The United Theological College, Bangalore
Thanksgiving Service (Centenary Celebrations)
11 am Thursday, July 8, 2010
Prelude:
Call to Worship:
Leader: Dear Sisters and Brothers we are here today to remember God’s enlightening, empowering and enabling grace.
All: The grace which has shaped, sustained and strengthened the United Theological College over the past hundred years.
L: We are here to celebrate a continuing journey with Christ, through the ministry of theological education, which began a hundred years ago.
All: A journey of faith, hope and love which has sought to follow the servant king who ‘came not to be served but to serve’.
L: We are here also in joyful expectation, waiting to be renewed and to embrace afresh all that God calls us to be in the days to come.
All: We are bold in our expectation, because our expectation springs from our experience of the renewing and life-affirming Spirit of God.
L: Therefore, as we remember, celebrate and await in expectation God’s work in the life of the United theological College, let this time of worship draw us into a deeper awareness of God’s grace and create in us a greater willingness to walk in God’s ways.
Opening Prayer:
L: God of time and history, as we seek to thank you for a hundred years of your faithfulness, may the expression of our gratitude be acceptable to you, even though no expression would be adequate to the infinite love and immeasurable grace that you have bestowed on us. As we seek to recommit and dedicate ourselves afresh to your service and to your call grant us through this worship and in the partaking of your body and blood, more of your grace and a renewed vigour of the Spirit which will lead us to a new life in Christ and with Christ. Amen
Bhajan: (Composed by Deepak)
Telugu: Saranam Saranam Saranam dheva neeve ma dheivam
Virigi nalinigina manasu thoda ninnu cheritimi
Sthutiinchi ganaparachi koni yadedamu
Manasara sthutinchi keertinthumu
Neeve ma sarvamu neeve ma ghamyam
Kannada: Sharanam sharanam sharanam deva shrushti palakane
Karava mughidhu shirava baggi saankeerthisuve
Krura maranava thalidhemagee kruje kamabadholu
krupaeya jeevitha needihemagae daiva premadholu
Neeve jeevavu, neeve satyaru, neeve maargavu.
Malayalam Sharanam sharanam sharanam naada srishtikarthaave
Valam karathaa thaangi njangale nadathum nayakane
Hima kanagalil aenthi nikum pulkodithum
Malar dalangalil Madhunu garum varna salabangalum
Sristi akhilavum ekidunnu sthothra kusumangal.
Tamil Saranam sharanam sharanam iraiva padaippin kaaranare
Vetrumaigal indri emmai, aravanaippavare
Anbin karathil emmai thaangum piriyamanaavare
Kuraigal neeki emmai kaakum madhuramaanavare
Pudhiya nanmaigal endrum arulum magimmaiyaanavare.
Hindi Sharanam sharanam sharanam yesu, aap hamarey hain,
mahima apki kartey hain hum bhakti gatey hain
Tutey man se pas aatey, mafee paatey hain
Bhakti aur upasna aapki stuti gatey hain
aap hamarey aadi-ant mahima gatey hain.
Meaning: God our eternal refuge, we come unto you with contrite hearts. We praise and exalt you with the songs of adoration and hearts full of praise. We take refuge in you, O God our creator. You have led us by your mighty hand. We join our palms together and bow down in praise of you. You faced a violent death on the cross for our sake and gave us this life of grace as a gift through your unbounded love. You are the life, the truth and the way. O creator we take refuge in you. As the dew drops on the green blade of the grass and the butterfly on the flower, the entire creation praises you with garlands of flow. We praise you O god of all creation for embracing us without any differences and for upholding and leading us with new blessings of your love and care. Jesus our eternal refuge, we draw near you with broken hearts seeking your forgiveness and singing praises to you our alpha and omega.
Confession:
L: Jesus Christ came that we may have life and have it abundantly. However, through our manifold weaknesses we have hindered the realisation of this promise not only in our own lives, but also in the lives of others and in the entire creation. Let us therefore through repentance and faith seek to retrace our steps, so that we may do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God.
All: Kyrie Eleison, Christe Eleison, Kyrie
Eleison Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy.
L: Jesus said: blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
All: God of the poor, we confess that we have often been rich in contempt, prejudice and suspicion while we needed to show good will, patience and compassion. Grant us, as we repent, the promise of the kingdom of heaven.
