Welcome: –

Call to Worship: –

(from Psalm 27: 1, 4, 11, and 14) 

The LORD is my light and my salvation;

I will fear no one.

The LORD protects me from all danger;

I will never be afraid.

I have asked the LORD for one thing;

One thing only do I want;

To live in the LORD’s house all my life,

To marvel there at His goodness, and to ask for His guidance.

Teach me, LORD, what you want me to do;

And lead me along a safe path,

Trust in the LORD.

Have faith, do not despair.  Trust in the LORD.

Comment:

We are faced with a choice every day, either to worship a satisfied appetite, the adulation of friends, and the self-glory for what we have accomplished all by ourselves, or to worship God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who calls us to conform to His standards of goodness and holiness, who calls us to live a life renewed and transformed in His image, and who demonstrates His power to make all things subject to His majesty and authority.

  In coming together today, we have demonstrated that we have chosen to worship the one true Creator God, who sees us as His beloved People, and who we see as our Deliverer from all that binds us to death and destruction and from all that makes us enemies of God.  Let us keep our eyes fixed on God and the glories of His Kingdom, not on the transient pleasures of the World and its false promises and prophets.  Let us stand firm in our faith in God who promises to deliver us from all that is evil.  Let us humble ourselves before God who is the Almighty and who is deserving of our praise and adoration.

Prayer of Praise  

(from Psalm 27 and 63) 

Almighty God, you are the light of our lives, the One who provides clarity in times of our uncertainty, the One who shows to us what is good and right when we earnestly seek direction, the One who reveals the true nature of the World around us and who makes us aware of its snares for the unwary. 

  Almighty God, it is to you that we come seeking refuge in our times of distress.  It is upon your strength that we depend, to provide relief from the stress and the concerns of our life.  Though we may feel besieged by our worries, though we are afraid lest we stumble and fall because of our anxieties, we know, with confidence, that your love for us is constant, that you are holding us, and that you will keep us secure all the days of our life.  Of what, then, can we ever fear?  Of what can people do to us that we can ever dread?

  Almighty God, in a ‘dry and weary’ World, it is you who provides the ‘life-giving water’ for our thirsty souls, it is you who provides the nourishment of our spirits that no-one and nothing else can give to us, it is you who provides the help in our times of trouble, it is you who makes us feel safe, as if we are being covered by your wings over us.  We know that your love is better than life itself, we know that we can cling to you and be upheld by you.

  We know that you are our salvation, we acknowledge with everlasting thanks that you are the One who forgives and forgets, the One who purifies, the One who provided the sacrifice so that our sins can be removed, and our souls cleansed in your sight.

  Almighty God, we look upon you and see your power and glory.  We look at the World around us and see your control and authority over all things.  In response we humble ourselves before your greatness, we sing your praises to Heaven and Earth, we offer to you our adoration, and we dedicate ourselves to your worship and service, now and always.  Amen.

We sing the Hymn ‘Let there be love shared among us’  Scripture in Song volume 2 No 117 / 322

Verse 1 of 4

Let there be love shared among us,

Let there be love in our eyes.

May now your love sweep this Nation.

Cause us, O Lord, to arise.

Give us a fresh understanding

Of brotherly love that is real.

Let there be love shared among us. 

Let there be love.

Verse 2 of 4

Let there be peace shared among us,

Let there be peace in our eyes.

May now your peace sweep this Nation.

Cause us, O Lord, to arise.

Give us a fresh understanding

Of brotherly peace that is real.

Let there be peace shared among us. 

Let there be peace.

Verse 3 of 4

Let there be joy shared among us,

Let there be joy in our eyes.

May now your joy sweep this Nation.

Cause us, O Lord, to arise.

Give us a fresh understanding

Of brotherly joy that is real.

Let there be joy shared among us. 

Let there be joy.

Verse 4 of 4

Let there be hope shared among us,

Let there be hope in our eyes.

May now your hope sweep this Nation.

Cause us, O Lord, to arise.

Give us a fresh understanding

Of brotherly hope that is real.

Let there be hope shared among us. 

Let there be hope.

Dave Bilbrough

‘Jesus is Lord’  Scripture in Song volume 2 No 155 / 360

David Mansell

Prayer of Confession 

(from Psalm 27 and 63) 

Merciful God, we come before you remorseful and repentant.

