Sunday, 14th January, 2018 10:00am Ordinary Sunday 2 (Year B) Today we hear John s account of how Jesus called some of his first disciples St John 1: 43 52. ORDER OF WORSHIP THIS MORNING The Gathering of the People of God GREETING Greetings and welcome in the name of Christ. God s grace, mercy and peace be with you. And also with you. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY CALL TO WORSHIP We praise you, O God. You have known us since before we were born. We love you, O God. You know us better than we know ourselves. We worship you, O God. Your knowledge is more wonderful than we can imagine. We glorify you, O God. 1 Your creation is ever-changing and ever-amazing. We praise you, O God. Your love is with us forever. www.ministrymatters.com HYMN (TiS.111) PRAYER OF CONFESSION Praise to the Lord, the almighty Awesome God, you have made all of creation and each cell of our bodies. You know our thoughts and you know our sins. We desperately try to hide our mistakes, our weaknesses, our embarrassments. But you know it all, and so we come before you now asking for your forgiveness.
Even as you know the limits of our human capabilities, we know the unlimited power of your love. Forgive us, cleanse us, make us whole. www.ministrymatters.com Silence may be kept for a space. DECLARATION OF FORGIVENESS Hear then Christ s words of grace: Your sins are forgiven. Thanks be to God. INTRODUCTION TO THE THEME FOR THE DAY HYMN (ATOK*.348) St John 1: 43 51 1 Come with me, come wander, come welcome the world, where strangers might smile or where stones may be hurled; come leave what you cling to, lay down what you clutch and find, with hands empty, that hearts can hold much. Sing Hey for the carpenter leaving his tools! Sing Hey for the Pharisees leaving their rules! Sing Hey for the fishermen leaving their nets! Sing Hey for the people who leave their regrets! 2 Come walk in my company, come sleep by my side, come savour a lifestyle with nothing to hide; come sit at my table and eat with my friends, discovering that love which the world never ends. 3 Come share in my laughter, come close to my fears, come find yourself washed with the kiss of my tears; come stand close at hand while I suffer and die, and find in three days how I never will lie. 4 Come leave your possessions, come share out your treasure, come give and receive without method or measure; come loose every bond that s restraining the Spirit, enabling the earth to be yours to inherit. John Lamberton Bell 1949 and Graham Alexander Maule 1958. 2 Jesus calls Nathaniel woodcut by artist, Steve Erspamer,
We listen to the Word of God Before the Bible readings, the reader says: Your word, O Lord, is a lamp to our feet: A light to our path. Psalm 119: 105. FIRST READING 1 Corinthians 6: 12 20 12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are beneficial. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything. 13 Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by the power of God. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, The two shall be one flesh. 17 But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body. NRSV. GOSPEL READING St John 1: 43 51 43 Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, Follow me. 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth. 46 Nathanael said to him, Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip said to him, Come and see. 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit! 48 Nathanael asked him, Where did you get to know me? Jesus answered, I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you. 49 Nathanael replied, Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel! 50 Jesus answered, Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these. 51 And he said to him, Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. NRSV. After this final reading, the reader says: Here end today s readings. Lord, may your word live in us; And bear much fruit to your glory. SERMON Glorify God in Body and Spirit We respond to the Word of God AFFIRMATION OF FAITH The one ministry of Christ There are diverse gifts: But it is the same Spirit who gives them. There are different ways of serving God: But it is the same Lord who is served. God works through people in different ways: But it is the same God whose purpose is achieved through them all. 3 Each one of us is given a gift by the Spirit: And there is no gift without its corresponding service. There is one ministry of Christ: And in this ministry we all share. Together we are the body of Christ: And individually members of it. Based on 1 Corinthians 12: 4ff and The Basis of Union, para 13
NOTICES & CONCERNS OF THE CHURCH OFFERTORY HYMN (TiS.589) Jesus calls us! The people remain seated until the final verse. PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION THE LORD S PRAYER HYMN (TiS.658) I, the Lord of sea and sky DISMISSAL & BLESSING THREE-FOLD AMEN. The People of God are sent out A Word from the Minister 14th January, 2018 During the past week I have enjoyed the gentler pace that comes with the January holiday period. Without all the regular meetings I have had the opportunity to catch up on my archiving and my worship planning, and to be available to be present for the people I encounter. Tomorrow a number of our regular activities resume with the reopening of the Craft shop, the Tea Shoppe and the Church Office. I am meeting with Linda Knowles to plan the Children s Ministry for first term. Parents and grandparents, please note we will be blessing the youth and children s backpacks on Sunday, 28th January. On Thursday Sharon is having a hip replacement in the private hospital in Hurstville. I plan to take some time off in the coming weeks to help with her rehabilitation. Sharon and I thank you for your prayers and best wishes. Grace and peace, The Reverend Geoffrey Flynn, Wesley Uniting Church, Wollongong. The cuppa (of tea or coffee) after the morning service is a great opportunity to chat with old friends and to meet new ones. Do come and join us in the Tea Shoppe! 4
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THIS WEEK TODAY S SERVICES 14th January, 2018 10:00am & 6:00pm The Revd Geoff Flynn MUSICIAN TODAY (am and pm) READER THIS MORNING SERVICES NEXT SUNDAY 21st Jauary, 2018 10:00am & 6:00pm The Revd Tom Pardy and the Revd Ian Tucker MUSICIANS NEXT SUNDAY READER NEXT SUNDAY NOTICES NEXT SUNDAY Marjorie Shepheard James Ardma (am) Scott Jackson (pm) Lorraine Jones Grace Jenkins Fah Harman I am sure I speak for all the congregation when I say Thank you! to our Craft Shop ladies who have donated the cost of the initial four Dyson fans that now grace our church. Thank you too to Alan Gostelow who has made the wooden stools on which the fans stand. The initial fans were such a success that three more have now been purchased to keep us comfortable during the summer heat. Property Committee Convener. 5 LECTIONARY NEXT SUNDAY 21st January, Ordinary Sunday 3 OT Reading: Jonah 3: 1 5, 10 Psalm: Psalm 62: 5 12 Epistle: 1 Corinthians 7: 29 31 Gospel: St Mark 1: 14 20 Monday, 15th January 8:45am School for Creative Living Thai Chi class resume (note: classes still full). 9:15am Church Office re-opens after Christmas break. 9:30am Craft Shop and Tea Shoppe each re-open after the Christmas break. 10:00am Other School Creative Living classes resume. Wednesday, 17th January 1:00pm Midweek Holy Communion and prayer in the church.
Baptism Today There is just one Baptisms today at 11:30am: Francis James Apollo Griffin Who is the five-and-a-halfmonth old son of Lyndell and Duane Griffin. They have invited Rachael and Jamie Griffin and Maria and Lee Griffin to be sponsors for Francis. Anne Valentine is the elder for the Griffin family. We welcome Francis, his parents and his sponsors to the fellowship of the Christian Church and, in particular, to the fellowship of this Wollongong Wesley congregation. After explaining the commandment to honour your father and mother, a Sunday School teacher asked her class if there was a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters. One boy, the oldest in his family, immediately answered, "Thou shalt not kill." 6 Church Cleaning Thank you to all the volunteers who cleaned the church week-by-week throughout 2017. Now it s time to call for more volunteers to join the roster and give approximately an hour-and-a-half about four times a year at a time convenient to them. What is needed? Just vacuuming the carpet and dusting the furniture that s all. If you think you could help, or if you just want to get a bit more information, talk to June Mathews.