WELCOME –
Song: ‘Draw the circle wide’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bPDomZb9Y
Draw the circle wide, draw it wider still.
Let this be our song: no one stands alone.
Standing side by side, draw the circle, draw the circle wide…
God the still-point of the circle, round you all creation turns
Nothing lost but held forever, in God’s gracious arms.
Let our hearts touch far horizons, so encompass great and small
Let our loving know no borders, faithful to God’s call.
Let the dreams we dream be larger, than we’ve ever dreamed before
Let the dream of Christ be in us, open every door!
Mark Miller & Gordon Light © 2008 Common Cup Company. Abingdon Press. Used with permission
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF COUNTRY
We gather on this first day of this new week of God’s creation on Dharawal land. We acknowledge their continuous link with the land and its Creator. Today we join them in celebration acknowledging their elders past and present and our journey together of justice making and reconciliation.
CANDLE LIGHTING
The stone is rolled away. Light still conquers darkness; love, our defining symbol, conquers hatred; courageous Peace conquers fear. Go and do likewise, for Christ is risen. We light the Christ candle.
CALL TO WORSHIP
Loving Lord Jesus, son of the Creator, flesh of our flesh, we greet you on this, your day.
Engage with each one by name, calm our fears, upset our complacency, let our voices sing you praise.
For we gather in your name that we might be your salt, light & leaven this week. In Jesus’ name.
WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS
GOSPEL READING Sarah
JOHN 13: 31 – 35 (NIV) When he (Judas) was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once. “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
SONG – ‘We are one in the Spirit’ To be sung unaccompanied Leanne
We are one in the Spirit
We are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit
We are one in the Lord
And we pray that all unity
May one day be restored.
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love by our love
Yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love
We will walk with each other
We will walk hand in hand
We will walk with each other
We will walk hand in hand
And together we’ll spread the news
That God is in our land.
We will work with each other
We will work side by side
We will work with each other
We will work side by side
And we’ll guard each one’s dignity
And save each one’s pride.
All praise to the One
From whom all things come
And all praise to Christ Jesus
God’s only Son
And all praise to the Spirit
Who makes us one.
CCLI Song # 26997 Peter Scholtes © Words: 1966 F.E.L. Publications. Assigned 1991 The Lorenz Corporation (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.) Music: 1966 F.E.L. Publications. Assigned 1991 The Lorenz Corporation (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.) For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com
CCLI Licence # 31951
NT READING Peter
ACTS 11: 1 – 17 (The Message) The news travelled fast and in no time the leaders and friends back in Jerusalem heard about it—heard that the non-Jewish “outsiders” were now “in.” When Peter got back to Jerusalem, some of his old associates, concerned about circumcision, called him on the carpet: “What do you think you’re doing rubbing shoulders with that crowd, eating what is prohibited and ruining our good name?” So Peter, starting from the beginning, laid it out for them step-by-step: “Recently I was in the town of Joppa praying. I fell into a trance and saw a vision: Something like a huge blanket, lowered by ropes at its four corners, came down out of heaven and settled on the ground in front of me. Milling around on the blanket were farm animals, wild animals, reptiles, birds—you name it, it was there. Fascinated, I took it all in.
“Then I heard a voice: ‘Go to it, Peter—kill and eat.’ I said, ‘Oh, no, Master. I’ve never so much as tasted food that wasn’t kosher.’ The voice spoke again: ‘If God says it’s okay, it’s okay.’ This happened three times, and then the blanket was pulled back up into the sky. “Just then three men showed up at the house where I was staying, sent from Caesarea to get me. The Spirit told me to go with them, no questions asked. So I went with them, I and six friends, to the man who had sent for me. He told us how he had seen an angel right in his own house, real as his next-door neighbour, saying, ‘Send to Joppa and get Simon, the one they call Peter. He’ll tell you something that will save your life—in fact, you and everyone you care for.’ “So I started in, talking. Before I’d spoken half a dozen sentences, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as he did on us the first time. I remembered Jesus’ words: ‘John baptized with water; you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ So I ask you: If God gave the same exact gift to them as to us when we believed in the Master Jesus Christ, how could I object to God?”
In this we hear God’s word of Life. Thanks be to God! Amen
PRAYER OF CONFESSION inspired by Revelation 21: 1 – 7
Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth’
Forgive us Lord, for not believing that life can be any different from what we have experienced;
‘I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God’
Forgive us Lord, our inability to trust in your plan and purpose for our lives;
“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and God will dwell with them’.
Forgive us Lord, for not believing that you are with us in our lives and live amongst us;
Now and on that day ‘God will wipe every tear from our eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’
Suffering and tears, death and loss will not have or be the last word. Hallelujah.
‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End’.
You are the beginning, purpose and destination for our lives, not ourselves – help us trust in this;
You are our God, we are fed and sustained by your Spirit, we are not alone, we will not be afraid.
May this your Word and these our words set us free to be your people of healing and hope. Amen
MESSAGE “All you need is love” Rev Paul Bartlett
HYMN ‘O God of earth and space’ from ‘Together in Song’, 473
O God of earth and space
Of sea and fire and air
Your providence surrounds us here
And everywhere
In fruit and grain and tree
In shelter from the cold
In cooling breezes flowing wells
Now as of old.
Where faithfulness is shown
Where love and truth abound
Where beauty graces human life
There You are found
Inspirer of all thought
Creative force of art
The melody on every tongue
In every heart.
Wherever freedom reigns
Where sin is overthrown
Where justice fused with mercy rules
There You are known
Give us the courage clear
To make the earth a home
For all to live in harmony
In Christ’s shalom.
Your word commands response
And summons us to love
We follow
Strengthened by Your grace
In calm or strife
Our ever present help
Our challenge and our prod
We praise You
Now and to life’s end
Eternal God.
CCLI Song # 1725668 Jane Parker Huber | Meyer Lyon | Thomas Olivers © Words: 1980 Huber, Jane Parker (Admin. by Westminster John Knox Press) Music: Public Domain For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com CCLI Licence # 31951
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Sue
HYMN TIS 670 ‘Jesus put this song into our hearts’
Jesus put this song into our hearts
Jesus put this song into our hearts
It’s a song of joy no one can take away
Jesus put this song into our hearts.
Jesus taught us how to live in harmony
Jesus taught us how to live in harmony
Different faces different races He made us one
Jesus taught us how to live in harmony.
Jesus taught us how to be a family
Jesus taught us how to be a family
Loving one another with the love that He gives
Jesus taught us how to be a family.
Jesus turned our sorrow into dancing
Jesus turned our sorrow into dancing
Changed our tears of sadness into rivers of joy
Jesus turned our sorrow into a dance.
CCLI Song # 48119 Graham Kendrick © 1986 Thankyou Music (Admin. by SHOUT! Music Publishing Australia)
For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com CCLI Licence # 31951
BENEDICTION
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