Knox Presbyterian Church, Bayfield Rev Dolson May 10 2020
Greetings to my church family and friends. May the grace of God be with you. Although we are unable to gather as a group it is good to reach out to you with the printed word. Yet the printed word, whether on a computer screen or on paper, requires action on your part. This process may need a little more effort on your part than when we are able to be together in the sanctuary on Sunday morning. This week a slightly different format may be helpful. The following material is broken out into two sections. The first section will include announcements and the second section will include scripture, the worship message, offering, prayers, and benediction.
Section 1
Announcements
Your Session has been meeting regularly with Zoom virtual chats. We have successfully climbed the learning curve to navigate the technology. It was wonderful for us to see and hear each other this week. Did you know that we are reaching out to each of you using email and phone calls. Have you heard from us – Brenda, Deb C., Jan S., and me – over the last few weeks? If not, please let me know as soon as possible. Contact any of us if you’d like to talk.
Jim Knox has volunteered to ‘safely’ pick up your offering envelopes. If you would like Jim to come to your house in the Bayfield area, call him to make arrangements. His home number 519-565-4214. The envelopes can also be dropped off at his home mailbox at 12 MacTavish St, Bayfield. Brenda will do bank deposits about once a month during the COVID 19 restrictions.
Do you have food to share? The FoodBank continues to accept food donations during the COVID crisis. Take your food donations to the bin outside at Trinity St James Church, on the south side verandah of the parish hall (opposite side of church from parking lot). Monetary donations can be made in several ways. Cheques can be sent to Bayfield Area Food Bank, 10 Keith Cres, Bayfield N0M 1G0 Cash donations & cheques are accepted in drop boxes at the Bayfield Garage & Esso Station and the Bayfield Convenience store (next to Renegades Restaurant). On-line donations accepted at website www.canadahelps.org
Are you dealing with food insecurity? Reach out to the Bayfield Area Food Bank if you are struggling to put food on your table. Make a confidential call to: 519 955-7444 (area manager) or 519 565-2790 (alternate contact). Leave a message with your information. All messages answered by a designated person to ensure privacy. Food will be delivered to your home on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. Help is available!
Keep calling! Many people have shared how their day has brightened by a phone calls and emails from within our church community. Remember to reach out during this challenging time.
Stay home & keep moving! It is important that we keep moving about as much as we are able during this time of social isolation.
Join together virtually! Did you know that a small group gathered this week for Coffee & Prayer. There was a little frustration with the Zoom technology but eventually we connected. Our chat was lovely as explored the benefits of having a time together. Watch for information in your email: two sessions each week – Monday at 10 am and Friday at 2 pm.
Did you know that your feedback is important? Your comments & reflections about the weekly service always helpful but are especially important to me during this unusual time. Just call or send a quick note (email or paper) to say that you do (or do not) read this weekly message. If you are able, include your reflections on the service. You would be doing me a great service by sharing your comments.
Section 2
Call To Worship
In moments of anxiety, God leads us to still waters.
In moments of confusion, God leads us in right paths.
In moments of isolation, God is with us. In all moments, God is with us.
Let us praise the one who restores our soul.
Assurance of Pardon
Dear friends, the risen Christ is in our midst, speaking words of peace and forgiveness to us. Receive this gift of forgiveness. Be at peace with yourself and with one another. Amen.
Prayer For Illumination
Let your Word, O God, break open our hearts this day through the power of the Holy Spirit. Open our hearts to the power of your Spirit as we read your holy Word. Call us out of the shadows and lead us into your marvelous light. Amen.
Reading: John 14:1-14
Jesus said “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. ln my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.”
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. lf you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. l will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. lf in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.”
Message Troubled Hearts
This is the Fifth Sunday of Easter. It seems that we are marking time differently now. The distinction between days has been difficult to maintain and the months seem to blur for many people. This is the eighth week away from our little church on Main Street. It has been two months since we met with others in a gathering. Our social behaviours have changed. The local and international economic markets are in serious disarray. Nations are either starting to ease restrictions or seriously tightening them.
