Sunday Service Marsden Road Uniting Church 26th July 2015

Call to Worship         Jan reminded us that we were all WELCOME and that Christ was here in church with us this morning and He is the cornerstone on which we should build our lives.  The idea that; “We are being built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God” reminded me of the “slogan” we sometimes like to use at Marsden Road Church; “The Church is not a building – YOU are the Church”.  Certainly something to remember as Jan invited us to; “Come and worship the living God whom we delight to worship and praise.”

Hymn  TiS 187                       “Let all Creation Dance”

This modern hymn was written by Brian Wren who is Emeritus Professor of Worship, Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia and a Minister of the United Reformed Church (U.K.).   After sitting up late last night to watch the Tour de France riders pass through the grandeur and majesty of the French Alps, the poetry of the words of this song certainly resonated with me  “… for nature’s art in glory grows, and newly shows God’s mind and heart.” 

Prayers of Praise and Thanksgiving:  Jan prayed about our need to Praise our Creator God as we seek His Sabbath rest.   She reminded us of our carelessness in not always appreciating the abundance of life’s riches and taking time to just “lay down our tools” and breathe as we give thanks for each new day and the stillness of winter.  With hope we can remember that in the darkest days of winter, new life is quietly forming - waiting to spring forth. 

Prayers of Confession & Words of Assurance:  After leading us to confess our sins and reassuring us that God’s love is always there; Jan reassured us that our sins are forgiven.  Thanks be to God!     

Announcements:  We heard that last week’s Simply Sharing Tea had raised $540 for the work of Uniting World and we were reminded that our special Friendship Circle Morning Tea today will be celebrated with home made soup and bread rolls and lots of talking and sharing with friends.  Ruth introduced two special visitors, her cousin Sue and Father John, an Irish Priest and Missionary.

Children’s Message  Jan encouraged the children to come forward and help her “build” a brick wall on the front of the alter.  On the “bricks” was a short text from Ephesians that had made a great impression on Jan’s thinking when she was at Sunday School.  Ephesians 2: 8-9  “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -  not by works, so that no one can boast.”   

Offering / Prayer:  Laurel and Phil were our stewards this morning and they were helped by two of our children.  The offering was blessed and the children left for Sunday Kids with a special Blessing.

Hymn SIS Book 1 185                       “Bind us together Lord”

Bob Gillman wrote this hymn which has a recurring line we should all try to live; “Bind us together Lord, Bind us together with Love.”     

Bible Reading:                      

Psalm 14         Page 407       Ephesians 2: 11-22     Page 912

Kay read the not so “feel-good” Psalm 14 which makes no excuses about “Man’s wickedness” and then the New Testament reading from Ephesians Chapter 2 which introduces us to the hope that comes from peace, tolerance and understanding the situations of others.  What a message for our world today we can hear in the last two verses. “In him the whole building is being bonded together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord.  In him you too are being built with all the rest into a spiritual dwelling for God.”  

Reflection:                             “Jesus brings us together into God’s household”

The concept of Jesus bringing us together in God’s household is made easier for me to understand after being a part of the Marsden Road Church Family for almost 50 years.  Like any family, some have lived out their full life span and died, some have died prematurely from illness or accident and some have died through tragic circumstances.  We have welcomed many many new families into God’s household and new babies have also arrived – all to be embraced with God’s love and the care and love of the current members of God’s household here.   Of course, sadly as humans, we have no doubt failed some people, but our goal has always been to seek help and forgiveness for our shortcomings and do our best to bring God’s love to each person.  

This has nothing to do with the building, which is historic and beautiful; it is the people who have always made this church matter in this changing community in a rapidly changing world. 

Through her Reflection on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, Jan directed our thoughts to the challenges and the importance of coming to understand and respect the language, customs and culture of all people with whom we must live with tolerance, respect and acceptance.  She said;

“We belong to a large household that belongs to God, with others from every nation and race in the world, which we sometimes catch a glimpse of when we worship together in other places around the world when travelling and experiencing something of being part of a worldwide family.  This household should be organic, growing, vibrant and be a place where people experience and know that God is present.  Not in the sense of buildings or properties, but in the relationships that begin and develop and deepen.

