WE GATHER IN GOD’S PRESENCE:
Lighting the Candle:
Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness
but will have the light of life.’
Greeting:
The Lord be with you AND ALSO WITH YOU
We Focus on God
from Psalm 22, a Psalm of David
I will declare your name to my countrymen!
In the middle of the assembly I will praise you!
You loyal followers of the Lord, praise him!For he did not despise or detest the suffering of the oppressed;
You are the reason I offer praise in the great assembly;I will fulfill my promises before the Lord’s loyal followers.
Let the oppressed eat and be filled!
Let those who seek his help praise the Lord!
May you live forever!
Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the Lord and turn to him!Let all the nations worship you!
For the Lord is king
and rules over the nations.
A whole generation will serve him;
they will tell the next generation about the sovereign Lord.
They will come and tell about his saving deeds;
they will tell a future generation what he has accomplished.
We Sing TiS 125 The God of Abraham Praise
Prayer[1]
Holy and awesome LORD
we gather in your presence,
to heed Christ Jesus,
to say no to ourselves,
to pick up our cross to follow Christ;
and thus we find ourselves.
We gather in your presence
to heed your Spirit
to say yes to the good news of God’s Spirit working within us,
and thus we find faith and wholeness.
Holy and awesome LORD
your promises are sure;
your love eternal;
your kingdom all encompassing,
therefore we pray
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
Welcome
WE LISTEN FOR A WORD FROM GOD
Prayer for Illumination
LORD GOD,
AS JESUS IN THE WILDERNESS
FOUND SUCCOUR AND GUIDANCE
THROUGH YOUR WORD,
MAY WE FIND SUCH
IN OUR OWN TIMES
OF PLENTY AND STRESS.
THROUGH CHRIST, AMEN
Scriptures:
Genesis 17: 1-7, 16-16
7 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. 2 And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.’ 3 Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, 4 ‘As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspringafter you…
15 God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.’
Romans 4:13-25
13 For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
16 For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, 17 as it is written, ‘I have made you the father of many nations’)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist
22 Therefore his faith ‘was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ 23 Now the words, ‘it was reckoned to him’, were written not for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
In this is the Word of God We hear and rejoice, O Lord
Mark 8:31-38
31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’
34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36 For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37 Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38 Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’
The Gospel of our Lord
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ
Prayer of Confession:
Holy LORD of creation and the nations,
we confess our silence, rather than praise,
our failure to witness to your saving action,
when we converse with those of younger generations…
Lord have mercy LORD HAVE MERCY
Holy Christ Jesus, steadfast in determination
to follow the way which would lead to death,
we confess our unwillingness to recognise
your call to the self-sacrificial life…’
Christ have mercy CHRIST HAVE MERCY
Holy Spirit, through whose power
Jesus was raised and new possibilities are created,
we confess our blindness to your energizing work
within our world and amongst us…
Spirit have mercy SPIRIT HAVE MERCY
The Promise of Reconciliation
Jesus our Lord, raised from the dead,
was handed over to death for our trespasses
and was raised for our justification. (Romans 4:24,5)
In Christ sin is forgiven us,
therefore we exclaim with grateful hearts
THANKS BE TO GOD
Passing the Peace..
as we raise our hands at home or in the chapel
in blessing to those seen and unseen…
The peace of the Risen Lord be with you all
AND ALSO WITH YOU.
We Sing: TiS 177 In Suffering Love The Thread Of Life 5vv
- In suffering love the thread of life
is woven through our care,
for God is with us, not alone
our pain and toil we bear. - There is a rock, a place secure
within the storm’s cold blast;
concealed within the suffering night
God’s covenant stands fast. - In love’s deep womb our fears are held;
there God’s rich tears are sown
and bring to birth, in hope new-born,
the strength to journey on. - Lord, to our hearts your joy commit,
into our hands your pain;
so send us out to touch the world
with blessings in your name. - In suffering love our God comes now,
hope’s vision born in gloom;
with tears and laughter shared and blessed
the desert yet will bloom.
Rob W. Johns 1941–87 Words © E. Johns
Contemporary Word
LENT TWO FINAL SERMON
, ‘If any want to become my followers,
let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
35 For those who want to save their life will lose it,
and those who lose their life for my sake,
and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.
