Call to Worship
Hugh:
"May God bless your time together with his holy presence,
Dear children of God, let us
worship God together.
The Lord be with you.
People: And
also with you."
Hymn TIS 627 "Praise and thanksgiving, Father, we
offer" A prayer of thanks to God for all the good things with which he
provides us. It is so easy to think that our many everyday blessings are our
due or that we have earned them.
Prayer of
Adoration and Confession
Hugh led us in this
prayer and for us, he addressed our gracious God, praising him and stating our
intention to praise him through joyful song. As in the hymn, Hugh thanked God
for his care for all his creation and then went on to acknowledge how God's
love can turn the rules we humans live by on their heads and how it is God's
Word that shows us the correct way, and which provides a stark contrast,
revealing plainly, our own darkness. For us, Hugh confessed our sins against God
and against each other, asking for forgiveness from the only One who can truly
do that. Hugh concluded with, "Your sins are forgiven"
Hymn TIS 685 "Lord I come to you" A prayer,
asking that God's love will surround us and renew us, knowing that as a result
we will be able to rise above our damaged selves. As Hugh pointed out, all we
need to know is the last line of the chorus, "your spirit leads me on in
the power of your love". Stick with that for the rest of your life and
don't be distracted from its message of hope.
Bible Readings: Isaiah 35: 1 - 10. 1Corinthians 13: 1 - 13. Lyn
The Isaiah reading is a
prophecy of all the amazingly wonderful results of God's people returning to
Zion. It may well be that we may never see anything as spectacular as this in
the world around us but it happens in the lives of people every time a human
heart turns back to God.
1. Whatever talents we
have, if we don't have love they count for nothing. 2. We must be adults in our
faith. 3. We have no hope of understanding fully this side of death, but after
that we will see clearly.
Reflection Hugh began by posing a question about our
expectation of Sunday church. He then suggested we consider the same question
as it applied to the church at Corinth in the reading. This suggestion became
complicated when Hugh explained that the church at Corinth met together every
day. "Their worship was their life and often a matter of life or death in
their hostile society." Added to this, Corinth was an international city,
with many divisions. Divisions which also existed within the church causing the
church to be a "big pain in the neck to Paul as a leader and
teacher."
"To sort out all
these problems and conflicts in the Corinthian church, Paul gives the church
the most promising and working answer and it was LOVE."
Hugh then gave the
account of an American girl who was born into an abusive family, both
parents abused her and each other. She
knew nothing of love, in fact she experienced nothing except rejection. Both
parents finally died, leaving her alone, without the abuse but with no reason
to continue living.
Then one day she saw a
church sign, "God loves you, God loves you so much, he decided to die for
you." Despite her horrible start in life she responded to the message and
became a lovely Christian. She offered to teach Sunday School but because she
had no experience or background in Christian education the minister was
reluctant. However she persisted and within 7 years the Sunday School had
swelled to 2000 children and teenagers. All because of her message of "I
love you".
Dear friends in Christ.
Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is
not ill-mannered; live is not selfish; love never gives up; love is eternal;
love makes happiness; love makes miracles. Love is our ministry. Live is our
life. Amen."
Offering This was our chance to return a little of
the blessings that have been heaped upon us.
Prayers for the
People Beth led,
reminding us that we who would have very little probability of meeting earthly
royalty can have daily contact with The King of Kings. Beth prayed for those we
know by name and those only God knows by name. She prayed for those in our
congregation who are suffering and carrying on bravely. She spoke of the
homeless and other disadvantaged people and asked that we, who have all the
privileges and plenty, will be kept aware of the needs of others. Beth prayed
for children, particularly those who have suffered abuse from members of the
church. She prayed for those suffering during the drought and all those
returning to school, asking that God would gather them in, in the name of
Jesus. Amen.
"The Peace: The
peace of The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Let us offer one another
a sign of peace."
Hymn TIS 511 "Let us break bread together with the
Lord." We sang of our intention to commune with our Lord and each other in
this ceremony, seeking the work of the Spirit in our lives.
Preparation of
the Table The table is
prepared and the bread and wine are placed upon it.
God was declared
blessed and thanks was given for his goodness in providing the gifts of the
bread and wine which, in this ceremony become the bread of life and the cup of
salvation.
Blessed be God
forever.
"The Spirit of The
Lord is with you. And also with you.
Lift up your hearts. We
lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to
the Lord our God. It is right to give thanks and praise."
Prayer "Father, we give you thanks and
praise through your beloved Son Jesus Christ, your living Word. You have created
all things through Your Son, our Saviour..
Therefore with angels
and archangels and with all the company of Heaven, we proclaim your great and
glorious name, forever praising you and saying:
Holy, holy, holy
Lord, God of power and might, Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the
highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the
highest."
Minister: "Lord, you are the source of all holiness;
by the power of your Holy Spirit, and according to your holy will, these gifts
of bread and wine may become to us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus
Christ."
Hugh then reminded us
of the institution of this meal of sharing by Jesus on the night of His
betrayal and His command that we continue in this manner in "remembrance
of me."
"Let us proclaim
our faith. Christ has died: Christ is risen: Christ will come again."
The Distribution.
The Prayer after
Communion. "We
thank you that you have fed us with this holy bread and wine, the Body and
Blood of your Son Jesus Christ our Saviour. We now become members of his Body,
and thus his agents in this world. Lord our Father, Bless us so we will be a
blessing to many people around us. Help us to live your Kingdom life, so they
will get to know you better through us. In Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Hymn TIS 699 "A new commandment"
A new commandment I
give unto you that you love one another as I have loved you/ that you love one
another as I have loved you.
By this will others
know you are my disciples if you have love one for another/
By this will others
know you are my disciples if you have love one for another.
Benediction Hugh
"Go in peace to
serve The Lord by serving those around you."
Then, The Lord bless
you and keep you
The Lord make his face to shine upon
you and be gracious to you
The Lord lift up his countenance upon
you and grant you peace. Amen.
May the feet of God
walk with you,
And his hand hold you tight.
May the eye of God rest
on you,
And his ear hear your
cry.
May the smile of God be
for you,
And his breath give you
life.
May the child of God
grow in you,
And his love bring you
home.
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