BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

TRANSFIGURATION SUNDAY

February 27, 2022

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: Open the Eyes of My Heart BCUC cong. Feb 7, 2016

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You, I want to see You

repeat

To see You high and lifted up
Shinin' in the light of Your glory
Pour out Your power and love
As we sing holy, holy, holy

Welcome & Centering for Worship Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Welcome to worship with Bells Corners United Church on this Transfiguration Sunday. We are pleased that you are joining us today!

It is with sorrow that I share the news that Marion Routledge has passed away, peacefully at home. We offer our sincere condolences to her family as they deal with this loss. She was a huge part of our faith family here at BCUC. We will miss her warm smile and her gift of music. At this point, no plans have been finalized for the celebration of Marion’s life but we will keep you informed as they come to light.

Beginning last Sunday, we have reopened the sanctuary for in-person worship service at 10 am. 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 fully 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. Please take note that our Sunday worship service continues to be offered via Youtube, by email and by telephone.

A friendly reminder to 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.

The BCUC Annual General Meeting will take place on Zoom on Sunday March 6th at 11:15 AM. The purpose of this meeting is to review and receive the 2021 Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements and to approve the 2022 Annual Activity Plan, Budget and Nominations Report, and various other items of importance.

As our M&S moment this morning, I will call on John MacFarlane to share news of our 2022 Lenten Appeal in support of Famsac, our local Food Bank:

FAMSAC food cupboard has been helping supplement groceries for families in our community since 1969. Last December FAMSAC assisted 262 families during the Christmas Campaign.

Many thanks to all that have helped out over the years, and a special thank you to Glenna Jackson and Helen Spearman.

Donations are always welcome and there is a list of items particularly appreciated in the bulletin. Also in the bulletin are phone numbers and websites if you would be interested in learning more about FAMSAC, volunteering, or making a financial contribution to help cover costs related to our move this year.

We are going to the new Housing Project beside Christ Church in Bells Corners, partnering with the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa and the Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre.

Friends, I now invite you to centre yourself in God’s presence as we gather in worship.

Lighting of the Christ Candle Acolytes: The Berard Family

(Fern Gibbard, Gathering A/C/E 2020/21, p 52. Used with permission.)

The light of Christ shines on us and in us.
The light of Christ leads us.
The light of Christ transforms us.
We light this candle in the certainty that Christ’s presence is here with us today.

Call to Gather Rev. Lorrie Lowes

(Taylor Croissant, Gathering A/C/E 2021/22, p51. Used with permission.)

We come from busy lives to this place of sanctuary and peace, to pray and be renewed for the week ahead.

We come to the foot of God’s holy mountain.

The totality of God’s glory is obscured, but in God’s presence our lives are illuminated, and we receive instruction on how we should live. Here we seek connection, even if just for a moment, to the divine source of our life and all that is in our universe.

It is good for us to be here.

Let us make in our hearts a dwelling place for Christ. Come let us worship God.

Prayer of Approach

(Jim McKean, Gathering A/C/E 2021/22, p51. Used with permission.)

O God, we come today to refresh and restore all that is within our hearts and minds. Like the disciples climbing the mountain with Jesus, we come expecting nothing yet prepared to experience your love. During this time together, may we find our true selves just as Jesus’ true self was revealed on the mountaintop. May we find your wisdom, and its strength, for we know that your love restores and refreshes us in mysterious ways. O God, fill us anew. Amen.

Hymn: My Lighthouse Music Team June 2020

1. In my wrestling, and in my doubts,
in my failures, You won't walk out.
Your great love will lead me through;
You are the peace in my troubled sea, whoa oh, You are the peace
in my troubled sea.

2. In the silence, You won't let go.
In the questions, Your truth will hold.
Your great love will lead me through;
You are the peace in my troubled sea, whoa oh, You are the peace
in my troubled sea.

Chorus:
My Lighthouse, my Lighthouse
shining in the darkness, I will follow You!
O-O-Oh, My Lighthouse, my Lighthouse,
I will trust the promise: You will carry me
safe to sho…….re (4x)

3. I won't fear what tomorrow brings.
With each morning, I'll rise and sing.
My God's love will lead me through;
You are the peace in my troubled sea, whoa oh, You are the peace
in my troubled sea. (chorus)

Bridge 3x
Fire before us, You're the brightest.
You will lead us through the storms

Storytime Erin Berard

(Shows a solar powered light) Do you know how these work? Solar cells collect the energy from the sun's rays and converts it into electrical current. This gets saved in a battery for when it gets dark outside. All day the sun shines on it, charging up the battery, but then when this little photoreceptor detects that it's dark out, it switches on the light using the saved energy from the battery.

