Call to Worship  (from Psalm 22: 25 to 31) 

In the full Assembly of God’s People, I will offer my praise to God for what He has done.

I will offer my tithes and gifts to God in the presence of those who honour and worship Him.

All Nations will remember the Lord,

From every part of the World, they will turn to God and bow down before Him,

All races and tribes will worship Him,

The Lord is King, God rules over the Nations.

All proud people will bow down to God,

All of Humanity will bow down before Him.

Future generations will serve Him,

People will speak of the Lord to the coming generation,

Declaring to the People not yet born,

“The Lord saved His People.”.

  These verses are an expression of praise and thanksgiving to God for the way He has answered a cry for help.  The author of this Psalm writes of finding themselves in dire and seemingly hopeless circumstances, but puts their trust in God’s compassion and saving power, which is rewarded when God ultimately delivers them from their suffering.  This expressing of praise and thanksgiving moves from the individual to the Assembly of God’s People and, finally, to all the World, “for so great will be this deliverance that all the Nations of the World will be compelled to turn to this wonderful God and to worship Him”.

  God’s saving power achieved its ultimate fulfillment in “Christ’s suffering to death on the cross and his resurrection three days later”, for the forgiveness of every person’s sins.

  The hold of sin on a person’s life is the dire and seemingly hopeless circumstance that each person faces, and it is only through our trust in God’s compassion and saving grace that we, individually, are delivered from the power of sin and death that had its hold over us.  It is to this demonstration by God of His inexhaustible and incomparable love and power to which we, individually, express our praise and thanksgiving to God, and for which all Nations will worship Him.

  And it is this great and marvellous act of God’s wonderful and far-reaching love to which we respond as we gather together here for worship, and to which we bear witness as we go out into the world.  May our voices in worship and our words spoken away from Church truly express our praise and thanksgiving of God.

  (Craig Blomberg in Matthew p99 and George Guthrie in Hebrews p948 & 949 in G Beale and D Carson Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament) 

Prayer of Praise  (from Psalm 25) 

  It is to you, Almighty God, that I offer a prayer of praise, for you have shown your kindness through remembering and meeting our needs, for you have shown your goodness through the blessings that you lavish upon us daily.

  It is to you, Almighty God, that I offer a prayer of thanks, for you have shown how you protect us from the deceitfulness of Satan, for you have sustained us in our times of stress.

  It is to you, Almighty God, that I offer a prayer of gratitude for you have provided solutions for our seemingly insolvable problems, for you have provided the direction that we needed when we were bewildered.

  It is to you, Almighty God, that I offer a prayer of adoration, for through your grace you offer us a pathway to the forgiveness of our sins, for through your mercy you have shown us the way to be reconciled to you.

  It is to you, Almighty God, that I offer a prayer of dedication, may I always have reverence for you because of your faithfulness towards all of Humanity, may I always put my trust in your power to save us and to deliver us from evil and the power of sin, may I put my hope in your constant love for each of us to preserve us in this life and in the life to come with you for eternity.

  To you, Almighty God, be all glory and honour, now and forever.  Amen.

Hymn

“The love of Christ has gathered us as one”  TiS434

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

Verse 1 of 3

The love of Christ has gathered us as one:

Rejoice in him with joy which he imparts;

Let us revere and love the living God,

And love each other with unfeigning hearts.

Verse 2 of 3

And so, when we are gathered here as one,

Let quarrels die, and envious rancour cease;

Be our resolve all bitterness to shun,

And in our midst be Christ, his love and peace.

Verse 3 of 3

O lead us, Master, by your saving grace,

To where the blessed glory in your sight;

There let us see and love you, face to face,

Gathered once more in everlasting light.

Richard Connolly

Prayer of Confession  (from Psalm 25: 9, 13, 16 – 18; 26: 2 – 5; 27: 12 and 28: 3)  

Merciful God, you have examined me and tested me,

You have judged my desires and my thoughts.

Merciful God, you have seen where I have deliberately disobeyed you and have intentionally turned away from you,

You have seen where I have been negligent and careless in my words and actions and decisions.

For those times when I have not been humble in my attitude and have boasted of the blessings that you have graced upon me as if they were the works of my own hands,

Merciful God, forgive me.

For those times when my words were friendly while my heart was full of envy or anger,

Merciful God, forgive me.

For those times when I was silent because that was more convenient than speaking the truth or owning up to an error,

Merciful God, forgive me.

For those times when I was in distress and suffering but, instead of trusting in your care, chose instead to wallow in self-pity and to seek comfort elsewhere,

Merciful God, forgive me.

