Koonung Heights Uniting Church
Service of Worship at Home
Easter 5 – 7 May 2023 – 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.
We will share Communion during this service so you may wish to have the elements ready.
Introit: “Holy, holy, holy” – (Click on this and skip the ads – words below)
Candle Lighting:
As we light the Christ candle today,
we remember that Christ was born of love,
that Christ came for love,
and that the love of Christ is always with us.
As we are bathed in this love may we also share it.
Acknowledgement of Country:
This land is God’s land
and God’s Spirit dwells here.
I acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung
People of the Kulin nation,
traditional custodians of this land under God.
I pay my respects to their elders and leaders,
past and present,
and to all their descendants.
Let us commit ourselves again to working for justice in this land.
Call to Worship:
Let us gather
and tell the story
of a God who redeems,
renews and brings life.
Let us gather
and speak the words
filled with laughter and life
and celebrate the God
who brings freedom
to all who are bound up.
Let us gather
and worship
knowing that God meets us here.
We Sing: “Jesus calls us here to meet him”
Prayer of Adoration and Confession:
Loving God,
who made all things new
in the life, birth, death, and resurrection
of your beloved Son, Jesus,
and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
We come this day
as searching, seeking, doubting, hopeful, disciples,
pilgrims on the road towards greater understanding of you.
In this Easter season,
with the new start of resurrection
and the hope of Easter hymns still ringing in our ears
we come to the final part of our series with Esther
and a people under threat seeking freedom.
We do so recognising the world is still in turmoil,
your children are still marginalised, and oppressed,
so, we turn to you, once again,
bringer of light and life.
Speak to us in the mysteries of our faith,
welcome us in the arms of the stranger,
guide us in the love of the church
and let us be filled with your spirit.
Merciful God,
from dust we were made,
made to walk in the light of your teaching,
made to worship you,
made to love and to care.
And yet we do not always live up to what
you want from and for us.
For the sake of Jesus Christ our Saviour
forgive us we pray,
for these things
and for all that we bring to you now in silence.
Let us know the peace
that comes through the merciful God
who forgives us
and offers help for the journey ahead.
Everlasting God,
be with us this day, we pray.
Take away our fears and doubts,
let faith in you be the bright beacon of hope
that stirs action in our lives,
from this day until our last.
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen
Words of Assurance:
This is the good news.
We are beloved and precious, forgiven and restored.
Thanks be to God.
A Time for All:
Do you remember last week we talked a little bit about looking at ourselves in a mirror and also looking more deeply inside to see who we really are. When people meet us for the first time we know that what they see is just what we are like on the outside. In this instant they might see, but they don’t really know anything about who we really are … they don’t know what is important to us … they don’t know what family we belong to … they don’t know anything significant about us. This can make it easy for them to assume things about us just because of what we look like.
There is a song by Bindi Irwin that illustrates this point, sung from the point of view of a Zebra. Some of it goes like this …
These black and white designs
are just patterns on my skin
You’ve got to read between my lines
to see the me within
My heart, my soul, my state –
What makes me rare and makes me great!
It’s not my crazy stripes, it’s not the fact
that I’m black or white or who I look like –
Oh that’s not who I am.
It’s not my ears or eyes, it’s not my shape
and it’s not my size that identifies me –
Oh that’s not who I am.
So don’t misunderstand
When you look at me
That’s not who I am
That’s just what you see!
This message is like a two sided coin … and it is just as easy for us to make assumptions about others as it is for them to assume things about us. In the same way that people don’t always see us, I wonder what happens when we don’t see others. What happens when you meet someone for the first time? How do you encounter them? What do you notice about them? What do you overlook simply because you can’t get past their gender, dress, speech, ability or who they are with? What assumptions do you make because somehow they fall outside your set of rules for what is acceptable?
In the gospel reading today there are lots of people making assumptions, but when Jesus meets a woman in the temple he looks deep inside to see what really matters. Let’s hear that story now.
