BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH
FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT
April 3, 2022
Lenten 2022 Theme: “The Way of Being”
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: What is this Lovely Fragrance?
Adapt: BCUC Choir June 2016
Old French Carol translated: Ysobel, Arrangement © 1942 Healey Willan, Oxford University Press
Song #80984 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Acknowledgement of the Territory
Rev. Lorrie Lowes
(Peter Chynoweth, Gathering Lent /Easter 2022, p30. Used with permission.)
This land on which we gather is the unceded territory and traditional land of the Algonquin and Anishnaabe people. We worship Creator on this land and acknowledge with respect the thousands of years of ceremony and relationship that are etched in footprint, fire, and faithfulness on the soil and rock that surrounds us.
Welcome & Centering
Rev. Kim Vidal
Good day everyone! My name is Rev. Kim Vidal and on behalf of BCUC, I welcome and greet you in the name of Jesus Christ on this Fifth Sunday in Lent with the theme of “Being Bold”. We are glad that you have joined us today.
In-person worship service at 10 am continues to be offered so if you are comfortable attending the service, you are more than welcome. As a faith community called to love and serve others, we highly recommend getting fully vaccinated and still being mindful of the health protocols like 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.
Holy week begins on Palm Sunday, April 10th. Please take note of the Holy Week schedule and mark it on your calendar. We hope that you can join us as we gather on those significant Lenten and Easter services.
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. There many opportunities to participate and offer your support to the various Lenten initiatives: the Lenten SOSA appeal to support FAMSAC; Hymn-Sing and Memorial Flowers to remember your loved ones. Details are posted in the announcements.
Friends, in this season of Lent, we know what God desires for us:
To remind ourselves that the message of Jesus is all about unconditional love. To remember that now is the right time to put this kind of love into action. With grateful hearts, let us gather in worship.
Lighting of the Christ Candle
Acolytes: Ellen & Bob Boynton
(Rev. Gord Waldie, worship offerings.blogspot.com)
We light this candle as a sign of
God's Spirit at work in the world.
May its light brighten our spirits.
May the light of Christ shining through us
brighten the world.
Sung Response: Don’t Be Afraid - More Voices #90
Susan Feb 2021
Don’t be afraid. My love is stronger, my love is stronger than your fear.
Don’t be afraid. My love is stronger and I have promised, promised to be always near.
Words © 1995 John Bell & Graham Maule; Music © 1995 John Bell, IONA GIA Pub
Song # 98424 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
*Call to Gather (Responsively)
Rev. Lorrie Lowes
This is the gathering place of God and all God’s people.
We give thanks to God for God’s extravagant love.
Come all who need comfort.
God weaves in us a sure, fragrant hope.
Come all who need love.
God recreates in us the unconditional love of Christ.
Come all who need God.
God offers us the heart of the Divine.
With boldness and daring hope, let us worship God.
Prayer of Confession (In Unison)
Rev. Lorrie Lowes
(Carol E. Bayma, Gathering, Lent-Easter 2014, Used with permission.)
We are loved by God – with a love that goes beyond anything we could imagine.
Let us then turn toward God with our prayer of confession:
Holy God, we are quiet in your presence. Perhaps we are too quiet, still and lifeless. We make our excuses that we do not understand what you want from us. Our throats close up as we wait to be sure of what you want us to say. Our hands wither while we wait for you to tell us how much we should give. Our feet stiffen waiting for you to tell us how much far to walk. Our hearts grow cold as we wait for guidance about whom we should love. Forgive us, forgive our sin of hopelessness, we pray.
Moment of Silence
What can sustain us in the days to come, what will nourish us on our Lenten journey? Look, here is all the sustenance we need: God's love, God's word, God's hope.
God’s never-ending mercy washes over us, making us new, again and again.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Hymn: Said Judas to Mary - Voices United #129
Grace Notes & BCUC March 2016
1 Said Judas to Mary, 'Now what will you do
with your ointment so rich and so rare?'
