Welcome: –

Call to Worship: – 

  In Exodus 15: 22 to 25 we read of the People of Israel, having recently crossed the Sea of Reeds and being safely delivered by God from being captured by the Egyptian army, arriving at a place of water by the name of Marah, only to find that “the water there was so bitter that they could not drink it”  (verse 23b  GNB)  .  Moses prayed to God, and God “showed him a piece of wood which Moses threw into the water, and (miraculously) the water became fit to drink”  (verse 25  GNB)  .

  It was there that the People of Israel learnt that the God who could hold back a body of water so that they could cross on dry ground and then bring it back together again so as to prevent the Egyptian army from engaging with them, was the same God who could turn bitter water into sweet water.  “The same power that brought (to them deliverance from danger and peril) could (also) bring (to them life-giving sustenance).” 

  We, too, must learn the same truth about God.  We must “remember that the hand that supplied our greatest need – forgiveness from sin – is the same hand that can adequately supply all (of our) daily needs.”  (Marvin Williams in The Same Hand in Our Daily Bread 13 august 2008)  This is the God before whom we have gathered to offer our worship and praise, to whom we are eternally thankful.  

Prayer of Praise    

(from Uniting in Worship red book p271, The Name: Jesus in Bruce Prewer in Australian Prayers p101) 

Almighty and ever living God, you have given your precious promises to those who you call your own.  You are the one who chose us and draws us to yourself.  You are the one who transforms us into your image.  We are humbled by your presence here among us.  We rejoice in your loving kindness and compassion.

  We praise you for the Word made flesh, through whom you redeemed us and saved us.  We praise you that we are adopted into your family, accepted and loved.

  We praise you that you are with us, ensuring that there is nothing that can separate us from your love and mercy.

  We give you praise you for your undeserved favour towards us.  We honour you in our worship today.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to or join in singing 2 Songs:

“I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart”  Scripture in Song vol 1 number 139

Leona Von Brethorst

“Father I adore you’  Scripture in Song volume 1 number 174

Terrye Coelho

Prayer of Confession   

Merciful God, who created us for life together, we confess that we have turned from your way.

We have not loved you with all of our heart, we have not love one another as you have commanded.

We are quick to claim our own rights, but careless of the rights of others.  We nurture many grudges against others.

Lord, have mercy.

We are slow to seek peace and reconciliation.  We are foolish and careless in our use of the gifts of your Creation.

Lord, have mercy.

We are indifferent to the needs of others, indifferent to those for whom you have also died.

Lord, have mercy.

We are superficial in our worship and selfish in our prayers.  We have failed to take up the cross of discipleship and to be good stewards of your Gospel.

Lord, have mercy.

We have failed to be faithful members of your Church and to be good stewards of our spiritual gifts.

Lord, have mercy.

Merciful God, we ask you to forgive our sins and to blot out our guilt.

May we know again the joy of your Spirit and the closeness of your love, through Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from Ephesians 2: 16) 

Paul reminds the Ephesian Church that “by his death on the cross Christ .. brought us back to God”.  Let us put our trust in this assurance that God does forgive us and that, because of His mercy and grace, there is now nothing that separates us from close fellowship with God.

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

Psalm 84:

1  How I love your Temple, LORD Almighty! 

2  How I want to be there!  I long to be in the LORD’s Tempe.  With my whole being I sing for joy to the living God.

3  Even the sparrows have built a nest, and the swallows have built their home; they keep their young near your alters, LORD Almighty, my King and my God.

4  How happy are those who live in your Temple, always singing praise to you.

1 Kings 8:

As the Priests were leaving the Temple, it was suddenly filled with a cloud  11  shinning with the dazzling light of the LORD’s presence, and they could not go back in the perform their duties.

22 Then in the presence of the people, King Solomon went and stood in front of the altar, where he raised his arms  23  and prayed,

“LORD God of Israel, there is no god like you in Heaven above or on Earth below!

29  Watch over this Temple day and night, this place where you have chosen to be worshipped.  Hear me when I face this Temple and pray.  30  Hear my prayers and the prayers of your people when they face this place and pray.  In your home in Heaven hear us and forgive us.

