The Greatest Treasure

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Thursday night Choir time 7 pm

Prayers for the people

No Choir this week because of Induction

Call to Worship (Responsive)

One: In Christ, the God of heaven has made his home on earth.

All: Christ dwells among us and is one with us.

One: Highest of all creation, he lives among the least.

All: He journeys with the rejected and welcomes the weary.

One: Come now, all who thirst,

All: and drink the water of life.

One: Come now, all who hunger,

All: and be filled with good things.

One: Come now, all who seek,

All: and be warmed by the fire of love.

Prayer of Invocation

With you, gracious God,

we move into this time of worship,

grateful that you are never farther

than the reach of our need and our prayer.

You who tower over the universe

are yet intimately present,

always renewing the face of the earth,

always renewing the faith of your children.

Now, in your mercy, make your way past

all that worries and distracts us

to lodge in us anew and to center

our small worship on your great glory. Amen.

Opening Hymn: open my eyes

Open my eyes that I may see

glimpses of truth thou hast for me.

Place in my hands the wonderful key

that shall unclasp and set me free.

Silently now I wait for thee,

ready, my God, thy will to see.

Open my eyes, illumine me,

Spirit divine!

2 Open my ears that I may hear

voices of truth thou sendest clear,

and while the wave notes fall on my ear,

ev’rything false will disappear.

Silently now I wait for thee,

ready, my God, thy will to see.

Open my ears, illumine me,

Spirit divine!

3 Open my mouth and let me bear

gladly the warm truth ev’rywhere.

Open my heart and let me prepare

love with thy children thus to share.

Silently now I wait for thee,

ready, my God, thy will to see.

Open my mouth, illumine me,

Spirit divine!

Call to Confession

Living God, artist of the changing skies, builder of the steadfast earth,

Lively Christ, born to walk life’s journey with us,

Spirit of life, always moving in us and among us,

Your presence surrounds us here and everywhere we go.

Your purpose holds the world in its place;

Your imagination engages us each step of the way.

In our time of worship, show us how we can serve you,

and open our imaginations to the future you create,

for we seek your guidance and your grace now and always. Amen.

Prayer of Confession (All Together)

God of time and eternity,

we confess that we have long memories, especially for things that hurt us,

for moments we resent or regret.

Week by week we seek your forgiveness for our mistakes,

but we confess we do not forgive others so faithfully.

Sometimes we seek opportunity to even the score.

Confront us with your mercy, O God,

and open our hearts to its cleansing power.

Assurance of Pardon

From now on, St. Paul declared, we regard no one from a human point of view.

If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation.

Everything old has passed away; and everything has become new.

Through Christ God has reconciled us and given us a ministry of reconciliation.

Thanks be to God that we can all make a new start, this day and every day!

The Lords 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One.

For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory,

Forever and ever. Amen.

Children’s Lesson

Normally, we would have the children gather together at the front of the sanctuary. However, we would ask that they stay with their parents for now and listen to the children’s sermon.

I have a question for all the children. How many of you know your ABC’s? How did you learn them? Did you write them down a lot? Did you study them and read them a lot? Did you sing them every day many times?

I have another question. How many of you know about Jesus? How do you learn about Jesus?

The Bible is one of the best places for us to learn about Jesus, it is often called the Word of God. However, there are also many other places where we learn about Jesus. We can learn about him, from our parents, our brothers and sisters, other members of our church, our Sunday School Teachers, the music we sing, and maybe even from our pastor. These people all teach us about Jesus through the things that the say and the things that they do everyday. They all show us and tell us what it means to live like as a follower of Jesus. Some of the ways in which they may do this is reading the Bible with us, explaining the parts we may find difficult to understand, they might spend time praying with us or even when they forgives us when we do wrong. These are all ways which they teach us a little bit more about Jesus every day.

In Today’s scripture Jesus is trying to teach his disciples something about him. He was trying to teach them something that was very difficult for them to understand. Jesus was trying to teach his disciples that the image that they have of him as the messiah is actually wrong. Instead of being the King of the people of Isreal who would lead the to a great victory over their enemies, Jesus was telling them that he was going to made fun of, hurt by others and even that he was going to die.

This made Peter really angry, no one wants to let their friend get hurt. So Peter starts to tell Jesus that what he is saying is wrong. You see Peter was like all of us, he knew Jesus was God, but he still did not know everything about Jesus, he was still learning about Jesus from Jesus.

