Koonung Heights Uniting Church
Service of Worship at Home
Easter 7 – 21 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.
Introit: “Bless the Lord, my soul” – (Click on this link and skip the ads)
Candle Lighting:
As we gather we bring the all of life
into this place of worship.
We hear in the Bible that through life’s troubles,
the light of Christ shines
bringing glory to God’s work,
and us to abundant life and oneness with God.
Let us take some time to breathe, to renew,
to find our sanctuary in Christ.
Acknowledgement of Country:
As we gather to worship today,
I acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land,
the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin nation.
I pay my respects to their elders, past and present,
and to all descendants and future leaders.
We praise the Creator for the beauty of this land,
and honour those who have tended it.
We ask for God’s blessing on us all
as we work together for healing and restoration.
Call to Worship:
In the name of the God
who has never let us go,
who has constantly loved us
and pursued grace for us.
In the name of the One
who is constant with compassion
over every generation and in every place.
In the name of the persistent God
who persistently loves
even those who persist and go their own way,
we gather and worship.
We Sing: “Morning has broken” – (Click on this link and skip the ads)
Prayer of Adoration and Confession:
Ascending Christ who draws our gaze upwards,
we marvel at those tangible things we see of God’s created order –
the Milky Way of the night sky;
mountains with a hint of snow towards another ski season;
beaches and oceans becoming wild as the winter approaches.
Your glory surrounds us in the beauty of the world,
in the intricate web of creation,
in all that sustains our physical lives.
In the midst of all this, good and gracious God,
we come together this day to praise you,
to worship you, to learn from you,
and to be sent by you.
For some of us,
this is just the same thing we do every Sunday.
For some of us,
it may be the first time we have done this.
For some of us,
it is the same thing we have done before
but we feel that nothing’s changing.
Forgive us for the times we get frustrated
because things aren’t working out the way we want.
Forgive us when we set out prayers
to our own timetable.
Forgive us when we put you on a deadline.
God of grace,
gently remind us to persist.
May we trust that you do listen,
and may we trust that you will answer
in your time and in your way.
Once again, we come together to offer our prayers
known to us and to you.
In Jesus’ name, we pray,
Amen.
Words of Assurance (from 1 Peter 5:10):
Siblings in Christ,
hear these words of hope and promise:
the God of all grace will
support, strengthen and establish you,
and restore you to abundant life.
Thanks be to God.
The Peace:
The peace of the risen Christ be with you
and also with you.
We Sing: “Father welcomes” – (Click on this link and skip the ads for the tune)
Baptism:
Presentation of the Candidates:
Friends, the church council of this congregation has received a request for baptism from Aaron and Michelle for Logan Mitchell. This important decision has been prayerfully and carefully considered, and I am glad to welcome them here today.
What do you ask of God’s Church for your child?
We ask that he be baptised into the faith and family of Jesus Christ.
Logan has been brought for baptism that he may be grafted into Christ as a member of his body the Church, to grow up into the faith of Jesus Christ and become his faithful witness and servant.
Logan, may the Lord open your ears to hear his word and your mouth to proclaim his praise.
Meaning of Baptism:
Baptism is Christ’s gift.
It is the sign by which the Spirit of God joins people to Jesus Christ and incorporates them into his body, the Church. In his own baptism in the Jordan by John, Jesus identified himself with humanity in its brokenness and sin; that baptism was completed in his death and resurrection.
By God’s grace, baptism plunges us into the faith of Jesus Christ, so that whatever is his may be called ours. By water and the Spirit we are claimed as God’s own and set free from the power of sin and death.
Thus, claimed by God we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit that we may live as witnesses to Jesus Christ, share his ministry in the world and grow to maturity, awaiting with hope the day of our Lord Jesus.
The Confession of Faith:
The Uniting Church, in baptising children, takes responsibility for their instruction and nourishment in the faith. That we may know that you hold the Christian faith and claim your membership in Christ’s Church, I ask you:
Do you repent of your sins?
I repent of my sins.
Do you turn to Jesus Christ who has defeated the power of sin and death and brought us new life?
I turn to Christ.
Do you commit yourselves to God, trusting in Jesus Christ as Saviour and in the Holy Spirit as God’s power and presence along the way?
I commit myself to God.
In unity with the whole Church, let us stand and affirm the faith into which we were baptised.
Do you believe in God?
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ?
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Prayer of Thanksgiving:
God of life, through the breaking of waters and the coming of the Spirit, you bring us new birth; you give us living water, which becomes in us an eternal spring quenching our thirst, flowing through us and refreshing us for eternal life.
