South Stormont Pastoral Charge

Stories of transformation have been told in every age and place. We find them in many myths, legends, fairy tales, and novels. Some show that change can be tragic, when a person is cursed and becomes an animal or even a tree. Other stories show that change can bring courage and hope, or can grow out of love and compassion, such as when those in danger are turned into stars through the help of the gods. These stories draw us in because they speak to something deep in human life. We know that life changes. Sometimes change brings new life. Sometimes it leads to brokenness. One of the most powerful stories of transformation in modern literature is Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. It begins with this striking sentence: “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.” This strange change reveals how Gregor had been treated. When he becomes a bug, no one comes near him. He had been a salesman who worked hard to support hi...

# Gathering Hymn This is the Day That God Has Made (#175 VU) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: Enter into this sanctuary and know that you will find care and comfort.    All: That is why we are here. One: Enter into this your community with a loving heart and with a spirit that is ready to build the kingdom of God. All: That is why we are here. One: Accept care when it comes your way, regardless of where your faith journey takes you.   All: That is why we are here. One: Even when you encounter trouble, sadness, and rejection, know that you are never alone. All: That is why we are here! Thanks be to God! *Éric Hébert-Daly. Gathering LE 2026 . Page 40. Opening Prayer *Opening Hymn Amazing Grace (#266 VU|vs.1,2,4) Prayer of Confessional and Renewal (Unison) Loving God, we have sometimes failed to be the inclusive and welcoming community you call us to be. We have excluded those who are different from us or whose experie...

Recently, humanity reached another remarkable milestone. We set a new record for the farthest distance humans have ever travelled. On April 11, Artemis II completed its mission of about ten days and returned safely. The spacecraft reached 406,771 kilometres, or 252,756 miles, from Earth. This broke the record set by Apollo 13 in 1970. As they flew around the moon, the four astronauts saw the far side of the moon with their own eyes, a view no one had ever seen in that way before. One of them was the Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Human efforts to explore and discover new things have brought many good results. They have helped us understand the world better. They have reduced the time and labour once needed to grow food and care for a household, opening an age of comfort and abundance. Because of progress in medicine, illnesses that would have led to death only a century ago can now often be treated. Developments in transportation and communication allow us to keep and expand our rel...

#Gathering Hymn This is the Day That God Has Made (#175 VU) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: When hope feels dim and our hearts grow heavy,    All: Christ comes near and listens to us on the way. One: When sadness and disappointment cloud our sight, All: Christ shows us the way of love and opens our hearts. One: The Risen Christ meets us in our journeys,   All: and turns sorrow toward hope, and confusion toward new life. One: Let us worship the God who does not leave us alone on the road. Opening Prayer *Opening Hymn Joy Comes with the Dawn (#166 VU) Prayer of Confessional and Renewal (Unison) Comforting God, on this new day, you come proclaiming new life in the midst of our distress and despair. We come with our convictions and our doubts, confessing our faith. Where we have uncertainty, you stay by our side, reassuring us with your steadfast love. Where we hold back with fear, you move ahead of us, leading us into ...

Today is the second Sunday of Easter. Last week, we proclaimed that Christ is risen. This week, we are invited to go deeper and reflect on what the resurrection means for us and for our lives. Today’s first scripture reading, Peter’s sermon in Acts 2, helps us see the resurrection more clearly. In Acts, Peter speaks in different ways to different people. The good news remains the same, but the words and images are not exactly the same, because the audience changes. Language, assumptions, and experience all shape how the message is heard. Here, Peter was speaking to a Jewish audience. They knew David. They knew the Psalms. They understood what it meant to wait for God. Because of this, Peter spoke of Jesus through the shared memory and hope of his people. Peter said, “Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs.” Jesus was not hidden. His life was lived in public. People had seen the healings. They had heard the teaching. They had watched him ...

  # Gathering Hymn Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Give Thanks (#179 VU) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: We come today as we are.    All: God welcomes all into the realm of love and acceptance. One: We come with questions, doubts, and fears.   All: Jesus, resurrected, meets us where we are and offers us peace and the assurance of his continued presence in our lives. One: Let us worship God, together sharing in the spirit of love and peace, gifted to us through Jesus, the resurrected Christ. *Stephanie Richmond. Gathering LE 2026 . Page 40. Opening Prayer *Opening Hymn Sing Your Joy (#253 VU) Prayer of Confessional and Renewal (Unison) Merciful God, sometimes we believe that we live in a room with no window, no door, no light, and no love. Sometimes we act like the world has no sky, no way out, no light, and no hope. Turn our broken, tender, and vulnerable hearts to the window of your eternal compassion, the door leadin...