Sunday Worship Service

Pentecost 12

 

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This Sunday worship service is prepared by the Minister, Rev. Seung Jae Yeon at Boronia Park Uniting Church, for the members, their families and guests. In his preparation, Daniel Yeon (Bible Reading), Margaret Treble (Kid’s Talk), Barnabas Joo (Prayers of the People), and Grace Song (Music) join participate in leading the worship service.

 

CALL TO WORSHIP

 

Grace and peace to you from God our Father,

who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing

that comes from heaven:

who knew you and chose you before the world began;

who loves you so much that he calls you his own children;

who has brought you from darkness into light

and filled you with his glorious power;

who has prepared an inheritance for you

that will never spoil or fade;

who encourages and strengthens you

in every good deed and word;

who comforts you in your troubles

so that you can comfort others.

 

This is our God,

the ultimate source of all things,

and the One for whom we live.

 

Let’s worship God together!

 

 

HYMN     YOURS BE THE GLORY

 

Yours be the glory, risen, conquering son,

endless is the victory over death you’ve won;

angles in bright raiment rolled the stone away,

kept the folded grave-clothes, where your body lay.

Yours be the glory, risen, conquering Son,

endless is the victory over death you’ve won.

 

See, Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb;

lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom;

let the church with gladness hymns of triumph sing,

for the Lord is living, death has lost its sting.

Yours be the glory, risen, conquering Son,

endless is the victory over death you’ve won.

 

No more we doubt you, glorious Prince of life;

life is naught without you: aid us in our strife;

make us more than conquerors through your deathless love;

bring us safe through Jordan to your home above.

Yours be the glory, risen, conquering Son,

endless is the victory over death you’ve won.

_{Words by permission the World Student Christian Federation |CCLI # 260394}

 

 

PRAYER OF THE DAY   ‘FEED US NOW’

 

Feed us now, Child of God, as you fed your first disciples.

 

Feed us with that soul-food which nurtures enough love within us

to outstrip the fears and enmity that ties the world up in knots.

 

Feed us with that spiritual bread which strengthens our hands

for serving those broken and lost people

whom this world deems a waste of space.

 

Feed us, so that we may be fulfilled with some of that joy

which the universe cannot contain.

 

For your love’s sake.

Amen!                                                                              

_{Attributed to Bruce Prewer}

 

 

THE LORD’S PRAYER

 

Our Father in heaven, 

hallowed be your name,

我們在天上的父, 

願人都尊祢的名為聖,

하늘에 계신 우리 아버지, 

아버지의 이름을 거룩하게 하시며,

 

your kingdom come, your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

願祢的國降臨, 

願祢的旨意行在地上, 

如同行在天上.

아버지의 나라가 오게 하시며, 

아버지의 뜻이 하늘에서와 같이 

땅에서도 이루어지게 하소서.

 

Give us today our daily bread.

我們日用的飲食 今日賜給我們,

오늘 우리에게 일용할 양식을 주시고,

 

Forgive us our sins, 

as we forgive those who sin against us.

免我們的債 如同我們免了人的債

우리가 우리에게 잘못한 사람을 

용서하여 준 것같이 

우리 죄를 용서하여 주시고,

 

Save us from the time of trial 

and deliver us from evil.   

不叫我們遇見試探, 

救我們脫離兇惡,

우리를 시험에 빠지지 않게 하시고 

악에서 구하소서.

 

For the kingdom, the power, 

and the glory are yours now and for ever.

因為國度, 權柄, 榮耀, 全是祢的, 直到永遠.

나라와 권능과 영광이 

영원히 아버지의 것입니다.

 

Amen.

 

 

BIBLE READING    DANIEL YEON

 

Gospel reading: John 6:51-59 (English Standard Version)

 

⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

⁵² The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” ⁵³ So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. ⁵⁵ For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.⁵⁶ Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. ⁵⁷ As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” ⁵⁹ Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.

 

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 

SERMON                   SEUNG JAE YEON

 

During the past week, I joined five UCA minister in zoom. It is called “Moderators in Session” which is designed to form an instant online church in order to take good care of each other. All ministers are from all other places such as Tamworth, the Hills District, the Hunter region, the Georges River and Ryde (this is me!), exchanging greetings and life story of how we are journeying through the current lockdown. The moderator, Simon offered prayers for us, our families and ministry placements and communities. It was so meaningful to me because the Moderator keeps all God’s people in prayers and thoughts every day. Isn’t it amazing that there is one in the church who always reminds of who God is especially in these challenging times? At the end of the meeting, in his closing words, Simon said, “Our struggles are God’s struggles.” Simon gave us this imagery – In our struggles, God is with us. It’s simple, yes. But so powerful. Such a reminder that we are with God in good times and although it is not. The image of God in Simon’s prayerful words is a God who we never knew. The God almighty sits with his people struggling and suffering instead of moving forward. The loving, caring, living and even disturbing God is still and calm, sitting next you and lending his shoulder for you to get on. This God I believe in. This God we journey with. This God reveals one simple principle that we cannot live without him no matter what circumstances come to us. And in my word, we look to God today and tomorrow.

 

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8. ESV)

 

Last eighteen months, we have journeyed with a God we never knew. Though we worship and serve the same God as a church, what we have seen, heard and lived with the virus and all relating matters might cause us to see God differently. I don’t need to list all huge changes and impacts in the world because of the pandemic. (However, I acknowledge that we have a lot of families and friends who have been affected by the harsh challenges and changes due to the pandemic.) But I can say that we cannot do many things that we used to. We cannot see the loved ones and friends near and far in person. We cannot go freely to visit others, to learn at school and campus with peers, and to shop supplies of life from our favourite shops. We cannot gather in person at our beautiful church to join each other in worship and fellowship. What should I say more? In our struggles, God owns our struggles. We are believing in God, but not as we knew it before. We beg and cry out, saying, O God, the Lord is our God, and the Lord is One who we live with. Some say that we will live with the COVID-19 and its restrictions. But we, Christians, still believe that God continue to call his people to live the life that the world never knew, reminding us our identity the people of God. Because that is our vocation. That is the life given through his one and only Son Jesus Christ.

 

To me, the interesting point of the reading for this worship service is that Jesus teaches those people who gather in the Capernaum synagogue. His teaching was about the bread of life, the sign of God’s presence in the body of Jesus Christ himself. Can you see the crash moment here? The building, synagogue and the body, Jesus Christ were crashing, making the gathered people wonder about a God they never knew. Jewish people in Jesus’ time believed that God dwell in a certain place where God promise to become in presence. In the Old Testament, the tabernacle is first mentioned when God instructed Moses to build one. Tabernacle was like a tent of meeting to host the presence of the Lord. Wherever the people of Israel moved through the wilderness, the tabernacle would move with them. And we may know King David had a vision to set up a permanent dwelling place to host the presence of the Lord. His son Solomon went on to build a temple and observed three feasts a year to celebrate the Lord who come dwell in the temple that they built. However later the temple was destroyed by invading armies. And the Jewish people rebuilt it after returning from Babylon. Then destroyed again by the Romans. And the synagogue like sub-branch of the temple served as a gathering place for prayer, instruction, and community. Synagogue was also a visible sign of God’s presence and His power to Jewish people in everyday life. It was a dwelling place where God keep his promise – God be with us. The Jewish religion and its belief were connected to a building or designated place that they made by their hands and believed that God is with them. No one challenges it. But the Son of God only was able to challenge them, reimagining of who God is for them. Not building but bread. Not bricks but the body. Not mortar but the blood. Not invited to come but be there always in life from the beginning. The presence of the Creator and the Saviour never be made or hosted but always in the Life, Jesus Christ.

 

Jesus says, “I am the bread of life.” Let us compare these verses. In John 6:35, he says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” But in the same chapter, verse 58, he says, “This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” He talks about the Life everlasting in Him. Feeding on the bread of life means to live forever. The bread of life that may satisfy human’s hungry and thirsty body is now giving them new life, a new way of life in God as people of God. This is the most challenging and disturbing statement that Jesus brought to the gathered people in the synagogue and even all listeners and readers today. The tabernacle, the temple, the synagogue and later in elements in the church as a building are not a perfect model for the people of God. God’s design from beginning of time is that He would rest among His people who stay connected in movement of the Holy Spirit. The key element here is the Life that Jesus gives us with his everlasting love and passion to all God’s creation. You and I and many are included. The author John sees this climax of the dwelling place of God in the book of Revelation.

 

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.

He will dwell with them, and they will be his people,

and God himself will be with them as their God.”

(Revelation 21:3).

 

Jesus gently reminds us of who we are – the dwelling place of God as we share the bread of life with each other. Let us not forget that we are carriers of His Kingdom. We are that dwelling place of God in the Spirit because of the promise of Jesus Christ today – the Bread of Life.

