Joseph 1 | nkchurch

Gathering

And the colours came flying together
the blue of sky
and the green of forest
the butterscotch and gold of autumn
the marmalade of sunsets
and the pesto of field
the orange of warmth and yellow of song
the cool azure of lazy days
and the red of righteous anger

and as the colours tangled together
in a dance of colour
a coat was embroidered
rich in…

…supremacy
dominion
and power

and thus our story begins
of a dreamer
who awakens to the reality
of the world.

Joseph 1

Psalm 104

Coloured coat prayer

For the yellows of light
that find the brightness
in the darkness of conflict
we pray

For the blues of cool
that shape a place of peace
for those anxious and worries
we pray

For the green of life
that speak of seed of hope
for those who are disheartened, hurt, sorrowful
we pray

For the red of passion
that enfires and motivates a righteous anger
for those who see injustice
we pray

For the purples of richness
that colours the world with the wealth everyone brings
and those who celebrate it
we pray

for the oranges of warmth
that gather the cold
and the lonely and forgotten
we pray

for this this church
in its many hues
and this congregation
and its many variations
and this parish
and is plethora and neighbour
may we wear this most colourful garment of the kingdom
with passion
hope
and with love

So be it
Amen

A Prayer of Colours

Loving God
let the colours sing
in us

may they bundle together
and create that place
where each character has a place
in our living
where the red of anger
sits with the blue of reflection
and the green of cool
faces across from the orange of warmth

that coat we create
that garment of life we wear
that surrounds us
with all the emotions of life
bound up round us
celebrating the breadth
of our humanity

And so we bring here
what we can bring in no other place
the honesty of who we are
confident in a love
whose grace is wider than all creation
to accept us
forgive us
renew us
transform us

not to reset the colours
but call us out
in the variety of faith we hold
the depth and lightness
to be who we are
fully in this place
and community
and parish

to live honest lives
to live with integrity and humanity
to be the folk
you have created us to be
and love the community we are
together
and be together
that multi coloured coat of life
and faith
and compassion

So be it
Amen

The Making of a Coloured Coat

In the centre of the worship space there is a mannequin wearing a dull coat.

Invite people, in groups of two or three to consider the question: how do you turn something dull into something vibrant and full of life;
how do you turn a relationship;
how do you turn a community;
how do you turn worship;
how do you turn anything into something lively?

In groups discuss this question and when poeple come up with an idea
have them write it on a strip of bright self-coloured cloth and pin it to the grey coat turning something dull into something colourful:
a symbol of what we do in our faith