Welcome: –

Greeting: –

In the Church Calendar, today we celebrate our Lord’s ascension into Heaven, that took place 40 days after his resurrection.  So let us greet each other with these words:

Jesus ascended to Heaven,

And rules as our Saviour and King at God’s right hand!

Call to Worship    

All I am I owe to Thee, Lord,
And all I ever hope to be;
Thou hast bought me with a price, Lord,
And I am subject unto Thee.

All I have I owe to Thee, Lord,
Help me to use the trust aright;
All my actions, work, and dealings,
May they be pleasing in Thy sight.

Ever will I bless and praise Thy name,
My Saviour, and my King,
From the throne of God to Earth He came,
Eternal light and life to bring.

Chas. H. Gabriel

It is true that we should call Christ Jesus our Saviour and our King, for he came to Earth to do the will of God to bring about the redemption of Humanity, and returned to Heaven as our Saviour and King, deserving of our unending thankfulness and praise.

Prayer of Praise  

(from Moira Laidlaw Year A Easter 7 & Prayers for the Seasons Year A 7 p111 & Invocations p32 & Opening Prayers p46 & Leading Intercessions p24 & The Book of Common Worship p309 & The Book of Worship p183 & An Australian Prayer Book p 217 & Uniting in Worship Book 1 p192 & Psalm 47: 2 & 93: 1) 

  God of power and might, in whom all Creation has its source, the World we see around us reveals Your majesty.  The Earth and the Heavens shout out how awesome you are.  Through you, there is the unfolding of truth and the unveiling of beauty and wonder.

  God of our salvation, yours is the power that raised Jesus Christ from death, and exalted Him to your right hand side.  In him you are glorified and we continue to glorify you through the worship, the witness and the service that we offer.

  Almighty God, we praise you for the faithfulness of Jesus, who fulfilled His calling to complete the work of your salvation here on Earth.  We praise you that He continues to uphold us and abide with us according to His promise.  His ascension is our hope for new life and a renewed spirit.  Your Spirit brings unity to your people and provides the bond of peace and reconciliation.

  Sovereign Lord, you give us hope to our fears, strength to our weaknesses, and pardon to our guilt.  When we encounter discord, you give us peace.  When we encounter brokenness, you give us compassion.  When we encounter pain and suffering, you give us comfort and healing. 

  Eternal God, you have transcended time and have conquered death so that we might have fellowship with You.  In humbleness we offer You our praise and thanks, now and always.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to or join in singing 2 songs:

The first song is: ‘Praise the Name of Jesus’  (Communion Songbook page 42)

Roy Hicks

The second song is ‘Open my eyes that I may see’  (Communion Songbook page 54)

Clara Scott and Phil Perkins

Prayer of Confession 

(Week of Prayer for Christian Unity material & Moira Laidlaw Year A Easter 7) 

Merciful God, we confess that our faith is often superficial.  We proclaim You as Lord but question our need to obey Your call. We proclaim You as King but neglect the treasure contained in your Word.  We proclaim the power of prayer but don’t do talk with You as often or as sincerely as we should.  Forgive our shallowness and our failure to offer true worship.

We repent and are sorry for the hurt that we may have caused.

Merciful God, we confess that there are times when we fail to recognise the suffering and needs of others and so forget to share Your love revealed so clearly in Jesus.  We acknowledge that there were times when we happily accepted the blessings of life while neglecting to serve as Jesus served with unconditional love, humility and compassion.  Forgive us where we are weak and when we fail to be bearers of your love and compassion through our words, our actions and our lives.

We repent and are sorry for the hurt that we may have caused.

Merciful God, we identify that there are divisions between Churches, and express our sorrow for our brokenness as the People of God.  We regret the suspicion and hostility felt for others of different Denominations.  We acknowledge that we have not done all that we could to recognise the diversity of understandings and expressions of faith that abound in the life of your Churches, and to work together with them to minister to the needs of Your World.

We repent and are sorry for all that grieves You. In Your mercy cleanse us of our sins and restore us to a right relationship with You.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness    

The Apostle John writes that Jesus Christ came to give us peace, His peace, achieved through the forgiveness of our sins because of His death and resurrection.  And, so, we can declare that if we confess our sins, God hears our prayers and responds by forgiving our sins and cleansing us in His sight.

Thanks be to God.

Prayer of illumination

(from Uniting in Worship Book 1 number 13 & 14 p599) 

  Prepare our hearts, O Lord, to be guided by your Word and the Holy Spirit, that in your light we may perceive your mercy and grace, that in your truth we may find freedom, and that in your will we may discover peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Bible Readings

Psalm 47:

1  Clap your hands for joy, all peoples!  Praise God with loud songs.  2  The LORD, the Most High, is to be feared; He is a great King, ruling over all the World.  3  He gave us victory over the peoples; He made us rule over the Nations.  4  He chose for us the Land where we live, the proud possession of His People, whom He loves.

5  God goes up to His throne.  There are shouts of joy and the blast of trumpets, as the LORD goes up.  6  Sing praise to God; sing praise to our King!  7  God is King over all the World; praise Him with songs!

8  God sits on His sacred throne; He rules over the Nations.  The rulers of the Nations assemble with the People of the God of Abraham.  More powerful than all armies is He; He rules supreme.

Ephesians 1:

1  Paul writes:

18  I ask that your minds may be opened to see the light of God, so that you will know what is the hope to which He has called you, how rich are the wonderful blessings He promises His people,  19  and how very great is His power at work in us who believe.  This power working in us is the same as the mighty strength  20  which He used when He raised Christ from death and seated him at His right-hand side in the Heavenly World.

21  Christ rules there above all heavenly rulers, authorities, powers, and lords; He has a title superior to all titles of authority in this World and the next.  22  God put all things under Christ’s feet and gave him to the Church as Supreme Lord over all things.  23  The Church is Christ’s body, the completion of him who himself completes all things everywhere.

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Luke 24:

44  Then Jesus said to his Disciples:

“These are the very things about which I told you while I was still with you: everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the writings of the Prophets, and the Psalms had to come true.”

45  The he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,  46  and said to them,

“This is what is written:  the Messiah must suffer and must rise from death three days later,  47  and in his name the message about repentance and the forgiveness of sins must be

preached to all Nations, beginning in Jerusalem. 

48  You are witnesses of these things.  49  And I, myself, will send upon you what my Father has promised.  But you must wait in the City until the power from above comes down upon you.”

50  Then he led them out of the City as far as Bethany, where he raised his hands and blessed them.  51  As he was blessing them, he departed from them and was taken t into Heaven.  52  They worshipped him and went back to Jerusalem, filled with great joy,  53  and spent all their time in the Temple giving thanks to God.

Acts 1:

6  When the Apostles met together with Jesus, they asked him,

“Lord, will you at this time give the Kingdom back to Israel?”

7  Jesus said to them,

“The times and occasions are set by my Father’s own authority, and it is not for you to know when they will be.  8  But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth.”

9  After saying this, he was taken up to Heaven as they watched him, and a cloud hid him from their sight.  10  They still had their eyes fixed on the sky as he went away, when two men dressed in white suddenly stood beside them  11  and said,

“Galileans, why are you standing there looking up at the sky?  This Jesus, who was taken from you into Heaven, will come back in the same way that you saw him go to Heaven.”

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the hymn ‘All praise to our redeeming Lord’ 

Charles Wesley

Sermon

Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert comic strip, once asked visitors to his website to describe their job in one sentence.  A student replied that their job was to copy and paste from the Internet.  A University Professor replied that their job was to talk in other people’s sleep.  The pilot of an aeroplane replied that their job was to spend most of the day looking out of a window.  (Readers Digest January 2010 p70)  

  In Psalms 47 we find a mention of God’s job description.

  In verse 7, we are told that God is the “King of all the World”.  The Hebrew word that is used here is ehrets  (Strongs OT776)  , literally meaning all of the Nations that exist in the whole of the expanse of the World.

  In verse 8 we are told that God “rules over the Nations”.  The Hebrew word that is used here is goee  (Strong’s OT1471)  .  It’s literal meaning is foreign Gentile (or non-Jewish) Nations, which is why the King James translates this word as “heathen”.

  Taken together, the Psalmist is stating that there are no Nations nor peoples in the whole of the World, Jews and non-Jews alike, that do not come under the direct and authoritative rule of God.

  But, considering current World events involving acts of hostility between Nations, such as we currently see initiated by  Russia and upon the Ukraine, as well as acts of hostility upon groups of peoples within a Nation undertaken by the present rulers of that Nation, as we currently see in such places as Syria and Myanmar, how can we accept this claim by the writer of Psalm 47 that God is exercising effective rule over the life and actions of such Nations, such that it is His will that is being done and His Standards being lived out?  Does the very obvious occurrence of this violence being exercised by one Nation against another, or being exercised by one group of people against another group or groups of people, in direct contradiction to God’s desire for cohesion and peaceful coexistence between peoples  (“Love your neighbour as you love yourself.  Leviticus 19: 18, Matthew 22: 39)  , clearly indicate that it is not God who is exercising any rule over those who are initiating these acts of violence?