Have you ever sat out in the sun to warm up after a summer swim in a cool lake? In the winter, my kids like to 'sun themselves' by standing in the window where the afternoon sun shines into the house. Turtles and other reptiles pull themselves up on logs and rocks to warmed and energized by the sun, too.

What if we think about God's love being like the sun? We can soak up and gather that light and love from God, and enjoy the good, warm, happy feelings like sunshine. Ahhh…. But we can also save up some of that warmth and energy, too, just like to solar cell on this light. Then we share that love and warmth and kindness with others, especially those who might be having some dark times - feeling sad, lonely, worried, and so on. (Shows it with the lamp - look at it shine!)

In today's Bible passage we'll hear about how Jesus went up the mountain with his disciples to find a quiet place to pray. While they were up there Jesus' face changed and his clothes shone dazzlingly white, they saw visions of old prophets, and they even heard the voice of God! The disciples must have so amazed and impressed by the power of God! But, even if they wanted, the disciples couldn't just stay up there to pray and hang out with Jesus and God. They had to go back down to the real world. The passage tells us they didn’t say anything right away to others about this big experience. But they saved up that experience, just like the battery here, they took some time to try to understand it, and went on with new energy to share and teach others about God's love.

Let's share our light and love with others, too!

Let's pray:
Loving God,
Your constant love falls on us like warm sunshine on a beautiful day.
Help us transform your love for us into kind words and good deeds for others.
Help us to shine our light and share your love in the world.
Amen

Hymn: This Little Light of Mine (Traditional) BCUC congregation Feb 7, 2016

This little light if mine, I’m gonna let is shine (3X)
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Hide it under a bushel, no! I’m gonna let it shine (3X)
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Everywhere I go, I’m gonna let it shine (3X)
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Traditional Spiritual
Song #84048 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Prayer for Illumination Reader: Liam Eaton

Holy One,
May we be curious visitors in long-ago times, visualizing early hearers of these words.
In company with Jesus, may we come with open minds and open hearts,
And may we find gifts of the Spirit for our own time. Amen.

The Gospel Reading: Luke 9: 28- 43 (NRSV)

28 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen.] listen to him!” 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38 Just then a man from the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. 39 Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. 40 I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” 41 Jesus answered, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” 42 While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 And all were astounded at the greatness of God.

May the Light of Christ dwell where the Word is spoken. Thanks be to God!

Anthem: High Upon a Mountain – Larson/Jordan BCUC choir Feb 26, 2017

High upon a mountain, in a quiet place,
They were prayin’, prayin’, prayin’.
Peter, James and John with Jesus in that place,
They were prayin’, prayin’, prayin’

When there came forth from the face of Jesus
A brilliant light gleaming like the sun.
His raiment all aglow, and white as the whitest snow with radiance brightly shining.
Then appeared Elijah with Moses at his side,
Speaking to Jesus of the coming days;
Speaking of Jerusalem and of great sorrow;
Speaking of destiny.

High upon a mountain Peter, James and John
Heard the pow’r of Christ proclaimed:
“This is my beloved Son
in whom I am well pleased.”

Sermon: “Mountaintops and Valleys” Rev. Lorrie Lowes

What a contrast in the two parts of our reading this morning! We begin with a Spirit-filled, dream-like experience of being in the presence of the Holy and then are immediately brought back to the harsh reality of the day-to-day life of Jesus and his disciples.

That experience on the mountaintop is a difficult one for us to unpack, I think. Did it actually happen? Or was it just a dream? Was it a story meant to be read as a metaphor for something else? What are we supposed to do with it?

This week, in our Lectionary Study, I opened our discussion with this challenge: Can you describe a time when you felt you were in the presence of the Holy?

There followed a long pause, an awkward silence. Karen bravely waded in because it is something she has asked others to do in her PhD research. Susan began by saying that this kind of spiritual experience is so intense and so personal that it’s really hard to share it with others – that we worry that people might scoff at us, or think we’re crazy.

Interestingly, not one person said “No, it has never happened to me.”

