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"Faith of Many Colours: Powerful Faith" Wildwood Mennonite Church // June 20, 2021 Worship Leader: Teresa W // Music Leader: Brenda M // Sermon: Joe Heikman Welcome to Wildwood! Welcome to worship with our Wildwood Mennonite Church community from wherever you find yourself today. Summer officially begins tomorrow (June 21). It is a time that inspires growth, colour, vibrancy, rest, vacation, and here, on the prairies, even more time spent outdoors. Our worship in this season is also a celebration of spiritual growth and diversity. "Faith of Many Colours" is a worship series inviting us to think about how faith and spirituality changes throughout our lives, depending on our stage of life, the groups we are part of, and even moment-to-moment. The wonder is that our God is big enough to meet all of those needs and expectations - and continues to invite us to a deeper and fuller understanding of ourselves and our world. Our focus today is “Red: Powerful Faith” where we might ask ourselves “How can I take control of my life?” with God included and “How am I going to use that power?”. Let us ponder that as we listen to our music for meditation from Sarita. Music for Meditation // Mist // Performed by Sarita H Call to Worship Leader: Our God, we gather to worship you, the One who creates all things. People: For the gift of creation, we give thanks. Leader: We gather to worship you, the One who brings salvation through Jesus Christ. People: For the gift of redemption, we give thanks. Leader: We gather to worship you, the One who sustains us by the Spirit. People: For the gift of your presence, we give thanks. Leader: We bring to you our offerings of thanks and praise for all your gifts. All: We worship you – our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen. Peace Candle On Wednesday this past week, our Canadian Senate approved the bill, Bill-C 15, to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). This is the bill that our church, along with many other faith-based organizations, voted to support by being a signatory on a petition to encourage the passing of this bill. This is good news on the eve of June 21 – National Indigenous Peoples Day. Prayer for National Indigenous Peoples Day Creator God, We look at your world and praise you for the diversity all around us. Thank you for the gift of relationships; our connection with people, animals and the land. Help us, Lord, to see differences and diversity as strengths. Help us to listen and understand; to meet one another with wonder and anticipation. Help us to love as you love, without expectation. Reveal to us your way of reconciliation and guide us into right relationships with all living things. Lead us to understand how Indigenous peoples have been and continue to be profoundly harmed by settler people and institutions. Lead us to repent when we as settlers deny Indigenous peoples respect, dignity and fullness of life. Help us to listen compassionately, to speak humbly and to act justly. Help us to seek the peace, justice and reconciliation you desire among all your children. Thank you for your mercy and grace. Amen. Prayer by Dianne Climenhage, MCC Maritimes Regional Representative Sharing Time Not hearing from one another in person through the Sharing Time is a significant loss for many of us. Sharing items can be emailed to the church office or the pastors to be shared with the congregation. If you’re able, join us for our Sunday Morning Zoom gatherings, or check your email for the sharing items from last Sunday. Or maybe now would be a good time to pause your reading to call someone from church or elsewhere that you haven’t heard from this week. Congregational Prayer Powerful and loving God, thank you for this time of worship where we gather to worship and share in our life as a community with those seeking to journey with Jesus. We praise you for the promise of being ever present, in our times of joy and excitement and in our times of uncertainty and insecurity. You are our source of strength and courage as we face all challenges that come our way. You are “for us” and with this knowledge we can enter that place of peace and courage to do what is right and use our power for good. May your power and hope flow through us so we can walk together with those who feel they have no voice or are discouraged or who wish to share their stories of healing and happiness. Today, God, we lift up to you all the sharing that was spoken……. and those burdens or joys not spoken. We think and pray for our fathers and grandfathers, past and present, who helped to shape who we are today. God, we need your love and hope in our lives. Instill in us a longing to grow to know you more and therefore, increase our understanding and loving ourselves more. With this peace and security of understanding, we can go forth in power and courage to do the good that is needed in the world around us. We pray this is Jesus’ name, Amen. Song // O Praise the Gracious Power // Voices Together #87 Children’s Story // Click here for video storytime with Jenny B! This week's story is A Brave Bear by Sean Taylor with illustrations by Emily Hughes. Scripture // The Inclusive Bible Translation Ephesians 6:10-17 Finally, draw your strength from Christ and from the strength of that mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand firm against the tactics of the Devil. Our battle ultimately is not against human forces, but against the sovereignties and powers, the rulers of the world of darkness, and the evil spirits of the heavenly realms. You must put on the armor of God if you are to resist on the evil day and, having done everything you can, to hold your ground. Stand fast then, with truth as the belt around your waist, justice as your breastplate, and zeal to spread the Good News of peace as your footgear. In all circumstances, hold faith up before you as your shield; it will help you extinguish the fiery darts of the Evil One. Put on the helmet of salvation, and carry the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Always pray in the Spirit, with all your prayers and petitions. Pray constantly and attentively for all God’s holy people. Sermon // “Red Rising” // Joe Heikman (If you’d rather watch than read, click here for the video version on youtube) One stone changed everything. One sling, one brave young man, one shot to bring down the giant. David and Goliath. The ultimate underdog story. I don’t have to tell you this one. Two armies: the invading Philistines, so bold that they don’t even bother with a conventional attack. They just send out their biggest guy with a challenge, the contest of champions. Your guy wins, we go home. Our guy wins, you surrender without a fight. Pure intimidation. And it was working - Israel’s confidence was fading. But then came David, the shepherd boy--more realistically in his late teens or early twenties. He had the confidence that everyone else lacked. “God is with us, so what’s a giant compared to the power of God?” And David had the skills to back it up. He had fought off lions and bears as a shepherd, how is this threat any different? God saved me then, God will save me now. So David rejected the armor of the king, and went out to face Goliath with only his shepherd’s staff and sling. And the confidence of God’s protection: “This battle belongs to YHWH.” Taunts were shouted, the fateful stone was slung, and Goliath collapsed with a shuddering boom. And that’s the sound of the People of God moving from Purple to Red. This is the third part of our summer series, “Faith of Many Colours: the Spirituality of Spiral Dynamics.” Spiral Dynamics is a model of human development, how individuals, organizations and societies change and grow over time. Today, we’re talking about Red. The Warrior Space. Purple says life is uncertain, and you have to please the people and the gods if you want to survive. Red says, “No. I can do things. I make decisions, I take responsibility, I make things happen.” In Ancient Israel, King David was the model of Red. He was a King. David knew who he was and he was confident in the God he served. He took action. He slew the giant, won the kingdom, got the girl(s). The Red space on the Spiral Dynamics model is an ancient impulse, but it continues to resonate within our culture today. Sometimes quite literally. I give you: Billie Eilish. And fair warning--you might want to have your hand on the volume controls for this one. Billie Eilish: “You Should See Me In a Crown” Bite my tongue, bide my time // Wearing a warning sign Wait 'til the world is mine // Visions I vandalize Cold in my kingdom size // Fell for these ocean eyes You should see me in a crown // I'm gonna run this nothing town Watch me make 'em bow // One by one by one // One by one by You should see me in a crown // Your silence is my favorite sound Watch me make 'em bow // One by one by one // One by one by one Count my cards, watch them fall // Blood on a marble wall I like the way they all // Scream Tell me which one is worse // Living or dying first Sleeping inside a hearse // I don't dream You say: Come over baby // I think you're pretty I'm okay, I'm not your baby // If you think I'm pretty You should see me in a crown..

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