Koonung Heights Uniting Church
Service of Worship at Home
Epiphany 2 – 14 January 2024 – 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: “Jubilate Servite” (TiS 731)
Jubilate Deo, omnis terra. Servite Domino in laetitia.
Alleluia, alleluia, in laetitia; alleluia, alleluia, in laetitia.
(Translation: Rejoice in God, all the earth: serve the Lord in gladness.)
Candle Lighting (based on Psalm 139):
Lord you seek us, and see us,
you have known us even as we were being formed,
you know all our days before they dawn within us.
Whether we are alone or gathered,
we are still with you.
May the candle we have lit remind us of this.
Acknowledgement of Country:
As we gather today, I acknowledge the
traditional custodians of this land and these waters
the Wurundjeri WoiWurrung people of the Kulin Nations.
I pay my respects to the elders, past and present,
and to all future leaders and generations.
As First and Second Peoples walking together,
may we commit ourselves to be people of the covenant,
listening, truth telling and seeking justice for all.
Call to Worship:
We wait for the word to be unrolled,
to take root,
to hold us, shake us,
call us into the world
as God’s People,
with the Good News
living in the Manifesto of the Kingdom.
May our ears be open
to what it calls us to,
for the poor, the captives,
the prisoner, the blind.
Let us wait.
Let us be ready.
Let us worship.
We Sing: “Praise with joy the world’s Creator” – (TiS 179)
Praise with joy the world’s Creator, God of justice, love and peace,
source and end of human knowledge, force of greatness without cease.
Celebrate the Maker’s glory, power to rescue and release.
Praise the Son who feeds the hungry, frees the captive, finds the lost,
heals the sick, upsets religion, fearless of both fate and cost.
Celebrate Christ’s constant presence – Friend and Stranger, Guest and Host.
Praise the Spirit sent among us, liberating truth from pride,
forging bonds where race or gender, age or nation dare divide,
Celebrate the Spirit’s treasure – foolishness none dare deride.
Praise the Maker, Son and Spirit, one God in community,
calling Christians to embody oneness and diversity.
Thus the world shall yet believe, when shown Christ’s vibrant unity.
Prayer of Adoration and Confession:
God of the poor,
of the oppressed,
of the blind and captive,
those the world so readily forgets,
today we worship with them all.
We worship from our positions
of power and arrogances,
and humble ourselves,
recognising our own impoverished state,
our own blindness and captivity,
and the need to overcome what oppresses our ability to flourish.
We praise you this day, Creating God,
for you have known us since before we were born,
and you know us better than we know ourselves.
Your creation is ever-changing and ever-amazing,
and we thank you that we are part of it.
Your love is with us forever,
yet we do not treat others in the same way.
Forgive us when we get things wrong,
look the other way, and continue to focus on ourselves.
Help us to love others with the same abundance
you show daily to each one of us.
May we find ourselves speaking with humility, compassion and generosity
towards others whose lives feel so different from ours.
May we find ourselves partners in the kingdom,
able to listen and acknowledge each other’s stories
and find among the words, your living word of good news,
that we might live it and humble ourselves when we fail to do so.
Great God of the kingdom community,
of the poor, the captive, the oppressed, the blind,
we gather as one joined together
because we are gathered in all our diversity and need.
We praise you for your justice,
vision, healing,
and all that we are called into.
So be it.
Amen.
Words of Assurance:
Friends, Jesus came as the message of good news,
the message that God loves, forgives and sustains.
This message is a gift to us,
and true for us now.
Thanks be to God.
The Peace
May the peace of Jesus, the Christ, be with you,
and also with you.
A Time for All:
Good News! That’s worth sharing … if it’s our news to tell, of course, and it can be really hard to hold good news in sometimes if it’s not ours to share! We can share news really quickly now … a phone call or text or an email … all can reach the recipient really quickly even when they are a long way away. Many years ago when I was working at Camp NEOSA (North Eastern Ohio Salvation Army) in the United States, I had a phone call from my Dad. It only took him about 10 seconds to make the call, but he wanted to share the good news that my cousin had given birth to a little boy.