We need to be growing spiritually and to be actively involved in the work that God is doing around us in peoples lives, building people into his household.  The Christian community, the church, has continued and survived over the centuries because faithful people have lived out the truth of the gospel and have remained firmly grounded in the life of God through the power of the Holy Spirit.  They have been willing to share that love with others, so that others become Jesus disciples too and we are all called to witness to that love and Grace.  In an age of individualism, we must not lose the distinctive love and support, fellowship and companionship of being with other Christians on the journey of faith.  Christ promised to be with us always and His Spirit is at work in us and continued to walk with us into the future.  Let us keep that vision before us as we follow Christ.”

AMEN.

Hymn TiS 674                        “Forward together we will go”

This is a modern hymn with words by Rev. Dr David Manton and sung to a familiar tune.  The message is one for “our time and place”.  “Forward together, we will go, Pilgrims of faith, to risk and dare.  Jesus you call us, we’ll go out, Off’ring to others love and care.”

A Greeting from Father John;  Jan invited Father John, an Irish Priest, who went with a Polish Priest, as a missionary to Tanzania ten years ago, to speak to us about the work our miracle lamingtons were able to do for the Maasai people in 2008 when our mid-year lamington drive proceeds went to the Irish Mission supporting him.  Over the years our lamingtons have done amazing things in many places – but it was a joy for us to hear how the making of cakes he had never heard about had helped Father John to: “Bring the Love of God to God’s people in a bleak community where there were many similarities in their way of love.”

Father John is now going to work to show that God’s Love has no barriers in a mission in the Philippines, after a short trip home to Ireland.  It was wonderful to meet him and welcome him to Marsden Road Church to share our worship.  I was pleased to learn that Ruth and Ian had seen to it that finally Father John had the opportunity to taste one of those mysterious and magical lamingtons for himself.

Prayers of the People:  Today Chris led these prayers and began by presenting to God the many needs and concerns of those people and situations which had been written in our red prayer books. He then prayed that our congregation will be led by the Holy Spirit and that we will listen and love God – not praying to try and make God do what we want – but acknowledging that God is wise and wraps His loving kindness around us even in our darkest moments.  Then we shared together in the words of the Lord’s Prayer.

Hymn TiS 477                        “Jesus calls us here to meet Him”   

John Lamberton Bell is a prolific, modern hymn-writer and is a member of the Iona Community.  Some of his hymns, including this one, have been written in collaboration with Graham Maule.

Blessing    Jan sent us home to: “Go with God to discover new Life in Christ.”   Amen.

Blessing Song TiS 778:       “Shalom to you now, shalom my friends.”

Sunday Service Marsden Road Uniting Church 19 July 2015

Call to Worship

Bronwyn welcomed us to this place of love and peace where we could be sure we belonged. She reminded us that we were celebrating each other as we celebrated the faithful and eternal love of God.

Praying to our Gracious and Loving Lord, Bronwyn thanked him that each of us has a place in his realm and can speak to him as both friend and Saviour. She asked, for all of us, that he would receive not just our worship today, but also the worship of our lives, knowing that it is in him that we have our being. She asked that the joy of our relationship with him transform our lives and our world.

Sing: TIS 152 "Joyful, Joyful" We continued our adoration of our glorious Lord, acknowledging his ability to work miracles in us and asking that he will do that just to transform us.

Prayers of Praise & Confession/ Words of Assurance -Bron

For us, Bron praised our Creator, Redeemer, our very heart, attesting to God's initial choice of us which allowed us to respond to him and love because he loved us first. She declared that our hearts swelled with love and gratitude for God's faithfulness to us.

