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| Can't Keep Silent by Lisle Gwynn Garrity |
Please join us between 9:30 and 9:55 am via Zoom
Here is the Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82512159155
phone-in for (audio only).
Phone Number: (646) 558-8656
Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155
Kim: Welcome - Good evening and Merry Christmas to all our friends near and far. We gather together tonight in a way that is new, during a time that is unprecedented in most of our lives. This Christmas Eve we come together to celebrate the rebirth of Light. This Light is the eternal Christ, the hope living in each of us. Because of our current shared and individual realities, we cannot be on happy holiday “autopilot” this year. In the words of poet and spiritual teacher Edwina Gateley, “Our invitation is to look deeper than we do, to intuit and honor what so often lies beneath a surface of denial, anger and diminishment, grace pulsing to break through” (from Soul Sisters). We begin by calling on the Four Directions. This practice, common to the First Nations People is particularly significant tonight. Let us remember that, like Miriam, Mother of Jesus, many native mothers in this country have been refugees, giving birth as exiles, oppressed and in poverty. The Trail of Tears, the southern border of the US, rejected unwed teens, the homeless and the displaced are all Miriam’s. All have brought life into this world under conditions many of us could only imagine. So, let us begin our celebration of the Light that is pulsing to break though.
Calling in the Four Directions ~Proclaimed by: Dennis McDonald, Mary Brandon, Denise Hackert-Stoner and Jim Marsh; Drum ~ Suzanne O’Connor
Suzanne: In Inka, Hopi, Tibetan, Mayan, and other indigenous societies throughout the world, the elders carry on the tradition of gathering around a fire when the moon is full and dreaming of a world that they’d want their children’s children to inherit. On that evening, they quietly arrive in a circle of dreamers, knowing that while what they have to offer is just a tiny piece of the larger puzzle, it’s important that they show up with love and intent and participate in the dreaming process.
South - Dennis
To the winds of the South
Great Serpent
Wrap your coils of light around us
Teach us to shed the past the way you shed your skin
To walk softly on the Earth
Teach us the Beauty Way
West - Mary
To the winds of the West
Mother Jaguar
Protect our medicine space
Teach us the way of peace, to live impeccably
Show us the way beyond death
North - Denise
To the winds of the North
Hummingbird, Grandmothers and Grandfathers
Ancient Ones
Come and warm your hands by our fires
Whisper to us in the wind
We honor you who have come before us
And you who will come after us, our children’s children
East - Jim
To the winds of the East
Great Eagle, Condor
Come to us from the place of the rising Sun
Keep us under your wing
Show us the mountains we only dare to dream of
Teach us to fly wing to wing with the Great Spirit
Mother Earth - Denise
We’ve gathered for the honoring of all of your children
The Stone People, the Plant People
The four-legged, the two-legged, the creepy crawlers
The finned, the furred, and the winged ones
All our relations
Father Sun - Jim
Father Sun, Grandmother Moon, to the Star Nations
Great Spirit, you who are known by a thousand names
And you who are the unnamable One
Thank you for bringing us together
And allowing us to sing the Song of Life
~ Adapted by Dr. Albert Villoldo, PhD and Shaman
Opening Song: Breath of Heaven – sung by Joan Horgan
Written by Christopher Neville Eaton and Amy Lee Grant
Kim: Opening Prayer: We join together on this sacred night in the presence of the Holy One and of one another. Let us allow our hearts and minds to be illuminated by the words we will hear read, the words to be sung and the sharing among us. We welcome the light which illuminates the darkness within and around us. We celebrate the eternal rebirth of the Christ Light. Amen
LITURGY OF THE WORD
Reading 1: Written and Read by Edwina Gateley
And so you carried
life for the world, Mary,
as you fled,
to protect that very life
from threats of death.
Joining the world's mass of displaced people
you became
Refugee,
Alien,
Immigrant,
Homeless,
and settled in a foreign land--
the only place
to safely nurture
your fragile dream.
Like so many other women
who flee violence,
clutching their babies,
you crossed the border defining you
a stranger,
dependent on foreign aid, welfare
and hand-outs--
the charity of others--
to feed the Son of God.
These are the inspired words of this poet the community affirms them by saying: Amen.
― Edwina Gateley, Soul Sisters: Women in Scripture Speak to Women Today
Reading 2 – read by Linda Burtis
A reading by Jane Keener-Quiat and Rex Hunt.
We celebrate tonight God-with-us
beyond our words, beyond our images,
for we know God is beyond those things.
But tonight we find joy in the image of God
coming to us in the form of a child.
We sense God’s presence in creation
and in the immensity of our universe,
in the incredible display of life on this planet,
and in our consciousness
of something far greater than ourselves.
As Christians we rejoice in the birth of Jesus.
In him we see the fullness of possibility
to make God visible in our lives.
Like all of us he grew in wisdom as he aged.
He questioned. He searched for meaning.
He shaped his convictions.
He experienced love and came to know
love’s connectedness with God.
He stood firmly in his own religious tradition
and preached good news to all people dreaming
of a better humanity.
We rejoice that he taught us not to imagine
a manipulative, intervening God,
but one who is as close as breath
and as soft as a whisper,
yet as powerful in the focus of our lives,
as were the mighty (prophets) in the Old Testament
drawing us toward the good.
We rejoice that Jesus led people to discover
the sacred in the ordinary,
in the lowly, in everyday life,
in human yearnings to be better people,
and in being neighbor to one another.
Bread and wine,
the fruit of vine and earth.
May these ordinary things be blessed.
For they represent both the ordinary and the extraordinary
as Jesus calls us to follow him.
And when we go out, may we share
generously of this wonderful gift we have received.
These are the inspired words of Jane Keener-Quiat and Rex Hunt and the community affirms them by saying, Amen.
Alleluia – Dennis McDonald
image by Rev. Kathy Johnson
Guided Meditation – facilitated by Joan Horgan
Today we celebrate a birth – not a birth that took place somewhere else, in another time and another place, but a birth that is taking place right now, right here, deep inside of you. It is the birth into your awareness of your own true Self, wholly pure, wholly innocent, wholly Love. So come with me now deep within as we journey to the birthplace of the Divine Child in you.
Imagine now that you see in the sky a star, a star so radiant and bright with promise that you cannot help but follow it. And let it guide you, surely and without fear, until you come to a stable. As you enter, let yourself feel how quiet and still it feels inside – a quiet not somber but filled with a joyful peace, a warmth of safety and a certainty of fulfillment beyond anything you’ve ever felt before. This is a holy place, a sacred space deep in your own heart. This is the place where Love is born in you today.
Come now to view the child, Pure Love, lying in the manger. “Unto us a child is born, unto us a child is given, and this child’s name shall be called wonderful.” Let yourself look into the face of this child - this child that is your Self - and see it radiant, filled with a wondrous light, that comes from beyond this world. This child is the symbol of your wholeness, your innocence, your perfection in the Mind and Hear of God. This is your defenselessness, born as you are willing to lay down your weapons of judgment, anger and attack, directed towards others or yourself. Lay them down today.
This child is the holiness of your true nature as God created you, born into expression as kindness, trust, generosity, peace, acceptance, patience and joy. Attune yourself now to the qualities of love that are ready to be born in you today – qualities you are willing to say yes to and nurture over the coming year, qualities of your real Self that are longing for outer expression. Say yes. Let love be born in you. There is nothing to fear. And hear all sing together in celebration of you – Alleluia, Love is born in us and among us this day.
And now once more look up and see the star shining – not outside you but in the Heaven within - and accept it as the sign, the time of Christ has come…
Amen.
This Guided Meditation for Christmas is the inspired creation of Rev. Diane Berke. The community affirms this sacred time by saying “Amen.”
Homily Starter - Suzanne
Shared Homily
Kim: Thank you for the beautiful insights shared this evening.
Statement of Faith – Read by Dave Debonis
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 PEOPLE ~ Led by Dr. Phillis Sheppard and Margaret Dilgen
Phillis: In gratitude, in praise, may our hearts turn to receive the Light of the Luminous Night. Guide us in the ways of laying our lives gratefully before You.
We lift our voices to God:
All: May the Wisdom of Christ light our path.
Margaret: You call us each by name.
Teach us to serve all creatures of your sacred creation.
Guide us toward unity, healing our division.
We lift our voices to God:
All: May the Wisdom of Christ light our path.
Phillis: The nations are yours, part of your wondrous body.
May all leaders know they are called to care;
may they heed your peoples’ cries
for release from senseless oppression.
Guide us toward justice and peace, healing our deceit.
We lift our voices to God:
All: May the Wisdom of Christ light our path.
Margaret: We are yours.
Guide our hearts and minds and bodies in the ways of wisdom,
that we might hear and head the pleas of friends among us
who hunger, thirst, and face the cold nights.
Guide us toward mercy, healing our fear.
We lift our voices to God:
All: May the Wisdom of Christ light our path.
Phillis: Strengthen all who suffer, and those who care for them (N).
Open our hearts to see your tender Presence already within us.
Guide us toward wholeness, healing our blindness.
We lift our voices to God:
All: May the Wisdom of Christ light our path.
Margaret: You welcome all who have completed their earthly journey (N).
Your peace is now their peace.
Guide us into your Heart, healing our soul.
We lift our voices to God:
All: May the Wisdom of Christ light our path.
Phillis: In gratitude and praise, we invite your peace into our lives.
We lift our voices to God:
All: May the Wisdom of Christ light our path.
Suzanne:
God of hope and promise:
through your love
the promise of life enfolds our hearts;
in your heart
we offer our lives in hope;
and so,
as the Star of Night eternally sings your praises –
we lay in your open hands
the thankful prayers of ourselves, our souls, our bodies.
