METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH



METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH

GOOD SHEPHERD at ‘Out West’

The First Sunday in Advent – 2nd December 2007

World aids day service

OPENING HYMN:

Children of the Rainbow Promise,

With God’s blessing sure upon us,

By the Spirit’s living waters,

Born again God’s sons and daughters.

God’s forgiving love unchain us;

In community sustain us.

Like a sister, like a brother,

We are part of one another.

Bread of Heaven, Cup of Blessing;

Life’s new covenant confessing.

Loving Parent, kind and tender,

To your mercies we surrender.

Let our promise now be given,

To be salt and to be leaven.

To be agents of God’s caring

Through our growing and our sharing.

O Immortal God of Glory,

When we tell the world your story.

May they see we’re not in factions;

May they know you by our actions.

By this covenant we’re saying,

We’re your Church, and here we’re staying.

Not a building with a steeple,

But God’s loving, caring people!

WELCOME – Pastor Robert Clark

CALL TO WORSHIP

The Holy Spirit invites us to come into this Sacred and Holy Place. Let those who hear this call, come in. For in this place will be found healing, justice and blessing. All are invited to come in and worship!

 

May the hope and joy of Christ’s Coming be with you.

And also with you.

This is the first Sunday of Advent a time, when we remember the first coming of Jesus Christ as a baby at Bethlehem and remind ourselves and the world in which we live, that Jesus Christ will come again. We also remember all who have died of AIDS, and those in our country and throughout the world who are living with AIDS. Let us pray that a cure will soon be found for this affliction, and may those who care for those with AIDS be inspired to continue their compassionate care.

LIGHTING OF THE AIDS CANDLE - Rev Greg Smith

In the name of God, we bless and consecrate this candle, naming it ‘the AIDS candle.’ We light this candle to demonstrate the fire of hope that burns within us. We light this candle as a symbol of the fire of God’s Spirit that hovers over our lives. We light this candle in memory of those who have lost their battle with AIDS. We light this candle to honour those who continue to live courageously with HIV and AIDS. We light this candle to light the way for researchers who work tirelessly to discover new life giving treatments. We light this candle as a prayer that a cure for AIDS will soon be found. Dear God, as this candle burns, so do the prayers of our hearts go forth to bless this world that continues to know the fear and destructive power of AIDS. Relieve our fears, renew our hope and bless all whose suffer because of AIDS, with your healing love. Amen.

Let us sing in response the Chorus of ‘Christ Be Our Light’ twice

Christ, be our light! Shine in our hearts. Shine through the darkness.

Christ, be our light! Shine in your church gathered today.

A person of faith is a person of hope. As Christians we cannot live without dreams, without ideals that inspire us and even make us impatient at times. God has a dream regarding our world. It is meant to become a world of peace and justice. This will happen when the light of Christ shines brightly in it. God will write this future only with the help of people. Are we awake and ready to make Christ's light and peace come into this world and change today's world into God's world of tomorrow?

Loving God, as we hold before you a world confronted by AIDS, we pray in hope for your will to prevail:

Where lives are short, may they yet be full.

When a cure is far off, may there yet be healing.

Where bodies are weak, may spirits yet be strong.

When silence is destructive, may there yet be courage to speak out.

Where judgments are hasty, may minds yet be open.

When reality is overwhelming,

may there yet be response.

Where faith is tested, may we yet find you there.

We make this prayer, through Jesus the Christ. Amen. (by: Simeon Mitchell, Christian Aid. Adapted)

ADVENT LITANY Robert Ryan

In this season of shining hope, let us call to mind the prophet's vision:

If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,

Your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noon day.  [Isaiah 58:10a-b]

Let us pray. God of tender compassion: Hear the cry of your children whose hope is faint. Lord, in mercy,

Make bright our gloom and fill the hungry with every good thing.

Ruler of all nations, prince of peace: Bring an end to violence and the starvation linked with war. Lord, in mercy,

Make bright our gloom and fill the hungry with every good thing.

Promised Savior, who will faithfully bring forth justice: Overturn oppression and greed; raise up those whom the world has brought low. Lord, in mercy, Make bright our gloom and fill the hungry with every good thing.

