Welcome: –

Liturgy for New Year’s Day: –

Narrator: Today we light a candle for the coming year.

A reading from Matthew 1:

18  This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place.  His mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, but before they were married, she found out that she was going to have a baby by the Holy Spirit.  19  Joseph was a man who always did what was right, but he did not want to disgrace Mary publicly; so he made plans to break the engagement privately.  20  While he was thinking about this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary to be your wife.  For it is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived.  21  She will have a son, and you will name him Jesus – because he will save his people from their sins.” 

22  Now, all of this happened in order to make true what the Lord had said through the Prophet,

23  “A virgin will become pregnant and have a son, and he will be called Immanuel” (which means ‘God is with us’  (Isaiah 7: 14) 

24  So, when Joseph woke up, he married Mary, as the angel of the Lord had told him to.  25 But he had no sexual relations with her before she gave birth to her son.  And Joseph named him Jesus.

Comment on Matthew 1:

  “Now all of this happened, or was done, or took place”, so we read in Matthew 1: 22, depending on your translation.  The Greek word used is ginomai  (Strong’s NT1096)  which could also be translated as “to cause to be, to generate, or to come into being”.  There is the understanding of intent and purpose and active involvement.  But, whose intent and purpose and involvement is evident throughout the passage.

  It is God who chose Mary and Joseph to be the parents of His Son.  It is God who explained

His intent and purpose behind the birth of His son, and guided and advised Mary and Joseph as to what they were to do and when they were to act.  God fulfills the promises that He made to Jews and to non-Jews as recorded in Scripture, “with or without mortal’s cooperation” as Craig Keener notes  (Craig Keener in The Gospel of Matthew p87)  , affirming the authority and trustworthiness of the Old Testament writings.

  God did not need to rely on the right conditions or on beneficial circumstances for Him to act.  Jesus was born to young and relatively poor parents from a province that the religious and social elite in Jerusalem considered socially and culturally backward.  When Joseph and Mary were married, questions were being asked around Nazareth as to whose child Mary was carrying, causing humiliation for Joseph and Mary.  King Herod’s reaction to the birth of Jesus indicated that he was born into a world “hostile to his presence”.  (Craig Keener in The Gospel of Matthew p87) 

  It was God’s plan that was being enacted in the world, but it was a plan that did not conform to how the Jewish religious leaders conceived how God would act.  Jesus will be a Saviour of God’s people, but not from the physical oppression of the Roman occupying forces as the Priests and teachers had hoped, rather he will save people from the “spiritual enslavement of their sins”.  (Gregory Beale and Donald Carson in Matthew in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament P3) 

  God was demonstrating His presence with the people of Israel, “not in the Temple but in something greater, the person of His Son”.  (Robin Nixon in Matthew in the New Bible Commentary p818)  God is demonstrating to us that He is present with us today and every day, for Jesus said to his Disciples “And I will be with you always, to the end of the age”  (Matthew 28: 20)  As we move into a new year, we have “the promise of the perpetual presence of the risen Christ” with us.  May we rest on that assurance as we awake each day to love and serve our Lord and Saviour.

A New Year Meditation

Give us through the coming year

Quietness of mind,

Teach us to be patient

And always to be kind,

Give us reassurance

When everything goes wrong

So our faith remains unfaltering

And our hope and courage strong,

And show us that in quietness

We can f eel your presence near,

Filling us with joy and peace

Throughout the coming year.

  (Helen Steiner Rice in Loving Thoughts P88) 

A Prayer for the New Year:

Let us pray.

  Lord, please guide us as we head toward a new year.  We ask for Your love to permeate our lives.  We’re grateful for all we have, and we ask that we can keep our focus on what is right and good.  Please protect us throughout the coming months and prepare our hearts for what’s to come in the days ahead.

— Author Unknown

  (https://www.boomershub.com/blog/25-best-christmas-prayers) 

Let us continue to celebrate the New Year as we sing the hymn TiS 296 ‘From Heaven above to Earth I come’ 

[This YouTube video is for another hymn, but is used for the music]

Verse 1 of 5

Give heed my heart, lift up your eyes,

Who is it in that manger lies?