We come before you knowing that we have often neglected the standards by which you seek for us to live our lives, we come before you knowing that we have often deliberately disobeyed your call to follow.

Your light shines into the darkest corners of our hearts to reveal our hidden faults, and to reveal those parts of our being which we have sought to hide from you.

Merciful God, in our anger we have not mirrored your compassion for others, in our prejudice, we have turned away those whom you have called us to serve.  Forgive us for our neglect.

Merciful God, in our greed and desire for what the World offers to us, we seek satisfaction and happiness from owning and doing things.

In our seeking ease and excuses from responsibilities, we have forsaken your calling for us to be a light for others, your calling for us to be a clear voice of witness to your mercy and grace.  Forgive us for our neglect.

Merciful God, in our anxiousness, we have looked within us, we have looked only at ourselves.

We forget to look outwardly to you, we forget to see that you are always looking at us, holding your hand out to us, ever ready to pull us up and close.  Forgive us for our neglect.

  Merciful God, in our pride we boast of what we have achieved all by ourselves, we seek to draw attention to our abilities and our capabilities, we rest assured on our strengths. 

Yet, in so doing, we fail to acknowledge that it is you who have walked beside us all of our lives, that it is you who have carried us in our times of need, that it is through your provision for us that we find real satisfaction and deliverance.  Forgive us for our neglect.

Merciful God, forgive our sins, and take away from us all that is not true and good, all that is not pure and holy.

Teach us your way, O God, and lead us in your straight path, so that we may follow faithfully and take courage in our trust and obedience.  To your glory we pray.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from Genesis 15: 6) 

Abram believed God and put his trust in God’s promise to bless his descendants and to grant them a rich inheritance, and God called him righteous.  We, too, have put our trust in God’s promise to listen to our cries of repentance and to forgive our sins.  Let us be assured then that God has seen our faithfulness, that He has listened to our prayers, and that He has answered them by cleansing us of all that is unworthy and shameful.

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 15:

1  After this, Abram had a vision and heard the LORD say to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram.  I will shield you from danger and give you a great reward.”  2  But Abram answered, “Sovereign LORD, what good will your reward do me, since I have no children?  My only heir is Eliezer of Damascus.  3  You have given me no children, and one of my slaves will inherit my property.

4  Then he heard the LORD speaking to him again: “This slave Eliezer will not inherit your property; your own son will be your heir.”  5  The LORD took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and try to count the stars; you will have as many descendants as that.”

6  Abram put his trust in the LORD, and because of this the LORD was pleased with him and accepted him.  Then the LORD said to him, “I am the LORD who led you out of Ur in Babylonia, to give you this land as your own.”

18  Then and there the LORD made a covenant with Abram.  He said, “I promise to give your descendants all this land from the border of Egypt to the Euphrates River,  19  including the lands of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,  20  the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,  21  the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

Philippians 3 and 4:

17  Agree together, my friends, to follow my example.  You have us for a model; watch those whose way of life conforms to it.  18  For, as I have often told you, and now tell you with tears in my eyes, there are many whose way of life makes them enemies of the cross of Christ.  19  They are heading for destruction, because their god is their bodily desires.  They are proud of what they should be ashamed of, and they think only of earthly things.

20  We, by contrast, are citizens of Heaven, and from Heaven we eagerly expect our deliverer to come, the Lord Jesus Christ.  21  He will change our weak mortal bodies and give it a form like that of his own resplendent body, by the very power which enables him to make all things subject to himself.  1  Therefore, my friends, beloved friends whom I long for, my joy, my crown, stand firm in the Lord, my beloved!

[Revised Standard Version, Today’s English Version, New English Bible]

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Luke 13:

31  At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “You must get out of here and go somewhere else, because King Herod wants to kill you.”

32  Jesus answered them, “Go and tell that fox: ‘I am driving out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I shall finish my work.’  33  Yet I must be on my way today, tomorrow, and the next day; it is not right for a prophet to be killed anywhere except in Jerusalem.

