Welcome: –

Call to Worship: –

(Psalm 91: 1, 2, 9 to 12, 14, and 15a) 

Whoever goes to the LORD for safety,

Whoever remains under the protection of the Almighty,

Can say to Him, “You are my defender and protector,

You are my God; in you I trust.”.

We have made the LORD our defender, the Most High our protector,

And, so, no disaster will strike us, no violence will come near our home.

God will put His angels in charge of you, to protect you wherever you go.  They will hold you up with their hands to keep you from hurting your feet on the stones.

God says, “I will save those who love me and will protect those who acknowledge me as LORD.

When they call to me, I will answer them;

When they are in trouble, I will be with them.

Comment on Psalm 91

The writer of this Psalm testifies to the strength that springs from placing their trust in God.  There is the promise and assurance of God’s salvation for the individual.  There is the promise and assurance of blessing and strength flowing from placing one’s trust in God.  There is the promise and assurance of God being a refuge and a source of protection in times of strife and trouble.

This Psalm reads as a hymn of praise that was sung as part of the worship that was offered in the Temple in Jerusalem.  We, too, offer the same worship of God, as we gather in this place as His people.  Let us be encouraged to place the same trust in God to accompany us as we walk through life, as we place our trust in God’s promises and assurances.

  (Artur Weiser in The Psalms p605 & 606) 

Prayer of Praise    

Gracious God, we come celebrating the awesomeness of Your love and the wonder of Your grace.  Even though we fail You time and time again, you never walk away and You never fail us.  Undeserving though we are, You show us mercy.  You do not turn away in the moments our faith is feeble in the moments when we doubt, or when we are hesitant disciples, reluctant to share Your word and witness with others for fear of what that might mean for us.

God of never-ending patience, even in the times we fail You, You understand our weaknesses and help us to put our faults behind us.  You dust us off when we have fallen from grace and help us to start again.  We offer so little, yet You give us so much, our love is so weak, yet You respond richly, Your grace defies expression too wonderful for us to fully comprehend, and though we fail You, You never fail us.  Lord, continue to grant us, unworthy as we are, Your grace.

God of all creation, You have given us so much and we are truly blessed.  We thank You for Your constant guidance throughout our lives, for Your wisdom in all things for the way Your word encourages, inspires, feeds us and sustains us in our daily spiritual lives.

You Lord, speak to us through Your church and the fellowship of others.
You Lord, speak to us in the seasons, the landscape and the weathers.
You speak to us in the stories of old and the word of the prophets.
You speak to us in the leadership and ministries of today.

For all the ways You have guided us, supported us and for all the ways You continue to lead in our lives, we give You our heartfelt thanks.

When we are foolish, You hear us and respond in love.  We acknowledge and give thanks for all that enables our spiritual growth.  You Lord are our rock and refuge in times of trouble, and for that we give thanks.  When the storms of life come, we are assured we can lean on and trust in You.  For this and a whole lot more, we are truly humbled and thankful.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen

20 February, 7th Sunday After Epiphany | The Church of Scotland

We sing Hymn ‘Father of all things’  Scripture in Song volume 2 275 / 70 

[This YouTube has music and singing but not the words – there is no introduction.]

Verse 1 of 3

Father, Father of all things we bless you,

Father, we love and adore you

O Father, your children praise you.

Father, Father of light and of power,

Father, your greatness surrounds the Earth,

And all of your children declare You are Lord!

Verse 2 of 3

Jesus, only son of the living God,

Jesus, you willingly suffered

That through you we might know His love.

Jesus, cleanse us you people and fill us,

Pour down your Spirit upon us

That we as your body may show forth our love.

Verse 3 of 3

Spirit, sent by the Son to dwell in us,

Living and working within us

To make us more like Jesus.

Spirit, fall down upon us as fire,

Fill and equip us with power

And draw from us love and praise to the Lord.

Lyn and Neil Riley

“Spirit of the living God” – Scripture in Song volume 2 number 303 / 98

[This YouTube has music and the words but no singing – there is a short introduction.]

