Freelton and Strabane Pastoral Charge
Horseshoe Falls Regional Council.
Ascension Sunday
Sunday, May 29th 2022
Minister: Rev. Will Wheeler, B.A. M. Div.
905-659-3380 E Mail [email protected]
Administrative Assistance: Linda Young : [email protected]
Worship this week June 5th 10:30 at Strabane
Westley Case for Kids
Making a difference. We are called to make a difference and it is that time lase up the walking shoes and make a difference in the Wesley Case for Kids annual walk on June 5th Contact Rev Will for details and how to walk or sponsor someone. We can make a difference in a young persons life.
Boxed Meat Sale.
(this part could be sung) Shrimp on the barbie, and hot dogs a grilling, fish turning crispy and steaks juicing silly. Sweet tasting salads await on the side These are a few of my favorite things. YES it is bbq season and McGregors box meat is back again. For order forms contact Rev Will or at Church. Orders are due back by June 7th and Pick up will on June 14th starting approximately around 5:45-6pm (depends on the truck) Don't miss out on this grilling extravaganza
Trunk Sale
It's time to start doing some of that spring cleaning and what better way to get rid of things than a Trunk Sale at Freelton United Church on June 18th from 8am to 1pm. We are offering 20x20 spots for $20 and 15 x20 spots for $15. So book now and don't miss out on this fun day. Hot dogs, muffins coffee and drinks will be for sale. To get your spot contact Rev Will at 905 659 3380
Friday Euchre will be at Strabane 7pm Friday June 3
Tech Tuesday Tuesday June 7th at 1pm at Strabane
Prayer Shawl June 9th 7:30 at the Manse
There will be a special joint meeting of the Freelton Council and the Strabane council on June 20th at 7pm at Strabane, to review the Amalgamation Document. Please Print and bring your copy with you. If you need it mailed again, please contact Rev Will
Rev Will is always Available for calls. If you find you need to talk or need something please don’t hesitate to call the Manse.
Consider PAR as a means to support the Church
Gathering
We gather Grateful for the life you give us, thankful for your Risen Son and joyful in our Sprit of your love over all blessed God.
Call to Worship
One: Gather to experience the power of God to lift us up beyond the bounds of earth.
All: Clap your hands, all peoples Sing to God with loud songs of joy
One: Wait for the promises of God, and give thanks Open yourselves to the baptism of God’s Spirit.
All: sing praises to God, sing praises Sing praises to our Rulers, Sing praises
Prayer of Approach
Lord Jesus, you and your way for us have been vindicated by your glorious resurrection. Then you ascended to heaven to take your rightful place in the reign of God. Rule over us, Lord Jesus. Establish your reign in our hearts, in every aspect of our lives. In our difficult times of life, give us confidence in the ultimate triumph of your will. Renew in us the conviction that you are Lord, that you shall have your way with all creation, that you shall continue to struggle against the structures of injustice and evil, and that you shall triumph. Amen
One: Here the word of God
All: Our Ears are open
Acts 1:1-11
Luke 24:44-53
The Word of God for the People of God
All Thanks be to God
Here was have the closing of the Gospel The Ascension
When the disciples stood with Jesus and watched him ascend they just kept looking up with thoughts like well that was impressive but now what do we do? I wonder if he is going to be long. Does anyone remember if he said anything this time about three days . He did say after all stay.
But then in Acts the story is continued. They stayed looking up Until God once more spoke to them in the angels.
“Men of Galilee why do you stand looking up toward heaven. This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” Wow holy here he comes in clouds descending.
We can be like the disciples. Kind of standing still not moving ahead waiting for something big to happen. But just as the angel reminds them so we are reminded there is nothing to be gained in standing still. We are called to be a living body of Christ not the statuesque body Christ. Not to look just up, all you see are clouds, not just down or back but to look forward.
To be people of action. To leap into action even at times if we can’t see the way that we are going. Trusting in the presence of God to lead us.
You may be asking yourself. “did he just write to be people of action!? What’s in his coffee.” Yes Covid has pushed the stop button on so much of our lives.