Not so long ago the way to share good news was via letter. In fact, we see this quite a few times in the Bible, which includes many letters. We also see it in the gospel of Luke. The earliest traditions of the Christian Church identify Luke, a physician, as a travelling companion and co-worker with Paul. At times tradition also identifies him as a Syrian from Antioch. Of course much is not known about the writer of the gospel of Luke, but what we do know is that he had good news to share. He does so addressing this gospel to Theophilus which means “friend of God”.
Let’s imagine we are hearing one of his letters now …
Dear Theophilus,
I hope you are well. I am writing, as I promised, to let you know how my account of the life of Jesus is progressing.
I have put together the stories I have researched around the birth of Jesus and one story form his childhood. After that I have recorded stories about his baptism by John and the temptations that he faced in the wilderness.
I have now reached accounts that tell what happened when Jesus spoke about himself and his ministry in the synagogue at Nazareth. Many people who were present have memories of this, and there are differences in their stories.
My research indicates that Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah that day and I will quote the passage that he read and spoke aloud in my account. As the passage comes from the Hebrew Scriptures, I will translate it into Greek in order that those of us who are Gentiles will be able to read it.
Jesus and his disciples, as you are aware, spoke Aramaic, adding to the complexities of translation I will do my best to provide an accurate a translation as I can.
Those present in the synagogue were clearly impressed with what Jesus was teaching that day. They had known him as a child and a man, they knew his family, he belonged among them.
You will know Theophilus that there have been disagreements in the church about the status and inclusion of Gentiles. Some indeed have argued that Jesus came with a message for the Jewish people and for no-one else. These accounts of Jesus teaching in the synagogue at Nazareth tell of him citing Gentiles, a widow from Sidon and a Syrian general, as historical examples of those who recognised the Word of God, spoken through the prophets Elisha and Elijah. He goes on to suggest that it is easier for outsiders to hear a prophets’ message, including his own message, than for those from a prophet’s hometown. Those present in the synagogue in Nazareth were angered by this, but for us Gentiles they are words of hope and encouragement.
Let us be thankful Theophilus that it is clear that the Good News about Jesus is for everyone, that both Gentiles and Jews are invited into God’s family.
Hold fast to what you are being taught Theophilus. I will keep you up to date with my progress. You are always in my thoughts and prayers.
Luke.
We Sing: “Jesus put this song into our hearts” – (TiS 670)
Jesus put this song int our hearts, Jesus put this song into our hearts,
it’s a song of joy no-one can take away:
Jesus put this song into our hearts.
Jesus taught us how to live harmony, Jesus taught us how to live in harmony,
different faces, different races, he made us one:
Jesus taught us how to live in harmony.
Jesus taught us how to be a family, Jesus taught us how to be a family,
loving one another with the love that he gives:
Jesus taught us how to be a family.
Jesus turned our sorrow into dancing, Jesus turned our sorrow into dancing,
changed our tears of sadness into rivers of joy:
Jesus turned our sorrow into a dance.
Bible Reading: Psalm 119:97-108
97 Oh, how I love your law!
It is my meditation all day long.
98 Your commandment makes me
wiser than my enemies,
for it is always with me.
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers,
for your decrees are my meditation.
100 I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.
101 I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word.
102 I do not turn away from your ordinances, for you have taught me.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
106 I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to observe your righteous ordinances.
107 I am severely afflicted; give me life, O Lord, according to your word.
108 Accept my offerings of praise, O Lord, and teach me your ordinances.
Bible Reading: Luke 4:16-30
– The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth
16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” 23 He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’ ” 24 And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his hometown.
Reflection:
I grew up in a lovely Church community as a child and I have many fond memories of that time. In Sunday School I remember placing five little plastic ducks on the water on my fifth birthday and sitting in the special chair bedecked with a big pink bow. I remember the annual Girls’ Brigade Church Parades where, if you were lucky enough to carry the flag, you had to make sure you ducked it low enough so you didn’t hit the gallery. Joining the youth group and fellowship and singing in the choir, all hold a special place in my memories, as does the church community that helped nurture me in my early faith journey. Many years on, even though I’ve changed and grown, I find that when I visit there again, some people still see me as the little girl I was so many years ago. They are pleased to see me, but seeing me as the person I was isn’t really seeing me at all.
This is how it is for Jesus when we meet him in his home synagogue in our gospel reading for this week. As we hear this text and imagine ourselves in the synagogue, we are witness to one of the first signs of Jesus public ministry as he opens the scroll of the Law and reads from it. Not only does he unwrap and share the sacred text, but Jesus interprets it in a way that brings gasps of astonishment from those present, gasps that are quickly followed by rage at the way in which Jesus has taken traditional Jewish teaching and subverted it to his own ends. The one they thought they knew is not as they remember or imagine.
I wonder if this is how it played out? Entering the synagogue where he grew up, Jesus is invited to read Scripture. Standing on the platform for readers he decides to read from the prophets and is handed the scroll of Isaiah. Unrolling it, he finds the place he wants, and begins to read. ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’
The assembled people smile because they know this Scripture. It is one of their favourites and reminds them how God was faithful to those who were living in exile and how he brought them home. Some have heard it said that this Scripture is a description of the Messiah who is to come, and they have been praying that one day they might see God’s Anointed bring this message of good news to them as well.
But they never could have expected what happened next. For after he stops reading, Jesus rolls the scroll back up, returns it to the scroll bearer, and sits down, assuming the position of one who is about to preach. Everyone sits at the edges of their pews, completely spellbound. ‘Today,’ Jesus says, ‘this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ The congregation sit in stunned silence. Is Jesus saying that he is the one they have been waiting for? Jesus, who they have watched grow up? Jesus is the Messiah?
This, they think, is good news … especially for those of us who are close to him. They smile because good news has been proclaimed. And it would have been great if Jesus had stopped there, but he didn’t, He kept on preaching.
Jesus would have known Psalm 119 and, just like Isaiah, he could have recited it with absolute conviction. He respected the word of God and adhered to its teaching, but insisted on interpreting it in his own way. Jesus cut through the conventional teaching to what he believed was the essence of the law underneath, and this brought him into conflict with the religious leaders and teachers of his day.
Jesus explained that the good news wasn’t just for them … that it wasn’t going to stop in Nazareth or even with the Jewish people. Jesus explained that God was bigger than that, reminding them of Elijah and Elisha, prophets who had both moved past the boundaries of Israel, to bring God’s restoration and healing. In short the message the people heard was that the promised healing, forgiveness, release and favour was not just for them.
Now the mood in the synagogue shifts. People are no longer smiling, but glaring at Jesus. Some leave, others comment, ‘Who does he think he is?’. The angriest grab Jesus and remove him from the synagogue saying ‘How dare you talk about God like that in our place of worship!’
I wonder what it would be like if Jesus preached in our churches today. What might his sermon be about? The first sermon Jesus preached was his mission statement, it shaped the rest of his life. It was his vision of what it looked like to live and work in and for the kingdom of God. I imagine that if Jesus preached today he would say many of the same things. He would remind us that God is still working to bring good news to the poor. He would insist that our worth, and the worth of others, lies outside our bank accounts. He would explain that those who are given much, must give to others.
Jesus would still proclaim release to all those being held captive, whether it is addicts who are captive to a bottle or a needle or a laptop, those who have been thrown into prison and then forgotten, or those who are held captive by the mistakes of their past. He would remind us that God is still working to bring sight to the blind so that we can see each other clearly again, free of the labels and the boxes we like to put one another in, and so we can see ourselves as God truly sees us.
Nadia Bolz Weber paraphrases it beautifully … The Spirit of the Lord has sent me to bring freedom to the oppressed, the over-worked, the under-appreciated, the last chosen, the unlovely, the despised and unseen, the overly proud, the parts of ourselves that are so small.” That certainly sounds like good news.
But I doubt Jesus would stop there … and I bet some of what he would say might make us angry. We like to think we would do better, but I’m not sure that we would.
