WELCOME: –

CALL TO WORSHIP: –

Here, there are no strangers,
for all are welcome in this house.
Here, there is only acceptance,
for all are welcome in this house.
Here, there are no divisions,
for all are welcome in this house.
So let us worship in unity and love.

INTRODUCTORY PRAYER

We pray together:

Loving God,
we gather in this place assured of your love.
You know our failures, fickleness and faithlessness,
yet you still welcome us into your presence.
Help us to do the same,
welcoming all in your name. Amen.

So let us draw near one and all.
For no one is excluded.
Let us enjoy the loving welcome of God’s warm embrace.
Let us sing, rejoice and celebrate the Father’s care.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the song ‘Come on and celebrate.’

(SIS 481 Source 75) 

PSALM 32   

(The Message paraphrase (adapted))

It is good to raise the roof and celebrate God’s life in us.
When we sing together our hearts rejoice!

Count yourself lucky, how happy you must be….
    Yes, we get a fresh start,
and our slate’s wiped clean.

Are you really lucky?

Yes, God holds nothing against us
and He holds nothing back and we nothing from him.

What happened when you kept it all inside?
               our bones turned to powder,
             and our words became daylong groans.

The pressure never let up;
            all the juices of my life dried up.

What did you do next?

I let it all out;
            I said, “I’ll come clean about my failures to God.”

Suddenly the pressure was gone—
            my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared.

What good advice will you give?

 These things add up.

Every one of us needs to pray;
            when all hell breaks loose and the dam bursts
            you will be on high ground, untouched.

And……. Don’t be obstinate

            Instead, trust God and he will keep danger far away

            And you will find yourselves loved

Every time you turn around.

PRAYER OF PRAISE

Let us pray

Awesome, Father God of endless love and wide-open arms,
we come in adoration.
Your embrace encompasses all.
You exchange our filthy rags for the finest robes,
the pig trough for the banquet table.
Awesome, Father God of endless love and wide-open arms,

we come in adoration.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

We come seeking your forgiveness, Father God:

for our bad attitude toward you and others;
for the times we feel hard done by and wronged;
for wanting to go our own way, in the opposite direction to you;
for shunning those who don’t conform to our expectations;
for judging people on their appearance, speech or wealth.

We come seeking your forgiveness, Father God.

Help us to change as individuals and as a church.
Help us to be more welcoming,
making no distinction between the homeless and the high-flyers.
Help us to care for others as you care for us.
Help us to listen and trust in you.

We come seeking your forgiveness and renewal, Father God.

 ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS

God gifted us his Son Jesus Christ.
Through his blood, we are cleansed.
Like the prodigal son, we are forgiven and restored to God.
Amen.

INTRODUCTION

God is generous. His love, is beyond any other.
He does not leave us wallowing in the mess we make of life,

 but waits patiently for us to come to our senses.
We are thankful that when we turn to God, we are always sure of
a warm, comforting embrace.

In our reading of the Jesus, responds to the grumblings and mutterings of the Scribes and Pharisees who were unable to comprehend two things.                                             Firstly, that God is much more interested in what lies inside a person than they were. Secondly, God regards individual people as more important than ritual worship. 

He rates mercy above sacrifice. Mercy, that is kindness shown to people who don’t deserve kindness. Mercy, seen in Jesus’ readiness toeat at Matthew’s house, with all those outsider friends who were also in neeed of Jesus.

            Indeed, mercy is the reason why Jesus came to earth. Mercy was his whole character and ministry.

            The question then becomes: Is mercy equally central to ours? If it is, then there is every reason to celebrate with God when the missing coin is found, the one lost sheep is found, and the son returns home.

Let us stand and sing “lustily and with good courage,” as the Wesleys encouraged that their hymns should be sung,

‘All creatures of our God and King.‘ vv 1,2 7

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

Let us in prayer prepare to hear God’s word

Living God, help us so to hear your Word

that we may truly understand; that, in understanding, we may believe;

and in believing, we may follow your way in all faithfulness,

seeking your honour and glory in all that we do. Amen. 

BIBLE READINGS

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

(Good News Translation)

                No longer, then, do we judge anyone by human standards. Even if at one time we judged Christ according to human standards, we no longer do so. Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come. 

