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
24 February 2008. Lent 3A. (Purple).
10.30am. Contemporary liturgical worship.
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
Let there be joy in our coming together this morning.
And 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
“Alive to God” (Tune: ‘To God be the glory’, 85 AHB)
Alive to the presence and purpose of God
in Christ's name we're gathered the people of God
Alive to God's presence and open to hear
God's word in our lives
and God's call to come near.
Come and sing! Praises bring!
In Jesus we live!
Come and praise, laugh and sing!
New hope God will give!
Alive to the presence and purpose of God
God's word in our lives
and God's call to come near.
Alive to the presence of God in the world
who meets us in strangers, the young and the old
Alive to the closeness of Jesus, set free
to live out the good news
through you and through me.
Come and sing! Praises bring!
In Jesus we live!
Come and praise, laugh and sing!
New hope God will give!
Alive to the presence and purpose of God
who lives out the good news
through you and through me.
Alive to God's purpose of justice and care
To build a new future, defeating despair
Alive to God's newness, new days will unfold
God's Spirit gives new ways
in place of the old.
Come and sing! Praises bring!
In Jesus we live!
Come and praise, laugh and sing!
New hope God will give!
Alive to the presence and purpose of God
God's Spirit gives new ways
in place of the old. David Manton/mgs
Remain standing
Opening sentences
There is a time for everything in creation:
Mn a time for light and a time for darkness,
Wn a time for sound and a time for silence,
Mn a time for action and a time for reflection,
Wn a time for others and a time for oneself.
But all these times are God’s time
All and now is the time to be aware. (Adapt. Wm Wallace/htw)
Prayer of awareness
We pray:
Eternal God, we offer thanks and praise
for the opportunities we have
to celebrate your presentness in life this day.
My we be surrounded with a very real sense of this presentness
as we spend this time together.
Amen.
Hymn “When our heart is in a holy place” 1008 STJ
Refrain:
When our heart is in a holy place,
When our heart is in a holy place,
We are blessed with love
And amazing grace,
When our heart is in a holy place.
When we trust the wisdom in each of us,
Ev’ry colour every creed and kind,
And we see our faces in each other’s eyes,
Then our heart is in a holy place.
Refrain:
When we tell our story from deep inside,
And we listen with a loving mind,
And we hear our voices in each other’s words,
Then our heart is in a holy place.
Refrain:
When we share the silence of sacred space,
And the God of our Heart stirs with in,
And we feel the power of each other’s faith,
Then our heart is in a holy place. Joyce Poley
Refrain:
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
Let us take a moment to settle into the silence.
(Silence)
May this time of shared silence reveal to us
a strength of the spirit which will
renew us, in our journey towards faith. (Bob Holmes)
(Silence)
Music of reflection
EXPLORING
Reading from our biblical tradition
A story from our biblical tradition shall be read by Andrew Carstens.
Gospel:
John 4: 5-7, 9-15, 19-26, 39-42. (Inclusive Text)
Jesus came to the Samaritan town called Sychar, near the land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
Jacob's well is there and Jesus, tired by the journey,
sat straight down by the well.
It was about noon.
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her,
Give me a drink.'
The Samaritan woman said to Jesus,
'What? You are a Jew and you ask me, a Samaritan, for a drink?'
Jesus replied:
'If you only knew what God is offering and who it is that is saying to you:
Give me a drink, you would have been the one to ask,
and he would have given you living water.'
'You have no bucket', she answered 'and the well is deep:
how could you get this living water?
Are you greater than our ancestors Leah, Rachel and Jacob
who gave us this well and drank from it
with their descendants and flocks?'
Jesus replied:
'Whoever drinks this water will get thirsty again;
but anyone who drinks the water that I shall give will never be thirsty again:
the water that I shall give will turn into a spring inside,
welling up to eternal life.'
The woman said,
'Give me some of that water, so that I may never get
and never have to come here again to draw water…'
'I see you are a prophet.' said the woman.
'Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain,
while you say that Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.'
Jesus said:
'Believe me, woman; the hour is coming when you will worship God
neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
‘You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know;
for salvation comes from the Jews.
But the hour will come - in fact it is here already - when
true worshippers will worship in spirit and truth:
that is the kind of worshipper our God wants.
‘God is spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirit and truth.'
The woman said to Jesus,
'I know the Messiah is coming - the Anointed One – who will tell us everything.'
'I who am speaking to you,' said Jesus 'I am that one.'
Many Samaritans of the town had believed in Jesus
on the strength of the woman's testimony when she said,
'He told me all I have ever done,'
so when the Samaritans came up to Jesus,
they begged him to stay with them.
