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”
15 January 2023. Epiphany2A. (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, and emerging leaders,
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)
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
In this world of differences
we are challenged to see the sacred
in many faces and many traditions. (Gretta Vosper/hb)
So let us celebrate the richness and diversity of life.
Lighting of the Community Candle
The Community Candle is lit
With heat and light, the Great Radiance blazed forth
With heat and light, ancestral stars fused atoms,
exploding in awesome power
With heat and light, the fire on our Ancestors’ hearth cooked their food
With heat and light, modern scientists harnessed new energy sources
With heat and light, we light our flame today,
looking toward a sustainable future. (Adapt.JCH. Public domain)
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 The people stand as they are able, to sing
"Welcome to Worship" (Tune: Regent Square, 87.87.47 extend) 1 SNS3
We are thankful for a greeting
And a welcome we all prize;
We have come to join in worship,
Searching for what satisfies;
With a welcome as we gather
We can feel our spirits rise.
'Welcome' is the way of Jesus;
'Welcome' is his promised word;
Welcome is for saints and sinners;
All are welcome; all have erred;
Jesus speaks his word of welcome -
We respond for we have heard.
We all join in affirmation
Of the love of God we know;
Like the vastness of an ocean
Love is here in constant flow;
I am welcome; you are welcome;
Jesus says, "Let it be so.” (George Stuart)
OR
“Epiphany Hymn” (Tune: “Highwood”, 11.10.11.10)
Deep in the darkness a starlight is gleaming,
Calling us out from the safety of home.
God of the questions, the mystery of dreaming,
Lighten our journey into the unknown.
Out of the darkness the voices are crying,
Terror and fear screaming loud in the night.
God of the hurting, of innocence dying,
Fire us with anger to struggle for right.
Still in the darkness we search for your healing,
Hoping for meaning to comfort our fear.
God of the silence, of unspoken feeling,
Teach us the wisdom to make your truth clear.
On through the darkness we follow your leading,
Searching for joy and a refuge to stay.
God of our longing, the bliss we are seeking,
journey with us to the brightness of day. (Jan Berry/ssb)
Remain standing
Opening Sentences
v1 As surely as we belong to the universe,
we belong together.
All We gather here to transcend the isolated self.
To reconnect,
To know ourselves to be at home,
v2 Here on earth, under the stars,
Linked with each other. (M A Keip)
Words of Awareness
We are part of all that sustains or destroys life.
Creation and destruction occur in continually unfolding ways.
And so may we open our ears to the continually unfolding Word.
Life speaks to us in new and vital and imperative ways.
With all the power we have been given,
let us be silent and open to listening…
for nourishment,
for comfort,
for challenge and new focus.
May it be so. (St Stephen’s Project)
OR
We pray:
Spirit of Life, bless us through this day
and through this life, till this day ends,
and a new day dawns.
Amen. May it be so.
Hymn/Song “Playful God” (Tune: ‘Joyful God’. 77.87) 75 RP
Playful God, you laugh and dance
at every indication
that we have caught a glimpse, a glance
of magic in creation.
Tearful God, you weep and mourn,
you share our desolation;
in every doubt, in pain and grief,
we need your consolation.
Joyful God, we praise your name
in every situation.
Your love will even live through death,
you promise resurrection.
Mighty God, creative heart
and source of our elation,
accept our praise, our lives, our all,
our ceaseless adoration. (Andrew Pratt)
The people sit after the hymn
OR
“Christmas - Mid-summer” (Tune: ‘Cranham Irregular’) 4 SNS2
In the mild mid-summer pleasant winds can blow;
Balmy zephyrs soothe us; wafting to and fro;
Christmas has its beauty; Mary’s pain is past;
Lullaby her first born; parents’ joy at last.
In the warm mid-summer drying winds can blow;
Cooling breezes freshen in the evening glow;
Christmas has its contrasts; happiness and stress;
Wonder of a child birth, but in stable mess.
In the hot mid-summer scorching winds can blow;
Rainless days unending; rivers cease to flow;
Christmas has its harshness; it can linger still;
Cattle shed for birthing; Herod plans to kill.
Summer is the season when we harvest grain;
When the fruit from nature ripens on the plain;
Christmas, here in summer, hot or warm or mild
Is the time for growing; following the child. (George Stuart)
Welcome
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 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 find in the simplicity of the silent time together
nourishment for this moment in time,
and may we sense connection with those
whom we share it in this sacred space. (Adapt.Gretta Vosper/ab)
(Silence)
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: Until we see ourselves in the words we read
and the stories we hear,
it is easy to remark on the rest of the world.
