Koonung Heights Uniting Church
Service of Worship at Home
Transfiguration – 11 February 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.
Introit: “The heavens shall declare” (TiS 746)
The heavens shall declare the glory of his name,
all creation bow at the coming of the King:
every eye shall see, every heart will know,
every knee shall bow, every tongue confess:
holy, holy, holy is the Lord; see the coming of the King; holy is the Lord.
Candle Lighting (2 Corinthians 4:6):
For it is the God who said,
“Let light shine out of darkness,”
who has shone in our hearts to give the light
of the knowledge of the glory of God
in the face of Jesus Christ.
Let light shine in the darkness.
Acknowledgement of Country:
As we meet today,
I acknowledge the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin nation,
and pay my respects to their elders, past and present,
and all future generations and leaders.
I also remember and acknowledge
those who have faithfully worshipped,
and shared their gifts and lives with us at Koonung Heights.
I pray that our eyes will be opened to see the love of God.
Call to Worship (incl Psalm 50:1,5):
Healing and hope,
wonder and wisdom,
here we bring our questions and our queries
and tangle them together in worship.
For in the tangling we find a tale
that invites us into God.
The brilliance at the beginning
and the exclamation at the end:
this is our epiphany,
our God.
As the Psalmist reminds us,
God, the LORD God, has spoken and
God’s summons covers all the earth
like the sun from its rising to its setting.
“Gather to me, my faithful ones”.
We gather to worship you, O God.
We Sing: “Praise to the living God” – (TiS 102)
Praise to the living God, all praise be to God’s name,
who was, and is, and is to be, and still the same:
the one eternal God before what now appears,
the First, the Last, beyond all thought his timeless years!
Formless, all lovely forms declare his loveliness;
holy, no holiness of earth can his express.
Behold the Lord of all: creation speaks his praise,
and everywhere, above, below, his will obeys.
God’s Spirit freely flows, high surging where it will:
in prophet’s word she speaks of old, is speaking still.
Established is God’s law and so it ever stands,
deep written on the human heart, on sea, on land.
God has eternal life implanted in the soul:
God’s love shall be our strength and stay while ages roll.
Praise to the living God, all praise be to God’s name,
who was, and is, and is to be, and still the same!
Prayer of Adoration and Confession:
Loving and surprising God,
we come with hearts full of gratitude
for those mountain-top moments
when we sense your presence so close.
Often in grief, sometimes in delight,
and even when we’re doing something ordinary
you come with your startling light.
In the hand of a friend,
in the prayers of the faithful,
in the words of a song,
in the sun rising to bless another day;
you come to us and tell us to listen
to the one who calls us by name.
In the quiet we bask in your light
feeling the warmth of your love
flow through our bodies from the earth below,
feeling the breath of your Spirit
fill up our lungs from the air around us,
feeling the mystery of the stars
draw us closer to you from beyond our knowing.
Always we are in your presence.
Loving and surprising God
mixed with our gratitude is fear;
we are afraid of failing, of getting it wrong,
of messing things up, of saying the wrong things.
Forgive us when we hurt others
by what we do and say and what we fail to do and say.
Sometimes when you tell us to listen
we shut down and turn away, because of our fear.
Forgive us when we talk instead of listening,
or when we’re too full of ourselves to let you or others in.
Guide us today and every day,
as we seek to do your will in this ever-changing world.
Open our eyes to the of blessings and opportunities
which you have poured out on us.
Make us aware of the needs of others,
and free our minds to love and be loved.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen.
Words of Assurance:
Siblings in Christ,
God is with us, on the mountain top and at the kitchen sink,
in the playground, the office and the nursing home,
at the break of day and in the darkest night
bringing light, healing and hope.
Be assured, we are forgiven
thanks be to God.
Amen.
The Peace
May the Peace of God dwell with you:
and also with you.
A Time for All:
Last week we thought about how things were starting up again, and reflected on the way that God’s is with us always – that ‘God’s got our back’! It’s been great to see some of those tags around during the week!