Daniel Iverson

Prayer of Confession 

(Psalm 51: 3 to 12 and 1 and 2) 

I recognise my faults, O God, I am always conscious of my sins.

I have sinned against you – only against you – and have done what you consider evil. 

So you are right in judging me;

You are justified in condemning me.

Sincerity and truth are what you require; fill my mind with your wisdom.

Remove my sin, and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow.

Let me hear the sounds of joy and gladness; and though you have crushed me and broken me, I will be happy once again.

Close your eyes to my sins and wipe out all my evil.

Create a pure heart in me, O God, and put a new and loyal spirit in me.

Do not banish me from your presence; do not take your Holy Spirit away from me.

Give me again the joy that comes from your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.

Be merciful to me, O God, because of your constant love.

Because of your great mercy wipe away my sins!

Wash away all my evil and make me clean from my sin!  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from 1 Corinthians 15: 57) 

The Apostle Paul reminds us that God gives us victory over sin through His son, Jesus Christ.  Having confessed our sins before God, let us hold onto that promise with thanks in our hearts, trusting that God has listened to our prayers, that God has forgiven us and that He 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

Isaiah 58:

6  The LORD says, “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 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 had plenty of water, like a spring of water that never goes dry.

Romans 10:

9  If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from death, you will be saved.  10  For it is by faith that we are put right with God; it is by confession that we are saved.

  11  The Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”  (Isaiah 28: 16)  12  This includes everyone, because there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, God is the same Lord of all and richly blesses all who call to Him.  13  As the Scripture says, “Everyone who calls out to the Lord for help will be saved.”  (Joel 2: 32) 

2 Corinthians 5:

21  Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made him share our sin in order that in union with him we might share the righteousness of God.

[ Today’s English Version]

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Luke 4:

1  Jesus returned from the Jordan full of the Holy spirit and was led by the spirit into the desert,  2  where he was tempted by the Devil for forty days.  In all that time he ate nothing, so that he was hungry when it was over.

3  The Devil said to him, “If you are God’s Son, order this stone to turn into bread.”

4  But Jesus answered, “The Scripture says, ‘Man cannot live on bread alone.’”  (Deuteronomy 8: 3) 

5  Then the Devil took him up and showed him in a second all the Kingdoms of the World.  6  “I will give you all this power and all this wealth.”, the Devil told him.  “It has all been handed over to me, and I can give it to anyone I choose.  7  All this will be yours, then, if you worship me.”

8  But Jesus answered, “The Scripture says, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.’”  (Deuteronomy 6: 13) 

9Then the Devil took him to Jerusalem and set him on the highest point of the Temple, and said to him, “If you are God’s Son, throw yourself down from here.  10  For the Scripture says, ‘God will order His angels to take good care of you.’  (Psalm91: 11)  11  It also says, ‘They will hold you up with their hands so that not even your feet will be hurt on the stones.’”  (Psalm 91: 12) 

12  But Jesus answered, “The Scripture says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”  (Deuteronomy 6: 16) 

13  When the Devil finished tempting Jesus in every way, he left him for a while.

14  Then Jesus returned to Galilee, and the power of the Holy Spirit was with him.  The news about him spread throughout all the territory.  15  He taught in the synagogues and was praised by everyone.

[ Today’s English Version]

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

We sing the Hymn ‘God of freedom, God of justice’  TiS657

[This hymn is being sung to the tune Rhuddlan.]

[This YouTube has music only – there is a short introduction.]

Verse 1 of 3

God of freedom, God of justice,

God whose love is strong as death,

God who saw the dark of prison,

God who knew the price of faith:

Touch our World of sad oppression

With your Spirit’s healing breath.

Verse 2 of 3

Rid the Earth of torture’s terrors,

God whose hands were nailed to wood;

Hear the cries of pain and protest,

God who shed the tears and blood;

Move in us the power of pity,

Restless for the common good.

Verse 3 of 3

Make in us a captive conscience

Quick to hear, to act, to plead;

Make us truly sisters, brothers

Of whatever race or creed;

Teach us to be fully Human,

Open to each other’s needs.

