May we be challenged to live under the authority of the Servant King as we worship together this week.

READINGS:
Jeremiah 23:1-6: A prophecy of judgement on the unrighteous rulers of God’s people, and a promise of a new, righteous leader from David’s line.

Luke 1:68-79: Zechariah’s song proclaiming God’s fulfiment of the promise tt send a righteous ruler from David’s line, and celebrating his son, John, as God’s prophet.
OR Psalm 46: A celebration of God’s protection and shelter, God’s presence and awesome works, and a call to silent and humble recognition of who God is.

Colossians 1:11-20: In Christ, who is supreme over all, and the visible image of God, we have been transferred from the realm of darkness into the realm of God’s reign.

Luke 23:33-43: While dying on the cross, Jesus assures the penitent thief that he will be with him in paradise that day.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
This final week in Year C brings together two central aspects of Christ’s life and activity. On the one side there is the proclamation of Christ as the incarnation of God, the supreme ruler over, and creator of, all things. This transcendent vision of Christ (primarily from the Colossians reading) is reflected in the praise of Psalm 46 which proclaims God’s awesome works and concludes with the exhortation to “be still and know that I am God”. In a similar vein, Both Jeremiah and Zechariah proclaim the Christ as God’s righteous ruler, in the line of David, who will judge the unrighteous leaders of Israel and replace them with a just reign. The cross narrative from Luke 23, offers the other side of this reigning Christ. God’s reign – God’s kingdom – is most profoundly expressed and revealed through the cross. It is in the self-giving, gracious, life-bringing act of dying that Jesus wins the nations and establishes God’s reign in the world. This is not radically different Kingship – and it is one that the world desperately longs for.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: The celebration of the rulership of Christ is a significant one for our interaction with the world and its power systems. On the one hand it reminds us that no human power, however it may pride itself on military might, wealth or global influence, is truly in control of the world. All human empires ultimately fall. On the other hand, it reminds us that we are called to work within – and also in opposition to – the systems of this world to bring the values and justice of God’s reign into being in our human reality. This is complex and difficult task, although an inspiring and rewarding one. It engages our best energies on all levels of our participation in society. In so far as we are involved on a national level – be it in some form of leadership, or simply through participating in processes like voting, petitioning and lobbying – we are called to be accountable to Christ’s standard of sacrificial, servant leadership, rejecting the corrupt leadership against which the prophets spoke. On a community level, our leadership in Church, in our neighbourhoods and cities, in our schools and organisations, must similarly reflect the leadership values of Christ. And on a personal level – in our conversations, in our families and homes and in the ethical and moral decisions we face, we are called to act as leaders – reflecting Christ’s reign in the way we live under Christ’s authority. In these ways, God’s reign begins to influence the affairs of the world through small, significant groups of people who are committed to living differently, and to reflecting Christ in every situation. Make no mistake, when God’s reign is revealed like this, it has a massive impact on power dynamics and justice issues on a global scale.

LOCAL APPLICATION: At it’s most basic, the reign of God is manifest when those who, like the thief on the cross, recognise their brokenness and need to change, open themselves to the influence of Christ, and invite God to be the frame of reference for their lives. This does not just apply to those without faith, or those who have not made a conscious decision to follow Christ. It is a daily choice that must be made by all – especially those who are committed to the way of Christ. God’s reign will only be seen – Jesus will only be recognised as King – when we who are called by Christ’s name begin to live as true disciples, true followers of the sacrificial, life-giving Gospel. This requires two simple, but difficult, tasks to be undertaken. The first is to examine ourselves and our lives in the light of Christ’s teaching and example, allowing God’s Spirit to reveal where we still need to come under the rulership – the Lordship – of Christ. This must then lead us into a life of repentance and change which allows Christ’s character to be revealed in us a little more each day. If our faith doesn’t change us, then we’re wasting our – and God’s – time. The second task is to allow the change which God’s reign brings to us to filter through everything we think and say and do. Every interaction, every decision, every moment and every place we find ourselves in must be submitted to the influence of Christ, and must be received as an opportunity to experience God’s reign in our lives, and to share the blessing of God’s reign with others. This is not about evangelism in the “tell them about Jesus” sense. It’s about turning our faith into a life-transforming practice, rather than just an intellectual assent to some ideas about God. Ultimately, for Christ to truly be King in our world, Christ must be King in individual lives in such a way that God’s peace and justice, God’s love and grace, constantly flow through God’s people into the world – one moment, one interaction and one step at a time.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
The UnKing
This Hidden Kingdom
May Your Kingdom Come
The Subversive Kingdom

Hymn Suggestions:
God Is Our Strength And Refuge (Link to YouTube video)
Jesus Shall Reign
O Worship The King
I Cannot Tell Why He Whom Angels Worship
The Servant King (Link to YouTube video)
Above All (Link to YouTube video)
How Great Is Our God (Link to YouTube video)
We Bow Down Before You (Scroll down for link)
The Lord Reigns: Chord Chart (Scroll down for link) Mp3 Preview (Scroll down for link)
Now And Forever: Chord Chart; Mp3 Download (Amazon)

Liturgy:
A Foretaste Of The Heavenly Banquet

Video Suggestions:
Colossians 1
The Cross Of Christ
That’s My King (Remix)

Image Suggestions:
Christ King (A nice, simple set of images from Organic Videos)

May we be inspired to continue our small, faithful acts of following Christ through this week’s worship.

READINGS:
Isaiah 65:17-25: Isaiah’s vision of a new heaven and new earth, a place where God dwells, and where all people enjoy prosperity, health, well-being and long life.
OR Malachi 4:1-2: Evil and arrogant people will be destroyed like straw burned in a furnace, but for those who love and fear God, the “Sun of Righteousness” rises as healer and liberator.

Isaiah 12: A promise that a time is coming when God’s people will call on God and be delivered, when they will praise God for God’s goodness and mighty acts on their behalf, and when they will publicise God’s praise to the world.
OR Psalm 98: A song of praise inviting all creation to celebrate God’s salvation and mercy.

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13: Paul admonishes the believers to be disciplined, to concentrate on their own work and do it well, and to ensure that they do not grow tired of doing what is right.

Luke 21:5-19: Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple, and warns his followers about the false messiahs, wars, and persecutions that they will have to face.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
In most of the readings this week, two themes seem to stand side by side. The first is the theme of evil, persecution and God’s judgement on wickedness. Malachi and Luke’s Gospel speak directly about this, and of how God protects God’s faithful ones through such turbulent times, while Isaiah 12 implies it. The second theme is that of restoration and of God’s final, peaceful, prosperous world, in which all people live in well-being and joy. Isaiah 12 & 65 and Psalm 98 all describe this. These two themes complement each other in that they describe the working out of God’s salvation history in human affairs: evil and strife are at work in the world, and people who live according God’s alternative values are misunderstood and persecuted, but God’s reign continues to work, and to transform the world and its people into loving, peaceful and just men and women. This is not so much a war between good and evil as it is the evolution of the world from chaos and immaturity into beauty, creativity and maturity in God’s gracious, compassionate purposes. In the middle of this grand cosmic scenario, Paul’s message to the Thessalonians appears prosaic and misplaced. However, when it comes down to it, the very thing that sustains us during the turbulent times, and that ultimately transforms worlds, is the committed, disciplined living of a good, responsible, practical life by people of faith. Simply by working each day faithfully and in goodness, God’s salvation and ‘shalom’ enters our world. Small contributions really do make a difference in the grand scheme of things.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION:  If we are to take the Gospel call to justice – to participating in Jesus’ saving mission – seriously, we cannot ignore the big global injustices that continue to harm people and our environment across the globe. It is significant and important that there are people and organisations that tackle these issues broadly and with geat influence and reach. As followers of Christ we do well to support them through our contributions, our support and adding our voice and presence to petitions, marches and legislative initiatives. However, it is equally important that we recognise the power of our daily decisions and actions to bring about significant change. When we commit to the discipline of conscious consumerism – buying only fair trade goods, and buying for usefulness and longevity, rather than fashion – we contribute significantly to justice in the world. When we eat mindfully, choosing only produce that is farmed and transported ethically and with care for the environment, and when we recycle, precycle and manage our waste carefully, we make a significant contribution to justice in the world. When we treat our neighbours respectfully, regardless of religion, ethnicity or immigrations status, we contribute to justice in the world. When we joyfully, honestly and generously contribute our share to society through charitable giving and paying taxes, we contribute to justice in the world. When we love even those who might persecute or attack us, and when we work towards understanding and peace with our enemies, we contribute to justice in the world. All of these simple daily actions are part of what Paul calls “doing what is right”, and they are manifestations of God’s peaceful, prosperous reign. They are not always easy or comfortable, and sometimes they will even get us into trouble with those who defend the status quo and resist change, but they are, nevertheless, a genuine Gospel way of being and living. Of course, what I’m saying here is nothing new – and it’s not the first time the lectionary has approached God’s reign from this perspective this year. But, it’s often good to be reminded how our small, faithful, disciplined actions can make a big difference.

LOCAL APPLICATION: Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the “big issues” of justice in our world, and forget that justice also needs to be worked out right on our own doorstep – as Mother Teresa so wisely put it: “we cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love”. In the past the church communities have sometimes become so focused on “overseas mission” that we have neglected the mission fields in our own neighbourhoods. We have sometimes been so concerned with fighting injustice “out there” that we have ignored the battered women, the neglected children, the abusive leaders and the exploitative practices in our own churches. As important as it is to work for justice in the world, and to contribute to the big issues, we must never forget the small, daily disciplines of worship, prophetic preaching, care and nurture that ensure that together we become more whole, peaceful and compassionate human beings. And as we care for the hurting, exploited and abused people among us, the healing and justice we bring is like a stone dropped into a pond – it send ripples out into the world that make a big difference. So, perhaps a question to ask this week is this: how does our worship and our life together as a community of faith provide safety for those who are abused and under threat, provide community and belonging for those who are excluded and judged, and provide nurture and support for those who are in need of physical, emotional, mental or spiritual resources?

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
The Power of the Ordinary
Our Small Difference
Small, Random Acts of Peacemaking

Hymn Suggestions:
O Loving Lord, Who Art Forever Seeking
O Master Let Me Walk With Thee
Dear Jesus In Whose Life I See
O Worship The Lord In The Beauty Of Holiness
Let Me Shine: Chord Chart, Mp3 Preview (Scroll down for the link)
Priceless Vision: Chord Chart, Mp3 (Amazon Mp3 Download)
May The Words Of My Mouth (Link to YouTube video)
Hear Our Praises (Link to YouTube video)
God Of This City (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy of Compassion

Video Suggestions:
Rumours Of War
A Starfish Called Enoch

May we be filled and empowered again by resurrection life in our worship this week.

READINGS:
Haggai 1:15b-2:9: God comforts the returning exiles as they grieve the loss of former glory, and face the reality of a new, simpler, less prosperous and glamorous life. God’s presence is assured, and a promise of future glory is offered as comfort and inspiration.
OR Job 19:23-27a: Job affirms his faith that God will ultimately defend, justify and restore him, in spite of the accusations of his friends.

Psalm 145:1-5, 17-21: God is worthy of praise, fair and faithful, and always near to, and protective of, those who love and trust God.
OR Psalm 98: A song of praise inviting all creation to celebrate God’s salvation and mercy.
OR Psalm 17:1-9: A prayer for God’s protection and justification based on the innocence and obdeience of the one praying.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17: Paul addresses the rumour-mongering and fear of the church, assuring them of God’s love and salvation, and their secure hope in Christ.

Luke 20:27-38: Jesus is confronted by the Sadducees about life after death, using the story of a woman who, through Levirate marriage, is married to seven brothers consecutively. He responds with an affirmation of resurrection, proclaiming that God is the God of he living, not of the dead.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
Although the passages this week appear to be completely unrelated, there is, nevertheless, a thread that runs through all of the readings. In the face of difficulties – exile, persecution, and even death – God gives God’s people the assurance of God’s protection and salvation. The returning exiles are assured that God is with them and will restore their temple beyond its former glory (which, historically, motivated them to continue working on the temple for centuries!). Job, in the face of his accusers, pleads his innocence and affirms his faith in God’s justification and restoration. The Psalmists celebrate God’s mercy and salvation and plead, in faith, for God’s deliverance. Paul reassures the Thessalonian church that they have not been abandoned or left behind by God, but are guaranteed God’s love and a place in God’s eternal realm. Finally, Jesus, in the face of the Sadducees’ taunts, reaffirms the resurrection, and that even in death we are not separated from God and God’s life.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: While the promise of an afterlife has sometimes been used as an excuse for oppression or a reason to keep away from engagement in justice issues in the world, the truth is that the hope we have in Christ is more often a motivator to work toward that hope in this life. If our work to bring about a more peaceful, equitable society has no hope of success – which is the case if it depends only on us – then we will ultimately find ourselves growing cynical and disheartened, and falling into a “if you can’t beat them, join them” view. If, however, we can nurture our faith in God’s purposes, God’s life and God’s resurrection, we find hope. Our efforts are not ours alone, but are inspired and empowered by God’s Spirit, and at some point – even if only in a distant future – the work we do now will result in the world of which we dream. And, further, the life we live and to which we contribute now, lives on beyond the grave. So, what we do does matter, and every small act of mercy, compassion and defense of the most vulnerable is a manifestation of God’s life. We are participants in God’s work of resurrecting the universe! Once we allow this truth to sink into our souls, we begin to engage the world’s systems from a different, less desperate, more confident and compassionate place. Ultimately, in all of the world’s most effective activists this irrepressible hope is visible. As followers of Christ, how much more should this hope characterise us?

LOCAL APPLICATION: It takes tremendous courage and faith to live an alternative set of values and practices from the people around us. Unfortunately, though, our world has somehow become captured by short-term, expedient values – the quarterly report, the next new product or experience, the quick gratification. Long term hope, and the commitment to work and wait for the greater good are somehow seen as quaint but outdated ways of living. In our churches we can fall into exactly the same trap – measuring our success by numbers, money, buildings, new fashions, new trends and new equipment. when this happens, our message is lost, and the call for justice is silenced. When we renew our faith in the eternal, in the unending life of God, and in our hope of resurrection, all sorts of things change. We begin to view the world and its history through the lens of God’s reign, and the wide sweep of salvation history, rather than just the immediate moment. We begin to work for a better world, even though we may never see the fulfilment of our dreams ourselves. We grow in our commitment to make short term sacrifices in favour of long term justice and peace. Ultimately this faith enables us to change what we drive and how we use energy – even though it may be less convenient – to protect our planet. It enables us to give up our short term needs and hurts in favour of long term relationship building – even with those we may consider enemies. It enables us to sacrifice some of our own comfort in the short term – to buy less, consume less and throw away less – in order to ensure that there is enough to go around, and that what we use is justly and fairly sourced and produced. Hope in the resurrection – in God’s eternal gift of life and salvation – really does inspire us to live differently, if we will only allow it to capture our hearts and souls

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
The Life That Ignores Limits
Invincible Life
That Life Would Teach Us
What Life Can Be

Hymn Suggestions:
There’s A Light Upon The Mountains
O For a Thousand Tongues To Sing
O Spirit Of The Living God
We Shall Go Out With Hope Of Resurrection
Sing With All The Saints In Glory
There’s A Light (Upon The Mountains): Chord Chart; Mp3 (Amazon.com Download)
Everlasting God (Link to YouTube video)
Hosanna (Link to YouTube video)
Lord Of The Dance (Link to YouTube video)
Shine Jesus Shine (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for the Foretaste of the Heavenly Banquet

Video Suggestions:
A Theology Of Rebirth
Psalm 17
Life From Death

As we reflect on worship and how it leads us into Christlikeness, I hope you won’t mind if I announce that my new book The Hour That Changes Everything – How worship forms us into the people God wants us to be, is now available for purchase through Amazon.com. Check it out here.

May our worship this week be a mirror to our own brokenness and a portal to lives of humble service and compassion.

READINGS:

Joel 2:23-32: God promises restoration from the judgement (what the locusts have eaten) and the outpouring of God’s Spirit on all of God’s sons and daughters.
OR Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22: A prophecy of judgement against God’s people who have turned away from God, and a prayer of confession, pleading for God’s forgiveness and restoration.
OR Sirach 35:12-17: The cries of the weak and vulernable -the oppressed, the orphan, the widow – are heard by God.

Psalm 65: Praise for the God who answers prayer, who forgives sin, who formed the earth and who sends rain to bring an abundant harvest.
OR Psalm 84:1-7:A song of praise and longing to dwell in the presence of God who cares for the sparrow and refreshes the pilgrim.

2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18: Paul reflects on his faithfulness as he nears the end of his life and looks forward to the reward he will receive, assured that God, who rescued him in the past, even when others deserted him, will bring him safely into God’s kingdom.

Luke 18:9-14: Jesus tells a parable about a self-righteous Pharisee, who fails to find a right relationship with God, and a penitent tax collector who finds justification.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:

The lectionary this week seems to turn back to pretty mainline theological territory – the need for forgiveness, and the necessity for repentance in order to know and receive God’s grace. From a conservative perspective, this is the heart of the Gospel – our sinfulness, God’s grace, and our need to repent and believe in order to be saved. This is, unfortunately a pretty one-dimensional approach to these passages and the ideas they present. The parable is the heart of the matter: there is danger in self-righteousness and self-aggrandisement, and there is life to be found when we evaluate ourselves clearly, soberly and with humility enough to recognise our brokenness. Jeremiah’s prayer, which acknoweldges the sin of the people, is an Old Testament reflection of the tax collectors plea for forgiveness. Paul, who may at first glance look rather like the Pharisee in his confidence and positive assessment of his life, nevertheless recognises that his life is God’s; it is God who has worked – and will continue to work – in him, and he graciously forgives those who abandoned him. And the promise, seen in the Psalms and the Joel reading, is that the grace that the tax collector received is available to all who come to God in brokenness asking for help. While this may seem to have little to do with justice, as we shall see, it actually lies at the very root of it.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION:  The role of arrogance in creating injustice in our world is twofold. Firstly, injustice comes through the attitudes that society holds toward the ‘greatest’ and the ‘least’. On the one hand, the poor and vulnerable are seen to be responsible for their own problems. They are thought to be lazy, weak and ignorant and so in some way they are thought to have deserved what life has given them. On the other hand, the powerful and wealthy believe that they deserve what they have because they are somehow better – be it wiser, harder working or whatever. The second role that arrogance plays is in those who work for justice, who also can come to believe that they are somehow better, more noble, more ‘righteous’ than those who cause injustice (even though they may knowingly or unknowingly be supporting these unjust systems themselves). This “mean streak” among activists often results in nothing more than a polarisation of issues and positions, while the arrogance among the powerful (both activists against and ‘perpetrators’ of injustice) results in marginalised people being treated with less dignity and humanity, and being controlled or “fixed” by others instead of being given just what is needed, in terms of resources and relationships, to become independent and self-sustaining. Arrogance always robs the other of their humanity and dignity. Humility, on the other hand, results in an openness to the story of the other, to true compassion for the many complex causes of their plight (many of which are beyond their control), and to a commitment to mutual care, learning and collaboration for the benefit of all. It is this humility which opens us to God’s Spirit which works among us and in us as we serve one another, and which allows us to experience God’s reign among us even now.

LOCAL APPLICATION: Some of the main criticisms that are levelled at the church today are that Christians are arrogant and hypocritical. The tendency for Christians to judge others, to offer unsolicited advice or try to “fix” everyone we meet, and to come across as “holier than thou” have left far too many people feeling hurt and angry. It’s a shame that Christians in the developed world are so often seen as most likely to blame the poor for their poverty, to support unregulated, free market economics, to be inhospitable to immigrants, and to support limiting health care for those who cannot afford it. These are all felt as arrogant and harmful attitudes by those who, through no fault of their own, find themselves struggling, especially in the Third World. But, even in our own back yards, the Gospel is most powerfully demonstrated when we acknowledge our own brokenness, when we enter the world with humility and when we recognise that we have much to learn from those we seek to serve – even the poorest and weakest in our communities. It is this humility that drives us to our knees in prayer for God’s empowering Spirit, that keeps us always mindful of our own shortcomings, failings and blind spots, and that opens our eyes to the signs of God’s reign that always precede our work in any place or time. The challenge of this week’s worship is to do an “arrogance audit” in our churches to recognise where we may need to embrace humility even more if we are to be effective servants of all as Christ has called us to be.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Growing Together
Healing Humility

Hymn Suggestions:
Just As I Am Without One Plea
Depth of Mercy
Be Thou My Vision
When I Survey The Wondrous Cross
Your Grace Is Enough (Link to YouTube video)
O The Wonderful Cross (Link to YouTube video)
Clinging To The Cross (Link to YouTube video)
I Kneel Down (Link to Graham Kendrick’s song page with mp3 preview, chord chart & lead sheet)
In Your Mercy, Lord: Chord Chart, Mp3 Preview (Scroll down for the link)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for the Agape

Video Suggestions:
Kids Talk Humility
Thoughts on Humility
Psalm 84

As you worship this week, may your prayer be heartfelt, and may it overflow into every action, thought, word and interaction in your life.

READINGS:
Jeremiah 31:27-34: A prophecy of restoration, of an end to generational curses, and of God’s new covenant with God’s people – written on hearts, not stone.
OR Genesis 32:22-31: Jacob wrestles with God, is given a new name, and lives with a limp from that time on.

Psalm 119:97-104: A song of rejoicing in God’s laws and instructions and the way they guide and lead to life.
OR Psalm 121: God is a help to God’s people, the One who watches over and protects them day and night.

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5: Paul encourages Timothy, in the name of the coming Christ, to remain faithful to the Scriptures and to teach God’s message faithfully at all times.

Luke 18:1-8: Jesus tells a parable of a poor widow who persistently asks a judge for justice, and he finally relents because of her persistence. Then he muses about whether, when he returns, he will find people of faith on earth.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
There are two related themes running through the readings this week. The first is that of God’s word written on the heart (Jeremiah), offering guidance and life (Psalm 119), as the basis for teaching and the Christ-following life (2 Timothy), and expressed in the parables of Jesus. The second is that of God’s coming to God’s people – in a night-time wrestling match with Jacob (Genesis), as a help and protection for the Psalmist (Psalm 121), as the coming judge (2 Timothy), as the God who comes to bring justice to God’s people in Jesus’ parable, and as the Christ who will return in Jesus’ musings at the end of the Luke passage. Of course, the idea of prayer is also found in many of these passages as well – and is, perhaps, what brings the other two themes together. On the one hand we long for God and seek God’s presence, God’s justice and God’s protection. On the other hand, God longs to come to us, offering us guidance and life through God’s word, God’s law, written on our hearts. In prayer we express our longing, and we open ourselves to God’s presence and purpose. As we pray, God’s word is truly written on our hearts, and the God of justice breaks into our human experience with justice, life and divine principles for full and meaningful living. The power of this theme of prayer as the meeting place for God and people is that it is not just the pray-er that is changed by the encounter, but the world in which the pray-er then lives and acts out the prayer each day.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION:  In the practical world of justice-bringing, prayer can feel like a rather impractical and ineffectual pursuit. If we seek to bring pressure to bear on leaders or groups with whom we disagree through prayer, in the hopes that God will somehow swoop in and bring about the changes we pray for, then we are little more than delusional, and our prayer is indeed impractical and ineffectual. If, however, we seek to be changed by God’s coming to us as judge, challenger and guide, if we seek to open our hearts in order that God’s law may be written on them, and we can live the justice we seek to bring, then our prayer is a powerful, transformative act. In this sense, no work of justice is complete without prayer. Interfaith dialogue must call us to pray together; engagement with political and social processes must be done prayerfully; protest action, where necessary, must express the prophetic nature of prayer; contribution and service must be clothed in prayerful awareness of God’s presence and purpose – or we just become another social upliftment movement. Of course, there is a difference between doing things prayerfully and imposing our form or version of prayer on those of other religions or faith communities. In this sense, prayer must also be engaged in sensitively and gently. No one can ban prayer from any aspect of our lives (even our schools), because we can always pray in our hearts, which is no less effective. What can be banned – perhaps legitimately – is imposing our way of praying on others in public gatherings or places. The true heart of prayer is welcoming, invitational, inclusive and compassionate, not arrogant, selfish, opinionated or exclusive.

