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
25 March 2007. Lent 5. (Purple).
10.30am. Contemporary liturgical worship
An Autumn/Harvest reflection
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 struck three times
This day we shall let
the hills embrace us,
the trees comfort us,
and the sun enlighten our minds.
This day we shall let the sap rise within us
and dance the music of the Cosmos. Adpated/W L Wallace/wb
Let us celebrate the richness and diversity of life
in the presentness of God.
Lighting of the Community candle
A candle is lit
Hymn The people stand as they are able, to sing
“God gives the song” (Tune: Kingsfold’ 86 86D, 262 TiS) 20 TMT
God gives the song which we shall sing
Of freedom for us all
To leave behind our guilt and fears
And break our narrowness
Refrain:
Come share your tears of joy with me.
Dance like the Autumn leaves;
Life is for loving, joy and fun,
God is the lively one.
God gives the song which we shall sing
Of laughter for us all
Of twinkling eyes replacing frowns
And structures freed by clowns.
Refrain:
God gives the song which we shall sing
Of justice for us all
Of sharing with the hungry poor
What they should own by right.
Refrain:
Remain standing
Opening sentences
In hope, in longing
All We're glad to come together.
In trust, in community
All We're glad to come together.
In many moods, in many shapes and sizes
All We're glad to come together.
In peace, in joy
All We're glad to come together.
In solidarity with those who struggle
All We're glad to come together.
In resistance to those who dominate
All We're glad to come together.
In memory of Jesus, who lived with compassion
All We're glad to come together.
In assurance that we belong here
All We're glad to come together
this Lenten season. (Nelson-Pallmeyer/wsj)
Prayer of awareness
We pray:
Remind us, O Spirit, that life is worth living.
Remind us, O Creator, that the struggle for justice
is worth undertaking.
Remind us, O Mercy, that love and action are one.
Amen. (Nelson-Pallmeyer/wsj)
Hymn (Cont) “God gives the song” (Tune: Kingsfold’ 86 86D, 262 TiS) 20 TMT
God gives the song which we shall sing
Of peace for everyone
Of quietness amid the noise
And love in place of war
Refrain:
Come share your tears of joy with me.
Dance like the Autumn leaves;
Life is for loving, joy and fun,
God is the lively one.
God gives the song which we shall sing
Of loving for us all
Of fragile dreams and constant care,
Acceptance, warmth and hope.
Refrain:
God gives the song which we shall sing
Of oneness for us all
To bind together all that lives
So all shall know their worth.
Refrain:
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
"The gift"
By Zam Walker. Timeless prayers for peace/114.
God grant us the gift of dreaming:
The dream of a world enjoying its extraordinary colour and beauty-
Not viewing life through tunnel-visioned, grey-tinted spectacles.
The dream of breadth and variety in glorious harmony -
Not definition through division, prejudice and ignorance.
The dream of acceptance and inclusion -
Not judgement and exclusion.
The dream of Your love and humour -
Not our idolatry and self-righteousness.
The dream of 'we might'-
Not 'we cannot'.
God give us the vision and imagination to dream
and enable us to make the dream a reality.
Centering silence
In this time of silence may we move
from busy-ness to quietness...
(Silence)
God of life
God of peace
God of wonders that will not cease...
Present with us now.
(Silence)
Music of reflection
EXPLORING
Readings from our religious tradition
Some readings from our broad religious tradition
shall now be offered.
Hebrew scriptures:
Psalm 126 (Francis Macnab)
• Though we never can predict what a new day will bring we will sustain our anticipation and bring to each day our best positive emotions.
Every day opens like an empty stage.
We have no idea what will happen.
We know that some days will mean sharing another's suffering
and supporting them in their sorrow.
And there will be days when we will confidently come alive with the
happiness we see
in the faces of adults and children around us.
We carry within us some marvellous seeds of healing and hope.
Each night it is possible to return to our door
with a sense of having done something good for people.
We have been given a vision of what life can be.
