A Christian Church, A Family of Faith

The Presbyterian Church in Canada

St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church, Bass River

Organists: Eileen Beers      Minister: Rev. Alexander [Sandy] D. Sutherland; B.A., B.Th. M.Div

www.pccweb.ca/brpc

August 7^th 2011

 

Welcome & Call to Worship

Opening Praise  Open my eyes, that I may see

Open my eyes that I may see

Glimpses of truth thou hast for me;

Place in my hands the wonderful key

That shall unclasp and set me free.

Refrain Silently now I wait for thee,

Ready, my God, thy will to see;

Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine!

 

Open my ears that I may hear

Voices of truth thou sendest clear,

And while the wave-notes fall on my ear,

Everything false will disappear. Refrain

 

Open my mouth and let me bear

Gladly the warm truth everywhere;

Open my heart and let me prepare

Love with thy children thus to share. Refrain

Prayers of Approach & The Lord’s Prayer

Hymn – Jesus Loves me

Recalling our Heritage

– Memories shared by

Memorial & Dedication

We come together today in the spirit of remembering all that has carried us in the faith. To recognize the ways that God has sent people into our lives to show us His everlasting love. Today we are glad to celebrate the gifts that God has given us, and the tools and resources that strengthen our shared faith. Today we remember God’s grace through God’s holy word.

In your pews you will see bibles, our new bibles are giant print, they are a good and clear translation of scripture from the original languages of Greek and Hebrew, they include tools for learning. We are glad to have them and we are thankful for the gifts that make them possible.

The bibles we have been using through the years are, in the Spirit with which they were given and dedicated, will now be used in the evangelical work of this congregation as we reach out with God’s word into our own community, and we offer those bibles to those who do have bibles of their own.

In prayer, let us not together dedicate these bibles to God’s work in this place, and from this place through the inspiration we are given in Christ.

I invite you to turn in your bulletins to the prayer of dedication, and let us now bow our heads and direct these bibles to the great works God will do in this place.

 

Liturgy of Dedication – Prayer

 

Scripture Reading:   Psalm 119:49-64

⁴⁹ Remember your word to your servant,

for you have given me hope.

⁵⁰ My comfort in my suffering is this:

Your promise preserves my life.

⁵¹ The arrogant mock me without restraint,

but I do not turn from your law.

⁵² I remember your ancient laws, O LORD,

and I find comfort in them.

⁵³ Indignation grips me because of the wicked,

who have forsaken your law.

⁵⁴ Your decrees are the theme of my song

wherever I lodge.

⁵⁵ In the night I remember your name, O LORD,

and I will keep your law.

⁵⁶ This has been my practice:

I obey your precepts.

⁵⁷ You are my portion, O LORD;

I have promised to obey your words.

⁵⁸ I have sought your face with all my heart;

be gracious to me according to your promise.

⁵⁹ I have considered my ways

and have turned my steps to your statutes.

⁶⁰ I will hasten and not delay

to obey your commands.

⁶¹ Though the wicked bind me with ropes,

I will not forget your law.

⁶² At midnight I rise to give you thanks

for your righteous laws.

⁶³ I am a friend to all who fear you,

to all who follow your precepts.

⁶⁴ The earth is filled with your love, O LORD;

teach me your decrees.

2 Timothy 3:10-17

¹⁰You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, ¹¹persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. ¹²In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, ¹³while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, ¹⁵and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

 

Hymn of Illumination Lead On, O King Eternal Er­nest W. Shurt­leff

Lead on, O King eternal, the day of march has come;

Henceforth in fields of conquest / Thy tents shall be our home.

Through days of preparation, Thy grace has made us strong;

And now, O King eternal, we lift our battle song.

 

Lead on, O King eternal, till sin’s fierce war shall cease,

And holiness shall whisper / the sweet amen of peace.

For not with swords loud clashing, nor roll of stirring drums;

With deeds of love and mercy / the heavenly kingdom comes.

 

Lead on, O King eternal, we follow, not with fears,

For gladness breaks like morning / where’er thy face appears.

Thy cross is lifted o’er us; We journey in its light;

The crown awaits the conquest; Lead on, O God of might.

Gospel Reading:       John 2:12-22

¹²After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

¹³When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!”

