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(Psalm 119: 9,11, 12 to 14) 

How can someone keep their life pure?

By obeying God’s commandments.

I keep your Law in my heart, O God,

So that I will not sin against you.

I praise you, O Lord,

Teach me your ways.

I delight in following your commands,

More than in having great wealth.

I study your instructions,

I examine your teachings.

I take pleasure in your statutes,

I will not forget your judgements.

Comments on Psalm 119

To the author of this Psalm, the Word of God is the decisive factor in every sphere of their life, not in a legalistic sense in the understanding that rules dictated and governed every facet of their actions and behaviour and personal interactions and relationships, but that the Word of God reveals the heart and the mind of God, it reveals the wondrous works of God, and it reveals the divine saving grace of God.

(Artur Weiser in Psalms p740 and Henrietta Mears in What the Bible is all about p189)

  It is upon that understanding that we gather here together today, to worship God, to sing our praise of God, to express our thanks for the divine saving grace of God, and to see what new and renewing revelations can be found in the Word of God for us. 

Prayer of Praise    

Almighty God, you are the one who seeks to be our God, to rule over us with care and compassion.  You are the one who seeks to accompany us in life, to guide us and to instruct us.  You pick us up when we fall, you hold us up when we falter, you weep with us when we are saddened, you cherish us when we despair.  Wherever we go, whether we are alone or with others, you are there with us.

Almighty God, we know that no place exists where your grace cannot touch.  We know that there is no-one beyond your reach.  We put our trust in your promise that if we repent of our sins and believe in Jesus Christ, you forgive our sins and you forget our sins.

Almighty God, in your wisdom you perceived our need for Jesus Christ, our need to feel his presence, our need for Jesus to touch our souls.  We know that we can offer love to others only because you first loved us. 

Almighty God, we gather in your presence with praise on our lips and thankfulness in our hearts.  We gather as your children, whom you have called to yourself and whom you hold as special to yourself.

May we be witnesses to your all-encompassing love.  May we be willing to serve you in a World that is in desperate need of your healing.  May we be faithful in our worship, never forgetting that you are our Creator and Redeemer.  To your glory and honour we pray.  Amen.

https://liturgy.slu.edu/ – Copyright © 2021, Anne M. Osdieck. All rights reserved.  Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.

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

‘When I think of the cross’ – (He’s everything to me number 30

Verse 1 of 2

Long, long ago in a faraway place,

rough rugged timbers were raised to the sky.

There hung a man suspended in space,

and, though he was blameless, they left him to die.

Chorus

Just to think of the cross, moves me now,

the nails in his hands, his bleeding brow,

to think of the cross moves me now,

it should have been me,

it should have been me,

instead, I am free, I am free.

Verse 2 of 2

He put an end to my guilt and despair,

turned bitter hating to sweet peace and love.

Even the men who put him up there

were offered forgiveness and life from above.

Chorus

Just to think of the cross, moves me now,

the nails in his hands, his bleeding brow,

to think of the cross moves me now,

it should have been me,

it should have been me,

instead, I am free, I am free.

I am free.

Ralph Carmichael

‘I have decided to follow Jesus’ – (He’s everything to me number 18)

Sadhu Sundar Singh or Simon Marak (refer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Have_Decided_to_Follow_Jesus )

Prayer of Confession 

(Psalm 51: 3, 4, 1, 2, 7a, 9, 7b, 6, 10, 12) 

Merciful God, I recognise my faults, I am always conscious of my sins.

I have sinned against you, only against you, and have done what displeases you.

So, you are right in judging me,

You are justified in condemning me.

Be merciful to me, O God, because of your constant love.

Because of your great mercy wipe away my misdeeds.

Wash away all my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.

Remove my sin and I will be clean,

Turn your face away from my sins and blot out all my guilt.

Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Sincerity and truth are what you require,

So, fill my mind with your wisdom.

Create a pure heart in me, O God, and put a new and loyal spirit in me.

Revive in me the joy that comes from your salvation and make me willing to obey you.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from Hebrews 5: 9b) 

We read in the Letter to the Hebrews that Jesus “became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him”.  We have professed our faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ.  We have confessed our sins before God, and, trusting, in this saving power of Jesus Christ, we have the assurance that God has heard our prayers, that God has forgiven us, and that God has welcomed us into His fellowship.

