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Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155
Sip the Wine of our Lives
Welcome: Welcome to you all! I’m so happy to be here with you all today as we talk about camels and caravans, oh my.
Opening Prayer: Let us pray. Holy One, Jesus asks us to give up everything and follow him. Help us to understand what that means and how we can do it. AMEN.
Opening Song: Quiet Place by the Many – video by MT Streck
https://youtu.be/hcq385i1kHE
LITURGY OF THE WORD
FIRST READING
A Reading from the Book of Wisdom 7:3-12
When we are born, we draw in common air.
When we fall, it is upon the same ground,
the Earth that bears us all.
Crying is the first sound we make,
like everyone.
No leader, authority, or rich person
has known any other beginning of existence.
There is only one way into life,
and one way out.
I prayed, and understanding was given to me.
I called on God, and the Spirit of Wisdom came to me.
I esteemed Wisdom more than power and privilege.
I held riches as nothing compared with Her.
I did not liken Her to a precious stone – it is not Her equal.
All gold is a pinch of sand compared with Her.
Silver ranks as clay beside Her.
I loved Wisdom more than health or beauty.
I preferred Her to the light; Her radiance never sleeps.
In Her company, good things came to me,
at Her hands, wealth that cannot be counted.
I rejoiced in all Her gifts!
Wisdom is their source,
though I had not realized She is their Mother.
These are inspired words attributed to Solomon and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.
PSALM
Psalm 90:1-2; 3-4+12; 14-15; 16-17 (+Line from Joyce Rupp's Birthday Blessing*)
Our Psalm Response is: Teach us to live contentedly.
R: Teach us to live contentedly.
God, You have been our home forever.
Long before the mountains were born,
long before the stars were flung,
long before You brought Earth itself to birth, from age to age, You are God.
R: Teach us to live contentedly.
You return humans to stardust with a word:
“Return, children of Adam, children of Eve.”
But patience, O God! For a thousand years are to You
like a yesterday,
like one watch in the night.
Teach us to live contentedly. Teach us to live wisely.
R: Teach us to live contentedly.
Surprise us with Love at daybreak,
so that we'll sing and dance with joy the day long.
Teach us to sip contentedly from the fragrant wine of our lives.*
Let us see the marvels of Your works.
Let us enjoy Your splendor.
May the sweetness of God be upon us all.
R: Teach us to live contentedly.
SECOND READING
A Reading from the Book of Revelation 3:14-19
The Human One, Who is First and Last, said to John:
“Write this to the angel of the church in Laodicea:
‘The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the Source of God’s creation, says this: I know your works. I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. Because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything.’; yet you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I advise you to buy, from me, gold refined by fire so that you may be rich. Buy, from me, white garments to put on, so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed. Buy, from me, ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I challenge. Those whom I love, I call to true wealth. Be earnest, therefore. Change your ways. Change your hearts.’”
This is a vision of a Late First Century Visionary called John and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.
ALLELUIA Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker – MT Video
https://youtu.be/4cs8NDVM3Vk
GOSPEL
A Reading from the Good News attributed to Mark 10:17-31
As Jesus started on his way, someone ran up to him and fell on bended knee, asking. “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except One, God. You know the commandments: ‘Don't murder. Don't commit adultery. Don't steal. Don't lie. Don't cheat. Honor your father and mother.’”
The petitioner answered: “Rabbi, all these I have kept since my childhood.”
Jesus looked at, and loved, the person before him. “One thing you lack,” Jesus said. “Go. Sell all that you have. Give it to those who are poor. You will have treasure in heaven. Then, come, follow me.”
At Jesus’ response, the one who asked the question became crestfallen and went away grieving, for they had many possessions.
Jesus looked around and said to the disciples, “How hard it is for those who are rich to enter the kin-dom of God!” The disciples were perplexed at these words. Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it isto enter the kin-dom of God! It’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kin-dom of God.” The disciples were even more stunned, and said to themselves, “Who, then, can be helped?” Looking at them, Jesus said, “For humans, it is impossible, but not with God. All things are possible with God.”
Then Peter spoke up, “Rabbi, we've left everything to follow you!” Jesus replied, “Yes. Indeed, no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or land for me and for the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and land—persecutions too—and in the age to come, everlasting life.
“But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
These are the inspired words of the Gospel writer known as Mark and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.
Homily Starter—Julie: I have this little book, Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings. It highlights the similarities in the teachings of these great souls. Just as today’s gospel quotes Jesus as saying, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God,” there is a corresponding quote from Buddha, “Riches make most people greedy, and so are like caravans lurching down the road to perdition. Any possession that increases the sin of selfishness or does nothing to confirm one’s wish to renounce what one has is nothing but a drawback in disguise.” Camels and caravans lurching to perdition, that’s some vivid imagery!
Jesus takes it a step further, just in case you’re one of the 92% of millionaires who don’t think you’re rich. Really, they did a study! Only 8% of investors with a million dollars considered themselves wealthy. Jesus talks about giving up homes and families to follow him. That seems extreme. So what are Jesus and Buddha really talking about? To stay with the Buddhists for a moment, they’re talking about attachment, unhealthy clinging. “Riches make most people greedy….Any possession that increases the sin of selfishness….” It’s like that old saying, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” Not money but the love of it. Riches and possessions and even homes and families aren’t the problem, it’s how we relate to them. Do we use our money to better the lives of the less fortunate? That’s a good thing. Do we have healthy, loving relationships with our families? Also good. Hoarding money or toxic enmeshment with family members that leaves no room for the Holy One are not good or healthy.
I invite you this week to a take a quiet moment and examine your feelings toward money and cars and possessions in general and see if greed has crept in at all. Then take another quiet moment and look at your relationships. Is there room for you and the other person and God or has clinging squeezed the air, the holy inspiration, out of the relationship? As our Canadian friends prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, how can we share our bounty and, in so doing, know true contentment?
What did you hear? What will you do? What will it cost you? What would you like to share about today’s readings?
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.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Julie: As we prepare for the sacred meal, we bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns. Please feel free to voice your concerns beginning with the words “I bring to the table….”
We pray for these and all the unspoken concerns held in the silence of our hearts. AMEN
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 – New by Christopher Grundy
https://youtu.be/uXyu57tR2gk
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.
(Extend 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 and for the sake of living fully, Jesus sat at 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.
(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 love one another.
(Lift the cup)
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.
In faith and hope we are sustained; in grace and dignity reclaimed. In praise, we thank you.
Please receive communion with the words: I sip contentedly from the fragrant wine of my life.
Communion Meditation: I Am Already Enough by Fearless Soul
https://youtu.be/6RM9QsQbIuc
Prayer after communion: Let us pray. 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.
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
BLESSING
Please raise your hands as we bless each other:
May we love and care for each other always. May we share our bounty with the world. May our name be a blessing in our time. AMEN.
Closing Song: You Get What You Give by New Radicals
https://youtu.be/DL7-CKirWZE?si=W34wCs36wjC5twpb
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