This week is the first Sunday for our Koonung Kids program and it is appropriate that we should commission those who will be working with children and young people both here at Koonung Heights and also at Mont Albert Primary School with the Kids Hope program. Koonung Kids and Kids Hope are both safe places where relationships are formed and people are nurtured. What happens in these places can be foundational for life.
Let us share in an affirmation together.
There are different gifts
but it is the same spirit who gives them.
God works through different people in different ways,
but it is the same God whose purposes are achieved.
Through baptism, God’s people promise
to love, encourage and support each other,
so that we may all grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
and in the knowledge and love of God.
With God’s help we seek to live out our baptism as a loving community in Christ:
nurturing one another in faith,
upholding one another in prayer, and
encouraging one another in service.
At Koonung Heights we are blessed to have those
who commit to working with children and young people,
both within our Koonung Kids programs on a Sunday,
and in the wider community through Kid’s Hope.
I would like to invite all these people to stand.
As we commission these individuals,
let us acknowledge that they offer themselves as leaders and friends,
working with children and young people in this congregation and the community.
To those standing I ask …
Do you believe you are called by God to work with children and young people,
offering them guidance and friendship while sharing God’s love?
I do, God being my helper.
Will you be diligent and prayerful as you prepare and minister to those in your care?
With God’s help, I will.
And now some questions for the congregation …
Members of the body of Christ, will you encourage these people in their ministry,
and support them with your prayers?
With God’s help, we will.
As life-long learners, will you be open to the learnings you have this year,
be willing to listen and gracious as you share with one another?
With God’s help, we will.
Let us pray …
God of grace,
you have called us to be salt and light in the world,
and to share in the ministry of love to all people.
We thank you for those who have responded
to your call.
We pray that your Holy Spirit may inspire them,
so that by their example
others will see the light of Christ.
We ask that we would be faithful
in our commitment to life-long learning,
and to support and uphold one another in prayer.
Amen.
We Sing: “May the feet of God” – (TiS 779)
May the feet of God walk with you, and God’s hand hold you tight.
May the eye of God rest on you, and his ear hear your cry.
May the smile of God be for you, and her breath give you life.
May the Child of God grow in you, and God’s love bring you home.
Bible Reading: 2 Kings 5:1-6
– The Healing of Naaman
1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favour with his master because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from a skin disease. 2 Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his skin disease.” 4 So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5 And the king of Aram said, “Go, then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.”
He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. 6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his skin disease.”
Bible Reading: Mark 9:2-9
– The Transfiguration
2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling bright, such as no one on earth could brighten them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us set up three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 6 He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” 8 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them anymore, but only Jesus.
The Coming of Elijah
9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
Reflection:
Children love to play ‘Hide and Seek’. It’s a fun game which has a lot to do with your powers of observation as you seek to find those who are hiding. At least it used to be a fun game when I was young. As an adult, who has sometimes been roped into playing this game with children, I have discovered that it’s not so much about what I can ‘see’, but more about understanding what it means to be ‘hidden’. Coming across a hiding place too quickly can mean the game isn’t fun for little ones, but taking too long is not good either. It seems that we all want to be found when we are hidden, but at the right moment, neither too soon nor too late.
The term ‘hidden figure’ came to be part of our vocabulary in 2016 following the release of the film ‘Hidden Figures’, which told the true story of three African American women mathematicians – Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan – and it is fitting that we mention them today, as it is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. While constantly fighting discrimination – including having to go to court to win the right to study, and fighting to be able to place their own names on their work – these women end up playing crucial roles with NASA and the early space missions, working with astronauts like John Glenn. Each of these women were pioneers in the scientific world. Each did ground-breaking, and in some cases life-saving work, not only in their particular areas of expertise, but also in making a difference for women, particularly coloured women, to work in traditionally male-dominated areas. Their achievements were hidden away for many years and even now not everyone knows of them.
