Announcements

August 1, 2021

August 1, 2021 – Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

GOD BRINGS US TOGETHER

Prelude As the Deer Pants for the Water Garett van de Wiel
Welcome and Announcements
Call to Worship (responsive)
The good news of Jesus Christ is that God is merciful,
God’s steadfast love endures forever.
The good news of Jesus Christ is that God is forgiving
God’s steadfast love washes away our transgressions.
The good news of Jesus Christ is that God offers us new life
God steadfast love gives us a new day in which to live.

Prayer of Approach (together):
God of every new day, help us to look at our lives with honest eyes. For we need to see not merely what we have done wrong but your grace and love which await us. For in your mercy and by your love you forgive and make us new. By your grace draw us together to be your people and to experience your love, Amen.

Children’s story and Lord’s prayer.
Meditative Music

GOD SPEAKS THROUGH SCRIPTURE

Responsive Reading: Psalm 50 (p. 775 VU)
God, the Almighty, has spoken;
and summoned the world
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
God shines out from Zion, a city perfect in beauty.
Our God appears, and will not keep silence. R
Before you, God runs a consuming fire,
and a mighty tempest rages about you.
You call on the heavens above, and on the earth below,
to witness the judgement of your people:
“Gather my people before me,
the people who made covenant with me by sacrifice.”
The heavens proclaim your justice, for you yourself are judge. R

First Lesson: 2 Samuel 11:26 – 12:13a
Second Lesson: Ephesians 4:1-16
Gospel Lesson: John 6:24-35
Anthem Be Thou My Vision Garett van de Wiel
Sermon: “Justice and Grace”

GOD CALLS US TO RESPOND
Meditative Music
Prayer of the People
Commissioning and Benediction
Postlude

A warm welcome to everyone who is joining us for worship. May this be a time for you to draw closer to God. The services online are posted each week on our website ( www.stjamesuc.com) and through social media (www.facebook.com/stjamesAntigonish )

Thanks to Sheila Davison and Garett van de Wiel who are sharing their gifts of music this morning.

The Rev. Peter Smith is on holidays from Saturday August 7th – Thursday September 2nd. If there is a pastoral emergency during that time please contact the Rev. Doug Stewart at (902) 735-2102 or through the St. Martha’s Hospital Switchboard during the day (902) 867-4500 press “0″ for the operator.

Next Sunday we are pleased to welcome Michéle Ashby to lead our service of worship.

The Church office is closed until September 7th. The voice mail, email and mail slot are checked regularly over the summer.

Truth & Reconciliation – Call # 94 Newcomers to Canada – We call upon the government of Canada to replace the oath of citizenship with the following: “I swear (or affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, her heirs and successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada including Treaties with Indigenous Peoples, and fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen.” To read all the calls and the complete Truth and Reconciliation Report please go to http://www.trc.ca/

Today is the start of World Breastfeeding Week! This represents a global celebration of breastfeeding efforts including promotion, support, education, research, progressive trends and normalization of breastfeeding as the gold standard of infant nutrition.

How can you help support the life and work at St. James? You can mail a donation to St. James United Church, P. O. Box 1178, 197 Main Street, Antigonish NS B2G 2L6, drop it off in the mail slot, click on the “Donate” button on the website, or you can give monthly via PAR. For more information send an email to office@stjamesuc.com

Scripture Readings for Next Sunday

Ecclesiastes 4:1-12 ? Ephesians 4:25-5:2 ? Luke 10:30-37

July 26, 2021

July 25, 2021 – Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

GOD BRINGS US TOGETHER

Prelude Go Light Your World (Chris Rice) Gord and Chris Morrison
Welcome and Announcements
Call to Worship (responsive adapted from Isaiah 30:18)
Let us know and believe that the Lord waits to be gracious to us,
for God will forgive us and show us the way of mercy.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
and blessed are those who turn to God in hope.

