BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

July 25, 2021 9th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Worship Leader: Rev. Kim Vidal

Summer Sermon Series: “VOICES OF LAMENT”

Theme: “Crying & the Gift of Tears”

*Check the audio recording and link to video recording of this service at bcuc.org.
You can also dial-in by phone to listen to the audio recording at 613-820-8104.

Gathering Music: Royal Fireworks – Minuet I : Handel Abe - organ

Welcome & Centering for Worship:

Good day everyone! On behalf of BCUC, I welcome you to our worship service in the name of Jesus Christ on this 9th Sunday after Pentecost. I’m so glad that you can join us in our virtual worship service. We continue our sermon series on the book of Lamentations and today’s theme focuses on “crying and the gift of tears” in the context of trauma. With the many recent traumatic experiences both human and nature, I encourage you to reflect on this theme with the hope that we can be God’s witnesses in the work of healing.

As we continue to be under pandemic restrictions, please be reminded that the work of the church carries on. Please take time to keep in touch with each other through prayers, phone calls, emails or via Zoom. Check also the many announcements on our website at bcuc.org to keep you informed and give you opportunities to respond.

Our sanctuary has re-opened for in-person worship service on Sunday at 10 am with a maximum number of 50 people. The Public Health recommends staying at home but if you wish to attend the service, please call the office to register until Friday at 11 am. For the safety of all attendees, the usual health protocols will be in place which include masking, social distancing, hand sanitizing and staying home if you feel unwell. Take note too that our worship service will still be offered via Youtube, by email and by telephone.

Friends, God calls us as living witnesses to our hurting world. With our gift of tears and listening hearts, let us come with hope as we worship together.

Lighting of the Christ Candle: Acolytes: Morrison Family

The light of Christ gathers us today
to receive inspiration,
to be shaped by God’s teachings,
and to seek comfort, direction and peace,
through tears of joy and sorrow.
May the glow of this light illumine our ways,
heal us from our wounded spirit,

and make us whole again.

Call to Gather & Prayer of Approach: Sue Morrison

(Sheryl Spencer Gathering-Pentecost 1, 2019, Year C Used with permission.)

We gather with one another in this place
that has held the fears, the joys, the celebrations
of so many for so long.
Rain or shine, we gather in holy community
to sing, to pray to walk in the Way.
Young and old, we gather,
knowing that there is more in this life
than the nuts and bolts of daily living,
knowing that God’s love sets all things in motion.
Let us breathe in God’s presence (breathe).
Yes, it is good to be here…
Come, let us worship God!

Let us pray:
(Robin Wardlaw, Gathering-Pentecost 1 2019, Year C. Used with permission.)

Above us, the summer sun and the rain bless us with
unquenchable warmth and freshness, O God.
We thank you for all the beauty and abundance around us
that reminds us of your love for all creation.
Come, like the heat and coolness of the summer, comforting God,
to touch our hearts and bring forth the fruit of faithfulness.
Come to us, O gracious God,
with tears to cleanse and heal
the stains and pains of our souls.
When we shield our eyes from your goodness
and freeze out those who need your presence and ours, challenge us.
May the light of your presence bring
growth and possibility. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hymn: Joy Comes with the Dawn – Voices United #166 - BCUC Choir

Refrain:
Joy comes with the dawn;
joy comes with the morning sun;
joy springs from the tomb
and scatters the night with her song,
joy comes with the dawn.

Weeping may come;
weeping may come in the night,
when dark shadows cloud our sight. R

Sorrow will turn,
sorrow will turn into song,
and God’s laughter make us strong. R

We will rejoice,
we will rejoice, and give praise,
to the One who brings us grace. R

Storytime: Sue Morrison

Did you ever wonder what tears are good for? We cry when we are very sad, but sometimes also when we are really, really happy (like maybe at a wedding). Sometimes we cry if we are sick or in pain, or if we are really worried or scared. Or maybe we cry if someone says something mean to us, or if we are lost or scared or homesick or really embarrassed. If someone we love has died, most of us would cry.
Usually if someone is crying it shows that they are feeling some really strong emotion that just seems to spill out of our eyes in tears. It’s odd though, because other animals that seem to show emotions in some ways don’t actually cry tears. Even chimpanzees, which in many ways seem very close to being human, don’t make tears when they show their emotions. Only humans cry tears.
All sorts of people cry tears--some more often than others--but people young and old, boys and girls, men and women, rich or poor, from all different places in the world, all shed tears sometimes. Certainly, the Bible tells us that Jesus cried sometimes, too. There must be a reason, and scientists have studied this question and have some ideas now of what good it does us to cry. They have figured out that crying can help our bodies make chemicals called endorphins that actually numb our pain and calm us down or make us feel better.
Another really important benefit of crying is that crying helps other people around

