Series: Summer Series

David’s battle with Goliath gives us an opportunity to reflect upon how we deal with our fears with faith.
https://youtu.be/uYNJ0NpzGjU

Welcome
* Thanks for reading this on-line version of our weekly worship.
* To see a shortened version of this service go to either . . .
YouTube – https://youtu.be/of-f9A6-o9A
or Facebook: St Paul’s Presbyterian, Banff, Alberta

Call to Worship (Psalm 138:1-8)

I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;

I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name
for your steadfast love and your faithfulness;
for you have exalted your name and your word above everything.

On the day I called, you answered me,
you increased my strength of soul.

Opening Prayers

Eternal God,
you are the same yesterday, today and tomorrow,
and yet you come to us afresh each new day.
You breathe new life into what has grown tired and discouraged.
You offer healing for what is broken and worn.
You restore hope for what seems impossible.
You are the source of life and love for us and all your creatures,
And so we worship you as Creator, Christ and Holy Spirit,
one God, now and always.

Merciful God, we confess that we have strayed from your purposes.
You set a path for us to follow that is good for us,
but we conform to the ways of this world
that lead us away from you and your life giving ways.

You offer us your transforming love
to become stronger agents of your grace in the world,
but we cling to familiar patterns and habits
that inhibit our participation in your Kingdom work in the world.

You give each of us gifts to use for the work of your kingdom,
but we wait for others to do what needs doing,
rather than following your teaching and example of service to others.

Forgive us for taking the easy way out
For and failing to honor and love you
with heart, minds, spirits and strength.

Remind and assure this day (Psalm 124)
If it had not been for you who is on our side,
the weight of the world
would have crushed us by now.

If it had not been for you, who was on our side,
the weight of our lives
would have drowned us by now.

Thanks be to You O God, who is on our side,
Thanks be to You O God, whose mercies are lavished upon in Christ.
Amen.

Hymn: “10,000 Reasons”

Prayer for Understanding

Source of all wisdom and understanding,
in the midst of all our distractions, still our hearts and minds.
Amid competing voices, let us hear your word for our times.
By the gift of your Holy Spirit,
help us discern your will and follow your path.
In the name of Jesus Christ, your Living Word, we pray, Amen.

Scripture

Romans 12:1-2 – A Response to God’s Mercies.
Matthew 16:13-20 -Jesus asks a question about who he is.

Sermon: Living Sacrifices

Our congregation is named after the Apostle Paul. He had a profound understanding of the Grace and Mercy of God, brought about by numerous events in his life. When Paul speaks of the mercy God, he does so with deep reverence and great appreciation for what God has done for all of humanity.

Paul is amazed at God’s steadfast love, God’s unconditional forgiveness, and God’s mind boggling and heart grabbing, life transforming grace.

In his introductory treatise on the Christian Faith to the church at Rome, Paul carefully and systematically lays out what he believes about the nature and practice God’s mercy and grace that is contained in the Gospel of Jesus.

 Paul spends eleven (11) chapters describing and celebrating the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is the focal point of the Christian faith.
Paul’s reasons for celebrating are extensive:
* Those who follow Christ shall live faith,
* The Gospel is the power of God for salvation
* All have sinned and fall short of God’s good intentions for them.
* We are made right with God or reconciled to God only through Christ’s work on the cross for us.
* We are united to Christ’s death and resurrection symbolized in our baptism.
* God delivers us in our midst of struggle to be faithful, even when we do not understand ourselves or our actions.
* God gives us the Holy Spirit, to keep our focus on God, to help us in our weakness, to give us hope, to pray for us, to assure that there is nothing in all creation that can ever separate us from God.
* God offers salvation to all people both insiders and outsiders who hear and respond to God’s merciful action in Jesus the Christ.

Now, in chapters 12-16, Paul encourages, prods and pushes his readers to respond to God’s mercy in specific ways.

LIVING SACRIFICES
Paul begins by appealing to the Romans to offer themselves fully to God as living sacrifices.

Paul was writing to people who were well acquainted with the sacrificial worship practices of the Jews, Greeks, and Romans. Animal and grain sacrifices were demonstrations of a person’s devotion to a particular god or religious belief. They were acts of love from the followers of those religions.

According to Jewish law, you always presented to God the best sacrifice you could afford.

Paul in chapter 12, calls upon all Christians to be living sacrifices. This sounds rather like an oxymoron which is a figure of speech pairing two words together that are opposing and/or contradictory, for example:

• Bitter Sweet
• Working Vacation
• Found Missing
• Random Order
• Growing Smaller
• Unbiased opinion
• Plastic Silverware
• Sound of Silence

At first glance “Living Sacrifice” does not make any sense at all. Once you typically sacrifice anything it is dead, and remains so, unless your name is Jesus.

Paul is using the expression to describe our on-going and never-ending sacrificial response to God’s mercy. It is based, in part, upon the Jewish understanding of worship
.
We typically think of worship only as something you show up at a building to do, do some religious stuff and then go back to your regular life.

This is different from our how Jewish forebears, thought of worship. Worship was something they did in their daily lives. Besides going to synagogue, their work was an expression of worship, as was their family roles, leisure activities (if they had any), theire service to others and their actions in the community. People worshipped six days a week and rested on the seventh as God rested from his labors, knowing God would provide for them.

Notice that Paul does not encourage his readers to attend worship services more often, or to increase their financial support of the congregation, or serve on a committee, or pray and study the Bible for a longer periods of time.

Paul is calling his readers to respond to God’s love and grace through their daily words and actions.

This ways of thinking about worship transforms Work from simply being a way to make money to a way to serve God and others.

Relationships are transformed into opportunities to celebrate God’s love and grace together, to encourage each other in our faith, and to help others make deeper connections with God.

Serving others becomes an act worship as we see Christ in face of the person we serve.

Serving is an opportunity to move beyond our natural tendency toward selfishness and to grow toward a greater understanding, appreciation and witness of God’s love and mercy to others.

When we allow our lives to be lifted out of the mundane and are seen as our acts of worship, they become a primary way for fulfilling God’s mission to honor and love God, love our neighbors and to make Christ known. We become living, breathing, serving, and sacrificing examples of God’s mercy to the world, just as Jesus gave people a clear picture of God’s mercy.

Paul is pushing us to be Followers of Jesus Christ who, from the moment they wake up in the morning until they time they lay down to sleep, respond to God’s mercy by giving the best of their time, talent, treasure and trust to Him.

TRANSFORMED NOT CONFORMED

Paul then calls his readers to be transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit into the image and character of Christ, rather than molded into the image of the world.

 J. B. Phillips, an English Bible Scholar and translator, translated Romans 12:2 in this way
Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.

We are surrounded and literally bombarded daily with thousands of messages, images, encouragements of our culture that wants us to squeeze into the shape of the moment that too often contradicts with what who and what God’s calls us to be.

Sorting through all those messages to determine what is good, right and honoring to God is exhausting.

There is a constant pressure of our society to see our purpose in life as being consumers and hoarders of goods and services, rather than stewards and sharers of God’s gifts to us.

There is a constant pressure to think about yourself and no one else. There is pressure to believe that you are wiser than anybody else. Look how far that is getting our world these days.

There is a constant pressure to believe that you are the center of your personal universe and normal rules of good behavior don’t apply to you. That is until someone records you being a jerk on their cell phone and makes your selfish and harmful behaviour public on social media.
 
If you want to respond to God’s mercies by being a living sacrifice, then Paul says you will need to open yourself to the transforming power of God. Paul tells us we combat the negative influences of our culture by renewing how and what we think about.

The word that Paul uses for “renewing” our minds could also be translated “Renovate.” How many people have watched a “Home Renovation show on TV?” How many have tackled a “Home Renovation Project.”

It is a lot of work, it’s messy, but in the end, it is all worth it when you see the finished product.

Our minds are the “Renovation projects of the Holy Spirit.”

What we allow into our heads ultimately shapes who we are and what we become. We have a choice as to who the contractor for renovating our minds is going to be: The World or Jesus.

I don’t believe that the advertisers pushing their various wares on us, or politicians, or proponents of the latest fads care as much about us as God does.

Whatever we think and reflect upon will ultimate shapes how we feel, what we are passionate about, and what we do.

The Holy Spirit who knows both God and us, works to push us and prod us where we need it toward a life more in step with the wishes of God our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer.

Paul, the overly-confident, self-righteous, former persecutor of the church, needed a dramatic Damascus road experience with God to turn his life upside-down-and-right-side-up.

Paul in his letter to the Philippians speaks of leaving his old life behind in order to embrace the new life with Christ that offered him.

Often it takes something dramatic, like a pandemic to get us to listen to God, to see how our culture is negatively affecting how we think in order for us to do the hard work of embrace more fully God’s timeless, practical and life-giving ways revealed in Christ. We do so because we want to respond to God’s mercy and to live in God’s good, acceptable, and growth promoting will.

In hard times you learn to determine . . .
• what is helpful to our relationship with God and others and what is not.
• What promotes peace and well being from what promotes anxiety and fear.
• What helps us to treasure what is important from that which has no or little value.

At a pivotal moment in his ministry, Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” The disciples answered what they had heard from others in their travels.

And then Jesus asked the greater question, “But who do you say that I am?”

And Peter responded with “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus then tells the disciples upon this important profession of their faith in Him, He would build his church. And nothing, not even the powers of evil would stop God from carrying his Kingdom desires and purposes on earth.

Today as we reflect upon our response to the mercies of God, I want to suggest we do two things this week:

1) Imagine each part of your day being done in the presence of Jesus. See how this affects or changes how you go through your day.

2) Every day this week read chapter 12 of Romans. Let Paul’s instruction guide you in how you respond to God’s mercies in one new way.

We do all this, being assured that God is guiding us to discern his will and that nothing, including this pandemic, will stop God’s mercy, love, and his Good News of Christ from reaching out to those need it through us.

To Father, Son and Spirit
be all glory, honor and praise.
Amen.

Song: “I know who holds the future”

Prayers of the People

We thank you, God,
For your daily mercies and provision.

We are humbled by the breath of your mercy shown to us in Christ life, suffering death and resurrection. We make no claim on love and your grace, but we welcome it as we need it.

WE thank you for Christ’s resurrection, we can live in the present with glad hearts, giving generously of all our varied resources, and look to the future, trusting the one who is with us always to the end of the age.

Holy Spirit we thank for your encouraging, convicting, comforting, guiding, transforming power and presence in our lives.

for the inspiration of those who have offered to us an example of faith, devotion, and Christ-like living.

For ourselves,
that our worship and our lives be Spirit-filled and joyful, and both an expression of the love and commitment we offer to Jesus.

for willingness to live for Jesus and with him in the nitty-gritty of every day.

that we take up the responsibility of sharing the glorious news of resurrection, which alone can comfort the grieving, sustain the suffering, and assure the dying.

For others,
for awakened awareness of need and calling for those who have lost a realization of the privilege and opportunity of worship you every day.

for those who struggle with the times we live in, for all struggle to remain emotionally and mentally healthy.

We especially pray for the mental and emotional health of our front line workers in this pandemic. Bring your quiet comforting peace to them.

Help us to take the important steps to keep ourselves emotionally and mentally healthy so we can serve, love, bless and witness to others in your name.

Schools, students, teachers, families, admin people preparing to help our children, teen and young adults return to school both in person and online.

Continue to the people of our communities to act wisely in these times, to continues to do those things that keeps others safe even our desire and will to do so fluctuates.

We pray for all who need your healing upon their bodies, relationships

For your church as continues to act as your hands, feet and voices during this time. We pray for guidance and direction to congregations preparing to return to in person worship.

Pause for silent prayer.

We ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ who taught us to pray…

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.
Please join me in humming

Song: Take my Life and Let it be

Charge and Benediction (2 Thess. 2:16)

We go now to carry on God Mission in the world,
To love and honor God in all we do, think and say,
To Love our neighbors as ourselves, and
To be and make faithful followers of Jesus the Christ.

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself
and God our Father,
who loved us and through grace
has given us eternal comfort and good hope,
comfort your hearts
and strengthen them
in every good work and word.

Moment for Mission: World Humanitarian Day
Ravaged by almost three decades of conflict as well as recurrent droughts, Somalia’s population suffers from chronic food insecurity. Lacking access to basic necessities, many are vulnerable to disease and malnutrition. In response, Presbyterian World Service & Development (PWS&D) and Canadian Foodgrains Bank are providing vital humanitarian assistance to those in need. Pregnant and lactating women, as well as children under five, are being screened for malnutrition and receiving supplementary feeding. Additionally, the project is empowering vulnerable women with lessons about how to prevent further malnutrition, eat a balanced diet and maintain nutrition, providing them with the tools and knowledge they need to live a life full of nourishment.

PWS&D supports food security and nutrition

Prayer Partnership

Monday, August 24 We pray that we catch a glimpse today of God’s reconciling love so that we may not lose heart but get caught up in your mission for Christ’s sake.

Tuesday, August 25 We thank God for Canada’s fresh lakes and running rivers.

Wednesday, August 26 We pray for the PCC Archives staff as they endeavour to organize, preserve and make available the rich historical collection held in the archives, all of which serves to provide vital information to those within the denomination and also the general public.