For those times when I have abandoned my friends and neighbours in times of their need because of the perceived cost in my time and energy,

Merciful God, forgive me.

For those times when I hoarded my prosperity rather than share it with those who were seeking mercy from me,

Merciful God, forgive me.

Because of your constant love and grace please forgive my sins,

Relieve me of the burden of my transgressions and errors,

Turn to me Lord, be merciful to me and forgive me,

Remove from me all that displeases you, save me from all that is worthless and wicked in my life, so that I may again rest in your peace and faithfully follow your guidance.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

The Apostle John tells us that God loves us and sent His son Jesus to be the means by which our sins are forgiven  (1 John 4: 10)  .  Let us hold onto that truth, and trust that, having confessed our sins to God, He has indeed forgiven us and reconciled us to Himself.

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

Acts 8:

26  An angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go south to the road that leads down from Jerusalem to the ruined city of Gaza.”  (This is the desert road that is seldom used.)  27  So Philip got ready and set out, and as he was on his way he caught sight of a Nubian.  This man was a eunuch, an important Official of the Candace, or Queen of Nubia, in charge of the Treasury.  He had been to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage to worship God in the Temple, and was returning home.  28  As he sat in his carriage he read aloud from a scroll containing the words of the Prophet Isaiah.  29  The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to the carriage and stay close to it.”  30  Philip ran over and heard the Official reading the words of the Prophet Isaiah.  Philip asked the Official, “Do you understand what you are reading?”  31  The Official replied, “How can I understand, unless someone guides me and explains it to me?”  And he invited Philip to climb up and to sit beside him in the carriage.

32  The passage of Scripture that the Official was reading was this:

“He was led like a sheep to be slaughtered,

Like a lamb that makes no noise when its wool is cut off.

He does not say a word.

33  He was humiliated, and justice was denied him.

No one will be able to tell about his descendants,

Because his life on Earth has come to an end.”  [Isaiah 53: 7 & 8] 

34  The Official asked Philip, “Tell me, of whom is the Prophet saying this?  Of himself or of someone else?”  35  Then Philip began to speak, starting from this passage, he told him the Good News of Jesus.  36  As they travelled along the road, they came to a place where there was some water.  “Look,” said the Official, “here is some water.  What is there to prevent me from being baptised?”  37  Philip said to him, “You may be baptised if you wholeheartedly believe.”  The Official replied, “I do.  I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

38  The Official ordered the carriage to stop, and both Philip and the Official went down into the water, and Philip baptised him.  39  When they came up out of the water the Holy Spirit snatched Philip away and the Official did not see him again, but continued on his way, full of joy.

40  Philip found himself in Azotus, 25 miles north of Gaza, and, passing on, he preached the Gospel in every town until he arrived at Caesarea, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, a further 50 miles to the north.  (Acts 21: 8&9)  .

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

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

John 15:

1  Jesus said to his Disciples, “I am the real vine, and my Father is the gardener.  2  Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he cuts away, and every fruiting branch he cleans, to make it more fruitful still.  3  You have already been cleansed by the word that I spoke to you.  Dwell in me, as I dwell in you.  4  No branch can bear fruit by itself, but only if it remains united with the vine; no more can you bear fruit unless you remain united with me.

5  I am the vine and you are the branches.  Those who dwell in me, as I dwell in them, bear much fruit; for apart from me you can do nothing.  6  Those who do not dwell in me are thrown away like a withered branch.  The withered branches are heaped together, thrown on the fire, and burnt.

7  If you dwell in me, and my words dwell in you, ask what you will, and you shall have it.  8  By this my Father is glorified, that you may bear fruit in plenty and so prove to be my disciples.  9  As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.  Dwell in my love.  10  If you heed my commands, you will dwell in my love, as I have heeded my Father’s commands and dwell in his love.”

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

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

For the Young at Heart

Slide 1

‘holey coins’

  Kerry was recently helping her Dad to sort through some boxes that he had stored in his garage.  They came across a box of old coins which he decided that he didn’t want to keep, and it was passed on to me.

  I was browsing through the box and came across a number of ‘holey coins’, coins distributed with holes intentionally made through them.  These include:

  Top left: a 1926 25 centime from France

  Mid top: a 1922 25 centime from Belgium

  Top right: a 1944 1 pice from India

  Middle left: a 1935 1 shilling from Papua New Guinea

  Mid middle: a 1935 6 pence from Papua New Guinea

  Middle right: a 1922 1 cent from the British colony of East Africa

  But then I came across two other coins.  The one on the bottom left looks exactly like the others, being round in shape, made of metal, and with an edging, but, on one side are printed the words, “Loaned for amusement only”, and on the reverse are printed the words, “Property of O.K. Vendor”.  No country, no date, no value, not a true ‘holey coin’.

