Welcome: –

Call to Worship: –

Today we remember and celebrate the work of Blue Care and the many people who have served in God’s mission of compassionate care and love.

We give thanks for those who have sought to make a difference in the lives of people in their community and the wider world.

We are invited to see and respond to the needs of others and join God’s mission of reconciling and renewing our world.

We gather to worship the God who looks at all people with love, justice and compassion.

Through God’s hospitality we become the receivers of God’s love that we may be givers of God’s love.

We do this, not as strangers, but as a reconciled community.

We retell the story of Jesus that we may find our lives in His life.

In grateful thanks for what God does for us, we are called to do what is just, to show mercy and kindness, and to journey in humility with God.

Open our eyes Lord, to see your vision for a better world, as we respond to the needs of the community in which we live and the wider world. Give us the courage to respond to these needs, bearing witness to your abundant love. 

Let us worship God.

We sing hymn TiS 143:  ‘Immortal, invisible, God only wise’

1. Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
   in light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
   most blessèd, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
   almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.
2. Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
   nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
   Thy justice like mountains high soaring above,
   Thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.
3. To all life Thou givest, to both great and small,
   in all life Thou livest, the true life of all;
   we blossom and flourish as leaves on a tree,
   and wither and perish, but nought changeth Thee.
4. Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
   Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
   All laud we would render, O help us to see
   ‘tis only the splendour of light hideth Thee.

Walter Chalmers Smith
1824–1908 alt.

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Confession

Generous God – giver of all good things, with humility and thanks we recognise all we have comes from you. You are the one who sees us and provides for our needs.

With thankfulness we open our lives to share in your faithfulness and mercy and to respond to the needs of our world.

Silence

We give thanks for the many people who have gone before us as witnesses to your great love through serving those in need.

Loving God forgive us when we miss the mark of your heart for our family, our friends, our neighbours, strangers and enemies.

Silence

We give thanks for present witnesses who continue to join in God’s mission of compassionate care and loving service.

Forgive us for neglecting the poor, the marginalised and those who we define as different from “us”.  Forgive us our sins…as we forgive those who sin against us.

Silence

Assurance of Forgiveness 

God hears and sees our regrets, our brokenness and our hearts.

Hear then Christ’s word of grace to us: Your sins are forgiven!

Thanks be to God.

Passing the Peace

We are one in fellowship and in worship of our God, whether we gather together in the Church building on Sunday morning or whether we worship in the ‘digital sphere’.  It is important that we recognise that, together, we remain one in Christ Jesus.  With that thought, let us uplift our hands and greet those both here and in their homes: May the peace of God be with you all.

And also with you.

 NOEL PRESTON VIDEO:

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 Reading

Luke 13:10-17

Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman

¹⁰ Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. ¹¹ And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” ¹³ When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. ¹⁴ But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured and not on the Sabbath day.” ¹⁵ But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it to water? ¹⁶ And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?” ¹⁷ When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame, and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things being done by him.

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

A Poem by Bruce Prewer: ‘Unbending’

(used by permission)

That she was bent for eighteen years,

not many cared.

Some wondered what her sin had been

and others sneered.

Face to the ground she came to church

all on her own.

No one shook hands and steadied her,

she stood alone.

That she was bent for eighteen years,

He really cared.

He did a thing that ‘was not done’,

this man they feared.

With gentle strength he straightened her,

with a wide smile.

He shamed the men who never went

the second mile.

Some enemies were made that day

by what he dared.

There were a few who wept with joy;

some women cheered.

His work was done yet not complete

in that small town;

There was an hour that must be faced

with a thorny crown.

                                                            ©  B.D. Prewer 1998

We sing Hymn TiS 607 ‘Make me a channel of your peace’

1. Make me a channel of your peace.
   Where there is hatred let me bring your love;
   where there is injury, your pardon, Lord;
   and where there’s doubt, true faith in you.

O Master, grant that I may never seek
so much to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved, as to love with all my soul.

2. Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope;
where there is darkness, let me bring your light;
and where there’s sadness, bring your joy.

O Master, grant that I may never seek 
so much to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved, as to love with all my soul.

3. Make me a channel of your peace.
for when we give we will ourselves receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned

and in dying that we gain eternal life.

Based on an anonymous prayer (?French) c.1900
This version by Johann Sebastian Templehoff (‘Sebastian Temple’) 1928–

Words and music by permission of Oregon Catholic Press

Sermon

Some of the following material is copyright but used with permission of the author Bruce Prewer. Some of it has been provided by Uniting Care

As the Uniting Church in Queensland, we are called to have a shared vision for a better world as we work towards justice, and act with love and compassion in responding to social needs. As we do this, we are witnessing to God’s reconciling love, and our actions embody this making known of the amazing love of God. This is part of what it means to live as followers of Jesus.