The impact of isolation and solitude has affected everyone in one way or another. There is a growing recognition that we are all in the same storm but we are not in the same boat. Some are financially secure, others are scrambling to make the potatoes last a few more days. Some are secure in their comfortable homes, while others are trapped in abusive relationships. People who tend to be alone are struggling with the extended social isolation, while social butterflies seek out new ways to connect. Some are struggling with boredom and others are trying deal with an increased workload during trying times. It is a time when we can open our eyes to the issues that linger just outside our limited perspective, issues that seem foreign to our own life experience. In times of upheaval, we find solidarity in our common experiences, yet, there is a deep need to recognize the extreme challenges as we journey through this unusual time.
We look back into the gospels to discover a uniquely unusual time. This last half of John’s gospel, in chapters 13-21, tells of the death and resurrection of Jesus. He washed the feet of his disciples at the last supper, on the night before his death, as an act of loving service. He gave them a new commandment – to love one another as he has loved them. Following his arrest Jesus is taken to the high priest and then to Pilate. When Pilate asked Jesus if he was a king, Jesus replied that his kingdom is not of this world. The final chapters include resurrection appearances to Mary Magdalene, the disciples, and Thomas. They confess that Jesus is God. At the Sea of Galilee, Jesus directs his disciples to a great catch of fish and he prepares breakfast for them. Jesus demonstrates the Way of being with one another in everyday life.
Today’s passage follows the Lord’s Supper where Jesus informed the disciples that he will be with them only a little longer. In the previous chapter, Jesus stressed that the disciples were to love one another as they loved him. When Peter asked to follow where Jesus was going he was fore-warned of his three denials. Their discussion continues into today’s reading. Jesus assured the disciples that there will be a place saved for them. He assured them that their hearts need not be troubled.
We know that troubled hearts recur throughout our lives. Hearts heavy with the fear of the unknown, troubled with the impact of solitude or isolation, and burdened with regret over our actions or inactions. Our hearts may feel heavy with the recognition of our own mortality and when we mourn the loss of loved ones. Loss through death or damaged relationships can be so painful that our hearts feel broken. It is during these troubling times that we recall the words of Christ. We recall that he encourages us to look to God and to one another for nurture and comfort.
We are assured by Jesus that our hearts will be lifted up. In their time of deep uncertainty he tells them that they can believe in God, even when the disciples are troubled by the realization that their time with Jesus is coming to an end. Jesus declared that we come to God by God’s initiative, that our faith is a gift. Yet, our faith is not without questions and doubt. Countless theologians have attempted to describe their faith as they seek understanding. We struggle just as the disciples struggled.
In today’s reading from John’s gospel we hear the three distinct voices of Thomas, Peter, and Jesus. Thomas is commonly referred to as doubting Thomas. Many are thankful for his curiosity as he gives voice to the questions that linger. Peter was the name given by Jesus to Simon Bar-Jona, the Galilean fisherman. The Greek word petra means “rock” and the Aramaic equivalent is “Cephas.” Peter and Andrew his brother came from Bethsaida, a fishing village on the Sea of Galilee.
Peter asked where Jesus was going. Jesus assured them of an ongoing relationship and that their connection would not be broken by death. It was and continues to be a difficult concept to process. Jesus encouraged them to believe in God and in him. They had witnessed Jesus raising Lazarus from death and many other miracles. He encouraged them to trust that he would go ahead of them and in time they would follow. He will know them beyond death.
It was Thomas who gave voice to a vital question. It would be the question that would bubble up for me. He asked, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ How can we know the way to go if we have not yet been there? How can we follow if you go ahead without us?
Jesus patiently explained the process that would take place. He assured them, although their anxiety lingered. Jesus would cross the chasm between this temporary physical life and the eternal. He knows they will follow him, that space will be ready for those who follow him. God has prepared space for all of creation. God created Jesus as the Word made flesh, dwelling among them, full of grace and truth. Through him, they are able to see and know God as never before. In him, in his human form, they can relate to him and see him stand against the cruel ways of the world.
Jesus urged them to take up their faith for ‘the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do’. They were encouraged to continue the works that glorify God, the works that were in harmony with the mission of Jesus. The disciples are told that ‘lf in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.’ To pray “in the name of Jesus” is to align our spiritual longing with his mission. This belief in Jesus is belief in God, with trust and hope.
