Welcome and Greeting
Welcome tonight to our F5 service. At the time of writing this service we are having snowfalls in Canberra and it is very cold. However, Spring is on its way this week! We have blossoms out in our garden and of course these are signs of new life and growth. As we come to this service, let’s put aside the difficulties of the week and ask God to bring new life and growth to us also.
It is so good to be sharing this time with you again. We loved seeing a few of you this week and then to meet with some of you in our Zoom Meeting on Thursday. Please feel free to come and see us if you are in Canberra.
Thank you for joining with us this evening. May God bless this time we share together and bring us into His presence as we praise and worship Him.
Opening prayer
God has made us, with all the saints from every generation, one in Christ.
He has set his seal upon us and, as a pledge of what is to come, has given the Spirit to dwell in our hearts. Thank You Father, that You are here with us tonight and that You love the worship of Your people. Please help us to open our hearts to You now.
Peace to you from God our Father who hears our cry.
Peace from his Son Jesus Christ whose death brings healing.
Peace from the Holy Spirit who gives us life and strength.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you
Song: In Christ Alone
In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this cornerstone, this solid ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all,
here in the love of Christ I stand.
In Christ alone! – who took on flesh,
fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
scorned by the ones He came to save:
till on that cross as Jesus died,
the wrath of God was satisfied
for ev’ry sin on Him was laid:
here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain:
then bursting forth in glorious day
up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
for I am His and He is mine –
bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death,
this is the pow’r of Christ in me:
from life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man,
can ever pluck me from His hand;
till He returns or calls me home,
here in pow’r of Christ I’ll stand.
© 2001 Thank You Music
Keith Getty, Stuart Townend
CCL Lic No 384593
Isaiah 55: 1-3; 6-13
Invitation to the thirsty
1“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
2Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labour on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.
3Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.
6Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
7Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
8“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”declares the Lord.
9“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return to it
without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11so is my word that goes out from my mouth:It will not return to me empty,but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
12You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
13Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.This will be for the Lord’s renown ,for an everlasting sign,that will endure forever.”
Romans 12: 9-21
Love in Action
9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Devotion: Robyn – Faith in Action
Faith in Action – August 30, 2020
Once again, our two readings tonight work very well together.
Story of choosing Isaiah 55
In this reading, Isaiah is speaking to some Israelite exiles who had turned away from God and following His ways. They had been through traumatic experiences and now were without money or any resources. They were absolutely depleted of everything physical, emotional and spiritual.
To some point we can understand a tiny bit of that having now gone through 6 months of partial isolation. We ran out of toilet paper, hand sanitiser, tomatoes…. Nothing compared with what these Israelites had faced.
They had no ability to change their situation, but they were survivors.
Then they were offered this gracious gift from God – lifegiving food and wine absolutely free if they would turn back to Him. They would have known the stories of God’s provision through the time of the Exodus – the manna each day and the water from the rocks exactly when needed. Here was God offering again His life giving gifts.
The image of abundant food and wine when they were hungry and worn out would have been a gift of life giving salvation and there was nothing they could do to earn this gift – except turn back to God and accept this gift.
In verses 1 and 2 Isaiah alludes to holding on to the past – a past of spending unwisely, desiring things and working meaninglessly.
In verse 3 he asks them to stop, to come and sit down and listen to him. Remember Isaiah was a prophet and was bringing God’s word to the Israelites. Again God was making a covenant with them. Remember the previous covenants to Noah, Moses, to Abraham to David.
In verses 6 onward Isaiah explains that the covenant involves seeking the Lord and calling on Him. Forsaking the old ways and thoughts and then… God will have mercy and will freely pardon.
Verse 8 ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts; neither are my ways your ways’.
In verse 10 rain and snow are linked to God’s word. They water the wilting, dry land and produce abundant crops. This is what God’s word will do in our lives if we read it. Remember psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. God delights in showing us His way and sometimes does it in such a way that there is no doubt of His presence and His guidance.
The final verses 12 onward You shall go out with joiy and be led forth in peace. The exiles returning to their homeland where the landscape has been transformed and the new creation bearing fruit was a sign of God’s life giving power through His word.
Poetry is often used in the Old testament and it uses exaggeration and personification to strengthen a point. Here it shows creation having its own way of praising God. In Psalm 12 we read The heavens declare the glory of God and the skies proclaim His handiwork. These verses depict humans and nature together proclaiming the work of Goid’s hands.
Walking along the beach – the waves dancing
When we turn to our reading in Romans we read of the outcome of our turning back to God and reading his word.
Love should be demonstrated to those outside of the confines of the church and denominational bounds. Sincere love, brotherly love, showing practical hospitality. It seems that Paul’s experiences of being an apostle to the Gentiles opened to him a new world of love as he was welcomed by people who were not Jews. We might also pay attention to what we learn about showing love from those considered “outsiders.” Or different , those in need or who are mourning or persecuted.
Paul goes on to encourage harmonious living as a way to cultivate godly love in all people. Therefore, the love we are called to live out is not an emotional one, but one that comes from the transforming and spiritual rebirth of our minds, souls, and hearts. It is practical love in that it is experienced by both ourself and each other; it is love lived out in ways that puts others first. It does not repay wrong done to us or take revenge. This love seeks justice, forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace.
Passengers Trade First Class Seats with Soldiers
On a flight from Atlanta to Chicago in July 2004, nine U.S. soldiers—home from Iraq on a two-week leave—were among the passengers. Before one of the soldiers boarded, a passenger traded his first class ticket for the soldier’s economy class ticket. As the plane was boarding, other passengers asked to trade their first class seats for the economy class seats occupied by the remaining soldiers.
Devilla Evans, a flight attendant on the American Airlines flight, said “it was a privilege to be flying with those two groups of unselfish people: those who would put their lives on the line to protect their fellow citizens’ freedom, and those who were not ashamed to say thank you.” Christi
We need to be those who listen to God’s word for us and then overcome evil with good by our loving actions towards others..
Song: Change My Heart O God
Change my heart, O God
Make it ever true
Change my heart, O God
May I be like You (repeat)
You are the potter
I am the clay
Mould me and make me:
This is what I pray
(Verse 1)
© 1982 Mercy/Vineyard
Eddie Espinosa
CCLI 384593
Prayers and Confession:
Heavenly Father,
Thank you that your word says that as we draw near to you,
you will draw near to us, by the working of your Spirit in us.
We are sorry for doing those things that have displeased You
and we ask for Your forgiveness.
Please cleanse our hearts and hands and minds
Help us to walk in love and newness of life
so that we can be more like Jesus
and make him known to all we meet. Amen
If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We thank you Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we come before you tonight thanking you that you reach out to us when we drift away from you and that your hand is always held out to us.Thank you that you know each of us personally and have given each of us gifts to use in our walk with you. Thank you that we can know with confidence, that you will lead us in all sorts of situations to talk to people and that you will give us the words to say. Thank You for the gift of your Holy Spirit who is always with us to help us and to strengthen us. We thank you that the Holy Spirit intercedes between us and the Father when we cannot find the words to say.
May we each be people who are willing to speak about you and to show love and mercy and kindness to others. May we also be encouragers to each other..
Father, we acknowledge that we are sometimes fearful of the situation the world is in. Each day we hear of the terrible situation of the Covid virus and its effect on so many people. Would you please keep us safe during this time and may our trust in you be strengthened each day. May we take comfort in tknowing that You will never leave us or forsake us.
We do pray for all our health workers, staff in aged care facilities, and service people who provide us all with much needed care. Please protect them from the Corona virus and give them strength and wisdom. We are sorry to hear of those medical people who have caught the virus and we ask for healing for them. We pray for researchers and ask that a COVID vaccine will be developed and available for all soon. Thank you for the trials that are going on around the world .
We pray for those members of F5 who are unwell, lonely or mourning loved ones and we think especially of Shirley and Eric, Alison and Robert, Fred, Gordon, Cherie, Anne Hunter and family, Anne and Ivan and their family and any others known to us. Please bring Your comfort, healing and peace to them. We pray for people who are struggling because of loss of jobs and lack of income. We do ask that their needs will be met .Please show us how we can help bring help to someone this week. Again we pray for protection from the flu and colds.
We do pray for protection for our families, and ask they may grow to know and love You. Thank You that SRE is in the schools again. Please give wisdom and strength to those who teach SRE, especially as the conditions in the schools have changed again so much in the last week. We pray especially for Pat, Helen, Ange, Mick, Sally and Jen. Please may they all have confidence, wisdom and strength.We especially pray for Mick and Jen as they oversee this work. We pray also for clergy who are running churches and pastoring congregations in such different ways. Please give them great wisdom. We pray especially for Robyn and Paul, Gill, Caroline, Sally, Graeme, Tom, and Andrew.
Father, we pray for our local council, for our state and territory governments, and for our national parliament. Please be with all those who make laws and help them to do so with good judgement. Please continue to give wisdom to our Prime Minister, Scott Morrison and to all members of our governments and parliaments as they steer us though this Covoid time. We pray for the state Premiers as they manage the outbreaks and make decisions for their people. Thank for the ways they are giving so much of themselves to this terrible time.We pray also for our near neighbour, New Zealand, as they again battle the virus.
We are so aware of people who are still battling the loss and pain of the bushfires, with many of them living in very difficult, uncomfortable situations. We do ask that help will come for them soon and that they will be relieved of their distress.
We commit each one of us to you this week. May we be thoughtful and forgiving, gentle and longsuffering and may we know, and share with others, your love for them as we continue in this time of changing isolation. We pray that you will protect each of us throughout this time of the Corona Virus.
In Jesus name.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
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
Song: Blessed assurance
Blessed assurance Jesus is mine
Oh what a foretaste of glory divine
Heir of salvation, purchase of God
Born of His spirit, washed in His blood
Chorus
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Saviour all the day long
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Saviour all the day long
Perfect submission, perfect delight
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love
Chorus
Perfect submission, all is at rest
I in my Saviour am happy and blest
Watching and waiting, looking above
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love
Chorus
© Frances Jane van Alstyne (Fanny Crosby
CCLI No 384593
Blessing
A Benediction
In this time of isolation, God is with you.
Wherever you are, God has put you there.
God has a purpose in your being right where you are.
Christ, who indwells you by the power of his Spirit,
wants to do something in and through you.
Believe this and go in his grace, his love, his power.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen
Prayer Points
Thank God that we can join together for our services, even though far apart.
Ask God to show you ways you can contact others from F5, F10 and beyond to encourage them along. Pray for wisdom to know who to ring, who to send a message or note to
Pray for nurses, doctors , hospital staff and service personnel as they work within medical facilities.. May they be protected from Covid
Pray for those who are going through difficult times with sickness, loneliness, loss of work, separation from family and friends. Pray especially for Alison and Robert, Fred, Gordon, Warwick, Penny, Fred, Shirley, Cherie, Anne Hunter and any others known to us. Pray also for Anne Wilson and Ivan Wilson following the death of Anne’s Mum.
Pray that we will each have God’s strength and wisdom to be able to love and help others
Pray for Scott Morrison and our state governments as they make unprecedented decisions regarding all things connected to the Coronavirus. We especially ask for wisdom for them as they direct the management of this current outbreak and consider opening up again of Australia. We pray especially for Daniel Andrews as he leads Victoria through their very difficult time
Pray for teachers and students and especially for SRE teachers – Helen, Pat, Ange, Sally, Mick and Jen.
Pray for clergy, for wisdom in leading churches at this difficult time. Pray esp for Robyn and Paul, Sally, Gill, Paul Davey (St Nicks), Graeme Dunne, Caroline Campbell, Tom McLaughlin, Andrew Pocock. .
Enquiries – Paul (0418 633 396) and Robyn (0414 254 154)
pbaxter@grapevine.com.au rbaxter@grapevine.com.au
Website – www.f5refresh.org.au & Facebook
PLEASE SUPPORT THE MINISTRY OF F5
Direct Debit – for F5 – is now available through the Anglican Development and Investment Fund http://www.aidf.com.au/www/home/
The details of the account are as follows:-
Account Name: F5-Refresh Ministries; BSB: 702-389 Account Number: 05209657
