Koonung Heights Uniting Church
Service of Worship at Home
Epiphany 6 – 16 February 2025 – 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” – (TiS 706)
Bless the Lord, my soul, and bless God’s holy name.
Bless the Lord, my soul, who leads me into life.
Lighting the Christ Candle:
As we light the Christ candle this day
we rejoice in the gift of your presence among us.
May the light of your love always shine in our hearts,
your Spirit ever renew our lives,
and your praises be ever on our lips.
Acknowledgement of Country:
I acknowledge the Wurundjeri WoiWurrung
People of the Kulin nation,
a people who have cared for this land
and never ceded sovereignty.
I pay my respects to their elders, past and present,
and to all future generations.
May the God whose blessing is for all,
illuminate our hearts as we try to walk together.
Call to Worship:
Gathered,
not in order of rank, title, or wealth,
but blessed by the God for whom all are equal.
Gathered,
not because we are special or live life mistake-free
but blessed by the God for whom all are equal.
Gathered,
to be touched today by the Spirit of God,
whether here in-person or worshipping remotely.
Blessed by the God for whom all are equal.
Opening Prayer:
God of blessings and woes,
bless us this day with lives filled with love, caring,
generosity, and deep abiding hope.
We pray that your kingdom will dwell among all people,
and that we may be instruments of your love and grace.
Open our hearts with the joy of healing a world
struggling with brokenness and pain.
In the name of the One who taught us the ways of light and love,
be in our worship and in our very lives.
Amen.
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:
Living God, we gather for worship
as the crowds gathered around Jesus
on the lakeshore, hillsides, plains, streets
and marketplaces of the town.
Our reasons for gathering
are as many and varied as theirs.
Some of us take our place at the front of the crowd,
confident, committed and eager to hear more.
Some prefer to be anonymous, hiding in the middle,
enjoying the company of others.
Yet however we engage, and wherever we are,
you see us and know us all,
and know how important it is for us to gather.
As we come, we hope to renew our commitment
to your way for the whole of creation.
Being here reminds us that we are just one part
of generations of people who have committed
to walk in your ways.
Thank you that you invite us to be part of that walk,
the path that acknowledges your longing
for life and liberation for all people.
Help us remember again that when you are with us,
all things are possible.
Forgive us
if we allow the immediate issues of our own lives
to overwhelm your constant call
to reconciliation and justice in your name.
Forgive us
if we sometimes fail to remember
the graciousness and spaciousness of your love.
Forgive us
if we see what we can bring as small and insignificant
rather than trusting in how you enable us.
Forgive us,
if we continually find fault in others
rather than focusing on the fruitfulness
that is in our own hearts.
Infuse again our lives with your presence,
that our enthusiasm be rekindled,
our vision and readiness renewed,
and our lives equipped to carry out your will,
in love and gracious compassion.
Amen
Words of Assurance:
Friends, hear this good news:
God looks at us in our brokenness,
and irrespective of what we offer,
offers blessings to all.
With the assurance of God’s faithful love,
let us continue to live as people of blessing.
The Peace:
As Christ Jesus has shared his peace with each one of us,
let us now share that peace with each other.
The peace of Christ be with you
and also with you.
Time for All:
Do you ever have trouble hearing what is being said? Maybe it is because the room is noisy and we are easily distracted. It could be that there are other things going on, or possibly the speaker isn’t articulating their words very well. Of course, it can sometimes be because we think we’ve heard what’s being said before, or we just can’t be bothered listen properly.
There’s a wonderful line in Monty Python’s movie “Life of Brian” in which two characters hear Jesus giving a sermon, but they are too far back to hear properly. When Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers” they mishear it as “cheesemakers,” and one asks “What’s so special about cheesemakers?” A nearby man explains: “Well, obviously it’s not meant to be taken literally; it refers to any manufacturers of dairy products.”
Sometimes we don’t physically hear the words, yet there are other times when we do hear the words but we don’t want to listen to them. Sometimes the words that are spoken are hard for us to hear and we can be tempted to manipulate the meaning to suit ourselves … “Well, obviously it’s not meant to be taken literally”; “well, obviously it doesn’t apply to me.”
Last week we heard Jesus speak to people from a boat on a lake, and this week we hear him speak to a crowd on a plain. For one reason or another lots of people wanted to listen to Jesus and hear what he had to say. Today we hear him say some puzzling things when he speaks about the poor, the hungry, the sad, the hated and excluded. He says ‘if this is you, then you are among the blessed’. Jesus also says that if we have everything and more that we need here, we should be careful that it doesn’t get in the way of us putting God first. That’s one of those important things we all need to think about.
Let us pray
Dear God,
we can feel really happy when things are going well:
when the sun is shining, we have money in our pockets,
and good friends by our side.
We think this is when you are closest to us,
and this is how you want us to be,
but we are puzzled because this is not what Jesus said.
In fact Jesus said the opposite,
that we are blessed when we have nothing,
and miserable when we think we have it all
and everything is fine.
