Call to Worship: – 

(2 Samuel 7: 18, 23, 24) 

King David went into the Tent of the Lord’s Presence, sat down and prayed.  “How great you are, Sovereign Lord!  There is none like you: we have always known that you alone are God.  There is no other Nation on Earth like Israel, whom you rescued from slavery to make them your own People.  The great and wonderful things you did for them have spread your fame throughout the World.  You have made Israel your own People forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.”

  In this short paragraph David is expressing his awareness of the greatness of God.  God, alone, is God; there are no other gods.  It is a futile exercise seeking to compare God to something or someone else, for how can you compare something to nothing.  God is Sovereign over all things; He rules, He commands, He determines.  God is characterised by His incomparable significance.  In contrast, David is aware of his insignificance before God.

  And yet, God reveals His concern and compassion for the People of Israel, an insignificant people once enslaved by a powerful Nation, the Egyptian Empire.  By God’s choice alone, in the absence of any merit of character or action of the People of Israel deserving of God’s attention and affection for them, He rescues them from slavery, He undertakes “great and wonderful things” for them, He makes them His People, and He becomes their God.  Such is how God exercised His love and grace and mercy at that time.

  God’s relationship with the People of Israel, as revealed by David, was a preview of how God seeks to relate to all of Humanity today.  God is great, God is Sovereign, God is the significant One, yet God seeks to relate to us who are insignificant.  God seeks to release us from slavery to sin, God seeks to do “great and wonderful things” for us, God seeks for us to be His People, God seeks for us to acknowledge Him as God.  Such is how God seeks to exercise His love and grace and mercy today.  That is why we gather here, to offer our praise and worship to Almighty God, who chooses to love us who do not deserve such love.

  (Walter Brueggemann in First and Second Samuel p260) 

Prayer of Praise  

(Psalm 89: 1, 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 52) 

O Lord, we always sing of your constant love,

We will proclaim your faithfulness to us forever.

Almighty God, the heavens sing of the wonderful things you do;

None is as mighty as you, we all stand in awe of you.

Heaven is yours, and the Earth also,

You made the World and everything in it.

Your Kingdom is founded on righteousness and justice,

Love and mercy are shown in all you do.

How happy are we when we worship you with songs,

When we live in the light of your kindness.

Because of you we rejoice all day long,

We praise you for your goodness.

In your love you make us triumphant.

Praise the Lord forever!

Hymn

“O Love of God, how strong and true”  TiS 139  AHB 75  MHB 52                        Mark 6 

[sung to the tune Church Triumphant – there is no introduction]

Verse 1 of 5

O love of God, how strong and true,

Eternal and yet ever new,

Uncomprehended and unbought,

Beyond all knowledge and all thought!

Verse 2 of 5

O wide-embracing, wondrous love,

We read you in the sky above,

We read you in the Earth below,

In seas that swell and streams that flow.

Verse 3 of 5

We read you best in him who came

to bear for us the cross of shame,

Sent by the Father from on high,

Our life to live, our death to die.

Verse 4 of 5

We read your power to bless and save

Ev’n in the darkness of the grave;

Still more in resurrection light

We read the fulness of your might.

Verse 5 of 5

O love of God, our shield and stay

Through all the perils of our way;

Eternal love, in you we rest,

For ever safe, for ever blest.

Horatius Bonar

Prayer of Confession   

  Merciful God, we look at the society around us, and see what you intended to be noble and grand has been corrupted with vice and violence and greed. 

  Please forgive our failures to fulfil your plans for the World, our failures for the strengthening of justice for all, our failures for the provision for the needs of all, and our failures for the acceptance of others with dignity and equality.

  Merciful God, we feel proud of who we are, of where we belong and of what we have achieved by ourselves.  But, in our pride, we are attempting to compare our insignificance and incompleteness with your incomparable greatness and glory.

