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: Kim
Good morning and welcome to the Upper Room on this second Sunday of Advent. Today we celebrate the journey toward peace. This peace comes from the knowledge that God always paves a way home to Love. The peace we yearn for in the world is also always within us if we are willing to allow Christ to grow in us. Here is a spoiler alert: Mary did not know she was carrying the child who some believe is the savior of the whole world. Mary was a young vulnerable woman who lived faith and trust in God’s promise to never abandon her, whatever may come.
Advent Candle Lighting Blessing Prayer
Like our ancestors, we honor the cycles and the seasons that remind us of the ever-changing flow of life. Ritual acts give life meaning—they honor and acknowledge the unseen web of Life that connects us all.
Week 2 – Terri lights candle as member of community prays:
We light this second candle and remember our ancestors who feared death, evil and the darkness of winter. We, too, in our day fear the darkness of war, discrimination, xenophobia and selfishness that threaten to isolate us and consign our planet to an eternal winter.
And so we respond: Let us kindle the light of peace!
Presider concludes: Indeed, let us welcome the light within each other!
Opening Song: O Come O Come Emmanuel
https://youtu.be/iO7ySn-Swwc
LITURGY OF THE WORD
Tim: First Reading: Baruch 5:1-9
Take off the garment of your sorrow and affliction, Jerusalem, and put on forever the beauty of the glory from God.
Put on the robe of the righteousness that comes from God; put on your head the diadem of the glory of the Eternal One, for God will show your splendor everywhere under heaven.
For God will give you evermore the name, “Righteous Peace, Godly Glory.”
Rise up, Jerusalem, stand upon the height; look toward the east, and see your children gathered from west and east at the word of the Holy One,
rejoicing that God has remembered them. For they went out from you on foot,
led away by their enemies; but God will bring them back to you, carried in glory, as on a royal throne.
For God has ordered that every high mountain and the ancient hills be made low and the valleys filled up, to make level ground, so that Israel may walk safely in the glory of God.
The woods and every fragrant tree have shaded Israel with joy, in the light of God’s glory,
with the compassion and justice that come from the Most High.
These are the inspired words from the book of Baruch and the community affirms them by saying: Amen.
Clare Julian: Second Reading: Philippians 1:4-6,8-11
In every prayer I utter, as I plead on your behalf, I rejoice at the way you have all continually helped promote the Good News from the very first day.
And I am sure of this much: that God, who has begun the good work in you, will carry it through to completion, right up to the day of Christ Jesus.
God knows how much I long for each of you with all the affection of Christ Jesus! My prayer is that your love may abound more and more, both in
understanding and in wealth of experience, so that with a clear conscience and blameless conduct you may learn to value the things that really matter, up to the very day of Christ.
It’s my wish that you be found rich in the harvest of justice which Jesus Christ has ripened in you, to the glory and praise of God.
These are the inspired words from Paul’s letter to the Philippians and the community affirms them by saying: Amen
Alleluia
Diane: Gospel: Luke 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, Philip his brother tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene. In those days, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the Word of God came to John, ben-Zechariah, in the desert. John went through the entire region of the Jordan proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as is written in the words of Isaiah, the prophet:
“A herald’s voice in the desert, crying, ‘Make ready the way of our God; clear a straight path. Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be leveled.
The twisted paths will be made straight, and the rough road smooth-and all humankind will see the salvation of God.”
These are the inspired words of the gospel writer known as Luke and the community affirms them by saying: Amen
(Pause)
Homily and Shared Reflections (Terri)
Today we are called to a transformation – we are asked to walk humbly on the highway home on the highway the Holy One paves. This transformation brings about a love and peace beyond imagination. Each of our readings today speaks joyfully of this journey to love.
In Baruch we see Israelites scattered to the east and west. But God leads them back with joy, mercy and justice. Paul’s letter to the Philippians speaks of joy and connections…and is written while Paul is imprisoned! He prays with joy for everyone, even while isolated. What a great example of joyful perseverance. He shows us that to be rooted in God is to be rooted in others. This past year we have experienced isolation to a degree never expected – creating a challenge for many of us to feel connection to others – and keep the knowledge of God within us. We see in our readings, over and over the opportunity to begin again: Turn around; the highway home is already paved by the Holy One.
Luke also speaks of a journey – from the highway to the wilderness. His message also speaks to changing hearts and minds. Luke describes the powers of Rome and Judea – a broken kingdom. These were not happy times. But God’s word does not come to the powerful…it comes to an unknown…in the wilderness. John brings an invitation, not a crying out wildly – an invitation to be baptized; an invitation to change our soul, our inner self. We are invited to become more open to God’s forgiveness which allows faith to grow. The word forgiveness here means a changing of one’s heart and life.