Prayer of Approach (together):
God of grace, at the worst of times we struggle and turn to you for help and you lead us to better days. In the best of times, we often turn from you and follow our desires and wants into trouble and strife. Forgive us, we pray, for our selfishness and show us once more the way to live and serve through Jesus Christ, Amen.

Children’s story and Lord’s prayer.
Meditative Music Break Now the Bread of Life

GOD SPEAKS THROUGH SCRIPTURE

Responsive Reading: Psalm 32 (p. 759 VU)
Blessed are those whose offences are forgiven,
whose sin has been put away,
Blessed are those whom God imputes no guilt,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit. R
When I kept silence, my body wasted away,
while I groaned all the day long.
For your hand was heavy upon me day and night;
my strength dried up as in a summer drought.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I did not hide.
I said: “I will confess my sins to God”,
and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Therefore let all the faithful pray to you in time of trouble;
when great floodwater rises,
it shall not come near them.
You are a hiding place for me,
you will preserve me from trouble;
you will surround me with shouts of deliverance. R
I will teach you,
and guide you in the way you should go.
I will keep you under my eye and instruct you.
Be not like a horse or mule, without understanding,
whose course must be checked with bit and bridle.
Many pains are in store for the wicked,
but whoever trusts in God,
is surrounded by steadfast love. R

First Lesson: 2 Samuel 11:1-15
Second Lesson: Ephesians 3:14-21
Gospel Lesson: John 6:1-14
Anthem The Canticle of the Turning Gordon and Christine Morrison
Sermon: “Falling to Grace”

GOD CALLS US TO RESPOND
Meditative Music Amazing Grace
Prayer of the People
Commissioning and Benediction
Postlude Sheila Davison

A warm welcome to everyone who is joining us for worship. May this be a time for you to draw closer to God. The services online are posted each week on our website ( www.stjamesuc.com) and through social media (www.facebook.com/stjamesAntigonish )

Thanks to Sheila Davison, and Gordon and Christine Morrison for sharing their gifts of music with us this day.

The Church office is closed until September 7th. The voice mail, email and mail slot are checked regularly over the summer.

28 July is World Hepatitis Day. This year’s theme is “Hepatitis can’t wait!”. Viral hepatitis is one of the world’s leading causes of death, killing as many as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. 30 July is the International Day of Friendship. What words would you use to describe your BFF? How have you managed to adapt your friendships during the pandemic? Why are friends so important in our lives?

Truth & Reconciliation – Call #93 Newcomers to Canada – We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with the national Aboriginal organizations, to revise the information kit for newcomers to Canada and its citizenship test to reflect a more inclusive history of the diverse Aboriginal peoples of Canada, including information about the Treaties and the history of residential schools. To read all the calls and the complete Truth and Reconciliation Report please go to http://www.trc.ca/

Virtual guided tours of places of worship. These virtual tours will run from July to October and are organized by county. Each county has been assigned a week when the photographs and information about their participating churches will be posted online on the Trust’s Facebook page (@HeritageTrustNovaScotia). This Facebook page can be accessed from Heritage Trust of NS’s website at https://www.htns.ca/.

July 25: St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church, Bayfield
July 26: St Anne’s Catholic Church, Welnek/Summerside (577 Summerside Rd)
July 27: St Andrew’s Catholic Church, St Andrews (3858 Hwy 316)
July 28: L’Église Ste. Croix/Holy Cross Catholic Church, Pomquet (1148 Pomquet Monks Head Rd, Antigonish)
July 29: St James United Church, Antigonish (197 Main St)
July 30: St Ninian’s Cathedral, Antigonish (121 St Ninian St)
July 31: St Paul’s Anglican Church, Antigonish (96 Church St)

         Scripture Readings for Next Sunday

2 Samuel 11:26 – 12:13a • Ephesians 4:1-16 • John 6:24-35

July 18, 2021

July 18, 2021 – Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

GOD BRINGS US TOGETHER

Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
Call to Worship (responsive adapted from Eph 3:17-19)
We come to worship so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith;
and that we might be rooted and grounded in love,
So that we might know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge and be filled with the fullness of God’s promise.

