St Andrew's Presbyterian Church Fergus
325 St. George Street West N1M1J4 Fergus, ON, Canada

A Journey through the gospel of Mark Jan. 5 Mark 1:9-11 9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.... John declared there was a person coming whose baptism was greater than John’s. Readers meet that person, Jesus, as Jesus himself was being baptized by John. Why did Jesus need to be baptized?, is a question that gets asked frequently when this story is discussed. If we think of baptism is being about the forgiveness of sins then Jesus’ baptism makes no sense because Jesus had done no wrong. But in the passage that we read yesterday, John the Baptist opened the door to an additional understanding of baptism. That baptism is about being marked as God’s person being marked by the Holy Spirit. And that is what we see happening here God the Son, Jesus, is greeted by God the Father (You are my Son), as the dove (a traditional image of the Holy Spirit) comes down from heaven on Jesus. All three persons of the Trinity (Three-in-One and One-in-Three) present in this moment. From that moment on baptism takes on an additional dimension it is about being marked as God’s. The baptized are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the name of the Trinity being marked as belonging to God. Our being marked as God’s requires a response on our part knowing that we are loved by God invites a response on our part. Regardless of when we were baptized as infants or as adults each day we are called to decide if we are going to live as people who have been marked by baptism marked as God’s. Having been marked as God’s we are invited to the lifelong path of following Jesus. PRAYER: Triune God of grace, in the waters of baptism we are marked as your people thank you, for loving us and marking us as yours. Teach us each day the discipline of living as followers (disciples) of Jesus. Having been marked as your people, we pray that the Holy Spirit will help us live up to our citizenship as members of your kingdom. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Journey through the gospel of Mark Jan. 4 Mark 1:2-8 2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,... See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; 3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’ 4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist was an unusual character, living off the land, proclaiming a message of repentance. He was in the same style as the Old Testament prophets. John the Baptist was in fact the warm up band for the main act, Jesus. John spent his entire ministry saying, There is one coming who is greater than I am there is one coming whose ministry is more important than mine there is one coming that I am not worthy to even be his servant. John bears witness to the fact that Jesus is the center of the story while John may baptize with water Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit. John points with his words and with his actions to Jesus. Everything is about the one who is coming. John is prepared to be lesser so that Jesus can be greater. The question arises, Who do our lives point to? Do our lives point to ourselves or do our lives point towards Jesus? Are we prepared to be lesser so that Jesus can be greater? Are we willing to take ourselves out of the center of the story? PRAYER: Lord God, John the Baptist was willing to be someone who pointed to Jesus, he was willing to be lesser so that your Son, Jesus, could be greater. Make us willing to live lives that point to Jesus. Teach us the patterns of life that reveal your Son, Jesus. Make us humble so that our words and actions do not distract from Jesus. These things we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Join us for online worship this morning as we start a new series looking at the life, ministry and miracles of Jesus, through the Gospel of Mark. https://youtu.be/77ZnD68Eplg

A Journey through the gospel of Mark Jan. 3 (Sunday) Mark 1:1 1 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.... The beginning the writers of the gospel Mark along with Matthew, Luke, and John created a new way of writing when they told the story of Jesus. Prior to the gospels being written there were lives of various people that had been written, but these biographies were collections of the person’s sayings with little or no narrative connecting the sayings. In weaving together Jesus’ teaching and Jesus’ actions in the gospel form a new beginning was made a new way of writing was formed. The good news about Jesus is a new beginning just as at the dawn of creation (Genesis 1:1) there was a beginning in Jesus Christ there is another beginning. This is but the start, there is more yet to come, not just in this book but it was Mark’s purpose that as the people reading his gospel became followers of Jesus the news about the new beginning would spread throughout the world. For as Mark makes very clear from verse 1, he is doing more than writing the history of a person Mark is telling a story of good news that is wrapped up in the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The words good news imply that Mark is writing to change the way readers live changing their thinking and their actions. In telling about Jesus’ teaching and actions, Mark is inviting his readers to follow Jesus’ example. A final comment Jesus Christ, the Son of God is where early Christians got the sign of the fish to be their symbol (Ichthus) taking the first letters of those words in Greek the acrostic spelt ichthus. PRAYER: As a new year begins, O Lord, we begin anew to read the story of your Son, Jesus Christ. Open our hearts and minds to this story that we might grow in our knowledge of Jesus’ teaching and follow more closely the example of his life. These things we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son. Amen.

