Living Stones

Posted on May 3, 2026May 3, 2026 by John

Worship on the Fifth Sunday of Easter
10:00 am     May 03, 2026
Minister: The Rev. Brad Childs     Music Director: Binu Kapadia
Vocalist: Vivian Houg     Elder: Darlene Eerkes     Reder: Wesley Childs

We gather to worship God

Music prelude

Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you
P: and also with you

Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements
Preparation for worship

Call to worship:
L: God is our Rock and our Fortress.
P: In God, we find refuge and strength.
L: God’s house has many dwelling places
P: We will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
L: Christ himself has gone to prepare a place for us.
P: For us, Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.
L: So let us worship God in Spirit and in Truth.

Opening praise: Bless the Lord, oh my soul

Prayers of approach and confession

O God, In whom we trust.

Life is full of storms, and sometimes there is no other place to go for shelter, except to You. The very idea of you is Calm itself. When anxiety, grief, or fear overwhelm, or when loneliness or uncertainty settle in. When things are bleak, we can hold on to something (I would never want to be without). And so Hope still exists.

You set the path before us in Jesus and gave some pretty impeccable guidance that basically nobody ever seems to disagree with.

We admit you are wiser and call you Lord because we say we listen to you. Help us to do so.

Our God, we come now to worship you: the Source of life for all people,

the Son who taught mercy to the poor, the outcast, and the hurting,

and the Spirit who nudges us toward justice, compassion, and truth.

Trusting who you are and honest about who we are, we do what very few people in this world ever take the time to do. We confess our mistakes, admit we are flawed and ask for help to become better.

Lord, we confess that while we proclaim (as the Son himself) that Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life,” and yet, we too often choose our own comfort over his call, our own way instead of what we see in his heart for us, our own version of truth instead of The Truth, and a life quite frankly, at least at times, wasted chasing things that don’t matter or cannot be caught.

At times:

We ignore the hungry and the oppressed, not because we are callous but because we are overwhelmed. We tend to cling to wealth and status, but we have all been just a generation or two away from starvation.

At times:

We protect privilege instead of pursuing justice because, in the past, being protective about one’s “tribe” meant security. We admit, our God, that we, well-meaning or not, understandable or not, have made mistakes, and we want to be better.

At some point, every single one of us has spoken harshly, judged quickly, or remained silent when just one voice could have helped.

The real plank in the eye, however, is that Lord, we rarely stop to question whether we are at fault for anything. And so we distort your truth to excuse fear or self-interest, and we live shallow, distracted lives that forget your purposes. And yet we live in contradiction. We come to this place and admit our faults, and we do so because you have promised to love us despite them all, the while helping us to correct them.

Our Lord… Forgive us all of our errors. Restore our hearts, grant us courage to follow Jesus more faithfully, and shape our actions to reflect your mercy and love more fully. Amen.

Response: I will trust in the Lord

Assurance of God’s pardon
Jesus said, Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in the Father. And so Trust in the Son. And so, trust in the Son who told us to trust in the Spirit.

Know that, in Christ, you are forgiven. Let us all, accept God’s grace and forgiveness this day, and extend it to others for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

We listen for the voice of God.

Song: Those who wait on the Lord (882: vss 1,2,3,6)

Scripture: Proverbs 4:10-18; 1 Peter 2:2-10; John 14:1-14

Response: Alleluia, Alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord

Message: “Living Stones”

The temple fell, and the people were scattered. As a result, Christian faith spread throughout the world. What one ruler meant for destruction became a way for the people to live out the Temple life all around the world. Let’s be living stones, a living temple and let us remember that it is often the simplest things that make the most impact.

Many scholars believe that 1 Peter was written after the fall of the Temple. The second temple had been the center of worship since the time of the Prophets. It was thought to be the place where God’s (Shekinah) glory actually resided and where God’s priests had been set apart as Holy. But in 70 AD, the soon-to-be Emperor Titus besieged and conquered the city of Jerusalem. The zealots (a group to which Peter belonged before he met Jesus) had previously defended the city against a troop buildup but lacked discipline. Eventually, infighting led to gaps in leadership.

Titus took advantage. First, he let up on security during the Passover season. Then, with the city packed to the gills, he sent four legions of soldiers to stop pilgrims from leaving the city following Passover, causing a massive shortage of water and other supplies. He surrounded them, smashed the third wall with a battering ram and hit the fortress of Antonia just north of the Temple Mount. Fighting ensued as the Roman military filled the city streets.

At this point, most of the Jewish Zealots fled to the Temple in retreat. While Titus originally wished to convert the temple into a pagan site, a Roman soldier set it ablaze instead. The fire spread uncontrollably to residential areas. Jews and Jewish Christians fled through underground tunnels. The zealots in the temple were burned to death. Had he not met Jesus, Peter probably would have been among them. Eventually, Titus flattened the Jewish place of worship almost completely. As far as Jerusalem was concerned, there were no chosen people left, no temple, no priests set apart to lead worship, and no one to offer sacrifices. This was September the 7^th, 70 AD.

The Christians fled and scattered throughout the known world in search of safety. And because of that, so did the faith.

Peter writes, “⁴As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— ⁵you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house^[^a^] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

And then, ^9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession-”

In short, Peter says, “The building is gone, we’re not. The Building (no matter how important) was made of stones. You are living stones. You are the temple made mobile… made alive.” 1 Peter 2:2-10

We’re chosen to be living stones, to build something bigger than a bunch of brick walls.

In 1710, Christopher Wren, who designed St. Paul’s Cathedral in London (one of the world’s most beautiful buildings), wrote about the reactions of construction workers who were asked what they were doing. Most workers who were bored and tired responded by saying, “I’m laying bricks” or “I’m carrying stones.” But Wren recalled one worker, who was mixing mortar, who seemed especially cheerful and enthusiastic about his work. When this man was asked what he was doing, he replied, “I’m building a magnificent cathedral.”

To this man, it wasn’t just Christopher Wren building the cathedral; it was everybody involved.

Sometimes when we think about the church, we think too small. I tend to focus on the details rather than the big picture. But truth be told, it’s all the little things we do that build the church. A smile from the people who volunteer in the kitchen today makes just as big an impact as the minister or the music director.

When Peter writes to the people, he writes to tell them that they are the church. That’s it, it’s not just a bunch of mortar and stone but a living, breathing thing, and that’s when you do it right – it grows.

And though the people had no official Priests, Peter writes to tell them they didn’t need someone else to make their sacrifices for them. He says, “You are the Temple, and you are the Priests. In fact, more than that, he says, ‘you are a Royal Priesthood’, offering ‘spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

From now on, he says, we are all “set apart”. We are together “a Holy Nation”, but not because of who our forefathers were or where we were born, but because of who God is and how we will live because of that.

The 1964 Philadelphia Phillies will always be known as the team that suffered one of the great collapses in sports history. They let a huge division lead slip away by losing ten games in a row at the very end of the season. Despite the collapse, the Phillies’ season had its share of memorable moments, including a perfect game and a ninth-inning home run by a Phillie to win the All-Star Game.

But the most remarkable moment of the entire season occurred after a game, not during it. Clay (Dal-Rimple) Dalrymple, a Phillie pitcher, was asked to assist a blind girl who had asked for a chance to walk onto the field. (Dal-Rimple) Dalrymple took the girl to home plate, where she reached down and felt the plate. Then slowly he walked the girl to first base (where she stooped down, smiled and examined every inch of it), and then to second base, and then to third base before ending up at home plate once again (with a nice long pleasing pause at each so the girl could confirm her dream).

The thing is, while (Dal-Rimple) Dalrymple was showing the girl around the bases, he missed something important. See, he had been so focused on fulfilling this little girl’s dream that he hadn’t noticed that the fans had stopped leaving. They’d stopped talking. People just sat in silence in the stadium to watch him and his companion round the bases. (Dal-Rimple) had been so focused on this one person that he hadn’t been paying any attention to the other things going on around him. The kindly baseball player just assumed that the silence in the stands meant the fans had all gone home. But when he and his new friend finally reached home plate, and this blind young girl had finally “run the bases”, the ballpark erupted with applause. (Dal-Rimple) Dalrymple, however, was shocked by the thunderous clapping. When he looked up, he saw tens of thousands of fans standing and applauding, smiling and cheering with appreciation, pride, respect, and love.

Later, (Dal-Rimple) Dalrymple told Sports Illustrated, “It was the biggest ovation I ever got.”

Sometimes we forget that our efforts to be Christlike, to be living stones, to be set apart… are observed by others, even though we may be unaware that they’re watching. And I have a little theory about this that I’d like to share with you. I believe that it’s not usually the big things we do that matter the most… usually, it’s the right things we do that matter the most.

I did a little research on the top 10 sports viewers over the last 12 months. Unfortunately, hockey didn’t appear on the popularity list. But it’s not far off. But for perspective, Hockey has about 250 million viewers worldwide. NASCAR has around 300 million. Neither made the list. But… here are the top ten:

Rugby 470 million
American Football 500 million
Baseball 550 million
Basketball 800 million
Table Tennis 850 million
Volleyball 900 million
Tennis 1 billion
Field Hockey 2 billion
Cricket 2.5 billion

10, Soccer 3.5 billion

It appears that these are some of the most attention-grabbing moments in the shared history of the world over the last year. 3.5 billion people watched.

But who was the MVP of the last Super Bowl (Ken Walker, 3rd of the Seahawks)?

MVP or the NBA finals? Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous Alexander.

Who won the last World Series? L.A. Dodgers.

Who won the 2025 FIFA World Cup MVP?

How about this: Who was the Nobel Prize winner for Physiology and Medicine last year, and for what? This person won for using CRISPR to demonstrate gene-editing Alzheimer’s out of a person’s DNA.

Who received the top researcher prize for Physics by developing breakthroughs in quantum computing that physicists believe might enable calculations to be made in more than just our dimension (possibly proving alternate realities)?

Who won the Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Journalism?

Who won the Fields Medal for groundbreaking work in mathematics, which might be used to solve world hunger?

But now ask yourself these questions instead:

Who are the people who truly shaped your life?

Who taught you something fundamental (like reading, thinking, how to study, how to respect others or behave or got you to believe in yourself? I bet you can name that person.
Who showed up consistently and made all the difference?
Who cared about you in ways that are specific and personal and changed your life or made you a better person?
Who shared tears, hugs, pain, death, a wedding or the birth of a child with you? I bet you know their names.

No 3 billion people watched those moments but I bet they were more impactful.

People aren’t shaped most by those who are important to the world, but by those who are important to us personally. The biggest influence on your life usually come from people who will never be famous.

History remembers the great figures: the prize winners, the champions, the innovators. But a person’s life is usually shaped far more by the quiet, consistent actions of ordinary people: someone who taught them, supported them, listened to them, or showed up when it mattered.

I’ll bet those names and faces came to mind immediately. You may even feel gratitude welling up as you remember them. Those are the “living stones” God has placed in your life, ordinary people through whom He builds something eternal.

Their small, faithful acts, meals shared, burdens carried, truth spoken in love, quiet prayers offered, are spiritual sacrifices that strengthen the church far more than any spotlight moment.

I believe that it’s not usually the big things we do that matter the most… usually, it’s the right things we do that matter the most.

Giving a lamb to the priest at the temple (three times a year was a big thing and had its place), but spiritual sacrifices (those little things we do for Christ and neighbours) change us and change others around us. Spiritual sacrifices build an even bigger Temple with more and more living stones. They built up a whole kingdom.

The problem is we don’t always live like a Royal Priesthood and a Holy Nation we’re called to be, partially because (just like Peter’s original audience), we tend to cling to the past and hold on to our old ways instead of celebrating what God is doing in the here and now.

There is this old story…
An old beggar lived near the king’s palace. One day, he saw a proclamation posted outside the palace gate. The king was giving a great dinner. Anyone dressed in royal garments was invited to the party.

The beggar went on his way. He looked at the rags he was wearing and sighed. Surely only kings and their families wore royal robes, he thought. Slowly, an idea crept into his mind. The audacity of it made him tremble.

Would he dare? He made his way back to the palace. He approached the guard at the gate. “Please, sire, I would like to speak to the king.”

“Wait here,” the guard replied. In a few minutes, he was back. “His majesty will see you,” he said. “Let the beggar in!” he shouted.

“You wish to see me?” asked the king.

“Yes, your majesty. I want so much to attend the banquet, but I have no royal robes to wear. Please, sir, if I may be so bold, may I borrow one of your old garments so that I, too, may come to the banquet?”

The beggar shook so hard that he could not see the faint smile that was on the king’s face.

“You have been wise in coming to me,” the king said. He called to his son, the young prince. “Take this man to your room, have him bathed and dress him in some of your new clothes.”

The prince did as he was told, and soon the beggar was standing before a mirror, clothed in garments that he had never dared even to hope for. “You are now eligible to attend the king’s banquet tomorrow night,” said the prince. “But even more important, you will never need any other clothes again. These garments will last you for the rest of your life with ease. These will never tear.”

The beggar dropped to his knees. “Oh, thank you,” he cried.

But as he started to leave, he looked back at his pile of dirty rags on the floor. He hesitated. What if the prince was wrong? What if the King changed his mind? What if he needed his old clothes again? Quickly, as the prince looked the other way, the beggar sneakily gathered up his old clothes and hid them away before leaving.

The banquet was far greater than the beggar had ever imagined, but he could not enjoy himself as he should. He had made a small bundle of his old rags, and it kept falling off his lap. The food was passed quickly, and the beggar missed some of the greatest delicacies while trying to keep one hand on the rags at all times.

Time proved that the prince was right. The clothes did last forever. Still, the poor beggar grew fonder and fonder of his old rags. As time passed, people seemed to forget the royal robes he was wearing. They saw only the little bundle of filthy rags that he clung to wherever he went. He became a sort of local celebrity. Everyone knew him. But they knew him only as “the old man dressed as a prince but always holding dirty rags”

One day, as the old beggar lay dying, the king visited him. The beggar saw the sad look on the king’s face when he looked at the small bundle of rags by the bed. Suddenly, the beggar remembered the prince’s words, and he realized that his bundle of rags had cost him a lifetime of true royalty. And so the beggar and the king both, together, cried.

Our King cannot stand to see us holding on to our old rags. For as Peter puts it, we are “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” and “God’s special possession.”

No matter where, when or who you were born to be, all God’s children in Jesus Christ are chosen, and all who do right make up the Holy nation. If you follow The Way, the Truth and the Life, what might you accomplish? All who strive to sacrifice for others are the living embodiment of the Temple; we are living stones and it’s our everyday small acts of kindness that matter most. Amen.

Song: With the Lord as my guide (574)

We respond to serve God

Our time of giving

Prayers of the people

Generous God, we thank you for the renewal of life in Christ and for the greening of fields and gardens that remind us of your power to restore. Use the gifts we offer, time, money, skills, to bring hope and tangible renewal: feed neighbours facing food insecurity, support farmers and farmworkers, repair homes after storms, and fund programs that heal bodies and rebuild communities in the name of Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord.

Holy One, God with us, we give thanks for Jesus’ promises that reveal your face, mercy in the hurting, peace in the restless, and justice for the oppressed.

He knows us more deeply than we know ourselves and calls us into a life of compassionate action.

In Christ, you show us the Way through self-giving service. We pray for those who are lost or isolated, refugees and migrants, youth without mentors, people living with addiction, those struggling to find steady work, and anyone crushed by loneliness or shame.

In Christ, you show us the Truth revealed in costly love. In an age of misinformation and quick fixes, we pray for those misled by false promises, victims of scams, people radicalized online, and communities harmed by corrupt leaders. God of the Truth, expose deceit, protect the vulnerable from exploitation, and give us courage to speak and live truth, even when it costs us.

Our very grounding… in Christ, you show us the Life that defeats death. We hold before you people facing serious illness, caregivers burned out from long nights, those grieving loss, the separated and separating, folks living with chronic depression, the Bipolar, the unsettled, those who wish for life to end, and anyone denied full dignity for any reason.

Renew our purpose: teach us to follow Jesus’ footsteps by serving the hungry, welcoming the stranger, defending the marginalized, and stewarding your creation. Shape our words and actions so your kingdom of compassion, justice, and life is made visible in our neighbourhoods and the wider world. Amen.

Passing the peace

The Sacrament of Holy Communion

Invitation

Beloved in Christ: The Lord invites to his table all who trust in Jesus Christ, know themselves to be less than perfect, seek to rectify the wrongs and wish to live at peace with one another. The body and blood of Christ have already been offered to any and every person designed to receive it (the children of God). Come, all of those who wish to be faithful!

Song: Let us break bread together (548)

The Nicene Creed

Let us join together in the words of our common faith.

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake, he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day, he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen

The Communion Prayer

Great and Loving God, Father of all, we praise you for creating the world and for loving every person you made. You give us life, the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the beauty of morning and night. Thank you for caring for children, for the old, for people experiencing poverty, and for everyone in between. You hold us when we are afraid, you forgive us when we fail, and you remind us that we belong to you. We join with all creation and with your people everywhere in saying: Holy, holy, holy is your name.

Jesus Christ, our Brother and Saviour, we thank you for coming to live among us, for showing us how to love by your words and your actions.

At your last supper, you took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and shared it with your friends. You said it was your body given for us. Then you took the cup and said it was your life poured out for many.

You taught us to love our enemies, to feed the hungry, to welcome the stranger, and to forgive as we have been forgiven. Remembering your life, death, and rising again, we ask you now to be present with us in this meal.

Make this bread and this cup for us the signs of your presence: feed our bodies, heal our hearts, and help us to live like you—kind, brave, and full of hope.

Holy Spirit, Breath of God, come upon these gifts and upon all who share them. Fill this table with your life. Make the bread into the body of Christ for us, and the cup into the new life poured out for all. Help us to see you at work in our neighbours, especially those who are hungry, lonely, or afraid.

Teach our hands to serve, our tongues to speak truth, and our feet to follow where Jesus leads. Unite us with Christians around the world and with those who have gone before us who have trusted you. Give us courage to love better, to forgive faster, and to keep believing that you can make things new.

God of grace, use what we receive at this table to change us.

Let it make us braver in doing good, kinder in our speech, and deeper in our love. Help us share what we have, protect creation, and work for peace and justice in our communities. When we leave this place, keep your life in us so we may be lights of your love wherever we go.

We offer this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Friend, and we pray together with confidence, as he taught us, saying, “Amen.”

Institution

On the night he was handed over, Jesus took the bread, gave thanks to God, broke it, and gave it to his friends, saying:

Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.

After supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and said:

This cup is the new promise of God poured out for you — my life for the life of the world. Whenever you drink it, remember me.

