Theme:Asian Women Moving Forward; Non-Violent World; New Earth; Life in Its Fullness
ACWC Day: The third Sunday in November in each year
- Procession of participants carrying the Bible, ACWC Banner and some symbols to symbolize your country (Example: Sprigs of greenery for New Zealand) and placed on or near the altar according to local custom.
Call to Worship
Leader: Micah 6:8 (Suggest to use the New Revised Version for the basic reading)
Leader: We send greetings from Aotearoa New Zealand, the land of the Long White Cloud, and join with our nineteen member countries of the Asian Church Women’s Conference to praise God and give thanks for the gift of Christian Faith which we have received.
We uphold before God, the theme of this Service: Asian Women Moving Forward, Non-Violent World; New Earth; Life in its Fullness.
We praise God for the beauty of the earth: the mountains, the rivers, the sea and the freedom we all have to roam at will. We marvel at the sunrise, sunset and gaze at the Southern Cross Constellation high in our clear night sky.
We ask for the wisdom to care for our country and our people of many nations, Maori and Pakeha who have come to live here; and to share it with others.
Let us pray earnestly today and in the future for the courage to work for the ideals of our theme so that God’s Creation in the fullest sense of human, animal and all nature will be respected.
Let us greet one another as we often do in New Zealand....Haere Mai, Nau Mai....... welcome, welcome.
Hymn: We Are Many, We Are One
We are many, we are one,
and the work of Christ is done
when we learn to live in true community,
as the stars that fill the night ,
as a flock of birds in flight,
as the cluster of the grapes upon the vine;
as the branches of a tree,
as the waves upon the sea,
as the cluster of the grapes upon the vine.
All division is made whole
when we honour every soul,
find the life of God in every you and me
as the fingers of a hand,
as the grains that form the sand,
as the cluster of the grapes upon the vine
as the threads upon the loom,
as a field of flowers in bloom,
as the cluster of the grapes upon the vine.
We will join creation’s song
make a world where all belong,
build as one in peace and loving harmony,
as the voices of a choir,
as the flames within a fire,
as the cluster of the grapes upon the vine;
as the snowflakes in the snow,
as the colours of a bow,
as the cluster of the grapes upon the vine.
Words: Colin Gibson & Music: Colin Gibson
Benedict Aotearoa
Leader: O give thanks to our God who is good:
All: whose love endures forever.
Leader: You sun and moon, you stars of the southern sky:
All: give to our God your thanks and praise
Leader: Sunrise and sunset, night and day:
All: give to our God your thanks and praise.
Leader: All mountains and valleys, grassland and scree,
glacier, avalanche, mist and snow:
All: give to our God your thanks and praise.
Leader: You kauri and pine, rata and kowhai, mosses and ferns:
All: give to our God your thanks and praise.
Leader: Dolphins and kahawai, sealion and crab,
coral, anemone, pipi and shrimp:
All: give to our God your thanks and praise.
Leader: Rabbits and cattle, moths and dogs
kiwi and sparrow and tui and hawk:
All: give to our God your thanks and praise.
Leader: You Maori and Pakeha, women and men,
all who inhabit the long white cloud:
All: give to our God your thanks and praise.
Leader: All you saints and martyrs of the South Pacific:
All: give to our God your thanks and praise.
Explanation:
Maori ~ people of our land
Pakeha ~ non Maori person
rata & kowhai ~ flora
kahawai ~ fish
pipi ~ fish
tui ~ bird
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Loving and merciful God
We come before you, conscious of how often we disappoint you. We want to be like you, to follow you in everything we do, but we get distracted by worldly things.
All: Forgive us and have mercy.
Leader: The world is full of distractions and we often turn away from those things that make us feel uncomfortable. Open our eyes to the needs of people around us and help us to be ready with a kind word of encouragement and practical service.
All: Forgive us and have mercy.
Leader: Help us to recognise our own prejudices and realise the discrimination and exclusion that damages society. Banish all contempt and self righteousness in us and grant us the humility you showed in your Son Jesus.
All: Forgive us and have mercy.
Leader: God of compassion, help us to understand that having material things is not enough. Forgive our greed, our neglect of the environment and help us all to live in your grace and aroha (Maori for love).
May we become a truly loving and healing community.
All: In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Bible Readings (Suggest to use the New Revised Version for the basic reading)
Isaiah 55: 6-12
Psalm 46
John 4: 4-29
Romans 15: 1-13
Hymn: Tama Ngakau Marie (In Maori)
Tama ngakau marie,
Tama a t’Atua,
tenei tonu matou
Arohaina mai
Murua ra nga hara:
Wetekina mai
Tenei here kino
Whakaruru nei
Takahia ki raro,
Tau e kino ai;
Kei pa kaha tonu
Ko nga mahi he
Homai he aroha
Mou i mate nei
Tenei ra, e Ihu,
Takina e koe;
Tenei arahina
A tutuki noa:
Puta i te pouri,
Whiwhi hari nui
Tama ngakau marie,
Tama a t’Atua,
Tenei tonu matau,
Arohaina mai. Amine
Words:Traditional Maori & Music:Traditional Maori
Address
Hymn: Let Justice Roll Down
Refrain:
Let justice roll down like a river,
let justice roll down like a sea
let justice roll down like a river
let justice begin with me.