After a pause in which we could offer our own thanks and praise, Bron continued with our

Confession, asking forgiveness for when our worship is hollow, our thoughts not on his will: when we ignore his teaching and make selfish choices. She asked that he call us back and give us another chance to be the people we should be. She asked that this day, God should wash us clean, and make us anew, in Jesus name. Amen

Words of Assurance  God's forgiveness is beyond our understanding, but is as real as the air we breathe. Receive his gift of grace - in the name of Jesus Christ your sins are forgiven.

All: Thanks be to God.

Children’s talk- Have you filled your bucket today? Bron. This talk was as much for the  adults as the kids, reminding us that many of our attempts at happiness are counter productive. Many assume that filling our own buckets would benefit us the most, but it turns out that it adds nothing.

 
Filling some else's bucket with acts of kindness, not only fills their bucket and makes them feel special but fills our own bucket as well. Expressions of love, smiles, welcomes are all ways to fill the buckets of other people - it doesn't take much. Start each day asking God to help us fill buckets. Check out how you went at the end of the day. Succeeded? Yes! - No so good? God will not give up!

Offering & Dedication  Bron offered not only our financial donations but those of our time and energy, asking for God's blessing upon them that we will be filled with the spirit so that the whole world will come to know God's blessing,

 

Sing: TiS 162 "Thank you for giving me the morning"- verses 1,2,5,6 The idea of recognizing our real blessings and thanking God for them continued, so that we will not be led astray, thinking that contentment can come to us through acquiring things. Nor should we think the blessings spoken of in this hymn are of no account but are, in fact, the foundation of happy lives.

 

Bible Readings- Jeremiah 23:1-6 - Mark 6:30-34, 53-56. Jack brought us the readings today. The OT reading promised protection for the 'flock' of the Lord and retribution for anyone who harmed them. Mark speaks of the difficulty Jesus experienced when the people crowded him looking for his help, leaving him and the disciples no time to even eat. But even in his exhaustion, he had compassion on them. The strength of his  compassion was such that even touching the fringe of his coat brought healing.

Sermon- "Come Away" Bron pointed to the Mark reading as a reminder of how busy our lives are. We have all sorts of things to simplify our lives but paradoxically our lives become more frenetic. If it's not the demands of family, it’s work or church or sport or study. That's not to mention volunteering and just "helping out". Bron then told the story of African workers who were carrying equipment over footpaths because that was the only way to go. At one point they stopped and refused to stand up and carry the equipment. When pressed for a reason, the answer was: "Sir, we are waiting for our souls to catch up with our bodies." That's why church is so important.

That Jesus felt overwhelmed and needed to take his disciples aside to rest, so we shouldn't feel we can't pull aside to refresh ourselves.

We should never feel  guilty about having to take time out...Jesus on the other hand saw them as Sheep without a Shepherd and dug deep for their needs.

Bron spoke of what happens to those of us without The Shepherd and laid out the types of things that happen to sheep who try wander off by themselves. They get lost; they will wander into danger, trying to find pasture; they will have no defence against dangers.

Likewise, we will come to grief without our Shepherd to guide us.

Bron then told a story of a traveller who needed to traverse a great forest to get home but the forest was crisscrossed by identical-looking paths all of which but one led to a great abyss. The way to safely cross was to accept and rely on the help of a shepherd who appeared and those that refused the help invariably perished through becoming lost or falling into the abyss.

We don't need, to be consciously disobedient to God's will for us, but when we become frenetically busy, we can become distracted and fail to follow God's paths and fail to be good shepherds to those around us. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who will lead us home and by keeping by his side and giving him our time, we avoid wrong paths. "Church is not where we come on a Sunday but who we are."

"This is where our souls catch up to our bodies - so embrace this moment..."

Sing TIS 569 "Guide me , O thou Great Jehovah" The enthusiasm in our voices during hymns like this one, is often because they are old favourites - but also because they say the words our heart can't express otherwise. Today Bron reminded us that this is a prayer we should pray daily.

