LILLY OF THE VALLEY SHRUB 

Lily of the valley shrub enjoys shady areas under trees in cooler areas of Australia.

Keep mulched with fallen autumn leaves.

Photo: Scott Hawkins

(From website "12 Best Winter Flowers")

 

Important Announcement

 

We are getting ready to return to church!

 

Boronia Park Uniting Church has been considering public health advice and the needs of our members and guests.

The Synod of NSW and the ACT has been meeting regularly to discuss the current issues and plan for the gradual relaxing of regulations. As the result, with the state government's guideline, we are now able to create a safe path to reopening some church activities including Sunday worship service.

The Church Council has discussed what we should prepare before reopening.

Please be patient as we are getting back to a new normal.

While creating and preparing for reopening, physical distancing is required and all worship resources will be continued online.

More information on the Synod Website Here to click/tab

 

 

Preparing for Worship

 

Welcome to this Sunday gathering. I am so glad that we have made it here today. This moment, we are all invited to think about the meaning of “servant/servanthood.” What does it mean to have a servant’s heart?  Does it mean to be a person who is easily taken advantage of? Or is there a much bigger, deeper calling bound up in the idea?

 

The majority of people are not naturally in love with the idea of “serving.”  Thoughts of various abuses often emerge, especially within those who have been under the thumb of a person who forced “submission” from another, rather than a submission of self that was given with intention.

 

So, THIS WEEK we worship God who sent His Son Jesus Christ for us as Servant of God’s creation. If we serve each other and others, that is because of what Jesus demonstrated in His ministry. We would trace his servanthood in our life and ministry, so we are grateful to God.

 

 

Acknowledgement for the First Peoples

 

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout the Greater Sydney and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

 

 

Greeting to Members

 

We greet each other, especially those who is listed on the seventh page of the Congregation Directory. I would like to call them by name:

 

Peter and Jan Scutts,

Esma Shedrick,

John and Susan Spencer,

Barbara Summers, AND

Margaret Treble

 

And in our imagination, let us have big waving hands to each other.

 

 

Call to Worship 

 

God of the prophets, call to us today

Call us into Your ways of love, justice and righteousness.

 

God of the poets, remind us again how much You love us

Sing to us Your ways of love, justice and righteousness.

 

God of the disciples, teach us how to follow You

Teach us Your ways of love, justice and righteousness.

 

God of all creation, help us to know Your ways

We gather to hear Your call,

to sing Your praise,

to teach each other,

to pray and worship as the Body of Christ.

 

Let us worship God.

 

 

Assembly Song 1        Holy Spirit, we welcome you

 

 

Holy Spirit, we welcome you

Holy Spirit, we welcome you

 

Let the breeze of your presence blow,

That your children here might truly know

How to move in the spirit's flow.

Holy spirit, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, we welcome you

 

Please accomplish in us today

Some new work of loving grace I pray

Unreservedly have your way

Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, we welcome you

 

Chris Bowater

CCLI #260394

 

 

Prayer of the Day

 

The prayers are part of the Uniting Church’s liturgy called ‘a rite of welcome’ that is used as a congregation calls people to join its ministry. You may reflect on the words, digesting the meaning of ‘serving’ among God’s people and creation.

 

Let us pray:

 

God of steadfast love,

like a parent waiting to welcome home a wandering child,

like a shepherd searching for a lost sheep,

you have sought and summoned us (Or maybe your name).

Protect us by the power of the cross.

 

Strengthen our faith to lay hold of things unseen,

and to live by the light of Christ.

 

Bring us all at the last to those things

beyond our seeing,

beyond our hearing,

to the vision of your glory,

when we shall see you face to face

through Jesus Christ, the firstborn of the new creation. (Colossians 1:15-20)

 

Amen.

 

You may sign the parts of your body with the sign of the cross as these are mentioned.

 

Receive the cross on your ears,

that you may hear the gospel of Christ, the Word of life.

Glory and praise to you, gracious God.

 

Receive the cross on your eyes,

that you may see the light of Christ, light for your way.

Glory and praise to you, gracious God.

 

Receive the cross on your lips,

that you may sing the praise of Christ, the joy of the Church.

Glory and praise to you, gracious God.

 

Receive the cross over your heart,

that God may dwell there by faith.

Glory and praise to you, gracious God.

 

Receive the cross on your shoulders,

that you may bear the gentle yoke of Christ.

Glory and praise to you, gracious God.

 

Receive the cross on your hands,

that God’s mercy may be known in your work.

Glory and praise to you, gracious God.

 

Receive the cross on your feet,

that you may walk in the way of Christ.

Glory and praise to you, gracious God.

 

May the power of the Holy Spirit

enable you to know and follow our Lord Jesus Christ.

Glory and praise to you, gracious God.

 

 

Scripture Readings     Justin Han

 

 

First reading comes from Romans 6:12-23 (New living Translation).

 

¹² Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. ¹³ Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. ¹⁴ Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

 

¹⁵ Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! ¹⁶ Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.¹⁷ Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. ¹⁸ Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.

¹⁹ Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.

 

²⁰ When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. ²¹ And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. ²² But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

Gospel reading is from Matthew 10:42-42 (New Living Translation).

 

⁴⁰ “Anyone who receives you receives me, and anyone who receives me receives the Father who sent me. ⁴¹ If you receive a prophet as one who speaks for God, you will be given the same reward as a prophet. And if you receive righteous people because of their righteousness, you will be given a reward like theirs. ⁴² And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.”

 

 

This is the Word of the Lord

Thanks be to God.

 

 

Kids' Talk          Rosemary Brook

 

 

Did you remember that Rosemary told us about South Sudanese food in her talk?

She wants to share the photo of her South Sudanese food cooking with you. 

 

KidsLife Episode 7

 

 

Assembly Song 2   May the feet of God walk with you (TiS 779)

 

 

May the feet of God walk with you,

and his hand hold you tight.

 

May the eye of God rest on you,

and his ear hear your cry.

 

May the smile of God be for you,

and his breath give you life.

 

May the Child of God grow in you,

and his love bring you home.

 

Words © A. W. Podlich | Music © R. Mann

CCLI # 260394

 

 

Reflection on the Scripture     Seung Jae Yeon

 

 

As a Korean-Australian Christian, I have practiced my faith in Christ Jesus and God’s call in ministry. I would say that my identities hyphenated is very unique to see the world and its history as God’s creation. Perspectives that I have developed in Australia have formed myself and my own faith journey to bring me here today. I can name it “Korean-ness.” Some of readers of this reflection may understand what I try to explain. There are both good and no-good things in my Korean-ness. I try to accept it because that is me, Seung Jae.

 

One of the perspectives that I engage with the world and community in my Korean-ness is based on Confucianism, more specifically Neo-Confucianism as philosophy. The idea of the philosophy is a moral, ethical and metaphysical. To be honest, I have never been trained or studied about the idea in formal ways, but I have been influenced by many ways; in family, neighbourhoods, schools, national service and even church community. It has formed me and still forms me and myself to see the world making connection with others and every single event.

However, sometimes the idea and its applications challenge me. Let me give you an example: I, as a religious minister, might have been treated as a noble person whose work at the service of church is considered as good or sacred ones. I am paid tribute from members and others in community although I am called to serve all of you. Preparing Sunday worship services and its leading, officiating or chairing meetings, teaching young people Christian values, visiting those who are unable to attend church activities are all my duties as minister in placement. I must fulfil them not by being paid tributes but by God’s call and call from all of you here at Boronia Park Uniting Church. (I would say that I acknowledge whatever forms and ways you have shown your honesty words and acts towards me and my family.) 

 

I fight against myself that sometimes is easily tempted to sit upper seat as noble person. I sometimes forget who I am and what I am as part of Christ’s community. I again remind myself to sit lower seat as common person or servant. As part of the Boronia Park congregation, my role or my identity is a servant, which is totally opposite to be nobles, being obliged to pay tribute to your commitments in our church community and to your faith that has formed many people in various ways. In order to become a servant of God, I need to struggle to win from me who easily follow my old self as well as to practice all demonstrations that Christ Jesus showed in his life and ministry as well as. This battle is not easy for me at all. But I believe that this is my destiny in my faith journey in Australia as Korean migrant and Christian.

 

Paul struggled in Romans 6. He shared his struggles and battles against his old self as he continued his ministry towards the citizens and commoners in Rome. The struggle he encountered was also the same thing for the people in church communities of the Capital of Empire. He kept reminding both himself and his audiences of who Jesus Christ is for them; the Redeemer and the New Owner of life who has changed their lives.

 

Also, he encouraged them to win from their old self or their Roman-ness that pulled them back to their past experiences and knowledges before their conversion. The concept of being slaves to righteous living would have challenged them tremendously because it was not acceptable to them easily no matter what it really meant. The members and households who were converted and practiced the new life in Jesus Christ were all sorts of people. Nobles, commoners and even slaves were equally gathered, listening for the word of the Lord and sharing holy supper with each other.

 

As recipients of Paul’s epistles, they were all slaves to righteous living so that they were all free from the power of sin and became slaves of God. Paul once again reassured all recipients that under no circumstances would God in Jesus Christ ever abandon His people but give them eternal life. What a powerful word of the Good news for both them and us today.

 

In Matthew 10, Jesus invited again his followers kindly to join Him, the kingdom of God. In His encounter with people no matter they were nobles or commoners, He would have been given a cup of cold water as a kind manner of welcoming. That gesture of welcoming was a simple greeting that they pay tribute to their guest, maybe in the context of reading, to their messiah, Jesus. He didn’t miss the chance to acknowledge their giving of cold water. In that image, Jesus tried to explain about what it means to become a servant.

 

Servant is not made by learning but by giving something to others, no matter how little it is. Also in Jesus’ talk about servant, He points out that a servant is called to attend other peoples’ needs such as their hunger, thirst and care. As Jesus struggled in his life and ministry, He wanted his follower not to be objects of possession but to be subjects of His Father’s kingdom. Jesus humbly came closer to them, reassuring them that He will be with them always as the Servant of God. Maybe Jesus wants us to have a servant’s heart in life especially as we travel in the surreal times.

