Ebenezer eNews and Worship eService

We wish a Happy Anniversary to:
Ina and Glen York, June 25

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Prelude (Murphy Hung)
 
Welcome (Marilyn Tankard)
 
Land Acknowledgement (Marilyn)
We begin this time of worship by acknowledging that we are meeting on the land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca people. This land has been inhabited by Indigenous peoples from the beginning. We thank all the generations of Indigenous people who have taken care of this land and been its stewards for thousands of years. We give thanks for the countless ways they have assisted the settler peoples who came to inhabit the land. We also recognize the contributions Métis, Inuit, and other Indigenous peoples have made in shaping and strengthening this region, the provinces, and Canada as a whole. May the Creator hold us gently in this time as all mourn the loss of innocent Indigenous children’s lives. Meegwetch. All my relations.
 
Recognition of Indigenous Day of Prayer
Today on Indigenous Day of Prayer, let us give thanks for the Indigenous people of our communities and their profound contributions to our common life together. Let us all, individually and collectively, seek out ways to work for reconciliation and justice. Let us be the beloved children of God, and love our neighbours―yes, all of them. Worldwide, people represent the colours of the medicine wheel, shades and combinations of yellow, red, black, and white, and also brown. We are all Creator’s beloved children. Thanks be to God.
 
Announcements  (Marilyn)
 
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 & Marilyn/All)
In the presence of Creator, we gather:
People carrying burdens we may not know about looking for comfort; folks needing their spirits refreshed.
We draw together hoping for that touch that will enliven us, longing to be embraced in arms of love and understanding.
Help us to put aside our differences and see the earth as you see it, boundary-free.
You call us all: babies, toddlers on unsteady feet, school-age children with curious minds, teens with questing spirits, full of youthful confidence one moment and like frightened children the next.
We are called, as adults trying to take good paths watching out for the next generations, and those easing into their winter years passing on our teachings.
We are all kin in this meeting place whether we gather in person or through technology, our spirits joining to say meegwetch for all that we have been blessed with.
Thanks be to God for the goodness in our lives. Amen.
 
Lightening of the Christ Candle – (Marilyn)
We light this candle. May its light guide us to truth talking and to travelling good paths. May we in turn share the light with those we meet until it spreads to all peoples worldwide.
 
Hymn, "If You Will Trust in God to Guide You" - (VU 286)
                                                                                   
Opening Prayer (please listen) (Rev. Dr. Shin)
All-encompassing God, you who called creation out of chaos. You breathed the sacred word Ruah (breath, Spirit) and life came into being. Your magnificence is a Holy Mystery that we are too human to be able to comprehend. We give thanks for that which is beyond our comprehension. It allows us to dream and imagine. We give all praise and glory to you, Most Holy, for holding us in all the seasons of our days, to love, and to cherish, in this life, and in everlasting life. We are in awe of our covenanted love and journey with you. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
 
Hymn, "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah" - (VU 651)
                                   
Scripture Readings (Marilyn)

Matthew 19:16-30 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
¹⁶ Then someone came to him and said, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” ¹⁷ And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” ¹⁸ He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. ¹⁹ Honor your father and mother. Also, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁰ The young man said to him, “I have kept all these; what do I still lack?” ²¹ Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” ²² When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
²³ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astounded and said, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁶ But Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”
²⁷ Then Peter said in reply, “Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” ²⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my name’s sake will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.
 
John 14:27 
²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
 
“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, "Be Still My Soul" - (VU 652)

In the Bible, there are many references to the promise of inner peace. For example, Philippians 4:7 says, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Jesus also guaranteed us a life in peace and freedom. In John 14:27 He says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
 
However, when this verse is closely observed and reviewed, our reality seems to be too far from this promise. Our heart very often seems to be bursting with agitation and clamor. There are so many difficulties that overwhelm us both physically and mentally, negatively rather than positively. Our innerness, both subconscious and conscious, can sometimes be like a fiery battle ground within our minds. Such being the case, today some people try to find the compelling soothing sensation of relaxation of the heart in various forms such as activities, substances, or foods we ingest.
 