Prayers of Intercession & The Lord’s Prayer- Bron led us in praying to God for his help to be the people we would hope to be - gentle, forgiving, patient, understanding - holding fast to what we believe is right, trusting in God's power to overcome evil and transform lives. She prayed that we will remember that the worship service is a "time and base from which to serve and live and transform"..in God's name.

Sing: TiS 106 "Now Thank we all our God" We thanked God with all that we are, for all that he is, and all that we can become through him.

Blessing- Bron blessed us that "the heart of God love us...the wisdom of God guide us...the hand of God protect us. And may the blessing of God - God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with you and each one that you love - this day and forever more." Amen

Blessing Song: TIS 779 ‘May the feet of God walk with you’

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Sunday Service Marsden Road Uniting Church 12 July 2015

Welcome

Jan welcomed us, calling our attention to NAIDOC week and acknowledging the original indigenous  owners of the land. She gave thanks for the care those elders had taken of the land.

Call to Worship

The Earth is the Lord's and all that is in it.

The world and those that live in it.

He has founded it in the seas,

And established it on the rivers.

Lift up your heads, O gates and be lifted up, O ancient doors.

That the King of glory may come in. We praise God's holy name.

Hymn TIS 12 "Ye gates lift up your heads on high" A reiteration of the call to worship in song, praising and glorifying God.

Prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving/Confession/Assurance

Jan gave thanks for those things that we are familiar with on a daily basis - our bodies, shelter, food, the world itself and all that it houses. We often think this things are "natural" and "normal" and forget what a gift they are and what delight they bring - the starry night and the wagging tail of the dog. She gave thanks for those things that underpin our existence - love, relationships and life itself.

Jan then confessed for us that we do not always measure up to what we should be as God's children and said how hard we find it to do so. She confessed also that we feel so weak and small and that we give up because we think we cannot have any impact against the forces of this world. Jan asked for God's strength to trust him and open our eyes and ears to the ways we can help others.

Jan asked God to forgive us and gave thanks for his grace and mercy that sets us free to start anew.

Thanks be to God.

 Hymn TIS 164 "The great love of God is revealed in the Son" "It is yours, it is ours, O how lavishly given! The pearl of great price, and the treasure of heaven". Life can be very difficult at times but the knowledge that God's love is ours, strengthens us to rise above the burdens that come our way.

Bible Readings read to us by Norma

2 Samuel 6: 1 - 5, 12b - 19. Ephesians 1: 1 -14. In the reading from 2 Samuel, David brings home the Ark accompanied by much rejoicing. But it's not the Ark but God's presence which is being celebrated because of their implicit belief in the power of God.

The Ephesians reading proclaims the gospel in a nutshell. It tells of our great blessing of being God's children and the forgiveness that brings and the grace that is bestowed upon us because of Jesus.

 

Sermon

Jan spoke of the rich experience she and Dan have shared travelling around the Pacific and Australia, learning from the people as they moved from place to place. Since this week is NAIDOC week she thought it appropriate to focus on the unique Australian landscape and the unique insights learnt from the indigenous people. She spoke of her curiosity about early history and the fascinating desert experience and its dramatic beauty. Jan referred to the special, awe inspiring Uluru and the work of the indigenous people in the management  of  that area.

"It was very special being able to appreciate the diversity and uniqueness of God's creation, and to see in that creativity, a God who is worthy of our praise and adoration."

Reflecting on the history of Australia was a prompt to think of the beginnings of Christianity and the part Paul played in that. The Letter to the Ephesians revealed Paul's pastoral role, beginning with the Greeting and then The Great Eulogy which speaks of the blessings flowing out of Jesus' sacrifice and triumph over death. It speaks of God's greatness and his love for us. Jan said that her experience at Uluru was such that praise for God was the natural consequence but that sometimes we find that thanks and praise hard to experience and express. We should bless God because even from before the beginning "He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ , according to the Good pleasure of his will." Eph: 1 : 5.

