Welcome: –

Passing the Peace: –

As we gather for worship let us remember that we are one people in Christ Jesus.  We are all welcomed by God into His presence and graced by His mercy.  Let us, then, be united in our worship of God and in our fellowship together, and uplift our hands to greet those both here and those in their homes with these words:

May the peace of God be with you.

And also with you.

Call to Worship

 (from Moira Laidlaw Year A Easter Week 5)  

 Come, worship God who is our refuge and our strength.

We come, trusting God to lead and guide us always.

Come, confident to commit our spirit into God’s hands.

We come, knowing that God will deliver us from our hardships and challenges.

Come, building our lives on the cornerstone rejected by others.

We come, choice and precious in the sight of God.

Let your face shine upon us, O God,

And your steadfast love surround us.

Prayer of Praise  

(from Moira Laidlaw Year A Easter Week 5 and Prayers of God’s People Year A p102 & 104 and The Book of Worship p34 and Psalm 31) 

Holy and loving God, we worship You because of the grace that You have offered to us through Jesus Christ, and for the comfort in the realization that You accept us because of our faith in our risen Lord.  We praise you for the complete forgiveness of sins, for the wiping away of all that we have done in rebellion and defiance of Your will and purpose for our lives.  Out of mortality and unbelief and the fear of death You have led us to trust and hope and eternal life.   

God, our cornerstone and strong foundation, you have shaped us into a worshipping community, giving us purpose and strength.  You have given us healing and wholeness, and

have enabled us to stand before You and unburden ourselves of all our cares and concerns.

  Almighty God, we are humbled because You know each one of us by name.  You know our character and our nature, our desires and our needs.  We can come to You and know that You will not turn away from us, but will listen to our prayers, our praise and our rejoicing, our fears and our problems. 

  God our protector, we rejoice in knowing that You stand by us in our trials and troubles.  It is upon Your strength that we can rely to get us through those times when we are tired and weary, when we seem to be overwhelmed by the World and the people in it.  We thank you that we can trust You to carry us through and to bring us to those places where we feel refreshed and renewed.

  God of refuge and strength, you bless our lives with eternal loving kindness, holding us, guiding us, and delivering us from evil.  Let our praise and thanksgiving for all you have done truly resound within our hearts and our homes, within these walls and beyond.  Amen.

You are invited to listen or sing two hymns to these YouTube clips: The first is: ‘In Christ there is no East or West’  (from ‘He’s Everything to Me’)

William Dunkerley

The second hymn is ‘Come and Praise the Lord our King, Hallelujah’ (from ‘He’s everything to me’)

Michael Perry

Prayer of Confession 

(from Moira Laidlaw Year A Easter Week 5, + Invocations p30 + The Book of Common Worship p304 & 305 +Prayers of God’s People Year A p103) 

Merciful God, you show us the way that you took, the way which challenges all that is evil and destructive.  We confess that too often we choose the easy and non-threatening way which disregards the needy and denies people the opportunity to live an abundant life.

Forgive us Lord for when we lose direction and so fail to follow your way.

Merciful God, you speak the Word of truth which brings Good News to the poor, freedom to those who are oppressed and enslaved, and healing to those whose lives lack wholeness.  We confess that too often our minds are swayed by what the Media declares is truth, something that can so often be contrary to the Gospel.

Forgive us Lord for when our lives deny the truth of your words and your deeds.

Merciful God, you give us the gift of life, emptying yourself of all self-serving power in order to empower others.  We confess that we like to influence things so as to further our own purposes, even if it contributes to the powerlessness of others.

Forgive us Lord for when our desire for influence and status is stronger than our desire to make your life visible through us.

Merciful God, in you is understanding and insight.  You promise to support us in our trials and sustain us in our times of needs.  We confess that we let our doubts grow until they restrict our understanding and our readiness to act.

Forgive us lord for when we have allowed our faith to grow weak and lacking in vitality.