Thursday, August 27 We thank God for ecumenical ministerials and councils. May the diverse gifts of the Body of Christ enrich and strengthen our ministry and mission.

Friday, August 28 We pray for congregations embarking on the New Beginnings congregational renewal process.

Saturday, August 29 We pray for The Presbyterian College in Montreal, Que., as it goes through a time of transition in leadership. May those involved be guided by the Spirit of God.

Announcements:
To see a shortened version of this service go to either . . .
YouTube – St Paul’s Presbyterian, Banff, Alberta https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHak6P9gfWJAj3qd_GdDrPA
Facebook – Banff Presbyterian

Call to Worship (Psalm 130:1-8)

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear my voice!

Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!
If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch
for the morning, more than those
who watch for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
It is he who will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.
Let us worship God!

Opening Prayers
God of all glory,
on this first day of the week you began creation,
bringing light out of darkness.
On this first day you began your new creation,
raising Jesus Christ out of the darkness of death.
On this Lord’s Day grant that we,
the people you create by water and the Spirit,
may be joined with all your works
in praising you for your great glory.
Through Jesus Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit,
we praise you now and forever

Gracious God, we confess to you today, that like the Apostle Paul
we don’t always understand our own actions.
For we do not do what we know to be good,
but rather we do and say those things which we know to be wrong.
We wrestle with what you want us to do
and be and wrestle to be faithful and committed to you.
We confess too that we would rather relate
to the more gentle, comforting and peaceable aspects of your character
than to your disturbing, confronting, and challenging nature.
And yet O God, like Jacob of old,
we need your disturbing presence to wrestle with us
and challenge those things in our lives which are inconsistent
with what you have taught us through Christ.
Forgive us for wanting to hide from you because we fear combat;
we know your love is such
that you will not let us go until you fulfill your plan for us.
We seek your blessing and make us worthy recipients of that blessing.

Today, remind us the Good News of Christ that
God sent his son into the world not to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through Him. (John 3:18)

Jesus himself bore our sins in his body on the cross,
that we might be dead to sin and be alive to all that is good. (1 Peter 2:24)

Almighty and Gracious God,
be pleased with the worship we offer you today.
This we pray in the name of Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Hymn: Love Divine all love excelling
words: Charles Wesley. music: HYFERDOL

Prayer for Understanding
Lord, fill us with the knowledge of your will
in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
so that we may lead lives worthy of the Lord Jesus,
lives that are fully pleasing to him,
and live that will bear fruit in every good work
and as we grow in our knowledge of You.
In Christ we pray, Amen.

Scripture

Genesis 32:22-31 Jacob wrestles God before his meeting with his estranged brother Esau by the Jabbok River

Romans 7:14-8:2 Paul wrestles with his desire to do good while at the same time not doing good.

Sermon: Wrestling with God
In Genesis today we have a story of the Jacob’s of his wrestling match with God along the Jabbok River. This is quite fitting since Jacob means literally Jacob means “one who grabs by the heal”. This sound like a wrestling move, something akin to what my cousins used on me growing up.

When Jacob came out of Rebekah’s womb, he came out grabbing on to his brother’s Esau’s heal. The term later came to mean “one who tricks” or the “one who gets ahead by trickery.

Jacob’s whole life would be one of getting the upper hand or achieving his personal goals by whatever means possible. Jacob’s whole life reveals how much of a little heal grabber he is.

For example, Jacob cheats his brother Esau out his birthright, which included land, status, and a leadership role in the family. As a result Esau threatens to kill Jacob for his deception.

Jacob then flees and goes to live with his family in his grandfather Abraham old stomping ground in Haran. There Jacob is out-smarted by his father-in-law Laban into working twice as long for him in order to marrying both of his daughters, and not just the youngest daughter whom Jacob loves.

Jacob who will not be out-smarted by anyone. He succeeds in carrying out a plan to trick Laban out of the best of his herds. Laban’s sons are furious with Jacob. God tells Jacob to leave and go home to Canaan. When Laban and Jacob meet, they promise to keep their distance from each other.

In order for Jacob to go home, Jacob must first make peace with angry brother Esau. And so Jacob devises yet another plan to make that happen so he can claim the birthright of the land that God gave to Abraham and Isaac and which he stole from Esau.

To tell you the truth; Jacob is not the righteous role model we lift up to our children. He cheats, tricks, and swindles his way to wealth, power, and fame. Jacob truly lives up to his given name of the “heal grabber.”

At the Jabbok River, Jacob will stand face to face with the brother whom he has so grievously wronged.
Will Esau receive him or kill him?
Who would blame Esau if it did the latter?

When you first read the story, you can’t help but think this is going to be a bloody family reunion.

Jacob, the win at any cost son of Isaac, sends his wives, children, and animals on ahead as a test of Esau’s mood.

Jacob figures if he hears their screams across the Jabbok River, he’ll re-think the idea of a friendly reunion with Esau. Jacob again shows his true devious character.

On the night before he meets his estranged brother Esau, Jacob camps out under the sky and is left alone with himself and his thoughts. And there on the bank of the Jabbok River, a dark stranger assaults Jacob.

Who is the stranger who jumps Jacob in the night? Nobody knows. The storyteller only says in verse 24…
“a man wrestled with him until day.”
Is Jacob wrestling with his brother, locked here on the riverbank after midnight like they once were locked in the dark waters of their mother’s womb?

Is the stranger a demon, who has survived out there in no man’s land, resisting taming, and religion?

The nighttime opponent has no name and Jacob never sees its face for it is dark. But, by the end of this eventful night, Jacob will be convinced he has fought with his God (v. 30).

But the God with whom Jacob wrestles is not the gracious God of daylight, who blesses Jacob, who promises to make a great people of him. This is a terrifying force of the God of night. This is a God who shall not be appeased with flowery phrases in prayers. This is not a God to be stared at, picked apart, and discussed in religion classes. Jacob feared the wrath of his brother, but first he must endure the assault of his God.

The fight lasts all night. It was almost an even match for neither wrestler will have their way. You have to think to yourself,

“What a man Jacob must be to wrestle God and to almost triumph?”

And you have to wonder “what kind of god is this who is almost pressed to a draw by this man!”

Near dawn, gasping for breath, exhausted in conflict, and they are reduced to speech. Jacob clings to the dark stranger who he has wrestled with throughout the night.

“Let me go, day is breaking,” says the dark stranger.

“Bless me first,” says Jacob. Jacob as we know would do almost anything to get a blessing.

“Well what is your name?” asks the stranger. A kind of odd question to ask especially if you are God or an angel. There must be more going on than simply asking for a name. And there is.

For when Jacob confesses and declares, “I am Jacob,” You have to believe that since names generally reveal the character of the individual, as it does in this case, Jacob finally acknowledges who he truly is before God. It is as if he declares, …

“I am the Heal Grabber, the Trickster. I am the one who has spent his entire life trying get the upper edge on everyone and in every situation. This is who I REALLY am!

I don’t know of anything worse than to acknowledge that one is a Cheat, a Trickster, and a Heal.

The mysterious nighttime opponent, who we now know to be God, then declares,

“You are no longer called Jacob. You are Israel.
You have struggled with God and with humans
and have prevailed.”

Now Jacob, the “Heal Grabber” he is RE-NAMED “Israel” which means “God prevails, or God fights, or God Rules.” In the new name, given by the stranger, there is a new being. Power has shifted in God’s relationship with the world. A new man, a new people have been formed, and called forth by the will of God.

Jacob/Israel is the one who faced God, who has been gripped by God, prevailed, gained a blessing, and who has been re-named.

Jacob will continue to be Jacob, but we will see in the later chapters of Genesis, a dramatic change in which has taken place in his life.

When daylight came, God was gone and so was Jacob. Now, only Israel remains, walking with a permanent limp after his nighttime wrestling match. This was to be a permanent reminder of his encounter with God, who loved him enough to show him his true and unflattering self.

It was a reminder of how God made a new man, with new insight of himself and of his God. He is left with a profound blessing from God. That night, Israel was both blessed and wounded by God.

We see Jacob’s story of his wrestling match with God echoed in the Apostle’s Paul struggle with his sin in Romans 7. Here too in the midst of his struggle, Paul comes to hear the blessing of God’s words of assurance at the beginning of chapter 8…
“There is therefore now NO condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Paul will write in his second letter to the Corinthians about how he bears a thorn in his flesh, for which there is much discussion about. Regardless of what it is, Paul proclaims that God’s grace is sufficient for him.

We hear Jacob’s story echoed in Jesus’ own wrestling match with God in the Garden of Gethsemane. Here the powers of God and the powers of evil battled for Jesus’ loyalty. Jesus struggled to be obedient to God’s call and to live up to his name and role as “God Saves.”

At the end of his wrestling match, Jesus decides to go to the cross for us in order to win for us God blessings of eternal and abundant life. And here too, Jesus would forever be marked by the signs of God’s victory over sin and death on his body.

I don’t know about you, but these stories of wrestling matches resonate within my spirit. We have all wrestled different aspects of our personalities both positive and negative. We have wrestled mentally, spiritually, emotionally with the pandemic and our response to it. We have wrestled with God crying out for answers and the resources to face the pandemic. Sometimes we have had the upper hand in the conflict and sometimes we have felt overwhelmed and out of control by it.

Jacob’s story, Paul’s story, and Jesus’ story encourage us to wrestle fearlessly with God and the important issues we face. We do so knowing that God will not abandon us to our fears, our weaknesses, our sins or our failures.

Jacob’s and Paul’s stories encourages us all the more to hang on and to wrestle God, until the Spirit’s work of inner transformation within us brings about the blessings of a changed person in us that God desires.

The result of our spiritual wrestling matches always leaves some permanent mark upon our lives, as it did with Jacob, Paul and Jesus. Those scars we carry remind of how much God loves us and is willing to wrestle with us to make the new people God desires us to be.

And in sharing our personal stories of our spiritual wrestling matches with God, we open the door for deeper discussions about how our wrestling with God can bring about a deeper relationship with God, ourselves and others.
Let us continue to wrestle boldly with God in these strange times of ours, in order to discover again the amazing nature of God’s persistent and amazing grace.
AMEN!
\
Song: Amazing Grace
words: John Newton, music: NEW BRITAIN

Moment for Mission
Making Space for a New Generation of Believers

The Well Church in Mississauga, Ont., started with a group of only 13 people. They were drawn together by their deep love of Jesus and a desire to share that love with others.
Inspired by a vision to become a welcoming space for second-generation immigrants, they developed a style of evangelism and worship that spoke to those they desired to reach.
Since the congregation started worshipping together three years ago, their community has grown and has become a home for many young people who had strayed from the church.
Please pray for the Well Church and the many other churches in The Presbyterian Church in Canada that are making space for a new generation of believers.
Presbyterian Sharing supports new faith communities

Prayers of the People

We thank you that you come to us when we least expect you to engage us powerfully in the life-changing struggle for our growth and good.

We thank you that you consider us worthy of wrestling and will not cease to struggle with us until we are conformed to the image and likeness of your Son.

We thank you that you leave us with reminders of deep and meaningful encounters with you,
for you give us the new name of Christian,
you give our lives purpose as participate with you
in blessing the world through our caring and service.,
and you enable us to walk in newness of life.

We thank you for all who are celebrating birthdays this month. Continue to bless them and meet each of their different needs. Help them to continue to grow and deeper in their relationship with you.

We pray for those who try by every means to avoid a life changing encounter with your grace.

We pray for the faint-hearted who endure so long with you, but then give up on the very verge of receiving your divine blessing for life.

We pray for deliverance for those who wrestle with destructive habits and attitudes.
We pray for those who long for the healing of their minds, bodies, souls, and memories.

We pray for ourselves for the grace to engage the darker sides of our personalities. Come to us with blessing and healing.

We pray for the courage to wrestle with the important issues of reaching out with your love to our communities,
and for the courage to be wounded and blessed in the process.

We pause to offer you our other concerns in silence . . .

We now join together to boldly pray as Jesus taught us to pray

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..

Song: “O Jesus I have promised”
words: John Ernst Bode, music: ANGEL’S STORY

Charge and Benediction

Go out to participate with God
in being a blessing to our world
knowing that God is present
in the midst of your struggles
to shape and conform you
in the image and character of his Son.

The blessings of
the Wrestling God,
the victorious Christ,
and the empowering Spirit
is upon us now and forever more.
Amen

We bless each other using the words of the Spirit Song,

Prayer Partnership

Monday, August 3 We pray for new ministers in first pastoral charges.

Tuesday, August 4 We pray for congregational leaders who are taking vacation this month. May this be a time of rest and renewal.

Wednesday, August 5 We pray for the Assembly Council as it continues to give leadership to the denomination during these changing times. Give thanks for each member’s leadership and commitment to serving our church, and especially for the convener, Ms. Sandra Cameron Evans.

Thursday, August 6 (Anniversary of the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima) We remember the victims from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 and pray to God for an end to the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Friday, August 7 We give thanks for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a guiding light on the path to justice and reconciliation.

Saturday, August 8 We pray for Indigenous women in Guatemala as Presbyterian World Service & Development works alongside them to improve empowerment and self-esteem.