Justice for all who are hungry
crying to God to be fed
left in a world of abundance
to beg for a morsel of bread
Refrain
Justice for those who are homeless
victims of warfare or need
trapped on the borders of no-where
lost in the canyons of greed
Refrain
Justice for all who are powerless
yearning for freedom in vain
plundered, and robbed of their birthright
silently bearing their pain
Refrain
Words: Colin Gibson & Music: Colin Gibson
Collection of Offerings
Lord’s Prayer: to be prayed in your own language.
Prayer for our ACWC Prayer Partner Country
We ask God’s blessing on our Prayer Partner. May the work among our members and their families be fruitful and supportive of their Christian lives. May the Lord Jesus raise their spirit and increase their love for Him and make them strong in diversity and gentle in their relationships with friends and family. May the Lord, the great shepherd of His flock enfold them in His arms.
ACWC Prayer
O Loving Creator, we present ourselves in your divine presence to thank you for all the bountiful gifts of life. We are especially grateful for the ACWC which binds us together in love and supporting around the Asian area. Free us from all doubts and prejudices, we pray. Inspire us to live in solidarity with humankind that we may know the joy of giving and receiving.
Dear God accept our prayers. Let us honour your creation with love as shown through the life and resurrection of your Son Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Creed: We say together in faith
All: Holy, holy, holy,
is the Lord God almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come.
Leader: We believe in God the Father,
who created all things:
All: for by his will they were created
and have their being.
Leader: We believe in God the Son,
who was slain:
All: for with his blood,
he purchased us for God,
from every tribe and language,
from every people and nation.
Leader: We believe in God the Holy Spirit:
All: the Spirit and the Bride say “Come!”
Even so, Come Lord Jesus! AMEN.
Reading: Revelation 22:1-5 (Suggest to use the New Revised Version for the basic reading)
Prayer of Intercession
Leader: Dear Lord God, we bring the needs of others to you now. The sounds of violence and anger are in many places around us. The ground is wounded by the greed and demands of people. In deep sorrow, our sisters and brothers of many lands are suffering. We call on you to send the gentle rains of your mercy where they are most needed. Only you can bring us your gift of peace.
Response: Oh Lord, hear our prayer for peace.
Leader: Dear Father, we know that all our leaders in the Church, in our communities, and in our countries need to be wise. Many problems are world-wide and need trust between nations. Send your blessing of wisdom we pray, on those who have responsibility. Show our leaders the right choices and the right way forward. Only you can bring us the gift of wisdom.
Response: Oh Lord, hear our prayer for wisdom.
Leader: Dear Lord Jesus, there is great illness in the world today. Many are suffering from HIV- AIDS; from serious epidemics of influenza and from local disease. Just as you walked among the sick and touched them with your hands, we ask you today to bring wholeness to your faithful people. Only you can bring the gift of healing.
Response: Oh Lord, hear our prayer for healing.
Leader: Dear Holy Spirit, there is darkness in the world; the cloud of disbelief and the worship of materialism. Many people are filled with despair, and have lost hope in the future. Shine through your word we pray, so that the true light and the true love of God can shower on the shadows of evil in our lands. Only you can win the spiritual battles with your gift of blessing.
Response: Oh Lord, hear this prayer for blessing. Use us to carry your love and compassion we pray, through the power of your name; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Hymn: Where Mountains Rise to Open Skies
Where mountains rise to open skies
your name, O God, is echoed far,
from island beach to kauri’s reach,
in water’s light, in lake and star
Your people’s heart, your people’s part
be in our caring for this land,
for faith to flower, for aroha
to let each other’s mana stand.
From broken word, from conflict stirred,
from lack of vision, set us free
to see the line of your design,
to feel creation’s energy.
Your love be known, compassion shown,
that every child have equal scope:
in justice done, in trust begun
shall be our heritage and hope.
Where mountains rise to open skies
your way of peace distil the air,
your spirit bind all humankind,
one covenant of life to share!
Words: Shirley Erena Murray & Music: Vernon Griffiths
Explanation: aroha–Maori word for “all-embracing love” mana - Maori for “dignity,” “prestige.”
Prayer of Commission
All: Together we seek life in its fullness, a non-violent world where we can live in relationship with all people.
Together may we live in a relationship with all creatures, all living things and all of nature where we are not the sole beneficiaries of the earth’s resources.
Together may we live in relationships to God so that our identity and wellbeing is grounded in the knowledge that God is Love.
Leader: Go now in Peace; Moving Forward in God’s Love.
Acknowledgements:
The National Committee Church Women United Aotearoa New Zealand acknowledges with gratitude the following copyright permission:
Copyright has been approved as follows:
Benedict Aotearoa - ”The Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia – Te Hahi Mihinare ki Aotearoa ki Nui Tireni, ki nga Moutere o te Moana Nui a Kiwa.”
Tama ngakau marie - “Te Pihopatanga o Aotearoa gives its approval for A New Zealand Prayer Book including Hymn number 80 Tama ngakau marie”
“Where mountains rise to open skies” Shirley Erena Murray MNZM FRSCMOriginal title “Hymn for Waitangi Day” copyright held New Zealand, Australia and Asia. “We are many we are one,” and “ Let Justice roll down” Colin Gibson
* This order of worship was prepared by the National Committee Church Women United Aotearoa - New Zealand
標籤： ACWC day Liturgy
Theme: Visioning the Future
*Preparation:
While the prelude music is being played, some women carry symbols of faith and life to the altar: an open Bible to be placed at the center, one big lighted candle, a potted flowery plant and the banner of the ACWC.
