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Healing in the Light
Welcome and Theme (Kim)
Good morning and welcome to the Upper Room. We hold in our hearts our Jewish brothers and sisters who are celebrating the journey from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur.
Jesus said “ I have come that they might have life and have it in abundance”. He commanded us to “love one another as I have loved you”. So why are so many Christians plagued with self-doubt, guilt, shame and a sense of deep brokenness? As Christians, we are called to a life of revolutionary self-transformation. With the power of the Holy Spirit and in the safe embrace of caring others, we move from the darkness into the light. We name our wound and then we speak its name to others. In doing so, we find our common humanity and bring shame into the light. The Living Light (of God) is the healing we seek. We know that shame cannot live in this Light.
Opening Prayer
We come together as those who seek to live in the light of truth, the Living Light of God. We come for healing. We know that we and thousands of others have carried the burdens of being condemned because of our individual actions or bigotry against our identities and circumstances. Just as Jesus did not condemn or shame the oppressed of his time, we refuse to live in the darkness of shame and condemnation. We open up to those things hidden and shamed to welcome the healing balm of the Love that sees all and heals all. Love raises the bent over woman, stops the hemorrhages, opens eyes and straightens limbs. We pray for the healing of all.
Opening Song: How Could Anyone Ever Tell You
https://youtu.be/Cr66u-fTxik?si=9Xm2cjbRd3CKd3pd
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: A reading adapted from Rev. Heidi Carrington Heath
https://www.saltproject.org/progressive-christian-blog/2016/8/15/divorce-and-the-church
I was 28 when I filed for divorce. It was such a surreal experience. We notarized some papers, filed them with an office, and a few months later spent five minutes in front of a judge. “Raise your right hand and solemnly swear that your marriage is irreparably broken.” Those weren’t really his words, but that was the understanding.
It was all very complicated and confusing. A couple of months before we filed the divorce papers, we renewed our wedding vows. It was our last- ditch effort to go “all in” on this relationship we had tried to make work for so long. Shortly after renewing our vows, we knew the end was near.
One day we took off our wedding rings, and I stepped tentatively onto the soft, resurrection ground of new life, and I took the deepest breath I had taken in a very long time.
Here’s what my divorce taught me: the death of a marriage can sometimes be the beginning of new life and yet church people - people of the resurrection – are not good at talking about it. Divorce is still the whispered about secret that no one really knows how to acknowledge. For years I’ve lived under a shroud of shame, unsure of whether I should speak about it out loud or not! Well, I’m coming out of the divorce closet and stepping into the holiness of light.
I’ve been divorced and remarried and I am no less faithful, no less of a disciple, no less of a Christian than I was 11 years ago when I said “I do” to the person I loved. Jesus lived so that we might have a new life and have it more abundantly. Jesus did not do this so that we might stay in relationships where our souls are dying and neither person can live fully into the human being that God created us to be.
These are inspired words from Rev. Heidi Carrington Heath and we affirm them by saying, Amen.
Second Reading: Defeating Shame: Adapted from the work of Jennifer Gulbrand, author of Embody Your Essence: Break Patterns of Suffering and Reclaim Your Joy
Shame is a deep-seated belief that we are fundamentally unworthy that limits what we can achieve and diminishes our self-worth.
If unresolved, these patterns become ingrained, creating a false and negative story about who we are and what we are capable of achieving.
It is essential that you know that shame is a lie. You are more than enough.
To free yourself from shame, embrace your vulnerability.
When you allow yourself to be truly seen, you reclaim your power.
When you own your story and speak your truth, you break apart the shame that has kept you small.
Treat yourself with the same kindness and understanding that you would offer a dear friend and nurture your mind, body, and spirit through mindfulness, meditation, journaling, and seeking support from others.
Reframe your thoughts, focus on all that you can do, and step into your authentic self.
Reclaim your joy.
These are inspired words from Jennifer Gulbrand and we affirm them by saying, Amen.
Alleluia: Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker
https://youtu.be/o1rc7ojQtJU?si=Uir-jbs9_smQr6cw
Gospel: A reading from the Gospel writer known as Mark (Mark 10:2-12)
Some Pharisees approached Jesus and, as a test, asked “Is it permissible for husbands to divorce wives?”
In reply, Jesus asked “What command did Moses give?”
They answered, “Moses permitted a husband to write a decree of divorce and to put her away.”
But Jesus told them, “Moses wrote the commandment because of your hardness of heart.
From the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. This is why one person leaves home and cleaves to another, and the two become one flesh.
They are no longer two, but one flesh. What God has united, therefore, let no one divide.”
Back at the house again, the disciples questioned Jesus once more about this. He told them “If a man divorces his wife, and marries another, he commits adultery against her, and if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
These are the inspired words from the Gospel writer known as Mark and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.
Homily Starter (Dave)
In order to make sense of Jesus’ strong response to the question about divorce asked by the Pharisees, we need to first consider the cultural attitudes of the ancient world with respect to marriage and divorce.
First, women were largely treated as property; first property of their fathers and later of their husbands. Marriage was viewed as transactional; it was frequently pursued not out of love or commitment but rather for economic, social and/or political reasons. According to Jewish law, only the men could seek divorce, based on writings from the book of Deuteronomy which recorded the words of Moses. Acceptable grounds for divorce simply required a husband to find something “objectionable” in his wife.
Consequently, men engaged in repeated divorces as a way to improve their standing in the community or their sex lives. These frequent divorces in the first century were not
victimless acts; in the ancient world the poor were often primarily made up of orphans and women without husbands.
