St Martin’s Presbyterian Parish
4 September 2016 – Pentecost 16
Coming Together as part of God’s Family
WELCOME:
CALL TO WORSHIP:
Gather us in, the lost and the lonely
The broken and breaking, the tired and the aching
Who long for the knowing they belong, found at your feast.
God of belonging, gather us in,
The aged and the young’uns, the puzzled and the pondering,
The faithful and the doubting, the rich and the poor,
All who long for the company found at your feast.
God of belonging, gather us in,
from back row or limelight, from mansion or hovel,
From fears and obsession, from tears and depression,
From untold excesses, from treasured successes,
To meet, to eat, be given a seat,
Be joined to the vine, be offered new wine,
Be offered a place and see God’s love face to face,
Here we are found at the feast.
God of belonging, gather us in,
We gather in the presence of our grace filled God.
HYMN: Sing to God as Sings the Ocean (Tune: Converse)
Sing to God as sings the ocean, sing as birds that greet the dawn,
sing as windswept trees in motion, sing and let your song be drawn
from God’s vast and whole creation,
from your faith and doubt and fears,
from rebirth and re-creation, from life’s wealth of joy and tears.
Sing the heart’s deep sighing sorrow to the Lord who hears lament,
who at midnight sees tomorrow when the dark at last is spent.
Sing to God who in our sadness brings the news of coming light,
ample hope to waken gladness and sustain us through the night.
Sing the great, glad joy of Jesus! Sing the gospel that Christ brings.
Sing the way Christ heals and feeds us,
Sing the song that Easter sings:
Christ is risen, Christ is living, Christ among us, Christ within,
Christ the spring of endless giving where new songs of faith begin. (Thomas Troeger)
OPENING PRAYER:
TIME WITH OUR YOUNGER MEMBERS ~ Gillian Cree
SONG: Jesus’ Hands Were Kind Hands (Tune: Au Clair de la Lune)
Jesus’ hands were kind hands, doing good to all,
healing pain and sickness, blessing children small;
Washing tired feet, and saving those who fall;
Jesus’ hands were kind hands, doing good to all.
Take my hands, Lord Jesus, let them work for you,
make them strong and gentle, kind in all I do;
let me watch you, Jesus, till I’m gentle too,
till my hands are kind hands, quick to work for you. ©M B Cropper (CH4 351)
Listening to a Word from God
READING: Luke 10:1-9 Jesus sends his disciples out into a world that is often hostile. They are sent with nothing – there are no experts and no programmes, just a simple trust in God’s provision. They are to simply engage with people they meet and talk about what makes for peace in our hearts and lives…. June Service
ADDRESS: The Future
Responding to God’s Word
A TIME OF QUIET: In the stillness listen for what God is saying to you
PRAYING: Our thanks and our concerns
OFFERING:
Celebrating the Lord’s Supper
HYMN: Welcome, Welcome (Tune: Amazing Grace WOV 56)
Welcome, welcome! The door’s open, there’s room for all who come,
The table’s laid, the meal prepared enough for everyone.
Welcome, welcome! This is God’s feast, a meal like no other;
Where rich and poor, and great and least, are sister and brother.
Welcome, welcome! Come join the throng, enjoy the wine and bread;
We eat and drink as friends of Christ, our hearts and souls are fed.
This is God’s feast where we are loved, your fears, your sins, release;
So come and share with heads held high,the welcome of God’s peace.
THE WELCOME:
This is the Lord’s Supper. We gather here because God calls to us. As many different people, men, women and children, we come together.
We come because we believe in God’s amazing love. God knows each of us by name and God rejoices in each one of us. God has a place for all people and invites us to come ‘just as we are’.
GREETING EACH OTHER BY NAME:
THE PREPARATION:
This is a special meal given to us by Jesus…in tune with God.
We human beings are often small minded and blind to God’s way, but the good news of Jesus is that God will not give up on us.
Jesus was killed on the cross …seen in Jesus.
We are here because we want to be followers of Jesus. We want God’s life to touch all people and fill the earth. In our lives we believe that goodness is stronger than evil, that light is stronger than darkness, that truth is stronger than lies, and love is stronger than hate.
So we share this meal together…that heaven and earth will be one.
THE THANKSGIVING:
Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.
Creator God, thank you for creating this amazing earth, our home;
Thank you for good food, clean water, the sight and smell of the new life springing forth around us.
Thank you for the birth of Jesus Christ, our Saviour,
who lived to show us the Way of true life, and died that we might know your eternal love.
Thank you for the gift of the Spirit,
the gentle encourager, the flame of truth, the wind of freedom, the song of hope in every age.
Thank you for the gift of our own lives, for your love for us, for the Spirit alive within us.
Thank you for calling us to be your people and for your invitation to work together to shape a new earth.
With those who have gone before us and those who will come after us, we worship you in songs of never-ending praise:
Wondrous God, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Praise be to you, holy God. Come fill us with your life.
PRAYER OF CONSECRATION
THE SHARING OF THE MEAL: You are invited to come forward and share this meal by taking bread and dipping it into the wine.
Going Out to Reshape the World
THE DEDICATION:
Christ our life: You are alive in the beauty of the earth, in the wonder of spring’s abundant new life.
Christ our life: You are alive in the tenderness of touch, in the heart-beat of intimacy, in the insights of solitude.
Christ our life: You are alive in the creative possibility of the dullest conversations, the dreariest of tasks, and the most threatening event.
Christ our life: You are alive to offer re-creation to every unhealed hurt, every damaged heart, and to every deadened place.
The dance of your Spirit soars and surges throughout the whole of creation.
So we go from here as your people, your body to truly live!
SAYING TOGETHER: The Lord’s Prayer
HYMN: Let us Talents and Tongues Employ
Let us talents and tongues employ, reaching out with a shout of joy; bread is broken, the wine is poured,
Christ is spoken and seen and heard.
Jesus lives again, earth can breathe again,
pass the Word around: loaves abound!
Christ is able to make us one; at his table he sets the tone,
teaching people to live to bless, love in word and in deed express…
Jesus calls us, sends us out bearing fruit in a world of doubt,
gives us love to tell, bread to share: God-Immanuel everywhere!… © F Kaan (WOV 658)
BENEDICTION:
WE SING: Joy Be In Thy Heart (sung through twice)
Joy be in thy heart, Peace be in thy spirit,
Compassion be thy journey, Love be in thee.
Joy be in my heart, Peace be in my spirit,
Compassion be my journey, Love be in me.
WORSHIP SERVICES THIS MONTH (ALL 10AM)
11th & 18th Sept Mineral & Lapidiary Club Hall 110 Waltham Rd
25th Sept Combined Service at Beckenham Methodist
NOTICES
A very warm welcome to all who worship with us this morning. Please stay for a cuppa following the service. It would be helpful if everyone could wear their nametags too!
FOOT CLINIC TOMORROW 1-4pm at Beckenham Methodist.
2017 FUNDRAISING CALENDARS now available. $20. An excellent Christmas gift and perfect for posting overseas. Please see Charlotte Houston or Judith Mackay.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE PARISH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING will be on Sunday 18th September following worship.
WEDNESDAY WALKERS 31st August: Meet in the car park of the Wigram Airforce Museum 9.30am, 45 Harvard Avenue. Coffee will be in their cafe.
Queries: Barbara and Alan 021 126 3801 or Sonya 027 253 3397. All welcome
CRAFTY CRAFTERS: Thursdays 10am-12noon. $3 per session.
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD shoeboxes now available from June Service. Have fun filling a box for a needy child. Must be returned by Sunday 16th October please.
RISINGHOLME SINGERS CONCERT “SPRING IS IN THE AIR”: Sunday 11th September, Rudolf Steiner School Hall, 19 Ombersley Tce at 3pm. This will be a wonderful afternoon of entertainment and fun, with everything from Bach to Pocahontas! Tickets $15 at the door. Enquiries to John Shanks.
REPORT FROM PRESBYTERY….
- Rev Sylvia Purdie’s call to the Cashmere Parish was sustained by the Presbytery recently. Silvia will be inducted at Cashmere on Sunday 9th October at 7pm.
- Trustees for the new Alpine Mission Fund were appointed with the appointments to be ratified by the full Presbytery by email vote. The Alpine Mission Fund will be available to all parishes to fund mission work.
- “Sandpit Ministries” are a new venture that we are currently discussing with Principal Steve Taylor from KCML. These will be new ministry initiatives and experiments as we look to create new expressions of church. We are looking to have one new sandpit ministry in Christchurch next year.
- Presbytery has approved a new position offering pastoral care to members of St James Parish Christchurch after their closure on September 11th. The Very Rev Bruce Hansen will provide this pastoral support.
- Rev Dr Blair Stirling was approved as the Presbytery nomination to the Presbyterian Support Upper South Island (PSUSI) Board, to take effect from October this year.
PARISH OFFICE: Wednesday & Thursday 9am – 12 noon, Fridays 9-11am Ph 332 6192. Email:stmartpresch@xtra.co.nz. Website:www.stmartins.org.nz.
Please make sure Anna has any notices by 9am Thursday.
INTERIM MINISTER: Rev Dugald Wilson 380 5024; dugaldwil@gmail.com
BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK: Mon 5th Anneke; Lyndsey.