Shirley Murray

Sermon

  One lesson that was learnt last weekend, as a result of all the rain that we received, was that a firm foundation guarantees stability in circumstances of great stress.  The damage sustained by the high section of Gympie Road, as it crosses the Bald Hills Flats, is, to me, a good example of this principle, for it is evident that its foundation was not constructed to a

sufficient strength so as to allow the road to withstand the force generated by the floodwaters as they flowed underneath and across the roadway.

  The same principle applies to the underlying foundation of our thoughts, our attitudes, and our life principles.  The firmness of the basis upon which we make decisions, or choose between alternatives, or develop attitudes, or decide the morals and ethics by which we live our lives, determines how well these decisions and choices and attitudes and life principles withstand the test of time and circumstance.

Screen 1

“If most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shabby furniture, let us be more ashamed of shabby ideas and shabby philosophies.”  Albert Einstein

  Albert Einstein is quoted as having said, “If most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shabby furniture, let us be more ashamed of shabby ideas and shabby philosophies.”  (Reader’s Digest Quotable Quotes p134)  I think that he’s correct, for, upon reflection, how many of the mistakes made by individuals and communities and nations are the consequence of acting upon “shabby ideas and shabby philosophies”?

Screen 2

  My parents bought this during one of their stays at O’Reilly’s Guest House, which is located within Lamington Nations Park on the southern border ranges.  The concept is that you place it somewhere where it is open to the elements.  It purports to be a Weather Guide and gives you instructions as to how to determine the state of the weather:

If this string is wet, it’s raining.

If this string is dry, it’s not raining.

If this string is damp, it’s been raining.

If this string is moving, it’s windy.

If this string is horizontal, it’s very windy.

If this string is casting a shadow, it’s sunny.

If this string is stiff, it’s freezing.

If the string is not stiff, it’s warm.

If this string is frayed, you need therapy.

If this string is smoking, there’s a fire – run!

Screen 3

Le Meridien Hotel at Kochi India

  I found a picture of a similar weather guide located at the Le Meridien Hotel at Kochi India.

  The O’Reilly’s Weather Guide makes for a great souvenir, and the one at the Le Meridien Hotel makes for a great tourist attraction.  But neither makes a claim to be a dependable source of reliable information on how to determine the true state of the weather.  In fact, in small print at the bottom of the O’Reilly’s Guide is written the warning, “This is not an official Weather Bureau publication”, just in case someone complains, I guess.

  Of a more serious concern for us, is where someone claims an authoritative stance on morals and ethics and life principles, when, in reality, they make such a claim based upon the “shabby ideas and shabby philosophies”, referred to by Albert Einstein.

  Equality Australia is an organisation whose assertion is that it “exists to improve the wellbeing and circumstances of LGBTIQ+ people in Australia and their families”, that its “work ensures that LGBTIQ+ people are (considered) equal in Australia”.  They stress that they have “the legal, policy and communications expertise to ensure that organisations have the right tools to deliver for the LGBTIQ+ community”.

  (https://equalityaustralia.org.au/about-us/) 

  In an article in The Weekend Australian for the 5^th/6^th February 2022, is a list of statements “proffered by Equality Australia as examples of ‘offensive and harmful’ religious beliefs”.

  Included in this list are two statements that use Biblical words but which you would never find in the Bible, and a 4000 year old Jewish hygiene law that is partially quoted and quoted out of its context.  These have been included by Equality Australia with the clear intent of making the Church look foolish and out-of-date in the eyes of the non-Bible reading public.

  I want to focus, however, on three of the remaining statements.  Now, remember, that Equality Australia is claiming that their list of statements represent “religious dogma” which are examples not just of “offensive and harmful religious beliefs”, but are indicative of the way that the Church in general “discriminates against people in certain circumstances on the basis of sex, sexual orientation or gender identity”.

(Religion’s Right to Offend? By Natasha Bita in The Weekend Australian February 5 / 6 2002 p31)

Screen 4

“God made only men and women.”

