Details on the availability of my books, supporting progressive religious thought, HERE
Suggestion: ’Refresh’ each page before reading to make sure to get my latest edition
‘The Other Lectionary’ - a suggested ‘southern hemisphere’ Lectionary (with a few Resources added) offered in parallel to,
or even replacement of, the RCL which is in standard use by many.
A GATHERING LITURGY FOR THE
CELEBRATION OF LIFE
“Landscape is an incredible, mystical teacher, and when you begin to tune into its sacred presence,
something shifts inside you”
23 April 2023 Easter 3A (White)
Earth Day
"Humanity is part of a vast evolving universe. Earth, our home, is alive with a unique community of life.
The forces of nature make existence a demanding and uncertain adventure,
but Earth has provided the conditions essential to life’s evolution”
(Earth Charter)
Acknowledgement of Country/First Peoples
(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 of the (NN) Nation, past, present, emerging
and their stewardship of this land throughout the ages.
First Peoples Statement to the Nation 2017 called “Uluru Statement from the Heart” HERE
A Response from Common Dreams5 Conference of Religious Progressives,
Australia/South Pacific 2019 HERE
And we recognise and give thanks that we humans
are creatures of the Earth living in the ecosystem
—flowers, trees and insects; land, waters and mountain range—
that is unique to (NN).
May we honour one another and honour life itself.
(NN) is a safe place for all people to worship regardless of
race, creed, age, cultural background or sexual orientation
GATHERING
Rich and Striking Visuals
“The function of beauty… is to make us aware of a reality which is richer and deeper and more marvellous than anything we can dream or conceive.” (Henry N. Wieman)
Multi-sensory artwork OR Floral/Symbols display (cloths, candles, stones, wood, leaves, flowers, earth, water) OR projection of Film/Video
Gathering Music
Entry into the Celebration
The gong is sounded three times
What life have we, if we have not life together?
There is no life not lived in community,
and no community not lived
in celebration and praise! (CAHowe)
So let us celebrate the richness and diversity of life.
Lighting of the Community Candle
The Community Candle is lit
We light this candle to celebrate
the inherent worth and dignity of every person
and to share that love which is ultimately
beyond even our cherished reason,
that love which unites us. (Adapted/SStock)
Note: (i) A suggested process for introducing new hymns, called Hymn of the Month, can be found HERE
(ii) Additional Special Purpose Hymns that cover major international events or themes can be found HERE They include these categories: 1. Bush (Brush) Fire, 2. Tsunami, Storms/Cyclones, 3. Earthquakes, 4. War/Remembrance, 5. Caregiving, 6. God as Mother, 7. Human Trafficking, 8. Disabled, 9. Migration/Refugees, 10. Terrorist Attacks, 11. Science/Cosmology
(iii) Specific resources on Terrorism HERE
(iv) On Wonder, Awe, and Nature HERE
Hymn/Song People stand as they are able, to sing
“In the Sprouting of the Seed” (Tune: ‘Vitality’) 31 BL
In the sprout of the seed,
In the fruiting of the flow’r
We celebrate new life,
And live the Easter faith.
In our nurture of the earth,
In our love of sea and sky
We celebrate new life,
And live the Easter faith.
In the wonder of a birth,
In the laughter of a child,
We celebrate new life,
And live the Easter faith.
In the richness of the poor,
In the freedom of the bound,
We celebrate new life
And live the Easter faith.
In the dawning of new hope,
In the empow’rment for the weak,
We celebrate new life
And live the Easter faith.
In the owning of our worth,
In the caring of ourselves,
We celebrate new life
And live the Easter faith.
Through the weeping that brings health,
Through the vision that inspires,
We celebrate new life
And live the Easter faith.
In the linking with the past,
In the presence of the dead,
We celebrate new life
And live the Easter faith.
In our joining life's great dance,
With God's lightness and God's fun,
We celebrate new life
And live the Easter faith.
