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
“...in the end the universe can only be explained in terms of celebration.
It is all an exuberant expression of existence itself”
23 March 2025. Lent 3. (Purple).
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 and present,
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 available 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 worship 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)
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 struck three times
Come into this gathering.
May this time together be creative
Of a new outreach of trust and confidence
That life was meant to be lived at the full tide. Bob Holmes
Let us celebrate the richness and diversity of life.
Lighting of the Community Candle
The Community Candle is lit
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) Specific resources on Terrorism
(iv) On Wonder, Awe, and Nature
Hymn/Song The people stand as they are able, to sing
"Whispers Rippled Through The Cosmos" (Tune: 'Nettleton', 87.87)
Whispers rippled through the cosmos,
pan-galactic breath of God;
marking paths of whirling planets,
stellar strings where stars first trod.
Major chords of constellations
ringing on the staves of time,
soften to a sombre minor,
echoes of an ancient rhyme.
God is in this wild confusion
bringing order, giving grace;
author, ground of all creation,
fount of being, Lord of space.
All transcendent power and glory
now distilled, condensed, confined;
shaped while shaping rich resources
cradling waiting humankind © Andrew Pratt
Remain standing
Opening Sentences
In hope, in longing
All We're glad to come together.
In trust, in community
All We're glad to come together.
In many moods, in many shapes and sizes
All We're glad to come together.
In peace, in joy
All We're glad to come together.
In solidarity with those who struggle
All We're glad to come together in this Lenten season. (Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer/wsj)
Words of Awareness
I will nurse this autumn carefully,
treat its brittleness gently,
smooth its crumbling edges, its weeping afternoons…
I will nurture this autumn knowing
it is myself
in a pure and golden form,
and that childlike
soft words will be brought bubbling up
to be recorded in the pattern of the leaves
and the low fog coming across the bay. (Edited. Wendy Smyer You/lp)
(Silence)
OR
We pray:
Remind us, O Spirit, that life is worth living.
Remind us, O Creator, that the struggle for justice is worth undertaking.
Remind us, O Mercy, that love and action are one.
May it be so. (Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer/wsj)
Hymn/Song "Past and Present" (Tune: 'Cwm Rhondda’ 87.87.47) 28 TMT
Past and present, with our dreaming,
Join to make us what we are;
Ancient wisdom, ancient follies
Shape the way we love and care:
Give us reverence,
Give us wisdom,
From the past for life today,
From the past for life today.
Make us mindful of the present -
Ev'ry force, each strength, each flaw;
Free us from those selfish motives
Which consume us more and more:
Give us vision,
Give us courage,
For this modern age of change,
For this modern age of change.
We must face the future's challenge
To create a better earth
Hand in hand with all who labour
Dream and suffer for its birth:
For through sharing
And through caring
We shall build community,
We shall build community. William L Wallace
People sit after the hymn/song
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
Meditation
"Resting in the Grace of the World"
Wendell Berry. Earth Prayers/102.
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
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 take a moment to settle into the silence of this place.
(The charka is sounded)
Silence
May our silence grow profound
as we are embraced by the spirit
of our highest hopes. BHamilton-Holway
(The charka is sounded)
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: The delight of a story well-known fills our hearts
as we listen for its familiar end.
All May we hear in these stories, familiar and new,
both wisdom and meaning for the days ahead.
• "Grounded Faith"
By Henry Nelson Wieman. Reprinted in Outstretched Wings of the Spirit/17.
Faith is essential to religion.
A faith is a transforming and activating belief. It is belief becoming dynamic, functioning in life...
What we call our faith is the total, integrated structure of all of our beliefs,
made coherent and rational, and constantly tested out
and either reaffirmed or corrected by continuing life experience.
It becomes the foundation for our personal morale and morals
as we confront the challenges of daily life.
Faith is our character.
• Luke 13:1-9 (Inclusive Text)
Some people arrived and told Jesus about Galileans
whose blood Pilate had mingled with that their sacrifices.
At this Jesus said to them,
‘Do you suppose these Galileans who suffered like that
were greater sinners than any other Galileans?
‘They were not, I tell you.
No, but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.
‘Or those eighteen on whom the tower at Siloam fell and killed them?
Do you suppose that they were more guilty
than all the other people living in Jerusalem?
‘They were not, I tell you.
No, but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.’
Jesus told this parable:
‘A vinedresser had a fig tree planted in his vineyard
and came looking for fruit on it but found none.
‘The vinedresser the said to the one who looked after the vineyard,
Look here, for three years now I have been coming
to look for fruit on this fig tree, and finding none.
Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?
‘The vineyard worker replied,
Leave it one more year and give me time to dig around it and manure it:
it may bear fruit next year;
if not, then you can cut it down.’
Contemporary Exploration
Silence for Personal Reflection
AFFIRMING
Celebration of Faith (Optional)
In response to the word reflected on let us stand
and share together a celebration of faith.