Announcements:
To see a shortened version of this service go to either . . .
YouTube – St Paul’s Presbyterian, Banff, Alberta https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHak6P9gfWJAj3qd_GdDrPA
Facebook – Banff Presbyterian

Call to Worship (Based on Matthew 13:31-33, 44-53)
A small seed grows into a large tree,
the Kingdom of God is a home for all.
A field filled with treasure is bought,
the Realm of God is beyond price.
Yeast is kneaded into flour to make it rise,
the Kingdom of Heaven brings life.

A pearl of unsurpassed beauty is bought,
the Realm of God is worth waiting for.
A net that catches all the fish of the sea,
the Kingdom of God catches us all.
Let us worship the One, who teaches us
about the Kingdom of Heaven.

Opening Prayers
Our gracious and ever loving God,
we come in the midst of summer looking for refreshment.
We rest in the knowledge of the wonderful works you have done for us, We rest in your deep and abiding love for us and all people.
We rest in the work of Christ on the Cross on our behalf.

Search our hearts.
Fill our soul with your indwelling Spirit
who whispers to our soul that all will be well if we but trust in you.
Shine your light before us,
that we may see our path to you and to your kingdom on earth.
Merciful God:
Some days, we don’t know how to pray or what to pray to you.
Sometimes the words of “I am sorry God for …”
don’t easily come of our mouths.
Some days, we are afraid to be honest with you and with ourselves
About our sins, failures and lack of trust in you and your ways.
We are afraid to confront and confess the words, thoughts, actions,
of our lives that have not brought you praise and honor.
We are afraid to confront and confess the times
when we treasure things and other people more than you.
We are afraid and reluctant to confront and repent of
the areas of our lives that keep us
from following you as you desire.

We confess now in silence . . .

Lord have mercy upon us.
Help us to be brave and honest before you
That we might again experience anew Your saving grace
that forgives, renews, and changes us
into the people you created us to be,
Help us to be brave in following your ways of forgiveness
that free us from our past and which opens us
to the life in Christ you always offer to us.
Assure us once again that in Christ we are forgiven
And we are freed to love, serve, and follow you
With grateful and devoted lives.
In Christ, our Savior, we pray. Amen

Song: “Seek ye first” Words/ Music: Karen Lafferty

Prayer for Understanding
God of wisdom, you teach us with your love,
you touch us with your mercy,
and you challenge us with your truth.

Send us your Holy Spirit to help us understand
the depths of your Word speaking to us
through the scriptures this day. Amen.
 
Scripture
Romans 8:24-30 God at work in our lives through the Spirit, circumstance, and through Christ

Matthew 13:31–33, 44–52 More Parables of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Sermon:

I want to thank the Rev. Charles Hoffacker for his sermon on the Matthew text that helped shape this sermon.

In the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Amen.

In first my pastoral charge, every Sunday before the children headed off for Sunday School, I did a children’s sermon for them. The children’s sermon highlighted the main Scriptural theme for that Sunday.

On one Sunday after I talked about Jesus being a shepherd or one of the other many ways Jesus talked about himself, one of the children became angry with me. She said you have talked about Jesus being a friend, a farmer, a light, a loving parent, and she listed another half dozen things.

I was impressed that she remembered all the different things Jesus compared himself to.

Then she asked, “Can Jesus really be all these things to us at once?” My wife recalls, I responded by simply saying “Yes, he can.”

I don’t remember her being impressed with my answer to her. But young friend did have a good point. Why did Jesus use so many different ways of explaining himself and his Kingdom to us?

When we think about God, or Jesus it is far too easy to get trapped into thinking about God like some bearded Roman Zeus god-like deity hanging out in heaven, wherever heaven is. Or Jesus as a Robinhood like character wandering around the Sea of Galilee with his band of merry men.  

Jesus knew that the Kingdom of God, which was the focus of his teaching, was a huge concept for people to grab hold of and understand. And because of this what we needed were multiple pictures of the kingdom of God for even just a couple them to take root in our thoughts and imaginations.
 
In chapter 13, Matthew includes with Jesus parable of The Sower, Weeds growing the Wheat, five more additional parables or verbal pictures of the Kingdom of God. Jesus speaks of the kingdom of God as being like a mustard seed that grows into something large, a woman who bakes bread with yeast, a treasure that is hidden in a field, a merchant that finds a rare and valuable pearl, a net that catches different kinds of fish.  

You combine all the parables that are recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke and you have a pretty good picture of what the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven is like from Jesus. And what you see is something of God’s sovereign rule and gracious activity on earth that Jesus was announcing and demonstrating.

The parable of the yeast in the flour is a simple one, and is one of the shortest parables Jesus told. We can easily miss its importance of it like we do with a newly placed road sign on our regular travel routes.

The parable goes like this: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

Three measures of flour. At first glance that doesn’t seem very much, but do you know how much that is? It is about eighty pounds or 36 kilograms of flour! That is enough flour to make 120 one-pound loaves of bread.

This woman is not a contestant on the British or Canadian Baking Show whipping up a couple delicate, frosting covered bit size biscuits that together weigh less than a canary. No, no. This woman is a baker, perhaps a farmer’s wife feeding her extended family, which would have included the farm hands. She is baking enough bread to share with her poorer neighbors as well.

She’s emptying sixteen five-pound bags of flour into the biggest mixing bowl you’ve ever seen. She is pouring in forty-two cups of water. She’s got a mass of dough on her hands that weighs over a hundred pounds.

Kneading this lump of dough, shaping it, pounding it. It looks like some scene from a professional wrestling match. We have a woman, with her apron dusted with flour, her ten fingers deep into the dough – who is a combination of a Martha Stewart and a professional wrestler.

“The kingdom of heaven,” Jesus says is the smallest part of the baking operation, but an essential one. The woman takes less then 1.5 lb of yeast and adds it to the 80 lbs of flours until all of it was leavened and ready to be baked.

Jesus tosses out this simple, one verse parable to help us gain another glimpse the kingdom of heaven, where God’s rule is recognized.
 
Take another look at that huge mass of dough. It’s not just flour any more. The yeast is in the dough, it’s invisible, but it spreads through the mass, and has its effect on the greater whole. Sounds like something else that’s been in the news a lot lately. But yeast has a positive effect on the other ingredients. It brings out the best in them.

There is this mystery that is bubbling away inside, with so much more happening than meets the eye.

As this process continues, the hidden will become visible. There’s no way to stop it! You can punch that dough all you want and it will keep rising on you.

The movement is from what is at first hidden to something that is finally revealed. Jesus presents this to us as the pulse of the kingdom of heaven.

Here is how God’s sovereignty becomes apparent: it resembles the strange transformation that turns flour into dough into bread.

We get to watch the baker woman at work. We’re invited to look at this process and see it for what it’s worth. But if we are to get a glimpse of the kingdom, then two things are asked of us:
1) We must be patient,
2) We must exercise discernment.

Yeast takes a while to work, and its working is mysterious. So we have to be patient as the dough rises and comes to life. This dough is not a dead, hopeless, shapeless lump, but instead it is a universe where opportunities become real.

God is a baker woman who is at work within our lives, our circumstances, and the people around us.

We are leavened with gift of God’s Presence through the Holy Spirit as Paul points out to us in Romans 8.

The Holy Spirit, like the yeast in the dough, is slowly expanding its positive and life-giving influence in us, and in many others.

We not only need to be patient with God working his Kingdom plans and goals within and with us, but we also need to exercise this same patience with one another and our circumstances. In some unseen way, in some purposeful fashion God is at work carrying out his redemptive plans for us and our world.

Just as yeast permeates the entire lump, so the kingdom is present everywhere, and everywhere it becomes visible for those with eyes to discern it.

Yeast is invisible and known by its effects, so the kingdom is hidden, concealed, buried deep in ordinary circumstances, yet known by its positive effects.

If we look around us and within us, we can recognize the presence of the God’s kingdom. That kingdom is at work, just as yeast is active in the dough.

Look at your life in the light of God’s grace. Something is there for you to find of God’s yeast bubbling, Kingdom building activity in your life,
whether you feel happy or sad,
whether your life seems successful or disastrous,
whether you are seeking God or doubting God.

And when you find the kingdom among the realities of your life, nothing prevents you from finding this same kingdom present as well . . . in the circumstances around you, in the lives of other people, and everywhere you choose to look.

We can see these times not as a threat to your life or to the mission of the church, but as an opportunity for us to grow in your love of God, your love of Neighbor and growth in your in participation in God’s Kingdom work happening through you each day.

There is however, one caution to always keep in mind. The kingdom does not come with brass bands. Nor is it the make headline news. Nor is it the result public-relations efforts. We are talking here about yeast working invisibly in the dough, bringing about God’s hidden yet effective activity.

As it takes faith to believe that bread will rise, so too it takes faith to see the kingdom visible in the everyday and the ordinary. We must exercise patience and discernment wherever God places us.

We will see that what seems like a dead lump is in fact bubbling with divine life and possibilities.

So may each of us go forth this week, and encounter places and people and circumstances, and look there for the kingdom:
not as distant, but near at hand;
not as obvious, but hidden;
not as static, but alive and becoming visible;
a kingdom making room for all of us.

When we look for the kingdom, then we find it present, abundantly present. And when we do, then we have more reasons to give thanks than we ever expected.

Thanks be to God for a small uplifting parable that helps to expands our thinking about the Kingdom of Heaven.
AMEN!

Song: I greet the, who my sure Redeemer art Sung by Moody’s Men’s Collegiate Choir
Words: John Calvin, Music: French Psalter, Strasbourg

Moment for Mission: Keeping Communities Hygienic

Presbyterian World Service & Development (PWS&D) helps ensure that countries affected by natural disasters have access to proper sanitation. In South Sudan, continuous rainfall that caused massive floods washed away homes and food supplies of hundreds of thousands of people. Waterways and latrines were also destroyed. Without proper sanitation, the chance of contracting deadly diseases like cholera and typhoid are much higher. With PWS&D’s support, 9,000 men and women are accessing clean water and adequate sanitation. Hygiene kits are distributed to families, along with training on improved hygiene practices.
Ensuring cleanliness and sanitation is vital to keep communities as healthy as possible while allowing them to continue to thrive.
PWS&D promotes sanitation programs for a healthy community

Prayers of the People

Good and generous God,
In Jesus Christ you came to us, promising us life in abundance.
We give you thanks today for the abundant gifts we receive in him:
Assurance of your love day by day;
Relief of mercy when we recognize our own failings;
Hope renewed when things seem bleak;
Peace that comes when we trust ourselves to your eternal keeping.
These are the gifts that matter, O God, so for all the times we experience these gifts we thank you in these moments of silence:
(Keep silence for at least 10 seconds)

Generous God, the world is going through difficult times this summer.
So we pray for all whose lives seem empty of joy:
Because plans have changed, and friends seem far away.
Because hearts are filled with disappointment and loneliness.
Because sorrow and grief rise up each day.
Support each one we name in this silence with your abundant compassion:
(Keep silence for at least 10 seconds)

Generous God, so many things must be rearranged because of the pandemic and what it has revealed.
We pray for those whose lives are empty of purpose,
and for those who do not know the respect of their neighbours:
Because they are without work.
Because they face discrimination and are devalued in our communities.
Because they have made poor choices and cannot find a way forward.
Support each one we name in this silence with your abundant mercy and show them signs of hope:
(Keep silence for at least 10 seconds)

Generous God,
We remember before you in silence those who lives are empty of peace and hope:
Because they struggle with illness or disability.
Because they are powerless in the face of violence.
Because old animosities rankle and opportunities for reconciliation are elusive.
(Keep silence for at least 10 seconds)

Loving God, you are so faithful and generous to us.
We dedicate the gifts we have offered to you in Jesus’ name this week
of our time, talent, treasure, trusting that you will bless them and us,
so that your goodness is multiplied to touch the lives of those in need,

Good and generous God, fill us with the energy and compassion of your Spirit to reach out to those facing difficult times.
May we become the gift we have received in Jesus for it is in his name we boldly pray, saying…

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..

Song: The Love of God Comes Close Words: John Bell, Music: Claude Maule

1. The love of God comes close
where stands an open door,
to let the stranger in,
to mingle rich and poor.

The love of God is here to stay,
embracing those who walk the Way;
the love of God is here to stay.

2. The peace of God comes close
to those caught in the storm,
forgoing lives of ease
to ease the lives forlorn.

The peace of God is here to stay,
embracing those who walk the Way;
the peace of God is here to stay.

3. The joy of God comes close
where faith encounters fears,
where heights and depths of life
are found through smiles and tears.
The joy of God is here to stay,
embracing those who walk the Way;
the joy of God is here to stay.

4. The grace of God comes close
to those whose grace is spent,
when hearts are tired or sore
and hope is bruised and bent.
The grace of God is here to stay,
embracing those who walk the Way;
the grace of God is here to stay.

5. The Son of God comes close
where people praise his name,
where bread and wine are blest
and shared as when he came.

The Son of God is here to stay,
embracing those who walk the Way;
the Son of God is here to stay.

