Trinity St. Andrew’s United Church
Order of Worship
Sunday, February 15th 2026
6th Sunday after Epiphany
Prelude
Welcome & Telling Our Story
Gathering to Worship God
Lighting of the Christ Candle
As we light this Christ candle, we remember the light that shines in every place of hunger and hope. A light that meets us not with scarcity, but with grace; not with fear, but with compassion. May this flame remind us that Christ is present among us— taking what is offered, blessing it, breaking it open, and revealing God’s abundant love for all. Amen.
Introit Open Our Hearts MV 21
Open our hearts, open our minds.
Open our lives to you O loving God.
Open our hearts, open our minds.
Open our lives to you O loving God.
Call to Worship
Come, all who hunger and thirst— for God is already preparing a feast. All who wonder if there is enough— enough strength, enough hope, enough love— for God meets us with abundance. Come, not because you have much to offer, but because God delights in receiving what we bring. Let us worship the God who gathers us in, who blesses and multiplies, and who calls us to share life together. Let us worship God together as we sing our opening hymn this morning…
Hymn: Love Divine, All Loves Excelling VU 333
- Love divine, all loves excelling,
joy of heaven to earth come down,
fix in us thy humble dwelling,
all thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, thou art all compassion,
pure, unbounded love thou art;
visit us with thy salvation,
enter every trembling heart.
- Come, almighty to deliver;
Let us all thy grace receive;
suddenly return, and never,
nevermore thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
serve thee as thy hosts above,
pray, and praise thee, without ceasing,
glory in thy perfect love.
- Finish, then, thy new creation;
pure and spotless let us be;
let us see thy great salvation
perfectly restored in thee,
changed from glory into glory,
till in heaven we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee,
lost in wonder, love, and praise.
Gathering Prayer & Assurance of Grace
Holy and generous God, we come before you carrying what we have: our joys and our worries, our faith and our doubts, our hope and our weariness. Like the crowd on the hillside, we gather around Jesus, not always knowing how our needs will be met, but trusting that you see us and care for us. Take what we bring this day— our prayers, our songs, our presence— and bless them for your purposes. Open our hearts to receive your grace, and open our lives to reflect your love. God does not measure us by what we lack, but receives us with compassion and delight. In Christ, grace is freely given, mercy overflows, and love is never in short supply. You are forever held in God’s abundant care. Amen.
Time for the Young & Young at Heart
Hymn: We Have Come at Christ’s Own Bidding VU 104
- We have come at Christ’s own bidding
to this high and Holy place,
where we wait with hope and longing
for some token of God’s grace.
Here we pray for new assurance
that our faith is not in vain,
searching like those first disciples
for a sign both clear and plain.
- Light breaks in upon our darkness;
splendour baths the flesh-joined Word;
Moses and Elijah marvel
as the heavenly voice is heard.
Eyes and hearts behold with wonder
how the Law and Prophets meet:
Christ, with garments drenched in brightness,
stands transfigured and complete.
- Strengthened by this glimpse of glory,
fearful lest our faith decline,
we like Peter find it tempting
to remain and build a shrine.
But true worship gives us courage
to proclaim what we profess,
that our daily lives may prove us
people of the God we bless.
Blessed at Table & Font
Thanksgiving & Offering
In the story we will hear today, a small offering becomes a great gift when placed in Jesus’ hands. We, too, are invited to offer what we have: our time, our resources, our compassion, trusting that God can do more than we imagine. Let us give with grateful hearts, knowing that every gift, offered in love, helps nourish God’s people and God’s world.
Hymn: We Give You But Your Own VU 542
We give you but your own,
whate’er the gift may be;
all that we have is yours alone,
we give it gratefully.
Gracious God, we thank you for these gifts and for the spirit in which they are given. Bless them, multiply them, and use them so that your abundance may be known— in this congregation, in our communities across the Ottawa Valley, and wherever your children long for hope. Amen.
Prayers of the People & The Lord’s Prayer
God of compassion and care, we come before you as people who know both fullness and need. We pray for those who are hungry — for food, for companionship, for dignity, for peace. We remember those in our communities who struggle with rising costs, uncertain futures, or the quiet loneliness of rural life.
We lift before you those who are unwell, those awaiting diagnosis or treatment, and those who are tired from long seasons of caregiving. Surround them with strength, patience, and hope. We pray for our farmers, workers, and volunteers, for all who labour close to the land or in service to others. May they know that their work matters and that they are not alone.