In the passion of Christ's love,
In the stillness of Christ's peace,
We celebrate new life
And live the Easter faith.
In Christ's rising from the dead,
In his bursting from the tomb,
We celebrate new life
And live the Easter faith. (William L Wallace/Boundless Life)
From the author: Please choose which verses are appropriate for the occasion; but usually including verse 11
OR
“In The Midst Of All Our Living” (Tune: ‘Nettleton’, 87 87D) 2 SiF
In the midst of every blessing
may my heart be filled with grace.
Streams of goodness, ever flowing
call for songs of highest praise.
May my words be filled with gratitude;
may my glad heart humble be.
As a holder of a blessing
May I share it gratefully.
In the midst of every trial
may my heart be filled with grace.
Streams of comfort, ever flowing
call for songs of highest praise.
May I find the strength within me;
may I sense it everywhere.
As I face what must be handled
may I find truth I can share.
In the midst of all our living
may our hearts be filled with grace.
Streams of goodness ever flowing
call for songs of highest praise.
May we seek and find encouragement;
may our choices worthy be.
As we journey on together,
may we know integrity. (Words © Scott Kearns 2008, inspired by those of Robert Robinson, 1758)
OR
If in Northern Hemisphere:
"Light and Love Abound Today” (Tune: ‘Easter Hymn’, 77 77 with alleluias)
Light and love abound today! Hallelujah!
Joyful hope is here to stay! Hallelujah!
Wisdom dwells in every heart! Hallelujah!
Justice now must play a part! Hallelujah!
Spring’s first glimpse of all that’s new! Hallelujah!
Greens will sprout in every hue! Hallelujah!
Signs that life will persevere! Hallelujah!
Needed hope throughout the year! Hallelujah!
In earth’s beauty we find peace! Hallelujah!
Gratitude and hope increase! Hallelujah!
Pure delight is ours to share! Hallelujah!
Love and new life everywhere! Hallelujah!
(Words: 1, 3: Ian Harrison, Emily Kierstead, Lloyd MacLean, Barb Bell and Sandi MacLellan ; 2: Christopher New)
Remain standing after the hymn
Opening Sentences
Let us reverence Life with our eyes, ears and fingertips.
All Let us love the world through heart and mind and body.
We feed our eyes upon the mystery in the faces
of our sisters and brothers and sisters,
of mothers and fathers, and children everywhere.
All Let us be open to our full and emerging humanity.
We gather, not in bowing down, not with closed eyes
and stopped ears, but with the opening
of all windows of our beings,
with the full outstretching of our spirits.
All Let us gather in meditation and singing, as those
who have fallen in love with life. (Adapted.Kenneth L Patton/sscl)
Words of Awareness
We are born to make manifest
the glory of the Sacred that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us;
it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others. (Adapt.Marianne Williamson/ep)
OR
Let us pray:
Calling God,
you have gathered us into this community.
A place has been made for each of us.
Let what we say and do here
be real for us and honest to your creativity,
and prepare us for the life of the world.
May it be so.
Hymn/Song “Easter5” (Tune: ‘Dijon’, 87 87)
In our end is our beginning,
cosmic riddle of our birth,
why the Alpha and Omega
came in flesh and came to birth.
Death will no more signal ending,
love survives beyond this life,
not diminished or extinguished
by our common human strife.
When the tears of life have ended,
when the rivers all run dry,
love exists, will flow forever
on beyond each dying sigh.
Jesus, Alpha and Omega,
Word before all worlds began,
ground of confident existence,
infinite beyond life’s span. (© Andrew Pratt 25/3/2013)
OR
“Beautiful Presence” (Tune: ‘Beautiful Presence’) 9 HoS
Beautiful presence, how can we name you?
Words are too small for the one who is all.
How can we speak of your gentleness in us,
the warmth of our hearts in response to your call?
Refrain:
Beautiful presence, ocean of love,
strong as forever, soft as a dove.
