Upper Room Liturgy - Second Sunday in Lent 2021 - Presiders: Bernie Kinlan and Mary Theresa Streck

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

Welcome and Theme 

Mary Theresa: Good morning and welcome to our liturgy for the second Sunday in Lent. Many of us are using the Lenten devotional: Living Well Through Lent.  The theme for today's liturgy aligns with the theme for the second week in Lent: Prophetic Obedience - Listening and Responding to the Divine Voice Within You. The third reading is today's mediation in the Living Well devotional.

Thomas Keating, a holy mystic who taught many the art of centering prayer, reminds us that our spiritual journey does not require going anywhere because the Holy One is already with us and in us. As we pray together, let us listen in prophetic obedience with the ears of our hearts and respond to that voice of love within us.

Opening Prayer

Bernie: Holy One, you are within, around and among us.

Today we respectively dare to listen to you, truly understand what you are saying to us, not what we think you said. Open our hearts and minds as we collectively listen and share the Good News!

Please join in singing our opening song: I Am the One Within You

Opening Song: I Am the One Within You

https://youtu.be/2xpa1U_Pa-E

LITURGY OF THE WORD

 

First Reading: Spirituality of Listening by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

Pat Gumson: Time and again in the last month of his life Moses told the people, Shema: listen, heed, pay attention. Hear what I am saying. Hear what God is saying. Listen to what the Holy One wants from us.

 

Speaking and listening are forms of engagement. They create a relationship. We can enter into a relationship with God because we are linked by words. In revelation, God speaks to us. In prayer, we speak to God. If you want to understand any relationship, between husband and wife, or parent and child, pay close attention to how they speak and listen to one another. Ignore everything else.

There is something profoundly spiritual about listening. Listening lies at the very heart of relationship. It means that we are open to the other, that we respect him or her, that their feelings matter to us. A good leader listens to those he or she leads. Listening does not mean agreeing but it does mean caring. Listening is the climate in which love and respect grow.

Listening is the prelude to love.

These are the inspired words of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks and we affirm them by saying, Amen.

 Song: Breath of the One Life

https://youtu.be/FV8dQhTZe_o 

Gospel: A reading from the Gospel of Mark

Mark 8 31-37

Judy Stamp: Jesus began explaining things to his disciples: “It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the elders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and after three days rise up alive.” He said this simply and clearly so they couldn’t miss it. 

But Peter grabbed him in protest. Turning and seeing his disciples wavering, wondering what to believe, Jesus confronted Peter. “Peter, get out of my way! You have no idea how God works.” 

Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You are not leading; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?

These are the inspired words of the Gospel writer, Mark, and we affirm them by saying, Amen.

Third Reading:  I Will, With God’s Help by Malcolm Laurin

Ellen Garcia: Peter, Peter, Peter…

Let me be honest here. In some ways…in MANY ways, I find myself in the same boat as Peter. 

Wanting to deny the difficult, the scary aspects of discipleship. Peter was just being honest. He didn’t fully connect the dots. Yes, he truly and deeply believed that Jesus was the Messiah, but his definition was pulled from human sources. His definition was one that was fashioned by the world in which he lived, not the one that Jesus was revealing. His thinking was based on another model for Messiah-ship, not Jesus’ model. 

A Messiah who suffers?

A Messiah who is rejected?

A Messiah who is killed?

These were not a part of Peter’s idea of the Messiah. Peter’s rebuking of Jesus reflects this. 

Peter’s rebuking reflects his shock and his fear.

Like Peter, I am often left in disbelief and denial about where Jesus is calling me to go. And while I may not rebuke Jesus (WOW! What a bold move), I do choose not to listen. Or maybe it is that I choose to listen – not to my heart and soul – but to my desires and fears. Their messages are clear. They tell me to turn my eyes away from injustice. To ignore the pain of others. To worry about me and mine. Their messages tell me that the material is the measure of worth. Their messages run counter to my baptismal promises. To seek and serve Christ in all; to love my neighbor and myself, to strive for justice and peace, and to respect the dignity of everyone. The messages from my baptism are dangerous, while the former are safe and comfortable.

Following Jesus often involves moving against the grain of the world around us.  But following Jesus – discipleship – always leads to new life.

These are the inspired words of Malcolm Laurin and we affirm them by saying, Amen.

