Opening Prayer:Holy One, at times we are overwhelmed in the noise of the world. We become distracted by our long to-do list. We are often distracted by worries and anxieties.Let us find rest and peace as we once again experience your love and share our moment of oneness.Amen.
We are only the earthenware vessels that hold this treasure, to make it clear that its surpassing power comes from God and not from us. We are afflicted in every way possible, but we are not crushed; we are full of doubts, but we never despair.We are persecuted but never abandoned; we are struck down, but never destroyed. Our vessels are fragile but also strong for they hold a treasure of love, given to us by the Holy One.
Moments of silence(2 minutes)
May we share our treasure of love with the immigrant at our border. May the children who are separated be reunited with their families. Amen-let it be so.
May we share our treasure of love in the LGBTQ communities. May they be accepted and know they are loved. Amen-let it be so.
May we share our treasure of love each Sunday as we pray for allthose who aresuffering from cancer and for all those who are suffering from any medical or mental conditions. May they find healing in their mind and body. Amen-let it be so.
May we share our treasure of love with those all over the world who are suffering from Covid. May all their caregivers, and medical staff recognize your love in every person they serve. May those who are grieving the loss of loved ones be comforted.Amen-let it be so.
May we share our treasure of love with those who do not have enough food to feed their families. May we give generously to those in need. Amen-let it be so.
May we share our treasure of love with all politicians.May they let go of their need for power and recognize their responsibilities to serve all peoples.Amen-let it be so.
May we share our treasure of love with those whose worries and anxieties are overwhelming.May we find peace in knowing you are present always.May we always be grateful.Amen -let it be so.
Welcome to the Upper Room community. We extend a special warm welcome to our guests. Friends from One Spirit and specifically Erika Allison and Nancy Nogood join us today. Our theme today is Pride. We all deserve to feel pride in who we are yet we know that for the LGBTQ+ community, pride was elusive as homosexuality itself was considered a mental illness and a crime. Today we celebrate just a few of the heroes and sheros of our movement. The African American community and the drag queen communities made up so much of the original activist communities. We are grateful for their presence. We welcome our guest co-presider Rev. Erika Allison and our liturgy participant Nancy Nogood.
Opening Prayer (Suzanne)
Divine One, bless our Pride. Bless our celebration. Bless our laughter, our joy, our exuberance. Bless the memories of those who came before us. Those who lived, worked, experienced persecution, suffered, were tortured and died for us so that some of us may have a measure of freedom. Bless those, Divine One, who oppose us in the hope that one day your blessing will help bring about peace. Bless our differences and may we learn to celebrate that which is the unique spark of Grace in each one. Bless those for whom it takes great courage to be out. Bless those who have lost family, friends, jobs and homes because they found the courage to be proud. Bless our calls for equity and freedom. May we honor you in our pursuit of justice.
Our task now is not just to demythologize Jesus. It is to let the breath of the Galilean sage fall on the neck of the church again. First we have to listen not to formulas of salvation but to a gospel that is all but forgotten. After centuries of being told that “Jesus saves,” the time has come to save Jesus from the church.
If the door is locked, we will break in through the windows. If anyone forbids us to approach the table, we will overturn it and serve Communion on the floor. If any priest tells us we cannot sing this new song, we will sing it louder, invite others to sing it with us, and raise our voices in unison across all the boundaries of human contrivance—until this joyful chorus is heard in every corner of the world, and the church itself is raised from the dead.
These are the inspired words of Rev. Robin Meyers, from his book:Saving Jesus from the Church.And the community affirms them by saying “Amen.”
Second Reading: (Erika)
Unfortunately, my parents didn’t get the same memo [that some churches had an accepting view of gay people]. They held strong with their church’s view that my “lifestyle” was wrong and sinful. Thus ensued a multi-year battle of my mom and I desperately trying to prove to and convince the other that each of us was right. Books, letters, and Bible verses were sent back and forth. My name was given to “prayer warriors” and pinned on prayer walls in hopes that a diligent group of prayerful servants could save me. We were in a fight for my soul, and neither of us was willing to give up.