We remember that the disciples had entered the city with Jesus less than a week ago. They were greeted with chants of Hosanna from the large gathered crowds. The disciples were now in a state of confusion. Were their hearts breaking as Jesus spoke of leaving them? Imagine their dis-orientated state of mind and the emotional upheaval after their Passover meal together. Were their hearts sinking as Jesus spoke of what would occur? They have been following Jesus and witnessing his ministry for several years. There was a continual struggle to grasp his message, vision, and mission. They struggled to grasp how things would change in the coming days and years. They believe he is the Messiah but he rejects power and control. They believe he is the Messiah, but would that not mean he is immortal? Their understanding of the Messiah is that he is God. This is the God who will liberate humanity once again. This is the God who will free people from Roman occupation and oppression. If he is the Messiah, how can he be defeated?
Jesus assured them of his faith in God. His faith lights the path for our faith. His insight into humanity has allowed generations to discover their insight. His nurture and love for humanity has provided solace and comfort in times of despair. Not surprisingly, the disciples scramble to understand what Jesus is telling them. Perhaps their unsettled confusion provides some comfort to us when we are confused by the events in our lives. The disciples were in the midst of preparations for the difficult times ahead. Preparation that would take root within their souls and give them strength and the ability to endure extreme challenges
The disciples were entering a time when their hope will be placed on a cross and crucified. Their despair and anxiety would be crushing. They will go into hiding as they enter into mourning. They will mourn the loss of their Messiah and the loss of their hope. At their greatest moment of need they will feel abandoned. How could he truly be the son of God if he could so easily be killed? It is for that depth of despair that Jesus prepares them. They will not enter into the darkness without the seeds of his message planted within their souls. It is in that darkness that they find strength with one another. It is in that darkness where the seeds will germinate and sprout as he is resurrected. The years of travel, of witnessing, of confusing parables, and deep devotion to others will begin to fit together for the disciples. It is in this time set apart that they will grow in their faith and begin the next segment of their journeys.
It is often our darkest days that allow us to develop deeper insight into the journey of our lives. The darkness gives way to a glimmer of light as we begin to see differently. We may begin to see how events at one stage of our life prepared us for the growth that would happen within us. As we age, we start to recognize how we are changed as individuals, as families, and as communities by our sorrow and our joy. When we grieve the loss of our loved ones we begin to see them more fully and we may begin to see ourselves differently. Our perspective shifts as we live into the new ways of being.
The disciples in this passage demonstrate their humanity. They want to cling to the perceived safety of what they know. They attempt to control the situation by questioning Jesus. Surely they will continue to travel together, they plead. Jesus anticipates their deepest fear – that they will be forgotten by the Messiah. He assures them, ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled.’ We can take strength from this message as we travel through challenging times. We can look with hope for the present and the future with deep faith in the loving and nurturing strength of Jesus Christ. Praise be to God.
The Offering Of Our Life And Labour To The Lord
Quote: The Bible uses the word believe 273 times. It uses the word pray 371 times. Love appears 714 times. Give appears 2,172 times.
Herb Miller (1936-2018), minister, author, editor
There is a bit of confusion about the process of donating to the church during the COVID restrictions. Donations may be made in several ways:
- The traditional method of Canada Post mail, just be sure to include the post office box: Knox Church, Box 565, Bayfield, ON N0M 1G0
- This is a good time to consider the consistency of postdated cheques or PAR. Both are easy to set up and easy to change.
- All cheques can be sent to the church by Canada Post. We would greatly appreciate monthly cheques, if possible.
- Jim Knox is willing to ‘safely’ pick up your offering envelopes. If you would like Jim to come to your house and do a pick up, his home number is 519-565-4214. The envelopes can also be dropped off at his home mailbox at 12 MacTavish St, Bayfield.
- Bank deposits will be done less regularly, likely about once a month
- PAR, the Pre-Authorized Remittance, is an automatic monthly withdrawal from your bank.
- Contact Brenda McLean (519) 524-8645 or email brmclean@hurontel.on.ca She is an expert at setting up PAR (and many other things too).
- Adjustments to postdated cheques and PAR can be easily made by confidentially contacting Brenda. All financial information is confidential.
All that we have is a gift from God. In faith and gratitude, we return a portion of what we have so abundantly received. During the worship service, we sing the doxology, a song of praise. You may actually hear an echo of the tune that Jean Walker and Betty Lou play each week.
We give thee but thine own, whate’er the gift may be;
all that we have is thine alone, a trust, O lord, from thee.
Blessing Of Gifts *
Take a moment to pray for blessings on the gifts of time, talent, and financial offerings received by the church. Your generosity does much good within the community and the world.
