June 28, 2026
FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
CELEBRATING CANADA DAY
A Service of Prayer, of Song, of Welcoming, and of
Connecting in Worship
Two quotes for us today to think about:
“The trouble with trouble is that it always starts out like fun.”
and this one: “Forgive your enemies – it messes with their minds.”
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: Bob Gibbenus & Fiona Hayes
Chair of Council: Vacant
Reader: Peggy Jackson
Gathering
(*Indicates that you may stand if you are able…)
PRELUDE
WELCOMING /ANNOUNCEMENTS
INTROIT HYMN “Be Still” (used with permission from Paul Rumbolt)
“Be still, be still, be still and know that I am God.
I am exalted in the nations and the earth;
Be still and know that I am God” (3 X’s through)
LIGHTING of the CHRIST CANDLE
Rev. Jope: This Sunday morning, this special Sunday as we celebrate our country, we light the candle of Christ. The light of Christ will flow to us and through us and to all of those who will be worshiping here or possibly to those who see this service from a distance.
*O CANADA (Four verses and Refrain…)
“O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love thou dost in us command.
We see thee rising fair, dear land,
The True North, strong and free;
And stand on guard, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.
(Refrain) O Canada! O Canada!
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.
O Canada! Where pines and maples grow.
Great prairies spread and lordly rivers flow.
How dear to us thy broad domain,
From East to Western Sea,
Thou land of hope for all who toil!
Thou True North, strong and free! (Refrain)
O Canada! Beneath thy shining skies
May stalwart sons and gentle maidens rise,
To keep thee steadfast through the years
From East to Western Sea,
Our own beloved native land!
Our True North, strong and free! (Refrain)
Ruler supreme, who hears our humble prayer,
Hold our dominion,
within thy loving care;
Help us to find, O God, in thee
A lasting, rich reward,
As waiting for the Better Day,
We ever stand on guard.” (Refrain)
ACKNOWLEDGING OUR TERRITORY
Rev. Jope: We acknowledge the traditional territories and the value of the traditional and current oral practices of the Blackfoot Confederacy,
the Tsuut’ina and Stoney Nakoda Nations, the Metis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.
OPENING CALL TO WORSHIP (Coming Together)
Rev. Jope: As this Canada Day celebration comes upon us, may we honour ourselves and others as people of this land. May we always know that we are worshiping on Treaty 7 land and be mindful of whose land this was before we moved in. This is God’s land. From coast to coast to coast,
ALL: from the far reaches of the north, to the windswept shores of east and west, to the border with our southern neighbour…God is in this land, and this is our land, too.
Rev. Jope Here are God’s people. From aboriginal Nations to recent immigrants, from fifth generation families to newly arrived professionals…God’s people dwell all around us.
ALL: We are the people of this land – people of differing cultures, differing ethnic roots, status, gender, mobility, and hopes and dreams.
Rev. Jope: And we are all aware that now is God’s time. In summer retreats and holiday places, amid bird song, salt spray, flower-scented air, in cathedral sanctuaries, and parkland settings, we gather to honour these holy days together.
ALL: We gather to honour God. Let us give God thanks and praise. Let us worship, for we now open ourselves to words of prayer as we invite the presence of the Holy One into this time and into this place:
OPENING PRAYER (Unison)
God of the ages and of celebrations and of people coming together, we call upon your presence to be with us this morning as we worship and share in song, in prayer, and in celebration.
Keep us in touch with our roots as we look back at all of the many folks and many years where Canada has helped our lives become influenced through wonderful relationships.
Keep us in touch with our feelings so that we will be more aware of who we really are and what that may cost each of us.
Keep us in touch with our minds so that we will know who we are not and what that means.
Keep us in touch with our dreams so that we will grow toward where we want to go and for whom…
And…nurture in us the song of the lover, the vision of the poet, questions of a child, and boldness of a prophet and the courage of a disciple. God of history and of our heart, help us once again to believe in new beginnings, to begin forgiving, to begin questioning the unquestionable, to begin disciplining, to begin sacrificing, risking and loving. Help us to believe in beginnings, to make a beginning, to be a beginning, so that we may not just grow old but grow new each day in this wild, amazing life you call us to live as your people. We give thanks for 159 years as a country where freedom is still seen as paramount and where our faith has been such an integral part of it…Amen.
ASSURANCE of PARDON: (Rev. Jope)
As we sit together in this sanctuary and speak from our hearts to the living God, may we know that our voices are heard and that what may be causing us strife, has now vanished…Amen.
CHOIR SELECTION “Uma Familia” (We Are One Family) by: Jay Althouse
Engaging
(Reader: Peggy Jackson)
FIRST SCRIPTURE PASSAGE
GENESIS 22: 1-14 (15) The sacrifice of Isaac…
SECOND PASSAGE
PSALM 13 (429) How long will you forget me, God
*A CANADIAN FOLK SONG
“This Land is Your Land” (slightly altered)
This land is your land, this land is my land,
From Bonavista to Vancouver Island
From the Arctic Circle to the Great Lakes waters,
God’s land was made for you and me.
As we went walking that ribbon of highway,
We saw above us that endless skyway;
We saw below us that golden valley
God’s land was made for you and me.
The sun came shining, and we were strolling,
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling;
As the fog was lifting, God’s voice was chanting,
My land was made for you and me.
This land is your land, this land is my land,
From Bonavista to Vancouver Island;
From the Arctic Circle to the Great Lakes waters,
My land was made for you and me.
GOSPEL PASSAGE
MATTHEW 10: 40-42 (791) Welcoming and offering a cup of water.
MESSAGE “We are Born in God’s Image”
Responding
Rev. Jope: Let us embrace the promise of love through the gifts of our offering as we seek to further God’s work of acceptance, kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. The offering will now be received…
SPECIAL CHOIR MUSIC “Bridge Over Troubled Water” arr: Kirbey Shaw
OFFERING DEDICATION PRAYER (Rev. Jope)
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Blessing
CLOSING HYMN VU # 419 “May the Grace of Christ”
*COMMISSIONING (unison)
As you leave this place of worship, go out into the world and embrace it with your love and your compassion. Know always that this country will feed you and sustain you and that each person who resides here is a child of the most Holy One. Go now and share your life with others…Amen.
*BENEDICTION (Rev. Jope)
RECESSIONAL & POSTLUDE MUSIC
SCRIPTURE PASSAGES for SUNDAY, JULY 5, 2026
GENESIS 24: 34-38, 42-49, 58-67
PSALM 45: 10-17 or SONG OF SOLOMAN 2” 8-13
ROMANS 7: 15-25a
MATTHEW 11: 16-19, 25-30