Welcome: –

Call to Worship: – 

(from Psalm 104: 1, 24, 27, 28,30, 31a, 33, 34, 35) 

Praise the LORD, my soul!

O LORD, my God, how great you are!

You are clothed with majesty and glory;

LORD, you have made so many things! 

How wisely you made them all! 

The Earth is filled with your creatures.

All of them depend on you to give them food when they need it.

You give it to them, and they eat it; you provide food, and they are satisfied.

When you give them breath, they are created;

You give new life to the Earth.

I will sing to the LORD all my life;

As long as I live I will sing praises to my God.

May He be pleased with my song, for my gladness comes from Him.

Praise the LORD, my soul!

Comment on Psalm 104 

The writer of this Psalm utters an exclamation of wonder at the greatness and the glory of God.  They see the beauty and the purpose evident in the World as extolling the glory and the wisdom of its Creator.  The infinitely great and the infinitely small of Earth’s creatures reveal God’s incomparable handiwork.

  And just as God has brought every living thing into existence, so through Him is life preserved.  God is described as benevolently opening his hand to scatter food, enough so that every creature has sufficient to meet their needs.  There is the acknowledgement that the very life of every creature comes from the life-giving breath of God.  There is no life save that which originates from God, the majestic and glorious Creator.

  It is the desire of the writer that the glory of God may endure forever and that God may take joy from His handiwork.  May we, as we come before God in worship, do so in an attitude of thanksgiving and praise, acknowledging Him as Creator and sustainer of all there is, and the source of our life and purpose.  (Artur Weiser in The Psalms p669 and 670, Leslie McCaw and Alec Motyer in Psalms in The New Bible Commentary p516)

Prayer of Praise  

(in part from Prayers for God’s People Year B p109 and 110) 

Almighty God, we gather together with joy and excitement to offer you our thanks and our praise, we gather together in humbleness to acknowledge you as our LORD. 

  You have shown your supreme power and incomparable abilities through what we see and experience around us, by and through what you have created.  The Universe has been set in its place through the Laws of the Cosmos which you have determined.  Our World follows patterns and cycles of Nature which you have decreed.  Our bodies function and operate because of the structures and the systems that you had the foresight to develop.

  You have expressed your nature of kindness and graciousness by the way you sustain all of life.  You have provided for the needs of the smallest of bacterium that inhabit our soil as well as of the largest of whales that swim in our oceans.

  You provide the necessities of life for all things, you provide rain for those who acknowledge you as their God and for those who don’t, but should do so.  To argue that all things arose by chance ignores the perfect design and the divine plan underlying all that you have made.  To argue that life arose by accident ignores the fact that you alone are the source of life.

  You have expressed your love for us so clearly through the sending of your son into the World, so as to undertake your work of redemption and reconciliation.  We recognise the brokenness of our lives and the barrenness of our own abilities to rebuild our relationship with you, and to repair our relationships with others.  We recognise the sacrifice you made in sending Jesus Christ into the World and of his willingness to suffer on the cross.  We acknowledge your power over sin and death through his resurrection.

  We praise you for making possible the forgiveness of our sins and the complete cleansing of our souls from all that is impure and ungodly.  We submit to your will and purpose in the World and individually in each of our lives.

  May our worship here today be tied to a renewed commitment to serve you daily in thought, word and deed.  May each moment of our lives be an expression of our love for you and of our gratitude for what you have done and continue to do for us.  To your glory we pray, Amen

We sing the hymn ‘I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever’  Scripture in Song volume 3 number 560

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord,

Forever I will sing, I will sing.

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord,

Forever I will sing of the mercies of the Lord.

With my mouth will I make known

Thy faithfulness, Thy faithfulness,

With my mouth will I make known

Thy faithfulness to all generations.

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord,

Forever I will sing, I will sing.

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord,

Forever I will sing of the mercies of the Lord.

With my mouth will I make known

Thy faithfulness, Thy faithfulness,

With my mouth will I make known

Thy faithfulness to all generations.

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord,

Forever I will sing, I will sing.

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord,

Forever I will sing of the mercies of the Lord.