  The other coin, on the bottom right, is a valid coin.  It is a 1907 British 1 penny.  There is a hole drilled through it, but, if you look closely, the hole is not quite in the centre of the coin.  I am certain that these pennies were not distributed with a hole in them, so it appears as if someone was seeking to amuse themselves by drilling their own hole in it.  A hole certainly, but that does not make the coin a true ‘holey coin’.

  The Apostle John sought to talk of love in the same manner, trying to describe what was true love, and what was not true love.

Screen 2

“This is what love is: it is not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the means by which our sins are forgiven.  Dear Friends, if this is how God loved us, then we should love one another.”  (1 John 4: 10 & 11) 

  John talks of the two sides of the ‘coin’ of love.  On one side we see the love of God expressed in the incarnation of His Son, Jesus, the Ministry of Jesus, his death on the cross, his burial, and his resurrection.  For what purpose?  “To be the means by which our sins are forgiven.”, so we are told in verse 10.  A gift to us of inestimable and priceless value.  On the reverse side we see the love of God expressed in the love that we show to “one another”, as we read in verse 11.  For how can we truthfully claim that God lives in us if we do not demonstrate the same love for others as He shows to them?  Let us not live counterfeit lives of love, but live lives rejoicing in the triumph of God over the powers of sin and death, and live lives showing love to others, “because God first loved us”.  (1 John 4: 19) 

Hymn

“Jesus comes with all his grace”  TiS219  AHB149  MHB87

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

Verse 1 of 5

Jesus comes with all his grace,

Comes to save a fallen race,

Object of our glorious hope,

Jesus comes to lift us up.

Verse 2 of 5

Let the living stones cry out,

Every child of Abraham shout;

Praise we all our lowly King,

Give him thanks, rejoice and sing.

Verse 3 of 5

He has our salvation wrought,

He our captive souls has bought,

He has reconciled to God,

He has washed us in his blood.

Verse 4 of 5

We are now his lawful right,

Walk as children of the light;

We shall soon obtain the grace,

Pure in heart, to see his face.

Verse 5 of 5

We shall gain our calling’s prize,

After God we all shall rise,

Filled with joy, and love, and peace,

Perfected in holiness.

Charles Wesley

Sermon

Screen 1

a verdict of “no doubt”

  There is a story of a Defence Barrister standing before a Jury at the conclusion of a trial, summing up his defence of his client.  “And the final piece of evidence,” he stated, “which will prove beyond doubt my client’s innocence, is that the person whom the Prosecution claims he has murdered will now walk through those doors into this courtroom.”  Stunned, the entire Jury turned towards the doors that lead into the Courtroom.  There was silence in the Court as they all looked at the doors.

  After a length of time, and when no one appeared, the Defence Barrister addressed the jury again.  “As you can see,” he said,” the person has not appeared.  However, the very fact that all of you turned towards the doors means that all of you have reasonable doubts concerning the validity of the evidence presented to you by the Prosecution, and, therefore, doubts about the guilt of my client.  On that basis alone you must decide on a verdict of ‘Not guilty’ for my client”.

  At that, the Jury retired to the Jury Room to consider their verdict, but returned soon afterwards with a verdict of ‘Guilty’.  “I don’t understand?”, the Defence Barrister exclaimed, “All of you looked at the doors, how then can you find my client guilty when all of you had doubts?”  “You are correct,”, the Jury Chairman replied, “all of us did look at the doors, however, your client didn’t.”

  There was no doubt in the mind of the jury about the guilt of the accused.  In today’s reading from Acts 8, we see that, in a similar manner, the Official from Nubia had no doubts concerning Philip’s explanation of the passage from the Book of Isaiah that he was reading, of its application to Jesus Christ, and, therefore, of its implications for his own life.  As we read in the account, his response to what Philip was saying was immediate and positive; “What is to keep me from being baptised?” he asks of Philip.  (Act 8: 36b) 

  Before we go on, we need to clarify three points.

