MORRIS-ROSENFELD ECUMENICAL SHARED MINISTRY
ORDER OF SERVICE FOR SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2024
EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
CREATION TIME 3
Due to copyright limitations, we are unable to print the words to many of 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 of one of your favourite hymns and listen for God’s voice. Those who have the internet may find the songs on YouTube.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Just do what must be done. This may not be happiness, but it is greatness.
~George Bernard Shaw
Before we worship, we reflect…
In this week’s gospel the disciples display a behavior that is toxic to community: keeping silent when you need to speak. The most corrosive examples of this are the silenced fear of people who are abused or of those who know of abuse. Mark’s examples are relatively benign—the disciples don’t ask questions when they’re confused (9:32), nor do they answer a question meant to curb pettiness and bring growth (9:34)—but the result is the same: the community doesn’t learn, and harmful behavior is hidden. Reflect on why the disciples chose silence. How can this church avoid doing the same?
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT & PRAYER
We acknowledge we gather and worship on Treaty 1 Territory, the original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Anishininew, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.
O God, Great Spirit and Creator, make us stewards – of one another’s dignity, of one another’s safety, of one another’s lands, of one another’s right to a cultural identity: … as unique peoples, … as gifts to the human family, … as your beloved children.
Give us one heart and one mind to walk forward together along this path in the love and strength of your Spirit, In truth, reconciliation and peace. We make this prayer in the power of your Most Holy Name. Amen.[1]
CALL TO WORSHIP
This is the day that the Lord has made,
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
The heavens declare the glory of God—
not in words but in a glorious technicolor light show, every day shouts in wordless language that God, Almighty God, made it all.
When Jesus walked the earth,
he walked the earth!
His feet were dirty with the dust of the earth.
His sermon illustrations were about flowers and trees and seeds and vineyards and birds and fish and sheep and goats and pigs.
We are gathered here this morning, on this green pasture with the tent of the sky stretched above us,
to worship the creator of the universe.[2]
GATHERING SONG: Voices United #601 The Church Of Christ In Every Age
CENTERING PRAYER
O God, through suffering and rejection you bring forth our salvation, and by the glory of the cross you transform our lives. Grant that for the sake of the gospel we may turn from the lure of evil, take up our cross, and follow your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
MISSION AND SERVICE
Inuinnaqtun Language Revival Group
Your gifts support programs that help preserve language and culture.
The Inuinnaqtun language is the cultural foundation of the Inuinnait people, who live in the central Canadian Arctic. The word Inuinnaqtun literally means “to be like an Inuinnaq (a person).” Today, fewer than 600 people can speak Inuinnaqtun fluently, with many having lost the language when they were taken from their communities and sent to residential schools.
Mission and Service partner Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq/Kitikmeot Heritage Society in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, is dedicated to keeping Inuinnaqtun alive. They offer one-on-one language immersion sessions with mentors to inspire reconnection.
Since the initial gathering of the Inikhaliuqatigiit team in 2021, many significant successes have occurred. Over the past year, the team has worked hard together, both in person and online, to create helpful resources for revitalizing the Inuinnaqtun language. They have spent many hours making sure these resources will make a positive impact.
One big success is the development of the Inuinnaqtun Dictionary app, which is newly available for free on Android and Apple. The team has also created a beginner Inuinnaqtun curriculum called Inuinnaujunga and is working on lessons for more advanced levels. They are also teaming up with linguist Richard Compton from the Université de Quebec à Montreal to create a Community Grammar of Inuinnaqtun.
Your compassionate gifts through Mission and Service are supporting programs that help preserve language and culture.
CHILDREN’S CHAT
Suppose your friend invited you for lunch at their home. You arrive a few minutes before noon. The window is open, and you can smell something really good cooking for lunch! There is even a welcome mat in front of the door. You ring the doorbell. No one comes. You ring it again. Still nothing. You try the doorknob. Locked. By now, even though you are standing on the welcome mat, your probably are not feeling very welcomed!
Or, flipping the situation around, suppose you invite your friend for lunch. It just so happens your friend uses a wheelchair. You live up a hill, and all you have are stairs to get to your front door. How welcomed is your friend going to feel?
Jesus wants us to welcome EVERYBODY! When we choose to do as Jesus asks, sometimes that means we will have to eat differently if people have food allergies. Or we may need to build ramps so people can get in the building, or have a lift or elevator. Sometimes, it might mean we learn some words and sentences in sign language so that those who are deaf feel welcome!