DEVOTIONAL Jan. 2 Psalm 72:1-4, 10-15, 17-19 1 Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son. 2 May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice....Continue reading

O Lord, we weep before you, weeping over the anger and violence and destruction being lived out in Canada this week. The fire at the lobster pound in Middle West Pubnico, N.S., shakes all of us, O Lord, as did the violence we witnessed over the past week in the New Edinburgh area of Nova Scotia. We weep for our nation. We weep because it feels like reconciliation will never happen. We weep because we want there to be a different narrative a different story than one that e...nds with anger and division. But every time we try to write a new story, O Lord, we fail. The ending is always the same only you can write a different ending. Only you can turn the anger and division and violence only you can transform this moment and all the past moments come Holy Spirit and change us transform the story write a new ending. Come among us that we might have the courage to own our responsibility and our ancestors’ responsibility for wrongs done, so that we can be freed from the burden of a hidden past, the burden of unnamed guilt. So that we can be open to the new ending you are writing an ending beyond our imagining more beautiful than we can ever hope for. We pray for the people of the Sipekne'katik First Nation who are seeking to make a moderate livelihood, that they would be kept safe in their work. We pray for all First Nations people that they would have the opportunity for and access to livelihoods, just as we pray the same for all people in Canada that safe and meaningful livelihoods would be available to all. Come, O Lord, and write a new ending to the story to this story so that the charred remains of the lobster pound are not the final legacy. Write a new story. These things we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Devotional for Oct. 16, 2020 Ephesians 3:14-21 14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. 16 I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. 18 I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all t...he saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Paul returns to the prayer he had started earlier, and what a prayer it is with far too much to comment on. The rhythms of the prayer move back and forth between the individual and the community of faith. In vs. 15 every family in heaven and on earth is in view while vs. 16, being strengthened in your inner being is something individuals experience. Vs. 17 that Christ would dwell in our hearts again an individual experience so that in vs. 18 we would be able to comprehend with all the saints which is a community experience. When we get to vs. 19 you may be filled with all the fullness of God who is the you is it singular or plural should it be read as both? Surely our prayer is that the community of faith would be so filled. As the community is filled with the fullness of God individuals are impacted; as individuals are filled the community is recognized as being filled with the fullness of God. This prayer blurs the lines between the individual and the church community they are completely intertwined. This speaks to our prayer lives yes, praying for individuals is important and we are called to do that. But this prayer invites us to pray for the community of faith for every family in heaven and on earth for all the saints for all generations and we don’t need to worry about what to pray for Paul has given us the prayer list. PRAYER: We bow before You, Lord God, the one from whom every family in heaven and on earth gets its name. We pray that Your people would be strengthened in their inner being by the Holy Spirit that rooted and grounded in love they would know the presence of Christ living in their hearts. We pray that You will give to all the saints all those who follow Your Son the ability to know the immensity of Your love. We pray that Your church will be filled with Your fullness, to Your glory and honour. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Praise God for His work in Haiti! Pastor Vilmer Paul from Heavenly Brightness School has shared this video with us, to update us on the growing needs, due to the wonderful growth in registrations! https://youtu.be/6exyt8fS7pU