  Firstly, the Caesarea mentioned at the end of today’s passage from Acts 8 is what was called Caesarea Maritima in the time of the Roman occupation of Palestine, Caesarea on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, which is a different city to Caesarea Philippi, located far to the north of the Sea of Galilee, and which was where Peter made his well known declaration that Jesus was the Messiah, as we read in Mark 8:29.  (also Matthew 16: 16 & Luke 9: 19) 

Slide 2

The Palestine Coast of the Mediterranean Sea from Gaza north to Caesarea (Maritima)

[The Times Atlas of the bible p154 & 155]

  This map shows the locations of Gaza, Azotus and Caesarea, all of which are located on the coast, and the possible “road that leads down from Jerusalem to the ruined city of Gaza.  (This is the desert road that is seldom used.)”  (Acts 8: 26)  .

  Secondly, the Philip in the passage is Philip “the evangelist”, as Luke refers to him in Acts 21: 8.  He is not Philip the Apostle, of whom, frustratingly, nothing is recorded in Luke’s “Acts of the Apostles”.  Second century Christian writers, such as Polycrates and Clement of Alexandria and Papias, record that Philip the Apostle, in the latter part of his life, was preaching in the region of Phrygia, in the modern-day south-western corner of Turkey, around the towns of Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis.  (David Wheaton in Philip in The Illustrated Bible Dictionary Vol 3 p1214 and David Farmer in The Oxford Dictionary of Saints p353) 

  We first read of Philip the evangelist in Acts 6: 1 to 6, on the occasion when he was one of the deacons, or helpers, selected by the early Church in Jerusalem to handle the daily distribution of funds to meet the needs of widows.  This was done so as to free up the time of the Apostles and to allow them to focus solely on the preaching of God’s Word.  We last read of him when Paul and Luke and their travelling companions arrived at Caesarea, when they arrived back in Israel by ship following the third of Paul’s missionary journeys to modern day Turkey, Greece and Macedonia, and where they stayed with Philip and his family, as we read in Acts 21: 8 to 15.  At the end of today’s reading from Acts 8, Philip travels to Caesarea.  Whether he then remained there and made it his home, or whether he returned there at a later date, at some time in the period between Acts 8 and Acts 21, is a matter for conjecture.

  Thirdly, in many translations of the New Testament, the Official is described as “the Ethiopian Official”.  My understanding is that this is a mistranslation of the word describing his physical features, as well as a misleading assertion of his nationality.

  The Greek word translated into English as “Ethiopian”, is the word ‘Aithiops’, which simply reads as “black faced”, indicating that the Official was a member of one of several Negroid races who lived to that part of Africa which lay immediately to the south of Egypt. 

Screen 3

Tribes and Cities in Nubia

[from Africa in History by Basil Davidson p47]

  Various tribes inhabited areas within Nubia, such as the Nuba, Darfur, Fung, and Shoa.  Kingdoms such as Kush, Meroe, Nobatia, Makuria, Alodia, and Aksum/Axum existed in first century AD.  The present-day nations of Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia [called Abyssinia until the mid-20^th century] and Eritrea occupy the region known as Nubia.  Not knowing of what tribe he was a member nor to what Kingdom he was a citizen, lead me to choose to address the Official as a Nubian.

  We gain several lessons from the encounter between Philip and the Nubian Official.

Screen 4

Be aware of God’s leading.

Be ‘equipped’ for doing the work of God.

Be willing to initiate a conversation.

Know what you believe and why you believe the Gospel message.

Address the individual needs of the person.

Seek for clarity of understanding.

Any commitment must be voluntary.

Awareness and understanding brings rejoicing.

Only God knows how He seeks to use a person in the sharing of the Gospel.

  We read that “an angel of the Lord” spoke to Philip.  Philip, at the time, was, presumably, still undertaking the role of helper or deacon in the Church in Jerusalem, to which he had been selected.  He could, justifiably, claim that his roles and responsibilities lay with the Jerusalem Church, and that to do anything else would lead to a neglect of his tasks and a failure to meet the needs of those to whom he had a responsibility.  He could have said, “No! I need to stay in Jerusalem.”  But, apparently, God had a broader vision and sought to use Philip’s gifts and talents elsewhere.

  God directed Philip to journey on a ‘back-country’, infrequently used, and badly maintained dirt road, to no specified location, to meet an unknown person, for an unspecified task, which would take an unknown length of time.  In our age of demanding certainty and assurance in whatever we do, how many of us would have been willing to listen to that ‘still small voice’ in the back of our minds and have packed up and gone as Philip had done?  How many of us demand to know the answers to “Where?”, “When?”, “Why?”, “Who?” and “What?” before we step outside our front door?  Philip is an example of someone who stayed attuned to God such that he could detect the call of God to go and to do, however absurd it seemed at the time.  Like Philip, we need to be willing to say “No!” to ourselves and to say “Yes!” to God.

