Welcome: –

Call to Worship: –

(from Psalm 32: 8 to 11) 

‘The LORD says, “I will teach you the way you should go: I will instruct you and advise you.

Don’t be stupid like a horse or a mule, which must be controlled with a bit and bridle to make it submit.

The wicked will have to suffer, but those who trust in the LORD are protected by His constant love.

You that are righteous, be glad and rejoice because of what the LORD has done.  You that obey Him, shout for joy!”‘

Comment on Psalm 32

The writer of this Psalm speaks from a deep personal experience of being delivered from the agony and guilt of unconfessed sin.  They rejoice in standing before God with a clear conscience and an awareness of the unrestrained love and grace of God.  To that end, they extol their listeners not shut their eyes nor to close their ears to the freely offered grace of God out of their ‘sheer obstinacy and foolishness’.  Make no mistake, the writer warns, it is inevitable that everyone will come humbly before God, either confessing Him as their Lord and Saviour, or acknowledging Him as their Judge.

  (Artur Weiser in The Psalms p275 & 276) 

We share the same outlook as the writer of this Psalm.  We gather here today, to praise God for His constant love for us, and to shout for joy for the way He tenderly cares for those who trust and obey Him.  That is the essence of our worship today; so let us honestly and earnestly, ‘be glad and rejoice because of what the LORD our God has done’.

Prayer of Praise    

Almighty God, we give to you our praise for you are just and compassionate.  You are the God who cares for those who groan under oppression and sorrow.  You are the God who listens to those who cry out for help and does not pass them by.  It is your tender love that gives comfort to the outcast and to the powerless.  You step beyond social norms and cultural boundaries and religious bigotries, to embrace those that society neglects, and to call to you those that society rejects.

    We give to you our praise, for you are the One who gives light to a World that lives in the darkness of sin and despair, for you are the One who gives sight to a World that is blind to your free gift of grace and reconciliation.  You are the one who has done great things for us, not that we deserve your attention, but solely because you are a God of love and grace.  We come together as your people with assurance and hope in your promise to save, for all time, all those who come to you through Jesus Christ.  We are awed by your power in raising Jesus Christ from death to dwell with you.  We come together to thank you for Christ’s intercession on our behalf.  We are honoured to be called your children and to be called to be in your presence.

    We give to you our praise for your Word nourishes us and comforts our souls.  We praise you for your Spirit that enlivens us and empowers us to live as your people.  We praise you for your presence with us always, for your continual protection and oversight in a World that turns its back on all that you represent and refuses to listen to all that you have to say.  May we do with loving hearts what you ask of us.  May we strive to live the life that you command us to live.  May you lead us in the way that leads to you.  To your glory and honour we pray,Amen.

Songs

“All that I can do” – Scripture in Song volume 2 number 405 / 200

Verse 1 of 3

When the Father sent His son

to live with us our lives to mend,

Placed His love upon the alter

That with him we might ascend.

Chorus

And all that I can do is thank Him,

All that I can do is pray.

All that I can do is lift my hands

To sing His praise.

Verse 2 of 3

Lord, the blessed life you give me,

And the holy road you choose,

Lead me all the way to Calvary,

And I’ll only follow you.

Chorus

And all that I can do is thank you,

All that I can do is pray.

All that I can do is lift my hands

To sing your praise.

Verse 3 of 3

Lord, I only want your blessing

While I’m sitting at your feet.

Nothing in this World can woo me

From your holy seat.

Chorus

And all that I can do is thank you,

All that I can do is pray.

All that I can do is lift my hands

To sing your praise.

And all that I can do is thank you,

All that I can do is pray.

All that I can do is lift my hands

To sing your praise.

Ted Sandquist

We sing the song “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases”  Scripture in song volume 2 number 414 / 209

Edith McNeill

Prayer of Confession   

  Merciful God, have pity on us, for we come before you contrite and repentant for our failings and our disobedience.

  We come before you knowing that our best is still far from the way of the Gospel to which you have called us to follow.

  We stumble in the darkness of suspicion and prejudice about others.  Our minds are closed to the way of truth that we often profess but fail to follow.  We are slow to discern the needs of those in our community who are handicapped by ill-health, by despair, by the burdens of trying to make ends meet.

