Today I am
offering notes and reflections on two services. This has came about because of
pressure of other responsibilities. I hope I can return to something more
regular in the future. Margaret.
Marsden Road
Uniting Church: Sunday February 5.
John began with an appeal to our God for us to be
enabled to be his hands and voice in this world, providing for and comforting
those who hunger and thirst, both physically and spiritually. He acknowledged
our call to shine God's light and grace out to others, spreading joy and asked
that we be freed from our fears so as to include everyone, even those who may
not be easily accepted by everyone. He prayed that the joy of God's friendship,
will be visible to others.
He then confessed,
on our behalf, that we
don't always live up to our mission and asked for forgiveness, so we will take
His message at face value and do exactly what we have been told to do without
any diluting to make things more comfortable for us. He asked that our eyes be
opened wide.
That way we won't
be able to avoid the seriousness of our commission. By this time in the service I was feeling
most disturbed. We promise so much and deliver so little by comparison with the
expectations of our commission. Sometimes I think it would be better if Christians
weren't such nice people. We become so comfortable in our own congregation, we
forget our real mission is to build the Kingdom.
Then the
declaration of forgiveness. God's hand of
reconciliation is always extended. We can start again. With thanks.
Having been
reconciled we extended that peace to those near us. Will we be able to remember to continue to
spread that peace after we leave each other today and go into the week?
Our first act to do
so was to gather the
offering and pray: "Generous God, you shower us with blessings and call us
to share. Thank you for this opportunity to shine your light into the world
through our work of justice and compassion. We pray and live in the name of
your true light, Jesus Christ. Amen".
Hymn 474: “Here in this place new light is
streaming” Continued our focus in
this theme.
The service of Holy
Communion which followed, reminded us of why we meet each week and of the basis for our
ability to act in God's name. It highlighted the love of Jesus and his resolute
mission to turn the world upside down, that humankind would, at last, focus on
what is the authentic message of God. That service also opened our hearts and
minds to the need to maintain our relationship with God and each other, all
evoking great thankfulness within us.
All we can do in
response is humble ourselves in simple thanks:
Prayer after Communion
Holy God, we came to
this table scarred by regrets and broken dreams, anxious about many things,
knowing that we are not immune to evil's lure. And you met us at this table;
embracing us in our brokenness, naming us "beloved", claiming us for
eternity. We thank you, living, loving God. Amen.
The First Reading: Isaiah 58: 1-12.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 5:13-20.
John spoke very
clearly to us about the
fact that we know quite well the message of God but that we don't really want
to hear it. I have heard Christian leaders speak of the need to be
"sensible" when sharing generously in God's name. We wouldn't want to
"go without" ourselves would we? That's exactly what we are called
upon to do. Jesus said that he is The Way. He has shown us how to live but do
we do it? None of our time, energy or possessions belongs to us. It all belongs
to God.
And so do we.
"You shall be Holy, for I the Lord your God am Holy." is in the
Lectionary readings for February 19. That asks us to be remade in the image of
God. Wholly.
Now back to John:
So, the next question
is easy to ask and hard to answer. What are we going to do about it?
Hymn 655: “Jesus
Christ is waiting” The
message continues. We have to respond.
Marsden Road Uniting
Church: February 12th February 2017
John introduced the service: God
invites us to choose life this day. Could it really be that simple? Could the
vast majority of our uncertainties, our insecurities, our gut-wrenching angst
fade away if we simply decided to choose life today? The hardest things in life
are the least complicated. Choose life.
He then spoke of
the joy of walking daily with God. He spoke of the value of God's teaching as our
shelter from the uncertainties of life: as our guide to authentic life.
Blessed are those who
choose life.
John then prayed
that we be guided into that authentic life, that we will be able to walk straight without too
many of our usual mistakes and stumbles. He asked that we be spiritually fed,
so that our faith will grow as our foundation for spreading the joy of
believing to others.
We were then
constrained by our conscience as much as the Order of Service, to confess that we haven't been true to our mission
and John, on our behalf, prayed for forgiveness. He pleaded that we be given
Grace to make wise decisions and through God's Spirit to follow tight paths.
John then made the
Declaration of Forgiveness and urged that we: "Choose life this day and live."
Then all that was left was to give "Thanks to God!"
The Peace: It
followed that we act: Choose
life, and you will find peace. Choose unity, and you will discover that our
differences make us stronger, not weaker. In unity and holy love, choose life
this day, as you share the peace of Christ with one another. Peace be with you!
And also with you!
Readings:
Deuteronomy 30: 15 invites us to choose life by following God’s directions for our lives. God’s
directions for living and loving are written on our hearts. How can anything be
written on our hearts? (An allusion to
the method of writing at the time.)
Jesus commands us to
love one another as he loves us – and he communicates that love to our hearts
through the gift of the Holy Spirit and he wants us to communicate that love to
other people. So – a way of describing that is saying that his love is written
on our hearts – to stay there forever.
1 Corinthians 3: 1-9
And so, brothers and
sisters, I could not speak
to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in
Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid
food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh.
(Quarreling about whom to follow)
So neither the one who
plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
Matthew 5: 21-37
‘You have heard that it
was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever
murders shall be liable to judgement. But I say to you that if you are angry
with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement; and if you insult a
brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You
fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire.
John focused on
anger: "At the heart
of our Lord’s teaching today is a clear concern for the damage we can cause
through our anger, our tendency to abuse and defile precious relationships and
the harm we cause when we compromise precious trusts and commitments..relationships
… I am convinced that this is what our Gospel lesson is really addressing. We
create a precious trust when we enter a meaningful relationship with another …
within our family and circle of friends, at our workplace, and certainly within
our congregation."
Then the prayer
after the Offering said it all: May the gifts we bring before you this day be
signs of our commitment to choose life, as we walk in your ways and grow united in your Son,
Jesus. May the offering we share with a hurting world bring the blessings of
life and the happiness of friendship. Amen.
And to complete the
service: Hymn 780: “May light come into your eyes”
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