Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82512159155
phone-in for (audio only) Phone Number: (646) 558-8656
Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155
Justice and Peace Will Kiss
Welcome: Welcome as we celebrate with joy the indwelling of our God among us. We are happy you are here with us today. All are welcome on this summer afternoon!
Opening Prayer: Nurturing God, You embrace each person and every living thing with delight. May we, who are stardust, be filled with awe as we experience our mystical oneness, with all creation in the Heart of Love. May we cherish every amazing day, conscious of your presence and abundance all around us. May our hearts be open as we do the work so that Justice and Peace may kiss. AMEN
Opening Song: Heaven Right Here—Jeb Loy Nichols
https://youtu.be/hP3LTmG_HAs?si=vfpxwBcb2RyluVW7
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: A Reading from the Book of the Prophet Amos (7:7-15)
This is what God showed me:
God was standing by a well-engineered wall that would not
topple. God held a plumb line, a vertical measuring tool, in
hand.
God asked me, “What do you see, Amos?”
“A plumb line,” I replied.
Then God said,
“See, I am setting a plumb line among my people.
I will spare them no longer.
The high places of Isaac will be destroyed,
and the sanctuaries of the land will be ruined.
With my sword, I will rise against the house of Jeroboam.”
Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent a message to Jeroboam,
the ruler of Israel: “Amos has conspired against you, in the very
heart of the house of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words!”
For Amos had said:
“Jeroboam will die by the sword.
Israel will be exiled
from its land.”
Amaziah then said to Amos, “Go away, Prophet! Get gone to
Judah! Earn your bread and do your prophesying there! But
never again will you prophesy here at Bethel, for it is the ruler’s
sanctuary, a royal temple.”
“I am no prophet,” Amos replied to Amaziah, “nor do I belong
to a family of prophets. I am a herder and a dresser of
sycamores. Still, God took me while I was following my flock,
and said to me, ‘Go! Prophesy to my people!’”
These are the inspired words of the Prophet Amos and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.
PSALM: Psalm 85:9; 10; 11-12; 13-14
Our Psalm Response is: Justice and peace will kiss.
R: Justice and peace will kiss.
We listen for the Word of God.
Surely it will be a message of peace to the people,
to those who open their hearts.
Healing is here.
Creation sings around us,
revealing God’s presence, revealing Glory.
R: Justice and peace will kiss.
Love and truth will meet.
Justice and peace will kiss.
Truth will spring up from the earth.
Justice will rain down from the sky.
R: Justice and peace will kiss.
God provides the Earth with bounty.
Our land brings forth a harvest of goodness.
Justice will march, paving a path with peace,
preparing a way for God’s footsteps.
R: Justice and peace will kiss.
Second Reading: A Reading from the Letter to the Ephesians (1:1b, 15-23)
To God’s holy ones in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus…
Ever since I heard about your faith in Jesus the Christ, and your
love for all God’s people - all the holy ones, I have not stopped
giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.
May the Glorious One, the God of Jesus the Christ, give you a
spirit of wisdom and revelation, resulting in knowledge of God.
May the eyes of your heart be enlightened, that you may know
the hope that belongs to your call, the riches of glory in sharing
the inheritance of God’s holy ones, and the incomparable power
that is exercised for those who believe. This is the same power
that was at work in Jesus the Christ when he was raised from the
dead and sent into the heavens, filling them with the Christ.
This Cosmic Christ is a universal presence, exceeding every rule
and authority, power and dominion, and any name that is
invoked, not only in this present age but also in the age to come.
God placed all things in care of the Christ, who was made the
head of the church. The church is Christ’s body, the fullness of
the One who fills everything in every way.
These are the inspired words of the one we call Paul and the community affirms by saying AMEN.
Alleluia: https://youtu.be/IC4nbwmQDVw
Gospel: A Reading from the Gospel attributed to Mark (6:7-13, 30-34)
After being rejected in his hometown, Nazareth, Jesus went
around to the villages in the vicinity to teach there. He
summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two,
giving them authority over unclean spirits. Jesus instructed
them to take nothing for their journey except a staff, a walking
stick: no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were,
however, to wear sandals, but not an extra tunic over their
clothes. Jesus said, “Whenever you enter a house anywhere,
stay there until you leave that district. If you are not welcome in
a place, or people do not listen to you, leave there, and shake the
dust from your feet in testimony against them. So, they set off,
preaching repentance. They drove out many demons, and they
anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.
Upon returning, they rejoined Jesus and reported all they had
done and taught. Jesus said to them, “Come away by yourselves
to a deserted place and rest a while.” People were coming and
going in great numbers, and they did not even have time to eat.
So, they left in a boat by themselves to a deserted place. But
people saw them leaving and many more came to know about it.
