Gungahlin Uniting Church

Welcoming of the stranger. Inclusive of all people. Sharing the faith journey together. Informal and friendly Christian community..

Sharing the faith journey together. Informal and friendly Christian community.

Order of Service – August 09, 2020

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Welcome to worship this week, in this time you’ll be invited to reflect on the scripture for the week, hear words of inspiration, psalms of faith, songs of hope and reflect on our own journeys with fear.

Carve out a space this week, light a candle if you can and use this to help you and your household reflect on your faith and worship the God of creation.

Song: The Sun Will Rise

Call to Worship

Source: Spill The Beans Issue 35

Joseph with his technicolour dream coat 
must have felt so very alone.

Jesus withdrew to solitary places 
intentionally to be alone.

Peter went to be with Christ
and then felt incredibly afraid.

Jesus disperses a crowd
who were nothing but a gathering of individuals.
Gather today with the worldwide Church 
even if you feel alone.

Withdraw with intention today to be with God. 
If you have any fear,
bring it to Christ that he may help you walk. 

As the individual that you are,
worship as you can.

Song: Inspired By Love & Anger

Story

https://vimeo.com/445561120
Holy Moly – Walking on Water – To access this story you will need a password, it is GUNGUCFF2020

Prayer of Adoration and Confession

Source: Spill The Beans Issue 35

You come to us early in the morning; 
wind howling, waves crashing,
the world unravelling around us.

You come to us walking on the water, 
proclaiming peace when
we feel anything but peaceful.

Somewhere in our fear, 
in our finitude,
we decided that we 
must be water-walkers 
to earn your love.

Forgive us when we step out of the boat 
to test ourselves,
to test you,
to shore up our faith,
our egos, our fear.

You do not call us out 
to test our faith,
you call us out in love, 
to be love
and you are ever by our side.

Comfort us
when the waves rock the boat.

Steady us
when the wind is up, 
and our guard is down.

Challenge us to live our faith 
from grace’s perspective 
knowing you match our steps, 
stride by stormy stride. 

Amen.

Readings

Genesis 37:1-4,12-28

Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b

Song: Let Our Heart’s Rejoice

Matthew 14:22-33

Song: Wade in the Water

Reflection

https://vimeo.com/445249388

All-Age Prayer

Source: Spill The Beans Issue 35

Jesus Christ,
you know what it is to be afraid
and when you saw your friends soaked and scared, 
you came to them.

While you were on your way,
you called to them
telling them it was okay to be afraid,
that you were with them on the water.

When Peter shouted out,
so excited and courageous, 
you invited him to step out 
not to prove his faith
but to share your love.

And when the fear started
to beat harder in his heart
and his feet got wet with the waves,
you reached out your hand,
loved him,
and together you walked back to the boat.

Remind us that we are always safe with you. 

Challenge us to make more safe places for each other 
especially when we see other people scared.

Amen.

Song: Forever by Christ Tomlin

Prayer for Others

Gracious and loving God,

We lift up to you all those who are affected by the corona virus. 

For those who are ill, bring them healing. 

For those struggling with job loss and isolation, 

     bring them peace and surround them with people to support them. 

For those working on the front lines, 

     be with them and their families and give them strength. 

We pray to you, who walked on water, giver of help and miracle maker, 

     for an effective vaccine.

Be with our church as we struggle through this time. 

Be with those who are planning the recommencement of worship, 

    filling in the endless paperwork and making tough decisions to try to keep us safe. 

Be with each member of our church community 

    in the waiting, the wondering and the worrying. 

Help us to do our best to care for each other 

    and to put love at the centre of all we do.

Amen

Holly Wright, August 2020

Sending

Source: Spill The Beans Issue 35

Jesus, you are the Son of God. 

Even the wind and the waves, 
the stormy seas,
are calmed by your Spirit.

We might never walk on the surface of water, 
as if immune to life’s troubles,
yet, neither do we need to sink.

