ST ANDREW’S CHURCH
JANUARY 26th, 2025

LIGHTING OF THE CHRIST CANDLE

ANNOUNCEMENTS

CALL TO WORSHIP
There is one true God
whom to know is life eternal,
whom to serve is joy and peace.
God creates all that is.
The whole universe displays
the majesty and power of its Maker.
We worship God as the source of all life.
With thanks we acknowledge
God’s wisdom, power, faithfulness, and love.

HYMN 374 Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing

1. Oh for a thousand tongues to sing
my great Redeemer’s praise,
the glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of God’s grace.
2. Jesus, the name that charms our fears,
and bids our sorrows cease:
’tis music in the sinner’s ears;
’tis life and health and peace.
3. He speaks, and listening to his voice
new life the dead receive;
the mournful, broken hearts rejoice;
the humble poor believe.
4.Hear him, you deaf; you voiceless ones,
your tongues again employ;
you blind, behold your Saviour comes,
and leap, you lame, for joy.

5. My gracious Master and my God,
assist me to proclaim,
and spread through all the earth abroad
the honours of thy name.
Public domain

PRAYER OF ADORATION
Creator, Christ and Spirit; you are the maker of a better world. You are the creator
of lasting peace. We worship you for the gifts of peace and healing that You bring
into troubled lives.
You have shown us the way to work for justice, to love friend and enemy alike, to
build a better world. In this time of worship, inspire us to believe our work in your
name makes a difference.
So may we live to bring glory to you through our commitment to you and the
communion we share with so many around world as your faithful disciples.
Knowing your love is everlasting, we confess to you our sins:
UNISON PRAYER OF CONFESSION
God of grace and harmony, we confess we can be divisive when you call us to
unity, quarrelsome when you call us to seek peace, and critical rather than
caring. We have grown used to our own ways and cannot imagine you would
ask us to change even for the sake of the Gospel. Forgive us when we mistake
our familiar traditions for your truth.   Lord, as we come to You, fill us again
today with Your Holy Spirit to aid us on our journey with You. Show us how we
can witness to your love through working and worshipping together in
Jesus name. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON
God’s mercy is from everlasting to everlasting. It shines into the world and scatters
the darkness. Know that you are forgiven and forgive one another. e at peace and
walk in the newness of life, led by God’s light.
THE PEACE

Hymn 497 Word of God, across the ages

Word of God, across the ages
comes your message to our life,
source of hope, forever present

in our toil and fears and strife,
constant witness to God’s mercy,
still our grace, whate’er be fall,
guide unfailing, strength eternal,
offered freely to us all.
Story of our wondrous journey
from the shadows of the night,
garnered truth of sage and prophet,
guiding forward into light,
words and deeds of Christ our teacher,
pointing to the life and way,
still appealing, still inspiring,
in the struggles of today.
In the tongues of all the peoples
may the message bless and heal,
as devout and patient scholars
more and more its depths reveal.
Bless, O God, to wise and simple,
all your truth of ageless worth,
till all lands receive the witness
and your knowledge fills the earth.
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Holy One, Send your Holy Spirit to move in us and among us so that we might
better understand your word for us this day, and act upon it for the sake of Christ,
your Living Word. Amen

SCRIPTURE READINGS

1 Corinthians 12: 12-31a,
Luke 4:14-21 

SERMON
Most of us would rather not think about our bodies and if we do think about
them… we probably don’t think very complementary things

