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Message: Strike the Rock / Exodus 17:1-7

Our first Scripture reading today begins with a water crisis. The crisis was real. It was a serious problem that had to be addressed. The lack of water threatened not only the people, but also their children and their animals. Without water, there would be no life and no hope. But the real problem was not only the crisis itself. It was how they responded to the crisis. The crisis made them afraid, and their fear led them to act in the wrong way. They said to Moses, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” Moses was blamed for the crisis. Their anger put him in danger of being stoned to death. The French anthropologist René Girard developed the concept of the “scapegoat mechanism.” When fear and hostility grow during a crisis in a community, anger can become focused on one person or one group. Instead of facing the real cause of the crisis, people redirect their fear and anger toward a single victim. By excluding or removing that vic...
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Order of Service / Creation Time 3 / September 27, 2026

  # Gathering Hymn For the Beauty of the Earth (#226 VU) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: The earth is God’s and all that is in it.    All: Holy Love is the sea we swim in. One: Green pastures give us safety and life.    All: Justice and peace are our calling. One: The saints of every age and every type of creature surround us. All: We open ourselves to the Creator Spirit. One: Let us worship God! *Adapted from Robin Wardlaw. Gathering Pentecost 2 2026. Page 26. Opening Prayer *Opening Hymn Morning Has Broken (#409 VU) Prayer of Confessional and Renewal (Unison) Creator God, we come before you in a time of crisis. We know that much of your creation struggles; we begin to see and acknowledge the changes around us; we search for the causes and the cures and the collaborative ways we can commit to care for creation. We want to do what’s right, but we don’t always know what that is or agree how best to do it. Help...
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Message: Seeing Beyond Crisis / Philippians 1:21-30

Today’s first Scripture reading comes from Philippians, a letter Paul wrote while he was in prison. The letter does not tell us why he was imprisoned, but the book of Acts gives us a picture of the kind of opposition he faced as he shared the gospel. In Philippi, he freed an enslaved woman who had a spirit of divination, which her owners used to make money. When they realized they had lost their source of income, they turned against Paul and Silas. The two men were beaten and thrown into prison. This story reminds us that the Christian faith often challenged systems that profited from the suffering of others. Paul did not know what would happen to him. He could even face execution. In that uncertainty, he wrote about feeling caught between life and death. And yet, even in the middle of this crisis, the centre of his life remained clear. He said, “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.” When a crisis feels too large to control, it can easily narrow our vision. We see this in wha...
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Order of Service / Creation 2 / September 20, 2026

  # Gathering Hymn This Is God’s Wondrous World (#296 VU) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: Let us lift our voices in praise.   All: Let us sing to the Creator of heaven and earth. One: Let us praise the rock of our salvation.   All: We give thanks to the one who has created and is creating. One: With all living things, let us bring adoration to our God, All: who was, who is, and who always will be. One: Let us worship God! *Frances Flook. Gathering Pentecost 2 2026. Page 26. Opening Prayer *Opening Hymn We Praise You, Creator (#293 VU) Prayer of Confessional and Renewal (Unison) Dear God, too often humanity asks for more, even though there is enough. You gave us the earth with its wind, water, fire, and food, and there is enough for all, but even then, people want more. We are rich in many ways. Wealth is counted in better ways than money and personal possessions. We may count the wealth we have in each other an...
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Massege: We Belong to God / Romans 14:1-12

Today is the first Sunday in the Season of Creation. This season invites us to look again at the world we live in. Because it is so familiar to us, we often take the land, water, air, trees, and animals for granted. But our faith in the Creator reminds us that all these things are gifts of God’s love. We did not create this world, and we cannot own it forever. The earth and all living things come from God, who is Holy Mystery and Wholly Love. We are called to be stewards who value and care for all life. But today, creation is facing many challenges. We are already experiencing climate change through heat waves, wildfires, floods, droughts, and changing seasons. Recently, many people died in a major landslide in Nepal. Disasters like this show how climate change, melting glaciers, and extreme weather can make our lives more vulnerable. Canada is no exception. Canada’s Changing Climate Report says that Canada is warming about twice as fast as the global average, and the North is warming ...
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Order of Service / Creation 1 / September 13, 2026

# Gathering Hymn This Is God’s Wondrous World (#296 VU) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: Joining with light and shade, we will praise our God.    All: The blue of the sky, the glow of the beckoning dawn, sing God’s praises. One: With flowing water and pounding seas, we will praise our God.    All: The mighty ocean, the trickling stream, proclaim their Creator’s marvellous power. One: With hills and valleys, we will praise our God. All: With the dazzling heights, the lowest valleys, One: with soaring eagle and busy ant, we will praise our God. All: Each bird, each animal, each tiny insect, and each person of humankind makes clear God’s creative presence, and so we praise our God. *David Sparks. Gathering Pentecost 2 2026. Page 25. Opening Prayer *Opening Hymn All Praise to You (#297 VU) Prayer of Confessional and Renewal (Unison) Loving God, we are gifted to experience this wonderful world. Trees that whisper your nam...
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Message: Be Attentive / Mt 13:31-33, 44-52

        In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus tells five parables about the kingdom of heaven: the mustard seed, the yeast, the treasure hidden in a field, the pearl of great value, and the fishing net.           Jesus uses parables because the kingdom of heaven cannot be fully captured in words or ideas. No language can completely explain the mystery of God. A parable does not give us a perfect definition. Instead, it points us toward the truth through familiar images drawn from everyday life. In this regard, Christian faith is not about having a perfect theory or complete knowledge. It is about bearing witness. It is about sharing how we have experienced God’s presence and how God’s love has touched our lives. The five parables in today’s Gospel reading are all different, but they share one important truth. The kingdom of heaven is not far away. It is among us. It is the reality of God’s love, justice, and life at work here an...
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