34  Jerusalem, Jerusalem!  You kill the prophets, you stone the messengers God has sent you!  How many times I wanted to put my arms around your people, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me!  35  And so your Temple will be abandoned, I assure you that you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord.’”  (Psalm 118: 26) 

[Today’s English Version]

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Passing the Peace  (from Romans 1: 7b) 

We are gathered in this place, and in the homes of friends, to acknowledge the holiness and authority of Almighty God.  Trusting in His grace and mercy, let us lift up our hands and share with each other, with those who are here and with those in their homes: “May the peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be always with you.”

And also with you.

We sing the hymn ‘What shall I do my God to love,My Saviour, and the World’s, to praise’  MHB452

Verse 1 of 3

What shall I do my God to love,

My Saviour, and the World’s to praise?

Whose tenderest compassions move

To me and all the fallen race,

Whose mercy is divinely free

For all the fallen race and me.

Verse 2 of 3

I long to know, and to make known,

The heights and depths of love divine,

The kindness Thou to me hast shown,

Whose every sin was counted Thine:

My God for me resigned his breath;

He died to save my soul from death.

Verse 3 of 3

How shall I thank Thee for the grace

On me and all Mankind bestowed?

O that my every breath were praise!

O that my heart were filled with God!

My heart would then with love o’erflow,

And all my life Thy glory show.

Charles Wesley

Sermon

  Someone once said, “Anytime you think you have influence, try ordering around someone else’s dog.”  (from The Cockle Bur in Quotable Quotes p182) 

Screen 1

“You need to leave this place quickly because King Herod wants to kill you”.  (Luke 13: 31)

The Pharisees who came to see Jesus thought that perhaps they may have had some influence over him.  They warn Jesus, “You need to leave this place (quickly) because King Herod wants to kill you”.  (Luke 13: 31)  Given that King Herod had imprisoned John the Baptist and, later, had him executed, gives this warning some substance.  What is not clear from the text is whether these Pharisees were sincere in their warning, out of a genuine concern for the welfare of Jesus, or whether they were being hypocritical in their giving of this warning and were, in reality, just seeking to “frighten Jesus away” and to diminish his stature in the eyes of the People for such an apparent act of cowardice.  (Howard Marshall in Luke in The New Bible Commentary p910)  What is clear is that Jesus is not frightened by a threat to his life nor is he frightened of King Herod.  “Jesus had nothing but contempt for the murderer of John the Baptist and his threats.  In calling Herod a “fox”, Jesus is describing him as “treacherous, cunning in an unprincipled manner and someone who preys on the defenceless, such as a fox would prey on a hen”.  (Craig Keener in Luke in The IVP Background Commentary of the New Testament p228)

Screen 2

King Herod

  Jesus knew that Herod could not harm him (for Herod did not have the ultimate power or authority to determine the fate of Jesus.)  (Gregory Beale & Donald Carson (ed) in Luke in Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old Testament p336)  The divinely appointed path for Jesus led to Jerusalem, and (it would be) there, at God’s appointed time, that Jesus would suffer.”  (Howard Marshall in Luke in The New Bible Commentary p910)  In the meantime, Jesus states, I will continue my ministry of healing the sick and of releasing people from bondage to Satan, until it is time for me to go to Jerusalem, the City where the fate of so many Prophets of old was determined.

  So often in the past the People of Israel had harshly treated God’s Prophets.  Jesus laments, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you”.  (Luke 13: 34)  Jesus is making it clear that he is aware that those who made such threats as he had received, genuinely intended to carry them out.  Here Jesus is reminding the Pharisees of the Prophet Uriah, who King Jehoiakim had brought to Jerusalem for trial and execution, because Uriah had dared to speak out against the King and the Nation of Israel, as he had been led to do so by God.  (Jeremiah 26: 20 to 23)

Screen 3

“the people stoned Zechariah in the Temple courtyard”  2 Chronicles 24: 21

  Jesus is reminding the Pharisees of the death of Zechariah, son of the Priest Jehoiada, killed on the authority of King Joash because he had stood before King Joash and had spoken the Word of God, criticising the King, his advisors and the Nation of Israel because they had stopped worshipping the God of Israel and had turned to the worship of idols.  (2 Chronicles 24: 20 to 22)  Jesus is reminding the Pharisees of the Prophet Jeremiah’s words, “The LORD says, ‘Just as a thief is disgraced when caught, so all you people of Israel will be disgraced, … this will happen because you turned away from me instead of turning to me. … I punished you (in the past), but it did no good; you would not let me correct you.  Like a raging lion, you have murdered your Prophets.’”  (Jeremiah 2: 26, 27 & 30) 