They hastened on foot from all the towns, arriving at the place
ahead of Jesus and the disciples.
When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was
moved with compassion for them, for they were like sheep
without a shepherd. He began to teach them many things.
These are the inspired words of the one we call Mark and the community affirms by saying AMEN.
Homily Starter: Julie
Even before Deven recommended the book The False White Gospel by Jim Wallis, I had been receiving emails from Faithful America, a grassroots group of Christians focused on promoting love and social justice and fighting white Christian nationalism. At the risk of being as unwelcome as Amos, I’m stepping out of my comfort zone to urge you to join this fight.
Christian nationalism seeks to force its particular brand of conservative Christianity and whiteness on all people, using secular law as a cudgel to weaponize religion. For religious reasons, the Christian nationalist movement uses fascist tactics to stop people from reading books it doesn’t like, demonize LGBTQ individuals, restrict religious freedom for non-Christians through Muslim bans and abortion restrictions, and more. The state of Louisiana is even now requiring public schools to hang the Ten Commandments, forcing a particular flavor of Christianity on all citizens and taking a step towards theocracy.
This is not love. This is coercion. Yet in today’s gospel, we see quite clearly that Jesus did not use coercion to force anyone to follow his teachings of repentance and love. If a town was not interested in his message, he didn’t instruct the disciples to take over the city council and cram it down their throats; he simply instructed them to shake the dust off their feet and leave. And even if Jesus didn’t actually say the part about shaking the dust off their feet, he certainly didn’t advocate force. The Cosmic Christ taught love. The coercion of Christofascist attacks on the separation of church and state is not love and is not how we can ever hope to have justice and peace kiss. We must do the hard work of standing up, speaking out, and acting on love lest hate overtake us all.
What did you hear? What will you do? What, if anything, will it cost you?
Shared Homily
Statement of Faith
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.
Prayers of the Community
Julie: As we prepare for this sacred meal, we remember that just as Jesus is anointed, so is each of us. We bring to this table our blessings, our gratitude and our cares and concerns. Please feel free to share your blessings, cares, and concerns beginning with the words, “I bring to the table. …”
We pray for these and all the unspoken prayers and blessings held in the silence of our hearts. Amen.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
With open hands and hearts, please join in praying the Eucharist prayer together:
Ever gentle God, as co-creators of our planet, we offer you the gifts of bread, wine and our lives. May we celebrate our oneness with all creatures great and small in your precious family.
As one with You, we gather as a community to celebrate your gift of life pulsating within and around us and in the glories of nature everywhere.
O Birthing God, you stirred the waters of creation; you dwell on earth, and in every living being. We lift up our hearts to you and with thanks and praise we sing:
Holy, Holy, Holy (Denise) – Karen Drucker
Christ of the Cosmos, we thank you that there are 18 galaxies for every person, that our bodies are made of stardust. Every place we turn, you are present, loving us. You call us, “beloved” and invite us to join the dance of creation in a mystical celebration of our oneness with all living things in your divine love.
Christ of the Cosmos, we rejoice that You, who are more than we can imagine or dream of dwell in mystery beyond all comprehension. We remember that it was you, who said: “Anything I have done in the name of the Holy One, you can do, too…and even more.”
Please extend your hands in blessing.
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.
We thank you for our brother, Jesus, who showed us so simply, so tenderly, how the world is in our hands. He had nothing in this world but your love, companions on the journey, and his very self. Together, that was more than enough, and that remains our clarity in the midst of confusion: the miracle of healing, new hope, nurturance, nourishment, liberation and life.
All lift their bread and pray the following:
On the night before he died, while at supper with his friends, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread and gave 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 become communion
Both Love’s nourishment and Love’s challenge.
Please receive communion with the words: I am stardust.
Communion Meditation: Quiet Place by the Many – video by MT Streck
https://youtu.be/hcq385i1kHE
Christ of the Cosmos, we remember Mary, mother of Jesus, faithful disciple and St. Francis who sang canticles to brother sun and sister moon. We remember our sisters and brothers, the great cloud of witnesses who have cared for earth’s creatures and have blessed our world with their loving service to God’s people.
We praise you in union with them
we awaken to your Spirit within,
Moving us to worship you truly,
O Holy One,
At this time and all time and in 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
Concluding Rite
Lover of the Universe, we are full of awe at your extravagant love flowing through all living things. We immerse ourselves in the beauty of nature that surrounds us each day. We are one with our brother Jesus, in union with the Holy Spirit.
Please raise your hands as we bless each other:
Christ of the Cosmos is with us. And loves through us. May the blessing of the Holy One be upon us as we go in the peace of the Cosmic Christ to live justice and peace! AMEN
Closing Song: Go Make a Difference
https://youtu.be/Q2vYFN1YNIk
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