All May the light of these words fall strong upon each of us,
that we can find the truth they reveal
in our own hearts. (Gretta Vosper/ab)
• “All Material Phenomena… are Transient”
An extract from Section 8, Chapter 77, Wonder by Paul R Fleischman
The eternal heavens aren’t.
We are the first generations to live in a dynamic universe.
Humankind has always imagined that stars are eternal, symbolic of the enduring transcendent - but not anymore, not to us…
The stars are now in space, not in heaven, and our planets are like sparks from a campfire.
We fly through space on a cinder. The moon is not a goddess but is part of us, some lost material, our own leftovers.
The solar system is new and doomed. Our universe is ruled by change.
The stars are not in a heaven exempt from change and death.
Nor are they exempt from our study and insight.
We live in a psychological worldview in which no thing, no material, is fixed, steady, free of the master wand of entropy, change, dispersal.
This is profoundly disquieting. We are the first large group of beings for whom transience is the central fact.
When we look up into the night sky, we see our own origin, our end, our vulnerability, our motility, our incomprehensibility.
But the radiance has not gone. The galaxies and stars, those nuclear fusion furnaces of the cosmos, still ignite a resonance with something in our being. Creation and destruction are continuities, and we ourselves are glowing with energy waves from the nuclear lights.
Starlight continues to glow inside us.
We not only find stars beautiful, haunting, and inspiring, but we are their offspring.
We are transient children of bigger impermanence.
• Matthew 2:1-12 (Inclusive Text)
After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea
during the reign of Herod, some wise ones came to Jerusalem from the east.
‘Where is the newborn ruler of the Jews?’ they asked. ‘We saw his star as it rose and have come to do homage.’
At this news Herod became greatly disturbed,
and all Jerusalem as well.
Herod called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
and inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
‘At Bethlehem in Judaea,’ they said, ‘for this is what the prophet wrote:
And you Bethlehem, in the land of Judaea
you are by no means least among the leaders of Judaea,
for out of you will come a leader
who will shepherd my people Israel.’
Then Herod summoned the wise ones, asked them privately the exact date on which the star had appeared,
and sent them to Bethlehem.
‘Go and find out all about the child, and
when you have found this child, let me know,
so that I too may go and do homage.’
Having listened to what Herod had to say, they set out.
And there in front of them was the star they had seen rising;
it went forward and halted over the place where the child was.
The sight of the star filled them with delight, and
going into the house they saw the child with his mother, Mary,
and falling to their knees they did homage.
They opening their treasures, they offered gifts of
gold and frankincense and myrrh.
But they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod,
and returned to their own country by a different way.
OR
• John 1:29-34 (Inclusive Text)
Seeing Jesus coming toward him, John said,
'Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.
'This is the one I spoke of when I said,
One is coming after me
who ranks before me and existed before me.
Who it was, I did not know,
and yet it was to reveal the one coming to Israel
that I came baptising with water.'
John also declared,
'I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove and resting on this one.
'I myself did not know who it was, but the one who sent me to baptise with water had said to me,
'The one on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest is the one
who is going to baptises with the Holy Spirit.
'Yes, I have seen and I am the witness that this is the Chosen One of God.'
Silence
Music of Reflection
• "Four Different Pictures”
By John Bell. He was in the World/71. (Adapted)
v1 He was watched by shepherds.
He is lying in wool;
he is gurgling, laughing, crying,
wetting himself,
wearying his mother.
It is a very old man who recognises
the very young baby -
v2 This child has been chosen by God
for the destruction of some
and the salvation of many.
Silence
v1 He is speaking in the synagogue.
He is preaching from the prophets;
he is discovering how his words
do not please religious people.
v3 Who does he think he is?
v4 I think we've heard enough!
v3 Let's show him the door!
v4 Let's show him the hill!
Silence
v1 He is walking through the streets
which most decent folk avoid.
He is listening to the cries
of all those who go unheard -
v2 Touch me, Jesus.
v3 Heal me, Jesus.
v4 Jesus, let me see again.
v5 It's my child, Jesus!
Silence
v1 He is confronting his fiercest critics.
They have tongues as sharp as razors.
They have plans
in case their tongues are not enough.
v3 Why do you eat with the riff-raff?
v4 Why do they call you God's son?
v3 Why do you violate our traditions?
v4 Why don't you take us seriously?
v5 Judas... Judas... we've got a job for you.
Silence
v1 This is him: from Bethlehem to Bethany
from Jerusalem to Jericho
from Capernaum to Calvary
from Golgotha to the grave
from heaven to hell and back again;
saying: I am the way... follow me
I am the truth... believe me
I am the life... receive me.
