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Welcome and Theme Welcome: Today is the Third Sunday in Lent. Lent is often a challenge for each of us in many different ways. Tomorrow is International Women’s Day. The theme for International Women’s Day this year is #Choose to Challenge. Today’s Liturgy of Transformation, readings, prayers, and songs are full of challenges, not just for women but for men as well. From challenge comes change and transformation.
Opening Prayer:
(Excerpt from “The Hill We Climb” Amanda Gordon)
When day comes we ask ourselves
Where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
The loss we carry,
A sea we must wade.
We braved the belly of the beast;
We’ve learned that the quiet isn’t always peace.
And the norms and the notions of what just is
Isn’t always justice.
Holy One, we come together today to escape the shade, to converse, to dare to challenge our assumptions and to move toward truth and justice. Help us to make our time together a blessing and a source of hope.
Opening Song: Where Did Jesus Go? By Sara Thomsen
LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
Mary S: A reading from Genesis 1
Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, to be like us. Let them be stewards of the fish in the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, the wild animals, and everything that crawls on the ground.” Humankind was created as God’s reflection: in the divine image God created them: female and male, God made them.
So it was God looked at all of this creation, and proclaimed that this was good—very good. Evening came, and morning followed the sixth day.
These are the words of the of the first book of the Torah. Our community affirms them by saying AMEN
Mary L: An excerpt from a speech by Sojourner Truth-1851 Women’s Convention, Akron Ohio
That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain’t I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain’t I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man – when I could get it – and bear the lash as well! And ain’t I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain’t I a woman?
Then that little man in black there, he says women can’t have as much rights as men, ‘cause Christ wasn’t a woman! Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.
Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain’t got nothing more to say.
Our community affirms these words with AMEN!
Response before Gospel (Alleluia / Spirit of the Living God)
Gospel
Bridget B: A reading from the Gospel of John (4:5-14)
Jesus stopped at Sychar, a town in Samaria, near the tract of land Jacob had given to his son Joseph, and Jacob’s Well was there. Jesus. Weary from the journey, came and sat by the well. It was around noon.
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” The disciples had gone off to the town to buy provisions.
The Samaritan woman replied, “You are a Jew. How can you ask me, a Samaritan, for a drink?” –since Jews had nothing to do with Samaritans.
Jesus answered, “If only you recognized God’s gift, and who it is that is asking you for a drink, you would have asked him for a drink instead, and he would have given you living water.”
“If you please,” she challenged Jesus, “you don’t have a bucket and this well is deep. Where do you expect to get this ‘living water’? Surely you don’t pretend to be greater than our ancestors Leah and Rachel and Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it with their descendants and flocks?”
Jesus replied, “Everyone who dinks this water will be thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty; no, the water I give will become fountains within them, springing up to provide eternal life.”
Our community affirms these inspired words by saying AMEN
Homily Starter
In our first reading we hear God created them male and female. Of course, we already know this. But if I had asked you, “please tell me what you know about the creation story- most often you would tell me the story that we find in Genesis 2. In Genesis 2 we hear the well-known and frequently quoted story of Eve-being created from Adam’s rib and Eve after being tempted by the snake tempts Adam with the forbidden fruit. Here is our first challenge- suppose the creation story was only offered in Genesis 1? Imagine what our understanding of all creation would be if there had not been an Adam and Eve story. How would we understand male and female? How would we understand our role, responsibilities and place in all of creation? God created them male and female. How would all our lives and world be different?
In our second reading Sojourner Truth-stands up and gives a bold and definitely dangerous speech for the time. Ain’t I a woman- is another challenge-how did a woman with dark skin become less than? How is it that the prejudice and bias toward others who look different are still seen to this very day as less then? What can we do about this?
Diane composed our opening and closing prayer from Amanda Gordon’s inaugural poem “The Hill We Climb”. A 21year old brown skinned woman challenged us with her poem that day. She was amazing, a light in the darkness.
Our gospel reading is full of challenges too. The woman at the well is there at noon because she is perceived as less than-she is shunned by the other women in her community-Jesus speaks to her-he is challenging the system, the culture, that says she is less than. This woman is bold and she challenges him right back and asks him how he dares to speak to a woman. How would you and I react to this woman, maybe we would act like the disciples? Maybe today we could or would do a little better.
Immigrants, LGBTQ, minorities, the poor, anyone different, indeed anything perceived as different, including all of creation, experiences what it is like to be less than. What small act from each of us can make a difference?
Here in the Upper Room we frequently remind each other: Anything Jesus does you and I can do too.
What resonated for you in our readings today? If you wish please share your thoughts and remember to unmute when you are ready.
Shared Reflections
Mary B- 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
Dennis: As we prepare for the sacred meal, we share our intentions.
Kathie: 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
Diane: 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:
Kathie: 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: Do Not Fear by The Many
Diane: Prayer after Communion:
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.
Jean A: 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
Diane: Please extend your hands and pray our blessing:
(“The Hill We Climb” Amanda Gordon)
When day comes we step out of the shade,
Aflame and unafraid,
The new dawn blooms as we free it.
For there is always light if only we’re brave enough to see it,
If only we’re brave enough to be it.
ALL: Holy One, bless us with your light, challenge us to grow and quench our thirst as we continue our journey. Amen
Closing Song: Canticle of Turning by Rory Cooney
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