Koonung Heights Uniting Church
Service of Worship at Home
Easter 4 – 26 April, 2026 – 10am or whenever possible
You may like to light a candle during your time of worship.
Feel free to text the Peace to other members of the congregation.
Introit: My Hiding Place – (TiS 754)
You are my hiding place, you always fill my heart with songs of deliverance.
Whenever I am afraid I will trust in you.
I will trust in you; let the weak say, ‘I am strong in the strength of the Lord.’
Candle Lighting:
As we light this candle today,
we remember Jesus, the Good Shepherd,
the One who leads us from darkness
into the light of his everlasting life.
Acknowledgement of Country:
As we come to worship,
I acknowledge the traditional custodians
of the land on which we meet,
the Wurundjeri WoiWurrung People of the Kulin nations.
I pay my respects to their elders, past and present,
and to those who continue to work for the healing and restoration of all.
Call to Worship (Psalm 23):
Holy One in Three, Three in One,
as we say these ancient words,
spoken many times before in sorrow and in joy,
today may they open us to your presence,
awaken us to your abundant life,
and inspire us to live together in love.
The LORD is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff – they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.
We Sing: Jesus calls us here to meet him – (TiS 477)
Jesus calls us here to meet him as, through word and song and prayer,
we affirm God’s promised presence where his people live and care.
Praise the God who keeps his promise; praise the Son who calls us friends;
praise the Spirit who, among us, to our hopes and fears attends.
Jesus calls us to confess him Word of Life and Lord of All,
sharer of our flesh and frailness saving all who fail or fall.
Tell his holy human story; tell his tales that all may hear;
tell the world that Christ in glory came to earth to meet us here.
Jesus calls us to each other: found in him are no divides.
Race and class and sex and language such are barriers he derides.
Join the hand of friend and stranger; join the hands of age and youth;
join the faithful and the doubter in their common search for truth.
Prayer of Praise and Confession:
God our Creator,
our thoughts cannot contain you;
our words fall short of your vastness;
yet you are our God,
God of all ages.
Your breath gives us life.
Your hands shape our being.
Your artistry in creation
leaves us gasping in wonder;
longing to experience that which is of you.
In each person, there you are,
if we could but discern you.
Accept our praise, O ancient yet youthful God,
as we gather to worship and adore you.
Jesus, our shepherd,
we come to this time of worship,
knowing that you will find us here,
and that you will guard the gate for us.
We come to this place of safety and welcome,
ready to be fed and watered by our Shepherd King.
In coming to you, we know there are times in our lives
when we mess up, when we get things wrong,
when we ignore the Shepherd’s call,
and behave in ways that take us in a different direction
from the rest of your flock.
So, in the quiet of this time, we come to you, O God,
with the things that we need to lay down.
From the deep places of our being to the deep mystery of yours,
we ask that you hear our prayers.
(time of silence)
Loving God we thank you that no matter what we do
we are heard, healed, renewed and forgiven,
held always in the abundant place of your love.
Amen.
Words of Assurance:
Whatever we have done, know this,
the Shepherd continues to call to us, and we can trust in his loving care,
for we are the sheep of his pasture, blessed and given hope.
Indeed this is good news.
Thanks be to God.
The Peace:
We are called to love one another as God loves us.
In this we know the truth of Christ’s peace.
May the peace of the Triune God be with you
and also with you.
Time for All:
This Sunday is the fourth Sunday in the Easter Season. Sometimes it is known as ‘Good Shepherd Sunday’ because we hear the reading where Jesus is described as the good shepherd, the one who protects the sheep and will lay down his life for them.
Shepherding today is a little different to how it was in Jesus’ day, at least in Australia anyway. In Jesus’ day shepherds had small flocks to look after, and the shepherds lived with their sheep. The shepherd made sure the sheep had access to food and water, keeping them from wandering off and protecting them from animals that would attack them. At night the shepherd would shelter with the sleep, often sleeping across the opening in the makeshift pens that were sometimes made of twisted brambles.
In my late twenties I spent quite a bit of time travelling. One of my trips included spending two months in different countries in the southern part of Africa. Part of this adventure was an overland tour which saw me visit Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia and Botswana. As it often is on this type of trip, accommodation was varied – some time was spent in lovely safari huts, but other times we slept in tents.
At a particular place in Namibia we camped in a structure similar to this. We pitched our tents around the inside of the semi-circular stone wall, and cooked our food in a central pit in the middle of the camp ground. When dark began to descend, the two armed guards who travelled around with us assumed their positions at the break in the wall. This was the only time of the day when we saw their weapons drawn.
It was the job of the guards to hold their positions through the night to protect us from whatever might come out of the shadows – generally lions.
