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Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155
Embraced in God’s Gentle Love
“If the you of five years ago doesn’t consider the you of today a heretic, you are not growing spiritually.” Quote attributed to Thomas Merton, 20th Century Mystic
Welcome and Theme (Suzanne): Good morning to all here present and with us on zoom. Dave and I are happy to be sharing this time with you. The first six words of John 3:16 deserve the most attention: “FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD.” Therefore, our theme today is “We all are infused with the Divine.”
Opening Prayer (Dave): Gentle One, you continue to lead us to transformation. May the liturgy we share today bring new awareness that each of us are the begotten sons and daughters of God. Jesus, during your time on earth, you awakened to the truth that you and God are one. Then you taught us the Way. We remember what you showed us: Within us dwells the Beloved.
Opening Song: God of Abundance by Kat Mills
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: Excerpt from Sermon 9B, Meister Eckart
Where the creature stops, there God begins to be. . . As the image goes out, God goes in. O my dear friend, what harm does it do you to allow God to be God in you? Go completely out of yourself for God's love, and God comes completely out of herself for love of you. And when these two have gone out, what remains is a simplified One. In this One the God brings her Son to birth in the innermost source. Then the Holy Spirit blossoms forth, and then there springs up in God a will that belongs to the soul. So long as the will remains untouched by all created things and by all creation, it is free. . .
People often say to me: "Pray for me." Then I think, “Why are you coming out?” Why do you not stay in yourself and hold on to your own essential good? After all, you are carrying all truth in you.
These are the inspired words of the 13th Century Mystic, Meister Eckart, and the community affirms them by saying “Amen.”
Second Reading: Psalm 82 ~ by Nan Merrill from Psalms for Praying; An Invitation to Wholeness
O Compassionate Teacher, You are our merciful Counselor;
in the Silence You make yourself known to all who take time to listen.
Would that those in power would heed your Voice:
“How long will you misuse power that oppresses the poor?
When will you learn that to act justly and with integrity will
bring mutual blessing to all?
Do you not know that to give succor to the poor
and to free people to succeed will bring you more joy than
all your bank accounts?”
Arise! Awaken to the new dawn!
Come into the Light; shed darkness like skin on the snake!
For the foundations of the cosmos are shaking with injustice.
I say, “Within you dwells the Beloved, the Breath of your breath;
Open your heart in the Silence and know the One in the many.”
Arise! Join in the new creation!
Let harmony reign among all the nations!
These are the inspired words of author and modern-day mystic, Nan Merrill and the Community affirms them by saying “Amen.”
Alleluia: Celtic Alleluia
Gospel: John 3:16-18
Yes, God so loved the world as to give the Only Begotten One,
that whoever believes may not die, but have eternal life.
God sent the Only Begotten into the world not to condemn the world,
but that through the Only Begotten the world might be saved.
Whoever believes in the Only Begotten avoids judgment,
but whoever doesn’t believe is judged already for not believing in the name
of the Only Begotten of God.
These are the inspired words of the anonymous writer known as John and the community affirms them by saying “Amen”
(pause)
Homily and Shared Reflection (Dave)
This gospel is one of the most famous and often quoted. It has great appeal and is well known as a favorite of Evangelical Christians. Unfortunately, it is also perhaps one of the more misunderstood passages. One appealing but faulty interpretations is the following: those who claim belief in Jesus will be rewarded by going to heaven. Non-believers will be judged harshly by God. Jesus was sent into the world to die as atonement for our sins.
Rev. Carl Gregg notes that this literal interpretation is “an insufficient guide for healing and salvation.” Let’s explore why this is so.
First, believing is easy. The more challenging part is doing the work of living as Jesus lived. Eric Erikson notes that the Greek word for “believe” can also be interpreted as “trust” and using this word in the gospel changes its meaning from a call to make a passive, intellectual statement (i.e., believing in dogma) to one of action, made by the heart. If we trust in Jesus and his message, we will live as Jesus. Rev. Gregg adds that “just as it is not enough to visit a sanctuary and pay homage to a relic (like a cross on a wall), it is insufficient to admire Jesus’ death while ignoring his life” and his call to serve.
Second, being saved is not about heaven or hell; it is about gaining a new level of awareness and deep relationship with the Divine. Reverend Salvatore Sapienza, in his excellent and controversial homily on this gospel passage found on you-tube, notes that during his life, Jesus had an awakening, a realization that he and God were not two, but one. This is so beautifully described in the first reading as Meister Eckart calls us to come out of ourselves so that the Divine can do the same and all can become one with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Reverend Sapienza, with reassurances to his congregation that he was not preaching “new-age mumbo jumbo,” notes that this is ancient wisdom, spoken about by Buddha, Yogananda, Mohammad, and Gandhi. He puts it this way: God so loved the world that God gave us it’s very nature – Divine DNA. As the second reading says, “Within you dwells the Beloved.”