  The first statement that I seek to consider which it is claimed to be an offensive and harmful religious belief, is: “God made only men and women.”.

  I have checked Genesis 1: 27, and it reads: ”So God created Human beings, making them to be like Himself.  He created them male and female.”

Screen 5

“zaw-kawr” – to be marked as or recognised as a male

“nek-ay-baw” – of the female form

  All translations of this verse are based upon two Hebrew words.  The term Male is a translation of the Hebrew word “Zaw-kawr”, which basically reads “to be marked as or recognised as a male”  (Strong’s Old Testament word 2145)  .  The term Female is a translation of the Hebrew word “nek-ay-baw”, which basically reads “of the female form”  (Strong’s Old Testament word 5347)  .  Both words derive from the physical characteristics of the individual, as a function of their genetic and chromosomal make-up, and not from any social or cultural or religious category allocated to the individual at their birth. 

  The terms male and female are, today, referred to as an individual’s ‘birth gender’, which the individual should have the freedom to accept or reject, and even to alter.  But, according to the foundations of these words, in a Biblical context, it is a reflection of the essence of the individual, a part of their being that makes them who they are, not just in the eyes of God, but, recognisably, in the eyes of others.

  Walter Brueggemann, is a ‘liberal’ interpreter of the Bible, as compared to someone such as Willian Barclay, or a more ‘conservative’ writer such as Henry Morris, but I want to quote from his Commentary on the Book of Genesis, specifically relating to Genesis 1: 27.

“The Human person is ordained by God to be male or female.  While this is not a major stress of the text, these observations may be made.  Sexuality is good and ordained by God as part of Creation.  Sexual identity is part of Creation, but it is not part of the Creator.  Sexuality, sexual identity and sexual function belong not to God’s person but to God’s will for Creation.

“On the one hand Humankind is a single entity.  On the other hand, Humankind is a community, male and female.  Only in community of Humankind is God reflected.”

  (Walter Brueggemann in Genesis p33 and 34) 

  Walter Brueggemann is stating, your sexual identity is part of your creation, as it is ordained by God, as it is part of God’s will for His Creation, and as it is a fulfilment of God’s intent for the community of Humankind.  To find as offensive and harmful the statement that “God made only male and female”, is a denial of all that which Walter Brueggemann has stressed is Biblical truth concerning the individual.  To consider this statement as discriminatory is a denial of that which Walter Brueggemann has stressed is Biblical truth concerning God’s will and intent for the community of Humankind, the relationship between male and female.

Screen 6

“Every child should have a mother and a father who are married.”

  The second statement that I seek to consider, which it is claimed to be an offensive and harmful religious belief, is: “Every child should have a mother and a father who are married”.

  The following verse in Genesis 1, verse 28, reads: “(God) blessed (Adam and Eve), and said, “Have many children so that your descendants will live all over the Earth.”

  Derek Kidner, in his Commentary on the Book of Genesis, writes of the ”far-reaching implications” of these two verses, “as Jesus made plain” when he coupled them with Genesis 2: 24 to make these passages “the twin pillars of marriage”, as we read in Mark 10: 6 and 7.  He goes on to say that “to define Humanity as (comprising the two genders) is to make each partner the compliment of the other.”

  (Derek Kidner in Genesis p52) 

  Gregory Beale and Donald Carson, in their Commentary on the New Testament write, “That Humans are designated ‘male and female’, as we read in Genesis 1: 27, indicates that both genders are included in the image of God, and both are essential to fully articulate our Humanity – hence the twofold blessing-instruction, firstly, to be fruitful and multiply, and, secondly, to fill the Earth and rule, as we read in Genesis 1: 28.  Genderedness is God’s good gift.”