  We avert our eyes from those who are not socially acceptable or are not clean looking.  We demean people who are equally made in your image.  We are too quick to judge them because of their failings and fail ourselves to look upon them as people worthy of love and concern as you are so quick to show to them.

  We fail to control our tongue from speaking evil and our lips from speaking deceit.  We pray empty words of praise while at the same time speak words that are thoughtless and unkind.

  We profess to be disciplined and Christ-like, yet are wilful in our thoughts and words and actions.  We profess to be moved by the sight of the hungry and needy yet are wasteful of our own resources.

  We condemn the neglect shown by others yet fail to work towards reconciliation and harmony in even our own small corner of the World.

  We too often remember the smallest of hurts that we experience and fail to follow your example of being willing to forgive and forget.

  We are indifferent to the treasures of wisdom, and fail to use the gifts with which you have endowed us.  We lower our standards and disregard the influence that our conduct may have upon others.

  We are proud and vain and love nothing more than boasting about our own deeds and achievements.  We strive for popularity and avoid criticism, we are sullen when things don’t go the way we want them to, we are temperamental when challenged with the need to grow and to mature.

  Merciful God, we come humbly before you, seeking your forgiveness.

  Holy God, remove all the sin in our lives that binds and oppresses us.  Give us the courage to cast off our sinful habits and to turn to you for healing.  Strengthen us to follow gladly the sure path of salvation and to walk humbly in your footsteps.

  Merciful God, you have revealed yourself to be a God who is longsuffering and kind, full of compassion and slow to become angry, always ready and willing to pardon sin.

  May we then walk in the way of grace and truth all the days of our life.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from Philippians 3: 9) 

The Apostle Paul assured the believers in Philippi that we cannot develop righteousness through rites or rituals or meditation, we cannot earn righteousness through right living, nor do we deserve to be granted righteousness because of our good works.  Righteousness comes from God, given graciously and freely to us through our faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ.  Let us hold onto that promise, that, having confessed our sins before God and confessed our faith in Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord, we can rest assured that God has heard our prayers, that God has forgiven us and removed our sins, that God has cleansed our souls in His sight, and that God embraces us as His children.

Thanks be to God.

Prayer of illumination 

(from Uniting in Worship Book 1 number 13 & 14 p599) 

  Prepare our hearts, O Lord, to be guided by your Word and the Holy Spirit, that in your light we may perceive your mercy and grace, that in your truth we may find freedom, and that in your will we may discover peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Bible Readings

Isaiah 43:

18  Do not cling to the events of the past, or brood over past history long ago,

19  Here and now I will do a new thing.  It is happening already, can you not see it?

I will make a pathway through the wilderness, and streams of water there.

20  The wild animals will honour me, the jackals and the ostriches; because I provide water in the wilderness and rivers in the barren desert, where my chosen People may drink. 

21  I have formed these People for myself, and they shall sing my praises.

Philippians 3:

5  Paul writes, “I am an Israelites by race, of the Tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born and bred.  As far as keeping the Jewish Law, I was a Pharisee; in pious zeal I was a persecutor of the Church.  6  As far as a person can be righteous by keeping the Law, I was faultless.

7  Yet, whatever was to my profit, whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as a loss because of Christ.  8  More than that, I consider everything a loss compared to the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  For his sake I have thrown everything away; I consider it all as mere garbage, in order that I may gain Christ,  9  and be completely united with him, with no righteousness of my own that comes from the Law, but one that comes from faith in Christ, the righteousness from God, given by God in response to faith.

10  All I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings and become like him in his death,  11  in the hope that I myself will be raised from death to life.

12  I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect.  I keep striving to make it my goal because Christ Jesus has made me his own.  13  My friends, I do not consider to have hold of it yet.  All that I can say is this: forgetting what is behind me, and reaching out for that which lies ahead,  14  I press on towards the goal for the prize, which is God’s call through Christ Jesus to the life above.

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

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

John 12:

1  Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, the man he had raised from death.  2  They prepared a dinner for him there, which Martha helped serve; Lazarus was one of those who were sitting at the table with Jesus.

3  Then Mary took half a litre (a whole pint) of very expensive perfume made of pure nard, anointed the feet of Jesus by pouring it onto them, and wiped the feet of Jesus with her hair.  The house was filled with the sweet fragrance of the perfume.

