PentecostA.28.5.2023 — Rex A E Hunt

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”

28 May 2023. Pentecost A. (Red).

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
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)
Multi-sensory artwork OR Floral/Symbols display (cloths, candles, stones, wood, leaves, flowers, earth, water) OR projection of Film/Slides

Silence

Arrival
v1 We arrive, each of us, jostled and distracted,
Trailing clouds of many days of hurry and worry.

v2 We come to center ourselves once more;
To touch again that place inside
Where we are most at home with who we have become;

v1 To find once more that place of calm
Where we're not isolated from each other.

v2 We come to re-weave the unraveling fabric of community;
To re-connect once more with the larger human family;
To remind ourselves that we belong,

v1 And to remember what it is we belong to.

v2 We come to re-affirm those values which we would have
Find their way into our lives and our relationships;
To choose again our better selves, and the
Ways we know of peace and gentleness and joy.

v1 We come —
To center ourselves, To open ourselves, To remember ourselves,
All And to celebrate the life we share together. (Mike Young/tcb)

Gathering Music/Prelude
At the conclusion of the Music the Gong is sounded three times

Lighting of the (red) Pentecost Candle
May this dancing flame inspire us to fill our lives with
the ideals of love, justice and truth. (J L Quarles)
The Pentecost 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

Sung Response The people stand as they are able, to sing
“Halle, Halle, Halle” (Tune: ‘Halle Halle’) 720 TiS
(Sung twice)
Halle, halle, halle - lu - jah!
Halle, halle, halle - lu - jah!
Halle, halle, halle - lu - jah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Remain standing after the hymn/song

“Rhythmic, Mothering, Holy Spirit” (Tune: ’St Catherine’, 87.87) 140 RP
Rhythmic, mothering, holy spirit,
childhood voice we understand;
love’s cascade, we’re bathed within it,
tide of love that warms the strand.

Homely sense of God around us,
light in darkness, joy in play;
so secure for God has found us,
fire by night and cloud by day.

As we grow and leave the safety
of the home that we know best,
life’s sharp flavours turn more tasty,
freedom gives a greater test.

Sometimes we feel lost, forsaken,
sometimes filled with holy joy,
each sensation will awaken
love that nothing can destroy.

Babbling, bubbling, foaming spirit,
lead us onward to the height,
then confirm, and let us sense it:
God is ours and love beams bright. (Andrew Pratt/© Stainer & Bell)

"Enemy of Apathy” (Tune: 'Thainaky’, 11.11.11.11) 418 TiS
She sits like a bird, brooding on the waters,
Hovering on the chaos of the world’s first day;
She sighs and she sings, mothering creation,
Waiting to give birth to all the Word will say.

She wings over earth, resting where she wishes,
Lighting close at hand or soaring through the skies;
She nests in the womb, welcoming each wonder,
Nourishing potential hidden to our eyes.

She dances in fire, startling her spectators,
Waking tongues of ecstasy where dumbness reigned;
She weans and inspires all whose hearts are open,
Nor can she be captured, silenced or restrained.

For she is the Spirit, one with God in essence,
Gifted by the Saviour in eternal love;
She is the key opening the scriptures,
Enemy of apathy and heavenly dove. (John Bell and Graham Maule)

Opening Sentences
We gather as seekers of truth and beauty.
All In the face of a world too often false and ugly

We gather as a community of love
All Before a world too often unloving.

We gather to nurture our souls in a puzzling,
even dangerous, universe.
All In faith, let us reason.
In spirit, let is relish paradox.
Let us bring forth our best, to bestow
Like seed in an empty land. (Dennis McCarty/tga)

v1 Do not give easy or unthinking response
to this day’s call to celebration.

Having inherited the church from Peter and the others
who gathered so long ago on Pentecost in Jerusalem,
we now recognize that God’s Spirit fills us
so that we may dream dreams and see visions.
v2 The call to celebration today is a summons
to be touched by holy fire.
All Even now the flames may dance above our heads,

v2 Igniting our concerns for justice and peacemaking
so that they blaze into commitment.
All Even now the flames may be burning into our hearts,

v1 Animating us, leaving us no peace as individuals
until God’s justice and peace fill the earth
as the waters fill the seas.
All Prophets, visionaries, dreamers!

v2 Let us all celebrate God’s love
with courage and with hope. (Jerry Stinson)

Words of Awareness
In all our living, may we be freed to see things afresh,
to be more fully alive,
and have the courage to keep faith in
the future of humanity.

