Welcome: –

Passing the Peace: –

As we gather for worship let us remember that we are one people in Christ Jesus.  We are all welcomed by God into His presence and graced by His mercy.  Let us, then, be united in our worship of God and in our fellowship together, and uplift our hands to greet those both here and those in their homes with these words:

May the peace of God be with you.

And also with you.

Call to Worship 

(‘All things are ready, come to the feast‘) 

All things are ready,” come to the feast!
Come, for the table now is spread;
Come all who are famishing,

Come all who are weary,

Come and you shall be richly fed.

All things are ready, come to the feast!
Leave every care and worldly strife;
Feast upon the love of God,

Give as much as He’s given to you
And drink everlasting life.

Charles. H. Gabriel (adapted)

  We come together for worship, responding to the love and mercy of God, and sharing the experience of sins forgiven and of lives reconciled to God.

  Let us then gather for worship and feast on the goodness and grace of God.

Prayer of Praise

 (Psalm 33: 1 – 5 and 8 – 12, Psalm 50: 23, Psalm 30: 18, 20, 21 & 22) 

Shout for joy for what the LORD has done,

Praise Him all you who obey Him.

Give thanks to the LORD,

Sing a new song to Him.

The words of the LORD are true,

And all His works are dependable.

The LORD loves what is righteous and just;

His constant love fills the Earth.

Worship the LORD, all the Earth!

Honour Him, all peoples of the World!

When He spoke, the World was created;

At His command everything appeared.

The LORD frustrates the purposes of the Nations;

He keeps them from carrying out their plans.

But His plans endure forever,

His purposes last eternally.

Happy is the Nation whose God is the LORD;

Happy are the people He has chosen for His own.

The LORD says,

“Giving thanks is the sacrifice that honours me,

And I will surely save all who obey me.”

The LORD watches over those who obey Him,

Those who trust in His constant love.

We put our hope in the LORD,

He is our protector and our help.

We are glad because of Him,

We trust in His holy name.

May your constant love be with us, LORD,

As we put our hope in you.  Amen.

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

The first song is ’Therefore being justified by faith’ (Scripture in Song volume 1 number 29) The words are printed below:

Verse 1 of 4

Therefore, being justified by faith,

We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Because the love of God is shed abroad

In our hearts by the Holy Ghost

Which is given, which is given unto us, to us, to us.

Verse 2 of 4

God has commanded His love toward us

In that while we were sinners Christ died for us,

Because the love of God is shed abroad

In our hearts by the Holy Ghost

Which is given, which is given unto us, to us, to us.

Verse 3 of 4

Therefore, being justified by faith,

We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Because the love of God is shed abroad

In our hearts by the Holy Ghost

Which is given, which is given unto us, to us, to us.

Verse 4 of 4

God has commanded His love toward us

In that while we were sinners Christ died for us,

Because the love of God is shed abroad

In our hearts by the Holy Ghost

Which is given, which is given unto us, to us, to us.

Composer Unknown

The second song is; ‘His name is wonderful’ (Scripture in Song volume 1 number 37)

Audrey Mieir

Prayer of Confession

(adapted from Wesley’s Prayers and Praises p22 & 23) 

Prince and Saviour of Mankind,

Giver of repentance true,

Bring our secret sins to mind,

Drag them into open view;

Show us what we dread to know,

To ourselves the sinners show.

What we cannot hide from Thee,

From ourselves we hide in vain.

Give us, Lord, ourselves to see,

Break our hearts with grief and pain.

Then our guilty load remove,

Then reveal Your pardoning love.

Jesus, suffering Son of Man

Your whole nature is to save,

Give us pardon, as you plan,

Freed from sin is what we crave.

Grant us peace of mind and soul,

In your mercy make use whole.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church saying:

“Because of our sins Jesus our Lord was given over to die, and he was raised to life in order to put us right with God.”  (Romans 4: 25) 

What joy is ours, then, knowing that we are accepted as righteous because we “believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from death for the forgiveness of our sins.”  (Romans 4: 24b) 

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

Genesis 12:

1  The LORD said to Abram,

“Leave your Country, your relatives, and your Father’s home, and go to a land that I am going to show you.  2  I will give you many descendants, and they will be a blessing.

