Suggestion: ’Refresh’ each page before reading to make sure to get my latest edition
’The Other Lectionary’ is 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
“We are thoroughly nature. To claim otherwise is to attempt to place human beings and everything we do
in some rare unimaginable realm beyond the universe,
thus rendering the power of our origins lost and our obligations vague”
14 April 2024. Easter 3B. (White).
Celebrating Community in the Tradition of the Meal
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 is called “Uluru Statement from the Heart”
A Response from Common Dreams5 Conference of Religious Progressives,Australia/South Pacific 2019
Both found in Affirmations/Manifestoes
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 gather regardless of
race, creed, age, cultural background or sexual orientation
GATHERING
Refreshment Station/Water Basins
Pottery basins are set on stands near the entrance to the Gathering space.
Attendees are invited to dip their hands in the cool water in the basins as they arrive.
Or to rinse each other’s hands.
That we may relax, be refreshed, and prepare for this time together.
(Note: A small sign is placed above the basin explaining that as they dip their hands in the water, they are invited to relax and try to mindfully set aside or release for a time anything that might be preventing them from being fully present—each traveller rinsing the “dust from the road”).
OR
(A suggestion of other words)
We come together from our separate lives,
each of us bringing our concerns, our preoccupations,
our hopes, and our dreams.
We are not yet fully present.
The traffic, the last-minute cooking, the final details still cling to us.
Our bodies hold the rush of the past few hours.
It is now time to let go of these pressures and really arrive…
When you are ready, repeat silently to yourself: ‘Hineini’ or ‘Here I am’.
Hineini is used in the Torah to signify being present
in body, mind, and spirit.
It means settling into where we are and simply being “here”. (Adapted/Nan Fink Gene)
Gathering Music
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)
Artwork OR Floral/Symbols display (cloths, candles, stones, wood, leaves, flowers, earth, water) OR projection of Film/Video
Entry into the Celebration
The gong is sounded three times
We gather here as the human ones of creation.
We name ourselves threads in the web of life.
We give thanks for connection,
that we are all part of one another
and that we are part of the Sacred. (StAndrew’s, Auckland)
So let us celebrate the richness and diversity of life.
Note:Check out 'Special Liturgies’ (this site) for the following:
(i) A suggested process for introducing new hymns is called Hymn of the Month
(ii) Additional Special Purpose Hymns cover major international events or themes. 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) PLUS some specific resources on Terrorism
(iv) On Wonder, Awe, and Nature
Hymn/Song People stand as they are able, to sing
“God Present To All” (Tune: ‘Ombersley’ 88.88)
Creation sings amazing songs;
This is a place where God belongs
In movement, colour to behold
In past and future yet untold.
Source of all life's vitality
Enlivens love consistently;
We see God's presence in each face,
In kindly deeds and acts of grace.
Deep in our soul with vision clear
We see God's presence re-appear
Each time a human babe is born,
Each time we rise to greet the dawn.
Wonderful visions constantly
Express great beauty as we see
God's presence in humanity,
So vivid once in Galilee. (George Stuart)
OR
"Nothing Is Lost..." (Tune: 'Greenlane') 50 FFS
Nothing is lost on the breath of God,
nothing is lost for ever;
God's breath is love, and that love will remain,
holding the world for ever.
No feather too light, no hair too fine,
no flower too brief in its glory;
no drop in the ocean, no dust in the air,
but is counted and told in God's story.
Nothing is lost to the eyes of God,
nothing is lost for ever;
God sees with love and that love will remain,
holding the world for ever.
No journey too far, no distance too great,
no valley of darkness too blinding;
no creature too humble, no child too small
for God to be seeking, and finding.
Nothing is lost to the heart of God,
nothing is lost for ever;
God's heart is love, and that love will remain,
holding the world for ever.
No impulse of love, no office of care,
no moment of life in its fulness;
no beginning too late, no ending too soon,
but is gathered and known in God's goodness.
