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
4 February 2007. Epiphany 5C. (Green).
10.30am. Contemporary liturgical worship
Celebrating community: Sacrament of Holy Communion
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 celebration
The gong is sounded three times
We gather here to celebrate life's beauty
and find healing for its pain;
to honour our kinship with each other and with the earth;
to create a more compassionate world,
beginning with ourselves. Gary Kowalski
Let us celebrate the richness and diversity of life in the presentness of God.
Lighting of Community candle
A candle is lit
For gathering today in this sacred space, we light this flame.
For the opportunity to be together as a community,
to remember the past,
to claim our future,
to be alive in our present,
we light this flame. (Adapted/Dillman Sorrells)
Hymn The people stand as they are able, to sing
"I am that great and fiery force" (Tune: 'Duke St' 88 88. 439 TiS) 27 SLT
I am that great and fiery force
sparkling in every thing that lives;
in shining of the river's course,
in greening grass that glory gives.
I shine in glitter on the seas,
in burning sun, in moon and stars.
In unseen wind, in verdant trees
I breathe within, both near and far.
And where I breathe there is no death,
and meadows glow with beauties rife.
I am in all, the spirit's breath,
the thundered word, for I am Life. Hildegard of Bingen, 12th Cent.
Remain standing
Opening sentences
Empowering God, when the road ahead looms endless,
All empower us to be companions
for one another along the road.
Inspiring God, when the road forward is blocked,
All inspire in us creative responses
that move us beyond the barriers.
Enabling God, when the road before us divides,
All enable us to feel your presence luring us on.
Prayer of awareness
We pray:
Dear God,
help us to feel ourselves as integral parts
of your continuing growth of meaning
throughout the universe.
Bind us in kinship to all that is.
Amen.
Hymn “Spirit who broods” (Tune: 'Song to the spirit') 126 AA
Spirit who broods,
Spirit who sings,
mothering bird,
peace in your wings,
Refrain
Come from within,
come make us one,
come and renew
the face of the earth.
Spirit of truth,
laser and light
searching the path,
seeking the right,
Refrain
Spirit of love
larger than law,
quick to forgive,
keeping no score,
Refrain
Spirit of hope
never subdued,
Spirit of God,
Spirit of Good,
Refrain © Shirley Murray
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
Meditation
"Lord of this day"
By Corrymeela Community. Entertaining angles/161.
Centering silence
Let us claim some silence
in the midst of the busyness of our lives.
(Silence)
May we look with gratitude upon this day,
for the beauty of the world,
for the first radiance of dawn
and the last smoldering glow of sunset.
And for the countless other blessings present in our lives,
let us be grateful. (Adapted/M R. Leduc)
(Silence)
Music of reflection
EXPLORING
Reading from our religious tradition
A reading from our religious tradition
shall now be read.
Our reader is Stephen Parr.
Gospel:
Luke 5: 1-11 (Inclusive Text)
Jesus was standing one day by the Lake of Gennesaret,
with the crowd pressing round,
listening to the word of God,
when he caught sight of two boats close to the bank.
The fishers had gone out on them and were washing their nets
Jesus got into one of the boats - it was Simon's - and asked Simon
to put out a little way from the shore.
Then Jesus sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
When Jesus had finished speaking he said to Simon,
'Put out into the deep water
and pay out your nets for a catch.'
'Teacher', Simon replied, 'we worked hard all night long
and caught nothing, but if you say so,
I will pay out the nets.'
And when they had done this
they netted such a large number of fish
their nets were beginning to tear,
so they signaled to their companions in the other boat
to come and help them.
When these came, they filled the two boats to sinking point.
Seeing this Simon Peter fell at the knees of Jesus saying,
'Leave me, for I am a sinful.'
For Simon and all the companions were completely overcome
by the catch they had made.
So also were James and John, sons of Zebedee,
who were Simon's partners.
But Jesus said to Simon,
'Do not be afraid; from now on it is people you will be catch.'
Then, bringing their boats back to land,
they left everything and followed Jesus.
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
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/John Shea)
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.
The peace of God is here... to stay.
All Thanks be to God.
You are invited to share the peace with your neighbours.
CELEBRATING
Hymn of the Month The people stand as they are able, to sing
“Perfect singer” (Tune: ‘Catherine’, 77 77. 622 TiS) 332 SLT
Perfect Singer, songs of earth
rise on every field and hearth;
let our voices sound again
ancient songs of joy and pain.
All your creatures strive for life
suffer hurt in angry strife,
seek compassion, find release
in the covenant of peace.
Sing a sacred melody
for the justice that shall be;
let our harmonies resolve
dissonance in steadfast love.
Steadfast Seeker, find our song
woven into lives made strong;
let the patterns of surprise
kindle hope with each sunrise. G K Beach
The people sit
Care candle
Joys and concerns
The Care candle is lit
Prayers
Pastoral
Lord's Prayer
You are invited to pray the Lord's Prayer in your original language, as that is appropriate.
All Loving God, within and around us, we revere you.
We seek to live life as you would want us to do:
with love and respect for all people
and all things in the universe.
May we find each day sufficient for our needs.
And find forgiveness when we do wrong,
just as we forgive those who do wrong to us.
In times of trouble, may we centre our lives in you.
For your being is love,
which comes with strength and with beauty.
Throughout eternity.
Amen. Margaret Rolfe.
The offering Offerings/brea & wine are presented
Let us bring our offerings and gifts of bread and wine
as symbols of our ministry in this place.
The presentation The people stand as the gifts are brought forward
We pray:
May your blessing, O 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.
Amen.
Offerings/gifts placed on the table.
CELEBRATING COMMUNITY: SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION
Invitation
In all the colours and scents and sounds of the world,
In all growing things,
In all creatures and people and their joy,
In the chorus of suns and planets and stars,
We would see God's signature
as the beauty of things. (Adapted/Jacob Trapp)
Thanksgiving
God of the summer’s day,
All Praise and wonder be.
God of the lingering sunset and early dawn,
All Praise and wonder be.
God of the hot north wind and the refreshing shower,
God of the shady tree and the cool water bag,
God of the ripening harvest and sparkling sea,
All Praise and wonder be.
The people sit
We gather together
conscious that raising our hearts and minds
is a gift of the Spirit of Life at work
in the depths of our being.
All For the presence of that Spirit in us, we give thanks.
We gather together
conscious that our prayer
gives the Spirit a way of breaking into word and song
unique in all the universe.
All For the words and songs within each of us, we give thanks.
We gather together
mindful of men and women
throughout human history
who allowed the Spirit of Life
to work in them
for the betterment of our world and humanity.
All For their lives and their inspiration, we give thanks.
And so we offer our thanks and praise
inviting the Spirit of Life, Love and Goodness
to move freely in our words and actions.
All Holy, holy, holy, celebrating 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.
Jesus is the story we gather around and give thanks for.
Human like us, he discerned where this Spirit of Life is found:
in the everyday,
in human interaction,
in caring,
in sharing,
in being neighbour.
He urged people to work together
to establish the 'reign of God'
by wholehearted generosity,
by eliminating boundaries between people,
by trust in the goodness of people,
and by working for peace and justice
in all human endeavours.
All We remember his total commitment
to living fully and loving totally
and his faith in a God to be trusted
whatever twists life could take
in this imperfect world (Adapted/M Morwood)
We also remember the tradition...
On the night before he died
Jesus again shared a meal with his friends.
Through grain and grape, bread and wine,
and in fellowship together,
Jesus spoke of his enduring love for each of them.
Hymn (unannounced, people to remain seated)
“Crowded table, urgent faces” (Tune: ‘Maria’s Tune’ 87 87D. 420 TiS)
Crowded table, urgent faces,
people longing for the bread,
bread of life and bread for living,
bread for rising from the dead;
Young and old, both men and women,
those for whom this life is hard,
those who live in warmth and comfort,
those whose life is stained or tarred;
All are welcome, wise or foolish,
at this table all are fed,
sharing wine in celebration,
eating Christ’s communion bread.
Then in costly life and giving
we will share what we receive,
demonstrate in daily living
all that we affirm, believe. (© Andrew Pratt 2005)
Breaking of bread/Pouring of wine
Bread is broken and wine is poured during the singing of the hymn
Communion
Everyone is welcome to be here.
All In this way, we lift up a world of generosity,
where all people live with respect and dignity. (J Nelson-Pallmeyer)
Bread and wine served by intinction, continuous line
After communion
Jesus taught us these truths:
The world is filled with good things:
All may we all share in them equally.
Sufficiency is the key to abundant life:
All help yourself and pass it along.
Food is the gift of the Generous Spirit:
All thanks be to the Giver. (J Nelson-Pallmeyer)
SCATTERING
Hymn The people stand as they are able, to sing
“As a chalice cast in gold" (Tune: 'Inward light', 77 77 77) 476 (v1-2) TiS
Words of mission
Time has now come for us to leave this sacred place.
As we do, may we embrace the challenges
of our lives and our world...
The candle is extinguished
Do not try to exceed your commission.
Life is too short for grand gestures
followed by self pity in the hour of failure.
Go out to serve Christ without anxiety.
Do what you can.
Entrust to others what you must.
And dedicate both your successes and your failures
to the greater glory of God.
All We are better than conquerors
through the Christ who loves us. (© Bruce Prewer)
Blessing words
May God the heart of life be deep within us,
God the Christ be present in our history,
and God the Spirit give us power, truth and peace.
All Amen.
Hymn (Cont.) “As a chalice cast in gold" (Tune: 'Inward light', 77 77 77) 476 (v3-4) TiS The people sit after the hymn
'This week' at St James
Birthdays
Anniversaries
Significant events
Journeys
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.
The contemporary hymns used in this liturgy,
in addition to those from Together in Song,
are reproduced with permission under license #A1197.
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.
Burgess, R. 2001. A book of blessings. Scotland: Glasgow. Wild Goose Publications.
Duncan, G. (ed). 2005. Entertaining angels. A worship anthology on sharing Christ’s hospitality. Gt. Britain: Norwich. The Canterbury Press.
Inclusive readings. Year C. 2006. Qld: Brisbane. Inclusive Language Project. In private circulation.
Iona Community. 2001. Iona abbey worship book. Scotland: Glasgow. Wild Goose Publications.
Macnab, F. 1996. Hope: The deeper longings of the mind and heart. VIC: Richmond. Spectrum Publications.
Morwood, M. 2003. Praying a new story. VIC: Richmond. Spectrum Publications.
Nelson-Pallmeyer, J; B. Hesle. 2005. Worship in the spirit of Jesus. Theology, liturgy, and songs without violence. OH: Cleveland. The Pilgrin Press.
Shea, J. 1977. The hour of the unexpected. TX: Allen. Argus Communications.
Singing the living tradition. 1993. MA: Boston. UUA.
Together in song. Australian hymn book 2. 1999. NSW: Sydney. HarperCollins Religious.
Withrow, L. 1995. Seasons of prayer. Resources for worship. Gt. Britain: London. SPCK.
Web sites:
UUA Worship Web. MA: Boston. UUA.
Bruce Prewer Web Site. VIC: Bendigo.
Andrew Pratt Web site. UK.