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Called to Action
Welcome: Tonight, we hear another disturbing parable. Jesus had a mission he was constantly challenging us to live a life of caring for each other. If he were standing here in person, I think he might say “don’t just sit there, do something.”
Let us pray: Holy One, we are such a needy bunch. We need You and each other to remind us we are called, called to action. An action of love and care for others. What would we do without You, what would we do without each other? Amen.
Opening song:
You Shall Be Known by the Company You Keep – MaMuse
LITURGY OF THE WORD
A Reading from the book of Exodus
Do not mistrust or oppress foreigners, for you once were foreigners in Egypt. Do not take advantage of widows or orphans. If you do afflict them, they will cry out for me-and be certain that I will hear their complaint.
These are the inspired words from the Torah, the Book of Exodus.
Celtic Alleluia
A Reading from the gospel of Luke
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“Once there was a judge in this town who neither feared God nor cared about people.
In that same town was a widow who kept coming to him and demanding: Give me a ruling against the person I’m suing.
For a while he refused; but eventually he said to himself, “I’m not afraid of God and I don’t care about people, but this widow keeps pestering me. So, I’m going to give her a favorable ruling, or else she’ll keep coming back until she wears me down.”
These are the inspired words of Luke, a disciple of Jesus. The community affirms them AMEN
Shared Homily: When I first read this gospel, I thought it was a parable about praying persistently. As a matter of fact, the verse just ahead of the parable says Jesus was teaching about prayer. Then I checked the Jesus Seminar commentary and discovered that it is not about prayer but justice. And this is one of the few parables that the theologians of the seminar believed that Jesus preached. The verse about prayer was added later. Remember Jesus was speaking to people of the Jewish faith and culture. They would have recognized right away that the parable was about justice. The Jewish court system was always composed of three judges, a tribunal. Presenting a case in front of one solo judge was a red flag, a flag of corruption and bribery. The judge most likely gave in to the widow’s persistence because she was making a scene, shedding to much light on his corrupt practices. She was shouting from the roof tops; she was a modern-day protester.
Many times, in the Hebrew scriptures the Holy One is telling us to take care of widows and orphans. Jesus was reminding the crowd, they have a responsibility to the widow, and those in need.
I think we can draw a lot of parallels from the days of Jesus to today. We know that brown skin peoples, the poor, and marginalized do not receive the same justice in the court room as light skin people and the rich. Lady Justice is said to be blind, but we know that is not true for everyone. Jesus wanted his listeners to speak up, to stand with the widow and those who need help. Today, Jesus is asking us to do the same.
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
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:
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: I am here and I am ready to act in love.
Communion Song: One World by Mindy Lou Simmons
Communion prayer:
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 comes. 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 our blessing together
May we each do our part to bring justice into the world. Where there is justice there is peace. May our gathering ignite us to love more fully. And like Jesus be a shining light and a blessing for all.
All: Amen.
Closing Song
Be a Light – shortened Thomas Rhett (lyrics ) ft. Keith Urban, Chris Tomlin, Hillary Scott & Reba McEntire
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