Sunday Gathering - April 3

Trinity United Church
April 03, 2022
Lent 5
Worship

Worship Leader: Rev David Cathcart
Music Leader: David Rogers
Scripture Reader: Linda Lund 
Zoom Hosts: Jo-Ann Dahms, Syd Sawyer
Soundroom: Ross Dunning

Welcome: May the Peace of Christ be with you. And also with you.

Welcome to Trinity United Church in Port Coquitlam. We are grateful you have joined us for worship this morning. 
Trinity United Church in Port Coquitlam resides on the unceded traditional territory of the Coast Salish People the Kwikwetlem First Nations. Our acknowledgement of unceded traditional territory is a first step in reconciliation between settler cultures and indigenous peoples and the decolonization of western systems that continue to oppress and exploit indigenous peoples and land.
If you are joining us on YouTube, please check out our website at ucpoco.ca. We would also appreciate it if you would subscribe to our channel and like and share our services, those buttons are just below the video. It does help our reach when you do so.
    I invite you to take a deep breath, and let it go. I invite you to take another breath, and let it go. And one more time, take a deep breath and let it go. Let us prepare our hearts and minds for worship.

Prelude: David Rogers

Tenebrae Candles

“When God brought Zion’s captives home,
It seemed to us like a dream.
But then our mouths were full of laughter, 
and our tongues uttered shouts of joy.
Then they said among the nations: 
‘God has done great things for them.’
Truly God has done great things for us, 
and there fore, we rejoice.” (Psalm 126, VU 850)

The Psalmist says the fulfilment of God’s promise was like a dream when it happened. But it happened. Our world faces climate disaster, mass violence, plague, astronomical disparity between uber wealthy and chronically poor. A world reconciled and renewed is like a dream. Our tradition tells us that God has done it before and that God will do it again.

We extinguish this candle, remembering that God disrupts the way we have always done things, delivering us from the familiar to the astonishing.
[extinguish a candle]

Response: “The Light Still shines” WorshipCollective 

The light still shines the light is still there
Disrupted but delivered, it’s there
The light still shines the light is still there
We tread this lonely landscape
Following, transforming, surrendering 
we are yours we are yours
The light still shines

Unwelcome scent lingers 
tension nothing new 
the vulnerable defended 
condemned whatever we do

The light still shines the light is still there
Disrupted but delivered, it’s there
The light still shines the light is still there
We tread this lonely landscape
Following, transforming, surrendering 
we are yours we are yours
The light still shines

* WorshipCollective

Call to Worship and Opening Prayer:
We come today to the Source,
    We come today to Christ,
We come today to the Holy Spirit’s power;
    We come today with God,
We come today with Jesus,
    We come today with the Spirit of kindly balm.

God be on our lips as we sing your praise!
Christ be in our ears as we hear your word!
Spirit be in our hearts as we follow your way!
God be our words, Christ be our hearing, Spirit be our hands and feet.
As it was in the beginning, so now and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.

Hymn: “Like a Healing Stream” MV 144
 
Reconciliation Meditation:
I invite you to make yourself as comfortable as you can on the pew and bring your attention to your natural breathing pattern. Don’t try to control your breath, just observe it as it naturally comes in and goes out. Let your body relax, maybe becoming a little heavier on the pew.

Imagine returning home from a long day and a loved one has been cooking or baking. You open the door to your home and you are welcomed by the aroma of your favourite food. It might be fresh baked bread, or cinnamon buns, an Irish stew, or roast turkey, maybe a favourite pie. Imagine that aroma in as much detail as you can. Whatever the welcoming aroma, imagine that first deep inhalation as you enter the door. It is a smell that says, “Welcome home, you are loved and someone cares for you.” Slowly, intentionally, breathe in that aroma, that welcome, that love and care again and again, until your whole body is filled with that loving intention.

I will read a few words from scripture, then we will sit silently in God’s loving welcome for several minutes. If you feel your thoughts getting busy or distracted, simply repeat the words silently to yourself and return to God’s loving welcome.

