Advent 2

Remembering 200 years of the

Gospel in New Zealand

and Samuel Marsden

The Gathering of the Community

E te whānau a te Karaiti, welcome to this holy table; welcome to you, for we are Christ's body, Christ's work in the world.Welcome to you whose baptism makes you salt of the earth and light to the world. Rejoice and be glad. Praise God who gives us forgiveness and hope.Amen. Christ is our light, the joy of our salvation.

Praise and glory to Christ,God’s new beginning for humanity making ritual water gospel wine, cleansing all our worship.Love and loyalty to Christ, who gives us the gospel. Praise to Christ who calls us to holiness.

Advent Wreath

God for whom we wait and watch, before Jesus came you sent a messenger to get people ready for the coming of your Son.Jesus may we continue getting readyhelp us to change the thingsin our lives that hurt others.May we, like Jesus, be people who bring peace.

This Christmas we remember Samuel Marsdenwho came to New Zealandto bring peaceand to share the Good News of God’s love.Marsden brought good news of great joyhelp us to prepare the wayso that others can share this good newsand have the Peace of Christ.”

The second candle reminds us of Peaceand that we are called to be a people of Peace.As we light the next candle we remember the peace we have in this land and continue to pray for peace for others in our world. Let us share in telling others that true Peace is found in Jesus.

Song of Praise

Christ is the living watercleansing, refreshing, making all things new.Jesus Christ is the Good News;

setting us free to love,encouraging us to share our good news

with others.

Song of Praise

So now we offer our thanksfor the history of these islands;for the people who lived here before us,for the respect and care they have shown for the land.

Song of Praise

We offer thanks and praise to God for this good land;

for all those who live here,for the CMS missionares who shared the Good News of Jesus Christ and those who continue to share it.

Song of Praise

Our thanks for your continuing love for this land and its people;

for Aotearoa, New Zealand,for our life here, together,for our calling to be your love for each other.

Forgiveness

We come seeking forgiveness for all we have failed to be and do as members of Christ's body.

Silence

In God there is forgiveness

Loving and all-seeing God, forgive us where we have failed to support one another and to be what we claim to be. Forgive us where we have failed to serve you;and where our thoughts and actions have been contrary to yours we ask your pardon.

God forgives us; be at peace.Silence

Rejoice and be glad, for Christ is resurrection, reconciliation for all the human race.  We shall all be one in Christ, one in our life together. Praise to God who has created us, praise to God who has accepted us, praise to God who sends us into the world.

Whakapaia te huarahi o te Ariki, whakatikaia ōna ara.Ka whakapuakina anō te korōria o Ihowā, ā, ka kite ngātahi ngā kikokiko katoa Ruka 3:4; Ihāia 40:5a Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight. For the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together.

Luke 3:4; Isaiah 40:5a

Sentence of the Day

God for whom we wait and watch,you sent John the Baptistto prepare for the coming of your Son:give us courage to speak the trutheven to the point of suffering.This we ask through Christ our Saviour. Amen.

A Collect of the Day

Jesus,you send your apostlesto bring good tidings;when Samuel came to Aotearoa,the task was more difficult than he supposed.Prince of peace,when Maori and pakeha meet together,keep us humble, we pray. Amen.

A Collect for Samuel Marsden

Samuel Marsden Samuel Marsden began the first Christian mission in New Zealand. He was born in 1765 and became chaplain of the penal colony in New South Wales in 1794. There he met and welcomed Maori visitors and conceived the idea of a mission to New Zealand. Having obtained the backing of the Church Missionary Society for his project, Marsden set up the first mission station in New Zealand under the protection of the Nga Puhi chief Ruatara in the Bay of Islands in 1814.

The Proclamation

In 1814, Marsden directed missionaries Thomas Kendall and William Hall to proceed to the Bay of Islands to reignite communications with Ruatara. The trip was a success and Kendall and Hall were well received. Ruatara and a number of other Maori including the chiefs Hongi Hika and Korokoro travelled back with Kendall and Hall to Sydney where upon their favourable report, Marsden proceeded to prepare for his first mission visit to New Zealand.

The Proclamation

They arrived in the Bay of Islands on 22nd December and anchored at Rangihoua, in sight of Ruatara’s pa. After Marsden conducted the first Christian service in New Zealand he remained at Oihi for another two months before leaving in late February. Sadly, Ruatara died just four days later. Marsden returned to New Zealand on six further visits to oversee the mission. He died on 12 May 1838.

The Proclamation

Isaiah 40:1-11

Silence for reflection

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.Thanks be to God.

First Testament Reading

Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13

Psalm of the Day

2 Peter 3:8-15a

Silence for reflection

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.Thanks be to God.