Charge and Benediction

We go now to carry on God Mission in the world,
To love and honor God in all we do, think and say,
To Love our neighbors as ourselves, and
To be and make faithful followers of Jesus the Christ.

“Grace and peace
be yours in abundance,
through the knowledge
of God and of Jesus our Lord.” (2 Pet. 1:2)

We bless each other using the words of the Spirit Song,

Have great week. Stay safe! 

Prayer Partnership

Monday, July 27 We pray for those in the Order of Diaconal Ministries who are called to serve the church in areas of Christian education, pastoral care and social ministries.

Tuesday, July 28 We pray that our hearts may be open and generous so that we might make stewardship a way of life.

Wednesday, July 29 We pray for the ministries and mission of the Presbytery of Montreal.

Thursday, July 30 (World Day Against Trafficking in Persons) We pray for all victims and survivors of human trafficking. We give thanks for those who work diligently to end all forms of human trafficking.

Friday, July 31 We pray for the strength and commitment to protect the earth in all its beauty and wonder.

Saturday, August 1 We pray for the ministries and mission of the Presbytery of Western Han-Ca.

Announcements:
To see a shortened version of this service go to either . . .
YouTube – St Paul’s Presbyterian, Banff, Alberta https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHak6P9gfWJAj3qd_GdDrPA
Facebook – Banff Presbyterian

Call to Worship

One: We gather in the presence of God.
All: We gather to worship and praise.

One: We gather in joy and expectancy.
All: We gather in beauty and wonder.

One: Speak, Lord, for your servants are listening.
All: Speak your Word of life to us, O God.

Opening Prayers
Creator God, in you we live and move and have our being:
You alone have been our help and guide through good times and bad.
You alone give us the strength we need to face the challenges around us.
You alone will be rest for our bodies and souls.
To you we turn for wisdom;
in your presence we will find the peace and comfort we long for.
Fill us with your Spirit in this time of worship;
Open our minds and hearts,
so that we may see as you see, love as you love,
and follow your ways for the sake of Christ our Lord.

God who sees and knows our inmost thoughts and our thoughtless actions,
The truth of our lives is this:
we are often impulsive and do not seek your wisdom;
we are often stubborn and do not practice mercy;
we are often arrogant and do not act with love;
we are often anxious and do not trust in you.

Forgive who we have been, amend who we are, and direct who we shall be
For the sake of Christ, our Lord we pray.
Amen.
 
Assurance of Pardon
Dear friends, remember that God
is slow to be angry and quick to forgive;
kind and gracious to all.
Know that your sins are forgiven through the grace of Jesus Christ,
and forgive those who have sinned against you as he taught us.
Amen.

Song: “Come ye thankful people come” Words: Henry Alford, Music: Job Elvey

Prayer for Understanding

God of wisdom, your thoughts are not our thoughts, your ways are not our ways. As we listen to the scriptures, stir our hearts and minds with the Holy Spirit so that we understand your desire for the world and resolve to do your will in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Scripture

Isaiah 55:6-9: God’s thoughts are not our thoughts.

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-40: Parable of the Wheat and Weeds and its meaning.

Sermon: The Problem with Weeds

If you are a gardener or enjoy the gardens of others, you know that it is next to impossible to have a weed free environment. The issue of what to do with weeds is an issue that every gardener, farmer and landscaper faces.

This is exactly the question that our passage from Matthew asks? But Jesus in our parable of the wheat and the weeds takes this problem of weeds and points us to something deeper.

The people Jesus was talking to knew all about the problem of weeds or tares in the wheat crop. They lived close to the land. They depended on a good growing season to provide them with their basic food needs.
 
There was no such thing as rushing out to the local grocery store or bakery to grab a fresh loaf of bread. You bought your flour from local farmers and you made your own bread.
 
Jesus grew up in a small town and probably knew the farmers who sold him his flour name for his daily bread. Surely, he would have asked questions about the crop. He obviously knew how difficult it was to tell the young bearded darnel weed from the young bearded wheat. They look almost exactly alike until the time of harvest. Jesus knew how the crop would be damaged if you tried to separate the two before the time of harvest.

Jesus knew the problem of weeds.
 
But weeds are more than bearded darnel grass or funny unwanted things coming up in our gardens. Jesus wasn’t advising his listeners how to be good farmers or how to increase the yield in your vegetable gardens. In this parable, he was talking about the kingdom of God, and more specifically about his promise to those who worry about being choked out by evil they saw in their world.

In an old Peanuts cartoon, Charlie Brown is confronted by Lucy, who says to him,
“Charlie Brown,you are crabgrass in the lawn of life.”

For Lucy, in her anger, Charlie Brown is a hindrance, undesirable; a sore spot that keeps life from being what she thinks it ought to be.
 
In the context of Jesus’ ministry, Jesus had faced criticism, challenges, and opposition from local Pharisaic leaders who questioned Jesus’ words and actions at every turn. They were rather weed-like in the ministry of Jesus.

Perhaps the disciples despaired that the pharisees voices would overwhelm the good that Jesus was teaching and demonstrating.

Perhaps we may feel that same way the competing voices and foolishness of our age that seem to work against the efforts, wisdom, and guidance of people working to control and overcome Covid-19 virus.

We too may wonder why people in our communities don’t embrace the wisdom of loving your neighbor by wearing a mask and practicing safe distancing.
 
Jesus narrows down the definition of weeds to elements within the community of faith that work against God’s plans and mission of caring for people and connecting people to God.

I don’t know why there are elements within each of our different church communities and denominations that are forever troubled by how broadly or narrowly we should draw the boundaries of the contemporary church.

Who do we and who should we embrace or not embrace as a brother or sister in Christ?

Who is accepted or not accepted by God, and why?

What criteria do we use to include or exclude?

At one point in the life of the church, much of what we accept in our life and worship today would have put us at odds with some part of the church, such as a Bible in English, hymns that aren’t Bible quotes, believing the bread and juice are transformed into the actual body and blood of Christ, women in leadership, etc. The first major fight of the early church was whether or not to include non-Jews or Gentiles into the life and leadership of the church (see Acts 15). And we have would been excluded as being unacceptable to God for what we are, believe, and do.

There always seems to be elements within the church that want to get rid of what is perceived to be weeds that are growing up alongside the wheat.

Sadly, the church is not made up of perfect people, including ourselves. It never has been and never will be until Christ returns.

I can understand why the servants of the parable and why we as readers of it want Jesus to give us some clear cut direction as to how we deal with the fact that there are weeds growing up in the midst of the church and world. The servants are confident that they have the ability to go into the field and remove the weeds from the wheat. That would forever the resolve the problem of who is in and who is out in the church.
 
And wouldn’t it be great if that were the case for us. But, Isaiah declared for God,

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Is 55:8-9)

In other words, God is God and we are not. We lack the ability and perception to carefully remove the weeds from the wheat.

The master in Jesus’ parable tells his servants not to go into the fields and remove the weeds from the wheat. The master of the parable declares,
“for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest” (vv. 28–29).

Let both grow together until the harvest, he says, because one cannot always tell about these plants.
There is a wise strategy in these words of restraint of the master. They move away from being overly confident to discern who is in and who is out and opens the door to make room for one what one commentator calls “a holy and purposeful, wise and intentional ambiguity.” (Theodore Wardlaw, Feasting on the Word)

The servants, like us at times, want Black and White answers to the problem of weeds within the church and world. And God from his vantage point of his infinite grace and patience, allows weeds and wheat to grow together until the time of harvest. At that point, the wheat and weeds will have revealed themselves for what they truly are and can be easily separated from each other.

This parable models for us the infinite patience of God with the world, which frees us to get on with the crucial business honoring God by loving our neighbors, some of whom we like and others whom we have trouble loving.

The infinite patience of God with us and our world pushes and challenges us to grow in our patience with one another and with ourselves. This too is how we are called to love another in these difficult times of ours. It is far too easy to complain about the weeds in our world than to love them patiently as God has demonstrated to us. It far to easy to point out the speck in another’s eyes, while not dealing with the huge logs in our eyes.

The picture of the strange and blessed mixture of weeds and wheat growing together until harvest is not just a glimpse of the faithful church in our own time, but is finally a glimpse of the future judgment at the end of time as we know it.

Theodore Wardlaw in the Feasting on the Word Commentary, writes,
At this level, the text points us to a God who does not merely tolerate endlessly a world that is a mixture of good and evil, faith and faithlessness, triumph and tragedy,
but who finally, in God’s own good time, acts both to judge and to redeem the world.

Christians believe that, for the sake of this hurting and impatient world, and through Jesus Christ our Lord, God’s realm will at last be completed and revealed in all its fullness. Meanwhile, this realm is thriving in us, around us, and even, miraculously, sometimes through us; and God is pleased to let all of it “grow together until the harvest” (v. 30).
 
Jesus frequently compared the Kingdom of God to living and growing things, likes seeds that are sown and produce on different kinds of soil, a small seed grows into a large tree that houses other forms of life. He speaks of a woman who puts a tiny bit of yeast into dough so it rises and expands in order to make many loaves of bread.

 
The Kingdom of God continues to grow as God wishes it grow with His patient support and oversight of it. God has his reason for the ambiguity of allowing the weeds to grow alongside wheat that we have difficulty understanding and accepting. The parable reminds us that God will is in control of the situation so we don’t have to worry about.
 
There is so much more work that we are called to do on God’s behalf than to waste our time trying to determine who is within and who is beyond God’s love and attention. Thankfully, God has that authority and responsibility and we don’t.

Freed from that responsibility, our job is very straightforward and unambiguous:
• to love and welcome whoever God puts in front of us
• to love the people who God’s sends out to love.
• to help people connect with Christ in a life changing way.

Let us Listen to what Jesus is teaching each of us in this challenging parable of the Wheat and the Weeds.
AMEN!

Song: “How Great Thou Art” Words: Carl G. Boberg, translation: Smart K. Hine,
Music: Swedish folk melody. Sung by Chris Rice

Moment for Mission: Meeting Milestones
In Haiti, more than half of the total population is chronically undernourished, the majority of whom are children. Drastic, unpredictable weather changes caused by climate change have left many families food insecure. Many are not able to produce enoug h nutritious food for their families to consume. Presbyterian World Service & Development (PWS&D) works with local partners to bring nutrition to those who are suffering from malnourishment. Life-saving mobile clinics have been established to detect and treat malnutrition. Since the project began, 3,400 children have been treated, giving them the chance to regain their strength, meet developmental milestones and lead a healthy life.

PWS&D supports healthy futures

Prayers of the People

God who is full of kindness and love,
hear our prayers for the world, for one another, and for ourselves:

For this congregation and for the church around the world: that we may be faithful and courageous in the face of all challenges that arise day by day;
Lord, have mercy. Hear our prayer.

For mercy, justice, understanding, and peace in relationships between nations: that in this time of anxiety about the future there will still be generosity for all in need.
Lord, have mercy. Hear our prayer.

For those who work in fields and forests, in mines and offices, in hospitals, schools and shops; and for those who cannot find work: that as the economy is reorganized, all who do work will be fairly treated and those seeking work will not lose hope.
Lord, have mercy. Hear our prayer.

For those who travel by land, air and on water, and for those on vacation taking time to explore your creation: that as we recover from the pandemic we will remember to cherish the earth and treat it wisely.
Lord, have mercy. Hear our prayer.

For those who are teachers and students, for schools, colleges and universities, who plan for a new season of learning in challenging times: that creativity and commitment will lead to discoveries about the world you love and the truth rooted in your wisdom.
Lord, have mercy. Hear our prayer.

For all those in danger and need: for the sick and the dying, the poor and the oppressed, for those standing up against injustice, and for all still at risk from COVID-19.
Lord, have mercy. Hear our prayer.

For those who are closest to us, for friendships that have stood the test of many years, and for those who love us enough to tell us the truth about ourselves: that they may know our love and appreciation.
Lord, have mercy. Hear our prayer.

God who guides and directs all things keep us
Ever faithful, in the midst of our doubts,
Ever courageous, in the midst of fears,
Ever loving, in the midst our selfishness,
Ever patient with you and with others,
Ever dependent upon your strength and resources,
Ever trusting of you to work out your plans in our world.
Help us to be your shining lights in our world.
Lord, have mercy. Hear our prayer.

We offer you these prayers in the name of Jesus Christ,
using the words he taught us to pray…

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..

Song: “The Kingdom of God is justice and joy” Words: Bryn A. Rees, Music: Paul Bateman

Charge and Benediction (John Newton)

We go now to carry on God Mission in the world,
To love and honor God in all we do, think and say,
To Love our neighbors as ourselves, and
To be and make faithful followers of Jesus the Christ.

May the grace of Christ our Saviour,
And the Father’s boundless love,
With the Holy Spirit’s favour,
Rest upon you from above.

We bless each other using the words of the Spirit Song,

Have great week. Stay safe!

 
Prayer Partnership

Monday, July 20 We give thanks for Louise Gamble as she returns to Owen Sound, Ont., after serving 13 years as a volunteer with the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan.

Tuesday, July 21 We pray for ministers who are seeking to discern God’s call to ministry. May they find friends and a comfortable sense of belonging as they adjust to their new environment.