Philippians 3:10 “I want to know Christ”

[3 min silence]

And Paul writes, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”

Story:
“He’s Made Me So Happy!” 
based on Psalm 126 and the story of Mary
He’s made me so happy, it is like a dream;
He’s made me so happy, I’m no longer sad.
He’s made me so happy, I laugh and sing;
He’s made me so happy, I shout for joy! 

I don't know that this story happened, but I know that it is true.
 
Mary had a song to sing and it goes like this
He's made me so happy, it is like a dream;
He's made me so happy, I'm no longer sad.
He's made me so happy, I laugh and sing;
He's made me so happy, I shout for joy!
 
One Day, Jesus came to Mary's home to visit, to teach and to eat.  Mary's sister Martha was beside herself cleaning, preparing food and serving while Mary sat at Jesus' feet just listening to him teach.  Martha got mad and asked of Jesus, "Tell her to help me with the work, Jesus."  But Jesus said, "Mary has chosen the better part, let her be."  And Mary sang, R.
 
One day, Mary's brother, Lazarus got sick and died.  They placed him in a tomb and rolled a large stone across the opening.  When Jesus arrived, Mary was very sad.  Jesus wept.  Jesus told them to remove the stone to the tomb and Mary protested, "But he has been dead three days!  He will stink!"  But they rolled away the stone and Lazarus walked out.  And Mary sang, R.
 
One day, Jesus was eating at the home of Lazarus again.  While Martha served and the disciples and Lazarus listened to Jesus, Martha entered with a large jar of expensive perfume.  She poured the perfume on Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair.  Judas got upset, "This perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor!"  "Leave her be," said Jesus.  "Mary has done a beautiful thing, She knows that I go to Jerusalem and I will likely be killed there.  She is getting my body ready to be buried ."   And Mary sang, R.
 
On that horrible day, the day yet to come, Mary will be one of the last of Jesus' friends at the cross.  She will be there till the very end, when Jesus' body is brought down to be prepared for burial.  And as she prepares him, she will sing, R.
 
On that hope filled day, Mary will be the first at the tomb, the first to see that it is open and empty.  And on that day, Mary will sing, R.

Psalm 126 VU 850 (refrain 2)

Reading: Philippians 3:4b-14

If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
7 Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. 8More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, 11if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

Reading: Lent 5 [Zoe, currently this video is mis labeled as Luke 12:1-8. But it is actually John 12:1-8]

Hymn: “Said Judas to Mary” VU 129

Message:

“To Know Christ”

Break open the Scripture
through the power of your Spirit, O God.
Let your word, read and proclaimed, pour out
until its fragrance fills this house of worship,
and our lives.
Then, anointed with your word,
send us out
to share the good news we have received.
We pray in the name of the one
who gave all for all. Amen.

The passage from Philippians today starts with Paul listing all his advantages from his former life:

"If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless."

Paul has inherited all the privileges of a well born, affluent, hard working, observant Jew of the first century. He says if anyone should boast about their privileges its him. However, he concludes that all of this privilege is rubbish and lost since he came to know Christ.

Knowing Christ is worth more than a good birth.
Knowing Christ is worth more than the right education.
Knowing Christ is worth more than years of zealous hard work.
Knowing Christ is worth more than moral perfection.
Knowing Christ is worth more than wealth and ease.

Whatever this "Knowing Christ" is, it's a pretty good thing. Sign me up! Whatever is better than a good birth, the right education, hard work, moral perfection and wealth and ease is something we all probably want.

So what exactly does it mean to "know Christ"?

According to Paul, to know Christ is to share in his suffering and become like him in death.

Not so quick to sign up now, are we?

Paul writes, "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead."

When we say that Trinity seeks and teaches the way of Jesus, we might be sugar coating part of the message. Next week we begin Holy Week and we are reminded that following Jesus isn't sugar plums and fairies.

Following Jesus is so hard, the disciples don't get it. Three times, Jesus tells them he will be persecuted, arrested, crucified... but his followers don't get it.

Only one follower in all four Gospels really understands the fullness of the joy and pain of following Jesus.

Mary weeps as she washes Jesus' feet with costly perfume.

Mary will be the one to discover the empty tomb, because she is the only follower who not only follows Jesus to the tomb, but into the tomb.

A theologically correct mission statement for any congregation could be "it is the mission of this church to share in the suffering of Jesus and become like him in his death."

