A Christmas Eve sermon by the Venerable Colin Williams Eve

The story is so well known. Mary is going to have a baby. She and Joseph prepare for the birth. But just as the birth is about to happen they have to make a journey. Everyone has to go back to their own town to be recorded in a census. For Joseph that means going back to Bethlehem. And so he and Mary make the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem

The journey is perilous. At the end there lies no certain accommodation. But they make it . And the rest as they say is history – to be more exact the overturning of history – God in the birth of Jesus Christ in the little town of Bethlehem, which we see lying so still, God in Christ in Bethlehem signalling the making of a new beginning for the whole of the created order.

But supposing the journey were to be made today. Then the outcome might have been very different. It would have been much less certain that Joseph and Mary would have even arrived at Bethlehem. If they were to take that same route today on the way from Nazareth to Bethlehem they would be greeted by a 25-foot barrier wall, armed guards and a huge steel gate resembling those found on nuclear shelters. They could also be harassed for their identification papers, their belongings could be searched. Quite possible that they could be turned away, never allowed to enter Bethlehem. The journey could have been a very different one than the journey which Joseph and Mary in fact were able to make

In the name of security from attack by Palestinian terrorists, the Israeli government has begun to build a wall which separates the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967. The wall runs along the edges of Bethlehem. Which means that the Little town of Bethlehem has become a place where the residents are harassed and frightened.. Those who try and make a living there are cut off from their markets and despair of their livelihood, not least because they are taxed for what they try to bring through. Those who once went to work in Jerusalem can no longer get there, a factor in the estimated 65% of the population which is unemployed. The Christian community in Bethlehem is particularly badly hit. It is entirely possible that within a few years there will be no Christian community remaining in the city in which Jesus was born
The town fabled for star stable and shepherds is now a place dominated by concrete and barbed wire, where the hope for peace is replaced by a huge physical symbol of oppression, where residents cower before display of political and military might.
How profoundly distressing for all of us who bear the name of Christ that his birth place should be so treated. How profoundly saddening that in this as in other parts of the world communities are cut off one from another through fear and through lack of understanding and through the exercise of political might. Even though this year we have celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of one famous wall, physical walls diving communities walls still remain a reality in too many parts of the world. For Bethlehem too being walled off has become an everyaday reality.
But with the building of this wall around Bethlehem how much more profoundly symbolic has become the fact that it was in this town that Jesus was born. For Jesus is the destroyer of walls. The events surrounding his bring demonstrated that. He was greeted by shepherds and Magi, The visit of the shepherds, notorious for not complying with the stricter requirements of the religious law and the visit of the Kings, worshippers of the wrong Gods in the wrong place, symbolized at this earliest moment that this child was destined to break down barriers. In his own ministry he broke down so many of the barriers which threaten to divide us - Walls between Jew and Gentile, women and men, sacred and secular, teacher and taught, leader and led. None of those walls were safe from the stroke of his sledgehammer, none could withstand the powerful, wall-destroying love of God which he came through his teaching and through his very being to demonstrate. In his death and rising again, he broke down once for all the walls which cut us off from the healing love of God.
At several points in the last years, the Christian communities of the world have been challenged by the Christian community in Bethlehem to speak out against the wall which has been erected in their midst. And from Christians in Bethlehem that message is very poignant. Because from which Christian community other than the Christian community into which Jesus was born can we better be reminded that we who are foolhardy enough to take on us the name of Christ are called in his name to break down walls. Called to speak out on a political level against walls – be they physical walls like the one around Bethlehem or psychological walls which unjustly separate race from race, religion from religion, ethnic group from ethnic group. In our own community we are called to be the ones who challenge the walls which divide us in the place in which we live – and maybe at this particular Christmas in this particular city, that means that we need to be ones who will be active in building up relations with the Moslem community in this city.
And in our families and in our own personal relationships using the telling again of the story of the birth of Christ in a stable in Bethlehem to challenge us afresh to do what we can to repair the walls which we have been so actively building over the last twelve months between ourselves and those we love, between ourselves and those whom we once loved but now find it hard to love, between ourselves and those who have been part of our network of family and friends, but with whom relationships have become strained or difficult.

O walled town of Bethlehem, o beleagured town of Bethlehem, o war-stained town of Bethlehem, how ill at ease we see thee lie.

Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light
O hush the noise ye men and women of strife and hear the angels sing

Copyright (c) Colin Williams 2009

An order of service for Advent - 350 drum beats

Advent Service in the Ecumenical Centre
16 December 2009
Towards Original Blessing

As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat,
summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease. Gen. 8.22

Introduction and welcome
Au commencement était la parole!
In the beginning was the Word
Am Anfang war das Wort
In the beginning was the Word

God of creation
God of history
God is here with us
God of mystery
God of blessing
God is here with us
God in Jesus
God named Emmanuel
God is here with us

Au commencement était la parole!
In the beginning was the Word
Am Anfang war das Wort
In the beginning was the Word

Sing
Oh! viens, Jésus, oh! viens, Emmanuel,
Nous dévoiler le monde fraternel,
Où ton amour plus fort que la mort,
Nous régénère au sein d'un même corps.
Chantez! chantez! il vient à notre appel,
combler nos coeurs Emmanuel."

Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high,
Who ordered all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in its ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of humankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

Genesis 1 1-5
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

The blessings of creation.
For each day of creation there is a different colour of the rainbow. During the 350 drum beats pieces of cloth in the colours will be laid down to gradually form a rainbow, sign of God’s covenant. As we listen to the drumbeats of creation we give thanks for the beautiful world God has given us and pray that the human race and our international leaders may take decisive action to safeguard the life of our fragile green planet.

Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen
Aus einer Wurzel zart.
Wie uns die Alten sungen,
Aus Jesse kam die Art
Und hat ein Blümlein bracht,
Mitten im kalten Winter,
Wohl zu der halben Nacht.

Das Röslein das ich meine,
Davon Jesaias sagt:
Maria ist's, die Reine,
Die uns das Blümlein bracht:
Aus Gottes ewigem Rat
Hat sie ein Kindlein g'boren
Bleibend ein reine Magd.

Reading Isaiah 9 2-8
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them light has shined. You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder.
For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.
For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire. For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onwards and for evermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Par la parole ardente
Du prophète Esaïe,
Dieu, de sa voix clémente,
Promettait un Messie,
Roi de Jérusalem :
Fils de Marie, la Vierge,
Il naît à Bethléhem.

Jésus sans apparence,
Des pauvres tu es Roi.
Tu connais nos souffrances,
Guéris-nous par la foi.
Nous t'en prions, Seigneur,
Comble notre espérance
Pour un monde meilleur.

The blessing and promise of light

Advent Antiphones
O wisdom, coming forth from the Most High,
filling all creation and reigning to the ends of the earth;
come and teach us the way of truth. Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus.

O Lord of Lords, and ruler of the House of Israel,
you appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush, and gave him the law on Sinai:
come with your outstretched arm and ransom us. Amen.
Come Lord Jesus.

O root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the nations;
kings will keep silence before you for whom the nations long;
come and save us and delay no longer. Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus.

O key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel;
you open and none can shut; you shut and none can open:
come and free the captives from prison, and break down the walls of death. Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus.

O morning star, splendour of the light eternal and bright sun of righteousness:
come and bring light to those who dwell in darkness and walk in the shadow of death. Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus.

O king of the nations, you alone can fulfil their desires: cornerstone, binding all together: come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust of the earth. Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus.

O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, hope of the nations and their saviour:
come and save us, O Lord our God. Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus.

