March 5, 2023
WELCOME TO ST ANDREW’S ON THE TERRACE
PRELUDE –‘Freu dich sehr, o meine Seele’
by Siegfried Karg-Elert (1877 – 1933)
CALL TO WORSHIP
We come to this time of gathering
aware of sacred mystery
bringing us to life,
calling us to freedom,
moving among us with love.
Let us open our hearts and minds
so we can participate in this time
And with our lives resonate our thanksgiving.
SILENCE
GATHERING
Each new day opens to us new doors of potential and hope.
Each new day offers us new challenges; new calls to commitment;
fresh possibilities for deepening our faith.
In worship we hear the challenge voiced,
gain strength for the tasks ahead, and learn to grow in faith.
Let us worship the One we name God.
PROCESSIONAL HYMN – IECS 59 ‘Sing a song for peace and justice’
Words: Shirley Murray; Music: John Hughes
Tune: CWM RHONNDA
1. Sing a song for peace and justice,
speak for those who cannot speak!
claim the world for peace and justice:
let the strong support the weak.
Light a candle in the darkness,
hope and freedom must not die!
hope and freedom must not die!
2. You who live in happy places,
who can laugh and speak and sing,
listen for the other voices
mute with fear and suffering.
Light a candle in the darkness,
hope and freedom must not die!
hope and freedom must not die!
3. Thousands cry in nameless prisons —
plead with powers that hold the key:
plead that human rights be honored,
that the innocent go free.
Light a candle in the darkness,
hope and freedom must not die!
hope and freedom must not die!
WELCOME
E te whānau a Te Karaiti,
Ngā mihi aroha ki a tātou katoa.
Kia ora tātou.
Talofa lava
Talofa.
OPENING PRAYER
For our community gathered here,
for the spirit that called us together and drew us to this place:
We give thanks this day.
For moments we have shared with others;
for times when we have reached out across barriers
of distance and fear; for times when others have reached out to us;
for moments when we have discovered another along our path:
We give thanks this day.
For this community of celebration and growth,
introspection and solitude, and for those moments of
‘that peace which passes all understanding’:
We give thanks this day.
For our gathering together out of distant places;
for our weaving together out of many separate selves
this hour of celebration and worship:
We give thanks this day.
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
We light the rainbow candle as a sign of our inclusivity and for our children.
FAMILY TIME – Dawn Cowdrey
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.
THE WORD IN TEXTS – Tony Kirby
Hebrew Bible – Genesis 12:1-4a
New Testament Reading – John 3:1-17
Contemporary Reading – ‘The Nomad’
by Anthony de Mello
S.J. Wellsprings a book of spiritual exercise
Jesus says, ”A person must be born again
to see God’s kingdom.“
To understand this better
I make a study of two worlds :
I contemplate the dark world of the foetus…
then I watch the life of a person who is in love…
I see the pain of human suffering…
then the comfort of the womb…
I only watch, without reflections
for these contrasting scenes alone
will educate my heart.
I see the world the foetus cannot know :
the glory of the setting sun…
the softness of the night…
the ocean’s majesty…
Then my mind runs riot
through scenes of joy…
and pain…
and fear…
and peace…
and death…
and violence…
contrasting each
with the stillness of the womb…
And a question forms within me :
Given the choice, what would I choose :
the ups and downs of life or the comfort of the womb ?
My answer will tell
if I have what it takes to be born again.
I can do no more to be born again
than I could to be born the first time.
But two things I can do :
One : I can give myself the nourishment I need :
A child that is born before being formed will perish.
I must stay in touch with the things…
the places…
occupations…
persons…
that bring me joy and love and beauty.
I drink deeply at these fountains now
with gratitude,
without guilt…
Two : I can jealously preserve
my freedom and autonomy :
I must learn to hold on
to those fountains that I drink from,
and not get stuck ;
to enjoy and not possess ;
seek nourishment and not sink roots.
For I must always be in readiness
to move when the time for rebirth comes.
And here I squarely face my fear
for it is fear that kills my freedom
and makes me cling.
I cling to human company
for I fear to be alone…
I cling to popularity
and I fear to give offence…
I cling to friends and family
for I fear to be rejected…
to authority, for I fear being on my own…
to the security of traditional beliefs
and dread to have them challenged…
Finally I cling to the known,
the familiar and the old
for I fear to be reborn
— to move into a world
that is new, unknown and unfamiliar.
