Marsden
Road Uniting Church Carlingford
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The Responsibility of Hearing.
Gathering
God’s People
Acknowledgement of First Peoples
We acknowledge the first people who have cared for this Land, where we
worship, the Wallumedgal.
May
our worship join with the voices of the First Peoples of this Land.
Call to Worship - (Abingdon Worship Annual 2020)
Ask the
Sower to cast you onto good, fertile soil, that you may bear the fruit of faith
and love.
You are
the Sower, O God, we are the seed.
God’s
word is being sown in our lives this day with the promise of new growth.
You
are the Lover, O God, we are the beloved.
God’s
love blossoms in our lives with a beauty greater than the lilies of the field.
You are
the Healer, O God, we are the healed.
God’s
healing flows through our lives with every beat of our heart.
You are the
Potter, O God, we are the clay.
God’s
hand fashions us to shine with the glory of Christ’s light.
Come!
Let us worship the one who sows us in fields of love.
Hymn 261: Lord,
you are the light of life to me
(Tune – Fairmead)
1
Lord, you are the light of
life to me;
when darkness hides my path, you help me see.
Shine on me, O Lord, that now and all my days
your light may lead me on, guiding my ways.
when darkness hides my path, you help me see.
Shine on me, O Lord, that now and all my days
your light may lead me on, guiding my ways.
2
Lord, you are the rock on
which I stand,
stable and strong in you, held by your hand.
Keep me safe, O Lord; in weakness let there be
your loving, firm embrace upholding me.
stable and strong in you, held by your hand.
Keep me safe, O Lord; in weakness let there be
your loving, firm embrace upholding me.
3
Lord, you are the truth
that sets me free;
only in you is found true liberty.
Teach me then, O Lord, in all things to pursue
your good and perfect will, growing like you.
only in you is found true liberty.
Teach me then, O Lord, in all things to pursue
your good and perfect will, growing like you.
4
Lord, you are the Lamb of
God who died,
suffering for love of me, scorned, crucified.
Love me still, O Lord; let others daily see
your selfless, serving love flowing through me.
suffering for love of me, scorned, crucified.
Love me still, O Lord; let others daily see
your selfless, serving love flowing through me.
5
Lord, you are the King who
ever reigns.
Earth's rulers rise and fall: your throne remains.
Rule my life, O Lord; I yield myself anew
your name to glorify, living for you.
Earth's rulers rise and fall: your throne remains.
Rule my life, O Lord; I yield myself anew
your name to glorify, living for you.
Brian R Hoare (born
1935)
© Brian Hoare/Jubilate Hymns Ltd
9 10 11 10
© Brian Hoare/Jubilate Hymns Ltd
9 10 11 10
Opening prayer
Great Sower, cast us like seeds upon the
winds of your
mercy, that we may grow in fertile
ground. Keep our lives
from stony pathways, where the heat of
life’s cares and
strife strips our strength and vitality.
Protect us from
thorny gullies, where the snares of
life’s worries and fears
block the sunshine of your Spirit. Land
us safely in rich
soil, Master Gardener, and bless us with
the kiss of gentle
rain, that our faith may increase, and
our joy may be
complete. Amen.
A Prayer of Confession
Caretaker of our souls, we yearn to resist the
allures of status and prestige, for we often pierce ourselves with wounds of
our own making.
We long to bloom where we are planted, that
righteousness and peace might flower in our lives.
Free us of the fear of appearing foolish before
others, as we seek new growth in your Spirit.
Nurture us with your grace and mercy, that we
might blossom and bloom as followers of Christ. Amen.
Declaration
of Forgiveness
Those
who abide in the Spirit are set free. Those who reside in Christ find no
condemnation. Rejoice that we have been planted in the fertile ground of God’s
love and mercy.
Thanks,
be to God!
The
Peace
The Sower has planted us in the fertile ground of
this church. Let us express our gratitude for the love that grows within our
fellowship by offering one another signs of Christ’s peace.
