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: stmarksuc@gmail.com
Blog: http://ourcontactonline.blogspot.com/
Presbytery Website: inverguyunited.ca
Ministers: The Whole People of God Minister: Nan Corrigan D.M.
Minister of Music: Al Fougere
May 7th, 2017-4th Sunday of Easter
Announcements The Work of Church and Community
WE GATHER TO WORSHIP GOD
Greeting
One: The peace of Christ be with you. All: And with your spirit.*Introit Fresh as the Morning verse 2 MV 28
Call to Worship
One: God, our Shepherd, invites us to this place.All: God invites us to rest in grassy meadows, and leads us beside restful waters.
One: God has set a table for us in the presence of our enemies.
All: God has given us so much, it is as if our cup overflows!
One: Come, let us gather in the house of our God.
Opening Prayer
We gather as followers of Jesus, who embodied love and showed us how to be the very presence of God. May our faith deepen beyond personal piety and mere tradition to become the story we tell with every breath of our lives. Amen.*Hymn Morning Has Broken VU 409
Prayer for Wholeness
One: Loving God, thank you for community:for those who meet here each week and for the wider community,
for all those who care for others and share generously.
We hear of the costly commitment of the early church and are aware of our shortcomings:
Left Side: the prayers we have neglected to pray,
Right Side: the community members we have not visited,
Left Side: the phone calls we have not made,
Right Side: the people we find hard to love,
Left Side: the dissension we have allowed to continue,
Right Side: the abusive behaviours we have failed to challenge,
Left Side: the resources we have not joyfully shared.
All: We remember these and other failures to live in community, and we are sorry. Amen.
Assurance of Forgiveness
One: Hear these words from scripture: “Though you were like straying sheep, you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your lives.” Friends, know that in the presence of our Shepherd and Saviour Jesus the Christ, our sins are forgiven.All: Thanks be to God! Amen.
WE LISTEN FOR GOD’S WORD
Affirmation of Faith A New Creed VU 918
Acts 2:42-47 The early church shares everything in common.
One: This is the witness of the early church. All: Thanks be to God.Psalm 23 The Lord’s My Shepherd VU 747
Opening the Word & The Lord’s Prayer
*Hymn Precious Lord, Take My Hand VU 670
The Gospel Acclamation
John 10:1–10 Jesus the Good Shepherd and the Gate.
One: Herein is Good News. All: Praise be to God.Opening the Word 2
WE RESPOND IN FAITH
* Hymn I Have Called You by Your Name MV 161
Minute for Mission & Offering Our Gifts to God
*Offering Prayer
All who believed were together and had all things in common.We will live in balance with the world’s needs. We will possess only love for one another.
What we have is a gift to share with open hands.
And they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all.
We will live within our needs rather than our means, working and sharing with kind and generous hearts. Amen.
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Jesus said, “I came so you might have life –All: life to the fullest measure!
WE GO TO SERVE GOD
* Hymn God Be with You till We Meet Again VU 422
*Commissioning and Blessing
Go out in peace to follow Jesus, our Shepherd.Receive the shepherd’s care, and care for others.
Model the grace of God in our world that others will know
they want to be a part of what we have as God’s people.
