Koonung Heights Uniting Church
Service of Worship at Home
Pentecost 20 – 15 October 2023 – 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.
Introit: “Holy, holy, holy” (TiS 723 – English words below)
Holy, holy, holy. My heart, my heart adores you!
My heart knows how to say to you: Holy are you, Lord.
Candle Lighting:
As we come to worship we light the Christ candle.
We light it because it helps us remember
that Christ is with us now
and that his light always shines on us.
May the warmth of this light
infuse our life and our living.
Acknowledgement of Country:
This is God’s Land.
Many have gone before who have honoured God
by caring for the Land, in the ways they have lived
and in the stories they have shared.
I give thanks for the Wurundjeri WoiWurrung
People of the Kulin nations,
who have held as sacred the duty of protecting the Land
and living in harmony with it.
May God honour and bless them – now and to eternity.
Call to Worship:
Whoever we are,
wherever we come from,
whatever we are known for,
or if we are unknown,
here is a pace for all our stories
to be tangled together
in the community of love.
Let us name each other
and welcome each other
in worship, in grace, in love.
Come, let us worship God.
We Sing: “Glory to God above!” – (TiS 94 – words below)
Glory to God above! Heavens declare his love;
praise him, you angels, praise him all you high and heavenly host.
Worship him, sun and moon; stars, complement their tune;
grounded in God’s good purpose let his grace become your boast.
O sing hallelujah and praise God for ever more!
Glory to God, below let depths of ocean show;
lightning and hail, snow, wind and cloud perform at his command!
Let every mountain range, forest and grove and grange,
creatures of earth and air and sea praise God in every land.
O sing hallelujah and praise God for ever more!
‘Glory to God your King!’ leaders and people sing;
women and men of every age unite to praise the Lord.
Worship God’s holy name and let your lives proclaim
God’s saving power extends to those who love and serve his word.
O sing hallelujah and praise God for evermore!
Prayer of Adoration and Confession:
Eternal God,
we bring you our praise and thanksgiving.
It is what we are here for:
to worship you and celebrate your goodness.
But we want our praises to be real,
and not just a matter of form.
So what is it that delights our souls,
and makes us feel glad to be alive?
A glimpse of beauty
in the natural world, perhaps?
The sun glinting on the waves,
or a dramatic thunderstorm;
a clear night sky bedecked with stars
or a newborn foal trying out its legs for the first time?
It could be the people who care about us
and allow us the privilege of caring for them.
Escape from danger; recovery from illness;
a sense of achievement for a job well done?
Whatever it is that fills us, however fleetingly,
with gratitude and joy,
let us bring it before God now
with heartfelt thanks and praise.
(silence)
Loving God, if it is possible – and it may not be –
let there be no sting in the tail of our worship:
no lingering resentment;
no pleasure in someone else’s downfall;
no wishing of harm on those with whom we disagree,
or who have done us harm.
Let our joy be pure,
and if joy is beyond us for now,
let us be honest about that too,
and offer you our sorrow and lamenting,
trusting you to honour our song
and to hold us until we are able to praise you again.
Whatever it is that we need to say to God now,
let it be spoken in the silence,
and then let us listen
for the word of forgiveness or encouragement,
challenge or reassurance, that will make us whole.
(silence)
Thanks be to God for joys and sorrows shared,
for faith strengthened and hope restored,
for sins forgiven and new paths opening up before us.
Amen.
Words of Assurance:
No matter how you are feeling, the powerful warmth of God’s love is always there.
God is with you, bringing healing and restoration and peace.
This is good news from our forgiving, persistent and patient God.
The Peace:
God makes peace within us. Let us claim it.
God makes peace between us. Let us share it.
Let us greet another as a sign of God’s peace.
May the peace of God be with you
… and also with you.
A Time for All:
If I say the name Nikki Davey, does that mean anything to you? Her photo is here … I wonder whether that helps?
Nikki Davey is an entrepreneur and co-founder of the company Grown not Flown, which supports the local cut flower industry. Her floral farm is in central Victoria. She is passionate about sustainable and regenerative agriculture and is the national winner of the 2023 Rural Women’s Award. It’s appropriate to recognise this today, International Rural Women’s Day.
That’s just some information about Nikki, but it still doesn’t really tell us much about who she is. It’s just a small part of her story.
In the readings we will hear later today we have names of people, some whom we might know well such as Hannah, and some we have no idea about, only their names: Claudia and Prisca. It can sometimes be a bit like that for us in our congregations: how many people do we remember by name and what of their story do we know? There always was a tradition for wealthy benefactors to donate windows or build chapels and similar. Their names are recorded in brass plates, remembered and celebrated but do we know anything of their real story? Then there are those who have worked away in the life of the church for a long time but their names might not be recorded anywhere.
