Upper Room Liturgy of Inclusion for Pride Sunday, June 29 and 30, 2024 - Presiders: Denise Hackert-Stoner and Mary Theresa Streck

 

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82512159155 
phone-in for (audio only) Phone Number: (646) 558-8656
Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155

Liturgy of Inclusion for Pride Sunday, 

Welcome and Theme: (Denise) Welcome to Pride Weekend at the Upper Room.  On this special day we celebrate the strides made through the persistence, sacrifice, and determination of the LGBTQ community and their allies.  At the same time we recognize the growing perils facing these souls, and so we pray…. 

Opening Prayer: (Mary Theresa) Holy One, in a world divided, help us bring peace.  In a world where ruthless judgement reigns, help us bring understanding.  In a world of fear, give us the courage to speak truth to power.  Amen.

Opening Song: Love Can Build a Bridge

https://youtu.be/laI791ZTrWE?si=2TcXX0sd_-e0AvRx

LITURGY OF THE WORD

First Reading: “A Blessing for Abby Wambach,” by Nadia Bolz-Weber

A Blessing for Abby Wambach

Abby, you said that when you got hurt, your body let you down and you felt mortal for the first time.

I get that “mortal” refers to being subject to death. But there’s another definition I really love which is “belonging to this world.”

So for you, Abby, I offer a blessing of that belonging. 

I bless the young queer girl who felt she did not belong in in the pews of a church that told her she was an abomination. Because the real abomination is an imaginary hell created by anxious men, unconvinced of their own belonging.

But you? You belong here. 

I bless the athlete, who did superhuman things on the field, who collected more goals and trophies and titles and wins than anyone else. When you tried to buy your belonging with excellence, that deep loneliness you felt was proof that you really are so much like the rest of us. 

And you? You belong here. 

I bless your divorce, which is no more a curse than marriage is a reward.  

I bless the pain that you tried to medicate away. 

I bless you for holding so tight to what you thought made you lovable. 

I bless that moment in jail when you sobered up enough to realize that no, the breathalyzer wasn’t broken, and you were just a very drunk, very dangerous woman. 

Which means even when it sucks, you still belong here. 

So, I offer you a blessing of belonging, Abby. 

May you luxuriate in your ordinary humanity, I’m so glad that you are here with us in it. 

So may you wake up each morning, stretch your mortal body and hear Love whisper, “you belong.”

These are the words of Nadia Bolz-Weber, pastor, writer, and disciple of Jesus.  We affirm her words by saying, Amen.

Alleluia: Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker

https://youtu.be/4cs8NDVM3Vk 

Gospel:  A reading from the Gospel of Luke 

Luke 19:1-9

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.

A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.

He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd.

So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today."

So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a `sinner.'"

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to Jesus, "Look,! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I pay back four times the amount."

Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.”

This is a story by the gospel writer we know as Luke.  We affirm it with Amen.

Homily Starter/Shared Homily – Denise 

“You belong here.”  “Zacchaeus, come down immediately.  I must stay at your house today.”  

Why is inclusion so hard for us?  Where does our tendency to build walls come from?  It certainly isn’t new; we can see that from the two-thousand-year-old story about Jesus and his encounter with Zacchaeus the tax collector.  When Jesus invites himself to Zacchaeus’s house, the crowd mutters and grumbles.  For that crowd (and we might include the disciples as part of that crowd), they were the insiders.  Tax collectors, not so much.  So, what was Jesus doing, reaching out to this small man up in the tree?  Calling Zacchaeus down from his high branch, looking into his face, human-to-human, it seems to me that Jesus was allowing Zacchaeus in.  Zacchaeus was finally allowed to be, just as he was, in the whole of his humanity, part of the circle; because one person widened that circle.  

The community of LGBTQ human beings have known well what it’s like to be outside the circle.   In the years since the raid on the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village on June 27, 1969, through the AIDS epidemic of the 1980’s, and onward, this community of diverse, multi-hued people of varied beliefs, income levels and interests, both men and women, have come together in an astounding spirit of self-advocacy.  And although there have been allies along the way, the strides they have made, culminating in the Supreme Court sanctioning of same-sex marriage on June 28, 2015, have been powered by their own indominable persistence.  