Contemporary Exploration HERE and HERE
Silence for Personal Reflection
AFFIRMING
An Epiphany Litany (Optional)
People are invited to remain seated
v3 When a star in the sky marked where
the new ‘King of the Jews’ had been born,
wise ones came to Jerusalem looking for him.
Like the wise ones we ask
All Where can we find you, Lord?
v1 They brought to the child, with his mother Mary,
their most precious gifts and worshipped him.
We have no treasure to offer, nor any star to guide us.
We bring only devotion to your will.
Like the wise ones we ask
All Where can we find you, Lord?
v2 Do we look for someone who is rich and powerful,
living in a five-star hotel,
or for the One who had nowhere to lay his head?
Like the wise ones we ask
All Where can we find you, Lord?
v3 Are you in the crowded shops during the post-Christmas sales?
Will we find you in the endless round of pre-Christmas
office parties, or squatting homeless in some condemned building?
Like the wise ones we ask
All Where can we find you, Lord?
v1 You were in the world but they did not know you.
You came to your own and they did not receive you.
There was no room for you at the inn.
Is there any room for you in our hearts?
Like the wise ones we ask
All Where can we find you, Lord? (Iona Community/cfc)
OR
“Summer is Extravagant”
By Marjorie Dobson. A World of Blessing/161-62
v1 Summer is extravagant
and over-stated
and showy.
v2 Summer colours are bright
and gaudy
and over-the-top.
All Summer life is abundant
and prolific
and overwhelming.
v3 Summer sun is dazzling
and brilliant
and hot — sometimes.
v2 Summer rain is warmer,
but just as wet
as at any other time.
All Yet summer riots its colours loudest
where sun and showers combine
to ring out the glory.
v1,2,3 Just as God’s blessings abound
in the joy and sorrow
by which all growth comes.
OR
If in the Souther Hemisphere and if not used in a previous Liturgy:
Sacred is this fire of summer's glow.
Sacred is the light of our sun.
Sacred is the Source of All Life,
Who kindles light and fire.
All How beautiful the light! How glorious its splendour!
Sacred is the moment when you sparkled forth a fireball of love and creativity.
Sacred was that kindling fifteen billion years ago.
Sacred is the birthing of supernovas,
The fiery activity of stars,
The formation of galaxies,
The formation of elements.
All How beautiful the light! How glorious its splendour!
Sacred was the calling forth of our Milky Way.
Sacred was the seeding of our sun aflame with brilliant energy.
Sacred was the blaze that whirled the planets and shaped our earth.
Sacred was the formation of Earth's crust and atmosphere.
Sacred are the trees, the plants, the flowers
All kissed into life by Sun.
All How beautiful the light! How glorious its splendour!
Sacred are the fish that swim, and birds that fly,
All creatures that breathe the fire of creativity.
Sacred the creation of humankind
With Sun's burning love and passion.
All How beautiful the light! How glorious its splendour!
Sacred is the spark of fire in all that is.
Fire that reflects your eternal light.
Each heart aflame with a flame of fire.
Each eye reflecting your burning love.
All How beautiful the light! How glorious its splendour!
May our eyes open amazingly to the mystery of summer.
May our ears open amazingly to the sounds of summer.
May the music summer be on our lips.
All May the whole community of life be truly alive
with the energy of summer. (Based on material by Kathleen Glennon)
Sharing 'The Peace’
Let us take some time 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
“God of Unexplored Tomorrows” (Tune: ‘Marching’, 87.87) 27 FFS
God of unexplored tomorrows,
of today and yesterday,
God of rock and flowing river,
be our refuge, be our way.
Guardian rock above, before us,
strong foundation where we build,
landmark through the haze of doubting,
shelter where our fears are stilled,
Be the cleansing, quenching water,
irrigate, disturb and move,
stir us from our easy shallows,
current of refreshing love.
God of rock and flowing river
now and ever with us stand,
to transform our land of promise
into each one's promised land. (B Jones)
OR
"Now The Star Of Christmas" (Tune: 'Kupe', Colin Gibson OR 'Noel Nouvelet') 105 HoS
Now the star of Christmas
shines into our day,
points a new direction:
change is on the way -
there's another landscape
to be travelled through,
there's a new-born spirit
broadening our view.
When the Christ of Christmas
speaks to heart and mind,
clears the clouded vision
hurting humankind,
kindred spirits gather,
drawn toward the light,
sharing revelation,
joyful at the sight.
