BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH
TRINITY SUNDAY / 97th UCC Anniversary
June 12, 2022
Celebration of Baptism
* The live service will be broadcasted and recorded on YouTube, check your email for the link.
The audio recording of the live service should be available by phone Monday afternoon at 613- 820-8104.
Gathering Music
Welcome & Centering for Worship
Rev. Kim Vidal
Good morning! On behalf of Bells Corners United Church, I welcome and greet you in the name of the Triune God: Creator, Christ and Comforter on this Trinity Sunday.
Thank you for joining us in our virtual worship service today.
Friends, on this Trinity Sunday, May we feel the presence of God: One-in-Three and the Three-in-One, known to us in many ways. May God as Wisdom, Light and Presence come into our hearts as we gather in worship.
Lighting of the Three-in-One Candle[1]
Acolytes: Ellen & Bob Boynton
We light a candle in the name of God the Creator,
who lit the world and breathed the breath of life for us. (First wick is lit.)
We light a candle in the name of Jesus the Son,
who transformed the world with love and justice. (Second wick is lit.)
We light a candle in the name of the Holy Spirit,
who encompasses the world and blesses our souls with yearning. (Third wick is lit.)
We light three lights for the trinity of love:
God above us, God beside us, God beneath us:
The beginning, the end, the everlasting one.
Sung Response: Spirit of the Living God - Voices United #376
Spirit of the Living God, Fall afresh on us. (2x)
Break us, melt us, mold us, fill us.
Spirit of the Living God, Fall afresh on us.
Words & Music © 1926 v.1 Daniel Iverson, arr. © 1987 Darryl Nixon.
Song # FBC-A003716 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved.
Call to Gather[2]
Rev. Lorrie Lowes
In the holy name of God: Father, Mother, Creator, Life-Giver,
we gather in this place.
In the holy name of Jesus the Christ: Son, Redeemer, Teacher, Friend,
we gather to praise!
In the name of the Holy Spirit: Comforter, Sustainer, Daily Guide, Wisdom,
we gather to worship!
In the holy name of One who is Three, and the Three in One,
we gather to celebrate new life!
Opening Prayer
(Bruce Sanguin, If Darwin Prayed)
This Happy Communion
Holiest Mystery,
Community of Love,
Creator, Christ, Spirit,
Three in One,
You in Christ,
Christ in us,
and everywhere, Spirit,
connecting, caressing,
cajoling us into the image of wholeness
tattooed on the heart and the soul of every living thing.
We are not alone,
never isolated except in the imagination of our wounded hearts.
Christ abides in us and we in Her,
and the joy of this is why we sing,
and why we pray,
and why we take our place in this happy communion.
Thank you for this banquet of love,
this feast of joy,
this miracle of common purpose. Amen.
Hymn: Come In, Come In and Sit Down - Voices United #395
Refrain: Come in come in and sit down,
you are a part of the family.
We are lost and we are found,
and we are a part of the family.
1 You know the reason why you came,
yet no reason can explain,
so share in the laughter and cry in the pain,
for we are a part of the family. R
2 God is with us in this place,
like a mother's warm embrace.
We're all forgiven by God's grace,
for we are a part of the family. R
3 There's life to be shared
in the bread and the wine,
we are the branches Christ is the vine. This is God's temple, it's not yours or mine, but we are a part of the family. R
4 There's rest for the weary and health
for us all, there's a yoke that is easy,
and a burden that's small.
So come in and worship and answer the call, for we are a part of the family. R
Words & Music © 1984 James K. Manley; harm © 1987 Daryl Nixon
Song # 44817 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Celebration of Baptism: Felicity Anne Davis
Parents: Melissa & Mark Davis
Godparents: Angela & Jerem Cull
Storytime
Rev. Lorrie
Hymn: I Have Called You by Your Name – More Voices #161
1. I have called you by your name, you are mine;
I have gifted you and ask you now to shine.
I will not abandon you; all my promises are true.
You are gifted, called, and chosen; you are mine.
2. I will help you learn my name as you go;
read it written in my people, help them grow.
Pour the water in my name, speak the word your soul can claim,
offer Jesus’ body given long ago.
3. I know you will need my touch as you go;
feel it pulsing in creation’s ebb and flow.
Like the woman reaching out, choosing faith in spite of doubt,
hold the hem of Jesus’ robe, then let it go.