Washed and cleansed, we are called into service with Christ.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, bless this water, and Logan who will be baptised, that he may be born anew, live in your light all his days, and come to share your likeness; in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Baptism:
Logan, for you Jesus Christ has come, has lived, has suffered; for you he endured the agony of Gethsemane and the cross of Calvary; for you he uttered the cry, ‘It is accomplished!’ For you he triumphed over death; for you he prays at God’s right hand; for you, Logan, even before you were born.
In baptism, the word of the apostle is confirmed: ‘We love, because God first loved us.’
Logan Mitchell, I baptise you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Logan, from this day on, the sign of the cross is upon you.
Michelle and Aaron, and Tiffany, I invite you to mark the sign of the cross on Logan.
Logan is now received into the one holy catholic and apostolic Church according to Christ’s command.
Doxology:
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you.
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace, and give you peace.
Responses:
Aaron and Michelle, I ask you now to respond to God’s graciousness to Logan by making these solemn promises:
Will you encourage Logan’s growth within the Christian community, guiding him through participation in worship, nurture and fellowship of the Church to a mature Christian faith?
With God’s help, we will.
Will you, by word and example, teach him the way of Christ, until the Spirit draws him to make his own response in faith and love?
With God’s help, we will.
Grandparents, will you please stand.
Will you support Aaron and Michelle in prayer and action as they seek to fulfil these promises?
With God’s help, we will.
Friends in Christ, will you promise to maintain a life of worship and teaching, witness and service, so that Logan may grow to maturity in Christ?
With God’s help, we will live out or baptism as a loving community in Christ: nurturing one another in faith, upholding one another in prayer, and encouraging one another in service, until Christ comes.
Recollection of Baptism:
Sisters and brothers: Always remember that you are baptised, and be thankful. Amen.
Bible Reading: Proverbs 7:6-12, 21-23
6 For at the window of my house
I looked out through my lattice,
7 and I saw among the simple ones,
I observed among the youths,
a young man without sense,
8 passing along the street near her corner,
taking the road to her house
9 in the twilight, in the evening,
at the time of night and darkness.
10 Then a woman comes toward him decked out like a prostitute, with hidden intent.
11 She is loud and wayward; her feet do not stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the squares, and at every corner she lies in wait.
21 With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him.
22 Right away he follows her and goes like an ox to the slaughter
or bounds like a stag toward the trap
23 until an arrow pierces its entrails.
He is like a bird rushing into a snare, not knowing that it will cost him his life.
Bible Reading: Luke 18:1-8
The Parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge
1 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my accuser.’ 4 For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’ ” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8 I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Reflection:
I quite like it when the lectionary readings have a common theme … when there is a way that they feed into the message that I’m keen to share … when things fit neatly together in a little package. No matter how much I like it, however, the readings for this week are not that easy to tie together. Persisting to force a link, where there is none, risks missing the important lessons which might otherwise be gleaned from each, so, today I thought I’d spend a couple of minutes on the proverbs reading before focusing on the gospel passage.
As a parent, there are things that I caution my daughter about, and these things have changed as she has grown. When she was little warnings were about things like not running across the road or making sure she washed her hands before eating or not putting a knife in a power point. As she has got older the conversations have changed to things like how to respect herself, have respectful relationships and how to stay safe on the internet.
The text from proverbs is just the same as that … a dramatic cautionary tale from a father to his son about the dangers of the seductive woman. Sometimes called the Strange Woman or Woman Folly, she is the opposite of the female personification of Wisdom that we find so often in Proverbs, yet the two share some characteristics. Both speak loudly and both are in the city places. The difference is their focus. While Woman Wisdom calls out for people to seek knowledge and justice, Woman Folly is focused solely on her own gratification.
Of course Wisdom and Folly are not particular women, and this text is not about individual men or women, but is a reminder that we all need to be discerning in our choices, and not fall for things which can easily seduce and bring pleasure. Wealth, beauty, power and position are all things that can bring initial pleasure, but the text reminds us that there are dire consequences for choosing poorly: consequences which can even lead to death. There is much that can lead to death, and as a resurrection people who believe in the risen Christ, our lives should be a point of comparison, pointing to the One who offers abundant life.
As well as alerting Elizabeth to things she needs to be cautious of, I have also tried to encourage her to be persistent in standing up and working towards things that are important for her. As I see it, if we want to be respected for example, then we should also be persistent in respecting others. If justice is important to us, then we need to persist in pursuing justice, not just for ourselves, but for others too. Persistence is an attribute of the woman who appears before the judge in the story that Jesus tells.
