Mystery
Thursday Evening Worship
24 June at 7:30
GATHERING
As the synod gathers, worship leaders mill about, greeting, vesting, and chatting. The sacristan
enlists people here and there to help set the table and prepare the space. The idea is a gentle
‘chaos’ which allows us to see each other as participants in the event, not just observers.
An instrumental improvisation of the opening introit is part of this gathering time.
Violin: Sebastian Meadows-Helmer; Piano: Mark Kieswetter
Sing a New Song to the Lord \Psalm 98 by James Brown
QUARTET: Jennifer Famme, Michael Hackbusch, David Malina, Claudine Carlson
Bishop Pryse: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and
the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
C: And also with you.
Hymn #861 When Long Before Time
Bishop Pryse: Let us pray. Loving One, in the midst of chaos we come
together and discover again that we have a place and purpose. At this
table of joy we are reminded that we are part of a mystery that is deep,
wide and rich. Give us eyes to see. Ears to hear. And bless our time
together that we might grow into the fullness of your kingdom.
WORD
Genesis 1:1-2, 20-24 (Everett Fox, The Five Books of Moses)
Pat Lovell speaks from the wings into a wireless mic. Mark plays underneath reading.
Silence first. Then bit by bit, the music builds. Music continues after Pat stops reading. Then
silence before next reading.
Pat Lovell:
At the beginning of God’s creating
of the heavens and the earth,
when the earth was wild and waste,
darkness over the face of Ocean,
rushing-spirit of God hovering over the face of the waters –
God said:
Let the waters swarm with a swarm of living beings, and
let fowl fly above the earth, across the dome of the
heavens!
God created the great sea-serpents
and all living beings that crawl about,
with which the waters swarmed, after their kind.
God saw that it was good.
And God blessed them, saying:
Bear fruit and be many and fill the waters in the seas,
and let the fowl be many on earth!
There was setting, there was dawning: fifth day.
God said:
Let the earth bring forth living beings after their kind,
herd-animals, crawling things, and the wildlife of the earth
after their kind!
It was so.
Silence
1 Corinthians12:4 -12
(NRSV, arranged by James Brown)
4 voices on raised platforms
Bishop Kristenson
Linda Grainger
Now there are varieties of gifts,
but the same Spirit;
Heidi Wachowiak
and varieties of services,
John Vandersleen
but the same Lord;
Bishop Kristenson
and there are varieties of activities,
Linda Grainger
Heidi Wachowiak
Bishop Kristenson
Linda Grainger
Heidi Wachowiak
John Vandersleen
but it is the same God who activates all
of them in everyone.
To each is given the manifestation of
the Spirit for the common good.
To one is given through the Spirit
the utterance of wisdom,
and to another
the utterance of knowledge according
to the same Spirit,
Bishop Kristenson
to another faith by the same Spirit,
Linda Grainger
to another gifts of healing by the one
Spirit,
Heidi Wachowiak
to another working of miracles,
John Vandersleen
to another prophecy,
Bishop Kristenson
to another the discernment of spirits,
Linda Grainger
to another various kinds of tongues,
Heidi Wachowiak
to another the interpretation of tongues.
John Vandersleen
All these are activated by one and the
same Spirit, who allots to each one
individually just as the Spirit chooses.
Bishop Kristenson
For just as the body is one and has
many members,
Linda Grainger
and all the members of the body,
though many,
All
are one body,
Bishop Kristenson
so it is with Christ.
Heidi Wachowiak
Mystery and joy!
John Vandersleen
Thanks be to God!
Bishop Pryse invites people to stand.
Gospel Acclamation
Celtic Alleluia #17; all on refrain (2x); QUART verse; refrain (2x) (NM)
Christine makes her way to the altar. Mei Sum, Emily Ritz, Bob Binhammer and Michael Pryse
take their places at the raised platforms.
Bishop Pryse invites people to be seated.
Gospel: John 2:6 - 10
The Scholar's Version: The Five Gospels, Robert Funk, ed. (NY: Macmillan, 1993)
Christine Carlsen
Listen to the news according to John...
Pause
There was a wedding at Cana
and the wine ran out.
But there were six stone water jars standing there
used for the rites of purification,
and each held maybe twenty or thirty gallons.
Mei Sum Reflection
Christine Carlsen
“Fill the jars with water,”
Jesus says to them.
So they filled them up to the brim.
Then he tells them,
“Now dip some out, and take it to the chief
steward.”
So they did.
Emily Ritz Reflection
Christine Carlsen
When the steward tasted the water, now changed into
wine, he had no idea where it came from, even thought
the servants who had taken the water out knew. He calls
the groom aside and says to him:
“Everyone serves the best wine first, and only later
when the people are drunk, the cheaper wine. But you
have held back the good wine until now.”