So, as you eat this bread and drink this cup, remember Christ’s love for you, proclaim his death and celebrate his risen life, until he comes again. Amen.

Sharing of the Bread and Wine

Song: Eat this bread (527)

Prayer after Communion

Gracious God, thank you for meeting us at this table with forgiveness, hope, and your love. Send us out strengthened to serve others, share your grace, and live as signs of Christ’s peace. Amen.

Song: You are holy, you are whole (828)

Sending out with God’s blessing
We are God’s own people, who have received mercy.
So do not let your hearts be troubled. Jesus waits for you in each new day.
May the Spirit guide you in the Way;
May Christ reveal the Truth in you;
And may God the FATHER grant you Life abundant now and evermore.

Response: God to enfold you

Music postlude

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Numbers in brackets after a song/hymn indicate that it is from the 1997 Book of Praise of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Those and other songs are being used in accordance with the specifications of Dayspring’s licensing with One License (3095377) and CLC (A735555).

The Rev. Brad Childs retains the copyright (© 2026) on all original material in this service. As far as Brad Childs is aware, all of the material that has not been attributed to others is his own creation or is in the public domain. Unacknowledged use of copyrighted material is unintentional and will be corrected immediately upon notification being received.

Video recordings of the Sunday Worship messages can be found here on our YouTube Channel.

Shepherd

Posted on April 26, 2026April 26, 2026 by John

Worship on the Fourth Sunday of Easter
10:00 am      April 26, 2026
Minister: The Rev. Brad Childs        Music Director: Binu Kapadia
Vocalist: Lynn Vaughan     Elder: Andrea Gartrell
Children’s Time: Brad     Reader: Don Millligan

We gather to worship God.

Music prelude

Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you
P: and also with you

Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements
Preparation for worship

Call to worship:
L: God, our Shepherd, offers us abundant life.
P: God, you are with us!
L: God, our Shepherd, leads us by still waters.
P: God, restore our souls!
L: God, our Shepherd, walks with us through every dark valley.
P: God, we will not be afraid! God, our Shepherd, we praise you for your goodness and mercy with us every day.

Opening praise: Holy is the Lord

Prayers of approach and confession

God of love,

We come together into your presence

trusting that your love has the power to defeat evil in the world.

We come together into your presence, trusting that Christ

shows us that your love defeats even the power of death.

We come together into your presence, trusting that your Holy Spirit

guides us through the darkest valleys.

We worship you with glad hearts,

praising you in the name of our Risen Lord,

praying with the breath of your Spirit in us.

Renew our strength and courage to face whatever each day holds,

so our lives will bring you honour and glory now and always. Amen.

Trusting your grace and mercy, we come together to your throne of grace to confess our sins.

God of love,

we confess that too often we let the events around us

shatter our trust in your love.

When terror strikes and innocents fall,

we wonder if love can defeat violence.

When truth gets lost among misleading claims,

we wonder if love can prevail over lies.

Forgive us, God, when we lose our trust in the power of your love

So soon after it raised Jesus from death’s grip.

Response: Glory, glory, hallelujah

Assurance of God’s pardon

The Apostle Paul asked: What will separate us from the love of Christ? Hardship? Distress? Peril or sword? No! he declared. Neither death nor life, nor things present nor things to come can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Let us rejoice that, no matter what is happening around us, God’s gracious and forgiving love will never let us go.

Musical Offering: Warren Garbutt and Jack Brown

We listen for the voice of God.

Song: Jesus, we are gathered (514)

Children’s time: Lost and found

Prayer with the Children

The Lord’s Prayer (535 )

*Song: The Lord’s my shepherd (11)

Scripture: Ezekiel 34:7-15; Psalm 23; 1 Peter 2:19-25; John 10:1-10

Response: Jesus is risen from the grave

Message: Shepherd
We have a shepherd who wants to lead us beside still waters and wants for us a life of abundance. Do we believe it?

Let’s suppose that I bought a horse from a man, and for that horse I had to pay, in cold, hard cash, a total of six dollars.

When I get home with the horse, everyone is excited. My kids think I’m a hero, and Tracy, who’s a bit of a penny pincher, thinks I’m a great bargainer. The horse is a definite hit with the family.

But after a while, problems arise. The horse is too big for the house. I’ve told the kids, “No galloping in the living room.” It’s getting expensive to feed this animal, too. Finally, my wife declares, “This horse has got to go.” I take the horse back to the man who originally sold it to me, and he’s gracious enough to buy the horse back for eight dollars. So, I have lost two bucks. Not a huge deal, obviously.

But soon I miss that old horse. A lot of times, at night, after the kids have gone to bed, I can be found staring up at the moon and playing my harmonica while singing cowboy songs. My wife, bless her heart, can’t stand to see me mope around, and so finally she gives in and says, “Oh, all right, go back and buy the horse again.” This time, I bought the horse from the same man for ten dollars.

You can guess what happens next. No sooner did we get the horse back to the house than we began to face all the same old problems again. The kids were horsing around, and the horse was doing a major number on the carpet.

I could see the handwriting on the wall. I was going to have to get rid of old Calico. So, I took the horse back to the same guy and sold it to him for twelve dollars.

I no longer have the horse, but I do have a question. After all my wheeling and dealing on the horse, did I make money or lose money? Not counting fees or gas back and forth to the farm, did I come out ahead? Did I go in the hole? Or did I break even? And if I did gain or lose, how much did I gain or lose?

The answer is I made four dollars. I spent six and ten, that’s sixteen; I received eight and twelve, so that’s twenty. Subtract sixteen from twenty, and you get four dollars profit. Wait, is that correct?

That story problem came from a second-grade math book. It should have been really easy, right? Second-grade math! But it wasn’t so easy, was it? In fact, it was downright confusing.

That’s the way life can be sometimes. Things that seem simple sometimes aren’t so simple. The world can be a very confusing place. But we have someone we can trust.

Psalm 33 says, “God’s word is true, and everything he does is right. He loves what is right and fair; the Lord’s love fills the earth.”

You gotta go to the One who designed you.

A few years ago, I bought this wonderful program: The Word Biblical Commentary series on CD-ROM. It was a steal: the whole set for only $800, instead of nearly $3,000 for the books, plus a bunch of extra resources thrown in. But I was newly married, working part-time as a youth director and a librarian’s assistant, and I was broke. Nine hundred dollars felt like a fortune.

I took that CD out of its package, followed the “three easy steps” that somehow took over an hour, typed in my 23-digit personalized code… and nothing. It didn’t work. So, like any intelligent young man, I repeated the same steps, got angry when I got the same result, and did it again. After about five hours of pure stupidity, I finally broke down and called the good people at Logos Software. I ended up speaking to one of the guys who actually helped write the program. In a few minutes, he gave me a couple of simple steps even I could follow, and voilà…

the program was up and running.

How many times in life do we try to work out our own problems our own way? We keep repeating the same mistakes, getting angrier and more frustrated, until finally we break down and go to the One who designed the program, the One who designed us, to begin with.

The world can be a very confusing mess, but Hebrews 13 tells us that our Lord is stable, trustworthy, and constant. He “is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

But more than that, our trustworthy God has created us for a purpose. Psalm 139 says: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made… Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

Our God has created us for a purpose, and part of that purpose is to live a wonderful life, to be joyful and passionate, to really be alive. When the world thinks “Christian,” they picture some boring, dull, stoic existence. That’s nonsense.

You’ve got to do something. Take a little responsibility.

A few years ago, a 33-year-old truck driver named Larry Walters made national news. Larry had a habit of spending his weekends in his Los Angeles backyard, drinking Pepsi and eating peanut butter sandwiches, staring at the houses around him. Not a really exciting life.

One day, sheer boredom prompted him to buy some balloons and a tank of helium. He figured he’d tie the balloons to his lawn chair, float up a few feet, and get an aerial view of the neighbourhood. Just in case, he brought his old BB gun to shoot out balloons and control his altitude.

He bought 45 big weather balloons, filled them, tied them to his lawn chair, grabbed another six-pack of Pepsi, some sandwiches, and his BB gun. With a small crowd of curious neighbours watching, he yelled, “Let’s go!” and they cut the ropes.

He didn’t go five or six feet. He shot straight up… 10,000 feet! Right into the landing pattern at L.A. International Airport. The BB gun was useless because he was hanging on for dear life with both hands. They had to close the airport and send a helicopter to rescue him.

When they finally got him down, the reporters asked, “Were you scared?” “No, not really,” he said. “Are you going to do it again?” “No.” “What in the world made you do that in the first place?”

Larry thought for a moment and said, “Well… you just can’t sit there, can ya?”

Abundant life isn’t about launching yourself into the sky on a lawn chair fueled by Pepsi and boredom. But Larry was right about one thing… you can’t just sit there.

Denis Prager, in his book “Happiness Is a Serious Problem”, writes that unhappy religious people provide more persuasive arguments for atheism and secularism than all the other arguments combined. Perpetual unhappiness reflects poorly on our God, our faith, and all creation. God didn’t create us to mope around. He didn’t open the door to grace and love and expect a bunch of stoic faces.

Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

That word “abundantly” is the Greek word “perissos” (περισσός). It means:

– Over and above, more than is necessary, superadded

– Exceeding abundantly, supremely

– Something further, far more than, much more than all

– Superior, extraordinary, surpassing, uncommon

– Pre-eminence, superiority, advantage, more excellent

That’s the life God has prepared for us… abundant life, superadded life, life with extra poured on top.

But how do we actually live that kind of life? Jesus doesn’t just drop the promise and walk away. Right in the same chapter, He tells us exactly who He is and how He leads us into it.

In John 10, Jesus says: “Very truly I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep… I am the gate for the sheep… I am the good shepherd.”

What is your faith to you?

What is it when someone else attacks your faith?

What does it mean when the beliefs you hold most dear are attacked?

By the way, I am not telling you what to believe. What I am saying is that sometimes a fake shepherd comes into your life and messes things up. Do I, or do you, always see it for what it is? I don’t think I do.

Jesus says to be careful about those who want to mess up your life, change your ideas, or break in.

The thief climbs over the wall to steal, kill, and destroy. But the Good Shepherd comes through the gate. He calls His own sheep by name. He leads them out. The sheep know His voice and follow Him. They won’t follow a stranger.

Jesus is not a distant ruler barking orders. He is the Shepherd who knows you by name. He goes ahead of you. He walks with you.

That’s exactly what King David celebrated in Psalm 23:

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside quiet waters,

He refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Notice what the Shepherd does: He provides. He leads. He restores. He guides. He protects. Even in the valley of the shadow of death, the darkest, scariest places life can take us, we don’t have to be afraid, because the Shepherd is right there with us. His rod drives off the wolves. His staff gently corrects and keeps us on the path.

The abundant life isn’t a life without valleys. It’s a life where, even in the valley, you have a Shepherd who makes sure you lack nothing that really matters. He superadds peace in the storm, joy in the sorrow, strength in the weakness, and hope when everything else is falling apart.

The thief wants to rob you of that. The world wants to convince you that following Jesus means a boring, restricted, colourless existence. But Jesus says the opposite: “I came that they may have life, real life, vibrant life, and have it ‘perissos’, overflowing, extraordinary, surpassing, superadded.”

You were fearfully and wonderfully made for this. The Designer who knit you together in your mother’s womb is the same Good Shepherd who stands at the gate and says, “Come on in. Follow my voice. I’ve got green pastures and quiet waters waiting. And even when the path gets dark, I’m walking right beside you.”

So here’s the question for all of us this week: Are you going to keep trying to fix things your own way, repeating the same frustrating loops, or will you go to the One who designed you? Will you listen for the voice of the Good Shepherd and follow Him into the abundant life He promised?

You don’t have to launch yourself 10,000 feet in a lawn chair. But you do have to move. You do have to take responsibility. You do have to reach out and grab hold of the life that’s already been purchased for you.

Go and find some way this week, maybe today, to grab that abundant life that God has promised you.

After all… You just can’t sit there, can ya?

Song: Saviour, like a shepherd lead us (485)

We respond to serve God.

Our time of giving

Prayers of the people

God with a tender heart, we thank you for the care you offer to us as our Shepherd. Bless the gifts we offer so they will spread your abundant love to those in need of caring. Bless our lives so that we may care for the world as we follow Jesus day by day.

Wise and generous God, shepherd of our lives, we are thankful this day for all you provide to sustain us.

You call our weary souls to rest when the world seems busy. You bless us with the promise of new life as pastures around us turn green, announcing another spring.

You gather us around tables of friendship to draw strength from one another. Thank you for the signs of your goodness and mercy, which we can treasure each day.

Loving and listening God, shepherd of the world,

We bring you our prayers for others, friends and enemies, neighbours and strangers alike.

We pray for people who are struggling with illness, loneliness, grief or sadness:

Hold silence for 15 seconds.

Walk with them through dark days and steep valleys.

We pray for people in countries and communities where it is not safe to live out their faith or express their views openly.

Hold silence for 15 seconds.

Walk with them through dark days and steep valleys.

We pray for victims of discrimination, acts of hatred,

domestic violence and physical punishment.

Hold silence for 15 seconds.

Walk with them through dark days and steep valleys.

We pray for journalists and advocates for justice

who live under threat for telling the truth.

Hold silence for 15 seconds.

Walk with them through dark days and steep valleys.

We pray for congregations that seek to renew and reorganize themselves

to meet the needs of the communities they serve.

Hold silence for 15 seconds.

Walk with them through dark days and steep valleys.

We pray for our families, friends and for ourselves,

as well as those in the news whose situations tug at our hearts.

Hold silence for 15 seconds.

Walk with us all through dark days and steep valleys. Amen.

Song: Praise him, praise him, Jesus, our blessed Redeemer (372)

Sending out with God’s blessing
Go in peace, sure that the Good Shepherd walks beside you.
May God lead you to places of rest and renewal.
May Christ give you courage on the journey;
May the Holy Spirit fill your hearts with joy and generosity;
And may the blessing of God, Creator, Christ and Spirit,
dwell in your hearts, overflow and be always abundant… this day and always.

Response: He is Lord

Music postlude

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Video recordings of the Sunday Worship messages can be found here on our YouTube Channel.

Born Again

Posted on April 19, 2026April 19, 2026 by John

Worship on the Third Sunday of Easter
10:00 am      April 19, 2026
Minister: The Rev. Brad Childs     Music Director: Binu Kapadia
Guest pianist: Dorothy Beyer     Vocalist: Fionna McCrostie
Elder: Gina Kottke     Children’s time: Lynn Vaughan
Reader: Noah Hehr

We gather to worship God

Music prelude

Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you
P: and also with you

Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements

Preparation for worship

Call to worship:
L: We have come from many places, following different roads.
P: We come hungering for greater understanding.
L: We have come to hear the wisdom of Scripture.
P: We come seeking companions in the faith.
L: We have come to discover the One revealed in the breaking of the bread.
P: We come to grow as disciples of Christ
L: Come, let us worship God, made known in Christ Jesus.

Opening praise: I give you my heart

Prayers of approach and confession
Loving, Everlasting God, you who kindle the smallest sparks of faith into blazing light, we come to you with hearts that long for your nearness. You are the light of the hearts that love you, the warmth that steady our timid steps, the life at the center of every soul that serves. You are the breath within us when we cannot find our voice, the steady hand when our grip slips, the gentle whisper that calls us home. You are the inspiration of those who seek you in midnight questions and in daylight errands. You are infinite and eternal, unchanging in your mercy, yet always new in the ways you meet us — full of compassion for our failings, rich in grace for our wandering, patient with our slow learning, truthful when we need correction.

When we turn from you, we stumble and grow small; when we turn toward you, we rise, lifted by your forgiveness and hope. The earth and every living thing sing of your handiwork; the sunrise, the time we share, the friend who stays… all testify to your goodness. Above all, your glory and truth shine most clearly in Jesus Christ, whose life, death and rising bind us to you. For this miracle of love, for the One who walked with strangers and called them family, we praise you now and forever: Creator, Christ, and Spirit.

Remembering Christ’s loving-kindness and mercy, let us confess the ways we have missed the mark.

Merciful God, you are the One of Glory and we need you. We confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, in the private places and the public moments, by what we have done, by what we have left undone, by the kindness we withheld and the hard words we spoke. We have not loved you with our whole heart, body, mind and soul; too often we have held back the best of ourselves. We have failed to love our neighbours as ourselves, turning a cautious eye from those who needed our courage, our time, or our resources. Forgive us for pride that protects us, for fear that silences us, for indifference that numbs us. Be merciful as promised and show us glory! Amen.

Response: Glory, glory, hallelujah

Assurance of God’s pardon
In your mercy, forgive what we have been; heal what we are now; and shape who we shall become. Restore in us a generous spirit, a softened heart, and steady hands for service. Teach us new ways to embody your compassion so that in small acts of love, your kingdom becomes visible here. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who bore our wounds and shows us the way back. Amen.

We listen for the voice of God.

Song: Jesus, we are gathered (514 )

Children’s time

I have a couple of pictures to show you today. Here is the first picture.

What do you see? How many of you see a tree? Did anyone see anything besides a tree? Did anyone see a gorilla? If you didn’t see a gorilla, look here on the left side of the picture. (Point to the gorilla.) Can everyone see it? Does anyone see anything besides the tree and the gorilla? How about a lion? Do you see a lion? Look here on the right side of the picture. (Point to the lion.) Now, do you see it? So, if you look at this picture, you will see three different things – a tree, a gorilla, and a lion.

Here is the second picture.

What do you see? Does anyone see a rabbit? This is easy, isn’t it? Here is the nose, an eye, and here are the ears. Does anyone see anything other than a rabbit? Oh, I see a duck! Here is the head and here is the duck’s bill. It is interesting how the picture changes, depending on how you look at it!

Sometimes, like in these pictures, we don’t always see everything that is there. It was easy to see the tree, but we might not see the gorilla or the lion until we look at the picture for a few more minutes. The same thing is true of the rabbit and the duck. We might not see one or the other right away. Our Bible lesson today is about two men who had some difficulty in recognizing Jesus when he joined them as they were walking to a village called Emmaus.

We will learn more about this in Sunday School today. Sometimes, we don’t see the whole picture at first, just like when we looked at the illusions. We might have to look more closely. Just like the men who didn’t know that it was Jesus right there with them on the road. You and I might not always see that Jesus is walking beside us, but … He IS there, always – loving and protecting and caring for us every day.

Prayer
Let us pray: This is a repeat-after-me prayer.
Dear God,
open our eyes
so we might recognize
that Jesus is right here with us
as we walk through life.
We trust in him
as he guides us
along our daily path.

Now together, we’ll say the prayer that Jesus taught us.