But for some, this rainbow community remains outside the circle.  Like Zacchaeus, they remain out of sight, perched on a high branch.  And in a growing number of places there are fewer and fewer voices calling them down, inviting them in, seeing them in their full humanity.  This is especially true for the trans community.  According to the New York Times, in an article updated on March 21^st of this year, there are now 20 states (over a quarter of the country) which have passed laws banning or restricting medical care for transgender youth, regulating which bathrooms these children can use, and not allowing schools to affirm their identities.  In a recent decree from the governor of Florida, the lights on state bridges will not be lit in rainbow colors, as has been the custom during the month of June, but if colored at all, they must only be lit in red, white, and blue.  This governor is calling the summer of 2024 “freedom summer.”

So, we remember, we celebrate, and we continue to strive, so that all may, like Zacchaeus and Amy Wambach, be welcomed to “luxuriate in [their] ordinary humanity.”  

What are your thoughts on today’s readings 

Statement of Faith 

Mary Theresa: Let us pray together 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 the sacred meal, we are aware that just as Jesus is anointed, so is each of us. 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

Denise: With open hands let us pray our Eucharistic Prayer together

All:  Holy One, source of all life, you enchant all that exists with your Spirit of Love.  You call everyone, exactly as we are, into oneness with yourself.   You call us to recognize your presence in everyone we meet.

Since the beginning of our Holy Universe you have called us forward, your invitation always open to us, pulling us like gravity out of darkness.  Again and again you have stretched out your hand to rescue us from our own folly, again and again sending wise and holy people to show us the way back to you. 

May our eyes be opened to the path of life.  May we join with every one of our companions on this journey in solidarity and friendship, as we share the joy and abundance of this, our common home.

For every time we see your hand in the outstretched hand of a stranger; for every time we hear your call in the cries of the oppressed; for every time we see your light in the sparkling eyes of a beloved; we join today with the song of the Universe and sing your praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy

(Words and music by Karen Drucker)

https://youtu.be/u5E5f38w0K0

Mary Theresa: Please extend your hands in blessing.

All:  Spirit of Love, Fountain of Creation and Creativity, you have made us and we are good.  Every shape, every size, every color.  Every gender, every ability, every sexuality.  We are yours, and we are holy.

We come into community today to celebrate your gifts that shine in one another, and in the bread and wine on this table.  All are infused with and transformed by your abundant Spirit.  All are called to nourish and sustain.  All are created by and given in Grace.

On the night before he died, Jesus gathered for a meal 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.

Back at the table, he took the bread, spoke the grace, broke the bread and offered it to them saying, Take and eat, this is my very self.

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.

Denise: Let us share Communion with the words, “You are the face of the Divine.”

Communion Meditation Song:  Pray it Away, Alex G

https://youtu.be/WyKYvo048J4

Dear anyone
I grew up believing that you were the one
But now I'm afraid that the doubting has won
Either way, I'm scared of you
The breaking is loud
I'm terrified of what I'm thinking about
Maybe you'll hear if I say it out loud
Or maybe the silence is truth

Oh I just want to know

Are you making
Space for my saving?
Or am I breaking?
Should I pray it away
Pray it away?

Dear anyone
Is it really you throwing punches at us?
Or throwing us out when we're coming undone?
Cause I'm so afraid to be wrong

The voices are loud
They're saying I'm dirty and going to hell
I'm starting to think I am screwed up as well
I just wanna know if if s true

Oh I just wanna know, I just wanna know

Are you making
Space for my saving?
Or am I breaking?
Should I
If you made me
Why do they hate me?
Never been this free
Why would I pray it away
Pray it away?

Dear anyone
I'm not really sure if I'm getting it right
But since I've been real I've been coming alive
I think that you'd say the same too

Prayer After Communion

Mary Theresa: Please join in praying our prayer after Communion 

In faith and hope we are sustained,
In grace our dignity reclaimed,
In praise we thank our God.

