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November 10, 2024 : Sunday Morning Service

Rev Dr John Smith

Sunday, November 10, 2024

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November 10th, 2024

25th Sunday after Pentecost

Remembrance Sunday

Find this service at www.graceunitedthornbury.ca/live

Leading us today in Worship:
Rev. Dr. John G. Smith, Grace United
The Rev. Canon Dr. Grayhame Bowcott, St. George’s Anglican
Members and friends of the Beaver Valley Branch 281 of the Royal Canadian Legion
Members of the St. George’s choir and congregation.
Directors of Music:
Dr. Christopher Burton, Grace United
Janet Cringle, St. George’s Anglican
Lay Reader: Jim Oliver

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

We Gather

PRELUDE
“Sheep May Safely Graze” - J.S. Bach arr. C. Burton

PROCESSION of FLAGS - Piper: Shawn McKinlay

WELCOME & INTRODUCTION - Rev. John

THE LIGHTING of the CHRIST CANDLE - Jim Oliver
With grateful hearts we light this Christ candle,
so that, with our hearts full of love and light
we might enter into the spirit of worship with joy.
On this day of remembrance and honour,
the Christ light will bring our hearts together,
and unite our spirits with all the saints who have gone before us.
May it be so!

OUR COMMITMENT to SAFE SPACE & ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the LAND - Jim Oliver
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 - Rev. John
On this day of Remembrance, O God, our hearts are full of gratitude.
Our hearts are full of life and hope,
gifts bestowed on us by the faithful service of past generations.
Now, as we gather in freedom and in peace,
we remember the values and principles on which we stand
and on which we have built our country.
We remember the value of loving our neighbour,
and of seeking justice for the less privileged.
We remember the value of sacrifice,
the value of practicing the Golden Rule,
and our call to embody human rights in our words and actions, every day.
We remember the value of protecting the vulnerable
and our collective duty to serve the needs of the greater good.
On this Remembrance Day,
may our hearts be full of gratitude for all that has been done for us.
May we also gather in peace, to honour and remember those who gave their all.
In Christ’s name, AMEN.

*HYMN: Voices United #527
“ God! As With Silent Hearts”

1. God! As with silent hearts we bring to mind
how hate and war diminish humankind,
we pause, and seek in worship to increase
our knowledge of the things that make for peace.

2. Hallow our will as humbly we recall
the lives of those who gave and give their all.
We thank you, God, for women, children, men
who seek to serve in love, today as then.

3. Give us deep faith to comfort those who mourn,
high hope to share with all the newly born,
strong love in our pursuit of human worth:
‘lest we forget’ the future of this earth.

4. So, Prince of Peace, disarm our trust in power,
teach us to coax the plant of peace to flower.
May we, impassioned by your living Word,
remember forward to a world restored.

OPENING PRAYER - Rev. John
Almighty God, we thank you for bringing us together
On this Remembrance Sunday.
Grant that we who gather here today
may pay fitting tribute and honour
to the memory of those who have died
in the service of their country.
May we be so inspired by the spirit of their love and courage
that, forgetting all selfish and unworthy motives,
we may live only to your glory and to the service of your people.
May we who desire peace be willing to work for justice and peace
in our lives and in our community.
As we pray for peace, may it start with peace in our hearts.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A TIME for REMEMBRANCE

ANTHEM: “In Remembrance” - E. Daley

*THE LAST POST
Please stand as you are able.

*TIME of SILENCE

*LAMENT

*REVEILLE

*THE ACT of REMEMBRANCE - Eobhann Bruce
“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.”
All: We will remember them.

PRAYER of REMEMBRANCE - Rev. Gray
Almighty God, as You have gathered Your people together this day in hallowed remembrance, we give You thanks for all who laid down their lives for our sake, and whom You have gathered from the storm of war into the peace of Your presence. Let the memory of their devotion ever be an example to us, that we at the last, being faithful unto death, may receive with them the crown of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

LAYING of WREATH - Eobhann Bruce

*HYMN:
“Let There be Peace on Earth”

Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me;
Let there be peace on earth,
The peace that was meant to be.
With God, our creator, we are family.
Let us walk with each other in perfect harmony.
Let peace begin with me,
Let this be the moment now;
With every step I take
Let this be my solemn vow:
To take each moment and live each moment
In peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me!

