South Stormont Pastoral Charge

On this first Sunday of Lent, the lectionary readings bring us into two stories, Eden and the wilderness. Eden is a place of abundance, where everything is given to enjoy. The wilderness, by contrast, is a place of lack, exposing weakness and vulnerability. Today’s readings show that both can be places of temptation. This reminds us that temptation can appear anywhere and is never far from us. Through these two stories, we are invited to reflect on what temptation is and how we can face it. Genesis begins with two creation stories. Today’s first reading comes from the second story, which explores the human condition. God forms the human from the dust of the ground, but it does not end there. When God breathes the breath of life into it, the human becomes a living being. Life is more than just physical movement. Without the divine breath that makes relationships possible, humans are not truly alive. Because of this, the Hebrew word for breath also refers to spirit. It connects God and u...

  *Gathering Hymn Come, Let Us Sing of a Wonderful Love (#574 VU | vs. 1&3) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: As we enter this Lenten season, God renews God’s promise to us. God promises to support us when life calls us to a tough decision.    All: Will we renew our promise to God? One: God promises to travel with us through the places of testing.   All: Will we renew our promise to God? One: God promises to show us the faithful and wise way.    All: Will we renew our promise to God? One: God promises that when we fail or falter, God will not forsake us. All: Will we renew our promise to God? One: In the life and death of Jesus Christ, we know we are able to trust God’s promises.    All: And so we recommit to our promise to trust God’s leading in the hard places we encounter and in the hard places encountered in the life of our faith community. One: Knowing that the promises of God are to b...

In the Bible, sin does not mean only wrong actions or illegal behaviour. Scripture uses several different words for sin, but what they all have in common is that they point to a state of being distant from God. It might sound a little abstract. Simply put, sin is when we fail to keep what truly matters at the centre of our lives. Sometimes we forget what is most important in our lives. We lose gratitude for a meal that nourishes us. We overlook the gift of clean water and fresh air. We fail to notice the people who care for us and walk alongside us. We forget the gift of a home where we can rest and recover. Most of all, we forget that we ourselves are precious, God’s beloved. This kind of forgetting often happens more easily in times of plenty than in times of need. When resources are scarce, we know how much we depend on daily bread, safe shelter, and one another. But when we have more than enough, the gifts that sustain us can slip from our attention. Gratitude grows weak, and compa...

Invitation Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: We gather carrying dust and breath, aware of our limits and our longing.  All: We pause before the One who meets us with mercy. One: We come with stories unfinished, with regrets, hopes, and open hands.  All: We turn toward the promise of forgiveness and renewal. One: This is a time to listen, to release, and to begin again.  All: We enter this season together, seeking grace that reshapes our lives and love that leads us forward. Opening Prayer *Hymn Dust and Ashes Touch Our Face (#VU 105) Scripture Reading 1 2 Corinthians 5:20b – 6:10 We entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says, “At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.” See, now...