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 July 2008. Pentecost 8A. (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
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 God.
Lighting of the candle
The community candle is lit
Let the light we kindle go before us,
strong in hope,
wide in good will,
inviting the day to come.
Hymn The people stand as they are able, to sing
“Everything has its own season” (Tune: ‘Westminster Abbey’. 432 TiS) 26 TMT
Everything has its own season;
time for darkness and for day;
time for sound and silent stillness,
action's time or thinking's way;
time for waking, time for sleeping,
time for work, and time for play.
Everything has its right timing,
time to hold or to let go,
compromise or for confronting,
time for joy or tears of woe;
time for dying and new living,
time for yes and time for no.
Each of these are special timings-
all belong in life's great web.
Help us, Christ, discern the patterned
life arising from the dead,
and embrace your timeless loving
with awareness you have fed.
Remain standing after the hymn
Opening sentences
We are called to worship, not just by words spoken,
but also by miracles recalled:
All a baby's first cry, the petals of a rose,
mist-covered hills, the restless tides of the seas,
human love, human hope.
We respond with gratitude:
All with joy, with wonder, at life’s boundless possibilities. (Adapt.GB McKeeman)
Prayer
We pray:
We have been placed within the interwoven fabric of nature…
May we appreciate its beauty:
mountains and valleys, rivers and plains,
sea and sky, and all of the earth with its
its vast array of plant and animal life which it sustains.
Amen.
Hymn "God of the galaxies" (Tune: Cheam) 54 AA
God of the galaxies spinning in space,
God of the smallest seed, our living source,
yours is the gift of this beautiful place.
Let us care for your garden
and honour the earth.
Careless and covetous, gross are our greeds,
taking the riches the garden provides,
wasting its goodness, forgetting its needs.
Let us care for your garden
and honour the earth.
Forests and rivers are ravaged and die,
raped is the land till it bleeds in its clay,
silenced the birdsong and plundered the sea.
Let us care for your garden
and honour the earth.
Let there be beauty, and let there be air
fragrant with peace, never poisoned with fear,
freed from the plagues of pollution and war.
Let us care for your garden
and honour the earth.
Life is a holy thing, life is a whole,
linking each creature and blessing us all,
making connections of body and soul.
Let us care for your garden
and honour the earth. Shirley Murray
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
Let us now settle into silence and stillness.
(Silence)
Let us centre our minds and our hearts.
We are one with the universe.
We are one with the sun and the stars.
We are one with the earth.
We are one with the One who is mystery…
(Silence)
Music of reflection
EXPLORING
Reading from our religious tradition
A reading from our biblical tradition shall now be read.
The reader is (NN).
Gospel:
Matthew 11:25-30 (Inclusive Text)
Jesus exclaimed,
'I bless you, O God, Ruler of heaven and earth,
for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and
revealing them to mere children.
'It is true, Abba, because you have graciously willed it so.
'You have given everything over to me.
No one knows me but you, Abba, and
no one knows you, Abba, except me
and those to whom I choose to reveal you.'
'Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest.
'Shoulder my yoke and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
'Yes, my yoke is easy, and my burden light.'
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
God is with us. This we celebrate.
For we have seen the signs of grace
in every place,
in every generation.
All The beauty of the creation, in all its pristine wonder,
is not the only dwelling place of the creator.
This, our God, is born again in cities
as well as country stables.
All Is found in holy places and the supermarket,
sits with us in coffee shops,
and by the one who hopefully sings a song
on the streets of this day.
The spirit dances on concrete
All and holds in comfort those who walk
with briefcase and shopping bag.
The God who is more than we can ever name or know
All is beside us in every work place and every hidden home
of our body, mind and soul. (DMcRae-McMahon/Adapt./ith)
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
“Touch the earth, reach the sky” (Tune: ‘Touch the earth’, 6 7 9 8) 301 SLT
Touch the earth, reach the sky!
Walk on shores while spirits fly
over the ocean, over the land,
our faith a quest to understand.
Touch the earth, reach the sky!
Children ask the reasons why.
In our lives the answers show,
and by our love they learn and grow.
Touch the earth, reach the sky!
All are born and all shall die;
Life’s the time left in between,
to follow a star, to build a dream.
Touch the earth, reach the sky!
Hug the laughter, feel the cry.
May we see where we can give,
for this is what it means to live.
Touch the earth, reach the sky!
Soar with courage ever high;
spirits joining as we fly,
to touch the earth, to reach the sky. Grace Lewis-McLaren.
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.
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 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
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)
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 People stand as the gifts are presented
God of splendour, your goodness sustains us,
and your graciousness gives us hope.
Use us and these gifts of bread, wine and money
to further your way of love, hope, and justice.
People sit
CELEBRATING
CELEBRATING COMMUNITY: SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION
The invitation
Jesus invited all to the feast of peace and new life.
Jesus risked everything in compassion.
