Koonung Heights – Surrey Hills Uniting Church
Service of Worship at Home
Pentecost 11 – 24 August 2025 – 10am or whenever possible
Crossroads of Culture and Faith – Civic Space
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: “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:
As we come together to worship this day,
we light the Christ candle.
In doing so, let this light be a reminder of
God’s peace and sustaining presence,
gifts from God that are always with us.
Acknowledgement of Country:
This is God’s land and God’s Spirit dwells here.
I acknowledge the Wurundjeri WoiWurrung People of the Kulin nations,
traditional custodians of this land under God.
I pay my respects to their elders past and present,
and to the leaders and generations to come.
Call to Worship:
From market square to political forum,
we bring the debate and the story,
the discussion and the question
to this forum of heaven.
And in worship
we meet the God whose word meets us here
to challenge, wrestle, support, and encourage us.
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 marketplace
and of the sacred sanctuaries,
of roadsides and waysides,
we gather as your people,
diverse in opinion and belief,
yet finding common ground here.
We celebrate that and give thanks for it,
rejoice in it and come alive because of it.
May we find you always here and beyond here,
behind stained glass, and on the other side.
Without rituals, and within ritual,
God of all of us, may we have minds to recognise you,
wherever you may be.
God of word and debate, of possibility and reality,
of dream and of plan, of vision and horizon,
in every place and time, may we find you, alive between us,
in all the ways we speak, explore and discuss.
Yet sometimes we fail to see you, we get distracted,
don’t look, or worse still, we see and turn the other way.
Forgive us when we miss seeing you, when we rush by
or other things consume our time and energy.
Forgive us when we try to compartmentalise and contain you,
limiting the places we want to engage with you.
Forgive us when our ears are blocked, our eyes are closed
and our hearts and minds do not respond.
Loving God, encourage us to move in creative spaces,
where we are not bound up or tied down,
but where you are set free in our hearts
so we may fully grow into who we are becoming in you.
Help us create these spaces for others to encounter you too.
In Jesus’ name we pray
Amen.
Words of Assurance:
Friends, receive God’s forgiveness.
May God’s love set you free this day and always.
Amen.
The Peace:
As God has poured out the grace of forgiveness
and love and peace through Christ,
let us also share that grace among ourselves.
The peace of the Lord be always with you …
and also with you.
Time for All: Simply Sharing
This tin has a bit of a history. If you haven’t noticed there is on that reads ASYLUM SEEKERS and one that reads REFUGEES and every Sunday one of them is placed by the door to receive any spare change.
My mother Dorothy was the Social Justice coordinator here at Koonung Heights for more years than I can remember. She was passionate about caring for people whose lives were disrupted by war and poverty. I can remember her finding the tins, I think they once held those long thin wafers with chocolate in the centre. I expect my father printed the labels, since mum’s computer skills were limited, and I remember him making the slots in the lids. What we put in them is sent, periodically, to the Asylum Seeker Welcome Centre run by the Uniting Church.
The tins have been collecting for perhaps 10 or even 15 years.
Koonung Heights (and as we learned from Randall, Surrey Hills too) has a long history of supporting the dispossessed.
I think it must have been in the very early 1960s when church members sponsored a family from Yugoslavia. I don’t believe they were called refugees, but the Sos family were helped with a home, furnishings and friendship. Zlatica Sos. I still remember the unusual name and the challenge of communicating with a girl of my own age whose language was not English.
Then there was an association with the Church of All Nations, where volunteers, including my mother, went to work in the office supporting the church’s work with immigrants in the housing towers in Carlton.
The concept of a “Simply Sharing Lunch” was adopted by the Social Justice Committee many years ago. People were invited to gather for a simple lunch of soup and bread and to make a contribution towards an organisation like Community Aid Abroad (now Oxfam). My mother was determined the tables be decorated and rounded up her daughters (or this daughter anyway) to gather camelias from her garden to adorn the dining.
This year’s Simply Sharing Lunch may not have camelias, but we will be able to listen to stories of Asylum Seekers and hear about the work of the Asylum Seeker Welcome Centre during the service. Then, afterwards, we can enjoy a simple meal together and share out of our abundance to support the Centre and those it helps.
We Sing: “There are many ways of sharing” – (Tune TiS 392)
There are many ways of sharing, but God’s Spirit gives each one.
There are different ways of caring; it’s one Lord whose work is done.
God, whose gifts are overflowing, may we hear you when you call;
keep us serving, keep us growing, for the common good of all.
All are blest by gifts you give us; some are set apart to lead.
Give us Jesus’ love within us as we care for those in need.
Give us faith to make decisions; give us joy to share your Word.
Give us unity and vision as we serve your church and world.
Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 8:1-21
– Israel Demands a King
8 When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second was Abijah; they were judges in Beer-sheba. 3 Yet his sons did not follow in his ways but turned aside after gain; they took bribes and perverted justice.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to govern us.” Samuel prayed to the Lord, 7 and the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 Just as they have done to me from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you. 9 Now then, listen to their voice; only, you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”
10 So Samuel reported all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots, 12 and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers. 15 He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers. 16 He will take your male and female slaves and the best of your cattle and donkeys and put them to his work. 17 He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And on that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you on that day.”
Israel’s Request for a King Granted
19 But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; they said, “No! We are determined to have a king over us, 20 so that we also may be like other nations and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 When Samuel heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord.
Bible Reading: Luke 20:20-26
– The Question about Paying Tribute
20 So they watched him and sent spies who pretended to be honest, in order to trap him by what he said and then to hand him over to the jurisdiction and authority of the governor. 21 So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you are right in what you say and teach, and you show deference to no one but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. 22 Is it lawful for us to pay tribute to Caesar or not?” 23 But he perceived their craftiness and said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius. Whose head and whose title does it bear?” They said, “Caesar’s.” 25 He said to them, “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” 26 And they were not able in the presence of the people to trap him by what he said, and being amazed by his answer they became silent.
Reflection:
Speaking in early 1968, Dr Martin Luther King Jr offered the famous words: “We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.” It was a paraphrase of an idea from Rev Theodore Parker, and became a rallying cry in the Civil Rights Movement. These words are aspirational because they help frame the struggle that people can feel within an overall context of the journey towards something better. I think it is probably fair to assume that these words were never intended to mean that there is an inevitability about the arc of the moral universe’s direction, though some have read the phrase in that way in subsequent years. The struggle towards greater justice is always difficult and full of potential pitfalls.
It seems to me that many people in our world today might feel that we are living in a time when civic space is retreating from morality, equity and justice. No longer is the voice of the Church looked for or listened to, in the public sphere, the way that it once was. Where we would once have been asked to comment on social issues things have changed, and we are rarely invited to be a conversation partner. Those who lie to the public most brazenly and shamelessly seem to be rewarded with power and riches beyond belief, constructing their own civic spaces in which to exist amongst those who proclaim their faith in a great leader, no matter what this means for the rest.
This week’s final foray into the crossroads between culture and faith is timely indeed. We focus on the notion of civic space. So firstly, what might we mean by Civic Space?
The United Nations defines Civic Space as:
‘the environment that enables civil society to play a role in the political, economic and social life of our societies. In particularly, civic space allows individuals and groups to contribute to policy making that affects their lives, including by:
– accessing information,
– engaging in dialogue,
– expressing dissent or disagreement, and
– joining together to express their views.
An open and pluralistic civic space that guarantees freedom of expression and opinion as well as freedom of assembly an association, is a prerequisite for making development and peace sustainable’.
In other words, civic space is about creating an environment where people can participate in the life of their society, whether politically, economically, socially or culturally. Inherent within this, is freedom – the flexibility and understanding to allow space for meaningful dialogue, and to express opinions where all the information is freely available. Democracies are dependent on healthy civic space, where decision makers can be challenged and held accountable.
Civic space is present in both the readings today. In 1 Samuel the people call out for a new type of leader and in the gospel reading Jesus talks about the obligations to society and God when answering the question of who is owed what. Even though the context is different today, there is startling relevance in the struggles of some modern societies with what these readings invite us to explore.
‘We want change!’ is the cry of the people in 1 Samuel 8, a cry that the elders bring to Samuel. This is not just about who is in leadership, but the actual form of leadership. The demand is for a monarch, someone with absolute authority, someone who will make all the decisions, someone for whom there is precious little accountability. So why the shift?
Samuel has ruled effectively as a judge, travelling around the region and administering justice appropriately, interceding between the people and God, and in so doing had also delivered the people from invaders. He had not been a bad leader. He had seen peace in his time and the accompanying posterity, but that was not enough for the people. They look at the next generation, Samuel’s sons who are now also judges, and they see their corruption. The sons have fallen into the trap of having power and misusing that for their own gain. The covenantal nature, their ‘constitution’, had been destroyed by this corruption and lack of trust between leaders and the people. The people are willing to throw away all they once held to be so important.
Civic space is made good use of in this passage. The people still trust Samuel, and so dialogue back and forth with him. As they demand a monarch, the critique of monarchy from God, via Samuel, is profound in its clear warning about the misuse of power that can be set in motion by giving any one person too much unrestrained authority. There is always the danger that the one with power will enrich themselves at the cost of the ordinary people by taking land, by sending people to war on a whim, and the list goes on. There is truth and honesty in both sides of this debate expressed in the civic space.
When Jesus’ is questioned by the chief priests and Pharisees about paying taxes to the Emperor, this is also happening in the civic space. While the passage implies that the Pharisees are out to get Jesus, it is not unreasonable that they would go to him with a question of law as strict adherence to written and oral law was important for them. In fact, strict, pious Jews did not use Roman coins with the emperors head, but specially minted Jewish coinage. Jesus’ instructions are to give what is right for the running of society, but to also give to God what is God’s. While we might complain about paying taxes, much of what we pay goes to things that benefit society – healthcare, safe roads, education, social housing. There could always be more, but part of our civic responsibility is to contribute for the good of all. Jesus’ calls this out in the civic space – but also reminds the people that it is not all about the society, and that God’s generosity to us means that we should give back to God too.
So what does this all mean for us? I wonder if firstly, we need to find the civic spaces for today. I wonder if we have lost something of the civic space as we have become a more digital world. Social media claims to be a civic space, but it is a highly manipulated space and while truth and honesty are easy to claim, they are not as tangible. The church used to serve some of the function of civic space – Cathedrals were places where market stalls thrived, deals were done, people met up, discussed together and engaged with issues. Is there a place for the church today to foster good, honest civic spaces? Is that part of what we are being called to as an emerging new community?
Once we have found these civic spaces I believe that we are called to live out our faith as we speak into them. We need to call out practices that are unjust, question those who seek to lead and govern, and be a voice for those who have been silenced. We need to listen to all voices, and speak in ways that do not threaten or move into the realm of scare-mongering. May we all work to build a world where justice for all increases.
Amen.
We Sing: “God of freedom, God of justice” – (TiS 657)
God of freedom, God of justice, God whose love is strong as death,
God who saw the dark of prison, God who knew the price of faith:
touch our world of sad oppression with your Spirit’s healing breath.
Rid the earth or torture’s terror, God whose hands were nailed to wood;
hear the cries of pain and protest, God who shed the tears and blood;
move in us the power of pity, restless for the common good.
Make in us a captive conscience quick to hear, to act, to plead;
make us truly sisters, brothers of whatever race or creed:
teach us to be fully human, open to each other’s need.
Prayer for Others (prepared by Bryan Long):
The response in our prayers this morning …
We believe that God is at work in our world …….
This is our faith. This is our hope.
(Let’s be silent for a moment and be aware of God within and all around).
God of love – We come with thanksgiving for your faithful love which never fails – even when we turn away – or ignore your invitation – or desert you for gods of our own making.
We pray for the world you created, and the people who share it with us,
For those torn by the devastation we see on our tv screens in Ukraine, Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Sudan, Iran and elsewhere in your world – where children and parents starve, and aid workers die trying to help them.
For those where power is abused, and diversity is dismissed, where people are commodified and vilified.
We believe that God is at work in our world ……. This is our faith. This is our hope.
God who cares – we pray for those in countries sinking under rising tides, paying the cost for the urban world’s greed, where homelands vanish, and ancestral ways are lost. We ask your blessing on all those who have lost their livelihoods, their security and their hopes. Bless the work of relief agencies, and those providing emergency assistance. May their work be guided by your grace and strength.
We believe that God is at work in our world ……. This is our faith. This is our hope.
Creator God – you make all things and weave them together in an intricate tapestry of life. Help us to hear the cries of your earth; teach us to respect the fragile balance of life, and to care for all the gifts of your creation. Guide those who have power and authority – governments, power brokers, multi-nationals and the movers and shakers of this world, that by their decisions, life may be cherished and the planet return to your glory.
We believe that God is at work in our world ……. This is our faith. This is our hope.
God of community – we pray for this congregation – our brothers and sisters in Christ, for those who are ill. or whose loved ones are ill, for those who are anxious about the future, those struggling with their faith, for Heather, our Church Council and leaders who minister among us, for all your people in this place, Bless us on our journey as a faith community in your name.
In a moment of silence we pray now for those nearest and dearest to us …
(time of silence)
We believe that God is at work in our world ……. This is our faith. This is our hope.
God our teacher, we search each day for markers of hope, for the small unexpected signs of light and love, for the quiet assurance that goodness can overcome all that is wrong – the knowledge that despite everything, we are companions of God in the work of creation.
And now we pray the prayer that Jesus taught us –
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: “God gives us a future” – (TiS 687)
God gives us a future, daring us to go
into dreams and dangers
on a path unknown.
We will face tomorrow
in the Spirit’s power,
we will let God change us
for new life starts now.
We must leave behind us
sins of yesterday,
for God’s new beginning
is a better way.
Fear and doubt and habit
must not hold us back:
God gives hope, and insight,
and the strength we lack.
Holy Spirit, teach us, how to read the signs,
how to meet the challenge of our troubled times.
Love us into action, stir us into prayer,
till we choose God’s life, and find our future there.
Blessing and Sending:
May we proclaim wise words of the true God,
may we speak up for peace,
and express love in our actions.
May we be people of compassion,
champions of justice, workers for unity
and people of grace.
May we go from here as followers of Christ,
and servants of the one true God,
filled with the Holy Spirit.
The blessing of the Triune God,
One in Three, Three in One,
go 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: Billabong Worship Resources and Spill the Beans (Issue 55).
‘There are many ways of sharing’ by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette.