CHRIST CANDLE LITURGY:
We were made in Creator God's love. Jesus came to us to teach us God's love. The Spirit of God abides with us, fueling our love. In love,
we light this candle recalling how all we begin in love, live in love, and continue in love-for God is love.
     Used with permission Gathering Pentecost - 2- 2026; Whitney

SUNG RESPONSE: VU 606 “In Christ There Is No East or West”   Verse 1
1. In Christ there is no east or west,
in him no south or north,
but one great family of love
throughout the whole wide earth.

1. CALL TO WORSHIP:
Like the peoples long ago, we are journeying in stages.
Our lives unfold, not all at once but piece by piece.
Sometimes the forward movement is small.
Sometimes we may feel we are being called to take enormous leaps in faith.
On all days of the journey, we can know that God is with us.
Thanks be to God.
     Used with permission Gathering Pentecost 2, 2026; Beth W Johnston

2. OPENING PRAYER:
Guiding God, light of direction and discernment, shine in our hearts today. As we journey through life, with events and upsets we do not understand, steady us with the patience of faith. When all feels lost and we are tired by our days, strengthen us with the persistence of faith. Daunted by obstacles in our lives and in the world, embolden us with the courage of faith. When hurts and slights sting or indifference isolates us, soothe us with the essence of faith. Embrace us in your eternal love and remind us of your reassuring promise, to be with us always, to the end of our days.  Amen.
     Used with permission Gathering Pentecost - 2- 2026; Gill Le Fevre

3. LEARNING TIME:

4. HYMN: 409 VU “Morning Has Broken”
1.  Morning has broken like the first morning,
blackbird has spoken like the first bird.
Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!
Praise for them, springing fresh from the Word!

2.  Sweet the rain's new fall sunlit from heaven,
like the first dewfall on the first grass.
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden,
sprung in completeness where God's feet pass.

3.  Ours is the sunlight! Ours is the morning
born of the one light Eden saw play!
Praise with elation, praise every morning,
God's recreation of the new day!

5. PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
Welcoming God, we have received your invitation to come and feast on your word. We hunger for the Good News! May our spirits be open to the subtle nuances for justice and righteousness. Let our senses experience the beauty in each person around us. Open our hearts to experience the wonder of the banquet of love, expressed in words offered. We ask all this in the name of the Great Storyteller, Jesus Christ.  Amen.
     Used with permission from Gathering Pentecost 1 2026; Laura J. Turnbull

6. SCRIPTURE LESSON:
Exodus 16: 2 - 15
2 There in the desert they started complaining to Moses and Aaron, 3 “We wish the LORD had killed us in Egypt. When we lived there, we could at least sit down and eat all the bread and meat we wanted. But you have brought us out here into this desert, where we are going to starve.” 4 The LORD said to Moses, “I will send bread[a] down from heaven like rain. Tell the people to go out each day and gather only enough for that day. That's how I will see if they obey me. 5 But on the sixth day of each week they must gather and cook twice as much.” 6 Moses and Aaron told the people, “This evening you will know that the LORD was the one who rescued you from Egypt. 7 And in the morning you will see his glorious power, because he has heard your complaints against him. Why should you grumble to us? Who are we?” 8 Then Moses continued, “You will know it is the LORD when he gives you meat each evening and more than enough bread each morning. He is really the one you are complaining about, not us-we are nobodies-but the LORD has heard your complaints.”9 Moses turned to Aaron and said,“ Bring the people together, because the LORD has heard their complaints.”10 Aaron was speaking to them, when everyone looked out toward the desert and saw the bright glory of the LORD in a cloud. 11 The LORD said to Moses, 12 “I have heard my people complain. Now tell them that each evening they will have meat and each morning they will have more than enough bread. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.” 13 That evening a lot of quails came and landed everywhere in the camp, and the next morning dew covered the ground. 14 After the dew had gone, the desert was covered with thin flakes that looked like frost. 15 The people had never seen anything like this, and they started asking each other, “What is it?” Moses answered, “This is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.”

Responsive Reading Psalm 105: parts 1 & 4 VU page 828/29
Refrain:  “Bless God, my soul. Hallelujah!”

Part One (1-11)
Give thanks and call on God's name. Make known to the nations what God has done.
Sing, O sing the songs of praise; tell of all God's wonderful deeds.
Exult in God's holy name;
let those who seek God be joyful in heart.  Refrain

Turn for help to the One who is your strength; seek God's presence continually.
Remember the marvels the Most High has done, the wonders and judgements God has given,
O children of Abraham and Sarah, God's servants,*
O offspring of Israel, chosen of God.  Refrain

You are the eternal God,
your justice reaches every corner of the earth.
You are ever mindful of your covenant, the promise you gave to a thousand generations,
the covenant you made with Sarah and Abraham, the oath you gave to Isaac.
You confirmed it for Jacob as binding. To Israel your everlasting covenant you declared,
'To you I give the land of Canaan, as your appointed inheritance.'   Refrain

