Welcome to the afternoon meditative service brought
to you by UnitingCare NSW & ACT
Music
Gong
One minute silence
This chapel has no bells
We have only our hearts to
ring
No stained glass
But the glorious colours of
our diversity.
The named, the unnamed, the righteous & humble
All are welcome in God’s presence
God makes our differences a mosaic each piece unique but equally loved.
Let us celebrate our diversity in the presence of God.
J Shannon
Sing: Bring you best to their worst
ALL: Bring you best to their worst
Bring your peace to their pain
God of Love, heal your people
Cantor: Let none who cry aloud may cry in vain (chorus)
Cantor: that those who fear may never walk alone... (chorus)
Cantor: that those near death may see the light of day... (chorus)
Cantor: that guilty folk may find themselves forgiven... (chorus)
Cantor: That those who doubt might find a deeper faith... (chorus)
Cantor: That broken folk may know they will be whole... (chorus)
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Psalm 40:1-5 – recite in the round
1I
waited patiently for the LORD;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He drew me up from the desolate pit,[a]
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the LORD.
4 Happy
are those who make
the LORD their trust,
who do not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after false gods.
5 You have multiplied, O LORD my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts towards us;
none can compare with you.
Were I to proclaim and tell of them,
they would be more than can be counted.
Silence
Meditation on John 1:29-42
Where do you live? What kind of question is that? Does it tell a soul
it’s worth? Oh, you live in a rich place ...or a poor one. Where do you
live? Can I judge you if you still live with your mother? Or what if you
are of no fixed address? Where do you live? Are you a person who
thinks with their heart, or lives in their thoughts with no care for the
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world? Where do you live? Do you dwell among us or on some other
plane? Where do you live? What gives you life? What pleasures
make you come alive, soul singing, fully aware? Or are you solidified
like a stone, unmoveable & cold. Where do you live? Are you one of
them or one of us? Where do you live?
Music
Isaiah 49:1-4
Listen to me, O coastlands,
pay attention, you peoples from far away!
The Lord called me before I was born,
while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.
2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me away.
3 And he said to me, ‘You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’
4 But I said, ‘I have laboured in vain,
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the Lord,
and my reward with my God.’
Music: Lo, I am with you
Cantor: Lo, I am with you to the end of the world.
Chorus: Lo, I am with you to the end of the world.
Lo, I am with you; Lo I am with you;
Lo I am with you to the end of the world.
Cantor: Lo, I am with you when you leave self behind (Chorus)
Cantor: Lo, I am with you when you suffer for love. (Chorus)
Cantor: Lo, I am with you in the changes of life. (Chorus)
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Cantor: Lo, I am with you in the darkness of death. (Chorus)
As the earth moves to hide the sun,
And the distant stars begin to appear,
I set aside all my grievances,
I discard all that is petty,
And i seek the Holy Comforter
At the core of my being.
I wait upon the Living Presence
Deep within me.
Amen.
(J McQuiston II)
Silence
Music
Thank you for joining me. Go in peace and put God’s love into action.
This liturgy is a gift from the Uniting Church in Australia. Please feel free to
take it with you.
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