We pray:
Come, Holy Spirit, come,
Breathe into our hearts this day.

Bless our celebration and inspire us,
that we may live Spirit-filled lives
of love and compassion for all.
May it be so.

Hymn/Song “Gather the Spirit” (Tune: ‘Gather the Spirit’, 9.9.9.10/Refrain) 347 SLT
Gather the spirit, harvest the power.
Our sep'rate fires will kindle one flame.
Witness the mystery of this hour.
Our trials in this light appear all the same.
Refrain:
Gather in peace, gather in thanks.
Gather in sympathy now and then.
Gather in hope, compassion and strength.
Gather to celebrate once again.

Gather the spirit of heart and mind.
Seeds for the sowing are laid in store.
Nurtured in love, and con-science refined,
with body and spirit united once more
Refrain:

Gather the spirit growing in all,
drawn by the moon and fed by the sun.
Winter to spring, and summer to fall,
the chorus of life resounding as one.
Refrain: Jim Scott
The people sit

“Miracle of Life” (Tune: ‘Ode to Joy’, 87.87D) 7 SiF
Miracle of life unfolding,
dazzling to our watching eyes,
far beyond full comprehension,
secrets of the earth and sky.
Each advance of understanding
each new piece of knowledge gained
leaves the soul amazed and humbled,
child-like wonder yet remains.

Nature teams with life abundant,
stunning in variety,
shape and size and colour diff’ring,
wondrous in complexity.
From a high, majestic mountain
to the contours of a shell,
Life has much to teach of diff’rence,
Rich we be to learn it well.

Filled with joy we stand in wonder
at the life in which we share,
Gratefully we find our spirits
sensing glory everywhere.
Sun and moon and tiny creature
in their beauty stir the heart,
leading us to sacred duty,
call us well to do our part. © Scott Kearns 2008
The people sit

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

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 now to settle into the silence.
Hear and feel your quiet breathing.
Hear and feel the quiet of this place
and this community of people.

In this quiet hour may our spirits be renewed.
In this gathering of old and new friends
may our minds be open to new truth,
and our hearts be receptive to love,
as we give thanks for this life we are blessed to share. (Emmy Lou Belcher-adapt.)
(Silence)

Music of Reflection (Solo, sung)
"Touch the Silence” (Tune: ‘Lumina', Irregular, #110 HCL)
Touch the Silence within yourselves,
Let your own quietness be heard.
Hold to the calm within yourselves
As to the only word. (Mike Young/tcb)

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 open ourselves to the seeds of wisdom
that lies dormant in this/these reading/s. 
All And may our minds be fertile soil
in which it/they may grow strong and true. (Gretta Vosper/ab)

• Acts 2: 1-4 (Inclusive text)
When Pentecost day came around,
the apostles had all met in one room,
when suddenly they heard
what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven.

The noise filled the entire house where they were sitting.

And something appeared to them
that seemed like tongues of fire;
these separated and came to rest on the head of each of them.

They were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak foreign languages,
as the Spirit gave them the gift of speech.

• “People of the Seventh Fire”
By Robin Wall Kimmerer. Braiding Sweetgrass/360

So much depends upon the lighting of this fire,
so neatly laid on the cold ground and circled round by stones.

A platform of dry maple kindling,
a floor of fine twiglets snapped from the underside of a fir,
a nest of shredded bark ready for the coal
over which broken pine branches are balanced
to draw the flame upward.

Plenty of fuel, plenty of oxygen.
All the elements are in place.

But without the spark it is only a pile of dead sticks.
So much depends on the spark.

• "The Cry”
Nikos Kazantzakis. Report to Greco.

Blowing through heaven and earth,
and in the heart of every living thing,
is a gigantic breath - a great Cry - which we call God.

Plant life wished to continue its motionless sleep next to stagnant waters,
but the Cry leaped up within it and violently shook its roots:
"Away, let go of earth, walk!"

Had the tree been able to think and judge,
it would have cried:
"I don't want to.
What are you urging me to do?
You are demanding the impossible!"

But the Cry, without pity, kept shaking its roots and shouting,
"Away, let go of the earth, walk!"

It shouted in this way for thousands of eons;
and lo! as a result of desire and struggle,
life escaped the motionless tree and was liberated.

Animals appear - worms - making themselves at home in water and mud.
"We're just fine here," they said.
"We have peace and security; we're not budging!"

But the terrible Cry hammered itself pitilessly into their loins.
"Leave the mud, stand up, give birth to your betters!"
"We don't want to! We can't!"
"You can't, but I can. Stand up!"

