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Old illustration depicting Robert Estienne, famous French printer, and other learned men of his circle. Created by Popelm, published on L’Illustration Journal Universel, Paris, 1857

  Yesterday marked 465 years since the death of Robert Estienne in 1559.  (entry for 7 September in This Day in Christian History by William Blake)  Why should we remember Robert Estienne you may ask?

  He was a noted printer and scholar of classical languages; Latin, Greek and Hebrew.  He became the “Royal Typographer” to the French monarch, King Francis I from 1539 until his death in 1547.    He is also remembered for his preparation and publication of the Old Testament in Hebrew and of the New Testament in Greek, the publication of a French language Bible in 1553, and his contribution towards the publication in 1560 of an early English language version of the Bible, the Geneva Bible. 

(https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-ink, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-I-Estienne, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Estienne,  The Lion Handbook to the bible p78)

  But how has Robert Estienne continued to influence the publication and the reading of the Bible today, and, conceivably, will continue to do so well into the future?

  “It was Robert Estienne who created the best and final system of verse division and numbering that our Bibles exhibit today.” 

(https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-ink, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-I-Estienne, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Estienne) 

  Something to remember for Bible trivia evenings.

  It was his study of the Bible in its original languages, Hebrew and Greek, that led Robert Estienne to become involved with the Reformation movement, and, subsequently, conflict with the Catholic Church.  “The hostility of theologians at (the French University), the Sorbonne, forced Estienne to leave Paris for Geneva in 1551.” 

(https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-I-Estienne, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Estienne)

  But his faith in God did not waiver.

“Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which can never be shaken, never be moved.”  (Psalm 125: 1) 

  Mount Zion, the highest part in the City of Jerusalem on which the Temple was built, is seen as something that is unshakably firm, a sure foundation for the buildings which are sited upon it.  People’s trust in God is being described in the same way, that is, it is a trust that is unshakably firm, a trust that is based on the power and authority of God.  But more than that, the Temple on Mount Zion represents God’s faithfulness in honouring His Covenant agreement with His people, the guarantee of Israel’s salvation and hope.  (Artur Weiser in The Psalms p757 and 758) 

  We too experience God’s protecting presence surrounding us.  We too hold onto the promise of God to honour His Covenant agreement with us, as the guarantee of our salvation and our eternal hope.  As we gather for worship let us be assured that our trust in God can never be shaken, that our trust in God can never be moved.

Prayer of Praise    

  Almighty God, we give to you our adoration because you are the author and giver of all good things; for through your goodness towards us we are nourished; for through your great mercy we are kept safe and secure.  We are blessed because you fill us with your gift of love and share with us the joys of your Kingdom.  We can rest assured that your love is constant and that you will keep your promises towards us for ever.

  Almighty God, we offer you our thanks, because our lives are graced by your faithfulness and your glory.  You delivered the Israelites of old from enslavement and death simply because you loved them.  You delivered us from enslavement to sin and death through the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ.  As the Passover marked a new stage in the history of the Hebrew people, so the death and resurrection of Jesus marked a new stage of your relationship with Humanity.  Eternal God, your act of reconciliation astounds us, living as we do in a World that seeks to settle its differences by force and the death of opposition.  Yet, Lord, you seek life, our life, to be shared with you in glory.  We come humbly before you with our everlasting thanks for your mercy towards us.

  We pray, loving God, that we will not take anything for granted, but will recall with grateful hearts what you have given for us in the past, for your reassuring presence with us right now, and for what you promise to do for us in our future.  We come to you, in adoration and praise, for all that you are and all that you will be.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the Song: ‘Father welcomes all His children’ 

Chorus

Father welcomes all His children

to His family through His Son,

Father giving His salvation,

life forever has been won.

Verse 1 of 3

Little children, come to me,

for my Kingdom is of these;

life and love I have to give,

mercy for your sin.

Chorus

Father welcomes all His children

to His family through His Son,

Father giving His salvation,

life forever has been won.

Verse 2 of 3

In the water, in the Word

is His promise, be assured:

those who are baptised and believe

shall be born again.

Chorus

Father welcomes all His children

to His family through His Son,

Father giving His salvation,

life forever has been won.

Verse 3 of 3

Let us daily die to sin

let us daily rise with Him,

walk in the love of Christ, our Lord,

live in the peace of God.

Chorus

Father welcomes all His children

to His family through His Son,

Father giving His salvation,

life forever has been won.

Robin Mann

Prayer of Confession   

Merciful God, we are filled with a sense of wonder and joy that you should care for us so deeply.  But such care for us forces us to examine our response to such an outpouring of love on your behalf. 

Sadly, we confess that there are times when our words and actions, our weak and unconvincing witness, denies the existence of your love. 

When our behaviour is patterned more on the values of the world than the values of Jesus, please forgive us.  When we clothe ourselves with habits which reflect our own selfish desires rather than the selfless nature of Jesus,

please forgive us. 

When the lives of neighbours are unravelling because of poverty, broken relationships, substance abuse, and discrimination, and we fail to love them as Jesus loves us,

please forgive us. 

Merciful God, you are always more ready to hear us than we are to pray to you, you are resolute in purpose, but our will wavers, you endower us with gifts and talents which we are hesitant to use, you are always ready to offer comfort and care while we are quick to criticise and blame. 

In these ways we have failed to be the light of the World that you have called us to be.  Please forgive us.

Merciful God, we come before you dependent upon your grace, which gives us so much more of your love than we deserve.  We come, dependent upon your mercy, which withholds the just judgement that we deserve. 

We come, dependent upon your forgiveness, which removes our guilt and remembers our sins no more.  We come, desiring to know you better and to take on your likeness in our lives.  Please take the frayed strands of our lives and weave them into something beautiful.  To your glory we pray.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness  (from James 2: 1 and 5) 

James, in his letter, states that God has chosen us to be rich in faith and that we will possess the Kingdom which He promised to those who love Him.  As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, let us be assured then that having confessed our sins before God, that God has heard us, that God has responded in love by forgiving us, and that God readily welcomes us into a renewed fellowship with Him.

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

Deuteronomy 11:

8  Moses said to the People of Israel,

“Obey everything that I have commanded you today.  Then you will be able to cross the River Jordan and occupy the land that you are about to enter.  9  And you will live a long time in the rich and fertile land that the LORD promised to give to your ancestors and their descendants.  10  The land you are about to occupy is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted grain and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden.  11  But the land that you are about to enter is a land of mountains and valleys, a land watered by rain.  12  The LORD your God takes care of this land and watches over it throughout the year.”

Psalm 34:

1  I will always thank the LORD: I will never stop praising Him.

2  I will praise Him for what He has done; may all who are oppressed listen and be glad!

3  Proclaim with me the LORD’s greatness; let us praise His name together.

15  The LORD watches over the righteous and listens to their cries;  16  but He opposes those who do evil, so that when they die, they are soon forgotten.

17  The righteous call to the LORD, and He listens; He rescues them from all their troubles.

18  The LORD is near to those who are discouraged; He saves those who have lost all hope.

Ephesians 2:

11  Remember, then your former condition: you Gentiles, as you are outwardly, by birth, ‘the uncircumcised’, so called by those who are called ‘the circumcised’, (but only with reference to an outward rite),  12  you were at that time separate from Christ, strangers to the community of Israel, outside God’s covenants and the promise that goes with them.  Your world was a world without hope and without God.

13  But now, in union with Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near through the shedding of Christ’s blood.  14  For he is himself our peace.  Gentiles and Jews, he has made the two one, and in his own body of flesh and blood has broken down the enmity which stood like a dividing wall between them;  15  for he annulled the Law with its rules and regulations, so as to create out of the two a single new Humanity in himself, thereby making peace.  16  This was his purpose, to reconcile the two in a single body to God through the cross, on which he destroyed the enmity.  17  So Christ came and proclaimed the good news: peace to you who were far off, and peace to those who were near by;  18  for through him we both alike have access to the Father in the one Spirit. 

[Revised Standard Version, Today’s English Version, New English Bible]

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Mark 14:

12  On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the day that lambs for the Passover Meal were killed, Jesus’s Disciples asked him,

“Where do you want us to go and get the Passover Meal ready for you?”

13  Then Jesus sent two of them with these instructions,

“Go into the City, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you.  Follow him  14  to the house he enters, and say to the owner of the house:

‘The Teacher says,

“Where is the room where my Disciples and I will eat the Passover Meal.”’

15  Then he will show you a large upstairs room, fixed up and furnished, where you will get everything ready for us.”

16  The Disciples left, went to the City, and found everything just as Jesus had told them; and they prepared the Passover Meal.

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 “In our work we do each day”

(This YouTube clip is for another hymn, but is used here for the tune)

Verse 1 of 4

In our work we do each day

Jesus, ever with us stay,

may we always strive to be

true and faithful unto Thee.

Chorus

Then we truthfully can sing,

“We are children of the King.”.

Verse 2 of 4

May we in your strength subdue

evil tempers, words untrue,

thoughts impure and deeds unkind,

all things hateful to your mind.

Chorus

Then we truthfully can sing,

“We are children of the King.”.

Verse 3 of 4

Jesus, from your throne above

deign to fill us with your love,

so that all around may see

we belong, dear Lord, to Thee.

Chorus

Then we truthfully can sing,

“We are children of the King.”.

Verse 4 of 4

Children of the King are we,

may we loyal to Him be,

try to please Him every day,

in our work we do each day.

Chorus

Then we truthfully can sing,

“We are children of the King.”.

Whitfield Wills

Sermon I am certain that we are all familiar with the term, DNA.  Most of us would know that the three letters are the symbol for the Deoxyribonucleic Acid molecule. 

  Nucleic acids such as DNA, transmit the coded instructions of heredity.  They enable living cells to manufacture the materials necessary for life, such as proteins.

(Encyclopedia International volume 13 p302, https://www.sciencehistory.org/education/scientific-biographies/james-watson-francis-crick-maurice-wilkins-and-rosalind-franklin/)

  Aside from identical twins, “every single person’s DNA is unique.”  (David Holzer in Prime Suspect  Suspect Identification System p27)  , “within a single DNA molecule there is a sequence of information unique to each individual”  (Alec Jeffreys quoted in Crime & Detection by Brian Lane p45)   As such, DNA profiling is a standard process for identifying people who were present at a crime scene or to identify a body, including the gender of the person.

  Peta Credlin, in her article in last Sunday’s Sunday Mail, referred to just such a topic when she said,

“You either have the XX chromosomes that define your gender as a woman or you do not.” 

(Peta Credlin in Parliament must now redefine what it means to be a woman in The Sunday Mail 1 September 2024 p29)  She is, of course, referring to the basic DNA difference between a female and a male, with females having XY chromosomes and males having XX chromosomes.  But what was the context for her statement?

  In the previous weekend’s edition of The Weekend Australian was an article about a Ms Roxanne Tickle, who was born a male but who “underwent gender-affirming surgery and is now designated as female on her birth certificate”.  (Joanne Panagopoulos in Sex is changeable, judge rules in The Weekend Australian 24-25 August 2024 p3)  Ms Tickle applied to join a female only telephone app, Giggle for Girls, but was initially refused, because “she did not look sufficiently female”, so the owner of this app claimed.  Ms Tickle took legal action, claiming discrimination, because, as she was legally a female according to her ‘new or amended’ birth certificate, there were no grounds for refusing her access to a female only app.  Ms Tickle won the case, with the Judge finding that the owner of the app, Giggle for Girls, did discriminate against Ms Tickle.  Federal Court Justice Robert Bromwich stated that determining a person’s gender cannot be made using “visual criteria”.  Rather, he said, “gender is changeable and non-binary”.  (Joanne Panagopoulos in Sex is changeable, judge rules in The Weekend Australian 24-25 August 2024 p3) 

  Peta Credlin highlighted the broader issue that this finding “makes a mockery of female equality”, because it means that “biological males claiming to be women must be accepted as women (because there are no grounds to do otherwise).”  (Peta Credlin in Parliament must now redefine what it means to be a woman in The Sunday Mail 1 September 2024 p29)    She continued saying,

“You either have the XX chromosomes that define your (gender) as a woman or you do not, and no amount of hormones, (gender-affirming) surgery or birth certificate updates can change that.”  (Peta Credlin in Parliament must now redefine what it means to be a woman in The Sunday Mail 1 September 2024 p29) 

  I have gone into such a lengthy introduction because it highlights two issues.  Firstly, my opinion is that Ms Roxanne Tickle is living a lie.  She was born with XY chromosomes in her DNA.  She still has XY chromosomes in her DNA.  She is living as if she has XX chromosomes in her DNA.  As such, she has refused to accept the reality of her biological DNA, which indicates that she was born as a unique male person.  Secondly, as Peta Credlin hints, but doesn’t quite state explicitly, Ms Tickle is being supported in her claim to be allowed to live her lie by the legal system and by the predominant societal opinion, because there is no broadly accepted and supported standard for determining what is an appropriate lifestyle when someone seeks to present themselves socially as female when the reality is that they are biologically a male.

  Why is there not such a standard broadly accepted and supported throughout Society?

  We read in the Book of Genesis, God declaring on the sixth day of Creation,

“Let us make Man in Our image, according to Our likeness”  (Genesis 1: 26) 

  Derek Kidner writes that “the ‘image’ is Humanity’s indelible constitution as a rational and morally responsible being, and the ‘likeness’ is that spiritual accord with the will of God which was lost at the Fall but renewed as we allow God to work in our lives  (Ephesians 4: 24, Colossians 3: 10).”  (Derek Kidner in Genesis  An Introduction and Commentary p51) 

  Meredith Kline writes, that people are personal-religious creatures involved in a responsible historical relationship with God.  This divine image is neither losable nor reducible, (and) its ethical direction assumes its proper form in conformity to God’s will.”

  (Meredith Kline in Genesis in The New Bible Commentary p83) 

  What these authors are saying is that Humanity is created by God to interact and relate to Him, to think and act “rationally”, to be “morally responsible” in our relationships with others, and that our lives are fulfilled only as we live “in conformity to the will of God”.

  But the account of Ms Roxanne Tickle and the judgement reached by Federal Court Justice Robert Bromwich suggests otherwise.  So, what has happened?

  Paul writes to the Church in Rome saying,“People know God, but they do not give Him the honour that belongs to Him, nor do they thank Him.  Instead, their thoughts have become complete nonsense, and their empty minds are filled with darkness.”  (Romans 1: 21)  

  Geoffrey Wilson writes that Humanity has not retained “the knowledge of God as God”, that Humanity seeks “to live independently of God and of Humanity’s obligations towards God”, that Humanity does not seek to live according to God’s standards, that, in refusing the true knowledge of God, their thinking has become “vain and prone to error”, and that there is a reliance upon “philosophical enlightenment” for a direction in life, which is “devoid of any spiritual enlightenment”.  (Geoffrey Wilson in Romans  A Digest of Reformed Comment p28 & 29) 

  So, we understand, then, that there is an almost universal refusal by people to acknowledge their obligation to give glory to God, and, as such, there is an almost universal refusal to accept the reality of their ‘spiritual DNA’.  There is an almost universal refusal to accept our obligation to abide by God’s standards in terms of how we are to live our lives and how we are to relate to our neighbours.  And if you are interested to look into it later for yourselves, my understanding is that the particular standard set by God that relates specifically to Ms Tickle is found in Deuteronomy 22: 5.

  But what of us who do accept the reality of our ‘spiritual DNA’, “who love the Lord our God, who earnestly repent of our sin and who seek to live in peace with one another”, as we declare at the Sacrament of Holy Communion?  Is there some way that we can be confident that we are complying with the will of God in our daily lives?

  One way in which we can develop this confidence is to ask ourselves how confident we are in accepting and applying what we read in God’s Word.  Do we place our trust and hope in what we read in the Bible?

  One test that we can apply is to look at the small details of what is in a passage.  If the small details are accurate, then we can have the confidence that the author knows about what they are writing and, thus, that they have written a trustworthy account.  If the small details are accurate, then the message about God and of our relationship with Him that we read in God’s Word is just as trustworthy.

  Using this guide, I want to look briefly at two passages, one from the Old Testament, and one from the New Testament.

  The first passage is from Deuteronomy 11: 10, where we read God telling the People of Israel,

“The land you are about to occupy is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted grain and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden.”

  I have read this verse from the New International Version.  There is a similar reading in many other versions of the Bible, such as the New English Version, The New Revised Standard Version, The King James Version, the New American Version, The Interlinear Bible, and the English Standard Version.

  But is does not read this way in the Good News Bible, where we read,

“(In Egypt) when you planted grain, you had to work hard to irrigate the fields.”

  Why has the Good News Bible translated this passage without mention of the word “foot”?  David Payne, in his Commentary on the Deuteronomy, writes that it is an “obscure phrase”, and, following the manner in which the Good News Bible has translated the verse, adds that it “must refer to irrigation”.  (David Payne in Deuteronomy  The Daily Study Bible p75) 

  John Walton and his co-authors go so far as to say that “There is no known irrigation method that would be identified as ‘watering by foot’.”  (John Walton, Victor Matthews and Mark Chavalas in The IVP Bible Background Commentary of the Old Testament p181) 

  This is the best illustration on the matter that I could find.  But look at it as I read this paragraph written by Henry Morton in his book In the Steps on the Master.

“While I was climbing the steep hill to the Russian (Orthodox) Church, I stopped to watch a gardener at work.  His land was watered by a series of little channels cut in the soil and dammed by a stopping of earth at various strategic points.  Whenever he wanted to irrigate a new portion of garden, he simply lifted his bare foot and kicked away the earth at come point so that water rushed forward into new places.”  (Henry Morton in In the Steps of the Master p144) 

  It was seeing this gardener at work that reminded Henry Morton  of this verse from Deuteronomy 11: 10, and was a clear illustration of what God was describing.  In looking at the above picture we can see how the unblocking of one of the furrows would allow water to flow down that furrow and to water the plants.

  Other authors write that this verse “is a reference to a water wheel and pump worked by the feet” so as to achieve the same purpose, to create a flow of water down furrows in a field.  (George Manley and Roland Harrison in Deuteronomy in The New Bible Commentary p218, Earl Kalland and Kenneth Barker in a Study Note in Deuteronomy in the NIV Study Bible p258)  And, there are references to a device called “an Egyptian water screw”, worked either by hand, by foot pedals or by oxen, which was used by the workers in the fields in Egypt to bring water up from a water supply to irrigate their crops and pastures.

  I prefer Henry Morton’s explanation, because when I read what Henry Morton had written, I could also clearly picture in my mind the “irrigating by the foot”.  But whichever option you prefer, this verse from Deuteronomy is not “an obscure phrase”, and does describe a “known irrigation method”.  It should be read as the original text reads, and it is completely trustworthy.

  Psalm 34 introduces two complimentary aspects of God’s nature, His greatness compared to Humanity and His compassion for Humanity.  Verse 1 has the context of a sharing of a space of worship, where the writer encourages those present to join them in a joyful proclamation of “the LORD’s greatness”, or as Leslie M^cCaw and Alec Motyer write, to speak of their “exuberant confidence in the Lord”.  (Leslie M^cCaw and Alec Motyer in The Psalms in The New Bible Commentary p472)  

  Artur Weiser writes that “The Old Testament always sees (that) behind every moral demand made upon people (is) the Will of God.”  (Artur Weiser in The Psalms p299)  As we comply with the Will of God, which we have discussed is integral to our being “made in God’s image, in His likeness”  (Genesis 1: 26)  , we have the confidence that God “watches over (us) and listens to (our) cries (for hep)”.  (Psalm 34: 15a)  God is described as being “our friend and our helper in adversity”  (Artur Weiser in The Psalms p299)  , “providing for our sustenance from His abundant provision and providing deliverance from all of our fears”  (Leslie M^cCaw and Alec Motyer in The Psalms in The New Bible Commentary p472)  , “particularly for those who have felt crushed by the wickedness of the World, or those who have almost lost hope”.  (George Knight in Psalms  The Daily Bible Study Bible volume 1 P164) 

  Such words are the basis upon which we can base our trust and hope that God will, in the same manner as he had done for the writer of Psalm 34, watch over us with His great compassion and provide for us from His abundant provision for our needs.

  Mark 14 has the context of Jesus and his Disciples travelling together for the last time to Jerusalem.  It is the time for the celebration of The Passover, and, as Jesus is their Leader, it is his role to organise for the Disciples where they were to hold their Passover Meal.  Thus, we have Jesus’s Disciples asking him,

“Where do you want us to go and get the Passover Meal ready for you?”  (Mark 14: 12) 

  And Mark’s writing continues,

“Then Jesus sent two of them with these instructions,

‘Go into the City, and a man carrying an earthenware jar of water will meet you.  Follow him to the house he enters, and say to the owner of the house:

‘The Teacher says,

“Where is the room where my Disciples and I will eat the Passover Meal.”’

Then he will show you a large upstairs room, fixed up and furnished, where you will get everything ready for us.”  (Mark 14: 13 to 15) 

  Now, the first question that may come to your mind upon reading this passage is,

“How will they know which is the right man who is carrying a jar of water, because, surely, they would meet many such men carrying a jar of water throughout the day?”   And the answer to this question is, “No, they would not likely have seen many men carrying water in an earthenware jar.”

Henry Morton, in his book In the Steps of the Master writes,

“To-day, as in Bible times, the well is the resting-place on a journey and the meeting place of all the village maidens and matrons in the morning and the evening.  The task of drawing water in earthenware jars is a purely feminine duty.”  (Henry Morton in In the Steps of the Master p150) 

  Such observations are made in Commentaries that discuss the matter.  (Lewis Foster in a Study Note in Luke in The NIV Studt Bible p1609, Graham Swift in Mark in The New Bible commentary p881) 

  Henry Morton continues saying,

“Until I came to Palestine, I pondered the apparent vagueness of such a direction.  Surely, I thought, the disciples would have seen many such men.  How then could they be certain which one to follow?  I now realise that Jesus was giving them explicit instructions which they could not mistake, for the sight of a man with a jar on his shoulder would be so unusual that everybody would notice him.”  (Henry Morton in In the Steps of the Master p151) 

  Here, we have a small passage of Scripture that is correct in every detail, that accurately describes the social customs of the day, and clearly enables the reader to follow the account and to understand what is taking place.  It is trustworthy in every aspect.

  Paul writes to the Church in Ephesus, repeating the message that had been passed on to them by those who first brought the Gospel to them, that:

“it is by God’s grace that we have been saved through faith, it is not the result of our own efforts.”  (Ephesians 2: 8 & 9) 

“For by the sacrificial death of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven.”  (Ephesians 1: 7) 

  This is the Gospel that brings peace of mind and peace of soul, knowing that we have been set free from our sins and that we have been reconciled to a right relationship with God.

  But Paul is careful to highlight the greatness of God’s grace.  (Ephesians 1: 7)  Paul reminds his readers that, whatever their religious or cultural backgrounds, Greek, Roman, Jewish, or whatever else, God’s grace extends to all people.

  He states clearly:

“So Christ came and preached the Good News of peace to all – to you Gentiles, who were far away from God, and to the Jews, who were near to him.”  (Ephesians 2: 17)  Paul is, here, quoting from the passage from Isaiah 57: 19.

  God doesn’t discriminate regarding those to whom he will show His love.  The truth is that God goes further than Human diplomacy or good works could ever achieve, in that God also seeks to break down the barriers that exist between people, uniting people under His Lordship through the saving work of Jesus Christ.

  Frank Thielman writes that “Christ, through his death, reconciled Gentiles (that is, all non-Jews) and Jews to one another, and (reconciles) a newly created people drawn from both groups to God.”  (Frank Thielman in Ephesians in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament edited by Gregory Beale and Donald Carson p817) 

  Francis Foulkes writes, “The sins of both Jews and Gentiles can be forgiven because of the death of Jesus Christ, and both can be brought near to God as never before, and so brought near to each other.  Divisions are overcome, not by an approaching or a receiving on either side, but by Christ’s coming and making peace for both.”  (Francis Foulkes in Ephesians p81) 

  This was a central aspect of Paul’s teaching for the Churches with whom he was in contact in Asia Minor and in Greece, and also in his encouragement of these early Christians as they sought to live out their new-found faith in the communities in which they lived.  And it is summed up in his benediction to his letter to the Philippian Church:

“And God’s peace, which is far beyond Human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 4: 7) 

  But, we, as the Church, should be ashamed of the “divisions” that we have created over the past two millennia, not just between the Church and the societies in which the Church ‘lives and has its being’, but, just as divisively, the divisions created within the wider Church, as we have separated ourselves into Denominations that barely relate to each other.  How Paul would have grieved.

  Here is a poem that I found during my daily Bible reading:

“The powers of darkness have blinded the race,

closing our eyes to the glories of grace;

but faith in the Saviour brings healing and sight –

he floods our soul with his truth and his light.”

(DJD in Captain Thunderbolt in Our Daily Bread 17 June 2008)

  As we consider “the powers of darkness” that lay behind the apathy expressed by our Society towards anything to do with Almighty God, and its antipathy towards complying with any of its obligations to God, based on our being created in the image and likeness of God, let us not cease to speak of our “exuberant confidence in the Lord”, and let us not cease to be assured that He constantly watches over us and listens for our cries for help.

  May we find peace in our hearts and in our minds, in our union with Christ Jesus, and as we express our praise of God for the greatness of His grace extended to us.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the hymn ‘God of grace and God of glory’ 

(This YouTube clip is for another hymn, but is used here for the tune)

Verse 1 of 4

God of grace and God of glory,

on your people pour your power;

crown your ancient Church’s story,

bring her bud to glorious flower.

Grant us wisdom,

grant us courage,

for the facing of this hour.

Verse 2 of 4

Lo, the hosts of evil round us

scorn your Christ, assail his ways!

Fears and doubts too long have bound us;

free our hearts to work and praise.

Grant us wisdom,

grant us courage,

for the living of these days.

Verse 3 of 4

Heal your children’s warring madness;

bend our pride to your control;

shame our wanton, selfish gladness,

rich in things and poor in soul.

Grant us wisdom,

grant us courage,

lest we miss your Kingdom’s goal.

Verse 4 of 4

Set our feet on lofty places;

gird our lives that they may be

armoured with all Christ-like graces

all to free Humanity.

Grant us wisdom,

grant us courage,

that we fail not Man nor Thee.

Harry Fosdick

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774

(This YouTube clip is for another hymn, but is used here for the tune)

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

Christ Jesus, you welcomed children and brought healing and hope to their lives. 

We pray that, as your Church, we will create places of welcome, care and safety for all children, reflecting your love and compassion.

God of comfort, we pray for children who have been neglected or abused. 

We pray that people will come into their lives who love and nurture them in healing and life-giving ways. 

We pray for child safety workers and those working in child protection,

thanking you for their dedication and the gifts they bring to their vocation to protect and improve the lives of children.  We pray that you will sustain their vision and uphold them in love and grace.

Christ Jesus, as your Church, you call us to be a faithful embodiment of your care and love. 

We lament when we have failed to be communities of safety and care.  Challenge and correct us in our failure, and reform our life. 

We commit ourselves as your Church to being places of safety, free of abuse and exploitation.  We commit ourselves as your Church to be communities where people can flourish in ways of trust and love. 

We pray that your Spirit will empower us to be advocates for a society in which all children can flourish.

(Deidre Palmer 2017 for UCA National Child Safe Week 2021)

We pray for those students who are undertaking training in Scripture Union courses in chaplaincy and pastoral care. 

We thank you for their willingness to serve you in these fields and ask that you will guide and strengthen them as they develop the right skills and understandings.

We pray for those involved in chaplaincy work in schools and colleges. 

Guide and equip them to provide consolation in times of loss, counsel in times of stress, and comfort in times of need.

We pray for the volunteers who assist in the mission of Scripture Union across Queensland, asking that you will protect them in their travels.

Encourage them as they interact with children and youth, and guide them to be your witnesses in every circumstance and situation in which they may find themselves. 

We pray for the planning and organising for the Scripture Union camps taking place during the coming School holidays. 

We pray for the leaders that they are confident with their preparations.  We pray for the leaders that they are enthusiastic about relating to those who will be attending.  We pray for the cooks and helpers that they will know exactly what and how they are to undertake their tasks.

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.

You are invited to listen to, or join in singing the hymn: “Lord, whose love in humble service” 

(This YouTube clip is for another hymn, but is used here for the tune)

Verse 1 of 3

Lord, whose love in humble service

bore the weight of Human need,

who did on the cross, forsaken,

work your mercy’s perfect deed:

we, your servants, bring the worship

not of voice alone, but heart;

consecrating to your purpose

every gift you do impart.

Verse 2 of 3

As we worship, grant us vision

till your love’s revealing light,

in its height and depth and greatness,

dawns upon our quickened sight;

making known the needs and burdens

your compassion bids us bear,

stirring us to tireless striving

your abundant life to share.

Verse 3 of 3

Called from worship unto service

forth in your dear name we go,

to the child, the youth, the aged,

love in living deeds to show.

Hope and health, goodwill and comfort,

counsel, aid and peace we give,

that your children, Lord in freedom

May your mercy know, and live.

Albert Bayly

Benediction    

May we go into the days ahead with the knowledge and reassurance that God’s love is without parallel and cannot fail to provide for us and to protect us, those whom God loves.  May we move forward, putting our faith into words and actions that speak of the love of God and the power of God working in the lives of people.  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: “Father, bless us as we go” 

Father, bless us as we go;

Jesus, walk beside us;

Holy Spirit, guide us.

(Repeat)

Robin Mann