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

“We are thoroughly nature. To claim otherwise is to attempt to place human beings and everything we do
in some rare unimaginable realm beyond the universe,
thus rendering the power of our origins lost and our obligations vague”

9 June 2024.  Pentecost 3B. (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, 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 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 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

Come into this place, where the ordinary is sanctified,
the human is celebrated,
the compassionate is expected.

Come into this place.
Together we make it a holy place
with our every act of worship.

v2  Let us celebrate the richness and diversity of life.
(Silence)

Lighting of the Community Candle
The Community Candle is lit in silence

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 “Where the Love of God” (Tune: ‘Reconciliation’)                                   76 FFS
Where the love of God is guiding,
there is now another way:
new awareness of compassion
learned from one another;
love, the face of God in Jesus,
new creation's thrust,
love, transforming tears and terror
into health and trust.

Where the truth of God is driving,
there is now another way,
shining through our times' confusion,
sharp with revelation:
words that stifle sense or spirit
changed and redefined,
crosses raised to teach division
lowered, left behind.

Where the life on earth is cherished,
there is now another way,
where a child may grow in safety,
where there's peace and shelter,
when we hold the fragile planet
in our conscious care,
when we see again as sacred
all we are and share.

God will lead us on this mission,
God, the flightpath and the power,
lifting all who grasp the vision
into understanding:
so the heart and hope within us
set each other free,
where the love of God is guiding,
this shall come to be.  (Shirley Erena Murray)

OR

"O God, Beyond our Knowledge" (Tune: 'Chilton Foliat', 10.10.10.10)                                71 HoS
O God, beyond our knowledge, time and space,
and yet within each person in this place;
we sing with grateful thanks and heartfelt praise
your love that warms and colours all our days.

Around us living things your wonder show;
the birds above, each tree and flower below
of ev’ry colour, fragrance, texture, size,
unveil your lavish love to marv’ling eyes.

You feel our deepest sorrow, fears and needs,
transform compassion to creative deeds;
you gently crumble long held rigid creeds;
replace with unimagined lively seeds.

You come in thunder, silence, ice and flame;
enrich the poor, make dancers of the lame;
in vain we try to keep you neatly filed;
ruler of realms, yet helpless human child.

We cannot comprehend what you have planned
but trust your wisdom and your gen’rous hand;
may we, with awe and joy, use what you give
that ev’rything is earth may truly live.  (Lois Henderson)

Opening Sentences
Let the light fall warm and gentle on the earth.
Let the carrawongs sing their morning song.
And let God's people say...
All  Let it be so with us.

Let the tools be stored away.
Let the work be over and done.
And let God's people say...
All  Let it be so with us

Let the sun rise up and vegetables grow.
Let hearts be glad and minds be calm.
And let God's people say...
All  Let it be so with us

Words of Awareness
The world is always radiant.
Whether at night under the dimmest starlight,
or at noon under the brightest sun,
the world is giving forth a vast legend.

It only awaits the involvement of the eye,
the engagement of the ear.

So let us live this moment in all its fullness,
for in it is all realization, all time.  (Adapt.Kenneth Patton/sscl)

OR

We pray:
God, help us to listen to our inner spirit;
to the inner yearning to belong to something
greater than ourselves.

Help us to listen to our inner spirits
and find there the presence
of your good encouraging spirit.  (Francis Macnab/h)
May it be so.

Hymn/Song  "The Ceaseless Flow of Time" (Tune: ‘McKee’,  86.86)                              350 SLT
The ceaseless flow of endless time
no one can check or stay;
we'll view the past with no regret,
nor future with dismay.

The present slips into the past,
and dream-like melts away;
the breaking of tomorrow's dawn
begins a new today.

The past and future ever meet
in the eternal now:
to make each day a thing complete
shall be our new year vow.  John Storey

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

Meditation
"Mystery"
By Gordon B. McKeeman.

How does one address a mystery?
Cautiously...

Let us go cautiously, then,
to the end of our certainty,
to the boundary of all we know,
to the rim of uncertainty,
to the perimeter of the unknown which surrounds us.

Reverently...

Let us go with a sense of awe,
a feeling of approaching the powerful holy
whose lightning slashes the sky,
whose persistence splits concrete with green sprouts,
whose miracles are present in every place and moment.

Hopefully...

Out of our need for wholeness in our own lives,
the reconciliation of mind and heart,
the conjunction of reason and passion,
the intersection of the timeless with time.

Quietly...

For no words will explain the inarticulate
or summon the presence that is always present
even in our absence....

Simply be in the intimate presence of mystery,
unashamed,
unadorned,
unafraid.

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 now commit ourselves to be in silence,
to rest for a moment,
to enter a time of peaceful reflection.
(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:  We listen for truth, yet it is elusive - a thought here, a verse there.
All   May we collect it all, write what is worthy on our hearts,
and let the rest spill past our consciousness
leaving us clear and whole.  (Gretta Vosper/ab)

• "A Gentle Presence"
By Chuck Lathrop.  More Than Words/142-43.

For the church to call itself to work as Jesus did,
in poverty and under oppression,
is to seek an unaccustomed stance.

It is to be, stand, and operate from the point of view
of the world’s victims and losers.
It is to live and preach the gospel from the bottom up.
It is a falling down, a downward mobility, if you will,
into the commonality of human existence.

It is neither nice nor comfortable.
In addition, it is confrontational and conflictual.

Because of such a stance, the church, while it is committed
to and in the world, will also be at odds with the world ‘as it is’.

Such obedience to God will necessarily mean it will be
a minority phenomenon, a threat to any
political or cultural status quo.

The ramifications are many, the cost is high.

OR

• Mark 3:20-21; 31-35 (NRSV)

[After Jesus had appointed the Twelve] he went home.
The crowd came together again, so that no one could even eat.