Accepting this truth that we are one with the Divine and living this way frees us from our own fragile egos, self-involvement and fear of those who are unlike us. Rev. Sapienza adds that this deepened relationship with the Divine allows us to stop listening to the voices of separation and darkness. As the second reading from Nan Merrill’s contemporary interpretation of the Psalms notes, living this way in service of the poor and the enslaved will bring us far greater joy than we can imagine. It also frees us from being judged or condemned, not by a punishing God, but rather by ourselves and our own self-defeating behavior.
Third, Jesus’ time on earth was not to establish Christianity or that he was the only way to achieve the fullness of life. In fact, his goal was to show that everyone can experience this close relationship with the Divine. Leon Fontaine writes: “Jesus came to free us from the futility of religion and offer us something so much better—a real relationship with God.” Other commentators have commented that Jesus is the end of religion and that we are not called to become Christian or accept Jesus as our personal Lord and savior. Instead, we are called to understand and accept that the eternal is begotten in all of us. We are all the begotten ones.
Finally, let’s think carefully about the words in Psalm 82 from the second reading and make time to create moments of silence in our lives. In doing this, can we hear the quiet voice of the Divine that resides within; can we “awaken to the new dawn and come into the light?” If we can, our spirits will be renewed and our resolve affirmed to continue our work for justice and peace in a struggling world.
Statement of Faith
Suzanne: Please join us for our 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
Dave: As we prepare for this sacred meal, we are aware of our call to serve, and just as Jesus is anointed, so is each of us. We bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns. Please voice your concerns beginning with the words: “I bring to the table.” Intentions shared…
We bring these and all deeply held blessings, cares, and concerns to the table of friendship and peace.
Suzanne: With open hands let us pray our Eucharistic Prayer together:
All: Holy One, we yearn to be close to you and to live in the embrace of your gentle wisdom. Your divine grace and love lead us away from our anxieties, fears and distractions and toward all that is blessed and joyous.
Each of us is divinely created in Your image. We are precious to you and to each other because of who we are. We are beloved and blessed in your unconditional love, quite apart from how we act or fail to act.
Thankful for Jesus who treated all of Creation with respect and abundant love, we resolve to follow his example to be a light in the darkness. We recognize Your loving Presence here with us today and always, and we sing:
Holy, Holy, Holy: Here in This Place by Christopher Grundy
All: Dearest Holy One, there are times when we feel scarcity and emptiness even though we know You love us more than our human imagination can grasp. May we have the presence of mind to live in Your love. We strive to see You reflected in every person we meet. Guide us in sharing our gifts and in being open hearted so that we may accept help from others.
We thank you for Jesus, who knew what it was like to be an outsider in occupied and foreign lands. May his presence prompt us to bring gospel kindness and understanding to the divisions and conflicts of our time.
Dave: Please extend your hands in blessing.
All: We call upon your Spirit that is present in us at this Eucharistic table. We are grateful for the bread and wine that remind us of our call to be the light of Christ to the world.
On the night before he faced betrayal and death, Jesus shared supper with his 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.
Upon returning to the table, Jesus lifted the bread, spoke a blessing and shared the bread of life for all who hunger.
(pause)
Then he lifted the cup of the covenant, spoke the grace and shared the cup of compassion for a broken world.
(pause)
All: What we have heard with our ears, we will live with our lives. As we share communion, we become Communion, both Love’s nourishment and Love’s challenge.
Let us share this bread and cup to proclaim and live the gospel of justice and peace, using the words: “Within Me Dwells the Beloved”
(consume bread and drink from the cup)
Communion Meditation: I Am Light by India.Arie
Suzanne: Post-Communion Prayer
Holy One, your transforming grace inspires us to follow our consciences and bring comfort to wherever people are in need. We pray for wisdom, patience and persistence to make a difference in our world. We resolve to love as Jesus loved, to discern the better angels of our nature with hearts open to your Spirit. Amen.
Dave: 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
Suzanne: Please raise your hands and bless one another:
May you awaken to the mystery of being here. And enter the quiet immensity of your own presence. May you have joy and peace in the temple of your senses. ~ by John O’Donohue
Closing Song: Christ, Be Our Light performed by Notre Dame Folk Choir
Longing for light, we wait in darkness.
Longing for truth, we turn to you.
Make us your own, your holy people,
light for the world to see.
Refrain
Christ, be our light! Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in your church gathered today.
Longing for peace, our world is troubled.
Longing for hope, many despair.
Your word alone has pow’r to save us.
Make us your living voice.
Refrain
Christ, be our light! Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in your church gathered today.
Longing for food, many are hungry.
Longing for water, many still thirst.
Make us your bread, broken for others,
shared until all are fed.
Refrain
Christ, be our light! Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in your church gathered today.
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