Homily Starter – Mary Theresa

Theme: Prophetic Obedience: Listening and Responding to the Divine Voice Within You

In today’s first reading, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks reminds us that we are invited into a relationship with the Holy One. We simply have to speak from the heart and then listen with the ears of the heart. And, in that profound engagement, love grows.

In the Gospel reading, Jesus is communicating to his disciples his wisdom from listening to the Holy One. His words are counter to the culture and are disturbing to some of his closest followers who are longing for a mighty warrior messiah to free them from the dominating, oppressive Roman Empire. These followers watched messiahs come and go. Some advocated for a violent revolution and put their hopes in a God who would crush their oppressors. But Jesus was a different kind of messiah. He spoke and listened to the Holy One and he grew in prophetic obedience to this Divine inspiration – and Love grew in him. 

In the Gospel and in the third reading we meet ourselves in Peter. We are reminded of the cost of discipleship when we listen and respond with prophetic obedience, and follow the way of Jesus.  From his profound engagement with the Holy One, Jesus led by example.  “He embodied service, reconciliation, and self-giving. He modeled transformative nonviolent resistance and encountered the ‘other’ with respect and mutuality. He advocated stewardship, generosity, sharing, and a vision of abundance for all. He explained that the message of love was not just for his tribe, and sent his followers into the world to be agents of positive change, like salt, light, and yeast. And finally, he empowered them with a vision of faith, hope and love that could change the world.” (adapted from The Seventh Story: Us, Them & the End of Violence by Brian McLaren and Gareth Higgins)

 

As you listen to the tug of your inner Divine voice, what speaks to you in today’s readings?

Shared Reflections

Statement of Faith

Bernie and Lynn: 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

Dennis:  As we prepare for the sacred meal, we bring to the table our blessings, cares and concerns.

We bring these and all our unspoken blessings, cares and concerns to

Mary Theresa: With open hearts and hands let us pray our Eucharistic prayer in one voice:

O Great Love, thank you for living and loving in us and through us as we set our hearts on belonging to you. May all that we do flow from our deep connection with you and all creation.

Joan: You know our limitations and our essential goodness and you love us as we are. You beckon us to your compassionate heart and inspire us to see the good in others and forgive their limitations. Acknowledging your presence in each other and in all of creation, we sing:

Holy, Holy: Here in This Place by Christopher Grundy

https://youtu.be/sgkWXOSGmOQ 

Bernie: Guiding Spirit, when opposing forces in us tug and pull and we are caught in the tension of choices, inspire us to make wise decisions toward what is good. 

We thank you for our brother, Jesus, and for all our sisters and brothers who have modeled for us a way to live and love in challenging times. Inspired by them, we choose life over death, we choose to be light in dark times. 

Please extend your hands in blessing.

We are ever aware of your Spirit in us and among us at this Eucharistic table and we are grateful for this bread and wine which reminds us of our call to be the body of Christ in the world. 

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 the plate and pray:

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 the cup and pray:

Mary Theresa: 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) 

We share this bread and cup to proclaim and live the gospel of justice and peace. We choose to live justly, love tenderly, and walk with integrity. 

Please receive communion saying: I am / We are the Face of the Holy One.

Communion Song: Be Still and Know by Shaina Knoll

https://youtu.be/CCGsExqtYKo

Mary Theresa: Holy One, your transforming energy is within us and we join our hearts with all who are working for a just world.  We pray for wise leaders in our religious communities. We pray for courageous and compassionate leaders in our world communities.  

Joan: We pray for all of us gathered here and like Jesus, we open ourselves up to your Spirit, for it is through living as he lived that we awaken to your Spirit within, 

moving us to glorify you, at this time and all ways.

Amen. 

Bernie: Let us pray as Jesus taught us: 

Holy One, you are 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.  

Adapted by Miriam Therese Winter 

BLESSING

Bernie: Please extend your hands and pray our blessing:

Holy One, you are within, around and among us. You do give us all that we need when we dare to listen to you.

May you urge us to risk; boldly swim against the tide, and drink from your sustaining waters.

Then, we may find the inner peace only you can give which we can model in our daily actions.

AMEN.

