Liturgies Online

LECTIONARY GENERATED LITURGY
Easter 6C
Acts 16:9-15; Ps. 67; Rev. 21:10, 22-22:5; John 14:23-29 or John 5:1-9Rec 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 Easter 6C: All Together OK, Openbook Publishers, Adelaide, 1996; Scripture in Song . CMC Australasia, Unit 9/147 Marshalltown Road , Grovedale, Victoria 3216; New Journeys Songbook, JBCE, the Joint Board of Christian Education, 10 Queen St., Melbourne 3000,1991; Australian Prayers, Bruce D Prewer, Lutheran Publishing House, Adelaide, 1983; Jesus Our Future , Bruce D Prewer, Openbook Publishers, Adelaide, 1998.

CALL TO WORSHIP: either read Psalm 67 responsively or use the following:
May God be gracious to us and bless us;
May God’s face shine upon us.
May your ways, O God, be known throughout all the earth,
and your salvation experienced among all nations.
Let people of all nationalities be glad and sing for joy
for you judge them justly and give guidance to all nations.
Let the peoples of the world praise you, O God;
let all people praise you.
Despite our careless use of the earth, it still yields its increase,
God, our God has truly blessed us.
May God continue to bless us;
let all people praise you and worship you, O God.

TIS 37/AHB 117 : “Our God, be gracious unto us” Alternate tune Richmond
TIS 425/AHB141(2)
TIS 108/AHB 26: “You holy angels bright”
TIS 452/AHB 379: “God of mercy, God of grace” Invite people to replace
‘man’ with ‘us’ in verse 3 line 3, and with ‘all’ in line 4.

PRAYER OF ADORATION AND PRAISE
Gracious God, we praise you for blessing us in ways the Psalmist could only
dream about. You have not only blessed our lives with Jesus, but you continue
to pour blessings upon us and within us through the person of the Holy Spirit
This gracious gift of your Spirit continues to teach us about Jesus and to
remind us of all he said and did. Today we rejoice over his gift to us of peace -
his peace which is beyond our human understanding. We receive this gift with
thanksgiving and pray that our lives may reflect this peace and your love.
May this time of worship be an offering of praise and adoration for all your
gifts to us. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

A WORD WITH THE CHILDREN/YOUNG PEOPLE
In John 14: 26 , Jesus says that the Holy Spirit....”will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.” Invite a teacher to come forward to be interviewed about what it means to them to teach. If you have someone in the congregation who teaches the children at school - invite that person. Begin by introducing the person - This is Mrs Smith - she is a really nice person to know, she is a woman, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a sister, a cousin, an aunt, an elder here at church, a great worker for building up
relations between the churches - I wonder if there is anything I’ve left out?
Most of the children here know Mrs Smith as a teacher at their state school
and would hopefully acknowledge this fact . I’d then ask Mrs Smith why she is
a teacher, what she likes best about teaching etc. Does she ever have to
remind the children of previous lessons ? Then ask, what happens if she is
away at any workshops for teachers, or if she is sick? Someone comes in her place...
this is where the teaching about the Holy Spirit comes in so the teacher
is thanked and sits down.
When Jesus was alive he was a teacher too. He taught people how to live with
love and respect for one another and for God. But Jesus knew that there was
going to be a time when he would not be able to be with people in person, and
he also knew that what he had been teaching people about loving one another
was much too important to be forgotten. In today’s bible reading, he tells us
all that he is sending the Holy Spirit who will continue to teach us and will
remind us of all of Jesus’ teachings. Just as someone takes Mrs Smith’s place
when she is away, so the Holy Spirit takes Jesus’ place. We cannot see the
Holy Spirit, but we believe that the Holy Spirit is God’s power living within
us. It is as though Jesus is still alive, but in our hearts and minds - he knew
how forgetful we can become so he makes his home within us so he can keep
on teaching us all our lives long.

TIS 412/AHB 324: “God sends us his Spirit”
ALL TOGETHER OK 369: “Shout to the Lord”

FIRST READING: Acts 16:9-15
EPISTLE: Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5

TIS 675/SCRIPTURE IN SONG 584: “Lord, your face so shines upon me”
TIS 233/AHB 173: “I will sing the wondrous story”

PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Lord Jesus Christ, you encouraged the disciples, and us, with the promise of
the Holy Spirit, sent by God, in your name. You promised that the Spirit
would continue to teach the truth about you, as well as reminding people of
all you said and did. And you then promised the wonderful gift of your peace.
Why is it that so often we prefer to hold on to our insecurities and fears
rather than take hold of your gift of peace? You promise us so much, yet we
put our faith in what we can see and touch, possess and control.
We confess that our lives become so entangled with the values of the world,
that we forget what you have said and done and promised.
When we seek our identity in other than you and your teachings,
forgive us, Lord.
Jesus, Teacher and Lord, out of love for us, you promise to knit together the
wounded parts of our lives with your peace.
When our anxieties and fears are stronger than our belief in your
promises, forgive us, Lord,
Jesus, Saviour and Lord, through the gift of your Spirit, you give us the means
to serve as you served, to love as you loved, to live as you lived.
When our insistence on doing our own thing stifles the promptings of
your Spirit, forgive us, Lord.
Lord of every part of our lives, help us to let go of all that hinders our
acceptance of your peace, your love and your very life through the
transforming power of the Holy Spirit. This we pray in your name. Amen

ASSURANCE OF PARDON
God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order
that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not
condemned. (John 3: 17, 18a)
The good news therefore is this: in Jesus Christ we are forgiven and we
receive his peace, a peace such as the world cannot give.
Thanks be to God!

WORDS OF PEACE
Let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts.
To this peace we were called as members of one body.(Colossians 3: 15)
The peace of Christ be with you always
And also with you.
Invite people to share a sign of peace.

GOSPEL: John 14: 23-29

SERMON

TIS 607 “Make me a channel of your peace”
TIS 430/AHB 337: “Your words to me are life and health”
TIS 408: “O breath of God, breathe on us now”

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
“Special People” page 112 in Australian Prayers ; “Be with us: A Litany”
page 92 in Jesus our Future

THE LORD’S PRAYER

OFFERING
OFFERTORY PRAYER
Today we are blessed with gifts beyond our imagining. The promise that
the Holy Spirit will open our minds and hearts anew to the teaching and
presence of Jesus. The peace of Jesus which calms troubled and fearful
hearts. Bless these gifts, O God, which we offer in response to these gracious
gifts of yours. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

TIS 413/AHB 327: “Holy Spirit, come confirm us”
AHB 329 : “O Holy Spirit, by whose breath”
TIS 597/AHB 516: “Master, speak, thy servant heareth”
TIS 422: “Come, Holy Spirit, come”

BENEDICTION
Go, blessed with
the great love of God,
the presence and peace of Jesus Christ
and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

THREEFOLD AMEN