You see, even though Peter lived with Jesus and learned about him every day, he still was learning more about Jesus every day. Just like Peter we are all learning more about God every day. We learn about him from how other Christians teach us and show us who Jesus was and we teach others about Jesus by how we talk and show them we are Christian.

That is what Jesus was teaching the disciples in his message today. That we need to follow him and be like him. Jesus did not say we need to be perfect people now. Jesus knows that following him is hard, I am sure your parents would all agree that following him at times can be very hard because what we want to do and what we know we should do are two different things.

So this is why just like reading, or math, or music or anything else we try to learn, we need to study and practice. When we want to be better at something, even something like playing video games, we practice everyday. Loving and following Jesus Christ is the same, we need to practice it everyday.

And just like all these things we practice, Jesus does not expect us to be perfect. He does not expects us to be a diamond league player, or a straight A student. Jesus is happy that we are practicing everyday and learning a little more about him and how we are to live everyday.

Dear Jesus, we love to learn about you! Thank you for all of the ways that we learn about you all day long from our families, our friends and everyone who loves us. We want to teach other people about God’s love too! Thank you for being with us even when it’s hard. Amen.

Responsive Reading (Psalm 119: 1-9)

Psalm 119:1–9 (ESV)

1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord!

2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart,

3 who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!

4 You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently.

5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!

6 Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.

7 I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules.

8 I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me!

9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.

Music Ministry. theres just something about that name

I will trust my saviour Jesus When my darkest doubts befall Trust Him when to simply trust Him Seems the hardest thing of all

I will trust my saviour Jesus Trust Him when my strength is small For I know the shield of Jesus Is the safest place of all

Jesus, only Jesus Help me trust You more and more Jesus, only Jesus May my heart be ever Yours

I will trust my saviour Jesus He has said His way is best And I know the path He's chosen Leads to everlasting rest

Jesus, only Jesus Help me trust You more and more Jesus, only Jesus May my heart be ever Yours Jesus, only Jesus Help me trust You more and more Jesus, only Jesus May my heart be ever Yours

Oh on that cross, how it was seen I can go now ever trusting in the One who died for me What could I bring, for Your gift is complete So I trust You, simply trust You, Lord with every part of me Oh on that cross, how it was seen I can go now ever trusting in the One who died for me What could I bring, for Your gift is complete So I trust You, simply trust You, Lord with every part of me Oh on that cross, how it was seen I can go now ever trusting in the One who died for me What could I bring, for Your gift is complete So I trust You, simply trust You, Lord with every part of me

Jesus, only Jesus Help me trust You more and more Jesus, only Jesus May my heart be ever Yours Jesus, only Jesus Help me trust You more and more Jesus, only Jesus May my heart be ever Yours

Scripture

Mark 8:27-38

Mark 8:27–38 ESV

27 And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” 30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. 31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” 34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Hymn Before Sermon I will trust my savoir Jesse

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

There’s just something about that name

Master, Savior, Jesus

Like the fragrance after the rain

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

Let all Heaven and earth proclaim

Kings and kingdoms will all pass away

But there’s something about that name

Something about that name.

Prayer for illumination

Lord, before this world’s days even began,

your Word was in the beginning,

and it was with you and it was you.

The mystery of that brings us to our knees.

Yet today you allow us to open your Word and know you better.

So we ask that you would give us eyes to see and ears to hear.

Give us hearts open to your Spirit as we seek you. Amen

Sermon

Charlemagne was perhaps one of the greatest leaders in the western world. He came to power as the King of the Franks in 768 AD, and through his rulership he eventually unified most of Western Europe, including many areas which had never been under even the Roman Empires rulership when it was in its prime.

Some know him as Charles the Great, and he died in January of 814 AD one of the wealthiest and powerful rulers of the time. He was the King of the Franks, King of the Lombards and Emperor of the remaining Roman Empire.

Charlemagne’s death had an huge impact on the people of the time. A monk of Bobbio wrote ‘From the lands where the sun rises to western shores, people are crying and wailing ... the Franks, the Romans, all Christians, are stung with mourning and great worry ... the young and old, glorious nobles, all lament the loss of their Caesar ... the world laments the death of Charles ... O Christ, you who govern the heavenly host, grant a peaceful place to Charles in your kingdom. Alas for miserable me.’ He left most of his wealth to the church to be used for charity and had his most prized possessions placed with him within his tomb.

