Opening Prayer: We gather together in the presence of Holy Mystery to reflect upon the gift of joy that is given to us, as we work toward a world of justice, dignity, and love. May we embrace joy in these difficult times when inhumanity surrounds us, and may we find strength and courage in the support we give to each other. Amen.
Reading 1: Joy is the human’s noblest act by Matthew Fox
That “joy is the human’s noblest act” might amaze us. Really? Is Joy our noblest act? Why not fighting for justice or dying for a noble cause? Aquinas reminds us that even justice exists for the sake of joy—a just world is a balanced world and is therefore conducive to joy for the many, not just the few. Justice is not an end in itself, but joy is. To remain in joy through hardship and loss, disappointment and struggle, is no small thing. It demands a deep spiritual life. A depth of soul. Working for justice in order to share the joy, renders joy more available to more people.
Furthermore, joy is part of compassion. As Eckhart, faithful disciple of Aquinas that he was, put it: “What happens to another whether it be a joy or a sorrow happens to me.” Eckhart is defining what compassion is—it is, on the one hand, a celebration of our common joy; on the other hand, however, it is an acknowledgment of our common suffering as we fight the good fight for healing and justice (so that joy can return). As we have seen, it is the playing out of our interdependence.
Both Eckhart and Aquinas say that “God is compassion.” It follows that to become compassionate is godlike, as Jesus noted: “Be you compassionate as your Creator in heaven is compassionate” (Luke 6:36). Thus joy and compassion are indeed our noblest acts—our most godlike acts.
Aquinas teaches that “love is the cause of joy,” and he offers proof: “Everyone takes joy in their beloved,” and “love and joy constitute the basis of all attraction—love is the origin and joy is the end result” (118, 433). Thus love and joy go together, so both love and joy constitute our noblest acts. Aquinas reminds us that “the only person who truly has joy is one who lives in love” (116). The consciousness of God is about love and joy, and the same is true of human consciousness. A call to love is a call to joy. And a call to joy is a call to love and sharing that love.
(Fox, Matthew. The Tao of Thomas Aquinas: Fierce Wisdom for Hard Times)
Pause for Reflection
Music Reflection: Come, Be In Our Hearts – Sara Thomsen
The Significance of Oneself cannot be measured by the fame and glory of this world or the material things we have, but by the Love and Compassion you have shown to others every day of your life without the fame or glory or thanks just in the name of love, and maybe all the little things we do for one another is the most significant thing you and I might do in our lifetime.
(Mi Sun, author & philosopher)
Prayer of Gratitude
With gratitude I remember the people, animals, plants, insects, creatures of the sky and sea, air and water, fire and earth, all whose joyful exertion blesses my life every day.
With gratitude I remember the care and labor of a thousand generations of elders and ancestors who came before me.
I offer my gratitude for the safety and well-being I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the blessing of this earth I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the measure of health I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the family and friends I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the community I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the teachings and lessons I have been given.
I offer my gratitude for the life I have been given.
Please offer any expression of gratitude that you have this day.
Just as we are grateful for our blessings, so we can be grateful for the blessings of others.(from the Grateful Living Files)
Closing Prayer: Dear God, help me to find joy in my own heart. Help me fell the joy that is around me. Help me be a messenger of joy in my family. Help me become a beacon of joy in the lives of others. Amen.(Maria Shriver)
Welcome: Welcome everyone to our hybrid celebration of Pride and Inclusion Sunday in which we affirm our support for any and all peoples who are marginalized, oppressed and persecuted for the sacred desire and right to belong to our human family.
We begin with our prayer:
Opening Prayer:
Beloved Spirit: Thank you for seeing, knowing, and loving us in the full mystery and unfolding of our being. Through you, we remember that the yearning of our souls to know our true selves, true identity, and true love is stronger than any conditioned voice of doubt. May we be blessed with the grace to accept and support all people in erasing oppression, exploitation and prejudice from their cultures. We pray for rising justice for all. Amen
Opening Song: For Everyone Born by the Beyond the Walls Choir
Reading 1: Excerpt from The Christian Roots of Speaking Truth to Power by Chris Watkin
We’re accustomed with the phrase “Speaking truth to power.” It implies truth and power aren’t the same thing, that truth comes from the margins of power. But consider how peculiar that assumption is.Why on earth would truth not be the same as power?