Help us to understand the things that are confusing God,
and when we cannot understand it,
help us trust that you are with us in the good time and the bad,
because you love us always.
Amen.
We Sing: “Jesus put this song” – (TiS 670)
Jesus put this song into 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 in 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 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.
Reading: Psalm 1
– The Two Ways
1 Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked
or take the path that sinners tread
or sit in the seat of scoffers,
2 but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
3 They are like trees planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.
4 The wicked are not so
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous,
6 for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Bible Reading: Luke 6:17-26
– Jesus Teaches and Heals
17 He came down with them and stood on a level place with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. 18 They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases, and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And everyone in the crowd was trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.
Blessings and Woes
20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.
“Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
22 “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven, for that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.
24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
25 “Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry.
“Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.
26 “Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.
Reflection:
So … how do you feel about today’s gospel reading? Does anyone have any problems with it, or does it sit pretty comfortably with you? Do you feel blessed now that you’ve heard it, or do you wonder if you might belong with those who are saying ‘woe is me’? What do I think? Well I’d be less than honest if I said I didn’t have some problems with this reading. Let’s face it, I’d rather be rich than poor. I’d rather be full than hungry. I’d rather laugh than weep. I’d rather have good things said about me than be hated, excluded and defamed. Yet Jesus seems to be saying that there is blessing in those things that I don’t want – being poor, hungry and sad. Well, maybe I could feel a little better about it if I could convince myself that I’m numbered with the poor (after all I’m not that wealthy), but even if I can’t afford to drive an MG or eat out every night, I know that in the global community I’m numbered with the rich.
In fact, today’s gospel reading doesn’t align well with the values of our capitalist society. We believe we have a right to “the pursuit of happiness”, and we don’t deal kindly with anyone we believe is getting in our way. We easily make scapegoats of those we blame for taking our jobs, filling our university places and daring to try and cross a border because they want that better life that we have. We invest vast amounts in our personal programs that support this pursuit, whether its participating in wellness retreats, or overseas holidays. We find it hard to say that there is anything wrong with these things, because we are so focused in our own situation.
I imagine that many of us would regularly pray for those people who are poor, hungry and persecuted, yet Jesus says that they are blessed. What about those to whom Jesus says “Woe to you?” I wonder why we aren’t so eager to pray for them? Is it because they look and sound happy and, after all, that’s the goal? Or might it be because we don’t want to face those aspects within our own lives? Things like the reality that many live in bondage to their assets; that people are full and successful but have no satisfaction or meaning in their lives; that many laugh to hide or avoid the pain of their lives? And what about those who work so hard to people-please because they find their identity and value in being spoken well of by others? Surely these people need our prayers, particularly when we look below the surface to the reality of what’s going on.
But what if the goal of life is not happiness, but meaning? What if the gospel of Christ, the good news of Christ, is more than just another program for happiness? What if blessings and woes are guideposts that are there to point us to living a life of meaning? I don’t actually think that Jesus was opposed to our happiness, but rather I believe he pointed out that there is something deeper, more fulfilling and longer lasting than just happiness. So much of our happiness is dependent upon circumstances that are beyond our control. We can be happy one day, and not the next, all because of a change in circumstances, and I think that this is exactly what is being said in the reading from Luke. Those are hungry will be filled and those who are full will also experience hunger. Those who are laughing will weep and those who weep will laugh. It is simply a true circumstance of life for each of us.
Luke has Jesus speaking to the crowd on the plain. In situating Jesus on the plain (rather than on the mountain as he appears in the gospel of Matthew) Luke reinforces the reality that the Divine is not only to be found in special hard to reach, lofty places, but also present among the people in the everyday of life. Jesus speaks to the crowd and describes the pattern of our lives which cycles back and forth through days of blessing and days of woe.
It is easy to set blessings and woes against each other, in opposition where one is seen as better or more desirable than the other, and to wonder which category we fall into, but I don’t think this is what Jesus has in mind at all. Jesus is not establishing a hierarchy between blessings and woes. Luke makes a point of telling us that Jesus ’stood on a level place’ when he spoke about blessings and woes. Maybe Jesus is leveling the ups and downs of our lives, inviting us to look beyond the day to day circumstances to find real meaning in every day.
I wonder if the fact that this story happens in the context of healing gives us a hint to what is going on too. The reading tells us ‘a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people … had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases … and he healed all of them’. Maybe that context of healing is the context in which we need to hear and understand the blessings and woes.
What if blessings are not a reward and woes are not a punishment? What if blessings and woes are not categories of two different kinds of people? What if there are aspects in each of our lives to which Jesus says ‘Blessed are you’ and ‘Woe to you?” What if, in Jesus words of blessing and woe, we hear Jesus’ desire for us to have wholeness. Understood this way, blessings and woes are not a conclusion made or a status given by Jesus. Rather they are insights about of lives that we need to consider. They are lenses through which we can see ourselves.