Words often fail us, but this we know true,
you live within us as we live in you.
There have been times of spiritual blindness,
when error and pain have distorted our sight.
Beautiful presence, you were there with us,
to show us how darkness can turn into light.
Refrain:
Nothing that happens to us will be wasted,
all of our living is grounded in grace.
Gently you take down the walls of division,
leading us on to a larger place. (Joy Cowley)
Refrain:
People sit after the hymn/song
Welcome
In your own words
A warm welcome is extended to all.
Especially those who are gathering here 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 the Gathering
Those visiting, please sign our Visitors book.
CENTERING
Centering Silence
Centering silence has its roots in the earliest of monastic traditions of the ‘desert Fathers (abbas)/Mothers (ammas)’ and the Christian mystic tradition… Relaxing into ‘quietness’ creates the space for deep listening and draws you into yourself
May we give thanks for all the silences in our lives…
(Silence)
Meditation
It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch
a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway
into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak. (“Praying” by Mary Oliver)
OR
"Celebrating and Remembering International Mother Earth Day"
(A Conversation with Francis of Assisi)
By John Cranmer. 22 April 2020 (Used with permission)
Good Morning Brother Francis!
On this Day remembering our Planetary Mother **
(She) who is Gaia
(She) who is Terra
—- the One who gives
—- the One who takes —- LIFE!
On this Day remembering Earth as Mother
together may we celebrate our essential life and dependency
Our place within this planet so full of life and diversity
—- unpredictability—- and tragedy!!
Francis we will sing your song
With you we share the joy and wonder and uncertainty
of our place HERE! ***
Francis —- we are going through days —- weeks —- months
of deep uncertainty as plague once again revisits us
Some places much more than others
Some places with deep unpreparedness
Some places overwhelmed by almost unspeakable tragedy
(But it would seem not really —- not yet—- this place)
(We in this Ancient Land might just have missed the edge)
Our Planet-Mother has been on this journey many times
We are living through that time many among us call
“The Sixth Extinction”
Made so by the idiocy and rapacity of this particular species
from which you and i have come
Francis —- we call ourselves “Homo-Sapien” (the wise ones)
Believe me —- Francis —- so heinous our crimes
Clever Idiots is certainly a better name
For we are the rapers of our own Mother!
Especially in the past two centuries of our so-called PROGRESS!
Yet Francis —- THANK YOU!
for your deep and intimate walk with the Mother
and the words you continue to share over the centuries
in (her) ecstatic and essential praise!
We still sing your song
in both Lamentation and Praise
With you we share the joy and wonder —- and pain
of our place here and our planet’s ongoing
—— despite us —- quite possibly without us!
In days of seeking to recover the urgency
of planetary climate dislocation and disruption
in these days when we might just be finding our place
in our Dance with Death
As our Planetary Mother reminds us —- so sharply
—- of our place —- HERE!
In solidarity —- and lament
Your brother on the Journey —- John
And the Morning Shines
Music of Reflection/Celebration
EXPLORING
Wisdom from the Religious Traditions
“Wisdom is not just special knowledge about something. Wisdom is a way of being, a way of inhabiting the world. The beauty of wisdom is harmony, belonging and illumination of thought, action, heart and mind.” (John O’Donohue)
Reader: May we open ourselves to the seeds of wisdom
that lies dormant in these readings.
All And may our minds be fertile soil
in which it/they may grow strong and true. (Gretta Vosper/ab)
• “Those Long Ago Winter Mornings on the Farm”
By Curtis Forsythe (2017) www.poetrysoup.com
I cherish memories of those long ago mornings,
awakening in an unheated attic room to mingled aromas-
sweet hickory smoke escaping the old wood cook stove,
bacon frying, coffee perking, and biscuits baking.
Outside, a stark landscape in black and white,
whipped by howling wind, that seeking entry,
would expend itself against frosted windowpanes.
Delicate feathers of frost, created by my exhalations
that would spread like smoke throughout the room.
