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Season of Creation – Fire!
Welcome (Dennis): We gather this morning in continuation of our Season of Creation. Today’s theme is Fire, the fire that can consume us like the Burning Bush, as we recognize the presence of the Holy One within us. The Holy One will, if we are open, ignite the fire of justice in our soul for creation and our brothers and sisters, who call out to us in their pain and suffering. Let us “listen to the voice of creation” opening us up to a path of healing and reconciliation.
Opening Song: Send Down the Fire by Marty Haugen
Opening Prayer: (AndreaGrace)
Creator God has placed each and every one of us here with purpose!
Let us praise Creator God for the earth below our feet.
For Mother Earth sustains us, and all creation cries out for justice.
Creator God has given us the eastern direction:
the direction of vision, children, and the sun that rises on us each day.
Let us view the world with child-like wonder—full of awe and humility. Thankful for the new day that dawns on us each and every morning, we give thanks for God who gives us new mercies every day.
Creator God has given us the southern direction:
the direction of honesty, adolescence, and growth.
Help us to speak only the truth and open our hearts to hear the stories of others.
Inspire us to grow in the image of Christ who teaches us to walk the good path.
Creator God has given us the western direction:
the direction of adulthood, harvesting, and deep spiritual understanding.
Give us the tools we need to act on the knowledge we are gathering,
allowing us to act with maturity and grace.
Creator God has given us the northern direction:
the direction of Elders, achievement, and a deep connection to spirituality.
Empower us to learn from the past, and to move forward to create your companionship of empowerment* here on Mother Earth.
Holy Spirit, give us the teachings we need to correct any wrongs,
and to live lives full of love, peace, and hope.
Be with us now, Creator God, as we worship you in awe-filled praise. Amen.
2017 The United Church of Canada/L’Église Unie du Canada
1st Reading: Sacred Ground by Joy Cowley
We are standing on Sacred Ground.
Let our hearts take off their shoes
and come bare, trembling with awe,
into the Presence which burns too bright
and too close for ordinary vision.
Only a naked heart can see
that all round us, each clump of grass,
every leaf, twig, stone, and flower,
is a blazing torch, incandescent
with the one fire which has no name
except “I am.”
And only a naked heart can know
that it too is a burning bush,
all of us caught in the one fire,
“we are” burning into “I am.”
Brighter than a galaxy of suns.
Words cannot contain the moment;
but let’s take it with us,
the feeling of awe and wonder.
Tomorrow’s path might be dark,
difficult and sharp with stones,
but in this sacred place we feel
we may never wear shoes again.
These are the inspired words of Joy Cowley and we affirm them by saying, Amen.
2nd Reading: A reading from Pope Francis
“So, what does that word of Jesus mean for us, for each one of us – for me, for you, … It invites us to rekindle the flame of faith, so that it does not become a secondary matter, or a means to individual wellbeing, enabling us to evade the challenges of life or commitment in the Church and society… In short, faith is not a “lullaby” that lulls us to sleep. True faith is a fire, a living flame to keep us wakeful and active even at night!”
Alleluia
Before the reading of the 3rd reading, let us take a moment to reflect on this image.
Painting by Sandy Hall
3rd Reading: A reading from 2nd Timothy
I’m reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois, then in your mother Eunice, and now, I’m certain, in you as well.
That’s why I want to remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God didn’t give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, of self-discipline.
These are inspired words from 2nd Timothy and we affirm them by saying, Amen.
Homily Sharing
Dennis: As we continue celebrating the Season of Creation and the elements, today we focus on Fire. This year the International theme for the Season of Creation is Listening to Creation and the logo is the Burning Bush. Let’s take a closer look at the image of the burning bush and the fiery presence of the Divine in our hearts and in our souls which call us to action.
In the first reading Joy Cowley shares that ordinary vision cannot view the brightness of the Holy of Holies, it is only the naked heart, that which opens itself completely to the awesome awareness of the Divine that resides within me, that allows me to realize I also am a “burning bush” caught up in the one fire, the fire of creation.
Hildegard of Bingen, whose feast day was yesterday, says it this way: “I am the fiery life of the essence of God; I am the flame above the beauty in the fields; I shine in the waters; I burn in the sun, the moon, and the stars. And with the airy wind, I quicken all things vitally by an unseen, all-sustaining life.” “We are ‘burning into’ I Am”, having “the essence of God” within us, brightly ablaze with our vision through faith. Building on what St. Hildegard suggested, We have the opportunity to reflect on our images of ourselves. Do we see ourselves as a part of the great I AM? How do we finish our sentences – what words do we put after I AM? Do the words we choose reflect our Divinity?
Pope Francis encourages us to “rekindle the fire of faith” through our understanding of Jesus message of love and compassion for all of creation. Like Hildegard he reminds us that in faith we are a “living flame”, a flame that enlivens us and moves us to action even in the darkest of times. Acting out of this fiery faith means being awake to the challenges that confront our sisters and brothers through discrimination and injustice, and to the destruction that is happening to this planet we call home. We see the rights and the roles of women attacked and discarded, and we see them marginalized, treated as second class citizens. We see minorities and certain ethnic and religious people assaulted, and their lives and basic freedoms threatened. We see disregard for the environment, and denial of the human toll on the planet, with a focus of domination rather than stewardship.
