PSALM 84 NRSV

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!

My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.

Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Selah

Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.

They go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion.

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah

Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed.

For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; he bestows favour and honour. No good thing does the Lord withhold from those who walk uprightly.

O Lord of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you

Bulletin Bloopers :

Next Sunday a special collection will be taken to defray the cost of the new carpet. All those wishing to do something on the carpet will come forward and do so.

The preacher will preach his farewell message, after which the choir will sing, “Break Forth With Joy.”

Today we will spend some time thinking about the little incongruities of life, that make us smile, or chuckle, or even belly laugh! The reality is that the liberating good news is too important not to embrace, and so smile and laugh and delight on the way. The experience of love that we encounter when we meet Jesus on the Way is too important not to respond with invitations of joy to others. That’s not being flippant about the Gospel, or minimizing the significance of Jesus’ story for our lives. That’s actually owning it in a way that allows us to take seriously life as we have it, and respond to what really matters.

Today, the morning tea will be held in the gallery. Stay behind and chat, perhaps pick up a bargain, and look at the art. It is good to see how the gallery works during the week.

The Bridge

There are time in life

When we are called to be bridges,

Not a great monument spanning a distance

And carrying loads of heavy traffic,

But a simple bridge to help one person from here to there over

Some difficulty

Such as pain, grief, fear, loneliness,

A bridge which opens the way

For ongoing journey.

When I become a bridge for another,

I bring upon myself a blessing,

For I escape from the small prison of self

And exist for a wider world,

Breaking out to be a larger being

Who can enter another’s pain

And rejoice in another’s triumph.

I know of only one greater blessing

In this life, and that is,

To allow someone else

To be a bridge for me.

Aotearoa Psalms– Prayers of a New People 1989

Today we celebrate the work of our church within the wider community. Through Chapel on Station Gallery, Food at The Barn, Jubilee Housing and hosting Employment and Training Focus we seek to offer a place to wonder and reflect, hospitality, a place to call home, training and employment support. May you enjoy hearing more about these ministries and services. Let us join together in the celebration of life and hope.