10/10/2022
Greetings Cooksville Family!
Happy Thanksgiving! God Is Good! All The Time!. We had a great turn out of around 75-80 people for this glorious Thanksgiving Sunday. The front of the church was wonderfully decorated for the occasion by the great people of our Sunday school. The children brought a sample of fall harvest forward, and it was wonderful to see so many children and youth. There were some new faces as well as some familiar ones who we have not seen in a while. I think that more people are feeling comfortable coming out again, and there are more people staying after the service for our fellowship time.
Here’s what’s coming up soon.
Upcoming at Cooksville
Thu Oct 13 Gospel Singers rehearsal at 7:30pm
Thu Oct 13 Senior Choir rehearsal at 8:00pm
Sat Oct 15 Celebration of Life for Joyce Gilmour
at 1:00pm (all welcome to attend)
Sat Oct 22 Ladies Coffee Hour at 10:00am
(please note change)
Please take note that with the start of the fall season, we have made some changes to our COVID precaution procedures. As of today, there is no requirement to wear a mask when in the building. We have also lifted the ‘only every other pew’ request and are returning to passing the trays during the offering. All of these regulations were removed by the governing bodies a few months ago, but we voluntarily continued with them to give ourselves time to analyze the situation. Your council has made the decision that we will attempt to return to a pre-COVID environment. However, we will continue to monitor the situation and adjust our procedures if conditions change.
However, if you are still feeling unsure, we understand. Everyone in our community is free to take extra precautions, such as extra social distancing and continued mask wearing, wen in the building if that is what makes them feel comfortable. And for those of you staying home, we will continue to record a simple version of the service, and after it is edited and uploaded to YouTube, you will be notified that it is available and be provided with a link to the video.
Here is the link to this week’s service.
https://youtu.be/5D3aP4l9PzE
(or search on YouTube for “2022-10-09 Cooksville United”)
As always, If you have problems with viewing the video, I have included the full text , of most of the service, below.
And remember, please try to keep in touch with each other, particularly those you know who are forced to spend so much time alone.
And feel free to call or email me personally if you want to connect or if there is anything I can do.
Blessings,
Rev. Brian
Rev. Brian Vickers
Cell – 905-802-4081
Email – [email protected]
https://youtu.be/5D3aP4l9PzE
Prelude: “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come” –
George Elvey, arr. Robert Thygerson
Greeting
Hymn: “Praise to God, Immortal Praise”
(VU # 521)
Call to Worship:
One: Let us praise the name of the Lord,
People: God is wonderful! Yesterday,
today and forever!
One: The Lord our God has done
marvelous things,
People: We are blessed more than
we could ever imagine.
One: For all the amazing gifts we have
been given,
All: We praise the name of the Lord!
Opening Prayer
Lighting the Christ Candle
Children’s Time
Prayer for the Children and
The Lord’s Prayer (Spoken)
Hymn: “I’ve Got Peace Like a River”
(VU # 577)
(The children may now head out to Sunday School)
Life and Work of the Congregation
Upcoming at Cooksville
Thu Oct 13 Gospel Singers rehearsal at 7:30pm
Thu Oct 13 Senior Choir rehearsal at 8:00pm
Sat Oct 15 Celebration of Life for Joyce Gilmour
at 1:00pm (all welcome to attend)
Sat Oct 22 Ladies Coffee Hour at 10:00am
(please note change)
First Reading: Psalm 100
Second Reading: Philippians 4:4-9
Psalm 100 New International Version (NIV)
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Philippians 4:4-9 New International Version (NIV)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Hear what the Spirit is saying. Thanks be to God.
Anthem: “All Good Gifts” – Natalie Sleeth
Sermon: “Rejoice in the Lord – Always!”
Psalm 100
It’s not unusual for people to make up lists at Christmas – either for what you want – or for what you will give – and we make lists of resolutions one week later at new years. But those aren’t the only holidays that we should be making lists for – how about a Thanksgiving list – of all the things for which we are thankful.
