Sunday Gathering - October 31
Trinity United Church
October 24, 2021
Proper 25
Worship
“Connection not Perfection”
If you miss the service, you can view the livestream on our YouTube channel, CLICK HERE.
WE GATHER
Opening:
Welcome to Trinity United Church this morning.
We continue to experiment with our services on line and your presence with us here is always a blessing regardless of what might happen.
I should also mention that the following Musical Introduction is a piano solo and no words are provided. This will happen again at the end of the service.
Musical Preude:
VU 808: Psalm 91 “On Eagle’s Wings”
Story:
This is an ancient story told by the Kwakiutl people.
The Kwakiutl inhabited the area on the northeast coast of Vancouver Island and the west coast of British Columbia across the strait from there. The story involves one other creature . . .
The lovely west coast banana slug. Anyone who has hiked the coastal forests would be familiar with this fellow. Notice his eyes.
I think this slide is probably easier to look at as I tell the story. You see the Eagle here has caught his dinner.
The Kwakiutl had a problem with Haida raiders. Warriors would descent from Haida Gwai and ransack villages taking, along with goods, women and children to act as slaves.
The Kwakiutl leaders knew how Eagle could soar high in the sky so they asked Eagle if he would report to them if any canoes were approaching from the North. Eagle said that he would try, but in those times his eyesight was not so sharp.
After some thought, Eagle asked Snail (Sounds so much better that Slug!) if he could have his eyes so he could better scan from high above. Snail said no, he needed his eyes to see.
Eagle bargained “Maybe we could trade eyes while I am searching and trade back when I return.”
Snail hesitantly agreed. It worked well. A few weeks later Eagle spotted War Canoes coming from the North. The Kwakiutl sent the women and children into the forest, armed themselves and waited on the shore.
The Haida decided that discretion was the better part of valor and passed on by to raid some other village.
Everyone greatly praised Eagle for his help – so much so that he decided to keep his new eyes rather than return them to Snail. That explains why Snail now moves so slowly – because his eyesight is so poor.
Acknowledgement of Territory:
We acknowledge that our church exists on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem First Nation). We thank the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm who continue to live on these lands and care for them, along with the waters and all that is above and below.
Call to Worship:
Wisdom searches. Wisdom seeks.
And we journey with her.
Wisdom wonders. Wisdom wanders.
And we follow her call.
Through the fog of our confusing lives,
through the bright lights that distract us from Christ’s way,
Wisdom offers us security.
Wisdom offers us clarity.
Wisdom offers us the knowledge of God’s ways.
And so we follow her call and heed her ways.
Let us seek Wisdom as we worship today.
Richard Bott, Vancouver, B.C.
Opening Prayer:
Great Spirit, Loving God, Christ of Life:
In this Season of Creation,
as the earth cries out for mercy
we join her voice, as we pray in words of faith.
In the changing seasons,
we see our own lives change.
In the strange skies,
that hold the smoke of fires burning
a continent away,
we realize how we breathe the same air as our distant neighbours.
In the hope of a future
of kindness and reassuring hope,
we turn to your ancient words in scripture.
Turn us, as you have always turned your followers,
so we find ourselves following you closely,
seeking direction
and trusting you are the way. Amen.
Wendy MacLean, Christ U.C., Lyn, Ont.
Hymn: “Come Let Us Sing” VU 222 CLICK HERE
Conversation:
In the week following the new “Orange Shirt Day”, the CBC invited people to phone in and comment on it. One response I heard was that it was good to see that it was not a religious holiday like so many of the others but was rather nonreligious like Halloween.
That left me thinking maybe it was time we reminded ourselves about Holloween’s origin.
But as a first step we might need to be reminded about an ancient Celtic celebration called Samhain.
We usually think of the year divided into the four seasons determined by earth’s movement around the sun. Early agrarian societies marked the midpoints of each season: around Feb 1, May 1, Aug 1, and Nov 1.
