Welcome: –

Call to Worship: –   

  Last week’s Gospel reading was the Parable of the Workers in the Field  (Matthew 20: 1-16)  , where the owner of the vineyard paid each worker the same wage, a silver coin, irrespective of whether they worked a full day of 12 hours, or nine hours, or six hours, or three hours, or only the one hour.  Jesus used this parable as an illustration of the generosity of God.

  Archibald Hunter, in his Commentary of the Parables of Jesus recorded for us in the Gospels, writes:

“Jesus is saying (through this parable) that the rewards of the Kingdom of God are not to be measured by a person’s merits but by God’s grace.  God gives according to our needs and not according to our just deserts.  Grace has been defined as the love of God, spontaneous and unearned, at work in Jesus Christ for the salvation of Humanity.  (Archibald Hunter in Interpreting the Parables p53 & 54) 

  He quotes from the writings of Thomas Manson who said;

“There is such thing as a twelfth part of a denar (the gold coin in the parable).  It was called a pondion.  But there is no such thing as a twelfth part of the love of God.”  (Thomas Manson in The Sayings of Jesus p220, quoted in Archibald Hunter in Interpreting the Parables p54) 

  The author of Psalm 25 writes:

“With faithfulness and love God leads all who keep his covenant and obey His commands.”  (Psalm 25: 10) 

  The emphasis in this verse is on the word “all”.  God seeks to lead all people, everyone; God seeks to demonstrate His love to all people, everyone.  God leads and loves people not according to their merits, not according to their deeds that deserve a reward, but as they open their hearts and minds to His worship and service, and His guidance in their lives as to right living.  We gather together here today as people led and loved by God.  We gather together not because we are special nor on a higher spiritual level than others, not because we have merit and have deserved God’s favour, but because we have opened our hearts and minds to God, and seek to offer our worship and praise to God in response to God’s undeserved grace towards us.

  On the understanding of our oneness before God, let us then greet each other, both those who are here and those in their homes who cannot be here, with these words:

May the peace of God be with you.

And also with you.

Prayer of Praise    

  Almighty God, all-powerful, true and incomparable.

You are present in all things, yet limited by none;

Untouched by place, unaged by time;

Unhurried by years, undeceived by words;

Not subject to Earthly powers, nor in need of any sort of protection.

You are above corruption, beyond all change;

Invisible, yet you make yourself known to us.

You are found by all who seek you with their whole heart.

You are the God of all who put their hope in Jesus Christ.

You alone are God; we adore you.

(Uniting in Worship  Leader’s Book  Book 1  number 17 p569)

We thank you God, through our Lord Jesus Christ,

For the assurance of forgiveness of sins and the promise of renewal.

Your nature is to show mercy and love, morning, noon, and night.

You are compassion, you are our inspiration,

In you we find true liberty, joy, and peace.

Holy is your nature, holy is your will and holy is your purpose for Humanity.

In gratitude for your mercy and love we offer our praise and thanksgiving,

Our worship and our adoration, morning, noon and night.  Amen.

j(based on Endless Love in Bruce Prewer Australian Prayers p102)

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

‘I will sing I will sing a Song unto the Lord’ (Scripture in Song volume 2 number 254)

Max Dyer

“For I’m building a People of Power” – (Scripture in Song volume 2 number 262)

Dave Richards

Prayer of Confession   

Merciful God, we have sinned against you and against one another, in thought, word and deed,

In the wrong we have done, and the good that we have not done,

Through ignorance, through weakness,

Through our own deliberate fault.

We repent of all of our sins, forgive us all that is past.

Cleanse us from all that hinders our communion with you and with each other.

Grant that we may serve you in newness of life,

Make us attentive to your voice, and alert to your presence,

And may we treasure your Word above all else.

To your honour and glory we pray.  Amen.

