The Uniting Church of St James
Curtin, ACT
Minister-in-Placement: Revd Rex A E Hunt, MSc(Hons), GradDipCommMgt
www.rexaehuntprogressive.com
LITURGY FOR THE
CELEBRATION OF LIFE
3 June 2007. Trinity C. (White).
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
Music
Entry into worship
The gong is sounded three times
v2 'Today is a day the Lord has made', says an old religious writer,
'let us therefore rejoice and be glad in it'.
v1 It is indeed! It is also good to be together again!
For it is a sacred time, this.
And a sacred place, this.
So let us celebrate the richness and diversity of life
in the presentness of God.
Lighting of community candle
The candle is lit
We light this flame to honour our past.
We light this flame to endorse our present.
We light this flame to symbolise our future.
Hymn The people stand as they are able, to sing
“The silent stars” (Tune: ‘Surrey’, 88 88 88, 426 TiS) 7 RP
The silent stars, the turning globe,
the rivers rushing to the sea;
the certain rising of the sun,
all witness to God's sovereignty;
yet human values shift and drift.
God's wisdom is the greater gift.
Our human toil is wearisome,
while those who die are lost to mind.
Our great endeavours turn to dust,
there's nothing new for us to find.
We chase for rainbows through the rain
and own a deeper loss than gain.
Then what remains for us to do,
what satisfying task or scheme
will fill this endless stream of days,
will help us sound a greater theme?
God give us wisdom, knowledge, joy.
Plant hope that nothing can destroy. Andrew Pratt
Remain standing
Opening sentences
We live at mystery's edge
watching for a startling luminescence
or a word to guide us.
All In fragile occurrence the Holy One presents oneself
and we must pause...
Daily, there are glimmers, reflections of a seamless mercy
revealed in common intricacies.
All These circles of grace spill out around us
and announce that we are part of this mystery. Keri Wehlander
Prayer
We pray:
Holy One of many names,
whose presence we most often recognise
only in retrospect,
bless us this day.
Amen.
Hymn "Celebrate a new day dawning" (Tune: ‘Joyful joyful’, 152 TiS)
Celebrate a new day dawning,
sunrise of a golden morn;
Christ Sophia dwells among us,
glorious visions now are born,
Equal partners 'round the table,
we make dreams reality;
Calling out our gifts we nurture
hope beyond all we can see.
Christ Sophia lights the pathway
to a world of harmony;
Sister Brother love surrounds us,
nourishing our synergy.
Earth joins in our rich communion,
grateful for our healing care;
Leaping deer and soaring eagles,
all earth's fullness now can share.
Sing a song of jubilation,
dance with joyous revelry,
Clapping trees and laughing rivers
join our call to liberty.
Free at last to blossom fully,
flow'ring forth in beauty bright.
We become a new creation,
bursting open into light. Jann Aldredge-Clanton/ctl
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.
Meditation
“The one who brings life out of barrenness”
By John & Norma Brown Images of God/22.
Sarah, Rachel, Ruth, Elizabeth,
carried within them - nothing.
Women of worth,
women of faith,
empty, hopeful, hopeless.
Then God spoke, and barren wombs swelled with life.
Out of darkness new life sprang into the light of day.
Moans of lament became shouts of joy to God
who brings life out of death.
It is ever so.
God's promises of life come to us
in our barrenness
and our deaths,
calling us to a faith that waits in hope
that acts on God's promises
that empowers with love for the world…
faith in the one who rolled away the stone
and released into the world eternal life.
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
Let us now listen to some ‘wisdom’ reflections from our religious tradition.
Hebrew scriptures:
Proverbs 8:22-23, 27-31 (Inclusive Text)
The Wisdom of God cries aloud:
You, my God, created me when your purpose first unfolded,
before the oldest of your works.
From everlasting I was firmly set,
from the beginning,
before earth came into being…
When you fixed the heavens firm, I was there;
when you drew a ring on the surface of the deep;
when you thickened the clouds above;
when you assigned the sea its boundaries… and
when you laid down the foundations of the earth,
I was by your side,
a unique craftswoman,
delighting you day after day…
delighting to be among the human family.
Gospel:
John 16: 12-15 (Inclusive Text)
Jesus said to the disciples:
'I still have many things to say to you but they would be too much for you now.
‘But when the Spirit of truth comes
she will lead you to the complete truth,
since the Spirit will not be speaking as from herself
but will say only what has been learnt;
and she will tell you of the things to come.
‘She will glorify me since all she tells you will be taken from what is mine.
‘Everything the Father has is mine; that is why I said:
All she tells you will be taken from what is mine.'
Contemporary word
Silence for personal reflection
AFFIRMING
A celebration of faith
In response to the word reflected on, let us stand
and share a celebration of faith.
The people stand
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/RAEH from John Shea)
The peace
Let us then 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.
Hymn of the Month
“Where the love of God” (Tune: ‘Reconciliation’) 76 FFS
Where the love of God is guiding,
there is now another way:
new awareness of compassion
learned from one another;
love, the face of God in Jesus,
new creation's thrust,
love, transforming tears and terror
into health and trust.
Where the truth of God is driving,
there is now another way,
shining through our times' confusion,
sharp with revelation:
words that stifle sense or spirit
changed and redefined,
crosses raised to teach division
lowered, left behind.
Where the life on earth is cherished,
there is now another way,
where a child may grow in safety,
where there's peace and shelter,
when we hold the fragile planet
in our conscious care,
when we see again as sacred
all we are and share.
