Friday, April 29, 2022

Upper Room Saturday Liturgy, April 30, 2022 - Presider: Julie Corron

Please join us between 4:30 and 4:55 pm 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


Open my heart, Allow me to see

Welcome and Theme: Julie: Welcome! It’s wonderful to have you with us here today as we open our hearts and learn to see the beauty that surrounds us and the love that enfolds us. 


Opening Prayer

Holy One, praises and canticles anticipate
Each day the singing bells that wake the sun.
Open the secret eye of faith
And drink these deeps of invisible light and clothe us in joy. AMEN

Adapted from Thomas Merton


Opening Song Deep Peace, Sara Thomsen, Video by Denise Hackert-Stoner
https://youtu.be/5dIAcqaUUz4


LITURGY OF THE WORD

FIRST READING


A Reading from the Book of Acts 9:10-19 

There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Risen Christ called to him in a vision, “Ananias.” Ananias answered, “Here I am”. The Christ said, “Get up and go to the street called Straight. Ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is there, praying. In a vision, he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay hands on him, that he may regain his sight.” But Ananias replied, “I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call upon your name.” But the Risen One said to him, “Go! For this Saul is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, rulers, and Israelites. I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.” 

When Ananias entered the house where Saul was staying, he laid hands on Saul with the words, “Saul, you are kin to me through Jesus the Christ. I have been sent by the Christ, who appeared to you on the way here, to help you recover your sight. Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” 

Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized. When he had eaten, he recovered his strength. 

These are the inspired words of the anonymous storyteller we call Luke and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.


PSALM 30 vss. 2+4;5-6;12-13

The psalm response is: You clothe us with joy. 

R: You clothe us with joy. 

I exalt You, O God, for You have raised me up. You did not let evil rejoice.
You revived my breath when I was dead,
restored me to life from among those returned to dust. 

R: You clothe us with joy. 

Sing to the Everlasting One, you who love God. Alleluia to the Holy Name!
Suffering will not last,
but God’s Love endures forever.
At dusk, weeping may come for the night,
but at dawn there is rejoicing. 

R: You clothe us with joy. 

You changed our mourning into dancing. You lifted our shroud
and clothed us with joy;
a glory that cannot keep silent! You are our God!
We will give thanks forever! 

R: You clothe us with joy. 


SECOND READING 


A Reading from the Book of Revelation (4:1-3, 6b-8) 

After the letters to the seven churches were opened and read, I looked. There, in the heavens, a door stood open. The first voice I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, spoke again: “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place.” At once I was spirited away. There in the heavens stood a throne, with one seated on the throne. The one seated on the throne looked like jasper and carnelian. Around the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald. 

Also around the throne, and on each side of the throne, were four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind. The first living creature was like a lion; the second living creature like an ox; the third living creature had a face like a human face; and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. The four living creatures, each of them with six wings, were full of eyes all around and inside. Day and night without ceasing they sing, 

“Holy, holy, holy,
Holy God, Supreme in Love,
Who was, and is, and is to come.”

This is the vision of a Late First Century Writer known as John and the community affirms it by saying AMEN. 


Alleluia

https://youtu.be/o1rc7ojQtJU


GOSPEL


A reading from the gospel of Luke (24:13-33, 35) 

Two of the disciples were making their way to a village called Emmaus - which was about 7 miles from Jerusalem - discussing all that had happened as they went. 

While they were discussing these things, Jesus approached and began to walk along with them, but they were kept from recognizing Jesus. He asked them, “What are you two discussing as you go on your way?” 

They stopped, grief stricken. One of them, Cleopas by name, asked, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who doesn't know the things that have happened these past few days?” 

Jesus said to them, “What things?” 

They said, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, a prophet, powerful in word and deed in the eyes of God and all the people - how our religious authorities and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. We were hoping that he was the one to set Israel free. 

“Besides all this, just today - the third day since these things happened - some women of our group brought us astonishing news. They were at the tomb before dawn and didn't find the body. They returned and informed us they had seen a vision of two angels who declared that Jesus was alive. Some of our number went to the tomb and found it just as the women said: they didn't find Jesus.” 