4  At this, Judas Iscariot, one of the disciples of Jesus – the one who was to betray him – said,  5  “Why was this perfume not sold for thee hundred silver coins (nearly a year’s wages for a labourer) and the money given to the poor?”  6  (He did not say this out of any care for the poor, but because he was a thief.  He carried the common money bag and would steal from it.)

7  “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied.  “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial.  8  You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

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

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

For the Young and the Young at Heart

Screen 1

                      “The Child”

  This is “The Child”, a character in the television series, “The Mandalorian”.  I mentioned this series several months ago when I talked of collecting the Woolworth’s ‘Ooshies’, specifically the one representing ‘The Mandalorian’.

  My family gave me this figure, not just as a memento of the series, but also because you can play a game with it.  The game is called “bop it”.

Screen 2

‘bop it to start’

  You ‘bop it’ to turn it on, then you are told to “bop it to start”.  You ‘bop it’ and then must follow the instructions:

“bop it” or “twist it’ or “pull it”.

  You need to comply correctly with each instruction within a set time period so as to score 1 point.  My highest score is 19.  Kerry’s is 100.  You can try playing the game later, at morning tea.

  If you don’t follow the instruction correctly or if you are too slow in following the instruction, the game stops.  A disparaging remark is made concerning your performance, and then you are instructed to again, “bop it to start”.

  If you don’t ‘bop it’ within a set time period, you hear the voice saying:

“Yeah, let’s give it a rest.”

Screen 3

‘Yeah, let’s give it a rest.’

  I was thinking about this in relation to what Paul had to say in his letter to the Philippians, and I realised that at no time did Paul ever say, “Yeah, let’s give it a rest.”  Instead, we read Paul stating “I keep striving.”

Screen 4

“I keep striving.”

Paul states:

“I keep striving to know Christ Jesus on a deeper personal level.”

“I keep striving in my life’s work for Christ Jesus as a witness to his sacrificial death and resurrection for me.”

“I keep striving to become more like Christ Jesus in my thoughts, my words, my actions and my relationships with others.”

  The word that Paul uses gives the understanding of continual action and effort towards achieving a goal.  It incorporates the understanding of ‘pressing on’, of ‘pursuing’, and of ‘straining forward’.  The is no room for lethargy or ‘resting on your laurels’.

  There must needs to be a dedication throughout one’s life for that which is beyond Earthly value, to know Christ and to know him more deeply.  May we all, like Paul keep striving for this.

We sing the Hymn “My God accept my heart this day”  AHB410  TiS485

Matthew Bridges

Sermon

Screen 1

Napoleon Bonaparte

  Napoleon Bonaparte, the famous French Emperor and military leader, while he was at the pinnacle of his career, was asked by someone if God was on the side of France.  He is reported to have given the fairly cynical answer that “God is on the side of the heaviest artillery”.  Later, while in exile of the Island of St Helena after the Battle of Waterloo, where he lost both the battle and his empire, chastened and humbled, Napoleon is reported to have quoted the words of Thomas a Kempis, “Man proposes, but God disposes”.

  This is the lesson with which History confronts everyone; that God is able to work His sovereign Will, despite the energies and the efforts of Humanity.”  (Michael Green 1500 Bible Illustrations p 172) 

  God acts where He wills, God acts how He wills and God acts when He wills.  In the Book of Isaiah chapter 43 we see reference to two principal occasions in the History of the Nation of Israel where it is recalled that God intervened forcefully in the course of History.

Screen 2

“Down they fell, never to rise”

  In verse 16 & 17 we read:

“Long ago the LORD made a road through the sea, a path through the swirling waters.  He led a mighty army to destruction, an army of chariots and horses. Down they fell, never to rise,”

  This is a reference to God opening a way across the Red Sea for the Israelites to escape from the pursuing Egyptian Army, and then closing the waters once the Israelites had crossed, to drown the Egyptians who were pursing them.  Moses celebrated this by singing these words, from Exodus 2: 1 & 2:

“I will sing to the LORD, because He has won a glorious victory; He has thrown the horses and their riders into the sea.  The LORD is my strong defender,”

Screen 3

“the LORD who saves you”

  In verse 14 we read:

“Israel’s holy God, the LORD who saves you says, ‘To save you, I will send an army against Babylon: I will break down the City gates, and the shouts of the people will turn into crying.”

