Order of Service
Organ prelude: Fughetta in E flat – Josef Rheinberger (1839 – 1901)
Welcome
Call to Worship – Luke 24: 30 – 32
When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
HYMN
Tune: Cwm Rhondda – John Hughes (1873 – 1932)
Guide me, O thou great Jehovah,
pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but thou art mighty;
hold me with thy powerful hand:
Bread of heaven,
feed me now and evermore.
Open now the crystal fountain
whence the healing stream doth flow;
let the fiery cloudy pillar
lead me all my journey through:
strong deliverer,
be thou still my strength and shield.
When I tread the verge of Jordan,
bid my anxious fears subside;
death of death, and hell’s destruction,
land me safe on Canaan’s side:
songs and praises
I will ever give to thee.
William Williams (1717 – 91)
tr. Peter Williams (1722 – 96)
Opening Prayer
Friends in Christ,
God invites us to enter into worship – not only for ourselves, but also on behalf of those who have urgent needs in our midst.
We enter worship aware of God’s faithful presence and sustaining love.
We enter worship in great reverence for the Lord who is our Sustainer and Hope in times of trouble.
We enter worship with thanksgiving for all God’s marvelous blessings on behalf of the church and the world.
Let us pray:
Precious Lord, we are thankful for Your many blessings
ever prompting us to reach out to give comfort
and to come before Your throne
lifting their names before You.
Help us to stand in the shoes of those who lack
So that we may better understand what it means to be of service.
Amen
Introduction to the first reading
The Gospel writer, Luke, shares that the followers of Jesus were grieving after his crucifixion. Yet, only a few days after his death, he walked with two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus. When they persuade him to stay with them longer, he joins them at the table. It’s not until he breaks bread and prays, that their eyes are opened and they see the Lord.
Reading Luke 24: 28 – 35 (read by Liz Cameron)
Organ interlude: Trio – Josef Rheinberger (1839 – 1901)
Introduction to the second reading
In our second Scripture reading, Jesus has just learned that his cousin, often called “John the Baptizer” has been beheaded. Jesus is, quite naturally, grieving the loss of this faithful disciple. Matthew tell us that he is seeking solitude when a large crowd came to him for healing. In the midst of his own pain, he has compassion for the crowd and ministers to their needs.
Reading Matthew 14: 13 – 21 (read by Ian Henderson)
Sermon – Strongly urging the Lord
HYMN
Tune: Belmont – William Gardiner (1769 – 1853)
Be known to us in breaking bread,
but do not then depart,
Saviour, abide with us, and spread
your table in our heart.
There sup with us in love divine;
your body and your blood,
that living bread, that heavenly wine
be our immortal food.
James Montgomery (1771 – 1845)
Prayers of Intercession
Dear Lord,
We come into your presence with thanksgiving, but also with burdens on behalf of
those around us.
The world around us feels uncertain and, at times, unstable.
There are consistent protests where those around us are in pain.
We pray for your certain hand of justice.
Many feel let down by our governments as they are sick and uncertain of the future.
We pray for you to grant wisdom and perseverance
that those in leadership will give the support needed.
In a world where racial and gender disparity is still present,
We ask that Your righteousness would flow like a never-ending stream.
Give us courage to denounce those things which do not bring You glory
Whether in word or deed.
Give us the empathy to feel the hurt of others-the hungry, the homeless, the immigrant.
Help us to know how we might better serve them,
and stand, courageously, where we can make a difference in this world.
May we one day leave our communities and this world
A better place than the one we found when we came.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
HYMN
Tune: Sussex – arr. R. Vaughan Williams (1872 – 1958)
There’s a wideness in God’s mercy
like the wideness of the sea;
there’s a kindness in his justice
Which is more than liberty.
There is plentiful redemption
in the blood that has been shed;
there is joy for all the members
in the sorrows of the Head.
There is grace enough for thousands
of new worlds as great as this;
there is room for fresh creations
in the Lord’s unfathomed bliss.
For the love of God is broader
than the measures of our mind;
and the heart of the Eternal
is most wonderfully kind.
But we make his love too narrow
by false limits of our own;
and we magnify his strictness
with a zeal he will not own.
If our love were but more simple,
we should take him at his word;
and our lives would be illumined
by the glory of the Lord.
Frederick W. Faber (1814 – 63)
Blessing
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)
And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, which binds us together even when we’re apart, be with us all, evermore,
Amen.
Organ voluntary: Allabreve – J. S. Bach (1685 – 1750)