Who is this child so young and fair?

It is the Christ child lying there.

Verse 2 of 5

We welcome you, O noble guest.

Through you our sinful World is blessed.

And my poor life you enter too,

How can I give my thanks to you?

Verse 3 of 5

Ah, dearest Jesus, holy child,

Prepare a bed, soft, undefiled,

Within my heart, that it may be

A quiet room that’s kept for thee.

Verse 4 of 5

For joy, then, let me jump and sing

And join the praise the angels bring,

The only fitting lullaby,

The sweetest song they sang on high:

Verse 5 of 5

‘Glory to God on his high throne,

For He has given us His Son!’

And so, the angels bring us cheer,

To everyone a glad new year.

Martin Luther

Translated by Catherine Winkworth and by David Schubert

Prayer of Praise  

(from Psalm 148) 

Praise the Lord from Heaven, you that live in the heights above.

Praise Him, all His angels, all His Heavenly armies.

Praise Him, Sun and Moon: praise Him shining stars.

Praise Him, highest heavens and the waters above the sky.

Let them all praise the name of the Lord!  He commanded, and they were created;

By His command they were fixed in their places for all Time, by a command that lasts forever.

Praise the Lord from the Earth, sea monsters and all ocean depths;

Lightning and hail and snow and clouds and strong winds, which all obey His command.

Praise Him hills and mountains, fruit trees and forests,

All animals, domesticated and wild, all reptiles and birds.

Praise Him Kings and all Peoples, Princes and all other Rulers;

Girls and young men, old people and children too.

Let them all praise the name of the Lord! 

His name is greater than all others; His glory is above Earth and Heaven.

And the Lord has raised up a King, who is the assurance of God’s salvation for His People.

Let us praise the Lord.  Let the People of God, so near and so dear to Him, exalt His majesty and power.  Hallelujah!

We sing the Hymn “Ring out wild bells, to the wide sky”  MHB905

[This YouTube video is for another hymn, but is used for the music]

Verse 1 of 5

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,

For those that here we see no more;

Ring out the feud of rich and poor,

Ring in redress to all Mankind.

Verse 2 of 5

Ring out a slowly dying cause,

And ancient forms of party strife;

Ring in the nobler modes of life,

With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Verse 3 of 5

Ring out false pride in place and blood,

The civic slander and the spite,

Ring in the love of truth and right,

Ring in the common love of good.

Verse 4 of 5

Ring out old shapes of foul disease,

Ring out the narrowing lust of gold,

Ring out the thousand wars of old,

Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Verse 5 of 5

Ring in the valiant people, free,

The larger heart, the kindlier hand,

Ring out the darkness of the Land,

Ring in the Christ that is to be.

Alfred Tennyson

Prayer of Confession   

Merciful God, we confess that we have turned the page in our calendar, but still haven’t fully turned our hearts to You.

We confess that there is much about us which brings you sorrow and grief.

For the times when we try to go our own way and end up running from you,

we ask your forgiveness.

For the times we felt took advantage of your grace,

we ask your forgiveness.

For the times we ignored your calling in our lives,

we ask your forgiveness.

For the times we were to proud to see you at work around us,

we ask your forgiveness.

For the times when we shy away from the work that you want to do in our lives,

we ask your forgiveness.

For the times when we seek fulfillment in human potential rather than in your peace,

we ask your forgiveness.

Merciful God, guide us in this new year, help us to see you more clearly than ever before.

Let us be lights that reflect Your love and truth to our friends and neighbours so that they may know that the power of sin has been broken.  Let this be the year we seek Your glory more than our own.  In Jesus’ Name we pray.  Amen.

  (https://thepastorsworkshop.com/prayers-of-confession-on-the-new-year) 

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from Hebrews 2: 11 & 17) 

The writer of the Book of Hebrews clearly reminds us that it is through Jesus Christ that our sins are forgiven, and that we are made pure in God’s sight.  Having confessed our sins before God and confessed our faith in the saving grace of God, let us move forward with confidence that, indeed, God has heard our prayers and has forgiven us.