We give thanks for moments of joy and generosity: for shared meals, neighbourly kindness, and the many ways love is quietly multiplied among us. Holy One, teach us to trust in your abundance, to share without fear, and to live as people shaped by gratitude and grace.
Gather all these prayers—spoken and unspoken— into the prayer that Jesus taught us, saying together: Our Father…
Listening for God
Hymn: Jesus on the Mountain Peak VU 102
- Jesus on the mountain peak
stands alone in glory blazing;
let us, if we dare to speak,
join the saints and angels praising. Hallelujah!
- Trembling at his feet we saw
Moses and Elijah speaking.
All the prophets and the law
shout through them their joyful greeting: Hallelujah!
- Swift the cloud of glory came,
God proclaiming, in its thunder,
Jesus as the Son by name!
Nations, cry aloud in wonder: Hallelujah!
- This is God’s beloved son!
Law and prophets sing before him,
first and last and only One.
All creation shall adore him! Hallelujah!
Scripture: John 6:1-15 Mike Gorman
Sermon
Special Music Ross McEwen
Sent into God’s World
Hymn: Open My Eyes, That I may See VU 371
- Open my eyes, that I may see
glimpses of truth thou has for me;
place in my hands the wonderful key
that shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for thee,
ready, my God, they will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine!
- Open my ears, that I may hear
voices of truth thou sendest clear;
and while the wavenotes fall on my ear,
everything false will disappear.
Silently now I wait for thee,
ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my ears, illumine me, Spirit divine!
- Open my mouth, and let me bear
gladly the warm truth everywhere;
open my heart and let me prepare
love with thy children thus to share.
Silently now I wait for thee,
ready, my God, thy will to see.
Open my heart, illumine me, Spirit divine!
Sending Forth
Go now, nourished by God’s grace. Go with hearts open to share what you have received. May Christ walk with you on every hillside and in every valley. May the Spirit teach you to trust in abundance rather than fear. And may the love of God, which is more than enough, fill your life and overflow into the world. Amen.
Sung Blessing: Amen! Amen! Hallelujah! Amen! VU 974
Postlude
Bread for the People
John 6:1-15
You’ve probably gathered from several sermon illustrations and from Facebook photos that our family is a Disney family. One of my favourites is the 2007 film Ratatouille. Which follows a rat named Remy as he wants to become a chef and not simply steal food but create it. He ends up partnering with the human chef and fixing the soup to make it even better. Now what makes Remy a truly great chef is that he doesn’t create something extravagant, but simply by adjusting the dishes that are already there with salt, fat, acid, heat… Simply adjusts the dishes by what’s already there- not obsessing over what fancy ingredients and quality he may be able to obtain in a kitchen in Paris. Something what changes everything isn’t something grand- it’s something simple, prepared and shared with care. However, if you’re like me you’re probably wondering about the logistics of a rat cooking in the kitchen, what the loss in income might be if that were discovered, if a rodent could be trusted to effectively manage the food supply without gorging himself… Or maybe you’re not…
Friends, I don’t know about you, but my first instinct in most situations isn’t faith or wonder- it’s math. How much will it cost? Do we have enough volunteers or participants (like for the Lenten book study…), is this sustainable? Now I don’t think this makes me a curmudgeon or unfaithful. I like to think it makes me responsible- and I know our Council and Finance Team are inwardly or outwardly nodding their heads… For me, as I prayed over this text, I began to reflect on how quickly my imagination can shrink to whatever seems immediately possible. And when I read this story of Jesus feeding a crowd with a few loaves of barley bread and some fish, I can’t help but recognize myself in Philip- already counting before anyone has sat down. Thinking literally and practically first and foremost.
Now this isn’t a sermon to pile on Philip. I don’t think Philip is foolish- not at all. I think he’s literally answering the question that Jesus asked him (even if somewhat testily). Philip gives the human and pragmatic answer. He knows the area and where one would be able to source the ingredients to feed the multitude- and he knows it would be extremely costly. As a human, I’m a big fan of Philip’s practicality and realistic outlook. Even more recently, Sebastian wanted a pizza night, and if we are being honest, who doesn’t want pizza. And I almost immediately began to think, well, if I go to Boston Pizza it will cost this much, if I go to Dominos it will cost this much, if we eat in you have to add the tip, if I pick up frozen pizzas it will be this, can I purchase the ingredients and make them myself for cheaper or on par with any of the other options… And as a dad and an employee it’s a good thing to be mindful of costs. But then I got to wondering, well, why couldn’t we have fun with it- made it a discussion, maybe even make dessert pizzas with ingredients from the pantry…?
