Sunday, January 16, 2022

 Today in the United States is Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday, leading into Martin Luther King Jr Day tomorrow. How does his life and example inspire you? Which of his words do you remember? 

Hymn.     Joyful, Joyful We Adore You #232VU

Scripture Lessons: I Corinthians 12:1-11

                               Psalm 36:5-10 p.762VU

                               John 2:1-11

Meditation 

I thought for this season, the season of Epiphany, I would include parts of the latest statement of faith  related and developed by the United Church, the Song of Faith. It is quite long, so I won’t include it all. If you want to have it all, you can find it on the church’s website: united-church.ca. This week, the beginning: 

God is Holy Mystery, 

beyond knowledge, 

above perfect description. 

Yet, 

in love, 

the one eternal God seeks relationship. 

So God creates the universe 

and with it the possibility of being and relating.

God tends the universe, 

  mending the broken and reconciling the estranged.

God enlivens the universe, 

   guiding all things toward harmony with their Source. 

Grateful for God’s loving action, 

We cannot keep from singing.

With the Church through the ages, we speak of God as 

   Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer

   Good, Christ, and Spirit

   Mother, Friend, and Comforter

   Source of Life, Living Word, and Bond of Love, 

   and in other ways that speak faithfully of

The One on whom our hearts rely, 

the fully shared life at the heart of the universe. 

We witness to Holy Mystery that is Wholly Love. …. (to be continued in coming weeks)

Prayer: Gift-giving God, we give you thanks and praise for the blessings you pour out upon your people: for the spiritual gifts you provide for each of your children; for the opportunities you provide to share our gifts and blessings with others; and for the gift of your Son to be our Saviour, whose glory you continue to reveal and make manifest in our world. May the gifts and blessings you provide to us bring joy to our hearts; peace to our souls; and hope to our world. We pray in the name and the spirit of the one who came to be our Brother, our Teacher, and our Redeemer. Amen. 

Hymn.      Songs of Thankfulness and Praise#101VU

We will be preparing annual reports for our three congregations for the year 2021. If you have a report for us, please try to get it in by the end of the month. For Howick the reports can go to Evie Kerr (one last year!) and for Ormstown and Franklin, they can come to me either by email to ormstownfranklin59@yahoo.ca or by dropping it off at the manse. 

This week is also the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. We won’t be holding a service or other activity to mark this week. Is there something else we can be doing to show our common faith and commitment? Might it include not just Christian churches but also other people of faith as well? Let us at least pray for our sisters and brothers who seek to live according to their conscience and their convictions and in so doing, bring hope, healing, and light to our world.