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I’ve been reading more of “In the steps of the Master”, the book written by Henry Morton about his stay in Palestine in the early 1930s.  In it he describes the character of most of the houses that he saw in Bethlehem. In his book, Henry Morton writes:

“These primitive houses in Bethlehem gave me an entirely new idea of the scene of the Nativity.  They are one-room houses built over caves in the limestone rock.  These caves are level with the road, but the room above them is reached by a flight of stone steps, perhaps fifteen or twenty.  The caves are used to this day as stables for the animals, which enter from the road level.  There are located in them, a stone trough, or manger, cut from the rock, and iron rings to which the animals are tied during the night.  The family occupy the upper chamber, separated only by the thickness of the rock floor from the cave in which the animals sleep.”  (Henry Morton in In the Steps of the Master p124 & 125)  How did this observation of houses in Bethlehem give to Henry Morton “an entirely new idea of the scene of the Nativity”?

  In his parable of the Good Samaritan, Luke writes of Jesus saying that the Samaritan stayed overnight with the injured Jew in an Inn.  The word that Luke uses in this parable that is translated as Inn is the Greek word pandocheion.  (Luke 10: 34)  (Strong’s NT3829)  It is the word used to indicate a public lodging place, a khan in Hebrew, or caravanserai in Arabic, where people on a journey, who are strangers to the proprietors and strangers to other guests staying at the Inn, enter and procure a room for the period of their stay, with permission to keep their animals in the open area in the centre of the premises.

  In his account of the Nativity, the word that Luke uses to describe what has been translated as the Inn where Mary and Joseph hoped to stay, is not pandocheion but kataluma.  (Luke 2: 7)  (Strong’s NT2646)  This word can just as readily be translated as “guest chamber”.  Where a stranger readily crosses the threshold of a pandocheion to procure a room to stay, in contrast, you must be invited by the owner of the kataluma to cross the threshold into the kataluma so as to stay, as a guest of the owner.  The Upper Room where Jesus held his last supper with the Disciples was a kataluma, a large room.  The relevant accounts in the Gospels of Mark  (Mark 14: 14)  , and Luke  (Luke 22: 11)  , describe how the Disciples were required to request the permission of the owner of the premises to enter the kataluma so as to prepare the meal.  When Joseph and Mary were seeking a place to stay in Bethlehem, they sought permission of the owner of a house to stay in their kataluma, their guest chamber, only to find that it was already occupied by another visitor who, too, had been required to travel to Bethlehem to register for the census as ordered by the Roman Emperor Augustus.  The owner of the premises, who may have been obligated by family ties to assist Joseph and Mary, “did his best by offering to (them) (the) shelter of the downstairs room, the cave”.  (Henry Morton in In the Steps of the Master p125)   

  There is no mention of a stable in Luke’s Nativity account, only of a manger.  To a Western reader of the Nativity account, it is presumed that Joseph and Mary stayed in what we commonly understand to be a stable, a roughly built structure separate to the home of the owner because, in Western culture, that was where animals were kept, and that was where a manger would be found.  However, Henry Morton observed that there were no stables of that sort in Bethlehem, for all animals were kept overnight in the cave underneath the owner’s house, in which would be found a manger carved into the wall of the cave.  He notes that there exists a tradition dated from before the time of an early Christian writer, Justin Martyr, who lived in the early 2^nd century AD, that Jesus Christ was born in a cave, possibly the very cave on top of which the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem has been built.  (Henry Morton in In the Steps of the Master p125) 

  So what you may ask?  What I find encouraging is that what we read in the Gospel accounts matches the people, the social structure, and the very buildings as Henry Morton describes them in his writings.  We can accept the accuracy of the Gospel accounts.  We can act upon the ‘believeableness’ of the Gospel writers in their efforts to record for the Church, and for the wider World, the words and the actions and the character of Jesus Christ; that he was not just a man who lived so long ago that he has no relevance to us today, but that he is the Son of God, a man of relevance to all people today.  And this is so important today when we look at the Gospel account of the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ.   We can accept without any degree of doubt or uncertainty, that what Peter, James and John shared with the other Disciples of their experiences and recollections of what happened on the mountain top, and which are recorded for us in the Gospel accounts as written by Matthew, Mark and Luke, did take place and do reveal to us the plan of Almighty God to bring about his plan for the Salvation of Humanity.  That is why we have gathered here today, to offer our worship of God and our praise to God for His grace and love for us.

