Sunday 22nd August
Our Worship this week was led by Eric Hanson who has led worship at at our Church a couple of times a year for many years.
Eric's theme this week was the Good Samaritan and how we should be obedient of important laws but still act as a neighbour to those who need us in our World.
Hymn 650 The King is among us, His Spirit is here
Prayers For the service, Thanksgiving to God and the Lord’s Prayer
Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 6 1-8 The Great Commandment
Hymn 50 Be Still for the presence of the Lord
Bible Reading: Luke 10 25-37 The Parable of the Good Samaritan
Hymn: When I needed a neighbour were you there?
Prayers for the needs of our community and the World
Comment
In the passage from Deuteronomy we heard about the laws that God set for his people and communicated to them through Moses.
Eric told us about the hundreds of laws in the Jewish faith which the priest and the Levite in this parable had to obey, this included laws about not touching the unclean or they would not be able to enter the Temple. Jesus's point was that although some of the laws were important it was more important to offer help to someone in need.
In this passage in Luke a Jewish legal expert had put Jesus to the test, asking Him to explain the commandment to “love your neighbour as yourself”; specifically, he asked Jesus to define the word neighbour. That’s when Jesus told His parable of a man in need, portraying the Samaritan as the hero in the story.
The Samaritans were a different ethnic group to the Jews who lived in an area between Galilee to the north and Judea to the south. Today, Samaria is in what is now the northern West Bank. Despite this the Samaritan helped the man who had been attacked and interuppted his own journey and spent his own money to heal the man.
Hymn 66: Broken for me, broken for you
Communion
Hymn: We utter our cry that peace may prevail
The final hymn "We utter our cry that peace may prevail" has beautiful words that embody the spirit of that Good Samaritan and the instructions from Jesus that we should think of everyone as our neighbour regardless of nationality, religion, language or where they live.
1 We utter our cry: that peace may prevail,
that earth will survive, and faith must not fail.
We pray with our life for the world in our care,
for people diminished by doubt and despair.
2 We cry from the fright of our daily scene
for strength to say "No" to all that is mean:
designs bearing chaos, extinction of life,
all energy wasted on weapons of death.
3 We lift up our hearts for children unborn;
give wisdom, O God, that we may hand on,
replenished and tended, this good planet Earth,
preserving the future and wonder of birth.
4 Creator of life, come, share out, we pray,
your Spirit on earth, revealing the Way
to leaders conferring round tables for peace,
that they may from bias and guile be released.
5 Come with us, Lord; love, in protest and march,
and help us to fire with passion your church,
to match all our statements and lofty resolve
with being, unresting, in action involved.
6 Whatever the ill or pressure we face, Lord, hearten and heal, give insight and grace to think and make peace with each heartbeat and breath, choose Christ before Caesar and life before death!
Grace
Closing music: Amazing Grace