However, he would not remain at rest. Just 186 years after his tomb was sealed it was opened by Emperor Otto in 1000 AD. Amidst the Gold, jewels and other finery it is said that they found the body of Charlemagne seated on his throne, his crown resting upon his head, his scepter in his hand and his Bible, The Vienna Coronation Gospels, the same one which he had placed his fingers upon when he was crowned king was in his lap. It is rumored that the bible was opened to Mark 8:36 “36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”

Had Charlemagne discovered that there as something that had more value than all of the power and wealth he had accumulated in his life. As we move through the scripture today I hope and pray that we will discover Charlemagne reasoning behind giving up so much of his wealth to charity and the reason for being buried with his bible as one of his most treasured possessions.

Once Again we begin our look at scripture this morning with Jesus on a journey. He has left the region of Tyre and Sidon and has moved up to a place known as Caesarea Philippi.

At this point in the Bible Jesus has been with the disciples roughly 2 and a half years. They have walked with him, shared meals with him, been taught by him and experienced many of the miracles he has performed firsthand.

Jesus has been preaching and teaching throughout the land and is now known by most who see him. And now he is going to take his disciples away from it all so he can teach them of what is coming.

He does this by taking them away from the crowds, the spiritual leaders of the synagogues and temples and those who were against him. He takes them north to a place called Caesarea Philippi.

Caesarea Philippi is a special place and knowing why it is special will help give us a better understanding of today’s scripture.

Caesarea Philippi is the headwaters of the Jordan River. A Jewish Historian named Josephus, wrote about a large cave that was located there that was filled with water and this was where the Jordan river originated. This is the river that brings life to all of the land of Israel. The river was vital to the people of Israel because without the river there would have been nothing but desert. The river starts here and moves down to the sea of Galilee and then to the dead Sea where it comes to a stop and evaporates. So, as you can imagine this was an important place to the Jews of the time.

Understand that when I said this place was special, I meant it. Caesarea Philippi was not just special to the Jews. In fact, it was special to almost every nation that was in the region or who had ever been in the region.

The site had temples to many of the pagan gods of the time. There were temples to Baal, to the god Pan, to Caesar Augustus and to a multitude of many other worldly idols. People from all around the lands would gather here to worship their false Idols. Making this a notable place of worship for the entire region and their various deities and false gods.

Jesus brought his disciples from the sea of Galilee to this place that was of importance to the Jews, the Greek’s, and the Romans. A place where the water that brought life to the people of Israel originated. He brought them here to give them and trough the bible all who believe his word a lesson on the greatest treasure in life in the presence of all that had been worshiped since the beginning of time in the region..

Jesus starts the conversation with a question which the disciples cannot get wrong, “Who do people say I am?”. There is no correct answer to this question. Who people think Jesus is does not matter. Many people make judgments on who someone is, only to be surprised to discover that they are in fact not the person they were perceived to be. Many people have their own personal Jesus, an image or idea of who Jesus is in which they selectively choose what they believe so that their Jesus is not necessarily the Jesus that is represented in the Bible.

Jesus asks this question not to test the disciples, but instead to emphasize the importance of recognizing the difference between who people claim Jesus to be and who He is.

The answer he is given is interesting. He is known to be many different things, some believe him to be John the Baptist, others think he may be the prophet Elijah, still others believe he may be one of the other prophets. While we might think this is rather silly, if you understand this in context it begins to make sense.

The reason that some believed he may have been John the Baptist was because Herod Antipas, the man who had ordered to have John the Baptist beheaded, was worried when he heard about Jesus, and about all of the miracles that Jesus was performing, that he was in fact John The Baptist risen from the dead to haunt him for his wrongful murder of John the Baptist.

Why would anyone think that he could be Elijah though? Elijah was a prophet who at this time would have been dead for roughly 900 years. This belief comes from the old testament.

Malachi 4:5–6 ESV

5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

The Jews believed that before the messiah that Elijah needed to return. Even today many Jews keep a seat at the table empty during Passover for Elijah if he should choose to return. They hope that he will join them at the Passover table, because that tells them that the time of the messiahs’ return is not far away. Seeing everything that Jesus was doing they began to speculate that he was Elijah returning.

Now, after they have shared all of the rumors about who Jesus is to the people, Jesus asks the real question.

Mark 8:29 ESV

29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”

Peter answers properly, He says that Jesus in the The Christ. When we speak of Jesus Christ we are not speaking of his name, Jesus’s family were not the Christs. In fact, at that time every person carried the name of their father. We see that here when Jesus refers to Simon and Simon son of Jonah. Jesus is Yeshua ben Yosef, Jesus son of Joseph. His title was Jesus Christ.