Merciful God, we long to know your will and to grow in your likeness.  We seek to be your holy priesthood through whom you can minister to others.

Forgive us Lord and cleanse us of all those aspects of our life that disappoint you and are unworthy of your gracious love.  In your mercy restore in us the joy of your salvation and healing.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from 1 Peter 2: 9) 

The Apostle Peter reminds us that we are God’s chosen people, called out of darkness into His wonderful light.  Anyone who trusts in Jesus Christ will never be disappointed.  Therefore, we can be confident that having confessed our sins, God has listened to 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

Acts 7:

2a  Stephen said to the High Priest and the Council of the Elders,

“46  David won God’s favour and asked God to allow him to provide a dwelling place for the god of Jacob.  47  But it was Solomon who built Him a house.  48  But the Most High God does not live in houses built by people; as the Prophet says,

49  ‘Heaven is my throne,’ says the Lord, ‘and the Earth is my footstool.  What kind of house would you build for me?  Where is the place for me to live in?  50  Did not I myself make all these things?’”  (Isaiah 66: 1 & 2) 

51  “How stubborn you are,” Stephen went on to say, “How heathen your hearts, how deaf you are to God’s message!   You are just like your ancestors: you too have always resisted the Holy Spirit!”  (Isaiah 63: 10) 

52  “Was there any Prophet that your ancestors did not persecute?  (2 Chronicles 24: 9 and 36: 16, Matthew 5: 11 & 12 and 23: 30 & 31)  They killed God’s messengers, who long ago announced the coming of His righteous servant.  And, now, you have betrayed and murdered him.  53  You are the ones who received God’s Law, that was handed down by angels – yet you have not obeyed it!”

1 Peter 2:

1  Rid yourselves, then, of all evil; no more lying or hypocrisy or jealousy or insulting language.  2  Be like newborn babies, always thirsty for the pure Spiritual milk, so that by drinking it you may grow up and be saved.  3  As the Scripture says,

“You have found out for yourselves how kind the Lord is.”  (Psalm 34: 8) 

4  Come to the Lord, the living stone rejected by people as worthless but chosen by God as valuable.  5  Come as living stones, and let yourselves be used in building the Spiritual Temple, where you will serve as holy Priests to offer spiritual and acceptable sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ.  6  For the Scripture says,

“I chose a valuable stone which I am placing as the cornerstone of Zion; and whoever believes in him will never be disappointed.”  (Isaiah 28: 16) 

7  This stone is of great value for you who believe; but for those who do not believe:

“The stone which the builders rejected as worthless turned out to be the most important of all.”  (Psalm 118: 22)  

8  And another Scripture says,

“This is the stone that will make people stumble, the rock that will make them fall.”  (Isaiah 8: 14 & 15) 

They stumble because they did not believe in the Word; such is the inevitable result from their choice.

9  But you are the chosen race  (Exodus 19: 5)  , the King’s priests  (Exodus 19: 6)  , the holy Nation  (Leviticus 11: 44 & 45, 19: 2)  , God’s own people  (Deuteronomy 4: 40, 7: 6, 14: 2, 26: 18)  , chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God  (Isaiah 43: 21)  , who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light  (Isaiah 9: 2)  .  10  At one time you were not God’s people, but now you are His people; at one time you did not know God’s mercy, but now you have received His mercy.  (Hosea 2: 23) 

(Today’s English Version)

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

John 14:

1  “Let not your hearts be troubled any longer.” Jesus told his Disciples, “Continue to trust in God, also continue to trust in me.”  2  In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.  If it were not so, I would have told you, for I go to prepare a place for you.  3  And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to be face to face with me, in order that where I am you may be also.  4  And to the place where I am going you know the way.”

5  Thomas said to him,

“Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?”

6  Jesus said to him,

“I am the way and the truth and the life.  7  If you had come to know me, you would have known my Father also.  From now on,” Jesus said to them, “You do know Him and have seen Him.”