Sing
Gloire à Dieu au plus haut des cieux
paix sur la terre, sur la terre,
bonne volonté envers le monde
Amen Alleluia

A promise of blessing told by angels

Luke 2
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Sermon ~ Original Blessing ~ Revd Theodore A. Gill

Prayers
Sung response Mayenziwe Ntando Yako

Silence
We keep silence, hoping and praying that the drum beats will stop, that each of us and the whole of humanity will take action to not exceed the 350parts per million of carbon that is the limit of what God’s beautiful and fragile creation can bear without irrevocable change.

Lord's prayer (said by each in their own language)

Offering for the work of Agora - the ecumenical service for refugees in Geneva

Long ago, prophets knew
Christ would come, born a Jew,
come to make all things new;
bear the people's burden,
freely love and pardon.
Refrain:
Ring, bells, ring, ring, ring!
Sing, choirs, sing, sing, sing!
When he comes,
when he comes,
who will make him welcome?

God in time, God in man,
this is God's timeless plan:
He will come, as a man,
born himself of woman,
God divinely human:
Refrain

Mary hail! Though afraid,
she believed, she obeyed.
In her womb, God is laid:
till the time expected,
nurtured and protected,
Refrain

Journey ends! Where afar
Bethlehem shines, like a star,
stable door stands ajar.
unborn Son of Mary,
Saviour, do not tarry!
Refrain:
Ring, bells, ring, ring, ring!
Sing, choirs, sing, sing, sing!
Jesus comes!
Jesus comes!
We will make him welcome!

Blessing

Original Blessing - a sermon by Theodore A. Gill Jr.

This sermon was preached by Theodore A Gill at the annual advent service at the ecumenical centre in Geneva on Wednesday 16 December 2009

B’ruch atah Adonoi Elohenu, melek ha’olam – “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, king of all Creation…” This is the beginning of many Hebrew prayers, offering thanks to God for all the wonders and goodness of creation, returning a portion of that blessing with which we have been so richly blessed.

It is a welcome reminder to those of us from the Reformed tradition of Protestant Christianity, winding up our year-long observance of the half-millennium since John Calvin’s birth, that even before the recognition of Original Sin – which plays so large a part in Reformed theology – there was the Original Blessing of light and life. This original blessing is testimony to God’s nature, and it is our surest hedge against the threat of human nature.

“In the beginning was the Word” – and the Word in Creation inspired words of command (“Let there be light!”, for example), and the Word bestowed words of blessing when “God saw that it was good”.

Near the end of the first chapter of Genesis, we read:
“So God created humankind in God’s own image,
in the image of God they were created,
male and female God created them.
“God blessed them, and God said to them:
‘Be fruitful, and multiply…’”

This blessing comes before that first infraction, that earliest act of disobedience, that willing submission to the serpent’s wiles. From the beginning, God’s will has been for our well-being; the operative verb in God’s intent for us is not “to judge”, nor “to punish” nor even “to predestine”, but “to bless” – to bless with the gift of light, even in a land of deep darkness – especially in a land of deep darkness – to bless with the gifts of life and grace and truth.

The Hebrew word for “bless” is barak.

(Where I come from, the president is called “Barack”. His name originates from that same Semitic root, making its way through Kenya to Hawaii, and then by way of
Indonesia, Columbia University, Harvard Law School and Chicago into the White House.
Barack… A word of blessing from the White House! And phrased in Arabic! So far, it is more a sign of hope than attainment – rather like the Nobel Prize… or the angelic vision of Peace on earth.)

Barak – to bless. B’ruch or b’ruchah – “one who is blessed”. Mary’s cousin Elizabeth said to her, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb…” And Mary sang, “From now on, all generations will call me blessed.”

It is the blessing we celebrate in this season, the blessing of new light in a renewed Creation, a return to the first theme of the sonata, a restatement of the principal theme, the original theme.

In the beginning, God saw that the Creation was good, and blessed it. In time, the people of God turned to God in prayer and offered their “blessings” – Bless the Lord, O my soul, and bless God’s holy name; bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all God’s benefits.

This form of “blessing”, or beruchah, a prayer of thanksgiving and dedication, became a standard feature of Jewish worship: there is the blessing of the candle at the beginning of Sabbath dinner; there are blessings to be said for a new family member, or a new home.

Some years ago, I worked as a campus minister at Southern Illinois University, and the churches that I represented shared a building with the American Baptist Campus Ministry and the B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundation, the Jewish campus ministry. Like me, the Jewish campus rabbi represented several “denominations” of his faith, and around this time of year, there was a joke he would tell based on these different Jewish traditions.

The story goes that there was a Jewish couple who were very indulgent of their only son. When the boy reached school age, he visited his Christian classmates’ homes and, in December, saw the beautiful Christmas trees they had decorated. He went home and begged his parents for such a tree.

The father was very reluctant to introduce a Christmas tree into his home, but he wanted to please his little boy. So he decided that they would erect a tree in the living room if he could find a rabbi willing to bless the object – that is, to come to their house and say a beruchah to consecrate the tree.

There were three synagogues in town – an Orthodox, a Conservative and a Liberal congregation. So the father went first to the elderly, bearded Orthodox rabbi, and he asked him, “Rabbi, would you be willing to say a beruchah over our Christmas tree?”

The wise, but rather sheltered, scholar replied, “What is this ‘Christmas tree’?”

The father could see where the conversation was going, which was nowhere, so he smiled, excused himself and departed.

The Conservative rabbi knew exactly what a Christmas tree was, and he gave the father an impassioned argument and a thorough scolding before ushering him out of his study.

So the father was down to his last option. At the Liberal synagogue, he posed his question to a younger, more relaxed rabbi: “Rabbi, would you be willing to say a beruchah over our family’s Christmas tree?”

The rabbi smiled, and chuckled, and said, “We live in modern times, in a pluralistic society! For me, the Christmas tree is no problem.

“But tell me… What is this ‘beruchah’?”

(It is a story about American Jewish “denominationalism”, yet the dynamics are not at all foreign to our ears.)

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all God’s benefits.

In the beginning, or quite near the beginning, there were words of blessing to describe the wondrous gifts of Creation. And soon enough, prayers of blessing were returned in recognition of the glory God reveals.

“Glory to God in the highest” is one form of blessing, addressed by angels and seconded by shepherds as an offering of praise. And the dialogue of blessing continues in the phrase “Peace on earth” – a word of promise to men and women created in God’s image, descendants of those subjects of the original blessing.

It is toward that combined blessing – of Glory and Peace – that we look forward, and at Christmas we catch a glimpse of its splendour in the manger scene.

For…“the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”…and…“we have beheld his glory…full of grace and truth.”


Blessed are you, O Lord our God, king of all Creation!
B’ruch atah Adonoi Elohenu, melek ha’olam…
May you continue to bless us, and keep us, and grant us Peace on earth

“Watch and Pray” Prayers for the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall

“Watch and Pray”
Prayers for the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall
That walls of division today may be overcome

(At lunchtime on 9 November 2009 we met at the pieces of the Berlin wall in the garden of the ecumenical centre. A visitor from outside the house asked so which side was in the east and which in the west? I explained that it would not have been possible to paint the eastern side with gaffitti. This led me to say during our prayers that we were lighting the candles on the wrong side - it was not Helmut Kohl who brought the wall down but people with candles and courage on the other side!
I put this service togther, plagiarising what Stephen has been writing on Holy Disorder. Using also by my own diary extracts from that extraordinary year in the GDR - that's where the idea for using Psalm 126 came from. I also remember Friedrich Schorlemmer at the end of a particularly difficult day simply saying let's close this session by singing the Luther peace hymn which is why I chose Verleih uns Frieden gnädiglich to end with. I can remember being very moved by its wonderful minor melodies and the fact that everyone apart from me knew the words. I also love the footnote at the bottom of the love of God is broad like beach and meadow - saying that the GDR government was concerned that the words of the hymn were criticising the state using religious language!)