Thanks be to God.

Prayer of illumination 

(by John Calvin) 

O Lord, heavenly Father,

in whom is the fullness of light and wisdom,

enlighten our minds by your Holy Spirit,

and give us grace to receive your Word with reverence and humility,

without which no person can understand your truth,

for the sake of Jesus Christ

to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be all glory.  Amen.

Bible Readings

Jeremiah 31:

31  “The time is coming”, says the Lord, “when I will make a new Covenant with the People of Israel and with the People of Judah.  32  It will not be like the old Covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt.  [Exodus 19: 5]  Although they did not keep that Covenant, I was patient with them.” says the Lord.  33  “The new Covenant that I will make with them will be this: I will put my Law within them and write it on their hearts.  I will be their God and they will be my People.  34  No longer will they need to teach one another to know the Lord; all of them, high and low alike, shall know me,” says the Lord, “for I will forgive their sins and I will no longer remember their wrongs.  I, the Lord, have spoken.”

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

Hebrews 5

5  In the same way, Christ did not take upon himself the honour of being a High Priest.  Instead, God said to him,

“You are my Son, today I have become your Father.”  [Psalm 2: 7]  ;

6  and God also said,

“You will be a priest forever, in the priestly order of Melchizedek.”  [Psalm 110: 4]  .

7  In his life on Earth, Jesus made his prayers and requests with loud cries and tears to God, who could save him from death.  Because Jesus was humble, God heard him.  8  But, even though he was God’s Son, Jesus learnt through his sufferings to be obedient.  9  Once perfected, he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him,  10  and God declared him to be High Priest, in the priestly order of Melchizedek.

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

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

John 12

20  Among those who had gone to Jerusalem to worship during the Passover Festival were some Greeks.  21  They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”

22  Philip went and told Andrew and the two of them went and told Jesus.  23  Jesus answered them,

“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  24  I am telling you the truth: a grain of wheat remains no more than a single grain unless it is dropped into the ground and dies.  If it does die, then it produces many grains.”  25  Whoever loves their own life in this World will love it; whoever hates their own life in this World will keep it for life eternal.  26  Whoever wants to serve me must follow me, so that my servant will be with me where I am.  And my Father will honour anyone who serves me.

31  Now is the time for this World to be judged; now the ruler of this World will be overthrown.  32  When I am lifted up from the Earth, I will draw everyone to me.”

33  (In saying this he indicated the kind of death he was going to suffer.)

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

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  ‘Have mercy on us living Lord’   (TiS31)  

This YouTube clip is for another hymn, but is used here for the tune.

Verse 1 of 5

Have mercy on us, living Lord,

Remember not our sin;

According to your steadfast love

Come, cleanse us deep within.

Verse 2 of 5

Our sin and guilt are heavy, Lord,

And evil in your sight;

Against you only have we sinned:

Your judgement, Lord, is right.

Verse 3 of 5

So come and purify our lives,

Our hearts with love redeem;

Restore us to your life-filled ways;

Come, Lord, and make us clean.

Verse 4 of 5

Your Spirit place within our hearts

That we may teach your ways,

And all the people of the Earth

Shall learn to sing your praise.

Verse 5 of 5

Rebuild your People with your love,

Renew us every day;

With hearts renewed, in all our work,

Our lives shall sing your praise.

Frederick Anderson

Sermon

There is no lesson from ancient history today, no historical timeline to explore.  But in today’s passage from John 12, we are faced with a series of questions.

  John, in his Gospel, describes an incident involving some Greeks who wanted to see Jesus.”  (John 12: 21) 

  Our first question is:

  What made them stand out as Greeks?

  Perhaps it was their clothes, the way the trimmed their hair or beards, the colour and shape of their facial features, or the accent of their speech.  Whatever it was, they were clearly identified as Greeks.

Now, we need to ask ourselves our second question:

  Why were Greeks journeying to Jerusalem for a Jewish religious festival? 

