Revd Rex A E Hunt
MSc(Hons), GradDipCommMgt
eMail: rexae@optusnet.com.au
Web site: www.rexaehuntprogressive.com
LITURGY FOR THE CELEBRATION OF LIFE
20 July 2008. Pentecost 10A. (Green).
Celebrating community: Sacrament of Holy Communion
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 worship
The gong is sounded three times
v1 Come in. Come into this place
which we make special by our presence.
Where the ordinary is sanctified,
the human is celebrated,
the compassionate is expected.
Together we make it a holy place
with our every act of worship.
v2 Let us celebrate the richness and diversity of life in the presentness of God.
Lighting of the candle
The community candle is lit in silence
Hymn The people stand as they are able, to sing
“O threefold God” (Tune: Unity) 110 AA
O threefold God of tender unity,
life’s great unknown that binds and sets us free:
felt in our loving, greater than our thought,
you are the mystery found, the mystery sought.
O blaze of radiance, source of light that blinds,
the fiery splendour of prophetic minds,
you live in mystery, yet within us dwell;
life springs from you as from a living well.
Most loving Parent, Child of joys and pains,
creative Spirit, life-force that sustains,
in bone and flesh, in blood we touch your hand,
your face we see in water, air and land.
In every making, each creative dream
and in the flowing of life’s healing stream,
when love is born or people reconciled,
we share your life, O Parent, Spirit, Child.
O threefold God of tender unity,
life’s great unknown that binds and sets us free:
felt in our loving, greater than our thought,
you are the mystery found, the mystery sought. Bill Wallace
Remain standing after the hymn
Opening sentences
Let there be joy in our coming together this morning.
All Let there be compassion heard in the
words we speak, and love in the songs we sing.
Let there be silence for the voice within us and beyond us.
All Let there be joy in our coming together.
Prayer
We pray:
Spirit of life, present in this hour...
may we always sense our presentness
when we gather in this sacred place.
May all who enter here find comfort
and wisdom in this community.
Amen.
Hymn “God with joy we look around us” (Tune: ‘Regent Square’, 431 TiS)
God with joy we look around us
At your world’s diversity.
Folk of every kind surround us
And you call your church to see;
All are made in your own image!
All are people whom you love.
In the times we’ve hurt each other,
Lord, we’ve hurt the ones you bless.
Hating sister, cursing brother,
We’ve denied what you express;
All are made in your own image!
All are people whom you love!
God, you sent a Saviour to us,
Breaking walls that would divide.
By your Spirit, now work through us
As we witness side by side;
All are made in your own image!
All are people whom you love! Carolyn Winfrey Gillette/sos
The people sit
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.
CENTERING
Silence
In this moment of silence together...
may it renew our hope
may it refresh our courage
may it lift our spirits
may it restore us in faith.
(Silence)
EXPLORING
Readings from our religious tradition
Two stories from our biblical tradition shall now be told by (NN).
Hebrew scriptures:
Genesis 28:10-19a (NRSV, adapted)
Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran,
to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set.
Taking one of the stones of the place,
he put it under his head and lay down in that place.
And he dreamed... that there was a ladder set up on the earth,
the top of it reaching to heaven;
and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
And the Holy One stood beside him and said,
“I am the Holy One, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac;
the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring;
and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth,
and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east
and to the north and to the south;
and all the families of the earth
shall be blessed in you and in your offspring.
"Know that I am with you and will keep you
wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land;
for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said,
“Surely God, the Holy One is in this place and I did not know it!”
And he was afraid, and said,
“How awesome is this place!
This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
So Jacob rose early in the morning,
and he took the stone that he had put under his head
and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it.
He called that place Bethel.
Gospel:
Matthew 13:24-30 (Inclusive Text)
Jesus put a parable before the crowds:
The reign of God may be compared to a sower who sowed good seed in a field.
While everybody was asleep an enemy came,
sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off.
When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well.
The owner's servants came and said:
‘Was it not good seed that you sowed in your field?