  This is a prediction by Isaiah of events that would take place150 years in the future when the Persian King, Cyrus, would enter Babylon in 539BC, thus ending the Babylonian Empire.  “Cyrus permitted the Jews to return to Jerusalem and issued a decree authorising the re-building of the Temple.”  (Henry Halley in Halley’s Bible Handbook p230)  Ezra celebrated the return with these words:

“Praise the LORD, the God of our ancestors!  He has made the Emperor willing to honour in this way the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem.”  (Ezra 7: 27) 

    Henry Halley, in his Commentary on this passage, observes that these two events demonstrate something for a far wider audience than the People of Israel.  God acts so that all the World can see what He is doing.  God acts so that all the World will know what He is doing.  God acts regardless of the circumstances facing the Israelites or the plans of other nations towards the Israelites.  God acts unimpeded by the gods of the surrounding Nations.  In effect, “God is demonstrating that He and He alone is God”.  (Henry Halley in Halley’s Bible Handbook p230) 

  There is over 700 years separating these two events, yet they serve the purpose of focusing the attention of the People of Israel as they consider their relationship with the

God who made a covenant relationship with them so many years before.

  In verse 10 and 12 of Isaiah 43, we read God saying:

“People of Israel, you are my witnesses.”

  In verse 19 of Isaiah 43, we read God saying to the People of Israel:

“Watch for the new thing I am going to do”. 

  They are to keep their eyes and ears open “so that they can witness to what is happening as the fulfillment of the LORD’s plan for the nations.”

  (Edgar Conrad in Reading Isaiah p76) 

Screen 4

“a stream of water through the wilderness”

    What is the intended outcome of God acting in this way on behalf of the Israelites?  We read that God acts so that He can save His people.  We see this clearly spelt out in verse 1 of Isaiah 43 where God state:

“Do not be afraid for I will save you”,

and also in verse 3 where God states:

“For I am the LORD your God, the holy God of Israel, who saves you.”,

And again in verse 11, where God states:

“I alone am the LORD, the only one who can save you.”

  In these verses we gain an understanding of the benevolent grace of God.

  To illustrate this, Isaiah makes reference to the experience of the People of Israel as they wandered through the desert during their exodus from.  Firstly, he talks of God making a pathway through the wilderness  (Isaiah 43: 19b)  .  The wilderness country through which the Israelites travelled in the Exodus was anything but flat and level.  It was in fact mountainous and rocky, hazardous for both the people and their flocks and herds.  The people would have welcomed a well formed road which would have made their journey safer and easier.  God is saying that in the future He will care for His people as if He were providing a road for them on which to walk.  Secondly, Isaiah talks of God providing streams of fresh water  (Isaiah 43: 19b)  .  The wilderness country through which the Israelites travelled in the Exodus was anything but green and lush.  It was in fact dry and barren, hazardous, in a different way, for both the people and their flocks and herds.  The people would have welcomed a regular supply of fresh running water from springs.  God is saying that in the future He will care for His people as if He were providing this clean refreshing water for them to drink and to refresh them as they walk.

    But why would God act in this way?  In the latter part of Isaiah 43 we read that the Israelites were anything but faithful to God:

“The LORD says, ‘you did not worship me, .. you burdened me with your sins.’”  (Isaiah 43: 22 & 24) 

  Why would God act on behalf of a disobedient and thankless people?  Why would God spend time and effort on a people who did not deserve any of His attention?  Isaiah tells us that God acts because he loves the Israelites:

“because I love you and give you honour”  (Isaiah 43: 4) 

  Isaiah tells us that God acts because he seeks to be in a relationship with the Israelites:

“they are the People I mad for myself”  (Isaiah 43: 21) 

  This is such a clear and beautiful picture of God, illustrating the magnitude and scope of His compassion, His faithfulness, His dedication and trustworthiness, and His capacity to carry out his intentions.  But, is all of this limited to the Israelites alone; does the scope of God’s acts stop with the Israelites?

  It is here that we see another aspect to Henry Halley’s observation that God is seeking to portray a message to a world -wide audience.