(Colin Gibson)
Opening Sentences
v1 As we gather together on this Autumn morning,
may we weave here a patchwork of peace:
v2 The soft deep blue of sensitivity and understanding;
Wm The red energy of creativity;
Mn The white heat of convictions;
v1 The risky, fragile green of new growth;
Wm The golden flashes of gratitude;
Mn The warm rose of love.
All Together, in our gathered diversity,
we form the whole. So be it. (BWienecke)
Words of Awareness
You are in the story of the world.
You are the world coming to know itself.
May you trust that all you will ever say or do
Belongs in the story of the world. (Ean Huntington Behr)
OR
We pray:
God of light and colour, we offer our grtitude
for the glories of red and yellow, brown and green:
all the shades of this autumn season.
May our lives be lived in appreciation of all that life offers us.
May it be so.
Lighting of the Community Candle
The Community Candle is lit
Hymn/Song Dear Weaver of Our Lives’ Design“” (Tune: ‘Lobt Gott, ihr Christen’, 86.88.6) 22 SLT
Dear weaver of our lives’ design
whose patterns all obey,
with skilful fingers gently guide
the sturdy threads that will survive
the tangle of our days.
Take up the fabric of our lives
whose hands that gently hold;
bind in the ragged edge that care
would sunder and that pain would tear,
and mend our rav’ling souls.
Let eyes that in the plainest cloth
a hidden beauty see
discern in us our richest hues,
show us the patterns we may use
to set our spirits free. (Nancy C Dorian)
OR
Hymn/Song “Autumn Comes in all its Fullness” (Tune: 'Hamilton Avenue', 87.87) 8 HoS
Autumn comes in all its fullness
harvesting both land and hearts
Autumn has its birth in winter
in the stillness where life starts.
Refrain:
Every death brings hope of birthing,
every birth enfolds life's end,
for the seasons of our living
mirror patterns nature penned.
Autumn gives us time for choosing
seeds which bear the richest fruits,
fragile life which we can nurture
into just or vain pursuits.
Refrain:
Buried in autumnal endings
lies the shoot that bursts the tomb
for the letting go in autumn
sows the seed that births the bloom. (William L Wallace)
Refrain:
Welcome
Or in your own words
A warm welcome is extended to all.
Especially those who are gathering 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
Presentation of Water Basins
Words which acknowledge that the dust of many roads and many life experiences has been rinsed into the basins, and calls for the contents of the basins and the gathering to be transformed, renewed, and more fully alive
The dust of many roads and may life experiences
has been washed in this refreshing water.
For this place is a sacred place.
May we
greet one another with open hearts and minds;
inspire each other to consider new questions
and seek deeper meaning;
and cultivate both wisdom and compassion.
And may this time together empower us to take some new steps
so all our living is transforming and the
yearning of our hearts become reality.
The bowls of water are removed from the Gathering space and placed on an outside garden
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
Let us again listen to the silence of this sacred space.
A space made ready for us by willing hands.
(Silence)
May we give thanks for all the silences in our lives:
the silence of sunrise,
the silence of midst on the lake,
the silence at the end of a story,
the silence between notes of music,
the silence between us here…
(Silence)
Music of Reflection
EXPLORING
Wisdom from the World/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: Into this day will break moments of awareness,
tiny shards of light that illumine
the whole reality of existence.
All May these readings be such a moment
and may we be blessed by their gift. (Gretta Vosper/ab)
• "Psalm 1"
A 21st century exploration by Francis Macnab. A Fine Wind is Blowing/2.
There are many pathways in front of us.
We see some people take pathways that turn-out
to be destructive and unhealthy.
All But our happiness and well-being depend on us
taking the pathways that keep us connected
with the best purposes
and with the best spirit.
Look carefully at the tree that flourishes beside the river -
its leaves are healthy and it bears fruit in season.
We can be like the tree.
All But we can forget all that and become
like chaff blown in all directions by the wind.
God of all life has created in us a desire to be the best we can be.
When we follow that desire,
our whole being is strongly affirmed.