As we walk through this world may we leave footsteps of justice.  As we touch this world may our hands bring healing.  As we look at the beauty of this creation may our hearts open wide to the possibility of dignity for all.  God of life, we ask this in the here and now, where we hold one another in your presence, as we continue to build your kin-dom.  Amen.

 

Let us pray as Jesus taught us:

All: 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

Denise: Let us raise our hands and bless each other.

Dearest Holy One, You have made us, and we are good.  Each of us, in our own truthful nature, is exactly as we should be, exactly as you created us to be.  Help us to see that truth in ourselves and in one another. May no one be a stranger.  AMEN

True Colors – video by Denise-Hackert Stoner

https://youtu.be/pgdSyQ6SzrQ?si=NP5mNNn2eSJ46WZb

Moment of Oneness, June 26, 2024 - prepared by Margaret Dilgen

Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81507551772
Meeting ID: 815 0755 1772
To connect by phone dial: +1 646 558 8656

Opening Prayer  

Creator of all, we celebrate the sun and rain of summer.  We marvel at the green of chlorophyll-laden grasses and at the aroma of nectar-filled flowers.  In these things we see your ever-present creativity and joy.  With them we sing your praise.  Amen.

Opening Song  All You Works of God, Marty Haugen

https://youtu.be/vCTyaOcB4xk

Reading  

Morning Poem, by Mary Oliver

Every morning
the world
is created.
Under the orange

sticks of the sun
the heaped
ashes of the night
turn into leaves again

and fasten themselves to the high branches —
and the ponds appear
like black cloth
on which are painted islands

of summer lilies.
If it is your nature
to be happy
you will swim away along the soft trails

for hours, your imagination
alighting everywhere.
And if your spirit
carries within it

the thorn
that is heavier than lead —
if it’s all you can do
to keep on trudging —

there is still
somewhere deep within you
a beast shouting that the earth
is exactly what it wanted —

each pond with its blazing lilies
is a prayer heard and answered
lavishly,
every morning,

whether or not
you have ever dared to be happy,
whether or not
you have ever dared to pray.

Time for Reflection

Prayer for Summer

Our response will be “In your name they are blessed.”

Each green blade of grass, each leaf of every vine, each petal of every flower, these that make the earth breathe joy…. “In your name they are blessed.”

Every trailing snail, every leaping frog, each toad in every garden, these, the shy and invisible creatures of earth….”In your name they are blessed.”

All the soaring eagles, the clever hawks, every songbird, each carrying its own tune, every tiny hummingbird at every flower, these that light the summer with sound and color…..”In your name they are blessed.”

Each wary fox, each shy deer hiding her fawn, every lumbering bear, chattering squirrel, skittering chipmunk, these that bless the earth with their footsteps….”In your name they are blessed.”

Closing Prayer

Christ of the Universe, we find you in these, your blessed ones.  We give you thanks for their presence, which is your presence, for their voices, which is your voice, for their aromas and their footsteps, which are yours, here on this precious Earth.  

Closing Song, “When Jacob Awoke” by Christopher Grundy
https://youtu.be/1AlxuNkcZdw

Upper Room Sunday Liturgy, June 23, 2024 - Presiders: Kim Panaro and Dennis McDonald

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82512159155 
phone-in for (audio only) Phone Number: (646) 558-8656
Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155

Embracing The Storm

YOU CAN DANCE IN A HURRICANE BUT ONLY IF YOU ARE STANDING IN THE EYE------- BRANDI CARLILE

Welcome and Theme 

Good morning and welcome to the Upper Room. Today we are celebrating the first Sunday after the summer solstice on June 20. On some parts of the planet this is hurricane season. So, today we will consider the life giving aspects of storms. Yes, storms can cause great fear and destruction. Storms are, however, part of God’s beautiful design for the cycles of life. We come together as a community to consider the necessity  of embracing the goodness of storms on our planet, in our individual and communal life and within our very selves. 

