Music as We Prepare to Worship “Love Divine, all loves excelling”
The Lighting of the Christ Candle
Invitation to Worship
We gather this morning – separated by circumstances but united in spirit – to worship our God, the God of Moses and the God of all of us.
On this Sunday morning, let us open our hearts and our minds to God’s word. Let us strive to understand the message He has for us and to go out into the world, sustained and comforted by His presence.
Opening Prayer
God, we remember with wonder and joy that your spirit is reaching everywhere: rejoicing in the wonder of all living things; touching what is wounded or ill with healing power; gathering in the lonely, the lost, and the least; soothing ancient hurts; creating and recreating a vision of hope. Come now, Holy Spirit. Let our worship rejoice in you. Lift our hearts and bind us in one family of loving grace. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen
Great is thy faithfulness, God our Creator, there is no shadow of turning with thee; thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not, as thou hast been thou forever will be.
Refrain: Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed thy hand hath provided – great is thy faithfulness, ever to me!
1. Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, sun, moon, and stars in their courses above join with all nature in manifold witness to thy great faithfulness, mercy and love. REFRAIN
2. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide, strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow – wondrous the portion thy blessings provide. REFRAIN
Bible Reading: Exodus 3:1-15 (New Revised Standard Version)
The Book of Exodus is the second book in the Torah of Judaism, and the second book in our Bible. It is sometimes called the Second Book of Moses. It contains the ancient story of the Hebrew people’s escape from slavery in Egypt – through the leadership of Moses. Most Biblical scholars agree that the stories were written down in the sixth century. This was at the time when Jerusalem was sacked and Solomon’s Temple laid waste by the Babylonian Empire. The Rabbis wisely recognized that the stories needed to be written down so that the people, living in exile far from their “Promised Land” – would be able to understand their identity as God’s chosen people.
Last week, Reverend Phil shared with us his insights into the story of Moses in the bulrushes. This morning, we continue the story of the life of Moses, now become an adult. And as we hear these words, listen for the word of God.
3 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” 4 When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
7 Then the LORD said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. 10 So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.”
13 But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’:
This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations.
Prayer: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O God, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen
“The bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed”
Last week, Reverend Phil shared with us the story of the birth and early years of Moses in the court of the Pharaoh. In this week’s reading, from the third chapter of Exodus, we encounter Moses as an adult. He has fled from Egypt, after killing a man who had been mistreating one of the Hebrews, and can no longer return to his old life. He is now back in Israel, working as a shepherd for his father-in-law.
We all remember the story of the burning bush: as Moses is tending his sheep, he notices a bush on fire. Curious, he approaches the bush and realizes that, although it is ablaze, it is not being consumed by the flames. At this point, Moses is confronted by an angel of the Lord and then, even more miraculously, he hears the voice of God Himself.
God reminds Moses that he is standing on holy ground and goes on to tell Moses that he is to return to Egypt and to confront the Pharaoh, demanding that the Israelites be freed from bondage. Understandably, Moses is puzzled, and asks “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (v. 10). God assures Moses that He will be with him. When Moses asks God what he should say to his fellow Israelites when they ask him who has sent him and what his name is, God replies “I am who I am” (v. 14).
“I am who I am”: what does this really mean? Perhaps it means a god who cannot be compared to any other deity. Remember that, at the time, there existed a huge number of gods, all of whom had believers in the various tribes and nations of the area.
Perhaps it means a god who is outside time, eternal and unchanging.
And what better image for this than a fire which burns and yet does not burn out, which is not consumed by its own activity?
We remember that the symbol of fire runs through our entire Bible as the marker for divine presence or divine intervention. In the Old Testament, we think of the blazing furnace in Abraham’s vision or the pillar of fire by night which hovered over the camp of the Israelites, wandering in the desert. And we remember the words of Isaiah: “The light of Israel will become a fire, and his Holy One a flame” (Isaiah 10:17).
Likewise, the New Testament is full of images of fire as the manifestation of God through the Holy Spirit. Remember the words of John the Baptist: “I baptize you with water; but he who is mightier than I is coming, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (John 3:16) Think too of the day of Pentecost, when “tongues as of fire” rested upon the heads of the disciples (Acts 2:3).
In fact, the symbol of fire is so central to our theology that the burning bush is one of the four icons represented on the crest of the United Church of Canada.
Inside the oval shape of the crest (which is modeled on the outline of a fish, an important symbol to early Christians) is the St. Andrew’s cross with an insignia in each of the four corners. The website of the United Church of Canada explains that three of the symbols are associated with the three denominations – Congregational, Methodist and Presbyterian – which united to form the United Church of Canada in 1925. Of these, the open Bible represents the Congregational churches, the dove the distinctive symbol of Methodism and the burning bush the symbol of Presbyterianism, referring to the indestructibility of the church.
In the fourth quarter of the cross, we find the symbols for alpha and omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, which represent the eternal living God.
Lastly, around the symbols on the crest is the Latin phrase “ut omnes unum sint”, which means “That all may be one”, a reminder that we are indeed a “united” church. We find also a French translation of the name of our church, “l’Église Unie du Canada” and a Mohawk phrase, meaning “all my relations”, which was added to the crest at the 41st General Council of the United Church in 2012.
The burning bush: an important symbol, then, for a central concept, one on which we can depend in these difficult times. God is a flame which cannot be extinguished. As a result, His resources and are inexhaustible, His powers without end.
He never rests, He works and is never tired. His gifts to us are unlimited and are never diminished.
His love is unchanging and eternal. He loves us forever, unconditionally. Throughout the ages, the fire burns on, unconsumed and ever bright.
Amen.
Acknowledgement of Gifts, Tithes & Offerings
Each week when we are able to gather for worship in our church building, we take time to present our Gifts, Tithes and Offerings in gratitude for all the blessings that we have received. Some of you contribute regularly through the PAR Program. During this time of COVID-19, though we are prevented from meeting, the Ministry & Mission of our congregation continues. You may wish to make an offering by mailing your cheque to P.O. Box 102, Milford, ON K0K 2P0.
Prayer of Gratitude and Concern
Lord God, You who know the secrets of our hearts, be with us and strengthen our resolve. Fill us, we pray, with sincerity as we pledge ourselves to You and to the coming of Your kingdom. Lord, as we live in trust being ready for each day and for eternity, we desire to serve You with all our heart, all our soul, and all our strength.
May we have the courage to risk the surrendering of ourselves to Your holy plan for each of us. May we strive for excellence, and simplicity of living. May our greatest possession be Your love and the love of those around me. May we always be ready to hear the mystery of Your voice within us, and willing to embrace what You ask of us.
Bless us now, Lord, with Your abounding love, as each of us promises to be Your friend, servant, and holy minister. May we ever live out this commitment in Your name. This we pray in your holy name. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Parting Hymn “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise” (VU 264) YouTube:
1. Immortal, invisible, God only wise, in light inaccessible hid from our eyes, most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.
2. Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light, nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might; thy justice like mountains high soaring above thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.
3. To all, life thou givest, to both great and small, in all life thou livest, the true life of all, we blossom and flourish like leaves on the tree, then wither and perish, but naught changeth thee.
4. Thou reignest in glory, thou rulest in light, thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight, all praise we would render, O help us to see ‘til only the splendour of light hideth thee.
Commissioning & Blessing:
Go forth into the world in peace
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious unto you;
the Lord turn his face towards you
and give you peace;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you this day and forever more. Amen.
Extinguishing the Christ Candle