'I'll pour it all over the feet of the Lord
and I'll wipe it away with my hair,' she said,
'wipe it away with my hair.'
2 'Oh Mary, oh Mary, oh think of the poor -
this ointment, it could have been sold,
and think of the blankets and think of the bread
you could buy with the silver and gold,' he said,
'buy with the silver and gold.'
3 “Tomorrow, tomorrow I’ll think of the poor,
Tomorrow”, she said, “not today,
for dearer than all of the poor in the world
is my love who is going away”, she said,
“my love who is going away.”
4 Said Jesus to Mary, 'Your love is so deep,
today you may do as you will.
Tomorrow you say I am going away,
but my body I leave with you still,' he said,
'my body I leave with you still.'
5 'The poor of the world are my body,' he said,
'to the end of the world they shall be;
the bread and the blankets you give to the poor
you'll know, you have given to me,' he said,
'you'll know you have given to me.'
Words & Music © 1964 Sydney Carter, Stainer & Bell
Song #38707 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Storytime
Rev. Lorrie
Have you ever been given a really extravagant gift by someone – something so amazing and crazy that you can hardly believe they gave it to you? I have! On my birthday, when I turned 40, I stopped at the post office on my way to work because there was a card in my mailbox telling me that I had a parcel. That’s exciting, right? Everyone likes getting parcels on their birthday! So, I decided that I would pick it up that morning rather than wait till I was on my way home. What a great start to my day!
When I got to the post office, I couldn’t believe what was waiting for me! It was a BIG box – and it was from my friend Mary who had moved far away to Alberta. I missed her a lot and I could hardly wait to open that parcel. What on earth could it be? I imagined all kinds of things on my drive to the school – maybe it was something she made… or maybe it was a joke gift (she had a great sense of humour and always liked to make me laugh… Maybe it was a birthday cake! I was so curious!
I think I opened that parcel even before I took my coat off! And you wouldn’t believe what was inside! There was a whole pile of little presents, each one wrapped individually, in lots of different birthday papers! Know how many there were? 40! One for every year of my birthday!
It took me all day to open those presents because I just opened one little gift at a time. My students were excited, the other teachers in the school were excited… those gifts kept us all smiling all day long! It was incredible! Mary had been planning this present for a whole year! Every single one of those little gifts said something about our friendship, about things she knew made me happy or were interesting to me, or reminded me of something we had done together. It was amazing! My students and my colleagues thought it was crazy that Mary did this! What a lot of work for one birthday!
This is the most extravagant gift I have ever been given – not because it was worth a lot of money, but because it was something that Mary had planned for a whole year! It told me how much my friend loved me – so much that she thought about me often, even though she lived so far away. When she saw little things that reminded her of me, she wrapped them up and tucked them away for this special day. It was a gift I will never forget – a gift more extravagant than anything I could imagine. A gift that told me how much love my friend has for me.
In our scripture reading at church this Sunday, we hear about another extravagant gift. Jesus’ friend Mary pours an expensive perfumed oil on Jesus’ feet –something so expensive that it would take a whole year for someone to earn enough money to buy it. The other people who were there at the table that night thought she was crazy to do this! One even said that it was a waste! She could have sold that oil for a lot of money and used it to help the poor. But, you know what? I think I can understand why she chose to do this instead. She loved Jesus so much that she had to find a way to express that love with something so special that he would know just how deep it was, something no one would ever forget.
I think God’s love for us is like that – incredibly extravagant. We see it in the beauty around us that just never ends. We feel it in the love we share with those around us. We hear it in the messages the Bible writers give us when they tell us that God is always with us, that God loves us and always will, that God wants the very best for each one of us…special little gifts that God gives us to open every day of our lives. What an extravagant gift-giver God is!