The Lord’s Prayer (535)

Song: Come to us, beloved Stranger (262)

Scripture readings: 1 Peter 1:17-23 and Luke 24:13-35

Response: Jesus is risen from the grave

Message: Born Again

Looking at the passage in Peter’s letter, we find guidance on how to live in this world, knowing Heaven is our home.
What are imperishable people born again by the Word?
How then shall we live?

Years ago, when my kids were little, I planted a tiny garden out back. You know the kind, the hopeful spring project where you buy packets of seeds, till the soil, and dream of fresh fried green tomatoes and chocolate zucchini cake to appear sometime around July. I really wanted to plant a taco pizza tree, but… it… well it turns out that was just a dream of mine and it never really materialized.

I planted primarily flowers, but also a few other things, and I took more care than usual with the carrots and strawberries.

I suppose we’ve all seen the beautiful little packets, bright orange and red pictures on the front. They only cost a couple dollars at most. It’s not a big investment to start out.

I did the novice gardener things, and I watered them faithfully. And then… nothing. Or at least, not what I expected. Some of the seeds came up, sure. But most of them were spindly little things that never amounted to much. A few got eaten by rabbits.

At the time, one of the big problems for us were these things called Chafer Beetles that look like really fat and long grub worms that nest just a inch under the grass. They are pretty gross. But Raccoons love them. So the raccoons would show up at night and roll the sod back up into what looked like giant Swiss cake rolls looking for them and by morning the whole lawn would be this odd mess where you had to roll the grass back out and put it in place. In short, the adversaries destroyed the seeds and the life growing from them. That happens in one way or another to everything. The things of this life pass. But according to the scriptures, there is still life.

Now, I know that phrase “born again” has gotten tossed around a lot over the years and not always in ways that are accurate or Good News to others.

In Hebrew, it’s ἀναγεννάω anagennaō (Anna-Geh-Nawh-O), and the thing is, it only appears in this one place. So it’s a little bit mysterious but maybe not completely.

Those raccoons dug up everything. And sure, raccoons can be coaxed away from the yard with the promise of a half an apple fritter (take that!), but they’d be back.

Birds ate some of the seeds, some the rabbits got, and some the trash pandas destroyed. And the rest just… withered when the summer heat hit.

The marketing is great. The truth is different.

“Perishable seeds”. That’s what the packets should say. “Nice for a season if any of them make it halfway through life. Also, nothing lasts!” On the back it should say, “You get what you pay for!”

Two things:

Farmers have it hard and they might all be crazy.
I would have been a terrible disaster if I had gone into advertising. I’d put an honest “This probably wont grow!” on the front page.

Okay, maybe that shouldn’t be on the package… but I feel as if you get my drift.

Peter knew something about perishable things. He’s writing to believers who are scattered like seed themselves, exiles, foreigners in a hostile world. They’re trying to figure out how to live faithfully when everything around them feels temporary. And right in the middle of his letter, in verse 23, he drops this bombshell of hope:

“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” (1 Peter 1:23)

Let’s back up just a bit so we don’t miss the road that gets us here. Peter has been reminding them, and us, who they really are. You call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, he says. So live out your time here as foreigners… in reverent fear. You weren’t bought with silver or gold, the stuff that rusts and fades, but with the precious blood of Christ, like a perfect lamb without blemish. He was present before the world was even made, but revealed for your sake. Through him, you know the Father-God, who raised him from the dead and believe. Your faith and hope are in Him.

And then, having purified yourselves by obeying the truth, you have sincere love for each other. So love one another deeply, from the heart.

And then comes verse 23, the heartbeat of the whole section: You have been born again. Not of perishable seed. But of imperishable seed. Through the living and enduring word of God.

This is not just nice religious talk. This is the core of what it means to be a Christian. We have been born again.

Also, don’t be afraid of that phrase. It is absolutely biblical.

I know that phrase “born again” has gotten tossed around a lot over the years.

Sometimes it sounds like a bumper sticker slogan or something a person feels they have to say at the right moment to get their Christian card stamped or be considered “one of the good ones”. But that misses the point. And we don’t throw out the baby with the dirty bathwater.

There is something important here.

This is not a strict Justification (being declared acceptable before God), it’s also about Sanctification (bearing good fruit in thanksgiving for being justified). In other words, Peter isn’t just talking about a one-time emotional experience or a checklist item. He’s talking about a complete, God-initiated transformation. A new birth. A new identity. A new life that comes from something that cannot die.

Think about the contrast he’s drawing. Perishable seed. That’s the old way. It’s the way of the world before faith. It’s silver and gold that tarnish. Jobs that end. Glory that fades, accomplishments that dissolve and are forgotten. It’s human effort that eventually runs out. It’s family traditions that feel meaningful for a generation or two, only to be lost. It’s the “I love you” in words and the opposite in deeds. It’s the best we can do on our own… which, let’s be honest, isn’t enough. Perishable seed produces perishable fruit. It withers. It dies. Those pesky troublemakers come in and destroy it all. We all know that story too well.

But this new birth? It’s different. It’s of imperishable seed. It comes through the living and enduring word of God.

That little phrase “living and enduring” is important. The Word of God isn’t some dusty old book on a shelf. It isn’t even the Bible. It’s a person. It’s Jesus. It’s alive. It’s active. It’s the same voice that spoke creation into being. It’s the same Word that called Lazarus out of the tomb. And it endures. It doesn’t wither like those carrot seeds in my garden, or get eaten by the bugs, or destroyed by the animals. It doesn’t rust like silver. It doesn’t fade like the latest self-help trend. Heaven and earth will pass away (Jesus said), but my words will never pass away (Matthew 24:35, Mark 13:31, and Luke 21:33).

So how does this new birth happen? Through the Word. Not through our perfect behaviour. It is not through our impressive family tree. Not through our good intentions or our denominational pedigree. Through the Word. The Good News of Jesus Christ, crucified, risen, coming again, is planted in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. That Word takes root. It grows. It changes everything.

I’ll be honest with you, I also need to hear this news again and again. Because, left to myself, I still sometimes try to live by perishable seed. I catch myself thinking, “If I just do a little more, serve a little harder, pray a little more intently, find a more clever way to say that, be smart enough, fix that one thing, be a little better… then maybe I’ll finally feel like I’ve earned my place.” But I always end up feeling so unworthy. Yet, Peter says “no”. That’s not how new birth works. You don’t earn a birth. You receive it. You’re born into it. It happens to you. And I know that in my head but I don’t always feel that in my heart. DO YOU? We all should! We all Should!!! We all should.

And notice what this new birth produces. Look back at verse 22: sincere love for each other. Deep love from the heart. When you know you’ve been born again by the imperishable word, you stop competing so much with your brothers and sisters. You stop keeping score. You love deeply because you’ve been loved deeply; not because of what you’ve done, but because of what Christ has done.

That’s why Peter tells us that we are “foreigners” living here in reverent fear. Because we are intended to be citizens of heaven (our ultimate home), though living for a time on earth.

We are not always at home in this world’s value systems. We belong to another kingdom. Our ultimate citizenship is in heaven, and we are only here in this place for a short time. We call ourselves Canadian, American, Cameroonian, Iranian, Filipino, Chinese or whatever. No matter what, ask anyone who has lost someone – it hurts. It hurts a lot.

Being a citizen of any country on earth is one thing, but being a citizen of heaven is something completely different.

That truth cuts, but it’s also very clear. And that changes how we live; not out of fear of punishment or hell or anything selfish, but out of awe at the God who gave us new life.

This is incredibly good news for anyone who feels worn out. For anyone who’s tried the perishable route and come up empty. For anyone who wonders if they’ve messed up too badly or waited too long. The word of God is still living and still enduring. Still powerful enough to bring new birth today.

I think about the people who first heard this letter. Scattered believers facing incredible hardships. Some of them had lost homes, jobs, and families because of their faith. They felt like exiles. Peter says to them, “You haven’t been left with nothing.” You’ve been given everything. A new birth. An imperishable hope. A living word that will never fail you.

For me, it’s a little like seeing a family who lost their home in a tornado but joyfully discovered after it was over that the whole family made it through alive. When they come out from the storm shelters and the house is gone, and yet they see each other, and hug each other and love each other in that moment, they aren’t worried about great-grandma’s China or family photos anymore; they are just overjoyed to still have what truly matters.

That same Word is here for us this morning. It’s in the life beyond this. It’s in the scriptures we just heard. It’s in the promises we sing. It’s in the bread and cup we share. It’s in the quiet voice of the Spirit speaking to your heart right now: “You are mine. You’ve been born again. Live like it.”

So what does that look like on a Tuesday morning in Edmonton? It looks like choosing deep love when it would be easier to stay distant. It looks like living as a foreigner, not fitting in with every cultural trend, but holding onto what lasts. It looks like opening this (small “w” “word) every day and letting the living “Word” do His work in you. It looks like telling someone else about the hope you have, not because you’ve got it all together, but because the same imperishable seed that gave you new life can give it to them too.

And when the hard days come, and they will, when you feel like that spindly little plant in the garden, remember: you were not planted with perishable seed. That’s why even in death, the author of Ecclesiastes 12:7 writes, “And the dust always returns to the earth, but the spirit returns to the God who gave it.” And it’s why Paul wrote, “even if this earthly tent is taken down, we will go home to be with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:1-8).

For now, remember this is not our home. Live accordingly.

The Word that calls you is the Word that will sustain you. The God who began this good work in you will carry it on to completion.

You have been born again. Not of perishable seed. But of imperishable. Through the living and enduring word of God. Let’s live like people who know that’s true.

Thanks be to our God and Amen.

Song: Lord Jesus, you shall be my song (665)

We respond to serve God

Our time of giving

Prayers of the people

God, our Maker and Companion, you have walked the Emmaus Road with your people through every age, in seasons of fear and seasons of joy, in confusion and in clarity. Thank you for never leaving us to travel alone. Thank you for the friends who walk beside us, and for unexpected signs of your presence that renew our faith. Walk with us and with those for whom we pray today; let your grace sustain our hope and steady our feet. God in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for children and young people who sit with worry about the future. Hold them when anxiety steals their rest; give them mentors who believe in them; plant in their hearts the assurance that their lives matter to you and to us. Help them find the courage to dream and the wisdom to take faithful steps. God in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for those whose age, illness, or disability builds walls between them and full participation in community life. Grant them dignity, meaningful work, true companionship and access that honours their worth. Open our eyes to see their gifts and our hands to remove the barriers they face. God in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for communities battered by forces beyond their choosing, economic hardship, environmental distress, disaster, and political conflict. Comfort the grieving, protect the vulnerable, and give endurance to those who serve. Grant leaders wisdom, courage and humility so that healing and justice may take root. God in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for our congregation, for our shared life and our calling into the future. We are anxious about change and unsure which path to take. Steady our hearts; deepen our trust in you; give us imagination to try new things and the humility to listen to one another. Let our fellowship be a place where honest questions are met with grace, and where risk is taken for the sake of the Gospel. God in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We lift before you the private worries and names carried silently in our hearts (pause). You know each burden; hold them, heal them, and bring peace that surpasses our understanding. God in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God our Maker, hear now the prayers we speak and those we hold in silence. Make us instruments of your mercy, to feed the hungry, speak for the voiceless, comfort the broken, and proclaim with our lives the love we have received. Teach us to trust the work you begin in us and to follow where Jesus leads. Amen.

Song: Who’s going to tell the story (761)

Sending out with God’s blessing
Now go out into the world: face the road ahead with courage, for the Risen Christ walks with you. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust, so that your life may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Strengthen one another, love without measure, and live as a people renewed by grace. Amen.

Response: He is Lord

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Video recordings of the Sunday Worship messages can be found here on our YouTube Channel.

Living Hope

Posted on April 12, 2026April 12, 2026 by John

Worship on the Second Sunday of Easter
Recognition Service for R&S Out of School Care
10:00 am April 12, 2026
Minister: The Rev. Brad Childs Music Director: Binu Kapadia
Vocalists: Sam and Ann May Malayang Elder: Iris Routledge
Reader: Dylan Mohammed

We gather to worship God

Music prelude

Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you
P: and also with you

Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements
Preparation for worship

Call to worship:
L: All things of God, all the heavens,
P: Worship and praise your Maker
L: Sun, moon and stars; wind, rain and thunder,
P: Worship and praise your Maker
L: Mountains and forests, streams and waterfalls.’
P: Worship and praise your Maker
L: Creatures beneath the sea, birds throughout the skies, all that leaps or crawls, all who walk or worry or wonder,
P: Let us worship and praise our Maker together.

Opening praise: This is amazing grace

Prayers of approach and confession

God of new life and fresh beginnings, the Risen Christ came to his frightened friends and spoke words of deep peace right into their chaos and fear. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the way you keep strengthening my faith, even when doubts creep in. Thank you for offering me that same peace, not as a general idea, but as something I can lean into day by day as I live in you. In the quiet moments and the noisy ones, your presence calms my racing thoughts and reminds me I am never alone.

I am so grateful that you give me courage when my fears feel overwhelming, and my struggles threaten to pull me under. You give me patience when the path ahead is foggy and uncertain, when I can’t see the next step, no matter how hard I try. And you build resilience in me so I can face the changing realities of life without losing hope. Lord, shape me more and more into someone who can be a living source of that same peace and resilience for the people around me, for my family, my friends, my coworkers, and even strangers who cross my path. Do this in me for Christ’s sake, so my life might quietly point others to you.

Loving God. My Father is no longer here, this side of paradise. Yet you are my compassionate Father forever here, just as you were to my own dad. And as a father myself, I know what it is to worry.

I feel that I understand day by day and more and more what the word “father” really means. And I fall short.

I want to act as a parent. I want to be there. I want to do better. I want to turn others to you.

My heart breaks for the many places of brokenness in our world today. I think especially of people weighed down by heavy economic pressures, those who lie awake at night worrying about bills, jobs, or providing for their families. I pray for those who feel trampled in the relentless search for prosperity, left behind or pushed aside in a world that often values success over people.

I want to pray specifically for the People of Iran. The people and the government are not the same thing. The government ignored you. The people need you. Actually, everyone in the world needs you. And I pray that any unprovoked aggression against you would fail. Only those who suppress the people of Iran and the movements of the people should face opposition (and in that, not deadly but conversational). I pray for a world where nations reason with each other, and reason prevails.

I lift up communities and relationships strained by sharp disagreements over policies, politics, and opinions. So many voices feel unheard, dismissed, or ignored, and that pain runs deep. I also pray for our earth itself, groaning under the weight of human activity, its beauty and balance threatened in ways that scare me. I remember with gratitude those who work tirelessly to protect its future, scientists, activists, farmers, and everyday people making small, faithful choices.

I don’t wish to assign morality in places where communities are still fighting to figure things out. But I certainly want to say that over the last decades of my life I have been far too judgmental about other people for their crimes, their acting out, their sex, their sexuality, their circumstances, probably their religions and skin and the histories of their lands and maybe not so much just them… though I tend to think I treat people fairly.

Maybe I’m good at it. But I still suspect I fail from time to time because that’s just logical and almost certainly true.

Gracious God, I feel as if we might all be in the same boat. Please pour out your gifts of real hope and deep healing on this hurting planet and on all its peoples. Where there is despair, bring renewed possibility. Where there is division, sow seeds of understanding. Where there is damage, begin the long work of restoration, starting even in my own small choices each day.

Faithful God, steady and true, I pray for those who carry pain or disappointment from their experiences with the church. Some have been hurt by judgment, exclusion, or silence when they needed grace the most. Open their hearts again to your unconditional love and healing grace so that any wounds the church has caused can begin to mend.

At the same time, guide me and all of us with your wise and gentle Spirit. Help us live out our faith in ways that create open pathways for others to find you, rather than accidental barriers that push people away. Show me how to listen better, love more humbly, and speak with kindness instead of defensiveness.

I pray especially for my own congregation, for The Presbyterian Church in Canada, and for the whole Church of Jesus Christ in every country, culture, and context. In these challenging days of shifting culture and deep questions, strengthen our trust in you. Deepen our genuine concern for others, especially those who feel far from you. Give us humble ears to truly hear the correction we need and soften our hearts with the overwhelming grace of the Risen Christ so we can grow and change.

We also pray for ourselves, our families, our friends, our local community, and our countries (both those of our homelands and those we chose and chose us back).

Thank you for the incredible gift that I can pour out all my worries, fears, hopes, and dreams into your strong and caring hands. You hear every unspoken word. You respond with love that never runs out. I trust you with it all, knowing you are already at work in ways I may not yet see.

Response: Glory, glory, hallelujah

Assurance of God’s love

Hear this good news, my friends: The tomb is empty. Christ is risen, and his resurrection power is at work right now, in us and for us. Nothing you have done, nothing you have failed to do, and no failure or regret you carry can separate you from the love of God in Jesus Christ.

As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is God’s steadfast love for you. As far as the east is from the west, so far has God removed your sins through the cross and the empty tomb. You are forgiven. You are made new. You are deeply loved, exactly as you are, and called to live as a beloved child of the Risen One.

Believe this truth deep in your bones: In Jesus Christ, you are fully forgiven. Go in peace, and live as people who have been set free. Thanks be to God! Amen.

Musical offering: Dayspring Singers

We listen for the voice of God.

Song: Jesus, we are gathered (514 )

Presentation: Roxanne Plischke

Roxanne. Today, we’re not just marking the end of a job, we’re recognizing a calling that you’ve lived out faithfully for many years. You began R&S before- and after-school care back when R. Truly stood for Roxanne. And that tells us something important. This wasn’t and never has been just a program. It was personal. It was you. Your heart, your care, your presence poured into children day after day and year after year.

At Dayspring Presbyterian Church, we often talk about ministry as something that happens beyond Sunday mornings, and Roxanne, you have embodied that. Yes, technically, R&S has used space here, but I’ve never really thought of you as renters. You have been and are mission partners. You have helped shape not just schedules, but lives. Children who felt safe because of you have come through these doors. Families who trust you have been here. Moments of kindness, patience, laughter, and guidance that may never be fully seen. We’re here because of you. And they can never be lost.

And one of the most beautiful things is this: the kids love you. Not because they had to, but because they felt seen, known and cared for. That kind of love doesn’t happen by accident. It comes from who you are. Scripture reminds us that when we care for the least of these, we are participating in something very sacred. Roxanne, your work has been sacred work.

So today we don’t just want to say thank you. We say we have been blessed by you; this church has been better because you’ve been here, and your impact will continue long after your last day. With the kids is done. As you step into retirement, we pray it’s filled with rest, joy, and the deep knowledge that what you have built truly matters. Roxanne, you are not just appreciated, you are loved, and we thank God for you. And we will continue to pray for you and your family, especially in this time of need.

The Lord’s Prayer (535)

Song: At the dawning of salvation (248)

Scripture: Psalm 111; 1 Peter 1:3-9; John 20:19-31

Response: Jesus is risen from the grave

Message: Living Hope
We are often like gold being refined. Our trials can prove our faith solid. Our hope is in the Salvation God has guarded for us, not in our present circumstances.

“Praise be to the God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3).”

These words were written around 63AD by Jesus’ friend and Apostle Kaphas, or known to us by the name Peter. Peter wrote this to the suffering and scattered gentile believers as well as Jewish followers of Jesus living as “exiles” in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia Minor, and Bithynia. He calls his location Babylon, which probably means he is in Rome at the time, due to the persecution of Christians under Emperor Nero. Peter’s hope is to provide encouragement for those facing hardships and death.

And for Peter, perhaps for us… That one sentence changes everything.

Peter wrote these words to believers who were scattered, suffering, and facing real trials. They felt the pressure of a hostile world. Yet right at the start of his letter, Peter bursts into praise. Why? Because God has done something extraordinary for us.

He has given us new birth into a living hope. Not a wishful hope. Not a fragile hope. A living hope, vibrant, active, and anchored in the resurrection of Jesus.

Today, we’re going to unpack what this living hope looks like and why it can sustain us no matter what we face.

But Peter’s main point is very clear. Because God has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we can rejoice even in our trials, knowing our faith will be proven genuine and will ultimately bring out the salvation of our souls.

Let’s walk through the text together.

Verse 3 says: “In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

Everything starts with God’s great mercy. We didn’t earn this hope. We didn’t deserve a fresh start. Like a friend you did wrong, a spouse you took for granted, a parent you didn’t listen to… I think we’ve all had moments when someone granted us forgiveness and showed mercy toward us, even when we didn’t earn it. Here it is much the same: God in great mercy has caused us to be born again… has made all things new in our relationship.

This “new birth” is not just a nice religious idea; it’s a radical, supernatural change. It’s like moving from spiritual death to spiritual life. The same power that raised Jesus from the grave now lives in us and gives us hope that cannot die.

Let me tell you about Gabe Craig. He grew up in church but never really believed. He was deep into taking stolen painkillers and anything else he could get his hands on. One night at a party, he nearly overdosed; he felt like he was sliding down tunnels into hell with screams all around him. He fought for his life all night, but it didn’t break the addiction.

Years later, out of nowhere, he heard the Lord speak an address to him. On a whim, he jumped on his motorcycle and rode there; it turned out to be a church. The pastor preached Proverbs 3:5-6, the exact verse Gabe had tattooed on himself before he even knew God! “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”At the end of the sermon, Gabe ran forward, threw his whole backpack of pills on the altar, and surrendered his life to Jesus.

That night, he left the drug dealer’s house he was living in and rode cross-country to start over. And here’s the miracle: he had zero withdrawals. None. God supernaturally set him free. Gabe says it felt like being resurrected from the grave, dead in addiction one moment, fully alive in Christ the next. That’s what new birth looks like.”

Is this always exactly how it works? No. But the world is full of stories just like this one.

When we experience that kind of new birth, hope ceases to be theoretical. It becomes alive inside you.

Peter continues: “…and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you.”

This hope includes an inheritance. In the ancient world, an inheritance meant security for the future. But earthly inheritances are risky. They can be lost, divided, stolen, absent or wasted.

Our heavenly inheritance is completely different. It can never perish, spoil, or fade. No rust can touch it. No thief can steal it. No death can cancel it. And best of all, it is kept in heaven for you, guarded by God Himself.

Your present life may be a mess, but your future is not uncertain. It is safely stored where nothing in this broken world can damage it.

Think about how fragile earthly inheritances can be. In 2021, a woman named Sarah Faith Jacobsen received $250,000 from her grandmother, $175,000 in life insurance and $75,000 straight from the will. She was already struggling financially, so this felt like security.

But Sarah had no financial education and ‘champagne tastes on a beer budget.’ She hired an adviser, then ghosted him, quit her job, and blew the money on a cross-country road trip to places she dreamed of living, fancy dinners, jewelry, and health gadgets. In just months, it was all gone. The inheritance that was supposed to secure her future was wasted and vanished, leaving her with little more than regret and anxiety.

And here is another thing. When the bible speaks of inheritance, I really have no idea what that’s like. My great-grandparents had nothing left to leave my grandparents. There was no inheritance from my grandparents (and, to be fair, I told my grandmother to spend every penny on herself and having fun, but she ran out by then), and I’m not being rude, it’s just that I don’t believe my parents will be leaving anything either. Again, I’m not picking on them. I think that’s how life is for most people today. The other side of the family will play out much the same.

But contrast that with what Peter says: our inheritance can never perish, spoil or fade, and is kept in heaven for you.’ No bad investments, poor planning, selfishness, bad luck, family fights or spending sprees can touch it. God Himself is guarding it.

But contrast that with what God has prepared for us.

Verse 5 tells us we are “through faith… shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”

We are not left to protect this hope on our own. Through faith, we are shielded by God’s power. The Koine Greek word here is often translated as “shielded,” but it carries the idea of being guarded, surrounded, kept safe, like a fortress or a military escort. In common parlance, it meant to keep an eye on something, to attend to it carefully, or to take care of it. In fact, the same word is used for how God holds the 10 Commandments. He keeps them safe. That is how we are to see his care over our inheritance. God would not break the commandments any more than God would let your inheritance slip from his fingers.

This protection lasts all the way until the final day when our salvation is fully revealed. No matter what storms come, God’s power is actively at work keeping us for Himself.

I love stories that show God’s shielding power in action, even odd ones from pop culture that make you stop and think.

There’s a famous scene in the VERY “R” rated movie Pulp Fiction where two hitmen, Jules and Vincent, are standing in an apartment. A guy bursts out of the bathroom and unloads a whole revolver at them from just a few feet away, point-blank. Now, if you watch the scene closely, you will see that the bullet holes are already in the wall as the two hitmen enter. It’s a fun little mistake in the movie. But that’s neither here nor there, just a fun fact for cinephiles like me.

In the scene, every single bullet misses. They hit the wall behind them, but not a scratch on Jules or Vincent. They walk out untouched. Jules looks at Vincent and says, ‘What just happened here was a miracle… Divine intervention! That means God came down from heaven and stopped the bullets.’

It’s a gritty, unexpected moment in a wild film, but it captures the shock of realizing God’s power just shielded you when it looked impossible. In real life, believers have the same promise: through faith we are ‘shielded by God’s power’ until the day our full salvation is revealed.”

Now Peter gets honest about the present: “In all this, you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith, of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire, may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

We can greatly rejoice even while we grieve in trials, because the trials are not pointless. They are temporary (“for a little while”), and they serve a purpose. That sure doesn’t make it fun. Still…

Trials test and prove the genuineness of our faith. Just as gold is put through intense fire to remove impurities and reveal its true value, our faith is refined in the heat of suffering. And when Jesus returns, that proven faith will bring praise, glory, and honour to Him.

The trials don’t destroy our hope; they actually strengthen and purify it.

Here’s how the gold-refining process actually works. The goldsmith takes impure gold, full of dirt, copper, silver, and other junk, and puts it in a crucible. He heats it in a furnace to over 1,000 degrees Celsius until everything melts. As it melts, the impurities (called dross) rise to the top like foam. The refiner skims them off and throws them away.

Then he turns the heat up even higher and does it again… and again… sometimes seven times or more. Each time, more impurities are removed until finally the gold is pure… 99.5% or better. The refiner knows it’s done when he can look into the molten gold and see his own reflection clearly.

Peter says our trials are exactly like that fire. They’re not random suffering; they’re the refiner’s fire. They burn away pride, selfishness, and false faith so that what’s left is genuine and far more precious than gold. When Jesus returns, that proven faith will shine with praise, glory, and honour to Him.

Joni Eareckson Tada was just 17 when a diving accident snapped her neck and left her a person with quadriplegia. In the beginning, she was angry and bitter, begging God to let her die. But in that furnace of suffering, something beautiful happened. Her faith didn’t break; it was refined.

She learned to paint with a brush between her teeth, wrote dozens of books, and started a non-profit called “Joni and Friends” in order to serve people with disabilities around the world, and now says, ‘Sometimes God permits what He hates to accomplish what He loves.’ Even today, with constant pain and new health battles, she wakes up every morning and prays, ‘I can’t do this… but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’

Her suffering didn’t weaken her faith; it proved it was genuine and made it shine even brighter for Jesus. That’s what trials do when we let God use them.

Finally, verses 8–9: “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

We are already tasting the goal of our faith: the salvation of our souls. The full deliverance is coming, but even now, hope makes joy possible.

It’s a lot like the way a military wife loves and trusts her husband while he’s deployed. She hasn’t seen him for months, sometimes over a year. She can’t hold his hand, look into his eyes, or even get a hug when the day is hard. All she has are letters, short phone calls, and the promise that he’s coming home.

Yet her love doesn’t grow cold; it actually deepens. She trusts his commitment even though she can’t see him right now. She keeps his picture out, reads his words over and over, and lives every day with the quiet joy that one day he’ll walk through the door and everything will be made right.

Peter says that’s exactly how we love Jesus: ‘Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.’ We haven’t seen Him with physical eyes, but we know He’s real, He’s coming back, and that unseen relationship fills us with joy that nothing in this world can take away.

So let’s return to where Peter began: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!”

Because this living hope is anchored in the resurrection of Jesus, we do not grieve as those who have no hope. We can rejoice even in trials. Our inheritance is secure. God’s power shields us. Our faith is being refined for glory. And even now we love and believe in a Saviour we have not seen, and He fills us with joy.

If you are here today and you don’t yet have this living hope, hear the good news: Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose again. In His great mercy, He offers you new birth today. Turn to Him in faith. Receive the forgiveness and hope that only He can give.

For those of us who already know Him, let this living hope sustain you this week. When trials come, remember: they are only for a little while, and they are making your faith more precious than gold.

So let’s praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ… today, tomorrow, and forever. Amen.

Song: Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord (260)

We respond to serve God.

Our time of giving

Prayer of gratitude, and for others and ourselves

God of new Life, the Risen Christ spoke words of peace to his friends.

Thank you for strengthening our faith and offering us that peace as we live in you day by day. We are grateful that you give us the courage to face our fears and struggles, patience to endure moments when the way ahead is not clear, and resilience to meet changing realities. Make us a source of peace and resilience for Christ’s sake.

Loving God, We pray for the many places of brokenness in our world. We think especially of those weighed down by economic pressures, and those who have been trampled in the search for prosperity. We pray for people and communities at odds over policies and opinions, and those who feel their concerns are going unheard. We pray for the earth itself under the impact of human activity and for those working to protect its future. Grant the earth and all its peoples your gifts of hope and healing.
Faithful God, We pray for those who struggle with their experience of the church.
Open them to your love and grace so that any pain the church has caused will be healed. Guide us with your Spirit of wisdom to know how to live out our faith in ways that create pathways for others to find you, not barriers.
We pray for our congregation,
for The Presbyterian Church in Canada,
and for the Church of Jesus Christ in every country and culture.
In these days of challenge, strengthen our trust in you and our concern for others.
Give us ears to hear the correction we need, with hearts opened by the grace of the Risen Christ.
We also pray for ourselves, our family and friends, our community and our country.
We lay before you in silence the people and concerns on our hearts and minds today.
(Silence for 15 seconds)
We are grateful that we can place all our worries and our hopes into your hands,
O God, knowing that you will hear us and respond.

Song: Thine be the glory (258)

Sending out with God’s blessing

Now may the God of new life and endless hope, the One who raised Jesus from the dead and speaks peace into every storm of our lives, fill you to overflowing with his presence.

May the Risen Christ walk beside you every step of the coming days, strengthening your faith when it feels weak, calming your fears with his gentle voice, and giving you fresh courage for whatever lies ahead. May he make you a quiet source of peace and resilient love for everyone you meet, so that others might glimpse his kindness through your life.

Response: He is Lord

Music postlude

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Video recordings of the Sunday Worship messages can be found here on our YouTube Channel.

Readings from from The Ragman by Walter Wangerin Jr.

Posted on April 5, 2026April 5, 2026 by John

Worship on Easter Sunday
10:00 am April 05, 2026
Minister: Rev. Brad Childs Music Director: Binu Kapadia
Vocalist: Linda Farrah-Basford Elder: Lynn Vaughan
Reader: Andrea Gartrell

We gather to worship God

Music Prelude

Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you
P: and also with you

Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements
Preparation for worship

Call to worship:
L: Christ is risen!
P: He is risen indeed!
L: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death.
P: Hallelujah!
L: This is the Good News – the grave is empty & Christ is risen.
P: Hallelujah!
L: Let us worship God with Easter joy!

Opening praise: He is Lord

We listen for the voice of God

Scripture readings: Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; Colossians 3:1-4; and John 20:1-8

Response: Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord

Reading: New Rags for Old (The story ”The Ragman” ©, is adapted from The Ragman by Walter Wangerin Jr.)

Part 1: The Call and the First Exchange
The Ragman comes in down the centre aisle, drops the clean clothes on the steps, but stays at the scripture lectern.

It was just before the dawn on a Friday morning. It smelled a bit like rain, and just a hint of light showed in the distance, like a bubble of slightly brighter-than-grey sky. The street lights had just turned off, but the sun wasn’t quite up to replacing them yet.

There was a very strong-looking, handsome young man who walked through the alleys between the more respectable streets. He held a candle in one hand. It was the only bright light around. Intently, he looked down the street, back at the candle and then to the street again. He blew the light out and placed the candle in his pocket, a dark place to keep it for another day.

The 6-foot-4-inch man, with arms like tree limbs, stood like a tower. But he did not appear intimidating. Nothing about him would cause you pause. His face was like a kindly, well-drawn set of features. Still, there was something different about him. As he walked, he was pulling an old cart filled with new, brand-new clothes. He stood out.

And then he began to speak.

He called out as he walked the streets in a beautiful tenor voice. He called out what could only be described as an unusual sales pitch. And that explained it. He must have been a salesman looking for new customers. Apparently, he didn’t understand he was in a poor part of town. Still, he called out his pitch for all to hear.

(PAUSE)

It wasn’t a shout exactly, just powerful. He called out, saying just one word at first, “Rags,” he’d call.

Then the pitch changed a bit. “New Rags for old rags!” he said. And then “New rags for old rags! I’ll take your tired old rags! Simultaneously the Ragman said this to no one and yet everyone at the same time.

Again, “New rags for old rags! I’ll take your tired old rags!” A strange sales pitch indeed. The streets were lined with a few ramshackle guests, perhaps left over from the night before. A man furrowed his brow in disappointment and annoyance. Two others looked at one another with inquisitive but dismissive smirks.

One man out to get the paper scoffed and mumbled to himself, ragman and then returned to his business again.

“New rags for old rags! I’ll take your tired old rags!” “New ones for old ones”, the Ragman clarified.

Soon, the Ragman came upon a sobbing woman sitting on her back porch. She hadn’t even noticed him until he was right upon her. Her shoulders shook, and her head was buried within her hands (a cloth drenched in tears peeking through from between two fingers). Her heart was breaking. It was obvious. The Ragman stopped his cart and stepped around the litter of tin cans, broken toys and soiled Pampers on the walkway. He quietly walked over to the woman. And then the Ragman sat down next to her and gazed into her eyes, the window to her soul. He stretched out his hand. “Give me your rags, and I’ll give you a brand new one,” he said.

Brad continues:

Confused by the kindly stranger, she paused from her grief for a moment. The Ragman slipped the handkerchief away from her with a smile. She looked up at him just as he laid across her palm a fine linen cloth so clean and new that it seemed to shine. She blinked, wiped a tear away and with that, she stopped crying.

The Ragman walked around the items back to the cart. Down the street he went, cart and all. And as the Ragman pulled his cart away, he put the woman’s handkerchief to his face to collect a tear of his own, and then another and then some more. Just as grievously as she had done, the Ragman’s shoulders now shaking, his fine smile lost to a new expression of overwhelming grief.

And then again, he began to call out now in a more intermittent voice, “Rags! New Rags for old ones!” His sales pitch was now shakier and it was clearer that he had no intention of selling.

Musical Interlude 1: I feel better, so much better since I laid my burden down

3 groups bring their “rags” to the front – throwing them down and picking up new rags… symbolical of being made whole: (1) Vivian and children (2) Maureen & Ron (3) Helga and Dad Michael.

With that, the Ragman came upon a young girl whose head was wrapped in a blood-soaked, makeshift bandage. Broken glass lay all around her, and a small and single line of blood ran off her cheek, uncollected. Now the Ragman looked at her with pity, but those more astute might call compassion or solace. He smiled a bit, though his tears were still falling, and he slowly withdrew from his cart, a lovely yellow bonnet. And once more he said, “Give me your rag, I’ll give you mine.”

The teen gazed up at him while he loosened the bandage from around her head, carefully removed it, and then tied it around his own head. He put the new bonnet on her head, now clean, yellow, and pretty. And the wound went with the bandage. The dark blood ran again, but now it was the Ragman’s.

Prayers of approach and confession

Holy and Eternal God,
perfect in love and endless in grace,
governor of the days and seasons,
creator of all things visible and invisible;
filled with glory, majesty and honour,
on this first day
you began creation,
bringing order and life out of chaos.

On this first day
you began your new creation,
raising Jesus Christ from the powers of death.

On this first day,
we gather to join with all creation
to worship and honour you
as the Creator.
Christ,
and Holy Spirit,
now and always.
As we recall who you are and what you have done, we recall who we are and what we have done. Hear us now as we confess to you our sins:
Gracious God,
our sins are too heavy to carry,
too real to hide and too deep to undo.

Forgive what our lips are afraid to name
and what our hearts can no longer bear.
Set us free from a past we cannot change,
open us to a future in which we can be changed
and give us the grace to grow more and more in your likeness and image.

In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

Response: Glory, glory hallelujah

Forgiveness proclaimed
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Dear friends, Christ has laid down his life for us and invites us to love one another as he has loved us. Know that you are forgiven, have the grace to forgive one another and be at peace.

Reading – Part 2: The wounds we carry

The sobbing, bleeding Ragman pressed on as The Ragman cried out, “Rags! Rags! I take old rags!”

And then he met a man leaning against a telephone pole. There, he smiled and asked a question. “Sir, are you on your way to work?” he asked.

The man scoffed at him. “Are you crazy?” And then he pulled away from the pole he had been leaning on, revealing the lifeless sleeve of his jacket stuffed into the front pocket because he had no arm.

With a quiet authority, the Ragman said: “Give me your jacket, and I’ll give you mine.” It was a fine, clean jacket for an old, tattered one. And so, with that, the one-armed man, looking at the brand-new, beautiful jacket, thought this a wonderful idea. The one-armed man took off his jacket. So did the Rag Man. And the Ragman’s arm… it stayed with his sleeve.

When the man with no job put it on, he had two good arms again. But the Ragman had but one.

After that, he found an older lady on drugs, lying unconscious beneath a torn army blanket. Without a word, the Ragman took the blanket off the hunched, shriveled, and sick older man. In the silence of the dawn, he wrapped it around himself, but for the unconscious man, he left new clothes. And put a warm new blanket in its place.

(Ragman leaves)

Song: What wonderous love is this 242

We respond to serve God

Our time of giving

Prayer of gratitude, and for others and ourselves
God of power and possibility,
you broke open the tomb that held our Lord.
Now break into your church where your people are distracted
by old quarrels, discouraging results,
or unhelpful divisions about mission and service.
Resurrect, renew and revive your church!

God, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

God of resurrection and new life,
you broke into the hearts of Jesus’ fearful friends.
Now break into our relationships with one another.
Where they are vibrant and life-giving, nurture them.
Where they are strained by old hurts and misunderstandings,
or carelessly taken for granted,
mend them.
Resurrect, renew and revive our life together!

God, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

God of might and mercy,
you broke the schemes of those who stood in the way of your love.
Now break into the governing systems of your world.
Stir the minds and hearts of leaders to work for justice and equitable sharing.
Where laws are corrupt, or people suffer under harsh rule,
call them to account.
Resurrect, renew and revive the leaders of the world!

God, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

God of healing and hope,
you broke the bonds of death that tried to shackle new life.
Now break into situations of illness, pain, grief, and loss.
Wherever people are sick in body, mind, or spirit,
wherever someone mourns the loss of any relationship or dream,
bring your healing grace.
Resurrect, renew and revive our lives!

God, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

God of Easter Renewal and Resurrection,
you have broken into our lives again this day.
We give you thanks for the power of your love to remake every situation
that brings us challenge or choice.
Break into all our moments of celebration and joy, too.
Give us gratitude, the impulse to share, and a spirit of grace and understanding.
Resurrect, renew and revive your people!

God, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

The Sacrament of Holy Communion

To carry this idea of the Ragman exchanging our burdens and giving praise into our daily lives, please select a square of quilt fabric or “a rag” and bring it forward to exchange for the communion meal. For those at home, someone will also bring rags forward for you. Later, these rags will be used to construct a prayer quilt with pockets to carry prayer request.

Invitation

On this resurrection day, we come to the table to remember our future with our Risen Lord.

Jesus declared that people will come from east and west and north and south to sit at table in God’s kingdom.

Remember – the Risen Christ has spread this joyful feast for you.

The gifts we bring to his table are for all those who love him

and for all who want to love him more.

All who belong to the body of Christ are welcome to share his gifts on this joyful Easter day.

Taste and see that God is good.

Song: One bread, one body (all vrs) 540

The Communion Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, Risen Savior and Living Bread, on this glorious Easter day I come to Your table with joy and wonder.

You who conquered death and the grave, You who broke the chains of sin, come now into my heart once again. As I receive Your Body and Blood, fill me with the power of Your Resurrection.

May this Holy Communion renew my life as You renewed the world. Let the light of Easter shine in me, driving away all darkness, doubt, and fear.

Risen Lord, make me a witness of Your victory. Help me live as one who has been raised with You— full of hope, overflowing with love, and eager to share the Good News.

Thank You for the gift of this Easter Eucharist, the foretaste of the heavenly banquet where we will feast with You forever.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Amen.

The Lord’s prayer (sung 469)

Reading – Part 3: He Died for Us

The Ragman was weeping uncontrollably, bleeding freely from his forehead, pulling his cart with one arm, clumsily stumbling around and yet, he skidded through the alley still, until he came to the city limits. Sickly looking now, unrecognizable, the people threw garbage at him, and so the Ragman came to the landfill. There, he climbed the garbage hill with great labour, cleared a little space inside a hole, and lay down. He formed for himself from the handkerchief and the jacket, a dirty, lumpy pillow on which to rest his head. He covered his tired, shaking, and bleeding body with the Army blanket, and there he died.

many were appalled at him—
His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being
and his form marred beyond human likeness—
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

³He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, – familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
despised and held in low esteem.

⁷He was oppressed and afflicted,
⁹He was assigned a grave with the wicked,

⁴ he took up the pain of others
and bore our suffering,
stricken, and afflicted.
⁵ pierced for our transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

⁶We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and it was laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

He took this willingly; he gave up life by his own will: The Christ, The Messiah, The Substitution for us, The Saviour, The Ragman, The candle of his light snuffed out and stored away in a dark place.

THE CANDLE IS SNUFFED HERE

Brad: But this is Easter Sunday. Death does not get the last word.

Action: Light the Christ Candle AGAIN!

Brad: The Ragman rose. The rags became robes. The wounds became glory. And today he offers every one of us the same exchange: Give me your rags… and I will give you mine.

Response: Behold the Lamb of God

Sharing of the Bread and Wine/and
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,
and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, ‘This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Bringing of Rags

Musical offering: the congregation sings the refrain: Because he lives

Prayer after Communion
Risen Lord, through this holy Communion you have fed us with your body and blood, and renewed in us the life of your resurrection. Strengthen our faith, that we may walk in your victory over sin and death, and bear witness to your love in word and deed. Fill our hearts with joy and hope, that the new life you give may shine through us to others. Keep us united with Christ and one another until we share the eternal banquet in your Kingdom. Amen.

Song: Lord of the dance 250

Sending out with God’s blessing
Go now, with wonder at the empty tomb to amaze you,
with the joy Mary felt in the garden to lift your hearts,
and with the disciples’ hope at the news Jesus had risen to encourage you.
May God’s resurrecting love open the future for you,
empowered by the Spirit and embraced by Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord.

Response: He is Lord 252

Music postlude

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Coats and Palms

Posted on March 29, 2026March 29, 2026 by John

Worship on Palm Sunday
10:00 am      March 29, 2026
Minister: The Rev. Brad Childs      Music Director: Binu Kapadia
Vocalist: Lynn Vaughan    Welcoming Elder: Andrea Gartrell
Children’s time presenter: Brad     Reader: Samantha Fort

We gather to worship God

Music Prelude

Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you
P: and also with you

Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements
Preparation for worship

Call to worship:
L: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
P: Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord.
L: Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.
P: Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord.
L: Therefore, God has exalted him and given him the name above every name.
P: Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord.
L: Let us worship God in the name of Jesus Christ, our Servant Lord.

Opening praise: Hosanna (Praise is rising)

Prayers of approach and confession
God of majesty and mercy,
we worship You today as the cross draws closer.
We praise You for Jesus
the King who came riding in humility
to set us free from everything that holds us captive.
He came in mercy to free us from the sins we know about,
and even the ones we try to ignore.
He came to show us the full depth of Your love, mercy, and justice.
You who rule with wisdom and compassion, receive our praise and our longing hearts.
We thank You for Your kindness
for the strength You give us and for carrying our burdens on Your shoulders through Jesus.
We come before You with humble hearts, knowing You have given us everything,
and we worship You – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

You are our shelter in storms, our hope in weakness, and our guide when paths are unclear.
God of mystery and mercy,
Your forgiveness often feels like a mystery to us.
We mean to follow You, and we try to do good,
but life is messy, the world is broken, and we stumble along the way.
We fail to speak up for the vulnerable, we choose the easier path,
and even our best intentions sometimes hurt others.
We want to show mercy, but anger and fear hold us back.
We lose patience with loved ones, ignore the cries of the hurting, and protect comforts that keep us from loving boldly.
Fogive us, Lord.
Teach us to accept Your mercy when we fall, and to extend it when others fail.
Fill us with the same courage and compassion Jesus showed as He walked toward the cross,
and help us to follow in His footsteps amid the mess and the mistakes.
Remind us that repentance is a steady journey, not a single act, and that grace meets us in the middle of our failures.

Lord, give us clearer eyes to see where we have contributed to harm,
gentle tongues to offer apologies and truth, and strong hands to repair what we can.
Help us to learn humility from our mistakes rather than hiding them in shame.
Where we have been quick to judge, make us quick to listen.
Where we have withdrawn, give us the courage to engage.
Where we have been selfish, renew within us a heart for sacrifice.
Make our communities places of healing, not places that magnify failure.
each us how to bear one another’s burdens honestly and lovingly.
When the world seems loud with injustice and pain, steady our feet to work for justice with mercy.
When hope feels distant, remind us that the cross speaks of a love that transforms suffering into redemption.
Sustain those who are broken, give wisdom to leaders, comfort to the grieving, and patience to the exhausted.
Empower us by Your Spirit to act with practical kindness, to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, and speak for the voiceless.
Let our lives reflect the mercy that was poured out for us — not perfectly, but faithfully — as we trust You to make beauty from our brokenness.
We come again to Your feet, grateful for forgiveness we do not earn.
Renew our hearts, strengthen our wills, and shape our hands for faithful service.
May our mistakes teach us compassion; may our failures lead us back to You; may our striving be marked by dependence on Your grace.
We worship You now and always — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Response: We come to ask your forgiveness

Assurance of God’s love
Who can condemn us? Only Jesus — and He died for us.
He rose for us, He rules in power for us, and He prays for us.
Believe this good news of the gospel:

In Jsus Christ, you are fully forgiven and set free by God’s amazing grace.

We listen for the voice of God

Song: Jesus, we are gathered

Children’s time

This is the Day
Can you name some special days, Birthdays, Summer days, School days, Snow days, What are your favourite days?
What about sick days? What about sad days?
Not every day is perfect or easy. Some days are harder than others, but every day is a gift from God.
Psalm 118:24 says, “This is the day the LORD has made”.
When we remember that God made this day, we can choose to be happy, grateful, and excited, no matter what happens.
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.
Closing Prayer: “Dear God, thank you for making this day. Thank you for every day. Even if I am sad or tired, I can choose to be glad because I know you love me and are with me. Help me to make today a day to be glad in. Amen.”

The Lord’s Prayer (535)

Song: This is the day (78)

Scripture readings: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 and Matthew 21:1-11

Response: Jesus remember me

Message: Coats and Palms

Think about it for a moment. Imagine a powerful world leader is coming to visit Canada. The government spends tens of millions on security. Hotels are fully booked. Police are everywhere. You see motorcades with flashing lights, armoured limousines, crowds waving flags, and people chanting. Some may even believe this person is extremely special, or even the one they hope will fix the economy or solve their deepest problems. Some treat political figures almost like saviours. The crowd is mixed, some excited, some skeptical, some just along for the spectacle. People place enormous hope in human leaders, sometimes bowing low, sometimes nearly worshiping. Now open your eyes to a scene two thousand years ago. The true King of kings rode into Jerusalem… but not on a warhorse or in a chariot of conquest. He came on a borrowed donkey. And everything changed.

Let me read Matthew 21:1-11 slowly. These eleven verses are soaked in emotion, prophecy, and a personal invitation that still stands for every one of us today.

When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of the Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet:

“Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”

This wasn’t just a parade. It was Heaven stepping into our mess on the exact day the long-awaited Messiah arrived, but not at all the way the world expected. Today, I pray the Holy Spirit stirs your heart the same way He stirred that ancient city.

Look at verse 4: “This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet.” Jesus didn’t stumble into Jerusalem by accident. He deliberately orchestrated every detail. He sent the disciples for that specific donkey and her colt so that Zechariah 9:9 would be fulfilled word-for-word: “Behold, your king is coming to you, gentle and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

There has been a lot of controversy about this. You see the quotation from Zechariah about the donkey, which uses a form of Hebrew poetry very common in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). It makes a statement and then clarifies it with a connecting statement. So it says he rides a donkey, and then clarifies that it’s the colt or foal of a donkey. So it means that he rides a young donkey. But when Matthew quotes this, it seems he doesn’t understand his own Bible. He appears to think there are two donkeys. This is further exacerbated by the fact that no other author mentions two, but Matthew does, as he also uses the word “THEM” for the animals, making it clear there are two. But maybe not, some have said that “them” refers to the coats and palms. Jesus sat on, “Them” meaning coats, not donkeys. But the language seems unclear, and maybe it’s on purpose. Maybe it’s meant to sound a little comical. Perhaps it’s meant to be a little funny, as Jesus rides not just one but two animals down to the city.

In the ancient world, kings and emperors rode warhorses to intimidate and conquer. Roman generals celebrated lavish “triumphs”, parading through streets with captured enemies, stolen treasure, and displays of raw military power. They came to dominate. Probably only days before Pilate came to visit Jerusalem, riding on a horse and entering the city at the main gate in triumph. Days later, Jesus did the same thing, riding at least one, and maybe two, animals, but entering by the gate nearest the Temple.

It’s a little bit like a political cartoon, making fun of the president or prime minister. There is something in the story comedic and maybe a little bit insulting. To the Romans, certainly, this story would “poke the bear.” Now maybe I am reading into it. But certainly, Jesus chose the opposite animal to Pilots for a reason.

Jesus did it on purpose. And, as someone at our Bible study noted this week, Jesus may well be intentionally fulfilling prophecies at this point. I don’t think that’s always the case, but I do think it’s pretty clear in this one. Shout out to Emma.

In any case, Jesus chose a humble, unbroken colt, the animal of peace and everyday labour. It’s like Jesus sat down and said, Well, the politician is arriving in a top-end Maybach Mercedes Limo (a $ 1.4 million bulletproof luxury mobile), so… I wonder if maybe I can borrow someone’s 1985 Oldsmobile.

Do you think he’s maybe making a point?

He came gently. He came to serve. He came as the Prince of Peace who would lay down His life rather than take lives. We call this the Triumphal entry but it’s not. It’s the opposite. This was an anti-triumphal entry: a quiet, deliberate rebellion against every empire that uses power to control and every religious system that profits from the status quo. This is some gangster, political engagement.

Right after the cheers, Jesus walked straight into the temple and drove out the moneychangers, declaring, “My house shall be called a house of prayer!” Celebration turned into cleansing. The humble King immediately challenged the corrupt religious leadership that had compromised with Roman power.

This scene stands in sharp contrast with every other claimant to power, Roman imperial might, temple authorities who negotiated with Caesar, and even popular expectations of a violent, militaristic Messiah who would lead a bloody revolt. Jesus inverted all of it. He claimed kingship on God’s terms: humble, sacrificial, and true.

Each of the four Gospels tells this story with its own emphasis, because each faced different opponents and spoke to different communities. They deliberately shape the Triumphal Entry to show Jesus as the true King who stands against every rival claim to rule our lives.

Mark presents a suffering, somewhat secretive Messiah against failed popular uprisings and hostile religious authorities. Matthew stresses how Jesus fulfills Jewish law and prophecy, reclaiming true authority from those who twisted Scripture. Luke highlights Jesus’ concern for the poor, the outsider, and the Gentile, a kingship that challenges both Roman social order and elite religious structures.

John lifts up Jesus’ divine, spiritual kingship in direct confrontation with “the Jews” (meaning the hostile leadership) and with Pilate himself, exposing the emptiness of worldly power.

Together, the Gospels show us that Jesus’ entry was no accident. It was a symbolic inversion of imperial and religious kingship, a nonviolent claim to ultimate authority that exposes the hollowness of every competing power. Whether the threat was Caesar’s sword, the temple’s corruption, or revolutionary violence, Jesus offered a better way: the way of the cross.

The question the whole city asked echoes down to us: “Who is this?” (v. 10). That is the central question of life. Who do you serve, a king or THE KING?

The crowd exploded with passion. They threw their cloaks on the road like a red carpet for royalty. They waved palm branches, ancient symbols of victory and national pride. They shouted “Hosanna!” which means “Save us now!” They were quoting Psalm 118 and hailing Jesus as the Son of David, the Messiah.

Many scholars believe this was the very day Passover lambs were being chosen. If true, this also means that Jesus was publicly presenting Himself as the Lamb for slaughter who would die for the sins of the world.

But Matthew adds a heartbreaking note: the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The loudest cheers came from visiting pilgrims. Many locals were confused or skeptical. Within days, some of those same voices would cry, “Crucify Him!”

We see the same pattern today. People cheer for Jesus when He seems to promise what they want: rescue from problems, emotional highs, and cultural relevance. But when the road leads to the cross, to daily dying to self, to costly obedience, to trusting Him when it doesn’t feel triumphant, the cheers often fade.

I once watched a young man propose to his girlfriend on the Jumbotron at a packed football game. The stadium erupted. She said yes amid tears and applause. Everyone posted the video. Six months later, when real life hit, bills, stress, ordinary days, he walked away. She later reflected, “He loved the moment… but he didn’t love me enough for the everyday.”

We wave our palms on Sunday. We shout “Hosanna!” when life feels exciting. But do we lay down our lives on Monday? Loud worship means nothing without surrendered hearts.

I love cars, and as our friend Peter back there knows, the saying is: “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday.” Meaning that if your car wins races over the weekend, some oaf of a guy like me will come in and think they can buy it. The problem was that companies were putting out cars on Sunday with the same name as the ones they sold, but they weren’t the same car. The Mustang is a great example from 1974-78 Shelby won races in one, but when you went to the dealership, you could only buy a 2.3L 4-banger that made 88 horsepower, which is less than most motorcycles today. The high-end one had 105hp. 0-100 was over 14 seconds. And if you are confused, what that means is that these mustangs could be outrun by many of today’s modern golf carts.

I don’t wanna be a fake sports car. I wanna be the same on Monday as I am on Sunday.

We shout “Hosanna!” when life feels exciting. But do we lay down our lives on Monday?

So here is the question that matters more than any other: Who do we serve, a king or THE KING?

Will we welcome Him fully, not just with emotion, but with daily surrender? Will we lay down our pride, our plans, our fears, and our self-rule like the crowd laid down their cloaks? Will we cry “Hosanna” not merely for rescue from our circumstances, but for rescue from our sin?

This week, I would like us all to do something together. I wonder if you will? Would you memorize, write down, email yourself, text someone in your family… could we all try to do this together:

Every morning this week, whisper these words, “Jesus, You are my King, rule my heart today.” “Jesus, You are my King, rule my heart today.” “Jesus, You are my King, rule my heart today.” Say it each morning and see if it changes your day.

When fear rises, remember the humble King who offers peace that the world cannot give or take away. When worship feels empty or routine, ask the Holy Spirit to make it real again.

The King has come. And He is still coming into your life, your family, your struggles, and your future. He still presents a very different picture than today’s rulers and kings. He doesn’t ride in to impress you. He rides in to die for you. Amen.