I think we understand that instinct I’ve felt and that Philip showed, right? Perhaps especially as it relates to church life and our private day to day living… Jesus asks Philip that question, perhaps knowing how he’d answer… But Jesus asks the question anyway. Gets his teaching, his demonstration of the heart of God underway anyways… And maybe that question isn’t just for Philip… I imagine that many of us might answer the way Philip did. I think that’s the grounded human answer to such a question. We do calculate the cost of lighting, insurance costs, snow removal, adding additional programming… And so we seek to plan responsibly. We rightly look at budgets, volunteers and capacity so we can appropriately steward what God has blessed this congregation and community with. But this practicality can sometimes end up being encased in gold and bedazzled with jewels, and be the idol we cast our eyes to first. Practicality can become limitation… But then Andrew speaks up…
But this practicality is not the end of this story from the gospel according to John is it? Andrew, not the headlining disciple in the gospels by any means, he pipes up. The disciples don’t often have speaking roles outside of a few, but, after Jesus’ question, Andrew gets to thinking. Andrew raises his voice and says aloud, well, there’s a youth here that’s brought a few loaves and some fish. A child’s offering, a small lunch, not overly impressive in terms of volume or content, right? It doesn’t seem to be enough to feed even a handful, but, it’s offered anyway. And Jesus takes it anyways. Not only does he graciously accept this offering, but he give thanks for it and blesses it. Jesus then distributes it, and everyone is fed. Everyone is able to eat their fill and there is even some leftover.
Now I want us to pause here and say that this story cannot simply just be understood as a metaphor. What John is saying through Jesus right here is that bodies matter. Jesus cares about hunger- about real hunger. Jesus cares about the hungry, the disenfranchised, those that are following him for the chance a miracle can change their lives. Jesus acts decisively in this text, friends. Just as we are called to act concretely, courageously and compassionately to combat the injustices committed against multitudes – where food is not enough, where spiritual and emotional hunger can’t be sated because of prejudice or unjust legislation. Jesus’ actions are clear that he cares deeply for bodies, for people and not just their souls. And so, we as church, inherit that responsibility and zeal for life and fullness. In the text, after this display of God’s power, the crowd sees it, and moves quickly from gratitude to kingship. If Jesus can do this we should force him to be king, to be ruler, imagine how great that may be? From bread to crown. From provision to power. Now friends, the second act of grace is here is that Jesus says “heck no” and hightails it to a nearby mountain. He hears those whispers and he withdraws. Now, this isn’t abandonment. This is written to give us theological clarity. Jesus feeds the people. He refuses the throne of this world for he will not be king on their terms. He doesn’t want the kingdom to run on spectacle or domination. Jesus shows us what actions are important and then also shows us what to avoid…
How can we embody Jesus’ teaching? How can we walk in his footsteps that are outline here in this text? We think back to Philip’s answer, and then Andrew and the youth’s offering of bread and fish… We can wonder about what small offerings we’ve been dismissive of or thinking it won’t make a difference? A meal? A call? A payer? Quiet committee work? Steady giving? Or even just showing up? Friends, don’t be tempted to minimize that service. Don’t listen to the voice that questions if it is enough. Embody that Jesus-y gratitude, who smiles as he receives it, gives thanks, blesses it and then multiplies that simple offering that practically and on the surface didn’t seem adequate. Jesus says that it is. These are not “just” tasks “just something small”. They are bread for feeding. And in God’s hands… Imagine what more they can be… But what would change if we stopped hesitating in offering those gifts? What might change if we stopped waiting for someone else to offer or someone else to multiply it? What if the miracle is that what is offered is blessed and shared? God’s heart is revealed in this story and so too is our invitation to participate in the feeding of the multitudes. Here at TSA, I can see the loaves and fishes being passed forward. Do you see them here? In your households and communities?
Friends. Let’s imagine together. Can we envision a church that doesn’t chase crowns? A church that doesn’t rely on miracle workers. A church that feeds bodies and souls. A church where bread passes hand to hand. A church that trusts small faithfulness. The possibilities when we bring our offerings to God are limitless and the blessings and impact may very well be supernatural. The kingdom of God does not begin with a throne. It begins with bread. Given. Blessed. Shared. And somehow- it’s enough. Let’s be bread for all people. Amen.
