Welcome to St. Paul’s Anglican, Fort Garry! Here you’ll find the order of service for Sunday, June 6, 2021. The service will be on our YouTube page by Sunday morning.
Prelude
Children of Eden (Stephen Schwartz)
Like this brief day
My light is nearly gone
But through the night
My children you will go on
You will know heartache
Prayers that don't work
And times of bitter circumstances
But I still believe in second chances
Children of Eden
Where have we left you?
Born to uncertainty
Destined for pain
Sins of your parents
Haunt you and test you
This your inheritance
Fire and rain
Children of Eden
Try not to blame us
We were just human, to error prone
Children of Eden will you reclaim us?
You and your children to come,
Someday to come home
Children of Eden
Where is our garden
Where is the innocence
We can't reclaim
Once eyes are opened
Must those eyes harden
Lost in the wilderness
Must we remain
My precious children
If you think of us try not to blame us
We were just human to error prone
Children of Eden
Will you reclaim us?
You and your children to come,
Someday to come home
Land Statement
We acknowledge that we meet and work in Treaty 1 Land, the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Cree, and Dakota people and the homeland of the Metis Nation. We are grateful for their stewardship of this land and their hospitality which allows us to live, work and serve God the Creator here.
Opening Hymn
Who Is My Mother (Judith Snowdon)
Who is my mother,
who is my brother?
all those who gather round Jesus Christ:
Spirit-blown people
born from the Gospel
sit at the table, round Jesus Christ.
Differently abled,
differently labeled,
widen the circle round Jesus Christ,
crutches and stigmas,
culture's enigmas,
all come together round Jesus Christ.
Love will relate us --
color or status
can't segregate us, round Jesus Christ:
family failings,
human derailing’s --
all are accepted, round Jesus Christ.
Bound by one vision,
met for one mission
we claim each other, round Jesus Christ:
here is my mother,
here is my brother,
kindred in Spirit, through Jesus Christ.
Gathering
We praise you, living God: you give strength to the earth that sustains us,
You open your hand to feed all living things.
We praise you, Lord Jesus Christ: You teach us with stories of seeds and weeds and harvest time,
You call us to accept your word and bear much fruit.
We praise you, Holy Spirit, fire of love: you are the breath of life in every creature,
you refresh our thirsty souls with grace.
Blessed be God, Source of Wisdom, living Word, abiding Spirit,
Blessed be God for ever
Collect
Eternal God, you create us by your power and redeem us by your love. Guide and strengthen us by your Spirit, that we may give ourselves today in love and service to one another and to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Glory to God
Glory to God, glory to God
Glory in the highest.
Glory to God, glory to God
Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus says, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’ So let us turn away from sin and turn to Christ, confessing our sins in penitence and faith. Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while Jesus is near. Lord have mercy
All: Lord have mercy
Let the wicked abandon their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Christ have mercy.
All: Christ have mercy
Turn back to the Lord, who will have mercy; to our God who will richly pardon. Lord have mercy
All: Lord have mercy
Grant, we beseech you, merciful Lord, to your faithful people pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins and serve you with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, Creator and redeemer of all; to you be glory and praise for ever. From the waters of chaos you drew forth the world and in your great love fashioned us in your own image. Now, through the deep waters of death, you have brought your people to new birth by raising your Son to life in triumph. May Christ your light ever dawn in our hearts as we offer you our sacrifice of thanks and praise.
All: Amen.
Let us hear the proclamation of the Word:
Proclamation of the Word
A Reading from the book of Genesis
They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ He said, ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.’ He said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?’ The man said, ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.’ Then the LORD God said to the woman, ‘What is this that you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent tricked me, and I ate.’ The LORD God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.’
The word of the Lord
All: Thanks be to God
Psalm 130
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD.
Lord, hear my voice!
ALL: Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!
If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?
ALL: 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
ALL: 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.
ALL: It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
A reading from Pauls letter to the Corinthians
But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture—‘I believed, and so I spoke’—we also believe, and so we speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence. Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal. For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
The word of the Lord
ALL: Thanks be to God
Gradual Hymn
From the Apple in the Garden (Hm2870)
From the apple in the garden
to the manger and the star,
from the rainbow and the promise
to the moment where we are,
you are our hope, loving God.
From the manna in the desert
to the breaking of the bread,
from the hunger of the ages
to our hunger to be fed,
you are our hope, loving God.
From the prisons of the prophets
to the growing light of day,
from the death within the darkness
to the stone that rolls away,
you are our hope, loving God.
From the curse of Eve and Adam
to the blessing of the Christ,
from the spirits of division
to your Spirit in our midst,
still be our hope, loving God!
Gospel
The Lord be with you
ALL: And also with you
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark
ALL: Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
And the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind.’ And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.’ And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.
‘Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin’— for they had said, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’
Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, ‘Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.’ And he replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’
The Gospel of Christ
ALL: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ
Sermon: Rev Helen Holbrook
Song
We Lift Up Our Hearts to You (Carey Landry)
chorus
Oh Lord our God we lift our hearts to you
Oh lord, our God, your people rejoice in you
God of the living, God of all people
Father of life, we lift up our hearts to you.