*Call to Worship
Leader: For the living of these days,
let us heed promptings of possibility,
let us evoke creativities of compassion,
let us be poised for flight on soaring wings of faith and love.
O come, let us worship!
*Hymn of Praise
*Prayer of Invocation: [Psalm 24:4, 6-7] In Unison
Powerful God, we praise you for Jesus Christ,
who entered the ancient gates in peace,
whose glory was shown on the cross,
whose power was shown in love.
We come before you,
not with pure hearts,
not with clean hands,
yet we seek your blessing,
we seek your face.
Grant us your grace and your peace,
Glory be to you, O God! Amen.
Litany of Confession
Leader: Here, God, we are yours. Silent now, but filled with new awareness of all our possibilities. Still now, yet full of energy for your reign of justice. Prayerfully we come to hear your Word and celebrate the Gospel, which makes us the new beings we are only just discovering inside ourselves. With hope we approach you in worship that we may celebrate the community we have become.
Great and gracious God, we have known your presence in our midst through calls to personhood, to faith, to justice, and to action. We turn humbly in confession to acknowledge that we have failed you, and each other, and ourselves.
Voice 1: O God, our Creator, we confess that we have turned away from the startling reality of our creation in your image. In fear, we have turned our backs on the dominion granted us at the beginning of time and have accepted cultural definitions of femininity and masculinity. We recognize now that by these sins we have distorted your image upon this earth. O merciful God, forgive us for failing to be with you the co-creators we were called to be.
People: Forgive us and make us free!
Voice 2: O God of all Wisdom, confronted by injustice and the awesome powers and principalities of our day, we recoil in fear and take refuge in our powerlessness. Frozen into passivity and hiding behind complexity, we pray for others to take action at moments when our leadership is necessary. O merciful God, forgive us for forgetting that your Spirit brings wisdom to those who must step forward at times like these.
People: Forgive us and make us bold!
Voice 3: O God of all the universe, we confess that we have permitted the happenstance of birth to divide us not only from, but against, each other. We celebrate our differences, and yet we fail to create that unity which the gospel demands. O merciful God, forgive us for closing ourselves to your Spirit which would unite and empower us for mission.
People: Forgive us and make us one!
Voice 4: O God of all time, forgive us. We live in a society which wastes resources and people. We have become accustomed to such waste. We value the young and the new and the shiny. Yet you, God, promise to make all things new. O merciful God, forgive us for our willingness to be every kind of new creation but yours.
People: Forgive us and make us new!
Leader: Come close, God, and hear the inner yearnings of these your people who seek to be faithful, who long to live justly and to live for justice. We seek your loving forgiveness, as surely as we are a people of faith. For in this prayer, we confess not only our wrongdoing but also our faith. Come, God our Creator, who is known in Jesus Christ. Come through your Holy Spirit and free us of these burdens.
People: Amen
-Prepared for the first National Meeting of Women, UCC, USA
Hymn of Faith or Thanksgiving
*Greetings and Passing the Peace of Christ
Leader: Let us rise to welcome and greet each other with a handshake or hug of fellowship, saying to one another, “The peace of Christ be with you.”
*Scripture Readings
Old Testament: Isaiah 65:17-25
New Testament: Luke 4:14-21
Meditation
*Prayer for the Journey to the Future
Leader: Our lives are a journey, and the road goes ever on. It’s a road that began with our birth, that winds its way through meadows and mountains that crosses rivers and canyons.
People: For the bread that has sustained us on our journey, for the guides who have led us, we offer thanks and praise, O God.
Leader: We pray for those whose journey ends mere moments after it has begun.
People: We pray for those who do not have the strength to travel on.
Leader: We pray for those whose path seems continually to wind back upon itself, spiraling through poverty, pain, prison of soul or mind or body,
People: And for those whose path is in the coils of malice until joy and power and life itself are crushed out.
Leader: In the landscape of your abounding love we know there are paths leading into tomorrows yet unfathomed. There are days ahead when all our children shall walk upon a green and fruitful earth,
People: Unafraid of war, unbeset by want,
Leader: Untouched by pain or loneliness, selfishness or uselessness.
People: Help us to shape such a world through the ACWC…that through the prayers and women gathered, we become agents of change, moving the world towards real peace, reconciliation, forgiveness and justice for all.
Leader: Let our paths not be narrow and self-preoccupied.
People: Let us build broad highways, where all may walk together in beauty, tending the gardens along the way.
Leader: As we journey on through pleasure and pain, commitment and betrayal, keep us mindful that we do not walk alone;
People: That you are a Presence in our midst;
Leader:That in Jesus of Nazareth you came and shared our common lot;
People: That you walk beside us and dance ahead of us into the future.
Leader:Deliver us, we pray, from the mire of grudges and regrets. We yearn to break away from all that, to come running to your open arms, to your arms that are spread wide with mercy and acceptance.
People: All these things we pray in the name of Jesus, whose story brings life to a dying world, hope to a despairing people, justice and love to a realm of strife. Amen.
Offertory Music
The Gathering of the ACWC
*Prayer of the Asian Church Women's Conference In Unison
O loving Creator, we present ourselves in your divine presence to thank you for all the bountiful gifts of life. We are especially grateful for the ACWC, which binds us together in love and supporting around the Asian area. Free us from all doubts and prejudices, we pray. Inspire us to live in solidarity with humankind that we may know the joy of giving and receiving.
