Order of Service – Sunday 6 October 2024 – PENTECOST 20

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CALL TO WORSHIP

“Come near to God, and He will come near to you”.                 (James 4:8)

May all the barriers between God and ourselves be removed. Let us open our spirits to the Spirit of God and discover the power and peace of God surging within us.

“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise”.                      (Psalm 48:1a)

Therefore, let us joyously unite together as we sing, pray, listen to God’s word and share with God and one another.

HYMN:       134       “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven”

PSALTER READING   (Together)        Psalm 26                  (Pages 545-546)

PRAYER OF APPROACH

Awesome God, Your creative power, Your glory and holiness are beyond our imagining, yet, You chose to reveal Yourself in the person of Jesus Christ, who graciously showed us the human face of Your love. He stretched our imaginations once more over the lengths He was prepared to go to demonstrate the depth of Your love for us. And, as if that was not enough, You breathe new and everlasting life into our very beings, through the power of Your Spirit. Triune God, Source of our lives, we worship and adore You. Amen!

TIME TO PRAY  –  Praying for Lebanon, Israel and Palestine

We pray for the families who have lost loved ones.

Loving God, we lift up those who mourn the sudden loss of family members and friends. May they feel Your comforting embrace in their grief.

We pray for the injured and the medical staff tending to them.

Gracious Healer, be with those in pain and those caring for them. May Your strength and love flow through the hands of doctors and nurses.

We pray for displaced families seeking refuge and safety.

Shelter of the Vulnerable, protect those who have been forced from their homes. Provide them with refuge and peace.

We pray for the leaders of Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and the international community.

God of Wisdom, guide those in power to work towards peace and justice. Give them the courage and conviction to choose non-violence.

We pray for children and young people affected by the violence.

God of the Innocent, protect the hearts, minds and lives of precious children and young people. Bring them to safety in the midst of chaos.

We pray for peace and reconciliation in Lebanon, Israel, and Palestine.

Prince of Peace, soften hearts hardened by conflict. May Your peace reign over the land and bring reconciliation between all communities.

We pray for other nations and regions affected by this violence.

Compassionate Lord, as we lift up Lebanon, Israel, and Palestine, we also remember other regions affected by violence. Bring reconciliation and understanding. May violence cease and peace prevail.

God of all creation, bring justice and peace to our world. Teach us to be peacemakers. Guide us in our pursuit of justice and the common good. Inspire us to welcome all, forgive all, and love all. Direct us as we walk in the shadow of Jesus: the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Inspire us to perceive the world through Your eyes, that we might find hope and joy each day, supportive of each other, for the sake of your Kingdom.

HYMN:       154       “Great is Your Faithfulness”

BIBLE READINGS –                                                                   Ian Butters

Job 1:1, 6-22   and  Job 2:1-10 (Pages 496-497)

MUSICAL REFLECTION

SERMON:                  “A Man of Integrity”                  Krikor Youmshajekian

HYMN:       448       “Blest are the Pure in Heart”

NOTICES – Sunday 20 October – We will join Crows Nest Uniting for

  • Worship at 10:00 am at Crows Nest.
  •  John Flynn Combined Service with LCU and the Great Outback BBQ Sun 27 October 9:30 am at St. Columba’s.
  • Elders’ & Council Meetings Wed 30 October 10:30 am.
  • 3 Documentaries Screening in November Tuesday nights.
  • Wednesday 27 November – Bus Trip – from 9:00 am.
  • 1 Dec – Advent 1 & St. Andrew’s Day Service – Bill Crews will be our guest speaker. St. Andrew’s Day Lunch.

OFFERING –    God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7)

HYMN:       508       “Jesus, We thus Obey”

INVITATION

Because there is only one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

In Christ, God breaks down the walls that make us strangers to ourselves and divide us from one another.

We are the body of Christ at this table, we bear witness to our faith.

At this table, God brings wholeness out of brokenness and healing to our world. Let us break bread together.

WORDS OF INSTITUTION

As we gather in praise and thanksgiving at this time, we remember how on the night before His passion, Jesus took bread and gave thanks, saying: “Take and eat; this is my body which is broken for you.” We recall as well how, in the same way, when the meal was over, He took the cup, and gave it to His disciples, saying: “This is my blood, which is shed for you. When you do this, you do it in memory of me”.

BREAKING OF THE BREAD

The bread we break, is a sharing in the body of Christ.

The cup we take, is a sharing in the blood of Christ.

The gifts of God for the people of God.

Now receive this holy sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, and feed on Him in your hearts by faith with thanksgiving.

The body of Christ, given for you. Amen!

The blood of Christ, shed for you. Amen!

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Holy God, we give You thanks that we have been fed and renewed by Christ’s life in us. We go now to share that life with others. Send us forth equipped with the power of your Spirit. To spread the message of Your love and mercy to all whom we meet. Amen!

HYMN:       209       “And Can it be that I Should Gain”

THE LORD’S PRAYER and BLESSING

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To contact Krikor call 9453 0787 or 0418 417 411

Church Website:  http://www.longueville.unitingchurch.org.au

Church email: standrewsunite@tpg.com.au

Church Office phone: 9427 4740