Dear friends,

THIS SUNDAY Edythe Arnott will be leading us in worship.

THE OLD TESTAMENT READING is from the book of Habakkuk. The prophet Habakkuk’s story is both encouraging and challenging – but very relevant to the year 2025.

Order of Service

Prelude
Welcome
Call to Worship
Hymn 321: “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” (vs 2&4 en français)
Prayer of Adoration
Prayer of Confession
Declaration of Grace
The Lord’s Prayer
Children’s Time
Hymn 497: “Word of God, across the ages”
Responsive Reading – Psalm 32 (with choral refrain)
Gloria Patri
2 Thessalonians 1: 1-4, 11-12 (en français BFC – English on the screen)
Habakkuk 1: 1-4, 2: 1-4
Sermon: “Habakkuk’s Story”
Confession of Faith – The Apostles’ Creed
Hymn 672: “Jesus calls us, o’er the tumult”
Offering and Offertory
Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Hymn 462: “All my hope on God is founded”
Benediction
Go now in peace
Postlude

Dear friends, 

THIS SUNDAY the Rev. Linda Faith Chalk will be leading us in worship.

SAMUEL JOHNSON HAS SAID OF PRAYER that it does not need proof outside itself because its proofs are within.  It is in the nature and function of man, like breathing, eating and drinking, and he practices it as part of his very being.  Luke tells us up front that our parable is a parable about prayer.  It is equally a parable about sheer grace but the main characters are coming at each other from opposite life experiences and expectations. “What will He find?”  That is the question that Jesus asks at the end of the parable.  We need to keep asking the same question.

Order of Service

Prelude
Welcome
Call to Worship
Hymn 299: “Holy, Holy, Holy” (vs 3&4 en français)
Prayer of Adoration
Prayer of Confession
Declaration of Grace
The Lord’s Prayer
Children’s Time
Hymn 496: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet”
Responsive Reading – Psalm 119: 97-104
Gloria Patri
1st Lesson – Jeremiah 31: 31-34 (en français BFC – English on the screen)
2nd Lesson – 2 Timothy 4: 1-5
Gospel Lesson – Luke 18: 1-8
Sermon: “What will He find?”
Confession of Faith – The Apostles’ Creed
Hymn 497: “Word of God, across the ages”
Offering and Offertory
Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Hymn 685: “How firm a foundation”
Benediction
Go now in peace
Postlude

Dear friends, 

THIS THANKSGIVING SUNDAY, our Interim Moderator, the Rev. Dr. Roland De Vries will once again be leading us in worship.  It is always very special to celebrate this Thanksgiving holiday, and also to approach it from the point of view of our faith in Christ.

OUR SERMON FOR THIS SUNDAY will focus on a story that will be very familiar to us—the story of the one healed man who returned to give thanks to Jesus for his healing.  We will try to read this story in a fresh way, with new meanings discovered.  It is a question of what we see in the story.

Order of Service

Prelude
Welcome
Call to Worship
Hymn 422 “Sing a new song unto the Lord”
Prayer of Adoration
Prayer of Confession
Declaration of Grace
The Lord’s Prayer
Children’s Time
Hymn 807 “We plough the fields and scatter” (vs 2&3 en français)
Responsive Reading: Psalm 65
Gloria Patri
Luke 17:11-19 (en français BFC – English on the screen)
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7, 10-14
Sermon: “What do you see?”
Confession of Faith: Living Faith 2.1.1 – 2.1.2
Hymn 39: “God of mercy, God of Grace”
Offering and Offertory
Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Hymn 457: “Now thank we all our God.”
Benediction
Go now in peace
Postlude

Dear friends, 

THIS SUNDAY, our Interim Moderator, the Rev. Dr. Roland De Vries will once again be leading us in worship.  This Sunday is World Communion Sunday, and so we will be celebrating the Lord’s Supper.

