The Uniting Church of St James
Curtin, ACT
Minister-in-Placement: Revd Rex A E Hunt, MSc(Hons), GradDipCommMgt
eMail: rexae@optusnet.com.au
Web site: www.rexaehuntprogressive.com
LITURGY FOR THE CELEBRATION OF LIFE
6 April 2008. Easter 3A. (White).
10.30am. Contemporary liturgical worship.
Celebrating community: Sacrament of Holy Communion
Acknowledgement of land
(An act towards reconciliation by the Church of St James, Curtin.)
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 Ngunnawal People and their stewardship
of this land throughout the ages.
St James is a safe place for all people to worship regardless of
race, creed, age, cultural background or sexual orientation
GATHERING
Gathering music
Entry into worship
The gong is sounded three times
With fragments of hope and scraps of courage,
we gather together in this sacred and safe place.
So let us celebrate the richness and diversity of life in the presentness of God.
Lighting of the community candle
The community candle is lit
For Easter which reminds us that love is our greatest challenge, we light the flame.
For gathering today in this sacred space, we light the flame.
For the opportunity to be together as a community,
to remember the past,
to plan for our future,
to be alive in our present… we light the flame. (D B Sorrells/edited)
Hymn The people stand as they are able, to sing
“God of endless life unfolding” (Tune: “xxx”. 87 87. Three verses only)
God of endless life unfolding,
How amazing are your ways!
What can any breathing being
do, but sing you thanks and praise?
Greater than our minds imagine
are your thoughts! How vast their sum!
Yet you care about us deeply:
What we do, what we become!
Well you knew our secret being
in the darkness of the womb.
You have formed our mortal fabric
like a weaver at the loom.
Should we rise on wings of morning,
fly to galaxies unknown,
Even there you would receive us,
love us, claim us, as your own.
God, whose care the world embraces,
God in whom we live and move,
Whom all ages, tongues and races,
know as vast creative love:
You have come to us in Jesus,
sharing in the life of earth,
Calling us to be your partners
bringing life and love to birth. (Ruth Duck)
Remain standing
Opening sentences
As we enter into this sacred place,
put away the pressures of the world that ask us
to perform,
to take up masks,
to put on brave fronts.
Silence the voices that ask you to be perfect.
This is a community of compassion and welcoming. (Erika A Hewitt/adapted)
All We bring all that we are and all that we yet can be,
to this safe and holy place.
Prayer of awareness
We pray:
Autumn Easter God, may we be empowered
to look to the future with hope:
unafraid of our dreams,
realistic about our limitations,
yet never losing hope in our potential
to live courageously in today and for tomorrow.
Amen.
Hymn “A place at the table” 17 (v1-3, 5) FFS
For everyone born, a place at the table,
for everyone born, clean water and bread,
a shelter, a space, a safe place for growing,
for everyone born, a star overhead,
and God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!
For woman and man, a place at the table,
revising the roles, deciding the share,
with wisdom and grace, dividing the power,
for woman and man, a system that’s fair,
and God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!
For young and for old, a place at the table,
a voice to be heard, a part in the song,
the hand of a child in hands that are wrinkled,
for young and for old, the right to belong,
and God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!
For everyone born, a place at the table,
to live without fear, and simply to be,
to work, to speak out, to witness and worship,
for everyone born, the right to be free,
and God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy! (Shirley Murray)
The people sit after the hymn
Welcome
In your own words
A warm welcome is extended to all.
Especially those who are worshipping at St James 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.
CENTERING
Silence
We come now into the silence of this place with gratitude for this day.
(Silence)
May our silence bring to us
a surprising wonder of faith in life, all of life,
howsoever it has come to us. (Bob Holmes/wm).
(Silence)
Music of reflection
EXPLORING
Reading from our religious tradition
A familiar story from our biblical tradition shall be read by (NN).
Gospel:
Luke 24:13-24, 28-35. (Inclusive Text, adapted)
Two of the disciples of Jesus were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem,
and they were talking together about all that had happened.
Now as they talked this over, Jesus came up and walked by their side,
but something prevented them from recognizing him.
Jesus said to them, 'What matters are you discussing as you walk along?'
They stoped short, their faces downcast.
Then one of them, called Cleopas, answered,
'You must be the only person staying in Jerusalem
who does not know the things that have been happening there these last few days?'
'What things?' Jesus asked.