Wednesday, July 22 We pray for the work of the Canadian Ecumenical Anti-Racism Network as it supports church communities working for racial justice across Canada.

Thursday, July 23 We pray for the presbyteries as their moderators, clerks and members seek ways to support each other and to support congregations within their ministries with care and wisdom.

Friday, July 24 We pray for ministers, elders and church workers who are taking much-needed vacations. May they be refreshed and re-energized.

Saturday, July 25 We pray for the ministries and mission of the Presbytery of Kootenay.

Announcements:

To see a video of this service go to either
YouTube – St Paul’s Presbyterian, Banff, Alberta https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHak6P9gfWJAj3qd_GdDrPA
Facebook – Banff Presbyterian

Call to Worship (based on Matthew 13)

One: God scatters the seeds and calls us to grow.
All: We come to grow in Christ.

One: God scatters the seeds and calls us to love.
All: We come to love as Christ loves.

One: God scatters the seeds and calls us to hear.
All: We come to listen for the word of God.

One: God seed growing in us
All: moves us to worship and serve God.

Opening Prayers
God of growth,
You sow and you gather,
you tend and you prune,
you judge and you save.

God in whom we live and move and have our being,
In worship we come and pause in your presence—
to rest from our work and responsibilities,
to rest from our play and distractions,
to rest from our fears and concerns.
Receive our love and attention in this time of worship
so that we enjoy your attention
to our lives in this world you love.

 
God who watches over us,
we confess it is so easy to be distracted from your truth.
Preoccupied with our own comfort,
we neglect to stand up for those who suffer.
Tempted by what we desire,
we fail to protect the earth and respect its limits.
We are shy away from sowing seeds of your wisdom, truth, and comfort we have learned from you in conversations with others.
We do not invest and risk what you have given to us in your kingdom work as you intend us to do on your behalf.

In your mercy, give us wisdom to walk in your ways,
the will to seek things that truly matter,
and the grace to renew relationships with you
and with one another.
In Christ we pray and confess. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon
St. Paul reminds us that there is no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus.
The Spirit of life in Christ Jesus sets us free
from the power of sin and death.
Know that you are forgiven and live as forgiven people,
forgiving one another.
Amen.

Song: For the Fruits of all creation
Words:Fred Pratt Green, Music: Ar Hyd Y Nos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehBt4yONaeo&t=98s

Prayer for Understanding

Guide us, O God, by your Word and by your Spirit,
so that we may see clearly the way to follow you
and have the courage to live by your truth
revealed in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Scripture

Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 The Preacher encourages us to take risks in uncertain times.

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 Parable of the Sower and its meaning.

Sermon: Bold Risks for God in Challenging Times

Do you see these times of pandemic as a threat or as an opportunity for you individually as a Christian, for us as a congregation, and for the larger church of Jesus Christ?

I have read a number of articles this past week from Christians with various biases Protestant, Evangelical and Roman Catholic who are discussing the impact the Corona virus is having on the church and it mission in the world.

No one can question the devastating effects of the pandemic on the lives of people around the world including the places where we live. The tragic loss of life, the economic fallout and hardships, the separations of families, and the necessary safety measures have had a huge impact on everyone in various ways depending on where you live.

Some insightful individual observed that we are experiencing and enduring the same storm at sea, but we do so in vastly different boats.

The Preacher of Ecclesiastes notes throughout his book that we live in an uncertain and unpredictable world where tragedies like Covid-19 happen to both good and bad people, wise and foolish people alike. We may not like his honest “under the sun” observations and conclusions, but they are true, nonetheless.

The Preacher never recommends that we simply survive the storms of life. Rather he encourages us, along with the voices of the New Testament, to wisely see the opportunities God gives to us to be faithful to Him in the midst of the storms of life as well as calm seas.
The Preacher starts off by recommending to us in verse 1
Send out your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will get it back.

At first glance that advice doesn’t make any sense. Why would you take a flat bread loaf, that would have been common in the days Solomon, throw it out on the ocean and wait for it return. I can’t imagine that flat bread would last very long before it got soggy and fell apart.

A better understanding of the meaning of verse 1, is to understand it as a reference to oceanic commerce that was part of Solomon’s economic plan for Israel.

Today’s New International Version translates it this way…
Ship your grain across the sea; after many days you may receive a return.

 
Verse 2 emphasizes this thought even more.
Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight;
you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.

The Preacher uses this illustration of maritime commerce to encourage us to take some risks with what God has given to us. Don’t keep your ships docked in the harbor, but dare to send many ships out regardless of the potential threat of storms.

The words of Ecclesiastes are echoed in Jesus’ Parable of the Talents or the Parable of Risk Taking of Matthew 25:14-30. Those who use God given gifts of Time, Skills, and Treasure and invest them boldly and wisely in God’s Kingdom work are praised by the master. The individual who does not risk and hoards the gifts that Master gives them to invest in Kingdom projects is rebuked and punished.

The Master cannot reap what we do not sow or risk for Him.

This has been one of the great challenges of the lock down for us individually and as a church. We have had to get creative with how we reach out to people and how we care for people from our homes and not in person.

It has been a huge learning curve for us, but we have adapted and persevered with God’s help.

We have learned once again that the ministry and mission of the church is not confined to church buildings. Like the song we sing, “The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple, the church is not a resting place, the church is a people.”

Jesus our Master, gathers us and then scatters us like seed in our communities to take risks with what he has blessed us with in order to love and reach out to people.

And likewise we have learned to multiply how we are caring and reaching out to people in new and different ways, but with the same purpose and intent of the Master. We continue to reach to people beyond the Bow Valley as before the pandemic, but we do so with the aid of Facebook, Zoom, YouTube, email, etc. We are reaching to people who we have not spoken to in a long time.

The Preacher encourages us to follow the Master by risking our God Given gift time, talent, treasure creatively in an infinite number of ways in God’s Kingdom work both individually and communally.

Where are you currently taking some risks with what God has given you in the Ministry and Mission of the church? Where is God pushing you beyond your comfort zones to care for and to connect with people?

The Preacher then moves us to invest wisely by observing what God is doing where we live.
When clouds are full, they empty rain on the earth;
whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
(Eccl. 11:3)

We know from the past week or so, that when we observe clouds on the horizon, you better expect rain take a rain jacket or umbrella with you on your walk or hike.

And when you see a fallen tree on the ground, like that huge one that fell in Vancouver on the sea wall this week, you need accept that it is not going ever stand up again on its own. It’s going lay wherever it fell until someone or a force of nature moves it somewhere else.

The best guess we have now is that we will live with Covid-19 into the Fall and probably later. The Covid-19 tree has fallen where it is. There is a lot more to be done for us to free us from it . This is something we cannot change and must accept.

God has used the Pandemic to remind us that “Old Dogs can learn some new tricks.”

I have a dear family friend in California who is approaching 103 years old. Kathy and I saw her when we in Los Angeles in February. She is effectively using technology to continue to teach seniors, who are ALL younger than she is, how to be mentally active and healthy.

We have been reminded during pandemic that we need to accept the truth that none is wise enough, strong enough, gifted enough, faithful enough to face the challenges of this time without relying heavily upon God and upon each other. If this pandemic has not driven you into the loving, faithful, merciful, guiding strong arms our God, then I don’t know what will.

Ecclesiastes moves on to remind us that we cannot afford to wait to continue God’s mission until the conditions are perfect to do so.

The Preacher says . . .
Whoever observes the wind will not sow; and whoever regards the clouds will not reap. (Eccl 11:4)

The farmer who waits for the perfect conditions to plant his crops will never plant them. And likewise the farmer who waits for a totally cloud free day will never harvest his crop especially in Alberta.

The farmer, like the ship merchant of verse 1, takes calculated risks in order to make a profit from the sale of his grain both harvested and sold overseas.

The farmer in the Parable of the Sower also seems to be a lousy farmer at first glance. But the farmer knows that he can’t waste valuable time planting individual seeds in perfect locations under perfect conditions. Instead he sows his seeds, directing it to the soil he has prepared in the hope of a bountiful harvest.

He accepts the risks and the consequences that some seed will fall on unproductive soil and will not produce as he desires.

The connection with us in obvious. The times we live in are not perfect for carrying out God’s Mission, but I don’t know of any times in the history of Israel or the Church that were perfect.

I recently watched on PBS the documentary series “The History of Christianity” by Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch of St. Cross College, Oxford University. One of the things that Dr. MacCulloch says amazes him about the growth and expansion of the Christian Church has been its ability to survive, adapt and thrive under all kinds of situations both good and bad. It was an encouraging and hopeful series to watch.

The perfect time to be the church is today, because that is all we have. We can’t go back to some previous time. It is foolish to wait for conditions to get better as the Preacher declares. We have to live faithfully and carry out God’s Mission with the winds of change blowing our seeds about and the clouds of the pandemic still hanging over our heads. Both make mission and ministry challenging, but not impossible to overcome if are listening and following God.

Like the sower, we are called to faithfully sow the seed of God’s word not knowing exactly what will come of our efforts on God’s behalf.

The Preacher declares,
Just as you do not know how the breath comes to the bones in the mother’s womb, so you do not know the work of God, who makes everything. (Ec 11:5).

Nobody knows for sure where we will be a month from now or six months from now or year from now, no more than we know exactly when a fetus gains an awareness of itself in a mother’s womb. Nobody has been able to determine that moment. Only God knows when that wonderful moment is.

And so we are to sow the seed of God’s good and life giving word at every opportunity,
in every conversation,
through every action,
in every creative way we can imagine,
in risky ways that push us beyond our comfort zone,
in ways that God can use to uplift, love, bless, serve
and witness to those who God puts in front of us or sends us to.

We have the God’s promise that our faithful and consistent sowing of God’s word, in season and out of season, will not return empty. We do not always know as the Preacher says which seeds of God’s words will prosper or produce fruit, but we are assured by God that some will.

And so let us continue to work wisely and to speak boldly on God’s behalf in this time and place
to praise of God’s glorious grace.
Amen.

Song: Come sing, O church in joy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cevFGtOGnkg
Grosse Pointe Memorial Church (Michigan) Virtual Choir
with James Biery, organist.

Moment for Mission – Sacred Spaces and Faith Formation
Camps and conference centres have been an important part of The Presbyterian Church in Canada for many years, providing vital ministry outreach to all ages. For adults, conference centres create “sacred spaces” for retreat, leadership development, education, missionary training, vocational discernment and so much more. For children and youth, a summer camp experience can help them to grow spiritually, socially and physically in a fun-filled and safe place of adventure and challenge. Camps play an important role in faith formation for children who would not otherwise have an opportunity to learn about Christ’s love. Please pray for PCC camps and conference centres so that they may continue to provide vital, life-giving outreach for many years to come.
Presbyterians Sharing provides resources for camps

Prayers of the People

Tender and loving God, you formed the earth
to be a place of joy and abundance for all your creatures.
For food in all its variety and the people who grow it, transport it,
and market it, we give you thanks.
These days of pandemic have shown us how much we depend on others.
We pray for those who do not have enough food,
and for those whose agricultural supply is at risk
through extreme weather, uncertain prices and social upheaval.
Help us care for the earth and its fruitfulness
And for each other in our common need of its fruits.
Lord, in your mercy…Hear our prayer.
God of all the nations,
 
You gather people together in communities
to care for each other
and enjoy each other’s company and creativity.
Yet the pandemic has revealed
there are so many vulnerable people,
so many places where resources are not shared fairly.
Where there is division, bring unity and peace with justice;
Where people are distracted,
give wisdom to see what is important;
Where people are tired and anxious, bring strength and courage.
Lord, in your mercy…Hear our prayer.

God of compassion,
You call us to be communities held together
by prayer and love for our neighbours.
Where people mourn loss of any kind, provide comfort;
Where there is illness and pain, bring healing;
Where there is distress or discouragement,
transform fear into hope.
By your Spirit, equip us to serve one another in Christ’s name
so that your compassion touches lives with love and mercy.

We pray in silence for those for whom we are concerned about.

Lord, in your mercy…Hear our prayer.

Our Gracious God,
We pray for our strength to be renewed.
We pray for our hearts and minds and spirit to become less dependent upon ourselves and more dependent upon you.
Push us, O Lord, to be confident and bold risk takers
With the time, talent, treasure you have blessed us with
For the sake of carrying out your mission
Both individually and as a congregation.
Enable us to trust you more each day
as we seek to follow Jesus’ example
of sowing the seeds of the Kingdom wherever he went.

Lord, in your mercy…Hear our prayer.

We offer you these prayers in the name of Jesus Christ,
using the words he taught us to pray…

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..

Song: God of Grace and God of Glory
Words: Harry E. Fosdick, Music: John Hughes

Charge and Benediction

We go now to carry on God Mission in the world,
To love and honor God in all we do, think and say,
To Love our neighbors as ourselves, and
To be and make faithful followers of Jesus the Christ.

May the God of
steadfastness and encouragement
Grant you to live in such harmony
with one another,
In accordance with Jesus Christ,
So that together with one voice
you may glorify the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen. (Rom 15:5)

We bless each other using the words of the Spirit Song,

Have great week. Stay safe!

