Last Sunday’s Playlist @ Newmarket Baptist 

19th August 2012, Ordinary Time 20B: Colour: Green

Greetings,

At this stage Sunday’s 10am gathering is central to our Rhythm of Prayer at Newmarket Baptist.  As we can’t each be present every Sunday we like to share highlights from our ‘playlist’ in the hope that it may re-source you to better follow Jesus in your world…

C2W (Call to Worship):

Our Call to Worship was taken from this weeks Sunday Lectionary, Psalm 34, which for the purposes of reflection upon the week ‘s national and global events we dubbed “The Asylum Seeker Psalm” based on its traditional prefix,

 ‘Of David, when he feigned madness before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.’

This is based on a story from 1 Sam. 21:10-15 where David sought refuge but instead found himself going from frying pan to fire.

We read the Psalm 34 singing the antiphon, ” I make my boast in the Lord, let the humble hear”, from Issac Everrets’ Emergent Psalter.

PoC (Prayer of Confession):

We considered theses two images above of aslyum seekers from the weekly news.

The first are “Boat People” travelling to Australia via Indonesia who’s plight has been influenced by the passing of legislation in the Australian Parliament reinstating the so called ‘Pacific Solution’.   The second image is from protests in London where the Ecuadorian Government granted asylum to “Wikileaks” founder Julian Assange.

We asked people to imagine the words of the Psalm in the mouths of those depicted in the images.  How would we hear the Psalm if we were in their shoes? The descriptions of David feigning madness and the warnings of predicted mental illness for boat people who face mandatory and possible indefinite detention was sobering and people were invited to respond by voicing or writing their own confession.

One offering reflected a protest banner outside the the Ecuadorian Embassy stating “In the Kingdom of Lies the Truth is Treason” and how it might lead us to confession of complicity in our own failings of honesty, courage and hospitality, both personal and collective.

We noted that for the Psalmist the terror and fear of foes was meaningfully surpassed by a greater fear (awe and reverence) for God.  We prayed this for ourselves and others.  The Assurance of Forgiveness was based upon verse 4, 5, 7 and 22 of the Psalm.

4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me,

and delivered me from all my fears.

5 Look to him, and be radiant;

so your faces shall never be ashamed.

7 The angel of the LORD encamps around

those who fear him, and delivers them.

22 The LORD redeems the life of his servants;

none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

And so I declare to you, that in Jesus Christ,

your sins are forgiven.

            Thanks be to God.

MoW (Ministry of the Word) :

“The will to live life differently can start in some of the most unusual places” – Pam Warhurst

We compared the word of Jesus in this weeks Lectionary Gospel reading John 6:51-58 

Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.

with the motto of the Incredible Edible “Propaganda” gardening project in Todmorden in Northern England.

IF YOU EAT, YOU’RE IN! 

The video above explains in part why we have re-worked the garden at the front of our church building and are investing our vision of  renewal in local connections through our People’s Pantry & Table Projects in Flemington.

Together we considered how the ‘feeding ministry’ of Jesus in passages such as John 6 might relate to this contemporary call to conversion by Pam Warhurst and become something more profoundly sacred for each of us in our lives and neighourhood relationships?

“Can you find a unifying language, that cuts across age and income and culture that will help people themselves find a new way of living? See spaces around them differently? Think about the resource they use differently? Interact differently? Can we find that language and then can we replicate those actions?  The answer would appear to be yes and the language would appear to be FOOD!” – Pam Warhurst

Much Grace & Peace,

Marcus