Wir feiern diese Andacht im Namen Gottes,
der Himmel und Erde gemacht hat.
Im Namen des Vaters, des Sohnes und des Heiligen Geistes.
Amen

Sing: Bleibet hier und wachtet mit mir, wachte und betet, wachet und betet.

Psalms 126
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations,
‘The Lord has done great things for them.’
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we rejoiced.
Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like the watercourses in the Negeb.
May those who sow in tears
reap with shouts of joy.
Those who go out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
carrying their sheaves.

Sing: Bleibet hier und wachtet mit mir, wachte und betet, wachet und betet.

Matthew 26. 36-46 (read in German)
Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. Then he said to them, ‘I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.’ And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.’ Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, ‘So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ Again he went away for the second time and prayed, ‘My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.’ Again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.’

Some memories from the Gethsemane Church in Berlin, October and November 1989
On 2 October 1989, the Gethsemane church, under its inspiring and committed pastor, Bernd Albani, had started a vigil for people who had been unjustly imprisoned after demonstrations calling for change. A month later, on 7 October 1989, as the SED celebrated 40 years of the GDR, demonstrators gathered on the Alexanderplatz and started marching towards the Palace of the Republic where the festivities were taking place. Ranks of police beat them back, arresting and beating demonstrators indiscriminately - the scene portrayed at the beginning of the film "Goodbye Lenin". Many demonstrators then made a U-turn towards the Gethsemane church, about 2 kilometres away, where they took shelter inside the church while the police sealed off the area around the church. For two days there was an uneasy standoff, those who had taken shelter couldn't leave but the police were not prepared to storm the church.
"Watch and pray" - this is the motto for the series of events that has been taking place this autumn in the Gethsemane church to mark 20 years of the peaceful revolution and the felling of the Berlin Wall.
This morning, the Gethsemane church hosted the central ecumenical service for state and religious leaders to mark the 20th anniversary of the opening of the wall, just a kilometre or so away from where the church is located.
On the evening of 9 November, however, the church is holding another service of public remembrance. The 9 November marks not only the 20 years since the opening of the walls, but the anniversary of the "Kristallnacht" - the night of broken glass or the state pogrom night - when throughout Germany, Jewish Germans and their houses of worship and property were attacked by the Nazis.
9 November was also the day that the German monarchy handed over power to the elected politicians in 1918. Two days later the armistice was signed.

We pray and light candles for overcoming divisions and walls in today’s world

The love of God is broad like beach and meadow
The Love of God is broad like beach and meadow,
wide as the wind and an eternal home.
God leaves us free to seek him or reject him,
The gives us room to answer Yes or No.
The Love of God is broad like beach and meadow,
wide as the wind and an eternal home.

We long for freedom where our truest being
is given hope and courage to unfold.
We seek in freedom space and scope for dreaming,
and look for ground where trees and plants can grow.

The Love of God is broad ...

But there are walls that keep us all divided;
we fence each other in with hate and war.
Fear is the bricks and mortar of our prison,
our pride of self the prison coat we wear

The Love of God is broad …

O judge us Lord, and in your judgement free us,
and set our feet in freedom’s open space;
take us as far as your compassion wanders
among the children of the human race.

The Love of God is broad ...

Anders Frostenson (1906 - )
Tr. Fred Kaan (1929 - )© Stainer and Bell, London .

In the archives of the GDR State Secretary for Church Affairs there is a paper that expresses concern about this hymn and states that it must not be published in the GDR, describing the text as a means of trying to discredit the state using religious language.

Lord’s Prayer - dans nos différentes langues

Closing prayer
Across the barriers that divide race from race…
Reconcile us, O Christ, by your cross.
Across the barriers that divide the rich from the poor…
Reconcile us, O Christ, by your cross.
Across the barriers that divide people of different faiths…
Reconcile us, O Christ, by your cross.
Across the barriers that divide Christians…
Reconcile us, O Christ, by your cross.
Across the barriers that divide men and women, young and old…
Reconcile us, O Christ, by your cross.

Song
Verleih uns Frieden gnädiglich,
Herr Gott, zu unsern Zeiten.
Es ist doch ja kein andrer nicht,
der für uns könnte streiten,
denn du, unser Gott, alleine.

An All Saints and All Souls Day sermon by the Venerable Colin Williams, general secretary of CEC

Chris has taken up rowing again. Back home in Canada it was his main leisure activity. But since he came to Geneva to work as an intern at an ecumenical agency there’ve simply been too many things going on. But these last couple of weeks he’s found his way into the Geneva rowing club. And so it was that last Saturday morning he found himself up early and rowing all by himself on the Rhone. Quite unexpectedly, he found himself caught up with the beauty around him. The intense autumn colours, the silence, the blue sky, the mist rising from the river – it was he said awesome. The beauty of his surroundings took him out of himself and beyond himself He was somehow caught up in something much bigger than himself.

It was the sort of experience captured two hundred years ago by the English poet William Wordsworth. In one of his best known poems he writes about the intense effect that his native surroundings in the English Lake District in the North West of England had upon him:
There was a time when meadow, grove and stream,
The earth and every common sight
To me did seem
Apparelled in celestial light ,
The glory and the freshness of a dream

There are moments when particular places particular circumstances take us out of ourselves and point us beyond ourselves. In the Celtic spiritual tradition – the spiritual tradition which goes right back to the first arrival of Christianity in Britain in the decades after Christ’s death and resurrection – places that give us an opening into the wonder and glory of God revealed in his creation are called 'Thin Places’ . There is a Celtic saying that heaven and earth are always only three feet apart – but that in thin places that distance shrinks so that the two almost touch each other. The present day Irish poet Sharlande Sledge has written about thin places:-

‘Thin places’ the Celts call this space
Both seen and unseen,
Where the door between this world
And the next is cracked open for a moment
And the light is not all on the other side.
God shaped space. Holy

Today is All Saints Day – the day when we give thanks for all the saints who from their labours rest.
And so it is a day when we celebrate the thinness of the divide between heaven and earth. We are reminded that Gods will is that the divide will become so thin that it will be broken down by the power of his love. Isaiah expresses that in our readings this morning:………..

In Revelation too the vision is of a new heaven and a new earth meeting and mingling as the home of God is set among mortals ‘and I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying ‘ See the home of God is among mortals. Visionary poetic language – expressing a profound reality – that in Jesus Christ the things of heaven touch the things of earth and transform them – water is transformed so that it has the power to reshape our lives, bread and wine are transformed so that in and through them we may feed on Christ.

And in the story of the raising of Lazarus, we see Jesus too demonstrating how in him the thinness between earth and heaven is dissolved. To his dead friend he calls ‘Lazarus come out’ And the barrier between earth and heaven breaks open And the dead man comes out and is set free

All Saints Day is all about remembering that there is no unbridgeable gulf between the things of earth and the things of heaven. In strict Catholic theology the doctrine of the saints itself declares that. The saints spend eternity making intercession for us to the Father so that through their prayers for us in heaven our earth-bound brokenness may be healed. Some if us will buy into that theology. Many of us will not. But whatever our theology there is a much wider agenda on this day. All Saints Day is all about proclaiming that we are called to play our part in revealing the glory of heaven in the humdrum existence of our everyday world – the glory of heaven which admits of no division, the glory of heaven which admits no foes nor friends but one equal communion and identity, the glory of heaven where there is no sound of warfare but the harmony which comes from profound fellowship. In and through the Christian Gospel the boundary between earth and heaven is so thin that that glory bleeds into our world – and our calling as servants of the Gospel is to play our part in making that thinness even thinner

The Christians of the city of Leipzig in the East of Germany knew that 20 years ago. 20 years ago Communist rule in the east of Germany was in its death throes. We know that now with the benefit of hindsight. The Christians of Leipzig don’t know that then. They had no reason to know that within a very few weeks the Berlin Wall would fall and oppression would be at an end. In those October days of 1989 Christian Fuehrer was the pastor of St. Nicholas Church in Leipzig. His church had become the focus of hopes and yearnings of many citizens of his city for a new beginning. Every Monday evening since 1982 there were prayers for peace at 5.00 in St, Nicholas Church. They couldn’t be publicly advertised. But everyone knew about them. Sometimes the numbers of those attending became very low. But in 1989 the numbers began to grow. At the beginning of September, though the negligence of the authorities, western TV camera teams were able to get footage of what was happening. The following Monday people traveled from all over East Germany to join in.