  What do we know about the character and capabilities of Philip?  We know that he was chosen to “handle finances”  (Acts 6: 2b)  ,so we can deduce that he could read and write and count and subtract.  We know that he was chosen to handle “quarrels between Greek-speaking Jews and the native Jews”  (Acts 6: 1)  , so we can deduce that he would have been a good listener, have patience, been perceptive to underlying needs, and to prioritise these needs, something which the Apostles obviously perceived and upon which they sought God’s blessing.  (Acts 6: 6)  Church Council material indeed.

  But we also see that Philip was able to initiate a conversation with the Official, putting aside any differences of social standing or status or culture, putting aside any natural reserve to not interfere in someone else’s personal life or social space, so that a discussion could commence about the Official’s relationship with God.  How much were these characteristics about Philip innate to him?  How much about them did he need to learn and to practice?  Yet these were the traits that God needed in this situation.  How much are we willing to develop such traits in ourselves?  How eager are we to learn the skills needed so as to initiate conversations with strangers and to lead a discussion towards reflecting upon their relationship with God?

  Philip asked the Nubian Official, “Do you understand what you are reading?”  (Acts 8: 30b)  We read that Philip “began to speak, and starting from this passage of Scripture, he told him the Good News about Jesus.”  (Acts 8: 35)  It was crucial for Philip that he had a well grounded understanding of Scripture.  Perhaps he had heard Jesus talking.  Perhaps he had spent a considerable time with the Apostles as they taught the early Church.  Perhaps he had listened attentively in the Synagogues or in the Temple as the “Scribes” and “Teachers of the Law” read from Scripture and talked about it.  Whatever his teaching background, Philip was well equipped to explain what he believed concerning the ministry and mission of Jesus Christ, and why he believed that Jesus was God’s Messiah, the promised Saviour of Humanity.  And he was prepared to share that understanding with the Official, someone who earnestly sought an explanation of the passage that was so confounding to him, and who was seeking guidance as to what it meant for him personally.

  Are we as prepared as was Philip?  Have we read and thought about the Bible sufficiently to be able to pass on our understanding of who and what was Jesus Christ?  Have we a grasp of Bible passages that really ‘spoke’ to us and convicted us of our sin and of our need to be reconciled to God?  Have we a grasp of those Bible passages that give us God’s words of assurance that He loves us and has provided the means for the forgiveness of our sins?  Have we such a grasp of these Bible passages that we have the courage and the confidence to share them with stranger or friend?

  In his conversation with the Nubian Official, Philip would have been shaping his speech around the individual needs of the Official.  I cannot perceive of Philip talking like a ‘tele-marketer’ or a ‘door-to-door salesperson’, with their rote speech and standard phrases.  The Official was seeking an answer to a specific question, “Tell me, of whom is the prophet saying this?  Of himself or of someone else?”  (Luke 8: 34)  Philip would have started from that and then framed the conversation around the call of God to repent and believe.

  When we share the Gospel with others, do we start where their need is or do we lapse into a rote speech or standard phrases?  Do we seek to perceive the specific opening into their mind and soul that God is seeking to use so as to move them into a greater awareness of their need of God?  Do we climb up and sit beside them “in their carriage” and journey with them in their search for answers about God?

  After journeying together for some time and after he obtains the guidance that he needed to understand the passage that he was reading from the book of Isaiah, the Official saw a creek ahead of them and, following what Philip had been telling him, says, “Look, here is some water?  What is there to prevent me from being baptised?”  (Acts 8: 36)  Before doing anything else, we note that Philip asks, “You may be baptised if you wholeheartedly believe.”  (Acts 8: 37)  Philip is only too aware of people making a promise to follow God and not following it through, of people saying “Yes.” to God with their mind but “No.” to God with their heart.  Philip is seeking a clarity of understanding by the Official as to what the taking of a further step in one’s relationship with God entails for them and their future.

  And it is this same “clarity of understanding” that the Church seeks from us at the time when we were confirmed.  We are required to respond to such questions as:

“Do you repent of your sins?”

“Do you turn to Jesus Christ who has defeated the power of sin and death?”

“Do you commit yourself to God, trusting in Jesus Christ as Saviour and in the Holy Spirit as God’s power and presence along the way?”