Opening Song: When Jacob Awoke 

https://youtu.be/HiKLgFOP7cA?si=5W4B7NxgqEAiN-2n

LITURGY OF THE WORD

First Reading: Soul Of A Storm: A Poem By Ms Moem

She has the soul of a storm and the freedom of the wind.

She has eyes like the stars with moonshine within.

With the strength of sea and lightning in her toes

She dances on the breeze of change wherever she goes.

Hotter than a volcano and deeper than the oceans

A whirling, swirling myriad of feelings & emotions.

She is daughter of the earth, primordially inspired.

She is water, she is wood. She is earth. She is fire!

These are the inspired words of MS Moem and the community affirms them by saying: Amen.

Second Reading: A reading from Tanya Tiger

I’m not going to tell you that it’s all going to be okay…

To tell you that you will never face a storm would be a lie. To pretend they do not exist would only leave you open to being blindsided by their harsh reality. To tell you to hide away in shelters built around your heart, to remain steely and aloof, would only serve to cut you off from all that makes life worth it. Shelters never survive the biggest storms anyway. Storms are a natural part of life. They come in the form of death, disease, job loss, separations, financial collapse, and numerous other trials and tribulations found within the human experience. We can pray that a storm will never find its way to our door, but they always do.

I could tell you to run screaming, crying over the inevitable pain that the storm will bring, but that would only serve to weaken you and that I will not do. Instead, I will tell you to run into the storm. Embrace the winds and let them carry you. You can make them a part of you. You can love the storms and all their brutal honesty.

Heed this warning: once you choose to embrace the storm, you will never be able to go back to the way you were before it. To do this means letting go of the limitations we have placed on ourselves. It means opening wide, dropping the sword and the shield, and leaving ourselves vulnerable to all that comes when a storm hits. Once we stand inside the storm and survive, we realize just how strong we really are.

These are the inspired words of Tanya Tiger and the community affirms them by saying: Amen.

Alleluia   

https://youtu.be/o1rc7ojQtJU?si=iHWmWV31VwRGOVq0

Gospel: A reading from the writing attributed to Mark (Mark 4:35-41)

On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples:
“Let us cross to the other side.”
Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was.
And other boats were with him.
A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat,
so that it was already filling up.
Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.
They woke him and said to him,
“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
He woke up,
rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet!  Be still!”
The wind ceased and there was great calm.
Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified?
Do you not yet have faith?”
They were filled with great awe and said to one another,
“Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

These are the inspired words from the gospel writer known as Mark and the community affirms them by saying: Amen.

Shared Homily

Mark’s Jesus has the power to both sleep during a storm and then to silence it altogether. For some, the goal is to have enough faith in God to relax no matter what storms rage at the moment. Some people pray that in the name of Jesus, storms will be removed from one’s life. A cure, a healed depression or grief, the manifestation of money, the end of injustice and war and so on. These prayers have a biblical basis and I do not intend to diminish the comfort or hope they bring. Still, I feel called to speak on behalf of the natural beauty of storms. Whether they be weather events or the reality of life, storms are a part of God’s natural way to recreate us and the earth. 

Storms in nature are critical to keeping the planet healthy. Lightening balances the electrical charges between the sky and the earth. Lightening is critical to the availability of nitrogen, so necessary for life on earth. Storms over the waters cause the churning, or upwelling, of deep-sea waters so that the nutrients on the bottom can feed sea life and keep them healthy. Thunderstorms regulate the temperature and weather patterns. They shape the waterways. Thunderstorms clean the air of pollutants and dust. They help reduce the spread of airborne pathogens. The storms can destroy life, but life could not exist without them. They are part of God’s smart plan for a self-sustaining system. Our mother, the earth, is dependent on her storms for her very life. 