  They continue saying, “Two features stand out, Man is a social being, and needs Woman to complete him.  To this creational reality is traced the institution of marriage as its sole appropriate expression.  Since honouring parents is next to honouring God, (as we understand from Mark 7: 10), for a man to forsake them and cling to his wife (as we read in Genesis 2: 24) stresses the supreme sanctity of marriage.  In other words, marriage is not merely a descriptive term, but rather, in the context of Jewish Law, constitutes a divine decree.”  (Gregory Beale and Donald Carson in Mark in Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old Testament p197) 

Screen 7

“the supreme sanctity of marriage”

  These writers clearly indicate that, in God’s divine plan for His Creation, male and female are made to compliment each other, that a relationship between them completes them as individuals, in ‘community’, that Marriage is God’s ordained institution for this relationship to prosper, and that it is the ordained institution into which children are to be born and raised.  As such, it is a Biblical truth that, “Every child should have a mother and a father who are married.”, irrespective of the claim to the contrary by Equality Australia.

  I have gone into some detail regarding these two statements because I seek to highlight a pattern in their formulation by Equality Australia.  Their claim that the statements “God made only men and women.” and “Every child should have a mother and a father who are married.” are offensive, harmful and discriminatory religious dogma reveals:

a denial of Biblical truths,

a determination to define and to follow an alternative interpretation of our responsibilities towards God and towards others, and

is an indication that such a stance is founded upon “shabby ideas and shabby philosophies”.

  This understanding is clearly illustrated in the third of the statements that we will consider, which is claimed to be “offensive, harmful and discriminatory religious dogma”.

Screen 8

“People who don’t believe in Jesus can’t get into Heaven.”

  This third statement reads: “People who don’t believe in Jesus can’t get into Heaven.”

  My claim is that, if you are upset when reading this statement, or find it offensive, or feel that it is discriminatory, then you have not read the Bible or have not read it with an open mind and an open heart.

  Today’s passage from Luke 4 is commonly titled, “The temptations of Jesus”.  But it should be understood as a time of preparation for Jesus, for the events that took place over the 40 days in which Jesus spent in the wilderness, indicate the choices that Jesus needed to make prior to commencing his ministry and mission.

  Firstly, the Devil sought for Jesus to use his special powers to change inanimate stones into material goods that could be used to alleviate the material needs to people.  Jesus refuses, on the basis that, if he did so, people would be attracted to his special powers but not to his special message.

  Secondly, the Devil sought for Jesus to compromise his standards to the standards of the World, and use power and influence over people to gain the following of people.  Jesus refuses, on the basis that right is right and wrong is wrong, no matter the good intent

behind an act or a choice.  For Jesus, holiness and obedience to God are the priorities in life.

  Thirdly, the Devil sought for Jesus to use spectacular sensationalism to attract a crowd and to get their attention.  Jesus refuses, on the basis that people’s memories of wonders performed don’t last, and that he would need to keep performing wonders to keep the attention and the attraction of people.  As well, an attraction to wondrous events is shallow.  What Jesus is seeking is the deep heartfelt conviction within a person of their need to confront their sin and to accept the offer from Jesus of forgiveness and spiritual cleansing.

Screen 9

Jesus rejected the way of power and glory and accepted the way of suffering and the Cross

  William Barclay writes that, in his choices, Jesus is “rejecting the way of power and glory and accepting the way of suffering and the Cross.”  (William Barclay in The Gospel of Luke p38) 

  Following this trial and his success in evading the temptations that the Devil had put in his way, Luke writes confidently, that “Jesus returned to Galilee, and the power of the Holy Spirit was with him.”  (Luke 4: 14) 

  Paul, following his own deliberations and his discussions with the Apostles, potentially their recollections of Jesus sharing with them these events that took place is the wilderness, asserts confidently to the Church in Corinth, “Christ was without sin”  (2 Corinthians 5: 21) 

  For Paul, and for the young Church in Corinth this is a crucial understanding, for it then leads Paul to declare, “but for our sake God made him share our sin in order that in union with him we might share the righteousness of God”.  (2 Corinthians 5: 21) 

  Paul comes to no other conclusion than that Jesus, who was without sin, was and is the means by which our sins are forgiven, and by and through which we “might share the righteousness of God”, here and in Eternity to come in Heaven.

Screen 10

“If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from death, you will be saved.”  Romans 10: 9 

  Paul reiterates this in his letter to the Church in Rome.

