Call to Worship: – 

(from Psalm 37: 3a, 4a, 5, 7a, 8, 18a, 23, 27a, 28a, 34a, 39 40a & 40c) 

“Trust in the LORD and do good,

Seek your happiness in the LORD,

Give yourself to the LORD, trust in Him and He will help you.

Be patient and wait for the LORD to act,

Don’t give in to worry or anger, it only leads to trouble.

The LORD takes care of those who obey Him,

The LORD guides a person in the way they should go

And protects those who please Him.

Turn away from evil and do good,

For the LORD loves what is right and does not abandon His faithful people.

Put your hope in the LORD and obey His commands and He will honour you.

The LORD saves righteous people and protects them in times of trouble,

He helps them and protects them,

Because they go to Him for protection.”

  Comment on Psalm 37

The writer of this Psalm encourages their readers to cling to their trust in God and to their obedience to God, in the face of the myriad of temptations that they encounter daily and despite the behaviour of the wicked who endeavour to sow doubts about God’s actions and His lovingkindness towards us.  The writer is vindicating not so much the existence and person of God, but the worthiness of continued worship and service of God.

  The worth of a person is not measured by their material wealth or by their well-being but by their moral values based upon God’s commands, and by God’s continued grace and mercy towards them.  Whatever happens in the life of the Godly person, they rest assured on their trust in God that He will never forsake them.

  We come to worship this God, the God who showers His lovingkindness upon Humanity, the God who does not forsake His people, the God who demonstrates His power and authority to all the World in the way He cares for those who place their trust in Him. 

(Artur Weiser in The Psalms p315 and Leslie McCaw and Alec Motyer in Psalms in The New Bible Commentary p474)

Prayer of Praise  

( from Uniting in Worship 1, p566 &567 &568 nos. 6, 7, 8, 11, 12) 

  Blessed are you, Heavenly Father, sovereign ruler of all Creation: we glorify and adore you.

Blessed are you, Lord Jesus Christ, loving Saviour of the World: we glorify and adore you.   

Blessed are you, Eternal Spirit, gracious source of light and love: we glorify and adore you.

  Almighty God, we meet to celebrate your greatness, to sing to your honour and to offer you our thanks.  You created the Universe by your power, you saved Humanity by your mercy, and you renew us by your grace.  Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we offer you our grateful praise.  Almighty God, we are in wonder of your majesty and glory.  We are in awe of your willingness to restore life to us, who had been dead in our sin.  It is you who inspires our every noble thought and our every loving deed.  It is you who sustains us by your warm embrace and guiding hand.

  Almighty God, it is your hands that guide the History of Humanity, it is your will that directs the decisions of Nations, it is your purpose that is fulfilled by the actions of Nations.  For nothing happens without your consent and approval.  You allow the rise and fall of Nations, and the tensions between Kingdoms, over property and power, for, in ways that we cannot determine, these are aligned with the coming of your Kingdom and your rule.  Almighty God, it is you that we worship, here in our gathering.  May all our words and our thoughts by focused upon you and your goodness towards us.  To your honour and glory we pray, amen.

Hymn

“For I’m building a People of Power” – Scripture in Song volume 2 number 57 / 262

Dave Richards

“Father I thank you for all that you’ve done” – Scripture in Song volume 2 number 64 / 269

Steve Stewart

Prayer of Confession 

(from Uniting in Worship 1 p584 nos.11, 12, 13) 

Merciful God, in our humbleness we confess that we have sinned against you and against one another.  We have sinned in thought, word and deed.  We have sinned by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.  We have sinned through our ignorance and our weaknesses, and by our wilfulness and our deliberate intent.

  Merciful God, we claim to readily follow your guidance, yet we close our ears when you seek to talk to us.  We claim to admire the example you set of looking after the needy and the deserving, yet we close our eyes to their plight in the busyness of our lives.  We claim to study your Word day and night, yet we close off our minds to you and are enticed away by what the World seeks to offer to us.