  Please forgive the haughtiness that accompanies our pride of person, or place or privilege.  For it is only in humbling ourselves before you that we can put ourselves and the World in the right perspective.

  Merciful God, we look at your Church and see a scattered flock, each going our own way and attempting to do things by themselves, never being a cohesive witness to the Gospel message.

  We are sorry for whatever we have done or have failed to do that estranges others from you and from ourselves.  For it is only in listening to you and following your voice that we find peace and reconciliation.

  Merciful God, we are quick to denounce the sins of others, but slow to admit our own.

  Forgive us for our double standards.  In humbleness, we lay our guilt before you.

  Merciful God.  We lay all our faults before the Light of the World.

  Please grant us forgiveness for our offences and for our negligence, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from Ephesians 2: 8 & 9) 

The Apostle Paul made it clear to the Church in Ephesus that it was through God’s grace that they had been saved from their sins, and that it had nothing to do with their own efforts or goodness.  We, too, have come before God, confessing our sins and professing our faith in God’s saving power.  Let us trust in God’s promise to listen to us, to forgive us, and to restore us to a right relationship with Himself.

Thanks be to God.

Prayer of illumination  (from Holy Communion Two in Uniting Church Worship Services p21) 

O Lord, our God, you have given your Word to us that it may be a lamp for our feet and a light for our path.  Grant us grace to receive your truth in faith and love, so that we may be obedient to your Will and live always for your glory, through Jesus Christ our Saviour.  Amen.

Bible Readings

Psalm 89: 19 to 29

19  In a vision long ago you said to your faithful servants,

“I have given the crown unto a mighty warrior, I have given the throne to one chosen from the People.

20  I have chosen my servant David King by anointing him with holy oil.

21  My strength will always be with him, my power will make him strong.

22  His enemies will never succeed against him, the wicked will not defeat him.

23  I will crush his foes, and vanquish those who hate him.

24  I will love him and be loyal to him, I will make him always victorious.

25  I will extend his Kingdom from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River.

26  He will say to me, ‘You are my Father and my God; you are my protector and saviour.’

27  I will make him my first-born son, the greatest of all Kings.

28  I will always keep my promise to him, and my covenant with him will last forever.

29  His dynasty will be as permanent as the sky; a descendant of his will always be King.”

Ephesians 2: 11 to 18

11  Remember then your former condition: you Gentiles, as you are outwardly, by birth you, ‘the uncircumcised’, so called by those who are called ‘the circumcised’, (but only with reference to an outward rite),  12  you were at that time separate from Christ, strangers to the community of Israel, outside God’s covenants and the promise that goes with them.  Your world was a world without hope and without God.

13  But now, in union with Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near through the shedding of Christ’s blood.  14  For he is himself our peace.  Gentiles and Jews, he has made the two one, and in his own body of flesh and blood has broken down the enmity which stood like a dividing wall between them;  15  for he annulled the Law with its rules and regulations, so as to create out of the two a single new Humanity in himself, thereby making peace.  16  This was his purpose, to reconcile the two in a single body to God through the cross, on which he destroyed the enmity.  17  So Christ came and proclaimed the good news: peace to you who were far off, and peace to those who were near by;  18  for through him we both alike have access to the Father in the one Spirit.

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

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Mark 6: 30 to 34 and 53 to 56

30  The Apostles returned and met with Jesus, and told him all they had done and taught.  31  There were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his Disciples didn’t even have time to eat.  So he said to them, “Let us go off by ourselves to some place where we will be alone and you can rest a while.”  32  So they started out in a boat by themselves to a lonely place.

33  Many people, however, saw them leave and knew at once who they were; so they went from all the towns and ran ahead by land and arrived at the place ahead of Jesus and his Disciples.  34  When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw this large crowd, and his heart was filled with pity for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.  So he began to teach them many things.

