Koonung Heights Uniting Church
Service of Worship at Home
Pentecost 13 – 27 August 2023 – 10am or whenever possible
You may like to light a candle during your time of worship.
Introit: “Jubilate Deo” (TiS 731 – words below)
Jubilate Deo, omnis terra. Servite Domino in Laetitia.
Alleluia, alleluia, in laetitia; alleluia, alleluia, in laetitia!
(Rejoice in God, all the earth: serve the Lord in gladness.)
Candle Lighting:
As we light the Christ candle this morning,
let us remember that the light of Christ
is always with us, shining on us,
lighting our path and illuminating the way
Acknowledgement of Country:
As we gather to worship this day,
I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians
of this land and these waters,
the Wurundjeri WoiWurrung
People of the Kulin nation.
I pay my respects to elders, past and present,
and to all future leaders and generations.
As First and Second Peoples walking together,
we commit ourselves
to be people of the covenant,
listening, truth telling
and seeking justice for all.
Call to Worship:
Do you come into this place
with the hope of growing deeper,
of connecting and glimpsing God?
If these things take place,
if your spirit is moved,
and you feel God is near
and you feel blessed with the gift of faith,
what will you do when the service ends?
When it’s time for you to leave
will you ask yourself,
“Where do we go from here?”
If you do then I would say to you,
“Go out into the world
to love and share and learn,
but come back soon,
because this is the beginning.
This is only the beginning.
So enter into this space and this time,
fill your cup here,
and be present here for God is here.
Come, let us worship God.
Prayer of Praise and Adoration:
God of love,
we come before you this morning in praise and adoration,
acknowledging who you are and all that you have done for us.
We are never alone …
you watch over us, guide us and lead us in your ways.
When we stumble and fall you lift us up,
dust us off and gently place us on the pathway again.
When we doubt, you surround us with your mercy and peace,
reassuring us of your presence through the love of others
and the love of Jesus which cost him everything.
Thank you that you bind us together in love.
Be with us this day and open our hearts to all you have for us.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.
We Sing: “Morning has broken” – (TiS 156 – words below)
Morning has broken like the first morning;
blackbird has spoken like the first bird.
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning,
praise for them, springing, fresh from the word.
Sweet the rain’s new fall sunlit from heaven,
like the first dewfall on the first grass.
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden,
sprung from completeness where his feet pass.
Mine is the sunlight; mine is the morning,
born of the one light Eden saw play.
Praise with elation, praise every morning,
God’s recreation of the new day.
Call to confession:
One of the things I love about the prayer of confession
is it allows us to claim that we are works in progress,
and there is beauty in that.
You don’t have to be perfect here.
You don’t have to have it all figured out here.
You don’t have to have a five-step plan for what’s next here.
You just have to show up with your messy, beautiful self, and be honest.
So friends, let us be honest.
Let us pray the prayer of confession together …
Prayer of Confession:
Holy God,
We are naturals when it comes to stalling.
We reach a certain point in the relationship,
in the conversation, in our faith, and then we stall.
We buy property on the top of the plateau and build a house there,
destined to never dig deeper or climb higher.
Forgive us for giving up on the things that matter.
Forgive us for confusing the plateau with the mountain top.
Forgive us for taking the easy way out
Instead of doing the hard work of curiosity,
relationship-building, vulnerability, and connection.
Inspire us to see new paths for where we can go from here.
With hope and honesty we pray,
Amen.
Words of Assurance:
Family of faith,
we are works in progress
but we are works in progress designed, created, and claimed by God.
No matter what you have done or left undone this week,
today is a fresh start.
Hear and believe the good news of the gospel,
good news that we share together:
God is with me on the mountain top,
and God is with me on the plateau.
I am loved, claimed, and forgiven.
Thanks be to God!
Amen.
The Peace:
In Christ we are members of God’s family.
As members of this family,
let us share God’s peace with one another.
Peace be with you and also with you.
We Sing: “Lord Jesus, we belong to you” – (TiS 686 – words below)
Lord Jesus, we belong to you, you live in us, we live in you;
we live and work for you – because we bear your name.
Help us receive each other, Lord, for you receive the least of us
and come to us in them – because we bear your name.
Let us acknowledge those as friends who use your name to right a wrong,
but have not joined us yet – because we bear your name.
Keep us from missing out on life; give hands that help, and single sight,
and feet that walk your way – because we bear your name.
You are the salt that cleanses us, so clean us out, and make us fit
for common life with you – because we bear your name.