  Luke records the occasion when Paul spoke to the Civic Council in Athens, and Paul makes the remark,” “For all the citizens of Athens liked to spend their time telling and hearing about the latest philosophy or religion.”  (Acts 17: 21)  Perhaps, as William Barclay suggests, these Greeks were ‘early day tourists’, journeying to Jerusalem during a festival so as to witness the event and the experience.  (William Barclay in The Gospel of John Volume 2 p119 & 120) 

  But the passage makes it clear that these Greeks had journeyed to Jerusalem “to worship (God)”  (John 12: 20)  .  It is clear that these Greeks were “Gentiles who had given up their worship of many gods, and who had been won over to the worship of the one God, the God of Israel.”  (William Hendriksen in The Gospel of John p193 & 194) 

  John records them coming up to Philip and requested an opportunity to talk with Jesus. 

  Now, we need to ask ourselves a third question:

Why was it that they approached Philip?

  It appears that Philip is a Greek sounding name.  So, they felt comfortable in approaching someone who, from their brief encounter with Jesus and his Disciples, may have had a similar cultural background to theirs, someone who was willing to converse with Gentiles.  And we must note the politeness with which they addressed Philip, in their addressing him as “Sir”  (John 12: 21)  ,and their reverence for Jesus in their seeking one of his Disciples to act as an intermediary to arrange a face-to-face-meeting.

  So, we need to ask ourselves a fourth question:

  Why did they desire to talk with Jesus?

  Perhaps they recognised a special goodness about Jesus.

  Perhaps Jesus displayed the dynamism of someone who could lead others with a sense of purpose and fulfillment. 

  Perhaps they were seeking the special and gifted knowledge that Jesus may have had. 

  Perhaps they had heard stories about Jesus on their journeying, and, on seeing Jesus, saw the opportunity to hear from him firsthand.

  The previous verses of the chapter describe Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, accompanied by the shouted praises of the people and the waving of palm branches.  Perhaps these Greeks had watched, entranced by what had just taken place, and sought to understand what it all meant. 

  “From what they had heard about Jesus, they had become hopeful that he might be able to supply that spiritual peace of mind which they had not been able to find anywhere else.”

  (William Hendriksen in The Gospel of John p195) 

  So, we need to ask ourselves a fifth and final question, and a crucial question given the context of the passage:

  Did Jesus talk with these visiting Greeks?

  Jesus makes a puzzling response.  It is puzzling because John doesn’t record Jesus asking for the Greeks to come and sit near him.  It is puzzling because there is nothing in John’s account to indicate that Jesus ever sought to hear about what these Greeks sought to discuss.  But, perhaps, whatever questions they may have had, what he had to say to everyone else who was then present was the answer that these Greeks needed to hear.

  John records Jesus telling Andrew and Philip that his time of being an itinerant preacher and healer were over:

“The hour has come for the Son of Man to receive great glory.”  (John 12: 23) 

  To the Jewish People, this was the long-expected good news of their deliverance and restoration as God’s chosen People, their justification for their long-held view that they, and they alone, were deserving of God’s grace and favour.  Long ago, the Prophet Daniel had described a vision of one “like a human being”, “surrounded by clouds”, and being presented to God, “the one who had been living forever” as Daniel describes Him.  (Daniel 7: 13)  Daniel continues saying that this “one like a human being”, or this “Son of Man” as the Gospel authors write of him, “was given authority, honour, and royal power, so that the People of all Nations, races, and languages would serve him.  His authority would last forever, and his Kingdom would never end.”  (Daniel 7: 14) 

  To the Jewish People, the Son of Man represented God’s champion intervening in the World on their behalf, to rid them of their foreign oppressors, to restore their status and their pride, to usher in a golden age of peace and prosperity, and, not just restore the greatness of their former Kingdom of Israel, but make the Jewish People the Masters of the whole World.  This was the future that they foresaw for themselves.  (William Barclay in The Gospel of John Volume 2 p 122) 

  We need to imagine the shock registered on the faces of the Disciples and the crowd around him, when Jesus said to them,

“When I am lifted up from the Earth, I will draw everyone to me.”  (John 12: 32) 

  The crowd clearly understood that these words of Jesus gave the understanding of the impending death of Jesus, for we read the crowd saying,

“Our Law tells us that the Messiah will live forever.  How, then, can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up?”  (John 12: 34) 