Devotional for Oct. 14, 2020 Ephesians 3:8-13 8 Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; 10 so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was in accordance with the e...ternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him. 13 I pray therefore that you may not lose heart over my sufferings for you; they are your glory. In the ancient world many religions claimed to give a secret knowledge to those who practiced the worship of that particular god. In Ephesus it was Artemis and those who worshipped her were given secret mysteries which they were told would bring them into special connection with the goddess that other people, who did not possess the mystery, did not have. Creating a group of insiders who had the secret knowledge and a group of outsiders who did not. Paul says the mystery of the true God has been revealed there are no insiders and outsiders. No people in the know who look down on people who don’t know. Everyone has access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him (Christ). No secret knowledge, no special handshake the truth has been revealed to all. God’s plan a plan that God has had since before time began to give all people access to God through Jesus Christ has now been made known. The secret is made known, the hidden is revealed. I am reminded of the hymn lines: Bless, O God, to wise and simple, all your truth of ageless worth, Till all lands receive the witness and your knowledge fills the earth. The good news of the gospel welcomes all from every place and time, of every educational background, all welcome. And all of us hear the gospel speaking to us where we are, for the wisdom of God is simple enough for a child to understand and profound enough to keep the most educated engaged and learning. PRAYER: God whose wisdom in its rich variety has been revealed to all the world in Jesus Christ, we praise you for revealing your plan for the redemption of the world in Jesus Christ. A plan that gives people of every place and language access to you through the riches of Jesus Christ’s love and grace for all humanity. These things we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Devotional for Oct. 12, 2020 Ephesians 3:1-7 3 This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles 2 for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, 3 and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, 4 a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. 5 In former generations this mystery] was not made known to hu...mankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: 6 that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 7 Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. Paul in Eph. 2:11-22 declared that the walls of division separating humanity into diverse groups have been torn down in Jesus Christ. In 3:1 he was about to launch into a prayer the Greek literally translated for vs. 1 is For this reason even I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ and then he is into the digression which is vs. 2-12 he returns to the prayer in 3:14 re-starting For this reason I Paul digresses because he mentioned being a prisoner and that immediately raises questions. If Paul is in prison, then maybe the things he said about Jesus Christ tearing down the walls is not true. If Paul is in prison, then maybe Jesus Christ is not victorious over all the things that divide. If Paul is in prison, then maybe the forces of evil which the first part of chapter 2 described, still rule. Paul feels compelled to address the concern. His being in prison in no way limits the truth of the gospel he preaches. The truth remains: Jesus, who has torn down the wall of division, knows exactly what he is doing even though Paul is in prison. We sometimes think that if people are going through hard times it is a sign they are living outside of God’s will. The assumption being that difficulty and opposition are indications we are not living in the will of God. Paul would say, no, to such thinking. The gospel is true whether or not it is in favour with the wider community and culture. It is true even if preaching the gospel means prison. PRAYER: Lord God, Your gospel message is true in all times and places, give us strength of faith to trust Your gospel message even when it is costly to follow. Give us the courage to take up our crosses and follow Your Son, Jesus Christ, whose kingdom is coming. In His name we pray. Amen.

Watch today's Thanksgiving Sunday worship service on our YouTube channel! https://youtu.be/3oZmPmfzBXE

