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 For the Jewish people in Old Testament Israel, their civil New Year commenced on the first day of their seventh month, Tisri.  That day was a special day of rest, on which they were not to do any of their normal work.  At an appointed time during the day, the Levites, those who worked in the Temple, would blow their trumpets.  This was the signal that all the people were to gather at the Temple for worship and to make a food offering to God. 

It was a time for the people to focus solely upon how God had demonstrated His love and grace towards them in the past year, to be reminded of God’s promise to always be their God and for them to always be His people, and for them to recommit themselves to the worship and service of God in the coming year.

Today, people still gather together at the time of the New Year.  But it is a time when people do not focus upon God at all, let alone, recommit themselves to a God whom they neither worship nor serve.  The only thing people do religiously today, is to gather together to party, to overindulge in food and drink and revelry, and to offer themselves to the worship and service of the gods of pleasure and hedonistic pursuits.

On this day, when we look back upon the year that has been and look forward to the year that is coming, let us gather together to offer our worship of God, to thank God who bountifully provided for us in the past, who promises to continue to provide for us into the future, and to offer our praise of God whose love is the source of our joy, hope and peace.

Prayer of Praise

(from Uniting in Worship 1 p67 to 69)   

We are the body of Christ.  Come, let us worship God, who has called us to be a holy People, and has established an everlasting Covenant with His Creation through Jesus Christ our Lord.

We come in spirit and in truth.

Let us offer our adoration to the God of love; who has created us, who continually preserves and sustains us, who has loved us with an everlasting love, and has given us the light of the knowledge of His glory in the face of Jesus Christ.

We praise you, O God, we acclaim your majesty as Creator of Heaven and Earth.

Let us mediate on the grace of Jesus, for though he was rich, yet for our sake he became poor, for though he was tempted in every way as we are, yet he did not sin.  He went about doing good and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

We praise you, Jesus, we acclaim you as Lord of all.

Let us meditate on the gift of Jesus, for he became obedient to death, death on the cross; he was dead and is now alive for evermore.  He opened the Kingdom of Heaven to all who believe; and is seated at God’s right hand in glory.

We praise you, Jesus, we acclaim you as Saviour of all.

Let us rejoice in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, the giver of life, whose witness confirms us, whose wisdom teaches us, whose power enables us.  By the Spirit we are born into the Family of God, and have a share in the fellowship we have with God and with each other.

We praise you, Holy Spirit, we acclaim your power and influence in each of us.

We praise you God, Father, Son, and Spirit, for in and through you is our whole life and being.

In all we are, in all we do, in all we say, may we offer to you our thanks and adoration.  To your glory we pray.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the hymn “Sing to the Great Jehovah’s praise” 

(MHB959  AHB484)

(This YouTube clip is for another hymn, but is used here for the tune. The words are printed below).

Verse 1 of 5

Sing to the great Jehovah’s praise,

all praise to Him belongs,

who kindly lengthens out our days

demands our choicest songs.

Verse 2 of 5

His providence has brought us through

another various year,

we all with vows and anthems new

before our God appear

Verse 3 of 5

Father, your mercies past we own,

your still continued care,

to you presenting, through your Son

whate’er we have or are.

Verse 4 of 5

Our lips and lives shall gladly show

the wonders of your love;

while on in Jesu’s steps we go

to see your face above.

Verse 5 of 5

Our residue of days or hours

yours, wholly yours shall be,

and all our consecrated powers

a sacrifice to you.

Charles Wesley

Prayer of Confession    

We humbly confess our sins, merciful God.  You have set forth the way of life for us in Jesus, but we confess with shame our slowness to learn from him, our failure to follow him, and our reluctance to take up our cross.

Have mercy on us, O God, and forgive us.

We confess the poverty of our worship, our neglect of the Christian Community, our hesitating witness for Christ, our evasion of responsibilities in your service, our imperfect stewardship of your gifts.

Have mercy on us, O God, and forgive us.

We confess that so little of your love has reached others through us, that we have cherished things which divide us from others, that we have made it hard for others to live with us, that we have been thoughtless in our judgements, hasty in our condemnation, and grudging in our forgiveness.