But there were dangers attached to this. Already in September police had brutally attacked people emerging from St. Nicholas Church, And this was the year of the brutal repression of demonstrators by the Chinese authorities in Peking, an action expressly praised by the East German Leadership.

The crucial date was Monday, October 9 1989. It was known that extra army units had been drafted into Leipzig. 2 days before, demonstrations in Leipzifg had been violently put down. It became known that that weekend beds had been cleared in the Leipzig hospitals in advance of Monday. That Monday during the day many who were known to be participants in the peace prayers received threatening phone calls. Someone rang from one of the local barracks to say that the Communist party chief had given orders that St. Nicholas Church was to be cleared. Schools were closed early. Factories were closed and the workers told to come and occupy St. Nicholas church. The prayers went ahead . There was great anxiety about what would happen as the congregation emerged from the church. Whether they would be fired on. What they discovered as they emerged astonished them. Despite all the threats, 70,000 people had gathered outside the church to offer their support for those making prayer for peace and to protect them by their presence. What struck Christian Fuhrer was that they each held a candle. They were holding it with one hand and shielding the flame with the other. ‘For that he wrote ‘they needed both hands, so that the option to take hold of a candle became the option for powerlessness.’ Together the 70,000 walked the ring road of the city, past the St. Thomas Church where Bach had made his name, past the famous Gewandhaus from which the city orchestra took its name, right round the city. And the message was clear. On that night, the glory of heaven the glory of God’s Kingdom, was too bright to be extinguished by the shoddy power politics of a discredited regime. The boundary between the things of earth and the things of heaven seemed very thin indeed. Through the courage and determination of those people, Leipzig at that moment seemed a thin place .

Our calling is no less clear than it was for those followers of Jesus Christ twenty years ago in Leipzig. To make our community, our city, our world, the whole of the earth a thin place. A place in which not just through the beauty of his creation but also through our action, the things of heaven touch the things of earth and the glory of God’s Kingdom is revealed. Through our action, the poor cared for, racial injustice opposed, the hungry fed, the good ness of God’s creation preserved, the sick and the lonely comforted, through our action demonstrating that heaven is indeed no more than three feet away from earth - and need in fact be no distance at all.

Copyright (c) Colin Williams

Persisiting until justice prevails

The following order for morning prayers was put together by Fulata Mbano Moyo.
Morning Prayer in the Ecumenical Centre - 26 October 2009
Persisting until justice prevails

L: I am because we are
A: Since we are therefore I am
L: As God’s creation, we are interconnected and interdependent
A: We are of the same essence
L: When one suffers injustice, we all suffer as interconnected and interdependent
A: Together we commit to seeking justice for each other

Song: Word of justice ~ Agape 107 verses 1-4 in English and 1-4 in French

Remain standing for Gospel: Luke 18:1-8: Parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge

Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2He said, ‘In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, “Grant me justice against my opponent.” 4For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, “Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.” ’ 6And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?’

Song: Word of justice ~ Agape 107 verses 5-8 in English and 5-8 in French

Short reflections: Persisting until justice prevails

Sharing stories of deep belief and persistence

First sharing ~ Responsive song: Senzenina

Second sharing ~ Responsive song: Senzenina

Prayers of intercession
Everlasting God, whose justice is fulfilled in love, we give thanks to you, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, for the faithful witness of your churches in the islands of Comorros, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius and Seychelles. We praise you for the lives and work of those who witness in hardship, In multi-cultural and multi-religious contexts,
in deep poverty, always exposed to killer diseases, yet sharing the good news of your love through their empowering word and through work for social and economic justice.
Gracious God, we pray for your continued presence through the Holy Spirit, to strengthen the ministry of the churches in the public and political arenas, that the abundant life promised in the Gospel may become real in the lives of people.

Sing: Mayenziwe

We pray for your church throughout the world, teach us to live your love in justice and your justice in love throughout our daily lives. Teach your church to love the gospel it preaches and to love those to whom the gospel is preached.

Sing: Mayenziwe

Free prayer or silence

We stand to say together in our different languages the Lord’s Prayer

Blessing ~ Mayenziwe

Celebrating Diwali with the people in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka

The following order of worship was put together by Deenbandhu Manchala

Morning Prayer Ecumenical Centre, Geneva
October 19, 2009

Celebrating Diwali with the people in
India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka
Introduction

Call to worship
(To repeat each line after the leader: No.8 in Agape)

Asa to maa sad ga ma ya
Ta ma somaa jyo tir ga ma ya
Mri tyor maa am ri tam ga ma ya
Om shanti, shanti, shanty

(Lead me through quest to what is real, from the dark night guide me to the light. From death take me to the realms of living.)

Praise and thanksgiving

God be praised at all times.
Our adoration we proclaim.
We seek God’s presence, and discover holy ground everywhere.
We long for God’s guidance, and find the Spirit in each other.
We know that God is good.
God’s goodness is our refuge and our hope.
In the vastness of your purposes, O God,
We celebrate the risky smallness of our part.
In the holiness of your touch,
We celebrate the fragile fingerprints of human hands.
In the greatness of your salvation,
We celebrate the fumbling of our ideas.
In the light and knowledge of all you are and all you do,
We wait, we wonder and we rejoice.
In the stillness and the moment,
We build a bridge of adoration.
In the glory of our diversity,
We forge a bond of hospitality.
In the work we do this day,
We weave with God’s splendid tapestry
Amen.

Scripture reading: Mark 10:35-45 (Read in Sinhala)

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you." And he said to them, "What is it you want me to do for you?" And they said to him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory." But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" They replied, "We are able." Then Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, "You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."

Reflection

Intercessory Prayers

Gracious God, as we come together in prayer, we remember Sri Lanka – a nation that has bled for several decades which continues to groan in pain in the miseries of thousands of displaced people. We remember before you this morning those who have suffered the most in the conflict, the innocent civilians, those victimised and those who are striving for peace and reconciliation. Heal this nation, O great healer, restore and rebuild this wounded nation. We continue to pray for the people of Iraq who are also in a seemingly endless predicament of death and destruction. Grant peace and life to the people of these nations and to all of us.

Khuda ya Rahem kar (to be sung after each prayer - No: 42 Agape)

Compassionate God, we live in a world that is constantly under the spell of something tragic and shocking. Because of their frequency our attention and response are often distracted quickly from one to the other. Yet, we remember today the victims of the recent tragic natural disasters that have resulted in the deaths of hundreds and thousands of people – of the earth quake in Indonesia, of the tsunami in Samoa and of floods in India and the Philippines. We pray for the vulnerable – the rural and urban poor, the destitute children and the aged. Grant help, strength and hope that they too may experience your salvation in ways it matters most.

Khuda ya Rahem kar

Merciful God, we remember millions of hungry, homeless and malnourished people of these nations and everywhere even as their governments strive hard for place in the world market. We especially pray for the 350 million of them in India, the home for half of the world’s hungry people. Have mercy on them. Rekindle love and justice in the hearts of people. Grant wisdom to the leaders to realise that their fulfillment is possible only in their ability to protect the vulnerable and not in making the powerful invulnerable.

