Sunday Gathering - February 13

Trinity United Church
February 13, 2022
6th Sunday after Epiphany
Worship

“Connection not Perfection”

Worship Leader: Rev David Cathcart
Music Leader: David Rogers
Scripture Reader: Eve Teubert
Zoom Hosts: Jo-Ann Dahms, Jennifer Marshall

WE GATHER

Gathering

Welcome 

Rev David: May the peace of Christ be with you.

Welcome to Trinity United Church in Port Coquitlam, BC.
We are so grateful that you have chosen to spend some time with us, we are glad you are here. 

If you are joining us on YouTube, please check out our website at ucpoco.ca. We would also appreciate if you would subscribe to our channel, and like and share our service. Those buttons are right below the video, and it does make a difference when you interact with our account.

Acknowledgement of Territory 
Much of what we know as the Northwest Coast of North America was occupied by the Coast Salish Peoples. The territory where Trinity United Church of Port Coquitlam resides is the unceded territory of 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. The work of reconciliation is daunting. The work of reconciliation will not be ours to complete, but neither is it ours to abandon. 

Let us prepare our hearts and minds for worship.

Prelude:  David Rogers

Lighting of the Christ Candle

Call to Worship and Opening Prayer:

Blessed are those who trust in God!
    They are like a tree planted by water.
A tree that sends out its roots by the stream,
    does not fear when the heat comes.
It’s leaves stay green even in the years of drought.
    It does not cease to bear fruit.

Let us pray:
May we be like trees planted by water.
May our roots reach out to the stream.
May we not fear when heat comes.
May we remain green in the drought.
May we never cease to bear fruit.
In the name of the one eternal source, we pray. Amen.

Hymn: “By the Well, a Thirsty Woman” MV 117

Reconciliation Meditation:

I invite you to make yourselves as comfortable as you can in the pew and to bring your attention to your breath. You don’t need to control your breath, just become aware of it. With each exhalation, let your body be a little heavier on the pew, trust the pew to hold your weight. Feel your feet on the ground, the floor solidly supporting them.  And maybe imagine them extending down into the earth, into rich warm soil. Imagine as you inhale that the nutrients of the earth are entering your body through your feet: water, and minerals. And you draw that nutrition and energy up your calves, through your knees, through your thighs and into the core of your body. Let that energy move up your back, through your arms and out your hands and the top of your head. At the same time as you exhale, imagine the warmth and light of the sun coming down from above, into the top of your head and shoulders, down through your body, and your core, and down through your feet into the ground. So we inhale energy from the earth letting it go up through our bodies, and exhale energy from the sun letting it go down into the earth through our bodies. Imagine ourselves like a tree carrying God’s blessings from the earth to sky and sky to earth.

I will read a word from Scripture then we will hold several minutes of silence to rest in God’s blessing. If you feel your thoughts getting busy or distracted, simply think that word from scripture and return your focus to resting in God’s blessing.

Psalm 1:1 “Blessed”

[90 sec silence]

“Blessed are those who trust in the Lord whose trust is the Lord.” Amen.

WE HEAR THE WORD OF GOD

The Story: 
Video: Painting a “Tree planted by water, sending its roots by the stream, bearing fruit”
CLICK HERE

Psalm 1 VU 724 

Reading: Luke 6:17-26

17 He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. 18They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.

20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
‘Blessed are you who are poor,
   for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 ‘Blessed are you who are hungry now,
   for you will be filled.
‘Blessed are you who weep now,
   for you will laugh.
22 ‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
24 ‘But woe to you who are rich,
   for you have received your consolation.
25 ‘Woe to you who are full now,
   for you will be hungry.
‘Woe to you who are laughing now,
   for you will mourn and weep.
26 ‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.

Hear what the spirit is saying to the church. Thanks be to God!

Hymn: “This Is God’s Wondrous World” VU 296

Message: Rev David

“Sending Its Roots”

Like a tree planted by water,
we do not fear when we trust in you, O God,
Even when the heat comes,
we will produce fruit,
and drought does not make us anxious.
Teach us to trust in you, O God,
Amen.

