Read-along Service for Sunday, May 25, 2025

Trinity-St. Andrew’s United Church
Order of Worship
Sunday, May 25, 2025 – 6th Sunday of Easter

Prelude
Words of welcome, announcements

Lighting the Christ Candle

We light this candle as a symbol of the light of Christ, which shines in each one of us, and the darkness cannot overcome it. May the light of resurrection fill our lives with hope.

Introit

Call To worship
From God comes the gift of life. For this reason we honour and worship God our Creator. From God comes healing for the brokenness we see in the world around us.  For this reason we honour and worship Christ Jesus who is our healer. From God comes the strength to face the new day. So we honour and worship God’s Holy Spirit, who inspires us and leads us on.

We celebrate this first day of a new week by gathering together as God’s people, seeking life, seeking healing, and seeking hope. Come, let us worship God together.

Hymn         Oh a Song Must Rise (A Song Must Rise)                 MV 142

Refrain:     Oh a song must rise for the spirit to descend,
                   oh a song must rise once again.
                   Singing out God’s praises and glory,
                   the faithful voices blend,
                   oh a song must rise for the spirit to descend. 

  1. From the mountains to the valleys,
    from the desert to the sea,
    a song must rise once again.
    From the voices of our leaders,
    the voice of you and me,
    a song must rise for the spirit to descend.        Refrain
  1. From poverty and riches,
    from the voice of young and old,
    a song must rise once again.
    From the free and the imprisoned,
    the timid and the bold,
    a song must rise for the spirit to descend.        Refrain
  1. From ev’ry house of worship,
    in ev’ry faith and tongue,
    a song must rise once again.
    From the villages and cities
    a new song must be sung,
    a song must rise for the spirit to descend.        Refrain

Prayer of Approach
Loving God, you are the Maker of heaven and earth.  You are present in every moment of every day. You share with us many great and wonderful gifts – the earth, the sky, the waters. You have given us the gift of life in such abundance and beauty.  Merciful God, We lead enormously privileged lives.  May the comforts we enjoy not blind us to the new life that is evolving in our midst.  Your Spirit opens up new possibilities we would not always choose on our own. You invite us to be part of a new creation that moves our safe horizons out beyond what we can control or even imagine.

Even as the past is always slipping away, we know This much does not change: That You are our God; we are your people. We are bound to you by the love of Jesus Christ and by the call of your Holy Spirit. Faithful God, hold us deep in that truth even as you move us into your new creation.

Creating and re-creating God, take us in our uncertainties and make us anew. We pray in the name of your Son, who has gone ahead of us into your new future and who encourages us follow. Amen.

Scripture Reader:         Rosemary O’Connor
Scripture:                      Acts 16:9-15

Gospel Reading:          John 14:23-29

Hymn                   Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness                                  VU 375

Refrain:     Spirit, Spirit of gentleness,
                   blow thro’ the wilderness calling and free,
                   Spirit, Spirit of restlessness,
                   stir me from placidness,
                   Wind, Wind on the sea.

  1. You moved on the waters, you called to the deep,
    then you coaxed up the mountains from the valleys of sleep;
    and over the eons you called to each thing;
    wake from your slumbers and rise on your wings.              Refrain
  1. You swept thro’ the desert, you stung with the sand,
    and you goaded your people with a law and a land;
    and when they were blinded with their idols and lies,
    then you spoke thro’ your prophets to open their eyes.      Refrain
  1. You sang in a stable, you cried from a hill,
    then you whispered in silence when the whole world was still;
    and down in the city you called once again,
    when you blew through your people on the rush of the wind.  Refrain
  1. You call from tomorrow, you break ancient schemes,
    from the bondage of sorrow the captives dream dreams,
    our women see visions, our men clear their eyes,
    with bold new decisions your people arise.                          Refrain

Homily “Saint Lydia leads the way”

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                Your Work, O God, Needs Many Hands           VU 537

  1. Your work, O God, needs many hands
    to help you everywhere,
    and some there are who cannot serve
    unless our gifts we share.
  1. Because we love you and your work,
    our offering now we make:
    be pleased to use it as your own,
    we ask for Jesus’ sake.

Offering Prayer
Teach us the courage, O God, to turn from what seems so natural, so safe. We know all too well the way of grasping power, and befriending the powerful, in the hope of finding protection and security.  Teach us the humility, O God, to turn from what is so enticing, so persuasive: the way of accumulating things, and trusting in wealth, in the hope of comfort and life. Lead us, O God, in another way, the way of true security, true wealth, the way of Christ, the servant, the way of humility 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. May the sharing of these gifts be the way that that brings salvation to us all. Amen.

Hymn                             Spirit, Open My Heart                                         MV 79

 

Refrain:
Spirit, open my heart to the joy and pain of living.
As you love may I love, in receiving and in giving,
Spirit, open my heart.

  1. God, replace my stony heart
    with a heart that’s kind and tender.
    All my coldness and fear
    to our grace I now surrender. Refrain
  1. Write your love upon my heart
    as my law, my goal, my story.
    In each thought, word, and deed,
    may my living bring you glory.         Refrain
  1. May I weep with those who weep,
    share the joy of sister, brother.
    In the welcome of Christ,
    may we welcome one another.       Refrain

Pastoral Prayer,
The Lord’s Prayer

Hymn                   Shall We Gather at the River                             VU 710

  1. Shall we gather at the river,
    where bright angel feet have trod;
    with its crystal tide for ever
    flowing by the throne of God?

Yes, we’ll gather at the river,
                   the beautiful, the beautiful river;
                   gather with the saints at the river
                   that flows by the throne of God.

  1. Ere we reach the shining river,
    lay we every burden down;
    grace our spirits will deliver,
    and provide a robe and crown.       Refrain
  1. Soon we’ll reach the shining river,
    soon our pilgrimage with cease,
    soon our happy hearts will quiver
    with the melody of peace.               Refrain

Benediction
God’s Holy Spirit is saying to you “It’s time for you to take the lead and move this whole thing forward.  May the Way of Jesus guide you through the challenges you will face this week. May the love of God protect us when you are in need and may the spirit of life itself inspire you to share this gift of love. ‘Let’s work together so the way of Jesus will become ‘our way’. Let us go ever onwards my friends. Peace be with you.  Amen.

Choral Amen                 Amen, Amen, Hallelujah, Amen!                        VU 974

Postlude

Saint Lydia leads the way. John 14:23-29 May 25, 2025
by Rev. James Murray at Trinity-St. Andrew’s United Church, Renfrew.

On Tuesday of this week it was the Feast day of Saint Lydia. Saint Lydia is honoured every year because she was the first Christian convert in all of Europe. She is also significant because the first Christian church in Europe met in her home. And Saint Lydia led that church that met in her home. This means the first Christian minister in all of Europe was a woman.  Lydia doesn’t always get the credit she deserves in the history of the Christian church. The story of Lydia’s coming to faith is an inspiring one. Before she ever met Saint Paul, she had gathered together a group of women who wanted to worship the Jewish God. Unfortunately, there was no Jewish synagogue in Phillippi. The Jewish men who did live in that town did not want to pray with her because she was a Greek and not a Jew. So Lydia had organized her own prayer gathering out on the banks of the river.  Lydia was an independent business woman. She made her living making and selling purple cloth, which was a much sought after luxury item. She was used to doing things her way. She wasn’t one to sit around waiting for someone else to give her permission. So when Saint Paul meets Lydia, it opens up a world of new possibilities for both of them. Paul had received a vision telling him to cross over from Turkey and come into Europe for the first time. And Lydia was looking for a way to draw closer to God. Paul spent an afternoon telling Lydia and the other women about Jesus and how he made a way for all peoples to worship God as one family. Lydia was so moved by Paul’s words she was baptized in the river that very afternoon. She had no sooner come up out of the water when she asks Paul if they can hold church at her house. And to his credit, Saint Paul says Yes to this most outrageous request. Back then, women were not supposed to lead a church. But Paul knew enough about God and Jesus’ message not to stand in the way when the Holy Spirit kicks into action. By Paul’s daring words and Lydia’s bold actions, the Way of Jesus found a new home in Europe. Together they found a new way to express that faith in a way that transcends all the old rules about how God can be known.

We don’t talk a lot about following the Way of Jesus. And we rarely talk about it being ‘our way’ and making it our own. Before we were known by the label of Christian, the original name of this movement was ‘the Way of Jesus’. We were disciples who were learning from and following the example of Jesus Christ in how he lived his life, how he faced his death, and what he revealed to us in his resurrection. In the church today this “way” of Jesus has taken a back seat to the “truth” of Jesus.  We as Christians today tend to see ourselves as defenders of the Truth rather than as “people of the way”.  For a long time we have been trying to defend The Truth by proving how the Bible is right about everything. We have tried to defend the Truth by enacting laws which make it illegal to be a sinner. We have tried to defend the Truth by seeking political power over others. The result of these efforts to defend the Truth of Christ is that we have reduced Christianity to the act of sitting on a pew in a big building, and agreeing with what the preacher says. The result of these efforts to defend the Truth of Christ is that we have forgotten that the best proof for the Truth of Christ is what happens when we follow the Way of Christ in our lives every day.

