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Pentecost 23B LECTIONARY GENERATED LITURGY Twenty Third Sunday after Pentecost Year B Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17; Psalm 127; Hebrews 9: 24-28; Mark 12:38-44 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 Pentecost 23B: A spool of thread; Be our Freedom, Lord, Terry C. Falla , Ed.,Openbook Publishers, Adelaide, South Australia, 1994; AS ONE VOICE, Willow Connection Pty Ltd, Dee Why, NSW, Australia, 1992; ALL TOGETHER OK, Openbook Publishers, Adelaide, 1996. CALL TO WORSHIP: Based on Psalm 127 NRSV Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. Unless the Lord protects the city, those who watch over it stay awake in vain. Let us worship God. TIS 103/AHB 8: “A mighty stronghold is our God” TIS 28: “God is our strength and refuge” TIS 52/AHB 115: “Let us sing to the God of salvation” PRAYER OF PRAISE AND ADORATION Ever-present God, we know that without you, life can become a meaningless round of work and worry. We can become so absorbed in ‘achieving’ and ‘doing’ that we lose sight of simply ‘being’. We praise you for taking the initiative to be there for us - in the person of Jesus - and through the power of the Holy Spirit. May our response to your gracious care for us be reflected in our worship here today and through the witness of our lives. We glorify you, O God , with our hearts, minds, and souls - with our whole being, in Jesus’ name. Amen SUGGESTION FOR CHILDREN’S TALK : Take along a spool of thread. Ask the children/young folk if they have ever had a shirt or shorts or dress - any article of clothing - which has had a thread come loose and when it was pulled, a whole seam came apart...if none of the young folk can tell about this I’m sure that an adult can! Point out how important it is for the threads which hold a garment together to be strong enough to do the job well. In a way, the bible readings today are about threads linking or holding them together - not actual thread like this - but threads which weave some of God’s character into the stories. The psalm we read as our call to worship was saying that when love for God is built into the structure of a house then it is a very different place from a house where love for God is absent. It is far more likely that expressions of God’s love will be experienced there - that threads of peace and justice, care and love for one another will hold together the lives of whoever lives in the house. In the story of Ruth and Naomi which continues from last week, there are threads of responsibility and care and love interwoven in their story. And in the gospel reading, there is a strong thread of sacrifice in the story about a woman who gave all that she had to live on - to God. So - imagine that - just as our clothes are held together by strong threads - so our lives are held together by threads made strong by God’s love for us - and our relationships with other people are woven together with threads as well - made strong by Jesus’ life in us. Coming to church and worshipping God and going to Sundayschool to learn about Jesus helps to keep the threads of our lives strong so that together, young and old, we can weave patterns of love with our lives. PRAYER: “Weaver Spirit” page 424 Be our Freedom, Lord AS ONE VOICE 93: “The story we share” ; TIS 467: “I am the church! You are the church!” TIS 465/AHB 399: “Father in heaven, grant to your children” ALL TOGETHER OK 404: “Let nothing trouble you” GOSPEL: Mark 12:38-44 COMMENT : from a pretty old (but still relevant!) article on narcissism “Here’s Looking At Me, Kid” by Greg Callaghan in The Australian Magazine, Pages 12 - 17, Oct 25-26, 1997: “The symptoms of narcissism are simple enough: an inflated sense of self-importance; a feeling of entitlement (a presumption that because you’re “special”, you’re entitled to favoured treatment); a preoccupation with beauty and success; a deep sensitivity to criticism, matched by an equally strong insensitivity to others’ feelings; a strong tendency to exploit people; arrogant - though not necessarily hostile - behaviour; strong envy of others and a belief that others envy you.” The author of the article quotes a Sydney clinical psychologist - Toby Green : “’Narcissism has become a social disease.....The world is losing intimacy; closeness and connectedness.’ “ PRAYER OF CONFESSION - God of grace and truth, when we hear Jesus criticising the behaviour of the scribe in the gospel today, we wonder what has changed. People still exploit others, still demand preferential treatment, still abuse positions of leadership. We are ashamed to admit that this does not only happen in society at large, it happens also within the church. Forgive any practice of ours which glorify our self-importance rather than glorifying you. A short silence to reflect on these words Empowering God, forgive us when we parade our piety and insist on preferential treatment, forgetting that Jesus emptied himself of power so that he could be the servant of all and Saviour of all. Forgive us when we care more for outward appearances rather than inner dispositions shaped by tolerance and love. A short silence to reflect on these words Merciful God, forgive us when our priorities and our policies outside and within the church are contaminated by a hunger for money and power, rather than graced by generosity and mercy. Forgive us when our attitudes extol those who have much to give and put down those who have little to give. A short silence to reflect on these words God of justice and peace, forgive any behaviour of ours which is experienced or perceived as hypocritical - any actions which lack integrity and justice. Renew and refresh us with the gentle and selfless Spirit of Jesus, so that we know what it is to be his followers not only in name, but in reality. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS: We read in Hebrews that Jesus “entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.....He has appeared once for all...to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself.” The good news is therefore, that in and through Jesus Christ our sins are forgiven. Thanks be to God! TIS 129/AHB 56: “Amazing grace” OLD TESTAMENT: Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17 ; EPISTLE: Hebrews 9:24-28 SERMON TIS 398/AHB 310: “Come down, O Love divine” TIS 439/AHB 362: “What shall we offer our good Lord?” In AHB 362 invite people to replace ‘mankind’ with ‘people’ TIS 454/AHB 382: “Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” SUGGESTIONS FOR PRAYERS FOR OTHERS “Our call and commission” page 70 in Be our Freedom, Lord Specific prayers for those who suffer and have specific needs in the congregation,parish, local, national and international communities, could be woven into the last part of the prayer on page 72. THE LORD’S PRAYER OFFERING OFFERTORY PRAYER O God, we offer these gifts and our lives, not for the sake of their appearance, but in gratitude for all you have given to us. Above all, we thank you for the great gift of Jesus, for his selflessness and sacrificial love. May our discipleship possess these same qualities. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen TIS 606/AHB 529: “Son of God, eternal Saviour” Tune TIS 152/AHB 92 Ode to Joy TIS 432/AHB 343: “Christ is made the sure foundation” TIS 440/AHB 364: “Christ from whom all blessings flow” BENEDICTION: Go into this week, secure in the everlasting love of God renewed by the sacrificial love of Jesus empowered by the active love of the Holy Spirit THREEFOLD AMEN |