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”
12 February 2023. Epiphany6A. (Green).
Religion & Science (previously Evolution) Weekend
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, gender, 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
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)
Entry into the Celebration
The gong is sounded three times
v1 Come into this place,
where the ordinary is sanctified,
the human is celebrated,
the compassionate is expected.
v2 Come into this place.
Together we make it a holy place
with our every act of celebration.
v1 & v2 So let us celebrate the richness and diversity of life.
Lighting of Community Candle
The Community Candle is lit
Life shines out of us from even
the darkest corners, beckoning us
to be drawn into its truth. (Gretta Vosper/ab)
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 “God of the Northerlies” (Tune: ‘Matangi’ 10.10.6.10) 45 HoS
God of the northerlies, giver of grace;
warm and enveloping, fill every place.
Nurture the earth, water the seeds.
God of the northerlies, fulfil our needs.
Christ of the easterlies, life-giving Son;
earthly, renewing, in you we are one.
Hope is reborn, changing our hearts.
Christ of the easterlies, your peace impart.
Spirit of westerlies, gust through our lives;
shaking, disturbing the scheme we devise.
Teach us your truth, gift us your word,
God of the westerlies, faithfulness stirred.
God of the southerlies, polar defined,
crisply and sharply reshaping our minds.
Challenge our ways, strengthen our wills.
God of the southerlies, your love fulfils.
God of the north and the east, south and west,
Creative Process, by whom we are blest,
breeze through our lives, earnest and strong;
Spirit, keep blowing and lure us along. (Bill Bennett/Last verse adapted, RAEH)
OR
“I am Part of the Pulse of Creation”
Words and Music: © Colin Gibson (2013). eMail: colin.gibson@clear.net.nz
I am part of the pulse of creation,
eternity caught in a moment of time,
part of the myst’ry
part of the beauty,
part of the wonderful gifting of God.
Mine is the world of the stars and the galaxies,
limitless energy, movement and mass,
mine the unfolding,
mine the far reaching,
gift of the infinite goodness of God.
I take my share in the act of creation,
finding new wonders, new worlds to explore;
faith’s evolution,
hope’s resolution,
loving in tune with the music of God.
Born in the Spirit and waking to freedom,
seeking to grow to the measure of Christ,
part of the myst’ry,
part of the beauty,
part of the wondrous creation of God.
Opening Sentences
In the beginning was creativity
All And the creativity was with God,
and the creativity was God.
All things came into being
through the mystery of creativity;
All Apart from creativity nothing
would have come into being. (Gordon Kaufman/ibc)
Words of Awareness
The pulse of life surrounds us,
Echoes in the silence.
Vibrations resound to the center
of our being.
We may not sense it through eyes or ears or fingertips,
Yet it is in us and around us.
It combines and shares itself with us
At the tessellated edge of our awareness.
Let us pause together, here and now,
And watch for the sparkle of the obvious,
Listen for songs which have called to us forever,
So familiar that we never realized they existed
Until someone named one
In an unexpected instant. (Dennis McCarty/tga)
OR
We pray:
Calling God, you have gathered us into this community.
A place has been made for us.
Let what we say and do here
be real for us and honest to you
and prepare us for the life of the world.
May it be so!
Hymn/Song Creative Love“” (Tune: 'Truth from Above’ LM) 289 SLT
Creative love, our thanks we give
that this our world, is incomplete,
that struggle greets our will to live,
that work awaits our hands and feet.
That we are not yet fully wise,
that we are in the making still -
as friends who share one enterprise
and strive to blend with nature's will.
What though the future long delay,
and still with faults we daily cope?
It gives us that for which we pray,
a field for toil and faith and hope.
Since what we choose is what we are,
and what we love we yet shall be,
the goal may ever shine afar -
the will to reach it makes us free. (W deW Hyde)
OR
"God Called Us" (Tune: ‘Duke Street’, 88.88)
God, you have called us to this hour:
now two or three or many claim
the promised gift of living power.
as your church meets in Jesus' name.
Open our minds and set us free
from spite and hurt, that we may face
the dread responsibility
of your church, meeting in this place.
Encouraged by the risk you take
in trusting us to do your will,
we dare to offer, for your sake,
all this church gath'ring can fulfil. (J Wootton. © Stainer & Bell Ltd)
The people sit. (Title and last line adapted by RAEHunt)
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
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 to 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 silence now be placed around us now, like a mantle.