Bob Binhammer Reflection
Christine Carlsen
Jesus performed this miracle, the first, at Cana of
Galilee. It displayed his majesty, and his disciples
believed in him.
Bishop Pryse Reflection
Christine Carlsen
This is the word of God. A lovely, and life giving
word.
Congregation: Amen.
Hymn #837 Many and Great, O God, Are Your Works
Prayers of Intercession
Matthew Anderson, Sarah Faulhafer and Bruce Cooke read from quartet riser.
A bell chimes between intercessions.
P: And the spirit said: “Go and stand on the mountain, for the LORD is about to pass by.”
And there came a great wind, a tornado - a light-show and sheer-storm so strong it split
mountains and sent rocks spinning into pieces.
But the Lord was not in the wind.
And then, after the wind had ceased, came an earthquake.
And the earth trembled and shook, the ground heaved and bucked along ancient forgotten
fault-lines,
Over 5 on the Richter scale, they said: and the bedrock, the very pillars of the earth
seemed to be dancing.
But the LORD was not in the earthquake.
And after the earthquake arrived a fire,
so hot that mighty northern firs turned white and shattered,
the roaring so loud we could hear nothing else,
the fire sucking the very air from our lungs.
But the LORD was not in the fire.
And then,
after the fire,
came the sound of complete and utter silence.
Silence in which we could hear the sound of our own blood in our ears.
So silent it was nothing.
And when we heard the silence, we wrapped our faces and came to the mouth of the cave. For
the LORD was there,
In the silence.
(silence, for a good long moment, then the sound of the bell)
A1: Breathe on us, Breath of God. As you once filled Elijah, fill US with this silence in which you
speak, so that after the sound of the bell, we may respond: “O God, hear our prayer”.
(silence, then bell) O God, hear our prayer.
A2: Breathe on us, Breath of God. Give us a grounding in your Spirit in-breathed in us, fill us
with the awareness of ourselves and of you, of our creatureliness, and our connection to this
troubled and warming planet.
(bell) O God, hear our prayer.
A1: Open our mouths, O Breath of God, to pray for our leaders, for the powerful men and
women in the motorcades and behind the barriers. May they, TOO, be blessed, and, despite the
insulation and the isolation in which they move, through the power of your Spirit which knows
no boundaries or borders, may these leaders be made a blessing for this world. We pray for the
G-8, the G-20, for the protestors and the police, that through them all, a yearning for justice and
truth might open us all.
(bell) O God, hear our prayer.
A2: Breath of God, speak into being, here, a holy place in which to hear your Word. Breathe
open our ears to your calling. Bless our Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Canada. Bless this Assembly, these delegates and clergy, these visitors and officers of the
church, these Bishops, Michael and Susan, this time apart in the wilderness,
(bell) O God, hear our prayer.
A1: Speak to us, you whose breath breathed through Elijah and Jeremiah, Mary Magdalene and
John the Elder. Speak to us in a tongue we understand, Breathe into us courage to do your will
and follow in your paths, with both our bliss AND our blisters, and with the fire of your spirit in
our bellies. Speak to us this Assembly.
(bell) O God, hear our prayer
A2: Plan with us, O God, and make the new structures of our church as flexible and responsive
as the ruach , the spirit you breathed into us in creation. Renew our church, nationally,
synodically, and locally, as naturally as breath renews our physical bodies. Remind us that all
we need is the Book, the loaf, the water, the cup, and each other,
(bell) O God, hear our prayer
A1: Bless the newly-elected officers of our church, and those who are being nominated and
elected. Raise up among us always women and men of purpose and courage, and breathe into
them the joy of your presence, even as they lead us,
(bell) O God, hear our prayer
A2: Breath of God, breathe into our finances, so that breathing-room might be there for Keith
and for the rest of us, for the ministry and mission to which you have called us. Keep us
responsible, but also give us courage to step out and to dare,
(bell) O God, hear our prayer
A1: Breath of God, let your gentle winds of healing be with the people of Midland as they
rebuild and recover from the tornado. Watch over Tanya Raymer and others whom we think of
at this time, and let your breath of life wash over us all,
(bell) O God, hear our prayer
P: Here we are, O LORD. While Presidents and monarchs gather, while diplomats and prime
ministers, chancellors and tyrants deliberate, here we are, claiming this particular near-theairport-space as yours. We have been zealous for you, O God, and zealous for your realm. But
sometimes it feels as though we alone are left. Grant us courage as you always have your
prophets and disciples; speak to us in the still small voice and in the cries of the world. All this,
and whatever else you see that we need, we ask in the name of the Creator, the Redeemer, and
the Spirit who has brought us to this place,
AMEN
Bishop Pryse: May the peace of Christ be with you always.
C: And also with you.
MEAL
Offering
The offering this evening goes to Canadian Lutheran World Relief.
