09/04/2026
September 6
Welcome to the Ecumenical Shared Ministry of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church and St. Paul’s United Church. We are worshipping in the air-conditioned gym until the front doors are completed.
Please join us for in-person or online worship Sunday at 10:30am. If joining us in-person...please wear a name tag.
After worship, please stay for lemonade on the lawn (weather permitting).
Projected announcements will begin at 10:15am.
We look forward to you joining us as we worship together.
Rev. Michelle Brotherton and Mark Oracion
ORDER OF SERVICE
September 6, 2026
Fifteenth after Pentecost and Blessing of the Backpacks/Briefcases
Gathering
GREETING/WORDS OF WELCOME:
Good Morning, I am Bob Richardson a member of the Ministry &
Personnel Committee and it is my pleasure to welcome you to
this service of worship.
…
Choral Response: “There is Room for All” MV62
There is room for all
In the shadow of God’s wing;
There is room for all, sheltered in God’s love.
And I rejoice and sing,
“My refuge and my rock, in whom I trust.”
There is room for all, there is room for all.
Today, we also welcome back Rev. Michelle Brotherton from her 3 month Sabbatical Journey.
I ask that Marilyn Robitaille to do the Land Acknowledgement
and a Welcome back prayer.
[MARILYN]
Acknowledgement of the Land & Welcome Back Prayer
Announcements
The St Paul’s - St Andrews Indigenous Circle is meeting today after worship to discuss plans for the fall. Anyone in our ESM community who is interested in learning about and/or joining the circle is welcome to attend this meeting.
(You do not need to be Indigenous, all we ask is for open hearts for Truth and Reconciliation.)
The meeting will be approximately an hour long.
Blessing of the Backpacks
Sunday during worship
Every year we bless student backpacks and teachers’ bags. This helps us to remember that in every transition and new beginning, God is present with us. Bring your backpack or briefcase to be blessed.
Join us for the
46th Annual Terry Fox Run!
St. Paul’s – St. Andrew’s
as we walk, run, roll or cycle
Sunday September 20
before worship.
Also, (same day) there will be a Welcome Back BBQ after worship
Bring your appetite. More details soon
ORANGE SHIRT SUNDAY
Wear orange on
Sunday, September 27 during worship.
This solemn day honours the survivors of residential schools and remembers the children who never returned home.
Alpha Group
Explore the meaning of Life
Mondays, starting September 28 in the Fellowship Room
6:30pm
Contact Kathy 905-259-9224 or
Chandelle 289-385-0826
for more info
PLEASE JOIN US FOR
WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4 @ 10:30AM
ALL ARE WELCOME
Please join us for our
Church Anniversaries
Celebrating 192 years of faithful stewardship for
St. Paul’s United Church and
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church
Sunday, October 25 during worship
@ 10:30am
Celebrations:
Anniversary
We celebrate with everyone having a birthday or anniversary this week. If you would like your special day publicly announced, please contact the church office or drop us a note and we can make that happen.
[BOB]
Rev. Michelle, 3 months ago, we sent you forth for Sabbatical time.
We did this with our pledge to continue to pray for you AND to
keep the Light of Christ burning here at the Ecumenical Shared Ministry
of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church and St. Paul’s United Church.
We acknowledge the efforts of our Pastoral Care team,
our Worship Committee and our staff, Laura, Nancy, Mark, Chandelle,
Kathy, Cecil and Sharon. Also, we acknowledge our Pulpit Supplies,
Lisa Norman, Derek Marsellus, Rev. Elizabeth Jobb and Rev. Bill Service.
Throughout the Sabbatical, Rev. Bill Service and Rev. Elizabeth Jobb
were available for Emergency Pastoral Care.
The combined efforts of all these individuals kept us connected to
each other and provided weekly worship services.
THANK YOU ALL!
So Reverend Michelle, in this way, we have done our best to honour our pledge.