The truth, I could have the acceptance of everyone in the world – the town of Austin, my professors, my friends, my friends’ parents, my extended family, the more progressive churches and pastors – but the one person’s acceptance I wanted more than any in the world was my mom’s. It wasn’t my soul I was actually fighting for; it was her approval. I wanted her to tell me I was okay and lovable exactly as I am. That she loved me just as I am, regardless of what her church said. That she understood me and saw my true beauty. That she trusted the depth and truth of my relationship with God. That she would fight for me against her church’s mistrust of me. I hated this reality because this seemed to be the one person’s approval I couldn’t get no matter how hard I tried. This longing for my mother’s approval mixed with all of those messages that religion implanted in me led to a string of serially monogamous relationships that I cycled through about as often as my serially monogamous careers. I longed for approval, praise, and understanding. I kept tight control on the situation with all of my people-pleasing tools to ensure I got exactly that, and I only revealed the parts of me that I was sure would be accepted.
The reality was that my sensitive heart couldn’t bear another significant disapproval from someone I cared about. I sought out relationships with people who were a little wounded and disempowered because they were safe to be with: they were unlikely to reject me. And if I could “fix” them, what an even better way to earn lasting approval. All the while, I found myself tending to everyone else’s hearts rather than my own. I could manipulate myself into a pretzel to be exactly what they wanted, both in relationships and at work. But in doing so, each time I led my heart further down the path of abandonment and disappointment.
These are the inspired words from my book:
Gay the Pray Away: Healing Your Life, Love, and Relationships from the Harms of LGBT Conversion Therapy, and the Community affirms them by saying “Amen”
Alleluia (Dennis)
Gospel (Nancy Nogood)
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea. One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, “My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live.” He went off with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.
While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?” Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. So he went in and said to them, “Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” And they ridiculed him. Then he put them all out. He took along the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was. He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. At that they were utterly astounded. He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat.
These are the inspired words from the Gospel attributed to Mark, and the Community affirms them by saying “Amen.”
Shared Homily
Dave DeBonis: Let us pray our Statement of Faith.
Statement of Faith
All: We believe in one God, 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 God's Word, bringer of God's healing, heart of God's compassion, bright star in the firmament of God's prophets, mystics, and saints.
We believe that We are called to follow Jesus as a vehicle of God's love, a source of God's wisdom and truth, and an instrument of God's peace in the world.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
The life of God that is our innermost life,
the breath of God moving in our being.
The depth of God living in each of us.
We believe that God's 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.
Eucharistic Prayer of Belonging
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.
Kim:We pray for these and all unspoken concerns. Amen.
Suzanne:We are a priestly people. We are anointed.
With open hands let us pray our Eucharistic prayer as one voice:
O Nurturing, Mothering one, You are always with us. We are grateful for Your constant loving and unconditional presence. At times we forget that You are holding us, attending to us. We fall and You pick us up. You send strangers, friends and family to our aid. We are never without Your Light and Spirit.
We experience great joy and we experience great pain and suffering. You are with us in the joy and the pain and suffering. When we experience Your Presence we long to sing our hymn of praise:
Kim: Creator and Lover of all beings, we cannot grow in the darkness of this world without Your Light. Our desire to be in Your light is a gift from You. Help us keep our hearts and minds open to You through our love and care for each other and all creation.
Please extend your hands in blessing:
This bread and wine is a sign of Your nourishment and a sign of Your great love. Your Spirit is upon us and we belong to You and one another.
We thank you for Jesus, simple servant, lifting up the lowly, revealing you as God-With-Us, revealing us as one with you, and all creation.
On the night before he died, Jesus gathered for the Seder supper with the people closest to him. Like the least of household servants, he washed their feet. Once again he showed us how to love one another.
(All lift their plates and pray the following)
Back at the table, he took the Passover Bread, spoke the grace, broke the bread and offered it to them saying, Take and eat, this is my very self.
(All lift their cups and pray the following)
Then he took the cup of blessing, spoke the grace, and offered it to them saying:
Take and drink of the covenant
Made new again through my life in you.
Whenever you remember me like this,
I am among you.
Bread and wine is transformed by Your Spirit and we are transformed when we open ourselves to Your Spirit. Every time we share this bread and wine we choose to be transformed. We choose to love as You love us.
As we celebrate and recognize You in this bread and wine we love and recognize you in each other. We are filled with gratitude and joy.
Suzanne: Let us pray together the prayer of 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 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.
The Prayer of Jesus as interpreted by Miriam Therese Winter
Dennis:Rainbow Prayer
Rainbow Christ, you embody all the colors of the world. Rainbows serve as bridges between different realms: heaven and earth, east and west, queer and non-queer. Inspire us to remember the values expressed in the rainbow flag of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community
Red gives us life. Self-Loving Christ, you are our Root.