Christ in Greek is Kristos which is translated from the Hebrew Meshiac or messiah. Jesus is the Messiah, messiah literally means to smear, because when people were called into positions of leadership and authority they were anointed or smeared with an anointing oil across their forehead. They were marked by the oil; Jesus is marked, the one chosen by God and anointed our king.

Mark 8:30 ESV

30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

Peter gets this question right. The disciples finally see who Jesus is, but do they understand why he has come. It is because they do not yet understand the reason that he has come that he strictly commands them to not tell anyone the truth of who He is.

Mark 8:31–32 ESV

31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

This is one of the only times that Jesus speaks plainly in the Bible. There are no allegories, no metaphors, no parables. He opens the eyes of his disciples to the truth that He is the messiah and the truth that the messiah is not some powerful leader who has come to lead an army against those who are oppressing the people of God. Instead the messiah is destined to die, in fact that it is necessary for him to die. While the disciples do not yet understand, Jesus knows that his suffering and His death is the only way to bring sinful people back into a covenant relationship with God.

The issue is that many Jews envision the Messiah as a King, a Priest, that will lead the people to their freedom. The idea that the Messiah would suffer and die would not fit into this concept of Messiah at all.

So Peter pulls Jesus aside to speak against the idea that Jesus would die. Peter cannot imagine any reason for Jesus to die. How can a King release his people for their suffering and bring in his kingdom if he dies, a King must be present to lead his people.

Jesus knows that his disciples has the same image of the Messiah as Peter, as the entirety of the Jews of the time. He also knows that he must explain the reality of why he has come, and what it will mean to be a follower of his going forward. So He turns and Rebukes Peter.

Mark 8:33 ESV

33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

He rebukes him using the same terminology he used when he rebuked Satan during his temptation in the desert. In his disciple he sees the adversary, the one who is focused more on the will of man than on the things of God.

The truth is many of us would have probably aligned with Peter. Dying upon a cross after being tortured and ridiculed is not a noble way to die. It is a shameful, exposed, humiliated and defeated way for anyone to die.

Dying on the cross would not prove who Jesus was to everyone, instead it would make many believe that they were right, Jesus was just a man.

Like Peter, I am sure many of us would want to see our King on His throne and not upon a cross.

Yet, when we set aside our worldly view and instead focus on the things of God we can learn to see the cross differently. Jesus knew that his death upon the cross was in fact part of God’s plan to reconcile his people to him. We van begin to see the bigger picture of what is really happening, Jesus is dying so that he can save us.

I want to tell you another story, this one is true and some of here might remember these events. In the cold of January 1982 a 737 with eighty-three passengers had taken off. However, while it had sat on the tarmac waiting for approval for takeoff a significant amount of ice had built up upon its wings. It struggled to gain altitude and finally succumbed to the ice and instead crashed nose first into the Potomac river.

People were struggling to survive, being washed away in the river by chunks of ice, luggage, seat cushions, jet fuel and other debris from the crash. Rescue Helicopters and news media crews rushed to the scene, where the found a middle aged man swimming in the river. The rescue rope was lowered and the man took it in his hand and then deliberately let it go. Twice the man had the rope lowered too him and both times he quite deliberately let go of the rope to the astonishment of all who were present and all who were watching from home. Each time he had a chance to survive he passed it up and before the rope could be lowered a third time he succumbed to his exhaustion and drowned.

Why did this man suffer such a pointless and useless death. Why didn’t he just grab onto the rope and save himself. To understand this we need the whole story, to expand our focus off the man and onto the bigger picture of what is happening.

You see each time that the man had the rope lowered to him he grabbed onto it. He then looked for the person near him that was struggling the most and handed the rope to them so that they could be pulled to safety. He did not die a pointless death, he died so that others could live. When we know the whole story we can see the purpose, bravery and caring that was all part of his death.

Jesus’s death is all of these things. He died in our place. Jesus took the punishment that we deserve for our sins so that we could enter into a relationship with God. He was forsaken upon the cross so that we would never need to be forsaken.

When we look at Jesus’s death from man’s view its is a horrible way to die, however, when we see it through God’s plan is is our only way to be saved.

Mark 8:34 ESV

34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Jesus now instructs his disciples, as well as those present, on the truth of what it means to follow him and be saved.

His first call is for us to deny ourselves. this means we are to no longer live for ourselves and our own selfish desires. If you are not sure if you live for yourself or deny yourself, ask yourself a simple question; Who has the right to tell you how to live?

