In step with the Spirit
ST ANDREW’S CHURCH
JUNE 26th 2022
LIGHTING OF THE CHRIST CANDLE
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- Welcome to this online service led by Rev. Shirley Cochrane. May the Lord bless you in this time of Worship.
- There will be no videos of the Sermons for the summer as our videographer is on an extended vacation.
CALL TO WORSHIP
It is good to give thanks to the Lord;
Let us sing praises to God’s holy name!
We will declare God’s steadfast love in the morning,
And God’s faithfulness night after night.
Let us make a joyful noise to the Lord!
For God is good and we know God’s blessings.
Let us worship God with grateful hearts;
We will give God thanks in our prayers and praise.
HYMN 814 Morning has broken
1.Morning has broken like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for them springing fresh from the world
2 Sweet the rains new fall, sunlit from Heaven
Like the first dewfall on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where His feet pass
3.Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God's recreation of the new day
PRAYER OF ADORATION
Faithful God, you created our minds to grow in wisdom. You created our hearts to expand with love. You created our voices to sing your praises forever. We bring you our worship with joyful praise, turning to Jesus for grace and guidance. Fill us to overflowing with your Holy Spirit so that the fruit of the Spirit will bound in our lives. May we worship you in spirit and in truth, and serve you in the example of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Hear us now as we confess together ..
UNISON PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Faithful, God,
you call us to follow you, whatever the circumstance,
yet we confess we prefer to remain where we are.
You offer us new beginnings,
yet we continue to make the same choices,
guided by our own desires.
We make excuses for avoiding your challenge to change.
Forgive us, O God.
Cleanse us with your mercy,
and energize us to serve you even when the challenge seems great.
In Jesus name AMEN
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
In Christ, we are made a new creation; the old life is gone and the new life has come! Know that God loves you and forgives you. Do not be afraid to make a new start!
THE PEACE
HYMN 471 - We are one in the Spirit
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord,
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord,
And we pray that all unity may one day be restored:
And they'll know we are Christians
By our love, by our love,
Yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love.
We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand,
We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand,
And together we'll spread the news that God is in our land:
And they'll know we are Christians
By our love, by our love,
Yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love.
We will work with each other, we will work side by side,
We will work with each other, we will work side by side,
And we'll guard each man's dignity and save each man's pride:
And they'll know we are Christians
By our love, by our love,
Yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love.
All praise to the father from whom all things come
And all praise to Christ Jesus who is Gods only Son
And all praise to the Spirit who makes us one
And they'll know we are Christians
By our love, by our love,
Yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love.
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Psalm 16 page 853
1 Keep me safe, my God for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” 3 I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.” 4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips.
5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. 7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Galatians 5:1, 13-25 page 1815
13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[c] you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit
SERMON
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of all our hearts be pleasing in your sight O Lord – our rock and our redeemer .
When we look at someone’s yard or garden, we can tell something about the person who owns the house. Looking at well tended garden and lawns is a pleasure But every so often we see a property that stands out like a sore thumb - a yard that has bushes and trees appearing that they have not been trimmed for years. The gardens have no flowers, the grass s uncut and covered with dandelions and other weeds. People in these houses seem not interested in landscaping or maintaining their gardens or perhaps they are simply too busy. Perhaps we wish the city would pass a law that they have to look after their yard, but the reality is, unless the place is a total disaster, the owner has the freedom of deciding whether his yard is nice or not.
So, when people look at us, the way we behave, at our attitudes and actions, at our personalities, they can also tell something about who owns or controls us., We as Christians have been given freedom - we are not forced to live a certain way but we have freedom to choose how to live.
Worldview - We all have one. Every culture and community has a way of looking at the world. just like we look at our neighbourhood .
The teachings, the practices and activities of the people gather over time to shape an underlying way of understanding the world and living within it. They become, as it were, filters that direct and affect what our eyes see, how our hearts respond, and what our minds process.
Even if it’s not written in bold print on your forehead, your worldview is there inside - quietly at work, shaping and directing everything. Sometimes it leaps out, front and centre – For example :
The way you build relationships and form family units ; The way you relate to the environment – How you provide health care - Religion, education, and the institutions associated with them .The filters of basic values, principles and priorities - the worldview stuff - affects how all of these areas and get acted out.
