Hi everyone,
Welcome to worship for this 9th Sunday after Pentecost, landing on August 10, 2025!
The bulletin for this service can be found here. You can use it to follow along with the service or you can just use the words that will appear on your screen. The sermon can be found both in the bulletin and on this page below the worship video.
For an enhanced online worship experience, you are invited to have a lit candle in your space for the duration of the service, and it can be extinguished near the end of the service after the sending hymn. You are also welcome to participate in communion if you are comfortable, by having something small to eat and drink prepared for consumption. Further instruction will be given at the appropriate time.
May the beauty of God’s love and providence fill you with hope and joy!
Holy God, by the power of your Spirit may our souls be enlightened, our hearts illumined, and our faith inspired, through Jesus Christ, in whom we live. Amen.
This story we get from the first reading today always makes me think of this time when I was in Saskatoon for seminary. It was in my first year, when I was still getting used to not being in BC, not being around all my friends and family, and just not being in my comfort zone in general. As many of you know, I was born and raised in Vancouver and lived in and around the city until I left for seminary when I was in my mid-20s. Before then, I had never even been outside of Lower Mainland for more than 2 weeks at a time, and maybe less than 2 months total. So being this very much a BC kid living in this new and different kind of landscape was a real trip for me. I was excited to learn, sure, but if I were being honest, I was more scared than anything else. I was afraid of being so far out of what I was raised in and so used to, afraid of how I’d adapt or not adapt, afraid of what this future of change held for me.
So at this point in my seminary experience, I still very much felt like an outsider, not just in the school community, but in the city itself as well. I looked different, talked different, and certainly acted different. It wasn’t an easy time for me.
Anyway, the specific instance that I’m reminded of by today’s first reading happened at our student retreat that year. We had rented out this indigenous cultural centre that was just outside of the city limits, about a 30-40 minute drive away. That doesn’t sound too bad for us, but for Saskatoon folk, that was like a whole different time zone. This is just to give you an idea of how far out and secluded we were at this place.
I remember that first night we were there, I wanted to get away from the madness of my not really belonging in the group and I went for a walk. Now, this was near the end of November in Saskatoon, so it was like -20 or something with the windchill, and because we were so far out of the city, it was DARK. I had look down as I walked so I wouldn’t trip over any rocks, mounds of snow, or dead Tauntauns or anything. But after a while of trudging in the snow, I stopped. And I looked up.
Now I don’t know how many of you have experienced nighttime in the prairies before, but Saskatchewan is known as the land of the living skies. It’s on their license plates and everything. And to be honest, I thought that a dumb name until I actually saw it. The skies weren’t bad during the day, but at night? It was amazing. Horizon to horizon full of stars. Not bothered by the light pollution that we get here in the city. Not obstructed by the abundance of mountains, trees, and skyscrapers. Not easily overlooked and glossed over because it was just so there… and it was beautiful.
I mean, I’ve seen stars before, we have them here too of course. But I’ve never seen stars like this. It was like the more I stared, the more my eyes adjusted, and the more stars kept popping out. It was awe-inspiring. It was breathtaking. It was absolutely glorious.
And so I imagine Abram, later known as Abraham, looked up at the desert sky and had a similar experience. Sure, he was probably used to it and it was just normal to him, but there is just something about seeing the wall to wall sky and all the stars in their twinkling glory. Just being in awe of the grandeur of creation. Just feeling the amazing presence of God and getting that reassurance that hey, everything is going to be alright.
See, at this point of Abram’s story, he is childless. He and his wife Sarai, later known as Sarah, are somewhere in their mid 60s or 70s, and beyond the childbearing years. And his being childless would have been a problem for him. It would have been a problem for anyone at the time, as for them, having a child was basically the only reason for living. Beyond what you do and contribute to the world, if you don’t have someone to carry on your name, then everything else would be close to meaningless. This is the headspace that Abram is in when God gives him this vision.
And we know the story, God promises Abram numerous descendants that will outnumber the stars in the sky. In fact, God says to Abram that he should go ahead and count the stars, because that is what his descendants will be like. And you can imagine, if you ever saw a sky full of stars like I did or what I imagine Abram to be looking at, counting the stars would be just impossible. It’s not like counting the fingers on your hands or the coins in your pocket or the years before you’re eligible for retirement, but counting the stars wouldn’t very tangible or realistic. Not because we can’t count that high, but because we can’t hold the stars, we can’t easily keep track of which stars we’ve already counted, we wouldn’t even know where we could start when we’re looking at the vast night sky that stretches from horizon to horizon to horizon. There are just too many, and those darn things won’t stop moving. The blend in too much with each other. Each star is indistinguishable from the next. They can’t be told apart enough for them to be counted.
But each star, God says, if Abram can count them, will be like his descendants. And while God probably meant in number, I also think God could have meant in nature. In that each star is lost in the multitude of stars, blend into the back ground, and unable to be singled out and counted. But at the same time, each star is beautiful in its own right. Each star holds a uniqueness that makes them intrinsically them. And each star when put together with all the other stars, paints for us this grand picture of God’s creation, God’s face shining on us, God’s love that is extended to us all.
As it is with Abram’s descendants. As it is with all of God’s people. As it is with us. As difficult as life can be, we are all and individually and wonderfully made and brought together to be this mosaic of diversity, facets of God’s beauty, and reflections of God’s love. This is a gift that we don’t earn, but one that we are created and born into and learn to realise and accept.
This is what Jesus means in our gospel reading for today when he tells his disciples and us to not be afraid because it is God’s pleasure to give us good things. These good things are belonging, meaning, and purpose. That while we might blend in with everyone else, we all have our value and worth as individuals, in our community, and in the larger picture of the world and history.
Today we will be celebrating a baptism. And with that, we remember our own baptisms and what it means for us. That regardless of when it happens, as a baby, a teen, or a fully grown person, through baptism God very intimately says to us, “hey, I see you, and I got you” and shows us how we have always been held close by the arms that created the universe. This is where we can find the confidence and boldness to be who we are in the world. That no matter what life brings or doesn’t bring, we can rest assured that we are valued and loved and identified as God’s people, full of worth, and called and welcomed into God’s kingdom forever.
I know, it won’t always feel this way. The world will tell us different and give us reasons to be afraid, to feel unwelcome, and make it seem like we don’t belong. But in God’s unchanging love for us all, know that it isn’t up to us or how much we want or don’t want this identity, God will wait for us, be there with us, and hold us in our fears. Not because we’ve earned it, but it’s God’s good pleasure to give this to us. And in that promise, we have nothing to fear.
In this season after Pentecost, may we see the beauty of God in and around our lives, that we may be inspired to live as God’s people in the world, reflecting the love that we have received onto all people. Thanks be to God. Amen.
