These are contentious times, Author of Life.
We are constantly wrestling with something.
We wrestle with each other:
over opposing points of view, and their varied interpretations,
our differing experiences, or lack thereof,
over how to mend the rips and tears in the fabric of our lives,
who will or should stand in the gap.We wrestle with ourselves:
our competing interests, obligations, time constraints,
our doubts and fears,
our cans and shoulds, our wants and needs.And we wrestle with you, Holy One.
We wrestle with your Word –
with what it says, and what it means.
Preferring Holy Certainty to Holy Mystery,
we chafe against your inscrutable ways.
There is already too much uncertainty in these pandemic days.We don’t like it.
Equating the wrestling with our most negative
perceptions of conflict, we seek to avoid it at all costs.Forgive us, Holy One.
In so doing, we miss possibility; we short-circuit hope.An integral part of discernment, it is in the wrestling
that we discover what we truly believe, what really matters,
where clarity, understanding, and positive change are birthed.It is where we find you.
Cleanse and renew us, Author of Life.
Put a right spirit within us.
Replace our fear with tenacious faith, and stubborn, defiant hope.May we choose, like our ancestor Jacob –
A Prayer of Confession, based in Genesis 32, from Kathy Swaar
to stay present; to keep wrestling,
not letting go until your blessing is recognized and received.
Reflection – July 26, 2020
Home Brewed Worship – June 21, 2020
Readings for June 21, 2020
Genesis 21:8-21
Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17
Matthew 10:24-39
Romans 6:1b-11
Worship at Home – Order of Service
Order of Service for people worshipping from home
Exploring the Scripture – On Hagar
This week’s Genesis reading is Genesis 21:8-21, it’s the story of Hagar being sent away by Abraham with their son, it’s a hard story because it’s a story of a mother and child, abandoned and at the brink of death.
We don’t often hear Hagar’s story, but as we’re coming to the end of Refugee Week I’ve put some resources together to help you explore her story, and the story of other refugees this week.
These resources invite us to read, watch, listen and ponder the story of Hagar as a Refugee as National Refugee Week comes to a close.
Resources to explore the story of Hagar at home.
Singing the Scripture
Here’s a playlist of songs that reflect on this week’s scripture readings in a variety of ways. Use this as a playlist in your home over the day, or during the week.
Family Resources
Apologies, there are not many family resources for worship this week. Although, there are a number of things to discuss in the resources for exploring the story of Hagar (though her story is not a great one for kids).
Here are some stories to listen to and discuss together, as it’s the end of National Refugee Week these stories might help you discuss how we as a country and a community listen to the voices of refugees. Perhaps you might link it to Hagar’s story and ask if your household believes God hears the cry of refugees like God did for Hagar. How do you think God acts in the world today?
Or perhaps you”d like to spend some time with the singing the Scripture playlist and sing, dance and pray together.
This is a beautiful story…
If you had to leave what would you take with you? What game would you play? What is the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten? What things remind you of your home? So you speak any other languages?
Home Brewed Worship Resources – June 14, 2020
This week’s Home Brewed Worship provides you all a number of ways to enter into prayer and to explore the story. If you’re at home with family, a partner, a friend or a spouse please consider working through some of this with them. If you’re alone, consider phoning someone else and inviting them to join you in worship and prayer.
A special thanks to Margaret Reeson for her work on compiling the order of service for worshipping at home.
Carve out some space sacred space in your home, perhaps you have candle, some colourful material, a cross, a bible, some pictures of the world, artwork or images of Jesus…
You don’t need to use all of this material, nor do you need to do it all in one sitting, perhaps some of these prayers and music can travel with you throughout the week. Use the material as part of daily exercises, music to carry you through the week, reflections to ponder as you walk or stay at home.
For some your focus may be to hear the gospel preached, others the gospel sung, while others may want to find a practice that they can enter into over the course of the week to make space for the Holy Spirit to work on us.
*We know there have been others using this resource in their own homes or communities, if you’d like to have updates and information of new resources please jump on our email list.
