Welcome: –

Call to Worship: –    

‘Where can I find Him?’ :

God’s presence can be felt and seen

Right in the midst of our routine,

The things we touch and see and feel

Are what makes God so very real.

The silent stars in timeless skies,

The wonderment in children’s eyes,

The gossamer wings of a hummingbird,

The joy that comes from a kindly word,

The Autumn haze, the breath of Spring,

The chirping song the crickets sing,

In everything both great and small

We see the hand of God in all,

And every day, somewhere, someplace,

We see the likeness of His face.

For who can watch a new day’s birth,

Or touch the warm, life-giving earth,

Or feel the softness of the breeze

Or look at skies through lacy trees

And say they’ve never seen His face

Or looked upon His throne of grace.

Helen Steiner Rice  [from God’s Garden of Grace p20 & 21]

  We have gathered to worship our God whose presence we can sense in what we see and hear and feel in the World around us, whose love has enriched and enlivened us, whose grace has brought us freedom from the burden of our sins and cares. 

Hymn: ‘For the beauty of the Earth’  MHB35  AHB77  TiS137

Prayer    

God of power and might, of love and grace and mercy; by whose spoken Word the World came into being. and without whose guidance we are lost; we stand in awe of you and in adoration lift our voices to you.

We believe that You are our strength; You are our shield;

In our helplessness, we trust that You are our refuge.

In our vulnerability, You are our shelter.

In the midst of darkness, You give us light and rays of hope.

In our pain and suffering, You give us the ability to live in hope with courage; and the wisdom to overcome all difficulties.

Generous God, giver of all good things, with humility and thankfulness we recognise that all we have comes from you.  You are the one who looks after us and provides for our needs.

We give you our heartfelt and everlasting praise for your gracious gift of forgiveness of our sins, of the cleansing of our souls, and of a restored relationship with you.  We give thanks for the many people who have gone before us as witnesses to your great love through serving those in need.  We give thanks for present witnesses who continue to join in your mission of compassionate care and loving service.

Yet we come to You, O God, and confess our weakness and vulnerability.  We confess that we have persevered in our sinfulness and negligence.

We confess that we have neglected Your commandments, that we have offended Your love, that we did not show mercy to each other, that we were not able to curb our greed.  In the midst of the busyness of our daily life, we forget the distinction between good and evil, between truth and falsehood; we neglect the poor, the marginalised and those who we define as different from “us”.

God of mercy, forgive us and remove the taint of sin from our lives.  God of hope, heal us, restore us, and sustain us by Your divine grace.

We come into the light of your Presence, and open ourselves to the healing power of your Spirit, laying bare our brokenness, our deficiencies, and our pain.  Almighty God, trusting in your mercy and grace, we humbly and reverently bring this prayer to you.  Amen.

29%20August%20Blue%20Care%20Sunday%20liturgy.pdf

(© Sahr Kemoore Salia, general secretary, Council of Churches in Sierra Leone, Freetown, Sierra Leone)

Assurance of Forgiveness  

(from Blue Care Sunday 2021 liturgy)  

God has heard our prayer, He has seen our regret and the brokenness of our heart.  Hear then and put your trust in Christ’s words of grace to us: Our sins are forgiven!  We have been reconciled to God.

Thanks be to God.

Prayer of illumination 

(from Uniting in Worship Book 1 number 12 p599) 

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

Bible Readings

Deuteronomy 10:

12  (Moses called together all the People of Israel and said to them,) ”Now, People of Israel, listen to what the Lord your God demands of you; Worship the Lord and do all that He commands.  Love Him, serve Him with all your heart,  13  and obey all His Laws.  I am giving them to you today for your benefit.  14  To the Lord belong even the highest Heavens, the Earth is His also, and everything on it.  15  But the Lord’s love for your ancestors was so strong that He chose you instead of any other people, and you are still His chosen People.

16  So then, from now on be obedient to the Lord and stop being stubborn.  17  The Lord your God is supreme over all gods and over all powers.  He is great and mighty, and He is to be obeyed.  He does not accept bribes.  18  He makes sure that orphans and widows are treated fairly, He loves the foreigners who live with our people, and gives them food and clothes.  19  So then, show love for those foreigners, because you were once foreigners in Egypt.  20  Have reverence for the Lord your God and worship only Him.  Be faithful to Him and make promises in His name alone.  21  Praise Him, He is your God, and you have seen with your own eyes the great and astounding things that He has done for you.