  Paul asserts, “If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from death, you will be saved.”  (Romans 10: 9)  Here, Paul is stating that “Jesus is all that he claimed to be and has accomplished all that he came to perform”.  (Geoffrey Wilson in Romans p178) 

  Charles Barrett writes that, for Paul, “Jesus is confessed and believed as one who stands both within and outside History; not primarily as a teacher, but as the source of supernatural life.”  (Charles Barrett in The Epistle to the Romans p187) 

  Paul is clearly stating that people who believe in Jesus will receive eternal life.  He is also stating the converse, that “People who don’t believe in Jesus can’t get into Heaven”.

  Geoffrey Wilson writes of “the universality of the Gospel offer of salvation”.  (Geoffrey Wilson in Romans p179)  We see in the Gospel message the fulfillment of the equality, the inclusiveness and the acceptance after which people such as Equality Australia are striving.  These are not fulfilled through interpersonal relationships, nor through social or political or cultural change, but only in “the good news of the Kingdom of God”  (Luke 4: 43) 

  Paul writes:

“(Without exception), whoever believes in Jesus will not be disappointed.”  (Romans 10: 11) 

(Without exception), everyone who calls out to the Lord for help will be saved.”  (Romans 10: 13) 

(Without exception), there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free, between men and women, you are all one in union with Christ Jesus.  (Romans 10: 12, Galatians 3: 28) 

  All are equal in the eyes of God, all are included in His offer of salvation, all are accepted.

Screen 11

“Lord, keep me in your groove of grace, the chosen path for me,

Your will I daily will embrace until eternity.”  Clair Hess

A poem by Clair Hess:

“Lord keep me in your grove of grace,

The chosen path for me;

Your will I daily will embrace

Until Eternity.”

  (Clair Hess, in Our Daily Bread Tuesday 21 February 2006) 

  May this be our prayer at the beginning of each day, as our response to God’s love for us and as our expression of our faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ.  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.

Blessed God, we pray for all those affected by the floods this weekend and this week.
We pray that they may be surrounded by love and support.
We thank you for the work of SES, emergency workers and those who open their homes to the displaced.  We pray for safety for those still facing rain and rising flood waters.

We also pray at this time for the people of Ukraine.
We pray for the suffering of those who have lost loved ones and for the injured and displaced.  We pray the world may stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and that peace might find a way even at this time.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers.
Rev Mark Cornford  (Presbytery Minister)

Prayer from the General Secretary

Dear God we call out in prayer for the people of Ukraine. We pray for peace and safety, We pray for courage and hope. We pray for those who are fearful and those who mourn. God we ask you to bring courage and wisdom to all those who stand against this violence and who work to change the direction of events, those who seek a diplomatic solution, those who protest and pray for peace,  those who offer aid and support in the very midst of the violence. We pray for protection  for each one.

Bring us close to you God … let us be makers of peace with our words, with our actions and with all our hearts. Our eyes are on You.

God of all creation, we pray today for all the people in our congregations and communities throughout the whole of Queensland who have been affected by these storms and floods. Be with them and protect them, let the family of support that is the church, surround and help them, let them stay safe and let them feel safe.

Let us all as the waters recede come together to clean up, offer solace, help our neighbours and find hope.

In Jesus’ name Amen.

Rev Heather den Houting

Prayer from the Moderator

Father God, thank you that you are our shepherd in these difficult times. Look after those in our communities affected by the floods and rain. Help them feel the love and support of their communities. Help them know your protection, your power and your presence, always with them. Keep them safe.

God of peace, look after all those in Ukraine touched by violence and aggression. Guide them and protect them, and bring hope to their hearts. Teach us all the miraculous path from war to peace. Keep them safe.

Guide us through the storms, knowing you are with us. Guide us each day through the dark valleys to rest in green pastures.

Blessings, Rev Andrew Gunton (Uniting News – 1 March 2022)

We pray for all who are hungry, who do not have enough to live with dignity.  May they find generosity and inclusion in their local Christian communities.

God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for all who live in loneliness or isolation.  May they know friendship and community.