Order Of Service
Here is a order of service for people worshipping at home curated by Margaret Reeson
Home Brewed Worship Resources for Families
Resources for families exploring faith at home curated by us for you.
Singing the Scripture
Here is a playlist of songs that you can listen to this week that explore themes in this week’s scripture readings.
Readings
Prayers and Liturgical Reflections
To Laugh or to Cry – Reflection
Visual reflections for this week
Go Deeper
This week is National Refugee Week. Common Grace have a daily resource exploring Refugee Week, you can access it here on their website, or here on their Facebook page
Racism and Reconciliation, a reflection by Rev John Squires
By The Well’s podcast on this weeks Genesis reading, Laughter, Hope & Hospitality
a reflection on this weeks Genesis Reading by Sara Koenig
Order of Service – June 14, 2020
Call to Worship
Take some time to be still, alone or together.
This is a time to quieten our thoughts and wait with God.
Psalm 116:12-15 (NIV)
What shall I return to the Lord
for all his goodness to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.
I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
Song – TiS 179
Praise with joy the world’s Creator
Words – John Bell
Praise with joy the world’s Creator,
God of justice, love and peace,
source and end of human knowledge,
force of greatness without cease.
Celebrate the Maker’s glory,
Power to rescue and release.
Praise the Son who feeds the hungry,
frees the captive, finds the lost,
heals the sick, upsets religion,
fearless both of fate and cost.
Celebrate Christ’s constant presence –
Friend and Stranger, Guest and Host.
Praise the Spirit sent among us,
liberating truth from pride,
forging bonds where race or gender,
age or nation dare divide.
Celebrate the Spirit’s treasure –
foolishness none dare deride.
Praise the Maker, Son and Spirit,
one God in community,
calling Christians to embody
oneness and diversity.
Thus the world shall yet believe,
when shown Christ’s vibrant unity.
Readings
Prayer of Confession
We come in prayer with tears in our eyes,
and shame in our hearts.
Or we should…
What is happening to our world?
We come in prayer with tears in our eyes,
and shame in our hearts.
Or we should…
What is happening to our world?
We speak and sing about unity, healing and freedom
but that is not true in our world.
We confess that we are part of this broken world.
We confess……
I confess that I fail to recognise disadvantage when it doesn’t apply to me.
We confess… I confess that prejudice is invisible, unless it is aimed at me.
We confess… I confess I am unaware of grief, or illness, or family violence
if it is not happening to me.
Lord, have mercy on me and my failures.
Open my eyes and my heart.
Please forgive me.
Amen
Giving Birth To Laughter
A monologue by Sarah, to follow the reading.
Source: Spill The Beans Issue 16
So I laughed.
Yes, I laughed
when I heard.
Laughing was my default reaction after all those years.
It’s what everyone told me to do.
Look for the things that make you laugh.
Find the things that bring a moment’s lightness, a brief respite.
God knows I needed those moments.
And yes, I found them.
I learned to forget,
to step outside the guilt and the pain,
to be lost in the fleeting respite,
caught up in the wonder of the spring rain,
the flowers in the desert, the
look in my husband’s
eyes, those rare times
he still gazed at me with
love and not pity.
For long years, laughter never failed me. I
could even turn it on
as I watched all the mothering around me,
other women’s children taking their first steps,
running into my arms
while they were still too young
to understand my shame.
Did I trust God’s
laughable promise? Did
Abraham trust, even
as he fell into sardonic
mirth when he heard
the first time?
Of course
we sat down and looked at it seriously.
If it’s God’s promise, I reasoned, I’ll cope,
even with Hagar’s belly swelling. It all made sense.
And then I laughed.
I laughed at myself when no-one could hear me.
Who was I kidding?
How would I cope?
How did it make sense?
What was God doing?
What had I done wrong?
It all happened so easily for her.
Abraham loved the boy
his boy
and I saw the joy in him
that I had never been able to bring.
It was too much.
I called on the laughter but it would not come.
I searched for it in the winking stars,
in the smell of good soup,
in the faces of friends,
but it would not come.
