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Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155
Advent Candle Lighting Blessing Prayer
Deb: Like our ancestors, we honor the cycles and the seasons that remind us of the ever-changing flow of life of which we are a part. Ritual acts give life meaning—they honor and acknowledge the unseen web of Life that connects us all.
Week 2 – Community member lights candle and community prays:
We light this second candle and remember our ancestors who feared death, evil and all the dark powers of winter. We, too, in our day fear the darkness of war, discrimination, xenophobia and selfishness that threaten us and our planet to an eternal winter. Let us kindle the light of peace! Amen
Opening Song: Ancient Mother by Jan Novotka video by MTStreck
https://youtu.be/PJSBqNoIqsM?si=ZZxpIbV0bu7HN7RY
Deb – Welcome: Welcome to all, near and far, here today or watching later. We celebrate our Advent time together with our holy honoring of each other, more than anything else.
We are the light, we are the hands and feet, we are the body of the Holy One, Spirit of Advent, keeping our presence close. For all of us, may we allow ourselves to be present to each person we meet.
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: A reading from Cole Arther Riley as shared by Rev. Dr. Phillis Sheppard.
“God of the long wait, we take hope, knowing you are a God whose movement is not dependent on our ability to perceive it. Remind us that your wait in the womb of Mary was not time wasted but an intimate beginning in mystery, growth, and dependency. Let our own waiting be the same, that we would find ourselves able to trust our communities to sustain us, entering a safe and sacred interdependence for all parts. As we wait for healing and liberation—in ourselves, in the world—help us to practice justice, repair, and mercy, never relying on the divine to absolve us of our collective and individual responsibility. And let us wait in mystery, believing that those who think they are in control of this world are not, and that oppression will not prevail. Help us to be at rest with the unknowing, that we would trust the secret of Mary’s womb, realizing we aren’t entitled to knowledge or clarity, but are still held in love. Let us feel that even here you are moving, you are growing our way to life and healing. Protect us from despair as we wait for liberation. Amen.”
A reading from Cole Arthur Riley, and we affirm these words with a firm: AMEN.
Second Reading: Our second reading, Shemoth, from Lucy Rieger, as shared by Dr. Lizzie Berne DeGear
Women of force,
Worth more than rubies
Your beits, sacred wombs and
Infinite sources of creative imagination,
Women weavers
Singers of the Union song,
Creating with your words and hands
Teaching
Weaving the red cloth,
With the red thread of life
Lifeblood that cannot be expunged
This divine feminine of
Tamar, Rahab ancient ancestors
Spinning, weaving wisdom
Creating a legacy for Tabitha, Anna,
Mary and Elizabeth
Let the midwives sing for joy!
Let the weavers teach with song!
Let the women leaders judge and grieve
Deborah as a firebrand
Awaking with a song of strength
And Miriam, with timbrel
Singing to the Lord
To the heartbeat of
Lamenting Rachael
Who cannot be consoled
We tear our garments
For loss of you our sisters
Their names un-written
And tune ourselves to your songs
Untangling ancient words
Into women’s holy wisdom
Anointing woman,
heiChrista
Loved and remembered
For your healing balm
Anoint us too, and teach us
To defy, to bless, to love
As we send forth the message
Learned from you, our newly discovered
Holy ancestors
That God’s love is the power within us
And cannot be extinguished.
God’s love, the red thread,
the very lifeforce
Courses through faithful
Women’s veins.
We pour forth our blessing in song,
Handed down to us from our
Ancient mothers, named and unnamed
Peace! Blessings! Faith! Love!
A reading from -- Shemoth by Lucy Rieger and we affirm this reading with a firm AMEN.
Alleluia: Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker
Gospel: A reading from the Gospel of Luke.
The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end."
But Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?"
And the angel said to her in reply,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God."
Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.
A reading from the Gospel of Luke. And our community affirms this reading with AMEN
Homily starter: Deb Trees
Today’s readings are more reflective of the Solemnity of Mary, the Immaculate Conception, which is normally celebrated on December 8th, than the readings chosen for today by the USCCB, which highlight John the Baptist. The second week of Advent is, I guess, not supposed to be about the woman who made the sacrifice with her lifeblood, but the man who followed Jesus.
That is not really happening with me. I have just been privy to a wonderful course through People’s Catholic Seminary, always open to all of course, that was specifically about the Women of the Bible, named and unnamed. We celebrated them, felt their presence, learned more about them, realized that they need our extreme attention.
Women continue to be suppressed, Half of the world. It reminds me of the sun, which we always take for granted, but which is the very source of all that we are: food, clothing, warmth, continuity and being. Women are the lifeblood of the world, and we must be celebrated and loved. We are crucial. Do not abandon us!
Here in these readings, you may have heard something that speaks to you, or even in the future will spark your heartstrings. Please feel free to share what you hear today. And make sure to reflect for the future…
Let us have a moment of quiet before we share.
Reader: 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
Deb: 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 and all unspoken intentions. Amen.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Deb: 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, 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, this is my very self.
(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)
Deb: Let us share this bread and cup to proclaim and live the gospel of justice and peace.
Communion Meditation/Song: Be a Light–shortened Thomas Rhett (lyrics ) ft. Keith Urban, Chris Tomlin, Hillary Scott &Reba McEntire
https://youtu.be/Oqiw54l_x-8
Prayer after communion:
Presider and ALL: 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.
Reader: 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
Deb: Please extend your hands and pray our blessing together.
May we continue to be the face of God to each other. May we call each other to extravagant generosity! May our light shine for all to see, and may we be a blessing in our time!
All: AMEN
Closing Song: Miriam’s Song by Debbie Friedman
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