a liturgy of the word · a liturgy of the word livestream at zoom or watch later on facebook . we...

July 12, 2020 at 10am Pentecost 6

A Liturgy of the Word Livestream at Zoom or

watch later on Facebook

We gather on the traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe Nation. Church of the Ascension 253 Echo Drive Ottawa, Ontario K1xS 1N3

613-236-3958 churchoftheascension.ca The Rev’d Rhonda Waters Incumbent rhonda@churchoftheascension.ca

Welcome to Church of the Ascension Hymn – You Are Salt for the Earth

You are salt for the earth, O people: salt for the kingdom of God! Share the flavour of life, O people: life in the kingdom of God! Refrain Bring forth the kingdom of mercy, bring forth the kingdom of peace; bring forth the kingdom of justice, bring forth the city of God! You are a light on the hill, O people: light for the city of God! Shine so holy and bright, O people: shine for the kingdom of God! Refrain

You are a seed of the Word, O people: bring forth the kingdom of God! Seeds of mercy and seeds of justice grown in the kingdom of God! Refrain We are a blest and a pilgrim people bound for the kingdom of God! Love our journey and love our homeland: love is the kingdom of God Refrain Opening Prayers and Penitential Rite

God is with us O come, let us worship!

Although we have come together in digital space, we each stand in place on solid ground that is the ancestral territory of peoples who were here long before the Europeans crossed the ocean. I live in the

City of Ottawa which is located on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg people. On whose territory do you live?

Silence

Let us pray, Loving God, help us to live respectfully on these lands, seeking justice and peace. Help us to pray to you in faith, to sing to you with gratitude, and to listen to your word with eagerness; so that we might follow Christ our Lord. Amen. God knows the innermost workings of our hearts and God’s love does not fail. Confident, therefore, in God’s faithfulness, let us confess our own sins and those of our broken world.

Silence

We need your healing, merciful God: give us true repentance. Some sins are plain to us; some escape us, some we cannot face. Forgive us; set us free to hear your word to us; set us free to serve you. God brings new life for all. You are forgiven. Take hold of this forgiveness and live your life in the Spirit of Jesus Christ to bring God’s healing to the world. Amen.

Gloria

Glory to God, glory to God, glory in the highest! Glory to God, glory to God, alleluia, alleluia! Repeat First Reading – Romans 8:1-11

A reading from the Letter to the Romans

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the

Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Churches Thanks be to God. Psalm 65:1,9-13

You are to be praised, O God, in Zion; to you shall vows be performed in Jerusalem.

You visit the earth and water it abundantly; you make it very plenteous; the river of God is full of water. You prepare the grain, for so you provide for the earth.

You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges; with heavy rain you soften the ground and bless its increase.

You crown the year with your goodness, and your paths overflow with plenty.

May the fields of the wilderness be rich for grazing, and the hills be clothed with joy.

May the meadows cover themselves with flocks, and the valleys cloak themselves with grain; let them shout for joy and sing. Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, Alleluia! Alleluia, Alleluia! Repeat Gospel Reading – Matthew 13:1-9,18-23

God is here. The Spirit is with us.

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to Matthew Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying:

“Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other

seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!

Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown

on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

The Gospel of Christ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ Sermon – the Rev’d Rhonda Waters Hymn – Creating God, Your Fingers Trace

Creating God, your fingers trace the bold designs of farthest space; let sun and moon and stars and light and what lies hidden praise your might. Sustaining God, your hands uphold earth’s mysteries know or yet untold; let water’s fragile blend with air, enabling life, proclaim your care.

Redeeming God, your arms embrace all now despised for creed or race; let peace, descending like a dove, make known on earth your healing love. Indwelling God, your gospel claims one family with a billion names; let every life be touched by grace until we praise you face to face. Affirmation of Faith

Together, let us affirm our faith as we say: Hear, O Israel the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.

This is the first and the great commandment. The second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. Prayers of the People Collect

God of the earth, all creation awaits your gift of new life. Prepare our hearts to receive your Word so that it may grow within us and yield a hundredfold harvest; through Jesus Christ, the Sower. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Gathering our prayers and praises into one, let us pray as our Saviour taught us, Our Mother, our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen.

Closing Prayers

Blessed be God who calls us together and makes us one. Blessed be God who has forgiven our sin and gives us hope and freedom. Blessed be God whose Word is proclaimed and is revealed to be Love. Blessed be God who alone has called us. Therefore we offer all that we are and all that we shall become. Glory to God whose power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation, in the Church and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen.

May the peace which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God and of God’s Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. And the blessing of the Holy Trinity, the Source of all being, the Eternal Word, and the Holy Spirit be upon you this day and forevermore. Amen. Hymn – Go Make a Difference

Refrain Go make a diff’rence We can make a diff’rence Go make a diff’rence in the world Go make a diff’rence We can make a diff’rence Go make a diff’rence in the world

We are the salt of the earth Called to let the people see The love of God for you and me We are the light of the world Not to be hidden but be seen Go make a diff’rence in the world Refrain We are the hands of Christ Reaching out to those in need The face of God for all to see We are the spirit of hope We are the voice of peace Go make a diff’rence in the world Refrain So let your love shine on Let it shine for all to see Go make a diff’rence in the world And the Spirit of Christ

Will be with us as we go Go make a diff’rence in the world Refrain Dismissal

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Thanks be to God! This service is assembled from resources found in the Book of Alternative Services, published by the Anglican Church of Canada; New Patterns for Worship, published by the Church of England; and A New Zealand Prayer Book, published by the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.

The Psalm is drawn from the Inclusive Language Psalter, commended for use by the Council of General Synod, March 2019 and found online at https://www.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/GS2016-Liturgical-Psalter-2016-05-04.pdf Biblical texts are from the New Revised Standard Version Hymns are shared under licenses held from CCLI and OneLicense

Links for Worship Zoom Link for Sunday Worship

• Sunday morning services are livestreamed at 10am: https://zoom.us/j/301177504?pwd=Q3RaZCtIQ3V0OSsreUpFRDV4RDZXUT09 (or phone 1-587-328-1099). Meeting ID: 301 177 504 Password: 089370

• Facebook users can stream an edited version of the service at facebook.com/ascensionottawa

• Service booklets are available at churchoftheascension.ca/booklets

Zoom Links for Prayer, Fellowship, and Study

• Thursday Morning Bible Study and Prayer (aka “Lectio”) — Thursdays at 10 am: Email rhonda@churchoftheascension.ca for a link and password.

• Thursday Evening Prayer and Bible Study (based on Lectio) — Second and fourth Thursdays at 8pm Email rhonda@churchoftheascension.ca for a link and password.

• Story at the Rectory — First and third Thursdays at 7:30pm: https://zoom.us/j/698700963?pwd=andFNVV3TC9oY3BVVjBBMms5YnBzQT09 (Meeting ID: 698 700 963; Password 526601)

• Rhonda’s Office Hours: On Mondays from 4 to 6pm, Rhonda is available for private prayer, conversation, or check-in on Zoom. People are also welcome to call 613-236-3958.

Church at Home

• Daily Prayer: New for July! A resource for simple daily prayer at home is available at churchoftheascension.ca/home-church

• Reflections from a Distance is a weekly email digest of art, poetry, playlists, and personal reflections. Contributions are welcome; please email rhonda@churchoftheascension.ca.

• Ascension’s Prayer Team welcomes your prayer requests via email at prayerteamascension@gmail.com.

Make a Donation

If you would like make an online contribution to Church of the Ascension, you may do so via e-transfer to treasurer@churchoftheascension.ca, or with a secure online donation at canadahelps.org.