Worship – Page 115 – Leaside United Church

LUCYouth Retreat 2017

September 26, 2017 September 26, 2017

This past weekend was an awakening success for the Leaside United annual youth retreat at Camp Big Canoe in Bracebridge. The theme this year was Star Wars: The Forces Awakens which included cameos from Luke Skywalker and Rey. Participants practiced balance, finding inner peace, wisdom, strength, community building & delicious food along their journey!

The heat allowed for all participants to don their bathing suits for the first time in eight years to take a dip in the beautiful Hart Lake. (Historically it’s hoody, hats and track pants weather during the retreat weekend!).

It was a fabulous weekend spent with awesome humans! A huge thank you to volunteers who did the cooking & leading!

Tanya Wiles-Bell

United Nations International Day of Peace

September 21, 2017 September 14, 2017

Today Thursday, September 21 is the UN International Day of Peace. You may wish to recognize this day by finding ways to promote peace personally, politically, and as a community. Here is a prayer for peace that you might choose to share or say on today:

God, I dream of a loving world

where we see each other

with your eyes.

I dream of a resourceful world

where we cherish the unique gift

of each other.

I dream of a hopeful world

where we recognize the power of your grace

to transform and make new.

I dream of peace.

Written by Claire Annelise Smith, Guyana (Shared in United For Peace Worship Resource, The United Church of Canada and from Timeless Prayers for Peace: Voices Together from around the World, comp. Geoffrey Duncan (Canterbury press, UK, 2002), p. 33)

When God was a Little Girl

September 20, 2017 September 21, 2017

Lending Library Book of the Month

This book was used in our children’s programming last Sunday. For everyone who missed it because they were away, or because they were upstairs, just visit the lending library in the sanctuary to sign out our copy and enjoy a thoughtful and beautiful read.

When God was a Little Girl

Written by David Weiss and illustrated by Joan Hernandez Lindeman

Have you ever tried to imagine God? Theologian, teacher and author, David Weiss, spends a great deal of time doing just that and in his book “When God Was a Little Girl”, Weiss imagines God as a little girl who loves art projects.

The book begins with a father being asked by his young daughter to tell a story about when God was a little girl. Together they weave a tale that imagines a young feminine God who creates the world through art and song. The illustrations are wonderful, showing the young God in a multitude of ages and hues. This is a twist on the traditional creation story and is rich with imagery, wisdom and insight. Weiss cleverly challenges racialized notions of colour when the daughter declares that God would choose dark midnight blue to represent love “Because, Daddy, that’s just like love! It’s there even when you can’t see it. Love always finds you in the darkness, and when it holds you close, you know you’re home.”

This is definitely a book worth reading and is suitable for human beings of all ages.

Blessing, Tanya Wiles-Bell

Blessed Animals & Their Beloved Humans

September 19, 2017 September 19, 2017

Last Sunday we enjoyed The Blessing of the Animals service. It was a chance to recognize and celebrate the importance of animals in our lives and in our world. It was a gorgeous day for our two legged and four legged friends. Thank you Murray Fenner for his fine work of photographing the event and capturing these moments.