Worship on PWS&D and Communion Sunday
10:00 am February 01, 2026
Minister: The Rev. Brad Childs Music Director: Binu Kapadia
Vocalist: Vivian Houg Welcoming Elder: Gina Kottke
Reader: Corrie 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: God calls us to seek justice:
P: Let Christ’s love for the poor and hungry fill the earth.
L: God calls us to show kindness,
P: Let Christ’s light shine in places of brokenness and despair.
L: God calls us to walk humbly in the Spirit,
P: Let us join the work of the kingdom in humility and hope.
L: Called, blessed and inspired, let us worship God together.
Opening praise: Love the Lord your God
Prayers of approach and confession
God, it’s me, again, and I can’t avoid the truth: I have wandered. I chase the world’s applause, the quick fixes, the shiny promises of comfort and status, and I keep choosing them even when they hollow me out and wound the people I love. I’ve turned my back on your steady voice and the hard demands of your Word whenever they cost me what I want.
I pass by neighbours who are hurting because I don’t want the trouble. I dodge the awkward, painful conversations about injustice because it’s easier to stay comfortable. I stay silent when my voice could protect someone vulnerable. I cling to being right to feed my pride instead of seeking your truth. Fear keeps me small and safe when love asks for risk.
I’m sorry for putting my plans before yours, for squandering the time, gifts, and resources you gave me. I confess I’ve treated people like inconveniences, obstacles, or stepping stones instead of your dearly loved image-bearers. I’ve loved control more than connection, convenience more than courage.
Forgive me. Break the habits that harden my heart. Give me a new heart that feels what hurts others, that chooses mercy over ease, truth over pride, action over indifference. Teach me to listen, to speak up, to bear the cost of love. Shape my daily choices so they point back to you and draw me toward the people you call me to serve. Amen.
Response: I will trust in the Lord
Assurance of God’s pardon
Breathe in this promise: God’s Spirit renews the heart, heals wounds, and gives strength for the next right step. Grace covers the past, steadies the present, and opens a future of hope. You are loved, forgiven, and entrusted again with mercy to share. Amen.
We listen for the voice of God.
Song: Blest are they (624: vs 1-4)
Scripture readings: Micah 6:1-8 & Matthew 5:1-12
Response: Thy word is a lamp unto my feet
Message: What the Lord Requires
Saying that we will live by rules of justice, mercy and humility is easier than doing it. Often, we try to craft our own laws so they work out better for us. Yet there is no substitute for a life lived and measured by scripture. Justice, mercy and humility prevail, but only if we seek to define these things by His Word and not our own.
We don’t really talk about Micah that often, despite the fact that. Micah is a wonderful book. He focuses on social justice, denouncing economic oppression, land grabs, extortion, neglect of people with low incomes, and calling for practical faith at work. He indites kings, officials, priests, prophets, judges, politicians, religious workers, and more. He saw corruption everywhere, and he wasn’t wrong.
He was one of the so-called “minor prophets,” a term that doesn’t describe his position but only the brevity of his message. But a shot is sometimes sweet, isn’t it? Sometimes it’s better to get the quick version. That’s what Micah wrote. He was furious because his family, his land, his neighbours, his government, everyone seemed to be corrupt. It’s an old truth that resonates with today.
Micah was born about 7 hundred years before Jesus. He was from Moresheth, a bordering Philistine territory in Gath, about 35 kilometres southwest of Jerusalem, in the present-day Israel-controlled territory. His last name (or his father’s name) isn’t given, so Micah is likely from a standard family line and not famous or generally known. His concern is for the working poor. Claims the people follow idols, exploit the poor, governments devour their own people, the state is corrupt, rulers, priests, and prophets are all involved. People use the sacrifices to “buy” God’s favour. People have famously donated “rivers of oil” and “10,000 rams”, but also child sacrifice as well. Instead, God wants a true living faith.
The prophet Micah’s indictment sets the moral stage: a people whose public worship and private lives are at odds with one another. To see the gap between appearance and reality, consider concrete examples of flawed moral codes and their consequences.
Micah proclaims judgment because he sees a society under strain: Assyrian threats and internal economic pressures have produced widespread injustice: land seizures, debt slavery, extortion of labourers, and the enrichment of rulers and priests at the poor’s expense. At the same time, religious life has become ritual without righteousness: costly sacrifices and public piety mask collusion between political and spiritual leaders. Out of this mix of social abuse and religious hypocrisy, Micah calls for a return to genuine covenant faith, justice, mercy, and humility, rather than empty offerings.
Dennis Lee Curtis was arrested for stealing in 1992 in Rapid City, SD. In his wallet, the police found a sheet of paper with the following code of conduct.
- I will not kill anyone unless I have to.
- I will take cash and food stamps, but no checks.
- I will rob only at night.
- I will not wear a mask.
- I will not rob mini marts or 7-Eleven stores.
- If I get chased by cops on foot, I will get away. If chased by a vehicle, I will not put the lives of innocent civilians on the line.
- I will rob only seven months out of the year.
- I will enjoy robbing the rich.
Curtis had a sense of morality, but it was indeed flawed. When the thief stood before the court, he was not judged by the standards he had set for himself, but by a higher law. Likewise, when we stand before God, we will not be judged by the code of morality we have written for ourselves, but by God’s law. Will we be just? (1001 Ill. pg484)
Curtis’s self-styled rules show a minimal, self-serving “ethic”, better than chaos, but far from true justice. Personal codes cannot substitute for a higher, communal standard that honours the vulnerable.
If private rules fall short, what does genuine justice look like? Historical examples of disciplined, God-centered living point to a different model: one grounded in humility, accountability, and devotion.
Jonathan Edwards, the 18th-century revivalist sat down at age 17 and penned 21 resolutions by which he would live his life. He added to this list until, by the time of his death, he had 70 resolutions. He put this at the top of his list. Being sensible that I am unable to do everything and anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat Him by His grace to enable me to keep the following resolutions. To follow up each week, Edwards did a self-check. He regularly summarized how he was doing and sought God’s help in his process. (1001 Hot Ill. Pg.405)
Committed practices and personal accountability can cultivate justice, but a life of right action also requires compassion. Without mercy, even disciplined faith can harden into judgment.
Love the story from Gordon McDonald who teaches at Grace Chapel in Lexington, MA? He says. Years ago, I flew to Minneapolis to speak at a conference at the Minneapolis Convention Center, near downtown. My taxi stopped at a red light 4 cars back from the crosswalk. I noticed a homeless man lurching between the vehicles in the middle of the street. When he got to the front of the taxi, he fell and landed on his chin. His chin split open, and there was blood all over the place. As I looked at this man 6 feet away, these thoughts went through my head.
One: I have a brand-new suit on that Gale just bought me, and I can’t afford to get it messed up.
Two: I have to get to the Convention Center to speak in 15 minutes.
Three: I’m in a strange city, and I don’t know what to do because
Four: I don’t have any medical training and wouldn’t be much help.
I wonder if underneath there was a fifth thought. Perhaps if you didn’t get so drunk, you wouldn’t need so much help. For a few seconds, those thoughts militated against any movement on my part. Before I could come to my senses, others rushed to a man’s side, and I was able to get back into my taxi and go to the Convention Center, where I was speaking about sensitivity and caring for the needs of other human beings. I was relieved to be on time. Isn’t that stupid? Gordon McDonald. (1001 Hot Ill. Pg. 185).
A momentary failure to act on compassion contrasts sharply with stories of deliberate mercy. The choice to forgive or pity reveals the heart beneath religious routines.
