Marsden
Road Uniting Church Order of Service Sunday, 26th June, 2016
Welcome
Lyn welcomed Rowena, who, in turn
extended the welcome of God to us all.
As is usual, Rowena had prepared a deeply thought
out service, which included the message. However, somehow the hymns really
touched my heart, so I have included as much of them as I could.
Call to Worship:
A Deaf Person's Perspective on Silence
Perceptive awareness of the presence of God in
the world of silence,
Created for me the joy of a relationship
which alone conquers the isolation of deafness.
The Biblical scenes on the stained glass windows.
The outward symbols which portray
the ever present visible sign of God’s
presence
within (God’s) Holy house.
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I accept with humble gratitude
this which God has bestowed upon me.
The gift of knowing stillness.
The gift of feeling a presence – knowing without
hearing.
Rev. G. Sloane (1993)
There is something there for those of us who can
hear physically but sometimes don't listen from our inner being.
Hymn
“Be Still for the presence of the Lord” This hymn by David Evans is a response
to Exodus 3:5.
Be still
for the presence of the Lord
The Holy
One is here
Come bow
before Him now
With
reverence and fear
In Him no
sin is found
We stand
on holy ground
Be still
for the presence of the Lord
The Holy
One is here.
Another expression of our theme
today, of sitting, waiting for our God to speak to us.
Prayers of Confession:
Rowena prayed on our behalf, confessing that we do not always understand; that
we become discouraged when our plans fail; that we are quick to give up or to
question the way things seem to be turning out - for this we asked forgiveness.
Rowena asked, for us, that we be granted patience and look for God's
leadership; that we be granted courage to act in faith and obedience, trusting
in God to lead. She praised God for his love and for our being able to meet him
through his mercy and forgiveness.
Private Prayer of Confession.
Declaration of Forgiveness:
Hear the good news of God's love: Our sins are forgiven!
Hymn:“Now Thank we all our God’ -- TiS 106. A
hymn well known to this congregation and a wonderful vehicle for us to express
our thanks and praise, when we often cannot find words of our own to say all
that we want to say.
Scripture Readings:
Galatians 3: 23-29 A word to remind the people that they were (and we are) all
one in Christ Jesus. Any other rules don't count.
1 Kings 19: 1-4, (5-7), 8-15a. Elijah had
been successful in showing The Living God's power to Israel but the followers
of Baal would not accept defeat and were baying for Elijah's blood. Elijah
decided to lie down and die but God had other plans and raised up leaders whom
Elijah was to anoint to carry out His plan. If a man such as Elijah can be so
discouraged, we should realise our own discouragement is not beyond repair by
God's hand.
Reflection:“Voice
of Silence”
Rowena spoke of our human longing amongst the
daily grind and not finding God where we expect to.
But when we wait, we find him unexpectedly in the
silence. She referred to the humanity of Elijah, being successful sometimes and
failing other times. Something in us resonates with this.
There are times when all seems to going well,
when we are assured of God's presence but there are other times when we can't
find God and things seem to be falling apart and we feel rejected.
But then if we are still, there he is, his voice
cuts through the dross and pierces the barriers between him and us.
Rowena then spoke of her discomfort with silence
because she faces a future of silence as her hearing fails but then pointed out
that most of the noise in our lives is part of the chaos of living, part of the
rush and bustle.
We show our faith in action but we can't keep
that up without retreating to a place of silence to hear a God's voice. Jesus
needed that from time to time.
In that silence we hear God's real concerns.
That's where we become men and women of integrity. We may think God has given
up on us but it's us who have given up on him because we are trying to carry
out our own plans not God's plans. We need the balance between listening and
doing.
Then, there is contemplative prayer where we find
intimacy with God. In that special place we find new possibilities and
opportunities. There where we wait for the wisdom and ever-present spirit of
God. Amen
Hymn:“God is Calling
through the Whisper” There are many
times when we don't know what we want. We simply know there is something deep
within us that is empty. We can't ask God to meet that need because we don't
know what it is. This hymn guides us in the way to wait on God as he reaches
out to us.
Verse 1.
God is calling through the whisper of the Spirit’s deepest sighs,
through the thrill of sudden beauties that can catch us by surprise.
Flash of lightning, crash of thunder; hush of
stillness, rush of wonder:
God is calling—can you hear? God is calling—can you hear?
Prayers of Intercession Ruth
led us, praying that, in the presence of the Lord, that we approach our
Heavenly Father, thanking him for his love and concern for us and for the
amazing unexpected things that are bestowed upon us; for his unexpected love,
support and kindness. She gave thanks for his grace that is his gift to us, so
that we can worship him. Ruth then prayed for our specific concerns: those of
the congregation and those of people worldwide. She brought before God, all
those refugees who are unsettled, asking that they be comforted. She prayed
that the violence in the world will cease and for comfort for the family of the
British politician who was assassinated. She asked for help for those that
cannot care for themselves and that God's voice should penetrate all that we do;
that it should break through so that we will hear. After praying for the
personal concerns of the congregation we joined in the Lord's Prayer.
Hymn TIS 598
"Dear Father, Lord of Humankind” forgive our foolish ways.
Breathe through the heats of our desire thy coolness
and thy balm;
Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire; speak
through the earthquake, wind and fire,
O still small voice of calm. O still small voice
of calm.
There's little more to say. Rowena has made her
point. A point no doubt, she heard in the silence.
Commissioning and Benediction:
Go in Peace to love and serve the World
Blessing Song:“Now Unto Him” a sung verse from
Jude:
Jude 1: 24-25
Now unto him that is able to keep you from
falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with
exceeding joy.
To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and
majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.
