COCU56B

Readings
Proverbs 1:20-33
Wisdom cries out in public for the crowd to turn away from their foolishness, but, in spite of the invitation, the people have refused to listen. So, they will receive no help when disaster comes, but those who obey will be protected.
Psalm 19
Creation proclaims God’s glory, and the Psalmist celebrates God’s law that brings life, refreshes the soul, gives insight and wisdom, and corrects him when he goes astray.
James 3:1-12
The tongue is a small thing, but it has tremendous power for good or ill. Although human beings have tamed all sorts of animals, we struggle to tame the tongue. But, for God’s people, blessing and curses should not come out of the same mouth.
Mark 8:27-38
Jesus asks his disciples who the people say he is, and then who they say he is. Peter replies that he is the Christ. Then Jesus predicts his coming death and resurrection, but Peter tries to correct him. Jesus responds by rebuking Peter, and then teaching that all who seek to follow him must take up their crosses, and not be ashamed of him.
(Summaries, John van de Laar, Sacredise)

Readings to print, A4 landscape folded, Pilgrim COCU56B.Readings

What will it profit you to gain the whole world and forfeit your life?
Indeed, what can you give in return for your life? (Mark 8.36-37)

In how many ways do you forfeit your soul?
For what borrowed thoughts,
what presumed judgments,
have you given away
what is you,
the dark I AM at the core?
What can counterfeit that beauty,
approximate that mystery,
replicate that once-in-a-lifetime You?

Oh, yes, the suffering of honesty is real,
the cost of being yourself is awful.
Almost as bad as not,
except for the stripping away of what isn’t,
the loss of what was loss to begin with,
the death of all that isn’t eternal of you,
with nothing left but divine light.

Come stand in this clearing,
exposed and true,
solitary yet embraced – possessed –
and let the word that began all things
burn in you.
(Source: Steve Garnaas-Holmes, Unfolding Light)

Wisdom calls – an order of service prepared by United Church of Christ. Wisdom Calls.UCC

This video could be used in conjunction with the Psalm 19 reading. This is a journey from Eye to Universe’. The video is beautiful animation of the journey starts from ‘Eye to Outer Space’ when ‘Eye Zooms into Universe’. It gives us stunning view from earth to universe and then back again. A girl is lying on green grass with a smiling face. The journey to space and outer universe starts right from her eye and takes us to space, our solar system, our galaxy and then beyond our galaxy. We travel like 1 billion light years in the Universe and then back to the same girl lying on green grass. Then another journey to the inner universe begins from her eye. We enter in her body through pupil then comes the retina, a blood vessel and enter in her white blood cell. There is another micro-microscopic universe within. This is a 3 or so minutes video that gives us glimpse of our space and the inner world.

http://oldtractortinshed.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/connection-01.jpg

Connection, pen on paper, Mark A Hewitt September 2012.
Being anchored in God, one with God. A visual poem about self working down the tree and being anchored in God. This poem was created at a workshop titled ‘sanctuary’, a workshop about worship with Trish Watts & Tony Hole.

The Theology of ‘Rid’ding…(a Facebook post by Bijin Varghese)
Meister Eckhart’s most famous theological statement haunts me for the last couple of weeks. He says, ” I pray to God to rid me of God.” This would be a most non-theological statement in our logical sense. My journey of theological discourses taught me it will be utter foolishness if I define God because as St. Augustine says, “If you comprehend it, it is not God.” The best understanding of God is only possible by letting off our prejudiced thought patterns and fixed conceptions about God is what does it meant by stripping away. It is in this notion, we see Jesus as truly God and truly human; an epiphany of both revelation and disclosure. “Jesus as the lens through which we see God and what a life full of God is like,” as Marcus Borg views… Jesus challenges to get ‘rid off’ our perceptions and notions through a single question, “Who do People Say I am?” (Mark 8:27)…

Acknowledgement of Land
Gathering
Prayer of thanksgiving
Prayer of confession/prayers of who we are
Words of Assurance
Prayer for Illumination
Readings
Prayers for others
Lord’s Prayer
Prayer of Dedication
Benediction and sending out
(Communion)
(Communion Hymns)
(Music)

Music

The Universe in God
All creation sings a story
Of great splendours to declare;
When we contemplate its beauty
We are called forth into prayer.
We, enchanted, stand in silence;
God discovered everywhere.

When we stumble on new knowledge,
When new insights help us grow,
We are quick to re-discover
Just how much we do not know.
But the Universe smiles gently,
As our theories come and go.

Outer space and inner being
Both have secrets they conceal.
Galaxies so grimly awesome,
Deep emotions that we feel –
All in God are judged as sacred;
It is God they all reveal.

Ageless mysteries still excite us;
Time and space we must explore.
God the ‘Presence’ and ‘Surrounding’,
God the ever wondrous ‘More’ –
Not just found by science labours,
But in praise when we adore.

From Volume 1 of “Singing a New Song”,
Words by George Stuart 
(Tune: Lauda Anima/Praise My Soul TIS 179)

About admin

Rev Sandy Boyce is a Uniting Church in Australia Minister (Deacon). This blog may be a help to people planning worship services.
This entry was posted in COCU Year B, Year B. Bookmark the permalink.