If we choose to follow,
we may yet be wise.
Where the three kings travel,
three great faiths arise:
Jesus Christ for Christians,
Jesus, Judah's son,
Prophet for the Muslim,
wisdom in each one.
Where the star enlightens,
light is shared around.
God has drawn no borders,
faith sees common ground:
Peace the hopeful journey,
justice without bar,
God's illumination
from a Christmas star. (Shirley Erena Murray)
CELEBRATING
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:
As one heart is lifted
All May we share its celebration
As one heart is burdened
All May we share the pain it knows. (Gretta Vosper/wwg)
And so we take a 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 the new possibilities of the now.
The ‘Abba‘ Prayer:
You are invited to pray in the spirit of the Abba/Lord's Prayer, and in your original language, as that is appropriate
All O Birther! Father-Mother of the Cosmos
you create all that moves in light.
Hear the one Sound that created all others,
in this way the Name is hallowed in silence.
Your rule springs into existence
as our arms reach out to embrace all creation.
Let all wills move together
in your vortex, as stars and planets
swirl through the sky.
Grant what we need each day in bread and insight:
subsistence for the call of growing life.
Lighten our load of secret debts as
we relieve others of their need to repay.
Keep us from hoarding false wealth,
and from the inner shame of
help not given in time. (Matthew Fox/ormw)
CELEBRATING COMMUNITY IN THE TRADITION OF THE MEAL
Invitation
In all the colours and scents and sounds of the world,
we see God's signature as the beauty of things (M Abbott/sc).
Offerings
The Presentation
As a sign of hope in the world we offer these gifts
of bread, wine and money.
May we and these be used to further the ways
of love, hope, and justice in our world.
Thanksgiving
God of the summer’s day,
All We stand in wonder and awe.
God of the lingering sunset and early dawn,
All We pause to wonder the beauty of the universe.
God of the hot north wind and the refreshing shower,
God of the shady tree and the cool water bag,
God of the ripening harvest and sparkling sea,
All Praise, wonder, and awe.
We gather together
conscious that raising our hearts and minds
is a gift of the Spirit of Life at work
in the depths of our being.
All For the presence of that Spirit in us,
we offer encouragement to others.
We gather together conscious that our celebration
gives the Spirit a way of breaking into word and song
unique in all the universe.
All For the words and songs within each of us,
we celebrate with joy.
And so we offer our thanks and praise
inviting the Spirit of Life, Love and Goodness
to move freely in our words and actions.
All Holy, holy, holy, celebrating Creative God,
the whole universe is full of your glory.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
All Hosanna in the highest.
Jesus is the story we gather around and give thanks for.
Human like us, he discerned
where this Spirit of Life is found:
in the everyday,
in human interaction,
in caring,
in sharing,
in being neighbour.
He urged people to work together
to establish the 'reign of God’
by wholehearted generosity,
by eliminating boundaries between people,
by trust in the goodness of people,
and by working for peace and justice in all human endeavours.
All We remember his total commitment
to living fully and loving totally
and his faith in a God to be trusted
whatever twists life could take
in this imperfect world. (Adapt/Michael Morwood/pns)
We also remember the tradition…
On the night before he was handed over
Jesus again shared a meal with his friends.
Through grain and grape, bread and wine,
and in fellowship together,
he spoke of his enduring love for each of them.
Bread and Wine
Bread is broken. White Wine poured out.
Communion
And they recognised him in the breaking of the bread.
Bread and White Wine served around the Table in small groups
PARTING
Hymn/Song The people stand as they are able, to sing
“Sing of a Sacred Circle” (Tune: ‘Sacred Circle', 75.65) 23(v1-2) TMT
Sing of a sacred circle
round the sky and earth,
binding plants and creatures,
linking death and birth.
Sing of that ring of mystery,
changed by fearsome greed;
pawned for Judas silver,
sold for idols' needs.
Remain standing
OR
“Gift of the Solar Fire (In Praise of Light and Glass)” (Tune: ‘Solar Fire’ Barry Brinson. Alternative Tune: ‘Diademata’)
Musical Score: www.methodist.org.nz/resources/hymns/boundless life
Gift of the solar fire,
Life-giving golden rays,
Caressing all Earth’s face with warmth
Till hearts are filled with praise.
Without you all is dark,
Without you all is dead,
The colours fade into a void
Which masks life’s sacred thread.
Rainbows delight our eyes
Clothed in the spectrum’s robe,
Unpacking all the artist skills
Within Earth’s fragile globe.
With glass we recreate
The wonder of the skies
And through the lens of crystal threads
See life with mystic eyes.
