May 24, 2020

WELCOME TO ST ANDREW’S ON THE TERRACE

‘More alike than we are unalike: meeting the challenge of inequality’

Max Rashbrooke

 Max Rashbrooke is a Wellington-based writer with twin interests in economic inequality and democratic participation, and is currently the 2020 J D Stout Fellow at Victoria University of Wellington. He is the author of Government for the Public Good: The Surprising Science of Large-Scale Collective Action, published by Bridget Williams Books (BWB) in September 2018. He is also the author of Wealth and New Zealand, and edited the best-selling work Inequality: A New Zealand Crisis. He is a senior associate of the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, his work appears in outlets such as the Guardian and Prospect magazine, and he is a regular commentator in the New Zealand media.

Welcome to St Andrew’s on The TerracE

Wherever you are on your faith journey,

wherever you have come from and wherever you are going to,

whatever you believe, whatever you do not believe, you are welcome here.

This Service is conducted by Niki Francis with Max Rashbrooke giving the address.

PRELUDE                                                                        “Etude in E Major (Tristesse)”

by F. Chopin (1810-1849)

Played by Peter Franklin

MIHI WHAKATAU – WELCOME

Kia ora tatou.

Kia ora.

 

KARANGA – GATHERING
Here we are in another online service
on another Sunday
in Aotearoa New Zealand
and maybe elsewhere in the world
during the Covid-19 pandemic
that has turned many of our lives upside down.

Here we are again
in our own spaces at home
away from our church building
yet together in spirit and love.

We are here with our own joys, anxieties, fears and hopes,
united in a way we are slowly getting used to
but still hoping for a time when we might gather in person again,
although not knowing how or when that might be.

All of us are here
as part of our journey to understand
our lives, to seek solidarity, to explore our humanity
and find ways to become fully who we are
in relationship with one another
and our planet.

Today we will listen to Max Rashbrooke’s words
about the challenge of inequality in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Let’s open our ears that we may understand the need for justice
and open our hearts so we may work for justice and peace in the world.
Amen
HĪMENE – HYMN HIOS 84 ‘Karakia ke te Wairua Tapu’
(Prayer to the Holy Spirit from Tētē Kura)
Words: John Greally, Translation: Ngāpō & Pīmia Wehi
Music: Helen Fisher Arr. Barry Brinson
E te Koru, te Wairua Tapu,
ko koe e mohio ana
ki te aroha o taku ngakau,
nāu i whai wahi kia puawai.

E te Koru, te Wairua Tapu,
homai kia matou te kaha ki te hikoi
i te ara o te maramatanga,
awhingia matou ki te korowai o te oranga,
te oranga, te oranga Te Koru, Holy Spirit
you understand the longings of my heart.
You enable moments of life to blossom.

Te Koru, Holy Spirit,
empower us on our pilgrimage of discovery.
Embrace us in the frond of your life.

KARAKIA – PRAYER From “We All Breathe”
©2012 Gretta Vosper

This light which bathes the world,
pours from a source so close, so near
and yet we cannot touch it
or fence it in that it not be lost.

This light which shatters darkness
is pieced together, flame by flame,
shining from a thousand sources
but is diminished by the loss of one.

This light which fills the furthest corner
brings with it warmth
to fill billions of hearts
and bind them with its common truth.

This light which pulls us toward tomorrow
is carried deep within each of our hearts
and lit by you and me and him and her
and all who live upon this earth.

This light which is yours and mine to carry
burns only in the hope-filled heart,
the source of all our inspiration
and all the beauty that will ever come to be.

Let it shine.
E TO MATOU MATUA I TE RANGI – JESUS’ PRAYER

Eternal Spirit
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 the 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 for ever.
Amen.
TE KĀNARA O TE WHARE ĀNIWANIWA –
LIGHTING THE RAINBOW ROOM CANDLE Jaime and Sarah
TE RANGIMARIE – PASSING THE PEACE Dawn Cowdry
(We invite you to take this moment to greet those who are with you today, or to hold in your mind others from St Andrew’s, or your own loved ones)
KŌRERO PŪMAHARA – WORDS OF WISDOM – THE WORD IN TEXTS
Linda and Norman Wilkins
Hebrew Bible Isaiah 1:17
Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.
Proverbs 31:8-9
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Psalm 82:3
Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
Gospel Luke 4:18-19a
The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.
Contemporary reading “Visit Us”
©2010 Anne Powell
From “Enough Clear Water”, Wellington: Steele Roberts, 2001, p 84
Visit us
in breath of wind
in endurance of cliffs
in glow of kowhai
in silence of stars
in solitude of moon
in eyes of the poor
in embrace of a mother
in pleasure of friends
in faith that does justice.
WHAKAUTU – RESPONSE
For the Word in scripture,
for the Word among us,
for the Word within us,
we give thanks.
KŌRERO – REFLECTION Max Rashbrooke
'More alike than we are unalike: meeting the challenge of inequality'
HĪMENE – HYMN AA 85 ‘Let justice roll down like a river’
Words and Music © 1994 Colin Gibson Hope Publishing Company

Let justice roll down like a river,
let justice flow down to the sea;
let justice roll down like a river
let justice begin through me.

