Welcome: –

Call To Worship: –

Your story is part of God’s story.
Let’s join together as the people of God
and celebrate who we are in Christ,
ready to share God’s love with everyone we meet,
knowing that each one of us is God’s treasured possession.

And so we pray together

Living God,
who walked among us,
who moved into our neighbourhood,
we come to find our place in the bigger picture of your world,
to find our story in your story.

May our lives entwine together,
as we draw closer to you.
We have heard your story, read your story, felt your story.

As we gather in worship, may we know deep within us that your story lives on and that your story involves us, and is woven through the history of time with us as a part of it.
Amen
You are invited to listen to or join in singing ‘Gather Us In’ (TIS 474)

Words and music Marty Haugen

Introduction

‘Blessed to be a Blessing – (you’d better believe it)’

Our readings and the service call us to put all our trust in the Lord’s saving grace; understanding that It is not by our own merit that we are worthy. It is the Lord’s doing only and as the hymn says…

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name

God has called his people throughout all of history

Called to be light to the whole human race

God calls us now personally by name.

“…to awaken and arise at the sound of our name.”

You are invited to listen to or join in singingthe song ‘O Worship The King ‘ (Tis133). The words are printed below:

Reflection – Come As You Are (Tis 693)  

We come as a mixed bag of people – we come as ourselves, not ideals of what others think of us, not with a preconception of what we think we should be.   We come with many gifts and talents; some obviously natural, some God given, some we didn’t know we had. We come as we are, people who are bound together in Christ – a people who are loved by the Lord, people who respond to His love.

As we listen to this video clip, we listen to what the Lord might be speaking to you.

How will we respond?

“Come As You Are”  Tis 693

1. Come as you are, that’s how I want you.

Come as you are, feel quite at home.

Close to my heart, loved and forgiven.

Come as you are, why stand alone?

• No need to fear, love sets no limits,

No need to fear, love never ends.

Don’t run away shamed and disheartened.

Rest in my love, trust me again.

• I came to call sinners, not just the virtuous.

I came to bring peace, not to condemn.

Each time you fail to live by my promise

Why do you think I’d love you the less?

• Come as you are, that’s how I love you.

Come as you are, trust me again.

Nothing can change the love that I bear you.

All will be well, just come as you are.

Prayer of Confession

We continue in prayer.

Forgive us, creator God, if our story is not as you want it to be –if it is marred or dishonest, if it is littered with mistakes, if it gives the wrong impression of who you are.

Forgive us if our story does not really reveal the love, care and compassion you have for all people.

Forgive us if our story stops people coming to know you, or to find in you redemption, forgiveness and new life.

Forgive us if our story doesn’t express how much your story matters to us.

As long as we live, may our stories be a vehicle for your never-ending love.

Amen.

Declaration Of Forgiveness

If we confess our sins,

God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins.

And cleanse us from all unrighteousness

Hear then Christ’s word of grace to us

“Your sins are forgiven.”

Response and Assurance

Your love, O God, has forgiven, redeemed and cleansed us.
Your Word has spoken, your fire has cleansed, burning the dross, making us pure.
We are yours, we have felt your power; assure us now that we are forgiven and that we are part of your ongoing story.

Jesus knows us.          

Jesus loves us.

Jesus forgives us.       

Jesus restores us.

Hallelujah!

Thanks be to God

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the song ‘Come on and Celebrate’ (SIS 481)

Come on and celebrate His gift of love,
We will celebrate
The Son of God who loved us,
And gave us life.

We’ll shout Your praise, O King,
You give us joy nothing else can bring,
We’ll give to You our offering
In celebration praise.

Come on and celebrate, celebrate,
Celebrate and sing;
Celebrate and sing to the King.

Come on and celebrate, celebrate,
Celebrate and sing;
Celebrate and sing to the King.

(Repeat)

Come on and celebrate, celebrate,
Celebrate and sing;
Celebrate and sing to the King.

Come on and celebrate, celebrate,
Celebrate and sing;
Celebrate and sing to the King.

Patricia Morgan

Prayer for Illumination

It is time to open God’s living word for us and as we read and listen, may we be alert to His prompting and inspiration.

We pray together,  

Holy One, Open our hearts and minds

by the power of your Holy Spirit

That as the scripture are read and proclaimed

we may hear your word with joy

Amen

Scripture Readings

Genesis 18:1-15

 The Lord appeared to Abraham at the sacred trees of Mamre. As Abraham was sitting at the entrance of his tent during the hottest part of the day,he looked up and saw three men standing there. As soon as he saw them, he ran out to meet them. Bowing down with his face touching the ground, he said, “Sirs, please do not pass by my home without stopping; I am here to serve you. Let me bring some water for you to wash your feet; you can rest here beneath this tree. I will also bring a bit of food; it will give you strength to continue your journey. You have honoured me by coming to my home, so let me serve you.”