  Here, Jesus speaks of Jerusalem, but he is using the name of the City as an image of the whole Nation of Israel, as a term to refer to all of the People of Israel.  (Coleman Luck in Luke  The Gospel of the Son of Man p96)  Jesus laments, speaking of God’s anguish, “how I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.”  (Luke 13: 34) 

Screen 4

“just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings”  Luke 13: 34b

  Jesus is using an image that is used in several of the Psalms, the image of “finding refuge in the shadow of (God’s) wings”  (Psalm 17: 8, 36: 7, 57: 1, 61: 4, 91: 4)  ,and which is also the blessing Boaz gave to Ruth when he first meets her as she gathers barley in one of his fields,  (Ruth 2: 12)  , a blessing given because he had heard of how Ruth had been willing to turn from her Father and Mother, to turn from the land of her birth, and to turn from her former gods, solely out of love and devotion for her mother-in-law, Naomi, such that Ruth was willing to turn to a Land ,to a People and to a God that she did not know.  (Ruth 2: 11) 

  In today’s reading from Psalm 27, the writer joyfully expresses their appreciation and praise to God for God’s steadfast love and faithfulness towards them.  “The LORD is my light and my salvation,” they write, “whom shall I fear?”  (v1)  “The LORD is the stronghold of my life” they add, ”of whom shall I be afraid?”  (v2)  “For in the day of trouble” they continue, “(God) will keep me safe in His dwelling.”  (v5a) 

  This image of the hen sheltering its chick under her wings illustrates God’s care and protection for the People of Israel  (Gregory Beale & Donald Carson (ed) in Luke in Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old Testament p336)  , which is based on God’s covenantal promises made to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob and to the whole People of Israel upon their deliverance from Egypt.  (John Walton, Victor Matthews & Mark Chavalas in Ruth in The IVP Bible Background Commentary on the Old Testament p279) 

  In today’s passage from Genesis 15, we read of the Covenant that God made with Abram.  Abram, Sarai, their servants, and their flocks and herds had journeyed from Ur in Chaldea, in present day Persia, and were residing near “the great trees belonging to Mamre, the Amorite”, in Canaan, near present day Hebron in Israel. 

Screen 5

Abram and Sarai were residing near the great trees belonging to Mamre – Genesis 14: 13

But Abram had no claim to any of the land in Canaan.  He was dependent upon the good will of those who resided nearby and with whom he shared the pastures, people who had settled the land prior to his arrival and had claimed it as their own.  He had need to remain on friendly terms with his neighbours, because he had no army with which he could defend his tents, his flocks and his herds.  So, we gain a glimpse of the tension that was always present, in that Abram always had to be alert to any threat to the welfare of his small group.

  We have God appearing to Abram and making two promises.  Firstly, God states, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield”.  (Genesis 15: 1b)  ( Magen  Maw-gane  Strong’s Concordance OT4043)  The Hebrew word incorporates the understanding of being a protector, a defence as in the presence of a hedge around something valuable  (from ganan gawnan  Strong’s Concordance OT1598)  ,or a benefactor  (Derek Kidner in Genesis p122 note 2)  .  God was reassuring Abram, that He would be the one whose concern it would be to maintain the safety and welfare of Abram and his small group and of all of Abram’s property.  Secondly, God states, “your reward will be very great.”  (Genesis 15: 1c) 

  Now, Abram was about 85 years old at this point in time,  (75 years at Genesis 12: 4 + 10 years at Genesis 16: 3)  and had no children, so he sought some clarification from God.  We read Abram asking of God, “What is the point in giving any great blessing to me, because to whom can I pass it on when I die except to me servant, for I have no child, no “blood relative”  (John Walton, Victor Matthews & Mark Chavalas in Genesis in The IVP Bible Background Commentary on the Old Testament p48)  of my own who will inherit what belongs to me?”  (Genesis 15: 2&3)  There was no doubt in Abram as to God being able to fulfil His promise, there was only a confusion as to through whom this promise would be fulfilled.  “The fulfillment of the Kingdom promise depended on Abram having a dynasty to inherit it.”  (Meredith Kline in Genesis in The New Bible Commentary p95)  God replies, and, again, reassures Abram, “Be assured, you will have a son who will inherit the blessing that I am giving to you, and his descendants will number as the stars that are visible in the night sky.”  (Genesis 15: 4&5)

