Opening Songs
The opening song is, “Rejoice”, courtesy of Emu Music. If you have problems connecting, try this direct link to YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvyYK09Haq4
Call to worship
We come to hear the Good News, to embody the love of God in Christ as we share our lives with others.
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 us pray,
Holy God, we praise you as the one who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Your yearning to shower blessings on your people has not changed. As you delivered the people of old from slavery in Egypt, so you deliver us from whatever enslaves us through the love of Jesus Christ. He endured death so that he could nourish us with the sweetest gift of all—his life. Accept our praise and adoration, we pray, for we offer them in Jesus’ name and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen
God of the people, you have called us to walk humbly before you and to share in the struggle with the least of these, yet we have failed to live up to this call. Today, we come before you asking your Spirit to empower us to be agents of transformation for the world. Make us a chalice from which people can find your living waters, for you call us to live a life of service, of humility, and of reconciliation with you, and with all people. May we know in our hearts that through Christ our sins are forgiven. Amen.
From the Bible
The Bible reading for today is from Luke 14:1, 7-14. The words of the reading are below. There is also a video of a dramatic re-enactment of the Gospel reading underneath.
Luke 14:1, 7-14
On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely. When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honour, he told them a parable.
“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honour, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honoured in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
He said also to the one who had invited him,
“When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Dramatic readings from Lumo
Here is the dramatic re-enactment of the Gospel reading by the Lumo group (Luke 14:1-14). If you have trouble connecting you can go directly to YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bsCyG2xBPs
Message
The message is brought to you by Mark Faulkner from the Saltbush Community. Jesus, invited to a meal at a leader’s home, notices the vying for position and place. So into the conversation he makes some suggestions for his hearers to think about.
Where do you see yourself in the sayings of Jesus from our reading today? What did you hear from the sayings of Jesus in Luke that are relevant in your church community?
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
“Where can I look?”, courtesy of Emu Youth. If you have problems connecting, try this direct link to YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hwt3x6d5OBs
Prayers for Others
Let us pray.
Living Love, beginning and end, giver of food and drink, clothing and warmth, love and hope: life in all its goodness – we praise and adore you.
Hear our prayer for your creation … Silence
Jesus, wisdom and word; lover of outcasts, friend of the poor; one of us yet one with God; crucified and risen: life in the midst of death – we praise and adore you. Hear our prayer for others we have heard about throughout our world … Silence
Holy Spirit, storm and breath of love; bridge-builder, eye-opener, waker of the oppressed, unseen and unexpected, untameable energy of life – we praise and adore you. Hear our prayer for other people we know and are close to …Silence
Holy Trinity, forever one, whose nature is community; source of all sharing, in whom we love, and meet, and know our neighbour: life in all its fullness, making all things new: we praise and adore you. Hear our prayer for our church, our wider community and for ourselves … Silence
Hear all these our prayers who sends us out Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Blessing
Go out into the world, to love and serve the Lord. Bless us and the people we meet along the way. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Song
“Won my heart”, courtesy of Emu Youth. If you have problems connecting, try this direct link to YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSsQYyi3w_c
Postlude
“When I needed a neighbour”, by Steiner & Bell. If you have problems connecting, try this direct link to YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0XPCUgvY2o
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 & blessing 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-12-upside-down-ways-luke-14-1-7-14/
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