Khuda ya Rahem kar

God of life, we pray for the churches and Christian communities in these countries which exist and seek to witness as fragmented minority communities, often in extremely hostile situations. We thank you for their courage and commitment. We also pray that you inspire them to seek unity among themselves and with all people of goodwill, with people of other faiths, and with people’s initiatives for peace, justice, human rights, environmental protection so that the world may believe that you have ordained life, life for all in love and human togetherness. Amen

Hymn: Those who wait upon the Lord, Shall renew their strength (No:95 Agape)

Benediction

In the light of the resurrection despair is always premature.
God has a project in today’s events.
In paths we have not known, God leads, turning gloom into hope.

May the triune God accompany us in this journey of hope today and the days to come, Amen.

A service for the international day of prayer for peace

An Order of Service for the International Day of Prayer for Peace Ecumenical Centre 21 September 2009
(The order of service that follows includes a meditational walk in the labyrinth of peace which uses the picture here as a labyrinth of peace. the outline is an interpretation of the logo for the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation which will take place in Jamaica in 2011)

The LORD gives strength to his people;
the LORD blesses his people with peace. (Ps 29.11)

In the name of the triune God we gather
to pray for peace
to find courage to continue on the path of peace
to share the promise of peace
in a world where violence does not have the last word.

The LORD gives strength to his people;
the LORD blesses his people with peace. (Ps 29.11)

Song: Travel on travel on …
Travel on, travel on, there’s a spirit that is flowing, a spirit that is flowing night and day. Travel on, travel on with the spirit that is growing, the spirit will be with us all the way. Travel on, travel on with the river that is flowing, the spirit will be with us all the way. Geh den Weg, geh den Weg, denn du gehst ihn nicht aleine, der Gute Geist wird stark und hilft dir viel. Geh den Weg, geh den Weg, denn du gehst ihn nicht aleine, ein guter Geist geht mit dir bis zum Ziel.(2x) Voyageons, voyageons, car l’Esprit nous interpelle, l’Esprit chante en nous le jour et la nuit. Voyageons, voyageons, car l’Esprit nous interpelle, L’Esprit nous conduira sur le chemin (2x) In the kingdom of heav’n is our end and our beginning and the road that we must follow every day. Travel on, travel on to the kingdom that is coming, the kingdom will be with us all the way. (2x)

Prayer
Almighty God and Creator, you are the Father of all people on the earth. Guide, we pray, all the nations and their leaders in the ways of justice and peace. Protect us from the evils of injustice, prejudice, exploitation, conflict and war. Help us to put away mistrust, bitterness and hatred. Teach us to cease the storing and using of implements of war. Lead us to find peace, respect and freedom. Unite us in the making and sharing of tools of peace against ignorance, poverty, disease and oppression. Grant that we may grow in harmony and friendship as brothers and sisters created in your image, to your honour and praise.
Amen.
Dusting violence off our feet, preparing to walk in the paths of peace
Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. (John 13.5)

As we prepare to enter into the labyrinth of peace we take time to shake the dust of violence off our feet, to confess our own violence and to hold before God in prayer some of the desperate situations of violence in the world.

Confession and litany
Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. (Ps. 34.14)
Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

God who is the creator, redeemer and sustainer of life in all its fullness,
We ask for your strengthening power to support the victims of violence in the Congo:
we bring before you women and girls who are denied the joy and abundance of life because of the violence perpetrated against them.
Forgive us for the occasions when we have remained silent in the face of such suffering.
Forgive us for the times we have failed to name the violence as a sin and an offence against you.

Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. (Ps. 34.14)
Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

Sing: ten piedad – from Misa Cubana Señor, ten piedad de nosotros. Cristo, ten piedad de nosotros. Señor te piedad de nosotros. Si, ten piedad de nosostros.

The fruit of righteousness will be peace;
the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.
Jesus Christ, our brother and saviour,
who walked the roads of the Holy Land and lived as one of her people,
walk with those who find their roads blocked and their families divided through illegal actions in an occupied land.
Jesus Christ, our brother and saviour,
who challenged injustice and offered new definitions of power,
challenge us to express non-violent support to all who suffer and to speak out against the injustice they experience.

The fruit of righteousness will be peace;
the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever

Sing: ten piedad – from Misa Cubana Señor, ten piedad de nosotros. Cristo, ten piedad de nosotros. Señor te piedad de nosotros. Si, ten piedad de nosotros.
Too long have I lived among those who hate peace. (Psalm120.6)
Too long have I lived among those who hate peace.

Compassionate God, who through the death of your son on the cross, suffers alongside wounded humanity,
We remember communities and peoples around the world who have been victims of genocide and mass crimes against humanity.
We bring before you the people of Sudan and Rwanda.
Comfort those who mourn.
Sustain those who live with the scars of violence.
Bless all who work for truth, reconciliation and the healing of memories.

Too long have I lived among those who hate peace. (Psalm 120.6)
Too long have I lived among those who hate peace.
Sing: ten piedad – from Misa Cubana
Señor, ten piedad de nosotros. Cristo, ten piedad de nosotros. Señor te piedad de nosotros. Si, ten piedad de nosostros.

Love and faithfulness meet together;
righteousness and peace kiss each other (Psalm 85:10)

A time of silence and time to name other places and people facing violence, to name and confess our own violence.

Love and faithfulness meet together;
righteousness and peace kiss each other (Psalm 85:10)

Promise of forgiveness and peace
In Christ God promises us that all things can be made new and that we are forgiven.
For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the LORD, who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 54.10)

Going on a walk of peace and stepping into the labyrinth …
At different places in the chapel you will find water, stones, salt and light. Next to them are biblical verses for you to pick up and think about and maybe take away with you. You may also like to light further candles, pick up a stone, dip your hand in the water, put some salt in your pocket …
To reach them and to walk in the labyrinth you will need to move around, wander about and perhaps step out of your worship comfort zone. It may be best to take off your shoes to walk in the labyrinth. You may find that you bump into other people on your walk or that you have to make space for them. Although each of us will make sense of this spiritual walk for peace in our own way we all need to remember that we can only begin to build peace if we do it together.
Some of you may prefer to remain seated, rather than walk around. The version of the labyrinth printed on the cover can also be followed slowly with your finger.

Before walking we will listen to the words of the prophet Micah, we will rise to sing and then set out.

Reading: Micah 4 1-4
In days to come the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised up above the hills. Peoples shall stream to it, and many nations shall come and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more; but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid.

Sing: Caminando (at end)
A guided walk in the labyrinth of peace (you can also do this by tracing your finger slowly on the outline)
Starting is about stepping into the unknown, daring to commit, leaving cynicism behind: yes my contribution to peace-making can make a difference. Take your first step into the labyrinth at the bottom of the heart. Be prepared to meet others on your way and to greet them in peace.
Slowly follow the path from the bottom to the top of the heart and then all the way round the other side, the path will end. Have we reached the end of the road, what do we do?
Take a step forwards in faith, make a quantum leap. Often peace-making requires an act of imagination to go forwards. Step forwards onto the next finger of the path each time the path seems to end.
You will go backwards and forwards, covering the same ground time and again. Perhaps this speaks to you of the grinding hard work of building peace, of sometimes getting lost in the details.
As you reach the point where the two outer parts of the heart meet you will need to decide either to turn left and gently leave the labyrinth or turn right and go over the same broken pathway again, perhaps as a way of symbolising the detailed work of stop - start advocacy.
When you decide to leave the labyrinth try to reflect on what resources you need to be a better peace maker. Offer this need to God in prayer.

