Advent 2
Remembering 200
years of the
Gospel in New
Zealand
and
Samuel Marsden
The Gathering of the Community
E te whānau a te Karaiti,
welcome to this holy table;
welcome to you, for we are Christ's body,
Christ's work in the world.
Welcome to you whose baptism makes you
salt of the earth and light to the world.
Rejoice and be glad.
Praise God who gives us forgiveness and hope.
Amen. Christ is our light, the joy of our salvation.
Praise and glory to Christ,
God’s new beginning for humanity
making ritual water gospel wine,
cleansing all our worship.
Love and loyalty to Christ,
who gives us the gospel.
Praise to Christ who calls us to holiness.
Advent Wreath
God for whom we wait and watch,
before Jesus came you sent a messenger
to get people ready for the coming of your
Son.
Jesus may we continue getting ready
help us to change the things
in our lives that hurt others.
May we, like Jesus,
be people who bring peace.
This Christmas we remember Samuel Marsden
who came to New Zealand
to bring peace
and to share the Good News of God’s love.
Marsden brought good news of great joy
help us to prepare the way
so that others can share this good news
and have the Peace of Christ.”
The second candle reminds us of Peace
and that we are called to be a people of Peace.
As we light the next candle
we remember the peace we have in this land
and continue to pray
for peace for others in our world.
Let us share in telling others
that true Peace is found in Jesus.
Song of Praise
Christ is the living water
cleansing, refreshing, making all things new.
Jesus Christ is the Good News;
setting us free to love,
encouraging us to share our good news
with others.
Song of Praise
So now we offer our thanks
for the history of these islands;
for the people who lived here before us,
for the respect and care
they have shown for the land.
Song of Praise
We offer thanks and praise to God
for this good land;
for all those who live here,
for the CMS missionares who shared
the Good News of Jesus Christ
and those who continue to share it.
Song of Praise
Our thanks for your continuing love for this
land and its people;
for Aotearoa, New Zealand,
for our life here, together,
for our calling to be your love
for each other.
Forgiveness
We come seeking forgiveness for all we have
failed to be and do as members of Christ's
body.
Silence
In God there is forgiveness
Loving and all-seeing God,
forgive us where we have failed to support
one another
and to be what we claim to be.
Forgive us where we have failed to serve you;
and where our thoughts and actions
have been contrary to yours
we ask your pardon.
God forgives us; be at peace.
Silence
Rejoice and be glad, for Christ is resurrection,
reconciliation for all the human race.
We shall all be one in Christ,
one in our life together.
Praise to God who has created us,
praise to God who has accepted us,
praise to God who sends us into the world.
Sentence of the Day
Whakapaia te huarahi o te Ariki, whakatikaia ōna ara.
Ka whakapuakina anō te korōria o Ihowā, ā, ka kite
ngātahi ngā kikokiko katoa
Ruka 3:4; Ihāia 40:5a
Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.
For the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together.
Luke 3:4; Isaiah 40:5a
A Collect of the Day
God for whom we wait and watch,
you sent John the Baptist
to prepare for the coming of your Son:
give us courage to speak the truth
even to the point of suffering.
This we ask through Christ our Saviour.
Amen.
A Collect for Samuel Marsden
Jesus,
you send your apostles
to bring good tidings;
when Samuel came to Aotearoa,
the task was more difficult than he supposed.
Prince of peace,
when Maori and pakeha meet together,
keep us humble, we pray.
Amen.
The Proclamation
Samuel Marsden
Samuel Marsden began the first Christian mission
in New Zealand. He was born in 1765 and became
chaplain of the penal colony in New South Wales
in 1794. There he met and welcomed Maori
visitors and conceived the idea of a mission to
New Zealand. Having obtained the backing of the
Church Missionary Society for his project,
Marsden set up the first mission station in New
Zealand under the protection of the Nga Puhi
chief Ruatara in the Bay of Islands in 1814.
The Proclamation
In 1814, Marsden directed missionaries Thomas
Kendall and William Hall to proceed to the Bay of
Islands to reignite communications with Ruatara.
The trip was a success and Kendall and Hall were
well received. Ruatara and a number of other
Maori including the chiefs Hongi Hika and
Korokoro travelled back with Kendall and Hall to
Sydney where upon their favourable report,
Marsden proceeded to prepare for his first
mission visit to New Zealand.
The Proclamation
They arrived in the Bay of Islands on 22nd
December and anchored at Rangihoua, in sight of
Ruatara’s pa. After Marsden conducted the first
Christian service in New Zealand he remained at
Oihi for another two months before leaving in late
February. Sadly, Ruatara died just four days later.
Marsden returned to New Zealand on six further
visits to oversee the mission. He died on 12 May
1838.
First Testament Reading
Isaiah 40:1-11
Silence for reflection
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13
Epistle Reading
2 Peter 3:8-15a
Silence for reflection
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God.
Song or Hymn
Gospel
The Holy Gospel according to Mark
Chapter 1 beginning at verse 1
Praise and glory to God
After the reading, Silence for reflection
This is the Gospel of Christ
Praise to Christ, the Word
The Sermon
Preparing the Way of the Gospel
The Affirmation of Faith
You, O God, are supreme and holy.