In both readings for this week we witness events that are moments of transition, reveal something of God at work, and resonate with this image of being hidden. In the story of Naaman we have the hidden figure of a young, foreign slave girl. She is seemingly insignificant, as is the part she plays in the narrative, but she makes a world of difference for Naaman and sets him on the path of healing. In the gospel story we see Jesus go up a mountain, a traditional place for God’s revelation to take place, and see his clothes become white but not with any human brightness. As Jesus is transfigured, more of God’s purpose is revealed, yet much still seems to be hidden from the understanding of the disciples who are present.
There is also something miraculous about both these stories, and often we don’t know what to do with the miraculous. We can be quick to domesticate the divine rather than sit with the wonder of what we witness, simply because sitting with what we don’t understand makes us uncomfortable. We don’t know how to respond to events outside our normal experience, so we try and do things that make us feel normal. Witnessing a miraculous healing or seeing a glowing figure are not part of our normal experiences and so we can feel under pressure to explain them. Today, however, I’d like to encourage you to be less concerned with making sense of these events, and instead, to sit with the wonder of them. When has the idea of a miraculous healing or a brilliantly glowing holy figure ever “made sense” anyway? Maybe the transfigured Jesus isn’t supposed to be ‘figured out’, but rather appreciated.
The story of Naaman’s healing is about a powerful man with a very visible weakness. While he is a great military leader, he was afflicted with leprosy. In his case, and thankfully for him, it was not accompanied by the same ostracism from society that many others suffered. But there is no doubt that Naaman would have hungered for healing from this condition. The trigger for Naaman’s healing is both complex and simple – complex in that it is bound up in power systems that enabled him, as the victor of raids in Israel, to take a young girl as a captive and slave. Yet there is a simplicity to how this young girl sees the need of her new master and offers Naaman’s wife a possible remedy. She does not do it to seek freedom, she just sees a need and offers a possible solution. In this miraculous act, we see something of God revealed in both the selfless act of the slave girl and, if we read a little further, the healing of Naaman as he finally follows the instructions of the prophet Elisha to bathe in the Jordan.
Most of the epiphanies we get to experience in life consist of glimpses, and sometimes we aren’t even sure that they are really ours to see, but the transfiguration is a different kind of revealing. Jesus becomes a beacon, like a lighthouse planted in the middle of the desert, and is clothed in shining garments. Jesus discloses himself and the light is too bright for the disciples, yet they are still held in it. As the voice from the cloud speaks, declaring ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!’ (Mark 9:7), I wonder if rather than hearing a stern, booming voice, we might be able to imagine that God is smiling and hear his delight. It’s hard to imagine anyone speaking of their ‘beloved’ without smiling. As God delights in Jesus, we are invited into the presence of this delight. It is warm and welcoming and part of the wonder we are invited to sit with.
So where is the good news in all of this? Can we find it as we simply sit with the wonder, or are we really just engaging in self-indulgent naval gazing? I truly think that we are more likely to discover the good news when we allow ourselves the time to be still and sit in wonder. The good news is that we share in the transfiguration as the light of Christ shines on us, pointing us to who Jesus is and who we are through him.
The bright light of the transfiguration affirms life, and shines a light into Lent which enables us to move with hope and confidence. The light speaks a promise that God is here, that God is knowable and that God seeks relationship. It reminds us that God is life.
Amen.
We Sing: “Colourful Creator” – (TiS 190)
Colourful Creator, God of mystery,
thank you for the artist teaching us to see
glimpses of the meaning of the commonplace,
visions of the holy in each human face.
Harmony of ages, God of listening ear,
thank you for composers tuning us to hear
echoes of the Gospel in the songs we sing,
sounds of love and longing form the deepest spring.
Author of our journey, God of near and far,
praise for tale and drama telling who we are,
stripping to the essence struggles of our day,
times of change and conflict when we choose our way.
God of truth and beauty, Poet of the Word,
may we be creators by the Spirit stirred,
open to your presence in our joy and strife,
vessels of the holy coursing through our life.
Prayer for Others (prepared by Peta Lowe):
When you hear the words: “Lord, hear us”, you are invited to respond, “Hear our prayer”.