  We need to pause this line of thought, for it would be an error to draw such conclusions.

  Consider a recent News item.  Our State Government has passed Laws regarding who can be authorised to drive a vehicle, and how that vehicle is to be driven in a safe manner such that the health and safety of others in not impacted.  These Laws have been effectively implemented in the wider Society and this wider Society is vey much in agreement with such Laws.  But the existence of these Laws and the effective rule of our Stare Government has not stopped underage drivers (and, therefore, unauthorised drivers according to these Laws) from stealing a vehicle and driving it in an unsafe manner that leads to the tragic fatal consequences for the occupants of another vehicle.  Does the recent incident of an underage driver stealing a car and causing the deaths of others indicate that the rule of our State Government is ineffective or that there is an ineffective implementation of their

Laws?  No it does not!  We are to understand from this recent incident that there are some people in our Society who reject the rule of the State Government and who reject their responsibility to submit to the authority and rule of the State Government.

  So it is with the World.  The obvious occurrence of violence in the World is not evidence of the ineffectiveness of God’s rule over all people but, instead, of people’s rejection of God’s right to rule and of their refusal to submit to the rule of God.

  Upon what basis then does God claim His right to rule over all the Nations upon Earth that have exited, that do exist, and that will exist?

  In Psalm 93 we read these words:

“Your throne, O LORD, has been firm from the beginning, and you existed before Time began.  Your Laws are eternal, LORD, and your Temple is holy indeed, forever and ever.”  (Psalm 93: 2 & 5) 

  Thus, we are to understand that there is nothing temporal or impermanent about God, God has been God from before the beginning of Time and Space and will be God beyond the end of Time and Space; there is no beginning to God and His rule nor will there be an end to God and His rule.

  In Psalm 89 we read,

“Heaven is yours, O God, the Earth also; you made the World and everything in it.”  (Psalm 89: 11) 

  Thus, we are to understand that God is exercising His right, as the Creator of all there is, in Heaven and upon Earth, to rule over everything that He has created.

  Further in Psalm 93 we read,

“The LORD rules supreme in Heaven, greater than the roar of the ocean, more powerful than the waves of the sea.”  (Psalm 93: 4) 

  The Psalmist is alluding to the incomparable and majestic power of God as illustrated in His creative control over the tumult and the elemental chaos that existed at the moment of Creation, “the raging ocean that covered everything and which was engulfed in total darkness”, as we read in Genesis 1: 2.  (Artur Weiser in The Psalms p620) 

  Thus, God rules through His Creative powers.  But that does not sum up all that there is about His rule.  In Psalm 92 we read:

“I sing to your honour, O Most High God, to proclaim your constant love every morning and your faithfulness every night.  The LORD is just, there is no wrong in my Protector.”  (Psalm 92: 1a & 2, 15) 

  We are to understand that God rules because, in contrast to Earthly rulers, His rule is

characterised by justice and fairness, and focused on displaying His love for those He rules.

  If God, then, has a right to rule, why, then, does not God enforce His rule over the Nations of the Earth?  Our State Government exercises such a right through its Police force and Court system, who, together, seek to reign in the actions of those people in our Society who reject the rule of the State Government and who reject their responsibility to submit to the authority and rule of the State Government.  Could not God do the same?

  And it is here that we glimpse another aspect of the rule of God, His grace and mercy.  God does not seek to enforce His rule, God seeks for us to choose to submit to His authority and rule.  Two accounts in the Gospel spell this out.

  When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well in the village of Sychar, he did not condemn her because of her race, nor because of her incomplete understanding of Scripture, nor because she worshipped on a mountain where it was falsely believed where God could be worshipped, nor for her immoral lifestyle living with a man who was not her husband  (John 4: 9, 17, 20)  .  Rather, Jesus offered to her the means to get back to a right relationship with God  (John 4: 21 – 26)  .

  When the Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees brought to Jesus the woman who had been caught committing adultery, Jesus did not join in the public condemnation of her nor in the call for her to be punished for her sin by being stoned to death  (John 8: 7)  .  Rather, Jesus offered her forgiveness, the opportunity to repent of her sin, and the call to submit to the just rule of God, to “sin no more”  (John 8: 11)  .