Dear God, accept our prayers. Let us honor your creation with love, as shown through the life and resurrection of your Son, Jesus the Christ. Amen.
*Closing Hymn
*Affirmation of Faith
Leader: Isaiah said:
“It shall come to pass that the peoples
shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.”
People: This is our vision:
That a world of harmony and peace
will replace our world
of injustice and war.
Leader: Jesus said:
“Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of God.”
People: This is our calling:
To know God’s ways of peace,
and so to make peace,
in our family and community,
our nation and world.
Leader: Paul said:
“In Christ, God was reconciling the world..
not counting their trespasses against them,
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”
People: This is our faith:
That in Jesus,
we meet the God who makes peace
with our wayward and hurting world;
and that by this reconciling love,
we are moved to bridge the chasms
of fear and estrangement.
All: May it be so. Amen
*Benediction
Leader: The way is long, let us go together.
People: The way is difficult, let us help each other.
Leader: The way is joyful, let us share it.
People: The way is Christ’s, for Christ is the Way, let us follow.
Leader: The way is open before us, let us go:
All: with the love of God,
the grace of Christ, and
the communion of the Holy Spirit.
Let us journey together. Amen.
*Postlude
--------------------------------------
*AT THIS SIGN, the congregation please rise.
*This was a joint effort of the special committee which the Church Women United of the Philippines, CWUP Board constituted composed of Zeny Maturan, Prima Formillosa and Coralie to draft. Zeny is the head of Philippines World Day of Prayer Committee and Prima is the National President of the Federation of Baptist Women. The ACWC national representative, Estrella del Mundo, of course also contributed to the ideas.
標籤： ACWC day Liturgy
Leader: (Matthew 5:9) “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (New Revised Standard Version)
Call to Worship
Leader: Last year, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the ACWC together. Since then, we have taken a new step forward. Today, we are gathered together to seek the peace of Jesus Christ. Let us unite our hearts in this message from Japan and use this time to worship the name of the Lord, to sing praises, and to pray together.
Peace! Men and women, young and old, people throughout the world are seeking peace. In the Lord, we know Christ, the Lord of Peace, who gives us true and solid peace, not like bubbles that just pop and disappear. It is this Christ who releases us from sin and gives us true freedom. We receive true rest in God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we are able to receive Christ’s peace.
The previous world war shook all people throughout the world, many lives were taken, human rights ignored, and countries and people alike were severely damaged. Time has passed. However, even in the peace that we can see today there are still many people in various places throughout the world suffering because of war. Even now, right here near us, there are people who are still dealing with many problems of the postwar era. Each one of us, having received faith and wisdom and strength from God to be sent as messengers of peace, is desirous of moving forward.
Hymn: 19 Great God Our Source
Solidarity
The Testimony of Suzuko Numata
Suzuko Numata is a Hiroshima storyteller. Let us listen to her testimony.
I was 21 at that time and full of joy, because my fiancé was back home on leave from the war, and in 2-3 days we were to celebrate our wedding.
August 6, 1945. Just as I was about to go downstairs after finishing the usual morning cleaning where I worked, a beautiful light - blue, red, green, yellow, orange - all these colors spread out in front of my eyes. It was the flash of the atomic bomb. The violent wind blew me about like a leaf in a gust of wind. In the midst of this raging torrent of desks and chairs, I was crushed under the rubble.
When I regained consciousness, I was told that only 3 cm of skin remained where my left foot had been severed at the ankle and that I was bleeding from the wound. Like many other injured people, my foot was left untreated, and as a result, two days later became gangrenous up to the knee joint. When the doctor announced that my leg would have to be amputated from the thigh, I cried defiantly, realizing that I would never again be able to work or get married. However, the people around me encouraged me to have the surgery by reminding me of the importance of the life that had been saved. For a long while, the leg that had been amputated hurt as if it were still there and caused me great suffering.
Moreover, at the end of the war I received the news that my fiancé had been killed in the war. The war took everything from me. If it had not been for the war, I would not have lost my leg, and my fiancé would not have died. Because of that despair and sadness, for two years I was unable to recover on my own.
Then one day my mother reproached me, and her words were the push I needed to begin living again and to learn to walk with a 4-kg artificial leg. I had already given up the idea of getting married, but making the best use of the dexterity left in my hands, I obtained a teaching certificate in home economics and was assigned to teach high school girls.
However, for 28 years I didn’t speak a word about my wartime experiences. I didn’t want to expose my scars in front of everyone. Then appearing in an American documentary pushed me into giving my testimony and becoming active in the peace movement. I was given this chance to regain my life through someone who had become a storyteller before me. For 20 years now in front of student groups who come to Hiroshima I have continued to testify to the importance of peace, to the horrors of the atomic bomb, and to the misery caused by war.
Furthermore, making a peace pilgrimage to Okinawa on crutches gave me the chance to come face to face with the problem of the wrongs Japan had committed during the war. It made me think about the fact that there were tragedies no one had told me about and tragedies I didn’t know anything about that had led to the war. Through meeting and listening to the testimony of people there, I heard the cry for life itself. I encountered Korea through Korean atomic bomb survivors. I encountered China with its history of invasion and massacre, and Malaysia where civilians were also massacred. Through these journeys, I became aware of myself as one of the Japanese perpetrators of the war, and as a result of this unbearable feeling I apologized to them and have been able to continue this kind of exchange ever since.
One sister from China had survived 37 sword wounds all over her body, which had resulted in a miscarriage. While stroking each other’s scars, we talked about how we wanted to let as many people as possible know how we got those scars.
By looking hard at both the wrongs done and the damage inflicted and through our experiences of telling the truth about history to succeeding generations, we must educate a generation to believe “we can’t allow this mistake ever to happen again.”
For humanity to continue to live happily, as my small personal campaign I am appealing to everyone to oppose war, nuclear weapons, discrimination, environmental pollution and the destruction of nature. My testimony is only one small seed of peace. I am planting many seeds, so please water them well. For this beautiful earth and for a wonderful future, let us all join to cultivate those seeds so that they will become big and strong.
[extracted from Chikahiro Hiroiwa, Aogiri no shita de (Beneath the Chinese Parasol Tree), Akashi Shoten, 1993]
Hymn：25 For the healing of the nations
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Lord of love and peace, for the fact that when the war was over we focused only on our own suffering,
People: Forgive us, oh Lord.
Leader: For the fact that we have lived without noticing that we also had committed wrongs,
People: Forgive us, oh Lord.
Leader: Even now, we want only our own abundance, and we shut our eyes to the poverty and suffering of the people around us. For all this and for our indifference to injustice and brutality,
People: Forgive us, oh Lord.
Leader: For the fact that we embrace feelings without love towards our neighbors, that we are prejudiced and discriminate against people whose circumstances differ from ours,
People: Forgive us, oh Lord.
Leader: Instead, make us poor. The wisdom and spirituality to live together with those who are suffering,
People: Give us, oh Lord.
Leader: The joy of the suffering and resurrection shown us through Jesus Christ,
People: Let all experience together, oh Lord.
Scripture Lesson (Ephesians 2:14-18):
“For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father.” (New Revised Standard Version)
Short Message (Delivered by Local Committee)
Hymn Our Hope
Leader: Even now, the causes of war have not been eliminated from the world.
As a country that has experienced the effects of the atomic bomb, we can tell the people of the world of our deep sadness and ask that you would lead us to be able to walk the path of true peace.
People: Lord, give us your peace.
Leader: At the same time, we remember the fact that we not only suffered, but that we also brought suffering. Grant that we may not seek to escape from this pain but rather to accept it as spiritual nourishment, and give us the courage to work for you.
People: Lord, fill our hearts with your love.
Leader: We are ever mindful of the joy that is ours because you have forgiven us, but we share the heart of those experiencing deep sadness now. Lead us that together we may be able to seek your peace.
People: Lead us, we pray.
Leader: Strengthen us as we seek to respect the diversity of different points of view and help us to be able to love each other and work with you.
People: Lord, lead us, we pray.
Prayer of Intercession
*Suggest lighting up a small candle in everyone’s hand and being silent for a few minutes to remember those who suffered seriously from the war. Or lay out or hang up a world map at the front. When doing the intercessory prayers, people go forth to the front and put a sticker (in the shape of heart) on the country that they would like to pray for.
1. Pray for the victims who suffered / were injured in the Lebanon War.
2. Pray for the landmine problem in Cambodia.
3. Pray for the cutting down of nuclear weapons in North Korea, India, and Pakistan.
4. Pray for peace between China and Taiwan. (More than 700 missiles set by China threaten Taiwan.)
Leader: We pray for all those who suffer because of war and destruction which arise from the deep sin of humanity. There is no end to the chain of hatred in the world. In the midst of this deep sorrow, give us light and courage. We pray for those who are unable to accept their own worth and who do not hear the voice of God saying to them, “You are precious in my sight” (Isaiah 43:4). May your love be preached, the love that desires that not even one of your creatures should perish, and through your love may true peace be established.
Offertory and Prayer
Sending Forth and Benediction
Leader: Wherever we are, send us forth so that we may all be used abundantly as messengers of Christ’s peace.
(Numbers 6:24-26) “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.” (New Revised Standard Version)
Liberator God, Jesus Christ, Lord of peace and hope, may the work of the Holy Spirit be with each one of us to help us bring about reconciliation.
All: Amen.
Postlude
標籤： ACWC day Liturgy
- Worship centre/focus: Include symbols of faith important in your culture/local customs e.g. Scriptures (a Bible); Baptism (shell/jug/bowl of water/font); Symbols of Eucharist/Communion; Cross; Candle; Drapes f colour, flowers. If culture allows, images/photos of known people of faith.
- WELCOME to everyone, young and old, taking part in this service. Welcome to country by indigenous people within Australia. A recognition of the traditional owners/carers of the land.
- Processional with ACWC banners
Leader: Because of the great things the Mighty God's has done for us all, we worship the Lord. His name is holy: from one generation to another he shows his mercy to those who honour him.
Hymn: TiS 161 vs 1, 2 & 4 Tell out my soul, the greatness of the Lord
Tune: Woodlands 10 10. 10 10 Walter Greatorex
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!
Unnumbered blessings, give my spirit voice;
tender to me the promise of his word;
in God my Saviour shall my heart rejoice.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his name!
Make known his might, the deeds his arm has done;
his mercy sure, from age to age the same;
his holy name – the Lord, the Mighty One.
Tell out, my soul, the glories of his word!
Firm is his promise, and his mercy sure.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
to children's children and for evermore! -Timothy Dudley-Smith
The Testimony From Generation to Generation
Reference to the fact that Aboriginal people have been living in and caring for this land for over 40,000 years. Acknowledge that it was European settlement that disrupted them, and had an impact on their life style, culture, and language.
