Koonung Heights Uniting Church
Service of Worship at Home
Lent 4 – 15 March, 2026 – 10am or whenever possible
Feel free to text the Peace to other members of the congregation.
You may like to light a candle during your time of worship.
Introit: As the Deer Pants – (TiS 703)
As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after you.
You alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship you.
You alone are my strength, my shield, to you alone may my spirit yield.
You alone are my heart’s desire and I long to worship you.
Lighting the Christ Candle:
We light this candle to remind ourselves
of the light of Christ that is within and among us.
Praise be to God, who spoke Light into the world,
who sends Light to live among us,
who brings the Light of new dawns.
Amen.
Acknowledgement of Country:
This land is God’s land and God’s Spirit dwells here.
I acknowledge the Wurundjeri WoiWurrung Peoples of the Kulin nation,
traditional custodians of this land under God.
I pay my respects to their elders, past and present,
and to all future leaders and generations.
I commit myself again to working for justice in this land.
Call to Worship:
God loves the field mouse.
God loves the crows that take flight
when church bells ring.
God loves the baby, cooing in the side pew.
God loves the child who rocks and claps.
God loves the one with wrinkled hands and soft eyes.
God loves the bumblebees and the tabby cats.
God loves those who walk, crawl, and roll.
God loves the wattles and the tall mountain ash,
standing strong over all of us.
God loves the young, the impressionable,
and the earnest.
There is no bit of creation that God does not love.
So let us worship this good-news God!
Opening Prayer:
Eternal Mystery, you are the light who transforms shadows into opportunities.
You are the wisdom who gives us pause to reflect,
the rock who shelters us from the storm,
and the living water who quenches our thirst.
Light of the world, we offer our thanks and praise.
Ancient of Days, you are the bread which feeds our every hunger.
You are the gate which keeps out the robbers,
the compass of life which points the way of justice,
and the guardian of truth who shines a light on corruption.
Light of the world, we offer our thanks and praise.
Comforting Counsellor, you are the wise guide who counsels with tenderness.
You are all-knowing and all-powerful, yet all loving,
quietening our spinning minds and hearts,
and a perfect, faithful companion.
Light of the world, we offer our thanks and praise.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
We Sing: Shine, Jesus, Shine – (TiS 675)
Lord, the light of your love in 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 the 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.
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 …
Call to Confession:
Family of Faith, every week we pray the Prayer of Confession,
because every week we need to be reminded of God’s abundant grace.
Every week we need to be reminded of God’s love.
Every week we need to be reminded that we too can grow and change.
So join me in this moment of honesty as we seek transformation.
Friends, let us pray.
Prayer of Confession:
Loving God,
we say that you are the Light of the world,
yet we often find it easier to turn away from the light.
You said, ‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them.’
Holy God, we confess, we have mistreated the immigrants in our land.
Jesus said ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.’
We confess, we have clung to guns and war more than we have pursued peace.
God said, ‘When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not glean what is left;
it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.’
We confess, we have hoarded our resources and failed to care for our neighbours.
Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to me, and do not stop them.’
We confess, we have gatekept the good news in unfair ways.
Loving God, forgive us for those things we have not done,
things which have hurt, caused damage, and distanced people from your love.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.
Words of Assurance:
Family of faith,
fortunately for all of us, God also said,
‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are mine.’
By God’s grace, despite our failings and shortcomings,
we are redeemed, claimed, forgiven, and loved.
May this good news change our lives!
Amen.
The Peace:
May the Peace of the Christ, the Prince of Peace,
dwell with you and also with you.
Time for All: Jesus Blesses Children
(Imagine you were there, part of the gathered crowd, and this is what you witnessed.)
Jesus: God loves you so much, like a shepherd who leaves the whole flock behind to go look for you. Each one of you is so precious in God’s eyes – especially you without power here on earth. God loves the lost, the weak, the hungry, the poor, and it is to you that the kingdom of heaven belongs.
If you want to enter the kingdom of heaven, you need to be like children. In God’s upside-down kingdom, children are the greatest.
(You move closer. You want to hear more but Jesus’ disciples try and shoo you away. They are acting like bodyguards, trying to protect Jesus, as the whole crowd moves closer.)
Joanna: Jesus, please bless my child! Put your hands on her and offer a blessing!
Judas: Ma’am, I need you to back away from the Teacher. You’re interrupting him!
Joanna: But –
John: He’s not offering blessings today, so we need everyone to back up.
Jesus: Of course I’ll bless the children. Did you hear what I just said? The kingdom of heaven belongs to the people this world passes over. And who is more powerless than a child? Come on over here. What is your name?
Shiloh: Shiloh.
Jesus: Shiloh, you are a blessing, a beloved child of God. May God bless you and keep you. May God’s face shine upon you. May God be gracious to you. May God look upon you with favour and give you peace.
All: Amen.
