DISABILITY ADVOCACY SUNDAY
23 Nov.2014
23 Nov.2014
Theme : Church 'of' All - Church 'for' All
Disability Day, or the International Day of People with Disability, is a
day that is sanctioned by the United Nations. The aim of Disability Day is to
encourage a better understanding of people affected by a disability, together
with helping to make people more aware of the rights, dignity and welfare of
disabled people. Disability Day was founded in 1992 and is a day that is marked
around the world by a variety of events held in many countries. The original
name for this day was the International Day of Disabled Persons. The day's
origins date back to 1981 and the International Year of Disabled Persons, which
was created to improve the lives of disabled people all around the globe, as
well as to prevent disabilities from occurring in the first place. The Day is
used for holding discussions, forums and campaigns relating to disability, and
communities are encouraged to organise performances in their local area. These
can range from hosting a musical to a play, and disabled people should be
involved in these productions. The overall aim is to show that a person with a
disability can be a vibrant member of society. Each year the day is celebrated
there is an emphasis on a new aspect related to improving the lives of people
living with a disability. In 2012 there was a call to help disabled people live
in an inclusive society in every country, and to make sure that society was as
accessible as possible for disabled people.
THE
PRELUDE
THE
CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: We come
together today as people with different skills, different abilities, different disabilities.
People: We come, however, as one body in Christ.
Leader: We ask
God to help us to be compassionate toward all, even as God has been
compassionate toward us.
People: Gather us together, in compassion and in
faith. Help us to welcome and honor every on in this community.
Leader:
Regardless of physical strength and ability,
People: Regardless of differences of mind or spirit,
Leader: Open us,
O God. Make us accessible to your Spirit, and accessible to all your people.
All: Amen.
Opening
prayer
AS prophet Isaiah
announced the Lord’s Message: “For my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples (Is 56:7) here we are as people with many differences.
Creator God, We rejoice at the community of believers
gathered here regardless of
their physical or mental capacities.
God our
life and way, may we who are made in your image, mirror your compassion,
creativity and imagination as we work to reshape our understanding about you
and the mission that you have entrusted upon us. Enable us to discern the
unique talents that you have given to us and accept one another without any
discrimination. In you we are no longer alone or disabled, though differently-abled,
yet united in one body for which you are the head. Trusting in Your wisdom and
grace, we pray gratefully in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Opening Hymn
The Confession of Sin
All: Gracious God we confess
that we have sinned against you by treating the Persons with disabilities with
contempt and disrespect and disabled them whom You have created in Your own
image. We have sinned against the physically and mentally disabled persons by
our wrong beliefs, attitudes and behaviors and by putting barriers in their
paths and not accepting their life and witness in the Church. We confess that we have been unwilling to hear
their cries for help and we have closed our eyes by not recognizing their
gifts, we have shut our mouths and did not speak for them in their need. Lord we have sinned of perceiving you from
our outward structure and abilities. We relied on theodicy and justified the
condition of the disabled people as their fate. Lord we failed to realize that
Jesus Christ has given a life with hope to all irrespective of any form of
disabilities that we possess. We have disregarded your example and dishonored your name
when we chose not to celebrate the holiness of Your created
world or proclaim the sacred worth of our brothers and sisters with
handicapping conditions. We beg your pardon and come to you for the forgiveness
of our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
Absolution
Leader: God has forgiven all those who have truly repented
of their sins and has cleansed us from all our iniquities, and God admonishes
us to sin no more. Amen.
Bible
Readings: OT: 2 Sam. 9:1-13, Gospel: Acts 3:1-10, Epistle: Gal.
3:26-28, Psalm 133
Prayer of Petition (collects)
Leader: Recognizing our dependence on the Lord to care for all God’s
people, we bring thes petitions before God: that our churches may be welcoming
inclusive communities to all people, especially those who may be overlooked by
the rest of society; that we and our brothers and sisters with challenging
conditions may realize our dignity as sons and daughters of God through faith
in Christ; that the people of God will openly receive the gifts brought by
people who have disabilities; that we recognize the beauty of God’s creating
hand in each person regardless of any human limitations we may have; that the God of Reconciliation will unite all of us in praise for
making each of us the special person we are.
All: Lord in your Mercy Hear our Prayer
Leader: there
is lack of congruence in everyday family life between meeting the needs of the
disabled child and those of other family members; there was a lack of
integration of the disabled child into everyday family life and the wider
community; and, parents held concerns about the effect of the disabled child on
their siblings now and in the future hence many disabled children are deposited
in orphanages and inns.