All: Amen.
Kim: Please join in praying our Eucharistic Prayer:
(written by Jay Murnane)
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. In this holy season, 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. We give thanks, and joined with your vision of harmony and peace, we sing:
"Here In This Place" https://youtu.be/sgkWXOSGmOQ
Your wisdom invites us to draw on our tradition, as old as the stars, shining through Sarah and Abraham, shining through your prophets in every age and every culture. We join that enlightening, enlivening tradition with what we are as we risk fidelity to a dream.
Filled with your spirit, we, like Jesus, can give birth in our day to your living word for the sake of hope enfleshed in creativity and confrontation, healing and reconciliation, justice, universal and unconditional love.
Suzanne: We are aware of the Spirit of love and new life upon all who are gathered here that our solidarity around this Eucharistic table may awaken in us a yearning for justice and generosity, so that all peoples can enjoy the gifts of God’s abundant nourishment.
O Holy One, we dare again to dream the ancient dreams and open ourselves to marvelous visions. There are mountains of arrogance to lower, valleys of fear and separation to fill in, to create a highway of community and communion that stretches throughout our consciousness and around our world.
In this way, working to renew the face of the earth, we are opened up to your Spirit, the Spirit of light and life and love born in Jesus.
On the night before he faced his own death, Jesus sat at supper with his companions and friends. He reminded them of all that he taught them, and to fix that memory clearly with them, he bent down and washed their feet.
All lift their plates and pray the following:
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, this is my very self.
(pause)
All lift their cups and pray the following:
Then he took 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.
(pause)
What we have heard with our ears, we will live with our lives. As we share communion, we become Communion both love’s nourishment and love’s challenge.
You are the Face of the Holy One. Please receive Communion.
Communion Meditation/Song – This Christmas Morning
Written and performed by Leslie Ritter & Scott Petito
As I watch from my window, the candle burns low
On the eastern horizon, a flicker, a glow
Starts the grasses to shimmer in new fallen snow
So perfect, this Christmas morning
I think, in the quiet, with peace all around me
What this child came to give us, his words still resounding
Saying love, dear ones love, only love need abound
Please confirm it this Christmas morning
Though your heart wants to break as you look from your home
See the fear and the pain, the suffering only
To the hopeless, the fearful, the lost and the lonely
Give love, on this Christmas morning
I think, in the quiet, with peace all around me
What this child came to give us
His words still resounding
Saying love, dear ones love, only love need abound
Please confirm it this Christmas morning
Though your heart wants to break as you look from your home
See the fear and the pain, the suffering only
To the hopeless, the fearful, the lost and the lonely
Give love, on this Christmas morning
To the hopeless, the fearful, the lost and the lonely
Give love, on this Christmas morning
In his name, love, this Christmas morning
2005 Leslie Ritter & Scott Petito
Let us pray the prayer Jesus: Read by Donna Panaro
Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver, Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world! Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
now and forever. Amen.
~ The Prayer Jesus Taught us, Re-imagined in the New Zealand Prayer Book
Presider Suzanne: When you close sacred space, you again address the elements and spirit helpers. Thanking them for keeping your space open, for keeping you focused and protected, and for their love and wisdom that they share with you during this sacred time. It is important to close the space when you have completed your prayers inside this sacred space.
Closing of the Four Directions - Proclaimed by: Dennis McDonald, Mary Brandon, Denise Hackert-Stoner and Jim Marsh; Drum ~ Suzanne O’Connor
Dennis: To the winds of the South Great Serpent
Thank you for the healing light you bring to us
For helping us to shed the deadness of our past the way you shed your skin, all at once
Thank you for teaching us the Beauty Way.
Mary: To the winds of the West
Mother Sister Jaguar
Thank you for protecting our medicine space
We embrace your wisdom of teaching us they ways
of peace, impeccability, and the journey beyond death.
Denise: To the winds of the North
Hummingbird, Grandmothers and Grandfathers
Ancient Ones
Thank you for sharing this space with us
We listen for your whispers to us in the wind and to the sacred space within our hearts
Guide us with your grace.
Jim: To the winds of the East
Great Eagle, Condor
Thank you for taking us upon your wings to our highest path of destiny
Thank you for Showing us the holy mountains and reminding us to envision our lives from this place
Denise: Mother Earth
Pachamama
We give you thanks, as one of your children, for holding us so sweetly in your womb of love and live as we heal all of our stories, our shadows, our fears.
Jim: Father Sun, Grandmother Moon
Star Nations – Star Brothers and Sisters
Great Spirit
You who are known by a thousand names
The unnamable, the nameless one
You who are unknown, yet not unknowable
Thank you for bringing us together
And allowing us to sing the song of Life, one more day.
Closing Song: Let There Be Peace written and sung by Carrie Underwood
https://youtu.be/mqueJwYg4k8
image by Rev. Kathy Johnson here
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