'All about Jesus of Nazareth', they answered,
'who proved to be a great prophet by the things he said and did in the sight of God and of the whole people.
'And how our chief priests and our leaders
handed him over to be sentenced to death, and had him crucified.
Our own hope had been that this Jesus would be the one to set Israel free.
'And this is not all; two whole days have gone by
since it all happened, and some women from our group have astounded us:
they went to the tomb in the early morning,
and when they did not find the body there,
they came to tell us they had seen a vision of angels
who declared Jesus was alive.
'Some of our friends went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had reported,
but of Jesus they saw nothing...'
When they drew near to the village to which they were going,
Jesus made as if to go on; but they pressed him to stay with them.
'It is nearly evening,' they said, 'and the day is almost over.'
So Jesus went in to stay with them.
Now while Jesus was with them at the table, he took the bread and said the blessing;
then broke it and handed it to them.
And their eyes were opened and they recognised Jesus;
but he had vanished from their sight.
They said to each other,
'Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road...
They set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem...
'It is true. The Christ has risen and has appeared to Simon!'
Then they told their story of what had happened on the road
and how they had recognised Jesus at the breaking of the bread.
Doxology The people remain seated to sing
Praise God the giver and the gift, (Tune 100 TiS)
Hearts, minds and voices now uplift:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Breath of glad surprise,
freeing, uplifting, opening eyes,
Three in Oneness, Love communing,
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Brian Wren
Contemporary word
Silence for personal reflection
AFFIRMING
A litany: ‘Thanksgiving’
The people stand as they are able
For the gift of the universe in all its vastness:
All For the enormous, for the tiny,
For refreshment, for a challenge,
For gentle beauty, for fierce beauty,
For all the variety of place and season… we give thanks.
For the inheritance in our world, from generations past:
All For landscape,
For craft and skill,
For breed and variety in livestock and crops,
For wildlife untamed,
For fertility maintained… we give thanks.
For our existence in this fragile, green planet:
All For air,
For space,
For moisture,
For food… we give thanks.
For those who represent us all in caring for this planet:
All For gardeners,
For foresters,
For scientists,
For farmers… we give thanks.
For the breaking of bread,
For the filling of the cup,
For the presence of the sacred in earthly things…
All We give thanks and praise. (The Arthur Rank Centre/adapted/hfw)
The peace
God makes peace within us. Let us claim it.
God makes peace between us. Let us share it.
Let us greet another as a sign of God's peace.
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
“The cosmos is revolving” (Tune: ‘Sprowston’, 13 13 13 13) 147 RP
The cosmos is revolving with endless rhythmic rhyme,
the circle keeps on turning to mark off chance and time;
and through the life we're living and images we see
we plot the hopeful story of God's eternity.
The summer sheds its harvest as autumn turns to gold,
the springtime and its newness are lost in time, grown old;
the cold of winter beckons, the trees are crippled, bare,
but seeds of hope are hidden, await the spring's repair.
This broadens expectation, the life for which we hope,
the gift of resurrection, the faith for which we grope,
are found within our compass and not beyond our grasp,
these gifts of grace and loving are sown in us to last. Andrew Pratt
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
Prayers
Pastoral
Lord's Prayer
You are invited to pray in the spirit of the Lord's Prayer, and in your original language, as that is appropriate
All Most compassionate Life-giver,
may we honour and praise you:
may we work with you to establish
your new order of
justice, peace and love.
Give us what we need for growth,
and help us, through forgiving others,
to accept forgiveness.
Strengthen us in the time of testing,
that we may resist all evil.
For all the tenderness,
strength and love are yours, now and forever.
Amen. (W Wallace)
With the children
Children gather on the conversation 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)
CELEBRATING COMMUNITY: SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION
Offerings
Our offerings for the work of ministry in this place and beyond,
and our gifts of bread and wine, shall now be received.
Presentation The people stand as they are able, for the presentation of gifts
As the many threads are made one in the cloth,
as the many grains are made one in the bread,
as the many grapes are made one in the wine,
so we who are many are made one
when we gather at this table. Nicola Slee/bb
People sit
Thanksgiving
May God be with you.
All And also with you.
Open your hearts.
All We open them to God and to one another.
Let us give thanks to God.
All It is right to give God thanks and praise.
Creating God, Source of Life, we indeed offer thanks.