All But when we become indifferent to that desire,
we lose our connection with the best purposes
and the best spirit.
• Luke 24:35-44 (Inclusive Text)
The disciples told their story of what happened on the road
and how they had recognized Jesus at the breaking of bread.
They were still talking about this when Jesus himself stood among them and said,
'Peace be with you!'
In a state of alarm and fright, they thought
they were seeing a ghost. But Jesus said,
‘Why are you so agitated, and why are these doubts
rising in your hearts? Look at my hands and feet;
yes, it is I indeed.
‘Touch me and see for yourselves;
a ghost has no flesh and bones as you can see I have.'
And as Jesus said this he showed them his hands and feet.
Their joy was so great that they could not believe it,
and they stood dumbfounded; so Jesus said to them,
'Have you anything here to eat?'
And they offered Jesus a piece of grilled fish,
which he took and ate before their eyes.
Contemporary Exploration
Silence for Personal Reflection
AFFIRMING
A Litany of the ‘Ordinary’ (Optional)
In response to the word reflected on,
let us share a litany celebrating the ‘ordinary’.
The people remain seated
May we awaken to the presence of God,
All here in this ordinary place.
May we awaken to the power of love,
All here in this ordinary crowd.
May we build a neighbourhood of justice for all,
All now in this ordinary time.
May we daily work to build a world at peace,
All now with these ordinary hands. (Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer/wsj)
Sharing 'The Peace'
Let us take a moment to celebrate each other.
May a heart of peace rest with you.
All And also with you. (David Galston/q)
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
“Where are the Voices” (Tune: ‘Portent’) 75 FFS
Where are the voices for the earth?
Where are the eyes to see her pain,
wasted by our consuming path,
weeping the tears of poisoned rain?
Sacred the soil that hugs the seed,
sacred the silent fall of snow,
sacred the world that God decreed,
water and sun and river flow.
Where shall we run who break this code,
where shall tomorrow's children be,
left with the ruined gifts of God,
death for the creatures, land and sea?
We are the voices for the earth,
we who will care enough to cry,
cherish her beauty, clear her breath,
live that our planet may not die. (Shirley Erena Murray)
OR
"Sing With Me, Friends!” (Tune: ‘Faithnotes’) 40 TEL
Sing with me, friends, for God invites us,
find a new song to resonate!
Savor the signs of God around us,
beauty that minds and hands create-
celebrate joy,
celebrate hope,
celebrate this good world!
Sing with me, friends, through calm and crisis,
sing when the roads we take are rough,
stay with our dream of common purpose,
God will provide us strength enough-
stay through the loss,
stay through the pain,
suffering shapes our world.
Sing with me, friends: we need each other,
widening circles on the way,
tending the earth with care together,
taking small measures every day,
singing for life,
singing for peace,
nurturing this good world! (Shirley Erina Murray)
People sit
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? (Brinkley & McKeel/jke)
In Solidarity
Care Candle:
We are people of all ages who enter this space
bringing our joys and concerns.
Joys and Celebrations; Griefs and Concerns shared.
Focused Thoughts:
Listening Response:
In the light and beauty of day
All We give thanks in awe and wonder.
In the dark and stillness of night
All We dream of healing and hope. (Gretta Vosper/wwg)
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 Father, may your name be holy.
May your rule take place.
Give us each day our daily bread.
Pardon our debts, for we ourselves pardon
everyone in debt to us.
