BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH
23rd SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
REFORMATION & ALL SAINTS SUNDAY / WELCOMING NEW MEMBERS
October 31, 2021
The video recording of this service can be found here.
You can also dial-in by phone to listen to the audio recording at 613-820-8104
Gathering Music: O A Song Must Rise MV 142
(Words & Music: Paul B. Svenson, 1995; arr. Bryn Nixon, 2006)
Refrain
Oh a song must rise for the spirit to descend
Oh a song must rise once again (again)
Singing out God’s praises and glory,
the faithful voices blend,
Oh a song must rise for the spirit to descend. (descend)
1. From the mountains to the valleys,
from the desert to the sea,
a song must rise once again.
From the voices of our leaders,
the voice of you and me,
a song must rise for the spirit to descend.
2.From poverty and riches,
from the voice of young and old,
a song must rise once again. (again)
From the free and the imprisoned,
the timid and the bold,
a song must rise for the spirit to descend.
3.From ev’ry house of worship,
in ev’ry faith and tongue,
a song must rise once again.
From the villages and cities
a new song must be sung,
a song must rise for the spirit to descend.
Welcome & Announcements Rev. Kim Vidal
Good day everyone! On behalf of Bells Corners United Church, I welcome and greet you in the name of Jesus Christ in today’s worship service. We gather from many places, distant yet connected by the spirit of God’s love that calls us to gather. We are delighted to welcome four new members to our service today. They are Simon & Ruby Linforth and Rev. Dr. Victor & Sally Lujetic. Thank you for choosing BCUC as your new faith community. Today, we also pause and remember the works of Martin Luther, the father of Reformation and many other reformers whose legacy of transforming the Christian faith continues to live in many Protestant and mainline Christian churches. We are also commemorating All Saints Day to remember all the saints past and present who are part of the cloud of witnesses of our faith. Wherever you are, whether you are joining us via online, or onsite, or even reading the printed text of the service in the comfort of your homes, we are glad that you have joined us today.
We continue worshipping in the sanctuary on Sunday mornings at 10 am with a maximum number of 50 people. If you wish to attend the service, you are more than welcome. As a faith community called to love and serve others, we highly recommend getting vaccinated as one of the best precautionary measures to protect yourself and others. Let us continue to be mindful of the health protocols such as masking, social distancing, hand sanitizing and staying home if you feel unwell.
During this time of pandemic, 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 including Sunday School resources for your children at bcuc.org to keep you informed and give you opportunities to respond.
Friends, in the quiet of this moment, in the stillness of our hearts, I now invite you to centre yourself in the presence of God who calls us to gather in Spirit and in Truth. Let us gather in worship.
Lighting of the Christ Candle Acolytes: Wendy Morrell & Dan Lanoue
In our praying and in our listening,
in our longing and in our dreaming,
in our singing and in our stillness,
we light this Christ Candle to remind us that
we are One in the Spirit of Love.
Call to Gather Rev. Lorrie Lowes
(Sue Webb, The Gathering, Pentecost 2 2021,Year B. Used with permission.)
Come, you saints of God,
let us praise and worship the God
who has gathered us together.
Come, you saints of God,
you who are called
to carry out God’s work in the world.
Come, you saints of God,
remember all those who have gone before us
the faithful who have carried the torch of faith
and lit the way.
We remember those who have helped us on our journey
and accompany us still.
In the communion of saints, let us gather in worship.
Prayer of Approach
(Seasons of the Spirit, Reformation Resources)
Reforming God, we give you thanks
for your love and your blessing.
As we gather today,
Fill us with a spirit of openness to your Spirit,
to hear and receive your promises
and to keep our covenant with you.
Where we commit mistakes, guide us.
Where we are in error, direct us.
Where we are in need, provide for us.
Where we are divided, reunite us.
And where we are close-minded, reform us and make us new.
We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Hymn: A Mighty Fortress VU 262
(Words & Music: Martin Luther, 1529)
1 A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper sure amid the flood
of mortal ills prevailing:
for still our ancient foe
doth seek to work us woe;
power and malice great,
and armed with cruel hate,
on earth he has no equal.
2 Did we in our strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right man on our side,
the man of God's own choosing:
dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth his name,
from age to age the same,
and he must win the battle.
