Koonung Heights Uniting Church
Service of Worship at Home
Epiphany 1 – 11th January 2026 – 10am or whenever possible
You may like to light a candle as you prepare for this service.
Today’s service is led by Ray Michelle – member of Koonung Heights
Introit: “Halle Halle” – (TiS 720)
Halle, halle, hallelujah!
Halle, halle, hallelujah!
Halle, halle, hallelujah!
Hallelujah, hallelujah!
Acknowledgement of Country:
As we meet to worship today,
I acknowledge the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin nations,
the first inhabitants and custodians of this place
from time beyond remembering.
I pay my respects to their elders,
past, present and emerging.
I also remember and pay my respects
to those who have faithfully worshipped,
and shared their gifts and lives with us at Koonung Heights.
I pray the God of love will continue to speak to us all.
Welcome
Call to Worship:
There is a wonder about this place,
let us encounter it.
There is a diversity about this community,
let us embrace it.
There is a plethora of views of faith here,
let us listen to them.
And in the adventure those ideas open up.
Let us worship.
We Sing: All people that on Earth Do Dwell – (TiS 59)
All people that on earth do dwell
sing to the Lord with cheerful voice:
him serve with mirth, his praise forth tell;
come ye before him and rejoice.
Know that the Lord is God indeed;
without our aid he did us make:
we are his folk, he doth us feed,
and for his sheep he doth us take.
O enter then his gates with praise,
approach with joy his courts unto;
praise, laud and bless his name always,
for it is seemly so to do.
For why the Lord our God is good;
his mercy is for ever sure;
his truth at all times firmly stood,
and shall from age to age endure.
Prayer of Adoration and Confession:
Lord, we come to you on this second Sunday of the new year
thinking of new possibilities, new resolutions, opportunities for new relationships
and for continuing our journey in faith in new ways.
We also turn our minds to what is written in Scripture,
and we recall the promise by Luke of an orderly account
while reading about a rather disorderly event.
Did Jesus apologise for making a mess of the Temple?
Never, he was making space appropriate for worship.
Lord, we sometimes get caught up in these things
and forget about what really matters.
We are sorry when we get hung up on spaces and places,
on form rather than substance.
When we go off on our own tangents,
and we get so distracted by ‘oughts’ that we forget what really matters.
In this new year can we be spellbound
by the written word, by the abundance of your love
by the possibilities of a new day?
May the questions we bring
be heartfelt, inspired by awe and not folly.
May they be genuine questions not to trick or to make ourselves look clever
but to help us understand more about you and our place in your story.
This new year, may we aim to ask questions
that bring us ever closer to you.
Amen
Words of Assurance:
Where does decision-making come from?
Where do we learn when to act and when to not?
While the world is full of wonder and beauty,
let’s not be complacent and find our voice in a compassionate way,
have care and love for all
Thanks be to God.
Amen.
Passing the Peace:
The peace of Christ has been given to us,
not as a gift of the world which will pass away
but as a gift from heaven which is eternal.
Choice for you to receive and give.
The peace of Christ be with you:
and also with you.
Bible Reading: Luke 19:45 to 20:8
Jesus at the Temple
45When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling.46’It is written,’ he said to them, ‘“My house will be a house of prayer”; but you have made it “a den of robbers”.’
47Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him.48Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.
The Authority of Jesus Questioned
20 One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him.2 ‘Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,’ they said. ‘Who gave you this authority?’
3 He replied, ‘I will also ask you a question. Tell me:4 John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin?’
5 They discussed it among themselves and said, ‘If we say, “From heaven,” he will ask, “Why didn’t you believe him?” 6 But if we say, “Of human origin,” all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.’
7 So they answered, ‘We don’t know where it was from.’
8Jesus said, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.’
Bible Reading: Proverbs 26: 4-5
Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
or you yourself will be just like him.
5Answer a fool according to his folly,
or he will be wise in his own eyes.
A time for all: Pauline Williams
I was there. No one special. Just one of the crowd. But I was there. In the Temple.
I’ve been before, of course, many times. Nothing to worry about, the same old, same old, the noises of trade, the flutter of wings, the prayers, the usual. Only this day was not any day. Neither were the days that followed.
I’d heard of him, Jesus of Nazareth, a carpenter to trade, but now on a different mission, but I had not expected to see him, though I had heard rumours that he was in town, whispers of a subversive entrance, donkeys and palms, but there’s always a story going around. And then he was there.
