Koonung Heights Uniting Church
Service of Worship at Home
Pentecost 5 – 2 July 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.
We will share Communion during this service so you may wish to have the elements ready.
Introit: “Jubilate Deo” – (Click on this and skip the ads – TiS words below)
(Translation: Rejoice in God, all the earth: serve the Lord in gladness.)
Candle Lighting:
As we come to worship today we light this candle,
reminding us of the light of Christ which welcomes all,
much like a light in a window welcomes a weary traveller.
May the light of Christ continue to shine before us,
lighting the path we are to follow,
and shine with us so we can share Christ’s light with others.
Acknowledgement of Country:
As we gather to worship,
I 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,
may we commit ourselves to be people of the covenant,
listening, truth telling and seeking justice for all.
Call to Worship:
Let us draw …
a circle big enough for all.
Let us be …
a community of faith wide enough for all.
Let us create …
a pace of grace deep enough for all.
And in such a place
may we meet God
the One who is broad enough for all.
Come, let us join together in worship.
We Sing: “Come as you are” – (Click on this link and skip the ads – TiS words below)
Prayer of Adoration and Confession:
Creator God,
we glimpse your beauty in setting sun,
mountain top, eagle’s wing.
We sense your power in thunder crash,
lightning flash and ocean’s roar,
and we praise you.
Precious Jesus,
we see your love stretched out upon a cruel cross.
We stand in awe at your sacrifice,
pure love poured out for humankind,
and we praise you.
Holy Spirit,
we see your movement in lives transformed.
We listen for your still, small voice,
comforting, guiding, calling,
and we praise you.
Loving God, Creator of us all,
we come before you this day as your children.
We thank you that we come before you just as we are,
trusting that you accept us and, above all, love us.
Parent of us all,
some of us here may not feel
that we are accepted and loved.
Perhaps not even here in this church.
For the times that we have not shown welcome,
acceptance or love to your children,
forgive us.
For the times when we have tried to determine
who belongs in this, your church,
forgive us.
Forgiven, loved and free,
may we enter this time of worship as one,
loved, cherished and welcomed
by you and by one another.
So be it.
Amen.
Words of Assurance:
Brothers and sisters,
know that whatever we have said or not said,
whatever we have done or not done,
God continues us to welcome us
as beloved children.
Through the redeeming love of Christ,
we are welcomed into new life.
This is indeed good news …
thanks be to God.
We Sing: “For the fruits of all creation” – (Click on this link and skip the ads – TiS words below)
Time for All:
Today we will be thinking a little about welcome, acceptance and exclusion, so I thought it might be good to speak a little bit about Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement to Country.
In Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, the meaning of Country, with a capital ‘C’, is more than just ownership or connection to land. According to www.reconciliation.org.au, Professor Mick Dodson explains it this way …
‘When we talk about traditional ‘Country’…we mean something beyond the dictionary definition of the word. …we might mean homeland, or tribal or clan area and we might mean more than just a place on the map. For us, Country is a word for all the values, places, resources, stories and cultural obligations associated with that area and its features. It describes the entirety of our ancestral domains. While they may all no longer necessarily be the title-holders to land, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are still connected to the Country of their ancestors and most consider themselves the custodians or caretakers of their land.’
Protocols for welcoming visitors to Country have always been a part of First Nation’s Cultures. With clear boundaries of land, crossing into another group’s Country required a request for permission to enter. When permission was granted the hosting group would welcome visitors. But welcome was more than a ‘hello’ … welcome included offering safe passage and protection of a groups spiritual being during the journey. In turn, visitors had to respect the protocols and rules of the land owner group while on their Country.
Today, these protocols have been adapted to contemporary circumstances, but the essential elements remain: welcoming visitors and respect for Country. That is why a welcome is delivered only by Traditional Owners, usually elders or others who have been given permission to welcome visitors to Country.
That’s why, each Sunday when we gather to worship, I offer an Acknowledgement of Country. As I’m not a traditional owner, I can’t offer a welcome, but offering an Acknowledgement is an opportunity for each of us to show respect for the Traditional Owners and their continuing connection to Country.
Let us pray:
Amazing, loving God,
We thank you for our First Nation’s People and their care for Country,
Country that we, as Second Peoples, understand differently
and yet still benefit from.
We are mindful that we have not always honoured what Welcome means,
and have trampled all over customs and culture,
not taking the time to enquire or understand.
In your love and welcome for all people,
help us find ways to walk this place together,
respecting and caring for the place we all call home.
Amen.
Bible Reading: Genesis 21:8-21
– Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away
8 The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9 But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. 10 So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.” 11 The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son.
12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you. 13 As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.” 14 So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.
15 When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Do not let me look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept.
