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GOOD NEWS!!
Welcome: The word Gospel is often translated as “good news”. Sometimes when I read a passage, I don’t hear good news. What will we each hear today?
Let us pray: Holy One, our lives are like a roller coaster, twists and turns and upside down, and then we hear Jesus speak to us and he too shakes up our lives. One thing is for certain, you are holding us, and caring for us as we are on this wild ride of life. Thank G-d! Amen.
Opening song:
Behold the Kingdom – John Michael Talbot – video by Denise Hackert-Stoner
LITURGY OF THE WORD
A reading from the book of Exodus
Moses went up to God, and YHWH called out from the mountain and said, “this is what you are to say to the house of Jacob, what you are to tell the Israelites: ‘You saw for yourselves what I did to Egypt, how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. If you now listen to my voice and keep my covenant, then out of all people you will be my cherished ones. Truly the whole earth is my own.’
These are the sacred words of the Torah, the book of Exodus. Our community affirms them. AMEN
Celtic Alleluia
A Reading from the gospel of Luke
When you are invited to a wedding party, don’t sit in the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished has been invited. Otherwise, the host might come and say to you, ‘Make room for this person,’ and you would have to proceed shamefacedly to the lowest place. What you should do is go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your hosts approach you, they will say ‘My friend come up higher.’ This will win you the esteem of the other guests. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
We affirm these words by saying: AMEN
Shared Homily:
At first glance, this wedding party story does not really have much to say to us today. Most wedding celebrations have assigned tables, or if the wedding is very casual, we mingle among our friends and family. I don’t know about you, but I never once took it upon myself to go over and sit at the head table next to the bride and groom. Luke used the wedding feast as an example for his listeners that made perfect sense to them but to us, not so much. This parable is not about etiquette at a wedding, or even about being shamed or humiliated in a gathering. Luke was really using the wedding party story to make an important point about the way of Jesus.
Jesus never exalted himself. Jesus focused on others, particularly those who had no standing, no power. Jesus called those who were outcasts to sit in the front row. Jesus lived and loved at the margins.
As always, Jesus is modeling a way of life that is expected of us. Our world is upside down, the war in Ukraine, the demonstrations in Iran, the antisemitism, antiracism, antifeminism. In our own families and communities, separations, anxiety and depression, the list goes on and on. Don’t allow feelings of being overwhelmed and anxiety stop you. We have each other. We can do something; we must do something. Do small things with great love and never give up. Jesus was able to stand at the margins because he believed the words of his Abba God in Exodus: ‘truly the whole earth is my own’. Jesus knew he belonged to the Holy One. When we know who we belong to, when we are sure, we can do anything.
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.
Eucharistic Prayer of Belonging
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….”
We pray for these and all unspoken prayers and blessings. Amen.
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: Here in this Place – Holy Holy Holy by Christopher Grundy
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
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)
All: 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)
ALL: 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.
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 the bread and cup with the words: There is nothing I cannot do in your love.
Communion Song: Bare to the Bone – Carrie Newcomer
https://youtu.be/DPjydM2AL10
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 Amen.
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
Please extend your hands and pray the blessing
May we always know we belong to the Holy One. May the certainty of our connectedness to one another and all creation ignite us to love more fully. May we stand together at the margins and like Jesus be a shining light and a blessing for all.
All: Amen.
Closing Song
Being Kind by Empty Hands Music (Nimo)
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