Worship on the Fourth Sunday of Pentecost
Father’s Day
10:00 am June 21, 2026
Minister: The Rev. Brad Childs Music Director: Binu Kapadia
Vocalist: Fionna McCrostie
Welcoming Elder: Jane de Caen 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: Today we gather to worship God, our loving and faithful Father.
P: We come with gratitude for His guidance, provision, and grace.
L: We give thanks for fathers, grandfathers, stepfathers, mentors, and all who have reflected God’s love in our lives.
P: We remember that every good gift comes from God, who loves us with an everlasting love.
L: Let us lift our hearts in praise to the One who calls us His children!
Opening praise: Here I am to worship
Prayers of approach and confession
God of grace, you created our minds to grow in wisdom.
You created our hearts to expand with love for you and your world.
You created our voices to sing your praises forever.
Fill us to overflowing with your Holy Spirit, so we may worship you in spirit and in love, faithfully seeking to follow Jesus, even when challenges confront us.
In this time of worship, assure us of your presence with us and reveal to us the path you open before us, for we live to serve as your people wherever you lead.
God who knows all people and all possibilities, you call us to follow you, yet we prefer familiar paths.
You offer us new understanding, yet change makes us uncomfortable.
You invite us into the fullness of life, yet we often resist when the invitation comes with challenge or disruption.
Forgive us, O God, and make of us loving disciples ready to follow Jesus’ example.
Response: We come to ask your forgiveness
Assurance of God’s grace
In Christ, we can work to transform relationships and envision a new future, guided by the Spirit of God. We can become a new creation! Trust that God loves you and forgives you. Do not be afraid to try a new way forward.
We listen for the voice of God
Song: Jesus loves me (373)
Children’s time
Can anyone tell me what today is? (Pause for response.) It’s a very special day because it’s Father’s Day!
The word Father can mean many things. A father can be a dad or someone who is like a dad. A father can be someone who starts something (like the fathers of our nation). Sometimes a father is a preacher or teacher.
Maybe you have a wonderful dad who does special things with you. Maybe he takes you camping or on special trips. Maybe he plays soccer or football with you, or he takes you shopping or to get an ice cream cone. Maybe he teaches you how to do things like ride a bike, how to fish, how to play a musical instrument, or how to fix something. Maybe your dad reads the Bible to you and teaches you about God.
(Ask) Tell about something your dad or father figure does with you.
Not everyone knows their father and not everyone gets to see their dad all the time. Luckily, we have a Father in Heaven who loves us all the time, no matter what.
In the Bible there’s a story about an older man who became like a father to a young man. The older man’s name is Paul, and the young man’s name is Timothy. The Bible doesn’t tell us anything about Timothy’s real dad, but we know that Paul, an older man, wrote letters to Timothy and taught him about God. He was like a father to Timothy. He even told Timothy what to do when he had a stomach ache! He also told him not to pay attention to people who said he was too young to do anything for God.
We can learn so much from our fathers and from those who stand in place as our fathers. The Bible says, “Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.” (Proverbs 4:1)
God is our heavenly Father. He will never leave us. He even said He would be a Father to those who don’t have a father. Isn’t that wonderful?
The Lord’s Prayer (535)
Song: God of the sparrow, God of the whale (307: vss. 1,2 4, 6) 307
Scripture: James 2:14-26()
Response: Glory to the Father
Message: The House, the Sparrows and the Sword
This week we look at James’s presentation on the relationship between Faith and Works and how one follows the other like two legs in step.
In what I hope is a fictitious tale, a 20-something-year-old guy was coming out of the local Southern Baptist church, and the pastor was standing at the door as he always did to say “hello” to all the people coming in. But when this particular young man came in, the pastor rather rudely grabbed the man’s hand and pulled him over to the side.
The pastor half-jokingly said, “Hey, brother, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you here before. I think you need to join the Lord’s Army!” A little surprised the young man replied, “But, I’m already in the Army of the Lord, pastor” with a little awkward smile as if to acknowledge that he hadn’t been to church in a little while.
The course country pastor (not wanting to skip a beat) responded a little rudely still saying, “You know I do recognize you. But if you’re really in the Service of the Lord’s army, then how come I don’t see you except at Christmas and Easter and maybe once or twice a year other than that?” At which point the young man pulled the pastor in even closer yet and replied with a whisper, “Because pastor, I’m in the secret service.”
I like that story. But sadly, I think a lot of the time, a lot us, live lives, that too often, make it seem as if we’re in the secret service of the Lord. And that doesn’t mean we hide our faith. I rather doubt anyone in this room hides their faith. It just means that we probably aren’t as intentional and as conversational, and as open as we could and probably should be.
Earlier this week I found this story about two professing Christians who worked in the same office for 10 years and neither of them knew the other was a Christian. That is… until they discovered that they had both been attending the same large church (a massive place people can sort of just sneek into and blend unnoticed) for the last 5 years.
In the story one of the two men said to his wife, “Isn’t it funny that Bill and I have been in the same office for 10 years now, and neither of us knew the other was a Christian until just last week when I spotted him in the church hall?”
“Funny?!” says the wife, “John, I don’t think that’s funny at all, I think that’s sad.”
Spouses have a wonderfully honest way of lovingly kicking you while you’re, down don’t they? I think it might be in the marriage vows even.
“To love and to honour in sickness and in health and also to put you in your place sometimes when you need it.”
James writes, “14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no good deeds to show for it?
Several years ago, a man named Joseph was walking to work when he passed a StreetWise vendor. (StreetWise is a Chicago-based newspaper distributed by homeless people who collect a portion of the proceeds. It also has the highest readership of any publication in the United States. And that should say something about the state of things.
I distinctly remember buying one of these in 1998, while attending a youth conference at Moody Bible Institute when I was 17.
In any case, it was bitterly cold that day, and Joseph had already stopped by Starbucks for a hot cup of coffee to warm his chilly body, but as usual, it was too hot to drink for the first couple of minutes. Feeling generous and a little guilty for holding a $5 coffee (as I often do), Joseph found his wallet and fished out a dollar to give to a homeless woman at the corner in exchange for the StreetWise newspaper. He liked the idea of supporting her attempting to work.
The woman asked, “Do you really want read the paper? Or can I keep it to sell to someone else?” Joseph told her to keep the paper because he probably wouldn’t read it, and then passively asked, “How are you today?” (the way we all do sometimes instinctively do). “Oh,” she said (a little surprised that someone actually took the time to speak to her), “to tell you the truth, I am extremely cold… but otherwise I think I’m pretty good”. Joseph tightened his lips and nodded his head a bit (as if to say he understood) and replied, “Well, I hope the sun comes out and it warms up a bit.” And ended with a customary “Have a good day” with a faint wave goodbye.
And then Joseph continued on his way with that hot cup of coffee still warming his hands.
But about half a block later, the conversation finally caught up with him. He wrestled over what he should do, but he was late for work and so… he kept on walking.
Later Joseph wrote a book. Which is why I know this story. And in it Joseph wrote, “I have never forgotten that moment: That very second when I first regretted not giving her my cup of hot coffee. The regret for something so simple that I failed to do changed my life completely (and that’s great for me), but what if what I DID DO could have changed her life instead?” What might have changed in her life if Joseph had just said, “you know, in Luke’s gospel is says “those with food should share. Would you like this coffee? I haven’t taken a sip yet.”
Sadly, we could probably all say that we have missed countless small opportunities to reach out with a “cup of grace” to those in need.
James writes to us saying, “15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and be well fed,” but does nothing about their actual physical needs, what good is it?” Joseph lived that exact moment.
In Matthew chapter 5 Jesus tells us “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone. So, in the same way, let your light shine before people, that they may see your good deeds… and praise your Father in heaven.” The coworker that doesn’t see Christ in us; the friend at school doesn’t know who is Lord of your life is; the cup of coffee not given… the lost opportunity… the light hidden under the bowl… we all do it all the time! It’s not evil or intentional but it is… sort of like being in the secret service of the Lord. The same is true when we do something but refuse to say that it’s because we serve a loving Lord and want to be like Him.
Jesus tells us that our faith should be as clear to others as a big city scape mounted up on a hill for all to see. Is it? Or do people sometimes sort of figure out that we’re Christians when they bump into us at a church event? Is it as plain as day? Should we have to tell people? Or could we constantly show people?
Paul says it should as obvious as the clothes we wear. But is it?
It’s an old statistic but in 2011 just over two-billion; four-hundred-million people self-identified as Christians. But how obvious do you think they are about it? As my old childhood minister loved to say, “Being in a barn doesn’t make you a cow. And going to Church doesn’t make youa Christian.” You have to LIVE IT! Or as James says, “What good is a faith that never does anything?”
I wonder how many Christians display life changing deeds of faith that lead others “to praise your Father in heaven”? What if that was the goal of 2.4 billion Christians? What if we were all much more intentional about our actions?
Now I want to be clear because we are good quality reformed people hear. The Presbyterian Church is built on the idea of Sola Fide (solely faith or ‘in faith alone”)… the idea that we are restored into right relationship with God by grace through faith alone and that salvation has nothing to do with the good or the bad that we have done or ever will do.
In the words of one of my favourite theologians, Our Church teaches that “we contribute nothing to our salvation but the sin that makes it necessary”. We say that it is faith in the sheer grace of a loving God that saves us and not our deeds… no matter how good. But it can’t end there.
In 1947, a rumor spread that the Ford Motor Company would give one free car away in exchange for every single copper penny dated 1943. The news spread so fast that the board offices throughout the country were jammed with requests for more information, and in spite of a telephone strike, thousands of inquiries came in by telephone as well as by telegram and by mail. Washington reported a massive volume of queries being received at the offices of the mint.
It turned out all to be a joke.
The information records of the mint show that in 1943 exactly 1 billion 93 million 838 thousand 670 U.S. pennies were minted… but they were minted out of steel and zinc, and that exactly 0.0% copper was used in the production of those pennies. The copper pennies didn’t exist.
There has been a rumor widely spread across the human race for centuries that entrance into heaven can be obtained through good deeds. The fact is that there are no works made on earth which are acceptable for entrance into heaven. They all show the counterfeit of having come from the mold of the human heart. God has determined that he will accept only the work that bears the image of the Lord Jesus Christ dying for sinners and nothing of our own devices. There is nothing apart from this – there is no other copper. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done” says Titus 3:5. “Not of works lest no one should boast” says Ephesians 9. Good deeds do not secure our place in the heavenly realms – Grace does.
But people gifted with grace had better learn to share.
James writes, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” Now those words should be read closely. Notice James does not say “faith is dead” and James does not say “faith without works isn’t real” or “faith without works doesn’t count for anything”.
The word he uses is pretty harsh though.
He says faith without works is nek-ros. It’s literally the word “corpse”. It’s still a person, it just doesn’t do anything. Faith is all we need. It’s still saving faith (that’s a gift from God and nothing can take that away). But if we never do anything with it, it doesn’t do anything for anyone else. It’s lifeless. That’s James’s point.
Now some would have us believe that James and Paul differed on this issue. That Paul taught Grace through faith and James taught salvation by works. In fact, way too much ink has been spilled about the supposed contradiction between the two on faith and works. And even Martin Luther (founder of the Lutheran Churches) famously fell into this trap.
I think the whole debate is nonsense. What James says is abundantly clear. James says that if faith doesn’t get lived out in the little moments of our lives, then what good is it to anyone but us?
I once heard it put like this: On an early morning, a man walked down the street. He was about 2 blocks from his house when he saw a large puff of smoke rise from the chimney of his home. And he knew exactly what had just happened. He knew it – just as if he had been standing in his own living room. Someone had just lit a fire in the fireplace. The man was in a position to get a good view of both scenes. His physical eye saw the smoke. His mind’s eye saw the scene inside the living room.
This is the exact difference between the Epistles of Paul and the Epistle of James. In Paul’s letters God tells how he looks upon the heart on the inside and justifies people by grace through faith in Christ. James tells how an outward observer can see the effect of that faith. With Paul, it is justification by faith alone (only God can truly see), and with James, it is the smoke that makes it clear to everyone else that a fire actually exists. The one is a divine view, the other is human. 76 What James wants clear is that Faith and Works live together.
