Praying Philemon

This morning a member of our congregation delivered a sermon he has been working on for months, on the book of Philemon. The theme was grace. Well expressed. It was such a privilege to support him as liturgist. Here are our prayers:

Call to worship:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

Brothers and sisters, may we be like Philemon, known for our love for all the saints and our faith towards the Lord Jesus.

May the sharing of our faith may become effective when we truly perceive all the good that we may do for Christ.

May we receive much joy and encouragement from the love of others

And the hearts of all the saints be refreshed

Praise and confession:

Godde of grace

When we feel useless

You proclaim us useful

When we wrong others

You enable us to set things right

When we are estranged from those who matter

You find friends who can bring us together

When we cannot make restitution

You pay the price

Even when we grieve you and fail to perceive your presence

You welcome us with open arms and call us beloved children

Your grace is unbounded

Filling the very depth of our being

Opening us to see your Spirit

Moving over the waters of our world

And enlivening our sensibilities to the values of your kingdom

We praise you

When we become preoccupied with our shortcomings

Fearful to face those we have wronged

Or when wrongs perpetrated against us or against others

Disproportionately occupy our thoughts and paralyse our hearts

Please keep us mindful of your grace

And strengthen us to pass on in full measure

The truth we hear week by week

Your sins are forgiven

Thanks be to God

Let us pray together the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples:

Our Father …

Let us bless each other as we say, in the words of Paul:

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit

Offering:

Through this offering, O Godde, may we Through these gifts that we bring, may we be able to show hospitality to all you send our way, restoring relationships, living lightly on your precious planet, advocating for justice: learning to walk each day in your unforced rhythm of grace.

Prayer for others

Wednesday of this coming week is the 11^th day of the 11^th month, and at 11 a.m. in many countries around the world people will be remembering the end of the Great War. Last weekend in Wagga Wagga I spent time at the war memorial in centre of city and noticed that the inscription was 1914-1919 – realised how much longer the end of the war took to reach our countries down under.

Our prayer for others was adapted from Sally Coleman's Remembrance reflection; her blog Eternal Echoes is always an inspiration. With full acknowledgment I'll reproduce it below:

We come to remember,

our minds

filled with

images

fresh from our TV screens,

of young men and women,

fallen in battle

just yesterday…

.

We come to remember,

how could we forget

for amongst their number

we count friends, siblings

fathers, mothers

even children,

gone from us

.

We come to remember

those who fell many years ago,

whose pictures adorn

our family albums,

and whose faces are familiar,

and yet unknown.

.

We come

because ninety year old scars

aren't easily healed by time,

and seventy year old losses

are still keenly felt today

in towns and cities

across our land

and throughout the world.

.

We come

because poppy strewn fields

bear witness

to unspeakable horrors

that we must never forget.

.

We come,

because our desire is for peace,

and we recognise

that peace often comes

at great cost.

.

We come,

Because those who bear the brunt

Of brutality and violence

Are those you singled out

as showing the truth of your kingdom

children

servants

'the least of these'

.

We come to remember,

to pray, to reflect,

and to seek fresh hope…

that destructive conflicts will end,

and love will triumph,

.

we come to give thanks

that because of you

our hope is not vain…

.

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ

Prince of Peace

Amen

What's new?

Over at RevGalBlogPals this week Songbird writes:
There's a new baby on my street, a double PK whose Mom and Dad are Methodist pastors and church planters. I'm hoping to go over and meet her today. I love new babies, the way they smell and their sweet little fingers and toes. Little K has me thinking about all the new things that please us with their shiny freshness.

Please share with us five things you like *especially* when they are new.

1. Well yes I do have to agree with Songbird about babies. Within the family I like the genealogical continuity as great-nephews and nieces arrive.
   
2. Cakes. Nothing like a cake fresh out of the oven in all its newness. Doesn't seem to last that long in our household before it's time for another new one.
3. Sheets. Not so much new, as newly laundered. Tonight I will snuggle into those fesh sheets and enjoy! The first shower with a newly laundered towel is also a smaill pleasure greatly enjoyed.
   
4. Scriptures. Again not so much new as newly discovered. I'm in a group collectively internalising the Gospel of Mark for a performance in Advent. I find that my four paragraphs come naturally to mind as I sit on the train in the mornings. Living with scriptures in this way unveils new ironies and perspectives I enjoy greatly.
5. Places. Always something interesting to learn about geography or history when in a locality for the first time. Flying in to Wagga Wagga last weekend I was struck, for example, by the tortuous course of the Murrumbidgee river. And once there our hotel was right on the riverbank so I got to walk along it and see markers from the 1974 flood, see replanting work undertaken as part of employment projects for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and people of all ages enjoying the recreational opportunities for swimming, kayaking and fishing.