Uppper Room Saturday Liturgy, December 2 2023 - Prsiders: Kathie Ryan and Jeannie Albert

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82512159155 
phone-in for (audio only) Phone Number: (646) 558-8656
Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155

The Season of Advent is beginning. Hold on to your hat, as you offer your heart. 

 

Opening Prayer: Holy One, you are forever reminding us that you are with us. We are grateful for Jesus who comes to show us how much we are loved.  May we be fearless in sharing your love with one another.  Amen.

Opening Song:  May Peace Be With You by Annie Garretson

https://youtu.be/ujLPSpj8MQ0

LITURGY OF THE WORD

 

 A reading adapted from Adam Bucko, episcopal priest, and community activist.

The season of Advent is upon us. Let us start with my commitment to a practice of prayer. Advent begins with adopting a way of life that can help us grow and nourish our spiritual life, including building community, so that we may become God’s hands and feet and microphone for healing and justice.

As we move toward a life of personal and political holiness, may our journey be blessed and may our life and presence remind those around us of God’s presence. Deepening our connection to God, in and around us.

Do not be afraid to feel the love, the joy, and also the pain that are present. Don’t be afraid to have a heart and to risk breaking your heart. Feel into it all and know that every time you are touching the pain, you are touching the sacred wound of God. God who is always accompanying us and guiding us. God who is suffering with us. . . . God whose life-giving love and justice will one day be “all in all” [1 Corinthians 15:28].

These are the inspired words of Adam Bucko, a disciple and brother of Jesus.  We affirm them by saying AMEN!

Alleluia by Fr. J. Nez F. Marcelo  

https://youtu.be/NOSXpL5eEq4        

    

(Pause)

Gospel: A reading from the Gospel of Mark. ( MK 13:33-37)

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be watchful! Be alert!
You do not know when the time will come.
It is like a man traveling abroad.
He leaves home and places his servants in charge,
each with his own work,
and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.
Watch, therefore;
you do not know when the lord of the house is coming,
whether in the evening, or at midnight,
or at cockcrow, or in the morning.
May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.
What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’”

These are the words of a writer known as Mark. The community affirms them by saying Amen!

Shared Homily

This gospel is so easy to hear and take in.  I love the idea of “watching.”  It reminds me of sitting on the beach watching the waves or watching the sunset.  So peaceful and it feels so good. But since when are the messages in gospels easy.  This gospel implies watch because something not so good may happen.  The phrases be prepared and stay awake are frequently mentioned in the gospel readings.  Advent means coming and we say we are preparing for the coming of Jesus…or the birth of Jesus, or Christmas.  But those ideas are from our youth, we know now that Jesus has come and gone and yet still here.  What are we watching for, what are we awake for, why do we need advent to remind us to prepare? 

Over the next few weeks, we will hear the gospels about the angels appearing to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, Mary and Joseph, and the shepherds. Each time the angels appear they begin with the words “do not be afraid.”  Our first reading is asking us to focus on prayer, healing, and justice so that we build community and become God’s hands and feet.  Becoming God’s hands and feet sounds pretty challenging, full of risk taking, and often frightening.  

The season of advent is a time of joy, mixed with lots of anxieties and fear.  Jesus was born and lived so we would know, and experience God is with us.  Do not be afraid, be fearless, watch for and know Presence and we will be the hands and feet of the Holy One.  

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. 

 

Prayers of the Community

As we prepare for this sacred meal we are aware that just as Jesus is anointed, so is each of us. As bearers of LIGHT and HOPE, we bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns. Please feel free to voice your intentions beginning with the words, “I bring to the table…..”

 

Presider 1: We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen. 

 

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST 

With open hearts and hands let us pray our Eucharistic prayer as one voice:

(written by Jay Murname) 

 

Source of All That Is, we seek you in this season, when the earth is resting and preparing for new life. Like the earth, we long for new life and hopeful beginnings. This is the time of the pregnant woman, filled with life and hope powerful enough to topple structures of oppression.  This is the time of her song of fidelity and celebration. 

 

During this gentle season of Advent, we recognize that you have made us capable of bringing forth justice, like a rising sun. One with all who have gone before us, we sing a song of praise. 

Holy, Holy, Holy: Here in this Place by  Chris Grundy

https://youtu.be/sgkWXOSGmOQ 

We thank you for those in times past who believed the good news and lived what they believed. 

 

Blessed is Isaiah and every visionary who insisted on a better future that would break through the deception, disaster, and broken promises of the age in which they lived. 

 

Blessed is John, in the stark desert of careful focus, inviting the people to be born again in your love.  

 

Blessed is Miriam, who believed the words of Isaiah and opened herself up to the unbelievable. 

