Welcome: –

Call to Worship: –    

“God is present in the company of the righteous.

evildoers may frustrate the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge.”

Psalm 14: 5b and 6

From the very start of the Exodus of the People of Israel from Egypt, God revealed His presence with them, in the pillar of smoke during the day and the pillar of fire in the evening.  God revealed His provision and protection for the People of Israel by leading them across the Red Sea to safety, in overcoming the Egyptian army, and in frustrating the plans of Pharaoh.  (Leslie McCaw & Alec Motyer in Psalms in New Bible Commentary p459) 

  God’s nature does not change.  That is why the writer of Psalm 14 states with such confidence that God continues to be present among those who seek to worship Him as their God and who live lives according to His Will and Purpose.  Those who are down-hearted, or distressed, or disadvantaged, or discriminated against, can turn to God and find deliverance, for the reality of God is that He is their refuge in their times of trouble and that He is their avenger against those who act unjustly against them.  (Artur Weiser in The Psalms p166) 

  We come together today with this knowledge, that wherever we go, God, likewise, is with us, and is protecting us.  We come together today to celebrate and to worship a God who loves and cares for His People and who is eager to fellowship with those who seek to trust and to obey Him.

Prayer of Praise  

(from Invocations and Benedictions p 141, opening Prayers p 103, Uniting in Worship Red Book p335, Moira Laidlaw, Leading Intercessions p 116, Prayers for the Seasons of God’s People p168 and 169) 

  Almighty God, you do not change, for you are the same, yesterday, today and forever.  You do not change, for you continue to love the lost and the wandering.  You come to us with your mercy and care.  You touch our hearts with your tenderness and forbearance.  Gracious God, you come to us in Jesus Christ, granting us forgiveness, not because we have earned it or merit it, but solely because that is your will and that is your plea for Humanity.

  Almighty God, we give you thanks for the many blessings that you have given to us; the freedom to meet for worship, the freedom from want and neglect, for stable Government, for an uncompromised justice system, for safety when we walk the street or go to the local park.  We give you thanks for the way you have enriched and enhanced our lives, through accessible education, through participation in sport, through friendship and family, through work or through opportunities for volunteering our time and energy.

  Almighty God, we praise you for your comfort in our times of stress, for your peace in our times of trouble, for your restoration when we lose hope, for your company when we are lonely or in grief.  You discern our needs and provide for us so richly.  You guide our lives and direct us on the path that is in tune with your will and purpose for us.

  Almighty God, we are in awe of your power and authority over what you have created and set in place, in Heaven and upon Earth.  We are in awe of your majesty as the LORD, our God, who rules over Time and Space, who has directed History from the beginning in the Garden of Eden.  We are in awe of your incomparable grace and mercy for a fallen Humanity.  We are in awe of your eternal and everlasting love for each individual who has ever lived, who is living and who is yet to live.

  Almighty God, we worship you and give you our unending praise, now and always.  Amen.

Hymn

“Come on and Celebrate”  Scripture in Song Book Three number 481

Prayer of Confession

(from Invocations and Benedictions p 141, opening Prayers p 103, Uniting in Worship Red Book p335, Moira Laidlaw, Leading Intercessions p 116, Prayers for the Seasons of God’s People p168 and 169)  

  Merciful God, we bow before you in humility and penitence, for we know that we have behaved in ways that are shameful in your sight and have made decisions that disappoint you

  We neglect the contemplation of the infinite for the pursuit of the finite.  We worship things of less value than ourselves, much less than you.  Merciful God, forgive us.

  Merciful God, we bow before you knowing that we have contributed to the despair in the lives of others by our unwillingness to reach out and touch those who are hurting or have lost hope.

  We hold judgemental attitudes towards people who we consider do not measure up to our standards.  Our apathy allows people to remain in the clutches of evil.  Merciful God, forgive us.

  Merciful God, we bow before you, knowing that we falter in our support those who are weakened by poverty or illness.