  (Uniting in Worship 2 p74 & 75)  

  What Philip was seeking from the Official was a voluntary commitment to follow through with a life in tune with God’s will and purpose for his life.  And we read the Official replying, “I do.  I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”  (Acts 8: 37)  Here we see a voluntary commitment that was verbally expressed.  It was a commitment made from the heart, in the respect that it was made from a deep and clear understanding of God’s call to him and from a deep and clear willingness to positively respond to God’s call to him.  It was not made from the heart in the respect that it was based only upon an emotional response to what Philip had said, for such a response was akin to building a house upon sand, unsupported and prone to breaking apart.  Philip was seeking from the Official a verbal commitment that he would endeavour to abide by the commitment that he was making.

  And it is the same sort of commitment that is sought from parents during the Service of confirmation.  To the questions which are asked of us, we must voluntarily and knowingly reply, ”I repent of my sins.”, “I turn to Christ.” and “I commit myself to God.”

  (Uniting in Worship 2 p74 & 75)  

  We read that the Nubian Official, “continued on his way, full of joy”  (Acts 8: 39b)  .  He had obtained the knowledge that God so loves him that God seeks to be reconciled to him, he had obtained the knowledge that he was now free from the bondage that sin had over him and that he had the hope of life now and in the future  (Romans 8: 2)  .  Is it any wonder then that the Official was now rejoicing.  Not only had he received answers to his questions, he had received new life in God.

  Our times of worship together must, of necessity, be times when we show reverence and respect towards God, but our worship services should not be dour constrictive affairs.  Our gatherings together are to be times of rejoicing, because, in the identical manner as the Nubian Official, we too have found our release from sin and our promise of reconciliation in and through God’s grace.  And I hope that we find a way to express our joy in our singing and in our prayers, as well as our time of fellowship afterwards.  We, too, should continue on our way in life, “full of joy”.

  We read that “the Spirt of the Lord took Philip away”, that “Philip found himself in Azotus” and eventually made his way to Caesarea.  (Acts 8: 39a and 40)  Most importantly, from our perspective today, we also read that, “the Official did not see Philip again   and continued on his way.”  (Acts 8: 39b)  The obvious question one asks is, “What happened to him?  Did the Official grow in his faith?”  No more is heard from or about him in Luke’s “Acts of the Apostles”.

  There are, however, other accounts from which we may gain a glimpse of the history of the future spread of Christianity in Nubia.

  Candice Millard writes that “in the fourth century AD, Aksum’s King, Ezana, converted to Christianity and transformed his Kingdom into one of the World’s first Christian states.”

(Candice Millard in Keepers of the Faith The Living Legacy of Aksum in National Geographic July 2001 Vol 200 No. 1  p115)

  Basil Davidson writes that “by about 580AD, thanks to the efforts of missionaries, all three Nubian Kingdoms, Nobatia, Makuria and Alodia, had accepted Coptic or Byzantine Christianity.”

(Basil Davidson in Africa in History p117 & 118)

  Philip Jenkins writes that “from the efforts of the Egyptian Church and Syrian missionaries, Christianity spread up the Nile, deep into Africa”, and that “by the 830’sAD the Patriarch of Alexandria appointed Bishops to Egypt, Abyssinia and Nubia”.

(Philip Jenkins in The Lost History of Christianity p54 & 55)

  We will never know whether or not the Nubian Official played any lasting role in thegrowth of the Church in Nubia, only that Christianity flourished after that time.  We must rest on the assurance that only God knows how He seeks to use a person in the sharing of the Gospel.

Screen 5

“My Temple will be a House of prayer for the people of all Nations.”

Isaiah 56: 7b

  Howard Marshall, in his comments on the account of Philip’s meeting with the Nubian Official, makes reference to Psalm 68: 31, which reads:

“the Sudanese will raise their hands in prayer to God”,

And also to Zephaniah 3: 10, which reads:

“even from distant Sudan my scattered people will bring offerings to me”.

  He writes that we should be hesitant in stating that the account in Acts 8 is a fulfillment of a prophesy to which these two verses may refer, because these verses may just be making reference to the hope that at some point in the future, the enemies of Israel may change to being allies of Israel and join with Israel in the worship of God in the Temple in Jerusalem. 

  Instead, he sees a connection with the words of the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 56: 6 & 7:

“And the Lord says to those foreigners who become part of His People, who love Him and serve Him, who observe the Sabbath and faithfully keep His Covenant, ‘I will bring you to Zion, my sacred hill, give you joy in my House of prayer, and accept the sacrifices you offer on my alter.  My Temple will be called a House of prayer for the people of all Nations.’”

