Thornhill United Church > RSS > Podcasts en http://www.thornhillunitedchurch.ca RSS Feed for Thornhill United Church Copyright: (C) Thornhill United Church, see http://www.thornhillunitedchurch.ca for terms and conditions of reuse 60 Thornhill United Church Ecclesiact Web System for Churches http://www.ecclesiact.com <![CDATA[Casting Aspersions - Cracked]]> www.billbrucewords.com, and you can see the bible text and prayer of the day by pressing 'read more'!

Jeremiah 2:4-13



Hear the word of the Lord,


O house of Jacob,


and all the families


of the house of Israel.



Thus says the Lord:


What wrong did your ancestors find in me


that they went far from me,


and went after worthless things,


and became worthless themselves?



They did not say,


...Where is the Lord


who brought us up


from the land of Egypt,


who led us in the wilderness,


in a land of deserts and pits,


in a land of drought and deep darkness,


in a land that no one passes through,


where no one lives?o



I brought you into a plentiful land


to eat its fruits and its good things.



But when you entered you defiled my land,


and made my heritage an abomination.



The priests did not say,


...Where is the Lord?o



Those who handle the law


did not know me;



the rulers


transgressed against me;



the prophets prophesied by Baal,


and went after things that do not profit.



Therefore once more I accuse you,


says the Lord,


and I accuse your children's children.



Cross to the coasts of Cyprus and look,


send to Kedar and examine with care;


see if there has ever been such a thing.



Has a nation changed its gods,


even though they are no gods?



But my people have changed their glory


for something that does not profit.



Be appalled, O heavens, at this,


be shocked, be utterly desolate,


says the Lord,



for my people


have committed two evils:



they have forsaken me,


the spring of living water,


and dug out cisterns for themselves,


cracked cisterns, that can hold no water.





God of Jeremiah, voice through the prophet,


Challenge to the powers that be, contradiction to the wisdom of the day


We're listening for you now, watching for you here


Open to your presence in and among us - what is your word for us today?



You know how often we feel stupid


Deferring to the experts, awed by the scholars, dismissing our own doubts



You know how routinely we feel wrong


Submitting to arbitrary rules, scared of authority figures, suppressing our own wills



Remind us again of our common sense


Renew in us a practical reason


Reliance in relationship with you


Rejoicing in risks and rewards



Tell us the old, old story now, and make of it for us a living word


Not simply a theoretical truth, nor only a governing law



But a joyful word of God a joyous word from God



God you know what we face, in each week in this world


The choice between bad and worse, the options of good enough, or better yet


The chance to make a difference, the opportunity to turn a corner



Mostly we live narrow lives, in deep ruts, neither floating above, nor steering our own way


Sometimes we catch a glimpse of air and light: elbow room, margin of grace, crack in the wall


God forbid we get stuck by abstract theories, intrusive oversight



Teach us to celebrate a relationship with you, the giver of every gift,


And the one who suffers every cost, pays every price, for our choices and decisions


Prepare us now for what we will face tomorrow, and ready us for the trying, testing times



God of Jeremiah, voice through the prophet,


Challenge to the powers that be, contradiction to the wisdom of the day


We're listening for you now, watching for you here


Open to your presence in and among us - what is your word for us today?



What word do you have for our hearts,


Joyful word of God, joyous word from God


God of Jeremiah, give us ears to hear


Amen







]]> 485309466 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:19:01 GMT 1031 Thornhill United Church http://www.thornhillunitedchurch.ca 1268021548 485309466 0 2010-08-30 www.billbrucewords.com, and you can see the bible text and prayer of the day by pressing 'read more'!

Jeremiah 2:4-13



Hear the word of the Lord,


O house of Jacob,


and all the families


of the house of Israel.



Thus says the Lord:


What wrong did your ancestors find in me


that they went far from me,


and went after worthless things,


and became worthless themselves?



They did not say,


...Where is the Lord


who brought us up


from the land of Egypt,


who led us in the wilderness,


in a land of deserts and pits,


in a land of drought and deep darkness,


in a land that no one passes through,


where no one lives?o



I brought you into a plentiful land


to eat its fruits and its good things.



But when you entered you defiled my land,


and made my heritage an abomination.



The priests did not say,


...Where is the Lord?o



Those who handle the law


did not know me;



the rulers


transgressed against me;



the prophets prophesied by Baal,


and went after things that do not profit.



