Service at home - Sunday 26th April 2020

CALL TO WORSHIP
God is here – present in conversation;
in questions and the sharing of hopes lost, in searching and in wondering.
Come and find God here.
 
God is here – present in the journey;
in the company of friends and on the familiar road, in the untrodden path and in wandering.
Come and find God here.


The following prayer invites the Holy Spirit to be a part of our devotions
PRAYER OF INVOCATION:
Holy God of mystery and encounter,
be with us on this journey that we may be aware of your presence. Open our minds to hear your great story through scripture.
Open our ears to listen to your voice and be attentive to your call. Open our eyes to see your work in the world.
Open our lives that our hearts may burn for you.
Amen.

A Prayer of Confession, where we reflect on our sinful nature and beg God to forgive us as God has promised to do.  Reflect on the following as we become aware of God’s forgiveness
PRAYER OF CONFESSION:
Jesus Christ, hear our confessions this day, we pray. When we become absorbed in our own concerns
and forget to look for your presence, forgive us, Jesus Christ.
When we become fearful and prefer to walk a well-worn path rather than respond to your call upon our lives,
forgive us, Jesus Christ.
When we see only confusion and questions and forget to see your ways of wisdom, forgive us, Jesus Christ.
Draw us back that we may seek you in scripture, in the breaking of bread, in the waters of baptism;
in the gift of hospitality and in the midst of conversation;
in the beauty of creation and in stillness of silence. Help us to recognise you in our midst,
that are paths may be redirected in your ways.


WORDS OF ASSURANCE:
God has never left God’s people abandoned. God is with us on the journey
and Christ is present with us on the way.
God gifts us through encounters at unexpected times and with unexpected people. So I declare to you:
We are forgiven, nurtured in freedom.
Thanks be to God.


THE GREETING OF PEACE


The readings for you to read before your reflection
Acts 2:14a, 36-41
¹⁴But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, ³⁶Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
³⁷Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” ³⁸Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” ⁴⁰And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” ⁴¹So those who welcomed his message were baptised, and that day about three thousand persons were added.
 
This is a word from our God,
Thanks be to God!
 
You are invited to use the following practice to process the scripture.

1. What are you hearing in this scripture?

• Don’t try to figure it out, rather try to find a word or phrase that resonates for you
• Are there words or phrases that stand out? 

2. Reflect of the Scripture

• Read a second time reflecting on the way your life is touched by this reading.
• What is it in my life that needs to hear this reading now? 

3. Respond to message given to you.

• What difference will this make to my life?
• Has this scripture touched my life?
• Have I been motivated to react or act differently?

Do I need to reflect further on this scripture?

1 Peter 1:17-23
If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. ¹⁸You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, ¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. ²⁰He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. ²¹Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God. ²²Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. ²³You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.

This is a word from our God,
Thanks be to God!

You are invited to use the following practice to process the scripture.

1. What are you hearing in this scripture?

• Don’t try to figure it out, rather try to find a word or phrase that resonates for you
• Are there words or phrases that stand out? 

2. Reflect of the Scripture

• Read a second time reflecting on the way your life is touched by this reading.
• What is it in my life that needs to hear this reading now? 

3. Respond to message given to you.

• What difference will this make to my life?
• Has this scripture touched my life?
• Have I been motivated to react or act differently?

Do I need to reflect further on this scripture?

GOSPEL READING
Luke 24:13-49
¹³Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁴and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. ¹⁵While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, ¹⁶but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. ¹⁸Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” ¹⁹He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. ²¹But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. ²²Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, ²³and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. ²⁴Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” ²⁵Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! ²⁶Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” ²⁷Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. ²⁸As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. ²⁹But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. ³¹Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. ³²They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” ³³That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. ³⁴They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
³⁶While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” ³⁷They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. ³⁸He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” ⁴⁰And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. ⁴¹While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” ⁴²They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³and he took it and ate in their presence. ⁴⁴Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, ⁴⁶and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
 
This is the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Praise to You Lord Christ!
 
You are invited to use the following practice to process the scripture.

1. What are you hearing in this scripture?

• Don’t try to figure it out, rather try to find a word or phrase that resonates for you
• Are there words or phrases that stand out? 

2. Reflect of the Scripture

• Read a second time reflecting on the way your life is touched by this reading.
• What is it in my life that needs to hear this reading now? 

3. Respond to message given to you.

• What difference will this make to my life?
• Has this scripture touched my life?
• Have I been motivated to react or act differently?
• Do I need to reflect further on this scripture?

  
REFLECTION
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was the sacrament of a cup of coffee?  Perhaps there should be. In the gentle conversation with a friend, God is made known.  On the Road to Emmaus the disciples say to Jesus, “we had hoped…” and explain who they thought Jesus was going to be. That phrase carries such a heaviness of heart – what we had hoped for hasn’t happened. This Messiah who they thought was going to reclaim power for the oppressed is dead and they have given up all hope. “We had hoped…”  We know about that phrase today too.  “We had hoped mum would get better.”  “We had hoped our marriage would work.”  “We had hoped life would bring different choices, we had hoped…”   It is into these and many more situations that Jesus offers relationship and hopefulness.  For the disciples, it is this that leads them to run back to Jerusalem with good news. And for us, it is in these moments when the mystery of the presence of God and the reality of relationship with God collides and grace flows freely.
 

OFFERTORY PRAYER
God of relationship, out of love for you, we bring our offering this day.
Bless these offerings,
that they and we may share your good news
of great love with all people.
Through Christ we pray, Amen.


Please pray for those known to you who are sick and have asked for prayer.
You might like to pray for health workers and all those working in the lives of those who are sick.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
God of the Emmaus journey,
we take this time to pray for the journey of life. For those just beginning new adventures
and those who are facing endings.
Be present in our midst, Jesus Christ.
There are many situations in our world
that need turning around through your grace.
We pray for those whose choices are damaging themselves, others and the world.
Help find new paths of grace that healing may be possible.
Be present in our midst, Jesus Christ.
In a world where loneliness leads to pain and depression, we pray for deeper relationships, wider connections
and open communities where everyone finds a place to belong.
Be present in our midst, Jesus Christ.
For some life is a struggle and companionship of the journey is essential. We pray for those who are rebuilding lives and communities
in the face of tragedy;
for those who are suffering and grieving;
for those recovering from abuse or bullying.
Be present in our midst, Jesus Christ.
Finally, Jesus Christ, we pray for our own journeys. May we walk daily with you,
sharing our lives in conversation, learning and relationship.
Be present in our midst, Jesus Christ. Amen.

We Pray for those who have asked us to pray.  We pray for Amber, Daphne H, Daphne K, Margaret B, Margaret G, Margaret M, Robyn,Sean and Thea.
Lord hear our prayer.
 

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.
 

BENEDICTION
May the presence of the risen Christ be with you
the love and mercy  of God be within you
the power of the Holy Spirit sustain you
today and always.

Go in Peace to love and serve the Lord.