  We fail to welcome the stranger or the refugee, the homeless or the friendless.  Merciful God, forgive us.

  Merciful God, redeem us from our lostness, rescue us from our wandering, restore us from our brokenness.

  Forgive our sins.  Remove our stubbornness and intractability.  Fill our minds with your wisdom and our hearts with sincerity so that our lives and our worship are acceptable to you.

  Strengthen us with your Spirit to reflect the same mercy that you show to all who are lost.

  Fill us with the same unconditional love that Jesus showed, so that we too can bring healing and wholeness to the lives of others.  For this we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

  The Apostle Paul writes that God’s eternal purpose, the restoration of His relationship with Humanity, was achieved through Christ Jesus, by his death and resurrection.  Having confessed our sins before God, we can trust these words of Paul and have the assurance that God has listened, that God has forgiven us, and that God has cleansed us in His sight.

Thanks be to God.

Prayer of illumination 

(from Holy Communion Two in Uniting Church Worship Services p21) 

O Lord, our God, you have given your Word to us that it may be a lamp for our feet and a light for our path.  Grant us grace to receive your truth in faith and love, so that we may be obedient to your Will and live always for your glory, through Jesus Christ our Saviour.  Amen.

Bible Readings

Psalm 14: 1 to 6

1  Impious fools say to themselves, “There is no God!”

How vile people are, how depraved and loathsome;

There is no one who does what is right.

2  The Lord looks down from Heaven on Humanity

To see if there are any who are wise, any who worship Him.

3  But they have all gone astray, all are rotten to the core,

Not one of them does what is good, not a single one.

4  “Don’t they know?” asks the Lord, “Are all these evildoers ignorant?

They live by robbing my People as casually as they eat bread,

And they never pray to me.”

5  But then they will be terrified, for God is with those who obey Him.

6  Evildoers frustrate the plans of those who are humble,

But the Lord is their refuge and their protection.

Ephesians 3:

8b  God gave to me, Paul, the privilege of proclaiming to the Gentiles the Good News about the infinite riches of Christ,  9  and of bringing to light how God’s secret plan is to be put into effect.  God, who is the Creator of all things, kept His secret hidden through all the past ages,  10  in order that at the present time, by means of the Church, the angelic rulers and powers in the realms of Heaven might learn of His wisdom in all its varied forms.  11  God did this according to His eternal purpose, which He achieved through Christ Jesus our Lord.  12  In union with Christ and through our faith in him, we have the boldness to go into God’s presence with all confidence.  13  I beg you, then, not to be discouraged because I am suffering for you; indeed it is all for your benefit.

14  With this in mind, then, I kneel in prayer before the Father,  15  from whom every family in Heaven and on Earth receives its true name,  16  that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you strength and power through His Spirit in your inner selves,  17  that through faith Christ may dwell in your hearts in love.  With deep roots and a firm foundation,  18  may you have the power to comprehend, together with all God’s People, what is the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ,  19  and to know the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge, and so be completely filled with the very nature of God.

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

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

John 6:

1  Jesus and his Disciples went across Lake Galilee (of Lake Tiberias as it is also called).  2  A large crowd followed him, because they had seen his miracles of healing the sick.  3  Jesus went up a hill and sat down with his Disciples.  The time of the Passover Festival was near,  5  Jesus  looked around and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, so he asked Philip, “Where can we buy enough food to feed all these people?”  6  (He said this to test Philip; Jesus already knew what he meant to do.)

7  Philip answered, “For everyone to have even a little to eat, it would take more than two hundred silver coins to but enough bread.”

8  Another of his Disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said,  9  “There is a boy here who has  five loaves of barley bread and two fish.  But they will certainly not be enough for all these people.”

10  “Make the people sit down.”  Jesus told them.  There was plenty of grass there, so all the people sat down.  There were about five thousand men.  11  Jesus took the bread, gave thanks to God, and distributed it to the people who were sitting there.  He did the same to the fish, and they all had as much as they wanted.  12  When they were all full, he said to his Disciples, “Gather the pieces left over, let us not waste anything.”  13  So they gathered them all and filled twelve baskets with the pieces left over from the five barley loaves which the people had eaten.

