Welcome: –

Call to Worship: –

(Psalm 51: 14 & 15): –

Spare my life, O God, and save me,

And I will gladly proclaim your righteousness.

Open my lips to speak, Lord,

And I will praise you.

Comment on Psalm 51

  Psalm 51 is described as a “plea for forgiveness”.  The background of the Psalm is of the writer having fallen into grievous sin.  They have been made to see themselves through God’s eyes, and they are heartbroken at what has taken place in their life.  They make no excuse for their actions, readily admitting their guilt, and simply accepting God’s judgement upon them.  All that they can do, and depending upon God’s love and mercy, is to ask for God’s forgiveness and for the opportunity for a fresh start.

  (The Lion Handbook to the Bible p338) 

  Although their heart is overwhelmed by shame, although they are humbled and broken by their guilt, the writer is saved from despair through their faith in the mercy of God. 

  (Leslie McCaw and Alec Motyer in Psalms in New Bible Commentary p483) 

  And having experienced God’s mercy and grace, the writer’s response is to glorify God and to praise God for His lovingkindness.  We may never have been as overwhelmed with guilt and shame as was the writer of Psalm 51, but we, certainly, have experienced God’s love and mercy in our lives.  As we gather for worship here today may we, too, glorify God and express our praise of God for the lovingkindness that He has lavished upon us.

Prayer of Praise

(from The Book of Worship p56 &163, An Aust Prayer Book p227, Opening Prayers p64 & 134, Invocations p68, Prayers for God’s People Year B p62 & 63, Moira Laidlaw Year B Transformation Sunday) 

  Majestic Lord, we come today to worship you and to celebrate together that you are our God.  You reveal your glory in the beauty and the order of the World and the Universe which you summoned into being, in the loveliness of created things, in the manner in which everything works together.  You reveal your wisdom in the Laws of Physics, in the movement of the Stars across the night sky, and, equally, in the movement of electrons around the nucleus of an atom.

  Infinite God, in your mercy, you encompass us in your arms.  For you are our refuge and strength, you keep us safe in your care and we know that all of our hope is in you.  You heal us when we are disheartened, you bind up the wounds of our souls, you raise us up with new life.  You promise us pure hearts so that we may truly see you, you promise us sincere love so that we may truly serve you, you promise us abundant joy for which we may truly praise you, you promise us that you will never leave us and in this we will put our trust forever.

  Almighty God, your power is revealed in and through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who is the light of the World, in whom is our hope for the forgiveness of sin and a life of blessing.  He gives light to us who when we sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and guides us into the way of peace.  In him your abundant love for all people is plainly made visible and is freely made available.

  Creator God, we praise you for you are Lord of History, we praise you for your sovereign plans and purposes for our Nation.  We are humbled that you have blessed us as a Nation, for the peace and security that we experience day by day, for stable and just government, for an abundance of food and resources.  We thank you for the way you revealed yourself to the first peoples of this Land through your creation.  We thank you that you continue to reveal yourself to us in our time according to your Holy Will.  We praise you as the God who holds all Nations of the Earth in your hands.  In you we put our hope and out trust.  To your glory we pray.  Amen.

Hymn

“Majesty”  Scripture in Song volume 2 Number 1 / 206

Prayer of Confession 

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

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

I have sinned against you, O God, only against you.

I have done what you consider evil, You are right in judging me.

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

Because of your great mercy wipe away my sins.

Wash away all my evil and make me clean from my sin.

Sincerity and truth are what you require;

Fill my mind with your wisdom.

Remove my sin and I will be clean,

Wash me and I will be whiter than snow.

Close your eyes to my sins

And wipe out all my evil.

Create a pure heart in me, O Lord,

And put a new and loyal spirit in me.

Give me again the joy that comes from your salvation,

And make me willing to obey you.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(Psalm 51: 17b) 

  The writer of Psalm 51 tells of his confidence that “God does not reject a humble and repentant heart”.  Like the Psalmist, we have confessed our sins before God with humble and repentant hearts.  Like the Psalmist, let us trust God to keep His promise, let us be assured that God has wiped away our sins and has made us clean in His sight.

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

Exodus 16:

1  The whole Israelite community set out from Elim, and on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left Egypt, they came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai.  2  There in the desert they all complained to Moses and Aaron,  3  and said to them, “We wish that the Lord had killed us in Egypt.  There we could at least sit down and eat meat and as much other food as we wanted.  But you have brought us out into this desert to starve us all to death.

