January 13, 2019
WELCOME TO ST ANDREW’S ON THE TERRACE
AGATHERING
As we settle into this sacred place, put away the pressures of the world that ask us to perform, to take up masks, to put on brave fronts.
Silence the voices that ask you to be perfect. This is a community of compassion and welcoming. (EA Hewitt/adapt)
We bring all that we are and all that we yet can be, to this safe and sacred place.
So let us celebrate the richness and diversity of life.
PROCESSIONAL HYMN “Birth Of A Boy-child”
Words by Andrew Pratt © Stainer & Bell Ltd
Tune: Mueller by James R Murray (PD)
The birth of a boy-child, the growth of a man:
his mother's enigma; a part of God's plan?
Uncertain, now standing a part of the crowd;
the still of the water foreshadows a shroud.
The death of an old life, the birth of a new,
as values are challenged, past choices askew.
Fierce currents of feeling, encounters of love,
a man by a river, a voice and a dove.
That voice stills the crowd at the slow river's rim:
'My son, my beloved, now listen to him.’
The birth of a boy-child, the growth of a man:
his mother's enigma; a part of God's plan?
WELCOME
Kia ora tatou.
Kia ora.
PRAYER Let us now settle into silence and stillness
Ross Scott
(Silence)
Let us centre our minds and our hearts.
We are one with the universe.
We are one with the sun and the stars.
We are one with the land and the seas.
We are one with the One who is mystery…
(Silence)
We are one with the plants of the sea and land
We are one with the crops of the fields and fruit of the orchards
We are one with the Forna of the sea and land
We are one with the animals of our farms and the microbes of our bodies
We are one with the One who is mystery…
(Silence)
We are one with people of different nations
We are one with people of different race
We are one with people who hold different beliefs
We are one with people of different and the same gender, sexuality and identity.
We are one with the One who is mystery…
(Silence)
We are one with ourselves.
We are one with the One who is mystery…
(Silence)
JESUS PRAYER Jim Cotter paraphrase on card
LIGHTING THE RAINBOW ROOM CANDLE
BLESSING THE CHILDREN (All stand)
The children may return to sit with family or stay at the front of the church and use the activity bags.
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 Genesis 3:8-13
Gospel Luke 3:15-22
Contemporary reading “The Fall”
pp 12 by Steven Tayler
If aliens beings have been observing the course of human history over the last few thousand years they might well have reached the conclusion that human beings are the products of a scientific experiment which went horribly wrong. Perhaps, they might hypotheses, other Aliens chose the earth as the site for an experiment to try and create a perfect being with amazing powers of intelligence and ingenuity. And create this being they did - but perhaps they didn’t get the balance of chemicals exactly right, or maybe some of the laboratory equipment broke down half way through because, although the creature did possess amazing intelligence and ingenuity, it also turned out to be a kind of monster, with defects which are just as great, if not greater than it’s abilities.
RESPONSE
For the Word in scripture,
for the Word among us,
for the Word within us,
we give thanks
REFLECTION “Fragments of our past” Ross Scott
HYMN “Where Does Compassion Start?”
Words © 2009 Shirley Erena Murray
Tune: Love Unknown by John Ireland WOV 257 (i)
(A response to the ‘Charter for Compassion’)
Where does compassion start?
How does compassion grow?
Her seed is at the heart
of every faith we know:
compassion honours others' place,
dethroning self with willing grace.
How does compassion thrive
in worlds of greed and grief?
Her goodness stays alive
through those of strong belief:
compassion, luminous and clear,
outshining wastes of war and fear.
Where is compassion's role
in cultures, or in creeds?
At centre, with the soul
who feels another's needs:
compassion brings the touch of friend,
a bandage that will bind and mend.
Dynamic is the power
that heals, restores and gives,
connecting at the core
with everyone who lives,
transcending culture, colour, race,
compassion builds the house of peace.
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH Lloyd Geering/gc
Let us take time to stand in awe of this self-evolving universe.
Let us marvel at the living eco-sphere of this planet.
Women: Let us set a supreme value on all forms of life.
Men: Let us develop a lifestyle that preserves the balance of the planetary eco-system.
All: Let us refrain from all activities that endanger the future of any species.
Let us devote ourselves to maximizing the future of all living creatures.
Let us set the needs of the coming global society before those of ourselves, our tribe, society, or nation.
Women: Let us learn to value the human relationships that bind us together into social groups.
Men: Let us learn to appreciate the total cultural legacy we have received from the past.
All: Let us accept in a self-sacrificing fashion the responsibility now laid upon us all for the future of our species and of all planetary life. .
OFFERING PRAYER
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 not already in the order of service, 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 Jennifer Bush
CIRCLE OF PRAYER
We think today of the people of Liberia and Sierra Leone and the Liberian Council of Churches and the Council of Churches in Sierra Leone. In New Zealand, we remember those in Parliament, and today we name Chris Hipkins (Rimukaka electorate) and Nikki Kaye (Auckland Central Electorate). Here in the Central Presbytery, we pray for the leaders and people of Gisborne Presbyterian Parish.
PRAYER FOR ST ANDREW’S on card
HYMN “Amazing Love”
Words © Margaret Rolfe, Uniting Church in Australia
Tune: Amazing Grace WOV 56
Amazing Love that Jesus told,
Two thousand years ago,
A story new, a story old,
A love we all can know.
He spoke to crowds in Palestine,
He speaks to us today,
He tells us all of love divine,
To us he shows the way.
The realm of God is one of love,
Of justice and of peace.
It’s not about a realm above -
Through love this world release.
What we want done to us, can be
The rule by which we live;
To follow it will make us free
To share, to love, to give.
The story comes to challenge us,
It’s not the easy road,
For us to love, as Jesus loved,
To bear another’s load.
The realm of God is here with us
When love and peace we share,
Although we fail, we know God’s grace,
It’s love that helps us there.
Amazing love that Jesus told,
Two thousand years ago,
A story new, a story old,
A love for all to know.
BLESSING
SUNG AMEN
THANK YOU David Dobson Our musician today
THANK YOU
Write the Thank You here