3  Those who bless you I will bless, but those who despise you I will curse.  And through you I will bless all the Nations of the Earth.”

4  When Abram was 75 years old he started out from Haran, as the LORD had told him to.  And Lot went with him.  5  Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the wealth and all of the slaves they had acquired in Haran, and they started out for the Land of Canaan.

When they arrived in Canaan,  6  Abram travelled through the Land until he came to the sacred tree of Moreh, the holy place of Shechem.  (At that time the Canaanites were still living in the Land.)

7  The LORD appeared to Abram and said to him,

“This is the country that I am going to give to your descendants.”

Then Abram built an alter there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.  8  After that, he moved on south to the hill country east of the City of Bethel and set up his camp between Bethel on the west and Ai on the East.  There, also, he built an alter and worshipped the LORD.

Romans 4:

20  Abraham’s faith did not leave him, and he did not doubt God’s promise; his faith filled

him with power, and he gave praise to God.  He was absolutely sure that God would be able to do what He had promised.  22  That is why Abraham, through faith “was accepted as righteous by God”.  (Genesis 15: 6) 

23  The words, “he was accepted as righteous” were not written for him alone.  24  They were written also for us who are to be accepted as righteous, who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from death.  25  Because of our sins he was given over to die, and he was raised to life in order to put us right with God.

[Today’s English Version]

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Matthew 9:

9  Jesus left that place, and, as he walked along, he saw a tax collector named Matthew, sitting in his office.  He said to him,

“Follow me.”

Matthew got up and followed him.

10  While Jesus was having a meal in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and other outcasts came and joined Jesus and his Disciples at the table.  11  Some Pharisees saw this and asked his Disciples,

“Why does your Teacher eat with such people?”

12  Jesus heard them and answered,

“People who are well do not need a doctor, but only those who are sick.  13  Go and find out what is meant by the Scripture that says,

‘It is kindness that I want, not animal sacrifices.’  (Hosea 6: 6) 

I have not come to call respectable people, but outcasts.”

18  A Jewish official came to Jesus, knelt down before him, and said,

“My daughter has just died; but come and place your hands on her, and she will live.”

19  So Jesus got up and followed him, and his Disciples went along with him.

20  A woman who had suffered from severe bleeding for twelve years came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of  his cloak.  21  She said to herself,

“If only I touch his cloak, I will get well.”

22  Jesus turned around and saw her, and he said,

“Courage, my daughter!  Your faith has made you well.”

At that very moment the woman became well.

23  Then Jesus went into the official’s house.  When he saw the musicians for the funeral and the people all stirred up,  24  Jesus said,

“Get out, everybody!  The little girl is not dead – she is only sleeping.”

Then they all started making fun of him.

25  But as soon as the people had been put out, Jesus went up into the girl’s room and took hold of her hand, and she got up.  26  The news about this spread all over that part of the Country.

[Today’s English Version]

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

You are invited to listen to or join in singing Hymn ‘Lift up your hearts to things above’  (MHB722  Wesley’s Hymns number 539) This YouTube clip is for another hymn, but is used here for the tune.  The words are printed below:

Verse 1 of 6

Lift up your hearts to things above,

You followers of the Lamb,

And join with all to praise his love

And glorify his name.

Verse 2 of 6

To Jesus we give thanks and sing,

Whose mercies never end.

Rejoice!  Rejoice!  The Lord is King,

The King is now our friend.

Verse 3 of 6

All Earthly honours are corrupt,

To none but God we bow,

O let our love for God erupt

In songs of praises now.

Verse 4 of 6

The just and pure approved by God,

To joy and peace they tend;

But sinners and the path they trod

In ruin they’ll surely end.

Verse 5 of 6

Be sure to make God’s perfect Word

Your study and delight

For then your heart and mind are stirred

To treasure it day and night.

Verse 6 of 6

Live till the Lord in glory come,

And wait his Heaven to share,

Our Saviour now prepares our home,

With joy we’ll meet him there.

Charles Wesley  (adapted)

Sermon

I need your help to complete two statements.

“Trust me, this ship is ………………..!

  The first one is a presumed reply given by Captain Edward Smith, Captain of the newest ocean liner of the White Star Line, the RMS Titanic, to a query that was certainly asked of him concerning how safe it would be to journey on his ship on its maiden voyage.