God will lead us on this mission,
God, the flightpath and the power,
lifting all who grasp the vision
into understanding:
so the heart and hope within us
set each other free,
where the love of God is guiding,
this shall come to be. Shirley Murray
CELEBRATING
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 this contemporary prayer in the spirit of the Lord's Prayer,
and in your original language, as that is appropriate
All O God, you love us like a good parent,
and are present in every aspect of our existence.
May your nature become known and respected by all.
May your joy, peace, wholeness and justice
be the reality for everyone
as we live by the Jesus Way.
Give us all that we really need to live every day for you.
And forgive us our failures as we forgive others for their failures.
Keep us from doing those things which are not of you,
and cause us always to be centred on your love
For you are the true reality in this our now,
and in all our future.
In the Jesus Way we pray. Amen. David Sorrill
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 our gifts of bread and wine, shall now be received.
Presentation The people stand, as they are able as the gifts are presented
We pray:
Eternal Presence of God expand and enhance our lives.
Let our gratitude for life be expressed in our generosity.
Let our faith be expressed in good causes.
Let our belief in the future find full expression
in our daily attitude of mind. F Macnab/fwb-adapted
Amen.
CELEBRATING COMMUNITY: SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION
Thanksgiving
God is the heart of life.
All And we are the heartbeat.
May your hearts be filled with thanks
and praise and songs of joy.
All We rejoice in the miracle of life
and delight in our participation. Sherri Weinberg
People sit
Holy Presence, the universe has been filled
with the dance of light and darkness.
We have walked in this Presence
since the beginning of our time on this planet,
seeking always for a closer relationship
in our understanding of you.
Great Earth Mother to whom we all belong,
Center of Darkness and Chaos,
Holy Sophia, Most Holy Womb, Source of all Being,
you are indeed the heart, we the heartbeat.
You are the Ocean, feeding us and all your creatures
with what we need to sustain life.
You are the Horn of Plenty, the stew pot that is always full,
the great Hand that holds us.
We remember the child, Jesus of Nazareth, son of the rebel, Mary.
He came among us to be
our teacher, our brother, our friend.
He shared food in joyful celebration
and showed others how to feast on
the abundant goodness of Eden
around and within us,
where divisions cease and all creation is one.
On the night before he was arrested, so our tradition says,
Jesus took bread and broke it,
and passed it to his friends gathered there.
v2 Remember me when you break bread.
And he did the same with the cup after supper.
v2 Remember all I have been to you
when you pour out wine.
May we remember Jesus in this bread and this wine.
May we celebrate in this feast our own embodiment
which unites us with the cycles of earth and moon.
May we receive these gifts with reverence and awe. (soFFFia community/adapted)
Bread and Wine
Bread is broken. A cup of wine is filled.
Ancient symbols. Common acts.
Communion
So we share bread and drink wine,
pledging ourselves to allow the spirit
that moved in Jesus
to move freely in our lives, too.
The bread and wine is served in the pews
After Communion
We have been fed with bread and wine for the journey.
Let us now in turn feed those who hunger in
body, mind and spirit,
the lost and lonely,
and all our fellow creatures who need our care.
SCATTERING
Hymn The people stand as they are able, to sing
“O threefold God” (Tune: ‘Unity’) 110 AA
O threefold God of tender unity,
life’s great unknown that binds and sets us free:
felt in our loving, greater than our thought,
you are the mystery found, the mystery sought.
O blaze of radiance, source of light that blinds,
the fiery splendour of prophetic minds,
you live in mystery, yet within us dwell;
life springs from you as from a living well.
Most loving Parent, Child of joys and pains,
creative Spirit, life-force that sustains,
in bone and flesh, in blood we touch your hand,
your face we see in water, air and land.
Remain standing
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 community 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/xx
Blessing words
May the mystery of God be found along the road.
The wonder of the costly love of Jesus embrace you.
And the Spirit bless and keep you, always.
All Amen.
Hymn (Cont.) “O threefold God” (Tune: ‘Unity’) 110 AA
In every making, each creative dream
and in the flowing of life’s healing stream,
when love is born or people reconciled,
we share your life, O Parent, Spirit, Child.
O threefold God of tender unity,
life’s great unknown that binds and sets us free:
felt in our loving, greater than our thought,
you are the mystery found, the mystery sought. Bill Wallace
The people sit after the hymn
'This week' at St James
Notices
Birthdays and anniversaries
Significant events
Journey candles
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.
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). 2002. Courage to love. An anthology of inclusive worship material. Gt. Britain: Norwich. The Canterbury Press.
Faith forever singing. Songs for a new day. 2000. NZ: Raumati. New Zealand Hymnbook Trust.
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. 2006. A fine wind is blowing: Psalms of the bible in words that blow you away. VIC: Richmond. Spectrum Publications.
Mission Prayer Handbook: Images of God. 1991. NSW: Sydney. National Assembly, Uniting Church in Australia.
Pratt, A. 2006. Reclaiming praise. Hymns from a spiritual journey. GtB: London. Stainer & Bell Ltd.
Seaburg, C. (ed). 1993. The communion book. MA: Boston. UUMA.
Shea, J. 1977. The hour of the unexpected. TX: Allen. Argus Communications.
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.
Sherri Weinberg. St Paul's Presbyterian Church. NZ: Devonport.
FaithFutures Foundation, (soFFFia community).