Sunday, March 19, 2023 The Fourth Sunday of Lent

 This past week we will have marked St Patrick’s Day and this coming week will be the official start of spring (we will see!) and also World Water Day when we consider the use and the conservation of a very precious resource, water. 

Hymn.       Open My Eyes #371VU

Prayer:  Loving God, radiance of our lives, you are the light to our darkness, hope to our despair, promise to our dreams. Gift our lives with an unfolding awareness of your life within us. Let us live in the joyful surprise of your transforming work, continually creating us anew, birthing through us, Christ to the world. Amen. (a prayer from Jacqueline Syrup Bergan and S. Marie Schwan’s Taste and See.)

Scripture Lessons:      I Samuel 16:1-13

                                    Psalm 23 p. 749VU

                                     John 9:1-41

Hymn       The Lord’s My Shepherd #747VU

Meditation 

Prayer:  O God, source of love and compassion, in the sufferings of all your children, we offer our compassion also for the hungry, and the sick in body, mind, or heart, the depressed and the lonely, all living in fear and under stress, all stricken in grief, the unemployed and the rejected, and those burning with hatred. 

Strengthen us to work for their healing and inspire us to build with you the kingdom of love where none shall cause suffering to others and all be caring, loving children of yours, our compassionate, all-embracing God, ever present, ever loving, never failing. Amen. (adapted from a prayer by George Appleton and printed in With All God’s People from the WCC, compiled by John Carden) 

Hymn.      He Leadeth Me #657VU

We hold in our thoughts and prayers the families and friends of Robert Ness and Myrna Rees who died this past week. 

We have also deeply saddened by the news of the death of Jade Ouellette who died this week. We pray for her family and friends in this very difficult time. 

Unit C of Howick United Church is offering a bread sale to members of the congregation and the community. The deadline for ordering is April 15th and the bread will be delivered on Wednesday, April 26th. Orders may be made through members of Unit C or on the form in the church. 

The Confirmation Classes are continuing to meet on Wednesday evenings, 6:30-7:30pm in the hall in Ormstown. 

St Paul’s Session will be meeting this Wednesday, March 22nd at 1:00 in the church hall. 

St Paul’s Stewards have decided to cancel their meeting for this month. They will be meeting again on April 19th. 

A reminder for those who may make donations to Howick United Church by e-transfer: the email address to be used for this has changed to howickunitedchurch@gmail.com. 

Best wishes to Merging Waters Pastoral Charge (Union Church Ste Anne’s and Beaurepaire United Church) as they mark the beginning of the new ministry that they will be sharing with Lisa Byer-deWever.