In many instances it was the Christian Church which accepted responsibility for the care of people, especially children. The decision of the Government early this year to say ‘sorry'.
In the indigenous culture, story-telling is the way in which things are passed on … the sacred stories, culture and faith traditions wiped out by Christian people. … the smoking ceremony when a baby is born. …
Grandmother – Mother – Daughter, and also Younger to Older
The local committee will choose people to speak about
Learning the Faith,
Passing on the Faith
Leader: A thanksgiving for Australia
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 promise.
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 convicts, the hunted, and the dispossessed.
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
- Ms Lenore Parker from A Prayer Book for Australia (Broughton Books 1998)
Hymn: TiS 253 O Lord Jesus Marrkapmirr
Tune: Marrkapmirr 77.75 Australian Aboriginal melody
O Lord Jesus Marrkapmirr
all the power belongs to you,
hold me by this power O Lord
you alone are king
Now we praise you for your Word,
living, true and full of light,
yours the hands that rest on me
hold me for all time.
-Aboriginal people of Arnhem land, versified by D'Arcy Wood
(Note ‘Marrkapmirr’ is a term of endearment, and means in this context ‘altogether lovely, and worthy of affection’)
Prayers of Adoration and Confession
Leader: Creating God, you called the world into being, you hold all people in your love. You called each of us into being, breathing life into us and calling us to worship you.
People: We gather in worship for we love you and adore you.
Leader: Faithful God, from generation to generation you call people of every race to serve you. We learn stories of your faithful ones as we read or listen to their stories in the Hebrew and New Testament scriptures and in lives of people in more recent times.
People: God of all people, we love you and adore you.
Leader: Amongst them you called Noah, Abraham and Sarah, the parents of Moses and later Moses himself, prophets, kings and queens, shepherds, a slave girl, Naomi and Ruth, Esther, John the Baptist, your only Son, Jesus, those whom he called and others since. Some we know, others we don't. Many gave their lives, persecuted for their faith. Many of your faithful ones suffer still.
People: God of all people, we love you and adore you.
Leader:We pause to remember in silence those times we have not reflected the love of God in our lives. (pause)
Leader: Timeless God,
We confess that we do not live as the people you create us to be. (pause)
We do not treat your created world with respect, care or compassion. (pause)
In our selfishness we are often careless as we use all you give us, taking for granted
the resources you have created.
People: We ask your forgiveness.
Leader: Caring God,
We do not always love you, others or ourselves as we should.
We forget you love all people when we exclude people because they are different. Unlike us you set no boundaries of race, gender or life style.
Unlike your faithful ones in the past we hang onto our faith, not sharing it with others even ignoring those who worship you in different ways than we do.
People: We ask your forgiveness through Christ our Saviour.
Leader: Lord God,
Bring us together as one, reconciled by you and reconciled with each other.
You made us in your likeness, you gave us your Son, Jesus Christ.
He has given us forgiveness from sin. Lord God, bring us together as one, different in culture, but given new life in Jesus Christ, together as your body, your church, your people. Lord God, bring us together as one, reconciled, healed, forgiven, sharing you with others as you have called us to do. In Jesus Christ, let us be together as One.
People: Amen
Adapted from a prayer by Bishop Arthur Malcolm from A Prayer Book for Australia (Broughton Books 1998)
Words of Assurance
Leader: John reminds us that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” Hear Christ’s words of grace to us: “Your sins are forgiven.”
People: Thanks be to God.
THE PEACE one with God, and one with each other
Leader: The peace of the Lord be always with you
People: And also with you.
(Please exchange a sign of peace with those around you)
Hymn: TiS 693 Come as you are
Tune:‘Come as you are’ - irregular. Deidre Browne, David Putney
Come as you are: that’s how I want you,
come as you are; feel quite at home,
close to my heart, loved and forgiven,
come as you are; why stand alone?
No need to fear, love sets no limits;
no need to fear, love never ends;
don’t run away shamed and disheartened,
rest in my love, trust me again.
I came to call sinners, not just the righteous;
I came to bring peace, not to condemn.
Each time you fail to live by my promise,
why do you think I’d love you the less?
Come as you are; that’s how I love you;
come as you are, trust me again.
Nothing can change the love that I bear you;
all will be well, just come as you are. -Deidre Brown
Readings from Scripture
(May be read in different languages if your community has a mixture of cultures.)
Ruth 1:14b–19a
Hebrews 11:32–12:3
Psalm 139:1–18
John 3: 1–16
Leader: Gracious God, may your word live in us.
People: And bear much fruit to your glory.
Message
Prayers of Intercession
The Lord's Prayer (in own language)Leader: God of all truth, you have chosen as your blessed ones those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
We give thanks for those whose lives have shone with integrity and goodness.
We give thanks for your prophets of old and all today who fight for justice, freedom, and truth.
People: We give you thanks and praise.
Leader: Help us to follow their example, that we too may be filled with your spirit.
God of truth, for all the saints,
People: We give you thanks and praise.
Leader: God of all humility, you have chosen as your blessed ones those whose hearts are simple and pure.
We give you thanks for those who do not grasp at material possessions.
We give you thanks for all those whose good works have been unnoticed and unsung.
People: We give you thanks and praise.
Leader: Help us to follow their example, that we too may come to see your face.
God of humility, for all the saints,
People: We give you thanks and praise.
