June 1, 2025, Seventh Sunday of Easter
Speaker: The Rev. Dr. Victor C. Gavino
Liturgist: Margaret McNaughtan
Music: Yeo Jung Kim
Communion
10:15 - 11:30 AM, Sanctuary
Favourite hymns and songs
Prelude: “Be thou my vision” arr. Paul Manz
Welcome and Announcements
Land Acknowledgement
We want to acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples: Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam Nations.
Call to Worship - Responsive
from Psalm 97
The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the distant shores be glad!
Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
Fire goes before Him, and His lightning illuminates the world.
The heavens proclaim His righteousness, and all peoples see His glory!
Let those who love the Lord turn from evil, for He guards the faithful and delivers them.
We rejoice in Your salvation, O Lord, and sing praises to Your holy name!
Come, worship the King of glory, whose light shines on all who seek Him!
We lift our hearts in worship, for the Lord is good, and His reign is forever! Amen.
Hymn: “Holy, holy, holy" Book of Praise #299
Prayer of Adoration
Prayer of Confession - Unison
Gracious God, on this Seventh Sunday of Easter, we confess our failure to fully embrace Your risen life. You call us to unity, yet we sow division; You offer peace, but we cling to fear and strife.
Forgive us for our wavering faith, for neglecting Your truth revealed in Christ, and for turning from Your Spirit’s guidance.
Cleanse our hearts, renew our love, and draw us closer to You and one another, through Jesus, our risen Lord. Amen.
Assurance of God's Grace and Pardon
Passing of the Peace
Catechism for Today
Question 141: What is the meaning of the word “Amen”?
To cite the Heidelberg Catechism, “Amen” means that “this shall truly and certainly be. My prayer is much more certainly heard by God than I am persuaded in my heart that I desire such things from him”
Song: "Because He lives - Amen"
Prayer for understanding
Scripture readings:
Psalm 97 (The TANAKH translation – Jewish Study Bible)
The Lord has reigned, the earth will exult; many islands will rejoice.
Cloud and thick darkness are around Him; righteousness and judgment are the foundation of His throne.
Fire will go before Him and will burn His enemies all around.
His lightnings illuminated the world; the earth saw and quaked.
Mountains melted like wax from before the Lord, from before the Master of all the earth.
The heavens told His righteousness, and all the earth saw His glory.
All worshippers of graven images will be ashamed, yea those who boast of idols; all gods, prostrate yourselves before Him.
Zion heard and rejoiced, and the daughters of Judah exulted, because of Your judgments, O Lord.
For You, O Lord, are Most High above all the earth; You are very much exalted above all gods.
You who love the Lord, hate evil; He watches the souls of His pious ones, He rescues them from the hands of the wicked.
Rejoice, you righteous, with the Lord, and give thanks to His holy name
Acts 16:16-34 (The Lexham English Bible)
And it happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a certain female slave who had a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing a large profit to her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and us and was crying out, saying, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!” And she was doing this for many days. But Paul, becoming greatly annoyed and turning around, said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out immediately.
But when her owners saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. And when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion, being Jews, and are proclaiming customs that are not permitted for us to accept or to practice, because we are Romans!” And the crowd joined in attacking them, and the chief magistrates tore off their clothing and gave orders to beat them with rods. And after they had inflicted many blows on them, they threw them into prison, giving orders to the jailer to guard them securely. Having received such an order, he put them in the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
Now about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened and all the bonds were unfastened. And after the jailer was awake and saw the doors of the prison open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul called out with a loud voice, saying, “Do no harm to yourself, for we are all here!” And demanding lights, he rushed in and, beginning to tremble, fell down at the feet of Paul and Silas. And he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do so that I can be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household!” And they spoke the message of the Lord to him, together with all those in his house. And he took them at that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and he himself was baptized at once, and all those of his household. And he brought them up into his house and set a meal before them, and rejoiced greatly that he had believed in God with his whole household.
Sermon: "Freedom in the Midnight Hour"
Hymn: "A mighty fortress is our God" Book of Praise #315
Prayers of the People
The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
Amen.
The Communion
Invitation to the Table
The Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
The Lord's Prayer
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom 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 kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever.
Amen.
Breaking of the Bread and Blessing of the Cup
Prayer
Offertory: “Near, Still Nearer” arr. Lelia N. Morris
Doxology and Prayer of Thanksgiving
Hymn: "Rejoice the Lord is King" Book of Praise #267
Charge and Benediction
Threefold Amen
Postlude: “Immortal, Invisible” arr. Don Wyrtzen