August 15, 2021

WELCOME TO ST ANDREW’S ON THE TERRACE

PRELUDE

CALL TO WORSHIP

Let there be joy in our coming together this day.

Let there be truth heard in the words we speak and the songs we sing.

Let there be help and healing for our disharmony and despair.

Let there be silence for the voice within us and beyond us.

SILENCE

Let us worship in the presence we name God.

PROCESSIONAL HYMN                                                    ‘Breathe in the Morning Air’

Words: Helen Wiltshire, Pilgrim Publishing;

Music: Love Unknown WOV 257 (i)

 

1. Breathe in the morning air; inhale its fragrancy.

Be still and trust the sacredness that dwells within;

who’s ever near; who knows our fears;

whose presence calms our restless souls.

 

2. Rest in this sacred space; lie down in pastures green.

Be present to the myst’ry of this holy place.

Hear singing streams; feel earth’s embrace;

see how our lives are touched by grace.

 

3. Walk in the way of love, of justice and of peace.

Bring loving to a world of pain and loneliness.

Reach out in love and gentleness

to heal the hurt of brokenness.

 

4. Here in this darkest vale, shadowed by grief and fear,

we sense a loving presence that our hearts sustain.

Our fears subside; our minds are calm;

our panic flees, and peace remains.

 

5. Trust in the love of God; believe that goodness lives,

that hope and joy and beauty will embrace our days.

Pursued by love and touched by grace,

our thankful hearts will offer praise.

WELCOME 

E te whānau a Te Karaiti

ngā mihi aroha ki a tātou katoa.

Kia ora tātou.

GATHERING WORDS

 

We come to be opened by visions that can enlist us

in larger causes and more caring actions.

We come to hear stories that might take us

into a deeper kind of integrity, and reconnect us with our better selves.

We come seeking a warmer fullness

that will fill our hearts, our minds and our spirits.

 

PRAYER
JESUS’ PRAYER Jim Cotter paraphrase

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.
LIGHTING THE RAINBOW CANDLE
TIME WITH CHILDREN Frank Cook
BLESSING THE CHILDREN (All stand)
We send you to the Rainbow Room to hear stories, ask questions
and have fun together.
We bless you. Amen.
PASSING THE PEACE
Traditionally we shake hands to pass the peace and say “peace be with you.” Now that COVID-19 is here we ask that you pass the peace without shaking hands.

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THE WORD IN TEXTS Tony Kirby

Hebrew Bible Genesis 12: 1-9
The Call of Abram
Metrical Psalm 23 (sung) Tune: WOV 16(1) Crimond

1. The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want.
He makes me down to lie
in pastures green; he leadeth me
the quiet waters by.

2. My soul he doth restore again;
and me to walk doth make
within the paths of righteousness,
ev’n for his own names’ sake.

3. Yea, though I walk in death’s dark vale,
yet will I fear none ill;
for thou art with me; and thy rod
and staff me comfort still.

4. My table thou hast furnished
in presence of my foes;
my head thou dost with oil anoint,
and my cup overflows.

5. Goodness and mercy all my life
shall surely follow me;
and in God’s house for evermore
my dwelling place shall be.

Gospel Mark 1: 16-20
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
Contemporary reading The Open Door
by Joy Cowley
Life is just one door after another,
and the thing about doors
is that they don’t compromise.
They are either open or shut.
We all know the slamming door.
Sometimes it shuts so fast
that it almost cuts us in two,
and we are left in a state of grief.
At other times doors close slowly,
squeezing us out of breath
until we have to step aside
and let ourselves be locked out.
A certain fact about doors
is that when one shuts on us,
another one opens,
but that’s not always easy to see.
Often, I’m so busy knocking
on the door that’s solidly shut,
that I’m not aware of the other door
wide open at my back.
RESPONSE
For the Word in scripture and story,
for the Word among us,
for the Word within us,
we give thanks.