Those on the margins have a different view of things, a different experience of the world that can be a powerful critique of the status quo. There is a mystique about being an outsider with insight to see anew and the courage to be different, to go against the flow and face persecution.
Yet, there are liberal and conservative versions of margins in our society, each claiming the mystique of outsider with insight. This leads to a fracturing of opposing groups righteously clamoring for the right to be speaking truth. Even voices from the margins can have blind spots and prejudices and ulterior motives.
This is why we need to be sure to clothe our speech and our motivations in the truth of the Divine biblical voice, the moral voice that is truly from the outside, truly from the margins.
From the Bible’s beginning, the center of power is not the center of truth. Prophets, lowly shepherds and a Christ child birthed in a barn are the ones who speak truth and act with love and integrity. When Jesus chooses disciples, he doesn’t assemble a cabinet of politicians and public speakers to forward his message. He chooses fishermen and a tax collector. Marginal characters, all. And yet somehow, the message of God’s kingdom takes roots over centuries.
God truly is outside our contemporary cultural status quo in a way no human voice from the margins can be.God’s voice from the margins is different is because of the extraordinary way the Bible messes with power structures. The biblical voice from outside is both a voice from the margins and a voice of power. Jesus is the ultimate model of how to critique the status quo because his voice is both marginal and powerful.
These are the words of Chris Watkin, a Religious Studies Professor in Australia and we affirm them with Amen.
Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia by Christopher Walker
When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him.
A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he
said, “Be clean!” Immediately, the manwas cleansed of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, ‘See that you don’t tell anyone. Go and show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded as a testimony.
These are the words of the ancient gospel writer known as Matthew and we affirm them with Amen.
(Pause to consider readings)
Shared Homily
Today is the last Sunday of Pride month during which we honor the”’ contributions LGBTQ+ identity, history, and the ongoing fight for equality. Because sacredness of belonging is a human right across all marginalized communities and cultures, we extend our inclusive celebration today to all those who hunger and thirst for justice.
Sadly, oppression, shunning, persecution and exploitation are a common enough injustice from the time of Jesus to today. Equally as common however, is the heroic stance of the brave and just to stand up and speak truth to power as Jesus did.
We stand on the shoulders of midwives who refused Pharoah’s command to kill newborn males and we are inspired by early followers of Jesus who hid underground in catacombs to keep the faith. In modern times, we celebrate the bravery of suffragettes who chained themselves to the White House gates and were force fed during hunger strikes in prison (1906-1917).
We remember the Stonewall rioting (1969) in which the LGBT community stood up to police violence and harassment to claim their right to live in the light. We honor the Marchers on Bloody Sunday claiming the dignity of walking the bridge to Selma, protesters in Tianamen Square (1989) and the Minnesota citizens who in the name of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, rose up to oust ICE from their streets. These and so many more give us reason to hope and persist.
But hope and persistence are not enough. Love must also be part of the mix.
Speaking up and standing up when it is unpopular or illegal is not simple nor is the resolution likely to be quick.A DEI consultant, Dr. Anita Wilson puts it well: “Justice is not a one-time goal but an ongoing effort that requires dedication and love. When we treat justice as a labor of love, we honor the past and bring a more equitable future for everyone.”
Advocacy bathed in love and humility, in the teachings of Jesus and/or another Divine source is the approach most likely to endure. The holy and sacred respect of love transcends boundaries of class, race, culture, poverty and wealth.Jesus touching the incurable leper reminds me of Princess Diana lovingly holding a baby with HIV and how people were either gob smacked or appalled. Love can be very powerful and persuasive. Love does not burn out, it will not shrink to resignation, and it does not multiply resistance like anger can do.
Meanwhile, persecution and inequality thrive in the dark and grow contagious in the silence. Recent polls show that Republican support for gay marriage has dropped by 18 points in the last four years. (55% down to 37%). Political independents also experienced a six percentage point decline. Democratic support remains unchanged at 87 percent. Because Democrats outnumber Republicans, the overall support of gay rights remains a majority of 65% down from 71%fouryears ago.