Offering Song
Keyboard improvisation into #682 Reamo leboga QUART 1-Botsw.; 2f.- English (NM)
The offering is collected, danced around the altar, and then set on the credence table.
The Great Thanksgiving
Bishop Pryse: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
Bishop Pryse: Lift up your hearts.
C: We lift them to the Lord.
Bishop Pryse: Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.
C: It is right to give God thanks and praise.
Bishop Pryse: Loving God, in the diversity of our world we give
grateful thanks for the presence of Christ, in whose words and life we
find our hope. He blessed children who came to him. He touched the
sick and made them whole. He ate with those he wasn’t supposed to.
He wept at the death of a friend. He weeps with us now. He walks with
us now. He rejoices with us now. And in our midst he continues to help
us imagine a world in which people and nations might live together in
harmony.
Quartet sings Sanctus, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy…’ by James Brown
Bishop Pryse: We give you thanks, Gracious God, for sharing with us
the One who reached out with understanding and compassion. And we
give thanks, too, that on his last night, he gathered with his friends,
embraced them, broke with them the bread he had to share and said,
“This is my body given for you. As often as you share it together,
remember me.” After supper he took wine and said to them, “This is the
cup of abundant life. When you share it, remember me.”
Bishop Pryse: Gracious One, pour out your spirit upon this bread and
wine, upon us, and upon the nations, that we who share this feast might
be a people of forgiveness, justice and love.
C: 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. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the
kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever.
Amen.
Communion Songs
491 Come Let Us Eat (NM)
493 Taste and See
838 Beautiful Saviour
479 We Come to the Hungry Feast
Katharine Borch: Let us pray. Loving One, in the commotion of the
world we have come together to remember who we are and where we
are going. At this table of joy we have been reminded that we are part
of a mystery that is deep, wide, rich and filled with abundance. Continue
to give us eyes to see and ears to hear so that as the Eastern Synod we
might help build the reign of God in the world.
SENDING
Hymn #843 Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness
Bishop Johnson: May God bless you and keep you. May God’s face
shine upon you and be gracious to you. May God look on you with
favour and give you peace.
Katharine Borch: Go in peace, celebrate the Great Mystery.
C: Thanks be to God.
Hymn #866 We Are Marching in the Light of God is sung. (NM)
Bishops lead us out.
*NM indicates no printed music for the assembly
Liturgical words written by Michael Mills.
Prayers of Intercession written by Matthew R. Anderson.
Psalm 98 and the Sanctus composed by James F. Brown.
The hymns selected from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (Augsburg Fortress, 2006). Descants
from Vocal Descants for the Church Year: Based on Hymns in Evangelical Lutheran Worship
(Augsburg Fortress).
LOSS
Friday Morning Worship
25 June at 8 AM
PRELUDE
A table, with unlit votives floating in tall cylindrical vases lined up in a row and water-lilies
strewn amidst the vases, occupies the space at one end; the font and paschal candle at the other.
People are brought to silence with solo violin music.
Sarabande in D minor by JS Bach: Sebastian Meadows-Helmer, violin
Water is poured into the font and the paschal candle is lighted.
OPENING SILENCE (30 seconds)
BELL
Chun Zhang: Today we remember and celebrate the lives of those
pastors and pastors' spouses in our synod who have died since the last
Synod Assembly. We remember, too, and celebrate the ministry of the
congregation, which in the last two years has closed its doors. To
remember and to celebrate helps us to grieve and to begin the process of
letting go of the dead and of reconnecting with the living. Letting go
doesn’t mean forgetting; we never do. The pain and grief are always
there in some degree. Making the grief present may be more healing
than hiding it…
SILENCE (5 Seconds)
Chun Zhang: Let us pray. Blessed be God, the source of all mercy and
the God of all consolation, who comforts us in all our sorrows so that we
can comfort others in their sorrows with the consolation we ourselves
have received from God. Amen
HYMN #379 Now the green blade rises
Led by violin (Sebastian) and bodran (Don Nevile)
Kris Lund: Job 38:1-11
And now, finally, God answered Job
from the eye of a violent storm. He said:
"Why do you confuse the issue?
Why do you talk without knowing
what you're talking about?
Pull yourself together, Job!
Up on your feet! Stand tall!
I have some questions for you,
and I want some straight answers.
Where were you when I created the earth?
Tell me, since you know so much!
Who decided on its size? Certainly you'll know that!
Who came up with the blueprints and measurements?
How was its foundation poured,
and who set the cornerstone,
While the morning stars sang in chorus
and all the angels shouted praise?
And who took charge of the ocean
when it gushed forth like a baby from the womb?
That was me! I wrapped it in soft clouds,
and tucked it in safely at night.
Then I made a playpen for it,
a strong playpen so it couldn't run loose,
And said, 'Stay here, this is your place.
