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https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82512159155
phone-in for (audio only).Phone Number: (646) 558-8656
Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155
Liturgy of Transformation A Celebration of the Body and Blood of Christ
Welcome: Good morning, Today we celebrate the Body and Blood of Christ. The readings beg the question “what’s it all about Jesus?” As a special part of our liturgy we will begin with the Federation of Christian Ministries formal commissioning of Julie Corron, Dennis McDonald, and Kim Panaro. We welcome Carl Yusavitz to offer the prayers of commissioning.
Opening Prayer and Commissioning: We are women and men responding to that same Spirit that was in Jesus Christ, the Spirit of a new Pentecost. We are committed to embodying that Spirit in a rich diversity of ministries that will lead to the renewal and transformation of the communities we serve. Our vision reflects the mutuality and partnership lived by Jesus. His Gospel of wholehearted love of God and neighbor rejects violence toward and domination of one person over another. We respect and reverence each person as an image of God.
As daughters and sons of Holy Wisdom, we affirm the cosmic vision of the interdependence and interconnection of all reality. Our new paradigm, partnership in ministry for the twenty-first century, urges us to work for justice, equality, and peace in our earth, as we serve God and one another.
We derive from a critical understanding of the scriptures which defines church through its goals: community, ministry, witness, and worship. In community we can share our dreams and hopes, bind our wounds, brighten the darkness, and give ourselves to others in love. In ministry, we serve our humanity with compassion, embodying the Spirit’s transformative power. In witness, we allow the Spirit to take form in many ways: contemplative, prophetic, communal, theological, healing, and playful ways. In worship, we express the joys, sorrows, and longings for Divinity’s embrace and fuller kinship with our universe.
Everyone please extend your hands in blessing:
By the authority given to me by the Circle of Directors of the Federation of Christian Ministries, I affirm your commissioning, Kim, Julie and Dennis by FCM on May 8th. Go forth with the faith of our mothers and fathers to ground you, the hope and love of the Spirit of Jesus to inspire you, and the vision and core values of our FCM community to guide you. Amen.
Let us continue our celebration with our opening song:
Where Did Jesus Go by Sara Thomsen https://youtu.be/biPM_MTQVgI
LITURGY OF THE WORD
Lynn W: A Reading from Saving Jesus from the Church by Robin Meyers
When the sacred conversation we know called the New Testament conversation first began, it was between an itinerant Galilean teacher and his peasant-class student entourage. By the time it ended, Jesus was divine, and every great Judaic theme had reputedly been reinterpreted and completed by his coming.
As his followers grew in number and the second coming did not occur, the point on the timeline at which Jesus became the Christ was moved back in time. For Paul, it happened at the resurrection, for Mark, it was Jesus’ baptism, for Matthew and Luke it was his miraculous conception. Finally, for John it was to the beginning of time, where Jesus is preexistent and fully divine.
By the time the Nicene Creed was written in 325 Jesus was coequal with God, fully human and fully divine and the itinerant teacher became the Savior. The creed reduced Jesus life on earth to he “came down, was made man, and was crucified.”
Gone and rendered superfluous are the Sermon on the Mount, the maddening parables, the open table, the boundary-breaking mission to the Gentiles, the elevation of women, the touching of the untouchables—and not a word about the power of unconditional love to cure and restore.
The church meant well by its promotion of Jesus, but unwittingly sowed the seeds of separation between all that is human and all that is divine.
These are in the inspired words of Robin Meyers a follower of Jesus, and the community affirms these words by saying AMEN.
Top of Form
Alleluia - Dennis
Ann B: A Reading from the Gospel of Mark Mk 14:12-16, 22-26
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
when they sacrificed the Passover lamb,
Jesus’ disciples said to him,
"Where do you want us to go
and prepare for you to eat the Passover?"
He sent two of his disciples and said to them,
"Go into the city and a man will meet you,
carrying a jar of water.
Follow him.
Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house,
'The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room
where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"'
Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready.
Make the preparations for us there."
The disciples then went off, entered the city,
and found it just as he had told them;
and they prepared the Passover.
While they were eating,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, gave it to them, and said,
"Take it; this is my body."
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them,
and they all drank from it.
He said to them,
"This is my blood of the covenant,
which will be shed for many.
Amen, I say to you,
I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine
until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."
Then, after singing a hymn,
they went out to the Mount of Olives.
These are the inspired words of Mark, a disciple of Jesus, and we affirm these words by saying AMEN
Homily Starter
We have come to call this gospel passage the “Last Supper” and this passage has great unifying and great divisive power. Over the centuries Jesus’ words and actions have been reinterpreted. Sometimes his words are used to create community and inclusivity. Other times his words are used to undo community and divide us.
We know Jesus called his disciples to the table many times-we know it was an open table with men and women present. It wasn’t strange or unusual for them to eat and pray together. They had celebrated Shabbat and Passover many times before.
Sometimes when we think of these disciples we smile. They were so often confused and they frequently misinterpreted what Jesus was saying. The disciples were trying to figure it out as they were living their lives. Are we not doing the same?
What do you suppose the disciples thought when Jesus broke the bread and gave it to them and said, “this is my body” and then drank from the cup and said this is “the blood of the covenant”?
I think we can safely say they did not believe they were going to eat and drink the real body and blood of Jesus. And I think we can say the disciples knew they were being prepared and were witnessing something very important.
Perhaps when they heard Jesus say this is my body and he broke the bread they remembered how Jesus fed the multitudes and had plenty leftover. They understood Jesus was reminding them they are to continue to feed and care for all peoples.
When they heard him say this is the “blood of the covenant”, they understood that blood is the life-force of all beings and the covenant was an ancient agreement, an everlasting commitment to the Holy One: to love God with your whole heart, mind, and soul and to love your neighbor as yourself.
The truth is you and I struggle to understand and interpret what we read and what we believe. We are often as confused as those first disciples. We are a ragtag bunch of seekers as we gather at this table and share this bread and cup.
We remember Jesus’ words and we do our best to live out what they mean. To love and care for each other as the Holy One cares and loves us.
What’s it all about Jesus? What is it about for us today in the 21st century? What are we seeking as we gather and pray and live in community together?
Shared Reflections
Christine O: 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.
Please add your intentions in the silence of your hearts.
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
https://youtu.be/sgkWXOSGmOQ
Tim: 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 give myself to you.
Communion Song: What Shall I Give? by Sara Thomsen
What shall I give to you? What shall I give to you?
Oh, that we could give like the rain - pouring out on rich and poor the same
Oh, that we could give like the sun - shining light on everyone.
Teach us how to give we pray - offering our work and play
Oh, that we could learn how to care - every breath we breathe a prayer
Oh, that like the bread we become - scattered grains all gathered in one
May the cup of blessing you give - fill us and teach us how to live.
Tim: 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.
Deven: 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
Tim: Please extend your hands and pray our blessing:
In the words of Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan, “We are not leaving the Church, we are leading the Church.” We each have our own unique gifts, particular ways in which we lead the church. May we bless each other now, as we go onward with our lives, knowing this community called the Upper Room is with you and me every day, with great hope, belief, and courage. Amen
Closing Song: Good to be Alive by Jason Gray https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4omFQJEAAVc
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