Worship on the Fourth Sunday of Lent
10:00 am March 30, 2025
Minister: The Rev. Brad Childs Music Director: Binu Kapadia
Vocalist: Lynn Vaughan Welcoming Elder: Rom Rhoad
Children’s time presenter: Brad Reader: Marilyn Nebat
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 exist because God made us.
P: We are here because Jesus calls us.
L: We are together because the Spirit binds us to each other.
P: Without God, where would we be? Who would we be?
L: Let us worship God who makes us a community of love.
Opening praise: The way
Prayers of approach and confession
God of Mystery and Mercy, we gather to worship in humility and hope because we trust you have the power to change the world for the better with your love.
We gather to worship you, trusting that no person or situation is beyond your concern, or your embrace.
Inspire us with a vision of love that will change the world and our lives through the love and mercy we meet in Jesus Christ, your Son and our Saviour.
God of love and mercy, when we pause for a moment in your presence, the daily details of our lives press in on us.
We recall things left undone, opportunities ignored.
We remember careless words spoken, disappointments that trouble our souls.
In silence we offer to you our misspent moments and missed opportunities:
……
Response: We come to ask your forgiveness
Assurance of God’s grace
Remember the promise that the apostle Paul declares:
What can separate us from the love of Christ? Hardship? Distress? Peril or sword?
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through the God who loves us.
Neither death nor life, things present nor things to come can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
Thanks be to God for such a promise!
The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all.
Musical Offering (Brad): Thank you by Ray Boltz
We listen for the voice of God
Song: Open our eyes, Lord (445)
Children’s time
Once upon a time in a small town, there was a vibrant church known for its loving community and dedicated youth programs. At the heart of this program was Jake, a youth leader who brought fun, inspiration, and a deep love for God to all the kids.
Emma, a lively girl who had been in the youth group for several years, admired Jake greatly. He organized amazing events, led exciting discussions, and always made each kid feel special. But one day, the minister announced that Jake would be leaving to pursue a new adventure. This news left the children feeling a mix of sadness and gratitude.
Emma decided that they needed to express their appreciation for Jake. She gathered her friends after church and proposed an idea. “What if we each act like seeds?” she suggested, “We can plant seeds in the garden as a thank-you gift. Each seed can represent how Jake has helped us grow in faith!”
Her friends were excited about the idea and quickly agreed to contribute. They each brought different seeds: flowers, vegetables, and herbs—each one symbolizing something they had learned from Jake.
On the day of the planting, the youth group gathered in the church garden. Emma stood in front of everyone, holding a small basket filled with seeds. She said, “Today, we’re planting these seeds to show Jake how much he has helped us grow. Just like a gardener nurtures plants, Jake has nurtured our faith and friendship.”
As they planted the seeds together, each child took a turn sharing a memory of how Jake had impacted their lives. One child remembered a fun retreat where they learned about teamwork; another recalled how Jake had helped them navigate troubles with kindness and wisdom.
Then it was Jake’s turn to speak, he felt overwhelmed with emotion. He looked at each of their faces and said, “You all are the reason I love being here. Watching you grow in your faith has been the best adventure of all. These seeds are a beautiful reminder of what we’ve shared.”
In the weeks that followed, everyone took turns watering the seeds and watching them grow. As the flowers bloomed and vegetables sprouted, the children often talked about Jake’s teachings and the memories they had created together.
Finally, the day came for Jake to leave, but before he left, the youth group held a small celebration. They presented him with a beautiful pot filled with the flowers that had bloomed from the seeds they had planted.
Emma stepped forward and said, “These flowers remind us of you, Jake. You’ve helped us grow, and we will always remember the lessons you taught us. Thank you for everything!”
As Jake left, he took the pot of flowers with him, a symbol of their shared experiences and the growth they had all nurtured together. For years to come, the kids continued to tend to the garden, a living reminder of their time with Jake and the bonds they had formed.
Our own youth leader, Nahyeni is moving on to new things. Can we all join together now and sing her this little line.
Thank you for giving to the Lord. I am a life that was changed. Thank you, for giving to the Lord. I am so glad you gave.