I think how I shall drink of love today…
and joy…
and peace…
and pleasure…
And I think how I shall seek autonomy and freedom :
the risks I shall dare to take…
the discomforts I shall welcome…
the changes I shall be open to…
as a distant preparation
for the day I shall be born
into another, wider World.
RESPONSE
For the Word in scripture,
for the Word among us,
for the Word within us,
we give thanks.
HYMN – FFS 10(i) ‘Come and find the quiet centre’
Words: Shirley Murray; arr. John Bell
Tune: GAELIC TRADITIONAL MELODY
1. Come and find the quiet centre
in the crowded life lead,
find the room for hope to enter,
find the frame where we are freed:
clear the chaos and the clutter,
clear our eyes, that we can see
all the things that really matter,
be at peace, and simply be.
2. Silence is a friend who claims us,
cools the heat and slows the pace,
God it is who speaks and names us,
knows our being, touches base,
making space within our thinking,
lifting shades to show the sun,
raising courage when we’re shrinking,
finding scope for faith begun.
3. In the Spirit let us travel,
open to each other’s pain,
let our loves and fears unravel,
celebrate the space we gain:
there’s a place for deepest dreaming,
there’s a time for heart to care,
in the Spirit’s lively scheming
there is always room to spare!
REFLECTION
‘How did you come to faith’
Rev Dr Fei Taule’ale’ausumai
HYMN – FFS 14 ‘Faith has set us on a journey’
Words: Shirley Murray
Tune: MARCHING WOV 110
1. Faith has set us on a journey
past the landmarks that we know,
taking risks with no insurance
but the Word that tells us “Go!”
Friend or job or home or lover
we may need to leave behind,
outworn truths and ways of thinking,
baggage to the past consigned.
2. Some are swags of easy conscience
who with others hitch a ride,
some are tourist-package Christians,
dollar-safe, with Book and guide.
There are others on this journey –
those who long and pray and search,
heave the stones to free the structures,
love the Christ and leave the Church.
3. We are this unlikely people
in the Body knit as one,
company of clowns and cripples –
some are wise and some can run.
Prophets are our travel agents,
gospel-makers lay this road:
to the place of peace and promise
faith will take us into God.
OFFERTORY MUSIC -‘Aberystwyth’ by Joseph Parry (1841 – 1903)
OFFERING HYMN: ‘Give thanks with a grateful heart’
Words and Music ©Henry Smith 1978
Give thanks with a grateful heart,
give thanks to the Holy One,
give thanks because He’s given many gifts to us.
And now let the weak say I am strong,
let the poor say I am rich,
because of what our God has
done for us, give thanks.
OFFERING PRAYER
At this time and in this place, may our inner replenishment make
us more alive to life’s moments and more responsive to life’s
creative possibilities.
And let the offerings we bring be a sign of our gratitude, and an expression of
hope for life and the world. 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 – Lois Robertson
CIRCLE OF PRAYER
We think today of the people of Albania and the Orthodox Autocephalous
Church of Albania. We hold all refugees in our hearts and pray in particular for
those who are still detained in Nauru. We give thanks for recent progress and
pray that their calls for justice might yet be answered with compassion. In New
Zealand, we remember those in Parliament, and today we name Hon Louise
Upston (Taupō) and Tangi Utikere (Palmerston North). Here in the Central
Presbytery we pray for the leaders and people of Waverley-Waitotara Cooperating Church (Presbyterian-Anglican).
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
COMMUNION:
WE CELEBRATE THE CHRISTIAN MEAL OF THANKSGIVING
THE INVITATION
St Andrew’s is an open community and all are invited to Christ’s Table.
Wherever you are on your faith journey; wherever you have come from;
wherever you are going to; whatever you believe; whatever you do not
believe, you are welcome to participate in the communion. This is God’s
meal for all people.
THE PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
God is the heart of life.
And we are the heartbeat.
May our hearts be filled with thanks and praise and songs of joy.
We rejoice in the miracle of life and delight in our participation.
With those who have gone before us, and those who will come after us,
we join the whole creation in the hymn of praise:
Holy, holy, holy, vulnerable God,
the whole creation is full of your glory;
hosanna in the highest.
