Worship on Trinity Sunday
10:00 am May 31, 2026
Minister: The Rev. Brad Childs Music Director: Binu Kapadia
Vocalist: Lynn Vaughan Welcoming Elder: Heather Tansem
Children’s time: Brad Reader: Darlene Eerkes
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: Let us be joyful before God!
P: We will sing praises to God’s holy name.
L: Let us lift up a song to the One who rides upon the clouds,
P: who protects orphans and widows and gives the desolate a home.
L: Sing to God, all nations of the earth.
P: We will sing praises to the Lord, our God!
Opening praise: Holy Spirit, you are welcome here
Prayers of approach and confession
Our Lord, you are three persons in one and one God in three. We praise you, God, the Father, because you are the Source of everything good. You made the whole world: the sky, the stars, the oceans, the trees, and every animal. You made people like us in your own special way and said, “This is good!” Thank you for giving us life and a beautiful world to live in.
We praise you, Jesus Christ, God’s Son. You were born as a real baby with skin and feelings just like us. You came to earth to show us how to love others, be kind, and forgive. You give us grace and mercy when we make mistakes. Thank you for being our friend and rescuer.
We praise you, Holy Spirit, for the happy energy you put inside us. You help us wake up each morning feeling thankful, like every day is a brand-new gift wrapped just for us. You give us power to be brave, to be loving, and to do the right thing.
Holy God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we praise you for being so mysterious and wonderful. We don’t understand everything about you, but we know you are full of love and kindness. Please show us how to live as your people every day. Help us tell others about your amazing love and grace. In Jesus’ name we pray.
God of mystery and mercy, you know every single thing about our lives. You see the happy parts and the hard parts. You know when we feel sad, angry, or scared. You see the times we do wrong things, even the little sins we try to hide. You notice the problems we face at school, at home, or with our friends. You also see all the good possibilities in front of us.
You watch how we live with the people around us. Sometimes we get along great, but sometimes we rub each other the wrong way. We argue, we get selfish, or we say mean words without thinking. We confess that we don’t always see things the way you see them. We mess up and hurt others. We forget to be thankful. We choose the easy wrong thing instead of the harder right thing.
Please open our eyes so we can see the truth about ourselves. Help us be honest about our mistakes. Touch our hearts with your gentle grace and make us new and clean inside. Forgive us, change us, and help us do better tomorrow. We want to follow you with happy hearts. Thank you for loving us even when we’re not perfect. Amen.
Response: I will trust in the Lord
Assurance of God’s grace
Now go and live like forgiven people: be kind, be brave, be quick to say sorry and quick to forgive others too. Because God has poured his amazing grace all over you, and it never runs out. Thanks be to God! Amen.
We listen for the voice of God.
Song: Open our eyes, Lord (445)
Children’s Time
The Summer is coming. Do any of you go camping? I love to go out camping. I love to be under the stars.
One of the things I always do it just look up at all the wonders God has made. The sun, the moon, and all those twinkly stars at night. They are SO big!
Now… look at your hands. Wiggle your fingers. You are much smaller than the stars, right? But guess what? The Bible says something amazing!
The author looks up at the sky and sees all the wonders God has made and asks God, “What am I that You cared to make me?” And then God answers in Psalm 8:5: “I made you just a little lower than the angels, and I put a crown on your heads!”
God made the whole giant world… but then He made you.
He didn’t make you like a little bug that doesn’t matter. He made you special.
The Bible says God put a crown on your head! (Hold up a pretend crown or draw one in the air)
Not a real shiny crown like a king or queen wears… but a special kind of crown that means: “You are important to God!”
Even though you’re small, God says: “You are My child. I love you. I gave you a job to take care of My world.”
Imagine you’re playing outside and you feel really small. The trees are tall. The sky is huge. You might think, “I’m just a little kid. I don’t matter much.”
But God leans down from heaven and says, “No way! I made you! I put a crown on you because I think you’re wonderful!”
What Should We Do?
Because God gave us this special crown, we should:
- Be kind to other kids (they have crowns too!)
- Say “Thank you, God!” when we see stars or flowers
- Take care of animals and the earth
- Remember: You are never just “nobody” — you are God’s special child!
This is a repeat after me prayer:
Dear God, Thank you for making the big stars.
Thank you for making me.
Thank you for putting a crown on my head.
Help me remember I’m special to You. I’m loved.