Join me in a little prayer:
Extravagant God, thank you for showing us how much you love us, in so many ways, every day. Help us share your extravagant gift with everyone we meet. Amen
Hymn: A Prophet-Woman Broke a Jar - Voices United #590 (alternate tune 716)
BCUC Choir
1 A prophet woman broke a jar
By love's divine appointing
With rare perfume she filled the room
Presiding and anointing
A prophet-woman broke a jar
The sneers of scorn defying
With rare perfume she filled the room
Preparing Christ for dying
2 A faithful woman left a tomb
By love's divine commission
She saw she heard she preached the word
Arising from submission
A faithful woman left a tomb
With resurrection gospel
She saw she heard she preached the word
Apostle to apostles
3 Though woman wisdom woman truth
For centuries were hidden
Unsung unwritten and unheard
Derided and forbidden
The Spirit's breath the Spirit's fire
On free and slave descending
Can tumble our dividing walls
Our shame and sadness mending
4 The Spirit knows the Spirit calls
By love's divine ordaining
The friends we need to serve and lead
Their powers and gifts unchaining
The Spirit knows the Spirit calls
From women men and children
The friends we need to serve and lead
Rejoice and make them welcome
Words © 1991 Brian Wren; Music © 1869 Robert Lowry (alternate tune: keep from singing)
Song #83036 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Prayer for Illumination (In Unison)
Reader: Tamara Glanville
Through your life-giving Word, O God, fill us with the presence of your Spirit,
and help us grow as your disciples of extravagant love. Amen.
The Reading: John 12: 1-8 (NRSV)
Mary Anoints Jesus
Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2 There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. 3 Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” 6 (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”
May God’s Love and Wisdom dwell where the Word is spoken. Thanks be to God!
Sermon: “Being Bold”
Rev. Kim
Prayer: God of extravagant love, speak to us through your Word, so that we may know your truth, grow in faith and break spiritual jars of perfume in the name of Jesus. Amen.
It has been proven by scientists that while words and numbers travel to the thinking part of the brain, smells and fragrances connect to the emotions. The smell of the salty breeze, for instance, reminds me of the beach where I grew up. That aroma of fish stew being cooked brings me back to my mom’s kitchen in the Philippines. A whiff of the Old Spice cologne reminds me of my dad. But there’s this one smell that vividly reminds me of my childhood - that of a rubbing ointment called Vicks Vaporub. This topical ointment is made from camphor, eucalyptus oil and menthol. I was about 7 years old and I was very sick with nasal congestion. It was hard for me to breathe. My mom tended to me with a small blue bottle of this ointment and rubbed it on my chest, my back and my throat. Doctors say that it doesn't relieve nasal congestion. But the strong menthol smell may trick our brain, so you feel like you're breathing through an unclogged nose. And it worked for me. So, every time I smell that strong odour of Vicks, it transports me back to that particular episode in my childhood.
Our gospel story today is a story of fragrance - a story that connects not to logic or rationality but to the emotional part of our brain. Jesus and his disciples were invited for dinner at the home of his friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus in Bethany. A few days prior to this table gathering, according to John’s account, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. This dinner might be a time of celebration – a moment of thanksgiving – a day to savour the gift of a second life for Lazarus reuniting with his sisters and his friends. Martha was at her usual best self – in the kitchen, scurrying around, preparing food and mixing drinks for the guests. And Mary, for sure, is getting herself ready for a big surprise of the night.
As the dinner progressed, no one noticed that Mary slipped from the dining room until she came back holding a jar of costly perfume in her hands. The jar was filled with costly nard – a very expensive fragrant ointment used for burial made from the spikenard plant found in the Himalayan regions of India. Without saying a word, she kneels at Jesus' feet, breaks open the lid of the jar, pours out a large portion of that perfume onto Jesus’ feet and the house is filled with fragrance. The strong scent of nard is everywhere - in every nook of the room, filling everyone’s nostrils. It must have been almost hard to breathe. Smells can overpower us like no other sense can. The fragrant smell in our story cannot be taken lightly or be overlooked.