Your wild tantrums are confined to this place.'
Violin Interlude
Variations on NOËL NOUVELET by Sebastian Meadows-Helmer
Anne Anderson: John 20:1; 11-12
Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark,
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone was moved
away from the entrance… Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she
wept, she knelt to look into the tomb and saw two angels sitting there,
dressed in white, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus'
body had been laid.
REMEMBERING AND NAMING ALOUD - The pastors or
pastors' spouses who died in the last two years
The name of the deceased person is called aloud by Robb, then Robb lights a candle, and then
Michael rings the bell. Silence. This continues until each name has been read.
SILENCE (a longer silence after all done)
Chun Zhang: Let us pray… Eternal God, your love is stronger than
death, and your passion more fierce than the grave. We rejoice in the
lives of those whom you have drawn into your eternal embrace. Keep us
in joyful communion with them until we join the saints of every people
and nation gathered before your throne in your ceaseless praise, through
your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
PAUSE
REMEMBERING AND NAMING ALOUD - The congregation that
closed in the last two years
Robb calls aloud "Peace Lutheran Church, Lower Sackville (1978-2010), then Robb lights a
candle, and then Michael rings the bell.
SILENCE
Chun Zhang: Let us pray… Merciful God, you heal the broken in heart
and bind up the wounds of the afflicted. Strengthen us in our weakness,
calm our troubled spirits, and dispel our doubts and fears. In Christ
rising from the dead, you conquered death and opened the gates to
everlasting life. Renew our trust in you that by the power of your love
we shall one day be brought together. Grant this, we pray, through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen
SILENCE
Heal Us, Lord
Musical call and response led by Quartet
(from Singing our Prayer: A Companion to Holden Prayer Around the Cross
(Augsburg Fortress, 2010)
Litany of Loss
Out of the depths we cry, O God.
When we cannot see beyond sorrow, then mourn with us,
Be with us,
And stay with us in our loss.
When our life is ashes, help us to see the foot of the cross.
When events make no sense,
Be with us in the chaos.
For the loved ones, the pastors and spouses lost to the church, the names read out,
And those who are remembered only in our hearts,
For the history, the faces, the joys and sorrows,
the successes and failures behind those names,
O Lord hear our prayer.
Create in us naive and vulnerable hearts, we pray.
For the congregations which have closed,
places renowned or sometimes only dimly remembered,
events that have yellowed and curled with time,
For the times only you now hold in your hand,
And for the future of congregations and people that we will never know.
For these, your ministries which we also bury and mourn,
O Lord hear our prayer,
When our hearts are wintry,
create the love that notices,
the warmth that will caress and nourish us back to life.
Forgive the forgetfulness that challenges your reign.
When we feel no pain and no grief, but only numbness,
awaken our hearts, O creator and sustainer.
Create in us sufficient space for bereavement.
For all those who cannot be themselves in our communities,
hear our prayer of loss.
For all those ostracized, denied, forgotten, or neglected,
hear our prayer.
For all those parts of ourselves which yet remain buried, we ask:
call us back to life,
and let love come again, like wheat arising green,
O Lord, hear our prayer.
The quartet leads several refrains of Heal us Lord
Chun: Loving God, for Jesus’ sake, stir up in us the gift of your Spirit;
confirm our faith, guide our life, empower us in our serving, give us
patience in suffering, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen
Violin plays one statement of Noël Nouvelet
Chun: The peace of Christ be with you all.
All: And also with you.
Chun: Let us share a sign of peace with one another.
The Assembly shares a sign of peace.
.
Gathering words by Chun Zhang; prayers -- Lutheran Book of Worship.
Litany of Loss written by Matthew R Anderson.
Musical Variations on Noël Nouvelet created by Sebastian Meadows-Helmer for this occasion
Silence
Saturday Morning Worship
26 June at 8:00AM
A tree with exposed roots stands partially submerged in a column of water. The idea is to create,
if at the subliminal level, awareness of the interplay between conscious and subconscious
elements during times of deep silence.
A Bell is struck
Music is led by the trio – Martin Malina, Michael Hackbusch, Jennifer Famme;
Mark Ehlebracht (keyboard); Brenna Smith (viola).
Come and fill our hearts with your peace (EvLW#528)
To you all hearts are open
For God my soul waits in silence
These simple songs are sung together several times over to allow for the gathering to
enter into prayer and silence. These and similar refrains are found in Singing our
Prayer: A Companion to Holden Prayer Around the Cross (Augsburg Fortress, 2010).
Thirty Seconds of silence
Mike Mills: If you study yoga – and here I don’t mean taking a class at
your local YMCA (as beneficial as that may be) – but if you study and
seek to live the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, one of the deepest teachings you
will encounter is that of silence. For instance, when doing your postures
(and the postures – asanas – are only one aspect of the eightfold sutra
which includes right living and the discipline of mind, body and breath
among other things) one finsihes with what is called Savasana or corpse
pose. It’s just like it sounds. You lie on your back on the ground and let
the weight of your body sink into the earth. For two minutes you relax.