Jesus promised to make himself known in the breaking of the bread.
Thanksgiving
We give thanks for the wonderful gift of reflective awareness
that allows us to recognise and name
the presence of a Creative Spirit
beyond all imagining, in our universe.
All We give thanks.
Everything we have
Everything we see
Everything we do
Everyone we love and everyone who loves us
reveals this sustaining Presence and our total dependence on it.
We marvel and wonder at the size
and complexity of our universe.
We marvel and wonder at the development
of life on this planet.
We give thanks for the creative Presence
that 'energises' this life and all that exists.
We recognise that human life gives this Presence
a particular way of coming to expression,
and that in us the Presence can
sing and dance,
speak and write,
love and create.
Conscious that we live, move, and have our being in this Presence,
we give thanks for people throughout history
who have affirmed this loving presence in all people.
For those who have invited people to give witness to this
by lives characterised by
gratitude, compassion,
generosity and forgiveness.
Especially we give thanks for Jesus of Nazareth.
All In him we see the presentness of God urging all of us
to make its creativity on earth more visible. (Adapt/ MMorwood/pns)
We also remember the meal tradition of Jesus
and the early Jesus movement…
So in that tradition, we take this bread and this wine
mindful of the Presence at work in our lives,
in the ordinary,
in the everyday,
All and in our desire to love as generously as Jesus loved.
Bread and wine
Bread is broken.
We break this bread in celebration of the great truth
that on this tiny planet,
hurtling through cold, empty space,
death is made the servant of life,
and out of death life is forever resurrected.
Wine poured out
This cup with its fruit of the vine,
is a celebration that things are not always as they seem:
that out of faithfulness and steadfastness,
out of suffering and sorrow,
may come unsought blessings.
Bread... the very stuff of life. Broken.
Wine... fruit of the vine. Cup full.
Communion
The bread and the wine will be served in the pews
After communion
God of love, God of compassion, may the celebration of the wonder
and the mystery of your Presence,
strengthen and enable us
to be your body the church.
SCATTERING
Hymn “I dream of a church”
I dream of a church that
Joins in with God’s laughing
As she rocks in her rapture
Enjoying her art.
She’s glad of her world
In its risking and growing
‘tis the child she has borne
And holds close to her heart.
I dream of a church that
Joins in with God’s weeping
As she crouches, weighed
Down by the sorrow she sees.
She cries for the hostile
the cold and no-hoping
For she bears in herself
Our despair and disease.
I dream of a church that
Joins in with God’s dancing
As she moves like the wind
And the wave and the fire.
A church that can pick up
Its skirts, pirouetting
With the steps that can signal
God’s deepest desire.
Remain standing
Words of mission
Let us embrace the wonder of this week
with expectation and imagination...
The candle is extinguished
v2 There is a season for everything in creation
Le A time for dying and a time for rebirth.
Ri A time for laughter and a time for tears.
Le A time for courage and a time for fear.
Ri A time to talk and a time to be still.
Le A time alone. A time for romance.
Ri A time to welcome and to send away.
Le A time to break rules. A time to behave.
Ri A time to search and a time to find.
Le A time to begin…
Ri and a time to end. (MTWinter-adapt/wpws)
v2 There is a season for everything in creation.
Blessing words
With wisdom and understanding,
with justice and compassion,
with courage and hope,
may we be blessed this day and every day,
by Creativity God, source of our and all life.
All Amen.
Hymn (Cont) “I dream of a church”
I dream of a church that can
Join in God’s loving
As she bends to embrace
the unlovely and lost.
A church that can free
By its sharing and daring
The imprisoned and poor
And then shoulder the cost.
God, make us a church that
Joins in with your living
As you cherish and challenge
Rein in and release.
A church that is winsome
Impassioned, inspiring
Lioness of your justice
And lamb of your peace. Kate Compston/dtd
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 use of
LicenSing - Copyright cleared music for churches.
Some of the resources used in shaping this liturgy:
Alleluia Aotearoa. Hymns and songs for all churches. 1993. NZ: 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. CA: Santa Rosa. Polebridge Press.
Duncan, G. (ed). 1995. Dare to dream. A prayer and worship anthology from around the world. GtB: London. Fount/HarperCollins.
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.
McRae-McMahon, D. 2001. In this hour. Liturgies for pausing. VIC: Thornbury. DesBooks.
Morwood, M. 2003. Praying a new story. VIC: Richmond. Spectrum Publications.
Seaburg, C. (ed). 1993. The communion book. MA: Boston. UUMA.
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.
Wallace, W. L. 2001. The mystery telling. Hymns and songs for the new millennium. NY: Kingston. Selah Publishing.
Winter, Miriam T. 1987. Women prayer. Women song. Resources for ritual. CT: Hartford. Meyer Stone Books.
Web sites:
UUA Worship Web. MA: Boston. UUA. < www.uua.org/spirituallife/worshipweb/>