HYMN 606 VU “In Christ There Is No East or West” VS. 1
In Christ there is no east or west.
In him no south or north.
But one great family of love
throughout the whole wide earth

PRAYER FOR TRUTH & RECONCILIATION
Holy One, may we grow into living with respect on this land seeking reconciliation through peace & friendship, while honouring our indigenous ancestors who cherished this land. We pray for the Holy Spirit to breathe healing, justice, hope, & compassion into all our relations & set us free from the evils of colonization.  Amen
     Used with permission Gathering Pentecost 2, 2023; Emily Perry, Kincardine, ON

We were made in the Creator's love. Jesus came to teach us God's love. The Spirit of God abides with us, fueling our love. In love we light this Christ Candle recalling how we all begin in love, live I love and continue to love - for God is love.
Thanks be to God.
Light Christ Candle

CALL TO WORSHIP:
God calls us together on this special Sunday as we remember the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. We are invited to take time to notice and remember all God has done. We remember and notice the living water refreshing our lives like gentle rain on parched grass; we notice the breath of the Spirit like the brisk clear air on a fall morning; we notice the beauty & glory of creation with the changing of the seasons.
We come to worship God, for God is love and we find when we come together in community, we are knit together by God's love. Thanks be to God.
Let us praise and worship God.

HYMN: 238 VU “How great Thou Art”
1.  O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
consider all the works thy hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Refrain:
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
How great thou art! How great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
How great thou art! How great thou art!

2.  When though the woods and forest glades I wander,
I hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
and hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze.  Refrain

3.  But when I think that God, his Son not sparing,
sent him to die, I scarce can take it in,
that on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
he bled and died to take away my sin.  Refrain

4.  When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
and there proclaim,“My God, how great thou art!”  Refrain

OPENING PRAYER:
Life-giving God, when we are in desert times, you call us to open our hearts to the bread from heaven, and to be filled to overflowing with the life-giving water you give. When we have times of doubt, you call us to have confidence in you. In all times you call us to be open to your life-giving presence. We trust in you and we trust in your Word. Therefore, we open our hearts to you in this time of prayer and praise. Bless us now & bless this service as we worship you.   Amen

SUNG RESPONSE 640 CH “Sweet Hour of Prayer”
Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer
That calls me from a world of care
And bids me at my Father's throne,
Make all my wants & wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief
My soul has often found relief.
And oft escaped the tempter's snare.
By thy return sweet hour of prayer

PRAYER OF CONFESSION   (Together)
Gracious God, you are so good, and you have given us so much. The beauty that surrounds us takes our breath away. Yet, we confess that there are times when we forget to give thanks, times when we forget to share, and there are times when we forget to care for others. By your grace you have come in Jesus to make all things new, and through Jesus, you have given us life in all its fullness. Yet, we confess we often take your love and kindness for granted. Forgive us we pray & help us live in your way.  Amen

WORDS OF ASSURANCE
As God cared for the Hebrew people in the desert, so God cares for us, offering us forgiveness and love. May new life and new hope be granted to each of you.
Glory to God! We are God's people, forgiven & set free.

HYMN: 575 VU “I'm Gonna Live So God Can Use Me”
1.  I'm gonna live so (live so) God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime!
I'm gonna live so (live so) God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime!

2.  I'm gonna work so (work so) God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime!
I'm gonna work so (work so) God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime!

3.  I'm gonna pray so (pray so) God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime!
I'm gonna pray so (pray so) God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime!

4.  I'm gonna sing so sing so) God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime!
I'm gonna sing so (sing so) God can use me anywhere, Lord, anytime!

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
Open our Spirits, God of Moses and Aaron, God of Jesus and his disciples. Open our hearts to the message that lies within these words. Make these words a mountaintop whereby, we may remember your way and experience your call to us.
Grant us the strength & wisdom to follow in your path.  Amen
     Used with permission, Gathering Pentecost 2, 2026, Beth W. Johnston

