Trinity St. Andrew’s United Church
Order of Worship
Sunday, August 16th 2026
The Gospel According to Munsch: Something Good
Prelude
Welcome & Telling Our Story
GATHERING
Introit
Call to Worship
Friends, come and gather in the presence of God. Come with the joys and disappointments of the week behind you. Join us with open hands and hearts. For we worship a God who is rich in mercy and a God who gives grace freely and abundantly. So let us set aside our work, receive the goodness God offers, and give thanks for the gift of grace. Let us worship the God who has given us something good. Amen.
Hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful VU 291
All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful:
in love, God made them all.
- Each little flower that opens,
each little bird that sings,
God made their glowing colours,
God made their tiny wings. Refrain
- The purpleheaded mountains,
the river running by,
the sunset and the morning
that brightens up the sky; Refrain
- The cold wind in the winter,
the pleasant summer sun,
the ripe fruits in the garden:
God made them every one. Refrain
- The rocky mountain splendour,
the lone wolf’s haunting call,
the great lakes and the prairies,
the forest in the fall; Refrain
- God gave us eyes to see them,
and lips that we might tell
how great is God our maker,
who has made all things well. Refrain
Gathering Prayer & Assurance of Grace
Gracious and loving God, we gather today with all that this week has brought us. The things that have delighted us, the things that have disappointed us, the things we have celebrated, and the things we wish we could simply leave behind. And yet, here we are.
You have gathered us together, not because we have everything figured out, not because we have earned your attention, but because you are rich in mercy and overflowing with love. Thank you for the gift of grace: for the good things we could never have arranged for ourselves, for love that meets us where we are, for forgiveness that gives us another beginning, and for the hope that reminds us that our lives still have purpose.
Help us to receive your love today. Quiet the voices within us that tell us we are not enough. Release us from the need to prove ourselves. Open our hands to receive the goodness you so freely give. And when we wonder whether we are worthy of your love, remind us of this truth: Your love is not something we earn. It is something you give. Amen.
Time for the Young & Young at Heart
Hymn Teach Me, God, to Wonder VU 299
- Teach me, God, to wonder, teach me, God, to see;
let your world of beauty capture me.
Refrain: Praise to you be given, love for you be lived,
life be celebrated, joy you give.
- Let me, God, be open, let me loving be;
let your world of people speak to me. Refrain
- Let me, God, be ready, let me be awake,
in your world of loving my place take. Refrain
- Teach me, God, to know you, hear you when you speak,
see you in my neighbour when we meet. Refrain
WORD
Prayer for Illumination
Gracious God, open our hearts and minds as we hear your Word today. Help us to recognize the goodness of your grace: a gift we cannot earn, but can only receive. Give us ears to hear, hearts to understand, and courage to live what you show us. Amen.
Scripture: Ephesians 2:4-10 Barbara Moogk
Sermon
Special Music John Wilson
RESPONSE
Thanksgiving & Offering
God’s love is not measured out according to what we deserve. God’s grace is not something we purchase. God’s goodness is offered freely and abundantly. Our offering is not a payment for God’s love. It is our response to having received it. So let us give with grateful hearts because we have been blessed and because we want to become a blessing to others. Let us offer what we can, trusting that God can take even our small gifts and use them for something good.
Offertory Hymn Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow VU 541
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
praise God, all creatures high and low;
give thanks to God in love made known;
Creator, Word, and Spirit, One.
Prayers of the People & The Lord’s Prayer
Gracious God, thank you for the good things that find their way into our lives. For a kind word when we needed one. For a familiar face. For a laugh that caught us by surprise. For a hand held, a meal shared, a door opened, or someone simply saying, “I’m glad you’re here.” Thank you for these little gifts that remind us of your great love. Today we also pray for those whose days feel heavy. Be near to those who are sick, lonely, grieving, worried, or tired. Give them someone who will notice, someone who will listen, and someone who can offer a little goodness along the way.
