The
Gathering of the People of God
A
special thank you to the musicians, the people who decorate the church, and all
those other people who are rostered onto the various jobs that keep the service
humming.
Call
to Worship.
Remember,
Christian Worship is both God's gift to us and our offering to God.
Leader:
To God be all glory,
the one who visits us in three
persons,
the Holy Trinity of Hope and
love.
All: For there is no place which is without
you, God
and no time when you are not
there.
Leader:
For you are the beginning and the end,
the source of all that is the
wonder
of universal life.
All: And yet, you take us by the hand and
lead us
as the life of Christ walks
our human way
And shows us that life is
stronger than death.
Leader: In the Holy Spirit we are gifted, again and
again,
and are called onwards towards a
future
in which we are surrounded by love and
grace.
All: We praise and worship you O God
For there is no other God like
you.
Amen.
(From Words
and Worship)
Hymn
TIS 83
"Let us with a Gladsome Mind". Led by Lyn, this hymn gave an
opportunity for people to joyfully and enthusiastically praise God for his
Prayer
of Adoration and Confession.
Leader:
O God who meets our every need, who heals our wounds and who can restore us to
the fullness of our humanity; we give you thanks for your greatness and your
love and light that illumines this dark and broken place in which we live. We
confess before you our many sins and all the times we have not sought to show
your love to the world.
All:
For all these transgressions we beg forgiveness, Lord.
Words
of Assurance
Psalm
91:14 - 16
"Those
who love me, I will deliver;
I will
protect those who know my name.
When
they call me, I will answer them;
I will
be with them in trouble,
I will
rescue them and honour them.
With
long life I will satisfy them,
And
show them my salvation.
All:
Sisters and brothers, our sins are forgiven. Be at peace. Thanks be to God.
Offering. Kaye received the
offering collected by our younger members and gave thanks for God's gifts to us
and prayed that as we returned a little, that it will be used to further God's
kingdom
HymnTIS
430 "Your
Words to me are Life and Health". Lyn led us again, singing of the effect
of God's message in our lives, restoring and healing us. Amen.
The
Service of the Word
Bible
Readings: Psalm 8 and Matthew 28: 16 - 20
Supplementary
reading: Isaiah 6: 1 - 8. Susan
The
reading from Psalms spoke of God's creative majesty, while the Matthew reading
recounted the sending out of the disciples to take up the work of Jesus. Isaiah
6 was an account of "Isaiah's Calling" and his realisation of his
need to respond to God's message to go out and do His work in the world.
Reflection. Margaret spoke on Isaiah
6 and of Isaiah's experience of being confronted by God in the Temple, with a
Seraph calling out, "Holy, Holy, Holy is The Lord of hosts; the whole
earth is full of his glory.”
The experience was so overwhelming that
Isaiah was struck with his own and his people's fall from following God's path
for them. His own sinfulness cleansed he heard God's asking "Who will go
for us?" And Isaiah, totally shaken by his experience could only answer,
"Here I am Lord; send me!"
Hymn
TIS 658 "I,
The Lord of sea and sky". The logical response to the reading from Isaiah
and the reflection. Here I am Lord!
Prayers
for the People and The Lord's Prayer:
This
is a fourth century prayer written by Saint Sarrah
O
Lord You who have measured the heights and the earth In the hollow of your hand
And
created the six- winged Seraphin to cry out Holy, Holy, Holy,
Glory
to your name.
We
thank you for your care for us and pray that we will be strengthened in sharing
that care with others - showing them your love.
We
pray for those in need all around the world that you will move those that can,
to meet their needs.
We
pray for our governments in Australia that they will see their role as serving
and caring for the people of this land.
We
pray for the church everywhere, especially here at Marsden Road, week by week
as we seek to find a new minister.
At
this point, we prayed quietly together, sending up a hum of prayer for our
personal concerns
Our
God hold us in your palm, lest we stray. Help us find you in stillness, to hear
your voice, opening our hearts and minds to your will. Then we joined in the
Lord's Prayer
The
Sending forth of the People of God
Leader:
We have heard your voice our Lord
People:
Keep your words in our hearts as we go forth into the rest of today and this
week.
Leader:
At every point may we be saying "Here am I Lord, send me".
People:
Take away our hesitation, Lord, take away our anxiety.
Leader:
Give us a vision of what could be and guide us in fulfilling that vision
People:
For your sake and in your name. Amen
Hymn
TIS 609 "May
the mind of Christ my Saviour". The only way any of this can happen.
Benediction
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
give you peace. (Numbers 6: 24 - 26)
Hymn
TIS 778 "Shalom
to you now...shalom my friends". Lyn.
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