I heard his voice, strident. I looked over, saw hands raised in the air, I rushed to that side of the courtyard and there he was, a fire in his eyes, baskets tumbled, and anger stirred. I was there. I saw it with my own eyes. The challenge, the righteous anger, the desire for what was right. And I was captivated.
I followed, from a distance, day by day, as he came back to teach. From the fringe of the crowd I witnessed his wisdom. My heart stirred. This was new, this was radical, yet this was part of something ancient, a new realisation of an old truth. On the fringes I didn’t just hear Jesus. I heard the whispers amongst the crowd, the questions raised, the wondering about what is and what could be.
And I heard the priests and the scribes, as they tried to remain aloof, yet were just as captivated by what Jesus was saying, about the crowds gathered to hear him, but for different ends. I was there. When they challenged him directly. When they challenged his authority. This is it, I thought. The showdown. It was inevitable. It was always coming. Jesus challenged their authority, they were going to challenge his. What would he do? How could he defend his authority, his honour, before the chief priest himself? I saw it coming. I’m not just saying that. I saw the glint in his eye as they fell into his trap.
As soon as they asked their question, he turned it straight back on them. He asked them about John’s authority, the one who baptised in the Jordan, the one who baptised me.
I almost laughed aloud as coins cascaded onto stone. I saw the fear in the chief priest’s face, his quick glance to the elders, but I didn’t hear what he said, it was under his breath. I saw Jesus’ smile though, and he was not quiet in refusing to answer them, if they could not answer him. He nailed them. Not often you witness that. The chief priest, the scribes, the elders just turned and walked away. Shameful. Their challenge to his authority shattered as we in the crowd looked on, astonished. Of course, later, I would remember this day and the feeling that Jesus had got the last laugh, when I witnessed them nailing him on the hill of the skull.
We Sing: Seek Ye First – (TiS 745)
Seek ye first the kingdom of God
and his righteousness,
and all these things shall be added unto you.
Allelu, alleluia.
Alleluia, alleluia,
alleluia, allelu, alleluia.
Ask and it shall be given unto you,
seek and you shall find,
knock and it shall be opened unto you.
Allelu, alleluia.
Alleluia, alleluia,
alleluia, allelu, alleluia.
We shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word,
that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.
Allelu, alleluia.
Alleluia, alleluia,
alleluia, allelu, alleluia.
Reflection:
Turning the Tables: Holy Disruption and Faithful Discernment
Today’s passage comes at a turning point in Luke’s Gospel. Jesus has entered Jerusalem for the final time. The crowds have welcomed him with palm branches and songs of praise. They have shouted, ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.’ Expectations are high. If ever there was a moment for Jesus to consolidate support, enjoy the acclaim, or take the easier path, this was it. But instead of heading to a palace, Jesus walks straight into the Temple. And what he does next is confronting.
Luke tells us that Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out those who were selling things there. He said, ‘It is written, “My house shall be a house of prayer,” but you have made it a den of robbers.’ This is not a gentle parable. This is not Jesus calmly sitting down for discussion. This is action, strong action, disruptive action.
Jesus sees the Temple, God’s house of prayer, turned into a marketplace. Instead of being a place where people encountered God, it had become a place of profit, noise, and distraction. A system had grown up around worship that benefited the powerful, excluded the vulnerable, and distorted the very purpose of the Temple. So Jesus, with deep authority, clears it out.
For many of us, when we read this text, our first reaction is probably, ‘Well done, Jesus.’ How bad must it have been for things to reach this point? How could the religious leaders of the time have allowed this to happen? It feels righteous. It feels justified. It feels obvious.
And yet, if we sit with the passage a little longer, it becomes uncomfortable. This moment forces us to ask not only what Jesus did, but why he did it, and whether disruption is always the right response.
As I reflected on this passage, it took me back to times when we held a market in these buildings. Of course, not in the sanctuary itself, and perhaps that distinction helped us feel comfortable. But it made me wonder how the Temple got to this point in the first place.
I suspect it did not start badly. It probably started small. One table. One practical decision. People were coming to the Temple from long distances and needed animals for sacrifice. Money had to be exchanged. Someone thought, ‘This is efficient. This helps people worship.’ And then it grew. Opportunities were identified. Systems were formalised. Those in authority took a cut, perhaps justifying it by saying the money supported the needy or maintained the Temple. Over time, what was meant to serve worship began to shape it.
