December 20, 2020

WELCOME TO ST ANDREW’S ON THE TERRACE

GATHERING – Jan Berry

God of birth,

we watch in fear for your coming:

scared of the pain and risk,

the struggle of new life emerging

and our own capacity to bear it.

God of waiting,

wait with us.

 

God of the future,

we watch in hope for your coming,

anticipating an unknown future,

uncertain of the unnamed reality,

not sure what form it will take.

God of waiting,

wait with us.

 

God of celebration,

we watch in joy for your coming,

expectant with promises of freedom,

eager for new possibilities,

delighting in the gift of birth.

God of waiting,

wait with us.

 

PROCESSIONAL HYMN CC52 ‘You are born in us again’
Words © 1996 Mark Wilson. Music arr. Shona Murray, descant Colin Gibson (Vs x 3)

1. You are born in us again.
Like the warmth of the summer wind you come,
to melt away the icicles of vanity and pride;
you come to blow the very doors of loving open wide.
Like the warmth of the summer wind you come,
like the warmth of the summer wind you come.

2. You are born in us again.
Like the scent of the summer rain you come.
You come to quench the thirsty and to freshen up the land;
you come to clean away dust that’s settled in our hand.
Like the scent of summer rain you come,
like the scent of the summer rain you come.

3. You are born in us again.
Like the light of the summer sun you come,
to give light to the places that have never seen the Son:
you come now to embrace us, you’re the holy, holy one.
Like the light of the summer sun you come,
like the light of the summer sun you come.
WELCOME
Kia ora tatou.
Kia ora.
PRAYER and (JESUS’ PRAYER) Jim Cotter paraphrase

As Christmas draws near, we take some time away
from the hustle and bustle of preparation
to calm and ground ourselves.
Time to breathe,
time to settle,
time to just be.

Silence

Resting in this holy place,
we can release, a little, our grip on our worries and plans…..
They will still be there when we leave,
and we may find a better way
to relate to them,
having reconnected with the Sacred
present within us and between us now.

Drawing closer to the hour of Jesus’ birth,
may we notice life giving moments
of insight, illumination and grace
in our lives.
As the shepherds leave their flocks
and wise men journey on,
may we walk together,
with intention and awareness,
the last few steps to the manger.

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.

ADVENT CANDLE
CANDLE OF LOVE
Partner Story:
We have a Food Bank for all who are in need
Frances is in charge of the new Food Bank in Fiji. She can’t grow enough cabbage and tomato on this church land for all those who have limited food options but she can show others what to do. During COVID-19, it is important for people to eat fresh food to boost their immunity and stay healthy, she says. We cannot feed everyone but we can make them think. We share God’s love by giving people seeds to take home and caring for creation. We are hungry for love.
Today we remember 75 years of Christian World Service’s Christmas Appeals. We celebrate the work of our Aid Agency labouring for love in our world.
Our Fourth Advent candle speaks to our hunger for love,
it speaks to our world’s hunger for love.
We have a Food Bank for all who are in need.
(Light the candle)
The candle represents a future of love-filled possibilities
for a new way of living where love is real.
We are hungry for love.
LIGHTING THE RAINBOW CANDLE
TIME WITH CHILDREN Graham Howell
BLESSING THE CHILDREN (All stand)
We hold in love all the children of our whanau, those who are here, those on holiday and those far away.
We bless you. Amen.
PASSING THE PEACE
Traditionally we shake hands to pass the peace and say “peace be with you. Now that Covid is here
we ask that you pass the peace without shaking hands.

HYMN CH4 287 ‘No Wind at the Window’
Words: John L Bell Music Irish Traditional
Words and Music© WGRG The Iona Community 1992( vs x 4)

1. No wind at the window, no knock on the door
No light from the lamp stand, no foot on the floor
No dream born of tiredness, no ghost raised by fear
Just an angel and a woman and a voice in her ear.

2. Oh, Mary, Oh, Mary don't hide from my face
Be glad that you're favoured and filled with God's grace
The time for redeeming the world has begun
And you are requested to mother God's son.

3. This child must be born that the Kingdom might come
Salvation for many, destruction for some
Both end and beginning, both message and sign
Both victor and victim, both yours and divine.

4. No payment was promised, no promises made
No wedding was dated, no blueprint displayed
Yet Mary, consenting to what none could guess
Replied with conviction, "tell God I say yes.”
THE WORD IN TEXTS Lynette Burrell
Gospel Luke 1:26-56 NIV

Contemporary reading “The Blessing for after”
by Jan Berry
Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord;
let it be with me according to your word.”
—Luke 1.38
A Blessing for After

This blessing
is for the moment
after clarity has come,
after inspiration,
after you have agreed
to what seemed
impossible.

This blessing
is what follows
after illumination departs
and you realize
there is no map
for the path
you have chosen,
no one to serve
as guide,
nothing to do
but gather up
your gumption
and set out.

This blessing
will go with you.
It carries no answers,
no charts,
no plans.
It carries no source
of light
within itself.

But in its pocket
is tucked a mirror
that, from time to time,
it will hold up to you
to remind you
of the radiance
that came
when you gave
your awful and wondrous
yes.

RESPONSE
For the Word in scripture,
for the Word among us,
for the Word within us,
we give thanks.
REFLECTION A triptych of grace Fiona McDougal
Music for contemplation: “Magnificat”
by Keith Getty, Stuart Townend & Kristyn Getty.
From the Album “Joy” by Keith and Kristyn Getty 2011
OFFERING PRAYER (said together)
We have spent time choosing gifts for friends and family, and know the pleasure of receiving presents, sharing meals and celebrating at this time of year. So now we share some what we have, money, food and prayers for others in our city, country, and world that they too may receive, share and celebrate.
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.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Wendy Matthews
CIRCLE OF PRAYER
We think today of the people of Democratic Republic of Congo and the Presbyterian Community of the Democratic Republic of Congo. 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 Penny Simmonds (Invercargill electorate) and Scott Simpson (Coromandel electorate). Here in the Central Presbytery, we pray for the leaders and people of Crossway Church, Masterton.
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
HYMN AA 36 ‘Every day I will offer you’
Words © 1992 Shirley Murray
Music by Colin Gibson, © 1993 Hope Publishing Company (Vs x 3)

1. Every day I will offer you,
loving God, my heart and mind,
every way I discover you
in the work your hand has signed;
help me see I’m your image, and
you have dreamed what I might be,
every day in the Spirit,
I’ll find the love and energy!

2. Every day I will look to Christ,
and give thanks for wine and bread
through the pain and the emptiness
where your world cries to be fed;
help me see I can work for change,
and wherever I might be,
every day in your Spirit,
I’ll find the love and energy!

3. Every day I will take your word,
answer your compassion’s claim,
celebrate every sign of hope,
every deed done in your name;
help me see you are always there,
and your light can shine through me,
every day in the Spirit,
I’ll find your love and energy!

BLESSING

May you surrender to the possibilities that gleam within your life.
So “gather up your gumption” now and set out.
Know that the light of love shines within you,
ancient promises held in hope will sustain you,
and songs of joy will flow from you,
as you labour to bring peace into being in our world.
SUNG AMEN
POSTLUDE “On Christmas Night”
by Quentin Thomas (b. 1972)