welcome to church online

April 19, 2020

It's wonderful to have you join worship here today!

  

You can follow the order of service below at your own pace

 or coordinate with a fellow member to work through it at the same time together

  

May the Lord bless us as we meet here - albeit it virtually - to worship our Lord!

call to worship

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family news

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today is traditionally a special collection day

for spruston road bible camp

A message from the board:

Please pray for Spruston Road Bible Camp!  We don't know what this summer holds, but we hope to share the good news of Jesus Christ with campers this summer.  We also are accepting donations as now, more than ever, we are relying on the contributions of donors to ensure we can still operate.  Please consider giving to the camp digitally (via e-transfers to info@sprustonroadcamp.ca) or if you prefer you can mail cheques (payable to "Spruston Road Bible Camp") to 2530 Monte Vista Way, Victoria, BC, V8Z 6Z1, care of Shannon Smale.  Thank you in advance for keeping Spruston Road Bible Camp in your prayers at this time.

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prayer

Living God,
long ago, faithful men and women
proclaimed the good news
of Jesus' resurrection,
and the world was changed forever.
Teach us to keep faith with them,
that our witness may be as bold,
our love as deep,
and our faith as true. 

Amen.

scripture readings

Psalm 16; Acts 2:14a,22-32; John 20:19-31

 

Psalm 16

 

Keep me safe, my God,

    for in you I take refuge.

 

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;

    apart from you I have no good thing.”

I say of the holy people who are in the land,

    “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”

Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.

    I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods

    or take up their names on my lips.

 

Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;

    you make my lot secure.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

    surely I have a delightful inheritance.

I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;

    even at night my heart instructs me.

I keep my eyes always on the Lord.

    With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

 

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

    my body also will rest secure,

because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,

    nor will you let your faithful one see decay.

You make known to me the path of life;

    you will fill me with joy in your presence,

    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

 

Acts 2:14a,22-32

 

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd:

 

Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.  But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.  David said about him:

 

“‘I saw the Lord always before me.

    Because he is at my right hand,

    I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

    my body also will rest in hope,

because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,

    you will not let your holy one see decay.

You have made known to me the paths of life;

    you will fill me with joy in your presence.’

 

“Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.  But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.  Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay.  God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.

 

John 20:19-31

 

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

 

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

 

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

 

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

 

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

 

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

 

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

 

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

sermon

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communion thoughts


from angela J.

Good morning friends. This is our fifth Sunday worshipping together in a new and different way.  While this new time has presented new challenges, there have also been new blessings that we are thankful for.  We have enjoyed spending time together with our children going through the online church service so thoughtfully put together for us all to feel some semblance of normalcy.  We have enjoyed the extra family time that we have been given and have been exploring new ways to bring Jesus to life in our family. 


Prior to this global pandemic, our lives were very busy with school, work, dance, piano, hockey, and trying to be a functional family through all of that.  Maybe some of you can relate?  Our Sundays were often rushed as well and maybe we didn’t spend quite as much time paying attention when we were at church.  Communion was often passed quickly with not much extra thought as we tried to keep children quiet so as to not disturb those around us.  We tried to make it meaningful and purposeful but that didn’t always work.


Communion has been a large focus of our time at home church.  We are blessed to be able to partake with my parents but want our children to truly know why they are taking it and not just because we get to eat yummy crackers and juice.  When I think of communion, I am humbled by his sacrifice and can’t help but feel unworthy of his gift.  But that’s the point, isn’t it? He did it whether we deserve it or not because he loves us and we desperately want to know and have our children know and believe that truth.  I often wonder, since he was human and felt our emotions, if he knew that while he proclaimed the good news that we would need that tangible bread and wine to compliment John 6:35-58?   He tells us over and over again that He is the Bread of Life.


But we do need it.  We need to remember and we need to write it on our hearts every day. We need to do it together and never forget.  We need to give it the reverence it deserves and not take it lightly.  His sacrifice was mighty and his blessing is immense.  One of my favourite communion songs is Behold the Lamb and the chorus sings:

So we share in this bread of life

And we drink of His sacrifice

As a sign of our bonds of grace

Around the table of the King

 

So today we come together at the table of the King whether we are in the same room or not and proclaim our bonds of grace.  We are His, we are saved, and Jesus is the King in our lives.


Bless you church.

Angela

want to share communion live?

Use email or social media to invite others to join you

 at a virtual meeting via facetime / zoom / skype / google hangouts

and work through the elders' guide together (see here).

 

Some of the elders will also be hosting virtual Communion gatherings at various times.

To find out more, contact them here.

offering

Giving is an aspect of our worship every week.  

Donations to Shelbourne St. cover costs for ongoing ministries, expenses, staff salaries,

and support for community initiatives and programs. 

 

If you usually give via cash or cheques, consider switching to digital methods at this time.

To make an electronic donation, send an e-transfer to donations@shelbournestreet.com

 

Let us pray:

Lord, we thank you for all your blessings and for the joy of being able to give.

We are mindful that so many are facing financial hardships and uncertainty and lift them up to You.

We pray for wisdom to use this offering well, in ways that bless those in need and further Your kingdom.

Amen.

parting blessing

Holy God, 

You have called us to follow in the way of your risen Son,

and to care for those who are our companions,

not only with words of comfort, but with acts of love.

Guide us in the path of discipleship,

so that, as you have blessed us,

we may be a blessing for others,

bringing the promise of the kingdom near

by our words and deeds. 

Amen.


Don't forget to keep encouraging each other via phone, email, and through the facebook group.

  

Looking forward to worshipping with you again next week!