Welcome: –

Call to Worship: –    

  I am currently reading a book titled “Christianity rubs holes in my religion”, by an author by the name of  Bob Murphy.  In it he writes:

“I never was, and never could be, a Sunday Christian.  Either Christianity is a bubbling and exciting experience seven days a week, anywhere and everywhere I go, or I have some kind of religion which I can use for an hour and then put it in a nice velvet case until next Sunday.  Christianity is not a place to go on Sunday, nor a bit of dogma to recite.  It is a way of living, and I live all week.”  (p42) 

  These brief 80 words provide a challenge for us.  Are we “Sunday Christians”, coming together on a Sunday morning to open our own “velvet box” and unwrap our “religion” for an hour before putting it back into our box?  Or do we come together to share and to celebrate the “exciting” things” that we have experienced in our “life” with Jesus Christ over the past week?

  Psalm 112 commences with these words:

“Happy is the person who honours the LORD, who takes pleasure in obeying His Commands.”  (verse 1) 

  If we recite these words as a “Sunday Christian”, we are being hypocrites.  How can we say that we “honour God” if we only do it for an hour on Sundays, while we dishonour God during the remainder of the week?  How can we say that we “take pleasure in obeying God’s Commands”, if we only do it for an hour on Sundays while we neglect God’s Commands for the rest of the week?

  No, when we gather for worship let us be honest to ourselves and to those in our fellowship here, but, more importantly, let us be honest before God.  Let us be honest as we express our praise and worship of God, as we express our thankfulness for His continuing grace and mercy and for His lovingkindness.  May our worship of God be a real and exciting experience.

Prayer of Praise    

Almighty God, you are full of love and compassion, known for your gift of grace and the truth of your words.  We can only express our deepest gratitude for the loving kindness that you show to us and to all people.

  We praise you O God for our life and being, for the love of family and friends.  We praise you for the beauty of the World that we see around us and for the wonders of your Creation.  We praise you for all things that are true and honest, just and good. 

  We praise you O God for the gift of Jesus Christ, your Son, for his obedience unto death upon the cross so that our sins can be completely removed.  We praise you for his glorious resurrection and ascension so that his life-giving work can continue in all the Earth for all of time.

  We praise you O God for the Holy Spirit, our comforter and encourager, for the support and strength that is so freely given to us.  We praise you for your Word contained in the holy Bible, the Word through which you reveal yourself to us, the Word that details your work of salvation in the World, the Word that guides our interactions with others and with your Creation.

  Almighty God, we acknowledge that although you are the personification of glory and holiness, your deepest desire is to walk beside us and to talk with us as you had done with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  For these things we offer you our adoration and praise.  Amen.

You are invited to join in singing  two songs.  The first song is: ‘Father I thank you for all that you’ve done’  Scripture in Song Volume 2 Number 269

Steve Stewart

The second song is: ‘Father of all things’  Scripture in Song volume 2 275 / 70

Lyn and Neil Riley

Prayer of Confession 

  Loving God, we humbly acknowledge and confess before you our sinful nature, how quick we are to make errors and how slow we are to do good.

  We confess our shortcomings and our offences against you and against your will.  We confess the hurt we cause to others by our actions and by our inaction.

  We confess, O God, that we have wandered from your path, that we have become distracted by the transient pleasures of the World around us, that we have been enticed away from the true path that gives life by unfulfilled promises of happiness and meaning.

  Loving God, have mercy on us and forgive our sins.

  We confess, O God, thatwe have wasted your gifts, we are too lazy or too hesitant to use our abilities to further your Kingdom, we wastefully use the resources of the World around us, not thinking of the consequent harm for us and for others, nor for our responsibility to ensure that our children’s grandchildren have sufficient for their needs.

  Loving God, have mercy on us and forgive our sins.

  We confess, O God, that we have forgotten to love as you love us, we pass by those in need, looking the other way so as not to get involved, blaming them for the trouble that they find themselves in, and accusing them of laziness or of wantonness.

  Loving God, have mercy on us and forgive our sins.

  Loving God, you know our faults, those that are obvious to those around us and those that we hide from the sight of others.

  We are ashamed and truly sorry for all that we have done that displeases you and for all that we have not done that has upset you, for all that makes you turn away from us.

  Loving God, have mercy on us and forgive our sins.

