Service for September 20, 2026

LIGHTING OF THE CHRIST CANDLE

Welcome and announcements

CALL TO WORSHIP:

Give thanks to God who is good.

We will call on God’s name and make known God’s wonderful works.

Seek the Lord continually.

We will watch and listen for signs of God’s grace.

Together let us worship God.

We will rejoice in God’s presence and praise God’s holy name.

 

HYMN: “To God be the glory”

#350

 

PRAYER OF ADORATION:

God of all creation,

you open the world around us and fill it with creatures of your love and purpose.

The wonder of each creature declares your praise –

the mountains state your majesty;

the ripened field, your generosity;

the oceans your power and the skies your grandeur.

Birds sing of your freedom;

the ant works with your persistence.

We pray that our work will honour your justice and mercy,

and our relationships speak of your love and compassion.

So may we praise you, O God,

not just in this hour of worship, but in all our waking and our working.

May we live your praise and promise

through Christ, who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

now and always.

 

In confidence of your grace, we confess to you our sins:

 

God, you are the giver of all good gifts,

yet our generosity is often limited.

We complain about our circumstance. 

We compare ourselves to others

and see what they have that we do not.

We share some of what we have,

but we worry about running short. 

Forgive us our jealousy and greed

and give us generous hearts that trust in you day by day.

 

 

 

 

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

God’s mercy is from everlasting to everlasting. Believe the Good News! In Jesus Christ, God’s generous love reaches out to embrace us. In Christ, we are forgiven and set free to begin again. Thanks be to God!

 

May the peace of Christ be with you

And also with you.

Share a sign of peace with a wave to one another.

 

HYMN: “Love divine, all love’s excelling”    #371

 

PRAYER:     Holy God, your thoughts are not our thoughts, and your ways are not our ways. As we hear your Word read and proclaimed, guide us by your Spirit, so that our thoughts and our ways are transformed by your grace, through Christ, your Living Word. Amen

 

SCRIPTURE READINGS:

1 Kings 19:1-9                                                                    Page 559

2 Corinthians 12: 2-10                                                    Page 1806

Luke 22:39-46                                                                    Page 1638

 

SERMON - Janet Hanna

AND GOD SAID ‘NO’.

 

Many of us have regular prayer times. Time each day set aside to come before the Lord and lift our petitions and thanksgivings to Him. I am sure each of us has, at one time or another, experienced occasions when God has mightily, or sometimes, quietly, answered our prayers as we have asked. But I am also sure there have been other times when God seems to have not heard us at all. Jesus said in John 14:14, “AND I WILL DO WHATEVER YOU ASK IN MY NAME, SO THAT THE SON MAY BRING GLORY TO THE FATHER. YOU MAY ASK ME FOR ANYTHING IN MY NAME AND I WILL DO IT.”  Why then do we have unanswered prayers?

 

Actually, we don’t have unanswered prayers.  All prayers are answered – it is just that our timetable for what we believe to be the correct response is not necessarily the same timetable the Lord is using.  And what we think is how we want the prayer answered may not be the way the Lord chooses to answer it.  He answers our prayers as asked or asks us to wait for His response in His time. And sometimes his answer is “no”.

 

When does God say ‘no’?  He said no to Elijah. Elijah was feeling sorry for himself, and he was afraid of what Queen Jezebel would do to him, so he ran away.  He went into the desert, huddled under a broom tree and prayed to die. “I HAVE HAD ENOUGH LORD,” he said. “TAKE MY LIFE; I AM NO BETTER THAN MY ANCESTORS.”  He was alone and afraid. He felt he had failed God.  Elijah’s prayer was self-seeking.  He was not interested at that moment, in God’s will for his life.  He was not concerned for the nation of Israel that God had sent Elijah to call back to Himself.  Elijah was concerned with Elijah.  “I have had enough.”

 

Have you ever felt that way?  I have.  I sometimes get to the point where I want to say to someone or to God. “Just don’t bother me now.  I’m not interested in your problems, opinions, concerns, or needs. I have enough – more than enough on my own plate to handle right now.”  But, if the Lord left us alone in our self-pity; if He said, “Okay, your request is granted. I won’t bother you about the lonely, or the sick, or the shut-ins, or your family member, neighbour or friend having a difficult time.  You needn’t worry anything else. You just take care of you.”  What if God said that?  What if that self-seeking, self-pitying prayer of ours was answered whenever we felt overwhelmed or overworked or overburdened?  Where would we be today if a like prayer was answered in the lives of those who brought the Lord’s love and grace to our attention?  Where would the world be if prayers like that had been answered throughout the generations?

 

We would be without the majority of the social programs that help others. We would be without much of the love and service and gifts to those in need.  We would be a very small church in this world.  And we would be alone in our sin.