Orange stirs our passion. Erotic Christ, you are our Fire.
Yellow awakens our courage. Out Christ, you are our Core.
Green moves us to love. Transgressive Christ, you are our Heart.
Blue frees us to speak. Liberator Christ, you are our Voice.
Violet clears our vision. Interconnected Christ, you are our Wisdom. The colors of the rainbow are distinct, but they all shine together to make one light. Hybrid Christ, you are our Crown.
Rainbow Christ, you are the light of the world. May the rainbow lead us to experience the whole spectrum of life! Amen.
BLESSING
Kim: Please extend your hands and pray our blessing together
May we continue to be the Face of God to each other. May the certainty of our connectedness to one another and all creation ignite us to love more fully.May we, like Jesus be a shining light and a blessing for all.
Almighty God, source of our life, we acknowledge you as Creator of all people of every race, language, and way of life. Help us to see each other as you see us: your daughters and sons loved into being and sustained by your loving care. Keep watch over our hearts so that the evil of racism will find no home with us. Direct our spirits to work for justice and peace so that all barriers to your grace which oppress our brothers and sisters will be removed. We pray this in your Holy Name. Amen.
Reading
First, understand the difference between being uncomfortable and being threatened. There is no way to tell the truth about race in this country without white people becoming uncomfortable. Because the plain truth is that if it were up to people of color, racism would have been resolved, over and done, a long time ago. The only reason for racism's persistence is that white people continue to benefit from it.
Repeat that last sentence. Make it your mantra. Because until the country accepts that truth, we will never move beyond superficial words and ineffective half-measures.
Excerpt from Bryan N. Massingale, The Assumptions of White Privilege….
Silent Reflection
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.
Denise:Welcome to this gathering of dear friends, the Upper Room Community.Wherever you are on this planet, you are present with us today, and we give thanks to the Spirit who drew you to us.Today we reflect on what it means to keep Jesus in the boat of our lives.
Opening Prayer:
Gayle:Divine Spirit, the noise and turbulence surrounding us is sometimes overwhelming. In those times we fear that we might drown in it.Come to us today as a quiet breeze, a calming voice, a gentle hand.Be our sanctuary, reminding us to live as our brother Jesus lived, so that we may be sanctuary for one another.Amen.
just another individual who couldn’t beat city hall,
worked to change the status quo
and was destroyed.
Looking at him I see
how our intelligence is crippled,
our imaginations stifled,
our efforts wasted,
because we do not live as he did.
Every day I am afraid
that he died in vain
because he is buried in our churches,
because we have betrayed his revolution
in our obedience to authority
and our fear of it.
I believe in Jesus Christ
who rises again and again in our lives
so that we will be free
from prejudice and arrogance,
from fear and hate,
and carry on his revolution,
and make way for his kingdom.
These are the inspired words from Dorothee Soelle’s “Credo” and the community affirms them by saying Amen.
Alleluia
Ann:Gospel – Mark 4:35-41
On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples: “Let us cross to the other side.”
Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him.
A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up.
Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm.
Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”
They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”
These are the inspired words from the gospel attributed to Mark, and the community affirms them by saying Amen.
Shared Homily
Denise:Homily Starter:
Today’s gospel tells a vivid story.A boat tossed about by wind and waves, a terrified crew, a sleeping Jesus, who upon awakening both calms the storm and then oddly, it seems, rebukes his companions for their lack of faith.The images are dramatic and visual, evoking deep responses among listeners today, just as they would have done for the People of the Way in the first century.Theologian John Dominic Crossan suggests that this narrative may be a parable written about Jesus, a deep truth wrapped in story, and passed among the followers of Jesus in the years and generations after his death, eventually to be recorded by the author of this gospel.If this is the case, then what is the truth wrapped in this parable?
For me, imagining the challenges faced by the early Jesus movement helps answer that question.We can imagine the turbulence in the decades that followed the death of Jesus; the threat and reality of Roman persecution, internal debates among the people about what made a true follower of the way; who was in and who was out.Mark’s gospel was written right around the time of the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, and the people of the early Jesus movement faced an uncertain future. It must have seemed like the boat of their burgeoning faith was sinking fast.We can imagine that in the midst of this storminess the void of the absent Jesus must have loomed large.The people needed a strong reminder that it was in following the way of Jesus that would keep them afloat, that Jesus himself had told them this time and again while he walked the earth with them.It was in living as Jesus lived, not living with Jesus that would bring salvation to the teetering world.By remaining faithful to the way of Jesus, the way of healing, forgiveness, justice and love, they might retain their identity as People of the Way, despite the storm that raged around them.