17 And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18 Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” 19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
20 God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. 21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
We Sing: “O Lord hear my prayer” – (Click on this link and skip the ads – TiS words below)
Bible Reading: Acts 18:1-4, 24-28
– Paul in Corinth
1 After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.
2 There he found a Jew named Aquila from Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them, and they worked together—by trade they were tentmakers. 4 Every Sabbath he would argue in the synagogue and would try to convince Jews and Greeks.
Ministry of Apollos
24 Now there came to Ephesus a Jew named Apollos from Alexandria. He was an eloquent man, well-versed in the scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord, and he spoke with burning enthusiasm and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him they took him aside and explained the Way of God to him more accurately. 27 And when he wished to cross over to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. On his arrival he greatly helped those who through grace had become believers, 28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus.
Reflection:
I’m sure you have heard the saying ‘you can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family’. On one level this is true. Some of us are blessed to have families that live together harmoniously, supporting and caring for one another. But this is not always the case and others of us end up finding that it is actually our friends or a particular community who end up becoming our family. These are people that we choose and the choice has nothing to do with biology. The story of family strife and rivalry and all that this can become, is clearly not just reserved for the storytelling of popular TV series such as Game of Thrones. Tension within a family makes for great drama but often it is something that many people can relate to from a personal point of view. Likewise, stories of happy families can also be the subject of light entertainment that brings a smile to our faces, like our families can. In the readings today we encounter two such families – one with biological connections, and the other a gathering of people who encourage, support and uphold one another.
In the passage we heard from Genesis, we meet one of the Matriarchs, Hagar, a woman whose name means ‘other, stranger, outsider’. Hagar is not traditionally thought of as a Matriarch, like Sarah is, and she has often been the object of scorn by many ranging from the Apostle Paul to Martin Luther to Calvin. For the most part, Christianity has maligned or ignored the story of Hagar. The Apostle Paul made Hagar into an object of scorn. Martin Luther blamed Hagar for the sins of the family, and Calvin believed Hagar had ‘a wild and intractable temper’, blaming her for not considering her situation, enslavement and rape, to be a ‘singular kindness and honour’. I think Hagar deserves a deeper level of appreciation though, for her strength, her courage, her relationship with God and for her story. So let’s remind ourselves of that.
Hagar was an Egyptian slave girl, someone who was just about as low on the social status pyramid as you can get. Abraham and Sarah had travelled through Egypt, and when they left, Pharaoh had given them many gifts: sheep, oxen, camels and servants. It’s most likely that Hagar was one of those gifts, numbered along with the livestock. Hagar’s value to Abraham and Sarah was as a slave and then as a surrogate. Sarah, being keen to supply Abraham with an heir, gifted to Abraham Hagar with whom he had a son, Ishmael. Sarah, herself birthing Isaac in due time, became somewhat jealous after seeing the two boys playing together. She conspired to paint an unwholesome picture of the threat to Isaac’s inheritance that Ishmael posed, and demanded Abraham send both Hagar and Ismael off into the wilderness. This, we read, is what he did. Ishmael would have been on the cusp of adulthood at this time, a teenager.
Sarah’s inhumanity towards Hagar and Ishmael is a key feature of this text today as is the fact that Abraham allowed her demand to effectively go unchallenged. In Texts of Terror, author Phyllis Trible points out that Hagar’s story depicts oppression in three familiar forms: nationality, class and gender. Hagar is a foreigner, enslaved and a woman. Her body is at the disposal of the people who own her; they can impregnate her and then send her away to die without consequence.
Sarah dehumanizes Hagar by referring to her as “this slave woman” (Genesis 21:10) rather than calling her by her name. As a foreign possession, it is easier for Sarah and Abraham to discard her when they no longer want or need her. She is cast out, sent into the wilderness with her son, with nothing but some bread and water – a contrast with the feast that is held for his other son Isaac.
Even though Hagar has been cast out of her place of safety, God has not forsaken her. As Hagar cries to God out of concern for her thirsty son in the parched wilderness, God provides not just the assurance that through Ishmael will be launched a great nation, but in a revelation of divine love God offers the provision of a well with fresh water. This is deeply relevant within this story for it is a reminder that though the world sadly brings harm to the children of God, never is the love of God withheld or in any doubt. Even though Hagar and Ismael were abandoned by those who should care for them, God remembered them.