Part Four (37-45)
You led Israel out, with spoil of silver and gold. Among the tribes not one fell behind.
The Egyptians were glad when they went, for dread of Israel had fallen upon them.
You spread cloud as a screen,
and fire as light by night.
The people asked, and you sent them quail; you filled them with bread from heaven.
You opened a rock and water gushed out: It flowed like a river through the arid land.  Refrain

For you remembered the sacred promise you made to Abraham and Sarah, your servants.
You led out your people rejoicing, your chosen ones with songs of gladness.
You gave them the lands of nations;
they took possession where others had toiled, that they might keep your laws and obey your teachings.  Refrain

7.  REFLECTION:

8.  HYMN: VU 460 “All Who Hunger”
1.  All who hunger, gather gladly; holy manna is our bread.
Come from wilderness and wandering. Here, in truth, we will be fed.
You that yearn for days of fullness, all around us is our food.
Taste and see the grace eternal.
Taste and see that God is good.

2.  All who hunger, never strangers; seeker, be a welcome guest.
Come from restlessness and roaming. Here, in joy, we keep the feast.
We that once were lost and scattered in communion's love have stood.
Taste and see the grace eternal.
Taste and see that God is good.

3.  All who hunger, sing together; Jesus Christ is living bread.
Come from loneliness and longing. Here, in peace, we have been led.
Blest are those who from this table live their lives in gratitude.
Taste and see the grace eternal.
Taste and see that God is good.

9. SCRIPTURE LESSONS:
Philippians 1: 21 - 30
21 If I live, it will be for Christ, and if I die, I will gain even more. 22 I don't know what to choose. I could keep on living and doing something useful. 23 It is a hard choice to make. I want to die and be with Christ, because this would be much better. 24-25 But I know that all of you still need me. This is why I am sure I will stay on to help you grow and be happy in your faith. 26 Then, when I visit you again, you will have good reason to take great pride in Christ Jesus because of me.[a] 27 Above all else, you must live in a way that brings honor to the good news about Christ. Then, whether I visit you or not, I will hear that all of you think alike. I will know that you are working together and are struggling side by side to get others to believe the good news. 28 Be brave when you face your enemies. Your courage will show them that they are going to be destroyed, and it will show you that you will be saved. God will make all of this happen, 29 and he has blessed you. Not only do you have faith in Christ, but you suffer for him. 30 You saw me suffer, and you still hear about my troubles. Now you must suffer in the same way.

Matthew 20: 1 - 16
Workers in a Vineyard
20 As Jesus was telling what the kingdom of heaven would be like, he said: Early one morning a man went out to hire some workers for his vineyard. 2 After he had agreed to pay them the usual amount for a day's work, he sent them off to his vineyard. 3 About nine that morning, the man saw some other people standing in the market with nothing to do. 4 He promised to pay them what was fair, if they would work in his vineyard. 5 So they went. At noon and again about three in the afternoon he returned to the market. And each time he made the same agreement with others who were loafing around with nothing to do. 6 Finally, about five in the afternoon the man went back and found some others standing there. He asked them, “Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?” 7 “Because no one has hired us,” they answered. Then he told them to go work in his vineyard. 8 That evening the owner of the vineyard told the man in charge of the workers to call them in and give them their money. He also told the man to begin with the ones who were hired last. 9 When the workers arrived, the ones who had been hired at five in the afternoon were given a full day's pay. 10 The workers who had been hired first thought they would be given more than the others. But when they were given the same, 11 they began complaining to the owner of the vineyard. 12 They said, “The ones who were hired last worked for only one hour. But you paid them the same that you did us. And we worked in the hot sun all day long!”13 The owner answered one of them, “Friend, I didn't cheat you. I paid you exactly what we agreed on. 14 Take your money now and go! What business is it of yours if I want to pay them the same that I paid you? 15 Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Why should you be jealous, if I want to be generous?” 16 Jesus then said, “So it is. Everyone who is now last will be first, and everyone who is first will be last.”

10.  REFLECTION:

11. HYMN   VU 677 “O God of Every Nation”
1.  O God of every nation, of every race and land,
redeem the whole creation with your almighty hand;
where hate and fear divide us and bitter threats are hurled,
in love and mercy guide us and heal our strife-torn world.

2.  From search for wealth and power and scorn of truth and right,
from trust in bombs that shower destruction through the night,
from pride of race and station and blindness to your way,
deliver every nation, eternal God, we pray.

3.  Give strength to those who labour that all may find release
from fear of rattling sabre, from dread of war's increase;
when hope and courage falter, your still small voice be heard:
with faith that none can alter, your servants undergird.

4.  Keep bright in us the vision of days when war shall cease,
when hatred and division, give way to love and peace,
till dawns the morning glorious when peace on earth shall reign
and Christ shall rule victorious o'er all the world's domain.

