Upper Room Sunday Liturgy, September 15, 2024 - Presiders: Donna Panaro, Margaret Dilgen and Kathie Ryan

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

Season of Creation

Margaret: Welcome to the Upper Room on this third Sunday of the Season of Creation. We will celebrate with wonder and awe the ever-changing growth in knowledge and wisdom that we have about creation and God. 

Donna: Opening Prayer: Creator God help us to have open hearts and minds to our experience of living as evolving beings.  May our wonderings lead us to deeper understanding of You so that we will live with great meaning and purpose. Amen

Opening Song: All things Bright and Beautiful

https://youtu.be/kPjDZ4_4TRQ?si=atsMlekcmoIgt7kX

LITURGY OF THE WORD

First Reading: 

Excerpts from The Jewish Spirituality of Asking Questions by Daniel Deforest London

According to Jewish tradition, at a time when Jesus was a young boy, there were two famous rabbis teaching in Jerusalem, Hillel and Shammai. Rabbi Hillel is honored as the exemplar teacher because of his humility, his patience and his openness to all kinds of questions, no matter how peculiar. In fact, when it came to teaching and learning and sharing wisdom, Hillel encouraged bold questions and discouraged bashful silence.

So it is into this environment of openness to questions that the young Jesus enters when Jesus was with teachers in the temple. “After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.” Jesus was not bashful among the teachers. He listened attentively and then boldly asked questions. 

Although we can only guess what kind of creative and challenging questions young Jesus was asking, we know that questions continued to play a major role in his teaching and ministry. Among the four Gospels, Jesus asks over three hundred questions. His questions were meant to wake up his listeners, to get the creative juices flowing and to stir up a response.  And his questions caused his listeners (including us) to look within in, to reflect and to be transformed. He asked questions like “Why do you worry?” (Matt 6:28) “Why are you so afraid?” (Matt 8:26) “Why do you harbor evil thoughts?” (Matt 9:4)  “Who do you say that I am?” (Matt 16:15) “What are you looking for?” (John 1:38) “Do you love me?” (John 21:16). As a teacher, Jesus knew the power of asking questions and he encouraged others to not be bashful and to ask him questions as well. Although he would often answer questions with more questions, he generally appreciated other people’s boldness.

Jeffrey Levy says in, Why Questions are More Important than Answers, 

Questions are more important than answers because they 

Open new possibilities,

Help you learn,

Help you prepare for the unknown,

Help you uncover challenges,

Help you become more engaged,

Help you move beyond your instincts, and

Help you generate more questions.

These are the inspired words of Daniel London and Jefferey Levy and the community affirms them by saying: Amen

Gospel Acclamation: Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker 

https://youtu.be/o1rc7ojQtJU?si=Y5Z6FLEvcwKda6cv

Gospel: A reading from the Gospel attributed to Mark (8:27-35)

Jesus and his disciples set out
for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Along the way he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that I am?"
They said in reply,
"John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others one of the prophets."
And he asked them,
"But who do you say that I am?"
Peter said to him in reply,
"You are the Christ."
Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.

He began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed, and rise after three days.
He spoke this openly.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,
rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."

He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them,
"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny themself,
take up their cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save thier life will lose it,
but whoever loses their life for my sake
and that of the gospel will save it."

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

Shared Homily (Donna)

As we celebrate our third Sunday of the Season of Creation, the gospel reading helps us think about how our understanding of creation and of Jesus has been an evolutionary process. When Jesus was alive most people believed in a three-tiered universe of the heavens, earth and underworld. There was a time when people thought the earth was the center of the universe. Galileo was ex-communicated from the Catholic Church for teaching that the earth and other planets rotated around the sun. Today through the process of scientific inquiry we have learned that a quark is a fundamental building block of an atom.

Just as our understanding of the earth and creation continues to evolve, our understanding of who Jesus is, has been ever-changing. Each of us could probably say that we have changed throughout our own lives in who we say Jesus is. Both science and theology depend upon questions to grow and expand the knowledge and understanding of creation and of God. Questions lead us to wonder. 

When we were preparing this liturgy, Margaret talked about one of her favorite ways to teach her 2^nd and 3^rd grade students to enjoy what they were reading and stay engaged. She said she would encourage her students to come up with wonderings about what they were reading and share them with the class. Margaret, like rabbis and Jesus, saw the value of questions in learning, growing and becoming wise.  

Jesus is recorded as asking 307 questions in the gospels but only directly answering three of the 183 questions he was asked. As I think about my questions about the bible stories I learned as a child, I can see how the questions helped me to become more and more in awe of how these stories never stop teaching me new lessons. It doesn’t matter how many times I hear the story; I continue to grow in my understanding of the lessons that help me stay on this exciting path of expanding who I say Jesus is.