4  The Lord said to Moses, “Now I am going to cause food to rain down from the sky for all of you.  The people must go out every day and gather enough for that day.  In this way I can test them to find out if they will follow my instructions.  5  On the sixth day they are to bring in twice as much as usual and prepare it.

6  So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “This evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt.  7  In the morning you will see the dazzling light of the Lord’s presence.  He has heard your complaints against Him – yes, against Him, because we are only carrying out His instructions.”  8  Then Moses said, “It is the lord who will give you meat to eat in the evening and as much bread as you want in the morning, because He has heard how much you have complained against Him.  When you complained against us, you are really complaining against the Lord.”.

13  In the evening a large flock of quails flew in, enough to cover the camp, and in the morning there was dew all around the camp.  14  When the dew evaporated, there was something thin and flaky on the surface of the desert.  It was as delicate as frost.  15b  Moses said to them, “This is the food that the Lord has given you to eat.”

1 Corinthians 10:

1  I want you to remember, my sisters and brothers, what happened to your ancestors who followed Moses.  They were all under the protection of the cloud, and all passed through the Red Sea.  2  In the cloud and in the Sea they were all baptised as followers of Moses.  3  All ate the spiritual bread  4  and drank the same spiritual drink.  They drank from the spiritual rock that went with them; and that rock was Christ himself.  5  But even then God was not pleased with most of them, and so their dead bodies were scattered over the desert.

14  So then, my dear friends, keep away from the worship of idols.  15  I speak to you as sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say.  16  The cup we use in the Lord’s Supper and for which we give thanks to God: when we drink from it, we are sharing in the blood of Christ.  And the bread we break: when we eat it, we are sharing in the body of Christ.  17  Because there is the one loaf of bread, all of us, though many, are one body, for we all share the same loaf.

Ephesians 4:

1  I urge you, then, – I who am a prisoner because I serve the Lord: live a life that measures up to the standard God set when He called you.  2  Be always humble, gentle, and patient.  Show your love by being tolerant with one another.

3  Do your best to preserve the unity which the spirit gives by means of the peace that binds you together.  4  There is one body and one spirit, just as there is one hope to which God has called you.  5  There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism;  6  there is one God and Father of all Humankind, who is Lord of all, works  through us, and is in all.

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

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

John 6:

24  When the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his Disciples, they got into boats and went to Capernaum, looking for him.  25  When the people found Jesus on the other side of the lake, they said to him, “Teacher, when did you get here?”

26  Jesus answered, “I am telling you the truth:  you are looking for me because you ate the bread and had all you wanted, not because you understood the miracles.  27  Do not work for food that spoils; instead, work for the food that lasts for eternal life,  This is the food which the Son of Man will give you, because God, the Father, has put His mark of Approval on him.”

28  So they asked him, “What can we do in order to do what God wants us to do?”

29  Jesus answered, “What God wants you to do is to believe in the one He sent.”

30  They replied, “What miracle will you perform so that we may see it and believe you?  What will you do?  31  Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, just as the Scripture says, “He gave them bread from Heaven to eat.”  (Exodus 16: 4, 15) 

32  “I am telling you the truth,” Jesus said, “What Moses gave you was not the bread from Heaven; it is my Father who gives you the real bread from Heaven.  33  For the bread that God gives is he who comes down from Heaven and gives life to the world.”

34  “Sir”, they asked him, “give us this bread always.”

35  “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them.  “those who come to me will never be hungry, those who believe in me will never be thirsty.”

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

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

For the Young at Heart

Screen 1

“Princess Medallion Class”

  In 2019, Princess Cruises introduced what they have termed, “Princess Medallion Class” on their cruise ships.  Their advertising states that they are “using technology so guests can enjoy a personalised and effortless holiday”.  Your photograph is electronically linked to your medallion.  Every time you get off the ship or come back onto the ship, your medallion is scanned, and your exit and entry is digitally recorded.  If you order a coffee or purchase an item at a shop, your medallion is scanned, and the price is added to your bill.  You can order meals by scanning any of the digital ‘kiosks’ that are situated around the ship.  But the most amazing aspect of the technology is that when I am wearing the medallion around my neck as I approach to within 2 or 3 meters of my stateroom, the door to my room automatically unlocks and an electronic message appears saying, “Welcome back Geoffrey”. 