  (Translation by William Hendriksen in The Gospel of John p262 – 269) 

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

You are invited to listen, or sing along to a Hymn ‘In Thy Love’  (Alexander’s Hymn Book No. 3 number 210). This YouTube clip is for another hymn, but is used here for the tune.  The words are printed below:

Verse 1 of 4

Father, I am weak and sinful,

Ever prone to go astray,

Like a wayward child of error

I so often lose my way.

Chorus

In Thy love, O God, have mercy,

In Thy grace redeem my soul,

Bring me back, O gentle shepherd,

Keep me safe within Thy fold.

Verse 2 of 4

In the billows of temptation,

When its waves are running high,

Bear me o’er life’s sea of trouble,

Leave me not to sink and die.

Chorus

In Thy love, O God, have mercy,

In Thy grace redeem my soul,

Bring me back, O gentle shepherd,

Keep me safe within Thy fold.

Verse 3 of 4

Father, when the shades are falling,

And the night of death is near,

Guide me through the gloomy valley,

With your light my journey cheer.

Chorus

In Thy love, O God, have mercy,

In Thy grace redeem my soul,

Bring me back, O gentle shepherd,

Keep me safe within Thy fold.

Verse 4 of 4

Open, then, the pearly portals,

That, unworthy though I be,

I may join the ransomed legions,

There to dwell eternally.

Chorus

In Thy love, O God, have mercy,

In Thy grace redeem my soul,

Bring me back, O gentle shepherd,

Keep me safe within Thy fold.

Neal McAulay

Sermon

  There’s a story of a legal firm that initiated legal action to sue the firm that constructed an apartment building that had collapsed, on the accusation that it was built upon poor foundations.  However, they had to discontinue their legal action because of a lack of concrete evidence.

Solid foundations

  The Australian Pocket Oxford Dictionary states that a foundation is “a solid ground or base on which a building rests”.  (P324)  From an engineering perspective, a foundation is “a structural base that transfers a structure’s weight safely to the underlying soil or rock”.

Tower of Pisa

  One of the prime examples that comes to mind when we talk about poor foundations is the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the campanile or bell tower associated with the Cathedral at the City of Pisa in Tuscany, Italy.

  And if you should get the opportunity to visit Pisa, you too can do apparent wonders with a photograph.

  But the concept of a foundation can be applied to a broader range of subjects.  I have a limited experience with makeup, only from being involved in a High School musical.  From what I have heard an important aspect of applying make-up is using the right foundation.  Foundations can also be understood as philanthropic institutions.  And another use is related to the underlying principle or basis upon which a belief system is founded.

    It is with this last usage of the term ‘foundation’ that we are interested today.  So, what constitutes a “good foundation”?

  John Stuart Mill, an English philosopher and reformer, wrote in his book titled “Utilitarianism”, published in 1863, that “The creed which one accepts as the foundation of morals, or the Greatest Good, holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, (and) wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness.”  (Chambers Dictionary of Quotations p570) 

    How do today’s passages talk of good foundations?

    In the book of Acts, we read that in the early First Century Church, Deacons were appointed so to administer the apportionment of shared food and money.  One of the first Deacons appointed by the Apostles was Stephen.  We read that after a short period of time, he was arrested by the Temple authorities and brought before the High Priest to answer to specific charges made against him. 

In his response, one of the things that Stephen said was that “the Most High God does not live in houses built by men”, a reference, we understand, to the Temple in Jerusalem.  (Acts 7: 48)  Now, this seems an odd thing to say given our reading of why King Solomon built the original Temple.  In 1 Kings 5: 5 we read “The Lord promised my father, King David, ‘Your son … will build a Temple for me’.  And, so, I have now decided to build that Temple for the worship of the Lord my God.”

    Upon reflection though, we understand that Stephen is saying that God is not restricted by the walls of the Temple complex.  For, how can He be?  As we read in Isaiah 66: 1 & 2 “The Lord says ‘I myself created the whole universe!  Heaven is my throne, and the Earth is my footstool.’  What kind of house, then, could you build for me, as a place for me to live?”