Bible Reading: Luke 13:10-17
– Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman
10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. 11 And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” 13 When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. 14 But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.” 15 But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?” 17 When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.
A Time for All (cont):
There are many assumptions in this story … that Sabbath rules are not to be broken, that some people can be easily overlooked and that the agenda of those in power is what matters. But Jesus interaction with the woman reminds us that all people matter more than rules. As Jesus looks at this woman he really sees her. He notices many things and after noticing, he calls her over. Encountering her in the synagogue he acknowledges, firstly, that she is part of the worshipping community. Jesus also confirms her Jewish heritage as he calls her a daughter of Abraham. And he speaks to power, challenging those who were more concerned about keeping the rules than caring for someone.
Let us pray …
Loving God,
Thank you that when you look at us you don’t make assumptions,
but look deeply and desire a relationship with us,
inviting us to get to know you too.
Help us always put people first,
especially those of us who like to follow rules,
which can sometimes get in the way of welcome.
Help us to look to the heart of others and to love them,
just as you look deeply at us and love us.
Amen.
We Sing: “That woman in the crowd” – (Click on this link and skip the ads for the tune – words below)
The woman in the crowd – she could not stand up tall;
Her back was bent, her head was bowed – and Jesus saw!
He saw another thing, when others thought her odd;
He saw a child of Abraham, a child of God!
A leader said, “You’re wrong!” for sin was what he saw.
He could not understand this one who broke the law.
The Sabbath rules were strict and work was not allowed –
Not even when it healed a woman bent and bowed.
Christ said, “What matters most? What rules will you obey?
You care for ox and donkey on the Sabbath day!”
For Jesus knew the truth – that people matter more,
And God loves things that heal, encourage and restore.
What barriers do we build to God’s abundant grace?
Do we want church to be a perfect, law-filled place?
Or will we dare to love – to see what Jesus saw –
That God’s great welcome matters more than rule and law.
Bible Reading: Esther 7:1-10, 9:20-22
1 So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. 2 On the second day, as they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” 3 Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have won your favour, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me—that is my petition—and the lives of my people—that is my request. 4 For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have held my peace; but no enemy can compensate for this damage to the king.” 5 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has presumed to do this?” 6 Esther said, “A foe and enemy, this wicked Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.
7 The king rose from the feast in wrath and went into the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that the king had determined to destroy him.
8 When the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman had thrown himself on the couch where Esther was reclining; and the king said, “Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?” As the words left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman’s face.
9 Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, “Look, the very gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, stands at Haman’s house, fifty cubits high.” And the king said, “Hang him on that.” 10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the anger of the king abated.
9:20Mordecai recorded these things, and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21 enjoining them that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same month, year by year, 22 as the days on which the Jews gained relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and presents to the poor.
Watch and listen to the reflection.
Reflection: Esther’s plan succeeds!
This week we arrive at the conclusion of the story of Esther. Following the last few weeks of the story building, we began with the downfall of Queen Vashti, have seen the rise of Queen Esther, the plot of Haman to destroy the Jewish people, and Esther’s plan to win the King’s favour and free her people. In fact, this dramatic conclusion to Esther’s story is the only part of the book of Esther which makes it into the Revised Common Lectionary, and the verses that are included tie up the story neatly. The Women’s Lectionary includes more, but there is still much that is left out. It is not a long book so I would encourage you to read it through and see what else you might discover.
When we read last week, we saw the tension build, as we saw Esther lay the groundwork in her plan to save her people. Today we see Esther not only confront the king, as she asks for the freedom and protection of the Jewish people, but we see her reveal that she is Jewish. We also witness her accusing Haman, bringing to light his actions and ultimately toppling him, so that he ends up reaping what he intended to sow. The three verses from chapter 9, that finalise the reading, see the Jews celebrating as Mordecai creates the holiday Purim, still celebrated by the Jewish community to this day as a reminder of when Esther saved her people.
