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

The Mystery of Love

Walking home with iPod on shuffle I experienced a real mixture - from Jack Johnson's Banana Pancakes to the traditional carol 'Christians awake salute the happy morn ... rise to adore the Mystery of Love which hosts of angels chanted from above". Echoes of the Lads 'Beetroot stain' in the morning selection: A quirky devotional from before the days of Napisan OxyAction. I consider this the contemporary Christian song that the 16th Century reformers would identify with - it seems in its own unique way to capture those Reformed essentials of the wholly other God who reaches out in grace; who first loved us; and who is faithful and whose love is beyond measure.

It's a long time since I read Ian McEwan's Enduring Love. I think it is my favourite work from this author. With skill many of the dimensions of love were captured, explored, examined; all the while seemingly handled gently and with respect. My random music choices today have rekindled some of the affect I remember from the novel (the movie didn't evoke the same affective response). And led me to reflect again on what it means to live in love.

In the challenges and the mundane tasks of everyday I hope that I keep within a hair's breadth of an awareness of the great Mystery of Love in whom I live and move and have my being. And within a hair's breadth of attending to relationships with those with whom I know the joy of loving and being loved. Not taking this gift for granted. Living in gratitude. And getting on with what needs to be done. So be it.

don't get angry (a cryptic saga)

he said. "You are the rock. Things have happened in the past but we must let them go and move on. You can do that, help the others to put aside anger and focus on the things that need to be done."
So when, within a few hours, I was sitting in front of the computer screen swearing and getting very very angry, and persisting in this behaviour while recognising that it was unhelpful and wrong I kind of knew that something had to change.
Surprise visit from someone very high up gave a chance to talk about the issues, to clarify how we will do things, who does what and how we communicate with each other. Very professional. Very helpful. Very wise. Again within a few hours a sudden realisation of lighter shoulders and lighter heart. Thank God.
A few spare minutes late in the day to rethink, clarify concerns and be convinced that there are important issues to address. Send off email with some anxiety. And then this morning the gem. There on screen.
St Teresa of Avila: Let nothing disturb you; let nothing frighten you; all things pass; God alone does not change.
Walking with light step, heart knowing something new about healing, about judgement, about GRACE. Thanks be