Sunday Service Marsden Road Uniting Church 21st June 2015

Call to Worship  In the Call to Worship, Sandra reminded us of the amazing truth that God chooses to befriend small human beings like us - and prayed that we will be given Grace to glorify God in every part of our life and our being.

Hymn  TiS 100                       “All creatures of our God and King”

William Henry Draper translated and paraphrased a poem based on Psalm 148 and written by St Francis of Assisi in 1225.  William Draper was a Church of England Minister near Leeds and probably wrote this hymn between 1899 and 1919.  As we sang the Alleluias and our voices, with the music of the piano and the organ rose to fill the space – the words of the call to worship resonated – and perhaps I was not the only one who thought – if we life our life with Alleluias we can fill the world with God’s Love.

Prayers of Praise and Thanksgiving:  In these prayers, Sandra reminded us that we have so much to be grateful for and that we need only to read or listen to the news to realize how much of a struggle everything in life is for so many people in the world.  We praised God that we have “the opportunity to be agents of love to those people we encounter in our little corner of the world.”  

    

Prayers of Confession & Words of Assurance:  Sandra prayed for our forgiveness when we try to hide from God – even when we need Him the most.  Sometimes we blame God instead of listening for His reassurance and it is then; “we need to be calm to receive the strength you give to each of us at the point of our deepest need.”    We were assured of God’s forgiveness if we confess our sins and hear God’s words of Grace.

Announcements:  We were updated on the final amount raised for Frontier Services by our enthusiastic lamington makers.  We were invited to help to lift the living standards in Third World countries through providing opportunities for education, by attending the “Simply Sharing Tea” on Sunday 12^th July at 6.00 pm.  

Children’s Message  Sandra certainly gained the attention of the children with her lively “fishing story” taken from a real life fishing expedition with her father.  Although terrified, she finally listened to her father whose careful instructions helped her to save the boat from being swept away with the current.  “Life is a boat and we are all in it together and what happens – happens to all of us together.”  The children will have understood that clear message – to listen for God and he will show you the way.  

Offering / Prayer:  Val and Pat were our stewards this morning and were helped by two dear little girls who held the offering plates up for Sandra to bless as they exchanged a “secret” look of shared achievement.     Chris and Chrisanthi then took the children out to Sunday Kids.

Hymn TiS 711                        “Lead us Heavenly Father Lead Us”

Of the almost 2,000 hymns written by James Edmeston, this is the one that is probably known and loved the most.  It does have a quiet calm and hopefulness to help us face the storms of life and many of his other hymns reflect such an understanding of life.  James Edmeston was born in 1791 and was educated as an architect and surveyor, and continued to work at his profession until his death in 1867. 

Bible Reading:                      Mark 4: 35-41  (page 760 in the New English Bible) Colin read to us from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible this morning.  We all know the essence of this familiar story presented under the title, “Jesus calms a storm”.  But have we ever considered being in a boat as a metaphor for life as Sandra suggested to the children?

Reflection:                             “All in the same Boat”

Sandra suggested we close our eyes and think; “About the ‘boat that you are metaphorically in’ here in this place today – this building, this Church, this congregation.”  How many decades have some of us been meeting here – yet do we understand that we are invited here by Jesus to try and discover what the Kingdom of God should look like – so we can be His people – His disciples?  Maybe, like the crowds of people who were described in today’s reading and the earlier chapters of Mark’s Gospel, it is we who are tiring Jesus to the point of exhaustion!  It was Jesus who asked to be rowed to the other side of the lake and he was so tired he fell asleep but his disciples did not hesitate to wake him up and accuse him of not caring and letting them drown.  

I wonder if we find it hard to answer the challenging question Sandra asked of us.  “How many times in life are we so concerned about the safety of our own little boat into which we thought we had invited Jesus – when in fact he had invited himself – do we accuse him of not caring enough about us?   Of being totally unaware of what life has thrown at us?   Of leaving us to sink or swim without offering us even the smallest lifeline?  How many times have people apparently abandoned their faith when the boat they had carefully constructed and maintained appears to be sinking?”

Sandra referred to the famous Holman Hunt painting which shows Jesus knocking on a door that is almost invisible in the tangle of vines and weeds.  Do we hide from Jesus and are we so keen to exercise our individuality in this society that talks of the empowerment of the individual, that there is, as Sandra suggested; “A temptation to think the initiative rests with us as to whether we seek out God or not.”

In the story of Jonah who was  fleeing from God, he paid to escape on a ship which subsequently ran into a severe storm which threatened the lives of all onboard and Jonah asked to be thrown from the boat so calm could be restored.  Sandra reminded us of this - before asking the challenging question: “Do we in our times of trouble want to throw Jesus overboard because of his apparent unconcern for our fears?”

 I really appreciated the emphasis Sandra gave to the presence of the other boats and the notion that; “Jesus knew – and even though he was not apparently in their boats – they were indeed “with him”.  I also appreciated the opportunity that she presented for us to think laterally and accept the challenges presented in today’s reading by applying it to our own lives and also to the Uniting Church.  Sandra called the Uniting Church a “Vessel which set sail some 39 years ago – launched after, some 50 years of planning and discussion – and yet - which today appears to be facing storms which are causing many to question the structure of the vessel itself.”  Perhaps as Sandra suggested we should ask some hard questions like; “Who is in the boat, and who perhaps like Jonah should be thrown overboard?”  “Is Jesus in fact still in the boat?”   I like the idea of looking closely at the way our own lives and our own moral compass reflect the word of God rather than our lives being overwhelmed by man-made “rules” – even those of well intended Church Leaders.  I will think hard about Sandra’s final question; “Which boat are you in? And who is in it with you?”  AMEN.

Hymn TiS 674                        “Inspired by Love and Anger”

John Lamberton Bell is a Minister of the Church of Scotland and is a modern hymn writer who belongs to the Iona Community.  Some of his hymns, like this one, really throw out a challenge to us as we sing and take notice of the message. 

God asks, “Who will go for me? Who will extend my reach? 

And who, when few will listen, will prophesy and preach?   

And who, when few bid welcome, will offer all they know? 

And who, when few dare follow, will walk the road I show?”

Prayers of the People:  Today Sandra led these prayers and began by reminding us of the way God rescues people and of the way His love for people never ends.  Our prayers included all who grieve and we were reminded there are so many different ways and reasons to grieve.  Even while we are still sad we can offer forgiveness, as the good people in the American Church where the terrible tragedy happened this week, are beginning to forgive.  We prayed for those who suffer from mental illness and those who are engulfed in misery and for those people we know and for people and churches throughout the world.   Then we shared in the much loved Lord’s Prayer.

Hymn TiS 431                        “Thanks to God whose words were spoken”  

This hymn written by Reginald T Brooks in 1954 was inspired by John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  I like the way the tense changes in the last verse and “God has spoke; God has spoken” becomes; “God is speaking; God is speaking.”  What a timely reminder for us to take away from the service so we can listen for God so he can show us the way.

Blessing    Sandra exhorted us to go forth into the world with Peace to overcome the storms of life and to share the Blessings of our risen Christ.   Amen.

Blessing Song TiS 779:       “May the feet of God walk with you.”