Revd Rex A E Hunt
eMail: rexae@optusnet.com.au
Web: www.rexaehuntprogressive.com
LITURGY FOR THE CELEBRATION OF LIFE
6 February 2011. Epiphany5A. (Green).
Celebrating community: Sacrament of the Lord's style of Supper
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, gender, cultural background or sexual orientation
Gathering music
Entry into celebration
Come into this place,
where the ordinary is sanctified,
the human is celebrated,
the compassionate is expected.
Come into this place.
Together we make it a holy place
with our every act of worship.
So let us celebrate the richness and diversity of life
in the presentness of God.
Lighting of community candle
The candle is lit
Life shines out of us from even
the darkest corners, beckoning us
to be drawn into its truth (GVosper/ab).
Hymn "Let justice roll down” 85 AA
Refrain:
Let justice roll down like a river,
let justice roll down like a sea,
let justice roll down like a river,
let justice begin through me.
Justice for all who go hungry,
crying to God to be fed,
left in a world of abundance
to beg for a morsel of bread.
Refrain:
Justice for those who are homeless,
victims of warfare or need,
trapped on the borders of no-where,
lost in the canyons of greed.
Refrain:
Justice for all who are powerless,
yearning for freedom in vain,
plundered, and robbed of their birth-right,
silently bearing their pain (CGibson).
Refrain:
Opening sentences
We are called to celebrate and worship,
not just by words spoken,
but also by miracles recalled:
All a baby's first cry,
the petals of a rose,
mist-covered hills,
the restless tides of the seas,
human love,
human hope.
We respond:
All with gratitude,
with joy,
with wonder,
at life's boundless possibilities (Adapt.GBMcKeeman)
Prayer
We pray:
Calling God, you have gathered us into this community.
A place has been made for us.
Let what we say and do here
be real for us and honest to you
and prepare us for the life of the world.
Amen.
Hymn "God called us" (Tune: ‘Duke Street’, 88 88. 439 TiS)
God, you have called us to this hour:
now two or three or many claim
the promised gift of living power.
as your church meets in Jesus' name.
Open our minds and set us free
from spite and hurt, that we may face
the dread responsibility
of your church, meeting in this place.
Encouraged by the risk you take
in trusting us to do your will,
we dare to offer, for your sake,
all this church gath'ring can fulfil. JWootton. © Stainer & Bell Ltd
The people sit. (Title and last line adapted by RAEHunt)
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.
Music of celebration
Silence
Let silence be placed around us now, like a mantle.
(Silence)
O God, may this mantle of silence
become a cloak of understanding
to warm our hearts this day (Adapt.KMcIlhagga/ghs)
(Silence)
Readings from our biblical tradition
Two readings from our biblical tradition will now be read by (NN).
Hebrew scriptures:
Isaiah 58:7-8, 9b-10 (Inclusive Text)
Thus says our God:
Share your bread with the hungry,
shelter the homeless poor into your house;
clothe the one you see to be naked,
and turn not from your own kin.
Then will your light shine like the dawn
and your wound be quickly healed over.
Your integrity will go before you
and the glory of God behind you...
If you do away with the yoke,
the clenched fist,
he wicked word,
if you give your food to the hungry,
and relief to the oppressed,
your light will rise in the darkness
and your shadows become like noon.
Gospel:
Matthew 5:13-16 (Inclusive Text)
Jesus said to the disciples:
You are the salt of the earth.
But if salt becomes tasteless, what can make it salty again?
It is good for nothing, and can only be thrown out
to be trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world.
A city built on a hill-top cannot be hidden.
No one lights a lamp to put it under a tub;
they put it on a lamp-stand where it shines
for everyone in the house.
In the same way your light must shine in the sight of all,
so that, seeing your good works, they
may give praise to God in heaven.
Silence for private reflection
A celebration of faith
In response to the word reflected on let us stand and share
a celebration of faith.
People stand as they are able
We celebrate a God
All who lives and speaks in sunsets,
in love-wrapped gifts,
and fleeting butterflies.
We celebrate a Christ
All who honoured our humanness,
who climbed trees,
skinned knees;
who laughed and cried,
loved and wept, bled and died.
We celebrate a Spirit,
All who mystically joins us
to people everywhere,
and incorporates us into Christ.
We celebrate a church,
All seeking, however imperfectly,
to act justly, love mercy,
and walk humbly with our God. (Adapt.DMcRae-McMahon/eoj)
The peace
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.
Hymn of the month
“Nothing is lost…” (Tune: ‘Greenlane’) 50 FFS
Nothing is lost on the breath of God,
nothing is lost for ever;
God's breath is love, and that love will remain,
holding the world for ever.
No feather too light, no hair too fine,
no flower too brief in its glory;
no drop in the ocean, no dust in the air,
but is counted and told in God's story.
