Opening Prayer http://www.ucc.org/50/pdfs/worship-resources.pdf
O Living God of past and future,
we praise you
for this present moment.
Fill us with your joy and empower us with your Holy Spirit,
that our strength may be renewed
to sing a new song of your glory
in a world which longs for your justice and peace.
All this we ask in the name of Jesus,
with whom we walk in newness of life
to become your new creation.
Assurance of God’s Grace
(....skip....) Enjoy the present
moment of green and rain, sky blue and sunshine in this glad season of Easter. Be an Easter creation. God helps us to grow from the root to the
full height – but the wholeness and the trueness are already fully immanent in the
present moment, only waiting for us to be open to the possibilities of here and
now.
There are many images
of God. One of them is the potter in which God has created us out of wet clay,
breathing into us God’s breadth. God’s shaping of us is gentle. Within God’s
creating, and saving love we are forgiven and become whole. Let us be glad of
the present moment when God creates life in us and offers us the ever fresh,
ever new, ever green Easter Blessings. Let us give thanks to God. (Thanks be
to God.)
Benediction:
Christ asks to us,
“Children, you have no fish, have you? …
“Cast the net to the
right side of the boat, and you will find some.”
Jesus Christ surprises
us when we cast it. We may feel
emptiness now but only if we cast the net to the different side will unexpected
blessings be tucked into us.
So cast the net, and see how Jesus
astonishes us with sheer miracles of life.
Christ is Risen.
(Christ is Risen Indeed!)
Life moves on.
Miracles happen now and
here.
An email that I wrote to a church member after the service
I thought I would like to drop a written note that I deeply apologize for not having a time with you, sitting together in the morning, though very briefly, for going over the process what we were going to do in the welcoming ceremony. Sharing a clear instruction is very important, and I learned it yesterday.
Please understand that it was my first time to do it [Welcoming New Members by Affirmation of Faith], and particularly I was caught with a few more things that I had to finish, really up to the time right before the worship started. Quite unusual, but I was.
I am sorry, and let's think the best way to make sure the congregation can hear and enjoy our new members' witness and joy of belonging to our church, Chemainus United Church, next Sunday. Blessings,
%5EJ%202023.jpg)