us to notice that we are having really strong feelings that we may need help with, and they may then do something to help comfort us. It sometimes makes us feel better just to know that other people understand how we are feeling, and this builds closeness and empathy in our families and among our friends. If we don’t express our strong emotions in some way over a long time, it can eventually even make us sick to hold all the bad feelings hidden inside our bodies.
Besides crying, there are many ways we can express our emotions and help ourselves and others understand them. All different forms of art can help us do that. Some people write diaries or poetry to put their feelings into words. Dancers can express their feelings well through movement, and all of us use body language sometimes that shows how we feel. Composing music, singing, playing instruments are all powerful ways of sharing feelings. And the colours and lines in paintings, drawings and other forms of visual arts can reflect our feelings, too.
How are you feeling today? Happy? Sad? Angry? Calm? Excited? Here’s a little project you can try at home if you have some paper, glue and a few colours of tissue paper or paint or crayons: First, pick out some colours that you think match the way you are feeling today. We don’t all have the same reactions to colours, but people usually think that bright or light colours are for good, happy feelings. Black, gray, dark colours are often thought of as sad or angry or bad feelings. But it’s not always the same for everyone.
Some people think that blue is a sad colour (as in “feeling blue”), but I like it and it makes me feel calm and happy. For some people, red is a nice, lively colour that would feel energetic and happy, but for me it mostly makes me think of angry or agitated feelings (“seeing red”). But pick out two or three colours that represent how you are feeling right now and make a design or some sort of picture with them. If you are using tissue paper and glue, just tear the tissue paper you are using into some pieces or shapes and glue them into some sort of design. Overlapping the pieces of tissue paper can make some interesting colour blends. If you are painting or using crayons, draw and colour your design or picture. Try talking to someone at home about your art when you have finished it and tell them how it shows how your feelings.

Hymn: “Stay With Us” - Voices United #182 Susan & Abe TeGrotenhuis

1. Stay with us through the night.
Stay with us through the pain.
Stay with us, blessed stranger
till the morning breaks again.

2. Stay with us through the night.
Stay with us through the grief.
Stay with us, blessed stranger
till the morning brings relief.

3. Stay with us through the night.
Stay with us through the dread.
Stay with us, blessed stranger
till the morning breaks new bread.

Prayer for Illumination: Reader: Dan Lanoue Dance Movement: Wendy Morrell

(Bev Leadbeater, Gathering- Pentecost 1, 2019 - Year C. Used with permission.)

Open us to your Word, O God,
That we may heed the voices from ages past,
Calling us to live in right relations with our world today.
Shower us with your Words like rain and sunshine
to refresh and nourish our souls. Amen.

Reading from the Hebrew Scripture: Lamentations 2: 11-19 (NRSV)

The Funeral Singer’s Conversion

11My eyes are spent with weeping;
    my stomach churns;
my bile is poured out on the ground
    because of the destruction of my people,
because infants and babes faint
    in the streets of the city.

12 They cry to their mothers,
    “Where is bread and wine?”
as they faint like the wounded
    in the streets of the city,
as their life is poured out
    on their mothers’ bosom.

13 What can I say for you,
to what compare you,
    O daughter Jerusalem?
To what can I liken you,
that I may comfort you,
    O virgin daughter Zion?
For vast as the sea is your ruin;
    who can heal you?

14 Your prophets have seen for you
    false and deceptive visions;
they have not exposed your iniquity
    to restore your fortunes,
but have seen oracles for you
    that are false and misleading.

15 All who pass along the way
    clap their hands at you;
they hiss and wag their heads
    at daughter Jerusalem;
“Is this the city that was called
    the perfection of beauty,
    the joy of all the earth?”

16 All your enemies
    open their mouths against you;
they hiss, they gnash their teeth,
    they cry: “We have devoured her!
Ah, this is the day we longed for;
    at last we have seen it!”

17 The Lord has done what he purposed,
    he has carried out his threat;
as he ordained long ago,
    he has demolished without pity;
he has made the enemy rejoice over you,
    and exalted the might of your foes.