   

Prayer of Praise

(from The Book of Worship p56 &163, An Aust Prayer Book p227, Opening Prayers p64 & 134, Invocations p68, Prayers for God’s People Year B p62 & 63, Moira Laidlaw Year B Transformation Sunday, National Day of Prayer and Fasting 2015 material)     

Majestic Lord, we come today to worship you and to celebrate that you are our God.

You reveal your glory in the beauty and the order of the World and the Universe which you summoned into being, in the loveliness of created things, and in the manner in which everything works together.

You reveal your wisdom in the Laws of Physics, in the movement of the Stars across the night sky, and in the movement of electrons around the nucleus of an atom.

You reveal your tenderness in your compassion for us, your children, in the way that you walk beside us as we journey through life.

Infinite God, in your mercy, you encompass us in your arms.  For you are our refuge and strength, you keep us safe in your care and we know that all of our hope is placed in you.

You heal us when we are disheartened, you bind up the wounds of our souls, you raise us up with new life.

You promise us pure hearts so that we may truly see you, you promise us sincere love so that we may truly serve you, you promise us abundant joy for which we may truly praise you,

you promise us that you will never leave us and in this we will put our trust forever.

Almighty God, your power is revealed in your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who is the light of the World, in whom is our hope for the forgiveness of sin and a life of blessing.

He gives light to us when we sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and guides us into the way of peace.  In him your abundant love for all people is plainly made visible and is freely made available.

Creator God, we praise you that you are Lord of History, for your sovereign plans and purposes for our Nation. 

We are humbled that you have blessed us as a Nation, for the peace and security that we experience day by day, for stable and just government, for an abundance of food and resources. 

We thank you that you continue to reveal yourself to us in our time according to your Holy Will. 

We praise you as the God who holds all Nations of the Earth in your hands.  To your glory we pray.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to or join in singing 2 Songs

‘The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases’ (Scripture in Song Volume 2 number 414)

Edith McNeill

‘The Greatest thing in all my life’  (Scripture in Song volume 2 number 436)

Mark Pendergrass

Prayer of Confession

(from The Book of Worship p56 &163, An Aust Prayer Book p227, Opening Prayers p64 & 134, Invocations p68, Prayers for God’s People Year B p62 & 63, Moira Laidlaw Year B Transformation Sunday, National Day of Prayer and Fasting 2015 material)     

Merciful God, even though you have showered us with so much blessing, we have sinned and fallen short in so many ways.

We confess our failure to listen to you because of the influence on our lives of the gods of this world, with the result that our lives conceal rather than reveal your glory and love.

We become preoccupied with our own busyness and neglect those around us who are hurting.

We become preoccupied with our own plans and schemes and neglect to give ourselves over to your will.

We neglect your Word and instead listen to what the World calls wisdom.

We neglect to come to you in prayer and fail to heed your voice.  We depend upon our own strength and wonder why we fail to be an effective witness to your love.

We feel that the World operates by wealth and power and privilege and seek to emulate it even within the Church, giving no compassion for the outcasts, the infirm or the disadvantaged. 

We are confused by what the World sees as important and fail to remember that Jesus was a healer and a comforter, who gave all he had to those that the World had rejected but whom God loved the most. 

Forgive us for when we do not centre our lives and our devotion on you but become distracted by fleeting fascinations with what goes on around us. 

Shine into our hearts and drive away the darkness of our sin and error, strengthen our hope and reopen our love, giving ourselves wholly to your will so that we may faithfully serve you for the rest of our lives.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from 2 Corinthians 4: 14 & 15) 

The Apostle Paul declared that God raised Jesus Christ to life and that through His grace He will raise us to eternal life.  Having confessed our sins we put our trust in this good News, and, with confidence, hold onto the promise that God has forgiven us and has made us whole.