Joanna: I wish the world were move like Jesus. I wish they remembered that we all start as children. We’ve all been in need of care – none of us is born powerful. And some of us stay vulnerable our whole lives. To the world, we who are powerless are invisible, unloved, useless. But to Jesus? We are the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
We Sing: Jesus, you once blessed the children – (Tune TiS 392)
Jesus, you once blessed the children who were often pushed aside.
“God has given them the kingdom,” you proclaimed, arms open wide.
You call people to protect them and to make sure they’re all right.
May we bless the world of children who are precious in your sight.
May we share with them the gospel: In your love, you make us new!
May we help them to be faithful; may they turn in trust to you.
May we teach them love of neighbours in this world’s diversity.
May our love toward friends and strangers be examples that they see.
May we work to stop pollution, may we counter climate change.
For the love of growing children, God, what will we rearrange?
Will we change our laws to save them? Will we try a whole new way?
May our actions bless the children as we build a better day.
Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 24:17-22
17 “You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice; you shall not take a widow’s garment in pledge. 18 Remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this.
19 “When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be left for the alien, the orphan, and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all your undertakings. 20 When you beat your olive trees, do not strip what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.
21 “When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not glean what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow. 22 Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this.
Bible Reading: Matthew 19:13-15
– Jesus Blesses Little Children
13 Then children were being brought to him in order that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples spoke sternly to those who brought them, 14 but Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” 15 And he laid his hands on them and went on his way.
Reflection:
We have this unwritten agreement,
us members of humanity.
When the toddler at the coffee shop
runs around the corner,
when her mum, at the register, looks up in a panic,
we, the adults in the room, will pledge,
with quick smiles and head nods, to keep watch.
We will lean out of our seats.
We will put down our phones.
We will stand at the ready to scoop up,
to offer words of comfort,
to make silly faces, to keep an eye on the door.
And we will do this,
because we can’t ignore the instinct to care.
We will do this,
because we cannot ignore the child right in front of us.
We will do this,
because love will always include the least of these.
For children, we would do anything. Children are the closest thing to a miracle in most of our modern human lives. They are blessings we indulge with the best of our energy, support, protection, attention, and acceptance. We not only welcome them into our company – we make them the centre of our attention. We watch what they do. We marvel at how they grow. We attend to what they say, but it was not always so. In Jesus’ time, in the company of adults, particularly adults with a sacred agenda, children were an invasive distraction. Humble in both physical stature and emotional maturity, children occupied one of the lowest rungs of social status. Leaders like Jesus were not expected to climb down to their level, and parents ought not to presume lifting them up into his presence. That was the attitude of Jesus’ disciples. They mirrored the ethos of their time when Jesus so desperately wanted them to challenge it – by treating children the way they would treat him.
Earlier in Matthew’s gospel (18:1-5) an incident is recorded where Jesus warns that only those who humble themselves like children will receive entry into the reign of God. He follows up that startling revelation with the even more striking declaration that in welcoming the lowly child, one welcomes Jesus himself. Just a brief time later in the passage that we have heard today, the disciples attempt to bodyguard Jesus, pushing away every child in range of Jesus’ sacred space. You have to wonder if they’ve been paying attention, or it is that the structure they’ve grown up with pervades everything else? Are they, just like us, products of the norms of their society, and not really willing to challenge them? Or is it that they have heard Jesus’ words and nice thoughts rather than realities of God’s kin-dom? Either way, in rejecting the children, Jesus says that the disciples are rejecting him. So he rebukes them, his dull disciples who seemingly refuse to entertain the radical truth about God’s reign that Jesus is trying so desperately to teach them. Jesus invites the children to come, explaining again that the reign of God belongs to children and everyone who, like children, is not granted polite society’s respect and acceptance.
The children, then, are a metaphor for all who lack societal status, all those who it seems the powerful, the so-called decent folk, find unsettling, distasteful and undesirable. The migrant worker. The immigrant. The alien. The homeless. The indigenous. The powerless. The undocumented. The silenced. The gender diverse. Those who we label as unworthy because of their difference.
In the reading from Deuteronomy 24, the orphan, widow and resident alien are specifically mentioned, and God’s command is that the people care for the socially downtrodden because they themselves have been in this very position. They had been beaten down in Egypt, living in slavery. Their memory of oppression should impel them to provide for anyone under-resourced or cut off from the protection of a household. They have been rescued from that and so they are called to help bring that release to others. Who might we see as the orphan, widow and alien in our community?
Fuera is a Spanish word that means ‘out’ or ‘away’. In describing her artwork Fuera ICE, Rev Nicolette Faison doesn’t pull any punches as she speaks about what she witnesses in her community:
‘They keep taking my neighbours. Chicago and other cities associated with the Democratic party are going through a humanitarian crisis under a fascist regime. Cars are being left vacant on random blocks and parking lots. People are being disappeared while their children are being zip-tied at 3am. We clergy and religious leaders have been shot with pepper spray and rubber bullets while demanding the freedom of our neighbours. No one deserves to live like this. This piece does not truly capture the pain I hold every day, between keeping track of what is happening in Gaza, resisting fascism, and dealing with yet another economic collapse under capitalism.’