(Uniting in Worship  Leader’s Book  Book 1  number 12 p584, Norman Wallwork in Companion to the Revised Common Lectionary Volume 5 p62 &64)

Assurance of Forgiveness

 (from Philippians 2: 7 & 8) 

The Apostle Paul writes of the humbleness of Christ Jesus, walking the path of obedience all the way to his death on the cross, his death by which our sins are forgiven and our lives redeemed by God.  Having put our trust in this saving work of Jesus, let us be assured that, having confessed our sins before God, He has heard our prayers and has forgiven us.

Thanks be to God.

Prayer of illumination

 (from Uniting in Worship Book 1 number 13 & 14 p599) 

  Prepare our hearts, O Lord, to be guided by your Word and the Holy Spirit, that in your light we may perceive your mercy and grace, that in your truth we may find freedom, and that in your will we may discover peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Bible Readings

Exodus 17:

1  The whole Israelite community left the Desert of Sin, moving from one place to another at the command of the LORD.  They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water there to drink.  2  They complained to Moses and said,

“Give us water to drink.”

Moses answered,

“Why are you complaining?  Why are you putting the LORD to the test?”

3  But the people were very thirsty and  continued to complain to Moses.  They said,

“Why did you bring us out of Egypt?  To kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”

4  Moses prayed earnestly to the LORD and said,

“What can I do with these people?  They are almost ready to stone me.”

5  The LORD said to Moses,

“Take some of the leaders of Israel with you, and go on ahead off the people.  Take along the stick with which you struck the Nile.  6  I will stand before you on a rock at Mount Sinai.  Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.”

Moses did so in the presence of the leaders of Israel.  7  The place was named Massah and Meribah (These names in Hebrew mean ‘testing’ and ‘complaining’.) , because the Israelites complained and put the LORD to the test when they asked,

“Is the LORD with us or not?”

Ezekiel 18:

1  Ezekiel said,

“The LORD spoke to me  2  and said,

‘What is this proverb people keep repeating in the land of Israel?

“The parents ate the sour grapes, but the children got the sour taste.”

3  As surely as I am the Living God”, says the Sovereign LORD, “you will not repeat this proverb in Israel any more.  4  The life of every person belongs to me, the life of the parent

as well as the life of the child.  The person who sins is the one who will die.

26  When a righteous person stops doing good and starts doing evil and then dies, they die because of the evil they have done.  27  When an evil person stops sinning and does what is right and good, they save their life.  28  They realize what they are doing and stop sinning, so they will certainly not die, but go on living.  29  And you Israelites say,

“What the LORD does isn’t right.”

You think my way isn’t right, do you?  It is your way that isn’t right.

30  Now I, the Sovereign LORD, am telling you Israelites that I will judge each of you by what they have done.  Turn away from all the evil you are doing, and get yourselves new minds and hearts.  Why do you Israelites want to die?  32  I do not want anyone to die,’ says the Sovereign LORD.  ‘Turn away from your sins and live.’”

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Matthew 21:

23  Jesus came back to the Temple, and, as he taught, the Chief Priests and Elders came to him and asked,

“What right do you have to do these things?  Who gave you such right?”

24  Jesus answered them,

“I will ask you just one question, and if you give me an answer, I will tell you what right I have to do these things.  25  Where did John’s right to baptise come from: was it from God or from Man?”

They started to argue among themselves,

“What shall we say?  If we answer, ‘From God.’, he will say to us, ‘Why then, did you not believe John?  26  But if we say, ‘From Man.’  We are afraid of what the people might do, because they are all convinced that John was a Prophet.”  27  So they answered Jesus,

“We don’t know.”

And Jesus said to them,

“Neither will I tell you, then, by what right I do these things.”

28  Jesus continued,

“Now, what do you think?  There was once a man who had two sons.  He went to the older one and said,

‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’

29  ‘I don’t want to.” He answered, but later changed his mind and went.

30  Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing.

‘Yes, sir.’ he answered, but he did not go.  31  Which one of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The older one.” They answered.

So Jesus said to them,

“I tell you: the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the Kingdom of God ahead of you.  32  For John the Baptist came to you showing you the right path to take, and you would not believe him; but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him.  Even when you saw this, you did not later change your minds and believe him.”

