Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82512159155
phone-in for (audio only) Phone Number: (646) 558-8656
Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155
Welcome: The theme tonight is the Annunciation as a Parable. Let’s turn a very familiar story inside out and look at it in a different way. There is so much to reflect on and its only 9 months till Christmas!
Opening Prayer: We often say whatever Jesus did we too can do. Tonight, we pray that whatever Mary did we too can do. May it be so. Amen.
Opening song: Say Yes by Bob Franke
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: A reading from the prophet Isaiah
Once again YHWH spoke to Ahaz and said: “ask for a sign from YHWH your God; let it be deep as the netherworld or high as the sky!” But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask. I will not put YHWH to the test.”
Then Isaiah said, “Listen, O House of David. It is not enough for you to weary those around you, must you also weary my God. Therefore, the Holy One will give you a sign: a virgin will bear a son and he will be called Immanuel.
These are the inspired words of Isaiah, a prophet of the Holy One. The community affirms these words with AMEN
Spirit of the Living God (sung by Dennis McDonald):
Gospel: A reading from the Gospel of Luke (1:26-38)
The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end."
But Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?"
And the angel said to her in reply,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God."
Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.
These are the inspired words of Luke, a disciple of Jesus. The community affirms these words with AMEN.
Shared Homily
Perhaps you have heard us say: the bible is filled with truths but very few facts.
Let’s look at some “truths” in the annunciation story. Theologian, John Dominic Crossan, suggests that this gospel story like the other stories in Luke that have to do with the conception, birth of Jesus and the early years are not true stories, but are parables. A parable is defined as a story with a moral or spiritual lesson. What are the lessons of the annunciation?
The usual place to start and what we have heard many times is Mary said “Yes” to the angel. Her “yes” changed everything. And we will get to the “truth” of her “Yes” but first let’s start in a place I had not been before.
We know Mary was Jewish. We can assume that she knew the oral tradition of the Hebrew Scriptures. In the Hebrew Scriptures there are many stories of angels walking this earth and communicating with many people. These “angel” stories were believed to be God encounters. The angels were not given proper names, perhaps because the Jews did not believe they should even call their G-d by name. I do not know why but in this gospel, we have an angel named “Gabriel”. The name Gabriel is translated as God is my strength. Gabriel appears to Mary, but he also appeared to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, to the prophet Daniel, and in Islam, Gabriel was the archangel who revealed the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad! Who knew? All three major faith traditions have encountered the Holy One, through the “Angel” known as Gabriel. What do all these God encounters suggest? Maybe that we are all One, all children of the same God. (Only religions separate us??)
Mary would have also been very familiar with our first reading. The scripture passage, “and a young virgin shall bear a son and he shall be called Immanuel” is very familiar to us too. We hear this verse during Advent, and it is often used to prove that Jesus’ birth was foretold in the Hebrew scriptures. Mary’s understanding of this verse is different. The more accurate translation for virgin is young woman, and a “young woman” shall bear a son…. For centuries and even today there are debates and misunderstandings about this verse. Mary may have been a virgin but that might not be very important. What is very important is that Mary was already familiar with the idea of divine conception. She knew the story of Abraham and Sarah having Isaac in their old age, she would know the story of Hannah and Elkanah who also had a child (Samuel) after years of bareness. Mary knew the stories of many impossible births. Gabriel reminded her of such stories when he told her about Elizabeth’s pregnancy. Mary knew that all things are possible with God. The story of Mary and the annunciation and the story of her visitation to Elizabeth has a powerful spiritual lesson: Divine Conceptions are ordinary and extraordinary. God is part of all conceptions and births, and all births are holy.
Mary’s knowledge and understanding of scripture brings us back around to her “Yes”. For Mary to say yes, she must have been prepared. She was ready for a God encounter.
Could you and I say yes? Are we prepared or preparing, are we ready for a God encounter?
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 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:
Holy, Holy, Holy: Here in this Place –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: May I be ready for a God encounter
Communion Song: We Are All Angels by Karen Drucker
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:
ALL: 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.
ALL: May we hear the Angel Gabriel, and know God is my Strength. May we 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 and Mary may we be a light and a blessing for all.
All: Amen.
Closing Song: What One Woman Can Be – Karen Drucker
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