Then into this carefully balanced system walks Jesus.
This Jesus who had already been causing a groundswell among the people. This Jesus who rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, deliberately echoing the prophets. And suddenly, in what looks like arrogance or chaos, he overturns tables, drives out animals and people, and creates confusion. You can almost hear the objections. What about the animals? What about the people who were just doing their jobs? What about order, process, and respect?
As I sat with this passage, one question kept returning. Was there another way Jesus could have reacted and achieved the same result? Could he have raised his concerns differently, less confrontational and more engaging?
That question does not stay safely in the first century. It presses into our own context. Each week we see protests in our cities for various causes. Some of you may have joined them, and this is not a judgement, but we see traffic disrupted, streets blocked, and conflict with police. Some argue this is the only way to be heard. Others argue it alienates people and hardens opposition. Others suggest peaceful protest does not work either.
As a country, we are part of international groups that impose sanctions. Is that the right approach? Reflecting back, did the way the government ran the ‘Yes’ vote campaign engage the nation, or did it deepen division? Is the way climate change is being communicated, with protest and graffiti, actually changing hearts and minds? These are not simple questions, and I am not offering simple answers. Because in our personal lives we face the same dilemma. When do you speak up? When do you challenge? When do you push back? And when do you let go? Do you confront directly, or do you work quietly? Do you disrupt, or do you wait? Jesus’ action in the Temple forces us to sit with that tension. So was it necessary for Jesus to overturn the tables?
Luke gives us an important clue. Immediately after this event, we are told that the chief priests and scribes were looking for a way to kill him, but they could not find one because the people were spellbound by what they heard. Jesus knew exactly what this would cost him. This act was not impulsive. It was not uncontrolled anger. It was prophetic judgment. The Temple was not simply misused. It had lost its purpose. The system was so entrenched that polite conversation would not have been enough. The leaders benefited too much from the status quo. The poor were being exploited in the very place meant to draw them close to God. Sometimes gentle correction is ignored. Sometimes silence becomes complicity. Sometimes faithfulness requires disruption.
But this is crucial. Jesus’ disruption was always anchored in love for God and concern for people. He was not promoting himself. He was not venting frustration. He was restoring the Temple to what it was meant to be. ‘My house shall be a house of prayer.’ That is the heart of this passage. Not anger for its own sake. Not disruption for attention. But a refusal to allow God’s purposes to be distorted. This is where the passage turns back on us. The question is not simply, ‘Was Jesus right?’ The deeper question is, ‘What tables might need turning in us?’
Not in society first. Not in government. Not in other people. But in our own hearts. Where have we allowed convenience to replace prayer? Where have we accepted practices that once seemed harmless but now distract us from God? Where have we confused busyness with faithfulness? And when we see something that is wrong, whether in the church, our workplace, our family, or ourselves, how do we respond? Jesus does not give us a single formula. Sometimes he heals gently. Sometimes he teaches patiently. Sometimes he walks away. And sometimes, only sometimes, he turns tables.
The wisdom we are called to is discernment. To know what to challenge and what to let go. To know when to speak and when to be silent. To know when disruption serves God’s purposes and when it serves our own need to be right. That discernment begins in prayer, because the Temple, Jesus reminds us, is first and foremost a place of prayer. If we want to live faithfully in a noisy and divided world, we must start there.
So as we leave this passage today, I invite you not to rush to judgment, either of Jesus or of one another, but to sit with the discomfort it creates. Ask yourself, what is God calling me to protect? What is God calling me to challenge? And what would faithfulness look like, not in theory, but in practice? Because the same Jesus who overturned tables also wept over Jerusalem. The same Jesus who disrupted worship also gave his life for the world. And that tells us this. Whatever action we take, it must be shaped by love, grounded in prayer, and directed toward God’s restoring purpose.
Amen.
We Sing: “Shine Jesus Shine” – (TiS 675)
Lord, the light of your love is shining
in the midst of the darkness, shining;
Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us
set us free by the truth you now bring us –
shine on me, shine on me
Shine, Jesus, shine,
fill this land with the Father’s glory;
blaze, Spirit, blaze, set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flow,
flood the nations with grace and mercy;
send forth your word, Lord, and let there be light.
