SONG
The opening song is “The summons”. If you have problems connecting, try this direct link to YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiXnbOORTAU
Call to worship
Jesus said, ‘The Son of Man came to seek out and save the lost’.
Come, let us worship the God who came to seek and save the lost!
Let us worship the God who came to seek and save each of us!
Let us welcome God into our homes and our hearts, and worship with gratitude.
You may like to light a candle at this time.
God’s truth is revealed in Jesus Christ the light of the world. May the light shine for the hope of the world.
Acknowledgment of country
As we begin, it is appropriate to recognise that this great land has been home to our first nations peoples for many thousands of years. Let us also acknowledge those Aboriginal peoples who are the first inhabitants of the regions in which we dwell, and honour them for their care of the land.
Prayer
Let’s pray.
Jesus Christ, Saviour of humanity, restorer of life and health, we praise you for dying and rising for us. We praise you for travelling our human journey, and for seeking out and saving the lost. Come to us here and now in this place.
Touch our ears that we may hear you in music and song. Touch our minds that we may know you, in the word of Scripture and in the living Word. And touch our eyes that we may remember you, and see you travelling with us.
Let us confess our sin.
Holy God, each of us has struggled to do the things that we know are right. We mostly have good intentions, but are so often unable to do what is right. Forgive us for those times when we have hurt others, and hurt ourselves. May we draw on your power so that we can bring to completion all those good things that we plan to do. May the name of our Lord Jesus be glorified in this. In his great name we pray these things. Amen
Let us spend some time in reflection …
Today, Salvation comes to us in Jesus Christ, who forgives us, and sets us free, that we may be transformed by holy love. Thanks be to God.
From the Bible
The Bible reading for today is from Luke 19:1-10. The words of the reading are below. There is also a video of a dramatic re-enactment of the Gospel reading underneath.
Luke 19:1-10
He entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way.
When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.”
Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”
Dramatic readings from Lumo
Here is the dramatic re-enactment of the Gospel reading by the Lumo group. If you have trouble connecting you can go directly to YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMKen3393yg
Message
The message is brought to you by Peter Overton and Geoff Wellington from the Saltbush Community. “Nothing Brings us together like eating together”: Jesus welcomes Zacchaeus as he is. Jesus sees us for who we are and invites us to his table of hospitality.
Who does Jesus See? Who do I see? Who do I need to see?
Before a time of prayer you may like to spend some time in silence sitting still. Close your eyes lightly. Sit relaxed but alert. Simply be still and open to God. You may prefer to do this while listening to the ‘Optional reflective music’ below.
Optional reflective music
This song is recorded and filmed in the rolling hills of Keswick, UK. ‘Hymn of the Saviour’ from the ‘Creation Awaits’ album by EmuMusic. The video is in the window below and if you have problems connecting you can go directly to YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GtxAzoD1W0
Prayers for Others
Let us pray.
In humility of heart let us pray to God the Father of all. Lord, in Jesus we see how you lovingly call all sorts of people and then change them from within; take our hearts and minds, live in us today and every day.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord, in Zacchaeus we see how your call produced a new attitude to wealth and possessions; pour your love within us that we may experience a real closeness to you.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord, in Zacchaeus we see how Jesus produced a newness of life; work in the hearts of all in authority in our world that they may work for a more equal sharing of resources with those who are poor, hungry and destitute.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Lord, you teach us to bring your healing to the sick and suffering; may your healing be upon those whom we name before you now …
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Blessing
May Christ Jesus make us worthy of his call. And may the Holy Spirit fill us with every good resolve and work of faith.
Bless us and the people we meet along the way Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen
Song
The closing song is, ‘Here I am, Lord’ by Daniel Schutte. If you have problems connecting, try this direct link to YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxRn3iDBoBI
Postlude
The postlude is, “The rich young man” (Simple living), and it is sung by Kristyn Getty. It is in the window below and if you have problems connecting you can go directly to YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX-a_ibnHB0
Fun Activities
Messy Family Fun Psalm 23
There are many fun activities at HomeFaith based on the theme of the ‘Good Shepherd’ at:
https://homefaith.net/resources/messy-family-fun-psalm-23-2022/
Pentecost Flames Salad Spinner Art and Prayer Ideas
Get a cheap salad spinner and use it to create some spinner art! It’s brilliant: quick, clean (because the spinner sits in its own bowl) and each piece is unique! The process of making the art really lends itself to Pentecost themes so here’s an idea to help celebrate the occasion. Go to the following link:
http://flamecreativekids.blogspot.com/2014/04/pentecost-flames-salad-spinner-art-and.html
Resources
The prayers of the people are based on content in the Saltbush service for this week, which can be found at:
https://saltbushcommunity.uca.org.au/video/the-word/pentecost-21-zacchaeus-welcomed-luke-19-1-10-2/
0 Comments