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Bread Bag Tags for Wheelchairs presentation by Jenny Cooper

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Hymn  ‘Come, O you all-victorious Lord’  MHB 347

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

Verse 1 of 5

Come, O Thou all-victorious Lord,

Your power to us make known;

Strike with the hammer of your Word,

And break our hearts of stone.

Verse 2 of 5

O that we all might now begin

Our foolishness to mourn,

And leave at once the paths of sin,

And to our Saviour turn.

Verse 3 of 5

Give us ourselves and you to know,

In this our gracious day,

Repentance unto life bestow,

And take our sins away.

Verse 4 of 5

Show us our sin and unbelief

And then from guilt release;

Fill every soul with sacred grief,

And then with sacred peace.

Verse 5 of 5

Our desperate state through sin declare,

And speak of sins forgiven;

By perfect holiness prepare,

And take us up to Heaven.

Charles Wesley

Sermon

The road from Elim to Rephidim, according to an 1899 map of the Exodus.

MACCOUN(1899) p049 ELIM TO REPHIDIM.jpg 

Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35022143

“They camped at Rephidim”, so we read today. (Exodus 17: 1) Just where this was is a matter of conjecture. One source reads that Rephidim is: “in the Wadi Feiran, near its junction with the Wadi esh-Sheikh”, as we can see from this map. [James K. Hoffmeier, Ancient Israel in Sinai (Oxford University Press, 2005) page 169 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rephidim]
This is along what is termed the “Traditional Route of the Exodus”, running more-or-less down the west coast of the Sinai Peninsula and up the east coast of the Sinai Peninsula. An alternative location for Rephidim is in the valley of Maqna, in the Tabuk Province in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, where these is a source of water termed “The well of Moses”. This is, historically, the land of Midian, where Moses settled in exile after fleeing Egypt. (Exodus 2: 16)
Why do I favour the “Traditional Route of the Exodus”? Because in the latter half of Exodus 17, we read of an attack upon the people of Israel by a band of Amalakites. (Exodus 17: 8)
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Historically, the Amalakites lived in the Negev region in the southern area of present day Israel and ranged across the northen part of the Sinai Peninsula. This is where we read of Saul’s and David’s battles with them taking place, not in the land of Midian. (1 Samuel 15: 1 to 7, 1 Samuel 27: 8) There is no reason not to accept that, being nomadic, the Amalakites did not wander throughout the Sinai Peninsula looking for pasture and water for their flocks and herds. Their desire to protect their scarce pastures and water supplies from ‘outsiders’ is, presumably, the reason for attacking the people of Israel, as we read later in Exodus 17.
Why am I going into some detail with this, that this incident took place in the south-west corner of the Sinai Peninsula? Firstly, because we need to accept that the Exodus account is referring to real people in real places at a real time in History. Secondly, because we need to understand how arid is the land of the south-western part of the Sinai Peninsula.

Arid interior of Sinai Peninsula

In June 2018, Kerry and I flew to Rome to embark on a cruise on the Mediterranean Sea. The flight took us over the Sinai Peninsula, and the girl who was sitting by the window seat
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allowed us to take some photographs. As you can see the land is characterised by the brown of the sparsely vegetated mountains and the tan of the dry wadis or riverbeds.
So, spend a moment to imagine the Israelites as they were travelling through the Sinai Peninsula. They had been caught up in the excitement of God’s protection from the plagues that He had sent upon the Egyptians, and caught up with the enthusiasm of the preparations for departing for the Promised Land. They had seen God in the column of smoke during the day and the pillar of flame at night as they were being led away from Egypt. They had experienced an amazing escape through the Red Sea and salvation from Pharaoh’s army. They had experienced release from the hardships of enforced labour in Egypt and had embraced the promise of being their own nation in their own land.
But now things had settled down to the relatively mundane tasks of everyday life. When I recall being on a camping holiday, one of the tasks I had to do every morning was to fill up the water container. And I can’t see why it would not have been any different for the Israelites. Except, where-ever they had stopped, there was no water to be found, and their water containers always seemed to be empty. It’s bad enough travelling with the family in the car, with the kids complaining about being thirsty while you know that the next MacDonald’s is still 20kms away. But when you are on foot in unknown lands, and have no water to drink, what do you do?

They complained to Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”  Exodus 17: 2

What was the option they took? It was to send a deputation to Moses. What did they say? “Give us water to drink, for we do not know where to get any water!” (Exodus 17: 2a) Straight forward you might say. Yes it was, except for the way in which they said it. For we read in Exodus 17 that they complained to Moses, and complained in such a way that Moses was afraid that they were about to stone him. (Exodus 17: 4b) But, in complaining in this way, were they not also complaining about God? For what had God done? “Why did you bring us out of Egypt,” they asked, “to kill us and our children and our livestock from thirst?”.
Now, this was said about the God who had saved them so dramatically at the Red Sea, who had provided fresh water for them at Marah and at Elim, and who had provided quail and manna for them to eat when they had recently camped in the Desert of Sin, as we had read last week. (Exodus 16: 11 – 15) All of this had taken placed in just two months after they had left Egypt, as we read in Exodus 19: 2, barely 60 days.
Now, when another water issue arose, did they remember how God had recently provided for them, and had demonstrated His love for them? Did they remember how Moses had so effectively led them so far, and had been their faithful and tireless advocate before God? It doesn’t seem so. But, how could they have forgotten so quickly? If God was providing their food for them on a daily basis, why would He, then, intend for them to perish in the wilderness from thirst? How could they neglect the things that had taken place in just 60 days?
It was because their focus was on themselves and not on God. They looked at Moses and were saying, “If you can’t do anything for us, we’ll replace you with someone else who can.”. They were looking at God and were saying, ”If you can’t do anything for us we’ll go back to the gods with whom we were familiar who can.”. Where was the faith in the God they sang about immediately after crossing the Red Sea, when they sang “I will sing to the Lord, because he has won a glorious victory.”? Where was the trust in the God who was providing manna for them six days every week, even on this day when they came to Moses complaining?
It was absent, for their faith was superficial and their trust was shallow. They had not given themselves wholly to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God who had just demonstrated His presence to them so effectively. They had not committed themselves to complete obedience and trust as He had asked. They were reserving their judgement just in case they felt that they could make a better decision about where they would go and what they would do. They were not willing to come humbly before God to express their praise for what He had already done for them, so extravagantly and generously, and to bring their requests humbly to Him, trusting in God to provide for their every daily needs.