 All this is done by God, who through Christ changed us from enemies into his friends and gave us the task of making others his friends also. Our message is that God was making all human beings his friends through Christ. God did not keep an account of their sins, and he has given us the message which tells how he makes them his friends.

Here we are, then, speaking for Christ, as though God himself were making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: let God change you from enemies into his friends!Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made him share our sin in order that in union with him we might share the righteousness of God.

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Luke 15:1-3 and 11-32

Good News Translation

  One day when many tax collectors and other outcasts came to listen to Jesus, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law started grumbling,

        “This man welcomes outcasts and even eats with them!”

So Jesus told them this parable:

The Lost Son

Jesus went on to say, “There was once a man who had two sons. The younger one said to him, ‘Father, give me my share of the property now.’ So the man divided his property between his two sons. 

After a few days the younger son sold his part of the property and left home with the money. He went to a country far away, where he wasted his money in reckless living. He spent everything he had. Then a severe famine spread over that country, and he was left without a thing. 

So he went to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him out to his farm to take care of the pigs. He wished he could fill himself with the bean pods the pigs ate, but no one gave him anything to eat. 

At last he came to his senses and said, ‘All my father’s hired workers have more than they can eat, and here I am about to starve! I will get up and go to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against God and against you. I am no longer fit to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired workers.”’ So he got up and started back to his father.

“He was still a long way from home when his father saw him; his heart was filled with pity, and he ran, threw his arms around his son, and kissed him. 

‘Father,’ the son said, ‘I have sinned against God and against you. I am no longer fit to be called your son.’ But the father called to his servants. ‘Hurry!’ he said. ‘Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet. Then go and get the prize calf and kill it, and let us celebrate with a feast! For this son of mine was dead, but now he is alive; he was lost, but now he has been found.’ And so the feasting began.

“In the meantime, the older son was out in the field. On his way back, when he came close to the house, he heard the music and dancing. So, he called one of the servants and asked him, ‘What’s going on?’ ‘Your brother has come back home,’ the servant answered, ‘and your father has killed the prize calf, because he got him back safe and sound.’ 

The older brother was so angry that he would not go into the house; so his father came out and begged him to come in. But he spoke back to his father, ‘Look, all these years I have worked for you like a slave, and I have never disobeyed your orders. What have you given me? Not even a goat for me to have a feast with my friends! But this son of yours wasted all your property on prostitutes, and when he comes back home, you kill the prize calf for him!’ 

‘My son,’ the father answered, ‘you are always here with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be happy, because your brother was dead, but now he is alive; he was lost, but now he has been found.’”

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

MESSAGE

When I watch many shows on TV, I am privileged to enjoy the breath-taking views provided by movie cameras attached to drones. From the remoteness and comfort of my lounge chair I can soar over ragged cliffs, sweep along rolling hills, become part of the hustle and bustle of city life and travel to distant exotic lands.

In my indignation I can become judge and jury as I view the troubles of the world. And of course, my view is always the right one.

I don’t have to engage with these places and experiences. I can choose to be remote and I can choose to be resentful because things don’t go according to my view, deceitful as I try to alter outcomes and arrogant as I ignore what is true and right.

Yes, I can choose to manipulate anything to suit me, little realizing how destructive it is to me and those around me.

Our old mates, the Scribes and Pharisees have gone so far down that path that they have lost sight of their calling to be God’s people. Following their many rules and regulations they have failed to follow the basic commandments to love God and their neighbours. 

            We know the parables Jesus told in response to the Scribes and Pharisees. Mixing with tax collectors, Rome sympathizers and sinners out of step with God. Indeed!   Arrogant. Resentful. Deceitful.

            Luke uses a common technique here of telling the same story three times, in slightly different ways, in order to drive home the intended message.

Hearing their grumbling, Jesus tells them in three different ways the importance of seeking out what is lost and celebrating when it is found. The stories are not identical – the sheep, coin and son have different levels of agency in their becoming lost, and in their being found – but the result is always the same: a celebration that mirrors the joy in heaven when someone turns back to God.

