Welcome: –

Call to Worship: –   

One looks up to the sky at night, out from city and town lights, and sees the wonder of the heavens.  They tell of the glory of God.

When we look around us, wherever we are, we can see the hand of God in Nature:

the dry arid red dust plains which still teem with life;

the dunes of sand which stretch on beyond our sight in waves;

the lushness of bushland, be it scrubland, or rainforest,

valleys, plains, hills, and mountains covered in greens of many hues;

the features of this land which leave us in awe at their grandeur and beauty.

Much that we behold leads us into thinking about God.  Yet, God is always with us, at work in us and in all people.

We meet Christ, when we are loved and when we love.  Too often he is far from our thinking, but in this time and this space we turn ourselves to Jesus, heart, mind, strength and soul.  

We reach out in praise and prayer, coming as the People of God, to hear His Word, and to learn His way.

May God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with us now as we seek to connect with Him anew.

(https://frontierservices.org/ 2024-Order of Service-FS-26Mar24.pdf – adapted)

Prayer of Praise

 (from Psalms 116 & 117) 

I love you, LORD, because you hear me; you listen to my prayers,

you listen to me every time I call to you.

You, LORD, are merciful and good; you are compassionate and kind.

My LORD, you protect the innocent.

When I was distressed, I called out to the you, LORD, and you helped me.

I am confident that I walk in your presence, LORD, because you have been good to me.

I offer my thankfulness for your graciousness towards me.

I will offer my praise to you in the assembly of your people.

Praise the LORD, all Nations,

Praise Him, all peoples.

Your love for us is strong,

And your faithfulness towards is eternal.  Amen.

You are invited lo listen to, or join in singing 2 songs

“Majesty” (Scripture in Song Vol 2 number 206)

Jack Hayford 

“Jesus name above all names” (Scripture in Song volume 2 number 226)

Naida Hearn

Prayer of Confession 

(from Proverbs 1) 

Righteous Lord, your will for us is to be honest, just and fair in all that we do.

Your will for us is to live with understanding and resourcefulness.

Lord, you desire for us to be in close fellowship with you,

but the loud cries of the World entice us away from you.

Lord, you offer to guide us from your knowledge and wisdom,

but we pay no respect to your teaching and refuse to learn from you.

Lord, you call us to follow you along the path to life and fulfillment,

but we turn away and refuse to listen to you.

Lord, you are willing to pick us up when we stumble and to reveal to us where we have erred,

but we ignore your advice and are not willing to be corrected by you.

Lord, you show to us our ignorance,

you show to us our lack of respect for you.

When we get into trouble and suffer from pain and misery,

it is because of our foolishness and pride.

Forgive our sinful and disobedient ways.

May we revere you always, and trust you completely throughout our life.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from Psalm 19: 13b) 

The Psalmist writes, “Deliver me from my hidden faults and deliver me from my wilful sins, and then I shall be free from the evil of sin”.  Having confessed our sins before God, we have this assurance that God has listened, that God has forgiven, and that God has cleansed us in His sight

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

Deuteronomy 11:

8  Moses said to the People of Israel,

“Obey everything that I have commanded you today.  Then you will be able to cross the River Jordan and occupy the land that you are about to enter.  9  And you will live a long time in the rich and fertile land that the LORD promised to give to your ancestors and their descendants.  10  The land you are about to occupy is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted grain and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden.  11  But the land that you are about to enter is a land of mountains and valleys, a land watered by rain.  12  The LORD your God takes care of this land and watches over it throughout the year.”

13  So then, obey the commands that I have given you today, love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart.  14  If you do, He will send rain on your land when it is needed, in the Autumn and in the Spring, so that there will be grain, wine, and olive oil for you,  15  and grass for your livestock.  You will have all the food you want. 

16  Do not let yourselves be led away from the LORD to worship and serve other gods.  17  If you do, the LORD will become angry with you.  He will hold back the rain, and your ground will become too dry for crops to grow.  Then you will soon die there, even though it is good land that He is giving you.”

1 Corinthians 1:

21  For God, in His wisdom, made it impossible for people to know Him by means of their own wisdom.  Instead, by means of the so-called “foolish” message we preach, God decided to save those who believe.  22  Jews look for miracles for proof, and Greeks look for wisdom.

