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phone-in for (audio only) Phone Number: (646) 558-8656
Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155
Welcome: The Gospel says “ask and you shall receive”. It sounds so simple and easy, almost like a wish. For tonight, let’s turn that around and reflect on what is it that God is asking of us.
Opening Prayer: Source of our being, source of all good things, we thank you for your love and care. We are your children, and you are showing us the way. Amen.
Opening Song
What Shall I Give, by Sara Thomsen – video by Denise Hackert-StonerLITURGY OF THE WORD
A Reading from the prophet Isaiah
Thus says the Holy One:
If you remove from your midst oppression,
false accusation and malicious speech;
If you bestow your bread on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
Then light shall rise for you in the darkness,
and the gloom shall become for you like midday;
You will be guided always
and given plenty even on the parched land.
Your strength will be renewed
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring whose water never fails.
These are the inspired words of Isaiah and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.
Spirit of the Living God (sung by Dennis McDonald)
https://youtu.be/nkATdLfKufE
A Reading from the Gospel of Matthew (7:7-12)
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread,
or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things
to those who ask him.
"Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the law and the prophets."
These are the inspired words of Matthew a disciple of Jesus. The community affirms these words by saying AMEN.
Shared Homily: Our readings tonight are easy to read and simple to understand. But they are difficult and life changing.
Lent has begun. Our childhood question was what will we give up? And there are some who still believe that sacrificing something is a way of improving ourselves. Most of us were imprinted with the idea of sacrifice – Jesus died for us- we too must sacrifice. “Offer it up to God” was a familiar phrase. I don’t think God wanted that. The Bible is filled with verses with God telling us “I do not want sacrifice- but what I want is for you to take care of the widow and the stranger.” The widow was important to God because if her husband died and there were no sons, she had no means of support. The stranger could be anyone, neighbor, acquaintance, foreigner, immigrant. Take care of the widows and strangers, take care of each other is and always has been God’s mantra.
The Isaiah reading focuses on three areas where we can take care of one another. The first is eliminate malicious speech.
We are all guilty of gossip- we tend to bond over gossip—we can talk about someone’s looks, behaviors, or skills, it makes us feel connected to others and sometimes better about ourselves. Caring for others without gossiping is hard.
The second focus is “give bread to the hungry”. During lent we are reminded to fast or eat less and give up meat on Friday. Does my fasting or not eating meat on Friday feed the hungry? Could I, or have I ever gone hungry so someone else could eat? I always have enough. Perhaps God is not asking us to be hungry but be aware that there are many who are hungry, not just for food, but hungry for support, for value and for love. Our Upper Room Community offers many ways to give bread to the hungry: the South End Café, St Vincent’s Food Pantry, Malala, Dreamcatchers, and many more. I am also sure you each have your personal places, persons, and programs you support. Every time we gather we also are here to support, value and love one another.
The third focus: “satisfy the afflicted” which means provide for or serve the afflicted. Who do I know who is afflicted? There are many types of afflictions. One particular affliction that can be most difficult is emotional or mental affliction. It is often easier to be with someone who is physically ill than to be with someone who is suffering from depression or anxiety or any other type of emotional distress.
Isaiah is telling us what our Creator is asking of us. Not easy. But there is a wonderful catch. The Holy One knows that we cannot do any of these things alone. Isaiah reminds us we are guided by the Holy One and have been given all that we need. The Holy One is our source of light in the darkness. Our strength is renewed when we mess up, and we always mess up here and there. Finally, our gospel says “ask and you shall receive” …maybe this is what we ask for: to be strong in love, and caring for each other, to be aware of presence, knowing that we are all always held and cared for by the Holy One. Then we will hear God’s mantra in our hearts.
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.
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
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:
Holy, Holy, Holy: Here in this Place –by Christopher Grundy
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.
All lift the plate and pray:
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 and pray:
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)
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: Together we can change the world
Communion Song:
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.
Reader: 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)
Blessing
Let us raise our hands and bless each other. May we know deep in our hearts we have all that we need. When we receive may we always share. May our companionship make us new each day. May we be a blessing to everyone we meet. Amen.
Closing Song: Granted by Josh Groban
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