L: Jesus said: blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
All: God of the mourning, we confess that we have distanced ourselves from the sorrows and struggles of our neighbours in need and have through our selfishness led to the groaning of creation. Grant us, as we repent, the promise of your comfort.
L: Jesus said: blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
All: God of the meek, we confess that we have often taken pride in power, position and education. Grant us, as we repent, the grace to recognise that it is through meekness that we inherit the earth.
L: Jesus said: blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness’ sake, for they will be filled.
All: God of righteousness and justice, we confess to you our misplaced hunger and thirst for our own self-preservation and self-promotion, sometimes even at the cost of others. Forgive us for condoning oppression and injustice. Grant us, as we repent, the filling of your life-transforming Spirit.
L: Jesus said: blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
All: God of unending mercy, we confess our slowness to forgive and to receive forgiveness and our reluctance to reconcile. Grant us, as we repent, the assurance of your mercy.
L: Jesus said: blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
All: God of holiness, we confess before you the mixed motives of our heart, which have prevented us from being faithful in a radical and adventurous way, despite having visions of the good. Grant us, as we repent, the freedom of seeing you and following your vision.
L: Jesus said: blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.
All: God of peace, we confess that at times we have refused to be peace makers. We confess our irresponsibility in opting for silence when we should have communicated compassion, and for the times when we have let peace be threatened through our hasty actions and late thinking. Grant us, as we repent, the privilege of being caed the children of God.
L: Jesus said: blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
All: God of the persecuted, we confess that we have been reticent in standing in solidarity with those who suffer the consequences of challenging injustice and unrighteousness. We have often let our witness be limited by fear of rejection and ridicule. Grant us, as we repent, a share in your kingdom of justice, equality and peace.
(Silence)
Absolution:
L: May the creator God who enfolds us with wings of love as a bird protects her young, the redeeming God - our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ - who cancels the power of death and sin,
and the sustaining God - the accompanying Holy spirit – who leads us into new ways of being alive in Christ, forgive us our sins, free us from our shortcomings and release us into the freedom of the children of God. Amen
Song: (Composed and set to tune by Thomas Thangaraj)
There is a river deep and wide,
Whose streams make glad the city of God
Ministry of the Word:
Old Testament Reading: Deut. 32: 7-13
Epistle Reading: Phil. 3:12-16
Gospel Reading: John 2:1-11
Special Song: Naga Fellowship
[Meaning: Holy, holy, holy, almighty God, holy, holy, Holy, compassionate one. We will sing praises to your name. For the hundred years of your love and faithfulness we give you thanks.]
(Lotha Naga): ntho, ntho, ntssontso potsow hoi, hei
ntho, ntho, khonnzan eli hoi, hei
topvuna ni myingthungla hoi, hei
nzyu othung motsunga shilo ana
ni zan jiang tssukono montsso nipiala hoi, hei.
(Rongmei naga): Thanmei, thanmei ngamprimei raguangh hoi, hei
thanmei, thanmei n- zian thaimei pu hoi, hei
niu nang zan n- thanmei ta buane
tingkwm phaikhat n-zian loumei khang buan e
niu nang zan n-thanmei ta thuana bamni hoi, hei.
(Ao naga): Temeshi tsungrem kibuba hoi, hei
temeshi yimlibilem sang hoi, hei
kum nok langka tashi nu temeimi hoi, hei
onok anir arunung nu tenung asanger
onok anir arunung nu tenung asanger hoi, hei
(Tangkhul naga): Kathara sashap pangshap vare hoi, hei
kathara lukhamashana hoi, hei
nawui mingli masochikatra hoi, hei
nana kum shakha leishirami kahai wuivang
nali ithumwui ningkashi phongshak dalei hoi, hei.
(Sumi naga): Kimthe, kimthe, kimthe kughushu lhou hoi, hei
kimthe, kimthe, kimthe, kupukiniu hoi, hei
ninguno oje shipilini hoi, hei
mpe aqhe dolo ow kikimiye
ghenguno ninguno oshikimithi hoi, hei.
