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
“...in the end the universe can only be explained in terms of celebration.
It is all an exuberant expression of existence itself”
6 November 2022. Pentecost 22C. (Green).
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
The morning comes and now is!
Greet the day with gladness
and welcome the evening with praise. (Adapted)
Let us celebrate the richness and diversity of life.
Lighting of the Community Candle
The Community Candle is lit
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
“Wonder of Wonders” (Tune: ‘Wonder of Wonders’, 55.54.55.54D) 408 SLT
Wonder of wonders,
life is beginning,
fragile as blossom,
strong as the earth.
Shaped in a person,
love has new meaning,
parents and people
sing at their birth.
Now with rejoicing,
make celebration;
joy full of promise,
laughter through tears,
naming and blessing,
bring dedication,
humble in purpose
over the years. (Brian Wren)
OR
“Everything in God” (Tune: ‘Lobe den Herren’) 9 SNS
God is the One in whom we all have life-giving purpose.
Spirit encompassing all and yet present within us.
Breath of each birth:
Source of all beauty and worth:
Found in us all, yet mysterious.
Have faith in virtue, have hope in great beauty abounding;
Hear words of love, and then listen for laughter resounding;
When, with delight,
We turn the darkness to light;
God, we discern, is surrounding.
Home in our world amidst wonder of life with its splendour;
Movement and colour show nature's abundant agenda.
God is thus found
In air and sea, on the ground.
God is displayed by each gender.
Greet the creation, the magic of each constellation;
Stars without number and planets of unknown location
Whirling around,
Far beyond sight, sense and sound.
All share in God's incarnation.
God is the One in whom we live and move and have being:
Spirit within as we ponder our faith and believing:
Here and elsewhere,
Past, present, future to share,
God, the beginning and ending. (George Stuart)
Remain standing
Opening Sentences
This safe and sacred place welcomes us this day.
Let us trust enough to open our ears and hearts.
All We have heard of God's deeds in other times;
our pioneers have kept the story alive for us.
Let us listen to God's word for today.
All We long for a faith that makes sense today.
We want to keep the story alive for new generations.
God's story is for all people.
All It is ours to receive and share.
Words of Awareness
Life is our reverence and good;
Our dances voice the body's praise;
Our temples house life's theme and mood;
Our songs and poems tell its way (Kenneth Patton/sscl)
OR
We pray:
Spirit of life and love, we have gathered in this place, again.
May we create here a circle of love, ever expanding, ever growing.
A place of wisdom.
A place of connection.
A place of hope.
May it be so!
Hymn/Song “In the Singing” (Tune: 'Bread of Peace’, Carlton Young) 38 FFS
In the singing, in the silence,
in the hands expectant, open,
in the blessing, in the breaking,
in the Presence at this table,
Refrain:
Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ,
be the wine of grace:
Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ,
be the bread of peace.
In the question, in the answer,
in the moment of acceptance,
in the heart’s cry, in the healing,
in the circle of your people,
Refrain:
Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ,
be the wine of grace:
Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ,
be the bread of peace. (Shirley Erena Murray)
OR
“When Life Juggles” (Tune: 87.87)
When life juggles with our learning,
with the things we thought secure,
then it seems the artist’s palette
spins and faith becomes obscure.
In the wash of different colours,
as we seek for shape and form,
others paint their faith by numbers
forcing God to fit some norm.
But when life has torn the canvas,
when the numbers twist and slip;
then we need to find an image
that will help our hope to grip:
holding us, when we're past holding,
grounding when we're insecure,
till we find a faith, not drifting,
still dynamic, free, yet sure. © Andrew Pratt 28/5/2010
The people sit after the hymn
Welcome
In your own words
A warm welcome is extended to all.
Especially those who may be joining us for a first time.
Your presence enriches this gathering and contributes to
the creative evolution of community.
Thanks for the gift of you! (Central United, Moncton, Canada)
Refer to printed liturgy.
Fellowship hour following the Gathering
Those visiting, please sign our Visitors book.