Rev. Michelle: I took Sabbatical as time for reflection, revitalization, and re-creation.
I used the gifts given for the Journey and have been blessed with insights,
renewal and continue to embrace the ever re-creating that God
is about within and without. I continue to be excited about what is unfolding,
as we minister together. For we are the embodiment of Christ in this time, together.
[Bob] Welcome Back to you. We now return
leadership of this worship service to you.
Christ Candle
Call to Worship: (based on Psalm 149)
Hymn: “We Are One” VU402
1/4
We are one as we come, as we come, joyful to be here,
in the praise on our lips there's a sense that God is near.
We are one as we sing, as we seek, we are found;
and we come needful of God's grace as we meet, together in this place.
2/4
We are one as we share, as we share brokenness and fear,
in the touch of a hand there's a sense that God is here.
We are one as we care, as we heal, we are healed;
and we share warmth in God's embrace as we pray together in this place.
3/4
We are one as we feast, as we feast, peace becomes the sign;
in the bread and the w**e there's a sense of love divine.
We are one as we come, as we feed, we are fed;
and we feel God's refreshing grace as we meet at table in this place.
4/4
We are one as we hear, as we hear, heart and hand unite;
in the word we receive there's a sense that God is light.
are one as we leave, as we love, we are loved;
and we seek justice in God's ways as we move together from this place.
Opening Prayer:
…
Our Creator, our Mother and 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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.
Theme Conversation: Blessing of the Backpacks/briefcases
Gathering Around the Backpacks
…
Blessing Prayer
…
Amen.
Congregational Response
Will you, as a congregation, support and encourage our children, youth, teachers, and families throughout the coming year?
Congregation:
We will, with God's help.
Will you remind them that they are loved, that they belong, and that they never have to walk alone?
Congregation:
We will, with God's help.
Blessing of the Backpacks
…
Amen.
Hymn: “My Love Colours Outside the Lines” MV138
1/4
My love colours outside the lines,
exploring paths that few could ever find;
and takes me into places
where I’ve never been before
and opens doors to worlds outside the lines.
2/4
My Lord colours outside the lines,
turns wounds to blessings, water into w**e;
and takes me into places
where I’ve never been before
and opens doors to worlds outside the lines.
Refrain:
We’ll never walk on water
if we’re not prepared to drown,
body and soul need a soaking
from time to time.
And we’ll never move the gravestones
if we’re not prepared to die,
and realize there are worlds outside the lines.
3/4
My soul longs to colour outside the lines,
tear back the curtains, sun come in and shine;
I want to walk beyond the boundaries
where I’ve never been before
throw open the doors to worlds outside the lines.
Refrain:
We’ll never walk on water
if we’re not prepared to drown,
body and soul need a soaking
from time to time.
And we’ll never move the gravestones
if we’re not prepared to die,
and realize there are worlds outside the lines.
4/4
My soul longs to colour outside the lines,
tear back the curtains sun come in and shine;
I want to walk beyond the boundaries
where I’ve never been before
throw open the doors to worlds outside the lines.
Hearing the Word
Scripture Reading: Amanda DeRaaf
Exodus 12:1-14
Before we hear today's reading from Exodus, it is helpful to remember where we are in the story.
The Israelites have become enslaved by a new Pharaoh who feared their growing numbers. Their lives are marked by forced labour, oppression, and violence.
God hears the cries of the enslaved people and calls Moses to lead them toward freedom. Moses confronts Pharaoh with God's demand: “Let my people go.” But Pharaoh repeatedly refuses. Nine plagues have already struck Egypt, each revealing the limits of Pharaoh's power and the powerlessness of the Egyptian gods before the God of Israel. Yet Pharaoh remains unwilling to release the Israelites.
Now we arrive at the tenth and final plague—the death of the firstborn.
