Ebenezer eNews and Worship eService

We wish a Happy Anniversary to:
Rev. Dr. Thomas Shin & Sophia Han, May 8
We wish a Happy Birthday to:
Melody Mui, May 8
Diane Saunders, May 11
Marilyn Tankard, May 14

PS Please always remember to support your Ebenezer United Church by giving your time and talents as well as through your offerings. Click here to learn more and remember we accept Interac e-Transfers to treasurer@ebenezeronline.ca. Thank-you! 

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Prelude (Murphy Hung)
 
Welcome (Margaret Tribe)

A WARM WELCOME is extended to the guests and newcomers.  Please sign the Guest Book.  We are happy that you are here and want to remember your name.  Please wear masks inside to cover nose and mouth and practice social distancing.  Thank you.

Today “We give gratitude for all families in the world”.  Rev. Dr. Shin has prepared carnations as a token of our love and appreciation. Please choose a carnation for your family.

This 4^th Sunday of Easter service will be lead by Rev. Dr. Shin and Worship Leader, Margaret Tribe. If you are joining us on Zoom please prepare a Holy Communion Meal of plain bread and grape juice at home for today’s service.
 
Land Acknowledgement (Margaret/All)
We acknowledge this land on which Ebenezer United Church serves our community.  For thousands of years, this land has been on the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River.
Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to worship, pray, and practice our faith on this land.
 
Announcements (Margaret)
 
Affirmation of Faith (In unison) The United Church Creed (Voices United 918)
“We are not alone, we live in God’s world. We believe in God: who has created and is creating, who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh, to reconcile and make new, who works in us and others by the Spirit. We trust in God.
We are called to be the church: to celebrate God’s presence, to live with respect in Creation, to love and serve others, to seek justice and resist evil, to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen, our judge and our hope. In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God.” ***
 
Call to Worship (Rev. Dr. Shin & Margaret/All)
Creator, parent of the human family,
we gather to worship you.
In baptism, we are called beloved children of God, as such,
we gather to worship you.
Friends, neighbours, siblings in faith,
we gather to worship in song, in prayer, in readings from your story/our story, in thoughts and reflections. Let us worship God.
 
Lightening of the Christ Candle – (Margaret)
Jesus came to share the good news of God. He came to share in our joy and sorrows so that we may know God more fully. Let us take a moment to share our joys and sorrows in community with God’s people.
We light this candle for the good news we shared, the good news in hearts, and the good news that wherever you go, God is with us.
 
Hymn, "Jesus, You Have Come to the Lakeshore" - (VU 563)
                                                                                   
Opening Prayer (please listen) (Rev. Dr. Shin)
God, creator of us all, we gather to worship you.
We come as individuals, we come in family units, we come as neighbours and friends.
We come here where we are known by name, welcomed with all our fragilities and strengths.
We gather with kindred spirits who long to live faithful to your calling.
Guide us, inspire us, challenge us, comfort us, and nurture us in this time of worship so that we might be enabled to return to our daily lives ready to engage fully with all of your creation. We pray. Amen.
 
Hymn, "Shall We Gather at the River" - (VU 710)

Scripture Readings (Margaret)

1 John 3:2 NRSV
2 Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.
 
Ephesians 2:13-22 NRSV
¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. ¹⁴ For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us, ¹⁵ abolishing the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. ¹⁷ So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, ¹⁸ for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. ¹⁹ So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, ²⁰ built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone; ²¹ in him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord, ²² in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.
 
“This is the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God!”
 
Children’s Time
 
The Lord’s Prayer (In unison)
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. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
 
Hymn, "All the way my Saviour Leads Me" - (VU 635)

Today I want to talk about family not just in a sense of household, but in a sense of community that people need a place to belong. Yes, we are going to discuss “Christian kinship.”
 
One of the great things about preaching is that really, we're not teaching you anything. What we're doing is bringing to your mind what you already know. We want to bring to the top of your mind what is in the back of your mind so that it's very present for you. We want to bring it to the top of your heart what you already know in the bottom of your heart. Then we want to challenge you to take some action based on those things.
 
Today I would like to remind ourselves of two things that you would already know. Here's the first: "Everybody needs a place to belong, and that is why there is church." Not somebody, but everybody. Yes, everybody needs a place to belong and that’s why there's church. The very first time in Scripture that God says something is not good is when God says "It is not good that the man should be alone. I shall make a helper for him." We are committed, made, or created to be in a relationship with one another.
 
God has made us to be responsible for one another - has put us into families where we will care for one another, love one another. We're born into families; the family structure is so important for creating and forming people.
 
Now here's the thing. There are some people who don't have that community. They may have a family and they may not even have that nuclear family that supports and sustains them. But they don't have that community, that herd that is around them.
 
Horses are herd animals and in the wild when you see a herd of horses they run together, and they stay together. That's for safety, and frankly, for encouragement and for all that. If you see a horse that is alone, you know there's something wrong. They may wander off a little way for grazing but for the most part they're going to be part of the herd. And if they're off alone they're either sick or they're hurt, or they've been shunned. But they're in danger and are vulnerable. Every single person needs that herd, that community and there are so many people that don't have that.
 
When I talk to you about the church, many of you will think about this building, this facility. But when Jesus said the word "church", Jesus had something far more significant in mind. He had the image of family, of a community of people
 
I love what Mother Teresa said. Her quotes just stick with me. She said, "The problem with the world is we have forgotten that we belong to each other." (Mother Teresa). In church we belong to one another.
 
There is a great scholar named Urie Bronfenbrenner who is a Russian-born American psychologist who is most known for his ecological systems theory of human development. He was the one who was very much in putting the Head Start program together. And here's how he defined family: "A family is a group which possesses and implements an irrational commitment to the well-being of one another." (Dr. Urie Bronfenbrenner). In church, we have an "irrational commitment to the well-being of one another." Everybody needs a place to belong and needs that kind of family.
 
John Ortberg, who is a famous Christian author and the former senior pastor of Menlo Church, tells this wonderful story about a woman who was having a terrible day. Then the phone rings and it's her friend who's calling. She says, "How are you doing?" And the woman says, "I’m terrible! My head is killing me, I don't feel well. My house is a wreck - I'm overwhelmed with things to do at work. My kids are demanding things of me. I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm just overwhelmed." The caller says, "I'm so sorry! Can I come over and help? I'll make dinner and clean the house and give you some time to do what you need to do. I'll bring you some aspirin for your head." The woman says, "Oh, that would be great. Thank you so much." Then the caller says, "Well, is your husband Sam home? Can he help?" The other woman said, "Sam? I don't have a husband named Sam." And there's a long silence and the caller says, "I think I've called the wrong number." And the other woman says, "Does that mean you're not coming over?"
 
Here's the thing. We have a community around us that's asking, "Does that mean you're not coming over?" And this is a reason why I cannot help but being so proud of our church as Ebenezer united church is a church who is always ready to respond to this asking. As you can see in the cases of “BlueDoor” and “Out of the Cold” and so on, we, Ebenezer families, do not hesitate to open ourselves to be a place to become a kind of family especially to the others in need. How can’t I help love this church and all of you? I am sure that God would be the same too. 
 
Father Gregory Boyle of HomeBoy Industries says it this way: "Imagine if you would have a circle of compassion where no one is outside the circle..." (Fr. Gregory Boyle). That's church. Everybody needs a place to belong.
 
That's the first thing I hope you'll remember because you know it from your own experience. Everybody needs a place to belong.
 
Here's the second thing I want you to know. It is that this community, this sense of the church finds its unity and its cornerstone in Jesus Christ. If there is any possibility for us to be unified or if we have to be unified, it is “by Jesus Christ, for Jesus Christ, and through Jesus Christ.” Look again at the Scripture we read today: "For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us." (Ephesians 2:14). Our unity, our reconciliation is in Jesus Christ.
 
Or verse 20: "You are all citizens with the saints and members of the household of God built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone." (Ephesians 2:20). In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into the temple of the Lord. We find our unity in Christ in the foundation in Christ, not in ethinic background, social ideas, cultural preferences, and even religious traditions.
 
In our city, there are lots of different kinds of people who are there. Lots of different ethnicities, people who come from different faith backgrounds, they're all a part of this neighborhood, this Markham community that we've defined as our parish. But we're very clear that what we do we do in the name of Christ. That we are inviting people, over and over again to recognize themselves as no longer strangers and aliens. The Scripture says that those who are far off are now brought near. We want to invite those folks to pursue them and draw them into this community that is united in Christ and built on the foundation of Jesus Christ.
 
Here's what Dallas Willard says. Dallas Willard was one of the great theologians, who was really focused on what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. He says this:
"God's aim in human history is the creation of an all-inclusive community of loving persons with himself included as its primary sustainer and most glorious inhabitant." (Dallas Willard). So, people must be united in something. And we are united in Jesus Christ.
 
I don’t know if you love the symphony orchestra. As the symphony orchestra tunes up the concertmaster comes and asks for quiet from the audience. Then the oboe plays an "A" note, 440 hertz exactly. And everyone then tunes to that concert "A", that specific tone. What's interesting is that they don't tune to one another. The way that the symphony has unity is that all those instruments tune to the concert “A” – that one note that's played by the oboe.
 
See, that's how we have unity with one another. These strangers and aliens who are now part of the family. Because we all tune to Jesus Christ. That we teach, we show, we demonstrate everything we do is about living and loving as Jesus lived and loved. Everyone needs a place to belong, and that place is the church which has as its cornerstone and its unity Jesus Christ.
 
