Epiphany 2000: Dangerous Borderlands

 

Seekers Church

A Christian Community

In the Tradition of the Church of the Saviour

 

Epiphany 2000

Dangerous Borderlands

SILENT REFLECTION

By “minister” I mean any person who lives in the dangerous, exhilarating, life-giving borderlands of human existence, where the everyday experience of life opens up to reveal glimpses of the HOLY — and not only lives there but comes to the aid of others who are living there.

 

L. William Countryman, Living on the border of the Holy, pg xi.

 

 

 

PRELUDE

 

CALL TO WORSHIP

Leader:             Come let us gather here, at the border of the Holy.

 

Voice 1:            This border where we encounter the Holy

is not at the edge of our existence,

but at its center.

 

Voice 2:            Here we find ourselves in community,

engaged in a mutual ministry

of support and reconciliation,

responding to God’s call.

 

Community:       Come, reach out to God and to each other.

Celebrate the Good News

of Christ incarnate in the world.

 

INVOCATION

 

HYMN

 

WORD FOR THE CHILDREN

 

SILENCE

 

LITANY

Leader:             The babe was born, the light came into the world.

 

Voice 1:            Gifts were presented and the angel choir sang.

 

Voice 2:            A community gathered — animals, kings and shepherds.

 

Leader:             Now what?

 

Voice 1:            Now it is time for the real journey to begin.

It is time to take our place in this glorious pageant.

 

Voice 2:            Will you choose to simply visit this world?

Will you embrace amazement?

Will you cradle the world in your arms?

 

Community:       Tell us, what do you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?

 

SILENCE

 

PRAYERS

COMMON CONFESSION

Leader:             There come times

when we have to take ourselves seriously or die.

 

Community:      There come times

when we have to pull back from the incantations,

the rhythms we’ve moved to thoughtlessly.

 

Leader:            But instead we further enthrall ourselves,

refusing to bestow ourselves to silence.

 

Community:      We do not simply listen,

choosing instead oratory and formulas,

choruses and laments:

static crowding the wires.

 

INDIVIDUAL PRAYERS OF CONFESSION

 

ASSURANCE                                   

Leader:       Still God finds us,

becoming now the shard of broken glass

slicing light in a corner, dangerous to flesh;

now the plentiful, soft leaf

that wrapped around the throbbing finger, soothes the wound;

now the stone foundation,

rockshelf further forming underneath everything that grows.

 

PRAYERS OF THE COMMUNITY

 

HYMN

 

THE WORD

FIRST LESSON

SILENCE

GOSPEL LESSON

SERMON

SILENT REFLECTION

 

OFFERING

 

SHARED REFLECTIONS

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

HYMN

 

BENEDICTION

Leader:       Spread the good news that God’s light has come.

Draw from its life-giving source throughout your journey.

Dare to live in the borderlands of your existence

where you have the power

to be something of inexplicable value.

Make of yourself a light.  Amen.

 

 

Worship Resources

Call to Worship: Adapted from William Countryman, Living on the Border of the Holy, pg xi.

Litany: Adapted from Mary Oliver, “A Summer Day”

Confession & Assurance: Adapted from Adrienne Rich, “Transcendental Etude”

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THE CALL OF SEEKERS CHURCH

 

     Our call is to be a "Seekers community" which comes together in weekly worship rooted in the Biblical faith, with shared leadership; and disperses with a common commitment to understand and implement Christian servanthood in the structures in which we live our lives.

     By "Seekers community" we mean an intentional body which sees Christ as our true life source.  Koinonia with one another and genuine self-giving to the world are the ways we can be in Christ today.  Seekers are not persons who have arrived, but persons who are intentionally on the way.

     By shared leadership we mean empowering the gifts of women and men to help our worship flow out of and feed into the life of the community.  We are committed to evoking and giving space to new gifts of preaching, liturgical leadership, creative worship forms, giving, mission and other acts of faith.

     For us, Christian servanthood is based on empowering others within the normal structures of our daily lives (work; family and primary relationships; and citizenship) as well as through special structures for service and witness.  We desire and welcome participation in Seekers of women and men of every race and sexual orientation.  In Seekers Church we will equip and support each other in all of these areas and seek a balance among them.

     The Seekers community sees itself called into Christ’s ministry of deliverance from bondage to freedom in every personal and corporate expression.  We recognize the value of each individual and seek to heal any wounds of discrimination inflicted by our society and church.

     Seekers is committed to participation by persons of all ages.  We see children, youth and adults of all ages as valuable and valued parts of our community, and desire their inclusion in our care, our ministry, and our life together.

Issued by Seekers Founding Members in July 1976

Revised by Seekers Core Members in November 1989

Revised by Seekers Core Members in May 1991