23  As for us, we proclaim the crucified Christ; a message that is offensive to the Jews, and nonsense to the Gentiles.  24  But for those whom God has called, both Jews and Gentiles, this message is Christ, who is the power of God and the wisdom of God.  25  For what seems to be God’s foolishness is wiser than Human wisdom, and what seems to be God’s weakness is stronger than Human strength.

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Matthew 6:

27  Jesus taught the crowd, saying,

“Can any of you live a bit longer by worrying about it?  28  And why worry about clothes?  Look how the wildflowers grow: they do not work or make clothes for themselves.  29  But I tell you that not even King Solomon, with all his wealth, had clothes as beautiful as one of these flowers.  30  It is God who clothes the wild grass – grass that is here today and gone tomorrow, burned up in the oven.  Won’t He be all the more sure to clothe you?  What little faith you have!

31  So, do not start worrying:

‘Where will my food come from?”  or my drink?  Or my clothes?’

32  These are the things the pagans are always concerned about.  Your Father in Heaven knows that you need all these things.  33  Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what He requires of you, and He will provide you with all these other things.”

Matthew 12:

17  What God said through the Prophet Isaiah about the Messiah came true in what Jesus did.

18  “Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, the one I love, and with whom I am pleased.  I will send my Spirit upon him, and he will announce my judgement to the Nations.

19  He will not argue or shout, or make loud speeches in  the streets.  20  He will not break off a bent reed, nor put out a flickering lamp.  He will persist until he causes justice to triumph,  21  and on him all peoples will put their hope.”

John 3:

31  He who comes from above is greater than all.  He who is from the Earth belongs to the Earth and speaks Earthly matters, but he who comes from Heaven is above all.  32  He tells what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his message.  33  But whoever accepts his message confirms by this that God is truthful.  34  The one whom God has sent speaks God’s words, because God gives him the fulness of His Spirit.  35  The Father loves His Son and has put everything in his power.  36  Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not have life, but will remain under God’s punishment.

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Hymn: “How can a sinner know” 

(Wesley’s Hymns number 96  MHB377  AHB482)

[This Youtube clip is for another hymn, but is used here for the tune]

Verse 1 of 3

How can a sinner know

their sins on Earth forgiven?

How can my gracious Saviour show

my name inscribed in Heaven?

His Spirit to us he gave,

and dwells in us we know,

the witness in ourselves we have

and all its fruit we show.

Verse 2 of 3

We who in Christ believe

that he for us has died,

we all his unknown peace receive

and feel his blood applied.

Our nature’s turned, our mind

transformed in all its powers,

and both the witnesses are joined

the Spirit of God with ours.

Verse 3 of 3

Whate’er our pardoning Lord

commands, we gladly do,

and guided by his sacred Word

we all his steps pursue.

His glory our design,

we live our God to please,

until we share our home divine

in perfect holiness.

Charles Wesley

Sermon:

  In last week’s sermon I raised the topic of the trustworthiness of the Word of God, as it is recorded for us in the Bible.  One example that I highlighted was a sentence Moses used to describe the Land of Canaan, which the People of Israel were about to enter, conquer and occupy as the Land God had promised to their ancestors and to them, where Moses said,

“The land you are about to occupy is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted grain and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden.” (Deuteronomy 11: 10)

  I suggested that what Moses was describing could have been what is termed a “water screw”, which was operated by someone pedalling with their feet instead of turning it with their hands as is illustrated in this photograph.  Or it could have been as Henry Morton observed in his travels in Palestine, where he described the actions of a farmer, saying:

“Whenever he wanted to irrigate a new portion of garden, he simply lifted his bare foot and kicked away the earth at some point (along a water channel) so that water rushed forward into new places.”  (Henry Morton in In the Steps of the Master p144) 

  Whichever way was meant to be understood in the passage from Deuteronomy 11 isn’t critical for accepting the authenticity of the account, for both equally apply.  Now, I don’t want to dwell of this further because there is another message of equal importance for us that we gain from a look at the context of this passage from Deuteronomy 11.

  Moses is telling the People of Israel that there will be a significant difference between the farming techniques that they practiced in Egypt and the farming techniques to which they will need to adapt in the Land of Canaan.  And their willingness to adapt to these new techniques has everything to do with the trust that they will place in God’s providence for them and their obedience to the Laws of God.  And at a quick reading of the passage you may well ask, “Where is the connection?”.

  Moses asks them to recall how they watered their fields back in Egypt.  With the River Nile being an ever-present source of water for irrigating the fields situated on the relatively flat floodplain, farmers utilised “water-screws” such as we have just seen in the previous slide, to bring water up from the river into channels that ran throughout their fields.

