Gungahlin Uniting Church

108 The Valley Avenue, Gungahlin, ACT 2912

Worshiping with families – September 6, 2020

by

This week’s reflection continues our journey through Exodus, it’s the story of the first Passover. Be aware that this is not a great story for children, so perhaps, rather than reading it together this week you might concentrate on finding space to reflect on how God has worked in your life (or lives). You could also spend time reflecting on the important meals or celebrations in your household and why they’re important/special.

What follows are some songs, readings, stories and ideas for you to use in your home as you explore your faith with your household this week.

Psalm 119:33-40

God, teach me lessons for living
    so I can stay the course.
Give me insight so I can do what you tell me—
    my whole life one long, obedient response.
Guide me down the road of your commandments;
    I love traveling this freeway!
Give me a bent for your words of wisdom,
    and not for piling up loot.
Divert my eyes from toys and trinkets,
    invigorate me on the pilgrim way.
Affirm your promises to me—
    promises made to all who fear you.
Deflect the harsh words of my critics—
    but what you say is always so good.
See how hungry I am for your counsel;
    preserve my life through your righteous ways!

Message Translation

Readings: 

Exodus 12:1-14
Romans 13:8-14

Sing!

Here are a few songs that would be fun to sing together this week.

I Will Sing Of Your Love, Love, Love is a beautiful and repetitive song written and sing by Christopher Grundy.
https://vimeo.com/422037417
This song by Cathy Pino has become a favourite in our household

All-Age Prayer

This would be a great prayer to say at the end of each day as you gather for a meal together

God, you are a mystery to us.
You show yourself in the bible.
You speak to us through history,
and creation, and each other.
You speak to us in bread and wine.

Lord, we are glad to have an earth
that produces food of
every shape and colour,
from potatoes and rice
to cucumber and broccoli
from pasta and pizza
to curry and kebabs.

We are glad to be able
to enjoy such a variety
of meals each day.

Forgive us when
we forget to say thank you
for the wonderful selection
of food we enjoy each day.

Forgive us when
We are fussy or greedy,
wasting food when we
know there are so many
who do not have what we do.

May we make our mealtimes
news times and catch-up times
special times with family and friends.

May we remember that every meal is special,
that each one is a gift from you.
And may we be reminded
that we are blessed with so much
when many have little or nothing.

Help us to enjoy our meals
and to find ways to
help others enjoy them to.

So be it.
Amen

Source: Spill The Beans Issue 20

Reflection

https://vimeo.com/454373090

Story – Let’s Eat by Anna Zamorano

This is one of my favourite stories of families and meals. Read this story together and reflect on how you might make eating together special, or what meals are special in your household.

This Week at home

Every day make sure you eat one meal together at a table.
When you do ask each other these questions.

  • What are you grateful for today?
  • How do you want to give thanks to God today?
  • How can we remember all that God has given us today?
    • Can you journal?
    • Can you draw or paint?
    • Can you mould with play dough or clay?
    • Can you sing?

Go Deeper

This week, as you eat together share stories from your own life of times that you have felt God working in your life / in your world.

Prayer for Others

Our loving God 

So much of our concerns these days surround the Coronavirus.  It seems to pervade our lives and rightly so as these generations have never experienced this before. And so we continue in prayer as we have all year to ask that you walk with us and may we know that you are here by our side. 

You have never promised us lives without trial and we ask today that we are aware and thankful that we know you as a God of the hard times,  the God of the journey to a better place. 

Of course our prayers are with those who suffer from this virus and all those both directly and indirectly who help us through this vale of tears. 

Be with those who make vital decisions about our wellbeing.  Be with them in the dark sleepless nights, in times of public scrutiny and times where we look to them for guidance and condolence.

As this virus dominates our thoughts let us not forget that life goes on.  Some are hungry,  some are homeless,  some are victims of violence,  others have health issues other than the coronavirus.

It has been and will continue to be a year of trial but as you have so often promised you will be there with us.  May we nurture the faith that affirms that.
Amen.

Chris Dodd, September 2020

Celebration Cards

Another activity exploring celebrations and festivals inspired by Spill The Beans Issue 20

Gather together (or design some of your own together) a variety of cards celebrating different occasions (birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, Christmas, Easter) and lay them out.