For some, physical activity such as yoga, meditation, exercise, and compulsive working can be the go-to habit to release pent up stress that has accumulated throughout the day. For others, substances, and foods such as nicotine, marijuana, hard drugs, alcohol, sugar, and greasy fast foods can serve as the ultimate soother. As people actively search for ways to de-stress, the unhealthy obsession threatens to consume them. Your emotional resources tend to lead you down the wrong path and to form bad habits. Paradoxically speaking, these things display enough evidence in the real world that the peace and freedom of our hearts is an essential know-how.
 
If Jesus came to give us inner peace and freedom, and has already done it in our lives, how can we secure and bring it into reality? If Jesus died for us on the Cross to give us the rest of heart, how can we live it out? Today, I would like to introduce and explain the first way to inner peace and freedom through biblical and spiritual teachings. In the Bible, Jesus teaches us “to take God’s Kingdom as the very meaning of our lives”. This is the first way of inner peace and freedom.  Number 1: To set your heart on God’s Kingdom first.   
 
There is a relevant scripture that involves a man who came to Jesus. He asked Jesus, “Teacher! What must I do to obtain eternal life?” In the scripture, this man is one of a kind. He is something special that stands out in a crowd. He is a good-mannered man, rich, smart, and privileged. He is what we would describe in modern society as high class. Loved and respected by many people, He is a powerful figure. In Luke 18, he was introduced as a young, religious, and faithful high-ranking officer. A “triple threat” is a good term to describe his multiple characteristics.
 
Any person could look at this man and feel jealous or inspired. A perfect man with a perfect life it seems to be. However, he doesn’t feel this way about himself and his life. What is the evidence? His question for Jesus says it all. “What must I do to obtain eternal life?”
 
What causes him to have this desire? Is it because he feels scared that his life is coming closer to death? To complete his collection of possessions by obtaining the one last thing he does not have in life. Is this because he wanted to reserve a spot in heaven to make his life perfect before he dies? Any one of these could be true, but the plain fact is that he came to Jesus to find true freedom and the rest of heart in his life. He feels something missing, something blocking his way to finally entering the door of satisfaction and fulfillment in his life. He could not deny that he had a big hole, an empty space in his heart though he supposedly possessed everything. Otherwise, there would be no reason why he came to Jesus to ask for his help.
People in society today may say, “I don’t think inner freedom, or the peace of heart is important. Money can buy everything.” This statement and belief are dangerous. If it is true, why do people these days, especially in North America, speak of their mental and psychological pains and hungers? A study was conducted comparing different levels of income and the effects on their happiness.  The statement “money can’t buy happiness” was proven both right and wrong. The data collected suggests that “We cannot be happy without money, but money cannot increase human happiness as it fulfills basic needs.”  
 
Like recent studies commonly teach, our needs and wants for anything and everything aside from external life is temporary. They argue that for true happiness and flourishing, inner status is more important than money if he or she has fulfilled basic needs. 
 
Then what is more important than money and pleasure? According to many experts, it is necessary to take care of one’s heart. We can use phrases that express our emotions by describing our hearts with personification and verbs such as: “my heart is fluttering” to show excitement, “my heart is pounding” to show nervousness or anticipation. The heart is the center of our soul, spirit, and emotion while keeping our entire body alive.
 
Clearly, inner status is especially important. Dr. Rick Hanson argues that for modern people the highest happiness comes from inner peace and freedom. He says, “When you have the rest of heart, you are protected from stress, your immune system grows stronger, and you become more resilient. Your outlook brightens and you see more opportunities. In relationships, feeling at peace prevents overreactions, increases the odds of being treated well by others, and supports you in being clear and direct when you need to be.” The shift and improvement of life after finding true peace and freedom shows effect on all spiritual, emotional, and physical aspects.
 
In today’s scripture, the man was looking for inner peace and freedom. He had everything, but something was missing in his life. He could not bring his heart to peace. That is why he came to Jesus despite all difficulties and risks he would be going to face in advance. 
 
His approach has the right direction in the ways he goes about to find the rest of his heart. He seeks help from the right person to solve his issue. The interesting thing is that Jesus did not discuss any new social science theories with him or give any lectures. He also did not have a one on one counseling or a therapeutic session with him. In return, his response was not a simple answer, rather it was two questions: first, “Are you willing to keep God’s rules in the ten commandments?” and second, “Can you empty yourself to be filled with the best thing?”
 
In Verse 19-20, “Jesus replied, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except the one God. You know the commandments: Do not commit murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Don’t give false testimony. Do not cheat. Honor your father and mother.” The man’s answer is quite astonishing. Jesus was pleased with his first answer. The young man answered like this: “Teacher, I’ve kept all of these things since I was a boy.” Keeping all the commandments is not an easy task, in fact as natural sinners it makes it quite difficult to live a life with no stealing, no idols, no false testimony, no cheating or no lying. What a great man he is. Is he not? He truly is one of a kind. Based on his first answer we can see he has commitment and is a true follower of God. Or is he?
 
But Jesus did not stop there. He asked one more thing. Verse 22 “You are lacking one thing. Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor. Then you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me.”
The reactions of people hearing this verse for the first time may be quite relatable, “Jesus! Are you kidding me? Are you serious? Are you talking about the best way to make people leave the church? We are here not to lose. We are here to get and find more.” Many Christians decided to be followers of God to finally fulfill the empty space within their hearts and lives, just like the man. In this case, it sounds like you must lose everything and give everything up.
 
The good news is that in verse 22, Jesus is not telling us we do not need money, a job, or a family. He is talking about the center of this young, privileged man’s life. What Jesus was trying to do was to take a truth out of the man's bottom line by asking “what is the priority of your life?” Nowadays we are more exposed to distractions than ever. Video games, food, TV shows, Netflix, SNS, money, and work are all distractions distancing us from God. Again, this does not mean we should give up our house, our jobs, and cars to be a true Christian. This does not mean that we should stay in the cottage alone or to meditate on the Bible all the time to be a true Christian. This means that our faith should be the number one priority in life to finally bring our hearts to peace, unlocking the way to freedom.
 
To boil it down even further, Jesus’ message was this in simple terms: Until you set your heart on God’s Kingdom first, you cannot get what you want. Until you take God’s Kingdom as the very meaning of your life, you cannot get anything true and eternal except for what the world can give. Remember, the satisfaction the world gives us is only temporary and leaves us hungry for more and more. Life will never be truly fulfilled if we don’t fix our priority on these things because of the fact that we are adaptive creatures, making an everlasting cycle of craving, gaining, and searching.
 
Our priority is on God.
 
In the scripture, Jesus was not merely asking the young ruler to donate his whole property, but rather Jesus was asking him if what he had relied on gave him true peace and freedom. Jesus knew the man’s answer was “no” because that was why he came to Jesus even though his life seems to check every box of accomplishment and satisfaction with the exception of the most important thing. If we sum everything up, what was Jesus’ final answer for the man? If you want to have true freedom, peace, and radical change, you should set your heart on God’s Kingdom first. If you want to have true freedom, peace, and change, consider God’s Kingdom as a priority in your life.
 
I pray that is true in your life and in mine (Amen) We will continue this next week.
Let’s pray. 
 
Lord! Thank you for your message today. Give us your heart. Help us to set our hearts on your kingdom first so that we live in true peace and freedom like Jesus did. Bless us to know you more every day and every time when we live in God’s Kingdom as the very meaning of our lives. You know we cannot make it alone because we are closer to the world than you. The Holy Spirit always be with us and guide us so that we do not just know you but share what you promise to the world. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Invitation to the Offering  (Murphy’s special music dedication)                     
God gave it all once and for all and God is still giving. God gives the living hope we know in Christ Jesus. Because God always gives us everything we need; Accordingly, we take this time to give a gift back to Him with gratitude and appreciation.
 