  The Good News Bible  (Today’s English Version)  , translates this passage by having Moses saying “you had to work hard to irrigate the fields”  (Deuteronomy 14: 10)  Whether or not this technique for irrigate fields was as hard a work as the Good News Bible translates it is difficult to determine, not having had the experience of irrigating such fields in Egypt.  But the central issue to which Moses is referring is the reliability of obtaining water from the River Nile for irrigating crops.  The River Nile was always there.  Water from the River Nile was always present.  This will not be the case in “the land that they are about to occupy”.

  “The land that you are about to enter,” says Moses, “is a land of mountains and valleys, a land watered by rain (and not be a flowing sources of water).”  (Deuteronomy 11: 11)  Should this be a matter of concern for the People of Israel?  Absolutely not, Moses reassures them.

  “The LORD your God takes care of this land and watches over it throughout the year.  He will send rain on your land when it is needed, in the Autumn and in the Spring.”  (Deuteronomy 11: 12 & 14) 

  An ever-present river providing ever-present water will not be present in the Land of Canaan.  However, what will be ever-present in the Land will be the LORD their God, always taking care of the land and always watching over His people.  However, in conjunction with the Covenant Agreement that God established with the People of Israel, God states a requirement with which they need to comply.

  Moses states:

“So then, obey the commands that I have given you today, love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart.”  (Deuteronomy 11: 13)    Above everything else, Moses is stating, keep your focus on maintaining a close relationship with God.  Trust God and His promise to care for you; obey His Laws that will ensure just and fair relationships with your neighbours.  Do this and all of your needs will always be met consistently and abundantly.  Now, where have we heard something similar to that elsewhere?

So a Diane Francis states in a recent YouTube podcast.  She continues, saying:

“Putin has resorted to primitive, shaman-type methods (in an effort to extend his life).”  “It has been reported that he bathes in the blood extract from the antlers from the Siberian Red Deer”.

  It is up to you whether or not you place any trust is this assessment by Diane Francis.  However a recent NEWS item report from Russia states:

“Russian scientists have been ordered to come up with anti-ageing remedies by an official close to President Putin, according to media reports.  The development comes after the Russian President demanded a “national project” to “preserve the health” of the country early in 2024.  Russian state media says the project will develop new medical technologies that will increase citizens’ lifespans”.  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zw5NIgAlRg&ab_channel=CRUX)

  It is unclear what is the underlying reason for this sudden emphasis on “anti-aging remedies”.  What we do understand, though, is that a fear of what comes after death drives people to seek to extend the known present for as long as possible.

  Jesus spoke on this topic, when he asks the crowd who had gathered around him on a mountainside:

“Can any of you live a bit longer by worrying about it?”  (Matthew 6: 27) 

  What was it that Jesus said was of paramount importance for each person?

“Be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what God requires of you, and He will provide you with all these other things.”  (Matthew 6: 33) 

  Randolph Tasker writes:

“The distinctive make of the Christian is that they desire first and foremost that God’s triumph over evil should be completed; that He should reign in the hearts of people; and that His righteousness, that is, His standards of justice, should be universally accepted.  Jesus bids His disciples that if this is their primary objective, then their other necessary requirements will be satisfied.  In other words, if they first pray, “Your Kingdom come”, their ”daily bread” will be provided.”  (Randolph Tasker in Matthew  An Introduction and Commentary p78) 

  There is this consistency over the millennia in the manner by which God seeks for Humanity to relate to Him and with each other.  “Trust me to care for you,” God says, “and obey my Laws which guarantee that you will demonstrate that you care for others as much as I care for them.” 

  But is there a viable alternative to what God is calling the People of Israel to follow?

  Immediately after instructing the People of Israel that it is the LORD their God who takes care of the Land they are about to enter, and who ensures that there is ample rain in the Autumn and the Spring to ensure that “there will be grain, wine and olive oil for (them)”  Deuteronomy 11: 14)  , Moses then states:

“Do not let yourselves be led away from the LORD to worship and serve other gods.”  (Deuteronomy 11: 16) 

  What led Moses to add this statement?

