Trinity-St. Andrew’s United Church
Order of Worship
September 15, 2024 – 17th 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
All of heaven and earth proclaim the amazing gift of God’s creative power! We gather to Praise God for this world that is filled with such awesome beauty. God has given us teachings by which we can learn to live together in a spirit of peace. In these words of wisdom, God shows us how important it is for us to respect one another. God is inviting us to live in harmony with all of life. So open your heart to the wisdom of God. Seek this deeper understanding so you may learn how to have life in abundance. For God’s teachings gives hope to all who hear it. Let us rejoice in the goodness of God, for God’s steadfast love endures forever. Amen.
Hymn Draw the Circle Wide MV 145
Refrain: Draw the circle wide. Draw it wider still.
Let this be our song, no one stands alone,
standing side by side, draw the circle wide.
- God the still point of the circle,
‘round whom all creation turns;
nothing lost, but held forever,
in God’s gracious arms. Refrain
- Let our hearts touch far horizons,
so encompass great and small;
let our loving know no borders,
faithful to God’s call. Refrain
- Let the dreams we dream be larger,
than we’ve ever dreamed before;
let the dream of Christ be in us,
open every door. Refrain
Prayer of Approach
God of wisdom and truth, we gather to hear of your dreams for us. We long for a better world and seek a new direction for our lives. Speak clearly to our hearts, that we may walk in your ways and live in your love. Despite our best intentions, we are often unable to hear your truth and go where you lead. Even as we praise you with our mouths, we disgrace ourselves in words spoken to others with tongues of vicious fire. Forgive us for our hard hearts and stubborn ears. Forgive us for our hateful words and cruel gossip. Forgive us for our wilful ignorance of the joy and gift you offer us. Help us live in your love and walk in your truth, that we might be your people, and you might be our God. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
Scripture Reader: Sandra Comba
First Scripture: Proverbs 1:20-33
Gospel Reading: Mark 8:27-38
Hymn Come and Seek the Ways of Wisdom MV 10
- Come and seek the ways of Wisdom,
she who danced when earth was new.
Follow closely what she teaches,
For her words are right and true.
Wisdom clears the path to justice,
showing us what love must do.
- Listen to the voice of Wisdom,
crying in the marketplace.
Hear the Word made flesh among us,
full of glory, truth, and grace.
When the word takes root and ripens,
peace and righteousness embrace.
- Sister Wisdom, come, assist us;
Nurture all who seek rebirth.
Spirit-guide and close companion,
bring to light our sacred worth.
Free us to become your people,
holy friends of God and earth.
Sermon “The Road Not Taken”
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 Know That God is Good MV 104
Know that God is good, (3x)
God is good, God is good.
Offering Prayer
Glorious God, your teachings are more to be desired than silver or gold. May these gifts we offer be transformed into your gifts for the good of the world. May our lives taste your truth that is as sweet as honey. May our love flow with the honey of your grace. Bless these gifts and bless our lives, that all may glorify you. Amen.
Hymn Seek Ye First the Kingdom VU 356
- Seek ye first the kingdom of God
and God’s righteousness,
and all these things shall be added unto you.
Hallelu, hallelujah.
- Ask and it shall be given unto you;
seek and you shall find;
knock and the door shall be opened unto you.
Hallelu, hallelujah.
- We do not live by bread alone,
but by every word
that proceeds from the mouth of God.
Hallelu, hallelujah.
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
May the words of our mouths be acceptable and true. May the meditations of our hearts be loving and pure. May the actions of our lives be grace-filled and kind. May we go where Christ leads and walk in God’s truth. Go now in peace. Amen.
Choral Amen Wherever You May Go MV 216
Refrain: Wherever you may go, I will follow,
and your people shall be my people too.
Wherever you may go, I will follow,
for I would be faithful, loyal and true.
- Say the word and I will stay,
I will never go away,
we will travel side by side
and God’s love will be our guide. Refrain
- From beginning to the end
I will always be your friend,
when you need me, I’ll be there,
you can trust my faithful care. Refrain
Postlude
“The Road Not Taken” Texts: Proverbs 1:20-33, Mark 8:27-38
By Rev. James Murray at Trinity-St. Andrew’s United Church, Renfrew. September 15, 2024
“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost’s poem is one I have turned to many times over the decades. It reminds me of the choices I have made that have lead me here. There are many other paths my life could have taken and there are many other possible futures that could have been. It is a natural thing to take stock of your life, and question the choices you have made. Such questioning can also help us to make better choices for the journey that still lies ahead.
We need to be able to make good choices because life isn’t easy. In fact it is probably more realistic to say that life is hard. We would prefer that life was easy and we didn’t have any problems or worries. This is why we often complain about our difficulties, as if they are an unfair affliction that we shouldn’t have to bear. The truth is we all have health problems and relationship problems that we cannot escape. I know I’ve done my share of worrying and complaining about such things. The question becomes whether we just want to moan about our problems or do we want to solve our problems?
Some problems we can solve, if we are willing to do the work. But even our best efforts are often not enough. Old age brings many health problems that exercise and diet alone cannot solve. Hard work and determination on their own cannot always overcome the current social and economic conditions we are in. Sometimes, we need something more than our own best efforts to help guide us.
In the Bible, that something more is called Wisdom. One philosopher said “Wisdom is the persistent pursuit of the deeper understanding.” It is a voice of reason in the midst of chaos. It is a voice of patient experience, that sees the world from a different perspective.
In the Bible passage we shared this morning, wisdom is given a woman’s voice. Just as women have not always been listened to in human history, the slow reflective power of wisdom has not always been listened to in the heat of the moment. Wisdom is being aware of the big picture. It is insight into how things work, and how to bring all the parts together in a new way.
In this sense, wisdom is very different from common sense. Common sense puts every day events into a predictable pattern. Common sense tells us ‘a stitch in time saves nine’. Common sense tells us that ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Wisdom knows there is more at work here than just what first meets the eye. Wisdom tells us that ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try a different approach next time.” Wisdom pushes you beyond the ordinary expectations and tries to find the extra ordinary insight. We need such a change of perspective because we can be penny wise and still be pound foolish. We can be good people who still do hurtful things.
Wisdom is something that is uncommon. It is rare, and important. It is the greatest virtue a person can possess. It is a coming together of the virtues of patience, forgiveness and compassion. It is a mindfulness and a keen awareness of the interconnections which lie between all things and events. It is the awareness that we don’t have easy answers to every problem. And as things get more inter-connected and more complex, simple answers are becoming increasingly rare and are rarely helpful.
One theologian who taught me a lot about the need for wisdom was Reinhold Niebuhr. Reinhold Niebuhr was an American protestant minister who became one of the best known theologians of the twentieth century. He was so famous he even appeared on the cover of Time magazine. Neibuhr advocated for what he called “Christian realism”. He was a realist because he did not believe a dream of a utopian future was very helpful. That’s because we humans are quite capable of sinning and hurting one another. He did believe the Christian gospel can help us to make this imperfect world a more humane place. Over his long career as a public theologian, Niebuhr battled with religious liberals over their naïve views of human nature and the optimism of the Social Gospel. He also famously battled with religious conservatives over their naïve view of scripture and their narrow definition of “true religion”. Being a pragmatic realist, Niebuhr said real evil isn’t done by evil people, but rather evil is usually done by good people who haven’t really thought about why they are doing these things. As a result, when we demonize someone we disagree with, we end up becoming blind to the goodness that person is also capable of showing.
Niebuhr believed we need a broader perspective on life. He taught that we need to be willing to take the long view on dealing with our problems. For this reason he said nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by a sense of hope for the future. He believed nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in the present moment; therefore we must be saved by faith that it will make sense in time. He believed nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we must be saved by love because we can only do it together. And whatever we do will always be viewed differently by other people and by future generations. “Therefore we must be saved by the final form of love, which is forgiveness.” Wisdom helps us to take this long view to the problems of the world, and it helps us to make peace with our place in the world.
Reinhold Niebuhr’s thinking is perhaps best summed up in a prayer that he wrote.
His prayer is still recited every day by people seeking to find that better way. So let us pray:
God grant me the Serenity To accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And the Wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time, Enjoying one moment at a time.
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, Not as I would like it. Trusting that he will make all things right, If I surrender to his will. That I may be reasonably happy in this world And supremely happy in the next. Amen.