As was common, the questioning of Jesus by the Pharisees was in reality an attempt to trick him. Would Jesus disagree with Moses, which would be blasphemous, or would he
disagree with Herod which would be dangerous since Herod divorced his wife in order to marry his niece? Both choices were fraught with challenges for Jesus. (P. McLarty, Sermon Writer)
Jesus, of course, was well aware of these cultural realities, including the fact that men were pursuing divorce for reasons that had nothing to do with their wives’ behavior and
often as a legal loophole to commit adultery. (M. Skinner, Working Preacher).
Jesus was equally aware that “In a patriarchal Jewish society where only husbands had the prerogative of divorcing their wives, a prohibition of divorce provided a safeguard for women” and children against a life of poverty and societal rejection. (M. Hoffman, Working Preacher).
With this in mind, Jesus rejected the words of Moses and stated that this was not part of God’s plan. But rather than the goal of making a statement against divorce, Jesus’
strong words supporting marriage were an attempt to advocate for economic justice for women. Jesus was standing with women in a culture that made them dependent
on fathers and husbands for their very survival. (H. Montgomery, www.patheos.com)
Jesus was pushing against the attitude that marriage is nothing more than “a contract of
convenience, casually formed and casually broken” (M. Skinner, Working Preacher).
Jesus was rejecting the attitude that certain people are disposable once we have taken what we need from them. (https://www.patheos.com/blogs/socialjesus/2020/02/patriarchy-jesus-
divorce/ )
This gospel reading reminded me, once again, of the clear danger of literal interpretation of scripture. It has been well-documented that this very gospel has contributed to the
shame and rejection that are often experienced by divorced people, and sadly from members of their own religious communities. Also, misinterpretation of this gospel has the power to emotionally paralyze individuals who are in abusive marriages who know in their hearts what is best for themselves and their children but hesitate to act. A literal
interpretation of this gospel can result in denying protection and grace to those who are grieving and most badly need this kind of support. (M. Skinner, Working Preacher).
As noted in our second reading, it is important to remember that shame is, by definition, caused by judgements made by others that you have somehow become unworthy of love. Shame, then, could never come from a true understanding of the gospel because the gospel message is grounded in love and the love that the Divine has for all of us cannot be diminished.
Some might suggest that the norms and practices of the ancient world regarding marriage, divorce and the treatment of women are no longer relevant today. But perhaps we should consider the plight of women in other countries where first-century norms remain in place. And perhaps we should ask whether the current laws and practices in our own country are adequate to prevent single parents and their children from falling into lives of poverty and mental health challenges. Finally, maybe we should ask ourselves if we, like Jesus, are willing to reject traditional interpretations of sacred texts that do not reflect the radical love that Jesus modeled?
(https://www.patheos.com/blogs/socialjesus/2020/02/patriarchy-jesus-
divorce/).
Homily Sharing
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
Kim: As we prepare for the sacred meal, please voice your intentions beginning with the words, “I bring to the table…..”
Kim: We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Dave: Let us pray our Eucharistic prayer with open hearts and hands:
We are grateful for our brother Jesus teaching us the way of compassion through entering into the suffering of others. May we care for ourselves as Jesus cared for us, seeing humanity through the eyes of “Love”. Through his loving eyes we are healed and we open our hearts to the pain and suffering of others.
Because of your empowering unconditional loving Presence, Beloved, we are aware of your presence in and among us. Your love radiates from our hearts, minds, and bodies. The nurturance of ourselves and one another empowers your embodied presence. “We are not the survival of the fittest but the survival of the nurtured.” (Cozolino)
With joy and gratefulness today and always, we sing:
Holy, Holy, Holy: Here In This Place by Christopher Grundy
https://youtu.be/uXyu57tR2gk?si=igRUgQ67ZTXEARHg
Holy One, you speak to our hearts and say “I don’t need anything from you for me to love you - I don’t need you to evolve for me to love you - I don’t need you to grow for me to love you - I don’t need you to succeed for me to love you - I will stay with you in any circumstance. I was here at the beginning, I am here in the middle, I will be here in the end. There is nothing you can do to lose me.” “Just your being is love to me”.
We thank you for Jesus who heard the Divine voice of deep love for him as “this is my beloved son”. Jesus showed us a path to comforting ourselves as the Divine Beloved would comfort us and as we would nurture our own children, family and friends. May we hear God’s voice as Jesus did to love and forgive ourselves so that we may more fully love and forgive each other.
Kim: Please extend your hands in blessing.
All: We call upon your Spirit that is present in us at this Eucharistic table. We are grateful for the bread and wine that remind us of our call to be the light of Christ to the world.
Presiders stand at the table
All: 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.
Kim lifts plate as the community prays the following:
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, this is my very self.
(pause) Dave lifts the cup as community prays the following:
Then he took 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.
(pause)
Please pass the bread and the cup with the words: you are radically loved
Communion Song/Meditation: Go Light your World by Chris Rice
https://youtu.be/wN5SILxm55Q?si=FuekDE_7MtjTyz8O
Dave: 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
Kim: Please extend your hands in blessing.
ALL May we love and nurture the light in one another. May we never accidentally push a brother, sister or ourselves into the dark closet of shame and isolation. May we all be happy, may we all be healthy, may we all live with ease. May we be brave.
AMEN.
Closing Song: Brave
https://youtu.be/QUQsqBqxoR4?si=c3ZpuWauflgZuQP3
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