Applying these words of Jesus in our 20th and 21st centuries,
has proven to be a life-long task,
a most challenging responsibility as a minister
called to open up the word of God …
These serve well, therefore, as a text for my final sermon here,
offered some 58 years after I began this ministry journey
when I commenced my theological studies
which formalised my ultimate response to the claim of Christ over me,
specifically his call to serve him as a minister within his Church…
I sensed this call before starting High School,
because I recall Don Paddon my then minister,
advising me to study Latin as my second language,
French being the compulsory first language.
Learning Latin prove invaluable,
not only in gaining a grasp of Grammar, in English and Latin,
but as a foundation for making sense
of biblical Hebrew and New Testament Greek language studies!
These words of Jesus, when heard clearly
and as directed at a modern disciple of Jesus
may well discomfort us!
We empathise with Peter’s reaction
when Jesus began to dismantle common Messianic expectations,
namely that of an all-conquering hero over foreign powers and evil,
with talking about his impending death…:
And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him…
Deep down most of us long for an all powerful God
who will sort out the evil in the world
with an incredible act of might!
Whilst we might long for a God who accepts us with our own
vagaries of human foibles,
we do not want a God who submits
to the worst humanity can impose on God…
betrayal and death…
To my mind, a key interpretive question
in reflecting on these words,
and in fact a question to consider when faced
with the length of the ‘passion’ sections
within the four Gospels, is:
are we presented with a once only servant action of Christ,
or have we in these words of Jesus and the passion narratives
the story of God at God’s work
as servant within a specific historical period,
modelling the new way God works post incarnation?
God present with us as a vulnerable God?[2]
If so, then in whom, where and how
might we discern God at work as servant at this very moment?
perhaps even, how is God putting God’s self at risk right now?
We do well to read the words which follow the quoted text…
they suggest that Jesus is offering both encouragement
and warning to his disciples.
They will be faced with challenges
as to where their loyalties lie.
Their answer will determine their fate,
if loyalty to Jesus is declared;
apparently suffering through persecution will inevitably follow,
including the loss of life…
but, promises Jesus,
those who lose their life for my sake,
and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.
Perhaps one valid understanding of this text
is to see it as an act of pastoral care,
offered to Christians who face persecution
because of their loyalty to Christ and the gospel…
offered to encourage them and give them hope!
This means, hopefully, we who live in times and in places
where there is no such persecution,
can file these words away, ‘just in case’…
Phew! what a relief!
There is an understanding of this text which suggests
that here Jesus is challenging us to live an alternative life style;
to live alternatively to the priorities of the ‘world’,
to follow, instead, the way of Jesus, the kingdom way;
We have learned the focus of Mark on the way,
the straight way, the right way, the Kingdom way,
the way of the cross…[3]
This is then too often defined by listing what it is not…
not seeking security in assets,
not focussing on getting ahead at any cost,
not taking on board the ‘world’s’ values
which include a self-focussed materialistic lifestyle,
a profit at any cost mentality,
even an anti-God stance, i.e. a disbelief in God…
All encompassed within the generic term ‘evil’[4]
the taking of something good and twisting it for one’s own purposes rather than enjoying it how God intended.
Jesus does challenge us
to live a particular lifestyle as his disciples,
enunciated most clearly
in what we call his ‘Sermon on the Mount’,
found in Matthew’s gospel, chapters 5-7 inclusive.
The focus there is on what to do!
rather just on what to avoid.
A very uncomfortable reading it is!
It certainly reminds us
we live interconnected with all around us.
Jesus’ focusses on how we live in relation to others.
He challenges us to rethink how we think of what we have,
in terms of the needs of others…
He challenges us to rethink
how we look at ‘the other’ as enemy,
urging, if you like,
positive affirmation of their shared humanity with us!
He alerts us to how our actions begin within our imagination,
so pay attention to your inner life!
the challenges go on…
To follow the Jesus’ Way
may well be an example of taking up one’s cross!
That phrase itself has become part of the English language
as an idiom;
so many examples exist of how people understand it:
ah, his son is his cross to bear;
or that back pain is her cross to bear;
and including even mundane inconveniences
as examples of cross bearing!
For example, there were times
when I thought my call to ministry was my cross to bear…
Usually in times of conflict of some sort or other…
I misplaced a profound theological meaning
on situations and experiences
which were more the consequences of human foibles,
than acting in a God centred ‘straight, or right way’!
As I reflected on my life throughout my life
in the light of these words of Jesus,
one time it dawned on me
there is an incredible interpretive contradiction within them.
We associate the call to cross bearing with struggle, pain, difficulty,
persecution, deprivation…
the list of negative experiences goes on
to include, and conclude with death.
