can trust my faithful care. Refrain
Postlude
You’re Welcomed
I want to talk to you today about being warmly welcomed. My partner, Carmen has a dog at home named Oliver – Olie for short. He is just the cutest and softest cockapoo. He’s very loving, friendly and lively. Every time he hears a car pull up, or someone comes home, you can see his outline through the smoked glass of the front door. He sits and waits. When the door flies open, he is just so excited! His tail is wagging, and he jumps up and gives kisses. And it is almost like he hasn’t seen us in 3 years, but in reality, sometimes it’s only been 15 minutes! I am sure if you’ve had a dog, or if you have a dog currently, you can relate. Sometimes when I come back to the Ottawa Valley after spending a great deal of time in Toronto, Carmen shares that Olie lays at the front door for hours, awaiting my return. What a faithful little companion. But many of us can’t wrap our minds around the fact that the God of the universe would be same “type” of ecstatic to see us. Or we just can’t believe that God is faithful enough to wait by the door for us. Our thoughts love to tell us things like, “God has greater things to deal with than me and He’s not concerned about me” or “I am too far gone and can’t be forgiven for my mistakes”. And none of that is true because you ARE God’s greatest concern! God has made you in His very own image, and you are His most precious work of art! And to God, there’s not even one thing that’s more valuable to Him than you!
As a side bar, I use the pronouns, “He/Him” and “Father” for God. But you’re welcome to use whichever pronouns are the most comfortable for you. Throughout this message, you’ll hear me say “He” or “Him”.
The Old Testament passage you heard in the reading this morning is from the book of Isaiah and it talks about God having us tattooed on the palm of His hand. To reiterate, it says, “Behold, I have inscribed you on the palm of my hand”. And when you think about it, that is some pretty power stuff! Can you imagine? The very author of life has your picture tattooed on the palm of His hand?! God knows the thoughts you think, even before you think them. God knows the number of hairs on your head, and He absolutely takes delight in the very fabric of your being. If we could just get the proper picture of God. And although He is very capable of “fire and brimstone”, the God that made the very heart inside of your chest beat, eagerly awaits you and welcomes you with open arms – also taking to account that God’s face lights up with joy when He sees you. He loves spending time with you, and He desires only goodness for you. God wants to know your every worry. He wants to dry every tear that you’ve ever shed. And He wants to know all of your hopes and dreams. If we could, for just a minute, wrap our minds around this kind of warm and pure welcome, then we would have a whole lot less feelings of self doubt, feelings of unworthiness and feelings of fear. We could just go fearlessly to God. But many people have that “fire and brimstone” image of God. They see Him as cruel. Like He is ready to punish for every wrongdoing. Every single mistake. And when we hold that kind of image in our minds and hearts, it takes a toll, and we will eventually feel like we can’t measure up.
But God is not establishing His warm welcome on your good works, or how well you perform a task, or how perfectly you live. Eventually, because we are human, we will fail. I heard someone say it like this one time, “It’s not because of who you are, but because of Whose you are”. And you are a child of the Most High. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, and God said, “it was good”. In Ephesians, Paul said in chapter 3 verse 12, “Now we can come fearlessly right into God’s presence, assured of his glad welcome when we come with Christ and trust in him”. God is offering and holding this warm welcome because you’re His most valued possession and because of your faith in Jesus.
In this life, we’ve all made choices and done things we are not proud of and if you’re like me, my thoughts like to play havoc on me, on repeat, of all the mistakes I’ve ever made from the age of 13 until now. Especially at 3am. Our thoughts have a funny way of reminding us of our unworthiness and making us feel ashamed. “You should be embarrassed of yourself”. “You lost your temper again and really blew it this time” or “You ruined your relationship” or “I shouldn’t have said that comment”. But the fact is, God isn’t mad at you. In fact, God doesn’t see it like this at all. God has already compensated for all of your misgivings and mistakes. He sees you as guiltless. But the key to this is to see ourselves in the same light. If we are living in consummate guilt, fear and worry, even though God opens His arms with a huge warm welcome, you will likely not see this gift if you are living in self doubt or aren’t approaching God fearlessly.
