Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, June 25,2023, Rev. Deborah van der Goes

Hybrid Church, Fourth Sunday After Pentecost, June 25, 2023

Presider: The Rev. Deborah van der Goes

Musician: Dorothy Dittrich

We acknowledge these lands upon which we worship are the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation.

Whoever you are and wherever you are on life’s journey,

you are welcome here!

Welcome & Announcements

Whether you are gathering in person, on zoom or worshipping at home with the bulletin, welcome! We are one community, one in the body of Christ. 

Centering & Stillness  

One:  We follow sound into silence and there we meet God (bell) 

(silence)

Greeting
One:  The grace of Christ Jesus, the love of God, 

          and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

All:    And also with you

(the Christ Candle is lit)

Hymn: Come and Journey with a Saviour   CP #482

Theme Prayer    (the Collect)

O God our defender, storms rage about us and cause us to be afraid.

Rescue your people from despair,

Deliver your sons and daughters from fear,

And preserve us all from unbelief;

Thorugh your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,

Who lives and reigns with ou and the Holy Spirit,

One God, now and ever.

All: Amen

The Service of Word                                                       

Reader: By the gift of your Spirit, calm and quiet our souls that we may hear your Word today and be lifted up to walk with you. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen

Genesis 21:8-21 (NRSV)      Reader: David Soy             

The child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. So she said to Abraham, ‘Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.’ The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. But God said to Abraham, ‘Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named after you. As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.’ So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, ‘Do not let me look on the death of the child.’ And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, ‘What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him.’ Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink. God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness,and became an expert with the bow. He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17 (responsive prayer)      Reader: David Soy
Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, 

          for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you; save your servant who trusts in you. 

          You are my God;
be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all day long.
          Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you.
          Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my cry of  supplication.

In the day of my trouble I call on you, for you will answer me.

There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours.

All the nations you have made shall come and bow down before you, 

          O Lord, and shall glorify your name.
For you are great and do wondrous things;

          You alone are God.
Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant; 

          save the child of your serving girl.
Show me a sign of your favor, so that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame, 

          because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
                                                                                                                                                            3
Gospel Reading     Reader: Shelagh Huston

As is your custom, please stand or sit for the reading of the gospel. 

Reader: God be with you.  
All:         And also with you

Reader: The Good News of Jesus the Christ according to Matthew

All:          Glory to you, Christ Jesus.

Matthew 10:24-39

"A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household! "So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known.  What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops.
Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.  And even the hairs of your head are all counted.  So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. "Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven;  but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.  For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;  and one's foes will be members of one's own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;  and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. ‘    

       Reader: This is the Gospel of Christ.   

       All:                  Praise be to Jesus Christ   

Reflection: “Ordinary Time – Ordinary Life”

Hymn: I Want Jesus to Walk With Me    CP #512

Creed               (from Creating Uncommoreatn Worship by Richard Giles adapted DvdG)

Let us affirm our faith . . .               

We believe and trust in God our Cor. 

We believe and trust in Jesus the Christ. 

We believe and trust in the Holy Spirit. 

We believe and trust in the Three in One.

Prayers of the People       Tim Leadem

One:  Oh Lord, Our Help and Salvation

The Peace

Passing of the Peace

One:  The peace of Christ be with you! 

All:    And also with you!

You are invited to turn to those directly around you and share Christ’s peace. Those on zoom, please unmute and share with one another.

The Service of Holy Eucharist

(Using the Eucharistic Prayer written for the Diocese of Islands and Inlets) 

Offering Invitation (while music is played)

Presider: Let us now gather our offerings.             

Doxology (sung as offerings brought forward)        CP #669

Praise God the Source of life and birth,

Praise God the Word, who came to earth.

Praise God the Spirit, holy flame.

All Glory, honour to God’s name.

Offering Prayer         

Presider: Eternal God, you have made our Saviour Jesus Christ the 

          head of all creation

All:    Receive all we offer you this day

          And renew us in his risen life,

          In the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. 

          Amen.

Presider: God is here

All:    The Spirit is with us.

Presider: Lift up your hearts and minds.

All:    We lift them to God.

Presider: Let us give thanks to God the Creator.

All:    It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Presider: It is indeed right that we should praise you,

God of love, our source and our fulfillment,

or you create all things and in you we live and move and have our being.  

Your wonder is manifest in land and sea and sky. 

You made us in your image.

And even though we turn from you,

again and again you call us to yourself,

and in every age, promise liberation.

As a mother gathers her children,

you embraced a people as your own,

to nurture them in the way of compassionate love.

You sent Jesus among us,

incarnate of the Holy Spirit and born of Mary.

Jesus revealed your love for all Creation,

and showed us the way of reconciliation.

Having lived among us - Jesus suffered the cross,

died, and in rising again

became the firstborn of the renewed family.

And so as we gather around your table,

With saints of every age and your beloved creation we raise our voices and sing

Sanctus     MV #203

O holy, holy, holy God, O God of time and space.

All earth and sea and sky above bear witness to your grace.

Hosanna in the highest heaven, creation sings your praise.

And blessed is the One who comes and bears your name always!

To you be glory, almighty God,

because on the night before he died,

Jesus took bread,

when he had given thanks,

he broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said

Take, eat, this is my body

which is given for you; do this to remember me.

After supper he took the cup;

when he had given thanks,

he gave it to them and said                                                                      6

Drink this all of you.

This is my blood of the new covenant,

Poured out for you and for many;

do this to remember me.

Great is the mystery of faith.

Memorial Acclamation    MV #204

Sing Christ has died and Christ is risen, Christ will come again! 

Sing Christ has died and Christ is risen, Christ will come again!

Presider: Recalling Christ’s death and resurrection, we ask you to accept this, our sacrifice of praise. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine that we may be fed with the body and blood of your Son.  When all of creation groans, unite us in Christ and give us your hope that we might be strengthened to do your work, as your body in the world.  Through Christ our Redeemer, in the power of the Spirit, all praise and glory be yours, Almighty God, now and forever. Amen.

The Prayer of Jesus (sung)     VU #959 

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your Kin-dom come,

your will be done

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive

those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial

and deliver us from evil

for the kin-dom, the power

and the glory are yours,

now and forever.

Presider: The One who defeated death and injustice is now present in this bread. The One who offers our life promise and hope is now present in this wine. 

All:    Breaking into our lives and community,   

          We ask God for new life in Christ.

Communion is Shared

Prayer after Communion

Creator of all, guide and protect your people who share in this sacred mystery, nd keep us always in your love; Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All: Amen

Hymn: What a Friend We Have in Jesus        CP #532

Blessing

Presider: Now God keep you in all your days. 

          Christ shield you in all your ways. 

          The Spirit bring you healing and peace. And God the Holy

          Trinity pour upon you blessing and light. 

All:    Amen.

Deacon: Go in Peace. Remember the poor.

All: Thanks be to God! Alleluia