Koonung Heights Uniting Church
Service of Worship at Home
Pentecost 11 – 4 August 2024 – 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 might like to have the elements ready.
Introit: “Holy, holy, holy” – (TiS 723)
Santo, santo, santo. Mi corazón te adora!
Mi corazón te sabe decir: Santo eres Señor!
Bless the Lord, my soul, and bless God’s holy name.
Bless the Lord, my soul, who leads me into life.
Candle Lighting:
We light the Christ Candle
as a reminder of Christ’s constant presence with us.
May we carry this light of hope, peace, and justice
into the world around us, each and every day.
Acknowledgement of Country:
As we gather together, may we remember
that we gather on stolen lands,
those of the Wurundjeri WoiWurrung People of the Kulin Nations.
I pay my respects to their Elders, past and present,
and all future leaders and generations.
As First and Second Peoples walking together,
may we strive to follow Christ’s example
as we work for justice for all peoples.
Call to Worship:
The Spirit weaves us together.
Even the broken threads of our lives
can be trimmed and melded.
Even the tattered seams
can be mended and joined.
Diverse colours, various patterns,
and unique fabrics …
all are welcome here!
Bring your gifts, amazing and broken.
Bring yourselves, awesome and torn.
Humility and gentleness,
patience and perseverance …
all are a part of this place.
Make every effort to find this new unity,
bound by God’s peace.
Come, Spirit of God,
inspire our faith and be present in our worship.
Weave us together with one hope and one faith,
bound together in unity and love.
We Sing: “A Voice is Heard” – (Together 430)
Come, let us praise our God, come let us sing for joy.
With a heart of thanks we give honour.
You are a mighty God, you are the source of life.
Creator God, we give praise.
From the deepest seas a voice is heard.
From the highest hills a voice is heard.
From the rich dark earth, a voice is heard.
All creation sings! God is heard!
Come, let us praise our God …Through the darkest night a voice is heard.
Through the breaking dawn a voice is heard.
Through the heart of life a voice is heard.
All creating sings! God is heard!
Come, let us praise our God …
Prayer of Adoration and Confession:
Gracious God,
we give thanks for the outpouring of your love
and your constant presence among us.
In the chaos of our lives, you visit us,
providing calm, healing, and sanctuary.
You inspire us to be transformed
as you immerse us in your everlasting love
and relentless presence.
We praise you for who you are,
and for the generosity of your Spirit
which fills every place that we find ourselves.
Ever-present God,
you know us inside and out.
You sense our fear, disruption, elation,
disturbances, frustrations and longings,
and you hold us in all our joys and struggles.
In the quiet, we find gratitude
for the way you dwell in us, and we dwell in you.
Through all the triumphs and tragedies,
growing up from the ground of our being,
along the tracks and through the cracks of life,
you bring blessings and we claim them for you.
(time of silence)
Your constant love never ends, God of grace,
so, in your mercy, dwell in us always.
Remove whatever keeps us from living in your light,
because it’s so easy to stay in the shadows.
Break into our closed minds and hardened hearts
with the brilliance of your forgiveness.
Make us new, drenched in your presence,
wash in kinship, forever in communion with you.
Keep us on our toes,
joyfully moving to the music of the soul.
Dance us into life, over and over again.
Amen.
Words of Assurance:
Have you not heard? Do you not know?
It is Jesus Christ who is the Bread of Life!
Come to him and feed on his love for you.
Find healing in his presence.
Know that this is given freely for you, out of his great love.
Amen.
A Time for All:
Would you rather
… go on a holiday to the mountains or to the beach?
… be completely invisible for one day, or be able to
fly for one day?
… give up watching tv for a year or give up going out
to eat for a year?
… always be 10 minutes late, or always be 20
minutes early?
… know all the mysteries of the world or know the
outcome of any decisions you will make?
Every day, we are faced with an almost endless number of choices to make. What to wear, what to do, how to respond to any given situation. Our choices might be easy and quick, or require more information or deliberation. Some of these choices give us more options than others. Sometimes we are choosing between two things and neither of them is particularly appealing, and, of course, different choices carry different levels of meaning or importance in our lives. That is sometimes, but not always, reflected in the time we take to make our choices. I might, for example, only take a few moments to select which shoes to wear, but take longer to decide that I want to spend the rest of my life living in one particular place. Ultimately, what we choose can say a lot about us, whether it is simply a preference for an activity or lifestyle, or a reflection of a deeply-seated belief.
One of the readings we will hear later today is from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. It prompts us to reflect on the choices we make when we think about how we are ‘living our lives’, and whether we live in a way that is in line with the ‘calling’ we have as God’s people. This is not just about making ‘good choices’, though of course it does include that. It is also not dependent upon the gifts and graces we have been given, but something we are all called to as people of faith. We are called to be united in Christ.