Sermon: "Looking Back and Straining Forward?" - Prof. M. Thomas Thangaraj
(Emeritus Professor of World Christianity, Candler School of Theology, Emory University)
Affirmation of Faith: (Inter-cultural Committee of the United Theological College, 1985)
L: We affirm our faith in one God:
All: Source of all life, greater than all names and forms,
our inmost self, closer than any other.
Upon this one God we depend for all we are
And for all that ever will be.
L: And we affirm our faith in Christ:
All: Who has shown us the way to true life,
by breaking the bond of human bondage
through his self-giving life and death and by his rising again.
He has given us hope for a new humanity and for the healing of earth’s life.
L: And we affirm our faith in the living Spirit of God:
All: Through whom we awaken to God’s purpose for the world,
and share in the freedom, joy and peace of the children of God.
For by this Spirit God’s love has overflowed into our lives,
shaping us into a community,
set apart for God’s
service,
risen with Christ to share his work of establishing God’s world of everlasting justice and peace. Amen.
Intercessory Prayers:
For the life and Witness of the United Theological College: Eternal God, Alpha and Omega, we thank you for sowing the seeds of vision for an institution of this kind, a hundred years ago in the hearts of our founders. We remember today all those who have embraced this vision in the course of history and furthered it through their sacrificial and creative efforts, great or small. We bring to you the ecumenical, theological, pastoral, spiritual, ministerial and societal contributions of the college so far, and offer them as tokens of our gratitude and signs of our dedication to you, praying for your acceptance. As we stand on the threshold of a new phase in our history help us in humility to learn from the failures of the past and build further upon that which has proved fruitful so far. As we seek to continue our journey with Christ may we be grounded in faith, inspired by love and sustained by hope. Lord in your mercy:
All: Hear our prayer
For the Church: Jesus Christ, the bedrock of our faith and the cornerstone of the Church, we thank you for the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church, which is called to be an instrument and sign of the kingdom of God. Make the world-wide Church a visible sign of the unity you desire and an instrument of the wholeness you promise. Free our churches from their manifold divisions and from the temptation of seeking to serve their own theologies, traditions or prejudices and enable them to work in partnership with others. Help our churches not to seek the kingdom in the shape of our own kind and kindred but to celebrate and welcome diversity. Embolden the vision and witness of your Church through the empowerment of your Holy Spirit., increase a sense of fellowship and friendship in mission and equip the Church to face its various challenges with integrity and commitment. May our churches become more vibrant in their witness, persistent in their prophetic presence and resolute in their hope in you so that your will may be brought to fruition on earth as it is in heaven. Lord in your mercy:
All: Hear our prayer
For Justice, Peace and Integrity of the Whole Creation: God of justice and peace whose will for the world is Shalom. We pray for the whole created order in its beauty and brokenness. We pray for transformation wherever there has been an abuse of power, repentance wherever there has been a wilful turning away from responsibility and restoration wherever there has been a marring of your image in humanity. In our relationship with the earth teach us to heal and not to harm, in our relationships with others enable us to receive and not reject. Through your life-enhancing Spirit direct us in our strength and inspire us in our weakness that we may join in with the movement of your whole creation towards wholeness, justice and peace. Lord in your mercy:
All: Hear our prayer. Amen.
Offertory Song: O God our help in Ages Past (Isaac Watts, Music: Attr. to William Croft)
1. O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal home.
2. Under the shadow of thy throne,
still may we dwell secure;
sufficient is thine arm alone,
and our defense is sure.
3. Before the hills in order stood,
or earth received her frame,
from everlasting, thou art God,
to endless years the same.
4. A thousand ages, in thy sight,
are like an evening gone;
short as the watch that ends the night,
before the rising sun.
5. Time, like an ever rolling stream,
bears all who breathe away;
they fly forgotten, as a dream
dies at the opening day.
6. O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come;
be thou our guide while life shall last,
and our eternal home.
Peace: (All Stand) (Iona Community Worship Book - Based on the Didache 9.4)
L: Many grains were gathered together to make this bread, many grapes were mixed to make this wine. So we who are
many, and come from many places, are one in Christ. May the peace of Christ be with you.
All: And also with you. (We share with one another a sign of God’s peace)
Eucharistic Prayers: (Preface based on Cyprian of Carthage Letter 69 V. 2.)
L: God of all grace, as grain that was scattered on the hillside was gathered together and made one bread, so too, we, your scattered people are gathered together around your table and have become one.