Reflection
“A God for all Seasons”
By Kate Compston. Dare to Dream/31.
Springtime God,
coming alive within us like pale shoots
thrusting through frozen earth,
we need your persistent love to disturb
the impacted soil of our hearts' rigidity.
Summer God,
growing luxuriously, blossoming with heady scents,:
holding us in your warm embrace,
we need these times of perceived presence
to draw upon in cooler seasons.
Autumn God,
falling and dying in Christ,
etched with the colours of vulnerability,
we need the fellowship of your wounds
to dignify our brokenness.
Winter God,
dormant and distant,
starkly challenging our self-absorption,
we need your austerity to nudge us
into a warm compassion for your suffering ones.
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 open ourselves to the sacred silence of this place.
(Silence)
Generous God, enfold us in the depths of love and there hold us.
Renew.
Refresh.
Restore us.
Saturate us with unending peace.
(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: May we be struck by the wisdom of these words
and marked by hearing them.
All For within story lies meaning, and
within meaning, the wisdom for which we seek. (Gretta Vosper/ab)
• Earth our Home
By Gretta Vosper. We All Breath
It is a wide sky
we huddle under,
each of us,
challenged by our birth,
to hold up our corner.
It is a deep sea
we wonder over,
each of us,
drawn by its beauty,
to care for it.
It is a broad land
we walk upon,
each of us,
marking our path,
must go lightly.
As we consider this Earth,
our home,
and we, our presence upon it,
may we be moved to see ourselves
as particles of the whole
and walk in reverence.
Into being the change, we move.
• Luke 20:27-38 (Inclusive Text)
Some Sadducees... approached Jesus and put a question to him:
'Teacher, we have it from Moses in writing
that if a man's married brother dies childless,
the man must marry the widow to raise up children for his brother.
'Well, then, there were seven brothers.
The first, having married, died childless.
The second and then the third married the widow.
And the same with all seven, they died leaving no children.
Finally the woman herself died.
Now, at the resurrection, to which of them will she be wife since she had been married to all seven?'
Jesus replied:
'The children of this world take wives and husbands,
but those who are judged worthy of a place in the other world
and in the resurrection from the dead, do not marry
because they can no longer die,
for they are the same as the angels,
and being children of the resurrection they are children of God.
'And Moses too implies that the dead rise again,
in the passage about the bush where he calls God the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
'God is not God of the dead, but of the living to whom all are in fact alive'.
Contemporary Exploration
Silence for Personal Reflection
AFFIRMING
An Affirmation of Faith (Optional)
In response to the word reflected on, let us stand
and share an affirmation of faith…
The people stand as they are able
We believe in God who cares for all
All especially vulnerable and powerless people.
We affirm the right of all people
to decent living conditions:
All housing, health services, education,
food and clothing, fun and leisure.
We assert that God is with us in all that life brings us;
that God loves us as we are at any moment in our life:
All in our anger and rage, in our pain and grief,
our complaints and despair,
our joy and delight.
We hope for the day that will come
when God’s justice and mercy, love and peace,
will be realities in this world.
All We commit ourselves to show what we believe,
by the way we take care of God’s creation
and how we live together in community. (UCA Special resources)
Sharing 'The Peace’
Let us take a moment to celebrate each other.
May a heart of peace rest with you.
All And also with you. (David Galston/q)
You are invited to share the peace with your neighbours
OR
Namaste
Facing the person with right hand on your heart and a slight bow of the head…
The Divine in me honours the Divine in you.
OR
The Light in me recognises the Light in you.
OR
The spirit within me sees the spirit within you.
Hymn/Song People stand as they are able, to sing
"Simply To Be" (Tune: "Kapiti”) 118 HoS
Simply to be, to be in stillness,
simply to trust that God is here,
simply to know the Holy Presence,
is to be blessed:
so am I blessed.
Simply to hold the given moment,
simply to lay concern aside,
simply to to let the heart be speaking,
is to be blessed:
so am I blessed.