  Of course, the concept is that only those medallions allocated to the people staying in a specific stateroom can unlock the door to that stateroom.  The exception to this rule are the staff who have been assigned to cleaning your room, for apparently they must be allocated a master key that will give them access to any room to which they have been assigned.  Why is this important?  Well, they are the ones who willingly make your bed in the morning or turn it down in the evening, and who change your towels and replace your cups.  That is all part of the service that is offered to on board the ship, so it is expected that they will be able to access your room.

Screen 2

“I stand at the door and knock”  Revelation 3: 20

  Now I was thinking about this and noticed the big difference between a door to a stateroom on board a ship and the door to a home in first century Israel.  The door to a stateroom can be opened from the outside.  However, the door to a home in first century Israel can only be opened from the inside.

  These doors were thick and solid, and bolted and barred on the inside in such a manner that they could not be easily forced open from the outside.  The person inside the home must demonstrate a willingness to open the door so that someone outside of the home could enter inside.

  We have this understanding made clear in the verse from Revelation 3: 20, where John records Jesus saying:

“I stand at the door and knock.”

  The image is of Jesus, standing outside of a home, gently and persistently knocking on the door.

Screen 3

Jesus initiates the contact.

Jesus introduces himself.

Jesus invites himself in.

  There are three things on which we need to focus about this image.

  Firstly, it is Jesus who is initiating the contact with those on the inside of the home.  Jesus is making his presence known to those inside.  Jesus is saying to them, in effect, “I am here seeking to communicate with you.”

  Secondly, once those inside are aware of his presence, Jesus would introduce himself and explain the purpose of his visit.  Jesus would be explaining the importance of their need to hear what he had to communicate to them.

  Thirdly, Jesus would invite himself inside the home so that he could personally deliver his message and to issue a personal plea for a response to what he had to say to them.

  Jesus could not and will not force himself inside a home.  Everything hinges on the willingness of those inside the home to respond to Jesus, to open the door to Jesus, to invite Jesus inside, to listen to the message that Jesus presents to them, to listen to his call to respond and to willingly respond to his call to submit their will to the will and purpose of God for the World corporately, and for them individually.

Screen 4

“What God wants you to do is to believe in the One He sent.” 

John 6: 29

  For the desire of God is that people will respond in a positive manner to the message that Jesus brings.  God wants us to believe in the one whom He sent into the World.  (John 6: 29) 

  William Barclay writes:

“The essence of a Christian life is a new relationship with God, a relationship offered by him and made possible by the revelation which Jesus gave us of Him, a relationship which issues in service to others, purity and holiness in thoughts and actions, and trust in the power and love of God, which form the reflection of God Himself.  This is this work which God wishes for us and which He enables us to perform.”  (William Barclay in John volume 1 p214) 

  Jesus hasn’t a medallion to automatically open the door to our hearts.  Instead, let us willingly and intentionally unlock this door and let Jesus enter in.  May we not hesitate to believe in the One whom God sent into the World so as to bring about forgiveness of sin and to restore our relationship with God.

Hymn

“Thy faithfulness, Lord, each moment we find”  Wesley’s Hymns number 5

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

[only the first five verses which are played are needed]

Verse 1 of 5

Your faithfulness, Lord, each moment we find,

So true to your word, so loving and kind.

Your mercy so tender, to all the lost Race,

The vilest offender may turn and find grace.

Verse 2 of 5

The mercy I feel to others I show,

I witness to all the Jesus I know;

You all may find favour who come to His call,

O come to my Saviour, His grace is for all.

Verse 3 of 5

To save who were lost, from Heaven He came,

Come, sinners, and trust in Jesus’s name,

He offers you pardon, He bids you be free,

“If sin be your burden, O come unto me!”

Verse 4 of 5

O let me commend my Saviour to you,

The publican’s friend, and advocate too,

For you He is pleading His merits and death

With God interceding for sinners beneath.

Verse 5 of 5

Then let us submit His grace to receive,

Fall down at His feet and gladly believe;

We all are forgiven for Jesus’s sake,

Our title to Heaven His merits we take.

Charles Wesley

Sermon

Screen 1

Manna from Heaven

“something that is good but unexpected, which happened just at the time that it was needed”

  “Manna from Heaven” seems to have been a common saying among English speaking people in the past.  According to the Collins Dictionary, it means “something that is good but unexpected, which happened just at the time that it was needed”.  I doubt though that it is used as much today, simply because people lack the association between manna and the Exodus 16 account where it is mentioned. 

  It is important to look at the elements behind the saying.