 
Prayer Partnership

Monday, July 13 We thank God who made the world, and all life, with incredible beauty and diversity. We pray for the wisdom and strength to honour these gifts and protect the world’s biodiversity.

Tuesday, July 14 We give thanks for the pastoral ministry that our Moderator of the General Assembly, the Rev. Amanda Currie, is offering to our church. Remember her in prayer as she continues to serve in this office over the coming year.

Wednesday, July 15 We pray for Major Kenneth MacRae, who serves as a regular force military chaplain in Edmonton, Alta., and for his ministry of presence with the diverse communities that are part of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Thursday, July 16 We pray for the ministries and mission of the Presbytery of Cape Breton.

Friday, July 17 During the summer heat, we pray for our fragile environment and consider using air conditioning sparingly.

Saturday, July 18 We give thanks for the creative ways that children’s ministry leaders are engaging with families this summer.

Announcements:
In Person Worship starts on July 5th at 10:30 am.

To see a video of this service go to either . . .
YouTube – St Paul’s Presbyterian, Banff, Alberta
Facebook – Banff Presbyterian

Question: What in the last three months do you praise God for?

Call to Worship (based on Ephesians 1:3-14)

Bless God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God has blessed us abundantly in Christ.

We are claimed as God’s own children through the love of Jesus Christ.
God has blessed us abundantly in Christ.

The Holy Spirit is the down payment on our inheritance as God’s own redeemed people.
God has blessed us abundantly in Christ.

Let us worship the God of abundant blessings!

Opening Prayer

How wonderful are your works, O God!
How great are your ways!
You are generous in love and kindness,
endless in goodness and power,
overflowing with grace and mercy.
You fill the world with truth and justice
and offer all people hope and new beginnings.
Lord and lover of all things,
we praise and adore you
as Creator, Redeemer, and Holy Spirit,
this day and always,
for in Christ we know you are always near.
.
We thank you Lord,
that you welcome all who are tired and heavy laden
and you invite us to lay down our worries at your feet.

Hear us as we o let us confess to God and to one another
our sins and burdens, and find the freedom Christ promises.

God of compassion and understanding,
Our lives have slowed down in the pandemic,
and yet we struggle to hear your voice.
We are caught up in our own situations
and fail to consider what others face.
Distracted by daily news and the uncertainty around us,
we forget to come to you in prayer
and offer that uncertainty to you.
 
In these slower days of community life,
teach us how to savour the freedom of your presence.
Help us enter your rhythm of grace and salvation in Jesus’ name.
Help us to remember to give thanks
for your benefits and gifts to us.
This we pray and confess in the name of Christ.
Amen.

Assurance of Pardon
Hear the Good News of God’s Forgiving Love,

The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
God’s compassion reaches out to all creation.
Know that you are forgiven through Christ, our Lord.
Live in peace and harmony with yourself and with all people.

Hymn: Praise My Soul the King of Heaven
Paraphrase of Psalm 103: Henry F Lyte. Music: John Goss

Scripture Readings

Psalm 103:1-22 Hymn of Praise to God for God’s gifts to us.

Ephesians 1:3-14 Paul’s opening statement to the Church at Ephesus.

Sermon: Praise God for all His Benefits to Us

Deeply imbedded into the minds, hearts and souls of Christians with a Presbyterian bias or upbringing is the first question of the Shorter Catechism of the Westminster Confession of Faith, which asks…
What is the chief end of man/people?

The response to that question is …
Man’s (Our) chief end is to glorify God,
and to enjoy him forever.

This response summarises what our Presbyterian forebears believed was taught throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. God’s people are called to worship and delight in Him. There is nothing greater that we do in this life and in the one come than to offer God our praise, adoration in all times and places.

On this first Sunday back together, I thought it appropriate and timely for us to praise God for how God has been active in our lives since we last together. And Psalm 103 with addition of Paul’s opening statement provides us with a way to do this. Both would have agreed with Presbyterian forebears’ response to what is our chief in this life.

Praise and enjoyment of God are the highest forms of devotion one can offer to God, who as Paul declares

“has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places.” (Ephesians 1:3)

Psalm 103 is part of a larger collection of hymns of Praise contained in the book of Psalms, namely Psalms 90-106. They are given to us so that we might join the Psalmists in fulfilling our primary purpose of praising God with our lips and with our lives.

The focus and application of Psalm 103 is simple and straight forward as we see from the Psalmist’s opening and closing statements. The Psalm begins in verses 1-2 with…

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits—

And in verses 19-22, the Psalm ends with a call to us to join all of creatures in heaven and on earth in blessing God with our very souls and being.

 
In between the opening and closing verses of the Psalm, the Psalmist invites us to reflect upon our own experiences of

God’s Forgiveness,
God’s Healing
God’s Rescue
God’s Love and Compassion
God’s Renewal

By connecting our own experiences with God, as the Psalmist does, the better we will be able to fulfill our chief end of glorifying and enjoying God.

I encourage you connect your own experiences of the various benefits or gifts that God has given to us.

First, the Psalmist declares that God is one who has forgiven our sin.

As the Psalm is one of David’s many Psalms, we know where David alludes to previous sins he has committed. Surely his affair with Bathsheba would have been on his mind as he wrote this Psalm and other moments where he failed God and others. David knew both the devastating consequences of those sins, but knew the joy of being forgiven by God.

David expounds at some length in verses 8-12 of the merciful and gracious nature of God. He praises God for not treating or repaying us what we deserved for our sins and failures, but one who gracious removed our sins as far as the east is from the west. It is for me rather symbolic of Christ’s arms outstretched on the cross.

David’s reflections of the presence and experience of God’s mercy and grace lead him to praise God with his entire being.

Think about some sin or failure you have been forced to confront in the past three months. And then think about how you have experienced the wonder and the joy of having your sins forgiven by God. Offer praise to God for that. (pause)

Secondly, the Psalmist declares God is one who heals our diseases.

The Psalmist declares that God is one offers his healing power to his people. Sometimes the healing God gives us is an actual physical healing of particular diseases. Sometimes it is the healing of emotions and memories that allow us to connect with God in a deeper way.

We do not have any recorded events in David’s life where God physically healed him of a physical disease. Perhaps David thought of the many wounds he had experienced while fighting against the enemies of Israel. No matter what experience David may have reflected upon, he knew deep in his soul, the power of God to heal him.
God shows His power and his mercy to us through divine healing. Think now of how has healed you in the past three months, be it physical, emotional or spiritual. Offers praise to God for his healing power in your life. (Pause)

The third benefit David lifts before us is God’s ability to “redeem our lives from the pit.”

“The pit” would have several meanings for David’s listeners. It would have brought up images of a hole in the ground where prisoners of war would have been thrown into much like a jail cell today. It would have also been an image of death.

David in reflecting upon God redeeming his life from the pit, would have thought of the many times God had spared his life. Or perhaps he thought again of how God had restored his life and his kingly authority after he had fallen into the pit of destruction following his adulterous affair.

The Apostle Paul certainly would have viewed David’s statement of God’s redeeming our lives from the pit in light of Christ’s sacrifice and death for our sins on the cross. Paul would have also thought of how God rescued him from angry mob in Thessalonica or how God spared Paul’s life from threats to his life.

The past three have been hard on all of us and God has continued to be gracious to us. Think of how God has pulled you out of moments of frustration and despair. Think of the moments when God has rescued you from mental, emotional, and spiritual pits that weighed heavily upon you. Let us offer those times or rescue to God in praise.

The fourth benefit of which David wants us to reflect upon is God crowning or surrounding us with his love and compassion. This the act of God’s providing us with perspective. Here I believe Paul’s word’s help to understand the characteristic of God that David is calling us to ponder.

In Ephesians 1:8-10, Paul declares….
With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Paul in reflecting upon his life saw the hand of God guiding and directing his life so that they fit with God’s plans and purposes for him. Paul, like David must have wondered why certain events both tragic and wonderful had happened to him.

Only in hindsight and in reflection did those events make sense to them. I suspect we also know this to be true.

Paul saw how his conversion to faith, his imprisonments, the growth and expansion of the Christian church fit into God’s plans.

A number of years ago I read a wonderful book by Mitch Albom, entitled “The Five People You Meet in Heaven.” Has anyone read this book? If not, I would recommend you do. Albom’s book is a fictional story of a man who dies tragically and who in heaven is given the opportunity to see how the many events of his life fit together and how God used him to touch the lives of many people.

This time of Covid-19 has brought about many changes in us, our community, and our world already. It will take time for us to know the full impact of the corona virus upon us, the church, and our world. But, we do know that God, who surrounds us with His steadfast love and mercy, will help us to see how our faithfulness to Him has served his greater will. Let us give praise to God for what we have learned from our past that is helping us to be faithful today.

Lastly, David encourages us to Praise God for renewing our strength. God is the one
who satisfies you with good as long as you live
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

David wants us to remember and ponder the numerous ways God has renewed our strength in times when our energy has been spent under the strains of living and being faithful to God.

For all of us, the Pandemic has drained us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We have had to focus on what to touch and not touch? How do I go to the grocery store safely? Who can I spend time with face to face? We have learned to use new technologies like Zoom, Facetime, Skype to stay connected to one another. No wonder we are exhausted each day from dealing with details we never had to worry about before.

The Psalmist declaration of God renewing our strength like the eagles points us to Isaiah’s words of comfort to a downhearted and downtrodden Israel.

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
and strengthens the powerless.
Even youths will faint and be weary,
and the young will fall exhausted;

 
but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 43:28-31)

Think about the moments when God has renewed your strength in recent months. Think about the ways God used to encourage you, uplift you, push you, and pull you to get you moving again or when your life was in the pit?

Offer Praise to God for the blessing of being strengthened by Him

God has never stopped caring for us or leading us in this Pandemic. It is important that we stop to Praise and Thank God for his many benefits and gifts to us. Praising God reminds us of the grace, the healing, the uplifting, the perspective, and the strengthening we need each day. In lifting up our praises to God, so we are lifted up to continue to glorify and enjoy God as we called to do.

From the book of Jude 24-25, we receive this blessing…
“To him who is able to keep you from falling
and to present you before his glorious presence
without fault and with great joy
to the only God our Saviour
be glory, majesty, power and authority,
through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all
ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”

Hymn: “10,000 Reasons”
Words / Music: Matt Redman

Prayers of the People

God of mystery and meaning,
help us to discover your purpose for our lives.
Free us from the limits set by past expectation and experience
and keep us open to all possibilities.

 
Bless those who extend the boundaries of love and respect,
who show kindness to strangers
and forgiveness to people who hurt them.

Work among us by your Spirit
to heal the invisible wounds of the heart:
Lord, in your mercy…
Hear our prayer.

We pray for those who suffer from
the influence of anger, jealousy, resentment or bitterness,
their own or from others.
Work among us by your Spirit
to create mutual respect and good relations.
Lord, in your mercy…
Hear our prayer.

We pray for your wisdom to inspire politicians, judges, lawyers, and all who form and keep our laws.
Work among us by your Spirit to recognize injustice and respond to create systems of fairness and trust.
Lord, in your mercy…
Hear our prayer.

We pray for your healing for those who are ill or in chronic pain,
for those grieving the many losses of the pandemic,
and for all who feel afraid for the future.
Work among us by your Spirit
to renew hope and sustain our support for each other.
Lord, in your mercy…
Hear our prayer.

We pray for those whose workplaces are recovering from the lockdowns and economic shock during the pandemic.
Give courage to those who have lost so much,
and creativity to those reorganizing their lives.
Work among us by your Spirit to rebuild common life
with an eye to the most vulnerable.
Lord, in your mercy…
Hear our prayer.

 We pray for other churches are returning to In-Person Worship,
Guide all who lead worship
and those who help to make worship happen.
We are thankful for the technologies that has enabled us to reach beyond our normal circle of relationships.
Bear fruit of having new people to come to faith,
of renewing faith in those who wandered away,
and the re-energizing the faith of those
who energy has been spent in your work
Lord, in your mercy…
Hear our prayer.

We pray your blessings of health, peace, and prosperity to our Birthday people this month, Jack, Sara, and Myrna

Grant us the blessing of being the answer to someone’s prayer this week.

Accept the offering we bring to you today and what we will offer to You this week
of our time, talent, treasure, and witness
Lord, in your mercy…
Hear our prayer.

And united us as pray as Jesus taught us:

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.

Offering of our Time, Talent, Treasure to God
Thank you for ongoing gifts to St. Paul’s. And thank you for the sharing of the time, talent and treasure God has given to you to bless, love, serve, and witness to your neighbors. Donations for St. Paul’s can be sent by mail to St. Paul’s, Box 1264, Banff, AB T1L 1B3.
 
Hymn: “Joyful, joyful we adore thee”
Words: Henry Van Dyke Music: Ludwig van Beethoven
Traditional: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtvxwsiRge4
Not so traditional: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYKP2p6uEkM

Pastoral Charge and Blessing (Numbers 6:24-26)

We go to Glorify and Enjoy God,
to Love our Neighbours,
and to Help others connect with Christ.

The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord be kind and gracious to you.
The Lord look upon you with favour
and give you peace.
Amen.

