Koonung Heights Uniting Church
Service of Worship at Home
Forest Sunday – 3 September 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.
During the service we will share Communion so you may wish to have the elements ready.
Introit: “Like a Rock” (Seasons of the Spirit – words below)
Like a rock, like a rock God is under our feet,
Like the starry night sky God is over our head,
Like the sun on the horizon God is ever before,
Like the river runs to ocean, our home is in God evermore.
Candle Lighting:
As we light the Christ candle today,
we recall the creation story from Genesis,
remembering that God spoke and there was light.
We remember Jesus, the light of the world,
living a life of service and transformation
so that people might see God.
May the light of Christ continue to shine on us,
illuminating the path we are called to walk.
Acknowledgement of Country:
Today, as we come to worship,
I would like to acknowledge the Wurundjeri WoiWurrung
People of the Kulin Nations.
I pay my respects to their elders, past and present,
and to all future generations.
From the depths of the earth,
flowing in the waters,
moving in the breeze,
stirring in the trees,
the Creator is revealed.
May we move in harmony
with the Creator, creation and one another.
Call to Worship (Psalm 139:13-16):
Amazing God,
Your works are wonderful –
I know them very well.
You made every part of me –
you knit me together in my mother’s womb,
I was not hidden from you while I was being made.
You saw me before I was fully made –
I was especially woven in the deep earth.
Your works are wonderful –
I know them very well.
Let us rejoice as we worship together.
We Sing: “Let all creation dance” – (TiS 187 – words below)
Let all creation dance in energies sublime,
as order turns with chance, unfolding space and time,
for nature’s art in glory grows, and newly shows God’s mind and heart.
God’s breath each force unfurls, igniting from a spark
expanding starry swirls, with whirlpools dense and dark.
Though moon and sun seem mindless things, each orbit sings: ‘Your will be done.’
Our own amazing earth, with sunlight, cloud and storms
and life’s abundant growth in lovely shapes and forms,
is made for praise, a fragile whole, and from its soul heaven’s music plays.
Lift heart and soul and voice: in Christ all praises meet
and nature shall rejoice as all is made complete.
In hope be strong, all life befriend and kindly tend creation’s song.
Call to prayer:
When we gather together,
we are invited to remember that God made us
and that God wants us
to be the best version of ourselves,
to grow into all that we can be.
So, as part of our prayer this week we will fill a pot with soil,
plant some seeds, and water them,
symbolising the nurture that we get
from the Creator and Creation.
Prayer of Adoration and Confession:
Creator God,
you spoke and this world was,
you breathed and this world lived.
You count the hairs upon our heads,
you see our thoughts and read our hearts,
you love us more than we deserve.
For all of this we praise you,
along with all the voices of creation –
singing birds, snapping crocodiles and buzzing bees.
Despite all that you have done for us,
we know that we have failed to love you with all our heart,
and to be good stewards of your creation:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Despite Jesus’ example of how to live,
we have failed to take up the cross of discipleship
and to be good stewards of your gospel:
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Despite all your community has done for us,
we have failed to be faithful members of your church
and to be good stewards of your spiritual gifts:
Lord have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
Amen.
Words of Assurance:
Hear that in God we are a new creation,
fed by the Living Water,
the One who calls us to new birth.
In this is good news
thanks be to God.
We Sing: “The great love of God” – (TiS 164 – words below)
The great love of God is revealed in the Son,
who came to this earth to redeem everyone.
That love, like a stream flowing clear to the sea,
makes clean every heart that from sin would be free.
It binds the whole world, every barrier it breaks,
the hills it lays low, and the mountains it shakes.
It’s yours, it is ours, O how lavishly giv’n!
the pearl of great price, and the treasure of heav’n.