Yet Jesus promises life!
, ‘If any want to become my followers,
let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
35 For those who want to save their life will lose it,
and those who lose their life for my sake,
and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.
Simply understood this promise refers to our life beyond death,
which, as we so often tend to forget, is a God given life!
not merely some inevitable consequence
of an eternal spirit, soul,
which we possess…
However, if we take seriously the understanding
that these words have meaning
beyond offering comfort for Christians facing persecution,
if we accept the suggestion that cross bearing
might well include
an intentional commitment to live according to the Way,
we may look for those moments
when new life entered our being.
This does not close our minds to the hassles, difficulties, antagonisms, and other adverse consequences of our determination
to follow Jesus on the Way…
Paul put it well: (2 Cor.4:6-10)
For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,”
is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;
8 we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed;
perplexed, but not despairing;
9 persecuted, but not forsaken;
struck down, but not destroyed;
10 always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
We affirm the fresh insights, the renewal of mind, strengthening of spirit,
the limits of our body even as we push ourselves to go on…
We remind ourselves, as did Paul, I assume,
that the resurrection of Christ assures us
that the worst evil can throw at us
cannot stop God from doing God’s best,
even if God as a vulnerable God
chooses ways incomprehensible to us.
Then at some other time of reflection, another question arose…
‘what is meant by, ‘deny themselves’…
I think it was stirred by the question mark interpreters placed over: love your neighbour as yourself!
Debate continues as to how to understand the love yourself.
Along a similar vein, does to deny oneself,
require that first of all one has to know oneself,
before one can give up what one knows about oneself?
I decided, YES!
The context of Jesus’ words suggest so.
Jesus began this conversation with wanting to know
how the people identified him, who do people say I am?
then wanted to know what the disciples, but who do you!
thought about him…
and through Peter’s response,
he gets the right answer, you are the Christ…
but the wrong understanding… Peter began to rebuke him…
Mark has structured his gospel
so that at the beginning, in its centre, and at its end,
Jesus’ true identity is revealed…
at his baptism, 1:11
“You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”
on the mountain, with Moses and Elijah, 9:7
“This is My beloved Son, listen to Him
at his dying, 15:39
39 When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him,
saw the way He breathed His last, he said,
“Truly this man was the Son of God!”
Again, Paul tells us well that Jesus knew very well who he is…
and what Jesus gave up… Philippians 2:
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant,
and being made in the likeness of men.
8 Being found in appearance as a man,
He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross..
Mark records for us the cost to Jesus of this action.
Mark shows us a very human Jesus, who gets tired, impatient,
wishes for things to be different…
who experiences moments of feeling utterly forsaken …
nevertheless, Jesus knows who and whose he is!
the son of God…
Ultimately the good news of God in Christ
is that each of us is a child of God!
When this realisation kicks in
an openness to God and God’s will for us
shows what God has in mind for us,
including the nature of the cross God wants us to bear
for the sake of God’s kingdom.
Jesus promises that this will be life giving
as we trust and obey…
and also as we doubt and struggle with it…
Finally, what about Jesus’ final words here…
38 Those who are ashamed of me
and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation,
of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed
when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
Recall to whom these are addressed in the first instance…
yes, the disciples… including Peter! perhaps especially Peter…
We know what is to happen in the near future: Mark 14:
66 As Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came, 67 and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Nazarene.” 68 But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.” And he went out onto the porch. 69 The servant-girl saw him, and began once more to say to the bystanders, “This is one of them!” 70 But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders were again saying to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean too.” 71 But he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this man you are talking about!” 72 Immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, “Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And he began to weep.
Note then the words of the young man in a white robe in the empty tomb: Mark 16
But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’”
The special emphasis on naming Peter
demonstrates already what John will reveal to us later,
Peter is accepted and trusted again by Jesus…
This augers well for us who attempt to live
in faithful obedience to Jesus,
who desire to discern accurately what cross bearing
ought to mean for us,…
Wrong choices will inevitably be made;
betrayal of Jesus through a turning of our backs
to aspects of his demanding lifestyle
also inevitably make up part of our living…
in spite of our awareness of our failings,
Jesus is saying in these words
the young man gave at the tomb,
‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee;
there you will see Him, just as He told you
and now through Mark to us:
go back to where you started your journey,
begin with me again!…
much earlier in this sermon I suggested that, post-incarnation, God’s way of involvement within creation
might well be as a vulnerable God,
followed by the question:
in whom, where and how
might we discern God at work as servant at this very moment?
perhaps even, how is God putting God’s self at risk right now?