  Merciful God, there are parts to our lives that are too valuable to us to give over to you, there are secret desires and pleasures which we do not want to give up, there are hidden faults and blemishes that we don’t want to reveal to you.  Please give to us the courage to let your light shine onto all parts of our lives.  Please give to us the willingness to let you wash away those parts that are not good or pure or holy.

  Merciful God, forgive us our sins, blot out our guilt, remove our faults.  Renew a right relationship with us so that we may again know the joy of intimate fellowship and closeness with you.  To your honour and glory we pray.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from 1 Corinthians 15: 57) 

The Apostle Paul reminded the Church in Corinth that God gives victory over sin through His son, Jesus Christ.  That same victory is ours.  Having confessed our sins before God, let us hold onto that promise with thanks in our hearts, trusting that God has listened to our pleas, that God has forgiven us and that He has cleansed us in His sight.

Thanks be to God.

Prayer of illumination 

(from Uniting in Worship Book 1 number 12 p599) 

  Prepare our hearts, O Lord, to receive your Word.  Silence in us any voice but your own.  In hearing these words may we perceive new truths that you seek to teach us, and may we perceive your will that you seek for us to follow, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Bible Readings

Genesis 45:

4  Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come closer.”  They did, and he said, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.  5  Now, do not be upset or blame yourselves because you sold me here.  It was really God who sent me ahead of you to save people’s lives.  6  This is only the second year of the famine in the land; there will be five more years in which there will be neither ploughing nor reaping.  7  God sent me ahead of you to rescue you in this amazing way and to make sure that you and your descendants survive.  8  So it was not really you who sent me here, but God.  He has made me the King’s highest official.  I am in charge of his whole country; I am the ruler of all Egypt.

9  Now, hurry back to my Father and tell him that this is what his son Joseph says: ‘God has made me ruler of all Egypt; come to me without delay.  10  You can live in the region of Goshen, where you can be near me – you, your children, your grandchildren, your sheep, your goats, your cattle, and everything else that you have.  11  If you are in Goshen, I can take care of you.  There will still be five years of famine; and I do not want you, your family, and your livestock to starve.’”

Genesis 50:

15  After the death of their Father Jacob, Joseph’s brothers said, “What if Joseph still hates us and plans to pay us back for all the harm we did to him?”  16  So they sent a message to Joseph: “Before our Father died,  17  he told us to ask you, ‘Please forgive the crime your brothers committed when they wronged you.’  Now please forgive us the wrong that we,

the servants of your Father’s God, have done.”  Joseph cried when he received this message.

18  Then his brothers themselves came and bowed down before him.  “Here we are before you as your slaves.”, they said.

19  But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid; I can’t put myself in the place of God.  20 You plotted evil against me, but God turned it into good, in order to preserve the lives of many people who are alive today because of what happened.  21  You have nothing to fear.  I will take care of you and your children.”  So, he reassured them with kind words that touched their hearts.

1 Corinthians 15:

51  Listen to this secret truth: we shall not all die, but when the last trumpet sounds, we shall all be changed in an instant, as quickly as the blinking of an eye.  52  For when the trumpet sounds, the dead will be raised, never to die again, and we shall all be changed.  53  For what is mortal must be changed into what is immortal; what will die must be changed into what cannot die.  54  So when this takes place, and the mortal has been changed into the immortal, then the Scripture will come true: “Death is destroyed; victory is complete!”  (Isaiah 25: 8)  55  “Where, Death, is your victory?  Where, Death, is your power to hurt?”  (Hosea 13: 14) 

56  Death gets its power to hurt from sin, and sin gets its power from the Law.  57  But thanks be to God who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!”  58  So then, my dear sisters and brothers, stand firm and steady.  Keep busy always in your work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord’s service is ever useless.”

[Today’s English Version]

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Luke 6:

27  Jesus said to his Disciples, “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,  28  bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.  29  If anyone hits you on one cheek, let them hit the other cheek too; if someone takes your coat, let them have your shirt as well.  30  Give to everyone who asks you for something, and when someone takes what is yours, do not ask for it back.  31  Do for others just what you want them to do for you.

32  If you love only the people who love you, why should you receive a blessing?  Even sinners love those who love them.  33  And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you receive a blessing?  Even sinners do that!  34  And if you lend only to those from whom you hope to get it back, why should you receive a blessing?  Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount! 

