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October 2, 2022 – 17th Sunday after Pentecost
Prelude: I Long for Thee, O Jerusalem (Psalm 137)
© 2001 Stephen J. Pearson http://www.psalmistry.com
As I gazed, O Lord, from the banks of the shore.
As I gazed, O Lord, to my home.
Then I wept, O Lord, at the thought of my land.
As I sat, and I stared from the shore.
I long for thee, O Jerusalem.
I long to be in my home.
Ne’er shall I sing in a distant land.
Take me home. Lord, take me home.
Though a captive, O Lord, I shall never forget.
Despite orders, Lord, I’ll be true.
I shall never sing, nor take joy in this land.
All my thoughts and desires will be You.
I long for thee, O Jerusalem.
I long to be in my home.
Ne’er shall I sing in a distant land.
Take me home. Lord, take me home.
Acknowledgement
Welcome
Gathering Hymn: Like a Mighty River Flowing
Like a mighty river flowing,
like a flower in beauty growing,
far beyond all human knowing
is the perfect peace of God.
Like the hills serene and even,
like the coursing clouds of heaven,
like the heart that’s been forgiven
is the perfect peace of God.
Like the summer breezes playing,
like the tall trees softly swaying,
like the lips of silent praying
is the perfect peace of God.
Like the morning sun ascended,
like the scents of evening blended,
like a friendship never ended
is the perfect peace of God.
Like the azure ocean swelling,
like the jewel all excelling,
far beyond our human telling
is the perfect peace of God.
Gathering (Prayers to share)
Mysterious God, creating cosmos, universe, and planet; joining atom to atom, molecule to molecule,
In the energy of life, we praise you
Compassionate God, revealing your freeing presence to Moses, your justice to Amos, your parental love to Jesus,
In the lives of your faithful ones, we know you!
Faith-community God, gathering your people in hope, sustaining them in hardship, calling them in loving action,
Through the life of this fellowship, we serve you!
Prayer of Approach
We give you thanks, living God, for the world in which we live.
Encourage us to preserve the water, the air, and the wildlife of this finite planet
We give you thanks, Living God for our homes and families,
Encourage us to support the vulnerable, listen to the troubled, and share with those who have needs.
We give you thanks, Living God, for this community of which we are members.
Encourage us to worship joyfully, give generously, and work with others to reflect Jesus at work in the world
Collect of the Day (Revised Common Lectionary Prayer (2002) alt.)
God, you weep with those who are oppressed, with those who are uprooted from their homeland and with those who are without shelter or security. Grant that your faithful love may reach out through us, so that your healing mercy may rise like the dawn. We ask this through Jesus Christ, your Son. Amen.
Proclamation of the Word
A reading from the book, Lamentations 1.1–6
How lonely sits the city that once was full of people! How like a widow she has become, she that was great among the nations! She that was a princess among the provinces has become a vassal.
She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has no one to comfort her; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they have become her enemies.
Judah has gone into exile with suffering and hard servitude; she lives now among the nations, and finds no resting-place; her pursuers have all overtaken her in the midst of her distress.
The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to the festivals; all her gates are desolate, her priests groan;
her young girls grieve, and her lot is bitter.
Her foes have become the masters, her enemies prosper, because the Lord has made her suffer for the
multitude of her transgressions; her children have gone away, captives before the foe.
From daughter Zion has departed all her majesty. Her princes have become like stags that find no pasture; they fled without strength before the pursuer.
Listen for the leading of the Spirit Thanks be to God
Psalm 137 Refrain I will sing of mercy and justice.
By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept, when we remembered you, O Zion. As for our harps, we hung them up on the trees in the midst of that land. For those who led us away captive asked us for a song, and our oppressors called for mirth: “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”
I will sing of mercy and justice.
How shall we sing the Lord’s song upon an alien soil? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my strong hand forget its skill. Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy.
I will sing of mercy and justice.
Remember the day of Jerusalem, O Lord, against the people of Edom, who said, “Down with it! Down with it! Even to the ground!” O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy the one who pays you back for what you have done to us! Happy shall be the one who takes your little ones, and dashes them against the rock!
I will sing of mercy and justice.
A Reading from the second letter of Paul to Timothy 1.1–14
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my beloved child:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.
Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him. Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.
Listen for the leading of the Spirit Thanks be to God
Gradual Hymn: 635 CP Like a Murmur of a Dove’s Song
Like the murmur of the dove’s song, like the challenge of her flight,
like the vigour of the wind’s rush, like the new flame’s eager might:
come, Holy Spirit, come.