  Rather than enforce people’s compliance to His rule, God is offering absolution of people’s sins and a restoration of their relationship with Him as their Lord and Saviour.

  The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church in Colossae saying:

“Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole Universe back to Himself.  God made peace through His Son’s sacrificial death on the cross and so brought back to Himself all things, both on Earth and in Heaven.”  (Colossians 1: 20) 

  Paul wrote to the Church in Ephesus about God’s re-creative power saying:

“how very great is God’s power at work in us who believe.  This power working in us is the same as the mighty strength which He used when He raised Christ from death and seated him at His right side in the Heavenly World.”  (Ephesians 1: 19 & 20) 

  The writer of Psalm 47 was given a glimpse of this great demonstration of the power of God when they wrote:

“The rulers of the Nations assemble with the people of the God of Abraham.”  (Psalm 47: 9a) 

  Artur Weiser writes on this verse saying:

“Now the blessing of Abraham has found its fulfillment.  The faith which he affirmed before God is now the spirit in which the whole World will stand before God.  Thus, the history of divine salvation is consummated within the Psalm’s field of vision.  What the Old Testament Prophets proclaim in their prophesies of salvation, namely that the Gentiles will one day join the people of God  (Isaiah 49: 14, Zechariah 8: 22)  , is here even surpassed; the Nations become themselves the ‘people of the God of Abraham’.”  (Artur Weiser in The Psalms p378) 

  It is on this understanding that Paul writes to the Church in Galatia saying:

“the real descendants of Abraham are the people who have faith.  Christ died on the cross in order that the blessing which God promised to Abraham  (Genesis 12: 3)  might be given to the Gentiles by means of Christ Jesus, so  that through faith we might receive the Spirit promised by God.  It is through faith that all of you are God’s children in union with Christ Jesus.”  (Galatians 3: 7, 14, 26) 

  Having accomplished God’s work of redeeming the World to Himself, Christ Jesus commissioned his Disciples, saying:

“you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth”.  (Luke 24: 47 & 48 and Acts 1: 8) 

  It was then that God “seated Christ Jesus at His right side in the Heavenly World.”  (Ephesians 1: 20)  And, today, we have read of the Ascension of Jesus in the parallel passages from Luke 24: 50 to 52 and Acts 1: 6 to 11. 

  The Gospel story commences with the coming of Jesus to Earth from Heaven, his Incarnation, his birth, and concludes with his Ascension, his return to Heaven.  Does this Ascension, then, indicate a finalisation of the involvement of Christ Jesus with the Humanity for whom he died and was raised to life?  No it does not, for we read in the New Testament writings of his continued involvement in the life of the Church.

  We will briefly look at five such references.

  Paul writes of Jesus seated at the right side of God and “ruling there above all Heavenly rulers, authorities, powers, and lords”  (Ephesians 1: 20)  .  Ralph Martin writes:

“The lordly Christ is Master not only of the visible world of nature and of Humans; he has  command as well of all those spirit forces which were regarded as controlling the destiny of people.”  (Ralph Martin in Ephesians in the New Bible Commentary p1109) 

John writes of Jesus saying to his Disciples:

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (or comforter) who will stay with you forever.  The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom my Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you.”  (John 14: 16 & 26)  Randolph Tasker writes that the role of the Holy Spirt is that of an advocate, one who comes “to befriend, to advise and to plead ones cause”.  (Randolph Tasker in John  An Introduction and Commentary p172) 

  John also writes of Jesus telling his Disciples that “I am going to prepare a place for you in my Father’s House” to where Jesus come back and take them “so that you will be where I am”.  (John 14: 2 & 3)  This is a promise of a permanent home in Heaven where, in death, those who have placed their faith in  the saving work of Jesus Christ will experience close fellowship with God.  (Randolph Tasker in John  An Introduction and Commentary p171) 

  The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews writes of Jesus Christ saying:

“he is able , now and always, to save those who come to ?God through him, because he lives forever to plead with God for them.”  (Hebrews 7: 25)  Thomas Hewitt writes that Jesus is there to make “a direct representation to God on behalf of those who have come to G od through him.”  (Thomas Hewitt in Hebrews  An Introduction and Commentary p126)  Alan Stibbs writes that Jesus “as Mediator and Priest, is able to being to its final completion the salvation of all who draw near to God, trusting in him”.  (Alan Stibbs in Hebrews in the New Bible Commentary p1204) 