Thanks be to God.

Prayer of illumination 

Almighty, gracious Father, for as much as our whole salvation depends upon our true understanding of your holy Word, grant to all of us that our hearts, being freed from Worldly affairs, may hear and comprehend your holy Word with all diligence and faith, that we may rightly understand your gracious will, cherish it, and live by it with all earnestness, to your praise and honour, through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Bible Readings

Exodus 34:

29  When Moses went down from Mount Sinai carrying the Ten Commandments, his face was shining because he had been speaking with the LORD; but he did not know it.  30  Aaron and all the people looked at Moses and saw that his face was shining, and they were afraid to go near him.  31  But Moses called them, and Aaron and all the Leaders of the Community went to him, and Moses spoke with them.  32  After that, all the people of Israel gathered around him, and Moses gave them all the Laws that the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai.  33  When Moses had finished speaking with them, he covered his face with a veil.

34  Whenever Moses went into the Tent of the LORD’s Presence to speak to the LORD, he would take the veil off.  When he came out, he would tell the people of Israel everything that he had been commanded to say,  35  and they would see that his face was shining.  Then he would put the veil back on until the next time he went to speak with the LORD.

2 Corinthians 4:

4  Satan, the god of this Age, has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of god.  5  For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.  6  For God who said:

“Let light shine out of darkness.”  (Genesis 1: 3, Psalm 18: 28)  ,

made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God shining in the face of Christ.

(Today’s English Version, New International Version)

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Mark 9:

2  Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone.  There he was transfigured before them.  3  His clothes became dazzling white, with a whiteness no one using any bleach could equal.  4  and there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

55  Peter said to Jesus:

“Rabbi, how good it is for us to be here.  Shall we make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah?”

6  He and the others were so frightened that he did not know what to say.

7  Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud:

“This is my Son, whom I love.  Listen to him.”  (Psalm 2: 7, Isaiah 42: 1, Mark 1: 11) 

8  Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.  9  As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the son of Man had risen from the dead.

(Today’s English Version, New English bible, New International Version)

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 ‘Immortal. Invisible, God only wise’  (TiS143  AHB80  MHB34)

Walter Smith

Sermon

 There is a story of a grazier who had spent all of his life on the family farm.  After a particularly good harvest, the grazier and his wife decided to take their youngest son to the ‘big smoke’ for a holiday.  When they arrived in the city they were amazed at what they saw; the tall buildings, the traffic, the buses, the crowds.  The wife was impressed with the range of goods on display in the department store.  So, leaving her there to have a look around, the farmer took his son to the bank which was the tallest of all the buildings.  Inside the bank they saw something odd, for there, set in one of the walls, were two steel doors, with what appeared to be a dial on the top.  There was an old woman standing outside the doors.  Suddenly the doors opened.  The old woman walked through the opened doors into what appeared to be a small room, and the doors closed behind her. The dial on top of the doors moved from the left to the right and stopped, and then it moved from the right to the left and stopped.  Suddenly the doors opened again, and a young lady walked out.  The grazier stood there, stunned.  Turning to his son, he said, “You wait right here while I go get your mother.  I want to see what happens when she goes into that room.”  (from 1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching p296) 

  What kind of transformation was the grazier expecting of his wife, a metamorphosis perhaps?  I’m not certain what the three Disciples who accompanied Jesus to the top of the mountain expected to see or to happen that day.  Maybe Jesus didn’t know himself. 

  We need first to set the scene.  We read:

“Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain.”  (Mark 9: 2) 

  So, where was this high mountain that they ascended?  The account of the Transfiguration of Jesus is recorded in the Synoptic Gospels; Matthew, Mark and Luke; neither of which names the mountain in question.  However, we read in Mark chapter 8 that Jesus and his Disciples were in Caesarea Philippi, 40 km to the NE of the Sea of Galilee, while we read in the latter part of chapter 9 that they were travelling through the region of Galilee, to the SW of Caesarea Philippi.  So, it appears that they would have been in the vicinity of Caesarea Philippi in the early part of chapter 9, the part that records the account of the Transfiguration.  There is a range of mountains 19km to the NE of Caesarea Philippi, of which Mount Hermon is the highest part.  Therefore, Bible Commentators deduce that this is the mountain in question. 