Let’s pray: A Repeat After Me Prayer
Leader: Dear God,
Children: Dear God,
Leader: Thank you for our teachers,
Children: Thank you for our teacher,
Leader: at school and here at church
Children: at school and here at church
Leader: They help us learn and grow.
Children: They help us learn and grow.
Leader: Thank you, for all the patience they show,
Children: Thank you, for all the patience they show,
Leader: And the love they always share.
Children: And the love they always share.
Leader: Bless them with joy and peace,
Children: Bless them with joy and peace,
Leader: And thank you for all they do!
Children: And thank you for all they do!
And now we pray the prayer Christ taught us to pray saying,
The Lord’s Prayer (535)
Song: Make me a channel of your peace (740)
Scripture readings: II Corinthians 5:16-21
Response: Jesus, remember me
Message: Ambassadors for Christ
John was born on July 24, 1725, in London. His mother was a devout Christian who raised him with a strong foundation in the faith, but sadly, she passed away when John was just six years old. His father, a merchant sailor, was often away, leaving young John without the guidance and support that nurturing parental figures could provide. Following his mother’s death, John was sent to live with relatives, but he grew increasingly rebellious and was eventually sent to work with his father. At a young age, he went to sea and was exposed to a rough maritime lifestyle. By the time he was a teenager, he had developed a hatred for authority and religion, rejecting the values his mother had instilled in him.
The ships’ environment and the crew’s culture contributed to John’s lifestyle of debauchery. His work on slave ships was filled with violent and immoral behavior, and he embraced the lawlessness that came with it even enjoying his own cruelty at times. While John had once been exposed to Christian teachings through his mother, his experiences at sea and the lifestyle he led distanced him profoundly from any faith he might have had as a child. He became increasingly indifferent to religion and spiritual matters, viewing life primarily through a hedonistic lens focused on personal pleasure and profit.
Despite this life of rebellion and depravity, a near-fatal experience during a violent storm at sea in 1748 marked the beginning of John’s spiritual awakening. Confronted with the possibility of death, he cried out to God for mercy, signaling the first hint of repentance and a desire for change. This moment of desperation sparked a gradual shift in his life, leading him to reevaluate his beliefs and ultimately to reembrace Christianity.
After his near-death experience, John began to read the Bible and learn about Christianity. His journey towards faith was gradual, but he ultimately experienced a profound spiritual awakening. He eventually left the slave trade and became a prominent abolitionist, dedicating his life to advocating for the end of slavery. This transformation also led him to pursue a career in ministry. John Newton’s journey from a life filled with vice to one of faith and service is a powerful testament to the transformative power of grace. His willingness to acknowledge his past and his commitment to change became foundational elements of his later ministry and writings, including the Hymn “Amazing Grace,” where he celebrated God’s redeeming love. A love that can turn a person from a wretched trader of slaves into the minister of the local congregation.
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! “
Newton became an Anglican cleric and served as a pastor. His faith deeply impacted his life and teachings, and he became known for his powerful sermons. He penned the famous hymn “Amazing Grace,” in which he reflected on his journey from darkness to light, emphasizing the themes of redemption, forgiveness, and the power of God’s grace. While no person here is likely to have ever been a slave trader, Newton wrote this hymn knowing that every person possesses moments in their history they know to be vile. Like the scripture teaches, John knew that every person had moments where they acted terribly and out of character for how they wished to be and how God had asked them to be. He was a realist, and he looked back at his wrongs and saw the need for repentance. Yet he did not just see forgiveness; he also saw redemption. And this changed his life immeasurably.
The hymn begins with these words:
Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
John Newton’s story is a remarkable testament to how a person can experience profound change through faith in Christ. His life went from one of moral degradation to one of profound service and dedication to ending the slave trade and promoting God’s love. John passed away in 1807, but that is no where near the end of his story. John leaves behind a legacy that continues to inspire countless individuals worldwide. And that’s where Paul’s next verse takes hold. He writes, “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.”
Not only can God turn lives around, but God can use that change to inspire others. Once John Newton felt the Love of God personally, he couldn’t help but seek it out forever. It spilled over and covered everything he did from that point on.
When we accept Christ, we are called to leave behind our old ways—our habits, our desires for worldly success, and our self-centered attitudes. And with this, God stimulates others into like action.