3 And though this world, with devils filled,
should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God hath willed
the truth to triumph through us:
the prince of darkness grim,
we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure,
for lo! his doom is sure,
one little word shall fell him.
4 That word above all earthly powers,
no thanks to them, abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours
through Christ, who with us sideth:
let goods and kindred go,
this mortal life also;
the body they may kill:
God's truth abideth still,
God's kingdom is forever.
Welcoming New Members Rev. Kim
In our onsite worship service today, we warmly welcome Simon & Ruby Linforth and the Rev. Victor & Sally Lujetic. Today we welcome them into our church family as they transfer their membership to BCUC. Let us offer our support, our prayers and our heartfelt wishes to these new members on this momentous occasion.
Storytime for the Young at Heart Rev. Lorrie
If you have been in the church at all during this long time when Covid has kept us from enjoying our usual activities, you will have seen that lots of things have happened to make our great building even better. The two labyrinths – outside and in the main hall - have been repainted so the paths are clear and bright; there is a brand-new floor in the gym with no more pieces of wood loose and dangerous; there is a lovely new portico over the front entrance that is welcoming, especially on rainy days. Other things have been fixed and improved too, things that you might not notice right away like fixing the furnace or painting the garden furniture. We are very proud of our church building, not just for Sunday mornings but for all the activities that happen here during the week – both church activities and community ones – nursery school, meetings, special events and celebrations, music lessons, martial arts classes… It’s a place that the whole community of Bells Corners has access to – a place where learning, gathering, planning, and building relationships all happen. And we can’t wait for this pandemic to be over so that our building will be bustling with activity again!
This makes me think of the building project that is happening in Chipembi, Zambia. They don’t have a place where things like this can happen. The money we are raising, along with our partners at Emmanuel United Church, is making it possible for the people of that village to build a place where this kind of community building can happen. Just like here at BCUC, it will have some offices for the people who work in the church but it will also have space for things like literacy lessons for people who didn’t have a chance to go to school, for social gatherings and meetings, for the young folks in the area to get together, for music, and for the children to enjoy activities like Camp Chipembi!
When we talk about Jesus’ commandment to love other people as we love ourselves, I think this is the kind of thing he was hoping would happen – that we would all share our gifts so that everyone has the opportunity to live happy lives and to build strong communities.
Here at BCUC, we have already raised over $10,000 to help with making this dream of a place like ours come true for the people of Chipembi. But we still have a way to go. Have you thought about how you might be able to help with this project? Maybe you can do some chores around the house that Mom and Dad might be willing to pay for… even a small donation is a big help and it’s kind of exciting to be taking part in a project that will make such a big difference in the lives of our friends so far away!
We still need a few thousand dollars to make it possible for the people in Chipembi to complete this project - and we hope we will be able to continue helping our friends in Zambia even after the building is finished. We would also like to show our love by making sure that Camp Chipembi can happen again next year, and as time goes on, we’d like to help them realize some of their other dreams, like having more classrooms in the school and improving the medical centre. We want to continue to build our relationship with the people of Chipembi, to make new friends, to share our cultures, to make a connection right around the world… to show them that we care.
Who knows? Maybe one day you will have the opportunity to meet our friends in person and to see the community we’re helping them build. Maybe one day they will even be able to visit us here at BCUC! Wouldn’t that be cool?! In the meantime, we can show our love by helping their dreams come true, and I think it will help make God’s dream for the world come true too.
Let’s close this time with a prayer:
Loving God, we know that when Jesus talked about loving our neighbour, he didn’t mean just the people next door but people all over the world. We are grateful for the many opportunities we have and we want this kind of opportunity to be possible for all children in the world.
Thank you for this chance to show our love for our neighbour by helping this dream come true for the community of Chipembi. Amen.
Hymn: Jesu, Jesu VU 593
(Words: Tom Colvin, 1969; Music: Ghanaian Folk Song)
Refrain:
Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love,
show us how to serve
the neighbours we have from you.
1. Kneels at the feet of his friends,
silently washes their feet,
master who acts as a slave to them. R
2. Neighbours are rich and poor,
varied in colour and race,
neighbours are near and far away. R
3. These are the ones we should serve,
these are the ones we should love,
all are neighbours to us and you. R
4. Kneel at the feet of our friends,
silently washing their feet,
this is the way we should live with you. R
Prayer for Illumination Reader: John MacFarlane
(Susan Lukey, Pentecost 2, Gathering 2018, Year B. Used with Permission.)
