RENEWAL OF VOWS – Covenanted Together

( All say text in bold)

We trust in God, living in the paradox of being purposefully lost,
deliberately uncertain and resolutely confused.
Our hope is in God alone.
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Veni Creator

Come Lord, come down,
Come in, come among us.
Come as the wind to move us;
Come as the light to prove us;
Come as the night to rest us;
Come as the storm to test us;
Come as the sun to warm us;
Come as the stillness to calm us;
Come Lord, come down,
Come in, come among us.

To God the Father, who created the world;
To God the Son, who redeemed the world;
To God the Holy Spirit, who sustains the world;
Be all praise and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

(Facing a cross, the call to be alone with God)

Leave me alone with God as much as may be.
As the tide draws the waters
close in upon the shore,
make me an island, set apart,
alone with You, God,
holy to You.

Psalm 139: 1-6

O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it. NRSV

(we sing)

We have come to seek you O God,
just as we are we come.
We have come to be sought by you,
just as we are we come.

Confession

Search me O God and know my heart,
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

( Silence for personal reflection)

(We sing)

Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison

Lord, as a community we confess our sins …
have mercy on us
Have mercy on us

for the times we have failed to live our Rule
have mercy on us
Have mercy on us

for the damaged relationships
have mercy on us
Have mercy on us

for our false expectations and expectations falsely raised
have mercy on us
Have mercy on us

Lord, we offer you our wounds and our wounding
our hurts and our hurting
have mercy on us
Have mercy on us

(We sing)

Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison, Kyrie eleison

To those who sincerely turn to him, Christ says ‘Your sins are forgiven’

Declaration

I call all heaven to witness today
that I have put on Christ.

I choose no other Lord
than the Maker of heaven and earth.

This day I walk with Him
and He will walk with me.

I fasten close to me this day
that same Jesus
who came to us as flesh and blood
and was Himself baptized in the Jordan river.

He died upon a cross to rescue me,
broke free from death, its conqueror.
He left us, to return the more certainly.
All these truths and their power
I fasten close to me this day.

Resisting my own selfishness and sin,
refusing to live as a slave to riches,
pleasure or reputation,
rejecting Satan and all his lies,
I call on heaven to witness today
that I have put on Christ.

(We sing.)

I bind unto myself this day the strong name of the Trinity.
I humbly praise the aweful name, the three in one, the one in three.
Of whom all nature hath creation Eternal Father, Spirit, Word.
Praise to the God of my salvation. Salvation is of Christ the Lord.
I bind this day to me forever by power of faith Christ’s incarnation.
His baptism in the Jordan river, His death on cross for my salvation.
His bursting from the spiced tomb, His riding up the heavenly way.
His coming on the day of doom, I bind unto myself this day.

Vows

Covenanted together within the love of Christ we share a common heart for Northumbria and wherever the Father leads us.

As we stand alone and together we come to renew our commitment
to our Rule of life. We are called to be available to God and to others.
With the Lord as our helper do we commit ourselves
to BEING AVAILABLE TO GOD:

in the place of the cell of our own heart?
We say Yes.

in a call to exercise hospitality?
We say Yes.

by praying and interceding?
We say Yes.

In availability for mission?
We say Yes.

We are called to intentional, deliberate vulnerability.
With the Lord as our helper do we commit ourselves
to BEING INTENTIONALLY VULNERABLE:
In being teachable through prayer, Scripture
and a willingness to be accountable to others?
We say Yes.

In embracing the heretical imperative by speaking out when necessary, asking the awkward questions and making relationships not reputation a priority?
We say Yes.

In embracing the challenge to live as church without walls
with a commitment to the Kingdom in the streets?
We say Yes.

Alone and together as Companions and Friends may the Lord keep us true to our vocation and vision as the Northumbria Community.

(People are encouraged to place their hand on the shoulder of the person on their right in quiet blessing, or if alone to remember other companions and friends known to them.)

Dismissal and Blessing

Then with the turning of the tide,
prepare me to carry Your presence
to the busy world beyond,
the world that rushes in on me,
till the waters come again
and fold me back to You.

(we sing)

May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the sun be bright upon your face
And the rain fall soft upon your fields
Until we meet again
May God hold you in the hollow of his hand

(People may wish to select a memory stone to mark the renewal of their vows)

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