| Minister: the Rev. Dr. Steven Davis Organist/Choir Director: Henry Remiz Children & Youth Program Leader: Moira Robertson Office Administrator: Arleane Ralph Custodian: John Herscheid June 14, 2026, 10:00am Third Sunday after Pentecost |
WE GATHER IN GOD’S PRESENCE
PRELUDE: Rimosa Ensemble: “The Heavens are Telling” from The Creation (F.J. Haydn)
WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
HONOURING THE LAND
VIDEO: Happy Pride: A Message of Apology, Healing & Radical Belonging
THE LIGHTING OF THE RAINBOW CANDLE
THE LIGHTING OF THE CHRIST CANDLE
INTROIT: “Spirit of Life” (#381 – Voices United – sung twice by congregation)
WE APPROACH GOD
CALL TO WORSHIP:
Leader: We worship the God who dwells with us and who dwells within us.
People: We don’t need to look up to find God, we just need to look around:
Leader: Within ourselves and beyond ourselves;
People: Into someone else’s eyes.
Leader: We worship the God who dwells with us!
People: We worship the God who dwells within us!
OPENING HYMN: “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” (#232 – Voices United)
OPENING PRAYER
Gracious God, Creator and Sustainer of all things seen and unseen, we place our hope in You alone. You have given us every good gift, but we confess that we have often sought hope elsewhere – in possessions, in status, in our own strength. Forgive us for this, O Lord. We’re grateful that you have sent us Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, who gave himself for us and who rose again, assuring us that life is not contained to just a few years, and that new life – freed from all that has entangled us—has come to us already. Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Guided by the Holy Spirit, our Teacher and Comforter, we cry out with joy and passion that “Our God reigns!” Now, receive us as we gather to worship. Open our lips, fill our hearts, and let our hope be fixed on You alone—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—as we share now in the words passed on to us by Jesus:
THE LORD’S PRAYER
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
WE LISTEN FOR GOD
A TIME WITH THE KIDS CHURCH: “Celebrating Differences”
SCRIPTURE: Acts 8:26-39
HYMN: “A Eunuch, Trusted By My Queen” (#115 – Then Let Us Sing)
A eunuch, trusted by my queen,
I travel far to pray.
I seek the temple of my God,
but walls turn me away.
A eunuch may not go inside
this place of prayer and praise,
but as I am and where I am,
my heart’s cry I must raise.
Excluded by the human law–
unjust, unfair, and wrong–
I lift my prayer, I worship God,
I raise an angry song.
What hurt is done to me by this?
What hurt is done to you?
You do not even know my name,
yet dare call me taboo!
I head for home with heavy heart.
I wipe my weeping eyes
to study what the prophet wrote
and then, to my surprise
a passing stranger calls to me.
I beckon him to come.
I help him up, he helps me see
that I have found my home.
I am a person. I am here–
part of the human race.
The God of love has come for me,
yes, love has made a place.
The river sings along our way,
and to the shore we run.
Together we rush boldly in
beneath the smiling sun.
SERMON: What Could Prevent Us?
WE RESPOND TO GOD
INVITATION TO THE OFFERING
200TH ANNIVERSARY HYMN: “I Am So Glad”
I am so glad that our Father in Heaven
Tells of His love in the book He has given:
Wonderful things in the Bible I see;
This is the dearest, that Jesus loves me.
Refrain:
I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me,
I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves even me.
Though I forget Him, and wander away,
Still He doth love me wherever I stray;
Back to His dear loving arms do I flee,
When I remember that Jesus loves me.Refrain:
I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me,
I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves even me.
O if there’s only one song I can sing
When in His beauty I see the great King,
This shall my song in eternity be,
‘O what a wonder that Jesus loves me.’
Refrain:
I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me,
I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves even me.
OFFERTORY HYMN: Improvisation, followed by “Grant Us, God, The Grace” (#540 – Voices United)
BLESSING OF THE OFFERING
Gracious God, we offer these gifts as symbols of our lives, given in love and service to you. Bless each contribution – whether time, talent, or treasure – and multiply its impact for your work. Teach us to give with open hearts, trusting that even the smallest offering can be used by you in mighty ways. May our generosity reflect your abundance, and may these gifts bring hope, healing, and joy to those in need. We dedicate them to you, confident that in your hands, all things are made new. Amen.
MINISTRY OF MUSIC: “Sanctus” (F. Schubert)
200TH ANNIVERSARY SLIDES
THE WORLD THIS WEEK SLIDES
PASTORAL PRAYER
CLOSING HYMN: “O Lord My God” (#238 – Voices United)
WE SERVE GOD AND GOD’S PEOPLE
COMMISSIONING
Minister: Whatever joys and challenges the coming week holds,
People: We will not be discouraged or disheartened.
Minister: May we hold on to the truth of God.
People: May we live with the hope of God.
Minister: May we share both with those we encounter.
People: Helping create a world where love conquers all.
BENEDICTION
CHORAL CLOSING: “The Irish Blessing” (traditional; sung by choir)
RECESSIONAL: Rimosa Ensemble: “What a Wonderful World” (B. Thiele)
Music reproduced with permission under licenses: OneLicense A610919 and CCLI license #11269798
Thought for the Day:
“The only real barriers are those we place in our own minds.”
(Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich, 1937)