Jesus stayed for two days, and when he spoke to them
many more came to believe; and they said to the woman,
'Now we no longer believe because of what you told us;
we have heard this one ourselves
who we know really is the saviour of the world.'
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 faith.
The people stand as they are able
What a joyful celebration when we come together
as a community of people on the Way,
All a network of worshippers with common purpose,
a united walk towards the promised land.
Jesus goes ahead of us as the shepherd leads the sheep
All and we hear the song of the redeemed
as prisoners are released, the blind given sight,
the exploited and oppressed are given new hope,
and the rainbow sign arcs above the pilgrims
who walk together to the city of peace. John Johansen-Berg/sco
The peace
This is a house of God. A place of peace.
A place where we befriend one another.
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
“Gather the Spirit” (Tune: ‘Gather the spirit’, 9 9 9 10/Refrain) 347 SLT
Gather the spirit, harvest the power.
Our sep'rate fires will kindle one flame.
Witness the mystery of this hour.
Our trials in this light appear all the same.
Refrain:
Gather in peace, gather in thanks.
Gather in sympathy now and then.
Gather in hope, compassion and strength.
Gather to celebrate once again.
Gather the spirit of heart and mind.
Seeds for the sowing are laid in store.
Nurtured in love, and con-science refined,
with body and spirit united once more
Refrain:
Gather in peace, gather in thanks.
Gather in sympathy now and then.
Gather in hope, compassion and strength.
Gather to celebrate once again.
Gather the spirit growing in all,
drawn by the moon and fed by the sun.
Winter to spring, and summer to fall,
the chorus of life resounding as one.
Refrain:
Gather in peace, gather in thanks.
Gather in sympathy now and then.
Gather in hope, compassion and strength.
Gather to celebrate once again. Jim Scott
Offering
Our offerings for the work of ministry in this place and beyond,
shall now be received.
Presentation The people stand as they are able, for the presentation of gifts
In a demanding, noisy world,
may we have moments when we can
hear the sound of a bird, and
hear the rustle of leaves on a tree branch.
In a demanding, noisy world, may we have time
to stop,
to wait,
to listen…
And celebrate God’s everywhere presentness
in this wide and fragile world.
People sit
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)
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
And let us recommit ourselves to the inclusive ways of Jesus.
Prayers
Pastoral
Lord's Prayer
You are invited to pray the Lord's Prayer in your original language, as that is appropriate
All Our Father in heaven
hallowed be your name
your kingdom come, your will be done
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
SCATTERING
Hymn The people stand as they are able, to sing
"Spirit of God, creation's force" (Tune 245 TiS ‘Fulda’, 88 88)
Spirit of God, creation's force,
and power of evolution's course,
gave breath of life to humankind
and then inspired inventive mind.
Spirit of history's linked events
has shown repeated evidence
of hidden influence, working through
all our world leaders try to do.
Spirit of prophet's utterance
proclaimed in needy circumstance
a word of God, through human voice
with challenge to courageous choice.
Remain standing
Words of mission
Let us embrace the wonder of this week with expectation and imagination...
The community candle is extinguished
Celebrate all human beauty,
All caught in colour, form and face.
Celebrate our own endeavours,
All to achieve and to arrive;
friendship found in common focus
All sweeping obstacles aside,
celebrate our Maker’s wisdom,
All crafting body, mind and soul. (Shirley Murray/sco)
Blessing words
I set the keeping of Christ about you.
I send the guarding of God with you
to possess you,
to protect you,
to accompany you on all your paths,
through trouble,
through danger,
through loss.
And I set the dancing of the Spirit around you,
each day, each night,
each night, each day. Kate McIlhagga/ghs
All Amen!
Hymn (Cont) "Spirit of God, creation's force" (Tune 245 TiS ‘Fulda’, 88 88)
Spirit of power and truth and grace,
renews today the human race,
bestowing gifts, producing fruits,
promoting godly attributes.
Spirit, possess and fill us whole,
fill every heart and mind and soul,
infuse our being with your power
that we may serve this present hour. Richard Firth, adapt. (c) 1997 Stainer & Bell Ltd
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:
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. Gt. Britain: Norwich. The Canterbury Press.
Duncan, G. (ed). 1998. Seeing christ in others. An anthology for worship, mediation and mission. Gt. Britain: Norwich. The Canterbury Press.
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. Scotland: Glasgow. Wild Goose Publications.
McIlhagga, K. 2004. The green heart of the snowdrop. Gt.Britain: Glasgow. Wild Goose Publications.
Singing the journey. 2005. MA: Boston. UUA.
Singing the living tradition. 1993. MA: Boston. UUA.
Web sites:
UUA Worship Web. MA: Boston. UUA.
Stainer & Bell Ltd. Web site: hymns.uk.com