Leader: God of all faithfulness, you have chosen as your blessed ones those who have remained steadfast in the face of danger and persecution.
We give thanks for those of this church who have gone before us.
We give thanks for all whom we hold dear who are now in your eternal presence. We give thanks for all who have followed in your way until their life's end.
People: We give you thanks and praise.
Leader: Help us to follow their example, that we too may rejoice to come into our reward and, with all the saints of heaven, worship you for ever.
God of all faithfulness, for all the saints,
People: We give you thanks and praise.
from ' Let Us pray' by Janet Nelson, Harper Collins Religious - with alterations
Prayers for our prayer partners (for example - Australia and South Korea)
Offering for the work of ACWC, with musical interlude
Offertory Prayer
Leader: We thank you, Lord, for all you have given us.
Please accept these tokens of our love for you and use the money to further the work of your kingdom through ACWC.
People: Amen
Hymn: TiS 455 For all the saints
Tune: Sine Nomine 1010.10 and Hallelujahs Ralph Vaughan Williams
For all the saints who from their labours rest,
who to the world their Lord by faith confessed,
your name, O Jesus, be for ever blessed.
Hallelujah, hallelujah.
You were their rock, their fortress and their might,
you were their captain in the well fought fight,
in deepest darkness still their one true light.
Hallelujah, hallelujah.
And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
steals on the ear the distant triumph song
and hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.
Hallelujah, hallelujah.
But see, there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on his way.
Hallelujah, hallelujah.
From earth’s wide bounds and ocean’s farthest shore,
Through heaven’s gate the holy people pour;
The Three-in-One for ever they adore.
Hallelujah, hallelujah. - William Walsham How 1823-97 alt.
Sending Forth and Benediction
Leader: Go boldly into the future that God has claimed for you,
know that the God who holds all things will be there,
that Christ who calls us friend will walk beside us,
and that the Spirit who makes all things new
will mark our way with light and hope.
And the Blessing of God,
Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer,
be upon us all and remain with us always
People: Amen
Hymn: TiS 720 Halle, hallelujah!
Tune: Halle, Halle. Caribbean Traditional – arr. Terry MacArthur
Halle, halle, hallelujah!
Halle, halle, hallelujah!
Halle, halle, hallelujah!
Hallelujah, hallelujah!
(repeat two or three times) - Caribbean traditional, World Council of Churches
Postlude
Prayers used with permission.
Prayers of Intercession written for this service.
TiS 161, 253, 693, 455 Hymns used with permission
(Together in Song, HarperCollins Publishers, Australia 1999)
* This order of worship was prepared by the National Executive of Australian Church Women
標籤： ACWC day Liturgy
The Role of Women in Upholding the Dignity and Integrity of All God’s Creation
- Processional with the ACWC banner
- Preparation – Each member representing denominations and Christian organizations will bring water in pots and to pour it into one large vessel placed in the centre.
Leader: Call to Worship – Psalm 103: 1-5
With all my heart I praise the Lord
And with all that I am I praise his holy name
With all my heart I praise the Lord
I will never forget how kind he has been
The Lord forgives our sins, heals us when w e are sick
And protects us from death
His kindness and love are a crown on our heads
Each day that we live, he provides for our needs
And gives us the strength of a young eagle
Prayer
Almighty God, you are the source and creator of all our life, we praise you and honour you on this special occasion as we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Asian Church Women’s Conference. Gracious Father, we thank you for your faithfulness to us through the past fifty years and for your bountiful blessings on the ACWC through the years. We remember with gratitude all those who have worked tirelessly to carry on the work of the ACWC. Today we worship you, not because it is a duty, but because you have called us to witness to the world our faith in God, to search together for God’s righteousness in our life and words, here and now. For you are the glory and the power, your name be praised now and for ever more. Amen
The Lord’s Prayer – to be sung
Hymn - Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness, Oh God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not
As Thou hast been thou forever will be
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord 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 Thy great faithfulness mercy and love
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Leader : Let us thank God for women all over the world who proclaim
Jesus Christ as their Saviour.
Response : We praise your name O Lord
Leader : For redeeming us and for giving us the fellowship of the Spirit and
for enabling us to work together as women
Response : We praise your name O Lord
Leader : In darkness you have been our light, in adversity and temptation a
rock of strength, in our joys the very crown of joy, in our labours
all sufficient rewards
Response : We praise your name O Lord
Leader : For the opportunity you have provided to each one of us women to
be in solidarity with each other.
Response : We praise your name O Lord
Leader : For the gift of the Good News which challenges and transforms
our social, economic, political and cultural structures and
nstitutions.
Response : We praise your name O Lord
Scripture Reading: Old Testament – Esther 4: 8-14
New Testament – Matthew 26: 6- 13
Hymn: Make me a blessing
Out in the highways and byways of life
Many are weary and sad
Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife
Making the sorrowing glad
Chorus: Make me a blessing, make me a blessing
Out of my life may Jesus shine
Make me a blessing, O Saviour I pray
Make me a blessing to someone today
Tell the sweet story of Christ and His love
Tell of His power to forgive
Others will trust Him if only you prove
True every moment you live
Give as ‘twas given to you in your need
Love as the Master loved you
Be to the helpless a helper indeed
Unto your mission be true
Voices of Women (in conflict situations)
Voice 1: I am a displaced woman, living in a refugee camp with no basic facilities, no food, no drinking water, no clothing. My children are starving. We have no proper shelter, no proper sanitation and so many health hazards! My husband is no longer with me and I am vulnerable to many forms of abuse. I am so helpless and lonely and I cannot go on living like this!