Here’s a list of some things that I might put on that list – I’m thankful for –
The taxes I pay – because it means I’m employed
The clothes that fit a little too snug – because it means I have enough to eat
A lawn that needs mowing – windows that need washing – and gutters that need cleaning – because it means I have a home
My hydro and gas bills – because it means I am warm and have light
A messy house that needs to be tidied – because it means I have loved ones nearby.
Now our lists might not all be the same – but I'm sure that if we took the time to make the list – we’d find that we have much more to be thankful for than just our material possessions.
Like you – I'm sure – my list would include the major things life – health – family – friends – and community.
But most of all – I'm thankful for the love and mercy that God showers upon us. Because of Jesus we have so much for which to celebrate on Thanksgiving!
Unlike Christmas and easter – thanksgiving isn’t really a religious holiday – there really isn’t a biblical basis for it – it’s not a day that God has given to us – it’s a day that – WE – people – have chosen to declare our thanks.
Although – for the vast majority of people – thanksgiving is just about the turkey and the day off – I still love the way that Thanksgiving encourages non-religious – or people of a different faith – to take some time to think about what they have to be thankful for – But WE – need to make sure that our thanks is directed to God.
So – this weekend – we will pause once again to celebrate Thanksgiving Day – and you’d think that – because we know God – and we know that God has given us so much to be thankful for – that we would be extremely thankful people.
But it’s often just the opposite – the more we get – the less thankful we become – the less mindful of God we are – and the more we want.
There’s a story about a place in Mexico that has a Hot spring and a cold spring side by side – because of the convenience of this natural phenomenon – the townspeople there often take their laundry – wash them in the boiling water of the hot spring – and then rinse them in the cold springs.
After seeing the villagers doing their laundry – a visiting missionary commented to his Mexican host – They must be so thankful that God supplies them with clean – free and convenient – hot and cold water."
The guide replied – No senor – but there is much grumbling because God does not supply the soap.
I think that God wrote the 100th Psalm to remind us of our need to be thankful – to maintain an attitude of gratitude.
It’s short – and it’s worth hearing again – so why don’t we all read it together – it’s on page _____ of the regular print bibles and page _____ of the large print bibles.
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
If you want – keep your bibles open to the psalm.
The 100th Psalm was written for the people of Israel. God said to them – When you come into the promised land and settle down in your homes – and you have plenty to eat – don't forget Me. I led you out of the wilderness and brought you into a land flowing with milk and honey.
But it doesn't take very long to realize that the people of Israel needed a reminder – and unfortunately – we need it too.
Maybe God had us in mind when this Psalm was written. Did you notice to whom it’s addressed – the first verse says that it’s addressed to – all the earth – and the last verse says that it includes – all generations.
This message of thanksgiving is so deep and wide that it applies to every person in every era in every stage of life.
It’s kind of sad really – that there are only three countries that celebrate an official Thanksgiving Day – Canada – the US – and the Philippines – and even those three don’t all celebrate on the same day. I wonder how our world would be changed if suddenly everyone – everywhere – begin to observe Thanksgiving?
I think there might be something about giving thanks together – that can help us to break down barriers between people.
But even if we are celebrating thanksgiving – I think that there is also a danger of expressing our thanks based on how much we have.
Do I have enough turkey to stuff myself sufficiently – do I have enough money secured in the bank – am I healthy – those are the questions we ask – and then we let the answers determine whether we are – or aren't – thankful.
Elsewhere – the Psalmist says that all these things may change at any time – they may drift away – or burn up – or someone may steal them. The only thing we have for sure is our relationship with the Lord.
That is what our Psalm emphasizes – just take a look – in verse 1 – you'll find the word – Lord -in verse 2 – you'll find the word – Lord – In verse 3 – you'll find the word – Lord.