Have mercy on us, O God, and forgive us.

We bring these prayers before you, trusting in your goodness and faithfulness to listen to us and to forgive us.

Cleanse us of that which hinders our fellowship with you and our fellowship with others.  Renew us so that we give honour to you in our thoughts, our speech and our actions.  To your glory we pray.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(Philippians 2: 8 & Galatians 4: 5) 

The Apostle Paul reminds us that Jesus humbled himself and walked the path of obedience all the way to death, his death on the cross, to redeem us so that we could all become children of God.

Having confessed our sins before God and placed our trust in the love and grace of God, we have the assurance that God, in His mercy, has forgiven us and has cleansed us of all unrighteousness, and that He has accepted each of us as His own.

Thanks be to God.

Prayer of illumination 

Almighty, gracious Father, for as much as our whole salvation depends upon our true understanding of your holy Word, grant to all of us that our hearts, being freed from worldly affairs, may hear and comprehend your holy Word with all diligence and faith, that we may rightly understand your gracious will, cherish it, and live by it with all earnestness, to your praise and honour, through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

(Prayer of Martin Bucer: 1538)

Bible Readings

Amos 2:

4  The LORD says,

“The People of Judah have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them.  They have despised my teachings and have not kept my commands.  They have been led astray by the same false gods that their ancestors served.  5  So I will send fire upon Judah and burn down the fortress of Jerusalem.”

  6  The LORD says,

“The People of Israel have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them.  They sell into slavery honest men who cannot pay their debts, poor men who cannot repay even the price of a pair of sandals.  7  They trample down the weak and helpless and push the poor out of the way.”

Romans 8:

31  In view of all this, what can we say?  If God is for us, who can be against us?  38  For I am certain that nothing can separate us from His love: neither death nor life, neither angels nor other Heavenly rulers or powers, neither the present nor the future,  39  neither the world above nor the world below – there is nothing in all Creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Galatians 5 and Ephesians 5:

19  What Human nature does is quite plain.  It shows itself in immoral and indecent actions;  20  in worship of idols and witchcraft.  People become enemies and they fight; they become jealous, angry and ambitious.  They separate into parties and groups;  21  they are envious and get drunk, which will only ruin you.  I warn you, those who do these things will not possess the Kingdom of God.

10  Try to learn what pleases the Lord.  15  Be careful how you live.  Don’t live like ignorant people, but like wise people.  16  Make good use of every opportunity you have, because these are evil days.  17  Don’t be fools, then, but ty to find out what the Lord wants you to do.  19  Speak to one another with the words of Psalms, hymns, and sacred songs; sing hymns and Psalms to the Lord with praise in your hearts.  20  In the name of our Lortd Jesus Christ, always give thanks for everything to God the Father.

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Luke 21:

25  Jesus said to them,

“There will be strange things happening to the Sun, the Moon, and the stars.  On Earth, whole countries will be in despair, afraid of the roar of the Sea and the raging tides.  26  People will faint from fear as they wait for  what is coming over the whole Earth, for the powers in Space will be driven from their courses.  27  Then the Son of Man will appear, coming in a cloud with great power and glory.  28  When  these things begin to happen, stand up and raise your hands, because your salvation is near.”

29  Then Jesus told them this parable,

“Think of the fig tree and all the other trees.  30  When you see their leaves beginning to appear, you know that summer is near.  31  In the same way, when you see these things happening, you will know that the Kingdom of God is about to come.

34  Be careful not to let yourselves become occupied with too much feasting and drinking and with the worries of this life, or that Day may suddenly catch you  35  like a trap.  For it will come upon all people everywhere on Earth.  36  Be on watch and pray always that you will have the strength to go safely through those things that will happen and to stand before the Son of Man.”

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the hymn “Great God we sing that mighty hand” 

(AHB52  TiS124)

Verse 1 of 4

Great God, we sing that mighty hand

by which supported still we stand;

the opening year your mercy shows,

and mercy crowns it at its close.