To the surprise of the guests, mostly males, Mary loosens her long hair. It was a taboo in Jesus’ time for an honourable woman to loosen her hair in front of any man who is not her spouse. In those days, it was acceptable to anoint the head of kings or emperors with oil or perfume. But to pour the fragrant perfume on the feet of Jesus is considered a scandalous act. The mere touching and wiping of Jesus’ feet with Mary’s hair raised eyebrows and gaping mouths among her audience. A moment of awkward silence. And for us today who listen to this story, we might even interpret this as a disturbing, intimate act. Come to think of it – a woman wiping the feet of a man with her long hair and the fragrant smell of the perfume filling the room—it certainly creates havoc in one’s senses. It would certainly cause a stir, particularly among churches today, with a no-scent policy!
What do we do with this story? Mary loves her friend Jesus and believes in him. She had listened to him preach the good news and had a direct conversation with him. She had witnessed him raise her brother Lazarus from the dead. Mary’s act is undoubtedly a moment of thanksgiving for the gift of life. But Mary’s actions also allude to something more significant – a prelude of what’s forthcoming for Jesus. This story, for sure, is not about economic justice, but rather a prophetic statement, a lavish demonstration of the meaning of true love. Mary knew, more than any of the disciples, that Jesus’ death was near. The nard perfume poured on Jesus’ feet is to disguise the smell of a decaying body while it waits to be buried. The perfume becomes the smell of death. Jesus does not miss the symbol. Mary has anointed Jesus with the smell of death, the scent that is slowly building in our nostrils as we get closer to Good Friday.
This was Mary’s moment – her opportune time. It is in the present that she must show her true love for Jesus. Mary’s action foreshadows not only Jesus’ death on the cross but also Jesus’ washing the feet of his disciples at the last supper- symbolic of Jesus’ servant leadership. Like Mary, would you offer a most priceless possession to someone whom you utterly trust and believe in, especially when that someone is facing an untimely death? Would you give your best attention to that person, even if it would cost a year’s wage?
And even before we answer these questions, Judas reads our minds and notices everything that some of us are about to say. "Why oh, why wasn't this perfume sold for a whole lot of money and given to the poor? That perfume costs about 300 denarii! How many hungry or sick or homeless people could have been helped with that money? To pour it all out at one time on one person does not make sense. This is too much. This giving has gone overboard. It's excessive. We cannot afford this. This is totally unacceptable!” That's what the pragmatic, practical inner voice would tell us to say.
Mary boldly responds to the call of love at the moment. Knowing what Jesus was about to face; knowing that he was in urgent need of companionship, comfort, and solace; knowing that the time was short to express all the gratitude and affection she carried in her heart, Mary showed her love extravagantly. Given the choice between an abstracted need to help the poor and the concrete need that presents itself at her own doorstep, around her own dinner table, Mary chooses Jesus. In doing so, she ends up caring for the one who is denied room at the inn like the present-day refugees fleeing from war and violence. For the one who has no place to lay his head during his years of ministry like the homeless in our communities. For the one who knew hunger and pain and humiliation like the marginalized people in our midst. For the one whose crucified body will be laid in a borrowed tomb like those who were displaced because of greed. In other words, it is the poor Mary serves, when she serves Jesus. Just as it is always Jesus we serve, when we love and care for those who need our attention, those whom God places in front of us, here and now.
Mary embodies a new way of being a woman for her time. She was bold! She was courageous! She was vulnerable! She broke a code of conduct and liberated herself with a new way of seeing and doing things. Mary took a big leap of faith and risked losing herself amidst cultural barriers of her time. So did Judge Emily Murphy who fought for the rights of Canadian women to be acclaimed as “qualified persons”; so did Nellie McClung who rallied for women’s right to vote and to hold public offices; so did the black activist Rosa Parks who refused to move to the back of the bus. So did Rev. Lydia Gruchy, the first woman to be ordained in the United Church of Canada. All of these women have tremendous extravagant love for humanity especially those who are vulnerable and whose voices are ignored by society. Sometimes the way of risky, outpouring of extravagant love is the best way to turn the world upside down.
The extravagant love displayed by Mary’s bold action - that is how God loves. Wildly, Excessively. Wasteful. God’s love is a love that breaks free from all barriers, dogmas and creeds that try to contain it. For Mary, extravagant love goes above and beyond a price tag—indeed, it is priceless, like God’s love for all of us.