  “Trust me,” he would have said, “this ship is …………………..!”

  What word would he have used?  That’s correct, his reply would have been:

“Trust me, this ship is unsinkable!”

“Trust me, I’ve explored similar country on my two previous expeditions.

  What could ….. ……………..?”

  The second one is a presumed reply given by the German born explorer, Ludwig Leichardt, to a query that was certainly asked of him relating to doubts about the success of his third expedition, which he commenced from near Roma around 4^th April 1848.

“Trust me,” he would have said, I’ve explored similar country on my two previous expeditions.  What could ….. ……………..?”

  What two words would he have used?  That’s correct, his reply would have been:

  What could go wrong?”  Or something similar.

  The Macquarie Dictionary defines trust as:

“reliance on the integrity or another quality or attribute of someone,

 (or) a confident expectation of something

  (The Macquarie Dictionary and Thesaurus  Combined Budget Edition 1991 p435) 

  It defines faith as:

“confidence or trust in a person, which is not based on proof”

  (The Macquarie Dictionary and Thesaurus  Combined Budget Edition 1991 p151) 

  The two situations about which we briefly referred are examples of the tragic consequences of misplaced faith in a person.

  Captain Edward Smith placed his trust in the advice he received from those who designed and built the RMS Titanic and from the results of his own inspection of his ship.  The crew and passengers who sailed with him, placed their faith in his reassurances.  In hindsight, this was a misplaced faith given his misplaced trust in the advice that he received. 

  Ludwig Leichhardt placed his trust in his recollection of his abilities to lead others and to know how to sustain an expeditionary party.  Those who set out with him on his third expedition placed their faith in his reassurances of his abilities to safely and successfully lead them along an unknown path into unknown lands for an unknown length of time.  In hindsight, this was a misplaced faith on their behalf because, for some unknown reason, at some unknown point in time and at some unknown place, his inabilities led to the failure of the expedition and to all of them perishing.

  Abram, too, faced a time when he was required to follow or to refuse a call to follow.

  In today’s passage from Genesis 12 we read that, while Abram was living in the City of Haran, located in the south of current day Türkiye, and after the death of his Father Terah,

“The LORD said to Abram”  (Genesis 12: 1) 

  We have no way of determining the manner by which God revealed Himself to Abram at this point in time.  We read in Genesis 15: 1 that God appeared to Abram in “a vision”.  We read in Genesis 18: 1 & 2 of God appearing to Abram in the form of “three men”.  But here and elsewhere, (Genesis 13: 14, and 17: 1, 9, 15 & 19), the text appears to read that Moses heard the voice of God speaking directly to him.  Through whatever manner it was, God’s revelation of Himself to Abram was so clear and precise that Abram was left with no doubt that it was God Himself who was communicating with him. 

  Abram had a clear and unquestionable revelation of the reality of God.  God was telling Abram in no uncertain terms, that He was seeking a close and personal relationship with Abram.  It is also clear that Abram responded to this revelation of God with his worship of God as the one true Creator God and by placing his faith in God.

  It is important for us to understand this response by Abram to God revealing Himself to Abram, because it forms a basis for looking at today’s passage from Matthew 9. 

  In a speech by Stephen recorded by Luke in Acts 7, he states:

“Before our ancestor Abraham had gone to live in Haran, the God of glory appeared to him in Mesopotamia and said to him, ‘Leave your family and Country and go to a land that I will show you.’.”  (Acts 7: 2 & 3) 

  Looking at this passage in the light of the passage from Genesis 12, we gain an understanding of two things.

  Firstly, we see that Abram was in a close relationship with God for several years, or perhaps many years, before God appeared to him while he was living in Haran. 

  Secondly, we can understand that Abram’s father, Terah, may also have had the same call by God to leave their home and wider family in Ur in Babylonia and “go to a land that God would show him”, for that is what we read of Terah doing in Genesis 11:

“Terah took his son, Abram, his nephew Lot, and Sarai, Abram’s wife, and with them he left the City of Ur to go to the land of Canaan.”  (Genesis 11: 31) 

  But we read that they halted their journey at Haran, “and settled there”.  (Genesis 11: 31)  Why did they not continue on as planned and as they had been called upon by God?