14  Seeing this miracle that Jesus had performed, the people said, “surely this is the Prophet who was to come into the World.”  15  Jesus  knew that they were about to come and seize him in order to make him King by force, so he went off again to the hills by himself.

[Today’s English Version, New English Bible]

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Passing the Peace

Whether we gather in person in our Church building or whether we gather in spirit in our homes, we remain one body, one people of God, one in fellowship and one in worship.  With that in mind, let us uplift our hands and greet those both here and those who cannot be here: The peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

For the Young at Heart

Screen 1

  I have mentioned this coin on a previous occasion.  It is a First century bronze coin that I bought as a souvenir at Pompeii.  It, along with many others, were dug up at Pompeii and Herculaneum during the excavations of these two Roman towns that were buried by ash and pumice during the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79AD.  I also bought such coins for my sons Brendan and Lachie, and also for my brother because, as I told him at the time, it reminded me so much of him, in that it too looked ‘aged’ and ‘ragged around the edges’.

  I am fascinated by the thought that I can hold in my hand something of that vintage, which is also a visible reminder of such a significant historical event.  And I am struck by the thought that the Gospels were written around the same date as when this coin was buried.  However, there is some difficulty attributing a specific date to each of the Gospels. 

Screen 2

Proposed chronology by Frederick Grant for the composition of these New Testament books

68AD – Mark

90AD – Luke

95AD –Acts of the Apostles

95AD – 112AD – Matthew

100AD – 125AD – John

(in Frederick Grant in The Gospels Their Origin and Their Growth p20 & 21)

  Frederick Grant in his book, The Gospels  Their Origin and Their Growth, proposed this chronology for the composition of the four Gospels and of Luke’s book Acts of the Apostles:

68AD for Mark,  90AD for Luke,  95AD for Acts of the Apostles,  95AD to 112AD for Matthew,  and 100AD to 125AD for John.

Screen 3

Proposed chronology by John Wenham for the composition of these New Testament books

40AD – Matthew

45AD – Mark

54AD – Luke

62AD – Acts of the Apostles

(in John Wenham, Redating Matthew, Mark & Luke, pxxv & xxvi)

  John Wenham, in his book, Redating Matthew, Mark & Luke, proposed a slightly earlier

chronology for the composition of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and of Luke’s book, Acts of the Apostles:

40AD for Matthew,  45AD for Mark,  54AD for Luke,  and 62AD for Acts of the Apostles.

Screen 4

Proposed chronology by Augustus Buckland and Lukyn Williams

63AD – Acts of the Apostles

Between 60AD and 70AD – Luke

Between 63AD and 70AD – Mark

Before 70AD – Matthew

No later than 98AD – John

(in Augustus Buckland and Lukyn Williams The Universal Bible Dictionary p7, 260, 296, 304, 308)

  Augustus Buckland and Lukyn Williams, in their Universal Bible Dictionary, proposed a date range of between 60AD and 100AD for the composition of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and of Luke’s book, Acts of the Apostles.  (Augustus Buckland and Lukyn Williams The Universal Bible Dictionary p7, 260, 296, 304, 308)  Frederick Bruce in his articles on Acts of the Apostles and The Gospels in The Illustrated Bible Dictionary, also supports this date range of between 60AD and 100AD as the chronology for the composition of the four Gospels and of the Acts of the Apostles.  (The Illustrated Bible Dictionary Part 1 p12 and Part 2 p582) 

  What is obvious from these observations is that there is no agreed date among Biblical scholars for the composition of any of these five books.  Any date or date range attributed to any of these books is only inferred by what historical events are mentioned, or not mentioned, in the particular book.  But this inability to attribute a specific or agreed date is not important, and certainly does not detract from our accepting that it truthfully and authentically presents the Gospel message or, in the case of Acts of the Apostles, presents a truthful and authentic account of the witness by the Apostles to the Gospel message.