And do not bring us to trial
into a trying situation. (Burton Mack/Q)
CELEBRATING COMMUNITY IN THE TRADITION OF THE MEAL
Offerings
Presentation
God the weaver, making patterns,
spinning threads throughout our days,
help us to discern your weaving
in the multi-coloured autumn maze. (Adapt.Marjorie Dobson/mcm)
Thanksgiving
v1 In faith and love, gathered in this place,
we celebrate the brightness of community
and the season of Autumn called 'Gwangal Moronn'
(Season of Honey Bees)
by the Djab Wurrung and Jardwidjarli People…
AND/OR
v3 We remember the stories and traditions of our faith:
of Jesus in the garden appearing to Mary and calling her by name…
of Jesus appearing to the disciples and saying, 'Peace be with you’…
of Jesus appearing to Thomas and saying, 'Do not doubt, but believe’…
of Jesus walking on the road to Emmaus, talking to his followers…
of Jesus sharing breakfast on the beach with some companions...
v2 This is the table of hospitality and solidarity
It is to be made ready for those who have heard the teachings of Jesus
and want to know more, as they seek to follow him.
So come,
you who have much faith and you who have little;
you who have been here often and you who have not been for a long time;
you who have tried to follow and you who have failed...
Come. (Iona)
Bread and White Wine
v1 We also remember at the end of a journey,
among friends, gathered round a table...
Jesus took bread...
v2 Be gentle when you touch bread.
Let it not lie, uncared for, unwanted.
So often bread is taken for granted.
v3 There is such beauty in bread -
beauty of sun and soil,
beauty of patient toil.
Wind and rain have caressed it,
Jesus blessed it!
Be gentle when you touch bread.
v1 Jesus took bread, said a blessing...
v2 Bread is a lovely thing to eat.
God bless the barley and the wheat.
A lovely thing to breathe is air,
God bless the sunshine everywhere.
v3 The world is a lovely place to know,
God bless the folk who come and go.
Alive is a lovely thing to be,
Giver of life we say Bless thee.
v1 Jesus took bread, said a blessing, and broke it...
v2 Break the bread. Remember me.
Come to me, and
I will refresh you,
I will restore you,
v3 Come to me, I am the bread of life,
the bread that comes down from heaven.
v1 Remember me...
v2 Remember me, I am known in the breaking...
in the breaking of the day,
in the breaking of the bread.
v1 Later he poured a cup of wine thanking the Source of Life for it...
v2 The cup is full of blood-red wine
made from the crushing and the bruising of the grapes.
By the loss of life,
by the cutting down and the pressing,
the Spirit is set free.
Allowed to ferment, the Spirit is at work.
v3 Remember me.
Remember me, my crushing, my bruising,
my three-day fermenting, my rising...
This is the wine that makes glad the hearts of all.
v1 Do this as you remember me.
v2 Remember me.
v1 Drink this in remembrance, all of you.
v2 Be filled with my Spirit.
v3 Let my life fill yours, inebriate you,
give you courage, fill you with joy. (David Adam)
All Alleluia. May it be so.
Communion
Let us share this bread and wine
as Jesus and our tradition taught us,
knowing that our lives are forever changed
by this and every breaking of bread. (From various Iona resources)
The Bread and White wine is served
SCATTERING
Hymn/Song People stand as they are able, to sing
“Shake Up The Morning” (Tune: ‘Shake up’). 18(v1-3) HSNW
Shake up the morning, let the dawn undress,
Let dew reglisten nature’s loveliness;
Waken the songbird and unseal the throat
That greets the daybreak with a crystal note.
Praise to the Lord, whose morning we inherit;
Praise creation’s fuse, the Holy Spirit;
Praise to the Son who rises with the dawn,
Leaving grave clothes scarcely three days worn.
Shake up the world and let the Kingdom come,
The dumb be listened to, the lost find home;
Make earthly politics the stuff of prayer
Till want and warring are dispelled by care.
Praise to the Lord, whose world we inherit;
Praise God’s catalyst, the Holy Spirit;
Praise to the Son whose choice it is to bless
Those who work for peace and live on less.
Shake up the Church and let all Christians show
That faith is real, that God is good to know;
Fashion new symbols of the coming age
When hope and love with take the centre stage.
Praise to the Lord, whose Gospel we inherit;
Praise God’s bird of love, the Holy Spirit;
Praise to the Son whose will and words decree
All are one in his community.
Parting Words
Let us take on this week’s life
with renewed hope and imagination...