John Sellers

We sing ‘Jesus put this song into our hearts’  Scripture in Song volume 3 number 569

Michael Rumpza

Prayer of Confession 

(from Prayers for God’s People Year B p109, 116, 118, and A Year of Prayer p72, 73) 

We come acknowledging our failures and our faults, our sins and our stumblings.

We come confessing the wrong things we have done and the right things we have not done.

We confess that we have sought meaning in the trivialities of the attractions of this World, and have been enticed away from your path by this World’s values. 

Forgive us, we pray.

We confess that we have forgotten your Word and have sought meaning and understanding from what the World tells us. 

Forgive us, we pray.

We confess that we have compromised our witness to your love for the World by uncharitable thoughts and actions. 

Forgive us, we pray.

We confess that we have devalued our relationship with you by depending on what we can accomplish by ourselves. 

Forgive us, we pray.

We confess that we do not readily welcome into our fellowship those who are different or who challenge our level of comfort. 

Forgive us, we pray.

We confess that we tend to act in competition and not by co-operation. 

Forgive us, we pray.

Cleanse us from the defilement of our sins, deliver us from the evil that leads us astray. 

May we be guided daily by your Word of truth, and nourished by that which endures to eternal life.  Amen

Assurance of Forgiveness  

(from Romans 8: 33)  

The Apostle Paul assured the believers in the Church in Rome that anyone who comes to God repenting of their sin and accepting, by faith, His offer of forgiveness, is declared free from guilt and blameless in his eyes.  We have confessed our sin to God and our faith in His work of salvation, in and through Jesus Christ.  Let us rest with assurance, then, that God has heard our prayers, that God has forgiven us, and that God has cleansed us in His sight.

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

Joel 2:

28  Then God said, “Afterward I will pour out my Spirit on everyone; your sons and daughters will proclaim my message; your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions.  29  At that time I will pour out my Spirit even on servants, both men and women.”

Acts 2:

1  When the Day of Pentecost came, all the believers were gathered together in one place.  2  Suddenly, there was a noise from the sky which sounded like a strong wind blowing, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.  3  Then they saw what looked like

tongues of fire which spread out and touched each person there.  4  They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.

5  There were Jews living in Jerusalem, religious men who had come from every country in the world.  6  When they heard this noise, a large crowd gathered.  They were all excited, because each one of them heard the believers talking in their own language.  7  In amazement and wonder they exclaimed, “These people who are talking like this are Galileans!  8  How is it, then, that all of us hear them speaking in our own native languages?  9  We are from Parthia, Media, and Elam; from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia; from Pontus and Asia,  10  from Phrygia and Pamphylia, from Egypt and the regions of Libya near Cyrene.  Some of us are from Rome,  1  both Jews and Gentiles converted to Judaism, and some of us are from Crete and Arabia – yet all of us hear them speaking in our own languages about the great things that God has done!”  12  Amazed and confused, they kept asking each other, “What does this mean?”

13  But others made fun of the believers, saying, “These people are drunk!”

14  Then Peter stood up with the other eleven Apostles and in a loud voice began to speak to the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, listen to me and let me tell you what this means.  15  These people are not drunk, as you suppose; it is only none o’clock in the morning.  16  Instead, this is what the Prophet Joel spoke about:

17  ‘This is what I will do in the last days’, God says: ‘I will pour out my Spirit on everyone.  Your sons and daughters will proclaim my message: your young men will see visions, and your old men will have dreams.  18  Yes, even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my spirit in those days, and they will proclaim my message.’”

40  Peter made his appeal to them and with many other words he urged them saying, “Save yourselves from the punishment coming on this wicked people!”  41  Many of them believed his message and were baptised, and about three thousand people were added to the group that day.  42  They spent their time in learning from the apostles, taking part in fellowship, and sharing in the fellowship meals and the prayers.

Romans 8:

12  So then, my sisters and brothers, we have an obligation, but it is not to live as our human nature wants us to.  13  For if you live according to your Human nature, you are going to die; but if by the Spirit you put to death your sinful actions, you will live.  14  Those who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s children.  15  For the Spirit that God has given you does not make you slaves and cause you to be afraid; instead, the Spirit makes you God’s children, and by the Spirit’s power we cry out to God, “Father!  My Father!” 

