In response to requests, Rowena Francis and
David Herbert have made the following material available. It represents the
main services of worship shared during the three days of the Synod Pilgrimage in Coquetdale, August 3-5 2012.
Friday
6 Aug:
Gathering and opening worship (REF)
Introduction:
Rivers and trees form the basis of our pilgrimage as we walk up the Coquet
Valley to the preaching trees over the coming days.
Introduce
yourself by sharing your name, where you come from – a river and / or tree that
are significant to you and briefly why.
Hymn: Guide
me O thou great Jehovah (v 2 sung in
Portuguese)
Selected verses Psalm 104:
Praise the Lord my
soul!
O Lord,
my God, how great you are!
You are clothes with
majesty and glory;
You cover yourself
with light.
You make springs flow
in the valleys
And rivers ruin
between the hills.
They
provide water for the wild animals;
There
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
In the trees near by
the birds make their nests.
From
the sky you send rain on the hills,
And the
earth is filled with your blessings.
I will sing to the
Lord all my life;
As long
as I live I will sing praises to my God.
May he be pleased
with my song
For my gladness comes
from him.
Praise
the Lord, my soul!
Praise
the Lord;
Reading: Genesis 2: 10-14
Comment:
We
start not from the source of the river and walk down to the sea but over the
next days we will be following the river Coquet. Rivers and water are a
significant part of creation and the story of God involvement with us. As we
have heard from Genesis the garden of Eden at the beginning was watered by a
river that had significant trees by it and when we come to the preaching trees
on Sunday we will reflect on the end of the bible when God’s kingdom is
realised and there again there is a river with trees for the haling of the
nations. As we walk together let us
consider the significance of rivers and trees as places of encounter with God
and as places where the liberation we have in God is perceived.
Prayer:
Creator
God
At the
beginning of creation
You
planted a garden, watered by a stream.
Join
our walking along the Coquet River
Enlivening
our love and hope.
Jesus
Christ,
Baptised
in the river Jordan
Offering
living water to a woman at a well
Bringing
salvation in blood and water
Be
present with us on our journey.
Holy
Spirit
Spring
of power within us
Refresh
us through this pilgrimage
Flow
into the world through our lives
With
compassion and justice. Amen.
Lord’s prayer.
Song
Peace
is flowing like a river...
____________________________
Fri
6 Aug 5.30 pm
at St Mary
the Virgin, Holystone (DAH)
“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God
my Saviour”
(Luke 2: 46 – 47, Mary’s Song)
Opening Sentences: Isaiah 44: 3 – 4
Hymn: The king of love my
shepherd is
Reading:
John
19: 25 - 27
Mary
and flowing waters at Ephesus
Reading:
John
7: 37 – 44
Bowl of water passed – we make sign of dove
on one another’s foreheads
Hymn: O Lord you are the
life of the world
Silence
Prayer
Hymn: Tell out my soul
Benediction:
Go in peace to serve
the Lord:
May the eye of the
Great God be on you,
The eye of the God of
glory;
The eye of the
Virgin’s Son;
The eye of the gentle
Spirit,
The kindly eye of the
Three be on you,
To aid you and to
shepherd you.Amen.
________________________________
Sat 7
Aug
10.30am at Ladywell (REF)
This
Special Place
Here at
Lady's Well clear, clean water bubbles out of the hillside and this is a place
which has probably been special since human beings first ventured this far
north.
Legend
has it that it was a Holy Place on Easter Day in the year of grace 627 when
Paulinus, Bishop of York, made use of the water that flows here to baptise many
people. But it was probably a Special Place long before that.
Perhaps
those early Stone Age men and women who lived on fruit, nuts and seeds and the
wildlife which abounded here and whose descendants carved the cups and rings
that adorn rocks in this valley, drank at this well and gave thanks to their
gods as they drank.
Maybe
the Bronze Age people who buried their dead in stone-built kists, watered their
flocks here and gave thanks to their god of the water.
Their
time passed and they were succeeded by people who worked iron, who built camps
upon the hilltops and who worshipped the goddess they called Bridgit.
The
Romans tramped this way, drank at this well, and here they honoured their gods.
And for
generations after Paulinus, this remained a Holy Place. A group of nuns built a
priory, probably where the church now stands, and may have used this well as a
source of water. Perhaps it is from the name they gave to their priory - St
Mary the Virgin - that we get the name "Lady's Well".