Jen Richardson in the last stanza of her poem “Wait” found in the painted prayer book reminds us.
You cannot know it now ,cannot even imagine what lies ahead,
but I tell you the day is coming when breath will fill your lungs
as it never has before
and with your own ears you will hear words coming to you new
and startling.
You will dream dreams and you will see the world ablaze with blessing.
Wait for it.
Still yourself.
Stay.
We need to balance action with stillness. To act is to discern the spirits will.
Ascension is in essence a renewal of beginning. Now is the time for us to stay in a moment and discern the spirit of God. To look at who we are, what we hope to be. Do we just spruce up what we always have been or do we look at the potential of what we can be.?
The wisdom of the gospel is the challenge to commit to being Not the Church, not the church as it has been known in the past but commit to being a community of Faith that is open to the coming of spirit. We commit to be a place of welcome, of peace, of renewal, A place of comfort and of support. We commit to being a place of joy and yes of service found through our faith.
We come to this time to reflect on all of this but also for that moment to wait, still ourselves and find the way we are called to be a community. Yes we shall look to our old title of church to honour where we have been but we must look forward and define who we are in this new time.
This has been that time to listen to our faith.
We are called to look forward as the angels tell the disciples to look forward to what it would mean to be disciples in spreading the good news of the gospel.
We are called to be a people of faith to spread the good news of the gospel. We are called to look forward to see God in our everyday to use our gifts talent to share that same good news.
You may say “Well that sounds all well and good but what does that mean? “
I don’t know. That’s the exciting part. That’s the frightening. That’s the wait and be still part. These times of isolation have caused us to be still and ponder these ideas. In times gone by the early Monasteries truly were communities of faith. In this monastic time we can start to ponder the difference between the institutional church and community of faith. I believe that people are looking for deeper spiritual experiences and community.
I feel that there is still much for us to do as a congregations.
Here we are Assentation Sunday, The great fifty days of Easter are coming to an End. Next week is Pentecost. The birth of the Church
We are called to consider what we are as the Church. What to keep what to let go, to move forward. It is exciting, it takes work, it takes creativity, there are moments of doubt and moments even of “ rats we should not have done that.” There is a lot of hope that the end will be wonderful there is a need for faith in one’s gifts. It is an ending and yet a beginning
Our faith has been our support in the past and will be our steadfastness in our future.
Assentation is the beginning, but wait there is more to come. Oh much more. How exciting. Because today we are reminded once more that in life in death in life beyond death we are not alone. Thanks Be to God.
Prayers of the people
Slow me Down Slow me Down
Still my restless mind Still my restless mind
Quell my fears Quell my Fears
Quench my Thirsty soul Quench my thirsty Soul
Fill me with your love Fill me with your love
God of Truth God of Truth
God of love God of love
God once more we encounter you on the mountain top. Once more we are tempted to stay, but you once more call us to be bold in our faith and start to climb back down to were your work waits us. As we embrace the journey that has been set for us, give us such courage to not be afraid of were you would have us go We confess we like the familiar, it makes us feel safe. However as we contemplate your ever changing world we see that familiar can be something very fleeting.
We pray for all those people that are displaced by war and politics and ideologies and the trials of life . When the familiar comfort of home is lost.
We pray for all those that are ill who long for the familiar comfort of feeling well.
We pray for those who we know and name them to you that you may be with them where they are in their journey.
We offer you the prayers of our hearts, and the prayer that binds us as one as we say. Our Father
Offering
We give thee but thy own. The work of the Church continues and there are three ways you can continue to support that work. Consider using PAR, use the donate button on our Web Site or drop your gift at the Manse. Let us make our offering and give thanks.
One: Praise God who from all Blessing flow
All: Loving God May your work in Christ be accomplished through these gifts and through our faithful attention to the tasks you call us to. May the programs and outreach of this church be worthy of your support, and may each of us be faithful bearers of your good news. Amen.
Yesterdaywe honour our heritage.
Todaywe know that we are not alone,that we live in God's world.
Tomorrowwith God,we will discoverthe undiscovered country.
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