16  God’s Spirit joins Himself to our spirits to declare that we are God’s children.  17  Since we are God’s children, we will possess the blessings He keeps for His people,  and we will also possess with Christ what God has kept for him: for if we share Christ’s suffering, we will also share his glory.

[Today’s English Version]

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

John 14:

15  “If you love me,” Jesus said to his Disciples,” you will obey my commandments.  16  I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, who will stay with you forever.  17  He is the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God.  The world cannot receive him, because it cannot see him or know him.  But you know him, because he remains with you and is in you.

18  When I go, you will not be left all alone; I will come back to you.  19  In a little while the World will see me no more, but you will see me; and because I live, you also will live.  20  When that day comes, you will know that I am in my Father and that you are in me, just as I am in you.

25  I have told you this while I am still with you.  26  The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you.”

[Today’s English Version]

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

We sing the Hymn ‘O breath of life, come sweeping through us’  TiS409  AHB322

O Breath of Life, come sweeping through us,

Revive Thy Church with life and power,

O Breath of Life, come, cleanse, renew us,

And fit Thy Church to meet this hour.

Verse 2 of 4

O Wind of God, come, bend us, break us,

Till humbly we confess our need;

Then in Thy tenderness remake us,

Revive, restore, for this we plead.

Verse 3 of 4

O Breath of Love, come, breathe within us,

Renewing thought and will and heart;

Come, Love of Christ, afresh to win us,

Revive Thy Church in every part.

Verse 4 of 4

Revive us, Lord!  Is zeal abating

While harvest fields are vast and white?

Revive us, Lord, the World is waiting,

Equip Thy Church to spread the Light.

Bessie Head

Sermon

Screen 1

Team spirit

A spirited reply

To be in high spirits / low spirits

Fighting with spirit

  The term “spirit” is, surprisingly, a commonplace term that is used in everyday speech these days.  Several phrases that include the word “spirit” are:

Team spirit

A spirited reply

To be in high spirits / low spirits

Fighting with spirit

  Each of these phrases incorporates such favourable and acceptable notions as:

vitality, being directed towards a common goal, co-operation, dedication, responding energetically to an external problem or circumstance, even ethical or moral correctness.

  It is of concern, though, that such uses of the term “spirit” are always associated with a person’s own abilities and strengths and perseverance.  It is their demonstration of “team spirit”.  It is their “spirited reply”.  It is their endeavours to lift themselves from “low spirits” to “high spirits”.  It is their “fighting with spirit”.

  Such a stance is not seen with passages in the Bible which relate to The Spirit, the Holy Spirit.  Let’s look at three passages where we can gain some understanding of how the Holy Spirit works in the lives of God’s people.

Screen 2

“I will pour my Spirit on everyone”  Joel 2: 28

  God had, in the past, equipped the Leaders of His people to undertake the role of proclaiming the Word of God and discerning the Will of God.  In Judges 6:34 we read that God’s Spirit came upon Gideon, one of the Judges.  In Samuel 16:13 we read that God’s Spirit came upon David at his anointing as King, and that the Spirit remained with David throughout his life.  In 2 Chronicles 24: 20 we read that God’s Spirit came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the Priest.  In Number 11: 24 to 30 we read that God’s Spirit came upon the 70 Leaders of the people of Israel and that they prophesised about God.  On each of these occasions the actions of these individuals, guided by God’s Spirit, served as a sign of the power of God working through them to achieve God’s Will.

  The Prophet Ezekiel said the same thing when he spoke the words of God saying “I will pour out my Spirit on the People of Israel”  (Ezekiel 36: 27 & 37: 14)  .  The Prophet Joel, too, said the same thing when he spoke the words of God saying “Afterward I will pour my Spirit on everyone; your sons and daughters will proclaim my message; your old men will have dreams, and your young men will see visions.  At that time I will pour out my Spirit even on servants, both men and women.”  (Joel 2: 28 & 29)  The Apostle Peter quoted this passage from Joel on the Day of Pentecost  (Acts 2: 17 & 18)  , and correctly interpreted that the time had come when God was fulfilling this prophesy, and that the Holy Spirit was indeed equipping and guiding the Church to fulfil the Commission to be witnesses for God.