And so
Lady's Well has remained, a Special Place upon the hillside.
Water
began the life of this well and, though human beings, frail creatures of the
passing day, come and go, water remains, water bubbling up from the earth
through guessed-at geological formations in the rocks and soil below.
And
this remains a Special and a Holy Place, a place able to touch our inner souls.
Praise responses (Touch Holiness p139 Duck and
Tirabassi adptd)
We are
a people of the water!
We worship a God whose love flows through
water.
Love,
like little drops, drips from fingertips to forehead.
Through baptism, the family of faith makes
room for one more
Love,
like a rain shower, awakens the sleeping seed within the soul
and
lures it to blossom.
We worship a God whose love flows through
water.
Love,
like a wading pool, inspires the delight of children, jumping,
splashing,
spraying each other, shivering with wet joy.
We worship a God whose love flows through
water.
Love,
like a hot shower after a long day's work,
cleanses
us, reawakens us.
We worship a God whose love flows through
water.
We are
a people of the water!
We worship a God whose love flows through
water.
Song :
As
the deer pants for the waters
The story of Genesis 16: Hagar meets God at
the spring/well
Reflection
Water
is a blessing and sign of new birth. The waters break cleansing the birth canal
before a new baby is born. The waters of baptism purify a person as they die
and rise with Christ – a new being. The waters of rain bring an end to drought
bringing forth fruit and crop for the nourishment of people bringing life. For
all this new life we give thanks.
We
invite you to reach into the pool, a pool similar to where Hagar in her
distress met God and was called to return home to Sarah and Abraham and gave
birth to Ishmael. A pool of water signifying possibly a refreshing of your
baptismal promises. A pool of water showing the fruitfulness of the earth that
we are called to give thanks for and share.
In
quietness let the water run through your fingers and give thanks for life,
yours and that of the whole earth.
Prayer
Gracious God,
It is from water that
life came forth.
It is with water that
your Spirit signifies your claim upon us in baptism.
It is water that
quenches our thirst, and without it, no life is possible.
For those children
for whom water is a luxury, we pray.
For those who rely on
dried up wells; who sit parched and find no relief.
For those whose water
is contaminated by industry or ignorance--who sit by the water but cannot
drink.
For those whose water
is tapped by others for profit. What once was a gift to drench the fields and
to supply the table and the bath is now a commodity sold at a price.For those whose water
is a dwindling resource --
where streams that once watered cattle and fields are
now a source of violence and conflict--
for who owns this gift will survive.
Gracious God,
Drench us with your
Spirit.
Saturate us with your
grace.
Enable us to see the
world as you see it; to see all of your children as our own.
In your Spirit make
us wise, that we may show well what you have given us so that all may be sated.
Amen.
©Presbyterian
Mission Agency PC(USA)
Blessing: (based on Brian
Wren I have no bucket and the well is deep)
God of
the living waters
Refresh
our longings with your Word.
Liberate
us with your love.
Raise
us to new life.
Bless
us with springs of -
Unending
joy and worth.
Renew
us with your life
Tonight,
tomorrow and always. Amen.
Song:
Peace
is flowing like a river..
___________________
Sat
evening 7 Aug
at Little Church Rock (DAH)
“Let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never failing stream!” (Amos 5: 24)
Opening Sentence: Exodus 17: 5 - 7
Rock, springs, pools,
mountains, lambs, rams… familiar landscape to our spiritual forbears, early
dissenters, who may have well worshipped here, and sung:
Hymn: All people that on earth do dwell
Reading:
Psalm 114
Cuddy’s Spring – last
year’s pilgrimage on St Oswald’s Way
Reading: Amos
5: 21 – 24
Dissent and
nonconformity often go hand in hand with prophecy and a hunger for justice
Hymn: Father hear the prayer we offer
Prayer for a river of justice and righteousness
Build a cairn – mindful of that rich stream of
faith in which we stand,
and upon which we build.
Hymn: Glorious things of thee are spoken
Benediction
_________________________________
Sun
8th Aug
at Rothbury Church (REF)
Theme:
Encountering God and experiencing liberation at trees.
Call:
To the
people in exile in a strange land God says:
You will leave Babylon with joy
You
will be led out of the city in peace.
The mountains and the hills will burst into
singing
And the trees will shout for joy.
Cypress
will grow where now there are briars;
Myrtle
trees will come up in place of thorns.
