Freelton Strabane United Church
To live our discipleship with integrity and grace.
Horseshoe Falls Regional Council
Lent 4
Sunday, March 19 2023
Minister: Rev. Will Wheeler, B.A. M. Div. 905-659-3380 E-mail: wwwheeler@sympatico.ca
Music Director Joan Simpson
Announcements
We will be worshiping in the Hall for the months of January, February and March. Worship is at 10:30.
Art for the Soul Tuesday March 21 at 1p
Prayer Shawl Thursday March 23 at 7p at the Manse
April 6 Maundy Thursday Supper at the church still working on details As we come to the end of Lent and Holy week we invite you to join us for a Passover meal. We will gather at 6pm in Hall for a traditional Passover celebrate and we are asking that people bring finger foods to share as the meal. (please no pork dishes)
April 7 Our long standing tradition of sharing Good Friday with our sisters and brother in Christ at Mountsberg Westover continues as we join them this year at the Westover Baptist Church at 11am with a light refreshments to follow. We hope you will come and join us on this most holiest of days
April 7 Join us for our Good Friday walk and pot luck dinner. We will be gathering at the Church for 3pm and driving up to the Halton Forest for our walk. Then it is a pot luck dinner at the Church for 5. If you feel you are unable to walk please still join us for dinner.
April 9 Rejoice in the Risen Lord. Come and celebrate with us as we gather first for our Sun Rise Service 7:30am at the Church and then a Breakfast to follow Today we return to the Sanctuary to Celebrate the Risen Christ at our 10:30 Worship
If you wish to order flowers for the Sanctuary on Easter please see Barb Woodburn for an order sheet.
April 16 Studio and Studies at Freelton Strabane are pleased to offer you “ It’s a Small world the art of the Miniature” with Will Wheeler A look how miniatures are built, inspiration and photographing join us at the Church a 2p with light refreshments included. This is a free will offering event with proceeds being divided between Mission and Service and the former Freelton Church Window installation fund.
Prepare ye the way to Sing
We are planning a Spring Concert for Sunday, April 30, at 7 PM.
There will be a variety of musical spots including the choir presenting selections from Godspell.
Anyone interested can join us for practices at Freelton Strabane Wednesday afternoons, starting at 1:30 PM.
Inspiration for our Lenten liturgy was taken from an article by Jayson Flores, May 15th 2014 “Seven Modern Sins”
Let us Gather together for worship.
Come touch our souls that we may know and love you
Your quiet presence all our fears dispel
Create a space for sprit to grow in us
Let life and beauty fill us,
Come touch and bless our souls.
Come touch us now, this people who are gathered,
To break the bread and share the cup of peace;
That we may love you with our heart our soul,
Our mind, our strength, our all,
Come touch us with your grace.
Call To Worship
One: Gather us in Holy God to this time, to this place.
All: Our eyes see dimly the ways of your holy spirit. We long to see clearly the pathway that you would have us travel
One: Come then and be in this place where Christ open’s our eyes to the ways of God’s Holy Spirit
All. We gather as a people whose God’s light is ever brightening our pathway so we may see our way. For this is the place we need to be.
When the wind of Winter Blows
Bringing lent we’ve come to know
Fill the silent icy night be our hearts compassion
Holy light warm our night
Warm this Lenten journey
Holy light warm our night
Warm this Lenten journey
One: The dark of lent shadows our hearts
All Our hearts are but snow and icicles
One Melt the snow and this ice in your love of God
All Nothing but your love can free us from this iced time.
One: The iced indifference of this world shroud the cross We journey from darkness to light owning our faults, lamenting the sins of the world We light this light to lament The overwhelming need conserve the way it always has been.
All: Cold darkness of night is dispelled by your promise of a coming light O God .
All: We pray for a world that is has been frozen in the idea that old traditions have to continue even if it oppresses others. O lord we lament the ideas “That this is the way it always has been done” stifles the creative spirit and excludes those that don’t conform. We pray for a world tainted by a “me first” attitude. Send your light O God to engender in us a sense of Empathy and openness to new ways and ideas which will further your coming Kingdom. Amen
I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward;
The word of God to give me speech,
His heav’nly host to be my guard.
Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility
I bind to me these holy powers.
Against all Satan’s spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart’s idolatry,
Against the wizard’s evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave, the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
By Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord
Prayers of the people
When we shiver in despair when the chill of death comes near,
Hold us Spirit, calm our fear while the evening deepens.
Holy Light, warm our night warm the time of winter
Holy night warm our night warm the time of winter
God whose arms encircle us in our brokenness. Who weeps when our hearts are breaking. God who hears our sobbing cry when we feel alone in tide of humanity. God in all of our lostness you welcome us home regardless of how far we may have journeyed away from you. Hear our prayers. The prayers of our hearts. The prayers that carry our pain and hurt. The prayers that hold our joys and dreams. The prayers for a world so torn with conflict. The prayers for the displaced, the lost the hungry and sick. Send O God your Spirit to gently gather the broken pieces of our world and draw them once more into a loving wholeness. Send O God your Spirit upon us to draw together the fractured piece of our own lives so that we may know your joy and the love of your presence. To you great comforter surrounded by the love we know in this community of your people we offer our prayers and the great prayer which bind us as one saying 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.
These gifts express our gratitude for your lavish outpouring of live in Jesus Christ and your generous provision for all our needs. We dedicate our tithes and offerings for us in the fields that are ripe for harvest. May these gifts along with our words and deed make an effective witness to Jesus Christ. 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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