June 23, 2024, Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Speaker: Mr. Ian Rokeby
Liturgist: Maria Sportsman
Communion led by the Rev. Beverley Shepansky
10:30 - 11:30 AM at the Chapel
Prelude: "I worship You, Almighty God" (Sandra Corbett-Wood)
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.
Lighting of the Christ Candle
Call to Worship - Responsive
God never fails us;
in the testing times, God is there.
God gives us strength;
in our moments of weakness, God is there.
God is our companion;
when we feel alone, God is there.
God is to be trusted;
when we do not know where to turn, God is there.
Praise Songs - Medley
"The steadfast love of the Lord (chorus)"
"Great is thy faithfulness (chorus)"
Prayer of Adoration - Unison
You are great, O God, and deserving of praise. Your works attest to your grandeur; your love exceeds comprehension. Wherever we look, we see signs of your splendour; the good that we do is a result of your grace. You fill your sanctuary with the presence of your Holy Spirit; you send your Word, Jesus, to dwell in our midst. We are surrounded by testimony to your loving goodness; we bow down before you and give you, our praise.
Prayer of Confession - Unison
We cast ourselves on your mercy, O God, confessing our betrayal of your love, our misguided responses to your love, and our futile attempts at running away from your love. Help us to trust when nothing seems trustworthy, to hope when everything seems hopeless; for it is in the name of Jesus Christ, our blessed Lord and Saviour, that we come. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
Passing of the Peace
Catechism for Today (from the Presbyterian Church in Canada)
Question 47. What does the creed mean by “he descended to the dead”?
To say “he descended to the dead” or “he descended into hell” means that Jesus not only suffered death for us but also experienced the agony of separation from God, and in his anguish cried, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” In our severest trials we are assured that Jesus Christ has redeemed us “from hellish anxieties and torments by the unspeakable anguish, pains and terrors which he suffered ...” Another meaning in the history of the church has been the belief that Jesus, after he died, descended to the realm of the dead to preach to those held captive there, leading a host of them to be with God.
Question 48. What do we confess in saying, “on the third day he rose again from the dead”?
Jesus was raised by the mighty act of God. The loving Father did not forsake the Son. Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” at the tomb to the disciples in and near Jerusalem and in Galilee, and also to over five hundred persons at one time. The resurrection is God’s victory over death, and the core of our faith; “if Christ be not raised, we are of all people most to be pitied.”
Song “King of kings”
Prayer for understanding
Scripture reading: Mark 4: 35-41 (NRSV)
Sermon:
"Traveling with Jesus"
Hymn: "One more step along the world I go" Book of Praise #641
Prayers of the People
Communion
The Apostles' Creed
Invitation to the Table and Institution
The Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
The Lord's Prayer
Breaking of the bread; blessing of the cup
The congregation is asked to come to the front to receive the elements. All may sing "Sing hallelujah to the Lord" at this time.
Hymn: “Here is bread; here is wine” Book of Praise #546
Charge and Benediction
Three-fold Amen
Postlude: "Jerusalem" (H. Parry, 1848-1918)