35  No!  Love your enemies and do good to them; lend and expect nothing back.  You will then have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God.  For He is good to the ungrateful and the wicked.  36  Be merciful just as your Heavenly Father is merciful.

[Today’s English Version]

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Passing the Peace

  Whether we gather for worship in the Church building on Sunday morning, or whether we offer our worship in the ‘digital sphere’, it is important to recognise that, together, we remain one in Christ Jesus, we remain one in fellowship, and we remain one in worship of our God.  With that thought in mind, let us uplift our hands and greet those both here and those in their homes: May the peace of God be with you all.

And also with you.

Hymn

“Thine forever God of Love”  MHB569  Alexander’s Hymns No. 3 number269

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

Mary Maude

Sermon

  We are familiar with the story of Joseph, the 11^th son of the Patriarch Jacob, the first son of his second wife, Rachel.  He appears to have been a precocious adolescent,

 ever ready to show off his multi-coloured cloak which had such long splendid sleeves, a gift from a Father to his favourite son, thus earning the envy of his 10 older half-brothers  (Genesis 37: 3 & 4)  .  He was ever ready to bring bad reports to his Father of what his half-brothers were doing, and, presumably, not doing, while they were supposed to be minding the family’s herds of sheep and goats  (Genesis 37: 2 & 3)  , thus earning the scorn of his older half-brothers.

  We are familiar with how the story continues, with Joseph’s half-brothers grabbing him when he comes to visit them as they were grazing the herds, of them tearing off his cloak and putting him in a pit.

We are familiar with the account of his brothers changing their initial plan to kill him, and, instead, selling him to some passing Midianite merchants,

 who in turn took him to Egypt and sold him as a slave to Potiphar, the Captain of the Palace Guard;

of how the deception and lies of Potiphar’s wife led to Joseph being gaoled, where he had the opportunity to assist Pharaoh’s wine steward or cup-bearer, who promised to help him to get out of gaol but then promptly forgot all about him;

of how the wine steward finally remembered Joseph and arranged for Joseph to be brought before the Pharaoh, where God gave Joseph the means to interpret Pharaoh’s disturbing dreams, something which the magicians and the advisers of Pharaoh’s Court could not do;

 and of Joseph being made Governor of Egypt, second only to the Pharaoh in all of the land.

  We are familiar with how Joseph diligently stored the excess grain during the 7 years of plentiful crops.

  We are familiar with how there was a severe famine in the land of Canaan as well;

and of how, in the second year of drought and famine, Jacob sent his 10 eldest sons to Egypt to purchase grain for his hungry family.

 We are familiar with how Joseph had recognised them though they had not recognised him, given the change in his appearance over the 22 years since their evil deed.  For though they would not have forgotten what they had done to their younger brother, of how they had lied to their Father, and of the way their Father had been distraught at the thought of losing Joseph, they had no way of knowing what Joseph’s fate was once he had left their sight.

  Our reading today concerns the time when Joseph decided to reveal to his brothers his real identity.

  Given the circumstances, one wonders what would have been our approach if we had been Joseph.  How much anger would we have stored up against them if they had been our brothers, because of all that they had done, because of the dreadful consequences of their actions in terms of experiencing slavery, imprisonment, and, most importantly, separation from the love of a Father? 

  Just as importantly, one can only partially imagine the shock and the dread experienced by Joseph’s 10 half-brothers upon hearing Joseph declare that he was their long-lost brother.  What was to be their fate now?  With the authority and power that was Joseph’s, as Governor of Egypt, were they to experience the same things they had brought upon their brother, but only 10 times worse?

