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LECTIONARY GENERATED LITURGY
Second Sunday in Lent Year C
Genesis 15:1-12,17-18; Psalm 27; Philippians 3:17-4:1; Luke 13:31-35 . Rec. text - NRSV.
          Hymns are from the Australian Hymn Book (AHB) or Together in Song (TIS)
unless otherwise indicated.
            Worship Leader - normal type. Congregational responses - bold type.
          Permission is granted to churches to use this material in services of worship.
This liturgy remains the property of Moira B. Laidlaw

Additional resources for Lent 2C: Be Our Freedom, Lord, Terry C Falla, Openbook
Publishers, Adelaide, South Australia, 1994

CALL TO WORSHIP: Read Psalm 27 responsively or use the following
Let us worship God who is our light, our strength, and our salvation.
When our confidence is in God of whom shall we be afraid?
CHOIR OR SOLO: The refrain from TIS 16/SA 28: “Do not be afraid...” or
TIS 747: “The Lord is my light, my light and my salvation”
One thing we ask of God, one thing we seek - to live in the house of God all
the days of our lives.
That we may behold the beauty of God in creation and in one another.
CHOIR OR SOLO: The refrain from TIS 16/SA 28: “Do not be afraid...”or
TIS 747: “The Lord is my light, my light and my salvation”
One thing we ask of God , one thing we seek - to trust the ways of God.
That we may know God’s goodness and strength all the days of our lives.

TIS 16/SA 28: “ Do not be afraid I am with you”
TIS 15/AHB 493: “God is my strong salvation” An alternate tune for AHB
493 is AHB 389 Thornbury singing the hymn as two verses.
TIS 261: “Lord, you are the light of life to me”
TIS 642: “This day God gives me” Alternate tune Bunessan 156

PRAYER OF APPROACH
We come to worship you, O God, seeking signs of your presence to
strengthen us in our journey through life. We wonder how prepared we are to
journey, like Abraham, into the unknown of your future. He looked for signs
of your presence and journeyed on in hope, confident that your presence was
there to protect and guide him. How much more fortunate are we, blessed as
we are with your presence with us in Jesus. He undertook his journey
towards the cross with a heavy heart, and in dying, revealed his undying love
for all - blessing lives forever with his life and your love. We approach
you, O God, with hearts filled with awe over such undeserved gifts and we
pray that this time of worship will reveal the depth of our gratitude and
praise. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen

EPISTLE: Philippians 3:17-4:1

AWORD WITH THE CHILDREN/YOUNG PEOPLE
Begin by asking if they know what ‘imitating’ something or someone means.
You could maybe organise a couple of people to be up front to do some
movements and invite some of the children/young people up to see if they
can imitate the movements. Ask if they have a favourite pop or movie star
that they like to imitate or copy (dresswise?) or a favourite sportsperson.
It may be interesting to see how many young people are wearing almost
identical clothes! Are they imitating anyone or is it just the cool thing to do.
Point out how Paul invites us to imitate him. Now why would anyone want
to do that? We know that Paul, at various times, had stones thrown at him,
was beaten, had his clothes torn off him, was ridiculed, imprisoned - a number
of times, (wrote today’s words while in prison), was shipwrecked and
bitten by a snake, apart from making a lots of enemies. So - why would we
imitate him? Because his life identified him as someone who really loved
Jesus and he wanted other people to experience that love so much that he
was prepared to go to any lengths to tell people about that love. When
people didn’t want to hear about Jesus they did these awful things to Paul.
We might think, that wouldn’t happen now - but there are people,
young and old, right now, in parts of the world - who are suffering like
Paul did because they follow Jesus. And this is the time of the year - not too
many weeks from Good Friday when we remember that Jesus himself
suffered tremendously to show that love was stronger than evil. If we all
imitated that kind of love how much better the world would be. Paul imitated
Jesus’ love and that’s what we are to do as well. Remember the words that
Paul wrote about that kind of love ? It is a love that is patient and kind, not
envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. With that love in us, we don’t insist
on our own way and are not irritable or resentful. It might mean that we are
ridiculed and may make enemies, but we’ll know that we’re doing the right
thing and imitating the right person - Jesus.

TIS 236/AHB 178: “Jesus’ hands were kind hands”
TIS 699/AHB 571: “A new commandment I give unto you” in AHB 571
invite people to replace’all men’ with ‘others’
TIS 107/AHB 25: Sing praise and thanksgiving, let all creature living...”

INTRODUCTION TO THE PRAYER OF CONFESSION
The apostle Paul says: “Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and
observe those who live according to the example you have in us.”
Is it possible to claim these words as our own and repeat them as our words?
Let’s have a time of silence where we think about these words and their
relevance for our lives as followers of Jesus Christ.

You could perhaps have a time when people respond with extempore prayers
or use the following...
Let us pray:
Merciful God, we hear these words of Paul, and know that his life was
spent living and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ not only to the people
of his day, but to people in every age since. He could invite people not only
do as he said, but to do as he did.
When we are happy to tell others to do as we say, but want the freedom to do
as we choose, even if that means surrendering some of our christian values;
Forgive us, O God.
When we strive to imitate the lifestyles of the rich and famous, and ignore the
plight of those who are poor and the powerless;
Forgive us, O God.
When we look to other than Jesus Christ as the source of our standards;
Forgive us, O God.
When Jesus weeps over our behaviour even as he wept over Jerusalem;
Forgive us, O God.
God of grace and truth, we remember Jesus’ commitment to travel towards
the cross to give true and everlasting meaning to the depth of divine love.
Empower us with the Holy Spirit to deepen our commitment to follow Jesus,
even when that means being ridiculed or persecuted, or sharing in the struggles
and sufferings of others. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen

ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS.
Hear the good news: Those who are in Christ are a new creation;
the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. All this is from God
to whom we have been reconciled through Christ.
And so I declare to you, in Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Thanks be to God!

OLD TESTAMENT: Genesis 15: 1-12, 17-18
GOSPEL: Luke 13: 31-35

SERMON

TIS 430/AHB 337: “Your words to me are life and health”
TIS 569/AHB 478: “Guide me O thou great Redeemer”
TIS 588/AHB 504: “In heavenly love abiding”
TIS 442/AHB 367: “All praise to our redeeming Lord”

PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING AND INTERCESSION
“We do not take an untravelled way” pages 83-85, and “Choices” page 305 in
Be our Freedom, Lord

OFFERING

OFFERTORY PRAYER
We offer these gifts and the service of our lives to you, O God, as signs
of our gratitude for all you have done and are doing for us. Without
your love as we know it in Jesus, our lives would lack meaning and
purpose. We pray that these gifts and our witness may help others
to discover in Jesus new meaning and purpose for their lives. Amen

COMMUNION HYMN:
TIS 468: “We are your people...”
TIS 526/ AHB 451: “Lord Jesus Christ, you have come to us”
TIS 534: “ Love is his word, love is his way...”

GREAT PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
We give thanks that God travels with us on our journeying.
This we believe in our hearts and confess with our lips .

Living God, we give you thanks that in your mercy,
you chose to breathe life into people,
and plants and creatures, great and small.
When people needed assurance about the future
you promised Abram descendants more numerous than the stars.
And when your people found themselves enslaved,
you led them to freedom -to a land flowing with milk and honey.
They remembered your goodness with their mouths,
but failed to reflect your goodness with their lives .
And so you spoke through the prophets
and when their words went unheeded,
You spoke a new Word which would be an eternal reminder
of your love and your mercy.
Through your love for the world the Word
became flesh and lived among us.
And so, with all the company of heaven and earth
we praise your holy name saying:
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest
God of all eternity, your holiness and your glory
would have been beyond our imagining were it not for
the sacrificial life and love of Jesus Christ,
your beloved Son, our beloved Lord.
He refused to be tempted to use your power to serve himself,
but gave it away by serving others with humility,
compassion and love.
And as if that were not enough,
he gave his very life for us.
On the night of his betrayal,
as he sat at the table and broke
bread with his friends, he said:
‘Take and eat; this is my body which is
broken for you. Remember me each time you do this.’
After they had eaten, he took the cup, and said:
‘Remember me as you drink
from this, for it is my life, poured out for you -
the beginning of a new relationship with God.’

God of all power, breathe your Holy Spirit upon us, and upon these gifts of
bread and wine, that they may be for us the life of Christ and that we may
make that life visible through our faithful witness to the gospel.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

THE LORD’S PRAYER

BREAKING THE BREAD
We break this bread and take this cup
so that we can all share in the life of Christ.
God’s gifts for God’s people.

LAMB OF GOD

DISTRIBUTION OF THE ELEMENTS

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Gracious and merciful God, source of all blessing, we give you thanks
for inviting us to share this meal as your family. Strengthen us to be a
blessing to one another and to all people, glorifying you in everything
we do and say, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

TIS 422: Come, Holy Spirit, come! inflame our souls with love”
TIS 547/AHB 455: “Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart”
In AHB 455 invite people to replace in v.2 ‘son’ with ‘child’
and in v.4 - ‘man’s’ with ‘the world’s’
TIS 536/ AHB 453: “ An upper room did our Lord prepare”

BENEDICTION
Journey into this week and beyond
blessed with the presence and guidance of God
filled with the perseverance and compassion of Jesus Christ
strengthened with the power and vitality of the Holy Spirit.