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Beloved of God
Welcome and Theme
Good morning and welcome to the Upper Room. We are loved by the One we love. We belong to the Beloved and the Beloved holds us in love. August 11 is the feast of St Clare of Assisi. Our opening song is a prayerful reminder of her teaching that whatever we gaze upon shapes what we become ourselves. In other words, we become the likeness of what we contemplate.
Opening Song : Become What We Love St. Clare of Assisi by Carmen Boyle
https://youtu.be/98erkb5g88c?si=_FdpQrHMCkcDyvJQ
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: Excerpt from Heart of a Stranger by Angela Buchdahl
When my daughter, Rose was small and she really wanted to say something important, she would walk over to me, take both my cheeks into her little hands, and turn my face to look directly at hers. The Hebrew word for attention, tisomet lev, literally means to “place your heart.” When you give something your full regard, you direct not just your eyes, ears, or mind but also your heart. When Rose grabbed my face in her hands, she didn’t just want me to listen to her story; she wanted my heart in it. Ultimately, our lives will be the sum of what we’ve given our attention to. So as you set your priorities, think hard about where you are placing your heart.
These are the inspired words of Angela Buchdahl and the community affirms them by saying: Amen.
Second Reading: Excerpt from Spiritual Direction by Henri Nouwen
Dear friend, being the Beloved is the origin and the fulfilment of the life of the Spirit. I say this because, as soon as we catch a glimpse of this truth, we are put on a journey in search of the fullness of that truth and we will not rest until we can rest in that truth. From the moment we claim the truth of being the Beloved, we are faced with a call to become who we are. Becoming the Beloved is the great spiritual journey we have to make. Augustine’s words, “My soul is restless until it rests in you, O God,” capture well this journey. That I am always searching for God, always struggling to discover the fullness of Love, and always yearning for the complete truth, tells me that I have already been given a taste of God, of Love, and of Truth. I can only look for something that I have, to some degree, already found.
All of us have deep inner memories of the paradise that we have lost. Maybe the word innocence is better than the word paradise. We were innocent before we started feeling guilty; we were in the light before we entered into the darkness; we were at home before we started to search for a home. Deep in the recesses of our minds and hearts lies the hidden treasure that we once had and now seek.
These are the inspired words of Henri Nouwen and the community affirms them by saying: Amen.
Gospel Acclamation: Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker
https://youtu.be/o1rc7ojQtJU?si=MOTx74_M6IVuzbiN
Gospel: A reading from the gospel writer known as Matthew (Mt.14:22-33)
After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening, he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to him in reply,
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.”
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
“Truly, you are the Son of God.”
These are the inspired words from the gospel writer known as Matthew and the community affirms them by saying: Amen.
Shared Homily
Whether one believes that the miracle stories in scripture happened literally is a matter of personal faith. Separate from the historical truth of the miracle stories are the eternal and relevant truths found in the symbolism. Today we hear about Peter walking on water. Walking on water would of course defy the laws of physics. So, what is key to his momentary success in doing so? First, he hears the call to do so, he hears the voice of Jesus calling to him to take the risk. Second, he is drawn to trust the one he loves. Just for a few moments, Peter is able to keep his attention on the call of the one in whom he has placed his gaze and his life mission. He is able to do this and for a brief time, like Jesus is able to walk on water. His fear causes him to sink because he loses focus, he is pulled out of that miracle moment by “getting real” about the challenges. He focuses on the storm and its very real ability to drown them all. He loses faith in the truth of what his beloved brother Jesus is asking and modeling for him. He is brought back to the idea that even though he and Jesus are in fact walking together ON the water, it can’t really happen so he sinks.
We, like Peter, are invited to walk on water. Rabbi Angela Buchdahl is the head Rabbi at the historic Central Synagogue in NYC. In her wonderful memoir “Heart of a Stranger,” she talks about her miraculous and unlikely journey to becoming head Rabbi at one of the largest Reform congregations in the United States. She was born in Korea of a Buddhist mother and a Jewish father. She came to America as a child and grew up in Tacoma, Washington. Still, she heard a call to be a rabbi by the age of 16. She fixed her gaze on the call of her Beloved. She was, and is, aware that according to Jews outside the young reform movement, she is not really Jewish because her mom is Buddhist. As a woman, as a Korean American and a Jew by only on her father’s side her path seemed impossible. Throughout her life however, she looked to the daily events as guideposts and lessons on how to get to the next step on the path. Her beautiful example of her daughter Rose literally grabbing her face to once again remind her that listening is not about physical hearing but paying attention fully with all her senses and her heart is a moving example of this.
Henri Nouwen brings us to the “why” of it all. As followers of the teachings of Jesus we must have our eyes fixed on issues of social justice and service to others. We are fixed on the call to an ever-widening vision of neighbor and inclusivity. Jesus is not just our teacher, but he is a man who modeled praying and finding the truth of who he was and what he was called to do. Jesus prayed with an open heart, He heard the call on his life and he acted with courage against seemingly impossible odds. In doing so, he teaches us that we can do the same.
The Christian life, like other spiritual paths, is one of deep intentional listening and responding. Like Henri Nouwen, we can meditate on the loving relationship with God and others that moves our heart to action. Like Rabbi Buchdahl, we can look to the events and lessons all around us every day to grow deeper in faith. If we are open, these moments light the path so we can take the next step on an unlikely path. And, like Peter, when we keep our gaze fixed on our Beloved and respond in faith, we can do unlikely things. Whether the impossible challenge is the social and political violence in the world, personal struggles with family issues, illnesses, death, addictions, fears about money, aging or the scars of childhood trauma, we can move through them with our gaze fixed on the Love who loves us back. Our closing song today is a modern-day version of the same lesson. By having a change in heart and mind, we can experience the impossible and soar.
Please share your thoughts about the readings or the topic.
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
Presider: As we prepare for the sacred meal, we voice our intentions beginning with the words, “We bring to the table…..”
Presider: We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen.
Eucharistic Prayer
Presider 1: Please join in praying the Eucharistic prayer together:
All: O Holy One, you have birthed us in goodness, gifted us with life and cherished us in love. In the heart of our being, your Spirit dwells; a Spirit of courage and vision, a Spirit of wisdom and truth.
In the power of that same Spirit, we lift our hearts in prayer, invoking anew the gift of wisdom and enlightenment, that we may continue to praise and thank you, in union with all who sing the ancient hymn of praise:
Holy, Holy, Holy: Here in this Place by Christopher Grundy
https://youtu.be/sgkWXOSGmOQ?si=ZscqaUzNRBxciPUu
Holy One, we see around us the work of your hands, the fruit of your wisdom and love. The unfolding story of creation witnesses unceasingly to your creative power. We, your creatures, often deviate from that wisdom, thus hindering your creative presence in our midst.
Sending among us Jesus, our brother, you birth afresh in our world the power of Sophia-Wisdom, and in the gift of Your Spirit, your creative goodness blooms anew, amid the variety and wonder of life.
Presider 2: Please extend your hands in blessing.
We invoke Your Spirit upon the gifts of this Eucharistic table, bread of the grain and wine of the grape, that they may 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.
All lift their plate and pray the following:
When he returned to his place at the table, he lifted the Passover bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread and offered it to them saying:
Take and eat; this is my very self.
All lift their cup and pray the following:
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 receive communion with the words: We are Beloved.
Communion Song: Who I Was Born To Be by Susan Boyle
https://youtu.be/mhXYHRS5aDo?si=yFhcMMDs1z7MWZ-Q
Post-Communion Prayer
In faith and hope we are sustained; in grace and dignity reclaimed. In praise, we thank you.
In union with all peoples living and dead, we unite our thoughts and prayers, asking wisdom and courage:
- to discern more wisely your call to us in the circumstances of our daily lives;
- to act justly and courageously in confronting the pain and suffering that desecrates the Earth and its peoples;
- to take risks in being creative and proactive on behalf of the poor and marginalized;
- and to love all people with generosity of heart, beyond the labels of race, creed and color.
And may we ever be aware and alert to the new things Your Spirit makes possible in us, as our world unfolds amid pain and beauty, into the fullness of life to which all are called, participating in the wise and wonderful work of co-creation.
Like Jesus, we will open up wide all that has been closed about us, and we will live compassionate lives, for it is through living as Jesus lived, that we awaken to your Spirit within, moving us to glorify you, O Holy One, at this time and all ways.
Amen.
Prayer of Jesus
Presider 1: Let us pray the prayer 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 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
Presider: Let us pray together our blessing:
May we always have more and more love.
More and more faith, more and more surrender.
Let our souls in their journey into you never rest anywhere,
Your Love is an infinite expansion.
Expand us infinitely.
(Adapted from a prayer by Andrew Harvey.)
Closing Song: Defying Gravity by Cynthia Erivo
https://youtu.be/IY87YLynIg8?si=3iKZNRvN2_QriSFd