  It was a warning from Moses “(not) to turn to the fertility gods and fertility rituals of the Canaanites”.  (David Payne in Deuteronomy  The Daily Study Bible p75)  The Canaanites, who the People of Israel were to replace as the occupiers of the Land of Canaan, believed that it was their god, Baal, who controlled the weather and the fertility of crops, animals and people”.  (Jack Lewis in study note on Hosea 2: 8 in NIV Study Bible p1338) 

  ‘Don’t be enticed into believing this lie’, Moses instructs the People of Israel, ‘for such a belief is the product of ignorance and a rejection of the reality of Almighty God, Creator and sustainer of Heaven and Earth.’  “The LORD your God, not Baal, is the one who controls the weather and the rain, giving life and fertility to the Land.”  (Kenneth Barker and Larry Walker in study note on Zechariah 10: 1 in NIV Study Bible p1437) 

[refer also to Jeremiah 14: 22, Hosea 2: 8, & 6: 3, Joel 2: 21-27, Amos 5: 8, Zechariah 10: 1, Matthew 5: 45]

  Moses warns the People of Israel of the trap of seeking an alternative truth to that solid and substantiated truth which God presents.  For it is a fruitless exercise seeking to find a truth in the absence of acknowledging that God is Lord and Saviour of Humanity.  There is no viable alternative to what God was calling the People of Israel to follow, nor to what God is calling us to follow.

  That was what Paul highlighted to the Church in Corinth, when he stated:

“For God, in His wisdom, made it impossible for people to know Him by means of their own wisdom.”  (1 Corinthians 1: 21) 

  William Barclay writes of “the undeniable fact that for all its wisdom the World had never found God and was still blindly and gropingly seeking Him.”  (William Barclay in Letters to Corinthians  Daily Study Bible p19)  And we can see this clearly in the blind faith of the Canaanites in their non-existent god Baal, instead of accepting the reality of the LORD God of the People of Israel, of whom they were well aware because of the well-known and wide-spread account of His protection for and provision for the People of Israel during their escape from Egypt and their Exodus journey to the eastern shore of the River Jordan.

  Norman Hillyer writes that:

“to know God implies harmony with His mind and character, something that is alien to the World.  [Proverbs 1: 7 & 3: 7]  (Norman Hillyer in 1 Corinthians in the New Bible Commentary p1054) 

  And we understand that this is alien to the World because the World has not heeded the Word of God from which people would gain a knowledge of God’s mind and character.  Thus, Moses sought to reassure the People of Israel that, with the knowledge that it was God who cared for the Land of Canaan and provided the rain when their crops and pastures would require watering, they could face their future with confidence and with the right knowledge, and not be led astray by any so-called wisdom of the Canaanites.

  But this understanding is crucial for us today as well, because we, too, come face-to-face with many and varied false truths about the meaning of life or of finding the divine.  And they are false truths because none are based on a clear and straightforward reading of the Word of God as it has ben handed down to us over the past two millennia.

  Moses passed on to the People of Israel the truth about the manner in which God would provide water for them, that which would give them life in their new Land.  In the same manner, the New Testament writers have passed on to us the truths about the manner in which God provides that which gives us life, that is, forgiveness of our sins, a release from the bondage that sin and death has on our life, reconciliation with Him, and the promise of fellowship with Him in this life and for all of time to come.

  Matthew, in writing about Jesus, quotes from the writings of the Prophet Isaiah, where God is saying of His promised Messiah:

“Here is my servant, on him all peoples will put their hope.”  (Matthew 12: 21  (Isaiah 42:4)) 

  In these few words, Matthew is portraying Jesus Christ as the means by which God provides hope for us, hope of release from the burden of sin, and the hope of reconciliation with God and with each other.

  John, in his writing about Jesus, writes:

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life”  (John 3: 36) 

  In these few words, John is portraying Jesus as the means by which God provides the means for a renewed relationship with Him, the close relationship with God that was lost at the Fall, a relationship that will not cease upon the passing of our mortal bodies, but will continue for Time after Time.

  Paul, in his writing about Jesus, writes:

“As for us, we proclaim the crucified Christ”  (1 Corinthians 1: 23) 

  In these few words, Paul declares with confidence his trust in the saving grace of God at work through the death and resurrection of His son, Jesus Christ, his trust in the eternal plan of Almighty God to bring about the salvation for and reconciliation of all of Humanity.

  Paul declares with confidence ,that this is the truth of God at work in the World, of God providing life-giving sustenance to the World, irrespective of whether or not the World accepts or refuses to acknowledge the truth that is evident to their very eyes and souls.

  I came across this poem in my reading:

“The perfect righteousness of Christ

is free to everyone,

but we by faith must take that gift

and trust God’s precious Son.”

Dennis De Haan in Our Daily Bread 20 September 2008

  May we place our trust in the God’s free offer of the forgiveness of sin and of continuing fellowship with Him.  May we life our lives in obedience to those standards that He seeks for Humanity to apply to our lives, so that His calling for justice and-right living are evident in our relationships and interactions with others.

  For only in this way will He bring life-giving sustenance to our lives where we cannot do it for ourselves.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Hymn: “When we walk with the Lord” 

MHB516  AHB531  Alexander’s Hymns No. 3 number 53

John Sammis

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]

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

God of grace and love, we recognise the struggles and sorrows of those Australians who live in the remotest parts of this country.

We pray for our Outback brothers and sisters as the divide between city and the bush continues to grow – in poverty, in health outcomes and access to vital services.

We pray for our Bush Chaplains and volunteers who work side by side to lend a sympathetic ear and a helping hand.

We pray that Reverend John Flynn’s vision of a “mantle of safety” for those in Inland Australia continues to be pursued with his energy and passion for years to come.  We pray for the wisdom to know when more needs to be done and for the strength to do it.

Lord God, your Spirit has moved over the face of Australia and formed from its dust a rolling brown land.  

Your Spirit has moved over its warm tropical waters and created a rich variety of life.

Your Spirit moves still today in sprawling, high-rise cities, in the vast distances of the outback, and in the ethnic diversity of the Australian people.

Lord God, in the midst of this varied huddle of Humanity you have set your church.  Give us, the people you have so richly blessed, a commitment to justice and peace for all Nations; and a vision of righteousness and equality for all people in our own country.

Help us to look beyond our far horizons to see our neighbours in their many guises, so that we may be mutually enriched by our differences.

And may our love and compassion for all people on Earth be as wide and varied as our land and as constant as the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The following prayers will not be included in the church service, but are included here for you to use if you wish:

Almighty God, we pray for the Church, that our profession of Jesus as the Christ may be manifest through laying down our lives in service for others and in allowing you to raise us to life.

We pray for a living and dynamic faith, that the Spirit will strengthen us to confront evil, show compassion for the wounded, work for peace and justice, and manifest your reign amongst us.

We pray for all who suffer for the sake of the Gospel, that you will strengthen suffering Christians, help them to be faithful witnesses, and fill their hearts with peace.

We pray for the poor in our midst, that we may neither ignore them nor rationalize away their suffering but extend our hearts and hands to assist them.

We pray for all who do not believe in Jesus, that the Holy Spirit will touch their hearts and open them to experience the words of Jesus that bring life.

We pray for all who spend their lives serving others, that you will guide emergency personnel each day, give strength to all who care for the sick, and inspire many young people to join them in serving others.

We pray for all who have suffered loss through Hurricanes, the recent flooding, or wildfires, that you will heal their pain, protect them from further harm, give them hope, and touch the hearts of many to assist them.

We pray for peace, that you will turn hearts from violence and revenge, protect the innocent from harm and bring forth a new season of justice and peace.

Copyright © 2021. Joe Milner. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use. – https://liturgy.slu.edu/24OrdB091524/ideas_other.html

Almighty God, we pray for the peoples of Ghana and Nigeria.

We are thankful for Christians and Muslims who take risks to work for dialogue and reconciliation, and people of disparate ethnic groups who strive together for the common good, for churches who have been faithful in spreading the Good News, serving the people and pursuing justice in these societies, for economic growth from natural resources, where it benefits all people – and especially the poor – in these nations, and for how people, especially in Nigeria, have been sustained by God in the face of attacks and violence in the context of the movement of population groups and from extremist elements like Boko Haram.

We pray for those affected by violence and terrorism, and that such violent attacks might cease, for leaders of churches, that they might speak out courageously against political, social and economic injustices, f or Just and peaceful relations between members of different ethnic groups and between Muslims and Christians, for those who suffer from malnutrition and diseases such as malaria, whooping cough and HIV and AIDS, and for better stewardship of the environment and natural resources.

Prayers

O God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, set our hearts on fire with a new love for Christ and for one another.  Renew our desires and labours to serve others.

We seek healing from division, poverty and injustice in all parts of the world.  We long for life which is full and free.

Give us the courage to take risks to build a highway in the desert and let us find protection under the shadow of your wings.  Amen.