  Help us to live in your light and to walk in your ways, that we may delight in your will and bring glory to your name.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from 1 Corinthians 1: 18, 25 & 30) 

The Apostle Paul tells the Church in Corinth that it was not a demonstration of God’s weakness that allowed Jesus to be crucified on the cross, but that it was a demonstration of God’s power.  For it was through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that our sins have been forgiven and that we are put right with God.  Let us hold onto this assurance that, having confessed our sins before God, He has heard our prayers and has forgiven us.

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 58:

1  The Lord says, “Shout as loud as you can!  Tell my people Israel about their sins!

2  They worship me every day, claiming that they are eager to know my ways and obey my laws.  They say they want me to give them just laws and that they take pleasure in worshipping me.”

3  The people ask, “Why should we fast if the Lord never notices?  Why should we go without food if he pays no attention?”

The Lord says to them, “The truth is that at the same time you fast, you pursue your own interests and oppress your workers.  4  Your fasting makes you violent, and you quarrel and fight. Do you think this kind of fasting will make me listen to your prayers?  5  When you fast, you make yourselves suffer; you bow your heads low like a blade of grass and spread out sackcloth and ashes to lie on.  Is that what you call fasting?  Do you think I will be pleased with that?

6  The kind of fasting I want is this: Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free.  7  Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor.  Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives.

8  “Then my favour will shine on you like the morning sun, and your wounds will be quickly healed.  I will always be with you to save you; my presence will protect you on every side.

9  When you pray, I will answer you.  When you call to me, I will respond.  “If you put an end to oppression, to every gesture of contempt, and to every evil word;  10  if you give food to the hungry and satisfy those who are in need, then the darkness around you will turn to the brightness of noon.

11  And I will always guide you and satisfy you with good things.  I will keep you strong and well.  You will be like a garden that has plenty of water, like a spring of water that never goes dry.  12  Your people will rebuild what has long been in ruins, building again on the old foundations.  You will be known as the people who rebuilt the walls, who restored the ruined houses.

[Today’s English Version]  (https://www.biblestudytools.com/gnt/isaiah/58.html )

1 Corinthians 2:

6  Yet I do proclaim a message of wisdom to those who are spiritually mature.  But it is not the wisdom that belongs to this world or to the powers that rule this world – powers that are losing their power.

7  The wisdom I proclaim is God’s secret wisdom, which is hidden from human beings, but which he had already chosen for our glory even before the world was made.

8  None of the rulers of this world knew this wisdom.  If they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

9  However, as the scripture says, “What no one ever saw or heard, what no one ever thought could happen, is the very thing God prepared for those who love him.”  (Isaiah 64: 4) 

10  But it was to us that God made known his secret by means of his Spirit.  The Spirit searches everything, even the hidden depths of God’s purposes.

11  It is only our own spirit within us that knows all about us; in the same way, only God’s Spirit knows all about God.

12  We have not received this world’s spirit; instead, we have received the Spirit sent by God, so that we may know all that God has given us.

13  So then, we do not speak in words taught by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, as we explain spiritual truths to those who have the Spirit.

14  Whoever does not have the Spirit cannot receive the gifts that come from God’s Spirit.  Such a person really does not understand them, and they seem to be nonsense, because their value can be judged only on a spiritual basis.

15  Whoever has the Spirit, however, is able to judge the value of everything, but no one is able to judge him.

16  As the scripture says, “Who knows the mind of the Lord?  Who is able to give him advice?”  (Isaiah 40: 13)  We, however, have the mind of Christ.

[Today’s English Version]

(https://www.biblestudytools.com/gnt/1-corinthians/2.html )

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Matthew 5:

1  Jesus saw the crowds and went up a hill, where he sat down. His disciples gathered around him,

2  and he began to teach them.

13  “You are like salt for the whole human race.  But if salt loses its saltiness, there is no way to make it salty again. It has become worthless, so it is thrown out and people trample on it. 

14  “You are like light for the whole world.  A city built on a hill cannot be hid.

15  No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl; instead it is put on the lampstand, where it gives light for everyone in the house.  16  In the same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.

17  “Do not think that I have come to do away with the Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets.  I have not come to do away with them, but to make their teachings come true.

18  Remember that as long as heaven and earth last, not the least point nor the smallest detail of the Law will be done away with – not until the end of all things.

19  So then, whoever disobeys even the least important of the commandments and teaches others to do the same, will be least in the Kingdom of heaven.  On the other hand, whoever obeys the Law and teaches others to do the same, will be great in the Kingdom of heaven.