Let’s pray.
O Gracious God, we pray for all those who are lonely. Who feel they don't quite have a place to belong, who are struggling and searching for a herd to support them. We pray that they will find that in the community of faith, and this community of love that is bound together that has your Son Jesus Christ as its cornerstone and its unity. And they'll know that this is the place where they belong. We pray in Christ's name. Amen.

Invitation to Communion

Prayer of Confession (In unison)
Lord Jesus Christ, on the cross you let your body be broken and your blood be shed. So often when we celebrate this act in communion, we fail to respond to your love in ways that glorify you. Sometimes we simply go through the motions with the bread and cup. Other times we think your gift comes only to us, rather than to Christians, everywhere. We might think we can’t come to the table because we don’t deserve your love, or pretend we are such good people we don’t need that love. Today through this communion, forgive us for these and all our sins, as we continue to pray in silence…
 
Silence Prayer of Personal Confession (** Murphy’s piano 1 minute**)
 
Eucharistic Prayer (Rev. Dr. Shin and All)
The Spirit of God be with you.
And also with you.
Turn to God, the source of life.
We lift our hearts in prayer.
Let us give thanks.
We offer joyful thanks to God.
It is the joy of our salvation, God of the universe to give you thanks through Jesus Christ. You said, “let there be light,” And there was light. Your light shines in our darkness. For you the earth has brought forth life in all its forms. You have created us to hear your Word, to do your will, and to be fulfilled in your love. It is right to thank you. You sent your Son to be for us the way we need to follow and the truth we need to know. You send your Holy Spirit to strengthen, to guide, to warn and to revive your church. Therefore, with all your witnesses who surround us on every side
 
we praise you for your creation and proclaim with joyful hearts: Blessed are you, Most Holy, in your Son, who washes his disciples’ feet “I am among you,” he cries, “as one who serves”
 
On the night before Jesus died Jesus took bread and gave you thanks. Jesus broke it, gave it to his disciples, saying “Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you; Do this often in remembrance me.” After supper, Jesus took the cup and gave you thanks. Jesus gave it to them saying: “Drink this, this cup represents my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you, poured out for all, to forgive the sins of the world; do this often in remembrance of me”
 
Therefore, with this bread and wine we recall your goodness to us. God of the past and present, we your people remember your son. We thank you for his cross and rising again, we take courage in Jesus’s ascension; we look toward his coming glory and through faith in him we give ourselves to you. Praise to you, Lord Jesus: dying, you destroyed death; rising, you restored life. Lord Jesus, come in glory.
 
Send your Holy Spirit, that we who receive Christ’s body may indeed be the body of Christ and we who share the cup /may draw strength from the one true vine. Called to follow Christ, help us to reconcile and unite. Called to move toward our suffering world, give us hope in our calling O God, on this day we include the following persons and places in our prayer. . .
 
Prayers of the People (Margaret Tribe)   
God of Compassion, we know that you are closer to us than our very breath. You are present with us in every moment. In this world where there is much suffering, loss, pain, uncertainty, may we remember that you suffer with those who suffer, you grieve with those who grieve, and you are there with those who are afraid.  May we remember that we are an Easter people, living in an Easter world. Night shall be followed by morning; winter shall give way to spring; death shall be followed by new life, and you are there in all of it, as you are in the new shoots erupting from the earth, in neighbours helping a stranger in need, in people standing up for peace, justice and reconciliation. You are there. You are here. Resurrection God, we give you thanks and praise that “As dew upon the tender herb diffusing fragrance round, as showers that usher in the spring and cheer the thirsty ground, so shall your presence bless our souls, and shed a joyful light; each hallowed morn shall chase away the sorrows of the night.”
 
We pray for those in our church family and our community who are in need of healing, whether in body, mind or spirit. We pray for …
 
Roy Dixon…, Angie Fix..., Michele Gillette..., Mavis Grange and her daughter…, Dorothy Grant..., Joan and Clyde's friends: David and Donnalee Gullison..., Phyllis Harvey...,  Manique's mother, Iris ...,Doug's friend Carole's brother...,Tanya's cousin Edwin...,Tanya's friend, Jenna..., Diane's friend, Tokiko..., Joseph Salins…, Mary's brother, Basil and sister Cathy..., Connie's friend, Elaine Leiba and her daughter Andrea..., Linda Wilson’s friend, Linda..., Rehana Sumar and her mother...,
And all those we name in silence.
 
Silence Prayer of Preparation (** Murphy’s piano 1 minute**)
 
Distribution (Rev. Dr. Shin)
 
Post Communion Prayer (Rev. Dr. Shin)
 
Invitation to the Offering (Murphy’s special music dedication)                      
God has blessed our lives with relationships—joy inspiring and challenging.
In response to God’s blessings in our lives, we are now invited to share our offerings.
 
Prayer for offering and people (Rev. Dr. Shin)
 
Hymn, "River" - (MV - 3)
 
Benediction (Rev. Dr. Shin)          
 
“Go Now in Peace”
 
Closing Slide (postlude)

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