Koonung Heights – Surrey Hills Uniting Church
Service of Worship at Home
Season of Creation 3 – 21 September 2025 – 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: “Like A Rock” – (Seasons of the Spirit)
Like a rock, like a rock God is under our feet.
Like the starry night sky God is over our head.
Like the sun on the horizon God is ever before.
Like the river runs to ocean, our home is in God evermore.
Candle Lighting:
As we gather to worship we light the Christ candle:
the light that shines in the darkness,
and the darkness cannot overcome it.
Acknowledgement of Country:
The Ancient of Days breathed life into this land
and her peoples.
From time beyond our reckoning the
Wurundjeri WoiWurung People of the Kulin nations,
have blessed this place through their law and customs,
their care and life.
I pay my respects to their Elders and leaders past and present,
and pray for the future of their communities.
May we all walk gently and respectfully on this Land.
Call to Worship:
We gather in this house of grace,
to learn our needs:
not to justify ourselves
but to say we are sorry,
not to cling to the familiar
but to risk the untested,
not to enjoy our own decency
but to worship holy God,
not to practice positive thinking
but to be caught up in God’s joy.
Let us come and worship.
We Sing: “Joyful, joyful, we adore you” – (TiS 152)
Joyful, joyful, we adore you, God of glory, God of love;
hearts unfold like flowers before you opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness, drive the doubt of dark away;
giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day.
All your works with joy surround you, earth and heav’n reflect your rays,
stars and angels sing around you, centre of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea,
singing bird and flowing fountain call to praise you joyfully.
You are giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blest,
well-spring of the joy of living, ocean-depth of happy rest.
You our Father, Christ our Brother, all are your who live in love,
teach us how to love each other, lift us to your joy above.
Settling into the Space:
Let us take a moment to fully ‘arrive’ in this space.
Settle and still yourself, and as you do,
notice the gentle rise and fall of your breath.
Let’s enter the quiet of our spirits,
asking for openness to the conversation God is offering us,
for commitment in our actions to that which is
truly most important in life in God’s sight.
Prayer of Adoration and Confession:
Holy One, Holy Three,
You are sung in the song of the dawn
lifted in the laugh of the kookaburra.
You are heard on the breath of the morning,
laden with wattle and ti-tree blossom.
You are glimpsed in the bright clear light of day,
reflected in the moon when night falls.
You are present in the darkness,
mysterious realm of the quiet night creatures.
You are life, through generation upon generation,
spanning eons, beyond our imagining,
knowing and loving each one of us.
In the quiet we bring our hearts full of gratitude.
(Time of quiet)
And yet, we confess: sometimes we forget
that you are the source of life and love,
that you meet us on the road,
and that it is you who we are called to serve.
Forgive us when we forget.
God call us again into your service,
draw forth our wisdom and resourcefulness
and make us children of the light,
working with you in this world.
We ask this through Jesus, the Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the uniting of the Holy Spirit,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Words of Assurance:
Siblings in Christ,
just as sure as our breathing out and our breathing in,
we can be confident that we are forgiven and set free
to live fully and joyfully in the gifts of love and grace.
Thank you God!
Amen.
The Peace:
May the Peace of God be with you:
and also with you.
We Sing: “Peace with the Father” – (TiS 466)
Peace with the Father, peace with Christ the Son,
peace with the Spirit, keep us ever one.
Love of the Father, love of Christ the Son,
love of the Spirit, make all Christians one.
Send forth your Spirit, Father, from above
on us, your children, one with Christ in love.
Christians, forgive each other from your heart;
Christ be among us, nevermore to part.
A Time for All: Synod Reflections
Synod 2025 ran from Saturday 30 August to Tuesday 2 September, beginning with Opening Worship and installation of the new Moderator, Rev Salesi Faupula. The theme for Synod 2025 was Pilgrims of the Spirit, tapping into the way that the Church is always moving, following the way of God expressed in Christ through key transcendent qualities such as inclusivity, diversity, and unity in Christ.
If you want to know more about Synod try clicking on one of the following links:
Facebook – Uniting Church Victoria & Tasmania | Facebook
Instagram – Uniting Church VicTas (@ucavictas) • Instagram photos and videos
Synod Website – Synod Meeting – Uniting Church in Australia. Synod of Victoria and Tasmania
Bible Reading: Amos 8:4-7
4 Hear this, you who trample on the needy,
and bring to ruin the poor of the land,
5 saying, “When will the new moon be over
so that we may sell grain,
and the Sabbath,
so that we may offer wheat for sale?
We will make the ephah smaller and the shekel heavier
and practice deceit with false balances,
6 buying the poor for silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals
and selling the sweepings of the wheat.”
