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Welcome to our liturgy this evening. Tonight we will explore the difference between how we take things in, how we “see” things, and how the Holy One sees things. Tonight’s readings are from the Revised Common Lectionary, the lectionary used by most Protestant denominations all over the world. Its readings sometimes differ from those in the Catholic lectionary. Tonight is one of those nights.
Opening Prayer:
Holy One, help us to see as you do. Our vision is limited. We are distracted by appearances. We are hemmed in by assumptions. Your vision is limitless. You see us as we are now and you also see us as we can be. You see our true selves, and you love what you see. Help us to see ourselves and one another with your eyes.
Opening Song: Holy Ground, Earth Mama https://youtu.be/s87pVeZa75Q
First Reading: 1 Samuel 16
God addressed Samuel: “So, how long are you going to mope over Saul? You know I’ve rejected him as king over Israel. Fill your flask with anointing oil and get going. I’m sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I’ve spotted the very king I want among his sons.”
“I can’t do that,” said Samuel. “Saul will hear about it and kill me.”
God said, “Take a heifer with you and announce, ‘I’ve come to lead you in worship of God, with this heifer as a sacrifice.’ Make sure Jesse gets invited. I’ll let you know what to do next. I’ll point out the one you are to anoint.”
Samuel did what God told him. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the town fathers greeted him, but apprehensively. “Is there something wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. I’ve come to sacrifice this heifer and lead you in the worship of God. Prepare yourselves, be consecrated, and join me in worship.” He made sure Jesse and his sons were also consecrated and called to worship.
When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Here he is! God’s anointed!”
But God told Samuel, “Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with his looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.”
Jesse then called up Abinadab and presented him to Samuel. Samuel said, “This man isn’t God’s choice either.”
Next Jesse presented Shammah. Samuel said, “No, this man isn’t either.”
Jesse presented his seven sons to Samuel. Samuel was blunt with Jesse, “God hasn’t chosen any of these.”
Then he asked Jesse, “Is this it? Are there no more sons?”
“Well, yes, there’s the runt. But he’s out tending the sheep.”
Samuel ordered Jesse, “Go get him. We’re not moving from this spot until he’s here.”
Jesse sent for him. He was brought in, the very picture of health—bright-eyed, good-looking.
God said, “Up on your feet! Anoint him! This is the one.”
Samuel took his flask of oil and anointed him, with his brothers standing around watching. The Spirit of God entered David like a rush of wind, God vitally empowering him for the rest of his life.
Samuel left and went home to Ramah.
These are the words of Samuel, judge and prophet. We affirm his words by saying, Amen
Alleluia (Eightfold) – Jan Phillips
Gospel: Luke 5:27-32
Jesus went out and saw a man named Levi at his work collecting taxes. Jesus said, “Come along with me.” And he did—walked away from everything and went with him.
Levi gave a large dinner at his home for Jesus. Everybody was there, tax men and other disreputable characters as guests at the dinner. The Pharisees and their religion scholars came to his disciples greatly offended. “What is he doing eating and drinking with misfits and ‘sinners’?”
Jesus heard about it and spoke up, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I’m here inviting outsiders, not insiders—an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out.”
This story about Jesus was told by the writer we know as Luke. We believe that this story tells us a deep truth about Jesus. We affirm this truth by saying, Amen.
Homily Starter
There once was a wetland; a vast, wide, shallow river. It covered 4000 square miles (about 3 million acres) in south Florida. This grassy river, this marshland, was full of life. Wading birds like herons, egrets, ibis, and wood storks. Alligators, crocodiles, many fish, and even panthers, roamed. People lived here too, in this place called everglades. The Miccosukee people and the Seminoles lived well, taking what they needed and leaving the balance of water, sun, earth and air unhindered.
Then one day, sometime at the beginning of the twentieth century, some people looked at this wet and glorious land and decided that it was worthless. In their view this abundant and fertile land was no good for development because it was too wet. And in their view, if it was no good for development it was no good for anything. So the draining of the everglades began. And it has continued until this very day. Anyone visiting south Florida can easily witness the vast series of canals that take water away and pipe it into the sea.
But over the years there have been people who saw the beauty and the inherent value of this land, even when others could not see it. People like Guy Bradley, the first Audubon ranger who gave his life protecting heron nesting colonies from poachers, and Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, who in 1947 wrote her definitive book, “The Everglades: River of Grass.” Eventually, because of the vision of these people and others who could see beyond development possibilities, a remnant of this beautiful, wet, land has been saved as a US national park.
I cannot end this story with “and they lived happily ever after.” The Everglades and its wildlife are still threatened by pollution and lack of water. It is still not the biggest, most robust of lands. It may be a bit like young David, overlooked and undervalued. It may even be seen as a bit like Levi and his friends, better left ignored and not part of the “insiders.” But where there is vision, where there are people who see the innate value of this land the way its Creator does, there is hope. So I will end my story with hope.
This story came to me from my meditation on today’s readings. Please share the thoughts that came to you from these same readings.
Shared Homily
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
Denise: 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….”
Denise: We pray for these and all unspoken concerns. Amen.
Denise: 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 Karen Drucker https://youtu.be/kl7vmiZ1YuI
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.
Denise: 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: Back at the table, he took the Passover Bread, spoke the grace, broke the bread and offered it to them saying, Take and eat, this is my very self.
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 is 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.
As we celebrate and recognize You in this bread and wine we love and recognize you in each other. We are filled with gratitude and joy. Glory and Praise to you both now and forever. Amen
All:
Through Jesus, we have learned how to live.
Through Jesus, we have learned how to love.
Through Jesus, we have learned how to serve.
Please receive communion with the words: “See with God’s Eyes.”
Communion Song: Everyday God, Bernadette Farrell https://youtu.be/f3an4O13BzE
All: 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.
Denise: 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.
Please raise your hands as we bless one another:
We are made from the stuff of ancient stars. There is beauty in every one of us. The Holy One sees this beauty and loves it in us. Let us go forth in that love and rejoice in it. Amen.
Closing Song: God’s Eyes, Ma Muse https://youtu.be/WGRO0vnHeAk
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