Order of Service 29 March 2020

March 29, 2020

WELCOME TO ST ANDREW’S ON THE TERRACE

kia ora tātou

Welcome to St Andrew’s on The TerracE online

If you have a candle, put it near you before you begin.

KIA ORA TĀTOU! WELCOME! 

Whether you are joining this time of reflection and worship on Sunday morning, or at another time, you are welcome to St Andrew’s on The Terrace Online. Welcome to St Andrew’s first experience of worshipping online.

Wherever you are on your faith journey, wherever you have come from and where you are going to, whatever you believe, whatever you do not believe, you are welcome here.

To the congregation, may this give you connection with your community. To everyone, you are welcome.

E te whānau a Te Karaiti

ngā mihi aroha ki a tātou katoa.

 

INTRODUCTION
Ko wai au?
Nō Kotirana oku tipuna.
I tipu ake au i Ōtautahi.
Kei te noho ana au i Te Awakairangi.
Ko Hato Anaru o Te Parehua taku whānau.
Ko Ellen Murray toku ingoa.

Who am I?
My ancestors are from Scotland.
I grew up in Christchurch.
I live in Lower Hutt.
I’m a member of St Andrew’s on the Terrace.
My name is Ellen Murray.

GATHERING
Let us now bring ourselves into this time of reflection.

Let us feel our feet flat on the floor,
and know that we are connected with the Earth.

Let us be aware of our own breathing,
and notice where we are at right now.

Let us notice the thoughts and feelings buzzing within us.
It is ok to notice that buzz.

Let us take some moments of silence.

Wherever we are individually, when we join together in worship we especially become the body of Christ.

I light this candle as a symbol of Jesus, the Christ, who calls us to life in all its fullness. (light your candle if you have one)

OPENING HYMN FFA 57 ‘Song of faith that sings forever’
Words: © 1999 Shirley Erena Murray
Music: © 1999 Colin Gibson, Hope Publishing Company

Song of faith that sings forever through God's people, ages long,
Word that holds the world together when our hearts take up the song,
always, always, somewhere sounding, though the source we do not see,
counterpoint to all despairing, it is hope that sets the key.

And when life would overwhelm us, when there seems no song to sing,
hear the constant voice of courage out of fear and suffering:
all who've loved and trusted Jesus, all who lift us to be strong,
endless, endless are the voices of the faith that makes the song.

POEM FROM THE WEEK THAT HAS BEEN Rest now, e Papatūānuku

Do you remember back to Monday? My friend Nadine Anne Hura (Ngāti Hine, Ngāpuhi), wrote this on Monday on the train home after the announcement of the lockdown. There are some notes at the end of the order of service that you might to read later. For now, by way of introduction I will just say these are words to Papatūānuku, words for our mother the Earth.

Rest now, e Papatūānuku
Breathe easy and settle
Right here where you are
We’ll not move upon you
For awhile
We’ll stop, we’ll cease
We’ll slow down and stay home
Draw each other close and be kind
Kinder than we’ve ever been.
I wish we could say we were doing it for you
as much as ourselves
But hei aha
We’re doing it anyway
It’s right. It’s time.
Time to return
Time to remember
Time to listen and forgive
Time to withhold judgment
Time to cry
Time to think
About others
Remove our shoes
Press hands to soil
Sift grains between fingers
Gentle palms
Time to plant
Time to wait
Time to notice
To whom we belong
For now it’s just you
And the wind
And the forests and the oceans and the sky full of rain
Finally, it’s raining!
Ka turuturu te wai kamo o Rangi ki runga i a koe
Embrace it
This sacrifice of solitude we have carved out for you
He iti noaiho – a small offering
People always said it wasn’t possible
To ground flights and stay home and stop our habits of consumption
But it was
It always was.
We were just afraid of how much it was going to hurt
– and it IS hurting and it will hurt and continue to hurt
But not as much as you have been hurt.
So be still now
Wrap your hills around our absence
Loosen the concrete belt cinched tight at your waist
Rest.
Breathe.
Recover.
Heal –
And we will do the same.
LIGHTING THE RAINBOW ROOM CANDLE

I light this candle as a symbol of our inclusive community, where every person is valued, and to specially honour the place of children in our community.