Scripture alone! Faith alone! Grace alone! Christ alone! For the glory of God alone! With these gifts, the Reformers led by Martin Luther invited all of us to study and interpret scripture. May we receive your Word, gracious God and let it stir in our hearts and shape us anew. Amen.
The Reading: Mark 12: 28-34 (NRSV)
The Great Commandment
28 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?”
29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one;
30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
32 Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’;
33 and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.
May the light of Christ dwell where the word is spoken. Thanks be to God!
Sermon: “It’s All About Love!” Rev. Kim
Prayer: (Ignatius of Loyola, The Spiritual Exercises)
Take, and receive all my liberty, my memory,
my understanding, and my entire will,
all that I have and possess.
You have given all to me, to you I return it.
All is yours, do with it what you will.
Give me only your love and your grace,
that is enough for me. Amen.
The famous American theologian Frederick Buechner once said: “Of all powers, love is the most powerful and the most powerless. It is the most powerful because it alone can conquer that final and most impregnable stronghold that is the human heart. It is the most powerless because it can do nothing except by consent.”
Love is a radical word. We say it almost all the time. We try to express it in many ways. And yet for some reasons, love is also the most violated, abused and misunderstood of all words. In our gospel reading today, a scribe, an ancient Jewish record-keeper, approached Jesus with a question: "Which commandment is the first of all?” I’m not sure if he was testing Jesus or if he was really sincere. I’m leaning toward sincere because there’s no animosity in the question. This Scribe seems genuinely impressed with Jesus’ answers and he honestly wants to hear Jesus’ views on what the greatest commandment was.
I’m sure the scribe knows that there were 613 laws in the Torah. How was a person to keep track of them all, let alone prioritize them? And Jesus brilliantly and insightfully answers with two commandments from the Torah that he learned growing up: The first was the shema - “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength” (Deuteronomy 6: 5) and the second, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Leviticus 19: 18). “There is no other commandment greater than these.” In this text, the word used to define love is the Greek word agape, meaning self-giving love, unconditional love or a love without thought of return or reward. Loving God –loving your neighbours as you love yourself – these two cannot be separated. You cannot love God if you hate or do not love your neighbour. Similarly, you cannot love your neighbour if you do not love God who is the source of love.
The scribe totally agrees, and elaborates on Jesus's answer with an insight: to love God and neighbor is “much more important than whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Showing love is more important than piety, ritual, tradition, or religious practices. Jesus commended the scribe and calls him “wise’. But for Jesus, the scribe is still on the edge of entering God’s reign. He was almost there but not quite there yet. Something was still missing. Jesus tells him, "You are not far from the kin-dom of God" (12:34). There are some possible ways of interpreting this line from Jesus. First - all it will take for the scribe to enter God’s kin-dom is to love God holistically - with all his heart, all his soul, all his mind, all his strength. The word "all" appears a lot of times in this short text. Apparently, all it will take to enter God’s reign, according to Jesus, is all of the love the scribe has got! Second – Jesus was telling the scribe to walk the talk! To show love in action not only in words. Three– perhaps Jesus is telling him that the kin-dom is very close to the scribe. Jesus is the door to that kin-dom – and he is standing right in front of the scribe - if only the scribe will pay attention and notice how Jesus is teaching about God’s reign through his parables and examples, to follow Jesus’ way of life. Jesus knows that God’s love permeates all areas of life and it is this love that challenges the scribe and us to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. I like what Bruce Epperly writes about this passage: “Today, we need to love God with all our minds – to be wise and intelligent Christians, placing the quest for truth above all else whether in theology, in politics, in science and research…wherever there is truth and healing and love, God is its source…”
And who is our neighbour that we are called to love and serve? In his book – The Great Spiritual Migration, Brian McLaren writes: “You can’t learn to love people without being around actual people—including people who infuriate, exasperate, annoy, offend, frustrate, encroach upon, resist, reject, and hurt you, thus tempting you not to love them…The way of love, is the way of annoyance, frustration, disappointment, unkindness, need, conflict, humiliation, opposition, and exhaustion. No one would choose love if love weren’t in the end, its own reward.” Our neighbours are not only those who are close to us through friendships and familial connections. Our neighbours are also those who long to be accepted of who they are. Our neighbours are those ignored by the society yet wanting our care and compassion. Our neighbours are the street marchers who confront those in power. Our neighbours are the homeless people with the desire to have decent lives. Our neighbours are the privileged and the affluent wanting to reach out for friendship and understanding. Our neighbours are those facing life’s uncertainties because of illness or loss of employment. Our neighbours are those in our community wanting to be affirmed and welcomed. Ours is not only about seeing others as a neighbour; our calling is also to become the neighbour we would like to meet.