Jeremiah preached in a time of devastating transition for Israel. During his time, Judah was besieged by Egypt, Assyria and finally Babylon. Eventually the city was destroyed, the Temple razed to the ground the walls torn down and a major portion of the population drag off into exile. From the texts, we are given to understand that Jeremiah himself was convinced to go into exile with his friends to a city in Egypt where he would spend the rest of his days grieving.

His words to this community that has been torn apart are, will we be like a shrub in the desert, parched in an uninhabited salt land, or will we be like a tree planted by water that doesn't need to fear when the heat comes?

It is important to observe in this metaphor that both the shrub and the tree are subjected to drought. But the tree sends out its roots and stays green, and does not cease to bear fruit.

In this message we can imagine that God is the stream, And Israel's narrative about God, the Hebrew Biblical Tradition and practices are the roots drawing the life-giving water from God to nourish the tree, the exiled people of Israel. And the people of Israel are able to remain green and bear fruit in all season, despite drought.

The root system beneath the tree is so important. It's always important, but particularly so during a drought. Sometimes those roots have to grow a long ways to reach the source of life, the stream.

For you and I, as Christians, what is our root system? What connects us to the source that feeds us during a difficult season?

There was a time I would let you answer that question yourselves, but ZOOM and YouTube require a different kind of expedience so I'll answer the question with my own suggestions: Worship, scripture study, meditation, prayer, rest, play, creative expression, supportive community, sharing a meal with loved ones, exercise, purposeful occupation, meaningful contribution...

These are all practices that help us to dig down our roots to the source of Life-giving water that nourishes us, that grounds us. when we neglect these practices, we can become severed from the source and become like a tree cut off from its roots.

Right now, I'm really present to how much church choir accomplishes so many of those healthy, rooting practices: it's worship, it's rest, it's play, it's creative expression, it's community, it is scripture study, and a bit of exercise and meaningful contribution all in one practice! It's wonderful to be singing in community again.

Over the last two years of the pandemic, I've probably been at my greenest and most fruitful when I've delved deep into the narrative that God, the stream, loves every one of us and actually favours the most vulnerable among us.

The last two years have been full of sacrifice and inconvenience for all of us. But by wearing a mask, by social distancing, by sticking with a small in-person crowd, by missing out on family gatherings, and traveling, I am sending my roots as deep as I can into the stream of God's love for the weakest among us, the most vulnerable among us. And that gives me strength.

God is not nonchalant about the elderly, or people with pre-existing conditions, or people who aren't vaccinated for whatever reason they are not yet vaccinated. God passionately cares for every one of us. The more I remind myself of that, the easier it is to bear the inconveniences and the sacrifices I've had to make the last two years.

Jeremiah doesn't just talk about a tree planted by water. He also talks about the deviousness of the human heart and curses those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from God.

As I was driving home from the church the other night there was a demonstration on the pedestrian overpass across Lougheed Highway. They were waving Canadian flags and signs that read, "Faucci is a fraud", "Covid is a hoax." They were obviously supporting the Truck Convoy that was in Ottawa last week.

Jann Arden, Canadian songwriter and singer, in response to the FluTrucksKlan, honking their horns in downtown Ottawa, tweeted: "Me me me me me me me me me me me honk honk. Me me me me me me honk." I think she described the situation perfectly.

Some of us are not rooting ourselves in the narrative of caring for the weakest and most vulnerable among us, but are trying to be rooted in the narrative of their own personal rights, their own personal freedoms.

And frankly, it doesn't work. That is the way of becoming a shrub in an uninhabited salt land.

The Biblical promise, the Way Jesus came to live out for us, is that if we always focus on caring for the weakest, most vulnerable among us, there will always be plenty. We will always find meaning; we will always find connection; we will always find community; we will always find the resources we need to remain green in the drought and to produce the fruit God wants us to produce.

Caring for the weakest and most vulnerable does not mean that drought will never come, that the city will stand forever, that the temple will never be torn down. But that through adversity, by caring for the least of these, the rest of us will be cared for as well.

God's world is wonderous. The resources are abundant. But we need to remain rooted in our care for the weak and the vulnerable.

So we will continue to wear our masks. We will continue to observe social distancing until the authorities tell us it is safe to cease doing so.

