You can watch the bible readings and sermon here, or scroll down to read the rest of the Sunday prayers and content, and watch this video at the point it occurs during worship.
GATHERING THE PEOPLE
Opening Song: Hannah’s Song
Welcome and Announcements
We believe all people are made in the image of God and that no matter their experience of life or their gender, sexuality, status or standing in the community they are welcome in this space where Christ Jesus is acknowledged as Lord. His ministry is one of inclusion, teaching, healing and love.
We seek to do and be the same through the inspiration, power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
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 under God. We commit ourselves again to working for reconciliation in this land.
Call to worship
Our hearts rejoice in God, our rock.
God is the one who placed the foundations of the world.
God is the one who thunders from the heavens.
All: We bring our praise to you, O God,
who raises the poor up from the dust,
who turns the whole world upside down!
In this place we light the candle to remind us that as we meet, Christ is in our midst, Christ is the light of the world and Christ is our hope. Lighten the dark places of this world and the dark places of our minds with that Hope and reassurance.
Prayer Of Invocation/Welcome
God-beyond-control,
God who defies all expectations,
we pray with Hannah and with Mary today.
Even in this place, as we gather to worship,
we pray that your presence would surprise us,
turn us upside down,
transforming the world through your Spirit.
We pray in the name of the Christ whom we follow.
Amen.
Hymn: Among Us And Before Us
Among us and before us Lord You stand
With arms outstretched and bread and wine at hand
Confronting those unworthy of a crumb
You ask that to Your table we should come
Who dare say no when such is Your resolve
Our worst to witness suffer and absolve
Our best to raise in lives by God forgiven
Our souls to fill on earth with food from heaven
Who dare say no when such is Your intent
To love the selves we famish and resent
To cradle our uncertainties and fear
To kindle hope as You in faith draw near
No more we hesitate and wonder why
No more we stand indifferent scared or shy
Your invitation leads us to say yes
To meet You where You nourish heal and bless
CCLI Song # 2443313 Graham Maule | John L. Bell © 1989 WGRG, c/o Iona Community, Glasgow, Scotland For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com CCLI License # 31951
Prayer of adoration and confession
God,
you are beyond our understanding:
unfathomable, vast, enormous, beyond compare.
All: God, we cannot hold you inside our minds
And yet …sometimes, we put you in a box.
We think you will see things our way,
we assume you will be on our side,
All: We want you to turn to us instead of us turning to you.
Tear down the walls of our thinking.
Shatter our comfort.
Confront us with your justice.
All: Make us turn our lives around to follow you.
God, to pray like this is hard for us,
but we know there is no other way.
We trust you, help us to trust you more.
Amen.
Words of Assurance/Affirmation
God promises not to fulfil your expectations.
God promises to turn your life upside down instead.
God promises to be present in the person and stories of Jesus.
This God, who raises the poor from the dust,
lifts those in need from the ashes
and breaks the weapon of the warrior,
invites you to be part of the journey.
Amen.
HEARING THE WORD
Reading 1
Let us pray: God, please open our ears and minds and hearts so that as we hear the words of the Bible, you will speak to us and bring us new life.
The first reading is from 1 Samuel 1:4-20, and tells the story of a family from Ramah in ancient Israel – Elkanah, his many children and his two wives – going up to the town for the annual religious ceremonies and feasting. This is from the Contemporary English Version.
“Whenever Elkanah offered a sacrifice, he gave some of the meat to Peninnah and some to each of her sons and daughters. But he gave Hannah even more, because he loved Hannah very much, even though the Lord had kept her from having children of her own.
6 Peninnah liked to make Hannah feel miserable about not having any children, especially when the family went to the house of the Lord each year.
One day, Elkanah was there offering a sacrifice, when Hannah began crying and refused to eat. So Elkanah asked, “Hannah, why are you crying? Why won’t you eat? Why do you feel so bad? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”
9 When the sacrifice had been offered, and they had eaten the meal, Hannah got up and went to pray. (The priest) Eli was sitting in his chair near the door to the place of worship. Hannah was heartbroken and was crying as she prayed, “Lord All-Powerful, I am your servant, but I am so miserable! Please let me have a son. I promise to give him to you for as long as he lives, and his hair will never be cut.”
12-13 Hannah prayed silently to the Lord for a long time. But her lips were moving, and Eli thought she was drunk. “How long are you going to stay drunk?” he asked. “Sober up!”
15-16 “Sir, please don’t think I’m no good!” Hannah answered. “I’m not drunk, and I haven’t been drinking. But I do feel miserable and terribly upset. I’ve been praying all this time, telling the Lord about my problems.”
17 Eli replied, “Go home. Everything will be fine. The God of Israel will answer your prayer.”
18 “Sir, thank you for being so kind to me,” Hannah said. Then she left, and after eating something, she felt much better.
19 Elkanah and his family got up early the next morning and worshiped the Lord. Then they went back home to Ramah. Later the Lord blessed Elkanah and Hannah with a son. She named him Samuel because she had asked the Lord for him.”
Hymn/Song: Canticle of the Turning
My soul cries out with a joyful shout
That the God of my heart is great
And my spirit sings of the Wondrous things
That you bring to the ones who wait
You fixed your sight on your servant’s plight
And my weakness you did not spurn
So from east to west shall my name be blest
Could the world be about to turn?
Though I am small, my God, my all, you
Work great things in me
And your mercy will last from the Depths
Of the past to the end of the age to be
Your very name puts the proud to shame
And to those who would for you yearn
You will show your might
Put the strong to flight
For the world is about to turn
From the halls of power to the fortress tower
Not a stone will be left on stone
Let the king beware for your
Justice tears ev’ry tyrant from his throne
The hungry poor shall weep no more
For the food they can never ears
There are tables spread, ev’ry
Mouth be fed
For the world is about to turn
Though the nations rage from age to age
We remember
Who holds us fast
God’s mercy must deliver us from the conqueror’s crushing grasp
This saving word that out forebears
Heard is the promise which holds us bound
‘Til the spear and rod can be
Crushed by God
Who is turning the world around
My heart shall sing of the day you bring
Let the fires of your justice burn
Wipe away all tears
For the dawn draws near
And the world is about to turn!
Bible Reading 2
Our second bible reading is from 1 Samuel 2:1-10, and is known as Hannah’s Song:
Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the LORD; my strength is exalted in my God. My mouth derides my enemies because I rejoice in your victory.
There is no Holy One like the LORD, no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. Talk no more so very proudly; let not arrogance come from your mouth, for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.
The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry are fat with spoil. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn.
The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low; he also exalts.
He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world.
He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked will perish in darkness, for not by might does one prevail.
The LORD! His adversaries will be shattered; the Most High will thunder in heaven. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the power of his anointed.”
Reader: Through these readings we hear God speak.
All: Thank you, God, for your words of life.
Sue: In the second reading, we hear Hannah’s song and prayer.
Hannah believed that God would turn the world upside down.
Hannah wasn’t afraid of bringing her passion and fullness into her conversation with God. And she wasn’t afraid of naming the vastness of God and God’s habit of turning things topsy-turvy, disrupting things-as-they-are with the dream of things-as-they-could-and-should-be.
Hannah’s daring song is based on her understanding that God longs to bring about justice, that God provides enough for everyone, and that God’s attention and care are for those the world often discards.
(The congregation breaks into twos or threes to discuss:) If you could change something in the world, what would it be? How might God work through me to change the world?
Offertory prayer
Thank you to everyone as you bring your gifts of loving service and financial support through online giving. If you prefer to use cash, it can be placed in the wooden box at the back, and you can also make one-off donations via the QR code on the box. Let us pray:
Loving God, We give thanks for what we have to offer.
May you use it to turn the world upside down. Amen
Prayers of the people
Let us pray with inspiration from Hannah:
God, you turn the world upside down.
You are a whirlwind of justice.
For those who know injustice,
this whirlwind is good news.
For those who mete out injustice,
this whirlwind is deep, deep judgement.
Your justice and judgement work hand in hand
to call out for a world made new.
Change us when we need to be challenged.
Help us to be your hands and feet,
your voice and your mind to bring about change.
We pray and work against poverty.
We pray and work against racism.
We pray and work against any ism that dehumanises others.
We pray and work against the abuse of the earth.
We pray and work against violence and war.
We pray that we would walk the way of love.
We pray in the name of the Christ whom we follow
and ask that you set your Spirit upon us.
Amen
Lord’s Prayer, by Sherri J. Weinberg:
God, heart of the world,
revealed through every aspect of creation,
understood through our awareness.
May we honour the holiness of creation and act accordingly
so that your love is reflected in the way we live.
May we always be thankful for the food we eat and the friends we have.
May we forgive those who transgress against us and be forgiven for our own.
In the freedom of love may we live as your heartbeat and not be compromised by hesitation.
Through our freedom, may your justice be seen and heard and experienced forever and ever. Amen.
Our last hymn today, God of Day and God of Darkness, is traditionally sung in the evening, but there are other sorts of darkness beside nighttime. As we sing, let us join with God in creating light and blessing so that we rise refreshed with hearts renewed.
Hymn/Song: God of Day and God of Darkness, Marty Haugen
God of day and God of darkness,
Now we stand before the night;
As the shadows stretch and deepen,
Come and make our darkness bright.
All creation still is groaning
For the dawning of your might,
When the Sun of peace and justice
Fills the earth with radiant light.
Still the nations curse the darkness,
Still the rich oppress the poor;
Still the earth is bruised and broken
By the ones who still want more.
Come and wake us from our sleeping,
So our hearts cannot ignore
All your people lost and broken,
All your children at our door.
Praise to you in day and darkness,
You our source and you our end;
Praise to you who love and nurture us
As a father, mother, friend.
Grant us all a peaceful resting,
Let each mind and body mend,
So we rise refreshed tomorrow,
Hearts renewed to Kingdom tend.
Marty Haugen
Benediction
God is vast. God is wide.
God is beyond your imagining.
Yet God meets you here,
accompanying you to transform your life
and all the world, into justice, grace, peace.
May you be courageous to meet this God.
May your life, community, and indeed all things
be transformed by Christ. Amen
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