For you, Lord, are with us.
Your hand is upon us.
Your love is for us.
Your commitment to us is endless.

Thanks be to God, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit, today and always.

Song: Christ Before Me

Take Home Ideas

What has kept you from sinking?

Take time to consider (perhaps write down as a list) times in your life when you have found yourself starting to have that sinking feeling. Troubling, challenging times when naturally it has been difficult to cope emotionally and sometimes physically.

We all have these times.

  • What prevented you sinking?
  • Who stopped you from sinking deeper?
  • How did you manage to stay afloat?

Hopefully we recognise the hand of God in those moments.

Be thankful for the people, the self-resilience and the help that was available to you as you managed these difficult times.

Home Brewed Worship – August 2, 2020

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Worship At Home

This week if you’re worshipping from home we’ve put together an order of service for use during the week.

Readings

Genesis 32:22-31
Psalm 17:1-7, 15
Romans 9:1-5
Matthew 14:13-21

Use the practice of Lectio Divina this week to reflect on the readings from this week. Spend a day reading through one of the scripture readings following the practice described here.

Prayers for the week

Prayer of Adoration

Prayer of Confession

Prayer of Intercession

All Age Prayer – A Prayer to Begin Every Day

Faith At Home

We’ve put together a few ideas for you to explore the Gospel story together this week. From picnics to prayers, Sandwiches to Fast food we’ve got you covered here.

Singing The Scripture

We’ve put together another playlist of songs to journey with you over the week. You can check out the playlist here.

Reflection

Two Kings, Two Feasts, Two different Kingdoms…

https://vimeo.com/443047339

Faith At Home – August 2, 2020

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Are you worshipping at home with your family or friends this weekend?

Here are a number of activities for you to do at home as you reflect on the scripture from this week.

Holy Moly

Check out this week’s Home Brewed Worship email for the password to view the Holy Moly video for this week’s Gospel reading and another on the life and story of Jacob.

All Age Prayer

This prayer is a good prayer for starting each day this week.

Source: Spill The Beans Issue 35

Lord God,
wherever you went,
the crowds followed,
because they knew that you would feed them in body, mind, and spirit.
May we gather friends too
because we are known to be kind and generous.
You found it difficult to have time on your own, may we always have space
to recharge when we are tired.
Help us, Lord Jesus, just like you did,
to always see possibility and potential, and to enhance the gifts of others,
sharing what we have
and being glad of all that others bring.
So may we love and serve you in all things.

Amen.

Story

The Growing In God’s Love Storybible has a great poem retelling the story of the feeding of the crowd (it’s based on the John version, bit still beautifully done).  You can access the poem/retelling here.

Action

Abundance Vs Excess

This week’s Gospel story invites me to consider how much my life is one of abundance, or ruled by excess. Excess often means I have way more than we need and our leftovers end up in the waste.

This week have a table conversation with your household about your leftovers, whether it be clothes, food, money or time. How can your household be one that lives out the Kingdom of God, how can you show compassion to others and also, how can you live your life with less waste?

Fast Food

Consider how much you and your household might eat from the many fast food restaurants where you live.

  • What’s your favourite fast food?
  • What kind of portions do they serve?
  • Have you ever eaten too much? How did that feel?
  • What do you know about the sustainability and waste of the restaurants you eat at?
  • How can you share food with others?

A Simple Meal

This week make an effort to eat simple meals, perhaps yo might be able to share a meal of fish and bread, perhaps tuna sandwiches.

  • Why do you think it is important that Jesus used what was offered rather than have food drop from the sky or some other miracle?
  • Why did Jesus bless the food?
  • What do you think they did with the leftover food?
  • What would you have done with all that food?

Picnic Time

Go outside and have a picnic, take some time to prepare a meal, head outside and enjoy time with friends or family.

Imagine the crowd, Jesus and the Disciples in today’s story, how do you think they felt after the death of John? Why did they gather? Why did Jesus feel compassion for them, what does compassion look like, how can we live out compassion in our lives, homes, schools and world?

Home Brewed Worship – August 02, 2020 – Order of Service

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Hear Me & Show Me Your Love by Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan Colligan

Call to Worship

Spill The Beans Issue 12

Jesus wanted to be alone,
to mourn the loss of his cousin, but the people followed him.
When Jesus saw the crowd
he was filled with compassion.
His own needs were put to the side.
Jesus spent the day healing the sick
and by evening the people were hungry. So, Jesus blessed what they had,
five loaves and two fish,
and everyone shared together
with twelve whole baskets left over.
We gather today as people who are in need of healing and who are hungry for God’s word.
Let us worship our God
who is extravagantly generous to all people.

Prayer of Adoration

Spill The Beans Issue 12

Loving God, you care for all people.
You are deeply aware of the hurts we carry and the fragility of our existence.
Better than we know ourselves,
you recognise that as human beings
we are vulnerable
to the circumstances of life.
That is why you never turn your back on us.
You are always available and we can always find you. So today we seek you, God, ready to share with you
the blessing we have enjoyed, recognising your creativity and generosity and bringing to you our concerns
over those things
that bother or threaten us.
To worship we gather,
in faith we come together,
and in anticipation we wait to be fed. In Jesus name we pray.
Amen..

Readings

Genesis 32:22-31
Psalm 17:1-7, 15
Romans 9:1-5
Matthew 14:13-21

Reflection

Spill The Beans Issue 35

When Jesus heard this…
the news that his cousin had been killed: he wanted time to be alone,
he wanted space to mourn,
but everyone wanted a piece of him.
Often we do not know the back story. We only know our needs,
and our wants.
May we have compassion:
for all the back stories,
that we might never hear,
and may we tread cautiously
in our encounters with others, allowing for the possibility
that we tread on broken dreams, and shattered hope.
May we be gentle,
may we be kind,
making space for one another.

Story

The Growing In God’s Love Storybible has a great poem retelling the story of the feeding of the crowd (it’s based on the John version, bit still beautifully done). You can access the poem/retelling here.

Holy Moly

Check out this week’s Home Brewed Worship email for the password to view the Holy Moly video for this week’s Gospel reading.

Question for conversation or contemplation:

  • Imagine sharing a meal with many friends. Can you draw, paint, sculpt the meal? Who would you like to be eating with at this moment?
  • Can you write your own retelling of this story in poem, story or song?

Reflection – 2 August, 2020

https://vimeo.com/443047339

Prayers for Others

(Margaret Reeson)

Lord Jesus, who saw the crowds and had compassion on them,
we bring our prayers for our anxious world.

We pray for those who are looking for sense and meaning in these times of trouble,
and are trying to work out whose advice and example they can follow.
Jesus, may they find that One in you,
as did the crowds who followed you into the lonely place.

We pray for those who are ill, and afraid of becoming ill.
Lord, comfort them and be close to each one in their anxiety and pain.
Jesus Christ, who had compassion on the many sick people who followed you,
help the health professionals with strength and courage for each day,
as they are your human hands and feet.
Please help the scientists, the researchers, the contact tracers
and those spending hours providing testing.
When they are exhausted, and in despair,
we pray that they may have practical support that gives hope.

We pray for those who are struggling to survive as they lose their jobs
and their businesses in ways they could not have imagined.
We pray for decision-makers with responsibility for the economy
and the livelihoods of our communities.
Jesus Christ, who saw the needs of the hungry crowds and met those needs,
please give wisdom, helpful initiatives and practical solutions
for the health of our society.

We pray for those who feel that their important issues and needs are being ignored
while we all focus on a pandemic and the economy.
Jesus Christ, you saw the women and children as well as the men.
You knew the other things that mattered, not only illness and hunger.
Please give us all eyes to see and act, as we are able,
beyond the narrow focus that sometimes limits us.