Screen 6

“you will have as many descendants as the stars in the sky”  Genesis 15: 5

  And to emphasise the great extent of His blessing, God then directs Abram to go outside of his tent and count all the stars that he can see, “if indeed he could count all of them” God adds with an underlying sense of humour.  (Genesis 15: 5)  The stars in the night sky were not so much a sign of God’s promise, but, in the evening, an ever-present visible reminder of the covenantal promise made to him by God.  (Derek Kidner in Genesis p123) 

  We read that Abram “believed the LORD”.  (Genesis 15: 6)  Abram put his trust in the person of God, he put his trust in the Word of God, and he put his hope for the future in the promise of God.  (Derek Kidner in Genesis p123&p124)  It is crucial to understand how critical a concept this is.  Abram acknowledged that it was his obedience to God’s call that brought him and his small group to the land of Canaan and that it was his trust in God’s promise that guaranteed his reward and his future.  There was nothing that Abram could do that would guarantee the safety of his small group, or that would guarantee that a son would be born, or that would guarantee that his descendants would inherit all the land from the border of Egypt to the River Euphrates  (Genesis 15: 18 to 22)  .  It was not by Abram’s power or abilities or authority that God’s promise would be fulfilled.  Abram’s sole action was to express his trust in God, to give his “confident assent to God’s revelation (to him) of God’s supernatural saving grace”  (Meredith Kline in Genesis in The New Bible Commentary p95)  .

  Verse 6 reads, “Abram believed the LORD, and (God) credited to Abram as righteousness.”  (New International Version)  Another translation reads, “Abram put his faith in the LORD, and the LORD counted that faith to Abram as righteousness.”  (New English Bible)  A third translation reads, “Abram put his trust in the LORD, and because of this the LORD was pleased with Abram and accepted him.”  (Today’s English Version) 

  It was Abram’s faith in God that pleased God and was acceptable to God.  It was not because of Abram’s good nature nor his moral strength.  It was not because of Abram’s strict adherence to a set of legal statutes and code of ethics.  It was not because of the animal sacrifices that Abram made to God.  It was not because of the rituals and religious rites that Abram may have performed in his worship of God.  It was because of Abram’s faith in God’s saving grace.

  The Apostle Paul talks about this in his Letter to the Church in Rome, where he writes:

“If Abraham was put right with God by the things he did, he would have something to boast about- but not in God’s sight.  The Scripture says, ‘Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous’.  ..  The person who depends on their faith, not on their deeds, and who believes in God who declares the guilty to be innocent, it is their faith that God takes into account in order to put them right with Himself.  ..  And so, the promise was based on faith, in order that the promise should be guaranteed as God’s free gift to all of Abraham’s descendants – not just to those who obey the Law, but also to those who believe as Abraham did.  For Abraham is the spiritual father of us all.  ..  Abraham was absolutely sure that God would be able to do what He had promised.  That is why Abraham, through faith, ‘was accepted as righteous by God’.  (These words were written not just for Abraham.)  They were written also for us who are to be accepted as righteous, (those of us) who believe in Him who raised Jesus our LORD from death.  Because of our sins Jesus was given over to die, and He was raised to life in order to put us right with God.”  (Romans 4: 2,3,5, 16, 21, (22), 23 24 &25) 

  We read in 1 Kings 4: 21, 24 to 25, that King David and King Solomon did indeed rule over all the land from the border of Egypt to the Euphrates River, and it was at this point in the history of the Nation of Israel that there was a fulfillment of God’s promise to Abram’s blood descendants.  (New Bible Atlas p42)  Yet, Paul brings out a wider understanding of who is to be classed as a ‘descendent’ of Abram.  It is in Jesus Christ that Abram’s specific “land promise” is transfigured into a “cosmic promise”  (Meredith Kline in Genesis in The New Bible Commentary p95)  ,that there is a clearer understanding that the heirs of Abram are those like us, who likewise ‘put their faith in God’.  (Derek Kidner in Genesis p124)  “The heirs of Abram become the universal covenant community of the New Testament, there being neither Jew nor Gentile in Christ.”  (Meredith Kline in Genesis in The New Bible Commentary p95) 