¹⁷His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

¹⁸Then the Jews demanded of him, “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”

¹⁹Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

²⁰The Jews replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” ²¹But the temple he had spoken of was his body. ²²After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

 

Sermon       Remembering What Was Said

So, for those that were here, who can tell me what last week’s sermon was about? Quick check then, for those of you who were in other churches last Sunday, can you remember what last Sunday’s sermon was about.

A student minister from a school in the states did a casual study of church members in his home town. He discover that is about one in fifty to sixty people can come up with the sermon title or theme after a week, if asked on the spot like that. Yet, when he shared that result with colleagues, few ministers actually seemed upset by the revelation.

Here is another way of looking at it. Does anyone recall the sermon that Jeff Howard gave before the old church building burnt down? The sermon from the first Christmas that Stephen Mawhinney served here? How about some of the lessons of Rev. Joupe Encorn? No? Perhaps the stories that Wallace White used to share with the children? Do think they expected you to remember what they said?

If ministers do not expect you to remember the sermon from one week to the next why are we up here preaching?

Jesus offered a lot of teachings. Whole chapters of the books of the gospels are devoted to his sermons. The ‘sermon on the mount’ is recalled in special detail in the gospels and also Jesus speeches that he gave in the temple in Jerusalem, but we do not have a complete edition of everything that Jesus said and did. For all the things that are recorded by the four gospels we still do not have every speck of information of all the things Jesus said and did.

When Jesus walked the roads from Galilee to Jerusalem and preached through the countryside and in the cities he spoke and share those every day things that you and I might share in a walk together. And some things that Jesus said at one time were not recognized as important until much later, until after he had died and had risen and had ascended into heaven.

I post the sermons, week to week, now on our church web page. Is used to email them out as well. I do that not only so you can read them this week, but they are archived there so that a month from now, a year from now, you can look back to what I said. Maybe something I am saying now will have more meaning for you later, maybe you will need to help someone else with their journey of faith down the road.

We are gathered here today to remember. We are here to think back to the lessons of faith that have been shared not only in this congregation of St. Mark’s, but each and every day of our lives as a community working from this place.

I do not expect you to memorize what I have to say here today. In fact I am surprised sometimes if I remember everything I’ve preached on. I am up to about two hundred sermons now, since I moved here. I have not memorized what I said, and by no means do I expect you to go back and read through the archive on the church website trying to cram in every word I have ever preached. If I was that kind of preacher I would be here expecting you to worship me. But We are here to worship God.

Preachers get into pulpits to speak and make the changes in people lives that come gradually, all the way through a journey of faith. Yet, we share words of wisdom with each other each and every day to guide each other in the best way that we can see. We meet together week by week with Christians in many places to help and uplift each other and encourage each other.

I don’t expect you to remember my words, but I hope you remember again the words of Christ that are spoken especially to you. In the name of Jesus, you are called onto great and wonderful things, as you remember something greater than words spoken; as you remember God’s love for you.

Hymn of Response Love Lifted Me Howard E. Smith

I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore,
Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more,
But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me, now safe am I.

Refrain: Love lifted me! Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help, Love lifted me!(repeat)

 

All my heart to Him I give, ever to Him I’ll cling,
In His blessed presence live, ever His praises sing,
Love so mighty and so true, merits my soul’s best songs,
Faithful, loving service, too, to Him belongs. Refrain

 

Souls in danger, look above, Jesus completely saves,
He will lift you by His love, out of the angry waves.
He’s the Master of the sea, billows His will obey,
He your Saviour wants to be, be saved today. Refrain

 

Offering

 

Prayers of Thanksgiving

Commissioning Praise To God be the Glory Fanny Crosby

 

To God be the glory! Great things he hath done!

So loved he the world that he gave us his Son,

Who yielded his life an atonement for sin,

And opened the life gate that all may go in.

Refrain: Praise the Lord, praise the Lord!

Let the earth hear his voice!

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord! Let the people rejoice!

O come to the Father thru Jesus the Son; 

And give him the glory, great things he hath done!

 

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood!

To every believer the promise of God;

The vilest offender who truly believes,

That moment from Jesus a pardon receives. Refrain

 

Great things he hath taught us! Great things he hath done!

And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son:

But purer and higher and greater will be,

Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see! Refrain

Blessing and Benediction