Screen 5

“the Apostles wrote down what Jesus had taught them”

(Jonathan Hill in Christianity  The First 400 Years p201

  John Wenham writes that the Apostles presented an oral witness to the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.  The ministry of Jesus itself was an oral ministry, in that he taught the people using parables, because, in this manner, “he told them as much as they could understand”.  (Mark 4: 33)  Jesus based his teaching on the Old Testament, which most of the people who came to hear him teach, being illiterate or semiliterate, could not read but had memorised.

  It was on the basis that they were Apostles, and therefore, eyewitnesses to the life and ministry, death and resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, that formed the basis for the authority which was attributed to their own oral teaching.  But it was the passing of some of the Apostles and the rise of false teaching about Jesus and the Gospel message from non-apostolic sources, that was the impetus for the Apostles, or their close followers, to write down what Jesus had taught the Apostles or to collate their existing writings.  And it was the unquestionable authenticity of the Apostolic source of what had been written down that formed the basis for the authority which was attributed to their written word.  Frederick Grant writes of “the great stress upon the Apostolic origin of the New Testament books.”  (Frederick Grant in The Gospels  Their Origin & their Growth p25) 

Screen 6

“By the end of the second century AD, Christians believed that, in the New Testament books, they possessed a second body of Scripture to go alongside the first, the Old Testament.” 

(Jonathon Hill in Christianity  The First 400 Years p200) 

  Donald Guthrie writes that, “by the end of the second century AD the four Gospels and Luke’s book, Acts of the Apostles, were indisputably accepted” by the early Church as writings attributed to Apostolic sources.  (Donald Guthrie in Texts and Versions in The Lion Handbook to the Bible p74) 

  Jonathon Hill writes that “by the end of the second century AD, Christians believed that, in what was to be later termed the New Testament books, they possessed a second body of Scripture to go alongside the first, the Old Testament.”  (Jonathon Hill in Christianity  The First 400 Years p200) 

  I can hold in my hand a coin, which is an authentic and authoritative witness to a significant historical event that had such an impact in the late First century AD on the area around present-day Naples, located on the south-western coast of Italy.

  I can hold in my hand a copy of the Bible, which is an authentic and authoritative witness to the Gospel message of Jesus Christ, which continues to have a significant impact on the lives of individual people throughout the World today.  There is no argument that can be presented to us that negates our acceptance that it is God’s message of His expansive and everlasting love for Humanity, achieved through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Hymn

“O all that pass by, to Jesus draw near”  Wesley’s Hymns number 3

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

Verse 1 of 6

O all who pass by, to Jesus draw near,

He utters a cry, ‘You sinners, give ear!’

From Hell to retrieve you he spreads out his hands,

Now, now to receive you, he graciously stands.

Verse 2 of 6

‘If anyone thirst, and happy would be,

The vilest and worst may come unto me,

May drink of my Spirit, excepted is none,

Lay claim to my merit, and take for their own.’

Verse 3 of 6

Whoever receives the life-giving word,

In Jesus believes, their God and their Lord,

In them a pure river of life shall arise,

Shall in the believer spring up to the skies.

Verse 4 of 6

My God and my Lord!  Your call I obey,

My soul on your word of promise I stay,

Your kind invitation I gladly embrace,

Athirst for salvation, salvation by grace.

Verse 5 of 6

O hasten the hour!  Send down from above

The Spirit of power, of health and of love,

Of filial fear, and of knowledge and grace,

Of wisdom and prayer, and of joy and of praise.

Verse 6 of 6

The Spirit of faith, of faith in your blood,

Which saves us from wrath, and brings us to God,

Removes the huge mountain of indwelling sin,

And opens a fountain that washes us clean.

Charles Wesley

Sermon

Screen 1

“The New Testament was never an authentic record, but was, in its entirety, a corpus of corrupted documents specifically constructed to induce a particular belief, that is, ‘that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and that through your faith in him you may have life’  (John 20: 31)”.