(Silence)
O God, may this mantle of silence
become a cloak of understanding
to warm our hearts this day. (Adapt.Kate McIlhagga/ghs)
(Silence)
EXPLORING
Wisdom from the World/ReligiousTraditions
“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)
• Isaiah 58:7-8, 9b-10 (Inclusive Text)
Thus says our God:
Share your bread with the hungry,
shelter the homeless poor into your house;
clothe the one you see to be naked,
and turn not from your own kin.
Then will your light shine like the dawn
and your wound be quickly healed over.
Your integrity will go before you
and the glory of God behind you...
If you do away with the yoke,
the clenched fist,
the wicked word,
if you give your food to the hungry, and relief to the oppressed,
your light will rise in the darkness
and your shadows become like noon.
OR
An extract from…
• ”It’s Natural! A 'Forgotten Alternative' for Progressive Spirituality”
By Rex A E Hunt
No matter how beautiful some may consider it, a supernatural worldview, and the practices that reinforce it, anaesthetizes us to things we need to do if we are to create sustainability for our planet, our children, and their children. “Stripped of a divine plan, we are challenged to be active participants who can mould the world around us rather than simply passive recipients who engage, now and again, in acts of devotion with the hope of altering the course of events.” (Gretta Vosper)
So, where to start personally? Well… start by taking a three year old child, (maybe your grandson or grand-daughter) for a walk along some wet-lands track. Do not plan to be in a hurry. Every twig. Every coloured stone. Every duck. Every small grasshopper or lizard to cross your path will be an occasion for closer ‘looking’ and excitement. Such is the enchantment of a three year old for the natural world.
Start with your own life. With the fifty trillion cells of your body that are converting energy to make protein right now so you can read/hear these words. Or… with the awareness that the body you are carrying around now won’t be the body you’ll be carrying around one, three five years from now. It will have completely rebuilt itself from the inside out.
Allow yourself to be shaped by this creativity. This wonder. Webs of culture, life, and cosmos, resulting in unending successions of ever-evolving levels of living forms. Each day lifts its head from the dew-strung grasses and offers new hope, new possibilities, extra chances. Because every moment is pregnant with possibility. The miracle of each moment awaits our sensual wonder. Hosannah! Not in the highest, but right here. Right now. This. Horizontal transcendence. Nature embedded in humanity. Humanity embedded in nature.
There is no good reason to believe that taking nature to heart leaves a person with any fewer spiritual benefits than taking to heart the teachings of supernaturalist traditions.
OR
• “Where Are We Going”
The last paragraph of Lloyd Geering’s From the Big Bang to God/186
“… the future of the human race remains an open question. On the one hand we must take full account of the perilous crises already facing us; like black clouds on the horizon, they indicate an imminent period of storms that could lead to catastrophic outcomes. It does seem unlikely that humans worldwide will be able to muster the willpower and the unity of action to avoid them altogether.
"On the other hand, we can draw hope from the Great Story of how we came to be here at all. It is a truly awe—inspiring universe that has brought us forth and, at least on this planet, has come to consciousness in us, displaying the human inventiveness, creativity and entrepreneurial skills that have helped to make us the creatures we are. And this potential may lead us to as—yet—unimaginable heights.
"If our descendants survive and evolve to reach an even more exalted state of being than ours, they will have arrived at what our forbears long aimed for when in their traditions (Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim or Christian) they hoped, respectively, to enter Nirvana, the Promised Land, the unity of all nations, or the Kingdom of God.”
OR
• “The Epic of Evolution”
By Donald M. Braxton. From the article ‘Religious Naturalism and the Future of Christianity’, Zygon 42, 2 (June 2007), 317-341
What greater gift can there be than to be a species endowed with the capacity to perceive, comprehend, and align itself with the very forces that have governed our universe for more than 12 billion years? To wrap one’s mind around the immensities of space and time is to feel awe, wonder, and humility.
To see how a small planet adrift in space could have nurtured in its bosom the grand experiment that is life is to peek into Darwin’s “mystery of mysteries.” To test our eyes upon the landscapes of our lives and to understand how they have enabled the formation of creatures such as us is to sense a
surging loyalty to the sustained vitality of these life-giving ecosystems.
Evolution outlines the grand arc of cosmic events. It forms the incredible journey the world has undergone such that we improbable creatures could emerge. It informs us of the grounds of our ecological citizenship.