"Not only are we forgiven, but we can share in God's wisdom and insights into the world and the way God is at work through Jesus Christ." This places us in a unique position. As well, we have the gift of the Spirit which continues to lead us throughout our lives. We need to stay in tune with this spirit to do God's will and produce the fruits that the work of the Spirit produces in us.

Hymn TIS 129 " Amazing Grace" ...that saved a wretch like me...God's grace is sufficient for ANY need. We are not to be discouraged in any circumstances.

Musical Interlude

Grahame played while we thought on our personal concerns and laid them before our God.

Prayers for the People

Jan spoke - "Warming God, we remember the cycles of life and times of winter." She then prayed for those close to us they will flourish with love and care. She prayed for the homeless; for those suffering shame or guilt; for those suffering because of extremes of climate and for ourselves as we learn to use resources wisely. She then prayed for the close concerns of the congregation after which we joined in The Lord's Prayer.

Hymn TIS 611 "God of grace and glory" A plea that we will be saved from our doubts and fears to go forward with wisdom and courage to "serve you whom we adore".

Jan concluded the service with the Aaronic Blessing after which we blessed each other with:

May our God, God of love bless and keep you forever.

Grant you peace, perfect peace, strength for every endeavour.

Now go and serve him with all your heart, serving him forever.

May our God, God of love bless and keep you forever.

Amen

 

 

 

Marsden Road Uniting Church 5 July 2015

Rev. Trevor led our service today encouraging us in various ways, through prayers, hymns, scripture readings, the children's address and sermon to reflect on our lives as Christians.

The prayer of praise and thanksgiving was a responsive reading of Psalm 48, extolling God's greatness and His steadfast love for us, concluding with the words: "that you may tell the next generation that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will be our guide forever." Amen.

He can only be so if we let go of that grasp we have over our lives and hand ourselves over to his guidance. God cannot guide us if we are following another path that suits other purposes.

These thoughts were reflected in HYMN TIS 626, which praises God for his mighty works of creation and his intention to live in every heart that humbles itself to him: "Lord of all power, I give you my will; my mind; my heart; my all. The irony of surrendering ourselves to God is revealed in the last line: "I'll walk in your freedom to the end of the way."

The Children's Address concerned an Emu who kept thinking there were better ways of being accepted..as a seal, as a lion, as a snake..but finally realized that the best thing he could be was himself. There is a sign in a lane in Broadway that says: "Be yourself. Everybody else is taken." How true is that. The only person we fit perfectly is ourselves, which is just as God wants us, as we sang in the next Hymn TIS 584 "Just as I am without one plea." God calls us as we are; breaking every barrier down with his love and our response can only be: "O Lamb of God, I come. I come.

Pat read to us from the Scriptures, first 2 Samuel 5: 1-5, 9-10 and Mark 6: 1-13. The reading from 2 Samuel describes the immediate events that led to David being crowned King of Israel and his work in cementing his position as king. The reading from Mark is well known. Jesus is rejected by those who have known him all his life and don't recognize his unique authority. His disciples are then sent out to spread his message without very much to support them, depending on a welcome response from at least some people. What do we hear from these readings? One message that came through to me was that kingship sought David, not the other way around. David just kept doing what he saw as his job in life. Jesus did this too. Don't be too concerned about ambition or the applause of others or even their criticism. Just do what you see that you have been given to do.

Rev. Trevor then brought us his message from the Mark reading but as he said God speaks to each of us differently. We are different people with different needs and as a result we each need different "advice".

So God’s voice emerges from, not only the readings but also the message delivered by the Preacher, in a way that heals us, that challenges us, that comforts us each in our own space. The message I heard was not to try to be God's servant by copying someone else nor by taking on loads of unnecessary "adornments" to the way I work out what I see as God's path for me. To be myself and keep my trust in God alone to use me in whatever way he chooses.

Holy Communion followed. We were reminded of the story of the Institution of Communion and the significance of the bread and wine.

