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Acknowledgement of Country
This land is God’s land and God’s Spirit dwells here.
We acknowledge the Dharawal People, the traditional custodians of this land and pay our respects to elders past and present and emerging.
We thank them for their continued care of the land and the waters.
We commit ourselves to working for reconciliation in this land and may we continue to think of, pray for and connect with First Nations Peoples.
Light the candle
As we light the candle today, we remember the despondency and distress of the disciples after the events of the first Easter when all seemed dark and hopeless. You are the light of the World, guiding our steps, and lightening the dark places in our lives. There is no place your light cannot reach. Amen.
Welcome
Opening Prayer
Loving God as Jesus spoke with the travellers on the road, speak with us, receive our uncertainty and our misgivings, receive our recognition and our worship.
Walk behind, beside, beyond. Catch us unawares. Break through whatever clouds our vision so we may open our hearts to hear you and to share with each other so we can with wide eyed wonder find our way to worship you this morning. Amen
SONG Open our eyes Lord we want to see Jesus.
Open our eyes Lord
We want to see Jesus
To reach out and touch Him
And say that we love Him
Open our ears Lord
And help us to listen
Open our eyes Lord
We want to see Jesus.
Open our eyes Lord
We want to see Jesus
To reach out and touch Him
And say that we love Him
Open our ears Lord
And help us to listen
Open our eyes Lord
We want to see Jesus
Open our eyes Lord
We want to see Jesus.
Prayer of Adoration and Confession:
God of the road, as we journey on our daily paths,
how wonderful it is to know that you are there with us,
through every bump and twist,
your loving presence beside us each step of the way.
Jesus of the road, as we journey on our daily paths,
how wonderful it is to know that you are there with us,
guiding and showing us the way,
teaching us and reminding us of the right path to walk.
Holy Spirit of the road, as we journey on our daily paths,
how wonderful it is to know that you are there with us,
inspiring our thoughts,
inspiring our words,
inspiring our lives and lighting the path ahead.
For the times we have failed to acknowledge your presence and have chosen our own paths,
forgotten our fellow travellers and ignored your promptings we are sorry,
sorry that we have lost our way from not listening to you or following Christ’s example.
Forgive us, God.
Forgive us and set us on the right path once again,
ready to recognise you in our midst,
ready to recognise your Way.
Enable us to set out on the road of life again, ready to love and to be loved.
Amen.
Words of Affirmation:
This is the good news.
No matter where we find ourselves on life’s journey,
Jesus comes and travels with us,
Jesus offers us new life at every turn of the path.
Thanks be to God.
Amen.
The Peace:
God makes peace within us.
Let us claim it.
God makes peace between us.
Let us share it.
The peace of God is here to stay.
Let us know it.
The peace of God be with you always.
Amen (adapted from Rev Rex AE Hunt)
PSALM 100 – A psalm. For giving grateful praise.
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his[a];
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
THANKFULNESS Interaction
What are we thankful for? Where has God been in your week?
Take a few minutes to speak to someone near you and share something that you are thankful for this week. Ask zoom people to use chat.
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Loving God, We gather all we have named and those things we have not named and give you thanks for we are richly blessed with a world of diversity and beauty. Thank You for giving us opportunities to share and celebrate. We are thankful for each other and the beauty of your world. Thank you for all the joys that we have shared today. Amen.
SONG – For the Beauty of the Earth
For the beauty of the earth,
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.
Refrain:
Lord of all, to you we raise,
This our sacrifice of praise.
For the beauty of each hour
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon, and stars of light.
For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child.
Friends on earth and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild.
For your Church that evermore
Lift its holy hands above,
Offering up on every shore
A pure sacrifice of love.
For yourself, O Gift Divine!
To our world so freely given;
For that love, from which will shine,
Peace on earth and joy in heaven.
BIBLE READINGS
Acts 2:14a, 36-47 Peter Addresses the Crowd (continuing from last week’s reading)
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
The Fellowship of the Believers
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Luke 24 13-35 (Read by Richard)
The Walk to Emmaus
13 On that same day two of Jesus’ followers were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking to each other about all the things that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed, Jesus himself drew near and walked along with them; 16 they saw him, but somehow did not recognize him. 17 Jesus said to them, “What are you talking about to each other, as you walk along?”
They stood still, with sad faces. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have been happening there these last few days?”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“The things that happened to Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. “This man was a prophet and was considered by God and by all the people to be powerful in everything he said and did. 20 Our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and he was crucified. 21 And we had hoped that he would be the one who was going to set Israel free! Besides all that, this is now the third day since it happened. 22 Some of the women of our group surprised us; they went at dawn to the tomb, 23 but could not find his body. They came back saying they had seen a vision of angels who told them that he is alive. 24 Some of our group went to the tomb and found it exactly as the women had said, but they did not see him.”
25 Then Jesus said to them, “How foolish you are, how slow you are to believe everything the prophets said! 26 Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and then to enter his glory?” 27 And Jesus explained to them what was said about himself in all the Scriptures, beginning with the books of Moses and the writings of all the prophets.
28 As they came near the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther; 29 but they held him back, saying, “Stay with us; the day is almost over, and it is getting dark.” So, he went in to stay with them. 30 He sat down to eat with them, took the bread, and said the blessing; then he broke the bread and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Wasn’t it like a fire burning in us when he talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”
33 They got up at once and went back to Jerusalem, where they found the eleven disciples gathered together with the others 34 and saying, “The Lord is risen indeed! He has appeared to Simon!”
35 The two then explained to them what had happened on the road, and how they had recognized the Lord when he broke the bread.
Prayer for John before the message
SERMON – John
SONG – we listened to “This could be heaven for everyone” by Queen.
OFFERING and prayer
We give in grateful thanksgiving for all that God has given us.
In the upside-down world of the gospel,
we measure our wealth not by what we have,
but what we can give away.
Let us give generously, gifts of money, of food, the work of our hands, our hearts, and our lives
To bless your church, your people, and your creation. AMEN
PRAYERS Sue
Lord’s Prayer
BENEDICTION
As we go into the rest of the week, remember that we go in the company of God, who travels alongside us and in whom we can trust. May you meet Jesus the Christ, In your going, In your sharing, And in your living, Amen
LEAVING SONG –
For Everyone Born, A Place At The Table
For everyone born, a place at the table, for everyone born, clean water and bread, a shelter, a space, a safe place for growing, for everyone born, a star overhead,
and God will delight when we are creators of justice and joy, compassion, and peace: yes, God will delight when we are creators of justice, justice, and joy!
For all who share life, a place at the table, revising the roles, deciding the share, with wisdom and grace, dividing the power, for all who share life, a system that’s fair,
and God will delight, etc.,
For all who have breath, a place at the table, a covenant shared, a welcoming space, a rainbow of race and gender and colour, for all who have breath, the chalice of grace,
and God will delight, etc.,
For you and for me, a place at the table, though wounded and sore, with need to forgive, in anger, in hurt, a mindset of mercy, for you and for me, a new way to live,
and God will delight, etc.
For everyone born, a place at the table, to live without fear, and simply to be, to work, to speak out, to witness and worship, for everyone born, the right to be free,
and God will delight when we are creators of justice and joy, compassion and peace: yes, God will delight when we are creators of justice, justice and joy!
Words © 1998 Hope PubPublishing Company, 380 S Main Pl, Carol Stream, IL 60188
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