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Door and Table: Invitation or Misfortune?
Welcome Jim M
A warm welcome to those here in the Upper Room, an inclusive catholic community located in Albany, and to those near and far joining us via Zoom. Today is the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time and we are using two of the readings assigned from the lectionary. I’m afraid that like last Sunday, today’s Gospel is a challenge to us as individuals and as community.
Dotty S
O Holy One, We celebrate your abiding, unconditional love as we experience it in our lives. May we recognize your goodness and be strengthened by Word and Sacrament this day. So let us begin in song …..
Opening Song: The Last, the Lost, the Least -David Lohman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsCM62SEkgE
Jesus lived among the outcasts, with the Last, the Lost, the Least;
and he offered them a welcome, saying, "Come, and join the feast.
For the banquet hall is open, see a place, set here, for you.
Enter in, lay down your burdens, come and feast and be renewed."
Refrain: And yet still today he’s asking, "My dear friends, don't turn away.
Will you follow my example? Love the outcasts now, I pray."
All their lives they'd heard the message from the gatekeepers of God
that their lives were deemed unworthy, they were sinful, broken, flawed.
But he said, "I'll never leave you on the outside gazing in.
Leave your wounds and hurts behind you, you'll find healing love within." Ref
And yet, all these centuries later, still the painful truth remains
far too many on the outside, and the Church doors locked with chains.
So, we're called to loose those shackles, fling the church doors open wide;
to extend a hand of welcome, and invite them all inside. Ref
Can we find the moral courage now to finally heed his call?
For the Last, can we start proving There is truly room for all?
For the Lost, can we go searching 'til at last they're safely found?
For the Least, can we uplift them, stand them, firm, on holy ground? Ref
Liturgy of Word
First Reading: from the prophet Isaiah 66:1-2, 5, 10-14, 18-22
Thus says Yahweh: The heavens are my judgment seat, the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be? Wasn’t all of this made by my hand? Doesn’t all of this belong to me? The one I esteem is humble and contrite in spirit, and reveres my word.
Hear the word of Yahweh you who revere God’s word! Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad because of her, all you who love her, exult with her. Oh that you may suckle fully of the milk of her comfort, that you may nurse with delight at her abundant breasts! As nurslings, you will be carried in her arms, and fondled in her lap. As a mother comforts her child so will I comfort you. In Jerusalem you will find your comfort. When you see this, your heart will rejoice. God’s faithful ones will see the power of Yahweh.
I am coming to gather the nations of every language. They will come to witness my glory. I will give them a sign and send some of their survivors to the distant coastlands that have never heard of me or seen my glory. And they will declare my glory among the nations. As an offering to Yahweh, they will bring all of your sisters and brothers from all the nations to my holy mountain in Jerusalem, says Yahweh. For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I am making, will endure before me, so will your progeny and your name endure, declares Yahweh.
Gospel Reading: Luke 13:22-30
Jesus went through cities and towns teaching, all the while making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked “Will only a few people be saved?"
Jesus replies: "Try to come in through the narrow door. Many, I tell you, will try to enter and won’t succeed. Once the head of the household gets up and locks the door, you may find yourselves standing outside, knocking and saying, ‘Please open the door! It’s us!’ but the answer will come, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ Then you’ll begin to say, ‘But we ate and drank in your company. You taught in our streets.’ But you’ll hear, ‘I tell you, I don’t know where you come from. Get away from me!’
There will be wailing and the grinding of teeth when you see Sarah and Abraham, Rebecca and Isaac, Leah and Rachel and Jacob and all the prophets safe in the kin-dom of God, and you yourselves rejected. People will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south and will take their places at the feast in the kin-dom of God. Some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last."
Homily and Shared Reflections
Let me begin my remarks today with a short tale about an old Irish pastor who said, ‘Everyone who wants to go to heaven, stand up!’ and the whole church stood up. And then he said, ‘And those who want to go to hell, remain standing!’ Well at the very back of the church he could see old man Murphy still standing. The pastor asked “Murphy, do you want to go to hell? Murphy said, “No, Father; I just hate to see you go there all by yourself!”
This isn’t a trailer about my homily today. I’m not going to be preaching about hell.
What word, phrase or sentence from today’s readings stood out for you? Could it be one of these?
Where is the house you will build for me?
As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you … oh that you may suckle fully and nurse with delight
I will gather sisters and brothers from nations of every language and bring them to my holy mountain.
The new heavens and new earth which is in the making will endure and so will you and your descendants.
Will only a few be saved?
A narrow door then suddenly becomes a closed door
and finally, People will come from every place known and take part in the kin-dom feast.
In our first reading, Isaiah is speaking to the survivors of the Babylonian captivity which lasted nearly 70 years; so they have now returned to Zion (Jerusalem) to begin rebuilding their Temple. Remember that the Jews saw themselves as God’s chosen ones and that God would protect, defend and save them if they were faithful to the covenant established with Abrahamand Sarah. And what is Isaiah’s message to these exiles?
First, they hear a question: Where is the house you will build for me? Furthermore, do you think I can be contained there?
Second, God says “I am making things new; I am gathering all peoplesand inviting them to my holy mountain in Jerusalem.” I dare say Isaiah is challenging their notion that they have a monopoly on God who is the source and creator of all that is.
Finally, he also speaks of God as a mother; a mother who nurses with delight to comfort and cradle her child safely in her lap. What a powerful image of intimacy and universality! Biblical scholars tells us there are many Hebrew names for God in Scripture, one of them being El Shaddai—literally, “God who has breasts” as opposed to our translation being “Almighty God.”