“I will ask you just one question, and if you give me an answer, I will tell you what right I have to do these things.” Matthew 21: 24
Jesus went to Jerusalem just before the Passover Festival, and made his spectacular entry into the City with the people waving palm branches as he passed, cheering and giving praise to “David’s son”. (Matthew 21: 1 – 11) Matthew, Mark and Luke record in their Gospels that it was at this time that Jesus drove out the merchants and the moneychangers from the Temple, proclaiming that the Temple was a house of prayer but that they had made it into a den of thieves. (Matthew 21: 12 & 13) And every day he was returning to the Temple to pray and to give teaching to those who would stop and listen to him. (Matthew 21: 23a)
So, consider how we would feel if an upstart like Jesus did the same in our Church. Couldn’t we identify with the Chief Priests and the Elders when they appeared upset with what this seemingly uneducated carpenter from Galilee was doing? Couldn’t we identify with them concerning the way that this unqualified person was criticising their authority and their position, and offering an alternative teaching to what they were provided? For wouldn’t we expect a Minister of the Word and the Church Council to do the same as they were doing? Wouldn’t we expect a Minister of the Word to come up to Jesus and saying “who or what gives you the right to do these things?” (Matthew 21: 23b) ?
And the impudence of Jesus to answer a question with another question. Don’t you find it annoying when someone does this to you? Jesus bargains with them. “I will ask you just one question, and if you give me an answer, I will tell you what right I have to do these things.” (Matthew 21: 24)
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The Chief Priests and the Elders must have thought that this was going to be easy. Just one question. And were not they the most learned people in Jerusalem and in all Judah, what question could they not answer? But in asking his question, Jesus was in fact getting them to verify by what authority they themselves were passing judgment upon Him.
“Where did John’s right to baptize come from: was it from God or from man?” Jesus asked. (Matthew 21: 25) John the Baptist had been dead for nearly three years, yet his memory was still fresh in the minds of many people. He had been an embarrassment to the Jewish nobility and to the Jewish leaders with the way that he had so publicly criticised their King, Herod Antipas, for his marriage to Herodias. (Matthew 14: 4) John had been the son of Zechariah the Priest, yet had chosen to be an itinerant preacher, living a nomadic life in the bush, eating locusts and wild honey, instead of following his father into the priesthood. (Matthew 3: 4, Luke 3: 2) And hadn’t he too become a thorn in the side of the Chief Priests and the Elders by becoming popular with the people, preaching repentance from sins, but not as the Temple authorities themselves would have preferred. (Matthew 3: 5 & 6, mark 1: 4, Luke 3: 3, John 1: 7) And what was it that he called certain Pharisees and Sadducees who had come to him to be baptized? “Snakes!” (Matthew 3: 7) Was that the respect that the Chief Priests and Elders felt that they deserved from the positions that they held in the Jewish religious hierarchy?
But, was he preaching about a different god? No! He was bringing people back to a close relationship with the God of Abraham. Was he telling people that the Temple worship was no longer required? No! He was telling people to get into a right relationship with God so that their Temple worship was meaningful and honest. But what was it that made him so unpopular with the Chief Priests and the Elders? It was because he challenged their authority. The Chief Priests and the Elders were not involved in John’s ministry. He was seen as questioning their integrity and motivation. He was seen as questioning whether their leadership was driving people away from simply trusting and obeying God to a trust in ritual and rite and rules. He was seen as questioning whether their religious life was based more on pretence than piousness. That was why the Chief Priests and the elders hesitated to make a stand either way with John.
But Jesus was now forcing their hand. He was now challenging them to make a public statement, for remember, they were in the Temple with Jesus, surrounded by those who had been listening to Jesus and others who were attracted by the noise and activity. What were they to do? They could easily say that John was not a prophet of God, yet how could they explain his effectiveness in bringing people back to God and giving people meaning to their worship? And how could they explain away how popular he was with people? Were they to say that people were being deluded by John? They themselves saw the risk of doing
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that, when they said to themselves, “We are afraid of what the people might do, because they are all convinced that John was a prophet.” (Matthew 21: 26)
So, what was the alternative? It was to acknowledge that John’s authority did come from God. But to do that meant having to explain why they did not embrace John’s ministry. It meant having to explain why they were not enthusiastic supporters of John’s preaching. It meant having to explain why they themselves did not participate in baptizing people or encouraging people to attend John’s crusades at the Jordan River. To do that meant losing face before the people, to acknowledge that they were not the sole advocates before God, that there were others who also spoke of God and to God. To do that meant having to share the prestige and power that came with their positions and their roles. To do that meant having to be humble and state that they did not have all of the answers nor all of the knowledge. To do that was unthinkable.
So, what was their final choice? “We do not know,” they answered,” where John got his authority.” (Matthew 21: 27) They opted for what seemed to be the easy way out, they chose not to acknowledge anything nor to agree to either side of the argument.
And, in doing so, they appeared to those who were looking on and listening to the discussion as being ignorant of things that were so obvious to everyone else around them. They appeared unable to distinguish for themselves what was from God and what was from Man, and, in doing so, questions were raised as to their competence to continue in their positions as religious leaders, those with the responsibility to guide the people of God, not just in right worship but also in right relationships and a right lifestyle. And, therefore, Jesus was justified in saying to them, “neither will I tell you, then, by what right I do these things.” (Matthew 21: 27b)
Can you guess how they felt at this point? Here they were trying to trap Jesus into acknowledging His inadequacy for teaching and leading people, yet they ended up with egg on their faces, by showing up their own inadequacy. Can we not understand then their anger and their zealousness in finding a way to get rid of Jesus? Can we not see how their planning was unfolding, planning to buttress their prestige and position and to call into question the validity of the intent and actions of Jesus.
But, were they focussing on the words that Jesus spoke? No, for their attention was on themselves. Were they being effective leaders of the people? No, for they were not willing to be humble before God, to be led by God to do His will, to be led by God into a right relationship with Him. Their pride hindered their vision and crippled their effectiveness as God’s agents and leaders.