(© 2002 Abigail Ogunsanya, Nigeria)

We offer you, O Ruler of men and women and of heavenly beings, the gold of our costly service.  Take the labour of our hands, the skill of our minds, the power of our organization.  Purge us of pride, and stir us from sloth, that we, being refined by your grace, may become better servants of your kingdom, now and hereafter.

We offer to you, our Lord and our God, the incense of our worship and our prayer.  By the gift of your Holy Spirit, you have hung forth a star in the lowly heaven of every Christian soul; grant us eager feet to follow wherever it leads, until our searching souls are blessed with the vision of yourself, who are our heaven and our home, forever.

We offer to you, O Man of sorrows, the myrrh of your church’s sufferings.  When we have nothing else to give, this offering remains.  Where you are on the cross, there also may your servants be.  May your perfect sacrifice avail to make our light affliction redemptive in the world, that sharing the fellowship of your sufferings we may rejoice in the power of your resurrection, now and forever.  Amen.

(From the Assembly of the International Missionary Society, Ghana. In: “With All God’s People”.)

Prayer for unity

We invoke you, Spirit of Unity, transform our divisions and reshape our vision.
All of creation, all living beings, cry in the midst of injustice and brokenness.
Spirit of Unity, reconcile your people.
We invoke you, Spirit of Unity, heal the wounds of our history,
Remove from us all that sustains our present divisions.
Unstop our ears to hear your call for unity.

(© Mercy Oduyoye, Ghana. We Would Be One, Institute of Women in Religion and Culture, Accra, Ghana.)

Almighty God, we pray for stable government in Ghana that will oversee religious freed om throughout the country and address the tensions between Christians, Muslims and those groups who practice Traditional Religions.

We thank you God for the success of the use of literature from Scripture Union in Church run schools to encourage students in their faith.

We pray for increased effort of Bible translation programs and Bible literacy programs.

We pray for your guidance for those Colleges and Universities offering training for Church leaders.

We pray that the Church in Ghana will be united and find their strength through you to break the bondage that fetishism and occult practices have on many people, that the people will find liberty and peace through a faith in Jesus.

Almighty God, we pray for stable government in Nigeria, and for your guidance as they seek to address ethnic and religious tensions among its numerous regional and ethnic groups.

We pray that there will be international support for the Government to enable the Nation to address the social and personal loss from the activities of Islamic terrorists in the north on the Country.

We pray for increased efforts towards bible translation programs, the development of Christian television programs and the broadcasting of Christian radio programs.

We pray for correct guidance and leadership of smaller congregations so that they do not drift into Unbiblical theology or practices.

(Patrick Johnstone and Jason in Operation World  When we pray God Works p275 – 278 and 489 – 493) 

Almighty God, we pray for your protection and strength for the dedicated staff and volunteers of Bible Society Lebanon (BSL) as they serve vulnerable communities during these challenging times.  We pray that they are sustained in their passion and commitment as they plant seeds of hope and faith among refugees and disadvantaged groups.  We pray for the children and families affected by trauma and displacement from war, that they find comfort and healing through the Bible stories in BSL’s ‘Reconcile!’ drama program

We pray for the Australian National Collaboration of Bible Translation Agencies that will be meeting in Melbourne from 17^th to 20th September.  We pray for wisdom as they discuss the need to recruit skilled workers to help with the coordination of Bible translation projects in remote communities across Australia.

We thank God for the ‘Learning Through Listening’ literacy program in Cambodia, where the literacy rate is 84% and the primary school completion rate is 61%.  We pray for the educational and spiritual impact of the program in the provinces, that this program would be used by you to bring salvation to students and spiritual growth to believers.  We pray also for protection as staff and volunteers implement the program throughout Cambodia.

We pray for the ‘Learning Through Listening’ literacy program in Laos, where 20% of males and 40% of females over 15 are unable to read or write.  We pray that new learners will continue to attend classes and for the recruitment of more literacy facilitators, as well as for an increase in classes and students by the end of the year.  We pray for the children enrolled, that they will be interested in attending the classes and improve their literacy skill.

We pray that the Bible Society Australia (BSA) fundraising team will continue to build relationships with churches and Bible Society supporters, developing deep and meaningful relationships which honour God and BSA supporters.

We thank you God for the spiritual impact that the Bible Society Lebanon’s ‘Reconcile!’ drama program is having in the lives of refugee children. After watching a ‘Reconcile!’ play, 10-years old Nizar* said, “I was moved by the play ‘Of the heart’, and I want Jesus to enter my heart.” 

Bible%20Society%20September%202024%20Prayer%20Letter.pdf

Almighty God, we pray for all of the camps operated by Scripture Union Australia across Southern QLD and Northern Rivers, that you will be present and moving through the volunteers, leaders, chaplains and participants.

We pray for Central Splashout 2024 and for all the other camps in South East QLD during the September school holidays, for safety of participants and leaders along with good conversations that plant seeds of hope.

We pray that at the Far North QLD Mountain Bike Camp participants will learn new skills and present opportunities to talk about Jesus.

We pray that at the Far North Queensland Girls Camp there would have great Bible engagement and develop friendships and confidence in campers.

We pray that campers on the King of the Mountain Camp will learn about your amazing plans for their lives and come to a saving faith in Jesus.

 We pray that the GENTS Father and Son camp on the banks of the Hawkesbury River would bear the fruit of bonding, friendship and growing in Jesus.

We praise you God for the seven Christian lunchtime groups in public schools around Canberra this year, and for the 20+ volunteers who serve each week to make them happen.  We pray for deepening connections between churches, schools, volunteers, children and their families.

We pray that you will continue to open doors for young Christians to be trained in leadership through future development and growth of the SU Australia Emerge program in Tasmania.

Scripture%20Union%20Prayer-Guide%20July%20to%20September%202024.pdf

Almighty God, we pray for security across the Nation of The Democratic Republic of Congo, that you may grant lasting peace, safety and stability and protect the Congolese people and The Leprosy Mission staff from violence and natural disasters in a country where staff have to travel in unstable areas.

We bring to you the National Leprosy Programme which is facing challenges in mobilising adequate resources for leprosy control, resources which are vital for achieving zero leprosy transmission.  We pray for your wisdom for Mrs Yvonne Kambale Kavuo, the country leader for TLM, that she will guide the team towards a leprosy response which is sustainable, through increased investment in fundraising and partnerships with local churches and advocacy.

We pray that you will encourage those countries who support the work of TLM in Dc Congo to continue to support their work to support communities.

DR Congo is a large and hard to navigate country.  Churches in DRC play a vital role in health care and development work in DRC, particularly in remote places.  We pray that training of church leaders will enhance the capacity of local churches to reach people affected by leprosy in remote and underserved areas.

We pray for partners who will support work to detect leprosy reaction, treatment for leprosy complications and help TLM to scale up their self-care and mental health work.

We pray that OPALCO, an organisation of persons affected by leprosy, will become a strong organisation capable to fight discrimination, achieve human rights, and promote inclusion.

The%20Leprosy%20Mission%20Prayer%20Guide%202024.pdf

Almighty God, we bring before you the Far East Broadcasting Company, whose goal is that every ethnic group in Southeast Asia may hear the Gospel.  

We pray for your support and guidance for FEBC Cambodia’s partnerships with Cambodian Christian Bible Institute and Discipleship Making Movement in their efforts to plant your Word and make disciples throughout Cambodia.

We pray for FEBC’s partner in Myanmar, that trough them you may bring hope to the Burmese as military rule and civic unrest continues into their third year.

We pray for your support and guidance for the development of new Bible Correspondence Course lessons throughout Thailand, in which 42,105 people are enrolled, the majority of whom are from other faiths.

We pray for the effectiveness of FEBC’s AI project to translate the Bible into 3D animation of a sign language dialect in one Southeast Asian country.

We give you praise for the success of FEBC Indonesia’s ‘School On The Air’ program which has teachers in Jakarta teaching poor students in Mentawai.  We pray for the opportunity to introduce similar programs in other regions.

We ask that you protect FEBC staff and equipment as Philippines enters the typhoon season.

We ask for you provision and protection for FEBC’s partners and their families in Malaysia..

FEBC%20Praise-Prayer-Jul-Sep-2o24.pdf

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil,

For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,

Now and forever.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Hymn: “I need Thee every hour”

(Alexander’s Hymns No.3 Number 71)

Annie B Hawks and Robert Lowry

Benediction 

(from Psalm 19: 14a) 

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

“Father, bless us as we go”  (TiS781)

Father, bless us as we go;

Jesus, walk beside us;

Holy Spirit, guide us.

(Repeat)

Robin Mann