ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
For thousands of years, the Dharawal people have walked on this ancient land, on country.
The Creator spoke to them in their Dreaming. We honour the Dharawal People and pay our respects to their elders, past and present and pledge ourselves to work together for reconciliation & justice.
SAFE CHURCH STATEMENT
The Uniting Church in Australia believes that all people are made in the image of God, and as such we accept every individual regardless of race, age, creed, sexuality and gender. We believe that God reaches out to us in love and acceptance and that our relationships with each other should express love and respect and not be abused.
CHRIST CANDLE
We believe Christ Jesus is the Light of the world. We are drawn to his light lest we lose our way.
To his Name be honour, praise and glory. A candle is lit.
CALL TO WORSHIP
God, we need never call for your presence with us, you have been with us and in us and around us
since before the creation of the world. Today we seek not just your presence, but our awareness of that presence, knowing that you long for us to know you as we are known by you. In the life of Jesus, we see your face and through your word you encourage us to embrace the gift of your presence in our life with confidence and joy. Surely, we are standing on holy ground and did not know it. Amen.
HYMN ‘Lord for the years’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkkYUEcN234
Lord, for the years your love has kept and guided,
urged and inspired us, cheered us on our way,
sought us and saved us, pardoned and provided:
Lord of the years, we bring our thanks today.
Lord, for that word, the word of life which fires us,
speaks to our hearts and sets our souls ablaze,
teaches and trains, rebukes us and inspires us:
Lord of the word, receive Your people’s praise.
Lord, for our land in this our generation,
spirits oppressed by pleasure, wealth and care:
for young and old, for commonwealth and nation,
Lord of our land, be pleased to hear our prayer.
Lord, for our world when we disown and doubt him,
loveless in strength, and comfortless in pain,
hungry and helpless, lost indeed without him:
Lord of the world, we pray that Christ may reign.
Lord for ourselves; in living power remake us –
self on the cross and Christ upon the throne,
past put behind us, for the future take us:
Lord of our lives, to live for Christ alone.
‘Lord, for the years your love’ by Timothy Dudley-Smith (b. 1926). © Timothy Dudley-Smith in Europe and Africa.
© Hope Publishing Company. Reproduced by permission of Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
For further use of this hymn text, the end-user should have a valid CCLI licence in place (CCLI Song ID 3274952).
ANNOUNCEMENTS & OFFERING
NT READING
Hebrews 4:12-16 (NIV)For theword of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION Rev Paul
Lord, how do we hear these words from Scripture “everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account”. Too many people and nations of power and influence in our world spend too much of their time seeking to avoid scrutiny or accountability. Are we guilty of that too Lord? Surely not. But our lives are at times wounded, complicated and messy, we rarely have those ‘heart to heart’ conversations with ourselves, let alone with someone else. If I tell someone everything about my life will they use that information for good or evil intent. Do we share all that we are and have been with you in prayer Lord? Who would know except us. Forgive me for not inviting you into every room in my house and heart. I do trust in you, help my unbelief. We are known to God. We are known to God as we are, and we are loved. Let us rejoice and be glad. In Jesus name we pray.
GOSPEL
Mark 10: 17 – 31 selected verses (NIV) AsJesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honour your father and mother.’” 20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” 21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”24 The disciples were amazed at his words. “Who then can be saved?” Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!” 29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”
MESSAGE ‘It is not enough for us to preach the Good News, we must become it’
(An edited portion of what is a 4 page Message from Rev Dr Mery Kolimon, Moderator, West Timor.)
Three months ago in late June, my husband and I discovered that our whole family had COVID.
When I found out the result, I felt angry. Why had we not been more careful? Our kids have been learning from home for over a year, but as parents we were always at work. We blamed ourselves.
On the third day after being declared positive, our situation was quite severe. Our whole bodies hurt, we couldn’t drink or eat; we had fever & nausea. I felt like I was in a dark tunnel with no light at its end then I remembered Psalm 23 with its valley of the shadow & Jesus’ promise to be with me.
I must believe that there is light at the end of my tunnel.