Then Jesus said, “How misguided you are! How slow of heart you are to believe all that the prophets have announced! Did not the Messiah have to suffer all this and then enter into glory?” 

Then, beginning with Moses and all the prophets, Jesus interpreted for them every passage of Scripture which referred to the Messiah. By now they were near the village where they were heading, and Jesus appeared to be going farther. But they said eagerly, “Stay with us. It's nearly evening. The day is practically over.” So, Jesus went in and stayed with them. 

After sitting down with them to eat, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, then broke the bread and gave it to them. Their eyes were opened! They recognized Jesus, who immediately vanished from their sight. 

They said to one another, "Weren't our hearts burning inside us as he talked to us along the way and explained the Scriptures to us?" They got up immediately and returned to Jerusalem. There, they found the Eleven and the rest of the disciples assembled... 

The travelers recounted what had happened along the way as they left Jerusalem, and how they had come to know Jesus in the breaking of the bread. 

These are the inspired words of the anonymous storyteller we call Luke and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.


Shared Homily Julie


Today’s readings are all about the eyes, the eyes in our heads, the eyes of our hearts, and the eyes of the seraphim, who had eyes inside and out.


Poor Ananias. Jesus speaks to him in a vision and what is the message? Go heal that evildoer Saul, you know, the one who has been persecuting the followers of Jesus. Is it any wonder that Ananias is reluctant? What if the healed Saul continues his evil ways? But Ananias goes and heals Saul and the rest, as they say, is history because when Saul is healed, he sees clearly, not with just his eyes but his healed heart as well. With all the zeal with which he had persecuted the followers of Jesus, we know that the new Paul will now bring the teachings of Jesus to foreigners and the Gentiles, showing them The Way.


Meanwhile on the road to Emmaus, two disciples are “kept from” recognizing Jesus until the moment he chooses to reveal himself in the breaking of the bread. Admit it, you’re thinking, hey, if I was there, I would have definitely recognized my own teacher, Jesus!, no matter what. Ok, maybe I’m the only one who thought that. Then I remembered all the times when I couldn’t see what was happening right in front of my face. Talk about a reality check. 


Reality appears to be the opposite of what’s going in the reading from Revelation. On Sunday we talked about the Book of Revelation as the literature of the oppressed, a way to communicate under Rome’s radar. Today’s reading describes the open door to heaven. Not a gate guarded by St. Peter but an actual open door. Imagine how reassuring that was to the early followers of Jesus who were keeping their heads down and trying to survive in a crazy world. The door to heaven is open and there are these wondrous creatures singing holy, holy, holy. Here’s the thing, the door to heaven is open for us too and we can walk through it today and every day that we choose to follow The Way of Jesus. Will you walk with me?


What did you hear? What will you do? What will it cost you? We would love to hear your insights on the readings. Please remember to remute yourself when you’re done.


Let us pray our Statement of Faith together.

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


Julie: As we prepare for the sacred meal we bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns.  Please feel free to voice your concerns beginning with the words “I bring to the table….”

Julie:  We pray for these and all unspoken concerns. Amen.


Julie:  We are a priestly people. We are anointed. With open hands let us pray our Eucharistic prayer as one voice:


All: 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: 



Holy, Holy, Holy https://youtu.be/nTewBnxBy30

(Words and music by Karen Druker)



We are holy, holy, holy,

We are holy, holy, holy,

We are whole.


Spirit Divine, Come to Me,

healing Love, healing Me.

Open my heart, allow me to see,

Beauty and love, live in me.


You are holy, holy, holy…


All: 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.


Julie: Please extend your hands in blessing


All: 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 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 the bread and pray: 


Back at the table, he took the bread, spoke the grace, broke the bread and offered it to them saying, Take and eat, this is my very self.


All lift the cup and pray:


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 are 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. Glory and Praise to you both now and forever. Amen


All: 

Through Jesus, we have learned how to live.

Through Jesus, we have learned how to love.

Through Jesus, we have learned how to serve.


AMEN.


All: Loving Source of our being, You call us to live the Gospel of peace and justice. We live justly, we love tenderly, we walk with integrity in Your Presence. 