And now we pray the prayer your Son taught us to pray …
The Lord’s Prayer (535)
Song: Holy, Holy, Holy (299)
Scripture: Psalm 8 & 2 Corinthians13:11-13
Response: Glory to the Father
Message: A holy kiss
Paul writes his final greeting and offers advice, telling the people that they are in his prayers. The Church, he says, should be one in unity and purpose, and they should share warm greetings and care for one another. In a hectic and busy world, it bears repeating. Greet one another with a Holy Kiss.(2 Corinthians 13:12)
A few years ago, I was visiting a small farming community just outside Regina. An older gentleman named Walter, a lifelong elder in the local Presbyterian church, had passed away. At the funeral, something struck me deeply. His family and friends didn’t just shake hands or nod politely. They embraced—long, heartfelt hugs that lingered. One of his old farming buddies, a man who probably hadn’t cried since the Dust Bowl days, held Walter’s widow for what seemed like minutes. No words were needed. That embrace said, “We’re in this together. You’re not alone. The love we shared with Walter binds us still.”
In a world that often feels cold and distant, where we scroll past each other’s lives on screens and keep our personal space tightly guarded, that kind of physical, sincere connection feels rare. But it’s exactly what Paul points us toward in our passage today. Not a casual greeting, but something holy. Something that reminds us we belong to one another in Christ.
The Apostle Paul wrote the letter we call 2 Corinthians around 55-56 AD. It’s one of the most personal and emotional letters in the New Testament. Paul had founded the church in Corinth: a bustling, diverse, and often chaotic port city full of wealth, immorality, and cultural clashes. Corinth was the Las Vegas but on Steroids of its time. In fact the philosopher Plato comically referred to sex workers as “Corinthian Girls”.
The congregation was a mix of Jews who followed Jesus as the Messiah and Gentiles who knew him as the Saviour of all: rich and poor, strong personalities and struggling believers.
But things had gotten messy in that congregation. False teachers had infiltrated the church, questioning Paul’s authority and motives. Divisions had sprung up. Some members were taking sides, harbouring grudges, and living more like the surrounding culture than like followers of the crucified and risen Jesus. Paul writes with a pastor’s heart (a word meaning Shephard or someone who helps lead you) in defence of his ministry, part tough love and part deep affection. He’s been through pain with them: tears, confrontation, and now, as he closes the letter, reconciliation.
Our pericope today (this small moment in time) is the conclusion, Paul’s farewell. It’s verses 11-13:
“Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All God’s people here send their greetings.”
This is Paul’s punchline after everything else. After defending his apostleship, pleading for generosity, and calling them to holiness, he lands on community. The overarching theme of 2 Corinthians is reconciliation; being restored to God and to one another through the grace of Christ. Paul knows that a fractured church cannot effectively witness to a fractured world. So he gives them (and us) practical steps for unity.
In the ancient Greco-Roman world, a kiss was a standard greeting among family, close friends, and equals. It wasn’t always romantic; it was cultural… like a handshake today, but more intimate. You might kiss a cheek, the hand, or even the lips in some contexts to show respect, affection, or belonging. It signalled: “You are part of my circle. I accept you.”
But like anything human, it could be twisted. Think of Judas’s betrayal kiss in the garden of Gethsemane, using a sign of intimacy to mask treachery. Or political kisses that were pure manipulation. The common practice was familiar, but it wasn’t always “holy.” It could be superficial, obligatory, or even deceptive. People greeted each other out of social expectation, while nursing bitterness in their hearts. Sound familiar? We still do polite handshakes or “How are you’s? while avoiding real connection. Canadian’s are particularly good among all the people on the earth, at being friendly while absolutely hating each other.
Paul takes this everyday cultural practice and transforms it with the gospel. He doesn’t say “Greet one another with a kiss.” He says, “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” The holiness makes all the difference. It’s not just cultural courtesy. It’s a sacramental act, a visible sign of invisible grace. It embodies the ideas Paul lays out right before it: rejoice, pursue restoration, encourage, agree, and live in peace.
In the Christian way, this greeting becomes a declaration: “Because of Jesus, the barriers are down. I choose forgiveness. I choose unity. I choose love.” It’s not about the exact physical action (cultures vary, and in our context, a warm handshake, a genuine hug, or even eye contact and a smile might be the equivalent). But it’s about the heart behind it. A holy greeting is sincere, not hypocritical. It’s inclusive, crossing lines of class, race, politics, or personality. It says that in Christ, we are family. We are all adopted into God’s household. If you are here, we are one.