There is a recording, specially made for children, on the St Andrew’s website.

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.

THE WORD IN TEXTS

Hebrew Bible Ezekiel 37:1-14
New Revised Standard Version

The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord GOD, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the LORD.”
So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.
I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.
Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, thus says the Lord GOD: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken and will act, says the LORD.”

Psalm 130
The New Testament and Psalms: An Inclusive Version

Out of the depths I cry to you, O GOD.
God, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!

If you, O GOD, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.

I wait for GOD, my soul waits,
and in God’s word I hope;
my soul waits for God
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.

O Israel, hope in GOD!
For with GOD there is steadfast love,
and with God is great power to redeem.
And God will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.

Gospel John 11:1-6, 17-45
New Revised Standard Version

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”
When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me.
I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

RESPONSE
For the Word in scripture,
for the Word among us,
for the Word within us,
we give thanks.

HYMN CH4 557 ‘O Love that wilt not let me go’
Words: G. Mathesom Music: A. Pearce Verses 1 & 3 Public Domain

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
that in thine ocean depths its flow
may richer, fuller be.

O Joy that seekest me though pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
and feel the promise is not vain,
that morn shall tearless be.

REFLECTION ‘Tracing the rainbow through the rain’ Ellen Murray

MUSIC FOR REFLECTION PUREA NEI
SUNG BY THE GLAMAPHONES IN ST ANDREW’S LAST WEEK
A link and the words are in the notes at the end of the order of service.

AFFIRMATION

There is a tough week coming ahead. There is every reason to expect the COVID-19 situation to get worse in New Zealand before it gets better. This is a time of waiting. We wait for the expected bad news. We wait for grief.
We do not wait alone. We wait with everyone who is doing what they can to unite against COVID-19. We wait in anticipation for the news that our collective efforts are flattening the curve here in Aotearoa.
As an Easter people, we wait with hope. Yet we cannot hope that everything will be alright. Everything is not alright.
We do not wait alone.
We wait, trusting we are held in the love of God, the creating mystery at the heart of life. As a mother hen broods over her chicks, so does the love of God nestle all humanity in our suffering.
We do not wait alone.
We wait, trusting in the inspiration of the divine spirit, who moves gently between us, showing herself in warmth that is shared across physical distances.
We do not wait alone.
We wait, trusting in the companionship of Jesus, who knew what it was to anticipate suffering, and who continued to reach out to connect in love.

HYMN AA132 ‘Tell my people I love them’
Words: Leonard Barlotti Music: Guy Jansen, © 1972 Gospel Publishing House, Verses 1 & 5

Refrain: Tell my people I love them, tell my people I care;
when they feel far away from me, tell my people I am there.

Tell my people where-e’er they go
To claim my risen power
My peace and joy and love Is for them hour by hour.

Refrain: Tell my people...

Tell my people throughout the world
To strive for peace today
Show love for enemies
Be servants of the Way.

OFFERING PRAYER
We offer our money, so that it can help where it needs to,
We offer our talents, so that we can contribute to others,
We offer our stillness and quiet time, so that we can keep each other and ourselves well.
Amen

We recognise and bless the gifts which wing their way electronically from our banks to the church’s account.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Fiona McDougal

We begin with a prayer from the Corymeela Community…..

God of the branches, God of the vine,
God of the fruit that will last,
when much of the familiar is pruned away
–– the work routine, the school run,
the certainty of our day –
may we see what is good and true
blossom in reassuring ways:
colleagues working as one,
children learning from home,
families praying together.
May these days of great disruption
bear out what is always true:
that we can reach others
with the love you provide
when our roots remain in you.
Amen.

When the earthquake happened in Christchurch,
we saw with new eyes the courage and down to earth practicality
of men in hi-vis vests and work boots.
When the explosions happened at Pike River ,
we heard with new ears the wails of grief and strong cries for justice
of the women who had lost a life partner, brother, son or friend.
When the Christchurch Mosque shootings happened,
our hearts and minds resonated with the words of trust and
forgiveness spoken by followers of a
faith we had assumed to be different from our own.
Now we look with awe at those who work in supermarkets-
truck drivers, shelf packers, those serving on the tills and others
retrieving and cleaning trolleys.
In these times of uncertainty and anxiety,
may we look within, to tend to and comfort our fears.
May we also look out with ourselves for unexpected signs of
courage, hope and love growing in the people around us.
And may we discover, that there can blossom
within us equally “ordinary” people,
unexpected qualities which help and heal those we encounter,
as we remain rooted and grounded in your love.