The people stand as they are able
Beckoning Christ,
you call us out of our comfortable ghetto of 'us' and 'them'
to risk discipleship without walls.
All You call us into a world-wide fellowship
where God is worshipped above all other.
Wn You call us into a world-wide fellowship
where prayer is offered day and night.
All You call us into a world-wide fellowship
where we can share what we are with others who love you.
Mn You call us into a world-wide fellowship
where each person has something to give to the whole.
All You call us into a world-wide fellowship
where compassion and respect shape missionary endeavour.
Keep on beckoning us out of our safe havens
into your rich fellowship of
challenge and reconciliation, faith and hope. (Kate Compston/sco)
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 The people stand as they are able, to sing
“Celebrate the Cosmic Birthing” (Tune: ‘Hymn to Joy’)
Celebrate the cosmic birthing,
Flash of primal energy:
Swirling gases, densing matter
Stuff of galaxies to be.
Celebrate the life-force pulsing
through these 15 billion years,
Trillion, trillion stars emerging
From the cradle of the spheres.
Celebrate the white-heat furnace-
life evoking mother sun;
Celebrate her planet-offspring
Nine, in cosmic dance as one.
Celebrate her favoured daughter,
Earth, in cloak of fragile green;
Cragging rocks, and sounding ocean-
Surface-lashed, beneath serene.
Join the mystic dance of species,
Chaining, weaving, circling, one
Strong-competing, close depending,
Life swift ending, new begun.
Sing our senseful keen awareness-
Form and sound, scent, taste and hue.
High achieving, passing, transient-
Living, dying born anew. (Ian Cairns)
The people sit
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 space
bringing our joys and concerns.
Joys and Celebrations; Griefs and Concerns shared
Focused Thoughts:
Listening Response:
Creation thrums with Being
and peals the Word - 'I am’.
All We sometimes remember
to whisper the antiphon, 'We are'. (VArnold/es)
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 Eternal Spirit
Source of all that is and ever shall be,
Loving Parent in whom we discern heaven,
May knowledge of your holiness inspire all peoples.
And may your commonwealth of peace and freedom
flourish on earth, until all of humankind
heed your call to justice and compassion.
May we find the bread that we need for today.
And for the hurts we cause one another
may we be forgiven in the same measure
that we forgive.
In times of trial and temptation,
help us to be strong;
When life seems overwhelming,
Help us to endure;
And thus from the yoke of sin deliver us.
May you reign in the power of human love,
Now and forever. (Tom Hall)
CELEBRATING
CELEBRATING COMMUNITY IN THE TRADITION OF THE MEAL
The Offering
The Presentation
Open our eyes, our ears, our mouths.
Let us be doers of the word and not hearers only,
taking on those tasks set before us
with uncommon vision and
wholehearted expectation. (Francis Macnab/h)
Introduction (Optional)
Members of the Jesus movements regularly ate a meal together
when they met as a community.
It was a characteristic that they had in common
with virtually every other social group in their world.
It was considered primary to the early developments
in the movements’ meal liturgy.
These meal traditions were not about personal salvation or payment for sin.
Instead, they were about actions and offering hospitality, social identity,
and being in solidarity with those around us.
The liturgical movements centred on celebration, presence, and joy.
I invite you into the spirit of those meals…
Invitation
Friends we are about to share in the sacred story
and celebrate community together in a symbolic meal.
This time of the year each day grows a little shorter,
and, as each week passes, we move closer
to the winter equinox.
As you, O Autumn, take pleasure in your great bounty,
let us also take delight
in the abundance of the simple things in life
which are the true source of joy. (Edward Hays/ep)
Thanksgiving
In time beyond our dreaming Creativity God hovered over the water,
and was revealed in fire and storm and precious law.
Likewise, humanity in this creative likeness evolved on this earth,
along with earth’s minerals and waters, flowers and fruits,
living creatures of grace and beauty!
All We offer this our thanks and praise.
In the 40 days of Lent,
we also remember the love made manifest in the
birth, life, and stories of Jesus of Nazareth.
In his healing acts and radical teachings
we recall the words he spoke
to call forth love, care and respect for one another.
And so, with Elizabeth who prophesied a birth,
Martha who longed for The Anointed One,
and James and John who sought to follow on the Way,
we join together, saying:
All Holy, holy, holy, vulnerable God,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
All Hosanna in the highest.
Bread and White Wine
We remember…
Long ago, so our tradition says, Jesus took bread,
offered thanks for it, and broke it.
Bread broken
He handed it to his friends, and invited them to eat.
We remember…
Long ago, so our tradition also says, Jesus poured a cup of wine,
offered thanks for it, and gave it to his friends.
Wine poured out
Bread... the very stuff of life.
Wine... fruit of the vine and celebration.
Communion
Let us share this bread and wine knowing that our lives are forever changed
by this and every breaking of bread.
