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
“There is a need for the religious traditions… to appreciate that the primary sacred community
is the universe itself, and that every other community
becomes sacred by participation in this primary community”
24 December 2023. (White).
Christmas Eve
A separate Blue Christmas Liturgy can be found on this site
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 can be found at 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, 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)
Multi-sensory artwork OR Floral/Symbols display (cloths, candles, stones, wood, leaves, flowers, earth, water) OR projection of Film/Video
Gathering in Silence
Entry into the Celebration
v1 On this blessed night let us gather at the altar of joy,
for to miss the joy of Christmas is to miss its holiest secret.
v2 Let us enter into the spiritual delights
which are the natural heritage of childlike hearts…
The gong is sounded three times followed by silence, then...
v1 Blessed are they who have vision enough
to behold a guiding star in the dark mystery which girdles the earth;
v2 Blessed are they who have faith enough
to contemplate a world of peace and justice
in the midst of present wrong and strife;
v3 Blessed are they who have greatness enough
to become as little children… (Adapt/David Rhys Williams/hcl)
Opening Sentences
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,
Here on earth, under the stars,
Linked with each other. (M A Keip)
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 that 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) Some specific resources on Terrorism
(iv) On Wonder, Awe, and Nature
Hymn/Song People stand as they are able, to sing
"Cloth For The Cradle" (Tune: Scottish traditional) 54 HSNW
Chorus:
Cloth for the cradle, cradle for the child,
The child for our every joy and sorrow;
Find him a shawl that's woven by us all
To welcome the Lord of each tomorrow.
Darkness and light and all that's known by sight,
Silence and echo fading,
Weave into one a welcome for the Son,
Set earth its own maker serenading.
Claimant and queen, wage earners in between,
Trader and travelling preacher,
Weave into one a welcome for the Son,
Whose word brings new life to every creature.
Hungry and poor, the sick and the unsure,
Wealthy, whose needs are stranger,
Weave into one a welcome for the Son,
Leave excess and want beneath the manger.
Wrinkled or fair, carefree or full of care,
Searchers of all the ages,
Weave into one a welcome for the Son,
The Saviour of shepherds and of sages. (Bell& Maule)
People sit
Lighting of the Christmas Eve Candles
Christmas Eve is a time for candlelight.
It is a time when one desires nothing more
than family and soft music.
Who can say what passes through
our hearts on Christmas Eve?
Strange thoughts.
Undefinable emotions.
Sudden tears.
All this and more, unbidden, come without reason.
All And we light our candles for this is Christmas Eve.
Some Candles are lit
Christmas Eve is not a time to be merry, but quietly glad.
It is the proper time to wish upon a star.
It is the time to watch children
with excited, happy eyes,
troop off to bed to await the miracle of dawn.
It is a time to wonder, of thankfulness
that life is still being created out of darkness.
It is a time of quiet awakening to beauty
that still lives on through the strife
of a war-torn world.
All And we light our candles for this is Christmas Eve.
Some Candles are lit
Christmas Eve is a time of heartbreak,
when those who are not at our side are most missed.
Christmas Eve is a time of blessing
when all the heartbroken world gives thanks
for the quiet beauty of rest.
When one is closest to one's companions
and is not then enemy to any person.
All And we light our candles for this is Christmas Eve.
Some Candles are lit
Christmas Eve is a time of memory,
when one remembers past happiness and love
and often sighs for the good that might have been.
Peace on earth.
The story of the first Christmas... so old, and yet so new.
We lose ourselves in legend, and dream of storybook people:
Tiny Tim,
The other Wise One,
Shepherds and angels,
live again in the memory of human hearts.
All And we light our candles for this is Christmas Eve. (Adapt.Tracy Pullman/cc)
Some Candles are lit
Words of Awareness
For all that is our life we offer thanks and praise.
For all life is a gift which we are called to use,
to shape the store of common good.
May we know once again that we are not isolated beings
but connected, in mystery and miracle,
to the universe,
to this community, and
to each other.
OR
We pray:
Spirit of truth, whom the world can never grasp,
touch our hearts with the shock of your coming.
Fill us with desire for your disturbing peace
and a longing to speak your compassionate word.
May it be so.
Hymn/Song People stand as they are able, to sing
"Carol Our Christmas" 9 AA
Carol our Christmas,
an upside down Christmas;
snow is not falling and
trees are not bare.
Carol the summer, and
welcome the Christ Child,
warm in our sunshine and
sweetness of air.
Sing of the gold and the
green and the sparkle,
water and river and lure
of the beach.