Voice 2: I am a victim of the tsunami and I still don’t have a proper home to call my own. I have been moving from place to place hoping to have a permanent shelter but there is no one willing to take responsibility for me and my family. Even now with all the natural disasters taking place around me like floods and earth slides, it is just overwhelming for me to live. The fear and trauma I faced after what happened is hard for me to face. I have nightmares almost every night.
Voice 3: My husband is an alcoholic. He comes home drunk every day and beats me up. He does not provide for me and the children. I live each moment in fear not knowing when he will walk in and start beating me. He abuses me sexually too and I am mentally drained out. I don’t know what to do.
Voice 4: Because I am a woman, wherever I go people look down on me. I am not given a place in society and because of the ethnic war that continues in our land I do not want to reveal my identity for fear of harassment, rejection and abduction.
Voice 5: Because I am a woman, I am not considered for employment. Even if I am selected I am paid less than the men are paid. I have to work from morning till night but do not earn enough to feed my family. I also have to work hard at home to take care of my family but I am not even appreciated. It is a thankless task.
Voice 6: I am a woman who is not beautiful. My parents are poor and cannot afford to give a dowry so I remain single. Even during my growing years my father and brothers always got the best of everything. I did not get a proper education. My father educated only the boys. Because I was a girl I didn’t need an education. I always had to care for my younger brothers and sisters while my parents were away at work. My older sister who is married is also suffering because her mother-in-law is ill-treating her as she didn’t bring a dowry. I cannot understand why this has happened to me.
Voice 7: Being a woman in the Church I have to arrange the flowers, pour the tea, help in sales and bazaars. I also teach in the Sunday School and sing in the choir. But when it comes to positions of leadership I am always overlooked because I am a woman.
Prayer of Confession
Leader : O God, we confess that when you asked for our hands that you
might use them for your purpose, we gave them for a moment,
then we withdrew them, for the work was hard.
Response : God forgive us
Leader : You asked for our mouths, to speak out against injustice.
But we gave you a whisper so that we might not be accused.
Response : God forgive us
Leader : You asked for our eyes, to see the pain of women.
But we closed them, for we did not want to see.
Response : God forgive us
Leader : You asked for our life, that you might work through us.
But we gave a small part that we might not get too involved.
Response : God forgive us
All : God forgive us our calculated efforts to serve you only when it is
convenient for us to do so, only in places where it is safe to do so,
and only with those who make it easy to do so.
Creator God forgive us, renew us, send us out as a usable instrument that we might take seriously the meaning of your Cross.
God of mercy, in your Son you offer us unconditional forgiveness for the sins we truly confess. Grant us your pardon for those sins we acknowledge and those we do not have the courage to confront:
When, by our actions we have impeded your will;
When, through our indifference to others we have taken away their hope;
When, through indifference to the obedience of your laws and through weakness we have not responded in the way you wished, either personally or as communities.
Come to us in your mercy, to repair our broken lives and to hasten the hour of full communion among us, in the name of the love of Jesus Christ. Amen
Message
Hymn – I surrender all
All to Jesus I surrender
All to Him I freely give
I will ever love and trust Him
In His presence daily live
I surrender all
I surrender all
All to Thee, my blessed Saviour
I surrender all
All to Jesus I surrender
Humbly at His feet I bow
Worldly pleasures all forsaken
Take me, Jesus, take me now
All to Jesus I surrender
Make me, Saviour, wholly Thine
Let me feel the Holy Spirit
Truly know that Thou art mine
All to Jesus I surrender
Lord, I give myself to Thee
Fill me with Thy love and power
Let Thy blessing fall on me
All to Jesus, I surrender
Now I feel the sacred flame
Oh, the joy of full salvation
Glory, glory to His name!
Special Prayer for Your Prayer Partner
Offertory
Dedication of offerings
Closing Hymn
Prayer
All – Proclamation of Good News for Women
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is good news to all the women of the world
To those who are weighed down with guilt, it is forgiveness
To those who sin, it is redemption and renewal
To those who are oppressed, it is freedom
To those who live with fear, it is peace
To those who are despised and rejected, it is kinship with the God who endured the shame of the cross
To those who are bound by culture and tradition, it is emancipation by One who treated women as equals
To those who cannot trust, it is dependence upon One who has proven Himself trustworthy
To those who are lonely, it is friendship with the Best Friend women ever had
To those who are devalued, it is a new identity as joint-heirs of the grace of God
As women who follow the Lord Jesus Christ, we are compelled by His love, commanded by His Word, and gifted by His Spirit to share this Gospel with those who have not seen or heard the salvation of our God.
Therefore,
We will radiate His light into the dark corners of women’s experience;
We will bear His life to those who are dying;
We will share our bread with those who are hungry;
We will declare His promise of resurrection to those who have no hope;
We will proclaim His empowerment to those who are powerless;
We will bring affirmation to those who do not know they are made in the image of God;
We will see with the eyes of Jesus, weep with His tears, hear with His ears, speak with His words, touch with His hands, embrace with His arms, and feel with His heart
Until that great day comes
When every woman, man and child will know the glorious grace and goodness of our God.
Amen
Benediction
*. The Liturgy is composed by the National Association of Church Women ( NACW) in Sri Lanka.
標籤： ACWC day Liturgy