Therefore once more I accuse you,


says the Lord,


and I accuse your children's children.



Cross to the coasts of Cyprus and look,


send to Kedar and examine with care;


see if there has ever been such a thing.



Has a nation changed its gods,


even though they are no gods?



But my people have changed their glory


for something that does not profit.



Be appalled, O heavens, at this,


be shocked, be utterly desolate,


says the Lord,



for my people


have committed two evils:



they have forsaken me,


the spring of living water,


and dug out cisterns for themselves,


cracked cisterns, that can hold no water.





God of Jeremiah, voice through the prophet,


Challenge to the powers that be, contradiction to the wisdom of the day


We're listening for you now, watching for you here


Open to your presence in and among us - what is your word for us today?



You know how often we feel stupid


Deferring to the experts, awed by the scholars, dismissing our own doubts



You know how routinely we feel wrong


Submitting to arbitrary rules, scared of authority figures, suppressing our own wills



Remind us again of our common sense


Renew in us a practical reason


Reliance in relationship with you


Rejoicing in risks and rewards



Tell us the old, old story now, and make of it for us a living word


Not simply a theoretical truth, nor only a governing law



But a joyful word of God a joyous word from God



God you know what we face, in each week in this world


The choice between bad and worse, the options of good enough, or better yet


The chance to make a difference, the opportunity to turn a corner



Mostly we live narrow lives, in deep ruts, neither floating above, nor steering our own way


Sometimes we catch a glimpse of air and light: elbow room, margin of grace, crack in the wall


God forbid we get stuck by abstract theories, intrusive oversight



Teach us to celebrate a relationship with you, the giver of every gift,


And the one who suffers every cost, pays every price, for our choices and decisions


Prepare us now for what we will face tomorrow, and ready us for the trying, testing times



God of Jeremiah, voice through the prophet,


Challenge to the powers that be, contradiction to the wisdom of the day


We're listening for you now, watching for you here


Open to your presence in and among us - what is your word for us today?



What word do you have for our hearts,


Joyful word of God, joyous word from God


God of Jeremiah, give us ears to hear


Amen







]]> <![CDATA[Casting Aspersions - Just a Kid]]> As the summer ends, we hear Jeremiah's account of his call - what's yours?

]]> 620278327 Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:37:13 GMT 880 Thornhill United Church http://www.thornhillunitedchurch.ca 1268021548 620278327 0 2010-08-26 As the summer ends, we hear Jeremiah's account of his call - what's yours?

]]> <![CDATA[Heads Up - Ascension]]> read by Marilyn Helcoe

In the first book,
Theophilus,
I wrote about
all that Jesus did and taught
from the beginning
until the day
when he was taken up to heaven,

after giving instructions
through the Holy Spirit
to the apostles
whom he had chosen.

After his suffering
he presented himself alive to them
by many convincing proofs,
appearing to them
over the course of forty days
and speaking about the kingdom of God.

While staying* with them,
he ordered them
not to leave Jerusalem,
but to wait there
for the promise of the Father.

'This', he said, 'is what you have heard from me;
for John baptized with water,
but you will be baptized with* the Holy Spirit
not many days from now.'

So when they had come together,
they asked him,

'Lord, is this the time
when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?'

He replied,
'It is not for you to know
the times or periods
that the Father has set
by his own authority.

But you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
and you will be my witnesses
in Jerusalem,
in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.'

When he had said this,
as they were watching,
he was lifted up,
and a cloud took him out of their sight.

While he was going
and they were gazing up towards heaven,
suddenly two men in white robes stood by them.

They said, 'Men of Galilee,
why do you stand looking up towards heaven?
This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven,
will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.'

]]> 453211772 Fri, 28 May 2010 10:08:49 GMT 1729 Thornhill United Church http://www.thornhillunitedchurch.ca 1268021548 453211772 0 2010-05-16 read by Marilyn Helcoe

In the first book,
Theophilus,
I wrote about
all that Jesus did and taught
from the beginning
until the day
when he was taken up to heaven,

after giving instructions
through the Holy Spirit
to the apostles
whom he had chosen.

After his suffering
he presented himself alive to them
by many convincing proofs,
appearing to them
over the course of forty days
and speaking about the kingdom of God.

While staying* with them,
he ordered them
not to leave Jerusalem,
but to wait there
for the promise of the Father.

