Our Liturgies
Celtic liturgy is mythical. I think, from my study of things, the original liturgies were fairly simple and straightforward. They were the gatherings and worship of an agrarian people. A people who enjoyed story and song. I suspect the present, very formal, high church type liturgy is a redaction and adoption of centuries of ritualized liturgy from both the Roman and the Orthodox tradition. So our liturgies are very simple .... prayer, music, scripture and discussion and stories. Basically what we do are evening prayers.
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Cooke’s-Portsmouth
United Church
Worship and Study in our
Celtic Traditions
Wednesday, November 17, 2004 at 7:30 p.m.
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Gathering and a Time of Sharing
Prayer (in unison)
You who keeps the stars alight
and our souls burning
with a light beyond that of the stars,
and grant that they may
shine before you
as the stars forever and ever.
And as you hold the stars
burning in the night when no one sees them,
so hold the light burning in our souls
when we see neither you
nor that light that are buried
in the grave of sleep and forgetfulness.
Amen
The Lesson
Psalm 121
Mark 14: 3—9
Time of Discussion “Solitude—Hilda”
Music to Reflect With
Some Contemplative Prayer
A Prayer ……………………. Lord’s Prayer
In name of Father; In name of Son;
In name of Spirit; Three in One.
Father cherish me, Son cherish me;
Spirit cherish me; Three all-kindly.
God make me holy; Christ make me holy;
Spirit make me holy; Three all-holy.
Three aid my hope; Three aid my love;
Three aid mine eye
And my knee from stumbling;
And my knee from stumbling.
- intercession -
Lord’s Prayer
Benediction
A time of community around the Coffee perk in the lobby.
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“The footprints of an elder race are here, and memories of an old historic time;
And shadows of an old mysterious faith, so that the place seems haunted
And strange sounds float in the wind.” (Anonymous)
A Song of Ascents.
1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills-- From whence comes my help?
2My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.
3He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.
4Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade at your right hand.
6The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night.
7The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul.
8The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.
The Anointing at Bethany
(1) 3 And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. 4But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted? 5For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor." And they criticized her sharply.
6But Jesus said, "Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. 7For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. 8She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. 9Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."
“I asked the earth and it answered: ‘I am not he’…
I asked the sea and its creatures and they answered:
‘We are not your God, seek higher!’ I asked the whole air, and everything in it, and it answered:
‘ Anaximenes was wrong— I am not your God.’ I asked the heavens, the sun, moon and stars, and they answered: ‘Neither are we God whom you seek’
… I asked the whole frame of the universe about my God and it answered me; ‘I am not he, but he made me.’ “
(Augustine, Confessions 10.6)