We bless each other using the words of the Spirit Song,

Have great week. Stay safe!

Moment for Mission: Sharing in Mission and Ministry Together
Presbyterians across Canada share in the mission and minis try of The Presbyterian Church in Canada through gifts to Presbyterians Sharing. These gifts equip congregations, ministries and presbyteries; create and support new faith communities; embrace local, national and international mission; engage in healing and reconciliation, live out God’s call to justice; support biblical and theological reflection and dialogue; encourage and empower children and youth—and so much more! All of this is made possible by generous gifts to Presbyterians Sharing. When we work together, we can accomplish far more than we ever could individually. Together, we are making a difference.

Presbyterians Sharing puts faith into action, in Canada and around the world

 Prayer Partnership

Monday, July 6 We give thanks for Annemarie Klassen and Anne Saunders who faithfully served on the Cutting Edge of Mission (E.H. Johnson) Committee for the past six years.

Tuesday, July 7 We pray for the Rev. James Pott who serves as the convener of the Committee on Ministry and Pastoral Care for the Presbytery of Ottawa.

Wednesday, July 8 We give thanks for those who have supported our theological colleges with the financial resources needed to educate and equip ministers and leaders for the church and the world.

Thursday, July 9 We pray for families in Haiti who are learning how to combat malnutrition with support from Presbyterian World Service & Development partners.

Friday, July 10 We give thanks for new ministries and congregations starting across the denomination.

Saturday, July 11 We pray for interchurch families in which couples are married across denominational divides and participate together in two Christian communities.

Announcements:
In Person Worship starts on July 5th at 10:30 am.
To see a video of this service go to either . . .
* YouTube – St Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Banff, Alberta https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHak6P9gfWJAj3qd_GdDrPA
* Facebook – Banff Presbyterian

Question: What has given you strength and helped you to cope during the pandemic?

Call to Worship (Psalm 9:1-2).

I will give thanks to the LORD
with my whole heart;

I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

I will be glad and exult in you;

I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

Opening Prayer

Generous God of abundant love and grace,
We praise that you loved the world so much that you gave your Son to us
that we might experience the wholeness and salvation you give to us.

We praise you the abundant grace that you have lavished upon us in Christ.

We praise you Lord Jesus for what you gave up for us and set aside
in order to become human and walk among us,
so that we might see, and hear and be touched by your grace.
Lord we will never be able to truly thank you enough
for what you have given to us.

Pour your love and your Spirit upon us today,
that we may recognize that our true abundance
lies not in what we have achieved for you,
but what Christ achieved for us on the cross.

Gracious God,
We come into presence humbled by your generosity towards us
and ashamed of those moments this week
when have hoarded your grace to ourselves.

Forgive us;
when we have let pride and insecurity
keep us from trusting your mercy and grace,
when we have let selfishness deprive us
from experiencing the joy of blessing, serving,
loving others in your name
Forgive us for not sharing the heavy loads of others during this time of Covid-19

Lord, have mercy on us,
that you might restore our lives
and nourish us as we grow in the love of Christ.
Strengthen us to give ourselves fully and completely
to Christ’s work in the world.

Accept the worship we bring to you this day in response to your generous love in Christ. Amen

Hymn: “Seek ye first”” Words and Music by Karen Lafferty

Scripture Readings

Exodus 16:1-12 Israel complains to God after being given her freedom by God.

Philippians 4:10-20 Paul addresses the issue of contentment.

Sermon: Being Content Even in the Midst of a Pandemic

“A Russian woman lived with her husband and two children in a very small hut. Her husband’s parents lost their home and she had to take them in.

In desperation, she went to the village wise man, whom she knew had solved many, many problems. “What should I do?” she begged. “Do you have a COW?” asked the wise man. “Yes,” she replied.

“Then bring her into the hut too. And come back and see me in a week,” said the wise man.

A week later she was back. “This is utterly unbearable” she said. “Do you have any CHICKENS?” asked wise man. “Yes,” she replied. “What about them?” The Wiseman said, “Bring them into the hut too, and come back and see me in another week.”

“This wiseman does not know what he is doing,” she thought. Nevertheless, still awed by his reputation, she did as he asked.

A week later she returned. “This is absolutely impossible,” she cried. “Our home is a mess.”

“All right,” said the wise man, “take out the chickens.” The next week she reported that without the chickens it was definitely better, but still a miserable situation.

“All right,” said the wise man, “now take out the cow. That will settle your problem.” And it did. Without the chickens and cow, the woman, her husband, the children, and his two parents got along quite peacefully.

Sometimes we don’t know how well off we really are until something helps us to see life differently!”

For most of us, this time of living with Covid-19 has helped us to see our life and world differently. And that is good thing.

Tragically, Christian and Non-Christian alike have struggled to go from
life without the pandemic,
to life with the pandemic,
and now to think about our lives beyond the pandemic,
All in a matter of 4 months or so.

Like the people of God in the Book of Exodus, we too are prone to complain about circumstances, be they difficult or easy, familiar or unfamiliar. We struggle to be at peace with God, with each other, and with ourselves. Never, it seems have so many people struggled to be contented without much success.

In marked contrast with the current widespread discontent of our time, the Apostle Paul spoke on the subject of contentment or being at peace in his letter to the church at Philippi.
 
Earlier in chapter 4, Paul has taught us to use thankful prayer to combat our anxiety. He has taught us to focus our thoughts on those things that God declares are important to think about, assuring us that God will guard our thoughts in order to give us peace.And now Paul points us to how to be fully content in any and all circumstances.

In verses 10-20, Paul’s expresses his deep thanks for their concern for him and he shares how he learned to be peace or content with whatever circumstances he faced. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:10-13,

I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned for me, but had no opportunity to show it.

Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have.

I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

The first thing Paul shares about being content is that it is something that is learned. Contentment or being at peace with our circumstances, is something that does not comes naturally to us, therefore it must be learned. (v. 11)
 
Paul learned through experience to be contented with his circumstances by trusting God for each day as it was given to him. Paul had to discover by success and failure that God could be trusted to provide for his wellbeing.

To truly be content, we have to let our faith in God guide our response to our circumstances and not our emotions. Our emotions don’t always lead us in the right direction.

One of the mottos in Alcoholics Anonymous is
“Fake it until you can make it!”
 
I know this sounds rather hypocritical, but think of the example of a mother who is awakened in the middle of the night by her crying baby. Does she say,
“I’m sorry little one, I can’t get up right now and change your diaper and feed you. I don’t feel like it and I don’t want to be a hypocrite.” Of course not.

The mother gets up, smiles at her baby, takes care of her baby’s needs whether she feels like it or not.

And then she crawls back into bed and before falling asleep, wakes her husband, and tells him, next time it’s his turn to get up with the baby.

Many times we step up and do the right thing because it is simply the right thing to do. Period! We do the right thing again and again and again until it become more natural and ingrained in us to do so.

Most of us would prefer not to wear a mask in public or to social distance ourselves from others, but we do so out of God’s High Call to love our neighbor as ourselves. We do so, whether we feel like or not. And in doing something out love for someone else becomes an act of worship to God.

Paul also reminds us that Contentment is Not Found in Possessions or Circumstances. I suspect this not some new truth for us, but one we relearning now.

Paul summarizes this truth for us when he declares in Philippians 4:12,
I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need.

Paul is saying that regardless of our circumstances, whether we have money or not, whether the times restrict us or liberate us, we can still have peace in the midst of every circumstance because every day is a gift of God to us.

Please note, I am not saying that we should ever be content or satisfied or happy with any act of wrongdoing, uncaring , neglect, or injustice against anyone. We have a strong Biblical mandate to Do Justice, Show God’s Mercy, and to Care for all, especially the least in our community and world. When God tells us to do something it is usually accompanied with a reminder of what God has done for us.

Paul is speaking here responding to his personal circumstances, as a follower of Jesus in the world.  

In 1 Timothy 6:7-8, Paul wrote to his friend and colleague

for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it;
but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.

Contentment is seeing all that we are, all that we have, everything we will be, as a gift of a God who loves us. It is God who gives us contentment and peace.

In this pandemic God has not stopped providing for us and others. God is still caring for us, and is still teaching and shaping us individually and as a community faith just as God did before it the pandemic.
 
If we have learned to trust and depend upon God more deeply and if we have learned new coping skills, then we will move forward from this time as stronger followers of Jesus. And we will be better prepared for any new challenges that we will face in future just as the Apostle Paul discovered. This too is a gift of God to us.

Paul then reminds that us contentment comes from relying on the strength we have in Jesus Christ. (Philippians 4:13)

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Paul declares that true contentment comes from living life by understanding that everything pales in comparison to knowing and serving Christ, which he has declared in chapter 3.

Discontentment arises from feeling deprived in some way, shape or form and from comparing ourselves to others. It is funny and tragic at the same time, that we usually compare ourselves to those who have more than we do and rarely with those who have less.

But when we understand the gravity of our sin, and realize that God owes us nothing, then we will appreciate how much mercy, love, and grace God has lavished upon us through Christ’s life and sacrifice for us.

One of the eye opening things we have learned in this pandemic is that many things we have long taken for granted can be suddenly taken away by a pandemic or some other circumstance.
 
Paul learned again and again to rely on the strength God gave him in various circumstances as we must do. He appreciated that he learned to be less self-reliant and more God-reliant.

In verse 19, Paul shares . . .

And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours
according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

There is a whole of lot of experience and learning to rely on God’s strength that lies behind those word of encouragement from Paul.

Hopefully we have learned to appreciate the simple gifts of a hug, the gift of being reminded that we can still worship, care for one another, learn and grow in our faith, communicate God’s love, truth and wisdom in isolation just as we did before the pandemic.

 
I want to end by quoting a Facebook posting from Mindful Christianity Today on June 25 that fits in well here.

The deepest level of worship is
Praising God through pain,
Thanking God through trials,
Trusting God when we are tempted to lose hope,
And loving God, even when God seems distant.

At my lowest, God is my hope.
At my darkest, God is my light.
At my weakest, God is my strength
At my saddest, God is my comforter.

This is the God’s Good News for us today. Amen.

Hymn: “Grace alone” Words / Music: Jeff Nelson and Scott Wesley Brown

Sharing our Concerns and Thanksgivings
Please feel free to pass on your prayer requests to me through email, text, or phone. You can reach me at stpaulsbanff@telus.net or 403-609-0872 call or text. I lift you all in prayer each day and would like to know how to pray for you and what concerns you.

Prayers of the People

Lord God of heaven and earth,
with joy and thanksgiving, we praise you
for you create, sustain, and redeem all things.

Strengthen us in these difficult days
to show your love to others as we pray for
the church and those who lead it as we adapt to new ways of worshiping and being together…(Silence for 5 seconds)

For creation that we may learn to reverence and care for it…
(Silence for 5 seconds)

For those who lead in the nations of the world that they may work for the well-being of the most vulnerable…(Silence for 5 seconds)
 
For those who serve as teachers, healers and caregivers
in these stressful days when their work is so demanding…
(Silence for 5 seconds)

For the poor, the homeless, the hungry
and all whose livelihoods have been disrupted during the pandemic…
(Silence for 5 seconds)

For those who have generously given of their time, talent, and treasure to care for neighbours, friends, family and the least in their communities . . .
(Silence for 5 seconds)

For those who are ill or struggling in isolation,
for those who mourn the loss of someone dear
for those caring for sick and dying family members at home…
(Silence for 5 seconds)

For the powerless and the oppressed in all places and for those who work to defend them
For those working to bring about social change and justice against great odds and opposition…
(Silence for 5 seconds)

Hear us now as we pray in silence for situations on our hearts this day.
(Silence for 5 seconds)

God eternal,
keep us in communion with your people across all times and in all places.
May we serve you faithfully,
blessing others as we have been blessed by your love
through Jesus Christ
in whose character and ways we seek to follow. Amen.

Offering of our Time, Talent, Treasure to God

Thank you for ongoing gifts to St. Paul’s. And thank you for the sharing of the time, talent and treasure God has given to you to bless, love, serve, and witness to your neighbors.

Donations for St. Paul’s can be sent by mail to St. Paul’s, Box 1264, Banff, AB T1L 1B3. If you want to make an e-transfer, then please contact the church (stpaulsbanff@telus.net) for instructions as to how to do this.

 
Hymn: “Great is thy faithfulness” Words: Thomas O. Chisholm. Music: William M. Runyan
Played and Sung by Chris Rice

Pastoral Charge and Blessing (2 Thessalonians 2:16)

Go now to bless, serve, love others in Christ’s name.

We go to give witness to Christ
who strengthen us in all circumstances.

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself
and God our Father,
who loved us and through grace
has given us eternal comfort and good hope,
comfort your hearts
and strengthen them
in every good work and word. Amen.

Have great week. Stay safe!