If so, where does the darnel come from?’
‘Some enemy has done this’, the owner answered.
And the servants said:
‘Do you want us to go and weed it out?’
No, because when you weed out the darnel
you might pull up the wheat with it.
Let them both grow until the harvest.
And at harvest time I will tell the reapers:
‘First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt,
then gather the wheat into my barn’.
Contemporary word
Silence for personal reflection
AFFIRMING
A celebration of faith
In response to the word reflected on let us stand
and share together a celebration of our faith.
The people stand as they are able
We celebrate
that where people are gathered together in love
All God is present and good things happen and life is full.
We celebrate
that we are immersed in mystery
that our lives are more than they seem
All that we belong to each other
and to a universe of great creative energies,
whose source and destiny is God.
We celebrate
that the spirit of God beat in the heart of Jesus of Nazareth
All and God's good news was heard by the broken and wounded.
We are glad that the spirit of peace
is present with us, the church,
All as we gather to celebrate our common existence,
and the fidelity of God.
And most deeply we believe
that in our struggle to love,
All we incarnate God in the world.
And so aware of mystery and wonder,
caught in friendship and laughter,
All we become speechless before the joy in our hearts
as we celebrate the sacredness of life. (Adapted. J Shea/hu)
The peace
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
“Shake up the morning” (Tune: ‘Shake up’). 18 HSNW
Shake up the morning, let the dawn undress,
Let dew reglisten nature’s loveliness;
Waken the songbird and unseal the throat
That greets the daybreak with a crystal note.
Praise to the Lord, whose morning we inherit;
Praise creation’s fuse, the Holy Spirit;
Praise to the Son who rises with the dawn,
Leaving graveclothes scarcely three days worn.
Shake up the world and let the Kingdom come,
The dumb be listened to, the lost find home;
Make earthly politics the stuff of prayer
Till want and warring are dispelled by care.
Praise to the Lord, whose world we inherit;
Praise God’s catalyst, the Holy Spirit;
Praise to the Son whose choice it is to bless
Those who work for peace and live on less.
Shake up the Church and let all Christians show
That faith is real, that God is good to know;
Fashion new symbols of the coming age
When hope and love with take the centre stage.
Praise to the Lord, whose Gospel we inherit;
Praise God’s bird of love, the Holy Spirit;
Praise to the Son whose will and words decree
All are one in this community.
Shake up the evening, let the shadows range
As clouds to castles in the sunset change;
Kindle the moon and stars which through each night
Reflect the glory of tomorrow’s light.
Praise to the Lord, whose evening we inherit;
Praise creation’s presence in the Holy Spirit;
Praise to the Son whose brightness none can kill,
Lighting paths for those who seek this will. © Iona Community
CELEBRATING
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)
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
As one heart is lifted
All May we share its celebration
As one heart is burdened
All May we share the pain it knows (Gretta Vosper)
And so we take this flame and light our special care candle.
The Care candle is lit
In all our joys and in all our concerns, may we be ever mindful
of the presentness of God among us,
and to see new possibilities of the now.
Pastoral prayer
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 Indwelling God,
infused throughout all existence,
we honour you with many names.
Your realm is within the human heart.
We accept life for all that it can be,
on earth as throughout all creation.
May we continue to draw sustenance from this earth,
and may we receive forgiveness equal to our own.
May we ever move from separation toward union,
to live in grace, with love in our hearts,
forever and ever. Amen. FF Keip
CELEBRATING COMMUNITY: SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION
Offerings
Our offerings for the celebration of life in this place and beyond,
and our gifts of bread and wine, shall now be received.
Presentation People stand as the gifts are presented
May the blessing of God bring these gifts to life:
new hope of healing;
fresh ways of coping;
a chance to rest;
a chance to work;
a way to live gracefully.
People sit
Thanksgiving
May it be well with you.
All And also with you.
Life is a gift and we its celebration.
All May we rejoice in the beauty that we are. Gretta Vosper
We give thanks and praise for all that is good in the world.