A Time for All:
Happy Father’s Day! That’s right … it’s today. I know that not everyone grew up having a good relationship with their dad, but I did. I was lucky that my dad was very present … being a school teacher meant that he was home with us most afternoons and that he had long holidays just like we did. I remember summer afternoons when he would come home from work and give us 10 minutes to be ready to go to the beach for a swim and dinner. It was always a surprise and it was always fun! I remember, too, when I was little and I’d wake up after a bad dream. Dad would appear, sit with me and stroke the bridge of my nose until I drifted off to sleep again. If mum came, I would tell her that I didn’t want her, I wanted my daddy, and she would have to go and wake him to come and sit with me. It my childish mind it was Dad who kept the bad dreams away.
If you have looked at the Community News this week, you will have discovered that today is also Child Safe Sunday. Just like all families, our church family is a community where all should be able to come and feel safe. Yes, today is Child Safe Sunday, but this building should feel like a safe space to everyone who walks through the door, whether they are members, visitors or building users. Being a safe place is about more than preventing risk, and also includes things like how you feel you are able to participate.
Church Council is eager to ensure that everyone feels safe, comfortable and included at the church, and we are open to hear from anyone who has suggestions about how we might make this space feel more safe. If you have a suggestion, please feel free to speak with Rev Heather or Rosemary Perry.
I hope that we might all feel as safe as I did as a little girl when my dad sat with me while I went to sleep. Being thankful for my dad, and the other wonderful men in our lives, I’d like to share the following prayer, shared with permission from its author, Rev Karen Lambert.
Let us pray:
Loving Father,
We give thanks for the dads who have cared for children on this land for thousands of years,
for the dads we hold dear in our memory, for the dads central to our lives.
We give thanks for the dads who get us,
who happily bear our burdens willing to offer a helping hand,
and make time for the important things.
We give thanks for those who teach us the essentials of life,
who share their faith with us, and show us that anything is possible,
who challenge us to face our fears, and take us to unexpected places.
We give thanks for special memories, even in the littlest moments.
We give thanks for dads who coach us and coaches who are like dads.
We give thanks for granddads.
We remember today complicated families and dads who are far away,
dads who are not as able as they used to be, and dads who want to be.
We remember families without dads and dads who have gone way too soon.
We remember those who have lost their dads.
Jesus called you Father. We see you in the best of dads.
Amen.
We Sing: “Father in heaven” – (TiS 465 – words below)
Father in heaven, grant to your children mercy and blessing, songs never ceasing,
love to unite us, grace to redeem us – Father in heaven, Father our 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.
Bible Reading: Psalm 139:13-16
13 For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
all the days that were formed for me,
when none of them as yet existed.
Bible Reading: Acts 17:22-28 –
22 Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, “Athenians, I see how extremely spiritual you are in every way. 23 For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. 26 From one ancestor he made all peoples to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, 27 so that they would search for God and perhaps fumble about for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us. 28 For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we, too, are his offspring.’
Bible Reading: John 3:1-17
– Nicodemus Visits Jesus
1 Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with that person.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
11 “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen, yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Reflection:
This week, our first in the Season of Creation, we are invited to lean into creation by thinking about Forests. So, I’d like to invite you to get comfortable and do some imagining. If it helps, you can close your eyes. I have some questions to help you get started. How do you think of forests? In your imagination are they places of peace and quiet? Are they places that scare you? Are you more at home in a eucalypt forest or a mangrove forest? Spend a few moments imagining … I wonder what you see? I wonder what you feel?
Sometimes forests can be places of fear. We might think of the old stories from Europe, the folk tales some of us may have grown up hearing. Stories like Hansel and Gretal, where children get lost in the forest. Stories like Snow White, where the beautiful young girl gets taken to the forest by the hunter so that he may kill her away from witnesses. Forests in these stories are seen as places of secrecy, of unknown dangers and mysterious powers.