Intercessory Prayer (Rev. Dr. Shin)
“Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” (Psalm 118:26a)
Let’s pray:      For God's Kingdom, glory, and righteousness
For Dedicating our beings to God with offerings
For Social issues in Canada
                        For Ebenezer and its families
                        For Personal needs (Murphy Hung – 1 min. piano)
 
Prayers of the People (read by Marilyn)
We pray for all those in need, whether in body, mind or spirit, that your healing light and presence will bring comfort and peace.  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 and her brother...,Tanya's cousin, Edwin and friend, Jenna..., Sarah's father-in-law, Pavlos and his wife Flora..., Diane's friend, Tokiko..., Joseph Salins…, Mary's brother, Basil and sister Cathy..., Connie's friend, Elaine Leiba and her daughter Andrea..., Rehana Sumar's mother, Shirin Sumar,..., And all those we name in silence.
 
Prayer for all fathers in the world
Slides “Our Fathers!” (to be inserted into the PowerPoint)
 
Recollection by Marilyn Tankard
 
Prayer (to be read by a child on Sunday morning)
 
Prayer for offering and people (by The Reverend Jan Jorgensen)
Holy One,
We praise you for your deep and abiding love, which holds each one of us every moment of our lives.
We praise you for your generous spirit and your infinite patience as you wait for us to embrace your transforming love and accept your forgiveness.
Help us to bring these words of praise from our minds to our hearts so we can live into sharing your gracious compassion and extravagant blessings with all our neighbours, known and unknown.
Accept, we pray, our sorrow and shame for the times when we have not shown compassion and mercy to those you have created in love and for love. Help us grow in courage and hope so we are no longer bound by the lies that have been spoken to us, free us from the untruths that prevent us from being your faithful partners in the healing of Creation.
You have embodied truth and mercy, you have suffered for and with us―accept our faltering words of gratitude; breathe your Spirit upon us once again, and kindle in us the love that would ever reflect your creative joy and peace.
Thank you, Creator, for inviting us to lay claims upon your heart; we come with these petitions, knowing that ours is a mutual relationship and you ask us to be your heart, and hands, and voice in this world.
We pray for all the war-torn places in this world… We pray for the millions of displaced persons sojourning upon this earth, for all who have lost nearly everything… We pray for your precious children who are being murdered, trafficked, and enslaved… Thank you for holding our collective grief.
We pray for our country; guide us and our leaders into the ways of truth-telling and compassion. While our truest citizenship is found in being with you, O God, help us to live responsibly and generously among all the people of this land.
We pray for all your faithful people, that we and all who follow your pathways would embrace your wisdom and humility and embody your compassion.
We pray for our communities, especially for those who are lonely or afraid and those who need healing of body, mind, and spirit. We pray for those who are hungry, for those who are unhoused. By the prompting of your Spirit, guide us so that we offer kind words and deeds of love in gratitude for all that we have received from your gracious kindness. Holy One, we thank you for all the countless people who have given their lives to ease the suffering that fills this world. Bless them and empower each of us to find our own ways to create justice and peace out of your love.
We pray for those we hold closely to our hearts, for all who are grieving deep losses, for all who need mercy, love, healing… In silence we pray, entrusting them to your great compassion….
Thank you, Creator. Thank you for your everlasting love. Amen.
Holy and Gracious God, this time we also dedicate our beings with our offerings. Pour out your Spirit upon us and the gifts we bring so that we might do deeds of love, in your name, and for your sake, In Jesus Christ, Amen.
 
Hymn, "Deep in Our Hearts" - (MV 154)
 
Benediction (Rev. Dr. Shin)          
 
Go Now in Peace

Postlude

Recent Reflections
Spring of Life
Reach Up and Down (6)
Reach Up and Down (5)