  William Barclay imagines that what they had just heard from Jesus would have “left them staggered and bewildered by their sheer incredibility, (for the words of Jesus) had turned their ideas upside down, speaking, not in terms of conquest, but in terms of sacrifice and death.  (William Barclay in The Gospel of John Volume 2 p 123) 

  To his listeners, what Jesus had said did not represent to them God’s power and victory, for “how can the life of the Messiah of God seemingly end in failure and disgrace?”  (John Reilly in Praying Mark p103) 

  And in these words of Jesus there is also an implied judgement against the Elders, the Chief Priests, and the Teachers of the Law, for in their deliberate rejection of the claim of Jesus to be the son of God, the Son of Man, the promised Messiah, is their rejection of God at work in the World, their rejection of the possibility that God could act in ways different to how they conceived of God at work, their rejection of God’s New Covenant foreseen by Jeremiah.  (Alan Cole in Mark p137) 

  But, in these words, is the message that Jesus sought to pass on to the Greeks who had come to see him, for his specific words, “everyone”, indicated to all who were present that the ministry of Jesus was to draw all peoples to himself, Jew and Greek, Samaritan and Roman, that his coming sacrifice was to cover the sins of all peoples, as the fulfillment of God’s work on Earth. 

  From the beginning of his ministry, Jesus declared the message, “The Kingdom of God is near.  Turn away from your sins and believe the Good News.”  (Mark 1: 15) 

  Note the three aspects of his message:

1. The message was all about the Kingdom of God,
2. The message was directly linked with repentance, turning away from sinful habits and attitudes and a turning towards an obedience to God’s Word, and
3. The message was directly linked with belief in God’s Good News of providing for the forgiveness of sins.

  Note also that the message of Jesus was not about the Earthly Kingdom of Judea nor the wider concept of the former Kingdom of Israel.  It was not associated with a continuance of the sacrificial system for the “washing away of sin”.  It was not associated with depending upon an observance of the letter of the Law for ‘making us right in God’s eyes’, that being socially respectable makes one also spiritually respectable.  It was not about the racial purity and superiority of the Jewish race of people. 

  Jesus was challenging all of that.  God was changing all of that.

  The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews notes that “ Because Jesus was humble, God heard him.”  (Hebrews 5: 7)  Jesus accepted the role of being a servant to all people, of sitting and eating with the lowly and the outcast, of demonstrating that the Samaritan and women are of value in God’s sight, of healing the leper, the lame, the blind, the crippled, and the demented.

  The writer notes that “even though he was God’s Son, Jesus learnt through his sufferings to be obedient”  (Hebrews 5: 8)  Jesus did not claim an exemption to adversity based upon his birthright as the Son of God, nor his ability to call upon legions of angels to assist him, nor his ability to perform miracles.  Jesus accepted the reality that he was to suffer physical, emotional and spiritual distress in being rejected and abused by the national, religious, economic and social leaders and authorities of the Jewish People, ultimately to be condemned to death, in obedience to the Will of God.

  The writer notes that as a result of the obedience of Christ, to the point of death on the cross, Jesus “became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him”  (Hebrews 5: 9)  .  Jesus stated that unless a grain of wheat drops to the ground and ‘dies’ it cannot produce ‘many grains.  (John 12: 24)  He was explaining that, in the same way, “eternal life for the many came through the sacrifice of the one”  and that the sacrifice of the one “opened up the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers, Greek as well as Jew.”  (Randolph Tasker in John p148) 

  Jesus was willing to “forget himself”, to “carry his cross” and to “obediently follow God”.  (Mark 8: 34)  He calls us to follow this example that he has set.

  Jesus is issuing a challenge to us. What is it that we hold dear to ourselves, what is it that is most important to us?  Do we crave social respectability and acceptability?  Do we put our utmost effort into obtaining power or prestige or privilege or property or prosperity?  Do we choose safety and security and satisfaction above all else?

  Jesus is issuing a call to a radical turning from self-centredness to God-centredness.  Jesus

is saying that to be a Disciple means putting other things aside; our comfort, our reputation, our social interests, our business profits, our pleasures.  Jesus is saying that our purpose in life is to know God, to obey God, and to serve God.  All other things get in the way of this purpose.  We must be willing to deny for ourselves all the other things that seek to claim a priority in our life.  For it is in losing those things that we gain our true self.  (John Reilly in Praying Mark p105)  It is in letting those things die to us that we gain new life in God.

