South Stormont Pastoral Charge

In the West, the phrase “salt and light” feels very familiar. For many people shaped by a Christian cultural heritage, biblical images have become part of everyday language. When we hear phrases like “David and Goliath,” “the Good Samaritan,” or “Noah’s Ark,” we immediately understand what they mean. They help us communicate deeper meaning without long explanations. But symbols have limits. A symbol points to meaning beyond itself. It is like a finger pointing at the moon. Through the finger, we can see the moon, but the finger is not the moon. The tricky part is that the meaning of symbols can change as the world changes. Think about the word “computer.” It used to mean a real person whose job was to calculate numbers. Over time, the meaning changed. Today, no one thinks of a computer as a person. Symbols may look fixed, but they are not. They are living tools that need fresh understanding whenever the situation changes. Jesus understood the relationship between symbol and meaning. He...

  *Gathering Hymn Arise, Your Light is Come (#79 VU) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: What does it mean to be salt and light to the world?    All: Salt preserves. Light keeps things from being hidden. One: What does it mean to be salt and light to the world?   All: To hold on to what is good. To hold on to what is right. To hold on to what is just. To shine in the back rooms of oppression. To shine in the prisons of fear. To shine in places that have no hope. One: This is salt and light to the world. All: This is Christ’s people— salt and light— hope and wonder— in and with the world! One: As salt and light, as hope and wonder, let us worship God! All: Alleluia! *Richard Bott. Gathering ACE 2025/2026 . Page 43. Opening Prayer *Opening Hymn O Splendour of God’s Glory Bright (#413 VU) Prayer of Confessional and Renewal (Unison) Source of our being, you know us intimately. You know our gifts and our strengths, our ...

Today’s Gospel reading is about the Beatitudes. They appear at the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which is one of the most important parts of the Gospel of Matthew. Through this sermon, Matthew reveals the true meaning of the Law.  The Law was a gift given to the Hebrew people as they entered the promised land. It was meant to help them learn how to build a new world shaped by love and peace. By the time of Jesus, however, things had changed. The Law had become a tool of oppression because many religious leaders focused only on following it literally. They no longer cared about the spirit of the Law. They used their knowledge to judge others and to control them. Because of this, Jesus taught the true meaning of the Law. In the Sermon on the Mount, he repeated the words, “You have heard it said… but I say to you.” Jesus did not reject the Law. Instead, he revealed its true spirit. To begin, the first thing Jesus preached about was the true meaning of blessing. The Hebrew w...

*Gathering Hymn Arise, Your Light is Come (#79 VU) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: In this season of Epiphany in Canada,    All: we are still in the depths of winter. One: Cold, howling winds and long nights   All: may keep us inside, and we long for spring. One: May this Christ light warm our hearts and light our way, All: so that we can be faithful disciples in this time. Amen. *Beth W Johnston. Gathering ACE 2025/2026 . Page 42. Opening Prayer *Opening Hymn Come, Let Us Sing (#222 VU) Prayer of Confessional and Renewal (Unison) We come today to confess that we do not always live as you want us to live, we do not always want to try to live in your way. We confess that we would rather stay with what we know than venture into the unknown. Help us to understand your call in these times of challenge. Help us to notice those in need of what we have to offer. Help us to love as you love all people. Forgive us. Restore us...