CIRCLE OF PRAYER
We think today of the people of Vietnam and organisations working for HIV and AIDS education in Vietnam and throughout the world. 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 Andrew Falloon (Rangitata electorate) and Guy Nathan (Otaki electorate). Here in the Central Presbytery, we pray for the leaders and people of Queen Margaret College.

PRAYER FOR ST ANDREW’S

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

HYMN AA89 ‘Light of lights beholden’
Words & Music © 1997 Jenny McLeod COC 29
Light of lights beholden
we from days of olden sing this song
for to understand
that peace upon this planet was pledged to come.
Each to other, sister, brother, born for life and song.

Chorus - look towards the light and carry on:
let the simple heart and hope among us
keep our family strong,
let the simple heart and hope among us
keep our family strong.

Darkness all around us,
light has always found us
light will come
where the dark is deepest greater light will keep us safe from harm.
Troubled times will always find a voice of troubled doom.

Chorus - look towards the light and carry on:
let the simple heart and hope among us
keep our family strong,
let the simple heart and hope among us
keep our family strong.

BLESSING Dorothy McRae McMahon

Go in peace,
and may the God who protected the Holy Child
cover you and keep you,
the God who came to be with us be found beside you,
and the love within you be called into safe places
by the gentle Spirit.
Amen.

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.

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NOTES

Notes to Rest now, e Papatūānuku, from the author, Nadine Anne Hura

Many people have asked who the author is so I wanted to clarify that I wrote this poem on the train home after the announcement of total lockdown was made here in Aotearoa, New Zealand. I felt like I could hear Papatūānuku exhaling in relief as we all began our journeys home. In truth, one month of lockdown is not enough. Even six months would not be enough! We need a total and sustained change of habit, globally and within our own communities. I hope so much we take our time to reflect on the fact that if we can do it to save ourselves for a month, we ought to be able to make similar habit changes for Mother Earth for the long term. The most telling thing for me was how empty our veggie plant aisles were after lockdown was announced - in a crisis, we will turn back to our mother to provide (and of course she will!).
Lots of people have asked for translations...
Papatūānuku - Mother Earth (the addition of the “e” in front signals the words are addressed or spoken directly to her.)
Ka turuturu te wai kamo o Rangi ki runga i a koe - means something like, “tears from the eyes of Ranginui drip down on you” (Ranginui is our sky father, it is common to refer to rain as the tears of Rangi for his beloved, from whom he was separated at the beginning of time in order that there could be light in the world). Not long after the announcement we were moving to level 3, it poured with rain in Porirua after many months of hot and dry weather. I could feel my garden rejoicing.
Hei aha - This can be translated in many ways, but I meant it like the English “oh well, whatever”
He iti noaiho - “something small”. Because our sacrifice feels enormous but in reality I think it is not sufficient to truly see Papatūānuku recover. However, in Māori, we often talk about the significance of small actions or gestures. We say “ahakoa he iti, he pounamu.” Although it is small, it is a treasure.

MUSIC FOR REFLECTION
THE GLAMAPHONES SINGING PUREA NEI IN ST ANDREW’S

https://www.facebook.com/jac.lynch1/videos/10219594097816882/UzpfSTEwNDg2ODIwODQ6Vks6Mjg4MDc2OTE3NTMxNzg5MA/

Purea nei e te hau
Horoia e te ua
Whitiwhitia e te rā
Mahea ake ngā pōraruraru
Makere ana nga here.
E rere wairua, e rere
Ki ngā ao o te rangi
Whitiwhitia e te rā
Mahea ake ngā pōraruraru
Makere ana nga here,
Makere ana nga here.

Translation:

Scattered by the wind
washed by the rain
and transformed by the sun,
all doubts are swept away
and all restrains are cast down.

Fly O free spirit, fly
to the clouds in the heavens,
transformed by the sun,
with all doubts swept away
and all restrains cast down.
Yes, all restrains are cast down.