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Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155
We are all Prophets in our Time
Welcome to the Upper Room Dear Friends, where you are loved and cherished for who you are. We are some of the prophets of our time, witnessing to Spirit and the Way of Jesus by our actions and our prayers. Wherever you are, as you participate in this liturgy, know that you are called and appreciated. Enter this Space knowing there is a Place for You and All are Welcome.
Opening Prayer and Song: Gather Us In by Marty Haugen
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: A reading from the Book of Ezekiel. Chapter 2, Verse 2-5.
As the LORD spoke to me, the spirit entered into me
and set me on my feet,
and I heard the one who was speaking say to me:
Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites,
rebels who have rebelled against me;
they and their ancestors have revolted against me to this very day.
Hard of face and obstinate of heart
are they to whom I am sending you.
But you shall say to them: Thus says the LORD GOD!
And whether they heed or resist—for they are a rebellious house—
they shall know that a prophet has been among them.
These are from the written account handed down to us from the prophet, Ezekial, and we affirm these words by saying, AMEN.
Second Reading: A reading from the writings of Diarmuid O’Murchu
What did you go out to see?
A reed shaking in the wind?
Swaying to the whimsical mood
Of imperial royal demeanor,
Impervious to those who seek power to set people free.
What did you go out to seek?
Another royal patron,
Dressed to the kilt in splendid décor,
Wallowing in opulent luxury,
Deaf to the cry of all who stand outside the gate.
So, what did you go out to see?
Not a king, but a prophet!
One who turns the system upside down,
Denouncing all that consumes in power,
While proclaiming hope – oft in the face of desperation.
These are the words from Christianity’s Dangerous Memory: A Rediscovery of the Revolutionary Jesus and we affirm them by saying Amen.
Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker
Gospel: The Gospel according to Mark, Chapter 6, Verses 1 to 6.
Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples.
When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue,
and many who heard him were astonished.
They said, “Where did this man get all this?
What kind of wisdom has been given him?
What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands!
Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary,
and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon?
And are not his sisters here with us?”
And they took offense at him.
Jesus said to them,
“A prophet is not without honor except in his native place
and among his own kin and in his own house.”
So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there,
apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them.
He was amazed at their lack of faith.
These are words attributed to the evangelist, Mark, and we affirm these words by saying AMEN.
Homily Starter: Deb Trees.
What does it take to be a prophet? Do you think that you are one?
I think that we are all prophets in our time. It takes witnessing to a new way with an “out of the box” view of the world. Here at the Upper Room, we do that by our support of inclusivity, our works of compassion and kindness in our communities, and our willingness to try new things and live our calling as a community of equals following Jesus.
Being a prophet takes listening to Spirit speaking in our hearts. It means at times we are quiet as we discern what the Holy One is saying to each of us individually, and then sharing collectively. We are prophets when we acknowledge God in each one of us.
For many of us, witnessing to the spiritual reality in our lives is not shared by our family and friends. So many in our world are caught up in the material aspects, the intellectual aspects, the technical and emotional aspects. How can the spiritual be real if we cannot measure, touch or see it?
Here is where we as modern-day prophets stand. Our witnessing takes courage. Our actions based on Spirit provide a map to the Spirituality of the world. We follow Ezykiel and Jesus but in a new way, changing the world the same way as prophets of old.
Homily Starter: Suzanne DeFroy
Diarmuid O’Murchu’s poetry beautifully reflects the challenge in Jesus’s words to look at imperial idolatry differently. By using the symbol of the typical Galilean reed that Herod Antipas used on his coins, the people of his day would be able to understand that the reeds along the lakeside were dancing in the light of hope with the arrival of the Good News.
Biblical symbols are a subtle dynamic that can reveal the heart’s desire and expose the normalcy of inherited power systems. Consciousness can surface in the seeking when systems are challenged and critiqued. By opening our eyes and courageously following the teachings of Jesus, a new Companionship of Empowerment can emerge out of the darkness. It is the daunting yet hopeful task that lies ahead.
What did you hear in our readings? How will you allow God’s Spirit to live so you can witness to Spirit for yourself and for every person in your 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
Deb: As we prepare for the sacred meal, we voice our intentions beginning with the words, “We bring to the table …..”
Deb: We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Deb: 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: Here in this Place by Christopher Grundy
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.
Deb: 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 Meditation: For Her Speak, by MaMuse
All: Jesus taught us how to love and care for one another and all of creation. We are grateful for our brother, Jesus, who taught us how to pray.
In faith and hope we are sustained; in grace and dignity reclaimed. In praise, we thank you.
In union with all peoples living and dead, we unite our thoughts and prayers, asking wisdom and courage:
- to discern more wisely your call to us in the circumstances of our daily lives;
- to act justly and courageously in confronting the pain and suffering that desecrates the Earth and its peoples;
- to take risks in being creative and proactive on behalf of the poor and marginalized;
- and to love all people with generosity of heart, beyond the labels of race, creed and color.
And may we ever be aware and alert to the new things Your Spirit makes possible in us, as our world unfolds amid pain and beauty, into the fullness of life to which all are called, participating in the wise and wonderful work of co-creation.
Like Jesus, we will open up wide all that has been closed about us, and we will live compassionate lives, for it is through living as Jesus lived, that we awaken to your Spirit within, moving us to glorify you, O Holy One, at this time and all ways.
Amen.
Deb: Let us pray the prayer Jesus:
All: 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
Deb: Let us pray together our blessing:
May wonder in seeking fill us, may compassion penetrate us, that we may penetrate the numbness that continues our society’s injustices. May we know that we are loved.
May we continue to be the face of the Holy One to each other and may we be a blessing in our time! Amen.
Closing Song: I Am the One Within You by Karen Drucker
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