Choose one card each and then talk together about the cards, as you do think of each occasion and what is often done to celebrate or remember that special day. What is your favourite celebration and why?

Do you have any favourite meals on any of these celebrations? What is it and why is it a special meal? How does the meal help you celebrate the occasion?

Perhaps this week you might be able to prepare a couple of your family’s favourite meals together.

Use as a way into the story of the Passover.

This is a great playlist that follows the story of Moses. Perhaps you’d like to revisit the story of Moses this week.

Memory Meals

If you’re anything like me there’ll be certain foods or meals that bring back memories of camps, of friends, of family, of rites of passage, of experiences that might have been forgotten.

Talk with each other about meals that trigger memories for you, perhaps fish and chips remind you of family holidays by the beach, the smell of curry that reminds you of a winter meal with friends…

What meals trigger your memory? Why not make one of them together this week and remember?

As you do imagine how celebrations like the passover, or communion or other meals might inspire people to remember God’s work in their life.

Home Brewed Worship – For Families

by

This week’s reading introduces Moses, the beginning of Exodus includes his birth and the famous story of his mother hiding him in an ark in the reeds.

But what do you know about Moses? Here are some ideas to help you find more about him and his story.

*Be aware that if you’re sharing this story with young kids three are some parts of the story that may be difficult for them to hear. Stories of kings wanting children killed and mothers who abandon their child are complex stories, but they’re stories we’re familiar with in fairytales and other stories… so be prepared for hard chats.

Set your self up for worship

Invite your family to create a sacred space in your home this week, whatever that might look like for them.

Add a candle and light it, I like saying something like “There once lived a someone who said such amazing things and did so many wonderful things that people followed him. One day they asked him who he was and he answered “I am the Light of the world”

Invite your household to share something they’re grateful for this week and give thanks for it.

Bible Readings

This week’s scripture readings are:

We’ve focussed on the Exodus story for this week’s resources.

All-Age Prayer

Use this prayer every morning as a way to start the day with your household.

God of all ages, all places,
all times.

We come to praise you,
we come, bare foot in the sand, as we feel the sand underfoot, we become more aware of you, your presence with us.

God of the Holy Places, may this place,
where we gather today, also be a holy place:

a placed blessed by your presence with us, in us, for us,
above and below us,
protecting and guiding us in all we do, this day and always.

Amen.

Spill The Beans – Issue 16

Meet Shiphrah and Puah

The story of Shiphrah and Puah is one of the little known stories that needs to be told, it’s the story that kicks off the book of Exodus and cements the theme of deliverance and freedom.

What do you think about Shiphrah and Puah? How awesome is their story?

Sing

Spend some time in song together, here are a couple great songs for you to try at home

When We Share God’s Dream by Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan Colligan is a simple and great song, you can find the lyrics here
We Are A Part of the Family is a great song to sing at home, you can access the lyrics here.
https://vimeo.com/422037417
This song by Cathy Pino has become a favourite in our household
I Will Sing Of Your Love, Love, Love is a beautiful and repetitive song written and sing by Christopher Grundy.

For Prayer

Pray for the world around you by talking with each other about the things that are on your heart, who do you want to send love to today? Where do you want to see God’s peace this week?

Perhaps you might like to draw your prayers together, and place them on your fridge this week. If you do maybe you can agree to say a short 1 line prayer every time you open the fridge this week.

If you need help try this: “God we pray your peace fill the world, your love fill our hearts”

Miriam Hides Moses

https://vimeo.com/450070152
Here is a poem from the Growing in God’s Love story bible titled Miriam Hides Moses, a reflection on the story from Exodus.

Holy Moly – Baby Moses

*temporary password: GUNGUCFF2020

https://vimeo.com/449694657

Reflection – Exodus 1:8 – 2:10

https://vimeo.com/450052097

Re:Form – The Story of Moses

*temporary password: GUNGUCFF2020

https://vimeo.com/449694892

Saddleback Kids -The Story of Moses (Playlist)

Saddleback’s videos are great introductions to characters, this series introduces us to the story of Moses.

The Prince of Egypt

Perhaps this week you might want to cook some popcorn and sit together to watch the Dreamworks film Prince of Egypt.

For Conversation:

I really like the questions posed by Godly play, they’re simple and invite the household into a conversation, read through

  • I wonder what part of the story you liked best?
  • I wonder what part of the story was the most important?
  • I wonder what part was about you or what part you were in?

