Metropolitan United Church

Bible Readings

(scroll down for information on prayers)

The Bible is central to The United Church of Canada. As a source of wisdom, personal prayer, and devotion, we believe the Bible can bring us closer to God. It remains one of our best ways of experiencing God's continuing work of creation and liberation in the world, while offering us forgiveness, healing, and new life in Jesus.

Each Sunday, you will hear a selection of two or three readings from the Bible. This is called the "lectionary." (The word lectionary comes from the Latin lectio, which means “a reading".) The sermon and one of the choir's anthems are generally based on one of these selections.

We follow a lectionary of readings from across the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments. These texts have been grouped in themes by scholars from major world denominations. Over a three-year cycle, our congregation will have the opportunity to hear carefully chosen sections from the entire Bible. Then we start it all again.

By using a lectionary, we are able to follow the pattern of the church year, taking us from the coming of the Messiah in Advent, to the Holy Spirit empowering the church at Pentecost, celebrated in May. The lections for the rest of the year (called "Ordinary Time") offer a wider variety of groupings allowing for different themes to be examined and preached.

Using a lectionary allows the people to read ahead, to consider the implications of the texts and to participate more fully Sunday by Sunday.

We often refer to a passage as "the Word of God." By this we mean the writer was inspired by God.

Yet we also know the various books that make up the Bible are the stories of two ancient communities trying to be faithful to God under difficult circumstances?ancient Israel and the early Christian movement and some of what was experienced and written then doesn't fit with today's world. We don't condone slavery, for example, or stone those who commit adultery.

Nevertheless, in its stories and teachings the Bible has a mysterious power to inform our lives.

There are several translations of the Bible into English from its original Hebrew and Greek. We find the most scholarly and inclusive version to be the New Revised Standard Version. You may borrow a Bible from the back of the sanctuary if you'd like to follow along as the text is read during the service. Large print Bibles are available there as well.

Prayers

Prayer is one way in which we interact with the Holy. Here are some of the forms of prayer that you will find on Sunday mornings at Met.

The Prayer of Approach is the point of entry and follows the first hymn, which is called the processional. During the Invitation for Worship, we have the chance to centre ourselves in an attitude of worship.

The Prayer of Confession provides a moment of silence in which we are invited to name the areas that may be separating us from the Holy.

During the Assurance of Pardon, God's forgiving grace and compassion are proclaimed. As we hear the words of declaration, the mantle of separation begins to lift. This is the time in which we prepare to hear the reading of scriptures and bring an active listening interpretation to themes that are presented.

The Prayer of Dedication follows the offering, and represents the moment of thanksgiving to God for the gifts of our time, talents and treasures that we have just presented .

The Prayers of the People are the summation of song, word and sermon and bring to mind the themes of thanksgiving, petition for those in need, for the wider world, our own land, our neighbourhood, as well as for ourselves in the week to come. This prayer concludes with the Lord's Prayer.

The Commissioning and Benediction represent the culmination of the service sending all who gathered forward to meet the day and the world empowered by the Holy.