So am I blessed within God's keeping,
so am I freed from pointless stress,
steadied to feel the soul replenished,
given this grace,
folded in peace. (Shirley Erena Murray)
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)
Offerings
Presentation
We look for a gentler humanity, a kinder world:
with our money and with our hearts,
with our minds and with every good intention,
let this be our prayer. (Francis Macnab/h)
In Solidarity
Care Candle:
We are people of all ages who enter this space
bringing our joys and concerns.
Joys and Celebrations; Griefs and Concerns shared.
Focused Thoughts:
Listening Response:
In the light and beauty of day
All We give thanks in awe and wonder.
In the dark and stillness of night
All We dream of healing and hope. (Gretta Vosper/wwg)
And so we take 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 Life-Giver, Pain-Bearer, Love-Maker.
Source of all that is and that shall be.
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed
by all peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom
sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
now and forever. Amen. (UIW2)
PARTING
Hymn/Song The people stand as they are able, to sing
"The Majesty of Mountains" 139(1-2) AA
The majesty of mountains,
the sovereignty of skies,
the regal rock that arch above
where veils of vapour rise,
are gifts of God, the Lord of love,
the worshipful, the wise.
The running of the river,
the surging of the sea,
the grass that grows high on the hill,
the flower and fruiting tree,
our Saviour sends us, by whose will
all creatures came to be.
Remain standing
Parting Words
Let us take on this week’s life with renewed hope and imagination...
The Community Candle is extinguished
May we leave this place seeking an uncharted,
but freely chosen, way to wholeness
All Knowing we have companions along the way. Bets Wienecke
Words of Blessing
May Creativity God be with you on the smooth paths.
May Jesus the Companion be with you in the storms.
May the Empowering Spirit be with you at all times.
All Amen! May it be so!
Hymn/Song (Cont) "The Majesty of Mountains" 139(3) AA
The Glory of the Godhead,
the Spirit and the Son,
the Father, faithful down the days:
to them, the Three-in-One,
while life shall last, be perfect praise
and highest honour done! MPerry.
The people sit after the hymn
'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:
(AA) Alleluia Aotearoa. Hymns and Songs for all Churches. Raumati. New Zealand Hymnbook Trust, 1993.
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, 2002.
Duncan, G. (ed). Dare to Dream. A Prayer and Worship Anthology from Around the World. London. Fount/HarperCollins, 1995.
(FFS) Faith Forever Singing. Songs for a New Day. Raumati. New Zealand Hymnbook Trust, 2000.
(HoS) Hope is Our Song. New Hymns and Songs from Aotearoa New Zealand. Palmerston North. New Zealand Hymnbook Trust, 2009.
Inclusive Readings. Year C. Brisbane: Inclusive Language Project. In private circulation, 2006.
Iona Community. Iona Abbey Worship BookHope:. Glasgow. Wild Goose Publications, 2001.
Macnab, F. The Deeper Longings of the Mind and Heart. Richmond. Spectrum Publications, 1996.
Mitchell, R. C. & G. A. Ricciuti. Birthings and Blessings. Liberating Worship Services for the Inclusive Church. New York. Crossroads, 1992.
Patton, K. Services and Songs for the Celebration of Life. Boston: Beacon Press, 1967.
(SLT) Singing The Living Tradition. Boston. UUA, 1993.
Special Resources. UCA National Assembly. (Issued from time to time).
(SNS) Stuart, G. Singing a New Song. Traditional Hymn Tunes with New Century Lyrics. Sydney. CPRT Sydney, 2006.
Uniting in Worship 2. Sydney. Uniting Church Press, 2005.
Vosper, G. With or Without God. Why the Way we Live is More Important than What we Believe. Canada: Toronto. HarperCollins, 2008.
Web Sites/Other:
Wienecke. UUA Worship Web. Boston. UUA. www.uua.org/spirituallife/worshipweb/
Pratt, Andrew. “When Life Juggles”. Direct from the author