What might be the poverty, hunger and weeping in our lives today. What might be the richness, fullness and laughing. Rather than asking ‘Which one of them am I?’ maybe the question we should be asking ourselves is ‘In what way are all of these things a part of my life and who do they mean for me today?’. What do the blessings and woes tell or show us? How to they enliven and enrich life? How do they constrict us in our living?
These questions might not be easy to ask, but as we attend to them our eyes and hearts can be open to discern the life that we are called to live, and we will find the endurance to do what we are called even in the face of opposition.
Amen.
We Sing: “Blessed Disturbance” – (Mission Praise 22)
Blessed disturbance! God speaks the Word.
‘Let there be light!’ in the darkness is heard.
Cosmic explosion; life has begun. Praise to Creator, Spirit and Son!
Sunshine by day and moonlight by night; everything new is a source of delight.
Fish in the oceans, birds in the trees; woman and man give thanks for all these.
Blessed disturbance! Prophets proclaim warnings of judgement in God’s holy name.
Poor folk exploited; rich ones don’t care. In righteous anger, Yahweh is there!
‘I hate your feasts!’ says the God who is just;
‘Sort out your lives, then pray if you must.’
‘My law is love’, says the God who is good;
‘Care for the poor, then pray as you should.’
Blessed disturbance! God’s here to stay, Subtly transforming work, rest and play. Spirit of justice, laughter and love, wily as serpent, gentle as dove.
God of surprises, disturb us again; speak to our fears with your presence, and then,
Heavenly Gadfly, sting us to life! Help at our birthing, heavens Midwife.
Prayer for Others (prepared by Harriet Ziegler):
Let us open our hearts in prayer.
Loving God, your son Jesus brought your message of love for the least to the crowds gathered on the plains. Through Scripture, your message comes to us today. You are invited to respond to each section with the words,
‘And that we may be a blessing to them.’
‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.’
We pray today for those who are poor – poor in the necessities of life but also those who are poor in spirit. We think of those here in Australia and around the world who are shut out of education, housing and health care for lack of enough money. We give thanks for church organisations and government and non-government entities who seek to alleviate poverty. We pray that the leadership of all countries, including the United States, will fulfil their responsibilities to provide aid to the worst affected people and places. We think of those whose spiritual poverty leads them to be unkind and selfish, vindictive and manipulative. May their eyes be opened and their spirits filled, that they may be people of genuine care for others.
Inspire us, we pray, that we may see your kingdom in the poor,
And that we may be a blessing to them.
‘Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.’
We pray today for those who are hungry – hungry for food and hungry for love, for self-esteem, for respect. We think of those close to home and far away who do not have enough nutritious food to eat due to war, to famine, to crop failure due to climate change, or due to unfair business practices that put the cost of food out of reach. We give thanks for climate scientists, for agriculturalists and for peacemakers who are trying to end the causes of hunger, and for those – like Boroondara Community Outreach – who try to meet the needs of those who are hungry. We think too of those who have been abused in any way and who hunger for respect and kindness, for children who are not well loved and act out in search of love, for people whose families are fractured and who hunger for restoration. We give thanks for ministers like our own Heather and others in all faiths who fill the spiritual hunger of their people.
Inspire us, we pray, that we may see your kingdom in the hungry
And that we may be a blessing to them.
‘Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.’
We pray today for those who weep. In our church, in our community, all around the world are people who weep – people who are grieving terrible losses and cannot see the way ahead. People who are weeping in pain and frustration at illnesses and infirmities of mind and body that cannot seem to be healed. People who weep because of divisions in their country or community that seem beyond reconciliation.
Inspire us, we pray, that we may see your kingdom in those who weep
And that we may be a blessing to them.
Finally, we pray for ourselves and those closest to us, whether they are poor or hungry or weeping or otherwise in need of your care and presence. Let us pray silently for a few moments, confident that you hear us.
(time of silence)
We gather these prayers before you now in a prayer by Margaret Rolfe, modelled on the prayer Jesus taught his disciples.
Loving God, within and around us, we revere you.
We seek to live life as you would want us to do,
with love and respect for all people and all things in the universe.
May we find each day sufficient for our needs,
and find forgiveness when we do wrong,
just as we forgive those who do wrong to us.
In times of trouble, may we centre our lives in you,
For your being is love,
which comes with strength and beauty throughout eternity.
Amen.
We Sing: “Give Thanks” – (TiS 717)
Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One,
give thanks because he’s given Jesus Christ his Son.
And now let the weak say, ‘I am strong,’ let the poor say, ‘I am rich
because of what the lord has done for us.’
Give thanks, give thanks, give thanks.
Blessing:
As we go from this place,
let us go knowing that we are blessed,
and called to be a blessing to one another.
The blessing of God the Father,
God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
the One who mothers us all,
be with you now 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:
Fig Tree Worship Resources, WorkingPreacher.com, Interrupting the Silence
and Spill the Beans (Issue 41).
Song ‘Blessed Disturbance’ © Words: J Mary Henderson, 2009.