But occasionally religion likes to warp the image of God. So how do you look at God? Do you see God as sending a big lightening bolt that comes from the sky that is ready to take you on if you make even the slightest of mistakes? Or do you see God as an entity that is ready to zap you after you fall short, only make you pay the price or to teach you a lesson? Or – do you see God as “Yahweh shalom”? The LORD is peace. Your view of God will have a huge effect on whether or not you become all you were designed to be in this life. When you recognize that God loves you unreservedly, and it is not based upon your own achievements, and that He warmly welcomes you and there’s not anything more important to God than you, then great things can happen.
As your heard from the book of Luke this morning, the young man asked his father for his portion of the inheritance. And if you notice, the father wasn’t upset, he merely agreed and gave his son the money. When the son left home, he made poor choices. He partied all the time and squandered away all of his money. Eventually, this led to no food to eat and nowhere to live. The son found a farm job, that required taking care of pigs. This guy was so hopeless and broke that he ate the pig’s food just to get by. This young man was riddled with shame and embarrassment. He had no one else to blame. But as he was in the pig pen, stinky, disgusting, putrid and not knowing his next move, he started to remember his father. He said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger!” He remembered the goodness of his own father. He remembered his mercy and compassion. And the from within there was a confidence that sparked. And with that, this young man said, “I will arise and go to my father”. I am sure deep down this prodigal knew that he might not be everyone’s cup of tea. People would scoff at him and judge him. And as he made that trip back to his father, you can almost hear his own self talk wanting to creep in. “Your father will turn you away” “You did this to yourself” “Look at how disgusting you are” And yet, he rejected these thoughts and remembered that his father was the king. Do you think if the young man had an image of a cruel and power driven, egotistical father, that he would’ve returned? Likely not. The son was stinky and probably full of mud and manure. But upon arrival, this did not stop the warm welcome of his father. His father told one of his servants, “Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring the fatted calf and kill it and let us eat and make merry; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’” Wow! And like our God, there is a willingness to get filthy to meet us. God comes to unpleasant places and nothing we’ve ever done is too much for the grace of God.
Maybe you can relate to this story because your mind is keeping you in that metaphorical pig pen, when your place is really with a robe of honour, ring on your hand and shoes on your feet. God is waiting for you. He wants to restore your joy. God has a fatted calf waiting for you, but the trick is to stop condemning ourselves and to stop living in guilt for past mistakes. We must learn to forgive ourselves and move on.
So, back to Olie, the dog I told you about at the beginning. I know for certain when I go back to Carmen’s, he will be there, so excited to see me. Sometimes he gets so excited that Carm needs to put the leash on him because he will jump on me and want to show me how much he missed me and show that unconditional love. What would it take to believe that God is THAT excited to see you and wants to hold a warm welcome for you? How much better would the quality of our lives be with a peace of mind that we don’t have to live in shame and guilt anymore?As we grow in our faith journeys, as collective and personal, learning to accept ourselves and not beating ourselves up for our lack of perfection can be challenging. But resting assured that God’s grace is ready and available at any moment and that as far is the East is from the West, that’s how far God’s love stretches. So, stay kind and loving toward yourself and others. Offer yourself the same gift of grace and compassion.
I want to leave you with a quote from Henri Nouwen’s “The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming”
“The question is not “How am I to find God?” but “How am I to let myself be found by him?”. God is not the patriarch who stays home, doesn’t move, and expects his children to come to him, apologize for their aberrant behavior, beg for forgiveness, and promise to do better. To the contrary, he leaves the house, ignoring his dignity by running toward them, pays no heed to apologies and promises of change, and brings them to the table. When I look through God’s eyes at my lost self and discover God’s joy at my coming home, then my life may become less anguished and more trusting.”
Amen.