  They had followed the course of the River Euphrates northwards, perhaps so that they could be confident of a ready access to water for their flocks and herds as they journeyed.  Eventually they arrived at the City of Haran.  Haran (in Hebrew) means “crossroads”, and it is literally on a crossroad, for the route to Assyria lies to the east, the route to Syria lies to the west, the Nation of Mari lies to the south, and the Hittite Nation lies to the north.  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harran_(biblical_place) 

  Scholars tell us that Haran, in the time of Terah and Abram’s stay in the City, was the site of “a temple for the worship of Sin, the Moon god”.  (article by Donald Wiseman in The Illustrated Bible Dictionary Part 2 p608)  It is with that information in mind that we can make sense of a statement made later by Joshua:

“Long ago your ancestors lived on the other side of the Euphrates River and worshipped other gods.  One of those ancestors was Terah, the father of Abram.”  (Joshua 24: 3) 

  So we can ‘join-the-dots’, so to speak, and reason that what may initially have only been intended as a temporary stay in Haran, to recuperate after a long trek, turned into a permanent stay when Terah, and perhaps other members of the family group, became enamoured with ‘moon worship’ and turned from their first love of the Creator God to the worship of the idol, Sin.

  But not so for Abram, for there is nothing to suggest that he too, succumbed to the temptation to worship “other gods”.  Rather, the text implies that Abram retained his worship of God as the one true Creator God.  He, it was, who lived out the desire of God for us to relate to Him, as the Prophet Hosea expressed,

“What I want from you,” says the LORD,” is plain and clear: I want your constant love.”  (Hosea 6: 5b & 6a) 

  Is our love for God as constant and as deep as was Abram’s?  Can we stand before God and claim Him as our first love, and that we have not succumbed to the temptation to worship other gods of the World around us?  I pray that we can.

  Upon the death of his father, Terah, and upon hearing the reminder from God to continue his journey to “the land that God was going to show him”, Abram readily and willingly obeyed.

  And we read:

“he started out from Haran, as the LORD had told him to do”.  (Genesis 12: 4, Joshua 24: 2, Acts 7: 4, Hebrews 11: 8) 

  It is in this act of Abram, in obedience to the call of God, that we see the depth of his faith in God, for he placed his complete trust in God, a trust that was not based on any proof from God.  And we need to grasp this understanding, that Abram’s trust in God was not based on any proof that God could substantiate His promises made to Abram.

  The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews makes it clear:

“Abram left his own Country without knowing where he was going.”  (Hebrews 11: 8) 

  We read of God’s promise to Abram when he arrived in the land of Canaan:

“This is the country that I am going to give to your descendants.”  (Genesis 12: 7) 

  Yet Stephen makes it clear to us:

“God did not then give Abram any part of it as his own, not even a square foot of ground, but God promised to give it to him, and that it would belong to him and to his descendants.  (But), at the time God made His promise, Abram had no children.”  (Acts 7: 5 & 6) 

  “By faith Abram lived as a foreigner in the Country that God had promised him.”, as the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews states.  (Hebrews 11: 9) 

  And it was “because of this faith of Abram that God was pleased with him and accepted him.”  (Genesis 15: 6)  , to the extent that God had affection for Abram as His “friend”.  (Aw-hab – Strong’s OT157)  (2 Chronicles 20: 7, Isaiah 41: 8, James 2: 23) 

  The Apostle Paul saw Abram as the perfect example of a person who had faith  (Romans 4: 3, Galatians 3: 6)  .

  Roger Bowen writes of Abram:

“It was Abram’s trust in God, not any good works he could boast of, which God counted as righteousness”.  (Roger Bowen in A Guide to Romans p56) 

  Geoffrey Wilson writes of the faith of Abram:

“Abram simply believed God, he rested on the bare promise of God.  Righteousness was reckoned to Abram as a matter of grace and not of debt.  It was not acquired of his own merit, but conferred upon him by (God’s) sovereign grace.”  (Geoffrey Wilson in Romans p67) 

  What of our faith in God?  Does it rest on the bare promise of God?  Or do we qualify it with conditions?

