Below is the service I ha



center0Below is the service I have created for this Sunday. I hope this is something you can use for personal/family worship. We are all worshiping together, no matter where we are. If you are joining us online for this service, then you may want to have this resource with you so you have the words to the responses and hymns at your fingertips in case you can’t see the screen or the sound goes wonky.Rev. Mary-JaneThe words provided for the hymns are done with permission under One License # A-727596.00Below is the service I have created for this Sunday. I hope this is something you can use for personal/family worship. We are all worshiping together, no matter where we are. If you are joining us online for this service, then you may want to have this resource with you so you have the words to the responses and hymns at your fingertips in case you can’t see the screen or the sound goes wonky.Rev. Mary-JaneThe words provided for the hymns are done with permission under One License # A-727596.NEWCASTLE UNITED CHURCHFebruary 21, 2021 10:30 a.m.First Sunday of Lent“As followers of Christ, we are called to be a worshipping and learning, receiving and giving community of faith, hope and love.” – Newcastle United Church Mission StatementSurely God is in this place. Help me notice.We Approach GodWelcomeLighting the Christ and Lenten CandleThe season of Lent is about repentance, reflection and renewal. We take time to seek out God’s forgiveness, and that of others, even of ourselves, for the wrongs and hurts we have done during the past year. We reflect on who and whose we are and how we want to change and grow from our experiences. And we use the time to renew our relationships with God, self and others.596265010941050825500We light the Christ candle, as we do each week, to remind us that God is always with us, shining in the Light of Christ. Today we also begin lighting our Lenten candles. When we make a commitment to change it is a covenant. The covenants we make at Lent are between us and God. God once made a covenant with a symbol we see often to remind us that God remains constant and faithful. The rainbow was the first symbol of covenant. Each week as we light our candles, we will also create a rainbow of colour to keep us focused on our Lenten covenants. As we light our first candle, we add the colour purple.Purple is the colour of royalty. It is the colour of velvet, crayons, amethyst, and lilacs. It is in sunrises and sunsets. It is a mixture of the passion of red and the calm of blue. It is vibrant and it is soft. Purple, the colour of Lent. We light our first Lenten candle. A Time of Centring – “Spirit Of Life” # 381(Words and music Copyright 1981 by Carolyn McDade)Spirit of Life, come unto me.Sing in my heart all the stirrings of compassion.Blow in the wind, rise in the sea; move in the hand, giving life the shape of justice.Roots hold me close; wings set me free;Spirit of Life, come to me, come to me.Call to Worship (Responsive) After the flood, God said, “Never again.” God promised all creation, “Never again.”Through the clouds light and colour came. God placed a symbol, a rainbow, in the sky.A symbol as a reminder. A reminder to God, and to us.God’s love is steadfast, unconditional, forever!Hymn of Praise “Deep In Our Hearts”MV # 154(Words copyright 1995 John Wesley Oldham. Music copyright 1996 Ron Klusmeier))4000500167005Deep in our hearts there is a common vision; deep in our hearts there is a common song; deep in our hearts there is a common story, telling Creation that we are one.Deep in our hearts there is a common purpose; deep in our hearts there is a common goal; deep in our hearts there is a sacred message, justice and peace in harmony.Deep in our hearts there is a common longing; deep in our hearts there is a common theme; deep in our hearts there is a common current, flowing to freedom like a stream.Deep in our hearts there is a common vision; deep in our hearts there is a common song; deep in our hearts there is a common story, telling Creation that we are one.Prayer of Approach (Unison) We come, O God, in Lenten time. It is a time to remember covenants. It is a time for us to renew our own covenants with you. We come to worship in the faith of covenant love, shown for us in your faithful presence, here, and everywhere. Amen.We Hear God’s WordHymn “Called By Earth And Sky” MV # 135(Words and music copyright 2005 Pat Mayberry)857258572500Called by earth and sky, promise of hope held high. This is our sacred living trust, treasure of life sanctified, called by earth and sky.Precious these waters, endless seas, deep ocean’s dream, waters of healing, rivers of rain, the wash of love again. RPrecious this gift, the air we breath; wind born and free. Breath of the Spirit, flow through this place, our gathering and our grace. RPrecious these mountains, ancient sands; vast fragile land. Seeds of our wakening, rooted and strong, Creation’s faithful song. RPrecious the fire that lights or way, bright dawning day. Fire of passion, sorrows undone, our faith and justice one. RA Time To Be Children5334000668655Covenant. The word covenant is not one we hear very often anymore, unless you are in church. In church, we still use it quite a bit. A covenant is a promise. A covenant is like a contract. People make contracts when they agree to work together. They each promise to do their part. We might have someone come and fix our house. We have a contract with them. Their part of the contract is to fix the problem in our house. Our part of the contract is to pay them for their time and effort when they are done.God makes contracts too. These we call covenants. The first covenant God