ORDER OF SERVICE FOR SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 2022
HOLY TRINITY SUNDAY
Due to copyright limitations, we are unable to print the words to the songs. However, our musicians have chosen music to fit the scriptures. We invite you to look up the words in your worship book and ponder them. If you do not have a worship book, ponder the words to one of your favourite hymns and listen for God’s voice. Those who have internet may find the songs on YouTube.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
Faith is a luxury for those who are able to ignore what the rest of us must see every day. Pessimism, distrust, and irony are the holy trinity of my religion, irony in particular.
~Brando Skyhorse
BEFORE WE WORSHIP, WE REFLECT…
“O Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Today we celebrate the holy Trinity. Paul writes that through Jesus we have peace with God, whose love pours into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, giving us lasting hope. We celebrate the gracious One-in-Three, eternal Three-in-One, as we worship in community; as we share water and word, bread and wine; and as we bring God’s love and hope to our neighbors.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
We acknowledge that we gather to worship on Treaty 1 territory, the traditional gathering place of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene people and the traditional homeland of the Métis people.
Every time we acknowledge this truth, we have an invitation and an opportunity to reflect on what we do and what we can do to make Manitoba a better place for everyone who lives here.
CALL TO WORSHIP:
Let us shape a space for The Three:
the Spirit as breath of life
the Bread as food of heaven
the Love in relationship
Let us shape a space that tangles all three through our life and our worship held in relationship and met here.
Let us shape a space for the many faces of God woven together and revealed in each of us.
On this Trinity Sunday
Let us shape a space to be found together in worship.
~written by Roddy Hamilton
CHILDREN’S SONG: He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands
CENTERING PRAYER:
Abba, Father, Mother, Creator–we call You by many names, but the names we choose show our relationship with You. We desire to draw closer to You, O God. We desire to hear Your voice above the chatter of the world, to know Your ways and to walk in them.
Spirit of Life, Wind and Breath among us, we feel You move through us, guiding us on our journey, inspiring us to share Your love with others.
Jesus, the Christ, the Savior of us all, our Brother and Friend, we desire to walk in Your ways and to love one another as You have first loved us.
Triune God, we desire to relate to You and to each other more fully, so that we might draw into the depths of Your love, first glimpsed at creation, when Your voice called us and the earth forth out of darkness into Your light. Continue to call us, guide us and lead us into this world and beyond. Amen.
— posted on Rev Mindi’s Rev-o-lution blog.
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.
CHILDREN’S CHAT
Look in a mirror and what do you see? You see yourself. What do you notice about yourself? Check out your eye colour. Which of your parents gave you your eye colour? How about your hair? Smile at yourself. Do you look more like your mom or your dad when you smile?
What else do you notice? Raise your right hand. In the mirror, you are turned around so that it looks like you are raising your left hand. You are looking at your reflection. Is your reflection accurate?
Looking at your reflection, can you tell what kind of person you are? Does your reflection tell you anything about your voice and how you speak to people? Does your reflection compare you to anyone else? Do you hear any messages playing in your head as you look at yourself?
Today we celebrate the Holy Trinity, God the Father, Jesus, God’s son, and the Holy Spirt that is the creating breath of God and the power of Jesus to give faith, courage, strength and healing.
What you need to know, when you look at your reflection in the mirror, it that it is only a quick picture of yourself. In that moment of looking in the mirror, I want you to focus on the reality that God loves you. You are a beautiful creation of God, hugged by Jesus and filled with love by the Holy Spirit so that you can share that love with family, friends, the world. When you look in the mirror, I want you to hear God say to you, “I love you!”. I want you to hear Jesus say to you, “I love you!”. I want you to hear the Holy Spirit say to you, “I love you!”. The longer you look at your reflection, the more I want you to focus on every person in your life who says to you, “I love you!” Those are the voices and the only message that matters. The world is full of people who will say hurtful words to you, call you names, try to convince you that you have no value. They are out there, and at some point in your life, you will meet them. The words they will throw at you will be lies. On a good day, you will be able to ignore those words. On a day when you don’t feel so strong, it will be tempting to believe the lies.