In the New Testament characters are often introduced in parables told by Jesus and as the story unfolds, the point of Jesus teaching becomes clear. In this parable we meet two characters – a judge and a widow. The judge is an interesting character. Judges are supposed to adjudicate disputes, maintain harmonious relations and take special care of widows, orphan and immigrants[1], yet this judge ‘neither feared God nor had respect for people’ (Luke 18:2) and basically looked out for his own self-interest. We don’t know much about the other character, the widow, but we know that she comes the judge for justice and that she is praised for her persistence.
This woman who appears before the judge is applauded for her persistence in prayer. Although not stated outright, it is apparent that she is a seeker of justice. We might therefore assume that she is someone for whom justice was initially hard to obtain.
In a society that often-excluded women from an equitable sharing of justice and entitlement, we can accept that the personification choice of the individual seeking justice is no accident. The fact it is a woman, and a widow at that, is a key fact within the story. This woman comes as one likely marginalised in society, yet through her persistence, she is finally granted justice.
The reality is that sometimes life is not fair. We know it and can’t give up in the face of adversity. There are times when we all need to advocate for ourselves and it is persistence that means we are finally heard. There is unfairness in the life of this widow as she has to consistently and persistently make her case known to the judge. But she is strong and keeps going until her voice is heard.
In this parable, the woman seeks justice and ends up earning it for herself, and Luke frames the story as being about persistence in prayer. If even this unjust judge finally grants the widows request, then obviously a just God will grant requests for justice. But I’m not sure that it is all that simple. As people of faith, we can believe that God’s justice will come, but it does not always come quickly. It can be hard to keep faith when we see injustice in the world and question what God is doing. That is part of the reality of our human existence.
But it is not all of our reality. I wonder if what Jesus is encouraging us to do, is to persistently seek out justice for those on the margins. At times this might include advocating for ourselves. This is an active approach to prayer and a vision of God’s desire for the world. It is about praying for and working for a greater justice, and access to the good things of life being more freely and equitably available for all. Maybe this is why we are called to persist and the widow is praised for it.
Earlier in the service today we celebrated Logan’s baptism. We made promises about how we would care for and support him and his parents. We recalled our own baptism and were reminded about what this means. Surely one of our hopes for Logan would be that he be able to grow up in a world where justice matters and the marginalised are given a voice. Surely, this is something we should want for all people. As part of our example to Logan, we should be living as a people who persist in prayer, as we faithfully work for God’s kingdom values of justice, love and mercy.
Amen.
We Sing: “O Lord hear my prayer” – (Click on this link)
Prayer for Others (prepared by Ray Michelle)
Amazing loving God,
We give thanks for the day and all the things we are experiencing in it and will in the hours ahead.
We give thanks for the baptism of Logan this morning and are reminded of the love you have for children, and the blessing they bring. We pray for those that have illness, are neglected and abused, may the light of you be upon them this morning.
As we reflect on justice, we pray for those that have been taken advantage of by the church, and the years they have been silently waiting to be heard and justice to begin.
We pray for those that through no fault of their own suffer what we will call an injustice or unfairness – those with physical and mental impairments, those born in war torn counties, those that can’t provide the daily needs for themselves and their families.
We pray for each other here this morning, and I ask you to take moment to pray for the people on either side of you.
We pray for those not here this morning, I ask you to think of those you can recall and pray for them.
We pray for those that have gone before you, family or friend, I ask you to pray for one or more.
We pray for those less fortune than we are, those who have less than what we have, I ask you to pray for them now.
We pray for those we know that are not well, I ask you to pray for them now.
We pray for ourselves. I ask you to take a moment to pray for you first, then your family.
We Sing: “He is Lord” – (Click on this link & skip the ads)
And now let us join together in the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples:
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 your 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.
We Sing: “Father in Heaven” – (Click on this link and skip the ads for the tune – TIS words below)
O God in heaven, grant to your children
mercy and blessings, songs never ceasing,
love to unite us, grace to redeem us –
Father in heaven, our Mother God.
Jesus, Redeemer, may we remember
your gracious passion, your resurrection.
Worship we bring you, praise we shall sing you –
Jesus, Redeemer, Jesus our Lord.
Spirit descending, whose is the blessing,
strength for the weary, help for the needy;
make us your temple, born a new people –
Spirit descending, Spirit adored.
Blessing:
As we go from here,
may we persist and not be discouraged.
Let us keep asking.
Let us keep seeking.
Let us keep knocking.
And as we do,
may God’s grace,
Christ’s love
and the Spirit’s challenge
be with us,
this day and every day.
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.
[1] See Deuteronomy 24:17-18 and Deuteronomy 27:19)