Invitation: This week, I would like us all to do something together. I wonder if you will? Would you memorize, write down, email yourself, text someone in your family… could we all try to do this together:

Song: All glory, laud and honour (214)

We respond to serve God

Our time of giving

Prayer of gratitude, and for others and ourselves
God of courage and compassion,
as we follow Jesus toward the cross this Holy Week,
we thank You that He faced His enemies with courage instead of violence.
We are grateful that He loved us enough to die for us,
carrying every pain and sorrow that others caused.
In Christ, we believe Your love is stronger than any situation — even the hardest or most heartbreaking ones.
Hear us now as we pray for people and places facing trouble today:

We pray for everyone struggling with poverty, sickness, or deep grief,
and for all who feel overwhelmed by things they can’t control.
(Silence – 10 seconds)
Stay close to them every day and restore their hope and strength.
Lord, in Your mercy…
**Hear our prayer.**

We pray for people and places torn by violence, war, and corruption,
and for those who wake up afraid of what today might bring.
(Silence – 10 seconds)
Give them courage and protection, and restore their hope and peace.
Lord, in Your mercy…
**Hear our prayer.**

We pray for those who stand against tyranny, brutality, and injustice,
and for everyone who speaks up for the vulnerable and the hurting.
(Silence – 10 seconds)
Give them strength and restore their hope and freedom.
Lord, in Your mercy…
**Hear our prayer.**

We pray for people facing persecution because of their race, beliefs, or identity,
and for anyone who has been shamed or humiliated by those in power.
(Silence – 10 seconds)
Remind them they are deeply loved and valuable as Your children,
and restore their hope and dignity.
Lord, in Your mercy…
**Hear our prayer.**

Now we pray in silence for the people and situations close to our own hearts…
(Silence – 10 seconds)
Bring Your grace, hope, and healing wherever it is needed.
Lord, in Your mercy…
**Hear our prayer.**

Song: Hosanna (216)

Sending out with God’s blessing
Go out into the week ahead with courage.
May the Christ who walked with wounded feet walk with you on your road.
May the Christ who served with wounded hands use your hands to serve others.
May the Christ who loved with a wounded heart open your heart to love freely.
May you see the face of Christ in every person you meet,
and may everyone you meet see the face of Christ in you.
Go in peace. Amen.

Response: Sing Amen

Music postlude

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Video recordings of the Sunday Worship messages can be found here on our YouTube Channel.

Raising Lazarus

Posted on March 23, 2026March 23, 2026 by John

Worship on the Fifth Sunday in Lent
10:00 am      March 22, 2026
Minister: The Rev. Brad Childs     Music Director: Binu Kapadia
Vocalist: Fionna McCrostie   Reader: Maureen Cook
Welcoming Elder: Iris Routledge     Children’s time: Vivian Houg

We gather to worship God

Music prelude

Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
P: and also with you.

Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements
Preparation for worship

Call to worship:
L: God promised a new covenant through the prophet Jeremiah, who said that one day the law would be written on our hearts and all would know God.
P: Often, when we are confused and closed and worn, we wonder if that day will ever come.
L: God’s promise throughout the law and prophets is made alive in us. God will always be our God, and we will always be God’s people.
P: Let us be glad, for God remembers our sin no more

Opening praise: This I believe

Prayers of approach and confession

God — you in whom we live, breathe, and move —

We lift our hearts to you.

When life wears us down and worry crowds in, your word still speaks hope across the years.

As we follow Jesus this Lenten season, with his cross before us, we hold to the truth that you are never far from our pain.

You walk beside us, you cry with us, you steady us when we’re lost.

In this time of worship, restore our trust in your promise of new life.

Come close when we need you most. Hold us with a love that won’t let go.

We give you our wonder and our praise — Father, Son, and Spirit.

Merciful God,

We’re sorry. We’ve missed the mark in our thoughts, our words, and our actions.

We’ve done hurtful things and left undone the good we could have done.

We haven’t loved you with everything we are, and we’ve fallen short of loving our neighbours as ourselves.

Have mercy. Forgive us.

Change our hearts so we may delight in your ways and live for your glory. Amen.

Response: I waited, I waited on you, Lord

Assurance of God’s pardon

Jesus invites the weary and burdened to come to him for rest. Hear this promise: God’s peace and forgiveness are yours today, no matter what you carry. Breathe in the Spirit’s renewal and step into each new day lighter.

Musical Offering: Dayspring Singers

The Suffering Servant. Words adapted from Isiah 53:1-5 by Ruth Schram, music by Ruth as well. Copyright, MCMXCIII by Alfred Publishing Co. Inc.

We listen for the voice of God.

Song: Jesus loves me

Children’s Time

The Lord’s Prayer (535 )

Song: Oh for a thousand tongues to sing (374: vss 1,2,3,5 )

Scripture reading: John 11:1-45

Response: Jesus, remember me

Message: Raising Lazarus

Before going to see his friend, Jesus waits. Does God wait to answer our prayers? Sometimes God’s delays are delays; they are timed for glory. Yet in all things, He cries when we cry. Our God is not distant.

“Sometimes, God’s delays are not denials; they are divine setups for greater glory, deeper compassion, and resurrection life.”

The story opens with urgent news: Lazarus is sick. Mary and Martha send word to Jesus because they believe he can heal. His response? “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (v. 4)

Right at the start, verse 6 hits us like a brick: “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed two more days…”

Wait – He loved him, so He didn’t go? That feels wrong. That feels almost cruel. The disciples felt it too. They had just escaped a stoning attempt in Judea only days earlier, John 10:31, the crowd was picking up rocks to kill Jesus for claiming to be one with the Father. They had barely made it across the Jordan to safety. Now the sisters send word: “Lord, the one you love is sick.” And Jesus… waits. Deliberately. On purpose.

We are uncomfortable with the delay. When we pray, we generally want things and want them fast. We assume the delay is neglect. But in the economy of God, delay can be the very space in which glory is revealed.

When Jesus arrives, it’s been four days. The delay has pushed the situation from the sickbed to the tomb. Martha meets him and says, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Her words are full of grief and honest faith. Jesus responds with the astonishing claim: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (v. 25–26). That claim reframes the situation. Death is not the end of the story for those who believe.

When God delays, he may be preparing a stage for greater revelation, not to shame us but to lift his glory higher so that many may see and believe.

“Robert Craig Knievel, better known as Evel Knievel, was born October 17, 1938. A wild child who holds the record for the most broken bones in a lifetime of crashes, he always believed in a ‘higher power’ but fought Jesus for 68 years. Gold, gambling, booze, women, he couldn’t let go. Yet God never let go of him.

Late in life, sitting on a Florida beach, he heard a voice inside: ‘Robert, I’ve saved you more times than you’ll ever know. Now come to me through my Son, Jesus.’ Stunned, the non-religious daredevil called his friend Frank Gifford, who urged him to read The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. By April 2007, on Palm Sunday, Evel stood before thousands in a large cathedral, shared his story, and, for the first time, declared, ‘I believe in Jesus Christ!’ His raw passion moved the crowd: hundreds, estimates say 500 to 800, came forward that day wishing to give their lives to Christ and be baptized.

Six months later, the stuntman died. But not before ordering his tombstone. It reads simply: ‘Believe in Jesus Christ.’

His only regret? Evel said, “That I didn’t come to Christ sooner.” Yet I wonder: Wasn’t the long delay part of the glory? A life once defined by crashes became a final, explosive testimony that launched hundreds toward eternity. God’s timing turned a daredevil’s grave into a pulpit.” “Sometimes, God’s delays are not denials; they are divine setups for greater glory, deeper compassion, and resurrection life.”

Notice next how Jesus responds to Mary and the mourning crowd. Mary falls at his feet and repeats the painful truth: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus sees her weeping; he sees those around her weeping, and he is deeply moved. Verse 35 says simply, “Jesus wept.” “Two words. The shortest verse in the Bible. Yet perhaps the deepest. The eternal Son, through whom all things were made, stands at a grave and weeps. Not polite tears. Gut-wrenching sobs, the Greek word implies loud, anguished crying. The God who holds the universe feels the full weight of human loss. He doesn’t stand aloof. He enters the mess. He weeps with those who weep.

Imagine… the Creator crying over a friend’s death. If Jesus weeps at Lazarus’s tomb, how much more does he weep with you in your hospital room, your empty chair at the table, your unanswered prayers? Your pain moves him. Your tears touch his heart. He is not embarrassed by your grief. He shares it.”

What does this teach us? First, grief is not a failure of faith. Martha and Mary are believers; their tears do not contradict their faith. Jesus does not rebuke their sorrow. Instead, he enters it. He stands in the gap of human pain. He feels the ache of loss. He is not a distant God who lectures from afar; he is Emmanuel, God with us in our darkest hours.

Bring your pain to Jesus. Cry with him. Trust that his compassion is as real as his power.

The scene climaxes at the tomb. Jesus commands the stone to be taken away. Martha pushes back: the body has been in the tomb for four days; there will be a stench. Her objection is reasonable. Yet Jesus says, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” The stone is rolled away, an act of faith as much as obedience, and then Jesus prays aloud, not for his own sake, but “so that the people standing around may believe” (v. 42).

Here are several things to notice. Jesus prays to the Father before acting; his power is not isolated from a relationship with the Father. He speaks with authority: “Lazarus, come out.” And the dead man obeys. The tomb becomes the stage for God’s voice, bringing life. What was irreversible in human terms becomes reversible in the hands of the Lord.

When Jesus commands us, it may require us to move heavy stones and take the risks of obedience, even when circumstances look hopeless. Our obedience positions us to witness God’s glory.

Martha’s confession is one of the great testimonies of the Gospels: “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world” (v. 27). She believes in the Messiah, even amid sorrow. Jesus’ claim to be the resurrection and the life reframes faith not as wishful thinking but as trust in a person, in Jesus himself. The promise is not merely resuscitation to the old life but entrance into life that death cannot account for.

The raising of Lazarus becomes a sign pointing to the ultimate defeat of death in Jesus’ own resurrection. Later, Jesus says that because of what happened here, many would believe. Faith that trusts Jesus as life itself sees beyond present losses into the final victory to come.

Anchor your hope in Jesus himself, not in circumstances. His life is the source of our strength; even in death, he is faithful.

The crowd responds in two ways. Some see and believe. Others, the religious leaders, are compelled toward fear and conspiracy, plotting against Jesus because the sign threatened their power and exposed their unbelief. Signs divide. The glory of God will attract hearts ready to trust and will alarm those invested in maintaining the status quo.

Genuine encounters with Jesus will sometimes win people and sometimes provoke resistance. Our role is to be faithful witnesses, not to control the outcome. Think of Abraham waiting 25 years for a promised son.

Or how about this: Vincent van Gogh painted with a fevered conviction that the world he saw needed his colours, filling canvases that pulsed with life. He lived in poverty, sold perhaps one painting during his lifetime, and died in 1890 believing he had failed. Decades later, the very canvases dismissed were hung in museums around the world. Van Gogh never stood in a crowded gallery while others applauded his influence; yet he kept working, trusting his call even when the applause never came. That doesn’t make Starry Night or Sunflowers any less powerful. In fact, it sort of makes them more powerful. “Even in our delays and tears, God is setting us up for glory.”

Where are you today? Are you standing in a place of delay, wondering why God has not yet come? Are you grieving a loss that feels final? Are you tempted to believe that your situation marks the end of hope?

Hear Jesus’ words again: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (v. 25). And hear his presence: “Jesus wept” (v. 35). He is not an indifferent deity. He is the compassionate Lord who will command life where there is death.

Two courageous steps this week:

Bring your honest ‘if only…’ to Jesus. Name the delay, the loss, the hurt—out loud in prayer. Say, ‘Lord, if you had been here…’ Then sit in silence and let him weep with you. Let his compassion meet your ache.
Roll away one stone of resistance. Identify the hopeless place: a bitter grudge, a fearful diagnosis, a broken relationship, a habit you can’t break. Take one obedient step toward Jesus’ command: forgive that person (even if they don’t deserve it), schedule the doctor’s visit, pray over it. Reach out with that hard conversation. Obedience doesn’t erase the smell of death; it invites the voice of life.”

Remember: God’s delays are not denials. They are divine setups for greater glory. The tomb that looked final became the stage for resurrection. Your delay, your grief, your impossible situation, Jesus is setting the stage there, too.

So hear him call your name today: ‘[Brad], come out. Come out of despair. Come out of fear. Come out to life.’

May the God who weeps with us, delays for glory, and raises the dead fill you with unshakable hope, bold obedience in the waiting, and resurrection life in every dead place. Amen.

Song: Breathe on me, breath of God (389)

We respond to serve God

Our time of giving

We place these gifts in your hands, God. By your Spirit, turn them into seeds of new life—growing hope and comfort for tired souls, in Jesus’ name.

God of tender love, thank you that in Christ you call each of us by name and gather us into your family. Give us the love to make a real difference and the courage to follow you even when the road is hard.

Christ of mercy and grace, pour your compassion into this world again.

God of peace and promise, you call us to love our enemies and to be makers of peace.

Today we pray for places and people torn apart by long-standing hurt and fresh conflict — especially for those in the headlines and those we remember now…

Christ of mercy and grace, pour your compassion into this world again.

God, who knows suffering, thank you that Jesus took up the cross and understands our pain. We bring before you all who need healing and comfort today, whatever the cause of their pain…

Christ of mercy and grace, pour your compassion into this world again.

God of the broken-hearted, you know what it is to lose and to grieve. We lift up those mourning loved ones, and those who feel alone or let down by friends and family…

Christ of mercy and grace, pour your compassion into this world again.

God of hope and new beginnings, through Christ, you opened a future full of your redeeming love. Give us courage and confidence in your presence and power.

Song: May the God of hope go with us every day (726)

Sending out with God’s blessing

As we move toward Holy Week and the cross, remember Jesus’ promise: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even after death.” May Jesus’ tears wash over your sorrows, the Spirit live in your heart, and God’s promise of new life lead you each day. Amen.

Response: Sing Amen

Music postlude

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Video recordings of the Sunday Worship messages can be found here on our YouTube Channel.

Ambassadors for Christ

Posted on March 15, 2026March 15, 2026 by John

Worship on the Fourth Sunday in Lent
10:00 am        March 15, 2026
Minister: The Rev. Brad Childs     Music Director: Binu Kapadia
Vocalist: Vivian Houg     Welcoming Elder: Sam Malayang
Reader: Leah Eisen      Children’s time: Brad

We gather to worship God.

Music prelude

Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you
P: and also with you

Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements
Preparation for worship

Call to worship:
L: How often, like those who wander in the wilderness, have we failed to trust God’s covenant?
P: We have let God down and hurt one another.
L: But Jesus came into the world and was lifted up in order that love might be reborn.
P: Let us be glad, for we are not condemned, but held in the covenant of grace.

Opening praise: Here I am to worship

Prayers of approach and confession

Loving God,

You are the source of everything that sustains us.

You are compassion, meeting us when we ask for mercy.

You are mercy, guiding us when we are anxious.

You are wisdom, showing us truth that challenges and renews us.

Holy One, you bless us with your presence every day.

We come to you in worship — Creator, Christ, and Spirit —

giving you our love, our loyalty, our prayers, and our praise.

Amen.

God of life and love,

we admit that what happens around us sometimes shakes our trust.

When violence strikes and innocent people suffer, we doubt that love can win.

When truth is twisted, we wonder if honesty can overcome lies.

When trouble comes, we question whether you care for us.

Forgive us when we lose trust in your love.

Response: I waited, I waited on you, Lord

Assurance of God’s pardon

Friends, remember Paul’s words: “Nothing — not death, life, present things, or future things — can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.” Whatever is happening and whatever we have done, God’s deep love holds us. Receive the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We listen for the voice of God.

Song: Jesus loves me (373)

Children’s time

Edmonton has a vast array of antique shops, including the largest store in Western Canada. Do you know what antique stores are? I love them. I could spend hours going through them, but never buy anything. One thing about antique shops… Savvy shoppers can find some real treasures among all the debris.

One day an antique connoisseur walked into one of these stores. Browsing the items for sale, he came across an unremarkable cat drinking milk from a saucer on the floor. The man immediately recognized this saucer as genuine Ming Dynasty, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. And here it was on the floor, with a cat drinking milk out of it! The shop owner obviously did not know its worth.

Immediately, the man started scheming how to get it for cheap, without the shopkeeper knowing what he was selling. He turned to the shopkeeper and said, “You know, that’s a very striking cat you have there. I’d really like to buy your cat.”

“Well,” answered the shopkeeper, “the cat is not really for sale.”

“I insist,” the man replied. “Would you take $100 for the cat?”

“That’s very generous,” said the shopkeeper with a shake of his head. “I don’t think this cat is worth $100, but if you want the cat that badly, you can have it.”

The man paid for the cat and then, as if he’d just thought of it, said, “Oh, one more thing. I’m going to need something to use as a feeding dish for the cat, so I’ll give you another $5 for that little saucer there on the floor.”

“Oh, I could never do that,” said the shopkeeper. “You see, that’s no ordinary saucer. That’s a rare piece of Chinese art from the Ming Dynasty, and its worth is incalculable. But amazingly enough, ever since I started feeding my cats out of it, I’ve sold 12 cats.”

That little saucer reminds me that worth isn’t always obvious at first glance. Ephesians calls us (You and Me) God’s handiwork; Exodus calls us His treasure. If a priceless object can be passed over for years, how many of God’s people do we overlook because we don’t look closely enough? One of the most difficult things to live out in life is one of the truest. Every single person you meet is a special treasure to God. Take time to see it, and people will take time to see that in you, too.

Prayer
Our God
We want to see with your eyes.
May we learn to pause,
to see beyond the surface,
and to treat every person
as someone made and loved by God.
Let our eyes be open to hidden value in others,
our hands ready to serve,
and our words quick to bring kindness.
And God
remind us too,
we are also your special treasure.
Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Song: Saviour, like a shepherd lead us (485)

Scripture readings: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Response: Jesus, remember me

Message: Ambassadors for Christ

The “Brad” translation of 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Those following Jesus: knowing what we now know… we can never look at any person as “lesser than” ever again. There is no person Christ cannot reach or change. Eternity has but two categories: perfection and everyone else.

I cannot pretend that I am always good and can no longer believe that others are always bad. Jesus levelled the field. Believing in my own forgiveness and the power of Christ to make me forever secure in heaven means I cannot live an easy life. I wish to seek to forgive unworthy people, just as I was. Maybe I even need to dig deep and forgive people for things so much worse than I might imagine. This doesn’t mean there are no consequences. It means that despite the consequences, all involved wish only the best for the offended and for the offender. Justice often makes the guilty pay. Mercy is letting people off without punishment. What Jesus does is Atonement. He pays our fee and then stands in court as our defence attorney.