    The Apostle Paul spoke along a similar line.  In 1 Corinthians 14: 1 he stated “Set your hearts on spiritual things, especially the gift of proclaiming God’s message”.  Elsewhere he added, “all of us, whether Jews or Gentiles, whether slaves or free, have been baptised into the one body by the same Spirit”.  Paul, in saying this, emphasised the inclusiveness of the Church, the unity that is ours through the same blessing of the Holy Spirit to all believers.  Someone’s age or gender or social standing makes no difference as far as God is concerned.  The same Spirit empowers all people to speak out for God.

    And it is worthwhile considering what happened on the Day of Pentecost in the light of the passage in Genesis where we read of the introduction of different languages.  We read in Genesis 11 that, instead of following God’s commandment to spread out over the whole Earth, the descendants of Noah sought, instead, to settle together around Babylon.  Consequently, God mixed up their one language into numerous languages so as to spread chaos and misunderstanding, thereby forcing groups who spoke the same language to separately move off together to form their own communities.  Rev Dr Clive Ayre, however, makes the point that, in Jerusalem, at Pentecost, although a large variety of languages were being spoken, there was no chaos but there was comprehension, a reversal of what occurred at Babylon.  In the same way that the Spirit brought order into Creation, order and unity was established when the believers were speaking to the crowd of onlookers who were attracted by the noise and commotion.  “The Spirit of God”, he states, “can bring order out of chaos and unity in diversity.”  (Clive Ayre in Earth, Faith and Mission) 

Screen 3

“the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God”  John 14: 17

  In John 16:7 Jesus states, “It is better for you that I go away”.  Why is that so?  Firstly, because Jesus could only be in one place at a time, whereas the Holy Spirit is not so limited, being able to be in all places at all times.  Secondly, it was because Jesus could speak only to the person, whereas the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts.  This characterises the intimate personal relationship which God seeks with all people, as He had with the prophets of old.  (Craig Keener in Acts in The IVP Bible Background Commentary to the New Testament p330) 

  In John 14: 17 we are told that the Spirit will reveal the truth about God.  Pilate had no trust in being able to determine what is truth, as he declared to Jesus at his trial.  (John 18: 38)  In contrast, we can identify much of the truth about God, such as what is written in today’s Psalm, Psalm 104.  This Psalm talks to us of the wisdom of God displayed in the way that He created such a wide variety of life.  It talks of the constant care God shows to His Creation in the way He provides for the needs of animals.  It highlights that God is the source of all life.  It highlights that our aim in life is to acknowledge the glory of God and to continually sing praises to Him.

  We need to acknowledge that it is not by our own reasoning or abilities that God’s work is accomplished.  It is the Holy Spirit that condemns sin in the lives of people.  It is the Holy Spirit that convinces people of the righteousness of Jesus and of the truth of the Good News of his sacrifice for our sin.

  Jesus said in John 16: 8 that the World is on trial.  Their unbelief in Him is their sin and therefore the Holy Spirit will judge them, as Jesus states in v11 and in John 12: 31.  Our confidence rests in the knowledge that God’s authority is supreme, that God works to accomplish His will and purpose, unhindered by all Earthly or spiritual powers.

  Peter writes, “For Christ died for our sins, once and for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God.  (1Peter 3: 18)  In John 16: 10, Jesus is asserting that his resurrection and ascension to sit at the right-hand side of God is his vindication to the World that he has faithfully accomplished all that God has asked him to do.  With the Spirit’s assurance that this is so, we need not fear what the future may hold for us, for God’s love for us cannot fade, that our salvation is guaranteed.  (Donald Guthrie in John in The New Bible Commentary p961) 

Screen 4

“lives led by God’s Spirit”  Romans 8: 14

  The Apostle Paul is careful to explain to the believers who belonged to the Church in Rome the essence of the life that they ‘left behind’ when they accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Previously they had lived “as their Human nature led them to”, with minds “controlled by what their Human nature wanted”  (Romans 8: 5a)  , lives that were sinful in nature because of the sinful nature of their thoughts and actions.  Such a life, he states, “is bound up with death (verse 6), hostility towards God (verse 7a), insubordination towards God (verse 7b), and unacceptability to God (verse 8).  (Study Notes in NIV Study Bible p1750) 

  Geoffrey Wilson writes that “anyone who thinks otherwise has clearly mistaken a false sense of security in sin for a true experience of salvation from sin”  (Geoffrey Wilson in Romans p135)  .