20  I tell you, then, that you will be able to enter the Kingdom of heaven only if you are more faithful than the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees in doing what God requires.

[Today’s English Version]

(https://www.biblestudytools.com/gnt/matthew/5.html )

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Passing the Peace

We are one in fellowship and in worship of our God, whether we gather together in the Church building on Sunday morning or whether we worship in the ‘digital sphere’.  It is important that we recognise that, together, we remain one in Christ Jesus.  With that thought, let us uplift our hands and greet those both here and in their homes: May the peace of God be with you all.

And also with you.

You are invited to join in singing the Hymn ‘God of almighty love’  (MHB595  Wesley’s Hymns number 323)

[This hymn is to be sung to the tune Carlisle. The YouTube clip is for another hymn, but is used here for the tune.  The words of the hymn are printed below]

Verse 1 of 3

God of almighty love,

By whose sufficient grace

I lift my heart to things above,

And humbly seek your face.

Verse 2 of 3

Whate’er I say or do

Your glory be my aim,

To give you all the praise that’s due,

Your goodness to proclaim.

Verse 3 of 3

Spirit of faith, inspire

To serve you every day,

To give my all is my desire

To serve you every way.

Charles Wesley  (adapted)

Sermon

Screen 1

“overload?!”

(https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/11/13/20/56/telephone-1822040__340.jpg)

  There is the story of a banker, an electrician and a politician, who were each asked the same question:

“What term would you use to describe the problem resulting when outflow exceeds inflow?”

  The banker said “overdraft”.  The electrician said “overload”.  The politician said “What problem?”.  (Reader’s Digest October 1998 p33) 

  Each person was replying to the question based upon their wisdom concerning the problem described to them.  Yet it appears that wisdom may be a subjective matter.

Screen 2

“Ooops!”

(https://media.istockphoto.com/id/1427949099/photo/portrait-of-shocked-girl-with-long-chek-lists-with-purchases-for-christmas.jpg)

  We all may have experienced circumstances where outflow exceeded inflow, for example, where a wiser approach to spending may have been the better approach.  But how does one gain that wisdom?

Screen 3

Does knowledge equate with wisdom?

(https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2020/07/23/01/29/books-5430104__340.jpg)

  Some seek to equate knowledge with wisdom, that is, the more you read, the wiser you become.  Others, however, take a different approach. 

  Doug Larson, an American author and newspaper editor, once said:

“Wisdom is the quality that keeps you from getting into situations where you need it.”  (Reader’s digest Quotable quotes p25)  (https://en.wikipedia.org>wiki.Doug_Larson)   

  Elbert Hubbard, and American writer, once said:

“Everyone is a fool for at least five minutes every day.  Wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit.”  (Reader’s digest Quotable quotes p25)  (https://en.wikipedia.org>wiki>Elbert_Hubbard)  

  The Old Testament Book of Proverbs is itself a collection of teachings and insights relating to practical and everyday concerns.  In this Book we read such verses as “Stupid people have no respect for wisdom and refuse to learn”  (Proverbs 1:7b)  , “”Listen to what is wise and try to understand”  (Proverbs 2:2)  , and “If you listen to advice and are willing to learn, one day you will be wise”  (Proverbs 19:20)  . 

  Yet, for all of the value that is placed on wisdom, we come upon these words from Paul in his first letter to the Church at Corinth, where he says in chapter 2 verse 5, “Your faith, then, does not rest on Human wisdom but on God’s power.”

Screen 4

‘Your faith, then, does not rest on Human wisdom but on God’s power’  (1 Corinthians 2: 5) 

  So, what is he saying?   Is Paul saying that there is no place for reasoning in our faith?  Yet how can he say something like this when, in his various letters to the different Churches, he reasons with them and presents arguments to substantiate the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Surely we are more than robots.  We are created in God’s image, capable of reasoned discussion and exploration, of deducing and understanding truths.  Surely we are expected to use this capability when we talk about our faith?  Elsewhere, doesn’t Paul tell the Church that they must be willing to argue for their faith, to substantiate to unbelievers what and why they believe?  (Colossians 4: 6, 1 Peter 3: 15b) 

  What Paul is doing is asking us, firstly, to look at the nature of the God in whom we place our faith, and, secondly, to identify how Human wisdom can distort our faith.

  So then, what is the nature of the God in whom we place our faith?  Let us look at our reading from Isaiah 58. 