So, was that experience on the mountaintop really so far-fetched? What really happened there?... and why did they climb that mountain in the first place?

Life with Jesus must have been very intense, don’t you think?

… month after month wandering around the countryside, with no place to call home, no familiar bed and comfort at the end of each day, not even knowing where their next meal would come from.

… days filled with pushing crowds, people desperate for healing and desperate for hope, sometimes people who were there to criticize or curse

… evenings spent listening to the teachings of Jesus, desperately wanting to understand but often feeling overwhelmed

It’s no wonder that they all – Jesus included – sometimes just needed a break and a chance to get away from it all, a chance to rest and to sort out all those swirling thoughts and impressions, a quiet place away from the hustle. I’m sure you can all relate to that feeling. I know I can. I also know that I’m not always wise enough to acknowledge that need – and sometimes my body takes over and forces me to stop, to rest and to allow my heart and my mind to catch up.

Jesus knew that he needed these breaks to refresh himself and to reconnect spiritually with God – to listen for that still, small voice that gave him his sense of direction and purpose, the stamina and drive to continue, even when the journey was difficult and the work stressful. He also knew when it was taking a toll on his disciples, perhaps especially how difficult it must be for his closest friends, his leaders. We often hear of him going off on his own to pray – but this time he took Peter and John and James as well. He was right, it seems, that they needed this too. The scripture writer tells us they were “weighed down with sleep” – but, even so, they stayed awake – still wanting, I suppose, to learn and to understand what they had been called to do. Not wanting to miss a moment with Jesus, especially this unusually intimate opportunity to be just the four of them together, away from the distractions of noise and crowds and away from their responsibilities in this community of disciples.

Because they stayed awake, the writer tells us, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him – Moses and Elijah. This is unusual in our stories and I’m sure it was a shock for the disciples who accompanied him as well. When Jesus went off by himself to pray, we imagine him in private conversation with God. So, what are Elijah and Moses doing here? This was unexpected! I read this differently this week. This time it seemed to me like an epiphany moment. That moment of “aha!”, of understanding what Jesus was all about. It was suddenly right there in front of them. Here was Jesus, in the company of the most respected prophets of their faith. Here he was, called by God to a mission so profound it could change the course of humankind. I can imagine that sense of clarity at last, for those men struggling so hard to understand what their own ministry was all about: This is what God has wanted all along. This is what the prophets have always said. This is not so much something completely different, but something that has always been an essential part of God’s dream, and Jesus is here to take that message further, to show those essential truths in action. This was a moment that went beyond the “now I get it” experience of clarity. Here, on this quiet mountaintop, Peter, John, and James experienced a moment so profound, so sacred, that they were acutely aware of God’s presence with them.

Can you imagine it? Can you imagine how they must have felt?

When I think of it in this way, I get a better understanding of why Peter wanted to stay – to build a shelter that would protect this experience and make it permanent. Who wouldn’t want to feel the presence of the Holy – a tangible, all-encompassing feeling of awe and at the same time of being wrapped up in God’s love? Who wouldn’t want to hang on to that?

How do you explain an experience so profound, something that is both inspiring and terrifying at the same time?

This feeling, this intensely spiritual, personal experience isn’t something that can be captured. It can’t be kept in a box – or a dwelling – or a church… It seems to slip away before we can really grasp what is happening. And so, just as Peter was trying so hard to cling to it, they were overshadowed by a cloud. The moment passed and there was Jesus, the very human and familiar Jesus they knew, standing in front of them – no glowing vision, no ethereal companions. In the words of the poet Andrew King:

The figure that shone
is Jesus again: the sun-browned skin
And the carpenter hands
And the feet, like yours, grimed with earth.
Gone the others you thought you saw.
Silent now the voice, the words
A memory like the calm
That follows a strong wind.

These three men who had shared this incredible experience were suddenly brought back to the real world. The moment was gone, but the voice of God still rang in their ears. “This is my son, my Chosen. Listen to him!” … Our scripture tells us they kept silent and told no one any of the things they had seen. I wonder if they even shared it amongst themselves…

Perhaps they all just went to sleep at last. Minds cleared, a feeling of being held secure in God’s love… finally a time to close their eyes and take that needed rest their bodies craved. They weren’t ready to face the real world just yet. Our story tells us they went down the mountain the next day…

Back to reality… from the bright mountaintop to the dark valley… from a glimpse of the kin-dom of God, to the harsh reality of the human world, the place where evil still exists in ugly contrast.

It must have been a jolt for them to arrive and find the great crowd there waiting. A crowd oblivious to the amazing moment they had just experienced.

My late Uncle Alec, had a saying that comes to mind for me. After a wonderful vacation, away from all the bustle of day-to-day life, where you eat foods you never cook at home, when your suitcase contains only your favourite outfits, where you sleep as much - or as little - as you want, where the days spread out before you with no must-do list… when that time would come to an end, he would say, “Well, it’s back to porridge and old clothes!” A preparation for going back to reality.

Back from the dream, back to the real world, back amongst people who have no idea what you’ve just experienced. It’s always a bit of a jolt – so imagine that feeling after something as life-altering as what these four men had just been through. Everything has changed – but nothing has changed.

The crowd is still pushing, the people are still needy and crying out for help. A father, desperate to save his son, is losing hope…

We look at the situation of this poor boy and think of the modern diagnosis of epilepsy. What the people in that mountain valley saw was the very manifestation of evil. He is the only child of this man. I can’t imagine his fear. He came to the disciples, begging for help, but was not given any. He is at the end of his rope.

They can’t help him. He’ll have to wait for Jesus.

Jesus himself goes from conferring with the major prophets of his faith to the realization nothing has changed. You can hear the frustration in his response, “You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you?”

From conferring with the ancient prophets, from connecting with God, from the clarity of what needs to change to save the world, from all the assurance and confidence he needs that he is on the right path, that he is doing God’s work… he comes face-to-face with the realization that he is standing alone, that even his own disciples are missing the point. One miracle worker isn’t what the world needs for heaven’s sake – every follower must have the courage to take the risk, to stand up to the evil they see, to wipe it out, not with magic words or special powers, but with the boldness and the confidence that says “this is not welcome here”.

We may have gotten rid of the notion that evil spirits move in and cause epilepsy, or autism, or Tourette’s syndrome but we still face demons. What are the demons the world faces today? Where do we come face to face with evil? We don’t have to look far… Peaceful protests being twisted with symbols of hatred and holding bystanders hostage in their own neighbourhoods, horns blaring to drown out the calls for reason… Armies with tanks and weapons of destruction poised at the borders of Ukraine, ready to pounce at the first signs of vulnerability… Rhetoric that serves to pit us against each other, even when we are all fighting the same pandemic… hunger in the midst of plenty… suffering in a world where solutions surround us.

As followers of Jesus, we gather together as a community of faith – faith that the demons of this world can be rebuked, that manifestations of evil can be healed. If we truly understand what Jesus taught, then we cannot say, “We can’t help. Better wait for someone with more power.”

So, what can we do? We can begin by keeping our spiritual connection with God and with each other. We use the strength that gives us to be part of the solution. We take the risk to say, “Evil is not welcome here.” We show that the power that comes from loving your neighbour is more enduring than violence and beating others into submission.

It is hard work… more than that, it is terrifying work at times. So, how on earth do we find the strength we need to be up to the task?

I liked Erin’s analogy this morning about the solar powered light. The sun can power as many of those receptors we can put out there – and it doesn’t diminish its ability to shine. More receptors, more light… more light, the clearer our vision becomes…

We cannot dismiss the strength we gain from being connected to that higher power – the one we refer to as God in this faith tradition… nor can we dismiss the strength we gain from being together in community. I believe the strength we gain when we combine the two can be exponentially more powerful.

Susan was right in our Lectionary Study this week; we rarely talk about our spiritual experiences – not even with those closest to us. I think it’s probably also true that we don’t take the time to seek out those moments when we can be present enough to experience the Holy. We don’t step away from the world; we don’t climb the mountain. I wonder what would happen if we did…

What Peter, John, and James experienced on that mountaintop transfigured the man they knew as Jesus – but did it transform them? Did they trust it? Like us, they kept it locked inside. Even they stepped back and counted on Jesus to heal the boy of the unclean spirit.

Peter couldn’t keep that moment from slipping away, no matter how much he wanted to try. Even Jesus knew he had to turn around and head down the mountain to what was waiting for him there. The moment was gone, the prophets had disappeared, Jesus was the familiar man they loved, fully human once again – but, surely, they could still hear that clear voice saying, “Listen to him!”