When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him,
for people were saying, "He has gone out of his mind..."

Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside,
they sent to him and called him.

A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him:
"Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside,
asking for you".

And he replied:
"Who are my mother and my brothers?"

And looking at those who sat around him, he said:
"Here are my mother and my brothers!
Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."

Contemporary Exploration

Silence for Personal Reflection

AFFIRMING

A Litany in Times of Change and Travelling On (Optional)
The people stand as they are able

When hope invites us to journey
elusive, beckoning onward
but never in our grasp:
All  God of wisdom and promise give us courage to travel on.

When dreams glimmer in the distance,
fading, clouded and hidden
or shining with new brightness:
All  God of wisdom and promise give us courage to travel on.

When established patterns collapse
into the uncertainty of the unknown
and security dissolves into a memory:
All  God of wisdom and promise give us courage to travel on.

When the illusion of success
threatens to divert us
and silence our souls' yearning:
All  God of wisdom and promise give us courage to travel on.

When we think our journey has ended
in the star-lit glow
only to find the end is a new beginning:
All  God of wisdom and promise give us courage to travel on.  Jan Berry/ssb

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
“On This Good Earth” (Tune: ‘Bowen’, Daniel C Damon)                                           29 PaT
On this good earth, God’s generous creation,
all people have the right to live and share,
and when our footprint marks a mindful measure,
one step is taken for the world’s repair.

In this good earth that crumbles in our fingers
we plant the food for more than present need:
the health and hope of future generations
lies in our care of water, air and seed.

On this good earth where famine stalks the hungry,
where drought is death and starving creatures cry,
we pray to God for will to use more wisely
the power we wield, when all of life might die.

On this good earth that pulses with life’s rhythm,
we pray for greening of another spring,
and learn the cost of wasting God’s abundance
when we are careless of its nourishing.

From every land, let voices rise in worship
to thank our God for marvels given birth,
the gifts of life in bounty and in beauty,
our privilege to care for this good earth.  (Shirley Erena Murray)
People sit

CELEBRATING

Offerings

Presentation
Compassionate God,
may we serve you night and day,
wherever we are, in all we do.

Conversation 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? (Brinkley & 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:
In joy and in sorrow
All We do not walk alone.  (Gretta Vosper/wwg)

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  Holy Being,
whom we call by many different names,
Blessed are you.
Blessed are we in you.

May we create with you
a realm of mercy, peace and justice.
May love be done in the here and now
as it is in the infinite.
May we share life in bread and hope.

For our failures to love, we need forgiveness.
May we find the paths of reconciliation.
In the midst of evil's every incarnation,
From the powers that possess our spirits and our structures,
May we find liberation.

In the power that is love, we seek
to live and move and have our being.
May it be so,
now and forever.  (NancyLSteeves/StSC.N-TP)

SCATTERING

Hymn/Song People stand as they are able, to sing
"Lord of Earth and All Creation" (Tune: ‘Praise My Soul')                                              672(v1-2) TiS
Lord of earth and all creation,
let your love possess our land:
wealth, and freedom, far horizons,
mountain, forest, shining sand:
may we share, in faith and friendship,
gifts unmeasured from your hand.

People of the ancient Dreamtime,
they who found this country first,
ask with those, the later comers,
will our dream be blessed or cursed?
Grant us, Lord, new birth, new living,
hope for which our children thirst.
Remain standing

Parting Words
Time has now come for us to leave this sacred place.
As we do, may we embrace the challenges
of our lives and our world...
The Community Candle is extinguished

Go in peace, 
All  embraced by the light and warmth of our gathering.

Go in love,
All  ready again to struggle on.

Go in beauty,
All  shining forth like a lamp for freedom.  (Sara Lammert)

Words of Blessing
Go into this week,
held together by the love of God
clothed with the nature of Jesus our Companion
reinforced by the strength of the Holy Spirit.
All  Amen. May it be so.

Hymn/Song  (Cont). "Lord of Earth and All Creation" (Tune: ‘Praise my Soul')                         672(v3) TiS
Lord, life-giving healing Spirit,
on our hurts your mercy shower;
lead us by your inward dwelling,
guiding, guarding, every hour,
Bless and keep our land Australia:
in your will her peace and power.  (MR & HM Thwaites)
The people sit

'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.
Duncan, G. (ed). Shine On, Star of Bethlehem. A Worship Resource for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. Norwich. The Canterbury Press, 2001.
(FFS) Faith Forever Singing. Songs for a New Day. Raumati. New Zealand Hymnbook Trust, 2000.
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. 
Iona Community. Iona Abbey Worship Book. Glasgow. Wild Goose Publications, 2001.
Macnab, F. Hope: The Deeper Longings of the Mind and Heart. Richmond. Spectrum Publications, 1996. 
(PaT) Murray, S. E. A Place at the Table. New Hymns written between 2009 and 2013. Carol Stream: Hope Publishing, 2013.
Patton, K. Services and Songs for the Celebration of Life. Boston. Beacon Press, 1967. 
Schaffran, J. & Pat Kozak. More Than Words. Prayer and Ritual for Inclusive Communities. New York. Crossroad, 1992.
(SLT) Singing the Living Tradition. Boston. UUA, 1993.
The St Hilda Community. The New Women Included. A Book of Services and Prayers. London.  SPCK, 1996.
(TiS) Together in Song. Australian Hymn Book 2. Sydney. HarperCollins Religious, 1999.
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:
McKeeman, Lammert. UUA Worship Web. Boston. <www.uua.org/spirituallife/worshipweb/>
Nancy L Steeves. 'The Abba Prayer'. St Stephen's College. Non-Theistic Liturgies. <http://www.ualberta.ca/ST.STEPHENS/resources/>