We pray for each other as a congregation.
Help us all as we work out the ways in which we may begin to gather again
when it is safe to do so.
Bless us, together and apart, in our homes and in our daily work,
alone or with our families.

We are still the people who come seeking you, longing for answers
and needing your care.

Be with us all, we pray. Amen

Blessing

Home Brewed Worship – July 26, 2020 – The Kingdom of God

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Readings:

Genesis 29:15-28
Psalm 105:1-11, 45b
Romans 8:26-39
Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

This week’s Gospel reading includes 6, yes 6 parables, that’s a lot of parables! Each parable invites us to imagine the Kingdom of God, not through images of might, power or violence but through images of seed, yeast, pearl, hidden treasure and fishing nets.

It’s not a great selection of scripture if you don’t like stories.

In a way our lives are parables, each of us living out ordinary stories that imagine the Kingdom of God, our worship is also a parable of a lived out story of the Kingdom of God and, as we celebrate communion together we act out yet another parable where we’re invited to imagine the Kingdom of God as a meal of bread and wine with friends, strangers, enemies, neighbours and kin.

This week I invite you to start a Kingdom of God diary, use words or images to record the moments when you become aware of the Kingdom of God in your life. Perhaps you could use your camera to catalogue where you saw the kingdom break through this week.

Start each day with a prayer that you will be attentive to the moments where you are invited to witness the Kingdom of God this week, in yourself, in your home, in your neighbourhood. Keep your eyes open, look in the ordinary everyday things, for that’s where Jesus asks us to look this week.

End each day by giving thanks to God for every moment you witnessed the Kingdom of God this day.

*If you think it’s too difficult to look for moments of the Kingdom of God then perhaps you might look for moments where you see God at work each day.

Singing the Scripture

This week’s playlist invites us to enter the scripture through songs that reflect on Psalm 105 and the Kingdom of God.

Prayer

This week we invite you to use these prayers in your daily life. Perhaps you’d like to carry one of these prayers with you throughout the week, finding a quiet space every day to pray the prayer.

Perhaps you’d like to use the All Age Prayer as you start each day, or carry the confession to pray at the end of every day.

All Age Prayer

Source: Spill The Beans

Lord the cycle of nature works well.

Thank you!
From the plants and trees come seeds.

They fall into the ground
or are carried by insects and birds
and are dropped into waiting earth.
The soil contains food; the skies give water.
Seeds grow, and grow and grow. New life is born.
Food for animals and people,
colour for creation.

A cycle of life in nature that works well.

Thank you!
From the smallest seed comes a large tree.
Earth is full of the possibility of hope.

Our Life too is like that, God.
Thank you.

Amen.

Prayer of Confession

Source: Spill The Beans

Again, again, again Lord.
You just don’t stop!
You are always trying to reveal yourself,
teaching us of your Kingdom,
calling us to participate.

Parables, conversations, shared journeys, fellowship round a table.
You spoke to people and opened up
the Kingdom of God.
Its values shining through like sunlight;
its vastness as deep as the oceans;
its power to give life
and grow whatever it touches
equal to only the work of the Spirit.

How precious is the Kingdom? Nothing can compare
in the value it brings to human life;
a gift of your Love for all people.
Again, again, again Lord.
You just don’t stop!
You are always trying to reveal yourself,
teaching us of your Kingdom,
calling us to participate.

But do we really see?
Do we stop to listen, to watch, to absorb what you reveal?
We are sometimes slow to adopt
the values of the Kingdom.
We think bigger is better,
thinking that nothing of value comes in or from what the world deems
of small consequence.

We go for the quick fix, the instant hit,
not recognising that like the work
of making bread,
effort is needed to bring the constituent parts of life together
in a way that satisfies the hunger
not just of some, but of all.

We succumb to the temptation
of acquiring more and more possessions;
especially those we deem trendy
and that others too would desire.
We miss what is truly precious
in the hunt for what we think is precious.

