Sunday Service Marsden Road Uniting Church June 30

Robyn welcomed the congregation and then we shared

The Call to Worship An acknowledgement of our yearning to be in God's presence and to have Him calm our fears. "Come all you who thirst, all you who are heavy laden. Come and take refuge here."

Hymn AHB 374 "Glorious things of you are spoken" God is our sure foundation and on Him we can rely to provide those things that matter and those things that last. It is He that makes us whole. It is for this we give thanks and through this we come to realise that this world's successes and rewards will never make us the sort of "Kings" that God's work in us can.

Prayer of Adoration & Confession & Assurance  An acknowledgement of God's greatness, shown throughout time and in His creation. A confession of how we devalue our lives and find excuses: how we are half-hearted and selfish. A plea for forgiveness.

"Sustain us, Lord God, nurture the fruit of the Spirit within us, so that we may live freely and responsibly as your children." Amen.

Readings Delivered by Pat. 2 Kings 2: 1 -2; 6 - 14. Elijah's life is coming to an end. He needs to travel from Gilgal to Bethel, then to Jordon. At each stage he tells Elisha to stay behind but Elisha insists on remaining faithful.

Because of his faithfulness, after Elijah was carried into Heaven, Elisha is able to take on Elijah's mantle and Elijah's spirit settles on him. A lesson for us I think? Hmmm.

Galatians 1: 5; 13 - 25 We are reminded that we are free and not to slip back into slavery. However even as free people, we still have to obey Jesus' teaching. "But the harvest of the  Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, fidelity, gentleness and self control. A big ask! And we can only get there in God's strength.

Luke 9:51 - 62   An account of Jesus traveling with His disciples.

The first lesson we learn comes from Jesus rebuking the disciples for wanting to punish people for refusing them hospitality.

The second lesson for us comes from the account of the different responses people have towards Jesus. Some enthusiastically pledge to follow without knowing the cost. Others say they will follow when they have taken care of other concerns.

Jesus says. "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God"

We may think we are exempt because we regularly attend church and are faithful in our bible reading and prayer time. However think of the excuses we make for not "doing" or "being" for someone else.

Hymn AHB 92 "God has spoken by His prophets" God's unchanging, everlasting word has been given to us by His prophets, by Jesus and by His Spirit. "God the first, and God the last." That's all we need.

Message  Robyn led our reflection on the Galatians reading. Robyn pointed out that those characteristics spoken of in Galatians, including love, joy and peace, are called fruit and that fruit is grown, not made.

They are the result of a living process.

As spiritual fruit, these are the result of our growth under the influence of the Spirit of God. Then Robyn, relating a story within a story, suggested it is as though we have two wolves inside, a white, good wolf and a black, bad wolf who are struggling for domination.

Which will win? The one we feed. Let the "fruits" grow in us and dominate us. They will do this if we allow God's Spirit to feed them.

 

Hymn AHB 520 "Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord to thee". Take every part of me and what I think is mine. Bring me to realise that all I am and have comes from you and belongs to you.

Offerings and Notices We returned God's blessings to us for use in His work.

Prayers for the People  Margaret led these prayers, asking for God to still our hearts and minds, "So that we can open the depths of ourselves to (God's) work."

She prayed for leaders in the wider community and in the church and in our church at Marsden Road.

She then led us in praying for people associated with MRUC and then we joined in The Lord's Prayer.

Hymn TIS 607 "Make me a channel of your peace". Make me a channel of anything you choose. May I serve you among your creation of people, the environment, and all other living things.

We were then sent out praying for ourselves and each other:

Hymn TIS 777 "May the grace of Christ our Saviour, and the Father's boundless love,

                             With the Holy Spirit's favour, rest upon us from above.
                          Thus may we abide in union with each other and The Lord,
                          and possess in sweet communion joys which earth cannot afford."

                                                                                   John Newton (1725 - 1807)

AMEN.