Revd Rex A E Hunt
eMail: rexae@optusnet.com.au
Web site: www.rexaehuntprogressive.com
LITURGY FOR THE CELEBRATION OF LIFE
23 May 2010. Pentecost C. (Red).
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) 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
Music
Entry into celebration
The gong is sounded three times
Now is the time to dance heaven's dance,
Time to discern eternity's face,
Moment of knowing beyond all sight,
Day of God's smile and tender embrace. (W L Wallace)
Let us celebrate the richness and diversity of life in the presentness of this God.
Lighting of community candle
The candle is lit
We light this flame to affirm that new light
is ever waiting to break through to enlighten our ways:
that new truth is ever waiting
to break through to illumine our minds,
and that new love is ever waiting
to break through to warm our hearts.
May we be open to this light,
and to the rich possibilities that it brings us. CA. Howe
Hymn The people stand as they are able, to sing
“Lithe spirit you’re bounding and leaping” (Tune: 9 8 11 8) 85 WNC
Lithe spirit you’re bounding and leaping,
stars shimmer and flash from your heels,
until the whole world burns with pardon and praise,
until the lost know how love feels.
O harlequin dazzle by dancing,
let joy spring like sparks from a flame,
until every person consumed by your love
comes blithely to join in your game.
Come juggler, spinning and turning
our chances and dreams like a top,
until all our values are turned upside down
whirl on through the world, never stop. APratt
Optional hymn
“Pentecost” (Tune: ‘Streets of Laredo’)
The backwash of rumour unsettles the faithful,
that Jesus has risen, the morning has come,
when all of the world will be shaken and driven,
the spirit is waiting, will rise with the sun.
The locks are unbroken, disciples are waiting,
each ear is attuned for an uncommon sound:
the footsteps of soldiers, a hidden informant,
the spirit is waking to turn them around.
In hushed conversation they plan out a future,
not knowing for certain what fate has in store,
when flames curl around them, warm hearts and clear voices,
the spirit has found them behind that closed door.
And now we wait with them, we follow tradition,
we echo the story that we’ve heard before,
God’s spirit is near us, around and within us,
empowering, informing what God has in store.
So let us go out in the power of that spirit
to live lives like Jesus, to cheer and restore
the ones who are broken, derided, forsaken,
the spirit is moving, the future is sure. © Andrew Pratt 17/4/2010
Remain standing
Opening sentences
Spirit Friend, you come like the wind
and the earth grows hale at your breath.
Wm You arrive – like the wind filling a thousand sails on Sydney Harbour…
Mn like moist air carrying refreshing rain to the Brindabellas…
All Seed us with new patterns of life
and leave us giddy with new possibilities
as we breathe this Breath of Life. (Adapt.B Prewer/ap)
Prayer
We pray:
Spirit of life and hope, we sense your presence in this place.
Awaken us again to the mysteries that humble us,
the realities that orient us,
the fellowship that sustains us,
that we may give ourselves in honesty and openness
to the larger life before us.
Amen. (Adapt.CWells)
Hymn “Praise to the living God” (Tune: ‘Leoni’, 66 84D, 102TiS) 215 SLT
Praise to the living God,
all praised be The Name,
which was, and is, and is to be,
for aye the same.
The one eternal God
ere aught that now appears:
the first, the last, beyond all thought
or timeless years!
Unformed, all lovely forms
declare God’s loveliness,
no holiness on earth
can e’er The Name express
whose love enfolds us all;
whose laud the earth displays,
Yea, everywhere, above, below,
is perfect praise.
The spirit floweth free,
high surging where it will,
in prophet's word did speak of old,
and speaketh still.
The Torah rest secure,
and changeless it shall stand,
deep writ upon the human heart,
on sea and land.
Eternal life hath God
implanted in the soul;
such love shall be our strength
and stay while ages roll.
Praise to the living God!
All praised be The Name
which was, and is, and is to be,
for aye the same! (From the Jewish Yigdal c. 13th cent.)
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.
Meditation
“Help me say goodbye to the leaves”
By Lindy Conroe (Adapted). For all that is our life/50
Grant me courage, Lord, to say goodbye
to the leaves,
to accept the turning.