Prayer of Approach (together):
God of this and every day, we come as generations before us came
to worship and to listen to your word proclaimed.
We come as generations after us will come to experience the salvation and hope which is ours through Jesus Christ.
We come, because you call us and invite us to come
and discover the power of your grace in our lives, Amen.

Children’s story and Lord’s prayer.
Meditative Music The King of Love My Shepherd Is

GOD SPEAKS THROUGH SCRIPTURE

Responsive Reading: Psalm 121 (p. 844 VU)
I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where will I look for help?
My help comes from God, who has made heaven and earth
God will not let your foot stumble;
the One who protects Israel will not slumber.
The One who protects you will neither slumber nor sleep. R
It is God who protects you, your defense at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
God will protect you from all evil,
God will protect your life.
God will protect your going and coming,
now and forever more. R

First Lesson: 2 Samuel 7:1-14a
Second Lesson: Ephesians 1:3-14
Gospel Lesson: Mark 6:14-29
Sermon: “Building Something Eternal”

GOD CALLS US TO RESPOND
Meditative Music Faith of Our Fathers
Prayer of the People
Commissioning and Benediction
Postlude

A warm welcome to everyone who is joining us for worship. May this be a time for you to draw closer to God. The services online are posted each week on our website ( www.stjamesuc.com) and through social media (www.facebook.com/stjamesAntigonish )

The Church office is closed until September 7th. The voice mail, email and mail slot are checked regularly over the summer.

Truth & Reconciliation – Call #92 Business and Reconciliation – We call upon the corporate sector in Canada to adopt the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a reconciliation framework and to apply its principles, norms, and standards to corporate policy and core operational activities involving Indigenous peoples and their lands and resources. To read all the calls and the complete Truth and Reconciliation Report please go to http://www.trc.ca/

Today is Nelson Mandela Day. This year, the theme is “One Hand Can Feed Another”. This call to action for the people of South Africa, (and for each of us), hopes to ignite the embers of ubuntu and tackle food insecurity by working together. Ubuntu means “I am, because you are”. It is part of the Zulu phrase “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu”, which literally means that a person is a person through other people. It is that nebulous concept of common humanity, oneness: humanity, you and me both.

How can you help support the life and work at St. James? You can mail a donation to St. James United Church, P. O. Box 1178, 197 Main Street, Antigonish NS B2G 2L6, drop it off in the mail slot, click on the “Donate” button on the website, or you can give monthly via PAR. For more information send an email to office@stjamesuc.com

Covid- 19: A Global Response. The United Church of Canada has launched an appeal to bring resources and help to areas in need because of the pandemic. For more information and to donate please see https://united-church.ca/social-action/act-now/covid-19-global-response

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

DOORS OPEN FOR CHURCHES: VIRTUAL GUIDED TOURS OF PLACES OF WORSHIP”. These virtual tours will run from July to October and are organized by county. Each county has been assigned a week when the photographs and information about their participating churches will be posted online on the Trust’s Facebook page (@HeritageTrustNovaScotia). This Facebook page can be accessed from Heritage Trust of NS’s website at https://www.htns.ca/.

Please note that Antigonish County has been assigned the week, July 25th to 31st. A participating church in Antigonish Town and County will be featured each day of that assigned week.

July 25: St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church, Bayfield
July 26: St Anne’s Catholic Church, Welnek/Summerside (577 Summerside Rd)
July 27: St Andrew’s Catholic Church, St Andrews (3858 Hwy 316)
July 28: L’Église Ste. Croix/Holy Cross Catholic Church, Pomquet (1148 Pomquet Monks Head Rd, Antigonish)
July 29: St James United Church, Antigonish (197 Main St)
July 30: St Ninian’s Cathedral, Antigonish (121 St Ninian St)
July 31: St Paul’s Anglican Church, Antigonish (96 Church St)

         Scripture Readings for Next Sunday

2 Samuel 11:1-15 • Ephesians 3:14-21 • John 6:1-21

July 11, 2021

July 11, 2021 – Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
Highland Heritage Sunday

GOD BRINGS US TOGETHER

Prelude Highland Cathedral Scott Williams piper
Welcome and Announcements
Call to Worship (responsive)
Come to us this day, O God,
Come to us and fill our world with light.
Speak to us this day, O God,
Speak to us and fill our ears with truth.
Dwell with us this day, O God,
Dwell with us and make our hearts your home.

