Revd Rex A E Hunt
MSc(Hons), GradDipCommMgt
eMail: rexae@optusnet.com.au
Web site: www.rexaehuntprogressive.com
LITURGY FOR THE CELEBRATION OF LIFE
9 December 2007. Advent 2A. (Blue).
Acknowledgement of land
(An act towards reconciliation)
For thousands of years Indigenous people have walked
in this land, on their own country.
Their relationship with the land is at the centre of their lives.
We acknowledge the (NN) People and their stewardship
of this land throughout the ages.
(NN) is a safe place for all people to worship regardless of
race, creed, age, cultural background or sexual orientation
GATHERING
Gathering music
Entry into the celebration
The gong is sounded three times
Let us celebrate the richness and diversity of life in the presentness of God.
Music of celebration
Lighting of the community candle
The candle is lit
Advent wreath – ‘Source of light’
Advent 2
v1 Mysterious moon
silver crescent, milky sphere
reflecting, changing
Light second candle
v2 Mother God
we give thanks for the moon
for its waxing and waning that never fails.
We pray for all people in the night-time,
be with those who sleep
be with those who are awake,
may we be refreshed by the hours of darkness. Adapt.HJohnston/ssb
All Amen.
Hymn The people stand as they are able, to sing. Children move to Sunday Club.
"Carol our Christmas" (Tune: Reversi) 9 (v1-2) AA
Carol our Christmas,
an upside down Christmas;
snow is not falling and
trees are not bare.
Carol the summer, and
welcome the Christ Child,
warm in our sunshine and
sweetness of air.
Sing of the gold and the
green and the sparkle,
water and river and lure
of the beach.
Sing in the happiness
of open spaces,
sing a nativity summer
can reach!
Remain standing
Opening sentences
The season of Advent challenges us
All to see God's vision of what is yet to be,
to hear God's voice calling anew,
All to smell the scent of God in our world.
Prayer of awareness
v1 We pray:
Now is the moment of magic, when the whole,
round earth celebrates the sun.
So here's a blessing:
the universe is ablaze with lights
and the whole world is glad with Christmas singing.
v2 And here’s another blessing:
we already possess all the gifts we need,
we've already received our presents:
ears to hear music,
eyes to behold lights,
hands to build true peace on earth
and to hold each other tight in love. (VSafford/adapted)
Amen.
Hymn “Advent song” 281 GA
Refrain:
Gather in hope, people of God.
Sing the Advent song!
Song of faith, song of trust,
a song to welcome the Christ.
Let the warmth of our love,
like the long summer days,
prepare the way of the Lord,
prepare the way of the Lord.
Let our will for justice,
as strong as the sun,
prepare the way of the Lord,
prepare the way of the Lord.
Refrain:
Let our thirst for the truth,
like the dry, parched earth,
prepare the way of the Lord,
prepare the way of the Lord.
Let our dream for peace,
as bright as the sky,
prepare the way of the Lord,
prepare the way of the Lord.
Refrain:
Let the prophet be heard,
like the blaze of fire,
prepare the way of the Lord,
prepare the way of the Lord.
Let the poor and the rich,
as the lamb and the lion,
prepare the way of the Lord,
prepare the way of the Lord. DBrowne
Refrain:
The people sit after the hymn
Welcome
In your own words
A warm welcome is extended to all.
Especially those who are worshipping at (NN) for the first time
or who have returned after an absence.
Your presence both enriches us and this time of celebration together.
Refer to printed liturgy.
Fellowship hour following worship.
Those visiting, please sign our Visitors book.
Reflection
"Circles of grace"
By Keri Wehlander. Shine on, star of Bethlehem/23.
Holy One:
We live at mystery's edge,
Watching for a startling luminescence
Or a word to guide us.
In fragile occurrences
You present yourself
And we must pause to meet you.
Daily, there are glimmers,
Reflections of a seamless mercy
Revealed in common intricacies.
These circles of grace
Spill out around us
And announce that we are a part of you.
Centering silence
Let us now take a moment to settle into the silence.
May we become conscious in this moment
and in every moment of our gathering,
that the Holy One, Creativity God,
is the life giving energy pulsing through us...
EXPLORING
Readings from our religious tradition
Some readings from our broad biblical and religious tradition
shall be read by (NN) and (NN).
