DANFORTH MENNONITE CHURCH
416-422-2406
Pastor Stephen Reist

We welcome all guests who have joined us.

 

Danforth Mennonite Church
June 18, 2023
Order of Service

Welcome & Land Acknowledgement

Call to Worship

Hymn: VT #95    Praise the Lord, Sing Hallelujah

Announcements

Giving thanks for our gifts: VT #759  Take My Life and Let It Be

Prayers of the people

Hymn:  VT #170  Wonderful Grace of Jesus

Scripture Readings:  Matthew 23:10-13, 23-28
Ephesians 2:8, 1 Corinthians 12:27 – 13:11

Message:  Think on these things – whatever is excellent – confessions of a perfectionist

Hymn of Response:  VT #162   The Love of God

Benediction

 

Our theme Think on these things

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. 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.
Philippians 4:8–9

 

Leading Us in Worship
Message                              Stephen R.
Worship Leader              Dalton J.
Song Leader                      Ed F.
Musician                             Kathy W. (piano), Ray W. (tuba)
Greeters                             Leslie & Fazal S.
Zoom Host                        Bonnie W.
A/V Technician               Don B.

 

Adult Discussion group at 10:00 a.m.
 
June 18 – The devil

 

 

Call to Worship

Open our ears

to hear your word

Open our eyes

to see your presence

Open our arms

to the embrace of community

Open our minds

to the beauty of truth

Open our hearts

to the joy of new life

 

 

Scripture Reading

Matthew 23:10-13, 23-28 (CEB)
¹⁰ Don’t be called teacher, because Christ is your one teacher. ¹¹ But the one who is greatest among you will be your servant. ¹² All who lift themselves up will be brought low. But all who make themselves low will be lifted up.
 
Condemnation of the legal experts and the Pharisees

¹³ “How terrible it will be for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You shut people out of the kingdom of heaven. You don’t enter yourselves, and you won’t allow those who want to enter to do so.

²³ “How terrible it will be for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You give to God a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, but you forget about the more important matters of the Law: justice, peace, and faith. You ought to give a tenth but without forgetting about those more important matters. ²⁴ You blind guides! You filter out an ant but swallow a camel.

²⁵ “How terrible it will be for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and plate, but inside they are full of violence and pleasure seeking. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup so that the outside of the cup will be clean too.

²⁷ “How terrible it will be for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs. They look beautiful on the outside. But inside they are full of dead bones and all kinds of filth. ²⁸ In the same way you look righteous to people. But inside you are full of pretense and rebellion.

Ephesians 2:8 (CEB)
⁸ You are saved by God’s grace because of your faith. This salvation is God’s gift. It’s not something you possessed. ⁹ It’s not something you did that you can be proud of. ¹⁰ Instead, we are God’s accomplishment, created in Christ Jesus to do good things. God planned for these good things to be the way that we live our lives.

1 Corinthians 12:27 – 13:11 (NRSVUE)
²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. ²⁸ And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work powerful deeds? ³⁰ Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹ But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

The Gift of Love
13 If I speak in the tongues of humans and of angels but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ² And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give away all my possessions and if I hand over my body so that I may boast^[a] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

⁴ Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant ⁵ or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable; it keeps no record of wrongs; ⁶ it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. ⁷ It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸ Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. ⁹ For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part, ¹⁰ but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. ¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways.

 

DANFORTH ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

Searching for a long-term pastor

Thank-you to Roger H. and Erma M., for revising the pastor’s job description and completing other forms and documents.

We sent these materials to Al R., MCEC regional minister, to support announcing the position to qualified pastors.

The Pastor Search Team met with Al on Thursday June 15^th to clarify any questions.

Please continue to pray for Vic G., Murray L., Edgardo R., Sue S., and Lisa W., as they serve on this Team; for pastors who apply for the position; and for the MCEC staff who facilitate the process.
Regards,
Mike D.

 

Treasurer’s Report: We received $7,475 in offerings in May. $8,200 is needed each month to meet our 2023 operating budget. Our operating deficit is -$115 to the end of May.