Prayer of Approach (together)
O Christ, kindle in our hearts
a flame of love to our neighbour,
to our foes, to our friends, to our kindred all.
For we long to walk with you this
day as your friends and your followers, Amen.

Children’s story and Lord’s prayer.
Meditative Music Sing Your Praise to God Eternal

GOD SPEAKS THROUGH SCRIPTURE

Responsive Reading: Psalm 47 (p. 771 VU)
Clap your hands, all you peoples, cry out to God with shouts of joy!
For the Most High is to be feared,
reigning in might, over all the earth. R

God has subdued the peoples around us, set nations at our feet,
and has chosen for us a heritage, the pride of Jacob, beloved of God.
God has gone up with shouts of triumph,
has gone up with a fanfare of trumpets.
For God reigns over all the earth!
Sing praises with your utmost skill. R
God reigns over all the nations, and sits in holiness enthroned.
The nobles of the nations assemble
with the people of the Everlasting God.
For earth’s defenders belong to God,
to God the highly exalted. R

First Lesson: 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19
Second Lesson: Ephesians 1:3-12 Carol Anne MacKenzie
Gospel Lesson: Mark 2:23-3:6 Harley MacCaull
Anthem: Hector The Hero Scott Williams
Sermon: “A Reason to Rejoice”

GOD CALLS US TO RESPOND
Meditative Music O God, You Gave Your Servant John
Prayer of the People
Commissioning and Benediction
Postlude

Beannachd Dia dhuit (Blessings of God be with you.) A warm welcome to all who have gathered with us for worship this morning. May this time be one of fellowship with God and neighbour. The services online are posted each week on our website ( www.stjamesuc.com) and through social media (www.facebook.com/stjamesAntigonish )

A warm welcome to the members of the Highland Society who are joining in our service of worship this morning during Highland Heritage Week in Antigonish. May God bless all our efforts to remember and celebrate our history.

Truth & Reconciliation – Call #91 Sports and Reconciliation – We call upon the officials and host countries of international sporting events such as the Olympics, Pan Am, and Commonwealth games to ensure that Indigenous peoples’ territorial protocols are respected, and local Indigenous communities are engaged in all aspects of planning and participating in such events. To read all the calls and the complete Truth and Reconciliation Report please go to http://www.trc.ca/

Ephesians 1:3-12
1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
1:4 just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.
1:5 He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will,
1:6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace
1:8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight
1:9 he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ,
1:10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
1:11 In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will,
1:12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.

Today is World Population Day. Our world’s current population is 7.9 billion. This year’s theme is “Rights and Choices are the Answer”. Whether baby boom or bust, the solution to shifting fertility rates lies in prioritizing the reproductive health and rights of all people. Awareness about the effects of overpopulation on development and nature is emphasized. The increasing population also sheds light on health problems faced by women during pregnancy and childbirth, making the need for family planning, gender equality, and maternal health more important than ever.

How can you help support the life and work at St. James? You can mail a donation to St. James United Church, P. O. Box 1178, 197 Main Street, Antigonish NS B2G 2L6, drop it off in the mail slot, click on the “Donate” button on the website, or you can give monthly via PAR. For more information send an email to office@stjamesuc.com

         Scripture Readings for Next Sunday

2 Samuel 7:1-14a • Ephesians 2:11-22 • Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

July 4, 2021

July 4, 2021 – Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

GOD BRINGS US TOGETHER

Prelude Fairest Lord Jesus/God’s Wondrous World Amy Hendricks
Welcome and Announcements
Call to Worship (responsive adapted from Psalm 131)
Let us be humble and not proud, thinking not of ourselves but others.
Let each of us still and quiet our souls
And let us hope in God.
For God is our strength and our salvation.

