Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82512159155
phone-in for (audio only) Phone Number: (646) 558-8656
Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155
December 23, 2023
5:00pm Zoom Only
Presiders: Mary Theresa Streck, Joan Chesterfield and Mary Ann Matthys
MT: Welcome to the Upper Room Liturgy for the Fourth Sunday in Advent. In today's Gospel from Luke, the angel Gabriel appears to Mary, inviting her to say yes to new life, yes to new possibilities. And we hear her unconditional yes to the Holy One’s request to be present to the world through her.
Opening Prayer and Lighting of Advent Candle 4 – the candle of love
Source of All that Is, we are grateful for your loving presence within, around and among us. May we, like Mary, hear the words from deep within, Ave, hail, Full of Grace, the Holy One is within you, blessed are you. And respond with our unconditional yes to the Holy One’s request to be present in the world through us.
Amen
light the fourth candle
Joan: We light this fourth candle and remember that we are called to create, share and be light in all our ways of relating to all of Creation and commit ourselves to work for peace and justice in our world. And so, we respond:
All: Let us kindle the light of love!
Opening Song: Say Yes by Bob Franke
First Reading
Erika: A reading from The Second Incarnation Flows from the First
By Richard Rohr
Ordinary matter is the hiding place for Spirit, and thus the very Body of the Holy One. Since the very beginning of time, The Spirit has been revealing its glory and goodness through the physical creation. Christians believe that this universal Christ presence was later “born of a woman under the law” (Galatians 4:4) in a moment of chronological time. This is the great Christian leap of faith.
We daringly believe that the Spirit’s presence was poured into a single human being, so that humanity and divinity can be seen to be operating as one in the Divine—and therefore in us! But instead of saying that the Holy One came into the world through Jesus, maybe it would be better to say that Jesus came out of an already Christ-soaked world. The second Incarnation flowed out of the first, out of the Spirit’s loving union with physical creation.
These are the inspired words of Richard Rohr, and we affirm them by saying, Amen.
Alleluia (Eightfold) – Jan Phillips
Second Reading:
Joan: We are all meant to be mothers of God. What good is it to me if this eternal birth of the divine Son takes place unceasingly but does not take place within myself? And what good is it to me if Mary is full of grace if I am not also full of grace? What good is it to me for the Creator to give birth to his Son if I also do not give birth to him in my time and my culture? This, then, is the fullness of time: when the Son of God is begotten in us. (These are the inspired words of Meister Eckhart, and we affirm them with, Amen.)
Gospel:
Ann: A reading from the Gospel of Luke
The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a maiden betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and her name was Miriam.
And coming to her, Gabriel said,
"Hail, full of grace! The Holy One 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, Miriam,
for you have found favor with God.
"Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
But Miriam 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.
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 with the Holy One."
Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Beloved.
May it be done to me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.
These are the inspired words of the Gospel writer known as Luke and we affirm them by saying, Amen.
Shared Homily-Mary Ann
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the Holy One and the Word was the Holy One.
Jesus co-created the universe and everything that dwells within it. Christ consciousness flows through all of creation and flows in and through us. What if our invitation is to be in the place where the Holy One inhabits human form in our time, just as Jesus was Divine Presence in human form in his time.
He has shown us the way. When he emerged into history, he emerged into a world he created, fully human and fully divine. He emerged into a world and a creation that carries his energetic signature. No wonder he was at home everywhere he went. Can you imagine walking on ground you created? Touching water and comprehending its aliveness, knowing it carries the very signature of your being within each molecule? Jesus saw the world through the lens of Christ consciousness. He saw the worth of each human soul. When he looked at the Samaritan woman at the well or the man at the pool of Bethsaida he saw Divine Presence Illuminating the Imago Dei, the very image of God, in their humanity. Where do you see the illumination the Imago Dei as you move through your days? In today’s closing song, You are the Face of God, Karen Drucker reminds us that each of us is the face of the Holy One living in our world today.
Advent is a potent time of year. It is a time filled with possibilities.
It is a time in which we are reminded that the Christ is ever coming into our lives inviting us to co-create a world that is ever evolving. We are the artists who choose the composition. Do we paint the world with division, divisiveness, separation, and hate or do we paint large brushstrokes of love, compassion, kindness, gratefulness, inclusiveness and pathways toward peace? Richard Rohr says, “In the case of the cosmos, we can say that God as Creator is incarnate as self-creating universe, including self-creating creatures within that universe, such as ourselves as human beings. Creativity itself is what’s evolving in the cosmos, and…we are in a position to realize ourselves as incarnate divine creativity.”
What if like Mary we say “Yes!” to the Holy One being present in this time through us and then paint the image of the Divine in our world today in all we say and all we do?
May it be so in you. May it be so in me.
MT: Please join in proclaiming 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.
Mary Theresa: As we prepare for this sacred meal, we bring to the table our blessings, cares and concerns. Please feel free to voice your intentions beginning with the words “I bring to the table….”
MT: We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen.
Eucharistic Prayer
Parts adapted from “Emmanuel, God-Is-With-Us by Michael Morwood
Mary Ann: With open hands and hearts, let us pray together our Eucharistic Prayer.
Gracious and Loving Spirit, You are our ultimate reality, a reality beyond our words, and beyond our images. You ground and sustain everything that exists.
We see You at work in the immensity of our universe, in the incredible display of life-forms on this planet and in the development of consciousness in the human species.
Our collected wisdom is a visible expression of You, active for millions of years in human development, active in all places, at all times, in individuals and cultures, seeking expression in the betterment of humanity.
For your Loving Presence within, around and among us, we sing with grateful hearts:
Holy, Holy, Holy: Here in this Place –by Christopher Grundy
Mary Ann: We give grateful thanks for all the visionaries who have gone before us and for their visible expressions of Your love. They insisted on a better future that would break through the deception, disaster and broken promises of the age in which they lived.
We give grateful thanks for Miriam, who believed the words of Isaiah and opened herself up to the unbelievable.
We give grateful thanks for our brother, Jesus, and we rejoice in his birth. In him we see the fullness of human possibility: to make You visible in our lives.
Presider: Please extend your hands in blessing.
We are ever aware of your Spirit in us and among us at this Eucharistic table and we are grateful for this bread and wine which reminds us to follow our brother, Jesus.
On the night before he faced his own death, he sat at 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.
All lift the plate and pray:
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, this is my very self.
(pause)
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)
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.
Please receive communion with the words: I am / You are the Face of the Holy One.
Communion Song: Ave Maria by Ashana
Prayer After Communion
Mary Theresa: Gracious and Loving Spirit, may we continue to be visible expressions of Your presence through a love that does justice, a compassion that heals and liberates, a joy that generates hope and a light that confronts the darkness of every injustice and inequity. By living this way, we give honor and glory to you now and always. Amen!
Mary Theresa: 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
Mary Ann: Let us raise our hands and bless each other:
All:May our hearts, like Mary's, be open to the new birthings that this holy time of Advent brings. May we know that God provides for us, walks with us, wonders with us, and waits to fill us with new hope and possibilities. Amen.
Closing Song: You are the Face of God by Karen Drucker- video by Mary Ann Matthys
https://youtu.be/rHWsb7sWEvc?si=t50S9H7WyxwvIWwD
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