 

Closing Song: You Raise Me Up

https://youtu.be/2DorNUsi5LE

Moment of Oneness - February 24, 2021

Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81507551772
Meeting ID: 815 0755 1772
To connect by phone dial: +1 646 558 8656

Theme: As we come to the end of Black History Month we recognize that the American Dream has not been fully realized by many in our country.  We are called to stand in solidarity with all who are threatened with violence, with hatred, and with discrimination. We stand in hope that the voices of justice and freedom will prevail, and that we move one step closer to a country where all are equal and treated with the dignity and respect all are due.  

The New Colossus/give Me Your Tired, Your Poor/motherless Children

Kim and Reggie Harris, Rabbi Jonathan Kligler

https://youtu.be/5v4taN1dWQg 

Let America Be America Again

Langston Hughes - 1902-1967

Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.

(America never was America to me.)

Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed—
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above.

(It never was America to me.)

O, let my land be a land where Liberty
Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath,
But opportunity is real, and life is free,
Equality is in the air we breathe.

(There’s never been equality for me,
Nor freedom in this “homeland of the free.”)

Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark?
And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?

I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,
I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars.
I am the red man driven from the land,
I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek—
And finding only the same old stupid plan
Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.

I am the young man, full of strength and hope,
Tangled in that ancient endless chain
Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land!
Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need!
Of work the men! Of take the pay!
Of owning everything for one’s own greed!

I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil.
I am the worker sold to the machine.
I am the Negro, servant to you all.
I am the people, humble, hungry, mean—
Hungry yet today despite the dream.
Beaten yet today—O, Pioneers!
I am the man who never got ahead,
The poorest worker bartered through the years.

Yet I’m the one who dreamt our basic dream
In the Old World while still a serf of kings,
Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true,
That even yet its mighty daring sings
In every brick and stone, in every furrow turned
That’s made America the land it has become.
O, I’m the man who sailed those early seas
In search of what I meant to be my home—
For I’m the one who left dark Ireland’s shore,
And Poland’s plain, and England’s grassy lea,
And torn from Black Africa’s strand I came
To build a “homeland of the free.”

The free?

Who said the free? Not me?
Surely not me? The millions on relief today?
The millions shot down when we strike?
The millions who have nothing for our pay?
For all the dreams we’ve dreamed
And all the songs we’ve sung
And all the hopes we’ve held
And all the flags we’ve hung,
The millions who have nothing for our pay—
Except the dream that’s almost dead today.

O, let America be America again—
The land that never has been yet—
And yet must be—the land where every man is free.
The land that’s mine—the poor man’s, Indian’s, Negro’s, ME—
Who made America,
Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,
Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain,
Must bring back our mighty dream again.

Sure, call me any ugly name you choose—
The steel of freedom does not stain.
From those who live like leeches on the people’s lives,
We must take back our land again,
America!

O, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath—
America will be!

Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,
The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain—
All, all the stretch of these great green states—
And make America again!

From The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes, published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Copyright © 1994 the Estate of Langston Hughes. Used with permission.

Reflection Moment

Petitions

To the Creator of all races and peoples, who loves each of us for our uniqueness, we offer our prayers of petition: 

For an end to discrimination in all its forms, we pray ... Bind us together, God of Love. 

That each person may be respected and valued as a child of God, we pray ... Bind us together, God of Love. 

That the Church may be a witness and a universal sign of unity among all peoples, we pray ... Bind us together, God of Love.

That each of us may acknowledge our part in mistakes and sins of the past pertaining to discrimination and racism, we pray ... Bind us together, God of Love. 

For a spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation among peoples who share a history of mutual mistrust, hatred or aggression, we pray ... Bind us together, God of Love.

That the victims of racial prejudice may forgive those who persecute them, and that their persecutors may have a change of heart, we pray ... Bind us together, God of Love.

That the Church will continue to strive to make every element of human life correspond to the true dignity of the human person, we pray ... Bind us together, God of Love. 

For those who have struggled in the past and continue to do so today for civil rights, economic justice and the elimination of discrimination based on race, nationality or religion, we pray ... Bind us together, God of Love.

For the conversion of the hearts and minds of those who allow another's race to influence their relationships and limit their openness, we pray ... Bind us together, God of Love.

That we may work to influence the attitudes of others by expressly rejecting racial or ethnic stereotypes, slurs and jokes and be affirming of the cultural contributions of every racial, ethnic and religious group in our world, we pray ... Bind us together, God of Love.

