Welcome: When we hear the scripture readings tonight, it is important we hear them with the idea of what they mean to us today? How are these verses relative to our daily lives?
Opening Prayer/Song: Let us pray this opening song as our opening prayer.
Invocation by Christopher Grundy
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: A Reading from 1 Kings
At the mountain of God, Horeb,
Elijah came to a cave where he took shelter.
Then God said to him,
“Go outside and stand on the mountain before the Me;
I will be passing by.”
A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains
and crushing rocks before God—
but the God was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake—
but God was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake there was fire—
but God was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak
and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.
We affirm these words with AMEN
Gospel Acclamation: Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker
Gospel: A reading from the Gospel of Mark 6
Jesus told the disciples to get into the boat and go to Bethsaida ahead of him. Jesus stayed behind to dismiss the crowds. When evening came the boat was far out on the lake, and Jesus was alone on the land. He saw that the disciples were worn out from rowing, because the wind was against them. About three in the morning, Jesus went out to them walking on the water. When they saw him, they cried out-thinking it was a ghost. They were all terrified.
Jesus hastened to reassure them: “Calm yourselves! It’s me. Do not be afraid.” Jesus got into the boat and the wind died down. They were completely amazed by what had happened.
We affirm these words with AMEN.
Shared Homily
The first reading has always been one of my favorites. I loved that God was a tiny whispering sound. Some translations say God was in the sheer silence. The quiet and profound deep always resonates with me.
However, as I was reflecting on these passages, I started asking myself, what about God in the heavy wind, the crushing rocks, the earthquake and the fire? Isn’t God there too? The verses say God was not in those specific elements.
We have come to understand that scripture is full of truth but is not full of facts. We are experiencing God, Source of our Being, Creator of all, in a new and deeper way. We know God is in all things, even the wind, fire, earthquake and crushing rocks.
I can imagine this reading as a metaphor of life. We have days and months and even years when our lives are buffeted by heavy wind, crushing rocks, earthquakes and even fire. We could all list moments in our lives when the buffeting is anything but pleasant. Death of a loved one, broken relationships with family and friends, cancer diagnoses, divorce, addictive behaviors, the list is endless.
Sometimes we are like the disciples in this gospel, struggling against the wind. Jesus is walking toward us, with us and we don’t recognize him. We tend to pay more attention to the heavy winds, then we pay attention to who is in, around, and among us. We don’t have to cover our faces like Elijah. We just lift up our inner spirit and experience the Holy One and Breathe deeply.
Statement of Faith
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 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 wisdom and truth,
and an instrument of peace in the world.
We believe in the Spirit of the Holy One,
the life that is our innermost life,
the breath moving in our being,
the depth 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.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Prayers of the Community
As we prepare for this sacred meal, we are aware of our call to serve, and just as Jesus is anointed, so is each of us. We bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns.
We bring these and all deeply held blessings, cares, and concerns to the table of friendship and peace.
Eucharistic Prayer of Interdependence
Please join in praying the Eucharistic prayer with open hands and open hearts.
O Holy One, you have been called by many names by many people in the centuries of our planet’s life. Yet, no name truly defines you or describes you. We celebrate you as the marvelous, loving energy of life who caused us and our world to be. We celebrate you as the Source of light and life and love, and we celebrate your presence and all-ways care.
O Holy One, we stand at a critical moment in Earth’s history – a time when humanity must choose its future.
As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future holds both peril and great promise.
May we recognize that, in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms, we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny.
United with our vast universe, with our Mother-Planet and her people everywhere, with one another and You, Holy One, our spirits dance and sing this song of praise:
Holy, Holy, Holy by Peter Mayer
We give grateful thanks for those who came before us, for all those who gave from their hearts, who gave from their lives, that there might be a better world, a safer world, a kinder world, we pray for peace in their name.
And for the children, that they may live and grow in wisdom. We pray for peace in their name.
And for all peoples of this earth who have no voice in this,
For the animals that have no voice in this,
For the plants, the trees, the flowers that have no voice in this,
For all who share this earth with us, we pray for peace in their name.
We thank you for our brother, Jesus. He showed us so simply, so tenderly, how the world is in our hands. He had nothing in this world but your love, companions on the journey, and his very self. Together, that was more than enough, and that remains our clarity in the midst of confusion: the miracle of healing, new hope, nurturance, nourishment, liberation and life.
Please extend your hands in blessing.
All: Your Spirit is here in us and in the gifts of this Eucharistic table. May we become gifts of wisdom, light and truth which remind us of our call to be the body of Christ to the world.
On the night before he faced his own death and for the sake of living fully, Jesus sat at the Seder supper with his companions and friends. He reminded them of all that he taught them, and to fix that memory clearly within them, he bent down and washed their feet.
Lift the bread
When he returned to his place at the table, he lifted the bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread and offered it to them saying:
Take and eat; share and love one another.
Lift the cup
He then raised high the cup of the covenant, spoke the grace, and offered it to them saying:
Take and drink.
Whenever you remember me like this, I am among you.
What we have heard with our ears, we will live with our lives,
As we share communion, we will become communion
Both Love’s nourishment and Love’s challenge.
Please consume the bread and drink the cup with the words: The Holy One is in me now and always.
Communion Song: Every Step of the Way by Christopher Grundy
Prayer After Communion
Loving Source of All, we have looked for others to save us and to save our world. Yet, we are called, and consecrated and sent into the world to establish justice and show the blessed fulfillment that comes with simplicity and the giving of ourselves in love. We will make new our commitment to the harmony of the original vision of creation.
We will open up wide all that has been closed about us, and our small circles. Like Jesus, in all openness, we will be filled with your own Spirit and renew the face of the earth.
For it is through learning to live as he lived,
And why he lived,
And for whom he lived,
That we awaken to your Spirit within,
Moving us to worship you truly,
O Holy One,
At this time and all time and in all ways.
And we say yes to You!
Prayer of Jesus
Let us pray together the prayer of Jesus:
All: 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 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
(adapted by Miriam Therese Winter)
BLESSING
Let us pray together our blessing:
May we find the Holy One in the wind, crushing rocks, earthquakes and fire. May all the difficult experiences of life turn into joy, wonder, and gratefulness May we continue to work for justice and peace. And may we know that we are loved and our never alone. Amen.
Closing Song: Dance Then Wherever You May Be adapted by John Ogrodowczyk