Inside, embraced by a feather mattress, oblivious
to the cold wind and impending morning chores,
I would for a few nefariously delicious moments
again drift away in blissful warmth-
those long ago winter mornings on the farm.
• Luke 24:13-24, 28-35. (Inclusive Text, adapted)
Two of the disciples of Jesus were on their way
to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem,
and they were talking together about all that had happened.
Now as they talked this over, Jesus came up and walked by their side,
but something prevented them from recognizing him.
Jesus said to them,
'What matters are you discussing as you walk along?'
They stoped short, their faces downcast.
Then one of them, called Cleopas, answered,
'You must be the only person staying in Jerusalem
who does not know the things that have been happening therethese last few days?'
'What things?' Jesus asked.
'All about Jesus of Nazareth', they answered,
'who proved to be a great prophet by the things he said and did
in the sight of God and of the whole people.
'And how our chief priests and our leaders
handed him over to be sentenced to death, and had him crucified.
Our own hope had been that this Jesus
would be the one to set Israel free.
'And this is not all; two whole days have gone by
since it all happened, and some women from our group have astounded us:
they went to the tomb in the early morning,
and when they did not find the body there,
they came to tell us they had seen a vision of angels
who declared Jesus was alive.
'Some of our friends went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had reported,
but of Jesus they saw nothing...'
When they drew near to the village to which they were going,
Jesus made as if to go on; but they pressed him to stay with them.
'It is nearly evening,' they said, 'and the day is almost over.'
So Jesus went in to stay with them.
Now while Jesus was with them at the table,
he took the bread and said the blessing;
then broke it and handed it to them.
And their eyes were opened and they recognised Jesus;
but he had vanished from their sight.
They said to each other,
'Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road...
They set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem…
'It is true. The Christ has risen and has appeared to Simon!'
Then they told their story of what had happened on the road
and how they had recognised Jesus at the breaking of the bread.
Doxology The people remain seated to sing
Praise God the giver and the gift, (Tune 100 TiS)
Hearts, minds and voices now uplift:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Breath of glad surprise,
freeing, uplifting, opening eyes,
Three in Oneness, Love communing,
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! (Brian Wren)
OR
“Mother Earth, Beloved Garden” (Music by Amanda Udis-Kessler ) 1067 StJ
Mother Earth, beloved garden, living treasure under foot,
All our days you ground our being: sage and thistle, grass and root.
Herbs to heal us, plants to feed us, land to till and tend and plow.
With the pendant, deep as midnight,
North/South* we ask you: be here now.
Father Air, your inspiration holds together all that lives.
As we breathe, our minds see clearly, leading us to love and give.
Raging whirlwind, whispered breezes, violent gale and gentle cloud.
With the blade as sharp as morning,
East we ask you: be here now.
Brother Fire, great transformer, share the passion of the sun.
In our hearths, your warmth revives us, cooks our food and heats our homes.
Flaming candle, blood within us, blazing desert, will to grow.
With the wand, directing power,
South/North* we ask you: be here now.
Sister Water, ever flowing, ocean, river, pond and rain.
Drink we now and quench our thirsting, cleanse us, we begin again.
Mist and ice, a host of changes, all that courage will allow.
With the cup, the holy chalice,
West we ask you, be here now.
Lover Spirit, intuition in the center of our souls.
In your love we find relation. All connected, we are whole.
Timeless mystery, quiet conscience, deepest values, voice inside.
With the drum and with the cauldron,
this we ask you, be our guide. (Amanda Udis-Kessler)
* = Change according to your hemisphere
Contemporary Exploration
Silence for Personal Reflection
AFFIRMING
A Celebration/Affirmation of Faith (Optional)
The people stand as they are able
We worship and adore God,
All source, essence, and aim of all things,
spirit that enlivens all beings.
We follow the way of Jesus, who found God in himself
and shared a way for others to find God in themselves.