Sing in the happiness
of open spaces,
sing a nativity summer
can reach!
Shepherds and musterers
move over hillsides,
finding, not angels,
but sheep to be shorn;
wise ones make journeys
whatever the season,
searching for signs of the
truth to be born.
Right side up Christmas belongs
to the universe,
made in the moment
a woman gives birth;
hope is the Jesus gift,
love is the offering,
verywhere, anywhere,
here on the earth. (Shirley Erena Murray)
People sit
Welcome
May I extend a warm welcome to you all this night...
Those of you who are gathering here at (NN) for the first time,
and those who have returned
to celebrate this special season
with family or friends.
Your presence both enriches us
and this time of celebration together.
Refer to liturgy and invite participation.
CENTERING
Centering Silence
Centering silence has its roots in the earliest of monastic traditions of the ‘desert Fathers (abbas)/Mothers (ammas)’ and the Christian mystic tradition… Relaxing into ‘quietness’ creates the space for deep listening and draws you into yourself
Let there now be a safe silence among us…
(Silence)
May our silence grow profound
as we are embraced by the spirit
of our highest hopes.
(Silence)
Special Music
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: Even as we seek understanding, our minds,
too often, shelter us from the realities we might uncover.
All May we have the courage to hear and hold truths
found within these words. (Gretta Vosper/ab)
• “Each Night a Child is Born”
Sophia Lyon Fahs. Celebrating Christmas/63
For so the children come
and so they have been coming.
Always in the same way they came -
Born of the seed of man and woman.
No angels herald their beginnings.
No prophets predict their future courses.
No wise men see a star to show where to find
The babe that will save humankind.
Yet each night a child is born is a holy night.
Fathers and mothers -
Sitting beside their children’s cribs -
Feel glory in the sight of a new life beginning.
They ask ‘Where and how will this new life end?
Or will it ever end?’
Each night a child is born is a holy night -
A time for singing -
A time for wondering -
A time for worshipping.
OR
• “Christmas Eve”
Dennis McCarty. Thoughts from a Gentle Atheist/171
It is our task
During this season
And at every Christmas,
To make this celebration what we want it to be.
Christmas can be
Loveliness, happiness, singing, and laughter:
Giving and sharing the best we have
And the best we have in ourselves;
But we are the ones
Who must make it so.
May this be a time of rebirth and renewal,
Of happiness and deep joy.
Let there be light and warmth for all,
And let us be the bearers thereof.
OR
If in parts of the Northern hemisphere:
• “Winter”
Gretta Vosper. We All Breathe
Spun into a velvet darkness,
we greet this midwinter night.
Promises of wonder, delight, and hope,
lie waiting for us to capture them
and make them real,
building a world that shimmers with beauty.
Into the moments between
receiving and giving,
may we weave a tapestry of celebration;
and as we cherish the gifts it has to offer,
might the beauty, truth, and goodness
that resides within us all
be illumined with new meaning for each of us.
May the world spin this night into wonder.
As those born into love,
yet ever seeking it,
we offer ourselves to the quest.
• Luke 2:1-14 (Inclusive Text)
Caesar Augustus issued a decree for a census of the whole world to be taken.
This census - the first - took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria,
and everyone went to their own town to be registered.
So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee
and travelled up to Judea, to the town of David called Bethlehem,
since he was of David's House and line,
in order to be registered with Mary,
his betrothed, who was with child.
While they were there, the time came for her to have her child,
and she gave birth to a son, her first-born.
She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger
because there was no place for them at the inn.
In the countryside close by there were shepherds who lived in the fields,
and took it in turns to watch their flock during the night.
The angel of God appeared to them,
and the glory of God shone around them.
They were terrified, but the angel said,
'Do not be afraid. Listen, I bring you news of great joy,
a joy to be shared by the whole people.
'Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you who is the Christ.
'And here is a sign for you:
you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.'
And suddenly with the angel there was a great throng
of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
'Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace to all who enjoy God's favour!'
Contemporary Word
Silence for Personal Reflection
AFFIRMING
A Christmas Litany (Optional)
In solidarity with those for whom standing is not easy or possible, we will remain seated for the litany...
v1 May this time together lead us to the heart of the season, which is peace.
May we breathe deeply of peace in this safe place,
and let our hearts be open to the evening's story.
Wm Like the wandering couple, may we find
that our greatest trials issue forth from our greatest joys.
Mn Like the harried innkeeper, may we find
ways to be of help to others.
Wm Like the lumbering beasts, may we be
silent witnesses to the unfathomable glory of life.
