FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT OUR SACRED WORLD: SACRED RELATIONSHIPS
Let’s “Worship at Home” together again this week. This week’s service includes a children’s worship option, a beautiful new recording of Matt’s original hymn “Seek Us and Find Us,” and an old favourite “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” You may want to create a worship space at home before returning to this post at 10:30am Sunday morning (or whenever is best for you), scrolling down to the Worship from Home heading and starting our worship.
– Emily, Matt, and Natalie (Worship Planning Team)
WORSHIP AT HOME:
This service includes links to listen to all the music and see the readings – click on the parts of the service that are underlined as you reach them.
Call to Worship
Lent calls us to breathe deeply
slow down
centre ourselves
recognize the sacred.
And so we practice
embracing God’s presence
in our beautiful challenging ever-changing world.
Music for Centering – Don’t Be Afraid (MV 90) (Reproduced with permission under License #SSS293 LicenSingOnline)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GgCIMYy8Vo)
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.
Lighting the Christ Candle
Our sacred world shines with holy light. Peace in this moment, for every moment.
You are invited to light your candle or to close your eyes and imagine the glow of a lit candle.
Our wish for peace for one another and our world reaches beyond the distances we keep, and flows from our very hearts out to one another.
You are invited to imagine the light of this candle expanding outward to surround those you love, and then even further as it encompasses our city,
our country, and our world.
A New Creed
We are not alone,
we live in God’s world
We believe in God:
who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus,
the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new,
who works in us and others
by the Spirit.
We trust in God.
We are called to be the Church:
to celebrate God’s presence,
to live with respect in Creation,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope.
In life, in death, in life beyond death,
God is with us.
We are not alone.
Thanks be to God.
Hymn – Seek Us and Find Us
Matthew Boutda
TWILIGHT (Reproduced with permission from hymn-writer) http://www.leasideunited.org/seek-us-and-find-us-by-matthew-boutda/
(View music here or use the following words to sing along with Matt and Courtney)
Seek us and find us; God, hear our prayer;
through tribulation, aid our despair.
Guiding us gently, God is our trust,
through times of darkness, you are with us.
Seek us and find us; Saviour, draw near;
share in our struggle, cast out this fear.
We are your children, work of your hands;
lead us and lift us to your bright lands.
Seek us and find us, those who are worn;
be with us now, God, you know we mourn;
With healing presence, you keep us strong;
on life’s long journey, make this our song.
Scripture and Reflection
You are invited either to read today’s scripture, reflection, and discussion questions (below) or listen to the same story told by Natalie and do an all ages activity.
Scripture Reading John 11:1-45
Reflection
Sometimes when we hear the story of Lazarus, we find it hard to move past the literal question – did or could this even happen? However, we get further when we start to ask ourselves why a story like this was shared. What does this story reveal about Jesus, and about the nature of God? What does this story teach us about ourselves?
At the start of the story, Jesus is very human – he puts off something unpleasant, and ends up arriving too late. By the end of the story, Jesus is very divine – he calls Lazarus to life, reminding us that the sacred nature of God is one of new life that emerges even in the presence of death.And in the middle, something else happens – Jesus weeps.
Jesus weeps. We find ourselves weeping sometimes, perhaps more often now. Jesus weeps. We do not need to be perfect or capable but are invited to recognize our sorrow and name our fears. Jesus weeps. We can ignore the words, the filler of the story, and spend time at its heart. God weeps with us, and we can say this is difficult, this is unfair, this is too much. God weeps with us; we are not alone. And so, in the midst of our tears, we can seek signs of new life.
Questions for Reflection
How do your feelings about Jesus change during this story?
What has given you hope, comfort, or strength during past times of sadness, loss, or uncertainty? How might you draw on this in the present, or in the future?
What reminds you that you are loved? How can you connect with this now? How do you share caring with others?
Offering
If you usually give via the offering plate, consider making a donation online (the link is in the sidebar), or add your donation to a Leaside envelope to bring when we are worshiping in the building again. If you give by PAR, take a moment to reflect on what it means for you to offer your gifts. Everyone is invited to think of a way you will extend caring this week, such as donating to a charity, mailing unexpected thinking of you cards to friends or family, or something else.
Prayer
You are invited to pray for our congregation, our city, and our world. You might chose to do so using this prayer, or with whatever words are in your heart today.
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn – Great Is Thy Faithfulness (VU 288) (Reproduced with permission under License #01658 LicenSingOnline)(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm74yAmJBjA)
Great is Thy faithfulness, God our Creator;
there is no shadow of turning with thee;
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not,
as thou hast been thou forever will be.
Refrain:
Great is thy faithfulness!
Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided
great is thy faithfulness, ever to me!
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,sun, moon, and stars in their courses above join with all nature in manifold witness,to thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Refrain
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
wondrous the portion thy blessings provide.
Refrain
Blessing
May we move from this moment into every moment, aware of God’s love surrounding us. And may we share that love in our thoughts, words and actions. Amen.
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