All He was born through love,
He lived for love,
He suffered for love,
He died for love,
But love never dies.
We submit ourselves to the leadings of the love that is God,
All that we may be compassionate to all beings,
that we may live and serve in community with others,
that we may ask for and offer forgiveness,
that we may praise and enjoy God forever. (Jim Burklo/b&b)
OR
If celebrating Earth Day…
“Simply Cherish The Earth”
By William F Schulz
Regardless of our differences, there are a host of affirmations
that we embrace as the basis for our faith.
Whatever we think the holy may be,
Creation itself is holy.
All We make no distinctions between the natural and the supernatural,
the secular and the sacred.
We simply cherish the earth and all its creatures,
the stars in all their glory.
Life’s gifts are available to everyone,
not just the chosen or the saved.
All Only human artifice or blind ill fortune can separate us
from the source of our blessings.
That which is Divine, Precious, or Profound
is made evident not in the miraculous or otherworldly,
but in the simple and the everyday.
All We look not to the heavens
or an afterlife for our meaning,
but to the exuberance of this life's unfolding.
Human beings themselves are responsible
for the planet and its future.
All Social and environmental justice is a religious obligation.
The future is never fated.
Every one of us is held in Creation's hand.
We share its burdens and its radiance.
Hence strangers need not be enemies.
All The earth is our cherished home;
all its inhabitants our companions.
Although death confronts us all,
we love life all the more,
perhaps because we loose it.
All An honourable and impassioned life
may not deny death its due,
but it can surely deny it of its victory.
OR
“The Wisdom to Survive”
By Wendell Berry
If we have the wisdom to survive,
to stand like slow-growing trees on a ruined place,
All Renewing, enriching it,
If we will make our seasons welcome here,
asking not too much of earth or of heaven,
All Then a long time after we are dead
the lives our lives prepare will live here,
Their houses strongly placed upon the valley sides,
All Fields and gardens rich in the windows.
The river will run clear as we will never know it.
And over it, birdsong like a canopy.
All On the levels of the hills will be green meadows,
stock bells in noon shade.
On the steeps where greed and ignorance cut down the old forest,
All An old forest will stand,
its rich leaf-fall drifting on its roots.
The veins of forgotten springs will have opened.
Families will be singing in the fields.
All In their voices they will hear
a music risen out of the ground.
They will take nothing from the ground they will not return,
whatever the grief at parting.
(Pause)
v2 Memory, native to this valley,
will spread over it like a grove,
and memory will grow into legend,
legend into song,
song into sacrament.
The abundance of this place,
the songs of its people and its birds,
will be health and wisdom and indwelling light.
All This is no impossible dream.
Its hardship is its possibility.
Sharing ‘The Peace’ (Optional)
Let us take a moment to celebrate each other.
May a heart of peace rest with you. (David Galston/q)
All And also with you.
You are invited to share the peace with your neighbours.
OR
Namaste
Facing the person with right hand on your heart and a slight bow of the head…
The Divine in me honours the Divine in you.
OR
The Light in me recognises the Light in you.
OR
The spirit within me sees the spirit within you.
Hymn/Song People stand as they are able, to sing
“Affirmation” (Tune: ‘Winchester New’, LM) 61 SSCL
The day is simple, and the night,
And simple too the sun and earth,
And life and death — to set us right
With proud simplicities of worth.
The world endured before we came,
And shall endure when we are gone;
Thus we are glad to name the name
Of this firm rock we dwell upon.
From all the world that we have seen,
From ail the life that we have known,
We here acclaim all that has been,
And name tomorrow for our own. (Kenneth Patton)
People sit
OR
If in Northern Hemisphere
“Silent Spring Song” (Tune: ‘Huia’) 36 TEL
Now is the time for a reckoning,
now all is flowering and flourishing,
God, help your children
mindfully listen:
soon there may just be a silent spring.
Silent the voices in bush and tree,
silent the creatures of air and sea,
God, help your children
mindfully listen:
ours are the hands that took earth for free.