They replied, “Thank you; we accept.”

Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick, take a sack of your best flour, and bake some bread.” Then he ran to the herd and picked out a calf that was tender and fat, and gave it to a servant, who hurried to get it ready. He took some cream, some milk, and the meat, and set the food before the men. There under the tree he served them himself, and they ate.

Then they asked him, “Where is your wife Sarah?”

“She is there in the tent,” he answered.

 One of them said, “Nine months from now I will come back, and your wife Sarah will have a son.”

Sarah was behind him, at the door of the tent, listening. Abraham and Sarah were very old, and Sarah had stopped having her monthly periods. So Sarah laughed to herself and said, “Now that I am old and worn out, can I still enjoy sex? And besides, my husband is old too.”

Then the Lord asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Can I really have a child when I am so old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? As I said, nine months from now I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”

 Because Sarah was afraid, she denied it. “I didn’t laugh,” she said.

“Yes, you did,” he replied. “You laughed.”

Genesis 21:1-7

The Lord blessed Sarah, as he had promised,and she became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham when he was old. The boy was born at the time God had said he would be born. Abraham named him Isaac, and when Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God had commanded.Abraham was a hundred years old when Isaac was born. Sarah said, “God has brought me joy and laughter. Everyone who hears about it will laugh with me.” Then she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God

Matthew 9:35-10:8

Jesus went around visiting all the towns and villages. He taught in the synagogues, preached the Good News about the Kingdom, and healed people with every kind of disease and sickness. 

As he saw the crowds, his heart was filled with pity for them, because they were worried and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. So he said to his disciples, “The harvest is large, but there are few workers to gather it in. 

Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest.”

Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and every sickness. 

These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Patriot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.

These twelve men were sent out by Jesus with the following instructions: “Do not go to any Gentile territory or any Samaritan towns. Instead, you are to go to the lost sheep of the people of Israel. 

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Message

‘Blessed to be a Blessing – (You’d better believe it)’

Romans 5:1-8

⁵ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, wehave peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;perseverance, character; and character, hope.And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Not powerless anymore, able to stand reconciled and justified through faith in God’s amazing grace Paul points out the benefits.

1. Firstly that we now have Peace with God. No longer in a state rebellion but reconciled by the death of Jesus Christ.
2. Secondly that because we have Peace with God we share in the Hope of Glory. Through Christ we are ushered into a new state of grace. Even the sufferings along the way to hope.
3. Thirdly this gives us Cause to Rejoice.  God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.

God’s love becomes part of us because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and as Love has its origin in God and is reproduced in the children of God.

This Love cannot be contained. It must go out. It cannot be contained. It must overflow. The Holy Spirit gives us the impetus and the encouragement to go out. It may not be to the lost people of Israel. It may not be to the ends of the earth or doing amazing things in the community. It could be as God’s chosen person wherever you are. We are called to be.

There are many people of faith in the Biblical account to inspire us. and even much more could have been written. As John writes in the last pages of his gospel.

³⁰ In his disciples’ presence Jesus performed many other miracles which are not written down in this book. ³¹ But these have been written in order that you may believe^[a] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through your faith in him you may have life.

²⁵ Now, there are many other things that Jesus did. If they were all written down one by one, I suppose that the whole world could not hold the books that would be written.

There are endless examples throughout all of history, people who through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit speak to us today.

• William Tyndale 500years ago, whose dedication to the translation of the Bible into English led to his execution.
• Corrie ten Boom whose message of grace and forgiveness after internment in a concentration camp impacted many people in post war years of 1950s.
• Christian Fuhrer who in 1982 led prayers for peace in Leipzig Germany. By 1989 the small prayer group had grown to over 300 000 and led to the collapse of the Berlin Wall.
• Today Rev. Tim Costello, a social reformer, past CEO of World Vision Australia fights of gambling reform across Australia.
• Today the Wayside Chapel breaking down the barriers of judgement and providing a safe place where people from all walks of life are welcome.

We meet here Sunday by Sunday by the Grace of God and the hard work and dedication of the people here. As we gather together to enter into a special time with our Lord, we receive nourishment for our spirits, and are sent out to be His agents of grace wherever the Spirit leads.

Our little congregation here at Bald Hills extends its love and compassion to the people of the outback through our support of our Frontier Services Bush Chaplains, the support to Chaplaincy at the school across the road, opportunities for worship at PM village, the provision of a meeting place for the Chinese Church to Worship, and a meeting place for a wide range of community groups.

Our motto could be “We are bigger beyond.”

Our personal lives take us beyond our congregational life to friends, families, neighbours, work colleagues and occasional encounters.

