South Stormont Pastoral Charge

  *Gathering Hymn God Is Here (#389 VU| vs. 1&2) Welcome Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: Unless God builds the house,   All: those who built it labour in vain. One: We have come to celebrate God, All: the God who guided our ancestors to build this house. One: We have come to celebrate God, All: the God who is with us even now. One: We have come to give thanks for our past All: and to seek God’s presence and guidance now and for the future. *Beth W Johnston. Gathering ACE 2023-24 , page 50. Opening Prayer (Unison) Praise God! The Holy One is among us! We gather to worship, reflect, and do business as your beloved ones, O God. We exclaim that worship and work must be one. Today, we put that into practice. Blessed be all that we do and are! Alleluia! Amen. *Laura J. Turnbull. Gathering ACE 2023-24 , page 50. *Opening Hymn Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation (#325 VU | vs. 1,2,3) Prayer of Confessional and Renewal (Unison) Although we are here in church aga...

Humans are questioning animals. Curiosity is like a twin to creativity, and humanity has progressed by asking and answering questions. Questions such as "What exists in the universe?" inspired the invention of the telescope. "How can we communicate more quickly and efficiently?" led to the creation of the telephone. And "Why cannot we fly like birds?" resulted in the innovation of the airplane. Though not all advancements have been positive, one thing is clear: humans strive for a better life by asking questions and finding answers. As curious creatures, one of the oldest and most fundamental questions humans have asked is "What is life?" Today’s Gospel reading is about this question. Jesus says, "For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in ...

  *Gathering Hymn God Is Here (#389 VU) Welcome Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: We who fear the marvels of creation   All: have come to praise the Creator. One: Our Creator does not hide from the hardship and suffering of our world. All: In the midst of suffering, our Creator finds ways to satisfy the hungry and provide deliverance to the oppressed. One: From generation to generation, All: we come to celebrate our Creator, who seeks goodness for all creation. * Seasons of the Spirit L/E 2021 , page 38. Opening Prayer (Unison) God of the journey, You call us to step forward and take a path of trust. You call us to walk the way “less travelled.” You promise that you will remember even if we forget. We come today seeking insight into your ways and guidance for our Lenten journey. Amen. *Beth W Johnston. Gathering L/E 2012 , page 26. *Opening Hymn Love Divine, All Loves Excelling (#333 VU) Prayer of Confessional and Renewal (Unison) ...

“There was once a sculptor who worked hard with a hammer and chisel on a large block of marble. A little child who was watching him saw nothing more than large and small pieces of stone falling away left and right. He had no idea what was happening. But when the boy returned to the studio a few weeks later, he saw, to his surprise, a large, powerful lion sitting in the place where the marble had stood. With great excitement, the boy ran to the sculptor and said, “Sir, tell me, how did you know there was a lion in the marble?” This short story is part of the book Spiritual Direction by Henri Nauwen.  Today is the first Sunday of Lent. Lent is a special time when we focus on our spiritual growth. It lasts for 40 days, starting on Ash Wednesday and ending the day before Easter. During Lent, we meditate on Jesus' passion and cross by gradually chipping away at all that is not of God until our inner lion is revealed. Today's Gospel reading shows us how important our wilderness time ...

  *Gathering Hymn God Is Here (#389 VU) Welcome Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: Come away and be still.   All: We come to worship God. One: Come find rest for your weariness. All: We come to worship God. One: Come with your joy and sorrow. All: We come to worship God.   One: In this time, in this place, God waits for us! All: Let us worship together! *Wetaskiwin Writers. Gathering L/E2024 , page 31. Opening Prayer (Unison) God of the Lenten journey, we praise you. Weset our intention to follow the life, death, andresurrection of Jesus through this sacred andholy season. You gave us Jesus to teach us abouttrue worship and surrender. You call us out ofour wilderness and into your kingdom. You challenge us to repentand to prepare to be spiritually reborn. All praise, honour,and glory are yours, O God, for the blessing ofyour transformative love. Amen. *Sandra Litt. Gathering L/E2024 , page 31. *Opening Hymn O God, How We Have Wande...

The Gospel of Mark, the earliest of the four gospels, aims to reveal Jesus' identity. As a matter of fact, the earliest communities of faith didn't need a gospel because the disciples, who were eyewitnesses to Jesus' ministry, could testify to his life and teachings. But as they passed away one by one, the early church felt the need to write down who Jesus was and what his life and teachings were. This need grew stronger around 70 CE (or AD) when the Roman army completely defeated the Jewish resistance in Jerusalem and destroyed their temple. The experience of strong rebellion against Roman imperial rule led the Roman emperor, who claimed himself as the son of God, to implement even stronger religious policies. Jews and Christians who did not worship him began to be persecuted more harshly. To these people, who were in despair like sheep without a shepherd, Mark's Gospel offered a message of hope with this opening sentence: "The beginning of the good news of Jesus ...