The Community Candle is extinguished
If there is any sense to seasons it it this:
That time is timeless and time is life.
All Not Spring nor Summer, not even Autumn is gone.
Each will be what it becomes, as Winter will be Spring.
The seasons play their walk-on parts,
All and we can hardly hear the lines,
much less know the plot, except the final line:
'Life abides'.
OR
v1 As we begin to take our leave from this place,
made sacred by our presence together,
may we take the daily things of life and see them as sacred.
v2 May we perform simple acts of love and prayer,
and real works of reform and renewal.
v1 May we love deeply the earth which gives us air to breathe,
water to drink, and food to sustain us.
v2 May we remember that life is begotten from stardust,
radiant in light and heat.
v1 We are all one - all of creation,
all that now live,
all that have ever lived.
1&2 Remember we are stardust, and to stardust we return.
v1 Remember we are connected and to connection we return.
v2 Remember we are part of the great mystery.
1&2 Remember we are stardust and to stardust we return. (PLehman/SGriffith.Adapted)
Words of Blessing
May the firmness of the earth be yours.
May the flow of the water be yours.
May the freedom of the air be yours.
May the fierceness of the fire be yours.
May all of the gifts of this life,
The Below and the Above,
Be with you now and remain with you always. (Eric Williams/uuaww)
All May it be so with us.
Hymn/Song (Cont). “Shake Up The Morning” (Tune: ‘Shake up’). 18 (v4) HSNW
Shake up the evening, let the shadows range
As clouds to castles in the sunset change;
Kindle the moon and stars which through each night
Reflect the glory of tomorrow’s light.
Praise to the Lord, whose evening we inherit;
Praise creation’s presence in the Holy Spirit;
Praise to the Son whose brightness none can kill,
Lighting paths for those who seek his will. © Iona Community
The people sit
'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:
Adam, D. Tides and Seasons. Modern Prayers in the Celtic Tradition. London: Triangle/SPCK, 1989.
Adam, D. The Edge of Glory. Prayers in the Celtic Tradition. London: Triangle/SPCK, 1985.
(HSNW) Bell, J. & G. Maule. Heaven Shall Not Wait. Wild Goose Songs Vol. 1. Revised edition. Glasgow. Wild Goose Publications, 1989.
Dobson, M. Multi-coloured Maze. Drama, Hymns, Prayers and Poems for Worship and Everyday Living. London. Stainer & Bell, 2004.
(FFS) Faith Forever Singing. Songs for a New Day. Raumati. New Zealand Hymnbook Trust, 2000.
(HoS) Hope Is Our Song. New Hymns and Songs from Aotearoa New Zealand. Palmerston North. New Zealand Hymnbook Trust, 2009.
Inclusive Readings. Year B. Brisbane. Inclusive Language Project. In private circulation, 2005.
Mack, B. L. The Lost Gospel. The Book of Q and Christian Origins. New York. HarperSanFrancisco, 1993.
Macnab, F. A Fine Wind Is Blowing: Psalms of the Bible in Words That Blow You Away. Richmond. Spectrum Publications, 2006.
(TEL) Murray, S. E. Touch the Earth Lightly. New Hymns written between 2003 & 2008. Carol Stream. Hope Publishing, 2008.
(SLT) Singing the Living Tradition. 1993. Boston. UUA.
Vosper, G. With or Without God. Why the way we Live is more important than What we Believe. Canada: Toronto. HarperCollins, 2008.
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, 2001.
Web Sites/Other:
Behr, Wienecke, Williams. UUA Worship Web. Boston. <www.uua.org/spirituallife/worshipweb/>
George Stuart. “God Present To All” Direct for author.
"Stardust" Paula Lehman and Sarah Griffith <churchinfo@plymouth.org>
"We gather..." St Andrew's on the Terrace. St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Auckland, NZ. <http://www.standrews.org.nz/>
Refreshment Station. Words by Nan Fink Gefen, taken from an Evolutionary Passover Haggadah by Tree Bressen.