CANDLE LITURGY
Why do we light this candle during this time of worship?
We light this candle as a symbol of our intention to be open to God's presence and action during this time of worship.
As we welcome this flickering flame, we wait to be transformed by the divine Spirit!
     Adapted/Used with permission Pentecost 1 Gathering 2025; Christine LeBlanc

Sung Response: VU 378 “Spirit of God, Descend upon My Heart”
1.  Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;
wean it from earth, through all its pulses move;
stoop to my weakness, strength to me impart,
and make me love you as I ought to love.

2.  I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies,
no sudden rending of the veil of clay,
no angel visitant, no opening skies,
but take the dimness of my soul away.

3.  Have you not bid me love you, God and King;
all, all your own, soul, heart, and strength and mind?
I see your cross: there teach my heart to cling.
O let me seek you and O let me find!

4.  Teach me to love you as your angels love,
one holy passion filling all my frame,
the baptism of the heaven-descended dove,
my heart an altar and your love the flame.

1. CALL TO WORSHIP:
As we gather for worship, we seek God's direction for our lives.
May God lead and guide us.
As we lift our voices* in song and praise, we seek Christ's truth for our lives.
May Christ encourage us and inspire us.
As we seek to serve through our mission and ministry, we need the Spirit's wise presence in our lives.
May the Spirit empower us and transform us.
     Used with permission Pentecost 1 Gathering 2025; Bill Steadman

2. OPENING PRAYER:
God of raindrops and stormy clouds, we gather under the umbrella of your Spirit, willing and ready to soak in the love and wisdom you have provided. Be with us in this time of worship as we immerse ourselves in the words of scripture and the message, songs, and prayers. We welcome the showers of love you share with all. Amen.
     Used with permission Pentecost 1 Gathering 2025; Darrell Teine.

3. LEARNING TIME:

4.  HYMN: VU 371 “Open My Eyes, That I May See”
1.  Open my eyes, that I may see
glimpses of truth thou hast for me;
place in my hands the wonderful key
that shall unclasp and set me free.
     Silently now I wait for thee, ready, my God, thy will to see.
     Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine!

2.  Open my ears, that I may hear
voices of truth thou sendest clear;
and while the wavenotes fall on my ear,
everything false will disappear.

3.  Open my mouth, and let me bear
gladly the warm truth everywhere;
open my heart and let me prepare
love with thy children thus to share.

5. PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
Words are hollow unless you enrich them, O God. Our prayers and songs of praise are but noise without the flame of your Spirit. Come to us now, that we might truly know your will for us as we share the words of scripture. In Jesus' name. Amen.
     Used with permission from Gathering: Pentecost 1, 2025; Catherine Tovell

6. SCRIPTURE LESSON
Amos 7: 7 - 17
A Vision of a Measuring Line
7 The LORD showed me a vision of himself standing beside a wall and holding a string with a weight tied to the end of it. The string and weight had been used to measure the straightness of the wall. 8 Then he asked, “Amos, what do you see?” “A measuring line,” I answered. The LORD said, “I'm using this measuring line to show that my people Israel don't measure up, and I won't forgive them any more. 9 Their sacred places will be destroyed, and I will send war against the nation of King Jeroboam.”[a] 10 Amaziah the priest at Bethel sent this message to King Jeroboam of Israel, “Amos is plotting against you in the very heart of Israel. Our nation cannot put up with his message for very long. 11 Here is what he is saying: 'Jeroboam will be put to death, and the people will be taken to a foreign country.' ” 12 Then Amaziah told me, “Amos, take your visions and get out! Go back to Judah and earn your living there as a prophet. 13 Don't do any more preaching at Bethel. The king worships here at our national temple.” 14 I answered: I'm not a prophet! And I wasn't trained to be a prophet. I am a shepherd, and I take care of fig trees. 15 But the LORD told me to leave my herds and preach to the people of Israel. 16 And here you are, telling me not to preach! 17 Now, listen to what the LORD says about you: Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, your sons and daughters will be killed in war, and your land will be divided among others. You will die in a country of foreigners, and the people of Israel will be dragged from their homeland.