 

And blessed is her child Jesus, who felt the sorrows of humankind in his soul, and responded with deep and tender compassion. 

Please extend your hands in blessing.

We are grateful for your Spirit at our Eucharistic Table and for this bread and wine which reminds us of our call to be the hands and feet of God  in the world. 

On the night before he faced his own death, Jesus sat at the supper with his companions and 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. 

 

Lift bread

When he returned to his place at the table, he lifted the bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread, and offered it to them saying: 

Take and eat, go, share and love one another.

 (pause) 

 

Lift cup

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) 

"This is the bread of life and the cup of blessing. Through it we are nourished, and we nourish each other. 

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.  

Our Eucharistic celebration is all-inclusive, and nothing can separate us from God’s love.  Please take the bread and the cup with the words: “I am a bearer of Light and Hope.”

Communion Song: Oh My Children by Sara Thomsen, Video by Denise

https://youtu.be/LFwYdi-YIbQ

We give thanks for our tradition, which is a living history of your love for all creation. We join ourselves with that tradition, as the visionaries and healers and peacemakers of our own time in history. 

We celebrate the many creative traditions which guide and form us and we are grateful that there are many paths to wisdom and life. 

 

Each Advent we make a place in our prayer for all those who are oppressed and marginalized in so many places throughout this earth, and right here among us. 

 

We are grateful for the gift of your Spirit, always drawing beauty and balance out of chaos.  And like Jesus…

 

Standing where he stood,  

and for what he stood,  

and with whom he stood, 

we are united in your Spirit, 

and love you with our lives, Amen.  

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

 Please extend your hands and pray our blessing together.

 May we be the hands and feet of the Holy One.  May we call each other to extravagant generosity and live fearlessly!  May our light shine for all to see, and may we  know we are blessed and loved by our presence in this community.

 

AMEN 

 

Closing Song  May the Christ Light Shine in You by Kathy Sherman

https://youtu.be/tY0Rj9Yd2lk

Moment of Oneness, November 29, 2024

Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81507551772
Meeting ID: 815 0755 1772
To connect by phone dial: +1 646 558 8656

Welcome

In late November, as darkness creeps into late afternoon and lingers into the morning hours, let us give thanks for the many gifts wrapped in its dark cloak.

Opening Prayer

Holy One, you have blessed us with both light and darkness, certainty and unknowing.  And in this season of shadow which wraps us in mystery, we rest, with gratitude, in the unknowing.  

Reading:  "You, darkness..."
by Rainer Maria Rilke (tr. Anita Barrows & Joanna Macy)

You, darkness, of whom I am born --

I love you more than the flame
that limits the world
to the circle it illumines
and excludes all the rest.

But the dark embraces everything:
shapes and shadows, creatures and me,
people, nations -- just as they are.

It lets me imagine
a great presence stirring beside me.

I believe in the night.

Intentions

Holy Mystery, in this darkness let us wonder at the vastness of space and time, and at the fact of our presence here, in this space, at this time.  Let us embrace wonder in this darkness.

Holy Mystery, in this darkness let us imagine our world as you see it:  each creature, beloved.  Each place, a holy place.  Each person, anointed by you.  Let us embrace imagination in this darkness.

Holy Mystery, in this darkness let us rest in the knowledge that we do not need to know everything.  We do not need to fix everything.  We only need to take your hand.  Let us embrace rest in this darkness.

In this darkness let us wonder.  Let us imagine.  Let us rest.

At this time, please bring any blessings or concerns you would like the community to share.

We place all of these prayers in the welcoming hands of our Beloved.  Amen.

Closing Prayer

Holy One, we ask your blessing as night surrounds us.  We seek your presence as we await the rising of the dawn.  Amen.

Closing Song

Holy Darkness, sung by John Michael Talbot

https://youtu.be/EAeCzCDb9NQ?si=rqXtrxnJ_i1bgi7x

Upper Room Sunday Liturgy, November 26, 2023 - Presider: Dennis McDonld

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82512159155 
phone-in for (audio only) Phone Number: (646) 558-8656
Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155

Christ In Everything and Everyone
 
Welcome and Theme:  We gather on this the last weekend of the Church Year, celebrating The Christ Experience. In the Roman Catholic tradition it is referred to as The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. That will not be our focus today. Instead, we will be considering how we, as members of the Christian Community and of Creation, are called to be Christ in the World today. 