Take a moment to reflect on the name of someone from your past … maybe they were part of your church or community … who were they and what did they do that makes you remember them? How did they impact you?
Let us pray:
God of all the generations,
We thank you for your followers, known and unknown, in all times and all places.
We thank you for their gifts to the church and community of which they were a part.
Even when we just see a name, we know that a whole story is known by you.
In the same way you know our story, and hold us safe in your love, and we thank you.
Amen.
We Sing: “Dear Shepherd of your people, hear” – (TiS 444 – words below)
Dear Shepherd of your people, hear, your presence now display;
as you have given a place for prayer, so give us hearts to pray.
Within these walls let holy peace and love and concord dwell:
here give the troubled conscience ease, the wounded spirit heal.
May we in faith receive your word, in faith present our prayers;
and in the presence of our Lord unburden all our cares.
The hearing ear, the seeing eye, the humble mind bestow;
and shine upon us from on high to make our graces grow.
Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 2:1-10 –
Hannah’s Prayer
1 Hannah prayed and said,
“My heart exults in the Lord;
my strength is exalted in my God.
My mouth derides my enemies
because I rejoice in your victory.
2 There is no Holy One like the Lord, no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.
3 Talk no more so very proudly; let not arrogance come from your mouth,
for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.
4 The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength.
5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry are fat with spoil.
The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn.
6 The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low; he also exalts.
8 He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap
to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honour.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world.
9 He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
but the wicked will perish in darkness, for not by might does one prevail.
10 The Lord! His adversaries will be shattered; the Most High will thunder in heaven.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king
and exalt the power of his anointed.”
Bible Reading: 2 Timothy 4:9-22 –
Personal Instructions
9 Do your best to come to me soon, 10 for Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me in ministry. 12 I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. 14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will pay him back for his deeds. 15 You also must beware of him, for he strongly opposed our message.
16 At my first defence no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them! 17 But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Final Greetings and Benediction
19 Greet Prisca and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus remained in Corinth; Trophimus I left ill in Miletus. 21 Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers and sisters.
22 The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.
Reflection:
We can communicate a lot in a farewell message, can’t we? If someone says, “I’ll see you in a while, if I make it out alive”, that tells you something about what they are going through. Or, if someone says, “I’m going to a meeting. If I’m not back in half an hour, please check on me” you get some idea of how they feel about that meeting. I remember my mum sometimes saying, “I’m going to cook dinner now and when I get back in here, this room better be cleaned.” That was the invitation to me to hurry up and get the mess sorted out.
In both of the readings we have heard today, we witness words that pour out at significant times of farewell … one at the beginning of life and the other when life is nearing the end. Hannah’s prayer and song, which we read in 1 Samuel, comes as she brings her son, Samuel, to the temple to be raised by Eli the priest. In the final section of Paul’s letter to Timothy, we hear exhortations and requests as he sends his final letter, and within them we hear several realities communicated. But the realities we hear are not only concerned with the realities of the difficulties of life, but also the realities of God’s provision for us. Let’s see what the passages tell us.
Hannah is a prayerful woman, and the prayer we heard today is not the first she had prayed. Hannah’s story (found in 1 Samuel 1 and 2) tells us that she was loved by her husband, Elkanah, but that she has not had a child. She pours her heart out to God, asking for a son (1 Sam 1:11) and vows that, if God grants her petition, she would dedicate her child to God. This prayer, or song, comes a few years later. Samuel has been weaned, so he is probably about three years old, as Hannah brings him to live in the temple. You would think that giving up her only son would be a hard event for Hannah, yet she responds with a prayer of thanksgiving to God.
The God Hannah describes is holy and a rock, a God of knowledge, and weighing actions. God is in control of life and the entire universe. God is also revealed to be a God of surprising reversals – the strong are made weak and the weak are strong, the full are hungry and the hungry are full. The poor are raised and even the prayer of a childless woman is heard. God is compassionate and just and the One who will set things right. With God’s provision of a son for Hannah, it is no wonder that she dedicates not just herself but Samuel, her first born son, to God.
There is a pressure and urgency in what are possibly the last words written by Paul in his final imprisonment. They are a little like a final will and testament for Paul, and the picture they paint is bleak. Paul laments his lost friends (those who have deserted him) and says that he longs to see Timothy one last time. He seems consumed with loneliness as he remembers those who worked with him in ministry in the past. He also complains about those who have chosen the old ways instead of the new way that he has tried to offer. Paul also makes some personal requests, and charges Timothy with carrying on the work after his death. Yet through all of this, despite his pain and loneliness, Paul still remains steadfast in faith that God will be with him through it all.
One of the realities we see in this passage regarding provision, is that God provides through people. Paul asks that Timothy come to see him and that he brings Mark along. He also gives Timothy a list of things that he needs, and asks that Timothy “do his best to come before winter.” (2 Tim 4:21). So why does Paul want to see Timothy? and why does he want him to come so quickly? I somehow think that it’s not about the material things (the cloak, books and parchments) and wonder if giving this list is really about encouraging Timothy to come quickly.
I wonder if Paul wants to see Timothy because Timothy encourages his soul. When things are difficult we want people around us who can support and encourage us. We want the friends who can sit with us and just ‘be there’ even when it is uncomfortable. We want those who will pray for us and hold our stories before God. Paul lists other friends who are with him or who have visited him at times – a sign that God is providing for him and blessing him through the people that have come into his life.
We also hear Paul speak about the times he felt lonely and deserted by others. He says that, at times, “no one stood by” him and that “everyone deserted.” (2 Tim 4:16) But he immediately follows that up by saying, “the Lord stood with me and strengthened me” (2 Tim 4:17), acknowledging that God was always with him, even when people were not there in the way he hoped..
This is the same for us. Whether it is through the provision of friends, the provision of strength, the provision of the gospel or worshipping community, or something altogether different, we can trust that God will always provide for us. God does not always give us everything that we want, but God does provides the things we need.
It also seems to me that there is something of a reciprocal relationship between Paul and Timothy. While Paul knows that a visit from Timothy will encourage him, the letter that he writes to Timothy is also a way that he can be the encourager. Just as God uses others to encourage us, God uses us to encourage others.
Earlier in the service we remembered people from our past. I don’t think I’d be wrong if I said that we mostly remember these individuals because they have encouraged us in some way. Jeff encouraged me into a role which gave me a purpose and kept me in the faith community.
I don’t know about you, but I’m grateful that God encourages me – through Jesus example, the Bible, the Holy Spirit … and through other people, those who have been part of my story and those who are yet to be. What a gift this provision is.
My prayer for you all is that you will also experience the gift of God’s provision in all the ways you need.
Amen.
We Sing: “Great is your faithfulness” – (TiS 154 – words below)
Great is your faithfulness, O God my Father,
in you no shadow or turning we see;
you never fail and your love is unchanging:
as you have been you for ever will be.
Great is your faithfulness, great is your faithfulness,
morning by morning new mercies we see;
all we have needed your hand has provided:
great is your faithfulness, Lord God, to me.
Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
join with all nature in unspoken witness
to your great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Great is your faithfulness …
Pardon for sin and a peace that’s enduring,
your living presence to cheer and to guide,
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow –
these are the blessings your love will provide.
Great is your faithfulness …
Prayer for Others (prepared by Graham & Wendy Ray):
We come before You this morning, grateful for the many blessings in our lives, but also wanting to bring before You, the concerns and worries we may have.
These may be personal, or they may be about people and events in our local community, our nation, or around the world.
Whatever they are, wherever they are, we know that we can take comfort from Your strength.
We pray this morning, that the outcome from yesterday’s Referendum, will be positive, and bring about beneficial changes to the lives of our Indigenous people.
May those on both sides of The Voice campaign, now unite as one voice, to create a better, respectful Australia.
We pray for those who may be experiencing the devastating effects of fires and floods.
May You give them strength and hope.
We pray for those experiencing armed conflict and civil unrest.
May You give them strength and hope.
We pray that those in positions of authority around the world, will have wisdom, insight and a sense of justice, so that we may achieve peace, harmony, and an equitable sharing of the world’s resources.
We pray for our church community. May we continue to reach out to people, to enrich their lives.
We are grateful for the work of Project Sow, which continues to involve us further in the local community, and create ways to share our faith.
We pray for our minister, the Reverend Heather, members of the Church Council, and the tireless workers who assist the church in many ways.
May You continue to uphold them, and give them energy and strength.
We pray for those close to us, who are in need of care and attention, and a reminder that they are loved and valued.
In a moment of silence, we pray the prayers that are on our hearts this morning.
(time of silence)
Loving God, God of strength, knowing that You will always stand beside us, we confidently say together, the prayer that You 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 –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:
Whoever you are,
wherever you come from,
whatever you are known for,
and even if you are unknown
your story is tangled up
with everyone else’s here,
part of the story of God’s love
reaching out to the world.
Go, to explore the next chapter,
in hope,
in confidence,
in peace.
And the blessing of God
the 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:- Spill The Beans (Issue 48), The Women’s Lectionary: Preaching the Women of the Bible Throughout the Year by Ashley M Wilcox.