Hebrews 1:

1  In the past God spoke to our ancestors many times and in many ways through the Prophets,  2  but in these last days He has spoken to us through His Son.  He is the one through whom God created the Universe, the one whom God has chosen to possess all things at the end.  3  He reflects the brightness of God’s glory and is the exact likeness of God’s own being, sustaining the Universe with His powerful word.  After achieving forgiveness for the sins of Humanity, He sat down in Heaven at the right-hand side of God, the supreme Power.

8  About the Son, however, God said,

“The Kingdom I give you will last forever and ever.  You rule over your people with justice.  9  You love what is right and hate what is wrong.  That is why God, your God, has chosen you and has given you the joy of an honour far greater than He gave to any other king.”  (Psalm 45: 6 & 7) 

James 1:

19  Remember this, my dear sisters and brothers!  Everyone must be quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to become angry.  20  A person’s anger does not achieve God’s righteous purpose.  21  So get rid of every filthy habit and all wicked conduct.  Submit to God and accept the Word that He plants in your hearts, which is able to save you.

22  Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to His Word; instead, put it into practice.  23  Whoever listens to the Word but does not put it into practice is like a person who looks in a mirror and sees themselves and then goes away and at once forgets what they look like.  25  But whoever looks closely into the perfect Law that sets people free, who keeps paying attention to it and does not simply listen and then forget it, but puts it into practice, that person will be blessed by God in what they do.

26  Does anyone think they are religious?  If they do not control their tongue, their religion is worthless and they deceive themselves.  27  What God the Father considers to be pure and genuine religion is this: to take care of orphans and widows in their suffering and to keep oneself from being untarnished by the World.

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

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Mark 7:

5  So the Pharisees and the Teachers of the Law asked Jesus, “Why is it that your Disciples do not follow the teaching handed down by our ancestors, but instead eat with ritually unclean hands?”

6  Jesus answered them, “How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you.  You are hypocrites, just as he wrote:

‘These people, says God, honour me with their words, but their heart is really far away from me.  7  It is no use for them to worship me, because they teach human rules as though they were my Laws.’  (Isaiah 29: 13)  8  You put aside God’s command and obey the teachings of people.”

14  Then Jesus called the crowd to him once more and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand.  15  There is nothing that goes into a person from the outside which can make them ritually unclean.  Rather, it is what comes out of a person that makes them unclean.”

20 And Jesus went on to say,  21  “For from the inside, from a person’s heart, come the evil thoughts which lead them to do immoral things, theft, murder,  22  to commit adultery, ruthless greed, malice, fraud, indecency, jealousy, slander, arrogance and folly;  23  all these evil things come from inside a person, and they defile that person.”

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

And also with you.

Hymn: “See, sinners, in the Gospel glass”  Wesley’s Hymns number 31

[sung to the tune St Catherine – there is no introduction]

Verse 1 of 4

See, sinners, in the Gospel glass,

The friend and Saviour of Mankind!

All of the unbelieving race

But may in him salvation find!

His thoughts and words, and actions prove,

His life and death, that God is love.

Verse 2 of 4

Behold the Lamb of God who bears

The sins of all the World away!

A servant’s form he meekly wears,

He sojourns in a house of clay,

His glory is no longer seen,

But God with God is man with men.

Verse 3 of 4

See where the God incarnate stands,

And calls his wandering creatures home,

He all day long spreads out his hands,

“Come, weary souls, to Jesus come!

For I will hide you in my breast

Believe, and I will give you rest.”

Verse 4 of 4

“Ah! Do not of my goodness doubt,

My saving grace for all is free,

I will in no wise cast them out

Who comes a sinner unto me.

I can to none myself deny,

Why, sinners, will you perish, why?”

Charles Wesley

Sermon

Screen 1

Brigalow Park – September 1951 to December 1953

Woodview – January 1954 to December 1956

Swanfels – January to September 1957

  My Father taught at these three one-teacher schools in the Darling Downs region early in his teaching career, between 1951 and 1957.  For the first 8 months of my life I lived at the third of these, located in a small locality called Swanfels, a few kilometres to the east of Yangan, before Dad was transferred to the High School in Warwick.

  I recall that, during one school holidays, when I was about 6 years old, we returned to visit these three schools; I think because it was at a time when the Education Department was closing down many of these small schools and Dad wanted to visit the three at which he had taught before they were gone.

  Dad is 90 this year, and, thinking about this, encouraged me to consider revisiting the sites of these three schools.  However, because these schools are all closed and the properties sold to new owners, they do not appear as schools on any current directory or map.  So, how was I to identify where these properties were located?

Screen 2

  As you do in such circumstances, you naturally consult Mr Google and Ms Wikipedia.  I came across a list of schools on the Darling Downs.  The entry for the first school, Brigalow Park, states that “it is located on Brigalow Park School Road”.  Well, that’s a bit obvious you may remark, and you are quite correct, but this piece of information does narrow down the search area.  But where exactly on Brigalow Park School Road was the school located?

Screen 3

cad-map-2mile-qld-2m77-admin-bdy-1955.jpg (7536×5508) (information.qld.gov.au)

  I recalled that we had a series of cadastral maps at work which I used to consult every now and again so as to identify properties that were situated along the routes of power lines.

  A cadastral map is a record of property boundaries and streets, a bigger version of the survey plan for the property on which your home is situated.  I remembered that school reserves were recorded on these maps.  After some searching, I located the relevant map of the right vintage, a 2 Mile Queensland map number 2m.77, dated around 1955.

Screen 4

  Lo and behold, there it was on the map, School Reserve R.736, for Brigalow Park School.

Screen 5

cad-map-25000-9243-13-cookes-hill-1984.jpg (5565×7974) (information.qld.gov.au)

  On a recent map the site is marked as Portion 279 Parish of Milton County of Aubigny.

Screen 6

  And here is the property as it is seen on Google maps, showing that it has retained its shape.  So, using a series of maps, I have been given the information that has guided me to identify the former school property on Brigalow Park School Road.  Should Kerry and I decide to visit the site in the future I am confident in being able to drive to the exact spot.

Screen 7

a ‘roadmap’ for the future

  At the start of their Exodus journey, the People of Israel faced several issues.  What appeared to be the most important at the time was from where were they going to obtain sufficient food and water to physically sustain themselves and their flocks and herds on a daily basis.  But, just as important, was the consideration as to how were they to shape their future, their relationships with one another, their relationship with God?  They were now on their own.  They no longer answered to any other king or people.  They no longer needed to comply with another people’s commands and demands.  They were no longer someone else’s property.  They could now make decisions for themselves, for their families, and for their flocks and herds.

  They had experienced Egyptian society and religion during their 430 year period of slavery  (Exodus 12: 40)  .  Were they to continue living the way of life and the way of belief that had been thrust upon them by their Egyptian masters?  Were they to copy the way of life and the way of belief of one of the neighbouring peoples and cultures?  What they urgently required was a “roadmap” for the future, to give them direction and instruction.

Screen 8

the presence of God among them

  The events recorded in the Book of Exodus reveal the efforts of God to reveal Himself to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to make known His presence among them.

  God revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush.  (Exodus 3: 5)

  God revealed His presence to the Egyptians and the People of Israel through bringing the 10 plagues upon the Egyptians.  (Exodus 7: 14 to 12: 32)

  God revealed His presence with the People of Israel during their escape to the Red Sea in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.  (Exodus 13: 21 & 22)

  God revealed His presence by enabling them to cross the Red Sea on dry ground and by drowning the pursuing Egyptian army.  (Exodus 14: 14: 1 to 31)

  God revealed His presence at Mount Sinai where He made His Covenant agreement with the People of Israel.  (Exodus 19: 16 to 20)

  God explained the purpose for His actions:

“I will live among the People of Israel, and I will be their God.  They will know that I am the Lord their God who brought them out of Egypt so that I could live among them.”  (Exodus 29: 24)

  God promised to Moses that He would remain in the presence of the People of Israel throughout the Exodus journeying:

“The Lord said (to Moses), ‘I will go with you, and I will give you victory.’”  (Exodus 33: 14)

Screen 9

Worship the Lord

Do all that He commands

Love Him

Serve Him with all your heart

Obey all His Laws  (Deuteronomy 10: 12)

  It is only natural then, that if God is revealing His presence among them, that God is also revealing the future that He has planned for His people.  God provided for the Israelites the direction that they needed.  This was based upon their response to His mighty acts and upon their response to His very nature.