Peace be with you!
And also, with you!
(You
may like to exchange a sign of peace with those around you.)
Announcements
A Word with the Children/Young People
Theme: Growth depends upon where the seed is planted.
Object: Several packages of seeds.
Have you ever planted anything? Perhaps you took
some packages of seeds and planted a garden of vegetables. If so, you know that
the type of soil that you have is very important to the success of a garden. If
the ground is too hard, or full of rocks and weeds, you probably won't have a
very good crop of vegetables.
In our Bible lesson today, Jesus told a story
about a man who went out and planted some seeds. This story that Jesus told is
usually called "The Parable of the Sower," but actually, the story is
more about the soil than it is the sower or the seed. Some of the seed that was
planted fell on the path where the ground was very hard. The seeds just lay on
top of the ground and the birds came and ate the seeds.
Some of the seed fell on rocky ground. The seeds
sprang up quickly, but when the sun came, the plants dried up because they
didn't have good roots. Some of the seeds fell among weeds and plants grew for
a little while, but the weeds took over and choked them out. Fortunately, some
of the seed fell on good soil and the plants grew strong and healthy and
produced a good crop.
In Jesus' story, the Word of God is the seed,
and we are the soil. Often, when we come to church, the preacher is preaching
the Word, but we aren't really paying attention. Perhaps we are thinking about
what we are going to do that afternoon or about what we did yesterday. We are
hearing the Word, but we are not listening. That is like throwing seed on the
top of the ground. It won't ever grow into anything in our life.
There are other times when we hear the Word and
we get excited about it, but then our excitement fades and we drift away. That
is like the seeds that fall on the rocky ground. The plants spring up, but then
die because the roots are too shallow.
Sometimes we hear the Word and we believe what
it says, but we want to keep on doing the same things we have been doing. That
is like planting the seed in with a bunch of weeds. I can tell you what will
happen, the weeds will soon take over!
When we hear the word, and we listen and try to
understand what it says and put it into practice in our daily life, then we are
like good soil. We are like soil where the seed takes root and grows and
produces a plentiful harvest. That is the kind of soil that Jesus wants us to
be. What kind of soil are you?
Dear Jesus, we want to be like the good soil.
Help us to listen to God's Word and put it into practice in our daily life. In
your name we pray. Amen.
Offering Prayer
Master Gardener, as you have sown our lives in a rich and fertile soil,
may we bear much fruit through our giving. With these offerings, may your realm
be brought to earth, as we plant seeds of hope in the fields of life. Bless our
gifts and our ministry, that the world may reap a harvest of generosity and
love. Amen.
Hymn 607: Make me a channel of your peace
(Tune – Channel of Peace)
Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred let me bring your love;
Where there is injury your pardon, Lord;
And where there's doubt true faith in you.
So much to be consoled as
to console;
To be understood as to
understand;
To be loved as to love
with all my soul.
Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there's despair in life let me bring hope;
Where there is darkness, only light;
And where there's sadness, ever joy.
Oh, Master grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love with all my soul.
Make me a channel of your peace.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
In giving to all men that we receive;
And in dying that we're born to eternal life.
Oh, Master grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love with all my soul.
Author
(attributed to): St. Francis of Assisi; Adapter:
Sebastian Temple
Tune: [Make me a channel of your peace]
Tune: [Make me a channel of your peace]
The
Service of the Word
The First Reading: Romans 8:1-11 NEB page 878
The Gospel Reading:
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 NEB page 736
After the final reading the reader will say For the Word of the Lord
Please respond by saying Thanks
be to God.
Readings: NRSV Translation
Romans
8:1-11
1 There is therefore now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of
death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could
not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal
with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the just
requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the
flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to
the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live
according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the
Spirit. 6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind
on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For this reason the mind that is
set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it
cannot, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please
God. 9 But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the
Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does
not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, though the body is
dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of
righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead
dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal
bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
1 That same day Jesus
went out of the house and sat beside the lake. 2 Such
great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while
the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told
them many things in parables, saying: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And
as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them
up. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they
did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of
soil. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched;
and since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other
seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other
seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some
sixty, some thirty. 9 Let anyone with ears
listen!’ 18 ‘Hear then the parable of the
sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom
and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown
in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20 As
for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and
immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet such a person
has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution
arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22 As
for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the
cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields
nothing. 23 But as for what was sown on good soil,
this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit
and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another
thirty.’
Preaching of the Word: The Responsibility of Hearing.
We commonly call this the
parable of the sower, but it is more accurately described as the parable of the
soils. It is the reaction of the soils, of the hearers, that makes the
difference. This is the important part of the parable. The sower must possess
the seed. There is no point in our being concerned for a messed-up world
characterized by crime, starvation, illicit sex, drug addiction and the rest,
if we ourselves are part of the problem. We need to first experience the truth
of the gospel in our own lives before we can share it with others.
A sower needs to be skilful
and know something of ground composition and soil preparation. We need to be
aware of the laws of growth and patiently wait for results. All too often in
our enthusiasm we are inclined to become overbearing. We can get into jamming
religion down the throats of others and turn the very people we desire to win
away. Nor is it enough to simply to have know-how
and be attentive to our work. We need faith and trust. The farmer needs to be
willing to spend money long before being sure of a return.
Naturally the task of the
sower cannot be overlooked. None of us can give eternal life nor can we make it
grow & develop. That is God's prerogative - God's work. God alone gives the
increase. What the sower sows is equally significant and that is the seed. When
he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside. In explaining the parable to his
disciples, Jesus left little doubt as to what he meant by the seed. The seed is
clearly the word of God.
There are many today who are
not sowing the seed of the living word. You can tell the kind of seed by the
kind of fruit that is brought forth. Look around you. How much evidence is
there in many of our churches today of transformed lives? As I have said,
before, we are all ministers; how are we showing in our lives and through our
words and actions the word of God? Are we showing change to our lives that are
tarnished by sin? Are we living out the promises that were made at our Baptism?
Jesus pointed out that it
was really the condition of the soil that determined the harvest of the grain.
Some seed fell by the wayside, on the well-trod path that led through the
fields. Through constant usage the ground had become packed and hard. The seed
had no chance to take root and grow. Soon the wind came and blew it away, or
the birds swooped down and devoured it.
There are those who have
become callous to the message of the gospel. In failing to respond to God's
claim upon their lives, their hearts have been hardened and their minds closed.
Prejudice can blind us to
things. Behaviour not of God, can keep us from being objective in evaluating
our own lives. Pride, fear of the unknown and change are all factors that
harden our hearts. The very pressures of everyday life have a tendency to crowd
out any sense of the sacred. There is no one as blind as the person who will
not see.
Other seed fell on rocky
ground. Immediately it began to grow as there was a thin layer of soil. But
just below the surface a hard ledge of rock kept the roots from digging deep.
Soon the hot sun and blustering wind killed the new life. Our churches have
many what could be described as superficial Christians in them. In a moment of emotion,
they take their stand, but over the long haul, when the going gets rough, they
are nowhere to be found. We need to encourage the church to be a place for
people whose lives are cluttered by rocks to work at removing those very rocks
and not to be a place for them to hide.
Other seeds fell upon thorny
ground. This is the best soil yet, but it is uncleansed. To the eye it looks
rich and productive. The seed is sown with every good intention. Only when it
begins to grow do we become aware that it will be impossible to harvest. There
is no way of separating the thorns from the grain. In due course it to, gets
choked out by the uncontrolled weeds of the field.
Jesus indicated three types
of thorns to be wary of: cares of the home and family life, bills and sickness,
schooling. All of these are legitimate but can become enemies as they change
our priorities despite our best intentions. Riches can trap us and chop off the
word. We can go after worldly things such as business, success, pleasure, power
and acceptance to such an extent that they keep us from putting God first. The
thorn of compromise has ruined many a Christian life.
Not all of the seed feel on
poor soil or poorly prepared ground. Some fell on good ground and brought forth
fruit. In comparing this kind of soil to the hearer, Jesus says it is a person
who hears the word, understands, and responds to that same word. Most of us
hear, but it is important that we understand and respond in both word and
action also. How important it is for each of us to know our own hearts our
response the gospel of Jesus.
Hymn
187: Let all creation
dance
Let all creation dance
in energies sublime,
as order turns with chance,
unfolding space and time
for nature's art
in glory grows,
and newly shows
God's mind and heart.
Our own amazing earth,
with sunlight, cloud and storms
and life's abundant growth
in lovely shapes and forms,
is made for praise,
a fragile whole,
and from its soul
heaven’s music plays.
God's breath each force unfurls,
igniting from a spark
expanding starry swirls,
with whirlpools dense and dark.
Though moon and sun
seem mindless things,
each orbit sings:
"Your will be done."
Lift heart and soul and voice:
in Christ all praises meet
and nature shall rejoice
as all is made complete.
In hope be strong.
All life befriend
and kindly tend
creation's song.
Tune: Darwall
Intercessory Prayers
Guide us, we pray,
as your church, struggling to spread the good news. Keep us focused on the
mission and ministry to which you have called us and lead us forward. We know,
Lord, that there will often be bumps and holes in the road along the way. Save
us from dwelling on them and make us secure in the goals you have placed before
us.
Lord in you mercy: hear
our prayer
Lord in you mercy: hear
our prayer
We pray for all your
creation, always at odds with one another. Guide our leaders and those of other
nations that this world might truly be as you created it to be—a world of
peace, hope and love.
Lord in you mercy: hear
our prayer
These are our
prayers, together with those that lie on the hearts of all your faithful
people, which we offer to you in the spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ who said
“not my will, but yours be done.”
Lord in you mercy: hear
our prayer
THE LORD'S PRAYER
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.
Hymn 439: What shall we offer our good Lord
(Tune –
Duke Street)
1 What shall we offer our
good Lord,
poor nothings, for his boundless grace?
Fain would we his great name record
and worthily set forth his praise.
poor nothings, for his boundless grace?
Fain would we his great name record
and worthily set forth his praise.
2 Great object of our growing
love,
to whom our more than all we owe,
open the fountain from above,
and let it our full souls overflow.
to whom our more than all we owe,
open the fountain from above,
and let it our full souls overflow.
3 So shall our lives thy power proclaim,
thy grace for every sinner free,
till all the world shall learn thy name,
shall all stretch out their hands to thee.
thy grace for every sinner free,
till all the world shall learn thy name,
shall all stretch out their hands to thee.
4 Open a door which earth and
hell
may strive to shut but strive in vain;
let thy word richly in us dwell,
and let our gracious fruit remain.
may strive to shut but strive in vain;
let thy word richly in us dwell,
and let our gracious fruit remain.
5 O multiply the sower’s
seed!
and fruit we every hour shall bear,
throughout the world thy gospel spread,
thy everlasting truth declare.
and fruit we every hour shall bear,
throughout the world thy gospel spread,
thy everlasting truth declare.
Benediction
Christ’s teachings are a light to
our path.
May God’s word take root in our lives.
May Christ’s love nourish us like
sunshine and spring rain.
God’s word is a lamp to our feet.
Christ’s teachings are a light to
our path.
Hymn
777: May the grace of Christ our Saviour
(Tune – Waltham)
1. May the grace of Christ our Saviour
and the Father's boundless love,
with the Holy Spirit's favour,
rest upon us from above.
with the Holy Spirit's favour,
rest upon us from above.
2. Thus, may we abide in union
with each other and the Lord,
and possess, in sweet communion,
joys which earth cannot afford.
with each other and the Lord,
and possess, in sweet communion,
joys which earth cannot afford.
Tune: Waltham