  Matthew records this promise of Jesus to his Disciples:

“And I will be with you always, to the end of the age.”  (Matthew 28: 20b)  Randolph Tasker writes that Jesus is assuring his followers “that whatever the future may hold in store for them, he will be with them in  the spirit when he will send to the m from the Father, always, even unto the end of the World.”  (Randolph Tasker in Matthew  An Introduction and Commentary p276)  Robin Nixon writes that “Jesus has accomplished his work in his Incarnation.  He give us his presence so that we may accomplish ours.”  (Robin Nixon in Matthew in the New Bible Commentary p850) 

Jesus said to His Disciples, “You will be witnesses of these things for me”  (Luke 24: 48 & Acts 1: 8)  .  This was said within a legal framework.  As eye-witnesses to the resurrection event, the Disciples had a legal responsibility to tell the truth about it, to share the news of the resurrection to all who need to know of it, so that all can be given an opportunity to respond to God’s call to repent and have faith.  The same responsibility rest with us as well, for we are also to share the joy of sins forgiven and of God given peace of mind and soul.

    God truly is “the King of all the World”.  Have you accepted this for yourself?  Have you submitted to God’s authority and rule.  Have you responded to His great gift of grace?  Do you worship God out of reverence for His mercy and for the power demonstrated through His great act of salvation?  And if so, have you accepted your task to be a witness for Jesus, a witness in your street, in all of Bald Hills and to this corner of Brisbane City and the Moreton Rivers area?

    Are you still looking up at where Jesus has gone, or are you looking out to where the message of God’s grace can be taken?  For our call too is to be a witness for God.  May we fulfil this task as we live out the wonderful blessings of God in our own lives.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the hymn ‘Thine forever God of Love’ 

Mary Maude

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given”  

[This YouTube clip is for another hymn but is used here for the tune, so disregard the words – only the one verse is needed The words are printed below.]

For the life that you have given,

For the love in Christ made known,

With these fruits of time and labour,

With these gifts that are your own:

Here we offer, Lord, our praises;

Heart and mind and strength we bring;

Give us grace to love and serve you,

Living what we pray and sing.

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Prayers for Others

Almighty God, knowing of your love for all of Humanity, especially of your compassion for the needy, we come to you with our cares and our concerns.

We bring to you our prayers for the World around us and for people individually.

We pray for a healing of racism:

That all nations and peoples may recognize the value and dignity that you, Lord, have given to each person.

We pray for all who are fearful or anxious:

That they may allow you, Lord, to calm their spirits and to give them hope.

We pray for all who feel alone and isolated:

That you, Lord, will console them, and enable them to connect with others to form friendship and community connections.

We pray for all who are struggling financially:

That you, Lord, will give them hope, guide them to the resources that they need, and help them to find stable employment.

We pray for all who are ill:

That your healing spirit will fill them, ease their pain, and restore them to wholeness.

We pray for the members of all levels of our all governments:

That you, Lord, will open a new spirit of cooperation so that the greatest needs may be addressed and the common good advanced.

We pray for peace throughout the World:

That you, Lord, will turn the hearts of leaders of Nations from violence toward co-operation in facing the challenges that confront all the human race and bring an end to warfare in all its facets in all parts of our World.

We pray for the Church:

That, empowered by the Spirit, we may faithfully give witness to the Gospel and continue Christ’s mission of bringing hope and healing to those in need, that we may challenge others to bring an end to the brokenness, injustice, addictions, and selfishness of our society under the guidance of our Saviour and Redeemer, Christ Jesus.

Copyright © 2023. Joe Milner. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.  https://liturgy.slu.edu/AscensionA052123/ideas_otherA.html

Lord God, we bring these prayers to you, trusting in your lovingkindness.  To your glory we pray.

The Lord’s Prayer

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,

Now and forever.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the hymn ‘Hail the day that sees him rise’ 

Charles Wesley

Benediction 

(Moira Laidlaw Year A Easter 7) 

We have been greatly blessed in that we have received through the life and love of Jesus Christ.  May we go into the World dedicating our lives to bring blessings to  others and to bring glory to God.

And may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest upon you and remain with you always.  Amen.

Benediction Song

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing a verse of the hymn ‘I am His, and He is mine.’  (Alexander’s Hymns No. 3 No 193)

Wade Robinson