phone-in for (audio only) Phone Number: (646) 558-8656
Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155
Welcome and Theme:
The traditional church today celebrates Corpus Christi Sunday. We expand the celebration from the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist to the presence of the divine in every living thing. When we gather at the table, we are in communion with each other and are symbolizing that we are in communion with all of creation. We are interdependent and called to build the kindom on earth as it is in heaven. When we acknowledge, celebrate and nurture community living we become communion in community as Jesus taught us. Our opening song called We are Unity will be our opening prayer.
Opening Song: We Are Unity
https://youtu.be/GMvAQXjQCDs?si=S4KzIQRaZ2K83ZWg
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: Words of Diana Butler Bass
A clerical-friend (who wishes to remain anonymous) shares my concerns for the bread and wine to be freed into the world, however that happens in this time of crisis. On a day after a particularly strained Twitter argument, my friend wrote this poem and sent it to me. The words capture the sense of urgency and power of Eucharist far better than my halting prose. Sometimes when the church can’t hear even the most loving critique, my hope is that it can still hear poetry.
An Order for Communing in a Pandemic by Anonymous
She took a loaf of bread,
broke it and gave it,
half to the hungry, the poor, the millions
whose gap-toothed pantries
are emptying,
dwindling sand racing
through the widening neck of an hourglass
and she felt the weight
of a sacrament pressing
into her soul
as the body and blood of Christ
spilled out of doors,
into streets,
into homes,
flowing as freely,
as slick and messy,
as uncontrolled,
as it did from his own tortured body,
as if God really could be present
everywhere and in everything.
Alleluia: Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker
Gospel: Mark 14:12-16, 22-26
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
when they sacrificed the Passover lamb,
Jesus’ disciples said to him,
"Where do you want us to go
and prepare for you to eat the Passover?"
He sent two of his disciples and said to them,
"Go into the city and a man will meet you,
carrying a jar of water.
Follow him.
Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house,
'The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room
where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"'
Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready.
Make the preparations for us there."
The disciples then went off, entered the city,
and found it just as he had told them;
and they prepared the Passover.
While they were eating,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, gave it to them, and said,
"Take it; this is my body."
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them,
and they all drank from it.
He said to them,
"This is my blood of the covenant,
which will be shed for many.
Amen, I say to you,
I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine
until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."
Then, after singing a hymn,
they went out to the Mount of Olives.
These are the inspired words of the Gospel writer known as Mark and the community affirms them by saying: Amen
Homily Starter (Kathy)
Romans 12
4 For as in one body we have many members and not all the members have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.
Today we have a couple of related readings. Both have community in common. The root of community is the same as communion, also communication. The root, commun- means common, public, general. So today I communicate to you a general public and common message, that We are One.
There are many ways that we are One. Today, and together, we become One with the billions of people over millennia who have shared in communion. This ritual began with Jesus sharing the Passover meal with his community of disciples. What began with a little over a dozen people sharing communion grew and grew until this day, when some people take communion daily, some weekly, some monthly, and some occasionally. The same meal, similar words, bringing us together.
As we take communion together this morning, consider another way that we are One. This bread required sunlight, air, water, seed and earth to grow the flour. This is exactly the same sunlight, air, water and earth that we require, making us one with the bread, also with the juice. Now, take a deep breath in and slowly exhale. When we inhale, we are taking in some molecules of oxygen that has been circulating since much before Jesus walked the earth. Perhaps a few molecules of his breath entered your lungs just now! So we are also One with Jesus.
When we exhaled, we shared our molecules of carbon dioxide, mixing in with the rest of the air around us. Those in this room are now consciously aware that we are One by sharing this air. You on Zoom are now consciously aware that you are One with others in your household, including pets.
It takes about a month for our exhale to reach Uganda. We are One with the women of Uganda, many of whom are not sure about where or when the next meal will be. Their plight is a daily one, and as we learn about them, as we meet them, and as we share their worries with us, all of those thoughts enter our bodies, our emotions and our minds. We feel the empty stomach, we feel the heartbreak of losing a child to disease, we feel the fear of contracting HIV/AIDS. As we feel them in our bodies, minds and emotions, let us also realize that we are One with them. We will meet the women of Uganda later.
The dirt under our feet, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the light from the sun was all here well before man arrived on the scene. We are One with the planet, our home.
As we are One with everything, I found that I have a responsibility for living as though every person shared my body, that the planet is my house that requires cleaning, and that how I live affects everyone, not only me. This humbles me and although I am not perfect, I find that I can learn the act of forgiveness. I forgive others, as they also are not perfect and don’t realize that they may be hurting themselves in acts against people, animals or the earth. I am learning to forgive myself for the act of judging others, when I expect them to perform better than I do. I try to remember Jesus’s words on the cross: Forgive them Father for they know not what they do.
Finally, I am practicing the art of loving everyone and everything, for we are all One, bringing our uniqueness to the whole. May we all continue to practice. Amen
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.
Donna: As we prepare for the sacred meal, we lay our stoles upon the table as a sign that just as Jesus is anointed, so is each of us. And 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 concerns. Amen.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Kathy: With open hands let us pray our Eucharistic Prayer together:
All: O Holy One you have sent prophets and messengers to show us the way- Abraham, Sarah and Hagar, Moses and Jesus, Buddha and Mohammad, Hildegard and Teresa, Oscar and Dorothy, and all of us here and now who celebrate this liturgy today.
Everything we do, we do together with You. We cannot be without You. We cannot be without each other. You are made visible in this world with our acts of love and kindness. With grateful hearts we raise our voices and sing:
Holy, Holy: Here in this Place by Christopher Grundy
https://youtu.be/uXyu57tR2gk?si=048tGLWeT_QuGFiv
All: Holy One, slowly this world is moving toward oneness. Your pattern of love is in everything and there are messages of love in every pattern. Help us to stand with each other in love and suffering. The pain of one, is the pain of all. May we co-create with You and restore balance and harmony in our world.
On the night before he died Jesus did more than ask us to remember him. He showed us how to live when he washed the feet of his friends.
Presiders stand at table, Donna lifts bread.
All: At the table, he took the Passover Bread, spoke the grace, broke the bread and offered it to them saying:
Take and eat of the Bread of Life
Given to strengthen you
Whenever you remember me like this
I am among you. (pause)
Kathy lifts the cup as community prays the following:
ALL: Jesus then raised a cup of blessing, spoke the grace 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.
All: Let us share this bread and cup as we proclaim and live the gospel of peace through love and non-violence.
ALL: Holy One we know you as the voice of kindness within us and the constant hope that lives in our hearts. 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
now and forever. Amen.
Kathy: Please join in praying the prayer for the Breaking of the Bread.
All: Loving God, we are called to live the gospel of peace and love. This is our faith, to embrace life, to increase love, to have courage to be and walk into the mystery of your presence.
(Presiders hold up the bread and cup)
Donna and Kathy: This is the bread of life. Through it we are nourished and we nourish each other.
All: 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.
Kathy: Everyone is invited to this table. You are invited to dip the bread into the cup. Please pass the bread and the cup with the words: We are one with our God.
Communion Song: One Bread One Body
https://youtu.be/WHAu3fLF7NI?si=XemDIjA7O6x8SWgW
Prayer after Communion
Kathy: We are one human family. We each light a flame in the darkness of this world. Love one another. Amen.
Let us pray the Prayer of Jesus together.
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
Donna: Please extend your hands and pray our blessing together.
May you know you are one with all creation. Love, intentionally, love extravagantly, love unconditionally. Our world waits in the darkness for the light that is you. Amen.
Closing Song: Gratitude Song by Kathy Johnson
https://youtu.be/XG99mj0n_hU?si=VYvs7uxpDy0Glk_4
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