August 4th, 2024

11th Sunday after Pentecost

Find this service at www.graceunitedthornbury.ca/live

Leading us today in Worship:
     Worship Leader: Phyllis Fleming
     Music Director: Dr. Christopher Burton
     Lay Leader: Bonnie Hammond

Leader: regular font ~ All: bold font ~ Sung words: bold italics.
Asterisk * Indicates when the congregation may stand if able.

We Gather 

PRELUDE
Selections from “Fitzwilliam Virginal Book” 

GREETING (2 Cor. 13:13)
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all!
And also with you!

The CHRIST CANDLE (JGS)
The light of Christ is with us always!
The light of Christ is in this place!
The light of Christ fills us with hope and courage
and gives us strength for the journey ahead!
(the candle is lit)
Thanks be to God for the light of Christ!

WELCOME & INTRODUCTION

OUR COMMITMENT to SAFE SPACE & ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the LAND
We believe all people are made in the image of God and are entitled to dignity and respect.  At Grace United Church we try to offer a safer, inclusive and generous space for all who are seeking a faith community.  We offer full participation of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, all races, ages and abilities in the life and work of the ministry.
Grace United Church is situated on the traditional territories of the Anishinaabek, Petun, Huron-Wendat, and Mississauga peoples, located within the boundary of the region of Treaty 18 of 1818. We humbly acknowledge the First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples of Canada as traditional stewards of the land on which we work and worship and are committed to working actively toward genuine restitution and reconciliation.

CALL to WORSHIP (RS)
This is the God we worship:
not some thundering mountain god
daunting us with fearful face;
not some cosmic sin-accountant
marking every goof and grace,
nor Big Brother in the sky
fixing us with pitiless eye.
This is the God we worship:
deliberate, unstoppable,
lighter of creation’s fire;
resourceful, determined,
healer of the human heart;
subtle, adventurous,
shaper of lives of light.
This is the God we know in Jesus.
With daring and joy, we name this God our Lord, and worship.

*HYMN:  VU #313
“ God, Whose Almighty Word”

1. God, whose almighty word
chaos and darkness heard,
and took their flight,
hear us, we humbly pray,
and where the gospel day
sheds not its glorious ray,
let there be light.

2. Jesus, who came to bring
on your redeeming wing,
healing and sight,
health to the troubled mind,
sight to the Spirit-blind,
O now to humankind
let there be light.

3. Spirit of truth and love,
life-giving, holy dove,
speed forth your flight;
move on the water's face,
bearing the lamp of grace,
and in earth's darkest place
let there be light.

4. Blessed and holy three,
glorious trinity,
wisdom, love, might,
boundless as ocean's tide
rolling in fullest pride
through the world far and wide,
let there be light.

OPENING PRAYER  (EHD)
Loving, Gracious, and Surprising God, gather us together. Unify our hearts, minds, and spirits. Send us reminders of your presence so that we never forget to notice. Come to us in a friendly voice that we will recognize. Sing us songs that we know well and others for which the melody is catchy and new. Open our spirits as we journey the well-trodden paths so that we may discover you again as if for the first time.
Your love gathers us together; helps relieve us in our grief, our guilt, and our loneliness. Help us to navigate the way forward and to listen for your call. Make this day and this gathering a new beginning for us. Amen.

*HYMN:   #665
“Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour”
(Summer Throwback Hymn)

1. Pass me not, O gentle Saviour,
hear my humble cry;
while on others thou art calling,
do not pass me by.
[Refrain:]
Saviour, Saviour,
hear my humble cry;
while on others thou art calling,
do not pass me by.

2. Let me at thy throne of mercy
find a sweet relief,
kneeling there in deep contrition;
help my unbelief.
[Refrain:]
Saviour, Saviour,
hear my humble cry;
while on others thou art calling,
do not pass me by.

3. Trusting only in thy merit,
would I seek thy face;
heal my wounded, broken spirit,
save me by thy grace.
[Refrain:]
Saviour, Saviour,
hear my humble cry;
while on others thou art calling,
do not pass me by.

4. Thou the spring of all my comfort,
more than life to me,
whom have I on earth beside thee?
Whom in heaven but thee.
[Refrain:]
Saviour, Saviour,
hear my humble cry;
while on others thou art calling,
do not pass me by.

PRAYER of CONFESSION (based on Psalm 51)
O God, Holy One, Holy Three,
Hear our prayer.
When we turn away from you, we lose sight of what is right, and our sin hangs on us like a dirty garment.
O God, Holy One, Holy Three,
Hear our prayer.
When we turn to you, we trust you to give us a fresh start and wash us clean.
O God, Holy One, Holy Three,
Hear our prayer.
Our transgressions are numerous, and weigh us down
like a bone-crushing burden that only you can lift.
O God, Holy One, Holy Three,
Hear our prayer.