In those moments, you repeat to yourself, “God loves me, Jesus loves me, the Holy Spirit loves me, my parents love me, my siblings love me, my family and friends love me, even my dog loves me! So if all those people love me, then I am truly loveable!!!
Repeat it till you mean it, because that is the truth!
MINUTE FOR MISSION: Transportation Is Key To Improving Lives
Gill visited Mission & Service partner Our Place Society for her meals every day. At one community meal, she met an outreach worker and inquired about making a meaningful change in her life. But making the changes she needed meant accessing programs in parts of the city she couldn’t easily get to without a bus pass.
Too often, lack of transportation is a significant barrier that prevents people from accessing the support they need. It’s hard to keep appointments, go to school, or visit family and friends with no way to travel. High gas prices, the cost of a vehicle, lack of public transit or a system that does not reach job-rich areas are barriers to creating a better life.
In a recent study, Jeff Allen and Steven Farber, geographers at the University of Toronto, report that in Canada’s eight largest cities, 5 percent of the total population are living in low-income households that are also situated in areas with low transit accessibility. “This totals nearly one million people who are at risk of transport poverty nation-wide,” they write.
What does it mean to not have adequate transportation? Farber told University of Toronto News it’s a mix of disadvantages: socioeconomic status (low income, ill health, being a recent immigrant or elderly) and a lack of access to transportation (being unable to afford a car or to reach destinations easily by transit, for example).*
“The time is right for a national accounting of those living in transport poverty and the development of a national transport and land use strategy.”**
Mission & Service partners working on the ground to alleviate poverty regularly help people access transportation so they can improve their lives. The bus pass project that provided Gill with passes she needed to keep life-changing appointments was supported through the United Church’s Gifts with Vision catalogue. Thank you for your generosity.
*UofT News, Stranded without transit? U of T researchers say one million urban Canadians suffer from ‘transport poverty’
**Transport Policy (Feb. 2019), Sizing up transport poverty: A national scale accounting of low-income households suffering from inaccessibility in
Canada, and what to do about it
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
Come, Holy Spirit, giver of life; breathe into us that we may hear a word of truth this day. Draw us into communion, enable us to love, conspire to make us one with you for the world you so deeply love. Amen.
Readings and Psalm
First Reading: Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
In the Bible, wisdom is portrayed in terms sometimes human and sometimes divine. Often, wisdom is personified as feminine. In this passage, Woman Wisdom is depicted not only as the first creation of God, but also as God’s helper, rejoicing in God’s creation, especially in human beings.
1Does not wisdom call, and does not understanding raise her voice?
2On the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand;
3beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries out:
4“To you, O people, I call, and my cry is to all that live.
22The Lord created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago.
23Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
24When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water.
25Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth—
26when he had not yet made earth and fields, or the world’s first bits of soil.
27When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep,
29when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
30then I was beside him, like a master worker; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always,
31rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race.”
Psalm 8
R: Your glory is chanted above the heavens. (Ps. 8:2)
1O Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!—
2you whose glory is chanted above the heavens out of the mouths of infants and children;
you have set up a fortress against your enemies, to silence the foe and avenger. R
3When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,
4what are mere mortals that you should be mindful of them,
human beings that you should care for them? R
5Yet you have made them little less than divine; with glory and honor you crown them.
6You have made them rule over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under their feet:
7all flocks and cattle, even the wild beasts of the field,
8the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and whatever passes along the paths of the sea.
9O Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! R
Second Reading: Romans 5:1-5
Paul describes the life of faith with reference to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Even now, we have peace with God through Jesus, and our hope for the future is grounded in the love of God that we experience through Christ’s Holy Spirit.
1Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
Gospel: John 16:12-15
Jesus’ ongoing presence with the disciples will be made known through the coming Spirit who will guide them and communicate to them Jesus’ will and glory.