Remain standing
Parting Words
Let us take on this week’s life with
renewed hope and imagination…
The Community Candle is extinguished
v1 May this ending be our beginning.
All Let us begin, again and again,
to wonder, and
to cherish, and
to act,
v1 so that at day's end we will be content
All knowing that we have given our all to life. (M Hachten-Cotter)
Words of Blessing
Blessed be.
In the name of all that is good and growing,
In the name of all that is loving and living,
In the name of all that fires our passion,
Blessed be.
All Blessed be. (Jan Berry/wb)
Amen!
Hymn/Song (Cont) “Sing of a Sacred Circle” (Tune: ‘Sacred Circle', 75.65) 23(v3-4) TMT
See how a people's loving
greens the Mammon ring;
hear the people's sharing,
help creation sing.
Sing of the Gospel ring-time;
love embracing earth;
vibrant sphere of our living,
circle death and birth. (William L Wallace)
The people sit after the hymn
OR
“Gift of the Solar Fire (In Praise of Light and Glass)” (Cont.) (Tune: ‘Solar Fire’ Barry Brinson. Alternative Tune: ‘Diademata’)
Musical Score: www.methodist.org.nz/resources/hymns/boundless life
Mystery of God in light,
Seen both in joy and pain,
In haunting cross and sparkling seas,
In sunshine and the rain,
Within our complex self
We glimpse a gilded space,
A silence which we share with God,
A chalice filled with grace.
Though many hearts embrace
Sexist and racist ways
We seek to live inclusive lives
Of pluralistic praise.
We share our work and wealth,
We treasure Earth’s domains,
We honour all within its web
And all its life contains. (William L. Wallace)
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:
Abbott, M. Sparks of the Cosmos. Rituals for Seasonal Use. Unley. MediaCom Education, 2001.
Bell, J. L. He was in the World. Meditations for Public Worship. Glasgow. Wild Goose Publications, 1995.
Duncan, G. (ed). Shine on, Star of Bethlehem. A Worship Resource for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. Norwich. The Canterbury Press, 2001.
Duncan, G. (ed). A World of Blessing. Benedictions from Every Continent and Many Cultures. Norwich. The Canterbury Press, 2000.
(FFS) Faith Forever Singing. Songs for a New Day. Raumati. New Zealand Hymnbook Trust, 2000.
Fox, M. One River, Many Wells. Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths. New York. Tarcher/Penguin Publishing, 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.
Morwood, M. Praying a New Story. Richmond. Spectrum Publications, 2003.
(RP) Pratt, A. Reclaiming Praise. Hymns from a Spiritual Journey. London. Stainer & Bell Ltd, 2006.
Prewer, B. D. Australian Prayers. Adelaide. OpenBook Publishers, 1983.
(SLT) Singing the Living Tradition. Boston. UUA, 1993.
(SNS3) Stuart, G. Singing a New Song. Traditional Hymn Tunes with New Century Lyrics. Volume 3. Toronto: G Stuart, 2011.
(SNS2) Stuart, G. Singing a New Song. Traditional Hymn Tunes with New Century Lyrics. Volume 2. Toronto: G Stuart, 2011.
Vosper, G. Another Breath. Prayers for Celebration and Reflection. Brisbane: The Centre for Progressive Religious Thought Brisbane, 2009/2010.
Vosper, G. Holy Breath. Prayers for Worship and Reflection. New & Revised edition. Brisbane. The Centre for Progressive Religious Thought Brisbane, 2004/2010.
Vosper, G. With or Without God. Why the Way we Live is more Important than What we Believe. Canada: Toronto. HarperCollins, 2008.
(TMT) Wallace, W. L. The Mystery Telling. Hymns and Songs for the New Millennium. Kingston. Selah Publishing, 2001.
Wild Goose Worship Group. Cloth for the Cradle. Worship Resources and Readings for Advent, Christmas & Epiphany. Glasgow. Iona Community, 1997.
Web sites/Other:
Hatchen-Cotter. UUA Worship Web. Boston. <www.uua.org/spirituallife/worshipweb/>
David Galston. Quest Learning Centre for Religious Literacy. <http://www.questcentre.ca/>
"We are part of all..." One of several non-theistic resources found at: <http://www.ualberta.ca/ST.STEPHENS/resource
“Gift of the Solar Fire”. William L Wallace. Also reproduced in R. A. E. Hunt. When Progressives Gather Together: Liturgy, Lectionary, Landscape… And Other Explorations. Northcote. Morning Star Publishing, 2016