7 The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.
Bible Reading: Luke 16:1-13
– The Parable of the Dishonest Manager
1 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. 2 So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management because you cannot be my manager any longer.’ 3 Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.’ 5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’ 7 Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’ 8 And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly, for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone they may welcome you into the eternal homes.
10 “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much, and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. 11 If, then, you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? 13 No slave can serve two masters, for a slave will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
Reflection:
The Good Life, a British sitcom from the 1970s, focuses on the life of Tom and Barbara Good. On his 40th birthday Tom, who decides he can no longer take his job seriously, gives up work as a draughtsman for a company that makes plastic toys for breakfast cereal packets.
As their house is paid off, he and Barbara adopt a sustainable, simple and nearly self-sufficient lifestyle in their suburban house. They turn their front and back gardens into allotments, growing soft fruit and vegetables. They introduce chickens, pigs and a goat; generate their own electricity with methane from animal waste, and attempt to make their own clothes. They sell or barter surplus crops for essentials they cannot make themselves. They cut their monetary requirements to the minimum, with varying success. Their actions horrify their kind but conventional neighbours, Margo and Jerry Leadbetter, who cannot understand why you would give up all the good things of life.
Today’s readings call us to wonder about the ‘good life’, by focusing attention on the dishonesty and unscrupulous attitudes and practices of those caught up in the idolatry of wealth and consumption, particularly at the expense of others. In the context of the Season of Creation, these include the people today who will subordinate the sacred mission of care for Creation, to the economic and advancement of their personal financial interests. It includes those who have no concern about how their economic choices impact the poor and the whole web of life. It also includes those who use their power and resources to spread false information, to hide the truth about climate change and ecological crisis, particularly from the people who will suffer most and who could be part of significant change if they were listened to. The prophet Amos warns that God will not forget their actions, having special concern for the poor. In the gospel, Jesus reminds us about that which is most important in life and what constitutes the true ‘good life’.
The prophet Amos’ description of the attitudes, dishonest business practices, and abuse of the poor, is classic. We can recognise what Amos is talking about. One of the strategies he names even has a new name that we hear quite often. An ephah was a standard unit of dry measure for grain and other commodities, and what the prophet names as ‘diminishing the ephah’, we now call shrinkflation – the process of available products shrinking in size or quantity while the prices remain the same.
When we think about the dishonesty and abuse of the poor, I would suggest that in our time, this might also include the arguments and political policies that give growth of the economy priority over the more urgent and wise care of Creation. A healthy economy surely depends upon the health of the planet and the whole web of life, so it seems a ludicrous approach to economy that values unlimited growth on a limited planet whose ability to replenish itself annually is already overwhelmed.
The scientific community globally is universally and unequivocally insistent in its ever increasing dire warnings: unless the expanding ecological crises of Earth are effectively addressed in the near future, tipping points will be passed that trigger irreversible changes, endangering the survival of life on the planet, including human life. The changing climate is already bringing new, more extensive and powerful patterns of drought, fire, flood, more violent storms and global heat waves, famine and social unrest.
Only this week, we heard something of the first National Climate Risk Assessment which warns that if global temperatures rise by just 3 degrees, climate change fueled heatwaves in Australia could kill thousands of Australians every year, wipe $611 billion from property values and put 1.5 million homes at risk of rising sea levels.
It is also widely acknowledged that the poor suffer first and most in times of socio-ecological crises and breakdown. In their poverty, they lack resources for survival and recovery. With the vast inequality in distribution of resources around the planet, the poor are locked into their poverty and the promise of a more just and sustainable future is stolen from them and the generations yet to come. These social realities are likely to guarantee an increase in migration and greater social unrest.
Amos affirms that God will not forget what is being done to the poor, and in a special way, it is the indigenous peoples of the Earth that are caught up in this situation. Yet they are not simply victims. If we were prepared to listen respectfully to them, we would find that they have much to teach us about the interconnectedness of all creatures and how we might begin to make peace with Creation.
The parable of the dishonest manager is quite confusing. Even though he is named as dishonest, or shrewd in some contexts, the manager is praised for his prudence because he recognises that his future will not be secured by gathering up his commissions (or more), his part of the rich man’s wealth. Knowing this, he uses the wealth to make friends who will welcome and support him in the future. Jesus’ reminder is that the success of human life is not measured by the accumulation of wealth or power, but by strong and loving relationships, the bonds of friendship and justice, and commitment to community wellbeing. He is uncompromising in his declaration that we cannot put our trust in both God and money. Pursuing and valuing wealth over all else threatens and destroys Creation as it becomes a means to an end. It betrays the sacred trust we have been given to care for Creation.
So what is the ‘good life’? Maybe the better question to ask is what is the gospel vision of the good life? Jesus insists that we must choose sides, so what side do we choose? If our choice is to side with God, the Creator and One who wills restoration for all, then we need to act. Action does not have to be placard carrying protests (though at times there is a place for these) acts of prayer, love and sharing of truth can be gentle yet powerful. Do we pray for those we believe are driven by greed and disregard their destructive impacts on the web of life? Do we look upon those who have different views from us with love, inviting them to understand the truth of God’s invitational love? Do we pray for our leaders to embrace and serve more than their political party?
May our living in the way of Christ, enable all to live more fully the life we are called to, and enable us to begin to make Peace with Creation.
Amen.
We Sing: “God, you spoke your word through Amos” – (Tune TiS 493)
God, you spoke your word through Amos long ago and far away.
Still your call for love and justice speaks to people in our day:
for we’ve trampled on the needy and brought heartbreak to the poor;
Lord, our way of life is greedy- we are always wanting more.
We confess the way we’re living harms the planet in our care;
many times our ways of spending hurt the poor and cause despair.
In a world where millions hunger, we consume without much thought.
So your land and people suffer; may we hear what Amos taught!
Even here within our churches, we have sometimes failed to be
bearers of your love and justice to your world community.
All our songs and celebrations and the feasting that we do
turn to mournful lamentations as we cry, “Lord, where are you?”
Lord, renew in us a vision of the world you’re working toward.
Guide your church to make decisions that acknowledge you as Lord.
May we seek your ways of justice, care for earth, and gladly give;
may the words you spoke through Amos guide the way we daily live!
Prayer for Others (prepared by Jenny Chamberlain):
Responsive words … Leader: Lord hear us. Response: Creator God, bring healing, bring hope.
Let us gather together in prayer for the church, our world and ourselves – let us pray.
Loving God, in this season of Spring we see your majestic creative hand at work. Help us to slow down and notice your abundant gifts surrounding us.
We pray for Christ’s Body, the church:
may it seek faithfulness in serving you,
may it seek unity, to your glory,
may it serve freely and openly the world around it.
Teach us as members of the church how to show your love, mercy and grace to a hurting world.
We lament the ongoing horror of war in Ukraine the Middle East and elsewhere, and pray for innocent refugees longing for home and stability, separated from loved ones. We think of those hungry for food, hungry for peace. We grieve with those grieving the senseless loss of life. May those in power work wisely for justice and peace for all.
Lord hear us – Creator God, bring healing, bring hope.
We pray for all who suffer injustice and prejudice through race, religion, disability, and poverty. We think of those in our midst homeless and isolated from mainstream society.
Lord hear us – Creator God, bring healing, bring hope.
God of love, we pray for those communities and nations already suffering the devastating effects of climate change; and we pray for the diversity of life on Earth, so much of it already threatened by our actions. May we reach out to them as we also strive to care for your planet, our world. May leaders worldwide find courage to act for all.
Lord hear us – Creator God, bring healing, bring hope.
We pray for our Uniting Church. We pray for all leaders in the Uniting Church,- our brothers and sisters in Assembly, Synod, Presbytery and within our church. Bless our minister Heather and Church Council. Bless us in the church’s work of service, mission and in sharing your love to all.
We lift up now all those dear to us who need your word of hope and blessing this day, and we remember them now in silent prayer.
(Time of silence)
Lord hear us – Creator God, bring healing, bring hope.
Indeed Lord bring healing, bring hope to us, your people to your church and to our world. Empower us to be agents of hope and change.
In the name of Christ we pray the prayer that he taught his followers …
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: “Community of Christ” – (TiS 473)
Community of Christ, who make the Cross your own,
live out your creed and risk your life for God alone:
the God who wears your face, to whom all world’s belong,
whose children are of every race and every song.
Community of Christ, look past the Church’s door
and see the refugee, the hungry, and the poor.
Take hands with the oppressed, the jobless in your street,
take towel and water, that you wash your neighbour’s feet.
Community of Christ, through whom the word must sound –
cry out for justice and for peace the whole world round:
disarm the powers that war and all that can destroy,
turn bombs to bread, and tears of anguish into joy.
When menace melts away, so shall God’s will be done,
the climate of the world be peace and Christ its Sun;
our currency be love and kindliness our law,
our food and faith be shared as one for evermore.
Blessing and Sending:
As we continue to live into our calling
as people of faith,
may God bless us with deep gratitude
for our relationships with all creatures;
may Christ help us to be good news to the poor,
and to rescue the abandoned and forgotten;
and may the Holy Spirit, infinite bond of love,
bring healing to our lives
so we may protect the world,
sowing beauty and regeneration.
And may God bless us with a spirit of global solidarity
flowing from the Mystery of the Trinity,
God who is Creator, Word and Holy Spirit,
now and forever.
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: The Fig Tree Worship and Seasons of Creation 2025.
‘God you spoke your word through Amos’ words by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette.