Koonung Heights – Surrey Hills Uniting Church
Service of Worship at Home
Lent 5 – 6 April 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.
During the service we will share communion so you may wish to have the elements ready.
Introit: “Santo, santo, santo / Holy, holy, holy” – (TiS 723)
Santo, santo, santo. Mi corazón te adora!
Mi corazón te sabe decir: Santo, eres Señor!
Holy, holy, holy. My heart, my heart adores you!
My heart knows how to say to you: Holy are you, Lord.
Candle Lighting:
You assure us, Jesus,
that wherever two or three are gathered in your name, you are there.
We light this candle to remind ourselves and to celebrate your constant presence.
May we always seek your guiding light in our lives.
Acknowledgement of Country:
Recognising the sovereignty of the One Creator,
who made all peoples in God’s own image,
I acknowledge the Wurundjeri WoiWurrung
people of the Kulin Nations,
traditional custodians of this land
upon which we meet.
May the One Creator continue to bless us all.
Call to Worship:
We come to worship because we long for mercy.
We long for community. We long for God.
We come to worship because we need a good word.
We need connection. We need reminders.
We come to worship because we are in between:
hope and grief, faith and doubt,
joy and longing, curiosity and conviction.
So we come to worship and God meets us ere.
Surely, we are not alone.
Thanks be to God for meeting us in the middle!
Amen.
Opening Prayer:
Gracious God,
creator of newness, since the first beginning.
You breathe life into our world and energy into all that lives,
and we thank you and stand in awe.
Generous God,
without your Word we have nothing to say,
without your Spirit we are lifeless.
Open us by your gracious Spirit,
so we can be your people in prayer and in action,
formed in your grace and joyfully praising your name.
Through Jesus Christ we pray,
Amen.
We Sing: “Come as you are” – (TiS 693)
‘Come as you are: that’s how I want you.
Come as you are; feel quite at home,
close to my heart, loved and forgiven.
Come as you are: why stand alone?
‘No need to fear, love sets no limits;
no need to fear, love never ends;
don’t run away shamed and disheartened,
rest in my love, trust me again.
‘I came to call sinners, not just the righteous;
I came to bring peace, not to condemn.
Each time you fail to live by my promise,
why do you think I’d love you the less?
‘Come as you are; that’s how I love you;
come as you are, trust me again.
Nothing can change the love that I bear you;
all will be well, just come as you are.
Call to Confession:
Friends, our faith calls us to live with both mercy and righteousness.
Somewhere along the way, however, we have forgotten that truth.
Somewhere along the way, we began arguing about who deserves mercy
and whether or not they had acted with enough righteousness to receive it.
Fortunately, God does not act that way.
No matter what mistakes we have made or wrong turns we’ve taken,
God consistently meets us with mercy and invites us to try again.
So let us lean into that good news, and go to God in prayer.
Prayer of Confession:
Let us pray together …
Merciful God,
When we fail to be righteous, show us mercy.
When we fail to be merciful, show us what is right.
Again and again, bring us closer to you.
Again and again, show us the way.
Amen.
Words of Assurance:
Family of faith, hear and believe this good news:
When we fail to be righteous,
God is merciful.
When we fail to be merciful,
God invites us to try again.
Again and again,
God moves closer to us.
Again and again,
God shows us the way.
Thanks be to God for this unending love.
Amen.
Commissioning:
Today we are going to spend a few moments commissioning those from this community who will work with children and young people both here at church and through the local Kids Hope Program. In both these safe places relationships are formed, and there is care and nurture. What happens here can be foundational for life.
Let us share in an affirmation together …
There are different gifts
but it is the same spirit who gives them.
God works through different people in different ways,
but it is the same God whose purposes are achieved.
Through baptism, God’s people promise
to love, encourage and support each other,
so that we may all grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
and in the knowledge and love of God.
With God’s help we seek to live out our baptism as a loving community in Christ:
nurturing one another in faith,
upholding one another in prayer, and
encouraging one another in service.
At Koonung Heights – Surrey Hills we are blessed to have those
who commit to working with children and young people,
both within our programs on a Sunday,
and in the wider community through Kid’s Hope.
I would like to invite all these people to stand.