We Listen

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Wisdom 3: 3-8 – Rev. Gray
New Catholic Bible

But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,
    and no torment can overtake them.
From the viewpoint of the foolish, they seemed to be dead,
    and their passing away was reckoned as a misfortune,
    and their departure from us as their ruin.
But they are at peace.
Although in the eyes of others they were chastised,
    their hope is full of immortality.
Having endured a slight chastisement, they will receive great blessings,
    because God tested them
    and found them worthy to be with him.
He put them to the proof like gold in a furnace,
    and he accepted them as a sacrificial burnt offering.In the time of their visitation they will shine brightly
    and spread like sparks among the stubble.
They will judge nations and have dominion over peoples,
    and the Lord will be their King forever.

3 Peter 1: 3-9 – Rev. Gray
New International Version
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Mark 12: 38-44 – Jim Oliver
New International Version
As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”
Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

ANTHEM
“When the Stars Fall” - S. Hatfield

SERMON: “Wisdom May Have Run its Course” - Rev. John

We Respond

PRAYERS and THE LORD’S PRAYER - Rev. Gray

Let us bring our hearts and minds together in prayer, and in our response:
God, hear our prayer.

Let us remember all those for whom this day is a difficult one. Let us remember the grieving, the heartache and pain, of all those who have lost family or friends to war.
God, hear our prayer.

Let us remember all those who serve in our armed forces. Let us remember those who serve in search and rescue. Let us remember those who step up to help in national emergencies, fires, pandemics, floods.
God, hear our prayer.

Let us pray for the safety and security of our country, that we may continue to live in a place where the values we hold dear, are held high in respect.
God, hear our prayer.

Let us pray for our world, its heartache, its many places of fear, or terror, or disease.
God, hear our prayer.

Let us pray for food security, for the sharing of abundance throughout our own land, but also across international borders.
God, hear our prayer.

Let us pray for those who work for justice and peace. Let us remember all the many ways we might work for peace in our own lives, and commit ourselves once again to the kingdom Jesus initiated in our world.
God, hear our prayer.

Let us remember the children of our world. Let us remember their hopes and dreams, and commit ourselves to opening doors and creating pathways of possibility for them in their lives.
God, hear our prayer.

We pray in the strong name of Jesus Christ, our Friend, our Comforter, our Peace, the words he taught us to pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those Who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,
For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory.
Forever and ever. Amen.

PRAYER of DEDICATION of our OFFERINGS
O God, with open hearts and minds, we offer what we can to help clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and honour the poor. Help us to be merciful, ever grateful, and aware that all blessings come from you. We dedicate our gifts to your use. 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

We Go Out

*HYMN: Voices United # 678
“For The Healing of the Nations”

1. For the healing of the nations,
God, we pray with one accord;
for a just and equal sharing
of the things that earth affords.
To a life of love in action
help us rise and pledge our word.

2. Lead us forward into freedom,
from despair your world release;
that, redeemed from war and hatred,
all may come and go in peace.
Show us how through care and goodness
fear will die and hope increase.

3. All that kills abundant living,
let it from the earth be banned:
pride of status, race or schooling,
dogmas that obscure your plan.
In our common quest for justice
may we hallow life’s brief span.

4. You, Creator-God, have written
your great name on humankind;
for our growing in your likeness
bring the life of Christ to mind;
that, by our response and service,
earth its destiny may find.

*COMMISSIONING - Rev. John

*CHORAL AMEN: Voices United #967
Amen, amen,
Amen, amen,
Amen, amen.

*RECESSIONAL
Please remain standing as you are able.
Flags and Legion parade out.

POSTLUDE

*****