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Message: Never Left Alone / John 14:15-21

Today is the Sixth Sunday of Easter. It is also Mother’s Day, and in the United Church of Canada, we celebrate this day as Christian Family Sunday. In this service, we give thanks for the love of mothers, the gift of family in all its forms, and the promise that the risen Christ walks with us and never leaves us alone. Across times and places, the word “mother” has carried deep meaning. In many cultures, it is connected with life, care, love, and protection. One of the important Confucian texts, The Great Learning , teaches that if a political leader serves the people as a mother cares for her children, even if things are not perfect, they will not go far wrong. No one becomes a mother with all the answers. Children grow through love, watching, waiting, feeding, protecting, and attentive care for life. The image of “mother” reminds us that the most important quality of leadership is not perfect knowledge or power, but a heart that notices, nurtures, and values life. The Bible also uses...
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Order of Service / Easter 6 & Christian Family Sunday / May 10, 2026

  # Gathering Hymn God Who Gives to Life Its Goodness (#260 VU) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: Come to this time of worship as a child, trusting in God’s goodness.    All: We come, wanting to bring the enthusiasm, trust, and innocence of a child. One: Come to remember who you are, and more importantly, whose you are. All: We are children of God, coming once again to remember and celebrate who God is and what God has done for us. One: Let us worship God together. *Catherin Tovell. Gathering L/E 2026. P 51. Opening Prayer *Opening Hymn Come In, come In and Sit Down (#395 VU) Prayer of Confessional and Renewal (Unison) Merciful God, we confess that at times we have struggled to be fully present to our siblings and other family members, both within our biological families and in this Christian family. Sometimes our patience has worn thin, and we have failed to listen with compassion and understanding and missed opportuniti...
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Message: A Place for Troubled Hearts / John 14:1-14

  Today is the Fifth Sunday of Easter. Easter is a season of life. It reminds us that death does not have the last word. It invites us to bring our whole selves before God. Easter faith helps us find the life of Christ in the midst of our everyday lives. Today, we also celebrate Mental Health Sunday in The United Church of Canada. Mental health is not only a personal issue. It is something our society and our community need to face together. On Sunday, November 16 last year, during worship, we did a survey about the justice issues that matter to us today. Among fourteen topics, the one our congregation chose most was "Addiction and Mental Health Support." This shows us that this issue is not far from us. Research and statistics also show how important mental health is in Canada today. According to a study by RiskAnalytica in 2011, one in five Canadians experiences some form of mental health problem each year, and by the age of forty, about half of the population will have exp...
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Order of Service / Easter 5 / May 3, 2026

  # Gathering Hymn This is the Day That God Has Made (#175 VU) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: This is the day that God has made.    All: We will rejoice and be glad in it. One: Let us worship the One who is the Way when we are lost. All: Christ is the Truth when we are confused. One: Christ is the Life when we feel weary or empty.   All: In Christ, we are called out of darkness into light. One: We gather as God’s beloved people.    All: Alleluia! We are not alone. Thanks be to God. Opening Prayer *Opening Hymn Good Christians All, Rejoice and Sing (#169 VU) Prayer of Confessional and Renewal (Unison) Generous God, you bless us with many good things. Forgive us when we trust the gifts more than the Giver, when we always want more, and when we forget the needs of others. Open our eyes to the blessings that truly give life. Renew our hearts with gratitude, generosity, and trust. In silence, we bring to ...
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Message: A Community of Resurrection / Acts 4:42-47

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...
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Order of Service / Easter 4 / April 26, 2026

# 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...
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Message: The Meaning of Seeing / Luke 24:13-35

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...
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