Now it can be a challenge to know how to follow Christ. In many cases today, the Christian Church is best known for what we’re against. We don’t always do a good job of showing what we actually stand for. The way we live our lives should reflect our belief in things like grace, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, salvation, and new life in Jesus Christ.   This means that the best defence we can offer as to the Truth of Christianity is to show the difference being a Christian makes in our lives every day. This is why we must be committed to following Christ. It used to be that giving your heart to Jesus meant that you were agreeing with the doctrines of your particular church.  I know of many congregations that require their new members to pass a written test on church history and doctrine before they are allowed to join the church.

The fuller definition of giving your heart to Jesus should be that you are trusting the Way of Jesus to guide how you are going to live your life. It’s one thing to say that “I believe Jesus is The Way.” Those words only have real meaning when you are willing to go on our way, with Jesus.  When His way becomes my way of living, the truth of Jesus becomes the defining reality of my life. One person who has taught me a lot about following the Way of Jesus is Eugene Peterson. Eugene Peterson was a teacher and minister who is perhaps known for the paraphrase of the Bible he produced which is called “The Message”. Eugene Peterson says “The way of Jesus is always local and ordinary.” The way of Jesus is something we are to live in our local context. It is something we are to do in our ordinary, daily lives. You don’t have to be a college trained missionary to Haiti in order to be a follower of the way. It’s how you live your life here in Renfrew that matters.

Jesus is very clear that he wants us to live this new way and to make it our own. In the gospel reading from this morning, Jesus has just finished telling his disciples that he is The Way, The Truth and the Life. He tells them that if they have seen him, they have seen the Father. If they ask for anything in his name, Jesus promises he will do it. He has just given them the new commandment to love one another as he has loved them. He has called them his equals. He has promised them that they will do even greater things than he did. Then Jesus says to his disciples, “Rise, let us be on our way.” But when Jesus says this, no one moves. He keeps on talking and they sit there still listening. The fact that no one stands up and leaves made me scratch my head. I had to go to the original Greek to understand that Jesus is saying “Get up. You lead. Onwards.”   So at this moment, Jesus is not saying, “Hey ho, time to go for an after dinner stroll.” He is saying, “It’s time for you to take the lead and move this whole thing forward.”  He is saying, ‘It’s time for you to lead and make this Way your own.” He’s inviting us to work together with him so this will become ‘our way’.

It’s because of this desire to make the Way of Jesus our way of living that we take the time to remember people like Saint Lydia. Her story has inspired countless numbers of people to dare to do make the Way of Jesus their way of living.  Her story has inspired many people to care for others where they are. She has also been a role model for women who seek to lead as ministers.

In the United Church of Canada, the name of Lydia is also associated with another daring and saintly woman. The Reverend Lydia Gruchy was the first woman to be ordained by our denomination in back 1936. Lydia Gruchy was the first woman to be ordained ever by any church in Canada. Lydia Gruchy was a school teacher when she applied to be ordained by the Presbyterian Church in 1923, but she was turned down because of her gender. When church union took place in 1925, she joined the United Church of Canada. Her name was put forward for ordination by Saskatchewan Conference in 1926. It took ten long years for the newly formed United Church to formally change its policy to allow for the ordination of women. During those long years of waiting, Lydia Gruchy was not sitting idly by, waiting for permission to minister to others. During that decade when the Church was trying to get their act together,, Lydia worked as a Lay Missionary for the Home Mission Board. She was sent to Veregin, Saskatchewan to work among the Doukhobor people. It was considered the toughest pastoral appointment in the province. In Veregin the families were only sending their boys to school. Gruchy was instrumental in encouraging the Doukhobor families to send their daughters to school as well. After she was finally ordained, the Reverend Lydia Gruchy served several different congregations in rural Saskatchewan. She finished her career working at the National church offices overseeing several theological education programs. She opened the door for many women to claim their calling as disciples of Jesus Christ.

The story of these two Lydias reminds us that where ever we are, we can be a disciple of Jesus. We can each find our own path to become a follower of his Way. For when he walks with us, it will be our way, our truth, our life.  So “arise, let us be on our way” together.  Amen.

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