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
14 October 2007. Pentecost 20C. (Green).
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
Jesus calls us to an inclusive community.
Yet he promises no greatness and no soft beds.
He calls us only to follow.
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
"Come, O God, of all the earth" (Tune: 'Sing out') 181 (v1-3) TiS
Remain standing
Opening sentences
Come God
Come walk with your people
for you alone are our strength and glory.
All And we put our trust in you.
Come God
Come walk behind us, beside us, before us
for you alone are our shelter and direction.
All And we put our trust in you.
Come God
We know you are near
the sound of your footsteps sets us dancing.
All Help us to praise and worship you.
Prayer of awareness
We pray:
God, source of life, may we be blessed with your presentness.
Each day may we be transformed so we become
more human, more friendly
towards our neighbour and all of creation.
Amen.
Hymn “Joyful, joyful we adore you” 152 TiS
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.
Reflection
“Robust spirit”
By Bruce Prewer. More Australian prayers/53
O robust Spirit!
Enemy of sentimental delusions!
Come with your cyclonic love
and blow away our tents,
so that we may once more
look upon the midnight stars
and shiver with wonder
at your love for us
who love each other selectively
and worship you but fitfully.
O robust Spirit!
Friend of pilgrims and cross-bearers!
Toughen us for the journey
that awaits the pure in heart.
Music of celebration
Silence
In the moment of silence which we now share, may each speak a personal prayer...
Whether to seek forgiveness
To renew strength to do rightly
To commend a loved one to God
Or to quest for a greater knowledge of the spirit.
Let us gather together in the silence of this place,
which now we make holy
by our every act of worship. Bob Holmes/adapted
(Silence)
EXPLORING
Reading from our religious tradition
A story from our religious tradition shall be read by (NN).
Gospel:
Luke 17:11-19 (Inclusive Text)
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus travelled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.
As Jesus entered one of the villages, ten lepers came to meet him.
They stood some way off and called,
'Jesus! Take pity on us.'
When Jesus saw them he said,
'Go and show yourselves to the priests.'
Now as they were going away they were cleansed.
One of them, realising what had happened,
came back praising God in a loud voice.
The healed person fell down at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
This one was a Samaritan.
This made Jesus say,
'Were not all ten made clean? The other nine, where are they?
It seems that no one has come back to give praise to God,
except this foreigner.'
And Jesus said,
'Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.'
Contemporary word
Silence for personal reflection
CELEBRATING
A celebration of faith
In response to the word reflected on,
let us join together in a celebration of faith.
The people stand
The people of God have a human face.
All We laugh, we weep, we wait in hope.
We lift our eyes
All and stub our toes,
we love,
All and struggle,
we fail,
All we stand and always we stand on trembling ground.
But God is God
and Jesus is the Christ
and the Spirit will lift up our feet.
All God is in the centre,
God is at our endings.
Nothing lies beyond the love of God in Christ. (Pitt St. Uniting/eoj)
The peace
God makes peace within us. Let us claim it.
God makes peace between us. Let us share it.
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
“Maker of mystery” (Tune: By Colin Gibson) 47 FFS
Maker of mystery,
dreamer of what will be,
well-spring and fertile ground of all our growing:
tending the buried seed,
foreseeing every need,
you draw us into life beyond our knowing.
Christ, strong and living vine,
spreading through space and time,
deep rooted in the love of God our mother:
dying, you live and share
your strength with us, to bear
ripe fruit in season for the life of others.
Wild Spirit, springing green,
coiled in the depths unseen,
promise of fruit within the seed maturing:
new life, you grow and swell,
burst from the outgrown shell,
hundredfold yield in every age ensuring.
Living and loving God,
sing in the pulse of our blood,
help us to know you in your own creation,
love you, the life of all,
serve you and hear your call
from our first forming to our full salvation. Marnie Barrell
AFFIRMING
Offerings
Our offerings shall now be received.
Presentation The people stand, as they are able as the gifts are presented
We pray:
Gracious God, we are grateful that we have
so much to give and so much yet to learn.
We dedicate our offerings so we and our neighbours
may be equipped for life in your realm.
Amen.
People sit
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 this contemporary prayer in the spirit of the Lord's Prayer,
and in your original language, as that is appropriate
All Most compassionate Life-giver,
may we honour and praise you:
may we work with you to establish
your new order of justice, peace and love.
Give us what we need for growth,
and help us, through forgiving others, to accept forgiveness.
Strengthen us in the time of testing,
that we may resist all evil.
For all the tenderness, strength and love are yours,
now and forever. Amen. (Bill Wallace)
SCATTERING
Hymn The people stand as they are able, to sing
“It all depends” (Tune: Te Horo) 39 FFS
It all depends on where I'm going
if I reach my anywhere,
but this I'm surely, surely knowing,
that I'll never leave God's care;
it all depends on when I'm travelling,
maybe now or maybe then,
but the Son of God will lead me
through each where and why and when.
It all depends on how I'm choosing
for the life that is in me,
but I will never lose the hand of Christ,
the one who walks with me;
if I stumble or I falter
he will steady me once more,
for there is no darkest pathway
that we cannot both explore.
Remain standing
Words of mission
The presentness of God reaches beyond this place...
The community candle is extinguished
Be assured that God’s presence goes with us.
All We face the world with renewed faith and hope.
Let your hearts burn within you
as you dare to trust.
All God’s love is real and alive within us.
Live in gratitude each and every day;
All We will love sincerely and live confidently.
Blessing words
Go as far as your courage takes you,
for you cannot go beyond the reach of God.
Give as extravagantly as you may,
for you cannot spend all the riches of God.
Care as lavishly as you are able,
for you cannot exhaust the love of God.
Keep journeying as a servant,
for God will always be with you. (Brian Hughes)
All Amen!
Hymn (Cont) “It all depends” (Tune: Te Horo) 39 FFS
It all depends on who comes with me
if I break or if I bend,
but this I'm surely, surely knowing,
God will be there at the end
in the laughter and the sadness,
in the pleasure or the pain,
by my side and all about me
God's own Spirit will remain. Colin Gibson
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,
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:
Faith forever singing. Songs for a new day. 2000. NZ: Raumati. New Zealand Hymnbook Trust.
Holmes, R. H. 1972. The Bob Holmes worship materials. Vol 1. NY: Little Falls. Self published.
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.
McRae-McMahon, D. 1993. Echoes of our journey. Liturgies of the people. VIC: Melbourne. JBCE.
Macnab, F. 1996. Hope: The deeper longings of the mind and heart. VIC: Richmond. Spectrum Publications.
Prewer, B. D. 1996. More Australian psalms. SA: Adelaide. OpenBook Publishers.
The St Hilda Community. 1996. The new women included. A book of services and prayers. Gt. Britain: London. SPCK.
Together in song. Australian hymn book 2. 1999. NSW: Sydney. HarperCollins Religious.
Web sites:
UUA Worship Web. MA: Boston. UUA.