  Firstly, it relates to some event or occurrence that happened and that benefits someone; it brought good to them.  But it was unexpected, it was not planned, nor foreseen by that someone.  Therefore, was it by luck that it happened or was it planned by someone else?

  Secondly, it happened just at the time when it was needed.  Now, if it was not planned nor foreseen by the person who benefited, they, therefore, could not have determined for it to occur “just at the time that is was needed”.  So, therefore, was it by luck or sheer chance that things turned out the way it did, when it did, or was it planned by someone else?

  The Dictionary definition does not address this, leaving it open for each individual to understand it and apply it as they see fit.  But we need to clarify these issues when we seek to understand what is this thing called “Manna from Heaven” as it is referred to in today’s passages from both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Screen 2

“when the dew evaporated, there was something thin and flaky on the surface of the desert”  Exodus 16: 14

  “Are we there yet?”  I am certain that we all have heard these four short words at one time or another, spoken by a little voice in the back seat of the car, half-way into a not inconsiderable journey.  About the only thing we dread more being spoken by the same little voice in the back seat of the car is, “I feel sick.”.  As one writer has put it, “The thrill of freedom from routines and the excitement of anticipating what lies ahead are soon “erased by the discomforts of travel; gratitude usually gives way to grumbling”.  (1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching ed by Michael Green, number 1509 p411) 

  The Israelites were no different.  A month after they had fled Egypt, after a short stay at Elim, with its twelve springs of fresh water and seventy palm trees  (Exodus 15: 27)  , we read that they journeyed into the dry, barren Desert of Sin.  We can picture the scene; little vegetation for their flocks and herds, little fresh water for both themselves and their flocks and herds, few fruits and vegetables to collect for their meals, no game to catch for meat.  And, so, forgetting the thrill of freedom from slavery and the anticipation of journeying to the “promised land”, we read of the people “complaining to Moses and Aaron, and saying ‘you have brought us out into this desert to starve us all to death.’”  (Exodus 16: 3b) 

  Alan Cole, in his Commentary on the Book of Exodus, writes that the Israelites “are quick to impute the worst motives to Moses; he has done this deliberately, so they say.”  (Alan Cole in Exodus p130) 

  The Israelites had neglected that it was God who was calling them to follow His will for them, who was leading them, who was protecting them, who was providing for them.  God had not failed them up to that point in time.  In fact, God had clearly demonstrated His willingness and His capability to lead and to protect and to provide for them.  Why did they choose to complain when all that they had to do was ask for their needs to be met?  Why is there a complaining little voice in the back of the car?  ‘Human nature’ I guess.

  Moses makes a point of telling the people that God has neither forgotten them nor had He neglected their welfare.  And we read:

“It is the lord who will give you meat to eat in the evening and as much bread as you want in the morning, because He has heard how much you have complained against Him.” 

  (Exodus 16: 8a) 

  And a little later we read:

  “In the evening a large flock of quails flew in, enough to cover the camp, and in the morning, there was dew all around the camp.  When the dew evaporated, there was something thin and flaky on the surface of the desert.  It was as delicate as frost.  Moses said to them, ‘This is the food that the Lord has given you to eat.’”  (Exodus 16: 13 -15) 

  God had provided quail as their meat and manna as their bread.  And for the next 40 years God continued to provide this manna as food for them.  A careful consideration of the passage reveals three factors.

Screen 3

It was God who provided.

God provided perfectly for their needs.

The people needed to trust God on a daily basis and to willingly obey God’s instructions.

  A straightforward reading of this passage from Exodus provides us with the answers to the questions that we considered earlier.  The Israelites did not plan for the provision of this manna, nor did they foresee its provision to them.  But its appearance was not by luck nor by sheer chance.  It was foreseen by God, it was planned by God, and it was provided by God, as the means to sustain the Israelites on their journey.

  This manna was a blessing to the Israelites, it was unexpected, and it “happened just at the time that it was needed”, all because of the foresight and the direct intervention of God.  Alan Cole writes:

“This provision of food will confirm God’s saving purpose to Israel; it will show clearly that the Exodus was no chance historical event.”  (Alan Cole in Exodus p130) 

  God provided perfectly for their needs.  There was always enough for everyone in the camp to have their fill.  (Exodus 16: 21)  Manna was to appear for six days of the week, except on the Sabbath, when they were unable to undertake any work.  To cater for this, God would provide twice as much on the day prior to the sabbath, and, unlike other days, the manna would not spoil when it was retained so as to be eaten on the Sabbath day.  (Exodus 16: 24) 

  The people needed to trust God on a daily basis for the provision of manna, and they needed to willingly obey God’s instructions regarding not attempting to store any manna overnight.  (Exodus 16: 19 & 20)  The provision of manna was not a “free-for-all” nor unregulated.  There remained the requirement to maintain a proper worship of God through maintaining the observance of the Sabbath.  This overrode all other concerns, and it was the people’s need to recognise this and to trust in God’s providence when they could not rely on their own ability to provide for the next day.