Deeply and fully you relax. In silence you relax. The teaching here is
that this two minutes is the time of integration. It is the time when your
mind and body come together and reap the benefits of the hour of
postures that has preceded corpse pose.
You will find similar teachings about the benefit of silence in Buddhism.
And Vedanta. And Jainism – the oldest religions on the planet.
Christianity has a long history of encouraging silence, reflection, prayer
and stillness, although this has been somewhat overlooked in recent
years – or should I perhaps say – recent centuries.
Today is about reintroducing silence into Christian worship, and more
importantly, it is about reintroducing us to ourselves.
one minute of silence
Trio repeats a phrase of For God My Soul Waits In Silence
Mike Mills: Today you are invited into silence - may it bring healing. If
your silence brings agitation, may that disturbance be holy work. We do
not know beforehand how God will choose to speak to our heart. In the
words of the psalmist simply, “Be still.” “Be still and know that I am
God.”
silence
Danielle Chollet: First Reading Psalm 46:1-3
God is our refuge and strength,
a very presentHYPERLINK "javascript:void(0);" help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
silence
Matthew Anderson prays
O God, why have you called us to a time of such change and trouble?
We demand that our government live up to millennium goals
but hesitate and buckle before the monoliths that insure our elderly;
we vote for more flexibility for youth ministry
but sometimes hold tight to old prejudices about traditional Lutherans.
We cut back, yet go forward in mission,
despair, and look for signs of hope.
When we feel we are going under these foaming and raging waters,
hold us tight.
Though mountains tumble,
And Bishops stumble,
be our solid-rock truth,
and
the TRUTH of our rock-solid strength.
Through the tumult of these G-20, global warming, financial
meltdown, graying, praying, not-so-silent, delaying days.
Keep us paddling;
Be our refuge and strength.
God who comes to us in stillness,
Hear our prayer.
silence
Danielle Chollet: Second Reading Psalm 46:4-7
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of the city;HYPERLINK "javascript:void(0);" it shall not
be moved;
God will help it when the morning dawns.
The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.HYPERLINK "javascript:void(0);"
silence
Matthew Anderson prays:
Forgive us our LACK of silence, O God who calls us to quiet,
Midst the uproar of the nations,
Help us begin with the uproar
within ourselves.
Calm our compulsions, addictions, worries and anxieties,
Our less than comfortable spirituality, our uncomfortable sexuality,
the reality
Of who we are, and how we treat, our own bodies.
You who created us good,
make us GLAD.
Give us again the joy of your salvation.
Make us the holy habitation wherein you dwell,
God who comes to us in joy,
Hear our prayer.
silence
Danielle Chollet: Third Reading Psalm 46:8-11
Come, behold the works of the Lord;
see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
‘Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth.’
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Matthew Anderson prays:
You who bear us safely on the wings of the morning:
Judge the wings of heavy-laden military planes that overfly this hotel
Break the bow;
shatter the spear,
Help us witness against the fear
That underlies this global anxiety.
You are exalted, O Lord of Hosts,
Lead us into stillness, calmness, silence, rest,
Give us peace,
Reassure us that the best,
Is truly
yet to come.
O God who comes to us in stillness,
Hear our prayer.
One to two minutes of Silence
Meditation
Michael Mills leads the meditation encouraging silence, reflection, stillness.
Today is about silence.
It is about coming home to our true self, which is our silent self.
There is only one state of being that is not contrived, not
oriented around the ego, not filled with compulsion and
addiction and worry and anxiety – and this our silent self. This
self does not claim. It does not want. It does not run. It is still.
Calm. It is balanced.
Silence
Silence invites us to examine our heart and see how restless we
really are. We are restless animals, we humans. Our brains are
constantly working – constructing stories about the past and
stories about the future and stories about who we are and stories
about who others are. We are filled with nervous energy – so
we turn the radio on, and walk into another room and pick up a
magazine, and, hardly settled, we cross the room to make a
phone call. Then we sit. And cross our legs. Then uncross
them. We turn on the TV. Or put in a DVD and watch a
movie. Or we get up and go and make a sandwich. We fix a
scotch, a gin and tonic, a glass of wine.
We check the clock. Check our email. Open a window. Pick
up our magazine again. All of it is just normal behaviour in a
way, but in another, deeper, way it is a kind of insanity. Our
constant restlessness keeps us distracted from our truest self.
The relentless busyness we wrap around us keeps us from
entering into communion with our source – the divine.