Mn Like the shepherds on the hill, may we know
that we need never be afraid.
Wm Like the journeying wise, may we always
have the courage to follow our stars.
Mn Like the angels, may we cry peace to a troubled world.
(Silence)
v1 May this season of peace and goodwill
All nudge our world towards its ideals,
for then will Christmas truly dawn. (Adapt.Christine Robinson)
Sharing 'The Peace'
Let us take a moment to celebrate each other.
May a heart of peace rest with you. (David Galston/q)
All And also with you.
You are invited to share the peace with your neighbours
OR
Namaste
Facing the person with right hand on your heart and a slight bow of the head…
The Divine in me honours the Divine in you.
OR
The Light in me recognises the Light in you.
OR
The spirit within me sees the spirit within you.
Hymn/Song People stand as they are able, to sing
“Come Celebrate…” (Tune: ‘Gift of Life’, Colin Gibson) 17 HoS
Come celebrate the gift of life:
creation’s journey from the star
whose first great flaring forth of light
responded to God’s word of power.
Enable us, O God, to see
your living word is in us still;
this vibrant possibility
within our human lives fulfil.
Come celebrate the gift of love,
potential in each human soul,
revealed by Jesus as he strove
to heal our world and make us whole.
Enable us, O God, to choose
beyond the inborn needs of self;
in loving, be prepared to lose
our boundaries, and find new life.
Come celebrate the gift of power:
the flow of God within each soul,
which calls us in this present hour
to see creation as a whole.
Enable us, O God, to know
your life is present in all things;
and may our lives, within that flow,
reflect the joy creation sings. (Margaret Bond)
People sit
In Solidarity
Celebrating God, with another Christmas,
we celebrate the gift of life itself
and the gift of every resource that enhances life.
Above all, we are thankful for the life and spirit of Jesus of Nazareth,
for leading us to put our hope and trust
in the spirit of life and love
moving in the depths of our being.
May we too be creators of a better world.
May we find a good purpose and satisfaction in the life that we are given.
May we leave behind us a trail of encouragement and hope. (Francis Macnab/h)
Silence
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 Gracious Spirit,
Who loves us like a mother,
Whose realm is blooming among us now. And within.
We pray that your compassion guide us in every action.
Give us what we need for each day,
and help us to be satisfied with the miracle of that alone.
Forgiver, whose embrace brings us to wholeness without our asking,
May we reconcile ourselves to one another in humility.
And may we cancel the crushing debts that imprison our neighbours
So that communities of joy and health may flourish.
May we neither profit from nor ignore evil.
But ever work to thwart it with non-violence
As we co-create the realm of peace in this world.
Now and each day. Amen. (Bret Hesla/wsj)
CELEBRATING
CELEBRATING COMMUNITY IN THE TRADITION OF THE MEAL
The Offering
Presentation
In hope and in thanksgiving
we offer these gifts this night.
Introduction
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…
Thanksgiving
May it be well with you.
All And also with you.
Life is a gift and we its celebration.
All May we rejoice in the beauty that we are. (Gretta Vosper/wwg)
We celebrate a Creative Presentness, a God-here-with-us
beyond our words,
beyond our images,
a reality that grounds and sustains everything that exists.
We sense this Creative Presentness
in the immensity of our universe,
in the incredible display of life-forms on this planet,
and in the development of consciousness in the human species.
All our collected human wisdom
is a visible expression of this Creative Presentness
active for millions of years in human development,
active in all places, at all times, in individuals and cultures,
seeking expression in the betterment of humanity.
We also rejoice in the birth of the sage called Jesus.
In him we see the fullness of human possibility:
to make God visible in our lives.
In him we have seen this Creative Presentness
come to expression in human form.
Like all of us he grew in wisdom as he aged.
He questioned.
He searched for meaning.
He shaped his convictions.
He experienced love and came to know love's connectedness with God.
He stood firmly in his own religious tradition
and preached good news to all people
dreaming of a better humanity.
We rejoice that his teaching sets us free
from imagining a manipulative, intervening God
and from thinking we are distant from the Creative Presence
in which our very existence is grounded. (Michael Morwood/pns. Adapt)
We rejoice that Jesus led people
to discover the sacred in the ordinary:
All in the crowd,
in the lowly,
in everyday life,
in human yearnings to be better people,
and in being neighbour to one another.
Bread and White Wine
And so we recall the ancient story...
On the night before he died, according to this tradition,
when he shared a meal with his friends,
Jesus took some bread, and set aside some wine,
honouring the God of faithful presence in the ordinary of life.
He gave thanks for all the blessings in his life.