  So why did they go up Mount Hermon?  Mark gives no reason for this visit.  Luke records that Jesus went up to pray.  Matthew records that they were alone when they were there, inferring that Jesus sought solitude and therefore the right conditions to be alone with God in prayer.  So, why did Jesus seek to climb Mountain Hermon so as to pray?  It seems that in the Near East mountains were understood to be the place were one goes so as to meet God.  And we see that relationship many times in the OT.  In Genesis chapter 22 we read that God told Abram was to go to Mount Moriah to offer his only son Isaac as a sacrifice.  This Mount Moriah is the same site in the old City of Jerusalem where the Temple was erected; the ‘Temple Mount’ as it was called.  In response to God’s command Moses climbed Mount Sinai to receive the Law from God.  We read in Joshua chapter 8 that Joshua built an alter to God on Mount Gerizim; the same place where the Samaritans later built their Temple for offering worship to God. 

  Jesus may have been following the standard religious practice of the time.  And to some extent we too follow this practice.  Many Church related campsites are sited on mountains; Mount Glorious, Montville, Mount Tamborine, Luther Heights; and we often refer to times when we have felt close to God as “mountain top experiences”.

  But what is it about this short event that is crucial for us for an understanding of the Ministry of Jesus, and that sets the context for our understanding of who was Jesus?  I want to focus on two aspects of what occurred:

  Firstly, what is the significance of the transfiguration, the change that came over Jesus; and,

  secondly, what is the significance of the presence of Moses and Elijah?

  Mark records of Jesus that “he was transfigured before (the three Disciples, Peter, James and John).  (Mark 9: 2)  The Greek word used is “metamorphoo”, which could be translated as transfigure or transform or change, and of course is the root term behind the word “metamorphosis”.  (Strong’s NT3339)  Matthew uses the same Greek word in his account.  (Matthew 17: 2)  Luke uses different words in his account.  He writes of “ginomai heteros”, meaning to cause to be altered or to become an other different.  (Luke 9: 29)  (Strong’s NT1096, NT2087)  Mark and Matthew apparently were writing to predominantly Jewish believers who could accept the concept of Jesus being transfigured.  Luke’s readers apparently were predominantly non-Jewish believers who were familiar with tales of Greek and Roman gods transforming themselves into human or animal shapes.  It is understood that Luke therefore sought to avoid Jesus being equated to these Greek and Roman gods, and therefore spoke only of a change coming over Jesus.

  But why talk of a transfiguration and not of a transformation or a change?  Dictionary explanations use the same words interchangeably for all 3 definitions.  However the word “transfigure” seems to especially impart the meaning that something special is taking place, that some elevation or glorification or something spiritual is occurring.  It is on that basis that the early English translations use the word “transfigure”, which the English Standard Version follows.  Translations that seek to only use terms that are in common usage however tend to use the word “change” rather than “transfigure”, a word which has dropped out of current usage.  But we understand that something special and unique occurred to Jesus, something that spoke of his spiritual nature and purpose.  And, therefore, transfiguration is most appropriate for how we are to understand what took place.

Mark 9: 3

  Mark writes that “the clothes (of Jesus) became radiant, intensely white, as no one on Earth could bleach (or wash) them”.  Now, where in the Bible have we read of something similar?  The first instance is in Psalm 51: 7, “Remove my sin, and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow”.  There is a parallel verse in Isaiah 1: 18, where God is speaking to His people, “you are stained red with sin, but I will wash you as clean as snow”.  The important aspect to note with these two passages is that the colour white is associated with the absence of sin, and not just any white but the brilliant white of newly laid snow. 

