Service Sunday August 23, 2026
HIGHLAND HILLS UNITED CHURCH
Minden, Ontario
SUNDAY, August 23, 2026
All are Welcome!
Worship Leader: Rev. Max Ward
Music Director: Melissa Stephens
Watch a video recording of the whole service below using YouTube
(For a Printer Friendly PDF version click this link)
(For Rev. Peter’s Musings PDF version click this link)
Watch a video recording of the whole service below.
THE GATHERING
WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS
FOCUSING ON THE LIGHT OF CHRIST
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF TERRITORY In Unison
For thousands of years, First Nations people have walked on this territory; their relationship with the territory is at the centre of their lives and spirituality. We are gathered on the traditional territory of the Anishnaabeg and acknowledge their stewardship of this territory throughout the ages.
THE APPROACH
CALL TO WORSHIP:
One: Time calls us to this place
All: to find comfort, to find caring, to love one another.
One: Time is a gift we are given each morning we rise.
All: It is our responsibility to use it wisely.
One: It is our responsibility to use it gently.
All: To be, rather than always “to do.”
One: We are human creatures
All: and we come to this place to honour our Creator.
One: Come, sit, listen, and most importantly, BE in this place.
All: We have come answering God’s call.
Written by Éric Hébert-Daly. Executive Minister, Eastern Ontario Outaouais Regional Council Gathering, Pentecost 1 2026, p.38. Used with permission.
HYMN: “Seek Ye First the Kingdom” VU #356
1 Seek ye first the kingdom of God
and God's righteousness,
and all these things shall be added unto you.
Hallelu, hallelujah.
2 Ask and it shall be given unto you;
seek and you shall find;
knock and the door shall be opened unto you.
Hallelu, hallelujah.
3 We do not live by bread alone,
but by every word
that proceeds from the mouth of God.
Hallelu, hallelujah.
A SONG OF FAITH: Spoken in Unison
God is Holy Mystery, beyond complete knowledge, above perfect description.
Yet, in love, the one eternal God seeks relationship.
So God creates the universe and with it the possibility of being and relating.
God tends the universe, mending the broken and reconciling the estranged.
God enlivens the universe, guiding all things toward harmony with their Source. Grateful for God’s loving action, We cannot keep from singing.
MINISTRY OF MUSIC
LEARNING TOGETHER
HYMN: “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” VU#651
1 Guide me, O thou great Jehovah,
pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but thou art mighty,
hold me with thy powerful hand.
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,
feed me till I want no more,
feed me till I want no more.
2 Open now the crystal fountain,
whence the healing stream doth flow;
let the fire and cloudy pillar
lead me all my journey through.
Strong deliverer, strong deliverer,
be thou still my strength and shield,
be thou still my strength and shield.
3 When I tread the verge of Jordan,
bid my anxious fears subside;
death of death, and hell's destruction,
land me safe on Canaan's side:
songs of praises, songs of praises
I will ever give to thee,
I will ever give to thee.
THE WORD
Scripture: Romans 12:1 - 13
Leader: Hear and listen to what the Spirit is saying to the church.
ALL: Thanks be to God.
MESSAGE
“A Living Sacrifice”(Taking one for the team)
Listen to an audio recording of the whole service below or read it at the bottom of this page.
OUR RESPONSE
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE and
A CONTEMPORARY INTERPRETATION OF THE LORD’S PRAYER:
Loving parent of all life, present throughout the cosmos,
The mere mention of your name calls us to love, respect, and care for each other. May justice for all, be imbedded in the hearts of all people.
Today may we accept only what we need, respecting creation, doing our part in sustaining the delicate balance of the natural world. Renew us with your grace, as we stumble through this world and help us to share the spirit of forgiveness, with those who have hurt us. Guide us with your spirit of love when we are tempted to be of this world. May evil be removed and replaced with your love. For by living with your love written on our hearts, we may rise above injustice and share the glory of equality, and peace with all of creation. All the days of our lives and into eternity. Amen
By Rev. Stephanie Richmond Seagrave/ Greenbank UC . Used with permission
HYMN: “I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me” VU #575
1 I'm gonna live so God can use me
anywhere, Lord, anytime!
I'm gonna live so God can use me
anywhere, Lord, anytime!
2 I'm gonna work so God can use me
anywhere, Lord, anytime!
I'm gonna work so God can use me
anywhere, Lord, anytime!
3 I'm gonna pray so God can use me
anywhere, Lord, anytime!
I'm gonna pray so God can use me
anywhere, Lord, anytime!
4 I'm gonna sing so God can use me
anywhere, Lord, anytime!
I'm gonna sing so God can use me
anywhere, Lord, anytime!
PRESENTATION OF OUR OFFERINGS
OFFERTORY PRAYER: In Unison
Generous God, throughout the ages you invite people to follow the path of faith-filled giving. We all give in the way we can. Some of us are able to offer time, helping in a variety of situations. Others have skills and gifts that are useful in your kingdom. Some of us can give financially. We know it is the spirit in which this is offered that is most important to you. Receive our offerings and use them to build up your glorious reign. Amen.
Written by Laura J. Turnbull, Penticton, B.C..
Gathering, Pentecost 1 2026, p.49 Used with permission.
SUNG BLESSING Christ Has No Body Now but Yours
MV #171 vs 4
Refrain
Christ has no body now but yours, no hands but yours.
Here on this earth, yours is the work,
to serve with the joy of compassion.
Through ev’ry gift, give back to those in need;
as Christ has blessed, so now be his blessing,
with ev’ry gift a benediction, be to the people of God. Refrain
SENDING FORTH:
A TIME OF FELLOWSHIP
© Music Reproduced with permission under License number A-605748,
Valid for: 26/10/2025 - 25/10/2026; One License - Copyright Cleared Music for Churches.