 

Elijah’s prayer was self-seeking. To grant it would have been God-denying.  God cannot deny Himself and His will. God’s will for Elijah was that he witness to the might, the power and the dominion of Almighty God before the adulterous Israelite nation.  They were worshipping false gods. They had fallen away and were an idolatrous and pleasure-seeking nation.  God could not take Elijah’s life and thereby forsake his people.  Just so, He does not answer “Yes” to our prayers when they are motivated by self-indulgence, self-pity or self-gratification.  A request before God that in no way enriches our faith or strengthens our spiritual dependence and commitment is a God-denying prayer and cannot be granted as we ask.  God is all truth, all justice, all-sovereign.  He must be, and always will be, true to Himself and true to His will for His people.

 

Elijah had fallen asleep after he prayed to die.  He was awakened by an angel, given food and drink and sent to Horeb where God appeared before him, not in a powerful wind, not in an earthquake or a fire, but in a gentle whisper. Afterward God sent him to the desert of Damascus where he was instructed to anoint Hazael to be king over Aram, Nimshi to be king over Israel and Elisha to be a prophet so that Elijah’s burden could be shared and that God’s people would have a messenger to warn them against turning away from their God.  Elijah became one of the God’s greatest prophets.  He was taken “up into the air” to be with the Lord.  He did not taste the death he had prayed for in the desert, even at the end of his days on this earth.  God said “No” to Elijah and Elijah became mighty for God.

 

God said “No” to Paul.  Paul was a missionary for the gospel of Jesus Christ.  He had suffered imprisonment, been shipwrecked twice, was beaten and flogged, and was often physically and mentally weary. People had attempted to stone him to death.  He was ridiculed and rebuked and often threatened.

 

Paul travelled to the far reaches of his known world and established churches – communities of believers worshiping and praising God for His grace shown to them.  Paul, in writing to the Corinthians for the second time, cites his vision or experience of a union with God in paradise.  An experience surpassing anything Paul had ever heard of.  A time when he heard ‘inexpressible things.”  Paul refers to himself in the third person in telling of his revelations, but in verse 7 confirms that he is the one of whom he speaks.  “TO KEEP ME FROM BECOMING CONCEITED BECAUSE OF THESE SURPASSINGLY GREAT REVELATIONS, THERE WAS GIVEN ME A THORN IN MY FLESH.”

 

No mention is given of the nature of the thorn. Some believe epilepsy, some spiritual or carnal temptations, some think migraine headaches or eye damage from the Damascus Road blinding and some believe he suffered from a form of malaria.  Whatever the ‘thorn’ was it disabled Paul periodically and caused him much suffering and pain.  Paul prayed to the Lord three times that He would take the thorn from him. God said, ‘no’.

 

Paul recognized the ‘no’ as God’s only answer on the subject.  Paul would need to rely on the Lord’s strength to carry him during his periods of physical weakness. God did not take away Paul’s pain, but He did give him the strength to bear it. Paul was able to continue his ministering to the Gentiles for the gospel of Christ.  He completed the task the Lord had set him aside to do.  It was not in God’s will for Paul that the thorn be removed and it was not in God’s will for the hundreds that Paul ministered too that Paul be able to serve God with his own strength.  God wishes his people to rely on Him as their source of strength, power, joy and peace.

 

In acknowledging his physical dependence on God’s strength to do God’s work, Paul was able to boast of and be joyful in his weakness. God’s will for our lives is a priority. What He knows to be best for us so we can become the men and women He wants us to be.  Prayers that would interfere with that plan if answered how we would wish, will be answered, “No, my child, I love you too much to let you have that answered your way.  My way for you is the best way.”

 

We need to pray in the Lord’s will for us and learn to recognize when we are asking for things contrary to it.  Not an easy thing to do.  Everyone of us is different; with different backgrounds, different attitudes, and different perspectives on the same issues.  Each of us is accountable to God for our own lives and our own walk along the path God sets us on. There have been many times when I have shaken my head in despair at the actions or attitudes of someone. I’m sure many of you have worried or frowned over something I have done.  But my perspective of your actions or attitude is distorted.  I do not know all the facts.  I do not know God’s will for you, just as you cannot interpret wholly God’s will for me.

 

Many years ago, a newsletter we received contained a paragraph I liked so I cut it out and put it in one of my many files. They wrote, “The plan of our Lord is not the same for every life.  The only thing God asks of his children is to be willing day by day to do his will. God does not ask the Christian to be a successful person or a brilliant one. God simply asks us to do daily, joyfully, and obediently the thing which he gives us to do that day.  Obedience is better than sacrifice and the person who will be a great success in the will of God twenty years from now, is the one who today is obedient to God’s will for their life in little things.”

