14 January 2024
God Invites Us To Gather
Words of Welcome
- Welcome to worship here at Maple Grove United
- My name is Rev. Jessica McCrae and I am so happy to be leading this time of worship with you along with our musicians Dr. Deborah Henry and Eran Rozen, Pat McKee on guitar, our choir, our scripture reader Gord Penley , our greeter Mary Lloyd , Charlotte Taylor on live streaming, with Greg Pope and Mike Ali on sound. Thank you everyone!
- If you would like to make an offering to the work of this church there is a plate as you came in, and offerings can also be made through electronic transfer, cheque dropped off to the church, and through Canada Helps.
- Booked for Lunch group meeting Jan 23 at noon in the chapel – A Year of Living Danishly
- Contemplative Prayer group meets in the chapel on Wednesdays at 11 am and Fridays at 4 pm
Acknowledgment of the Land –
Today we are worshiping on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe, the Attawandaron and the Haudenosaunee. These are the treaty lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit. We acknowledge the long and deep 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.
God of the prophets, call to us today
Call us into Your ways of love, justice and hope.
God of the poets, remind us again how much You love us
Sing to us Your ways of love, justice and hope.
God of the disciples, teach us how to follow You
Teach us Your ways of love, justice and hope.
God of all creation, help us to know Your ways
We gather to hear Your call,
to sing Your praise,
to learn together,
to pray and worship as the Body of Christ.
Let us do just that! Let us worship our God!
*Hymn: Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You VU 232
Prayer of Approach & The Lord’s Prayer
God, be here with us this day as we gather to be reminded that we are your beloveds.
Fill our souls with comfort and calmness.
Open our hearts and our minds to the many things we have to learn
so that we may gain wisdom for the decisions we face and for the paths we must walk.
Give us courage to question and to grow
Help us to recognize your nearness and your ever present love with us
So that wherever our road leads we can look forward with confidence and assurance, trusting God, in your wisdom and love for all of us.
In the name of Jesus Christ and in the words he taught us we pray
This we pray in the name of Jesus
Who taught us to pray saying
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.
Anthem:
Prayer of Confession
Loving God, You know each of us.
You know our inmost wounds, our deepest hurts.
You know where we have been wronged
and You know where we have wronged others.
Forgive us when we have held on to hurts rather than sought healing.
Forgive us when we have harmed others.
Forgive us when we have doubted your love for us,
And your presence in our lives.
Call us into healing and teach us how we might bring Your message of hope and healing to the world.
In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Sung Response: Like A Rock. MV 92
Assurance of Pardon
If the darkness covers us, God’s hand shall lead us. We are forgiven, for we are loved. You are forgiven, for you are loved. You are precious to God. You are God’s child, the Beloved; with you, God is well pleased. We are loved. Amen.
The Word of God Proclaimed
Prayer of Illumination (Gord Penley)
Guide us, O God,
by your Word and Spirit,
that in your light we may see light,
in your truth find freedom,
and in your will discover your peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Reading: John 1:43-51 p. 92 in the New Testament of your pew bibles
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you,[a] you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Thanks be to God.
Sermon: To Be Known
Hymn: I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry VU 644
Our Response to God
Offering: We will take time in our service now to give thanks for the gifts that have been given so generously this week – financial donations, donations to our outreach projects, time, talents, and prayers …. Let us stay seated as we sing verse 3 of
Offering Hymn: What Can I Do MV 191
Offering Prayer
God of love and of call, you have shown us the true meaning of generosity, loving us just as we are, and meeting us in the every day moments of our lives. Thank you for calling us by name and giving us the opportunity to be part of your work of peace building and reflecting hope in this world. We ask that you receive our gifts and use them to help this hope to continue to grow in our lives and in the lives of others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Meditative Music
Prayers of the People
Creator God who made this world we know and each of us
All of creation, full of potential,
and who knows us each by name
renew our hearts and minds as we continue our steps into this year laid out before us.
Temper our doubts, ease any anxieties, and fill us with hope.
Encourage our vision and recharge us with energy
Work within us and through us so that we may help
to welcome your kindom to come here on earth
as it is in heaven.
As part of welcoming your kindom here on earth we pray for peace and hope and joy
for ourselves and for others.
We pray that those who are caught up in wars may know the hope and security of peace,
We pray for those who are struggling with fears of all kinds
Those impacted by the economic depression,
Those struggling with failing health
Those awaiting medical interventions
Those who are facing changes in life that they never anticipated,
Those who are grieving and those who are walking with those who are grieving.
We pray for those who are living in substandard housing and those who worry about paying their bills and providing food for themselves and their families.
We commit ourselves at this time to you God
To do what we can to make a difference in this world,
To reflect hope and pray for all your creation.
May we encounter you in the thin places you offer us,
may we grow into fuller and more whole versions of ourselves with your joy and love and challenge.
May we have the courage to know you and to be known.
Empower us we pray
And fill us with hope and the knowledge of your presence
In the name of Jesus, our companion, our friend, our guide and our Christ we pray. amen
*Hymn: If You Will Trust In God to Guide You VU 286
*Benediction
Sung Blessing: Go Now In Peace