Acknowledgement
of First Peoples
From
river to ocean, from campfire to hearth,
May the First People who
have cared for this Land be blessed.
From breath to song, from
step to dance,
May those who follow Your Songlines
guide us on the journey of living honourably in this place.
From greeting to Amen,
from silence to chorus,
Call to Worship (Abingdon
Worship Annual 2012 and 2018)
God who restores, who heals,
who makes us whole, open our eyes to your work around us. Be in our praying, in
our singing, in our proclamation, and in our silence. Open our eyes to see your
kingdom coming into the world.
Jesus has come to
town. Jesus, son of David, have mercy on us!
He invites us to join him
on his journey. Jesus, son of David, have mercy on us!
Come and be healed and see
with new eyes. Hallelujah! Thanks be to God!
And then we sang of our
reliance on God. Or, at least, how our highest calling is reliance on God. Why
do we think we know better so often?
Hymn TIS 112: “Through all the changing
scenes of life”
Opening
Prayer
Triune God, through
Jesus Christ, our great and eternal High Priest, we give you praise and
consecrate ourselves to follow you. As we worship you and celebrate your
glorious resurrection, open our eyes so that we may see – open the eyes of our
mind to learning and understanding; open the eyes of our heart, to your love
and compassion; open the eyes of our soul, to see our spiritual selves during
our time of worship. Amen.
Consecrating ourselves to
God is not something to be done flippantly or without deep thought. It means
that we turn aside from our own wishes and wants to seek God’s will in all
things. It isn't a once-only event. We are called on daily to hand ourselves
over to God’s plan for us and The Kingdom.
And to ensure that this
continues to be so, and knowing how often we do stray from that commitment and
consecration, we need to open ourselves and our failings to God and seek
forgiveness.
Prayer of Confession
Mystical,
transcendent God, there is so much of life we simply do not know.
In our arrogance we utter
what we do not understand.
Rescue us, O Lord, from
our afflictions.
Rescue us, O God from our
self-inflicted wounds. Have mercy on us, Son of David, Son of God, and save us
by your unending grace. Amen.
Declaration of
Forgiveness
Cry
out to Christ, our great High Priest, for he has saved us. Our faith has made
us well, brought us forgiveness and granted us peace. Thanks be to God.
Hymn
TIS 547. “Be thou my vision.” Keeping in track. Asking
for the true path.
READINGS: Job 42:1-6,
10-17 : Mark 10: 46-52
Job says to a God: ‘I know
that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 “Who
is this that hides counsel without knowledge? Therefore, I have uttered what I
did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
A good lesson here for all
of us. We don't have the knowledge and wisdom we need to do God’s will in God’s
kingdom. We need to ask for guidance.
The lesson from Mark leans
in the same direction:
Bartimaeus son of Timaeus,
a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. 47 When he heard
that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus, Son of
David, have mercy on me!’ 48 Many sternly ordered him to be
quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ 49 Jesus
stood still and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to
him, ‘Take heart; get up, he is calling you.’ 50 So throwing
off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.51 Then Jesus said to
him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The blind man said to him, ‘My
teacher, let me see again.’ 52 Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your
faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on
the way.
Remember, when we read the
Bible we are looking for God’s voice and God’s message to us. I think it's
clear here: The blind man asked to see and Jesus gave him sight. Usually, it's
not physical sight we need, its spiritual sight. It works the same way.
Rev. John shared this with
us:
“But when I share, through
honest and open prayer, my frivolous or grave or noble or childlike wants with
a gentle and loving God, God will use even these to increase my faithfulness,
to uncover my hidden wounds, and to affirm my created goodness. Maybe, even,
God is doing the wanting in me and through me; and my calling is to discover
what the wanting is teaching me about who God is and who I am.”
John also told us of
seeking guidance from a friend rather than turning to God. Talking to the
friend was a way of avoiding God because he was afraid he would get it all
wrong before God. I think this is a common experience. We hide our lack of
knowledge and understanding from God, or so we think, but who better to turn to
when we are in need?
Hymn TIS 223 “How sweet the name of a Jesus sounds in a
believer’s ear.” The very hymn to hear and sing at the point to settle our
troubled hearts and minds.
Laurel brought us the
Prayers of the People. She brought before us and our Lord current concerns. God
invites us to say what our needs are. Even if we have looked past our real
needs, God will see our true needs. And so it is with confidence we were able
to join Laurel in her prayers for those suffering in different ways.
Hymn
TIS 160
“Father
all-loving and ruling in majesty.” God is not one to fear. God is in charge and
will hold us in the palm of his hand.
Benediction
Go as the church, as
Jesus' entourage, following where he leads. Everywhere he goes he leaves
healing and hope in his wake. Go, and listen, and learn, and love. And may the
blessing of God Almighty, Creator, Redeemer and Giver of Life be with you and
remain with you always, Amen