  In contrast, Paul continues, is the life lived “as the Holy Spirit tells them to, with minds controlled by what the Holy Spirit wants”  (Romans 8: 5b)  .  Such a life, Paul states, “results in life and peace”  (Romans 8: 6b)  .  Paul is not denying the attractiveness of the life lived “as their Human nature led them to”, because it satisfies what Human nature wants.  What Paul is stating is that the Christian needs to strive to not just disregard this attractiveness of the Human nature, but to realise the greater and worthwhile attractiveness of the life and peace offered by the life that is guided and led by the Holy Spirit.  Why is this so?

  Firstly, Paul states that since we have been given life by God through the Holy Spirit  (Romans 8: 10 & 11)  , we are, therefore indebted to God, and, therefore, obliged to live as the Holy Spirit tells us to.  It is the right thing for us to do.  Geoffrey Wilson writes that “all who are so graciously indwelt by the Spirit will yield themselves without reserve to His government of their lives”  (Geoffrey Wilson in Romans p135)

  Secondly, Paul states that such a life is the choice that leads to fruitfulness and purpose in life.  Because our “sinful actions have been put to death”  (Romans 8: 13b)  , that is, disregarded and discarded, the Spirit has full scope to enrich and fulfill our lives. 

  Thirdly, it is by such a life that we are assured that we are God’s children, God’s daughters and sons.  As Paul states, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children,”  (Romans 8: 16)  .  It is “by the Spirit’s power that we cry out to God, “Abba, Father.”  (Romans 8: 15b)  .  And as God’s children, “we will possess the blessings God keeps for His people”, and “we will also share in Christ’s glory”  (Romans 8: 17)  .

  (Roger Bowen in A Guide to Romans p105 & 107) 

  As Vincent Taylor wrote, “That people can be lifted out of themselves into new life by the power of the Spirit and can become children of God in truth are the enheartening notes of a living Gospel.  (Vincent Taylor in The Epistle to the Romans p52)  .

Screen 5

equipped by the Spirit to be effective witnesses to God’s grace

  The first century Church did not fulfil all of the Commission of Jesus.  For how could they?  In their lifetime they could not be expected to go to the ends of the Earth with their message.  The Church from that time onwards progressed throughout the World in proclaiming the Good News of the Gospel.  We of today’s Church have inherited this Commission from those who have gone before us.  It is our task to carry on the role of being witnesses for God wherever we are led to go.  And it is God’s promise to equip us in the same way so as to be effective witnesses.  But are we as willing as those first believers to speak out to the crowds?  Are we as willing as those first believers to be led along unfamiliar paths?  Are we as willing as those first believers to depend upon the Holy Spirit for the words to say.  Are we expecting the Holy Spirit to use us in spectacular ways to bring people to a right relationship with God?  The message of those first believers was simple yet earnest, “whoever calls out to the Lord for help will be saved”.  May this be the same message that we present to people in our small corner of the World as we are led.  Amen.

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774 

[This hymn is being sung to the tune Austria – there is no introduction.]

[This YouTube 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.

Almighty God, we pray for the Church, that the Holy Spirit will empower us to faithfully follow Christ and bring Good News to all are burdened or who have lost hope.

We pray for a renewal of the Gifts of the Spirit in our lives, that we may recognize and use all the gifts that you have given us for the good of others and the fulfillment of the mission of Jesus.

We pray for a flourishing of the fruits of the Spirit, that we may manifest love, joy, peace, patience, and all the fruits of the Spirit in our lives.