  We read in John’s Gospel that a crowd of people travelled to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  Their desire was to see Jesus perform another miracle, as they had seen the day before when Jesus miraculously fed over 5000 people with just 5 small loaves of barley bread and two fish.  They made reference to how God miraculously fed the Israelites in the past with “bread from Heaven”.  (John 6: 31) 

Screen 4

“I am the bread of life.”  John 6: 35

  It is here that Jesus sought to teach them a deeper truth.  What was important was not the details of the miracle, nor the fact that God demonstrated His power.  What was important was that through His miraculous provision of food for the Israelites, God was ensuring their survival throughout their travels.  God was expressing the love that He had for the people whom He had chosen to love.  But more than this, God was giving to the World a foretaste, if you will, of what He would accomplish in the future for all of the World.  How God sought to give life to the Israelites was how He will seek to give ‘life’ to Humanity in centuries to come.

  “I am the bread of life”, Jesus said.  (John 6: 35)  Jesus is claiming the role of ‘life-giving’ manna that God will miraculously provide that “gives life to the World”.  (John 6: 33)  Jesus is claiming to be the “bread from Heaven” by which and through which “life” will be offered to all people.  Jesus highlights the identical three factors that we considered with God providing manna to the Israelites.

Screen 5

“it is my Father who gives you the real bread from Heaven”  John 6: 32b

“work for the food that lasts for eternal life”  John 6: 27

“What God wants you to do is believe in the one He sent.”  John 6: 29, 40

  Jesus is careful to stress that it is not he who is accomplishing anything, it is God.  It is God “who gives”.  (John 6: 32)  All along, it is God who is providing, God the Creator and Sustainer of Heaven and Earth, God the Lord of Time and Space and History, God who seeks to express His love for Humanity and who seeks to provide the means for Humanity to get right with Him.

  The manna came from the heavens, in that it fell to the ground from the sky.  Jesus is claiming to be the bread from Heaven itself, the real bread by which people will no longer be hungry and no longer be thirsty  (John 6: 32b, 35)  .  Jesus is making it clear that through him God is addressing not their physical needs, but something of ultimate importance, their spiritual needs.  He is the food “that lasts for eternal life”.  (John 6: 27)  God is addressing their deepest need, how to remove that which separates people from Him, that which separates people from each other, and that which separates people from being the people whom God seeks for them to be; that is, the sin in their lives.  God offers forgiveness of sins, God offers to remove sin from our lives for all time and for time beyond time.

  Later in John 6 Jesus states:

“For what my Father wants is that all who see the Son and believe in him should have eternal life.  And I will raise them to life on the last day.”  (John 6: 40) 

  This is the life that God offers to all people, with the hope that no one who hears the call of Jesus to come to God, disregard his call and are lost.  (John 6: 39)  This is the free gift that God offers to all, because it is clear that we cannot remove sin from our lives by ourselves.

  In the desert, the Israelites could not produce the food that they needed to live.  In the desert of our lives, bound down by sin, we cannot produce the ‘food’ that gives life to our souls.  The Israelites needed to put their trust God on a daily basis, that He would sustain them in their journeying.  So too do we, we need to put our trust in God on a daily basis to sustain us in our journeying with Him through life.

  Donald Guthrie, in his Commentary on the Gospel of John writes:

“Coming to Christ and believing in him are seen to be synonymous, as the only means of securing spiritual satisfaction.”  (Donald Guthrie in John in New Bible Commentary p943) 

  Let us put our trust in the promise of Jesus to those who believe in the one who was sent by God:

“And I will raise them to life on the last day.”  (John 6: 40)  Amen.

Hymn

“Yours for ever!  God of love”  MHB 569

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

Verse 1 of 5

Yours for ever!  God of love,

Hear us from your throne above;

Yours for ever may we be,

Here and in eternity.

Verse 2 of 5

Yours for ever!  Lord of life,

Shield us through our earthly strife;

You’re the Life, the Truth, the Way,

Guide us to the realms of day.