OUR SERMON FOR THIS SUNDAY will focus on the story of Jonah—specifically, the time he spent in the belly of the fish, and how he prayed from that deep and dark place.  We will think about this way of prayer from the point of view of our own lives.  We all have our own challenges in life, and we can explore the story of Jonah for wisdom and for spiritual nourishment in the face of our challenges.

Order of Service

Prelude
Welcome
Call to Worship
Hymn 293: “Come thou almighty King”
Prayer of Adoration
Prayer of Confession
Declaration of Grace
The Lord’s Prayer
Choir Anthem: “Gather us in”
Children’s Time
Hymn 202: “We lay our broken world, in sorrow at your feet”
Responsive Reading: Psalm 111
Gloria Patri
Luke 17: 5-10 (en français BFC – English on the screen)
Jonah 1: 17 – 2: 10
Sermon: “Praying from the Belly of a Fish”
Hymn 298: “Glory be to God the Father”
Offering and Offertory
Apostles’ Creed and Invitation to the Table
Hymn 534: “All who hunger, gather gladly.
Lord’s Supper with Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
Hymn 11: “The Lord’s my Shepherd” (1-3 en français)
Benediction
Go now in peace
Postlude

Dear friends, 

THIS SUNDAY the Rev. Linda Faith Chalk will be leading us in worship.

IN LUKE CHAPTER 16 we have been challenged with our Lord’s words… last week we looked at the dishonest manager and the role of shrewdness in the kingdom.  The latter part of Luke 16 tells the story of Lazarus, a poor man, a beggar, and dives, or the rich man (“dives” means “rich” in Latin) the contrast in life between Lazarus and dives, one wanted for everything, the other was denied nothing.  As Paul teaches Timothy the first statement that he makes: 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.  This can be an overarching statement because to be content is to experience true peace in all facets of our lives because of our confidence in God’s provision.  The Sermon title asks: How much is enough?  Given the state of wealth described both in the parable and 1 Timothy we expand the question to the realization of God’s overwhelming grace.

Order of Service

Prelude
Welcome
Call to Worship
Hymn 305: “God who stretched”
Prayer of Adoration
Prayer of Confession
Declaration of Grace
The Lord’s Prayer
Children’s Time
Hymn 662: “Those who wait upon the Lord”
Responsive Reading: Psalm 91:1-6
Gloria Patri
1 Timothy 6: 6-19 (en français BFC – English on the screen)
Luke 16: 19-31
Sermon: “How much is enough?”
Confession of Faith – The Apostles’ Creed
Hymn 637: “Take my life and let it be” (vs 2&5 en français)
Offering and Offertory
Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Hymn 690: “Fight the good fight”
Benediction
Go now in peace
Postlude

Dear friends, 

THIS SUNDAY the Rev. Linda Faith Chalk will be leading us in worship.

THE WORDS OF AMOS leave us asking the question, where have I heard this before?  The answer is that it is woven into the fabric of our daily lives… unless we learn to undo the tangling.  Unless we learn to set our priorities in order.  The Psalmist puts before us the joy of looking upward and praising God.  In Luke the shenanigans of the dishonest steward leave us breathless…especially as Jesus seems to commend his shrewdness… Jesus uses this as a teaching moment… a teaching moment which opens us to Scripture, which basically challenges us to use the particular gifts that God has given us which searches our hearts and challenges us to be whom God calls us to be.  The question asked in the Sermon title: Is Shrewdness a spiritual gift?

Order of Service

Prelude
Welcome
Call to Worship
Hymn 448: “O God beyond all praising”
Prayer of Adoration
Prayer of Confession
Declaration of Grace
The Lord’s Prayer
Children’s Time
Hymn 382: “Spirit of God, descend upon my heart”
Responsive Reading: Psalm 113
Gloria Patri
Amos 8: 4-7 (en français BFC – English on the screen)
Luke 16: 1-13
Sermon: “Is shrewdness a spiritual gift?”
Confession of Faith – The Apostles’ Creed
Hymn 625: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God” (vs 1&3 en français)
Offering and Offertory
Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Hymn 714: “Wordless, ancient earth’s foundations”
Benediction
Go now in peace
Postlude

Dear friends, 

THIS SUNDAY the Rev. Linda Faith Chalk will be leading us in worship.