 

Paul’s will was to remove the thorn so his ministry would not be hindered by ill health.  God’s will was that in Paul’s suffering he would lean totally upon the Lord for support and strength and so have an even more vital ministry for the Jesus.  Paul could never get caught in the trap of relying on the reputation, the knowledge, the oratory skill that he had.  He knew and was reminded always, that he was nothing without the Lord.

 

In allowing God’s strengths to cover his weaknesses Paul became the mighty evangelist whose teachings and insights fill a large portion of the New Testament. And the churches he established were the beginning of a world-wide transformation in the lives of millions. God says no when we pray outside of His will for us.

 

And God said no to Jesus; his only and beloved son.  Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, “FATHER, IF YOU ARE WILLING TAKE THIS CUP FROM ME, YET NOT MY WILL BUT YOURS BE DONE.”  He told his disciples in the accounts of Matthew and Mark, “MY SOUL IS OVERWHELMED WITH SORROW TO THE POINT OF DEATH.”  Luke wrote, “AND BEING IN ANGUISH, HE PRAYED MORE EARNESTLY AND HIS SWEAT WAS LIKE DROPS OF BLOOD FALLING ON THE GROUND.”

 

Jesus knew what was awaiting him.  The betrayal of his most trusted friends, the rejection of the crowds that only days before had lain branches and robes at his feet as he rode into the city; hailing him as a mighty king, the mockery, the beatings, the agony of the nails, the tortured of the cross. And ultimately, and most devastatingly of all, the separation of Jesus from His Father. “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”  Jesus did not want to go to the cross.  He was to be totally alone, totally spurned, totally humiliated and totally rejected there.  The anguish he faced was greater than anything we can possibly image.

 

God loves Jesus.  He is Himself.  His own beloved Son. His creater, His messiah, His chosen one.  But God said no.  “No, my son, I will not take this cup from you.  Because I love my people, just as you love them, I cannot.  Because I promised them that I would redeem them from the penalty of their sin.”  God cannot do anything that would not bring glory to His name.  To deny the promise of his word would be to deny himself.  In order to be true, God must speak truth.  In order to be just, he must dispense justice.  In order to be holy, God must display holiness.

 

What would our lives be like if God had answered Jesus’ prayer in the affirmative?  What if He said, “You’re right Jesus, this is too much to ask of you.  These people are not worthy of you.  They do not deserve your suffering.  I know these people, they will reject you and despise you and deny your existence and your sacrifice. No, you don’t have to do it.  Come back to me. We’ll just leave them in their sin – squabbling, jealous, prideful, resentful, power-hungry, and selfish. We’ll just let them be.”

 

Where would we be if Jesus had not said, “YET NOT MY WILL, BUT YOURS BE DONE.”   Jesus knew it was essential for our salvation that he be crucified. Without the crucifixion the penalty for our sins would still be due.  Without the cross we would not have a risen Lord to show that the sacrifice he made was sufficient before God.  Without the cross we would not have the Holy Spirit to guide us, to empower us, to encourage us and renew us. Without the cross we would all be eternally dead – forever separated from all that God is, has given, and has made.

 

God said no.  Not so that Jesus would suffer, but so that He would be glorified and we would be redeemed.  Our belief in Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection bridges the gap our sin created between God and us.  We read in John 12 “JESUS SAID, ‘IT WAS FOR THIS VERY REASON THAT I CAME TO THIS HOUR.  FATHER, GLORIFY YOUR NAME.’  THEN A VOICE CAME FROM HEAVEN, ‘I HAVE GLORIFIED IT AND WILL GLORIFY IT AGAIN’.”   The Lord’s name is magnified through all the earth because He was willing to forsake Himself and go to the cross for our salvation; for our unworthy, unbelieving, sinful selves.

 

As we face difficult periods in our personal lives. As we persevere as a congregation let us take comfort, let us rejoice in the times God says no to our prayers.  He desires the very best for each of our lives, for our families, for our congregation. When God says no he is not wanting to make us uncomfortable or miserable. God hungers for our obedience even when we don’t fully understand.  God seeks our earnest searching of His will for our lievs so He can bless us with all spiritual blessings.  He yearns for our understanding of and belief in His Son and the sacrifice he made on the cross.  The atonement he paid for us.

