AgeWell Sunday Worship Resources October 2016 Contents: 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 3 2. Worship Service for AgeWell Sunday 2016 ....................................................................... 4 3. Exploring Ageing Well as a Theme ................................................................................. 17 4. Sample sermon ............................................................................................................... 18 5. Notes on the Scripture Readings ..................................................................................... 24 6. Other Scripture Readings ................................................................................................ 30 7. Suggestions for hymns .................................................................................................... 31 8. Jesus love me (for Seniors) ............................................................................................. 33 9. Useful websites and articles: ........................................................................................... 34 10. Acknowledgement ......................................................................................................... 35 2 1. Introduction Seniors’ Week, celebrated early in October each year, is a time to celebrate the contribution Seniors have made/continue to make in our communities, within our families, and in the church, our faith family. It is an opportunity to acknowledge ageing, affirming that it is one of the stages in life (to be embraced, not ignored). It can also be a push to consider the practicalities of our worship services: are they ‘Senior friendly’? (seating, timing, hearing aids, warmth etc). Within these resources you will find a sample service, and additional resources which include a sermon, short commentaries on the lectionary readings, suggestions for other Scripture readings, suitable hymns, possible topics and links to a number of websites. Please adapt the material to suit your congregation(s). This particular Sunday service might be the time to have a shared-lunch, invite one of the AgeWell chaplains, staff, Board or Committee members to give a brief presentation, or have an intergenerational story sharing segment; baby photos in the Church Hall with a ‘guess who this is’ game…there are lots of possibilities. Within the context of faith, it is important to stress that whilst growing old can have its benefits (such as seeing great-grandchildren) it can signal much grief (death of friends, loss of particular body functions, moving into assisted care, inability to attend worship). Pastoral care should include all members of the church; look at ways to provide for the spiritual needs of the shut-ins, those unable to attend church. When visiting, ask if they would like to partake in Communion (portable Communion kits are easily available if your church does not have one). If someone is unable to attend but is still able to read, ask if they would like a copy of the sermon to read (print it in bold, using a large font size). If your congregation records the service, or has a down-load facility, see if this can be utilised. More seniors are staying in their own homes for longer, drawing on community services; this can be an opportunity for local congregations to offer pastoral care. Seniors’ Week is a time to remember and celebrate the many blessings we have received from God. Seniors are one of those blessings. Seniors’ Week is also a time for us to give thanks for the many agencies that care for, and/or intervene on behalf of Seniors. We give thanks for our own Uniting Church agencies, especially Uniting AgeWell (formerly Uniting Aged Care) and UnitingCare. Seniors’ Week may spur us to donate money, or time (as a volunteer) to an aged care facility, to a senior neighbour, or to start up a program at our church. May you enjoy Senior’s Week; in the words of a Jewish blessing (see the Children’s Talk for an explanation) “May you live until 120!” 3 2. Worship Service for AgeWell Sunday 2016 Based upon the lectionary readings for October 2nd, Pentecost 20 Year C Lamentations 1:1-6 Lamentations 3:19-26 (27-28), or Psalm 137 2 Timothy 1: 1-14 Luke 17: 5-10 Call to Worship (say together) ‘By the rivers of Babylon-there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our harps… How can we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?’ (Psalm 137:1-2, 4) Or (say together) ‘Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength is spent. O God, from my youth you have taught me, And I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and grey hairs, O God, do not forsake me…’ (Psalm 71:9, 17-18) Or (say together) ‘Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.’ (Psalm 146:1-2) 4 Greeting The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you. (if your congregation passes the peace, continue with: The peace of the Lord be always with you And also with you. and invite them to exchange a sign of peace with one another) Opening Prayer O God of all our years, of all our days, of all our hours and of all our minutes and seconds, You are Holy. You are our Creator, who loves each one of us dearly for we have been created and formed by you, in love, to live in the world that you have created. Today we gather as part of your family, in order to worship you. May this time of worship remind us of your holiness, of your salvific works, of your presence…and of your abiding love, Amen. Welcome/Introduction to the theme Today we gather, as we do week by week, to worship together. (welcome any visitors). Today’s theme will be that of the aged, or the Seniors in our community, and indeed Seniors in the wider world. Ageing is part of life; once conception takes place, we age. How do we celebrate the various stages, or seasons in our lives? 5 What would it mean if we could truly embrace our years, and not be so fearful, as we ‘sing a new song’ in what is often portrayed as a hostile world, the landscape of old age? May today’s service bring you strength, comfort, love and HOPE! Hymn: (You may wish to choose a traditional hymn of praise, one that may be lodged in the childhood/early adult memories of the older members of the congregation, such as ‘Now thank we all our God’ 106 (TIS) 14 (AHB) or ‘Praise my soul, the king of heaven’134 (TIS), 68 (AHB). The latter hymn was part of the royal wedding ceremony for Elizabeth 11 and Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1947; some members of the congregation may know this, and may have included it in their own wedding ceremony for this very reason.) Prayers of Praise, Thanksgiving and Confession Gracious God, We come before you with our strengths…and with our frailties to worship you, our Creator God. Through you we have this earth to cherish, with its canyons, mountains, pebbles, oceans, rivers, streams, puddles and rain drops, trees, saplings, and leaves, animals, birds, fish and insects. You have created a universe of extraordinary things…some that are ancient…mountains, redwood trees, turtles, elephants…and some of a more transitory nature, such as bees, dragonflies, and cherry blossom, and we humans are somewhere in between. Teach us to number our days. Thank you for all your gifts…for the gift of life, the gift of family, the gift of church, the gift of faith. For bodies that have birthed us, for hands that have protected us, for minds that have moulded us, for lives that have inspired us, we give you thanks. We thank you that we have been able to help others, serving with our minds and with our bodies. When we are unable to physically minister to others, enable us to use our minds and hearts, through the ministry of encouragement, speaking supportive words to others, and through the ministry of prayer. 6 As we acknowledge these gifts, Creator God, we know that we, in our humanness, have fallen short in what we have thought, what we have said, or neglected to say, and what we have done, or should not have done. Forgive us. When we have given in to despair, when we have railed against our ageing bodies, rather than befriending them Forgive us. When we have cried because of what we can no longer physically do, rather than what we can still do, or think, or feel… Forgive us When we have judged others to be more fortunate, because of their age, or their beauty, Forgive us. Forgive us when we have forgotten, or not believed, that we are still partners with you, whatever age we are. And in a time of silence, we remember and seek forgiveness for other matters in our lives. (silence) Declaration of Forgiveness God is love. Through Christ, our sins are forgiven (thanks be to God) Take hold of this divine gift of forgiveness and live your life, whatever your age, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen 7 Children’s talk (If there are no children, still include this informal address/conversation with the congregation, because it introduces the theme in a positive way) ‘When it is someone’s birthday, what do we say?’ (Happy birthday!) ‘Yes, ‘have a happy birthday’ or ‘congratulations!’ In Judaism, they have a special birthday blessing: ‘May you live until 120!’ Is that a strange birthday greeting? Did anyone here in the congregation say, or think: ‘Please, no!’ (Talking to the children): ‘How old are you? Does turning 120 sound impossible? Can you imagine the candles on the cake! Well, this Jewish birthday blessing is traced back to one of our Bible heroes, or Bible family members…Moses. Do you remember Moses? During a time of persecution, he was hidden in a little papyrus basket, in the bulrushes, and was rescued by the pharaoh’s daughter.