I suggest, with awe, wonder, fear, enthusiasm and joy…
the answer is: IN US!!!
WE RESPOND TO THE WORD AS COMMUNITY AND IN SERVICE
We Sing: TIS 349 in the cross of Christ I glory 5vv
We Share Our Community Life
News and Notices
Pastoral News
Prayers of the People (from Uniting in Worship)
Thanksgiving for the Uniting Church
We give thanks.
For the first people of this land and their ways of belonging in this place, we lift up our hearts.
God, we give you thanks.
For all those who have come to these shores
from many lands and many traditions,
with the light of the gospel of Christ,
we lift up our hearts.
God, we give you thanks.
For this land of rich or sparse beauty,
its diverse and varied people, and our vocation in this land,
we lift up our hearts.
God, we give you thanks.
For all who have seen your vision of unity
in this country and across the world,
we lift up our hearts.
God, we give you thanks.
For those whose efforts, in the power of the Holy Spirit,
led to the inauguration of the Uniting Church in Australia in 1977, we lift up our hearts.
God, we give you thanks.
For those you called to lead us
in Assemblies, Synods and Presbyteries and in every congregation, we lift up our hearts.
God, we give you thanks.
For every faithful person
who has used the gifts you gave
to serve you and others in quiet and humble places,
we lift up our hearts.
God, we give you thanks.
For people and agencies of the church,
those associated with UnitingCare, such as Blue Care,
and Parish Missions, those small,
and the huge like Wesley Mission,
through whom we minister in your name,
we lift up our hearts.
God, we give you thanks.
For the mistakes through which you have taught us
and the challenges which have stretched our faith,
we lift up our hearts.
God, we give you thanks.
For your readiness to be with us
as our Word, our food, our way, our truth and our life,
we lift up our hearts.
God, we give you thanks.
For your special presence with all in need:
the sick, the grieving and those who lack hope;
the homeless, the hungry and all who seek justice;
we lift up our hearts.
God, we give you thanks.
And with all pilgrim people
who have travelled this life,
as companions with you
and encouragers for us,
we bring you praise and honour,
glory and blessing, now and for ever,
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION
We Bring Our Offering and its Dedication
TiS 774 for the life that you have given…
The Invitation:
The Present Christ (Rev.3:21)
it is Jesus who invites himself to sup with us here,
joining us if we but say the word:
Here I am! Jesus said, I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,
I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
COME, LORD JESUS
Jesus offered a prayer of thanksgiving for the bread and cup
before distributing these to his disciples,
following his example, we pray:
Great Prayer Of Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you… And also with you.
Lift up your hearts…. We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to God.
It is right to give God our thanks and praise.
It is right that we give you our thanks and praise, O God,
origin of the beginning of all that is,
creator of heaven and earth.
You brought our world into being
and formed man and woman in your image,
breathing into them the breath of life,
charging them with the stewardship of your creation.
We do indeed give you our thanks and praise, O God,
with all our heart and soul and mind and strength,
for you keep faith forever with all peoples
as you first kept faith with Abraham and Sarah,
and maintained your steadfast loyalty to their descendants
to the praise and honour of your name
as they testified to your works of salvation…
as we ourselves praise you for your salvation
effected through Jesus
in his faithful obedience to your desire for reconciliation between yourself and humanity.
Almighty LORD,
we join with the whole company on earth and in heaven
proclaiming the hymn of unending praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of grace and truth,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
God of wonder,
with awe we recognise in Jesus the one
who is designated as
‘my beloved son, listen to him’
who is the one who refused to be side tracked
by Satan both at the beginning of his ministry,
and in that moment when his choice
was to heed your will,
rather heeding how his closest confidants viewed his mission.
So he determinedly continued
on that journey towards Jerusalem
where he would be handed over to death for our trespasses and would be raised for our justification.
The Words of Institution
Holy are you O God, and blessed is your Son, Jesus Christ
who revealed your mercy and grace so powerfully,
especially,
when on the night he was betrayed, he took bread,
24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said,
“This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood;
do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup,
you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Great is the mystery of faith.
CHRIST HAS DIED;
CHRIST IS RISEN;
CHRIST WILL COME AGAIN.
Grant your Holy Spirit,
that we might discover
what it means to be of you and in you,
and that this bread and wine
may be for us the very presence of your Son, Jesus Christ.