What we have heard with our ears, we will live with our lives: as we share communion, we will become communion, both Love’s nourishment and Love’s challenge. 


Please receive communion saying: I am a spark of the divine.

Communion Song: You Shall Be Known by the Company You Keep – MaMuse
https://youtu.be/Vt_VQs8LP6kn


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


BLESSING

Julie: Please extend your hands and pray our blessing together:

May we continue to be the Face of God to each other.
May we be Easter people and beacons of light in our world.
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.
AMEN!


Closing Song I Can See Clearly Now by Johnny Nash

https://youtu.be/g_rB4v75jqU



Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Moment of Oneness - April 27, 2022

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


Opening prayer: Holy One, we come together tonight in celebration of the oneness of all creation. Help us to be wise and creative stewards of this wild and beautiful earth home. Amen


First Reading

From: Sacred Earth Sacred Soul, by John Philip Newell


Deep in the Celtic wisdom tradition is the belief that just as new life rises from the earth every spring, so new vision is forever trying to come forth from the human soul.  Anything that is of God, even though pushed to the ground, will come forth again.   This way of seeing is rising afresh among us in our awareness of the earth, the creatures and our growing consciousness of life’s essential oneness. 



Second Reading

We who are alive today  

By Jan Phillips


We who are alive today are the eyes and ears,

the hands and feet of the Creative Force.

We are Thought Incarnate, Word made flesh, Love materialized.

We are the consciousness of the earth:

the universe knowing itself, seeing itself, singing to itself.


We are prophets of a new time, makers of a new myth,

Where our Source dwells not on some heavenly throne

But in the very breath of living things: among us and within us.

We are made of heaven and earth, starlight and clay,

Minerals and meteor dust.

We are the Infinite Wave transformed into finite particles,

spacetime compressed into the speck of a lifetime.


As the Cosmos multiplies and expands forever outward

So does it expand forever inward

evolving us into beings of higher consciousness.

We who are alive today came here with a purpose,

Are in service to a mission to extend mercy, to bring forth justice,

To re-member ourselves and converge as one.


We are creating tomorrow with our thoughts and words.

We are shaping ourselves and families, our communities and cities,

Our cultures and civilization by what we do and fail to do.

We are ascending into our potential, evolving into our Godness,

Co-creating the Whole that is the sum of our parts.


We who are alive today: Let us sing out that the heaven we seek 

Is already around us, that whenever we look,

The Holy One is there, looking right back.

No matter what storms batter and buffet us, let us not lose heart,

For we are One with All and life holds us firmly in the palm of its Hand.



Song:  The Power of the Dream by Celine Dion

https://youtu.be/svob8WXBwyQ 


Closing Prayer:

Holy One, you call us to be Easter people.  May we use the gift of our imagination to dream into being a new Spirit filled uprising of love, compassion and healing for our world.  Amen



Saturday, April 23, 2022

Upper Room Sunday Liturgy - April 24, 2020 - Presiders: Ann Bayly and Julie Corron

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


Signs and Wonders



Announcements Kathie 


Welcome and Theme Julie: Good morning. Welcome. However you are joining us today, we are so very happy to have you with us as we celebrate the second Sunday of Easter. This is a joyful time as we marvel at the signs and wonders that surround us to this day.


Opening Prayer: Ann

Divine Love, awaken us to the sacred dreams and imaginations that are stirring within our hearts. Protect us from fear as we pursue our cherished hopes of what is yet to be. Wrap us in courage as we enter into your invitation to spiritual Transformation during this Easter Season. AMEN

Inspired by Alexander John Scott.


Julie: Jesus reminds us that one of the surest ways to know peace is to let go of fear. Please take a moment and rest as our opening song washes over you.


Opening Song: Be Not Afraid
https://youtu.be/RF0DIpFOoBg



LITURGY OF THE WORD

 

Readings


First Reading Dave Debonis:


A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles (5:12a, 14, 16; 9:1-9)

At the hands of the apostles, many signs and wonders were taking place among the people... More than ever, believers in the Christ, multitudes of men and women, people of all genders, were constantly added to their number.


