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Saturday, November 23, 2024

Upper Room Sunday Liturgy, November 24, 2024 - Presiders: Mary Ann Matthys and Kim Panaro

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


Rethinking the Solemnity of 

Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Universe


Welcome and Theme:

Good morning and welcome to the Upper Room. Today we will visit the idea of Jesus as the King of the Universe. This royal, imperial view of Jesus is likely not the most appealing for many who hear this message. It is too “top down” and aggressive. King of the Universe gives way to a Universal Christ.  There is a rich invitation to embrace a deep inner journey. This contemplative life of emptying oneself leads to a very simple gospel call to lives of service and love. Although we may be inspired by Christianity, it is not exclusive to Christians. It is our common call. 



Opening Song: May the Christ Light Shine in You

https://youtu.be/tY0Rj9Yd2lk?si=RGxv1q-MYHbvU8GM




LITURGY OF THE WORD


First Reading: Excerpts from The Universal Christ by Richard Rohr


What Love tells us about God Love, which might be called the attraction of all things toward all things, is a universal language and underlying energy that keeps showing itself despite our best efforts to resist it. It is so simple that it is hard to teach in words, yet we all know it when we see it. After all, there is not a Native, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Islamic, or Christian way of loving. There is not a Methodist, Lutheran, or Orthodox way of running a soup kitchen. There is not a gay or straight way of being faithful, nor a Black or Caucasian way of hoping. We all know positive flow when we see it, and we all know resistance and coldness when we feel it. All the rest are mere labels.


For the first two thousand years of Christianity, we framed our faith in terms of a problem and a threat. But if you believe Jesus’s main purpose is to provide a means of personal, individual salvation, it is all too easy to think that he doesn’t have anything that contradicts our egos’ desires or our cultural biases. We ended up spreading our national cultures under the rubric of Jesus, instead of a universally liberating message und the name of Christ.


These are the inspired words of Richard Rohr and the community affirms them by saying: Amen


Second Reading: Excerpts from A Reply to Richard Rohr On the Cosmic Christ by Ilia Delio


We cannot know this mystery of Christ as a doctrine or an idea; it is the root reality of all existence. Hence, we must travel inward, into the interior depth of the soul where the field of divine love is expressed in the "thisness" of our own, particular lives. Each of us is a little word of the Word of God, a mini-incarnation of divine love. The journey inward requires surrender to this mystery in our lives and this means letting go of our control buttons. It means dying to the untethered selves that occupy us daily; it means embracing the sufferings of our lives, from the little sufferings to the big ones, it means allowing God's grace to heal us, hold us and empower us for life. It means entering into darkness, the unknowns of our lives, and learning to trust the darkness, for the tenderness of divine love is already there. It means willing to sacrifice all that we have for all that we can become in the power of God's love; and finally, it means to let God's love heal us of the opposing tensions within us. No one can see God and live and thus we must surrender our partial lives to become whole in the love of God. When we can say with full voice, "you are the God of my heart, my God and my portion forever" then we can open our eyes to see that the Christ in me is the Christ in you. We are indeed One in love.


These are the inspired words of Ilia Delio and the community affirms them by saying: Amen


Gospel Acclamation: Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker

https://youtu.be/o1rc7ojQtJU?si=TaIRTLw4sA6qf7dk




Gospel: A reading from the writer known as John (1:1-5)


In the beginning there was the Word; the Word was in God. The Word was God. The Word was present to God from the beginning. Through the Word all things came into being, and apart from the Word nothing came into being that has come into being. In the Word was life, and that life was humanity’s light- a Light that shines in the darkness, a Light that the darkness has never overtaken.


These are the inspired words of the writer known as John, and we affirm them by saying, Amen. 