A Time for All:
According to my Year 12 yearbook (from 1985) I was the person who was most likely to live in England and record an album with Paul McCartney! In 1995 my Camp NEOSA yearbook suggests that in another ten years I would be motorcycling around Australia with a longhaired husband and five kids!
Of course neither of these things happened … and possibly they were pretty silly suggestions in the first place … but I can’t deny that in part they might have been fun. There were also more serious things that I imagined for myself … things like that I might be a teacher so I enrolled in a BA DipEd. But none of these things ended up happening and I guess if they had I wouldn’t be here with you now.
That’s the reality of life. We often don’t know what’s next, and even when we have plans, life can turn out differently. God can have other plans for us. One of the times when I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do with my life, a really wise person said to me that even if I didn’t know, because God loved me God was likely to have a life plan for me that both of us would enjoy. That turned out to be true.
I’d like to share the poem Flashlight with you. It’s written by Rev Sarah Are.
I wish I could draw you a map of the next steps –
the next conversation, the next brave truth,
the next fumble, the next apology.
Wouldn’t it be nice to know what’s coming?
Wouldn’t it be nice to prepare our hearts?
But I don’t know where to go from here …
I am a child with a flashlight –
deeply hopeful and a little nervous,
all at the same time.
What I do know is
I don’t want to go anywhere without you.
So I’m hoping that you will take my hand.
See my truth. Trust my voice. Look for the good.
And day by day, we can go from here,
because we were never meant to go alone.
And maybe we’ll get lost;
but then again maybe we’ll be found.
So if you’re willing, if you’ll just say yes,
I will let you hold the flashlight.
We can find our way,
step by step, hand in hand, abolishing shadows together.
Who needs a map when you have the light anyway?
Let us pray:
Dear God,
We don’t always know what’s next, but we know that you are always with us. Thank you for the new people we meet along the way, who help us in our journey. Help us to always keep an open mind, as we are also the strangers others meet.
Amen.
Bible Reading: Ruth 1:6-18 –
Naomi and Her Moabite Daughters-in-Law
6 Then she started to return with her daughters-in-law from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab that the Lord had considered his people and given them food.
7 So she set out from the place where she had been living, she and her two daughters-in-law, and they went on their way to go back to the land of Judah. 8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back each of you to your mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 9 The Lord grant that you may find security, each of you in the house of your husband.” Then she kissed them, and they wept aloud.
10 They said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” 11 But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters. Why will you go with me? Do I still have sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? 12 Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. Even if I thought there was hope for me, even if I should have a husband tonight and bear sons, 13 would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, it has been far more bitter for me than for you, because the hand of the Lord has turned against me.” 14 Then they wept aloud again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. 15 So she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” 16 But Ruth said, “Do not press me to leave you, to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do thus to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!” 18 When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.
Bible Reading: Acts 10:1-35 –
Peter and Cornelius
1 In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Cohort, as it was called. 2 He was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God. 3 One afternoon at about three o’clock he had a vision in which he clearly saw an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius.” 4 He stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” He answered, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa for a certain Simon who is called Peter; 6 he is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside.” 7 When the angel who spoke to him had left, he called two of his slaves and a devout soldier from the ranks of those who served him, 8 and after telling them everything he sent them to Joppa. 9 About noon the next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while it was being prepared he fell into a trance. 11 He saw the heaven opened and something like a large sheet coming down, being lowered to the ground by its four corners. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 Then he heard a voice saying, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean.” 15 The voice said to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” 16 This happened three times, and the thing was suddenly taken up to heaven.
17 Now while Peter was greatly puzzled about what to make of the vision that he had seen, suddenly the men sent by Cornelius appeared. They were asking for Simon’s house and were standing by the gate. 18 They called out to ask whether Simon, who was called Peter, was staying there. 19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Look, three men are searching for you. 20 Now get up, go down, and go with them without hesitation, for I have sent them.” 21 So Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for your coming?” 22 They answered, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish people, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.” 23 So Peter invited them in and gave them lodging. The next day he got up and went with them, and some of the brothers and sisters from Joppa accompanied him. 24 The following day they came to Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 On Peter’s arrival, Cornelius met him and, falling at his feet, worshiped him. 26 But Peter made him get up, saying, “Stand up; I am only a mortal.” 27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found that many had assembled, 28 and he said to them, “You yourselves know that it is improper for a Jew to associate with or to visit an outsider, but God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without objection. Now may I ask why you sent for me?”
