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 7th, 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, “4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you 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.