We are able to find a good purpose,
good health and a sense of well-being.
We can appreciate what life’s good emotions are for,
and that laughter, and happy spirits can create
a different atmosphere in the world.
So we begin each day with anticipation,
and we hope to end the day with joyful hearts,
knowing we have been generously blessed by God.
Our world around us:
“Autumn Meditation”
By Elizabeth Strong.
We know the leaves are dying.
We know that their blaze of beauty is a preparation for death.
It is a time when we appreciate the effort of nature
to rise above the ordinariness of life and death.
It is a time when we visibly comprehend glory and wonder.
We feel now that the air is cool and crisp.
We feel now a clearing from the skies
of the heaviness of the hazes of summer.
It is a time when we appreciate the crispness and sharpness
of the realities of life and death.
It is a time when we physically comprehend the relief
that clarity and insight can bring.
We hear now the dry rustle of plants and grasses.
We hear now a crackling from the earth
that tells of the withering of the fullness of life.
It is a time when we appreciate approaching rest from the frantic fullness.
It is a time when we hear a different voice within,
and know that life is settling down for a well deserved wintering.
Let it be so within each of our lives
as we prepare for an autumn in our own life cycle.
For we all need rest and respite
if we are to understand and appreciate
the rhythm of life in our soul.
Hymn “A prophet-woman…” (Tune: ‘Megerran’ 87 87D) 696 TiS
Gospel:
John 12:1-5, 7-8 (Scholars Version)
Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived.
There they gave a dinner for him.
Martha did the serving, and Lazarus was one of those who ate with him.
Mary brought in a pound of expensive lotion
and anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair.
And the house was filled with the lotion's fragrance.
Judas Iscariot, the disciple... says,
‘Why wasn't this lotion sold. It would bring a year's wages,
and the proceeds could have been given to the poor?’
‘Let her alone,’ Jesus said. ‘Let her keep it for the time I am to be embalmed.
There will always be poor around, but I won't always be around.’
Contemporary word
Silence for personal reflection
AFFIRMING
Affirmation of faith
In response to the word reflected on
let us stand and share together an affirmation of faith.
The people stand as they are able
v1 May our time together renew our hope.
All May the stories we share refresh our courage.
v2 May the songs we sing lift our spirits.
All May the words we speak invigorate us.
v1 May the touch of hands,
the sound of laughter,
the sight of faces new and familiar,
All restore us in faith. Calvin O. Dame
The peace
We enter as strangers. We leave as friends.
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
“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.
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 our heart is in a holy place.
The people sit
The offering Offerings are presented
Let us bring our offerings, symbols of our ministry
in this place and beyond.
The presentation The people stand as the gifts are brought forward
We pray:
God of splendour, your goodness sustains us,
and your graciousness gives us hope.
Use us and these gifts to further your way
of love, hope, and justice.
Amen.
Offerings placed on the table.
Care candle
We are people of all ages who enter this space
bringing our joys and concerns.
Joys and concerns shared.
The Care candle is lit
Prayers
Pastoral
Lord's Prayer
You are invited to pray in the spirit of the Lord's Prayer in your original language, as that is appropriate.
All Life-Giver, Pain-Bearer, Love-Maker.
Source of all that is and that shall be.
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echoes through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed
by all peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done
by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom
sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
now and forever. Amen. (UIW2)
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 our time and place
After the sun of Summer has done its work, people gather in
threshing fields,
vineyards,
orchards and
home vegetable gardens,
to celebrate their reward.
This morning, we have been reflecting on Autumn, the season reward.
And witness its celebration in the gradual
changing colours of the leaves.
Leaves are brought forward
But let us also remember the earth and our attachment to it.
Traditional harvest festivals originated among simple people
who lived close to the soil.
The seeds entrusted to Mother Earth in the Spring
have been watched, watered and weeded
until the time of harvest is at hand...
Over the decades this season has been universally celebrated.