All: Lord
give us your grace to understand these disabilities as your design, wherefore we
do not throw them out but enjoy their fellowship at home. We praise you for the
gifts you give to each person. Help us accept ourselves and one another as
brothers and sisters regardless of abilities and challenges. Help us love each
other with Your love which excludes no person. We ask this in Jesus’ name, our
Lord and Savior. Amen.
Sermon
Outline
1. Expounding the texts on Mephiboshet
and the Lame Beggar: Emphasizing on an Inclusive Church
2. Sharing PLWD’s lives
a. Hearing
the life experiences (of pathos and challenges) of Persons Living with
Disability (PLWD)
b. Sharing
stories about exclusion:
i.
Accommodation into physical space in the physical structures of worship and
fellowship
ii.
Inaccessibility iii. Lack of Disability friendly interpretation of God’s Word[1],
Disability friendly liturgies, interpreters for the hearing and speech
impaired…
3.
Reinterpreting the Disability Gospel
i.
Stop
looking, thinking and naming PLWD’s as ‘Dis-Abled’(1 Sam. 16:7)
ii.
Thinking
about ways of inclusion into the Body of Christ without discrimination and
stigma
iii.
Stressing
on the biblical principles of Acceptance, Accessibility and Accommodation bases
on John 9
4.
Creating a
Church for All that reflects ‘oneness in Christ’ of PLWD
i.
Dismantling
Barriers of exclusion
ii.
Transforming
the Church into a PLWD support group
Affirmation in UNISION
We believe that, as God’s creation, we
are fashioned uniquely, each endowed with individuality of body, mind, and
spirit; To worship freely the One who has given us life. Each of us has
abilities; each seeks fulfillment and wholeness. Each of us has disabilities;
each knows isolation and incompleteness. Seeking shelter from the vulnerability
we all share, claiming our promised place in God’s Household of Faith, We are
transformed by invitation, affirmation, and love of God.
Following the model of Jesus, We believe
and affirm to treat all people as people as I wish to be treated, speak
directly to the person living with disability not only to the nearby family
member, companion, interpreter, or the canine companion, shake hands when
introduced, offer assistance and wait until the offer is accepted, be patient
and wait for person living with disability speaking, rather than speaking for
the person. And we will treat adult with developmental disability as adults,
not as children.
We believe that the church’s true and
meaningful fellowship is to be found
only in its openness to all people regardless of physical and mental condition,
its acceptance in the ministry of the church as Bishops, priest, pastors,
evangelist and in its governance and its availability with varied aids and
facilities to cater person with Disabilities.
Closing Prayer:
Creator God we thank you for reminding us that we all are
one in Christ irrespective of our abilities and disabilities. We are created in
Your image in order that we would identify your image in our beloved friends
who are differently abled. Enable us to see each other through Your eyes of
love and compassion. We thank you for opening our eyes through this service,
let this conversion in us be a stepping stone to unite everyone in You
irrespective of their abilities and disabilities. Help us to see that our
differences bring pleasure to You and make us channels of bringing dignity to
the differently abled people in our Church and Society. In Christ name we ask. Amen.
Benediction:
The Peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your
hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God and of his Son, Jesus Christ
our Lord: May we recognize the perfection of God in all who are created in the
image of God and accept the abilities of the disabled and create a new order
without any discrimination.
***********************
Liturgy Resources:
§ A
Resolution on Disabilities,
Christian Reformed Church Synod, 1985.
§ That
All May Worship: An Interfaith Welcome to People with Disabilities, National Organization on Disabilities,
1997.
§ At
Worship with the Disabled,
National Liturgy Office, CCCB, Canada, 2006.
§ Disability
Awareness and Music and Worship Resources, Believers in the Word Full Gospel Ministry, Georgia, 2010.
§ Members
of Indian Disability Ecumenical Accompaniment (IDEA), Commission on Justice, Peace and Creation,
NCCI, 2011.
§ Guiding Principles & Strategies for Inclusion in the Liturgy of
Catholics With Disabilities, the federation of Diocesan Liturgical commissions
Liturgical arts and music committee
The Order of
Worship is prepared by Aravind Jeyakumar (Hamburg University, Germany),
Devajothi Kumar, (Indian Theological Seminary), Mr. John Samadhanam (CSI
Hospital, Arockiyavaram) and Ms. Vasumathi (Tamilnadu Theological Seminary)
