August 25, 2019
WELCOME TO ST ANDREW’S ON THE TERRACE
GATHERING
Spirituality sometimes cannot be expressed in words,
but can be danced through our world;
It can be painted in shapes and swirls and squares;
The Spirit may be found in dramatic moments;
Through music it whispers its way to our heart.
Walking in the creative steps of The Creator,
we become co-creators of beauty and form, of colour and movement;
through all forms of the arts, thus we find our spirits nourished.
Thanks be given for this sweet and challenging beauty.
Thanks be given for creativity.
PROCESSIONAL HYMN AA 41 ‘For the music of creation’
Words: © 1992 Shirley Erena Murray.
Music: Douglas Mews (Admin. By The NZ Hymnbook Trust)
For the music of creation,
for the song your Spirit sings,
for your sound's divine expression,
burst of joy in living things:
God, our God, the world's composer,
hear us, echoes of your voice --
music is your art, your glory,
let the human heart rejoice!
Psalms and symphonies exalt you,
drum and trumpet, string and reed,
simple melodies acclaim you,
tunes that rise from deepest need,
hymns of longing and belonging,
carols from a cheerful throat,
lilt of lullaby and lovesong
catching heaven in a note.
All the voices of the ages
in transcendent chorus meet,
worship lifting up the senses,
hands that praise, and dancing feet;
over discord and division
music speaks your joy and peace,
harmony of earth and heaven,
song of God that cannot cease.
WELCOME
Kia ora tatou.
Kia ora.
PRAYER
JESUS PRAYER Jim Cotter paraphrase on card
LIGHTING THE RAINBOW ROOM CANDLE
TIME WITH CHILDREN Susan Jones
FLUTE SOLO ‘Dance of the Blessed Spirits’
from Gluck's opera Orfeo ed Euridice
Jillene Everett (flute), Vivien Chiu (piano)
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 John Morgan
Hebrew Bible 2 Samuel 6: 12-16
Gospel Matthew 6: 25-30
Contemporary reading ‘Art and Christian Spirituality:
Companions in the Way’
Direction Journal Fall 1998 by Luci Shaw· Vol. 27 No. 2 · pp. 109–22
… the partnership of art and spirituality probes the meanings that lie beneath the surface of all phenomena, waiting to be recognized and acknowledged. And this is, of course, the benison of the sacramental view of life, in which everything points to something, and everything is significant—a sign, a symbol.
Art brings order out of Chaos
…For me art is the impulse that gathers materials from our disparate but rich and compellingly diverse universe and assembles them in a way that brings a kind of order out of their chaos, an order with elements of both conflict and resolution. Art is also the result of our human impulse to find expression for that something within us that responds to the stimuli surrounding us, crying out to be expressed, to find meaning in beauty, or terror, or sex, or something as mundane as food, and to reflect this in a form, a medium which produces a response—awe, excitement, disgust, wonder, even shock or anger, in those around us. I’ve concluded that there is nothing in the universe about which poetry cannot be written.
This aesthetic impulse seems to be universal. Art finds meaning in all of human experience or endeavour, drawing from it strength and surprise by reminding us of what we know but may never have recognized truly before, transcending our particularity with soaring ease.
RESPONSE
For the Word in scripture,
for the Word among us,
for the Word within us,
we give thanks.
REFLECTION ‘Creativity alive and now’ Susan Jones
HYMN WOV 530 ‘O great Creator of all things that be’
Words Ernest Edward Dugmore (alt) from ‘Almighty Father of all thing that be’
Music Chilton Foliat George Clement Martin (Public Domain)
O great Creator of all things that be,
our life, our work, we consecrate to thee,
the heavens declare thy glory from above,
the earth below is witness to thy love.
We see the changeful beauty of the hills,
the purple valleys flecked with silver rills,
the ocean glistening ‘neath the golden rays;
they all are fine, and voiceless speak thy praise.
Who does the strength to workman's arm impart?;
from whom the skilled musician's mystic art,
the grace of poet's pen or painter's hand,
to teach the loveliness of sea and land?
So grant us, then, to treat all things as loan,
to be respectful to our earthly home,
to speak and work, to think, and live, and move,
reflecting thine own nature, which is love.
OFFERING PRAYER
Leader: Let us give thanks for all we have
Left hand side: For money to negotiate our way in the world
Right hand side: For food to nourish our bodies
Leader: Let us bring these gifts with gratitude and thanks
Left hand side: Money for the work here in this church
Right hand side: Food for those who do not have much
Leader: May all be resourced and fed
Left hand side: May all know the Love which surrounds them
Right hand side: every moment of every day
Leader: So may it be
All: 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 Sue McRae
CIRCLE OF PRAYER
We think today of the people of Saudi Arabia and all those working to protect and promote human rights in Saudi Arabia. We think of the detainees still on Manu and Nauru Islands, yearning that their cases be resolved. In New Zealand, we remember those in Parliament, and today we name Angie Warren-Clark and Nicola Willis list MPs. Here in the Central Presbytery, we pray for the leaders and people of -Waitotara Co-operating Church, Waverley.
PRAYER FOR ST ANDREW’S on card
HYMN ‘Draw the circle wide’
Words and music: Gordon Light
© 1994 Common Cup Co. All rights reserved.
Reprinted under One License No. A-623996
Draw the circle wide. Draw it wider still.
Let this be our song, no-one stands alone,
standing side by side draw the circle wide.
God the still-point of the circle,
‘Round whom all creation turns;
Nothing lost, but held forever,
in God’s gracious arms.
Chorus
Let our hearts touch far horizons,
So encompass great and small;
Let our loving know no borders,
Faithful to God’s call.
Chorus
Begin to move to end of pew to form a big circle round walls of the church. Take orders of service with you. Keep singing!!
Let the dreams we dream be larger,
Than we’ve ever dreamed before;
Let the dream of Christ be in us,
Open every door…
Chorus
repeat last verse and chorus
SPOKEN BLESSING
SUNG AMEN
THANK YOU Bruce Cash
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.
AUDIO REFLECTIONS
Sunday reflections are usually available on our website.
https://www.standrews.org.nz/category/sunday-gathering
THANK YOU
Write the Thank You here