As the rubber hits the road in our daily life, the world presses down upon us as we
hit a few bumps in the road, we need the Holy Spirit to call us into God’s presence
for a checkup.
If we were evolutionists, we would marvel over the way nature evolved the human
body into a highly complex, efficient machine. As an aside, it is in contemplating
such complexity that makes me wonder how scientists of the body can be atheists,
or even agnostics. Think of all the planning that goes into making a computer
which does not compare with the complexity of the human body. And we are to
take it that it came about through the work of blind forces?
In our text today Paul uses the image and analogy of the physical body and its
members to emphatically illustrate that Christians are interdependent and together
constitute a community which is the body of Christ
Paul in alluding to the human body states: “The body is one and has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body” (12:12).
Paul understands the human body , not as a hierarchical system but as a
supplementing, solidifying union with various parts. The foot is different from the
hand, but that would not make it any less a part of the body. All parts work
differently, but they are all needed in the body. As the Spirit chooses which gift to
allot (12:11), God “arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he
chose” (12:18). This means all parts of the body are necessary and important.
Why is the foot a foot and the hand a hand? Because it pleased the Designer to
make it . So the hand can take no “pride” in being a hand, and the foot can take no
“shame” in being a foot. Each serves the pleasure of the Designer. In the design,
we see the wisdom of the Designer: everybody has something; but nobody has
everything. Yet we are also each different and unique
If a foot could speak, it might reveal an inferiority complex. Hands are admired.
The hands of a woman may be admired for their delicacy and softness; the hands
of a man for their strength. Now feet – how often do you hear of a person being
praised for the beauty of their feet. The common wear for feet in Paul’s day was
sandals. There was a reason why washing a guest’s feet was a common act of
courtesy – they were dirty. Feet come in contact with dirt and mud. They are the
lowest members of the body. And yet, their role to play in the body is absolutely
essential. They literally hold up the body. They permit the body to move about.
Without them, the body would not be whole.

Now one commentator expanded this with this comment : You may be interested
to know that there is a certain part of your body that is absolutely essential to every
person. Without this body part you could not stand erect for very long, walk or run
well. Guess what body part it is. – – – It’s the big toe. Without the big toe on each
foot you can’t stand erect for very long. The big toe helps bear the weight of the
body helping humans to walk erect. It has the ability to sense when your body
begins to lean, or shift, get out of balance, or fall. It is the big toe that causes you to
strengthen yourself so you can stand erect, walk or run for longer periods of time.
(Darryl Klassen. “The Art of Body Building.” A sermon on SermonCentral.com)
See… it’s right there in black and white– we NEED those stinky feet. No part of
the body is unnecessary! Every part serves a purpose
Consider the ear. It may be up high on the body, but it does not compare with the
eye in receiving praise. Lovers extol one another’s eyes; how many bother to
mention the ears. And which is the greater worry – to lose one’s hearing or one’s
sight. We might worry about losing our hearing; we are scared of going blind. But
ask the one who has lost all hearing, what it is like to no longer hear music or
laughter or the sound of his loved one’s voices; might want to trade seeing for
hearing. Not to hear is to feel cut off from a conversation, to feel cut off from the
body. The ear, though little noticed, is very important.
And what about the nose? It doesn’t get named in the metaphor, but what it does is
noted. How many times have we taken pleasure in smelling flowers or a fresh
baked pie? How many times have we avoided something harmful because of the
foul odor? Smelling serves a needed service, though we would not think to rate in
high on the list of essential body parts.
Interestingly and essentially, our bodies change from birth to death. We barely
notice when our bodies are all working well together . But oh how we suffer when
something hurts – through injury ,infection or just age change . How thankful we
are when healing occurs , be it through the help of trained personnel, medications
or Gods intervention
In 1 Corinthians 12:12, Paul says, “The body is one and has many members.” “The
body” (soma) is a technical term, which means more than one thing. It can be a
human body or a community in a metaphorical sense.
Paul paints a powerful picture of the church as the body of Christ. Just as the
human body is made up of many parts, each with a unique function, so too is the

church, comprised of diverse individuals with different gifts and roles. However, at
the core of this illustration lies a fundamental truth: We are all interconnected,
united in Christ, and called to work together for God’s glory.
The body of Christ is a beautiful and powerful metaphor. It reminds us of three key
truths: Everyone in the body, no matter their role, is essential to the growth of
God’s kingdom. Our many gifts may be different, but they all serve the same
mission: to glorify God and participate in His work. In the design, we see the
wisdom of the Designer: everybody has something; but nobody has everything. !
Every single person contributes to make this church the body of Christ!
You matter to the church body because God has made you who you are, has given
you the gifts he so desires to see in you, and has fit you into the body in just the
right way.
In an ideal Christ-informed community, all must be equally respected regardless of
their class, ethnicity, or gender. : The “body-like” unity of Christians is not a goal
to achieve; it is a fact to be recognized. Paul clearly says we were all baptized into
one body.
We are all merely doing what God has chosen each of us to do. Or another way of
looking at it is that we all have the great distinction of carrying out the special role
God has given to each one of us. There is no basis then for jealousy or pride. No
one needs to jockey for God’s commendation. The Holy Spirit gives us all we need
to do just the right job, so that we can achieve the purpose for which we were made
– to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. The basic point of the whole chapter, is that all the members of a church belong
with a role to play in the health of the church. No one in the church is an extra that
the church can just as well do without.
That is how grace works. It removes the burden of performance to win and keep
God’s favor. It takes away cause for pride and jealousy helping us to avoid
becoming arrogant bores and our tendency to turn into bitter complainers.
That is how the gospel works. Christ bore the burden of salvation; the Holy Spirit
bears the burden of applying that salvation in our lives so that we may be fruitful in
God’s service. We get it all. Christ wins for us the favor to be used by God
Brothers and sisters… we are one body… we are one family in Christ. Despite our
different viewpoints, our different talents, our different ideas and way of doing

