Call to Worship:
We gather before you today, O God,
eager to hear your Word and learn from it.
You have given us all the instruction
we need to live in ways that please you,
and we gather to worship you now.
Amen.
STF 28 Jesus calls us (3 Verses)
Jesus calls us here to meet him,
as through word and song and prayer,
We affirm God’s promised presence,
where his people live and care.
Praise the God who keeps his promise;
Praise the son who calls us friends;
Praise the Spirit who, among us,
to our hopes and fears attends.
Jesus calls us to confess him,
Word of life and Lord of all,
Sharer of our flesh and frailness,
saving all who fail or fall.
Tells his holy human story;
Tell his tales that all may hear;
Tell the world that Christ in glory
came to earth to meet us here.
Jesus calls us to Each other
vastly different though we are;
Creed and colour, class and gender
neither limit nor debar.
Join the hand of friend and stranger;
Join the hands of age and youth;
Join the faithful and the doubter
In their common search for truth.
Prayer of Adoration and Praise
Almighty God, we are a mixed bunch of people, but all unique and special and with a common purpose – to worship you.
You are the bringer of good news;
and the example of what true love is, giving yourself for our sakes.
You are the meaning and the motivation for how we chose to live.
You are light in the darkness that draws us on. You are the whisper in the wind and the shout in the thunder.
You are the Sprit that warms our hearts.
We worship and adore you,
Amen
Bible Readings
Luke 18: 1-8
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.
He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought.”
And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, Yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’
And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says.”
And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?
I tell you; he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Reflection:
Our Reading today tells of the struggle a widow had to get justice from an unjust judge; probably a judge appointed by King Herod or by the Romans. Such men were notorious. Unless a person had influence and money to bribe the judge, they had no hope of ever getting their case settled.
The widow is a symbol of all who are poor and defenseless. but she has a secret weapon one known to every child who badly wants something pester power, persistence along with determination.
Let’s face it most parents have given in to it at some point, for a bit of peace. Persistence and determination are powerful forces!
The judge does not represent what God is like. The point of the parable is that if this callous judge could be moved to act by the widow’s persistence; how much more will God answer people’s prayers for justice.
Previously Jesus was asked “When will the Kingdom of God come? He wouldn’t give a date or a prediction when God’s justice will finally reign, but instead tells us how to behave while we wait – we are to keep on praying because the more we do, the more we learn to be open to God and the more we learn what he wants of us and for us.
Jesus ends on a slightly tetchy note. There is just a hint of despair in His words when he says when he returns “Will he find faith on earth?”
How many of us will he find continuing in obedience and hope, prayer and persistence?
The message of encouragement looked ahead to the days that would follow his ministry, when his disciples would wait in perplexity through persecution and hardship.
That encouragement is equally relevant to our own lives; for those who face persecution for their faith and those who face apathy towards their Christian witness.
We see a lot of sport on our televisions. Sports men and women train hard to be fit and strong. Our Christian journey is a marathon, not a sprint, it requires perseverance and dedication. Our training is our time spent with God- reading His word and spending time in prayer, not just talking, but listening to His voice.
May we all strive to regularly spend time with our amazing God…Amen
Prayers for others:
Gracious God we bring to you our broken world, so full of injustice and exploitation, suffering and sorrow, hatred and division.
We pray for all people who have great power. May they exercise it with honesty and integrity.
We pray for all who work for change; all who strive to bring help and healing, hope and wholeness.
Loving God bring healing and renewal, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Lord's Prayer
Please use the version that you prefer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
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: For I’m building
For I’m Building a People of Power and I’m making a People of Praise that will move through this land by my Spirit and will glorify my precious name.
Build your Church Lord, make us strong Lord Join our hearts, Lord, through your Son.
Make us one Lord, in Your Body,
In the Kingdom of your Son.
Blessing:
Living God may the experience of your love,
the reality of your grace, and the knowledge of your constant presence, continue to transform our lives each day, so that we may live and work to you more faithfully, to the glory of your name.
Amen