 

God loves us. He loves me and He loves you whether we acknowledge Him or not.  He died for us and he rose again.  Romans 5:6-11 in the Living Bible paraphrase says, “WHEN WE WERE UTTERLY HELPLESS WITH NO WAY OF ESCAPE, CHRIST CAME AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME AND DIED FOR US SINNERS WHO HAD NO USE FOR HIM.  EVEN IF WE WERE GOOD, WE REALLY WOULDN’T EXPECT ANYONE TO DIE FOR US, THOUGH, OF COURSE, THAT MIGHT BE BARELY POSSIBLE.  BUT GOD SHOWED HIS GREAT LOVE FOR US BY SENDING CHRIST TO DIE FOR US WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS.  AND SINCE BY HIS BLOOD HE DID ALL THIS FOR US AS SINNERS, HOW MUCH MORE WILL HE DO FOR US NOW THAT HE DECLARED US NOT GUILTY?  NOW HE WILL SAVE US FROM ALL OF GOD’S WRATH TO COME. AND SINCE, WHEN WE WERE HIS ENEMIES, WE WERE BROUGHT BACK TO GOD BY THE DEATH OF HIS SON, WHAT BLESSINGS HE MUST HAVE FOR US NOW THAT WE ARE HIS FRIENDS, AND HE IS LIVING WITHIN US!  NOW WE REJOICE IN OUR WONDERFUL NEW RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD - ALL BECAUSE OF WHAT OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST HAS DONE IN DYING FOR OUR SINS – MAKING US FRIENDS OF GOD.”

 

God does answer all our prayers just as he promised.  Sometimes he says yes, sometimes he says wait awhile. And sometimes he says no.  Let us praise him for the no answers as well as the yes ones. They enrich our faith and trust in Him.  No answers demand our dependence on the Lord’s strength.  They turn our eyes off ourselves and on to our Heavenly Father.  No answers glorify the name of the Lord as surely, and sometimes, even more so, than the yes answers.  His will for each of us will be done.  Praise the Lord.  Amen.

 

HYMN: “Take time to be holy”       #638

 

Offering and Doxology:

In glad thanksgiving for God’s graciousness and blessings, we return to God a portion of what we have been given. Your offering will no be received.

“Praise God from Whom all blessings flow”                 #830, vs 1

 

PRAYER OF DEDICATION

Generous God, you are the source of all good things, of life itself and all that sustains it. Bless the gifts we offer and the gifts of fellow Christians this day. By your Spirit, multiply their impact to support your purposes in the world you love in the name of Christ, our Saviour and Friend. Amen.

 

 

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE & THE LORD’S PRAYER (debts and debtors)

God of mystery and wonder,

we look around at the beauty of the world

and sense that you have given each precious thing its place

and a way of sustaining itself.

Thank you for your attention to the details of creation.

 

Yet we also see an aching world

and sense that many precious things are under threat.

Bless the work of faithful people everywhere to care for the climate and environment.

Show us how we can protect what is at risk

for the health of your whole creation.

God our Maker, make us a sharing and caring people.

 

God of energy and life,

We look around at the peoples of this world

and see your imagination and dignity in every variety of face and culture.

Thank you for the gifts you plant at the heart of humanity.

 

Yet we also see the aching of the hungry and hurting,

and hear the groans of parents whose children die in their arms

and the cries of children who fear tomorrow.

Bless the ministries of your church across this country and around the world

that bring healing and hope to lives at risk.

God our Maker, make us a sharing and caring people.

 

God of promise and possibility,

We look around at the places where people collide with each other

and hear the grumbling of nations locked into old rivalries and new grievances.

We watch the jousting of leaders impressed more by polls than effective policies.

We worry about the future of our communities and our children.

Thank you for the ministries of advocacy your church undertakes

and the witness for justice and peace we make together in Jesus’ name.

God our Maker, make us a sharing and caring people.

 

God of faithfulness and surprise,

We look at ourselves

and sometimes doubt we can make a difference or have an impact.

Challenge us to recognise the kinds of power we do have:

The love and compassion,

The courage and commitment,

The laughter and friendship,

The generosity and mercy.

In all of these gifts we know your power is at work within us and among us.

Call us to keep serving together,

trusting you can do more than we can ask or imagine

through your church, our congregation, and our own lives,

blessed by the grace of Jesus Christ who taught us to pray:

 

Our Father, who are in heaven

Hallowed 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 debts as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory.

Forever and ever. Amen

 

HYMN: “And can it be that I should gain.”       #352

 

COMMISSIONING AND BENEDICTION

Go, remembering God’s generosity to us in Christ and in creation. Be generous in kindness to all who reach out to you.

May the power of the Spirit strengthen you, and the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge fill you with the fullness of God this day and evermore.

 

BLESSING SONG:

Go now in peace, never be afraid.

God will go with you each hour of every day.

Go now in faith, steadfast strong and true.

Know He will guide you in all you do.

God no in love and show you believe.

Reach out to others so all the world can see.

God will be there, watching from above.

Go now in peace, in faith, and in love.

 

Three-fold amen.