Paul is writing to the Christians in Galatia. These people are dealing with an important issue - whether or not non-Jewish converts should be circumcised or not. Paul says they do not need to be. (Gal 5:6) After Paul has left the region, other teachers have come to the area, preaching the need for the Galatians to follow the law as the first sign of obedience in their newfound faith in Christ
The Galatian believers are eager to take the next faithful steps in their faith journeys. They have welcomed these opposing teachers and their message—a message that Paul has labeled a distortion of the gospel, but one that the church does not have enough training to discern as harmful. Apparently, these teachers have claimed that the law is the vehicle of God’s Spirit (3:1-5). .
Adult men want to be circumcised to show their faith in Christ. People are willing to adopt new food practices to show their piety. They want tangible markers of their new existence in Christ.
These early Christians thought that the fact that they were forgiven meant that they could do anything they wanted. Paul says No. Paul reminds us that God is a God of light, and that we are to live is people of the light. We are to be above reproach.
Paul has told them that they have been set free from the law and reminds them that the Spirit is at work transforming them into a new creation—into people who are more loving, gentle, and kind
Our society, perversely, describes the “good life” as precisely what the Church has warned us against . They are the “seven deadly sins”: envy, greed, sloth, anger, gluttony, pride, lust. They are still trouble, leaving you hollow.
The vice list associated with the flesh is fairly typical of vice lists of the day and, while not intended to be exhaustive, is overwhelming. The flesh is “under the realm of the law” (5:18). The law exists because the flesh has been corrupted by sin.
The realm of the Spirit, though, is the realm of God’s new creation. It is “the kingdom of God” (5:21), a phrase rarely used in Paul’s letters but common in the Gospels. It is the inbreaking of God’s reign into life in the present.
The fruit of the Spirit is not intended to be an exhaustive list, but it is impressive nonetheless—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
We often place the list into a spiritual gifts inventory, but that grossly misses the point. Paul uses the word “fruit” in the singular. In other words, the result of the Spirit’s work is all of the above and more. We don’t get to pick and choose and neither do the Galatians.
Some say that is because the fruit of the Spirit is love and that the other 8 items are simply ways in which love is manifest. (Gal 5:14) I think that singular is used for another reason - these traits are integrated like a diamond with many facets or a cluster of grapes with many grapes. By using the singular it shows that all believers are to have all of these items,. Not - you have love and I have kindness ,she gets patience and he gets self control.
So how will the Galatians know that they are indeed a people being transformed—a people of the promise, children of God, clothed in Christ? Paul reminds them they are a people who bear one another’s burdens, love one another, as Christ has loved them. They are a people whose actions are marked by the shape of the cross rather than their own selfish desires. They are fulfilling the intention of the law—by actions which show love to their neighbors.
God’s work of renewal through the resurrected Christ is the good news—not the law, and the Spirit is the very vehicle of that renewal That’s the difference between religion and Christianity. Religions put a yoke on us, because religions talk about rules and regulations, and dos and don’ts. Christianity is about freedom from these dos and don’ts because everything is done by Jesus Christ. This is good news because no one, none of us, could ever live up to its demands.
Some people are just not comfortable with this freedom. They want rules and regulations to make them feel secure and restrained. Many big and strong churches are fundamentalist churches. They live under a set of demanding rules and regulations. The more the church has strict rules and regulations the more attractive they are. The apostle Paul warned the early Christians not to fall back in to that slavery trap. We are free and we must live like free people.
Psalm 16 states, “You show me the path of life .In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore,” As you begin to experience that joy. you’re on the right path.
Our Psalmist, knows that our only good is God. The great saints have taught us what they learned: gradually shedding other goods until there’s nothing left but knowing God is the fullness of life, the experience of complete joy.
If we honestly look at self - we can see that we bear both good and bad fruit - both the acts of the sinful nature and the fruit of the Spirit. If we recall that a “god” is whatever we cling to, whatever we think will deliver and bring the good life, then we begin to notice many gods clamoring for our attention, crowding out the one true God.
Verse 7 of the psalm envisions a benefit of proximity to God as having excellent “counsel” or “guidance.” Most Christians err by not having all that much to do with God until they are in a pickle or have to make a tough decision—and at that point dial up God for some guidance. But if you’re close to God all the time, you may not get in as many tough situations in the first place. Guidance isn’t a one-off bit of advice for what to do in a challenging situation, but a constant moving forward in sync with God
Galatians 5:25 challenges us - "walk by the Spirit" –It’s an ongoing lifelong process, - one that will present constant challenge. yet the drumbeat of the Spirit beats incessantly.