We pray for a renewed sense of mission: that the Spirit will inspire us in confronting the watered-down values of society and in building a society of justice and peace.

We pray for Christian Unity, that the Spirit will heal the wounds and misunderstandings that divide the Body of Christ and lead us in offering a common proclamation of the Gospel.

We pray for a Spirit of love, that we may place our time, energy, and gifts at the service of

others, helping them to carry their burdens and discover your presence.

We pray for a Spirit of hope, that all who are overwhelmed by life may find new reasons to live this day and be gifted with a vision of all that could be tomorrow.

We pray for a Spirit of justice in the world, that the needy, the exploited, the abused, and the victims of war may know relief from oppression and have their dignity restored.

We pray for a Spirit of forgiveness, that you will break the bonds of resentment and vengeance that hold our hearts and free us to forgive as you have forgiven us.

We pray for a Spirit of reverence, that all hearts may recognize you as Creator and work to protect and preserve Creation, Human dignity, and cooperation within the Human family.

We pray for an abundant growing season, that you will send seasonable weather, and bless all who work in agriculture with an abundant harvest.

We pray for conversion of hearts, that you will break the anger and violence that grips hearts, bring an end to violence, and reveal new ways to resolve hurts and differences.

We pray for Peace, that you will heal the physical and mental wounds of all who have experienced violence and console all who are grieving the death of a loved one.

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 for the people of Angola, Mozambique.  We thank you for the rich natural resources in these countries, which you have intended for the good of all.  We thank you for the positive developments experienced since years of civil war.  We thank you for village committees that seek to protect livelihoods and food security of the poor.  We thank you for how the Lutheran World Federation and partners have pursued land rights in Mozambique.

We pray for better sanitation, health services, and protection of the environment in these lands.  We pray for a healing of the lingering scars and memories from colonization and civil wars.  We pray for protection of the land rights of the people.  We pray for governments that are transparent and further the good of all the people, rather than being captive to foreign and business interests.  We pray for a speedy and safe removal of land mines so that farmers can return to their fields with confidence.  We pray for the funds, the buildings, the libraries and the teachers which would facilitate the spiritual growth and ministry of church leaders and pastors in these countries.  We pray for progress in Bible translation projects, that will enable churches in many parts of these countries to worship and teach in the indigenous languages of the various tribes and races.

Angola, Mozambique | World Council of Churches (oikoumene.org)

God of love and compassion, we approach you full of grief and shame, because we just cannot understand how it is that you love us so much. We feel that we are living under the shadow of death. We find it difficult to understand that you have already brought us out from there and that you hope to see in us signs showing our faith and trust in the eternal life promised us by Jesus.

Do not forsake us.  Rather, guide us in ways of hope that one day Africa will know and live in peace, health and prosperity, through the grace and mercy given us by your Son, Jesus Christ, and by the Holy Spirit. Amen.

(Felicidade N. Cherinda, Mozambique. In: Africa Praying – A Handbook on HIV/AIDS Sensitive Sermon Guidelines and Liturgy)

We sincerely thank you, O God, for your powerful gift of hope in the face of seemingly hopeless situations.  We thank you for your peace in the hearts and minds of men and women in this part of Africa who believe you are the living God, quick to save in time of danger.  You reign above all, directing the course and destiny of the universe.

(Joao Makondekwa, Bible Society of Angola. WAGP p. 337)

We pray for The Leprosy Mission Trust India’s 14 hospitals, spread over nine states of India, that provide specialised leprosy care and disability management services.  We pray for your wisdom, strength and spirit of discernment for all the leaders as they lead the teams in all the 14 hospitals.  We pray for the smooth functioning of all the clinical services at the hospitals so that they continue to bring healing and restoration in the lives of people that TLMIndia serves.  We pray for the good health of all the staff so that they continue to serve in love, compassion, and good spirit.  We pray for your guidance in enabling TLMIndia to provide high quality and relevant services, as well as all the resources required in the hospital units.  We pray that regular training, workshops, and Continuing Medical Education sessions will go well and that TLMIndia will enhance the capacity and skill of the staff and further improve service delivery.  We pray for all the patients and the community members who use services in TLMIndia’s units so that they continue to be blessed and their health and community transformed.  We ask that you will raise committed professionals who will continue the much needed work of the Mission and bring glory to you.