We bless each other using the words of the Spirit Song,

Mission Moment – Sunday, June 28

Keeping Connected in Nepal
When Dr. Nicholaus and Becky Bauman left Canada in 2017 for two years in Nepal, they were reviving direct connections with people after 20 years. The partnership between The Presbyterian Church in Canada and the United Mission to Nepal began in 1974, and the last mission internship was in 2000. God’s mission in the world includes people who share their professional skills while learning about life and faith from co-workers and neighbours. The motto of Tansen Mission Hospital is “We Serve, God Heals.” Nepal is very poor, and Becky soon became involved in Tansen’s New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Centre, which cares for abandoned people with mental health issues. In January 2020, Becky and two of her children returned to Tansen to celebrate the Prayer Dedication of the new Centre, which receives support from Presbyterians Sharing. Although Becky lives in Canada, her deep commitment and partnership will continue. Praise God!
 
PRAYER PARTNERSHIP

Monday, June 29 Merciful God, strengthen us by your Holy Spirit that today we may be witnesses to your great love for the whole world in Jesus Christ.

Tuesday, June 30 In Christ we are all one family. We give thanks for the work of KAIROS that brings together many denominations to work together ecumenically for justice and peace.

Wednesday, July 1 (Canada Day) We pray that Canada will be a just and fair country, and we pray for politicians and public servants who form our laws and for judges, lawyers, law officers and others who help keep them.

Thursday, July 2 We thank God for the diversity of age, gender, culture, experience and theological perspective that enriches the church. May our unity in Christ grow as we acknowledge our differences.

Friday, July 3 We pray and give thanks to God for Jo Morris, organizer of Canada Youth 2021.

Saturday, July 4 We celebrate in prayer as Presbyterian World Service & Development provides families in Malawi with the tools they need to start rebuilding their lives after Cyclone Idai.

Welcome to this Sunday’s Worship at St. Paul’s.

Question: What songs do you listen to or sing when you travel?

Call to Worship (John 1:1–5, TNIV).

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.

He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made;
without him nothing was made that has been made.

In him was life, and that life was the light of all people.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Let us worship our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer.

Opening Prayer

Gracious God,
gentle in your power and strong in your tenderness,
you have brought us forth
from the womb of your being
and breathed into us the breath of life.

We know that we do not live by bread alone
but by every word that comes from you.
Feed our deep hungers with the living bread
That you give us in Jesus Christ.

 
Make us a joyful company of your people
Who lives to praise and love you,
Who lives to love our neighbors as ourselves,
Who lives to help others connect with you.

Accept the worship we offer you today
so that with the faithful in every place and time
we may praise and honour you, God most high.
Amen.

Hymn: “Joyful, joyful we adore thee” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxEUIJuDQfA
Words: Henry Van Dyke. Music: Lugwig van Beethoven
Sung by Colin Ray

Scripture Readings

Psalm 121:1-8 Travelers’ Psalm

Philippians 4:4-9 Wise words for keeping mentally, emotionally, and spiritually healthy

John 1:1-18 The Word: Creator, Life Giver and Traveling Companion

Sermon: A Song for Life’s Journey

Whenever I get ready for a road trip, I prepare a “Road Trip playlist” to play the trip. They usually include songs about the place I am going, songs that help me relax, and songs that I love to sing.

One of the most beloved Psalms in Bible is Psalm 121. It is part of a collection of Psalms known as the Psalms of Ascent or Pilgrim Psalms (Psalms 120-134). You might call these songs “Israel’s Going to Jerusalem Road Trip Playlist” These were Psalms sung by Jewish pilgrims as they literally ascended up the Judean hills to the temple in Jerusalem for the important festivals of the Jewish calendar.

They sang as we are prone to do whenever we travel or hike. We are encouraged to sing as we hike for our own protection and safety to keep the local wildlife aware of our presence. Sadly, to my knowledge, no brown or grizzly bear has ever stopped and shown their appreciation for any choir of hikers. I wish a Park Warden would remind them to do that.

Travelling to Jerusalem for festivals in the time of the Psalmist would have been a potentially dangerous endeavor. There were bandits on the road who sought to make a quick score at the expense of devoted pilgrims en route to Jerusalem.

To combat the anxiety and fear, Jewish Pilgrims sang their affirmations about God’s powerful and providential protection in the Psalms of Assent. Singing would have moved them from anxiety to adoration, from fear to faith in God.

Singing has been proven to calm and relax us when we are stressed. Many of us during the Covid-19 pandemic have lowered our stress levels by reading, reflecting on, and singing hymns, contemporary songs, and by listening to choirs.

Music reduces our stress by moving our minds and hearts away from what weighs us down to the God who desires to share our burdens.

And so, Psalm 121 begins with an important question…

I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come?

People who are familiar with the Psalm will often recite verse 1 as though it were a statement instead of a question. When one does this, verse 1 becomes a statement that the hills or the mountains are the source of their help.

But the hills or the mountains are not the place where the psalmist wants us to find our help and strength. The Psalmist answers his own initial question by declaring

“My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.”

One of the names the Psalmist liked to use for God is El-Shaddai, or “the most-high God.” God is the one who created all things, sustains them in love, and who watches over all He has made. God is One who above all others; He is our “higher power.”

The Jewish composer of this Psalm considered his all options as one who is acquainted with the other religions of his day. Back in Bible times, pagan shrines were typically built on hilltops, called “high places,” as to be closer to their god. The Psalmist reminds the pilgrims going to Jerusalem to stay focused on the source of their strength and help and not on any “Most-High-God-El-Shaddai” want a be’s.

And as Christians we believe that the Creator of all, became human in Jesus the Christ, to reveal God’s grace and truth in a personal and intimate way. We can be with God where ever we go be it on a mountain top in Banff, or while reading with a lamp, or on the flat prairies with your friend Mary, on a hike or on a bike, in a car going someplace near or far, in a church or doing a google search, alone or with others before God’s throne. Sorry got into a Dr. Seuss groove there.

We are reminded in the opening words of the Psalm that we find our ultimate help and strength not from the creation, but from the God who made heaven and earth, who breathed his life and His spirit into us. And one who walks with us wherever we go.

The Psalm continues in Verse 3 to declare that God “will not let your foot slip.” It is a statement of finding our security not in circumstances, but in God alone.

The brief book of Jude concludes with this doxology says that God is “able to keep us from stumbling” (vs 24). Peter, in his first letter, assures us that we are “kept by the power of God” (1 Pet 1:5). Though the paths of life are often difficult and perilous, God will not allow our feet to slip from underneath us.

Psalm 121 helps us meet straight-on the issue of how to deal with our fears and insecurities in a dangerous world and time.
When the Israelites made their pilgrimage to Jerusalem their homes were unprotected. The Psalmist reminds the pilgrims in v. 3 that God “will not slumber nor sleep.” God is awake and alert watching over them.

This statement brings to mind a time when I had concussion after a cycling accident and Kathy and others in the house watched over me throughout the night to make sure I was OK.

While we may suffer from sleepless nights when we feel pounded by things beyond our control, God keeps His ever vigilant and loving watch over us. We can rest securely in God love when we turn our cares over to Him.

Verse 5, says that God is our “shade.” The desert is an unforgiving place; the sun burns and the unrelenting heat can quickly drain your strength. In the Middle East it can get up to 40 degrees Celsius or 120 degrees Fahrenheit in the Summer months. If you have driven through Kelowna, British Columbia in August you know that your rubber soled sandals will literally stick to the pavement when use a cross walk because it so hot.

Heat injuries are a common threat even in the mountains. The Psalmist reminds us that God shades us or covers us with his protective umbrella to provide us with moment of escape or rest from the heat of stress.
Throughout this pandemic, many of us discovered again the importance of taking a break and resting in the presence of God to renew our strength and perspective.

Then you have this strange insertion into the Psalm about “the moon not striking us at night.” The People of the Psalmist day feared the power of the moon to affect their minds. People still say all sorts of craziness can happen during a full moon.

One of the biggest challenges of the past three months has been keeping ourselves mentally and emotionally healthy. Paul in his letter to the Philippians after talking our how to deal with anxiety shares with us guideline to keep us mentally healthy. Paul says . . .

 
Finally, beloved,
whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure,
whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable,
if there is any excellence
and if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.
Keep on doing the things
that you have learned and received
and heard and seen in me,
and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8–9)

These are wise words from Paul, who learned from God how to keep mentally healthy in various circumstances.

Regardless of circumstances, God changes us from the inside-out, guarding our thoughts and emotions as we lay all that is threatening and concerning us before God. When we do, God gives us the gift of peace and renewal of ours heart, mind, and spirit when we humbly draw near to Him.

In verses 7 and 8, the Psalmist reminds us that watches over us in every circumstance we can image be it good or bad, easy or stressful, familiar or unfamiliar.

A farmer once printed the words GOD IS LOVE on the moving portion of his weather vane. When someone asked the farmer if he meant that God was as unpredictable as the wind?

The farmer replied, “No, I mean that God is love whichever way the wind blows.”

Phillips Brooks, renowned pastor of Boston’s Trinity Church, stated:

“Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger people.

Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.”

From the perils and stresses of traveling to Jerusalem in the day of the Psalmist to the perils and stresses of our travels into the “New Normal” of worshiping God and carrying out God’s mission, the Psalmist reminds us that God is continually keeping us, guarding us, and directing so that we will arrive safely where God needs and wants us to be.

As the Psalmist declares

The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in
from this time on and forevermore.
AMEN.

Hymn: “Guide me, O thou great Redeemer” Words / Music: William Williams

Sharing our Concerns and Thanksgivings
Please feel free to pass on your prayer requests to me through email, text, or phone. You can reach me at stpaulsbanff@telus.net or 403-609-0872 call or text. I lift you all in prayer each day and would like to know how to pray for you and what concerns you.

Closing Prayer

God of compassion and courage,
In our weakness you are strength.
In our darkness you are light.
In our sorrows you are comfort and peace.
Embrace each situation
we remember in our prayers this day
with your steadfast love.

We thank you for moments of joy
that still break into our lives,
even in the strange times of pandemic and re-opening of our communities:
for love given and received,
for friends who furnish our life with meaning and happiness,
and for family who embrace us with love and understanding.

We celebrate the accomplishments
of our high school and other graduates
both known and unknown to us.
Guide them as they make decisions
about work, schooling, and careers.

And we thank you for all
caring and faithful fathers celebrated this day,
remembering those whose fathers have died
and praying for those fathers
cut off from their families.

God of the nations
We pray for our country
and countries around this world
so deeply affected by COVID-19.
Guide leaders to make wise decisions about reopening communities,
and give patience and courage to those whose lives have been disrupted,
especially those who fear what the future holds.

Wherever injustice rules and misinformation confuses,
protect the vulnerable and shine the light of your truth
to reveal the path to justice and renewed hope.

God of compassion
We pray for all those who are suffering and for all who mourn significant loss.
Surround them with your love and support them with the strength of your Spirit.
Open our eyes to see how we might bring comfort to those are hurting, struggling,
and who feel the pain of racism.
Open our eyes that we may be
more just, kind and merciful, and humble
in our interactions with each other,
as you remind us thru the Prophet Micah.

Guide us all
Ever faithful and ever watching God,
Guide us to use the gifts of time, talent, treasure you have given to us in this coming week,
To Honor you, to serve, love and bless others, in your name.

We offer our prayers to you through Christ our Creator and Lord. Amen.

Offering of our Time, Talent, Treasure to God

Thank you for ongoing gifts to St. Paul’s. And thank you for the sharing of the time, talent and treasure God has given to you to bless, love, serve, and witness to your neighbors. Donations for St. Paul’s can be sent by mail to St. Paul’s, Box 1264, Banff, AB T1L 1B3.

Hymn: “Lord Jesus, you shall be my song”

Words/ Musics: Les Petites de Jesus and L’Arche Community.
Translation: Stephen Somerville

Pastoral Blessing

“The LORD bless you and keep you;

the LORD make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace.
(Numbers 6:24–26, TNIV).

Have great week. Stay safe!

We bless each other using the words of the Spirit Song,

MISSION MOMENT – SUNDAY, JUNE 21 WORLD REFUGEE DAY (JUNE 20)

No one chooses to be a refugee. Inspired by God’s promise of abundant life, Presbyterian World Service & Development (PWS&D) envisions a world where no human has to fear for their life or liberty. Refugee sponsorship has enabled refugees from all over the world to find peace, encouragement and stability in a new home. This World Refugee Day, we are thankful for the congregations and groups across Canada who, with support from PWS&D, make refugee sponsorship possible. Together, in 2019, we were able to welcome 77 people. Hand-in-hand we will continue to welcome those in need who are trying to find security and safety.
PWS&D welcomes the stranger

PRAYER PARTNERSHIP

Monday, June 22 We pray for families of those suffering from dementia, that they might find the strength to support their loved one.

Tuesday, June 23 We pray for Pauline Brown, former mission staff to India from 1951 to 2007. May she continue to enjoy good health and the company of good friends.

Wednesday, June 24 God of joy and laughter, give us hearts full of delight at the beauty and surprise of this wonderful world that you have made.

Thursday, June 25 We pray for ministers who are seeking to discern God’s call. May they have a clear sense of God’s leading and a willingness to be open to where God will lead.

Friday, June 26 We pray for Presbyterian church camps that had to close for the summer season due to concerns around the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Saturday, June 27 We pray for the safety and well-being of agricultural workers and all who process, transport, distribute and sell our food.