Trinity-St. Andrew’s United Church
Order of Worship
Second Sunday in Lent March 16, 2025
Prelude
Words of welcome, announcements
Lighting the Christ Candle
As we journey towards the darkness of the cross, we light a candle to remind us of the Light that can not be put out. May this light remind us that we are not alone, in all the changing scenes of life. We do not make this journey from death to resurrection alone, for God is with us.
Choral Introit
Call To Worship
“The Lord is my light and my salvation.” Even when you are afraid, there is one you can count on. For God is like a fortress protecting your life. So on this first day of a new week we gather in the light of God’s protection. We come to pray, praise and sing, so we might gather together under the shelter of God’s love. Let us worship God together!
Hymn Joyful, Joyful we Adore You VU 232
- Joyful, joyful we adore you,
God of glory, life and love;
hearts unfold like flowers before you,
opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness,
drive the gloom of doubt away;
giver of immortal gladness,
fill us with the light of day.
- All your works with joy surround you,
earth and heaven reflect your rays,
stars and angels sing around you,
centre of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
flowery meadow, flashing sea,
chanting bird and flowing mountain,
sound their praise eternally.
- You are giving and forgiving,
ever blessing, ever blest,
wellspring of the joy of living,
ocean depth of happy rest!
Source of grace and fount of blessing,
let your light upon us shine;
teach us how to love each other,
lift us to the joy divine.
- Mortals join the mighty chorus
which the morning stars began;
God’s own love is reigning o’er us,
joining people hand in hand.
Ever singing, march we onward,
victors in the midst of strife;
joyful music leads us sunward
in the triumph song of life.
Prayer of Approach
Loving God, we are thankful that your face is not hidden from us. You look upon us with a spirit of grace and mercy. You seek to gather us together as brothers and sisters. You are the refuge of our hearts. But we confess that we have not made you the center of our lives. We have looked for shelter in the false security of the world, and not in your promises. Our fears are driven by our emotions and not by our trust in you. So have mercy on us, for you are our Light and our Hope. Fill our hearts with your presence, so we might recognize the One who has come to gather us up and lead us into your Kingdom. Amen.
Scripture Reader: Barbara Moogk
First Reading: Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
Responsive Psalm Psalm 27 VU 754
Refrain: God is my light and saving health,
I shall not be afraid.
God is my light and my salvation, whom then shall I fear?
God is the stronghold of my life,
of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked close in to devour me,
it is they, my enemies and my foes, who stumble and fall.
If an army should encamp against me,
my heart shall not be afraid;
if war should arise against me,
even then I will not be dismayed. Refrain
One thing I have asked of God, for which I long:
that I may dwell in God’s house all the days of my life,
to gaze on your beauty, O God,
and seek you in your temple.
For in the time of trouble you will give me shelter;
you will hide me under the cover of your tent,
you will set me high upon a rock.
And now you have raised my head
above my enemies round about me.
Therefore I will offer in your dwelling
a sacrifice with great gladness. Refrain
Hear my voice, O God, when I call; have mercy and answer me.
Your face, O God, I seek.
Do not hide your face from me;
do not reject your servant in anger,
you who have been my helper.
Do not cast me off, or forsake me, O God, my saviour.
Though my father and mother forsake me,
my God will take me up. Refrain
Teach me your way, O God,
lead me on a level path,
safe from those who lie in wait for me.
Do not give me up to the will of my enemies,
for liars and false witnesses arise against me.
I believe that I shall see God’s goodness
In the land of the living.
Wait for God; be strong; and take courage;
yes, wait for God! Refrain
Gospel Reading: Luke 13:31-35
Hymn To Abraham and Sarah VU 634
- To Abraham and Sarah
the call of God was clear,
“Go forth and I will show you
a country rich and fair.
You need not fear the journey
for I have pledged by word,
that you shall be my people
and I will be your God.”
- From Abraham and Sarah,
arose a pilgrim race,
dependent for their journey
on God’s abundant grace;
and in their heart was written
by God this saving word:
“that you shall be my people
and I will be your God.”
