Call to Worship
We have gathered with sorrow in our hearts for the loss of our friend, N, and yet with the hope that God’s healing love will be with us and shelter us, with the sure promise of resurrection.
Our hope does not end with death, for we believe that it not the end, but only the horizon. The sun rises on the rim of the horizon, casting the colours of a new day. There is the pulse of the morning; there are the invisibly fast wingbeats of a hummingbird; the rhythm and flow of life are all around us, unstopping.
Opening Prayer:
(some words from Maya Angelou’s poem: The Horizon Leans)
On the horizon, O God,
you are watching over us.
In the sphere of the Sun,
you are surrounding us.
On the grass, dried by the summer’s persistent heat,
you let us walk and look up and out.
You are the gaze.
You are the pulse.
You are the rock, the river, the tree –
The reservoir of a greater hope.
In the beating pulse of this new day,
Let us look up and out into our sister’s eyes,
Into our brother’s face,
And find You, Christ, the wounded
and the promise of new life.
All:
May we simply be present,
Simply say,
Very simply, with hope
Good morning, today, as we worship together. Amen.
Benediction
(Adapted from The Celtic Vision)
May we stand on the horizon in this week
In the eye of the Father who created me,
In the eye of the Son who purchased me,In the eye of the Spirit who cleansed me,
in friendship and affection with one another.
In each shade and light,
Each day and night,
Each time in kindness,
May God give us the God's Spirit. Go with the light.
Prayers of the People
This morning, we pray standing on the horizon.
The yearnings which we have not felt before,
The dreams which we have not dreamed before,
The hopes which we thought belong to someone else, not us,
Demand that we embrace them as our own
And arise,
Like the sun
Rises up, behind us,
Over the rim of the horizon.
We are asked to turn around.
We are asked to see.
We are asked to listen.
God, the Creator,
We pray for the sustainability of our earth, our globe, our world. We often pray for an end to poverty. But our good wishes will never end it, unless we slow the rate of climate change. Climate change is projected to have devastating effects on food production, the livability of cities and whole countries…It’s going to be extraordinarily difficult for the poor, who have the fewest resources to cope with change. There are countries in Africa experiencing drought every two years as opposed to every five or 10 years in the past; we need to think about how we can challenge the governments and ask them to adopt policies which can slow or even stop the rate of climate change. We need to do whatever we can do to reduce carbon emissions and to rely less on carbon-intensive industries. Lord, hear our prayer.
O God, you are with us in times of celebration and of grief.
We pray for N's family and friends who grieve for their loss. Be a living hope for them; comfort and shelter them in your healing love…
We pray for N. May you abide in him and he in you with trust and sheltering love.
We pray for N's brother N. Give him rest and deep peace, O Christ, with all your saints, where there is neither pain nor sorrow nor sighing, but life everlasting. May he join in the joy of God’s presence.
May we all know the comfort of your love, as we comfort our grieving members and their families, seeking the peace of your presence.
We pray for those who suffer with mental illness and their families. May we be a sheltering circle for them. Help us to be changed and be the change embracing and supporting them in our community. We especially remember N and his family.
We pray for those who live with physical challenges and share with us their triumphs and concerns.
We pray for all the church members and those known and unknown to us whose lives have been touched with cancer or other chronic illnesses. We pray that your Spirit continue to lift up those we remember, especially N.
We pray for everyone who is dying and frightened, that they might find your peace and face your kingdom unafraid.
Respond to our prayers with your answering love.
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