This will be a sign that will last for ever,
A reminder of what I, the Lord have done.
Prayer of approach and confession:
The trees shout for
joy
And sing your praise
As now your people
do.
The tree of life
Brings healing and
peace
To all in its shade .
Fruit bearing trees
Replace the thorns
As your people hope
too.
Forgive our sin, Holy
God,
Prune the dead and
living growth
Bring a new harvest.
Gather us home from
exile
To a land of living
water
Where we can grow in
your Word.
Hearts overflow with
thanksgiving
Roots drink up your
forgiveness
The tree of our lives
grows strong in you.
We thank you, creator
Praise and glorify
you, Christ.
Rejoice in you, Holy
Spirit. Amen.
Lord’s
prayer
Hymn :
Think of a world without any flowers
The tree of life
Reading:
Galatians 3: 10-14
Reflection on the tree on which Christ died.
Discussion on what trees can mean to people?
In the
Bible there are two words – cross and wood in the original language that is
translated as cross. Sometimes the word for wood is translated by the word
tree. Artists have often used that as a means for depicting the cross as a
tree.
From
the tree of life in the garden of Eden at the beginning of the bible, through
to the tree on which Christ was crucified, through to the tree with leaves for
the healing of the nations in Revelation at the end of the bible trees are a
significant part of the history of God’s relationship with humanity as part of
creation.
It is
difficult to understand and explain the power of the cross for our healing and
salvation today. Yet we can trust that God acted in Jesus voluntarily
undertaking to die on the cross and let humanity do the worst it could do to
him so that through that vulnerable self-giving love it would become clear that
nothing anymore could separate us from the love of God that desired for each of
us and all creation life in all its fullness. We are reconciled to God by
Christ being lifted up on the tree. We are forgiven and liberated from all that
enslaves us. We are freed to live as God’s beloved children and in the power of
the Spirit to be part of the coming realisation of God’s kingdom today.
Hymn:
When
you prayed beneath the trees, it was for me, O Lord
(Singing the Faith 339 Tune Kelvingrove RAS 558)
Announcements
Offering
and prayer of dedication.
Preaching trees
are
significant like church buildings as sacred ground. On mountain top and by the tree people have
met with God, been called, entered into covenant relationship, cried and
laughed and experienced liberation. Let
us hear of an early preaching tree when God himself visited Abraham and Sarah
with a message for them.
Reading dramatic: Genesis 18 v1-16 Trees of Mamre
Reflection on preaching trees in black
American history
Janie
McGee is an artist who present black American history in various media and who
has done some work on preaching trees in the history of her people. She speaks
of how on the plantations where black people were often enslaved they would
have a tree which was where services would be held. Often men would work at a
different plantation to avoid seeing their wives and children raped and suffer.
Services became a time for families to meet. The preaching tree then was a
place for slaves to gather and encourage themselves in the midst of trials and
where God was present for them.
Many
revivals took place at the tree far away from the white man’s house. But also
they were a sign of much suffering. One of Billy Holliday’s early protest songs
tells of the lynchings of many black folk on the trees so that their bodies
hung like fruit. It is called strange fruit in the trees.
Janie
McGee says ‘The preaching trees have an intense history: lynchings and revivals. The preaching tree is the place of birthing,
praying, giving, sharing, loving and believing that brighter days will come.
Foundational
to the understanding of the preaching tree is the Christian faith. Again McGee
says ‘And yet through 400 years of oppression .. we are still here. We are
wounded, but will be healed. We lived in poverty, but through God were made
rich. We were torn apart and yet we still stand together. It is the distant
tree 2000 years old that gave us shade, hope and faith.
Janie
likens the suffering people to the preaching trees and to Christ in these
words:
The
jails could not hold us. We marched with Martin, Sang with Mahaila Jackson, and
cried for Emett Till’s. Over the last 400 years we have survived lynching,
beating, Jim Crow, slavery and hatred.
Our
family birthed writers, scientists, jazz musicians, artists, and engineers the
jail could not hold us.
Freedom
is more than a reality, it is a journey of the heart, the dreams and people
trusting God…
we are
the preaching trees.
Reflection on preaching trees in our own
churches history
Some
350 years ago in 1662 the newly formed government after civil war passed the
act of uniformity. This required everyone to use the same prayer book, pledge
obedience to the King and to the authority of the Bishops.
Some felt that this do not go far enough in establishing good order.
