Order of Service – 11 June 2023

The Order of Service follows below.

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Kardlayirdi Karnungga
The light on the hill

June 11, 2023
Pentecost 2A
Preacher: Rev Robyn Caldicott

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

Prelude

Welcome and Acknowledgement of Country

Lighting of Candles and Introit – There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy

TiS 136 – tune Cross of Jesus

Call to Worship

Prayer of Invocation

We Sing: Sing of the Lord’s Goodness

Sing of the Lord’s goodness, Father of all wisdom,
come to him and bless his name.
Mercy he has shown us, his love is forever,
faithful to the end of days.

Come then, all you nations,
sing of your Lord’s goodness
melodies of praise and thanks to God.
Ring out the Lord’s glory,
praise him with your music,
worship him and bless his name.
Power he has wielded, honour is his garment,
risen from the snares of death.
His word he has spoken, one bread he has broken,
new life he now gives to all.

Come then, all you nations,
sing of your Lord’s goodness
melodies of praise and thanks to God.
Ring out the Lord’s glory,
praise him with your music,
worship him and bless his name.
Courage in our darkness, comfort in our sorrow,
Spirit of our God most high;
solace for the weary, pardon for the sinner,
splendour of the living God.

Come then, all you nations,
sing of your Lord’s goodness
melodies of praise and thanks to God.
Ring out the Lord’s glory,
praise him with your music,
worship him and bless his name.
Praise him with your singing, praise him with the trumpet,
praise God with the lute and harp,
praise him with the cymbals, praise him with your dancing,
praise God till the end of days.

Come then, all you nations,
sing of your Lord’s goodness
melodies of praise and thanks to God.
Ring out the Lord’s glory,
praise him with your music,
worship him and bless his name.

Prayer of Confession

Words of Assurance

Prayer of Adoration and Thanksgiving

O God, we thank you for your trustworthiness. Whether we sit alone beside the road and wonder where to go, or whether we are striding along in hopefulness, you are with us in faithfulness. When we hide from ourselves, you find us and when we cannot bear to trust others, you never fail us in compassion. When life is clear and kind, you celebrate with us and when it is filled with tears and struggles, you hold us fast.
Thanks be to you, O God of love.
Praise be to you, Christ of our journey in faith.
Amen.

Passing of the Peace

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

Choral Anthem: O Breath of Life

Together in Song 409. Public Domain

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.

Scripture Reading: Genesis 12:1-9

The Call of Abram

Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot, and all the possessions that they had gathered, and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram, and said, ‘To your offspring I will give this land.’ So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. From there he moved on to the hill country on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and invoked the name of the Lord. And Abram journeyed on by stages towards the Negeb.

Scripture Reading: Romans 4:13-25

God’s Promise Realised through Faith

For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.

For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, ‘I have made you the father of many nations’)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become ‘the father of many nations’, according to what was said, ‘So numerous shall your descendants be.’ He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Therefore his faith ‘was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ Now the words, ‘it was reckoned to him’, were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.

Message

We Sing: God it Was

God it was who said to Abraham,
“Pack your bags and travel on!”
God it was who said to Sarah,
“Smile and soon you’ll bear a son!”
Trav’ling folk and aged mothers
Wand’ring when they thought they’d done –
This is how God calls his people,
Losing all because of one.
God it was who said to Moses,
“Save my people, part the sea!”
God it was who said to Miriam,
“Sing and dance to show you’re free!”
Shepherd-saints and tambourinists,
Doing what he knew they could –
This is how God calls his people,
Liberating what they should.
God it was who said to Joseph,
“Down your tools and take your wife!”
God it was who said to Mary,
“In your womb I’ll start my life!”
Carpenter and country maiden,
Leaving town and trade and skills –
This is how God calls his people,
Moving them through what he wills.
Christ it was who said to Matthew,
“Leave your books and follow me!”
Christ it was who said to Martha,
“Listen first, then make the tea!”
Civil servants and housekeepers,
Changing places at a cost –
This is how Christ calls disciples,
Finding those he knew were lost.
In this crowd of common people,
Once unknown whom we revere.
God calls us to share his purpose,
Starting now and starting here.
So we celebrate his calling,
So we prize and praise his choice.
As we pray that through this company,
God will act and raise his voice.

Words and Music: John Bell and Graham Maule CCLI Song #959404

Offering

To give electronically 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

Chimes: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Offering Prayer

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: We Will Love

Chorus:

We will walk with you at the edges,
we will die with you on the crossroads,
we will live in your dangerous places,
we will love.
We will risk with you taking chances,
we will stand with you facing evil,
we will live in your dangerous places,
we will love.

Come Lord Jesus Christ hear our prayer,
come now living friend please draw near.
Alone, we feel unsure and so afraid.
Calling us to live by your grace,
calling us to leave all that’s safe.
Our lives we choose to lose
so you may save.

We will walk with you at the edges,
we will die with you on the crossroads,
we will live in your dangerous places,
we will love.
We will risk with you taking chances,
we will stand with you facing evil,
we will live in your dangerous places,
we will love.
Stepping out we call on your name,
knowing you have healed all our shame.
Our God, your precious love has made us whole.
Gifting us with power to set free,
Holy Spirit, use even me.
Renew all that I am
so I may see.

We will walk with you at the edges,
we will die with you on the crossroads,
we will live in your dangerous places,
we will love.
We will risk with you taking chances,
we will stand with you facing evil,
we will live in your dangerous places,
we will love.

Sending Forth and Benediction

Choral Blessing: May the Lord Gracious God

Pao-chen Li (Church Hymnary 787 & Songs of Grace 812)

Postlude – Chimes:

Rosemary’s Far Horizons

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 Words for Worship published by MediaCom Education – mediacomeducation.org.au. Cover image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Torah_scroll_writing.jpg