A large number people from the towns in the vicinity of Jerusalem also gathered, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits. They were all being healed. ...


Saul continued to breathe murderous threats against disciples of Jesus. He had gone up to the high priest and asked for letters, addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, that would authorize him to arrest, and take to Jerusalem in chains, any men or women, all people regardless of gender, who belonged to the Way.


On his journey, as he was approaching Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed about him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”


"Sir, who are you?" Saul asked.


The voice replied, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Get up and go into the city. There, you will be told what to do." Those traveling with Saul were speechless. They heard the voice, but could see no one.


Saul got up from the ground. When he opened his eyes, he could see nothing. They had to take him by the hand and lead him into Damascus. For three days, he was unable to see, and he ate and drank nothing.


These are the inspired words of the anonymous storyteller we call Luke and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.


Responsorial Psalm Diane Geary:

(Psalm 118:2-4; 5-7a+15; 22-24)


The psalm response is: God's love endures forever. 

[R] God's love endures forever.


Let the House of Israel proclaim: God’s Love endures forever!

Let the House of Miriam and Aaron sing: God’s Love endures forever!

Let all those who call upon God know: God is Love and endures forever.

[R] God's love endures forever.


When hard pressed, I cried out to God
who brought me into a spacious place.

God is with me.
I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?

[R] God's love endures forever.


The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

God has done this.
It is marvelous in our eyes!
This is the day that God has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

[R] God's love endures forever.


Second Reading: Mary Brandon

A Reading from the Book of Revelation (1:9-11a, 12-19)


I, John, am your companion in the faith, in the suffering, in the kin-dom, and in the patient endurance that are ours in Jesus. I was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. On Sunday, I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, saying: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches.”


I turned around to see the voice that was speaking. When I turned, I saw seven golden lamp stands. Among the lamp stands was someone like a human, dressed in a full-length robe, a gold sash across the chest, with hair white like wool, white as snow, and eyes ablaze like fire. The human figure had feet like bronze glowing in a furnace and a voice like the sound of rushing water. The figure held seven stars in hand. A sharp, double-edged sword came out of its mouth. Its face was shone like the brightest sun.


When I saw the sight, I fell at the figure's feet as though I were dead. The human one placed a hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One. I was dead, and now, look! I am alive forever and ever! I hold the keys of death and of Hades. Write down, therefore, what you have seen, and what is happening, and what will take place afterwards.”


This is the vision of a late first century writer known as John and the community affirms it by saying AMEN.


Alleluia: Dennis McDonald


Gospel: Judy Stamp

John 20:19-31


A reading from the gospel attributed to John.


In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors were locked in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Temple authorities.


Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Having said this, the savior showed them the marks of crucifixion.


The disciples were filled with joy when they saw Jesus, who said to them again, “Peace be with you. As Abba God sent me, so I’m sending you.”


After saying this, Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained.”


It happened that one of the Twelve, Thomas, nicknamed Didymus, or “Twin,” was absent when Jesus came. The other disciples kept telling him, “We’ve seen Jesus!”


Thomas’ answer was, “I’ll never believe it without putting my finger in the nail marks and my hand into the spear wound.”


On the eighth day, the disciples were once more in the room, and this time Thomas was with them. Despite the locked doors, Jesus came and stood before them saying, “Peace be with you.”


Then to Thomas, Jesus said, “Take your finger and examine my hands. Put your hand into my side. Don’t persist in your unbelief, but believe!”


Thomas said in response, “My Savior and my God!”


Jesus then said, “You’ve become a believer because you saw me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”


Jesus performed many other signs as well, signs not recorded here, in the presence of his disciples. But these have been recorded to help you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Only Begotten, so that by believing you may have life in Jesus’ name.


These are the inspired words of the anonymous storyteller we call John, and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.


Homily Starter: Julie


There’s a whole lot going on in today’s readings. First, Saul sees God, gets knocked off his horse, and stands up transformed into Paul. Then Jesus is transformed into a figure with a sword in his mouth, reminding us that his words and teachings of love can overpower hate. And in the gospel, there is the foundational transformation as Jesus not only overcomes death but does it while rejecting vengeance and fear and embracing love and reconciliation. 


With all that going on, is it any wonder that Thomas reacts with a yeah, right, Jesus stopped by while I was out? He simply couldn’t imagine someone returning from the dead. Alexander John Scott taught that imagination was key to dreaming our way forward, bringing everything back into interrelationship again. Given that Scott also taught that being true to this sacred interrelationship was how “we experience heaven within us and between us,” you can see how imagining that the previously impossible was possible was how the followers of Jesus kept moving forward even after his death. Not moving forward in vengeance or fear but moving forward together, retaining each other. In Abiding Word, Barbara Reid points out that in the word sins isn’t used in the Greek text. Rather, whomever you hold fast are held fast, reminding us to hold onto each other, especially the most vulnerable, that we may all walk the Way of Jesus together.


Walking the Way of Jesus today probably seems a little bit crazy. We’re destroying the planet. There’s a war in Ukraine. What difference does it make if we love each other? Which brings us to the Book of Revelation. In the chapter on Revelation in his book We Make the Road by Walking, Brian McLaren writes about how Revelation is not a prediction of the future but the literature of the oppressed. There was no open criticism of Rome. That’s what got Jesus killed. So instead we have this highly imaginative story with a fantastic figure with a sword in his mouth, representing the words and teachings of Jesus. And while it may be harder for us to see the symbolism two thousand years later, it’s just as relevant. McLaren reminds us, “Whatever madman is in power, whatever chaos is breaking out, whatever danger threatens, the river of life is flowing now.” Now. We can be part of that flow of life, of love, if we only use our imaginations and hold onto each other for dear life.


What did you hear? What will you do? What will it cost you? We would love to hear your insights on the readings. For those of you online, please remember to remute yourself when you are finished sharing.



Shared Reflections


Statement of Faith: Ginny and Mike O’Brien


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


Julie: As we prepare for the sacred meal, we are aware that just as Jesus is anointed, so is each of us. We bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns. Please feel free to voice your concerns beginning with the words “I bring to the table….”


We pray for these and all unspoken concerns. Amen.


Ann: 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 



Julie: 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 their plates 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 their cups and pray:


Ann: 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 / You are the Face of the Holy One.

Communion Song: Imagine by Julian Lennon

https://youtu.be/NicWjYMPDG0


Prayer after Communion:


Julie: 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. 


Margaret: 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


Ann: Please extend your hands and pray our blessing:


May we be blessed with hearts open to Spirit’s transforming power in our lives.

May we be a blessing of love, compassion, and peace in our families, our communities, and our world.

AMEN.

 

Closing Song: Beyond Belief by The Many

https://youtu.be/5ll4qGiG47w




Beyond Belief

When all the answers we’ve been given

Have all turned into questions,

When all the hurt that we’ve been feeling

Leaves us breathless, leaves us reeling 

 

When it seems everything we’ve

been holding onto no longer holds true,

We can let go, and we can hold on to this 

 

Your love is

Beyond belief

Stronger than the strongest tree.

Deeper than the deepest sea

Wilder than our wildest dreams

We don’t have to be afraid anymore

Cuz your love is sure,

God, your love is sure. 

 

When nothing makes any sense here.

Hard to find a way through the fear.

Looks like survival depends on our silence

And everyone says, just keep smiling 

 

When it seems everything we’ve

been holding onto no longer holds true,

We can let go, and we can hold on to this 

 

Your love is

Beyond belief

Stronger than the strongest tree.

Deeper than the deepest sea

Wilder than our wildest dreams

We don’t have to be afraid anymore

Cuz your love is sure,

God, your love is sure. 

 

No matter what we think

No matter how I look

Whatever skin we’re in

No matter who you love

No matter what they say

If we believe or not…

Your heart is wide enough

God’s heart is wide enough 

 

Your love is

Beyond belief

Stronger than the strongest tree.

Deeper than the deepest sea

Wilder than our wildest dreams

We don’t have to be afraid anymore

Cuz your love is sure,

God, your love is sure.