FREELTON STRABANE UNITED CHURCH
To Live Our Discipleship With Integrity And Grace
Horseshoe Falls Regional Council
Fifth Sunday of Epiphany
Sunday, February 5 2023
Rev. Will Wheeler BA M. Div. E-mail: wwwheeler@sympatico.ca
Organist : Joan Simpson
Announcements
We will be worshiping in the Hall for the months of January, February and March. Worship is at 10:30.
The Trustees have signed an agreement with the Brazeau Team to list the Freelton Property. We now need to ask for anyone having a Freelton Church key to return it to the Manse as soon as possible.
Rev Will
If anyone has any agenda items they would like discussed at the annual meeting please contact Rev Will or Barb Woodburn. Thanks
The Annual meeting of the Freelton Strabane Pastoral Charge will be held following Worship and Lunch on February 12th
Join us for The Art of the Spirit. A time for people to gather and work in their favourite art medium and share creative time and conversation.
on the first and third Tuesdays of the Month in the Freelton Strabane United Church Hall at 1pm beginning in February on the 7th.
The new technology leaving you a bit baffled? Join us for Tech Tuesday for Seniors to learn how to use your technology. We will be meeting in the Freelton Strabane United Church Hall on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the Month a 2pm beginning in February on the 14th
Do you have an idea of some programing you would like to see at the Church, send Rev Will an email.
Sock it To Me and Top Drawer is back. We will be collecting warm socks, underwear, T Shirts and hygiene items through out January and February.
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 at 905 659 3380 or text his cell at 905 869 5340 .
Consider PAR as a means to support the Church
Join us at Freelton Strabane United Church for a Studies and Studios event on February 18th at 1p - 4pm in the Church Hall to
Learn the art of needle felting by creating this beautiful Winter scene. Fibre artist and instructor, Cathy Disbrow, will teach you how to needle felt a Winter landscape into a 4” x 6” wool painting, using a special needle to stab sheep wool onto a felt sheet. Students will learn a variety of needle felt painting techniques. Needles, wool, and wool felt sheet to create your painting are included in the cost. Foam felting pads are provided for students to use during class and can be purchased separately. This event is sold out
Cost: $60.00 Register at:
https://woollydoodles.square.site/product/workshop-ticket-needle-felt-a-winter-scene-painting/68
Refreshments are also included.
Country Music and Coffee Bar
Enjoy some country warmth on a winter’s afternoon
Freelton Strabane United Church
Studies and Studios
presents
A fireside time featuring
Jamie Warren
Award winning country music artist
and
A variety of coffees
with sandwiches and sweets
.
Sunday, March 5, 2023
1565 Brock Road, Strabane
Tickets are now on sale $20
Call 905 869 7936
Call To Worship
Take this moment sign and space
Take my friends around
Here among us make the place
Where your love is found me
(Iona Abbey Music book pg 122)
One: God comes among us and within each one, inviting us to salty Christians
All: we are each important to the good work God seeks to accomplish with and through us.
One: we are called to be lights in the world and to let our lights shine brightly.
All: In our worship and in our service we seek to once more be renewed in the presence of God’s Spirit.
Prayer of Approach
Prayer. Lord, you have called us to be the salt of the earth and a light unto the world. We confess that this is somewhat of frightening responsibility. Yet to us you have given the words of life. Be a presence in this time so that we may find the direction we need to be your ambassadors to the world that we may become a reflection of you to and in the world. In Jesus we pray. Amen
All: (sung) In God we live and move and have our story.
In love God lives in us and makes us whole
O Jesus may we hear the Word that calls us near.
Your story makes a home within our soul.
Your story makes a home within our soul
One Rejoice in the Lord Always and sing praises in Psalm
Our Psalm is Psalm 112 pg 834
One: The Word of God for the People of God
All Thanks be to God
One: Let us continue to listen to the wisdom God has given us as found in 1 Corinthians 2:1-16
One: This is part of Journey
All May these words strengthen us for the Journey
One: The Light of Gods Love illuminates our lives in the Good news found in the teaching of our Saviour Let us listen to the Gospel of our Lord our lesson is taken from the Gospel Matthew 5:13-20
One: The Word of God for the People of God
All Thanks be to God
We will be taking up a special offering to send me off to a sensory deprivation tank. A what you may ask? This is a goodly oversized bath tub type tank with about 12 inches of water with a 1000 pounds of Epson salts in it. So you float. You get into the tank (in your b day suit) and you float, the water is at body temperature, so there is no feeling of anything on your skin, then the lid closes, Then you are in total and complete darkness, and the pod is sound proof. You have just entered the twilight zoon. No sense of feeling, no sense of sight no sense of hearing you are completely alone with yourself, your thoughts and hopefully the moving of the Holy Spirit. (There is no special offering )
Frightening, and yet intriguing what would you discover?