That we may make a personal commitment to abolish social structures which inhibit economic, educational and social advancement of the poor, we pray ... Bind us together, God of Love.

That we may work for decent working conditions, adequate income, housing, education and health care for all people, we pray ... Bind us together, God of Love.

Written by Augustinians of the Midwest

Closing Song: Freedom Road | Kim and Reggie Harris

https://youtu.be/GOVTapIFugI 

 

Upper Room Liturgy - First Sunday in Lent 2021 - Presiders: Kim Panaro, ARCWP, and Phillis Sheppard

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

Welcome and Theme 

Phillis: We welcome all to our inclusive community. Today we reflect on three overlapping themes:  covenant, salvation history, and our ancestors, many of whom “made a way out of no way” because of their faith and their covenant with God and community.   

Opening Prayer 

Phillis: Faithful and loving God, we give thanks for your never ending presence revealed in all of creation. Draw us into deeper community and into the transformation made possible by ever expanding circle of care. May our covenant with you be embodied in the world.

Opening Song: Standing on the Shoulders | Joyce Johnson Rouse
performed by Earth Mama

https://youtu.be/4ax09Nokve4?t=12 

LITURGY OF THE WORD

 

Readings 

First Reading read by Dave

A reading from the Book of Genesis

God then said to Noah and his family, “I hereby establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you-birds, cattle, and the earth’s wildlife-everything that came out of the ark, everything that lives on the earth. I hereby establish my covenant with you: All flesh will never again be swept away by the waters of the flood; never again will a flood destroy all the earth.”

God said, “Here is the sign of the covenant between me and you and every living creature for ageless generations: I set my bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth, my bow will appear in the clouds. Then I will remember the covenant that is between me and you and every kind of living creature, and never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all flesh.

These are inspired words from the Book of Genesis, and the community affirms them by saying, Amen.

Second Reading read by Lynn

A reading from Ancestors Never Sleep by Alice Walker

Ancestors never sleep
And always seem to know
What they’re doing.
How is this possible?
I ask myself.
Sometimes I am weary
Enough to expire –
What a relief
I will think.  No more obsessing
About this madness;
Whatever it might be
This year, or even this century.
But ancestors merely
Yawn
And send me off
For a nap.
Not only is life not over,
They sniff,
It has barely begun for you.
There are eternities
Waiting just beyond
The next bad movie
You fear you’ll be
Starring in.
Go to sleep.  Rest your brain.
Rest your heart.  Rest your eyes
And all your thoughts.
We have been with you
From the beginning
Which didn’t exist
And we will be with you
Until that moment of
Non-existence
Swings round again.
You are attempting to carry
The suffering
All around you
But your back is bending.
Let us bear it for you.
Knowing as we do
That it is only
A difficult turn
On a never ending
Journey
Of dissolving
And becoming
And dissolving
Again
And becoming
Once more;
Forever & ever
On
And
On.
Save despair,
Our beloved
Sweetcakes,
For a couple of eons
Later.

These are inspired words from Alice Walker, and the community affirms them by saying, Amen.

Alleluia – Spirit of the Living God

Spirit of the Living God

Help us hear your voice

Spirit of the Living God

Help us hear you voice

Silent, mindful, prayerful  listening 

Spirit of the Living God

Help us hear your voice

Third Reading read by Phillis

A reading from the Gospel of Mark

Immediately the Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness, and he remained there for forty days, and was tempted by Satan. He was with the wild beasts, and the angels looked after him. 

After John’s arrest, Jesus appeared in Galilee proclaiming the Good News of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The reign of God is at hand! Change your hearts and minds, and believe this Good News!"

These are inspired words from the Gospel of Mark, and the community affirms them by saying, Amen. 

Kim: Homily Starter 

Today is the first Sunday of Lent.  As we move into this 6 ½ weeks of deeper spiritual preparation, contemplation, and inquiry, it makes sense to place ourselves in the larger story of the Holy One’s covenant with the people, in fact all living things, of the earth. We can find great comfort in knowing that we are but part of the salvation story of our faith.  We look to Lent as a time of personal transformation, yet this transformation is not meant to be for ourselves alone. It is a  personal transformation for the transformation of the world.  