18 Cry aloud to the Lord!
O wall of daughter Zion!
Let tears stream down like a torrent
    day and night!
Give yourself no rest,
    your eyes no respite!

19 Arise, cry out in the night,
    at the beginning of the watches!
Pour out your heart like water
    before the presence of the Lord!
Lift your hands to him
    for the lives of your children,
who faint for hunger
    at the head of every street.

May God’s wisdom give us understanding as we ponder on this difficult passage.
Thanks be to God!

Sermon: “Worn Out from Weeping”

A story is told of an angel who was sent by God to earth with an order to bring back to the most precious thing the angel could find on earth. The angel flew and searched from pole to pole, from east to west, north to south. The angel went into the depths of the sea and picked up a gold nugget and a flawless pearl and brought it back to God. But those gems were not good enough. So, for the second time, the angel went back to earth in search of that most precious item. The angel heard a woman singing. It was coming from one of the homes. The angel saw a woman rocking back and forth her baby on a rocking chair and singing a lullaby to put her daughter to sleep. The song was so soothing that the woman starts crying. The angel saw the tears flowing from the woman’s eyes and caught one. “Ah – this drop of water is love! This will please God.” the angel thought. As the angel was about to go back to heaven, the angel heard a sob coming from another home. It was a man who was on his knees, pouring out his heart to God to heal him from a life-threatening illness. The angel caught one of the “tears” that were flowing down his face and said: “This drop of water is comfort!” The angel flew back to where God is and presented the ‘tears’ to God, proclaiming that they were the most precious thing on earth. And God said: “You’ve done very well, my faithful angel. Tears surely are words that I truly understand!”

Here we are on our third Sunday in our sermon series on the book of Lamentations. Two Sundays ago, we’ve learned that this book was written by a poet or a circle of poets who witnessed in horror the invasion of Jerusalem in 586 BCE by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar and his army. These foreign invaders destroyed the city’s inhabitants, buildings, homes, animals and farms, and the hub of communal life, the Temple. The book was written within the backdrop of a reward-punishment theology - the ancient mindset that believes in a God who rewards those who obey God and punishes those who are disobedient and wayward. Two Sundays ago, we have listened to the first speaker in Chapter 1, known as the Funeral Singer, who blames the people for their own suffering. He believes that the destruction of the city was their own doing because they have sinned and angered God.

Last Sunday, we’ve listened to the second speaker in Chapter 1 – that of the city of Jerusalem personified as a woman named Daughter Zion. She was calling out for a witness to empathize with her suffering. She felt that God was not present in her predicament and she was desperate for someone to acknowledge her pain with compassion. She was not looking for someone who will remind her of her dire situation, instead, she was begging for someone, including the passersby – the strangers – the crowd, to offer her comfort and to take seriously the situation she was in.

If the Funeral Singer in Chapter 1 was not affected by the city’s destruction; if he considered himself as an outsider, was detached and indifferent from the city’s devastating experience, this time in Chapter 2, the Funeral Singer did a complete turnaround. The verses read to us this morning were spoken not by the Daughter Zion but by the Funeral Singer. This time, the Funeral Singer was moved by the daughter Zion’s words of lament. He begins to talk of her with compassion, even shed tears for her. The Funeral Singer’s eyes were worn out from weeping because he had witnessed the death of infants and children who have fainted in the streets.

Sometimes, we do not want to show off our grief by crying or shedding tears. Some of us think that showing tears and crying out is a sign of human weakness. How often we hear of parents telling their boys to “man it up!” or “don’t cry like a Mama’s boy!” We even genderized crying: “Only girls cry! Boy’s don’t!” But we know that this is not true. Encouraging boys and men to suppress their emotions and be tough can have damaging consequences for their mental health. All of us have been gifted with tears and we need to shed them when we need to. We take lessons from today’s passage.

After moments of reflection and discernment, the Funeral Singer could no longer maintain callousness. He wept for the longest time in his life. He could no longer be untouched by the suffering of the people. He now begins to acknowledge the Daughter Zion as one of his own calling her “the daughter of my people.” He was transformed by what he saw and finally converted and he now understood that the Daughter Zion’s suffering is also his suffering. He offered her comfort, not by healing her, not by keeping her silent, not by taking revenge at her invaders, but by encouraging her to cry out loud and be angry at God if needed. For the first time, he acknowledged her pains, hurts and grief. He cried endlessly on her behalf.