  The chapter commences with the people complaining, saying, “Look we have been fasting and worshipping but “the LORD never notices”.  (Isaiah 58: 3a)  God responds by saying, “I am not happy with your worship, so here’s what you need to do”.  Does God then go into detail about ritual and process, does he go into detail about the type of songs to sing or whether it is better to use a keyboard or to have a band, does God go into detail about whether women should wear hats and the men should be wearing ties and coats?  Not at all!  God talks about removing oppression and injustice, about feeding the hungry, providing shelter to the homeless, and giving clothes to those who need them.  (Isaiah 58: 6 to 8) 

Screen 5

“feeding the hungry, giving clothes to those who need them”  (Isaiah 58: 6 to 8) 

(https://media.istockphoto.com/id/1347280753/vector/feeding-homeless-people-concept.jpg)

  But, what has this to do with faith, what has this to do with worship.  What God talks about seems to relate to social action and to welfare programs.  Does this mean, then, that it has everything to do with putting faith into action, not about faith itself?  Does it have everything to do with what you may do on a Saturday, not with what you do on the Sunday?

  Let’s look closer at those things that God lists.  When you have a focus on removing oppression and injustice, when you are providing food and shelter and clothes to the needy, it is an outward expression of a deep concern and love for someone else, as distinct from an inward fixation on yourself.  It is also an expression of a desire for renewal, for wholeness and healing, and for a restoration to right living.  What better way could you describe God’s relationship with us, and therefore of our response to God?

  In Genesis chapter 3 verse 8 we read “That evening Adam and Eve heard the Lord God walking in the garden, and they hid from him among the trees.”  Commentaries explain that the words used in this passage imply that God was in the habit of walking in the Garden of Eden on a daily basis.  His visit to the Garden of Eden was not an extraordinary event as future visits by God to people are explained elsewhere in the Bible.  God walked daily in the Garden to visit his special creation, Adam and Eve.  God walked daily with Adam and Eve to talk with them, to relate to them, to teach them, to enrich their lives, just to be with them because they were special to Him.  Isn’t that the relationship that we yearn to have with God?  Isn’t that the closeness that is promised to us in our faith and in our worship?  And isn’t that the closeness that is promised to us at the end of our days?  OK, so what was the response of Adam and Eve to God’s visit?  “They hid from Him among the trees.”. 

Screen 6

“They hid from Him among the trees.”  (Genesis 3: 8) 

(https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/03/15/21/42/adam-2147604__340.png)

  Why would they possibly want to hide from God?  Why did they not want to greet God as they had done until the day before?  It was because they had sinned by eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  They had disobeyed God, and in doing so their relationship with God had been damaged.

  How let down do you think God had felt at that time?  How disappointed do you think God felt after all of His efforts and all of the ways that He had expressed His love?  Adam and Eve had the privilege of daily walking with God, but instead gave it up for a piece of fruit.

  If you break a cup or a plate, what do you do with it?  You throw it out, because it’s of no further use, a broken piece of china has no further value.  Did God treat Adam and Eve like we treat a broken cup?  No!  What did God do?  He provided a means to restore a relationship with them, because they were of value to God.  God loved them.  It wasn’t the same as in the Garden, because sin had now entered into things and changed aspects of God’s Creation.  But, never-the-less, no reason now remained why Adam and Eve should feel that they should continue to hide from God.  It was God who initiated the restoration, not Adam and Eve.  It was God who sought to re-establish a relationship, not Adam and Eve.  They were the ones who had initially sought to hide from God.  It was through God’s power that the restoration took place.  And we see the culmination of this work of God for us in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  

Screen 7

Our relationship with God was restored through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ

(https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2020/01/20/05/32/jesus-4779543__340.jpg)

  Let us now look at Human wisdom.  One of the biggest lessons that we seek to impart onto our children is to take responsibility for our actions.  If you drop something, it is your responsibility to clean up the mess.  If you break something, it is your responsibility to repair it or to replace it.  If your actions hurt your relationship with someone, it is your responsibility to make efforts to heal that relationship.  It’s a fundamental part of social living.  And, quite rightly, we have grounds to pass judgement upon those who don’t exercise these responsibilities, because we see the end results when hurt and brokenness are not healed and when rifts in relationships are not restored. 