As Christians, our lives should reflect the good news that we believe, and we are called to ‘embody’ these beliefs so that they are reflected in our words and our actions. So, what do you believe and how do you embody that belief? It is a challenge for all of us to think about as we continue to try and live our best lives.
Let us pray:
Loving God,
Thank you that you are with us now, and that you journey with us through all of life.
Help us as we make choices, to try and live in a way that embodies what we believe,
so that our actions and words reflect you to everyone we come into contact with.
Help the way we live share your love story with the world.
Amen.
We Sing: “Take my life, and let it be” (TiS 599ii – amended)
Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for thee.
Take my voice, and let me sing, always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from thee.
Take my love: my Lord, I pour at thy feet its treasure-store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for thee.
Bible Reading: Ephesians 4:1-16
– Unity in the Body of Christ
1 I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace: 4 there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
7 But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it is said, “When he ascended on high, he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people.”
9 (When it says, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) 11 He himself granted that some are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. 14 We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love,
we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.
Bible Reading: John 6:24-35
24 So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate your fill of the loaves.
27 Do not work for the food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us, then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” 32 Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
Reflection:
Today I’m going to open this reflection by talking about food, because food is what brings the crowd to Jesus at the beginning of the gospel text we have just heard. Let’s face it, food is a great motivator, and is one of the essentials of life which we cannot survive without. Food also says a lot about where we are coming from, what our background is and how affluent we are. Food is culture. We are lucky in Australia to grow up with lots of different foods that have their origin in different cultures, but it is likely that each one of us has that comfort food that somehow reminds us of home. Not only that, but when food doesn’t look like what we are used to we can be quite suspicious of it, or decide prematurely that we won’t like it. I remember being told that when children are starting to eat you need to try them on each new food multiple times before deciding that they don’t like it as they might reject it initially. But this behaviour isn’t limited to children. No matter how old we get, we may remain suspicious of strange foods or decide we don’t like certain things. We may ask, how in the world can people eat this stuff, let alone like it? But we should always remember: for some, this is the daily bread. We may not be crazy about it, but this is what God so graciously provides as nourishment for the body.
Last Sunday’s gospel from John talked about Jesus miraculously feeding the 5,000 plus, through the generosity of one small boy. Today’s reading is closely connected to that, with the people in the Galilean countryside still following Jesus. They have been fed once, and, as Jesus realises, they’ve come looking for more. They are still hungry, but may not know themselves what they are hungry for, or what they truly need.
As someone who knows how this story ends, it is easy to be impatient with the crowd as they chase after Jesus. Jesus is going to serve up his very life for these people and yet they are bothering him for more food – ‘the food that perishes’ rather than ‘the food that endures for eternal life’. But, if I contemplate this story through the realities of our world, I am reminded of long lines for humanitarian aid, and how they demonstrate that eating your fill for one day does not mean that you will not be hungry the next. When there is no food, and you do not know how you will sustain your life today, then that is likely to be your priority. I wonder, then, if the people are coming asking for assurance from Jesus.
When Jesus responds to the crowd saying to them ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate your fill of the loaves’ (John 6:26), I don’t think he was angry with them for seeking bread when they were hungry. I wonder, rather, if he was disappointed that they didn’t expect something more than bread. The crowd remembered that God had delivered the people in the desert by feeding them, but despite the sign they had seen earlier, they do not recognise that Jesus is the God-one sent to deliver the people in a different way. In fact, the manna (bread) delivered in the desert was only an appetiser for the true bread that came from heaven, Jesus who gives live through his teaching, example and sacrifice.
Jesus proclaims to the gathered people ‘I am the bread of life.’ This proclamation comes with the promise that ‘Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’ (John 6:35) This is a continuation of the abundant blessings from God that are evident throughout the journey of God’s people.
One of the main images for God’s blessing in the Bible is food and feasting, where food is supplied in abundance, just like God’s love. Food is one of the central ways that God says ‘I love you’ to the people … feeding the Israelites as they wandered in the desert. The psalmist reminds us of God’s promise to prepare a banquet for feasting. Jesus even changed water into wine at a wedding and dined with all manner of people. God’s generosity provides food to grant the body and mind strength, and wine to gladden the human heart, and these things are part of the way that God says to us ‘I love you’. We imitate God’s generous provision to us when we prepare food or provide meals for others. At times when our words might not be enough, food is one of the ways that we say to those we are caring for ‘I love you’. Who hasn’t appreciated a meal when they are ill or dealing with some sort of crisis!
Before we leave worship today we will join together and share in the sacrament of Communion. This is a reminder of the meal that Jesus shared with his disciples, and of the love that saw Jesus give it all up for us. As we share this meal we will eat bread and claim that it represents Jesus, the Bread of Life, remembering that Jesus proclaimed ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’
However, we understand what happens in this meal, it seems to me that Jesus is God’s gift of God-self saying again to us ‘Look how much I love you’. In this meal we are reminded that this love is love that puts the other first, and that it is forever and it is eternal. Jesus is the bread that fulfils our hunger and thirst for the things that really matter. Jesus invites us to join with him not just to achieve self-satisfaction or even peace of mind. Jesus invites us to become part of the redeeming restoration of the cosmos to what God created and humanity to what God intends. This takes faith that requires thought and working out, not separating the spiritual from the rest of life, but putting God at the centre of both. If we can do this, then maybe we can live lives that really witness to the love of God that is offered not just to us, but to all the world.
Amen.
We Sing: “The great love of God” – (TiS 164)
The great love of God
is revealed in the Son,
who came to this earth
to redeem every one.
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.
Prayer for Others (prepared by Liz Pace)
Bruce Prewer wrote this prayer to remind us that we are all God’s people …a very thought provoking prayer.
God and father of all mankind, who is Lord of all, who works through all and is in all, hear our prayers.
Holy Friend, in theory we know you love each one of us. Teach our hearts how much you really do love every other sinner on this planet, not just the believers but also the unbelievers, not just the good folk but the very bad.
Receive our prayers for the many kindly people we meet each week, at work and in the street, at sport and at the theatre, in service organisations, committees and agencies that fight for the rights of the needy and exploited.
Bless them with the love they need.
Receive our prayers for the many awkward people we meet. The painfully shy, the prickly characters, those who are always complaining, the quick tempered and those who don’t seem to be aware when their words and actions hurt others.
Bless them with the love they need.
Receive our prayers for the people we thoroughly dislike: the manipulators who try to use us, the loud- mouthed whose language disgusts us, the greedy who are out to cheat us, the strong who try to bully us, the cruel whose deeds horrify us and those whose life- style revolts us.
Bless them with the love they need.
Receive our prayers for the people who are easy to like and love: the generous ones, the folk who keep their good humour when under pressure, those who volunteer for the difficult tasks, those who bear no grudges and all who maintain integrity when others are being devious.
Bless them with the love they need.
Receive our prayers for those who dislike us: one -time friends who turn against us, folk at work who make things unpleasant, relatives who try to put us down, neighbours who make a nuisance of themselves, and those who go out of their way to ridicule Christians.
Bless them with the love they need.
Receive our prayers for all who are miserable today: any who suffer from depression or acute anxiety, any who have received bad news about their health, people who have been spurned by a loved one, the many who are hungry and homeless, the drug addicts who can’t break free, those imprisoned for crimes they did not commit, the dying and grieving who have no one to comfort them.
Bless them with the love they need.
Holy Friend, please may the hands of Christ be upon all these people and on the millions whose misery is far beyond our knowledge.
Lead this world away from all that is maimed and maiming, from all that is degraded and degrading. Hasten the day when we shall walk in your (kingdom) where Christ’s love and joy is everywhere. This we ask in Christ’s name, Amen.
We Sing: “Feed us now, Bread of life” – (TiS 538)
Feed us now, Bread of life, in this holy meal;
let us know your love anew; we hunger for you.
Feed us now, Bread of life, come and live within;
let your peace be ours today, Lord, Jesus, we pray.
Piece of bread, cup of wine: Lord, this food is good:
love and mercy come to us – your promise we trust.
Piece of bread, cup of wine: who can understand
how your mercy works in these? Yet, Lord we believe.
God is here, O so near, nearer than our thoughts.
Stay with us where’er we go; Lord, help us to grow.
God is here, O so near, in this heaven’s meal.
May we always feed on you – on the bread that is true.
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
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 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, the bread of life,
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.
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,
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.
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: “Shout for joy! Our God has let us feast” – (TiS 545)
Shout for joy! Our God has let us feast:
Heaven’s own fare has fed the last and least:
Christ’s own peace is shared again on earth; God the Spirit fills us with new worth.
No more doubting, no more senseless dread:
God’s good self has graced our wine and bread;
All the wonder heaven has kept in store, now is ours to keep for evermore.
Celebrate with saints who dine on high,
Witnesses that love can never die.
‘Hallelujah!’ – thus their voices ring: nothing less in gratitude we bring.
Praise the Maker, praise the Maker’s Son, praise the Spirit – three yet ever one;
Praise the God whose food and friends avow
Heaven starts here! The kingdom beckons now!
Blessing:
The Bread of Life has called and fed you.
Now go into God’s world to nourish others,
living in the unity of the Spirit,
sharing the Bread of Life
and bringing God’s love, hope and peace.
May the blessing of the Holy One in Three, Three in One,
be with you 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: A Sermon for every Sunday, Ministry Matters, By the Well Podcast and The Fig Tree Worship Resource.