Shared Homily

This feast day called the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe was declared in 1925. During the past 100 years the Roman Church has grappled with what it actually means to declare Jesus to be the King of the Universe. During Vatican II there was an attempt to expand or temper the meaning  by declaring that God’s Holy Spirit works  in and through other religions and that even non-Christian faiths can lead to salvation. It seems that it may have been an overreach to declare Jesus to be the King of all the Universe. The absurdity of this condescending assertion is clear to serious progressive Christians. The Upper Room community is devoted to a big tent understanding of Jesus’ humble itinerant ministry. A king implies a militaristic top-down system of governing.  As Americans, our founders chose not to have a king as does much of the world. Jesus did not want this in his name nor did he want this for his followers. When asked which commandments were the most important, he said “love God and love others as yourself”. Period. No coronations, no ruling class, no one true Church and faith, no supreme power. Love, service, simplicity, agape, working for justice and peace and compassion are the gospel calls in the world. In order to be like Jesus, we simply need to defy unjust authority, live for others, speak truth to power and remain steadfast. As we say in our liturgies “all he had was himself, his companions and God and together that was more than enough.” We have all of this as well. Here in this place today each of us has everything Jesus had, and it is more than enough. I love the saying of St Francis of Assisi when he says “preach the Gospel at all times and use words when necessary”. The gospel of Jesus is love in action, service, kindness and community. It is not a religion, it is a path. Rohr speaks to this universal call. 


So what of the Universal Christ?. It is a very interesting and important concept in progressive Christological thinking. In John’s gospel the understanding of Jesus had shifted from a man in history to the Eternal Word Jesus the Christ who is the Word who always existed, was with God, Is God. Today many find deep meaning in the concept of Christ Consciousness, Universal Christ as the lifegiving energy that flows through all. This is a core concept in Christian sitting meditation. This is certainly less militaristic and I would say offensive than the King who has dominion over all but I find it problematic in today’s world. Many who call themselves Christian would not know what you're talking about and may find it appalling. In many ways, this way of contemplating Jesus is both ancient and new.  Many Christian thinkers see this view as “new age” or heretical.  Without focusing on the sanctifying atoning death of Jesus, his purpose is distorted, say some scholars. They find it to be too esoteric and not focused on Jesus the son of a God requiring blood atonement for sin. In the US today, over 80% of evangelical Christians voted for the candidate who made up his own version of the bible. Many of our brother and sister Americans believe God from his throne room had a hand in choosing him to be in a position to do God’s work. They believe that God has plans for our president elect’s agenda to be implemented. So, for many, the universal king is terrifying and offensive. Marginalized Jews, Muslims, women, LGBTQ, Hindus, Native People, minorities, atheists, immigrants, asylum seekers are witnessing a significant number of Americans thank a heavenly king for making the president elect the most powerful person on earth The vulnerable and marginalized don’t need to worship Jesus the King. Rather they need us to be the hands, feet, eyes and heart of Christ.  I find it hard to ask people who are currently terrified to understand that Universal Christ does not mean the King Jesus of Christian Nationalists. 


Pondering the readings for today we discover the call to a deeper understanding of the interior life journey with the Universal Christ or the Christ mind. We are so beautifully invited to the deep interior contemplative life. It invites serious seekers to conversion, relinquishment and embracing.  I think that the Universal Christ is who Merton, Therese of Lisieux, Hildegard of Bingen, Dorothy Day, Desmond Tutu, and so many of our favorite mystics encountered through their deep inner life. This freedom of spirit inspired non-violent public ministries modeled on the simple servant Jesus. Their love in action was the message.  Mystics seek union with God. I would encourage you to spend time with our readings today and discover what resonates with you. 


Please feel free to share what the readings or topic means for 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 compa+ssion,
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


Presider:   We invite you to share your prayer intentions beginning with the words: “I bring to the the table..”

Presider:  We pray for these and all unspoken concerns of our hearts. Amen.


LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST


Presider:   Let us join with open hands to pray our Eucharistic prayer together:


All: Source of Love and Light, we join in unity of Spirit, love and purpose with Your people everywhere, living and crossed over. With all of creation across billions of galaxies, we open our hearts and souls to become One.

In your loving embrace we are liberated from division, fear, conflict, pride and injustice. We are transformed into wholeness which we resolve to bring to all whose lives we touch. With gratitude, we meld ourselves Your Divine Presence which knows all, shelters all and transforms all into love, abundant and eternal.


In one voice, we praise Your loving, healing ways and the glory of all You have Created:


Holy, Holy: Here In This Place by Christopher Grundy

https://youtu.be/uXyu57tR2gk 


We thank you, Holy One, for Jesus, a man of courage whose exquisite balance of human and Divine points our way and who strives with us in our time of need. We yearn with passion to live as Jesus, one with you and your Spirit, in peace and justice.


May our desire to be one with You join us to all living things. We seek to heal the differences that isolate us so that we may live in healthful unity with all people, of every ethnicity, skin color, gender orientation or class. May we have the imaginative sympathy and love of Your Spirit to move with courage beyond the confines of bias, miscommunication, ignorance and hurt and into the healing place where Divine light and love abide.


Presider:  Please extend your hands in blessing of bread and wine.


All:  Together, we call on Your Spirit, present in these gifts - bread that satisfies our hunger and wine that quenches our thirst – to make us more deeply One, living in the fullness of holy compassion and Sophia wisdom.


Anticipating the likelihood of betrayal, arrest and pain, Jesus wanted more than anything to be with his friends, to share a meal, exchange stories and create fond memories. To strengthen the bonds of friendship that evening, Jesus washed the feet of his friends in an act of love and humility.


                        LIft the bread.


All: Back at the table, he took the bread, spoke the grace, broke the bread and offered it to them saying, Take and eat, this is my very self.


           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. (pause)


Presider: Please receive communion with the words: We are One in Love.


Communion Song: Become What You Love

https://youtu.be/98erkb5g88c?si=PIBgN-GReHr3k5Md

Presider: Let us join with disciples of all ages to pray together:


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 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 (Miriam Therese Winter)


BLESSING


Presider:  Please raise your hands in blessing and join together in our closing prayer:


We pray for harmony in the midst of divisiveness and for hope in the middle of hurt. We bless our civic leaders and ourselves and all peoples with a call for harmony and deep peace: May Deep peace be a blessing onto you. May we know the deep peace of the running wave. May we know the deep peace of the flowing air. May we know the deep peace of the quiet earth. May the moon and stars pour their healing light upon us all. Amen.


Closing Song:  Leaning In

https://youtu.be/rot5M9Kirhc?si=Oenlhk6TE10UAEla



Upper Room Saturday Liturgy, November 23, 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


Christ the Servant


Welcome: Welcome to you all! I’m so happy to be here with you all today as we close out the church year with gratitude. 

Opening Prayer: Let us pray. Holy One, You invite us to embrace Wisdom and be transformed by your love and justice into servant leaders. May we step forward to accept your invitation. 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 Wisdom of Sirach 24:12-21
*Other ancient texts include verse 18, included here. 

I have taken root in a holy people,
people who belong to God, God’s heritage. 

There, I have grown tall as a cedar in Lebanon, as a cypress on Mount Hermon. 

I have grown tall as a palm in En-Gedi, as the rose bushes of Jericho,
as a fine olive in the field,
as a plane tree beside the water. 

Like cinnamon and precious oils, I yield perfume.
Like choice myrrh, I spread my fragrance.
Like the smell and smoke of frankincense, I fill the tent. I have spread my branches like a terebinth,
luminous and graceful.
I bud forth delights like the vine.
My blossoms become a harvest of abundant fruit. 

*I am the Mother of Love, inspiring wonder.
I am Woman Wisdom, imparting understanding.
I am holy hope. I, Wisdom, am undying and timeless.
I am given to all my children, to all those named by God. 

Come to me, you who yearn for me!
Eat your fill of my fruits!
The memory of me is sweeter than honey,
sweeter than the honeycomb.
All who eat of me will hunger for more.
All who drink of me will thirst for more. 

These are the inspired words of a Wisdom Writer and the community affirms them by saying AMEN. 