In verse 4 it says – enter His gates with thanksgiving - and in verse 5 – you'll find the word – Lord. The basis of our thanksgiving is the Lord.
The author – Alex Haley – had an unusual piece of art hanging on his office wall – a picture of a turtle on top of a fence post.
When asked – Why do you have that – he answered – Every time I write something significant – every time I read my words and think that they are wonderful – and begin to feel proud of myself – I look at the turtle on top of the fence post and remember that he didn't get there on his own – he had help.
That’s the purpose of thankfulness – to remember that we got here with help – the help of God – and that God is the provider of all our blessings.
There are five things in this short little psalm that we can look at to help with bringing thanks to God - the first is in verse 1 – Shout for joy to the Lord – all the earth
In Hebrew – the word we translate as – shout – actually means something like – Proclaim with the force of a trumpet blast – it’s a shout of joy to the Lord that comes from the very depths of your being.
Maybe God has solved your problem – or given you the direction to go – or provided a blessing – and you realize that it’s come from God – so from the depths of your being – you shout your praise.
The second thing is to – worship the Lord with gladness. Worship – and Serve – could be used interchangeably here – to worship the Lord is to Serve the Lord.
The Bible teaches that if we feed the hungry – if we clothe the naked – if we do the work of the Lord – whatever it might be – we are serving the Lord.
In Matthew 25:40 Jesus said – whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. That’s the same as we hear in our psalm – In whatever you do – serve the Lord with gladness.
And then we should – Come before Him with joyful songs – or as the psalmist puts it in Psalm 98 – Make a joyful noise unto the Lord. Making a Joyful noise is something that we can all do.
So – three things in the first two verses – God has said – I want you to be happy – so shout with joy – serve with gladness – and come with joyful songs.
The fourth thing to increase our thanksgiving is – Know that the Lord is God – after all – It’s God who made us – we belong to God – we are God’s people – the sheep of God’s flock.
God made us – inside and out. He made you the way He wanted you to be. And He made me the way He wanted me to be.
I don't understand why – but for some reason – God decided that He wanted someone who was slightly overweight – balding – average looking – not really outstanding in any way – so He made me. And just like me – for some reason – He had you in mind – so He made you.
And God is still making us. That’s important to understand – God’s not satisfied with the unfinished product – so He's still making us – He's still working on our lives.
The apostle Paul wrote in Philippians – I thank my God every time I remember you – being confident of this – that He who began a good work in you – will carry it on to completion.
God is your maker – and you are created in God’s image. Therefore – give Him thanks for who you are.
The second part of this is that God says – We are God’s people – the sheep of God’s pasture. Well – frankly – most of us want to be the shepherds – not the sheep – it's not any fun being sheep – we say.
The problem is – we don't know where the still waters and green pastures are – and if we go out looking for them on our own – we usually wind up just wandering around.
God is saying – You be the sheep – Let me be the shepherd – just let me lead."
And finally – Enter His gates with thanksgiving – and His courts with praise – give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever. His faithfulness continues through all generations."
In the old testament – the temple symbolized the presence of God – but that temple no longer exists – Jesus has taught us that God is everywhere.
He is with you as you drive on the highway – He is with you when you work – He is with you as you care for your children – He is with you every moment of your life.
That thought alone – should be enough to make us shout for joy. Knowing that God is with us – is all we need to know to be filled with gratitude. That is the source of our thanksgiving.
God is Good – All the time.
Hymn: “We Plough the Fields”
(VU # 520)
Offering (during which “Now Thank We All Our
God” – Johann Crüger, arr. Alexander
Schreiner)
Offertory Hymn: “Praise God…” (VU #541)
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
praise God, all creatures high and low;
give thanks to God in love made known:
Creator, Word and Spirit, One.
Offering Prayer (standing)
Prayers of the People
Hymn: “Let All Things Now Living”
(VU # 242)
Benediction & Commissioning
Three-Fold Amen
Postlude: “Sortie” – César Franck