  Let us hold firmly to God’s word and put our trust in God’s promise.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to or join in singing the Hymn ‘Take up your cross the Saviour said’ (TIS583 AHB496) 

[This hymn is being sung to the tune Melcombe and is based on Mark 8.]

Charles Everest

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774 

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

For the life that you have given,

For the love in Christ made known,

With these fruits of time and labour,

With these gifts that are your own:

Here we offer, Lord, our praises;

Heart and mind and strength we bring;

Give us grace to love and serve you,

Living what we pray and sing.

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Prayers for Others

Creator and Advocate, Conscience and Saviour of all peoples and Nations on Earth,

hear our prayers for a World that stands under judgement for its rejection of your call to display your love and compassion to all.

Drive out the impulses that drive together forces of hatred and genocide among people,

instead, encourage Nations to work together towards the eradication of poverty and need, of hunger and preventable diseases.

Cleanse us and our Society from the prejudices that fail to measure others as we measure ourselves,

may we all strive to relate to others with the love and respect with which you lavish upon us.

Confront those who refuse to be led by just Laws and who seek to act by rules of their own making,

replace their hard hearts with hearts in tune with your will for Humanity.

Challenge those who lead us and govern us,

open their minds to consider and implement the means by which all citizens of our Nation can reach their full potential.

Give to industry and business owners and managers the desire to find the right balance between profit-making and the benefits of employment for their staff,

grant to them the vision of ensuring meaningful jobs and safe working conditions for those whom they employ and hire.

Inspire our healers and care givers with the knowledge and skill to manage the needs of those under their care,

may they give to all who are ill and injured the hope of healing and wholeness.

Comfort those in need of healing in body, mind and spirit,

grant to them relief from their pain and peace of mind for the future.

Encourage those who teach and instruct our children and youth,

that they may see the results of their endeavours in well-adjusted pupils who seek to give back to the society that provided an education and opportunities for their future.

Unite your divided Church and build it up for effective worship and service,

make your Church an example of love at work with reverence alike for you and for Humanity.

  (David Hostetter Prayers for the Seasons of God’s People Year B p85 & 86) 

We pray for all who are recovering from storms and natural disasters, that you will protect them from further danger, give them strength, and speed the assistance which they need.

We pray for successful administration of vaccines: that you will guide the distribution and administration of the vaccines that aid in the protection for all the human family from the diseases.

We pray for who are all searching for meaningful employment: that God will help them to recognize all the gifts that they possess, open new opportunities to use them, and give them confidence in presenting themselves to employers.

Copyright © 2024. Joe Milner. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use. – https://liturgy.slu.edu/5LentB031724/ideas_other.html

We pray for the peoples of Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden.

We are thankful for the spectacular beauty of the changing landscape of forests, lakes, mountains and glaciers, for churches that are advocating and implementing measures to redress climate change that is dramatic here and throughout the World, for those who have opened their doors and hearts to people migrating to these lands, and for the support for justice, peace and interfaith work that comes from these countries.

We pray for the poor and marginalized who struggle in these rich countries, for personal and investment practices that support environmental sustainability, for growing openness to becoming more multi-ethnic, multi-faith societies, for those who are affluent that they will contribute to making the world and their societies more just for all, and for a Church that is prepared to be a voice in the struggle for indigenous people rights.

We pray for the team at Bible Society Jordan as they seek to meet practical needs and share the Gospel with refugee families.  We pray that every refugee will find and know Jesus, their ‘Rock of Salvation’ — their source of strength in the hardship.  We pray for the volunteers serving suffering families, for emotional and physical protection as they offer helping hands and listening ears.

We thank you God for the release of the new Youth Bible, developed in partnership with Youth Alive.  We pray that the ‘Read This’ Bible would equip young Australians in their walk with you, and that they would be inspired to read and meditate on your word and carefully live it out, with guidance from the Holy Spirit.

We thank you God for Bible Society Lebanon’s ‘Reconcile’ program offering hope to refugee children through an interactive drama presentation about reconciliation and forgiveness, based on Bible Stories.  We pray that through this creative program, children will continue to learn to lean on you for help, strength, joy and peace during difficult times.