• Matthew 6: 26, 28-29 (NRSV)
Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap
nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not of more value than they...?
And why do you worry about clothing?
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow;
they neither toil nor spin,
yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory
was not clothed like one of these.
Silence
• “Consider the Lilies”
By Stephen Shick. Consider the Lilies/1.
It is not newness we seek
but the fresh return of the eternal.
He said, the truth is not hidden in mountains,
it is not far off,
it is in your hand, your heart, your mouth.
‘So do it,’ he said.
He spoke in parables, mostly about money
and the truth it can't buy.
Consider the mustard seed, he said,
how it grows into the largest shrub.
From it, he said,
know your true wealth and power.
Consider the birds that nest in the shrub, he said,
how they sing in the spring.
From them, he said,
know your true heart's song.
Consider the lilies, he said,
and don't worry.
The truth is at hand.
With the seed and the lilies
nothing new arrives,
and even the mockingbird
sings songs that other birds once knew.
Nothing arrives with newness.
All is waiting to be reborn.
Contemporary Exploration HERE
“A Central Story – Evolution”
Taken from Religious Naturalism <religiousnaturalism.org>
Every culture has a central story – of who we are and how we came to be.
In Judeo-Christian religion, this is described in the book of Genesis.
In religious naturalism, it is the story of emergence and evolution.
This begins with the Big Bang, leading to formation of stars and planets and the emergence of life on Earth and human beings. It shows an order and beauty in the workings of physical world, and it gives a sense of our place in a vast and ancient cosmos.
As [two-time Templeton Award winner] Loyal Rue put it, this “has the power to engage the deep structures of human nature and to transform how we think and what we do. . . .”
“This story shows us in the deepest possible sense that we are all sisters and brothers – fashioned from the same stellar dust, energized by the same star, nourished by the same planet, endowed with the same genetic code, and threatened by the same evils. This story, more than any other, humbles us before the magnitude and complexity of creation. Like no other story it bewilders us with the improbability of our existence, astonishes us with the interdependence of all things, and makes us feel grateful for the lives we have...”
• See also my book Seasons and Self: Discourses on Being ‘at home’ in Nature. Bayswater. Coventry Press, 2018
An article from my collection, on Religious Naturalism which at its heart is the narrative, Epic of Evolution.
Silence for Private Reflection
AFFIRMING
Litany: Web of Life
The people stand as they are able
All We create a web of life.
v1 This is finally the time to let go of that crazy notion
that we can live separate and aloof from one another.
All We create a web of life.
v2 This is the time at last
that we can come home to each other,
to our mutual belonging.
All We create a web of life.
v3 And we create a web of life
out of which every single one of us
can use everything our stories have given us.
All We create a web of life.
v4 Every part of our lives... even the cruelty,
even the abuse, even the addictions,
even the loneliness, even the failures...
Al We create a web of life.
v5 A web of life is created within
which you can rest in that knowing.
v1 Because out of that you can act.
Out of that, all power is yours.
Out of that, you travel light.
Out of that, you can step forward.
Silence
v2 We create a web of life.
All Let every encounter be a homecoming
as we step forward now for the healing of our world.
v1 The world is not going to be saved by good people or noble people.
v2 The world is going to be healed by ordinary people,
like you and me,
All who are not afraid of pain
and who are not afraid to love each other. (S Lammer)
OR
"Evolving Affirmation of Faith”
By Gretta Vosper
v1 I am human.
My ancestors were stars;
their atoms move in me yet.
v2 I am human.
My life is intertwined with your life,
with all that is animate in the world,
and with Earth itself.
So, too, is my future.
v3 I am human.
My understanding of reality is limited
to what my mind can comprehend,
my senses appreciate,
and my courage bear.
All I am human.
And I see, too,
that you are also.
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
“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)
OR
"God is Surroundly Inherent" (Tune: "Wunderbarer Konig", 668D 33. 66) 14 SNS2
All the cosmos beaming;
All creation gleaming;
So we stand in awe and silence.
Galaxies are dancing;
Stars, the night enhancing;
Constellations claim our reverence.
God's own heart
Seen in part,
Shines in all the brilliance;
Shows forth God's transcendence.
Microscopic sources
Hold such mighty forces
In the atom's sacred magic.
Germs can be our masters;
Makers of disasters;
So minute, yet cause 'the tragic'.
Smaller still
Genes, with skill,
Breed God's inborn presence
In our human essence.
God is all, surrounding;
Source of life abounding;
Ground of being, spirit swelling.
Inmost at our centre,
There we all encounter
God as love and grace indwelling.
We adore
Evermore
Worshipped down through history,
God the wondrous mystery. (George Stuart)
OR
“O God of All the Nations” (Tune: ‘Llangloffan’, 76.76D)
(“Lead On, O King Eternal”; “Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers”)
O God of all the nations, your ancient prophets saw
that kings and institutions are not above the law.
Integrity is precious, and truth will one day stand;
Your way is peace and justice, and love is your command.
O God, when times are troubled, when lies are seen as truth,
When power-hungry people draw praise and not reproof,
When greed is seen as greatness, when justice is abused,
We pray that those who lead us will know what they must choose.
We pray they’ll gather wisdom and lift up high ideals,
To guide our struggling nation along a path that heals.
We pray they’ll have the vision to value each good law,
To put aside ambition, to seek the best for all.
O God of all the nations, may those who lead us see
that justice is your blessing, that truth will set us free.
Give all of us the courage to seek the nobler way,
So in this land we cherish, the good will win the
** Text: Copyright © 19 December 2019 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved.
Permission is given for free use of this hymn
CELEBRATING
With the Children
The 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)
The Offerings
The Presentation
In a world so full of what is wonderful,
ever changing, ever surprising us with life’s
power and beauty, may we accept with gratitude,
all that gladdens us, and with fortitude
all that brings us grief.
Let us be learning always,
from all that we see and do, and
from all that happens to us. (Adapted. A Powell Davies/lth)
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:
May our thoughts be filled with transformation,
All May our words reflect the yearnings of our hearts.
And may the spirit that binds within us as we gather
All Hallow each and every passing moment
we know here together. (Adapted. Gretta Vosper/ab)
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: (Optional)
You are invited to pray in the spirit of the Abba/Lord's Prayer, and in your original language, as that is appropriate
All Loving Presence, luminous in all creation,
hallowed be your name.
Thy kin-dom come.
May we reflect on earth
the yielding perfection of the heavens.
Help us to receive an illumined measure from the earth this day.
Forgive us when we trespass against others,
human and other than human,
as we forgive others who trespass against us.
Keep us on the path of wisdom
when we are tempted to take the selfish path.
May it be your rule we follow,
your power we exercise,
and your radiance that allures.
May this be the truth that guides our lives,
the ground from which our future will grow,
until we meet again. (BSanguin/dddc)
PARTING
Hymn/Song "Wonder and Radiance” (Tune: ‘Faithfulness’, 11.10.11.10 & Refrain) 7(v1-2) SNS3
Movement and colour are graces so pleasing;
Sounds and sweet perfumes are here to delight;
Oceans and mountains and flora and fauna -
Too many marvels for us to recite.
Refrain:
Wonder and radiance,
Beauty, extravagance,
All come together in what we can see;
Nature’s abundance can fill all our senses;
We are in awe of these gifts that are free.
Given for everyone, new and the future ;
Given for sharing, not profit nor greed;
Food for the hungry and drink for the thirsty;
There is sufficient for meeting each need.
Refrain:
Wonder and radiance,
Beauty, extravagance,
All come together in what we can see;
Nature’s abundance can fill all our senses;
We stand in awe of these gifts that are free.
OR
“Where Are You Going?” (Tune: ‘Pilgrim Tune’, 97.66.7) 86(v1-3) RP
Where are you going? God only knows.
Walk on pilgrim, pilgrim sing.
It's not where you're going.
It's how you are changing.
Come on pilgrim! Pilgrim sing!
Walk with another, walk on as one.
Come on pilgrim, pilgrim sing.
Your friends will walk with you,
and others will join you.
Walk on pilgrims! Pilgrims sing!
Walk midst the water, walk through the fire.
Walk on pilgrims, pilgrims sing.
Your God will walk with you,
your God will protect you.
Come on pilgrims! Pilgrims sing!
People remain standing
Parting Words
Let us take on this week’s life
with renewed hope and imagination...
The Community Candle is extinguished
Now may our wisdom show itself
in deeds of compassion
and in acts of understanding.
All May the fruits of the spirit
be apparent in our lives. (Adapted. P R Giles)
Words of Blessing
May the God you see in all the colours of creation
arouse in you a sense of awe and wonder.