'This', he said, 'is what you have heard from me;
for John baptized with water,
but you will be baptized with* the Holy Spirit
not many days from now.'

So when they had come together,
they asked him,

'Lord, is this the time
when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?'

He replied,
'It is not for you to know
the times or periods
that the Father has set
by his own authority.

But you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
and you will be my witnesses
in Jerusalem,
in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.'

When he had said this,
as they were watching,
he was lifted up,
and a cloud took him out of their sight.

While he was going
and they were gazing up towards heaven,
suddenly two men in white robes stood by them.

They said, 'Men of Galilee,
why do you stand looking up towards heaven?
This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven,
will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.'

]]> <![CDATA[How Big Is Your Jesus?]]> www.billbrucewords.com for full notes)
Revelation 1:4-8 Reader: Trudy Johnson
4John to the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace from him who is
and who was and who is to come,
and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,
5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead,
and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us
and freed us from our sins by his blood,
6and made us to be a kingdom,
priests serving his God and Father,
to him be glory and dominion
forever and ever. Amen.
7Look! He is coming with the clouds;
every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.
So it is to be. Amen.
8...I am the Alpha and the Omega,o
says the Lord God,
who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.


John 20:19-31
19When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week,
and the doors of the house where the disciples had met
were locked for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood among them and said,
...Peace be with you.o
20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
21Jesus said to them again, ...Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.o
22When he had said this, he breathed on them
and said to them, ...Receive the Holy Spirit.
23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them;
if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.o
24But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
25So the other disciples told him, ...We have seen the Lord.o
But he said to them,
...Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands,
and put my finger in the mark of the nails
and my hand in his side, I will not believe.o
26A week later his disciples were again in the house,
and Thomas was with them.
Although the doors were shut,
Jesus came and stood among them and said,
...Peace be with you.o
27Then he said to Thomas,
...Put your finger here and see my hands.
Reach out your hand and put it in my side.
Do not doubt but believe.o
28Thomas answered him, ...My Lord and my God!o 2
9Jesus said to him,
...Have you believed because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen
and yet have come to believe.o
30Now Jesus did many other signs
in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.
31But these are written so that you may
come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God,
and that through believing you may have life in his name.

]]> 440875592 Fri, 28 May 2010 09:52:31 GMT 1913 Thornhill United Church http://www.thornhillunitedchurch.ca 1268021548 440875592 0 2010-04-11 www.billbrucewords.com for full notes)
Revelation 1:4-8 Reader: Trudy Johnson
4John to the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace from him who is
and who was and who is to come,
and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,
5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead,
and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us
and freed us from our sins by his blood,
6and made us to be a kingdom,
priests serving his God and Father,
to him be glory and dominion
forever and ever. Amen.
7Look! He is coming with the clouds;
every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.
So it is to be. Amen.
8...I am the Alpha and the Omega,o
says the Lord God,
who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.


John 20:19-31
19When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week,
and the doors of the house where the disciples had met
were locked for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood among them and said,
...Peace be with you.o
20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
21Jesus said to them again, ...Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.o
22When he had said this, he breathed on them
and said to them, ...Receive the Holy Spirit.
23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them;
if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.o
24But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
25So the other disciples told him, ...We have seen the Lord.o
But he said to them,
...Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands,
and put my finger in the mark of the nails
and my hand in his side, I will not believe.o
26A week later his disciples were again in the house,
and Thomas was with them.
Although the doors were shut,
Jesus came and stood among them and said,
...Peace be with you.o
27Then he said to Thomas,
...Put your finger here and see my hands.
Reach out your hand and put it in my side.
Do not doubt but believe.o
28Thomas answered him, ...My Lord and my God!o 2
9Jesus said to him,
...Have you believed because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen
and yet have come to believe.o
30Now Jesus did many other signs
in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.
31But these are written so that you may
come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God,
and that through believing you may have life in his name.