Prayer of Approach (together):
God of grace, you made us and call us to be your people. You give us forgiveness and new life through the death and resurrection of Jesus. You transform us and make us yours through the blessing of your Holy Spirit. Open our hearts, we pray, that we might come before you as your people with our thanks and praise, Amen.

Children’s story and Lord’s prayer.
Meditative Music 409 VU Morning Has Broken

GOD SPEAKS THROUGH SCRIPTURE

First Lesson: 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10
Second Lesson: 2 Corinthians 12:2-10
Gospel Lesson: Mark 6:1-13
Sermon: “A Brighter Future”

GOD CALLS US TO RESPOND
Meditative Music 606 VU In Christ There is No East or West
Prayers of the People
Meditative Music 477 VU I Come With Joy
Sacrament of Holy Communion
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts,
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right and good to give God thanks and praise.

God of the Resurrection, we thank you for joy. In our world of shadows and gloom, you have shined the light of your love. The colours of the world, the creatures of the earth, and the majesty of the universe witness to the joy which is your work.
We praise you for Jesus, the joy of our hearts.

God of every new morning, we thank you for hope. In our world of uncertainty, you have brought us the promise of new beginnings. The words of scripture, the cycles of nature, the renewal of creation around us all testify to the hope which you have planted in very living thing.
We praise you for Jesus, our judge and our hope.

God of the law, we thank you for morality. In our world of conflicting values and opinions, you have laid out for us the right way to live. The law and the commandments, the example of faithful people, and the wisdom of those around us have shown us the better way.
We praise you for Jesus, who completes the law and the prophets.

God of the covenant, we thank you for faith. In our world of chaos and confusion, you have given us a foundation upon which to build. Through prayer, meditation, and service you draw us closer to you and each other.
We praise you for Jesus, through whom you make an everlasting promise of love.

God of all things seen and unseen, we thank you for spiritual gifts. In our world of isolation and fear, you have shown us the ties which bind us to you and to each other. Through the caring smile, the kind word, the anonymous gift you have blessed us and allowed us to be a blessing.
We thank you for Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life.

We remember that on the night before he died on the cross, Jesus broke the bread saying, “This is my body which is broken for you. Each time you eat this bread, remember me.”
We remember the body of Jesus, broken on the cross.

We remember also that Jesus shared the cup saying, “This cup is the new covenant which God makes with you in my blood. Each time you drink from this cup, remember me.”
We remember Jesus breaking the bonds of death forever.

Send, we pray, your Holy Spirit upon these gifts of field and vine that through them we might taste the bread of life and the cup of salvation. For we ask this of you, Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ and in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, Amen

Commissioning and Benediction
Postlude Here I Am Lord Amy Hendricks

A warm welcome to everyone who is joining us for worship. May this be a time for you to draw closer to God. The services online are posted each week on our website (www.stjamesuc.com) and on facebook.

The Church office is closed until September 7th. The voice mail, email and mail slot are checked regularly over the summer.

Next Sunday feel free to wear your tartan and highland best for our service of worship.

Truth & Reconciliation – Call #90 Sports and Reconciliation – We call upon the federal government to ensure that national sports policies, programs, and initiatives are inclusive of Aboriginal peoples, including, but not limited to: i) stable funding for, and access to, community sports programs that reflect the diverse cultures and traditional sporting activities of Aboriginal peoples, ii) an elite athlete development program for Aboriginal athletes, iii) programs for coaches, trainers, and sports officials that are culturally relevant for Aboriginal peoples, and iv) anti-racism awareness and training programs. To read all the calls and the complete Truth and Reconciliation Report please go to http://www.trc.ca/

         Scripture Readings for Next Sunday

2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 • Ephesians 1:3-14 • Mark 6:14-29