Illustration: Laura James, 2010
Acknowledgement of Country
As we gather, we acknowledge that we are meeting on the lands of the Dharawal peoples. We pay our respects to their elders, past and present. We acknowledge their care for these lands, waters, and skies, and we seek to walk together for truth and reconciliation
Welcome
We gather together today to affirm in hope and faith, that we can create a sacred space of welcome. At Engadine Uniting we believe all people are created lovingly and wonderfully in the image of God, and we welcome everyone regardless of race, age, ability, sexuality and gender.
As a Christian Community we believe that God reaches out to us in love and acceptance and that our relationships with each other should express love and respect. Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, wherever you’ve come from, wherever you’re going, – you are welcome here and you are loved
Throughout this Season in the church calendar after Epiphany, we listen for echoes of God’s call—to come and see, to follow, to shine, to live in God’s light. Today, our scriptures from Micah and Matthew present a vision of God’s reign—a world where life is lived with justice, love, and humility. As we gather I invite you to listen, to wonder, and to consider how we might walk in that vision together.
Call to Worship
Now is the time we have set aside to worship together.
We light the Christ Candle acknowledging that Christ is the light of the world.
We come to worship with gladness and joy, acknowledging God’s love and faithfulness, which is for all.
Let us take a deep breath, mindful of the Spirit that breathes through us.
Let us close our eyes and empty our minds of our everyday noise and distractions
Let us open our ears and our hearts ready to hear God’s message.
Creator God,
you have bought us here today.
Let us join together in worship and praise
Amen.
SONG: Our first song today has been provided by Dwane and Abi, as a taste of what you might experience at the new 5pm service which starts next week.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I’ll worship Your holy name
The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning
It’s time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes
Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I’ll worship Your holy name
You’re rich in love and You’re slow to anger
Your name is great and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness, I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find
Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I’ll worship Your holy name
Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I’ll worship Your holy name
And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still, my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore
For evermore
Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I’ll worship Your holy name
Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I’ll worship Your holy name
I’ll worship Your holy name
God, I’ll worship Your holy name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I’ll worship Your holy name
God, I will, worship Your holy name
Prayer of Confession
We take heart knowing that you not only notice us, but your love aches over each of our lives. We thank you that our names are cherished by you.
Therefore in trust we confess to you
our fumbling and stumbling, our stalling and falling,
our hurtfulness and our heartlessness.
Our achievements in goodness and mercy are many,
but they seem to be outmanoeuvred and outnumbered
by compromises, failures and indifference.
For all the times we have failed,
For all the times we have hurt one another and ourselves,
We are sorry
A time of silence
Words of Grace
Gracious God,
Hear these words of confession, the ones spoken aloud and the ones spoken in our hearts.
Thank you for your loving reassurance of forgiveness and never ending
Love.
Amen.
New School year blessing
For many of us, and not just for you younger ones, it is the time of year when we will go back to school or back to learning. This often invites big feelings to come along too, and these feelings can be different for everyone. Learning and growth happen in different ways and in different places and I want you to know that you are valued and loved just as you are – being the fastest runner, or the best at maths, the one know every answer or is the most popular is not what God values. God values kindness, curiosity, courage, love for others. You might be starting school for the first time, moving to a new school, or a different Education setting, moving into a new class or getting a new teacher. Maybe a friend who was there last year has moved away . When we do new things, we might feel happy, nervous, curious, scared and excited, and sometimes those feelings can come all together, and that’s okay. It’s the start of something new.
Part of what makes it okay is knowing that God is always with us, no matter our learning journey, no matter where we go and how we are feeling. God loves us and is always there for us. This is something that not just schoolkids need to remember. When we learn a new skill, join a new group, take on a new role, or life changes, what remains constant is the love of God that is offered to each one of us.
Our communities show us love and blessings too. A blessing is something that we give and receive. It is a way of letting people know that they are in our thoughts, that they are loved and that God is with them too.
As we move into this year, may we all be curious and kind, gentle and strong, brave and loving. May we be the people God created us to be.
Let’s pray for the new year –
God of fresh starts and new beginnings,
we bring ourselves, our feelings and the start of the new learning year to you.
We pray that the year before us will be filled with wonder
and that even in the simple, ordinary moments,
we will feel your presence with us.
Help us to be good friends who are kind and considerate and students who are respectful and giving our best to listen and learn. Help us remember that it’s okay to have big feelings, and we can talk about them with grown-ups we trust. Help us to rest when we need to.
We thank you for all students and teachers, for school wellbeing and learning support staff, administrators, for afterschool care educators and for all who work and volunteer in schools and for those who care for us when we are anxious or uncertain.
and we pray that the year ahead
will be filled with your life-giving rhythms of grace and light.