Holy child, stable-born: Provide warm shelter for the homeless poor, and help us to see you in every guest. Lord, in mercy, Make bright our gloom and fill the hungry with every good thing.

Infant of Bethlehem, brought in haste to Egypt: Console all driven from home by cruel threat, and protect all who must wander in search of refuge. Lord, in mercy,

Make bright our gloom and fill the hungry with every good thing.

O God, you have remembered your promise of mercy, you have come to dwell among us, and you have revealed your glory. Pour out upon us the Spirit of your love, that we might pour ourselves out for the hungry and reveal your care to the afflicted. In the name of Jesus we pray; Amen.

ADVENT HYMN: ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’

O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high, Who orders all things mightily;

To us the path of knowledge show, And teach us in her ways to go.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer, our spirits by Thine advent here;

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

OPENING PRAYER World AIDS Day Prayer Authored By Rev. Elder Ken Martin(Region I Elder). Rev Daniel Paulraj

 

Gracious God of All, another year has passed without a cure, and we are together again with

 

The grace still...

   ...to say thank you for this fragile and wonderful gift of life,

 

The confidence still...

    ...to ask for healing,

 

The courage still...

    ...to call the names and recall the faces of those who are gone from our sight,

 

The faithfulness still...

    ...to remember the promises we have made to them,

 

The maturity still...

    ...to despise intolerance yet pray for the intolerant,

 

The compassion still...

    ...to care for those suffering in mind, body or spirit,

 

The determination...

   ...to create welcoming communities of faith for those living with HIV/AIDS and their families and friends,

 

And the vision still...

    ...to lead the way into a future of promise and hope.

 

We pray today for all organizations local, regional, national and global and for those who lead the min the struggle to safeguard the dignity of those whose humanity this disease would steal.

 

We pray for doctors, nurses, family members, friends and caregivers of all kinds who bring comfort to those whose bodies this disease would destroy.

 

We pray for researchers, fund raisers, policy makers and all who work to deny AIDS a place in the future of our children and our children's children.

 

Send angels, O God, to cover us with their healing wings and renew our strength and commitment as we stand together with the faith still to believe that you are greater than AIDS.

 

In all your many sacred names we pray, Amen.

CELEBRATING GOD’S WORD TO THE WORLD IN THE SCRIPTURES

NEW TESTRAMENT READING: Romans 13:11-14 read by Thang Ngo

And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

For the Word of God. Thanks be to God.

A HYMN TO REMEMBER THOSE WE KNOWN WHO HAVE DIED FROM AIDS

Here in this place we meet in joy and sorrow,

Our hearts and minds with memories are filled.

We fear to face our emptiness tomorrow,

When thoughts are sad and many tears are spilled.

And yet we know, Lord, you have told us clearly,

That where we are, there also you will be.

You came to bring a hope of life eternal,

A promise of a future joy we cannot see.

Here in this place we gather in thanksgiving,

For all we shared, the joyful days gone by;

For those we love, our chosen life’s companions,

And those who care and hold us when we cry.

And Lord, we know that you will take the future,

That you will walk beside us in the way,

To take us on, to make a anew beginning,

To comfort, guide and keep us as we face each day.

by: Marjorie Dobson (Tune: Londonderry Air)

Copyright 1999 CJM Music St Mary’s House Coventry Road Coleshill West Midlands B46 3ED

GOSPEL READING: from Luke 1:46-55 read by John Donohoe

And Mary said:  My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants for ever, even as he said to our fathers.

The Gospel of the Risen One. Praise to you, O Jesus Christ.

All now sing the response: Halle, Halle, Hallelujah!

PREACHING OF THE WORD – Gavin Ward (MCC Student Pastor)

HYMN OF RESPONSE: When We Prevail in Prayer

1. Our eyes have caught the vision of a world that's lost in sin,

And these precious ones for Jesus we may help to gather in;

As we plead His loving gentle care and so the vict'ry win,

When we prevail in prayer.

Chorus

Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Glory, glory, hallelujah! God always hears our prayer.

2. Oh, share the gospel message of salvation full and free,

To each tribe and ev'ry nation that now waits the Christ to see.

Long and patiently they've waited; can't you hear their urgent plea?

As we prevail in prayer. Chorus…

3. When the people from all nations stand before God’s holy throne,

And the peoples of this world become those claimed to be God’s own;

They will with joy sing praises to the Christ who brought them home,

For we prevailed in prayer. Chorus…

 -- concept by G. R. Warner and adapted by S. Robinson

(Tune: "Battle Hymn of the Republic")

WORLD AIDS DAY LITANY Evelyn Sanders

We praise you, Holy One, for the gift of life, precious, stubborn, fragile and beautiful;

We are grateful for the time we have to live upon the earth, to love, to grow, to be.

We give thanks for the will to live and for our capacity to live fully all of the days that we are given;

and for those who have taken from the devastation of AIDS the opportunity to build lives of wholeness.

We give you thanks for the partners, friends, caregivers and families who have been steadfast in their love; for the people who have devoted their life’s work to the prevention, treatment and healing of HIV with passion and commitment,

For the diligent science, brilliant ideas and insights that have led to new, life-giving treatments, for the governments who have acted to provide health care for people living with HIV.

We give thanks for those whose prejudice and judgment have yielded to understanding, for those who have overcome fear, indifference or burnout to embrace a life of caring compassion,

We praise you, Eternal One, for those who have loved enough that their hearts have broken,

who cherish the memories of those we have lost, and for those who console the grieving.

God, grant us the love, courage, tenacity, and will to continue to make a difference in a world with HIV;

Inspire us to challenge the forces that allow the needless spread of AIDS to continue --

prejudice, unjust laws, repression, prudery, stigma and fear.

Into your care we trust and lift up the 60 million souls who have contracted HIV

We lift up to you our dreams of a world where all are cared for,

our dreams of wholeness,

our dreams of a world without AIDS,

a dream we know you share.

THE OFFERING, OFFERTORY PRAYER & DOXOLOGY

Holy One, teach us your ways. We seek to walk in your path, and in your light. And so, we give -- we give with joy, with anticipation, with gratitude. May these offerings support ministries that lead others to the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Bless the giver, the gift, and the receiver. In your precious name, we pray. Amen.

In gratitude we sing the ‘Doxology’

Praise Christ whose coming we await. Praise Christ whose birth we celebrate.

Praise Christ who comes to judge and save. Praise Christ our hope beyond the grave. Amen.

- words: Stephen Robinson

CELEBRATING COMMUNITY: SACRAMENT OF HOLY COMMUNION

Celebrant: Gavin Ward. Distribution: Meryl Watson, Rev Greg, Pastor Robert.

In this meal we find all our stories, the stories of how we got here. In MCC and as part of the Christian tradition, we welcome and celebrate difference. Though today we are thinking particularly of those who are living with AIDS, whatever your difference might be, you are welcome at this table. Whoever you are God’s love is for you, here and now. This is a meal of inclusion where all can take part.

May God be with you. And also with you.

Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to the living God.

Let us give thanks and praise to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

Yes it is indeed right to give thanks to you, Almighty Creator, giver of live. You created us in your image, diverse, beautiful and good. You deliver us from the captivity of sin, empowering us to oppose the evils of this world by your peace and compassionate fervor. When we turn away from Your glorious gaze in our human frailty and fatigue, You call us back into communion at this, Your table, and remind us of your everlasting presence. Therefore, let us join together in saying:

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of power and might. Heaven and earth are full of Your glory.

Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!

The night Jesus was arrested he shared a sacred meal with his followers. While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ Do this in remembrance of me. And after supper, Jesus took a cup, and after giving thanks to God he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from this, all of you; for this is the new covenant. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. This meal takes ordinary things and transforms them. God takes us, ordinary people, transforms us and uses us to transform our world. Will you pray with me?

We offer our thanks to you, O God. You are the Giver of Life. Bless this bread, the bread of life which feeds our spiritual hunger. Praise be to you, O God. You are the Sustainer of the universe and the Renewal of our souls. Bless this fruit of the vine, the cup of salvation, which refreshes our spirits. Holy Spirit, rain down upon us gathered here and at your table around the world today. Pour yourself out upon us. Come upon this bread and this cup so that we who share in this meal may be bonded with Christ and with each other. Come, O Spirit, dwell in us that we may be transformed by You. AMEN.

Join me in proclaiming the mystery of our faith: Christ has died! Christ is risen! Christ will come again!