The Chief Priests and the Elders erred in their understanding of God in two critical ways. They correctly stated that “God holds everyone answerable for their own sin.” (Pat and David Alexander (ed) in Ezekiel in The Lion Handbook to the Bible p465) The Prophet Ezekiel makes this clear when he quotes God saying to the people of Israel:
“Now I, the Sovereign LORD, am telling you Israelites that I will judge each of you by what they have done.” (Ezekiel 18: 30)
But they misunderstood the very nature of God. God was not cold and judgemental towards people, but full of compassion and concern for each individual who lives, as Ezekiel records God saying to the people of Israel:
“’Do you think I enjoy seeing an evil person die?’ asks the Sovereign LORD. ‘No, I would rather see them repent and live.’” (Ezekiel 18: 23)
They also neglected the breadth of God’s mercy and the inclusiveness of God’s grace. (Walter Brueggemann et al in Texts for Preaching Year A p497) . John the Baptist (Matthew 3: 2) , and, later, Jesus himself (Matthew 4: 17) were mirroring the very plea of God for the people of Israel, as recorded by the Prophet Ezekiel:
“’I do not want anyone to die.’ says the Sovereign LORD. ‘Turn away from your sins and live.’” (Ezekiel 18: 32)
Peter Craigie writes of the mistake “of thinking that God’s justice is simply a tally sheet”, where it is a matter of ensuring that our good deeds outweigh our bad deeds. “Justice”, he continues, “is not a simple weighing of deeds; the knowledge of divine grace must be balanced with a knowledge of divine forgiveness. The crux of the whole matter is not deeds, but the relationship of a person to God. To know God is to pursue good, but most of all, one must seek forgiveness. For whatever the past life has been, there will be a need of forgiveness, and repentance is the spring that releases the flood of divine forgiveness.” (Peter Craigie in Ezekiel p136 & 137)
The people of Israel who complained to Moses while they were camped at Rephidim thought only of themselves, not seeking to humbly enter into a deep and sincere trust and faith in the God who dearly sought to demonstrate His love and care for them.
The Chief Priests and the Elders who challenged Jesus while he was teaching in the Temple, sought to guarantee their right relationship with God through their strict adherence to a code of behaviour and through a strict adherence to the rites and rituals of sacrificial worship.
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Jesus, in turn, challenged their perception of being right before God, for he showed that
the very people who they had judged as being condemned by God, “the tax collectors and
the prostitutes”, were the very ones who had followed “the right path to take” as shown by
John the Baptist, they were the ones who humbly repented of their sins, who humbly
sought God’s forgiveness, and were now rejoicing in their renewed relationship with God.
They were the ones who humbly entered into a deep and sincere trust and faith in the God
who dearly sought to demonstrate His love and care for them.
Jesus was critical of the Chief Priests and the Elders when he said to them:
“You saw all of this in the lives of those whom you condemn, you saw the joy and the peace
that was now evident in them, but you did not seek to understand how God was working in
their lives, you did not change your minds and believe what John the Baptist was telling you
also.” (Matthew 21: 32)
May we not close our hearts and minds to the expansive and inclusive compassion and
grace of God towards us. May we not look with pride on our perceived goodness or merit
in the eyes of God, but humbly repent of our sins and seek God’s forgiveness. Only in this
way will we open ourselves to the blessings of God, in this life and the life to come. Only in
this way will we enjoy the closeness of fellowship with God that He so dearly seeks with
each one of us. Amen.