I want to ignore the red and yellow
glimmers hidden among the greens-
proof that the seasons will,
as they always do,
change again.
The greens I draw energy from
[have] transformed into brilliance,
then fallen and disappeared,
revealing long, black limbs against
grey [June] skies.
I will think of
times past,
people past,
mortality.
Give me courage, Lord, to say goodbye.
Silence
Let us take a moment to settle into the silence.
(Silence)
In these brief moments of silence and meditation may we find strength.
May our lives be rich in affection,
deep in understanding and
sympathy for each other.
May the blessings of life be known to all. (Adapt.Bob Holmes/wm)
(Silence)
EXPLORING
Readings from our religious tradition
Let us now listen to some stories from our broad religious tradition.
From our world around us:
"For desert times"
By Margaret Keip.
The journeys of our lives are never fully charted.
There come to each of us deserts to cross - barren stretches -
where the green edge on the horizon may be our destination,
or an oasis on our way,
or a mirage that beckons only to leave us lost.
When fear grips the heart,
or despair bows the head,
may we bend as heart and head lead us down
to touch the ground beneath our feet.
May we scoop some sand into our hands
and receive what the sand would teach us:
it holds the warmth of the sun when the sun has left our sight,
as it holds the cool of the night when the stars have faded.
Hidden among its grains are tiny seeds,
at rest and waiting,
dormant yet undefeated.
Desert flowers.
They endure.
Moistened by our tears and by the rains which come
to end even the longest drought,
they send down roots and they bloom.
May we believe in those seeds, and in the seeds within us.
May we remember in our dry seasons that we, too, are desert flowers.
Early church:
Acts 2:1-4 (Inclusive text)
When Pentecost day came around,
the apostles had all met in one room,
when suddenly they heard
what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven.
The noise filled the entire house where they were sitting.
And something appeared to them
that seemed like tongues of fire;
these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them.
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak foreign languages,
as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech.
Hymn In solidarity with those for whom standing is not easy or possible, we will remain seated to sing
“God the weaver” (Tune:’Picardy’, 87 87 87, 497TiS)
God the weaver, making patterns,
spinning threads throughout our days -
Joy and sadness interwoven,
strands of sorrow, strands of praise.
Help us to discern your weaving
in the multi-coloured maze.
Teach us, Lord, to trust your guidance
when the pattern is not clear,
and to feel your strength and comfort
when life's fabric's torn by fear.
Help us sense that in the dark times
Lightening love is always near.
When we see the pattern changing
and a new direction starts,
let us know your love unbroken
winds through life in all its parts
by the threads of love and friendship
closely woven in our hearts.
Though we never see the picture
with your sense of space and time,
help us, Lord, to take our places
in our faith's continuing line,
as all lives are interwoven
in your final grand design. © M Dobson. 1996 Stainer & Bell Ltd
Non-canonical gospel: (Scholars Version)
Thomas 47:3-4
“Nobody drinks aged wine and immediately wants to drink young wine.
Young wine is not poured into old wineskins,
or they might break, and aged wine
is not poured into a new wineskin, or it might spoil.
“An old patch is not sewn onto a new garment, since it would create a tear”.
Silence for personal reflection
AFFIRMING
An affirmation of peace and justice
In response to the word reflected on, let us stand and share
an affirmation of peace and justice in our world.
The people stand
v1 Let us dare to believe in the future:
Le: a future when people shall have learned to live by freedom
and not by compulsion, by love and not by fear,
by adventure and not by jealously guarded security.
Ri: They shall live in peace and shared respect
and ‘none shall make them afraid.’
v2 They shall be continuously hungry for knowledge,
and none shall say it is forbidden them.
Le: They shall live in trust, and none shall do them hurt.
Ri: They shall explore without fear of what they may find,
and the difficulties they meet shall be stepping-stones upward.
v1 Though this be slow in coming,
Le: though it appears that all this may never be universally shared,
Ri: it will be open to all on the condition
that each chooses individually.
v2 None shall create barriers between a person
and the fulfillment of the human spirit
which the person may not alone overthrow.