And lo! After thousands of eons, humans emerged, trembling on their still unsolid legs.

The human being is a centaur; our equine hoofs are planted in the ground,
but our body from breast to head is worked on and tormented by the merciless Cry.

We have been fighting again for thousands of eons,
to draw ourselves, like a sword,
out of the animalistic scabbard.

Humanity calls in despair,
"Where can I go?
I have reached the pinnacle, beyond is the abyss."
And the Cry answers,
"I am beyond. Stand up!"

All things are centaurs.
If this were not the case, the world would rot into inertness and sterility.

Hymn/Song People stand as they are able, to sing
"Pulsing Spirit" (Tune: ‘Beach Spring’, 87.87D)
Pulsing Spirit, rippling river,
Source of mercy’s tender might,
gentle power, humble glory,
subtle, ever dancing light:
healing Wisdom in us flowing,
now reveal our human worth.
Play beneath the muddied waters:
Come renew the face of earth!

Spirit, free, unbounded motion,
beauty’s mirror, heart’s delight,
gift abundant all around us,
flood the world with life and light.
Fountain ancient, ever springing,
play in new creative ways.
Lift us, stream of lavish loving,
high on waves of joyful praise! © Delores Dufner

“Praise to the Living God” (Tune: ‘Leoni’, 66.84D) 215 SLT
Praise to the living God,
all praised be The Name,
which was, and is, and is to be,
for aye the same.
The one eternal God
ere aught that now appears:
the first, the last, beyond all thought
or timeless years!

Unformed, all lovely forms
declare God’s loveliness,
no holiness on earth
can e’er The Name express
whose love enfolds us all;
whose laud the earth displays,
Yea, everywhere, above, below,
is perfect praise.

The spirit floweth free,
high surging where it will,
in prophet's word did speak of old,
and speaketh still.
The Torah rest secure,
and changeless it shall stand,
deep writ upon the human heart,
on sea and land.

Eternal life hath God
implanted in the soul;
such love shall be our strength
and stay while ages roll.
Praise to the living God!
All praised be The Name
which was, and is, and is to be,
for aye the same! (From the Jewish Yigdal c. 13th cent.)

"Make Spaces for Spirit!" (Tune: 'Erena', Colin Gibson) 96 HoS
Make spaces for Spirit! For energy rising.
for Pentecost presence, the wind and the fire,
a new kind of language, a voice and a vision
to shift and uplift us, to rouse and inspire.

Make spaces for action by spirited people:
the leader, the teacher, the healer of ill,
the builder, the artist, the bringer of laughter,
the melding and welding of spirit and will.

Make spaces for graces, the gifts of the Spirit,
the fruit of the garden where love is the spring,
the water of blessing, the incense of worship,
the wine poured for sharing, the hope that will sing.

Make spaces for Spirit by changing of systems,
by opening prisons, by debtors' release,
the flaming of courage, the firing of justice,
the Spirit of Jesus, the coming of peace. (Shirley Erena Murray)

• "The Fire"
By Christine Valters Painter. Published in Cosmic Sparks.

I gazed into the fire
And wondered
What is energy
Coursing through the veins of history
Like blood
And bathing me with warmth?
This is its last gasp,
For heat is the end of the energy line;
Entropy, disorder, wave’s end, dissipation.
And what did this energy do
After its journey from the sun?
It warmed earth around the seed,
Made sugar in the leaves,
Wood in the stems and trunks
Until the tree stood up and said
“I am, I am”
A tree that is, and carbon, oxygen and
Sunlight too, and bits of you.
And i am supernova too, and galaxy,
And whatever came before that
I am, I am, I am, I am...

• John 7: 37-39 (NRSV)

On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out,
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink.

“As the scripture has said,
‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’”

Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him
were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit,
because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Contemporary Exploration HERE and HERE

Silence for Personal Reflection

AFFIRMING

A Litany for Pentecost 1
The people stand.

Flame of purity:
Le Light us up.
Flame of beauty:
Ri Light us up.
Flame of wisdom:
Le Light us up.
Flame of friendship:
Ri Light us up.
Flame of true speech:
Le Light us up.
Flame of true seeing:
Ri Light us up.

Breath of God, blow away all that is unclean:
All Rain of God, revive our withered lives.
Wind of God, blow us to wild places as you will:
All Breeze of God, refresh us as you desire.
River of God, flow through us and heal our land:
All River of God, flow through us and heal our land.

Litany for Pentecost 2
On this day of Pentecost,
our stories tell how God
sends the Holy Spirit
v2 to come among us:
v1 as dove
v2 to move us,
v1 as wind
v2 to cleanse us,
v1 as fire
v2 to consecrate us.

All Spirit of the living God, come upon us.
v1 Fill us with your empowering strength,
v2 empower us with your full love;
v1 send us into the world
proclaiming your mighty works in every tongue.
v2 Help us be the church that goes forward
to where there is need.
v1 Build us into a place
that makes a haven for those discriminated against.
All Make us a church of disciples
filled with the wonder and creative imagination
of your love for ever more! (Seasons of Prayer)

Litany: "The Festival of Fire, Inspiration, and Poetry”
v1 We celebrate a Spirit that moves through air,
All in the wind that whips through and tugs at our clothing,
in the breath that flows in and out of our lungs,
in the wings of the dove that came down to bless Jesus.
v2 Spirit of air, we welcome you.

v1 We celebrate a Spirit that moves through fire,
All in the light of the sun that warms the earth,
in the heat of our bodies as we dance and play,
in the tongues of flame that inspired the disciples.
v2 Spirit of fire, we welcome you.

v1 We celebrate a Spirit that moves through water,
All in the current of the ocean that ebbs and flows,
in the pulse of the blood that throbs in our veins,
in the moment of baptism when we know God’s love.
v2 Spirit of water, we welcome you.

v1 We celebrate a Spirit that moves through earth,
All in the rumble of thunder on a stormy night,
in the pleasure of our mouths when we eat our food,
in the loaf that we break for Jesus’ holy meal.
v2 Spirit of earth, we welcome you.

v1 We celebrate a Spirit that never rests,
All who in the stillness of winter turns our faces toward spring,
who awakens our creativity with tongues of flame.
v2 Spirit within all that contains all,
move through us to bring justice to our troubled world.
All We honour you. Blessed be. (Christine Hoff Kraemer/chk@bu.edu)

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

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.

CELEBRATING

Hymn/Song People stand as they are able, to sing
“As The Wind Song” (Tune: ‘Wairua Tapu’ – Holy Spirit) 7 HoS
As the wind song through the trees,
as the stirring of the breeze,
so it is with the Spirit of God,
as the heart made strangely warm,
as the voice within the storm,
so it is with the Spirit of God.

Never seen, ever known
where this wind has blown
bringing life, bringing power to the world,
as the dancing tongues of fire,
as the soul’s most deep desire,
so it with the Spirit of God.

As the rainbow after rain,
as the hope that’s born again,
so it is with the Spirit of God,
as the green in the spring,
as a kite on a string,
so it it is with the Spirit of God,

making worlds that are new,
making peace come true,
bringing gifts, bringing love to the world,
as the rising of the yeast,
as the wine at the feast,
so it is with the Spirit of God. (Shirley Erena Murray)

Fire of creation, bursting from the core,
fire of creation, burning ever more;
fire by the lakeside, glowing on the sands,
Christ offers welcome, out-stretched his wounded hands.
Fire of the Spirit, burning wild and free,
fire of the Spirit, burn now in me.

Bush in the desert blazing, ringed with light,
God's holy presence, challenge and delight;
pillar of fire, marking out the way,
lame in the darkness, a plume of cloud by day.
Fire of the Spirit, burning wild and free,
fire of the Spirit, burn now in me.

Blazing the furnace where the three are thrown,
walking unharmed, for God walks with his own;
fierce is the furnace of refining flame;
fire bakes the bread that we break in Jesus' name.
Fire of the Spirit, burning wild and free,
fire of the Spirit, burn now in me.

Fire in a court-yard, lit against the cold,
dawn and the cock crows, bitter truths are told;
bright flames descending, flick'ring in the air;
courage returning, new faith for old despair.
Fire of the Spirit, burning wild and free,
fire of the Spirit, burn now in me. (Colin Gibson)

Offerings

Presentation
God of all times and places,
may our offerings reflect confidence and inclusiveness.

And may the programs and concerns we undertake,
build up the Church among us and far beyond us.

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 & McKee/jke)

In Solidarity
Care Candle:
We are people of all ages who enter this safe space
bringing our joys and concerns.
Joys and Celebrations; Griefs and Concerns shared

Focused Thoughts:

Listening Response:
As one heart is lifted
All May we share its celebration
As one heart is burdened
All May we share the pain it knows. (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 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. (Bruce Sanguin/dddc)

All Our Father in heaven
hallowed be your name
your kingdom come
your will be done
on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever.
Amen.

