WELCOME: The MYSTERY which IS

the LOVE we call “God,” is with you all! Thanks be to ALL that IS HOLY!

This video was recorded on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabe, the Huron-Wendat, and the Chippewas of Lake Simcoe and Lake Huron. This territory is covered by the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Haudenosaunee and the Ojibwe and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the lands and resources around the Great Lakes.

PRELUDE: No. 4 in E minor

by F. Chopin

GREETING: The CREATOR of all that is and ever shall be, The LOVE which is DIVINITY, and the SPIRIT who breathes life into life, is with you all. Thanks be to ALL that IS, HOLY!

Music printed under LiscenSing #1975

MUSIC: God Universal Text: Jocelyn Marshal; Music: Marney Curran

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Held in the MYSTERY which IS LOVE, we offer both our fears and our hopes trusting that the LOVE which lives in, with, through, and beyond us will comfort us in our grief, soothe us in our despair, challenge our complacency and renew us for the work of being LOVE in the world. Let our worship empower us to usher in the Kin-dom of DIVINITY, the family of the ONE who is our LOVER, BELOVED, and LOVE ITSELF. Amen.

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words by Jocelyn Marshall

ACCLAMATION In Deepest Night MUSIC: Thomas Pavlechko; TEXT: Susan Palo Cherwien

GOSPEL: Mark 4:26-34

Jesus said further, “The reign of God is like this; a sower scatters seed on the ground, then goes to bed at night and gets up day after day. Through it all the seed sprouts and grows without the sower knowing how it happens. The soil produces a crop by itself—first the blade, then the ear, and finally the ripe wheat in the ear. When the crop is ready, the sower wields the sickle, for the time is ripe for harvest.” Jesus went on to say, “What comparison can we use for the reign of God? What image will help to present it? It is like a mustard seed which people plant in the soil: it is the smallest of all the earth’s seeds, yet once it is sown, it springs up to become the largest of shrubs, with branches big enough for the birds of the sky to build nests in its shade.” Using many parables like these, Jesus spoke the message to them, as much as they could understand. Everything was spoken in parables but Jesus explained everything to the disciples later when they were along.

SERMON: We Are ONE!

MUSIC: In Star and Crescent

PRAYERS:

Let us open ourselves to MYSTERY in which we are ONE. United in our diversity, we are grateful for the beauty and dignity of our neighbours. As we grieve in solidarity, let us dream together in hope. Let us be LOVE for one another, so that all may know the joys of life lived in the harmony which resounds when compassion and justice kiss to create peace. Eric Schultz I work in the hospital in one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse parts of Toronto. Following the news of the deadly attack on a Muslim family in London Ontario I asked one of my Muslim colleagues what she would want the hear in Christian worship this Sunday. This prayer is based on our conversation. God, who has many names and yet is MYSTERY beyond naming; We might call it pain or sadness but the feeling is beyond naming, the aching and emptiness as though all Love and Goodness are gone. Are you there ALLAH? Are you here YAHWEH? Members of three generations of a family gone, and for what? Hatred fed by irrational fear? A Phobia? Islamophobia? May we grow more aware of your presence with us Oh COMPASSIONATE ONE as we weep together, for truly we are not that different. The sun shines, the wind blows, the rain falls on us the same. Our differences help us see the divine in diversity to be experienced in awe not in fear. Is the world becoming a Godless place, no awe of divine presence, no responsibility, no repentance, no forgiveness, no love? Yes, there is love, through the fear and outrage, through the sadness and disbelief I see it in her eyes, I hear it in her voice. We must do better, you and I. Oh WISDOM, teach us; break apart the fear of ignorance of unknowing, open us to learn the best of what each other have to offer. Comparing the best of one sacred story to the worst of another is wrong, unfair, horrific. Open our lips to ask to hear the best stories and open our ears to hear them with honest heart-yearning desire to grow through them. SACRED PRESENCE, SACRED SOURCE; in, with, among and beyond challenge my limits and dispel my fears as I strive to be love in the world at this moment and always. Amen. Jane Winstanley My prayer today is for all who suffer hatred and prejudice in their daily lives. The silently shunned, the verbally attacked, the physically violated and those senselessly killed. I pray for healing for those who find their identity in hate groups. Ignorant and fearful of the ‘other’ they are disconnected from the sacred within themselves and the sacred in all people. I pray for compassion and understanding towards ourselves and others when we fail to respond in love. May the sacred presence of Love within us strengthen us all to actively oppose all forms of hatred and exclusion as we seek to follow The Way of Jesus who lifted up the marginalised and forgave his executioners. I give thanks for the outpouring of love and support for the Islamic community in London and around the country. I pray for a renewed desire to develop relationships with all my neighbours, especially those of differing cultures, They, like all of us except the Indigenous peoples, are settlers and immigrants to Canada.