38  “If any of your People, Israel, out of heartfelt sorrow, stretch out their hands in prayer toward this Temple,  39  hear their prayer.  Listen to them in your Home in Heaven, forgive them, and help them.  You alone know the thoughts of the Human heart.  Deal with each person as they deserve,  40  so that your People may obey you all the time they live in the Land which you gave to our ancestors.

41  When a foreigner who lives in a distant land  42  hears of your fame and of the great things you have done for your People and comes to worship you and to pray at this Temple,   43  listen to their prayer.  In Heaven, where you live, hear them and do what they ask you to do, so that all the peoples of the World may know you and obey you, as your People Israel do.  Then they will know that this Temple I have built is the place where you are to be worshipped.”

(2 Chronicles 5: 14, 6: 14,20 & 21, and 29 to 33)

Ephesians 4:

22  Paul writes,

“So get rid of your old self, which made you live as you used to – the old self that was destroyed by its deceitful desires.  23  Your hearts and minds must be made completely new,  24  and you must put on the new self, which is created in God’s likeness and reveals itself in the true life that is upright and holy.”

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

John 6:

60  Many of the followers of Jesus heard his words and said,

“This teaching is too hard.  Who can listen to it?”

61  Without being told, Jesus knew that they were grumbling about this, so he said to them,

“Does this make you want to give up?  62  Suppose, then, that you should see the Son of Man go back to the place  where he was before?  63  What gives life is God’s Spirit; Man’s power is of no use at all.  The words I have spoken to you bring God’s life-giving Spirit.  64  Yet some of you do not believe.”

(Jesus knew from the very beginning who were the ones who would not believe and which one would betray him.)

65  And he added,

“This is the very reason I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father makes it possible for them to do so.”

66  Because of this, many of Jesus’ followers turned back and would not go with him and more.

67  So Jesus asked the twelve Disciples,

“And you – would you also like to leave?”

68  Simon Peter answered him,

“Lord, to whom would we go?  You have the words that give eternal life.  69  And now we believe and know that you are the Holy One who has come from God.”  (Matthew 16: 16, Mark 8: 29, Luke 9: 20) 

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

You are invited to listen to or join in singing the Hymn

“O love of God, how strong and true”  TiS139  AHB75  MHB52

[This hymn is being sung to the tune Rockingham.]

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

Verse 1 of 4

O love of God, how strong and true,

eternal and yet ever new,

uncomprehended and unbought,

beyond all knowledge and all thought.

Verse 2 of 4

We read you best in him who came

to bear for us the cross of shame,

sent by the Father from on high,

our life to live, our death to die.

Verse 3 of 4

We read your power to bless and save

ev’n in the darkness of the grave;

still more in resurrection light

we read the fullness of your might.

Verse 4 of 4

O love of God, our shield and stay

through all the perils of our way;

eternal love, in you we rest,

for ever safe, for ever blest.

Amen.

Horatius Bonar

Sermon

One of today’s readings is a passage from Psalm 34.

“How lovely is your Temple, LORD Almighty!  How I want to be there!

I long to be in the LORD’s Temple.  With my whole being I sing for joy to the living God.

How happy are those who live in your Temple, always singing praise to you.”  (Psalm 84: 1, 2 & 4)

  This Psalm is an expression of the heightened joy experienced by the worshipper as they spend time in the Temple in Jerusalem, whose construction and furnishing was overseen by King Solomon  (1 Kings 7: 51)  as King David had directed him to accomplish (1 Chronicles 22: 6) .

  And we read the psalmist declare:

“How lovely is your Temple”,

“I want to be there.”,

“I long to be there.”,

“With my whole being I sing for joy because I am there.”

  Why would this be so?  It is but only a building, a magnificent building lavishly decorated and furnished it is true, but only a building none-the-less. 

  Roger Van Harn and Brent Strawn, in their Commentary on this psalm, comment on the writer’s usage of the adjective “lovely” to describe “an inanimate object”, a building, the Temple, stating that this is a “unique (instance) in the Old Testament writings, (for) elsewhere the adjective (lovely) describes only people”.  (Roger Van Harn and Brent Strawn in Psalms for Preaching and Worship  A Lectionary Commentary p220 & 221) 

  Why, then, this expression of joy of being in the Temple? 