The smell of gums after rain,
The surprise of ducks in flight,
The taste of peach and plum and nectarine,
For all gifts simple and profound, in country and city,
in paddock, or back yard and on lake.
We who hold all such good things in trust
join in the thanks and praise of all people:
All Holy! Holy! Holy!
Heaven and earth are holy and good.
Holy is peace.
All Holy is truth. Holy is love.
In this season of transition
as the leaves continue their change of colour
and our hearts cling to the warmth as the days shorten,
once again we are reminded,
that new possibilities can rise from our failures
or disappointments
or what has come to an end.
We give thanks for all the influences in our lives
that have helped us to see beyond the present:
that teach us to combine labour and rest,
that bring us the cycles of time and season,
that sustain us when we are in need.
All God loves in us;
God cares through us;
God laughs in us;
God cries in us, as nowhere else.
Especially we give thanks for Jesus of Nazareth,
gatherer of folk,
teller of stories,
breaker of bread,
pourer of wine,
weaver of lives.
In his life, wisdom, stories and social vision
we recall the words he spoke to call forth in us
love, care and respect for one another:
All And we believe the same Spirit of God
that came to visibility in Jesus
yearns for visible expression in us.
Bread and Wine
So we take this bread and this wine and we remember...
The bread is broken... the wine poured.
Jesus took bread, said a blessing,
broke it and shared it with his friends.
v2 Do this, meet together, break the bread, remember me.
Come to me, and I will refresh you,
I will renew you,
I will restore you.
Come to me, I am the bread of life… (Adam/og)
Later Jesus poured a cup of wine,
thanked you for it and shared it too with his friends.
v2 This cup is full of blood-red wine, made from
the crushing and the bruising of the grapes.
By the loss of life, by the cutting down and the pressing, the Spirit is set free.
Allowed to ferment, the Spirit is at work. (Adam/og)
Bread broken… The stuff of life itself.
Wine poured out… The joy of living.
Communion
Come, taste of this same bread and wine...
Gifts of the earth.
Work of human hands.
Distribution of bread and wine, in small groups around the table
After Communion
May the bread and the wine and the remembering be a blessing on us all.
SCATTERING
Hymn “A touching place” (Tune: ‘Dream Angus’) 677 (v1-2) TiS
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. (Adapted/Philip R Giles)
Blessing words
May our lives be blest according to the depth of our love,
the persistence of our faith,
our willingness to forgive and be compassionate,
and in proportion to our yearning to be free. Paul H. Beattie
All Amen!
Hymn (Cont) “A touching place” (Tune: ‘Dream Angus’) 677 (v3-4) TiS
The people sit after the hymn
'This week' at St James
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.
The contemporary hymns used in this liturgy,
are reproduced with permission under license #A1197.
LicenSing - Copyright cleared music for churches.
Some of the resources used in shaping this liturgy:
Adam, D. 1994. The open gate. Celtic prayers for growing spiritually. GtB: London. Triangle/SPCK.
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.
Duncan, G. (ed). 2003. Harvest for the world. A worship anthology on sharing in the work of creation. GtB: Norwich. The Canterbury Press.
Faith forever singing. Songs for a new day. 2000. NZ: Raumati. New Zealand Hymnbook Trust.
Holmes, R. H. 1972. The Bob Holmes worship materials. Vol 1. NY: Little Falls. Self published.
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.
Mitchell, R. C; G. A. Ricciuti. 1992. Birthings and blessings. Liberating worship services for the inclusive church. NY: New York. Crossroads.
Morwood, M. 2003. Praying a new story. VIC: Richmond. Spectrum Publications.
Pratt, A. 2006. Reclaiming praise. Hymns from a spiritual journey. GtB: London. Stainer & Bell Ltd.
Prewer, B. D. 1992. Brief prayers for Australians. Vol 3. SA: Adelaide. OpenBook Publishers.
The St Hilda Community. 1996. The new women included. A book of services and prayers. GtB: London. SPCK.
Together in song. Australian hymn book 2. 1999. NSW: Sydney. HarperCollins Religious.
Ward, H.; J. Wild, J Morley. (ed). 1995. Celebrating women. New edition. GtB: London. SPCK.
Withrow, L. 1995. Seasons of prayer. Resources for worship. GtB: London. SPCK.
Web sites:
UUA Worship Web. MA: Boston. UUA.
L Bruce Miller. Edmonton, Canada.
Stainer & Bell Ltd. Web site: hymns.uk.com