Revd Rex A E Hunt
eMail: rexae@optusnet.com.au
Web site: www.rexaehuntprogressive.com
LITURGY FOR THE CELEBRATION OF LIFE
4 November 2012. Pentecost 23B. (Green/White).
All Saint’s Day
Celebrating Community: Sacrament of Holy (Flower) 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 the Celebration
The gong is sounded three times
Let there be joy in our coming together this morning.
Let there be silence for the voice within us and beyond us.
Let there be joy in our coming together. (Adapt.CSeaburg)
Let us celebrate the richness and diversity of life
in the presentness of God.
Lighting of the Community Candle
The candle is lit
Hymn The people stand, as they are able, to sing
“Nature’s Moods” (Tune: ‘Moscow’, 664 6664, 447 TiS) 99 SNS
Nature won’t be subdued.
Has more than just one mood;
Can cause us fear.
Earthquakes and violent storms,
Tempest in all its forms,
Tornado that deforms,
There’re so severe.
Fire and floods destroy;
Treat buildings like a toy.
Such is their force.
They always devastate;
Leave people desolate;
They can annihilate
All in their course.
Why should these things be so?
Has nature turned to foe?
We’re in despair.
We ask the question, “Why?”
No answers satisfy;
We stagger and we cry;
“It’s just not fair!”
Some blame catastrophe
On God’s activity,
As if it’s planned.
But nature’s frantic deeds
Do not serve human needs;
Amoral nature heeds
No such demand.
Standing by those on pain,
Trying to ease the strain,
Gloom is reversed.
Our spirits still survives.
And human hope revives.
When love’s support arrives,
God is immersed. (GStuart)
OR
A Hymn suitable for the Southern Hemisphere
"The Spring Has Come" 140 AA
The spring has come,
let all the church be part of it!
The world has changed,
and God is at the heart of it!
New light, new day,
new colour after winter grey.
New light, new day,
the spring has come,
let all the church be part of it!
The sun is warm,
let all God's children play in it!
The world expands,
let's spread the gospel way in it!
New leaf, new thrust,
new greening for the love of Christ.
New leaf, new thrust,
the sun is warm,
let all God's children play in it!
The spring has come,
new people are the flowers of it!
Through wind and rain,
new life is in the showers of it!
New bud, new shoot,
new hope will bear the Spirit's fruit.
New bud, new shoot,
the spring has come,
new people are the flowers of it! SEMurray
Remain standing
Opening Sentences
Through this celebration and worship,
we leave for a time the daily sequence of events,
to examine life in its eternal dimensions and consequences:
All asking questions about our values
our directions
our goals, and
our relationships.
Let us spend this time in the presentness
of the Sacred One - God.
All Praise be for this gathered community
in this sacred place, for all people.
Act of Awareness
It is good to be alive!
To share life with each other
in this wonder-filled and evolving universe.
We are most grateful.
May wisdom dawn in us
so we may see all things in clarity.
OR
We pray:
Creating God, extend our vision to perceive
that this is your world.
You are in it.
You pervade it.
You enfold it.
It is immersed in you.
Open our eyes to see in the depth of reality,
your grace
your goodness
your glory.
To see that we dwell in you.
May it be so.
Hymn "We Celebrate The Web Of Life" (Tune: 'French' 86, 86 CM, 76 TiS) 175 SLT
We celebrate the web of life
its magnitude we sing;
for we can see divinity
in every living thing.
A fragment of the perfect whole
in cactus and in quail,
as much in tiny barnacle
as in the great blue whale.
Of ancient dreams we are the sum;
our bones link stone to star,
and bind our future worlds to come
with worlds that were and are.
Respect the water, land, and air
which gave all creatures birth;
protect the lives of all that share
the glory of the earth. (A S Carpenter)
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
Reflection
"To the God above God..."
By Gary Kowalski
To the God above God we turn our thoughts in meditation.
To the God above the god of any single nation,
who unites the people of the world
in the bonds of kinship and peace;
To the God above the god of any single ideology,
who knows that one human life
is more valuable than all the systems in the world;
To the God above the god of any single religion,
whose goodness and inspiration
are the possession of people of all faiths;
To the God above God
who brings humility to our minds
and reverence to our hearts...
We dedicate ourselves in work and in prayer.
Silence
Come apart from the busyness of family and work,
and dwell in the presence of God
who is our source of being.
(Silence)
God calls us to renew ourselves and our life's purpose
as we gather with others who are searching.
Let us be in silence together.
(Silence)
Music of Reflection
EXPLORING
Reading from our Biblical Tradition
A reading from our biblical tradition...
Gospel:
Mark 12:28-34 (Inclusive Text)
One of the scribes came up to Jesus and put a question,
'Which is the first of all the commandments?'
Jesus replied,
'This is the first:
Listen Israel, Our God is the One God,
and you must love your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You must love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these.
The scribe said to Jesus,
'Well spoken, teacher; what you have said is true:
that God is one and there is no other.