  (Tony Bushby in The Bible Fraud p41) 

    An author by the name of Tony Bushby, wrote a book titled, The Bible Fraud, in which he attempts to discredit and denigrate the New Testament writings.  He makes the claim:

“The New Testament was never an authentic record, but was, in its entirety, a corpus of corrupted documents specifically constructed to induce a particular belief, that is, ‘that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and that through your faith in him you may have life’  (John 20: 31)”.  (Tony Bushby in The Bible Fraud p41) 

Screen 2

“it is difficult to understand why [the New Testament] should have had such a hypnotizing effect, for its fictitious nature is its most obvious characteristic.”

  (Professor A H Sayce as quoted in The Bible Fraud by Tony Bushby p203) 

  Elsewhere Tony Bushby quotes a Professor A Sayce, who states:

“it is difficult to understand why [the New Testament] should have had such a hypnotizing effect, for its fictitious nature is its most obvious characteristic.”

  (Professor A H Sayce in Records of the Past Volumes 1-11, dated 1898, as quoted in The Bible Fraud by Tony Bushby p203) 

  The inference is that, looking back on the New Testament, something written 2000 years ago, using twenty-first century knowledge and understanding, brings a clear picture of the inaccuracy and falsity of these writings.

  But I would argue that the opposite is true.  If you look back on the Gospels in the light of

what was written about them within a century of them being written, you gain a clear picture of their accuracy and authenticity.

Screen 3

Second century Christian writers attest to the accepted authors of the four Gospels.

  Randolph Tasker, in his Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, writes that Irenaeus, a Second century Christian writer asserts that Matthew was the author of the book that bears his name.  (Randolph Tasker in Matthew p11) 

  Justin Martyr, a Christian author in the early part of the Second century, writes that the Gospel of Mark was written by John Mark, a companion of Paul on his missionary travels (Colossians 4: 10) and also of Peter in his travels (1 Peter 5: 13), and that he was drawing on the recollections of Peter.  (Augustus Buckland and Lukyn Williams, in their Universal Bible Dictionary p304) 

  Irenaeus, and later Christian authors, ascribe the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles as the writings of Luke, the companion of Paul on his missionary travels (Colossians 4: 14).  (Augustus Buckland and Lukyn Williams, in their Universal Bible Dictionary, p296)  

  It is written that Polycarp, a late First century and early Second century Bishop of Smyrna, in southwestern Turkey, personally knew the Apostle John when John was residing at Ephesus, and that he affirmed to later Christian authors, such as Irenaeus and Tertullian and Clement of Alexandria, that John was the author of the Gospel that bears his name.  (Augustus Buckland and Lukyn Williams, in their Universal Bible Dictionary, p260) 

  These early Christian writers were writing at a time when they could readily talk with people who personally knew the Apostles, who travelled with the Apostles, lived with and talked with them.  These early Christian writers could readily travel to Judah and Galilee to see for themselves where Jesus ministered to the people of God, and could confirm the details of what was written about Jesus in the Gospels by questioning the children of the very individuals who Jesus had healed, or who had listened to the teachings of Jesus, or who had experienced the events of that first Easter.  That these authors not only affirmed the details contained in the four Gospels but also the accepted authorship of the Gospels, affirms for us the accuracy and authenticity of the Gospel accounts. 

  For Tony Bushby and Professor Sayce to argue to the contrary, denigrating and discrediting the New Testament writings, clearly indicates their biased misrepresentation of the ministry of Jesus, as presented to us in the Gospels and in the further writings of the Apostles, as is collated in the New Testament.

Screen 4

“Fools say to themselves ‘There is no God!’”  Psalm 14: 1

  People such as Tony Bushby and Professor Sayce, are the people to whom the author of Psalm 14 refers when they write, “Fools say to themselves ‘There is no God!’”.  The Hebrew word in Psalm 14: 1 that is translated as ‘fool’ is “nabawl”,  (Strong’s OT5036)  .  It is not a derogatory word but is a descriptive word.  It means “to be stupid or wicked or impious or a vile person”.  The Psalmist is, in fact, saying, ‘atheists are fools’. 

