Order of Service – 13th October 2024

The Order of Service follows below.

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Brougham Place Uniting Church
Kardlayirdi Karnungga
A Light on the Hill

13 October 2024
Preacher: Deidre Palmer
Liturgical week: Pentecost 21
Colour: Green

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

As you wait for worship to begin, please turn your phone to silent.

Prelude

Welcome and Acknowledgment of Country

Naa marni?
(Are you all good?)
Marni Ai!
(Good I am)

Introit and Lighting of the Candles

From Heaven You Came

Graham Kendrick

Call to Worship

People of God, come join in worship today;
come if you’re limping, come if you’re skipping;
come if you’re sleepy, come if you’re scared;
come if you’re a critic or an ardent enthusiast;
come laughing, come crying, come juggling a frantic life.
However you come, just come.

God is here.
However you come, you are welcome here.

We sing: Gather us in

Here in this place new light is streaming,
now is the darkness vanished away,
see, in this space, our fears and our dreamings,
brought here to you in the light of this day.

    Gather us in, the lost and forsaken;
    gather us in, the blind and the lame;
    call to us now, and we shall awaken,
    we shall arise at the sound of our name.
We are the young, our lives are a mystery;
we are the old, who yearn for your face;
we have been sung throughout all of history,
called to be light to the whole human race.

    Gather us in, the rich and the haughty;
    gather us in, the proud and the strong;
    give us a heart so meek and so lowly,
    give us the courage to enter the song.
Not in the dark of buildings confining,
not in some heaven light years away,
but here in this space, the new light is shining,
now is the kingdom, now is the day.

    Gather us in, and hold us forever;
    gather us in, and make us your own;
    gather us in, all peoples together,
    fire of love in our flesh and our bone.

Opening Prayer

Loving God, today we pray that we will experience you – present with us
in all circumstances:

in days of comfort and safety, and in days of fear and pain.

God of love, we do not know the future, but we know that you promise to be present with us now and always.

May we know this truth today.
Amen.

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Confession

God, for this moment, this very moment, when we can feel our hearts beating, pumping our blood in the great miracle that is our life, we remember to be thankful, thankful for breath, for blood, for life. Thankful too that you know us through and through. You know when we hold onto things too tightly, unwilling to live in generosity, and still you love us. You know the paths of goodness we find too hard to walk and still you love us. You know when we seek to be first, not making room for others and still you love us. For your knowing, for your forgiving, for your loving, we give our deep thanks. 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.

Anthem

God Your Goodness

Beethoven, Words: A Bullard

Scripture Reading: Mark 10:17-31

As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. You shall not defraud. Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”

Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the good news who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

May the Spirit of God open our eyes to see, our ears to hear,
and our hearts to understand.

Message

We sing: The Summons

Will you come and follow me
if I but call your name?
Will you go where you don’t know
and never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown,
will you let my name be known,
will you let my life be grown
In you and you in me?
Will you leave yourself behind
if I but call your name?
Will you care for cruel and kind
and never be the same?
Will you risk the hostile stare
should your life attract or scare?
Will you let me answer prayer
in you and you in me?
Will you let the blinded see
if I but call your name?
Will you set the prisoners free
and never be the same?
Will you kiss the leper clean,
and do such as this unseen,
and admit to what I mean
in you and you in me?
Will you love the ‘you’ you hide
if I but call your name?
Will you quell the fear inside
and never be the same?
Will you use the faith you’ve found
to reshape the world around
through my sight and touch and sound
in you and you in me?
Lord, your summons echoes true
when you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow you
and never be the same.
In your company I’ll go
where your love and footsteps show.
Thus I’ll move and live and grow
in you and you in me.

Prayers of the People

Leader: Shalom, shalom, how we long for God’s shalom!

Challenge rich people to embrace your vision God of peace with justice, compassion with love for all people and all creation.

Leader: Shalom, shalom, how we long for God’s shalom!

Enable marginalised people to be embraced by and also experience your vision God of peace with justice, compassion with love for all people and all creation.

Leader: Shalom, shalom, how we long for God’s shalom!

Empower us to co-work with you God so that through divine-human love and grace, we may continue to enhance your vision of peace with justice, compassion with love for all people and all creation.

Amen

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.

Offering

To give electronically towards the ministry of Brougham Place, please go to bpuc.org/give

Alternatively, there is an offering bowl near the lectern on the left-hand side as you exit the church.

Offering Prayer

We sing: We Sing a Love that Sets All People Free

We sing a love that sets all people free,
that blows like wind, that burns like scorching flame,
enfolds like earth, springs up like water clear:
come, living love, live in our hearts today.
We sing a love that seeks another’s good,
that longs to serve, and not to count the cost,
a love that, yielding, finds itself made new:
come, caring love, live in our hearts today.
We sing a love, unflinching, unafraid
to be itself, despite another’s wrath,
a love that stands alone and undismayed:
come, strengthening love, live in our hearts today.
We sing a love, that, wandering, will not rest
until it finds its way, its home, its source,
through joy and sadness pressing on refreshed:
come, pilgrim love, live in our hearts today.
We sing a burning, fiery, Holy Ghost
that seeks out shades of ancient bitterness,
transfiguring these, as Christ in every heart:
come joyful love, live in our hearts today.

Sending Forth and Benediction

Choral Blessing

Go Gently, Go Lightly

Shirley Erena Murray and Colin Gibson

Extroit

Come and share morning tea together, in the basement. There are stairs behind the organ. All are welcome!

This service has been prepared with assistance from:

L3 Liturgical Resource.

Mediacom Education: Words for Worship

Prayers of the People: Gillies Ambler

Bible Reading: New Revised Standard Version (Updated Edition)

Cover Photo by Michelle Harris