PARTING

Hymn/Song People stand as they are able, to sing
"Make Spaces for Spirit!" (Tune: 'Erena', Colin Gibson) 96 HoS
Make spaces for Spirit! For energy rising.
for Pentecost presence, the wind and the fire,
a new kind of language, a voice and a vision
to shift and uplift us, to rouse and inspire.

Make spaces for action by spirited people:
the leader, the teacher, the healer of ill,
the builder, the artist, the bringer of laughter,
the melding and welding of spirit and will.

“Jesus Left Them. God Empowered Them” (Tune: ‘Marching', 87.87)
Jesus left them. God empowered them.
Spirit flamed from age to age.
And that Spirit can't be silenced,
now's our time to take the stage.

Every nation that had gathered
was invited on that day;
and the Spirit still unites us:
Pentecost has come to stay.
Remain standing

Parting Words
As we prepare to leave this sacred space
where we have worshipped together,
let us return to our work enlivened and renewed...
The Pentecost/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/Philip R Giles)

Words of Blessing
May God’s breath stream within you.
May God’s breath renew you.
May God’s breath invigorate you.
Walk with confidence into this day. (Traditional Jewish blessing/wb)
All Amen. May it be so.

May our creativity never diminish.
May our humour and wit continue to sparkle.
May our care for the rejected and displaced grow stronger.
May our hearts sing the song of the universe.
All May our eyes see the Spirit of Creation in all things. (Adapted/Kathleen Glennon)

Hymn/Song (Cont) "Make Spaces for Spirit!" (Tune: 'Erena', Colin Gibson) 96 HoS
Make spaces for graces, the gifts of the Spirit,
the fruit of the garden where love is the spring,
the water of blessing, the incense of worship,
the wine poured for sharing, the hope that will sing.

“Jesus Left Them. God Empowered Them” (Tune: ‘Marching', 87.87)
As disciples came together
they would hold a common purse;
shared their meals, their wealth and praises,
kingdom values they'd rehearse.

Still, today, we'll trace that pattern,
working for the good of all,
in our politics and preaching,
faithful to the gospel's call. © Andrew Pratt, 2003, Stainer & Bell Ltd.
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:
Abbott, M. Cosmic Sparkes. Igniting a Re-enchantent with the Sacred. Bayswater. Coventry Press, 2020
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). A World of Blessing. Benedictions from every Continent and many Cultures. Norwich. The Canterbury Press, 2000.
Glennon, K. Heartbeat of the Seasons: Earth Rituals for the Celtic Year. Dublin: Columba Press, 2005.
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.
Inclusive Readings. Year A. Brisbane. Inclusive Language Project. In private circulation, 2004.
(SiF) Kearns, S. (ed). 2009. Sing it Forward. Traditional Hymns Recast and Rewritten for Non-Exclusive Communities. In circulation from the author.
McCarty, D. Thoughts from a Gentle Atheist. Religious Readings for the Skeptical. USA. Dennis McCarty, 2019
(RP) Pratt, A. Reclaiming Praise. Hymns from a Spiritual Journey. London. Stainer & Bell, 2006
Sanguin, B. Darwin, Divinity, and the Dance of the Cosmos. An Ecological Christianity. Canada. Kelowna. CopperHouse, 2007.
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(SLT) Singing The Living Tradition. Boston. UUA, 1993.
(TiS) Together in Song. Australian Hymn Book 2. 1999. Sydney. HarperCollins Religious. Copyright enquiries: http://www.togetherinsong.org/.
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Web sites/Other:
Belcher, Giles. UUA Worship Web. Boston. < http://www.uua.org/spirituallife/worshipweb/>
"Wind" William Loader Web site. WA: Perth.
David Galston. Quest Learning Centre for Religious Literacy. http://www.questcentre.ca/
Andrew Pratt. "Jesus Left Them...". Stainer & Bell Ltd. Web site: hymns.uk.com
Jerry Stinson. “The Encounter of Progressive Christian Theology with the Language of Prayer and Ritual on Sunday Morning”. Westar Institute/Westar Leaders Seminar. March 2006.
Delores Dufner. "Pulsing Spirit". http://www.sixmaddens.org
Colin Gibson. ‘Fire of Creation’. Direct from the author
David Galston. Quest Learning Centre for Religious Literacy. http://www.questcentre.ca/

A GATHERING LITURGY FOR THECELEBRATION OF LIFE

Rex A. E. Hunt

A GATHERING LITURGY FOR THE
CELEBRATION OF LIFE