God, in your mercy, hear our prayer

We pray for all who are abused in any way, whose homes or neighbourhoods or places of work or study are places of fear, not of safety. May they be strengthened and freed from abusers and fear. May they find your good plans for them and hope in you.

God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for those with disabilities and those who feel alone. We pray too for all who are shunned, from whom people turn away. Please help them to be included and to know that they are loved by you and that you have good plans of hope for them

God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for all who have been displaced, who live in exile and in fear of losing everything they have ever known. May they know your peace and strength in their lives

God, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

(www.worlddayofprayeraustralia.org.au) 

We pray for the peoples and the nations of Belgium, Luxembourg, and The Netherlands

We give thanks for the important roles political leaders here have played in European integration, and for how people here have led in creative solutions to environmental, economic, and cultural challenges.  We give thanks for how churches here have overcome barriers and reached out to assure a good life for all, and for the ecumenical contributions that have come from this area, and their continuing support.

We pray for the overcoming of cultural, linguistic and political barriers and suspicions that remain divisive, and for the haunting legacies of colonization and quests for economic gain.  We pray for immigrants who are alienated or marginalized in these societies, and for greater tolerance and solidarity with all in these societies and around the world.

Let us pray for Faith:
That it will be the fruit of right hearing.
That at all times there will be people
with an open mind and open ears
who will listen sharply to your word
and pay attention to the needs around them.

Let us be such people.

Let us pray for Hope:
That it will be the fruit of a living faith.
That at all times there will be people
growing towards the light,
continuously filled with courage and never cease being hopeful.

Let us be such people.

Let us pray for Love:
That she is the fruit of a living faith and hope.
That at all times there will be people
never giving up being alarmed
about the continuing existence of the earth:
The care for animals and entire environment
that lend assistance in friendship,
that abolish loneliness,
that help working out sorrow and grieve,
that show sympathy with joy.  

We pray to you, O Lord.  Let us recognize one another in deeds of faith, hope and love.

(© Rev. Pieter Post)

Dear God, there are so many people in need!
Like everyone in this world,
refugees are in need of a place to live,  
a warm bed, food, clothing, a decent wash…  
Dear God, you know that we need all those things,
but, most of all, we need people who care,
to share our love, our hope and our future.
We need to be needed.
Dear God, you know that we are in need.
Come and give us a hand!

(From http://www.ccme.be/members-info/)

Lord, we pray for the world,
for the world in which we live.
We pray for the girl who says:
I don’t want to live anymore
and for the boy who confesses:
I sometimes want to end it all.
We pray for the new-born baby
with an uncertain future.

Lord, we pray for the world, for the world in which we live.

Lord, we pray for all the people,
all the people in this world
who feel scared or upset;
who are ill or lonely.
We pray for people around the world
who have no freedom or no family.

Lord, we pray for all the people, all the people in this world.

Lord, we pray for the world,
for the world in which we live.
We pray that the world will not collapse
under the weight of violence and hate
and that our eyes will remain open
to beauty and goodness,
so that we may also pray:

Lord, we thank you for this world, the world in which we live.

(from the Dutch Dienstboek Schrift Maaltijd en Gebed, p. 793 no 65)

Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands | World Council of Churches (oikoumene.org)

We pray for the success of the FOUND Project in Nepal run by The Leprosy Mission Nepal that aims to support people with disabilities to find employment. 

We pray for the success of the research projects in Nepal supported by The Leprosy Mission Nepal, one testing an innovative ulcer treatment, and another that is evaluating the self-help groups for people affected by leprosy and other diseases.

We pray for the HEAL project in Nepal as it targets the successful integration of lymphatic filariasis and leprosy services.  We pray for the successful training of health workers, medical officers and female community health volunteers; as well as the HEAL Project skin camps in Nepalese districts.

(2022 Leprosy Mission Prayer Diary)

We pray for the Scripture Union Leadership conference being held this weekend, that the delegates will be equipped and inspired in their ministry and life.  We pray for the intake of students into the years’ Scripture Union run Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care Courses, that they will be inspired to develop the skills to enable them to serve you in their community and places of worship.