Thanks be to God.

Bible Reading:

Matthew 2

Screen 1

“some men who studied the stars came from the East to Jerusalem”  Matthew 2: 1

(https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2021/12/13/11/05/stars-6868012__340.jpg)

1  Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the time when Herod was King.  Soon afterward, some men who studied the stars came from the East to Jerusalem  2  and asked, “Where is the baby born to be the King of the Jews?  We observed the rising of his star, and we have come to worship him.”

Screen 2

“Herod called the visitors from the East to a secret meeting”  Matthew 2: 7

(https://media.istockphoto.com/id/695548718/vector/interview-of-the-magi-and-king-herod.jpg)

3  When King Herod heard about this, he was very upset, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem.  4  He called together all the chief priests and the teachers of the Law and asked them, “Where will the Messiah be born?”

5  “In the town of Bethlehem in Judea,” they answered.  “For this is what the prophet wrote:

  6  “Bethlehem in the land of Judah, you are by no means the least of the leading cities of Judah; for from you will come a leader who will guide my people Israel.’ ”  (Micah 5: 2) 

7  So Herod called the visitors from the East to a secret meeting and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.  8  Then he sent them to Bethlehem with these instructions:

“Go and make a careful search for the child; and when you find him, let me know, so that I too may go and worship him.”

Screen 3

“When they saw the star, how happy they were”  Matthew 2: 9

(https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2022/12/19/17/33/three-wise-men-7666197__340.png)

9  And so they left, and on their way they saw the same star they had seen in the East.  When they saw it, how happy they were, what joy was theirs!  It went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 

Screen 4

“when they saw the child with his mother, Mary, they knelt down and worshipped him”  Matthew 2: 11

11  They went into the house, and when they saw the child with his mother Mary, they knelt down and worshipped him.  They brought out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and presented them to him. 

Screen 5

“they returned to their country by another road”  Matthew 2: 12

(https://media.istockphoto.com/id/178407321/photo/wise-men-leave-bethlehem.jpg)

12  Then they returned to their country by another road, since God had warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod.

Screen 6

“get up, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt”  Matthew 2: 13

(https://media.istockphoto.com/id/477858307/vector/angel-telling-joseph-leaving-bethlehem.jpg)

13  After they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph and said, “Herod will be looking for the child in order to kill him.  So get up, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you to leave.” 

Screen 7

“Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and left during the night for Egypt”  Matthew 2: 14

(https://media.istockphoto.com/id/182227667/vector/fleeing-to-egypt.jpg)

14  Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and left during the night for Egypt,  15  where he stayed until Herod died.  This was done to make come true what the Lord had said through the prophet, “I called my Son out of Egypt.”  (Hosea 11: 1) 

Screen 8

“Herod gave orders to kill all the boys who were two years old and younger”  Matthew 2: 16

(https://media.istockphoto.com/id/477858297/vector/herod-killing-children-in-bethlehem.jpg)

16  When Herod realized that the visitors from the East had tricked him, he was furious.  He gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its neighbourhood who were two years old and younger – this was done in accordance with what he had learned from the visitors about the time when the star had appeared.  17  In this way what the prophet Jeremiah had said came true:  18  “A sound is heard in Ramah, the sound of bitter weeping.  Rachel is crying for her children; she refuses to be comforted, for they are dead.”  (Jeremiah 31: 15) 

Screen 9

“so he went to the province of Galilee and made his home in a town named Nazareth”  Matthew 2: 22 & 23

(https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2019/06/17/04/57/stained-glass-4279090__340.jpg)

19  After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt  20  and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go back to the land of Israel, because those who tried to kill the child are dead.”