]]> <![CDATA[Gobsmacked at Easter]]> www.billbrucewords.com. For the full text of the gospel lesson, click on 'more'

Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010 10:30am Reader: Archie Asbridge
Luke 24:1-12
24But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they went in, they did not find the body. 4While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ...Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. 6Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.o 8Then they remembered his words, 9and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

]]> 1629067531 Thu, 27 May 2010 17:07:09 GMT 980 Thornhill United Church http://www.thornhillunitedchurch.ca 1268021548 1629067531 0 2010-04-04 www.billbrucewords.com. For the full text of the gospel lesson, click on 'more'

Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010 10:30am Reader: Archie Asbridge
Luke 24:1-12
24But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they went in, they did not find the body. 4While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ...Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. 6Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.o 8Then they remembered his words, 9and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

]]> <![CDATA[Tempted - Lent 1]]> Luke 4:1-13 read by Anthea O'Regan

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit,
returned from the Jordan
and was lead by the Spirit in the wilderness,
where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing at all during those days,
and when they were over, he was famished.
The devil said to him,
...If you are the Son of God,
command this stone to become a loaf of bread.o
Jesus answered him,
...It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.' o

Then the devil led him up
and showed him in an instant
all the kingdoms of the world.
And the devil said to him,
...To you I will give their glory and all this authority;
for it has been given over to me,
and I give it to anyone I please.
If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.o
Jesus answered him,
...It is written, 'Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.' o

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem,
and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple,
saying to him, ...If you are the Son of God,
throw yourself down from here,
for it is written, 'He will command his angels
concerning you, to protect you,'
'On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.' o

Jesus answered him,
...It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' o
When the devil had finished every test,
he departed from him until an opportune time.

]]> 630832578 Fri, 28 May 2010 10:40:08 GMT 1798 Thornhill United Church http://www.thornhillunitedchurch.ca 1268021548 630832578 0 2010-02-21 Luke 4:1-13 read by Anthea O'Regan

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit,
returned from the Jordan
and was lead by the Spirit in the wilderness,
where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing at all during those days,
and when they were over, he was famished.
The devil said to him,
...If you are the Son of God,
command this stone to become a loaf of bread.o
Jesus answered him,
...It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.' o

Then the devil led him up
and showed him in an instant
all the kingdoms of the world.
And the devil said to him,
...To you I will give their glory and all this authority;
for it has been given over to me,
and I give it to anyone I please.
If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.o
Jesus answered him,
...It is written, 'Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.' o

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem,
and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple,
saying to him, ...If you are the Son of God,
throw yourself down from here,
for it is written, 'He will command his angels
concerning you, to protect you,'
'On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.' o

Jesus answered him,
...It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' o
When the devil had finished every test,
he departed from him until an opportune time.

]]> <![CDATA[Plans & Visions]]> www.billbrucewords.com)

Luke 9:28-36 read by Bob McIndoe

Now about eight days after these sayings
Jesus took with him Peter and John and James,
and went up on the mountain to pray.
And while he was praying,
the appearance of his face changed,
and his clothes became dazzling white.
Suddenly they saw two men,
Moses and Elijah, talking to him.
They appeared in glory
and were speaking of his departure,
which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
Now Peter and his companions
were weighed down with sleep;
but since they had stayed awake,
they saw his glory
and the two men who stood with him.
Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus,

...Master, it is good for us to be here;
let us make three dwellings, one for you,
one for Moses, and one for Elijaho
'not knowing what he said.
While he was saying this,
a cloud came and overshadowed them;
and they were terrified as they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
...This is my Son, my Chosen;
listen to him!o
When the voice had spoken,
Jesus was found alone.
And they kept silent
and in those days told no one
any of the things they had seen.
]]> 1655980516 Fri, 28 May 2010 10:27:20 GMT 1819 Thornhill United Church http://www.thornhillunitedchurch.ca 1268021548 1655980516 0 2010-02-14 www.billbrucewords.com)

Luke 9:28-36 read by Bob McIndoe

Now about eight days after these sayings
Jesus took with him Peter and John and James,
and went up on the mountain to pray.
And while he was praying,
the appearance of his face changed,
and his clothes became dazzling white.
Suddenly they saw two men,
Moses and Elijah, talking to him.
They appeared in glory
and were speaking of his departure,
which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
Now Peter and his companions
were weighed down with sleep;
but since they had stayed awake,
they saw his glory
and the two men who stood with him.
Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus,

...Master, it is good for us to be here;
let us make three dwellings, one for you,
one for Moses, and one for Elijaho
'not knowing what he said.
While he was saying this,
a cloud came and overshadowed them;
and they were terrified as they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
...This is my Son, my Chosen;
listen to him!o
When the voice had spoken,
Jesus was found alone.
And they kept silent
and in those days told no one
any of the things they had seen.
]]>