BUC Worship Service – Sept 13, 2026
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Balzac United Church
September 13, 2026
First Sunday of Creation Time: ‘Delight in Me!’
Worship Leader: Rev. Marion Martin
Music Ministry: Dr. Alex Shawn
Prelude: Prelude No.1 from Well-Tempered Clavier by Johann Sebastian Bach
Welcome and Announcements
Land Acknowledgement:
Hymn: God of the Sparrow VU 229
Candles of Joy, Concern and Sorrow
Time for Centering
Call to Worship: Like a Rock (2x) MV 92
Opening Prayer:
Creator, fill our very being with your word and Spirit today as we worship you. Open us to experience your totality through Creation, so our spirits will be lifted up by all that surrounds us. Amen Adapted from Jim McKean, Orillia, ON
Hymn: Come In, Come In and Sit Down VU 395
Scripture: Exodus 15:1b-11 and 20-21 (The Inclusive Bible)
“To you, O God, I sing: you have triumphed powerfully; horse and charioteer you have flung into the sea! YHWH is our strength and our courage; you have become our deliverance. You are YHWH—we will praise you; the God of our ancestors—we exalt you! YHWH is a warrior; ‘I AM’ is your Name! Pharaoh’s chariots and army you have hurled into the sea; Pharaoh’s choicest warriors sank in the Sea of Reeds. The deep waters consumed them; they sank to the bottom like a stone. Your right hand, O YHWH, is mighty in power. Your right hand, O YHWH, shattered our foe. In the splendor of your power you threw down those who defied you; you released your wrath like fire, which consumed them like stubble. With a blast of your nostrils the waters piled up. The waves stood like a dam, waters congealing in the depths of the sea. The foe boasted, ‘I will chase them, I will overcome them! I will divide the plunder; I will feast on the spoils. Armed with my sword I will destroy them handily!’ But you poured out your breath and the sea enveloped them. They sank like lead into the raging waters. Who is like you among the gods, O YHWH? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome and praiseworthy wonder-worker?
Then Aaron’s sister, the prophet Miriam, picked up a tambourine, and all the women, followed her, dancing, with tambourines, while Miriam sang: “Sing to YHWH who has triumphed gloriously, who has flung horse and rider into the sea!”
Affirmation:
As we reflect upon these passages,
may we find wisdom for our journey.
Amen
Time for Young at Heart
Gift of Music Hallelujah L. Cohen Words by Ron Beagle Listen here
The Message: ‘Delight in me!’ Listen Here
Hymn: Draw the Circle Wide MV145
Offering Invitation
Offertory Music: Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee by Ludwig Van Beethoven
The Doxology:
Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow VU 541
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.
Prayer of Dedication of Gifts and Self
We give thanks and willingly share the works from your creation, O God. May our abundance equip all. Amen Adapted from Beth W. Johnston, Collaborative Ministry, River Philip and Springhill, NS
Prayers for the Community (Pastoral Prayers):
Prayer of Jesus (Adapted)
Our Creator (Father/Mother/Parent) 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; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen
Closing Hymn: Take Up His Song MV 213
Going Forth (responsive):
A strand in the web of life let us be.
At one with the sky and earth and the sea.
A string in the harp that the Spirit plays,
A strand in the web of life let us be.
Adapted from TLUS hymnbook #2
Blessing:
Postlude: Great is Thy Faithfulness by William M. Runyan
We give thanks to all who participated in making today’s worship service a reality.