Four symbols
Water speaks to us of life, of Christ the living water; it speaks also of our physical and spiritual thirsting. In today’s world it speaks to us very clearly of the need for justice for those who do not have access to clean drinking water.

Stones speak to us of the need for all our action for peace to be grounded in real projects. Stones remind us of Christ our cornerstone and of the call to each of us to be transformed and be a living stone.

Light reminds us of Christ the light of the world and also of our own need for enlightenment as we try to follow paths of peace, ways which overcome violence.

Salt is so often only noticed when it is missing. Christ calls his followers to be the salt of the world. What does that mean for us today?
As we discover the four symbols and walk in the labyrinth we will sing Dona nobis Pacem There will also be some silence to walk in. We begin to find our way back to our places as the worship leader invites us to say together the Lord’s prayer in our different languages
Setting out in the joy of the Spirit
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news. (Isaiah 52.7)

Say No to Peace!
Say "No" to peace
if what they mean by peace
is the quiet misery of hunger,
the frozen stillness of fear,
the silence of broken spirits,
the unborn hopes of the oppressed.

Tell them that peace
is the shouting of children at play,
the babble of tongues set free,
the thunder of dancing feet,
and a father's voice singing.

Say "No" to peace,
if what they mean by peace
is a rampart of gleaming missiles,
the arming of distant wars,
money at ease in its castle,
and grateful poor at the gate.

Tell them that peace
is the hauling down of flags,
the forging of guns into ploughs,
the giving of fields to the landless,
and hunger a fading dream.
Copyright Brian Wren.

Sing: Goudeloupe Alléluia
Alelouya! Alelouya! Alelouya! Se lespwi-sen ka fè nou viv Alelouya ! Résisité avè Jézi-kri, avè Jézi-kri, avè Jézi-kri Nouska fómé on sél fanmi avè Jézi-kri, avè Jézi-kri.
Aleluia, Aleluia, Aleluia The Holy Spirit gives us life. Aleluia! Risen to new Life in Jesus Christ, in Jesus Christ, in Jesus Christ. We form one closely knit family in Jesus Christ, in Jesus Christ.

The LORD gives strength to his people;
the LORD blesses his people with peace. (Ps 29.11)

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news. (Isaiah 52.7)

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. (Isaiah 55.12)

May the Spirit of peace grant us great joy
As we walk in the ways of the Prince of peace.

As we leave let us offer one another a sign of peace in the name of Christ.

Sing Caribbean alleluia
Hale, Hale Hale lujah! Hale, Hale Hale lujah! Hale, Hale Hale lujah! Halelujah, Haleluja!

Responsive prayers for the opeing of the renovated main hall in the ecumenical centre Geneva

The following prayers were said by members of central committee before they entered the newly renovated Main Hall on August 26 2009

Dialogue of Praise
*****
Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain.
Unless a city is of God, those who guard it keep watch in vain.
*****
God set the earth itself on its foundations,
so that it cannot finally be shaken.
*****
Every house and gathering-place is built by someone,
yet the architect of all things is God.
*****
We give God thanks that we are called to gather in this space.
How good and pleasant it is when God's family dwells together in unity!
*****
In this room many have laboured and rejoiced in the service of Christ.
We give thanks to the Lord for so great a cloud of witnesses.
*****
Today we dedicate this room in honour of Willem A. Visser 't Hooft.
And we remember all who have been inspired by him.
*****
Praise to you, Lord God, for those who have led us on your way.
May their memory be eternal!
*****
Grant that we may be worthy successors to such leaders.
Bless our mission and our ministries, that we may be one in Christ.
*****
For one may plant, and another may water,
but it is the Triune God alone who gives the growth.
*****
Grant that we may be worthy successors to Vim Visser 't Hooft,
and may we dwell in that Christian unity toward which he pointed us.
*****

"One generation shall praise the Lord's works to another,
and shall declare the mighty acts of God."
*****
In 1965, this hall,

given by the family of the late Anne Douglass Dillon,
was dedicated in the presence of

WCC general secretary W.A. Visser 't Hooft
to the vision "That they may all be one".
Today we commemorate

the first general secretary of the World Council of Churches,
a transformational figure in the ecumenical movement,
by naming this space "W.A. Visser 't Hooft Hall".
*****

*****

Lord, help us hear afresh these words of the Apostle Paul:
"According to the grace of God given to me,
like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation,

and someone else is building on it.
Each builder must choose with care how to build on it.
For no one can lay any foundation

other than the one that has been laid:
that foundation is Jesus Christ." (1Cor.3:10-11)
*****
To God be all glory, thanks and praise! Amen.
*****

I have a prayer ...

This prayer ended the contribution by young people at the end of the general secretary's speech at the WCC central committee

I have a prayer ...
May our gifts and talents be offered in a right way in God's mission.
May our youth be prepared in a better way - in order to be able to understand their mission and be used to serve in this time.

That the breath of the Holy Spirit be with us during this important meeting, embracing us with wisdom and giving us sensitive eyes and ears to his operation among us, giving light to face the future of teh WCC and the ecumenical movement in this century and holding our hands to follow his way. In times of crises, disillusion, despair, in the desert of this oppressive world may the Holy Spirit be the fresh cloud that leads in the day and the fire that leads us in the night, giving us strength, faith and hope to see God's plan for us.

“E le fefe ai lo’u loto” – My heart shall not fear - a meditation by Faautu Talapusi

This heartfelt and authentic meditation was preached by Faautu Talapusi on Monday 17th August
The accompanying liturgy for the Ecumenical Prayer cycle prayers for the Pacific can be found here.

Every evening, growing up, our family would gather together for prayers as most Samoan families do. And every month my two sisters and I were given a verse or a chapter within the Bible to memorize for the following month’s evening prayers. At the time, it felt like a burden and it was sometimes done reluctantly and at other points, especially long ones with much resentment, because instead of going out to play… I was stuck home memorizing verses upon verses.

I started to think and pray about what message I wanted to share with you today. I asked myself, what is the biggest issue I am facing, and how is God guiding me in discerning a way forward? And boy I should have been more specific because I came up with a LOT of issues which I guess is always part of one’s journey. And as I thought and thought about this… I realized that in all these “issues” I’m dealing with, there were always two constants – the first one, and this is very familiar to everyone was fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of consequences, fear of being judged, fear of being rejected, fear of not being good enough, fear of losing something or someone important… fear. And the second constant was more positive, and this came from snippets of some verses I memorized years ago “O le Atua o lo’u malamalama ia, ma lo’u faaolataga, o ai ea se ou te fefe ai” – The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear. “E le fefe ai lo’u loto” – My heart shall not fear. “Ina faatalitali atu ia I le Alii, ina loto tele ia, e faamalosia foi e ia lou loto; ina faatalitali lava ia I le Alii” - Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

These verses and the many which my dear parents imposed on us (and I say this lightly for today I am thankful for that) have accompanied me in my life through its ups and downs. There are many times, I can get so caught up in my fears that I begin to doubt – sort of like when David asks for reassurance when he says Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation! And I think it’s not a doubt about God, but a doubt that these fears will overcome my thoughts and actions and eat me up inside such as How am I going to own up to an honest mistake and not fear the worse? Will I be able to trust a friend again despite their lies and dishonest actions? Do I have it in me to go forth and be the best I can be in all aspects of my life? Can I do it? How will I do it? And the questions keep coming and coming - but it’s like, no matter what….God is always there, accompanying me – always the constant, always reminding me that He loves me – despite all my flaws, my shortcomings, my let downs and my doubts. That even if I don’t know what the future holds or how I will deal with things, God’s love is going to get me through it all, just like it got me through the last 28 years I mean, He did send his only Son Jesus Christ, to share the Good News and eventually put him on that cross for me and you didn’t He? If that ain’t love… I don’t know what is…

And so today dear friends, looking at the bigger picture:
Each and everyone of us in this chapel, have personal matters to grapple with, struggles which can sometimes overtake our lives. We each have issues we must face and must address be it within ourselves, within the family, with friends, at work and/or in general.