30 Cornelius replied, “Four days ago at this very hour, at three o’clock, I was praying in my house when suddenly a man in dazzling clothes stood before me. 31 He said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms have been remembered before God. 32 Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon, who is called Peter; he is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ 33 Therefore I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. So now all of us are here in the presence of God to listen to all that the Lord has commanded you to say.”
Gentiles Hear the Good News
34 Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every people anyone who fears him and practices righteousness[d] is acceptable to him.
We Sing: “In heavenly love abiding” – (TiS 588 – words below)
In heavenly love abiding, no change my heart shall fear,
and safe is such confiding, for nothing changes here:
the storm may roar without me, my heart may low be laid;
but God is round about me, and can I be dismayed?
Wherever he may guide me no want shall turn me back,
my shepherd is beside me and nothing I can lack:
his wisdom ever waking, his sight is never dim,
he knows the way he’s taking and I will walk with him.
Green pastures are before me, which yet I have not seen;
bright skies will soon be o’er me where dark the clouds have been:
my hope I cannot measure, my path to life is free;
my Saviour has my treasure, and he will walk with me.
Reflection:
Today is our final week in the series “I’ve been meaning to ask”, but that doesn’t mean that today marks the end of the journey. Today’s question “where do we go from here?” instead creates a sense of openness to explore together what is next. Of course this is contextual, but there is no doubt that this is just as important a question for us as individuals, as it is for our families, churches and communities. Nothing stays the same for ever and it is important that we can discern with one another how we might move forward into something new. New things can be challenging, we can be worried about the future before it arrives and we can be fearful of what change can bring. But it’s important to remember that change can also bring opportunities in life that we haven’t even dreamed of yet. If we continue to cultivate curiosity and generosity in our conversations and continue to seek connection so that we can care for one another, there is no telling what we might allow the Spirit to do within and among us.
The readings we have heard today provide a window into these possibilities as we see different people stepping into what’s next. After the loss of loved ones disrupts their lives, Ruth and Naomi create a new covenant with each other, choosing to be in a relationship across their religious, cultural and generational divides. As women, they build power together in a system where, before this, they had little power. Cornelius, a pious Roman centurion, and Peter are brought together through visions they each receive. Peter and Cornelius meet face to face and Peter says: “I really am learning that God doesn’t show partiality to one group of people over another.” Through this courageous conversation their narrow perceptions of others expand, the Spirit descents upon them, and they share in community and hospitality. Let’s open the door onto these passages a little wider, and see what they might have to say to us.
The story of Ruth and Naomi offers an inside look at grief, loss, and God’s ability to redefine the meaning of family and community. In grief and loss, it is easy to withdraw and handle heavy burdens alone. Grief can be dizzying, leaving one with a multiplicity of emotions. In the verses before what we read today, we hear of the death of a father and two sons. These significant events are covered in just a few verses which give little space for the pain, emotion, grief and loss for Naomi, Ruth and Orpah. Not only has Ruth lost her husband and sons, but she carries an additional burden knowing that her daughters-in-law would have to navigate life as single women within a patriarchal society. Naomi’s natural response to this pain is one of fear, anger and isolation. One daughter-in-law, Orpah, respects Naomi’s wishes and returns to her familial surroundings, but the other, Ruth, does not. Ruth’s response echoes the unending and far-reaching love of God. Ruth’s response is not a flight or fight response, but is grounded in being bound to another. In the face of all they have lost, these family ties are deepened through a spiritual bond of connection, commitment, and community. Ruth is willing to live, worship, work, advocate and walk alongside Naomi from this day forward.
There are many in our communities burdened by grief and pain. I wonder what it would look like if we could make commitments like Ruth did – if we could move away from the fight or flight response to grief, pain and oppression – if we could stand in solidarity with others, even those of different nationalities, generations or faiths? I wonder what it might look like to those who are broken by society to hear the words: by God’s mercy and because of God’s grace we are bound to one another. What is happening for you is held in my hands and heart as if it were mine. I commit to being present with you.
In Acts we have the story of Cornelius and Peter, and I have to admit that I think I’m a little like Peter – a rule follower. I like things that are done in an orderly manner. I like the fact that rules mean we all know where we are coming from and what’s expected. But like all rule followers, I need to keep in mind that sometimes the rules change, and depending on who changes the rules I might not be comfortable with that. As a devout Jew, Peter had been raised to follow the spiritual and ritualistic laws passed down from generation to generation – rules that were established to set apart the people of God and create space and rhythm around work, worship and life. Then Jesus came along and changed things! Peter followed Jesus in his early ministry – Jesus who was known to take rules and redefine what it meant to embody them. Jesus healed on the Sabbath and dined with tax collectors and sex workers. Jesus called people to stop hiding in trees, whispered truths to seekers in the middle of the night, and told people to stand tall because there was no one to throw stones any longer. Peter witnessed this ministry of inclusion first hand.