To the members of Christ’s body, to the branches of the vine,
to the church in faith assembled, to her midst as gift and sign:
come, Holy Spirit, come.
With the healing of division, with the ceaseless voice of prayer,
with the power to love and witness, with the peace beyond compare:
come, Holy Spirit, come.
The Lord be with you And also with you
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke 17.5–10
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ
The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea”, and it would obey you.
‘Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from ploughing or tending sheep in the field, “Come here at once and take your place at the table”? Would you not rather say to him, “Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink”? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!”
The Gospel of Christ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ
Homily
Affirmation of Faith (Creeds and statements of affirmation | pilgrimwr.unitingchurch.org.au)
We trust in God, the Creator Spirit who moved upon the face of the deep at the beginning of creation, who created all that is, and who spoke through the prophets of old.
We trust in Jesus Christ into whom God’s spirit was poured in fullness and in power, that the whole creation might be restored and unified; and who promised that the Spirit would come and fill the faithful with power to witness to the mighty love of God.
We await on that Spirit today with longing hearts, seeking to be empowered to the witness to God’s love, with fresh words and courageous actions of love and hope.
Glory be to God – Creator, Christ and Holy Spirit – now and always. Amen.
Prayers of the People for World Communion Sunday
Let us pray to God saying: God of Welcome and Wonder, help us draw the welcome circle wider.
Triune God, you are the Creator, who has brought all life into being. With nothing but a word, you stirred the whirling planets. You brought life to the fish of the sea and the birds of the air. You called to your family people of different colors, races, and creeds. Help us to value the perspective of people different than us.
God of Welcome and Wonder, help us draw the welcome circle wider.
Triune God, you are the Redeemer, who has renewed all of creation. With nothing but a body, you walked this earth and changed our lives. You brought freedom to the enslaved and salvation to the oppressed. You called to your family people of different colors, races, and creeds. Help us to welcome the truth that ALL people are worthy of love.
God of Welcome and Wonder, help us draw the welcome circle wider.
Triune God, you are the Sustainer, who brings all of us together. With nothing but a wind, you brought us all together. You brought unity to those who were divided by society You called to your family people of different passions, gifts, and voices. Help us spread the news of your gospel that all might be invited to its abundance.
God of Welcome and Wonder, help us draw the welcome circle wider.
Triune God, help us care for those who are in need: (PLEASE USE THE LIST FROM THE GREETERS TABLE) for those who are alone this day, for those who lack the resources to care for their family, for those who see no way out of the graves that surround them, for those who want nothing more than a word of welcome, and for those who need the gospel to sustain them for the coming week. Help us care for those who we lift up to you now aloud or in silence…
God of Welcome and Wonder, help us draw the welcome circle wider.
Triune God, hear our prayers this day and provide for us our daily manna that we might continue to serve you faithfully. This we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen
The Peace
Offertory Hymn: Let Us Break Bread Together
(African-American Spiritual copyright 1971 F. R. C. Clarke)
Let us break bread together on our knees.
Let us break bread together on our knees.
Refrain: When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun,
O Lord have mercy on me.
Let us drink wine together on our knees.
Let us drink wine together on our knees. Refrain
Let us praise God together on our knees.
Let us praise God together on our knees. Refrain
Prayer over the Gifts
God of truth, receive all we offer you this day. Make us worthy servants, strong to follow in the pattern of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
Eucharistic Prayer 4
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is right to give you thanks and praise,
O Lord, our God, sustainer of the universe,
you are worthy of glory and praise.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
At your command all things came to be:
the vast expanse of interstellar space,
galaxies, suns, the planets in their courses,
and this fragile earth, our island home;
by your will they were created and have their being.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
From the primal elements
you brought forth the human race,
and blessed us with memory, reason, and skill;
you made us the stewards of creation.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
But we turn against you, and betray your trust;
and we turn against one another.
Again and again you call us to return.
Through the prophets and sages you reveal your righteous law.
In the fullness of time you sent your Son,
born of a woman, to be our Saviour.
He was wounded for our transgressions,
and bruised for our iniquities.
By his death he opened to us the way of freedom and peace.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
Therefore we praise you,
joining with the heavenly chorus,
with prophets, apostles, and martyrs,
and with those in every generation
who have looked to you in hope,
to proclaim with them your glory,
in their unending hymn:
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might Heaven and Earth of your glory are full
Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest.
Blessed is one who comes in the name of the Lord
Blessed is one who comes in the name of the Lord
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of power and might Heaven and Earth of your glory are full
Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest.
Blessed are you, Lord our God,
for sending us Jesus, the Christ,
who on the night he was handed over
to suffering and death, took bread, said the blessing,
broke the bread, gave it to his friends,
and said, “Take this, and eat it: this is my body which is given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.”
In the same way, after supper, he took the cup of wine;
he gave you thanks, and said, “Drink this, all of you:
this is my blood of the new covenant,
which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
Glory to you for ever and ever.
Gracious God,
we recall the death of your Son Jesus Christ,
we proclaim his resurrection and ascension,
and we look with expectation for his coming as Lord of all the nations.
We who have been redeemed by him,
and made a new people by water and the Spirit, now bring you these gifts.
Send your Holy Spirit upon us and upon this offering of your Church,
that we who eat and drink at this holy table
may share the divine life of Christ our Lord.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
Pour out your Spirit upon the whole earth and make it your new creation.
Gather your Church together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom,
where peace and justice are revealed,
that we, with all your people, of every language, race, and nation,
may share the banquet you have promised;
through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ,
all honour and glory are yours, creator of all.
Glory to you for ever and ever. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
The Breaking of the Bread
Creator of all, you gave us golden fields of wheat, whose many grains we have gathered and made into this one bread.
So may your Church be gathered from the ends of the earth into your kingdom
The Communion
Hymns during Distribution:
Soil of God
Soil of God, you and I stand ready to bear
seeds of faith nourished by God's tender care.
Growing in everyone for here God is found.
All stand together, we are...Holy Ground
Soil of God, you and I, now ready to be
part of God's promise, for others to see.
Open to everyone for here God is found.
All stand together, we are...Holy Ground
Soil of God, you and I, now called to rebirth,
joining as partners with all of the earth.
Living in harmony for here God is found.
All stand together, this is ...Holy Ground
Your Feet Will Not Stumble
Your feet will not stumble, your strength will be renewed;
God’s eagle wings will lift your soul, and love will be your food.
Listen to the ev’ning rains, watch the dew rise with the dawn.
Walk for peace down the crowded streets, and walk when the crowds have gone.
Don’t keep your heart from breaking, there are tides to ev’ry sea,
find the promises that can keep you, sing the songs that set you free.
REFRAIN:
And your feet will not stumble, your strength will be renewed;
God’s eagle wings will lift your soul, and love will be your food.
Stand beside the beds of sorrow, honour lives that come and go.
Words will come to ease your pain, as the dark nights ebb and flow.
God’s promise is a blessing, whispered low and whispered long,
the sun will bring the morning light, your life is in God’s dawn. REFRAIN
Listen to your laughter, as it mingles with your tears.
Wherever you’re happy, wherever you have tears.
For God’s joy is rising, like an ev’ning tide,
lifting off the faded scars, your years have tried to hide. REFRAIN
Listen to your anger, where justice is denied.
Listen to the cries of those whose hope life overrides.
Remember them in deeds and prayers, in the watches of the night,
keep creation turning round again, ‘till the world turns out right. REFRAIN
Prayer after Communion
Almighty God, may we who have been strengthened by this Eucharist remain in your steadfast love, and show in our lives the saving mystery that we celebrate. This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen
Glory to God,
whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from
generation to generation, in the Church and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Blessing
Announcements
Closing Hymn: 306 CP O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise, the glories of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace.
Jesus! the name that charms our fears, that bids our sorrows cease;
’tis music in the sinner’s ears, ’tis life, and health, and peace.
He speaks, and, listening to God’s voice, new life the dead receive,
the mournful broken hearts rejoice, the humble poor believe.
Hear him, ye deaf, ye voiceless ones, your loosened tongues employ;
ye blind, behold your Saviour come, and leap, ye lame, for joy.
My gracious Master and my God, assist me to proclaim, to spread through all the earth abroad, the honours of Thy name.
The Dismissal (Prayers to Share)
God goes with us as we leave the church and God will go with us in the coming week
God’s strength will get us through rough patches,
God’s grace will sustain us when the world lets us down
God’s essential goodness will counter the corruption around us,
God’s acceptance will model our response to prejudice,
God’s love will embrace us and keep us eternally secure. Amen
Postlude: RC Instrumental