  One author writes that “most commentators assume that (this psalm) is the work of a devout Jew who has just made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem (to celebrate at a festival)”.  (Stewart McCullough in The Book of Psalms in The Interpreter’s Bible Volume 4 p452)  However, the introduction to the text of this psalm states that it is “a psalm of the Sons of Korah”.  (Artur Weiser in The Psalms p564)  This is a reference to “the Levitical choir made up of the descendants of Korah, a descendant of Levi, the son of Jacob.  This choir was appointed by King David to serve as singers in the Temple”.  (1 Chronicles 6: 31 to 37, 2 Chronicles 20: 19)  (Study Note by John Stek in Psalms in the NIV Study Bible p834, article on Korah by Hughie Jones in The Illustrated Bible Dictionary volume 2 p864)  As such, they would hardly ever be pilgrims to Jerusalem, for they would have lived in Jerusalem itself, in the vicinity of the Temple ,so that they could readily carry out their duties as choir singers in the Temple.

  Other writers speculate that as the author of this psalm was a descendant of Korah, a Temple singer, “for a time he was unable to go to the Temple (to sing), either because of sickness or (other) circumstances, and that he was longing and crying out to return to the Temple (and to participate in the Temple worship)”.  (Anne Cetas in In God’s House in Our Daily Bread 17 August 2008)  We cannot tell from the text of the Psalm whether or not this was the case, but there must have been something more substantial that was the basis of their desire to be in the Temple other than being absent from the Temple.  What is it that sustains this desire when they actually are at the Temple?

  Another author suggests that the joy expressed by the writer is because they “become fully and almost physically aware that God is near him in the Temple”.  (Artur Weiser in The Psalms p566) 

  When you read the account of the dedication of the Temple, this is exactly what occurred:

“As the Priests were leaving the Temple, it was suddenly filled with a cloud shining with the dazzling light of the LORD’s presence, and they could not go back in to perform their duties.”  (1 Kings 8: 10, 2 Chronicles 5: 14) 

  What an exhilarating experience that must have been, to experience the very presence of God among them, experienced with all of their physical senses, with all of their emotions, and with enlivened spiritual awareness. 

  God had previously said to King Solomon that He would inhabit the Temple:

“I will live among my People Israel in this Temple that you are building, and I will never abandon them.”  (1 Kings 6: 13)  God fulfilled this promise that He gave to King Solomon at the time of the dedication of the Temple to God and the transfer of the Lord’s Covenant Box from the Tent of the Lord’s Presence into the Most Holy Place located at the rear of the Temple  (1 Kings 6: 19, 8: 1)  .

  Roger Van Harn and Brent Strawn, suggest that another reason for the psalmist’s joy is that, “since God uniquely inhabits the Temple, He will listen to and respond to prayers offered there to Him.”  (Roger Van Harn and Brent Strawn in Psalms for Preaching and Worship  a Lectionary Commentary p220) 

  It is this very thing for which King Solomon prayed when he dedicated the Temple to God.

  We read of King Solomon requesting of God:

“Watch over this Temple day and night, this place where you have chosen to be worshipped.  Hear me when I face this Temple and pray.  Hear my prayers and the prayers of your people when they face this place and pray.  In your home in Heaven hear us and forgive us.  (1 Kings 8: 29 & 30, 2 Chronicles 6: 20 & 21) 

  King Solomon recognised that prayer was required if the people of Israel sought to relate to God, be it to beg for forgiveness or to ask for a blessing or a solution to a problem, hence his emphasis, “hear us and forgive us”  (1 Kings 8: 30, 2 Chronicles 6: 21)  .  God’s people have a responsibility to be earnest and honest in their praying to God.

  Conversely, King Solomon recognises that prayer would be ineffective if they were being addressed to a god who is not actively listening for them.  Hence, we have King Solomon requesting of God,

“Watch over this Temple day and night”  (1 Kings 8: 29, 2 Chronicles 6: 20) 

  Gordon McConville writes that

“Solomon’s desire is that God’s eyes should be open day and night to the Temple, constantly attentive to the prayers of His people.”  (Gordon McConville in Chronicles  The Daily Study Bible p131) 

  The verb that King Solomon uses in his plea to God suggests “an habitual and unremitting readiness to hear” on the part of God, such that no prayers are unheard and unanswered, no matter what time of day or night they are being brought to God.  (Gordon McConville in Chronicles  The Daily Study Bible p131) 