It came with the visitors’ news.
The cakes were baking
and I was dusting the flour from my hands
when I heard them speak my name.
How did they know my name,
and why care to speak of me?
“Sarah shall have a son”.
They heard me laughing,
and would not let me deny it!
Praise God,
nor was there any denying the pleasure,
or the promise,
or my pregnant old body,
or the tears of joy in my husband’s eyes
when we held our son.
What did we name him?
We named him Laughter.
Reflection – Promises Kept
Song – Kyrie eleison
The next song is a lament and prayer for forgiveness.
The words ‘Kyrie eleison’ mean ‘Lord, have mercy on us’,
Look around you, can you see?
Times are troubled, people grieve.
See the violence, feel the hardness;
All my people weep with me.
Kyrie eleison,
Christe eleison
Kyrie eleison.
‘Walk among them, I’ll go with you,
Reach out to them with my hands.
Suffer with me and together
we will serve them, help them stand.’
Kyrie eleison,
Christe eleison
Kyrie eleison.
Forgive us, Father, hear our prayer.
We would walk with you anywhere,
through your suffering, with forgiveness,
take your life into the world.
Kyrie eleison,
Christe eleison
Kyrie eleison.
Bible – Matthew 9:35-10:8 (CEV)
Jesus went to every town and village. He taught in their meeting places and preached the good news about God’s kingdom. Jesus also healed every kind of disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them. They were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
[Read on in your own Bible about how Jesus called the twelve apostles. He sent them out with these instructions.]
Go only to the people of Israel, because they are like a flock of lost sheep. As you go, announce that the kingdom of heaven will soon be here. Heal the sick, raise the dead to life, heal people who have leprosy, and force out demons. You received without paying, now give without being paid.
Something to think about:
- Where do we see confused and ‘lost sheep’ in our world today?
- Where do we see this in our own country and neighbourhood? If you heard Jesus calling you by name to follow, what would he be asking you to do?
Prayers for Others
From Caroline Wallace
Heavenly Father, Loving God, Lord of lords and king of kings,
While we acknowledge the tough times we are currently facing, we are thankful for the privileges that many of us have: Free or affordable education, employment, roofs over our heads, and our friends and family.
There are many more things for us to be thankful for. You have always been good to us even when we repeatedly fail you and each other.
Father, it looks like there is no end to the current troubles being experienced in the US and around the globe. There seems to be no end to racial and gender inequality, or various forms of oppression at different levels of society.
People do not seem to be learning from history as it keeps repeating itself.
At a time when we all need to be united, there appears to be more division than ever before! There seems to be more misunderstanding and warring between governments and individuals, which gives the impression of very dark ages ahead of us rather than behind us.
Lord, help us all to hold onto you and find peace in this imperfect world.
Help us to receive these challenging times as opportunities to trust you.
We ask that you give world leaders the strength and wisdom they need to confront today’s problems. Help them put aside their own pre-conceived ideas, expectations, or agendas and enable them to empathise with marginalised communities and carefully listen to their stories of desperation.
We also pray for influential companies and organisations everywhere.
Enable them to pool their resources and respond to the plight of those who have been overlooked, underestimated, rejected, abused, or dominated.
We may not know what the future holds for us, but we have faith that you will continue to sustain us no matter what we go through.
In a world that often projects hate and violence, you are a God of mercy, of justice, of hope, and of peace. You are also a God of forgiveness and second chances, of unconditional love, and deliverance.
We pray that you deliver us from all the evil that we are witnessing now and remind us once again of your glorious presence through your healing hand upon humankind.
In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Song – Goodness Is Stronger Than Evil
Words by Desmond Tutu, music by John Bell
Goodness is stronger than evil
Goodness is stronger than evil,
Love is stronger than hate,
Light is stronger than darkness,
Life is stronger than death.
Victory is ours, victory is ours,
Through him who loved us.
Blessing
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you
and love be with you all.
Prepared for people in Gungahlin Uniting Church, ACT by Margaret Reeson
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