A Gathering in the Celtic Tradition August 6, 2023

A Gathering in the Celtic Tradition

August 6, 2023

Facilitators:  Pat Armstrong and Mona Smart

We acknowledge these lands upon which we worship are the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation.

Whoever you are and wherever you are on life’s journey,

you are welcome here!

Welcome & Announcements

Centering & Stillness

          Let the busyness of our bodies rest,

          Let the worries of our minds rest,

          Let the doubts of our hearts rest.

          Letting go of self may we all hold on to God.                                                                                                            

                                                            (invitation to sit in silence)

Lighting of the Christ Candle  

One:  Christ is our Light.

All:    Thanks be to God!

(the Christ Candle is lit)

Hymn: God Reveal Your Presence                                           VU #391                                                                  

Greeting
One:   The grace of Christ Jesus, the love of God, 

           and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

All:       And also with you

Opening Words
One:  Creator God, loving God, source of all life…
          Compassionate, caring, and generous One…
          We gather in this place of your amazing generosity, surrounded             by your rich abundance and lavish hospitality,

All:    Hospitable and welcoming God, we give you thanks, for all             you are and all you give to us.

One:  We are blessed by your wild hospitality all around. 

All:    Berry-laden vines surround us;

          wild salad greens flourish underfoot.

          Rich soil teems with microscopic life.

          Majestic trees are nourished by its goodness;

          lush ferns growing in their shade.

One:  Holy One, you draw all of life into the sacred circle of your redeeming love, through which all creation is related.  

All:    You welcome us and all creation with your generosity and wild hospitality.

Opening Prayer                                 

One:  God who created from nothing all that we see around us, and 

          wove together all plants and animals in intricately connected 

          ecosystems, 

All:    May we continue to build together in a spirit of caring, unity, 

          and hospitality. 

One:  Restore us, refresh us, renew us, create a generous spirit within 

          us.
All:    Amen.                                                                                            

Passing of the Peace

One:    The peace of Christ be with you! 

All:      And also with you!

You are invited to turn to those directly around you and share Christ’s peace. 

Introduction to Lectio Divina:

One:  Open your word, O Lord,

All:    Enable us to listen.

One:  Open our minds, O Lord,

All:    Enable us to hear.

One:  Open your thoughts, O Lord,                                                       

All:    Enable us to respond.

One:  Open our hearts, O Lord,

All:    Enable us to love as you love.

Scripture Reading          Pat Armstrong

As you hear these words of Scripture read and repeated three times, allow a word or phrase to resonate with you and hold it in mind and heart to take with you as a gift from God to inspire you in the week ahead.

Matthew 14:13-21  “Feeding the Five Thousand”

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.  When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them and cured their sick.  When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”  Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”  They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.”  And he said, “Bring them here to me.”  Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.  And all ate and were filled, and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full.  And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

A time of silence to reflect on the word or phrase

that called to you today.

Small Group Sharing

In small groups share with one another the word or phrase that surfaced from the reading and why it resonated with you.

One:  May the wisdom discerned from these words of Scripture and   ared amongst us bring us closer to God.               

All:    Praise be to God.    

Hymn: For the Crowd of Thousands                                        VU #355

An Offering Litany

One:  Generous God, take our ordinary everyday lives as pleasing sacrifices to you.

All:    Hospitable and welcoming God, encourage us to fix our attention on you, so that we will be changed and renewed from the inside out. 

One:  Holy God, we want to love you more and become your                                  hospitality to our world.

All:    Transform us into the generous, hospitable people you intend 

us to be, let your welcoming love flow from the center of our 

being, let it reach out in friendship and compassion for the disadvantaged and marginalized.

One:  Holy-Among-Us, we want to love you more and become your             hospitality to our world.

All:    Open our eyes to see the beauty hidden in every face, assist 

          us to practice hospitality to those we usually overlook or 

ignore, let us share your abundance with joyful and grateful 

          hearts. 

One:  May we love you more and become your hospitality to our world.  

Doxology                                                                                                                            CP #669

Praise God the Source of life and birth,

Praise God the Word, who came to earth.

Praise God the Spirit, holy flame.

All Glory, honour to God’s name.                                                         

Offering Prayer                                                                                             

One:  God may your silence penetrate deep inside, opening for us the             rest and release of Jubilee,

All:    May it bring us to the place where love and justice meet,

One:  God may we be mindful of you today, knowing that each moment 

          of time is sanctified by your spirit.

All:    May your words echo deep within us O God, so that we can 

          hear your call to holiness, justice, and compassion.

One:  Amen.

An Affirmation of Faith in the Celtic Tradition:                   (Norman Habel)

  God creates all things, renews all things, and celebrates all things.
          This we believe.

  Earth is a sanctuary, a sacred planet filled with God’s presence, a     

  home for us to share with all creatures.
          This we believe.

  God became incarnate, a part of Earth, like Adam, a human being   

  called Jesus Christ, who lived and breathed and spoke among us, 

  suffered and died on a cross for all human beings and for all           creation.
          This we believe.

  The Risen Jesus is the Christ at the center of creation, reconciling, all 

  things to God, renewing all creation, and filling the cosmos.
          This we believe.

  The Spirit renews life in creation, groans in empathy with a suffering 

  creation, and waits with us for the rebirth of all creation.
          This we believe.

          We believe that with Christ we will rise and with Christ we will celebrate a new creation.

Prayers of the People    Paddy Waymark                                                                           

One:  Eternal Spirit,

All:    Hear Our Prayer.

The Prayer of Jesus                                   (Mark Berry, Emerging Church Movement)

          O Breathing Life, your Name shines everywhere!

          Release a space to plant your Presence here.

          Imagine your possibilities now.

          Embody your desire in every light and form.

          Grow through us this moment’s bread and wisdom.

          Untie the knots of failure binding us,

          As we release the strands we hold of others’ faults.

          Help us not forget our Source,

          Yet free us from not being in the Present.

          From you arises every Vision, Power and Song

          From gathering to gathering.

          May our future actions grow from here!                                     

Hymn: Make Me a Channel of Your Peace      VU #684

Blessing            (Ancient Celtic Tradition – Carmina Gadelica)

One:  God to enfold me, God to surround me,
All:    God in my speaking, God in my thinking.

One:  God in my sleeping, God in my waking,
All:    God in my watching, God in my hoping.

One:  God in my life, God in my lips,
All:    God in my soul, God in my heart.

One:  God in my sufficing, God in my slumber,
All:    God in mine ever-living soul, God in mine eternity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The liturgy for today’s interactive service was inspired by the spiritual exercises, retreat offerings, and prayers created by Christine Sine, Godspace)