  Let us see how the writer describes these people.  We read, “they are all corrupt”, “they have done terrible things”, “no one does what is right”, “they have all done wrong”, “they are all equally bad”, and, finally, “they live by robbing my people, and they never pray to me”.  (Psalm 14: 1 to 3) 

  Why is the writer associating a practical belief in the absence of a god with behaviour that is so wicked and depraved?  The answer lies in the solid understanding by the writer that God exists, and that no-one can escape from the reality of God.  Yet, when God looks at Humanity, He sees people who are not only seeking to elude such a reality, but they are also seeking to elude the demands which the reality of God places upon a person’s life.  Such action can only be described as “foolish” in the truest sense of the word.

  Hence the question in verse 4 is asked in utter amazement and reveals the folly of Humanity acting without any concern whatsoever for God.  For we read:

“Don’t they know?” asks the lord, “Are all these evildoers ignorant?”

  God answers his own question by highlighting the two primary aspects of the actions of such people.  Firstly, God says of them, “they live by robbing my people”, referring to the evil intent of their interaction with others.  Secondly, God says of them that “they never pray to me”, referring to their denial of the truth of the reality of God.  One writer puts it this way, that Humanity is described as showing a total absence of religious as well as social responsibility”.  “Where there is no sense of duty to God, Humanity goes astray”, “for the fruit of disobedience (to God) (must) result in the inability to do that which is good, to do that which pleases God.  (Artur Weiser in The Psalms p165) 

Screen 5

“for the fruit of disobedience to God must result in the inability to do that which is good, to do that which pleases God.  (Artur Weiser in The Psalms p165)

  The writer of Psalm 14 is correct in their appreciation of Humanity’s rejection of the truth of the reality of God and the corresponding debasement of their behaviour and lifestyle.  For as one writer puts it, “The absence of truth always ensures the presence of error.”  (Geoffrey Wilson in Romans p29) 

  John Murray, in his definition of Sin  (New Bible Dictionary, 1962, p1189 and p1190)  , writes that “Law (as it is detailed and explained in the Bible) is the transcript of God’s perfection; it is His holiness coming to expression for the regulation of thought and action (that is) consonant with that perfection.  (Sin, which the Apostle John writes is a transgression or a breaking of the Law, as we read in 1 John 3: 4), is a violation of that which God’s glory demands of us and is, therefore, in its essence, the contradiction of God.” 

  We have this illustration of submission to God, made not out of a sense of fear; nor which is a rebellious or resentful submission, but a submission made on the basis of a conscious and realistic understanding and appreciation both of our unworthiness to come into the presence of God given our disobedience to His calls for us to obey Him, and of the utmost mercy and grace that God shows towards us, because that is the very nature of God.

  Let us contrast this with what we read in today’s reading from John 6.

Screen 6

Jesus feeding the crowd  (John 6: 11) 

  David Deeble was one of the performers employed to do a show in the Theatre on board the ship on one of our cruises.  He started by telling some jokes and then performed some quite amazing tricks.  One of the tricks he performed was what he called “the ancient art of fruit balancing”.  He placed an apple on his shoe and flicked it up and onto the back of his neck.  He then rolled it from side to side without it falling off, and then flicked it up and caught it on a fork.  His last trick was juggling three empty plastic bags, one handed.  He made the comment that, in California where he lives, there is a ban on plastic bags, in contrast to marihuana, which is no longer banned.  He stated that he now smuggles in his plastic bags mixed in with his marihuana.  David Deeble was quite an amusing entertainer.

  John writes “A large crowd followed (Jesus), because they had seen his miracles of healing the sick.”  (John 6: 2)  They came to see Jesus to be entertained, as we were by David Deeble. 