Luke sets the story of a handicapped woman in the context of Jesus resolutely making his way towards Jerusalem. He is on his way to a fateful confrontation that will end with his execution. What he did that day was a loving thing, but it would prove to be the most dangerous thing.

It would have been tempting for Jesus to go softly at this stage, to not upset his angry critics. But as always with Jesus, the call on his compassion overrode everything else. Here in the synagogue on the Sabbath day, was a woman with extreme curvature of the spine; bent towards the ground, unable to look directly into the eyes of anyone except maybe, the eyes of little children.

Maybe we have seen such unfortunate people. Maybe we have looked on them as Jesus did. I don’t know if we would share the harsh attitude which was common in the time of Jesus: such affliction was thought to be the result of sin; either hers or her parents. She had it coming to her. It was divine judgement. 

Stuck fast in the minds of many was the notion that God always rewards the good and punishes the wicked in obvious ways. If misfortune comes to you, it is your own fault. If you are repentant the punishment will stop. If you stay unrepentant the punishment remains.

It was this same doctrine against which the magnificent Old Testament book of Job rebels. In his day, good health and prosperity were seen as the valid reward for righteousness; poverty and suffering were the punishment for evil. Job fiercely contested this view of things. This way of thinking also accounts for the bewilderment in some of the heart-rending cries that we read in the Psalms, where good people lament their condition.

The result of this attitude was that victims of disaster were made victims twice over: They bore the affliction plus the distaste and scorn of those who were living comfortable lives. (It has echoes in those who blame the unemployed for being unemployed, or the deserted spouse for being deserted, or the refugee for being a refugee.)

It was (and in some quarters still is) a cruel doctrine.

Jesus, the person of supreme compassion, at every opportunity challenged this way of thinking and acting, on two counts.

As he does in the synagogue on this occasion, he refers to the woman not as a sinner but as a ‘daughter of Abraham’; which means a faithful Jew.  He sees the affliction not as a judgement of God but as an evil: “this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years.”   For a Jew, the affirmation ‘Daughter of Abraham’ does not get much better than that.

These words and actions were enough to annoy the Head Man of the synagogue. He is typical of those for whom rules were more important than love. It also offended some of the other pious men who were present and watching his every move, so that they could report it to headquarters in Jerusalem.

In their judgement, his attitude was dangerous. It was a case of strike one.

But there is second offence. The healing deed was done on the Sabbath day.

Work, even the most simple task, was forbidden on the Sabbath. As little as lighting a lamp or a fire, or cooking a meal, was seen as forbidden work. Doctors could not treat patients on the Sabbath. By their understanding, Jesus was certainly breaking the Sabbath when he healed the handicapped woman.

What did the ruler of the synagogue say?

 “There are six days on which work should be done. Come for healing on those days, not on the Sabbath.”

Jesus must have expected this reaction. He knew what he was doing. He knew his critics were following him. He could have been discreet and asked the woman to see him privately after church, or maybe in that evening after sunset, when the Sabbath would have expired. To be more, shall we say, discreet.

But Jesus cared too much to be silent. As far as he was concerned, this woman had already suffered too long. Now was the time for compassion. Now was the opportune moment. Now was the hour of liberation.

He knew that one more strike and he would be out. Yet none of the retribution that would befall him mattered as much as this person’s immediate need. If it meant one more nail ready for the cross, so be it. Love came first, now.

There is frustration and anger in Jesus’ retort.  This is how the Message Bible’s translation of the story reads: 

“You frauds.  Each Sabbath every one of you regularly unties your cow or donkey from its stall, leads it out for water, and thinks nothing of it.  So why isn’t it all right for me to untie this daughter of Abraham and lead her from the stall where Satan has had her tied these eighteen years?”

These words arise out of burning love, but this burning love proves costly. This good anger of Christ was no doubt like ordering a couple more nails for his own cross; but for Jesus one suffering woman was worth it.

We read :  

‘By saying this, his critics were publicly shamed; but all the common people were thrilled with the wonderful things Jesus had done.’

The impressed people, those who became excited, were the ordinary folk; those whom the righteous men of Jerusalem despised as the ‘the people of the land.’

It is significant that the despised people recognised the hand of God at work. Their despisers, the god-fearing men, did not. It is rather like what is predicted in Mary’s song of joy, the ‘Magnificat’: “those who are hungry are satisfied with good things; the rich go empty away.”

Now let’s focus on ourselves for a couple of minutes.

Here we are in church, our version of the synagogue. Here with us is, by his Spirit is Christ Jesus, unseen but intimately present as he promised. Now is the opportune moment when he wants to share his compassion.

We all have deep needs. We may not be bent over physically, but our lives can be stunted by fears or shame, or by feelings of inadequacy, that prevent us from facing life and being able to look others in the eye.

