Freelton and Strabane Pastoral Charge

Horseshoe Falls Regional Council.
4th Sunday after Pentecost

Sunday,  July  3

    

Minister: Rev. Will Wheeler, B.A. M. Div.           

 905-659-3380 E Mail [email protected]

 Administrative Assistance: Linda Young : [email protected]


Announcements


 

 

This will be our last regular post for Summer.  We invite you to follow through the lessons and prayers that will be posted starting next week. 


Rev Will will be on vacation From July 18 to August 15th. 

If you need emergency pastoral care please contact a member of the M and P committee.


Thank you for all those that voted on the name for the proposed New Church.   Freelton Strabane United Church got the most votes.   

 


 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   Blessed is the one who comes in the Name of Lord. 


Call to Worship

 

One: Come celebrate God with us. Come gather together as people of faith.     

 

All: We are Sister and Brothers in Christ. Sons and Daughters of God through our faith 

 

One: We are part of the greater family of God United in our common faith.

 

All: All are welcome in the household of God for we are all one in Christ Jesus.           

 

 Prayer of Approach

   

 Lord Jesus, when we were lost, you found us. When we were orphans you made us family. When we were alone, you came and stood beside us. For your great, saving, seeking love, we give you thanks. For being a part of our lives we give your thanks and praise. Help us to live as inheritors of your kingdom. Enable us to act like your children in all that we do. Open our eyes to our neighbours as your beloved children, our sisters and brothers 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 Let us listen to the Word of God

 

  Galatians 6:1-6

Luke 10:1-4,16-20 


One This is the word of the Lord

All Thanks be to God 

Prayer
Lord as we ponder your words open our hearts that we may understand and know you. Amen  
Sermon   
   As some of you know I retreat to the beauty of Colpoys Bay for three days two nights. There is always a lot to do to go away. Actually, make the bed make sure dishes done nothing in the dishwasher. Not to much food in the fridge. Arrange for someone to look after the Pastoral Charge. Then of course there is the packing. My bag Scarlett’s bag camera bag cooler bag shoe bag. Tripod power chords for the camera the phone the iPad oh a book. Should see it when I really go away Oh and a sweater be prepared. I understand when you are parents that going anywhere with the kids is a major expedition. In the end I am told there is usually just enough room for a toothbrush for mom and dad

A big contrast to Jesus instructions in today’s gospel. This passage is known as the sending out of the 70. This is the second time Luke gives the list of what to take for the journey.

 He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way; I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. (clearly Jesus knew what it would be like being on a 400 series highway on a long weekend. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if a person of peace is there, your peace will rest on that person, but if not, it will return to you. 

The list is rather similar to what Jesus told the Disciples 

Take no staff, knapsack bread money, don’t take a change of clothes, accept what is given to you and shake the dust off your feet as a symbolic gesture if you are not welcomed or listened to.   

Simple. 

Jesus sends them out to share the good news of the kingdom. If people receive, you and are open to your words then blessings on them if not don’t make a deal of it but kick the dust from your sandals and move on.  

      I hear Jesus saying that his teaching is a gift as he is a gift, the word is given freely as he gave freely of himself He teaching is offered freely and it is for the individual to decide if they want to follow or not. One is free to accept but equally free not to hear.  

This is something that over time was lost as Christianity moved further away from the Jesus event   

In the United Churches apology to indigenous people. We said that in our enthusiasm to share the gospel we failed to see that they already had a rich faith tradition. We had moved well to an ideology of our way is the only way and any other expression of faith was wrong. So, we did our best to destroy them. We see it in the Norse religion and the Celts and Druids. We eliminated North, Central and South America culture and spirituality. When we could not eliminate, we took over. Easter Christmas Halloween All Saint’s all taken from much older spiritual practice. Even within the Christian faith there have been deep divides on who’s way is the best way which has led to centuries of conflict. At the end of the day Christianity does not really have a good track record of offering the gift of God freely as it was freely given to us. 

I believe that the deep dogmatism of the church perhaps is out of step with where people are today. I believe people today are more open to the idea of spiritual experience vs doctrine and theology. Yes, there is still a certain fondness for ritual for important life moments. Wedding baptism and funerals or as known in clergy circles match splash dispatch. 


    Then what is it that we take away from this gospel lesson. 

 

That as a people of God we seek out ways to share the good news and teachings of Christ that will empower and support people on their spiritual journey and provide a place to explore one’s spirituality without force feeding doctrine.

To offer the faith freely as it has been offered freely to us. As it has been written in the proposed mission statement for the amalgamated church

 

  It is our mission to provide a safe place of worship for all who call this their spiritual home.

It is our mission to  greet people where they are in their spiritual journey and promote spiritual growth.

It is our hope to be a place where people  will find support and recharge their faith. 

 

We are called to follow God through Jesus open to the Spirit to be empowered and to empower others in our spiritual understanding of God with us coming to know that we are not alone thanks be to god. Amen

 

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


   God of the journey you call us and send us out to proclaim your word and to share the joy of knowing you.  Be with us and open us so that we may see that even in other expressions of faith you can be found. That you are a God of many and yet one God.  Help us to live out our mission to be a safe place a spiritual home, and empowering place a place where one can find rest for the soul.

 

In the complicated world it is hard to find rest for the soul. For all those that struggle each day, who long for a home to live with out fear, who long for food security. Who long to know health and wellbeing, be a presence of hope to them.  They are people we will never meet. There are those in our lives you have called us to journey with. For those in our lives we pray that your presence rest upon them. 

 

We pray for our beloved Country Canada as we grow as a Nation owning the great injustice of our past and ask that you walk with us as we own the truth and move towards reconciliation as a nation. Bless our Queen and Governor General.  Give wisdom and compassion to those elected to be our government.   We thank you with grateful hearts for our and all of its diverse people. 

 

We pray for ourselves on this journey with you. Deepen our spiritual self and open us to the movement of your Spirit. Hear our own prayers spoken in the silence of our hearts.   God we know that you will always walk with us and that your hand guides us on the journey. We know that you hear our prayers as we offer you the prayer that binds 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.       

  One: Praise God who from all Blessing flow

 

All:    We come to this place with exceeding joy, grateful that you are with us in all the storms of life, dear God. We want to lend our support to others facing trying days and difficult times. Use our offering to that end, we pray and equip us to be instruments of your truth and your love, In Jesus; name Amen

 

Commissioning and Blessing
  One: Go forth to live as covenant people God does not leave you alone.                                   
All: We are Sons and daughters of God, through faith. Baptized into Christ called to proclaim the good news 
One: In all times and places God blesses us. We go now to be channels of God’s blessing         

May the Lord Bless and keep you make, may the light of the Lord shine on you and give you his peace.   Amen                                            
 
Join me now for coffee/tea and of course visiting.   Now that you have finished reading the service I encourage  you to call someone and wish them well for the day.   

Yesterday
we honour our heritage.

Today
we know that we are not alone,
that we live in God's world.

Tomorrow
with God,
we will discover
the undiscovered country.

Upcoming Events

     Updated July 3 2022


This will be our last regular post for Summer. We invite you to follow through the lessons and prayers that will be posted starting next week.  



Rev Will will be on vacation From July 18 to August 15th.  

If you need emergency pastoral care please contact a member of the M and P committee.