  The second instance is the description of the dazzling light of God’s presence, or as some translations put it, God’s “glorious presence’ or simply God’s “glory”.  While Moses was on Mount Sinai  (Exodus 33: 18)  he asked God if he could see him, face to face.  However God denied this request saying that it was not possible for a sinful Human being to view the glory and majesty of God.  Elijah too spent some time on Mount Sinai, hiding in a cave there after he fled the wrath of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel  (1 Kings 19: 13)  .  When he went to the entrance of the cave after God called him to come out, he too had to hide his face from God.

  There is another incident involving Moses.  When he returned down Mount Sinai carrying the Ten Commandments, the people noticed that his face was shining because he had been in the presence of God  (Exodus 34: 29)  .  A further incident relates to a vision God gave to Daniel  (Daniel 7: 9)  in which he describes “one who had been living forever … (whose) clothes were white as snow and his hair was like pure wool, a reference, surely, to God who is the only one who has lived forever.  In every one of these passages then, brightness, like the white of pure clean snow or of pure clean wool, is an image used to describe the glory of God, or, in the case of Moses, the glory of God passed onto a Human being, or with regard to the passages from Psalm 51 and Isaiah 1, the effect of having ones sins forgiven and one’s sinfulness completely removed.

Therefore, is not this the background upon which we can gain an understanding of how and why the face and the clothes of Jesus became radiant, intensely white?  For was not Jesus showing his true nature as the Son of God? 

  Here he was, on the mountain top, seeking to be in the presence of God, and, when he was with God, how could he not but reveal to those present with him his divine nature as the Son of God.  As Graham Smith noted in his Commentary on Mark, “what the three Disciples saw was the glory of (the) sinless and perfected Humanity (as revealed in Jesus)”  (Graham Smith in Mark in the New Bible Commentary p870)  .  Did the three Disciples understand this at the time?  I don’t think so.  However, after the resurrection, when they had the time to reflect on what had occurred, the implications of what took place would have been very real to them.  And the eye-witness accounts given by James and John and Peter, while they were alive, would have had such a strong impact upon the early Church in terms of strengthening the belief that Jesus was truly the Son of God, or, as John puts it, that Jesus “was with God and was the same as God”  (John 1: 1)  .  The Apostle Paul says a similar thing when he writes that Jesus is the “exact likeness of God”  (2 Corinthians 4: 4)  .  Peter mentions this incident in his second letter, where he writes, “We were there when (Jesus) was given honour and glory by God the Father, … when we were with him on the holy mountain”  (2 Peter 1: 17 &18)  .  John Reilly, in his Commentary on Mark, notes that this reference by Peter to the Transfiguration showed “that the glory of what he saw that day imprinted itself indelibly upon (his) memory”.  (John Reilly in Praying Mark p107) 

  But what of the presence of Moses and Elijah?  How was it that someone who had died, as was the case with Moses, and someone who had been removed from the physical realm, as was the case with Elijah, could return to the physical realm, perhaps not in physical form but certainly in some visible form?  Alas, there are no hints to explain this, other than that the power of God was at work.  But to seek to explain this would surely divert one’s attention from something of far greater significance.  How was it that the Disciples recognised them?  It wasn’t something that was revealed to them later on for it is clear from the account that Peter immediately knew who they were for he states “We will make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”  (Mark 9: 5)  .  And this was a time before Polaroid photographs or plastic covered name tags.  But, again, such speculation should be secondary to what is of prime importance.

  What was it that Moses represented?  He was the one who brought God’s Law to God’s people, who explained God’s Law to God’s people, who led God’s people according to the commands and precepts detailed in God’s Law, through whom God spoke to His people.  When Jesus spoke of the Law it was always as “the Law of Moses”  (Mark 12: 26)  .  The Prophet Elijah was seen by the Jews as the greatest of the OT Prophets, representing the great and powerful things that God achieved through all of His Prophets.  Luke records the words spoken by the Angel of God to the Priest Zechariah about Zechariah’s soon to be born son, John.  John, the Angel said, “(would) go ahead of the Lord, strong and mighty like the Prophet Elijah”  (Luke 1: 17)  .

