How To Do Worship

Order of Service

WELCOME

CALL TO WORSHIP

L:               When we are tempted to think of our immediate needs and turn our back on others, Jesus draws us back to reality.

P:               All we truly need is you, O Christ.

L:               When we think that wealth, power, status are the answers to life’s dilemmas, God draws us back to reality.

P:               All we truly need is you, O Lord.

L:               When we want to really find out if God means what God says, we are tempted to create little tests of faithfulness, and God brings us back to reality.

P:               All we truly need is you, O God. Amen 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY – 

L: The Cammeraygal people are the original custodians of the land on which our church stands. The Cammeraygals were spiritual leaders amongst the Indigenous clans of Sydney. 

All: We pay our respects to their Elders: past and present. 

We commit to walking respectfully in this country, and to journeying with them in their quest for justice and reconciliation.

First Sunday of Lent: Starting in the Wilderness 

We begin our Lenten journey with Jesus in the wilderness. There is the wilderness of loneliness. The wilderness of struggling to meet our daily needs. The wilderness of doubts, about ourselves, others, or God. The wilderness of feeling powerless, of having no control. The wilderness of evil, of systems of oppression. What is the wilderness you are in, right now? As we light the first candle, reflect on the wilderness you are in. 

(light the first candle)

Prayer:

Light of the World, guide us through the wilderness. Remind us that we are not alone. In this season of Lent, may we turn back to You, and find You are right with us. Light of the World, show us the way. Amen.

SONG   

PRAYER OF CONFESSION – Alex

Lord,

you call us to draw near,

yet we fail to hear your voice.

We sleepwalk through life,

ignoring the needs of people all around us

and worrying about our own desires.

Forgive us:

when we shut out the call

to climb into your presence;

when we make excuses

to put off that journey.

Have mercy on us, O Lord,

as we silently open our hearts

and confess our sins:

(Time of silence)

Hear our pleas, O God,

and lift us to newness of life. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS – Alex

One:         Hear the Good News: We worship a forgiving God,

whose mercy is never ending,

whose heart abounds in steadfast love.
         

All:          Thanks be to God. Amen  

SONG      

SCRIPTURE READINGS   

Acts 18:2–3: “There he became acquainted with a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife, Priscilla. They had left Italy when Claudius Caesar deported all Jews from Rome. Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers just as he was.”

Acts 18:18: “Paul stayed in Corinth for some time after that, then said good-bye to the brothers and sisters and went to nearby Cenchrea. There he shaved his head according to Jewish custom, marking the end of a vow. Then he set sail for Syria, taking Priscilla and Aquila with him.”

Acts 18:26: “When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately.”

Romans 16:3: “Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus.”

1 Corinthians 16:19: “The churches here in the province of Asia send greetings in the Lord, as do Aquila and Priscilla and all the others who gather in their home for church meetings.”

2 Timothy 4:19: “Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila and those living in the household of Onesiphorus.”

For the word of God in scripture 

For the Word of God among us 

For the Word of God within us 

We say, Thanks be to God!

MESSAGE

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

Join with me in the prayers of the people. When I say Lord in Your mercy, you are invited to respond hear our prayer. 

Let us pray 

Lord, make me an instrument of peace:

Bless all women who daily strive to bring peace to their communities, their homes and their hearts. Give them strength to continue to turn swords into ploughshares.

Lord in Your mercy 

Hear our prayer 

Where there is hatred, let me sow love:

We pray for all women who face prejudice, inequality and gender disparities. Help us to see and to face the discrimination against women in all the many forms it may take.

Lord in Your mercy 

Hear our prayer 

Where there is injury, pardon:

Comfort all women who suffer from the pain of war, violence, and abuse. Help them to become instruments of their own reconciliation and peace.

Lord in Your mercy 

Hear our prayer 

Where there is division, unity:

Forgive all women and men who let differences breed hate and discrimination. Let your example of valuing all of creation help us to see that we are equal partners in the stewardship of your world.

Lord in Your mercy 

Hear our prayer 

Where there is darkness, light; where there is untruth, truth:

Comfort all women who struggle in the darkness of abuse, poverty, and loneliness. May we stand with them in light to acknowledge their suffering and strive to remove the burdens of shame or embarrassment.

Lord in Your mercy 

Hear our prayer 

Where there is doubt, true faith:

We pray for all women who live in fear of their husbands, fathers, and forces that control their lives. Help them to be empowered to be their true selves through your everlasting love and faith.

Lord in Your mercy 

Hear our prayer 

Where there is despair, hope:

We pray for all women who live in the despair of poverty, violence, trafficking, slavery, and abuse. May the light of your love bring them hope.

Lord in Your mercy 

Hear our prayer 

Where there is sadness, new joy:

Help us to see the strength and goodness in all women and men.

Transform our hearts to celebrate the love and grace of all people.

Lord in Your mercy 

Hear our prayer 

We ask these things as we pray the prayer that Jesus taught us in the language of our hearts. 

Our Father in heaven, 

   hallowed be your name, 

   your kingdom come, 

   your will be done, 

     on earth as in heaven. 

Give us today our daily bread. 

Forgive us our sins, 

   as we forgive those who sin against us. 

Save us from the time of trial 

   and deliver us from evil. 

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours 

   now and for ever. Amen.

OFFERING

BLESSING 

L:           Stand firm in the time of trial;

              tell the story of God’s goodness,

              and trust in the Lord whose saving word is always with you.

All:       We go in peace to love and serve the Lord, 

           In the name of Christ. Amen.   

SONG