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Message: We Shall Overcom / Ezekiel 37:1-14

Today is the Fifth Sunday in Lent. We know where Jesus’ path is leading. It leads toward Jerusalem, toward the cross, toward Golgotha. Lent invites us to walk with Jesus, who shows us the reality of pain, loss, and death on the road to resurrection. In this season, we are called first to look, to pause, and to reflect on the shadows of life, the dryness of the spirit, and the violence of the world. In today’s first scripture reading, God brings Ezekiel into the middle of a valley. It is filled with bones, very dry bones. It is a place marked by long death. Everything seems over. No future can be seen. It is the kind of place where talk of new life almost sounds impossible. This vision reveals the reality of Israel during the Babylonian exile. The walls of Jerusalem had fallen. The temple had been destroyed. Many had died in war. Most of those who survived had been taken to Babylon. In that foreign land, they lived with discrimination and humiliation. What they felt was not only the sha...
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Order of Service / Lent 5 / March 22

*Gathering Hymn Come Down, O Love Divine (#367 VU) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: We come in worship, seeking God’s guidance and love.    All: May this time of worship fill us with the Spirit, to restore our faith and our hope in God’s presence. One: Although we are well-intended, we need God’s word to renew our direction and commitment.   All: May this time of worship strengthen our hearts to follow God’s way. One: God calls us to support each other and draw on the example of those who went before.    All: May this time of worship comfort us with the truth of God’s love throughout the ages. One: In worship, let us welcome God into our hearts. All: In worship, let us affirm our love of God and God’s love for us. *Gill Le Fevre. Gathering LE 2026 . Page 29. Opening Prayer *Opening Hymn Breathe on Me, Breath of God (#382 VU) Prayer of Confessional and Renewal (Unison) God of mercy, we confess that we someti...
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Message: The Day Eyes Opened / John 9:1-12

Today’s Canada is often called a secular society. In 2007, the Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor published an important book called A Secular Age. In it, he explores how religion and faith have changed in the modern world, especially in North America and Europe. Taylor describes secularity in three ways. First, religion is no longer at the centre of public life. In areas like government, law, and education, one religion is not expected to guide everyone. Second, fewer people go to worship services or belong to faith communities. Third, belief in God is optional. It is now just one choice among many ways people make sense of life. Taylor focuses especially on this third point. A few hundred years ago in Western societies, it was hard to imagine someone who did not believe in God. Today, the situation is very different. Many people live without a religious identity or look for meaning outside of religious traditions. This reminds us that it is significant for us to understand those who...
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Order of Service / Lent 4 / March 15, 2026

  *Gathering Hymn Come Down, O Love Divine (#367 VU) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: In this time of worship, we turn toward the light of Christ.    All: We turn with hope, longing to see more clearly. One: In this place, no one is hidden from God’s care.   All: We are seen, known, and welcomed in love. One: In Christ, new sight and new life are possible.    All: We open our hearts to God’s grace and healing. One: Let us worship God.    All: We worship God in spirit and in truth. Opening Prayer *Opening Hymn Open My eyes, That I May See (#371 VU) Prayer of Confessional and Renewal (Unison) God of mercy, we confess that we do not always see as Christ sees. We pass by pain, remain within our assumptions, and fail to notice those who are often overlooked. Forgive us when we choose judgment rather than compassion and fear rather than love. Open our eyes to your truth and grace. In silence, we br...
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Message: By the Well / John 4:19-26

Today’s Gospel takes us to Samaria, to Jacob’s well near the town of Sychar. It is noon. Jesus is tired and sitting alone. The disciples have gone into the town to buy food. Then a woman comes to the well, and Jesus says to her, “Give me a drink.” She is surprised. She is a Samaritan woman, and Jesus is a Jewish man. Jews and Samaritans were hostile toward one another, and many Jews avoided passing through Samaria. In fact, they had once been one people. Israel is another name for Jacob, and from Jacob’s children came the twelve tribes. They entered the promised land and became one nation. But after the time of Solomon, the kingdom was divided. Over time, the relationship between the two grew worse. Even worship became divided. Samaritans worshipped on Mount Gerizim, while Jews worshipped at the temple in Jerusalem. So, it is no accident that Jesus meets this Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. That place carries a memory. It reminds us that, though they had become like enemies, they were...
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Order of Service / Lent 3 / March 8, 2026

*Gathering Hymn Come, Let Us Sing of a Wonderful Love (#574 VU | vs. 1&4) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: Come to the wellspring of our salvation.    All: We come to the place where the water of life runs free. One: Come to the well, and set your burdens down.   All: We come to draw up refreshment for mind and for spirit. One: Come, people of God, to this place of worship.    All: We come with open hearts, ready to receive grace. One: Come and praise the God who gives us life. All: We come to worship and to rejoice in God’s love. * Adapted from Kate Carwford. Gathering LE 2026 . Page 29. Opening Prayer *Opening Hymn As the Deer Pants for the Water (#776 VU) Prayer of Confessional and Renewal (Unison) God of living water, we confess that we look for life in places that cannot satisfy, and we ignore the deeper thirst within us. We confess that we judge others, keep our distance, and turn away from the p...
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