The story of Irena Sendler

The By The Well Podcast names the story of Irena Sendler as a story that invites us to hear the story of the midwives in more current context.

Research the story of Irena Sendler online and discuss with others this week how you think it links with this week’s story from Exodus.

Can you think of other people’s stories that may also link with this week’s story?

Holocaust Matters – Who was Irena Sendler

Sending

When you finish your time together leave the space by sharing

1 thing that you really love about each other

1 thing that you are grateful for today

Look at each other and say to each of you “Go in peace to love as God loves you”

But wait, there’s more…

Worshipping With Children has some great liturgical resources for people worshipping with children this week, and they’re exploring the same readings. Head over there for more material if you’d like to spend more time with Moses as a family.

Story – August 16, 2020

by

This week’s stories reflect the theme of blessing, unfortunately I don’t actually have these books so I’ve found other people reading the books for us.

As you read them together share with each other how you might be able to bless the world around you and how you might make note of and give thanks for the blessings you’ve received.

Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson

Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson

Something Beautiful by Sharon Dennis Wyeth and Chris K Soentpiet.

https://youtu.be/Ma_DzzeNuVE
Something Beautiful by Sharon Dennis Wyeth and Chris K Soentpiet.
A story of blessings…

Boy on the Page by Peter Carnavas

You can hear the author read this wonderful story about the blessing of life and the blessing we can be, the video is on the Storybox Library website, you can have free access to the Storybox Library with your public library membership.

Read it and share with each other how you’d tell the story of your life, of the blessings you’ve experienced and how you’ve blessed others.

Peter’s also written a song of the story, here’s the wonderfully fun and whimsical song.

Faith At Home – August 16, 2020

by

This week we’re suggesting three activities for diving into this week’s theme (Blessings &Psalm 67) with your household, or alone.

Sing Aloud

Here are three songs that reflect on this week’s theme, spend some time together singing the songs, sing as loud as you can, and when you’ve finished find some of your favourite songs and sing them with gusto.

Sharing the Road by Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan
We Are Blessed by Andy Flannagan
The Earth Has Yielded It’s Harvest by Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan

Psalm of Blessing

This week we invite you to take the Psalm 67 and rewrite it in your own words. If you’d like write your own psalm of blessing, giving thanks to God for all God’s created and given.

Perhaps you might like to go a little further and put it to music, an old hymn, or tune, or perhaps write one of your own.

When you have finished please send it in to us and we’ll share it in next week’s worship email.

Blessing Prayer

Using the letters in the word “Blessing” write your own prayer of thanks to God for the blessings you’re thankful for and again write a prayer for help in serving your neighbours this week.

B

L

E

S

S

I

N

G

B

L

E

S

S

I

N

G

Home Brewed Worship – July 19, 2020

by

Reflection

Source: Spill The Beans Issue 12

Who are we to judge
who’s in and who’s out,
who fits and who doesn’t?

How can we tell
what belongs and what doesn’t?

The God of the harvest
encourages us simply
to do what we can,
to grow together,
to influence the other,
knowing that in the end
no matter how it looks on the outside,
how much it may seem like
we all fit together,
those who deny life to others
will not survive
but will be removed,
allowing space to grow
the kingdom of God.

Welcome to this week’s Home Brewed Worship resources, this week’s reflections are based on the Gospel reading from this week’s lectionary. We hope that you can use these resources to help you contemplate the parable for us this week.

*Please stop reading the Matthew reading at verse 30, don’t keep reading, just stop at the end of the parable… trust me, it’ll be easier to enter into the parable if you stop there. Go and read Matthew’s explanation after you’ve spent some time on it.

Invitation – Parable of the Two Sowers

https://vimeo.com/438905600

Readings:

Genesis 28:10-19a
Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24
Romans 8:12-25
Matthew 13:24-30

Get up on your feet, how about you dance to this week’s Psalm?

Singing The Scripture

This week’s playlist includes a number of great songs based on Psalm 139, there are a few that make it into the list that aren’t linked to the Psalm, but as you’ll see the Psalm takes up a fair chunk of the playlist.

One of my favourite hymns makes it into this week’s playlist a few times, Bernadette Farrell’s O God You Search Me is one of my all time favourite reflections on this week’s Psalm.