Nothing is lost to the eyes of God,
nothing is lost for ever;
God sees with love and that love will remain,
holding the world for ever.
No journey too far, no distance too great,
no valley of darkness too blinding;
no creature too humble, no child too small
for God to be seeking, and finding.
Nothing is lost to the heart of God,
nothing is lost for ever;
God's heart is love, and that love will remain,
holding the world for ever.
No impulse of love, no office of care,
no moment of life in its fulness;
no beginning too late, no ending too soon,
but is gathered and known in God's goodness (CGibson)
Reflections and prayers
Care candle:
We are people of all ages who enter this space
bringing our joys and concerns.
Joys and concerns shared.
Listening response:
May our thoughts be filled with transformation,
All May our words reflect the yearnings of our hearts.
And may the spirit that binds within us as we gather
All Hallow each and every passing moment
we know here together (Adapt.GVosper/ab).
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
Pastoral prayers:
The Abba Prayer:
You are invited to pray in the spirit of the Lord's Prayer, and in your original language, as that is appropriate
All God - heart of the world:
revealed through every aspect of creation:
understood through our awareness.
May we honour the holiness of creation and act accordingly
so that your love is reflected in the way we live.
May we always be thankful for the food we eat
and the friends we have.
May we forgive those who transgress against us
and be forgiven for our own.
In the freedom of love may we live as your heartbeat
and not be compromised by hesitation.
Through our freedom, may your justice
be seen and heard and experienced
forever and ever. Amen (SJWeinberg)
With the children
The children come to the storyteller’s mat
Conversation
"Somewhere someone"
The kingdom of love is coming because:
All somewhere someone is kind when others are unkind,
somewhere someone shares with another in need,
somewhere someone refuses to hate, while others hate,
somewhere someone is patient - and waits in love,
somewhere someone returns good for evil,
somewhere someone serves another, in love,
somewhere someone is calm in a storm,
somewhere someone is loving everybody.
Is that someone you? (jke)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF LEADERS OF SUNDAY CLUB AND CHILDREN'S MINISTRY
Teachers/helpers/Community worker come forward.
Children/parents form a circle around them.
v1 Once upon a time, in the beginning,
a labour of love was undertaken.
And a place was established where children
might find learning and love and acceptance,
and it was called Children's Sunday Club.
And the labour of love progressed.
And it was very good.
v2 We pray:
We celebrate and give thanks for all teachers, helpers, musicians, community
workers, children and parents,
who are part of (NN) Sunday Club this new year.
May they be blessed in their ministry.
May we always be prepared to offer our support,
that they may never feel alone in their work.
And we celebrate the children in our midst...
We wish you a sense of wonder.
We wish you companionship that you may appreciate solitude.
We wish you a friend who will understand you, and
understanding so that you may have a friend.
We wish you may become all that you wish to be, and
more than you hope that you can be. (Adapt.BKaufmann)
v1 And the labourers looked at all that had been accomplished,
and the people rejoiced,
for it was very good.
Amen.
Acclamation
Teachers/children return to their seats
CELEBRATING COMMUNITY: SACRAMENT OF THE LORD'S STYLE OF SUPPER
The invitation
Jesus invited all to the feast of peace and new life.
Jesus risked everything in compassion.
Jesus promised to make himself known
in the breaking of the bread.
The offerings Offerings/bread and wine are presented
Let us bring our offerings and gifts of bread and wine,
to this symbolic, communal meal.
The presentation The people stand as they are able
God of splendour, your goodness sustains us,
and your graciousness gives us hope.
May these gifts of bread, wine and money
be used to further the way of love, hope,
and justice in our world.
People sit
Thanksgiving
God is the heart of life.
All And we are the heartbeat.
May our hearts be filled
with thanks and praise and songs of joy.
All We rejoice in the miracle of life
and delight in our participation (SWeinberg).
We give thanks for the wonderful gift of reflective awareness
that allows us to recognise and name
the presence of a Creative Spirit
beyond all imagining, in our universe.
All And we give thanks.
Everything we have
Everything we see
Everything we do
Everyone we love and everyone who loves us
reveals this sustaining Presence
and our total dependence on it.
We marvel and wonder at the size
and complexity of our universe…
We marvel and wonder at the development
of life on this planet…
We give thanks for the creative Presence
that 'energises' this life and all that exists…
We recognise that human life gives this Presence
a particular way of coming to expression,
and that in us the Presence can
sing and dance,
speak and write,
love and create.
Conscious that we live, move, and have our being in this Presence,
we give thanks for people throughout history
who have affirmed this loving presence in all people.
For those who have invited people to give witness to this
by lives characterised by
gratitude, compassion,
generosity and forgiveness.
Especially we give thanks for Jesus of Nazareth.
He loved so greatly and taught so clearly and courageously,
he was able to set people free from images
and ideas and religious practices
that bound them into fear
and a false sense of separation from the Spirit of all Life.