Feb 1 mid-winter’s night,
May 1 Beltane
Aug 1 mid-summer’s night
Nov 1 Samhain
Beltane marked the beginning of the growing period for crops and when flocks could be moved up hill for grazing. Samhain on the other hand followed the harvesting of crops and return of the flocks. These two festivals were particularly energetically celebrated with huge bonfires and – dare I say – a lot of raunchy behavior.
In the Celtic way of thinking, a given day stretched from sundown to sundown so the celebration of Samhain would begin on what we would call the evening of October 31st. The Celts also believed that at these times of the year, the underworld was particularly near and the souls of our ancestors might be close at hand during the night.
The church, of course, disapproved of these festivals and tried hard to suppress them. One method they used was to introduce a religious celebration on the same date hoping it would take over. In this case, there was also a growing concern that the number of Saints was well beyond the number of days in a year and that it was possible that some saints were being totally unrecognized. To kill two birds with one stone, November 1st was designated as All Saints Day celebrating all martyrs confessors, apostles, and other saints. Another word for Saint was "Hallow" so to be "hallowed" meant to be made holy or saintly.
Thus All Saints Day became All Hallows Day and from there, the evening of October 31st became All Hallows Eve or Hallowe'en.
One early practice for All Hallows Eve was to decorate the graves of ancestors with candles to light the way of souls that might come to visit.
Hymn: “For All the Saints” VU 705 CLICK HERE
It is generally agreed that during the Babylonian Exile, the Priests and scribes undertook to organize the many scrolls they brought with them from the temple in Jerusalem. They sorted and edited and combined and rewrote, finally coming up with what we now call the Pentateuch or the Five Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
The book of Deuteronomy, however, seems to be different in that it is a new rendition. It is presented as speeches made by Moses before the Israelites entered the Promised Land and covers much material already in the other four books but with some adjustments.
Before we hear today’s reading I just want to quickly look at the first of the Ten Commandments as given in Exodus.
Then God spoke all these words:
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;
you shall have no other gods before me.
Does this not imply that other Gods exist as well? Babylonian gods, Egyptian gods, Philistine gods.
The Hebrews at this point appear to have been henotheists: they recognized there were other gods in existence, but their god was the god of the Hebrew people, and thus, they owed loyalty to him alone.
Now let’s hear how the Deuteronomist rewords this.
Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the ordinances—that the Lord your God charged me to teach you to observe in the land that you are about to cross into and occupy, so that you and your children and your children’s children may fear The Lord your God all the days of your life, and keep all his decrees and his commandments that I am commanding you, so that your days may be long.
Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, The Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart.
Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
This is the witness of Israel
Thanks be to God for the Word
In Judaism these two verses are called the “Shema” which translates as the word “Hear”.
“The Lord is one” can also be interpreted as the “Lord is alone.” There is no recognition of other gods at all. This is Monotheism – no longer Henotheism.
“Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
If you visit Jerusalem today you will see people heading to pray wearing a tefillin – a little box into which they put slips of paper upon which they have written special prayers they don’t want to forget including the Shema.
“Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead”
Orthodox Jewish homes will often have a Mezuzah - little plate attached to their front door frame upon which in inscribed the Shema. In this way they “write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
Mark 12:28-34 (NRSV)
The First Commandment
One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God.
Message:
You might notice that Mark has added “All your Mind” along with Heart, Soul, and Strength. I’m not sure that makes a difference but some Theology Grad Student has probably written a thesis on its significance.
It’s the “Love of Neighbour” part that changes everything. God is not limited to being a transcendent entity off in heaven somewhere, visiting one day a year to the “Holy of Holies” and communicating only with the High Priest. Here we see a God who is imminent, present within us and in all our relationships with others.
Today “Love of Neighbour” is usually extended to a “Love of All Creation”. God is in everything and everything is in God. This is termed panentheism.
Just as an aside, Dr. Anthea Butler, a professor and chair of religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania, recently addressed the conspiracy theory touted by some prominent conservatives that Democrats want more immigrants to come to replace Republican and white voters.