We get annoyed when we are reminded that God is God and we are not. It’s frustrating when God acts in ways we don’t approve it. The fact that God’s love and God’s mercy extend beyond us is sometimes hard to take. We don’t like to be reminded that God cares about the people we hate as much as God cares about us.
If Jesus preached here today I doubt he would talk about widows in Sidon or Syrian soldiers, but he might talk about immigrants, or our First Nations Peoples, or those whose relationships or experiences differ from our own. He might mention those who speak different languages, who live in different countries and who worship differently from us.
We might be surprised to hear that the good news is often found, not where we are, but with the people who make us the most uncomfortable.
That’s not easy to hear, but it is part of the Good News of God. ‘Today’, Jesus says, ‘these words are fulfilled in your hearing … so what are you going to do about it?’
Amen.
We Sing: “Come to be our hope, O Jesus” – (TiS 688)
Come to be our hope, O Jesus, come to set our people free.
From oppression, come, release us, you along give liberty.
Come release from every prison those who suffer in our land.
In your love we find the reason still to live and understand.
Come to build your new creation; show the way of servanthood;
give new life to every nation, changing evil into good.
Come and open our tomorrow for a kingdom, now so near.
Take away all human sorrow, give us hope against our fear.
Prayer for Others (prepared by Paul Tonson):
This prayer takes up the text from Sunday’s service, Luke 4:16-21 that is Jesus’ quote from Isaiah 61. We ponder how like Jesus we too can be anointed or blessed to influence and even give leadership in the world. Prayer is one of these ways.
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
In our prayerfulness we are with Isaiah and with Jesus as we respond to the Divine Spirit who lives and moves in each life of faith.
Be aware that God is not far from anyone of us; none of us is entirely alone.
In your own thoughts, remember what means for you and your life this week that God is With Us?
He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
In Australia today three million people live below the poverty line, which is set as half the median income. Most affected are solo parents and their children.
We can enrich people’s lives by our giving and by our presence. Think of ways old and new to do this in 2024?
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
Over the last decade, rates of imprisonment in Australia rose 20%. Larger numbers are on remand, waiting longer for their cases to be heard. Drug offences account for a large portion.
Many of us are removed from the life of the imprisoned. Let us pray for the work of Prison Fellowship, its leaders and its volunteers.
Let us pray for bold policy developments by government that focus on rehabilitation.
He has sent me to proclaim the regaining of sight to the blind,
Pray for the work of Vision Australia that provides the avenue of voice for those who have lost their sight.
Pray for preachers always to shed light that enables others to see themselves and life more clearly.
He has sent me to set free those who are oppressed,
Domestic violence in Australia is an increasing problem. More than 80% of cases are unreported.
Pray for the work of Refuges and for effective education of young people about relationships.
He has sent me to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
In our world more and more people feel aggrieved and marginalised, out of favour.
Yet we believe everyone is loveable, even those who are unloved.
Consider how your friendship, your communication, your smile when passing by, can help others feel valued.
In connection and solidarity, together we pray our faith family 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 for ever. Amen.
We Sing: “O for a thousand tongues to sing” – (TiS 210)
O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise,
the glories of our God and King, the triumphs of his grace.
Jesus! the name that charms our fears, that bids our sorrow cease;
such music in the sinner’s ears is life, and health, and peace.
He speaks, and listening to his voice, new life the dead receive,
the mournful, broken hearts rejoice, the humble poor believe.
Hear him, you deaf; his praise, you dumb, your loosened tongues employ;
you blind, behold your Saviour come; and leap you lame, for joy!
My gracious Master and my God, assist me to proclaim,
to spread through all the earth abroad the honours of your name.
Blessing:
May your lives this week flourish
as you live the good news
in what you say and do,
with grace and conviction,
joy and enthusiasm.
Go with God’s love in your heart,
with Jesus’ passion in your soul,
and the Spirit’s persistence in your actions.
And the blessing of God the Father,
God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
the One who Mother’s us all,
be 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: Ministry Matters, A Sermon for Every Sunday, Fig Tree Worship and Spill the Beans (Issue 49).