things… we are all a part of Christ… and we have been called to be a part of St
Andrew’s. You are here to serve a purpose for God. So go… be the best stinky foot
you can be. Let us embrace our place in the body, use our gifts faithfully, and work
together as one for the glory of God. AMEN

HYMN 9 God’s law is perfect (Psalm 19)

OFFERING
The Apostle Paul reminds us that we are part of one body, each of us and all of us.
The gifts we offer in Jesus’ name are all needed, each of them and all of them.
Together, the body of Christ accomplishes many things through the gifts we share.
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
Creator God, you made each of us in our uniqueness, and together, you made all of
us to bear your image in the world. Accept our gifts, unique as they are, and bless
them for the sake of your Son, Jesus. May they bear his grace and mercy into the
world you love so your purposes will be fulfilled.

Prayers of the People
God of life, God of love. You created us and set us in relationship with each other:
In families and neighbourhoods, in churches and communities, in cultures and
nations. We give you thanks for the rich gifts of arts and culture, of home life and
community celebration which bring meaning and encouragement to our lives.
Help us contribute our gifts to the traditions and imagination that sustain the best
of our common life from one generation to the next.
God of mercy and forgiveness, You call us to live together in peace and unity. In
this Week of Prayer for Christian unity, we pray that your Spirit will create
understanding and co-operation among all who bear Christ’s name.
Help us share our gifts with each other so that churches within our community may
flourish and our common mission will find new energy. Lead us to reach out to
those of other faiths and no faith so that, together, we may be a blessing in the
world you love.
God of healing and hope, We pray for our neighbourhoods and our nation. Where
people are divided and bitterness turns into resentment, show us how to work for
reconciliation. Inspire our leaders at every level of community life to work together
for the care of the most vulnerable and to restore the goodness of our common life.
Make us generous citizens and careful stewards of the land you entrust to us
together.
God of justice and mercy, We pray for the world you love, the world Christ died to
redeem, so deeply divided by religious and political animosities, by ancient
bitterness and current conflict. Encourage world leaders to work for peace and
understanding, especially in places torn apart by violence, by poverty, by hunger
and by the effects of natural disasters.

May the hope that Jesus embodies encourage us all to work for positive change.
God of courage and comfort, We remember those of our congregation and
community in need of your special attention today….
name people and local concerns.
Use us as agents of your healing and hope as we offer ourselves in Jesus’ name in
the words he taught us to pray:

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 480 In Christ there is no east or west

[tune 357- St Peter ]
1. In Christ there is no east or west,
in him no south or north,
but one great fellowship of love
throughout the whole wide earth.
2. In Christ shall true hearts everywhere
their high communion find;
his service is the golden cord
close binding humankind.
3. Join hands, companions in the faith,
whate’er your race may be!
Who loves and serves the living God,
is surely kin to me. .
4. In Christ now meet both east and west;
in him meet south and north,
all Christly souls are one in him
throughout the whole wide earth.
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BENEDICTION
O Sun behind all suns O Soul within all souls, grant us the grace of the dawn’s
glory; grant us the strength of the sun’s rays that we may be well in our own souls
and part of the world’s healing this day- May the grace of God , the love of Christ
and the power of the Holy Spirt be with you always AMEN

CLOSING SONG 445 John Philip Newell, Celtic Benediction

Open our yes Lord We want to see Jesus
To reach out and touch him and say that we love him
Open our ears Lord and help us to listen
Open our eyes Lord we want to see Jesus