12. PRAYER OF CONFESSION:
God in heaven, it was you alone who blessed our world with life, with sea and sky and land, with light and darkness, with fish and animals, and with humankind. It was you, God, who fed the children of Israel as they journeyed across the desert. It was you who fed the multitudes, gathered around your son, with only a few loaves and fishes. But despite all of the evidence before us, we forget that all good gifts come from you. And so, we spend our time and our energy grasping for more. We forget that we ought only to put our faith and trust in you to provide what we need. Forgive us, O God, when we hold on so tightly to our possessions that they begin to take hold of us. Forgive us when we forget to put our trust in you. Forgive our greed. Forgive us, Gracious God, when we are too frightened to trust in your abundance.
(a time of silent prayer)
Amen.  Amen.
     Used with permission Gathering Pentecost - 2- 2026: Diane McKenty

13.  WORDS OF ASSURANCE:
This is the good news: Nothing is impossible with God. Even when we forget to put our trust in the Lord, God does not forget us. Even when we forget that it is God the Creator who provides all good things, God continues to share God's abundance with us. God will continue to provide. We trust. Be comforted in the knowledge that you are a child of God. You are forgiven.
Thanks be to God.
     Used with permission Gathering Pentecost - 2- 2026: Diane McKenty

14. SUNG RESPONSE: VU 271  “There's a Wideness in God's Mercy” Verses 5 seated
5. For the love of God is broader than the measures of the mind,
and the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind.

15.  PASSING OF THE PEACE:
In gratitude for the presence of the Divine and for the teachings of Jesus, may The Spirit guide us to live lives worthy of the gospel of Christ. Let us share this peace of Christ with one another this morning.
     From the Abingdon Worship Annual 2026.
     Copyright @2024 by Abingdon Press. Used by permission

16. OFFERING INVITATION:
We have received much from God and God's creation. Let us give thanks and share so that this abundance may equip all disciples for their work. Let us present our morning offering.
     Used with permission from Gathering Pentecost 2 - 2026; Beth W Johnston

17.  OFFERTORY: VU 538 “For the Gift of Creation”
For the gift of creation,
the gift of your love,
and the gift of the Spirit by which we live,
we thank you and give you the fruit of our hands.
May your grace be proclaimed
by the gifts that we give.

18.  PRAYER OF DEDICATION:
Loving God, through the life you give us and the bounty therein, we encounter the amazing web of interconnection and of interdependence in your good Creation. Bless us and our giving as we give back some of that bounty. May we find purpose in all our relationships.  Amen.
      Used with permission Gathering Pentecost - 2- 2026; Gord Dunbar

19.  PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND LORD'S PRAYER

20. HYMN: VU 227 “For the Fruit of All Creation”
1.  For the fruit of all creation,
thanks be to God.
For the gifts to every nation,
thanks be to God.
For the ploughing, sowing, reaping,
silent growth while we are sleeping,
future needs in earth's safekeeping,
thanks be to God.

2.  In the just reward of labour,
God's will is done.
In the help we give our neighbour,
God's will is done.
In our worldwide task of caring
or the hungry and despairing,
in the harvests we are sharing,
God's will is done.

3.  For the harvests of the Spirit,
thanks be to God.
For the good we all inherit,
thanks be to God.
For the wonders that astound us,
for the truths that still confound us,
most of all that love has found us,
thanks be to God.

21.  BLESSING:
Go out into this new week, nourished by the grace of God. May God's love sustain you through the challenges you face and inspire you through the blessings you encounter. In every moment, may you bear the fruit of God's eternal love, offering up praise and thanksgiving.   Amen.
     Used with permission Gathering Pentecost - 2- 2026; Gill Le Fevret

22.  THREE FOLD AMEN:

Next Sunday:  Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
        September 27, 2026:
         Exodus 17: 1 - 7   Psalm 78: 1 - 4, 12 - 16;
         Philippians 2:1 - 13;  Matthew 21: 23 - 32.

1. SUNDAY, September 20, 2026  Seventeen Sunday after Pentecost/ Creation 2   10:45 AM   Rev. Jo-Ann Hills  “RECOLLECTIONS”  ALL ARE WELCOME!


2. SUNDAY, September 20, 2026  SUNDAY BRUNCH   11:30 AM   Wesley Hall  ALL ARE WELCOME!
   [SEE POSTER ON “HAPPENINGS” TAB FOR FULL DETAILS]


3. TUESDAY, September 22, 2026  BIBLE STUDY  10:00 AM   Main Office  ALL ARE WELCOME


4. TUESDAY, September 22, 2026  Jubilation Handbell Ringers  If you are interested in ringing some bells, come out and give it a try;   6:30pm in the Choir Room.


5. SUNDAY, September 27, 2026  Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost   10:45 AM   Rev. Nora Borgeson  “RECOLLECTIONS”  ALL ARE WELCOME!


6. SUNDAY, October 4, 2026  Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost   10:45 AM   Rev. Jo-Ann Hillson  “WORLD WIDE COMMUNION”
   A WELCOME TO SPEERS AND BATTLEFORD WHO WILL BE JOINING US


7. TUESDAY, October 6,2026  Jubilation Handbell Ringers  If you are interested in ringing some bells, come out and give it a try;   6:30pm in the Choir Room.


8. SUNDAY, October 25, 2026  BEEF "FALL SUPPER"  5:00 - 7:00 PM  Pre-order tickets at: (306) 490-7376  
   [SEE POSTER ON “HAPPENINGS ”TAB FOR FULL DETAILS]