It is crucial to resist the forces of cruelty and hate with tolerance and love, to insist that human rights are sacred rights.
All: We believe in the Holy One, a divine mystery beyond all definition and rational understanding, the heart of all that has ever existed, that exists now, or that ever will exist.
We believe in Jesus, messenger of the Divine Word, bringer of Divine healing, heart of Divine compassion, bright star in the firmament of the Holy One’s prophets, mystics, and saints.
We believe that We are called to follow Jesus as a vehicle of Divine love, a source of Divine wisdom and truth, and an instrument of Holy One’s peace in the world.
We believe in the Spirit of the Holy One,
The life of the Divine that is our innermost life,
the breath of the Holy One moving in our being.
The depth of Spirit living in each of us.
We believe that the Divine kin-dom is here and now, stretched out all around us for those with eyes to see it, hearts to receive it, and hands to make it happen.
Prayers of the Community
As we prepare for the sacred meal, we bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns.Please feel free to voice your concerns beginning with the words “I bring to the table….”
We pray for these and all unspoken concerns and blessings. Amen.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
With open hands let us pray our Eucharistic prayer as one voice:
Source of Infinite Love, You are always with us. We are grateful for Your constant loving and unconditional presence. At times we forget that You are holding us, attending to us. We fall and You pick us up. You send strangers, friends and family to our aid. We are never without Your Light and Spirit.
We experience great joy and we experience great pain and suffering. You are with us in the joy and the pain and suffering. When we experience Your presence we long to sing our hymn of praise:
Holy, Holy, Holy: Here in This Place by Christopher Grundy
Creator and Lover of all beings, we cannot grow in the darkness of this world without Your Light. Our desire to be in Your light is a gift from You. Help us keep our hearts and minds open to You through our love and care for each other and all creation.
Please extend your hands in blessing
This bread and wine are signs of Your nourishment and a great love. Your Spirit is upon us. We belong to You and one another.
We thank you for Jesus, simple servant, lifting up the lowly, revealing you as God-With-Us, revealing us as one with you, and all creation.
On the night before he died, Jesus gathered for the Seder supper with the people closest to him. Like the least of household servants, he washed their feet. Once again, he showed us how to love one another.
All lift the bread.
All: Back at the table, he took the Passover Bread, spoke the grace, broke the bread and offered it to them saying, Take and eat, share and love one another.
All lift the cup:
Then he took the cup of blessing, spoke the grace, and offered it to them saying:
Take and drink of the covenant
Made new again through my life in you.
Whenever you remember me like this,
I am among you.
Bread and wine are transformed by Your Spirit and we are transformed when we open ourselves to Your Spirit. Every time we share this bread and wine we choose to be transformed. We choose to love as You love us, infinitely and inclusively.
What we have heard with our ears we will live in our lives; as we share communion, we will become communion, both Love’s nourishment and Love’s challenge.
Please receive the bread and cup with the words You are/ I am the Beloved of the Holy One
All: Loving Source of our being, You call us to live the Gospel of peace and justice. Though we may meet resistance we resolve to live as Jesus lived, speaking truth to power, compassionately and persistently. We choose to live justly, love tenderly, and walk with integrity in Your Presence.
Let us pray together the prayer of Jesus:
O Holy One, who is within, around, and among us,
we celebrate your many names.
Your wisdom come. Your will be done,
unfolding from the depths within us.
Each day you give us all that we need.
You remind us of our limits, and we let go.
You support us in our power, and we act with courage
For you are the dwelling place within us, the empowerment around us,
and the celebration among us, now and forever. Amen.
-The Prayer of Jesus as adapted by Miriam Therese Winter
BLESSING
Please extend your hands and pray our blessing together:
-May we keep calm and carry on.
-May we know the terrific love of the Holy One
and keep learning how to share it with others.
-May we “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone
who asks of us the reason for the hope we have,
and do so with gentleness and respect.”(1 Peter 1:12)Amen
