A Light on the Hill

Order of Service – 22nd February 2026

The Order of Service follows below.

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Brougham Place Uniting Church
Kardlayirdi Karnungga
A Light on the Hill

February 22, 2026
Preacher: Rev Linda Driver
Lent 1. Purple.

Welcome to Brougham Place Uniting Church.

We acknowledge the Kaurna people as the traditional carers of the land on which our church is built.

As you wait for worship to begin, please turn your phone to silent.

Prelude

Welcome and Acknowledgment of Country

Naa marni?
(Are you all good?)
Marni Ai!
(Good I am)

Jesus Christ is the Light of the World.
Jesus Christ is the Living Word of God

The Word will be brought forward and the Candles lit as the Choir sings the Introit.

Introit, Bringing Forward the Word, Lighting the Candles

Before the Throne of God Above v1 and 2 (CHH 466 DeChenez/Cook)

Call to Worship

Come, people of God, hungry for grace.
We come, trusting God will feed us.
Come, weary and wandering.
We come, seeking rest in God’s presence.
Come, beloved of God, into the wilderness of love.
We come, ready to worship and follow Christ.

We sing: Come As You Are

  1. Come as you are: that’s how I want you.
    Come as you are: feel quite at home,
    Close to my heart, loved and forgiven.
    Come as you are: why stand alone?

  2. ’No need to fear, love sets no limits;
    no need to fear, love never ends;
    don’t run away shamed and disheartened,
    rest in my love, trust me again.

  3. ’I came to call sinners, not just the righteous;
    I came to bring peace, not to condemn.
    Each time you fail to live by my promise,
    why do you think I’d love you the less?

  4. ‘Come as you are; that’s how I love you;
    come as you are, trust me again.
    Nothing can change the love that I bear you;
    all will be well, just come as you are.’

Opening Prayer for Lent

God of wilderness and water,
you are the breath that gives us life
and the Spirit that leads us into truth.
When we wander, you call us home.
When we hunger, you feed us with living bread.
When we thirst, you open streams in the desert.
When we stumble, you lift us with mercy.

As we enter this Season of Lent,
strip away our illusions and false securities.
Teach us to let go of what cannot give life,
and to cling to your word that endures.
In the face of temptation, give us courage.
In the loneliness of wilderness, give us companionship.
In the silence, give us wisdom to listen.
In the struggle, give us strength to follow Christ’s way.

Gather us as your people:
from the first steps of faith to the long journey walked,
those who are joyful and weary, searching and certain.
Bind us together in love,
that our worship may be more than words,
a living sacrifice of trust and praise.
Through Jesus, who walked the desert with faith,
and in the Spirit, who sustains us still. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

Merciful God,
we confess that we often prefer easy answers to faithful living.
We hide from the truth of our actions,
we cling to possessions and power,
we turn away from those who hunger and thirst.
Forgive us.

Meet us again in the wilderness,
where your grace is enough,
your love is abundant,
and your Spirit leads us home.

Words of Grace

Hear the good news:
The wilderness is not abandonment.
God’s love is steadfast,
Christ’s mercy is wide,
and the Spirit’s power restores us to life.
In Christ we are forgiven and free.
Thanks be to God!
Amen

Passing of the Peace

The peace of our God be with you.
And also with you.

Community News and Notices

You can sign up to receive BP E-news by email and read past issues on our website: www.bpuc.org

We sing: Jesus’ Hands were Kind Hands

  1. Jesus’ hands were kind hands, doing good to all,
    healing pain and sickness, blessing children small;
    washing tired feet, and saving those who fall;
    Jesus’ hands were kind hands, doing good to all.

  2. Take my hands, Lord Jesus, let them work for you,
    make them strong and gentle, kind in all I do;
    let me watch you, Jesus, till I’m gentle too,
    till my hands are kind hands, quick to work for you.

Children’s Time (Exploring the Theme)

Children and Young People may go downstairs for Sunday School and Youth. Parents, you are welcome to join your young children in Sunday School if you feel they may need your assistance. Alternatively, you may wish for your child to remain with you for the duration of worship. Activity packs are available at the entrances.

