South Stormont Pastoral Charge

   South Stormon Pastoral Charge  (Ingleside-Newington United Church & St. Andrew's-St. Mark's United Church) https://www.facebook.com/southstormontunitedchurches Led by Rev. Min Hwang *Gathering Hymn O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (#1 VU | vs. 1,2,3) Welcome Advent Candle-Lighting (Call to Worship & Opening Prayer) In a world filled with tragedy and chaos, we arrive weary, wary, and wrung out.   We come to find shelter from our fear, to discover hope as we practise our faith in worship. We’re tired of this marathon of difficulty, longing for relief through a return to what we once thought normal   We come because the vulnerable Christ child enlightens us with possibility. On this first Sunday of Advent, we light this first candle symbolizing hope – the assurance that the risen Christ transforms all things in love   <The first candle is lit.>   All sing: VU 7 “Hope is a star” verse one only Hope is a star that shines in ...

One of the expressions I didn't learn in school in South Korea is "what the hxxx." I have often heard it when watching TV shows or movies, and one thing I've learned for sure is that this phrase is not used in pleasant situations. You probably know what it means much better than I do. Hell is not a word that puts people in a good mood. In the West, the image of hell has been cemented since Dante's Divine Comedy in the 14th century. The Divine Comedy describes the afterlife and is divided into three parts: Inferno (hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Paradise). In his book, hell has nine circles, each where people are punished based on the sins they committed in life. Dante painted a great picture of the afterlife for the time he lived, and it's still considered a wonderful piece of literature. However, this understanding of hell differs from the biblical concept of hell. In Jesus' day, it was believed that when people died, they all went to Hades,...

   South Stormon Pastoral Charge  (Ingleside-Newington United Church & St. Andrew's-St. Mark's United Church) https://www.facebook.com/southstormontunitedchurches Led by Rev. Min Hwang *Gathering Hymn Let Us Build a House (#1 MV | vs. 1,4,5) Welcome Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship We live in a world that often distorts what it means to be created in the image of God.   Come, Jesus, come. Saviour of the nations, come among us. We live in a world that values popularity more than humility.   Come, Jesus, come. Saviour of the nations, come among us. We live in a world where some lives are valued more than others.   Come, Jesus, come. Saviour of the nations, come among us. We live in a world where humanity is groaning for new possibilities and hope.   Come, Jesus, come. Saviour of the nations, come among us. Aware of the world we live in, let us welcome Jesus as we worship today. *Kelly Sprinkle . Gathering Pentecost...

In Korea, there is a saying that, "Trying to catch a bedbug, one burns down the house." It warns about the consequences of losing reason due to excessive fear of small things, which leads to a greater disaster. Unfortunately, in 2018, that actually happened in California where a man, afraid of a spider in his house, tried to kill it with a blowtorch. This resulted in his two-story house catching fire and collapsing. His fear throws him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. The parable of the talents in today's Gospel reading is one of Jesus' teachings to his disciples on the Mount of Olives just days before his crucifixion. It is one of the teachings about the end times, following the parable of the ten bridesmaids we talked about last week. In this story a master entrusted different amounts of talents to his three servants before going on a journey. A talent was roughly equivalent to 20 years' worth of an average worker's...

    South Stormon Pastoral Charge  (Ingleside-Newington United Church & St. Andrew's-St. Mark's United Church) https://www.facebook.com/southstormontunitedchurches Led by Rev. Min Hwang *Gathering Hymn Let Us Build a House (#1 MV | vs. 1,2,3) Welcome Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship Come as people who have the gifts that our loving Creator has given each of us.   May we be open to the gifts of grace. Come as people who are called to use our gifts for the flourishing of God’s Kingdom.   May our lives reflect faithfulness and stewardship. Come as people who celebrate our gifts to proclaim the gospel of hope.   May our worship be a joyful response to our gifts. Opening Prayer (Unison) Gracious God, who has given each of us unique talents and abilities, we come before you with hearts open to your presence. As we worship together, help us to discern the purpose for which you have entrusted the gifts to us, and guide us to alig...