phone-in for (audio only) Phone Number: (646) 558-8656
Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155
February 17, 2024, Saturday Liturgy
Welcome: “I will follow him, follow him wherever he may go.” Remember that song? Some of us heard it in the 60’s and then it was reprised in Sister Act in the 90’s. it is a very sweet, nostalgic song, and I love it to this day. The song is easy to sing, but actually following Jesus? - that takes awareness, and constant effort.
Opening Prayer: Holy One, you sent Jesus to show us the way of love. We do our best to follow him. Perhaps it is You, who is following us, watching over us, gently calling us to change and love more and more. Amen.
Opening Song:
I Am Ready For Change by Carrie Newcomer
LITURGY OF THE WORD
A Reading from the Prophet Isaiah (58:9-11)
God will say, ‘I am here’-
remove from your midst all oppression,
finger pointing, and malicious talk;
Give yourself to the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
Your light will rise in the darkness,
and your shadows will become like noon.
YHWH will always guide you,
giving relief in desert places.
God will give you strength to your bones,
and you will be like a watered garden,
like a spring whose water never fails.
The community affirms these words with AMEN!
More Light by Christopher Gundy
https://youtu.be/a8XaUlqb8t0
A Reading from the Gospel of Luke (Lk 5:27-32)
Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, “Follow me.”
And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.
Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house,
and a large crowd of tax collectors
and others were at table with them.
The Pharisees and their religious scholars complained to his disciples, saying,
“Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.
I have not come to call the religious folks to change their hearts but sinners.”
These are the words of Luke and we affirm them with AMEN
Shared Homily
We have all had the experience of following someone in a car ahead of us. When there is a lot of traffic following someone can be tricky. There are obstacles that get in the way, other cars cutting in front of us, traffic lights changing to quickly, and sometimes we even lose sight of the car we are following. If there is someone in the car with you it is easier because they can watch ahead while we watch the traffic.
I am sure you can see where I am going with this- Jesus says, “Come follow me” and Levi, later to be known as Matthew, gets up, leaves everything behind and follows Jesus. At first glance, we can say wow what a guy! I want to follow Jesus just like Levi.
Not so fast, not so easy right? What gets in our way, what obstacles interfere with our desire to follow Jesus? And following is not just walking behind him, hanging out with him, but following in this case is being like him, caring like him, loving like him.
The Isaiah reading tells us what we must do to follow Jesus, stop the finger pointing, the malicious talk, mostly known as gossip, take care of the hungry and the afflicted. We have heard these admonitions many times, in many scripture passages. The verse from the prophet Micah is my favorite. He says, “live justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with God.” We are not called to be just followers, but we are called to live as Jesus lived.
But here is the really good news, the Holy One never stops calling us. Jesus calls us to follow, even though he knows we are not 100% ready, able, or some days even willing.. Sometimes we are like Levi, we jump up and follow. Other times we go right back to living our ordinary everyday life.
At the start of this homily, I talked about following someone in a car, and mentioned it is easier to follow when we have a passenger beside us. Each of you is a passenger, we are all passengers for one another. We are here for one another, and we navigate the obstacles of life together. Let’s keep following and “listening” to our call. The journey is not always easy, but it is always better together.
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
As we prepare for the sacred meal, we bring to the table our prayers and intentions:
We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen.
With open hearts and hands let us pray our Eucharistic prayer in one voice:
O Great Love, thank you for living and loving in us and through us as we set our hearts on belonging to you. May all that we do flow from our deep connection with you and all creation.
You know our limitations and our essential goodness and you love us as we are. You beckon us to your compassionate heart and inspire us to see the good in others and forgive their limitations. Acknowledging your presence in each other and in all of creation, we sing:
Song: Here in this place https://youtu.be/uXyu57tR2gk?si=dw60LjgS7xNgYI7V
Guiding Spirit, when opposing forces in us tug and pull and we are caught in the tension of choices, inspire us to make wise decisions toward what is good.
We thank you for our brother, Jesus, and for all our sisters and brothers who have modeled for us a way to live and love in challenging times. Inspired by them, we choose life over death, we choose to be light in dark times.
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 of our call to be the body of Christ in the world.
On the night before he faced his own death, Jesus 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.
(Lift plate)
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.
(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.
We share this bread and cup to proclaim and live the gospel of justice and peace. Please receive this bread with the words: I am on the journey of life with you.
Communion song:
Choose Life by Colleen Fulmer – video by MT Streck
Holy One, your transforming energy is within us and we join our hearts with all who are working for a just world. We pray for wise leaders in our religious communities. We pray for courageous and compassionate leaders in our world communities.
We pray for all of us gathered here and like Jesus, we open ourselves up to your Spirit, for it is through living as he lived that we awaken to your Spirit within,
moving us to glorify you, at this time and all ways.
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
Loving source of our being, you call us to live the gospel of peace and justice. We choose to live justly, love tenderly, and walk with integrity in your presence.
BLESSING
Please extend your hands in our final blessing.
ALL: May the Fire of Love ignite our hearts and radiate light through us.
May the Spirit of truth and justice burn within us. May we walk together as we support and tend to one another and we will take up where we left off when we all meet again.
AMEN.
Closing Song A Gathering of Spirits by Carrie Newcomer (MT video)
https://youtu.be/zGLFtOFPqHU?si=HQhd8zEONT0_Knyf
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