South Stormont Pastoral Charge

 In today’s first Scripture reading, Paul asks us to reflect on money, saying, “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains” (6:10). But let us be clear. Paul does not say that money itself is evil. Money is actually a useful tool. Without money, we would have to trade one thing for another directly, which would make life very difficult and confusing. Money helps us exchange goods easily, meet our needs, support our families, and care for our neighbours. The problem arises when the love of money becomes too strong. When we are obsessed with it, money can poison our lives. Wealth and success start to matter more than love and justice. Greed and worry take over our hearts, and we stop noticing the pain and struggles of the people around us. Life feels exhausting with constant competition, and our spirit grows weak.  Many thinkers have warned about the dangers of ...

*Gathering Hymn This Is God’s Wondrous World (#296 VU) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: Our hearts ponder the beauty of God’s majesty! All: It’s a poem of love for Creation. One: Our pens are ready to write, our brushes are ready to paint   All: the wonders of God’s work! One: The firmament displays the sea and sky—    All: proclaiming the majesty of God’s presence. One: A God of awe and wonder is worthy of all praise! All: May the Creator God come bless our hearts, One: that we may show compassion, love, and care— All: for all good gifts made for God’s pleasure and our delight! One: May we be humble, respectful, and grateful All: for Creation and for a God who keeps creating. *Keith Mayers, Gathering Pentecost 2 2025 . Page 25. Opening Prayer *Opening Hymn The Earth and All Who Breathe (#295 VU) Prayer of Confessional and Renewal (Unison) Creator God, Source of all that is, we rejoice in the majesty and complexity o...

The books of the Prophets are among the hardest parts of the Bible to understand. They use many images and symbols, often far from our daily lives, such as the early and late rains, a valley full of dry bones, the sea monster Leviathan, and the balm of Gilead. The words of judgment in the prophets are also difficult to hear. Their warnings against sin and injustice can sound harsh, and at times they feel too heavy or even violent. Some miracle stories and visions seem hard to make sense of in the way we think today. Above all, Prophets spoke from different places and situations, so their voices can sometimes feel inconsistent. But we do not need to feel discouraged. The good news is that, despite their complexity, the prophetic books have something in common. Abraham Joshua Heschel, one of the great rabbis of the 20th century, writes in his book The Prophets: “Prophecy consists in the inspired communication of divine attitudes to the prophetic consciousness. As we have seen, the divine...

*Gathering Hymn This Is God’s Wondrous World (#296 VU) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: Oxygen. Carbon dioxide. Traces of other gases. All: All around us. One: The air we breathe.   All: Deep within us. One: The ancients believed…    All: that the air was divine breath. Holy Spirit. One: And when it moved, we would be “in-Spirited.” Inspired. All: Given Life! One: Let us breathe deep into our bodies, filling our lungs with the air that gives life! All: Let us breathe deep into our souls, filling ourselves with the Spirit that gives life! *Richard Bott, Gathering Pentecost 2 2016 . Opening Prayer *Opening Hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful (#291 VU) Prayer of Confessional and Renewal (Unison) God of All, in the beginning, you created. In the beginning, you created all things. In the beginning, you looked at everything and you said, “This is good.” How do you feel about it now? How do you feel about what we have done,...

Rachel Carson was one of the most influential people of the 20th century. She was an American marine biologist and writer, and through her voice, she helped people around the world understand the importance of caring for creation.  One of her most important works was Silent Spring , published in 1962. The first chapter, called “A Fable for Tomorrow,” opens with a picture of a beautiful and peaceful town. People lived close to the land and in harmony with it. The whole place was full of life. Wildflowers bloomed, birds sang, rivers teemed with fish, and animals moved through forests and hills. In spring, the fields turned green, ready for planting. In autumn, the oak, maple, and birch trees glowed with bright colours, marking the harvest season. Then everything changed. A shadow of death fell over the town. Chickens, pigs, and sheep grew sick and died. Bees vanished, so the apple trees bore no fruit. The river held no fish. People became ill. And the birds were gone. The robins, cat...

*Gathering Hymn This Is God’s Wondrous World (#296 VU) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: Earth. All: The foundation upon which we stand. One: Loam.   All: A place of growth, of nourishment, of life! One: Dirt.    All: A place of work, a place of play— One: Of a parent saying, All: “Come in and get cleaned up!” One: Earth. Loam. Dirt. Land. All: Sacred. Holy. Ever strong and ever changing. One: Filled with God’s love.   All: Alleluia! Amen! *Richard Bott, Gathering Pentecost 2 2016 . Opening Prayer *Opening Hymn Touch the Earth Lightly (#307 VU) Prayer of Confessional and Renewal (Unison) Loving God, you have brought us through the summer’s heat and drought, the summer’s rain and cool evenings. Throughout the country, we have been battling forest fires and experiencing evacuations. We have struggled with excesses of weather and the looming threat of real climate change. It has disturbed and disquieted us. As ...