  God was able to be found in the Temple, but God was not constrained by the Temple.  God was equally able to be worshipped outside the Temple.  The Apostle Peter uses the same imagery to talk about the Church, the body of believers.  Although God could be worshipped inside the Temple and outside the Temple, the true Church, however, could only be found in God.

‘a valuable stone which I am placing as the cornerstone of Zion’  1 Peter 2: 6 (Isaiah 28: 16)

    Peter talks of Jesus as “a chosen and valuable cornerstone”, quoting from Isaiah 28: 16.  A cornerstone was a large stone forming part of the foundation of a building, which, by its sheer size bound together two or more rows of stones.  (John Taylor in Cornerstone in the New Bible Dictionary Part 1 p319)  .  By this phrase Peter is saying that Jesus is the foundation upon which God has built his Church.  Peter also talks of Jesus as a capstone or keystone, quoting from Psalm 118:22.  This stone was the final part of an archway or was the final stone placed on the top of an archway, that both completes the structure and holds the structure together.  (John Taylor in Cornerstone in the New Bible Dictionary Part 1 p319)  The Apostle Paul uses the identical imagery in his letter to the church in Ephesus, “Christ Jesus … is the one who holds the whole building together and makes it grow into a sacred temple dedicated to the Lord”.  (Ephesians 2: 21)  Both passages incorporate the understanding that Jesus is essential and indispensable for the formation of the Church and for its ongoing life.

    But why is this so?  Why is it vitally important to understand Jesus in this context? 

    What is the claim that Jesus made of Himself in John 14: 6?  “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one goes to the Father except by me.”

  But, the way to where?  Well, Jesus is the way, the only way, to reconciliation with God!

  But, what is truth, recalling the words of Pilate when he was questioning Jesus after his arrest?  Well, in contrast to the false gods worshipped by the Romans to the west, the Greeks to the north, the Parthians to the east, and the Egyptians to the south; and in contrast to the false teachings of the Pharisees and the Jewish religious leaders, Jesus spoke the truth of God’s redeeming love and the truth of God’s redeeming act in the world.

  But what life?  Well, it was a life freed from the bondage of sin and death, a life renewed and made clean by the resurrected Jesus.  Truly, there was no other way by which Humanity could go to God except through Jesus Christ.  Jesus was the necessary and indispensable means for getting back to a right relationship with God.

    But if this were so, ought not we to expect to see a widespread response to God’s redeeming work?  Well, as the song goes, “It ain’t necessarily so.”

    Peter continues in his Letter with a further image of Jesus as a stone.  In verse 7 he says of Jesus that he was “the stone which the builders rejected as worthless”, quoting from Psalm 118: 22.  In verse 8 he says of Jesus that he is “the stone that will make people stumble”, quoting from Isaiah 8: 14.  The cornerstone is valuable only to those who believe.  Others stumble because they do not believe.

    In Exodus 9 we read of Pharaoh’s response when God brought upon Egypt the seventh calamity, a heavy hailstorm.  “The Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron and said, “This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and my people and I are in the wrong.  Pray to the Lord.  We have had enough of this thunder and hail.  I promise to let you go; …. Moses left Pharaoh, went out of the city, and lifted up his hands in prayer to the Lord.  The thunder, the hail, and the rain all stopped.  When Pharaoh saw what had happened, he sinned again.  He and his officials remained as stubborn as ever and would not let the Israelites go.”  (Exodus 9: 27, 28, 33, & 34) 

  How could Pharaoh have acted in this way?  How could he have refused to believe what he had seen with his own eyes, the power of God at work?  Yet it appears that Pharaoh would rather believe more in his abilities and the abilities of the gods that he worshipped to protect him from what the God of the Israelites was capable of doing.

