Freelton Strabane United Church
To live our discipleship with integrity and grace.
Horseshoe Falls Regional Council
Third Sunday of Pentecost
Sunday, June 29th 2025
Minister: Rev. Will Wheeler, B.A. M. Div. 905-659-3380 E-mail: [email protected]
Music Director Joan Simpson

Call to Worship
One When we long for the special effects we think life should offer:
All it is enough, for us, that God comes in a soft, summer shower.
One When we our hearts are cracked by the drought of doubt:
All it is enough, for us, that God opens up the fountains of faith for us.
One When our senses are deadened by the sales pitches of our culture:
All it is enough, for us, that God wraps us in the silence of grace.
Prayer of Approach
When we feel compelled to push everything to its limits,
especially you, Holy One, it is enough that your grace can slow us down.
When we stand naked and exposed to the buffeting winds
of our doubts and questions. it is enough, Healing Servant,
that you clothe us in your peace, and put our minds at ease.
When we are entangled in that legion of worries and fears
which consume our lives, it is enough, Spirit of Silence, that you untie the knots and set us free. It is enough, God in Community, Holy in One,
that you are with us
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 1:11-24
Luke 9:57-62
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
When you take a photograph you are capturing a small frame of a much larger world. It is a snippet. I can remember taking photos of the Grand Canyon and then looking at them and thinking, it just does not capture the whole of it. Granted it is the GRAND canyon, Still I have found the same outcome in photographing something like the Cathedral at Colone. The photos just don’t see the greater picture.
When we consider the Gospel we rarely ever consider the whole picture the whole context in which they are set.
In our Christianizing of Jesus and not seeing him in his historic context we often may see him as this stand alone figure surrounded by a small cast of followers and few antagonist. But it was much more than an ensemble cast. The followers talking to Jesus today are not the 12 but part of the larger crowd. Although Israel in 30ad had no mass communications it was not isolated. It was still a rather important center and part of the Roman world. Jesus would have been exposed to a wide and vast variety of teachings and philosophies. By Jesus’ time the great Socratic schools of philosophies would have been well established.
Understanding this helps us to perhaps understand today’s gospel
I confess, this was not an easy one to work with and I had to go consult the experts.
What do the biblical scholars say in regards to this little bit of gospel. First, We are called to remember that Luke, Matthew and to a lesser extent Thomas are drawing from an older document known as Q (or the source ) They are also coping Mark as well (which was written first). In this case Luke has gathered three saying three aphorisms, Matthew only has two while Thomas only has one. The first one “Foxes have dens, and birds of the sky have nests but the son of Adam has nowhere to rest his head. “ Which is common to all three. The scholars believe that these first two just might be something that Jesus really said. The last one “no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is qualified for God’s imperial rule. “ Is something Luke has written.
Interestingly the Scholars are suggesting that what Jesus is saying and perhaps to a larger extent teaching may be being influenced by other Schools of thought.
We know that Jesus was a story teller and would draw on common stories and wisdom to help make his point.
In this case the Biblical Scholars are suggesting that the style and language that Jesus is using here is reminiscent of a Socratic passed philosopher known as Cynicism. The Philosophy states that the purpose of life is to live in virtue, in agreement with nature.
The goal of life is eudaimonia and mental clarity or lucidity Freedom from all things which signified false belief, mindlessness, folly, and conceit. This was achieved by living in accord with Nature as understood by human reason. Cynics (those that followed this philosophy and not old clergy) lived very simple lives they went about barefooted often with long hair single often thread bare clothes, sleeping rough. There is one story of Digenes a cynic threw away his only cup when be observed a boy drinking water out of cupped hands, Even a cup it seems made life to complicated. Compare what Jesus is saying here with what Anacharsis writes, a Scythian cloak severs as my garment the kin of my feet as my shoes , the whole earth as my resting place, milk, cheese and meat as my favorite meal, hunger as my main course.
Burton L. Mack and John Dominic Crossan of the Jesus Seminar, have argued that 1st-century AD Galilee was a world in which Hellenistic ideas collided with Jewish thought and traditions. The city of Gadara, only a day's walk from Nazareth, was particularly notable as a centre of Cynic philosophy, and Mack has described Jesus as a "rather normal Cynic-type figure." For Crossan, Jesus was more like a Cynic sage from a Hellenistic Jewish tradition than either a Christ
Many of the ascetic practices of Cynicism may have been adopted by early Christians, like the early Desert Fathers, living a life of isolation and one could make the argument Monastic life is somewhat based on this idea
You must be thinking, first, this is rather academic and I hope Rev Will is not expecting me to give up comfortable shoes.
Yes it is rather Academic and no we all get to keep our shoes.
For me this week the academic has helped me to see the practical.
In it’s simplest form Cynisim would teach us to look beyond the smoke, the haze of the complexities of life and see the simple beauties that can be found to seek living in harmony with nature. A thought that is reflected in the New Creed. A thought that is reflected in the great commandment to love one another as I have loved you. To live in harmony and respect with your fellow human, yourself, and the world in which we find ourselves.
In the great transitory nature of life I feel that this scripture inspires us to look for hope, look for faith, look for the presence of God, in the simplest things that are a part of our lives. Smell of fresh cut hey, or fresh ground coffee. The beauty of a drop of water catching the sun on a plant after you water it.
To set our eyes to the future not the past. To set our hand to the plow and look forward.
Knowing that even in the simplest moments, the simplest things in this life we are reminded that we are not alone.
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 blessings of each new day, may we strive daily to know you in our lives and to see beyond the business and distractions of your world to see the simplest of blessings that are found in you. Help us to live simply in our faith to be generous of spirit, to set our hand to your work and move forward boldly knowing that your spirit is our guiding hand and your Son our guiding light. In this quiet time may offer prayers for those that so long for the simple joys of life. The joy of wellness, and food and shelter. For all those that are displaced with offer prayers. For all those seeking wholeness, we offer prayers.
We know we are called to walk with those in need in this life and as painful as it is a times, we thank you that we are able to be a presence if even only in prayer for those who are a part of life. To you we hold up the names of those who we know and long for your healing and strength.
Blessed God as we move to this quiet time of summer may we see it as a time to reflect on the journey and to let your spirit renew our conviction and inspire us for the coming church year. To you we entrust all these prayers and the prayers of our hearts as we say together the great prayer which you gave us 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: May these gifts carry forward the ministry you intend here in our church and community and wherever people are scattered on the face of the earth. May our open hands share your gifts and our open hearts reach out in love and peace. Show us how to use this offering to accomplish your purposes. 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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