Broke the bread.
Poured out the wine.
And shared both with his friends.
We break bread as Jesus broke bread...
Break Bread
mindful of the call to love generously and faithfully,
whatever the cost.
We pour out wine...
Pour White Wine
mindful of our responsibility
to be bearers of forgiveness,
tolerance, and understanding.
All To this commitment we give our 'Amen'
and offer it as our Christmas gift
to our family and friends and neighbours. (Michael Morwood/pns)
Communion
The Bread and White Wine is served
SCATTERING
Hymn/Song People stand as they are able, to sing
“How Ancient and Lovely” (Tune: ‘Away in a Manger’)
How ancient and lovely
this news of a star,
a baby, a mother,
the kings from afar.
Come close now, Lord Jesus,
we ask you to stay
and show us your face in
your people today.
What star shall we follow
but one that leads here
to a baby born homeless
and a family in fear?
What heaven shall we long for
but one that starts there
for all the world’s children
in your tender care?
OR
"As the Sun Beats Down" (Tune: 10.7.10.7) 2(v1-3) FFS
As the sun beats down and the heat invades,
and creation burns and dries;
let us sing to God of a promised hope
in the midst of anxious cries.
As the parching winds relentless blow,
and creation browns away;
let us sing to God, who restores and calms
all foreboding and dismay.
As the feed dies back and the stock decline,
and creation's bones show through;
let us sing to God of the bread of life,
to refresh, restore, renew.
Words of Blessing
The spirit of the holy dwells in each of us.
The spirit of love dwells in each of us.
May the flames we have lit in this place remind us that
Eternal Love dwells in our hearts.
May those flames remind us that
The Spirit of Life dwells among us as we gather as a faith community.
May those flames also remind us that
The arc of the universe needs our embodied love and faith
to bend toward justice. (Adapt.Renee Ruchotzke/uuww)
OR
Birthing God, bringer of joy, hope, love and new beginnings,
keep our imaginations active and our hearts generous.
Help us to meet this Christmas
with deeper appreciation of all that Christmas means.
Keep us mindful that the work of Christmas is never done.
We offer ourselves as Christmas people.
All Amen. May it be so with us. (Rosalie Sugrue)
Hymn/Song (Cont) “How Ancient and Lovely” (Tune: ‘Away in a Manger’)
We thank you, Lord Jesus,
for coming to earth;
for the light in the darkness
that shone at your birth,
for life in its fullness
that you promise today,
and the hope of a baby
asleep in the hay. (Rebecca Dudley/ssb)
OR
"As the Sun Beats Down" (Tune: 10.7.10.7) 2(v4-5) FFS
As the silent birds sing a silent song
in creation's still blue sky;
let us sing to God of the songs of hope,
through a gentle rain's reply.
As the season comes and the season goes,
and we search the skies each day;
let us sing to God of a rainbow faith,
and a promised green display. Bill Bennett
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:
(AA) Alleluia Aotearoa. Hymns and Songs for all Churches. Raumati. New Zealand Hymnbook Trust, 1993.
(HSNW) Bell, J. & G. Maule. Heaven Shall Not Wait. Wild Goose Songs Vol. 1. Revised edition. Glasgow. Wild Goose Publications, 1989.
(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, 2009t.
Inclusive Readings. Year C. Brisbane. Inclusive Language Project. In private circulation, 2003.
McCarty, D. Thought from a Gentle Atheist. Religious Readings for the Skeptical. Self published, 2019
Morwood, M. Praying a New Story. Richmond. Spectrum Publications, 2003.
Nelson-Pallmeyer, J. & B. Hesle. Worship in the Spirit of Jesus. Theology, Liturgy, and Songs without Violence.. Cleveland. The Pilgrim Press, 2005.
Seaburg, C. (ed). Celebrating Christmas. An Anthology. Boston. UUMA, 1983.
Vosper, G. We All Breathe. Poems and Prayers. Toronto. PostPurgical Resources, 2012.
Vosper, G. With or Without God. Why the Way we Live is More Important than What we Believe. Canada: Toronto. HarperCollins, 2008.
Wild Goose Worship Group. Cloth for the Cradle. Worship Resources and Readings for Adventhristmas & Epiphany, C. Glasgow. Iona Community, 1997.
Web sites/Other:
Robinson, Ruchotzke, Keip. UUA Worship Web. Boston. < www.uua.org/spirituallife/worshipweb/>
David Galston. Quest Learning Centre for Religious Literacy. http://www.questcentre.ca/
‘Words of Blessing”. Rosalie Sugrue. Direct from the author.