  We read Moses giving this instruction to the People of Israel:

“listen to what the Lord your God demands of you”  (Deuteronomy 10: 12) 

  “The Lord your God” is the title by which Moses describes and defines God to the People of Israel.  They are God’s people by God’s choice.  Moses make reference to the love that God had for their ancestors  (Deuteronomy 10: 15)  .  He is their Lord because of His saving acts for them, the “astounding things He has done”.  (Deuteronomy 10: 21) 

  Moses describes God for them:

God is a God of love.  (Deuteronomy 10: 15, 19)

God is supreme over all other gods and powers of which people could experience or conceive.  (Deuteronomy 10: 17a)

God, as the Creator of Heaven and Earth, has ownership of “the highest Heaven, the Earth, and everything in it”.  (Deuteronomy 10: 14)

God is a compassionate God, who cares for all people, but especially those who are deprived of the basic necessities for life, specifically widows and orphans, who have minimal access to the means for obtaining their daily sustenance and who are open to the potential for abuse and oppression; and God also cares for those who are disadvantaged, specifically the foreigners in their midst, who are outside of the existing extensive family support networks.  (Deuteronomy 10: 18 & 19)

God is a just God, who does not show partiality in making judgements of Law and what is right, who does not accept bribes so as to make unjust and corrupt judgements and decisions for personal gain, who determines just Laws and regulations that make for equitable and fair social conditions.  (Deuteronomy 10: 17b)

God is “great and mighty” and exercises absolute power and demonstrates absolute authority, in every Earthly and spiritual sphere.  (Deuteronomy 10: 17 & 21)

  What then is to be the people’s response to this God? 

  Firstly, we need to understand why they needed to respond to God.

  God had clearly demonstrated that He and He alone was the one true God.  The magicians and the priests of Egypt could not equal the power and authority that God exhibited, let alone attempt to counter the astounding things that God had done for the Israelites.

  God had clearly demonstrated that He had a plan for the people of Israel, to deliver them from their enslavement in Egypt, to protect them, to provide for them, and to deliver them to the promised land of Canaan.

  God had clearly demonstrated His superior moral and ethical nature, compared to the so-called gods of Egypt and compared to the Pharaohs of Egypt.

  God had clearly demonstrated that He sought a close personal relationship with those whom He had chosen to be His People.

  Based on this, the people of Israel would have been confident in placing their hope and their trust in God, the God who has saved them, who has promised to lead them, who has promised to remain with them, and who has promised to deliver them to a new land of their own.

  Secondly, we need to understand the manner in which the People of Israel were to respond to God.

  Moses said that they were to have reverence for the Lord their God, to worship only Him, to be faithful only to Him, to serve only Him.  (Deuteronomy 10: 12, 20)

  As their saviour, the God who did the “great and astounding things for them”, Moses said that they were to offer their praise to God.  (Deuteronomy 10: 21)

  As the God who loves them, they were to love God in return.  (Deuteronomy 10: 12)

  As their law giver and moral guide, they were to “do all that God commands”, to “obey all God’s Laws”.  (Deuteronomy 10: 12, 13)

  As their example in relating to others, they were to show love to those whom God loves, to show compassion towards the widow and the orphan as God does, to be concerned for the welfare of the foreigners in their midst as God does.  (Deuteronomy 10: 15, 18, 19)

  Lastly, we need to understand how the People of Israel were to respond to God.