Sadly, I couldn’t find the name of the person who first said these words so I’m going to have to say that the author is “unknown” but I recently read these words, “Faith and Works should travel side by side, step answering to step, like the legs of a person walking. First faith, and then works, and then faith again, and then works again, until you can scarcely distinguish which is one and which is the other.”
The year was 1976. Rev. Clarence Jordan, minister/farmer in Georgia, was convinced that poor people living in dilapidated housing could improve themselves with just a little bit of support. “They don’t need charity,” he said to Millard Fuller, who visited Jordan’s communal church on Key Farm. “What they need is a way to help themselves up” Jordan said.
Millard Fuller, a 30-year-old who was nearly a millionaire at that time, was very inspired by Rev. Jordan’s sermon: inspired enough, in fact, to begin what is today a worldwide organization to provide housing for the poor. Habitat for Humanity runs on what Fuller calls “the theology of the hammer” (Faith at Work in play). The group raises money and recruits volunteers to renovate and build homes, which are then sold at cost. Mortgages are even interest-free to certain qualified recipients. Every single day, Habitat for Humanity completes 12 new houses for families in need. Fuller’s got a faith that lives and breathes. And he was convinced by Grandpa Wesley to work for charity year after year, though he rarely attended church after the Second World War.
Now, I’m not telling you that to prove your faith real you need to go out and start a huge international charity or you’re a terrible failure.
Instead, I think this is true: The “theology of the hammer” and what I am going to call today, the “theology of a hot cup of coffee,” are one and the same. Our days are filled to the brim with tiny opportunities to make faith come alive. What opportunities might you have (even just 1 hour after you leave this room)? What if 2.4 billion of us intentionally went out looking for them?
Faith and works are not at odds as some might suggest – they are partners. Because no Christian should ever be able to say with a straight face – that they are in the secret service of the Lord.
May your faith grow stronger daily. And may your words and your works clearly reveal to the world, the fire of faith that made the smoke and flame that followed. May we all be works in action and faith in heart and may no person truly ever be able to tell the difference. Amen.
Song: Christ’s is the world (758)
We respond to serve God
Our time of giving
Prayers of the people
God of compassion and courage,
In our weakness you are strength.
In our sorrows you are comfort and peace.
We thank you for your embracing presence in our lives.
Embrace each situation we lay before you today with your steadfast love.
We thank you for moments of joy that break into our lives,
for love given and received,
for friends who furnish our life with meaning and happiness,
and for family who embrace us with love and understanding.
We pray for those who cannot feel joy today,
for any estranged from family or friends,
for those feeling stress as the costs of living rise,
and for those who face any kind of loss.
Embrace us all with your mercy, O God,
And give us grace to respond to the needs around us.
God of the world,
We pray for people in our communities, both friend and stranger: draw us towards and deeper into relationships that open doors of connection, respect and understanding among neighbours.
We give thanks for your abundant gifts, and for resources to support those facing difficulties in our communities, and in other parts of the world.
Challenge those who govern to listen to, and respond to, the needs of those they serve.
Challenge us to commit to international efforts to preserve the earth, work against the inhumanity of war, and work for peace with justice.
Guide leaders to set fair policies that protect vulnerable people and respect every person’s dignity.
Embrace us all with your mercy, O God,
And give us grace to respond to the needs around us.
Creator God,
During Indigenous History Month,
We give hanks for the opportunities we have to learn about the rich and diverse histories, languages
and cultures of First Nations, Innuit and Métis peoples.
We give thanks for Indigenous Elders, Knowledge Keepers and leaders who
work for the wellbeing of Indigenous nations and communities
and pray for their health and strength in this essential work.
Eternal God,
We thank you for your people in every age
who have entered into your heavenly presence,
especially those dear to our own hearts.
Thank you for memories that inspire us,
for love and laughter shared and lessons learned.
Hear us now as we offer prayers in silence for the concerns on our hearts this day…
Silence for at least 10-15 seconds.
Song: I have decided to follow Jesus (570)
Sending out with God’s blessing
Go in faithfulness, ready to serve God, trusting that God counts your life as precious.
And may God bless you and keep you,
may God’s face shine upon you,
and may God grant you grace and peace
now and evermore.
Response: The blessing
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.