Kensington Presbyterian Church
Growing in faith and sharing God’s love
since 1786

Where are you?

September 28, 2025

Welcome, we come to you from the unceded lands of the Kanien’kehá:ka Nation.

We’re glad this PDF has come to you.1 note: that the footnotes are not as thorough as an academic paper. If you’re using a device, clicking on or tapping blue text will take you to a web-site. We are also welcoming people to worship in person on Sundays at 10:30, over Zoom, and on YouTube. Know that you are not alone.

If you have any prayer requests, ideas, or just want to talk, please reach out to your elder or Rev. Peter (Peter@Kensingtonchurch.ca).

Announcements

Prayer Groups:
Zoom: Wednesday 6:30 am
Woman’s Prayer Group: Thursday 2:00-3:30 at Cathy’s

Bible Study: Wednesday 7:00-8:15 pm
Join us in the minister’s office and over zoom
as we discuss the upcoming week’s main scripture passage.

Food & Film Night: Friday 6:30 pizza followed by...
Oct 3: Dolphin Tale
Oct 10: Migration

Drop Box: Food donations are welcome for the Food Pantry at Women on the Rise, and items for children (ex. diapers) for young mothers through Head & Hands.

Moses at the Burning Bush - Yoram Raanan

Contacts

Church Office: 514-486-4559	info@Kensingtonchurch.ca

Rev. Peter Rombeek (pastor)	Peter@Kensingtonchurch.ca

514-773-4620

Zoé Dupont-Foisy (music director)	zoedupontfoisy@hotmail.com

Rose Ngo Mbenoun (Clerk of Session)	admin@Kensingtonchurch.ca

Approaching God

Lighting of the Christ Candle

Jésus Chris est la lumière du monde.

Jesus Christ is the light of the world.

Call to worship2 adapted from Spill the Beans #24

God heard their groaning,
and God remembered His covenant
with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
God saw the Israelites,
and God knew.

Today, we worship that same God

who continues to listen,

to remember,

to see

and to understand.

♫ Hymn: Come, let us sing	pg 11 (412)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Zs9o82P_so

a

Prayer of Approach

God, you remember your people

in every place and time

even when we fail to remember you.

You meet us here,

those who are here every week
and those who show up now and again;

Hear My Praise - R Blumenfeld

you meet us and welcome us—

like a loving parent welcoming their children.

So God, now that we are here,

help us to focus on you,

help us to tear ourselves away

from all that distracts—

the feel of the seat

the weather outside

what’s going on this afternoon
tear us away from all that distracts us from you.

And as we see you,

may we see the love in your eyes:

that look that says — I know you, I love you, I forgive you.

Called back to our roots in you,

may we worship and adore you here and now.

Amen.3 adapted from Spill the Beans #24

Assurance of Pardon

Hear the Good News

To all who turn from sin in sorrow,

to all who turn to God in hope,

this is God’s Word of grace:

We are accepted, we are forgiven, we are loved.

This gift we have from God.

Amen.4 Worship Sourcebook 2.4.39

The Lord’s Prayer (please use a version you are comfortable with)

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours Amen.

Listening to God

Children’s Time

Ines will be sharing a bit about what they have been doing in Sunday School, including an intercessory prayer.

Grandmother and I - Gunnarsdóttir

♫ Hymn: When Israel was in Egypt’s land	pg 11 (7085 This Spiritual came out of the Southern United States before the Civil War (where slavery was common) and originally had 24 verses. ) www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP5EfwBWgg0 (Louis Armstrong) www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3OjHIhLCDs (Paul Robeson)

Prayer for Illumination

Lord, open our hearts and minds

through the power of your Holy Spirit,

that we may hear your invitation in our lives.

Amen.

Intro to the text

This season we started with creation, seeing that God was active in the chaos bringing order - and it was good. Then with Abraham we considered God testing our desire for righteousness and justice. Jacob showed us that whether you're naughty or nice, there are ramifications/consequences - and that God is always with you. He also showed that sometimes it’s easier for God to get through when your armour has been cracked.