Let us go into the beautiful world that God has made,
as the people we are, to play, learn and love others,
sustained by God’s love and the prayers of our church community.
Amen.
Bible readings: Micah 6:1-8
6 Listen to what the Lord says:
“Stand up, plead my case before the mountains;
let the hills hear what you have to say.
2 “Hear, you mountains, the Lord’s accusation;
listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth.
For the Lord has a case against his people;
he is lodging a charge against Israel.
3 “My people, what have I done to you?
How have I burdened you? Answer me.
4 I brought you up out of Egypt
and redeemed you from the land of slavery.
I sent Moses to lead you,
also Aaron and Miriam.
5 My people, remember
what Balak king of Moab plotted
and what Balaam son of Beor answered.
Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”
6 With what shall I come before the Lord
and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly[a] with your God.
Matthew 5:1-12
5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them. He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Reader: Through these readings we hear God Speak
All: Thank you God, for your words of life.
Sermon: by Debie Thomas, read by Kathy. The video will be added when it becomes available.
SONG: God of the Bible, by Shirley Murray Tune: Morning has broken
God of the Bible, God in the Gospel,
hope seen in Jesus, hope yet to come,
you are our center, daylight or darkness,
freedom or prison, you are our home.
God in our struggles, God in our hunger,
suffering with us, taking our part,
still you empower us, mothering Spirit,
feeding, sustaining, from your own heart.
Those without status, those who are nothing,
you are made royal, gifted with rights,
chosen as partners, midwives of justice,
birthing new systems, lighting new lights.
Not by your finger, not by your anger,
will our world order change in a day,
but by your people, fearless and faithful,
small paper lanterns, lighting the way.
Hope we must carry, shining and certain
through all our turmoil, terror and loss,
bonding us gladly one to the other,
till our world changes, facing the Cross.
Words © 1996 Hope Publishing Company
Announcements
Offering
We come to our time of offering:
May the gifts we bring reflect our love for God
and our willingness to serve the common good.
We give through direct giving, through the cash donations box and QR code at the entrance of the church and as well as gifts of food for Project Youth. We give of our time and our talents – may we always give with generous hearts!
Offering Prayer
May what we give today be blessed.
May all that we receive today
enrich our lives
and the lives of others.
Prayer for others and Lord’s Prayer
God, who is in us here on earth,
holy is your name in the hungry who share their bread and their song.
Your Kingdom come, which is a land flowing with milk and honey.
Let us do your will, raising our voice when all are silent.
You are giving us our daily bread in the song of the bird and the miracle of the corn.
Forgive us for keeping silent in the face of injustice.
Don’t let us fall into the temptation of taking up the same arms as the enemy.
But deliver us from evil.
Give us the perseverance to look for love, even if we fail.
So we shall have known your Kingdom which is being built forever and ever. Amen.
Communion
Approach to God
Jesus of Nazareth,
We did not come towards you
You came first to us
And lived among us
Speaking, Including, Welcoming, Protesting, Teaching, Challenging, Sharing, Dying, Rising. You are so much more than your words
You are Word made Flesh, Embodied Enacted, Enlivening among us.
Make us more like you.
Make our words live
thought the actions of our lives
We ask this because you, Word of Life are also the Bread of Life.
Amen.
SONG – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czRLWLOoqj8
Come To The Banquet –
Come to the banquet there’s a place for you
Though you maybe have no money, though you maybe feel unworthy
In your strength or in your weakness you are welcome, come
Come to the banquet there’s a place for you
See, you are an honoured guest, from constant serving you may rest
So sit you down, be fed & blessed for you are welcome, come
Come to the banquet there’s a place for you
Whether you’ve been lost or faithful, whether you’ve been wise or wasteful
Here’s a place of rest and grace and you are welcome, come
Come to the banquet there’s a place for you
Here is one who runs to meet you loving arms stretched out to greet you
Do not let your fear defeat you, you are welcome, come
Come to the banquet there’s a place for you
Willing hands have made this bread with salt and yeast and labour shared
Let all the hungry ones be fed; it’s time for feasting, come
Come to the banquet there’s a place for you
Abundant wine, enough for all; our generous loving host has called
The cup of blessing now is poured for sweet communion, come
THE INVITATION
Jesus invites us to life in all its fullness.
All are welcome at this table.
In this meal we remember and celebrate Jesus’ presence with
us and our community with each other.
THE Narrative
On a night long ago, in an upper room where Jesus gathered with his friends, Jesus took bread and wine – everyday, familiar things –
and named them as symbols of the most holy mystery of God.
