FREELTON STRABANE UNITED CHURCH
To Live Our Discipleship With Integrity And Grace
Horseshoe Falls Regional Council
Seventh Sunday of Epiphany
February 23rd 2025
Rev. Will Wheeler BA M. Div. E-mail: [email protected]
Organist : Joan Simpson
Gathering
Come out of the darkness, come out of the shadow
Come out of the endless night
All you who are poor now, All you who are broken all you who are bowed by fight
Come into the light of God’s sacred intention
Come under the shelter of his hand
Here you may find riches here you may find healing
Here now you may rise and stand
Call To worship
One Praise the Lord, all you nations extol God all you peoples.
All For great is his steadfast love towards us.
One: The faithfulness of the God endures forever.
All We come now to this time of worship and renewal praise and know the Lord.
God, as we say Yes to your love in our lives we strive to share that love with all those we meet. It is hard to turn the other cheek when we are in conflict God you call us to make friends of our enemies and pray for those who seek to do us harm. As we gather here in this time of renewal strengthen us to live up to your high calling Engage us in this time to continue to grow in your love. In Jesus name amen.
One: Let us continue to listen to the wisdom God has given us as found in 1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-5
One: This is part of Journey
All May these words strengthen us for the Journey
One: The Light of Gods Love illuminates our lives in the Good news found in the teaching of our Saviour Let us listen to the Gospel of our Lord our lesson is taken from the Gospel Luke 6 27-38
One: The Word of God for the People of God
All Thanks be to God
We find this morning a classic piece of scripture. One a lot of people can quote. Quotable enough that “turn the other cheek” has become part of colloquial speech. When this happens something is lost.
It leads to statements like “well your Christian you are supposed to be forgiving. Oh your Clergy are you not suppose to be forgiving.
Now normally I don’t take kindly to the clergy card. My divinity is far, far out weighed by my humanity. Regardless this idea of being always loving, we have to be forgiving leads to a rather slippery slope.
I have given this some thought. Christianity is about forgiveness but there is a difference between forgiveness and absolution. Forgiveness is the beginning of a road back to a right relation. It requires true remorse and acknowledgment of wrong. A contrite heart. As to the "other cheek" reference. You need to put this back into it’s context When someone strikes you with an open hand on the cheek and then you offer them the other cheek the person then would have to hit you with the back of their hand. Jesus is here is insulting the person for no one would consider using the back of their hand to hit a person. We are to be forgiving but that does not mean moving into a wrong relationship or endure abuse. Forgiveness is a state of mind. Forgiveness from God comes with a contrite heart. This being said there is in all things with God a fine balance between justice and compassion.
Several years ago now Stewart Maclean a CBC radio personality died. Stewart had for twenty or so more years was most known for his stories of Dave and his small record store called the Vinyl Café. Dave’s motto was “We may not be big but we’re small.” As one person wrote Dave represents an alternative view on life that is not based on financial success and status but on human relationships and Stewart was considered a humourist which he was but I thinks he could be a humanist in how life was reflected in his stories of Dave and Morely Stories about finding meaning in our everyday, passing on something which gave useful meaning, creating moments that count and moments that make a difference. That is what we found in His story telling and This is what we find in the Gospel
Today’s gospel lesson is the last part of the sermon on the mount. Taken as a whole this collection of Jesus writing is a form of wisdom literature. It is a guide to ethical living not only with each other but also with God and ourselves . These passages provide us with that guiding Light in life. Foundational ethical principles.
The first thing I think we need to realize is Jesus is not speaking about being a victim. On the contrary in the first part in turning the other cheek and giving of the shirt shows the antagonist in the light that they should be viewed. People only wore a shirt and a coat. If they take your coat, then you give them your shirt, well then they have left you standing in the street naked. They like the cheek thing come off looking the worse for it.
Jesus in essence is stating in all things take the higher road. Do not allow yourself to be dragged down to the same level as those that would attack you. In taking the nobler path you expose them for what that are.
What is laid out in this scripture is the ideal of what we are to strive to be.
Paul says now we see dimly. We see the shadows of our reality played out before us and we fail perhaps to see the truth.
The truth which is obscured by the vail of the old scripts and fears.
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?
Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Consider if you will the life of Saints. They lived and died by their faith. As did Paul, as did Peter and disciples. Not all the saints die violently St Patrick, St Francis St. Augustine to name a few lived out their lives.