  What we find is not just Joseph’s magnanimous gesture of forgiveness of his brothers, but also his awareness, developed over the years as a slave, while in gaol, and in his position as Governor, that God was fulfilling His will through the actions of people, in spite of the original intent of these people.  Joseph was at great pains to put his brothers’ minds at rest, to reassure them that he harboured no resentment against them and that he was not planning to take revenge upon them.  (Henry Morris in The Genesis Record p621) 

Three times Joseph sought to reassure them:

“Now do not be upset or blame yourselves … it was really God who sent me ahead of you”  (Genesis 45: 5) 

“God sent me ahead of you”  (Genesis 45: 7) 

“it was not really you who sent me here, but God”  (Genesis 45: 8) 

  And what was God’s ultimate plan?  Three times Joseph seeks to express his understanding of God’s intent:

“to save people’s lives”  (Genesis 45: 5) 

“to rescue you”  (Genesis 45: 7) 

“to make sure that you and your descendants survive”  (Genesis 45: 7) 

  Joseph was telling his brothers not to look with remorse at the past, but to look with thankful appreciation at the future that God’s mercy and foresight had provided for them.  (Meredith Kline in Genesis in The New Bible Commentary p110) 

  God was ensuring the survival of His chosen People in this dire time of drought and famine, not just as a revelation to the World of His faithfulness in keeping His Covenant agreement with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but that, in time, through His People there would come God’s chosen Messiah.  (Meredith Kline in Genesis in The New Bible Commentary p110) 

  Joseph could see in his brothers’ reaction to his announcement that there was a genuine and complete repentance for their past actions.  (Henry Morris in The Genesis Record p666)  He needed to reassure them that they no longer needed to be afraid nor to be angry with themselves.  As far as he was concerned, the whole bitter problem between himself and them had been forgiven and forgotten.  (Henry Morris in The Genesis Record p621)  Isn’t that the message God seeks to tell us about our own repentance.  The Psalmist tells us “As far as the east is from the west, so far does (God) remove our sins from us.”  (Psalm 103: 12) 

  Joseph was telling his brothers that the family of Jacob was not some small and insignificant family, living as foreigners among many other people in the Land of Canaan, but that they were the objects of very special concern and care to the Almighty God, for God had been fulfilling His plans for them over many years , unobserved and unacknowledged by the wider World.  (Henry Morris in The Genesis Record p621)  Isn’t this the very message that the Apostle John sought to convey in his Gospel, where he writes, “For God loved the World so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life”.  (John 3: 16) 

  Joseph had submitted himself to “human mishandling”, with the trust that God was working things out according to His “perfect plan”.  (Derek Kidner in Genesis p207)  Do we not see this stance “supremely exemplified in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus accepted his betrayal, and all that was to follow, as ‘the cup which the Father has given me’.”  (John 18: 11)  (Derek Kidner in Genesis p207)  ?

  And don’t we see the attitude of Joseph towards his brothers the very same attitude that the New Testament Apostles labelled “Christlike”, an attitude of acceptance and forgiveness.

  Joseph reassured his brothers that he was “not planning to take revenge upon them”.  (Derek Kidner in Genesis p224)  “I can’t put myself in the place of God” he tells them.  (Genesis 50: 19)  Is not this the advice of Paul to the Church in Rome, to leave the righting of one’s wrongs to God, where he writes “Never take revenge, my friends, but instead let God’s anger do it.  For Scripture says, ‘I will take revenge, I will pay back, says the Lord.’”  (Romans 12: 19 quoting from Deuteronomy 32: 35)  ? 

  Joseph reassured his brothers that he “saw God’s providence in their malice”.  (Derek Kidner in Genesis p224)  “You plotted evil against me, but God turned it into good.”  (Genesis 50: 20)  Is not this also the advice that Paul gave to the Church in Rome where he writes, “Who, then, can separate us from the love of Christ?  Can trouble do it, or hardship or persecution or hunger or poverty or danger or death?  We know that in all things God works for good with those who love Him”  (Romans 8: 35 & 28)  .

  Do we not hear Jesus proclaiming the unimaginable magnitude of God’s mercy when he declares to his Disciples that God doesn’t demonstrate His grace and mercy only to the righteous, but also “to the ungrateful and wicked”.  Further, he exhorts them to “be merciful (to others) just as their Heavenly Father is merciful.”  (Luke 6: 35 & 36) 

  Joseph reassured his brothers that he would “repay their evil not only with forgiveness but also with practical affection”.  (Derek Kidner in Genesis p224)  “You have nothing to fear, I will take care of you and your children.”  (Genesis 50: 21)  Are not these words echoed in the words of Jesus to his Disciples, ”But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.”  (Luke 6: 27 & 28) 

  The story of Joseph is not just some Old Testament ‘fairy tale’, but a crucial link in God’s working through History to ensure that His will is done and that His kingdom will come. 

