CELTIC RETREAT MORNING GATHERING
[Three Readers are needed for this liturgy.]
A Vision of the New : Revelation 21v1-5
ONE: Then I saw
a new heaven and a new earth;
for the first “heaven” and the first “earth” had passed away,
and the “sea” was no more.
TWO: And I saw
the holy city, the new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
THREE: And I heard
a loud voice from the throne saying,
“See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.”
ONE: And the one who was seated on the throne said,
“See, I am making all things new.”
Call to Worship – Peruvian Gloria
Invocation
ONE: The Maker of Heaven and Earth is with us
Glory to the Maker of Heaven and Earth
TWO: The Son of Mary is with us
Glory to the Son of Mary
THREE: The wild and wonderful Spirit is with us
Glory to the wild and wonderful Spirit
ONE/TWO/THREE: We gather in the name of the Holy Three
Amen!
Introduction
ONE: When author Paulo Coehlo wrote, “a ship is safest in port, but that’s not what ships were made for”, he wasn’t the first to say it, and he definitely wasn’t the first to feel it, because deep down we all know that we were made for more than simply a lifetime of playing it safe. Deep down we all know that we were made for a lifetime of adventure and mission and the invigorating, yet terrifying risk of the open and unknown sea of God’s new future.
TWO: And this brings us to this weekend’s patron saint. Brendan was a 6th century Irish monk. He is probably best known for his heroic voyage to find the mythic Isle of the Blessed. The stories about his sail across the uncharted Atlantic Ocean in a small wooden craft with 14 other monks became some of the most popular and enduring medieval legends. In modern terms, St. Brendan was likely clinically disturbed in his obsession with finding this new thing to which God was calling him. He was willing to risk everything.
THREE: Certainly God is doing something new here on this land that is so pregnant with possibility. After years of dreaming and hoping, we can finally see posts rising out of the ground; a framework growing into what’s to come. Certainly God is doing something new within you. In the words of the prophet, “God is about to do something. Something you’ve never seen, heard or thought of before. Can you see it yet?” Or do you need to be disturbed first?
Prayer of Sir Francis Drake
ONE: Let us pray with the words of English sea captain Sir Francis Drake:
Disturb us, Lord,
When we are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.
TWO: Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.
THREE: Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.
Amen.
Chant : All Things New
The Prophetic Voice : Isaiah 42v5-9
TWO: This is what God says, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
“I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
a light to the nations,
to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
I am the Lord, that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to idols.
See, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
I tell you of them.”
Listening SIlence
THREE: In this nature sanctuary let us take time to listen for the still soft voice of God. [2 minutes silence]
Dressing the Altar
THREE: What is the new direction, undiscovered future, the holy voyage that God is calling you to? – Think of all the things you might leave behind for this new land? – Think of all the risks that might be involved in setting sail? – Think of those who might be in the same boat with you.
– Think of the calling that wont stop calling you.
Keep these questions within you as you walk. Search for an object in nature that might be a symbol of your setting sail. Bring it back to set on the altar as we begin our day (10 minutes to walk and find an object.
Song: Be Thou My Vision
An invitation to Lectio Divina.
God something new is emerging,
Something new is being birthed,
In our lives, in our world and through our faith.
God may we journey with patience and hope towards your newness,
Willing to walk on paths unknown,
That you have marked out with loving care.
May we wait in trust and not fear for your new world,
For the justice and peace and freedom that has been promised,
For those things hoped for and not yet seen.
Knowing that the journey belongs to you
And our future is in your hands.
Chant : All Things New
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Tom and I have just returned from 
At the beginning of June we welcomed Michael and Kristin Carrocino and their kids Mirella and Caedmon to the Mustard Seed community. We are enjoying getting to know each other and exploring ways that this new community can express the purposes of God’s kingdom together. Mirella has already planted her first garden and Kristen has begun editing A Journey into Wholeness. Michael started work at the beginning of July as the new curate at St Mark’s Cathedral.
Tom and I have both just read 
Godspace 