53  Afterwards, they crossed Lake Galilee and came to land at Gennesaret, where they tied up the boat.  54  As they left the boat, people recognised Jesus at once.  55  So they ran throughout the whole region, and wherever they heard he was, they brought to him the sick lying on their mats.

56  And everywhere Jesus went, to villages, towns or farms, people would take their sick to the marketplaces and beg him to let the sick at least touch the edge of his cloak.  And all who touched it were made well.

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

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Passing the Peace

Whether we gather in person in our Church building or whether we gather in spirit in our homes, we remain one body, one people of God, one in fellowship and one in worship.  With that in mind, let us uplift our hands and greet those both here and those who cannot be here: The peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

For the Young at Heart

Screen 1

“I will extend his Kingdom from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River.”

Psalm 89: 25

  Today I want to briefly refer to this verse that we have just read from Psalm 89.  It records God’s promise to King David that his Kingdom would extend from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River.

  Often we tend to gloss over such verses as these because they seem to just present some historical or geographical context to the passage but don’t seem to add to the central message of the passage that we are reading, or we feel that they relate to ‘dry’ ancient history and that to consider it any further would lead us away from the central message of the passage that we were reading, or that we feel that they cover some topic that is too difficult to confirm or to understand because we don’t have the right resources.

  I would like to talk about this verse because I want to see whether God kept this promise that He gave to David. 

Screen 2

(from National Geographic Magazine map of the Middle East dated September 1978)

  We need to put this promise in the context of present-day national borders.  I am using as a reference a National Geographic Magazine map of the Middle East dated September 1978.  Israel is the green nation in the lower right of the map shown.  It is bordered by Lebanon, the gray nation to the north, the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Egypt, the yellow nation to the south-west, the small Gaza Strip to the west facing the Mediterranean Sea, also in yellow, the Gulf of Aqaba to the south, Jordan, the orange nation to the east, and Syria, the yellow nation to the north-east.  The Euphrates River runs a course through the north-east of Syria.

  The area referred to in Psalm 89 verse 25 covers the area of present-day Israel, the Gaza Strip, much of western and central Jordan and much of central Syria.  These areas of the Gaza Strip, of western and central Jordan and of central Syria have not normally been associated with lands of the ancient Kingdom of Israel, and are certainly not lands claimed by even the most ardent of Jewish nationalists who dream of a return to the glory days of David’s reign.  If so, why is God promising lands to David that seem to be outside of what we would class as the Land of Israel?

Screen 3

“The Lord made a covenant with Abram.  He said, ‘I promise to give to your descendants all this land from the border of Egypt to the Euphrates River.’”

Genesis 15: 18

  We also need to consider this verse from Psalm 89 in its Biblical historical context, for it was not the first time that God had made this promise.  God initially made this promise to Abraham in about 1900BC, at a time when Abraham had neither owned land that his descendants could inherit nor any descendants to inherit any land.

Screen 4

“I will make the borders of your land extend from the Gulf of Aqaba to the Mediterranean Sea and from the desert to the Euphrates River.”

Exodus 23: 31

  God made to same promise to Moses and to the People of Israel, in about 1250BC, as they camped at the foot of Mt Sinai at the commencement of their exodus from Egypt.

Screen 5

“Your territory will extend from the desert in the south to the Lebanon Mountains in the north, and from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.”

Deuteronomy 11: 24

  40 years later, in about 1210BC, God repeated this promise to Moses and the People of Israel as they were about to cross the River Jordan into the Land of Canaan.

Screen 6

“Your borders will reach from the desert in the south to the Lebanon Mountains in the north; from the great Euphrates River in the east through the Hittite country to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.”

Joshua 1: 4

  About the same year, 1210BC, after the death of Moses, God repeated the same promise to Joshua, who was the leader God had chosen to lead the People of Israel in their conquest and settlement of the Land of Canaan.

Screen 7

David’s military victories that are listed in 2 Samuel 8:

Philistines, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Amalek, Aram (Syria), Zobah, and tribute from Hamath.

