Twenty Seventh 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):
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end
The Special Prayer For Today (let us pray aloud):
Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Saviour; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and 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 27, 5th Oct 2025
Welcome sisters and brothers 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>
Were we to take a survey right now, asking the question, “How would you describe the state of the world today?” it is likely the largest percentage of respondents would rate the world as, well, “a bit of a mess”. Worldwide, so many things challenge and trouble us. The world economy appears overly complex and unfair; communities are splitting over large and small issues; too many countries are actively at war; crime and violence in communities and homes; the climate is warming; the oceans are rising; the unemployed, and the poor throughout the world. <PAUSE>
Well, that probably hasn’t put you in a good frame of mind and that’s negativity at work. That’s what negativity does - it knocks down, it doesn’t build up!
However, the good news is that as long as we are alive and here, we can use the faith we have to imagine the impossible and make it possible. Not alone, of course. Our faith rests in God and it is through our faith in God, our prayers to God, and the power of the Holy Spirit that miraculous turnabouts can and do happen. <PAUSE>
There is no need to be negative. There is no need to bemoan the things that WE “think” aren’t working … we are called to believe; to be positive; to have faith! <PAUSE>
Ah yes, I might hear some of you say, BUT how do we keep our faith strong when there is so much around us to erode its power for change? That’s what I see in this cry from the apostles today.
Dealing with their own set of circumstance, no less dire to them than the events in our lives are to us today, they cry out to Christ to “Increase our faith!” It is a plea. It is a prayer.
Christ responds with the idea that even a faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains, or in this case, a mulberry tree. <PAUSE>
Mulberry trees can be quite prolific. The fruit is sweet, and a healthy Mulberry tree can produce a vast crop. When ripe, mulberries are dark purple, sweet and luscious. A common fruit in the temperate climate of Judea and so very familiar to both Jesus and his disciples.
As was the tiny mustard seed that lent itself so well to being a good metaphorical moment.
Jesus could teach about faith using this tiny, little seed as a way to illustrate that even the smallest expressions of faith could move trees, mountains, and hearts through the power of God’s grace.
Today, what I wish to focus on from this gospel passage is the need for faith to move a person to receive and pass on - through word and deed - the positivity of faith. On our own, without the help of the Holy Spirit, remaining positive for most of us is a tall order. The effort to look to the future, maybe even a different future, WITH HOPE often gets derailed.
However, by and through the grace of God, positivity and hope can be offered. Faith, even the smallest kernel of faith, can move us to heal or be healed of the worries and anxieties that we often lay on one another. <PAUSE> Our faith is all about positivity … listen …
Through the cross of Christ, God forgives us … well, HOW POSITIVE IS THAT ?
Forgive others … well, HOW POSITIVE IS THAT ?
Forgive yourself … well, HOW POSITIVE IS THAT ?
You WILL come to know God’s peace … well, HOW POSITIVE IS THAT ? <PAUSE>
What the apostles learned that day became a cornerstone of their faith and it has been passed down to us.
As Jesus tells us today, it is not the quantity of faith, but the quality of faith, that is important.
Over the years, I’ve sat with people and heard them use various words to describe their faith (or lack thereof) within the current state of the world … “non-existent”, “shaken”, “little”, “shallow”, “lost” have been some of the words I’ve heard!
So, I say again:
It is not the quantity of faith, but the quality of faith, that is important and what you do with your faith - how positive you are with it … to yourself AND to those around you.
The grain of mustard seed and a pellet of dust are similar in appearance, but the difference is immense. One has no life burning at the heart of it, while the other contains life as God kindled it.
Faith that has in it the unshakeable strength of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is a faith with God in it. A faith that no darkness can extinguish. A faith that no matter what the world may throw at it …. it IS a faith that can move mountains, mulberry trees and make the impossible … possible. It is a faith to be used to build up - NOT knock down. <PAUSE>
So, Christ’s call to us, His children, today is :
BELIEVE.
BE POSITIVE.
HAVE FAITH.
The Holy Spirit IS with us all and IS in it all.
As disciples of Christ, we offer our lives, our voices and our prayers in the faith that can INDEED move trees, mountains and yes … even human hearts to positivity and hope for the future. Thanks be to God.
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:
Almighty God, in the noise and confusion of life, we pray for peace in our hearts. In these few moments of stillness we bring before You our prayers, asking for help and guidance as we journey through our earthly life and giving thanks and praise for our many blessings.
(LONGER pause for silent, personal reflection)
Holy God, we pray for Your faith communities today as they gather, all round the world, to come into Your presence, to praise You, and to hear Your holy word.
Give us a sense of expectation as we come and inspiration as we go. Help us to put our differences behind us and unite instead behind the great commission of Jesus, to make disciples of all nations.
(Short Silence) Lord, hear our prayer : and let our cry come to you
Creator God, we pray for peace in the world; that every nation may seek the way that leads to peace; that human rights and freedoms may everywhere be respected and the world's resources be ungrudgingly shared.
We acknowledge that all good gifts around us are sent from heaven above. Help us to receive them gratefully, to use them wisely and to share them unselfishly as good stewards of your bounty.
(Short Silence) Lord, hear our prayer : and let our cry come to you
Father God, we pray for ourselves. Give us this day, the eye that is willing to see the meaning of the ordinary, the familiar, the commonplace; to see our own faults for what they are; to see the likeable qualities in those we may not like; to recognise the mistakes in what we thought was correct; to understand the strength in what we labelled as weakness. Help us to entrust the past to your mercy, the present to your love and the future to your wisdom.
(Short Silence) Lord, hear our prayer : and let our cry come to you
Gracious God, we raise before you all who are sick or dying; all who are suffering or in sorrow; grant to all who are living in error or ignorance or sin, the grace of repentance.
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.
In your goodness and mercy, grant them health of body, soundness of mind and peace of heart.
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, hear our prayer : and let our cry come to you
Loving God, into Your hands we commit those who have run the race and kept the faith, even if that faith was known only to You and now have gone to their reward.
May your light shine on them for ever and our lives be richer because of their memory.
We especially raise before you at this time our recently departed brother Martin (Australia).
May all the faithful departed now rest in peace as they most surely have risen in glory.
(Short Silence) Lord, hear our prayer : and let our cry come unto you
In a moment of silence we pray for ourselves, our families, friends, for all whom we love and for our personal ministries. Make the things that we choose to do worthy of the life, death, and rising again of Your Son.
(Short Silence) Lord, hear our prayer : and let our cry come to you
Faithful God, who in Your wisdom has so ordered our earthly life that we must walk by faith and not by sight. Grant us such faith in you that amidst all things that pass our understanding, we may believe in Your fatherly care, and ever be strengthened by the assurance that underneath are the everlasting arms.
(Short Silence) Lord, hear our prayer : and let our cry come to you
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.
