Tuesday 11 November 2014

Sunday Service Marsden Road Uniting Church 9 November 2014




Call to worship                                                       

Leader: In awe we proclaim your name, Holy Jesus.

People: We worship you as our Lord and Saviour.

Leader: We ask to feel your presence in this place, to sense that your Holy Spirit is with us now.

People: Blow, Holy Spirit, blow. Change our hearts, challenge our minds,

             and bring us closer to you.

All:        We worship and adore your holy name. Come, Lord Jesus.

Hymn: TIS 132Holy, holy, holy A confident declaration of God's holiness. Although we cannot appreciate that awful state of being we shout our belief in it because we have seen what just a glimpse of it can do to our lives.
                                                          

Prayers of Adoration

Hugh prayed, acknowledging God's greatness and wondering at the fact that he loves us, even when we are little babies. We have nothing to offer him but his love is given to us freely. Very hard to take that in.

                                                                    
Prayer of Confession                                                             

We prayed together: Holy One, we confess to you that often we make excuses for not following the way you have called us to go. We have tried to bargain with you to make the burden lighter.  We confess that we too often do not look for you in the face of others, nor allow others to see you in our own actions. Too often we have doubted your presence and failed to worship you with our lives. Make us more complete and faithful followers of you. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen. If we stop and think about it, while we don't steal other people's money and don't murder, we do treat those about us badly in little ways every day - through our own weaknesses, or our own frailty, by being thoughtless, simply by not paying attention. Not big planned, deliberate mistakes but ones that can cause hurt.

 

Words of Assurance and Pardon Hugh

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. For as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Upon these words of pardon, I declare that in Jesus Christ our sins are completely forgiven. It is an amazing gift. That each time we turn to God for forgiveness, we receive it.


Offering

Hugh blessed our offering, dedicating our little gifts to God's great work.

                                                                                           
Children's Story

Marcia told the children the story of Jonah and the whale, bringing to the attention of all present, the importance of obedience to God's will, pointing out that when we aren't obedient things go bad (like ending up in the belly of a whale)

 

Hymn: TIS 675Lord, the light of your love is shining It is that light and that light only which can illuminate the darkness that spoils everything which could be so good in this world but which is ruined by the selfish behaviour of humans.


Scripture Readings: Ruth read to us from Amos 5:18-24; and Matthew 25:1-13. The first is a stern warning about observing the rituals and customs of worship and then thinking we are so holy that we can welcome judgement day. God's only interested in our devoted relationship with him. That comes first, last and in the middle. The Matthew reading, while being a detailed story, has a short warning: Be ready. Don't delay acting. Do it now.

 

 Sermon Hugh : "Let me begin my sermon with a question for you. What if Christ should return today? Would that be good news for us? Would that be good news for the Baptists or the Methodists or the Roman Catholics or the Jews? Would it be good news for the rich or for the poor, for the law abiding or those in prison? If Christ should return today, who would be rejoicing? An obvious question, you say, but be careful. The answer may not be as obvious as you may think.

The people of Israel in the time of Amos the prophet were piously looking forward to the day of the Lord. Amos warns them, however. "Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord." That day has some surprises. It is as if a man escaped from a lion, only to meet a bear.  Amoss tone turns more straightforward. "The day of the Lord is darkness and not light" 

What if Christ should return today? For whom would it be good news?" Jesus taught us it was the simple deeds of kindness that build his kingdom. Humble deeds. Little things we do each day to be his hands and words in this world

We don't have to be full of energy, getting mountains of work done, although those people who do accomplish great stuff for God. We are a church of old people but we can spread God's love very effectively by our little acts of kindness, caring for our neighbours - inside and outside the church.

"Have you ever seen the wonder of migratory birds in "V" formation flying south for the winter? Ever wonder how they reach their destination without fail. As I understand it, there is not one lead bird. Rather specialists say that birds can fly so far and so long, because each one helps the flock by taking his turn as leader."

There's a lesson there for us. We should not just leave the work of the church to the committee members or to the people who normally do it but offer our contribution too.

"What if the Lord should come today? Obviously it will be good news to those who have learned to give, to share, to love, to look beyond their own needs to the needs of others."

"What if the Lord should come today?

The powerful and prestigious and the rich may not really look forward to that day. But the humble folk, the giving folk, those who have loved God and loved their fellow man, those who have sought to light a small candle in a world of darkness, these are those for whom the coming of the Lord will be a grand occasion." Step up. Offer your talents.

"Amos lived in a time very much like our own. Those who "lay on beds of white ivory" felt they were self-sufficient. They were secure. They could not imagine that the day of the Lord would threaten everything they hold dear.

We could profit from their blindness. Perhaps the best thing we could do this approaching Advent season would be to question whether we are standing in a right rank.

Ask yourself this question: What if the Lord really did come today? Will it be good news?  Or will it be full of surprises?"

 

Prayer of the people & Lords Prayer   Hugh

"Holy God, we approach you in humility, aware of our limitations; aware that in spite of all of our shortcomings you have blessed us, made us like you, and nourished us, all because you love us. We are thankful for your everlasting love towards us and towards all humanity out there." Hugh then gave thanks for all of God's blessing to us, including all the simple joys and all those people who through their care and kindness make this world a better place. After Hugh prayed for our personal concerns, we joined in the Lord's Prayer.

 

Final Hymn: TI 256From heaven you came This hymn shows us how Jesus lived the life he wants us to live. "This is our God, the Servant King, he calls us now to follow him, to bring our lives as a daily offering of worship to the Servant King."

 

Benediction                                                           

May we readily see Christ in others,

May our lives be itself a benediction to others for your glory.

May we be blessed to be a blessing to the world.

 

God the Father enrich you with his grace,

God the Son make you holy in his love,

God the Holy Spirit strengthen you with his joy now and for ever. Amen

 

Retiring Hymn: TIS 720Hale, hale, hale

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