  I came across this quote from a Helga Bergold Gross:

“What we usually pray to God is not that His will be done, but that He approves ours.”  (Reader’s Digest Quotable Quotes p132) 

  Here, she writes of a faith in God that is not like Abram’s, but of a faith dependent upon God fulfilling one’s own desires and supporting one’s own goals.  Abram, by contrast, stepped out in faith into the unknown, trusting in the providence of God to sustain him along the journey, and trusting in God to fulfill His promises as and when God will determine.  

  So, we see three aspects of the faith of Abram.

Abram’s unquestioning obedience to the call of God “to follow” were He led.

Abram’s complete trust in God’s compassion and provision for him.

Abram receiving God’s unmerited blessing solely on the basis of God’s grace and mercy.

  Do we see these same aspects of faith in the interactions of people with Jesus as set out in today’s passage from Matthew’s Gospel?

“Jesus said to Matthew, ‘Follow me.’.”  Matthew 9: 9

About what do we know of Matthew, or Levi as he is called in some Gospel accounts?

  Matthew was what was termed a “publican”, a receiver of customs, the tax placed upon goods sold and bought.  It is understood from the Gospel texts that he lived at Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee.  Jesus chose to live at Capernaum after leaving Nazareth  (Matthew 4: 13)  .  Matthew, therefore, would have witnessed Jesus performing miracles and would have heard Jesus preaching, both in the Synagogue at Capernaum and to the crowds.  So, upon this understanding, we can see that Matthew would have had occasion to think about all that he had seen and heard of Jesus.  (article in The Universal Bible Dictionary edited by Augustus Buckland and Arthur Lukyn Williams p307) 

  What did Jesus see in Matthew?  People, in general, had a negative view of tax collectors, as we see in their reaction to another tax collector, Zacchaeus.  (Luke 19: 7)  The Jewish religious leaders viewed tax collectors as base sinners, not just undeserving of God’s mercy but deserving of God’s condemnation, as we see in their response to seeing Jesus eating with them.  (Matthew 9: 11)  Jesus, in contrast, looked at the potential in the person, the potential to be changed by God and to be used by God. 

  And we read,

“As Jesus walked along, he saw a tax collector sitting in his office, and Jesus said to Matthew, ‘Follow me.’”  (Matthew 9: 9a, Mark 2: 14, Luke 5: 27) 

  Whatever Gospel account you read, there is only that short two-word call to follow, to follow Jesus, to wherever the journeying took him, to whatever was the destination.  There is no discourse about what was involved, nor in an assurance of his safety and welfare.  Just the call.

  And we read,

“Matthew got up and followed him.”  (Matthew 9: 9b) 

  Luke’s account crucially adds a small detail,

“Levi got up, left everything, and follow him.”  (Luke 5: 28) 

  Matthew, in the same manner as Abram, heard the call of God and placed his faith in God.  Matthew “left everything” that may have held him back from living out his faith in going to wherever and to whatever God was calling him.  Matthew left the comforts of home, the guaranteed rich earnings of a receiver of customs, the influence of holding an Imperial appointed position, all to follow an itinerant preacher who was an irritant in the eyes of the Jewish religious leaders.  Matthew placed his confidence and trust in Jesus, not knowing to where he was being led, knowing that Jesus could not and would not guarantee his welfare and security, but knowing that Almighty God would sustain him and provide for his needs along the way.  Matthew’s response, as was Abram’s, is an example of faith lived out in life.

““I have not come to call respectable people, but outcasts.”  Matthew 9: 13

But what of the Pharisees?  They, too, were witnesses to the miracles performed by Jesus.  They, too, heard the preaching of Jesus.  But, unlike Matthew, they did not open their hearts and minds to the demonstration of the power of God in the miracles of Jesus, nor to the truth of God in the preaching of Jesus.  They had closed their minds to God’s truth, and had closed their hearts to the call of God to follow.  They were not following the God of their Scriptures, they were following the god of their religion.  Like Terah, they succumbed to the appeal of worshipping an alternative god.  They were not worshiping the Creator God, but their own created god, one that demanded strictness in the rites and rituals of sacrificial worship, and that demanded restrictions on personal and public behaviour.  They sought to earn their righteous from God by their own actions, neglecting the desire of God for their constant love and faith.