In our first reading today, we are reminded of the aspects of storms that exist inside the person. In this poem, it is a woman. Although women are often expected to be the kinder gentler sex, meet any woman and you will find she has fire and power within her bones and flesh. She is not one thing or another but a beautiful complex integration of chaos and the calm within the storm.  The same is true for men. A balanced man and a balanced woman will contain some combination of these energies. This goal is embodied in the eastern traditions with the Yin Yang symbol and philosophy. We should embrace the gentleness of men and we should embrace the life-giving storms within each woman. 

Finally, the truth is, no matter what we pray for or hope for, storms come to each of our lives. Illness, poverty, death, change, the deterioration with age, war, accidents, family strife, lost friendships, the loss of faith and so much more. We cannot avoid storms and for most of us, prayer alone will not make them disappear. I do not think that is even a good goal. It is in the storm that, like Mother Earth, we gain nutrients, cleansing, growth and life sustaining lessons. We learn of the deep and eternal truths, the wisdom of Sophia and the way of Jesus’ fidelity to the path set before him. We learn that we can, and do, stand firmly in the center of life’s storms and look the storm in the eye saying “I see you, yes maybe you scare me but I will not look away. I will put my faith in God and my companions to walk through this storm with my head held high. I will persevere like all my ancestors before me. I may fall but I will stand up and thrive”.  No, we do not pray for all storms to cease but to know that individually and together, we can face every single one and, in the end, find peace.

We would love to hear your thoughts on these readings or of your experience. 

with storms in life. 

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

Presider:  As we prepare for the sacred meal, we voice our intentions beginning with the words, “We bring to the table…..”  

Presider: We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen.  

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

Presider 1: Please join in praying the Eucharistic prayer together:  

 

All: O Holy One, you have birthed us in goodness, gifted us with life and cherished us in love. In the heart of our being, your Spirit dwells; a Spirit of courage and vision, a Spirit of wisdom and truth. 
 

In the power of that same Spirit, we lift our hearts in prayer, invoking anew the gift of wisdom and enlightenment, that we may continue to praise and thank you, in union with all who sing the ancient hymn of praise: 

 

Holy, Holy, Holy

https://youtu.be/uXyu57tR2gk?si=xAc1g0kkEdxoz3sv

ALL: Holy One, we see around us the work of your hands, the fruit of your wisdom and love. The unfolding story of creation witnesses unceasingly to your creative power.  We, your creatures, often deviate from that wisdom, thus hindering your creative presence in our midst. 
 
Sending among us Jesus, our brother, you birth afresh in our world the power of Sophia-Wisdom, and in the gift of Your Spirit, your creative goodness blooms anew, amid the variety and wonder of life. 
 

Presider 2: Please extend your hands in blessing.  

 
All: We invoke Your Spirit upon the gifts of this Eucharistic table, bread of the grain and wine of the grape, that they may become gifts of wisdom, light and truth which remind us of our call to be the body of Christ to the world. 

On the night before he faced his own death and for the sake of living fully, Jesus sat at the Seder supper with his companions and friends.  He reminded them of all that he taught them, and to fix that memory clearly within them, he bent down and washed their feet.

All lift their plate and pray the following:

When he returned to his place at the table, he lifted the Passover bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread and offered it to them saying:

Take and eat; this is my very self.

All lift their cup and pray the following:

He then raised high 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.

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.

(consume bread and wine)

Communion Song: You’ll Never Walk Alone – Virtual Choir & Orchestra

https://youtu.be/6gpoJNv5dlQ?si=u_S-_dMSBPDTWsIm

Presider 1: Let us pray the prayer Jesus: 

 

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

Presider: Let us together bless one another:

In the midst of the chaos, we find solace in God’s presence. God is our shelter, our rock, our refuge. God is the stillness in the midst of the storm, the calm in the eye of the hurricane. God is our hope, our comfort, and our peace. May we find peace and bring peace to one another. 

Closing Song:Blowing in the Wind – Peter, Paul, & Mary

I​n this song the term “blowing in the wind”refers to how much effort it can take to grasp and hold onto values and truth when the storms of life are blowing everything around us.

https://youtu.be/6_3CNhTRphc?si=VAUg2APinfgeyyBq