  Is there some way to align Psalm 89: 25 with events that took place during David’s reign?  Well, yes there is, for 2 Samuel 8 and 10 lists “David’s military victories”.  We read that David defeated the armies of the Philistines, of Edom, of Moab, of Amalek, of Aram( or Syria), and of Zobah, and that he received tribute from the Kingdom of Hamath. 

Screen 8

New Bible Atlas p42

The Kingdom of David in The illustrated Bible Dictionary Part 1 p366

  And if you look at these Nations on a map, you can see that the lands which were under the control of King David or were dominated by the armed forces of King David, at about the year 990BC, encompass the lands bordered by the Gulf of Aqaba to the south, Egypt to the south-west, the Mediterranean Sea to the west, the land of Sidon to the north, in which are located the Mountains of Lebanon, extending all the way to the Euphrates river to the north-east, in fulfillment of the promise God had given to David as stated in Psalm 89: 25.

Screen 9

“King Solomon ruled over all the land west of the Euphrates River, from Tipsah on the Euphrates as far west as the city of Gaza and the Egyptian border.”

1 Kings 4: 21, 24 and 2 Chronicles 9: 26

  As we read in the parallel passages from 1 Kings 4 and 2 Chronicles 9, these were the lands inherited by David’s son, Solomon, over which he ruled for the 40 years of his reign, from about 970BC to 931BC.

Screen 10

“I will proclaim your faithfulness forever.”

Psalm 89: 1

“His enemies will never succeed against him.”

Psalm 89: 22

  What does this tell us?  We can clearly understand the confidence that the writer of Psalm 89 has in the faithfulness of God to fulfill the promises He makes to the People of Israel.  God promised that the enemies of King David would not succeed in battle against him, and this is exactly what took place.  David was never defeated in battle against the armies of the nations around him.  God promised that David would rule over extensive lands, and this is exactly what took place.  We see clearly that God keeps His promises. 

  Let us have the same confidence in God that He will keep His promises to us.

Hymn

“O everyone that thirsts draw nigh!”  Wesley’s Hymn Number 4

[sung to the tune Fulda – there is no introduction] 

Verse 1 of 7

Come to the living waters, come!

Sinners, obey your Maker’s call;

Return, you weary wanderers home,

And find my grace is free for all.

Verse 2 of 7

Nothing you in exchange shall give,

Leave all you have and are behind,

Frankly the gift of God receive,

Pardon and peace in Jesus find.

Verse 3 of 7

Why seek you that which is not bread,

Nor can your hungry souls sustain?

On ashes, husks, and air you feed,

You spend your little all in vain.

Verse 4 of 7

In search of empty joys below,

You toil with unavailing strife;

Whither, ah, whither would you go?

I have the words of endless life.

Verse 5 of 7

Harken to me with endless care,

And freely eat substantial food,

The sweetness of my mercy share,

And taste that I alone am good.

Verse 6 of 7

I bid you all my goodness prove,

My promises for all are free,

Come, taste the manna of my love,

And let your souls delight in me.

Verse 7 of 7

Your willing ear and heart incline,

My words believingly receive;

Quicken your souls by faith divine

And everlasting life shall live.

Charles Wesley

Sermon

  A husband and wife stayed up to the very early hours of the morning to watch a movie that had been their favourite movie for over 30 years.  Feeling very tired, the wife asked her husband, “How about carrying me up to bed?”  “I would,” he replied, “but only if I can make two trips.”  (From Reader’s Digest March 1990 p167) 

  Things had apparently changed over those 30 years, but I will let you decide whether it was the husband’s unwillingness to carry her up the stairs or his inability to carry her up. 

  King David, also, represented change.