Today marks the 504th anniversary of the Reformation, a movement that began on October 31, 1517 when the religious reformer Martin Luther, a Roman Catholic priest, nailed 95 theses to the door of the Church at Wittenberg in Germany. This action was a result of Luther's lifelong struggle to get beyond his questions, his doubts and his struggles, in order to gain a more desirable faith, particularly on the issue of indulgences being practiced at that time. As a young monk and theologian, Luther struggled with the human incapacity to love God holistically and sought a satisfying answer to his questions. He believes that the Christian life is made manifest by loving God and one’s neighbour. Luther understands this love as self-giving divine love. To love God for Luther means to consider God to be goodness itself and the source of everything good. Going back to the Gospel story, it seems to me that Luther was saying, if we truly love God with all of our being, no religious institution or empire is over and above God’s love. As human beings created by God, we bear God’s image and God’s love. And this is the love that we offer our neighbours – friends and strangers alike. Luther ushered in a new faith movement grounded in love that United Church is now part of.
What can this mean in these hard days when families, communities, and churches are breaking apart over political, social, religious and cultural differences that seem unbridgeable? In this time of pandemic crisis, you might ask, “How is God calling me to love others?” There are many tangible needs in our communities. Loneliness and isolation, fear, grief, uncertainty, the lack of human touch – these are just some of the issues we are facing these days – add to that the ongoing social ills – poverty, racism, violence in all forms. As you are able, consider how God might be calling you to listen to others or speak a comforting word, to help provide food or other necessities to those who are lacking, or to share other blessings with those who are struggling. Even in times of social distancing, we can safely reach out in love. God calls us to be a blessing and, most importantly, to provide hope to those who are hopeless through our prayers and actions. We are the face of God on earth. We are bearers of love to the world. God is at work in each of us. Remind ourselves Victor Hugo’s line from his famous novel Les Misérables, “To love another person is to see the face of God.”
Today at BCUC, we have welcomed 4 new members to our church family. They have made their commitment to be witnesses and doers of God’s love. BCUC is a spiritual home where humble, loving saints, past and present, lived and continue to act out their faith on a day to day basis. You are saints who practice radical love, deep compassion, connectedness and hospitality. Saints who share their gifts and talents for the betterment of the community and the world. Saints who embody the vision Jesus has shared throughout his life. Saints who remember their history of being a reformed Christian Church. I am blessed to journey with saints like you as you inspire and teach me to walk the talk. Dear friends, on this Reformation and All Saints Sunday, as we celebrate who we are as God’s beloved people –I offer these words from a song written by Leonard Cohen as we go about our mandate of loving God and our neighbours:
“Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
Ring the bells that still can ring:
the bells of friendship, the bells of hope.
the bells of love, the bells of joy
The cracks are there for all to see. Let the light shine in.
And still we connect. And still we embrace.
And still we stand. And still we find time.
And still we become light of the world.”
Thanks be to our loving God. Amen.
Sources:
BCUC Lectionary Group, “Walk In Love” by Debie Thomas, journeywithjesus.net, 2021; Commentary on Mark 12 by Bruce Epperly, patheos.org
Prayers of the People and the Lord’s Prayer Rev. Kim
Let us gather our hearts and minds in prayer. Gracious God, source of all life, you dwell beyond us and within us and you call us to gather as a community of faith. Empower us as we reflect by word and action the good news of your love that has touched all of us. Inspire us by the prompting of your Spirit: that we may dream new dreams and find wisdom in our visions. Give us a courageous heart, a bold voice and openness of mind, and above all else, ears that listen and hearts that empathize. Help us, to discover Your way: storytelling and dialogue which leads to understanding; ideas which challenge growth; a journey which will bring hope.