You may remember Matthew Shepard. It was a very famous case. His murder is the reason for much of the Hate Crime legislation in the US. It’s a complicated story marred by the revelations in 2020 that the event was not likely motivated by hate at all, but was a drug deal and mugging gone wrong, as Matthew had been involved with at least one of the men prior. At the time, it was understood to have been a lynching where Matthew was targeted because he made a sexual advance towards his soon-to-be killer. That much appears true. And no matter the amount of targeting, Matthews’s story is painfully sad when Matthews’s beaten body was found.
He was comatose. The person who saw him first believed him to be a scarecrow stuffed with straw. The parents of Matthew Shepard, the young gay man who was murdered in Wyoming in 1998, rejoiced over the guilty verdict of the Laramie jury. Handed down to Matthew’s murderers in November of 1999. It was justice. The judge told a packed courtroom that the jury’s verdict showed true courage and sent a message that violence is not a solution to differing views on orientation. Courtroom observers were not prepared for what Dennis and Judy Shepard did next. After waiting 13 months for guilty verdicts for their sons’ killers, Matthew Shepard’s parents asked the judge to spare the lives of Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson by granting them consecutive life sentences, instead of the death penalty. The family brokered the deal, and their words saved Aaron and Russell. Carl Rucha, who prosecuted the case, said the Shepards could look into the eyes of the men who killed their son and grant them mercy. (1001 Hot Ill. Pg. 92)
Mercy flows from a spirit that recognizes human worth and fallibility. Yet compassion must be paired with humility; otherwise, religious displays can become prideful performances.
The pastor walked into his church and, suddenly, felt an overwhelming sense of holiness. He went to the front, knelt at an altar rail and began to beat himself on the chest, crying out. Ohh, Lord, I am nothing, I am nothing. Moments later, the minister of music entered the church, and she, too, felt the overwhelming presence of God. And so knelt beside the pastor, striking her chest and calling out, O Lord, I am nothing, I am nothing. And one by one, other staff members entered the Minister of Recreation, the Minister of Education and more. Who all melt, bemoaning their nothingness before the Almighty in simple humility. The church custodian also got caught up in the revival, beating his chest and saying, “Oh, Lord, I am nothing, I am nothing, I am nothing, I am nothing.” And just then, the pastor looked up, saw the janitor, and nudged the minister of music, saying, well, well, look who thinks he’s nothing. (1001 Hot Ill. Pg. 212)
Mocking or competitive humility reveals how easily pride masquerades as piety. True humility, however, is sacrificial and formative, illustrated by lives that give themselves for others and by reflective definitions that ground the disposition.
Albert Durr was the son of a Hungarian Goldsmith; He created the famous painting known as Praying Hands. A version of it made from embroidery used to sit in my living room when I was a child, and then later on the wall of the basement. Well, Albert was studying art. He and his best friend roomed together. The meagre income that they earned on the side did not meet their living expenses. So, Albert suggested that he return to work and earn the income both of them needed while his friend Purdue pursued his artistic studies. When his friend had finished, Albert would then continue his studies while his friend provided support. His friend liked the plan but insisted that Albert be the first to go to work.
Albert became a skilled artist and engraver after selling wood engravings. One day, Albert announced that he was ready to begin supporting his friend in his studies. However, because of all of the hard manual labour, his friend’s hands were now so swollen that he could no longer hold the brush, let alone. Use it with great skill. His career as an artist was over. His friend’s suffering deeply saddened Albert.
One day, when he returned to their room, he heard his friend praying and saw his friend’s hands held in a reverent posture. At that moment, Albert was inspired to create. The painting, Praying Hands. His friends’ lost skill could never be restored, but through this picture, Albert Durr felt that he could express his love and appreciation for his friend’s self-sacrifice. Albert hoped that such a picture could inspire others to appreciate similar acts of self-sacrifice. Selfless deeds done for others may receive public attention, but they will often have an eternal impact as well. In 1 John 3:16, it says this is how we know what love is. Jesus Christ laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for others. (Uncommon Book of Worship pg. 105)
Humility is that habitual quality whereby we live in the truth of things, the truth that we are creatures and not creators, the truth that our life is a composite of good and evil, light and darkness, the truth that in our littleness we have been given. Extravagant dignity. Humility is saying a radical yes to the human condition. (1001 Hot Ill. Pg. 502) When humility, justice, and mercy are lived out together, the result can be astonishing: forgiveness that mirrors God’s own grace and transforms communities.