It was as though the guards were the gate. They stayed there every night we were at the camp, only leaving their post if someone needed to use the amenities block – which wasn’t encouraged after dark). They stood watch, keeping any harm away, so that we could rest without any fear.
Jesus calls himself the good shepherd, and the gate, the one who protects the sheep and keeps them safe from those things that would harm them. It was a bit like this with the guards on that trip, and during the dark nights when you could hear the lions roaring, it was good to know that the guards were there!
Let us pray …
Dear God,
thank you for all that you do to keep us safe,
and for families and friends that care for us.
Help us to look out for others so that they can feel safe too.
Help us to care for our world, too,
so that it can be a safe place for all of your Creation.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.
We Sing: The Lord is my shepherd – (TiS 659)
The Lord is my shepherd, and I want to follow
wherever he leads me, wherever he goes.
Over the maintains, the waters and byways,
valleys and highways he’s waiting for me.
I want to go to meet him there,
to lay myself down in his love.
The Lord is my shepherd and I want to follow
wherever he leads me, wherever he goes.
And while on the journey to where we are going
he promised to be there to help us along,
and over the mountains we’ll walk on together,
to know all the wonders he’s given to me.
I want to go to meet him there,
to lay myself down in his love.
The Lord is my shepherd and I want to follow
wherever he leads me, wherever he goes.
Bible Reading: Acts 2:42-47
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Life among the Believers
43 Awe came upon everyone because many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
44 All who believed were together and had all things in common; 45 they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts,
47 praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
Bible Reading: John 10:1-10
– Jesus the Good Sheperd
1 “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7 So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and bandits, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
Reflection:
How do you cope with change? Are you someone who finds it easy, seeing change as an opportunity for new possibilities? Maybe you are someone who struggles with change, you find the shift of equilibrium unsettling as you have to work out where you fit. Changing circumstances can effect who we are and how we react, particularly if it is change we have not instigated.
Whether good or bad things happen to us, we generally have learned patterns of response to change. This community has seen change over the last few years, and there is more change to come. Through the last season of change two distinct congregations have come together and we have grown into a new community of faith, richer for the gifts and graces of all our members. As we move into yet another season of change, I wonder what that might bring for each of us, and how we might respond to it?
The stories from Acts are about early Christian communities, communities that have grown up because they have been witnesses (some first hand) to the impact of Jesus. In one of our readings for today we see a little snapshot of the early church as it works out what it is to be church. The people in this community have been totally changed by the events of Jesus’ ministry, death and resurrection. This change that they have lived through has been embraced and embedded in their community, and it seems to me that they are living the vision captured in the reading from the gospel of John – life in all its fullness through Jesus the Christ. This community has particular characteristics: they share things in common and are a community filled with signs and wonders. They also have particular practices: teaching, fellowship, prayer and breaking bread together. As they spend time together, leaning into the promise of Jesus as both the shepherd and the gate, the one who offers abundance, it becomes part of their very character as they live it out
We could simply view this as an early experiment in radical socialism, but it seems to me that this community has understood the opportunities of walking with God’s new covenant, and they have done what they could to accept this new reality. Their lived this out through the life they practiced, operating in a way that was noticeably different and attractive to the community in which they operated. They lived with integrity, practising what they preached, and we are told that ‘more were added to their number.’ They truly worked to live out Jesus’ kin-dom values which was radical, counter-cultural, and a reorientation of life towards inclusive love, community and justice, rather than hierarchy, power and accumulation. These kin-dom values of Jesus are still counter-cultural in many places today.
The reading from John’s gospel includes one of my favourite verses, ‘I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.’ Within this verses Jesus develops the familiar image of the shepherd from Psalm 23, and names himself as the good shepherd who calls his sheep by name. He contrasts himself to those who might want to harm the sheep, and names himself as the ‘gate for the sheep’. When we describe people as ‘gatekeepers’ it is rarely about being kept safe. It is usually a restrictive image, and we tend to think of those who are controlling, or keep us locked out, denying access and limiting our freedom. But Jesus inverts things, saying that those that travel through him will not only ‘have life’ but ‘have it abundantly’. In Jesus there is greater freedom, and those who take Jesus as their reference point are assured of finding good pasture and places of abundance.
It seems to me that the early church understood this theological claim, and wanted to live it out in the new community.