  Beginning with the account of Philip and the Nubian Official and continuing with other accounts in the Book of Acts of the early Church reaching out to Gentiles, non-Jews, Howard Marshall points out that “what was promised in the Old Testament now finds fulfillment.”  (Howard Marshall in Acts in G Beale and D Carson Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old Testament p573) 

  It is that thought that gives us the reassurance that we are part of this fulfillment of Old Testament prophesy, that we are part of the work of God welcoming all of Humanity into a close relationship with Him.  This gives us cause to rejoice in the knowledge that we dwell within the love and grace of God, and that we have experienced the saving power of God in our lives.

  As did the Nubian Official, may we each continue on our way, full of joy.  Amen.

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774  [to be sung to the tune ‘Austria’ – refer to TiS772]

[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.

Carl Daw Jr

Prayers for Others

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

  Loving God, we pray for the Church, that we may continually draw life from Christ and bear a rich harvest of virtues and Christian values for your glory.

  We pray for the grace to surrender all to you, that you will help us to let go of those things which need to be pruned so that your life and love may blossom in our lives.

  We pray for all who are experiencing pruning through loss, transition, or change, that you will give them strength, guide them, and help them find courage and support through fellow believers.

  We pray for all who feel cut off from you, from friends, from themselves, or from life itself, that you will show them how they are connected and from whom they can draw life.

  We pray that the Holy Spirit will help us to give witness to the good news of your love in deeds of loving service and justice.

  We pray for all who are ill, that Christ, the source of all life, will ease their pain, heal their illness, and restore them to their loved ones.

  We pray for Christians facing persecution, that you will give them strength, wisdom to overcome obstacles, and the grace to forgive their persecutors.

  We pray for all communities overwhelmed by the Covid-19 virus, particularly in India, that you will slow the spread of the virus, give strength to all caregivers, and open opportunities for the distribution of vaccines.

  We pray for all bound by guilt, that the Holy Spirit will free them and give them strength to trust in God’s love and forgiveness.

  We pray for an end to violence in our communities, that you will turn hearts from destructive deeds, that you will open pathways for dialogue, and that you will protect the innocent from harm.

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

  We pray for an end to wars and the threat of wars, we pray that leaders of Nations will remember the lessons of History that wars do not build things up but always tear things down, that wars do not achieve peace and stability but create only death and destruction, suffering and loss, pain and hardship.

  We pray for Kylie Conomos and her work as Chaplain at Bald Hills State School, that she is receiving the necessary support from the School and the volunteers helping her, that she is finding that what she is doing is making a difference in the lives of children and families with whom she is coming into contact.  We pray for continued financial and prayer support for her from local Churches.

  We pray for the family of the young man who was recently killed in a road accident.  We pray that in this time of loss and sorrow that his wife, his children, and the wider family are receiving the love and consolation that they need.  We pray for the financial security of the family in the years ahead.

  We thank you for those who have dedicated their time to the leading of RI classes at Bald Hills State School.  We thank you for their answering the call to share the Gospel in this way, and pray that you will bless their efforts and that the Holy Spirit will reach out and touch the hearts of the children who attend the classes.

  Loving God, we bring these prayers to you, trusting in your compassion and care.  To your glory we pray.  Amen.

Hymn

“Jesus, Thou joy of loving hearts”  TiS499  AHB420  MHB109

[sung to the tune Quebec – there is an introduction]

Verse 1 of 5

Jesus, thou joy of loving hearts,

The fount of life, the Light of men,

From the best bliss that Earth imparts

We turn unfilled to you again.

Verse 2 of 5

Your truth unchanged has ever stood,

You save all those that on you call,

To them that seek you, you are good,

To them that find you, all in all.

Verse 3 of 5

We taste you, O thou living Bread,

And long to feast upon you still,

We drink of you, the Fountainhead,

Our thirst to quench, our souls to fill.

Verse 4 of 5

Our restless spirits yearn for you

Where’er our changeful lot is cast,

Glad when your gracious smile we see,

Blessed when our faith can hold you fast.

Verse 5 of 5

O Jesus, ever with us stay,

Make all our moments calm and bright,

Chase the dark night of sin away,

Shed o’er the World your holy light.

Bernard of Clairvaux

translated by Ray Palmer

Sacrament of Communion  (following Uniting in Worship 2 p162 to p222) 

The Peace

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

The Invitation

Christ, our Lord, invites to his Table all who love him, all who earnestly repent of their sin and who seek to live in peace with one another.

Prayer of Approach

Lord God, we come to your Table, trusting in your mercy and not in any goodness of our own.  We are not worthy even to gather up the crumbs under your table, but it is your nature always to have mercy, and on that we depend.  So, feed us with the body and blood of Jesus Christ, your son, that we may for ever live in him and he in us. Amen.