"One of the things I think is really important about this is, you look at the statistics about white evangelicals right now, they are the least likely group to want to welcome immigrants, which flies in the face of what their Christian doctrine is supposed to be, that you welcome the stranger, right?" Butler said.
"You're supposed to do that as a Christian. But they're not listening to what Scripture says. What they are listening to is what the Republican Party says," the professor asserted.
Hymn: “Who Is My Mother” MV 178 CLICK HERE
Offering:
God calls on us to offer our Time, Talents and Treasures. Monetary gifts come by PAR, by Tithe.ly, by E-Transfer, and by dropping off weekly envelopes at the church.
Generous and loving God, we gave thanks for your wonderful and plentiful blessings. We give thanks for the wonder of creation and all creatures that we share it with. May we always treat creation wisely, offering our talents and gifts to you to care for all the earth and its inhabitants. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Tony Tuck, First U.C., Mount Pearl, Nfld. & Lab.
Prayers of the People:
To the words:
Who is my neighbour? It is a hard question.
We respond:
Jesus says,
“Love your neighbour as you love yourself.”
Let us pray:
Is my neighbour the country where many lack a regular supply of food or clean water?
Is my neighbour the child who sleeps on the streets in Delhi, Jakarta, or San Paulo?
Is my neighbour the physically challenged person who is denied access to a church or restaurant because there is no elevator or ramp?
Is my neighbour the person who looks for support in the search for employment?
Is my neighbour the young mother juggling family responsibilities and a full time job?
Who is my neighbour? It is a hard question.
Jesus says,
“Love your neighbour as you love yourself.”
Is my neighbour the person who is depressed and despairing and needs me to listen?
Is my neighbour the child who wants to share a game or needs help with her reading?
Is my neighbour the person next door who is sick yet lacks the courage to see her family doctor?
Is my neighbour the friend in hospital who needs to share her frustration and fear?
Is my neighbour the close companion who has lost her beloved spouse and needs to share her feelings of anger and loss?
Who is my neighbour? It is a hard question.
Jesus says,
“Love your neighbour as you love yourself.”
Is my neighbour the person who comes through the church door for the first time?
Is my neighbour the local community person who has a vague longing for a “spiritual life” but has no church connection?
Is my neighbour the fellow church member who is going through a time of personal struggle?
Is my neighbour someone in the church locality who would like to start a community project?
Is my neighbour someone supported by mission funds whose name and challenges I neither know nor experience?
Who is my neighbour? It is a hard question.
Jesus says,
“Love your neighbour as you love yourself.”
Is my neighbour the family member looking for emotional or practical support in hard times?
Is my neighbour the friend for whom life is no longer fulfilling and fun?
Is my neighbour the person speaking up for a cause to which we could give time and energy in the coming months?
Is my neighbour the disappointed member of the local immigrant community?
Is my neighbour one whose needs are screamed from the headlines or whispered over the garden fence?
Who is my neighbour? It is a hard question.
Jesus says,
“Love your neighbour as you love yourself.”
Pastoral Prayers to Share:
And we continue in prayer with the words that Jesus taught us. Beginning Our Mother,
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed by thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy 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 thine is the kingdom, the power,
and the glory
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Hymn: “Praise the Lord” VU 245 CLICK HERE
I would invite you to please turn on your cameras and select gallery view and please remain muted for the moment.
Commissioning and Benediction:
Hands out:
May the blessing of God,
who made us in love and for relationship
with one another and all creation;
the blessing of Jesus,
whose footprints are deep on our earth
and deep in our hearts;
and the blessing of Spirit,
who blows through us and all around us,
go with us this day, this night, and always.
Go, blessed.
Go, be a blessing. Amen.
Bob Root, Peterborough, Ont.
Musical Postlude: VU 352 “I Danced in the Morning”
Jo-Ann will now turn off the live recording and send us to our groups.
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Trinity United Church