made was told to Noah after the flood. God promised never to destroy creation again like happened at the flood. But the thing about this covenant. It only had one side! God made a promise, but God didn’t ask Noah, on behalf of the people, to promise anything! What an amazing thing. God made a covenant, a promise, and we don’t have to do anything to fulfill our part. We just have to be us. God will love us, no matter what. God will be with us, no matter what. That is a covenant I can get behind.03810Then God made a symbol for the covenant given to Noah. There was no signed document like with a contract, so how would we all remember this covenant? God made a rainbow appear in the sky. God said every time there was a rainbow it would remind God to continue to love and care for us. Every time we see a rainbow, we are reminded of that very thing. God loves and cares for us. We can make promises to God about trying to be good, trying to be faithful, trying to be loving. And we don’t have to ask God to do anything for us when we try these things. Why? Because God is always going to work with us as we live our lives the best we can. We don’t have to make those promises to get God to love us. But we make those promises like a rainbow, to remind us, to keep loving and trusting God. So, the next time you see a rainbow, remember, God loves us – always.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 that trespass against us.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,for ever and ever. Amen.Genesis 9:8-17 God’s covenant with creation. Psalm 25:1-10 I lift my soul to God. # 752Sung Response:To you, O God, I lift my soul, to you I lift my soul.To you, O God, I lift my soul; my God, in you I trust.Let me not be put to shame, nor let my foes gloat over me.Let none who wait for you be shamed;let them be shamed who wantonly break faith.42005253810Show me your ways; teach me your paths.Lead me in your truth and teach me;for you are God my saviour. For you I wait all the day long. RRemember your mercy, O God, and your steadfast love,for they are as old as time.Do not remember the sins and offences of my youth.According to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness' sake, O God! R You are upright and good, O God,therefore you show the path to those who go astray.You guide the humble to do what is right,and teach the lowly your way.All your ways are loving and surefor those who keep your covenant and commandments. RMark 1:9-15 Jesus is baptized, tempted and begins his ministry. This is the Word of the Lord.Thanks be to God.Hymn “I Was There To Hear” # 644 (v.1-3,6-7)(Words and music copyright 1985 John Carl Ylvisaker)I was there to hear your borning cry,I'll be there when you are old.I rejoiced the day you were baptized, to see your life unfold.I was there when you were but a child,with a faith to suit you well;in a blaze of light you wandered offto find where demons dwell.428625144145When you heard the wonder of the word,I was there to cheer you on;you were raised to praise the living Lord,to whom you now belong.When the evening gently closes inand you shut your weary eyes,I'll be there as I have always beenwith just one more surprise.I was there to hear your borning cry,I'll be there when you are old.I rejoiced the day you were baptized,to see your life unfold.Message Forty days! To some of us, forty days doesn’t seem like such a long time. To others, it seems like forever. Lent is 40 days long. Actually, it is 40 days plus 6 Sundays. That makes 46 days, a long time if you have decided to give something up for Lent! The great flood of Noah’s day lasted 40 days. Well, actually the rain lasted 40 days, it took a lot longer for dry ground to appear and the earth be ready for Noah to open the doors of the ark. Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days. Lent comes by its time logically. It is a time of preparation, just as Jesus’ time in the wilderness was preparation before he began his public ministry. However, there is more to Lent than just preparation. Throughout Lent we will also be hearing about what it means to be in a covenant relationship with God.As I mentioned earlier in the service, a covenant is an agreement between two or more parties. Over the eons God has made many covenants with God’s people. Keeping a covenant is not always easy. Noah had to put up with a lot before he saw the sign of covenant with God. Jesus had to meet temptations head on to live out the covenant of being God’s chosen one.God often makes a covenant in the midst of chaos. In the Hebrew view of the world, the image of water, found in the Genesis passage, and the image of wilderness, found in the Gospel, are images of chaos.We always tell the story of Jesus’ testing in the wilderness for 40 days on the first Sunday of Lent. Like Moses and Elijah before him, Jesus journeyed into the wilderness, alone. There, in a desolate desert area near the Dead Sea, he underwent a period of extended solitude and fasting. The account we have in Mark’s gospel is very brief. In fact, it is actually only 2 verses long and is closely linked to Jesus’ baptism. As soon as Jesus hears that he is God’s son he is compelled or “driven” into the wilderness by the Spirit. There, in the presence of wild animals, he is tested by Satan for 40 days. Mark tells us no more.3238500161925For the writer of Mark’s gospel, it would appear that the important point of Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness is not the temptation as it is in the other gospels, but the wilderness setting itself. The wilderness has already served as an important location for John the Baptist, and Jesus’ himself must also go there. That Jesus is