12“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
HYMN: Pass It On
SERMON:
I was an emotional train wreck. My marriage had failed, my family was torn apart, my health was not good and now even my finances were in ruin. I had been forced to take the steps to declare bankruptcy. As I sat in the Trustee’s office trying to pull myself together, I thought of my parents and how ashamed I was that my life had come to this point. Legal separation, my children three hours away, and now, bankruptcy.
The trustee’s voice droned on firing question after question. I tried to focus, truly I did, but not much was being comprehended. He had lost me at the word ‘bankruptcy’.
I get it. The disciple’s reaction to Jesus’ farewell discourse. I do. Jesus has been going on about what will happen after he leaves them for three chapters by this point. Jesus, you aren’t getting it. You lost them with the words, “Little children, I am with you only a little longer.”
Jesus has now, for the fifth time, tried to explain to the disciples the benefits of both his departure and the coming of the paraclete. In John’s Gospel, Jesus centralizes the work of the Spirit in ways that are unique, offering an abiding and enlightening presence for the disciples meant to replace the very tangible presence of Jesus the disciples had experienced. The Spirit is described as a sage-like presence that will care for and guide the entire community after Jesus departs, offering exactly what these disciples need in a moment of immense anxiety.
In our gospel reading for this Sunday, Jesus continues his work of trying to convince the disciples that his imminent departure is a positive both for them and for the entire community. But frankly, the disciples don’t seem to believe it. Though this discourse is offered primarily from the perspective of Jesus, we can sense the confusion and fear of the disciples. What were the facial expressions of the disciples as they were listening? What was their body language like as Jesus repeatedly tells them that he’s leaving? What tone did Jesus take as he offered these words? Even without those details, we know from Jesus’ repeated calls to find joy that Jesus is speaking with sad and fearful disciples who are not sure just what they can bear. Jesus is offering a soul-salve for these disciples that were about to lose their teacher, leader, and friend.
Today is Trinity Sunday. Though we have language about the Father, Son, and Spirit together in a tight package, offering an adequate reference for the doctrine of the Trinity is difficult and gets bogged down in dogma. Jesus seems to be doing anything but dealing with theological abstracts. Maybe through tears of his own, and possibly to weeping disciples, Jesus offers hope to those that he loves. In a world where loss, anxiety, and fear are legion, there will be no shortage of disciples in our midst who are in need of reassurance. We are to offer ways that the relationship Jesus describes in this passage, between Himself, the Father, and the Spirit, brings hope to an anxious people instead of wrestling with the particulars of the Trinity.
The disciples knew Jesus — they could see, touch, smell, hear Jesus. Their lived relationship with Jesus required faith, but not the kind of faith that would be required to believe in this paraclete that was coming at some undetermined time. Jesus finds himself in a role familiar to the one that John the Baptist played for him, as one preparing the way for another who is to come. Differently though, Jesus can vouch for the work of the Spirit with a different kind of authority than John the Baptist could ever vouch for him because of the relationship that Jesus had established with the disciples and the power and peace that He has already demonstrated to them. They know for themselves the power and presence of Jesus, and here Jesus is using that shared experience as a means of grounding his promise of the one to come.
Jesus has to repeat these instructions over and over, the connections that he makes between Himself and the Spirit, must offer comfort for the disciples gathered there. As Jesus’ disciples ourselves, how can we help people remember what God has already done, as a way of undergirding a hope for what is to come?
Over the course of Jesus’ goodbye speech, the disciples have had to bear quite of bit of Jesus’ teaching. In this elongated teaching moment, Jesus has been downloading quite a bit of information about love, future events, new commandments, and this mysterious paraclete that isn’t mentioned anywhere else.
