Northbridge-Castlecrag Uniting Church 21 June 2015

Pentecost 4

Uniting Church 38th Anniversary Northbridge Church 60th Anniversary

THE GATHERING OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD

Organist: Mervyn Olds Liturgist: Rev Yangrae Son

CALL TO WORSHIP L: Our God is a God of grace, P: and we are called to be a people of prayer. L: We gather here to learn our needs: P: not to justify ourselves but to say we are sorry, L: not to cling to the familiar but to risk the untested, P: not to enjoy our own decency but to worship a holy God, L: not to practise positive thinking but to be caught up in God’s joy. P: Let us worship God! L: We acknowledge the traditional owners that God placed as the

original custodians of the country on which we meet. We pay respect to their tribal Elders, honour their continuing culture, and pray that in the power of the Spirit we might all work together for reconciliation and justice in this nation.

God of Holy Dreaming, Great Creator Spirit, from the dawn of

creation you have given your children the good things of Mother Earth.

P: You spoke and the gum tree grew. L: In the vast desert and the dense forest, and in the cities and at

the water’s edge, creation sings your praises. P: Your presence endures as the rock at the heart of our Land. L: When Jesus hung on the tree you heard the cries of all your

people and became one with your wounded ones: the convicts, the hunted, and the dispossessed.

P: The sunrise of your Son coloured the earth anew, and bathed it in glorious hope.

L: In Jesus we have been reconciled to you, to each other and to your whole creation.

Lead us on, Great Spirit, as we gather from the four corners of the earth;

P: enable us to walk together in trust from the hurt and shame of the past into the full day which has dawned in Jesus Christ.

Amen. HYMN All are welcome [3 verses] [stand] Let us build a house where love can dwell And all can safely live, A place where saints and children tell How hearts learn to forgive. Built of hopes and dreams and visions; Rock of faith and vault of grace; Here the love of Christ shall end divisions: All are welcome, all are welcome, All are welcome in this place.

Let us build a house where love is found In water, wine and wheat; A banquet hall on holy ground, Where peace and justice meet. Here the love of God, through Jesus, Is revealed in time and space, As we share in Christ the feast that feeds us; All are welcome, all are welcome, All are welcome in this place.

Let us build a house where all are named, Their songs and visions heard And loved and treasured, taught and claimed As words within the Word. Built of tears and cries and laughter, Prayers of faith and songs of grace; Let this house proclaim from floor to rafter: All are welcome, all are welcome, All are welcome in this place

Stories of Pilgrim People in Northbridge

V Beryl Watson Old Testament Reading: L: This morning’s reading comes from 1 Samuel 17:32-49. Listen now for the Word of God. [Julie Graham] L: For the Word of God in scripture, for the Word of God among us, for the Word of God within us P: thanks be to God. CHILDREN’S TALK [Narelle Tasker] HYMN 229 ‘Jesus loves me’ [2 verses] [seated] Stories of Pilgrim People in Northbridge

V Edna Senior

V Beverly Harpur

V Susan Howieson

Epistle Reading: L: This morning’s reading comes from 2 Corinthians 6:1-13. Listen now for the Word of God. [Ann Thomas] L: For the Word of God in scripture, for the Word of God among us, for the Word of God within us P: thanks be to God. PRAYER OF CONFESSION

[Gordon Hunter & Sarnie Hay]

L: We have been stupid again, God. We have let our faith be corroded by the worries of the world. P: We are more aware of fear than hope, more familiar with anxiety than serenity. L: We confess that this acidic unfaith even eats away at our church committees, councils and worship. . P: We worry, worry, and worry about falling numbers and our declining influence in society. L: We even worry about the possibility of the church becoming extinct. P: Then we become weary and irritable with one another. L: Lord, have mercy. P: Lord, have mercy. L: Christ, have mercy. P: Christ, have mercy. L: Lord, have mercy. P: Lord, have mercy. L: Most loving and ever-faithful God, return us to the sanity of faith. Help us to let go of our worrying habits and stand empty in the presence of your abundant grace. P: Remind us that the church is yours, not ours. In its strength or in its weakness, keep us faithful to the gospel of Christ and alert to your Spirit's pulse. L: If it is your will that aspects of the church that we have loved must die, let us embrace death gracefully. P: If it is your plan that a new church should be born, let us suffer the travail gratefully. L: Fill us with courage, a sense of humour and a quiet mind. P: For yours is the kingdom, power and glory of irrepressible love, today, tomorrow and forever. Amen. ANTHEM Lord let your love light shine on me

Choir with Geoff Y Smith

THE SERVICE OF THE WORD Gospel Reading: Mark 4:35-41

[Rodney Thomas] L: This is the Gospel of the Lord. P: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. SERMON Rev Dr David Gill HYMN MHB 634 ‘Will your anchor hold in’ (3 verses) [stand]

COMMISSIONING OF ELDER Valerie Gomm

PRESENTATION OF OFFERING DOXOLOGY 768 (i) (as offering brought forward) [stand] CHURCH ANNOUNCEMENTS [Carol Mason]

V from parishioners’ photo albums PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION

[Margaret West & Margaret Wright]

L: Almighty God. you built your church on the rock of human faith and trust; we praise you for Jesus Christ, the foundation and cornerstone of all we believe. P: We praise you, O God. L: For the great people of history, whose love for your church made it a willing instrument of your care and mercy;

who placed you first in their lives and held to their faith in good times and in bad: P: We praise you, O God. L: Save us, O God, from living in the past, and from resting on the work and witness of others. Let us catch a new vision and make a new beginning, that we may faithfully serve you in the Uniting Church and in our world today. P: Lord, have mercy. L: Keep us, O God, from lack of reverence for truth and beauty; from artificial life and worship, from all that is hollow or insincere. P: Lord, have mercy. L: Spare us, O God, from pride that excludes others from the shelter of your love; from the selfishness that uses your church as a means of getting social position or personal glory. P: Lord, have mercy. L: Save us, O God, from sin and worldliness which deny the saving power of the gospel; from shallowness of faith and hypocrisy of life which cause others to remain empty or be disillusioned. P: Lord, have mercy. L: That we may accept the responsibility of our freedom, the burden of our privilege; and so conduct ourselves that we may bring others to faith in Christ; P: O God, be our strength. L: That we may not be content with a secondhand faith, worshipping words rather than the Word; but that we may find joy in study of the Bible, and growth in exposure to new insights; P: O God, be our strength.

L: That we may be actively engaged in the life of our parish, our presbytery and community, sharing in Christ's mission to the world, and always seeking the common good; P: O God, be our strength. L: That we may find in your church a prod to our imaginations, a shock to our laziness, and a source of power to do your will; P: O God, be our strength. L: O God, you gave us minds to know you, hearts to love you, and voices to sing your praise. Send the Holy Spirit among us, that, confronted by your truth, we may worship and serve you as we should; through Jesus Christ our Lord. P: Amen. THE SENDING FORTH OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD

HYMN 687 ‘God gives us a future’ [stand] BLESSING AND DISMISSAL [Rev Grahame Ellis] MISSIONING SONG 749 (vs 1 & 4)

Send me, Jesus; send me, Jesus; Send me, Jesus; send me, Lord. I will go, Lord; I will go, Lord; in your name, Lord, I will go.

Acknowledgment: Call to Worship based on the liturgy from the UCA Assembly Worship Group. Prayers of Confession based on Jesus our Future by B Prewer. Prayers of Intercession from Uniting in Worship.