Twenty-plus centuries later, we still find ourselves tossed about by the tempests of the world.The strife of division and discord is evident in the church and in the wider society, and like Dorothee Soelle, we might fear that Jesus has left, or been evicted from our boat.For Dorothee though, it is the continuous act of Christ rising in our own lives that calms the storm. Even when we give in to despair, and fail again and again to follow the way, it is Christ who rises in our own selves, and who calls us back to the way of Jesus, who continues to ask us today, “Why are you terrified?Do you not yet have faith?”
What are your thoughts about today’s readings?We would love to hear your thoughts.
Shared thoughts on the readings from the community
Thank you for your thoughtful, wise, and sacred sharing.In the spirit of keeping Jesus in the boat of our community’s faith journey, we proclaim our Statement of Faith.
Jim: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
(Written by Jay Murnane)
Gayle: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 prayers for the community.
Prayers for the community….
We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen.
Denise: Please join in praying the Eucharistic prayer together.
Blessed are you, Holy One, source of all creation. Through your goodness you made this world and called us to be Your co-creators. We give thanks for the diversity and beauty of life around us and within us.
We open our awareness to the goodness of all of creation and we remember our responsibility to serve. You invite us to build the earth into a community of love rooted in justice. You placed confidence in us, for you made us and you know that we are good.
In joy and in thanksgiving we join with all the faithful servants who have gone before us and we sing:
Gayle:We thank you for Jesus, simple servant, lifting up the lowly, revealing you as God-With-Us, and revealing us as one with you and all of creation.
He lived among us to show us who we are and challenged us to know you. He taught us the strength of compassionate love.
Please extend your hands in blessing.
We are grateful for your Spirit at our Eucharistic Table and 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 died, Jesus gathered for supper with the people closest to him. Like the least of household servants, he washed their feet, so that they would re-member him.
(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.
Denise:Holy One, we are willing to do everything Jesus did, to re-create the living presence of a love that does justice, of a compassion that heals and liberates, of a joy that generates hope, of a light that illumines people and confronts the darkness of every injustice and inequity.
We trust you to continue to share with us your own spirit, the spirit that animated Jesus, for it is through his life and teaching, all honor and glory is yours, O Holy One, forever and ever. Amen.
All: Amen.
Denise: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
Closing Prayer:
Gayle:Today is Fathers Day.On this day let us honor, support, and remember the men in our lives who were and are father figures to us, whoever and wherever they are.We offer this beautiful passage from Meredith May’s book “The Honey Bus” in prayer and thanksgiving for these very special men.
[After coming home from a disastrous first meeting, at age 9 or 10,with my maternal grandfather, a demeaning and judgmental man, I ran to my Step Grandfather and told him:] Mom said, “you’re not our real grandpa.” Grandpa was quiet for a moment, thinking. Then he lifted me up and sat me on one knee. He reached for Matthew and put him on the opposite knee. “Now you two listen, and you listen good,” he said. “Pinch my arm.” We checked his face to see if he was serious. “I mean it. Hard as you can.” I squeezed and dug half-moons into his forearm with my fingernails. “Do you feel skin?” We nodded. “Then, I’m real. I’m your grandpa.” … I felt better, but something was still gnawing at me. “What’s step mean?” I asked. “Step just means you’re lucky because you get to have more than one grandpa.” “But Mom said…” Grandpa leaned in until our noses were almost touching and locked eyes with me. “Sometimes she gets confused,” he whispered softly, so only I could hear. He was telling me that it was okay to make up my own mind about whom I wanted for a grandpa. And it was an easy choice because Grandpa’s life had room for us, and wasn’t complicated by tangled family history. He was the adult who looked forward to seeing us, enjoyed teaching us new things and truly cared about our opinions. He loved us the way a parent should.
Blessing:
Gayle:Please raise your hands in blessing.May those who were and are father figures to us be remembered with love on this day, even if they may have fallen short of our expectations. May we find ways to reach out to others, whether kin to us or not, and truly care for them as we are cared for by the Creator who breathed us into this world.