A Prayer for Thanksgiving, 2020 O God, Your giving knows no ending, Your abundance has been poured out in the world. This week, we rejoiced to hear that the World Food Program won the Nobel Peace Prize. We thank you for the work of this agency in feeding 100 million people. For the generosity of nations and individuals, for the human and physical resources to get food to people in need, for the fact that the hungry are fed we give you praise.... We rejoice in the work of other agencies and missions that share your abundance with the hungry and we name in particular the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, local food banks. We thank you that we can share in this ministry of giving food to the hungry for the opportunity to share out of glad and generous hearts. We are you well-tended sheep and we rejoice in the abundance you have poured into our lives. Teach us to live with gratitude even in the midst of COVID-19 open our eyes to see the gifts that fill our lives and surround us in this world. Help us to be people who see your grace at work and rejoice, giving you thanks and praise. With hearts filled with gratitude we say thank you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Devotional for Oct. 9, 2020 Psalm 100 1-2 On your feet nowapplaud God!... Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence. 3 Know this: God is God, and God, God. He made us; we didn’t make him. We’re his people, his well-tended sheep. 4 Enter with the password: Thank you! Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Thank him. Worship him. 5 For God is sheer beauty, all-generous in love, loyal always and ever. This translation is from The Message and breaks us free from the well-known language of other translations. Helping us hear the sheer joy and exuberant gratitude of the Psalm. There are lines worthy of special attention: He made us; we didn’t make him. God is the creator; we are the creation. Our being our existence is dependent on God, comes from God. He is the source of all that is. We come from God, God is not something we have made or dreamed up. We are God’s well-tended sheep it is true God has taken good care of us. Truly, we are well-cared for. It does not take long to come up with a very long list of things God has blessed us with. Enter with the password: Thank you! Gratitude is an important spiritual practice that opens the door to deeper relationship with God. Thankfulness builds relationship and trust. Thankfulness shapes our lives towards seeing the world and life as a gift. Thankfulness shapes our lives to recognize that we are not self-sufficient, we have had help and we are thankful for that help. Thankfulness reminds us that grace is at work in the world, that it is not all about earning and deserving there are unmerited gifts, unearned blessings. All of those things shape us to recognize that life is full of joyful surprise beyond the narrow limits of the earned and deserved, and prepares us to see gifts and blessings all around us. And we are filled with gratitude. PRAYER: God who pours gifts and surprises into our lives, we thank you for the giftedness of life and for the blessings that come unexpectedly each day. We rejoice that thankfulness and gratitude shape us to be people who are ever more open to the giftedness of life. Teach us to make thankfulness a practice of our lives, shaping us into people of gratitude and joy. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Devotional for Oct. 7, 2020 2 Corinthians 8:9-15 9 For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. 10 And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something 11 now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means. 12 For if t...he eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one hasnot according to what one does not have. 13 I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between 14 your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance. 15 As it is written, The one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had little did not have too little. Quick context: A famine was impacting the people in and around Jerusalem and Paul was raising money among the churches in Greece to respond to the need. He had been raising the money for a number of months, and now he is getting ready to collect what has been raised. Thanksgiving is the root from which generosity grows. Jesus generously gave so that we could receive benefit, and we are to follow Jesus’ example of giving generously as well. Our thankful response to God for what God has given us in Jesus Christ is to be generous with what we have. Notice Paul invites us to give out of what we have, not out of what we don’t have. Thus, the invitation is to give in proportion to what we have received giving thankfully out of what we have been given by God. The goal is a sharing of both abundance and need those who have resources respond to the needs of those who do not have resources and those without resources respond to the needs of those who do have resources. And yes, you read the last part of that sentence correctly. By their abundant need for help those without resources share that abundance of need with those who need to give. Those who have resources are in need of places to share. Our lives are deeper, fuller, more in line with the example of Christ when we share and to that end in our sharing of both abundance and need we are built into a community of gratitude the gratitude of receiving and the gratitude of giving. PRAYER: God whose giving knows no ending, you have poured blessing upon blessing into our lives, that through your Son Jesus Christ we might be rich. Out of the abundance of your gifts to us, teach us to share. That in the sharing of both abundance and need we would be formed into a community of thankfulness and gratitude in this Thanksgiving season. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Devotional for Oct. 5, 2020 Philippians 4:4-8 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.... 8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. We take a break from Ephesians this week to focus on Thanksgiving. Giving Thanks is a central practice of the Christian faith and the passage from Philippians is one of the great thanksgiving texts. I want to jump to vs. 8 and the virtues Paul highlights categories of things to be thankful for. (Our thanks is not limited to these things these categories do expand our thanksgiving.) True This carries the idea of being authentic, real. Not façade, instead being the real deal. Noble (honorable) Things that cause us to be in awe, moments or places that are of value. Just Actions and things that lead to justice, that respond to the cry for justice. Pure Having integrity, being transparent, being in the same inside as well as outside. Lovely (pleasing) There is beauty in the world that is pleasing to the senses, we rejoice in it. Winsome (commendable) Things that move us to speak well of the thing or the action. Things that are excellent, things that are deserving of praise these are the things we are to think about mull over, reflect on. There is beauty and value in the world, and as Christians we are to celebrate that beauty and value and give thanks for it. A saying from my university days has been a guiding value in my life All truth is God’s truth. So where there is truth and beauty, nobility and justice, God is at work. That is to be celebrated and rejoiced in. At a time when it may feel there is little to be thankful for, we are invited to see the true, noble, just, pure, pleasing, and commendable things in the world and be thankful. PRAYER: God of truth and beauty, open our eyes to see the true, noble, just, pure, pleasing, and commendable around us. Teach us to reflect on these moments, things, and places, filling our minds the excellent and the praiseworthy. We rejoice in the beauty and awe you have created in the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

PRAYER We are afraid, tired and grieving God of mercy, we are afraid. We hear the rising COVID case numbers, and we are afraid. We hear that some hospitals are reaching capacity, and we are anxious.... We see people acting in ways that we think are wrong, and we are angry. God of mercy, we are tired. In this time, we constantly need to adjust, nothing is stable, we are tired of living on edge. We hear of the new restrictions, we hear there may be more restrictions to come, and we want to give up. We have been limited from doing the things we used to do, activities that brought us joy, and we are frustrated. God of mercy, we are grieving. We have given up our Thanksgiving plans, and we are disappointed. We have given up connecting with grandchildren because they have returned to school, with adult children who have their own bubbles that do not include us, with parents who are in places that we can not access, and we are feeling cut off. We have little interaction with people about the ordinary things of life, in fact we have little human interaction with people, and we feel alone. To you, O Lord, we cry out, for who but You do we have in heaven who hears our cries and answers. In you, O Lord, we trust, for who but You can we hold on to who will also faithfully hold on to us. In you, O Lord, we find hope, for who but You can bring us through this present time to the joy that awaits. These things we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our faithful saviour, guide and friend. Amen.