Yet the reality is that it’s not that simple. This story of Esther has nuances and themes that we, in our current context, find deeply problematic. For while it is a story of Esther saving the Jewish people, if we are honest we know that it is also a story of oppression, political and sexual violence, as well as enslavement.
Early on in today’s text there is an interesting, even confusing, verse that leaves us even questioning the motives and tactics of Esther in this saga.
In verse 4 we hear Esther speak, “If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have held my peace; but no enemy can compensate for this damage to the king.” (Esther 7:4) It might seem odd to us that Esther would have previously kept silent about the fact she is Jewish and her people have been sold into slavery. But within the context of the book this is the reality, the young women are already enslaved by the king, and the Jews are under foreign rule, so maybe speaking of it was pointless.
Esther knows this and so instead focuses on how the destruction of her people – and her own death – would harm the king, damaging what he owns. It is as though she knows that her people will continue to be oppressed, but believes that by appealing to the king’s interest, it will be possible to save their lives. So then, Esther’s justification for asking for the freedom of her people has nothing to do what we might see as being right and just, and as we might assume she would do, but has everything to do with appealing to something the King understands and cares about. This seems to be a recognition of both the plight of her people and the limits of power that she has within the system. It is almost a return to where the story started, with Queen Vashti being objectified as a possession of the King. Esther does not allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good, but takes what she can.
After Esther has named Haman as the enemy, the king leaves the feast, and Haman stays behind to plead with Esther for his life. The king is angry when he returns and sees Haman on the couch where the Queen is reclining, and he assumes he is assaulting her. I find it interesting that some scholars have commented that Esther’s lack of response to save Haman is “unattractive”, but don’t comment on the “ugliness of assault”. In some scholarly discussion of the last 15 years, Esther is still labelled by standards of attractiveness even while she is risking her life to save her people.
Before the end of today’s text (in the verses that we don’t read) we see the Jewish people overcoming their oppressors. They take control and even take up arms against them. We not only see Haman being hung on his own gallows, but witness the death of his ten sons, another 800 people in Susa, and 75,000 in the king’s provinces. This violence is what Mordecai is encouraging the Jews to remember with ‘days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and presents to the poor’. (9:22) While this genocide is probably not historically accurate, it is troubling because it speaks to a deeper truth. The murder of Jewish people is historically true, in both ancient and modern times. It makes sense that the wish of a captive people, any captive people, would be to feel that God is on their side in conquering those who wish to kill them … and this makes us uneasy. While the Jews still celebrate Purim, their focus is on how Esther saved the Jewish people. Imagine how our Jewish brothers and sisters must have felt celebrating Purim during the time of the holocaust.
So then, what can we do with this troubling Book of Esther. I believe it reminds us once again that scripture cannot be read meaningfully unless we understand the context and the culture in which it was written, and name that this is not easy if at all possible. Esther need not be criticized (as some would do) for the position she attained because of her beauty in a culture where women were valued as things rather than people. When we teach the story of Esther today, we choose to remember her for her courage and for taking a risk and speaking on behalf of her people, rather than for winning a beauty contest. And we teach all young people that, unlike it was in Esther’s day, they are valued for who they are, and are called to become all they can be.
The story of Esther also encourages us to act within the circumstances of our lives, particularly when they are lives of privilege. It encourages us to use our energy, intelligence, imagination and love to risk speaking on behalf of those to whom we belong, and those whose voices have been silenced.
And rather than seeing those to whom we do not belong as being outside the realm of God’s love, Jesus reminds us that no-one is to be kept away. Jesus calls us to see with his eyes and to look deep into the hearts of others.
Amen.
We Sing: “Comfort, comfort all my people” – (Click on link and skip ads – TiS words below)
Prayer for Others (prepared by Graham & Wendy Ray)
Let us pray.
We give thanks for our many blessings.
And we pray today that hope will come to those who struggle to have any hope.
For those who shelter under a bridge or who sleep on a park bench.