The saints lived in this world but they were not governed by this world. They chose not to live in the shadow of the world but to allow the light of Christ to guide them.
We are reminded that in following God, in listening to the teaching of Jesus that faith sometimes requires us to speak up, to be for the one that has no voice. To seek Justice and resist evil. To search out ways to help the light of God’s love to shine into a darkened world changing its stark reality to something new. The reality is that this at times will set us apart.
What are those guiding principles of your life how do we set our direction.
This is that guiding principle, this is the direction we are called to move
to see in the light of God’s knowledge and love that there is a greater world beyond ourselves that we are called to serve.
In his work as a Canadian humourist through the Vinyl Café stories Stewart Maclean showed us how that simple caring and compassion, can make a difference in the world around us.
When we are feeling discouraged. When we feel we have given all that we can When we feel If I have to paste on that big happy smile once more for this person I can’t stand. I am going to happily poke out someone’s eyes. Then the light of God is brightest in us. Reminding us that we are called to be better than that. We have moved one moment closer to that promised kingdom.
We are called not to conform but to rise above the worlds present condition. To become vessels of Gods love ready to shine forth to transform the world. To let that light illuminate into the corners of injustice and that which is wrong. Too work at, in our own way, dispelling pain sadness loneliness criticism with a tolerance of love founded in that love of God.
Together as sisters and brothers in Christ we shall work towards this vision of a world made different. Made better by the in breaking of God’s love
As we sit looking out our windows at the blowing drifting snow, the moments of Sun dazzling the landscape, thinking “well that Ground hog needs glasses” may we reflect on our story. As people as a community of faith. To reflect on what needs to be let go, what can the future hold for us. How can we do to add meaning to our ministry to creating moments that count and moments that make a difference.
Here in the bleak mid winter, (actually that was February 3rd we are know past that point at least) may we consider our journey our way forward. To open ourselves to the Spirit. To know We are not alone in this, for God is with us and we not alone thanks be to God
Prayers of the people
Hear our prayer we humbly offer
Grant to us your peace O God
Hear our prayer we humbly offer
Grant to us your peace O God.
O God the world needs your presence, we need your presence. In this time of history making we see much uncertainty in our world. The face of justice has become obscured and only the shadows of what is right are reflected on the pathway of what was once so certain. Compassion has been lost and empathy has been lost. From the edge of the darkness we pray for your Spirit to move the world back towards a center where there is compassion empathy understanding and acceptance. We pray that that Justice and right will prevail.
We pray for those who in their hour of need, challenge, grief and darkness look to you. They are those whom we will never know.
We pray for those whom we are called to walk with.
Be with us as we claim our ministry as your people in this place. Bless us in your work. We are thankful that we are your people called together to do your work and move forward in our mission.
Bless us in this work and hear our own prayers spoken in the silence of our hearts knowing that in your time and way they shall be answered. We offer them to in our Lord and savior as we say together…Our Father.
Offering
We give thee but thy own. The work of the Church continues and there are three ways you can continue to support that work. Consider using PAR, use the donate button on our Web Site or drop your gift at the Manse. Let us make our offering and give thanks.
One: Praise God who from all Blessing flow
Prayer May these gifts of response to your love enable many to touch Jesus and be healed. May all who suffer for the sake of Christ be empowered to continue their witness. May your church mange well the resources , entrusted to us, that faith and hope may abound. We rejoice in the resurrection and its power to transform us. Amen.
Sending Forth and Blessing.
One: We have known the touch of Jesus Christ in our listening, our songs, and our prayers.
All: The God who searches our minds and tries our hearts has met us here to bless and make whole.
One: God sends you out to the world. Serve with Joyful hearts full of songs of thanksgiving for the steadfast love of God endures forever
Blessing
One: May God the one who brings us comfort surround you, May Christ our Joy walk with you. May the Continued presence of The Holy Spirit illuminate our path and keep us safe until we can gather again in community. Amen
VU 4
God of all places present unseen
Voice in our silence song in our mist
Send us your people knowing and sure
Called to spread the word.
amen amen amen
Yesterdaywe honour our heritage.
Todaywe know that we are not alone,that we live in God's world.
Tomorrowwith God,we will discoverthe undiscovered country.
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