Ministry of HopeMuskoka Lakes Ministry of Knox, Port Carling & Zion, Torrance
Sunday Oct 18, 2020
Sermon Series: The Ministry of Jesus
Message: Ministry of Hope
Reverend Glynis Faith (705-765-3797) (muskokalakesministry@gmail.com)
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Announcements
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The Session of Zion meets on Monday October 19, 2pm in the Sonlight room.

The Session of Knox meets on Tuesday Oct 20, 7pm in the Sunday School room.
Lectio Divina Thursday evenings at 8pm via Zoom. If you would like to take part contact Rev. Faith to receive a Zoom invitation.
If you are planning to attend one of the Outdoor Autumn Worship services, please register in advance by calling the church office (902-365-3797) or emailing (muskokalakesministry@gmail.com). This is necessary for providing a contact-list.
Please check your email before leaving for home to attend the outdoor services. If, for any reason, we must cancel, and email will be sent out by 7:30 a.m. If you are registered to attend, but do not use email, please let me know the number you would like us to call in the event the service is cancelled.
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Call to Worship________________________________________
Our transgressions are forgiven – how blessed are we?
Our sins washed clean – how grateful are we?

Forgiven – restored – washed clean and given new life . . .
Let us worship the Lord, for He is good, His love is beyond amazing.
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Prayer of Adoration & Confession
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Gracious God, You knew the fall humanity would take before You gave us life, yet You breathed life into Your creation anyway.
You had a plan to restore us into relationship with You even before we broke that relationship.
You know our faults, and You love us.
You know our weaknesses, and You strengthen us.
You know our sins and You provide us the opportunities to turn from sin and return to You.
Your grace runs freely, Your mercy is astounding and Your love is beyond our understanding. Almighty God, we lift our hearts in praise to You.
As we acknowledge the awesomeness of Your love, mercy and grace, we are mindful of our sins. Today we are reminded of the sin of judgement – judging others – pointing out their faults – demanding justice be handed out to them. Our judgement of others causes us to overlook our own sins.
Saviour, forgive us. Forgive us and help us to put down the stones of judgement and pick up Your Word to guide us. This we pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN

WORDS OF ASSURANCE
Hear the words of Jesus, our LORD: “Neither do I condemn you. Go and leave your life of sin.”
There is no condemnation for those who live for Christ. Thanks be to God. AMEN
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Scripture
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John 8:2-11 The Woman Caught in Adultery

2 At dawn Jesus appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
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Message
“Ministry of Hope”
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Jesus is in the temple courts teaching a crowd of people. This is a busy open public area. Suddenly the teaching session is interrupted by a group of religious leaders – the Scribes and the Pharisees. The Scribes were well educated in the Law and the enforcement of the Law – like lawyers of today. The Pharisees, although knowledgeable in the Law, adhered more to traditions – often interpretations (or misinterpretations of the Law) They were 1st Century Fundamentalists, often missing the intended purposes of God’s instructions. Jesus is known for challenging both groups, especially the Pharisees with their misunderstanding of God’s Commandments and the purpose of God’s instruction.
So, we have a crowd of locals gathered around Jesus when a group of religious leaders push their way through the crowd, dragging a woman and ‘making her stand in front of the crowd.’ They have caught her in the act of adultery, which is very convenient if you think about it for a moment. Exactly how is it that this group of religious leaders happens to come across this woman committing adultery? But, of course, the text tells us that they have brought her before Jesus as a trap. They want to find some way to have Him brought up on charges.
The woman was likely set up - - notice how conveniently the man she was caught with is not also brought in, which, according to the Law, he should be! Of course, we can’t know the whole story, but what is important here is that these men who are supposed to represent the Law are bending the Law to satisfy their goal – to rid them of Jesus and the truth He teaches.
Lets consider the woman for a moment. We don’t know if she is a woman who was lured by a married man or perhaps she is a prostitute. Both she and the man could be married to others – perhaps this is an ongoing affair. But here is what we do know. This woman has been dragged into a public setting. In the crowd are likely friends, family members, neighbours. We can only imagine the shame she is feeling at that moment.
But the shame is probably buried by the fear and the hopelessness. The Scribes are correct – her sin warrants stoning. She has been dragged to her execution and she has absolutely NO defence. Take a moment and imagine what she would be feeling. /// She is without counsel (or so she thinks), and facing the charges alone. There is only one outcome (or so she thinks), because she is about to learn a thing or two about grace.
Lets consider the Scribes and Pharisees now. They are likely standing with their noses in the air and their chests puffed out. Ha, they are thinking, we have you now Jesus. It is doubtful they had any concern for the woman or the fact that their arrogance and hate have brought her to her execution. It is likely that if Jesus had said, ‘go ahead, stone her,’ they would gladly have picked up the stones and taken her life.
We can be certain they did not expect the answer Jesus gave, “let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” It would be interesting to be a fly on the pillar, watching to see their faces and how long they pondered before they started to one by one leave. Perhaps the younger men in the group stood puzzled as the oldest ones began to leave first.
And what about the crowds? I wonder if at any time one of them might have stepped forward to question why the man she was accused of being with was not also present? They came to Jesus to learn, and I imagine they learned a great deal by listening and observing what transpired. Some of them may have even decided to lower their heads and walk away like the Scribes and the Pharisees.
We have spent the past few months considering the ministry of Jesus and how we, as individuals and as the church, can carry out the ministry we have been called to – a ministry that mirrors that of Jesus.
At any time we have been or can be one of the characters in this story.
1) We are all sinners, each of us at a different stage of our faith journey. Like the woman, each of us needs to be reminded of Christ’s sacrifice for our forgiveness and each of us can use the reminder to ‘leave behind our life of sin.’
2) At times we are the crowd and we can benefit greatly by observing the words and actions of Jesus. Lucky for us, the Gospel writers have made it possible for us to read and put ourselves in the story to observe.
3) There are times when, like the Scribes and Pharisees, we may think we know the Law better than we do, and there may be times when we need to consider our motives in applying the Law.
4) It might be helpful for each of us to carry a small stone and daily consider our own sins.

