phone-in for (audio only) Phone Number: (646) 558-8656
Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155
Theme: “Let the little children come to me.”
Welcome (Mary Theresa): Good morning and welcome to our Upper Room family liturgy. Our theme is “Let the little children come to me.” Today, we recognize the beautiful children of all ages in our community and in all communities on planet earth. The communion song, YOU, by Dave DeBonis, celebrates children and loving them just as they are. And so we pray:
Opening Prayer (Suzanne): Great Mystery, we are so grateful for your gift of the precious children in our lives. Their joy, wisdom, and honesty inspire us very day. Surround them with your loving protection, keep them safe from harm and guide them through each day. Fill their hearts with joy and their minds with curiosity, so they may grow in wisdom and love. Grant them the strength to overcome challenges, the courage to be themselves, and the kindness to treat others with respect and love. May they laugh often, learn eagerly and dream without limits.
Bless their journeys and keep them safe as we, too, hold them close to our hearts.
Opening Song: Oh My Children by Sara Thomsen
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: Young People Who Made a Difference
https://www.waterford.org/blog/kids-who-changed-the-world/
When we think of modern-day heroes, it’s often people who made a difference when they were well into their adult years. But young people can—and often do—make a serious impact on the world. Learning about young heroes can remind our children that they have the power to change the world, too, even one person or community at a time.
Meet modern-day heroes who have made a difference in their communities from a young age. “Can young people change the world?” the stories of these children and young adults answer with a resounding “Yes!”
As a child, Malala Yousafzai learned in her father’s school—one of the few in Pakistan that educated young girls. A girl attending school was considered a challenge to the Taliban regime’s authority, and defying them made her a target. She was shot on her way to school by a Taliban gunman but survived to become a passionate advocate for a woman’s right to education.
In 2019, Greta was named Person of the Year by Time Magazine in recognition of her work as a climate change activist. In an interview with the magazine, she discussed the importance of environmentalism, “We can’t just continue living as if there was no tomorrow, because there is a tomorrow.”
At 11 years old, Marley Dias was frustrated that most children’s books she saw were not culturally diverse. That’s why she decided to launch the #1000BlackGirlBooks Twitter campaign to collect and donate books that would help Black girls feel seen.
Marley was able to donate more than 9,000 books through the program, and at the 2017 Forbes’ Women Summit, she said of her experience, “I’m working to create a space where it feels easy to include and imagine Black girls and make Black girls like me the main characters of our lives.”You can read her book Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You!
As a teenager, Nicholas Lowinger started a community service drive to donate footwear to children experiencing homelessness. As part of the project, he started the nonprofit Gotta Have Sole.
To date, the program has donated over 100,000 shoes to shelters across every state in the United States.
11-year-old Orion Jean founded the Race to Kindness foundation in 2020. That year, his organization held a Race to 100K Meals event that provided over 100,000 free meals for families across the country.
In 2021, Orion was named TIME’s Kid of the Year for his life changing humanitarian work. He wrote his first book, A Kids Book About Leadership, to inspire kids to lead with kindness.
When 10-year-old Abigail Lupi visited her grandmother in a nursing home, she became aware of the silent struggle with loneliness many nursing home residents face. To support and comfort these residents, she founded the CareGirlz organization.
CareGirlz helps nursing home patients in New Jersey feel loved and less alone by matching them with young volunteers. “I like to brighten up people’s days and help them have a fun time,” Abigail said. “If I do my best, they’ll have a smile on their faces.”
With even small steps, young people can change the world for the better.
These are inspiring stories of children who made a difference, and we affirm them with, Amen.
Alleluia: Halle, Halle, Hallelujah
Gospel: A reading from the Gospel of Matthew
Matthew 19:13-14
When Jesus had finished teaching, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
People brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.
These are inspired words from the Gospel attributed to Matthew, and we affirm them by saying, Amen.
Homily Sharing: Suzanne
Today’s Gospel is one of my all time favorites. “Let the little children come to me” is a sweet invitation from Jesus while gently teaching an important lesson to his friends.
In this story, Jesus startles the crowd by declaring that the children are the ones to model. In the time of Jesus, children were viewed as dependent and vulnerable with their status and treatment varying by culture. In the Jewish tradition, children (especially sons) were considered blessings and were taught to honor their parents as directed by the Ten Commandments. They were not considered fully a part of society until they reached certain milestones. Jesus singled out these vulnerable children to teach us what is treasured in the eyes of God. When asked in Matthew who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, he responds “Whoever humbles himself like a child is the greatest.” Can you imagine the faces of those around him when they heard these words.
Once again, Jesus has turned the status quo upside down by elevating the status of children. He emphasized the importance of welcoming children and caring for them, using children as examples of humility and purity in the Kingdom of God. This was a significant departure from the more utilitarian views of children in the broader Greco-Roman world.
In summary, children in the time of Jesus were generally seen as valued but dependent; they certainly weren’t expected, nor probably allowed, to contribute to society. Jesus' teachings brought a more compassionate and inclusive perspective on children, emphasizing their importance and dignity in the eyes of God.
He envisioned the creativity, strength and wisdom that children possess. Much like the amazing children and young adults identified in our second reading; Jesus saw potential. We are in awe of what these young humans have already accomplished. They are our models.
Jesus tells us that ‘the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ The ‘these’ that Jesus refers to are among us and can startle us into seeing what is really important. “ Who among us hasn’t stopped in our tracks when we hear an ‘out of the mouths of babes’ remark? Further each of you have certainly stared into the eyes of a tiny baby and experienced a deep knowing that this little one came directly from the Source of Love. What gifts for us to learn from and love.