  The writings of Moses and the writings of the Prophets were the Words of God spoken to the people of God.  And it is interesting how they are often linked in the Gospel accounts.  When Andrew describes Jesus to Nathanael, he says “We have found the one whom Moses wrote about in the Book of the Law and whom the Prophets also wrote about.”  (John 1: 45)  In Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount, he records these words of Jesus, “Do not think that I have come to do away with the Law of Moses and the teachings of the Prophets.  I have not come to do away with them, but to make their teachings come true.” (Matthew 5: 17)  .  What was it that Jesus explained to the two Disciples while they were walking to Emmaus, “(everything) that was written about himself in all the Scriptures, beginning with the Books of Moses and the writings of the Prophets”  (Luke 24: 27)  .  The appearance of both Moses and Elijah on the mountain with Jesus was a confirmation to the three Disciples who were present that the ministry of Jesus encompassed all that was written in the Old Testament regarding the Messiah. 

  As Graham Smith writes, “the conception of a suffering Messiah, (as Jesus alluded to in the days prior to going up the mountain), was not contrary to Old Testament revelation, but accorded well with the testimony of the Law and of the Prophets, of whom Moses and Elijah were representatives”  (Graham Smith in Mark in the New Bible Commentary p870)  .

  Moira Laidlaw writes that the presence of such Old Testament figures as Moses and Elijah, who themselves faced hardship and rejection because of their calling to be God’s voice to God’s people, would have provided the reassurance and affirmation which would have meant so much to Jesus who himself was to face exactly the same things in the days ahead.  Their words of comfort and support would have been what Jesus needed when he descended the mountain to continue his journeying.  (Moira Laidlaw in Liturgies On-line, Year B Transfiguration) 

  In addition, for the second time in the Gospel accounts, we read of God speaking about Jesus.  Mark records that the Disciples heard a voice saying “This is my own dear son.”  (Mark 9: 7)  .  The Greek word used is “Agapitos” meaning “dearly beloved”  (Strong’s NT27)  , which shows the depth of affection which God had for Jesus.  These were the same words heard by John the Baptist when he had earlier baptised Jesus  (Mark 1: 11, John 1: 32 -34)  , and which are themselves the words in the prophesy by Isaiah about God’s suffering servant  (Isaiah 42: 1)  .  Here we have God Himself so abundantly answering the prayer of Jesus, and so abundantly offering to Jesus the reassurance and the affirmation that Jesus needed.  And we can imagine how Jesus descended the mountain with renewed strength and vigour, empowered to face whatever lay ahead of him on his journey to the cross.

  It was through Jesus Christ that God completely and perfectly accomplished the means of saving Humanity from our sins, of releasing us from our bondage to sin and death, and of bringing us safely to His promised blessing of a renewed and close relationship with Him.  What was commenced with Moses and continued with the Prophets, reached its conclusion in the person of Jesus.

  The Apostle Paul must have spoken to John and Peter about what happened on the mountain top for he writes of God as the one “who made his light shine in our hearts, to bring us the knowledge of God’s glory shining in the face of Christ”  (1 Corinthians 4: 6)  .  The Transfiguration of Jesus gives to us the reassurance to accept that God is at work in the World reconciling the World to Himself and that this work was completed through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for our sins and through the power of God to raise Jesus from death and to restore him to glory in Heaven.  Let us then preach with confidence, as Paul states, that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of Almighty God.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to or join in singing the Hymn ‘How good, Lord, to be here’ (AHB390  TiS234)

Joseph Robinson

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774 

 [This YouTube clip is for another hymn so disregard the words – only the one verse is needed.]

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.

Inspire your Church today with a renewed vision of your glory,

so that we and all your people may walk as children of light and, by your grace, reveal your presence in the World.

We pray for all those who are involved in the administration of justice.

Give wisdom to all those who are in authority over others, especially members of the police force, those who sit in judgment, prison and probation officers, and those who support the victims of crime.

We pray for all who walk in the darkness of crime.

Reveal among them your glory and power to bring resurrection and new life out of even the deepest evils and sufferings.