Hebrew scriptures:
Isaiah 11:1-2 (Inclusive Text)
A shoot springs from the tree of Jesse,
from Jesse’s roots a branch will blosson:
the spirit of God will rest there,
a spirit of wisdom and insight,
a spirit of counsel and power,
a spirit of knowledge and reverence for God.
Nag Hammadi Library:
The Infancy Gospel of James 1:1-10
In the histories of the twelve tribes of Israel,
Joachim was an extremely rich man.
He always brought a double offering to the Lord, telling himself,
‘My offering for all the people is from my surplus
and my own offering to the Lord God is for forgiveness,
to atone for my sins’.
As the great day of the Lord was drawing near
and the children of Israel were bringing their offerings,
however, Reubel stood in his way, saying,
‘You cannot offer your gifts first because you have not conceived a child in Israel.’
And Joachim became extremely frustrated
and went away to the history of the twelve tribes of his people, saying to himself,
‘I will look in the history of the twelve tribes of Israel
and see whether I am the only one
who has not conceived a child in Israel’.
And he searched and found that all the righteous people
had raised children in Israel.
And he reminded himself about the patriarch Abraham
and that the Lord God gave his son Isaac to him in his last days.
Then, Joachim was extremely frustrated and did not appear to his wife,
but gave himself to the desert and pitched his tent there.
He fasted forty days and forty nights.
All the while, Joachim was saying to himself,
‘I will not go down for food or drink until the Lord my visits me;
prayer will be my food and drink’.
Hymn "God given energy, flaring and fiery" (Tune: ‘Spean’, 11 10 11 10, 310(ii) TiS)
God given energy, flaring and fiery,
stella collisions of fury and pace;
shafts of the light from the cosmic conception
searing to earth from infinity's space.
Stars from eternity, driven by forces
formed at the birthing of matter and time;
mystical sinews restraining the planets,
elegant science and God's hidden rhyme;
These are the visions of wonder and rapture,
signs of significance, pointers to place,
drawing us out from our narrow discernment,
windows to love and God's infinite grace. © APratt
Gospel:
Matthew 3:1-8, 10-11 (Inclusive Text)
In due course John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea and saying:
'Repent, for the reign of heaven is close at hand.'
This was the one the prophet Isaiah spoke of saying:
A voice cries in the wilderness:
Prepare a way for our God, make straight God's paths.
John wore a garment made of camel-hair
with a leather belt round his waist,
and his food was locusts with wild honey.
Then Jerusalem and all Judaea and the whole Jordan district
made their way to John, and as they were baptised in the River Jordan
they confessed their sins.
But when John saw a number of Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism
he said to them,
'Brood of vipers, who warned you to fly from the retribution that is coming?
‘But if you are repentant, produce the appropriate fruit…
‘Even now the axe is laid to the roots of the trees,
so that any tree which fails to produce good fruit
will be cut down and thrown on the fire.
‘I baptise you in water for repentance,
but the one who follows me is more powerful than I am,
and whose sandals I am not fit to carry;
this one will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire…’
Contemporary word
Silence for personal reflection
AFFIRMING
An affirmation of faith
In response to the word reflected on, let us stand and share an affirmation of faith…
The people stand
May our time together renew our hope.
All May the stories we share refresh our courage,
and the songs we sing, lift our spirits.
May the touch of hands, the sound of laughter,
and the sight of faces new and familiar,
All restore is in faith. CODame.
The peace
This is a house of God. A place of peace.
A place where we befriend one another.
Let us greet another as a sign of God's peace and of our shared friendship.
The peace of God is here... to stay.
All Thanks be to God.
You are invited to share the peace with your neighbours.
CELEBRATING
Hymn of the Month
“Dream a Dream” 12 FFS
Dream a dream, a hopeful dream,
as children do on Christmas Eve,
imaginings,
surprising things
to hold and to believe.
Dream a time, this Christmas time,
when no one’s hungry or afraid;
that weapons go
and harvest
that friends are met and made.
Dream a peace, our planet’s peace,
the greening of the earth at play,
the holy ground
where life is found,
where God has touched the clay.
Dream a gift, the Christmas gift
that changes everything we see:
the shimmering
of angel wing,
the Child, the Mystery. (SMurray)
Offerings
Our offerings and gifts to the Christmas Bowl, shall now be received.
Presentation
The riches of God's gracious love have been entrusted to us.
