Shared worship hosted by TMUC
Welcome to the second Sunday of summer online worship shared by The United Church of Canada faith communities of Spirit Path, The United Church in Meadowood, Transcona Memorial, Trinity and Westminster United Churches.
During this COVID time, we have all found new, innovative and creative ways to continue worshipping online when we could not gather in-person due to health regulations.
One of the fun aspects of this summer’s shared worship, is that people of the varying faith communities get to experience the worship styles and formats that have been used by the other communities.
People have received Transcona Memorial’s online weekly worship via a Friday email. The email sometimes contains congregational updates, and then the worship section.
The worship consists of print sections for people to read as well as several links to YouTube postings of music, reflections and Esther and Emmett – TMUC’s puppet ministry.
So today we welcome everyone to share in TMUC’s online worship experience.
We invite you to begin this week’s worship by viewing the introductory video created by our five faith communities:
Our five faith communities are grateful for the ways in which people have been sharing in ministry during this pandemic and have been caring about our communities through prayer and financial support. Please check your faith community’s website for information on the ways in which donations can be made – whether through PAR, through www.canadahelps.org, e-transfers or mailed cheques. Thank you.
Even though we cannot be physically together in one place, let’s continue to be communities at prayer together. On Sunday, please think about the gifts we have in our lives, and needs of our world, and then pray the Lord’s prayer (you can pray silently, or out loud).
And, sometime, when you want to have a longer worship time, we are including some words and videos for your use.
As we share this week’s worship service, we are called again to listen to words of reconciliation:
We are gathered for worship and work in Treaty One territory, which is the traditional land of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dené peoples and the homeland of the Metis Nation. For thousands of years Indigenous Peoples walked this land and knew it to be the centre of their lives and their spirituality. We respect the Treaties that were made on these territories, we acknowledge the harms and mistakes of the past, and we dedicate ourselves to move forward in partnership with Indigenous communities in a spirit of reconciliation and collaboration.
Worship for Sunday, July 11, 2021
Introit: “Come All You People”
Come, Holy Spirit!
Come to awaken our faith,
to inspire our hope
to embolden our love
and to let Christ live in us!
Come, Holy Spirit!
Our opening hymn is Make Me a Channel of Your Peace (From Westminster: soloist Rebecca Mcintosh; pianist Don Menzies)
Esther and Emmett talk about gathering up a lot of stuff!
Printable Version:
Esther and Emmett_July 11
Noelle Bowles (Spirit Path) reads our scripture lesson from Ephesians 1:3-14
Jeff Cook (TMUC) offers a reflection:
Printable Version:
Jeff Reflection_July 11
Members of TMUC’s music team share the hymn “Holy Spirit, Come into Our Lives”
Let us pray:
God, our faith awakens as You call to us.
You call us to move in rhythm with the movement of Your Spirit – Your reconciling-distributive-justice-making Spirit, Your grace, Your love, Your creating Presence…
You call us to accompany Jesus and to rediscover our home in the heart of our Creator, our home in the heart of Your love….
You call us into the wonder, the depth, the awe of Jesus…Jesus who embodies for us a soul grounded in God, who offers himself as a channel of Your healing, Your faithfulness, Your resurrection into new life…
You call us as Your beloved, as Your chosen…
Give us faith to walk with Jesus.
Give us courage to follow Christ’s way of compassionate healing and non-violence.
Give us hope to seek reconciliation and new community.
Give us love to see Your presence in those we meet.
God, You call us to call out on behalf of Your world…
And so we call out to You in prayer…
We pray for wisdom and time to change our human practices, to affirm our place as creatures living in Your creation; as creatures living in relationship with the rest of creation.
May we have vision to relinquish lifestyles that weaken the ozone layer and deplete earth’s resources and bring disease to earth’s harmony and balance. May we embrace practices of right relations with all Your creation.
We pray for Canadians to embrace and live into healing and reconciliation throughout this country.
We pray for communities in British Colombia that are threatened by fires, and we pray for all the firefighters trying to extinguish the flames.
We pray for communities facing drought, hurricanes, floods or other ecological challenges.
We pray for the people of Haiti following the assassination of their President Jovenel Moise. We pray for peace in that country.
We pray for all people living in places of war and conflict. We pray for the people of Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Somalia.
We pray for all who live with physical, emotional, mental and spiritual disease. We pray for healing. We pray for access to medical treatment. We pray for supportive communities of family, friends and caregivers.
We pray for all who experience loneliness. We pray for all who feel isolated. We pray for them to know your grace and to experience the blessing of loving friends.
We pray that people globally have access to COVID vaccination and we pray for the global community to safely and wisely emerge from the restrictions with which we have lived during this pandemic.
We pray that all earth and heaven be gathered into Your love, and that we live with faith, hope, courage and love.
In Christ’s name we pray. AMEN
Our closing hymn is from TMUC’s Music Team: “When Long Before Time”
May God bless you and keep you.
May God’s face shine upon you.
May God grant you peace and joy.
Be in the peace of Christ, this day and always. Amen