ASSURANCE of GOD'S GRACE
Friends, God will create a clean heart in us; all we need to do is to ask.
This is the truth of God's grace that shines through Jesus the Christ,
who came to show us that Love is the way.
Thanks be to God!

We Listen 

PRAYER for ILLUMINATION (BWJ)
Without the guidance of your Spirit, O God, these stories would be mere words on a page or fantastic tales of long ago.
Inspire our receiving; quicken our faith, so that they may become a message from you, O Holy One. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READINGS
New International Version

2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a
When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him.  After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.
The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor.  The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle,  but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.
“Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”
David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die!  He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”
Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.  I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more.  Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.  Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’
“This is what the Lord says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight.  You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’”
Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

Ephesians 4:1-16
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift.
Therefore it is said, "When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people."
(When it says, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth?
He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.)
The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.
We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming.
But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love.

John 6: 24-35
So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"
Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.
Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal."
Then they said to him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?"
Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."
So they said to him, "What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing?
Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
Then Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."
Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

RESPONSE
May these words from the past help us grow into our role in the Body of Christ today. 
AMEN.

INTERLUDE
“Sonata” -  D. Scarlatti

MESSAGE

We Respond 

*HYMN: MV #94
“Love Knocks and Waits”

1. Love knocks and waits for us to hear,
to open and invite;
Love longs to quiet every fear,
and seeks to set things right.

2. Love offers life, in spite of foes
who threaten and condemn;
embracing enemies, Love goes
the second mile with them.

3. Love comes to heal the broken heart,
to ease the troubled mind;
without a word Love bids us start
to ask and seek and find.

4. Love knocks and enters at the sound
of welcome from within;
Love sings and dances all around,
and feels new life begin.

PROFESSION OF FAITH
A New Creed                                      

PRAYER of DEDICATION for OUR OFFERINGS

Nourishing God, Bread of Life, with hungry, humble hearts we offer gratitude for the many gifts that we enjoy. Accept what we have offered to the work of this church, and help us transform our combined generosity into justice and meaning for those in our community and beyond. Amen.

Donate online:   www.graceunitedthornbury.ca,  select “Give” 
     or contact the office by email: accounting@graceunitedthornbury.ca
     or  phone: 519-599-2438 to arrange a cheque pick-up, or an e-transfer.
     Mail: Grace UC, 140 Bruce St. S. PO Box 219, Thornbury, ON N0H 2P0
     or  Offering Plate at the back of the sanctuary.

Tap your debit card at the door of the church, and Donate to Grace United Church through CanadaHelps.org.   Our account is set up with them now and it is easy to register.  Tax receipts are given automatically at the time of giving.

Care, Prayer, Share

PRAYERS of the PEOPLE & the LORD’S PRAYER  (VU 910)

PASSING THE PEACE OF CHRIST
The Peace of Christ be with you.         
And also with you.

We share the peace of Christ by typing in the chat box.
You may also think of one person with whom you would like to share the peace of Christ.

MUSIC for PASSING the PEACE
Improvisation on a Hymn - C. Burton

What’s Up at Grace?

We Go Out

*HYMN: VU #288
“Great Is Thy Faithfulness”

1. Great is thy faithfulness, God our Creator,
there is no shadow of turning with thee;
thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
as thou hast been thou forever wilt be.
[Refrain:]
Great is thy faithfulness!
Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided --
great is thy faithfulness, ever to me!

2. Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
join with all nature in manifold witness
to thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
[Refrain:]
Great is thy faithfulness!
Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided --
great is thy faithfulness, ever to me!

3. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow --
wondrous the portion thy blessings provide.
[Refrain:]
Great is thy faithfulness!
Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided --
great is thy faithfulness, ever to me!

*COMMISSIONING (SD)
Let us go into the world, praising the God of creation.
We shall go forth in praise.
Let us go into the world, witnessing the risen Christ.
We shall go forth in witness.
Let us go into the world, empowered by the Spirit.
We shall go forth in power.
Let us go into the world.
We shall go forth.

BENEDICTION

*SUNG BLESSING
“Go Now in Peace”

Go now in peace. Never be afraid.
God will go with you each hour of every day,
Go now in faith, steadfast, strong and true,
Know God will guide you in all you do.
Go now in love, and show you believe.
Reach out to others so all the world can see.
God will be there, *within, around, above.
Go now in peace, in faith and in love.
Amen, amen, amen.

*alternate words: watching from above

POSTLUDE
“Nocturne in E Minor” - F. Chopin

*****

LITURGY SOURCES: The following are used with permission: