KNOX

                                         Worship Service

 

August 28, 2022

Twelfth after Pentecost  

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THE PEOPLE OF GOD GATHER

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Prelude  

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Welcome & Announcements  

         May the grace of God be with you! Hello everyone. Welcome to Knox United Worship service today. It is August 28, Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost. Everyone is welcome. May God bless and love all who are joining us in the service both in-person and online. Rev. Kwon ends pastoral relationship with Consort Pastoral Charge on August 31. Today’s service is his last service in Consort. Give blessings to Rev. Kwon and his family in his future spiritual journey. 

Call to Worship
One: What do we bring to God?
All: Our minds, our bodies, our spirits, our selves.
One: Do we believe these gifts are good enough for the Divine?
All: God does not value perfection but rather diversity. God does not want us to hide our true selves. God asks us to bring
who we really are to worship.
One: Even bring with us all of our faults and failings?
All: Yes, with all of our imperfections and foibles.

One: So we come at God’s call,
All: ready to be loved anew. Alleluia!
Written by Richard Bott, Vancouver, B.C. Prayers for Worship 2022 Year C (Pentecost).pdf

 

Hymn   Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty   VU#315

 

Opening Prayer together
One: On you, Holy One, our souls wait.
All: Our hope is in you and from you, O God.
One: You are our rock and our salvation; you are the fortress that keeps us safe.
All: Our hope is in you and from you, O God.
One: By your love, you save us, by your grace, you define us, by your Word, you give us refuge.
All: Our hope is in you and from you, O God.
One: So you bring us together.
All: You bring us together.
One: In your confidence.
All: In your hope.
One: In your love.
All: Amen.
Written by Richard Bott, Vancouver, B.C. Prayers for Worship 2022 Year C (Pentecost).pdf

 

Prayers of Confession together:
         After Jesus had spent time alone in prayer, the disciples noticed that he was different, so they asked him to teach them to pray. Jesus told them that a forgiving and forgiven spirit is necessary when one prays. We join the disciples and now ask for forgiveness for what we have done that we should not have done, and what we have not done that we should have done.
(a time of silent prayer, followed by the 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. 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.

 

Words of Assurance
We rest in the assurance that it is God’s will that we should be forgiven and brought into communion with God and restored to right relationship. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Written by Fern Gibbard, for Naramata Community Church, Naramata, B.C. Prayers for Worship 2022 Year C (Pentecost).pdf

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WE LISTEN FOR THE GOOD NEWS

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Hymn   We Are One   VU#402

 

Prayer of Illumination together:
         Move within our hearts with compassion and in trust, O Spirit, that we may discover your call to each of us by faith: your call to turn from fear to hope, your call to discard status for service, your call to open our minds completely to your promise. As we receive the scripture today, living Christ, help us to embrace your Way. Amen.
Written by Gord Dunbar, Kincardine P.C., Kincardine, Ont . Prayers for Worship 2022 Year C (Pentecost).pdf

Scripture Readings         Mary Readman
                     

                       Gospel John 6:1-14

 

Response to the Scriptures together: 
         May the Spirit bless us with wisdom and wonder as we ponder the meaning of these words for our lives.

 

Children’s Moment   Jesus Loves Me   VU#365 (verse 1)
 

