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Welcome: Today’s gospel is yet another story of the wedding feast. Jesus shares many stories of celebrating, feasting, eating, and sharing together. One would think life is one big party, but there is also a struggle. Let’s see where our readings take us.
Opening song: A Gathering of Spirits by Carrie Newcomer
https://youtu.be/zGLFtOFPqHU?si=HQhd8zEONT0_Knyf
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: A Reading from Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston, Choctaw
“Something sacred is coming this way. That is how my ancestors would have said it. In the midst of all this turmoil and confusion, when we cannot clearly see the path before us, when we feel trapped in a situation we cannot control, then I believe the wise elders of my holy heritage would climb to the high place of the heart, draw the circle of reason and faith around them, and stand to sing their prayers into the open sky of the history to come.
They would not shrink into a corner afraid, but rise up to catch the first light of what was coming into being all around them.
We are living in a time of emergence.
We are the witnesses to a great renewal.
The world is full of the fear of birth and change, but that transformation will one day be our blessing.
Do not be afraid, but be believing.
Come to the place where the ancestors are already standing. Come and see.
Something sacred is coming this way."
These are the words of Steven Charleston a disciple of the Holy One and the community affirms them by saying AMEN
Alleluia (Eightfold) – Jan Phillips
Gospel: A Gospel according to the writer known as Matthew (25:1-13)
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"The kingdom of heaven will be like ten maidens
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridal party.
Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,
brought no oil with them,
but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.
The bridal party was delayed, and
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight, there was a cry:
Here comes the bridal party! Let’s go out and meet them.
Then all those maidens got up and trimmed their lamps.
The foolish ones said to the wise,
'Give us some of your oil,
for our lamps are going out.'
But the wise ones replied,
‘Perhaps there may not be enough for us and you.
Go instead to the merchants and buy some more for yourselves.'
While they went off to buy it,
the bridal party arrived,
and those who were ready went into the marriage feast with them and the door was shut..
When the foolish maidens returned, they pleaded to be let in. The doorkeeper replied, ‘The truth is, I don’t know you.’ “So stay awake, for you don’t know the day or the hour.”
This gospel is attributed to the community of Matthew. Our community affirms them with AMEN!
Shared Homily
The Jewish/Palestinian wedding custom at the time of Jesus is different from what we know.
When a couple married, they did not go away on a honeymoon; they stayed at home; and for a week celebrated with their friends and family. They had a weeklong reception. Our wedding receptions usually last for an afternoon or evening. Imagine planning a reception for a whole week with your family and guests. So much preparation, food and drinks, and finding places for guests to stay.
Most of us have participated in wedding preparation, whether we were a bride’s maid, or mother/father of the bride. We know the detail and we know there are always glitches. Someone forgot their wedding shoes, or make up bag, and someone always asks, “do you have the rings?”
Jesus spoke directly to the people of his time and is speaking to us today. For us these 10 maidens are our modern-day bridesmaids. They gather to prepare and party while they are waiting for the bridegroom and groom’s men.
The 5 foolish maids are going to miss the wedding because they forgot the extra oil. These maidens are not foolish, maybe just young and inexperienced. People forget things all the time, it happens.
Jesus is not telling this story to shame or chastise the foolish but to remind us to be prepared. Be prepared and aware for there will be many opportunities to encounter the Holy One. Every time we respond to an opportunity we improve our relationship with God, we improve our relationship with one another, and all creation. Be prepared, for as the first reading says, “something sacred is coming.”
One more point: according to this parable, if you are not prepared the door will be locked when you come knocking. The people of Jesus time would completely understand this. Nighttime was dangerous, there were no lights and doors would be locked. Their lives depended on basic security once the sunset.
Fortunately for us, we have come to know a Jesus whose mission was to show us a God, his Abba God, who would never lock the door. Abba God gives us as many chances and opportunities as we need. When we knock, the door is open. God invites us to the feast, the door is open, and God is waiting to celebrate life with us. Don’t’ miss the party.
Statement of Faith
All: We believe in one God, 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 God's Word,
bringer of God's healing, heart of God's compassion,
bright star in the firmament of God's
prophets, mystics, and saints.
We believe that We are called to follow Jesus
as a vehicle of God's love,
a source of God's wisdom and truth,
and an instrument of God's peace in the world.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
The life of God that is our innermost life,
the breath of God moving in our being.
The depth of God living in each of us.
We believe that God's 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 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.
Eucharistic Prayer of Belonging
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, go and share my love with one another.
(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 with the words: We are prepared.
Communion Song: At This Table by Idina Menzel
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
May we know we are loved, for the Holy One is relationship with us. May we be aware of the Spirit within. May we look for opportunities to love and bring our light into the world. And may we dance at the feast. Amen.
Closing Song: Go Light Your World – Kathy Troccoli
https://youtu.be/CVqR6kTu8lE?si=93jlzqt_9b9u2Hfa
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