Lord Jesus, as we go about our daily routines this week help us to see your glory in the people with whom we work, our neighbours and friends, and in those we fear or find hard to get on with.

In all our conversations help us to listen carefully not only to what others are saying but also to what you are saying to us in each encounter.

We lift up to you those among us in need,

that you will provide employment opportunities, and make available the means for them to be able to provide for themselves.

Comfort those who have experienced deep disappointments and loss, those who are in need of your hope, your guidance and strength, those whose jobs bring them stress and conflict,

may they experience your consolation and peace of heart and mind and soul.

We pray for those who are hospitalized, confined to homes, or undergoing tests,

relieve their suffering, bring to them healing and wholeness, give guidance to those who are providing care and medical attention that the cause of their issues are being addressed.

We pray for peace-keepers, journalists, and aid workers assigned to duty in many places of the world where there is conflict,

praying for their safety, as well as the welfare of residents and refugees of those countries

As we hear your story of transformation, O God,

we pray for your Spirit to transform us.

Transform our eyes to see the light of your glory.

Transform our hearts to feel the goodness of your presence.

Transform our minds to understand a fraction of your will.

Transform our world to recognize the ties that bind us to one another.

Holy one, you sent Christ, your son, your beloved, to show us that we, too, are your children.

Make us know, O God, that our worth does not come from our work.  Our performance on tests or tasks or job interviews does not determine our value.

Our worth, our identity, our very being, comes from you, O God of grace.

In your image, we are created.  In your grace, we are redeemed.  In your community, we are loved.  In your Spirit, we are called.

As the disciples were, O God, we are soften overcome by fear, anxiety, grief, or sadness.

Pour your healing into our wounds.  Breathe your goodness into our doubts.  Touch us, heal us, and bring us peace.

Give us the hope and faith, to look and up and see your presence around us.

Give us the strength to know that we are not alone.

Bring rest and refreshment when we’re exhausted; hope and faith when we’re despondent and doubt you;

and the assurance of your love and forgiveness when we’re overwhelmed by our own weaknesses and failures.

God who meets us in the broken places, shine the light of Christ deep into our lives,

so we may carry that light into dark places and point to the One whose brokenness is our salvation.

Almighty God, we pray for the Church, that we may reach out to all who have been excluded or marginalized by our society and offer acceptance and inclusion in our community.

We pray for transformation, that we may present ourselves before Christ and confidently surrender to his touch all that is sinful, selfish, or alienating in our life.

We pray for unity in the Human family, that you will awaken within us a spirit of fraternity and help us to cooperate with all peoples, races, and faith traditions in combating disease, poverty, and injustice.

We pray for the grace to imitate Christ, that you will help us to love others, confront lies and injustice, and surrender ourselves in service to you and to our neighbour as did Jesus.

We pray that all who have been scandalized by the actions or inactions of those in authority may experience the healing and renewing touch of Jesus.

We pray for all who feel socially isolated, that those who have been ridiculed, laughed at, or bullied, may have their dignity as persons recognized and be welcomed into this faith community.

We pray for all who are physically isolated, that you will guide us in reaching out to them, assisting with their needs, and sharing faith with them.

We pray for all who are ill, that you will touch the sick and return them to wholeness, free the Human family from the coronavirus, and speed the distribution of the vaccines.

We pray for openness to the Holy Spirit, that we may be attentive to your invitations to grow and change during the coming Lenten season.

We pray for all who are suffering, that you will assist and guide to fulfillment all who are searching for jobs, a place to call home, food for their table, or healthcare.

We pray for greater stewardship of Earth’s resources, that you will help us understand the value of all living things and the wisdom to protect them for future generations.

We pray for peace, that you will inspire World leaders to take bold steps to end violence and promote justice through dialogue and understanding.

[Copyright © 2024. Joe Milner. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use. – https://liturgy.slu.edu/6OrdB021124/ideas_other.html]

We pray for the peoples of Andorra, Italy, Malta, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Vatican City

We are thankful for the rich historical legacies and distinctive cultures in these countries, for the faithful witness of the churches in the midst of empire building and colonization, for the many and diverse waves of migrants who have come to these lands, and for the hospitality that long has been shown to those arriving on their shores.

