Welcome: –

Acknowledgement of Country: –

The Ancient of Days breathed life into this land and Her peoples.

From time beyond our reckoning, the People have blessed this place through their law and customs, their care and concern.

We pay our respects to their Elders and Leaders, past, present, and emerging, and pray for the future of their communities.

May we walk gently and respectfully on this Land.

Call to Worship

Those who love Jesus keep his words;

Those who love Christ

will make their home with God.

Those who know Jesus

will know his peace;

Those who know Jesus

will be taught in the ways of peace.

Come, follow and love Jesus our Lord,

who has come to be among us.

Come, worship God,

who lives among us, loves us,

and calls us home. Amen.

~ written by Rev. Mindi and posted on Rev-o-lution. http://rev-o-lution.org/  https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2019/05/call-to-worship-john-14-23-29.html

Prayer of Adoration & Praise

Gracious God, you pour blessings upon us and within us through the person of the Holy Spirit.  This gracious gift of your Spirit continues to teach us about Jesus and to remind us of all that he said and did.  Today we rejoice over the Spirit’s gift of peace to us – the peace which is beyond our human understanding.  We welcome this gift and pray that our lives may reflect this peace and your love.  May this time of worship be an offering of praise and adoration for all your gifts to us.  This we pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

COCU36C.Easter 6C.11.00am.2010 – https://pilgrimwr.unitingchurch.org.au/?p=2244

Songs

Let’s continue our worship with singing Open Our Eyes Lord, we want to see Jesus.  Then we’ll sing May the Mind of Christ My Saviour as we ask Jesus to live in us and guide our lives.

May the Mind of Christ My Saviour

Katie Barclay Wilkinson

1859–1928 alt.

Music © D. R. Gould

Prayer of Confession

Lord,

You know how easy it is for us to sit here,

tethered to our darkness and fear.

We get bound up by chains of mistrust.

We dare not to hope,

for so many times before we have been disappointed.

So we sit here and wonder where you are.

We are not unlike the disciples

who wondered also, who feared.

Lord, come to us in our darkness.

Flood us with your powerful light of love and mercy.

Help open our eyes to the good news of your eternal glory.

Give to us visions of the place in which love and hope will reign.

Forgive our stubborn resistance to your mercy and your love.

For we ask this in Jesus’ Name.  AMEN.

Written by Nancy Townley, and posted on the Worship Connection page of the Ministry Matters website. http://www.ministrymatters.com/ 

Assurance of Pardon

The Word which can transform us is not some idle gossip, but good news for us.

It fills us with forgiveness, equips us for service, and sends us forth to love others as God loves us.

In our midst, the Holy Spirit teaches us all we need to know, gives us what we need in order to be faithful, and fills us with peace.

Thanks be to God.

Amen.

http://lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.com/2019/05/liturgy-with-communion-for-may-26-2019.html

Song

Let’s finish this time of prayer as we sing and ask the Holy Spirit to fall afresh on us.

Prayer of Illumination

As we prepare to hear the Bible readings today, let us pray together:

Gracious God,

through a vision you sent forth Paul to preach the Gospel,

and called the women to the place of prayer on the Sabbath.

Grant that we may be like Paul,

and be found like Lydia,

our hearts responsive to your word

and open to go where you lead us.  Amen.

Bible Readings

Acts 16:9-15

9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the Gospel to them.

Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi

11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12 From there we travelled to Philippi, a Roman colony, and the leading city of that district of Macedonia.  And we stayed there several days.

13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer.  We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira, named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth.  She was a worshiper of God.  The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home.  “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.”  And she persuaded us.

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

John 14:23-29

23 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.  My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching.  These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the World gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’  If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.

This is the Gospel of our Lord

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

Passing the Peace

In today’s reading we are reminded that Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, has given us peace.  Kerry Wyatt Kent reminds us that this peace is a “deeply abiding assurance in spite of difficulties, that “all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.”  … It’s a peace that comes with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (see John 14:26; 16:6-7) .  We cannot manufacture it on our own through positive thinking or therapy, only receive it as a gift.  Jesus himself is our peace (Ephesians 2: 14).  While we cannot make ourselves feel peaceful by simply trying really hard, we can find peace by choosing to trust” (p134-135 Deeper into the Word: New Testament) .