In this world filled with Chaos, there is much that we cannot control. But as children of the Living God there is much we can do to bring God’s presence to the world where we live. God is and always has been a God who creates order out of chaos. Let us live our lives as children of God bringing order and being orderly.
Two thousand years have come and gone and God hasn’t given up on us. There is evidence of the Spirit’s work all around us in this season of Pentecost. Praise be to God. May God bless you all, AMEN
HYMN 662 – Those who wait on the Lord
- Those who wait on the Lord
shall renew their strength;
they shall rise upon wings as eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint:
help us, Lord; help us, Lord, in your way. - Those who serve the suffering world
shall renew their strength;
they shall rise upon wings as eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint:
help us, Lord; help us, Lord, in your way. - Those who live the risen life
shall renew their strength;
they shall rise upon wings as eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint:
help us, Lord; help us, Lord, in your way. - Those who love the Mystery
shall renew their strength;
they shall rise upon wings as eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint:
help us, Lord; help us, Lord, in your way.5. Those who die on the march
shall renew their strength;
they shall rise upon wings as eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint:
help us, Lord; help us, Lord, in your way.OFFERING
According to the Apostle Paul, the fruit of the Spirit includes kindness and generosity, gifts of God we enjoy. As we present our offering, may the Spirit fill us with generosity, and multiply our kindness for the sake of Christ our Lord.
DOXOLOGY
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him all creatures here below
Praise him above ye heavenly host.
Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost
OFFERTORY PRAYER
O God, we know you to be kind and generous, so we bring our gifts in gratitude and joy. Pour out your Spirit on these gifts and on our lives, so that we may bear the fruit of your Spirit in every situation and relationship, through Christ, our Living Lord. Amen.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
God of mystery and mercy, God of our past and our future, We come before you today carrying all the hopes and dreams, and the burdens and blessings of our lives. We bring all that is on our hearts and minds to you today, grateful for the goodness, seeking your comfort and strength,
listening for your guidance.
God of life and love, You engage us in the midst of our lives when we need you. We pray today for all those who feel fearful about their future, and for all who wrestle with challenges at work or at home. We remember before you those weighed down by illness or worry, and all who provide care for those in need of support.
Help each one of us face our fears and our challenges supported by your love.
God of purpose and promise, of courage and comfort,
whenever we wrestle with any burden, your Spirit prays within us with sighs too deep for words. Today we pray for all those whose burdens seem too heavy to bear:
For the victims of violence or disaster, and for their friends and families… (pause)
For refugees at risk in so many places in the world,
remembering especially those who have fled Ukraine and Afghanistan…
and we lift to you all the victims of the huge earthquake in north western Afghanistan this past week (pause)
We pray those caught in despair and poverty in our own community
and in the forgotten corners of your world… (pause)
Renew the strength of all those challenged by realities beyond their control
and equip our leaders to support those in the deepest need.
We pray for the medical staff, the doctors, nurses and the people who look after our hospital. We pray fro the medical clinics and all who are involved in the health care system Its been overly stressful for all over the pandemic and recovery is understandable slow. There are many who have been shifted away from what they believe they need for their immediate health problems and emotions still run high . God who is our great physician, we lift this to you
Loving God
God of the world and all its peoples, we pray for our country and our leaders as we prepare to mark Canada Day. Equip Canada to be a force for justice and well-being in your world.
Give our leaders wisdom and integrity to make decisions that provide for a good future for all who call this nation home. Closer to home Open our eyes and our hearts to the opportunities we have to serve you in serving one another.
Make us alert to cries for justice in our midst and guide us in repairing relationships strained by differences between us.
We pray for traveling mercies for the many who will take to the roads on this coming long weekend.
Listening God we have spoken some of our joys, votes of thanks and requests on behalf of others
We lift to you …………..
And as always we wish to share the unspoken prayers of our hearts………………………….
Receive all our prayers, spoken and unspoken, May all be done according to your holy will as together we pray the words Jesus taught us:
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who art 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. 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, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
HYMN 324 – Great is thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be
Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love
Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine with 10,000 beside
Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me
BENEDICTION
May the grace of God which daily renews us, and the lovev of Christ which enables us to love all , and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit which unites us into one body make us eager to obey the will of God until we meet again through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior
CLOSING SONG
Take O take me as I am; summon out what I shall be
set your seal upon my heart and live in me