Welcoming EVERYBODY can mean having to do some work so that all our guests feel like they belong. Wonderful! Once the work is done, those invited and welcomed can let others know their needs are being respected, and hopefully MORE people will come and feel welcomed. And loved!
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
O God, your Word is more precious than fine gold, and sweeter than purest honey. As we turn to your Scripture, send your Holy Spirit to infuse your Word with truth and grace — so that the good news of your love would shine before our eyes and delight our senses … so that we cannot help but respond with wonder, faith and trust. Amen.
READINGS AND PSALM
First Reading: Jeremiah 11:18-20
Today’s reading tells of the suffering of the prophet Jeremiah, who announced God’s word to Judah but was met with intense opposition and persecution. Jeremiah continues to trust in God in the midst of his suffering.
18It was the Lord who made it known to me, and I knew; then you showed me their evil deeds.
19But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. And I did not know it was against me that they
devised schemes, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name will
no longer be remembered!”
20But you, O Lord of hosts, who judge righteously, who try the heart and the mind, let me see your
retribution upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.
Psalm 54
1Save me, O God, by your name; in your might, defend my cause.
2Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.
3For strangers have risen up against me, and the ruthless have sought my life, those who have no regard for God.
4Behold, God is my helper; it is the Lord who sustains my life.
5Render evil to those who spy on me; in your faithfulness, destroy them.
6I will offer you a freewill sacrifice and praise your name, O Lord, for it is good.
7For you have rescued me from every trouble, and my eye looks down on my enemies.
Second Reading: James 3:13—4:3, 7-8a
The wisdom God gives unites our hearts and minds. Instead of living to satisfy our own wants and desires, we manifest this wisdom in peace, gentleness, mercy, and impartiality toward others.
13Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. 14But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. 15Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. 16For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. 17But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. 18And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.4:
1Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? 2You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures. 7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8aDraw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
Gospel: Mark 9:30-37
Jesus’ teaching and action in this text are directed to the church whenever it is seduced by the world’s definition of greatness: prestige, power, influence, and money. The antidote to such a concern for greatness is servanthood.
30 and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it;31for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” 32But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.
33Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” 34But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. 35He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” 36Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, 37“Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
HYMN: Voices United #567 Will You Come And Follow Me
SERMON
I had stopped at the red light. I was stationary for a good 3 seconds. I glanced to my right at the traffic about to turn left. Suddenly, a silver sports car came tearing past me on my left, straight through the red light! Thankfully, the traffic turning left had seen the car coming, realized the driver was not going to stop and held off until the car cleared the intersection.
I was angry. This was a neighbourhood with a lot of young families. How dare that driver go racing through on the red! I get it, you drive a fast and fancy car and think you own the road! I don’t think so!
Once my light changed to green, I followed the car. It had turned into a sport facility. There was a soccer tournament about to begin. I drove slowly around the parking lot. I found the car. It was a Porsche convertible with a distinctive licence plate. Good. No guesswork for the police. While the young man was heading toward his teammates, I took pictures of the car. I filed an online police report and sent the photos.
In the grand scheme of life this may seem like a small incident. Yet if you take the behaviour of that one person and multiply it by, say, oh, a million people, suddenly, one is no longer dealing with a small incident but a serious societal issue.
Ok, perhaps I am reading to much into the situation. He could have been a very nice man who was late for the tournament and chose to risk running the red. It could be that he just happened to be driving a very expensive car. The car could have belonged to his parents! One should not assume, after all. Still, he broke the law by going through on the red and potentially could have caused an accident, had the first vehicle turning left been equally eager to get through the intersection.
What the world needs now is not love, according to the sixty’s song. Rather, the world needs wisdom. True wisdom. According to the writer of James, false wisdom comes from envy and selfish ambition, which in turn leads to people believing they are better than others and therefore more knowledgeable. But wait, the spiral has not yet completed its descent! With the desire to be more, have more and the false belief that one deserves more, fear arises. The more one has, the more someone else can take away! It doesn’t have to be jewels, real estate or money that we are afraid of losing. Just 18 months ago people were coming to blows over the 30-roll value pack of toilet paper! Once you hit the bottom, what do you have? Good question.
Frederick Buechner (pronounced BEEK-ner) is an American writer and theologian. In Buechner’s book Wishful Thinking, he discusses envy. Envy is the consuming desire to have everybody else be as unsuccessful as you are.[3]
And there is your answer. When you hit bottom, you have nothing. But at least, if you have your way, other miserable have-nots will be there to keep you company.