Le: It is the barrier we build against others which holds us, ourselves, back;
Ri: The defenses we painstakingly establish become our own fetters.
v1 This could be the future of humanity if we dare:
All the people seek to master themselves instead of others,
and rejoice in the fruits of disciplines
they choose for themselves. (R T Wesson/slt)
The peace
Let us then 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.
Hymn of the Month
“Further still”
Further still than hill or mountain peak,
further still abides the help we seek.
Further than the heavens
where the planets roll
abides the love that lives to make us whole.
Closer still than eyes alert can see,
closer still than reason's trusted key.
Closer that the psyche,
closer than the soul,
abides the love that works to make us whole.
Deeper still than deepest therapy,
stronger still than medicine can be.
Bolder still than passion
bursting from control
abides the love that dies to make us whole. (©2004, Wm Flanders)
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
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.
Pastoral prayers
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 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. Amen. D Sorrill
SCATTERING
Hymn The people stand as they are able, to sing
“Great prophet” (Tune: St Denio’, 11 11 11 11, 143 TiS) 83 RP
Great prophet of pity, subversive in love,
unsettle our comfort, divert and reprove;
that, moved from self-interest, and shielded from pride,
we might yet embody the gifts of your bride.
Oh raise up your people and fit them to care,
for all who are lonely or lost in despair.
The reed that is bending, the wick that burns low,
through grace and persistence, God, help them to grow.
Remain standing
A Pentecost litany
All We are one
v1 Yet we are many.
All We speak a single language
v2 Yet in different tongues.
All We are joined together
v3 Yet we live in separate lands.
All We are one.
v4 Yet we are many.
v1 How can I see my sister’s tears?
v3 When I do not know her pain?
v2 How can I carry my brother’s load?
v3 How can I recognise a hungry journey?
v4 When I do not know his child?
v1 When my belly’s full?
v4 How can I celebrate a stranger’s joy?
v2 When I do not know the dance?
v3 We are one
All Yet we are many.
v1 Teach me Spirit that I might know
v4 Show me Spirit that I might see
v2 Touch me Spirit that I might feel
v3 Though we are many
All Yet we are one.
Blessing words
May God’s breath stream within you.
May God’s breath renew you.
May God’s breath invigorate you.
Walk with confidence into this day. (Traditional Jewish blessing/wb)
All Amen.
Hymn (Cont.) “Great prophet” (Tune: St Denio’, 11 11 11 11, 143 TiS) 83 RP
From each generation, race, colour or creed,
Christ, gather together, united by need,
the ones that you value, and God, may we find,
in spite of ourselves that your welcome is kind. A Pratt
The people sit after the hymn
'This week' at (NN)
Notices
Birthdays and anniversaries
Significant events
Journey candles
Recessional 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:
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). 2000. A world of blessing. Benedictions from every continent and many cultures. Gt. Britain: Norwich. The Canterbury Press.
Holmes, R. H. 1972. The Bob Holmes worship materials. Vol 1. NY: Little Falls. Self published.
Hope is our song. New hymns and songs from Aotearoa
New Zealand. 2009. NZ:
Palmerston North. New Zealand Hymnbook Trust.
Inclusive readings. Year C. 2006. Qld: Brisbane. Inclusive Language Project. In private circulation.
Pickett, H & E. (ed). 2005. For all that is our life. A meditation anthology. MA: Boston. Skinner House Books.
Pratt, A. 2006. Reclaiming praise. Hymns from a spiritual journey. GtB: London. Stainer & Bell Ltd.
Pratt, A. 2002. Whatever name or creed. Hymns and songs. GtB: London. Stainer & Bell Ltd.
Prewer, B. D. 2000. Australian psalms. Revised and expanded. SA: Adelaide. OpenBook Publishers.
Singing the living tradition. 1993. MA: Boston. UUA.
Vosper, G. 2008. With or
without God. Why the way we live is more important that what we believe. Canada: Toronto. HarperCollins.
Web sites:
Howe, Keip, Sorrill. UUA Worship Web. MA: Boston. UUA. http://uua.org/spirituallife/worshipweb/index.php
Stainer & Bell Ltd. Web site: hymns.uk.com
William Flanders. "Skeptics hymns" web site.<www.williamflandersmusic.com/>
Andrew Pratt. UK. "Pentecost". Direct from the author.