  The period of time covered by the Book of Judges was characterised by inconsistent leadership of the People of Israel and of a repetitive history of the people’s unfaithfulness to God.  One author, writing about this period in the History of the People of Israel, states that “nowhere in Scripture is Man’s essential bias to sin more graphically portrayed.”  (The Lion Handbook to the Bible p219)  Samuel proved to be an able leader, but his sons were not and could not continue as leaders of God’s People, proving themselves to be dishonest in their decision making, and more concerned with making money than obeying God.  (1 Samuel 8: 3 & 4)  Saul proved to be a flawed and disobedient King.

Screen 1

“I have made my servant David King,  My strength will always be with him”

Psalm 89: 20a & 21a

  However, it was in David that God found a leader for His People, a person whose heart was truly attuned to serving and obeying God.  (1 Samuel 16: 7 & 12)  Thus we have the writer of Psalm 89 recording God expressing His purpose and pleasure regarding David, “I have made my servant David King, My strength will always be with him.  (Psalm 89: 20a & 21a)   

Screen 2

“I will make him my first-born son, the greatest of all Kings.”

Psalm 89: 27

  God says that He would regard David as His “first born son”.  (Psalm 89: 27a)  The Hebrew word, bekore,  (Strong’s OT1060)  has the implied meaning of being the chief son, the favourite son, the irreplaceable son, the most loved son, even of being a “one of a kind” son.  Scripture indicates that this was how God related to David throughout his life.

  God continues by saying that He will make David “the greatest of all Kings”.  (Psalm 89: 27b)  This was fulfilled by David’s military victories, listed in 2 Samuel 8 and 10, which made David famous among his people and the surrounding Nations.  (2 Samuel 8: 13)  We also read that “David ruled over all of Israel and made sure that his people were always treated fairly and justly.”  (2 Samuel 8: 15)  The chronicler of the Book of 2 Samuel writes that “David son of Jesse was the man whom God made great. Whom the God of Jacob chose to be King.”  (2 Samuel 23: 1) 

Screen 3

“His dynasty will be as permanent as the sky; a descendant of his will always be King.”

Psalm 89: 29

  God then goes on to say of David, “His dynasty will be as permanent as the sky; a descendant of his will always be King.”  (Psalm 89: 29) 

  Now we know that David’s son, Solomon, ruled over the united Kingdom of Israel, and that David’s descendants ruled over the southern Kingdom of Judah until the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 586BC.  But after that date, there were Jewish leaders of Judah until 166BC, since the area of Palestine came under the rule of a series of foreign powers; the Babylonians, then the Medes, then the Persians, then the Greeks, then the Ptolemies from Egypt, and then the Seleucids from Syria.  Following a rebellion commencing in 166BC there were a series of Jewish leaders of Judah until 63BC, but these were not descendants of David.  The Romans ruled Palestine from 63BC and appointed Herod the Great as King, but he and his descendants were Edomites, and certainly not descendants of King David.

  So, looking at History, how do we make sense of this statement from God that “(David’s) dynasty will be as permanent as the sky; (and that) a descendant of his will always be King.”, when it does not appear to have been to case.

Screen 4

“This is the list of the ancestors of Jesus Christ, a descendant of David.”

Matthew 1: 1

  Just because no descendant of King David was King of Judah from the time of the exile to Babylon onwards does not mean that David’s dynasty ended at that time.  Both Matthew, (in Matthew 1: 1 to 17) and Luke (in Luke 3: 23 to 38) record the ‘family history’ of Jesus Christ, and attest that Jesus was the son of Joseph, a descendant of David, whose “hometown” was Bethlehem, “the birthplace of King David”, and, thereby, Jesus too was a descendant of David.  (Luke 2: 3 to 5)  David’s dynasty had no ended.

  But being a descendant of David did not automatically make Jesus a King.  Of all the sons of David, only one son, Solomon, was a King.  Jesus declared his ‘Kingship’ and his inheritance of David’s throne at the time of his triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

Screen 5

“God bless the King of Israel.”