Opening Prayer: Sophia-Wisdom of the Hebrew Scriptures, Christ of the Christian Scriptures open our hearts and minds to recognize the Christ in each other and in all of creation. May we accept our call to offer assistance to our sisters and brothers in need, being the Body of Christ in the world today. Amen  
 
Opening Song: Christ, Be Our Light by Bernadette Farrell
https://youtu.be/nn7Hl6ki9z8?si=TOtzL00efetcuY26  

LITURGY OF THE WORD
  
First Reading:  A reading from In Search of Christ Sophia by Jann Aldredge-Clanton
In Hebrew Scripture Hokmah (Wisdom) is a female name for the Divine. She is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, renewing all things. She creates and orders the world. She delights to be among the human race, teaching us Her ways. Wisdom symbolizes creative, redemptive, and healing Divine power. In their efforts to describe these same attributes in Jesus, the apostle Paul and other biblical writers draw from the picture of female Wisdom in Hebrew Scripture. Paul refers to Jesus as the power of God and the Wisdom (Sophia in Greek) of God (1 Corinthians 1:24), and states that Jesus “became for us Sophia from God” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Proverbs describes Wisdom as the way, the life, and the path to righteousness (Proverbs 4); the writer of the Gospel of John records Jesus saying, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (14:6). What Judaism said of Wisdom, Christian writers came to say of Jesus:  the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15); the reflection of God’s glory (Hebrews 1:3); the one through whom the world was created (John 1:3).  
These are inspired words of Jann Aldredge-Clanton and we affirm them by saying, Amen.
Second Reading:  
https://youtu.be/TcoN2K5aIkU?si=_f26coHhC1iRCuts 

Alleluia:  Celtic Alleluia by Christopher 
https://youtu.be/o1rc7ojQtJU 

Gospel:  A reading from the anonymous author of the Gospel of Matthew
“At the appointed time the Promised One will come in glory, escorted by all the angels of heaven, and will sit upon the royal throne, with all the nations assembled below. Then the Promised One will separate them from one another, as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats. The sheep will be placed on the right hand, the goats on the left. “The Promised One will say to those on the right, ‘Come, you blessed of my Amma God! Inherit the kindom prepared for you from the creation of the world! For I was hungry and you fed me; I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me; naked and you clothed me. I was ill and you comforted me; in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then these just will ask, ‘When did we see you hungry and feed you, or see you thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you as a stranger and invite you in, or clothe you in your nakedness? When did we see you ill or in prison and come to visit you?’ The Promised One will answer them, ‘The truth is, every time you did this for the least of my sisters or brothers, you did it for me.’ “Then the Promised One will say to those on the left, ‘Out of my sight, you accursed ones! Into that everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and the fallen angels! I was hungry and you gave me no food; I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. I was a stranger and you gave me no welcome; naked and you gave me no clothing. I was ill and in prison and you did not come to visit me.’ Then they in turn will ask, ‘When did we see you hungry or thirsty, or homeless or naked, or ill or in prison, and not take care of you?’ The answer will come, ‘The truth is, as often as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.’ They will go off to eternal punishment, and the just will go off to eternal life.”
These are inspired words by the anonymous author of the Gospel of Matthew and we affirm them by saying, Amen.
 

Homily Starter - Dennis 

John Shelby Spong in his book Biblical Literalism shares that the last two Sunday’s stories and today’s relate to the end of the world and the day of  judgment that would take place. It may seem like an interesting choice of Gospel to have read on this day formerly called, Christ the King. But not if we consider that the Christian Community had been waiting for the return of Jesus, as he had promised, to bring justice and peace to the world, and the reign of God. Of course, we know sitting here today, that it did not happen, and hasn’t for over 2,000 years.  So, how might we look at this from a different angle.  

Our first reading by Jann Eldredge-Canton educates us to the fact that the early Christian writers used imagery from Jewish scripture, namely that of Sophia-Wisdom, to promote the image of Jesus as that of Wisdom, “the one through whom the world was created”. This then leads us to the naming of Jesus as the Christ, as described in the Gospel of John as the Light from which all creation flowed.  How does this then bring us to our theme today of Christ in Everyone and Everything. 

Richard Rohr, in Summary of The Universal Christ states, “I don’t feel that Jesus was speaking about himself as Christ. I think it stands to reason he was speaking about the Christ Consciousness. God is in all of us, so we can never fully know ourselves, without also getting to know God. Start off working on believing that Jesus and God are one. Then, start to understand that you and God are one. After that, let it sink in that everything and God are also one.” 

Here then is the different angle, Jesus recognizes the Christ Consciousness that dwells in him, and we are called to recognize that the Christ Consciousness dwells within us, and not just in us but in all creation.

The video, serving as our second reading, is a reflection of what Richard Rohr promoted in his book, The Universal Christ,  that the Christ Consciousness is the “outpouring of God’s Love”. And if we follow that thought process, then we are tasked with being that outpouring toward our fellow humans and the whole of creation. The message of the Gospel is simple then, those considered sheep are those who live out of the Christ Consciousness, living our divine nature through our humanity, just as Jesus did. 

We, thus, become the Body of Christ in the world today. In today’s Eucharistic Prayer we pray, “We invoke Your Spirit upon the gifts of this Eucharistic table, bread of the grain and wine of the grape, that they may become gifts of wisdom, light and truth which remind us of our call to be the body of Christ to the world. 

There is no waiting for the Second Coming, there is no need, since that time is already here, with us being the anointed ones to bring healing, peace, and justice to our world.

Have you ever thought of yourself as part of the Christ Consciousness. If yes, how? If not, what might it mean to you now? How do you, how do we respond to the call of being the Body of Christ in the world today?

 
All/Denise: 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. 
 
Prayers of the Community
Dennis/Denise:  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.
Intentions read
We bring these and all deeply held blessings, cares, and concerns to the table of friendship and peace. 

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

 

Dennis/Denise: Please join in praying the Eucharistic prayer together:  
 
All/Denise: O Holy One, you have birthed us in goodness, gifted us with life and cherished us in love. In the heart of our being, your Spirit dwells; a Spirit of courage and vision, a Spirit of wisdom and truth. 
 
In the power of that same Spirit, we lift our hearts in prayer, invoking anew the gift of wisdom and enlightenment, that we may continue to praise and thank you, in union with all who sing the ancient hymn of praise: 
 
Holy, Holy, Holy: Here in this Place – with lyrics – Christopher Grundy
https://youtu.be/sgkWXOSGmOQ

ALL: Holy One, we see around us the work of your hands, the fruit of your wisdom and love. The unfolding story of creation witnesses unceasingly to your creative power.  We, your creatures, often deviate from that wisdom, thus hindering your creative presence in our midst. 
 
Sending among us Jesus, our brother, you birth afresh in our world the power of Sophia-Wisdom, and in the gift of Your Spirit, your creative goodness blooms anew, amid the variety and wonder of life. 
 
Presider 2: Please extend your hands in blessing.  
 
All: We invoke Your Spirit upon the gifts of this Eucharistic table, bread of the grain and wine of the grape, that they may become gifts of wisdom, light and truth which remind us of our call to be the body of Christ to the world. 
On the night before he faced his own death and for the sake of living fully, Jesus sat at the Seder supper with his companions and friends.  He reminded them of all that he taught them, and to fix that memory clearly within them, he bent down and washed their feet.
All lift their plate and pray the following:
When he returned to his place at the table, he lifted the Passover bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread and offered it to them saying:
Take and eat, the bread of life for all who hunger.
All lift their cup and pray the following:
He then raised high the cup of the covenant, spoke the grace, and offered it to them saying: 
Take and drink, the Cup of Compassion for a broken world.
Whenever you remember me like this, I am among you.
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 consume the bread and drink the cup with the words: We are the Body of Christ for the World.
Communion Meditation: St. Teresa’s Prayer by John Michael Talbot
https://youtu.be/tF7Yb9fobCg?si=R82Tb2WQrxMRTqKN 

In faith and hope we are sustained; in grace and dignity reclaimed. In praise, we thank you. 
 
In union with all peoples living and dead, we unite our thoughts and prayers, asking wisdom and courage: 
- to discern more wisely your call to us in the circumstances of our daily lives; 
- to act justly and courageously in confronting the pain and suffering that desecrates the Earth and its peoples; 
- to take risks in being creative and proactive on behalf of the poor and marginalized; 
- and to love all people with generosity of heart, beyond the labels of race, creed and color. 
 
And may we ever be aware and alert to the new things Your Spirit makes possible in us, as our world unfolds amid pain and beauty, into the fullness of life to which all are called, participating in the wise and wonderful work of co-creation. 
 
Like Jesus, we will open up wide all that has been closed about us, and we will live compassionate lives, for it is through living as Jesus lived, that we awaken to your Spirit within, moving us to glorify you, O Holy One, at this time and all ways. 
Amen.  
 
Dennis/Denise: Let us pray the prayer 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 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
Dennis/Denise: Let us pray together our blessing:
All: Christ of the Cosmos, you have filled our hearts with joy and hope and renewed all of creation.  We are honored to serve with you and to animate others in their generous response to Divine love.  As together we bring Divine ove to the world, grant us the courage and strength to share that love and the wisdom of Sophia with others. Amen.
Closing Song: Go Make a Difference by Steve Angrisano
https://youtu.be/Q2vYFN1YNIk?si=YAWO93RP-jUZVm6y