Breaking of Bread and Blessing of Cup

In Metropolitan Community Churches we celebrate an open Communion; you do not need to be a member of this church or any church to partake. This is Christ's table and Christ Jesus invites to this meal all who will come. We recall the words of Jesus when he said, “I am the bread of life; they who come to me shall not hunger, and they who place their faith in me shall not thirst. All that God gives me will come to me; and those who come to me, I will not turn away.” Come; let us share in this meal of liberation and transformation.

COMMUNION HYMN: ‘Silent Night, Holy Night’

Silent night, holy night! All is calm, all is bright.

Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child. Holy infant so tender and mild,

Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight.

Glories stream from heaven afar. Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia,

Christ the Savior is born! Christ the Savior is born.

Silent night, holy night! Son of God love's pure light.

Radiant beams from Thy holy face. With dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus Lord, at Thy birth. Jesus Lord, at Thy birth.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION FOR PREVENTION JUSTICE by

Meryl Watson.

God of Justice, we come to you expressing gratitude for the blessings you so freely bestow upon us and trusting in your goodness. On this World AIDS Day Sunday, we offer to you our petitions and our prayers for the people whom you have given to us to love. We pray for the total physical, mental, sexual and spiritual well-being of our communities, including people with HIV and those communities most impacted by it.

 

God of peace, this disease is too often accompanied by human division and confusion. Just as the Gospel of John records you praying a prayer for unity, we too pray for unity: unity for communities most impacted by HIV/AIDS and unity of purpose for all organizations everywhere working for Prevention Justice.

 

We pray for all who are in positions of power. May their policies and practices work for healthy communities, and be a force of justice. Knowing that they must be accountable for the lives they save and those they fail to save, we pray that those who govern will do so out of love and justice.

 

Finally, loving God, we pray for the young and the elderly, the addict and the dealer, the sex workers and the imprisoned, those in poverty and those who are sick. We pray that you continue to bless and empower the marginalized that they may rise up and find healing, strength and power in you.

 

In your Holy Name we pray, Amen

THE EXTINQUISHING OF THE WORLD AIDS DAY CANDLE. Rev Greg

Let us all stand and celebrate our oneness in Christ and as we extinguish the AIDS candle;

God of life and death, we remember and pray for all who have died of AIDS.

Accept our gratitude for their lives; for all that they gave to loved ones, to their communities of worship, and to society. As we think of their lives, help us consider how we are spending our lives. May their souls and all the souls of the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace, and rise in glory. Amen.

Now let us sing together:

1. Brothers, sisters all are we, one in God’s own family.

Born from above, nurtured in love, we are family. We are family.

2. Let us live in unity, like the Holy Trinity.

Praying each day, that we will stay, God’s great family. God’s great family.

(words/music: Steve Robinson)

ANNOUNCEMENTS & BIRTHDAYS PASTOR ROBERT CLARK (Please be seated)

COMISSIONING AND BLESSING (Please stand as you are able). Gavin Ward

Go now and walk in the light of the Lord. Stay alert for the Lord is near. Pray for peace for all God’s people.

May God clothe you in the light of Christ; Amen.

May Christ Jesus teach you his ways; Amen.

May the Holy Spirit keep you alert and prepared for the coming day of Christ. Amen.

CLOSING HYMN:

Great is Your faithfulness, O God my father!

With You no shadow of turning we see;

You do not change, Your compassions, they fails not:

All of Your goodness forever will be.

Great is Your faithfulness, Great is Your faithfulness,

Morning by morning new mercies I see:

All I have needed Your hand has provided

Great is Your faithfulness, God unto me!

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Your great faithfulness, mercy, and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that’s enduring.

Your own dear presence to cheer and to guide,

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Let us go with hope in our hearts to await the coming of Christ. Thanks, be to God. Amen.



To reach all people with the GOSPEL:

especially the Queer Community in the Greater West!

Inclusion + Community + Social Action + Spiritual Transformation

we meet: Sunday 6:30pm @ 23 Railway St Wentworthville mail: PO Box 2312, Parramatta North. NSW. 1757

Pastor Robert Clark (02) 9386 9293 + Associate Pastor Karl Hand 0425 220 635

(All song lyrics covered under CCLI license No 174492)

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