Verse 2 of 4

By day, by night, at home, abroad,

still are we guarded by our God,

by His incessant bounty fed,

by his unerring counsel led.

Verse 3 of 4

With grateful hearts the past we own,

the future, all to us unknown,

we to your guardian care commit,

and peaceful leave before your feet.

Verse 4 of 4

In scenes exalted or depressed

you are our joy, and you our rest,

your goodness all our hopes shall raise,

adored through all our changing days.

Philip Doddridge

Sermon

  The civil New Year of 1^st January is not a religious holiday in either the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar or in the Orthodox Christian liturgical Calendar.  The Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar makes no provision for the observance of a New Year on 1^st January 1,but it is a religious holiday because it is the feast of the circumcision of Christ (seven days after His birth according to Luke 2: 21 and Leviticus 12: 3).

  In 45 BC, when Julius Caesar‘s new Julian calendar took effect (throughout the Roman Empire), the Senate fixed 1^st January as the first day of the year.  At that time, this was the date on which those who were to hold civil office assumed their official position, and it was also the traditional annual date for the convening of the Roman Senate.  This civil new year remained in effect throughout the Roman Empire, east and west, during its lifetime and well after, wherever the Julian Calendar continued in use.

  The final change, (from our perspective), came when the British Parliament passed the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750.  This Act had two major elements: it converted all parts of the British Empire to the use of the Gregorian calendar (to replace the Julian Calendar), and, simultaneously, it declared the civil New Year in England, Wales, Ireland and the Colonies to be 1^st January (as was already the case in Scotland).  This change went into effect on 3^rd September (Old Style) which became 14^th September (New Style) 1752.  11 days were removed from the old calendar at this point in time to reflect the discrepancy between the Julian and Gregorian calendars.

  Previously, from 1155 until 1752, the civil New Year in Great Britain was celebrated on 25^th March, the date of the Feast of the Annunciation, which was the common practice in European Nations from the Middle Ages onwards.  (  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year) 

  Believe it or not.

  Our Seasons, on the other hand, are determined by what is labelled as “the meteorological definition”, as overseen nationally by the Commonwealth Bureau of Meteorology, and internationally by the World Meteorological Organisation. 

  According to the “meteorological definition”, the seasons begin on the first day of the monthsthat include the equinoxes and the solstices.  The meteorological seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are, of course, oppositeto those in the Northern Hemisphere:

  Summer starts December 1 and ends February 28 (February 29 in a Leap Year).  In 2025 the December or Summer solstice takes occurs on 22^nd December 2025, with the maximum hours of daylight and minimum hours of night (longest day of the year)

  Autumn starts March 1 and ends May 31.  In 2025 the March or Autumn equinox occurs on 20^th March 2025, when the hours of daylight equal the hours of night.

  Winter starts June 1 and ends August 31.  In 2025 the June or Winter solstice occurs 21^st June 2025, with the minimum hours of daylight and maximum hours of night (shortest day of the year).

  Spring starts September 1 and ends November 30.  In 2025 the September or Spring equinox occurs on 23^rd September 2025, when the hours of daylight equal the hours of night.

(https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/aboutseasons.html)

  But these are the Seasons based on the European model.  Indigenous peoples of Australia have developed numerous other systems for determining the Seasons.

  There are seven seasons for the Gulumoerrgin peoples, living in the Darwin region of the Northern Territory:

Balnba (rainy season) – November and December

Dalay (monsoon season) – January and February

Mayilema (spear grass, Magpie Goose egg and knock ‘em down season) – March and April

Damibila (Barramundi and bush fruit time) – May

Dinidjanggama (heavy dew time) – June and July

Gurrulwa (big wind time) – August and September

Dalirrgang (build-up) – October

(https://www.yarn.com.au/blogs/yarn-in-the-community/indigenous-seasonal-calendars)

(https://www.csiro.au/en/research/indigenous-science/indigenous-knowledge/calendars/gulumoerrgin)

  There are six Noongar seasons in Western Australia’s South West region, which are indicated by changes in local plants and animals.

Birak – December to January

Bunuru – February to March

Djeran – April to May

Makuru – June to July

Djilba – August to September

Kambarang – October to November

(https://www.ecu.edu.au/centres/kurongkurl-katitjin/cultural-leadership/nyoongar-six-seasons)

  According to the Kulin People (of southern and central Victoria) , there are seven seasons (Wurundjeri seasons) , each reflecting the movements of the stars and a change in the weather, which align with the life cycle of plants and animals.  

Biderap  Dry Season – January and February

Luk Eel Season – March

Waring Wombat Season – April to July)

Guling Orchid Season – August

Poorneet Tadpole Season – September and October

Buarth Gurru Grass Flowering Season – November

Garrawang  Kangaroo-Apple Season – December

(https://gowrievictoria.org.au/changing-of-the-wurundjeri-seasons/)

  These systems differ from the Meteorological system, in that they more closely reflect changes in the weather and how they align with the life cycle of plants and animals.  Such is also the case for the Seasons as determined by the Hebrews, the People of Israel.

The Hebrew calendar based on the agricultural and religious year

  (Handbook of Bible Times by John Thompson p133) 

  The Hebrew calendar, is based on their agricultural seasons: that is, such things as the dry season, the cold season, the rainy seasons, their periods for the harvesting of different crops.

  The Hebrew Calendar has two dates for a New Year’s Day.

  1^st Nisan is the commencement of the Ecclesiastical Year, the commencement of their religious festivals and celebrations. 

  1^st Tishri is the commencement of the Civil Year.

  Both dates are, never-the-less, associated with climatic or agricultural events.  For example, Tishri is the month of the early rains, after the time for the harvesting of summer figs and dates.  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_calendar) 

  John Thompson’s diagram presents the calendar as cyclical, in that the end of one year leads to another yearly cycle that is a repeat of the past year.  Each part of the cycle is recognised by signs and changes which are set in Nature and are repeated year after year.

  This was highlighted in several verses from the Old Testament.  In Genesis 1 we read of the stars being signs both for religious festivals and for seasons and years.  (Genesis 1: 14) 

  This is repeated in a reading from Job where God questions Job, saying:    

  “Can you guide the stars season by season?”  (Job 38: 32) 

  Elsewhere, God asks of Job:

“Who tells the ibis when the Nile will flood, or who tells the rooster that rain will fall?”  (Job 38: 36)  Here, God is reminding Job of signs in nature that indicate that a season has come.

  Jesus, in the parable about trees that he shared with his Disciples, reminded them:

“When you see their leaves beginning to appear, you know that Summer is near.”  (Luke 21: 30) 

  In the Hebrew culture, people’s concerns all related to coping with and working with the seasons and the changes that each season brought.  As long as they planted or harvested or reared their flocks and herds as was determined by the seasons, they would be assured of having sufficient food and material goods to meet their needs for the yearly cycle.

  They depended upon God to ensure that the Seasons came and went, that the rains came at the right time each Season so that the grass grew and their crops grew.  They depended upon God for the rain because they could not ask the rain to fall, as God clearly indicated to Job. 

  What God required of the people, so as to maintain this balance of the Seasons, and so as to guarantee abundant crops and flocks and herds, was their faithful worship and service.  God sought this from His people as their response to God’s faithfulness in keeping His promises to care for and to nourish them.  (Deuteronomy 28: 1 to 6) 

  The Prophet Amos wrote of a time when the focus of the people of God had drifted away from God.  He condemned the people of God for their way of life and for the way they mistreated others.  The people of God had decided that they would not be dependent upon God for providing what they needed, but rather would rely upon what they could do themselves to ensure their future prosperity.  Progress changed from being one of being able to meet their yearly needs, to one of increased profit over time.  Their year changed from cyclical to linear, from what they could achieve year after year to what they could achieve year upon year.  And with the change of focus from being upon God and His provision for their needs, so too was there a change in their response to God, for they neglected their need to obey God and to worship God.

  Amos records the message that God had for the people of God:

“The Lord says, ‘The people of Judah have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them.  (Amos 2: 4) 

“The Lord says, ‘The people of Israel have sinned again and again, and for this I will certainly punish them.  (Amos 2: 6) 

  God condemned their decadent lifestyle, their love of fine houses  (Amos 5: 11)  , their love of luxurious furnishings  (Amos 3: 12 & 6: 4)  , their love of fine food  (Amos 6: 4)  , and their love of drinking wine and liquor  (Amos 4: 1 & 5: 11)  .

  God condemned their mistreatment of the weak and their oppressing the poor  (Amos 4: 1) , their taking bribes and preventing the poor from getting justice in the Courts  (Amos 5: 12)  , their overcharging for goods, their use of incorrectly adjusted scales to cheat customers, and their enslaving of poor people who could not pay off their debts  (Amos 8: 5 & 6)  .  Amos is telling the people of Judah and Israel that they have brought God’s judgement upon themselves for their “contempt of God’s law and for their religious complacency”.  (Gerhard von Rad in The Message of the Prophets p106) 

  The World is no different today.  God equally condemns the people of today for exactly the same things; for their contempt of God’s laws as guidance for just and equitable relationships and for ethical business practices, and for their complacency regarding God’s call to worship and fellowship with Him.

  The New Year period is an ideal example of that about which Jesus warns his Disciples, of “becoming occupied with too much feasting and drinking”.  (Luke 21: 34) 

  The Apostle Paul also gives a warning to the Churches in Asia Minor, modern day Türkiye, not to live according to their Human nature”, where he writes:

“What Human nature does is quite plain.  It shows itself in immoral and indecent actions; in worship of idols and witchcraft.  People become enemies and they fight; they become jealous, angry and ambitious.  They separate into parties and groups; they are envious and get drunk, which will only ruin you.  I warn you, those who do these things will not possess the Kingdom of God.”  (Galatians 5: 19 – 21) 

  (See also Mark 7: 20 – 23, Romans 1: 29 – 31, 13: 13, 1 Corinthians 6: 9 & 10, Galatians 5: 3 – 5) 

  Such behaviour has become the lifestyle prevalent among many people today and preferred by many people today, to the extent that feasting and drinking and following the desires of their Human nature has become their god.  They have become the foolish and ignorant people to which Paul refers, neglecting the true and worthwhile worship of their Creator God.

  Paul writes,

“Try to learn what pleases the Lord.  Be careful how you live.  Don’t be fools, don’t live like ignorant people, but like wise people.”  (Ephesians 5: 10 & 15) 

  By this, Paul is saying that, though the Light of God is given to people, that “does not free them from the responsibility of making the right thoughts and choices.  The desires and choices of those who walk in the Light of God are governed by their prior determination to please not themselves, but their Lord and Saviour.”  (Francis Foulkes in Ephesians  An Introduction and Commentary p146) 

  We live in a Time in tension.  The regular and cyclic “signs of the seasons” are as visible and are as predicable, as they were in the time of Job.  Our lives are guided by the annual coming of the seasons and by the changes brought about by the coming of the seasons.  One focus in our lives is the celebrating of those annual events in our personal lives that are meaningful to us, to our family, and to our wider community.  Another is on celebrating those annual ‘festivals’ in our liturgical year that are meaningful to our Church ‘family’.  And there is no harm involved in these celebrations so long as they are undertaken with temperance and with reverence for God.  And make no mistake, New Year is both a significant personal event and an important liturgical festival for the Church.

  Upon reflecting on the signs of the seasons, Job was led to understand that “God is not aloof in some far-distant Heaven, but is present and active in His Creation.”  Job was led to respond with “a sense of awe at God’s unlimited creative power”.  (Job 42: 1 – 6)  (Donald Hilton in International Bible Reading Association Notes on Bible Reading for April 13 1989 p76) 

  Upon reflecting on the words of Jesus and of Paul, we are led to an assurance that “no matter what happens, there is one relationship which will remain steadfast, Christ’s relationship with us.”, and that this assurance “should remove our fear about the future and encourage our trust in God, remembering that nothing can separate us from His all-encompassing and all-inclusive love”.  (Romans 8: 38) 

  “Every day, (as our response to this assurance of the mercy and provision of God), we are called to live the kind of life which bears witness to the things we believe about God, the love of the God we know, and the truths we have learned from God.”  (Iain Roy in International Bible Reading Association Notes on Bible Reading for March 12, 13 & 14 1989 p55 & 56) 

  May this be our New Year’s resolution which we make this year and which we will endeavour to keep throughout 2025.  Amen.

Dedication of the New Year

(from Uniting in Worship 1 p66 and 72 to 74)    

At this time of the New Year, let us recommit ourselves to God, renewing our promise to love and to serve God.  In so doing we are submitting our will to the will of God, and restating our hope and trust in the grace and benevolence of God.

In the Old Covenant, God chose Israel as His People, and gave them the gift of the Law.  In the New Covenant, He made the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, who fulfills the Law for us.

We stand within the New Covenant and we bear the name of Christ.

God promises us new life in Him.  We receive this promise and pledge to live not for ourselves but for God. 

Today we meet to renew that which binds us to God.  Beloved in Christ, let us again claim this Covenant for ourselves and take the yoke of Christ upon us.

To take this yoke upon us means that we are content that God appoints us our place and work, and that He Himself will be our reward.

Christ has many services to be done: some are easy, others are difficult, some are undertaken in public, others are undertaken and known only to God.  Yet the power to do all things is given to us in Christ, who strengthens us.  In our baptism we are brought into union with Christ who fulfills God’s gracious Covenant.  In the Communion elements, we receive the fruit of obedience.  So, with joy, we take upon ourselves the yoke of obedience and commit ourselves to seek and to do God’s perfect will.  I am no longer my own, but God’s.

I am no longer my own, but yours, O God.  Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for you or laid aside for you; let me be full, let me be empty; let me have all things, let me have nothing; I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal.

And now, glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you are mine and I am yours, to the glory and praise of your name.  Amen.

Offering

Offering Prayer   

“The Work of Christmas Begins”

When the carols have been stilled,

when the star-topped tree is taken down,

When family and friends are gone home,

When we are back to our schedules, the work of Christmas begins:

To welcome the refugee, to heal a broken planet,

To feed the hungry, to build bridges of trust,

To share our gifts, to seek justice and peace for all people,

To bring Christ’s light to the World.

  Almighty God, accept the gifts that we bring to you now, gifts to be used for the refugee, to heal a broken planet, to feed the hungry, to bring Christ’s light to the World.  Bless them and guide their use so as to fulfill your will and purpose in the World.  Amen.

Prayers for Others

Almighty God, we come to you in this brand new year with a desire to move forward, not backward.  Last year is gone and with it all the foolish mistakes we made. 

We are eager to put the past behind and to press on toward the mark of knowing you, loving you, serving you, and making Your name known in this coming year.

At the start of each day, help us to recognize you above all else.  Enlighten the eyes of our heart that we might see you, and notice how you’re at work through our lives. 

Give us the wisdom to make the best choices, fill us with a desire to seek after you more than anything else in this world.  Let your Spirit and power breathe in us, through us, again, fresh and new. 

Thank you that you are greater than anything we may face in our day.  Thank you that your presence goes with us and that our joy is never dependent on our circumstances, but your presence is our true and lasting strength, no matter what we’re up against. 

We ask that your peace lead us, that it would guard our hearts and minds in you.  We ask for your grace to cover our lives this day and every day.

May you help us to love a bit more deeply, see the beauty around us more clearly, listen more earnestly, speak more honestly. 

May we be troubled by injustice and be moved to act. 

May we be led by compassion and be moved to serve. 

May we walk softly upon this Earth and be gentle towards your Creation. 

May we be a courageous and bold witness for you. 

May we be a living example of your gracious love, not only in word but in deed. 

And may we daily give thanks for the others in our lives and in the World that do the same and more, every day, in innumerable ways. 

For the promise in this New Year, we give you thanks.  Help us to live it wisely and well.

