The Congregations of St.
Mark’s and St. David’s
United Church of Canada
Port Hawkesbury/Port
Hastings, NS
Office: 625-2229, Fax
625-3597,
e-mail:
stmarks1@eastlink.ca
Blog:
http://ourcontactonline.blogspot.com/
Presbytery Website:
inverguyunited.ca
Ministers: The Whole
People of God; Nan Corrigan D. M.
Minister of Music: Al
Fougere
March
15th, 2015-4th Sunday of Lent
Announcements The Work of
Church and Community
The liturgy for Lent
follows traditional lines though it is written in a pattern to employ
a “river” theme:
R reflect
I invite
V voice
E engage
R realize
REFLECT
Greeting
One: The peace of Christ
be with you. All: And with your spirit.
Introit Tree of Life and
Awesome Mystery, v. 4 VU 121
The Serpent of Healing? For quiet reflection as we gather
Isn’t it interesting in
today’s reading that God doesn’t take away the snakes, they
remain, but the people of Israel are given a way of encountering them
and surviving, a way that seems not that far from the idolatry for
which they were chastised by God not so very long ago. Is this is a
powerful parable regarding what it is that we need to survive the
human experience?
No one is unlikely to live
their lives totally estranged from fear, anxiety, and danger. Is it
at the point when we look up and out of the experience that is
creating fear and anxiety that we are healed?
Copyright © Wood Lake
Publishing Inc. 2014 Seasons of the Spirit™ SeasonsFUSION Lent •
Easter 2015 p.75
INVITE
Call to Worship At the 4th
bend in the river...a place of “dangers”
People of God, gather
today;
in this sacred space, in
this sacred moment.
For this time step aside
from your daily concerns,
for here we recall the
stories of faith.
Here we see God does not
dodge dangerous places,
here we are called to
stand and face our fears,
here we remember whose we
are.
*Hymn Come,
Let us Sing of a Wonderful Love VU 574
Lenten Triad Candle
Extinguishing (Tenebrae) (Two purple candles, pink candle, and Christ
candle are lighted prior to worship.)
Adult: ... Let us think
also about the kind of trust Christ lived. (Pink candle is
extinguished.)
Let us pray: All: You, O
God, are the ever faithful one. We confess we have not understood in
our heart of hearts the uncompromising forgiveness of the cross. We
have not trusted in your ability to use us, even us, as builders of
Shalom. O God, break through the barriers of fear which separate us
from our brothers and sisters and empower us to respond with courage
and conviction. Amen.
Sung Assurance Like a
Mighty River Flowing, v. 4 VU 267
VOICE
Numbers
21:4–9 A bronze serpent heals the
people.
One: This is the witness
of the Hebrew people. All: Thanks be to God.
Psalm 107
God’s steadfast love endures forever. Pts. 1, 2 VU
831
*Hymn Jesus Loves Me VU 365
Opening the Word &
Lord’s Prayer
Gospel Acclamation
John
3:14–21 For God so loved the world.
One: The gospel of Jesus
Christ. All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Opening the Word 2
Responsive reading
A: From Mt. Hor they set
out,
B: …travelling again,
the round-about way,
A: by way of the Reed sea,
B: …not far from the
beginning,
A: around the land of
Edom,
B: …nowhere near the
journey’s end.
A: And the people became
impatient
B: …again
A: and spoke against God
B: …again
A: and against Moses
B: …that was new.
A: Why have you brought us
here to die in the wilderness?
B: …for they had been
slaves in a rich land.
A: There is no food and no
water
B: …though there was
both, running springs and manna that fell from heaven.
A: We detest this
miserable food
B: …the food that was
provided to them as a blessing from God.
A: God sent serpents
B: …poisonous snakes
A: and many people died;
B: …was that God’s
intent?
A: So the people came to
Moses
B: …who had always
listened to them and intervened
to God on their behalf
A: and acknowledged their
transgression
B: …against God and
Moses.
A: So Moses prayed for the
people and God heard Moses’ prayer
B: …but did not take the
snakes away.
A: God instructed Moses to
make a serpent of bronze and put it on a pole
B: …and when a person
was bitten
A: if they looked up
B: …they would live.
A: This is their story
B: …and we recall it
with gratitude as we take our place in the eternal flow of faith.
Prayer
God, we acknowledge our
humanity, for when we are in danger we experience fear, when we are
in intimidating places we become anxious, when times are tough, our
endurance is low and we fall into a culture of complaint. More often
than not, when our journey is rough we travel a round-about way. But
here we would take time to stop, to look up, to take stock, to
recognize your loving presence in our lives, to truly see the
blessings given to us, and to once again choose love over fear, light
over darkness, joy over despair, life over death. Amen.
ENGAGE
*Hymn Because He
Lives Printed
Minute for Mission
Offering Our Gifts to God
*Offering Prayer
Bless these gifts that we
give today, for we lift our eyes and see there is much we can do to
bring about wholeness and healing in our world. May they contribute
in bringing light to dark places. Amen.
Prayers of the People
Response: Spirit of God,
flow in and around us, flood us with compassion and understanding so
we will no longer need be beholden to fears and anxieties, but that
we may be awash with the light that wipes away fear and shadows.
Amen.
REALIZE
*Hymn Pass Me Not, O
Gentle Saviour VU 665
*Commissioning
One: As you leave this
sacred space,
remember God stands with
you in shadowed
and dangerous places.
Remember your sacredness,
remember your place in the
eternal flow of life,
realize that when the road
is tough, God’s love
is steadfast and overcomes
every fear.
All: We will flood the
world’s shadowed and dangerous
places with the love of
God that is stronger than fear.
*Choral Amen