Jesus gives the woman hope and new life. He encourages the
Scribes and the Pharisees to stop judging others and start looking into their own hearts. And, He enables the crowd to see what He has been teaching them all along – the love and grace of God.
Our ministry is to bring people hope without condemnation – to point them to Jesus, the only one who can help us see our sins for what they are and help us to ‘leave our lives of sin behind.”
Please pray with me:
Jesus, precious Jesus, in You there is no condemnation. In You we find hope. In You we find the truth of our sins and the guidance and strength to leave our sins behind. Jesus, we bow before You, giving You thanks and praise for the freedom and hope You have brought us. With thanks, we pray AMEN
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Prayers of Thanksgiving & Intercession
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God, we thank you for your love poured out on all of Creation.
Jesus, we are grateful that you entered our humanity to walk amongst us and show us God’s love in the flesh.
Holy Spirit, we thank you for bringing us comfort when we need it, guidance when we are lost, and hope when we need it the most.
Lord, we give you thanks for all those who have come into our lives and strengthened us in our faith through prayers and Christian fellowship.
As a community of faith we offer our prayers:
- for people who are waiting for medical tests or surgeries
- for everyone who has been infected with Covid
- for those who are lonely and feeling isolated
- for business owners struggling to keep their doors open and for staff concerned about whether or not they will have a job tomorrow
- for people who have lost loved ones
- for those who have been unable to see loved ones
- for everyone that is feeling exhausted or frustrated
We pray for those feeling like there is no hope. We lift the needs of our families and our communities before You God, trusting in Your loving presence and care.
Smile Your blessings down upon us as we pray together the Lord’s Prayer…. Our Father, who art in heaven, hollowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, thine will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. AMEN
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#314 God is love; Come Heaven, Adoring
Words: Timothy Ress C.R. (1874 – 1939), alt Music: Cyril Vincent Taylor (1907 – 1991)
Words: this version copyright © The Presbyterian Church in Canada, 1997
Music: copyright © 1942, revised 1970 by Hope Publishing Co.
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God is love: come heave, adoring; God is love: come earth rejoice.
Come creation, voices soaring, sing exulting with one voice.
God who laid the earth’s foundation, God who spread the heavens above,
God who breathes through all creation – God is love, eternal love.

God is love, whose arms enfolding all the world in one embrace,
with unfailing grasp are holding every child of every race,
and when human hearts are breaking under sorrow’s iron rod,
all the sorrow, all the aching wrings with pain the heart of God.

God is love, and though with blindness sin afflicts all human life,
God’s eternal loving kindness guides us through all earthly strife.
Sin and death and hell shall never over us final triumph gain;
God is love: so love forever over the universe must reign.
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Commissioning & Benediction
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Friends, go into the world and spread the hope of Jesus…

… and as you do, May the Lord bless you and keep you, may He make His face to shine down upon you. May the Lord, be gracious to you – today, tomorrow and every day here after. AMEN