in the wilderness 40 days brings to mind other biblical stories such as the flood, where the preservation of life in the midst of danger is a crucial issue. Satan’s presence emphasizes the threat of life implicit in being in the wilderness for 40 days. Yet, Jesus is not overthrown by Satan. His life is preserved, and a new direction is found.A wilderness transformed into paradise forms part of the hope for salvation depicted in the Hebrew scriptures. It is therefore noteworthy that Mark mentions the presence of wild animals. From early Christian times, interpreters have seen this picture of Christ in the wilderness with the animals as the antitype of Adam in the garden. It also parallels the image of Noah on the ark with the animals. The enmity between humans and wild animals, which was a consequence of Adam’s fall, does not seem to apply to either Jesus or Noah. In his testing, Jesus remains faithful to God, and the wild animals are peaceful while angels minister to his needs.All of us, at one time or another ends up in the wilderness. We all go through difficult times, times in which our survival skills are tested; times in which we either prove ourselves able to make it – or we do not. The wilderness experience is an important experience in our lives, whether it is the wilderness of the Spirit, to which God drives us all, or the wilderness of lakes and forest, or deserts and streams. Learning to get by in the wilderness forges our character. It teaches us lessons that can be applied in every area of our lives.Jesus was prepared for the wilderness that God sent him into. He had a survival kit of useful tools – ones that were light and able to help him, able to last. His primary tool was prayer. Prayer is something that you find inside yourself. It is hidden deep in your hearts. To be useful you must take it out of your heart and use it. With prayer, Jesus kept in touch with God and with it he was able to recognize the angels that God sent to minister to him; to help him in the wilderness. With it, Jesus was able to resist giving in to temptation.Jesus practiced prayer all his life, so when he was driven out into the wilderness, he was ready for all the tests that came his way. He was ready to prove himself. He knew how to talk to God and so he was able to find all the things that God wanted him to find.Jesus had the Word of God and he had prayer as his tools for surviving in the wilderness. He has these tools before, in fact, he used them every day of his life, and he had them with him when he was driven out by the Spirit into the wilderness. So, Jesus was able to keep his head about him, he had confidence, or what we call faith, and it was this in the end that allowed him to return from the wilderness safely and begin his work as the Christ, as the one who was able to announce, as we read in today’s scripture: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”As we begin this season of Lent, I ask you, are you prepared? Do you have your survival kit ready? Are you comfortable with the tools that God has given you? Do you know how to use them? Are you practised?Out of the flood came a new world, a new creation. Out of the wilderness came a new vision for the future and a new voice to teach it. Although Lent is the time when we mark the time leading up to the death of Jesus; it can also be seen as a time of beginnings. Many people believe that one should give something up at Lent. I often use to choose to do so. This helps us to identify with the temptations of Jesus. It must be something that you will find difficult to do without. But once you have done without for this time, you may perhaps emerge from Lent with a new outlook and direction in life, at the very least where that particular temptation lay. Or, rather than giving up, use this time to take something up. Perhaps to become more intentional with your prayer life or taking more time with family. Once you have brought this new practice into your life it too may provide a new outlook or direction. There can be a new beginning after Lent.As we begin this season of Lent reflecting upon our own covenant relationship with God, the sign of the rainbow reminds us that God has promised to remain faithful – even when we are faithless. God has promised to be with us in the chaos of this world. In the times when we are surrounded by temptation, when we are alone, we know that no matter what chaos of wilderness we find ourselves in, we have a faithful God in whom to trust. Amen.We Respond To God’s WordOffering InvitationWe come with the work of our hands and hearts. We bring what we have. We bring our Lenten intentions. We bring our devotion, dedication and service. We celebrate what we have received, and we offer ourselves to God…The Offertory (#506 v. 1) Take my life, and let it be consecrated, all for thee; take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.Dedication Prayer (Unison)These gifts of our hands and hearts are signs of our covenant with you, O God. May they grow in abundance for the world of creation, as you would have them help increase your love in the world. Amen.Prayers of the People We believe in you, O God the Creator, your covenant love is secure and endless. Your goodness is seen and felt through all creation with irrepressible beauty and truth, your patience and generosity exceed all human expectation,?and nothing can fully contain your glory. You sent Jesus, the Christ, to disrupt the powers of evil, at all cost. He came again to gather, encourage and strengthen his disciples into a community that knows no bounds, and which brings life through faith and grace. Your Holy Spirit is part of the abundant life you offer us. It