God be our refuge, shield us from harm
Oh Lord, victorious, we lift up our hearts to you
Blessed redeemer, creator God
Life-giving spirit, we lift up our hearts to you
Covid Litany
(as one line of the litany is spoken a rock is placed around a candle on the altar)
Let us pray in faith to God our Creator, to the Son Jesus Christ, and to the Holy Spirit, Saying Loving Creator have mercy
We hold before you God those who have had COVID, those who have died by COVID, and their surrounding loved ones. May they find the peace of Christ, may they find the supports spiritually, emotionally, physically, and financially. (a stone is placed on the altar around a candle)
ALL: Loving Creator have mercy
We hold before you God your Church of the living God throughout the world as they have had to discern when to hold services, have had to adapt to on-line services, and had to provide pastoral care to the lonely and speak out against the inequality that COVID has revealed.
ALL: Loving Creator have mercy
We hold before you God those who work in health care facilities, and those who provide essential services such as fire, paramedics, police, grocery stores, factories, agriculture, transport, education, air ambulance, pharmacies, group homes, home care, home repair, car repair, buses, and so many more. May they be protected from covid, and provided with paid sick days, and time for self care.
All: Loving Creator have mercy
We hold to you God the many losses due to Covid that may include overdoses, cancelled surgeries, lost time with loved ones, lost social events with friends and families, lost mental health supports, lost business, lost income, lost gatherings and many more losses.
All: loving Creator have mercy
We hold to you God those who make difficult decisions, our prime minister, our premier, our medical experts, our hospitals, for they may fear failure, and face the stress of competing demands. May they not feel alone, and may they turn to you for wisdom and loved ones for care and encouragement.
All: Loving Creator have mercy
We hold to you God our Bishop Geoff, our Priest Karen along with Priests in dioceses of Rupert’s Land, our deacons, parish councils, music ministries, all religious leaders throughout Manitoba and the world. May they feel your guidance and sense the Holy Spirit in the decisions they make and the in the ministry they are called to.
ALL: Loving Creator have mercy
Creed
Do you believe and trust in God, source of all being and life, the one for whom we exist?
All: We believe and trust in the Creator.
Do you believe and trust in God the Son, who took our human nature, died for us and rose again?
All: We believe and trust in him.
Do you believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit, who gives life to the people of God and makes Christ known in the world?
All: We believe and trust in him.
This is the faith of the Church.
All: This is our faith. We believe and trust in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen
Offering Hymn
Until All Are Fed
How long will we sing?
How long will we pray?
How long will we write and send? How long will we bring?
How long will we stay?
How long will we make amends?
chorus
Until all are fed we cry out; until all on earth have bread.
Like the One who loves us each and every one we serve until all are fed.
How long will we talk?
How long will we prod?
How must we fret and hoard?
How long will we walk to tear down the facade?
How long, how long, O Lord?
chorus
How can we stand by and fail to be aghast?
How long till we do what‘s right?
How can we stand by and choose a lesser fast?
How long till we see the light?
chorus
On the green, green grass they gathered long ago
to hear what the Master said.
What they had they shared, some fishes and some loaves,
they served until all were fed.
chorus
Prayers of the People
Look with compassion, O heavenly Creator, upon those in this land and world who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as their constant companions. Have mercy upon us and help us to eliminate cruelty wherever it is found. Strengthen those who seek equality for all. Grant that every one of us may enjoy a fair portion of abundance of this land; through your Son Jesus Christ. We ask this in the name of our loving God
ALL: Lord hear our prayer
Look with patience, O heavenly Creator, and empower us with courage as we struggle to be stewards of the world you lovingly gave us. May we seek to decrease the use of fossil fuels, care for our water, decrease consumption that pollutes our seas and lands, and accept and live a life that focuses on meeting our basic needs not accumulation of wealth and goods. We ask this in the name of our loving God
All: Lord hear our prayer
Look with empathy, O heavenly Creator, upon this land as we seek reconciliation with all those who have experienced racism, sexism, biased treatment of any type. May we be aware of our own biases, assumptions, etc. and see people as you see us, for you view us as your children and as your children we see all those we meet as our sisters and brothers. We ask this in the name of our loving God.
All: Lord hear our prayer
Look with love, O heavenly Creator upon this community’s members on the prayer list. We lift up all those who have died and may their families and friends feel your love and support in their mourning. May those in mourning be supported by this community. We ask this in the name of our loving God.
ALL: Lord hear our prayer
Our Father – Sung
Final Prayer and Blessing
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore.
ALL: Amen
May God our Creator care for you today, every night, every morning, and every other day as we continue to journey through these Covid times. May you be inspired by Christ’s love and held by God’s care. May you feel God’s presence in the depths of your soul to empower you to live each moment accepting the day and the experiences in it and knowing God continues to walk with us even in the darkest moments.
ALL: Amen
Closing Hymn
Community (Tune In)
Chorus
Part of a family, interconnected, this is community.
Welcoming strangers, visiting neighbours, this gives us dignity.
Care for the earth and sea, we need to keep them free, so we care for the earth and sea.
Care for the ones we meet, love is the face we see, when we care for the ones we meet.
Chorus
Sharing our joy and pain, praying and keeping faith, by sharing our joy and pain.
Singing a song of rights, imaging God in life, by singing a song of rights.
Talk to the lonely, bind up the broken, this makes community.
A glass of water shared with the thirsty, this makes for dignity, this makes for dignity.
This is community.
Dismissal
Go and serve our loving Creator, who has chosen you to be present to a world aching and seeking God’s care, the companionship of Christ, and the Spirit’s wisdom.
ALL: Amen
Postlude
Lord of the Dance - Instrumental
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