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Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155
Welcome to Sunday at the Upper Room! We look forward to celebrating with you this morning. One of the often-repeated themes in our readings over the course of the year is salvation. The prophets, Jesus, Paul, and so many others in both the Old and New Testaments focus on our longing for it. Today let’s take a deep look into where we might find it, even as our world seems bogged down in despair and hopelessness.
Opening Prayer: Holy One, we are gathered today to thank you for calling us into being at this time in the calendar of creation. Today we will hear you through your prophet Isaiah and your servant Luis, both of whom listened to your call to be a light to …. change the world. May each of us listen to your call and find ways in which we can impact this crazy world of ours in a positive way.
Opening Song: If Not Now, Carrie Newcomer https://youtu.be/7bY585-fzSs
First Reading: A reading from the prophet Isaiah (49:6)
The Holy One says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
These are the words of Isaiah, an ancient prophet. We affirm his words by saying Amen.
Second Reading: From “Tattoos on the Heart” by Greg Boyle
This is the story of Luis, former gang member and part of Homeboys Industries Bakery:
It is nearly closing time, and I arrive at the bakery in the evening. Luis sees me in the parking lot from inside the building and rushes outside. He’s excited, and yet “enthusiasm” is not ever the card with which Luis leads. He’s too cool for that. He barely lets me get out of my car.
“Hey, G,” he says, thrilled to see me, “You not gonna BELIEVE what happened to me yesterday after my shift.”
He proceeds to tell me that, after work, he goes to pick up his four-year-old daughter, Tiffany, at the babysitter’s. He puts her in the car, and they drive to their tiny apartment, where, for the first time, Luis is paying rent with honestly earned, clean money. He unlocks the front door, and Tiffany scurries in, down the hallway, and lands in their modest sala. She plants her feet in the living room and extends her arms and takes in the whole room with her eyes. She then declares, with an untethered smile, “This…is GREAT.”
He tells me that he lowers imselff to her eye level, placing his hands on his knees for support.
“What’s great, mija?”
Tiffany clutches her heart and gushes, “MY HOOOME!”
Luis seems to be unable to speak at exactly this moment. Our eyes find each other, and our souls well up, along with our eyes. We can’t stop staring at each other, and tears make their way south on our faces. After what seems like longer than I’m sure it was, I break the silence.
I point at him. “You…did…this. You’ve never had a home in your life – now you have one. You did this. You were the biggest drug dealer in town, and you stopped and baked bread instead. You did this. You’ve never had a father in your life – and now you are one…and I hate to have to tell you…but…you’re great.”
This is a story told by Gregory Boyle, disciple of Jesus. We affirm his words by saying, Amen
Alleluia: Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker
Gospel: John 1: 29-34
John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said,
"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
He is the one of whom I said,
'A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.'
I did not know him,
but the reason why I came baptizing with water
was that he might be made known to Israel."
John testified further, saying,
"I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven
and remain upon him.
I did not know him,
but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,
'On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain,
he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'
Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God."
This Gospel, by the ancient story-teller known as John, inspires us today. We acknowledge this by saying, Amen.
Homily Starters:
Gayle:
When we think about being a light to the world, we can easily be overwhelmed by the enormity of all that needs to be done to radically change the mindset of those who choose power and greed over love. It may be that we cannot impact the larger issues of our day but we can show love, whether it be giving someone a ride to the doctor or bringing groceries to a homeless shelter or really listening to someone’s problems or protesting injustice at a rally, to name a few examples. In doing so, we expose the divine love within us to others thus tipping the scales, ever so slightly, in favor of love over evil in our world - salvation one step at a time.
Denise:
God tells Isaiah all we need to know about salvation: it’s not enough to save your own. If salvation is to happen for anyone, it has to happen for everyone.
John the Baptist recognizes something of salvation as soon as he lays eyes on Jesus coming to be baptized. He sees the Spirit in him, a Spirit that settles in him and doesn’t leave. And rightly, John declares Jesus a child of God.
Greg Boyle sees something in Luis, the young gang member – turned baker. He sees the Spirit in him. The Spirit that stays. And Greg declares him “Great.”
There are so many ways to think about salvation. As I child I learned that Jesus came to save us all from our sins. Then as an adult I rejected that idea. Now, as an older adult, I am reconsidering it. No, I don’t believe that we were born in sin. And I do not believe that Jesus came as a living sacrifice to satisfy an angry God and so loosen the bonds of that sin. But looking around, reading the newspaper, I can’t help but admit that we are living in a world marred by sin. What else can we call the destruction of our planet, the purposeful starvation of whole populations? The utter mayhem brought about by too much anger and too many guns? Every headline is a cry for salvation.
But there are saviors. There is Jesus, who simply showed us a way to live; a way of life that leads to life; a way that has been too rarely walked since he walked it. There are people like Luis, who have seen the worst and bring their best. And there are so many more like them, in places we would expect to see them and in the most unlikely places as well. We may even see one of them if we look closely at that image we see when we look in the mirror. We might see that same Spirit. The Spirit that John saw in Jesus. The Spirit that Greg saw in Luis. The Spirit that doesn’t leave, doesn’t quit. The Spirit of salvation, bringing light to the nations.
What did you hear in today’s readings? Please share your wisdom.
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.
Gayle: As we prepare for the sacred meal, we are aware that just as Jesus is anointed, so is each of us. 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 concerns. Amen.
Liturgy of the Eucharist
adapted from Diarmuid O’Murchu
Denise/Gayle: With open hands let us pray our Eucharistic Prayer together:
Gracious God, source and sustenance of life, redeeming presence to the pain and brokenness of our world, Holy Spirit, who enlivens and inebriates all that exists, we beseech your healing power upon us and all we pray for today.
Down through the ages, you rescue us from darkness.
you light up our ways with wise and holy people. You restore our spirits and you revive our dwindling hope.
May the Spirit of life and wholeness transform us that we may be refreshed in our inner being and be empowered to bring mercy, love, and healing to those whose lives we touch.
For all you bring to our lives, and for all we seek amid
pain and suffering, we acclaim your love and greatness,
and we join with all creation to sing our hymn of praise:
(Proceed to Table during Holy Holy)
Holy, Holy, Holy by Karen Drucker https://youtu.be/kl7vmiZ1YuI
Denise/Gayle: Please extend your hands in blessing.
Source of our health and wholeness, healer of body, mind, and spirit, we bring before you the darkness of our world, and the pain and suffering of your people.
We seek to be healed and made whole; we seek to be reconciled and united; we seek peace in our hearts and in our world.
We ask you to awaken anew in our hearts the empowering grace of your abundant Spirit, who infuses these gifts of bread and wine with the transforming energy of life, to nourish and sustain us in our time of need.
As we gather around this friendship table, we recall God’s
blessing and love from ages past, and we celebrate anew
the gift of life which we share among us at this Eucharistic feast.
The bread we break and the cup we share are symbols of our world of abundance where all are invited to partake of the fullness of life. But that life we often impede by our greed and selfishness and by our exploitation of other people.
On the night before he died, Jesus gathered for 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.
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.
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.
We share this bread and cup to proclaim and live the gospel of justice and peace. We choose to live justly, love tenderly, and walk with integrity.
Please receive communion saying: “You bring God’s salvation.”
Communion Meditation: Compassion (Change the World), Andrew Witt https://youtu.be/Tw_pUMqEZ_E
Denise: In faith and hope we are sustained,
In grace our dignity reclaimed,
In praise we thank our God.
Grant that we may strive to create a world where suffering and pain are diminished, where justice and peace are restored, and where all people can live in health and wholeness, united in acclaiming the God of life, whose abundance is offered to each and to all, until the Kin-dom arrives in the fullness of time.
This prayer we make in the name of our healing and nurturing God through, with, and in whom we offer these gifts, sources of life, love, and goodness, now and forever. Amen.
Gayle: Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
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 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 (Miriam Therese Winter)
Gayle: Let us raise our hands and bless each other. May we bring the light of the love within us to all who cross our path this week and respond to those who have needs we can meet without question and with generosity during this Advent season
Closing Song: Being Kind, Empty Hands Music https://youtu.be/mJhZ64BvvFU
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