Festival Service of Holy Communion
Opening of the 16th Biennial Assembly
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Note: This service was prepared by members of the Atlantic Ministry Area. The fabric and colours of the Nova Scotia tartan helped form the litanies and prayers that were offered during this service.
GATHERING
SCREEN: The Nova Scotia tartan image is displayed as people enter the worship space.
Gathering Music: Wild Oats Band
SCREEN: Nova Scotia tartan
Greeting:
Assembly remains seated
The liberating grace of Jesus Christ,
The free love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit
be with you all.
And also with you.
Litany:
- Written by Rev. Rick Pryce, based on the colours in the Nova Scotia tartan, and the LWF 2017 Reformation theme, ‘Liberated by God’s Grace’.
SCREEN: There are images to go with the litany and to indicate the assembly responses.
1 - Nova Scotia, Canada’s Ocean Playground.
2 - Nova Scotia, site of the oldest worshipping Lutheran congregation in Canada.
3 - Nova Scotia, home of the Mi'kmaq people, first to inhabit this unceded and unsurrendered territory.
We are liberated by God’s grace to remember our history.
1 - Blue and white, colours of the surf-ridden seas.
2 - The Atlantic Ocean, the Strait of Canso, the Bay of Fundy, Bedford Basin, and 7,500 kilometres of rocky coast.
3 - Cod, lobster, scallops, clams, mussels, haddock, squid, snow crab, salmon and seaweed, all proclaiming the rich provision of God.
We are liberated by God’s grace to give thanks for the abundance of life.
1 - Blue and white, colours of three thousand lakes, and one hundred and fifty rivers.
2 - Out of which we take fish and wildlife, drinking and bath water.
3 - And into which we dump raw sewage. And tailings. And coffee cups. And industrial waste. And plastic bottles.
Because it’s convenient. Because it’s cheap.
We are liberated by God’s grace to proclaim: Creation is not for sale.
1 - Green, colour of the forests, which cover three quarters of the province.
2 - With only one half of one percent still considered “old growth forest.”
3 - With ninety nine percent of logging being performed by clear cutting.
We are liberated by God’s grace to proclaim: Creation is not for sale.
1 - Red, colour of the royal lion on the Coat of Arms of Nova Scotia.
2 - Oldest provincial achievement of arms in Canada.
3 - Granted by Charles the First in 1625.
We are liberated by God’s grace to remember our history.
1 - Red, colour of the soil of Acadie, from which thousands of Acadian people were expelled in 1755.
2 - For refusing to serve in the British military against their own people.
3 - The red soil of Acadie, transferred by Royal Decree from one people to another, pawns in the never-ending games of the powerful.
We are liberated by God’s grace to proclaim: People are not for sale.
1 - Red, colour of blood shed in battle on this land and in its seas.
2 - At Port Royale, Baleine, Port la Tour, Guysborough, Canso, Louisbourg, Grand Pre, Lawrencetown, Lunenburg, and off Sambro Island.
3 - People set against people, pawns in the never-ending games of the powerful.
We are liberated by God’s grace to proclaim: People are not for sale.
1 - Gold, representing the Royal Charter of 1621,
2 - Gifting the Maritimes to a friend of the King,
3 -Giving him rights over resources, property and people.
We are liberated by God’s grace to remember our history.
1 - Gold, one of the reasons for the Royal Charter.
2 - A mandate from the King to Sir William Alexander,
3 - Charging him, in part, with converting the native savages to Christianity.
We are liberated by God’s grace to proclaim: Salvation is not for sale.
1 - Gold, liquid sunshine frozen in time,
2 - Used to seal the deal; used to solidify the relationship,
3 - Used to make our sanctuaries more beautiful than the people who gather there.
We are liberated by God’s grace to proclaim: Salvation is not for sale.
1 - Nova Scotia, Canada’s Ocean Playground,
2 - A beautiful, broken part of God’s beautiful, broken creation,
3 - Whose people are called, by that same God, to reconciliation, healing and peace.
We are liberated by God’s grace.
1 - Let us worship.
2 - Let us pray.
3 - Let us praise.
Thanks be to God.
SCREEN: (indicates EvLW #546 – To Be Your Presence, then goes to Nova Scotia tartan)
Gathering Song: To Be Your Presence – EvLW #546
Assembly stands
Thanksgiving for Baptism
(from “Renewing Worship: Holy Baptism and Related Rites,” 2002 ELCA administered by Augsburg Fortress, p. 16)
SCREEN: (Water images on screen, which continues to end of Thanksgiving for Baptism)
(Water is poured into font during reading – delegate from Atlantic Ministry Area)
WORD
Gospel Acclamation: Celtic Alleluia - EvLW #174
Gospel: John 8:31-38 (from The Message)
Leader: The holy gospel according to John.
Glory to you, O Lord.
Reader 1: 31-32Then Jesus turned to the Jews who had claimed to believe in him.
Reader 2: “If you stick with this, living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure. Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you.”
Reader 1: 33Surprised, they said,
Reader 3: “But we’re descendants of Abraham. We’ve never been slaves to anyone. How can you say, ‘The truth will free you’?”
Reader 1: 31-38Jesus said,
Reader 2: “I tell you most solemnly that anyone who chooses a life of sin is trapped in a dead-end life and is, in fact, a slave. A slave is a transient, who can’t come and go at will. The Son, though, has an established position, the run of the house. So if the Son sets you free, you are free through and through. I know you are Abraham’s descendants. But I also know that you are trying to kill me because my message hasn’t yet penetrated your thick skulls. I’m talking about things I have seen while keeping company with the Father, and you just go on doing what you have heard you’re your father.”