  (The Leprosy Mission Prayer Diary 2022) 

We pray for the Women in Ministry project that supports women in the Pacific region to study theology and seek ordination, equipping them for leadership in the Church and community.  We pray that the women studying at the Pacific Theological College (PTC) in Suva, Fiji, will receive the financial and pastoral support from their individual churches, that they will discover new truths that they can take back and share with their churches to their churches, and that they are developing the skills to be effective leaders in their churches.

(https://unitingworld.org.au/women-in-ministry-update-may-2022 / )

We pray that school chaplains across the country will be encouraged and valued by their communities in which they serve, and that they receive the needed finance and pastoral care that will enable them to continue their ministry.

We pray that Scripture Union office staff and field teams across the country will be enlivened and encouraged by your Spirit to continue their work of serving children and youth in their areas.

  (SU Prayer guide) 

amidst the Covid-19 epidemic there.

We pray for the Religious Instruction classes at Bald Hills State School, that your Holy Spirit may be at work in the minds and hearts of the children who attend.  We thank you for the dedication of those who lead classes and pray that you will encourage and refresh them in their efforts.

We pray for Kylie Conomos, the Chaplain at Bald Hills State School, that you will guide her as her interacts with the pupils and children at the School, that she will be aware of needs and of how to respond, that she is refreshed physically and spiritually so as to cope with what each day presents.

  We pray for the family of the young man who was recently died from cancer.  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.

for the short term and long term future.

We thank you for the success of the recent afternoon tea between members of our congregation and of the Deception Bay Congregation.  We ask for your guidance and insight into our continuing deliberation concerning submitting a joint call for a fulltime Minister of the Word who will serve both congregations.

We pray for encouragement for Jillian as she continues her work with the Church Council and the people of the Congregation to clarify our vision and mission goals as your people in the Bald Hills area.  We pray for your blessing on the deliberations of those on Church Council as they consider how the Congregation is to move forward in the future.

We pray for Liz, that you will bring healing and wholeness to her as she recovers for her recent infection.  Mat she be well enough to return home soon.

We pray for Laurie as she recovers in hospital after her recent stroke.  Please bring healing and wholeness to her.  Please guide and direct those who are providing medical and nursing aid to her.  Please comfort and support her family in their concern for her continuing welfare.

We pray for those who we have not seen for some time, for Hazel, for Sue, and for Heather.  Please guide and comfort them in their particular circumstances.  May they be aware of your care for them as they meet what each new day brings.

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

Amen

We sing the hymn ‘Break Thou the Bread of Life’

[This hymn is sung to the tune Bread of Life – there is a short introduction.]

[This YouTube has music, singing and words.]

Mary Lathbury

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 long to know you better day by day’  Alexander’s Hymn Book No. 3 number 414

[This hymn is sung to the tune Woodlands (thr tune for ‘Tell out my soul’)

This YouTube clip has organ music only

Verse 1 of 4

I long to know you better day by day,

I want to draw much closer when I pray,

To listen more intently for your voice,

To let the things you choose to be my choice.

Verse 2 of 4

I long to serve you better hour by hour,

Depending more entirely on your power,

I want to know more fully all your will,

To count upon each promise and be still.

Verse 3 of 4

I long to keep more closely at your side,

To worship in your presence and abide,

I want to rest more calmly in your care,

Assured that you will keep me safely there.

Verse 4 of 4

I long to find more beauties in your Word,

To follow in the footsteps of my Lord,

And, oh, the greatest longing through your grace,

Is that my eyes may see you face to face.

Ada Habershon

Benediction 

(from Invocations p163) 

You have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Go forth then, empowered and equipped by the Spirit to be Christ’s body, doing God’s work in the World.

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

Benediction Song

“Now to him who loves us saves us”  TiS771

Now to him who loved us, gave us

Every pledge that love could give,

Freely shed his blood to save us,

Gave his life that we might live,

Be the Kingdom

And dominion

And the glory evermore.

Samuel Miller Waring