Jan Phillips approaches the word “fire” from another angle in her poem, “I found Jesus”. She says, “If our home wasn’t in flames, I could let it go, that myth about God with the whole world in his hands.” Recall the image in the liturgy document of the flames descending into hands. One way we can see this is as that flame, that fire of faith, coming into our hands, awakening us to action. It is not “God with the whole world in his hands”, it is God in us, the “I am” in our hearts that calls us to be those hands with a “spirit of love, of power, of self-discipline”. Like Moses, let us remove our shoes, make naked our hearts, and stand with and for our sisters and brothers , and Mother Earth.
Please share your thoughts/reflections on the readings or the homily starter.
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.
Intentions (Dennis): 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 beginning with the words, I bring to the table.
Intentions shared
We bring these and all deeply held blessings, cares, and concerns to the table of friendship and peace.
Liturgy of Fire – Eucharistic Prayer
AndreaGrace: O Divine Fire of Love, your glowing embers dance in our hearts. Your passionate presence kindles our souls. You purify us with the searing truth that ignites our spirits. As the glowing embers of fire penetrate the cold around us, so your tenderness sets our hearts aglow.
How often have you loved us tenderly, without limits or boundaries! How often have you forgiven us freely and healed us of afflictions! How often have we been consumed with delight by human touch! How often have you embraced us through Earth's beauty! How often have you affirmed us as your beloved creation! How often have you energized us to work for justice and peace in our world! Renewed in spirit, we raise our voices with grateful hearts as we sing:
Holy, Holy, Holy: Here in the Place by Christopher Grundy
Dennis: Passionate One, kindle your fire of enthusiasm within us. Speak to us with assurance and excitement. Reveal to us the infinite, boundless, depths of your love for us. Awaken us to your promises to be always present in our lives, no matter what the obstacles or setbacks we experience. Consume us with such a hunger and thirst for justice that our words and actions may inflame others to become signs of your justice. Give us eyes to see human need, hearts to care for our sisters and brothers and hands and feet to lighten others' burdens.
Shekinah, we thank you for sending Jesus, your strong, but gentle presence, to bless and transform our lives. Jesus came to pour forth the love from your heart on all of us and show us how to live as your new creation.
The night before Jesus died, he gave us a special gift of love divine. He took bread, broke it and shared it with friends who gathered around the table saying:
Take this all of you and eat, this is bread that nourishes and kindles passion for God and for all God's creatures.
(pause)
AndreaGrace: Then Jesus took a cup of wine, praised God, shared the cup saying:
Take this all of you and drink from it; this is the cup of blessing that will energize you with Spirit love; it will be poured out as kindling for the transformation of all.
(pause)
As we celebrate this memory of Jesus, let us experience, like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, in the sharing of the bread and the cup of blessing, the divine presence in our midst.
Thank you for this holy meal which reminds us of your willingness to give of yourself completely. Fuel our hearts with your divine energy that we may share your love with all of creation. May we live always as instruments of your faithful love.
Please pass the bread with the words: You are a spark of the Divine.
Communion Meditation: Truth to Power by OneRepublic
Dennis: May our hearts be merry on our journey as we dream new dreams and see new visions. May we recognize Christ present in every person and as we care for each other, may we encounter the Divine who dwells with us anew. May we become Spirit-Fire, as we fan the flames of love over the entire cosmos.
Shekinah, be with our families and friends, the young and old, the sick and dying and all those who need your nurturing love this day. Reconcile all those who experience the pain of discrimination in our church. Bless, protect, heal, encourage, and comfort each person here today and those we hold in our hearts.
AndreaGrace: Open us to Spirit-Fire igniting the Earth. May all creation dance in your presence. May we become one heart, one mind, one spirit with everything. May we touch the earth with reverent awe and live in harmony with all creatures. May we turn away from all efforts to dominate anyone or anything. May we see your face shining in the stars and in the sun. May we embrace the universe's treasures and celebrate life's simple pleasures each day. May your love kindle our friendship with all life. O Fire of Love, we dwell as one in you.
Let us pray the Prayer of Jesus:
O Birther! Father- Mother of the Cosmos
Focus your light within us - make it useful.
Create your reign of unity now-
through our fiery hearts and willing hands
Help us love beyond our ideals
and sprout acts of compassion for all creatures.
Animate the earth within us: we then
feel the Wisdom underneath supporting all.
Untangle the knots within
so that we can mend our hearts' simple ties to each other.
Don't let surface things delude us,
But free us from what holds us back from our true purpose.
Out of you, the astonishing fire,
Returning light and sound to the cosmos. May it be so.
Translation by Neil Douglas-Klotz
Final Blessing:
(Invite everyone to extend hands)
AndreaGrace: Shekinah, you show us the sacredness of Earth and all her creatures. You reveal yourself in wind, fire, earth, and water. May we celebrate with burning hearts the warmth of your passionate love in the outpouring of your miracles everywhere.
May the Fire of Love ignite our hearts so that the passion of God radiates through us; may the Spirit of truth and justice burn within us forever. Amen.
Closing Song: Tell Me How Long from Chasing Coral
Photo by AndreaGrace Weaver
Opening Prayer Notice:
2017 The United Church of Canada/L’Église Unie du Canada. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives (by-nc-nd) Licence. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca. Any copy must include this notice.
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