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774 

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

For the life that you have given,

For the love in Christ made known,

With these fruits of time and labour,

With these gifts that are your own:

Here we offer, Lord, our praises;

Heart and mind and strength we bring;

Give us grace to love and serve you,

Living what we pray and sing.

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Prayers for Others

Almighty God, knowing of your love for all of Humanity, especially of your compassion for the needy, we come to you with our cares and our concerns.

We bring to you our prayers for the World around us and for people individually.

We pray for World leaders and for their representatives who meet at the United Nations,

that you will help them listen to the needs of Humanity and give them wisdom in making decisions and developing policies so that all may have sufficient food, safety, and the opportunity to live in peace.

We pray for all who are ill, particularly those with covid-19 and influenza,

that you will ease their pain, help them to receive life-preserving treatment, and restore them to health and wholeness.

We pray for social enhancement in our cities and neighbourhoods:

that you will help us recognize the inequity and injustices that exists within our communities and give us the courage to work for change and reconciliation.

We pray for all who are suffering from the aftermath of hurricanes and storms, of wildfires and droughts,

that you will protect them from further harm, help them to connect with those who can help them to rebuild lives and livelihoods, and fill their hearts with courage.

We pray for migrants and refugees,

that all who have fled violence, starvation, or persecution may find welcome and places of safety to live.

We pray for all who serve in difficult and distant places, particularly relief workers and members of the military forces on peace-keeping duties,

that you will guide their service so as to bring about justice and peace, and that they will come home safely to their families.

We pray for healing of the Earth,

that you will inspire us to act boldly in addressing abuses of the land and sea and air, so that those who come after us will inherit improved conditions and resources.

We pray for all who are being persecuted,

that you will strengthen them, help them to embrace their difficulties and be instruments of your love, mercy, and compassion.

We pray for integrity,

that we may not merely speak of your ways but sincerely commit to living them as faithful disciples.

We pray for healing of our attitudes,

that you will free us from the desires to control or be selfish, and help us to strive to serve others with love, patience, and humility.

We pray for the unity of Christians,

that all believers may be of one mind and heart, and work together in serving you and in confronting evil.

Copyright © 2023. Joe Milner. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use. – https://liturgy.slu.edu/26OrdA100123/ideas_other.html

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

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Hymn ‘Among us and before us, Lord, you stand’  TiS 259

This YouTube clip is for another hymn, but is used here for the tune. The words are printed below:

Verse 1 of 5

Among us and before us, Lord, you stand

With arms outstretched and bread and wine at hand,

Confronting those unworthy of a crumb,

You ask that to your table we should come.

Verse 2 of 5

Who dare say “No.”, when such is your resolve

Our worst to witness, suffer and resolve,

Our best to raise in lives by God forgiven,

Our souls to fill on Earth with food from Heaven?

Verse 3 of 5

Who dare say “No.”, when such is your intent

To love the selves we famish and resent,

To cradle our uncertainties and fear,

To kindle hope as you in faith draw near?

Verse 4 of 5

Who dare say “No.”, when such is your request

That each around your table should be guest,

That here the ancient word should live as new,

“Take, eat and drink – all this is meant for you.”

Verse 5 of 5

No more we hesitate and wonder why,

No more we stand indifferent, scared or shy.

Your invitation leads us to say “Yes.”,

To meet you where you nourish, heal and bless.

John Bell

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 the cup, 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.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Hymn ‘He keeps me singing’

Luther Bridges

Benediction    

“Let your will be lost in God’s will,

Ask no questions, seek no place,

Render humblest duties gladly,

Showing forth His truth and grace.”

(anonymous  quoted in Our Daily Bread 14 May 2007)

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

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Benediction Song  ‘I am His, and He is mine.’  (Alexander’s Hymns No. 3 number 193)

Wade Robinson