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THIRD AVENUE UNITED CHURCH
WELCOMES YOU TO WORSHIP
Order of Worship
October 25, 2026 TWENTY - SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
ORDAINED MINISTER: Rev. Jo-Ann Hills
GUEST PIANIST: Karen Nichol
HANDBELL DIRECTOR: Kathleen Link
OFFICE COORDINATOR: Jodi Hargreaves
SCRIPTURES READER:
ORGAN PRELUDE
ACKNOWLEDGING TERRITORY: Regardless of where we come from, we are all interconnected through the land that we live on, water that we use, and air that we breathe. Generous Creator God, let us celebrate the abundance of this land bursting with new life. Let us feel the cold waters gushing with promises. Let us experience the expanse of sky enfolding us in your love. Abundant Creator God, we remember the Metis and the people of treaty 6 who love and care for this land. All these people have lived lightly and with respect upon this land, a territory upon which we now live. Generous God, help us on the journey to reconciliation with the land, the water, and the air, and among the people. Amen. Used with permission from Gathering Pentecost 1 2023; Mary Anderson
TIME OF CELEBRATION OF BIRTHDAYS, ANNIVERSARIES,ANNOUNCEMENTS:
CANDLE LITURGY:
We light this candle to remember that God is present in all things. As surely as the smallest of lights transforms the deepest shadows of any room, God is here, with us, always. Used with permission Gathering Pentecost 2 2026; Christine LeBlanc
Sung Response: VU 679 “Let There Be Light” V 6 seated
6. Let there be light;
open our hearts to wonder,
perish the way of terror,
hallow the world God made.
1. CALL TO WORSHIP:
We come to worship the God who was with us in the past. Thanks be to God.
We come to worship Jesus, the Word of God in the present. Thanks be to God.
We come to worship in awe of the Holy Spirit, at work in the present and the future. Thanks be to God, who has been with us, who is with us, and who will be with us always.
2. OPENING PRAYER: Source of Life, Mother and Father, Creator of us all, today we approach you with mixed feelings of joy and sadness. We approach you remembering the joys in our lives. We approach you sharing the sorrows in our lives. Today, may we hold these joys and sorrows for each other, even as they are kept in your heart as we celebrate your presence. Amen. Used with permission Gathering Pentecost - 2- 2026; Jim McKean
3. LEARNING TIME:
4. HYMN: VU 595 “We are Pilgrims” Verses 1-3
1. We are pilgrims on a journey,
fellow travellers on the road;
we are here to help each other
walk the mile and bear the load.
2. Sister, let me be your servant,
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace
to let you be my servant too.
3. I will hold the Christ-light for you
in the night-time of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you,
speak the peace you long to hear.
5. PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION Open our spirits, God of Moses, Miriam 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.
Give us strength to follow in your path. Amen. Used with permission Gathering Pentecost 2 2026: Beth W Johnston
6. PRAYER OF CONFESSION: Merciful God, we sometimes carry the burden of our mistakes and they weigh us down: the times when we failed to be empathetic listeners, when we hurt someone, when we've ignored your call to service in places that most needed it. It is easier for us to hide away from our failings rather than to face them directly, even when we know that addressing them is what is needed. We come to you in our brokenness. We come to you heavy-laden. We come to you seeking forgiveness and healing waters in the dry places of our lives. Free us, God! Liberate us! Save us from the pain of the things we've said or done that harm others and your Creation. Notice the love that resides in us and call it to grow so that we may live in your light and love. Amen. Used with permission Gathering Pentecost 2 2026; Eric Hebert-Daly
7. SUNG RESPONSE:VU 958 “Halle. Halle. Halle”
8. PASSING OF THE PEACE:
Forgiven and loved, we are invited to share signs of forgiveness and love with one another as we pass the peace of Christ. From the Abingdon Worship Annual 2026.
Copyright @2025 by Abingdon Press. Used by permission
9. OFFERING INVITATION:
We read and hear of God's steadfast help in ages past and God's help continues to this day. Let us show our gratitude for God's help in the past, present and future as we present our morning offering.
10. OFFERTORY: VU 544 “In Gratitude and Humble Trust”
Tune Forest Green VU 518
In gratitude and humble trust we bring our best today
to serve your cause and share your love with all along life's way.
O God, who gave yourself to us in Jesus Christ, your Son,
teach us to give ourselves each day until life's work is done.
11. PRAYER OF DEDICATION: Gracious God, bless the offerings of ourselves and our gifts. May they be offerings of love, for you and for your people. In loving gratitude, we pray. Amen. From the Abingdon Worship Annual 2026.
Copyright @2025 by Abingdon Press. Used by permission
Please give by contributing online using “E-transfers” or PAR (Pre-Authorized Remittance) or by placing your offering in the plate.
E-transfers can be sent to: thirdaveunited@sasktel.net answer to security question is: “payment”
12. PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND LORD'S PRAYER
THE LORD'S PRAYER
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.
13. HYMN: VU 600 “When I needed a Neighbour”
1. When I needed a neighbour, were you there, were you there?
When I needed a neighbour, were you there?
And the creed and the colour and the name won't matter, were you there?
2. I was hungry and thirsty, were you there, were you there?
I was hungry and thirsty, were you there?
And the creed and the colour and the name won't matter, were you there?
3. I was cold, I was naked, were you there, were you there?
I was cold, I was naked, were you there?
And the creed and the colour and the name won't matter, were you there?
4. When I needed a healer, were you there, were you there?
When I needed a healer, were you there?
And the creed and the colour and the name won't matter, were you there?
5. Wherever you travel I'll be there, I'll be there,
wherever you travel I'll be there.
And the creed and the colour and the name won't matter, I'll be there.
14. BLESSING:
As beloved children of God, let's go to bring God's love to the world.
Led by the teaching of Christ, let's go to live the lessons of love, justice, and grace. From the Abingdon Worship Annual 2023.
Copyright @2022 by Abingdon Press. Used by permission
15. THREE FOLD AMEN
SCRIPTURE READINGS:
SCRIPTURE LESSON Deuteronomy 34: 1 -12 The Death of Moses
Responsive Reading:Psalm 90 Part 1 & 3 page 805 Refrain:“In every age, O God, you have been our refuge”
SCRIPTURE LESSONS: 1 Thessalonians 2: 1 - 8 Paul's Work in Thessalonica
Matthew 22: 34 - 46 The Most Important Commandment
Next Sunday: Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost November 1, 2026: Joshua 3: 7 - 17
Psalm 107:1 - 7, 33 - 37; 1 Thessalonians 2: 9 - 13; Matthew 23: 1 - 12.
“Archived Videos”
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