Friends, what is the jar of perfume you are holding at this moment? What precious, good and beautiful thing are you being called – as individuals, and as a community of faith, that is particular to this time and place? Will you break that jar of perfume that you are keeping? For whom and for what purpose?
The cheap Vicks Vaporub that my mom used to comfort me had little earthly value, compared to the costly perfume Mary anointed Jesus with. But the gesture was the same: it was an act of bold but tender, unconditional, extravagant love. May your fragrant jars of love be opened, offered and used for good, extravagant reasons, emptied to the last drop! Thanks be to God. Amen.
Prayers of the People and the Lord’s Prayer (written by Ted Dodd)
Rev. Lorrie Lowes
Holy One
We are living with threats of going nuclear.
Refugees are on the move,
The most recent, more contagious strain is disheartening.
Tornadoes and other wild weather touch down on the planet.
And divisions and polarities add to the feeling of scarcity and isolation.
Dear and good God, I could do with a little extravagance.
Someone open a bottle of costly perfume and fill the house with fragrance and beauty,
generosity and love.
Remind me, and everyone else, that you anoint us with so many good and golden things.
Your creation filled with such blessing --
the first signs of spring,
the smell of cedar,
the colour of cornflowers,
the song of the loon,
the crashing of waves on the shore,
the tides going in and out, each and every day.
Your creatures bless us with their creations –
the sound of the violin in Lark Ascending,
the lyrics that capture Both Sides now,
the way a Rothko painting can get you to see red for the first time,
the leap of a grand jeté,
the stand-up that kills cynicism and despair,
cinema and theatre that stretches and illuminates,
books.
Your people bless one another –
the spirit of giving from donors,
heartfelt messages of support at a loved one’s end,
dinners hosted with grace and kindness,
the aunt who sent money in birthday cards,
the chaplain at the end of the bed,
challenges from friends to be our best selves.
In a weary world, your gospel anoints us -- reminding us
that our teacher preached about upending the status quo,
that the kin-dom vision is not about power grubbing,
that crucifixion is not the last word.
And we give thanks for all that anoints us,
for it is more than time to remember these gifts.
Hear our prayers as we recite together the words Jesus gifted to his followers:
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. Kim
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 (In Unison)
Holy One, accept these gifts we offer as a token and a symbol of the offering of ourselves in Christ’s service. May all that we offer of ourselves and our resources, be acceptable, and blessed by you, Gracious God. Amen
Sending Forth
Rev. Kim
Let us go forward into our community, our homes, our lives,
living as God would have us live, with joy and daring faith,
offering abundant love.
May we find blessing in living as Jesus taught us,
with kindness, gentleness and a bold spirit,
that all whom we meet might know God’s extravagant love. Amen.
Hymn: My Love Colours Outside the Lines – More Voices #138
BCUC Band (May 2020)
1 My love colours outside the lines,
exploring paths that few could ever find;
and takes me into places
where I’ve never been before,
and opens doors to worlds outside the lines.
2 My Lord colours outside the lines,
turns wounds to blessings, water into wine;
and takes me into places
where I’ve never been before
and opens doors to worlds outside the lines.
Bridge: We’ll never walk on water
if we’re not prepared to drown, body and soul
need a soaking from time to time.
And we’ll never move the grave-stones
if we’re not prepared to die, and realize
there are worlds outside the lines.
3, 4 My soul longs to colour outside the lines,
tear back the curtains, sun, come in and shine;
I want to walk beyond the boundaries
where I’ve never been before, throw open doors
to worlds outside the lines. Bridge
Words and Music © 1995 Gordon Light; arr. © Andrew Donaldson Common Cup Company
Song #119027 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved
Departing Music: Alabaster Box
Recording © 1999 CeCe Winans, PureSprings Gospel
Words & Music © 1997 Janice Sjostran, Pure Psalms Music All rights reserved