    In Matthew 2 we read the account of the actions of King Herod to the news of the birth of the Messiah.  The Saviour’s birth, which brought joy to so many, left King Herod troubled, furious and murderous.  In spite of the joy with which the visiting magi expressed their desire to see the baby, in spite of the fulfilment of prophesy explained by his religious advisors, King Herod chose instead to protect his kingship, his position and his power by ridding himself of any threats to his throne.  (Matthew 2: 13, 16 – 18) 

    Charles Spurgeon, in a reflection on today’s passage from 1 Peter 2, wrote “Where Christ is (concerned), no (person) remains neutral; (they) decide either for Christ or against him.  Given a mind that understands the Gospel, you have … a mind that either stumbles at this stumbling-stone, or else you have a mind that rejoices in a foundation upon which it delights to build all its hopes for time and for eternity.”  (Charles Spurgeon from 365 days with Spurgeon Volume 3 26 December)  .

    What was the accusation that Stephen levelled at his accusers?  “How stubborn you are.  How heathen your hearts, how deaf you are to God’s message!   You are just like your ancestors: you too have always resisted the Holy Spirit!”  …  You are the ones who received God’s law,  yet you have not obeyed it.”  (Acts 7: 51 & 53)  When faced with the truth of the Gospel, the religious leaders reacted violently towards the messenger, Stephen, because they could not bring themselves to accept that they were wrong, that the foundation that they had built up for themselves was not the foundation that comes from God.  And in their actions we see a fulfilment of what Isaiah had written many years before:

  “The people do as they please.  They take pleasure in disgusting ways of worship.  So I will bring disaster upon them, the very thing they are afraid of, because no one answered when I called or listened when I spoke.  They chose to disobey me and do evil.”  (Isaiah 66: 3 to 5) 

    What was it that drove those listening to stone Stephen?  He claimed to have a vision of Heaven opening and seeing Jesus standing on the right-hand side of God.  Was this something that Stephen made up?  Was Stephen willing to die just for a fairy tale?  No!  It was exactly as Jesus said it would be.  For we read in John 14: 1 & 2, Jesus saying “Let not your hearts be troubled any longer.” Jesus told his Disciples, “Continue to trust in God, also continue to trust in me.  In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.  If it were not so, I would have told you, for I go to prepare a place for you.”  Jesus prepares a place in Heaven for the faithful.  And isn’t this exactly what God has always been seeking.  In Isaiah 66: 2 we read, “I am pleased with those who are humble and repentant, who fear me and obey me.”

    Peter calls the believers, God’s chosen people, called out of darkness into His marvellous light, those who at one time did not know God but have now received His mercy. 

    And how are we to respond to this?  There is a story of a man who went to a therapist because of a recurring nightmare.  In his dream that he had every night, he was standing behind Mother Teresa in the final judgement line.  “Shouldn’t that be a reason for hope” suggested his therapist, “since you are in the company of such a holy and faithful servant of God?”  “Not at all” answered the man, “it brings on the greatest of fears.”  “Why is that so?” questioned the therapist.  “Because” replied the man, “every night I hear God say to Mother Teresa, ‘You know, you should have done more.’.”

    Peter encourages his readers as to the right way to respond to God’s kindness, saying “Rid yourselves of all evil, no more lying or hypocrisy or jealousy or insulting language”.  God will see the love we have for him in the way we relate to others.  Jesus encourages His disciples, saying “I will do whatever you ask for in my name.  If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it.”  God will see our faithfulness by our prayers for others.  People will praise God because of answered prayer.  The writer of Psalm 31 states “But my trust is in you, O Lord, you are my God.  I am always in your care.”  God will see the love we have for him in our complete trust in His care for us.

    The sure and certain and precious cornerstone about which Peter wrote is the evidence of God’s unfailing relationship with us, the evidence of how much we are valued and loved by God.  Jesus is the one who gives us direction and support.  It is when we invite him into our lives that we discover that He is life, the solid foundation, the source of an inner confidence that no matter that life throws at us, nothing can shake or take away that knowledge that we are loved and accepted by God.  Always hold on firmly to that good news.  Amen.

