Respect for Seniors Week
Welcome
Jan
welcomed us to the service, the theme of which was caring for and respecting
seniors
Call
to worship
The
Lord answers you in the day of trouble
The
name of the God of Jacob protects you
May he
grant you your heart’s desire;
And
fulfil all your plans.
May we
celebrate with joy the victory of God
In
the name of God set up our banners.
Let
us worship God together, in songs of praise.
Hymn
TIS 137 “For the beauty of the earth.” We sang this song of praise for all
the gifts God bestows upon us. It is really easy to forget that He is the
author of everything we enjoy in our lives. We are inclined to write them off
as naturally occurring as though God didn't have anything to do with them or we
may think that some person is being very gracious to us, forgetting that it is
God working through them.
Prayers
of Praise and Thanksgiving
Jan
led us in thanking our Creator God who provides for us beyond any fullness of
our expectations. She gave thanks for this world that resounds with his glories
and for the dream of a human community living in love and peace. She gave
thanks for the Divine Life lived in us and confessed our deep regret that we
have deluded ourselves and as a result have betrayed God's hopes for us. For
this she begged forgiveness and the chance of a new day to do God's work in
this world which is lost in emptiness and silent in the face of injustice. She
asked again for forgiveness and the grace to remember our calling.
Words
of assurance In
God through Jesus Christ we are now forgiven and offered a new beginning. Amen
and again Amen.
Announcement A most important
announcement was that Pat has been awarded an Order of Australia Medal. Well
deserved. Congratulations Pat. It was fitting then that Pat announced the final
figures for the Lamington Drive - $2187.58. Congratulations everyone concerned.
These funds will go to Frontier Services to help in that excellent work.
Children’s talk Jan drew attention to the
purple stole she was wearing which
symbolised the theme of thinking
about older citizens. She told the children that today we were thinking about
the older people in our community. We were reminding ourselves of the care and
respect we should give seniors and that they might have some knowledge younger
people could use.
Hymn
"Lord
of the years” Thanking God for his care and
guidance through all the years from infancy to older age. Thanking him for
everything that enters our lives to guide us on our way, provided by his
generosity.
Bible
Readings-
Ecclesiastes 3:1-12 and Mark 12: 28 -
34 were read by Jack. If you are a fan of Pete Seeger or The Seekers you will
know the Ecclesiastes passage well. It provided the lyrics for Seeger's Turn,
Turn, Turn which became a worldwide hit because it resonates so well with human
experience. Life has its seasons. It is a rare person who doesn't experience
all of them.
Sermon- “Our times and seasons- the giftedness of our ageing and
showing respect.”
Jan
began by reminding us of well known phrases about time: I haven't got time to
do this! The years just seem to go by so quickly and go faster as we get older!
Time is of the essence! It was the best of times and the worst of times! The
time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God has come near! His time had not yet
come!
Our
lives are marked out by time. Jan referred to a way of marking out the year. In
the Church we are in the season of Pentecost, in Winter looking forward to
Spring, sometimes called Ordinary time.
Having
referred to the pressure of modern living, Jan reminded us of the song
"Turn Turn Turn" based on Ecclesiastes which reflected on the
inevitability of the experiences each of us encounter in life. The songwriter
was focused on the Vietnam War and his view that it was time for it to be over.
Jan
then turned her attention to why we stumble when we begin to ponder the meaning
of time. It is that our time is limited. Human life is finite and so we grapple
to make a positive contribution. She then spoke to those present, celebrating
their giftedness and the blessing their lives have brought.
It
takes much wisdom to know the right time to act. But Ecclesiastes says it takes
greater wisdom to face facts, to accept our finite and creaturely status. Jan
then directed us to scripture including Paul's "When the right time had
come, God sent his son...in order that we might receive adoption as children.” (Gal 4:4). Jan went on to explain
the relevance of the reading from Mark and ideas coming from that but space has
restricted how much can be recorded.
She
completed the sermon by telling us "Time is God's gift to us...Wherever
life takes you in ordinary time, the seasons of your life are held in God's
hands...."
Hymn
TIS 547 “Be thou my vision”. A reflection on the Ecclesiastes
passage, looking to God who provides everything we need in all areas of our
being. Life is a complex business and only the creator knows the safe passage
through.
Offering Thanks and praise was
given for all the years and the many blessings. Gratitude was expressed for all
our gifts, love and grace, showered upon us. Jan prayed that the offering would
be used in love for neighbours near and far.
Musical
interlude played
while we thought on our private needs - our own and those close to our hearts.
Prayers
of Intercession-
Dan's prayer referred, as through the rest of the service, to the theme of the
seasons of ours lives, acknowledging God's place as the source of all we need
and his faithfulness in every moment from beginning to end. Dan then turned his
attention to the needs of the people known to the congregation and then we
joined in the Lord's Prayer.
Hymn TIS 154 “Great
is your faithfulness” Picking up the theme of
God's hand in all creation again, we praised God for his faithfulness for all
things necessary to our lives.
Blessing. The Lord bless you and keep you.
The
Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you,
The
Lord lift up his countenance upon you and grant you peace. Amen.
Blessing
Song -TIS 778
‘Shalom to you now, shalom my friends” What a wonderful blessing as we left
each other.
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