SCRIPTURE READINGS:
First Reading
Exodus 17: 1 - 17
The Lord Gives Water from a Rock
17 The Israelites left the desert and moved from one place to another each time the Lord ordered them to. Once they camped at Rephidim,[a] but there was no water for them to drink. 2 The people started complaining to Moses, “Give us some water!” Moses replied, “Why are you complaining to me and trying to put the Lord to the test?” 3 But the people were thirsty and kept on complaining, “Moses, did you bring us out of Egypt just to let us and our families and our animals die of thirst?"” 4 Then Moses prayed to the Lord, "What am I going to do with these people? They are about to stone me to death!
5 The Lord answered, “Take some of the leaders with you and go ahead of the rest of the people. Also take along the walking stick with which you struck the Nile River. 6 When you get to the rock at Mount Sinai,[b] I will be there with you. Strike the rock with the stick, and water will pour out for the people to drink.” Moses did this while the leaders watched. 7 The people had complained and tested the Lord by asking, “Is the Lord really with us?” So Moses named that place Massah, which means “testing” and Meribah, which means “complaining.”

Israel Defeats the Amalekites
8 When the Israelites were at Rephidim, they were attacked by the Amalekites. 9 So Moses told Joshua, “Have some men ready to attack the Amalekites tomorrow. I will stand on a hilltop, holding this walking stick that has the power of God.” 10 Joshua led the attack as Moses had commanded, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur stood on the hilltop. 11 The Israelites out-fought the Amalekites as long as Moses held up his arms, but they started losing whenever he lowered them. 12 After a while, his arms were so tired that Aaron and Hur got a rock for him to sit on. Then they stood beside him and supported his arms in the same position until sunset. 13 That's how Joshua defeated the Amalekites.
14 Afterwards, the Lord said to Moses, “Write an account of this victory and read it to Joshua. I want the Amalekites to be forgotten forever.”
15 Moses built an altar and named it “The Lord Gives Me Victory.” 16 Then Moses explained, “This is because I depended on the Lord.[c] But in future generations, the Lord will fight the Amalekites again and again.”

Responsive Reading:  Psalm 78 VU 792
Refrain:  “We will tell new generations of the wonders God has done”

Part One (1 - 7)
Give heed to my teaching, O my people, turn your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will reveal the hidden meaning of things in the past. What we have heard and known, what our parents have told us, we will not hide from their grandchildren, but declare to the next generation the testimony that you gave to Jacob and the law you appointed in Israel, which you commanded them to teach their children, that the next generation might know them, children yet unborn, and these in turn should arise, and tell their children, that they should put their trust in you, and not forget your great deeds, but keep all your commandments.   Refrain

Part Two (12 - 16)
Marvellous things you did in the sight of our ancestors, in the land of Egypt, in the plain of Zoan. You divided the sea and let them go through, and made the waters stand up like a wall. By day you led with a cloud, and all the night long with a beacon of fire. You split rocks in the wilderness, and gave drink in plenty as from the great deep. You brought streams out of the rock, and made water run down like rivers.   Refrain

Second Reading :
Philippians 2: 1 - 13
True Humility
2 Christ encourages you, and his love comforts you. God's Spirit unites you, and you are concerned for others. 2 Now make me completely happy! Live in harmony by showing love for each other. Be united in what you think, as if you were only one person. 3 Don't be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves. 4 Care about them as much as you care about yourselves 5 and think the same way that Christ Jesus thought:[a] 6 Christ was truly God. But he did not try to remain[b] equal with God. 7 Instead he gave up everything[c] and became a slave, when he became like one of us. 8 Christ was humble. He obeyed God and even died on a cross. 9 Then God gave Christ the highest place and honored his name above all others. 10 So at the name of Jesus everyone will bow down, those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. 11 And to the glory of God the Father everyone will openly agree, "Jesus Christ is Lord!"

Lights in the World
12 My dear friends, you always obeyed when I was with you. Now that I am away, you should obey even more. So work with fear and trembling to discover what it really means to be saved. 13 God is working in you to make you willing and able to obey him.

The Gospel
Matthew 21: 23 - 32
A Question about Jesus' Authority
23 Jesus had gone into the temple and was teaching when the chief priests and the leaders of the people came up to him. They asked, “What right do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered, “I have just one question to ask you. If you answer it, I will tell you where I got the right to do these things. 25 Who gave John the right to baptize? Was it God in heaven or merely some human being?” They thought it over and said to each other, “We can't say God gave John this right. Jesus will ask us why we didn't believe John. 26 On the other hand, these people think John was a prophet, and we are afraid of what they might do to us. That's why we can't say it was merely some human who gave John the right to baptize.” 27 So they told Jesus, “We don't know.” Jesus said, “Then I won't tell you who gave me the right to do what I do.”

