Ancestral
by Hannah Garrity
Inspired by Isaiah 11:1-10
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Ancestors
Welcome and Theme Julie: Welcome! We’re so happy to have you join us today as we celebrate the second weekend of Advent. Today we will remember our ancestors and their vision of the future, a future where all live in peace, baptized in the Holy Spirit and fire.
Opening Prayer Julie: Let us pray.
Holy One,
whether it’s through
angels or music,
friendships or sermons,
study or nature—
when you speak,
we long to hear it.
In a world as chaotic and broken as ours,
we could use your words of hope and healing.
With gratitude we pray, AMEN.
Adapted from Rev. Sarah Speed
Opening Song: Quiet Place by the Many – video by MT Streck
LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
A Reading from the Prophet Isaiah 11:1-10
A flower shall come out from the root of Jesse, a wild shoot shall grow out from the roots.
The spirit of God will be at work in that flowering, the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and strength,
the spirit of knowledge and wonder.
The joy of that child will be in God.
Not by appearance will the child judge, nor by hearsay decide.
Instead, you shall judge the poor with justice,
and defend the meek of the earth with equity.
Righteousness shall be the belt around your waist, and faithfulness will gird your loins.
The wolf will nestle with the lamb. The leopard will lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a young child will lead them.
The cow and the bear will graze in the same pasture,
their young lie down together.
The lion will eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child will play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child put its hand on the adder’s den.
None will hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain.
For the earth will be full of the knowledge of God, as the waters fill the sea.
On that day, the flower of Jesse will be a sign for all peoples.
All nations will seek it out, and it will be glorious.
These are the inspired word of the prophet Isaiah and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.
Alleluia Celtic Alleluia
Gospel
A Reading from the Gospel attributed to Matthew 3:1-12
While Jesus was living in the Galilean hills, John, called “the Baptizer,” was preaching in the desert of Judea saying, “Repent, for the kin-dom of heaven is at hand!” It was of John that the prophet Isaiah had spoken:
“A voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of God,
make straight the paths.’”
John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. At that time, Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to John and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their offences.
When John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to receive his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor.’ For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these very stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
“I baptize you with water, for repentance, but after me comes one who is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
These are the inspired words of the anonymous storyteller we call Matthew and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.
(Pause)
Homily Starter Julie:
“The wolf will nestle with the lamb. … None will hurt or destroy….” Isiah presents such a beautiful vision of God’s kin-dom, the vision our ancestors dreamed of. Can you imagine a world where the vulnerable are protected, where prey don’t fear predators? Can you imagine a world where the snakes that John the Baptizer denounces in the gospel are no longer a threat? That sounds like paradise, doesn’t it? I would love to live in a world like that. I imagine we all would.
So how do we get there? Maybe we need to follow John’s example and spend some time in the proverbial desert, away from the noise. Advent, this dark, expectant time of year, is perfect for that kind of contemplation. And contemplation, quiet, is the perfect antidote to a modern holiday season that we know all too well can get frenzied and overwhelming. Taking a step back or setting aside some quiet time each day can soothe and lift our spirits and make the whirlwind easier to navigate.
The gospel offers some other ideas on how to achieve heaven on earth. Prepare the way of God. Make straight the paths. Let the water of baptism and the fire of the Holy Spirit wash over us. It sounds so simple until we realize the utter transformation that would bring about, not just in the world but in us as well. There’s that saying, everybody wants transformation but nobody wants to change. Are we willing to finally change ourselves in order to change the world? It was a struggle for our ancestors. Have we evolved enough to bring about heaven on earth now, in our lifetime? Or is humankind still too mired in its own muck and mess to make that enormous leap forward?
What do you think? What are you willing to do to bring about heaven on earth? We would love to hear your reflections on the readings.
Shared Reflections
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.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Julie: As we prepare for this sacred meal, we are aware that just as Jesus is anointed, so is each of us. As bearers of LIGHT and HOPE, we bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns. Please feel free to voice your intentions beginning with the words, “I bring to the table…..”
Julie: We pray for these and all the unspoken intentions in the silence of our hearts. AMEN.
Julie: With open hearts and hands let us pray our Eucharistic prayer as one voice:
(written by Jay Murnane)
Source of All That Is, we seek you in this season, when the earth is resting and preparing for new life. Like the earth, we long for new life and hopeful beginnings. This is the time of the pregnant woman, filled with life and hope powerful enough to topple structures of oppression. This is the time of her song of fidelity and celebration.
During this gentle season of Advent, we recognize that you have made us capable of bringing forth justice, like a rising sun. One with all who have gone before us, we sing a song of praise:
Here In This Place by Christopher Grundy
We thank you for those in times past who believed the good news and lived what they believed.
Blessed is Isaiah and every visionary who insisted on a better future that would break through the deception, disaster and broken promises of the age in which they lived.
Blessed is John, in the stark desert of careful focus, inviting the people to be born again in your love.
Blessed is Miriam, who believed the words of Isaiah and opened herself up to the unbelievable.
And blessed is her child Jesus, who felt the sorrows of humankind in his soul, and responded with deep and tender compassion.
Please extend your hands in blessing.
We are grateful for your Spirit at our Eucharistic Table and 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 the following:
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 the following:
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)
Julie: Let us share this bread and cup to proclaim and live the gospel of justice and peace. Please receive communion with the words, I am a spark of the Divine.
Communion Meditation/Song Fire of Love by Kathy Sherman
https://youtu.be/P_6cILrBpJE
Prayer after communion:
Julie: Holy One, we are grateful for the gift of Your Spirit, always drawing beauty and balance out of chaos. And like Jesus…
Standing where he stood,
and for what he stood,
and with whom he stood,
we are united in your Spirit,
and worship you with our lives,
AMEN.
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
Julie: Please extend your hands and pray our blessing together.
May we continue to be the face of God to each other. May we call each other to extravagant generosity! May our light burn bright for all to see, and may we be a blessing in our time!
All: AMEN
Closing Song: Light of the World – Lauren Daigle
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