  “Why does your teacher eat with such disreputable sinners?” they asked the Disciples of Jesus upon seeing Jesus feasting with “tax collectors and other outcasts” at the meal Matthew had prepared later in the day.  (Matthew 9: 11)  They had taken upon themselves the task to condemn people in the name of God.  Jesus, in contrast, demonstrated the compassion of God towards all people.

  And we read Jesus replying,

“I have not come to call respectable people to follow God, for they have already obeyed the call of God to follow.  I have come to call the outcasts to heed the call of God to follow, so that they too may experience God’s grace and renewal in their lives.”  (Matthew 9: 13b) 

  What of us?  Who do we mirror?  Do we see the faults in people’s lives, and condemn them for who and what they are, condemning them as underserving of God’s love.  Or do we see the potential in people, to be changed by God and to be used by God?  For, whatever attitude you take towards people determines the approach you take towards people.

Abram was accepted by God because he placed his trust in God to sustain him through his journeyings and for God to fulfill the promises that he had given to Abram, based solely on the revelation Abram had received of the reality of God.

  Matthew was accepted because he placed his trust in God to sustain him through his journeyings with Jesus, and wherever that would lead in the future, based solely on the revelation Matthew received of the reality of God in the person of Jesus Christ.

  Is God as real to us as He was to Abram and to Matthew?  Have we heard the call of God to “follow”.  Have we heard His call to repentance, to renewal and to fellowship?  One writer puts it this way:

“We are saved not by what we do but by trusting what Christ has done.”  (Our Daily Bread 18 May 2007) 

  In the same manner as Abram and Matthew, we are called to step out in faith, to heed the call of God to follow to wherever His will and purpose may lead us, always knowing that the God who is real will journey with us until life’s journey’s ends, and beyond.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to or join in singing Hymn ‘O Jesus Christ, may grateful hymns be rising’  (TiS620)

This YouTube clip is for another hymn., but is used here for the tune.  The words are printed below:

Verse 1 of 3

O Jesus Christ, may grateful hymns be rising

In every City for your love and care;

Inspire our worship, grant the glad surprising

That your Blest Spirit rouses everywhere.

Verse 2 of 3

Grant us the courage, sacrificial, humble,

Strong in your strength to venture and to dare,

To lift the fallen, guide the feet that stumble,

Seek out the lonely and God’s mercy share.

Verse 3 of 3

Show us your Spirit, brooding o’er each City,

As once you wept above Jerusalem,

Seeking to gather all in love and pity,

And healing those who touch your garment’s hem.

Bradford Webster

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774  

This YouTube clip is for another hymn, but is used here for the tune. The words are printed below – 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.

We pray for the Church,

that we may take on the mind and heart of Christ and continue the mission of Jesus.

We pray for Christian unity,

that we may be a people of deep gratitude and allow you to continue to build us into a community of faith and love.

We pray for all who are suffering from famine or drought,

that you will nurture them, sustain them on their journey, and supply the assistance that they need.

We pray for all who hunger spiritually,

that they will gain access to your Word, through which they may be nourished and find the way to live in peace and wholeness of life.

We pray for all who have experienced violence,

that you will protect them from further harm, right the injustices that have occurred, and give them hope.

We pray for governmental, business and cultural leaders,

that you will give them wisdom to address the unrest, insight into righting the injustices, and words that will unite Society.

We pray for all who are unemployed,

that you will give them courage and hope, sustain them as they wait, and help them find new opportunities for work.

We pray for all who are ill and those who care for them,

that you will send healing to the sick, strength and wisdom to those who care for them, and inspiration to those researching treatments and vaccines.

We pray for an end to violence in our cities and between Countries,

that you will give courage to all who are working for peace, help the voices of those who have experienced injustice to be heard, and turn the hearts of those prone to violence toward new ways of working for change and for the good of all.

Copyright © 2020. Joe Milner. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use. – https://liturgy.slu.edu/BodyBloodA061123/ideas_other.html

We pray for the work happening behind the scenes to prepare for Scripture Union Winter camps and missions across the country, that it will be done in a spirit of expectation and enthusiasm.  We pray that many young lives will transformed through these events!  We pray for the Scripture Union run GENTS Camp Core Team in South Australia as they prepare for Spring Rite of Passage Camp to be run later in the year, that they will be guided and equipped to present the Gospel message in a challenging manner.