Responsive Reading Psalm 82 VU page 799
Refrain: Salvation is from God, our God

God stands in the council of heaven, in the midst of the gods gives judgement:
'How long will you judge unjustly, and favour the cause of the wicked?'
Give justice to the weak and the orphan, maintain the right of the lowly and destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy, save them from the hands of the wicked.  Refrain

You neither know nor understand;
you go about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
I say then to you: 'Gods you all may be, and offspring of the Most High;
but you shall die like mortals, and fall like any of the mighty.'
Rise up, O God, and judge the earth,
and take all the nations as your possession!  Refrain

7. REFLECTION:

8. HYMN: VU 240 “When We Are Living”
1.  When we are living, it is in Christ Jesus,
and when we're dying, it is in the Lord.
Both in our living and in our dying,
we belong to God, we belong to God.

2.  Through all our living, we our fruits must give.
Good works of service are for offering.
When we are giving, or when receiving,
we belong to God, we belong to God.

3.  'Mid times of sorrow and in times of pain,
when sensing beauty or in love's embrace,
whether we suffer, or sing rejoicing,
we belong to God, we belong to God.

4.  Across this wide world, we shall always find
those who are crying with no peace of mind,
but when we help them, or when we feed them,
we belong to God, we belong to God.

9. SCRIPTURE LESSONS
Colossians 1: 1 - 14
1 From Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from Timothy, who is also a follower. 2 To God's people who live in Colossae and are faithful followers of Christ.
I pray that God our Father will be kind to you and will bless you with peace! 3 Each time we pray for you, we thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 We have heard of your faith in Christ and of your love for all God's people, 5 because what you hope for is kept safe for you in heaven. You first heard about this hope when you believed the true message, which is the good news. 6 The good news is spreading all over the world with great success. It has spread in this same way among you, ever since the first day you learned the truth about God's wonderful kindness 7 from our good friend Epaphras. He works together with us for Christ and is a faithful worker for you.[a] 8 He is also the one who told us about the love that God's Spirit has given you. 9 We have not stopped praying for you since the first day we heard about you. In fact, we always pray that God will show you everything he wants you to do and that you may have all the wisdom and understanding his Spirit gives. 10 Then you will live a life that honors the Lord, and you will always please him by doing good deeds. You will come to know God even better. 11 His glorious power will make you patient and strong enough to endure anything, and you will be truly happy. 12 I pray that you will be grateful to God for letting you[b] have part in what he has promised his people in the kingdom of light. 13 God rescued us from the dark power of Satan and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who forgives our sins and sets us free.

Luke 10: 25 - 37
The Good Samaritan
25 An expert in the Law of Moses stood up and asked Jesus a question to see what he would say. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to have eternal life?” 26 Jesus answered, “What is written in the Scriptures? How do you understand them?” 27 The man replied, “The Scriptures say, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.' They also say, 'Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself.'” 28 Jesus said, “You have given the right answer. If you do this, you will have eternal life.” 29 But the man wanted to show that he knew what he was talking about. So he asked Jesus, “Who are my neighbors?” 30 Jesus replied: As a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, robbers attacked him and grabbed everything he had. They beat him up and ran off, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road. But when he saw the man, he walked by on the other side. 32 Later a temple helper[a] came to the same place. But when he saw the man who had been beaten up, he also went by on the other side. 33 A man from Samaria then came traveling along that road. When he saw the man, he felt sorry for him 34 and went over to him. He treated his wounds with olive oil and wine[b] and bandaged them. Then he put him on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next morning he gave the innkeeper two silver coins and said, “Please take care of the man. If you spend more than this on him, I will pay you when I return.” 36 Then Jesus asked, “Which one of these three people was a real neighbor to the man who was beaten up by robbers?” 37 The expert in the Law of Moses answered, “The one who showed pity.” Jesus said, “Go and do the same!”

11. HYMN VU #582  “There's a Spirit in the Air”
1.  There's a spirit in the air,
telling Christians everywhere:
'Praise the love that Christ revealed,
living, working in our world.'