We heard again of the sacrifice made on our behalf and answered the invitation to become church as we shared in the communion meal, again praising God for his initiative in calling us back from our fallen state.

Hymn TIS 446 "Glorious things of you are spoken" This hymn gave each of us the opportunity to say before others, our belief in and reliance on the God of all. Reliance on him for our redemption and our continuing spiritual growth of which we are so keenly aware of and grateful for that we cannot be swayed by anything this world may try to say to dissuade us from our path.

Rev. Trevor blessed us and we sang our final blessing to each other:

May the feet of God go with you and his hand hold you tight.

May the eye of God be on you and your ear hear his cry.

May the smile of God be for you and his breath give you life.

May the child of God grow in you and his love bring you home.

Amen

Marsden Road Unitng Church 28 June 2015

Today Tara led our service. I was not able to be present but I have read the full text and have been overwhelmed by the power of the message carried in each section of the service. Rather than tamper with the message of all the parts to reduce the blog to the usual two pages, I have simply copied the sermon. Let your imagination colour in the missing parts - declarations, prayers of praise and confession, words of assurance and all the hymns, which convey God's voice as effectively as the sermon.

Readings: Ephesians 2: 19-22, Matthew 28: 16 - 20

Sermon: Pilgrims on a Journey ​

Our first reading is set down to be read in this year on the anniversary of the inauguration of the Uniting Church the gospel however comes from the first Assembly of the UCA, the first President, Davis McCaughey, used this as his text for the inaugural address.

Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… and I am with you always, to the close of the age". Jesus' last statement recorded in the Gospel according to Matthew became the basis of the first sermon preached in the Uniting Church. In this remarkable sermon, Dr McCaughey began by speaking of the authority of Jesus. To quote,

"This is a claim not simply for your allegiance and mine. It is an assertion about the nature and manner of the God who reigns in human history."

What a good reminder that is to not get too caught up in our local circumstances. There is a big picture -  we have been charged by Jesus to “Go Forth” and make disciples. To be people in the world.

The inauguration sermon goes on to discuss the way Matthew links the Exalted Christ with the mission of the church. It states,

"… the first thing … is that we should hear the word of the risen Christ about himself, the second is that we should hear afresh the call [to] the church to go out into the world on his distinctive mission.

McCaughey then considers that part of Christ's command which says, "teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." He comments:

"To say what it means for our day requires intellectual discipline and spiritual vigour. In this Uniting Church in Australia we enter into a tradition, catholic, reformed, evangelical, in which those who have gone before have not been afraid to confront the world with rigorous thought and spiritual commitment."

It has been said that in that statement alone there are all sorts of implications. Just one of the implications is that surely we are commanded to ground people firmly in the faith. We can never be content with a vague, wishy-washy feel-good spirituality. Our task is not to be nice to people in the hope that they might accept our invitation to "come to church"; our task is nothing less than to initiate people in the kingdom of God. We proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit in making disciples, not because we are concerned about institutional decline, not because we are nostalgic for the great days of the 1950s, not because it would be nice to have more young people in the church, but simply because Christ commands it - and we dare do nothing less. That is both a serious task, and a joyous responsibility.

For our forebears the road to Union was long they prayed and pondered and wrestled and reflected on just what basis Christ was calling his church together and how the church would articulate and reflect this calling. At the time of Union there was excitement joy and an expectation that God was doing a new thing in the church.

There was a boldness in this church -  at its inaugural assembly  we made a statement to the nation and in part it read:

“We, who are members of the First Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia address the people of Australia in this historic moment. The path to unity has been long and at times difficult, but we believe unity is a sign of the reconciliation we seek for the whole human race….

We affirm that the first allegiance of Christians is God, under whose judgment the policy and action of all nations must pass….

We pledge ourselves to hope and work for a nation whose goals are not guided by self-interest alone, but by concern for the welfare of all persons everywhere - the family of One God - the God made known in Jesus of Nazareth the One who gave his life for others".