The path of which John speaks is a path which calls us to remember we can never be separated from God, but we must stay awake to the presence of the Spirit within each of us. John’s invitation is for the Israelites and all of humanity. The message is that we are blessed to be a blessing. From the highway to the wilderness – we are not promised a smooth path. The mountains Jesus had to remove are in the minds and hearts of his followers. The valleys he had to fill so that we can see and hear with the eyes and ears of Jesus. Today we have received an invitation to humility, which allows us to see God in others – all others…which bring peace.
We are asked to embrace this process…a change of heart, mind and lives and recognize we are not alone in this journey. Peace is in the heart of John – nothing more than faith in the moment and in God. Our challenge is to welcome with joy this openness grounded in peace that comes from God and asks us to stay true to what we are here for.
If we need a cheat sheet for this challenge, Mary, the Mother of Jesus’ life is a work of faith. Mary, a pregnant teen, probably terrified, can be used as a metaphor of each of us carrying Christ within us. If we travel in fear, we cut off opportunity. If we remain open, we discover the peace of God. Finally, it is important to note that Luke used the prophet Isaiah to announce John the Baptist. A prophet is a keeper of hope, one who spreads the word of God, in word and example. They invite us moment to moment to welcome the Child into our hearts and souls. They call to us here and now, to walk the path with love. As we listen to God’s abiding and redeeming love, let’s recognize the presence of prophets in our midst – we are all prophets, individually and in community.
Paul asks us to celebrate the magnitude of the Holy One. As we walk through Advent, are we trusting and reaching out with open hands and hearts to hear and welcome our transformation to love?
What did you hear in the readings? We welcome your insight. For those on zoom, please remember to unmute yourself and mute again after your comment.
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
Terri: As we prepare for this sacred meal we are aware that just as Jesus is anointed, so is each of us. As bearers of LIGHT and HOPE, we bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns. Please feel free to voice your intentions beginning with the words, “I bring to the table…..”
Terri: We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen.
Kim: With open hearts and hands let us pray our Eucharistic prayer as one voice:
(written by Jay Murnane)
Source of All That Is, we seek you in this season, when the earth is resting and preparing for new life. Like the earth, we long for new life and hopeful beginnings. This is the time of the pregnant woman, filled with life and hope powerful enough to topple structures of oppression. This is the time of her song of fidelity and celebration.
During this gentle season of Advent, we recognize that you have made us capable of bringing forth justice, like a rising sun. One with all who have gone before us, we sing a song of praise:
"Here In This Place” by Christopher Grundy
We thank you for those in times past who believed the good news, and lived what they believed.
Blessed is Isaiah and every visionary who insisted on a better future that would break through the deception, disaster and broken promises of the age in which they lived.
Blessed is John, in the stark desert of careful focus, inviting the people to be born again in your love.
Blessed is Miriam, who believed the words of Isaiah and opened herself up to the unbelievable.
And blessed is her child Jesus, who felt the sorrows of humankind in his soul, and responded with deep and tender compassion.
Please extend your hands in blessing.
Terri: 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 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:
Terri: 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:
Kim: 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)
Let us share this bread with the words, “Peace of God be with you.”
Terri distributes bread.
All consume their bread and wine at this time
Communion Song: Mary Did You Know performed by Pentatonix
Prayer after communion:
Presider: Holy One, we are grateful for the gift of Your Spirit, always drawing beauty and balance out of chaos. And like Jesus…
Standing where he stood,
and for what he stood,
and with whom he stood,
we are united in your Spirit,
and worship you with our lives,
All: Amen.
Presider 1: Let us pray the prayer of Jesus as interpreted by Daniel Berrigan:
Our Mother, Father, who are in the world and surpass the world,
Blessed by your presence, in us, in animals and flowers, in still air and wind.
May justice and peace dwell among us, as you come to us.
Your will be our will;
You will that we be sisters and brothers, as bread is bread, water is itself,
For our hunger, for quenching of thirst.
Forgive us.
We walk crookedly in the world, and fail of our promise.
But we would be human, if only you consent to stir up our hearts.
Amen.
BLESSING
Kim: Please extend your hands and pray our blessing together.
May we continue onward with bravery, peace and confidence. Let us hold in our hearts, the truths spoken here today. It is in doing so that we are blessed to be blessings for one another and the whole world.
All: AMEN
Closing Song: Christ Be Our Light by Bernadette Farrell
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