  They were seeking a spectacle, something amazing to provide them with a ‘wow’ experience.  They were seeking an experience of the supernatural, as amusement, without the obligation to worship.  They saw only the actions of Jesus, they failed to recognise the person of Jesus, they failed to acknowledge the purpose of why Jesus was there.

  After seeing the miracle of the small amount of bread and fish being blessed and divided up enough to feed the large crowd that had gathered on the grassy plain, which was certainly numbered more than the 5000 men as is stated in the passage, John writes that the crowd saw in Jesus the Prophet who they understood had been foretold and who would come and satisfy all of their needs.  Here we see the crowd seeking, not to submit to Jesus, but to manipulate Jesus for their own ends.  They saw in Jesus the one who would satisfy all of their physical and political needs, as they perceived them to be.  They saw in Jesus the one who they could use to solve all of their issues and to provide all of the solutions to all of their problems, as they perceived them to be.  They failed to recognise that their central need was spiritual, not physical or political.  They failed to see that the miracles Jesus performed where to prove who he was, the Son of God, not simply to demonstrate his powers or capabilities.  They failed to listen to his call to repent for the Kingdom of God was at hand.  Their hope was that Jesus had come, not to establish the spiritual reign of God, but to bring into existence an earthly paradise.  (Randolph Tasker in John p93) 

  William Barclay, in his Commentary on the Gospel of John, makes the point that the crowd who were eager to carry him to power on a wave of popular acclaim, in all likelihood was the same crowd who, a short time later, would be clamouring “Crucify him!  Crucify him!”  (William Barclay in John Vol 1 p206)  He then goes on to write, “Are we so very different to the crowd?  When we want comfort in sorrow, when we want strength in difficulty, when we want peace in turmoil, when we want help in the face of depression, there is no one so wonderful as Jesus, and we talk to him and walk with him and open our hearts to him.  But when he comes to us with some stern demand for sacrifice, with some challenge to effort, with the offer of some cross to bear, we will have nothing to do with him.  When we examine our hearts, it may be that we will find that we too love Jesus for what we can get out of him.”  (William Barclay in John Vol 1 p206) 

  And how do the Disciple fare?  Two are mentioned, Philip and Andrew.  John records in 1: 44 that they both came from the town of Bethsaida which was quite nearby to where the events in chapter 6 took place.  So, both of them would have been familiar with the local situation, from where and how a sufficient quantity of food could have been procured to feed such a large crowd.  What do we see in their responses?

  Philip replies, in despair, “It would take the equivalent of 200 days in wages to pay for all the food needed, where are we to get such an amount?”  (John 6: 7 and RSV footnote p1593) 

  Andrew replies, “All I could find were these five small loaves of barley bread and two slam fish.  But they will certainly not be enough for all these people.”  (John 6: 9) 

  Both Philip and Andrew saw only what was within their capacity to provide, what they could achieve by their own abilities.  They did not look beyond themselves.  They failed to understand that they were there to do God’s work, as God directed and as God provided.  Jesus knew this quite well. In John 5: 19 we read Jesus saying “the Son can do nothing on his own; he does only what he sees his Father doing.  What the Father does, the Son also does.” 

  Jesus takes control of the situation.  He tells his Disciples to have the crowd sit down on the grass nearby, he takes what is available to him, the loaves and fish, he blesses them and distributes them.  And we find that the needs of the people are overwhelmingly met.

Screen 7

God takes what is available, God blesses what is available, and God uses what is available.  By His power and grace God achieves what He has planned.

  And it is the same with the Church today, both corporately, as the Church ‘worldwide’, and as individual Congregations.  God does not expect us to achieve great things on our own, by our own efforts.  We pray “Your Kingdom come” not our kingdom come.  We should understand then that God takes what is available, God blesses what is available, and God uses what is available.  By His power and grace God achieves what He has planned.  Jesus made himself available to God for God’s purpose and God achieved great things.  How are we making ourselves available to God for God to achieve what He has planned?  Amen.