For the most part, our Gospel for this year of the Lectionary is taken from Luke’s account. We know that he was a Gentile and a traveling companion of Paul. His audience is primarily Gentiles and his account often has Jesus showing care for the least and the lost, those oppressed and marginalized, Gentiles, Samaritans and women. We also know that it was written after the ‘Followers of the Way’ were expelled from the Temple and more than likely after the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple by the Roman occupiers.
“Try to come in through the narrow door.”
“Please open the door!”
“Go away, I don’t know you.”
Last week, Lynn suggested we caught Jesus on a bad day. Certainly, the Jesus Seminar scholars are confident Jesus never said these words. More than likely these words reflect the author’s thoughts or perhaps express the fears and invective of a young sectarian movement away from the Jewish religious establishment. So, if this is “fake news,” is there a take-away message?
I suggest we focus on the ‘door.’ I think it can be a metaphor for our lives,both personally and collectively. For the last several years, people all over the world are migrating and on the move seeking safety, security, salvation. We continue to struggle with this issue here in the US. Just one issue among the myriad issues that we are dealing with as a global society.
Pope Francis has often said that compassion, understanding and mercy are the doorway to new beginnings full of hope and promise.
My friends, this very community is a bridge from what was to a new model that is anything but narrow and exclusive. You are BEATITUDEpeople in your generosity of time and treasure with many wonderful causes and partnerships in the Albany area.
My prayer this day for each of us (from today’s second reading which we did not use) is endure, do not lose heart, but strengthen your drooping hands and weak knees for what needs to be healed. So, open the door, offer hospitality to the guest and set a place at the feast. In whatever you do, proclaim the Good News to everybody that you meet: El Shaddai loves you, and so do I.
What message did you hear?
Response to Word: Celtic Alleluia Dennis McD - cantor
Now with the strength of your Word, send us to be your disciples, to bring all the world to the joy of your kin-dom
Statement of Faith Margaret & Ed Dilgen
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 Eucharist
Deven:
As we prepare for our sacred meal, let us give voice to our blessings, cares and concerns and those of our world, beginning with the words, “I bring to the table…..”
[for those on ZOOM, remember to unmute and then mute again]
We pray for the cares and concerns written in our Community Book of Intentions, (pause) and all the unspoken intentions in our hearts. Amen.
Jim M
With open hearts and hands let us pray our Eucharistic prayer in one voice.
O Great Mystery, we thank you for the gift of life. Your spirit is incarnate in our living and loving. Inspire and embolden us to open the doors of our hearts and minds to recognize our mystical connection with you, each other and all of creation. In your loving motherly embrace, we can let go of division, fear, conflict, pride and injustice and experience healing and wholeness. Acknowledging all the joyful troubadours and faithful servants who have gone before us and your presence among us, we join our voices with all creation and sing of your great glory:
Here in This Place by Christopher Grundy
HOLY ONE, may your presence here open our minds
may your Spirit among us help us to find you are rising up now
like a fountain of grace from the holy ground
here in this place, here in this place.
Holy, holy, holy God of love and majesty
the whole universe speaks of your glory
from the holy ground here in this place, here in this place.
Dotty S [all]
We thank you for Jesus, the Jewish Teacher, who modeled how to live and love in challenging times. He sought to cure the sick, care for those who were poor and wept with those who were sad. He taught us to forgive even our enemies. He took children in his arms and blessed them. He revealed you as God-With-Us, and revealed us as one with you and all of creation.
[extend your hands in blessing]
On the night before he faced betrayal and death, Jesus gathered for a meal with the people closest to him. To remind them to “love one another, as I have loved you,” he bent down and washed their feet, like the least household servant.
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]
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]
Jim M This is the bread of life and the cup of blessing, simple gifts from the earth. As we savor God’s goodness, may we be nourished to live the Gospel of peace and justice.
All: 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.
Communion Meditation: Bread of Life by Rory Cooney [Video by MT Streck]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7aYkPE5YDE
Prayer after Communion: Jim M
As the Body of Christ, we are willing to do everything Jesus did: to live justly, love tenderly and walk humbly on the earth. Holy One, your transforming energy is within us. May your Spirit, that same spirit that animated Jesus, gift us the courage to open doors and extend joyful hospitality to all, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, class or sexual orientation.
We pray for the leaders of faith communities—may they be signs of unity, hope and joy to all.
We also pray for the secular leaders of our world—may they seek peace and promote justice for the sake of the entire human family and our planet.
Joan P Let us pray as Jesus taught:
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
Dotty S [Let us raise our hands and bless each other as we go our separate ways]
May our door be always open to those in need, whether neighbor or stranger, in times of joy, trouble or sorrow.
May our incarnation of God’s abiding spirit shine brightly as we ‘meet and greet’ everyone. Indeed, may our living and loving be a blessing to all
and give glory to the One in whom we live, move and have our being.
May it be so, this day and always! Amen
Closing Song: Believe Out Loud -David Lohman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15tSw_L291Y
Refrain: It's time to believe out loud –no more staying silent!
It's time to proclaim aloud the faith that we hold dear.
It's time to reach out to the rejected.
It's time to stand up and say, "No more!"
It's time to declare a Word of Welcome,
bring everyone through the opened doors.
It's time to believe out loud,
It's time to be strong and proud,
It's time to believe, believe out loud!
1. Our God remains unchanging,
yet in so many ways the Holy One's still speaking,
for this we offer praise.
Yet God's all-loving guidance too often goes unheard.
But there is yet more wisdom to break forth from God's Word! Refrain
2. If thoughts like love and justice are more than hollow words,
we'll listen for the Spirit and let our hearts be stirred.
We'll learn to think in new ways, the doors we'll open wide.
The table's set and ready, bring everyone inside! Refrain
3. The love of God is boundless, we're never turned away.
And out of this abundance, this gift we must repay.
We've got to stand with millions who've heard the Spirit's call,
and shout it from the mountains: “God’s love is meant for ALL!” Refrain
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