ST ANDREW’S CHURCH
APRIL 28 , 2024

LIGHTING OF THE CHRIST CANDLE

ANNOUNCEMENTS

CALL TO WORSHIP
Like spring breaking through winter’s power,
God’s resurrecting power breaks into our lives
in surprising ways.
Like the vine that supports blossoms and fruit,
God’s Word upholds the church in strength.
Let us worship God who makes all things new.
We will praise God who brings growth and
renewal to all life.

HYMN 438 When morning guilds the skies

When morning guilds the skies My heart awaking cries
May Jesus Christ be praised !
Alike at work and prayer To Jesus I repair
May Jesus Christ be praised !
Tog the word on high the hosts of angels cry
May Jesus Christ be praised !
Let mortals too upraise their voice in hymns of praise
May Jesus Christ be praised !

Let earth’s wide circle round in joyful notes resound
May Jesus Christ be praised !
Let earth and sea and sky from depth to height reply
May Jesus Christ be praised !
Be this while life is mine my cantle divine
May Jesus Christ be praised !
Be this the eternal song through all the ages long
May Jesus Christ be praised !

OPENING PRAYER
Holy God, Creator of all things; you are our hope and the source
of all wisdom. Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord, you are the vine and
we are the branches. Your love is our strength. Your energy is
our joy. Holy Spirit, you nourish our faith so that we can bear
fruit in many different ways. We gather to offer our worship and
praise you as Holy God, Loving Son and Holy Spirit, ever Three
and ever One.
UNISON PRAYER OF CONFESSION
God of Love, we fail to love and one another fully.
Forgive us for ignoring to love and worship you,
for ignoring the needs of others, and not following your
ways. Forgive us for seeking praise from others,
yet failing to encourage them in their endeavours.
Forgive who we have been, O God,
and root our lives more deeply in your love.
In Jesus name AMEN

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

The writer of the Gospel of John records that God is love, and
that God’s perfect love casts out fear. Those who abide in love
abide in God and God abides in them. Claim your hope in this
Good News: God’s perfect love abides in you through Jesus
Christ our Lord.

THE PEACE
HYMN 772 – Christ for the world we sing Alternate
Tune: 291

1. Christ for the world we sing;
the world to Christ we bring with loving zeal,
the poor and all that mourn, the faint and overborne,
sin sick and sorrow worn, for Christ to heal.
2. Christ for the world we sing;
the world to Christ we bring with fervent prayer,
the wayward and the lost, by restless passions tossed,
redeemed at countless cost from dark despair.
3. Christ for the world we sing;
the world to Christ we bring with one accord,
with us the work to share, with us reproach to dare,
with us the cross to bear for Christ our Lord.
4. Christ for the world we sing;
2. the world to Christ we bring with joyful song;
the newborn souls whose days, reclaimed to live always,
inspired with hope and praise, to Christ belong.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Psalm 22: 25 – 31
1 John 4: 7 – 21

SERMON Love is Action
May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts,
be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.
Amen.
Today’s text contains some of the most moving and profound
teachings on love in the New Testament. The depth and power
of the three words “God is love” are often lost on us because of
the abundance of contradicting conceptions of love all around
us. 1st John, however, speaks of love in a specific, distinctly
Christian way. Love is not God, but God is love, meaning that
believers are to understand love on God’s terms and according to
God’s character.
In today’s text John is not talking about a human capacity for
love. Nor is John talking about loving human relationships that
is given by God’s common grace to all people. No. John is
talking about divine love, agape love
Divine love is not obscure or abstract but has a special and
specific meaning and expression. God defined and demonstrated
his perfect love when he “sent his only Son into the world so
that we might live through him” (4:9; 3:16). In 4:10, “only Son”
(monogenēs) emphasizes Christ’s unparalleled uniqueness both
in his nature and in the life-giving impact of his atoning death
for us

To discover what God’s love looks like, we need to begin where
John begins: The core of love is in God’s heart. Does God love
us? Yes – a thousand times “Yes!” God loves us so much that He
sent His only Son to become one of us. He did so, not just so He
could fully identify with us, but so we could more fully
understand and identify with Him.
He has given us the privilege of being part of His family –
brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ! It is not because God made a
huge search or ran a worldwide contest to find the most
qualified, the greatest, the most deserving people to be His
children; no, He settled for us – for the likes of you and me. Pure
grace – totally undeserved and unmerited. We could never have
measured up on our own. Yet He adopted us! We share all the
riches, rights, and royalties of Jesus! But unlike those adopted
into human families, we’ve been given the family genes: “We
know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall
see him as he is.” ( 3: 28)We’re on our way to looking like Jesus – a
little more every day!
According to John, a Christian demonstrates his love for God by
his love for one another. Yes, Christians still make mistakes and
even commit sins. However, the new direction of the Christian’s
life is to love others as he has been loved.
God’s perfecting love helps us love one another despite our
sinful nature, so we need not be afraid to love, however
imperfectly. By showing up again and again to love our brothers
and sisters in Christ, we demonstrate that God is inhabiting us in
such a way that his way of love becomes our habitus, our
internalized second nature—something we were born of God to

do. However we can continue to love one another in messy
ways, confident that our actions speak louder than words and
find their source in the inexhaustible, perfect love of God.
People sometimes feel that they have to earn or merit God’s
love. He is not impressed by our efforts. In fact, not one of us is
at all deserving of God’s love. There is nothing at all that we can
do to merit his favor. And that is good news. Because God’s love
for us does not depend on us. It is his nature to love and by his
grace, we are born again. I think that knowing that truth frees us
to receive his love and to enjoy his love. It also frees us to love
others out of the love we have already received from God not in
an effort to receive his love.
Thus, our love for others demonstrates our fitting and grateful
response to God’s immeasurable love for us: “Beloved, since
God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another” (4:11).
Now make no mistake about it – this removes love from the
“feeling” level – This is an act of the Will. It is ‘agape’ love – a
love, like Jesus’ love, which is constant because He has
promised to love us no matter what – even when He may not
feel like it! Still He loves. As Reuben Welch wrote, “…we have
to move out of the level of liking and emotion and feeling and
warmth to the level of the will – a posture, a stance, an attitude,
a frame of mind, a life’s direction towards others that’s
conditioned by our understanding of God’s self-giving in Jesus.”
The central truth of this passage of scripture is that God showed
his love for us by sending his only Son into the world so that we
might live through him (vs. 9). By showing God’s love for us in

the person of Jesus, God demonstrates that love is costly; it is
sacrificial.
The letter of 1 John is written to a community. The love that the
writer describes is love that is expressed in community—both
the community of faith and the community in which the first
Christians lived.
In a faith community; a Christian congregation’s distance is not
a possibility. We pray and sing songs together. We study and
serve together. It is easy for us to be offended inadvertently by a
brother or sister in Christ. We can have our feelings hurt, and we
can allow the habits of others to annoy us.
Or we can love. We can express our love in forgiveness and
patience. Rather than focus on our own wants and desires, we
can raise our eyes and see the needs of others. The love God
calls us to is not an easy love. Sometimes it is very difficult to
love some people. But remember, sometimes it is very difficult
for others to love you, too.
In his commentary on First John, David Jackman writes, “The
last three words of verse 8 form one of the most profound
statements of the whole Bible and perhaps for many people
today one of the hardest to believe. God is love.” When we
consider that there are almost 8 billion presently living on planet
Earth, can we talk meaningfully about God loving us?
According to the Population Reference Bureau, “about 117
billion members of our species have ever been born on Earth.” It
is hard even to conceive of such a large number of people. Again
we wonder if God really loves us.

Yet, John insists that God is love. Because God is sovereign and
supreme over all creation, we must not think that God is too
great to be bothered with each one of us. Indeed, God is so great
that he is concerned about each one of us individually.
How, then, do we love? We give ourselves away. We are to
consistently and constantly do what love demands and requires.
Charles Schultz has Lucy come to Charlie Brown and say,
“Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown. Since it‘s that time of the
season, I think we ought to bury past differences and try to be
kind.” Charlie Brown asks, “Why does it just have to be this
time of the season? Why can’t it be all year long?” Lucy looks at
him and exclaims, “What are you, some kind of fanatic?” That,
in fact, is what we are commanded to be – fanatical.
There is no place for selfishness in a believer. Believers are to
love God and also to love one another. This reminds me of
Jesus’ summary of the two great commandments. You shall love
God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and your
neighbour as yourself. ( Mark 12: 30)That means we will serve others
and seek their greatest good.
If our hearts are not touched by the need of others, we need to
examine our relationship with Christ. To “have no pity” is a
wonderful Greek word, “splangknas.” It means, deep inside –
our innards. We talk about gut level openness – that’s
“splangknas”. As God felt our sin deep inside Himself – so we
are to feel the pain of others and act to relieve it.
Two years ago when I was in Rupert, I was walking downtown
when an elderly native fellow was walking toward me. I said
my usual smiling” Hello.” He put out is hand to stop me and

said “ You are the only one who has said hello to me in a very
long time “ and the tears ran down his face. It broke my heart .
We chatted for a few minutes and then went on our different
ways . I suspect he remembered it for a long time even as I
remember .
Popular notions of love resist accepting the idea that love
involves demands, consequences, and judgments. But for 1
John, to say “God is love” also means that God’s judging
activity arises from his loving nature.
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one
and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” (9)
God publicly displayed His love by sending Jesus on a type of
divine Kamikaze mission. Knowing we could never measure up
to God’s holiness or pay the price for failing to do so, God
stepped in. He loves us too much to let us die in our sin and
spend eternity in hell. This is the uniqueness of God’s love in
Jesus. Many religions are built on the premise that God is love.
Christian Science, Buddhism, Hinduism, Universalism,
Humanitarianism, can all be built on this premise. But the
defining act of the love of God is the death and resurrection of
Jesus. There is no one else or nowhere else to be freed from the
penalty of our sin. Because of Jesus, we are free, totally
accepted and loved as we are.
No matter what, God accepts us – we can be sure because He
has adopted us, given Himself for us in Jesus who paid the price
for us. That, my friends, is good news! But why, then, does John
say God’s love is incomplete? (4:12) “No one has ever seen God;
but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made