LOCAL APPLICATION: In our local church communities it seems that prayer tends to take one of two places. Either we work with prayer a little like the spells and wands in a Harry Potter book – were we “wave” our prayer at situations and people, expecting God’s answer to be always dramatic and ‘supernatural’, or we ignore prayer almost altogether, apart from, perhaps, as a ritual practice within our Sunday services, acting as functional atheists as we approach our ministry and witness in the world. This week the Lectionary challenges us to engage with prayer in more meaningful ways than this. In the first instance, we are encouraged to wrestle with God in prayer, to allow our engagement with God to be a way of opening our hearts to the law of God which is to be written on them. This kind of prayer is a transformative practice that confronts our prejudice and self-centredness, while challenging us to allow God’s reign to be the reference for our living and acting. In the second instance we are encouraged to experience prayer as a true encounter with the God who comes to us, with the Spirit who fills and empowers us, and with the transforming acts of God in the world. In this sense, prayer is a way of discerning what God is doing among us and offering ourselves to cooperate with the work of God. These two realities – God’s word taking root within us and God’s coming to us are not separate realities, but are essentially one and the same experience, for which prayer is the vehicle. The question, then, is this: What is God doing (or seeking to do) in our churches and communities? Where do we see evidence of God’s presence, God’s coming, and where does God’s word need to be written on hearts? How can we cooperate with this work of God in ways that bring justice, grace, compassion and the reality of God’s reign into the lives of ordinary God-Beloved people?

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Wrestling
Prayers

Hymn Suggestions:
Trust And Obey
What A Friend We Have In Jesus
O Word Of God Incarnate
O God Our Help In Ages Past
O God Our Help (Link to YouTube video)
God Of This City (Link to YouTube video)
Mighty To Save (Link to YouTube video)
Hear Our Prayer: Chord Chart; Mp3 Download (Free)
How Long? Chord Chart; Mp3 Download (Amazon)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy of Compassion

Video Suggestions:
Pray With Your Feet
Psalm 121

May our worship this week lead us into the scandalous inclusivity of Christ again – and there find a welcome not just for ourselves, but for all.

READINGS:
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7: Jeremiah encourages the exiles in Babylon to settle into their new country, to vuild homes and lives there among the Babylonian people and to work for the propserity of their new land.
OR 2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c: Naaman, the Aramean commander, is healed of his skin affliction after reluctantly obeying Elisha’s instruction to wash in the Jordan River seven times.

Psalm 66:1-12: A call for all the earth to praise the God who rules over all, and for all nations to bless God.
OR Psalm 111: A Psalm of celebration for God’s mighty acts, and for God’s miraculous, merciful and compassionate acts on behalf of God’s people.

