Trinity-St. Andrew’s United Church
Order of Worship
Sunday, September 1, 2024 – 15th after Pentecost
Prelude
Words of welcome, announcements
Lighting the Christ Candle
We light this candle as a sign of God’s Spirit that is still at work in the world. May its light brighten our spirits, and may the light of God shine through us to brighten the world.
Call To worship
Look to the mountains; look to the hills! For peace has come to fill our hearts with joy! Our hearts overflow with love for all that God has created! For You have blessed us with gladness beyond compare! God’s goodness endures forever! All around us we see how the world we live in is filled with beauty. Flowers appear on the earth, the songs of the birds brightens the day. The sweet corn lets us taste the abundance of God’s goodness. The air is filled with sweetness. The summer is God’s gift of love for us. May a spirit of gladness anoint your souls. Arise and let us sing for joy! God is with us in this place. Arise, and let us give thanks.
Hymn She Comes Sailing on the Wind (She Flies On) VU 380
Refrain: She comes sailing on the wind,
her wings flashing in the sun;
on a journey just begun, she flies on.
And in the passage of her flight,
her song rings out through the night,
full of laughter, full of light, she flies on.
- Silent waters rocking on the morning of our birth,
like an empty cradle waiting to be filled.
And from the heart of God the Spirit moved upon the earth,
Like a mother breathing life into her child. (to Verse 2)
- Many were the dreamers whose eyes were given sight
when the Spirit filled their dreams with life and form.
Deserts turned to gardens, broken hearts found new delight,
and then down the ages still she flew on. Refrain
- To a gentle girl in Galilee, a gentle breeze she came,
a whisper softly calling in the dark,
the promise of a child of peace whose reign would never end,
Mary sang the Spirit song within her heart. (to Verse 4)
- Flying to the river, she waited circling high
above the child now grown so full of grace.
As he rose up from the water, she swept down from the sky,
and she carried him away in her embrace. Refrain
- Long after the deep darkness that fell upon the world,
after dawn returned in flame of rising sun,
the Spirit touched the earth again, again her wings unfurled,
bringing life in wind and fire as she flew on. Refrain
Prayer of Approach
Creating God, you are the source of summer’s splendour. We behold the beauty and fragrance of delicate flowers. We hear the sweet sound of birds singing and bees buzzing. We come to you this morning with delight and gladness. We are grateful for all of your wonders. As the fields produce their harvest, may your love grow within us. May this summer rest that we enjoy help us to produce a bountiful harvest of love, hope, and joy. Amen.
Scripture Reader: Joy Curry
First Scripture: James 1:17-27
Gospel Reading: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Hymn Over My Head MV 88
Refrain: Over my head, I hear music in the air. (3x)
There must be a God somewhere.
- Leader: When the storms of life are ragin’
All: I hear music in the air.
Leader: When the storms of life are ragin’
All: I hear music in the air.
Leader: When the storms of life are ragin’
All: I hear music in the air.
Unison: There must be a God somewhere.
Additional Verses:
2. When the winds of strife are blowin’….
3. When the tide of hate is risin’…..
4. King* Jesus is a-callin’….
(*Alternative: “O”)
Homily “Follow The Rules”
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. 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 “God is so good”
God is so good, God is so good,
God is so good, He’s so good to me
Offering Prayer
God of light and beauty, every good gift is from you. Even our ability to give is a blessing of your love. In response we offer you what we have and what we are. We offer our hands, our hearts, our voices to join with all of creation to sing your praises. Use our gifts to help this world grow in righteousness, justice and peace. May we help to build your kingdom, where none are in need and all people are free to draw close to your grace. 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.
- 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
- 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
- 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 Your Hand, O God, Has Guided VU 274
- Your hand, O God, has guided
your flock from age to age;
the wondrous tale is written,
full clear, on every page.
Our forebears owned your goodness,
and we their deeds record;
and both of this bear witness:
one church, one faith, one Lord.
- Your heralds brought glad tidings
to greatest as to least;
they bade them rise, and hasten
to share the heavenly feast.
And this was all their teaching,
in every deed and word,
to all alike proclaiming,
one church, one faith, one Lord.
- Through many days of darkness,
through many scenes of strife,
the faithful few fought bravely
to guard your people’s life.
Their gospel of redemption,
sin pardoned, earth restored,
was all in this enfolded:
one church, one faith, one Lord.
- And we, shall we be faithless?
Shall hearts fail, hands hang down?
Shall we evade the conflict
and cast away our crown?
Not so: in God’s deep counsels
some better thing is stored;
we will maintain, unflinching,
one church, one faith, one Lord.
- Your mercy will not fail us,
nor leave your work undone;
with your right hand to help us,
the victory shall be won:
and then, by earth and heaven,
your name shall be adored,
and this shall be our anthem:
one church, one faith, one Lord.
Benediction
We go into this new week in a spirit of joy as we seek to serve this world with grace. May all you do be an expression of God’s love. Now may the love of God, the peace of Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit bless you and keep you this day and always. Go now in peace, Amen.