Sharon Willan Loving One, my heart aches, my thoughts are jumbled, my prayer incoherent. Please be patient with me as I cry out to you and jump from thought to thought, trying to understand. Understand what? that a nine year old boy, Fayez Afzaal, the only survivor of a heinous, hateful act that killed his- Father, Salman Afzaal, Mother, Madiha, Sister, Yumna, and Grandmother, Talat - must bear such grief, such sorrow? HOLY ONE, bless this child, Fayez! Understand a senseless murder - committed by - what name can I give him? He, too, is your child. Your child and I must remember this… I ask, why does hatred seem to pull us away again and again? I ask, how can such cruelty overcome beauty and harmony of life? I ask, when will we learn that Love is the only path, the only strength we have within us? Holy One, in your mysterious and inclusive manner you have shown us many paths to come to you. You have sent teachers, prophets, elders, and shamans who consistently point to you. There is so much richness in this diversity as they teach us that “your Fullness is in our diversity and we are whole only when we embrace all in your Love: Islamic communities, Jewish communities, Hindus, Buddhists, Indigenous Peoples with their spiritualities, Jains, Sikhs, and secularists all your children, all created equal, all interconnected, all loved. This morning’s gospel reminds us that the kindom of heaven is like a sower sowing seeds. The seeds grow and produce a harvest. And all - everyone is nourished. We plant human seeds and are astonished by the miracle of birth! The song, Love is stronger than death asks “"How could you believe that the life within the seed That grew arms that reached And a heart that beat.” What seeds are we sowing? HOLY ONE, MYSTERY, DIVERSITY in WHOLENESS, strengthen our resolve to be LOVE in this world. We offer our prayers to the ONE who IS BEYOND NAMES, BEYOND CREEDS, BEYOND RACE, the ONE in whom all our neighbours are held in LOVE, now and always. Amen. Marney Curran I am thankful for the delights of creation this time of year, all around us. I am thankful for the evidence that the COVID pandemic is coming under control. But my heart remains heavy, grieving for those who have suffered violence and death at the hands of others even in our own country. When will there be peace? The Prayer of St. Francis begins, Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace, Where there is hatred, let me sow love, Where there is injury, pardon, Where there is doubt, faith, Where there is despair, hope, Where there is darkness, light, Where there is sadness, joy. But to sow means to do the difficult and beginning work of planting and tending those seeds without seeing initial results. I am impatient, I want it now. In the midst of hatred, injury, doubt, despair, darkness and sadness, may we be willing to sow those seeds of love, pardon, faith, hope, light and joy. We offer our prayers to the ONE who IS BEYOND NAMES, BEYOND CREEDS, BEYOND RACE, the ONE in whom all our neighbours are held in LOVE, now and always. Amen.

BLESSING

LOVE your neighbours as you love yourselves, Put yourself outside your own comfort zone. Take some risks. Make some mistakes. Learn new ways of being human from humans who do things differently that you do. Take a course in another religious tradition. Make a friend. Be a friend. Commit outrageous acts of kindness. Be recklessly hospitable. Foolishly generous. Listen and learn. Stand in solidarity. Grieve with those who are grieving. Try to understand the pain of those who have been wounded. Give up some of your privilege, Let us plant seeds and tend this garden in little Fayez’s name, trusting that we are ALL ONE, ONE in the LOVE which is our CREATOR, ONE in the LOVE which is the MYSTERY, BEYOND, the BEYOND, and BEYOND that also, our LOVER, BELOVED, and LOVE itself. Amen.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS POSTLUDE: Op. 11, No.22 By A. Scriabin

Crosslinks Street Outreach Vanprovides a range of urgent-care services seven days a week.

Make a designated donation via E-transferSo that we can provide packaged food

items to be distributed by the Street Outreach Van

You can now transfer funds via email to:holy.cross.donations@rogers.com

for more information go to

www.holycrosslutheran.ca

Join our Worship Team! Send an email to holycrosslutheran@rogers.com for the Zoom Link to our next Meeting: Thursday June 17 @ 11am

We are currently running a deficit of $4,111.34 in the General Fund. While this is concerning, we are indeed grateful to our generous donors who have kept our deficit as low as it is. Our current deficit is on par with where we were in May of 2019 (the last so-called normal fiscal year). Many thanks to ALL OUR GENEROUS givers!!!

Financial Report - General Fund January - May 31, 2021

INCOMEJan-May BUDGET

Jan-May ACTUAL

Online Donors $5,000.00 $7,467.59

Registered Donors $39,326.02 $27,106.23

TOTAL OFFERINGS $44,326.02 $34,573.82

Solar Panel Income $3,750.00 $1,567.91Fundraising $0.00 $0.00Gifts $208.31 $0.00Interest $0.00 $16.61Government Payroll Subsidy $6,666.65 $5,285.98Rental: Armitage Daycare $5,375.00 $5,375.00Online Program Fees $1,666.65 $0.00Online Resource Fees $1,041.65 $0.00Miscellaneous Income: $0.00 $0.00

Sub-Total General Fund $63,034.28 $46,819.32

2020 Surplus Carried forward $5,332.38 $5,332.38Bridge Loan Draw $2,083.31 $0.00

TOTAL INCOME $70,449.97 $52,151.70

TOTAL EXPENSES to May 31, 2021 $67,699.82 $56,263.04

NET LOSS as of May31, 2021 -$4,111.34

1

OFFERINGS:

There are several ways to ensure that we are able to continue meeting our commitments.

You can mail in your offerings: Holy Cross Lutheran Church

1035 Wayne Drive Newmarket, On. L3Y 2W9

You can sign up to our Preauthorized Remittance Program PAR contact our Treasurer Sharon Smyth who will guide you

You can go to Holy Cross’ CanadaHelps page to donate just follow the link:

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/36983

E-transfer You can now transfer funds via email to:

holy.cross.donations@rogers.com

Make sure you are on our MAILING LIST so that we can send you all the Zoom Links

We want to see your smiling face as often as possible! Send an email to: holycrosslutheran@rogers.com

and we will be sure to send you all our news!