As we commission these individuals,
let us acknowledge that they offer themselves as leaders and friends,
working with children and young people in this congregation and the community.
To those standing I ask …
Do you believe you are called by God to work with children and young people,
offering them guidance and friendship while sharing God’s love?
I do, God being my helper.
Will you be diligent and prayerful as you prepare and minister to those in your care?
With God’s help, I will.
And now some questions for the congregation …
Members of the body of Christ, will you encourage these people in their ministry,
and support them with your prayers?
With God’s help, we will.
As life-long learners, will you be open to the learnings you have this year,
be willing to listen and gracious as you share with one another?
With God’s help, we will.
Let us pray …
God of grace, you have called us to be salt and light in the world,
and to share in the ministry of love to all people.
We thank you for those who have responded to your call.
We pray that your Holy Spirit may inspire them,
so that by their example others will see the light of Christ.
We ask that we would be faithful in our commitment to life-long learning,
and to support and uphold one another in prayer.
Amen.
We Sing: “Aaronic Blessing” – (TiS 776 (ii))
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious unto you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
and give you peace, and give you peace.
Time for All:
Do you like climbing trees? Is there a special tree that you like to climb? When I was a little girl we had a big liquid amber tree in the corner of our back garden. In winter the branches were bare, but in summer you could hide amongst the leaves, even if you only got a few branches off the ground. Our slippery dip used to sit near the tree, so if you climbed up to the top, and sat cross-legged, you could hide for ages in a cave of leaves.
As I child I thought this tree was really tall, but years later when I was on holiday I came across a tree that was even taller, so tall in fact that it had a ladder winding around it so that you could climb to a viewing platform at the top. This tree is called the Gloucester Tree, and it used to be used as a lookout for bushfires. If you managed to make it all the way to the top, it would be easy to see why it was used as a lookout tree – being so tall it gives great views of all that is around.
Today’s bible story tells us about a man who climbs a tree. His name is Zacchaeus. He climbed the tree because he wanted to keep a lookout for Jesus who was visiting his town. Zacchaeus was short so it was hard for him to see over the crowd.
Zacchaeus was in for a surprise. Not only did he see Jesus, but Jesus saw him and called him down from the tree. Zacchaeus was someone who wanted to do the right thing, but sometimes made mistakes. Jesus talked to him and Zacchaeus said he was sorry for what he had done, and promised not to do the wrong thing again. Then Jesus went off to have dinner with Zacchaeus at his house. What a special day for Zacchaeus.
This story helps us remember that even when we make mistakes and do the wrong thing, Jesus still loves and forgive us.
Let us pray …
Dear God,
Thank you for forgiving us when we make mistakes and do things that hurt other people.
Help us to always do the right thing, and to say sorry when we do something wrong.
Help us to forgive other people when they make mistakes too.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.
We Sing: “There once was a man” – (TiS 748)
There once was a man as mean as could be;
if he could take two then he’d try to take three.
Then one day he took Jesus for tea: and Jesus helped him to change.
Well, Jesus helps meanies and goodies and baddies,
Jesus helps lazies and happies and saddies,
Jesus helps lonelies and mums, kids and daddies, and Jesus wants us to help too.
Bible Reading: Psalm 126
– A Harvest of Joy
1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us,
and we rejoiced.
4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like the watercourses in the Negeb.
5 May those who sow in tears
reap with shouts of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
carrying their sheaves.
Bible Reading: Luke 19:1-10
– Jesus and Zacchaeus
1 He entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2 A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7 All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” 8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” 9 Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”
Reflection:
I wonder when you last hosted a dinner party with little notice? Have you been surprised when someone invited themselves over for dinner at the last minute? Or maybe it was you who invited yourself to dinner? I do wonder it is socially acceptable to do this, but maybe it depends on the context and is a sign of real friendship when you can. It’s rare to do this sort of spontaneity in the age of mobile phones and online calendars, and I’m not sure if it was more acceptable in Jesus’ day, but even if it was, when Jesus invites himself over to Zacchaeus’ house for dinner, Zacchaeus isn’t expecting it.