A moment of truth was finally unearthed. The Funeral Singer, according to Kathleen O’Connor and Robert Williamson Jr. becomes Daughter Zion’s witness. The theology of witness according to these two authors, asks the questions: “What can I do for you? How can I bear witness for you? How can I weep with you and offer comfort and be a companion as you struggle with trauma and pain?” The lectionary group last Tuesday defines a witness as a midwife – one who is there to help the person in labour give birth. One who will not keep someone quiet but is there to encourage to cry out loud – to protest - and to walk beside the person in labour pains. A witness is one who offers a non- anxious presence to someone who is in need. A witness is a truth-teller. When the Funeral Singer finally sees city’s painful destruction, he also stopped from blaming the people of the destruction and the tragedy that had befallen the city. Now he looked at the unjust systems that had given the people false hopes. He blames the prophets of giving false prophecies and oracles for right living. He points fingers at the officials and the elite who govern the city with greed and injustice. He also blames the religious leaders who offered empty worship and vain visions. If these leaders of the people have pointed the real source of the Daughter Zion’s predicament, if they had stood with her, cried with her, walked with her with justice, kindness and humility, perhaps her situation will be different.

A witness is an ally according to Robert Williamson Jr., particularly for individuals and communities who have experienced trauma. The book of Lamentations was written almost 3000 years ago but look how much we in the post-modern era have similar traumatic situations. History keeps repeating itself and we still have a lot of work to do until truth, justice and healing are fully realized. The dark world of Lamentations is not too far from our world today. The present world is in great distress. The world is choked with consumerism and materialism- people have been obsessed with hoarding wealth because of greed and lust for power. The cities are groaning from the cries of those whose human rights were violated, the voice of the indigenous peoples, those who live in poverty, or those who were denied access to resources because of their sexual orientation, class, or ethnicity. The war zones are barricaded with armaments and weapons of war and destruction. The borders are filled with refugees - children, women, and men fleeing their homeland and seeking refuge from countries of wealth. The mountains of power have been the stronghold of leaders whose priorities are questionable. We hear of women who are victims of domestic violence, abused and without means of escape. Mother earth too is groaning in pain. We sacrifice animals, plants, soil, water, and air for the sake of those who wield the most power. Add to all these – the daily challenges that we face – illness, death of a loved one, broken relationships and dreams that were not achieved.

So as witnesses to the pain and suffering of individuals and communities, what do we do to be an ally or a companion? The Funeral Singer is our example: to be present with those who are suffering; to listen to their voices of lament, to hear their stories of trauma, and to allow our hearts to be moved by their pain. As an ally, we acknowledge that we have no answers, nor solutions but only acknowledgement of the depth of their pain. And then to encourage their voices be heard not just in the pulpits but also in public squares as they cry out for justice for their children. As an ally or a companion, let us be truth-tellers; let us transform from those things we do which betray the holiness and the love of God; the things we do which hurt our neighbours; the ways we put down others and ourselves over and over again. Let us turn away from the wrongdoings that separate us from God and from each other – the painful violence that rips apart communities, the violence of poverty, the ways we damage the earth. Let us turn toward LOVE in order to find life. Do not let fear hinder you from voicing your grievances and your tears. Cry out loud and be heard! In the words of Richard Cardinal Cushing: “If all the sleeping folks will wake up, and all the lukewarm folks will fire up, and all the disgruntled folks will sweeten up, and all the discouraged folks will cheer up, and all the depressed folks will look up, and all the estranged folks will make up, and all the gossiping folks will shut up, and all the dry bones will shake up, and all the church members will pray up, . . . then we can have the greatest renewal this world has ever known."

Finally, we look forward to hope. Despite the atrocities of our modern world, we continue to hope for change. To not give up and to continue to believe the psalmist’s words that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” And God works through us, through our weeping and crying out loud, through our tears. Let our cries of lament give power and voice to lament-worthy situations. Let us be an ally, a companion, a witness that listens to the despair of people and the world. We take inspiration from Professor Kimberly Russaw’s word: …”like the biblical characters, we should experience turmoil with hope. Hope in a God who will turn things around. Hope in a people who will not let evil triumph. Hope in a future that is greater than the past. Hope that help will indeed come. Until then, we lament. We cry. We holler. We wail. We try to reason a solution. We moan. We shake with anger, but we always live in hope.” So be it. Amen.