Verse 3 of 5

Yours for ever!  O how blessed

They who find in you their rest!

Saviour, Guardian, Heavenly Friend,

O defend us to the end!

Verse 4 of 5

Yours for ever!  Shepherd keep

These your frail and trembling sheep;

Safe alone beneath your care,

Let us all your goodness share.

Verse 5 of 5

Yours for ever!  You’re our Guide,

All our wants by you supplied,

All our sins by you forgiven,

Lead us, Lord, from Earth to Heaven.

Mary Maude

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774

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

[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 in Christ, we may find the fulfillment of the deepest hungers of our hearts and nourishment for our life’s journey.

We pray for Ministers and Pastors of your Church, empower them to bring the true bread of life to all who seek your peace.

We pray that we may lay aside our old habits and attitudes that rob us of life and become new persons of love and service in Christ.

We pray that you will open our minds and hearts to recognize the manna that you send into our lives and give us the courage to utilize it.

We pray for a spirit of understanding, that Christ will free us from narrow thinking and help us take on the mind of Christ so that we may see and understand your vision for life.

We pray for a deepening of trust in your providence, that we may live in the present and be freed from the compulsions to hoard or stockpile.

We pray that we may appreciate all the blessings and opportunities that you have given us rather than complain about that which we do not possess.

We pray for all who are experiencing the wilderness in their life’s journey, that they may encounter Christ in their loneliness, a new vision in times of confusion, and renewed energy when the path ahead seems endless.

We pray for freedom from grumbling and complaining, that we may be transformed by Christ and come to a new understanding of the people and the situations that lead us to negativity.

We pray for strength on our daily journey, that we find our nourishment and renewal in the your Word for all our commitments and responsibilities each day.  May our words and deeds show the sincerity of our faith.  May our motives be pure and not driven by a desire for material reward or gain.

We pray for business and government leaders who have responsibility for food, that they will strive with new effort to alleviate the hunger and needs of the poor, of refugees, and of the victims of war.  May our leaders work together to share ideas and strive for ways and means to work together to implement solutions to our problems, to ensure that all people have access to education, health care and opportunities to earn a descent income.

We pray that you will inspire generosity in those of us who have, so that we will share with those who do not.  Save us from the selfishness of holding on to what we can share.

We pray for all who are participating in the Olympics, that you will protect them from harm and help them to use their gift fully for your glory.

We pray for an end to the Covid pandemic, that you will subdue the virus, heal the sick, and give strength to all who care for them.

We pray for all who are suffering from natural disasters, that you will provide hope and safety to those who have fled wildfires, courage to all who are fighting the fires, and rain for those oppressed by drought.  Likewise, we pray for those who have fled floods, may they find refuge from rising waters and support to renew their lives and livelihoods.

We pray for better stewardship of Earth’s resources, that Government and business leaders will recognize the impact of their practices upon the environment and work to promote good stewardship of the air, land, and water.

We pray for the gift of peace, that you will end the violence in our cities and bring forth peace so that all can live in safety and use their talents for the good of one another.  Bring into this troubled World the stability and firmness of purpose that only you can bring, so that people will live their lives for the welfare of others.

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 p73 and Prayers for the Seasons of God’s People Year B by David Hostetter p160 & 161)

We pray for strength for the family of Violet as they support her as she progresses through her current treatment to address the recurrence of her tumour.  Please encourage Violet in the days ahead, and we ask that she will remain positive about her treatment.

We pray for the family of Harriet as they support her at this point in time.  Please give them encouragement for a successful treatment of her illness.

We thank you for the work of Kylie, the chaplain at Bald Hills State School, for her dedication to the welfare of the children at the School, of their families, and of the staff at the School.  Please continue to guide her as she identifies areas of need and as she seeks your peace for them.

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

“Jesus loves even me”  Alexander’s Hymns No. 3 number 45

Benediction 

(from Invocations and Benedictions by John Drescher p87) 

As we go out into the World, let us bear witness to the faithfulness of God, let us praise God for His goodness, and let us hear and do God’s will today and always.

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

Benediction Song

“Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us”  Scripture in Song Volume 2 number 111 / 316

[there is an introduction]

[you can choose for yourself whether you repeat the verse 2, 3, or 4 times]

Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us.

Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us.

That we should be called the children of God,

That we should be called a child of God.

Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us.

Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us.

That we should be called the children of God,

That we should be called a child of God.

Patricia van Tine