Trinity St. Andrew’s United Church
Order of Worship
Sunday, May 3rd 2026 – Camping Sunday
Prelude
Welcome & Telling Our Story
GATHERING
Gathering Chorus
Call to Worship
We come with songs in the night, gathered like travelers around a fire.
God is with us in every place and every moment.
When the ground shifts and the path feels uncertain, God is still at work.
No darkness can silence our praise.
Whether in the wilderness or the everyday, God meets us and sets us free.
With open hearts, we worship together. Amen.
Hymn: This is the Day
This is the day, this is the day
That our God has made, that our God has made
We will rejoice, we will rejoice
And be glad in it, and be glad in it
This is the day that our God has made
We will rejoice and be glad in it
This is the day, this is the day
That our God has made
Open to us, open to us
Your gates, O God, Your gates, O God
We will go in, we will go in
To Your holy place, to Your holy place
Open to us Your gates, O God
We will go in to Your holy place
Open to us, open to us
Your gates, O God
You are our God, You are our God
We will praise Your name, we will praise Your name
We will give thanks, we will give thanks
For Your faithfulness, for Your faithfulness
You are our God, we will praise Your name
We will give thanks for Your faithfulness
You are our God, You are our God
We will praise Your name
Gathering Prayer & Assurance of Grace
Holy God, voice over the waters, we come to you this morning from the busyness of our lives; from screens and schedules and from worry and weariness. We long to hear you speak. You are the God whose voice thunders over the deep, who shakes the wilderness and strips the forest bare, yet who also gathers us gently into this place. We confess that we have not always listened. We have filled our days with lesser sounds, chased after echoes instead of your word, and mistaken our own anxious thoughts for your still, small voice. We have forgotten that all creation cries, “Glory!” while we have withheld our own praise. Forgive us, Lord. Quiet the noise within us. Tune our ears to your thundering grace and our hearts to your peace. As we gather now—whether we come from cabin or canoe, from campfire or classroom— unite us as your people, seated together in your eternal temple, where every voice joins the chorus: Glory. Glory. Glory. In the name of the One who calms the storm and commands the waters, we offer ourselves to you. Amen. Siblings in Christ, may you hear this good news: The same voice that breaks the cedars of Lebanon speaks tenderly to you this day: You are forgiven. You are loved. You belong. No storm is too fierce, no wilderness too wild, no wandering too far to separate you from the steadfast love of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Time for the Young & Young at Heart
Hymn: I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy
I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy
Down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart
I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy
Down in my heart, down in my heart to stay
Refrain:
And I’m so happy, so very happy
I’ve got to the love of Jesus in my heart
And I’m so happy, so very happy
I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart.
I’ve got the peace that passeth understanding
Down in my heart, Down in my heart, Down in my heart
I’ve got the peace that passeth understanding
Down in my heart, down in my heart to stay Refrain
I’ve got the love of Jesus, love of Jesus
Down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart
I’ve got the love of Jesus, love of Jesus
Down in my heart, down in my heart to stay Refrain
For there is therefore now no condemnation
Down in my heart, down in my heart, down in my heart
For there is therefore now no condemnation
Down in my heart, down in my heart, to stay Refrain
WORD
Hymn: It Only Takes A Spark (Pass It On)
It only takes a spark to get a fire going
And soon all those around can warm up in its glowing
That’s how it is with God’s love
Once you’ve experienced it
You spread God’s love to everyone
You want to pass it on
What a wonderous time is spring
When all the trees are budding
The birds begin to sing, the flowers start their blooming
That’s how it is with God’s love
Once you’ve experienced it
You want to sing, it’s fresh like spring
You want to pass it on
I wish for you my friend
This happiness that I’ve found
On God you can depend
It matters not where you’re bound
I’ll shout it from the mountain top
I want my world to know
The Lord of love has come to me
I want to pass it on
Prayer for Illumination
God, source of all light, by your Word give light to our lives. Amen.
Scripture: Psalm 29 Sandra Comba
Psalm 29 (The Message translation)
29 1-2 Bravo, God, bravo!
Gods and all angels shout, “Encore!”
In awe before the glory,
in awe before God’s visible power.
Stand at attention!
Dress your best to honor him!
3 God thunders across the waters,
Brilliant, his voice and his face, streaming brightness—
God, across the flood waters.
4 God’s thunder tympanic,
God’s thunder symphonic.
5 God’s thunder smashes cedars,
God topples the northern cedars.
6 The mountain ranges skip like spring colts,
The high ridges jump like wild kid goats.
7-8 God’s thunder spits fire.
God thunders, the wilderness quakes;
He makes the desert of Kadesh shake.
9 God’s thunder sets the oak trees dancing
A wild dance, whirling; the pelting rain strips their branches.
We fall to our knees—we call out, “Glory!”
10 Above the floodwaters is God’s throne
from which his power flows,
from which he rules the world.
11 God makes his people strong.
God gives his people peace.
God, we thank you for your Word,
the story of your grace.
Sermon “Where We Hear God”
Anthem
RESPONSE
Thanksgiving & Offering
Friends, on this Camp Sunday we remember the places where faith comes alive in simple, sacred ways: around campfires, beside quiet lakes, under wide skies filled with stars. We have been blessed— with community, with creation, with moments of wonder, with stories of faith passed from one generation to another. Our offerings today are one way we respond. Not because God needs what we give, but because giving shapes us into people who trust, who share, who participate in God’s work in the world. So we bring what we have: our gifts, our gratitude, our very selves; trusting that God will use them to nurture faith, to create spaces of belonging, and to help others encounter that same holy voice. Let us give with thankful hearts as we sing our offertory song “God is So Good”.
Offertory Song: God Is So Good
God is so good, God is so good,
God is so good, He’s so good to me
Pastoral Prayers & The Lord’s Prayer
Holy and wondrous God, your voice echoes across creation in crashing waves and whispering winds, in laughter around campfires and quiet moments of reflection. We come before you today grateful for the gift of creation, for the places that renew our spirits, and for communities that help us grow in faith. We give thanks for camps and outdoor ministries, for leaders and volunteers, for children and youth discovering you in new ways through friendship, challenge and joy. God of peace, we also bring before you the concerns of our hearts. For those who feel overwhelmed by life’s storms, speak your calming word. For those who feel alone or forgotten, surround them with your presence. For those who are weary, anxious, or grieving, offer rest and comfort. For your world that is o full of beauty, yet marked by brokenness. Guide us to be caretakers of creation and instruments of your justice and peace. We pray also for ourselves, O God. Help us to listen not only for the dramatic and powerful, but for your still, steady voice calling us to love, to serve, and to trust. We gather all our prayers, spoken and unspoken, into the words Jesus taught us, saying: Our Father…
SENDING
Hymn: This Little Light of Mine
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
Hide it under a bushel no, I’m gonna let it shine
Hide it under a bushel no, I’m gonna let it shine
Hide it under a bushel no, I’m gonna let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
Let it shine all over town, I’m gonna let it shine
Let it shine all over town, I’m gonna let it shine
Let it shine all over town, I’m gonna let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine
Sending Forth
Go now into the world, listening for the voice of God in the beauty of creation, in the needs of others, and in the quiet of your own heart. May the God who speaks through wind and water strengthen you with power, bless you with peace, and guide you in love. Amen.
Sung Blessing: Go Now in Peace VU 964
Go now in peace, go now in peace.
May the love of God surround you everywhere,
everywhere you may go.
Postlude