Other Prayers

(Not used in the Church service)

Almighty God, we pray for the Church, that, through our words and deeds, we may be a Light to those who are searching for direction and a sign of hope for those seeking to begin again.

We pray for your blessing on the New Year, that you will fill the coming days with health of body, mind, and spirit; renew the gifts of the Spirit within us, and inspire us with new ways to share the Good News with others.

We pray for greater trust, that, like the Wise Men, your Light may guide us through the unknown of the coming days as we rely more deeply on your love and care for us.

We pray for guidance for a great utilization of our gifts and talents, that, like the magi, we may offer all our gifts to you and use them in the service of your reign.

We pray for a spirit of wonder, that our hearts may be filled with joy as we recognize your many gifts to us in our faith, our relationships, and our opportunities.

We pray for a renewal of prayer in our lives, that we may make time for you each day of this year and be attentive to your invitations and promptings in our hearts.

We pray for greater unity and cooperation within the Human family, that you will heal the wounds of racial bias, open hearts to the talents of every person, and help us work together

against violence, drug abuse, and poverty.

We pray for all recovering from natural disasters, that you will guide them through the challenges that they face, renew their spirits, and open the hearts of many to assist and encourage them.

We pray for those bound by fear, that you will free their spirits, help them to trust your providence, and open a vision of the future for them.

We pray for members of the levels of Government, that you will give them a clear understanding of the issues before them and wisdom to effectively address them for the common good.

We pray for all who are ill, that you will restore the sick, protect the Human family from the viruses, and give strength to all healthcare workers.

Copyright © 2021. Joe Milner. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use. – https://liturgy.slu.edu/EpiphanyC25/ideas_other.html

Almighty God, we pray for all Stateless people.

Give thanks for those who live with a sense of being valuable in your sight, even if they officially lack a nationality, and for those who reach out to stateless people, making them feel at home, and addressing the dilemmas they face.

We pray for an end to the discrimination and marginalization that lead to some people being stateless, for those who lack support and feel they are in limbo while being stateless, for churches and other organizations to reach out to provide stateless people with what they need to live, and for governments and international organizations to change policies and practices so that all people feel they belong somewhere.

Prayer on waiting

Lord Jesus, I am tired.
Tired of waiting to be able to live normally,
tired of being chased,
tired of hiding and living in constant fear of being caught,
tired of being discriminated against and looked down upon,
tired of being taken advantage of and, at times,
a victim of abuse.
Corrupt systems and injustices have thrown me into a box,
where all I can do is to wait.
I am tired of waiting, Lord.
So Father, come in my restlessness.
Come in my hopelessness and bitterness.
Help me to be hopeful, joyful, and faithful.
Holy Spirit, help me to be resourceful, creative, and to grow in this place
that you have placed me.
It’s hard to see what your plan is for me,
but help me to see beyond my circumstances.
Remind me daily that I’m walking towards eternity,
where I can be home at last.

(Graceila Griffith, Philippines, after a conversation in 2014 with Thomas, a student in a refugee camp in Thailand)

Hunger will die

We, a wandering people,
journey on, looking for refuge.
Our fellow peoples
do not understand our anguish.
Our children are foreigners,
always hungry for bread.

Hunger will die,
when we all, industrious as ants,
planting potatoes,
shall dance for joy.

Hunger will die,
when the red maize shall flourish
on mother earth,
when the custard apples
will make the soul of our children sweet,
when we shall all dream
in a vast expanse of green farmland,
when we all accept one another,
and, conversing together,
become an everlasting garden.

(The author is a member of the Christian Community of Displaced Persons, at the Peruvian Art Workshop, 1996. In: Stormy seas we brave © 1998 WCC, p. 107)

When lives are lost and families are split,
Lord, comfort those who mourn.
Where homes are crushed and dreams destroyed,
give shelter to the vulnerable.
When people flee and hope departs,
bring calm amid the fear.
Where panic rules and courage fails,
restore strength to all who carry on.
And when people cry out,
Lord, open our ears to hear,
our minds to comprehend
and our hearts to respond with all compassion.