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 Thomas à Kempis is often regarded as one of the greatest spiritual authors of the Middle Ages.
Thomas à 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.
In our journey of imitation, we uncover a more profound joy—a fulfillment that transcends worldly pleasures. Kemis emphasizes that we cannot find peace and happiness in material success; instead, we find it when we pour ourselves out for others and seek to model our lives after Christ. As new creations, our purpose is rooted not in what we gain but in how we reflect Christ’s love to the world.
Paul writes, “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.”
Joe was an addict who was miraculously converted at a Bowery mission. Before his conversion, he had gained the reputation of being a terrible-smelling, foul and angry man for whom there was no hope, only a miserable existence in the ghetto. But following his conversion to a new life in Christ, everything changed. Joe became the most caring person that anyone associated with the mission had ever known. Joe spent his days and nights hanging out at the mission, doing whatever needed to be done. There was never anything that he was asked to do that he considered beneath him. Whether cleaning up the vomit left by some violently sick person or scrubbing toilets after careless men left the men’s room filthy, Joe did what was asked with a smile on his face and seeming grateful for the chance to help. He could be counted on to feed feeble men who wandered off the street and into the mission, and to undress, wash and clean, and tuck into bed men who were too out of it to take care of themselves.
One dinner, when the director of the mission was delivering his evening evangelistic message to the usual crowd of still and sullen men with drooped heads, there was one man who looked up, came down the aisle to the altar and knelt to pray, crying out to God to help him change. The repentant man kept shouting, “Oh God! Make me like Joe! Make me like Joe! Make me like Joe!” The director of the mission leaned over and said to the man, “Son, I think it would be better if you prayed, ‘Make me like Jesus.'” The man looked up at the director with a quizzical expression on his face and asked, “Is he like Joe?”
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.
If you are in Christ, you are a new creation. If you know reconciliation with God, you can’t help but work towards the reconciliation of all things. For you are an ambassador of Christ.
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 .” Amen.
Song: We lay our broken world (202)
We respond to serve God
Our time of giving
Prayer of gratitude: We place these gifts into your hands, O God. Bless them with your transforming grace so that they may become seeds springing up with new life in the world you love. Fill our hearts with that same grace so we can bring hope to weary and worried lives in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Gracious God, you have called us together as your people,to be the church of Jesus Christ.
Make us one in faith and discipleship, breaking bread together and telling the good news, so that the world may believe you are love, turn to your ways, and live in the light of your truth.
Faithful God, embrace us with your hope.
Creator God, you made all things and called them good.
We pray for the earth in its vulnerability, depleted by our lifestyle choices and our economic expectations.
Inspire reverence for the earth in all people.
Guide us all to make wiser choices for the sake of your creation.
Help us use resources wisely, with future generations in mind, guarding the fragile balances you have set between many precious species.
Faithful God, embrace us with your hope.
Jesus Christ, Prince of peace, you taught us of God’s reconciling grace speak to the hearts of all your people
in this time when so many neighbours and nations sit in judgment on each other, provoking conflict and resentment.
Teach us how to seek peace on earth together.
Call those in positions of power and influence to work for the common good.
Turn us away from anger, fear, violence or vanity, which can turn neighbour against neighbour and nation against nation.
May all who claim your name be known as makers of peace.
Faithful God, embrace us with your hope.
O Christ, healer of hearts and hopes, you desire health and wholeness for each one of us.
We pray that those who have lost their livelihoods may find true abundance.
Give rest and renewal to those who are broken in body, mind or spirit, and bring comfort and hope to all who face loss and loneliness.
In silence we lift before you the names of those on our hearts today:
…
Faithful God, embrace us with your hope.
Spirit of power and promise, embrace us with hope this day so that we may live faithfully, encouraging each other by the commitment we see in Jesus Christ
Song: Love divine all loves (371)
Sending out with God’s blessing
Go in peace; be of good courage,
hold fast to what is good,
render no one evil for evil;
strengthen the fainthearted,
support the weak,
help the afflicted,
honour all people,
love and serve God, and may the blessing of God Almighty,
Creator, Christ and Spirit,
descend upon you and remain with you forever.
Amen
Response: Benediction (As you go)
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 (© 2025) 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.