You create our world and give us life.
Your purpose overarches everything we do.
You have always been with us.
You are God.
You, O God, are infinitely generous,
good beyond all measure.
The Affirmation of Faith
You came to us before we came to you.
You have revealed and proved
your love for us in Jesus Christ,
who lived and died and rose again.
You are with us now.
You are God.
The Affirmation of Faith
You, O God, are Holy Spirit.
You empower us to be your gospel
in the world.
You reconcile and heal;
you overcome death.
You are our God.
We worship you.
The Prayers of the People
Let us pray for the Church and the world,
giving thanks for God’s goodness.
The Lord’s Prayer
As Christ teaches us we pray
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
The Lord’s Prayer
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the
glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.
Children’s Work and Participation
The children are welcomed back to the
service and invited to share their work
Decorations are added to the Christmas
Tree.
The Peace
Kia whakapainga a te Karaiti, te Ariki o te rongomau.
Blessed be Christ the Prince of Peace
E turaki nei I nga tau-arai o te wehe.
who breaks down the walls that divide.
Kia tau te rangimarie o te Atua ki a koutou.
The peace of God be always with you.
Kia whakapainga te Karaiti e tuitui nei I a tatou I roto I
te rongomau.
Praise to Christ who unites us in peace.
The Preparation of the Gifts
To you, Lord, belongs the greatness,
and the power, and the glory,
and the victory and the majesty.
All that is in the heavens
and the earth is yours,
and of your own we give you.
The Great Thanksgiving
Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed.
Lift your hearts to heaven
where Christ in glory reigns.
Let us give thanks to God.
It is right to offer thanks and praise.
It is the joy of our salvation,
God of the universe,
to give you thanks
through Jesus Christ.
You called the world into being
and your creation has never ceased.
In your great love
you have invited us
into your work of creation.
You have created us
to be fully human
when we experience and share love
one with another.
For this gift of loving, we thank you.
You sent your Son
to show us the way of love
and to be the truth we need to know.
You sent your Son to give his life
to release us from our sin and guilt.
You continue to send
people to prepare the way
for message of your love.
We give you thanks for those who have
proclaimed your message
or made it possible for others
to be your love in this land.
You gave Samuel Marsden
a vision for this land
and energy and courage
to bring your Good News
to Aotearoa, New Zealand.
You continue to call us
to be your love and presence in this world
so all may come to know you.
Holy God, holy and merciful,
holy and just,
glory and goodness come from you.
Glory to you most high and gracious
God.
Blessed are you, most holy, in your Son,
who washed his disciples' feet.
'I am among you,' he said,
'as one who serves.‘
On that night before he died
he took bread and gave you thanks.
He broke it,
gave it to his disciples, and said:
Take, eat, this is my body
which is given for you;
do this to remember me.
After supper, he took the cup,
and gave you thanks.
He gave it to them and said:
Drink this.
It is my blood of the new covenant,
shed for you, shed for all,
to forgive sin;
do this to remember me.
Therefore with this bread and wine
we recall your goodness to us.
God of the past and present,
we your people remember your Son.
We thank you
for his cross and rising again,
we take courage from his ascension;
we look for his coming in glory
and in him we give ourselves to you.
Send your Holy Spirit,
that we who receive Christ's body
may indeed be the body of Christ,
and we who share his cup
draw strength from the one true vine.
Called to follow Christ,
help us to reconcile and unite.
Called to suffer,
give us hope in our calling.
For you, the heavenly one,
make all things new;
you are the beginning and the end,
the last and the first.
Praise, glory and love be yours,
this and every day,
from us and all people,
here and everywhere. Amen.
Silence
The Communion
Te tinana o te Karaiti I whatiia mo tatou.
Christ's body was broken for us
on the cross.
Ko I ate taro o te ora.
Christ is the bread of life.
I maringi ona toto hei murunga hara.
His blood was shed for our forgiveness.
Kua ara mai te Karaiti I te mate.
Christ is risen from the dead.
The Invitation
Haere mai e te kahui a te Atua,
tangohia enei kai rangatira a te Karaiti.
Come God's people,
come to receive Christ's heavenly food.
Communion
All are welcome at the Lord’s table
Prayer After Communion
Blessed be God who calls us together.
Praise to God who makes us one people.
Blessed be God who has forgiven our sin.
Praise to God who gives hope and
freedom.
Blessed be God
whose Word is proclaimed.
Praise to God who is revealed as love.
Blessed be God who has called us
and sends us out.
Therefore we offer all that we are
that the Love of God may be made
known to others.
Take and use
our best intentions and desires
That as we wait for your coming,
we may prepare the way for the Good
News of your love.
Blessing
May the God of Love
who wants this love to be shared with all
help you in your task
of preparing the way
for the Good News of Christ
and the blessing of God our Creator,
Redeemer and Giver of life
be with you always. Amen.
Dismissal
Go now to prepare the way for God’s Good
News in the world.
Go in peace.
Amen.
We go to share God’s love with all people,
in the power of Christ.