They wanted to practice the abundant life that Jesus had promised. Through me, Jesus claims, you will find access to the fullness of life that God so longs for in you. For the early church this abundant living seems to be a reality. Their radical sharing might come from their ability to trust in the abundance that they have in Christ, even if there was not much abundance in other things. When we are anxious about the resources that we have and worry that things will become scarce, we get possessive and begin to jealously guard our own stash. When we think things are in limited supply, it suddenly becomes all about our own interests and making sure that things are available for us. We’ve seen it with toilet paper and, more recently, petrol. But it can be about more than just material possessions: because our culture is built on a mindset of scarcity and possessiveness, we can also get jealous of the gifts and abilities of others, pitting them against our own gifts and graces, comparing what we shouldn’t.
‘I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.’ Nowhere within these words to we hear anything of scarcity. The economy of God is not an economy of scarcity, but of abundance. It is overflowing, recklessly generous and above and beyond what we could need. Love, grace, freedom, acceptance, hospitality, mercy, understanding, humour and peace are not limited in God’s kin-dom, unless we choose to measure them out in meagre handfuls. As Jesus followers, his message of abundance is one that we should continue to share with the world. If we trust Jesus, and trust the abundance he came to bring, then we should be able to live out of a posture of abundance.
When we share communion together, the elements on the table may not look abundant to the naked eye: little glasses of grape juice and one small loaf to be divided amongst us all. Yet something of the abundance of that feast is not in what is laid on the table, but in what happens when we share together. In the giving away the abundance is seen and enjoyed, like it was all those years ago when a small boy shared two fish and five loaves of bread – his generosity enabled the feeding of a large crowd.
From what I know, Koonung Heights Uniting Church has always been known as a place of welcome. Might we also be a community that continues to be transformed by the opportunities that God presents. Who knows what sign and wonders you might be amazed be.
Amen.
We Sing: Filled with the Spirit’s power – (TiS 411)
Filled with the Spirit’s power, with one accord
the infant church confessed its risen Lord:
O Holy Spirit, in the church today
no less your power of fellowship display.
Now with the mind of Christ set us on fire,
that unity may be our great desire:
give joy and peace; give faith to hear your call,
and readiness in each to work for all.
Widen our love, good Spirit, to embrace
in your strong care all those of every race:
like wind and fire with life among us move
till we are known as Christ’s and Christians prove.
Prayer for Others (written by Liz Pace,
adapted from Bruce Prewer):
Creator God, we come before you this morning as your flock who wish to become like the Good Shepherd you sent to us in Jesus Christ.
Loving God, help us to pray with something of the compassion of Christ in our hearts, as we think of our brothers and sisters in all lands.
We pray for the taming of the wolves of terrorism and war on the face of the earth.
We pray for the end of injustice, neglect, discrimination and apathy of those who look on and do nothing.
Good Shepherd, hear us. Good Shepherd, save and heal us.
We pray for people who have been misled and misused by false shepherds, or exploited spiritually and materially by slick religious and political salesmen.
We pray for the removal of the hurts, resentments, misunderstandings; for the rescue of those who once had faith in God but have fallen into empty cynicism.
Good Shepherd, hear us. Good Shepherd, save and heal us.
We pray for the blessing of all those who are good shepherds, who foster hope through the work of medicine, counselling, social planning, legal aid, wise laws and sincere good neighbourliness.
Good Shepherd, hear us. Good Shepherd, save and heal us
We pray now in a few moments of silence, remembering those who have been such good shepherds to us in the past, and for ourselves, as we attempt to be good shepherds to others … (time of silence)
Great shepherd, gate keeper and loving God hear these our prayers.
Let us join together in the prayer that the Good Shepherd taught us …
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and for ever.
Amen.
We Sing: Community of Christ – (TiS 473)
Community of Christ, who make the Cross your own,
live out your creed and risk your life for God alone:
the God who wears your face, to whom all worlds belong,
whose children are of every race and every song.
Community of Christ, look past the Church’s door
and see the refugee, the hungry, and the poor.
Take hands with the oppressed, the jobless in your street,
take towel and water, that you wash your neighbour’s feet.
Community of Christ, through whom the word must sound –
cry out for justice and for peace the whole world round:
disarm the powers that war and all that can destroy,
turn bombs to bread, and tears of anguish into joy.
When menace melts away, so shall God’s will be done,
the climate of the world be peace and Christ its Sun;
our currency be love and kindliness our law,
our food and faith be shared as one for evermore.
Blessing and Sending:
Jesus said, I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
Go knowing that this promise is for you
and live as if you believe it.
Go and share this promise with others,
and keep open to what might amaze you.
May the blessing of God, Source, Son and Spirit,
be upon you, and remain with you always.
Amen.
Thanks to all those who have assisted in preparation for this liturgy with encouragement, prayers and conversation. I have also utilised the following resources: Fig Tree Worship, Spill the Beans (Issue 34) and laughingbird.net.