  There were to serve God with all their heart, with intent and purpose, in words and deeds not just in rites or ritual.  (Deuteronomy 10: 12)

  They were to be obedient to God and to stop being stubborn towards God, to submit their whole will and life to God.  (Deuteronomy 10: 16)

  They were to obey all of God’s Laws not just the easy ones or the ones they prefer to obey.  (Deuteronomy 10: 13)

  As the Lord God of the highest Heavens and of all that there is on the Earth, this is what God demanded of them.  But it was also what He desired of them, for it was this submission of the heart towards God for which God was searching in the response of each individual.

Screen 10

The Son is the exact likeness of God’s own being.  (Hebrews 1: 3)

  The writer of the New Testament Book of Hebrews makes two careful statements about Jesus, the Son of God.

  In Hebrews 1: 3 we read:

“(Jesus) is the exact likeness of God’s own being”

  This is made clearer in Hebrews 1: 8 where we read God declaring of Jesus:

“You rule over your people with justice.  You love what is right and hate what is wrong.”

  Here, the same language as is used to describe God is used to describe Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  It is as if the writer of Hebrews is being very careful to clarify that God and Jesus are one and the same.  (John 14: 9)  This is a critical understanding for what follows is the understanding that the words that Jesus speaks are to be accepted as the very words of God, spoken with the identical authority and power.  (Matthew 7: 28 & 29)

  Later, in Hebrews 1: 3, we read:

“after achieving forgiveness for the sins of Humanity, (Jesus) sat down in Heaven at the right-hand side of God”.

  There is a sense of finality with this statement, an understanding of triumph and accomplishment, for we read, Jesus achieved forgiveness of all of the sins of all of Humanity.  Thomas Hewitt, in his Commentary of this Book writes of the “absolute supremacy of the Gospel revelation in the Son, who has accomplished a full and final reconciliation of God and Humanity.  (Thomas Hewitt in Hebrews p49) 

  Alan Stibbs writes that “the revelation and the redemption given to people in Christ are the final truth of God.  The obligation to pay heed and the assurance of complete divine provision are, therefore, absolute.  In Jesus God spoke His final word of revelation, so Jesus brings God to people.  In his own person Jesus purged our sins and finished the work of reconciliation, so he brings people to God.”  (Alan Stibbs in Hebrews in The New Bible Commentary p1193 & 1195) 

  Thus, today, we share the identical circumstances as did the People of Israel when God led them out of Egypt.  We, too, meet face-to-face with the God described in Deuteronomy 10:

  The God who reveals that He is a God who loves people. 

  The God who is supreme over all other gods or powers. 

  The God, who, as the Creator of Heaven and Earth, has ownership of “the highest Heaven, the Earth, and everything in it”.

  The God who, as a compassionate God, cares for the wellbeing of all people.

  The just God who shows impartiality in making judgements of Law and rightness.

  The God who is “great and mighty” and exercises absolute power and demonstrates absolute authority, in every Earthly and spiritual sphere. 

  The God who seeks to save those who are powerless and lost in bondage.

  And we must face the same question as they did: ‘What is our response to this God?’. 

  Some Pharisees and Teachers of the Law confronted Jesus regarding the laxity with which his Disciples were treating certain Laws regarding ritual cleansing of their hands before preparing and eating meals.  It is apparent that these religious leaders were aware of the need to comply with Moses’ demand that the People of God were to “obey all God’s Laws”  (Deuteronomy 10: 13)  , and they expected that everyone should do the same if they were to be accepted as righteous followers of God.  However, from the reply of Jesus, we see that they have failed to heed the accompanying requirement to “serve God with all their heart”  (Deuteronomy 10: 12)…

  Jesus cites a passage from the writings of the Prophet Isaiah:

“These people honour me with their words, but their heart is far away from me.”  (Mark 7: 6, quoting Isaiah 29: 13)

Screen 11

“they teach human rules as though they were God’s Laws”  Mark 7: 7

“For from the inside, from a person’s heart, come the evil thoughts”  Mark 7: 22

  Jesus highlights two dangers in the path chosen by these Pharisees and Teachers of the Law.

  Firstly, in their zeal to find acceptance from God by obeying all His Laws, they add their own Laws where they incorrectly perceive that clarification is needed or that there is insufficient detail or practicality to specific circumstances.  In so doing, they are incorrectly equating human law with Divine Law, and unjustifiably take upon themselves the role of God to pass judgement upon those who do not comply with their perception of what God required of them.

