July 12 Rev Dolson Knox Bayfield
Section 1
Greetings to my church family and friends. May the grace of God be with you. Time to get cracking! The call has gone out for your recipes for our new Knox Bayfield Cookbook. Include personal notes about the recipes, such as tips for serving, when you enjoy the dish, or how you discovered the recipe. Your comments will provide a delightful tidbit for the readers. Be sure your recipes are complete with ingredients and directions. Deb is asking for up to ten recipes from each of you. Send your recipes by email to: deb dot cosford13 at gmail dot com or Canada Post: PO Box 1594, Clinton ON N0M 1L0. A church cookbook offers years of experience and great cooking.
You may notice a change to the email addresses, the dot is noted as a word. The change has been made to avoid email spam.
Drop in and discover a virtual prayer community. There is a new day and time for the Coffee & Prayer on Zoom at 11:30 am on Thursday. “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20 Let me know if you would prefer to be removed from the email reminder list.
Mission Moment – Sacred Spaces & 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
Do you have food to share? Take your food donations to the bin outside at Trinity St James Church. 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) Help is available!
COVID has changed our routines and our perspectives. Who could have foreseen one-way aisles at the grocery store and Knox Bayfield on Youtube? Our worship, although not together in the sanctuary, is shared across the week. This service has been sent by email and delivered to those without access to email. It is posted on https://pccweb.ca/knoxbayfieldpc/ and https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=knox+bayfield
There are three parts to this service. This first section includes announcements; the second section includes scripture readings, the worship message, offering, prayers, and benediction; and, the third section includes daily prayers and hymns. Jean Walker will perform the hymns on the organ for the YouTube video. Remember to go to the end of the printed material for the lyrics to the hymns.
Section 2
Call To Worship Ps. 65:1–13
God’s creation delights and astonishes. Let all people pause and wonder! God, the Creator, has made it all. Let creation shout and sing! Alleluia!
Assurance of Pardon
The Scriptures tell of men who grieved, women who questioned, siblings who did not get along, and parents who chose favorites.
God’s word of grace is meant for people just like us. There is no need for pretense. Brothers and sisters, siblings in Christ, lay down your heavy burdens for God forgives our wrongdoing. Be at peace. God restores and strengthens your soul.
#774 God forgave my sin / Freely, freely
Prayer For Illumination
Move now in our hearts. Breathe through the words we hear, the songs we share, and the burdens we carry until we discover our purpose in
your liberating love. We pray this in the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Readings: [pronouns and names adjusted for clarity]
Isaiah 55:10–13, Psalm 65, Romans 8:1–11, Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23
Isaiah 33:10-13
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he [Jesus] told them many things in parables, saying:
“Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen! …
“Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
#704 Teach me, God, to wonder
Message
The passage today speaks to the parable told by Jesus. How do you hear this passage? From which perspective or world view do you hear? From which life experience do these words fall upon our hearts and our ears?
Jesus speaks of seed being spread over a vast area where some will grow and others falter. It may grow into a great bush or fizzle out. It may have a great start and fail. We do not know what will occur. In some ways you may experience this in your life. In many ways we do not know how our own lives will be impacted or how other lives will be affected by our actions.
When Jesus speaks of the seed falling in rocky or weedy areas, what is your reaction? Are you reminded of times when your actions were wasted or your efforts fell short of expectations. Have you wondered whether the impact of the gospels have fallen short of expectations of the tremendous change that could happen. I think of organizations that work with people seeking healing from addiction. I think of people who desperately seek someone to walk with them on their journey through life when they are presented with significant challenges. In an effort ot heal their bodies minds souls. We can think of the homeless, the marginalized, those who slip through the cracks of our social systems.
We know from scripture that Jesus chose to walk among people at every level of society. He journeyed with the wealthy, the oppressed, the political, the neglected, and the outcast. He spread the good news among all people just as the sower spread the seed. He walked into the streets, he walked into the crowds, he rowed out into the water to better speak to the crowds. He spoke the word of God’s divine love to nurture the faith freely given to them. He nurtured them but not all were touched by his words. Some turned away, others betrayed him.
We know there are many in our loves for whom we worry. They are unfamiliar with the gospel or have turned away for many reasons. For some, they have turned away because damage was done within the structure of the church. Where do we fit within these stories? Where do we spread the seeds of the gospel?
Again I ask you to reflect on how you hear this parable. Where do you fit in the description? Is the seed wasted in the thorns or the rocks? Or, could it be a necessary aspect of sharing the gospel? There are countless stories of people coming into a fuller realization of their faith. Their faith strengthens them to make necessary changes within their lives and the lives of others.
This parable raises many questions. Questions that arise as church membership declines and congregations grow smaller. Questions that arise as people claim identity with spiritual but not religious. During this ongoing time of isolation we recognize more deeply how important a sense of community is within our lives. We recognize how we miss the deep meaning of ritual. We miss the ritual of greeting one another in passing the peace of Christ. We miss the ritual of communion, of speaking the Lord’s prayer together, of singing together, of responding to the call to worship, and the simple ritual of standing together as we sing. Rituals, significant or small, have meaning. They lend to our understanding of who we are in relation to God’s creation. Perhaps we are invited to see that God’s vision for the world includes the strange and broken places.
There are many reasons why the seeds in the parable might thrive or die. The gardeners among you will have experience with plants that fail to thrive and plants that thrive despite your best efforts to be rid of them. The dynamic growing conditions with seed and soil include factors that befuddle and delight. A weed to one is an ecosystem to another. My mother nurtured the prickly Scottish thistle on her farm. The beautiful spiky plant was a haven for bees and butterflies but an eyesore for many visitors. They saw a chaotic weed, she saw beauty and nurture.
In pondering this parable, we may be led to more questions than answers. But that would not be surprising. Questions often allow us to open our perspective to see a bigger world, a more complex way of being within this creation. Yet, we wonder why the gospel might find nurture within one and not another. Are there certain conditions that must be available for the gospel to grow and take root?
Step back for a moment and take in the extravagant God reaching out to humanity. Recognize the importance of seeking to understand, of perseverance and attentiveness to God’s call on our lives. In this, perhaps, we see the miracle of faith.
There are times when we attempt to refine our efforts in sharing the gospel. We carefully prepare and gather demographics, define a target audience, and develop communication strategies. All good things when we have skills and talents in these areas. Yet, I wonder if this is the primary way to share the good news. In the parable today, the sower spreads the seed on soil that is both cultivated and not. Some will take root, others will not. Sometimes, we can be surprised by the strength and resilience of the seed that takes root in the rocky patch. As we go about our lives, we too are sowing the seeds of faith. Our actions, our words, our approach to others, tells the story of who we are and what we believe. When we share abundantly, we live into the understanding that God provides all that we have and that we are to share this abundance.
When we receive the opportunity to grow in our faith, we nurture and attend to setting good conditions for our faith. We seek to better understand our place within God’s creation. Each of us, in our own limitations, seek to understand how our faith calls us to take action. This understanding includes insight that lead to life changes.
Jesus understood that his teaching would fall on people who were like rocks, thorns, and other areas that might prevent growth. This parable connects closely with us today. In the work of the church we are called to tend to the people of God’s creation, to sow the seed and to hold the sadness as the gospels fall on rocky soil and weedy patches. Parents and caregivers know of this heartache. Parents of teens and young adults know their loving and compassionate guidance may fall on deaf ears. Farmers who carefully nurture crops and livestock may watch as consumers buy inferior products for the lesser quality. This parable touches all who are attentive to their impact on others.
This parable nurtures our understanding that some seed, perhaps a good chunk of it, may fall on tough soil. Yet, the sower keeps sowing. In Matthew’s gospel, we find that Jesus will keep sharing the word, scattering it far and wide. His followers are called to do so the same. We are also called to share the good news in the way in which we live and interact with others. In doing so, we share the story of God’s abundant generosity in our lives. We reflect on the many blessings and we share with others.
Novelist Bebe Moore Campbell writes, “Some of us have that empty-barrel faith. Walking around expecting things to run out. Expecting that there isn’t enough air, enough water. Expecting that someone is going to do you wrong. The God I serve told me to expect the best, that there is enough for everybody.” Praise be to God.
#570 I have decided to follow Jesus
The Offering Of Our Life And Labour To The Lord
Quote: When one tugs at a single thing in nature, one finds it attached to the rest of the world. John Muir (1838 –1914), naturalist, author, environmental philosopher
Your donations to the church are greatly appreciated. The expenses for our faith community continue even though we are not gathering in the church. Thank you for your ongoing support! With thanksgiving for God’s gifts to us, we offer ourselves and the fruits of our labor for God’s work in the world.
Blessing Of Gifts *
You call us to sow your word in all times and places, even when the ground is hard and shallow. For faith is a gift that comes from you, and fruitful discipleship is the work of your Spirit in us. May the gifts we offer this day spread the good news of life abundant in Christ. 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 and gracious God, we pray for all leaders of the world. You have created one human family to live and flourish in peace. Give us the wisdom to develop ways so that all may find shelter, nourishment, and love.
We pray you will teach us to care for the world you love. Help us to sow more than we reap, to heal more than we wound, to make room for others as you made room for us. O holy One, we pray for your creation. Help us to be rid the apathy and greed that clings to us.