Offering

Offering Prayer 

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774     

[This YouTube clip is for another hymn so disregard the words – only the one verse is needed.]

For the life that you have given,

For the love in Christ made known,

With these fruits of time and labour,

With these gifts that are your own:

Here we offer, Lord, our praises;

Heart and mind and strength we bring;

Give us grace to love and serve you,

Living what we pray and sing.

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Prayers for Others

Almighty God, knowing of your love for all of Humanity, especially of 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.

Loving God, we live in a World where mistrust and selfishness breeds cruelty towards others, the abuse of power and privilege, the oppression of the powerless and the poor, discrimination towards those who are classed as ‘different’, and indifference towards the needs of others.

May the decision-makers in Governments and Business, in cultures and communities, acknowledge your Lordship over all of Humanity, and acknowledge their accountability to you for their actions and their inactions towards those whom you love in equal measure.

Loving God, we live in a World where forgiving others is seen as a sign of weakness, where holding onto grudges is the norm.

Make us instruments of peace, reconcile us where we are in dispute with others and cleanse us from all resentment.

Loving God, we live in a World where the innocent are the ones who suffer in times of conflicts, where the unprotected are the ones who are the victims of terror and crime.

We pray for your protection over children and their families.  May they experience your care such that their lives and their livelihoods are prosperous and fulfilling.

Loving God, we live in a World where many suffer pain from accident or illness, where many are disabled or sick in body, mind and spirit.

Please bring relief to those who suffer, please bring healing and wholeness to the ill and the injured.  Please bless the efforts of medical and nursing staff, of counsellors and service providers.

Loving God, we live in a World where the Church seen as irrelevant or, at the very least, distrusted.

Reawaken in your Church its calling to be the light of the World, to provoke the World to judge itself in terms of your standards and principles.  Reawaken in your Church its calling to boldly proclaim your Gospel message of hope for the sinful and the lost.  Reawaken in your Church its calling to show leadership in the caring for the needy and in proper stewardship of your Creation.

(from Leading Intercessions p5, Prayers for the Seasons Year A p30 & 31)

We pray for the Church: that we may recognize that we are a chosen and holy people, living stones, whom you are creating into the Body of Christ, to announce the deeds of the Lord.

We pray for the growth of our faith, that the Spirit will help us to rely upon Christ more fully, for Jesus is our Way, our Truth, and our Life.

We pray for fuller discipleship, that you will guide us in living sacrificial lives and continuing the ministry of Christ in laying down our lives for our families, our communities, and our society.

We pray for those who do not know Christ, that the Spirit will help them to recognize your work in their lives and the world around them as a sign of your love and presence.

We pray for all who serve the poor, widows, orphans, and the forgotten of society, that you will renew their hearts and strengthen their spirits as they continue to reach out to those in need.

We pray for all burdened by worry and anxiety, that they may find in Christ hope, freedom, and peace.

We pray for all who are struggling with addictions, that Christ may be their way to freedom and wholeness.

We pray for all who work the earth, that they may use their skills wisely to feed the Human family and that you will give them favourable weather and an abundant harvest.

We pray for all who feel unwelcomed or experience discrimination, that you will help us welcome them, affirm their Human dignity, and support their spiritual journey.

We pray for members of our Federal and State Governments and Local Councils, that you will open hearts to dialogue and finding common ground so that the common good can be advanced and the least among us can be sustained.

We pray for all youth, that you will help them make wise decisions, respect one another, and drive safely and responsibly.

We pray for Peace, that you will turn hearts from violence, end the bloodshed in Sudan, Ukraine, and our city streets, and protect all who are vulnerable in our society.

https://liturgy.slu.edu/5EasterA050723/ideas_other.html Copyright © 2023. Joe Milner. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce for personal or parish use.