(suqld.org.au/prayer guide March – May 2022)

We thank you the continued success of Val’s treatments and that she continues to live in comfort at home.  We pray for her ongoing health and wellbeing.

We thank you for the care and attention that Max is receiving in residential care.  We ask that the Val’s visits with him will be a time of encouragement and support for him.

We pray for Andrew, for the success of the treatments and programs associated with this health issues.  We ask for support and encouragement for him as he deals with the issues each day brings. 

We pray for Christine, for the strength and energy to support Andrew and manage everyday concerns and decisions of their business.

We pray for Bill, for a quick and complete recovery from his recent illness.

We pray for Harriet Walsh, that she is integrating well in school.  We pray for guidance and insight for those who are attending to her cancer.  We pray for your support and encouragement for her family.

We pray for Rosie and her little boy Aahid.  We ask that you will rid Aahid of all that which is inhibiting his speech, that he will be able to communicate with his family.  Please encourage and support Rosie as she supports her son.

We pray for the continued health and well-being of Rev Louis and Joana.  We ask for your protection over their families in Brazil, in England and in Melbourne.

We pray for Portia, that you will protect and encourage her in her employment and the you will guide her as she decides the next steps in her education.

We pray for Kylie Conomos, that you will support her and guide her as she seeks to address the issues and problems affecting the lives of the students, families and staff of Bald Hills State School.

We pray for the leaders of Religious Instruction classes held at Bald Hills State School, that you will enthuse them as they present the Gospel to the children.  May the Holy Spirit work in the minds and the hearts of the children so that they will respond to your message with acceptance and joy.

We pray for those who have not been able to join us in fellowship, for Hazel, for Laurie, for Lesley, for Dot, for Sue, for Annette, and for Heather.  May they experience your presence and support each day, reassured of your strength and power to guide them.

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

Hymn

“Jesus thou joy of loving hearts”  MHB109  AHB420  TiS499

[This hymn is being sung to the tune Quebec.]

Verse 1 of 5

Jesus, Thou joy of loving hearts,

Thou fount of life, Thou Light of men,

From the best bliss that Earth imparts,

We turn unfilled to Thee again.

Verse 2 of 5

Thy truth unchanged has ever stood,

Thou savest all that on Thee call;

To them that seek Thee, Thou art good,

To them that find Thee all in all.

Verse 3 of 5

We taste Thee, O Thou living bread,

And long to feast upon Thee still;

We drink of Thee, the fountainhead,

Our thirst to quench, our souls to fill.

Verse 4 of 5

Our restless spirits yearn for Thee,

Where’er our changeful lot is cast;

Glad when Thy gracious smile we see,

Blessed when our faith can hold Thee fast.

Verse 5 of 5

O Jesus, ever with us stay,

Make all our moments calm and bright;

Chase the dark night of sin away,

Shed over the World Thy holy light.

Bernard of Clairvaux

Translated by Ray Palmer

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.’”

  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.

Hymn

“O love, that will not let me go”  Alexander’s Hymns no. 3 number 276  MHB448  AHB525  TiS602 

[This hymn is being sung to the tune St Margaret.]

[This YouTube has music, singing and the words – there is a short introduction.]

Benediction    

We remember that it is God who reigns in Heaven and upon Earth, not any person; that it is His will that we seek done and that it is His Kingdom that we seek to come, not any person’s; that it is upon God’s strength and might that we depend, not ours nor any other person’s.  Let us go into the World with that assurance and that hope, never wavering with worry but at peace in our trust in Almighty God.  And may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest upon you and remain with you always.  Amen.

Benediction Song

“By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered”  TiS617

[This hymn is being sung to the tune Finlandia.]

[This YouTube has the music only – there is a short introduction – only the one verse is to be sung.]

Verse 1 of 1

By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered,

And confidently waiting come what may,

We know that God is with us night and morning

And never fails to greet us each new day.

We shall remember all the days we live through,

All of our life before our God we lay.

Dietrich Bonhoffer  (Translated by Frederick Pratt Green)