phone-in for (audio only) Phone Number: (646) 558-8656
Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155
Welcome Tonight let us look at scripture passages that Jesus would recognize and understand. We also explore a part of John’s gospel that shakes our understanding.
Opening Song: Tomorrow is the feast of St Clare. She is one of my favorites.
Become What We Love (St. Clare Prayer) by Carmen Boyle
https://youtu.be/98erkb5g88c?si=UBFKSr_BgRjUlrSu
Opening Prayer: Holy One you gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of heaven; you rained down manna for them to eat and gave them grain from heaven. Psalm 78 vs. 23-24
First Reading: A reading from the Book of Numbers
The manna was like coriander seed and looked like droplets of gum from the bark of a tree. The people would go about gathering it, then grind it in a mill or crush it with a pestle. Then they would cook it in a pot and make it into dumplings. It had a rich taste, as if it had been made with oil. When the dew fell on the camp at nighttime, the manna fell with it.
Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker
Gospel: A reading from the Gospel of John (6:41-51)
The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said,
"I am the bread that came down from heaven, "
and they said,
"Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph?
Do we not know his father and mother?
Then how can he say,
'I have come down from heaven'?"
Jesus answered and said to them,
"Stop murmuring among yourselves.
No one can come to me unless by Abba God who sent me,
and those who will be raised up on the last day.
It is written in the prophets:
They shall all be taught by God.
Everyone who has heard God’s word and has learned from it comes to me.
Not that anyone has seen the Abba God
except the one who is from God.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes has eternal life.
I am the bread of life.
Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;
this is the bread that comes down from heaven
so that one may eat it and not die.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."
These are words of several writers known as John. The community affirms them by saying AMEN.
Shared Homily: For centuries this gospel has been translated, and retranslated, interpreted, reinterpreted, and so misunderstood. We know that John’s gospel was written at least 70 years after Jesus died. The chances of the writer known as John walking with Jesus is not likely, but we can assume he was probably Jewish. I say this because Jesus saying, “I am the bread that came down from heaven” is a direct reference to God sending manna from heaven to tend to the needs of the Israelites. Everyone who heard or read this part of the gospel would quickly understand it. Haven’t we all come to understand that Jesus also came to tend to the Israelites and consequently you and me. Jesus modeled Abba God then and continues to model now how we should live and tend to one another. We know over the centuries the institutional church taught a different meaning. Each of us is still trying to understand what is the meaning for ourselves.
God gave enough manna to the Israelites on a daily basis. They had the amount they needed for each day. Sound familiar? “Give us this day our daily bread” or as we pray “each day you give us all that we need.” A strong reminder and connection to the Hebrew scriptures again that we are to trust in God for all our needs. Definitely not an easy task. I think most of us like to believe we are in charge of our needs, and we work hard to get them met.
The last verse of this gospel was added to this writing at an even later time then when this gospel was first written. What does it mean “I am the ‘living’ bread that came down from heaven, and whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
There are three very important points we can touch on. Let’s start from the end. The bread that I give for the life of the world is my flesh. The “bread” is a metaphor for manna or for God always tending to us, and Jesus was willing to give his flesh or die for the “life of the world.” Jesus knew he was being watched and he was in danger. He lived his mission to the end.
“Whoever eats this bread will live forever”- at the time of Jesus there were many who did not believe in life after death, or if we look at this another way: when we live a life tending and caring for one another, our life goes on in the memories and love of those we cared for. We pass on love and hopefully a way of life from generation to generation.
Finally, I am the ‘living’ bread-we call scripture the ‘living’ word. Living is growing and changing and learning and making life better for all. Living is co-creating with the Holy One.
When we lift up our plates tonight what do you believe, what does your heart and mind tell you?
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
As we prepare for the sacred meal, we bring to the table our prayers and intentions, starting with the words I bring to the table.
We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
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.
Everyone and everything is born of You. We carry within us your light and life.
In the mystery of matter and deep in the cells of our souls are your longings for oneness: the oneness of the universe vast and vibrating with the sound of its beginning, the oneness of the human soul, a sacred countenance in infinite form. All that we are and all that we do flows from our deep connection with you and we sing our song of praise:
Holy, Holy, Holy: Here in This Place by Christopher Grundy
All: Creator and Lover of all beings, we cannot grow in the darkness of this world without Your Light. Our desire to be in Your light is a gift from You. Help us keep our hearts and minds open to You through our love and care for each other and all creation.
Please extend your hands in blessing
This bread and wine is a sign of Your nourishment and a sign of Your great love. Your Spirit is upon us and we belong to You and one another.
We thank you for Jesus, simple servant, lifting up the lowly, revealing you as God-With-Us, revealing us as one with you, and all creation.
On the night before he died, Jesus gathered for supper 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.
lift bread
All: Back at the table, he took the bread, spoke the grace, broke the bread and offered it to them saying, go and share my love with one another.
lift the cup
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.
Bread and wine are transformed by Your Spirit, and we are transformed when we open ourselves to Your Spirit. Every time we share this bread and wine we choose to be transformed. We choose to love as You love us.
As we celebrate You in this bread and wine we love and recognize you in each other. We are filled with gratitude and joy.
Please receive communion with the words: I am one with Jesus.
Communion Song: Who Lights the Stars
music/lyrics by Michael Singer, arranged ,produced and performed by Kathy Zavada video edited by James Mylenek Sr.
Post-Communion Prayer
We believe that like all people who lived in love and died in love
Jesus died into your eternal loving embrace.
We are thankful that his story grounds our belief in our
Own eternal, loving connectedness with you
And our belief that we are in communion with all our
Relatives and friends who have died.
We pray for all who allow the mind and heart and spirit of Jesus to motivate their actions.
We pray that Christian leadership may be open and affirming, creative and challenging.
We pray that all Christians might better recognize, acknowledge, and acclaim your presence in all people, at all times, in all places.
For ourselves gathered here we ask the grace to be whom and what we ritualize here: the “body of Christ,” people committed by our “Amen” to allowing your
Spirit to move freely in our lives.
We thank you that we have gathered here as the body of Christ; we rejoice in the giftedness of each person here; we are grateful for who we are for each other.
We consider ourselves blessed in and by you. May we be truly Eucharistic in all we do. To this prayer we give our Amen.
Let us pray together the prayer of 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 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.
The Prayer of Jesus as interpreted by Miriam Therese Winter
BLESSING
Every time we gather to share the bread or share a meal at our tables at home may we remember we are part of a mission. The mission of Jesus, to love one another as the Holy One loves us. May we honor the life of Jesus as we live our lives in love and peace. Amen.
Closing Song: Where Did Jesus Go by Sara Thomsen
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