May we share the beauty of God
with all who walk with us, in caring service.
Amen. FMacnab
Care candle
We are people of all ages who enter this space
bringing our joys and concerns.
Joys and concerns shared.
In all our joys and in all our concerns, may we be ever mindful
of the presentness of God among us,
and to see the new possibilities of the now.
The Care candle is lit
And let us recommit ourselves to the inclusive ways of Jesus.
Prayers
Pastoral
Lord's Prayer
You are invited to pray this contemporary prayer in the spirit of the Lord's Prayer,
and in your original language, as that is appropriate
All Father, may your name be holy.
May your rule take place.
Give us each day our daily bread.
Pardon our debts, for we ourselves pardon
everyone in debt to us.
And do not bring us to trial
into a trying situation. (B Mack/Q)
SCATTERING
Hymn The people stand as they are able, to sing
“God on earth” (Tune: ‘O waly waly’, 654, 536 TiS) 70 (v1-4) HSNW
When God Almighty came to earth
He took the pain of Jesus’ birth,
He took the flight of refugee,
And whispered, “Humbly follow me.”
When God Almighty went to work
Carpenter’s sweat he didn’t shirk,
Profit and loss he didn’t flee,
And whispered, “Humbly follow me.”
When God Almighty walked the street,
The critic’s curse he had to meet,
The cynic’s smile he had to see
And whispered, “Humbly follow me.”
When God Almighty met his folk,
Of peace and truth he boldly spoke
To set the slave and tyrant free,
And whispered, “Humbly follow me.”
Remain standing
Words of mission
Let us take on this week’s life with renewed hope and imagination...
The community candle is extinguished
And now may the rhythms of our coming together:
the melodies of our celebration,
and the harmonies of our farewells,
All make musical our living, soothing our spirits,
and uplifting our souls this day,
and into the beckoning future.
Blessing words
Go in peace.
Live simply, at home in yourself.
Be just in your word, just in deed.
Remember the depth of your own compassion.
Crave peace for all peoples in this world, beginning with yourselves.
And as you go, go with the dream of that peace
set firm in your heart. (Mark Belletini/adapted)
All Amen!
Hymn (Cont) “God on earth” (Tune: ‘O waly waly’, 654, 536 TiS) 70 (v5-6) HSNW
When God Almighty took his place
To save the sometimes human race,
He took it boldly on a tree
And whispered, “Humbly follow me.”
When God Almighty comes again,
He’ll meet us incognito as then;
And though no words may voice his plea,
He’ll whisper, “Are you following me?” Iona Community
The people sit after the hymn
'This week' at (NN)
Notices
Birthdays and anniversaries
Significant events
Journey candles
Music
Fellowship
Morning tea is now served.
You are invited to share in the moment of fellowship.
You are invited to keep this copy of the liturgy and take it home with you
to share with another member of your family, or with a friend.
I recommend the use of
LicenSing - Copyright cleared music for churches.
Some of the resources used in shaping this liturgy:
Alleluia Aotearoa. Hymns and songs for all churches. 1993. NZ: Raumati. New Zealand Hymnbook Trust.
Bell, J; G. Maule. 1989. Heaven shall not wait. Wild Goose Songs Vol. 1. Revised edition. Gt. Britain: Glasgow. Wild Goose Publications.
Duncan, G. (ed). 2001. Shine on, star of bethlehem. A worship resource for advent, christmas and epiphany. Gt. Britain: Norwich. The Canterbury Press.
Faith forever singing. Songs for a new day. 2000. NZ: Raumati. New Zealand Hymnbook Trust.
Gather Australia. 1995. Vic: Ashburton. NLMC Publications.
Inclusive readings. Year A. 2004. Qld: Brisbane. Inclusive Language Project. In private circulation.
Iona Community. 2001. Iona abbey worship book. Scotland: Glasgow. Wild Goose Publications.
Mack, B. L. 1993. The lost gospel. The book of Q and christian origins. NY: New York. HarperSanFrancisco.
Macnab, F. 1996. Hope: The deeper longings of the mind and heart. VIC: Richmond. Spectrum Publications.
Web sites:
UUA Worship Web. MA: Boston. UUA.
Andrew Pratt email distribution. UK.
Early Christian Writings. http://www.gospels.net/translations/infancyjamestranslation.html