Epistle Reading

Song or Hymn

Gospel

The Holy Gospel according to Mark Chapter 1 beginning at verse 1Praise and glory to God

After the reading, Silence for reflection

This is the Gospel of ChristPraise to Christ, the Word

The Sermon

Preparing the Way of the Gospel

The Affirmation of Faith

You, O God, are supreme and holy. You create our world and give us life. Your purpose overarches everything we do. You have always been with us. You are God. You, O God, are infinitely generous, good beyond all measure.

The Affirmation of Faith

You came to us before we came to you. You have revealed and proved your love for us in Jesus Christ, who lived and died and rose again. You are with us now. You are God.

The Affirmation of Faith

You, O God, are Holy Spirit. You empower us to be your gospel in the world. You reconcile and heal; you overcome death. You are our God. We worship you.

The Prayers of the People

Let us pray for the Church and the world, giving thanks for God’s goodness.

The Lord’s Prayer

As Christ teaches us we pray Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our sinsas we forgive those who sin against us.

The Lord’s Prayer

Save us from the time of trialand deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yoursnow and for ever. Amen.

Children’s Work and Participation

The children are welcomed back to the service and invited to share their workDecorations are added to the Christmas Tree.

The Peace

Kia whakapainga a te Karaiti, te Ariki o te rongomau.

Blessed be Christ the Prince of PeaceE turaki nei I nga tau-arai o te wehe.

who breaks down the walls that divide.

Kia tau te rangimarie o te Atua ki a koutou.

The peace of God be always with you.Kia whakapainga te Karaiti e tuitui nei I a tatou I roto I te rongomau.

Praise to Christ who unites us in peace.

The Preparation of the Gifts

To you, Lord, belongs the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory and the majesty.All that is in the heavens and the earth is yours, and of your own we give you.

The Great Thanksgiving

Christ is risen!He is risen indeed.

Lift your hearts to heavenwhere Christ in glory reigns.

Let us give thanks to God.It is right to offer thanks and praise.

It is the joy of our salvation, God of the universe, to give you thanks through Jesus Christ. You called the world into being and your creation has never ceased. In your great love you have invited us into your work of creation.

You have created us to be fully humanwhen we experience and share loveone with another. For this gift of loving, we thank you. You sent your Son to show us the way of love and to be the truth we need to know.You sent your Son to give his life to release us from our sin and guilt.

You continue to sendpeople to prepare the way for message of your love.We give you thanks for those who haveproclaimed your messageor made it possible for others to be your love in this land.You gave Samuel Marsden a vision for this landand energy and courage to bring your Good Newsto Aotearoa, New Zealand.

You continue to call us to be your love and presence in this worldso all may come to know you. Holy God, holy and merciful, holy and just, glory and goodness come from you. Glory to you most high and gracious God.

Blessed are you, most holy, in your Son, who washed his disciples' feet. 'I am among you,' he said, 'as one who serves.‘

On that night before he died he took bread and gave you thanks. He broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said:

Take, eat, this is my body which is given for you; do this to remember me.

After supper, he took the cup, and gave you thanks. He gave it to them and said: Drink this.It is my blood of the new covenant, shed for you, shed for all, to forgive sin; do this to remember me. Therefore with this bread and wine we recall your goodness to us.

God of the past and present, we your people remember your Son. We thank you for his cross and rising again, we take courage from his ascension; we look for his coming in glory and in him we give ourselves to you.

Send your Holy Spirit, that we who receive Christ's body may indeed be the body of Christ, and we who share his cup draw strength from the one true vine. Called to follow Christ, help us to reconcile and unite. Called to suffer, give us hope in our calling.

For you, the heavenly one, make all things new; you are the beginning and the end, the last and the first. Praise, glory and love be yours, this and every day, from us and all people, here and everywhere. Amen.

Silence

The Communion Te tinana o te Karaiti I whatiia mo tatou.

Christ's body was broken for us on the cross.Ko I ate taro o te ora.

Christ is the bread of life. I maringi ona toto hei murunga hara.

His blood was shed for our forgiveness.Kua ara mai te Karaiti I te mate.

Christ is risen from the dead.

The Invitation Haere mai e te kahui a te Atua,tangohia enei kai rangatira a te Karaiti. Come God's people, come to receive Christ's heavenly food.

Communion All are welcome at the Lord’s table

Prayer After Communion Blessed be God who calls us together.Praise to God who makes us one people.

Blessed be God who has forgiven our sin.Praise to God who gives hope and freedom.

Blessed be God whose Word is proclaimed.Praise to God who is revealed as love.

Blessed be God who has called us and sends us out.Therefore we offer all that we are that the Love of God may be made known to others.

Take and use our best intentions and desiresThat as we wait for your coming,we may prepare the way for the Good News of your love.

Blessing May the God of Lovewho wants this love to be shared with allhelp you in your task of preparing the wayfor the Good News of Christ

and the blessing of God our Creator,Redeemer and Giver of lifebe with you always. Amen.

Dismissal

Go now to prepare the way for God’s Good News in the world. Go in peace.

Amen. We go to share God’s love with all people, in the power of Christ.