We pray for the Winter Core Training Day happening in Western Australia on this coming Saturday, that all attendees would be blessed and equipped to serve in upcoming ministry opportunities.  We also pray for our Rockhampton chaplains as they host their first Rodeo on this coming Saturday, partnering with a local business in town, for their wellbeing and energy during the event, and that there will be a large buy-in from the community as they support this important work.

(SU%20Prayer-Guide-JUNE-23-SEQLD.pdf)

We pray for The Leprosy Mission Bangladesh as they seek to find a new generation of staff who have the right skillset and a passion for leprosy.  We pray for their work on finding funding to support the rehabilitation of persons affected by leprosy and on preventing the transmission of leprosy in Bangladesh.

(The%20Leprosy%20Mission%20Prayer%20Diary%202023.pdf)

We pray for the work undertaken by the Church of North India (CNI) through the Diocese of Durgapur in West Bengal, to find a way to put in place a sustainable source of crop irrigation that doesn’t dry up when the rain stops and the local streams become empty, and also in helping the local communities to access high-quality education through their study centre and self-help groups, teaching skills to people to help them develop extra sources of income and pathways to career opportunities.

(https://unitingworld.org.au/lift-a-village-out-of-poverty/)

We bring before you our Queensland Bush Chaplains:

Pastor Joe Eka in the Kennedy area in Cape York, Pastor Michael Chapman in the Carpentaria M^cKay area centred around Cloncurry and Mt Isa, and Rev Dona Spencer in the Bottle Tree area centred around Roma and Moonie.

We pray for safe travelling as they drive or fly to visit remote communities, that they will be led to those who are deeply in need to consoling or comforting, and that they will be adequately equipped to deal with situations and circumstances that arise.

(https://frontierservices.org/bush-chaplaincy/)

We pray for Christians from ethnic minorities in Vietnam who are often subjected to severe persecution, who need encouragement as they face daily challenges imposed by their circumstances.  As they speak their indigenous languages and as the education system only teaches Vietnamese, we pray that Scripture translation currently underway in these ethnic minority languages, will meet the peoples’ immediate need to engage with God’s word in their own language.

We pray for the Bible Society South Pacific as it serves 16 independent island nations, with a total population of 2.8 million, more than half of whom live between minimum wage and the poverty threshold, as they struggle to bring in new stock, use inadequate equipment, and deal with technological limitations which makes it difficult to communicate with mission and translation coordinators based in the islands. 

(https://www.biblesociety.org.au/projects/)

We pray for the peoples of Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Eswatini.

We are thankful for the rich biodiversity of plants and animals and of mineral resources in this region, the faithful witness of churches throughout the world during apartheid and how people of different races and lifestyles have come together since then, the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and others to bring healing from the atrocities committed, and how South Africa has made antiretroviral drugs accessible to all with HIV and AIDS.

We pray for protection of resources for the good of all rather than their exploitation for economic gain, more democratic and transparent governance in these countries, at all levels, measures to effectively countering rape, sexual violence, and other crime, and adequate resources and changed attitudes for welcoming refugees in these countries.

(https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/prayer-cycle/)

We pray for Kylie Conomos in her role as chaplain at Bald Hills State School.  May she have the wisdom to be able to discern the needs of those associated with the school and the graciousness to offer whatever she can do to help.

We pray for the volunteers who lead Religious Instruction classes at Bald Hills State.  May they enthuse the children in their classes to seek to learn and understand more about the message of your love and grace for them.  May the Holy spirit work in the hearts and minds of the children so that they will become the fertile ground for the good seed to grow and bear fruit.

We pray for those who we have not seen in person for some time. Please surround them with your comfort and support, and may they experience your love for them every moment of every day.  May they know of our continuing prayers and hopes for them.

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 Hymn ‘We have heard the joyful sound’  (Alexander’s Hymns No. 3 number 409)

Priscilla Owens

Benediction 

(from Anywhere with Jesus I will go) 

Anywhere with Jesus I will go,
Trusting Him to lead me all the way;
Grasping on His loving hand I know,
In all I do I’ll never go astray.

Charles. H. Gabriel (adapted)

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

‘I am His, and He is mine.’  (Alexander’s Hymns No. 3 number 193)

Wade Robinson