John 12: 13

  John records for us the occasion when rode on a donkey down from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem, mirroring the words of the Prophet Zechariah:

“Do not be afraid, City of Zion!  Here comes your King, riding on a donkey.”  (Zechariah 9: 9) 

  The people of Jerusalem immediately recognised the significance of what Jesus was presenting to them, and they responded with the appropriate words of praise from Psalm 118:

“Praise God!  God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord!  God bless the King of Israel!”  (Psalm 118: 25 to 26) 

  In his action, Jesus declared himself to be King, in the dynasty of King David.  This is a fulfillment of the words of the Prophet Isaiah:

“A child is born to us.  He will rule as King David’s successor”  (Isaiah 9: 6 and 7)  ,

And also the words of the Prophet Jeremiah:

The Lord said to me, “At that time I will choose as King a righteous descendant of David.”  (Jeremiah 33: 15)  .

And also of the Prophet Micah:

“Bethlehem,  out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel whose family line goes back to ancient times.”  (Micah5: 2) 

Screen 6

“Jesus Christ, the first to be raised from the dead and who is the Ruler of the Kings of the World.”

Revelation 1: 5

  Elsewhere John refers to Jesus as:

“the faithful witness, the first to be raised from death and who is also the Ruler of the Kings of the World.”  (Revelation 1: 5) 

  This is a quotation from the words from Psalm 89: 27:

“I will make him my first-born son, the greatest of all Kings.” 

  We saw that this did apply to David in his lifetime, but how could these words also refer to Jesus Christ, the greatest of Kings in the dynasty of David?

Screen 7

“only begotten son”

John 1: 18, 3: 36, 18, 1 John 4: 9

  John, when he made reference to God’s relationship with Jesus, uses the Greek word monogenes  (Strong’s NT3439)  , meaning only born or sole child, but it has the wider understanding of the child having a uniqueness about them, of their being ‘one of a kind’.  John describes Jesus as God’s “only begotten son” in several verses:

John 1: 18, 3: 16, 3: 18 and in 1 John 4: 9.

Screen 8

“my own dear son”

Mark 1: 11, 9: 7

  Matthew, Mark and Luke, in their Gospels tended to use the Greek word agapetos  (Strong’s NT27)  when they referred to God’s relationship with Jesus, meaning beloved or special or irreplaceable.

  At the baptism of Jesus, Mark records for us:

“And a voice came from Heaven, ‘you are my own dear Son.  I am pleased with you.’”  (Mark 1: 11)

  On the Mount of Transfiguration, Mark records for us:

“and a voice came from the cloud, ‘This is my own dear Son – listen to him!’”  (Mark 9: 7)

  These verses illustrate the special relationship between God and Jesus, his special, beloved, ‘one of a kind’ son, only begotten son.  God’s special relationship with David was a pointer to the future specialness of God’s relationship with His son, Jesus Christ. 

  Gregory Beale and Sean McDonough, in their Commentary on John’s Book, The Revelation, state that “John views Jesus as the ideal Davidic King, whose death and resurrection have resulted in his eternal kingship.  The reference to “firstborn” refers to Christ’s privileged position as a result of his resurrection from the dead.”  (Gregory Beale and Sean McDonough in Revelation in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament edited by Gregory Beale and Donald Carson p1089) 

Screen 9

“Christ rules there above all Heavenly rulers,  he has a title superior to all titles of authority in this World and the next.”

Ephesians 1: 21

  Paul makes it clear that, by God’s right as Creator and sustainer of all that He has made and as Lord of Time and Space and History, God “raised Christ from death and seated him at His righthand side in Heaven”.  And it is there that “Christ rules above all Heavenly rulers,  he has a title superior to all titles of authority in this World and the next.”  (Ephesians 1: 21)  Jesus is “the greatest of all kings”, and “he will always be king”.  (Psalm 89:27b and 29b) 

Screen 10

“a King as his ancestor David was,  his Kingdom will never end”

Luke 1: 32 and 33”

  An angel appeared to Mary and announced that she would become pregnant and give birth to a son, who she was to name Jesus.  Mirroring the words found in Psalm 89, the angel said:

“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God.  The Lord God will make him King, as his ancestor David was, and he will be the King of the descendants of Jacob forever; his Kingdom will never end!”  (Luke 1: 31 to 33) 

Screen 11

“peace on Earth”  Luke 2:14

“a light to reveal your will to the Gentiles”  Luke 2: 32

  Mary was to learn more concerning her son, on the night of his birth, when shepherds came to see for themselves their “Saviour, Christ the Lord”, as they had been instructed to, and who conveyed to Mary the words of the angels’ song:

“Glory to God in the highest Heaven, and peace on Earth to those with whom He is pleased.”  (Luke 2: 14) 

  I am certain that, at the time, Mary did not know how her son, Jesus, was to bring “peace on Earth”.

  A week later, when Mary and Joseph presented Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem to be circumcised, we read that Simeon was led to go to them and to proclaim that their son was to be “a light to reveal God’s will to the Gentiles.”  (Luke 2: 32) 

  Again, I am certain that, at the time, Mary did not know how her son, Jesus, was to be “a light to the Gentiles”.  This was something that she and her family still could not fully comprehend during the time of the ministry of Jesus.  (Mark 3: 31 to 35) 

Screen 12

“A child is born to us!  He will be called Prince of Peace”  Isaiah 9: 6

“The Lord says, ‘I will offer peace to all, both near and far!”  Isaiah 57: 19

  But it was something that God had revealed to the Prophet Isaiah many years previously.  The promised Messiah, the “child” who was to be “born to us”, was to be called “Prince of Peace”.  (Isaiah 9: 6) 

  Elsewhere, God made the promise that He would “offer peace to all (peoples), (to those) “both near and far”.  (Isaiah 57: 19) 

  Paul writes to the Church in Ephesus, repeating the message that had been passed on to them by those who first brought the Gospel to them, that:

“it is by God’s grace that we have been saved through faith, it is not the result of our own efforts.”  (Ephesians 2: 8 & 9) 

“For by the sacrificial death of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven.”  (Ephesians 1: 7) 

  This is the Gospel that brings peace and mind and peace of soul, knowing that we have been set free from our sins and that we have been reconciled to a right relationship with God.  But Paul is careful to highlight the greatness of God’s grace.  (Ephesians 1: 7) 

Screen 13

“So Christ came and preached the Good News of peace to all – to you Gentiles, who were far away from God, and to the Jews, who were near to him.”

Ephesians 2: 17

  Paul is, here, quoting from the passage from Isaiah 57: 19.  He reminds his readers, that whatever their religious or cultural backgrounds, Greek, Roman, Jewish or whatever else, God’s grace extends to all people.  He states clearly:

“So Christ came and preached the Good News of peace to all – to you Gentiles, who were far away from God, and to the Jews, who were near to him.”  (Ephesians 2: 17) 

  God doesn’t discriminate between those to whom he will show His love.  The truth is that God goes further than Human diplomacy or good works could ever achieve, in that God also seeks to break down the barriers that exist between people, uniting people under His Lordship through the saving work of Jesus Christ.

  Frank Thielman writes that “Christ, through his death, reconciled Gentiles (that is, all non-Jews) and Jews to one another and a newly created people drawn from both groups to God.”  (Frank Thielman in Ephesians in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament edited by Gregory Beale and Donald Carson p817) 

  Francis Foulkes writes, “The sins of both Jews and Gentiles can be forgiven because of the death of Jesus Christ, and both can be brought near to God as never before, and so brought near to each other.  Divisions are overcome, not by an approaching or a receiving on either side, but by Christ’s coming and making peace for both.”  (Francis Foulkes in Ephesians p81) 

Screen 14

“And God’s peace, which is far beyond Human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4: 7

  This was a central aspect of Paul’s teaching for the Churches with whom he was in contact in Asia Minor and in Greece, and in his encouragement of these early Christians as they sought to live out their new found faith in the communities in which they lived.  And it is summed up in his benediction to his letter to the Philippian Church:

“And God’s peace, which is far beyond Human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 4: 7) 

  May we, too, find peace in our hearts and in our minds, in our union with Christ Jesus, and as we express our praise of God from the greatness of His grace extended to us.  Amen.

Hymn

“Dear Lord and Father of Mankind”  TiS598  AHB 519  MHB 669

[sung to the tune Repton – there is a short introduction]

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774 

[to be sung to the tune Austria – refer to TiS772]

[disregard the words – only the one verse is needed]

For the life that you have given,

For the love in Christ made known,

With these fruits of time and labour,

With these gifts that are your own:

Here we offer, Lord, our praises;

Heart and mind and strength we bring;

Give us grace to love and serve you,

Living what we pray and sing.

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Prayers for Others

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

Almighty God, we pray for the Church, that we may be witnesses to your reconciling power, expressions of your nurturing love, and instruments of your healing care.

We pray for unity, that through Christ’s victory over death, the divisions in the Human family may be dissolved and the wounds of racism and prejudice be healed.

We pray for a spirit of compassion, that you will touch our hearts with care and concern for all whom we find burdensome, needy, or demanding.

We pray for all who exercise leadership, that they may place their gifts unselfishly in the service of others and draw forth the skills of others for the fulfillment of your work of ensuring that no one is in want.

We pray for all who serve in ministry, that you will bless their efforts, help them keep their lives in balance, and work through them to show a shepherd’s care.

We pray that you will sustain those who have grown weary of doing good and who see little or nothing being achieved by their efforts.

We pray for your support for refugees, those displaced by violence, and those living under oppressive governments, that you will help them find the resources that they need for life.

We pray for all who have suffered abuse, that your loving compassion will fill them with hope and courage and heal their bodies, minds, and spirits.

We pray for all who are suffering, that you will strengthen those recovering from natural disasters, give hope to those who have lost their homes, and give peace to those who are mourning.

We pray for the sick, that you will relieve their pain and hurt, that you will give hope to those who are progressing through treatments, and that you will give skill and compassion to those who provide health care.

We pray for patience and insight, that you will help parents and young people who are in conflict, help them understand each other, and lead them to new respect and cooperation.

Copyright © 2021. Joe Milner. All rights reserved.<br> Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.  https://liturgy.slu.edu/ 

(also from Leading Intercessions by Raymond Chapman p71 and Prayers for the Seasons of God’s People Year B by David Hostetter p154)

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

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

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

Give us today our daily bread.

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

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

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

Now and forever.  Amen.

Hymn

“I come with joy to meet my Lord”  TiS 533                                                                Ephesians 2 

[sung to the tune Kilmarnock – there is no introduction]

Verse 1 of 4

I come with joy to meet my Lord,

Forgiven, loved and free,

In awe and wonder to recall

His life laid down for me.

Verse 2 of 4

I come with Christians far and near

Each proud division ends,

The new community of love,

And strangers now are friends.

Verse 3 of 4

And thus with joy we meet our Lord,

His presence, always near,

Is in such friendship better known;

We see, and praise him here.

Verse 4 of 4

Together met, together bound,

We’ll go our different ways,

And as His People in the World

We’ll live and speak His praise.

Brian Wren

Benediction 

(from Invocations and Benedictions by John Drescher p86) 

  As we head our different ways, may we sense the power of God at work in the World, the wonder of God’s presence with us and around us, and the assurance that God will accomplish His Will and purpose.  And may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest upon you and remain with you always.  Amen.

Benediction Song

“Now to him who loves us saves us”  TiS771

https://hymnary.org/media/fetch/179720

(only the one verse is needed)

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