And that light came to us in a number of ways while we were still quite ill: some sent Bible verses and messages; my sisters sent the medicines we needed; others sent herbal remedies; our local Health Centre always contacted us; the Governor of our region called and sent Chinese medicine; our SynodOffice cooked for us for a week. There was a friend who sent Timor Island’s best honey; there was a friend who transferred money and said don’t get dizzy with the thought of medical expenses. Fruits and vegetables flowed from all directions. We really experienced in these dark times the light and warmth of love – even while we struggled with nausea, fever and night sleep disorders, every day
A question asked by a group of GBI pastors arose: “Are we affected by Covid-19 because we have betrayed the Lord Jesus?” This way of thinking is very closely related to the understanding of the relationship of disease and curses in our culture. For example, among West Timorese there is a naketi concept. A person can be afflicted by adversity such as illness because there are certain sins or mistakes. Sin is seen as so powerful that it can jump across generations. To be healed, it is necessary to confess sin. I myself struggled with the same question as I lay in bed: “What sin have I and my family committed?” But I could not accept the idea that we were so sinful that we were punished with Covid. I wrote to a fellow pastor who had shared his concern: I remain a believer in all seasons of life, and God’s faithful love is eternal. He allows His servant ministers, to experience this like any other person, that we may find that even in the valley of darkness, God has not forsaken us.”
In 2015 I was elected Moderator of the Synod. I remember one of the intercessory prayers when I was elected was that I would not be sick for four years while I led the church. I wanted to always look good, healthy, and happy, and refused to allow myself to be sick. I promised to live a healthy life with a good diet, rest, exercise, and management of my mental health. But early in 2019, due to exhaustion, I suddenly got sick quite seriously. I told my husband one morning: “Yustus, I can’t lift my legs. Help me.” Friends who came to visit me advised me: “Mery, your body needs rest too.”
When I was infected with Covid, I learnt to better understand the deepest fears, anxieties, and worries of those who are sick. I was infected in the second wave in Indonesia, when every day there was news that over 20,000 Indonesians were infected and more than 1,000 were dying each day.
Every morning from the bedroom when we woke up, we heard birdsong from our beautiful courtyard, but also sirens roaring in a hurry to deliver the bodies to the cemetery. A shepherd who suffers learns to say the most honest prayers to God during threat of sickness and death. But if she is sensitive, she can also see and follow God’s unceasing care. Birds singing, brothers caring, comrades supporting. Life isn’t just about crying and anxiety. In life there is also friendship, love, and genuine care.
Listen to your body language. Feel the heart. Listen to your own feelings and anxieties. Listen to your deepest hopes and longing. Talk to God honestly and listen to what God is saying. Start theology from there. Connect the experiences of suffering, anxiety, hope, and longing with the struggles of the faithful in biblical times. Learn the deepest struggles of today’s people, and see what can be learned as the gospel message for humankind’s struggles today. In human suffering, God does not leave us.
You can read more about the communication challenge around vaccination acceptance and how Uniting World is working to overcome this, involving Mery stepping up to be vaccinated as a show of support and encouragement to others: link here.
HYMN TIS ‘Brother, sister’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQaOErUUjm8
Brother, sister let me serve you,
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant too.
We are pilgrims on a journey
and companions on the road;
we are here to help each other
walk the mile and bear the load.
I will hold the Christ-light for you
in the night-time of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you,
speak the peace you long to hear.
I will weep when you are weeping;
when you laugh I’ll laugh with you;
I will share your joy and sorrow
till we’ve seen this journey through.
When we sing to God in heaven
we shall find such harmony,
born of all we’ve known together
of Christ’s love and agony.
Brother, sister let me serve you,
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant too.
Richard Gillard Tune: Servant Song
Music: Richard Gallard arranged Betty Pulkingham CCLI – 1073121
UNITINGWORLD VIDEO with Dr Debora Murthy https://vimeo.com/611215371 (12 min)
DR DEBORA MURTHY UnitingWorld – joins us via Zoom ~ 9.30am
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Kathy Slade
HYMN TIS 599 (ii) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf11rReeWIs
Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.
Frances Ridley Havergal 1836 – 1879 Public Domain
BLESSING & BENEDICTION
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