You can watch some parts of the service in this video here (mostly bible readings and the message) or scroll down and read the prayers and songs in the order they happened.
GATHERING THE PEOPLE
Welcome and Announcements
Friends, you are welcome in this place. Our time together is God’s gift to each of us. We come with what we know of and have experienced in life, we come seeking to discover what we don’t yet know about God and God’s hopes and dreams for our lives. Together, we seek to make this a safe environment for all who search for meaning and purpose in life. Together let us seek to be Christ’s light and salt in the world. So welcome.
Acknowledgement of country
For this Land – We give thanks! For the First Peoples – We give thanks! We honour the custodians of sacred stories, of dreamings and the connections with the deep earth and oceans. May we work together for the restoration of the Land and Sea and Her Peoples.
All: In doing so, we recommit to the path of reconciliation and justice that God lays before us.
Lighting of the Christ Candle
Hear the call to worship Christ, the Light of the World.
Call to worship
We come seeking God.
We come to learn more of God’s ways.
We look for God’s life in the smallest seed
and in the largest tree.
We discover truth that is hidden
and beauty that is clear to see.
We take from what is old
and from what is new.
We seek God together today.
Prayer Of Welcome
God of small and large, old and new,
you speak to us through the world of everyday things.
Be present among us
as we praise and pray, as we listen and learn.
Open our ears to Jesus’ words
and our hearts to your Spirit. Amen.
Hymn/Song: You are before me, God
You are before me, God, you are behind,
and over me you have spread out your hand;
such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too high to grasp, too great to understand.
If I should take my flight into the dawn,
if I should dwell on ocean’s farthest shore,
your mighty hand will rest upon me still,
and your right hand will guard me evermore.
Search me, O God, search me and know my heart,
try me, O God, my mind and spirit try;
keep me from any path that gives you pain,
and lead me in the everlasting way.
Ian Robertson Pitt-Watson (1923-1995)
Prayer of confession
God of mercy,
in the tangled places of our lives,
we recognise the ways we lose sight of your way—
turning inward and turning from one another.
There are times we add to what is broken,
and times we fail to bring love and care.
In a moment of quiet,
we bring these to you…
Silence is held.
Gently lead us back into your way of love. Amen.
Words of Grace
Paul reminds us that nothing in all creation
can separate us from the love of God.
In Christ, we are forgiven, restored, and held.
Thanks be to God.
Amen.
All-Age Message: Rev Josh McPaul from North Illawarra Uniting with a message based on the reading from Romans, “Stuck on You” (3mins) https://projectreconnect.com.au/2026/06/12/26th-july-2026-year-a-pentecost-9-true-and-beautiful-words
Partner Update:
1. Uniting World:
When migrants suddenly started turning up in Bali from the nearby island of Sumba, many people assumed the worst. Would they be a strain on housing, jobs and social harmony?
But for Rev Betha and her team at MBM (the development agency of the Protestant Christian Church in Bali), the arrivals weren’t a problem to be solved but an opportunity to love their neighbours in need.
So Rev Betha and her church reached out in compassion.
“In our outreach to new migrants, we discovered that the primary driving factor for leaving Sumba to seek work in Bali was extreme poverty, drought, infertile land and limited access to water, which make it difficult for villagers to make a living,“ Rev Betha explained.
Rather than only helping migrants already in Bali, her team went upstream, partnering with the Sumba Christian Church to reach families at home, before poverty forces them to leave. More resilient food gardens. Water access. Agricultural mentoring.
Our partners in Bali, Sumba and beyond are driven by the promise of life in abundance that God intended for every person. And together we can help that promise become real.
2. Sydney Alliance: The Sydney Alliance brings together diverse community organisations, unions, religious organisations and schools to advance the common good and achieve a fair, just and sustainable city. The Uniting Church in NSW is an integral part of Sydney Alliance, as are other groups including Mission Australia, BaptistCare, Community Migrant Resource Centre, Catholics for Justice and Peace, Arab Council of Australia, Wesley Mission, Nature Conservation Council, National Tertiary Education Union, Shelter NSW, United Workers Union, World Wildlife Fund and St Vincent de Paul. There are also hundreds of small local community groups – the latest new member, for example, is the Blue Mountains Women’s Health and Resource Centre.
In June, the Alliance held a 5-Day Civic Leadership & Organising Academy Training, bringing together people across Sydney, the Hunter, Victoria, and Queensland.
Over the week, trainees invested their time, courage and experience to strengthen their practice in relational organising, leadership development, power analysis, and building the capacity of broad-based institutions.
People shared stories from their communities, built lasting relationships, and prepared for the action season ahead, and everyone left feeling energised, connected, and more committed than ever to building the power communities need to create lasting change in our country.
A huge thank you to everyone who brought their leadership, generosity and wisdom to the week. The future of community organising is stronger because of you!
In May, the City of Sydney formally updated its affordable housing policy, increasing cash contribution rates for affordable housing to bring them more in line with the actual cost of purchasing land and developing affordable housing in the LGA. This update introduces a 20% ‘flat’ contribution of gross floor area on all upzoned residential land, meaning $320 million more for affordable homes in the City.
This has been a long term vision for our local Inner West + Metro work (team photographed). The first question in our 2024 City of Sydney Mayoral Candidates Forum, hosted by Wesley Mission, was about affordable housing contributions rates. Well done also to our partners Shelter NSW and Tenants’ Union of NSW for leading on this important reform.
There are still improvements that can be made to the system, and we continued to engage Councils across the city on this important solution.
Sydney Alliance press release: We’re pleased to see The Guardian Australia covering democracy in action at our Discernment Convention last 31 May, reflecting a growing interest in how we can strengthen civic life, build trust across difference, and offer a constructive response to division in our communities through broad-based community organising.
Our work, however, is bigger than any one political moment. We organise in response to the struggles, hopes and aspirations of everyday people working together for fairer, more connected communities across Western Sydney and beyond, not in opposition to any political party.
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.
Reading 1: The first reading from today is taken from Romans 8:31-39, in the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition:
31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not withhold his own Son but gave him up for all of us, how will he not with him also give us everything else? 33 Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? It is Christ[f] who died, or rather, who was raised, who is also at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than victorious through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Reading 2: The second reading is taken from Matthew 13:31-33, in the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
31 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with[a] three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and reburied; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 “Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
Reader: Through these readings we hear God speak.
All: Thank you, God, for your words of life.
Sermon Rev Mark Faulkner from Saltbush: Word Around the Bush, on the passage from Matthew. “Why do you always speak in parables?” the disciples ask. So let’s wrestle with parables and the trouble with understanding.” The 10 min sermon is here: https://saltbushcommunity.uca.org.au/resources/the-word-around-the-bush/pentecost-9-the-trouble-with-understanding-matthew-13-31-33-44-52/
RESPONDING TO THE WORD
Prayer of adoration
Creator God, we come with grateful hearts
for the wonder of the world around us.
We marvel that great trees can grow from small seeds,
that pearls of beauty can be formed around irritants,
that good can be gathered from what is unfit.
Thank you for the work of your Spirit in our lives,
changing us as yeast transforms dough.
Thank you for the life and words of Jesus,
bringing us hope when despondency threatens,
courage when we are tempted to buckle
and grace when we are less than generous.
Thank you for the life that you offer us new each day
and the promise of your loving presence into eternity.
Amen.
Hymn/Song: Like the murmur of the dove’s song (TiS 419)
Like the murmur of the dove’s song
Like the challenge of the flight
Like the vigour of the wind’s rush
Like the new flame’s eager might
Come Holy Spirit come
To the members of Christ’s body
To the branches of the Vine
To the church in faith assembled
To her midst as gift and sign
Come Holy Spirit come
With the healing of division
With the ceaseless voice of prayer
With the power to love and witness
With the peace beyond compare
Come Holy Spirit come
CCLI Song # 217452, Carl P. Daw Jr. | Peter Warwick Cutts © Words: 1982 Hope Publishing Company; Music: 1969 Stainer & Bell Ltd For use solely with the SongSelect® Terms of Use. All rights reserved. www.ccli.com
CCLI License # 31951
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.
Life is a gift.
Let us give too, in gratitude for all we have been given.
Let us pray:
Some give from their abundance; others give at great cost.
Receive all our offerings as tokens of our gratitude and love.
May they be used to bring hope to those most in need.
Amen.
Prayers of the people (Sarah)
God of generosity,
we bring you our prayers for others.
We pray for all who need a place that is safe and nurturing:
those displaced from their homes by war or natural disasters,
those living with violence in their homes or communities,
those who cannot afford shelter for themselves or their families.
Help us work together to end homelessness.
We think of those who are hungry and live without daily bread:
in places where there is famine,
homes where there is poverty,
communities cut off from supply lines.
Help us work together to end hunger.
We pray for all who control land use:
that those engaged in farming and mining will follow sustainable practices,
that those who develop land will respect the environment,
that those who work to conserve endangered species and ecosystems
will have the resources and support they need.
Help us work together to honour the earth.
We think of those engaged in commerce and trade:
for honesty and justice in business deals,
for those who manage and monitor technology,
for those unable to see beyond consumerism to the deeper values of life.
Help us work together for a just distribution of wealth.
(Add in prayers for people known to us)
Lastly, we pray that goodness, love, and care
will prevail where there is wrong, hate, and neglect.
Help us work together to make the world a better place.
Amen.
Hymn/Song: Video: Till all the Jails are Empty (2.14mins) a Scottish hymn presented by the Highlands United Methodist Church https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7kPdUH66Ac
Benediction
The God of mustard seeds and yeast grains,
of buried treasure and valuable gems,
sends you from here with seeds of truth and pearls of wisdom.
Go in peace, knowing that God the Creator is at work within you,
that Christ is your wisdom, giving new life and insight,
and that the ancient Spirit is ever present to lead you home.
We go in peace, amen.
Benediction Song: Come to be our hope Lord Jesus (TiS 688)
Come to be our hope, O Jesus,
Come to set our people free.
From oppression, come, release us,
You alone give liberty.
Come release from every prison
Those who suffer in our land.
In your love we find the reason
To live and understand.
Come to build your new creation;
Show the way of servanthood:
Give new life to every nation,
Changing evil into good.
Come and open our tomorrow
For a kingdom, now so near.
Take away all human sorrow,
Give us hope against our fear.
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