21  So Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went back to Israel.  22  But when Joseph heard that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as King of Judea, he was afraid to go there.  He was given more instructions in a dream, so he went to the province of Galilee  23  and made his home in a town named Nazareth.  And, so what the prophets had said came true: “He will be called a Nazarene.”  (Mark 1: 24, Luke 2: 39, John 1: 45) 

[Today’s English Version]

(https://www.biblestudytools.com/gnt/matthew/2.html)

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

We sing the Hymn: “Standing at the portal”  MHB955

Francis Ridley Havergal

Sermon

Screen 1

“Where is the baby born to be the King of the Jews?  We observed the rising of his star, and we have come to worship him.”  Matthew 2: 2

The Magi’s journey to Jerusalem would have taken them several months, travelling slowly northwest through the lands of the Parthian Empire, crossing into Roman occupied Syria, before journeying southwards through Roman occupied Syria and Palestine until they reached Jerusalem in Judea.  They would have been accompanied by a reasonably large entourage, bringing with them enough provisions to sustain the group on their journey west to Judea and the return trip east, back home.  Included in their group would have been an armed escort, to ward off attacks by bandits and also to ensure that their valuable gifts arrived safely and securely.  They were not just ordinary travellers or merchants, but men of enough status and prestige to warrant an audience with King Herod.  (Matthew 2: 7) 

  The size and appearance of their group as they entered Jerusalem would have caused people to stop and wonder at the intent of their visit, the purpose for their long and hazardous journey.  But it was the question they asked upon their arrival that caused much consternation.

  “Where is the baby born to be the King of the Jews?”, they asked, “We observed the rising of his star, and we have come to worship him.”  (Matthew 2: 2) 

  There was already a King of Judea, the Land of the Jews, King Herod the Great, whose Kingship had been approved by the Roman Emperor Augustus in 40BC.  A new King needed to be appointed by Rome, which was not likely to happen, and King Herod was not the type of autocrat willing to readily give up his Kingdom and power and wealth.  But the mention of a star rising in the sky was surely a celestial sign of certain changes which will occur, as was the current understanding of the time.  So, what was the motivation behind this question being asked by the Eastern visitors?  Was there to be a new King of the Jews, or was this all just the mistaken ramblings of pagan astrologers?

  Such considerations were unnecessary, for, as the Magi well understood, they were conveying God’s announcement to the people of Judea, to the Roman occupiers of Palestine, and to the rest of the non-Jewish World.  God is announcing to King and to pauper alike, to religious and social leaders and to religious and social outcasts alike, that:

“I am ultimately guiding and controlling people and events in History.”,

“It is my will and purpose for the World that is being implemented.”,

“I am leading individuals as to what actions they are to undertake for me, and I am anointing them for my service.”, and that

“I will ensure that what I have planned will take place.”

  How can we see this announcement by God in the short statement of the Magi?

  Firstly, we see a condemnation of the Jewish religious leaders, for God was making His announcement through Gentiles, non-Jews, because He was unable to speak through the

Jewish religious leaders, who had closed their hearts and minds to God.

  They were ‘worshipping’ God’s Law rather than worshipping God, by their adding of restrictions and compulsions on to the Law, such that it governed everyday life and behaviour in ways that were not intended when God gave the Law to their ancestors.  Years later, Jesus would call Pharisees and Teachers of the Law “hypocrites” who “disobey God’s command and follow their own teaching”  (Matthew 15: 3 & 7)  , and warned his Disciples to guard themselves about “the teaching of the Pharisees and the Sadducees”  (Matthew 16: 12) 

  They were more concerned with a strict adherence to the rites and rituals of their sacrificial worship, stating that this was the only way to please God, instead of the sincere faithfulness and worship which God required of them.  Later in his ministry, Jesus criticized the Pharisees, saying “It is kindness (God) wants not animal sacrifices”, quoting the words of the Prophets Hosea  (Hosea 6: 6)  and Micah  (Micah 6: 8)  .

  Secondly, the Magi were reminding the people of Old Testament prophesies which indicate God fulfilling His plans for Humanity.

  “Where is the baby?” the Magi ask.  (Matthew 2: 2a)  This should have reminded their listeners of the Prophet Isaiah’s statements which we have read in previous weeks.

  In Isaiah 7: 14 we read:

“the LORD Himself will give you a sign: a young woman who is pregnant will have a son.”

  In Isaiah 9: 6 we read:

“A child is born to us!  A son is given to us!”