This week we’re jumping ahead a number of generations. Our responsive psalm will remind us of this, but I’ll highlight a few things first. Jacob had a number of children. Whereas Abraham and Isaac’s children started various nations, Jacob’s started the 12 tribes of Israel (Israel being the name God gave Jacob after they wrestled).6 Have you wrestled with God? Like his parents, Jacob had favourites - Joseph & Benjamin. Joseph made sure his brothers knew he was favoured. This annoyed them so much they faked his death and sold him to slave traders bound for Egypt. There Joseph got a rich placement followed by a secure placement in prison, before being put in charge of Egypt’s food supplies and selling the surplus to refugees when the famine hit. When his brothers came begging he remembered them, and how God had brought the family chaos to good. After testing them he invited them to move to Egypt. It was good.

As time passed the Egyptians forgot about Joseph, but not about the Israelites. Their numbers were becoming intimidating, so the king of Egypt decided to intimidate them with forced labour.

Haggadah Of Passover - Shlomo Katz

Today we’re going to hear about a man that was saved from the kill order by several remarkable women. Why remarkable? Because they defied the men who held the power. The midwives managed to consistently not arrive in time for Israelite births, and therefore couldn’t kill the boys. Moses’ mother hid her baby in a basket on the river, where a daughter of the king knowingly adopted a Israelite baby and invited his mother to be the nurse-maid. Helping this to happen smoothly was Moses’ sister Miriam.7 in later languages her name would become Mary - and a later Mary would look after the savriour of more than just Israel. but more on that at Christmas.

So Moses grew up in the palace while most Israelites were systematically oppressed. As a young man he witnessed this as an Israelite was being beaten by the Egyptians supervisor. Moses felt the need to make things right; that there should be some justice. He struck and killed the Egyptian. The consequences of this was that the Egyptians wanted him for murder, and because he was raised Egyptian the Israelites didn’t trust him. Moses ran.

His life went into the wilderness. At a well he saw some women being denied access. He was moved to make things right and defended them, and was invited into their family - later marrying one of them.

This is where our main passage picks up. There are many good aspects to attract your attention today. I'm going to focus on where we might be, and where is God.

Before Dean reads it you’re invited to join in the responsive psalm, which remembers some of the earlier blessings.

Reading: Please look up the passages in your own
Bible,8 If you’d like a new Bible with helpful notes, I recommend the ‘Life with God Bible’ NRSV from Renovaré. ISBN 0061834963
or for the more academically inclined, The New Oxford Study Bible NRSV or click on the name to be taken to an online version.

Psalm 105: 1-8, 16-17, 20-26, 45b

Exodus 2: 23-25; 3:1-15, 4:10-17

Exodus 3: 3:1-15

Exodus 4: 10-17

Sermon: Where are you?

Dear Lord, please bless these words
and the meditations of our hearts. Amen.

What caught your attention?

In the Bible study, which you’re all invited to, we had an interesting discussion on names. We also talked about all the people already living in the Promised Land - and noticed that in none of the translations we were using, including a Jewish one, does it say that God would give them the land. It says that God will bring them to a "good and spacious land" where these people live.

The questions we’ve been asking of the passages over the last month have been: where are we? and where is God?

Did you see yourself in any of the characters? Aaron is mentioned, and Miriam should be. Though the passage focuses on the great leader and saviour of the Israelites: Moses. Do you see yourself in Moses?

If you don’t see yourself as a great leader, then this is a good place to look at Moses’ life. He’s still young and growing.

Life’s settled down a bit since he was literally being tossed by the waves of societal chaos - though perhaps it's the chaos you're relating to. Do you feel helpless before world events - or even just before the powers in your own life?

He was raised as the son of an Egyptian princess, with at least some help from his Israelite mother and sister.9 More recently there are stories from the Soviet oppression of religion in which mothers keep the faith alive by sharing stories quietly with their children. Based on the story of defending the Israelite being beaten, I think he was commonly thought of as an Egyptian, but starting to remember his Israelite heritage. By the time of today’s story he’s married into the Medianites... so is he one of them? Yesterday I heard an interview with a woman who struggled with her home life being Cantanese, English and school, and French in the Northern Ontario community.10 www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-14-day-6/clip/16172044-gah-ning-tang-reflects-lifetime-correspondence-robert-munsch-book Robert Munch wrote a book about her, and that helped. Can you remember struggling with your identity? Do you feel connected? or not?

