Order of worship for welcoming and saying goodbye

A liturgy to welcome and say farewell to colleagues working at the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva ~ prepared by Dr Manoj Kurian of the World Council


Opening prayers based on Psalm 68:1-20
Let God arise!
Let the enemies of the Lord be scattered;
Let those who hate Your precepts transformed!


Let God arise!
Let evil thoughts and actions be dispersed;
Like darkness fleeing Your light,
wax melting in Your flame!


Let God arise!
Let the righteous be glad and rejoice before God;
Let them be joyful and contented.


Let God arise!
Sing to the Lord,
Sing praises to the compassionate Creator;
Sing praises to the source of Life.


Let God arise!
Recognize God in the vast universe,
in the tender shoot, in the lonely child;
Acknowledge the Almighty today,
rejoice in the presence of the Lord!


You O Lord,
are a Father and Mother to orphans,
Defender of the exploited and excluded;
Let your people arise!


You give the solitary a home
You liberate the oppressed;
The arrogant and self-righteous you reprimand.


Let your people arise!
When your people march through the wilderness,
O God, you go forth before them.


Let your people arise!
You send gracious rain, O God;
You refresh the land when it is weary.
The homeless and the dispossessed
you give your inheritance,


Let your people arise!
The Lord gives the word;
Women and children bring the good news:
Mighty men and their armies are fleeing away;


Let your people arise!
Let God arise!
Let the enemies of the Lord be scattered;
Let those who hate Your precepts be transformed!
Let God arise!
Let your people arise!

Greeting and Welcome
We pray for colleagues who are leaving their work at the Ecumenical Centre and those who have recently come towork here. In addition, the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle calls our concern to the peoples and churches of Sudan and Uganda.
Today we specially welcome all visitors to the Centre, in cluding the group coming from southern Switzerland.
We approach God together (stand)
Welcoming God, you stand with open arms to receive everyone.
Embrace us in your love.
Sending God, you change and inspire us to leave our comfort, familiarity and certainty.
Move us towards your reign.
Companion God, you travel through life with us.
Alert us to your presence in ecstasy, insight, and devastation.
Transforming God, you make all things new.
Inspire us with discontent with the way things are.
Welcoming God, you stand with open arms to receive everyone.
Embrace us in our beginnings and our endings.

Reading : Ezekiel 36: 24 - 28 (read in Italian)
I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances. Then you shall live in the land that I gave to your ancestors; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.


‘Alleluia’ in Juba Arabic ( sung once) Music & words as taught by the Choir


Gospel reading: John 17: 1 - 11 (read in Arabic and in English)
After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified youon earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your ownpresence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.
"I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me,and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.


Alleluia’ in Juba Arabic ( sung once) Music & words as taught by the Choir


Meditation - Dr Manoj Kurian

We join in singing the song- “Take the Word of God with you...”

Intercessions
Lord this week we remember the people, churches and communities of Sudan. A land and people that had been weighed down by decades of crippling, bloody conflicts. We pray for the the just and sincere implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). For the dividends of peace to flow down to the grassroots. For the equitable and just sharing of wealth, particularly oil, in a transparent and accountable manner and the extraction of oil in ways that respects the local communities and the environment. We pray for the local and regional leadership, for their political will, accountability to people and commitment; for continuing international and fraternal cooperation to help build the country from the ruins of war. Let there be peace among different tribes, races and religions. We also pray for the millions of returning refugees, for their successful reintegration, welfare and livelihood. For the society to move on from a culture of war to one that is reoriented to heal trauma, with enhanced capacity for peace building, reconciliation, forgiveness and development.
Lord in your mercy:
Hear our prayer
Lord this week we also remember the people, churches and communities of Uganda. A beautiful land and people that are recovering from persistent conflicts in the north and from severe epidemics of diseases and from financial crises. The country has shown leadership in the struggle to overcome HIV. We pray for the continuing success of the society in overcoming the disease. We specially pray of the Church run health services, which serves 40 % of the population, but is going through severe financial and human resource crisis. We pray for increased cooperation from Governmental authorities to work with the churches to serve people in a better manner. Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer

We pray the Lord’s Prayer (each in our own language)
We send out and welcome colleagues (stand)
We pray for those who have left their work at the Ecumenical Centre,
and we name before God… (Names of departing colleagues will be read…)
We give you thanks, O Lord.
We thank you for their service and their companionship with us in this place.
We pray that you will bless them in their new life wherever you may lead them.
We pray for those who have come to work in the Ecumenical Centre
and we name before God ….. (Names of recent arrivals will be read.)
We give you thanks.
We thank you for these new colleagues in your work.
We pray that here they will find opportunities for fulfilled lives in your service.
We pray for those who remain working in the Ecumenical Centre,
that we may never take each other for granted, nor the opportunity of working for the extension of the reign of God, today.
We thank you for the work you have given us to do.
We pray that we may be useful servants of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.
In his name we pray. Amen.

The Blessing is given in the form of a special song