  The author of the Letter to the Hebrews makes it clear that God’s plan throughout History was that, when the time was right, He would work through the death and resurrection of Jesus to “break the power of him who had death at his command, that is, the devil; and that he might liberate those who, through fear of death, had all their lifetime been slaves.”

  (Hebrews 2: 14 & 15) 

  Paul echoes this in his first letter to the Church in Corinth where he writes that

“God gives us victory over death through our Lord Jesus Christ”.  (1 Corinthians 15: 57) 

  May we read Joseph’s tale with joy at the way God works through people and their actions.  May we read Joseph’s tale with insight into how we are to manage similar circumstances that come our way.  May we follow the example of Joseph and give praise and glory to God for His love and His care, putting our trust in God regardless of what comes our way in life.  (Psalm 37: 5, 40)  Amen.

Hymn

“Jesus my strength my hope”  MHB542

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

Charles Wesley

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774 

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

[This YouTube 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

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

  Almighty God, we pray for the Church, that we may be instruments of your mercy and compassion by sharing the forgiveness that we have received with others.  Save your Church from the idolatry of exalting people because of their character or gifts, such that the risk is that they are worshipped above you.

  We pray for forgiveness and healing in the Church, that you will heal the wounds that have weakened the Body of Christ and renew our spirits to further the mission of Jesus.

  We pray for the grace to forgive, that you will help us to forgive those who have injured us and to pray for them and their needs.

  We pray for the conversion of our hearts, that your covenant love will empower us to be instruments of non-violence and learn to turn the other cheek when we are injured.

  We pray for freedom of heart, that the Holy Spirit will free us from returning evil for evil and instead guide us in confronting evil with love and mercy.

  We pray for all who have been our enemies, whether politically, economically, or personally, that we may let go of hurts and grudges, and seek a new understanding of them.

  We pray for all who suffer violence on city streets or in their homes, that you will heal their physical, emotional, and mental wounds, and help them to be sources of hope and encouragement for others.

  We pray for new eyes and hearts, that the Holy Spirit will help us to recognize those in need as our sisters and brothers and give us the courage to respond to them as family.

  We pray for the freedom of spirit that ensures that we share our resources generously with those who are in need even as God has freely shared with us.

  We pray for all who have never experienced forgiveness, that they may encounter the free and healing gift of forgiveness through someone who loves as Jesus taught.

  We pray for the healing of racial and ethnic hatreds, that all people may see the value and dignity of each person as one of your children.

  We pray for all who are alienated from the Church, that you will heal their hurts and help them to find welcome and acceptance in a worship community.

  We pray for all who have experienced abuse, that you will heal their memories, their emotions, and their physical wounds so that they may be free to love and to share life with others.

  We pray for all who are suffering, that God will free those unjustly held, bring justice to the oppressed, hope to those who are grieving, and healing to the sick.

  We pray for Peace, that you will guide World leaders to end arms proliferation and use their resources instead to end famine, disease, and oppression.

  We pray that your blessing and guidance are upon those who are tending the sick and those who are weak in body. Mind and soul.  Give wisdom and insight to those involved in medical research, that they may develop new cures for ailments and diseases.

  We pray for those who are weary and discouraged because they see no gain or progress in their life as a benefit from a lifetime of work.  Strengthen them with the understanding that it is you who provides for them and cares for their needs.

(Copyright © 2022. Joe Milner. All rights reserved.<br> Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.  https://liturgy.slu.edu/)

(Raymond Chapman in Leading Intercessions p94 and David Hostetter in Prayers for the Season of God’s People Year C p55 & 56)

  We pray for the work of The Leprosy Mission in Nigeria, that their work will lead to an increase in the understanding of this disease and the strength to tackle the stigma associated with it in the local communities. 