(From a prayer service at the Ecumenical Centre chapel.)

(https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/prayer-cycle/stateless-people)

Almighty God, we pray for your protection over and wisdom upon Bible Society Vietnam’s translation team as they work on completing the translation of the Old Testament to join the newly completed New Testament for a Vietnamese ethnic minority.  We pray too for the recruitment of another translator to join the team.

We pray for peace and stability in the Middle East, and an end to conflict and violence.  We pray for wisdom and discernment for leaders as they navigate challenging political and social issues.  Please lift up the communities affected by unrest, that they may experience healing and reconciliation.  We pray for Bible Societies operating in war-torn regions to be strengthened as they carry out their mission to hand out Bibles and share your love with the hurting and broken.

(Bible%20Society%20November%202024%20Prayer%20Letter.pdf)

We pray for African Evangelistic Enterprise Rwanda as they celebrate the fruitful harvest of their Easter 2024 evangelism campaign, Jesus. All About Life.  We praise you God for the seeds of faith planted and discipleship training provided, and p Pray for continued unity among partner churches to nurture new believers.  We pray for your wisdom as they plan this year’s Easter campaign.

We pray for African Enterprise Malawi as they prepare for their “Jesus  All About Life” evangelism campaign running from January until June 2025.  We pray that more churches will respond positively and be involved in the campaign and for target groups to respond to the gospel wholeheartedly.  We pray for your blessing over this ministry.

We thank you God for ministers like Pastor Matthews who took part in the evangelism training by African Enterprise Malawi during the “Jesus  All About Life” campaign, expressing his gratefulness for this initiative.  He shares his concern for his community, some of whom have turned away from their faith and prayer life: “… our community is in a grievous state … this is the reason why churches are excited to be part of this training. It has allowed us to get tools that will help us to be effective ministers of the gospel.”

(bible society/January_2025_Prayer_Letter_-_Standard.pdf)

Almighty God, we pray that the live-streaming training in January will empower the teams from four different ethnic language groups to develop a closer connection to listeners as they engage through live programs.  We praise you God for new teams that have finished media training in two new languages (Adi and Khamti).  We pray for these new Adi and Khamti language teams as they create content to launch the broadcasts on shortwave radio, YouTube, and Facebook.

(https://febc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Praise-Prayer-January-March-2025-digital.pdf)

Lord God, we bring these prayers to you, trusting in your lovingkindness.  To your glory we pray.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the hymn ‘Another year is dawning’ –

(MHB954)

Frances Ridley Havergal

Sacrament of Communion    

The Peace

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

The Invitation

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

Prayer of Approach

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

Narrative of the Institution of the Lord’s Supper

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

  “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, broke it and said, ‘This is my body which is for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.’  In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new Covenant in my blood.  Do this, as often as you drink it, for the remembrance of me.  For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.’”  (1 Corinthians 11: 23 to 26) 

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

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil,

For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,

now and forever.  Amen.

Breaking of the Bread

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

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

The gifts of God for the People of God.

Lamb of God

Jesus, Lamb of God,

Have mercy on us.

Jesus, bearer of our sins,

Have mercy on us.

Jesus, redeemer of the World,

Grant us peace.

The Distribution

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

(after all have received the bread)

The body of Christ keep you in eternal life.

(after all have received the juice)

The blood of Christ keep you in eternal life.

Prayer after Communion:

Blessed be God who calls us together.

Praise to God who makes us one People.

Blessed be God who has forgiven our sins.

Praise to God who gives us hope and freedom.

Blessed be God whose Word is proclaimed.

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

Blessed be God who alone has called us.

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

Accept, O God, our sacrifice of praise.

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

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the hymn ‘Standing at the portal’

(MHB955)

Francis Ridley Havergal

Benediction    

May God be a smooth path ahead of you,

and a bright star to guide you

may His loving eyes be upon you

tonight, tomorrow and always.

May the God of love strengthen us

in our love for others.

May Christ Jesus be our living hope

and the Holy Spirit surprise us on the way.

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

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Benediction Song

“By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered” 

TiS617

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