Sermon 23 August 2026
“A Living Sacrifice”(Taking one for the team)
Romans 12:1-13
Gracious God, be with us today in this place, in the Scriptures and in our words.
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts praise your Holy name. Amen.
A truck loaded with thousands of copies of Roget's Thesaurus crashed yesterday losing its entire load.
Witnesses were stunned, startled, aghast, taken aback, stupefied, confused, shocked, rattled, paralyzed, dazed, bewildered, mixed up, surprised, awed, dumbfounded, nonplussed, flabbergasted, astounded, amazed, confounded, astonished, overwhelmed, horrified, numbed, flummoxed, speechless, perplexed, and gobsmacked.
Meanwhile, those waiting for the shipment were at a loss for words.
I remember when I started playing baseball.
Actually, it was T-ball.
It was a lot of fun and I liked going up to bat.
I did have a hard time concentrating on the game in the outfield and would often be playing in the grass or with my glove and be surprised by a pop fly or a grounder that came my way!
T-ball was great but when I started baseball the next year, without the tee, that was a different story.
It turns out, I had a perfect batting average that year, 0.
I never hit the ball, even once, all season.
Oh, I still got on base occasionally, due to being walked.
For whatever reason, I was afraid of the ball and just couldn’t make contact.
I decided, a career in baseball wasn’t for me after all.
“Take one for the team.”
It is an expression used to describe an athlete who is willing to take a hit and feel some pain for the sake of the team.
You know what I mean.
When a punter sees the rush coming and allows himself (or herself) to get hit so that the team earns a 15 yard penalty, that is taking one for the team.
When the hockey player takes a check into the boards just after making a swift pass to a fellow teammate in scoring position, that’s taking a hit for the team.
When a basketball player takes a charge from a larger player driving to the basket, thus causing a turn over and taking the ball out of the hands of the other team, that’s taking one for the team.
That player took that charge for the benefit of the team.
They are willing to sacrifice their own bodies to give their team an advantage.
When I think of someone taking one for the team, I think most of baseball.
Occasionally, a batter can tell that the pitcher has it in for him or her.
The batter stands in the box.
Suddenly a pitch that is too far inside hit’s the batter.
The batter gets to walk to first base.
The batter took one for the team.
“Taking one for the team” applies off the field of play and in real life too.
Paul wrote: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (vs. 1)
The idea of sacrifice goes way back.
In Paul’s day a sacrifice was not a pop fly into the outfield that allowed a runner on base to score.
It was an animal that was burned to honour one of the Greek or Roman gods or to worship the God of Israel.
Yet Paul tells the Roman Christians to present their bodies as a “living” sacrifice.
I can’t help but think of the Christians in Rome who would give their lives for the Gospel.
They were the first martyrs who were burned alive or fed to animals for refusing to worship Caesar.
Paul is not talking about martyrdom either.
He is talking about a “living” Sacrifice.
Paul is telling the Roman, and Carolinian, Christians to live our lives as a sacrifice to God.
But how do we do that?
First: “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”(vs. 2)
It is so easy to just go along with the crowd.
Peer pressure is not just an issue for teenagers.
We all face pressure from the world around us to conform to it.
Yet we are called to take the harder road of being transformed and live in opposition to the world around us; to sacrifice our bodies for the good of the kingdom - to take one for the team.
How can we be transformed and make our lives a living sacrifice?
Paul says: “For by the grace given to me I bid every one among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think.”(vs. 3)
This is in direct opposition to the world around us.
The world believes in looking out for number 1.
“Have it your way” because “you deserve the best.”
But we are called to think of others first.
As Christians we are each part of the something larger.
Paul says that we are parts of the body of Christ.
We are part of a team - the ultimate team - a dream team beyond all dreams!
Each of us has a role to play on that team.
We each do our part, not for ourselves, but for the rest of the team.
Some of us preach, some of us teach, some of us administer, some of us work, some of us pray, but we all do what we do for the best of all.
Hey, there is no “i” in the word “team.”
In the same spirit we all think of others first for the greater good.
I think a good example of this is our efforts to install the new lift.
Each person is contributing in their own way for the benefit of all.
How else do we live out this transformation?
Paul says, “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good.” (vs. 9)
Paul goes on to describe that love in terms of loving one another.
He also tells us to “outdo one another in showing honour.”
This makes me think of some of those stereotypical Canadian ideals and politeness.
You know the scene; two Canadians dressed in toques, who are always being polite to one another.
Jane says, to Joan, “You first.”
Joan replies, “No I wouldn’t dream of it, you go first.”
Jane responds, “No, I insist you go first.”
They go on and on like this.
We Christians should think first of others like that.
We should be seeking not our own advantage but we should seek opportunities to sacrifice for others.
Yet it is not just those in the church.
Paul also says we should “practice hospitality.”
It is our duty to welcome those who are visiting.
We should reach out to outsiders and make them welcome so that they can become part of the community.
In fact we should go out of our way and sacrifice to make others feel welcome.
It’s the bottom of the 9th.
The bases are loaded.
There are two outs, two strikes, and only one ball.
The pitcher has been tickling the inside of the plate all day.
He throws the ball and you can see that it will hit you if you don’t jump out of the way.
What do you do?
Do you stand your ground and let the pitch hit you?
Do you “take one for the team?”
Do you sacrifice yourself to benefit the team?
Of course this is just an analogy.
The question is more mundane.
Are you willing to sacrifice your wants and yourself for the sake of others?
Offer yourself as a living sacrifice and allow God to do the rest.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Inspired By: Rev. Alex Stephenson
Edited By: Rev. Max Ward
