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Opening Prayer
We gather in the image of the Creator
Who is in a community of love
We gather in the name of the Redeemer
Who reconciles all of creation
We gather in the presence of the Life Giver
Who inspires new life and renews it.
Song Bless the Lord oh my soul
Psalm 65
1 Praise awaits[b] you, our God, in Zion; to you our vows will be fulfilled. 2 You who answer prayer, to you all people will come. 3 When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave[c] our transgressions. 4 Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple.
5 You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Saviour, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas, 6 who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength, 7 who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations. 8 The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.
9 You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it.[d] 10 You drench its furrows and level its ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. 11 You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. 12 The grasslands of the wilderness overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. 13 The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing. Amen
Collect
Creator God,
You made the goodness of the land,
The riches of the sea
And the rhythm of the seasons;
As we thank you for the harvest,
May we cherish and respect
This planet and all its peoples,
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Song…We plough the fields and scatter
Confession
We praise you God, for the earth that sustains life. Through the planetary cycles of days and seasons, renewal and growth, you open your hand to give all creatures our food in the proper time. In your wisdom you gave a Sabbath for the land to rest. In our greed we have not allowed the land to rest and the earth is struggling to renew and so we come to say sorry…
You call us to pause from the busyness of working to let the land rest, free from the burden of production.
We are sorry for the greed which demands that the earth produce beyond its limits
You call us to be stewards of your creation
We are sorry we have forgotten that all things come from you
You call us to share our resources
We are sorry that we do not consider the needs of the poor
You call us to be people of fairness, upholding justice.
We are sorry for our lack of faith, not loving you with our whole hearts and not loving our neighbours as ourselves.
The Absolution
Almighty God,
who forgives all who truly repent,
have mercy upon you,
pardon and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,
and keep you in life eternal;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Old Testament Reading
Deuteronomy 8:7-18 read by John F.
New International Version
7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; 8 a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; 9 a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.
10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.
12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock.
16 He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
Song- Harvest Samba (children’s song)
Gospel reading- The Rich Fool Luke 12:16-30
Quiz over to Ally and Keith
Talk
Luke 12 v 16-30 The Rich Fool (Deut 8 v 8-17)
Quiz......Over to Keith and Ally
May I speak in the name of the Living God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen
Today in both of our readings- Deuteronomy and Luke, we hear of God’s providence- his great generosity.
To put things into context, in Deuteronomy, the Israelites have been wandering in the wilderness now for forty years and God has tested them- not everything was easy for them.
They not only suffered hunger in their stomachs for food, but also for God’s word. The few verses before our reading give us the scripture Christ quoted back to Satan during the forty days he spent in the wilderness being tempted by Satan to turn stones into bread but...
Jesus said
”Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” .
The Israelites had been fed, not only by the manna from heaven, but also quails of the air and fresh water from the rock.
This time in the desert was also a time of discipline- obeying the commands of God would eventually bring the Israelites to the promised land
It was also a turning point- a new start for this nation. They were on the verge of crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land.
And this wasn’t just any land, but one which was rich in wheat crops, vines, fig trees, olive oil and honey. The rocks themselves were rich in ores of copper and Iron. They would never want for anything-they would never go hungry again. Their obedience to God- really their part of the Covenant, would give them what their hearts longed for- a land to call their own- their home.
And God had given them guidelines how to behave on two stone tablets- which were the
Ten Commandments
Yet all this providence- this resource richness, would not just fall into their laps so they did not have to work. They would work the land and graze their animals and dig out the minerals. They would increase in numbers so they would be as numerous as the stars, as promised to Abraham so long ago.
But in all this work, they were to remember who had led them here and where their blessings had actually come from.
When you visualise the rich fool in our Gospel reading from Luke, do you picture him like this
Or like this…?
I think this might depend on your age!
In the story, the fool -who has probably worked hard on the land-or at least paid others to, has had a bumper crop. This is not a bad thing. In his common sense, he has thought he would therefore build a bigger barn to store his great harvest. And having done so, he will have put by for his retirement. All this seems a very sensible thing to do- and as we get older we have a greater understanding of trying to put something by to help us out in our later years.
In the time of Jesus there was no state pension.
But then the story goes wrong because instead of him looking after those around him who were much less well off, the poor, the homeless…he just settles back to having a good life for himself. And in the story, God takes his life that night- so all his thoughts and plans for an easy life for himself go out of the window!
For those people who are cautious with their money, putting a little by for a rainy day/ retirement, this story seems mean. But it is not aimed at criticising trying to be careful or cautious. It is targetting the motives behind what we do.
It is directing us back to the source of all blessing.
We can so easily think that we are in control, that it is only our hard work that has got us this far, that has produced such great abundance and blessing in our lives. We need to remember that ultimately everything comes from God. And just as easily as we can receive, so easily it can be taken away.
Jesus told this parable to show the root of the real problem which was greed.
The focus for this rich fool needed to change from material things, to the wealth which really mattered- spiritual wealth. Once God takes away the physical life, so too go the material possessions. For ourselves, we need to be investing in our spiritual wealth which is stored for our eternal life to come.
Preparing for life before death is excellent, not preparing for life after death is disastrous.
Worrying about coping in the future is natural, and although it is good to plan ahead, we only have to have faith to realise that God knows just what we need and he will meet those needs but not necessarily our desires.
Jesus used the examples of both the ravens and the lilies.
Seeking God’s kingdom means you put its’ king at the heart of all you do and in doing so you become a good citizen.
So how can we build up our heavenly treasures-what makes us rich in God’s eyes?
Faith in God
Service to God (means serving those around us in need)
and Obedience to God.
To be in a right relationship with God all these 3 have to be in place and to do this we have to let God be in control of our lives, our hearts, our minds and our wills.
Jesus said
“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”.
Following in the Way- following Jesus, living our lives as he would want us to, will gain us riches in heaven so immeasurable, that no earthly bank vault (or barn) could ever store. Amen.
Creed- what we believe…
Let us declare our faith in God.
We believe in God the Father,
from whom every family
in heaven and on earth is named.
We believe in God the Son,
who lives in our hearts through faith,
and fills us with his love.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit,
who strengthens us
with power from on high.
We believe in one God;
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayers…by the children and their families- read by Paula and Angela
Our young children have drawn the pictures for our prayers and our mums have helped with the prayer…let us pray
From Gerald
Thank you universe, for all the good things in our life that I know of and yet to know about. As we accept the love of the universe as our teacher, we will always be guided back to the light. It's time to just be happy. Being angry, sad and overthinking isn't worth it anymore. We let things flow and be positive. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
From Princess
Heavenly Father, creator of all things ,as we celebrate this season of thanksgiving .We give thanks for the blessings of food, provision and nourishment. Thank you, righteous Father, for its you who made the sun and rain. Gracious Father you give rain in its season, both the autumn rain and the spring rain, You send rain on the appointed weeks of the harvest.
We thank you for the farmers all over the world, those who take care of animals for our meat supply and fisherman, those who grow crops, vegetables and fruits for us to eat. May they continue to harvest plenty of these crops in all kinds of weather.
We thank you Lord for the huge variety of food that we have to choose from and enjoy.It shows us that your loving kindness and your goodness is always with us your people, who are created in your image.
Thank you so much Lord , the taste of these food , is the taste of your goodness and your mercy always with us all the days of our lives .
We are celebrating harvest time with thanksgiving to you Lord, thank you for providing and blessing us with all these variety of foods. In Jesus name we pray!
Amen
From Temi and Precious
God's greatest gift
God’s greatest blessing to us is that he helps us to continually be blessed and guided through a life meant to make us sin and he gave us the beautiful gift of the world which is so wonderfully and perfectly made. Amen
The Peace
The peace of the Lord be always with you
and also with you.
Let us offer one another a sign of peace.
Song… Song- Creation sings the Father’s Song
Holy Communion
Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation;
you bring forth bread from the earth.
Blessed be God for ever.
Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation;
you create the fruit of the vine.
Blessed be God for ever.
The Lord is here
His Spirit is with us.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give thanks and praise.
It is right to praise you, Father, Lord of all creation;
in your love you made us for yourself.
When we turned away
you did not reject us,
but came to meet us in your Son.
You embraced us as your children
and welcomed us to sit and eat with you.
In Christ you shared our life
that we might live in him and he in us.
He opened his arms of love upon the cross and made for all the perfect sacrifice for sin.
On the night he was betrayed,
at supper with his friends
he took bread, and gave you thanks;
he broke it and gave it to them, saying:
Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you;
do this in remembrance of me.
Father, we do this in remembrance of him:
his body is the bread of life.
At the end of supper, taking the cup of wine,
he gave you thanks, and said:
Drink this, all of you;
this is my blood of the new covenant,
which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins;
do this in remembrance of me.
Father, we do this in remembrance of him:
his blood is shed for all.
As we proclaim his death and celebrate his rising in glory,
send your Holy Spirit that this bread and this wine
may be to us the body and blood of your dear Son.
As we eat and drink these holy gifts
make us one in Christ, our risen Lord.
With your whole Church throughout the world
we offer you this sacrifice of praise
and lift our voice to join the eternal song of heaven:
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
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.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.
We break this bread
to share in the body of Christ.
Though we are many, we are one body,
because we all share in one bread.
Jesus, Lamb of God,
have mercy on us.
Jesus, bearer of our sins,
have mercy on us.
Jesus, redeemer of the world,
grant us peace.
Draw near with faith.
Receive the body of our Lord Jesus Christ
which he gave for you,
and his blood which he shed for you.
Eat and drink
in remembrance that he died for you,
and feed on him in your hearts
by faith with thanksgiving.
Song during Holy Communion
Prayer of Spiritual Communion
Thanks be to you, Lord Jesus Christ,
for all the benefits you have given me,
for all the pains and insults you have borne for me.
Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally,
I ask you to come spiritually into my heart.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother,
may I know you more clearly,
love you more dearly,
and follow you more nearly, day by day. Amen
The Blessing
The peace of God,
which passes all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds
in the knowledge and love of God,
and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.
Amen.
Song I reach up high
Notices
Birthdays
Dismissal
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
In the name of Christ. Amen.