  But what is interesting about King Solomon’s prayer is that he does not seek to restrict God’s attentiveness only to the prayers of the People of Israel.  King Solomon includes in his request to God that, in the same manner in which He would listen to and answer the prayers of the people of Israel, so too would He listen to and answer the prayers of

“a foreigner who lives in a distant land (who) hears of (God’s) fame and of the great things (God) has done for (His) People and (who) comes to worship (God) and to pray at the Temple.”  (1 Kings 8: 41 to 43, 2 Chronicles 6: 32 & 33) 

  King Solomon is wise enough to recall God’s promise to Abraham that He would bless all the Nations on Earth through Abraham,  (Genesis 12: 2 & 3, 18: 17, 22: 18)  , both Abraham’s “physical descendants”, the Jews  (Acts 3: 25)  , and Abraham’s “spiritual descendants”, non-Jews who believe in and worship God  (Galatians 3: 8)  .  (Study Note for Genesis 12: 2 & 3 by Ronald Youngblood in the NIV Study Bible p25) 

  King Solomon is wise enough to recognise that God would welcome the worship and prayers of all people who place their belief in Him and trust in Him as the Almighty Creator God, who, alone, is Lord of Time and Space and History; who, alone, is worthy of all praise and honour.

  And we read of God’s answer to this request by king Solomon,

“The LORD appeared to King Solomon at night, and said to him,

‘I have heard your prayer.  I will watch over this Temple and be ready to hear all the prayers that are offered here, because I have chosen it and consecrated it as the place where I will be worshipped forever.’”  (2 Chronicles 7: 15 & 16) 

  Is it any wonder, then, that the writer of Psalm 84 expresses such abounding joy from being present in God’s Temple, for they have the surety that whoever enters the Temple and seeks to worship God and to pray to God, be it Jew or non-Jew, would experience the very presence of God with them, would experience God’s forgiveness of their sins, and would experience answered prayer.

  But, the Temple in Jerusalem no longer exists, having been destroyed by the Romans in 70AD following a revolt against their rule over the Jews.  Does this mean, then, that there is no longer a place where God dwells among his People, that there is no longer a place to which people can go to pray to God?

  In today’s passage from John’s Gospel we read of Jesus having a difficult time with some of his followers.  On one occasion Jesus sought to teach his followers the implications about his role as God’s Son on Earth.  “’I am the atoning for your sin,’ Jesus is saying, ‘avail yourself of my sacrifice.’”  (The Lion Handbook to the Bible p629)  John records their reaction to this teaching by Jesus.

“Many of the followers of Jesus heard his words and said,

‘This teaching is too hard.  Who can listen to it?’  Because of this, many of Jesus’ followers turned back and would not go with him and more.”  (John 6: 60 & 66) 

  Upon seeing this reaction by some of his followers, Jesus sought clarification from the twelve Disciples about their response to this teaching, and we read,

“So Jesus asked the twelve Disciples, ‘And you – would you also like to leave?’”  (John 6: 67) 

  Simon Peter replied on behalf of all of the twelve,

“Lord, to whom would we go?”  (John 6: 68) 

  “What Simon Peter means is, (that there is) no one (else) who satisfies the yearning of the heart (for not just what is meaningful in life but for a revelation of God and His dealing with Humanity).”  (William Hendriksen in The Gospel of John p248) 

  It is at this moment that the twelve Disciples confess that, in the person of Jesus, they have come face to face with “the mystery that is God”, as William Barclay writes.  (The Gospel of John  The Daily Study Bible pp226 & 227)  As such, they feel compelled to remain with Jesus and to see where this journey with Jesus would lead them.

In his reply, Simon Peter stated two truths which they have come to accept about Jesus.

  Simon Peter says of Jesus,

“now we believe and know that you are the Holy One who has come from God.”  (John 6: 69) 

  The Greek word that is used is ‘hagios’  (Strong’s NT40)  , meaning sacred, pure, and blameless.

