Song
‘Christ our hope in life and death’, by Keith and Kristyn Getty. You can also find this video directly at YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPT5QEDf9bA
Prayer
Let us pray.
Gracious eternal Creator, we touch on your immensity as we gaze upon the night sky. We are grounded in your embrace when we love and are shown love. We are humbled by the work of your hands when we encounter in our lives the risen Christ, our bread of life.
May we know your work in our lives, the work of your peace, the work of your grace and mercy, the work of your love found in person of the Jesus Christ and the outpouring of your Spirit. Amen
From the Bible
The Bible reading for today is from Acts 16:1-15.
Timothy Joins Paul and Silas
Paul went on also to Derbe and to Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer; but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him; and he took him and had him circumcised because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they went from town to town, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in numbers daily.
Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia
They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas.During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.
The Conversion of Lydia
We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshipper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.’ And she prevailed upon us.
Message
The message is brought to you by Geoff Wellington from the Saltbush Community. This is the last of a three part series and focusses on Exploring – Discovery through the lens of Paul’s second missionary journey. We discover that adopting a posture of exploring we discover the Spirit’s leading into new ways of trust and relationships with each other and with God’s adventure in the world.
In what ways do you experience God’s abundance in your life? In what ways does our community of faith experience the abundance of God? What is one action you can take in showing God’s abundance to others?
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
The reflective music is, ‘O God, you search me and you know me’, by the Australian composer Bernadette Farrell. If you have problems connecting, you can also try this link at YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JPGY1w-674
Prayers for others
You may like to join in praying as you watch this video, ‘Morning prayer – a peaceful start to your day’, by Marce Corona. It can also be found at the following Youtube link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vyuQvwsQV8&t=99s
Blessing
Go in peace, and until we worship God together again, may the love of the Father enfold you, the wisdom of the Son enlighten you, and the fire of the Holy Spirit kindle you. Amen.
Song
‘No other name’, courtesy of Emu Music. It can also be found via a direct link at YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufA6WWBnaOM
Resources
The sermon and the opening prayer 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-10-an-abundant-life-matthew-1413-21/