We also received a designated donation of $100 for the 40 Teesdale Food Bank and an additional $200 directed towards our Danforth Grow Hope budget line.

 

Would you like to be a part of our worship team? 
 

For our schedule covering October through December 2023, we would like additional:

• • musicians (song leading and instruments),
  • worship leaders (we provide you with resource materials)
  • greeters for our lobbies
  • zoom hosts

Contact Bonnie if you are interested or would like additional information. 

 

Summer Hours will
commence July 2.
Our Church service will be
10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
There will be no Adult Class or
Hymn Sing during the summer.

 

We need books for our Little Library

 

 

 

 

 

Do you have a submission for our next
DMC Outlook?
Please contact our editor, Bonnie.

 

Ladies Walking group

On Tuesday, June 20th at 10:30 am (weather permitting), we will be at Rosetta McClain Gardens.
An email will go out on Monday June 19 to confirm the place and time.

If you need to be picked up or dropped off, please check in with fellow walkers or email Bonnie.
 

 

Worship Schedule reminder

June 25
Speaker                   Carol O.
Worship leader   Sue S.
Song Leader          Sue S.
Musician                 Roger H. (piano), Ray W. (tuba)
Greeters                 Cindy R., Bethany W.
ZOOM host           Bonnie W.
A/V Tech                 Murray L.

July 2
Speaker                    Carol O.
Worship leader   Mike D.
Song Leader          Ed F.
Musician                 Roger H. (piano), Ray W. (tuba)
Greeters                 Cindy R., Bethany W.
ZOOM host          Bonnie W.
A/V Tech                 Fazal S.

 

WIDER CHURCH ANNOUNCEMENTS

Imagine having your predictable daily routine disrupted by bombs and gunfire and losing all sense of control and safety for your family. Imagine going to bed hungry, worrying about where your next meal will come from or if your water supply is safe for your children to drink. Imagine not having a community of like-minded people to feel connected to.

This is the experience of millions of refugees around the world.

We invite you to pray, not only for those suffering around the world but for guidance as to how you can help the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger — the refugee — through hospitality and hope. We invite you to be inspired through worship, as worship has the power to transform us into God’s likeness and stir up a desire to help others.

 

National Indigenous History Month
(June) and
National Indigenous Peoples Day
(June 21)

 are a time for all Canadians to recognize the rich history, heritage, resilience and diversity of Indigenous peoples and to reflect on the ongoing impact of colonialism on these communities. 

Explore the resources and events below to help celebrate and appreciate the diverse cultures found in Canada’s Indigenous communities.

Resources

• • Book: Becoming Kin, An Indigenous Call to Unforgetting the Past and Reimagining Our Future by Patty Krawec
  • Book: The Land is Not Empty, Following Jesus in Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery by Sarah Augustine
  • Documentary: Doctrine of Discovery. Are you asking “what is the doctrine of discovery” and “what are the current implications?”. This document is a good place to start learning.
  • Podcast: Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery. Author Sarah Augustine and pastor Sheri Hostetler, seek to uncover the historical and current impacts of colonialism on our laws and systems. Found where ever you listen to your podcasts.
  • Course: Indigenous Canada. Want to take a deeper dive? The University of Alberta offers a 12-lesson Massive Open Online Course that explores the different histories and contemporary perspectives of Indigenous people living in Canada. More info at coursera.org/learn/indigenous-canada     

 

In summary, upcoming events

At Danforth
June
20  Ladies Walking group – Rosetta McClain
20  Cooking class
24  Messy Church
26  Polling station here at DMC
27  Ladies Walking group – our last walk until Sept.
27  Cooking class

July
2  DMC summer hours  10:30 – 11:30 am.
2 – 7  Ottawa Mennonite Church “TOOLS” group

Wider Church
June
24  MCC AGM

August
13  Worship at Willowgrove

September
16  Greater Toronto Area Mennonite Festival at Willowgrove