Not long ago I read an interesting book called ‘Down Under’ by the travel writer Bill Bryson, and one of his observations stuck in my mind.  He was in Alice Springs, which has a large proportion of indigenous people, and he commented how he noticed that often, when he had come across them in the street, they seemed to shuffle along with their heads down. I thought how sad that was.

 I don’t think God wants to put off helping us until there is a more discreet time. Now his compassion flows. Now his hands want to rest on us. But we must, in mind and heart, come forward to him. 

As we try to picture Jesus dealing with this unfortunate woman, what is his posture?: As the woman timidly comes forward, I think we can picture him bending, looking up into her eyes, and reaching his hand up to her.

You see, he comes not as an overpowering authority from above, but as one of us, looking into our eyes. His hand does not come down with a patronising gesture from above, but it moves towards us on our level. It rests gently but firmly on us, at the very spot where we most need loving.

But only if we wish it.

Jesus was known for His loving actions, his compassionate care, justice, and vision for a better world.  He was known for the God who knows us and loves us.

The origin of the Uniting Church and its community services has many stories of people being known for their compassionate care and love. In the history of Blue Care, this same motivation has driven people to step out in compassionate care for the most needy in society. People like Olive Crombie in 1953 who started work as a nurse with only a guarantee of three weeks of wages and Rev Arthur Preston from the West End who started Blue Nursing that is now Blue Care.

On this Blue Care Sunday we remember the people who have served across Blue Care. For the many volunteers, chaplains, carers, managers, cleaners, nurses, executives  and so many others. In acts of love and compassionate care, all of these people are pointing beyond themselves to the God who loves the world. The many people who have a vision for a better world.

Let us join in an Affirmation of faith

God you call us to join in your mission for a better world.

We believe in God:

who has created and is creating,

who we see in Jesus,

the Word made flesh,

to reconcile and make new

who works in us and others by the Spirit.

We trust in God. 

We are called to be the Church –

To be known for the One who knows and loves the world:

to celebrate God’s presence,

 to live with respect in Creation,

to love and serve others,

 to seek justice and resist evil,

to proclaim Jesus,

crucified and risen,

our judge and our hope.

In life, in death,

in life beyond death,

God is with us.

Thanks be to God.

We sing Hymn TiS 650 ‘Brother, sister, let me serve you’

1. Brother, Sister let me serve you

Let me be as Christ to you,

Pray that I may have the grace to

Let you be my servant too.

2. We are pilgrims on a journey,

And companions on the road

We are here to help each other

Walk the mile and bear the load.

3  I will hold the Christ light for you

In the night-time of your fear;

I will hold my hand out to you,

Speak the peace you long to hear.

4. I will weep when you are weeping;

When you laugh I’ll laugh with you;

I will share your joy and sorrow

Till we’ve seen his journey through.

5.Brother, sister let me serve you

Let me be as Christ to you

Pray that I may have the grace to

Let You be my servant too.

Offering

Offering Prayer   

Gracious and eternal God, to whom we turn in every need;

receive the gifts we offer,  our lives and

the symbols of our living that,  inspired by your holy Spirit

we may love you, heart, soul, mind and strength

and our neighbour, to your glory and praise.

In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

© Jeff Shrowder 2000 Source: http://thebillabong.info/lectionary-2/year-b-mark/64b-sunday-31b/

Risen Christ, wherever we are, grant us the faith and courage to recognise you in our midst.

Risen Christ, Lead us deeper into resurrection life.  Amen.

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.

We sing Hymn TiS 154  ‘Great is Thy faithfulness’

1. Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
   there is no shadow of turning with Thee;
   Thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not
   as Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness,
great is Thy faithfulness,
morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed Thy hand hath provided:
great is Thy faithfulness, Lord God, unto me.

2. Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
join with all nature in manifold witness
to Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Great is Thy faithfulness,
great is Thy faithfulness,
morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed Thy hand hath provided:
great is Thy faithfulness, Lord God, unto me.

3. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow —
blessings all mine with ten thousand beside.

Great is Thy faithfulness,
great is Thy faithfulness,
morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed Thy hand hast provided:
great is Thy faithfulness, Lord God, unto me.

 Thomas Obadiah Chisholm 1866–1960 alt.

Benediction

May God, the Creator,

 who knows and loves you,

continue to shape you

as witnesses of the Gospel.

May Christ Jesus, whom you bear,

mark your life with the good news.

May the Holy Spirit, dwelling within,

fill you with the healing,

liberating power of Christ.

that we might see His will be done

on earth as in heaven.

Amen.

Benediction Song:

‘Now unto Him’

Now Unto Him who is able to keep

Able to keep you from falling;

And 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.