 

In the last eighteen months, we, the people of God and all God’s creation, walk along a risky and unknown pathway. It would take time to recall the time that we were freely singing and sharing the sign of peace with each other at Sunday worship service. Some of us are missing the time when young ones and their parents and carers came join with each other at the playgroup, running, swing, drawing, colouring and crafting. My scripture class students are only in my prayers on Wednesday – I miss you especially Olivia and Sebastian! I miss them and want to join them again in person in the library! God, who is now with us these days, is a God who we never knew or tried to find. We cannot see the God we never knew whenever we just ask God to solve and move away all problems and difficult circumstances in life. We cannot see the God we never tried to find whenever we just think it is going to be alright. The God we never knew is there always in our friendship and fellowship all the time when we believe that we are a community in Christ Jesus, the Bread of Life. No matter we gather in person or in a digital space, God seek us and love us first. And as Jesus taught them who God is in the Bread of Life, the God we never knew teaches us how we should think in different ways about living and loving each other at this challenging time. I thank God that He is always with us either our bodily meeting or online gathering. And God continue his loving kindness and sacred calling to follow Jesus Christ today. We are in this journey of faith with God who loves us and calls us to follow.

 

Amen.

 

 

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE    BARNABAS JOO

 

Faithful Father.

 

We come to you in fellowship, in our heart and minds though we cannot be together physically.

 

We find ourselves asking how long you are going to let this pandemic go? Many people are suffering from this Corona pandemic in Australia as well as the world.

 

Greater Sydney has been in lockdown for the 8th week, and many people are complaining of difficulties and hardships. Church worship and fellowship have ceased, and the economy has fallen into hardships, and many trials are making our lives difficult. How long will this last?

 

Lord, please take care of the world,

please take care of the poor and needy in this world!

 

Lord, we pray for the sick and the disabled.

Please have mercy on them.

 

Lord, we pray for those

who are financially struggling

due to the Corona pandemic,

have mercy on them.

 

Lord, we pray for those

who are alone and suffer

from extreme depression,

have mercy on them.

 

Lord, we pray for the families

who have been grieved recently,

have mercy on them.

 

In the ecumenical cycle of prayer, this week we pray Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania. We pray for the economic growth of these countries. Lord, please help all people in these countries to receive financial benefits and help them avoid hunger. Please help the preservation of their natural environments, an end to economic and political turmoil so that stable governments can be instated to end corruption and relieve the disparities between the rich and poor.

 

We remember our brothers and sisters in the Anglican Parish of Hunters hill – All Saints and St. Mark’s in our Inter Church Council Prayer Cycle. We pray that your Spirit will guide them this year in their journey with you in the community.

 

We also remember our congregation, Boronia Park uniting Church. We ask for your blessings upon all of our members. That we keep safe and healthy during these difficult periods. We think of the young ones, who are growing up in these uncertain times and ask for more guidance. We ask for your comfort and healing hands on all those who are unwell. May they be always reminded of your love and have strength.

 

We pray all these things in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

 

 

OFFERING AND DEDICATION

 

On my own

what I have to give

doesn't amount to much

in the light of all you have given to me

and in the face of so much need.

Put together as a congregation,

what we offer you here in love

becomes more,

not simply added together,

but somehow multiplied in its usefulness.

We ask you to bless our gifts

and with the addition of your blessing,

just as it was with the loaves and fishes,

there is enough for all. Amen.

_{From the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand website}

 

The offering will be used for the congregation’s continuing mission and ministry in these changing times. Please make your offering through a Bank Deposit or a personal cheque whichever is convenient to you.

 

Account Name: Boronia Park Uniting Church

BSB: 634-634                    

Account: 100023784

Reference: Offering      

 

Please contact Robyn Harvey, Treasurer on 0418 783 290 or

robyn.49@bigpond.net.au for more information about how to make Direct Debit.

 

 

SONG       FEED US NOW

 

1       Feed us now, Bread of life, in this holy meal;

let us know your love anew: we hunger for you.

Feed us now, Bread of life, come and live within;

let your peace be ours today, Lord Jesus, we pray.

 

 

2       Piece of bread, cup of wine: Lord, this food is good:

love and mercy come to us your promise we trust.

Piece of bread, cup of wine: who can understand

how his mercy works in these? Yet, Lord, we believe.

 

3       God is here, O so near, nearer than our thoughts.

Stay with us where’er we go; Lord, help us to grow.

God is here, O so near, in this heaven’s meal.

May we always feed on you – on the bread that is true.

_{Words and music © R. Mann |CCLI #260394}

 

 

BENEDICTION

 

We give thanks for the journey with the Bread of Life

giving us life and energy.

 

As Jesus Christ reminds us of who God is for us today,

the miracle that God makes his home in us.

Help us remember the miracle of the Son

planted in the depths of the earth.

Help us remember new life

which grows and feeds us.

 

We give thanks for the bread.

We give thanks for the love.

We give thanks for the call.

We give thanks for the life everlasting.

 

The blessing of God almighty,

the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

be upon us and remain with us always.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

The Boronia Park Uniting Church communications team who recorded and edited the videos, ensured all the videos ran as they should and designed the invitation and order of service. All music reproduced and streamed with permission. CCLI Copyright and Streaming Licence: 260394, 33617. All English scripture readings in this service are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.