Leader: The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon:
(Time for reflection after sermon/could be musical interlude)
SCREEN: Indicates EvLW #358 – Great God, Your Love Has Called Us, verses 1, 3, 5.
Hymn of the Day: Great God, Your Love Has Called Us - EvLW #358
Verses 1, 3, 5
Assembly stands
Prayers of the People:
Set free to pray for the church, those in need, and all of God’s creation, let us pray saying,
Liberating God, hear our prayer.
God, we praise you for revealing yourself to us through your Son, Jesus. Liberate your Church, especially in Guyana, Palestine and Canada, and each and every one of us across our Eastern Synod, that we will live grace-filled lives, freely sharing the good news of your gracious love. Liberating God,
hear our prayer.
Creator God, we praise you for the beauty of creation. Deepen our understanding of how we and your world are interconnected. Thank you for the ministry of our outdoor camps and all those who work for the healing of creation. Stir us to act in ways that proclaim: creation is not sale.
Liberating God,
hear our prayer.
God of justice, we praise you that each person is made in your image, but in so many homes and communities oppression cuts deep and violence is a daily part of life. We pray for your liberating grace to enter that darkness and bring freedom. Thank you for the ministry of CLWR, LWF and KAIROS that help us to embody your justice. Bless our offerings given today towards the work of the Lutheran World Federation. Open all hearts to respond with courage, at home and abroad, that people are not for sale.
Liberating God,
hear our prayer.
Compassionate One, we praise you that you draw near to all who suffer. Thank you for the ministry of our chaplains, pastors and diaconal ministers, and all those who offer their lives towards the healing of mind, body and spirit. Hear our prayers for those we name before you now aloud and in the silence of our hearts … (for the family and friends of the Rev. Donald Kranz as they mourn his death). Liberating God,
hear our prayer.
Gracious God, set us free in this Assembly. Guide us by your Spirit as we talk and make new friends, as we listen to reports and speakers, and as we cast our votes and make decisions to act. Especially we ask for your blessing upon Bishops Susan and Michael, our esteemed guests and our many volunteers. Liberating God,
hear our prayer.
O God, you teach us that salvation is not for sale; it is your gift to receive by grace through faith. We lift our prayers to you, O Gracious God, trusting in your promise to hear us, and change us, so that we will serve you until that day when all that you love is freed; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Sharing Christ’s Peace:
SCREEN: Nova Scotia tartan
The peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
Share a sign of peace, and then assembly is seated
MEAL
The Great Thanksgiving:
- Prepared by Rev. Dr. Kimberlynn McNabb
Assembly stands
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right, our duty, and our joy
that we should at all times and in all places
give thanks and praise to you
Creator and Liberator of life.
In the beginning your spirit moved over the waters:
life was born, and it was good.
Life flourished.
Through the ages
You have continued to feed the birds of the air
and clothe the lilies of the field.
Yet,
Your people have strived for food and drink
Worried about what to wear – worried about stuff.
Through times of slavery and captivity
You sent leaders and prophets with words for the heart:
Are you not of more value than these?
Again and again You spoke to your people:
Do not worry about your life.
And still creation worried.
And so, You entered the world more fully –
became incarnate;
to address the mess humanity had become.
In the darkest and most painful places
You were ever more present;
in the sludge of the tar sands,
in land stripped bare of forests,
in lakes and oceans overfished,
in the unpotable water of the North,
in glacier melt and plastic islands in the oceans.
You are there.
Your cry is the cry
of the homeless and precariously housed,
in the silence of missing Indigenous women,
the tears of those human trafficked –
in the desperation of those selling themselves
to feed their children,
and with those enslaved in sweat shops and employed in underpaid and piece meal work.
You, who clothe the lilies of the field
and feed the birds of the air,
came to this mess,
So that life could once again flourish
in the fullness of glory.
And so,
In the night Jesus was betrayed
Everything changed!
Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;
broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying;
Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.
Do this for remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, Jesus took the cup,
gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying:
This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
shed for you and for all people
for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this in remembrance of me.
Everything changed through your mercy and grace.
In eating and drinking this bread and wine
we are liberated by grace,
filled with a glimpse of your vision
for the world and humanity;
A place where creation, human beings, and salvation are not for sale.
Experiencing Your great gift,
Empower us to embrace and live the change!
Wherein, relationships are set right:
Where the mess of humanity is reversed, liberated, and made new;
Where worry disappears,
And lives are lived for the healing of the world.
We offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving to you
Creator and Liberator of Life.
Amen.
Lord’s Prayer:
Let us pray
Our Father in heaven, … Amen.
Assembly is seated
Distribution of Communion:
Hymns Sung During Communion:
SCREEN: Displays communion hymn number and name, and after suitable time, displays Nova Scotia tartan, until time for next hymn.
As We Gather at Your Table – EvLW #522
We Come to the Hungry Feast – EvLW #479
Musical Interlude as required – moving into final hymn as last people are communing
By Your Hand You Feed Your People – EvLW #469
Post Communion Prayer:
Assembly stands
SCREEN: Post-communion prayer
We give you thanks, O God
That in this bread and cup we are
liberated by your grace;
filled to proclaim ---
that salvation, creation, and human beings