Or, you can look at life from James’ perspective and realize that in Christ, when you are at the bottom, there is no way to go but up!
It’s easy to claim to have wisdom. James says, “Show me your wisdom by your life!” Your deeds should display “the gentleness born of wisdom.”
“Gentleness” is often translated “meekness.” It is one of the beatitudes and it is a fruit of the Spirit. The Greek word did not mean a mild, weak person who is always nice, but rather had the idea of strength under control. It was used of a tamed horse, which is powerful, but submissive to its owner. A meek person may be very strong, but is completely submissive to God’s Spirit. Moses is described as the meekest man on the earth, yet he was a very strong leader. Jesus described himself as meek, and yet he powerfully confronted the religious leaders and drove the moneychangers out of the temple. So, neither “gentleness” nor “meekness” really express the true meaning of the Greek word.
Enter in Jesus and the little child. Jesus was trying to get through to the disciples the relationship that exists between humanity and God. “If you want to be first, you must be last of all and servant of all.” A little child is totally vulnerable and must trust the adults in their life implicitly in order to survive and thrive. Anger, yelling and harsh words can destroy a young child. One must use lots of love, patience, words that affirm, words that calm fear, words that point the way to a happier ending to a situation. A child’s vulnerability must be respected and protected. As adults, we are no different. We all have our vulnerabilities and become angry and defensive if those vulnerabilities are exploited. “Gentleness born of wisdom” means the living out of the utmost respect for each person, for all of creation. We are called to hold each other to account. While it may take extra effort on our part, we are able to do this with words that build up, not tear others apart. “Gentleness born of wisdom” means trusting God implicitly to guide our words and actions so that the other is respected, their needs addressed and their emotional well being nurtured. In order to trust God implicitly, we need to stay connected continuously.
As followers of Christ, we are called to a life that is not based on “more” but is based on “enough”. Simply put, the one who has the most toys when they die, dies anyway. The Christian life is one of service. When one lives a life based on “enough”, one has the time, talents and energy to serve Christ by serving others. When we do this, we actually gain wisdom. We deepen a relationship, we share a part of ourselves, we learn about the other. No longer strangers, our lives are richer as we connect with other human beings. Cultivating relationships teaches us patience, kindness, respect and unconditional love.
Listen to the wisdom in the following quote:
The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members. The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated. The price of greatness is responsibility.[4] Amen
HYMN OF THE MONTH: Voices United #253 Sing Your Joy
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
Drawn together in the power of the Holy Spirit, we pray with confidence for the church, God’s good creation, and all who are in need.
Loving God, you welcome all at your table of grace. Instill in your church a spirit of humility and curiosity, that we embrace all who seek you. We pray especially for ministries of hospitality and faith formation. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Creating God, you shape the world so there is more than enough for all. Curb our habits of overuse, and guide us toward more sustainable sources of energy, food, and water. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Gracious God, your peace brings justice and solidarity. Encourage peace among peoples, tribes, and nations; heal divisions in our country and local communities, that together we might cooperate for the good of all. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Faithful God, you draw near to you all who are in need. Bring healing and wholeness to all who suffer. Transform economic, political, and social systems that oppress vulnerable people, especially systems of structural racism and generational poverty. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Transforming God, you accompany all through changes and transitions. Help us to see where you are calling this community to new ways of living the gospel promise; assure us that even as change brings loss, it also brings hope and life. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Merciful God, you embrace us on our final pilgrimage from this life. Accompany all who have died, console those who mourn, and at the last, show us the way to eternal life in you. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
We entrust these and all our prayers to you, holy God, in the name of your beloved child, Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom 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 kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
SENDING SONG: Voices United #575 I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me
BENEDICTION
Go into the world this week knowing you are anointed and blessed without limit. Share the blessing of God with friends, neighbours, even strangers. Reach out, extend yourself, and let God surprise you. Be blessed and be a blessing this week and all your days. Amen.
Copyright © 2016 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SAS011617.
© 2011 The United Church of Canada/L’Église Unie du Canada. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike Licence. To view a copy of this licence, visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/byncsa/2.5/ca.
[1]chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://vancouvercwl.ca/cms/wp-content/uploads/Novena_Prayers-for-Healing-and-Reconciliation.pdf
[2] written by David Schelhaas, 2014
[3] https://www.frederickbuechner.com/blog/2018/9/17/weekly-sermon-illustration-envy
[4] https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/coretta-scott-king-quotes