We are the root of the earth’s unease,
we are the pirates who dredge the seas,
God, help your children
mindfully listen:
ours is the creed doing as we please.
We are bounty of all you give,
we are the sorrow that makes you grieve,
God, help your children
mindfully listen:
mindfully choose how the world will live! (Shirley Erena Murray)
People sit
CELEBRATING
Offerings
Presentation
By our smallest actions, we become part of a bigger world.
The smallest giving can be an expression
of the good spirit of generosity and caring.
May we carry through the doorway of each new day
this good spirit of generosity and caring. (Francis Macnab/h)
Conversation 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? (Binkley & McKeel/jke)
In Solidarity
Care Candle:
We are people of all ages who enter this safe space
bringing our joys and concerns.
Joys and Celebrations; Griefs and Concerns shared
Focused Thoughts:
Listening Response:
Let each of us find a window
All To see beyond our own enclosures.
Let each of us find a door
All To open ourselves into new being. (Adapted. Kenneth L Patton/sscl)
And so we take this flame and light our special care candle…
The Care Candle is lit
For ourselves, for those named or remembered, and in solidarity with those
who have not the freedom to express their concern or celebration
for fear of discrimination or condemnation…
In all our joys and in all our concerns, may we be ever mindful
of the presentness of the sacred among us,
and to see new possibilities of the now.
The 'Abba' Prayer: (Optional)
You are invited to pray in the spirit of the Abba/Lord’s Prayer, and in your original language, as 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. (William L. Wallace)
SCATTERING
Hymn/Song People stand as they are able, to sing
“Come Let Us Think Like Mountain Rocks” (Tune: ‘O Waly Waly’)
Come, let us think like mountain rocks,
Come breathe the song of scented breeze;
Come join the atoms’ quantum dance,
Come weep with all the fallen trees.
O let us pulse like surging waves,
Or flow as clear and running streams,
Explore the throbbing heart of Earth
And dream the plants’ and creatures’ dreams.
When liveliness evades our grasp,
When love grows weak and fears grow strong,
We still can feel the pulse of breath
And join once more in Nature’s song.
OR
“We Are The Earth…” (Tune: ‘Ein’ Feste Burg’, 87.87.66.66.7) 30(v1) SLT
We are the earth upright and proud;
in us the earth is knowing.
It’s winds are music in our mouths,
in us its rivers flowing.
The sun is our hearth-fire;
warm with the earth’s desire,
and with its purpose strong,
we sing earth’s pilgrim song;
in us the earth is growing.
Remain standing
Parting Words
The Community Candle is extinguished
Remember earth breathed you into her
With the air, with the sun’s rays,
Laid you in her waters asleep, to dream
With the brown trout among milfoil roots,
From the substance of star and ocean fashions
At the same source conceived you,
As sun and foliage, fish and stream. (Kathleen Raine)
All May the mysterious energy of soil
nurture and sustain all.
Sacred Earth! Holy Ground!
OR
“The Womb of Stars”
By Joy Atkinson. Singing the Living Tradition/#445
v1 The womb of stars embraces us;
remnants of their fiery furnaces
pulse through our veins.
All We are of the stars, the dust of the explosions
cast across space.
v2 We are of the earth:
we breathe and live in the breath
of ancient plants and beasts.
All Their cells nourish the soil; we build our communities
on their harvest of gifts.
v1 Our fingers trace the curves
carved in clay and stone
by forebears unknown to us.
All We are a part of the great circle of humanity
gathered around the fire, the hearth, the altar.
v2 We have gathered anew this day
to celebrate our common heritage.
All Throughout the coming days may we recall in gratitude
all that has given us birth. (Adapted)
Words of Blessing
Fall in love with living
Wrestling with the chaos and the pain
Within ourself and within the world.
Join the celebration of life,
Dancing with the angels and the clowns.
