3 September 2023
God Invites Us To Gather
Words of Welcome
- Welcome to worship here at Maple Grove United on this long weekend
- It is good to see you all again – I hope you had a good August.
- My name is Rev. Jessica McCrae and I am so happy to be leading this time of worship with you along with our musician Dr Deborah Henry, our scripture reader Arnaud, our greater Barb, Alex leading our children and youth program and we have Charotte on live streaming with John on sound and projection. Thank you everyone!
- If you would like to make a financial donation to the ministry of this church you can leave a donation on the plate near the back of the church, where you entered … If you are worshiping from home and would like to make a financial offering to the work of the church please do so through e-transfer, Canada Helps or with donation brought to the church. If you would like to know more about going on PAR (pre-authorized remittance) I invite you to talk to Paula Warden directly or go through the office.
Acknowledgment of the Land –
Today we are worshiping on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe, to the Attawandaron and the Haudenosaunee. These are the treaty lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit. We acknowledge the relationship the first peoples have with the land and as a church we commit to the work of reconciliation, through listening and learning.
Our Christ Candle is lit. We give thanks for the light of Christ in our life and in the work and worship we do together. If you are at home I invite you to light your own candle to celebrate the light that lives in our world. Let us prepare our hearts and minds for our worship, as we listen to our prelude.
Prelude:
Call to Worship
Come into the presence of God.
Come and focus on holy things.
Come and be renewed.
Come and be encouraged.
Come and simply be in the presence of God.
In the presence of God we come,
humbly, respectfully gladly.
In the presence of God, we come as we are,
trusting that we are welcome here.
*Hymn: Sing Your Praise to God Eternal. VU 244
Prayer of Approach & The Lord’s Prayer
God we come to you as summer routine draws to a close and a new season and a new year of sorts stretches before us. We pray that as we prepare to transition back to regular routine, you will fill us with strength, joy, hope and courage. May this time of worship be a time of renewal. May we feel your spirit fill us and may we be strengthened for the week ahead. This we pray in the name of Jesus and in the words he taught us we say …
Our Creator
in heaven
Hallowed be your name
Your kindom come
Your 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 yours is the kindom
The power and the glory
Forever and ever
Amen.
Children leave for Light Connection with Alex
Prayer of Confession
For all we might have offered and chose not to:
loving God, we ask forgiveness.
For all we might have risked and were afraid to:
Loving God, we ask forgiveness.
For all we might have loved and held back from:
Loving God, we ask forgiveness.
For all we might have nurtured and withdrew from:
Loving God, we ask forgiveness.
Assurance of Pardon
When we ask forgiveness with a truly repentant heart, we are not only forgiven but given times to begin again, and do things differently, do things better, next time. We are forgiven. Go into this world empowered by that love, and this opportunity.
The Word of God Proclaimed
Prayer of Illumination (Arnaud Panvin)
Living God, as we listen to your word today
Give our hearts the wisdom to receive
the love that is offered.
Send your Spirit to fill us with hope and your resurrection promise.
Amen.
Reading: Exodus 3:1-15 p. 50 of the Old Testament in your pew bible
Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”
5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father,[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you[b] will worship God on this mountain.”
13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”
14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.[c] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”
15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord,[d] the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’
“This is my name forever,
the name you shall call me
from generation to generation.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Thanks be to God.
Sermon: Called to Action
Hymn: In The Bulb There Is A Flower. VU 703
Our Response to God
Offering Prayer – Let us now give thanks and offer to God the gifts given throughout the week.
Because of your great love for us, O God, we express our love for your church and for others through the bringing of these gifts. Accept them, please. Enable us to use them in Christ’s name to bring hope in our hurting world. Amen.
Meditative Music
Prayers of the People
God of call, God of action, God of love, God of encouragement
We give you thanks that you are our God,
Always with us,
Always inviting us in to your creation, inviting us to make positive change, to have an impact in ushering a new world into being here and now.
We give you thanks that our role is not passive.
We give you thanks that you love us and trust us so much that invite us to be a part of the life giving and beautiful transformation that you envision for our world.
We pray that you will give us strength, just as you gave Moses strength,
To say yes when you call, to be the change you need us to be the world.
As part of this call, we pray that you will give us courage, wisdom and hope – collectively and individually.
We pray too that you will help us to know our limits.
Help us to see God, when it is time to ask for help.
Help us to understand that we can’t do everything on our own,
Nor do you want us to.
Help us God to know when the stuff we take on in our lives is no longer life giving,
Help us to know where to draw lines, set boundaries,
Help us to know when we need rest,
Sabbath refreshment,
When we need to regroup and draw nearer to you.
We love that we are called to be a part of the change in our world, but sometimes the amount of change our world needs feels overwhelming.
And so we turn to you God,
Knowing that you hear the cries of all your people:
We pray for our planet, heaving under the weight of the climate crisis,
We pray for those impacted by wildfires, flooding, droughts, and hurricanes.
We pray for the people, for the animals, for all creation.
We pray for those living with in the violence in Ukraine.
We pray for all who are fearful of the future, all who are dealing with food or housing insecurity, those who are facing economic uncertainties.
We pray for those in our community who are unable to be with us today. We pray for those who are travelling on this long weekend that they may be safe. We pray for those who are struggling with poor health, those recovering after treatments and surgeries, and those preparing for medical interventions.
We pray for those living with chronic pain, and those whose bodies are losing strength.
We pray too God, for all who are beginning school or returning to school this week. We pray for all who have to travel to attend school away from home. We pray for students, teachers, support workers, administrators, specialists, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, librarians, secretaries, janitors … we pray for all who work to provide a safe place for education. May it be a good year.
Finally God we pray for opportunities to share your hope and love in our world. Reach deep into our heart and ignite within us a passion and a fire for justice and compassion for others. Remind us that this world can be transformed. This we pray in Christ’s name, Amen.
*Hymn: Now Thank We All Our God. VU 236
*Benediction
Sung Blessing: Go Now In Peace