GATHERING THE PEOPLE
Welcome and Announcements
Acknowledgement of country
As we gather this morning, we recognise the Dharawal peoples on whose unceded lands we meet. We pay our respects to their elders, past and present and lament that these First Nations people have not been accorded the respect and value that they deserve.
All: In doing so, we recommit to the path of reconciliation and justice that God lays before us.
Lighting of the Christ Candle
This morning’s service comes to you from the Lay Leader’s Liturgy, a weekly worship service resource provided by the Uniting Church in Australia and written by a range of guest writers who are theological and/or worship educators, practitioners and authors.
Today is the 4th Sunday after Easter, often known as Good Shepherd Sunday where we centre Psalm 23 and supporting readings. This particular service draws in the other two new testament readings to focus on how we care for each other, carrying out God’s call to love and support one another by reflecting on our experiences of being sheep and what could be done better. Let us begin with our call to worship and a prayer.
Call to worship
As we gather today, let us lift a word of thanks for each person who makes up this community. We give thanks for those who planted the church, those who have grown it over the years, those who have served, those who have led, those who have faithfully attended, those who have come for a season, and those who are here with us today. We give thanks for every life that has been connected to this community of faith.
Prayer
Loving God, you have drawn us together as a community. Help us to see one another. Help us to know one another. Help us to love one another. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.
Let’s praise God for the gift of Jesus as both lamb and shepherd:
Hymn/Song:
You, Lord, Are Both Lamb and Shepherd
Christus Paradox, to the tune 540 Triumph or 179 Praise my Soul
You, Lord, are both Lamb and Shepherd. You, Lord, are both prince and slave. You, peacemaker and sword-bringer of the way you took and gave. You the everlasting instant; You, whom we both scorn and crave.
Clothed in light upon the mountain,Stripped of might upon the cross, Shining in eternal glory, Beggar’d by a soldier’s toss, You, the everlasting instant; You, who are both gift and cost.
You, who walk each day beside us, Sit in power at God’s side. You, who preach a way that’s narrow, Have a love that reaches wide. You, the everlasting instant; You, who are our pilgrim guide.
Worthy is our earthly Jesus! Worthy is our cosmic Christ! Worthy your defeat and vict’ry. Worthy still your peace and strife. You, the everlasting instant; You, who are our breath and life.
Sylvia Dunstan (1955-1993)
PRAYER OF ADORATION AND THANKSGIVING
Based on Psalm 23; responsive prayer
Psalm 23 is probably the most famous of all the psalms in the bible: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Let us join together in this responsive prayer based on these beloved verses.
God of all life,
you are with us;
beside still waters.
God, you are with us;
in the darkest valley.
God, you are with us;
in green pastures
God, you are with us;
in right paths.
God, you are with us;
in the presence of my enemies.
God, you are with us;
my cup overflows
God, you are with us;
God, you are with us. Amen
Prayer of adoration and confession
Although the imagery of the authority and presence of a shepherd can be helpful at times, it can also be beguiling and change the way we value and treat each other. Let us pray:
Loving God,
We are sorry for the times we overlooked people we thought were unimportant.
We are sorry for the times we valued power and authority over integrity.
We are sorry for the times we have not made time for each other.
We humbly ask your help to do better in the future. Amen.
Words of Grace
Children of God, lift up your eyes and know that God is good, God is loving and God is forgiving. God welcomes you into the family and is with you as you go forward. Amen.
Psalm 23 paints a peaceful picture of green pastures and fresh water. The upcoming reading from Acts tells a story of Peter speaking out prophetically and not being treated very kindly. What do we do when people speak out truths that other don’t want to hear? Sometimes they aren’t even part of the church. We’re going to listen to a song that was written about the importance of soil, plants and water but you can also use it to think about people that we value as well. I was a tiny wee baby when this was recorded so I’m glad the alarm was raised so long ago and given everyone a chance to fix up the ecological crisis before it got out of hand *sarcasm alert* so yeah, thanks for sorting that out. I’m in awe of how the singer can jump two octaves without batting an eyelid.
HEARING THE WORD
Readings
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.
Acts 4:5–12, Contemporary English Version
5 The next morning the leaders, the elders, and the teachers of the Law of Moses met in Jerusalem. 6 The high priest Annas was there, as well as Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other members of the high priest’s family. 7 They brought in Peter and John and made them stand in the middle while they questioned them. They asked, “By what power and in whose name have you done this?”
8 Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and told the nation’s leaders and the elders:
9 You are questioning us today about a kind deed in which a man who could not walk was healed. 10 But there is something we must tell you and everyone else in Israel. This man is standing here completely well because of the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth. You put Jesus to death on a cross, but God raised him to life. 11 He is the stone you builders thought was worthless, and now he is the most important stone of all. 12 Only Jesus has the power to save! His name is the only one in all the world that can save anyone.
1 John 3:16-24, Contemporary English Version
16 We know what love is because Jesus gave his life for us. This is why we must give our lives for each other. 17 If we have all we need and see one of our own people in need, we must have pity on that person, or else we cannot say we love God. 18 Children, you show love for others by truly helping them, and not merely by talking about it.
19 When we love others, we know we belong to the truth, and we feel at ease in the presence of God. 20 But even if we don’t feel at ease, God is greater than our feelings, and knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if we feel at ease in the presence of God, we will have the courage to come near God. 22 God will give us whatever we ask, because we obey and do what pleases God. 23 God wants us to have faith in Jesus Christ and to love each other. This is also what Jesus taught us to do. 24 If we obey God’s commandments, we will stay one in our hearts with God, and God will stay one with us. The Spirit God has given us is proof that we are one with God.
Reader: Through these readings we hear God speak.
All: Thank you, God, for your words of life.
Reflection This reflection draws together material from this week’s liturgy resources.
This church building is constructed using lots of bricks, each of which is important to maintain the structural integrity of the building. Churches are made of lots of people, current and past, that create a structural integrity to the community. Sometimes, we fail to value the ‘bricks’ that are holding the community together.
Over the last decade, the world has become all too aware of how the highest religious authorities protected clergy and interrogated the victims. This has been true in cases of sexual abuse, but there have been many cases of other misuses and abuses of power. There is also the case when people are simply disregarded, not included, not respected, and not believed, simply because of their social position.
Our tendency to believe people, to regard them as worth some time, is influenced by unconscious biases that we hold around looks, age, gender, race, abilities, disabilities and more. This week we heard the judgement of Justice Lee in the Lehrmann defamation case, in which Justice Lee acknowledged that although some things the victim said and did were not reliable, that did not negate the truth of her testimony about what happened that night in Canberra. This trauma-informed response pushes back against our common outlook that victim-survivors are only worthy of justice if they are perfect and blameless in every way. Which of us mortals can meet that standard?
Of course, we only get the chance of being disbelieved or sidelined if we speak up, and many of us have had experiences of speaking up or stepping up and not getting the response we wanted or needed. Many years ago, I stepped up to lead worship in the church we were attending, but was made to step down once I was visibly pregnant…despite the minister having a much larger belly than mine! Some years before that I was a youth group leader and had a moment where one of the girls disclosed something to me that I had no idea how to deal with. I didn’t even have the language to use the word “disclose”. Looking back, she had probably experienced a situation of abuse and even serious assault either within her family or her social circle, but none of us ‘leaders’ had the life experience nor the training or reporting framework to make enquiries, to identify reportable conduct, to work towards making someone safe, supporting them while they reported things they didn’t want to talk about, making sure they got the help to process their trauma. That’s what sheep need…proper care and shepherding. All I did was pray with her and metaphorically pat her on the head. That poor girl – she learned that speaking up wasn’t going to get her problems solved. Those poor kids. Likewise, as youth group leaders, we were expected by the church elders to just get on with the job of looking after their kids. They never enquired as to how we were doing.
So…we can feel quite sad when we think about all the ways we have been disbelieved or ignored by church leaders, and how we’ve let down other people whether we’ve been in a leadership position with say children or a bible study group, or simply with people in the seats all around us. In our times as sheep or shepherds, we have experienced or acted with bias; there have been inadequate responses to stories we’ve heard or have told ourselves. We’re going to take some time to reflect on this now.
There are some questions up on the screen. Get together with one or two other people and choose one question to discuss. Then we’ll break up into a different group and pick a different question.
- Think about a time when you stood up for yourself or someone else? Where did you get the courage? Who supported you?
- How should we deal with religious authorities when they fail to act with integrity?
- Our tendency to believe people often are influenced by things such as looks, age, gender, race, abilities, and social position. What might we do to change this?
- When we put Psalm 23 and today’s readings together, what picture emerges? Who are the shepherds, who are the sheep, where is the church in this vision?
(Everyone breaks into small groups and discusses the question. People online form a zoom group to discuss)
RESPONDING TO THE WORD
Hymn/Song: Come and find the quiet centre, by Shirley Murray
Come and find the quiet centre in the crowded life we lead, Find the room for hope to enter, find the frame where we are freed: Clear the chaos and the clutter, clear our eyes, that we can see, All the things that really matter, be at peace, and simply be.
Silence is a friend who claims us, cools the heat and slows the pace, God it is who speaks and names us, knows our being, touches base, Making space within our thinking, lifting shades to show the sun, Raising courage when we’re shrinking, finding scope for faith begun.
In the Spirit let us travel, open to each other’s pain, Let our loves and fears unravel, celebrate the space we gain: There’s a place for deepest dreaming, there’s a time for heart to care, In the Spirit’s lively scheming there is always room to spare.
Shirley Erena Murray
Announcements
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:
Every good gift comes from God, the generous giver. Giving God, use these gifts to further your work in this place. Amen.
Prayers of the people Bruce
Gracious God, we pray for all those who have been hurt by the church, Christian leaders and by teachings that have failed to value the vulnerable. We pray for those who have been hurt, abused, abandoned. Help us to see with your eyes.
Loving God, we pray for those who have spoken prophetically and, in turn, be interrogated. We pray for those who have held witness to your truths and been mocked. We pray for everyone who has heard your voice and spoken your words. Help us to hear your truth despite our biases.
Compassionate God, we pray for our churches. We pray that we would hold leaders to account. We pray that our faith communities would be full of integrity and love. We pray that we will be faithful in loving and caring for all in our midst. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.
Hymn/Song: TiS 686, Because we bear your name
Lord Jesus, we belong to you, you live in us, we live in you; we live and work for you – because we bear your name.
Help us receive each other, Lord, for you receive the least of us and come to us in them – because we bear your name.
Let nothing that we do or say offend the weak so that they fall and lose their faith in you – because we bear your name.
Keep us from missing out on life; give hands that help, and single sight, and feet that walk your way – because we bear your name.
You are the salt that cleanses us, so clean us out, and make us fit for common life with you – because we bear your name.
Benediction
As we leave this place, may our ears be attuned to the cries of the weak, may our eyes be on the powerless, may our hearts go out to the helpless, that we may share your love with all who need it. Amen.
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