August 13, 2026
13th SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
A Service of Prayer, of Song, of Listening, and of Being & Doing
The quote for today goes something like this:
“Live life not to make your presence noticed,
but to make your absence felt.”
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: Elizabeth Wegg
Musical Guests: Keith and Lana Floen
Gathering
(*Indicates that you may stand if you are able…)
Prelude
Welcoming and Announcements
Land Acknowledgement (Rev. Jope)
“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: “I Am a Child of God” MV # 157
Call to Worship:
Rev. Jope: We come into this place this morning with praise and with a deep thanksgiving as we worship together on the lawn. Our hearts are open to receive, and our hands are open to welcome.
ALL: Each of us is a part of the whole. We are connected to each other in many ways, and it is through this connection that we, together, walk the way of peace.
Rev. Jope: Our God entrusts the future to us and calls all of us to be faithful and to be generous people.
ALL: We hear God’s call, and we accept God’s gracious invitation. Each of us says “yes” to the calling God.
Rev. Jope: We commit our lives and our hearts to our God of steadfast love. We commit ourselves to building just societies and tearing down walls of divisiveness.
ALL: We offer all of who we are, and all of what we have for God’s purpose
Rev. Jope: and wherever the ‘church’ is, there are God’s people.
*Opening Hymn: “Called by Earth and Sky” MV # 135
Opening Prayer:
O how wonderful, O God, are the works of your hands! The heavens declare your glory, the arch of sky displays your handiwork. In your love you have given us the power to behold the beauty of your world robed in all of its splendour. The sun and the stars, the valleys and hills, the rivers and lakes all disclose your presence. The roaring breakers of the sea tell of your awesome might and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air bespeak your wondrous will. In your goodness you have made us able to hear the music of the world. The voices of loved ones reveal to us that you are in our midst. A divine voice sings through all of creation and as we come together to worship, may we be mindful that you live in us, through us, and direct us in ways of peace and of justice. Make your presence real to us this day; fill us with wonder and awe in knowing your presence in this place …Amen. (…based upon a Jewish traditional prayer)
An Affirmation of Our Faith: (Unison)
We believe in the God of summer, who meets us in the morning
mists and waits for us in the cool of the evening;
We believe in the God of autumn, who spreads the mantle of
divine glory across the hills like a cloak of many colours;
We believe in the God of winter, who whispers in the wind and
makes us thankful for the warmth of our homes and cozy
blankets;
We believe in the God of spring, who dazzles the eye with
blankets of blossoms and speaks to our hearts through
gentle rains;
We believe in the God of all seasons, who is a God for all
seasons, and who calls us forth to be human for all seasons,
ready to sacrifice for truth and to love the world as God loves
it. God has revealed the divine nature in Jesus Christ and
continues to reveal that nature in the world, in history, and
in the inner life.
God’s name is to be praised forever and ever. Amen.
(Taken from “Enter Every Trembling Heart – Prayers for Christian Worship, John Killinger)
A Special Gift of Music: Keith and Lana Floen
Engaging
Old Testament Passage
EXODUS 1:8 – 2:10 The baby Moses is adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter….
Epistle Passage
ROMANS 12:1-8 Present yourselves as a living, holy sacrifice to God…
Hymn of Illumination: “Deep in Our Hearts” MV # 154
Gospel Passage
MATTHEW 16:13-20 “Who do you say that I am?” asks Jesus…
Message: “Who Is Jesus to You?”
A Special Gift of Music: Keith and Lana Floen
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)
Sunday’s Reflective Prayer: (Unison)
O God of all creation, your world is facing terrible struggles which many of them come from our inattentive attitudes. We know that climate change is amongst us and yet many hold their truths that this is not so – that its politicians working their own agendas. But what’s happening in your world these days is now becoming ever so evident that something is amiss. Fires are ravaging our forests and homes as our Earth slowly loses its moisture and its gentle rains. In other areas, floods are swallowing countless lives as weather patterns change and the skies open with a deluge never ever seen before.
Hurricanes are becoming much more violent, and cyclones and tornadoes are developing much more on a regular basis than we have ever seen in our lives. Invasions and wars threaten not only those where these insurrections happen but hold your earth captive with the “us and them” attitude of right or wrong. We pray for peace. We pray for those affected by fire…by flood…by wars of all sorts, including wars in family life. We pray for a deeper understanding that each of us are special in your eyes and that every human being needs to be allowed to live in freedom and with the knowing that you, O God, are love itself and that you shine that love upon all of us, each and every day.
We gather all these prayers together in the name of Jesus, the cornerstone, the one who breathed new life into many while living upon this earth and now breathes life into each of us through his Spirit and has taught us these words to share together:
(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: “Bless our God” MV # 46
*Commissioning (unison)
Creator, Sustainer God: wherever we may journey, guide our steps; whenever we are in want, supply our need; and when we have enough, may we be satisfied. Surround us with your presence; fulfill us with your Spirit. May we dwell this week in the peace you call us to share. We are your church; we are your holy people. You send us forth as your servants in the world and so we are called, enabled and commissioned as you journey with us. Thanks be to you!!…Amen.
Recessional Gift of Music: Keith and Lana Floen
Benediction (Rev. Jope)
Postlude