  Walter Wessel and William Lane write that this title is used only in this passage and in the parallel passages, Mark 1: 24 and Luke 4: 34, and, when it is used, “it points to Christ’s divine origin”.  (Study Note for Mark 1: 24 in The NIV Study Bible p1522)  Jesus is to be understood as “belonging to God and appointed by God”.  (William Hendriksen in The Gospel of John p248)  

  William Barclay writes that “the Disciples knew quite well that Jesus had been claiming to be the very life and mind of God come down to Earth from Heaven.”  (William Barclay in The Gospel of John  The Daily Study Bible pp226)  Thus, we have the understanding that, in Jesus, God has done something unimaginable, coming to dwell among Humanity in Human form.  God is no longer restricting Himself only to being among His People in the Temple complex, but wherever people may be. 

  But the Greek word ‘hagios’ also incorporates the meaning of “to be consecrated”  (Strong’s NT40)  , which involves the understanding of an intent on behalf of God for the incarnation of Jesus in Human form.

  Manuscripts of John’s Gospel used by the translators of the King James Version and the Amplified Version have Simon Peter replying to Jesus and saying “you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God”, in the same manner in which Matthew records Peter’s proclamation about Jesus, although apparently said in a different context.  (Matthew 16: 16)  (see also Mark 8: 29  and Luke 9: 20)  (refer to United Bible Societies Synopsis of the Four Gospels ed by Kurt Aland p150)  (see also margin reference for variant readings of John 6: 69 in the New Living Translation p867 and Additional Note relating to John 6: 69 in Randolph Tasker John  An Introduction and Commentary p100)

  The Greek word translated as “Christ” is ‘Christos’  (Strong’s NT5547)  which is derived from a root word meaning “to be anointed”.  Thus, we can read in Peter’s words the understanding that he and the other eleven Disciples have gained was that Jesus, the Christ, God’s Holy One, was “consecrated unto God, (anointed by God), set apart and qualified (by God) to fulfill his Messianic task”.  (William Hendriksen in The Gospel of John p248) 

  It is upon that understanding that Simon Peter adds in his reply to Jesus,

“You have the words that give eternal life.”  (John 6: 68) 

  “Peter knows that the words of Jesus are more than mere sounds or dead utterances.  They are vital and dynamic, full of spirit and life, (the) means unto salvation and the grace of God, leading to everlasting life.  (William Hendriksen in The Gospel of John p248) 

  Donald Guthrie writes,

“So often eternal life had been the theme of Jesus’ earlier discussions that the Disciples had come to recognise it as the distinctive feature of his teaching.”  (Donald Guthrie in John in The New Bible Commentary p944) 

  Thus, we have the added understanding from this passage that, in Jesus, coming to dwell among Humanity in Human form, God is making superfluous the forgiveness of sins through rites and rituals and animal sacrifices undertaken in the Temple complex, and making forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with Him available to all people of all races and cultures, wherever people may be, by their personal confession of faith in the saving work of Jesus, the Christ, achieved through his death, resurrection and ascension.

  Two weeks ago we addressed the implications of these truths as spelt out in our catechisms and creeds.

  The author of the Letter to the Hebrews writes:

“Christ, offered one sacrifice for sins, an offering that is effective forever, and then he sat down at the right side of God.”  (Hebrews 10: 12) 

  Jesus achieved through his death and resurrection and ascension what he could not achieve if he was alive, provide the means for the forgiveness of all sins, of all people, in all places, for all of Time.  Jesus, in his ascension, is no longer limited by living in a physical body.  Jesus can be ‘approached’ by anyone, anywhere, anytime, anyhow.

  Richard France writes,

“It was thus, in the place of honour and authority, that his followers were to envisage him from now on, no longer limited by time and space, but dynamically present with them, always, everywhere.”  (Richard France in The Man they Crucified  A Portrait of Jesus p171) 

  We have the assurance that when Jesus ascended back to Heaven that he didn’t abandon

us to flounder in our lives, depending upon our own efforts and abilities, but that he is now able to work with and for us in ways that he could not have done while on Earth.

  Paul writes to the Church in Rome stating:

“Christ Jesus, who died, and was raised to life and is at the right-hand side of God interceding with Him for us.”  (Romans 8: 34) 

 Roger Bowen writes:

  “But Christ Jesus is there at God’s right-hand side for us, who belong to him (Hebrews 2: 10 & 13).  His kingly presence in Heaven, therefore, is his prayer for us.  It is certain that God will bless us, because Jesus has already reached the place of victory and power.  We are certain to arrive there too.  (Roger Bowen in A Guide to Romans p119) 

  Having no Temple does not mean that God is no longer present with us.