  How often has the Church done the same in the past, where it too sought to impose compliance to socially accepted standards as the means to obey the will of God and to obtain acceptance by God?

  Secondly, in their zeal to find acceptance from God by obeying the ‘letter of the Law’ in all aspects of their life, they fail to perceive the hope of the Prophet Jeremiah when God’s Law will be “written on people’s hearts”  (Jeremiah 31: 33, Hebrews 8: 10)  .

  Jesus highlighted to the crowd who had gathered around him, the difference between obeying the letter of the Law because that was the accepted thing to do and obeying the letter of the Law from a submission of your will to God as your response to the love of God.  He highlighted that obedience to the letter of the Law does not necessarily indicate a change of heart in a person or a whole-hearted response to God.  Our response to God must involve an inward remoulding of the heart, for only when our hearts are aligned with God will our actions reflect the will of God for us and reflect the manner in which God relates to others.

Screen 12

“pure and genuine religion is this: take care of orphans and widows in their suffering and to keep oneself from being untarnished by the World”  (James 1: 27)

  James, in his letter to “the Church dispersed around the World”  (James 1: 1)  , offers the same guidance to the early Christians.  He talks of faith “put into practice”, the expression in actions of “the word that God plants in your hearts”.  (James 1: 21) 

  A pure and genuine response to God should be expressed in acts of compassion to others, as God is compassionate to others, such as, “taking care of orphans and widows in their suffering”  (James 1: 27)  .  This advice mirrors the advice that Moses gave to the People of Israel so many centuries beforehand  (Deuteronomy 10: 15, 18, 19)  .

  It should also be the demonstration of a heart aligned to the will of God, as Jesus had stressed, in actions untainted by the World  (James 1: 27, Mark 7: 20 to 23)  , a response to God that mirrors the purity and goodness of God which God seeks for us to follow.

  How is our heart?  How are we seeking our heart to be remoulded in the shape of God?  Do we just listen to the words of God and then forget them or do we strive to put them into practice?  Do we just follow the ritual of the worship service on Sunday, or do we seek to respond to the character and the will of God in expressions of praise and in a seeking after holiness?

  Philip Yancy writes that “the righteous Pharisees had little historical impact, but Jesus’s disciples, an undependable and flawed group of men, recognised the power of a Gospel that offered free forgiveness to even the worst of sinners.  These men managed to change the World.”  (Philip Yancy in I was just wondering p 101) 

  How has the Gospel changed us?  How have we sought to be used by God to change the World?  Amen.

Hymn

“Be still and know that I am God”  Scripture in Song volume 1 number 27

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774 

[to be sung to the tune ‘Austria’ – disregard the words – only the one verse is needed]

For the life that you have given,

For the love in Christ made known,

With these fruits of time and labour,

With these gifts that are your own:

Here we offer, Lord, our praises;

Heart and mind and strength we bring;

Give us grace to love and serve you,

Living what we pray and sing.

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Prayers for Others

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

Almighty God, we pray for the Church, that we may experience an ever deeper conversion of mind and heart as we allow your Word to instruct and free us.

We pray for a deepening of gratitude, that we may be grateful to you for every blessing and gift, and develop them fully for your glory.

We pray for the gift of spiritual freedom, that you will liberate us from the defences of legalism and rationalism so that we may serve you wherever you calls us.

We pray for wisdom, that you will teach us how to live the virtues of the Christian life and manifest them in new ways in our contemporary society.

We pray for a greater knowledge of ourselves, that you will help us discern our motivations and make life-giving choices each day.

We pray for all who hand on the faith, particularly preachers, teachers, and parents, that they may share their faith clearly and convincingly, and lead others into an experience of your great love.

We pray for conversion from our hypocrisies, that we may recognize where we say one thing and live by another so that we may come to greater integrity and wholeness.

We pray for all who have experienced the evil of human hearts, from unjust laws, from hidden oppression and slavery, that you will heal the pain of those who have experienced abuse, discrimination, or human trafficking and fill them with hope for the future.

