A Liturgy of Dispersal
Sunday 22 March 2020
The Lord Be With You
And also with you
Since 1924, St Cuthbert’s Church has stood at the heart of the Darlington village as a house of prayer for all people. The building will continue to stand, open every day for prayer and silence and peace. Let it be known that all are welcome here, and none are excluded. In the days ahead, you are welcome to rest, enfolded in the decades of prayer which have soaked into the stone. This is a holy place for ordinary people.
Since Friday, it has become clear that we cannot gather for public liturgy in the usual way. We don’t know how long this will last. But our church is not closing. Our church is opening ourselves to a new form of mission, new forms of service and new ways to come close to God.
Today we are maintaining physical distance. Physical distance is love for our neighbours. It is the most loving response to people with compromised immunity and pre-existing conditions. Physical distancing will help sustain our medical services through the coming challenges. Physical distance is Christian love.
Alongside physical distancing we exercise social solidarity. We stay calm. We shop responsibly. We stay in contact with one another. We help where we can, and ask for help when needed. We analyse the inherent injustices in our system and work for their transformation. Social solidarity is Christian love.
Our Christian response to pandemic is physical distance and social solidarity. Today, we gather to mark this new phase of our church, to pray for ourselves and others, and to commit to be the church in our homes and neighbourhoods.
Let us pray:
Come Holy Spirit,
with power and blessing
on those who gather here today.
To those who are afraid and uncertain,
give courage.
To those who are tired and struggling,
give strength.
To each of us in our Christian vocation,
give the light of Christ,
to illuminate the darkness
and give us peace.
As you brooded over the waters at the dawn of creation,
so enfold us under your wings.
Keep us safe and make us strong,
and bring us to your eternal kingdom,
where, with Cuthbert and Mary and all your saints,
we may feast at the table where all are welcome.
We make our prayer through Christ our Saviour,
Amen
A reading from Luke 10: 1-9
After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!” And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.”
Hear the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
A Short Sermon
Let us Pray for the World and for the Church saying: Come Holy Spirit, and help your people.
Come Holy Spirit
and help your people
To hospitals, medical centres, fever clinics and hotlines. To nurses and all who work in hospitals.
Come Holy Spirit
and help your people
To those with compromised immunity, older people, people with disabilities, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. To those in isolation and quarantine.
Come Holy Spirit
and help your people
To schools in buildings and schools in homes. To TAFE and university students.
Come Holy Spirit
and help your people
To casual workers, small businesses and those who are losing income. To artists and performers with cancelled gigs.
Come Holy Spirit
and help your people
To those with no home and those with no food. To people whose homes are an unsafe place.
Come Holy Spirit
and help your people
To children at risk and children who fear. To children with no one to care for their needs.
Come Holy Spirit
and help your people
To supermarkets and shops, and all who work there. To those who are panic-buying and hoarding.
Come Holy Spirit
and help your people
To those who are anxious, depressed or struggling to cope. To their loved ones, carers and support services.
Come Holy Spirit
and help your people
To Parliament House and The White House. To the United Nations and the World Health Organisation. To Scott our Prime Minister and Mark our Premier.
Come Holy Spirit
and help your people
To laboratories, computers and clinical trials. To researchers and developers, innovators and testers.
Come Holy Spirit
and help your people
To the stock markets and banks. To landowners and billionaires.
Come Holy Spirit
and help your people
To churches, mosques, synagogues and temples. To leaders of faith communities.
Come Holy Spirit
and help your people
To our homes and neighbourhoods. To our friends and families.
Come Holy Spirit
and help your people
To our hearts and minds. To our prayer and our silence.
Come Holy Spirit
and help your people
Come, O Spirit of God and make within us your dwelling place and home.
May our darkness be dispelled by your light, and our troubles calmed by your peace;
May all evils be redeemed by your love,
all pain transformed through the suffering of Christ,
and all dying glorified by his risen life.
Amen
In the year 676, St Cuthbert finished his work of preaching and healing. Called by the spirit, he became a hermit in a cave, giving his life over to prayer and contemplation. His time of seclusion would not last forever. In 684 he was elected Bishop of Lindisfarne, and returned to the busy work of leading the church.
As a church dedicated to St Cuthbert’s memory, now is our time to draw apart. In this time, let us discover new ways of being church. New ways of coming close to the mystery of God, and new ways of serving our neighbours. Let us affirm that wherever we are and whatever happens in these uncertain times, we will always be the church.
In our kitchens, in our lounge rooms. In our yards and in our streets:
We will always be the church
Tucked in bed or on the couch. In the garden, on the porch:
We will always be the church
When the news is bad or scary. When the pain is overwhelming:
We will always be the church
With our children and our elders. With our neighbours and with strangers:
We will always be the church
At computers and devices. On the phone or over the fence:
We will always be the church
When supplies are running low. When the hungry must be fed:
We will always be the church
When we hear misinformation. When the panic spreads too quick:
We will always be the church
With our hands, our brains, our bodies. With our money, with our stuff:
We will always be the church
Even when we’re scared or lonely. Even when we’re lost and broke:
We will always be the church
Filled with joy and hope and longing. Laughing loudly, smiling broadly:
We will always be the church
In the noise or in the silence - feasting, fasting, dancing, crying:
We will always be the church
When we’re called to fight injustice. When we’re called to speak up loudly:
We will always be the church
Generous giving, secret helping. Quiet, humble, acts of love:
We will always be the church
Until Christ returns in glory, when his kingdom knows no end:
We will always be the church
We will serve and persevere:
We will always be the church
We will always be the church
We will always be the church
May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,
so that we may live deep within our hearts.
May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
so that we may work for justice, freedom, and peace.
May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, hunger, and war,
so that we may reach out our hands to comfort them and turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with just enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world,
so that we can do what others claim cannot be done, to bring justice and peace to to all God’s children.
And the blessing of God Almighty, +Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be amongst you and remain with you always.
Amen
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
In the name of Christ. Amen.