Silence
Frankly, it’s scary to enter into silence. Because silence sets in
front of us the terrifying mystery of the cosmos. We are, each
of us, specks of dust in an unending universe filled with
unending silence. Nothingness, loss, death and the abyss are in
this silence. And this silence is not just outside and around us,
it is inside and within us.
On the cross, Jesus entered his silent self. There was no more
bargaining, there was no more anticipation. And it seems that
there was no more fear. It’s an odd truth that when we are in
the midst of the thing we fear most, our fear goes away.
Silence
When we enter the silence of our hearts we give up the false
impression that we are in charge of our life. Maybe this is the
biggest reason we dislike silence: we cannot regulate it and
manage it. Silence leads us straight to our most vulnerable self
and shatters the illusion of control.
People say that when you drown you enter a phase of
exhaustion where the water begins to feel warm, and the panic
that consumed you when your lungs started to fill subsides, and
a kind of calmness overtakes you. This is the point where you
have let go of everything, even your attachment to your own
life.
“Lose your life and you will gain it,” says the old teaching.
“Die before you die.” Enter into silence and you will find that
it is constantly changing. And in half an hour of silence you
will live and die a dozen times before lunch. Every minute that
you give it your attention, every minute that you are alive,
every minute that you breathe, the silence is right there. And it
is indiscriminate: Jew or Christian or Muslim or atheist or Elvis
impersonator or saint or drunk: silence is what unites us. It is
our true nature. It is the only thing that we can ultimately count
on. The silence is God.
Silence
Quartet sings: The Peace of the Earth (from Guatemala arranged by John Bell, found in
Common Ground: A Song Book for All the Churches (Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 1998).
Mike Mills: Go in peace. Be silence in the world’s noise.
People: Thanks be to God.
Texts and meditation for this service crafted by Michael Mills.
Prayers crafted by Matthew R. Anderson.
Hope
Sunday Morning Worship
27 June, 2010 10:00 A.M.
GATHERING
A full table is the centre of the liturgy. Food, water pitchers, drink, grapes, wine, bread,
abundance….
Siciliana from Fantasia #6 for Solo violin
Sebastian Meadows-Helmer, violin
Bishop Pryse offers a word to the Assembly regarding the death of Erich Schultz and then leads
the Affirmation of Baptism:
Bishop Pryse: Whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.
Let us give thanks for the gift of baptism.
Bishop Pryse: God of love, in the waters of the font we encounter again
the great truth that sorrow and joy, love and loss, life and death go handin-hand. Help us to be present to ourselves and to each other. Help us
to be present to your reign of peace, which is always present. May it
reveal itself to us.
The hymn tune is first played by Michael Hackbusch (sax) with the spoken hymn text read
overtop by Paul Bosch, then Jennifer Famme (keyboard) leads the people in singing the entire
song.
HYMN #737 He Comes to Us as One Unknown
Bishop Johnson: The grace of Jesus Christ, the love of God and the
communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
C: And also with you.
Bishop Johnson: Let us pray. God of deep compassion, lover of all
people – you bring to birth new hope in every generation, and you call
us to be a blessing in your creation. We pray for grace and good humour
to share the hope you have given us with the world, confident that your
spirit is our great companion. Amen.
WORD
The Word section is based on the texts: 1 Peter 3:15; Isaiah 55:1-12
Matt: And whatever we do,
In our hearts let us honor Christ as Lord,
So that, with gentleness and reverence
We might always be ready
ready-set
set-to-go
ready-steady not-slow,
really ready
good-to-GO ready
to make a defense
to EVERYONE
who asks us to give account
The faith on our minds
Like a speech left behind.
Of thanks, of gift,
a life lived well-lived….
Ready.
On a moment’s notice ready.
Ready to explain…
the hope , that daring resurrection
hope
we share
SO……………..
Rain stick
(when silent again, Robb Wilson shouts) G-20 protests turn violent. Two police-cars on fire!
(Sara Faulhafer) Oz Arnal disappoints those expecting his arrest top-hat or cowbell; pause
(Bruce Cooke) Obama shows who’s boss!
(Debbie Lou, singing) Christ, be…
(Sara, interrupting Debbie Lou) Guenter Dahle takes cell-phone call & donates 10 dollars
(Bruce; wait if laughter, then shout) HO!
(wood block, percussions fast then slowing…)
(Sara shouting) We will practice Spirited Discipleship
(Bruce shouting) Ontario not ready for a big quake
(Robb, singing) Christ, be our light….
(Sara) Are we a generous Synod? Are the water jars at Cana empty? Wind chimes
(Look at Bruce, then ALL together on his cue) HO!
(Sara) We will establish a focused framework.
Sebastian – the first few notes of Now the Green Blade Rises
(Robb interrupts by shouting) Poverty No More!
(Sara, shouting) HO!!
(Bruce) I’m part of that fortunate group that, if this passes, will continue to have coverage at 50%
(Sebastian builds crescendo on drum, then after final hit, all together) HO! Everyone who thirsts!