Unfortunately, no one would understand it and few would want to join us.

By the way, April 27 will be a Membership Sunday, if you have not already transferred your membership to Trinity or you would like to profess your faith, please contact the office.

What does it mean to share in Christ's suffering and share in his death?

When we willingly, generously give of ourselves for the good of our community. And we do that, not for our own benefit, but simply because Jesus tells us to serve one another.

We aren't counting our service as earning God's favour; we aren't earning brownie points for heaven; we aren't climbing socially or expecting esteem to rise for us in the community. We follow Christ, trusting in the resurrection.

Paul will say it this way, "beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus."

The institution of the Christian Church as we have known it has had all the privileges the last 5 centuries. We are now at a time in our journey when our faith is being tested. 

Are we willing to forgo all that privilege in order to know Christ? 

I do believe that we are being called back to our roots as a people who serve, and serve most humbly. And that is a good thing, because knowing Christ is worth more than all that privilege.

We are grateful for the past, but we no longer want to relive it. Moved by that gratitude, we give, we serve, we follow as generously as we can, pouring out our lives like costly perfume in service of the one who gave all for all.

May we let go of the privilege that lies behind us;
may we strain forward to what lies ahead;
And may we trust in the resurrection in Christ Jesus.
Amen.

Anthem: “Lord of All Life” words: Barbara Furman and J. Paul Williams; music: Patricia Mock; arr.: Richard A. Nichols: Trinity Choir

Offering:
We are grateful for the many ways people choose to serve and give at Trinity United Church. Our ministry is only possible thanks to your gifts of money, time and service. If you would like to make a financial contribution, please send a check to the church office, leave a check or envelope in the plate at the door, or click on the “Donate Now” button on our website.

Christ, you make us happy.  
You are our only investment, our only inheritance.  
We return these gifts to you, may they bring riches, wealth and healing to others.  
May our only treasure be in the community you build for us.  
In the name of the Source of All Being, the Christ and the Holy Spirit, three in one, we pray.  Amen.

Prayers of the People/Disciples’ Prayer:

Together may we join our hearts and minds, our very spirits together in prayer.
(Pause)
Holy One,
We know the logic of Judas.
Waste not, want not. 
A penny saved is a penny earned. 
Do not save what is left after spending; but spend what is left after saving.
 Save money and money will save you.
Too often our priority is on growing our Bank accounts, the size of our portfolios, and our net worth.
Too often the decisions we’ve made and supported have been the ones that serve our own self-interest and lined our own pockets. We have chosen comfort over justice. Consumption over care of creation. Quick and easy over substance and meaning.
Help us to see beyond the ends of our noses.
Help us to breath deep the fragrance of your grace.
Help us revel in what you are doing all around us and through us.
May we know the smell of compassion, justice, hope, care, joy, peace, and love.
We acknowledge that there are many who’s nostrils are only filled with the stench of death; broken dreams and relationships; harm received; harm caused; and despair. Enable us to walk with people, O God, in ways that deliver from that which overpowers. 
We acknowledge that there is a lot of stinkiness in this world. The stink of poverty, of racism, of ableism, of homophobia, of transphobia, of othering. Give us the courage and ability to overcome the stink.
We acknowledge that there are many wrestling with addictions, the challenges of mental illness, the balance of mental health, the decisions to care and be cared for by loved ones, the everyday battle for survival. Helps us to be lavish in the ways we walk with and support those who need it most.
So it is, that in this moment, as your people have gathered, we also pray for… 
[insert names of places, people, events your community would like to hold in prayer]
(silence)
We place all of these prayers in your care, O God, the ones we have named, the ones that have gone unsaid, and the ones that come from places we dare not tread as we join together in the words that have been handed down through the ages…Our Father…*

*WorshipCollective

Hymn: “Let us with a Gladsome Mind” VU 234

Blessing:

Hold your hands out in a sign of blessing:
Imagine the love of God entering through the top of your head, mingling with your heart, going out through your fingers into your device and out to all the people out there:

May the God beyond us, 
the Christ beside us, 
the spirit within us, 
the three all around us 
be with you now and always. Amen.

Postlude: David Rogers