As grapes grown in the field are gathered together and pressed into wine, so too are we drawn together and pressed to share your brokenness and compassion.
Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you for inviting us to this your table, for here you reveal to us that you indwell the work of human hands - the daily bread of our work and care, and the wine of delight pressed from the fruits of our creativity.
All: So we celebrate here the life you have given us because it is precious in your sight – precious enough to be received as a gift
L: As we come to share in this table you also show us your own life revealed through your son Jesus Christ.
All: The life broken to share life, poured out to renew life and promised to transform life.
L: And here as we partake of this bread and wine, may your life and our lives become one, so that we may celebrate the life that is
All: Love revealed, Love given and received, true Love indeed!
Song of the Elements: (Sung to the tune of The Church’s One Foundation)
(Last two stanzas of Richard Godfrey Parson’s Hymn We Hail Thy Glorious Presence, Hymns Ancient and Modern)
O Living bread from heaven,
Jesu, our Saviour good,
Who thine own self has given
To be our souls’ true food;
For thus thy body broken
Hung on the cross of shame:
This bread its hallowed token
We break in thy dear name.
O stream of love unending,
Poured from the one true Vine,
With our weak nature blending
The strength of life divine;
Our thankful faith confession
In thy life-blood outpoured,
We drink this Cup of blessing
And praise thy name, O Lord.
L: Holy, and gracious God, accept our praises, through your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, who on the night he was handed over to suffering and death, took bread and when he had given you thanks, broke it and gave it to his disciples saying, “Take, eat, this is my body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way after supper he took the cup, and when he had given you thanks he gave it to them saying, “Drink this all of you: this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.”
Therefore, gracious God, with this bread and wine we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus, and we offer ourselves to you in him. Send your Holy Spirit on us and on these gifts, that we may know the presence of Jesus in the breaking of bread and share in the life of the family of your children.
Enliven this bread, awaken our bodies. Let us like Jesus, the true Vine, be poured out for each other. Transfigure our minds, ignite your Church, restore the broken creation.
Make us, while many, united
Make us, though broken, whole
Make us, despite death, alive. So we cry
All: Come Holy Spirit, restore the whole creation
L: Now, as we share in these holy gifts, transform us into the body of Christ we share.
All: The body broken which restores wholeness. The life blood poured out that brings healing to our world.
L: To this end we pray, as our Lord taught us, each in our own language.
The Lord’s Prayer: (Each in our vernacular language)
Words of Invitation:
L: Christ our eternal host invites us to be guests at the banquet of the new creation. Draw near with faith and thanksgiving to be nurtured by love and hope.
(People partake in the Holy Communion)
Post-Communion Prayer:
L: God eternal and incomprehensible, yet remembered through the most material elements of bread and wine, in the sharing of which we are bound into greater unity, we cry to you in the midst of the struggles of our lives!
All: May we who have received the pledges of the kingdom, live by faith, walk in hope and be renewed in love, until the world reflects your glory and you are all in all; through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Closing Hymn: Go Forth for God (All stand)
Go forth for God, go to the world in peace;
be of good courage, armed with heavenly grace, in God’s good spirit daily to increase, till in the kingdom we see face to face. Go forth for God, go to the world in peace.
Go forth for God, go to the world in love;
strengthen the faint, give courage to the weak;
help the afflicted; richly from above
God’s love supplies the grace and power we seek.
Go forth for God, go to the world in love.
Go forth for God, go to the world in strength;
hold fast the good, be urgent for the right;
render to no one evil; Christ at length
shall overcome all darkness with his light.
Go forth for God, go to the world in strength.
Go forth for God, go to the world in joy,
to serve God’s people every day and hour,
and serving Christ, our every gift employ,
rejoicing in the Holy Spirit’s power.
Go forth for God, go to the world in joy.
Benediction: (Ephesians 3:16-21)
L: May God almighty grant us the unbounded riches of divine glory.
May the empowering Spirit of God strengthen our inner being with power.
May Christ dwell in our hearts through faith as we are being rooted and grounded in God’s love.
Now may the Triune God give us the power to comprehend the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that we may be filled with the fullness of God and live and work to God’s praise and glory.
And now to the one who by the power at work in us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, be all glory and praise, now and forever. Amen.
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