A little girl in England named Josie Kaden was born profoundly deaf. She often felt isolated as a child because of her hearing impairment. But that changed after she received a cochlear implant during the Christmas season. At the age of 12, she heard clearly for the very first time in her life. The first sound she heard was the song Jingle Bells coming from the radio.

Was Josie’s hearing restored? Yes, it was completely restored. Was she hearing well immediately? No, not exactly. Her mother said, “She’s having to learn what each new sound is and what it means. So she will ask, ‘Was that the door closing?’ And for the first time in her life, she has realized what many of us often miss… that the light bulb in her bedroom hums just a little bit when it’s switched on. She even knows what her name sounds like now, because before, she couldn’t hear the soft ‘s’ in the middle of her name – Josie. Seeing her face light up as she hears everything around her is all I could have ever wished for any Christmas.”

Josie’s hearing was restored, but that restoration introduced her to the daily adventure of learning to distinguish each new sound in her new ‘hearing’ world.

It’s the “already and not yet”. It is the phrase that aptly describes the perspective of believers in Christ who have not yet experienced the fullness of redemption that will one day be realized only in the beyond. Something in her life changed dramatically, and it would affect how she came to see everything and everyone. It couldn’t help but change her.

Paul writes to people caught in conflict to remind them that something in their lives has changed and that through their devotion to Jesus, they have given up the right to judge others.

The text reads, “From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way.”

If the people know Christ as Saviour, then they must see the world through Christ’s eyes.

The text continues, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”

This new creation isn’t just personal; it must affect others. The whole point here is that if we claim to be made new in Christ, then we have to act like entirely new people. We have to hear what we’ve never heard before. And we have to act.

From his hospital bed on the eve of open-heart surgery, Bruce McIver asked his cardiologist, Doctor Johnson, “Can you fix my heart?” The physician said, “Sure,” and then walked away confidently. Following the 12-hour surgery, McIver asked Johnson, “In light of the blocked arteries that I had when I checked into the hospital, how much blood supply do I have now?” “All you’ll ever need,” replied the surgeon.

Upon his discharge from the hospital, McIver’s wife, Lana, asked the doctor, “Can you tell me about my husband’s future quality of life?” Doctor Johnson paused and then said, “I fixed the heart. The quality of his life, that’s up to him.”

God has fixed our hearts through Christ. He has given us new life, full reconciliation. But the quality of that life – how we live it out – how it affects the people around us… That’s up to us. We can’t just receive the gift and stay the same.

Elma and Victor Hayes won more than $7,000,000 in the 2005 Canada 6/49 Lottery with a ticket from the grocery store in Brockville, Ontario. When asked what the couple planned to do, the 89-year-old couple claimed that at this stage of life, they were unlikely to become “giddy high spenders”. Instead, they planned to stay right there in their retirement home. Victor Hayes planned to buy a used Lincoln Town Car. But his wife told reporters that she needed a new pair of nylons.

Elma’s response was widely reported as comical, if not even foolish. How could someone win a fortune in the Canadian lottery and yet change nothing in their life but their nylons? In the same way, how can those who have won the spiritual grand prize of eternal life not live in a way that’s consistent with being that new creation?

The US has a history of institutionalized racism, although so does every other country. The US inherited slavery from its older brother England, but when the colonies became states, slavery was steadily made illegal everywhere North of the Missouri River. Republican Abraham Lincoln and the other Republican-run states were free-states which banned slavery; the Democratic-run states south of the Missouri Compromise line were Slave States.

When the Republicans won freedom for the enslaved people in the US Civil War, the Democrats did not go softly into the night. Instead, Democrats created local government laws that kept people “separate but equal”. If you have ever heard of a law where people of colour in the US can’t be out after dark or must use a different water fountain or washroom, those are Jim Crow laws created by Democrats angry about losing their slaves in the Civil War. When it became difficult to enforce those discriminatory laws, Democratic former soldiers of the Confederacy created the KKK to police things and to avoid federal government intervention in local matters.

The separatist movement continued for nearly 100 years, and bigotry leapt along. In fact, Strom Thurmond of South Carolina was still in power when I moved to Canada. He served as a democrat for 47 years in the United States Senate, but originally ran as a segregationist who fought the integration of schools.

Vivian Malone, a young black woman, enrolled as a student at the University of Alabama. It was 1963. Federal troops from the Republican-run Union States helped ensure her entrance into the school, but the Governor of that state (a Democrat named George Wallace) tried to block her with local police. When his mission ultimately failed, Vivian Malone became the first African American student to ever graduate from the University of Alabama. How terrifying must that have been for her. That was only 61 years ago.

Two years after the enrollment of Mrs. Malone, Governor Wallace was taken in his wheelchair to the Dexter Ave. Baptist Church in Montgomery, AL, where he begged the audience of a black church to forgive him for his racism, for his bigotry, and for specifically his ill treatment of the young woman, Vivian Malone. Malone, who was in attendance, was personally apologized to in front of a crowd of almost 1000 people.

I have no moment in my life where I can say I’ve felt quite that alone. I cannot imagine what it must have been like to be a young black woman in Alabama in 1963, just trying to go to school while soldiers pushed local police back to let you in.

The former governor begged Mrs. Malone for forgiveness. But Vivian Malone said she had forgiven the governor years before. When asked why she had done that, Malone said, “Because I am a Christian, I grew up in the church, and I was taught that we are all equal in the eyes of God. I was also taught that you forgive people no matter what, and that was why I had to do it. Quite frankly, I didn’t have a choice.”

Both Wallace and Mrs. Molone were followers of Jesus. But it wasn’t until they stopped looking at each other through human eyes and began seeing each other as New Creations that things got better. With new ears and new eyes, we can’t look at people the way others do.

Do you see people through human eyes, or through the eyes of God? Do you see people the way humans do? Or do you see people as if they were your own little, tiny baby, your own child, your grandmother, or your neighbour?

Can you imagine how embarrassing it would be to be road-raging and driving all aggressive and angry, only to catch up to the car that made you mad, to find your great-grandmother driving her friend to an appointment in the friend’s car? How quickly might we realize our error? I suspect that’s how God sees us all the time. God sees us getting made, mistreating, not likely, hating, and warring with everyone else, and says to Himself, don’t you know that’s your relative you’re hating on.

When we accept Christ, we are called to leave behind our old ways, our habits, our desires for worldly success, and our self-centred attitudes. And with this, God stimulates others into like action.

“¹⁸All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹God made him who had no sin to be sin^[^a^] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Thomas à Kempis was a Dutch monk and theologian. He was born in 1380 and is best known for his book The Imitation of Christ. The book consists of meditations and reflections focused on the inner spiritual life, the imitation of Christ, and the pursuit of holiness. It emphasizes humility, prayer, and detachment from worldly desires, and the intentional seeking of personal encounters with God through relationship rather than rituals. His impact is still being felt today, even in the language we use in modern-day churches, and Kempis is often regarded as one of the greatest spiritual authors of the Middle Ages.

Kempis encourages us that true joy comes not from fulfilling our desires but from seeking the heart of God. As we let go of the old, we open ourselves to the new creation that God has in store for us.

Just as Thomas à Kempis teaches us to imitate Christ in humility, love, and service, Paul’s message invites us to embody the change that has taken place within us. Imitation involves deliberately aligning our lives with the example set by Jesus; serving others, forgiving unconditionally, and living in the light of God’s truth. This is the essence of the new creation: a life transformed by love.

As new creations, our purpose is rooted not in what we gain but in how we reflect Christ’s love to the world.

The greatest sermon we can ever preach is not spoken. It is lived! You are the best sermon anyone will ever hear. So let us be very careful what we preach.

Paul writes: “16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. 17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Amen.

Song: O love that wilt not let me go (209)

We respond to serve God.

Our time of giving

Prayers of the people

God, Shepherd of our lives,

Thank you for the good things you give that make life full:

for the cycles of nature that bring rain and food;

for work and the energy to do it;

for the community and the chance to share our efforts.

And yet, even here we are thirsty:

thirsty for hope when work fails;

thirsty for love when friendships break;

thirsty for justice when resources aren’t shared.

Shepherd God, fill us with your love and lead us on your paths.

God, Shepherd of our lives,

Thank you for the light you bring into a complicated world:

the insight that helps meet human needs and improve daily life;

the understanding that strengthens relationships and respect;

the wisdom that helps solve problems.

We ask for your light to guide us:

the wisdom to bring people with different views together;

the courage to work for change where it’s needed;

the hope to keep going when change is hard.

Shepherd God, fill us with your love and lead us on your paths.

God, Shepherd of our lives,

Thank you for the purpose and possibilities you give us in Christ:

for friendships and neighbourhoods that support us;

for cooperation that helps us achieve big goals;

for gratitude for the gifts we find in one another.

We ask now for the Spirit’s gifts we need:

confidence to renew our work with humility and hope;

generosity to restore lives in need;

faith to trust you for a future we don’t yet see.

Shepherd God, lead us on your paths.

God, Good Shepherd,

we thank you that Jesus walks with us and leads us into the future. Amen.

Song: Lord of all power (626)

Sending out with God’s blessing

As we continue through Lent, remember: “Live as children of light.” May God’s love surround you, Christ’s mercy renew you, and the Spirit’s guidance lead you today and every day. Amen.

Response: Sing Amen

Music postlude

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Video recordings of the Sunday Worship messages can be found here on our YouTube Channel.

The Most Important Question (Raymond Baker)

Posted on March 8, 2026March 10, 2026 by John

Worship on the Third Sunday of Lent
10:00 am       08 March 2026
Online & Onsite (Mixed Presence) Gathering as a Worshipping Community
Led by Raymond Baker     Music director: Binu Kapadia     Vocalist: Lynn Vaughan
Elder: Lynn Vaughan     Readers: Saber and Felix Fort

We gather to worship God

Music prelude

Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
P: and also with you.

Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements
Silent preparation for worship

Call to Worship
One: God gave us the covenant of the law to guide us and help us live with our neighbours in love.
All: When we break God’s law, we leave our neighbours hurt and bruised.
One: God’s law is a gift to us, showing us how to keep our part of the covenant.
All: Even through old pain and wounds, may we embrace the new life that Christ can bring.

Opening praise: Great are You, Lord

Prayers of approach and confession
Lord, make us an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let us bring love.
Where there is offence, let us bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let us bring union.
Where there is error, let us bring the truth.
Where there is doubt, let us bring faith.
Where there is despair, let us bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let us bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let us bring joy.
O Master, let us not seek as much
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love,
for it is in giving that one receives,
it is in self-forgetting that one finds,
it is in pardoning that one is pardoned,
It is in accepting your sacrifice, Christ, that we have eternal life. Amen.
(Modified Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi)

Response: I waited. I Waited on You, Lord.

Assurance of God’s love
Scripture teaches that there is a time for every matter under heaven.
A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.
In confessing our sins to God, we have offered God our tears of regret.
Now is the time to rejoice in God’s mercy:
In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
In Jesus Christ, we can make a new start.
Thanks be to God.

We listen for the voice of God

Children’s time
Response: Jesus loves me (373)
Story
Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer (535)

Transition music

Song: I hunger and thirst (198)

Today’s Message

Scripture reading: John 4:1-42

Response: Behold the Lamb of God

Message: Lessons from the story of the woman at the well

Introduction: The Most Important Question

When I first became a Christian, an older gentleman at Central Baptist used to approach me every once in a while. He would always ask the same simple question: ‘How is your relationship with God?’ It sounds like a basic question, doesn’t it? But in reality, it is the most vital question we will ever be asked. In our reading today, we meet a woman whose life was completely transformed by a relationship with Jesus. And as we’ll see, that transformation didn’t stop with her; it spilled over, changing some of the hearts of an entire community.

As we look at the woman’s story found in John 4, I want you to remember: God is the same today as He was in the Samaritan woman’s day. The same transformation the woman experienced is available to us today!

Before our reading today, Jesus encountered Nicodemus—a leader in Hebrew Law—Jesus explained to Nicodemus that one must be “born again” to enter the kingdom of God.

In the reading that Felix and Saber read so well today, Jesus takes that message of salvation further, using the amazing illustration of living water.

I believe Jesus’s interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well offers us five life-changing lessons.

Breaking the Barriers

First, we see Jesus breaking barriers. I have heard so many sermons that were on this very point.

There are lots of reasons why Jesus “should not” have talked to this woman.

At this time in history in the middle east women were not on equal ground as men. So just a man talking to a woman was counter-cultural. For a Rabbi to speak to a woman in public was very counter-cultural.

The next reason was the Samaritans were an ethnoreligious group living in the region of Samaria between Judea and Galilee. They were despised by Jews due to their mixed Assyrian-Hebrew ancestry and differing religious practices. The Samaritans were descendants of the Northern Kingdom of Israel who intermarried with foreign peoples after the Assyrian conquest. Samaritans worshipped Yahweh, but used their own version of the Torah and built a temple on Mount Gerizim, rather than worshiping in Jerusalem like the Jews did. Most Jewish people of the time distrusted and disliked Samaritans thinking that they were heathens and lawless. Actually, there was a mutual distrust between these two cultures.

The fact that Jesus (a religious leader) would even associate with a Samaritan would be shocking. It reminds me of the Sesame Street song: “One of these things is not like the others.” The woman and Jesus’ interaction would not fit with many of the accepted cultural norms of that time. Jesus was showing that God’s love isn’t restricted by geography, race, or gender. Jesus was definitely showing that God loved everyone in the world.

We know that God loves everyone in the world so much that He sent his only son–that whoever believes in Jesus has eternal life. This means everyone, no matter who you are, Jesus died on the Cross for you. If you repent of your sins and accept him as savior you can enter the Kingdom of God and have eternal life.

Illustration: “I want to take you back with me to a quiet room in a palliative care ward—a place where I encountered a dying man.

I was serving as a chaplain at Norwood palliative years ago. One day on the palliative ward was a man whose life had been lived at the intersection of many margins. He was Indigenous. He was gay. He was dying of AIDS and Hepatitis and other things. He did not have any visitors. I noticed he was actively dying but still a bit cognizant and alone in the room.

I remember putting on medical gloves as I pulled them on—a thin, latex barrier that could not stop a human connection. I took his hand in mine. Listening to the rhythm of a life slowly fading. I gently told him the salvation message as he slowly died. I held on to his hand until his very last breath

I do not tell you this to make me look good. I tell you this because of the bridge that was built in that room.

Think of the distance the world put between me and that man:

Between the sacred and the stigmatized.
Between me a heterosexual man representing the institutional Church and a dying gay man the world had probably often rejected but God still loved dearly.

In that hand hold, those distances vanished. And that, my friends, is the heart of the Gospel. If I—a flawed, finite human like me—could reach across that divide to offer presence and peace, how much more does the Creator of the Universe reach toward us?

God does not wait for us to be ‘presentable.’ He does not wait for the symptoms of our brokenness to disappear. Just as Jesus died for every soul without exception, He stands at the bedside of our lives, reaches past our labels, and takes us by the hand. He accepts us exactly as we are, at the very moment we come to Him and find solace in Christ. Jesus accepted the Woman and He accepts us.

Galatians 3:28 declares to all believers in the salvation of Christ that, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus“

Seeking the Outcast

Notice the timing: the Samaritan woman is at the well in the middle of the day. Most women at that time in history went to the well in the cool of the morning or late evening and then they would socialize with the other women. Coming alone in the heat of the noon sun speaks volumes about the Samaritan Woman’s shame. She was a social outcast, yet Jesus went out of His way to find her.

Do we judge people the way the community judged this woman? We often categorize people and keep them at arm’s length.

Illustration: In the 1960s, a prestigious, conservative Anglican church stood directly across from a major university in San Francisco. The church was a place of high liturgy, polished wood, and “proper” decorum.

The service was seconds from beginning when the heavy oak doors swung open. In walked a young man—a university student. He is the very definition of the counter-culture hippy movement of the 1960’s. With his long, wild hair, his beaded and tasseled shirt, and those weathered, cut-off shorts, he looked like a man who had walked straight out of Woodstock. Even more shocking to the congregants was that he was barefoot.

As the congregation watched in stunned silence, this young man didn’t take a seat in the back. He walked all the way down the center aisle, reached the very front, and sat down cross-legged right on the floor almost directly in front of the raised pulpit.

The tension in the room was suffocating.

From the back of the sanctuary, the head usher—a “Sideman” in the truest English sense—began to move. He was an elderly, dignified man, who came from London, England. He was dressed in a crisp bespoke three-piece suit, a highly starched white shirt and red tie in a full Windsor knot. His shoes were polished to a mirror shine. He walked with a cane, and every step he took sent a tap echoing through the large silent sanctuary.

The congregation held its breath. They expected a stern rebuke from their proper elder. They expected a demand for the hippy to leave. Even the minister, standing high in his pulpit with his long vestments on, waited and expected and even looked forward to the confrontation.

But when the old man reached the young hippy man, he didn’t point to the door. Instead, he dropped his cane. He reached out a trembling hand to the hippie for balance, and with great effort, he lowered his body in his expensive suit onto the hard floor.

There they sat, side-by-side: the proper gentleman of the old world and the face of the counter culture hippies of the 1960’s.

The minister looked down, a single tear came down his face. He closed his notes and addressed the congregation with only one sentence:

“What I’m about to preach to you cannot compare to the sermon we have just witnessed.”

Do we judge people like the Samaritan community judged the woman or the congregation that viewed the hippy? Christ came for all to find peace and salvation. As I noted before, Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemius, an intellectual and scholar of the Law parallels Jesus’ conversation with the adulterous Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus came for an intellectual and also an adulterous woman. Can we understand that Jesus came for everyone? I sometimes forget this and judge young men that come to church with baseball caps on or teenage girls in very short skirts in church. Jesus came for all of us. Even me who has judged.

Uncovering Sin & Offering Grace

Jesus gently confronts the woman’s past—her five husbands and her current situation—not to condemn her, but to offer her a new life. This isn’t just about getting to heaven; it’s about bringing the Kingdom of God to earth now. When we pray in the Lord’s prayer “Thy kingdom come here on earth as it is in heaven” is about bringing the kingdom of God here and now.

I find it interesting that the personal life of the Samaritan woman actually mirrored the Samaritan community, which at the time worshiped Yahweh but also served the many Assyrian gods.

We shouldn’t be too quick to judge the woman or the Samaritans. I love my wife, Jacquie, dearly and am faithful to her—but am I always “faithful” to God? Do I look to money for security instead of God? How about you?

We all come with baggage. As George Beverly Shea used to sing at the massive Billy Graham crusades: “Just as I am – though toss’d about, with many a conflict, many a doubt… O Lamb of God, I come!”

It is my prayer that everyone no matter what they have done can come accept the grace of God through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

Quenching the Spiritual Thirst

The “living water” Jesus offers carries a profound double meaning. In the ancient world, “living water” (Hebrew: mayim hayyim) referred to water that was moving—a bubbling spring or a flowing stream—as opposed to the stagnant, still water of a cistern or in this case Jacob’s well.

When Jesus speaks of Living Water, He is tapping into a rich biblical tradition. In Jeremiah 2:13, God describes Himself as the “fountain of living waters,” the direct and inexhaustible source of grace and life.

Consider the setting: this well was a physical legacy left by the patriarch Jacob. To the woman, Jesus’ claim of “living water” sounded like a geographical impossibility. She likely wondered if Jesus knew of a hidden, subterranean river running even deeper than Jacob’s ancient well. But the truth Jesus is talking about is more profound than any geological find. The source He speaks of isn’t found in the earth; God offers us this Living Water deep in our soul.

Jesus addresses the universal reality of spiritual thirst—a deep-seated longing for grace and purpose that no physical substance can quench. This offer of eternal life wasn’t just a lifeline for a marginalized Samaritan woman; it is a universal invitation. Whether we are Christians or “outcasts,” we all carry a parched soul that only Jesus can satisfy. Jesus offers a grace that does not just sit still like the water in a well, but flows through us, bringing significance to our lives today and into eternity–if we accept Christ as our Savior. Even if you are a Christian now–the living water can deepen your relationship to God.

The Unlikely Evangelist

To the Samaritan woman Jesus all of a sudden seems to know everything about her. She is stunned at all He knew. Next, the Samaritan woman says she is waiting for The Messiah or the Christ. Jesus tells her that He is that Messiah. The Samaritan woman is stunned and goes into town to tell about how Jesus knew all about her. The woman becomes the first evangelist to the Samaritans. . Her testimony leads a crowd from the town to encounter Jesus and confess Him as

the “Savior of the World”. As I have said she is a woman and a woman with a bad reputation but she spreads the word about Jesus to the town regardless of her gender and reputation. The Eastern Orthodox tradition even labels her as “equal to the Apostles”.

I have a Master’s degree in Divinity. Should clergy with education be the only evangelists of the good news about salvation through believing in Christ? Absolutely not! In my mind one of the reasons I preach is to send out all who hear the message into the world to spread the good news about Christ. If the Samaritan woman can be the light of Christ to her town can’t we be the light of Christ to the world. Each of us individually and the entire body of Dayspring can spread the good news to our communities, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and the whole world!

This reminds me of the great commission. This is the last command from Jesus to His disciples found in the gospel of Matthew, “therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything Jesus has commanded you. And surely Jesus is with you always, to the very end of the age.” You do not need to have a Master’s degree. You just need to know Christ as saviour and to go represent Him and tell about the Gospel Message to the World and Christ will be with you as you do it

Conclusion

“As we close our time together, we look back at the woman at the well and realize her story is our story. Just like the man whose hand I held in that hospital room, the Samaritan woman stood at the intersection of isolation and needed to experience transformation!

From the woman at the well who had an encounter with the Savior, we can glean five truths that can change the way we live:

First, Jesus breaks every barrier. Whether it is a well in Samaria or a palliative care ward, God sends Christ or his followers to everyone—no matter who they are or what they have done in their past.
Second, Grace is a universal gift. Jesus endured the cross so that no one—not the outcast, not the forgotten—should perish, but instead find salvation and eternal life.
Third, God sees the outcast. While the world labels and classifies, Christ models a love that looks past the person and the history to see the soul. He sees the Hippy, the adulterous woman, the dying man in the palliative ward and us. Do we love our neighbour as ourselves like God loves all?
Fourth, Christ alone quenches our thirst. We all have a parched place in our hearts that the world cannot fill. Today, you are invited to come to the well and drink of the Living Water God provides.
Finally, you are called to go and tell the Good News. The woman at the well didn’t wait for a theology degree to share her joy. She simply went. You don’t need a title; you just need to know the Savior.

So, I ask you today: Will you drink from the living water and allow Christ to transform your life? Will you let Him take your hand and fill your heart? And once you are filled with God’s Living Water, who will you go and tell?”

Song: As water to the thirsty (688)

We respond to serve God: Our time of giving

Reflection on giving: Having tasted the living water in Christ’s love and forgiveness, we bring our gifts to God in gratitude for such refreshment and renewal.

God has given us so many gifts in Christ and in creation. We offer our gifts in gratitude for the possibilities we enjoy, trusting God to multiply what we bring for goodness’ sake.

Prayer of gratitude and for others and ourselves

Lord, we come before you today to say thank you. Thank you for all you have given us–for all the blessings that we can and cannot see. With a grateful heart we thank you Lord for saving us from darkness and delivering us from evil. We accept what you did on the cross as you took our sin and shame. You can take away our sickness and can heal our pain. We thank you for all you have done and are about to do in our lives. Thank you, Lord.

Song: Come, let us sing to the Lord our song (412)

Sending out with God’s blessing

May you be filled today with the Living Water that only God provides—a spring welling up to eternal life. As you go, may you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and extend that same radical love to every neighbour you encounter. And may you know Christ as the true saviour of your lives. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Response: Sing Amen

Music postlude

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Raymond Baker retains the copyright (© 2026) on all original material in this service. As far as he is aware, all of the material that has not been attributed to others is his own creation or is in the public domain. Unacknowledged use of copyrighted material is unintentional and will be corrected immediately upon notification being received.

The Gospel in a Nutshell (Lynn Vaughan)

Posted on March 1, 2026March 1, 2026 by John

Worship on the Second Sunday of Lent
Celebrating the Sacrament of Holy Communion
10:00 am       01 March 2026
Online & Onsite (Mixed Presence) Gathering as a Worshipping Community
Led by the Lynn Vaughan     Music director: Binu Kapadia
Vocalists: Cheryl & Peter Sheridan    Elder: Shirley Simpson   Reader: Gina Kottke

We gather to worship God

Music prelude

Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
P: and also with you.

Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements
Silent preparation for worship

Call to Worship
L: Into life’s challenges and questions comes the Mystery of God,
P: and God’s truth opens our eyes.
L: Into our routines and rituals walks the presence of Christ,
P: and God’s love brings healing and hope.
L: Into our traditions and conclusions blows the wind of the Spirit,
P: and God’s people are born from above.
L: We gather in Jesus’ name to encounter God’s grace and glory.
P: Let us worship God with open hearts and minds.

Opening praise: I lift my eyes up

Prayers of approach and confession

God of majesty and mercy,

Christ, both Lord and Servant,

Spirit of new life,

your mystery embraces the vast reaches of the universe and yet you are present with us in the course of our daily lives.

Even the tiniest spark of your wisdom illuminates the greatest complexities.

With the smallest gesture of your love, you renew our hope.

Deepen our sense of your holy presence today.

Assure us that your love will never let us go.

We offer our praise and our prayers to you,

Holy God, Holy One and Holy Three,

with humble hearts and faith that seeks understanding.

God of mystery and mercy,

we confess that we prefer simple certainty to seeking deeper understanding.

We settle for what we know, ignoring our doubts and questions.

Forgive us when our faith falters because what we think no longer satisfies.

Open our eyes to the truth you hold out to us in Jesus Christ, your son,

and give us courage to rethink what we have assumed about you

and your love for the world.

We pray this all in the name of your precious Son, our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

Response: I waited, I waited on You, Lord

Assurance of God’s grace

The Apostle Paul declared that from now on, we regard no one from a human point of view. If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation. Everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! Thanks be to God for love that gives us all a new start this very day!

We listen for the voice of God

Song: Love divine, all loves excelling (371)

Scripture readings: Psalm 121 & John 3:1-17

Instrumental Response: His truth is marching on

Message: The Gospel in a Nutshell

Martin Luther famously said, it is “the gospel in miniature, so pregnant with meaning that it can never be exhausted”. It is the most famous verse in the Bible, and with good reason. It is, of course, John 3:16.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

That is the core message of the gospel, wrapped up in a single sentence – in a nutshell, you might say. So simple, but it says so much. Memorized by Christians for generations, as it should. Preached on by many a pastor, as it should. And known the world over, as it should. In fact, this verse has been translated into more languages than any other sentence.

To remind you of the importance of this verse, let me share with you two quotes. The first is almost 500 years old, credited during the Reformation in the 16th century. And the second is from just a few years ago. Both describe the importance of John 3:16. The first quote is from Martin Luther, who put it this way when he talked about this famous verse:

If you want to find God, then inscribe these words in your heart. Don’t sleep, but be vigilant. Learn and ponder these words diligently: ‘God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life’. Let him who can write, write these words. Furthermore, read them, discuss them, meditate and reflect on them in the morning and in the evening, whether aware or asleep! (Martin Luther, 1483-1546)

The second quote is from the contemporary Christian author, Max Lucado, who wrote a little book called simply, “3:16”. He refers to this verse as the Hope Diamond of the Bible and begins the book with these words:

[John 3:16 is] a twenty-six word parade of hope: beginning with God, ending with life, and urging us to do the same. Brief enough to write on a napkin or memorize in a moment, yet solid enough to weather two thousand years of storms and questions. If you know nothing of the Bible, start here. If you know everything in the Bible, return here. We all need the reminder. The heart of the human problem is the heart of the human. And God’s treatment is prescribed in John 3:16. He loves. He gave. We believe. We live.

(Max Lucado, 2007)

These two examples offer great insight about a great piece of scripture. A verse that should be inscribed on our hearts. A verse that begins our Christian journey and provides direction all along the way. Today, let’s look at just a couple of the words in this verse and see if we can’t learn something new about John 3:16 … or at least, be reminded about why it is so very important.

Let’s start with the very first word in John 3:16: “For”

“For God so loved the world.”

It’s not a typical way to start a sentence, is it? But when we do start a sentence this way, it is usually to connect it to the previous sentence. Therefore, it would help to reference the previous sentence. In this case, that means we need to look at John 3:14-15, two verses which are much less well-known than the one that follows. In these verses, Jesus said:

“Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

So, the Son of Man must be lifted up, Jesus says. Why? Because God so loved the world that he gave his only son. This sentence before John 3:16 helps us to understand what it means that God gives his only son. It means that God allows his son to be lifted up, on the cross, for US. That is the measure of his love for us. That God would sacrifice a piece of himself in order to gift us with salvation from our sins.

That is what Jesus tells Nicodemus in this amazing conversation from our scripture reading. Nicodemus probably did not fully understand all of this until after Jesus was crucified; when he helped Joseph of Arimathea take Jesus’ body down from the cross and place it in the tomb. He must have understood the words then, I imagine. And isn’t that true for us, as well? We don’t fully understand the measure of God’s love for us until we go to the cross and embrace the awe-inspiring mystery that he died on the cross not only for the world … but for you … and for me!

That brings us to our next focus word: “world”

“For God so loved the world”, Jesus says. But what does he mean, in this case, by the word ‘world’? It can mean a lot of different things, but in John’s Gospel, it is used in some specific ways. We get our first hint about what ‘world’ means in John’s Gospel back in Chapter 1, where it says:

“[Jesus] was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.”

The world did not know Jesus. That’s often the case in John’s Gospel. He is the light of the world, but so often the world is blind and can’t see this. The world even hates Jesus, as he tells his disciples in Chapter 15, and the world often hates his followers, too. So, the world is definitely not just the church. It is not just those who believe. It is everyone, even those who do not know Jesus; who reject him, even those who hate him.

But God so loved the world that he gave his only son. It’s important to recognize that John 3:16 is not just talking about you and me. This verse is also talking about people who don’t know Jesus, and it’s even talking about people who hate Jesus. For God so loved them that he gave his only son. John 3:16 is only about us if it is also about them. God loves us. And God loves them. And God asks us to love the world, even the parts of this world, and the people in this world, that are hard to love. That is yet another important message to be taken from John 3:16.

The last word I want to talk about today is: “believe”

“Everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

‘Believe’ is a verb here. It’s something that we do, not something that we have. And in fact, in John’s Gospel, ‘believe’ is always a verb; it’s never a noun. It’s never simply something that we have; it’s always something that we do. In other words, our faith is not an insurance policy that we file away in a safe place until we need it. It is, instead, something that we act upon. Something that we do, every day.

As an example of this, consider the first person who ever heard these words: the Pharisee, Nicodemus. He had visited Jesus at night to explore what Jesus was teaching. (He visited at night, no doubt, because he didn’t want the other Pharisees to know that he was there. The Pharisees, as a group, did not like Jesus and were looking for ways to destroy him.) But Nicodemus was curious, so he visited Jesus that night to explore his teachings further. And in the course of that conversation, Jesus spoke these famous words to Nicodemus:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

Nicodemus was clearly changed by these words and by his conversation with Jesus. He appears twice more in John’s Gospel, and each time shows how his faith has changed him. When the Pharisees were seeking to have Jesus arrested, Nicodemus spoke up against them, defending Jesus. And when Jesus died, he was one of the men who bravely claimed Jesus’ body and prepared it for burial. This was while Jesus’ own disciples were in hiding and scared for their own safety! For Nicodemus, believing that God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son changed everything for him. His faith became a verb. And for us, it does the same.

Faith changes us. Faith is not simply a way to receive eternal life. Faith is itself a way of life. Everyone who believes in Jesus is promised eternal life, but … eternal life doesn’t begin when we die. It begins when we believe!
I’m going to say that again, because I think it’s important: eternal life doesn’t begin when we die – it begins when we believe!

Eternal life is simply a way of describing our being in a relationship with the one who created life, and who promises eternity to all who believe. Whether our world knows it or not, this is what it hungers for: eternal life. And it is our blessed task to remind them of this. To remind them, through our words and our actions, that God loves them so much that He gave them His only Son, so that they, too, might come to believe. And by believing, have their life changed forever.

Based on writings by the Rev. James Laurence, First Lutheran Church of Albemarle, NC

Song: O love, how deep, how broad, how high (205)

We respond to serve God

Our time of giving: Generous God, we offer our gifts to you in gratitude for all that we have received in Christ and in creation. Bless our gifts and our lives, so that we can share in the building up of your kingdom in the world you love so much that you sent your son as a sacrifice for our sins.

Prayer of gratitude, and for others and ourselves

Almighty God, you are our keeper,

shade in the heat of the world’s troubles,

light in every shadowed time of life.

We thank you for your care which sustains us,

and offer you our trust for those things we can do nothing about.

Thank you for the energy to focus on the things we can do day by day,

putting our love and care to work in community and creation.

By the power of your Spirit, bless us with the insight and passion to act in hope.

May your wisdom guide us in all things.

Attentive God, we bring our concerns for the world to you in these uncertain times.

We think of all those who have set off to unknown lands

and pray for people on the move:

For those seeking safety and shelter, fleeing violence;

For those settling into a new home or community;

For those who must travel, whatever the conditions.

Walk with us on the way.

We think of the Psalmist looking to the hills

And we pray for people seeking help:

For those seeking help for the earth itself as its fragile balances are threatened;

For those seeking help to make ends meet as bank balances are threatened;

For those seeking help for vulnerable people to right the balance of justice.

Walk with us on the way.

We think of Nicodemus turning to Jesus with questions in his heart

and we pray for people seeking answers:

For those with health challenges, seeking diagnosis and treatment;

For those researching problems and policies, seeking to better our common life;

For those wondering if you exist, wondering if you have a purpose for them

Walk with us on the way.

We think of Jesus, your only son, whom you sent to show us the way,

Sacrificing himself on the cross in order for us to have eternal life in You

And allowing us to know the great love you have for each one of us when we choose to believe.

We pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Passing the peace

The Sacrament of Holy Communion

Invitation

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus welcomes all who hunger for grace. Come to this table, whether you’re certain of your faith or still searching; whether you feel whole or broken; and receive this bread and this cup as signs of God’s forgiveness, love, and presence in the world.

If you prefer to remain seated, you are invited to pray and receive God’s blessing with us.

Come, let us share the life Christ gives.

*Song: You satisfy the hungry heart (538)

The Communion Prayer

Heavenly Father, we come to your table in awe of your love, and we praise your name. You formed the world in wisdom and love, breathed life into us, and called us to be your people. You have been faithful through every age – guiding, sustaining, correcting, and redeeming us.

We give you thanks for Jesus Christ, your Son, our Saviour. In him, you became one of us, living among the poor and the outcast, healing the sick, confronting injustice, and calling sinners to new life.

On the night Jesus was betrayed, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to his friends, saying, “This is my body, given for you.” After supper, he took the cup, offered thanks, and said, “This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood, poured out for you, and for many, for the forgiveness of sins.” We remember his life, his death, and his rising, and we proclaim the mystery of our faith: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

Pour out your Holy Spirit upon these gifts of bread and wine, that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ. Make them for us the means of grace through which we are fed and healed, forgiven and restored. Fill us with the assurance of eternal life and the power of Your love to live as people of God. Unite us to Christ and to one another, that we may be one living body, sharing in his life and love.

All praise and honour belong to you, Holy God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and forever.
Now, together, let us sing the prayer that you taught us …

The Lord’s Prayer (469 – sung)

Sharing of the Bread and Wine (led by the Rev Brad Childs on video)

Song: One bread, one body (540)

Prayer after Communion

Gracious God, thank you for this bread and this wine, and the gift of Christ’s presence with us. Fill us now with your Spirit, so we may carry this love into the world. Strengthen our faith, open our hearts to one another, and give us the courage to serve with justice and compassion. Guide our steps until we meet again, living as witnesses to your grace. Amen.

Song: To God be the glory (350)

Sending out with God’s blessing

As we continue our Lenten journey, remember the promise of the Psalmist: “The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forever more.” So go now, trusting that your help comes from God, And may God’s presence strengthen you, May Jesus’ faithfulness guide you, and may the wind of the Spirit bring you energy to serve with love.

Response: Sing Amen

Music postlude

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The Communion liturgy is based on the liturgies of the PCC’s 1991 Book of Common Worship. Numbers in brackets after a song/hymn indicate that it is from the 1997 Book of Praise of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Those and other songs are being used in accordance with the specifications of Dayspring’s licensing with One License (3095377) and CLC (A735555).

Lynn Vaughan retains the copyright (© 2025) on all original material in this service. As far as she is aware, all of the material that has not been attributed to others is her own creation or is in the public domain. Unacknowledged use of copyrighted material is unintentional and will be corrected immediately upon notification being received.