August 30, 2026
14th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
A Service of Prayer, of Song, of Listening, and of Being & Doing
The quote for today goes something like this:
“Let’s spend less time congratulating people who have succeeded and more time encouraging those who have not”
Lead Minister: The Rev. Jope Langejans
Music Director: Cody Obst
Minister Emeritus: Rev. Gerry Scharff
Honorary Associate Ministers: Rev. Clint Mooney & Rev. Kelley Warner
Licensed Lay Worship Leaders: Fiona Hayes
Chair of Council: Vacant
Scripture Reader: Nancy Gillean
Musical Guests: Leanne Lightfoot
Gathering
(*Indicates that you may stand if you are able…)
Prelude
Welcoming and Announcements
Land Acknowledgement (Unison)
“May we all be mindful today that we are worshiping and coming together on Treaty 7 land. We acknowledge with respect the history, the spirituality, and the culture of the peoples with whom Treaty 7 was signed and the territory wherein Lakeview United Church resides, and our responsibility as treaty members to the Blackfoot Nations, the Blood, the Stoney, Siksika and our neighbouring TsuuT’Ina Nation.
Hey, Hey!”
Introit “O God, Hear My Prayer” VU # 948
Call to Worship
Rev. Jope: Come…come and be touched by God’s grace this morning as we spend this time in worship together.
ALL: We are here…we have come to dwell in the presence of that which is holiness; that which opens our hearts.
Rev. Jope: Stay…stay and feel the winds of God’s great power that moves through all of creation. Stay and be led across the waters to new horizons – a new dawn.
ALL: We are ready…we stand on the banks of our old lives and look with great anticipation to crossing over – a new life, a new vision, a newness of spirit.
Rev. Jope: Move…move when the beckoning of God comes to you. Move to new places of the heart and new journeys to be undertaken.
ALL: We have begun…our feet have touched the waters of the river of life and now our journey begins – the journey into the new realization of who we are as children of God.
Rev. Jope: We now open ourselves to God with song – a song which speaks of our praising for the Holy Ground on which we live and breathe and have our being.
*Opening Hymn “Come, Let Us Sing” VU # 222
Opening Prayer (Unison): As we sit together this Sunday morning, may each of us be mindful of the other. May we know that we are not alone and that others worship with us and that their needs may not be the same as our needs. May we listen closely to each other as stories of our lives are shared and as yearnings and hopes are brought forward. Through connection, we find each other – through connection, we journey together. Through all of the changes and chances of life, we become connected when we listen closely and when we offer helping hands and open hearts which serve. May the Spirit of the Living and Loving God be with us this day as we worship in the Spirit… Amen
An Affirmation of Our Faith (Unison)
We believe in the God who made heaven and earth, and in the importance of making as God has made –
of erecting homes and buildings,
of constructing roads and bridges,
of designing planes and cars,
of baking cakes and pies,
of composing music and painting pictures,
of discovering new drugs and medical procedures,
of filling granaries with corn and wheat,
of shaping cities into communities,
of making humanity into what God wants it to be.
We are grateful to the Maker of all for the roles of making in our own lives, and we affirm that Christ is known as the Carpenter, for it is good to worship one who creates and not one who destroys! Amen
(Taken from “Enter Every Trembling Heart – Prayers for Christian Worship,
pg. 41, Abingdon Press, Nashville, USA. John Killinger)
A Special Gift of Music LEANNE LIGHTFOOT
Engaging
Reader: Nancy Gillean
Old Testament Passage
EXODUS 3: 1-15 Moses encounters the burning bush….
Epistle Passage
ROMANS 12: 9-21 Let love be genuine; overcome evil with good…
Hymn of Illumination: “Lord, Listen to Your Children Praying” VU #400
Gospel Passage
MATTHEW 16:21-28 “Take up the cross and follow me
Message: “What Do You Say to Your Burning Bush When It Appears in Front of You?”
*Hymn “I, the Lord of Sea and Sky” VU # 509
Responding
Presentation of Our Offerings
(Invitation – Leader)
So, in this moment, we offer blessings upon the gifts which we’ve given to the work of your church…for the encouragement of your people…and with the love of Christ in our hearts…may these offerings be a blessing in their giving and in their utilization of sharing in the message of peace and of love…
Prayer of Dedication (Rev. Jope)
A Special Gift of Music LEANNE LIGHFOOT
Sunday’s Reflective Prayer (Unison)
O Loving God, your messages come to us in a thousand ways: in the song of a bird, the sound of a trickling stream, the look of a Canadian flag billowing in the breeze, the taste of a fresh melon, the scent of a flower, the silence of midnight, the aroma of morning coffee. So forgive us for not noticing and giving you thanks for all these little blessings. Teach us to live sensitively, experiencing joy, granting forgiveness, sharing bread, and giving love. Let the sense of your presence in Christ inhabit us as well, that we may walk through the days as living sacraments, embodying faith and spreading light and hope in the world. Bless each of us today, give health and strength to those who are ill or troubled, and let those who are lost find their way again. For we ask all of this in his name and in the assurance of your continued love and support. And as we raise these words to you, may we together share in the timeless prayer which was taught to us from countless generations before us:
(Lord’s Prayer)
“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, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen
*Hymn “I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me” VU # 575
Blessing
*Commissioning (unison): Let us go from this place with hearts lifted! Let’s go with spirits rejoicing! Let us go with music in the air around us and a story of love among us! May the burning bush direct our lives and may it always be central for us. Let the whole world know the compassion of God and of God’s vessel, The United Church of Canada and us, God’s people. And the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the friendship of the Holy Spirit and the love of God be with us all…Amen.
Recessional Gift of Music LEANNE LIGHTFOOT
Benediction (Rev. Jope)
Postlude