There was a clergy who decided that he would live without God for an entire year. He would be in essence an Atheist. (deprivation tank of faith) He wanted to explore the question of faith.
I am not sure I have ever met a true atheist, some one who did not believe in anything. Most people that claim to be Atheist are really not they are in reality Agnostic. They believe in a greater being but usually not the organized church. That is not to say they are not people of faith. They can be people of great faith at times.
What is it like to have an actual Faith Crisis to stop believing. Not just questioning but saying “ really “ and walk away. What happens when the systems the patterns of our life no longer work.
Like that song from White Christmas What do you do with a general when a general stops being a general.
What do you do with a Christian who stops being a Christian.
What do we do when the church stops being the church
What do we do when our Christianity stops being our center.
What do we do when we become so caught up in what we are doing that we fail to see what we are about. When the task is greater than the faith. When the physical becomes greater than the spiritual.
This has been a tiny red caution light in the back of my head as we have moved through the amalgamation/implementation process. The Spiritual being lost to the task at hand.
It happens. When the wonder of God becomes common place when we fail to see God in our lives. (hmm, back to the tank?)
So this Pastor wants to see how it is different living as an Atheist
Do they work differently, do they look different, do they have different shopping habits, to they love their family differently? Well no. People who are Atheist are normal law abiding loving people. Are there are atheist who are bad people? Yes. Are their Christian who are bad people? yes.
So were does this leave us?
The difference is that when the chips of life are down, we have the knowledge that God will be with us. When we question our faith, wonder of God’s presence even at times walk away from God, God does not walk away from us.
We are the salt of the earth, We are that light, we are called to shine. Because we have said yes to God
We at times need to stop all that we are doing and be in the presence of God and see how we are that salt, that light. To taste the flavour of God’s love, to feel the light of God upon us.
Salt in the shaker does nothing. A light under a bushel does not shine,
A church with out the movement of the spirit does not spread the good news of the gospel
Yet set them all on a stand….
We need to do this because without first and foremost our understanding at what it is to be a people of God, to be open to the wonder of God in all of creation to have Christ as our center and the spirit as our guide we are nothing
To paraphrase that great song from Godspell
Got to stay bright to be the light of the world
So let your light so shine to the before all
So that might know some kindness again.
You got to live right to be the light of the world.
Rather jazzy tune.
But we are called to be Jazzed about being Christians
You are the Salt of the Earth. Think on this
Your are the light of God reflect on this
May Spirit of God flavour your day May Jesus Christ our saviour light your way
And may God remind us that we are not alone. Thanks Be to God.
Prayers of the people
Hear our prayer we humbly offer
Grant to us your peace O God
Hear our prayer we humbly offer
Grant to us your peace O God.
Prayers
Blessed God we pray that your Holy Spirit might rest with us so that we might let your light shine through us. That city on the hill and that this place may continue to grow and be a place of welcome and faith growth. We are thankful for the many blessings you have given us. We know that there are many who would let there light shine but it has been dimmed by illness. The salt of their spirit weekend by oppression and hardship. Those who would be that city on a hill but have been marginalized. For all those who we do not know who need your presence we pray that your Holy Spirit may be upon them and they may find healing and hope. We pray that same Spirit rest upon those who we are called to journey with. We name them before you.
There are those who we are called to journey with that we hold in our hearts.
You O God are the light that leads us forward. With that light we know that we will be able to do great things in your name. We offer you our own personal prayers of petition and thanksgiving in the silence of our hearts. We offer you the great 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
Prayer
Our Offerings are not meant to maintain an institution, but to enhance our ministry. The focus of our church programs and activities goes beyond our being comforted and informed. May the well being of our sisters and brother around the world be at the for front of the gifts we gratefully place before you. Amen
Sending Forth and Blessing.
One: Go forth into the world to be salt and light wherever you Go in living out the love of God.
All: We depart with joy in our hearts and the intent to live by the best we know for Jesus the Christ the wisdom of God will be our strength and guide.
One: You are supported and strengthened by God’s love and by the family of faith of which you are a part. Rejoice and be glad, for God is with us.
VU 4
God of all places present unseen
Voice in our silence song in our mist
Send us your people knowing and sure
Called to spread the word.
amen amen 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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