Gracious God, we dedicate these gifts with deep gratitude. We are thankful for your call on our lives, for your guidance, and for blessing us that we may be a blessing to others. We pray you will multiply what we offer for your own good purposes. In Christ we pray. Amen.
Prayers Of The People
You are encouraged to share your concerns and celebrations with the congregation. Your requests will be shared in the prayers of the people and kept in my daily prayers and the prayers of our congregation. Let us pray for all people and all of God’s creation.
Almighty God, in Christ you show us the way, as your truth is revealed. Keep our eyes upon Him, that we may see your path more clearly, know your truth more fully, and receive your life more abundantly.
Great Creator, we pray for the church throughout the world, that all who honour you may be faithful in their witness. We pray for the leaders of this world, for those who govern at every level of society in every nation. May they govern wisely and seek to protect and nurture their people. May the leaders of this world work together to find solutions to global health issues and faltering economies. We pray that your gifts of abundant food and water will be shared with all who dwell within your creation.
God, your Son promised to grant whatever we ask in his name. May our lives honour his teachings and may your Holy Spirit guide us to minister to the world as faithful disciples. We pray that our work will testify to what we pray, through Jesus Christ.
We pray for our communities. May we seek harmony with neighbours near and far. We pray for the sick, for those in need, and for those who suffer wounds of the soul. We lift up the essential workers. We pray for the doctors, nurses, and caregivers, the emergency first responders, the grocery clerks, transport drivers, police officers, custodians, politicians, clergy, and all others who continue to work through this pandemic. Be with them, strengthen them, and keep them under your care.
Almighty God, we are grateful for your everlasting and faithful presence. We pray for all the families and all the nations of the earth. May they turn toward you and find peace. Loving God, we lift up our people who are in need of your special care at this time. We lift up Ron, Sandy and their family as they continue to deal with the impact of Ron’s treatment. We lift up Brenda, Mark and family as they mourn the death of George and care for his widow, Evelyn. We lift up Ron Sangster, family, and friends as they mourn the death of Jean. We lift up Betty Lou’s daughter, Bonnie, as she continues treatment for breast cancer. We lift up Susanne’s extended family in New Zealand as they heal. We lift up Gayle’s granddaughter Courtney and great granddaughter Kyla. Be with them as they heal and grow together. We lift up Rob, son of Jane and Jim. Be with him as he lives with the impact and consequences of a brain tumor. We lift up Lisa, daughter of Grace, in her duties as nurse & caregiver. We lift up Marlene, daughter of Jessie, as she heals from her injuries.
Oh holy God, be with your people as they suffer and seek your peace. Allow your Spirit to linger with them. We pray for those who live in situations of violence. May they find protection and peace. We pray for the residents and care givers in retirement homes and long term care facilities. We pray for those who are in hospital and hospice. Be with those in isolation and quarantine. Be with all who struggle with physical distancing. We pray for all who are suffering financial hardship at this time.
Almighty God, we live in a time that is fraught with uncertainty at every level of society. The most vulnerable among us are the most at risk. Show us the ways in which we can find new ways of reaching out to people in need. Help us to continue our generosity of sharing our abundance with those who have little. We are thankful for the gifts you provide to those who care for your people. We pray that you will continue to bless the work of PWS&D, Presbyterian Sharing, and all others who devote their efforts to walking alongside those in need.
O Holy One, although we are apart and cannot lift our voices together, we speak the words aloud that Christ taught his disciples,
Our Father who art in heaven, hallow’ed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever.
Where hope has grown tired and thin, Gracious God, lift our sights, so that we may see hope beyond hope, life beyond death, and you, lifted up before us. We pray all this through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor are yours, almighty God, forever and ever Amen.
Question for Reflection
Jesus speaks of the “dwelling place”, in John 14:1–14. Does Jesus speak of a place for us after we die? Could this place include our life in the present? What does Jesus mean when he says that his disciples “will do greater works”? What does it mean to pray “in Jesus’ name”?
Benediction
Go forth to serve in the name of Jesus Christ.
May Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life, be with you.
May the Spirit empower you to serve in Christ’s name.
May God keep you this day and forevermore.
Closing Chorus
May the Lord, mighty God bless and keep you forever, Grant you peace, perfect peace, faith in every endeavor Lift your eyes and see His face, and His grace forever, May the Lord, mighty God bless and keep you forever.