Through him we have learned how our loving
is a sharing in the life of this Spirit.
All In him we see this Presence urging all of us
to make its creativity on earth more visible (Adapt.MMorwood/pns)
We also remember the night before he died
Jesus again shared a meal with his friends.
Through grain and grape, bread and wine,
and in fellowship together,
Jesus spoke of his enduring love for each of them.
So we take this bread and this wine
mindful of the Presence at work in our lives,
in the ordinary,
in the everyday.
Bread and wine
Bread is broken
We break this bread in celebration of the great truth
that on this tiny planet,
hurtling through cold, empty space,
death is made the servant of life,
and out of death life is forever resurrected.
Wine poured out
This cup with its fruit of the vine,
is a celebration that things are not always as they seem:
that out of faithfulness and steadfastness,
out of suffering and sorrow,
may come unsought blessings.
Bread... the very stuff of life. Broken.
Wine... fruit of the vine. Cup full.
Communion
The bread and the wine will be served
After communion
God of love, God of compassion,
may the celebration of the wonder
and the mystery of your Presence,
All strengthen and enable us
to be your body the church.
SCATTERING
Hymn “Where are you going?” (Tune: ‘Pilgrim Tune’, 97 66 7) 86 (v1-3) RP
Where are you going? God only knows.
Walk on pilgrim, pilgrim sing.
It's not where you're going.
It's how you are changing.
Come on pilgrim! Pilgrim sing!
Walk with another, walk on as one.
Come on pilgrim, pilgrim sing.
Your friends will walk with you,
and others will join you.
Walk on pilgrims! Pilgrims sing!
Walk midst the water, walk through the fire.
Walk on pilgrims, pilgrims sing.
Your God will walk with you,
your God will protect you.
Come on pilgrims! Pilgrims sing!
People remain standing
Words of mission
The presentness of God reaches beyond this place...
The community candle is extinguished
Now may our wisdom show itself
in deeds of compassion
and in acts of understanding.
All May the fruits of the spirit
be apparent in our lives (Adapt.PRGiles).
Blessing words
May the God you see in all the colours of creation
arouse in you a sense of awe and wonder.
May the God who is a sacred presence be real to you.
May the God who is a source of inspiration and courage
keep calling you forward.
May your God go with you, and bless you (FMacnab)
All Amen.
Hymn (Cont.). “Where are you going?” (Tune: ‘Pilgrim Tune’, 97 66 7) 86 (v4-6) RP
Climb up the mountain, follow the sun.
Come on pilgrims, pilgrims sing.
The leaves turn to auburn
to welcome the autumn.
Walk on pilgrims! Pilgrims sing!
God is behind you, God is ahead.
Walk on pilgrims, pilgrims sing.
The winter may chill you,
the spring will enchant you.
Come on pilgrims! Pilgrims sing!
Summer is warming, spirit of joy.
Come on pilgrims, pilgrims sing.
Then dance as you travel,
sing 'hail resurrection'.
Walk on pilgrims! Pilgrims sing! (Adapt.APratt)
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:
(AA) Alleluia Aotearoa. Hymns and songs for all churches. 1993. NZ: Raumati. New Zealand Hymnbook Trust.
Binkley, C. G.; J. M. McKeel. 2001. Jesus and his kingdom of equals. An international curriculum on the life and teaching of Jesus. CA: Santa Rosa. Polebridge Press.
(FFS) Faith forever singing. Songs for a new day. 2000. NZ: Raumati. New Zealand Hymnbook Trust.
Inclusive readings. Year A. 2004. QLD: Brisbane. Inclusive Language Project. In private circulation.
Iona Community. 2001 . Iona abbey worship book. GtB: Glasgow. Wild Goose Publications.
McIlhagga, K. 2004. The green heart of the snowdrop. GtB: Glasgow. Wild Goose Publications.
McRae-McMahon, D. 1993. Echoes of our journey. Liturgies of the people. VIC: Melbourne. JBCE.
Morwood, M. 2003. Praying a new story. VIC: Richmond. Spectrum Publications.
(RP) Pratt, A. 2006. Reclaiming praise. Hymns from a spiritual journey. GtB: London. Stainer & Bell Ltd.
Seaburg, C. (ed). 1993. The communion book. MA: Boston. UUMA.
Vosper, G. 2009/2010. Another breath. Prayers for celebration and reflection. QLD: Brisbane. The Centre for Progressive Religious Thought Brisbane.
Web sites:
McKeeman, Giles, Kaufmann. UUA Worship Web. MA: Boston. <www.uua.org/spirituallife/worshipweb/>
Francis Macnab. St Michael’s Uniting Church Web site. VIC Melbourne.
Sherri Weinberg. St Paul's Presbyterian Church Web site. NZ: Devonport. (2005)