The area around present day Canberra,
especially out Pialligo way and along the Molonglo River,
was the orchard belt, especially of the apple.
So let us then give thanks for the rewards of this season,
by honouring one of the fruits of our own area:
the apple.
Children bring forward apples.
Pieces of apple distributed throughout the congregation. Enjoy!
SCATTERING
Hymn The people stand as they are able, to sing
“Praise God for the harvest” (Tune: ‘St Denio’, 11 11 11 11, 143 TiS)
Praise God for the harvest of orchard and field,
praise God for the people who gather their yield,
the long hours of labour, the skills of a team,
the patience of science, the power of machine.
Praise God for the harvest that comes from afar,
from market and harbour, the sea and the shore:
foods packed and transported, and gathered and grown
by God-given neighbours, unseen and unknown.
Praise God for the harvest that's quarried and mined,
then sifted, and smelted, or shaped and refined:
for oil and for iron, for copper and coal,
praise God, who in love has provided them all.
Words of mission
The God we worship is never confined to this holy place.
So go and travel with the God
who is found in ordinary and surprising places.
The candle is extinguished
Go in faith, for there is God
riding in the light on the water,
singing in the songs of the birds,
sitting in the midst of the feasts of life.
All We go in faith to live in joyous freedom,
to play in the creation,
and to drink deeply of the gracious cup of life. D McRae-McMahon/bst
Blessing words
As a kookaburra gently settles on the tree, receive the gift of peace.
As a flame rises with light and warmth, receive the gift of life.
As the wind moves and dances round the earth,
receive the gracious gift of the Spirit. Alt/Dorothy Stewart/wb
All Amen.
Hymn (Cont.) “Praise God for the harvest” (Tune: ‘St Denio’, 11 11 11 11, 143 TiS)
Praise God for the harvest of science and skill,
the urge to discover, create and fulfil:
for dreams and inventions that promise to gain
a future more hopeful, a world more humane.
Praise God for the harvest of mercy and love
from leaders and peoples who struggle and serve
for patience and kindness, that all may be led
to freedom and justice, and all may be fed. Brian Wren © Stainer & Bell Ltd
The people sit after the hymn
'This week' at St James
Notices
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:
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. Timeless prayers for peace. Voices together from around the world. Gt. Britain: Norwich. The Canterbury Press.
Duncan, G. (ed). 2000. A world of blessing. Benedictions from every continent and many cultures. Gt. Britain: Norwich. The Canterbury Press.
Funk, R. W; R. W. Hoover. 1993. The five gospels. The search for the authentic words of Jesus. NY: New York. MacMillan Press.
Iona Community. 2001. Iona abbey worship book. Scotland: Glasgow. Wild Goose Publications.
McRae-McMahon, D. 1996. The glory of blood, sweat and tears. Liturgies for living and dying. VIC: Melbourne. JBCE.
Macnab, F. 2006. A fine wind is blowing: Psalms of the bible in words that blow you away. VIC: Richmond. Spectrum Publications.
Macnab, F. 1996. Hope: The deeper longings of the mind and heart. VIC: Richmond. Spectrum Publications.
Mitchell, R. C; G. A. Ricciuti. 1992. Birthings and blessings. Liberating worship services for the inclusive church. NY: New York. Crossroads.
Nelson-Pallmeyer, J; B. Hesle. 2005. Worship in the spirit of Jesus. Theology, liturgy, and songs without violence. OH: Cleveland. The Pilgrin Press.
Singing the journey. 2005. MA: Boston. UUA.
Together in song. Australian hymn book 2. 1999. NSW: Sydney. HarperCollins Religious.
Uniting in Worship 2. Leader’s Book. 2006. VIC: Melbourne. HarperCollins.
Wallace, W. L. 2001. The mystery telling. Hymns and songs for the new millennium. NY: Kingston. Selah Publishing.
Web sites:
UUA Worship Web. MA: Boston. UUA.
Stainer & Bell Ltd. Web site: hymns.uk.com