  Isn’t it then just a logical step to infer that if it is my responsibility to restore relationships with other people, it is also my responsibility to do all that I can to restore my relationship with God.  If someone who has high social or religious standing in your family or group or tribe or culture, professes an insight into how to get close to God, or at least to lessen God’s anger towards you, wouldn’t you feel compelled to listen to them and to implement what they say.

  We see it in practice so much today and in the past.  Some say that you must obey a strict set of rules and laws because to do so pleases God.  Others claim that specific rites and sacrifices must be followed to appease God’s anger.  Others claim that you must belong to a specific group, or speak a specific language, or wear specific clothes, or not to eat specific food, either of which would indicate your willingness to do something to heal that rift with your god. 

  Can you see then the danger about which Paul is warning the Corinthians?  Paul first wrote to this Church in response to news that had reached him regarding divisions among the believers, as we read in Chapter one verse 10, divisions based on different understandings, divisions formed when people seek to add to the Gospel that Paul had presented to them, divisions formed when Human wisdom seeks to explain God’s actions, when people attempted to add things to the Gospel message. 

Screen 8

So close, yet still so far from obtaining the reward.

  My birthday occurs within a few days of my friend, David.  We exchange casket tickets as birthday gifts, to add a bit of ‘excitement’ to the day.  I received this one this year, where you scratch and reveal a letter in the letter panel at the top, and then scratch out that letter in the list of words below, with the aim of scratching out all of the letters in a word so as to win a prize.  As you can see, I was one letter out from scratching all the letters of the word “departure” and winning $100,000.00.  I was so close, yet I was as far from winning the reward as I would have been if I didn’t scratch out any of the letters of the word.  Being so close did not get me nearer to obtaining the reward.

  It is the same with our efforts to earn or to obtain that closeness to God for which we seek.  No matter what we do or how earnest may be our actions, we could never get there by our own efforts.  Paul is telling the Church in Corinth to refocus on the initial basis of their faith, that it had nothing to do with what they themselves could do to earn favour or merit with God, but that it has everything to do with God at work in their lives, that it was the power of God at work in their spirits bringing them a renewed relationship with God.  Paul reminds them in chapter one that such a Gospel was “offensive to the Jews and nonsense to the Greeks”, wisdom from God hidden from Humankind.

  Paul reminds the Corinthians in verse 30 of chapter one, “But God has brought you into union with Christ Jesus, and God has made Christ to be our wisdom.  By Him we are put right with God; we become God’s holy people and are set free”.  For we see in God’s actions the outward expression of the great love that He has for His Creation, for us.  For we see in God’s actions the deep desire that He has for healing and wholeness and for restoration and renewal in our relationship with Him.  And we see in God’s actions the only way for this healing to have taken place, not through something that we could ever accomplish, but only through the great cost of the crucifixion of His Son Jesus Christ.

  Museums are full of archaeological treasure that had been buried for millennia; forgotten, its value wasted.  We are a living treasure, for what God has done in our lives is beyond human measure, it is beyond Human value.

  It was by God’s power that we have been reconciled to Him and put right with him, as Paul explained to the Church in Corinth.  (1 Corinthians 1: 30)  And, as the writer of Psalm 112 explains, by living our lives in obedience and submission to God’s will and purpose, we reflect the very nature of God, His mercy, His graciousness and His righteousness.  (Psalm 112: 4)  That is why Jesus pleads with his listeners to be “like light for the whole world”, for “the light (of your Earthly actions) must shine before people, so that they will see the good things that you do and praise your Father in Heaven.”  (Matthew 5: 14a & 16) 

Screen 9

a light for the World

(https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2019/11/03/06/52/easter-fire-4597944__340.jpg)

  What good would it do if we hide ourselves away like buried treasure?  What good would it do if our light is hidden under a bowl”,  (Matthew 5: 15a)  , forgotten, its value wasted?

  I will leave you with this poem by David Sper  (from Our Daily Bread 30 January 2007) 

“Jesus came to bring us life,

Abundant living, full and free,

Trusting him to save and keep us

Gives us joy the World can see.”

  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 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

Loving God, knowing your love for all of Humanity, especially your compassion for the needy, we come to you with our cares and our concerns.

We bring to you our prayers for the World around us and for people individually.

Gracious Lord, we see and hear about much suffering in the World. 

We pray for help and for hope for those affected by disasters.  We pray for healing and wholeness for the sick and the ill.  We pray for peace for those troubled in mind and spirit.  We pray for those who feel forgotten and lonely, for those who are bereft of someone to show compassion, may they experience your comfort in their lives and may they be given the confidence to move forward in life.

