South Stormont Pastoral Charge

No one is free from fear. In fact, fear is one of the most important feelings that helps people and animals stay alive. When there is danger, fear makes the whole body focus on it. For example, when a deer sees a lion, the amygdala, the part of the brain that controls emotions, sends a fear signal that prepares the whole body to run. Adrenaline is released, the heart beats faster, breathing speeds up, and blood flows more quickly. Energy goes to the muscles, while other body functions slow down. This kind of fear helps us escape from danger. It is necessary for survival. Without it, people and animals could not respond properly to risks. However, the problem is that people can create fear in their minds. Sometimes we feel afraid of things that are not happening now. We can feel anxious about what might happen next month, next year, or even ten years from now. We may lie awake at night worrying about things that might never happen. When fear grows too big inside us, it can pull us away ...

  *Gathering Hymn Come In, Come In and Sit Down (#395 VU) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: In worship, we meet our God, who understands us, All: who knows us deeply and calls us by name. One: Through prayer, we seek our God, who restores us,   All: who fills us with joy and helps us follow the divine calling. One: In praise, we give thanks for our God, who remembers us,    All: who cares for us when troubles appear, and shelters us when others hurt us. One: In worship, we affirm God’s promise to be with us.   All: When we feel inadequate to the task and insufficient for the calling, we seek God’s presence, cherish God’s mercy, and proclaim God’s love for us, now and forever. *Gill Le Fevre, Gathering Pentecost 1 2025 . Page 38. Opening Prayer *Opening Hymn Come, Let Us Sing (#222 VU) Prayer of Confessional and Renewal (Unison) Loving God, we want to trust you, but sometimes we worry too much. We are a...

About fifty years ago, a German-American social psychologist named Erich Fromm (1990-1980) asked an important question through his book To Have or To Be? The book explores how people understand their true selves in one of two ways. The first way is called the "Having Mode." In this mode, people believe their identity and value come from owning things like money, titles, power, or knowledge. Those who live this way always want more, thinking they become more important by having more possessions. Fromm points out that those who try to find their identity through what they have cannot be free from worry and fear. Their desires never end, and they constantly feel that something is missing. This unlimited desire leads them to believe that they are never enough. When they can no longer get more, they feel worthless and useless. For example, those who find their value only in their job or income often experience deep emotional pain when they retire. This way of thinking not only ha...

*Gathering Hymn God, Reveal Your Presence (#391 VU) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: Our Maker abides as close as our breath and as far as the distant vistas. All: Blessed is God’s great name. One: God is both Mother and Father, parent-like, full of grace.   All: We whisper the holy name of the eternal source of mercy. One: Let us worship, aware of God’s steadfast compassion. *Laura Turnbull, Gathering Pentecost 1 2025 . Page 38. Opening Prayer *Opening Hymn This Is God’s Wondrous World (#296 VU) Prayer of Confessional and Renewal (Unison) Loving God, sometimes we think having more will make us happy. We focus on things we can own or control, and forget what really matters: love, kindness, and community. Forgive us when we forget to share. Help us trust that there is enough for all. Make us rich in love, and open our hearts to what truly gives life. ( a time of silent confession) Amen. Words of Assurance One: God does not measu...