For that mystery we name God…
For the person we name Jesus…
For the renewing strength and freedom of the Spirit…
All We give thanks for the love, peace and justice,
for prosperity, strength and freedom,
and for the presentness of the Sacred in the midst of life.
God of winter, the unpopular, slandered season…
God of lightning, wind and storm...
God of brisk winter mornings, frosted back lawns and stark hillsides;
of warm socks, coats and gloves,
raincoats, umbrellas and warm fires…
we open ourselves to all the possibilities life offers us.
Thus we join our celebration of life to all people, saying:
All Holy, holy, holy, re-creating God,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
All Hosanna in the highest.
Bread and wine
We remember the times when Jesus faced difficult decisions and destructive forces:
- in the days and nights of his searching,
- in finding ways to free others from images and ideas
that kept them captive and dependent and fearful of God,
- in breaking down social and religious barriers,
- in facing failure,
- in facing death.
When we too experience the winter of our lives
may we find the courage to let go
and trust in God’s guiding, warming light.
And as we eat together at this table
we remember the importance and the words
and the actions of all meals in the tradition of Jesus…
Bread broken, wine poured out
Response
Jesus, human like us,
All reveals to us our true identity, temples of God's spirit.
Jesus, human like us,
All reveals God present and active throughout human history.
Jesus, human like us,
All reveals God-always-with-us in our everyday loving.
Jesus, human like us,
All challenges us to let his story be our story also.
Communion
The bread and wine is served in the pews
After Communion
God of amazing grace,
in the cold of the winter months
we are grateful for your presence, warming us.
We pray this presence will strengthen us
to follow in the way of Jesus, in this city.
SCATTERING
Hymn "God of our every day" (Tune: Jansen) 52 (v1-2) AA
God of our every day,
friend who will walk our way,
light who can change the
focus of our seeing:
capture our heart and mid,
be in the work we find,
till all we do becomes
your mode of being.
Speak to the spirit's void,
hands that are unemployed,
lives that are lived without
a true direction:
gifts that are hid, unearth,
lift us to know our worth
that in ourselves we see
your own reflection.
Remain standing
Words of mission
Let us take on this week’s life
with renewed hope and imagination...
The candle is extinguished
For all that God can do within us,
for all that God can do without us,
All Thanks be to God.
For all in whom Christ lived before us,
for all in whom Christ lives beside us,
All Thanks be to God.
For all the Spirit wants to bring us,
for where the Spirit wants to send us,
All Thanks be to God.
Blessing words
The calling of a magpie greets the gentle sunrise on an Winter morning.
May there be awakened in us long held hopes
and a keening of our longing for you, Gracious God.
All And we are blessed. Amen.
Hymn (Cont) "God of our every day" (Tune: Jansen) 52 (v3) AA
Shine through our winter's grey,
break through depression's day,
live in the little deaths
we die in growing:
meaning for whom we grope,
home of our strongest hope,
power and peace, through all
creation flowing. Shirley Murray
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 us of
LicenSing - Copyright cleared music for churches.
Some of the resources used in shaping this liturgy:
Abbott, M. 2001.
Sparks of the cosmos. Rituals for seasonal use.
SA: Unley. MediaCom Education.
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. GtB: Glasgow. Wild Goose Publications.
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.
Holy Bible. NRSV. 1989.
Ten: Nashville. Thomas Nelson Publishers.
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.
Morwood, M. 2003. Praying a new story. VIC:
Richmond. Spectrum Publications.
Seasons of the Spirit/Whole people of God.
Shea, J. 1977.
The hour of the unexpected. TX:
Allen. Argus Communications.
Vosper, G. 2008. With or
without God. Why the way we live is more important that what we believe. Canada: Toronto. HarperCollins.
Withrow, L. 1995. Seasons of prayer. Resources for worship.
G.B: London. SPCK.
Web sites:
UUA Worship Web. MA: Boston.
UUA. < www.uua.org/spirituallife/worshipweb/>