    David Kidner, in his Commentary on the Book of Isaiah, argues that this passage has a greater fulfilment in what Christ Jesus, the Son of God, accomplished in Jerusalem nearly 600 years in the future.  “For its real fulfillment we must look beyond the modest homecomings from Babylon of the 5^th and 6^th centuries BC, to the exodus which the Son of God accomplished at Jerusalem, which alone justifies the language of these verses.”  (Derek Kidner in Isaiah in The New Bible Commentary p614) 

  The authors of The Lion Handbook to the Bible write:

“This whole section (of the Book of Isaiah) speaks so powerfully of God’s salvation that Christians see in it something much bigger than the rescue of Israel at a particular time in History.  Here is God’s firm purpose to deliver Humankind from ‘the bondage of sin’ His promise of a new life for all who will come to Him.”  (The Lion Handbook to the Bible p431) 

  William Barclay, in his Commentary on the Gospel of Luke writes that Jesus went up the Mount of transfiguration “to seek the approval of God for the decisive step he was about to take.  There Moses and Elijah appeared to him.  Moses  was the great law-giver of the People of Israel; Elijah was the greatest of the prophets.  It was as if the princes of Israel’s life and thought and religion told Jesus to go on.  He was certain that God approved of the step that he was taking.”  (William Barclay in The Gospel of Luke p124 & 125) 

  Paul came to the life changing realisation that all of his efforts in the early years of his life seeking to earn righteousness from God through obedience to the letter of the Law and through his zealous guarding of the character of God and of the Jewish faith, were all a waste, “mere garbage” as he describes it.  (Philippians 3: 8) 

  Mark Seifrid, in his Commentary on Paul’s Letter to the Church in Rome, writes that Paul focuses on the theme of Israel’s exile “as an image of Human bondage to sin, introducing the Isaianic theme of redemption or deliverance, a release of liberation from slavery.”  (Mark Seifrid in Romans in Commentary on New Testament Use of the Old Testament p619) 

  Paul writes:

“But now God’s ways of putting people right with Himself has been revealed.  It has nothing to do with Law,   God puts people right through their faith in Jesus Christ.  But by the free gift of God’s grace all are put right with Him through Christ Jesus, who sets them free.”  (Romans 3: 21, 22 & 24) 

  Mary glimpsed this truth when she anointed the feet of Jesus with the expensive perfume.  (John 12: 3)  Judas attempted to distract the attention of those present at the dinner by claiming a false concern for the poor.  But Jesus praised Mary for her actions and once again made reference to his upcoming death in Jerusalem.  (John 12: 8) 

  “Redemption”, writes Mark Seifrid, “is nothing other than freedom from sin and death, the resurrection itself which springs from God’s forgiving favour in Christ.”  (Mark Seifrid in Romans in Commentary on New Testament Use of the Old Testament p619) 

    Isaiah talks of God promising life giving water for His chosen people  (Isaiah 43: 20)  .  The writer of Psalm 126 uses the same imagery when they write of God acting for His people

“just as the rain brings water back to dry riverbeds”.  (Psalm 126: 4)

  This is the evidence that God acts so that all the World can see what He is doing, so that all the World will know what He is doing, and that God acts regardless of the plans of nations and unimpeded by the gods of this age.  God is demonstrating through the death and resurrection of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, that He and He alone is God and that He and He alone if the giver of life.

  We have the hope of eternal life on which to hold in this period of Lent as we journey towards Easter.  We have the promise given to us that God acts to save us because God loves us.  We have the blessing that is ours, in the close and fulfilling relationship that we have with our God as we walk with Him each day.  On this we can rest assured.  Amen.

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774 

[This YouTube clip is for another hymn so 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.

We pray for the Church, that we may give witness to the dying and rising of Christ by our lives and be instruments of hope to all who are experiencing loss or limitation.

We pray for the gift of a new beginning, that you will transform our fears into hope, and selfishness into love.

We pray for growth as disciples, that, like Mary, we may place ourselves at the feet of Jesus to learn and accept the gift of life that Jesus alone offers.

We pray for all who must face death each day, particularly emergency personnel and hospital chaplains, that you will strengthen their spirits and help them honour the life of each person they assist.