Faithful God, giver and renewer of life, with hearts full of hope we look expectantly forward as we reflect on what it means to be church in this day and in this age. Let your enduring and sustaining love continue to support and direct us along new paths. Help us to celebrate the diversity of spiritual gifts within our congregation and in the wider community. We give thanks for the dedication and faithfulness of this congregation and celebrate the legacy of the past and the nurturing of new beginnings.
Loving God, we confess that often we are overwhelmed by life's problems and challenges. Help us to seek your guidance, to consider the burdens of others and not just our own. May your healing presence and comfort be experienced by all those who are in need especially in this time of pandemic. We pray for those suffering from loneliness and depression, for those who are facing life’s difficulties, those who are grieving the loss of loved ones. We pray for those awaiting medical test results and those who are recuperating in hospitals and homes. We pray for our new members – Victor, Sally, Simon & Ruby, that they may continue to be your instruments of love and light. Awaken in us the joy of serving you through our prayers and through our acts of kindness.
God of peace, we are grateful: for our family, children in our midst, friends and loved ones who bless and enrich our lives; for the challenges of living together; for your call to work for peace and justice in our world. Help us to look beyond boundaries, beyond denominations, beyond doctrines and beyond our own self-interest. Protect us not to lose heart in the face of so many challenges: the threat of war, famine, environmental destruction, diseases and natural disasters.
Open us to the depth of your love and grace that we might know ourselves, and others, as beloved in your sight. Remind us that we all have important gifts to offer in your service.
Empowering God, Grant us vision, which is open to all the surprising ways you choose to make yourself known. Grant us courage and faith in you, knowing we are blessed by your love and mercy. All these we ask in Jesus’ name who taught his disciples this ancient prayer we now 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 Swiss theologian Karl Barth once said that grace and gratitude go together like heaven and earth. The Way of Jesus Christ is the life lived in gratitude for the God who created us and claimed us as children.
I now invite you to offer your gifts of time, talents and resources as expressions of your gratitude to God’s blessings. If you are not on PAR and wish to send in your offering and donations, you can drop them in the slot 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
(Kate Gregory, Pentecost 2, Gathering 2017, Year A. Used with permission.)
Creator God, you gave us gifts and we have used them: we offer them now to you in love and wonder. Be pleased to accept our gifts in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Sending Forth Rev. Kim
(Wanda Winfield & Carol Frost, Pentecost 2, Gathering 2021, Year B. Used with permission.)
May we leave this place,
Conscious of our heritage of faith.
All good things come from God.
As we leave this place,
May we remember God’s blessings to us.
We are children of the living God.
Let us leave this time together, renewed and inspired by those
who have lived as saints before us and among us.
May we continue to grow in our faith
as we seek to live the Way of Jesus. Amen.
Hymn: For All the Saints VU 705
(Words – William W. How, 1864; Music – Ralph V. Williams, 1906)
1 For all the saints, who from their labours rest, all who by faith before the world confessed, your name, O Jesus, be forever blest. Hallelujah, hallelujah!
2 You were their rock, their fortress, and their might: you were their captain in the well-fought fight; you, in the darkness drear, the one true light. Hallelujah, hallelujah!
3 O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
yet all are one within your great design.
Hallelujah, hallelujah!
4 The golden evening brightens in the west,
soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest; sweet is the calm of paradise the blest.
Hallelujah, hallelujah!
5 But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day the saints triumphant rise in bright array: as God to glory calls them all away.
Hallelujah, hallelujah!
6 From earth's wide bounds, from ocean's farthest coast, through gates of pearl streams in the countless host, singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: Hallelujah, hallelujah!
Departing Music: I, The Lord of Sea and Sky VU 509
(Words & Music: Daniel L. Schutte, 1981)
1 I, the Lord of sea and sky,
I have heard my people cry.
All who dwell in deepest sin
my hand will save.
I who made the stars of night,
I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall I send?
Refrain:
Here I am Lord.
Is it I Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.
2 I, the Lord of snow and rain,
I have borne my people’s pain.
I have wept for love of them,
they turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone,
give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak my word to them.
Whom shall I send? R
3 I, the Lord of wind and flame,
I will tend the poor and lame.
I will set a feast for them;
my hand will save.
Finest bread I will provide,
till their hearts be satisfied.