Choral Amen Amen, Amen, Hallelujah, Amen VU 974
Postlude
“Follow the rules” Text: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23. James 1:17-27
By Rev. James Murray at Trinity-St. Andrew’s United Church, Renfrew. September 1, 2024
So how many of you watched the Paris Olympics this summer? The Olympics are one of the truly great spectacles that brings the world together. The opening ceremonies are always full of pageantry and symbolism as the host country introduces itself to the world. The Olympics are the game of games. They are important because they are a ritual that gathers the world together in peace. Instead of fighting each other on the battlefield, we use sport to show our greatness. The Olympics seek to embody the best of what the human spirit is capable of achieving. As a result the games are always changing. In every Olympics new sports are introduced and old ones that are no longer popular are dropped. That’s because new sports are constantly being invented. And the rules to many existing sports also change. The rules have to change quite regularly, because the tactics and techniques used are constantly evolving. There are new innovations like the fabric used for swimwear which makes swimmers faster in the water. There are new technologies like the hydrofoils that completely change the sport of sailing. And of course there are the performance enhancing drugs that athletes will take to make them faster, higher and stronger. Every athlete and country is looking for a way to give themselves a competitive edge. No one likes the cheating and corruption that plagues every Olympics. Despite its terrible flaws, we still expect all the nations and all the athletes at the Olympics will follow the rules, so the competition will be a fair one. And when they succeed, we see the beauty of sport that can inspire us all.
Living by the rules does bring order to our chaotic world. The rules allow us to compete with each other without killing each other. Living by the rules help us to live together in peace. The challenge every generation faces is to make sure the rules we are following are still helpful.
Jesus knew a thing or two about what it was to live in a world full of rules. The Bible has 613 commandments that are rules to live by. Some were very important. Others did not make a lot of sense. Commandments like “Thou shalt not kill or steal or lie” were very important. The rule that says you should not wear a garment made from a blend of wool and linen was not very helpful. (Deut 22:11)
Some of the dietary laws helped keep you safe. But the laws that say you are not to eat rabbits, shellfish or pork were not as helpful. (Lev. 11) Like many cultures, the Jewish people had rules as to who you could touch, and who you shouldn’t have lunch with. (Lev. 12). It was believed that following these rules would keep you clean, holy, and close to God. This meant you really had to watch your behaviour if you wanted to be among the religious people.
On this occasion Jesus and his followers are challenged by the religious authorities because Jesus isn’t following the rules. Jesus and the disciples were devote Jews who knew full well the rules of ritual cleanliness, but there’s something else happening here. It’s like the Pharisees have jumped on one aspect of the law to “catch” the disciples out. But Jesus sees their agenda and questions their own motives. He asks them about other commandments that the Pharisees don’t follow. What the Pharisees are doing is isolating one scripture in order to twist it for their purposes. When this happens the law is no longer helpful but instead the law has become a weapon to put someone in their place.
Jesus challenges the conventional views of this kind of religiosity when he declares that it is what comes out of your mouth that makes you unclean, not what you put into your mouth. By this radical statement, Jesus redefines the rules. He challenges the Pharisees because they are only concerned about the rules when it helps them. They are not concerned about how our traditional values actually can help to make the world a better place. For Jesus, faith is not about showing blind obedience to the rules at all costs. For Jesus, faith is knowing which rules are helpful.
The religious leaders who attacked Jesus are quick to speak their opinions, but slow to help others. And this is what the epistle of James really challenges. James was the younger brother of Jesus and he became the head of the church in Jerusalem after Jesus’ death. The letter of James is believed to be the earliest description of the Christian faith. His letter was written long before Saint Paul or the gospels were written. When James is confronted with these kinds of challenges as to what are the right rules to follow, he gives us some wise advice. James says “Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger.”
Quick to listen? This is probably one of the hardest pieces of advice we’ll ever be given.
And slow to speak? As a preacher these are hard words for me to take. He is telling me to temper my words and not to fall in love with the sound of my own voice. He is inviting us to close our mouths, to open our ears and so open our minds to the wisdom of others. Only then can we truly be of help to anyone. Saint James urges us to be both hearers and doers of God’s word. Faith for him is understanding how God is concerned for others and learning how to act on that understanding.
To have faith is to trust in God, as we seek to do the right thing. Since God is infinite and immortal, no one can claim to have an absolute knowledge of God. As a result, our faith is always imperfect, and always growing. It takes a certain kind of humility to be able to admit that we only have an imperfect knowledge of God, and that our understanding of God will always be growing. This is hard to do in our modern world because the greatest thing we want is certainty. We want the perfect set of rules that will make life simple, fair and easy. We are not comfortable with uncertainty. We’d rather sweep a problem like addiction under the carpet than admit we don’t have a perfect answer for it.
The letter of James is unique because it represents the Jewish Christian point of view. Paul’s letters were written to appeal to the Greek point of view. In the Jewish religious tradition, it is our behaviour that matters most. In the Greek philosophy of Plato, it is the ideal, the thought that counts. For the Greeks, we should be seeking the perfect set of rules. For James, it is of ultimate importance for our behaviour to match our beliefs. James also recognizes that each of us are not perfect, so it will always be a challenge to do the right thing. Saint James teaches us that you can’t be loving your neighbour if you are also showing favouritism to the rich. He says you can’t be a Christian if you are ignoring the plight of the poor. For James, religion is about getting your hands dirty, without becoming as dirty as the world.
In this letter James gives us a snapshot of what the earliest days of Christianity looked like. He says “The religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: look after orphans and widows in their distress and keep yourself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1: 27) This is the religion God wants us to practice. James is telling us to heed the Nike motto and “Just Do It”. James believes we are called to live well in the world. We are to daily seek to make it a better place. We can’t deny the dirtiness and pain of the world. There has always been corruption and cheating in this world. We are to face the reality of the world, yet not be overcome by it. In all things we are to seek to help one another. James echoes his brother Jesus’ words when he says “You will do well if you just fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, which says “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Loving others is to seek the best for everyone, and not just for some.
And the best way to do this is “Be quick to listen, be slow to speak and be slow to anger.” It is only then that we can help others in ways that will open hearts, open minds and open doors that leads to a better world for us all. Amen.
