Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
What follows is a worship service which, I pray, you can participate in at a time(s) that are convenient to you. This 'service' will take about forty five (45) minutes.
I pray that you will feel called to ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE in this service.
The text that is in regular typeface (that is what you are reading at the moment) is to be read quietly, while the text that is in bold face (like you are reading right now) is meant to be read aloud.
Opening Hymn:
Let us continue by watching, and please do feel free to sing or read aloud the lyrics, as we commence our praise and thanksgiving.
When you are ready - click the "play" button on the video window, below:
A Call To Worship:
We meet in the name of God,
Creator of the universe,
source of true humanity,
mother and father of all. Amen.
An Assurance of Forgiveness:
(click the 'play' button below to listen)
The Sentence For Today (let us say aloud):
Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; show the light of your face.
The Special Prayer For Today (let us pray aloud):
Almighty God, you have given Your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ Your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Our first reading for today:
(click the 'play' button below to listen)
Our second reading for today:
(click the 'play' button below to listen)
Gradual Hymn:
Let us continue by watching, and please do feel free to sing or read aloud the lyrics, as we raise out voices in praise and thanksgiving.
When you are ready - click the "play" button on the video window, below:
Listen to David speak to this gospel
or, if you prefer, you can read the sermon, below:
Sermon for Ordinary 20, 17th August 2025
Welcome friends and peace be with you. MAY the words on my lips and the meditations in our hearts be acceptable in your sight O Lord, our strength and our Redeemer. <Amen>
Kim and I lived in Australia for several years and it was while there that I got up close and personal with several “pyrophiles” <PAUSE> Let me explain, “Pyrophytes” are plants which are able to tolerate fire and within that group are the “pyrophiles” which are plants that actually NEED fire for their successful reproduction and spread. Some species of Eucalyptus, Pine, Wattle, Banksia and others will only re-sprout after a fire or their seeds will only germinate after having been burned in a fire ….. and that brings me to today’s gospel.
You know, if you were to go looking for a challenges in the scriptures, the gospel this morning has several! Hear the words of Jesus:
“I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!”
“Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!”
“From now … they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
At first glance, not a very cheerful passage, is it? Remember that Jesus and his disciples were on their final journey to Jerusalem. As Jesus moved closer and closer to His destination – His death – a sense of urgency must have been rising in him. There was so much His disciples still did not understand about God’s Kingdom and they were certainly not looking for a king who would be a servant; one who would be tortured and executed!
This must have been very frustrating for Jesus, He had been teaching with stories, parables and miracles about the way the Kingdom of God works, and they still didn’t get it. Once in a while, there would be a glimmer of understanding, but it would quickly fade, as the disciples who knew Jesus best kept trying to put him into “the box of their own expectations”.
Now, today, Jesus breaks out of his mild-mannered persona and His words are mightily powerful and forceful!
Jesus, who only recently was rebuking James and John, the “sons of thunder”, for wanting to bring down fire on some Samaritans who had not welcomed them (Luke 5:51-56), suddenly declares that he cannot wait to bring down fire himself. (Can’t you just hear James and John complaining, “How come you get to do that and we don’t ?”)
However, there is a difference between cleansing fire and fire that consumes.
James and John were eager to destroy, but Jesus is talking about a cleansing, purifying fire. A fire that brings new life and hope.
Jesus knows what lies ahead for Him, and for his disciples, and He wants to be sure that they have been refined and tested, so that they can remain strong when the time comes … and that time, when He will take on the sins of the world, is getting near.
The Jesus we see in this passage seems out of character with the Jesus who loves and heals and cares for the poor. This is not the sweet baby Jesus for whom the angels sang, “Peace on earth, good will to all” back in Luke 2. No, this Jesus announces division instead of peace. His speech sounds more like John the Baptist than the Beatitudes. <PAUSE>
Remember, Jesus has not come to validate human institutions and the values those institutions promote. Jesus has come to set into motion God’s radical will for the world. The Jesus we hear today is the Jesus of TOTAL ABSORPTION IN HIS MISSION - TO REDEEM A BROKEN WORLD.
Jesus is saying there can be no peace without complete unity.
Jesus is NOT saying that it is His purpose to set children against their parents or parents against their children, but that this sort of rupture can be the result of the changes brought about by Christ’s work.
Jesus is NOT saying that it is his intent to separate family members from one another, but that family ties no longer determine a person’s identity, vocation, allegiance, and status. Instead, they will be determined by whether or not that person accepts or denies Jesus as Lord.
What ties believers, you and I, together is not the covenant of ancestry, but the covenant of blood, poured out on the cross for those who find fellowship in the family of God through our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit that is poured out upon us.
The harsh sayings and indictments resounding in this gospel remind us that Jesus has not come to uphold the social realities and values we humans have constructed. Such social realities and values often end up favouring those who hold positions of power at the expense of those who are powerless.
The radical purposes of God have completely demolished the status quo. Jesus shatters it with his mission of compassion, mercy, and justice.
Standing alongside Jesus can, and sometimes will, separate us from those who deny His Lordship.
