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NEW KILPATRICK PARISH CHURCH
open hearts, open minds, open faith
Gathering
What welcome shall we offer
that opens grace and justice between us
What creativity shall we set free
that give new life to us all
What relationships shall we invite
that offer love to all our neighbours
What space shall we open
for every generation of our family
What compassion shall we give
for each person wellbeing and growth
What stories shall we tell
that communicates and shapes love's message
What kind of church are we building
here and wherever we are?
Come and see
Come and See
The story of Prodigal
And so the son ran
With money in his pockets
And the world at his fingertips
Having left his father
Ruined
Not because of the money
There was always plenty of that
Ruined
Because he let is son off with what he did It was a declaration his father was dead
And the community heard
And knew
And responded
To the disgrace of it all
And so the son ran
From the fathers ruin
And buried himself in destitution
Frivolesness
And his own ruin
Now he no longer ran
He wormed his way back home
And it was the father who now ran
Towards him
Arms outstretched
O the shame of it all
The elder running to the younger
Never ought that happen
And the community heard
And knew
And responded
To the disgrace of it all
But the father cared not
The son was returned
And everything was forgiven
He could live with the gossip of the tiny minded
And incestuous villagers
Love had won
And love had brought his son back home
And there
Right there
Is the kingdom
Come and See
The Samaritan Story
The man lay there
Passed by by those who knew the law
Knew the rules of purification
To help the beaten up man
Would mean starting the ritual all over again
They would become unclean
Unfit to worship the Almighty
And so they passed by on the other side
Spared the shame of being made unclean
Until the sassenach came along
The Samaritan heretic
The Pictish heathen
Who found the man
And bound the man
And carried the man
And left the man
Without debt to the innkeeper
And the bound up man
Worried that it was his enemy
who saved him
The one he would voice prejudice towards
Laugh at
The one he put to the back of the queue
But his enemy had saved him
Brought him to the front of the queue
O the shame of it all
His words
His ideas
His religion
That bound up the Samaritan by some tiny mind
Yet it was the samaritan who was truly free
And there
Right there
Is the kingdom
Come and See
Come & See
John 1:29-42
Choral Reading
Leader: And so they asked:
All: Where shall we find him?
L: You'll find him with the tax-collectors and pharisees
in the sinners he eats with
And the open table he offers all who are hungry for acceptance.
You'll find him in the welcome he gives those the world ignores
And they asked:
A: Where shall we find him?
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L: You'll find him with the least and the lost
those who have been bound up and oppressed by prejudice
You'll find him giving life back in creative possibility
by opening up the traditions and welcoming in new life
And they asked:
A: Where shall we find him?
L: You'll find him with Samaritans and Gentiles,
making neighbours with our enemies,
you'll find him opening relationships
with those we fear, misunderstand or ignore.
And they asked:
A: Where shall we find him?
L: You'll find him among the children he likes to see and to hear
who are more kingdom-like
more a fit for heaven
than any of us who have grown up
and forgotten faith is a question
And they asked:
A: Where shall we find him?
L: You'll find him among those with mental ill health
once so hurtfully called ‘demon possessed’
you'll find him caring for their wellbeing
in bringing each back into community
and welcoming them home
And they asked:
A: Where shall we find him?
L: You'll find him in the stories we tell and are
in the words that become life
you'll find him, the light that shines for all,
in the deepest shadows of the world
And they asked:
L: Where shall we find him?
B: Come and see