  “Where is the baby born to be the King of the Jews?” the Magi ask.  (Matthew 2: 2b)  This should have reminded their listeners of another part of Isaiah’s statement in Isaiah 9:7 where we read:

“His royal power will continue to grow; his Kingdom will always be at peace.  He will rule as King David’s successor,”

  As King David’s successor, God is granting to this new King the role and authority as “King of the Jews”.

  But there is much more to the baby than just being a King, for he will not just represent God on Earth, he will be God on Earth.  Isaiah records for us that his name will be “Immanuel”, meaning “God is with us.”  (Isaiah 7: 14)  , that is, God in Human form, intentionally integrating Himself with the Humanity whom He so desperately loves.  Isaiah says of the child to be born that he will be called:

“Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace”  (Isaiah 9: 6) 

  As I have mentioned previously, these are “prophesies that scarcely could have been fulfilled in a mere Earthly king”.  (Gregory Beale and Donald Carson in Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old Testament p4) 

  Isaiah writes further that this future King:

will be “a great light (for) the people who walk in darkness (and) who live in a land of shadows”,

will be a source of “great joy”,

will break “the yoke that burdens people”, and

will free the “oppressed and exploited”.  (Isaiah 9: 2 – 4) 

  These go beyond describing the rule of a mere, mortal, Human King.

  This future King will reign in the same manner as God reigns in Heaven, “basing his power on right and justice”  (Isaiah 9: 7, 11: 5)  .  He will reign with God’s blessing and power  (Isaiah 11: 2)  .  He will reign so as to fulfill God’s will  (Isaiah 11: 2)  .  He will reign so as to give honour to God and in obedience to God  (Isaiah 11: 2)  .  And he will reign with God’s authority and right to judge people, based on their obedience to God’s will and purpose for them  (Isaiah 11: 4)  . 

  These go beyond describing the rule of a mere, mortal, Human King.

  And it was so obvious to those who conversed with the Magi about whom they were referring, that even King Herod is led to ask his religious advisors, “the Chief Priests and the Teachers of the Law”, “Where will the Messiah be born?”  (Matthew 2: 4) 

  As William Barclay writes:

“It was in Bethlehem, David’s city, that the Jews expected great David’s greater Son to be born; it was (from) there that they expected God’s Anointed One to come into the World.  And it was so.”  (William Barclay in The Gospel of Matthew p24) 

  Having clearly identified “the baby born to be the King of the Jews” whom they have come to visit, the Magi are then led to proclaim:

“We have come to worship him.”  (Matthew 2: 2) 

  Knowing that God’s promised Messiah has been born, and knowing where God’s promised Messiah has been born, the Magi were compelled to make a response.  Their choice was to continue their travels so as to see him in person and to “worship him”.  The Greek word that is used is translated as “worship” in most English translation of Matthew’s Gospel.  It is the Greek word pros-koo-neh-o, and has been translated as “to prostrate oneself in homage, to revere, to adore, or to worship”  (Strong’s NT4352)  .

  Everyone, faced with the knowledge and understanding of the person of Jesus Christ as God’s Messiah, the Lord and Saviour of Humanity, is, likewise, called to make a response. 

  We see the Magi, fully understanding the person and position of this baby who has been born, prepared to make all the effort that is needed, to pay homage to him in person, to offer their worship to God in Human form, come to work His redemption for Humanity.

  We see King Herod’s religious advisors, the Chief Priests and the Teachers of the Law, those who had the ‘head knowledge’ regarding God’s Messiah, failing to make a similar response, choosing not to follow the Magi in their quest to visit the baby.  They had no desire within their hearts to investigate whether or not what the Magi had shared with them was the truth, whether or not it was the evidence of God at work in the World.  You would have expected that they, of all people, had the most to gain from following the Magi, and to offer their worship of the “Immanuel”.  Yet they did not, and we can see how Jesus was justified in calling them “hypocrites”  (Matthew 15: 3)  , displaying an outward faith in God but inwardly failing to live out such a faith.  Henrietta Mears writes:

“The priests knew where Christ was to be born, but they did not know Christ when he was born.”  (Henrietta Mears in What the Bible is all about p361) 

  King Herod, follows a third course of action.  Judging “the baby born to be the King of the Jews” as a threat to his own position and rule as the King of the Jews, “he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its neighbourhood who were two years old and younger.”  (Matthew 2: 16)  Henry Halley is led to write of Herod, “Strange that one who believed in the coming of the Christ  (Matthew 2: 4)  could have been conceited enough and stupid enough to think that he could thwart His coming.”  (Henry Halley in Halley’s Bible Handbook p329) 

  Randolph Tasker writes “the devices of Man can never thwart the ultimate purposes of God”.  (Randolph Tasker in Matthew  An Introduction and Commentary p42)  As the Prophet Isaiah writes of the coming of God’s Future King:

“The LORD Almighty is determined to do all this.”  (Isaiah 9: 7c) 

  If God wills it to be done, it will be done.

  In his Gospel, Matthew sharply contrasts the acceptance of the new King by the Gentile strangers with the violent rejection of Jesus by the Jewish ruler.  “For Matthew, this undoubtedly symbolized the future rejection of Jesus by his own people and the acceptance of the Gospel by Gentiles.”  (Douglas Hare in Matthew  A Bible commentary p15) 

  In his narrative, Matthew clearly portrays Jesus as “truly God”, “God with us” as Isaiah writes, yet Matthew also clearly writes that “Jesus is also the fully Human one who ‘saves his people’ by the cross.  Thus, Matthew invites his (readers) to consider and worship the God who accepted the ultimate vulnerability, born as an infant to humiliated and probably relatively poor parents into a World hostile to his presence.”  (Craig Keener in The Gospel of Matthew p97) 

  William Barclay writes that “when any (person) realizes the love of God in Jesus Christ, (they), too, in the same manner as the Magi, should be lost in wonder, love and praise.” and offer their worship of Jesus.  (William Barclay in The Gospel of Matthew p31) 

Screen 2

“at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess, ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’, to the glory of God the Father”  Philippians 2: 10

The Apostle Paul tells the Philippians: “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess, ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’, to the glory of God the Father”  (Philippians 2: 10) 

  Paul writes that all people should be sensitive to the presence and person of God, sensitive to the call of God to repent and return to a right relationship with Him, and respond to the love and grace of God by “bending the knee in submission and making the confession which formed the earliest Christian creed, ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’, as an acclamation (of) the cosmic victory and authority of the obedient one who now receives the worship and homage (that he deserves).”  (Ralph Martin in Philippians  An Introduction and Commentary p105) 

  As we move into the New Year, may we offer our daily worship of “the baby born to be the King of the Jews”, and daily proclaim to the World, that ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’.  “Wise men (and women) still seek Jesus.”  (Herbert Vander Lugt in Our Daily Bread 21 December 2006)  Amen.

Dedication of the New Year 

(from Uniting in Worship 1 p66 and 72 to 74) 

At this time of the New Year, let us recommit ourselves to God, renewing our promise to love and to serve God.  In so doing we are submitting our will to the will of God, and restating our hope and trust in the grace and benevolence of God.

In the Old Covenant, God chose Israel as His People, and gave them the gift of the Law.  In the New Covenant, He made the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, who fulfills the Law for us.  We stand within the New Covenant and we bear the name of Christ.

God promises us new life in Him.  We receive this promise and pledge to live not for ourselves but for God. 

Today we meet to renew that which binds us to God.  Beloved in Christ, let us again claim this Covenant for ourselves and take the yoke of Christ upon us.

To take this yoke upon us means that we are content that God appoints us our place and work, and that He Himself will be our reward.

Christ has many services to be done: some are easy, others are difficult, some are undertaken in public, others are undertaken and known only to God.  Yet the power to do all things is given to us in Christ, who strengthens us.  In our baptism we are brought into union with Christ who fulfills God’s gracious Covenant.  In the Communion elements, we receive the fruit of obedience.  So, with joy, we take upon ourselves the yoke of obedience and commit ourselves to seek and to do God’s perfect will.  I am no longer my own, but God’s.