OUR SERMON TITLE THIS WEEK is “A study in contrasts”.  Do we have contrasts.  Our Old Testament lessons remind us of the foolishness of living without taking God into the equation, the folly of saying that there is no God whereas the lesson from Luke reminds us of the heart of God to reach out and find the one sheep that goes astray.  In each and every moment we are confronted with choices.  Do we make our choices on the basis of what the Spirit breathes into the very depth of our being or do we look at the world in which we live and wander and wonder in the sense of lostness which is part of its reality?

THE ST. ANDREW’S CHOIR will resume its weekly rehearsals this Wednesday, September 17^th. The rehearsal time remains the same (7:30pm to 9:00pm) however rehearsals will take place in the sanctuary. New members of all voice types are always welcome­­. The ability to read music is an asset, but not a requirement! No audition is necessary.

PREPARATION FOR OUR FALL LUNCHEON AND BAKE SALE will begin this Monday, September15, at 11:30 am.  The plan is to begin preparing jams and jellies.

Order of Service

Prelude
Welcome
Call to Worship
Hymn 290: “Immortal, invisible, God only wise”
Prayer of Adoration
Prayer of Confession
Declaration of Grace
The Lord’s Prayer
Children’s Time
Hymn 348: “Tell me the stories of Jesus”
Responsive Reading: Psalm 14
Gloria Patri
Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28 (En français BFC – English on the screen)
Luke 15:1-10
Sermon: A study in Contrasts
Confession of Faith – The Apostles’ Creed
Hymn 420: “Je louerai l’Eternel” (vs 1 en français)
Offering and Offertory
Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Hymn 817: “O splendour of God’s glory bright”
Benediction
Go now in peace
Postlude

Dear friends, 

THIS SUNDAY the Rev. Linda Faith Chalk will be leading us in worship.

AS THE SUMMER BREAK COMES TO AN END, we will transition our worship service back to our regular format with livestreaming on YouTube and the use of the screen in the sanctuary.  We would like to thank the volunteers who helped open and close the sanctuary, and those who assisted with setup and cleanup during Lemonade and Fellowship Hour over the summer.  Whether you had time to rest and recharge or continued with work, we pray that everyone found moments to connect with loved ones and to grow in Christ – who is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14: 6).

OUR OLD TESTAMENT LESSONS THIS SUNDAY give us pictures… Jeremiah gives us the picture of a potter working with clay, the Psalmist pronounces God as all-seeing knowledge and it is too great for his human understanding… but he does recognize that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.  As we turn to the Gospel, to the words of Luke, Jesus speaks reminding his hearers that following him is not a walk in the park but that it is equally a costly venture.  It is a venture that will turn our lives right side up because we find ourselves in the hands of the Divine Potter.  If possible, bring a picture of yourself to the service on Sunday, a small picture that you can hold in your hand.

Order of Service

Prelude
Welcome
Call to Worship
Hymn 315: “A mighty fortress is our God” (vs 4 en français)
Prayer of Adoration
Prayer of Confession
Declaration of Grace
The Lord’s Prayer
Children’s Time
Hymn: “In Christ alone” (vs 2&3 en français)
Responsive Reading: Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18
Gloria Patri
Luke 14:25-33 (en français BFC – English on the screen)
Jeremiah 18:1-11
Sermon: “In the hands of the Divine Potter”
Confession of Faith – The Apostles’ Creed
Hymn 296: “The clay-stained hands of love”
Offering and Offertory
Prayer of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Hymn 634: “Will you come and follow me”
Benediction
Go now in peace
Postlude