On February 2nd, 2006, Charles Carl Roberts barricaded himself inside the W Nickel Mines Amish School, after murdering 5 young girls and wounding six others. Roberts committed suicide. It was a dark day for the Amish community of West Nickel Mines, but it was also a dark day for Marie Roberts, the wife of the gunman, and her two young children. On the following Saturday, Marie went to her husband’s funeral. She and her children watched in amazement as Amish families, about half of the 75 mourners present, came and stood beside them. In the midst of their blinding grief, despite the horrific crimes the man had committed against them, the Amish came to mourn Charles Carl Roberts, a husband and daddy. Bruce Porter, a fire department chaplain who attended the service, was profoundly moved, stating, “It’s the love, the heartfelt forgiveness they have towards the family.” I broke down, cried, and put it all on display. He said Mary Roberts was also touched. She was deeply moved by the love shown (USA TODAY, October 7th, 2006).
Song: You Lord are both lamb and shepherd (356)
We respond to serve God.
Our time of giving
Prayers of thanksgiving and intercession
Blessed are you, Holy God,
You free those who are trapped and feed the hungry.
Keep us longing for your justice and your ways.
May everyone in need find hope in you.
Merciful God, thank you for your forgiveness.
You forgive us and call us to forgive others.
Touch those who carry anger or despair with your healing grace.
Give us the courage to bring peace and reconciliation when relationships break.
Just God, thank you for your care for the oppressed.
You watch over those who suffer and call your people to act for good.
Bless the work of your church and partners who defend dignity and fairness.
Protect everyone living with violence or without enough to live on.
Comforting God, thank you for your presence in our weakness.
You lift us when we fall and hold us when we hurt.
Bless our community as we care for one another.
Surround those who mourn with your love and the hope we have in Christ.
God of new life, thank you for your Spirit that renews and strengthens.
You give courage to the persecuted and hope to the weary.
Bless our efforts to make a difference together in Jesus’ name.
Unite your Church by your Spirit and equip us with the gifts you give through Christ. Amen.
Passing the peace
The Sacrament of Holy Communion
Invitation
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 bread and cup as signs of God’s forgiveness, love, and presence. 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: Here is bread: here is wine (546)
The Communion Prayer
Holy God, Creator of heaven and earth, we praise you. 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 Savior. 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 he 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. Unite us to Christ and to one another, that we may be one living body, sharing in his life and love.
We pray for your Church around the world: for those who lead, those who serve, and those who search for you. Strengthen our witness and deepen our compassion so that justice and mercy flow from our life together. Bless the work of ministries that feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, heal the sick, and speak for the voiceless.
We remember before you those who suffer: the oppressed, the grieving, the lonely, the sick, and all who live under threat and hardship. Bring your comfort, your peace, and your relief. Give courage to the fearful, hope to the discouraged, and provision to the needy.
We commend to your care those we love but see no longer, trusting in the promise of new life in Christ. Keep us faithful, sustain us by your Spirit, and shape us into a people who embody your reconciling love in the world.
All praise and honour belong to you, Holy God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer (sung 469)
Sharing of the Bread and Wine
Song: Eat this bread (527)
Prayer after Communion
Gracious God, thank you for this meal 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: When the poor ones (762)
Sending out with God’s blessing
May the God of justice strengthen your will to serve.
May the Christ of compassion inspire your heart to love.
May the Holy Spirit walk with you in wisdom this day and always.
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.