Choral Anthem

Jesus Tempted in the Desert (CH 338 Stuempfl/William)

Scripture Reading: Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written,

’One does not live by bread alone,

but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ “

Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

‘He will command his angels concerning you,’

and ’On their hands they will bear you up,

so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ “

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,

’Worship the Lord your God,

and serve only him.’ “

Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

The Gospel of Christ, Light of the world.
Thanks be to God.

Message

We sing: Love Will Be Our Lenten Calling

  1. Love will be our Lenten calling,
    love to shake and shatter sin,
    waking every closed, cold spirit,
    stirring new life deep within,
    till the quickened heart remembers
    what our Easter birth can mean.

  2. Peace will be our Lenten living
    as we turn for home again,
    longing for the words of pardon,
    stripping off old grief and pain,
    till we stand, restored and joyful,
    with the Church on Easter day.

  3. Truth will be our Lenten learning;
    hear the Crucified One call!
    Shadowed by the Saviour’s passion,
    images and idols fall,
    and, in Easter’s holy splendour,
    God alone is all in all.

Prayers of the People

The Lord’s Prayer

Eternal Spirit,

Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,

Source of all that is and that shall be,

Father and Mother of us all,

Loving God, in whom is heaven:


The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!

The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!

Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!

Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.

With the bread we need for today, feed us.


In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.

In times of temptation and testing, strengthen us.

From trials too great to endure, spare us.

From the grip of all that is evil, free us.

For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and for ever. Amen.

Offering

To give electronically please go to bpuc.org/give

Alternatively, there is an offering bowl near the lectern on the left-hand side as you exit the church.

Offering Prayer

Gracious God,
you meet us in the wilderness and feed us with your grace.
Bless these gifts,
and bless us as we offer our lives to you.
May what we give bring hope,
nourishment, and love to those who hunger today. Amen.

We sing: Be Thou My Vision

  1. Be Thou my vision O Lord of my heart.
    Not be all else to me save that Thou art.
    Thou my best thought by day or by night
    Waking or sleeping my treasure Thou art.

  2. Be Thou my wisdom and Thou my true word
    I ever with Thee and Thou with me Lord
    Thou my redeemer my love Thou hast won
    Thou in my dwelling and I with Thee one.

  3. Riches I heed not nor vain empty praise
    Thou mine inheritance now and always
    Thou and Thou only first in my heart
    Great God of heaven my treasure Thou art

  4. Great God of heaven my victory won
    Now I reach heaven’s joys O bright heaven’s sun
    Heart of my own heart whatever be fall
    Still be my vision O ruler of all.

Sending Forth and Benediction

Choral Blessing

When You Walk From Here (ATFG 589 L. Good)

Incidental Music

Music will be played as we prepare for the AGM.

AGM

The Candles are Extinguished

Come and share morning tea together, in the basement. There are stairs behind the organ and a ramp between the church and the car park. All are welcome!

Thank you for joining us for worship!
If you would like to get in touch or request a prayer, please make use of the Contact Cards in the pews and next to the Offering Bowl. Alternately, you can email our Minister, Rev Linda Driver: lindad@bpuc.org

This service has been prepared with assistance from


Liturgy, Learning, & (Purposeful) Life (L3)
John Carr
© 2025, Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of South Australia

The New Zealand Anglican Lord’s Prayer alternative
The New Zealand Book of Prayer | He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa

Bible Reading is from:
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America.

Congregation Hymns/Songs:

Come As You Are
Together in Song 693
Deirdre Browne 1936-
Words by permission Spectrum Publications, Melbourne.

Jesus’ Hands Were Kind Hands
Words: Margaret Beatrice Cropper
Music: Old French Melody (Au Clair De La Lune)
arranged Compilers of Church Hymnary, 3rd edition, 1973

Love Will Be Our Lenten Calling
Together in Song 684
Elizabeth J. Smith 1956-
Words © E. J. Smith. Words used with permission under copyright

Be Thou My Vision
Melody: Together in Song 547
Gaelic c.8th cent.
Words from Chalice Hymnal, hymn 595, Eleanor Hull.

www.bpuc.org