Yet despite this she can still see the good that is in the world. She continues … ‘But let me tell you something good … I still believe in humanity. When I watched people in Gaza prepare basic meals to break their fast during Ramadan during a genocide, I saw something good. When local neighbours saw our public vigil for disappeared people and chose to join us for a time of lament, I saw something good. The good is people choosing to be empathetic and compassionate in times of crisis. This is what Christ tells us to be.’
The stranger who enters foreign land is often forced to flee their own home. It is rare for people to risk their life and family for anything other than necessity. It is for this reason that each of those pictured in Nicolette’s art have a halo … as a reminder that these people, often seen as a threat, are also sacred, beloved children of God.
Throughout his ministry, Jesus emphasised the last, the least and the lost. He built on the mandates of the Hebrew Scriptures to care for the immigrant, widow and orphan among you. Jesus uplifting children is a reminder that we were all once children and we have all been vulnerable at some point in our lives, relying on the protection and care of others. If we are truly living out the good news, then those who are vulnerable will not only be protected from harm, but cared for and uplifted so that they have the chance to thrive.
May we, as the church, strive to be a refuge of radical welcome, not just with the banners we hang or slogans we display, but with our love and care for the least.
Amen.
We Sing: See the Precious Children – (Tune TiS 493)
See the precious children seated on the lap of Christ our Lord.
Called the greatest in the kingdom, held so gently and adored.
They are precious in the sight of God who made each tiny toe.
In their weakness they’re held be love as each day they learn and grow.
See the precious widowed women gleaning harvests from the field
then returning to the kitchen to prepare their daily meal.
They are precious in the sight of God who holds their broken hearts.
In their sorrow they’re held by love that redeems each fragile part.
See the precious foreign strangers as they carry all they own
to a land that’s full of dangers for the powerless and prone.
They are precious in the sight of God who made their homeland, too.
In their journey they’re held by love as they start each day anew.
See the precious dispossessed ones asking for some food to eat.
Sleeping under starry heavens, daily living on the streets.
They are precious in the sight of God who loves them as a child
in their hunger they’re held by love as they guard their human pride.
See the precious world impoverished by our malice and our greed.
Humans, animals and planet crying out for some relief.
We’re all precious in the sight of God who made each holy thing.
In our living we’re held by love as we care for every being.
Prayer for Others (prepared by Peta Lowe):
When you hear the words, “Lord, hear us”,
you are invited to respond, “Hear our prayer”.
Loving God,
who offers protection and care for the vulnerable,
We pray for all that is vulnerable in your creation,
all that is struggling to survive in spite of human
destructiveness and selfishness.
We pray for endangered species and fragile ecosystems.
We pray for people who are vulnerable to the disastrous effects of severe weather events associated with climate change.
We pray for leaders and governments to prioritise their most vulnerable citizens.
Lord, hear us. Hear our prayer.
Loving God, who offers protection and care for the vulnerable,
We pray for people whose circumstances make them vulnerable.
People surviving in war zones and refugee camps,
People subject to food insecurity, unsafe water and disease,
Women and girls suffering gender-based violence.
We pray for sick people in hospitals and Nursing Homes,
Homeless people who have no safe place to sleep,
And workers who are vulnerable to exploitation.
Lord, hear us. Hear our prayer.
Loving God, who offers protection and care for the vulnerable,
We pray for your church.
Help us to follow Jesus’ example of showing compassion and care to those most vulnerable.
Bless all those involved in organizations who devote their time, efforts and resources to helping people in need.
Remind us that whatever is done for the most vulnerable person, is done for you.
Lord, hear us. Hear our prayer.
Loving God, who offers protection and care for the vulnerable,
We pray for ourselves.
When we feel vulnerable, help us to trust you.
When we feel weak, help us to lean on your strength.
Draw our attention to the needs of vulnerable people around us, and guide our response.
In a time of silence, we now bring before you our prayers for those we love, and those whom we know to be in need. (Time of silence)
Lord, hear us. Hear our prayer.
We bring these prayers in the name of Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray:
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.
We Sing: Father in heaven – (TiS 465)
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.
Blessing and Sending:
As you leave this place,
when you meet anger, speak with love.
When you meet fear, speak with hope.
When you meet pain, speak with gentleness.
But no matter what, speak this good news.
For the good news of the gospel is love and justice for all.
It is joy that surprises, and nonviolence that transforms.
The good news of the gospel is alive in the world,
so go forth speaking.
For if you won’t, then who will?
And the blessing of God the Father,
God the Son and God the Spirit,
the One God who is Mother to us all,
go with you today 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 and Sanctified Art (Tell me something good).
Jesus, you once blessed the children – © Words: Carolyn Winfrey Gillette.
See the precious children – © Words: © Anna Strickland.