A Prayer on Oct. 2, 2020 We come to you, O Lord, praying for a world in turmoil. We come in this moment, looking beyond COVID case counts and the Election concerns in the United States, to look at the world outside of our normal range of vision.... We bring before You the people of Belarus where protests continue and opposition leaders have fled the country for fear of their lives. May the Holy Spirit move so that humility replaces arrogance, hope replaces fear, and peace replaces the threat of violence. We bring before You the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We pray that the shooting would stop and that those nations who are sending troops to the battle would stop doing that. May the Holy Spirit move these two nations to see each other as neighbours instead of enemies. We bring before You Turkey and Greece who are in an escalating conflict of words and provocative actions. We pray that long-standing tensions would find resolution. May the Holy Spirit give all parties a desire to forgive the other, for only in the Spirit’s gift of forgiveness can the hurts and harms of the past be healed. We bring before You the nation of Mali, asking that You continue to guide the military junta now in power towards giving over leadership of the nation to civilian rule. May the Holy Spirit raise up civilian leaders who can bring peace. We pray all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, who is this world’s peace. Amen.

Devotional for Oct. 2, 2020 Ephesians 2:19-22 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, 20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.... Having torn down the walls of division, Jesus does not simply leave a pile of rubble rather Jesus as the cornerstone begins to build the new human race into the household of God into the place where God dwells by His Spirit. Those who have been redeemed and saved in Jesus Christ are being built into a holy temple a place, a people who point to Jesus Christ. For it is Jesus Christ who is the cornerstone of the church and it is Jesus Christ who holds the church together. For that is what we are talking about here the church a spiritual building of the people of God. Many people have tried to build the church on various foundations have tried to hold the church together by force of personality by a common ideology or political commitment and all of those attempts have failed. Only one thing holds the church together and that is Jesus Christ it is our loyalty to Him that makes the church one. In our present time with deep divisions all around the Christian church bears powerful witness to Jesus Christ when we reach across the divisions of race, of language, of culture, of politics, of education when we reach across all those divisions and declare with both our words and our actions that we are one in Jesus Christ. We declare that our common commitment to Jesus is deeper than our political or cultural differences. PRAYER: God of the church, in your Son, Jesus, you have brought the church into being. We rejoice that He alone is the glue that holds the church together. Take from us everything else, besides Jesus, that we might use to seek unity, so that He alone will be the center and purpose of the church. These things we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Prayer on Orange Shirt Day, Sept. 30, 2020 (On Orange Shirt Day we remember the pain and suffering caused by the Residential Schools in Canada. Children were taken from their families and were forced into Euro-Canadian patterns of life dress, language, hair style, etc. We remember the long-term impact the schools have had on Indigenous people in Canada, and on the relationship between Indigenous people and Settlers.) God of hope, you weep with the hurting and hold those w...ho have been harmed in your healing arms, look upon the Indigenous people of Canada who have been impacted by the Residential School system. We acknowledge, O Lord, that in that system Indigenous children were taken from their parents. In the schools they were forced to not speak their mother tongue and to wear Euro-Canadian clothing and hairstyles. In the process these Indigenous children lost their ability to relate to their families and to the land from which they came. We confess that our ancestors did wrong, and their sin has fallen on our shoulders. We confess, O Lord, that we, the people of Canada, do not provide the same level of funding for the education of Indigenous children who live on reserves as we do to children in the rest of Canada. For our failure to provide equitable funding, we are sorry and we repent. By the Holy Spirit give us the courage to act in new ways. We confess, O Lord, that we, the people of Canada, allow Indigenous children to be apprehended by the Child and Family Services system at a far higher rate than non-Indigenous children are apprehended. For our judgmental attitudes towards Indigenous culture and our distrust of Indigenous parents, we are sorry and we repent. By the Holy Spirit give us new eyes to see beyond our cultural blinders to recognize the abilities of parents regardless of ethnicity and culture. We confess, O Lord, that we, the people of Canada, have not provided clean running water from the tap to dozens of Indigenous communities in this country. For our unwillingness to act to provide these communities with clean running water and for the excuses we have made for not acting, we are sorry and we repent. By the Holy Spirit give us hearts that will not rest until all people, made in your image, have clean water to drink. Bring healing to the relationship between Indigenous people and Settlers, so that the lines of distrust and discrimination, the lines of hurt and harm, are swallowed up in your Son Jesus Christ who is our peace. May we follow his pattern of life so that repentance and healing would lead to a new relationship. These things we pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.