Others felt that an opportunity to reform the church and bring it back into
faithfulness with Christ and the word of God had been missed. The consequence
was pain and conflict.
Many Priests
of the Church of England were ejected, hence it was called the ‘Great Ejection’
from their parishes and pulpits because they could not agree with it. For many
years they were denied civil rights such as a university education and
government office. Some were martyred as traitors. Folk who dissented from this
act could not be buried on consecrated church of England ground and were not
allowed to worship within a certain distance of a Parish church.
Thus
preaching trees such as those at Windy Heugh came into being. Dissenters to the
act and therefore to government travelled away from the parish churches and
worshipped and were buried in distant places. Great Bavington United Reformed
Church is one example of an early building far away from another Parish church
that was built at that time.
The
Preaching Trees at Windyhaugh are part of the Coquet Valley’s tradition. They, like the United Reformed Church in
Great Bavington, are in an isolated place, some 6 miles from the nearest formal
place of worship, the Church at Alwinton.
There are two other places in the Valley where it is possible that
Dissenting Preachers are believed to have led worship. We do not know when any of these were first
used - even whether they were in use before the Act of Uniformity made worship
at un-licensed premises illegal. In the
Medieval period, the valley was much more densely populated than it is now
under the auspices of the monks of Newminster Abbey in Morpeth. Though the area became deprived in the time
of the Border Reivers, the area became re-populated until the 1950s when
changing economics made farming in such isolated places unrewarding.
But the
tradition has persisted that, here at the Preaching Trees, Dissenting Services were held, when as the
Valley’s historian, David Dippie Dixon reports, “the vigorous voices of the
hill-folk sang metrical Psalms and Scriptural paraphrases, surrounded by the
dark shadows of the everlasting hills, beside the murmuring ripples of the
Coquet river and with the clear blue canopy of heaven above them”.
This
afternoon, the Pilgrims will visit this once holy place and you are welcome to
join us for our final act of worship - meet by the Barrowburn bridge at 4
o’clock and join the final steps of our pilgrimage and make this place a holy
place again.
For, as
we have heard, Preaching Trees are holy.
They are places of encounter with God. They are places of gathering for
God's people to meet. They are places
where Christ on the cross with all its pain and suffering is found. But also they are places where hope for
liberation and where healing are found.
We sing
of that now as we prepare to join in prayer by singing
Hymn: We meet you O Christ
Prayers of intercession, thanksgiving
dismissal and blessing
(with leaves to write prayers on in the
quietness that can then be hung on a prayer tree during the singing of the
final hymn – with some led prayers)
Christ
we bring to your tree
The
simple and wise,
The
governments of the world and unemployed.
The
rich in their palaces and poor in their sleeping bags.
May
justice be realised here.
Christ
we bring to your tree
Prisoners
of conscience and the disappeared
Those
trapped in abuse and addiction
The
financial and political systems that cage us
May
freedom be realised here.
Christ
we bring to your tree
Protesters
and campaigners who will not be silenced
Artists
and writers who bring issues to light
Those
in the public eye for good or for ill
May
your Word be realised here.
Christ
we bring to your tree,
The new
lives and those dying today
The
sick and the troubled in body and mind
Ourselves
in whatever pain and need we bear
May
your new life be realised here.
In
quietness we add our prayer to the leaves we have been given....
Let us
go forth with joy and peace
Shouting
for joy and clapping our hands
Giving
thanks for our God, who meets us at the tree
And
blesses us with new life, love, justice and peace. Amen.
Hymn: You
shall go out with joy
_____________________________
Sun
8 Aug 4.30 pm
at The Preaching
trees (DAH)
Jesus began to
preach,
‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’
(Matthew 4: 17)
Opening Sentences: Matthew 13: 31
Hymn: O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Unveiling of the plaque
Prayer of praise
Reading: Ezekiel 47: 1 – 12
Reading: Revelation 22: 1 – 5
Hymn: Jesus is Lord, creation’s voice proclaims it
Reflection: Kingdom living – an end in itself, or a process?
Hymn: God’s spirit is deep in my heart
Prayer activity – watering can –
pouring God’s blessing into lives lifted up to God in prayer
Hymn: You shall go out with joy
Benediction
and then maplets distributed (old
map of Northern Synod cut up into small squares with the text ‘On the Edge,
Synod Pilgrimage 2012’ printed on reverse)