For people who live in a blur from one narcotic hit to the next.
For climate scientists who have been ignored for decades.
For those recently bereaved.
For men, women and children impacted by oppression and violence.
We pray today that peace will come to those who suffer war, conflict or anxiety.
For those forced to endure the nightmare of war in Ukraine, the civil war in Sudan and the conflict in Israel and Palestine.
We pray for families where it is not safe to send their children out to play.
For those who stress about how to feed their children.
For war veterans traumatised by their experiences at war.
For people working in jobs beyond their capacity.
For children and adults who are struggling with the damage of abuse.
We pray today that joy will come to those who have forgotten joy.
For inmates of prisons.
For people who feel they are trapped in their living.
For workers whose jobs are a drudgery.
For lonely and exhausted parents attending to the demands of their children.
For patients and family members crippled by diminished mental health.
For those in the midst of transition weighed down by confusion.
We pray today that love will be at the root of all decision making.
For leaders of our church; and we think especially of the Rev. Heather, our Church Council and those who work tirelessly to sustain this community.
For leaders of our state and our nation.
For people who work in business and finance.
For those entrusted to teach and care for children.
For healthcare workers and administrators.
In a moment of silence, we bring before You the prayer that is on our hearts this morning.
(Time of silence)
May we continue to recognise what needs to be done in the wider world, and here in our community.
And may we be passionate and active in revealing the healing love of Christ in our world.
We ask this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ – Amen.
Take part in the service of Holy Communion
Communion:
The Peace
The peace of the Lord be with you and also with you.
Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
It is right that we give you thanks and praise at all times and in all places
for you have created and sustained us.
We praise you that through your eternal Word you brought the universe into being
and you made each one of us in your own image.
You have given us this earth to care for and delight in.
You love us and have bound yourself to us.
Above all thank you for Jesus, the living Word, born as one of us, living our common life
and walking the path to death, yet through his actions reconciling us to you
and to one another.
Therefore we gladly join our voices to the song of the Church on earth and in heaven, singing:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of love and light,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
On the night of Jesus betrayal and arrest, as he shared a meal with his friends,
Jesus took bread; gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to his followers, saying:
“Share this bread among you; this is my body which will be broken for justice.
Do this to remember me.”
When supper was over, he took the cup, gave thanks and gave it to his disciples, saying:
“Share this wine among you; this is my blood which will be shed for liberation.
Do this to remember me.”
Invocation
Creating, Redeeming, Sustaining God,
let your Spirit come upon your people gathered here and in their homes.
Spirit of compassion, bless us and this bread and wine.
May this meal be food and drink for our journey –
renewing, sustaining and making us whole.
When we eat and drink may we experience again the presence of the risen Jesus in our midst.
Amen.
Lord’s Prayer
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 forever.
Amen.
Distribution
The bread we take is a sharing in the body of Christ.
The wine we take is a sharing in the blood of Christ.
These are the gifts of God for the people of God.
The bread of life – the cup of hope.
May this meal nourish and refresh you, strengthen and renew you,
may it remind you that you are loved. Amen.
(Eat and drink)
Prayer
God of love, we give you thanks for satisfying us with this meal.
Send us from here to reveal your love in the world.
Inspire us to use our words to point others to the Word.
Inspire in us the resolve and the courage, the compassion and passion
to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with you.
Amen.
We Sing: “Sent forth by God’s blessing” – (Click on this link and skip the ads – TiS words below)
Blessing:
And so, as God’s people,
we go from God’s home
to our home.
As part of God’s creation
we go into our world.
And as we do,
may God’s love sustain us,
Christ’s teaching inspire us
and the Holy Spirit encourage us
this day and 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:-Spill the Beans (Issue 46), The Women’s Lectionary: Preaching The Women Of The Bible Throughout The Year (Ashley M Wilcox) and Fig Tree Worship.
“That Woman in the Crowd” – Carolyn Winfrey Gillette