4. I have given you a name, it is mine;
I have given you my Spirit as a sign.
With my wonder in your soul, make my wounded children whole;
go and tell my precious people they are mine.
Words and Music © 1998 Daniel Charles Damon
Song #54619 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Prayer for Illumination
Reader: Bev Wilcox
Loving God within us, may these words move, challenge, inspire and deepen our understanding of who you are: Source of Life, Living Word, and Bond of Love. May we listen with an open mind and a heart ready to be transformed. Amen.
The Gospel Reading: John 16:12-15 (The Message)
The Spirit of Truth
“I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t handle them now. But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is. He won’t draw attention to himself, but will make sense out of what is about to happen and, indeed, out of all that I have done and said. He will honor me; he will take from me and deliver it to you. Everything the Father has is also mine. That is why I’ve said, ‘He takes from me and delivers to you.’
May the Wisdom of God: Lover, Beloved and Love give us understanding as we ponder on this Gospel story. Thanks be to God!
BCUC Choir: O Praise the Lord, with Heart and Voice – Haydn arr. Hopson
Sermon: “Truth-in-Three”
Rev. Kim
Prayers of the People & the Lord’s Prayer
Rev. Kim
Let us join our hearts in prayer.
Creator, Christ, Comforter, like Jesus’ disciples, we come as needy people. Our hearts hunger for love. Our minds thirst for peace. Our dry spirits long to be watered by your grace. In times when uncertainties confront our comfortable lives, keep us mindful of your faithfulness. In times when we see hopelessness around us, fill us with your light so we can be witnesses of your love to the world.
Life-Giver, Friend, Sustainer, we long for the many ways of being a community of love, a community that embraces inclusion, compassion, justice, and truth. We yearn to work towards living in right relationships and in healing the world. Like in Jesus’ day, this longing and yearning can often be met with resistance, hostility and rejection, So we ask that you strengthen our faith and give us the gift of courage to face whatever challenge that may come our way. Help us to be resilient in difficult times.
Abba, Jesus, Spirit, we pray for homes that are nurturing and safe. We pray for families free of domestic violence and neglect, where all the children can grow without fear. Empower us to make your love a reality in every home we know. We pray for all who suffer, for the sick and the lonely, for those awaiting surgery and medical treatments, for those grieving the loss of a loved one, for those trapped in anxiety and fear, or those downtrodden by hopelessness and despair. We pray for those who walk beside us on our journey, whose lives are a blessing to us.
Justice-Seeker, Good Shepherd, Advocate, empower us to welcome people of every colour, ethnicity and creed. Encourage us to be advocates of the sacredness of human life that welcomes all. We pray for those who are living the reality of terror, violence, war, unrest, hunger, displacement and the continued challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Deliver us from fear, greed, and all evil things that keep us away from your love.
All these things we ask in the name of God: Creator, Crist and Companion and in this prayer that we recite together:
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
Rev. Lorrie
The Triune God present in all of creation, holds each one of us in tender love and care. So we respond for all the blessings we have generously received from a loving Creator. Let us gather our gifts of time, talents and treasures and offer them to God in gratitude and praise.
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
We offer these gifts, O Triune God, as we spread your love through the wisdom of Jesus and the indwelling of the Spirit in our hearts. May they bring healing and hope to our congregation, our community and the world. Amen.
Sending Forth[3]
Rev. Kim
And now, touched by God’s Spirit of truth, which makes us free,
held in God’s love, which gives us strength,
befriended by God’s Son, who breaks down walls,
let us live with hearts wide open
to all the adventure, all the pain,
all the joy, of being God’s people,
in every place life calls us to be. Amen.
Hymn: Holy, Holy, Holy – Voices United #315
1. Holy, holy, holy! Lord God almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee;
holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty,
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
2. Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee;
casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
which were, and art, and evermore shalt be.
3. Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee,
though the eye made blind by sin thy glory may not see,
only thou art holy; there is none beside thee,
perfect in power, in love, and purity.
4. Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy name in earth and sky and sea;
holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty,
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
Words Reginald Heber, 1820; Music: John Bacchus Dykes, 1861
Song Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Departing Music
[1] Inspired by Christpieces.files.wordpress.com
[2] Richard Bott, Gathering, Pentecost 1 2021 (Year B). Used with permission.
[3] Bob Root, Gathering, Pentecost 1 – 2018 Year B. Used with permission.