We pray for all who confront the death-dealing forces of our society, that they may bring the light of Christ to those struggling with the darkness of abortion, abuse, addictions, crime, and disease.

We pray for all who are experiencing divorce or the death of a relationship, that you will heal their pain, give them the courage to face the issues, and hope for tomorrow.

We pray for all the people of Bethany, Palestine, and Israel, that you will turn hearts from violence, protect the innocent, open a new understanding of each other’s fears and hopes, and heal the wounds and mistrust that exists.

We pray for those who are mourning the death of a loved one, that they may know Christ’s loving and sustaining presence with them in their time of loss.

We pray for all who are suffering for the Gospel, that God will strengthen them and help them to offer faithful witness to Christ.

We pray for all who are suffering, particularly refugees and those affected by natural disasters, that they may know the power of Christ’s resurrection and the hope that Christ offers for tomorrow.

We pray for all who are ill, that you will bring healing to all with long Covid, give strength to those undergoing rehabilitation, and courage to those struggling with addictions.

We pray for peace, that your Spirit will change hearts, bring an end to violence, and establish peace and justice in every land.

Copyright © 2022. Joe Milner. All rights reserved.<br> Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.  https://liturgy.slu.edu/

We pray that you will guide us to remember the poor in our community and to show love for you through our love for them.

We pray that you will have mercy on those who are victims of their own failure to love.  Have mercy also on all who suffer from the meanness of those who should provide and care for them.

  (Raymond Chapman in Leading Intercessions p100) 

We pray for those who are hurting and helpless.  We pray for healing for those distressed in body, mind and spirit.  Comfort, heal them and relive them of their concerns, giving them patience in their trials and an end to their troubles.

We pray for those who lead us in Government, Industry and Society, that their plans are based on your principles, that they are executed impartially, and that through them all people may know and experience justice and respect.

  (David Hostetter in Prayers for the Seasons of God’s People Year C p78) 

Please bless the work of Frontier Services pastors ministering to people in the sparsely populated areas of Australia who are experiencing difficulties from natural disasters, cyclones, floods, fires and mouse plagues.  Give to them words of comfort and consolation.  Give to them a presence that heals and encourages.;

Please bless the work of the Outback Link volunteers who give of their time to assist property owners to repair damage to building and fencing, to assist with the looking after of stock, and who provide of a source of encouragement and support in places of despair and need.

Please bless the work of those involved with Uniting world’s livelihood training with vision impaired women in West Timor, as they assist these women to develop skills so as to allow hem to earn income for their families.

Please bless the work of the Protestant Christian Church in Bali with their programs in local communities to provide business training and chickens to start businesses that will bring in income for families.

Bless and encourage the leaders of upcoming Scripture Union camps over the School holidays, as they undertake the task of presenting the Gospel message to the children and youth attending these camps.  Protect from harm all leaders and campers.  May your Holy spirit  work in the minds and hearts of the children and youth that they will discover their place in God’s story for them.

Bless and encourage the leaders of the upcoming Easter Madness Camp as they undertake the task of presenting the Gospel message to the youth attending this camp.  Protect from harm all leaders and campers.  May your Holy spirit  work in the minds and hearts of the youth that they will discover their place in God’s story for them..

We pray for the peoples of the Czech Republic, of Poland and of Slovakia.

We are thankful for the faithful witness of Christians here through the centuries, especially in times of occupation and persecution, for the peaceful resolution of disputes, for the distinctive cultural contributions and resources in these lands, and for the religious freedom and ecumenical cooperation that is growing.

We pray for greater respect for the Roma people and others who are marginalized and who lack adequate livelihoods in these lands, for welcoming and engaging those of other faiths and ethnicities, for growth in spiritual as well as physical health, and for democratic governance that advances God’s justice and peace for all.

For Everlasting Peace

I will appoint peace your governor, and justice your ruler.
No longer shall violence be heard of in your land,
or plunder and ruin within your boundaries.
Isaiah 60:17-1
To the Creator of nature and humankind, of truth and beauty, I pray:
Hear my voice, for it is the voice of the victims of all wars and violence among individuals and nations.
Hear my voice, for it is the voice of all children who suffer and will suffer when people put their faith in weapons and war.
Hear my voice when I beg you to instil into the hearts of all human beings the wisdom of peace, the strength of justice, and the joy of fellowship.
Hear my voice, for I speak for the multitudes in every country and in every period of history who do not want war and are ready to walk the road of peace.
Hear my voice and grant insight and strength so that we may always respond to hatred with love, to injustice with total dedication to justice, to need with the sharing of self, to war with peace.
O God, hear my voice and grant unto the world your everlasting peace.