There are two ways we can read this story and both consider righteousness and mercy. The text tells us that Zacchaeus is a man who is ‘short in stature’ and a tax collector. He shows up to see Jesus and when the crowd shuts him out, he climbs a sycamore tree so that he can see. As a chief tax collector, Zacchaeus has exhorted money and acted in collusion with the empire, using his position for his own gain. He is certainly not a popular man, and was possibly ritually impure through his constant contact with Roman coinage, so being up in the tree might have been the safest place for Zaccheaus to be. But if Zacchaeus is keeping is distance from the crowd, Jesus does not keep his distance. Jesus makes eye contact with Zacchaeus and this simple gesture is quite meaningful for a man who has been ostracised, and then Jesus invites Zacchaeus to dine with him, at Zacchaeus’s home.
The crowds grumble at Jesus’ self-invitation – “What business does Jesus have dining in the house of a crook?” – and their righteous indignation isn’t without cause. Zacchaeus has, to all intents and purposes, been oppressing his own people, and it is important to call out oppression, yet Jesus offers mercy. The mercy that Jesus offers, leads to Zacchaeus’ offering to return all that he has taken, and more. I think this act of mercy begins in the striking way that Jesus never calls Zacchaeus out – he is not shamed or humiliated. Rather, Jesus’ tender warmth and gentle calling in is what brings Zacchaeus down from the tree. Jesus’ gentle invitation is the means by which Zacchaeus is able to rejoin the people and pledge restitution. In this way reconciliation with God and neighbour begins.
Jesus calls Zacchaeus out of his ‘safe place’ and invites him into a new way of being. Jesus also declares that ‘today salvation has come to this house’. We can be tempted to hear that this is Jesus’ forgiving individual sin, but I wonder if something broader is going on. Maybe Jesus is inviting the crowd to also move out of their ‘safe place’ where self-righteous and prejudice are the order of the day. The Greek word soteria, translated here as ‘salvation’, also means ‘deliverance’ and suggests more than just cleansing. It speaks of wholeness, that which is derived from belonging in community. Jesus’ declaration has delivered Zacchaeus from broken relationships with his people back into the wholeness of community. When Jesus says ‘I’m coming to dinner’, it is almost as if he is saying ‘you belong with me’. The words mean that Zacchaeus is a person who is not merely defined by the judgments of the crowd.
We, no doubt, might think that Zacchaeus’ offer of restitution also has something to do with this … ‘half of my possessions I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much’. While healing involves truth telling and making amends for past wrongs, we would do well to look at these words of Zacchaeus more closely. In the original Greek, the verbs that describe Zacchaeus’ declaration are not in the future tense, but in the present tense and almost defensive. He says, ‘I already give half of my income to the poor! If I am caught cheating, I pay four times the damages!’ He had been doing the right thing before he meets with Jesus.
I wonder if this changes how we understand what is happening in this encounter. We often read this narrative as though Zacchaeus is the one who is converted, but if he already has been, then maybe the conversion is of the crowd. If Zacchaeus has already been ‘converted’ to a new way of living, maybe it is the crowd that needs to change. As Jesus calls Zacchaeus out of his safe place, I wonder whether Jesus calls the crowd out too, and invites them to reverse their judgement of Zacchaeus.
Imagine, for one moment, the pain and bitterness you might feel if one of your old friends was co-opted by an oppressive regime and seemed to be working for them against your community. This person could easily become the scapegoat for all the pain you feel living under this oppression. Imagine, too, that hearing Jesus’ words has helped you see your friends new way of being in the world. Would that possibly help you examine and transform your own life. Is Jesus inviting us to rethink, to reimagine and to look for salvation in even the surprising places?
So, how do you define righteousness? What does mercy look like to you, and who deserves it? These are questions that we need to ask ourselves. Some faith communities seem to over emphasise righteousness, being steadfast in what they perceive to be pure, holy and ‘right’ in the eyes of God. Other faith communities may overemphasize mercy, advocating for compassion regardless of one’s actions or inactions. We can too easily get stuck in the messy place of questioning who is truly righteous, who should be ‘called out’ or ‘cancelled’, and who might deserve mercy.
As we get bogged down in our own righteous anger, we can easily forget that Jesus is seeking out those we are judging. Just maybe they are seeking Jesus too. Something changes for Zacchaeus with Jesus’ invitation, and Jesus pronounces mercy and salvation. Perhaps we can’t practice righteousness in isolation because it hinges on right relationship. Perhaps, too, God’s overflowing mercy should always surprise and disorient us, inviting us not only to witness the transformation of others, but to be transformed ourselves.