May the God who is a sacred presence be real to you.
May the God who is a source of inspiration and courage
keep calling you forward.
May your God go with you, and bless you. (Francis Macnab)
All Amen! May it be so!
Hymn/Song (Cont.) “Wonder and Radiance” (Tune: ‘Faithfulness’, 11.10.11.10 & Refrain) 7(v3) SNS3
Love and respect for the world all around us
Can make a difference; can halt future deem;
Can bring some healing; prevent destruction;
Show our thanksgiving and help nature bloom.
Refrain:
Wonder and radiance,
Beauty, extravagance -
These priceless gifts are for you and for me;
Nature’s abundance can thrill all our senses;
We must protect and preserve all we see. (George Stuart)
OR
“Where Are You Going?” (Tune: ‘Pilgrim Tune’, 9. 66.7) 86(v4-6) RP
Climb up the mountain, follow the sun.
Come on pilgrims, pilgrims sing.
The leaves turn to auburn
to welcome the autumn.
Walk on pilgrims! Pilgrims sing!
God is behind you, God is ahead.
Walk on pilgrims, pilgrims sing.
The winter may chill you,
the spring will enchant you.
Come on pilgrims! Pilgrims sing!
Summer is warming, spirit of joy.
Come on pilgrims, pilgrims sing.
Then dance as you travel,
sing 'hail resurrection’.
Walk on pilgrims! Pilgrims sing! (Adapted. Andrew Pratt)
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, 2001.
Davies, A. P. The Language of the Heart. A Book of Prayers. Washington, DC. All Soul’s Church, 1956.
(FFS) Faith Forever Singing. Songs for a New Day. Raumati. New Zealand Hymnbook Trust, 2000.
Funk, R. W. & R. W. Hoover. The Five Gospels. The Search for the Authentic Words of Jesus. New York. MacMillan Press, 1993.
Geering, L. G. From the Big Bang to God. Our Awe-inspiring Journey of Evolution. Wellington. Steele Roberts, 2013
Holy Bible. NRSV. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989.
(HoS) Hope Is Our Song. New Hymns and Songs from Aotearoa New Zealand. Palmerston North. New Zealand Hymnbook Trust, 2009.
Kaufman, G. In the Beginning… Creativity. Minniapolis. Fortress Press, 2004.
McCarty, D. Thoughts from a Gentle Atheist. Religious Readings for the Skeptical. USA. Dennis McCarty, 2019
McIlhagga, K. The Green Heart of the Snowdrop. Glasgow. Wild Goose Publications, 2004.
McRae-McMahon, D. Echoes of our Journey. Liturgies of the People. Melbourne. JBCE, 1993.
(RP) Pratt, A. Reclaiming Praise. Hymns from a Spiritual Journey. London. Stainer & Bell Ltd, 2006.
Shick, S. M. Consider The Lilies. Meditations. Boston: Skinner House Books, 2004.
(SLT) Singing The Living Tradition. Boston: UUA, 1993.
(SNS2) Stuart, G. Singing a New Song. Traditional Hymn Tunes with New Century Lyrics. Volume 2. Toronto: G Stuart, 2009.
(SNS3) Stuart, G. Singing a New Song. Traditional Hymn Tunes with New Century Lyrics. Volume 3. Toronto. G Stuart, 2011.
Vosper, G. Another Breath. Prayers for Celebration and Reflection. Brisbane. The Centre for Progressive Religious Thought Brisbane, 2009/2010.
Web sites/Other:
McKeeman, Giles, Lammer, Kaufmann. UUA Worship Web. Boston. <www.uua.org/spirituallife/worshipweb/>
Francis MacnabJ Wootton. St Michael’s Uniting Church Web site. VIC: Melbourne.
"God Called Us". . Stainer & Bell Ltd. Web site: hymns.uk.com
David Galston. Quest Learning Centre for Religious Literacy. <http://www.questcentre.ca/>
"Evolving..." Gretta Vosper. Direct from the author. Used with permission.
Colin Gibson. “Pulse of Creation”. Direct from the author. Used with permission.
Peggy McDonagh. “Today we Celebrate”. One of several resources list at St Stephen’s Non-Theistic Project. <http://stephen.srv.ualberta.ca/publications/non-theistic-liturgy-resources/>
Refreshment Station. Words by Nan Fink Gefen, taken from an Evolutionary Passover Haggadah by Tree Bressen.