PSALM
Psalm 63:2; 4-6; 8+12 

The Psalm Response is: In the shadow of your wings, we sing for joy.
R: In the shadow of Your wings, we sing for joy. 

God, You are our God.
We seek You. We thirst for You.
Our bodies, our whole beings, long for You.
For You we yearn, as in a dry and parched land,
where there is no water. 

R: In the shadow of Your wings, we sing for joy. 

Your unfailing love is better than life itself.
Our lips will ever praise you, telling of Love’s glory.
We will bless You all our lives long.
We will lift up our hands and call on Your name.
You satisfy us as with a rich feast.
With joyous lips, our mouths will sing Your praise. 

R: In the shadow of Your wings, we sing for joy. 

You have always been our healer and our help.
In the shadow of your wings, we sing for joy!
You raise up servants, those you have called, to guide your people.
All will rejoice in you. 

R: In the shadow of Your wings, we sing for joy. 


SECOND READING
A Reading from the Book of Revelation 1:3-8 

I, John, write to the seven churches in Asia. Grace to you, and peace, from the One who is and was and is to come. Grace and peace to you from the seven-fold Spirit who is before the throne. Grace and peace to you from Jesus the Christ, God’s faithful witness, firstborn of the dead, leader and servant-leader of all who rule the earth. 

To the one who loves us and has freed us, to the one who has made us to be a kin-dom, - all of us priests, serving a Loving God - to that servant leader be glory and honor for ever and ever. Amen. 

Look, Christ is coming on the clouds! Every eye will see it,
even those who pierced Jesus. All the peoples of the earth
will lament Jesus’ sufferings. So shall it be. Amen.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says God, “the One who is and was and is to come, the All in All.” 

This is the vision of a Late First Century Writer, known as John, and the community affirms it by saying AMEN. 


ALLELUIA  Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker – MT Video
https://youtu.be/4cs8NDVM3Vk 


GOSPEL

A reading from the Gospel attributed to Mark 10:43b-45

Speaking to his disciples, Jesus taught: “Anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant. Anyone who wants to be first among you must serve all. For the Human One came not to be served but to serve, and to pour out life that others may live.” 

These are the inspired words of the anonymous storyteller we call Mark and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.


Homily Starter—Julie: One of the things I love about the the Comprehensive Catholic Lectionary is that not only does it thoughtfully update our weekly readings, it also explains why. So, in renaming this ‘Christ the Servant’ instead of ‘Christ the King,’ the CCL is making a statement. I quote “In a culture and society (e.g., 21st c. North America) in which Christianity is the dominant religion, Christ as ‘King’ is stripped of its subversive intent. ‘Christ as Servant’ re- asserts this subversive claim in the face of the contemporary Christian nationalist movement … and captures accurately the nature of Jesus’ Messiahship in the gospels.” 

The CCL goes on to explain why it swapped our first reading. “The canonical First Reading from Daniel tells of final and everlasting dominion and kingship. … In its own context, the rhetoric would have been a word of hope for the suffering, the marginalized, and the oppressed. That is not our nation’s context. The CCL thus instead chooses a passage in which Wisdom speaks (Sirach). Wisdom, personified as a Woman, foils power and wealth. She is God’s indwelling presence in and among humanity.”

We here today have the opportunity to make that same choice. We can choose Wisdom over dominion and kingship. We can foil power and wealth and offer hope to the suffering, the marginalized, and the oppressed. We can choose faith, hope, and love today and every day. We can follow The Way of Jesus together.  

What did you hear? What will you do? What will it cost you? Which is my way of asking—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 – 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 sing for joy.


Communion Meditation: We Are All Angels by Karen Drucker
https://youtu.be/TV3gCB2Er7g


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 feel the love of the Holy One every day. May we be grateful for all that is good in our lives. And may we share the divine light each and every day. AMEN


Closing Song: Blessings by Hollow Coves (video, DHS)
https://youtu.be/5M3JL9sHS5Q