Watch the Bathurst Uniting Church service recorded for Sunday 29 March 2020.
Here we are gathered in the family of God despite our separateness.
The President and Moderators have prepared a weekly cycle of prayers for use by congregations and in people’s personal devotions, as a way of connecting Uniting Church members. as we pray each day for one another and the life of the Australian community. We hope these prayers nurture and encourage you.
Click here for a copy of the daily prayers for this week.
We prayed the words together, at our last face-to-face gathering for worship in the church on Sunday 22nd March.
Out of the depths we cry to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear our voice!
Let your ears be attentive to the voice of our supplications!
Lord, hear the cry of our hearts!
We wait for the Lord; our souls wait:
And in God’s Word we hope.
Our souls wait for the Lord, more than those who watch for the morning;
More than those who watch for the morning.
O people of God, hope in the Lord!
For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
And with God is great power to redeem.
Lent is traditionally a time to rediscover or hone our spiritual disciplines: those intentional practices that mould us in the cruciform – cross-shaped – way of Christ.
Fasting, prayer and giving are the three traditional Lenten disciplines. Today’s reading suggests another: the discipline of waiting. Waiting in hope. Holding in tension the cry from the depths – the heart-cry of guilt, or grief, or danger, or doubt, or loneliness, or pain, or injustice – with the fragile, life-giving cry of faith and trust. Because with the Lord there is steadfast love; with God, there is great power to redeem.
Who has not tossed and turned, or paced the floor, or pressed their forehead against the window pane, through hour after hour of darkness, longing for the first hint of pre-dawn glow to signal that the long night is finally over?
In so many matters of human brokenness – even as we do our best to love and help and support each other and our neighbour – there is nothing we can really do but wait, in hope, for God’s redemptive intervention.
And so it is in this time of coronavirus (COVID-19)… Our souls wait…
In this Sunday’s Gospel reading (John 11: 1-45) restoration and renewal flood a tomb with in-breaking light. ‘Lazarus, come forth!’ is the cry… And our souls wait, with a new hope. God is with us. Resurrection happens.
And faintly now, from the deepest darkness ahead of us on our Lenten journey, there echoes the deepest of all cries from the depths: a cry from a cross: ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ – ‘My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?’
With the Lord there is steadfast love; with God, there is great power to redeem. Not despite the cry of Jesus Christ crucified, but because of it.
Our souls wait with the deepest of all hope… We wait for the morning, knowing that the Sun will rise.
[Adapted by permission from a reflection originally written by Rev. Claire Wright for this week’s With Love to the World, Vol 16. No 2. www.withlovetotheworld.org.au]
A full recording of the service along with other resources is available to continue our mission of ‘Connecting people to God’.
‘Connecting people to God’ is our core mission – even though we cannot, for the moment, meet together in person. We are committed to helping everyone maintain (and perhaps deepen) their relationship with the God of Comfort and Hope at this time.
And if you don’t use a computer, don’t forget your own library: Bible; With Love to the World (daily reflections: let us know if you’d like a copy); Christian books; Bible study booklets; worship CDs. We’re happy to help arrange a share/swap!
We’ll post the text (and links) on the Website.
‘Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for the One who promised is faithful.’
(Hebrews 10:23)
Click here for a copy of the Worship and Devotional Resources sheet
Coronavirus Response Team – BUCconnect@gmail.com
Email us with any questions, offers of help, requests for help or support etc.
Rev. Claire Wright – rev.claire.wright@gmail.com or 0490 678 593
Rev. Claire will be able to refer you to our Pastoral Response Group.
Please remember that we ALL have a part to play in ensuring that no-one is left isolated or left behind – and that we keep each other connected, in good spirits and even (perhaps) entertained in this time of physical distancing.
Let’s commit to calling someone each day, to have virtual ‘tea’ together, have a chat, ask how they’re going, read a book together – or whatever!
If you’d like help setting up FaceTime, Skype, Zoom or other tools to meet ‘visually’ together (e.g., for your book group or study group or neighbourly chat) – let the Coronavirus Response Team know.
If you have ideas of how we can support each other and the community in creative, caring, practical ways (e.g., by delivering worship materials, purchasing and delivering supplies, sending outreach cards, sharing board games or books or videos) – and/or if you are willing to help with such activities – and/or if you NEED help or support in some way, please contact the Welfare Response Team: BUCconnect@gmail.com
“We, though many, are one body in Christ – and each member belongs to one another.’
(Romans 12:5)
Click here for a copy of the Pastoral support, Connection and Welfare Resources sheet
Coronavirus Response Team – BUCconnect@gmail.com
Email us with any questions, offers or
requests for help, suggestions etc.
Website – www.bathurstunitingchurch.com.au
Check the ‘Coronavirus Response’ page
regularly for updates, information and
resources (including weekly worship)
Rev. Claire Wright – rev.claire.wright@gmail.com
0490 678 593
NSW Health Information – www.health.nsw.gov.au
Click the ‘COVID-19 Find the Facts’ button
World Health Organization – www.who.int
Go to: www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public
| Please note that there is a lot of false information on-line and in the media, including scams. For best guidance on how to keep safe, please consult reliable sources! If in doubt, contact our Coronavirus Response team. |
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
(Joshua 1:9)
Click here for a copy of the Information Resources sheet
Worship gatherings will be suspended after this Sunday’s services (22 March) – weekly resources for at-home worship/devotions will be made available.
Let us know your contact preferences if you’d like to access these resources by web, email, USB-drive or DVD delivered to you.
