Order of Service – 23rd July 2023

The Order of Service follows below.

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Kardlayirdi Karnungga
The light on the hill

July 23, 2023
Pentecost 8
Preacher: Emelia Haskey

We acknowledge the Kaurna people as the traditional carers of the land on which our church is built.

Prelude

Welcome

Lighting of the Candles and Introit – In Our Lives Plant Seeds of Hope

Carol Dixon (Church Hymnary 349)

Call to Worship

We plant a seed and pray for success. We spray against weeds and do our best to protect the tender shoots.

But every now and then a weed appears: a scornful voice, an ill-mannered remark, a miss-judged comment, a thoughtless word.

Here in this place, at this time we come to our God; God who cares tenderly and lovingly whenever given the chance. Come let us worship the Sower of good seeds our Head Gardener and Lord.

God of heaven,
Sower of good seed.
God of the growing,
Sower of good seed.
God of the harvest
Sower of good seed.
God of us all, strong and weak,
Gather us in.

Prayer

We Sing: For the Fruits of all Creation

For the fruits of all creation,
thanks be to God;
for his gifts to every nation,
thanks be to God;
for the ploughing, sowing, reaping,
silent growth while we are sleeping,
future needs in earth’s safe keeping,
thanks be to God.
In the just reward of labour,
God’s will is done;
in the help we give our neighbour
God’s will is done;
in our worldwide task of caring
for the hungry and despairing,
in the harvests we are sharing,
God’s will is done.
For the harvests of the Spirit,
thanks be to God;
for the good we all inherit,
thanks be to God;
for the wonders that astound us,
for the truths that still confound us,
most of all, that love has found us,
thanks be to God.

Prayer of Confession

Words of Assurance

Psalm 139 — a paraphrase

O Holy One, you see me from the inside out.
You know me better than I do.
You take every step with me;
you have already walked all my journeys.
Even before I speak
you know my thoughts.
You are around me and within me;
I feel your hand on my back.
I can’t imagine the greatness of your love;
I can only trust it.
Where could I go from your presence?
In outer space, at the core of the earth—there you are.
If I ran away to the farthest place,
you would be with me all the way.
I could try to hide in perfect darkness
but to you the darkness is light.
You formed me before I was born;
you made me by hand in secret.
I praise you, for you are wonderful!
For I am wonderfully, awesomely made.
How amazing is your wisdom, O God,
how infinite your presence.
When I try to comprehend, you are beyond my understanding.
But when I simply become aware—here you are.
Search through me, O God, and know my heart.
Root out what is unloving, and lead me in your life-giving way.
Amen

Passing of the Peace

The peace of our God be with you.
And also with you.

Community News and Notices

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Children’s Time

Children may go downstairs for Sunday School. Parents, you are welcome to join your child in Sunday School if you feel your child may need your assistance. Alternatively, you may wish for your child to remain with you for the duration of worship. Activity packs are available at the entrances.

Choral Anthem: – The Reign of God Like a Farmer’s Field

Delores Dufner (Church Hymnary 343)

Scripture Readings:

Matthew 13: 24-30 – The Parable of Weeds among the Wheat

He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?” He answered, “An enemy has done this.” The slaves said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” But he replied, “No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’

Matthew 13.35-43 – Jesus Explains the Parable of the Weeds

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, ‘Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.’ He answered, ’The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!

The Gospel of Christ, Light of the world.
Thanks be to God.

Sermon

We Sing: Help Us Accept Each Other

Help us accept each other
as Christ accepted us;
teach us as sister, brother,
each person to embrace.
Be present, Lord, among us
and bring us to believe
we are ourselves accepted
and meant to love and live.
Teach us, O Lord, your lessons,
as in our daily life
we struggle to be human
and search for hope and faith.
Teach us to care for people,
for all – not just for some,
to love them as we find them
or as they may become.
Let your acceptance change us,
so that we may be moved
in living situations
to do the truth in love;
to practise your acceptance
until we know by heart
the table of forgiveness
and laughter’s healing art.
Lord, for today’s encounters
with all who are in need,
who hunger for acceptance,
for righteousness and bread,
we need new eyes for seeing,
new hands for holding on:
renew us with your Spirit;
Lord, free us, make us one!

Together in Song 648. Frederik Herman Kaan 1929- Frederik Herman Kaan 1929. Words by permission Stainer & Bell Ltd. London. Words used with permission under copyright CCLI Licence No 137219. Copyright cleared music for churches.

Offering

To give electronically please go to bpuc.org/give

Prayers of the People

The Lord’s Prayer

…And now with the confidence of the children of God, let us pray the prayer Jesus taught us saying:

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be Your name,

your Kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in Heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

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: Lord Let Me See

Lord let me see, see more and more,
see the beauty of a person, not the colour of the skin,
see the faces of the homeless with no-one to take them in,
see discouragement because she’ll never win:
see the face of our Lord in the pain:
Lord let me see.
Lord let me hear, hear more and more,
hear the sounds of great rejoicing, hear a person barely sigh;
hear the ring of truth, and hollowness of those who live a lie;
hear the wail of starving people who will die;
hear the voice of our Lord in the cry:
Lord let me hear.
Lord let me care, care more and more,
care for those who feel the loneliness, for those who have no say,
care for friends who have no job and find it hard to face the day,
care for those with whom we sing and work and pray:
and in care Jesus Christ will be found:
Lord let me care.
Lord let me learn, learn more and more,
learn that what I know is just a speck of what there is to know;
learn from listening to my neighbour when I’d rather speak and go;
learn that as we live in faith and trust we grow:
learn to see, hear and care, with our Lord:
Lord let me learn.
Lord let me love, love more and more,
love the loveless and the fragile, help them be what they can be,
love the way that I would like them to be looking after me;
for to know you is to love them and be free,
and in love Jesus Christ will be found:
Lord let me love.

Sending Forth and Benediction

Choral Blessing: – May The Road Rise Up to Meet You

arr Rosemary Nairn

Postlude

Come and share morning tea together, downstairs in the basement. There are stairs behind the organ and a ramp between the church and the car park leading to the basement.

Some of the liturgy in this service is adapted from Spill the Beans and Unfolding Light.