Lord God, we worship and adore you, even as you remain a mystery in so many ways.
We acknowledge that we can never fully know or understand you, although you fully know and understand us. Nevertheless, help us to seek your will and to try to do it, as well as we are able.
Lord Jesus, we praise and honour you, even as we realise that there is much about you and your life that we don’t really know or fully understand. Help us as we seek to know you more, and help us to follow your teachings and example.
Lord, hear us. Hear our prayer.
Lord, we pray for the world and all its people.
We pray for people carrying leadership responsibilities, in government, business, unions, local communities and faith communities. Grant them wisdom, humility, compassion, and a commitment to justice.
We pray for those who give advice and guidance to leaders. Give them courage, honesty and persistence. We pray for scientists and researchers, whose findings benefit society and our environment.
We pray for all the workers, especially those whose work is largely unseen or unrecognised. May they feel the importance of their contributions.
Lord, hear us. Hear our prayer.
We pray for people who are suffering the effects of Climate Change across the world.
We pray for those preparing disaster response plans. Remind them to include the most vulnerable members of their communities in these plans, so that no one is left behind.
We pray for areas where crops have failed, and food is a daily struggle. May food aid reach these hungry people. We pray for those adapting farming methods to a changing climate. We pray for abundant harvests, that bring improved nutrition and health.
We pray for those working to bring a safe water supply to people whose quality of life will be vastly improved.
Lord, we pray for people with disabilities in the poorest countries. May they be released from the cycle of poverty and disability.
We pray for people here in Australia who are struggling; for the material things they need, for security, for health and wholeness, for acceptance, or for justice.
Lord, hear us. Hear our prayer.
Lord, guide your church across the world. Help us to be worshippers and disciples, praising Jesus and doing our best to follow him, worshipping God and striving to orient our whole lives to God.
Lord, help us, as your church and as individuals, to always rely on you, every step of the way. In worship and in discipleship, keep us close to you, we pray.
Lord, hear us. Hear our prayer.
Lord, we pray for King Charles and his health, not because he is a king, but because he is a person, and one of your beloved children. We pray for his family and friends, who must be filled with worry. Likewise we pray for all those diagnosed with cancer, and their families and friends, for we know that they are all equally precious in your sight and equally important to you. We pray for the doctors, nurses and other health care staff who treat and care for cancer patients and support their families.
Lord, hear us. Hear our prayer.
We pray for ourselves, our family and friends, and our congregation.
With thanks we pray for Rev. Heather and her family, for all those taking active roles in the life of our church this year, and for those facing difficult challenges.
Lord, hear us. Hear our prayer.
As we move further into another busy year, help us to discern what is important; when to take up a task, and when to set it aside. Direct our energy into the work and activity that matters to you. Guide us to do what pleases you, and only what pleases you.
Help us to acknowledge the efforts and achievements of others, especially those who tend to be overlooked or undervalued. Guide us to build up and encourage one another.
Lord, hear us. Hear our prayer.
And now we pray together as Jesus taught:
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: “Be thou my vision” – (TiS 547)
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
naught be all else to me, save that thou art
thou my best thought, by day or by night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord;
thou my great Father, thy child let me be;
thou in me dwelling, and I one with thee.
Be thou my armour, my sword for the fight,
be thou my dignity, thou my delight;
thou my soul’s shelter and thou my high tower:
raise thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
Riches I scorn and the world’s empty praise,
thou my inheritance, now and always:
thou and thou only the first in my heart;
high King of heaven, my treasure thou art.
High King of heaven, after victory won,
may I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O ruler of all.
Blessing:
Go from this place
with open hearts and open minds and open lives,
full of blessing for having shared this time together.
Go in wonder
at the way in which God is revealed to us,
in all the small and mighty moments of our lives.
Go to be a source
of light and love in all ways and in all places.
And may the Spirit be your companion,
the Son be your guide
and the love of God dwell in your body and in your being.
And together we say:
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 49), Billabong Worship Resources, By the Well Podcast, Working Preacher and Fig Tree Worship.