phone-in for (audio only) Phone Number: (646) 558-8656
Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155
Witnesses of Resurrection
Welcome and Theme: (Donna)
Good morning and welcome to the Upper Room on this third week of Easter. I would like to quote Thomas Merton to describe our theme for this liturgy today:
“True encounter with Christ liberates something in us, a power we did not know we had, a hope, a capacity for life, a resilience, an ability to bounce back when we thought we were completely defeated, a capacity to grow and change, a power of creative transformation.”
Our opening prayer is our opening song called Come Alive.
Opening Song: Come Alive by Lauren Dangle
https://youtu.be/eSDf1pifilQ?si=MMOCC3mcpauJJy05
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: Excerpts from Universal Christ by Richard Rohr
I want to enlarge your view of resurrection—from a one-time miracle in the life of Jesus that asks for assent and belief, to a pattern of creation that has always been true, and that invites us to much more than belief in a miracle. It must be more than the private victory of one man to prove that he is God. Paul writes, “If there is no resurrection from death, Christ himself cannot have been raised” (1 Corinthians 15:13). He presents “resurrection” as a universal principle.
Resurrection is presented by Paul as the general principle of all reality. He does not argue from a one-time anomaly and then ask us to believe in this Jesus “miracle,” which most Christians are eager to do. Instead, Paul names the cosmic pattern, and then says in many places that the “Spirit carried in our hearts” is the icon, the guarantee. “Resurrection” is another word for change, but particularly positive change—which we tend to see only in the long run. In the short run, it often just looks like death. If Christ represents the resurrected state, then Jesus represents the crucified/resurrecting path of getting there. If Christ is the source and goal, then Jesus is the path from that source toward the goal of divine unity with all things.
These are the inspired words of Richard Rohr and the community affirms them by saying: Amen
Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker
https://youtu.be/4cs8NDVM3Vk?si=BJC0mlMhoEpper7L
Gospel: Luke 24:35-48 (Gayle)
The two disciples recounted what had taken place on the way,
and how Jesus was made known to them
in the breaking of bread.
While they were still speaking about this,
he stood in their midst and said to them,
"Peace be with you."
But they were startled and terrified
and thought that they were seeing a ghost.
Then he said to them, "Why are you troubled?
And why do questions arise in your hearts?
Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.
Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones
as you can see I have."
And as he said this,
he showed them his hands and his feet.
While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed,
he asked them, "Have you anything here to eat?"
They gave him a piece of baked fish;
he took it and ate it in front of them.
He said to them,
"These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,
that everything written about me in the law of Moses
and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled."
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
And he said to them,
"Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things."
These are the inspired words of the gospel writer known as Luke and the community affair
Homily Starter (Donna)
Today we hear a less familiar appearance story as our gospel reading. The beginning of the reading refers to what had just happened: the more familiar, road to Emmaus appearance. The last line in today’s reading is, “You are witnesses of these things.” I believe it is important to hear the appearance stories as a description of an outside/inside faith story. We must let go of any attempt to hear these stories as if they are written on the front page of a newspaper. (Just the facts.) When we think about the story writer as a witness of an outside transformative event who has an inside experience and tries to put words to what they witnessed we are on an insightful path to understanding these stories about Christ. I specifically use the word Christ here. Our first reading is packed with wisdom from Richard Rohr about distinguishing Jesus from Christ. The people who knew, followed and loved Jesus before his crucifixion are witnesses to Christ, the resurrected state, the divine unity of all things, and describe what they witnessed in the appearance stories. In each appearance story there is so much of a difference between Jesus and Christ that the witnesses did not recognize him.
There were important hints given to them to help them realize this transformed state of Jesus: when Mary heard him speak her name, when he explained the scriptures and their hearts burned within in them, when he broke bread with them and in today’s reading when he asked them for food. When he asked them for food he was re-establishing the significant sharing of a meals that they experienced with him. A memory of sacred suppers helped them know it was him. When Christ asks the witnesses to touch his wounds the painful memory of Jesus’s suffering is evoked to help them know it is him.
Richard Rohr says, “In the practical order of life, if we have never loved deeply or suffered deeply, we are unable to understand spiritual things at any depth.” These witnesses deeply loved Jesus and witnessed his horrific suffering and most likely experienced suffering themselves. They are able to understand and with a little help recognize Christ. The “spirit carried in their hearts” can be felt if we view these stories not as facts but as an attempt to describe an outside transformative event while having an inside experience of it.
When I think about my own life and the lives of friends, family and even people from the past that I have learned about, I know that I have witnessed resurrection in the way our first reading defines it: positive change seen in the long run. Viewing resurrection as a universal principle helps me have a significantly deeper level of understanding spiritual things. It also fills my heart with joy and deep love to know that we all are witnesses to and can experience Christ. We are invited to share the sacred meals, to have our hearts burning within us when the scriptures are opened to us and we can hear Christ speak our names. When we become witnesses in this way, we are on the path that Jesus showed that will lead to “divine unity with all things.”
Shared Reflections
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
Gayle: As we prepare for the sacred meal, let us share our intentions with the words “I bring to the table.”
Donna: For these and all the unspoken prayers in our hearts we pray. Amen
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Presider : 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:
Holy, Holy: Here in This Place by Christopher Grundy
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.
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)
We share this bread and cup to proclaim and live the gospel of justice and peace. We choose to live justly, love tenderly, and walk with integrity.
Please receive communion saying: I am / We are the Face of the Holy One.
Communion Song: Beautiful, by Rolf Lovland of Secret Garden
Sung by Brian Kennedy
https://youtu.be/C2-3uJmJaa8?si=TOCC_zcT_FhzU5eR
Prayer after Communion:
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.
Presider: 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
Presider : Please extend your hands and pray our blessing:
ALL: May the Fire of Love ignite our hearts and radiate through us.
May we recognize Christ’s presence and be witnesses to this great Love,
May the Fire of Love ignite our hearts and radiate through us, and
May we be a blessing in our time.
AMEN.
Closing Song: You Will Be My Witnesses by Marie Dunne,
https://youtu.be/1ug9EG1qZA4?si=oTntaEIhSsoOzOda&t=29
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