June 28, 2020
WELCOME TO ST ANDREW’S ON THE TERRACE
A disciple called Tabitha, or in Greek, Dorcas, who never tired of doing good or giving to those in need
The Service is conducted by the Rev. Dr Niki Francis
GATHERING
We gather in the light of a new day.
We gather as those born into light and yet ever seeking it.
We come into places like this and times like this
in order that we might find light within ourselves, light in one another,
be renewed in our commitment to see light in everyone.
We come to this time and place
to seek light in ancient stories, in contemporary wisdom,
in words we speak and words we sing.
We come in search of the light we need to live truly and faithfully.
We take this time to bring ourselves to this moment,
to this time, and to this place – quieting our spirits,
focussing our minds and opening our hearts.
Amen
PROCESSIONAL HYMN AA 59 ‘He came singing love’
Music and Words Colin Gibson © 1994 Hope Publishing
1. He came singing love
and he lived singing love;
he died, singing love
He arose in silence.
For the love to go on
we must make it our song;
you and I be the singers.
2. He came singing faith
and he lived singing faith;
he died, singing faith.
He arose in silence.
For the faith to go on
we must make it our song;
you and I be the singers.
3. He came singing hope
and he lived singing hope;
he died, singing hope.
He arose in silence.
For the hope to go on
we must make it our song;
you and I be the singers.
4. He came singing peace
and he lived singing peace;
he died, singing peace.
He arose in silence.
For the peace to go on
we must make it our song;
you and I be the singers.
WELCOME
Kia ora tatou.
Kia ora.
PRAYER
Life— © 2012 Gretta Vosper
urgent,
patient,
passionate,
composed—
we celebrate the myriad ways it comes to us
and we share it with others.
Through the voices of women who, down the ages,
have loved and lamented
the twists and turns of the lives of those they bore,
and the laughter and naïve impertinence
of their most innocent children,
we witness the beauty of life singing itself into being.
May we hallow life’s gifts,
honour them in one another’s lives
and find, wherever life pushes itself into being,
that which is sacred.
This we offer as life into life. Amen
JESUS PRAYER
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 ROOM CANDLE
TIME WITH CHILDREN Cam Smart
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”. The response is “peace be with you, or “and with you.” You can also simply say hello. Now that COVID-19 has arrived in the country, we are all asked to take precautions again transmission. We invite you all therefore to try different methods of acknowledging and greeting each other. For example, placing both hands together in the prayer position and bending the head towards the other person. This is a greeting practiced in many countries. A hand on the upper chest and bowing slightly to acknowledge the other person is also an option. Feel free to simply observe if you wish.
THE WORD IN TEXTS Gavin Watson
Christian Bible Acts 9:36-43
Contemporary reading Louise Bourgeois in ‘The Subversive Stitch’
By Rozsika Parker
When I was growing up all the women in my house were using needles. I've always had a fascination with the needle, the magic power of the needle. The needle is used to repair the damage. It's a claim to forgiveness. It is never aggressive. It’s not a pin. … I always had the fear of being separated and abandoned. The sewing is my attempt to keep things together and to make things whole.
Louise Bourgeois in Rozsika Parker, The Subversive Stitch: Embroidery and the Making of the Feminine. London: I.B. Tauris, 2010: xix.
RESPONSE
For the Word in scripture,
for the Word among us,
for the Word within us,
we give thanks.
REFLECTION Niki Francis
“A DISCIPLE CALLED TABITHA, OR IN GREEK, DORCAS,
WHO NEVER TIRED OF DOING GOOD OR GIVING TO THOSE IN NEED”
HYMN In Every Corner Sing 11 ‘Come Celebrate the Women’
Words © 1992 Shirley Erena Murray
Music: Ellacombe WOV 277
1. Come, celebrate the women
who brought the Church to birth!
the gentle revolution
that shall transform the earth:
whose faith was salt and leaven,
whose hearts and minds were free,
and this was their direction --
to peace and unity.
2. The teachers, saints and mothers
who lived and died unsung
kept safe the gospel story
and taught it to the young;
the Christ child Mary cradled,
the living Word to be,
was crucified for pleading
this peace and unity.
3. Daughters of the disciples,
you weave the story still,
the fabric of the future
with warmth and love and skill,
you make the bread of wholeness,
the wine of harmony --
and all shall share your feasting
in peace and unity!
OFFERING PRAYER (said together)
For the gifts we have to share, we are thankful.
We give in a spirit of gratitude for the privileged lives we enjoy.
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 Bronwyn White
CIRCLE OF PRAYER
We think today of the people of the Bahamas and the Church in the Province of the West Indies. 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 David Parker, Parmjeet Parmar, list MPs. Here in the Central Presbytery, we pray for the leaders and people of Shannon Co-operating Church, Foxton and from the worldwide church for the Church of Christ in Congo, Presbyterian Community of Kinshasa.
PRAYER FOR ST ANDREW’S
Renew your people, God,
and renew our life in this place.
Give us a new spirit of unity
with those 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 AA 115 ‘Purea nei e te hau’
Words and music © 2018 Hirini Melbourne
(English translation for information only)
Purea nei e te hau
Horoia e te ua
Whitiwhitia e te rā
Mahea ake ngā pōraruraru
Makere ana ngā here.
Scattered by the wind
washed by the rain
and transformed by the sun,
all doubts are swept away
and all restraints are cast down.
E rere wairua, e rere
Ki ngā ao o te rangi
Whitiwhitia e te rā
Mahea ake ngā pōraruraru
Makere ana ngā here,
Makere ana ngā here. Fly O free spirit, fly
to the clouds in the heavens,
transformed by the sun,
with all doubts swept away
and all restraints cast down.
Yes, all restraints are cast down.
BLESSING
Aotearoa Litany
© 1999 Anne Powell from “Firesong”, Wellington: Steele Roberts
Green of fern refresh us
Feathers of kereru warm us
Rocks of Moeraki encircle us
Waters of Taupo bathe us
Dive of gannet focus us
Arc of rainbow protect us
Stars of Southern Cross guide us
SUNG AMEN