 

As I stated in the introduction of the reflection, due to my Korean-ness, I remind me always of being ethical and moral, particularly in public space. But becoming servant does not meant to be always ethical or moral in words and action. Rather we would act and speak with a servant’s heart. It is never the job of one to force good behaviour from another. If you want to have true servant’s hearts, it would emerge from your inside out, not the outside in. We believe that our heart that might represent Christ’s heart toward the world is given by God. The true servant’s heart given has to be a channel of God’s image that is never abusive, power-hungry, superiority, disrespect and pride.

 

Let me conclude the reflection by reading one of my favourite passages (Mark 10:43b-45, New Living Translation) talking about becoming a true servant of God:

 

“Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,

and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else.

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others

and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

 

Amen.

 

 

Prayers of the People       Jenny Keast

 

 

Let us pray:

 

Dear Heavenly Father,

 

We come before you once again to acknowledge the world you have given us is in so much need of healing and compassion and love and forgiveness. These are the qualities Jesus showed us yet so much of life reflects none of these.

 

Even as Christians, we struggle to be the people you need in this world. Thank you that there are so many selfless people who rise above the negative aspects of life to serve others.

 

It is with relief that we have more freedom to enjoy the company of others and visit places near and further away. Help us not to be complacent in our dealings with others so that our country remains so much less impacted than others by the Corona Virus. Thank you for leaders who have made sensible and wise decisions to keep us safe.

 

We continue to pray for the economic plight of many who need assistance with finances. Thank you for the way many homeless people have been provided with accommodation even leading to long term solutions. We pray that this will continue. Please give our leaders wisdom to deal with these situations.

 

We pray for those known to us who are suffering from continued isolation and loneliness, those who are missing loved ones or burdened with too much responsibility. Comfort them and let them know your presence and peace.

 

We continue to give thanks for Seungjae and all those who have provided meaningful and helpful worship services for us. We are grateful for this connection to others.

 

We pray also for our local churches: Gladesville Presbyterian Church and Kalos Korean church that their ministry and witness is continuing at this time. Our overseas neighbours in the Sudan and Uganda need our prayers for protection from the ravages of Corvid 19 and strength for Christians in these places.

 

Father, hear our prayers and continue to strengthen and sustain us as we walk with you.

 

In Jesus Name, Amen.

 

 

The Lord’s Prayer

 

You may say the prayer in a language of your heart.

 

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 forever.

 

Amen.

 

 

Assembly Song 3        The Servant King (TiS 256)

 

 

From heaven you came, helpless bab,

entered our world, your glory veiled;

not to be served, but to serve,

and give your life that we might live.

 

Refrain 

This is our God, the Servant King,

he calls us now to follow him,

to bring our lives as a daily offering

of worship to the Servant King.

 

There is the garden of tears,

my heavy load he chose to bear;

his heart with sorrow was torn,

‘Yet not my will but yours’, he said.

This is our God, the Servant King,..

 

Come see his hands and his feet,

the scars that speak of sacrifice,

hands that flung starts into space

to cruel nails surrendered.

This is our God, the Servant King,..

 

So let us learn how to serve

and in our lives enthrone him;

each other’s needs to prefer,

for it is Christ we’re serving.

This is our God, the Servant King,..

 

© 1983 G. Kendrick, Kingway’s Thankyou Music

CCLI #260394

 

 

Offering

 

Let us pray:

 

We have the means to give,

we have the reason to give,

and there are many waiting for us to give.

Yet often, our hands hold back,

and we hoard what we have for ourselves.

 

God of grace,

help us live and give in your kingdom of love,

where there are no enemies,

only brothers and sisters,

and kindness is the air we breathe.

 

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

 

(Written by Carol Penner, from Leading in Worship)

 

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.

 

If you are in a position to help others, Sydney Community Services, where we have donated foods and goods to support the need in our local community, may ask us to donate ANY pasta sauce or chunk soup cans. SCS has passed their appreciation for our donation. If needed to pick up donations from your home, let Robyn or Seung Jae know.

 

And many thank those who have donated for your sharing love and generosity.

 

Robyn wants to share the picture with us, especially those who have made and donated beanies for homeless people.

 

 

 [Photo] Beanies galore sets of scarves beanies and fingerless gloves, lots of chatting, looming, packing for tonight’s deliveries (Wednesday 24 June) with some members of Hats For Homeless including Robyn Harvey and Margaret Treble. Find where they sit and what they do.

 

 

Benediction

 

Let us pray:

 

God our loving Mother and Father,

you bring us to birth

and grant us rebirth in the Holy Spirit to serve.

 

Bless all of us, who you love dearly,

as we prepare for the coming week

where we would work for justice, peace and hope

in our neighbourhood.

 

Fulfil your promise,

cleanse us and make us holy

as we prepare to receive your gifts.

 

May we come to be reborn as your children,

as citizens and recipients of your kingdom

and as members of the Boronia Park congregation.

 

May the Lord be with us

until we gather again

to rejoice in the move of the Holy Spirit.

 

Amen.

 

Next Sunday – Communion Sunday, please prepare a cup of wine/grape juice and a piece of bread.