- We of this generation
on whom God’s hand is laid,
can journey to the future
secure and unafraid,
rejoicing in God’s goodness
and trusting in this word:
“that you shall be my people
and I will be your God.”
Homily “Facing our greatest fears”
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. There are also many opportunities to volunteer in our different ministries. 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
Merciful God, all too often we fear that we will not have enough. So we seek after power and riches in the hope of finding protection and security. Teach us the way of humility, O God, to turn from the way of accumulating things, and trusting in wealth, in the hopes of a more comfortable life. Lead us, O God, in another way, the way of true security, true wealth. May we leave our fears behind and follow the way of Christ instead. May these gifts we share, and how we live each day, the way of weakness and simplicity. Lead us, O God, in another way, the way of caring for the neglected, feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, protecting the threatened, and challenging the powerful. Bless these gifts we offer, and the work of our hands, that we might share your gift that brings salvation to all people. Amen.
Hymn Let My Spirit Always Sing MV 83
- Let my spirit always sing,
though my heart be wintering,
though the season of despair
give no sign that you are there,
God to whom my days belong,
Let there always be a song.
- Though my body be confined,
let your word engage my mind,
let the inner eye discern
how much more there is to learn,
see the world becoming whole
through the window of the soul.
- Let your wisdom grace my years,
choose my words and chase my fears,
give me wit to welcome change,
to accept, and not estrange,
let my joy be full and deep
in the knowledge that I keep.
- Let my spirit always sing,
to your Spirit answering,
through the silence, through the pain
know my hope is not in vain,
like a feather on your breath
trust your love, through life and death.
Pastoral Prayer
Lord’s Prayer VU 910
Hymn O Jesus, I have Promised VU 120
- O Jesus, I have promised to serve you to the end;
remain for ever near me, my Saviour and my friend:
I shall not fear the journey if you are by my side,
nor wander from the pathway if you will be my guide.
- O let me feel you near me: the world is ever near;
I see the sights that dazzle, the tempting sounds I hear;
my foes are ever near me, around me and within;
but, Jesus, then draw nearer and shield my soul from sin.
- O let me hear you speaking in accents clear and still,
above the storms of passion, the murmurs of self-will;
O speak to reassure me, to hasten or control;
now speak, and make me listen, O guardian of my soul.
- O Jesus, you have promised to all who follow you,
that where you are in glory our servant shall be too.
And Jesus, I have promised to serve you to the end;
O give me grace to follow, my Saviour and my friend.
Benediction
May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields, and, until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.
Choral Amen 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
Facing our Fears. Text: Luke 13:31-35. Second Sunday of Lent
Preached by Rev. James Murray at Trinity-St. Andrew’s United Church, March 16 2025
By the standards of his day, Abraham was a very successful man. He had lived a long and happy life. He had large flocks of sheep, goats and cattle. He had many servants and slaves who worked hard for him. He and his wife Sarah had enjoyed many wonderful years together. But Abraham lacked one thing. He and his wife had no children. He would be forgotten without a son to carry on his name. Abraham feared being forgotten and left behind. He thought his life’s work would all amount to nothing without a son to pass it on to. So God’s promise that even in his old age that he would have a son helped Abraham to face his greatest fears. God’s promise enabled him to be a model of faithfulness that is still an inspiration to the billions of Jews, Christians and Muslims around the world who all see themselves as being the children of Abraham.
Each of us has our own set of fears. We fear we aren’t good enough or smart enough or wealthy enough to be able to enjoy this life to its fullest. We fear the loss of reputation, the loss of family, or the loss of our abilities as we age. In every case we look for assurances. We seek assurances that all that is good and true will endure. That life will go on, even if we stumble and fall.
Even Jesus had to face such fears. His ministry was always about lifting up those who were left behind. Jesus had started his ministry by quoting the prophet Isaiah who said “The Spirit of God has been given to me. God has anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, To bind up hearts that are broken, To proclaim liberty to captives, Freedom to those in prison, and To proclaim the Year of God’s good Favour.” His ministry was to those who had been ground down to the dust. And now King Herod has taken notice of Jesus’ revolutionary vision of the Kingdom of God, and the King has realized it is a direct threat to the authority of the Kingdom of Caesar.
With this warning, Jesus is confronted with the potential political consequences of his behaviour. If he continues to preach, if he continues to heal, if he continues forgive people and set them free from their fears, then the kingdom of Rome has a cross with his name on it. The cross was a gruesome form of state execution reserved for the worst political trouble-makers. It took several horrible days for someone die on a cross. It was a very public warning of the ruthless power of Rome.
This threat from the political powers of his day forces Jesus to face the ultimate existential question. “Is what I am doing worth dying for?” He is forced to take stock of what he is doing, for there is no denying what the potential consequences are going to be. His greatest fear is that his ministry will all be for nothing. If he stops what he is doing, then the people will be let down once again. If he keeps on with his ministry, the authorities do plan on killing him. And he is left to wonder if his dying for this cause will make any difference.
Thankfully, few of us ever have to face such a moment of extreme fear. In our own way, though, we all have to ultimately answer such difficult existential questions. We all have to face the anxiety of our own mortality. How we face the fear of our own eventual death can define how we choose to live this life. We also have to face the anxiety of meaninglessness. Does this life have any meaning or purpose for you? This too affects our choices.
And lastly, we face the anxiety of fate. Life is unpredictable, and uncertain. We can never know just how much the ever changing social, political, and economic forces of this world are going to affect our lives both as individuals and as a society. We don’t know how natural disasters might change our world. Random tragedies do occur. How we live with this uncertainty, and the consequences, is important.
This weekend marks the anniversary of how one of those unpredictable forces can change so much of the world around us. Tomorrow is the fifth anniversary of the first Covid lockdown here in Ontario. Do remember what your life was like before that first lockdown? Those lockdowns have had a huge impact on the world of politics and on the economy. We’ve all seen the impact they have had on our social and emotional well being. We have been changed as individuals and as a global society by the COVID 19 Pandemic in ways we are still struggling to comprehend.
On that first Sunday of the lockdown I preached the first of our many online services. On that first Sunday of the Pandemic, I shared these words with you.
While this may be a first for us, human history is full of such pivotal moments. Over the centuries humanity has endured numerous epidemics of many different kinds. We have seen diseases like typhoid, cholera and tuberculosis spread like wildfire. Viruses like AIDS and the Plague have killed tens of millions of people. Such large pandemics have often changed the course of history as empires rise and fall, old economic certainties are swept away, attitudes change, and new possibilities emerge.
I shared with you how the Christian church has faced this kind of crisis many times over the past two thousand years. Over that time we have learned how to adapt to these major world events. We have learned how to be part of the new life that emerges from such times of crisis. While the world is still looking for a miracle to save us from viruses and political upheaval and natural disasters, we have already learned the way through such hard times is by trusting in the goodness of God.
We have done this by being there for each other, offering support when it is needed most. We have been able to learn how to adapt to such changes because we live by the Golden Rule. The Golden Rule encourages us to treat others the way we want to be treated. To live by the Golden Rule helps us to overcome our fears, because we know we will be there for each other when trouble strikes.
Jesus added to the Golden Rule when he gave us another rule to live by at the Last Supper. On that fateful night he gave his disciples a new commandment. He told us to love each other the way he has loved us. Jesus loved us so much he was willing to face even death for the sake of his beliefs. His love for us was so great he was willing to keep sharing his dream of the Kingdom of God, even when he knew the Kingdom of Rome was after him. He shared his gifts of healing and salvation with us all, regardless of the personal cost. He showed us how to build up communities of resistance and support that can withstand any evil empire or any natural disaster. As a result, he was willing to lay down his career. His family. His security. His life. He did all this, because he loves us this much.
We know God also loved Abraham so much that God ended up giving him sons even though he was in his nineties. So nothing is impossible for God. Jesus has shown us how to face all the difficult situations life can throw at us. By his example, we know that our acts of caring can help others to experience forgiveness and salvation. By being an inclusive community of caring support, we can find the loving courage needed to give of ourselves, so all might live.
For it is only such a perfect love like this that can conquer all our fears.