Somewhere along the way Moses did receive a sense of righteousness and justice. When he saw the Israelite being beaten he acted to stop it. It didn’t turn out the way he had hoped, but he acted. Have you tried to do the right thing and had everything just get worse? Perhaps you noticed a friend suffering, but said completely the wrong thing. Or you tried to mediate a relationship, but everyone got hurt? Maybe you even became the enemy? This is hard - feeling like a failure. When this happens, people respond differently. You can build up your armour so you don’t feel connected anymore - or at least denying your impact. Or you can shift your patterns so you’re not in those circles. Moses chose a big change and ran away. Can you relate to trying to help, but failing? How did you respond?

As a good example, Moses didn’t deny his sense of righteousness and justice. Despite failing with helping the Israelites back in Egypt, he did help the women and the well - and this worked out well for them, and him. Do you feel a drive in yourself? What for? Do you act even if it puts you at risk or opens your life to the unexpected?

And what about expectations? I wonder what sort of job/position Moses was raised for. Probably to be in charge of something related to running the kingdom - hough we find him shepherding someone else’s sheep. I wonder if he was happy with this unexpected job, or did he feel his talents were wasted. He might have enjoyed spending most of his time without any people around to make life complicated. Can you relate to feeling that you’re being wasted in your life, or enjoying where you unexpectedly ended up... not that Moses’ career ended here.

Something that can be hard to keep as one grows up is an openness to awe and wonder. Moses had some tough times, and this makes it harder to look up... but he did. When he saw a bush burning, but not being consumed, Moses turned aside from his life and duties to make some time for this wonder - which allowed him to experience God.

Moses and the burning bush - John Martin

...and this didn’t make his life easier.

God invites Moses to do something. (This is what we refer to as a Call.) It probably seemed to Moses that this happened out of the blue - but it didn’t. One of the consistent themes though the Bible is that God is present in the turbulence and chaos of life. God may not cause it, but God is there working towards something good. God showed up to Moses with this offer, not Aaron or anyone else. Considering Moses’ response, I’ve often wondered why God bothered. I think it’s because Moses has experiences that will help him. He lived in the palace. He knows both how that life works, and people in it. He’s an Israelite. This connection is less strong, but it is there. He’s lived with a priest of Median. While not an Israelite, they worship the same God. Moses also knows how to shepherd sheep through the wilderness. People will be a little different, but the concept is the same. And there’s two characteristics that make Moses a great choice. He will stop and wonder, and wants the oppressed to experience righteousness. Despite what he’s lived through, he has hope and will act on it. This has shaped Moses into a good candidate.

I don’t know if Moses ever stopped to reflect on his life and what brought him to this Call. It does show the importance of remembering how you got to where you are - your choices and those that pushed you. What has led you to where you are? What experiences and passions are in your story? What might God be inviting you to do? And you don’t need to see a burning bush to turn aside from the regular duties of life and wonder.

We often use the term ‘Call’ to describe somebody becoming a minister. While that’s a rather limited use of the word, our process of becoming a minister does make sure we reflect on why and how we got to this point. While I didn’t see a burning bush, I did have somebody who showed me the possibility. Coming out of High School I would have failed in ministry (hopefully not as badly as Moses on his first try), but over the years I picked up skills that God could use in a minister. And I had a passion for helping people. God could have used my skills in a number of ways, but ministry was the request. It wasn’t always the call, and someday it’ll change as my abilities/capabilities change. As you’re wondering where you are in the Moses story, wonder also where you are in your own story with God.

If we jump ahead to Jesus, we are all called to share the good news - to help lead people out of their oppression and into God’s promised kingdom/land/reign. When I mention doing that, perhaps you can relate to Moses’ response to God, “Why me? Why not pick someone else? Please.”

In the response to Moses we see more of where God is in the story. God gives Moses what is needed to do what is asked. Every time Moses raises a problem, God is there to support him. Even when God gets frustrated with Moses trying to get out of it, our God doesn’t zap him with lighting, but comes up with more support. God doesn’t do these things on the Lord’s own, the Creator of the universe partners with people - and has us also partner with others to bring about righteousness & justice. It’s one of the reasons we have congregations - to bring together different skills and passions to support each other in living and sharing the Good News.