(Debbie Lou, shouting) We will demonstrate Compassionate Justice
Sebastian: playing Green Blade Rises but with false notes, ‘deconstructing’
(Sara) Homosexuality is simply NOT an issue among the youth
(Bruce, shouting) G8 more promise than reality! Trouble in the heart of the city!
Debbie Lou: Christ, be our light, Shine in our hearts….
(Bruce interrupts by shouting) Tornado hits Midland; Earthquake shakes Ontario and Quebec!
(Sara) Who is that skateboarder behind you, Pastor Mark? cowbell
(Robb shouting) We will develop effective partnerships!
(Robb, Sara, Bruce, shouting together) Ho everyone who thirsts – tambourine
(Debbie Lou, shouting) SPAIN AND BRAZIL ADVANCE!
(Bruce) you who have no money, come, buy and eat!
(Sarah) Bishop Pryse – your name tag!
(Robb together) Shine in our hearts, shine through our darkness…
(Sara, shouting) Harper takes to international stage!
Sebastian: plays the first few notes of Rule Britannia and LaMarseilleise
(Bruce, shouting) Follow your blisters!
(Debbie Lou) Shine in your Church, gathered today…
(Robb shouting) Exercise equipment not book allowance! Bead gourd
(Bruce and Sara shouting together) Don’t stop paddling!
Drums – two, pounding if possible; crash of a cymbal?
(Bruce, shouting) BP defends deep-water drilling!
(Sara) Why do you spend for that which is not bread,
(Debbie Lou) And pay for that which does not satisfy?
(Bruce) We are a church conceived in a vision …..
(Sara) we have been buried with Christ
(Robb, shouting) It is no longer we who live
(then Sara, shouting) For Christ lives in us.
(then Bruce, shouting) So that, in death, in life,
(Debbie Lou) we are always Sebastian: plucked string
(Robb) Always plucked string
(Bruce) Always plucked string
(ALL, SHOUTING, in no particular order) HOME!!! (single note on violin, held…..)
Matt: HOME….
Not a place, but a journey
This Eastern Synod people,
This white-water steeple
A steeple-chase race of:
Risking, staying, holding, giving,
living, remaining,
re-discipleship-training,
midst our new structures, our new budgets, this new Spirit.
No rats from a sinking ship, WE.
We’re called to remain, but change, allow for range,
For there is one Spirit, yet many gifts,
One Lord, one faith, One Baptism.
And with all creation
we await liberation,
When row on row, and stand on stand, the earth shall rejoice with us,
And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
My thoughts are not your thoughts.
Nor are my ways your ways,
Says the Lord.
Clearly.
And yet
You trust mortal hands:
Our two ordinands,
Sebastian and Glenda,
Receive from our failing fingers
the ancient, sometimes tattered,
holy
Mystery.
So it was and is, and shall always be
So Erich knew and so he believed,
As he lived and was baptized. Communed and received.
So shall BE the Word that goes forth from God’s mouth,
A vuvuzela blown at both ends
A bruised reed that may sometimes bend
But will never break,
So shall BE my Word, says our God,
It shall Never
Never
NEVER
return to me empty
But will fulfill that for which I have purposed it.
Bishop Pryse
Incline your ear, and come,
Listen, that you might live…
The Gospel of our Lord is taken from Luke:
Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees
When the Kingdom of God was coming,
And he answered:
“The Kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed;
nor will they say,
‘Look, here it is!’
Or
‘There it is!!’
For in fact,
The Kingdom of God is among you.”
Seek the Lord while God may be found; Call upon the God who is near, for…
This is the Gospel of the Lord,
THANKS BE TO GOD.
Sermon: Bishop Michael Pryse
Hymn The Kingdom of God
(Taizé; from More Voices (Woodlake Publishing, Inc.,2006).
The song is introduced by the conference choir led by Debbie Lou who then invites the
congregation to join. It is repeated several times.
Bishop gestures that people should be seated.
Installation of Synod Council
Those newly elected and those in the middle of their four year terms come forward and gather
round the font as their names are read by the Bishop, including officers.
Bishop Pryse: The following people have been elected to positions of
leadership in our community of faith. I invite them to come forward as
their names are read:
Bishop Pryse addresses those being installed:
Bishop Pryse: In the waters of Baptism, you have died to self-serving
ways and have been initiated into the church in order that you might
serve others for Christ’s sake. Through the celebration of Holy
Communion you are nurtured for the work that God has given you. I ask
you, do you accept the responsibilities with which you have been
entrusted and will you serve the people of this synod with respect,
humility and genuine compassion? If so respond, “We will.”
R: We will.