(Pope John Paul II in “L’Osservatore Romano,” 3-9-81,14)

The apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Corinthians to encourage them. May we have the same hope as the Corinthian church as we pray for the church of God and for all people according to their needs.
Eternal God, we thank you for calling us by name. In you we live and move and grow. We pray for churches and Christians throughout the world. Remind us of our common foundation in Christ . May we grow together in faith and in love, until we attain that unity which is your will.
Build us together in Christ,
Make us your dwelling place.
Send down your Spirit so that we may know Jesus and bear witness to our life and unity in him. May we know the mind of Christ in order to speak God’s wisdom everywhere. Strengthen us to work towards peace and reconciliation in church and society.
Build us together in Christ,
Make us your dwelling place.
We pray for the churches in Slovakia and for all churches which are experiencing change – growth or struggle, reconciliation or conflict. Inspire and strengthen them in works of witness and service.
Build us together in Christ,
Make us your dwelling place.
We pray for those who have no home, no land, no food, no work, no medicine, no peace. May we recognize and serve Christ in the suffering and the needy.
Build us together in Christ,
Make us your dwelling place.
We thank you for all your gifts of creation. Teach us to share with others our time, our energy, our resources and our love. Make us sensitive and responsive to the wounds in the human family and creation. May we be faithful to our calling and live a long life on earth. May we give our whole life to Christ, for we belong to him and in him are united all things on earth and in heaven.

(Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2005, Slovakia)

(https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/prayer-cycle/czech-republic-poland-slovakia)

Please be with Kylie Conomos as she rests over these School holidays.  Please bless the work that she does at Bald Hills State School, a she support he children and the families, and the staff of the School.

We pray for the leaders of Religious Education classes at Bald Hills State School, that they will be enthused with the taking of their weekly classes.  May the Holy spirit be working in the hearts and minds of the children who attend these classes that they will respond to the Gospel message that is being presented.

We ask for your blessing on the afternoon tea planned with members of the Deception Bay Congregation on Sunday15th May, that it will be a time when we will enjoy the company and fellowship of new friends.

We ask for your blessing on the Congregation progresses through the Stats have Faces process being led by Jillian.  May it be a profitable time of exploring our skills and resources and of discovering your will and mission for us in the Bald Hills and neighbouring areas.

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

We sing the Hymn ‘Bread of the World in mercy broken’  TiS512 

[This YouTube clip has music only – only the two verses are needed to be sung.]

Verse 1 of 2

Bread of the world in mercy broken,

Wine of the soul in mercy shed,

By whom the words of life were spoken,

And in whose death our sins are dead:

Verse 2 of 2

Look on the heart by sorrow broken,

Look on the tears by sinners shed;

And be your feast to us the token

That by your grace our souls are fed.

Reginald Heber

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 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.

We sing the Hymn ‘I am trusting Thee, Lord Jesus’  MHB521  Alexander’s Hymns No. 3 number 298

Francis Havergal

Benediction 

(from Prayers for the Seasons of God’s People Year C p76) 

  Amidst a World in turmoil and constant uncertainty, we are assured that God does not change.  We are assured of God’s complete control over Time and History and over the Leaders of Nations.  We are assured of God’s steadfast love and continuing attention for us, whom He has called to a close relationship with Himself.  We are assured that God never leaves our side nor deserts us in our times of need.  Let us move forward with that assurance, expressing our joy for what God has done and holding onto the hope of what God will do.

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

Benediction Song

“By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered”  TiS617

[This hymn is being sung to the tune Finlandia – there is a short introduction.]

[This YouTube has the music only –- only the one verse is to be sung.]

Verse 1 of 1

By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered,

And confidently waiting come what may,

We know that God is with us night and morning

And never fails to greet us each new day.

We shall remember all the days we live through,

All of our life before our God we lay.

Dietrich Bonhoffer

translated by Frederick Pratt Green