2.  Lose your shyness, find your tongue,
tell the world what God has done:
God in Christ has come to stay.
Live tomorrow's life today!

3.  When believers break the bread,
when a hungry child is fed,
praise the love that Christ revealed,
living, working in our world.

4.  Still the Spirit gives us light,
seeing wrong and setting right:
God in Christ has come to stay.
Live tomorrow's life today!

5.  When a stranger's not alone,
where the homeless find a home,
praise the love that Christ revealed,
living, working, in our world

12.  PRAYER OF CONFESSION:
Most Holy God, you know my heart. You know all my sins and transgressions. You know all the times when I was tempted and gave in. You know all the times I was less than Christ-like. I come to you now, seeking forgiveness. Only you can make me whole. After all the negative things I have said and done, I come. After all the times I have turned away from those in need, I come. After all the times I have ignored the cries of others in pain, I come. After all the times I refused to help because it was inconvenient or I felt afraid, I come. Loving God, I recognize I am not perfect and that I need your help. Please forgive my shortcomings. Help me to be more like you. I want to be closer to you. I want to feel your loving embrace. Please cast your loving eyes upon me* and catch me up as you would a lost child. In Jesus' name, I pray,  Amen.
     Used with permission Pentecost 1 Gathering 2025; Cheryl Dillon

13.  WORDS OF ASSURANCE:
The Good News is that we are a forgiven people. You have blessed all of us with the eternal covenant of caring love that will not be broken. You offer us our heart's desire to be in relationship with you and bless our lives with the promise of justice and mercy that will not be changed.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
     Used with permission Pentecost 1 Gathering 2025;Allison Abbott-Wiebe</P>

14. “”SUNG RESPONSE: VU 582 “There's a Spirit in the Air”   Verses 6 & 7
6.  May the Spirit fill our praise,
guide our thoughts and change our ways.
God in Christ has come to stay,
live tomorrow's life today.

7.  There's a Spirit in the air,
calling people everywhere:
praise the love that Christ revealed,
living, working, in our world.

15.  PASSING OF THE PEACE:
As neighbors and friends, let's share our love in the Spirit with signs of peace.
     From the Abingdon Worship Annual 2025.
     Copyright @2024 by Abingdon Press. Used by permission.

16.  INVITATION TO OFFERING:
May the gifts we bring bear the fruit of God's love to our neighbors around the world Let us present our offering.
     From the Abingdon Worship Annual 2025.
     Copyright @2024 by Abingdon Press. Used by permission.

17. OFFERTORY VU 540 “Grant Us, God the Grace”
Grant us, God, the grace of giving, with a spirit large and free, that ourselves and all our living we may offer faithfully.

18.  OFFERING PRAYER:
Gracious God, bless these gifts. May they bring your love, justice, and compassion to where they are most needed in our world. Help us be good neighbors to everyone we meet. With gratitude and love, we pray.  Amen.
     From the Abingdon Worship Annual 2025.
     Copyright @2024 by Abingdon Press. Used by permission.

19. PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND LORD'S PRAYER:

20. HYMN 665 VU “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour”
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:

3.  Trusting only in thy merit,
would I seek thy face;
heal my wounded, broken spirit,
save me by thy grace.  Refrain:

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:

21.  BLESSING:
Let us go out in love and service.
Let us go out ready to give all that we are and have as disciples of Jesus.
Let us go, committed to persistent love and service.
Let us go, knowing that God is with us.  Amen.
     Used with permission Pentecost 1 Gathering 2025; Beth W Johnston

Next Sunday:  Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
        July 20, 2025:
         Amos 8:1-12;  Psalm 52;
         Psalm 52 Colossians 1:15-28;  Luke 10:38-42.

1. SUNDAY, July 13, 2025  “Fifth Sunday after Pentecost”   10:45 AM   Rev. Jo-Ann Hills  “RECOLLECTIONS”   ALL ARE WELCOME!


2. SUNDAY, July 20, 2025  “Sixth Sunday after Pentecost”   10:45 AM   Rev. Jo-Ann Hills  “RECOLLECTIONS”   ALL ARE WELCOME!