I am no longer my own, but yours, O God.  Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for you or laid aside for you; let me be full, let me be empty; let me have all things, let me have nothing; I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal.

And now, glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you are mine and I am yours, to the glory and praise of your name.  Amen.

We sing the Hymn: “Sing to the Great Jehovah’s praise”  MHB959  AHB484

[This YouTube video is for another hymn but is used for the tune]

Verse 1 of 5

Sing to the great Jehovah’s praise,

All praise to Him belongs,

Who kindly lengthens out our days

Demands our choicest songs.

Verse 2 of 5

His providence has brought us through

Another various year,

We all with vows and anthems new

Before our God appear

Verse 3 of 5

Father, your mercies past we own,

Your still continued care,

To you presenting, through your Son

Whate’er we have or are.

Verse 4 of 5

Our lips and lives shall gladly show

The wonders of your love;

While on in Jesu’s steps we go

To see your face above.

Verse 5 of 5

Our residue of days or hours

Yours, wholly yours shall be,

And all our consecrated powers

A sacrifice to you.

Charles Wesley

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774  

[This YouTube video is for another hymn but is used for the tune – 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 

(from Leading Intercessions p5, Prayers for the Seasons Year A p30 & 31) 

Loving God, we bring to you our prayers for the World around us and for people individually.

Loving God, we bring before you our cares and our concerns.

Loving God, we live in a World where mistrust and selfishness breeds cruelty towards others, the abuse of power and privilege, the oppression of the powerless and the poor, discrimination towards those who are classed as ‘different’, and indifference towards the needs of others.

May the decision-makers in Governments and Business, in cultures and communities, acknowledge your Lordship over all of Humanity, and acknowledge their accountability to you for their actions and their inactions towards those whom you love in equal measure.

Loving God, we live in a World where forgiving others is seen as a sign of weakness, where holding onto grudges is the norm.

Make us instruments of peace, reconcile us where we are in dispute with others and cleanse us from all resentment.

Loving God, we live in a World where the innocent are the ones who suffer in times of conflicts, where the unprotected are the ones who are the victims of terror and crime.

We pray for your protection over children and their families.  May they experience your care such that their lives and their livelihoods are prosperous and fulfilling.

Loving God, we live in a World where many suffer pain from accident or illness, where many are disabled or sick in body, mind and spirit.

Please bring relief to those who suffer, please bring healing and wholeness to the ill and the injured.  Please bless the efforts of medical and nursing staff, of counsellors and service providers.

Loving God, we live in a World where the Church seen as irrelevant or, at the very least, distrusted.

Reawaken in your Church its calling to be the light of the World, to provoke the World to judge itself in terms of your standards and principles.  Reawaken in your Church its calling to boldly proclaim your Gospel message of hope for the sinful and the lost.  Reawaken in your Church its calling to show leadership in the caring for the needy and in proper stewardship of your Creation.

Loving God, may we be aware that you walk beside us every moment of our day.  May we be aware of the peace within that you promise to give to us.  For these things we pray.  Amen.

We sing the Hymn: ‘Great God we sing that mighty hand’  TiS124

Verse 1 of 4

Great God, we sing that mighty hand

By which supported still we stand;

The opening year your mercy shows,

And mercy crowns it at its close.

Verse 2 of 4

By day, by night, at home, abroad,

Still are we guarded by our God,

By His incessant bounty fed,

By his unerring counsel led.

Verse 3 of 4

With grateful hearts the past we own,

The future, all to us unknown,

We to your guardian care commit,

And peaceful leave before your feet.

Verse 4 of 4

In scenes exalted or depressed

You are our joy, and you our rest,

Your goodness all our hopes shall raise,

Adored through all our changing days.

Philip Doddridge

Sacrament of Communion 

(following Uniting in Worship 2 p162 to p222) 

The Peace

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

The Invitation

Christ, our Lord, invites to his Table all who love him, all who earnestly repent of their sin and who seek to live in peace with one another.