Gracious Lord, we pray for your Church. 

We pray that it may readily discern those who seek to mislead people away from the truth of your Holy Word, may it be a leader in the struggle to overcome misunderstanding and discrimination and oppression, may it be a guiding voice for leaders of Government, Business and Communities, may it be a teacher of that which is good and pure.

Gracious Lord, we pray for those who tend to our own illnesses and pains, for those who minister to us and supply us with all of our daily needs, for those who sit beside us as friends and companions, for those who love us as we are. 

We give you thanks for them, praying that you will tend to their pains, that you will minister to their needs, that you will be their friend and companion, that they will be assured that you continue to love them.

Gracious Lord, we pray for ourselves. 

May we seek to live in harmony and co-operation with those around us.  May we seek more to understand than to be understood.  May we seek to know how to give rather than how to receive. 

We pray for the Church, that we may be a light to our World and that our words and deeds may be instruments of healing and transformation for our society.

We pray for courage, that we may be salt and awaken our Society from complacency as we bring the insights and challenges of the Gospel into our neighbourhoods, workplaces, and public discourse.

We pray for the grace to be salt and light, that our faith will guide our participation in the issues of Society and in our political discourse so that the Gospel values may open new possibilities for the common good.

We pray for freedom of spirit, that you will remove from our hearts any sense of entitlement and help us to recognize all that we have and are able to do as gifts from you.

We pray for conversion of heart, that you will help us recognize the social impact of sin and guide our efforts to heal our Society of racism, consumerism and violence.

We pray for all who reach out to the poor and those in need, that they may see the face of Christ in those whom they serve and never grow weary in offering love and compassion.

We pray for leaders of business, that they may bring forth the gifts and talents in those around them and help all to use their gifts to advance our Society.

We pray for those who speak prophetic words, that their cry may be like salt, raising our awareness and stirring our desire for peace, justice and solidarity.

We pray for a healing of the wounds of selfishness and violence, that you will bring wholeness to our hearts and spirits as we attend to the pain and suffering of others.

We pray for Ministers, leaders, and volunteers who face burnout, that you will heal their exhaustion, restore their spirits, and help them to encourage others to use their gifts.

We pray for inspiration, that you will give insight to all who are working to control the spread of the coronavirus and guide them in their search for remedies and vaccines.

We pray for greater care for our common home, that we may grow in our respect for the Earth as your gift to us and work to preserve it for future generations.

We pray for World leaders, that they will continue to search for ways to heal ancient wounds and find ways of promoting peace and justice for all.

We pray for all levels of our Governments, that you will give them wisdom to guide their deliberations and help them to effectively address the important issues before them.

(Copyright © 2019. Joe Milner. All rights reserved.  Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.  https://liturgy.slu.edu/5OrdA020523/ideas_other.html)

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

You are invited to join in singing the Hymn  ‘We sing the praise of him who died’  (MHB196  AHB262  TiS347)

{This YouTube clip is for another hymn, but is used here for the tune.  The words are printed below:}

Verse 1 of 5

We sing the praise of him who died,

Of him who died upon the cross;

The sinner’s hope that all deride,

For this we count the World but loss.

Verse 2 of 5

Inscribed upon the cross we see

In shining letters: ‘God is love’,

He bears our sins upon the tree

He brings us mercy from above.

Verse 3 of 5

The cross – it takes our guilt away,

It holds the fainting spirit up.

It cheers with hope the gloomy day,

And sweetens every bitter cup.

Verse 4 of 5

It makes the coward spirit brave

And nerves the feeble arm for fight,

It takes all terror from the grave

And gilds the bed of death with light.

Verse 5 of 5

The balm of life, the cure of woe,

The measure and the pledge of love,

The sinner’s refuge here below,

The angels’ theme in Heaven above.

Thomas Kelly

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.

You are invited to join in singing this hymn along to this YouTube clip:

‘I hear thy welcome voice’  Alexander’s Hymns Number 3 number 133

Lewis Hartsough

Benediction    

Go from this place of worship, strengthened by the Spirit, so that at all times, in all things, wherever you are, you are enabled to do God’s work in the power of the living Christ.

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

You are invited to sing the Benediction Song

‘By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered’  TiS617

[This hymn is sung to the tune Finlandia [This YouTube clip is used here for the tune:]

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  (adapted)