This word about what the disciples can bear then must not be about capacity, because if that were the case Jesus could have stopped speaking a long time ago! But maybe this isn’t about capacity, at least not in the immediate sense. Jesus noted to the disciples that he has already made known to the them everything that he received from the Father. This observation about what they can bear is not about capacity in terms of the sheer amount of information that they can understand, but instead it seems to be about time and context. They can’t bear the many words, now, because there are words that they need to hear in the future that would not make sense now.
The Spirit will guide them to truth in the future, for a word that they need to hear in that moment. The word will still be from the one that they trust and with whom they have a relationship, but the word will fit the needs of the community at that time. You can’t bear it now, but then is a different story. The assurance here is not of some intellectual truth but a reassurance of a presence, of the same kind of comforting words that Jesus offered the disciples along their journey together.
This is not only a word of comfort but something that should excite us, as we wonder at the fact that Jesus’ word, the Word, will be with us in the ways that we need, when we need it!
It has been ten years since that day in the Trustee’s office. The journey has been long, arduous, painful, hurtful and plagued with tears and rants. Life isn’t always pretty. Still, love prevails, forgiveness continues and the Holy Spirit, through Christ, from God, continues to provide strength and comfort. I stand in the company of the original disciples, and many since, who have learned to trust the power of the Spirit, clinging some days like a drowning person to a life ring, who have been heard and who have been granted answers to prayer. No doubt, if you sat down and wrote things down, you could each write a long list of similar times of need and how the Spirit of Christ brought you through. You have experienced the power.
On this Trinity Sunday I hold up to this congregation a reminder to share your faith and give hope to others in this parish and in the community by living out the reality of how we belong to a God who loves us, hears us, strengthens us and surrounds us with others who also hear the Spirit to get us through difficult times. Thanks be to God for this most generous gift! Amen.
HYMN OF THE MONTH: VU 287 Wellspring Of Wisdom
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
United in Christ and guided by the Spirit, we pray for the church, the creation, and all in need.
One God, giver of life, you established peace through your Son and gave your church the hope of sharing in your glory. Enliven us by your Spirit to speak and act in love for the sake of the world. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Creator of all, you rejoice in creation and have given humankind responsibility for the works of your hands. Instill in everyone your Spirit of care for the earth, especially in areas threatened by ecological devastation. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Loving Redeemer, you delight in the human race. Move the hearts of world leaders to seek wisdom, speak truth, and care for all endangered by poverty, prejudice, or violence. Further the work of international collaboration and peacemaking. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Abiding Comforter, you call out to all who live. Restore severed relationships and protect children who lack trustworthy caregivers. Grant hope to those who are experiencing fear, pain, or grief. We lift up to you all victims of violence. We pray for Ukraine. Keep the people strong. We pray for Russia, that Putin’s heart be changed — may this war come to an end soon. We pray for the Indigenous peoples of Canada, especially those in Kamloops who seek to bring their children home. We bring before you the family of Lawrence Petroni, Robert Collette, Doug Brown, Evie and Brian Watt, Tracy Skoglund, Brooke Alexiuk, Joan, Dwayne, Debbie H., Wendy Bachinsky, Audrey and Larry McCrady, farmers, all who have and are recovering from Covid.
God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Holy Three, you are community and you create community. Build up ministries that support those who are isolated or lonely. Give endurance as we nurture vital relationships in our congregation and beyond. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
Holy God, we remember your saints for their strong faith and witness, even to death. Console grieving families. Stir up in us the resolve to end the sin of white supremacy and pursue the courageous path of justice. God of grace,
hear our prayer.
God of every time and place, in Jesus’ name and filled with your Holy Spirit, we entrust these spoken prayers and those in our hearts into your holy keeping.
Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
SENDING SONG: VU 639 One More Step Around The World I Go
BENEDICTION:
May God protect you through your time of trial.
May the love of Christ, seen in what he did, and heard in what he said, fill you with joy and hope.
May the Holy Spirit advocate for you, leading into all truth, lighting the way of faith, and strengthening you to follow Jesus, so that you will become like a strong, young tree, growing deep and bearing much fruit.
Amen.
~Written by Peter L. Haynes