A different image of ‘family’ is seen in the passage from Acts. As an evangelist, Paul spends much of his time teaching people about Christ and encouraging them to convert to Christianity. When he arrives in Corinth, however, he encounters something different when he meets Priscilla and Acquila. They are already followers of Christ, and also evangelists. It must have been exciting for Paul to find others who were like him, and in this community he finds a place to stay and people to work with … in one sense a family. Not only are Priscilla and Acquila welcoming to Paul, but when Apollos arrives, they also teach him. This teaching team of husband and wife, who train others for ministry, help birth an effective preacher of the gospel. Rather than being people who cast out, in Priscilla and Acquila, we see an example of those who invite in, house, teach, support and encourage.
These texts both teach us something about how we should treat others. Whether people are blood relations or family, as humans we have the obligation to treat others with the same love that we would expect to be treated with. Just imagine how it might have been if Hagar and Ishmael could have stayed with the wider family unit? Just imagine if Hagar had been viewed as a woman, and not as a piece of property? How might things have been for Isaac if he had been allowed to grow up with his father and older brother?
Unfortunately, for some people the story of Hagar and Ishmael hits close to home. Families today endure the misfortune of fall-out and tension, and sadly there are far too many stories telling of people being outcast, sometimes irrevocably. There can be all sorts of reasons why this might happen such as: personality clashes, inheritance, differences-of opinion, unequitable pulling together in the care of others and so on. Often what starts off as misunderstanding and minor squabbling can become a more serious problem if matters are left unchecked.
These texts also remind us that God provides. Even in the desert when all hope seemed lost, God heard Hagar and Ishmael and provided what they needed. When Paul was in a new place God provided a community for him, and for Apollos God provided teachers to equip him for what he was called to. God provides for us too in many different ways … and, I would suggest, we are sometimes the means by which God makes provision for others. So let’s be on the lookout for those who have been cast out in one way or another.
Who are the outcasts?
The poor, the displaced, the Trans men and women, the enslaved and the prisoners.
The HIV positive, the strangers, the stragglers, and our First Nations people.
Those we just don’t like.
Those not like us.
Who are God’s beloved?
The poor, the displaced, the Trans men and women, the enslaved and the prisoners.
The HIV positive, the strangers, the stragglers, and our First Nations people.
Those we just don’t like.
Those not like us.
Us. You and me.
Amen.
We Sing: “I heard the voice of Jesus say” – (Click on this link and skip the ads – TIS words below)
Prayer for Others (prepared by Rhonwen Pierce)
Let us pray …
Lord God,
We give thanks that we can come to you in prayer at any time no matter the circumstance and that you hear out prayers and never leave us even when we think you have.
We pray for all the people we hear about in the news who are suffering persecution, hate and exclusion because of race, gender, religion or skin colour. They may just be different in the eyes of others around them because of disabilities. May they come to know you and find in you that you are a God of love who cares for all no matter what. Help us to be a people of welcome who are completely inclusive.
As we look at the world around us we pray those in power are made aware of the decisions made that are having long term effects on the health of our environment. We pray that there is united action to protect everything be it plants, animals or humans as the effects of climate change are not being readily addressed. Be with those whose voices are being drowned out by the nay sayers.
We pray for the church from Assembly down to all the members that we continue to be supportive of everyone in the communities we live in. Here in our fellowship we thank you for all those who volunteer to keep this a welcoming place particularly those who keep our sign relevant. We remember Rev Heather and her family. Let us silently pray for those we know who are unwell, grieving or unable to worship with us.
(time of silence)
May we continue to serve you in our welcome and outreach and show your love to everyone we meet.
Amen.
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, 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 and in their homes.
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
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.
Sing: “Great God, your Spirit, like the wind” – (Click on this link for the tune – TIS words below)
Great God, your Spirit, like the wind – unseen but shaking thing we see
Will never leave us undisturbed fulfil our dreams, or set us free
Until we turn from faithless fear and prove the promise of your grace
In justice, peace and daily bread with you for all the human race.
Lord, shake us with the force of love, to rouse us from our dreadful sleep;
remove our hearts of stone, and give new hearts of flesh, to break and weep
For all your children in distress and dying for the wealth we keep.
Help us prevent, while we have time, the blighted harvest greed must reap.
And then, in your compassion, give your Spirit like the gentle rain,
Creating fertile ground from which your peace and justice spring like grain;
Until your love is satisfied, with all creation freed from pain,
And all your children live to praise your will fulfilled, your presence plain.
Blessing:
As we take our leave
may we have minds that are open
and hearts that are kind
to all whom we meet
and those whom we may never meet
across our world.
Allow God to point you to love,
Jesus to point you to compassion,
the Spirit to inspire your actions,
and be kind in word and deed.
May you in turn
know the love of God,
the peace of Christ
and the joy of the Holy Spirit
within you and around you
this day and every day.
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 47), The Women’s Lectionary: Preaching The Women Of The Bible Throughout The Year (Ashley M Wilcox), Ministry Matters and Fig Tree Worship.