Standing alongside Jesus in His mission will most certainly divide us from those who fear giving up their positions of power in order to bring peace and justice to others. God’s divine plan for peace is not always welcome.
The fire of The Word that cleans away the old and sprouts new life will not always be understood BUT CHANGE, NEW GROWTH, IS INEVITABLE. <PAUSE>
As disciples, we are called to spread the fire of The Word of The Lord. Christ wishes that fire to be kindled and as we spread the fire of The Word - just as we see the pyrophytes - let that fire bring new growth, new life, new hope. <PAUSE>
In his second letter to the young Church in Corinth Paul writes, “See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!” (2 Cor 6:2) It’s time to become true followers of Jesus Christ. It’s time to become fire starters - starters of cleansing, refreshing fires!
I runga e te Ingoa o te Atua, te Matua, te Tama me te Wairua Tapu. <AMINE>
Pause and Reflect
Just take a moment now to pause. Bow your head, close your eyes.
Allow these words of Holy Scripture and this interpretation of them today to speak to you.
An Affirmation of Our Faith
Let us affirm our faith by saying aloud, and together, "The Apostles Creed":
... and now let us pray for the Church, the World, and Ourselves, giving thanks for God's goodness.
Let us pray aloud, and together:
Gracious God, your Son encouraged us to be generous givers: may we so rejoice in your love that we give without counting the cost and work tirelessly to spread the Gospel message in all that we do and say.
<longer silence for personal reflection>
Holy God, as you revealed yourself to the Jewish people through the prophets in ancient days; reveal yourself to the world in this present age. Raise up new prophets and make us into a faithful people ready to believe Your promises and follow You wherever You will lead us.
<short silence> Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
Creator God, we pray today for the peace of our nations. May all places that suffer violence, injustice, war and terrorism find peace and reconciliation. We pray for the peoples of the world and that the leaders of the nations may uphold what is right and good.
<short silence> Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
Father God, we pray for the young people in our families and communities. May they grow up knowing love and hope, valuing life and respecting others. We pray for those who are preparing to leave school and move on to the next stage in their lives. Give them courage and hope as they face changes in their lives and help them to see opportunities in all the challenges that stretch out before them.
<short silence> Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
Loving God, we pray for all those who have lost their way or have been led astray and for all who are living below their potential or their abilities.
We raise before you all whose lives are unfulfilled and all those whose lives are restricted by illness; we remember the chronically ill, those in constant pain, the depressed and the despairing.
We especially raise before You now all those who have asked for our prayers from around the world … those we know in New Zealand, in Singapore, in Argentina, in France, in Australia, in the US, in Canada, in Austria, in Ukraine, in China, in Germany, in the Czech Republic, in Syria and any others we now name aloud, or in the silence of our hearts, and those who are known only by You.
We thank you for those who have come through illness and are on the road to recovery and also for those facing the reality that there is little light at the end of their earthly tunnel.
<short silence> Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
Almighty God, we remember before You those who have died and those who are bereaved by their passing. We give back to you, Lord, those whom You gave to us.
Your son taught us that life is eternal and that love cannot die. So death is only a horizon, and a horizon is only the limit of our sight. Open our eyes to see more clearly, and draw us closer to you, so that we may know we are nearer to our loved ones, who are with you.
We especially raise before you at this time our recently departed brother Robert (Australia).
May he, and all the faithful departed, now rest in eternal peace as they most surely have risen in glory.
<Short silence> Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
In a moment of silence we pray for ourselves, our families, friends, for all whom we love and for our personal ministries.
Fill our hearts with the love, peace, and generosity of Your Son.
(Short Silence) Lord, in Your mercy: hear our prayer
Faithful God, as we go out into the world help us to see each individual we meet as uniquely made in Your image and worthy of our love and respect. Show Your love through our lives in some small way today and every day.
(Short Silence) Lord, in Your mercy: hear our prayer
Forth in the peace of Christ we go; Christ to the world with joy we bring; Christ in our minds, Christ on our lips, Christ in our hearts, the world’s true King.
Merciful father: accept these prayers for the sake of Your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN.
Remembering that we are confident to pray this day, and every day, because Jesus Christ continues to teach us:
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 for ever. Amen.
Let us conclude our prayers by praying together and aloud:
God of mercy,
you have given us grace to pray with one heart and one voice,
and have promised to hear the prayers
of two or three who agree in your name,
fulfil now, we pray,
the prayers and longings of your people
as may be best for us and for your kingdom.
Grant us in this world to know your truth,
and in the world to come to see your glory. Amen.
The Blessing
May The Risen Lord Christ turn His face towards each and every one of you.
May He cause His light to shine upon you, and
may He grant you His peace, and
The blessing of Almighty God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be with you and all of those whom you love,
on this day and forever more.
A Closing Hymn:
Let us conclude our worship today by watching, and please do feel free to sing or read aloud the lyrics, as we unite in another hymn our praise and thanksgiving.
When you are ready - click the "play" button on the video window, below:
The Dismissal
Go now, go out into the world
to love and serve The Lord.
Go in peace.
AMEN, we go in the name of Christ.