Amen.
We Sing: “Righteous Mercy” – (Tune TiS 217(i))
Since our childhood you have taught us what is wrong and what is right.
Nurturing our sense of justice, fuelling us to work and flight.
Keep that fire for justice burning in the shadow of our fear.
Even there your Spirit’s stirring, lighting us a path that’s clear.
Though there’s wideness in your mercy, let us not abuse that grace.
Called into this Christian journey, let our lives reflect our faith.
When we falter and fall short of our commitment to your will,
Hold us, wrapping us in your love as we work toward wholeness still.
Far too often we hold on to anger dressed as righteousness.
We forget we serve a God who calls us to relationship.
So when those who caused us harm repent and choose a better way,
Spirit move our vengeful hearts to choose love instead of wrath.
Prayer for Others (prepared by Beth Coote)
Let us pray,
Dear Lord,
We pray for our minister, the Rev Heather Hon, and for the congregation she leads both here at Koonung Heights – Surrey Hills Uniting Church and the wider community. We appreciate her wisdom, her strength and for preaching your word so that we may learn about your life Lord, death and resurrection.
Gracious God we are overwhelmed by the beauty of words – words put into poems, stories, songs and hymns; also, the beauty of nature.
We thank you Lord for the talents you have given your people to share with others in using their knowledge and skills, design and structure.
We think of the refugees and asylum seekers who have left their homeland to find a better way of life in Australia. Lord, we ask that you guide and sustain them in their new journey.
We pray for people who are experiencing loss be it from the terrible earthquake and tremors in Myanmar and Thailand; through wartime countries or the loss of a loved one here in this congregation. Be with them Lord and give them the courage to know you are by their side in thought, word and prayer.
Gracious God, whilst we are in the period of Lent prepare us for your Crucifixion and Resurrection.
We pray for World Leaders to make the right decisions for their constituents and pray for peace.
Guide us as we partake communion this morning anointing our bodies with bread and wine uplifting us as we leave this holy place.
Amen.
We Sing: “You are holy” – (TiS 753)
Communion:
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
God you have been with us since the beginning.
You have never left us or forsaken us.
You continually encourage and confirm us, holding us up to what we can be.
Even when we get it wrong,
you invite us to new mountaintop moments which affirm that we are your beloved.
Your patient grace is always with us, and your love and mercy know no bounds.
You became the Christ,
and set an example in Word and deed
of a vision of who we can and could be
and how things can and could be.
You proclaimed the Kingdom of God
and shared it with us.
In the greatest act of compassion and grace,
you accepted our brokenness and let it break your body to death,
but not your love.
You died and took with you the way of death, but death did not win.
You rose in hope and healing to carry us into the future,
and when the time came you gifted us with your Spirit to go with us.
For all this we thank you,
joining 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.
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 after Communion
God of love, we give you thanks for satisfying us with this meal.
Send us from here to reveal your love in the world.
Inspire us to use our words to point others to the Word, your Son Jesus.
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: “A Touching Place” – (TiS 677)
Christ’s is the world in which we move;
Christ’s are the folk we’re summoned to love;
Christ’s is the voice which calls us to care,
and Chrit is the one who meets us here.
To the lost Christ shows his face,
to the unloved he gives his embrace,
to those who cry in pain or disgrace,
Christ makes, with his friends,
a touching place.
Feel for the people we most avoid,
strange or bereaved or never employed.
Feel for the women and feel for the men
who feel that their living is all in vein.
To the lost …
Feel for the lives by life confused, riddled with doubt, in loving abused;
feel for the lonely heart, conscious of sin, which longs to be pure but fears to begin.
To the lost …
Blessing:
As you leave this place,
may you know that God is always seeking you,
and may you find God in every messy middle.
May you know that the world is bigger than two sides.
May you trust that you are made in the image of God.
May you move through this world with an open heart,
with a curious mind,
and with the confidence that you do not go alone.
The blessing of God the Father,
God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
the One God who Mother’s us all,
be with you.
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 (Everything in Between).
Righteous Mercy song words written by Anna Strickland.