  We pray for the Green Worship scheme, that it will be supported as an education project for children in leprosy-affected communities through TLMN.  We pray for your blessings on the children and the leadership of Green Worship.

  We pray that you will continue to protect the staff of The Leprosy Mission in Nigeria given the serious problem of social, political, cultural and religious insecurity in Nigeria.

(2022 Leprosy Mission Prayer Diary)

  We pray for the peoples of Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, thanking you for the quality of life that many in these countries enjoy and their commitment to provide for those in the world who are in need.  We thank you for the organizations located here that seek to increase ecumenical and interfaith understanding and work together for the common good of all people and creation.  We thank you for political and economic transparency in these countries, and for those who reach out to migrants and counter attitudes and practices that oppose them.

  We pray for environmental practices that preserve the natural environment, especially the Alps’ melting glaciers.  We pray for the work for justice, reconciliation and peace pursued by the people and organizations here, seeking to shape globalization so that it benefits all.  We pray for religious freedom, also for those from non-Christian traditions, for the overcoming of the fear of, and welcoming the embrace of, those who are outsiders to the countries’ historic, ethnic traditions.

  A Prayer for Austria
Lord,
we thank you for this land in which we live,
its mountains, its valleys,
its meadows, its gardens,
its forests, its lakes.
May no blindness destroy the work of your hands.

Lord,
may the houses that we build,
our towns and cities,
be places of hope and peace.
May no hardness of heart close our doors in the face of people in need.

Lord,
may our workplaces be places where we trust one another,
where people and their work count for something.
May no discouragement hold us back from responsibly shaping the future.

Lord,
may the streets of our land be ways that bring people to meet one another.
May no fears or prejudices separate us from those near and far.

Lord,
may the churches of our land be holy places,
where we hear your Word,
call one another by name,
and your name is hallowed.

Lord,
watch over our land,
and bless its inhabitants.
Amen.  

(A prayer of the Austrian Community of Monastic Orders, together with other church bodies, to mark the 50^th anniversary of the signing of the international treaty at the end of the Second World War.)
(http://www.kamillianer.at/archiv/geb_oest.htm)

Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland | World Council of Churches (oikoumene.org)

  We pray for the displaced peoples of Afghanistan, uprooted from their homes and villages by two decades of internal conflict, many living where they can in parks and open areas, many others living as refugees in one of the surrounding nations.  We pray for the immediate supply of adequate shelter and clothing and for reliable sources of water and food.  We pray for peace in the land so that families can return to their homes and their livelihoods.

  We pray for the displaced peoples of Ethiopia, uprooted from their homes and villages by the recent inter-regional violence and conflict.  We, too, pray for the immediate supply of adequate shelter and clothing and for reliable sources of water and food.  We, too, pray for peace in the land so that families can return to their homes and their livelihoods.

  We pray for the communities on the islands of the Nation of Tonga that have been severely affected by the recent volcanic eruption and tsunami.  We pray especially for those with disabilities, the sick and the elderly, who were already dependant upon the care from family members.  We thank you for the international response to the call for aid, and pray for a rapid distribution of aid material for people to rebuild their homes, for communities to restore adequate supplies of fresh, untainted water, and for communities to rebuild their business and replant their crops.

(www.actforpeace.org.au)

  We pray for those providing Religious Instruction at Bald Hills State School, that you will encourage them as they begin to lead their classes in the coming weeks, and that they will feel supported by the class teachers.  May the Holy Spirit work in the hearts and minds of the children in these classes, that they will come to an understanding of the truths of the Gospel and respond to the message of your love and grace for them.

  We ask that they may feel your close presence with them each day, that they will experience your support and encouragement as they journey through life in this time of uncertainty and change.

  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

“Come thou fount of every blessing” – Alexander’s Hymns No. 2 number 274

Robert Robinson

Benediction    

  We remember that it is God who reigns in Heaven and upon Earth, not any person, that it is His will that we seek done and that it is His Kingdom that we seek to come, not any person’s, that it is upon God’s strength and might that we depend, not ours.  Let us go into the World with that assurance and that hope, never wavering with worry but at peace in our trust in God.

  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

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

[only the one verse is to be sung]

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