complete in us.” God’s love is not complete until it is seen in us;
it is never experienced by others until it flows through us.
Everything God does is an expression of his perfect,
unconditional love. We do not have to love perfectly for God’s
love to be perfected in us. Interpersonal acts and expressions of
love arise out of God’s perfect love revealed in Jesus. Jesus once
said in John 13:35, “By this all people will know that you are my
disciples, if you have love for one another.” One of the greatest
witnesses to the reality of the gospel is found in the fellowship
of believers. In a healthy Christian fellowship, believers love
one another and serve one another. They participate in the life of
the body.
Love, wherever it is found, takes commitment. Such
commitment comes from experiencing God’s commitment to us.
The Bible calls it “steadfast love.” Even during the
rebelliousness of Israel or the church, God’s love never wavered.
It was steadfast. God’s love for us is also steadfast. There is
something in every person that yearns for a meaningful life and
love. Christians know that they lose nothing when they
surrender to God. They gain abundant life, eternal life, and God
himself. Thanks be to God AMEN

HYMN 730 O for a world where everyone

1. O for a world where everyone
Respects each other’s ways,
Where love is lived and all is done
With justice and with praise.
2. O for a world where goods are shared
And misery relieved,
Where truth is spoken, children spared,
Equality achieved.

3. We welcome one world family
And struggle with each choice
That opens us to unity
And gives our vision voice.

4. The poor are rich, the weak are strong,
The foolish ones are wise.
Tell all who mourn; outcasts belong,
Who perishes will rise.

5. O for a world preparing for
God’s glorious reign of peace,
Where time and tears will be no more,
And all but love will cease.
Lyrics: by Miriam Therese Winter, 1987

Offering
While the season of Easter is unfolding, the gifts of spring
emerge around us to remind us of God’s generosity in Christ and
in creation. As we present our gifts to God, may our generosity
reflect God’s goodness to us and our hope for abundant life in
Christ Jesus.

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
Generous God, we bless you for your gift of life renewed
through Christ’s love. Bless the gifts we offer so they renew
hope in the world you love, in the name of your greatest gift,
Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord. Amen

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Lord Jesus Christ, we draw near to you in prayer this day,
trusting that your love changes lives and your resurrection
brings hope into the world you love. You walk with us through
every challenging time, and we give you thanks for every sign of
hope in a world that is often on edge and the future seems
uncertain. May we abide in your love.
We ask you to bless the ministries and mission activities in this
congregation, and in the churches throughout our community .
Thank you for each faithful servant serving in these challenging
days, whether in Canada or in international ministries. We give
thanks for the service of all who work with the church in
creative and courageous ways and often under difficult
circumstances Bless them with good health and courageous
commitment, and equip them well to reach out in love and
respect. We pray for students who are graduating from The
Theological Colleges. May it be a time of joy, celebrating the
hard work and successes of each student; may each one

experience God’s leading in next steps as they discern direction
in their respective callings. We pray for churches, local
organizations and businesses struggling under the pressure of
economic challenges.
We pray for people in countries and communities where it is not
safe to live out their faith or express their views openly. We also
pray for victims of discrimination and acts of hatred, and those
who fear violence day by day. We remember and pray for
journalists and advocates for justice who live under threat for
telling the truth.
Loving and Listening God, we bring you our prayers for our
families – for others, friends and enemies, neighbours and
strangers alike. We pray for people who are struggling with
illness, loneliness, grief or sadness:
Ashley
…………………..
Hold silence for 15 seconds.
May we all abide in your love.
Lord Jesus, we believe that you hear our prayers and will be
faithful to our requests and concerns. And so we pray together
the words you 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 332 O Lord my God

1 O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds thy hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed:
Refrain:
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!
2 When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:
3 And when I think how God, his Son not sparing,
Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burdens gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin:
4 When Christ shall come with shouts of acclamation,
To take me home, what joy will fill my heart!
Then I will bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, my God, how great thou art!

BENEDICTION
Go in the peace of Christ, to witness to his love in truth and
action each day. And may God’s resurrecting love open the
future for you, empowered by the Spirit ,and embraced by the
presence of Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord. AMEN
CLOSING SONG 422

Sing a new song unto the Lord
Let your song be sung from mountain’s height
Sing a new song unto the Lord
singing Hallelujah