• Acts of kindness and a listening ear go a long way.
• Having patience to nurture a friendship over many years paves the way for good relationships and shared lives. 
• Forgetting past hurts and encouraging words may restore family estrangement.

We recognise that the Holy Spirit is working in our hearts and minds. We appreciate that we are being blessed to be a blessing beyond ourselves.

This year mark the occasion of 150 years of Christian faith here at Bald Hills.

There have been many congregations over the years – all different expressions of faith. Our congregation is not the same as the beginning years, or the years of strength, or the years of struggle. There have been highs and lows and there have been many changes. 

Here today we celebrate the life of our congregation as we are in 2023. We meet in the spirit of thankfulness for God’s grace towards us expressing our love of the Lord and sharing that love beyond ourselves.

Blessed to be a Blessing!

 A cause to Celebrate!

Something to get excited about!

We are called to go out beyond ourselves especially in our thinking.

You’d better believe it because God is working his purposes out. His wonders to behold.

You are invited to listen to or join in singing the song – Pentecost Prayer. The words are printed below.

As you sing this song ask the Lord to speak into your heart.

Robin Mann the composer writes “Some songs are written quickly — this wasn’t one of them. I understand the Holy Spirit’s work as being mainly recreative: producing faith in people, and the fruits of faith which can largely be summed up under the heading of LOVE. Exotic and unusual things like speaking in tongues and miraculous healings are a fair way down the list.”

1. When the world was created

It was God who spoke the word

And it was done.

Gave his warmth to the cold earth

All was new and all was young

Time had begun.

Make me warm, when I am cold

Make me young, when I am old

Move me, touch me inside

Let your love burn in me now.

• If I’m rough, make me gentle

If my words are hard and sharp

Soften this heart

If I’m weak, make me stronger

Let me look to you for strength

To make a new start

Make me warm, when I am cold

Make me young, when I am old

Move me, touch me inside

Let your love burn in me now.

• If I’m deaf, break the silence

If I’m blinded by the dark

Give me your light

If I’m lame and I stumble

Let me take your hand again

And hold it so tight.

Make me warm, when I am cold

Make me young, when I am old

Move me, touch me inside

Let your love burn in me now.

• If you speak, let me hear you

Help me recognise your voice

Everywhere

If you pass, let me see you

Help me know the face is yours

Help me to care

Make me warm, when I am cold

Make me young, when I am old

Move me, touch me inside

Let your love burn in me now.  Words and music Robin Mann

Offertory

Dedication of Offertory

Let us say together this dedicationprayer.

Take our gifts, Lord Jesus

They are thine alone;

We can only bring thee

What was first your own

When we have but little

These we bring to thee

When our gifts are larger

May they all be free.

Take our hearts we offer

Take our willing hands;

May our feet be waiting

For thy blest commands.

Take our happy praises

Hear our earnest prayer

Take our gifts we bring thee

Make our lives thy care.

Take them blessed master

Though so few and small

Use the gifts, we pray thee

We would bring our all.

Prayers for Others

Loving Lord, you call and equip us to serve you. Watch over those who risk their own safety by caring for oppressed believers. Strengthen and protect all those who are persecuted for sharing their faith in places where living out their Christian faith in peace is not allowed.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Loving Lord, you empower us to live out our discipleship. Give wisdom, imagination and the strength to persevere to those who face apathy as they seek to live out their discipleship.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Loving Lord, you understand what it means to suffer for what is right. Give comfort and courage to those who are unjustly imprisoned, intimidated and tortured because of their faith.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

Loving Lord, you taught us to pray for those who abuse and hurt us. We pray for people who persecute those who hold different beliefs from their own; may they be touched by faith and their hearts be opened to love, that the world may be united in your love.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

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 song ‘We are Marching in the Light of God’ (TIS 666)

1. We are marching in the Light of God,

We are marching in the Light of God.

We are marching in the Light of God,

We are marching in the Light of God.

We are marching, marching,

We are marching …….oh! oh…………. ,

We are marching in the Light of God.

We are marching, marching,

We are marching …….oh! oh…………. ,

We are marching in the Light of God.

• We are living in the Love of God ……

• We are moving in the Power of God ……

• We are marching in the Light of God……

(traditional song of South Africa, translated by Anders Nyberg)

Benediction:

Transforming God,
as we go from here,
may we be full of your amazing story,
wanting to share it with those we meet,
so that more lives may be transformed.

May the Grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Love of God and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you and remain with you both now and forever

Amen

You are invited to join in singing the Benediction Song ‘Now Unto Him’  (SiS 72). The words are printed below:

Now unto Him who is able
To keep you from falling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of his glory
With exceeding joy,
To the only wise god our saviour
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever,

Amen!