Help us to notice those opportunities too. When we can offer kindness, help us to offer it. When we can bring joy, help us to bring it. When we can make someone’s day a little better, help us not to walk past the opportunity. Thank you that your grace is a gift we don’t have to earn. Thank you that you love us simply because we are yours. Make us grateful for what we have received, and generous with what we can give. This we pray in the name of Jesus, who taught us to pray by saying…Our Father…
COMMUNION
Hymn: One Bread, One Body VU 467
One bread, one body, one Lord of all,
one cup of blessing which we bless;
and we, though many, throughout the earth,
we are one body in this one Lord.
- Gentile or Jew, servant or free,
woman or man, no more. Refrain
- Many the gifts, many the works,
one in the Lord of all. Refrain
- Grain for the fields, scattered and grown,
gathered to one, for all. Refrain
Call to Give Thanks & The Great Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Eternal God, Maker of heaven and earth, we join with all your people to give you thanks and praise. You formed the universe in your wisdom and created all things by your grace. We praise you for all your good gifts: the witness of saints and prophets; the work of faithful women and men; this earth in all its blessing and promise; and this bread, once scattered, now brought together and made one. In the hope that your people may be brought together from the ends of the earth into your reign of justice and compassion, we gather with those of every time and every place to give you praise and glory in unison through our Song of Creation…
Song of Creation
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
Remembering Jesus at Table
As we gather at this table, we remember that on the night before he died, Jesus had supper with his friends. He took a loaf of bread, thanked you as we have thanked you, broke the bread and gave it to them, saying: “Take, eat. This is my body, given for you. Each time you do this, remember me.” Then, he took a cup, and after giving thanks, passed it to his friends, saying: “Drink. This cup is the promise of God, made in my name. Each time you drink from this cup, remember me.”
Prayer of Self Giving
O God, Redeemer of all things, with grateful hearts we offer this bread and wine, fruits of your earth and of our labour, signs of your redemptive purpose for our lives and for all your creation. By what we do here, we together we proclaim our affirmation of memory and hope…
Affirmation of Memory and Hope
Christ has died. Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
Prayer for Transformation
Holy Spirit, unite us at this table and strengthen us to live the resurrected life of Christ in the world. Amen.
Breaking the Bread and Filling the Cup
The bread of freedom. The cup of solidarity.
Sharing the Bread and Cup
Come, for all things are ready. You may respond with “Thanks be to God” or “Amen” upon receiving the elements.
Prayer after Communion
Gracious God, may your gifts of love transform and enliven us that we may live lives of thanksgiving. May your presence among us provoke such longing for your realm, that we will never be satisfied until the whole earth knows your justice, your peace and your love. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
SENDING
Hymn We Have This Ministry VU 510
- We have this ministry
and we are not discouraged;
it is by God’s own power
that we may live and serve.
Openly we share God’s word,
Speaking truth as we believe,
praying that the shadowed world
may healing light receive.
We have this ministry, O God, receive our living.
- O Christ, the tree of life,
our end and our beginning,
we grow to fullest flower
when rooted in your love.
Brothers, sisters, clergy, lay,
called to service by your grace,
different cultures, different gifts,
the young and old a place.
We have this ministry, O God, receive our giving.
- The yoke of Christ is ours,
the whole world is our parish;
we daily take the cross,
the burden and the joy.
Bearing hurts of those we serve,
wounded, bruised and bowed with pain,
Holy Spirit, bread and wine,
we die and rise again.
We have this ministry, O God, receive our loving.
Sending Forth
Go now in the grace of God. Look for the good this week; and when you find it, receive it with gratitude. Then look for someone who needs a little goodness from you. For you are God’s workmanship, created for good works. Go in peace, go in love, and go do something good. Amen.
Sung Blessing Choral Amen VU 974
Amen! Amen! Hallelujah, amen!
Amen! Amen! Hallelujah, amen!
Amen! Amen! Hallelujah, amen!
Postlude