And may the God of peace and joy,
Who is continually making all things new,
Embrace you
As a partner
In the divine creating. (Joyce Boyce-Tillman/wb)
All Amen! May it be so!
Hymn/Song (Cont). “Come Let Us Think Like Mountain Rocks” (Tune: ‘O Waly Waly’)
With joyful zest we raise God’s psalm,
The muse of past and present now,
The chant of fire that births new life,
The song of soil and root and bough.
Life’s many forms unite as one;
This earth is filled with sacredness,
All praise exalts the Cosmic God
Who dwells in mystic holiness. (William L Wallace)
OR
“We Are The Earth…” (Tune: ‘Ein’ Feste Burg’, 87.87.66.66.7) 30(v2) SLT
We lift our voices, fill the skies
with our exultant singing.
We dedicate our minds and hearts,
to order, beauty bringing.
Our labor is our strength;
our love will win at length;
our minds will find the ways
to live in peace and praise.
Our day is just beginning. (Kenneth L Patton)
The people sit after the hymn/song
'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 this time 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
Please include any reproduction of hymns/songs for local church use
on your Music Licence returns, as appropriate
Some of the Resources used in Shaping this Liturgy:
Binkley, C. G. & J. M. McKeel. Jesus and his Kingdom of Equals. An International Curriculum on the Life and Teaching of Jesus. Santa Rosa: Polebridge Press, 2002.
Burklo, J. Birdlike and Barnless: Meditations, Prayers, and Songs for Progressive Christians. Saint Johann Press, 2008.
Duncan, G. (ed). A World of Blessing. Benedictions From Every Continent and Many Cultures. Norwich. The Canterbury Press, 2000.
(HoS) Hope Is Our Song. New Hymns and Songs from Aotearoa New Zealand. Palmerston North: New Zealand Hymnbook Trust, 2009.
Inclusive Readings. Year A. Brisbane. Inclusive Language Project. In private circulation, 2004.
(SiF) Kearns, S. (ed). Sing it Forward. Traditional Hymns Recast and Rewritten for Non-Exclusive Communities. In circulation from the author, 2009.
Macnab, F. Hope: The Deeper Longings of the Mind and Heart. Richmond: Spectrum Publications, 1996.
(SLT) Singing The Living Tradition. Boston. UUA, 1993.
(StJ) Singing The Journey. Boston. UUA, 2005.
(TEL) Murray, S. E. Touch the Earth Lightly. New Hymns written between 2003 & 2008. Carol Stream: Hope Publishing, 2008.
Patton, K. Services and Songs for the Celebration of Life. Boston. Beacon Press, 1967.
Roberts, E. & E. Amidon. Earth Prayers from Around the World. 365 Prayers, Poems, and Invocations for Honoring the Earth. New York. HarperCollins, 1991.
Vosper, G. Another Breath. Prayers for Celebration and Reflection. Brisbane. The Centre for Progressive Religious Thought Brisbane, 2009/2010.
Web sites/Other:
Howe, Stock, Schultz. UUA Worship Web. Boston. UUA. < www.uua.org/spirituallife/worshipweb/>
“Come Let us Think…” Wallace, W. L. One of several Worship Resources available from ProgressiveChristianity.Org < https://progressivechristianity.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/0.-CELEBRATING-MYSTERY-Index-with-Links-New.pdf>
“Easter5”. Andrew Pratt. Direct from the author.
David Galston. Quest Learning Centre for Religious Literacy. http://www.questcentre.ca/
Brian Wren. “Doxology”. Stainer & Bell Ltd. hymns.uk.com
William L Wallace. “In the Sprouting of the Seed”. Methodist Church of New Zealand. Boundless Life collection.<http://www.methodist.org.nz/files/docs/alec/hyms/bl/31.%20in%20the%20sprouting%20of%20the%20seed%20-%20full%20score.pdf>
“Light and Love” Direct from Southminster-Steinhauer United Church, Edmonton, Canada