Live love laugh ...

This service was put together in memory of colleague Suzanne Tomaiuoli who took her own life in a moment of despair just a year ago ...

Worship in the Ecumenical Centre 6 September 2010
Live Love Laugh
Carrying hope forwards

In the beginning was the word
Am Anfang war das Wort
Au commencement était la parole
Musical Prelude

Words of welcome and call to worship

We rise to praise God and sing "Shine Jesus shine"
Lord, the light of Your love is shining,
In the midst of the darkness, shining;
Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us,
Set us free by the truth You now bring us,
Shine on me, shine on me.

Chorus
Shine, Jesus, shine,
Fill this land with the Father's glory;
Blaze, Spirit, blaze,
Set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flow,
Flood the nations with grace and mercy;
Send forth Your word,
Lord, and let there be light.

As we gaze on Your kingly brightness
So our faces display Your likeness.
Ever changing from glory to glory,
Mirrored here may our lives tell Your story.
Shine on me, shine on me.

Chorus

Prayer

A lament sung in Maori

From Psalm 130
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD.
Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplications!
If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.
O hope in the LORD!
For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD.
Lord, hear my voice!
Sing "Come Holy Spirit"

Litany of Repentance and Assurance of Pardon

While we live, we are always being given up to death.
Lord, to whom should we go? You have the words of eternal life.
Almighty God: Your love never fails,
and you can turn the shadow of death into daybreak.
We confess that we are slow to accept your promises,
and we are easily overcome by mourning.
We do not love as we ought to love, nor do we succeed in living as you command.
Lord God, have mercy upon us. Forgive us our sin and raise us to new life.
Grant that we may be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, and that we may live to serve you.
Help us to love our neighbours as ourselves, and to enter into the joy of your presence.

Sing Come Holy Spirit

Who is in a position to condemn? Only Christ, and Christ died for us, Christ rose for us,
Christ reigns in power for us, Christ prays for us.
Hear and believe the good news of the gospel:
God is love, and in Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Thanks be to the triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit! Amen.

Sing: Hale Hale Hale luja

Reading Numbers 11:10-15
Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, all at the entrances of their tents. Then the Lord became very angry, and Moses was displeased. So Moses said to the Lord, ‘Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why have I not found favour in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? Did I conceive all this people? Did I give birth to them, that you should say to me, “Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a sucking child”, to the land that you promised on oath to their ancestors? Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they come weeping to me and say, “Give us meat to eat!” I am not able to carry all this people alone, for they are too heavy for me. If this is the way you are going to treat me, put me to death at once—if I have found favour in your sight—and do not let me see my misery.’

Sing: Hale Hale Hale luja

Reading 2 Corinthians 1:1-11
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the church of God that is in Corinth, including all the saints throughout Achaia:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ. If we are being afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation; if we are being consoled, it is for your consolation, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are also suffering. Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our consolation.
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of the affliction we experienced in Asia; for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death so that we would rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He who rescued us from so deadly a peril will continue to rescue us; on him we have set our hope that he will rescue us again, 11as you also join in helping us by your prayers, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted to us through the prayers of many.

Sing Here I am Lord

I, the Lord of sea and sky,
I have heard my people cry.
All who dwell in dark and sin,
My hand will save.

Chorus
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.

I, who made the stars of night,
I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall I send?

Chorus

I, the Lord of snow and rain,
I have borne my people’s pain.
I have wept for love of them.
Whom shall I send?

Chorus

Sermon

Musical interlude

Prayers of the people
When Suzanne died she had been knitting with this beautiful threed shot through with gold. the note she left was found underneath the knitting. Somehow even in her despair she had picked up the thread again. As we pray for her family and loved ones, as we pray for ourselves and the world, we also try to pick up the thread of life and meaning.
During these prayers and the singing those who wish to may light a candle and take some barley seeds to plant as signs of hope and new life.

Sing: Mayenziwe

God of life we thank you for all you give us;
We thank you for all that we have to eat and drink,
for the work of our hands and the work of our minds
for creative thought and caring action.
We thank you for those whose unseen toil contributes to the fabric of our society.

Sing: Mayenziwe

God of consolation,
Today we give thanks for our families, friends and colleagues
Remembering all who have died and giving especial thanks for the life of Suzanne, her work and witness in this place and beyond.
We pray for all who grieve her - remembering her mother, sisters and daughters;
praying also for ourselves.
May we learn to listen to those who grieve and are in pain.
Help us to share what we have to fulfil your command to love others
as we love ourselves.

Sing: Mayenziwe

God of justice, we pray for those who are facing an uncertain future
because of floods or drought
because of war and natural disaster
because of trade restrictions, corruption and lack of resources.
We pray for the people of Pakistan,
for the people and churches in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia

Sing: Mayenziwe

Time for silent prayer

Sing: Mayenziwe

The Lord's Prayer said in our different languages

Musical interlude

Et maintenant ces trois choses demeurent: la foi, l'espérance et l'amour

And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three;
and the greatest of these is love.

Live love laugh …

The Blessing

Sing: Siyahamba