Hymn

“O love how deep, how broad, how high”  TiS194  AHB6  MHB62

[sung to the tune Puer Nobis Nascitur – there is a short introduction]

Verse 1 of 7

O love how deep, how broad, how high,

It fills the heart with ecstasy

That God, the Son of God, should take

Our mortal form for mortals’ sake.

Verse 2 of 7

He sent no angel to our race

Of higher or of lower place

But wore the robe of Human frame

Himself, and to the lost World came.

Verse 3 of 7

For us he was baptised, and bore

His holy fast, and hungered sore;

For us temptations sharp he knew;

For us the tempter overthrew.

Verse 4 of 7

For us he prayed, for us he taught,

For us his daily works he wrought,

By words and signs and actions, thus

Still seeking not himself but us.

Verse 5 of 7

For us to wicked hands betrayed,

Scourged, mocked, in purple robe arrayed,

He bore the shameful cross and death,

For us at length gave up his breath.

Verse 6 of 7

For us he rose from death again,

For us he went on high to reign,

For us he sent his Spirit here

To guide, to strengthen and the cheer.

Verse 7 of 7

To Him whose boundless love has won

Salvation for us through His son,

To God the Father, glory be

Both now and through eternity.

Thomas a Kempis

translated by Benjamin Webb

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774

[to be sung to the tune ‘Austria’ – 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 open to your generous love and be filled with gratitude for all the ways you have provided for us.

We pray for the grace to rely upon your providence, that we may entrust to you all our needs, large and small, and rely upon your abundant loving care for us.

We pray for the grace to bear with one another, that you will give us patience and gentleness to bear with one another through our differences and limits so that we can help one another follow your call.  May we be grounded in your love and be instruments through which your love is revealed to the World.

We pray for unity amongst all believers, that the Holy Spirit who has brought us into the one body through baptism will draw us into common prayer and service.

We pray for the courage to serve others, that we may be open to opportunities to meet the needs of others and to generously respond to them even if our gifts or time seem too limited.

We pray for all who hunger for freedom, that you will free those imprisoned unjustly, caught in human trafficking, or who live under oppression, that you will heal their pain, and give them hope for a new life.

We pray for all who endure hunger each day, particularly orphans, refugees, and the marginalized, that you will open avenues for food to reach them and help our hearts to be more sensitive to their needs and more aware of our abundance.

We pray that you will bless those who work to bring food and comfort to the infirm and to those in need.

We pray for an end to the Covid-19 pandemic, that you will curtail the virus, heal those with it, and give strength and courage to all who care for those who are sick with this virus.

We pray for all who are suffering, that you will send rain to end droughts, guide those fighting wildfires, and give strength to those recovering from floods and other natural disasters.

We pray for all who are entrapped by poverty, that you will open abundant opportunities for them to use their gifts and skills to provide for their families.

We pray for those who have lost a sense of purpose in life or who are bound by stress and worry.  Please grant them peace of mind and spirit, give them purpose and direction in life, and motivate them to live life to its fullest.

We pray that leaders of Nations and within Nations will recognise your sovereignty over all levels of Government, may they recognise that they are accountable to you for their decisions, their actions and their conduct.  May they use their position and power to bring just and equitable means for alleviating need and promoting justice and development.

We pray that you will lead medical researchers in their search for cures to our illnesses and diseases, and remedies to heal our infirmities.

Copyright © 2021. Joe Milner. All rights reserved.<br> Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.  https://liturgy.slu.edu/ 

(also from Leading Intercessions by Raymond Chapman p72 and Prayers for the Seasons of God’s People Year B by David Hostetter p157)

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.

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

“When the Roll is called up Yonder”  Alexander’s Hymns No.3 number 70

Benediction    

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

Benediction Song

“Now unto him who is able to keep”  Scripture in Song Volume 1 Number 72

[there is an introduction]

Now unto Him who is able to keep,

Able to keep you from falling,

And present you faultless before the presence of His glory

With exceeding joy,

To the only wise God, our saviour,

Be glory and majesty,

Dominion and power,

Both now and forever.  Amen.

Olive Wood