This parable, the third in the set, introduces another dimension: the question of how different characters respond to the same event. While the father has longed for the son’s return – not seeking him out against his will but watching out for him to choose to return – and celebrates this, the brother who never left is first (inadvertently perhaps) excluded from the celebration, and then peeved, jealous and angry. He takes for granted the intimate relationship he has sustained with his father and his home securities, and does not wish to risk the change entailed in welcoming the returning brother.

Here, from the remoteness of two thousand years we can choose to sit in judgement, expressing much tut-tutting. “I would never be like that.”

As we follow God today it would be easy to fall into the trap of resentfulness because our faith has prevented us from enjoying life in a way others are or become arrogant from self-importance as we mutter “look at them.  

If on the other hand we choose to be confident in because of what Jesus has done for us. This is all about God and not about us; sometimes the going is tough, but it’s essential to keep the faith and not lose heart.

The contrast between ‘everything old’ and the ‘new creation’ is stark, as is the assertion that everything old has ‘passed away’ (v.17). There is no midpoint here, no standing with feet in both camps; reconciliation – a restored relationship – is all or nothing, and it is this that conveys God’s invitation to all who encounter us.

How can I avoid falling into the traps that dog my every step?

By focussing on what Jesus has done: he has brought about reconciliation between us and God.

How can I share the joy experienced in a restored right relationship because it is not for us alone but is open to all?

By confidently knowing “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13,) These words express our faith and belief in God’s power to help people overcome challenges.

By acknowledging that it is not through my own strength I can remain faithful but through God’s amazing gift of a new life.    

The words of the song “Yet not I, but through Christ in me” comes from Paul’s letter to the Galatians. I can choose to agree and say with Paul that “I have been crucified with Christ”, and therefore “it is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives in me.” 

It is through the confidence of Christ living in me that I can welcome those who are lost or in trouble and I can celebrate when the “lost coin is found”. I can celebrate when I have “found the lost sheep” and carried it home. I can celebrate extravagantly when after many years “the lost son” returns home. But even more so I can celebrate God’s amazing love for me with everyone that God places in my path without any strings attached. Of course, I in celebration with others and I can shout out “let us celebrate with a feast! For this son of mine was dead, but now he is alive; he was lost, but now he has been found.’ Let the feasting begin.

This I cannot do by scrolling through life with the remote in hand but by becoming the life of the party. Amen

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the song  ‘Yet not I, but through Christ in me’  

(Written by Jonny Robinson, Rich Thompson and Michael Farren)

OFFERTORY                         Our freewill offering will now be received

DEDICATION OF OFFERING        We say together

As we give today, we pray that these church offerings will be used to provide for those in need and bring your love to the world. We return a portion of your blessings with gratitude. Use these offerings to expand your church, strengthen our community, and share your love with the world. Amen.

PRAYERS FOR OTHERS

In the shadow of your wings, we sing for joy.
O Lord, restore us and make us new.

God of love,
for the softening of our hearts and the opening of our arms;
for generosity that welcomes the lost;
for our need of your tenderness to restore our failures;
for our churches to be renewed in loving and giving;
for the courage to lay down our lives for one another;
for the strength to answer your call to serve others;
for a new start:
we cry to you.
Bring healing and hope.

God of love,
for simple pleasures in the midst of challenge and hardship;
for lengthening hours of daylight;
for people who lift our burdens,
wipe away our tears,
share our lives and our dreams
and call out our best selves;
for your faithful presence with us
through darkness and light,
and for a deeper experience of your love
which shapes us, calls us, rescues us
and will bring us home:
we cry to you.
Bring healing and hope.

In the shadow of your wings, we sing for joy.
O Lord, restore us and make us new. Amen.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the communion song TIS 526 Lord Jesus Christ, you have come to us:

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.’”  (1 Corinthians 11: 23 to 26) 

  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 the cup, 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.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the hymn TIS 670  ‘Jesus put this song into our hearts’

BENEDICTION

We say together

As we go into the coming week, O God,
and strive to walk as people of welcome,
fill us with your grace, mercy and peace.
Bless us, keep us and transform us all,
and help us to share these gifts with all we meet.

May the grace of Christ our Saviour

And the Father’s boundless love

With the Holy Spirit’s favour rest upon us and remain with us always.

Amen.

PLAYOUT  (Resume above YouTube clip)