Lord forgive us.
In your mercy and love for us
do not stop working away at us. Persevere in making us understand.
Again, again and again
open our eyes to the true values of the Kingdom;
how precious it is.

Continue to reveal yourself, teach us, and call us to participate
in your work in the world.
This is our prayer;
in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

Prayers for others

(Ron Reeson)

O God,
Sometimes our prayers feel as small as a mustard seed.
But we bring them to you in faith
that they will be added to thousands, even thousands and thousands
of other mustard seed prayers from the church worldwide.

We pray, as we have done so often in recent days,
for those suffering and those in fear,
for overworked paramedics, doctors, nurses and medical aids,
for those struggling to survive
who do not have work, or not enough work,
and for the quick arrival of an effective vaccine.

We pray for those in countries
where the pandemic is not being managed wisely
where many are dying
and for all those who are not believing in, or following, medical guidance.
Protect us all, dear God.

We pray for relations between the superpowers
and for smaller countries directly or indirectly impacted by them.

We pray also for the Queen, the Governor General and all our political leaders.
May they serve humbly,
using their power and authority with fairness and regard for all,
remembering that we are all equal and belong to each other.

We pray for our country,
for those struggling in the middle of a messy court case
for those who have been abused physically or financially,
for children at school,
neighbours in our street or apartment building
and for those who struggle in the cold.

We pray finally for our own congregation, its health and well-being,
and for those managing a safe return to gathered worship and community.
Give them good wisdom, insight and a sense of care for all.

In the name of Jesus the Lord.
Amen

Prayer of Adoration

Source: Spill The Beans

Living, breathing, creating God,
your work in the world never stops:
growing,
kneading,
revealing,
sourcing,
sorting.
In every aspect of life Your Spirit works
as the energy that generates the potential
and activity of your Kingdom.

We become before you,
ready to praise you
and ready to open our eyes,
our hearts and minds
to the values of the Kingdom.
Lift the veil this day
that you might reveal to us
the kaleidoscope of divine colour
that reveals the full variety
and brilliance of the activity
and work of the Kingdom.

The Kingdom is real,
it is here and it is waiting to welcome all
for it is inclusive in its depth,
it is for the whole of humanity.
Amen.

Reflection

https://vimeo.com/441031209

Story

https://vimeo.com/440941025
The Marvellous Mustard Seed, a parable by Amy Jill-Levine
Are you ready to hear the story? Imagine the Parable of the Great Pearl.

Listening to Stories

Find a favourite story and read it, if it’s a picture book spend some time looking at the artwork. What do you like about the story the most? What grabbed your attention? Did the story make you feel happy, sad, scared?

If you’re reading this story with others note how different parts of the story grab your imagination and how each of you might be attracted to different parts of the story.

Read the gospel reading and talk about what parable, what image attracts each of you and why.

Go Deeper

About GUC

We are a community on a journey, we’ve grown from a small faith community planted in Ngunnawal in the early years of Gungahlin’s development to a thriving inclusive, intergenerational & multicultural community. As Gungahlin has grown we have seen a lot of change.

We are an open and inclusive community, everyone is welcome to use their gifts in worship, prayer, leadership, hospitality and teaching.

Find out more…

Worship With Us

Every Sunday, 9:30am
Gungahlin Uniting Church and Community Centre
108 The Valley Avenue
Gungahlin, ACT, 2913

Worship is for all ages, (0 to 93!) and seeks to be meaningful in different ways for us all.

In Jesus Christ we see how he drew near to each and all and so we hope our worship expresses this nearness too.

Find out more…

Finding us

We worship at the Gungahlin Uniting Church & Community Centre.
Find us on Google Maps here

Car
Free parking is available in our on-site car park.

Light Rail
We are less than a 5 minute walk from the Gungahlin Place Light Rail Station.

Bus
The ACT has a number of bus options for people travelling around, or to Gungahlin. Timetables available here.