  But Jesus makes it so clear that the People of Israel have not just failed to grasp this understanding, they have gone so far as to reject any such understanding.  “But you were not willing.”, Jesus cries out in anguish, “You were not willing to listen to the Word of God, you were not willing to turn to God in obedience, nor were you willing to put your trust in God and turn to Him for your salvation, as your ancestor Abraham had done.”  The People who had so persistently rejected the messengers of God in the past, were now just as adamant in their rejection of the Son of God, despite the love and compassion that epitomised the teaching and the work of Jesus among the People of Israel.  (Howard Marshall in Luke in The New Bible Commentary p910) 

  Zechariah, son of Jehoiada, called out a warning to the people as they gathered in the Temple, “You have abandoned (God), so (God) has abandoned you.”  (2 Chronicles 24: 20)  Jeremiah’s message to the Jerusalem of his day was, “The LORD says, I have abandoned Israel; I have rejected my chosen Nation.  ..  (For) my chosen People have turned against me.”  (Jeremiah 12: 7a & 8a) 

  Jesus has the same message for the Jerusalem of his day.  Jerusalem and its Temple were central to the People of Israel, it represented the very presence of God among them.  (G Beale & D Carson p336)  But, says Jesus, you are a People who consistently and persistently have rejected the will of God, you are a People who consistently and persistently have rejected the messengers of God and have closed your ears to the message from God.  Therefore, God declares, I will abandon you.  You will no longer find me in the Temple, it will be left empty and exposed, it will be left desolate and forsaken.  (Luke 13: 35a)  (Gregory Beale & Donald Carson (ed) in Luke in Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old Testament p337)  (Howard Marshall in Luke in The New Bible Commentary p910) 

  Christ’s condemnation of Jerusalem may have found its ultimate fulfillment in the destruction of Jerusalem and of the Temple by the Romans in 70AD, to which Luke refers in Luke 21: 5 & 6, and 20 to 24.  (Craig Keener in Luke in The IVP Background Commentary of the New Testament p228) 

Screen 7

Roman soldiers looting the destroyed Temple of Jerusalem

But, just as importantly, following the death and resurrection of Jesus, the way to God was no longer to be found through obedience to the Law and through the sacrificial practices.  These had been fulfilled in the sacrifice of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, as Paul so clearly understood.

Screen 8

“the curtain hanging in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom”  Luke 23: 45

  God’s message to the People of Israel was that He was not interested in religious ritual and rite, but He sought the presence of faithfulness and trust in the hearts and the minds of His People.  God is not interested in whether someone comes from the right race or the right culture or the right creed, but He seeks a willingness within someone to listen to the Word of God, to obey the will of God, and to put their trust in the power and authority of God to care for them, to be their shield, and to be the source of their salvation.

  May that be our goal, may we be earnest in our listening to the Word of God, in our obedience to the will of God, and in our trust in God to be our God.  May we, like Abraham, put our faith in God, so that God will be pleased with us and will accept us into His family.  Amen.

We sing the hymn ‘God is my strong salvation’  AHB493  TiS15[

[This YouTube clip[ has music only.  Curiously, it continues for three verses where there are only the two verses in the hymn books as well as on any web listing for the hymn.  Consequently, you will need to stop this YouTube clip after the second verse.]

Verse 1 of 2

God is my strong salvation,

What foe have I to fear?

In darkness and temptation

My light, my help is near;

Though hosts encamp around me,

Firm to the fight I stand;

What terror can confound me,

With God at my right hand?

Verse 2 of 2

Place on the Lord reliance,

My soul with courage wait;

His truth my reassurance

When faint and desolate;

His might my heart shall strengthen,

His love my joy increase;

Mercy my days shall lengthen,

The Lord will give me peace.

James Montgomery

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774 

[This hymn is being sung to the tune Austria – there is no introduction.]

[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

Let us come before God with our cares and our concerns.

Prayer from the Moderator

Loving God, be with those who have lost much and feel hopeless and helpless, be with those who stretch out their hands to offer your hope, your peace and your love; for when we do so we offer our lives in service to you. Amen.

Rev Andrew Gunton

Uniting News – 8 March 2022

Almighty God, we pray for the Church, that we may listen with both our minds and hearts to your beloved Son and be transformed by his words.

We pray for a spirit of gratitude, that we may look beyond our daily routines and, like Abraham, see your blessings that are as numerous as the stars of the sky.

We pray for a deeper understanding of our baptism, that we may grow in our covenant relationship with you and our understanding of our identity as your daughters and sons.

We pray for courage, that we may join Jesus in journeying toward Jerusalem as we live our vocations and use our resources to continue the mission of Jesus.

We pray for a deepening of hope, that even though negative and doubting messages abound in our society, we may be confident that you will never abandon us.

We pray for all who are on a journey, whether physical or spiritual, that they may know your presence each step along the way and rely upon your light and truth to guide their steps.

We pray for all who live in the Holy Land, that all who draw faith from the witness of Abraham may work to bring forth new cooperation and a season of justice and harmony.

We pray for members of our levels of government, that you will give them insight and courage to explore new ways to work together to effectively address the needs of all people.

We pray for all who are searching for meaning, particularly young adults, that you will lead them to a new awareness of their gifts and of the needs that exist around them.

We pray for all who are sick, that your healing love will restore those recovering from Covid, cancer, or surgery, give good sleep to those who are anxious, and strength to those who are experiencing the weaknesses of advancing age.

We pray for all who are grieving, that you will wipe away their tears and give them courage and hope for tomorrow.

We pray for refugees from Ukraine, that you will guide them to places of safety, help them to find welcome and new homes, and open the hearts of many to provide the resources that they need.

We pray for peace, that you will bring an end to the violence in Ukraine, protect the innocent from harm, open channels for food and medicine, and help peace negotiations to begin and to succeed in ending the conflict and opening a time for healing and rebuilding.

Copyright © 2022. Joe Milner. All rights reserved.<br> Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.  https://liturgy.slu.edu/

We pray that those who follow their selfish ways or who seek after false gods, will come to a knowledge of your truth and your way.  Free us from anxieties about the future, and grant us the peace of mind and spirit for which we all seek.  Have mercy on those who are persecuted for their witness to the truth.  Turn the hearts of those who treat them unjustly, such that they cease their actions and work towards understanding and reconciliation.

  (Raymond Chapman in Leading Intercessions p97 & 98) 

We pray that you will grant a zeal and perseverance to your Church to extend your Kingdom so that people everywhere, by worshipping the one true God, may be united by their shared love of Jesus into one body of believers.  Unite all Nations in a search for peace with justice and a desire to end oppression and strife.

Mend the body broken by accident, the spirit broken by sorrow, and the mind that is disturbed.  Strengthen the faith of those with chronic illness, and endurance to those whose disease has no known cure.  Give insight to those who work towards finding cures for illnesses and effective treatments for diseases.

  (David Hostetter in Prayers for the Seasons of God’s People Year C p68) 

We pray for the grade 7 students from Austin Cove Baptist College in Western Australia, as they build friendships and experience God in word and nature at Scripture Union’s Camp Geo.  We pray for the Scripture Union forum in north Queensland in this coming week, that the leaders and teams involved will find the time meaningful and rewarding.  We pray for the success of Scripture Union Western Australia camping programs in this term, that those involved will develop close relationship and a deeper faith.  We pray for safety and meaningful conversations among those participating in Scripture Union Tasmania’s bushwalking camp taking place at Cradle Mountain this weekend.

  (suqld.org.au) 

We pray for your divine protection to ensure the safety and security of The Leprosy Mission staff and partners Worldwide, as they reach out to serve those most in need.  We pray for an effective provision of funds and technical expertise within The Leprosy Mission to ensure effective implementation of high-quality programmes that enable the treatment of leprosy and the provision of disability services.