Bishop Pryse addresses the people of the synod and invites the council to turn out to the people:
Bishop Pryse: Members of the Eastern Synod, will you pray for these
people, encourage them in their work, offer your services as you are able
and work to build up the ministry of this Synod which is a ministry
shared by all who are baptized?
C: We will.
Bishop Pryse: I now declare… first names are read…
members of our new synodical leadership team. May God bless you
with just wisdom, generous hearts, good humour and rich vision so that
the reign of God might be made known in this place. Amen.
Applause.
The Prayers of the People
Michael Henkel, the assisting minister, prays.
Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, and for all
people, according not just to their needs but to YOUR will, O
Sovereign of all,
We pray for the peace of this fragile and bleeding planet, for the
nations in uproar, for the heart of the city and the hearts of the
companies and countries so often considered heartless. We pray
for world leaders, that their hearts might melt, their weapons be
turned to ploughshares, and their wallets open. We pray for
justice among nations, and for peace where there is war and
injustice. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
Lord in your mercy, HEAR OUR PRAYER
We pray for this Eastern Synod and our newly re-elected Bishop,
Michael. We pray for the national church and our Bishop Susan.
We thank you for the ministry of Guenter Dahle and Dorothy
Frook in our lives. We ask your Spirit to guide our restructuring of
office and task, of mission and equipment, of budgets and
banners, of constitutions and conventions,
Lord in your mercy, HEAR OUR PRAYER
We remember with joy our brother Erich. We pray remembering
the thankfulness in his life and in his last words, the grace he
lived and in which he trusted. We thank you for the fellowship he
felt in the Synod. We give thanks for his stories, his interest in
people and pray in faith that in your hands he will be safely
guided from one banquet of celebration to another.
Lord in your mercy, HEAR OUR PRAYER
We pray for all those who are sick, all those taking treatments, all
those who are addicted, or without employment, those who suffer
the injustice of being excluded for race or orientation, for class or
religion. We pray your Spirit’s blessing on delegates as they
travel, and ask that you grant us safe homecomings, and peace
at the last,
Lord in your mercy, HEAR OUR PRAYER.
P: All these things and whatever else you see that we need O
God, grant us, for the sake of Jesus Christ, your Chosen One, O
Lord,
AMEN
Bishop Johnson: The peace of Christ be with you always.
C: And also with you.
Offering
Offering Song: The choir leads in singing Na nzela na lola (from the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, found in the resource Agape: Oxford University Press, 2003) inviting the assembly to
join in the refrain. The offering is danced round the room as the congregation sings #682 To
God our Thanks We Give. The offering this morning goes to the Eastern Synod.
The Great Thanksgiving
Bishop Johnson: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
Bishop Johnson: Lift up your hearts.
C: We lift them to the Lord.
Bishop Johnson: Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.
C: It is right to give God thanks and praise.
Bishop Johnson: It is a good thing, God of Love, to give thanks for the
coming day when nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor learn
war anymore. You put down the mighty from their thrones and exalt
those of low standing. You fill the hungry with good things, and you
have mercy on those who seek you from generation to generation.
Sanctus – #190 Holy, holy, holy Lord (Schubert)
Bishop Johnson: Thank you, Loving One, for the gift of Jesus Christ
whom you sent in the fullness of time to become a light to the nations.
He came among us as a child, Emmanuel, and in him we discovered
again your ancient promise of peace. On the night in which he was
betrayed, Jesus gathered his friends about him and taking bread, he gave
thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to them and said: “Take and eat;
this is my body. Each time you share it, remember me.” When the
supper was over, Jesus took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to his
friends, and said: “This is the new covenant in my blood, for you and all
people. Each time you share it, remember me.”
Bishop Johnson: Pour out your spirit on us gathered here, and on these
gifts of bread and wine. Make us one with Christ and one with each
other until that great day of peace comes among us and war is no more.
C: 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. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the
kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever.
Amen.
Communion Songs
#461 All who hunger, gather gladly
#494 For the bread which you have broken
#496 One bread, one body
Bambelela (from South Africa, found in Singing our Prayer: A Companion to Holden
Prayer Around the Cross (Augsburg Fortress, 2010).
The bishop invites those seated to rise.
Michael Henkel: (improvising in song) Let us pray. God of all people – you
are the hope of the nations. We pray for peace in our time. And for
justice and healing. We pray, too, for courage and good humour so that
we might share the hope you have given us as we are able, confident that
the world deserves our hope, our prayers and our loving action. Amen.
Bishop Pryse: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace, so
that you may abound in courage, faith and love. Amen.
Hymn #710 Let Streams of Living Justice
Michael Henkel: Go in peace, let your hope, your courage and your love change
the world.
C: Thanks be to God.
Sung Postlude: When you walk from here (Borealis Music, 1991)
Original liturgical texts written by Michael Mills.
Word section, Prayers of Intercession written by Matthew R Anderson.
NM