The Distribution of the Bread
My body, broken for you, Jesus said.
Do this for the remembrance of me…
The Distribution of the Cup
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood; Jesus said
do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me
Prayer following Communion:
Generous and welcoming God,
in Jesus Christ you desire to embrace all.
Grant us of your own generous Spirit
that we might speak words of invitation
and practice actions of welcome
in a Spirit of hospitality to bring all within your embrace.
May they and we enjoy feasting at your table,
revelling in your gracious gift of abundant life,
to the praise and glory of your name. AMEN
We Sing TiS 697 God gives us a future 3vv
Sending Out and Blessing
A Service to Mark the Conclusion of a Placement[5]
THE LETTING GO OF THE PASTORAL RELATIONSHIP OF REV LOUIS VAN LAAR WITH THE BALD HILLS UNITING CHURCH
This Service is used at the Sending Forth of the People of God in the Service of the Lord’s Day in Uniting in Worship.
The presbytery representative Rev. Mark Cornford says:
Since the Church lives by the power of the Word,
it is assured that God has never failed
to provide a witness to that Word.
On 22nd January 2017, the Presbytery of Moreton Rivers
inducted the Rev. Louis van Laar
as a minister of the Word among you,
the people of the Bald Hills Uniting Church in Australia.
We witnessed your promises to take part
in the public worship of God,
to contribute to the work of God,
and to make a Christian witness in the community
by word and action.
The Presbytery has approved
the retirement of Louis from August 31st, 2021
following his Long Service Leave entitlements
commencing tomorrow, 1st March 2021.
The time has come to mark the end
of his particular responsibilities
in this congregation,
and to send him with God’s blessing
to this new phase of life.
The minister says:
Brothers and sisters in Christ,
you called me to minister with you,
and charged me to preach the Word,
preside at the sacraments
and to oversee the pastoral life of the congregation.
You will call another in my place
and I must lay down the tasks you committed to me.
I therefore hand this pastoral list to you
with the of names of the people for whom I have cared,
and ask you to continue to care for these people,
and in due time, to share it with my successor.
The secretary of the church council
Margaret Buchanan,
receives the list.
Rev. Mark Cornford:
And now, on behalf of the Presbytery of Moreton Rivers
we thank you for your ministry of God’s grace
in this congregation.
We release you from this ministry,
and commend you to the pastoral care
of the Presbytery of Moreton Rivers.
Then follows words such as these:
Louis, as you enter into retirement
we pray for God’s blessing
on you in this new sphere of life.
The following is said (Philippians 4:4-7)
4 Rejoicein the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone.
The Lord is near.
6 Do not worry about anything,
but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.
The chairperson of the congregation
Geoffrey Webber
farewells the minister.
Rev. Louis van Laar replies.
FINAL PRAYER Rev. Mark Cornford
Let us pray.
O God,
be with those who leave, and with those who stay;
and grant that all of us, by drawing nearer to you,
may always be close to each other
in the communion of saints;
through Jesus Christ your Son, our Lord.
Amen.
May the love of God enfold us.
MAY THE GRACE OF GOD UPHOLD US.
May the power of God set us free
TO LOVE AND SERVE ALL OF GOD’S CREATION
AND ALL GOD’S PEOPLE.
Now to God,
who by the means of the power working in us
is able to do so much more than we can ask or even think,
to God be the glory in the church
and in Christ Jesus for all times,
for ever and ever.AMEN! A
[1] based on Beu, B. J.; Scifres, Mary. The Abingdon Worship Annual 2018: Worship Planning Resources for Every Sunday of the Year . Abingdon Press. Kindle Edition
[2] Placher, William C. 1994 NARRATIVES OF A VULNERABLE GOD Louisville: Westminster John Knox
[3] see February 7th 2021 Sermon
[4] Faro, Ingrid, 2021, EVIL IN GENESIS: A Contextual Analysis of Hebrew Lexemes for Evil in the Book of Genesis (Logos Edition)
[5] Uniting in Worship 2, CD Rom 2005.
Service for Sunday 18th September 2022, which was conducted by Mr Geoffrey Webber 
Service for Sunday 6th December 2020, – Rev Louis van Laar 
Service for Sunday 30th July 2023, which was conducted by Mr Geoffrey Webber. 
Service for Sunday 7th August 2022, which included Communion and was conducted by Mr Geoffrey Webber 
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