Exodus 12 is therefore a pivotal moment in the story. It is not simply another episode in the series of plagues. It is the moment when Israel's liberation finally begins. The Israelites are instructed to prepare a meal—the Passover meal—and to mark their homes with the blood of a lamb. They are to eat dressed and ready to leave, because this will be the night when Pharaoh finally lets them go.
Let us hear these words from Exodus 12:1-14
12 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb[a] for his family, one for each household. 4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat.5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. 7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. 8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.9 Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs. 10 Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. 11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.
12 “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.
14 “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance.
Romans 13:8-14
Our next reading comes from Paul’s letter to the Romans. Unlike some of Paul’s other letters, Romans was written to a Christian community Paul had not yet visited. The church in Rome was made up of people from different backgrounds—Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians—and, like any community bringing together people with different histories and perspectives, they were learning how to live together as followers of Christ.
Let us hear these words to the church in Rome.
8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; you shall not murder; you shall not steal; you shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
11 Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is already the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; 12 the night is far gone; the day is near. Let us then throw off[a]the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; 13 let us walk decently as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in illicit s*x and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Matthew 18:15-20
Our Gospel reading this morning comes from the eighteenth chapter of Matthew, a chapter sometimes described as Jesus’ teaching about what it means to live together as a community of faith.
Jesus has been talking about the importance of every member of the community, especially those who are vulnerable or who might feel lost or overlooked. He has reminded his disciples that God’s desire is not to exclude people but to seek them, restore them, and bring them home.
It is in that context that we hear these words about what happens when relationships within the community become difficult.
Let us listen now for the wisdom of Jesus in Matthew 18:15–20.
15 “If your brother or sister sins against you,[a] go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If you are listened to, you have regained that one. 16 But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If that person refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church, and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
May we hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Ministry of Music: “Harbour” Marion Reid-Clarke and Joe Dalrymple
Reflection: “When We Begin Again”
Hymn: “Deep in our Hearts” MV154
1/4
Deep in our hearts there is a common vision;
Deep in our hearts there is a common song;
Deep in our hearts there is a common story,
Telling Creation that we are one.
2/4
Deep in our hearts there is a common purpose;
Deep in our hearts there is a common goal;
Deep in our hearts there is a sacred message,
Justice and peace in harmony.
3/4
Deep in our hearts there is a common longing;
Deep in our hearts there is a common theme;
Deep in our hearts there is a common current,
Flowing to freedom like a stream.
4/4
Deep in our hearts there is a common vision;
Deep in our hearts there is a common song;
Deep in our hearts there is a common story,
Telling Creation that we are one.
Our Response
Invitation to the Offering
Offering
Dedication Hymn: “What Can I Do?” MV191
What can I do? What can I bring?
What can I say? What can I sing?
I’ll sing with joy. I’ll say a prayer.
I’ll bring my love. I’ll do my share.
Offering Prayer
Prayers of the People
Hymn: “We are one in the Spirit” BP 471
1/4
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord,
we are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord,
and we pray that all unity will one day be restored,
Chorus:
and they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love.
2/4
We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand,
we will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand,
and together we'll spread the news that God is in our land,
Chorus:
and they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love.
3/4
We will work with each other, we will work side by side,
we will work with each other, we will work side by side,
and we'll guard each one's dignity and save each one's pride.
Chorus:
and they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love.
4/4
All praise to the Father, from whom all things come,
and all praise to Christ Jesus, who is God’s only Son.
and all praise to the Spirit who makes us one,
Chorus:
and they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love.
Benediction
Shalom
Shalom to you my friend Shalom until we meet again The word “shalom” means peace, hello and good-bye so sing shalom, shalom
Shalom to you my friend Shalom until we meet again The word “shalom” means peace, hello and good-bye so sing shalom, shalom
When we join our hands across the land we’ll hear neighbours and brothers, old friends and other singing shalom to you my friend, shalom until we meet again.
Shalom to you my friend Shalom until we meet again
The word “shalom” means peace, hello and good-bye so sing shalom, shalom so sing shalom, shalom.