And then we will continue to address our ministry to those who are homeless, those who live with addiction and mental illness, those who are at risk of violence, those who are lonely, and grieving, and sick, and those who are oppress because of racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or European colonialism. Because for followers of Jesus, caring for the weak and the vulnerable is the water in the drought.

We are called to participate in the Kingdom of God.

Whether we are hungry of full,
laughing or mourning,
rich or poor,
praised or rebuked,
may we remain rooted
by the stream of God's eternal love,
and bear the fruit worthy of our God.
Amen.

Special Music: David Rogers

WE RESPOND TO GOD’S WORD

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, or click on the “Donate Now” button on our website.
Let us pray:
As a tree planted by water, we are blessed.
May our offerings of time, money and prayer bear fruit in all seasons.
In the name of the one who blesses us, we pray. Amen.

The Great Thanksgiving:

It is not magic words, or magic fingers, or magic elements that make this communion. What make this communion is our intention to meet the living Christ in the meal of bread and juice. Let us share in the Great Thanksgiving.

In beginning, God created all that is, from the smallest grain of sand to the largest ocean, from the air we breathe to the most distant star. Creation is full of mystery, awe, and wonder. God looked at that creation and saw that it was good.
Like a tree planted by water, may we bear healthy fruit.

Within creation, God created you and me. In God’s own image we were created. We were created tall and short, thin and wide, of many colours, speaking many languages. Each of us is filled with mystery, awe, and wonder. 
Like a tree planted by water, may we bear healthy fruit.

God sent a law to teach us how to live peacefully with each other. When we forget how to live well together, God sends us prophets to remind us of God’s way.
Like a tree planted by water, may we bear healthy fruit.

For all this, with all the saints and angels and the holy Universal church, we sing these words of praise:

“Holy, Holy, Holy” MV 203

God sent Jesus, who fed people who were hungry, healed people who were sick, comforted people who were lonely or sad, cast out unkind spirits and set captives free. Jesus showed us all the healthy fruits of the spirit.
Like a tree planted by water, may we bear healthy fruit.

We remember how two friends, just after Jesus died, were walking on the road to Emmaus.  They were sad, confused and afraid.  Sad because Jesus, their friend had been killed.  Confused because his tomb had been found empty.  Afraid because they thought the same people who killed Jesus, might come after them.  They met a stranger on the road who asked them about how they were feeling.  As they spoke to the stranger, and he talked to them about scripture, their hearts were warmed, burning within them. When they got to Emmaus, they insisted the stranger stay with them the night.  As the stranger broke bread with them, they recognized the living Christ. 

They were so excited they ran all the way back to Jerusalem.  In Jerusalem, Jesus’ friends were gathered at table, remembering Jesus and what he had taught.  They thought of all the things Jesus told them to do and wondered how could they possibly do it all: feed the hungry, heal the sick, cast out unwanted spirits, free the captives, preach good news.  Suddenly, the Holy Spirit came to them, poured out on them like so much juice.  Everyone who was touched by the spirit could speak a different language and they realized they had everything they needed to do what Jesus wanted them to do. 

God provides for us like a stream provides for the trees along its banks.
Like a tree planted by water, may we bear healthy fruit.

We proclaim the mystery of our faith:

“Christ has died…” MV 204

As we eat this bread and drink this juice, help us to remember that we are not alone, and that we do not need to do anything by ourselves. But that we can trust in the flow of the stream that provides us with all our needs.

Holy One, you are the beginning and the end and all that is in between, in you we can trust. Amen.

“Amen” MV 205

And now we turn to you as a child turns to her mother seeking affirmation and comfort, singing a paraphrase of the words Jesus taught us:

Disciples’ Prayer: “Heavenly Father, Heavenly Mother” CLICK HERE

The bread of New Life.
The cup/grapes of promise.

Prayer after Communion:

For what we have shared in this feast, 
we thank you O God.

May what we have done here, 
so put its mark on us 
that it may remain in our hearts, 
nourishing us, 
inspiring us, 
comforting us, 
encouraging us.

Grant that we may grow in faith 
to reveal your word.
In the name of the one 
who gave all for all, 
we pray. Amen.

WE GO FORTH

Hymn: “Tree of Life and Awesome Mystery” VU 121

Sending Forth: 

Postlude