Sources:
BCUC Lectionary Group
Kimberly Russaw, Odyssey Network, The Modern Need for Lamentations, 2013
“Tears are a Language God Understands”, Sammy Burgess, pastorlife.com
“Becoming an Ally in Times of Trauma”, Robert Williamson Jr., 2020, roberstwilliamsonjr.com
Kathleen O’Connor, Lamentations & the Tears of the World.
Robert Williamson Jr., The Forgotten Books of the Bible.

Prayers of the People & the Lord’s Prayer:

Let us gather our hearts in prayer.

Here in this moment and place, O God of life, we come to you. We are yours in the silence of our being. We are filled with new awareness of your great love and compassion. Comforting God, we greet you with deep gratitude for this time together, this community of faith, and this place where we live. We feel the warmth of summer surrounding us, as the sun touches our skin... as it sparkles on water...as it enlivens the rich colours around us... As the gifts of summer nourishes the earth, so we look to your love to nourish us – to help us gain strength to face challenges, to find joy even in times of struggle, and to stretch and grow in your love.

God of tender care, we pray with those who are praying. We join the spoken and silent prayers that are offered from the communities where we live; from virtual sanctuaries and street corners; from happy parks and prison cells, from hospital rooms and festive tables, from voices throughout the world. With bowed heads or heads held high, standing boldly, sitting or kneeling quietly, we pray to you in earnest gratitude. We ask for your guidance and rest in your comfort.

God of compassion and healing mercies, we pray for those who are crying for help; for those whose bodies and spirits need healing and treatment. We pray for women and men seeking our presence and support; for children who need our care; for all who are imprisoned by walls or worries, for all those who are hopeless because they feel rejected; for those who are grieving the loss of loved ones or due to some traumatic experience. We pray for those who are affected by the ongoing pandemic that they may be able to find the hope they need to recover. We pray for the people in BC as wildfires consume wildlife and trees and pause imminent danger to the human community. We ask that you bless all of the leaders, those who are helping tame the wildfires and the people who are being evacuated to safer places. We continue to offer our thoughts and prayers to the indigenous communities as they continue to cry for truth and reconciliation and the many marginalized communities that need witnesses for their suffering. Bless us with tears of courage that we may offer hope and healing to our grieving, hurting world. And now in silence, we offer our deepest concerns and prayers…

God of overflowing joy, we pray with those who are singing praise! We rejoice with sunset watchers, beach walkers, travelers, campers and cottagers, those staying at home, music lovers, anniversary and birthday celebrants, children playing, new and expecting parents, old friends and family members, all in whom your life-giving Spirit wells up and overflows. For your steadfast love and continued goodness to us, we give you thanks O God of hope. Hear this our prayer and those of our hearts which we offer.

Let us unite in this ancient prayer offered by Jesus to his friends:

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kin-dom come, thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kin-dom, the power and the glory,
Forever and ever, Amen.

Invitation to Offer:

Let us offer our gifts of time, talents and treasures so that the ministry of this church will be a growing, vibrant witness to God’s healing love. If you are not on PAR and wish to send in your offering and donations, you can drop them in the mailbox by the kitchen door of the church or mail them to BCUC. You can also send in your support through e-transfer. Thank you for your continued love and support to BCUC.

Offertory Prayer:

Bless and use these gifts, O God,
as we offer them with humility and willingness.
Bless what we bring and help us to use them
to build your reign on earth. Amen.

Sending Forth:

Friends, receive these words of blessing written by Joyce Rupp:
“It is time to surrender to the soul’s ripening
to watch the antics of the ego fade away
to receive the tenderness of the Divine
to sit quietly and embrace the silence
to open your heart to how love calls.”

May God, Creator, Christ and Companion,
journey with you as you go,
and be a witness to the cries of the world,
knowing that the God of hope goes with you this day
and in the days to come. Amen.

Hymn: May the God of Hope Go with Us - Voices United #424

1 May the God of hope go with us every day,
filling all our lives with love and joy and peace.
May the God of justice speed us on our way,
bringing light and hope to every land and race.

Refrain:
Praying, let us work for peace,
singing, share our joy with all,
working for a world that's new,
faithful when we hear Christ's call.

2 May the God of healing free the earth from fear,
freeing us for peace, both treasured and pursued.
May the God of love keep our commitment clear,
to a world restored, to human life renewed. R

Departing Music: Royal Fireworks – Minuet II : Handel Abe - organ

Zoom Fellowship – 11 am

Sunday Worship Service - July 25, 2021