We pray for the preservation of the fragile environments and shorelines in this region, for an end to economic and political turmoil, for stable governments that end corruption and serve the common good, and for policies that relieve disparities between those who are rich and poor.

Additional Prayers

The fire prayer

Holy Spirit, set me on fire with your wisdom, so that I may love only that which is holy.

Holy Spirit, enlighten me with your understanding, so that I may perceive only that which is holy.

Holy Spirit, kindle in me your counsel, so that I may see only that which is holy.

Holy Spirit, inflame me with your strength, so that I may desire only that which is holy.

Holy Spirit, pour out your knowledge upon me, so that I may do only that which is holy.

Holy Spirit, give me ardent devotion, so that I may seek only that which is holy.

Holy Spirit, make me blaze in the fear of God so that I may never again lose that which is holy.

(From the Book of Devotions – Devocionário – of the Franciscan Congregation of Nursing Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, Portugal.)

You are the way

You are the way, Lord.
You came from the Father, as Joseph, to visit your brothers and sisters, to greet us and bring us God’s salvation.
And we sold you, for a few coins.
You are our way, and we lost you.
But you have returned again.
You are constantly returning to seek your lost brothers and sisters, who are hungry, fearful, and cold, in the dark night of this world, downhearted, disconsolate, disheartened.
Travelling through the world you are our guide, our counsellor, torch-bearer, our strength, motivator, our defence, refuge, protector, our provider, sustainer, food for the journey,
our listener, friend and companion.

(Alberto Iniesta Jiménez [1923 – 2016], former auxiliary archbishop of the Archdiocese of Madrid)

[https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/prayer-cycle/andorra-italy-malta-portugal-san-marino-spain-vatican-city]

We pray for the upcoming Scripture Union (Tasmania) Family Walks that are planned on Sunday afternoons once per month throughout the year, that they will be an uplifting time for those involved.  We pray for the SU Far North Qld Chaplain Inservice Day to take place this coming Thursday, that those who take part will develop skills and talents that they can use in your service.  We pray for the Northern Territory SU Training Day for Children & Youth Ministry for staff and volunteers in Darwin to take place this coming Saturday, that it will be a time for learning and for a renewal of enthusiasm for this area of outreach.

We pray for the work of The Leprosy Mission Mozambique.  We pray for their programme in Zambezia, that it will grow and that lives will be transformed and leprosy defeated in this province.

We give thanks for the media centres that they have set up so far, and pray that the content that they transmit to these centres may be a source of behavioural change that improves the lives of communities, especially for people affected by leprosy.

We pray for the safety and security of the region of Cabo Delgado, so that more persons affected by leprosy can have access to better quality services.

We pray for the success of the advocacy process that aims to involve the Government in the leprosy awareness movement in Mozambique.  We pray for greater commitment of the government to leprosy work in Mozambique.

We pray for those who plan to undertake Religious Instruction classes at Bald Hills State School in the coming weeks.  Guide them in their preparation for the words to say and the approach to take with the children in their classes. 

We pray for Kylie Conomos, the Scripture Union Chaplain at Bald Hills State School, as she returns to addressing the concerns and needs of children, parents and teachers at the Bald Hills State School.

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 ‘Yet not I, but through Christ in me’

Jonny Robinson  Rich Thompson  Michael Farren

Benediction    

“Show me the way, Lord,

Let my light shine,

As an example to all Humankind,

Help them to see

The patterns of Thee

Shining so brightly lived out in me.”

(by Neuer from Our Daily Bread 1 February 2008)

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

You are invited to listen to or join in singing the Benediction Song

‘Now to him who loves us saves us’  TiS771

Now to him who loved us, gave us

Every pledge that love could give,

Freely shed his blood to save us,

Gave his life that we might live,

Be the Kingdom

And dominion

And the glory evermore.

Samuel Miller Waring