We pray for the ongoing translation work in the Auslan Bible project made for the people in the Australian Deaf community, praying for wisdom for the team as they chart the way forward developing resources for Deaf communities and churches throughout Australia. We pray that as they establish connections with Deaf communities nationwide, they will build effective resources that will engage this community with your word.

We pray for the United Bible Societies China Partnership as they continue collaborating with the Provincial Christian Councils this year to provide literacy classes for rural Chinese Christians.  We pray for these students, who are semi to non-literate, so that they acquire literacy skills for everyday life and for studying your word.

We thank you God for faithful literacy teachers like Wei* who shared this testimony. “What’s rewarding is to see how [students’] lives have changed. They’re not only able to read and write better, they’re also more familiar with the Bible … Some of them rarely attended church services before, not even on Sundays. But now they are faithfully coming and happily taking on ministry tasks.”

Bible%20Society%20Prayer_Letter_-_March_2024.pdf

We pray that you would lead Scripture Union us as they recruit a new Toowoomba Field Development Manager.

We pray for the planning of the upcoming Launceston Alive Children and Families Festival on Easter Saturday at Riverband Park, featuring special guest Colin Buchanan.  We give thanks for the opportunity for churches to reach out and engage with the Launceston community.

We thank you God for providing 5 amazing Interns in the West this year and pray for Anica, Jake, Luca, Jo and Ronia to know your love and empowering as they serve with SU.

We pray for CHAT Training in Townsville (on 22-23 March).

We pray for the Emerge Training Weekend, a new initiative in Darwin for young camp volunteers aged 15-25, aiming to equip our 23 young adult leaders for mission (on 23-24 March).

We pray for the team as they prepare for Northern Territory Easter Camp which is running from 5-8 April.

SU%20SEQ-Prayer-Guide-March-2024.pdf

We pray for Misaun Lepra Timor Leste’s Board, as they build relationships with the government and other local and international partners. May this process be a smooth one.

We thank you God for the new Misaun Lepra strategic plan 2023-2027, praying for your guidance for the Chair and Board members and for the teams who will carry out this work. We pray that our targets within the strategic plan will be met.

We pray for the PHACE project, funded by the New Zealand Government through The Leprosy Mission New Zealand, praying for your wisdom for the team as they implement the project in the community.

We pray for the start of the Ending Leprosy Transmission Project in Oecusse, a highly endemic municipality, that having a new office established there could lead to the sort of impact that will attract the attention of the government and other donors.  We pray that this may lead to new partnerships on the border with Indonesia.

We thank you God for the two associations of persons affected by leprosy that have been established in Timor-Leste, AELTL and ATLETIL, praying for their advocacy work, that this will reach more people and ultimately educate people about the early treatment of leprosy and how to prevent disability. We pray that they will raise awareness about the rights of people affected by leprosy.

We pray for the Executive Director and the staff of Misaun Lepra, for their commitment and that they will be able to bring about change for those who are in need in Timor-Leste.  We pray for the health of the team and their families, who always support leprosy work in Timor-Leste.

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

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

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

We pray for those who we have not seen for some time and who are unable to attend worship regularly.  Please guide and comfort them in their particular circumstances.  May they be aware of your care for them as they meet what each new day brings.

Lord God, we bring these prayers to you, trusting in your lovingkindness.  To your glory we pray.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

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

Give us today our daily bread.

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

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

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

Now and forever.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to or join in singing the Hymn ‘One Day’  (Alexander’s Hymns No. 3 number 205)

Wilbur Chapman

Benediction 

(based on Titus 3: 5) 

  Through God’s abundant grace, we have been saved from bondage to a sinful life.  Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we are reconciled to God and enjoy His abundant fellowship for all Time and the time after Time.  Through the Holy Spirit poured abundantly upon us we have new birth and new life.  Let us then live each day with joy and gladness and with mind and heart focussed on God and service for Him.

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

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

‘Now to him who loves us saves us’ (TiS 771)

 [We will only sing the one verse.]

Now to him who loved us, gave us

Every pledge that love could give,

Freely shed his blood to save us,

Gave his life that we might live,

Be the Kingdom

And dominion

And the glory evermore.

Samuel Miller Waring