May these tunes carry you through this week, if you find other songs that you’d like to add to the playlist let me know.

Access this week’s Singing The Scripture Playlist here

Prayer & Reflection

Here are a few prayers for this week, perhaps you or your household can use one of these prayers each day throughout the week. The Prayer of Adoration and Confession would be a great prayer to end every day, while either of the the All Age Prayers would be a great way to begin every day.

Call to Worship

Source: Spill The Beans Issue 35

Church buildings,
sacred spaces,
homes
gather us together.

Together (in isolation)
we gather as one,
though physically apart.

God be with us in our houses and homes,
just as God is with us
in our churches and cathedrals.

Come. Let us worship
as God’s scattered community.

As the farmer scatters the seed
may the fruits of the Spirit
be plentiful among us,
wherever we may be.

Prayer of Adoration and Confession

Source: Spill The Beans Issue 35

Creator God,
you are the source of all that is:
the life in every living thing:
birds and beasts; fish and fowl;
crops and the locusts that devour them;
trees and the diseases that threaten them;
wildflowers, which are beautiful in one place,
and troublesome weeds in another.
You made them all, and you made us:
not wholly good or wholly bad,
but full of creative potential,
which, like yours,
can be used for good or for harm;
squandered or never allowed to flourish.

We come to you today,
not so much to make our confession,
as to open ourselves up to your inspection:
ready to be surprised
by the good that may reveal;
hoping not to be too discouraged
by what is harmful and what needs to be changed.

But first, we need to open our eyes and look,
with you, at the ripening harvest of our lives.
What shoots of new growth can we see?
What is there in us that is stronger
and healthier than it was before?

Let us give thanks:
with God and to God,
for every growth in grace;
every lesson learned;
every kindness shown;
every struggle overcome.

let us ask for help
to nurture and encourage
every seed of life that God has planted.

And now, as we continue looking inwards,
what else can we see?

Are there weeds of tiredness or frustration;
thorns of envy or of fear that threaten
to choke the life of the kingdom,
growing in us?

Let us acknowledge, before God,
the dangers that we face
and the temptations that draw us.

Let us promise not to feed these weeds with
our time or water them with our attention,
but to trust God, the farmer,
to deal with them,
when the time is right.

Lord of all life,
may the seeds of your kingdom, grow in us,
and be allowed to flourish,
and may we share with all your faithful people
in the joy of the harvest feast.
Amen.

All-Age Prayer

Source: Spill The Beans Issue 35

God, we come today:
carrying a heavy bag of labels
that other people have put on us,
and that we have taken upon ourselves.
One by one, we lay them down,
or throw them as far into the distance
as they will go.

‘She’s the clever one’.
‘He’s the shy one’.
‘What a good boy!’
‘You’re just trouble!’
Too thin; too fat; too lazy;
too stupid; too clever for your own good.

Living God, we stand before you,
freed from all that clutter,
allowing you to see us as we are,
and to draw out of us
all that we may yet become.

We need only one label:
we are your own beloved children.
Thanks be to God!

Amen.

All-Age Prayer

God, we love you.
God, we praise you.
God, we offer this time to you.

Thank you God,
for the world we live in.

Thank you God,
for the people we love and the people we find hard to love.

Thank you God,
for the sun and the rain,
for all the green growing plants, whether they are weeds or not.

Thank you God,
that you love us
just as we are:
when we are good and when we are bad; when we are kind and when we are not.

May we seek
to be more like Jesus, to love everyone,
to be kind and gentle.

May we help others, to help everyone
to be the best
that they can be.

To be all that you made us to be.
Amen.

Prayer for Others and Ourselves

O God, your patience
is eternal,
for millennia creation
has struggled
through times of war
and golden eras of peace.

In that time you have witnessed
many different people and empires
who have grown up
and ruled for a while
before being broken down
by the next one.

As we look out at our world today
through the screens of our TV’s,
iPads and smartphones,
we are saddened
that the weeds are
still present,
trying to choke
the new good life
for which many dream.

We cannot always change
the way people choose to live,
but we can speak up
and stand beside those
who seek to bring changes
for a better world.

For the churches, organisations
and individuals who work
to bring these changes,
we pray that you would
give them courage and energy
to continue their work
and may they encourage
others to join them.