  We pray for the peoples of Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

  We are thankful for the magnificent expanse of mountains, grasslands and deserts in these Central Asian countries, for the rich natural resources, for the incredible ethnic diversity, for cultural traditions and practices that have been preserved for centuries amid the challenges of modernization, for Christians who, although they are a tiny minority, have courage to witness to the gospel and find the strength to live according to God’s word, and those who in spite of danger dedicate their lives to serving others.

  We pray for the people in these lands who suffer from poverty and repressive rule, for an end to clashes related to tribalism, traditionalism, and modernization, for the land, air and water that have been damaged by human abuse, for good relations between Muslims and Christians, and for an end to oppression and violence.

Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan | World Council of Churches (oikoumene.org)

  We pray for our Scripture Union Australia staff as they build relationships with inter-church councils and other key local leaders regarding ministry opportunities.  We pray for solid, enduring partnerships to be formed.

  We pray for fresh ministry opportunities in new communities to further share your love, God, your hope and good news.  We pray that more lives will be transformed through the work of SU Australia.

  We praise you God for the many new volunteers who have responded to your nudge to mentor in schools and connect with students facing difficult life circumstances.  We pray for even more people to get involved in SU Australia ministries across the country.

SU Prayer-Guide-MAY-2023.pdf

  We thank you God for the opportunities presented to those associated with The Leprosy Mission to share the love of Christ with people affected by leprosy, verbally or non-verbally, and we pray that they may encounter Jesus’ transforming power through their witness.  We thank you God for the increasing number of partnerships with local churches, temples and mosques and pray that religious leaders would be able to play an important role in increasing inclusion of people affected by leprosy within their faith communities and the local community.

  We thank you God for the church leaders who are active in the detection of new cases of leprosy and for the large numbers of new cases they have found in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.  We pray that through the voluntary efforts of churches many more hidden cases will be found.  We thank you God for the church-led Disability Resource Centres in Myanmar, who, in the absence of Government services, will effectively provide for the needs of people affected by leprosy and/or disability.

We ask for your blessing, God, on The Leprosy Mission’s third annual Global Day of Prayer on Wednesday 10th May.  We pray that their staff, supporters, volunteers, and Board Members will be able to put their regular work to the side for a day and seek you in prayer on this day.  May you speak to us with your mighty wisdom.

 We pray for Kylie Conomos and her work as Chaplain at Bald Hills State School, that she is receiving the necessary support from the School and the volunteers helping her, that she is finding that what she is doing is making a difference in the lives of children and families with whom she is coming into contact.  We pray for continued financial and prayer support for her from local Churches.

  We thank you for those who have dedicated their time to the leading of RI classes at Bald Hills State School.  We thank you for their answering the call to share the Gospel in this way, and pray that you will bless their efforts and that the Holy Spirit will reach out and touch the hearts of the children who attend the classes.

   We pray for those whom we have not seen for some time.  We pray for your continuing care for them, and thank you that we can still maintain contact via email or telephone call.  May they be assured of our continuing concern for their well-being.

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

You are invited to listen or sing along to this YouTube clip of the Hymn ‘Immortal invisible, God only wise’  (TiS143  AHB80  MHB34)

Walter Smith

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 listen or sing along to this YouTube clip of the Hymn ‘It was finished upon that cross’

Keith and Kristyn Getty

Benediction    

“All hail the power of Jesus’ name”

All hail the power of Jesus’ name!
Mine, mine shall be the tears of shame
That such a Saviour was denied,
Was scourged, condemned and crucified;
Yet, blessed news—He lives again!
The Powers of darkness were in vain!
Let all the Earth His name extol,
And crown Him, crown Him, Lord of all!

Charles Hutchinson Gabriel
Source: Great Revival Hymns No. 2 #186

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

Benediction Song

You are invited to listen or sing along to first verse and chorus of this YouTube clip of the Hymn ‘Never lose sight of Jesus’  (Alexander’s Hymns No. 3 number 6) as the benediction song: