Music as We Prepare to Worship – Great is Thy Faithfulness
The Lighting of the Christ Candle
Each week as our Service begins, we light the Christ Candle. This flame is a reminder of God’s presence with us in worship and always as we walk the journey of faith. I invite you to light a candle at home where you are worshipping this morning.
Invitation to Worship – From Very Rev. David Giuliano, 39th Moderator of the United Church
Rev. Phil: God is good!
Everyone: All the time!
Rev. Phil: All the time!
Everyone: God is good!
Rev. Phil: This is the day that God has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Opening Hymn – You Tube
VU#236 “Now Thank We All Our God”
-
Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands, and voices, who wondrous things has done, in whom this world rejoices; who from our mother’s arms has blessed us on our way, with countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.
-
O may this bounteous God, through all our life be near us, with ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us, and keep us strong in grace, and guide us when perplexed, and free us from all ill, in this world and the next.
-
All praise and thanks to God for all that has been given, the Son and Spirit blest who dwells in highest heaven, the one eternal God, whom heaven and earth adore; for thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.
Opening Prayer
Gracious and Loving God, as we worship this morning, renew our vision of your unfailing goodness. Remind us that even in dark and difficult and stressful circumstances, such as those we, and all the world, are now experiencing, you are at work for good. By our encounter with you today in worship, empower and enable us, by your Spirit, to love the world in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Bible Reading: Romans 8.26-28, 31,35, 37-39
The Letter of St. Paul to the Church at Rome, has been very influential in the history of both our Methodist and Reformed traditions. Martin Luther was reading this Letter when he had a transformative spiritual experience that freed him from fear and led to the Reformation. John Wesley, our Methodist father-in-the-faith, was reading Luther’s Commentary on Romans when he found his “heart strangely warmed” and came to believe that the love of God in Christ was for him. It was personal. As we read from Romans, listen for the word of God:
8.26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship or distress, or persecution, or famine, or lacking adequate clothing to protect us from the cold, or peril, or sword? 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, now things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
All For Good
Where were you on the night of October 15/16 1954. Do you remember Hurricane Hazel? It was the worst storm of that Atlantic Hurricane season. After sweeping across the United States and killing 95 people – it struck South Ontario with a vengeance. Toronto was hardest hit – with winds of 124km/hour and 20cm. of rain in 24 hours. Eighty-one people lost their lives – most died when their homes or vehicles were swept into the violent floodwaters of the Humber and Don Rivers.
Perhaps you have memories of that night and what it was like where you were. I was 
about four and a half at the time. In Massey we got only the “tail end” of the wind and rain – but I vividly remember the rain pelting against the back door – driven in around the door by the wind – into the kitchen to be mopped up by my Mother.
We have seen the images on our televisions. We have read the news reports.
-
It was the day after Christmas in 2004 – at a few minutes before 8:00am – that an earthquake of 9.1 to 9.3 magnitude took place 30 km under the sea off the coast of Sumatra, in Indonesia. Before that day most of us had never heard the word Tsunami, though we were aware of tidal waves. In a matter of hours almost a quarter of a million people lost their lives. Countless others lost their homes, their villages, their means of making a living.
We have seen the images on our television and on our computers. We have read the reports.
-
It was just about suppertime – seven minutes to five in the afternoon – on January 12, 2010. Some folk were making their way home from work. Others were in their apartments busy preparing the evening meal. Suddenly the earth began to shake – a massive quake estimated at magnitude 7.0 – thirteen kilometres below the ground. Haiti was devastated. At least 100,000 people lost their lives. Total damage 7.8 billion American dollars. Unfortunately, even after ten years, Haiti is still trying to recover from this natural disaster.
We hear the names of the storms, and we are inundated with stories on the 24- hour-news channels: Douglas, Beryl, Katrina, Sandy. . .
Sometimes the tragedies that strike us are more personal. Car accidents or plane crashes that take the lives of loved ones.
Then there are the pandemics – COVID-19 being the latest to have us and all of humanity in its devastating destructive grip.
Whenever we are faced with disasters – whether caused by nature, by human error, or by the failure of technology – we are moved to ask “Why?” “Why is this happening now?” “Why is this happening to us?”
You may recall the story of Job in the Hebrew Scriptures? Job had just about every possible disaster overtake him – losing his wealth, his family and eventually, even his health. Job had friends who came to sit with him in his misery. For several days they just sat there and said nothing. (Which sometimes is the best way to offer support.) But then they opened their mouths and began to offer “conventional wisdom” – as answers for why Job was suffering. The answers amounted to variations of “blaming the victim”. These friends of Job were convinced that there was a good and valid reason for suffering. Job must have done something terrible or he wouldn’t be in this situation. They urged him to think hard, to be honest, and to confess his “sin” so that he could be restored. The friends attributed Job’s suffering to God’s judgement – God’s punishment. Job, being a man of wisdom and integrity refused to take their advice. He knew they were wrong.
In our current situation, there are those who would offer the same simple answers as Job’s friends. These folk, some of them calling themselves Christians, believe and preach that COVID-19 is a judgement – a punishment from God. I want to emphatically join Job in saying “No!”,
In our world, bad things happen because of the brokenness of the world. The people of Haiti, the people of Thailand, the people of New Orleans were not responsible for bringing down these terrible storms on themselves. God did not inflict these disasters – they happened because of the random nature of bad things.
God does not cause bad things to happen. They just happen. As the saying goes, stuff happens!
Car accidents and plane crashes happen for a variety of reasons. Often it is because of human error – distracted driving, impaired driving, driving when overtired. Or maybe sometimes because a bee flew in the window and stung the driver, causing them to swerve into oncoming traffic. God does not cause car accidents and plane crashes to punish anyone or to “teach them a lesson”.
St. Paul had faced the same kind of “conventional wisdom” when he wrote his letter to the Church at Rome. In the eighth chapter we read:
“In everything, God is at work for good.”
God is at work in our world to overcome evil with good. We are called to join our activities/ our work/ with God’s redeeming work – the alleviate the suffering of our fellow human beings who are suffering because of the disaster.
The First Responders and Medical Personnel who responded to (and continue to respond to) natural disasters and human tragedies – car accidents, house fires etc. – are examples of God’s saving activity being carried out by people.
The women and men who have spent time sewing masks, sewing gowns, delivering groceries, staffing the food bank – all of these activities are ways of joining our labour to God’s action “for good”.
The practitioners of the science of biology and epidemiology, in labs across the world right now – working to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 – are joining their efforts with God’s work to overcome the evil of this virus.
Even when we keep safe social distance and wear our masks – we are joining our efforts with God’s action “for good” – seeking to overcome – to prevent the spread of the virus.
In the mysticism that was part of Judaism in the medieval times, there was a belief that every good deed done added to the light that would ultimately overcome the darkness of pain and suffering and bring healing to the world.
God continues to call us to join in the redeeming work of overcoming evil with good. May we respond with enthusiasm, empowered by the Spirit, to love the world in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
We Respond with Our Gifts
Each week when we are able to worship together, we respond at this point in the Service by presenting our gifts, tithes and offerings. During this time of Pandemic isolation, the work of the Church continues – and it depends on your contributions for its ministry and mission. South Bay folk can contribute through the PAR Program, or by sending a cheque to PO Box 102, Milford, Ontario K0K 2P0. Those who are part of the Picton congregation may contribute by visiting the Church Website and clicking on the “Donate” button – or you may send you donation to the church office at 12 Chapel St., Picton K0K 2T0. God bless you for your generosity.
Prayers of Gratitude and Concern
Gracious and Loving – who we know as Kind Creator, Compassionate Friend, Ever-present Spirit – you are the Source of all goodness – we praise you today for all your mercies:
-
For your goodness that has created us;
-
For your grace that has sustained us;
-
For your wisdom that has challenged us;
-
For your patience that has born with us;
-
For your love that is redeeming us and that calls us to partnership in the redeeming of creation.
Help us to love you and all your people, and to be thankful for all your gifts. Inspire, enable and empower us by your Spirit, that we might love the world in Jesus’ name.
We pray now the words that he taught us:
The Lord’s Prayer
Parting Hymn VU#652 “Be Still My Soul”
[/column]Be still my soul, for God is on your side; bear patiently the cross of grief or pain. Trust in your God, your saviour and your guide, who through all changes faithful will remain. Be still my soul, your best, your heavenly friend through stormy ways leads to a peaceful end.
-
Be still my soul, your God will undertake to guide the future surely as the past. Your hope, your confidence, let nothing shake; all now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still my soul, life’s tempests still obey the voice that once the winds wild fury stayed.
-
Be still my soul, the hour is hastening on when we shall be forever in God’s peace; when disappointment, grief and fear are gone, love’s joy restored, our strivings all shall cease. Be still my soul, when change and tears are past, all safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
Commissioning & Blessing
We go from our worship now to take up our ministries in accomplishing the mission of Christ to redeem the world – to alleviate suffering wherever we encounter it.
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.