We cannot hold on to our mountaintop moments either, but maybe we can start by seeking them. Maybe we can be open enough to sense when God is near, when God wants us to listen. Each one of us will experience these moments in our own personal, intimate way for sure. They might not include the appearance of ancient prophets; they may not transfigure our faces or make our clothing glow, but I am certain they can transform us in some way if we are open to accepting them, if we trust what they bring. Perhaps the important message for us is to realize the power in those moments, to store the energy they give us so that, together, when we find ourselves in the valley once again, we can use that strength to light the world.

May it be so. Amen.

Prayers of the People and the Lord’s Prayer Rev. Lorrie

God of Loving Presence,
We give you thanks for the wonders of each day,
For the celebrations, big and small, that brighten our lives,
For the love of friends and family and the support they bring.
We give you thanks for crisp bright winter days,
For the lengthening of the daylight hours that bring the hope of spring.
Keep us mindful of the joys we experience each and every day.

God of Compassion,
We pray for all those in our midst who are suffering:
Those faced with illness or injury,
Those struggling with difficulties of worry and stress,
Those grieving the loss of loved ones.
Today we pray especially for the Routledge family in the loss of Marion,
And we pray for all those in this faith family who loved her.
Comfort us in our pain and in our sorrow.

God of Peace and Justice,
We pray for the leaders of our city, our country, and throughout the world,
That they may put the common good ahead of personal ambition,
That they lead with compassion and work toward peace.
We pray for an end to war and violence.
We pray for healing; we pray for justice;
We pray that everyone has what they need.
Help us see our role in bringing this dream to life.

Transforming God,
We pray that we make time to be open to your presence,
That we seek the time to open our hearts and minds to you.
We pray for clarity of vision and awareness of the work you call us to do,
And the strength and courage we need to follow that call.

Holy One,
Transform our hearts
Transform our will,
Transform us that we may help transform the world.

All these things we ask in the name of Jesus, the transfigured one, who inspires and guides us, using the prayer he taught his disciples…

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 transformation that we feel in those mountaintop experiences when we know God is with us, can only transform the world if we move down from that lofty height into the reality of the world ready to lift others by sharing that love where it is needed most.

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

(David Sparks, Gathering A/C/E 2014/15, p48. Used with permission.)

You take us to the holy place, O God,
You’re inspired presence lifts us up and gives us new life.
You bring us down to earth, O God.
Through your eyes, we see what needs to be done and find the strength to begin.
Bless these gifts, O God,
Through which the ordinary shines with holiness. Amen.

Sending Forth Rev. Lorrie

(Susan Lukey, Gathering A/C/E 2021/22, p53. Used with permission.)

Inspired and transformed on the mountaintop with Jesus, we now journey with Jesus back into the ordinary and everyday, knowing that this is where we must share God’s love.

Go with renewed inspiration and the confidence that God accompanies us each step of the way. Amen.

Hymn: How Lovely is Your Dwelling Place (Better is One Day) - More Voices #29

BCUC Music team October Homecoming 2016
(Abe - piano, Kim & Will - guitars, Erin - flute, Leslie - violin, Dan - Cello, Sue & Wendy – drums)

1. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty.
For my soul longs and even faints for you.
For here my heart is satisfied within your presence.
I sing beneath the shadow of your wings.

Refrain:
Better is one day in your courts, better is one day in your house,
Better is one day in your courts than thousands elsewhere. (2x)
Than thousands elsewhere.

2. One thing I ask and I would seek:
To see your beauty,
To find you in the place your glory dwells. (2x)

Refrain

Departing Music: Song of the Transfiguration BCUC Choir Feb 11 2018 - Soloist: Keith Bailey

Transform us as you, transfigured,
Stood a part on Tabor's height.
Lead us up our sacred mountains,
Search us with revealing light.
Lift us from where we have fallen,
Full of questions, filled with fright.

Transform us as you, transfigured,
Once spoke with those holy ones.
We, surrounded by the witness
Of those saints whose work is done,
Live in this world as your Body,
Chosen daughters, chosen sons.

Transform us as you, transfigured,
Would not stay within a shrine.
Keep us from our great temptation
Time and truth we quickly bind.
Lead us down those daily pathways
Where our love is not confined.

Bonus: Shine Jesus Shine BCUC choir Feb 7 2016

Join us for Zoom Fellowship at 11:00 am

Sunday Worship Service - February 27, 2022