For the WCC, the Central Committee is coming up next week and true, it will address a lot of questions many of us have but there will certainly be a lot of unknowns after that and this can be applied to many organizations today – will it get back on its feet financially, what about the programmes and their direction and how about the staff? Is there anything certain in its future?

For the Pacific Islands, its churches and communities – there is the constant threat of climate change amongst other things – when the water levels rise to the point that our islands are inundated and uninhabitable what then? How do you deal with a whole country without land, not a single inch of land? Is that still a country? How do you take a culture, its people and identity and transport everything to a foreign land? How do you tell people that they must leave the land that buries their placenta, and their ancestors under water? How does one do this?

For the global community, it’s even more overwhelming and absolutely staggering. HIV AIDS, poverty, war, violence, political instability, famine, natural and man-made disasters, religious intolerance, the financial crisis etc etc etc….

Do you see how these can get a hold of us, overcome us, never let us go and eat us up from the inside out?
I do. But I also see our God’s awesome love. Constantly there. Accompanying us. Guiding us, through the doubts and fears towards His light, telling us that we must continue in our struggles, we must do what is right, we must live our lives as a witness to the Gospel, we must keep up the fight for justice, for peace, for tolerance and for love – within ourselves, amongst ourselves, in our work, our family life and all around us.
For as the apostle Paul said “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

This is our light and our salvation.

Amene

Our next song, is a continuation of today’s meditation.

Praying with the people of the Pacific

Ecumenical Centre Morning Worship, Monday August 17, 2009
This service was prepared by Faautu Talapusi who works at the Pacific desk of the World Council of Churches and with ACT Development.

Welcome

Call to Worship
God who walks on the water of our fears,
Stretching out a hand to hold us firm,
And telling us not to be afraid:
We come to worship you in faith

God who speaks to us in story and word,
In each other, and in life itself:
We come to worship you in faith,
For you are our God and we are your people
Amene

Song – Pasifika (first 3 verses and chorus)
Let all the islands rise and sing
And to our God their praises bring
On strings and drum His might proclaim
To shout the glory of His name

Chorus
Pasifika, Pasifika
With throbbing reef and coral shore
For fish and shell and mighty whale
For all God’s gifts our thanks we pour

And when we see the stars at night
The many worlds which cross the sky
The sun and moon which give us light
We lift our hearts to God on high

The children playing on the shore
The sounds of laughter which we hear
Their love increasing more and more
Remind us that our God is near

Scripture Reading: Psalm 27 – read responsively
1The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh— my adversaries and foes— they shall stumble and fall.
3Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.
4One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
5For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
6Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
7Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
8“Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, Lord, do I seek.
9Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!
10If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.
11Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
12Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they are breathing out violence.
13I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

Halle Halle Halle

Scripture Reading: Romans 8, 31-39

31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? 33 Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Halle Halle Halle

Reflection - by Faautu Talapusi

Song: The Lord is my Light

Prayers of Intercession
God of love - who is with us, around us and in us, we give you praise and thanks. For the Good News that was brought to us by your son Jesus Christ, Our Light and Salvation.
Oh Lord hear my prayer

God of mercy – we pray for the people and churches of Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Kanaky and Tahiti. We pray that they continue to bring witness to your Word as they struggle against political instability, economic uncertainty and the consequences of climate change.
Oh Lord hear my prayer

God of healing – we pray in particular for the people of Tonga, mourning the loss of beloved ones who perished in last week’s boating accident. We also pray for the leaders of the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma, whose faith is being hindered and tested. May your love and mercy be with them all through these difficult times.
Oh Lord hear my prayer

God of life – we pray for each and everyone in this chapel today, for our family and friends, for our colleagues in the Ecumenical Center and for our work. May your Word continue to inspire and motivate us as we face our own struggles and uncertainties and remind us not to be afraid.
Oh Lord hear my prayer

God of all creation – we put before you our Earth and all its inhabitants – from the smallest insect to the biggest animal. We pray that we always keep in mind, that through whatever struggle and obstacle we face, your unconditional love will always accompany us.
Oh Lord hear my prayer

Lord’s Prayer (in language of choice)

Song – Pasifika (last 2 verses and repeat chorus)
The palms which bend towards the sky
The clouds which hurry to and fro
the birds which fly both low and high
Give joy to men on earth below

Pasifika, Pasifika
With throbbing reef and coral shore
For fish and shell and mighty whale
For all His gifts our thanks we pour

To God the Father, God the Son
And God the Spirit, praise be done
May Christ the Lord upon us pour
The Spirit's gift for ever more


Benediction
Lord God, you open wide your love for all.
We open our lives to one another and to you.
In your Spirit we go to do our daily work.
May our worship become our living and our living become our worship.
Amene.

An order of morning prayer for Australia and New Zealand

Morning Prayer in the Chapel of the Ecumenical Centre - Tuesday August 10, 2009
In the week the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle remembers Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia

This morning’s prayers are from Living Water, Thirsty Land, the 2009 Mission Prayer Handbook of the Uniting Church in Australia.

Prayer
Spirit of the living God
We seek your word this day
To hear, to heal, and to befriend
As comfort on our way.

Spirit of the living God
Uphold us through this day
As we reach out in your name
May others see your way.

Spirit of the living God
Touch minds and hearts today
That word, image, or touch
Can bring one to find the way.

Spirit of the living God
We come to seek your way
Encourage, risk and call us
To be your people this day.
Amen.

Psalm 91
Paraphrased for Arnhem Land, Aboriginal-owned land in the north-eastern corner of the Northern Territory in Australia
You who live in the shelter of ancient lands
Who rest deep in the shade of God’s grace
You will say to the Creator
“You are my refuge and my campfire
You are my God in whom I trust.”
For it is God who will give you freedom
When your life feels like a trap
And sickness and grief fill your days.
It is God who will stretch out wings of safety
Like a whistling kite in a hot afternoon sky
Spreading its wings over the land below
And calling out sounds of hope.
Because of God
you will not fear the terror of the night
Or the sorrow and struggle of the day
For you there will be no aching hunger
when you lie down
No destruction around you when you wake.
Because you have made God your place of safety
Because you have chosen God’s Spirit
as your homeland
You will know peace in the midst of trouble
And around your campfire
there will be love and wisdom.
Though you walk through harsh country
Your feet will not be hurt by sharp stones
For I will walk beside those who love me,
You are my clan, I know you by name.
When you call out to me I will answer you.
I am at your side in the time of trouble
I honour my relationship with you
With fullness of life I will satisfy you
And to you I will bring salvation.

Reflection: Have you seen Christ lately?
As the road outback unfolds like a ribbon, I look for the telling signs of a Christ-like figure that matches the road and the image within my mind.
Gnarled old trees bend to usher me on through corrugations and dust and casually I look in case I see the Christ within my mind.
An emu runs with a determined stare followed by several more, ignoring me and my road ahead, passing by until it is no more.
The faded homestead now left empty and bare flickers through the mallee scrub. A house, once a home of laughter and tears, now stands open to the elements and years and still I look for the Christ in my mind: could I possibly see Him here?
The whitened bones of a lonely steer glisten in the heat of the day, discarded and broken though once prized and nurtured; surely I couldn’t see Christ here.
A family of four, wide eyed and expectant, welcome me into their home. Their hopes have been sucked dry by the cancerous drought, as day after day the rains pass them by.
Could it be here that I find the Christ in my mind?
In the distance ahead a ramshackle pub quivers in the heat of the day and in the silence of the bar a knowing nod welcomes me this day.
Words are spoken of good times and hard, a laugh, a curse is mixed with what was needed to say and a departing handshake all cracked and hard sees me on my way. Could this have been the Christ of my mind?
As the night sky closes and the birds call their rest in the dark protective trees and as silence falls in the great outback, I know that I have seen Christ in all of these.
Dennis Cousens
Frontier Services Cunnamulla Patrol

Silence

Prayer
Gracious Lord, you are a wonderful God who surrounds us with
your presence. Help us remember that your glory can be seen
everywhere, in moments of trial and hardship as well as times of
happiness and prosperity. Remind us to always search for you.
Amen.

