March 31, 2019
WELCOME TO ST ANDREW’S ON THE TERRACE
GATHERING
Finding your way is a tricky task
Sometimes we lose our direction
Markers don’t have the same meaning or have disappeared
Is being lost a sin or simply part of our human journey?
PROCESSIONAL HYMN AA 153 ‘When we lift our pack and go’
Music Ian Render © 1992 Hope Publishing Co.
1. When we lift our pack and go,
when we seek another country,
moving far from all we know,
when we long to journey free --
Refrain:
God is in the other place,
God is in another's face,
in the faith we travel by,
God is in the other place.
2. Through the loneliness of night,
through the sky's uncharted spaces
not a sparrow falls in flight
but a loving God will care
Refrain
3. Sons and daughters must depart,
friends will go on other journeys,
only constant is the heart
that can trust its God to be
Refrain
4. In the hands outstretched to greet,
through the open doors of strangers
there is love we yet can meet
and believe that Christ is there -- Refrain
WELCOME
Kia ora tatou.
Kia ora.
PRAYER and JESUS PRAYER Jim Cotter paraphrase on card
LIGHTING THE RAINBOW ROOM CANDLE
TIME WITH CHILDREN Dawn Cowdry
BLESSING THE CHILDREN (All stand)
We send you to the Rainbow Room programme to hear stories, ask questions
and have fun together. We bless you. Amen.
PASSING THE PEACE
Feel free to pass the peace with those nearby or move to greet others further away. Passing the peace consists of shaking hands and saying “Peace be with you.” The response is “Peace be with you” or just “And with you.” Or, simply saying “Hello” is a good idea. Also feel free to simply observe if you wish!
THE WORD IN TEXTS Lynette Burrell
Gospel Luke 15:1-3 and 11-32
Contemporary reading ‘Lost Blessing’ by Jan Richardson
from The Painted Prayerbook
http://paintedprayerbook.com/2016/07/13/lost-blessing/
In a favourite scene from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, as the crew sails beyond the known world on a quest to rescue Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner asks Captain Barbossa for a heading. With a keen eye born of long experience on the sea, Barbossa replies, “Aye, we’re good and lost now.”
“Lost?” Elizabeth Swann asks, clearly unsettled by the relish with which Barbossa has delivered his navigational assessment.
“For sure,” Barbossa assures her, “you have to be lost to find a place that can’t be found, elseways everyone would know where it was.”
It’s one of those frustrating truths of the journey: that sometimes the only sure way to find the place we belong is to let ourselves become good and lost—to allow ourselves to be unsure of the next step, to give up looking for markers and directions, and to wait until a path begins to show itself.
RESPONSE
For the Word in scripture, for the Word among us, for the Word within us,
we give thanks
REFLECTION ‘Feeling Lost?’ Susan Jones
HYMN ‘On our life’s journey’
Words © 2019 Susan Jones Tune Slane WOV 455
On our life’s journey we take different ways
at one time content to stay home every day;
at other moments a restlessness calls,
we leave home and loved ones, hoping to ‘have a ball’.
Life in the wider world’s exciting and fun,
we have new adventures, ‘tick off’ what we have done,
we grow and develop, we learn more each day,
but then, in a moment, we can mistake our way
Losing the signposts that show us the way
can cause equilibrium to start to sway
we lose our bearings, start wondering why
and like the Lost Son, find we’re in a pigsty.
At empty moments, deep in darkness profound
is a good chance for us to re-check and to sound
the depths of the waters into which we’ve strayed,
to look at ourselves and, learn again how to pray.
Even in pigsties we can find commonsense.
We remember the love which is given, not lent,
we know there is welcome at home’s open gate
we know we can go there, it is never too late.
OFFERING PRAYER
We recognise and bless the gifts brought to the table, and those which wing
their way electronically from our banks to the church’s account.
LIFE IN THE COMMUNITY OF ST ANDREW’S
People share notices and visitors welcomed. If you have a notice, please move to the front row, ready to speak briefly from the lectern. For the benefit of newcomers, please introduce yourself before you begin.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Bronwyn White
CIRCLE OF PRAYER
We think today of the people of Myanmar and the Myanmar Council of Churches. In New Zealand, we remember those in Parliament, and today we name Ian McKelvie (Rangitikei electorate) and Mark Mitchell (Rodney electorate). Here in the Central Presbytery, we pray for the leaders and people of St Paul's Presbyterian Church, Napier.
PRAYER FOR ST ANDREW’S on card
HYMN AA 59 ‘He came singing love’
Music and Words Colin Gibson © 1994 Hope Publishing
1. He came singing love
and he lived singing love;
he died, singing love
He arose in silence.
For the love to go on
we must make it our song;
you and I be the singers.
2. He came singing faith
and he lived singing faith;
he died, singing faith.
He arose in silence.
For the faith to go on
we must make it our song;
you and I be the singers.
3. He came singing hope
and he lived singing hope;
he died, singing hope.
He arose in silence.
For the hope to go on
we must make it our song;
you and I be the singers.
4. He came singing peace
and he lived singing peace;
he died, singing peace.
He arose is silence.
For the peace to go on
we must make it our song;
you and I be the singers.
BLESSING and SUNG AMEN
THANK YOU Vivien Chiu Our Musician today
Unless otherwise stated all hymns are used by permission CCLI Licence 341550
Words/music to new hymns and gathering statement, prayers and affirmation are original unless acknowledged. If Susan Jones is the worship leader any liturgy will have been written by her. These words can be used in other worship and small group situations without seeking permission. Please acknowledge the source.