flows from you and enlarges our gifts that we might share them with others. Because of you, we come together as church. We are a forgiven people who seek to share your peace, your hope and your love.?Most Holy Friend, your goodness always tests our readiness to receive it, please increase our eagerness for you and enlarge our ability to share your love around.?Gracious God steer us through times of temptation.On this first Sunday in Lent we think of those who are being acutely tempted:tempted to look the other way when wrong is happening in their workplace;tempted to misuse their gifts for a sordid purpose;tempted to allow untamed emotions to hold sway;tempted by the corrupting power of money;and those tempted to stay in a rut rather than strike out on new paths for Christ Jesus.Generous God, steer us through times of temptation.We pray also for the many who feel pushed and tested almost beyond their endurance;those in positions of heavy responsibility who feel overloaded to the point of collapse;or those pressured from all sides by factions in workplace or community;suffering people–and all who must watch a loved one suffer– who feel they can bear no more; kindly folk whose patience with a difficult friend is now at breaking point;persecuted Christians whose faith seems stretched beyond their limit;and the depressed, whose inner being endures a misery which no human word can alleviate.666751397000Merciful God, steer us through times of temptation.We also pray for those who seem to be in a position of advantage:the happy, that their happiness may always be used for goodwill and compassion;the strong, that their energies may be used wisely and gently;the clever, that they may employ their mental facility for good not evil;for the rich, that their wealth may be shared for the uplifting of the poor;for the powerful, that they may use their position as a blessing to humanity;and those of strong faith, that they may walk humbly and affirm the weaker souls.Righteous God, steer us through times of temptation.?And now most Holy Friend, we pray for each other in this church, community and world. None of us know the extent of the pressures that some may be under this very day…Look upon us all, read our thoughts and weigh our feelings, and by your utter resourcefulness, “save us in the time of trial and deliver us from all evil.” Through Christ Jesus our Saviour.?Amen.(Inspired by and adapted from Bruce Prewer. Used with permission.)Closing Hymn “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” # 651Guide 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.Open now the crystal fountain, whence the healing stream doth flow;let the fire and cloudy pillarlead me all my journey through.376237511430Strong deliverer, strong deliverer, be thou still my strength and shield,be thou still my strength and shield.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 praisesI will ever give to thee,I will ever give to missioning and Benediction As God’s children we are never promised that we won’t be troubled or tested, but that God will be with us so we shall not be overcome.And so, we?go from this time of worship cheerfully and boldly, for God is with us and we are encompassed by an incomparable love.And may the grace of Christ attend you, the love of God surround, the Holy Spirit keep each one of you now and always. Amen.Sung Blessing “O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go” # 658 v.1 O Love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul I thee; I give thee back the life owe, that in thine ocean depths its flow may richer, fuller be.And online we end together (wait for folks to get their mics unmuted)And the people say:AmenOur Life & Work0353060Please note: Rev. Mary-Jane is based in her home office but available by email to either newcastleunitedchurch@bellnet.ca or revmj@hotmail.ca (her personal confidential email) and by phone at all times (905-244-8453).Annual Congregational Meeting – The Official Board, after much discussion, has decided that our Annual Meeting will be held by Zoom on February 28, 2021 at 2 pm. The Minutes from the February 9, 2020 Annual Meeting and the Agenda will be sent with the Zoom link prior to the meeting. Anyone with questions/comments 5210175171450about a report(s) can call the church 905 987 4515 or email: newcastleunitedchurch@bellnet.ca and your question/comment will be directed to the author of the report.Mark your calendar for World Day of Prayer,?Friday March 5, 2021 at 2pm. Zoom link will be sent out closer to that day.Our church YouTube channel, is where you can find recordings of weekly worship services and Music to Wash Dishes By. Here is the link Study – Our weekly, Wednesday morning online Bible Study starts at 10 am on Zoom. If you would like to join in, please e-mail the church office and we will send you the link: newcastleunitedchurch@bellnet.caDuring this time, and as you are able, your church offering can continue in these ways:Mail your donation to the church: 84 Mill St. South, Newcastle, ON L1B 1H2Envelope drop-off in the Emily Street entrance while Lorna is in the office Fridays 9-11AMPre-Authorized Remittance (PAR) – monthly donation debited from your bank account on or about the 20th of each month. Changes can be made at any time. Please e-mail Lorna: le.mcswan@ for the PAR authorization form.E-transfers can be made to: nucetransfer@. Security answer “Givings”.CanadaHelps: through this link or the link on our website: “Donate” page.Thank you to all who continue to support the work of our church, even though we are not able to be together in person.Newcastle United Church ................
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