Greater things

 John 1:43–51 

may heaven open

angels swirling 'round the Son

of Humanity 

listen to the voices

 

Matthew 2:13–23 

a voice in a dream

whispers, urges – go! 

take mother and flee,

take child and run for his life

to Egypt – 

get up

Joseph

go! 

a voice cries out

wailing, loud lamentation,

Bethlehem will not be consoled

weeping for her children,

will not be consoled,

for they are 

no more 

a voice. a dream. once

more – again – get up! 

I have called you,

called him out of Egypt

come home, Israel is waiting

but make a new home

to call him Nazarean

go there, go now

come to the place

I call you

home

called into fellowship

1 Corinthians 1:9-18 

confession 
God, forgive your church,
for we have become divided;
in large ways and small
your church has quarreled
and split from one another;
your church has forgotten
the call to unity, to
your purpose of peace and love;
your church has tried
to be clever and popular,
when your Way is foolish,
disturbs: forgive us,
again, make us one.

grace 
God is faithful,
God is calling,
listen, church of God:
you are forgiven.
Be at peace.
Be peace.

Amen.

Peace for the hardest of times

Acts 10:34-43 

tell good news of peace
to all the earth,
tell good news of peace

though the earth is wounded,
scarred, and scorched, is made
a wasteland before our eyes, oh

tell good news of peace
to all the earth,
tell good news of peace

though homes have fallen, lives
are lost or changed forever,
livelihoods gone up in smoke -

oh, tell good news of peace
to all the earth,
tell good news of peace

though kangaroos, possums,
and koalas flee the flames or
far too often perish, with herds
and flocks, and packs, and dens -

tell good news of peace
to all the earth:
oh, tell good news of peace

with teams of brave ones,
flying tanks and leaky buckets,
pour water on the burning earth
with love and care and our protection

with silent presence stand beside
the grieving, the angry, the utterly bereft,
with love and care and deep compassion

with gentle calm accept the trust
of animal to human in these upside down
times of need and bind the wounds,
quench the thirst with love
and care and hopeful devotion

oh tell good news of peace
to all the earth:
tell good news of peace.

Loud Lamentation

Matthew 2:13-18 

How can we hear your story of flight,
Jesus son of Joseph and Mary,
and not hear the stories of flight
that flood across our borders?

Holy One have mercy.
Holy One have mercy. 

How can we hear of Herod's fury,
Jesus son of Joseph and Mary,
and not hear the ringing of tyrants'
fear-filled rage through our own time, still?

Holy One have mercy.
Holy One have mercy. 

How can we hear of innocents' slaughter,
Jesus son of Joseph and Mary,
and not hear echoes of children slaughtered
in wars, abused at home, starving near and far?

Holy One have mercy.
Holy One have mercy. 

How can we hear of ancient wailing,
Jesus son of Joseph and Mary,
in Bethlehem and Ramah, and not hear
the wails of the unconsolable now?

Holy One have mercy.
Holy One have mercy. 

Help us to hear your ancient story,
Jesus son of Joseph and Mary,
and to meet the stories we hear today
with compassion, welcome, hope.

Holy One have mercy.
Holy One have mercy. 
Amen. 

Make it now

Matthew 2:1-12 

Where is the child, born king? they ask.
Where is the child born now? we ask.
Where the hope? Where the light?
Where is the challenge born today?
The challenge to kings on flimsy thrones,
the promise of peace for victims of war,
the threat of justice to shake oppressors
in their slave-built towers - where
is the Holy child born again
in a world starved of miracle,
parched of life?
                           Where is the child
piercing silence with angel chorus,
piercing darkness with star-light shining,
piercing hearts with love Divine?

Make it here, o Holy child,
your entry to the world;
make it us, o Holy child,
your challenge to the world;
make it now, o Holy child,
your peace through all the earth -
o make it now, we pray.
Amen.

Come give God your praise

Psalm 71:1–6 
a call to worship 

Come near to God
seeking refuge;
here with Holy One
there is no shame.

Come near to God,
seek right relationship:
Holy One hears, listens,
rescues, redeems.

Come near to God,
seeking Sacred strength,
a rock, a fortress,
is Holy One.

Come near to God,
turn away from the wicked,
here with Holy One
find justice, find hope.

Come near to God,
trusted through the ages,
Holy One is faithful,
come, give God your praise.

in our midst

Luke 4:14-21 
Intercession 

she stands in our midst: woman
we hear our story on her voice,
hear her claim Holy One is with me,
receive her with gladness and joy

Holy One, we pray: may it be so 

they stand in our midst: seekers of refuge
we hear our story on their voice,
hear them claim Holy One is with us,
receive them with gladness and joy

Holy One, we pray: may it be so 

he stands in our midst: a person disabled
we hear our story on his voice,
hear him claim Holy One is with me,
receive him with gladness and joy

Holy One, we pray: may it be so 

they stand in our midst: children and youth
we hear our story on their voice,
hear them claim Holy One is with us,
receive them with gladness and joy

Holy One, we pray: may it be so 

you stand in our midst: Jesus the Christ
we hear our story on your voice,
hear you claim Holy One is with me,
receive you with gladness and joy

Holy One, we pray: may it be so 

Amen 

as in the heavens

Psalm 19 
Call to worship or Prayer of Praise 

We come to worship,
to sing with the heavens,
ceaselessly singing your praise;

may our voices be heard
through all the earth,
singing praises to Holy One.

We come, grateful as the sun
for the tent in which we dwell,
shining with your splendour all day.

We come, grateful for Wisdom’s Way,
a trustworthy path leading to life,
and we sing, joyful, shine your light.

We come, into the Presence
of Perfect Love, to enter grace,
and sing, our innocence restored.

We come, and may the words of our mouths,
our hearts’ meditations, be pleasing
to You as we sing, our blessed, Holy One.

the banquet

John 2:1-11 

in wine once water

find miracle - or saving

what is best for last 

as we pray

Psalm 36:5-10 
Intercession 

Holy One, as we pray for all within and beneath the great blue canopy,
we trust the reach of your love and faithfulness so far.

As we pray for justice, Holy One deeper than the ocean,
we trust you to preserve all that lives on earth.

As we pray for all who yearn for refuge from life’s storms,
we trust your unfailing love - like broad, strong wings of shelter.

As we pray for all who hunger, are thirsty, Holy One,
we trust in the abundance of your home, to which all are welcome.

Holy One, as we pray from dark nights and dark days,
we trust you: fountain of light to ignite our own.

As we pray for ourselves and the world, Holy One,
we trust your love, source of right relationship and wellbeing, source of Love.

Amen

Jesus: baptised

Luke 3:21-22 

the ache of yearning
water drawing me on a line
I long to drop
be held
breathe
no more -
dive into the air
water flung in abandon
reaching out to the yearning

Light dawning

After Isaiah 60:1-6 

the light has come
once again,
born in our midst,
born in the story,
the light has come
once again,


darkness settles
all too soon,
rises between us,
overshadows our story,
darkness settles
all too soon

come to the light
once again,
gather together, rejoice!
hear the story and sing!
come to the light,
rejoice!

Speak God, to me

1 Samuel 3:1–20

Voice 1.
In the dim half light
I hear a voice
call my name ~ Listen! Listen!

Voice 2.
In the dim half light,
I take a while to
understand ~ Listen! Listen!

V. 1
In the dim half light
I tremble a little,
wanting, not wanting ~ Listen! Listen!

V. 2
In the dim half light
I know what awaits me,
night time at last ~ Listen! Listen!

V. 1
In the dim half light
you meet me, shaking,
small, unsure ~ Listen! Listen!

V. 2
In the dim half light
you greet me, weary,
old, letting go ~ Listen! Listen!

Together / All
In the dim half light
may God meet us,
and may we hear ~ Listen! Listen!

New Year’s Resolution

Genesis 1:1–5



Beginning, God created,
so beginning again
this New Year’s Day I
create, I play, I dream,
and dance with Wisdom,
hover with Spirit-Breath,
embrace with delight
this life I’ve been given,
this story to write, canvas
to paint, drama to play,
and I will play and I will see
all things as good that God
has made and I will make
a resolution to be good, to be
peace and love and hope
in a world created for hope
and love and peace and I will
begin again this New Year’s
Day, this new year, this
new day and the next day,
creating a life to delight in,
living a story to gladden
my reminiscing, singing a song
to catch you up in, in joy,
in peace, in hope, in love.