Look at the promises attached. When we strive for restoration and peace, “the God of love and peace will be with you.” God doesn’t just command unity. He empowers it and shows up in it. And Paul adds greetings from “all God’s people here,” reminding the Corinthians they’re part of something bigger than their local squabbles. The whole church meeting in other places is praying for them.
This isn’t optional – window dressing for worship. In Presbyterian tradition, we emphasize the priesthood of all believers and the covenant community. A holy greeting in church isn’t just social time. It’s a mini-sacrament of reconciliation. It’s where we practice what we preach about grace. It is The Lord’s Supper, in action.
So what does this look like for us at Dayspring?
First, rejoice. Even when church life is hard, we rejoice in what Christ has done. Joy is contagious and disarming.
Second, strive for restoration. If there’s unresolved conflict, take the first step. Paul doesn’t say “Wait for them to apologize.” He says to pursue wholeness. The Bible, if nothing else, is full of very good advice – that’s why we call it the “good book”.
Third, encourage one another. In a critical world, be the voice that builds people and things up.
Fourth, be of one mind—not uniformity of opinion or politics or superficial things, but unity in Christ’s mission. Together, we should be fighting for a better world.
Fifth, live in peace—not by avoiding hard things, but by refusing to let division have the last word.
And then lastly… greet one another—really greet one another—with the holiness that comes from knowing we’re all sinners saved by the same grace.
In our congregation, that might mean lingering after the service to talk to someone you don’t usually sit with. It might mean checking on the person who’s been absent. It might mean swallowing pride and offering a handshake that says, “I matter to me”.
The holy kiss (or its modern equivalent, the hug, handshake, smile or first word) is a small act with massive implications. It proclaims to a divided world that in Christ, love wins. Reconciliation is possible. Peace is not a dream. It’s our calling.
As we close, hear Paul’s benediction to the church he was the minister of 2000 years ago. in full: “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
Greet one another with a Holy Kiss. Be especially warm to people. Small things change the world. Amen.
Song: You are Author (430)
We respond to serve God.
Our time of giving
Prayers of the people
Dear God, we come to you now like a big family talking to our loving Parent. We want to pray for everyone and everything, because you care about it all. Thank you for listening to us.
First, we pray for your big family, the Church, all around the world. Help all the people who believe in you, whether they are in big fancy buildings, tiny village churches, or meeting in secret places, to love you more and love each other better. Make us brave to show your kindness. Help pastors, teachers, and leaders in the church to tell your good news clearly, like friendly storytellers. Bring together all kinds of Christians so we can work as one team.
We pray for the leaders of our countries and towns. Give wisdom to the president, the prime minister, our mayor, and everyone who makes important decisions. Help them choose what is fair and good instead of what is selfish or mean. Show them how to help people who don’t have enough food, homes, or safety. End wars and bring peace to places where people are fighting.
God, we pray for the whole wide world you made. Protect the oceans, forests, and animals. Help us take care of the earth rather than hurt it. We pray for places where people are hurting because of earthquakes, floods, or fires, send helpers quickly and comfort those who are scared or sad. Bring food to kids who are hungry and clean water to families who need it.
We pray for our own city and neighbourhood right here. Bless our schools so teachers and kids can learn and grow in happy ways. Watch over the doctors, nurses, police officers, firefighters, and all the people who help us every day. Make our streets safe. Help neighbours be kind to each other and look out for one another, like a big friendly block party.
We pray for people who feel sick, sad, or lonely. Hold the hands of kids in hospitals and people who are really old or hurting. Comfort anyone whose heart is broken because someone they love died. Give hope to friends who feel worried about money, family fights, or hard things at home. Wrap your strong, gentle arms around them and remind them they are not alone.
We pray for our own families and friends. Help us be patient when we get annoyed. Teach us to share, to listen, and to say “I’m sorry” when we mess up. Bless the people we love most and the ones who are hard to love. Help us be good friends and good family members.
Finally, God, we pray for ourselves. Help each one of us know how much you love us. Give us joy when we feel grumpy and courage when we feel scared. Show us ways we can help others today, even in small things like smiling, helping carry something, or saying something nice.
We bring all these prayers to you, trusting that you hear every word and that your love is bigger than any problem. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Song: Glory be to God the Father (298)
Sending out with God’s blessing
And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and communion in the Holy Spirit fill you with joy and lead you onward, 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.