In our first reading from Genesis, God establishes a covenant with the inhabitants of the earth, God’s promise, as memorialized by rainbows, is to never again destroy the whole earth with flood waters.  But what about all the other ills that destroy life and desecrate the earth? The rainbow never promised we wouldn’t still have pain individually and communally. Slavery, racism, homophobia, poverty, violence, sexism, patriarchy, clericalism, islamophobia, antisemistism, the ravages of diseases like Aids and Covid 19, cancer and war to name but a few. How do we understand God’s covenant with God’s people in light of this? 

Our first song provides one answer. The women pictured are our ancestors . Each woman is recognizable by her contributions bringing about the kindom.  We are living a more just existence because of their personal “yes” to life, love and brave action. We are better for their presence. Yet, there is still so much more to do. 

The second reading, the poem by Alice Walker reminds us that we can find perspective and comfort in this long view, this big picture understanding of the arc of justice.  Our ancestors on the other side remind us that we can rest and renew because we don’t need to break our backs thinking it is all up to us to fix all of humanity's ills. We stand on their shoulders but must do so with the humility that we put forth our efforts to do what is right, sometimes knowing that we may not see the results. We must continue to plant the trees under whose shade we shall not get to sit.  That is for those who come after us. 

The gospel today shows a Jesus who continues to preach the good news even though John had been arrested. He went into the desert to overcome the temptations symbolized by Satan. He cooperated with grace to be transformed and then he came back to his community with bravery and clarity. How do we follow Jesus’ example? By showing up, making an effort where and when we can, by accepting the baton and carrying it for as long as we are running the race ourselves . We can’t do everything but everyone can do something.  Jesus did not surrender to fear or pessimism. In our communion meditation , we will be challenged to ask ourselves how we will be the ancestors that our descendants can look to for inspiration. Through our actions we become actors in the ongoing story of salvation. 

Please share any thoughts about the  theme, readings or songs.  

Statement of Faith -  read by Thaeda

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

Dennis:  As we prepare for the sacred meal, we bring to the table our blessings, cares and concerns.

We bring these and all our unspoken blessings, cares and concerns to 

Phillis: With open hearts and hands let us pray our Eucharistic prayer in one voice:

O Great Love, thank you for living and loving in us and through us as we set our hearts on belonging to you. May all that we do flow from our deep connection with you and all creation.

You know our limitations and our essential goodness and you love us as we are. You beckon us to your compassionate heart and inspire us to see the good in others and forgive their limitations. Acknowledging your presence in each other and in all of creation, we sing:

Holy, Holy: Here in This Place by Christopher Grundy

https://youtu.be/sgkWXOSGmOQ 

Kim: Guiding Spirit, when opposing forces in us tug and pull and we are caught in the tension of choices, inspire us to make wise decisions toward what is good. 

We thank you for our brother, Jesus, and for all our sisters and brothers who have modeled for us a way to live and love in challenging times. Inspired by them, we choose life over death, we choose to be light in dark times. 

Please extend your hands in blessing.

We are ever aware of your Spirit in us and among us at this Eucharistic table and we are grateful for this bread and wine which reminds us of our call to be the body of Christ in the world. 

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 the plate and pray:

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 the cup and pray:

Phillis: 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) 

We share this bread and cup to proclaim and live the gospel of justice and peace. We choose to live justly, love tenderly, and walk with integrity. 

Please receive communion saying: I am / We are the Face of the Holy One.

Communion Song: Would You Harbor Me | Sweet Honey in the Rock

https://youtu.be/i0XBXJjoXJ4 

Prayer after Communion:

Kim: Holy One, your transforming energy is within us and we join our hearts with all who are working for a just world.  We pray for wise leaders in our religious communities. We pray for courageous and compassionate leaders in our world communities.  

We pray for all of us gathered here and like Jesus, we open ourselves up to your Spirit, for it is through living as he lived that we awaken to your Spirit within, 

moving us to glorify you, at this time and all ways.

Amen. 

Phillis: Let us pray as Jesus taught us: 

Holy One, you are 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.  

Adapted by Miriam Therese Winter 

BLESSING

Kim: Please extend your hands and pray our blessing:

ALL:  May the Fire of Love ignite our hearts and radiate through us.

May the Spirit truth and justice burn within us.

May we continue to be the face of the Holy One, and 

May we be a blessing in our time.

AMEN.

 

Closing Song: Sing a New Church | Delores Dufner, OSB

https://youtu.be/laSPLUX2YGY