The Lord's Prayer

Go now to love and serve the Lord. Go in peace.
Amen. We go in the name of Christ.

Song For you deep stillness by Julie Perrin

An order of worship for New Zealand and Australia

Worship in the Ecumenical Centre, August 10 2009

In the week the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle remembers Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia
This order of prayer was prepared by Peter Prove, Emma Halgren and Michael Wallace

Call to worship
I runga i te ingoa o te Matua, te Tama me te Wairua Tapu.
(In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit)
Amine

Grace to you and peace from God our Creator, the love at our beginning and without end, in our midst and with us.
God is with us, here we find new life.

God of holy dreaming, Great Creator Spirit,
from the dawn of creation you have given your children the good things of Mother Earth. You spoke and the gum tree grew. In the vast desert and dense forest, and in cities at the water’s edge, creation sings your praise. Your presence endures as the rock at the heart of our land.

When Jesus hung on the tree you heard the cries of all your people and became one with your wounded ones: the indigenous people, the convicts, the hunted and the disposed. The sunrise of your Son coloured the earth anew and bathed it in glorious hope.

In Jesus we have been reconciled to you, to each other and to your whole creation.
Lead us on, Great Spirit, as we gather from the four corners of the earth.
Enable us to walk together in trust from the hurt and shame of the past into the full day which has dawned in Jesus Christ. Amen

Song These hills by Colin Gibson
Verses 1, 2 and 4

Confession
God of all life, in love you made us, in grace you sustain us; but we have failed your sacred trust.

Lost in the worship of ourselves, lost in greed and lost in power we are destroying your sacred gifts to us.

All that lives, the earth, the sea and the sky; we are choking them all.
God of grace, forgive us our greed, forgive us our carelessness, forgive us our faithlessness.
Restore to us a new spirit and open us to your leading towards a new way of being. In the name of Christ we pray. Amen.

Reading 2 Corinthians 9: 6-10
The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. As it is written,
‘He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.’
He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

Hear what the spirit is saying to the church
Thanks be to God

Song Tama ngakau marie Traditional Maori hymn
Verses 1, 3, 5

Reading John 12: 24-26
Jesus said, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour.’

Hear what the spirit is saying to the church
Thanks be to God

Reflection by Michael Wallace, General Secretary of the World Student Christian Federation

Affirmation of faith He tikanga whakapono
(Michael Wallace warns that this English translation is rather approximative and a different translation will be added at a later date. The confession of faith was chanted in Maori by teh worship leader with the congregation joining in with those parts in bold - very powerful stuff)
Ko koe, e te Atua tapu, te tino Atua You are God, holy, truly God
Nou te mana, te ihi, te wehi Yours is the honour, the essential spirit, the awe
Nou to ao, te mauri, te ora Yours is the world, life
Nau te katoa, i te rangi, i te whenua Everything is yours, the heavens, the earth
Ko koe tonu te Atua You are God

Ko koe te maramatanga o te ao You are the meaning of the world
I tiaho ra koe i te pouri You shone in our darkness
Kia puta ake tau Tama ko Ihu Karaiti You gave us your son Jesus Christ
Hei pou tokomanawa mo te ao. To be the centre pole supporting the world
Ko koe tonu te Atua You are God

Ko koe te Wairua Tapu You are Holy Spirit
Ko koe taku rakau You are my tree
Ko koe taku tokotoko You are my rod/support
Ko koe taku oranga ngakau e You are the life of my heart

Ko koe tonu ra te Atua. Kororia ki a koe. You are God, glory to you

Intercessions
God of Justice and of Hope, we bring before you today those who welcome us into their midst and those who turn us away, those who travel with us, and those we cannot reach, those who share our struggle and those who ignore it.
God of Justice and of Hope, be our Pilgrim God.

You are there with the indigenous people of our lands who suffer from centuries of oppression, and continue to struggle under often harsh policies. And you are there with all those who work for healing and reconciliation.
You stride before us into communities devastated by grief after this year's bushfires in southern Australia in which hundreds of lives, and whole towns and villages, were destroyed.
God of Justice and of Hope, be our Healing God.

You are there on the road with us — at the dawn, as we head out to be with your people in their place. In the blaze of the midday sun, as we meet with traditional elders or work side by side with a farmer to repair a windmill, and in the evening, as we come home into the setting sun.

You are beside and beyond us as we settle our thoughts for the night, as we bring before you the needs and cares of those we have met (and even of those we have not). And as we gather our strength for tomorrow you are there to meet us, to inspire and refresh us, when we step out to do it all again.
God of Justice and of Hope, be our Pilgrim God.

We give you thanks for the trust you place in us — to do Your will, to be Your presence, in this Your land. We give you thanks for the courage you give us —
to say and to do the right thing at the right time and to know what matters most for these Your people.

And we give you thanks for being with us — at the day’s beginning as we go about Your business and at journey’s end.
God of Love, sustain each one of us.

God of Justice and of Hope, we bring before you today a world at odds, nations riven by inequality, peoples struggling for reconciliation.

You stride before us showing us the way to engage with each other in peace,
showing us the way to embrace justice and to love one another.

We ask you for the strength to be agents of your peace, we ask you for the fortitude to make justice reality and we ask too for your living, loving example –
that we may know again how to love one another as you have loved us.
God of Justice and of Hope, Pilgrim God, let your love live within us as we journey with you on the road. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Concluding prayer
Most loving God, creator and redeemer, we give you thanks for the life of St. Laurence and for all Saints, Martyrs and Prophets who have lead, loved and inspired your people.
Guide and enliven your church in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand and all your people that we may be salt of the earth and light to the world.

Through Christ and with all your saints we offer ourselves and our lives to your service. Send us out in the power of your Spirit, to stand with you in your world. We ask this through Jesus Christ, the servant, our friend and brother. Amen

The Lord be with you
And also with you

Kia tau mai ano ki a koutou, nga manaakitanga a te Atua Kaha Rawa, a te Matua, a te Tama, a te Wairua Tapu.
(May the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit be with you all)
Amine

Go now to love and serve the Lord. Go in peace.
Amen. We go in the name of Christ.

Song For you deep stillness by Julie Perrin

Anzac biscuits
We've heard about the role of Australians and New Zealanders in World War I, and the enduring effects of the Gallipoli campaign on the national psyche in both countries.

While hundreds of thousands of Australians and New Zealanders were at war, women in both countries were creating a cultural and culinary symbol.

ANZAC biscuits were made by Australian and New Zealand women for the ANZAC soldiers during World War I and were reputedly first called soldiers biscuits, then renamed ANZAC biscuits after the Gallipoli landing. These biscuits remain very popular national symbols in both countries.

Perhaps these biscuits are a symbol of alternative nation building: A way of finding national meaning other than through war and violence. The women of New Zealand and Australia used what they could find and used their energies in gathering the wheat and other ingredients to make these biscuits. While the soldiers were at war the women worked on providing nourishment for the hungry, in caring for the poor, the crippled, the blind and the suffering.

We have some Anzac biscuits at the entrance for you to enjoy on your way out of worship today.