But forests can also be places of discovery which are filled with abundant life. They can be places of sanctuary, of rest and renewal away from the busy-ness of life. They can be places that allow us to breathe with creation itself. If you think back to the creation story in Genesis 2, which we read last month, we hear that mankind is created from earth and set in a garden – a forest of fruit trees – a garden of food. Here is a forest where all is known and there is abundant provision. The chaos and desperation of the land, where nothing is yet growing, is contrasted with the richness and safety of the garden.
This garden is given by the Creator, but the garden is just one part of creation, one part that in turn nurtures other parts. Providing food and shelter, the garden is essential to the thriving of all creation, and the humans are, in turn, called to care for the garden.
In Psalm 139, we are reminded not of the whole creation story, but of the specific creation of ourselves. It is our bodies being knit together in our mother’s wombs that becomes known. God, the one who is Creator of everything, knows our bodies and who we are even before our parents known us, or we begin to know ourselves. The Psalmist reminds us that we are wonderful works of God’s creation – fearfully and wonderfully made. Even the internal workings of the womb, hidden from us, but felt by mothers, are known by God. In this quiet, safe, dark space, we are known and nurtured by God until we are born.
God knows each one of us intimately, but it can sometimes seem difficult for us to grasp God. That’s what we see happening in the passage from John 3. This text contains probably the most famous verse of the bible – ‘For God so loved the world’. It is important for us to look at the whole story of Nicodemus though. He was a man searching for something. He was looking for God.
Nicodemus is a man in confusion. He is not sure who Jesus is. He is unsure in his own mind, for he comes to Jesus at night, seemingly afraid to come to him in the daylight. He says that Jesus is from God, but is wary of demonstrating this belief to others. It seems that Jesus confuses him even more, telling him that he must be born again. Nicodemus questions how he can be born again from his mother. This seems impossible and it isn’t what Jesus means. In his words to Nicodemus, Jesus reminds him of the creating power of God’s Spirit which blows where it will, creating and recreating so that everyone can be brought to new life. This is an important thing for us to remember … creation doesn’t stop with our birth. We have the potential to be re-created each day with God.
In the passage from Acts, Paul shows us that even in an alien place, a place that is unknown to us, we can still see God. In the statue erected by the Athenians to the unknown God, Paul is able to see God at work. The Athenians were a religious bunch and it is likely this statue was erected in case they offend any God they had forgotten. Yet this gives Paul an opening to proclaim the Christian message … the message that God is the creator of the world and all that is in it, of all nations, and that God is never far from us. In the Creator, the creation lives and moves and has its being.
So where do you see God, and what might that call you to do? If you think back to the forest picture you made earlier, I wonder if you see or hear God there? Does it suggest any form of action for you?
For me there is something special about walking quietly in the bush. If I listen hard enough, not only do I hear the birds, running water and my own footsteps, but sometimes I get a sense that I am breathing together with other parts of creation.
For a moment I am caught up in the reality that I am just a part of God’s good creation. The fact I am just one part does not diminish who I am, for I am ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’, but neither does it mean that I can only think about myself. I need to think of my brothers and sisters (as St Francis of Assisi named them).
Next Thursday, September 7, is National Threatened Species Day. On this day in 1936, Australia’s Tasmanian tiger, also known as the thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus), slipped over the extinction line. Over 565 native species are currently listed as threatened under Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999, and after the catastrophic bushfires in 2019-20 with nearly 3 billion animals impacted, many of these species are being pushed further towards extinction. May God open our eyes so that we might really see and remember our calling to care for all creation.
Amen.
We Sing: “What does the Lord require” – (TiS 618 – words below)
What does the Lord require for praise and offering?
What sacrifice desire or tribute did you bring?
Do justly; love mercy; walk humbly with your God.
Prayer for Others (prepared by Peta Lowe):
When you hear the words: “Lord, hear us”, you are invited to respond: “Hear our prayer”.
On this first Sunday of Spring, I would like to begin with a short prayer attributed to St. Augustine of Hippo:-
“O God, grant that delighting in the beautiful things of thy creation, we may delight in thee, the first author of beauty, and the Sovereign Lord of all thy works, blessed for evermore.”
Thank you, God, for the beauty of Springtime, and the signs of new life and hope all around us. Help us to remember that we are part of your creation, part of its life and its future. May this awareness influence our attitudes and actions towards caring for our environment.
Lord, hear us. Hear our prayer.
This Father’s Day, we hold before you all fathers. Please give them the strength, integrity, patience, gentleness and love they need, to be the best fathers they can be.
Please help all fathers who are facing challenges in their lives.
We pray for people who find Father’s Day a difficult day.
And, we pray for those for whom this is a day of joyful celebration, or one of cherished memories.
Lord, hear us. Hear our prayer.
Father in Heaven, we pray for the almost one million Rohingya refugees living in overcrowded conditions in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh, whose suffering has been made worse by monsoon flooding.
We pray for families and communities trying to survive and rebuild their lives in other extremely difficult conditions, such as:-
People in war-torn Ukraine, working to rebuild their homes and lives.
People in Syria, recovering from years of war, economic collapse and then earthquake.
People in Vanuatu, rebuilding after cyclones.
People in parts of Africa, fleeing their homes because Climate Change has rendered their land unliveable, and those who are adapting farming methods to changing weather patterns.
Lord, hear us. Hear our prayer.
God of Justice, we pray that the campaigning, leading up to the Referendum, will be characterised by accurate information about the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament, respectful conversations and sensible, constructive discussions, focussing on human rights rather than politics.
Lord, hear us. Hear our prayer.
Lord of the Church, we pray that your church worldwide will focus on faithfully following Jesus.
We pray that people of faith will work together on issues that affect us all, such as Climate Action, Peace and Justice.
Lord, hear us. Hear our prayer.
We pray for the Act2 project, planning for the future of the Uniting Church, and the Sow Group, planning for the future of Koonung Heights.
We pray for the VicTas Synod Meeting to be held this November in Box Hill; for those organising, those volunteering and those nominating themselves or others to participate in this important part of our church’s work.
We pray for Student Ministers and those undertaking a Period of Discernment.
Lord, hear us. Hear our prayer.
Heavenly Father, we pray for ourselves, our families and friends, our congregation, and the communities to which we belong.
Thank you for Rev. Heather, pour out your blessings on her and her family.
We pray for our Church Council and all who contribute to our life at Koonung Heights.
We pray for those who are unwell or facing challenges.
In a moment of silence, we bring before you the people and situations for whom we have particular concern.
(Time of silence)
Lord, hear us. Hear our prayer.
We bring these prayers in Jesus name, Amen.
Communion:
Invitation
Christ invites us to a sacred space,
a space set aside for a moment.
A space to be used for those who love him
and those who wish to love him more,
and for those who are not sure.
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 fearfully and wonderfully, and 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,
and 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 and care for all of creation.
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” – (TiS 531 – amended words below)
Sent forth by God’s blessing, our true faith confessing,
the people of God from this table take leave.
The supper is ended: may now be extended
the fruits of God’s service in all who believe.
The seed of God’s teaching, our hungry souls reaching,
shall blossom in action for all humankind.
God’s grace shall incite us, God’s love shall unite us
to work for the kingdom, God’s purpose to find.
With praise and thanksgiving to God ever-living
the tasks of our everyday life we will face,
our faith ever sharing, in love ever caring,
embracing as neighbours all those of each race.
One feast that has fed us, one light that has led us,
unite us as one in his life that we share.
Then may all the living, with praise and thanksgiving,
give honour to Christ and his name that we bear.
Blessing:
As we come to the end of this time of worship,
may you know that you are wonderfully made,
one of God’s amazing works!
The blessing of God the Father,
God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
the One who Mother’s us all,
be with you evermore.
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, Seasons of Creation (Intergen 2023), Seasons of the Spirit, ‘Faith and Worship’ by John Birch and ‘Prayer for Father’s Day’ by Rev Karen Lambert.