Song “No longer a slave”
Song “Im leaning on you”
Song “Let it rain”
Song “Psalm 23”
Song “The Lord is my salvation”
Opening Responses
The world belongs to God
The earth and all its people
How good and lovely it is
To live together in unity
Love and faith come together
Justice and peace join hands
Song “I raise a hallelujah”
Let us in silence remember our faults and failings
Christ have mercy on us, and deliver us from our sins and may we amend our lives
Amen.
The Lords Prayer in our own language
Song “Holy Spirit, Living breath of God”
Reading Matthew 16v21-28
Song “He will hold me fast”
Reflection
Jesus wanted the secret of who he was to be kept a secret and he kept a low profile with regard to his messianic credentials to dampen popular, political, messianic aspirations, for those "with eyes to see". How different to some of our leaders today!
Having predicted his death, Jesus then speaks about cross-bearing discipleship. Not a popular concept even today! Why would you willingly choose this? But he warned that disciples must be ready to face martyrdom. I wonder how many of us would leave at this point?
The suffering messiah meant also a suffering messianic community. In its original context to 'take up his cross' meant only one thing, to die with Jesus in Jerusalem. Jesus' call to follow him was not just to the disciples, but to "the crowd". It was embarrassing, shameful.
A suffering messiah is not easy for the disciples to come to grips with. He will be rejected, killed and after three days, like Jonah in the big fish, he will rise.
Peter told Jesus off for talking of such things and Jesus rebuked Peter. Out of my sight! Get back with the disciples. Aligning Peter with Satan is extremely harsh. Your thoughts are not God's thoughts, but man's. But we can all align ourselves with Satan and have wrong thoughts, say the wrong things and do the wrong things. That is part of our human condition.
Then he called the crowd to him. Jesus was calling all of them to discipleship like he is calling us.
If anyone really does want to follow me he must deny himself and take up his cross said Jesus. The image would conjure up cross-bearing criminals. A badge of shame. Who would want that? But that is our call.
Whoever wishes to save his life and follows, will save his life. Life here meaning soul, psyche as used by Jung. We are to abandon the destructive path of others and choose another path, the narrow way and loose everything, but gain our soul. And whoever doesn’t will lose their soul. What does anyone gain by winning the whole world at the cost of his life?
There are many things to choose at the moment. Protection of everybody or just for the few, capitalism or the future of the planet, equality for everyone or discrimination, care for the vulnerable, homeless, destitute, disposed or cold heartedness? It seems easy to see what is right but its hard to follow it through. May God give us wisdom and courage to make the right choices for the sake of ourselves, our children and our planet. Amen
Song “My dwelling place”
Our Prayers
We pray for people and situations we are concerned about including people having to go back into backdown, the fatalism of young people, the desperate people crossing the sea in dinghies, continuing deaths from Covid 19, the ongoing unrest in Belarus, Hong Kong and Syria and other places, the rise of fascism, the government, the Rohinga Muslims, Muslims being persecuted in China, protection for key workers and adequate PPE, protection for Black and Asian people, for people on low or no incomes, for those with underlying health conditions and those over 60, care for those who are alone and those suffering with depression, protection for asylum seekers and refugees and ensuring that food is reaching the vulnerable and global warming.
May we not fail you. Amen
Song “In Christ Alone”
The blessing of God be upon you
On those you love and those you meet
This day and forevermore. Amen
With thanks to the Iona Community adapted
五旬節13 2020
歌曲“不再是奴隸”
https://youtu.be/bDnA_coA168
歌曲“我靠你”
https://youtu.be/PDEA0MtBaJ4
歌曲“放雨”
https://youtu.be/aIlw7BInVw0
歌曲“詩篇23”
https://youtu.be/OoojA0cLPWY
歌曲“主是我的救恩”
https://youtu.be/NjOGX5zT8KU
開幕回應
世界屬於上帝
地球及其所有人
多麼可愛
團結在一起
愛與信仰匯聚
正義與和平攜手
歌曲“我舉起了哈利路亞”
https://youtu.be/GzKzEknglME
讓我們默默地記住我們的缺點和失敗
基督憐憫我們，拯救我們脫離罪孽，願我們改變自己的生命
阿們
上議院的禱告用我們自己的語言
歌曲“聖靈，活出神的氣息”
https://youtu.be/N8FKZIz97AU
閱讀馬太福音16v21-28
歌曲“他會抱緊我”
https://youtu.be/3OOphIgGkjM
反射
耶穌想讓自己的秘密保密，他對自己的彌賽亞資格保持低調，以製止那些“有眼睛看”的民眾的，政治的，彌賽亞的願望。與今天的某些領導人有何不同！
在預言了他的死後，耶穌接著談到了交叉承擔的門徒訓練。即使在今天也不是一個流行的概念！您為什麼願意選擇這個？但是他警告說，門徒必須準備好面對難。我想知道我們當中有多少人會離開？
受苦的救世主也意味著受苦的救世主社區。在最初的背景下，“背起他的十字架”只意味著一件事，就是要在耶路撒冷與耶穌同死。耶穌跟從他的呼召不僅是門徒，還有“群眾”。令人尷尬，可恥。
門徒難受痛苦的救世主。他將被拒絕，殺死，三天后，就像喬納在大魚上一樣，他將復活。
彼得因談論這樣的事情而告訴耶穌，耶穌斥責了彼得。在我的視線之外！與門徒們一起回來。讓彼得與撒但結盟極為嚴酷。你的想法不是上帝的想法，而是人的想法。但是我們都可以使自己與撒但結盟，有錯誤的思想，說錯話，做錯事。那是我們人類狀況的一部分。
然後他把人群叫給他。耶穌呼召所有人都成為門徒，就像他呼喚我們一樣。
耶穌說，如果有人真的想跟著我，他必須否認自己，背起十字架。該圖像會讓人聯想到跨界的罪犯。可恥的徽章。誰想要那個？但這是我們的要求。
谁愿意挽救他的生命並跟隨他，誰就會挽救他的生命。這裡的生活意為榮格所使用的靈魂，靈魂。我們要拋棄他人的破壞性道路，而選擇另一條道路，狹窄的道路，放鬆一切，但要獲得我們的靈魂。沒有的人會失去靈魂。任何人以犧牲自己的生命來贏得全世界都會獲得什麼？
目前有很多選擇。是保護所有人還是保護少數人，資本主義或地球的未來，保護所有人的平等或歧視，照顧弱勢群體，無家可歸者，貧困者，處決者還是冷漠的人？似乎很容易看出什麼是對的，但是很難遵循。願上帝賜給我們智慧和勇氣，為自己，我們的孩子和我們的星球做出正確的選擇。阿門
歌曲“我的住所”
https://youtu.be/eiuNq2OWgzg
我們的祈禱
我們為人們關心的人和局勢祈禱，其中包括不得不退縮的人們，年輕人的宿命論，在小艇中過海的絕望人，Covid 19連續死亡，白俄羅斯，香港和敘利亞持續的動亂在其他地方，法西斯主義的興起，政府，羅欣加穆斯林，在中國受到迫害的穆斯林，保護關鍵工人和適當的個人防護裝備，保護黑人和亞裔人民，低收入或無收入者，基本健康的人有條件的人和60歲以上的人，應照顧孤獨的人和患有抑鬱症的人，保護尋求庇護者和難民，並確保糧食達到脆弱和全球變暖的地步。
願我們不讓您失望。阿門
歌曲“獨自在基督裡”
https://youtu.be/ENtL_li4GbE
上帝的祝福臨到你
在你所愛和相遇的人身上
這一天，直到永遠。阿門
感謝愛奧那社區改編