  (Leprosy Mission Prayer diary 2022) 

We pray for the peoples of Ireland, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

We give thanks for the many distinct cultures in these islands and how literature, music, dance, and other traditions rooted here, have enriched people around the world.  We give thanks for the economic and other aid that consistently have come from this area to those in the World who are most in need.  We give thanks for the many who have emigrated to other parts of the World, and in turn, the immigrants from these lands who are now turning the United Kingdom and Ireland into increasingly multi-ethnic, multireligious societies.  We give thanks for the positive contributions Great Britain has made in world history and that church leaders have played in the ecumenical and interfaith movements.

We pray for the healing of scars and memories that linger after times of colonization, the overcoming of barriers so that all might experience welcome as these countries become more genuinely multi-ethnic and multi-faith, for the resolving of differences and political tensions over how Great Britain should relate to the rest of Europe, and for courage and insight to deal with the challenges of increasing secularism and the emergence of new ways of expressing religion and spirituality.

God of passion and power, insistent, immediate,
challenging, compelling us with your story’s breathless beginning.
Walk us into the wilderness to hear your voice where silence reigns.
Give us insight, the vision beyond all seeing,
so we may look upon heavens torn open
and know that the time of good news for all creation is always now.

(© Claire Amos)

O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Saviour, the Prince of Peace,
give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions.
Take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatsoever else may hinder us from Godly union and concord: that, as there is but one Body, and one Spirit, and one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may henceforth be all of one heart, and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

  (The Church of Ireland, the Book of Common Prayer 2004)
https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-worship/worship/book-of-common-prayer/accession-services.aspx 

God, how good it is to raise our voices
and to welcome your presence among us,
a stream in the desert, a rose in the wilderness!

Make straight the way for the Lord!

From our slumbers we rise to praise you.
All that demeans and belittles us we shrug off,
as we stand strong and confident before you.

Make straight the way for the Lord!

From all we do to keep you from us, from all the evil that is in us,
from the gloom that would overwhelm us
and from all that would harm us, set us free!

Make straight the way for the Lord!

We share our hope together, that you will come to us as prophets tell,
bringing peace and justice to a tired and twisted world.

Make straight the way for the Lord!

God, come to us in Jesus and save us!
Let the waste places of the world be made new again!
Let the wicked be routed and the righteous shout with joy!

  (In: For the love of God, Prayer Handbook 1996, Michael and Susan Durber) 

Ireland; United Kingdom: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales | World Council of Churches (oikoumene.org)

We pray for Ian and the other leaders of Religious Education classes at Bald Hills State School, that they will be enthused and inspired as they present the Gospel message to the children.  May the Holy Spirit work in the minds and the hearts of the children in the classes that the hope of the salvation that you offer will become real to them.

We pray for Kylie Conomos, that you will equip and encourage her as she seeks to address the physical and spiritual needs of the children the families and the teachers associated with the Bald Hills State School.

We pray for those whom we have not seen for some time, that they will know your presence with them each day, and that they are always in our thoughts and prayers.

We pray for constructive progress in the consultations that Church Council is conducting with the Presbytery Office to move forward in the steps to guide the Congregation into the future and with the appointment of a replacement Minister of the Word.

Loving God, we bring these prayers to you, trusting in your compassion and care.  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.

We sing the hymn ‘O the deep, deep love of Jesus’ – Alexander’s Hymns no. 3 number 280  TiS232

[This hymn is sung to the tune Ebenezer – there is a short introduction.]

Samuel Francis

Benediction 

(from Philippians 3: 19 and 21) 

Think not of what this World can offer, but on God’s assurance to lavish his love upon us.  Think not on the threats that come from this World, but on God’s assurance to always protect and to care for us.  Let us stand firm in our faith in God, to worship and to serve only Him.  And may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest upon you and remain with you always.  Amen.

Benediction Song

“By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered”  TiS617

[This hymn is being sung to the tune Finlandia – there is a short introduction.]

[This YouTube has the music only –- only the one verse is to be sung.]

Verse 1 of 1

By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered,

And confidently waiting come what may,

We know that God is with us night and morning

And never fails to greet us each new day.

We shall remember all the days we live through,

All of our life before our God we lay.

Dietrich Bonhoffer

translated by Frederick Pratt Green