A Story about Two Sons
28 Jesus said: I will tell you a story about a man who had two sons. Then you can tell me what you think. The father went to the older son and said, “Go work in the vineyard today!” 29 His son told him he would not do it, but later he changed his mind and went. 30 The man then told his younger son to go work in the vineyard. The boy said he would, but he didn't go. 31 Which one of the sons obeyed his father? “The older one,” the chief priests and leaders answered. Then Jesus told them: You can be sure tax collectors[a] and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you ever will! 32 When John the Baptist showed you how to do right, you would not believe him. But these evil people did believe. And even when you saw what they did, you still would not change your minds and believe.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God

THE MESSAGE:

SOLO: “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” by Shane Borgeson

OFFERING: Rise & sing as the offering is brought forward
“In Gratitude and Humble Trust” Tune 518 VU
In gratitude & humble trust,
we bring our best today.
To serve your cause & share your love,
with all along life's way.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND LORD'S PRAYER

HYMN: VU 651 “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah”
1.  Guide me, O thou great Jehovah,
pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but thou art mighty,
hold me with thy powerful hand.
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,
feed me till I want no more,
feed me till I want no more.

2.  Open now the crystal fountain,
whence the healing stream doth flow;
let the fire and cloudy pillar
lead me all my journey through.
Strong deliverer, strong deliverer,
be thou still my strength and shield.
be thou still my strength and shield.

3.  When I tread the verge of Jordan,
bid my anxious fears subside;
death of death, and hell's destruction,
land me safe on Canaan's side:
songs of praises, songs of praises,
I will ever give to thee
I will ever give to thee.

SENDING FORTH: As you go forth, may you be nourished by the grace of God. May God's love sustain you through the challenges you face and inspire you through the blessings you encounter. In every moment. May you bear the fruit of God's eternal love, offering up praise and thanksgiving.  Amen

SUNG BENEDICTION   648 VU “Walk with Me”
Walk with me, I will walk with you.
And build the land that God has planned.
Where love shines through.

EXTINGUISHING THE CANDLES

POSTLUDE

Next Sunday:  Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
        October 4, 2026:
         Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20   Psalm 19;
         Philippians 3:4b-14;  Matthew 21:33-46.

1. TUESDAY, September 22, 2026  BIBLE STUDY  10:00 AM   Main Office  ALL ARE WELCOME


2. TUESDAY, September 22, 2026  Jubilation Handbell Ringers  If you are interested in ringing some bells, come out and give it a try;   6:30pm in the Choir Room.


3. SUNDAY, September 27, 2026  Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost   10:45 AM   Rev. Nora Borgeson  “MESSAGE”  ALL ARE WELCOME!


4. SUNDAY, October 4, 2026  Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost   10:45 AM   Rev. Jo-Ann Hills  “WORLD WIDE COMMUNION”
   A WELCOME TO SPEERS AND BATTLEFORD WHO WILL BE JOINING US / LUNCH TO FOLLOW


5. TUESDAY, October 6,2026  Jubilation Handbell Ringers  If you are interested in ringing some bells, come out and give it a try;   6:30pm in the Choir Room.


6. SUNDAY, October 11, 2026  Seventeen Sunday after Pentecost/ Creation 2   10:45 AM   Rev. Jo-Ann Hills  “RECOLLECTIONS”  ALL ARE WELCOME!


7. TUESDAY, October 13, 2026  Jubilation Handbell Ringers  If you are interested in ringing some bells, come out and give it a try;   6:30pm in the Choir Room.


8. TUESDAY, October 13, 2026  “YOUTH ACTIVITY CLUB (YAC)”  7:00 - 9:00 PM.  Logie hall GYM  All Youth 12 years and older are welcome


9. SUNDAY, October 18, 2026  SUNDAY BRUNCH   11:30 AM   Wesley Hall  ALL ARE WELCOME!
   [SEE POSTER ON “HAPPENINGS” TAB FOR FULL DETAILS]


10. SUNDAY, October 25, 2026  BEEF "FALL SUPPER"  5:00 - 7:00 PM  Pre-order tickets at: (306) 490-7376  
    [SEE POSTER ON “HAPPENINGS” TAB FOR FULL DETAILS]