For the women, men and children
who are waiting
for the changes to come,
we pray that you would
give them patience and grace
as they wait in hope
for the day when change
will turn their lives around.

For the people who feel
suffocated by the weeds
and unable to carry on,
we pray that you would
give them support
to endure all that they
are suffering
and that they would
find a way to be
supported and upheld
in their struggle.

Creator God,
maker of all that is seen
and all that is hidden,
we bring your world—
all of it, weeds and good plants—
before you and ask for
your grace and mercy
to sustain us today
and in the days ahead.
Amen.

Storytime with Weeds and Seeds

There are so many beautiful stories about seeds, plants and weeds, here are seven of my favourite stories.

We invite you to take the time to hear/read one of these stories a day this week and read them alongside the parable from Matthew 13:24-30. Do any of these stories help you ask questions of the parable? Do they challenge your reading of the parable? Do they invite you to hear the parable with different ears?

Weeds Find A Way

By Cindy Jenson-Elliott
Illustrated by Carolyn Fisher

https://youtu.be/nKuGfnHFCKY

The Gift

Author & Illustrator: Michael Speechley

You can hear this story read by Michelle Nye over at StoryBoxLibrary. If you have a membership with ACT Libraries (or most other Australian Libraries) you will be able to access it for free using your Library Pass.

This is one of my favourite new picture books, imagine finding beauty in the weeds that you wander past this week.

Tiny Seed

Author & Illustrator: Eric Carle

A Day’s Work

Author & Illustrator: Eve Bunting

Bad Seed

Author Jory John,

Illustrated by Pete Oswald

Seeds Move!

Author & Illustrator: Robin Page

Isabella’s Garden

Author: Glenda Millard

Illustrator:Rebecca Cool.

You can hear this story read by Maddie Thiele over at StoryBoxLibrary. If you have a membership with ACT Libraries (or most other Australian Libraries) you will be able to access it for free using your Library Pass.

https://youtu.be/6Wktk_sC-Ms

Lectio Divina

Lectio Divina is a great way to enter into parables. You can see a more detailed description of Lectio here, but very simply it’s an invitation to read the scripture many times, each time asking a different question of the text.

  1. Read through with no questions, let the words fall fresh on you.
  2. Read through, this time listening for a word to shine out and grab hold of you. Spend some time reflecting on the word, perhaps you’d like to paint the word, draw it, or just sit with the word in silence.
  3. Read through, this time ponder how the text connects with your life today. Spend some time after reading to think about this question, let the text work on you.
  4. Read through, this time asking if there’s an invitation in the text for you. Is it asking something of you, what is it, why do you think it’s asking this of you? What will you do today, this week to live out the invitation?

Action:

a) Take notice

This week wander around your neighbourhood and take notice of the gardens as you do. Do you think the gardener has put a lot of work into where seeds (or seedlings) were planted, or do you think there’s been little planning? How do you see the struggle between weeds and other plants, can you tell the difference between weeds and good plants?

b) Decorate A Plant Pot

You will need: small plant pots (terracotta pots give more options for decorating but are more expensive than plastic pots, if you have terracotta pots you can use acrylic paints to decorate)

Decorate the pots together.

We are to be like the good seeds growing and showing God’s love. Talk about ways we can do this.

About GUC

We are a community on a journey, we’ve grown from a small faith community planted in Ngunnawal in the early years of Gungahlin’s development to a thriving inclusive, intergenerational & multicultural community. As Gungahlin has grown we have seen a lot of change.

We are an open and inclusive community, everyone is welcome to use their gifts in worship, prayer, leadership, hospitality and teaching.

Find out more…

Worship With Us

Every Sunday, 9:30am
Gungahlin Uniting Church and Community Centre
108 The Valley Avenue
Gungahlin, ACT, 2913

Worship is for all ages, (0 to 93!) and seeks to be meaningful in different ways for us all.

In Jesus Christ we see how he drew near to each and all and so we hope our worship expresses this nearness too.

Find out more…

Finding us

We worship at the Gungahlin Uniting Church & Community Centre.
Find us on Google Maps here

Car
Free parking is available in our on-site car park.

Light Rail
We are less than a 5 minute walk from the Gungahlin Place Light Rail Station.

Bus
The ACT has a number of bus options for people travelling around, or to Gungahlin. Timetables available here.