I invite you to put yourself into this scene. To whom do you most relate? Is it one of the well-meaning but often bone-headed disciples? Is it one of the little children who recognize the light before them and walk straight towards it? Is it Jesus who sees the innocence and joy of these little ones and calls them towards him to bless them?
Let’s pause for a few moments.
There is a temptation with today’s theme to share adorable and loving stories of the cherished children in our lives. (I would be the first one to regale you with stories of our precious Annie, but we can do that later over coffee.) The invitation is to share your thoughts about the readings. What did you hear?
Statement of Faith
Mary Theresa: Let us pray our Statement of Faith
We believe in the Holy One who is in everything we see
And even in everything we cannot see.
As far away as the most distant star and as near as the air we breathe.
The Holy One is there, creating everything out of Love.
We believe in Jesus, who showed us the Holy One
In how he lived his life,
He showed us that the Holy One is
In our lives too.
We believe that we are called to live like Jesus.
We are called to bring peace, and light, healing and kindness,
We are called to be brave and speak up, and help out when
Others are suffering or things are not right.
We believe that the Spirit of the Holy One
Lives in us and in all of creation.
We feel the Spirit in the wind, the warm sun,
The cold snow, and we see it in the faces of other people.
We believe that if we live in the Spirit of the Holy One,
If we remember to act with kindness and courage,
We will make the family of the Holy One larger and larger
Until the whole world is at peace.
Prayers of the Community
Suzanne: We pray now for the things we are grateful for and for the things that worry or concern us. As we bring these prayers today we begin with the words “I bring to the table.”
Conclude with: In love and gratitude, and in faith, we pray for all these things and for all the prayers we hold in our hearts.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Mary Theresa: With open hands and hearts, let us pray our Eucharistic Prayer. The beginning of this prayer is a collection of all the things the children have told us they are grateful for. Let us give thanks for these and all the good gifts of our Beloved.
All: Holy One you have given us all good things. Every friend we meet is a gift from you. We are grateful for all of our friends. We thank you for our bodies, we wouldn’t be here without them. We are grateful for the moon because the sky wouldn’t be the same without it. We thank you for the sun, because it gives us heat and helps the plants make food. And we are thankful for love, Holy One; love that comes from you through the people in our lives. And so in thanksgiving, we sing:
Holy, Holy, Holy: by Karen Drucker
https://youtu.be/kl7vmiZ1YuI?si=z5u8KggyWRuvVMup
Suzanne:(Invite children to join presiders at the table)
All: Holy One, we see around us all of your creation. The trees, flowers, birds, animals and insects sing with joy for your creative power. We are your creation too, and we thank you for our lives.
We thank you for sending Jesus, our brother, to show us how to live so that your love can show through in the world. We thank you for your Spirit, which showers your love and wisdom on the earth like rain, and which opens our eyes in wonder.
Suzanne: Please hold your hands out like this… (demonstrate) as we bless the bread and juice.
All: Holy One, you blessed the grain in this bread and the fruit in this juice as they grew on the earth. The people who baked the bread and made the juice blessed them with their work. Today, with your Spirit, we bless them again, as they become gifts of love, light and truth and remind us that we too are blessed with your Spirit.
Jesus gathered his friends around a table like this. He took the bread, and said a prayer of thanksgiving. Then he broke the bread and shared it with his friends, saying, “Take and eat this bread. It is my very self.”
After the meal, Jesus took the cup of blessing. He said another prayer of thanks, and then he offered his friends the cup saying
“Take and drink of the loving agreement
Made new again through my life in you.
Whenever you remember me like this,
I am among you.”
We are one today with all people who have ever lived, all the people and animals we have loved. With them we ask you, Holy One, for the wisdom to know what is right and the courage to do what is right.
- Help us to be kind to one another.
- Help us to take care of the earth.
- Help us to reach out to people who need our help.
And as we grow, help us to see where your Spirit leads us as our lives unfold in this world of pain and beauty so that we may become wise co-creators of the future.
Like Jesus, we will open up wide all that has been closed about us, and we will live loving lives, for it is through living as Jesus lived, that we awaken to your Light within.
Amen.
Mary Theresa: We will pass the plate around the circle. When the plate comes to you please take a piece of bread and eat it. Receive Communion with the words: I will let my light shine.
Communion Song: You by Dave DeBonis, Vocalist: Mallory Dominguez
With gratitude to members of the Upper Room who sent family photos for the video
Prayer after Communion
Mary Theresa: Let us pray our prayer after Communion
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.
Suzanne: Let us pray like Jesus taught us:
Great Spirit,
You are within, around and among us,
We know you by many names:
Beloved, Holy One, Great Mystery….
May we be wise.
May we live as you want us to live.
Each day you give us all we need.
You guide us and support us in our power.
For you dwell within us,
and we celebrate you now and forever. Amen.
BLESSING
Mary Theresa: Please raise your hands and pray our blessing
All: Let the little children come to You and to each of us. May they always feel the presence of the Holy One guiding their steps. May they be a light in the world, sharing love and hope with all they meet.
May they be surrounded by the support and love of family and friends. May they know that they are deeply cherished and infinitely blessed.
Go forth with joy, dear children, for you are precious gifts to the world.
Closing Song: Let Your Light Shine in Us by Kathy Sherman
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