Moses with the Burning Bush - Marc Chagall

Back to the questions...

Where are we? Sometimes being blown around by waves bigger than we can manage. Sometimes trying to do the right thing badly. Sometimes allowing God to use our experiences and passions to work with others to bring about freedom - with others.

Where is God? While the Lord doesn’t stop bad things from happening, God is there offering to support us - and through us, others.

To God be all the glory,

Amen.

Responding to God

♫ Hymn Sing
This is a time when we sing several hymn requests. You can join in on YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC_EPsf2FuWoeen7j1iGcz_w

FaithTalk: These are some questions for you to discuss with
somebody... or many somebodies.
Do what you feel safe (and practice stretching a little).

Memories:	Share, as you are comfortable, a time you felt like you had failed. How did this affect you? How did you carry on?

Etching:	What part of Moses’ life can you relate to? Share a story exploring this.

Visions:	Remembering that God supported Moses through Aaron and Miriam, how might God have helped support you this week?

Actions:	What could God be calling you to do at this stage in your life? How could we support you?

Actions:	What could God be calling Kensington to do at this stage in our life? How could you support us?

Wonder:	It’s easy to judge the Egyptians, especially with the genocide, but what would have been a way to respond that would have brought God’s ideas for righteousness and justice to all? What would this mean for the people involved? How could this apply to a situation now?

Values:	Moses had a passion for helping those who are oppressed. What gets you going?

Prayer:	...that we will allow wonder to lead us to God, and God to lead us in ways we may not be comfortable with.

Spirit Sightings

I recently learned about Bread & Beyond.11 www.breadandbeyond.ca/ Back in May of 2020 Resilience Montreal Shelter put a call that the oppressed needed help. In this case, feeding the homeless during COVID lockdown rules. The call was heard and friends were organized.

Since then needs have continued to increase, and so has their organization. With the help of many volunteers they now deliver about 2200 healthy sandwiches per week for 8 different shelters. The volunteers work at home, in schools, churches, and at weekly gathering spots. I found out about them because New Hope invited them to come and lead a sandwich making workshop. If you want to know what it was like you can ask Bruno, Jane, or Jane.

As the name implies, they also go beyond bread to supporting the shelters and those transitioning out of homelessness with other items they need.

This isn’t something that could be done alone, but God was able to inspire people with the skills and passion to support each other in bringing hope to the oppressed.

Offering

Financially, we have set up a donation option on our website: kensingtonchurch.ca. Just click the ‘Donate Now’ button, and then the pretty button. It gives you various options that are easy to follow.

You can also donate through interac e-transfer. Our name is Kensington Presbyterian Church and the e-mail address is info@kensingtonchurch.ca.

Mailing a cheque or signing up for Pre-Authorized Remittance (PAR) are also good options.

Holy Ground - M Moyers

Prayers of the people

This week we will be passing around the prayer book and saying something based on what people write in it. You are welcome to create your own prayer based on )this...

God, we give you thanks

for all the signs of your love that surround us

and we bring to you our prayers

for a just and equal sharing

of all the riches of the earth.

You do not choose that some should have too much

while others not enough.

You do not choose that some should suffer

while others prosper.

Your will for all creation is good.

So help us to increase our efforts to share.

Help us to find ways

of bringing justice and peace in our world.

Help us to find ways

of bringing food and shelter

and clean water for all those in need.

Help us to find ways

of bring healing and wholeness for all your people.

Change us, O God,

that we may change the world,

by living in the light of your love

and by taking that light into all the world.

In the name of Christ.

Amen.12 from Spill the Beans #24

♫ Hymn: Shine Jesus Shine	pg 12 (376)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nUOfxqPXQ

Benediction (2 Corinthians 13:13)

Before the blessing, I want to just offer you the start of today’s psalm (105).

1O give thanks to the Lord, call on God’s name,

make known God’s deeds among the peoples.

2Sing to the Lord, sing praises,

tell of all God’s wonderful works.

3Glory in God’s holy name;

let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

4Seek the strength of the Lord;

seek the Lord’s presence continually.

5Remember the wonderful works God has done,

the miracles, and the judgments God has uttered,

And...

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,

the love of God,

and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit

be with all of you.

Amen