There was a boldness and a definite view of who we are and the direction in which God was calling. This boldness is found in that tremendous document the Basis of Union.

We are revisiting part of it today as a reminder of who we are in the Uniting Church.

At the very beginning it recognises that the three uniting denominations are seeking to bear witness to that unity which is both Christ’s gift and his will for the Church, hereby enter into union under the name of the Uniting Church in Australia. 

They pray that this act may be to the glory of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

They praise God for his gifts of grace to each of them in years past; they acknowledge that none of them has responded to God’s love with a full obedience; they look for a continuing renewal in which God will use their common worship, witness and service to set forth the word of salvation for all people.

To this end they declare their readiness to go forward together in sole loyalty to Christ the living Head of the Church; they remain open to constant reform under his Word;

and they seek a wider unity in the power of the Holy Spirit

This first paragraph is not something trapped into a time of the past it is as meaningful today as it ever was. It continues to say that our precedents commit their members to acknowledge one another in love and joy as believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, to hear anew the commission of the Risen Lord to make disciples of all nations, and daily to seek to obey his will.

And then that the church of God is committed to serve the world for which Christ died, and that she awaits with hope the day of the Lord Jesus Christ on which it will be clear that the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever.

So there we have it as the church we have a large task ahead of us to serve the world for which Christ died and to await with hope the day of the Lord Jesus.

This week I have completed the Resource Ministry training where we explored what church looks like today and how we might fulfil that calling. Today the church is in a very different place to what it was 38 years ago. Like other denominations we struggle to attract younger members and resourcing is diminished.

The church of today needs to explore better equipping of lay people enabling them to identify and use their gifts. As we relate to the wider community we look for partnerships to engage with people so together we can connect with areas of need.   

This may sound difficult but the wider society needs the church just as much as we need them.

The Basis of Union reminds us  – “Why the church exists?”

This is not a simple answer it is two fold one relating to the being of the church and the other to its function.

The being of the church: Identity in the action of God the church only exists because God through Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit calls it into being.  Our forbears put it this way in the fourth paragraph:

“the Church is able to live and endure through the changes of history only because her Lord comes, addresses, and deals with people in and through the news of his completed work.”

Then they further affirmed in the fourteenth paragraph:

“Since the Church lives by the power of the Word, she is assured that God, who has never left himself without witness to that Word, will, through Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit, call and set apart members of the Church to be ministers of the Word.”[para 14a]

And succinctly answering “why the church exists?”   “Through human witness in word and action, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ reaches out to command attention and awaken faith; he calls people into the fellowship of his sufferings, to be the disciples of a crucified Lord; in his own strange way he constitutes, rules and renews them as his Church.” [para 4]

We exist as a church because we are a New Testament people who with the apostles and all the saints know ourselves to be living between the time of Christ’s death and resurrection and the final consummation of all things which Christ will bring; the Church is a pilgrim people, always on the way towards a promised goal; here the Church does not have a continuing city but seeks one to come. On the way Christ feeds the Church with Word and Sacraments, and it has the gift of the Spirit in order that it may not lose the way.

 

We are a pilgrim people, on a journey not alone but with God and each other. As pilgrims in the Uniting church we have a commitment not just to walking the path but also to living out our faith we uphold reconciliation between peoples and with God.

As pilgrims disciples we also reach out to the needy, lift up the broken hearted and seek to reflect God’s love and grace in the world.

I don’t know this congregation but I have no doubt that you are keen to be faithful disciples. I can see that you are pilgrims who look to the nourishment that comes from God’s word. Margaret (and Joan) puts together a blog from the service each week so that those who are not physically present may be fed too.

On the anniversary there is much more that could be said, for me what will remain at the heart of our celebrating is to remember to walk with others so that we never walk alone. I hope that all who follow us in this church will look to us and find that we were faithful disciples and pilgrims adapting to a new age. May we not loose site of the command to go into the world, to make disciples … remembering that Jesus is with us to the end of the age.

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.”