Service for Sunday 19th January 2025, which was conducted by Mr Ian Kerr

Servicing the Bald Hills and nearby Communities

Service for Sunday 19th January 2025, which was conducted by Mr Ian Kerr

Welcome: –

Not only are we welcome here today, but actually invited to join with each other to celebrate the amazing gift of life through our Lord Jesus, Christ. Let us stand and sing.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the hymn ‘Come on and Celebrate’

(SIS 481)

Gathering

As we receive, so may we give:
to the God who loves us,
let us give our love;
to the God who pours out his heart for us,
let us pour out our hearts in worship.

Like guests at a wedding feast,
we have come from far and near
to join in this family celebration.

The gifts we bring are ourselves –
our hearts and minds and souls and strength,
to share with God and each other in love.
It is a bring-and-share celebration
of God’s union with the world.
Let us feast and rejoice together,
in God’s abundant love.
Let’s continue our praise singing together 2 songs ‘I will sing, I will sing a song unto the Lord’   

(SIS 254)

‘I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever’

(SIS 404)

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever

I will sing , I will sing

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord

With my mouth will I make known

Thy faithfulness, Thy faithfulness

With my mouth will I make known

Thy faithfulness to all generations    (Repeat)

Consider the words expressed in Psalm 23. Even though it was written three thousand years ago it speaks to our heart. The first lines say it all.

PSALM 23         

Lord, you are my shepherd;
    I have everything I need.

You let me rest in fields of green grass
    and lead me to quiet pools of fresh water.

You give me new strength.
You guide me in the right paths, as you have promised.
  

Even if I go through the deepest darkness,
    I will not be afraid, Lord, for you are with me.
Your shepherd’s rod and staff protect me.

                                                                                                                  3.You prepare a banquet for me,
    where all my enemies can see me;
you welcome me as an honoured guest
    and fill my cup to the brim.

I know that your goodness and love will be with me all my life;
    and your house will be my home as long as I live.

Message Part 1 

Our readings today speak of God’s abundant provision. As we listen to scripture we stop to consider what it tells us about God’s loving generosity and how we experience it in our own lives and how we might respond.

Psalm 36

The writer of Psalm 36 expresses his delight in the love of God. It is God who provides abundantly and is therefore trustworthy. Here we are encouraged to feast on God’s abundant spiritual food and drink from the river of his goodness because he is the source of all life.

1 Corinthians 12

As Paul writes to the church in Corinth, he encourages that we live with the Holy Spirit to guide us. The Spirit within unites as one body, granting many and diverse gifts, gifts which abundantly enrich and empower the Church. This is a real cause for celebration!

John 2.1-11

The account of the wedding at Cana is well known to us. John records Jesus’ first miracle. Jesus and his mother Mary are at a wedding celebration and the wine runs out. Jesus is encouraged by Mary to solve the problem and instructs the servants to fill six jugs with water. Much to everyone’s astonishment, as the liquid is poured out of the jugs, what comes out is the finest wine. Implied is that God, through Jesus, takes our ordinariness and turns it into unexpected richness. Through this abundant life, God works his purposes.                                                              The wedding was a village affair and following the customs of the day the many relatives would turn up for a full week of celebrations. Many as with Jesus and his mother would have come from neighbouring towns to be part of the celebrations. Cana was only about a half day’s walk from Nazareth.  There would be one big sleepover, much singing and dancing.  It was a catch-up time with old friends, new friends made, and guests laughed, cried, told stories, and above all, honoured marriage.

 With so many people in attendance it would have been impossible to cater for what would be an unknown number of guests.  I also read that the wine was not as strong as the bottled wine of today.

I also think about the relationship between Jesus and his mother. The sense of the “boss of the house” needing to take control is evident and the subtle sense of humour in the way it was told speaks of the everyday humanity that Jesus shared in joyous celebration. 

 I think that Maryam, Jesus’ mother, saw the problem of the host losing face as the wine ran out. She may have sidled up to her Isa and whispered,

“Isa? I know how much you love your Imma and how much you like to make her happy.”

“Yes, my Imma. I do love you very much.”

(hinting strongly) “Well Isa, I heard that there is no more wine…. and poor Benjamin is very embarrassed. It is such a shame.”

“Please Imma. Stop worrying . it’s not really my problem, or yours for that matter.”

And so, Maryam taking control, as mothers do, spoke to the waiters.

“He is a good boy, my Isa. Everything will be fine. Just do what he says.”

And we know the rest of the story, where the quantity and the quality was most unexpected.

As we put our trust in God’s gracious provision, maybe the quantity and quality of our lives will be measured in abundance that reflects the abundant generosity of God who gives more than we expect.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the song ‘There is a Redeemer’

(SIS 644) 

Prayer of Confession        

We confess to you our moments of doubt, of inaction,
of falling short of what we know we can be;
moments when we have been unwilling to help others
because it was easier not to or we couldn’t be bothered.
In this moment of silence, we reflect on our failings and
seek your forgiveness …
Lord God Almighty, forgive us we pray.
  Amen

Assurance of Forgiveness        

The Lord hears our prayer, never falters or wavers,
but forgives us our sins, our failings, our faults and sends us on our way as forgiven people.                                                                                  

As it is written “Some men brought to Jesus a paralytic lying on a mat. When He saw their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven’”

In the same wayJesus says to each of us, “Take courage your sins are forgiven”                                                                                           

Thanks be to God.
Amen.

Prayer For Illumination

God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
we marvel at all you have been through the generations,
all you are to us now
and all we trust you will be in the future.
As your Word unfolds, we find ourselves kneeling before you
in body, mind and spirit, in awe of your goodness and majesty.
We stand in awe of the way your Spirit transforms and transports us.
God Almighty, we adore you.
Amen.

Bible Readings

Psalm 36:5-10

(Good News Translation)

The goodness of God

Lord, your constant love reaches the heavens;
    your faithfulness extends to the skies.
Your righteousness is towering like the mountains;
    your justice is like the depths of the sea.
People and animals are in your care.

 How precious, O God, is your constant love!
    We find[a] protection under the shadow of your wings.                   
We feast on the abundant food you provide;
    you let us drink from the river of your goodness.
You are the source of all life,
    and because of your light we see the light.

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Gifts from the Holy Spirit

          Now, concerning what you wrote about the gifts from the Holy Spirit.

I want you to know the truth about them, my friends. You know that while you were still heathen, you were led astray in many ways to the worship of lifeless idols. 

I want you to know that no one who is led by God’s Spirit can say “A curse on Jesus!” and no one can confess “Jesus is Lord,” without being guided by the Holy Spirit.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. There are different ways of serving, but the same Lord is served. There are different abilities to perform service, but the same God gives ability to all for their particular service. 

The Spirit’s presence is shown in some way in each person for the good of all. The Spirit gives one person a message full of wisdom, while to another person the same Spirit gives a message full of knowledge. 

One and the same Spirit gives faith to one person, while to another person he gives the power to heal. The Spirit gives one person the power to work miracles; to another, the gift of speaking God’s message; and to yet another, the ability to tell the difference between gifts that come from the Spirit and those that do not. To one person he gives the ability to speak in strange tongues, and to another he gives the ability to explain what is said. 

But it is one and the same Spirit who does all this; as he wishes, he gives a different gift to each person.

Your word, O God, is a lamp to our feet

A light to our path

John 2.1-11

From Water to Wine

Three days later there was a wedding in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there. Jesus and his disciples were guests also. When they started running low on wine at the wedding banquet, Jesus’ mother told him, “They’re just about out of wine.”

Jesus said, “Is that any of our business, Mother—yours or mine? This isn’t my time. Don’t push me.”

She went ahead anyway, telling the servants, “Whatever he tells you, do it.”

 Six stoneware water pots were there, used by the Jews for ritual washings. Each held twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus ordered the servants, “Fill the pots with water.” And they filled them to the brim.

                “Now fill your pitchers and take them to the host,” Jesus said, and they did.

 When the host tasted the water that had become wine (he didn’t know what had just happened but the servants, of course, knew), he called out to the bridegroom, “Everybody I know begins with their finest wines and after the guests have had their fill brings in the cheap stuff. But you’ve saved the best till now!”

                This act in Cana of Galilee was the first sign Jesus gave, the first glimpse of his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

Thank you for your words of life.

May we come close to you and follow your Spirit’s leading.

Message  Part 2

The Psalms allow us to express in words when we cannot find the right words ourselves the joy and provision of God’s care.  Psalm 23 which we read earlier is one to which we often turn in times of distress.  Memorised and sung to the tune Crimmond as The Lord is my Shepherd it is used to comfort many who are going through personal trials, suffering illness or dying.

It declares that the Lord leads and sustains us and in Him I have everything I need. In Him I know my needs are supplied and I decide not to desire more than what the Lord my shepherd gives.

I know I can rest because there is no need to worry. I have been granted comfort, care and rest and as He leads me along safe paths in life’s journey. As we follow display God’s glory and grace.

          In the difficult and often darkest times we know that God walks with us and keeps us close to him even when death approaches.

          Even in the presence of danger we are blessed with the fullness of God abundantly and to conclude the psalm the familiar words

          Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

          And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Back when Liz and I were part of the small congregation at Woombye, Vladimir Nedved and his wife Luisa joined us. A quiet unassuming couple later in years enjoyed the fellowship with us for a while. Vlad, a man of faith since his youth had quite a story to tell. It was not until hearing his testimony that we realised that we had a war hero amongst us.

It was quite a long testimony, and he humbly told how his faith had brought him through the war years and beyond. The newspaper obituary will fill you in on his greater story which makes a fascinating read.

Central to his story was Psalm23

Vlad, a Czechoslovakian Air Force navigator had escaped the clutches of Nazi Germany and was flying bomber raids on Essen and Cologne. Later he moved to Coastal Command attacking U-boats to ensure safe passage for supply ships from the US. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Vlad relates that before every operational flight he read Psalm 23. I read the 23rd Psalm,” Nedved wrote in his memoirs. “I knew I was in the hands of Almighty God.” 

His closest call, though, was as a navigator, when his armed and fuelled Wellington bomber crashed into trees after take-off from RAF East Wretham, Norfolk in December 1940.

He pulled the injured co-pilot, Flight-Sergeant Joseph Pavelka, from the flames but the first pilot and front-gunner died instantly. Hearing screams from the rear gun turret, he went back to reach the trapped gunner Jaromir Toul, as fuel, bombs and ammunition exploded. “Take my pistol and shoot me, Vlad,” Toul shouted. One of the bombs exploded, blowing Nedved away “like a feather”. A rescue team freed Toul but he died enroute to hospital. Throughout the incident Vlad recited Psalm 23 over and over.

Despite shock and burns, Nedved was back in the air a month later and took a pilot’s course.

In a later part of the story, Vlad tells how he and Luisa escaped Communist Czechoslovakia.

In April 1948, with his wife Luisa, his 15-month-old son Jiri and more than a dozen other would-be escapers, he “hijacked” a Czechoslovak Airlines DC-3 after it took off from Prague headed for Bratislava.

Later, President Vaclav Havel promoted Nedved to Major-General and he was awarded the country’s highest honour, the Order of the White Lion.

His testimony followed the pattern of a psalm of thankful praise giving God the Glory. I am thankful that I heard the story and know it was a privilege to have shared those brief few years with him and Luisa.

 Our own testimonies may not have a dramatic tale to tell, but we have our own stories.

In our psalm which will not be like that of anyone else we can give thanks and praise to God. 

We can tell of the times when God has guided us along the way.

We can tell of the times God has provided for us.

We can tell of the times God has comforted us.

We can tell of the times God has protected us.

And we can tell how we can continue to trust God.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the song ‘The Night Song’ 


Offertory

Dedication of offering

Generous God,
your love is overflowing:
may we be generous beyond expectation.
Generous God,
your love is overflowing:
may we use what you give us wisely.
Generous God,
your love is overflowing:
may we never underestimate your generosity.
Generous God,
your love is overflowing:
it surrounds us every day.
Generous God,
your love is overflowing:
we thank.

Prayers Of Intercession

Lord, we pray that your transforming power will be released,
enabling the power of love to prevail:
into places where people live in fear of the bullet and the bomb,
where basic human rights are ignored,
where people are trafficked or treated as slaves.
As you turned water into wine, transform hatred into love.

Lord, we pray that your transforming power will be released,
enabling the power of love to prevail:
into places where women and men are bitter because of perceived wrongs 9 of the past,
where jobs are hard to find even when sentences have been served,      
where there is no such thing as a fresh start.
As you turned water into wine, transform injury through pardon.

Lord, we pray that your transforming power will be released,
enabling the power of love to prevail:
into situations of mistrust and insecurity,
where people do not not know who or what to believe,
where fake news is rife and lying is an acceptable norm.
As you turned water into wine, transform doubt into truth.

Lord, we pray that your transforming power will be released,
enabling the power of love to prevail:
where people see no way of paying off their debts,
where queueing at the food bank is all the future seems to hold,
where homes or jobs seem nothing more than a distant dream.
As you turned water into wine, transform despair into hope.

Lord, we pray that your transforming power will be released,
enabling the power of love to prevail:
to those who stroke the hands of loved ones nearing the end,
to those who wait anxiously for the phone to ring, fearing the worst,
to those who weep for loved ones now at rest.                                             

As you turned water into wine, transform sadness into peace by your comforting presence.

Lord, we pray that your transforming power will be released,
enabling the power of love to prevail.
Use us, Lord, to bring understanding, consolation and love,
strong in the assurance that it is in giving that we receive,
in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and in dying that we are born to eternal life.
As you turned water into wine, transform us into your disciples, agents of change in a broken world.
Amen.

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 ‘Tell out my soul’

(TIS 161)            

Benediction

Mary saw there was a problem.
She told Jesus about it and he responded
with unexpectedly abundant generosity.

May we have eyes that see the needs of others,
A faith that expects Jesus to help,

And the confidence to pester him in prayer.

You have blessed each one of us with spiritual gifts and natural talents that build and strengthen the church.

May we be aware of your purpose for our lives and grow together as the Body of Christ.

We all have known your abundant goodness, placing your joy in our hearts.

May we live to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.                                   

Remembering that God’s peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.

And may the blessing of God, the Father, Jesus, the Son and the Holy Spirit be with you and remain with you always.

Amen.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Benediction song  ‘May The Feet Of God Walk With You’    

(TIS 779) 

Going Out Song   ‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords’

(SiS  409)

King of Kings and Lord of Lords
Glory Halleluja
King of Kings and Lord of Lords
Glory Halleluja

Jesus, Prince of Peace
Glory Halleluja
Jesus, Prince of Peace
Glory Halleluja

King of Kings and Lord of Lords
Glory Halleluja
King of Kings and Lord of Lords
Glory Halleluja

Jesus, Prince of Peace
Glory Halleluja
Jesus, Prince of Peace
Glory Halleluja

King of Kings and Lord of Lords
Glory Halleluja
King of Kings and Lord of Lords
Glory Halleluja

Jesus, Prince of Peace (King of Kings and Lord of Lords)
Glory Halleluja
Jesus, Prince of Peace (King of Kings and Lord of Lords)
Glory Halleluja

King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Jesus, Prince of Peace)
Glory Halleluja
King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Jesus, Prince of Peace)
Glory Halleluja

Jesus, Prince of Peace (King of Kings and Lord of Lords)
Glory Halleluja
Jesus, Prince of Peace (King of Kings and Lord of Lords)
Glory Halleluja

Jesus, Prince of Peace
Glory Halleluja
Jesus, Prince of Peace
Glory Halleluja

Source: Musixmatch