Lord, I come to your awesome presence,
from the shadows into your radiance;
by the blood I may enter your brightness:
search me, try me, consume all my darkness –
shine on me, shine on me.
Shine, Jesus, shine
fill this land with the Father’s glory…
As we gaze on your kingly brightness
so our faces display your likeness,
ever changing from glory to glory:
mirrored here may our lives tell your story –
shine on me, shine on me.
Shine, Jesus, shine
fill this land with the Father’s glory…
Prayer of Dedication
It is written,
an orderly account of disorder.
Imagine, tables askew,
coins scattered.
We bring our coins today
as an offering,
not as payment for some service
or to purchase a way into your good graces.
Gracious Lord, accept these our offerings.
Amen
Prayers for others Prepared by Margaret Lord
Loving God,
We are gifted with a wonderful world, but we are only too aware that much that happens in our world is not aligned with Jesus’ vision for your kingdom on earth.
Injustice is rife, hate fuels actions, people are hurt.
We lament that this is the case, also confessing that we can be part of the problem – sometimes in the action or inaction of an unthinking moment, sometimes, to our shame, with deliberate intent or lack of action.
Often, we want to be part of the solution, but don’t know what to do.
We struggle to know how to respond and opt out by not responding at all.
We pray for wisdom, strength and confidence to stand against injustice and be effective peacemakers and community builders. May our actions and deeds reflect your essence of love and be an expression of our prayer.
We pray for awareness of the needs of others, and courage to act for their good. May we be equipped to be the people you have called us to be, so that in moments of challenge we can stand as your people of peace.
We pray for wisdom to know when tables need to be overturned or when a quiet word might be the best solution, and then the courage to act accordingly.
At this time of distress in our own country, we pray especially for those who are persecuted for their faith, whatever that faith may be. We give thanks for their bravery and their faithfulness, despite the hits they endure.
As members of the Australian community, we think particularly of members of our Jewish and Islamic communities who are living in shock and fear at this time.
Be with us as we act to confront the ancient scourge of antisemitism and all forms of hatred of ‘the other’.
We pray for the leaders of our country as they try to douse the flames of division and work to build a cohesive society. May they be encouraged by positive feedback and solidarity from ‘we the people’.
Let us ask ourselves where in our lives and communities is trust lacking, resentment left unattended, so that it hardens into fear and hatred.
Let us take responsibility for how our own attitudes, silences and actions shape the spaces we inhabit.
We pray for those who are battling illness, for those who are providing care and support to loved ones, and for those who are coping with loss.
In a moment of silence, we bring before you all those who are known to us personally, who are in need at this time…
May we, and all those in need, feel your presence and healing peace this day. Amen
Let us now join 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 in Heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
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: Go, Tell it on the Mountain – (TaC 30)
Go, tell it on the mountain,
over the hills and everywhere;
go, tell it on the mountain that
Jesus Christ is born.
While shepherds kept their watching
o’er silent flocks by night,
behold, throughout the heavens
there shone a holy light:
Go, tell it on the mountain…
The shepherds feared and trembled,
when, lo, above the earth
rang out the angel chorus
that hailed our Saviour’s birth:
Go, tell it on the mountain…
Down in a lovely manger
our humble Christ was born,
and God sent us salvation
that blessed Christmas morn:
Go, tell it on the mountain…
Sending
We continue our adventure
in our communities
among our friends
and those we do not yet call friends.
May we model Jesus
in our gracious
response to those
who challenge and provoke us
as we challenge and provoke
ideas counter to the Gospel we follow.
We Sing: Bind us together – (The Source Vol. 1 51)
Bind us together, Lord, bind us together
with cords that cannot be broken.
Bind us together, Lord, bind us together
bind us together with love.
There is only one God.
There is only one King.
There is only one Body.
That is why we sing:
Bind us together, Lord, bind us together
with cords that cannot be broken…
Made for the glory of God,
purchased by his precious Son.
Born with the right to be clean,
for Jesus the vict’ry has won.
Bind us together, Lord, bind us together
with cords that cannot be broken…
You are the fam’ly of God.
You are the promise divine.
You are God’s chosen desire.
You are the glorious new wine.
Bind us together, Lord, bind us together
with cords that cannot be broken…
(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,