If your first response is ‘No one has the right to tell me how to live. I am going to live the life I want!” you might want to remember that it is God who made us. God who sustains us. We are dependent on God for everything we have and to live our lives in defiance of him is absurd, he knows more about our lives than we do.

Jesus is telling us to follow God’s ways. In Mark1:15 it is explained a little more clearly .

Mark 1:15 ESV

15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

To repent is quite literally to change direction. To repent and believe means I am called to not only stop doing those things which draw me away from the Lord, but also start saying ‘ Jesus, I know that you are my Lord and saviour and I am going to allow you to take charge of my life.

This simple command to deny ourself has a multitude of applications that we are going to have to wrestle with every day we live?

What do I do with my time and how I use it?

How about my money and how I spend and invest it?

Even my work and how I approach it!

My family and how I relate to them

Even my community and how I represent myself

In these things are we denying ourselves and living our life for christ?

But Jesus did not stop there.

Mark 8:34 ESV

34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Next he tells us to take up our cross.

Jesus knows what he is about to face on his journey to the cross. He knows the pain, the suffering and the humiliation that all will come before he dies upon the cross. Even the disciples and his followers understand these things, because they have all witnessed those who have been crucified for their crimes.

Yet here is Jesus using the imagery of the cross and telling everyone that they must take up their cross and follow him. He is warning people that to follow Him is not an easy path, even though we may not face a literal cross, we may face other challenges, other forms of suffering, other forms of martyrdom if we commit ourselves to being a follower of Christ.

While we may not face death here in Canada, there are Christians around the world every day who are killed for their faith.

Jesus is telling those present, I am willing to die for you, but you also need to be prepared to die for me, if you want to be my follower.

The truth is that many of us will never face death because of our faith, however most of us will face suffering of some kind. We may find ourselves marginalized, misunderstood or even isolated because of our faith, People with whom we were friends or colleagues may turn on us because of our faith. Even our family may find our beliefs offensive because they do not align with societal norms. It is guaranteed in this modern day if you adhere to the truth of the gospel that

John 14:6 ESV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

the minute you tell the world that Jesus is the only way to heaven, you will face opposition.

Christians are called to not only see who Jesus is and why he came. They are called to die to themselves and to be willing to follow him wherever it may lead them in their lives.

This is a dire call and not one that should be taken lightly. After all here is an awful lot to lose out on if I give up my own personal desires and accept the fact that I may suffer or even be killed for my faith. Why would anyone in their right mind choose to be a Christian?

Mark 8:35–37 ESV

35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul?

Our soul is the most precious thing we have. Once we have lost our soul there is no way to re-obtain it, it is gone forever. We can lose possessions and regain them, lose money and re-earn it, even lose friends and family and make new friends and a new family. But our soul once lost is gone forever.

This is one of the problems of human nature. We stay focused in our lives on the here and now. W often weigh the balances of everything based on the benefits we will receive immediately over the long term benefits.

Jesus is teaching us something different. Jesus is telling us that we are eternal and that the eternal is more important than the immediate. We need to lift our eyes from the here and now and instead look into the future.

The whole Bible emphasizes the importance of our future because it is in fact eternal, when we die it isn;t the end of our journey. There is no end. We do live for the day, but are alive for this day.

Jesus is emphasizing that there is a relationship between our life here on this planet and what will happen after we die and continue our eternal life.

This is where there is that twist. Those who save their lives will lose them and those who lose their lives, here on earth, will enjoy them for all eternity.

Jesus knows and understand that it is human nature to cling onto this life dearly, to Carpe Diem, to seize the day and try to live the life we want. The modern Carpe Diem is Yolo, ‘you only live once’ which calls for people to enjoy this life however they wish.

The reality is that we live every day, in fact in Christ we have an eternal life. We only die once. Jesus is warning that if we live a life focused on worldly things we are missing out on the Godly things we will enjoy in our eternal life.

The reality is that if we really want to hold onto our souls, the most valuable possession we have, we need to allow him to lead us in our lives.

Mark 8:38 ESV

38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Whether we believe it or not, the truth is that Jesus is going to return to judge the world. We have an opportunity to have him not only be our judge but to also be our saviour.

In this final verse I see a great reflection of the world today. By letting Jesus be in control I am giving up the things of this world, the money, the power, the fame, the friends, the social status, I am willingly giving up all of these things. Knowing that by doing so I am saved!