  Paul writes to the Church in Ephesus,

“In union with Christ and through our faith in him we have the boldness to go into God’s presence with all confidence.”  (Ephesians 3: 12) 

  Having no Temple does not mean that God is unable to hear our prayers for the forgiveness of our sins.

  Paul writes to the Church in Ephesus,

“For by the sacrificial death of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven.  How great is the grace of God.”  (Ephesians 1: 7) 

  The writer of Psalm 84 expressed their abounding joy from being present in God’s Temple.  We have as much reason to express our joy and praise of God.

“Let us praise God’s glory.” Paul urges the Church.  (Ephesians 1: 12, 14) 

“To God be the glory .. for all time, forever and ever.” Paul encourages us.  (Ephesians 3: 21) 

  We may not have as melodious voices as did the choir of the Sons of Korah, but let that not hinder us from expressing our joy for the lovingkindness which God lavishes so freely upon us.  Let us take every opportunity to express our own abounding joy for God’s presence with us every moment of every day, now and always.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to or join in singing the Hymn: “Lord your word abiding”  (TiS427  AHB  MHB308)

[This hymn is being sung to the tune Ravenshaw.]

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

Verse 1 of 6

Lord, your word abiding,

and your footsteps guiding,

gives us joy for ever,

binds us all together.

Verse 2 of 6

When hard times are near us

then you word does cheer us,

word of consolation,

message of salvation.

Verse 3 of 6

When life’s storms are o’er us,

dark clouds stretch before us,

then your word directs us,

and your word protects us.

Verse 4 of 6

I will tell the pleasure,

and recount the treasure

by your word imparted

to the open-hearted.

Verse 5 of 6

Word of mercy, giving

nourishment for living;

word of life, supplying

comfort to the dying.

Verse 6 of 6

O that we, discerning

its most holy learning,

may we love, revere you,

evermore be near you.

Henry Baker  (adapted) 

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, though we are scattered in different lands, speak different languages and live in different cultures,

may we have a loving concern for all people and for their circumstances. 

May greed, war and a lust for power be curbed. 

Give counsel to those who lead Nations, may your Word guide their words.

Give order to unruly powers and deal with injustice and oppression, so that all peoples can freely enjoy the Earth which you have made.

May we all be guided by your wisdom to bring order where there are problems, relief where there is distress, jobs and services where these do not exist.

We bring before you those whose lives and livelihoods are threatened by drought.

Please bring rains to relieve the suffering of their animals and to bring life back to their soil.  May they find compassion from those to whom they are in debt. 

We pray for those who are ill and injured, those who are hurting in mind and spirit, those who lack purpose and joy in life. 

May they find in you relief from their suffering and a reason to value the life that you gave given. 

We pray for those who care for our children and grandchildren in child-care, in schools and colleges and universities,

that our children and grandchildren may be equipped and trained for their futures.

We pray for your Church, worldwide, may it be faithful to your call for mission and service.

May there be a united effort to tell the Good News to all and not to squabble over differences of opinion or practice. 

May there be sincerity and honesty in the Church’s dealings such that the World cannot criticise and condemn its actions. 

May it seek reconciliation where there are differences and understanding where there is doubt.

PRAYERS OF THE CONGREGATION

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil,

For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,

Now and forever.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to or join in singing the Hymn: “Open my eyes that I may see”  (Alexander’s Hymnbook no, 3 number 64)

Clara Scott

Benediction    

(adapted from Invocations and Benedictions for the Revised Common Lectionary by John Drescher p89, and Companion to the Revised Common Lectionary volume 5 Before we Worship by Norman Wallwork p59)  

Let us not leave this place without a deep assurance of God’s love for us, nor without the joy of our salvation, nor without a strong confidence of the capacity and authority of God to care for us and provide for us, nor without a commitment to live by the power of God and for the glory of God. 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: “Now to him who loves us saves us” (TiS771)

 [Only the one verse is needed.]

Now to him who loved us, gave us

Every pledge that love could give,

Freely shed his blood to save us,

Gave his life that we might live,

Be the Kingdom

And dominion

And the glory evermore.

Samuel Miller Waring