We pray for the world as COVID continues to cause harm. We pray for all who are suffering with health concerns, financial hardship, and uncertainty.
We lift up those who struggle with the impact of isolation and with aging parents, disharmony, and distrust. May your spirit linger with them. Strengthen them with your presence of love. We lift up those who prefer to remain un-named. May they find healing and compassion with you. May they reach out to their brothers and sisters in Christ for assistance in their time of need.
Almighty God, there are many within our church family in need of your care at this time. We lift up Grace as she mourns the death of her mother, Annie. We lift up Ron, Sandy and their family as Ron continues his treatment. We lift up Mark for your ongoing care. We lift up Brenda, Mark and family as they mourn the deaths of Evelyn and George. We lift up Jan’s sister, Peggy, as she slowly heals from extensive heart surgery. We lift up Betty Lou’s daughter, Bonnie, as she enjoys the peace of remission. We lift up Susanne and family as they mourn the death of Susan. We lift up Gayle’s granddaughter Courtney and great granddaughter Kyla. We lift up Rob, son of Jane and Jim. We lift up Bonnie as she heals.
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. Amen.
496 – Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
Benediction Matthew 13
Sisters and brothers, sow the gospel wherever you go. Do not judge the soil on which you stand— for God brings forth fruit from unexpected places.
May God, whose forgiveness is boundless, the Christ, whose charge is freedom, the Spirit, which grants us life and peace,
keep our minds and hearts in grateful communion as we seek to serve.
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.
Questions for Reflection
How is God’s resurrecting Spirit at work in you and in your community? Where are you experiencing new life? Where are you struggling?
How might God be bringing new life from that struggle?
Section 3
Morning Prayer
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Living Word, shine on this day. Quicken my steps and open my ears that I might approach each neighbor with an expectant heart. Amen.
Evening Prayer
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Beacon of truth, I entrust to you now the day that has been: the tasks accomplished and tasks overlooked; the friends acknowledged and the friends ignored; the silence kept and the silence squandered. In your mercy, mend these tattered offerings. Grant me the gift of rest this night and good companions on the morrow, as you speak me further down the path toward home. Amen.
Daily Prayer Isa. 55:10–13
You opened your mouth, uttered a word and creation sprang forth in abundance. Let us open our mouths in praise, that we may bear fruit in every season and be satisfied by your goodness. You, O God, are the source of all growth; your grace abounds forever. Amen.
774 God forgave my sin / Freely, freely
704 – Teach me, God, to wonder
570 – I have decided to follow Jesus
496 – Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
774 God forgave my sin / Freely, freely
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=morHP2cJoZs&list=RDmorHP2cJoZs&index=1
Lyrics/Music: Carol Owens
- God forgave my sin in Jesus’ name. I’ve been born again in Jesus’ name And in Jesus’ name I come to you, To share his love as he told me to.
Refrain: He said ‘Freely, freely you have received, freely, freely give.
Go in my name, and because you believe
others will know that I live.
- All pow’r is giv’n in Jesus’ name. In earth and heav’n in Jesus name
And in Jesus’ name I come to you To share his pow’r as he told me to.
Refrain:
704 – Teach me, God, to wonder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7mnnHbnsgQ
Lyrics: WH Farquharson Music: R Klusmeier
- Teach me, God, to wonder; teach me, God, to see; let your world of beauty capture me. Praise to you be given; love for you be lived, life be celebrated; joy you give.
- Let me, God, be open; let me loving be; let your world of people speak to me.
Praise to you be given; love for you be lived, life be celebrated; joy you give.
- Let me, God, be ready, let me be awake, In your world of loving, my place take
Praise to you be given; love for you be lived, life be celebrated; joy you give.
- Teach me, God, to know you, hear you when you speak
See you in my neighbour when we meet
Praise to you be given; love for you be lived, life be celebrated; joy you give.
570 – I have decided to follow Jesus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUwpfId1Zr0
- I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus, No turning back, no turning back
- The world behind me, the cross before me
The world behind me, the cross before me
The world behind me, the cross before me, No turning back, no turning back
- Tho’ none go with me, I still will follow, Tho’ none go with me I still will follow
Tho’ none go with me, I still will follow, No turning back, no turning back
- Will you decide now to follow Jesus? Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus? No turning back, no turning back
496 – Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6LC8cu03Ig
Lyrics: Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith
Refrain: Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path
- When I feel afraid, think I’ve lost my way
Still you’re there right beside me
And nothing will I fear as long as you are near
Please be near me to the end
Refrain
- I will not forget your love for me and yet
My heart forever is wandering
Jesus be my guide and hold me to your side
I will love you to the end
Refrain