'To love with all your heart, with all your understanding
and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself,
this is far more important than any
holocaust or sacrifice.'
Jesus, seeing how wisely the scribe had spoken, said,
'You are not far from the reign of God.'
And after that no one dared to question Jesus any more.
Silence for Personal Reflection
AFFIRMING
Litany: For All the Saints...
The people stand as they are able
Through the ages and in many places,
saints of God have witnessed in God's name;
All through the ages, prophets, poets, martyrs, sages,
have witnessed in God's name.
We come together in the cloud of witnesses
as one communion;
All we raise our voices to God, the Source of Life.
We bless the earthly memories
of those who now shine in God's glory
All and join the whole company on earth and in heaven
singing unending praise...
Doxology The people sing (Tune: 768(i) TiS)
Praise God, the love we all may share;
Praise God, the beauty everywhere;
Praise God, the hope of good to be;
Praise God, the truth that makes us free. (PHewett)
We celebrate the presence of the church in (NN) in our lives,
All which is real when it stands open
to the life of the city,
and bears witness to the love and justice of God.
The Peace
God makes peace within us. Let us claim it.
God makes peace between us. Let us share it. (nwi)
Let us greet another as a sign of God's peace.
The peace of God is here... to stay. (Iona)
All Thanks be to God.
You are invited to share the peace with your neighbours.
Hymn of the Month The people stand, as they are able, to sing
“Companions, Let Us Pray Together" (Tune: ‘Companions’) 21 HoS
Companions, let us pray together,
in this place affirm our faith.
Our God who made us is here among us;
we stand together in God's grace.
Refrain:
We are whanau, we are one,
brothers, sisters, of the Son.
We are reaching for our freedom,
the prize that Christ has won.
The broken Christ stands here among us,
shares our suffering and our pain;
in breaking bread we find empowerment
to live in aroha again.
Refrain:
The risen Christ bring light and laughter,
celebrates the life we share;
the poured out wine of Christ's self-giving
inspires us to reach out and care.
Refrain:
Now let us sing to God who loves us
and accepts us as we are;
go out from here and live that message,
proclaim our oneness near and far.
Refrain: (DClark/WIhimaera)
The people sit
Reflections and Prayers
Care candle:
We are people of all ages who enter this space
bringing our joys and concerns.
Joys and concerns shared.
Focused Thoughts:
Listening Response:
In this abundant blessing
All We share the joy.
In this, our time of need,
All May love abound (GVosper/wwg)
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.
The 'Abba' Prayer
You are invited to pray in the spirit of the Lord's Prayer, and in your original language, as appropriate
All O God, you love us like a good parent,
and are present in every aspect of our existence
May your nature become known and respected by all
May your joy, peace, wholeness and justice
be the reality for everyone
as we live by the Jesus Way
Give us all that we really need to live every day for you
And forgive us our failures as we forgive others for their failures
Keep us from doing those things which are not of you,
and cause us always to be centred on your love
For you are the true reality in this our now,
and in all our future.
In the Jesus Way we pray. (DSorril)
CELEBRATING
Conversation 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 (FLOWER) COMMUNION
The Flower Communion service had its origins in 1923 when Dr Norbert Capek, a former Baptist and founder of the Unitarian Church in Czechoslovakia, introduced it to his congregation. This liturgy is shaped by sections of two other modern liturgies, written by Dr David Bumbaugh.
Offerings
Our offerings for the celebration of life in this place and beyond,
and our gifts of flowers, bread and wine, shall now be received.
Presentation People stand, as they are able, as the gifts are presented
Creating God, the landscape of life and your presence is near:
a daffodil in bloom,
a single green leaf,
the red and green flash of a parrot.
May we too be a people of adventure and life,
grace-filled companions, offering
courage and hope in unexpected places.
The people sit
Welcome
v1 Enter into this sacred time.
Enter with joyful hearts.
Enter with reverent thoughts.
v2 It has taken long months beneath cold ground
for flowers to prepare their blooming.
It has taken each of us long times of growth,
through sorrow and joy,
to prepare for our living now.
v1 The blooming season is short.
Flowers stay only a brief time.
We are travellers upon the earth:
travellers through all too brief life times.
v2 Therefore let our moments together be bountiful.
And let us rejoice in our unique colours, aromas, and sounds. (EStrong/adapted)
Thanksgiving
Have you considered the flowers, the lilies of the fields?
All They spin not, neither do they sew,
yet Solomon, in all his glory
All was not arrayed as one of these.
Say what you will about the economy of life,
flowers are irrefutable proof
of nature’s extravagance.
Flowers do not bloom for us.
They do not care whether or not we see them.
They grow and bloom
because they are full of life.
They are a gift of grace.
They invite us to seek the beauty in each moment.
They encourage us to find fulfilment in life
and the living of it.
As you came into this sacred place this morning,
you brought with you a flower,
from your yard,
from along your street,
from a florist,
from your neighbour’s flower bed,
from the basket in the entrance.
From many different sources
these many different flowers have come.
Together on this table they symbolise
the extravagance of nature,
for as various as these flowers are,
they do not begin to exhaust
nature's inventiveness
in creating forms
and colours
and beauty.
And what nature has done for flowers,
nature has done for us.
Bread and Wine
v1 In all the colours and scents and tastes and sounds
of the world, we see the beauty of the universe.
v2 In this season of spring it is fitting we should celebrate
the renewal of life and hope using
the symbols of bread and wine and flowers.
Time out of mind we have watched
grain buried in the dark soil.
Time out of mind we have watched sprouting seeds
break through the soil, reaching towards the warm sun.
Time out of mind we have watched grain broken,
ground into dust-like flour.
Yet mixed with water and leavening,
it stirs, rises, becomes bread,
the sustainer of our lives.
For longer than we can remember
the fruit of the vine has been our companion.
It’s clustered fruit is harvested
and crushed, and juice is stored and fermented
saved for festive occasions.
We have shared the fruit of the vine
in moments of joy and sorrow,
and to mark momentous turnings. (DBumbaugh)
Communion
Remembering the tradition surrounding Jesus…
we break this bread and fill this cup.
Bread broken. Wine poured out
We give thanks
All And seek to live in harmony with all about us.
We give thanks
All And take our place in the human story,
struggling for the unity of humankind.
We give thanks
All And join with all in a quest for justice.
We give thanks
All For all that Jesus, human like us, means to us.
Bread and wine served
After Communion
And now we prepare to leave this place.
As you do, you are invited to take one of the flowers.
Take a different one than the flower you brought.
Take it not to keep forever and forever.
Nothing is forever.
Take a flower as a symbol of gratitude
for beauty we did not create,
for joys which come when unexpected.
Take a flower as a symbol of your participation
in the community of this congregation,
in the community of human kind,
in the community of all living things,
in the universal community.
Take a flower as a symbol
that
beauty
and grace
and joy
and love
are not matters of reciprocity.
In this world we cannot earn or deserve
that which is most important.
It comes to us as a gift. (DBumbaugh/hc))
SCATTERING
Hymn The people stand, as they are able, to sing
This hymn was written on the day that the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator complex, intended to collide opposing beams of protons, was put into action.
“We Seek The Source Of All” (Tune: AMAZING GRACE or other suitable CM tune)
We seek the source of all that was
of all that is to be;
the ground of being, source of life
that set creation free
The cataclysmic cosmic force,
God's rollercoaster ride,
may give a glimpse back into time
as particles collide.
For here we watch, observe, compute
and try to understand
the time before we even thought
what physics might demand.
Remain standing
Words of Mission
Let us go in faith to ponder in our hearts
the mystery and the wonder of this season...
The candle is extinguished
v1 Go in peace.
Live simply, at home in yourself.
Be just in your word, just in deed.
Remember the depth of your own compassion.
v2 Do not forget your power
in the days of your powerlessness.
v3 Do not desire to be wealthier than your peers,
and never stint your hand of charity.
v1 Practice forbearance in all you do.
v2 Speak the truth or speak not.
v3 Take care of your body,
be good to it, it is a good gift.
v4 Crave peace for all peoples in this world,
beginning with yourselves,
All and go as you go with the dream of that peace
set firm in your heart. (Adapt.MBelletini)
Blessing Words
Bless us God
with saints to tell us stories
with angels to surprise us
with friends along the way.
Bless us God
with strength and joy and courage
all the length and breadth
of our nights and days.
All Amen!
Hymn (Cont). “We Seek The Source Of All”
But even if we comprehend
or wonder at these things,
Higgs boson, quasars, pulsars, quarks,
we need the faith God brings.
The test of all we ought to be
is in the common place,
our depth of kindness, strength of love,
that demonstrate God's grace. © APratt 10/9/2008
The people sit
'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. 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. Santa Rosa: Polebridge Press.
(HoS) Hope Is Our Song. New Hymns and Songs from Aotearoa New Zealand. Palmerston North. New Zealand Hymnbook Trust, 2009.
Inclusive Readings. Year B. 2005. Brisbane: Inclusive Language Project. In private circulation.
Iona Community. 2001. Iona Abbey Worship Book. Glasgow: Wild Goose Publications.
Seaburg, C. (ed). 1993. The Communion Book. Boston: UUMA.
(SLT) Singing the Living Tradition. 1993. Boston: UUA.
(SNS) Stuart, G. 2006. Singing a New Song. Traditional Hymn Tunes with New Century Lyrics. Sydney: CPRT Sydney.
The St Hilda Community. 1996. The New Women Included. A Book of Services and Prayers. London: SPCK.
Vosper, G. 2008. With or Without God. Why the way we Live is more important that what we Believe. Toronto: HarperCollins.
Web sites/Other:
Seaburg, Kowalski, Sorril, Strong. UUA Worship Web. Boston: UUA. www.uua.org/spirituallife/worshipweb/>
Andrew Pratt eMail distribution. UK. From the author.