Bread and White Wine served in continuous line
PARTING
Hymn/Song The people stand as they are able, to sing
“The Earth is Our Cradle” 7(v1-2) OHV
The earth is our cradle, our ground and our home.
The sky is our blanket, protective and warm.
The stars are our ancestors, ancient and bright,
their glow is a glimpse of our life’s burning light.
The creatures of land, the swimmers of sea,
the birds of the air, the green plants and trees:
They’re all of our siblings with equal share
in Earth as our home and duty to care.
OR
“Jesus – The Canberra Affirmation” (Tune: ‘Triumph’, 87.87.87) 28(v1-2) SNS2
We would honour one called Jesus –
Wisdom teacher, Jewish sage;
Nurtured by his own tradition
And religion of his age;
Long ago he took his journey; setting forth from Galilee.
Through distinctive oral sayings,
By the parables he told
Of inclusiveness and justice,
Of integrity so bold
He invited others trust in his great vision for his day.
Parting Words
The God we worship is never confined to this holy place.
So go and travel with the God who is found
in ordinary and surprising places.
The Community Candle is extinguished
Those who dodge growing pains
will never arrive at their full spiritual height.
As you prepare to leave this sacred place,
pray that you may have the courage to stretch once more
towards the goals set by the Man of Nazareth.
All There is no shame in failing.
But there is in not trying. (Bruce Prewer).
Words of Blessing
May the love that gives to life its beauty,
the reverence that gives to life its sacredness,
and the purposes that give to life its deep significance,
be strong within each of us and lead us
into ever deepening relationships with all of life. GGBrooks
All Amen. May it be so.
Hymn/Song (Cont.) “The Earth is Our Cradle” 7(v3) OHV
Our ancient atoms arranged and reformed,
connect us and bind us with the stuff of the stars,
When all is over, our substance returned
to our elements birth-place, our atom’s next turn. (Christopher New)
OR
“Jesus – The Canberra Affirmation” (Tune: ‘Triumph’, 87.87.87) 28(v3) SNS2
Life, one's neighbour and the 'sacred'
Re-imagined when he taught;
Table fellowship was open -
Symbol of his warm support;
As we too share in his vision, we affirm and follow him. (George Stuart)
The people sit after the hymn/song
'This Week' at (NN)
Notices
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Significant Events
Journey Candles
Recessional 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.
Duncan, G. (ed). Seeing Christ in Others. An Anthology for Worship, Mediation and Mission. Norwich. The Canterbury Press 1998.
Harrington, D. S. Outstretched Wings of the Spirit. On Being Intelligently and Devotedly Religious. Boston. UUA, 1980.
Holmes, R. H. The Bob Holmes Worship Materials. Vol 1. Little Falls. Self published, 1972.
Inclusive Readings. Year C. Brisbane. Inclusive Language Project. In private circulation, 2006.
(OHV) New, C. Our Highest Values: A Collection of Songs for an Expansive Spirituality. Edmonton. Southminster-Steinhauer United Church, 2015. (chris@smsuc.com)
Morely, J. All Desires Known. Expanded edition. London. SPCK, 1992.
Macnab, F. Hope: The Deeper Longings of the Mind and Heart. Richmond. Spectrum Publications, 1996.
Nelson-Pallmeyer, J. & B. Hesle. Worship in the Spirit of Jesus. Theology, Liturgy, and Songs without Violence. Cleveland. The Pilgrin Press, 2005.
Prewer, B. D. Australian Prayers. Adelaide. OpenBook Publishers, 1983.
Roberts, E. & E. Amidon. Earth Prayers from Around the World. 365 Prayers, Poems, and Invocations for Honoring the Earth. New York. HarperCollins, 1991.
Roberts, E. & E. Amidon. Life Prayers from Around the World. 365 Prayers, Blessings, and Affirmations to Celebrate the Human Journey. New York: HarperCollins, 1996.
Seaburg, C. (ed). The Communion Book. Boston. UUMA, 1993.
(SNS2) Stuart, G. Singing a New Song. Traditional Hymn Tunes with New Century Lyrics. Volume 2. Toronto. G Stuart, 2009.
(TMT) Wallace, W. L. The Mystery Telling. Hymns and Songs for the New Millennium. Kingston. Selah Publishing, 2001.
Withrow, L. Seasons of Prayer. Resources for worship. London. SPCK, 1995.
Web sites/Other:
Hamilton-Holway. UUA Worship Web. Boston. http://uua.org/spirituallife/worshipweb/index.php
Bruce Prewer Web Site. VIC: Bendigo.
Andrew Pratt. UK. eMail hymn service from the author.
"Listening Response". Eureka Street eZine 20, 23. 23/11/10.
"Celebrate the Cosmic Birthing". Stainer & Bell Ltd. Web site: hymns.uk.com
David Galston. Quest Learning Centre for Religious Literacy. <http://www.questcentre.ca/>
Refreshment Station. Words by Nan Fink Gefen, taken from an Evolutionary Passover Haggadah by Tree Bressen.