Sunday Gathering - February 7

Trinity United Church
February 7, 2021
5th Sunday After Epiphany
Zoom Worship  

“Connection not Perfection”  

WE GATHER

Greeting/Welcome

Acknowledgement of Territory
We humbly acknowledge that even as we gather digitally, we gather and live and work bon the unceded territory of the Coast Salish People, Trinity United Church rests on the unceded territory of the Kwikwitlem First Nations.  

Prelude

Call to Worship
Those who wait upon God shall renew their strength.
    Let us wait upon the Lord.
Those who wait upon God shall soar like eagles.
    Let us wait upon the Lord.
Those who wait upon God shall walk and never tire, run and not fall down.
    Let us wait upon the Lord.
    Come let us worship God.
Teach us, Lord, to wait.  

Prayer of Approach
Have we not known?
Have we not heard?
Have we not understood from the foundations of the earth?
You are the Everlasting God.
You created all that is.
Your understanding is unsearchable.
And those who wait on you, renew their strength.
Teach us to wait, O God. Amen.  

Hymn “God, Whose Almighty Word” VU 313  
CLICK HERE for video.

Prayer of Reconciliation and Words of Assurance
We fool ourselves when we think that our ways are hidden from you, O God.
We confess our turning away from you, trusting in your mercy as our maker and our redeemer.  
You are everlasting, the creator of all that is.
Your understanding is beyond measure.
We confess to you that we sin against you and our neighbours:  
when we prefer to be right, rather than kind;
when we choose the comfort of injustice over the strangeness of equity;
when we remain safely silent, instead of rocking the boat;
when we are obstinate, rather than receptive.  

In your compassion, forgive us; we place our hope in your steadfast love.  Amen.  

Praise the Lord! 
Our God heals the brokenhearted and binds up wounds.
God takes pleasure in those who place their trust in God’s grace.
In Christ Jesus, we are forgiven.*

*Feasting on the Word Liturgies for Year B, Vol 1, p63-4  

WE HEAR THE WORD  

Robert Nicolson: "Text without context is pretext"
CLICK HERE for video.

Hymn  “Let My Spirit Always Sing” MV 83  
CLICK HERE for video.

Reading
Mark 1:29-39  
29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. 31He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. 32 That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. 33And the whole city was gathered around the door. 34And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. 35 In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. 36And Simon and his companions hunted for him. 37When they found him, they said to him, ‘Everyone is searching for you.’ 38He answered, ‘Let us go on to the neighbouring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.’ 39And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.   This is the witness of the early church. Thanks be to God.  

Message: Robert Nicolson
CLICK HERE for video.
In terms of context, it goes both ways. Having grown up at Essondale, in my personal context exorcizing demons and faith-healing were at best Science Fiction and at worst, indication of psychoses. But what was the context in first century Israel?

After the Roman conquest, life in Galilei was pretty grim. The Israelites became an indigenous people under foreign colonisation. They were expected to work the land, raising crops and producing products like wine and olives for Roman consumption. They were heavily taxed and the wealth was sent back to Rome. Those not contributing were basically considered dispensable.

Life was cheap.

Moreover, the temple in Jerusalem was not much interested in the goings on in Galilei. What was Jesus’ message to his oppressed people? What is Jesus’ message to us now in our current situation where we are experiencing a Global Pandemic?

The message is the same: Jesus says: “Follow Me” Jesus invites you to look around. Use your extra time to notice what’s happening around you. God loves you and all those you know. Ask yourself, “What am I called to do?” “What do I want my life to be about?” “How can I use my blessing to help others?

Jesus’ answers: “Follow Me”. You are wonderfully made, you have so much to share. “Follow Me”. You are so much more than what you think of yourself or what others think of you. “Follow Me” “Take the Next Step” You have spiritual gifts to be shared with others:

Patience.

How patient has God has been with you? You are given the gift of being able to be patient with others. You are invited to use that gift. Be patient with those who don’t think we need to stay home. Be patient waiting for vaccine. Being patient allows us to be kind.

Grace:

How much have you received by God’s grace? Can you be gracious to those who don’t live up to our expectations? Haven’t you been given gifts that you and freely pass on to others? Can’t you safely contact those who are stuck home alone and offer them conversation? Can’t you reassure someone that they have not been forgotten? These are gracious gifts indeed.

Rest:

On the seventh day of Creation, God rested. God gives us the gift of rest. Rest is not a luxury nor an indulgence. Without rest we can’t answer God’s call to us. Jesus took time to go out on his own to pray. Can you pass on the gift of rest to those around you?

Most importantly, we need to give the gifts of patience, grace and rest to ourselves.

These are all gifts that God’s gives us so that we can fulfill our calling. Memory is another spiritual gift; memory that is carried in our stories and our songs. When we share our stories and songs we pass the gift around. We have songs of Adoration and Praise, Assurance, Calmness and Serenity, Compassion, Forgiveness, Healing, . . . the list is endless.

What songs do you carry? What are the spiritual gifts we are all sharing right now? Jesus says: “Follow Me” “Take another Step”. Amen.

Now, let’s join together in one of our great songs of Discipleship and Love in Action.

(Let’s exorcize those demons!)

WE RESPOND  

Special Music

Prayers of Thanksgiving and intercession
God of the universe, you sit above the circle of the earth,
and so we pray for the oceans and mountains, in land water and the air we breathe.
Save and protect them, we pray.  

Since the beginning of our faith, we have looked to you to gather the outcasts,
heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds.
So we pray for the poor of the world, the sick and the lonely.  

God, you build up Jerusalem, and so we pray for our country,
for all the countries of the world, and for all of our leaders.
May we all come to see that your delight is not in the strength of the military
but in those who hope in your steadfast love.  

How good it is to sing praises to you, O God.

We pray for your church, here and around the world.
Empower us to go from town to town, proclaiming the message of Christ.  

Everlasting God, creator of the ends of the earth,
we bless you, for you are gracious.

Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honour are yours, now and forever…*

*Feasting on the Word Liturgies for Year B, Vol 1, p64-5  

The Disciples’ Prayer  “Heavenly Father”
CLICK HERE for video. 

WE GO FORTH  

Hymn “In Christ There Is No East or West” VU 606
CLICK HERE for video. 

Commissioning and Benediction
As we leave this place,      
Let us spread the Good News free of charge.  
May the Spirit of Christ Jesus take you by the hand
and lift you up so that you may be of service to others. 
Amen.

Announcements

Giving:

• if you are already on Pre-Authorized Remittance, thank you.
• we do ask that you continue to offer your financial support even though we are not meeting face to face, our ministry together continues.
• at the top of this page you will see a "Donate Now" button. If you click on it, it will lead you to our donation page.