Justice for all who go hungry,
crying to God to be fed,
left in a world of abundance
to beg for a morsel of bread.

Justice for those who are homeless,
victims of war or of need,
trapped on the borders of nowhere,
lost in the canyons of greed.

Justice for all who are powerless,
yearning for freedom in vain,
plundered and robbed of their birth-right,
silently bearing their pain.
KAWANGA – OFFERING PRAYER
We offer our gifts of light and hope
of cash and action
of commitment to justice
and our vision for a better fairer world.
Let it be so.
Amen

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.
INOI O NGA TANGATA – PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Sonia Groes-Petrie

Eternal Spirit,
In this autumn season we are lifted by the beauty that surrounds us, gold, red and orange leaves that brighten our neighbourhoods, their work now done, a chance to shine and be noticed before dropping to the ground, providing sustenance to the soil.

As we tentatively take steps back into work and social activities, we know the ability to get back to a new sense of normal is not the same for everyone. We are painfully aware of the high levels of child poverty here in Aotearoa/New Zealand and of the higher rates of unemployment and more serious health issues amongst our Maori and Pacific island communities. We are thankful for all those working to create fairer societies here in Aoteaora/New Zealand and around the world and we particularly think of those involved in the Living Wage Movement and those working in social services. May the implementation of government spending in the coming months and years have reducing inequality at its core, with more resourcing put into healthcare, social services, and transitioning us to a low carbon society.

We remember all those still in the grips of the Covid-19 pandemic around the world and are conscious that it is feeding on existing inequalities and injustices in our societies. We are thankful for all healthcare professionals responding to this ongoing crisis with skill and compassion.

We pray in this time of deep uncertainty that our leaders be courageous in implementing policies to help transform our societies, by putting people and the planet at the centre of decision-making. Let us all be bold in our thinking and action in reimagining and transforming our society to be built on fairness and love.

We hold in our circle of care all who are grieving, dealing with illness, broken relationships and isolation. May we act with compassionate hearts.

During this time when we normally share prayers written in the book I invite you to take some time in silence to pray for people and places that you hold in your heart today (silence)

In our circle of prayer we think today of the people of Angola and the Council of Christian Churches in Angola. We remember the detainees of Manus and Nauru Islands, yearning that their cases be resolved. In New Zealand, we remember those in Parliament, and today we name Barbara Kuriger (Taranaki-King Country electorate) and Denise Lee (Maungakiekie electorate). Here in the Central Presbytery, we pray for the leaders and people of St Ronan's Presbyterian Church, Eastbourne and from the worldwide church for the Baptist Convention of Haiti.

We bring all our prayers together with the Prayer for St Andrew’s. You are welcome to use this as a prayer for your place as well as ours.
Renew your people, God, and renew our life in this place.
Give us a new spirit of unity with those of all faiths, and a new spirit of love towards all people.

Bless the city in which we live that it may be a place where honest dealing, good government, the desire for beauty, and the care for others flourish.

Bless this church that what we know of your will,
may become what we do, and what we believe the strong impulse of our worship and work.
Amen.
CIRCLE OF PRAYER
We think today of the people of Angola and the Council of Christian Churches in Angola. We remember the detainees of Manus and Nauru Islands, yearning that their cases be resolved. In New Zealand, we remember those in Parliament, and today we name Barbara Kuriger (Taranaki-King Country electorate), Denise Lee (Maungakiekie electorate). Here in the Central Presbytery, we pray for the leaders and people of St Ronan's Presbyterian Church, Eastbourne and from the worldwide church for the Baptist Convention of Haiti.
KARAKIA O ST ANARU – PRAYER FOR ST ANDREW’S

Renew your people, God,
and renew our life in this place.
Give us a new spirit of unity
with those of all faiths,
and a new spirit of love
towards all people.

Bless the city in which we live
that it may be a place
where honest dealing,
good government,
the desire for beauty,
and the care for others flourish.

Bless this church
that what we know of your will
may become what we do,
and what we believe
the strong impulse
of our worship and work.

Amen

HĪMENE – HYMN ‘All Works of Love’
Performed by Inspirare,
conducted by Mark Stamper, St Andrews music coordinator
Music: © Joan Szymko
Words: © Mother Theresa
If we have no peace
it is because we have forgotten that
we belong to each other.
Remember.
All works of love are works of peace.
POROPOROAKIA MĀNAWATANGA – FAREWELL and BLESSING
Pauatahanui Blessing
©2005 Shirley Erena Murray
Let us go in your peace,
let us know what is peace
by the power of your love,
by the Spirit's release.
And in all we must face
that can hurt or destroy,
let us work for your peace:
kindness, justice and joy.
Amen
POSTLUDE “Jerusalem”
by C.H.H. Parry ( 1848 – 1918)
Played by Peter Franklin
TIME FOR A CUPPA

The end of our Sunday service is normally a time for catching up, meeting people and sharing what is happening in our lives. Perhaps you would like to phone a St Andrew’s person today.