Sunday, May 1, 2022 The Third Sunday of Easter

 This coming week is Mental Health Awareness Week. Are you doing anything to care for yourself or someone else? Maybe this is something we can consider this week. 💞

Hymn       This Joyful Eastertide #177

Scripture Lessons:    Acts 9:1-20

                                  Psalm 30

                                  John 21:1-19

Meditation 

An Easter Affirmation of Faith: We believe that resurrection is always possible. 

We believe in resurrections because of what we know happened in Jesus. 

We see a living faith as witness to Christ’s resurrection. 

We also affirm other resurrections which have happened. 

We know persons who have been turned around in their lives and given a brand new start. 

And because of the resurrections we have seen we affirm that THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS 

        a hopeless situation

        an unredeemable person

        a death without eternal life. 

We look forward to the final resurrection when all the world will be one with God. Amen. (from Sisters and Brothers Sing! A book of music and worship resources from Sharon and Tom Neufer Emswiler) 

Prayer:  God of all life, we give you thanks for the signs of your love that surround us; 

for sun and warmth and all that comes to life within creation; 

for all that sleeps within the earth awaiting birth.

We praise you for the wisdom of your touch: water on the earth, sunlight on spirits, hands on blinded eyes. Continue to touch us. Reach out to us with compassion and forgiveness, that knowing ourselves to be loved and graced, we might work to bring your Reign. Amen. (a prayer from Janet Schaffran and Pat Kozak’s More Than Words, prayer and ritual for inclusive communities.) 

Hymn     Thine is the Glory #173

This week we welcome Gwendolyn Tolhurst into the family of God and the church of Jesus Christ through the sacrament of baptism, which was rescheduled from March. 

The time has come to renew your subscriptions to Broadview, the United Church’s magazine. The cost for 10 issues is $25.00 which can be given (or e-transferred!) to Wilene Cullen, marked for Broadview. The deadline for renewing or starting your subscription is May 22nd. 

We hold in our thoughts and prayers the family and friends of James McGerrigle, who died this past week. A private service will be held for the family at a future date. 

We also hold in our thoughts and prayers the family and friends of Isabelle Sutton, who died this winter. Her family held a graveside service on Saturday, April 30th at the Bethel Cemetery. 

This past Thursday was Yom Hashoah, a time to remember the Holocaust and commit ourselves to try to stop the hate that leads to events like this. Maybe it is a time to lead a little more about it or other places of concern in the world?