Narrative of the Institution of the Lord’s Supper

Hear the words of the institution of this Sacrament as recorded by the Apostle Paul:

  “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, broke it and said, ‘This is my body which is for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.’  In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new Covenant in my blood.  Do this, as often as you drink it, for the remembrance of me.  For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.’”

  And, so, according to our Saviour’s command, we set this bread and this cup apart for the Holy Supper to which he calls us, and we come to God with our prayers of thanksgiving.

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 the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

With all we are, we give you glory, God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the one and holy God, Sovereign of all Time and Space.  We thank you for this wide red land, for its rugged beauty, for its changing seasons, for its diverse people, and for all that lives upon this fragile Planet.  You have called us to be the Church in this place, to give voice to every creature under Heaven.  We rejoice with all that you have made, as we join the company of Heaven in their song:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, Heaven and Earth are full of your glory.  Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed be the One who comes in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna in the highest.

We thank you that you called a covenant people to be the light to the Nations.  Through Moses you taught us to love your Law, and, in the Prophets, you cried out for justice.  In the fullness of your mercy, you became one with us in Jesus Christ, who gave himself up for us on the cross.  You make us alive together with him, that we may rejoice in his presence and share his peace.  By water and the Spirit, you open the Kingdom to all who believe, and welcome us to your Table: for by grace we are saved through faith.  With this bread and this cup we do as our Saviour commands: we celebrate the redemption he has won for us.

Christ has died.  Christ is risen.  Christ will come again.

Pour out the Holy Spirit on us and on these gifts of bread and wine, that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.  Make us one with him, one with each other, and one in ministry in the World, until at last we feast with him in the Kingdom.  Through your Son, Jesus Christ, in your holy Church, all honour and glory are yours, Father Almighty, now and for ever.

Blessing and honour and glory and power are yours for ever and ever.  Amen.

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.

Breaking of the Bread

The bread we break is a sharing in the body of Christ.

The cup we take is a sharing in the blood of Christ.

The gifts of God for the People of God.

Lamb of God

Jesus, Lamb of God,

Have mercy on us.

Jesus, bearer of our sins,

Have mercy on us.

Jesus, redeemer of the World,

Grant us peace.

The Distribution

Receive this Holy Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, and feed upon him in your hearts by faith with thanksgiving.

(after all have received the bread)

The body of Christ keep you in eternal life.

(after all have received the juice)

The blood of Christ keep you in eternal life.

Prayer after Communion

Blessed be God who calls us together.

Praise to God who makes us one People.

Blessed be God who has forgiven our sins.

Praise to God who gives us hope and freedom.

Blessed be God whose Word is proclaimed.

Praise to God who is revealed as the One who loves.

Blessed be God who alone has called us.

Therefore, we offer to God all that we are and all that we shall become.

Accept, O God, our sacrifice of praise.

Accept our thanks for we have seen the greatness of your love.  Amen.

Hymn

“O stay with us Lord Jesus”  TiS551

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

Verse 1 of 3

O stay with us, Lord Jesus,

Among us with your grace,

That Satan may not harm us,

And we may live in peace.

Stay with us, our Redeemer,

Among us with your Word,

That we may know your goodness

And faith in you be stirred.

Verse 2 of 3

Stay with your Heavenly brightness

Among us, precious light;

Your truth keeps us from error;

Surround us with your might.

Stay with your richest blessings

Among us, bounteous Lord;

Let us in grace and wisdom

Grow daily through your Word.

Verse 3 of 3

Stay here with your protection

Among us, Lord our strength,

And let the World and Satan

Be overcome at length.

O stay, our faithful Saviour,

Among us with your love;

Grant steadfastness, and help us

To reach our Home above.

Josua Stegmann

translated by August Crull

Benediction  (from Leading Intercession p64) 

God’s grace casts out the fear that destroys fulness of being.  God’s mercy brings hope at times of despair and turmoil.  God’s truth lightens the right way that we should follow.  God’s saving power has given new life to a World withered and fruitless and lost in its sin.  May we go out into our daily lives, expressing our praise and thanksgiving to a wonderful and marvellous God, who has indeed shown us how much He loves us.

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

Benediction Song

“For from him and through him”  Scripture in Song volume 1 number 15

[I could not find a YouTube recording of this song nor of the tune]

[Ian Kerr to play during Sunday Worship]

For from him and through Him and to Him are all things,

To God be the glory for ever, Amen.

For from him and through Him and to Him are all things,

To God be the glory for ever, Amen.

Ena Thompson