By standing with Jesus and adhering to his word I am losing here in this life by worldly standards. However what I lose pales in significance to the wonders that await in heaven and in the eternal life that I will enjoy with God. Jesus tells us that to give up the things that will destroy us in this life - self-love, self-worship, self-will - will in fact save our souls for all eternity.

So when we pass from this world will we be like Charlemagne? Will we be found holding our bibles focused on the one great treasure that there is in this life and beyond.

Let us close in prayer

For Grace By Augustine of Hippo

We ask not of you, O Father, silver and gold, honor and glory, nor the pleasures of the world. Grant us grace to seek your Kingdom and your righteousness, and give us what we need for body and life. Behold, O Lord, our desire. May it be pleasing in your sight. We present our petition to you through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is at your right hand, our mediator and Advocate, through whom you sought us that we might seek you; your Word, through whom you made us and all things; your only Son, through whom you call us to adoption, who intercedes with you for us, and in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge; to him, with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honor, praise, and glory, now and forever. Amen.

Hymn:

Amazing grace how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me I once was lost, but now I'm found Was blind, but now I see

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear And grace my fears relieved How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed

My chains are gone, I've been set free My God, my Savior has ransomed me And like a flood His mercy reigns Unending love Amazing grace

The Lord has promised good to me His word my hope secures He will my shield and portion be As long as life endures

My chains are gone, I've been set free My God, my Savior has ransomed me And like a flood His mercy reigns Unending love Amazing grace

My chains are gone, I've been set free My God, my Savior has ransomed me And like a flood His mercy reigns Unending love Amazing grace

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow The sun forbear to shine But God who called me here below Will be forever mine, will be forever mine You are forever mine

Offering

Presenting our tithes and offerings is an act of worship. I want to encourage you to write a cheque and drop it in the mail to the church using your envelope, if you have one. (St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, PO Box 161, 1 Drummond St W, Perth, ON K7H 3E3) We also have another option for you for giving and that is you can make an e-Transfer.

This note from our treasurer. E-transfers are now accepted. Please note the new email address for this purpose only. [e-mail] Please include your Offering Envelope # in the message section of the INTERAC transfer page you fill in. If you wish any part of your donation to go to a specific fund (eg Presbyterian Sharing) please mention this in your message.

Invitation to Offering

God has shown us the meaning of generosity

in the beautiful diversity of creation,

in the overflowing love of Jesus Christ,

in the never-ending gift of the Holy Spirit.

God has abundantly blessed us and called us

to be a community that honors each other,

to serve others with joy,

to share our love and material possessions.

Let us rejoice in what we have been given

and in what is ours to give.

Offertory Prayer

Generous God, you have given us life,

a place to live in,

and people to live with.

Open our eyes to each other

and to all our brothers and sisters,

especially the poor, the oppressed, the alienated.

Make us humble enough to help and comfort them,

so that your love and justice and peace may come to them.

We make bold to consecrate ourselves and our gifts

to you and to the service of others,

through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Pastoral Prayer

We praise you, God our creator, for your handiwork

in shaping and sustaining your wondrous creation.

We especially thank you for

the miracle of life and the wonder of living . . .

particular blessings coming to us in this day . . .

the resources of the earth . . .

gifts of creative vision and skillful craft . . .

the treasure stored in every human life. . . .

We pray for others, God our Savior,

claiming your love in Jesus Christ for the whole world

and committing ourselves to care for those around us in his name.

We especially pray for

those who work for the benefit of others . . .

those who cannot work today . . .

those who teach and those who learn . . .

people who are poor . . .

the church in persecution. . . .

God our creator,

yours is the morning, and yours is the evening.

Let Christ, the sun of righteousness,

shine forever in our hearts

and draw us to the light of your radiant glory.

We ask this for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Amen

Closing Hymn: o master let me walk with thee

O Master, let me walk with thee

In lowly paths of service free;

Tell me thy secret, help me bear

The strain of toil, the fret of care.

Help me the slow of heart to move

By some clear, winning word of love;

Teach me the wayward feet to stay,

And guide them in the homeward way.

Teach me thy patience; still with thee

In closer, dearer company,

In work that keeps faith sweet and strong,

In trust that triumphs over wrong.

In hope that sends a shining ray

Far down the future's broad'ning way,

In peace that only thou canst give,

With thee, O Master, let me live.

Benediction

Go out into the world in peace:

have courage;

hold on to what is good;

return no one evil for evil;

help the suffering;

honor all;

love and serve the Lord,

rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.

With God’s help we will.

And the blessing of God Almighty,

the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

be upon you, and remain with you forever. Amen.