2 Timothy 2:8-15: Although Paul is inprisoned for preaching the Gospel of Christ’s resurrection, the Gospel itself is not imprisoned. God offers life to those who die with Christ, and God remains always faithful, which is why Paul encourages Timothy to remind people of these thigns and to continue to serve and teach faithfully.

Luke 17:11-19: Jesus sends ten men with a skin disease to show themselves to the priests and they are healed as they go, but only one, a Samaritan, returns to give thanks.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
This week the theme could be called “The Liberated Gospel”! The thread running through all of the readings is about “outsiders” being included in God’s grace and among God’s people – or of God’s people making themselves at home with those with whom they would normally not have associated. Jeremiah encourages the exiles to settle in Babylon, and Elisha heals a gentile soldier. Both Psalms call all the earth and all people to join in the praise of God. Jesus heals a group of men with skin diseases, including a despised Samaritan, and only the ‘outsider’ Samaritan returns to give thanks. And Paul celebrates the Gospel that is not imprisoned, but, through God’s faithfulness is available to all. It’s a week to celebrate the indiscriminate, all-encompassing love, grace and life of God, and to hear the call to live this radical inclusivity in our times and circumstances.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: As author Brian McLaren notes in his book A New Kind Of Christianity, we all woke up this morning in a world where religious conflict threatens the peace and survival of the entire planet, and in which militaristic radicals have the weaponry to destroy us all. In such a world religious exclusivity and finger-pointing is more than just an act of immaturity. It is a very dangerous way to live – as was illustrated by the threat of a Florida pastor to burn the Quran, and the reaction to his plan. In the midst of this we are challenged by a Jesus who was scandalously inclusive and who crossed all sorts of lines in order to draw circles around everyone. The only ones who were shut out of Jesus’ embrace, were (and are) those who choose to exclude themselves – and even they continue to be loved and accepted by God. In a world where we define ourselves according to nationality, race, skin colour, gender, sexual orientation, economic status, educational level, language and so much more – and use these distinction to justify everything from killing to exploitation, from stereotyping to the threat of hell – we desperately need those who will bravely follow Christ in the act of making outsiders insiders, and embracing even the ones we most struggle to love. This is not just an act of personal spiritual obedience. It is a world-changing commitment that has economic, political, environmental, and even medical consequences.

LOCAL APPLICATION: If the Church is to retain any prophetic voice in our current era, it must relearn the radical inclusivity of Christ. Contrary to the ‘popular’ version of the ‘Gospel’ that makes Christianity an exclusive enclave for those who have prayed the right prayer, or who agree to the right theological ideas, the faith of those who follow Christ must be one that opens its arms to all others. This means that, as many in the emerging church conversation have suggested, we need to move from a process that goes from believing to behaving to belonging, to the reverse process of offering belonging first (with no strings attached), and then allowing our relationships to influence behaving and ultimately lead to faith – or believing. We need to become indiscriminate about who we serve, love, give to, include and bless. We must refuse to judge or disassociate from others on the basis of any false distinctions. We can no longer allow a word like ‘Muslim’ to become an insult, but must rather honour those who follow this faith with sincerity and commitment. We can no longer allow our faith to lead us into arrogance, dominance, exploitation or dismissal of others. This means that in every community, we cannot avoid making ourselves at home among those who we would naturally avoid. What this means for your Church you will recognise very quickly when you identify those who are missing from your Sunday gatherings, but who you can’t help but notice as you pass them on the street during the week.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Ripping Off The Labels
The Life That Ignores Limits
The Ones We Long For

Hymn Suggestions:
The Church’s One Foundation
Come Let Us Sing Of A Wonderful Love
All People That On Earth Do Dwell
From All That Dwell Below The Skies
Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace
Let There Be Love Shared Among Us: Lyrics; Melody (Video)
Everyone Under The Sun (Link to Audio preview)
You Are: Chord Chart; Mp3 Preview
Everyone Belongs: Chord Chart; Mp3 Preview

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for the Agape

Video Suggestions:
A Simple Message of Thanks
Psalm 66

Drama Script:
You’re Not Like Me