Message   
         Today’s scripture is one of the most widely known stories of Jesus Christ, as it describes how Jesus fed five thousand people with an extremely small amount of food. The story goes like this. Jesus showed many divine signs by healing patients. Amazed at Jesus’ ministry, a huge number of people followed Jesus wherever Jesus was going. However, Jesus felt that they were hungry at mealtime. Jesus’ disciples did not have enough money to buy food to feed them, as Philip’s response to Jesus showed. But, Jesus already knew how they would respond to this desperate situation. Then, Jesus heard from Andrew that a little boy brought five barley loaves and two fish. Feeling grumpy of the amount of food, Andrew said, “what good is that with this huge crowd!” How could they feed
five thousand people with only five barley loaves and two fish! It is nonsensical! I feel that Andrew’s and Philip’ reactions to the situation seemed very natural and rational. Their calculating faculty was great! However, they could not overcome the critical situation merely by depending on their rational understanding of what was going on. Their perspective on the situation was negative. But, Jesus was different. Jesus did not calculate the number of the crowd nor reveal anxiety about not feeding them. Rather, asking all five thousand people to sit down, he began to offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God! Jesus truly thanked God for giving him the five barley loaves and two fish! After his prayer, Jesus began to distribute them to the crowd. To our surprise, all the people were
fed! Far from running out of food, there were leftovers.
         As I read the Bible, I often discover that it was just a small number of people or possessions that God used for God’s mission. At the beginning, all beings were small in number or amount. But, they were blessed to  increase in number and amount. Now, we are living in an age of abundance. Many contemporaries want to have more and possess more. Rather than focusing on the importance and value of small number or amount, they seem to focus on a larger number. They might believe that they need more money, more people, and more food to start a mission, not being content with what is given now. I also know that all beings are growing
naturally, and we need to take care of them growing and becoming bigger. However, the large number or amount itself could not be the sign of God’s blessing. Rather, human desire to have or possess more, caused by excessive greed, may bring about very critical problems as we see in the contemporary world.
         In my sense, the key to overcoming crises, which Jesus gives us today, is none other than offering a prayer of thanksgiving! Jesus did not ask his disciples to bring more to feed the five thousand. Nor did he show discontent with a small amount of food! Rather, Jesus showed his true thankfulness to God for what was given to him, which was the beginning of the miracle. I still believe that it is giving thanks to God for what is given that makes unbelievable miracles possible in our daily life and in the world! Many people may be unhappy at what is going on in the world. From a human perspective, they are lacking many things. How can they show true
gratitude on earth for what is going on? How can we say that we thank God for extreme poverty and hunger, horrible disasters and wars? That’s why it is really difficult to “Be thankful in all circumstances”, as the 1st Thessalonians 5:18 says. However, if they think from a different perspective, they may find that they have been given many things to go through hard times, though they are not big or large. People may be given health, housing, family, time and physical energy. They may be given more chances to change their life! The point is whether they may know that many things are given by God or not. And, I am sure that God opens doors to
blessings, as Psalm 100:4 says, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise.  Give thanks to him and praise his name. 
         Personally, I am very blessed to say, “thank God and you all of Knox United Church very much!” You were the tunnel of God’s blessings to me and my family. It was you who called me to be your minister and gave me the opportunity to serve Knox United Church. It was you who brought my family here to Consort, helping my family to move from Seoul, a huge and metropolitan global city to a peaceful and small village! It was you that encouraged me and my family and provided care whenever we needed help. It was you who held me even in tough times during the COVID-19 outbreak. You worked with me joyfully and harmoniously in togetherness for
God’s glory always. Most of all, I truly thank you all for supporting me, enjoying my ministry and being patient in understanding my English. I might play the same role as the little boy, who gave the five barley loaves and two fish to Jesus Christ. Whenever I think over my ministry in Knox United Church, the body of Jesus Christ, I realize that it has been you all, who are the parts of the body of Jesus Christ, who prayed together in thanksgiving and participated in our ministries and activities with joy! I did only a small part of all, but it was you all who accepted my ideas and fulfilled our ministries thankfully and harmoniously. Well, I do not know whether I might be
still fresh off the boat, but, I feel that I am becoming a rural boy, though I am not a rural strong man! Some say that Knox United Church is small, but, small Knox United Church in Consort is big, great and beautiful to God and me! I believe that God uses Knox United Church, a welcoming community of thanksgiving, to feed the five thousand and to show God’s glory to the world! I am thankful to God for leading me to Consort and staying with me in serving our congregation with you. Please, remember that offering God our prayer of thanksgiving is the beginning of our successful ministry. I am sure that God continues to bless Knox United Church to be the community of love, justice, and peace, the body of Jesus Christ! I prayerfully ask that God will take care of you all and help you to stay healthy and safe under God’s wings. May God’s great blessings continue to be with you all! May you be blessed by God
to pass down your faith to the next generation and to spread the gospel to your neighbour with courage and confidence!
         Let us pray. Dear God, open and purify our hearts and minds. Let us be thankful to God always in all circumstances. Lead us to overcome spiritual crises in the world by offering our prayer of thanksgiving for what is given to us as Jesus did. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

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WE RESPOND IN FAITH

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Hymn   Jesus, You Have Come to the Lakeshore   VU#563

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Offering

Offertory Hymn   Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow   VU#541

Offertory Prayer together:
         Loving God, we offer these gifts up to your blessing, as you have blessed our lives so abundantly. May we live as your generous people in all that we are and all that we do. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Written by Frances Flook, Emo/Devlin P.C., Emo, Ont. Prayers for Worship 2022 Year C (Pentecost).pdf

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Prayers of the People together
         Dear God, thank you for your mercy and grace. We thank you for guiding us and staying with us in the summer. May we continue to praise and glorify our Lord. The world is going through hard times when people are struggling with the climate change, the Russia-Ukraine War, and many diseases. We confess that many crises were caused by excessive human greed and sins. However, we believe that we are able to overcome these crises by trusting God completely and praying earnestly for the world. May God save the world. May God give hopes to those who are discouraged in tough times and shed lights on the world in darkness. Help leaders to cooperate with each other and to make wise decisions to build up better communities in pursuit of love, justice and peace.
Holy Lord, we are grateful to you for blessing Knox United Church and helping us all to work together 

harmoniously with joy.
         May God bless Knox United Church and strengthen our friendships. Bless all families and those who work for farms, ranches, businesses and workplaces. Give blessings to our children and those who work, live, study, or travel inside or outside Canada. Inspire them to stay connected to God. Help them to realize their dreams. Protect them from diseases, crimes or accidents. We pray that you continue to bless the elderly who worked for God’s glory in service to others. Let us continue to show our respect for them. Lead us to gain powerful lessons from the elderly, and to pass these teachings to the next generation. Lead us to drive carefully and safely, and to live a blessed, healthy and righteous life. We also pray for our neighbouring churches and their pastors and leaders.
Lead us to stay connected to them in God’s love. Be with them. Lead us to cooperate with them in harmony for God’s glory. 
         Gracious God, we pray for our friends or family members who suffer and fight physical diseases, feel depressed, suffer from interpersonal or family problems, experience social or economic crises. Help them to maintain hope and to stay connected to God. Heal them of their diseases by your healing grace. Resolve every problem. Let us take a moment of silent prayer for our family members or friends who are suffering or struggling (Silent Prayer) In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

 

Departing Hymn   We Gather Here to Bid Farewell   VU#558

 

Commissioning
         Now, it is time to carry out your mission to the world. May God inspire you to give thanks to God and to open doors of blessings! May God bless all of Knox United Church to fulfill miraculous ministries of feeding the five thousand and welcoming the marginalized and poor. May God protect and guide all of Knox United Church in their spiritual journey, and lead them to build a community of love, justice and peace on earth as heavenly citizens. Do not be afraid or ashamed. The Holy Spirit is with you.

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Benediction
         The grace of Jesus Christ, the love of God, the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with us all, our families and descendants, farms, ranches, businesses and workplaces, Consort, Canada and the world, now and forever and ever. Amen.

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For Rev. OhWang Kwon’s Sunday sermon, scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.