Taking the fragrant, newly baked bread in his hands
– hands that had healed and blessed,
hands that had been lifted in celebration,
and stretched out to gather in the excluded,
Jesus took the bread in these hands, broke it,
and blessed it, saying
“This is my body, broken for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”
Then he took the cup,
– filled with rich, red wine,
pressed from the fruit of the vine.
poured out generously into empty vessels –
a gift which words and rituals cannot fully describe
but which we receive in faith and hope –
the holy wine of God’s never-ending grace,
Jesus blessed it, saying: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.
Let us, as Friends of Christ, gathered in this time and place, know ourselves to be invited and included in the sacred meal which began that night, and which has never ended.
The Great Prayer Of Thanksgiving
The presence of Christ be with you,
and also with you.
Be encouraged, dare to be hopeful,
we lift our hearts with hope and joy.
Let us be profoundly thankful
We give to God our thanks and praise.
God, before time you were present.
You burst into creativity and everything began.
The Universe and its galaxies exploded into life,
dancing spirals and fiery stars
played across the heavens.
life on earth flourished and changed,
and gave way to new life.
And in all this You were made known to us.
Here in this land, the rocks and oceans,
deserts and rainforests,
creatures of sky, sea and land,
and human life, came into being,
and an ancient people told their stories
and cherished the creation.
Jesus the Christ, revealer of God,
holy one born into our humanity,
came and lived and walked among us,
teaching, healing and calling for justice.
Through his life, death and abiding presence
the world received
a new message of hope, reconciliation,
and liberation for all God’s creation.
A new community and a new story began.
The story continues through all who follow the Way of Christ
as the Holy Spirit directs them to in their time and place.
Recalling this, and remembering
and eternal possibilities of God
we pray together
Holy, Holy, Holy God,
the whole of creation sings to You,
angels and prophets,
all people of the earth,
whole communities,
the trees of the earth,
and the stars in the heavens.
Blessed is Jesus Christ who comes in your Name
Praise be to You, Holy God! AMEN
In this community of Your people,
We acknowledge
Christ is with us, Christ is one with us,
As we share in the celebration of this holy meal.
God who knows us all
may this bread and this wine
be infused with the Christ-presence, that we may be bearers of this presence in our life together, and our life in the world.
Together we say
Christ has died,
Christ has risen,
Christ will come again
The bread of Christ, broken and shared with all;
our source of life in all its fullness.
Christ is the Cup of life ,
poured out for us, so that we may never thirst again.
Let us receive what we are, let us become what we receive –
The body of Christ
Jesus, Lamb of God, have mercy on us.
Jesus, bearer of our sins, have mercy on us.
Jesus, redeemer of the world, show compassion grant us Your peace.
The gifts of God that make you God’s people. Come all is prepared.
DISTRIBUTION
Christ’s body broken for you.
Amen.
Christ’s life poured out for you
Amen.
The cup of the New Covenant – Drink and remember
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Holy and Loving God,
we thank you for the gift of Jesus Christ,
for the nourishment of his life and teaching,
the power of his death and resurrection,
and for his invitation to enjoy
life in all its fullness.
Invited and fed at your table we are remade, repurposed.
May God’s presence
be revealed through our lives AMEN
SONG – Christ be our light
Longing for light, we wait in darkness
Longing for truth, we turn to You
Make us Your own, Your holy people
Light for the world to see
Christ, be our light
Shine in our hearts
Shine through the darkness
Christ, be our light
Shine in Your church gathered today
Longing for shelter, many are homeless
Longing for warmth, many are cold
Make us Your building, sheltering others
Walls made of living stone
Christ, be our light
Shine in our hearts
Shine through the darkness
Christ, be our light
Shine in Your church gathered today
Many the gifts, many the people
Many the hearts that yearn to belong
Let us be servants to one another
Making Your kingdom come
Christ, be our light
Shine in our hearts
Shine through the darkness
Christ, be our light
Shine in Your church gathered today
Songwriters: Bernadette Farrell
Words of Blessing
Go now, into the world God loves so much,
to bear the fruit of love.
To bless others and to be blessed by others
Go in peace and with delight
for God the source of life and love goes with us.
In this is great blessing! AMEN
Blessing Song – We are your People
We are Your people
Spirit of grace
You dare to make us
To all our neighbours
Christ’s living voice hands and face
Joined in community
Treasured and fed
May we discover
Gifts in each other
Willing to lead and be led
Spirit unite us
Make us by grace
Willing and ready Christ’s living body
Loving the whole human race
CCLI Song # 2574471 Brian Arthur Wren © 1975 Hope Publishing Company
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