We pray for all who have suffered from cover-ups or neglect by Church leaders, that you will comfort and guide them, help their truth to be heard, and guide us in supporting them.  May the Church give leadership in not only doing good, but also in saying what is good, so that the Gospel is not despised as worthless.  Save the Church from preaching what it does not practice.

We pray for all who are suffering from natural disasters and for those assisting them, that you will calm the wildfires and the floods, help the people of Haiti to recover from the recent earthquake, and sustain all who are helping them.

We pray for the people of West Timor who have suffered loss and injury following a recent cyclone.  Please guide those who are rebuilding homes and communities, who are providing aid and care to the homeless and bereaved.

We pray for refugees and displaced persons, particularly those fleeing Afghanistan, that you will guide them to safety, protect them on their journeys, and help them find welcome in new communities.

We pray for greater respect for and stewardship of the Earth’s resources, that we may treasure the natural resources that you have given us and wisely use them for the good of the Human family.

We pray for an end to the Covid-19 pandemic, that you will curtail the surge in the Covid virus, send healing to all who are ill, and give strength and courage to all medical personnel.

We pray for safety in schools, that you will watch over all schools, protect students from violence, and bullying, and help all to grow in knowledge and self-awareness.

We pray that our Society will value the loving care of parents towards their family.  Guide and encourage us to put the dignity and value of each person above economic prosperity and corporate profits.

We pray for peace, that the Holy Spirit will renew the dedication of those working for peace and help all to work together to defeat the common enemies of disease, ignorance, and poverty.

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 p75 & 76, and Prayers for the Seasons of God’s People Year B by David Hostetter p174 & 175)

We pray for the work of Blue Care throughout Queensland:

that you will oversee the welfare of the residents in their Residential Aged Care Facilities,

that you will oversee the safe operating of their Retirement Living Facilities,

that you will bless the operating of their Community Care Centres,

that you will guide and support those in leadership positions as they manage staff, finances, procurement and the oversight of programs,

that you will encourage and protect the many volunteers who give of their time and energy to the provision of care and support to those using Blue Care programs and facilities,

that you will encourage and support staff of Blue Care as they provide compassion and care to those in need,

that you will guide those who train and support the staff and volunteers so as to meet their individual context and circumstances,

that you will support Blue Care chaplains as they seek to guide and care for residents of facilities and program users,

that you will guide and bless the work of the Grief and Loss Programs in the various centres and facilities,

that you will guide and bless the work of the Dementia Programs in the various centres and facilities,

that you will guide and bless the Respite Programs in the various centres and facilities,

that you will oversee the commencement of the provision of the Home Care Package Program, that it will meet the care needs and support the wellbeing of people in their homes.

We thank you for the dedication and enthusiasm of the staff, volunteers, and supports of Blue Care and their family members.  Protect and bless them in their involvement in the programs and services of Blue Care.  Direct the delivery of these services so that they provide the very best of care and support for those in need.  Please encourage the Church to do all that is required to continue the work of Blue Care in our communities.

God of all healing, who called the light to shine in the darkness at Creation, and in whose eternal light there is no darkness at all, be a light of hope to those who live in darkness.  Be a support to the fearful, a listener to the lonely, a purpose to those in despair, that amongst the struggles and confusions of the World, they will find the path that leads to the fulness of life, and joy and peace in Jesus Christ our Lord.

(https://www.ncca.org.au/ncca-newsletter/august-2021-1/item/2535-president-s-reflection-2021081)

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

“I am Thine, O Lord”  Alexander’s Hymns No. 3 number 47

Benediction    

  Neva Coyle writes that there is nothing we can do to earn God’s acceptance and love.  God has given us everything in Jesus Christ.  (Neva Coyle in What does God want anyway p9) 

  Let us then live a life of gratitude to God for His mercy and grace.  Let us live a life of goodness and purity for which God seeks from us.  Let us live a life showing compassion and care towards all people in the same manner that God shows His love for all.

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

Benediction Song

“Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us”  Scripture in Song Volume 2 number 111 / 316

[there is an introduction – you can choose how many times you repeat the verse]

Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us.

Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us.

That we should be called the children of God,

That I should be called a child of God.

Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us.

Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us.

That we should be called the children of God,

That I should be called a child of God.Patricia van