Blessed are we who come to celebrate Shalom;
hosanna all around.
We give thanks to you, O God, for you love the world.
You look upon your creation and on us and name us good.
You conceive in us possibilities, and carry us on into the timeless
struggle of bringing to birth your reign of love.
We give thanks for Jesus our brother,
who gave hope to ordinary people like us,
and broke through the barriers which separate us from life.
He proclaimed Good News to the poor.
He healed those who were sick, and set free those who were
captive to illness of the mind.
He sends us out to continue his work and nurture life in his name.
We thank you, Spirit of Life, for strengthening and empowering us
to share the Good News of God’s love with others.
For you desire that all Creation know this love and experience the
gift of new life. Come then, life-giving spirit of our God; brood over these
bodily things and make us one body in Christ; that we may no longer be
in bondage to the principalities and powers that enslave creation,
but may know your liberating peace. Amen
THE BREAD IS BROKEN
We break the bread for the broken Earth,
ravaged and plundered for greed.
May there be healing for our beautiful blue and green planet.
We break the bread for our broken humanity,
for the powerful and the powerless
trapped by exploitation and oppression.
May there be healing for humanity.
We break the bread for those who follow other paths;
who travel on a different road from us;
those who think and act differently;
those whose belief system is different to ours;
those who see our world through different eyes
of ethnicity and culture.
May there be healing where there is pain and woundedness.
We break this bread for the unhealed hurts and wounds
that lie within us all.
May we, too, be healed.
THE WINE IS POURED
This is the cup of peace and of new life for all.
A sign of love for the community of hope.
A reminder of the call
to live life fully,
to love wastefully,
and to be all that we can be.
Come then, life-giving Spirit of our God,
brood over these bodily things,
and make us one body with Christ;
that we may no longer be in bondage
to the principalities and powers that enslave creation,
but may know your liberating peace
such as the world cannot give.
SHARING BREAD AND WINE
The gifts of God for the People of God. Come, for all is ready.
The Bread of life. The Cup of Blessing.
COMMUNION HYMN CH4 661 ‘Eat this bread, drink this cup’
Music: Jaques Berthier (1923-1994)
Tune: EAT THIS BREAD
Eat this bread, drink this cup,
come to me and never be hungry.
Eat this bread, drink this cup,
trust in me and you will not thirst. (Repeat)
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
The feast is ended and the work of the world lies before us.
Many who work for change suffer resistance.
So make us strong.
Many who do new things sometimes feel afraid.
So make us brave.
Many who challenge the world as it, arouse anger.
So grant us inner peace.
Many who live joyful and creative lives are envied.
So make us generous.
Many who try to love encounter hate.
So we trust in you O God of gracious love. Amen
HYMN ‘We shall go out with hope of resurrection’
Words: June Boyce-Tillman (alt)
Tune: : LONDONDERRY AIR
1. We shall go out with hope into tomorrow
we shall go out, from strength to strength go on;
we shall go out and tell our stories boldly,
tales of a love that will not let us go.
We’ll sing our songs of wrongs that can be righted,
we’ll dream our dreams of hurts that can be healed;
we’ll weave a cloth of all the world united
within the vision of a new life in Christ.
2. We’ll give a voice to those who have not spoken;
we’ll find the words for those whose lips are sealed,
we’ll make the tunes for those who sing no longer,
expressing love alive in every heart.
We’ll share our joy with those who still are weeping,
raise hymns of strength for hearts that break in grief,
we’ll leap and dance Christ’s resurrections story,
including all within the circles of our love.
BLESSING
God go with you in creation.
Christ go with you as your company
and may the Holy Spirit give you hope and peace.
SUNG BLESSING FFS 29 ‘God speed you on your way’
Words and music Shona MurrayTune: STAFFORD
1. God speed you on your way,
safe keep you ev’ry day,
give you wing, cause to sing–
all this we wish and pray.
2. God give you space to thrive,
all senses kept alive,
health and hope, means to cope,
joyfully to arrive.
3. God lead you to the new,
places and points of view,
paths to take, friends to make,
more life to travel through!
SUNG AMEN
POSTLUDE – ‘Minuet – Royal Fireworks’ G.F. Handel (1685 – 1750)
THANK YOU
Peter Franklin