LITURGY IDEAS USING THE SYNOD MISSION PLAN

Transcription

1 LITURGY IDEAS USING THE SYNOD MISSION PLAN

2 A CALL TO WORSHIP (1): God is present in our midst! God shares in our joys and our sufferings. God is present in our midst! The Spirit is blowing through our Synod. God is present in our midst! Christ is calling us to follow. Let us move with God, Let us transform our communities, Let us unite for the common good, As we bring our worship, thanks and praise!

3 A CALL TO WORSHIP (2): Rejoice in the story that God gives to us: The Creator God is sharing in our life. Rejoice in the story that God gives to us: Christ is showing us what love is. Rejoice in the story that God gives to us: The Holy Spirit is moving in our midst. As pilgrim people, always on the way, As pilgrim people, seeking God s good future As pilgrim people, let us worship God!

4 CONFESSION AND ASSURANCE: In confessing our faith, we remember who we are and who God calls us to be. We are God s people: We have been called by God. We are Christ s body: We are called to live with love. We are filled with God s Spirit: Nothing can ever be the same. We confess our sin: We pray that Christ will lead us into the new dawn. We confess our faith: We are followers of Christ, the risen crucified one. We confess our fear: We pray for courage to trust in God. We confess our daring: For Christ is calling us to leave behind all that holds us back and stops us from living in the dawn of resurrection. Sisters and brothers, friends in Christ We confess that we are Good News people! And this is the Good News: God the Creator does not hold creation at arm s length! Christ calls us to live with the same love God first showed us! The Holy Spirit is moving among us to bring God s reign of justice, love and peace! Sisters and brothers, friends in Christ In Christ your sins are forgiven. Thanks be to God! Amen!

5 CONFESSION AND ASSURANCE: As members of the NSW/ACT Synod of the Uniting Church in Australia, Let us bring our confession to God. We are called to vibrant and relevant discipleship. We confess that we have not always lived out our faith in worship, witness and service. We are called to proclaim our faith in fresh words and deeds. We confess that our lives and words have not always proclaimed God s love. We are called to live out our covenant with the United Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congess. We confess that we have not always been mindful of what it is to be second peoples. We are called to be a multicultural church. We confess that we have not always in practice lived out what we claim to be. We are called to advocate for justice. We confess that at times we have been complacent or afraid to love those on the margins. We are called to confess our sin. We pray that through the gift of the Spirit God would constantly correct that which is erroneous in the life of the Church. We pray that we would know forgiveness, step out of the tomb and follow Christ into the dawn of resurrection. Come to us, O God. Transform our lives. Transform our church. Transform our communities. Amen.

6 PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE: Gracious God, We thank you for your gift of life. We thank you that you share with us in our grief and uncertainty. We praise you that the story you invite us into is one of reconciliation and renewal. Reform and reshape us that we might bear witness to Christ and bear hope for our communities. Give us the courage to trust in your future and to act for its coming. We pray for our worship: Help us to worship you in ways that deepen relationship between you, your people, our communities and the whole creation. We pray for our discipleship: Help us to encourage, call and equip people to live and share their faith with courage and creativity. We pray for our witness: Teach us to be evangelists and justice-seekers who bear witness to Christ Jesus. We pray for our service: Teach us to respond to the call of Christ Jesus in the service of all in need. We pray for leadership: We ask that you would raise up leaders in our Synod whom we might identify, encourage, and mentor. We pray for growth: We ask that you would work among us deepening our faith and gathering more people to you. We pray for our governance: We seek for our policies and procedures to be marked by our vision of life in you.

7 PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE (cont): We pray for our resources: We seek to be good stewards of all you have entrusted to us and to live out of your generosity. We pray for our people: Help us to love and care for all who work among us as they live out their faith and deepen their discipleship. Send your Spirit upon us, O God, that we might image you in all that we do. Teach us your ways, that we might walk faithfully after Christ. Give us courage to be your people, even in this time and place. Amen.

8 AN AFFIRMATION OF FAITH: PEOPLE WHO SAY YES! We believe in God the creator, Who never holds creation at arm s length, Who shares with us in our joys and sufferings. We believe that death, loneliness and injustice Can never have the final word, For God raised Jesus from the dead! We believe that the Holy Spirit is moving among us, Transforming our communities into places Where God s peace, love, justice are at work. We are a pilgrim people. We are a Good News People. We are a people who say yes to God. Yes! We will choose life! Yes! God has already given us all we need to be the church! Yes! We will enter the discipleship adventure, following Christ s way! Yes! God s Spirit is already at work, calling us to faith and action. We will dare to trust in God s future. Hallelujah! Amen! We believe God calls us to follow After the risen crucified Christ To love our neighbours, To bear hope for our community, To pray for the coming of the God s Spirit.