Welcome to theMoment of Oneness.Our readingsthiseveningreminduswehavemuchtobegratefulfor.Gratefulnessbringspeaceto our hearts.Take a moment, breathe deeply, the Holy One is present in each breath.Let us pray:
Reading:TheSpiritualWorkofGratitude— HenriNouwen — Breadforthejourney — A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith.
To be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all our Lives, the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, the rewards as well as the rejections—-that requires hard Spiritual work. Still, we are only truly grateful people when we can say thank you for all thatHas brought us to the present moment.As long as we keep dividing our lives between events And people we would like to remember and those we would like to forget, we cannot claim the FullnessofourbeingsasagiftofGodtobegratefulfor.Let’snotbeafraidtolookateverything That has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will soon see it in the guiding hand Of a loving God.
Petitions:
Earthteachmestillness.
Earth teach me humility.
Earth teach me caring.
Earthteachmegentleness. Earth teach me freedom.
Earth teach me kindness.
Earth teach me gratitude.
EarthteachmetoknowtheHolyOne
AsIdailygazeinwonderatthe
marvelousmysteriesofallcreation.Anonymous
ClosingPrayer:
WeprayforournewlyelectedU.S.leaders.
Weprayforallthose withanyillnessandasktheHolyOnetoholdtheirhands. We pray for all the unemployed, underemployed,migrants and refugees.
Weprayforallwhoworktopromotejusticebyeradicatingsexism,racismand discrimination of any kind.
Weprayforpeacethroughouttheworldandeliminationofhate. We pray for all unspoken intentions.
(Mary) Like our ancestors, we honor the cycles and the seasons that remind us of the ever-changing flow of life. Ritual acts give life meaning—they honor and acknowledge the unseen web of Life that connects us all.
Lights candle as a member of community prays:
We light this third candle and remember to be joyful no matter the challenges or difficulties we face. We recognize the light of the Holy One coming into our world that will shatter the darkness and bring healing to all who suffer and mourn.
I’m fascinated by the transfigurative synergy, where the quieter people find their voices and their callings, between old truths and new. So much of what we discover, when we aspire to be wise, are things human beings have known forever but then forgot.
Hope has nothing to do with wishing. It references reality at every turn and reveres truth. It lives open eyed and wholehearted with the darkness that is woven into the light of life and sometimes seems to overcome it. Hope, like every virtue, is a choice that becomes a practice that becomes spiritual muscle memory. It’s a renewable resource for moving through life as it is, not as we wish it to be.
It’s a shift from wish-based optimism to reality-based hope. It is akin to meaningful, sustained happiness---not dependent on a state of perfection or permanent satisfaction, not an emotional response to circumstances of the moment, but a way of being that can meet the range of emotions and experiences, light and dark, that add up to a life.
The community affirms these words with an AMEN!
Second Reading (Jean): A reading from the letter to Philippians (Phil 4:4-7)
Brothers and sisters: Rejoice in our God always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. Our God is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Gospel (Diane): A Gospel reading from the Book of Luke.(Lk 3 10-14)
The crowds asked John the Baptist, “What should we do?” He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.”
Even tax collectors came and asked, “What are we to do?”John said “Do not collect more than you have authority to demand”.
And then soldiers on active service asked, “What about us?” He said, “Don’t bully anyone. Don’t accuse anyone falsely. Be content with your pay.
The community affirms these words with an AMEN!
Shared Reflections - Terri
What are we supposed to do?For the past weeks our liturgies have focused on hope…longing for love, joy and peace.As Krista Tippett shared, so much of what we humans discover, when we aspire to be wise…are things we have known forever but then forgot… We are trying to fill any empty place inside us.We might be longing for what was or preoccupied with what the future might hold.
And a future with hope is what we all thirst for.Perhaps this third Sunday of Advent holds a bright lesson – a reprieve from the darkness and the gift of joy which can bring peace.
In our Gospel we hear the same question we might STILL be asking:What are we supposed to do?How can we fill that need deep in our hearts with joy and peace?John the Baptist’s answer is practical and powerful: share, don’t cheat, and do not abuse others. This message is one we know in our heart.It sounds to me as if John was reinforcing the two great commandments:Love God and Love your neighbor.He is challenging us to live a good life.We often have a head filled with to do’s and holiday preparations and fears of the future. Are we being invited today to infuse our daily lives, our current time and space with this simple teaching of Jesus?
The crowds, the tax collectors and the soldiers were looking for the answer to the most important commandment. The answers we hear lead us to finding the Sacred in each of us.What are we supposed to do?Are we challenged to look for Divinity in every person we meet?Are we to ask am I a good enough example of what God wants me to be?Am I truly paying attention to the basics:love God and love my neighbor?
This third week of Advent invites us to cherish that empty space within us. We are invited to fill our empty space with gratitude, to live in the present moment, and learn to love as Jesus loved.
The world might then experience joy and peace in every moment, in every experience.
What did you hear?How do you fill your empty space?
Statement of Faith (Kathie and Suzanne)
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
(Kathie) As we prepare for this sacred meal we are aware that just as Jesus is anointed, so is each of us. As bearers of LIGHT and HOPE, we bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns. Please feel free to voice your intentions beginning with the words, “I bring to the table…..”
We pray for these our blessings, cares, and concerns and bring them to our table of friendship and love. Amen.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
(Kathie and Suzanne)With open hearts and hands let us pray our Eucharistic prayer as one voice: (written by Jay Murnane)
All: Source of All That Is, we seek you in this season, when the earth is resting and preparing for new life. Like the earth, we long for new life and hopeful beginnings. This is the time of the pregnant woman, filled with life and hope powerful enough to topple structures of oppression. This is the time of her song of fidelity and celebration.
During this gentle season of Advent, we recognize that you have made us capable of bringing forth justice, like a rising sun. One with all who have gone before us, we sing a song of praise:
Holy, Holy: "Here In This Place" by Christopher Grundy
We thank you for those in times past who believed the good news, and lived what they believed.
Blessed is Isaiah and every visionary who insisted on a better future that would break through the deception, disaster and broken promises of the age in which they lived.
Blessed is John, in the stark desert of careful focus, inviting the people to be born again in your love.
Blessed is Miriam, who believed the words of Isaiah and opened herself up to the unbelievable.
And blessed is her child Jesus, who felt the sorrows of humankind in his soul, and responded with deep and tender compassion.
Please extend your hands in blessing.
All: We are grateful for your Spirit at our Eucharistic Table and for this bread and wine which reminds us of our call to be the body of Christ in the world.
All.: On the night before he faced his own death, Jesus sat at 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.
All lift their plates and pray 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, go and share with one another.
(pause)
All lift their cups and pray 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)
Let us share this bread with the words “I am for you”.
Communion Song: Peace is like a River by Horatio Spafford
Holy One, we are grateful for the gift of Your Spirit, always drawing beauty and balance out of chaos. And like Jesus…
Standing where he stood,
and for what he stood,
and with whom he stood,
we are united in your Spirit,
and worship you with our lives,
All: 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
(Diane) Please extend your hands and pray our blessing together.
May we live this day with a compassionate heart, clear in word, gracious in awareness, courageous in thought and remember to lead with love.
All: AMEN
Closing Song: One Foot/Lead with Love Melanie Demore
