Acknowledgment of Country
The land on which we stand is the sovereign and unceded country of the Dharawal people. We pay our respects to their Elders, past and present, who have cared for this country since its creation. We commit ourselves to working for a more just sharing of resources and power between the First and Second peoples of Australia.
Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, wherever you’ve come from, wherever you’re going to, whatever you believe, whatever you do not believe, you are welcome.
Lighting the Lenten candle
He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light. Job 12 v 22
He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. Daniel 2 v 22
Gathering to Worship
God our heavenly Parent, ever welcoming, ever Loving, may we work by your side with joy and security.
Jesus the beloved Son, we give thanks that we are brothers in Christ. Jesus said, “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
Spirit of adoption, holy nurturer, come with your open arms and welcome us into your family where Christ is now our joint heir.
God so loved the world that God gave God’s only son that whoever
believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Let those who know they are redeemed celebrate it!
Those who have been reclaimed from deep trouble!
Though we were as good as dead, God made us alive with the grace
of Christ through whom we are rescued and healed.
O give thanks to God for such unswerving love, for such wonderful
deeds for the children of earth.
(inspired by John 3:14-21 and Ephesians 2:1-10) Bruce Prewer
Hymn: How Shall I Sing That Majesty (Coe Fen)
How shall I sing that Majesty.
Which angels do admire?
Let dust in dust and silence lie;
Sing, sing, ye heavenly choir.
Thousands of thousands stand around
Thy throne, O God most high;
Ten thousand times ten thousand sound
Thy praise; but who am I?
Thy brightness unto them appears,
While I Thy footsteps trace;
A sound of God comes to my ears,
But they behold Thy face
Enlighten with faith’s light my heart,
Inflame it with love’s fire;
Then shall I sing and take my part
With that celestial choir.
How great a being, Lord, is Thine,
Which doth all beings keep!
Thy knowledge is the only line
To sound so vast a deep.
Thou art a sea without a shore,
A sun without a sphere;
Thy time is now and evermore,
Thy place is everywhere.
Confession
Christ, Lover of our struggles,
Embodiment of care and compassion.
Help me step up to the threshold of my hurt, disappointment, guilt or pain.
May it be the boundary of my growth into betterment,
That when I step into it I might discover strength and support in faith,
A gift for myself, from you and from others.
May my future be on the other side of my failure.
May failure simply enhance the story of my life,
Bringing an epic plot twist
And adding to the narrative of my growth and development.
May my faith not make things easier,
But resource me in the struggle and suffering which comes.
May I not seek greater comfort ,
But, rather, may my faith make me stronger in the midst of my struggles.
Ambitiously I pray. Amen.
(Source: Jon Humphries, Facebook post, October 2019)
Assurance
Almighty God, who understands and accepts us,
and has promised forgiveness to all who turn to him in faith:
pardon us and set us free from all past mistakes, guilt and regrets.
strengthen us to better do your will,
and keep us close to you in new abundant life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Readings
Psalm 32 Karen
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 Loraine
Hymn Tune Passion chorale
1 O God, how we have wandered
and hidden from your face’
in foolishness have squandered
your legacy of grace.
But how, in exile dwelling,
we turn with fear and shame,
as distant but compelling,
you call us each by name.
2 And now at length discerning
the evil that we do,
by faith we are returning
with hope and trust in you.
In haste you come to meet us,
and home rejoicing bring,
in gladness there to greet us
with calf and robe and ring.
3 O God of all the living,
both banished and restored,
compassionate, forgiving,
our peace and hope assured.
Grant now that our transgressing,
our faithlessness may cease.
Stretch out your hand in blessing,
in pardon, and in peace.
Kevin Nichols, 1980, Henry T. Smart, 1836
Sermon John
An Affirmation of Christian Unity
We believe in God the creator,
who is always creative
and invites us to affirm and explore who we are,
with all our differences;
and who is the source of our faith.
We believe in God the Saviour
revealed in the world as Jesus the Christ
who died and is risen,
the one Lord of the church.
We believe in God the Reconciler,
the Holy Spirit,
who is always with us bearing witness with our spirits
that we are the children of God.
We believe that our smallness
can never diminish God’s vastness;
that our frailties can never overcome
God’s will for wholeness;
that our sin can never crush God’s power for new life
even in the face of death.
We believe, and in this belief, we need one another,
as a choir needs every voice and every part
for the harmony to be complete.
We believe – that in the Holy Spirit,
in Jesus Christ and in the love of God –
we are one!
We believe –
And may our lives reflect our belief.
Ian Tozer (1997 UCA Assembly)
Prayers of the people Peter
The Lord’s Prayer (a version from New Zealand)
Eternal Spirit,
Earth-maker, Pain bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom
sustain our hope and come on earth!
With the bread we need for today,
feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another,
forgive us.
In times of temptation and test,
strengthen us.
From trial too great to endure,
spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil,
free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
now and forever. Amen.
Source: A New Zealand Prayer Book (Harper Collins, 1997), 181.
Offertory
Dear God, we humbly offer you our time and money, both as tokens of our gratitude and as a desire to serve you and further the work of your kingdom here on earth. Bless us we pray and turn our small offerings into effective and fruitful outcomes. In your name we pray, Amen
Notices
Dismissal (prayer after Holy Communion)
Parent of all, we give you thanks and praise that, when we were still far off, you met us in your Son and brought us home. Dying and living, he declared your love, gave us grace and opened the gate of glory. May we who share Christ’s body live his risen life; we who drink his cup bring life to others; we whom the Spirit lights give light to the world.
Keep us firm in the hope you have set before us so we and all your children shall be free and the whole earth live to praise your name, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Blessing
And the blessing of God,
the Father with arms outstretched wide to enfold us in love and forgiveness,
the Son with arms outstretched on the cross to show love and and sacrifice,
and the Holy Spirit whose love, energy and inspiration reaches far and wide, be with us all, evermore, Amen.
Hymn
1. When in our music God is glorified,
and adoration leaves no room for pride,
it is as though the whole creation cried,
Hallelujah!
2. How often, making music, we have found
a new dimension in the world of sound,
as worship moved us to a more profound
Hallelujah!
3. So has the church, in liturgy and song,
in faith and love, through centuries of wrong,
borne witness to the truth in every tongue:
Hallelujah!
4. And did not Jesus sing a Psalm that night
when utmost evil strove against the Light?
Then let us sing, for whom he won the fight:
Hallelujah!
5. Let every instrument be tuned for praise!
Let all rejoice who have a voice to raise!
And may God give us faith to sing always:
Hallelujah! Amen.
Engleberg
Recent Comments