We are called to Worship "Where is God" from "Because
Nothing Looks Like God" by Lawrence and Karen Kushner.
God is in
the beginning.
God is in
the first red ripening tomato, in the first fun day of the vacation, in the
tiny hands of a baby.
God is in
the end.
God is in
the worn, torn baby blanket, in the band-aid fixer, in the morning hugs and
goodnight kisses.
God is in
the world.
God is in
the spider webs and caterpillars.
God is
everywhere, if only we look.
God is
here with us, this morning.
Hymn TIS 52. "Let us sing to the God of Salvation" Praising God, our
Maker; our Saviour; our everlasting King; The Lord of Everything. Praise and
prayer together, reminding us that God is God of all, and asking for help in
being open to His voice through this service.
Prayer A
declaration that we have come to wait on God, acknowledging the ups and downs
of our lives, in our attempt to be God's people. A prayer, acknowledging our
need of God's presence in our lives to make His love known to the world, and to
have the courage to confess our allegiance to Him, and asking for help to
overcome the barriers that separate us from each other.
We Listen for a Word from God
In the Scriptures. Jeremiah 29: 1, 4 - 7; 2 Timothy 2: 8 - 15; Luke 17: 11 -
19
The
Jeremiah reading is a letter to all the exiles Nebuchadnezzar had taken off to
Babylon, telling them to get on with their lives to sustain the Hebrew
population, even in exile. Make the best of what you have. Play with the cards you
have been dealt.
This
famous passage in Timothy with its eternal message is well known but the
message that hits me today is probably considered the lesser half of the
passage. Don't argue about little things. "Look out!" Says Luke, you
who consider yourselves the core of your community (your congregation?). Don't
take your position for granted. Jesus isn't about that sort of thing.
As We Reflect. Chris spoke of getting good news and bad news. He spoke
about the adventure good news might bring, but the grief that the adventure
might cause at having to leave the familiar and comfortable behind.
Jeremiah's
news was bad news. The Israelites had thought that God would take them home to
Jerusalem from Babylon where they were captive but Jeremiah was saying to
settle down and live with the Babylonians. This was something of a shock as the
Israelites had always remained a separate people, focusing on God.
For the
Israelites, God was in the Temple and was their God but Jeremiah was signalling
a change. God is everywhere. God is with you.
The
Israelites were very territorial but Jeremiah was saying that God was the God
who ruled the whole world.
Jeremiah
was telling them to pray for the Babylonians; telling them that God was found
in one another and that they should care for each other. This was the same
change as in Jesus' cleansing of the
lepers, including the Samaritan.
This was
bad news for anyone with a closed mind.
Where are
we? What are we being called to adjust to? What may we have to leave behind?
God is with
you; He will never leave you.
We Respond to God's Word
Hymn "Can
we get inside this story, try to think as lepers thought?" Theirs lives
were rubbish and even though they dared not approach Jesus, He cured them
anyway. There's a big lesson for us. Too often we do not give help because we
think it's wasted or not appreciated. Our job is to show compassion, leave the
rest to God.
The Offering
Prayers for the People. Chris prayed for us, thanking God for this world, the gift
of Jesus, His compassion and His inclusion of all.
Chris
prayed on our behalf for the empowerment of God's church to follow Jesus'
example. He prayed for us, that people who feel excluded because of race or
disability and for the isolated in their loneliness. He prayed for all those
who are treated unfairly for any reason and gave thanks for those who have
accepted us.
With
Chris, we prayed for our friends and loved ones, our churches and committees,
for those known to us who have special needs at this time and their carers and
those who are sad because they are grieving.
"Almighty
God whose power is revealed in our weakness, we pray for your grace in the week
ahead, keep us hopeful, trusting that you are with us, and give us the
confidence to reach out to others and offer hope through Jesus Christ our
Lord"
We go out into the World to
Love
Hymn TIS 453 "We limit not the truth of God" No one or no
church has all the answers. "Send us increase from above." It's a
life's work, and even then we will not know but a skerrick of all that is.
"The Lord has yet more light and truth to break forth from his word."
We are sent out with a Blessing
"How
does God Make things Happen?"
A Franciscan Benediction
May God
bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths and superficial
relationships...
May God
bless you with anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people...
May God
bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection,
starvation and war...
And may
God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference
in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.
Amen.
Resources:
"Because
nothing looks like God". Lawrence and Karen Kushner
"Starters
for Sunday" Church of Scotland website.
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