Prayer of Approach

Lord God, we come to your Table, trusting in your mercy and not in any goodness of our own.  We are not worthy even to gather up the crumbs under your table, but it is your nature always to have mercy, and on that we depend.  So, feed us with the body and blood of Jesus Christ, your son, that we may for ever live in him and he in us. Amen.

Narrative of the Institution of the Lord’s Supper

Hear the words of the institution of this Sacrament as recorded by the Apostle Paul:

  “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, broke it and said, ‘This is my body which is for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.’  In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new Covenant in my blood.  Do this, as often as you drink it, for the remembrance of me.  For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.’”  (1 Corinthians 11: 23 to 26) 

  And, so, according to our Saviour’s command, we set this bread and this cup apart for the Holy Supper to which he calls us, and we come to God with our prayers of thanksgiving.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

With all we are, we give you glory, God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the one and holy God, Sovereign of all Time and Space.  We thank you for this wide red land, for its rugged beauty, for its changing seasons, for its diverse people, and for all that lives upon this fragile Planet.  You have called us to be the Church in this place, to give voice to every creature under Heaven.  We rejoice with all that you have made, as we join the company of Heaven in their song:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, Heaven and Earth are full of your glory.  Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed be the One who comes in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna in the highest.

We thank you that you called a covenant people to be the light to the Nations.  Through Moses you taught us to love your Law, and, in the Prophets, you cried out for justice.  In the fullness of your mercy, you became one with us in Jesus Christ, who gave himself up for us on the cross.  You make us alive together with him, that we may rejoice in his presence and share his peace.  By water and the Spirit, you open the Kingdom to all who believe, and welcome us to your Table: for by grace we are saved through faith.  With this bread and this cup we do as our Saviour commands: we celebrate the redemption he has won for us.

Christ has died.  Christ is risen.  Christ will come again.

Pour out the Holy Spirit on us and on these gifts of bread and wine, that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.  Make us one with him, one with each other, and one in ministry in the World, until at last we feast with him in the Kingdom.  Through your Son, Jesus Christ, in your holy Church, all honour and glory are yours, Father Almighty, now and for ever.

Blessing and honour and glory and power are yours for ever and ever.  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.

Breaking of the Bread

The bread we break is a sharing in the body of Christ.

The cup we take is a sharing in the blood of Christ.

The gifts of God for the People of God.

Lamb of God

Jesus, Lamb of God,

Have mercy on us.

Jesus, bearer of our sins,

Have mercy on us.

Jesus, redeemer of the World,

Grant us peace.

The Distribution

Receive this Holy Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, and feed upon him in your hearts by faith with thanksgiving.

(after all have received the bread)

The body of Christ keep you in eternal life.

(after all have received the juice)

The blood of Christ keep you in eternal life.

Prayer after Communion

Blessed be God who calls us together.

Praise to God who makes us one People.

Blessed be God who has forgiven our sins.

Praise to God who gives us hope and freedom.

Blessed be God whose Word is proclaimed.

Praise to God who is revealed as the One who loves.

Blessed be God who alone has called us.

Therefore, we offer to God all that we are and all that we shall become.

Accept, O God, our sacrifice of praise.

Accept our thanks for we have seen the greatness of your love.  Amen.

We sing the Hymn: ‘Another year is dawning’ MHB954

Frances Ridley Havergal

Benediction 

(Helen Richmond, Prayers that Unite)   https://pilgrimwr.unitingchurch.org.au/?p=754 

May God be a smooth path ahead of you, and a bright star to guide you,

May His loving eyes be upon you tonight, tomorrow and always.

May the God of love strengthen us in our love for others,

May Christ Jesus be our living hope,

May the Holy Spirit surprise us on the way.

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

Benediction Song

“By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered”  TiS617

[This YouTube video is for another hymn, but is used for the tune]

Verse 1 of 1

By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered,

And confidently waiting come what may,

We know that God is with us night and morning

And never fails to greet us each new day.

We shall remember all the days we live through

All of our life before our God we lay.

Dietrich Bonhoffer

Translated by Frederick Pratt Green

(adapted)