REFLECTION ‘What about Zebedee?’ Rev. Dr Jim Cunningham

A TIME OF SILENCE
HYMN WOV 526ii ‘O Perfect Love’
Words: Mary Pearson

1. Word of God's love, with longing hearts we listen,
eager to hear of grace when grace is spent,
seeking to understand in all our being,
the truth in which Christ's life for all was sent.

2. Word of God's hope, when life seems dark and empty,
bruised by the powerlessness which clouds our days,
help us to see with ever clearer vision,
the light and wisdom of the Christ trod way.

3. Word of God's joy, we yearn to hear your music
through storms of anger, fear and silent pain,
knowing that though there is no easy answer
in Christ life finds its harmony again.

4. Word of our God, you call us to each other,
breaking down walls of pride and selfish gain,
and, as we reach to bear each other's burdens,
we find love, hope and joy alive again.

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OFFERTORY MUSIC
OFFERING HYMN AA 127 ‘Take my gifts’ verse 3
Words © 1992 Shirley Erena Murray, (Admin. by Hope Publishing Company)
Music: ©1992 Colin Gibson Hope Publishing Co
Take whatever I can offer –
gifts that I have yet to find,
skills that I am slow to sharpen,
talents of the heart and mind,
things made beautiful for others
in the place where I must be:
take my gifts and let me love you,
God who first of all loved me.

OFFERING PRAYER
For the gifts we receive and the gifts we share
we give thanks.
For the abundant universe, with resources enough and to spare
we give thanks.
May our offerings of money and food, compassion and goodwill,
be multiplied to those who receive them
blessing them, as we are blessed to give. 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.
LIFE IN THE COMMUNITY OF ST ANDREW’S
People share notices and visitors are 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.

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PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Wendy Matthews
CIRCLE OF PRAYER
We think today of the people of Iran (Islamic Republic) and the Synod of the Evangelical Church of Iran. We hold all refugees in our hearts. We pray in particular for those detained for many years in Papua New Guinea & Nauru. We give thanks for progress that has been made and pray that their calls for justice might yet find a compassionate response. In New Zealand, we remember those in Parliament, and today we name Paul Eagle (Rongotai) and Barbara Edmonds (Mana). Here in the Central Presbytery, we pray for the leaders and people of St John's Co-operating Church, Waipawa.
PRAYER FOR ST ANDREW’S
Renew your people, God,
And renew our life in this place.
Give us a new spirit of unity
with all who follow the Way of Jesus
and new bonds of love
with people of other faiths.

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
CALL TO SERVICE
Spirit of God, brooding over the waters of our chaos,
inspire us to generous living.
Wind of God dancing over the desert of our reluctance,
lead us to the oasis of celebration.
Breath of God inspiring communication among strangers,
make us channels of your peace.
HYMN FFS 63 ‘These Hills’
Words and music by Colin Gibson
Words and music © 1998 Hope Publishing Company
Reprinted with permission under One License A-623996. All rights reserved

1. These hills where the hawk flies lonely,
beaches where the long surf rolls,
mountains where the snows meet heaven,
these are our care.
Pastures where the sheep graze calmly,
orchards where the apples grow,
gardens where the roses cluster,
these are our prayer

2. Forests where the tree ferns tower,
rivers running strong and clear,
oceans where the great whales wander,
these are our care.
Race meeting race as equals,
justice for age-old wrong,
worth for every man and woman,
these are our prayer.

3. Cities where the young roam restless,
lives brought to deep despair,
homeless and powerless people,
these are our care.
Places where the Word is spoken,
hands held in serving love,
faiths of our many cultures,
these are our prayer.

4. All that the old world gave us,
all that the new world brings,
language, ideas, customs,
these are our care.
Life finding joy and value,
faith seeking truth and light,
God heard and seen in all things,
this be our prayer.

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BLESSING

May the Spirit which flows through all creation,
that speaks through the prophets and the poets,
and which acts through those who care,
go with you today, and awaken you
to the unconquerable power of life.

SUNG AMEN