When Peter answered Jesus’s question in the story that we heard today, we see how Peter’s answer was unexpectedly criticized by Jesus. Peter was challenged by Jesus to think like God instead of humans. Peter’s finite and worldly definition of Messiah was expanded to include suffering and death in the equation. The story concludes with a challenge to take the broader understanding of suffering and death into how life is lived. The lesson is to live in a way that is worth dying for. As the gospel story words it: “whoever loses their life for my sake, or the sake of the gospel will save it.”

Here we are over 2000 years later still trying to grasp who Jesus is and what we need to understand about God. We are still learning more and more about creation. I think the point is not to have finite answers. The point is to continue questioning and wondering.  As we do this, I think it is important to appreciate the way our knowledge and wisdom expands and opens us to new ways of approaching life and becoming our highest selves. In the tradition that Margaret started I would like to end with one question: What are you wondering about today?

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

Donna:  As we prepare for the sacred meal, we bring to the table our prayer of intentions:

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

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

Margaret: With open hearts and hands let us pray our Eucharistic prayer in one voice:

O Holy One, you are always with us. In the blessed abundance of creation, we gather to celebrate Your nourishing gift of life. May our hearts be open as You invite us to participate in the wise and wonderful work of co-creation. May we be ever aware of Your Spirit within and among us as our world unfolds amid pain and beauty into the fullness of life. 

We are grateful for Your Spirit whose breath inspired the primal waters, calling into being the variety and abundance we see around us. Your Spirit sustains and animates our every endeavor, inviting us to act in wisdom and in truth.

In gratitude and joy we embrace our calling and we lift our voices to proclaim a song of praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy: Here in this Place by Christopher Grundy

https://youtu.be/uXyu57tR2gk?si=rW-584o2EK-Bts4V

Margaret:  As a community, we gather in the power of your Spirit, refreshing wind, purifying fire and flowing water, for the variety and diversity of Creation. We seek to live as Jesus taught us, wise and holy as Spirit-filled people, courageous and prophetic, ever obedient to your call.

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.

On the night before he faced his own death, 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 with them, he bent down and washed their feet. When he returned to his place, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and offered it to them saying:

Margaret lift the plate as the community prays the following: 

Take this bread and eat it;

This is my very self.

Donna lift the cup as community prays the following: 

Jesus then raised a cup of blessing, spoke the grace and offered the wine 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.

Please receive communion with the words: We are the evolving creations of God

Communion song: Mystery by Paul Winter

https://youtu.be/38S2M4kIiJA?si=s8iIOewWGD_nO0I0

Margaret: Let us pray as Jesus taught us with an eye toward this Season of Creation:

Generous Creator, the intricate and elegant biodiversity of our world is your hallowed autograph on our lives, on our souls and in our hearts. 

We yearn for the wholeness of being in harmony with Your will and with all living things. 

Each day we draw on your creative, life-giving energy with gratitude and awe as we find nourishment in, seed and field, river and forest. 

May we be stewards and co-creators with you in caring for the gifts of Your Creation.  

We acknowledge our shortcomings, especially our neglect of the environment. We seek to be reconciled with those we have hurt and we resolve to do better.  

With your unfailing wisdom and the wind of Your Spirit, inspire us that we may reach out and love one another and care for the world, our home.

Strengthen us to work for local and global justice so that we may one day reap a harvest of equality and fairness as if they were wildflowers, propagating spontaneously, unerringly and in surprising abundance. Amen. Lynn Kinlan

Donna: We are called to live the Gospel of Creation in harmony and gratitude with all our sisters and brothers across the Earth. We will live justly, love tenderly and walk with integrity in Your Presence.

Margaret: Let us pray together our closing blessing:

Creator most generous and kind, your gift of Earth and cosmos reveals your imagination and glory. May we go forward boldly to live in the glory. 

May we continue to wonder so that we live with great purpose and meaning.

May we treat all of Creation as sacred and discern the best path to an equitable distribution of the resources we share with our sisters and brothers across the globe. Let us live as if the future depends on it. Amen. 

Donna: Our closing song today is music and images with no words. May it’s beauty feed your soul and expand your heart.

Closing Song: Ode to the Earth, Music by Steve Jablonsky, Video from BBC Planet Earth 

https://youtu.be/WsBdhqgsV2E?si=DAfHOcgWqoVZQFVA

Upper Room Saturday Liturgy, September 14, 2024 - Presider: Julie Corron

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

Why should you pay the price?

Welcome: Welcome! I’m so glad to be here with you today as we think about the true cost of discipleship.

Opening Prayer Let us pray. Holy One, even as we celebrate this glorious Season of Creation, we are reminded of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Let us feel your love and support as we walk the way together. AMEN

Opening Song: Canticle of the Sun by Marty Haugen

https://youtu.be/CfJ6WJPUff8  

LITURGY OF THE WORD

Gospel Acclamation:  Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker

https://youtu.be/4cs8NDVM3Vk?si=LjKW18DK_ms_MYHw

Gospel: 

A Reading from the Gospel attributed to Mark 8:27-37 

Jesus journeyed on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They answered, “John the Baptist. Others say Elijah. Still others, one of the prophets.” Jesus asked them, “But you… who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Anointed One, the Christ.” Jesus sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

Immediately, he began to teach them that the Human One, the Anointed One, must undergo great suffering, be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and religious lawyers, be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him. Turning, and looking at the disciples, Jesus rebuked Peter saying, “Get behind me, Satan! Your mind is not set on the things of God, but on human things.” 

Jesus called to the crowd, as well as his disciples. He said to all of them, “If any want to become my followers, you can no longer live for yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me. Those who want to save their life will lose it. Those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit you to gain the whole world and forfeit your soul, your very life? Indeed, for what could you ever trade your life?"

These are the inspired words of the gospel writer known as Mark and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.

Second Reading:

A Reading from the First Letter attributed to Peter 1:1b, 2d -7; 3:13-18 

To the exiles of the Dispersion… 

May grace and peace be yours in abundance. 

Blessed be the God of Jesus the Christ! In great compassion, God gave us new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus the Christ from the dead. We now have an inheritance that does not fail. This is your treasure, awaiting you when your time comes. You, by the power of God, are safeguarded through faith, to a wholeness that will ultimately be revealed. In this you rejoice! Although now - for a little while - you may have to suffer various trials. In the trials you may suffer, the genuineness of your faith will be tested, like gold in a refiner’s fire. However, your faith is more precious than gold. Gold can perish. May the genuineness of your faith prove stronger than gold. May it prove to be for the praise, glory, and honor of Jesus the Christ. 

Now, who is going to harm you if you are enthusiastic for doing good? But even if you should suffer for doing the right thing, blessed are you. Do not be afraid or terrified. Do not fear those who seek to hurt you. Rather, revere Jesus the Christ in your hearts. Always be ready to explain, to anyone who asks, the reason for your hope; but do it with gentleness and respect, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed for their slander. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that be the will of God, than for doing evil. 

A Reading from a late first century Pastor and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.

Shared Homily:

Julie: Usually when I read today’s gospel, I focus on “Who do people say that I am?” Two thousand years later, it’s still a great question! Today though I want to bring your attention to the next part, “If any want to become my followers, you can no longer live for yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me. Those who want to save their life will lose it.” That’s because when preparing today’s liturgy, I read in Barbara Reid’s Abiding Word, that some women take this text to mean that they need to accept every abuse from their spouses, even if it kills them. That it’s their cross to bear. It is not! While oppressors at every level—government, church, and family—have twisted scripture to suit their selfish purposes, Jesus protected the vulnerable. He did not encourage their further victimization. Let’s all take a deep breath and as we blow it out, let’s promise ourselves that the next time we hear this gross misinterpretation, we speak up and say, No, that’s not what he meant.

So, what did Jesus mean? That’s where our second reading comes in. The Inclusive Catholic Lectionary uses this instead of the standard epistle because it “describes the role of suffering in the lives of Jesus’ disciples. It is not just Jesus who suffered, but those who follow him must be prepared to do so if needed.” We’ve touched on that before, the cost of discipleship. Even today, discipleship has a cost. The way of Jesus is a countercultural one, even here in North America, where so many call themselves Christians. I especially love this line, “Always be ready to explain, to anyone who asks, the reason for your hope; but do it with gentleness and respect. …” Because, let’s face it, we’ve all gotten questions about what we do. Why do you go to that weird church? Why do you volunteer in that bad part of town where it’s not safe? Why are you going to another protest? In today’s polarized environment, it’s easy to get defensive when our choices are questioned. If instead we answer with “gentleness and respect,” we will be much less likely to end up in an argument. We may even inspire someone else to come to church. Or to volunteer. Or to speak up against injustice.

What did you hear today? What will you do? What, if anything, will it cost you? 

Statement of Faith:

All: 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 and Intentions, Blessings and Concerns

As we prepare for the sacred meal, we are alert to the wonders and dangers within our task of stewardship of Creation. We bring our gratitude, blessings and concerns to the friendship table. Please begin your prayer with “I bring to the table. …”

We pray for these and all the unspoken concerns held in the silence of our hearts. AMEN. 

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

Let us pray the Eucharistic Prayer of Compassion for the Earth with one voice and open hearts,

All: Holy One, we are amazed at the universe and this planet Earth and we respond with gratitude and compassion. We are blessed by the lights of the heavens, the sun and moon, comets and stars; we are blessed by knowing ours is but one galaxy among many. 

We are blessed by the darkness which keeps us from being blinded by the light and which eases us into contemplation and rootedness; likewise, we are blessed by light which awakens our souls to the glory of creation.

We are blessed by oceans and the cliffs and shores which envelop them, by streams and rivers, by snow and sleet and rain. The mountains are our blessing of solitude and summit where we can feel the softest wind, see the furthest horizon and expand our imagination and vision. 

We are blessed by the children whose easy smiles and open arms teach us enthusiasm and delight at living in the present. We are blessed by friends and strangers, by those who have gone before us and the friends we have yet to meet. These companions are the face of your love and compassion. 

Plant and vegetation, whether beauties of the land or harvest for our survival are also our companions, sharing in the sun and wind and rain. The biodiverse wealth of animal and marine life are our blessed companions, deserving also of our protection and care. 

In celebration of Creation and all our blessings, we sing with joy…

Holy, Holy, Holy: Here in this Place by Christopher Grundy

https:/ youtu.be/sgkWXOSGmOQ

All: In times when the pain in our hearts breaks and the world’s pain seems unreconciled, our appreciation and awareness of Creation can dwindle or lapse. The urgency of addressing climate change is not always recognized; valuing creation and sustaining its life-giving properties is sometimes an afterthought. 

May our recognition of Earth as our Eden fill us with gratitude. May the saving grace of the Spirit and of Jesus enhance the dialogue and sacrifice necessary to save ourselves and our world. 

We celebrate the truth-tellers and the lovers of the environment, living and dead; Ansel Adams, the landscape photographer, John Audubon, the naturalist, Jane Goodall, the anthropologist, Greta Thunberg, and Erin Brockovich, climate activists and authors Henry David Thoreau and Rachel Carson. Like our brother Jesus, these visionaries were pioneers and prophets who sought to live fully and fearlessly the truth of their calling. 

Julie: Please extend your hands in blessing.

All: We are grateful for the bread and wine that remind us that we are called to renew and to be renewed with the love of the Spirit of God who is in everything, every plant, animal and human everywhere.  We thank you for Jesus, beacon of love and mercy, forgiveness and healing. 

We are grateful for this bread and wine which remind us that we join Jesus in standing with the broken and wounded of the world who are most directly affected by climate change. 

On the night before he faced betrayal and death, Jesus shared supper with his friends.  He reminded them of all that he taught them, and to fix that memory clearly with them, he bent down and washed their feet. 

 

lift the bread

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

Take and eat, go and share my love with one another.

lift the cup

Then he took the cup of the covenant, 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. Each time we share this bread with one another we choose to love others as you love us. 

What we have heard with our ears, we will live in our lives; as we share communion, we will become communion, both Love’s nourishment and Love’s challenge. 

Through Jesus we have learned how to live. Through Jesus, we have learned how to love. Through Jesus we have learned how to serve. AMEN

Please receive the bread and wine with the words, I am a spark of the Divine. 

Communion Song: Come to the Water by John Foley, S.J. 

https://youtu.be/_FMuokL8tZc

Jesus Prayer for the Season of Creation

Let us pray, as Jesus taught us.

All: Generous Creator, the intricate and elegant biodiversity of our world is your hallowed autograph on our lives, our souls and our hearts. 

We yearn for the wholeness of being in harmony with Your will and with all living things. Each day we draw on your creative, life-giving energy with awe as we find nourishment in, seed and field, river and forest. 

We acknowledge our shortcomings, especially our feelings of being powerless in the face of climate change and injustice. We seek to be reconciled with those we have hurt and we resolve to do better.  

With your unfailing wisdom and the wind of Your Spirit, inspire us that we may reach out and love one another and care for the world, our home. Strengthen us to work for local and global justice. May we one day reap a harvest of equality and fairness as if they were wildflowers, propagating spontaneously, unerringly and in surprising abundance. AMEN.

Lynn Kinlan

BLESSING

Please extend your hands as we bless each other

All: May we treat all of Creation as sacred. May our lives show our respect for the earth we share with our sisters and brothers, with all creatures, around the globe. May we live as if the future depends on it. AMEN.

Closing Song: Anthem by Tom Conry

https://youtu.be/HP2gwC5TGFs