When we find Peter in Acts he has a vision of a sheet covered with ritualistically unclean foods but he is told to kill and eat. This must have been hard for Peter to hear, and in fact he is challenged three times to understand that ‘what God has made clean’ is clean. The impact of this learning is fully realised when Peter meets Cornelius and is able to proclaim that the world-changing, life-saving power of the gospel of Jesus Christ is for all people. As Peter teaches the crowd Cornelius has gathered, he also explains that he has learned something. The Spirit moves in this encounter for all who are present, Jew and Gentile alike, and many Gentiles are baptised.
So then … where do we go from here? I don’t have the answer for that but I have been thinking that maybe we need to go with new languages of love for ourselves, our community and the world. As the church we need to learn to speak languages of love that the world understands – languages that mean people outside the church can be introduced to God’s love. Maybe these new languages are spoken in the digital space and concern deep justice. People move in a technological world … we are beginning to do that too. With our live-streaming and our digital presence we can translate the message of God’s love in a way that people are able to hear it. Speaking the language of deep justice means that we recognise that justice is about more than us and the outcomes we want. We need to listen across cultural, multi-faith and other spaces so that we really see others and the inequality they experience as though it is ours.
May we go from here with bold love, radical love and hopes for deep justice, with the Spirit guiding our every step.
Amen.
Affirmation of Faith:
We believe that God is a conversationalist,
drawing close to us and asking,
“What do you need? Where does it hurt? Who do you long to be?”
We see this conversational God in Jesus Christ,
God’s own flesh, who walked the earth
speaking with the poor, the hungry, the lonely, and the outcast.
Therefore, we believe that our call as people of faith
is to continue this holy conversation
with those who look and think like us,
as well as with those
who share little in common with us.
We believe that through these conversations,
we are able to catch a glimpse of the Kin-dom of God,
so we continue the conversation in hope.
Amen.
We Sing: “A Covenant of Grace” – (Tune TiS 654 – words below)
We all come from the dusty earth and from the places of our birth
Ancestral stories, who we’ll be, we bring it all to “come and see”.
We all have wounds that no one sees – oppression, trauma, and disease
When we bear witness to the pain it can begin to heal again.
We all need people who will be with us in solidarity
No explanation, no defence, just ministry of their presence.
Surprised by God’s unboundless love from many walks of life we come
To build a covenant of grace and in our differences embrace.
Prayer for Others (prepared by Liz Pace):
Let us pray …
We come to you this day, Creator God, mother and father of us all. Hear the prayers of your people.
We come before you from all our different backgrounds and experiences seeking your guidance
for our lives, both as individuals and as your church.
Many of us have fixed and narrow ideas and find it hard to change our ways, yet you have
challenged us to understand that all people belong to you.
You have challenged our narrow vision of what is possible.
You have shown love and compassion for those people we do not seem to value.
You have given us a world that we are destroying through carelessness and greed.
Loving God, we need your help to give us a vibrant vision of a better world. Help us to find the little things we can do to acknowledge the needs of our brothers and sisters and sow in us and them, the seeds of hope.
Widen our vision to include the seemingly impossible.
Open our hearts to include the unloved and the unlovely, for they are your children also.
Strengthen our faith so that we can take bold steps to a future that includes all people.
Encourage our minds to continue to learn more of the ways you would like us to live.
We have many people and situations on our minds today. We bring them to you now as we name them in our hearts …
God of us all, inspire us to work towards a bright future that brings hope and love to all your people, caring for your world, sharing its bounty, living thoughtfully and listening to each other.
This we ask through 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: “God gives us a future” – (TiS 687 – words below)
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:
Family of faith, as you leave this place,
may God grant you
the curiosity to counter assumptions,
the vulnerability to befriend,
the bravery to speak your truth,
the wisdom to listen,
the strength to ask for help,
the resiliency to choose love, even when it’s hard,
and the awareness of the Holy Spirit always beside you.
In the name of the Great Connector – Love itself – Go in Peace.
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, Ministry Matters and A Sanctified Art, including prayers by Rev Sarah Are.