Let’s pass the peace now:

The peace of the Lord be with you always.

And also with you.

Message

Slide 1

 “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.”  This phrase is in John 14:23, at the beginning of our Gospel reading today.  This phrase, or similar versions of this phrase, are repeated through John chapters 14 & 15 which is part of Jesus’ final discourse (in chapters 13-16) to the disciples, as he experiences his last meal with the disciples before his arrest, death and resurrection.  This final discourse culminates with Jesus praying for himself, his disciples and all believers (which includes us) in chapter 17.

John 14:15 says “If you love me, keep my commands”, and then in v 21, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me.  John 15:10 “If you keep my commands and you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”

What are Jesus commands?  We heard about this last week.

Slide 2

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  This command is repeated in John 15:12 “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” And in John 15:17, “This is my command: Love each other.”

So, it’s as easy, and as hard, as that, if we love God, we will love others as Jesus has loved us.

However, we are not following Jesus’ teachings or loving others in our own strength.

 Slide 3

We have the power of the Holy Spirit to help us.  “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”, (v23).  “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”, (v26).  This can also be seen earlier in chapter 14 “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. (v15-17a).  As well as in chapter 15 & 16, “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.” (15:26), “Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” (16:7b) and “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.  …  All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” (16:13a & 15).

The Holy Spirit can be referred to with the Greek word “paraclete”.  This word is translated as “Advocate”, “Comforter” and “Helper”.  William Loader in The New Testament with Imagination says “The Spirit will accompany the disciples and all disciples as their helper, in place of Jesus, … The main thing the Spirit will do is help them recall Jesus and his words to them.”  The Holy Spirit is an advocate for Jesus or God.  The Holy Spirit show us and helps us to live our lives like Christ would.

 Slide 4

In Acts we see Paul acting in obedience to the Holy Spirit’s leading.  The Holy Spirit led Paul through a vision.  The word “vision” appears more in Acts than any other book of the New Testament including Revelation.  So, Paul received a vision to go to Macedonia, & he immediately acts on that vision.  Paul ends up staying at Philippi for several days.  On the sabbath they go to the river where they expected to find a place of prayer.  There they find some women who had gathered, and they meet Lydia who is already a worshiper of God, (v14).  The Holy Spirit had been working in Lydia and the Lord had opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.  God brought Paul & Lydia to Philippi at the same time so that Lydia could learn more about God.  Paul, then Lydia, joined God in His work or joined God where He was already working.  God will open or close doors and lead us to where He wants us to be as individuals and as a Church.  There are many people out in the world & in our community who believe or have some form of belief.  Where do we need to go to meet with them?  How can we be open to the Spirit’s leading?

The Holy Spirit moves in us today.  We need not be troubled or afraid that God will work in us and lead us.  God will work in the lives of others we meet as we go about our lives.  As we build relationship or go to where we may find people of peace, God will work and move before us.  As my Niv text notes say in John 14:16 – “The Spirit will always stand by God’s people.”  The Holy Spirit has been sent to help us.

Loader says that the main point of the story of Jesus is to make the Father known (p171, The New Testament with Imagination) .  We, too, are sent to make the Father known with the help of the Holy Spirt.  How do we do that?  By loving others and acting as Jesus would.  Jesus shows us how to live. 

It’s about spending time with people, building relationships, doing what we are called to do and let God do the rest.  We are called to love.  What is the command?  Love one another, as I have loved you.  If we love Jesus, we will want to act like him and, in so doing, others will see Jesus in us.  All we need to do is love others.  We don’t need to try and save them.  The Holy Spirit does the convicting & saving, all we need to do is stand with our neighbours in love whether or not we agree with them.  This is what Jesus did.

Slide 5

Alexandra Kuykendall in her book, Loving My Actual Neighbour: 7 Practices to Treasure the People Right in Front of You, reminds us (on p134) that even though we are called to love others God is the only one who can meet all of their needs.  As we discern the best way to show love to others, we take into account our limits and trust God with all that we cannot do.  We steward the gifts God has given us, do what we are called to do, and let God work when and how He wants to.  Alexandra also reminds us “that Jesus is part of every moment and conversation, whether I mention Him by name or not.”, (p178, Loving My Actual Neighbour) .  We are simply called to love, and, by doing this, show the one who is love.

Slide 6

Michael Frost shares the BELLS model in his book, Surprise the World: The Five Habits of Highly Missional People, as a way for those who love Jesus to follow His teachings and be led by the Spirit to live like Jesus and in so doing show & share Christ with others.  BELLS stands for bless, eat, listen, learn, sent.

BLESS – I will bless three people this week, at least one of whom is not a member of our church.  Blessing may be as simple as sending someone a text or making a phone call to let someone know that you are thinking of them.  Or it could be blessing or gifting them with something they need or that will help them out.  As Psalm 67, our Psalm for today, begins and ends, “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us – so that your ways may be known on Earth, your salvation among all nations.  …  May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the Earth will fear him.”  God blesses us, and out of that blessing and out of our love for God, we bless others, so that others will see and know God too.

EAT –  I will eat with three people this week, at least one of whom is not a member of our church.  It may even be just having a cup of coffee with someone.  It’s about the conversation & connection that happens during the meal.  Jesus ate with people a lot and, in fact, was doing so during the dialogue that is shared in our Gospel reading today. 

Apart from eating with the 2 other people who live in my house, I do eat generally eat with others 3 times a week.  We usually have an extended family dinner with my parents once a week.  The day I work at the Presbytery Office we’ve been in the habit this year of stopping to eat lunch together.  And one of the home groups I’m involved with starts with eating dinner together (usually our own food), whether we meet online on Zoom or in person at someone’s house.  The challenge for myself would be to try and eat with someone once a week who’s not a Christian.

LISTEN – I will spend at least one period of the week listening for the Spirit’s voice.   I talked much about how we can hear from God in the message I gave two weeks ago.  How & where do you spend time with God?  This is also about seeing where God is at work, so that we can join Him in that work.  Alexandra says that if we are to partner with God in loving others, or co-labour with the Holy Spirit, we must be in tune with what the Spirit is doing.  “…, but the more I watch for who is around me and sense where God is moving, the more likely I am to not only join him but also find co-labours in love.  The more time I spend in my own spiritual deepening, the more I’ll be in tune with the Spirit’s movement …”, (p119 Loving My Actual Neighbour) .  The more we spend time listening for the Spirit’s voice, the more Jesus will be seen through us.

LEARN – I will spend at least one period of the week learning Christ.  We read from the Bible in order to learn the way Jesus lived, and to see how God would wants us to live.  Out of this learning we can then obey the teachings of Jesus and love others as Jesus loved us.  How do you learn from or about Christ in your week?

SENT I will journal throughout the week all the ways I alerted others to the universal reign of God through Christ.  This alerting others may have been through words or actions.  We are a sent people.  As the Father sent Jesus, so Jesus sends us (John 20:21).  “Our life is meant to be a response to the loving action of God!” (https://lovefirstcoast.org/the-bells-star-cultivating-a-missional-lifestyle/) .  Michael Frost suggests journaling about this as reminder to see and process for ourselves how we are operating as God’s ambassador in the World, and so that we see ourselves as sent people.  Journaling can be helpful to process events, make sense of God’s work, keep a record of what we are noticing and learning, and also to ask questions. 

What of the above are you already doing?  What of the above could you add into the regular rhythm of your life?  You may just choose to bless 1 person each week or have 1 meal with someone else each week.  This challenge is for myself as much as it is for you. Although I’ve learnt about the BELLS model and other similar models a few years ago there is still much I can improve on or act on in my life.  So, the challenge for you and for me is to start with one area and build from there and see how we can work with the Spirit to spread God’s love in the world.

Here’s one final quote from Alexandra Kuykendall:  “..the world is eager, desperate for the love of Christ demonstrated through us.  We are not arriving to save our neighbours but to demonstrate his love with open hands and hearts, so that they may know what we profess to believe: they are created in God’s image, seen by him, and loved by him.  Let us exercise that glorious free will and choose to express to our neighbours to the best of our imperfect, human-constrained abilities how high and wide and deep is the love of Christ.”, (p193, Loving My Actual Neighbour) . 

Who will you bless or eat with this week?  How will you listen to Jesus and learn about Jesus this week?  What will you do to remember that we are a sent people?  Which area, Bless, Eat, Listen, Learn, Sent, will you choose to focus on this week or month?

Songs

Spirit Song – Let the son of God enfold you –

We sing Christ be Beside Me as we receive our offering:

 

Offertory Prayer

We do not only offer our gifts to you, but our community to all who are lonely, our hearts to all who are grieving, our hope to all who have lost their way, our lives to all who are tossed aside by the world.  This we pray, in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

http://lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.com/2019/05/liturgy-with-communion-for-may-26-2019.html

Prayers of the People

  Loving God, we bring before you our cares and our concerns for the World and for ourselves.

We pray for the Church, that we may always be attentive to the creative work of the Spirit so that many may encounter Christ without unnecessary burdens.

We pray for the peace of Christ in our hearts, that we may abide in the Spirit’s peace which surpasses all understanding and find strength to face the many challenges that arise in daily life.

We pray for reconciliation, that you will help us to let go of hurts and renew relationships within families, in church communities, and in workplaces.

We pray for openness to your Word, that we may allow the Word to enter our hearts and produce an abundant harvest of virtue.

We pray for Christian unity, that you will lead all believers to a deeper understanding of the Good News and guide us in working together to confront the evils of poverty, abuse, addictions, and illiteracy.

We pray for discernment, that the Holy Spirit will remind us of all the Jesus taught and help us apply it in our lives and to the challenges of our society.

We pray for the growth of Christian community, that we may appreciate the gift of community, find support and encouragement within it, and work to enhance it.

We pray for all who are burdened by fear or anxiety, that the Spirit will free them so that they may live life fully and offer their gifts in the service of their brothers and sisters.

We pray for all who await the fulfillment of your promises, that you will lead refugees to places of safety, protect those facing persecution, and give peace to those with terminal illnesses.

We pray for all who are ill or recovering from injuries, that you will heal the sick and provide quick recovery for those who have been wounded.

We pray for all who are recovering from natural disasters, that you will protect those in dangerous situations, help those who are recovering to re-establish their lives, and guide all who are fighting fires or assisting those who have suffered loss.

We pray for world leaders, that you will guide those working for peace, open new ways to resolve disputes, and help them remember that all life is sacred.

We pray for peace, that you will turn hearts from violence in our cities, open new resources to address painful issues, and help everyone’s voice to be respected.

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 for the peoples of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal  We are thankful for the peoples of these nations – the diversity of their cultures, languages, and art, and their resilience.  We are thankful for the breath-taking beauty of these lands – the mountains in all their grandeur, overflowing rivers and green paddy fields.  We are thankful for all those who work for the churches and their institutions, especially in places where natural disasters strikes.

We pray for efforts of governments and others to build up these nations’ economies, for those who have lost families and homes in earthquakes and other disasters as they struggle to rebuild their lives, homes and infrastructure.  We pray for those who contribute to religious harmony and advocate for the minority voice of Christians, especially amid religious and ethnic tensions, for religious and government leaders that they will make it possible for all peoples to live in justice with peace and harmony.  We pray for these small nations which depend on other countries and are often threatened by interests of their bigger neighbours.

Heavenly Father, we pray for those involved in government in Nepal, from local to national level. We pray for men and women of integrity in government, who will take decisions in the best interests of ALL Nepalis, regardless of caste, religion, gender or ethnicity. We pray for a government of vision, commitment and compassion.

Heavenly Father, we praise you for the way you have moved in the hearts of Nepali people, and raised up a church filled with love for you, for each other and for its neighbours. We pray for Christians in Nepal, as they seek to serve you in villages and towns across the country. We pray for wisdom, harmony and unity, that the Church in Nepal will shine for you.

Heavenly Father, we know your heart is with the poor, so we pray for those in Nepal who struggle against poverty. We pray for those affected by disasters, particularly earthquakes, and those whose livelihoods threatened by the effects of climate change. We pray for those working towards the protection and empowerment of the poor, and for wise, effective government policy.

© Lyn Jackson, UMN/Nepal

Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal | World Council of Churches (oikoumene.org)

We pray for the successful implementation of the 2021–2025 Country Strategy to address leprosy in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the face of various obstacles lie before us, such as poor road infrastructure, limited health system infrastructure, and insecurity.  We pray for OPALCO, a non-government organisation that is initiating much effort to deal with leprosy, that they will receive all the support they need.  We pray for The Leprosy Mission Congo our team, that they will work well for those affected by leprosy, that their families will remain safe and healthy, and for the safety and well-being of those staff who spend much of their time covering long distances on dangerous ground to reach the most isolated patients.  

We pray for the mental health research project, Ditalala Dia Moyo (Peace of the Heart, in the local language), that their work will bear fruit capable of benefiting those affected by leprosy and other neglected tropical diseases.  We pray for the new SDR-PEP project that has started in Sankuru, which aims to prevent leprosy in people who have had close contact with recently diagnosed leprosy patients by providing them with one dose of an antibiotic. Pray that the health staff of the provincial government can spread this project throughout the province, especially as roads are almost non-existent, making supervision difficult.  We pray for collaboration between those fighting to defeat leprosy in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including The Leprosy Mission, Action Damien, the Ministry of Health and WHO. Pray for more technical and financial partners who can meet the challenge of eliminating leprosy in DRC.

  (The Leprosy Mission Prayer Diary 2022) 

We pray for the work undertaken by the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe that is supported by UnitingWorld, providing education in primary and secondary schools, social development projects, for the provision of clean water and sanitation, disaster response and community livelihood opportunities, community leadership training, and to development the capacity to address human trafficking, and to protect children and vulnerable groups.

  (Uniting World) 

We pray the upcoming Scripture Union Remote Chaplain in-service training, that chaplains will be encouraged and supported in their mission.  We pray for the safety of all participants in the Scripture Union Cycle for hope fundraiser in north Queensland.

We pray for new partnerships between churches and Scripture Union so as to facilitate the placement and support of more chaplains in schools.

  (SU Prayer guide) 

We pray for the family in Bald Hills who recently lost their father due to cancer.  We ask that they will receive the consolation they need to deal with their grief and loss, and that they will know the assurance of your continual love for them.

We thank you for the dedication of those involved in leading Religious Instruction classes at Bald Hills State School.  We ask that your Spirit will work in the hearts and minds of the children, opening their understanding of the Gospel and of your call to follow and obey.

We pray for Kylie Conomos, the Chaplain at Bald hills State School, thanking you for her dedication to the welfare of the children and staff at the School.  We ask that you will guide her as she faces issues that arise each day, and that she will regularly find the opportunity to rest and to be refreshed.

We bring to you those with whom we have not had fellowship recently. We ask that you will continue to ensure their well-being, and that they will feel you close beside them.  We ask that they will know that they are in our thoughts and prayers.

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

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.

Song

We sing Be Thou My Vision

Words from The Poem Book of the Gael

Harmony from the Revised Church Hymnary 1927 by permission Oxford University Press

Gaelic c.8th cent.

tr. Mary Elizabeth Byrne l880–1931

versified by Eleanor Henrietta Hull 1860–1935 alt.

Benediction

Sending
Our God, who is gracious, sends us out to be a blessing.

With our hearts, we will sing God’s praises;
with our hands, we will serve God’s people.

Jesus, who is our Brother, sends us to be with others.

We will comfort all whose hearts are troubled;
we will go to help all who cry out to us.

The Holy Spirit, who is our Advocate, sends us into a broken world.

We will work for justice for all who are oppressed;
we will teach songs of hope to all who despair.

We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,

In the name of Christ.  Amen.

(c) Thom M. Shuman

Adapted from http://lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.com/2019/05/liturgy-with-communion-for-may-26-2019.html

Sending Song

As we go out today let’s listen to this song based on Psalm 67.  Psalm 67 is our Psalm for the day & it’s a Psalm for the conclusion of worship, so it’s appropriate to finish with this song: