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Here is the Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82512159155
phone-in for (audio only).Phone Number: (646) 558-8656
Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155
Welcome and Theme:
Good morning and welcome to the Upper Room. Today we will hear the story of Jesus departing from his disciples and encouraging them to continue the mission. We will think about how we like the disciples have been inspired by Jesus and many other people to bring healing to a broken world. Our first song will be our opening prayer.
Opening Song: Holy Angels by Sara Thompsen
https://youtu.be/orIFoynGguA?si=UYKFmZG6fudvf_UN
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading; Excerpts from: A Brave and Startling Truth by Maya Angelou
We, this people, on a small and lonely planet
Traveling through casual space
Past aloof stars, across the way of indifferent suns
To a destination where all signs tell us
It is possible and imperative that we learn
A brave and startling truth
And when we come to it
To the day of peacemaking
When we release our fingers
From fists of hostility
And allow the pure air to cool our palms
When we come to it
When the curtain falls on the minstrel show of hate
And faces sooted with scorn are scrubbed clean
When battlefields and coliseum
No longer rake our unique and particular sons and daughters
Up with the bruised and bloody grass
To lie in identical plots in foreign soil
We, this people, on this small and drifting planet
Whose hands can strike with such abandon
That in a twinkling, life is sapped from the living
Yet those same hands can touch with such healing, irresistible tenderness
That the haughty neck is happy to bow
And the proud back is glad to bend
Out of such chaos, of such contradiction
We learn that we are neither devils nor divines
When we come to it
We, this people, on this wayward, floating body
Created on this earth, of this earth
Have the power to fashion for this earth
A climate where every man and every woman
Can live freely without sanctimonious piety
Without crippling fear
When we come to it
We must confess that we are the possible
We are the miraculous, the true wonder of this world
That is when, and only when
We come to it.
These are the inspired words of Maya Angelou and the community affirms them by saying: Amen
Second Reading: "To Carry the Flame" by unknown author
They are gone, but not the work.
Not the call etched in quiet mornings, not the love
sown deep in trembling hands.
They did not finish— not because they failed, but because the sacred things are too large for one life to hold alone.
Now it is your breath that stirs the embers.
Your feet
that walk the path
they cleared with prayer and pain.
Your voice
that speaks the truths they once whispered into silence.
You do not need to do it all.
Only this:
Carry what was given, with reverence and courage.
Tend the fire, pass the light, become the echo of their purpose made new in you.
We affirm these words by saying: Amen
Gospel Acclamation: Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker
https://youtu.be/o1rc7ojQtJU?si=K1AtmGyzp0b7ysz8
Gospel: A reading from the gospel writer known as Luke (Lk 24:46-53)
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.
And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you;
but stay in the city
until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Then he led them out as far as Bethany,
raised his hands, and blessed them.
As he blessed them he parted from them
and was taken up to heaven.
They did him homage
and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
and they were continually in the temple praising God.
These are the inspired words from the gospel writer known as Luke and the community affirms them by saying: Amen
Shared Homily
Today is the feast of the Ascension on the liturgical calendar. It is the day when we traditionally celebrate the belief that after the Resurrection, unlike Lazarus Jesus did not die again. We are taught he was brought up into heaven where he continues to live in union with God.
Whatever one believes on matters of doctrine and faith, one thing that is undeniably true is that the followers of Jesus were living in a time of “no longer and not yet”. The hope that Jesus would be the Messiah of the prophets was dashed by his crucifixion. Surely, the Messiah would not die an earthly death. The crisis of faith that Jesus’ death brought was shared by all those who had believed in him and in the promise he was here to fulfill. The “not yet” was what people would come to believe about the nature of Jesus and his mission. Of particular interest was whether he was sent for the salvation of the Jews only or for all people without regard to religious or national affiliation.
We know from Luke that after Jesus “ascended” the followers returned to their lives with great joy. Why aren’t they in mourning again? I believe it is because this final departure of Jesus came after his followers began to understand their call to carrying out the gospel. Those who believed in Jesus in his lifetime truly believed that he would be the one who would help to overthrow the oppressors of the Jews and who would then reign as the ruler of God’s new earthly kingdom.
Our first two readings reflect the lessons of the early followers of the Way. The reorientation of faith of the early church went from “He” to “We.” Ushering in the kindom of God would not be accomplished by one man but by all men and women contributing their part. In our first reading, Maya Angelou paints an image of our tiny planet in the vastness of space and of time. While we often wonder how one person can make a difference, just think about one person on one planet in one galaxy in one universe in one minuscule second in the vastness of time. Talk about feeling small. The point is that this perspective helps us to know that it takes all of us. In this we find comfort, perspective and joy. This is reinforced in our second reading. A messiah who does not accomplish the mission in its entirety did not fail. No, they have simply done what is theirs to do. The vision of a kindom in which everyone is loved, valued and provided for is grand and accomplishing it is way too big for one person and one lifetime. So, that is why we can all be joyful for our part in the journey. We don’t need to do it all, we just need to do our own part.
How we do that is more a matter of how we act than of what we say. Jesus’ words were often radical and challenging. I believe however that the deeper impact he had was on how people felt in his presence. His ministry was not so much about his words but about his healing presence, his healing touch and his gift of time that he shared with so many who wanted to speak or dine with him.
Bring to mind someone who has passed over that you have loved or admired. There may be words and memories that inspire you. I’ll bet you are filled with the felt sense of how they made you and others feel. The message of the ascension is that Jesus lives on in the hearts of those who love him and fulfill his mission. Those who pick up the mantle. We choose that challenge, knowing we are not alone because we have God, and we have each other. We can do our part so that in the end we can say that we have finished our race, but the race continues with the next generation of those who are inspired by the promise of a better tomorrow.
As Christians, we look to brother Jesus as an example of responding to tyranny and threats all around him with a higher love and purpose. As we seek to follow in those footsteps, we can ask ourselves, “What will people remember about me and remember about you?” As we journey forward let us love and support one another. When things get too bleak let us remind each other of the beauty of the dance and the dancers all around for those with eyes to see. On the days we surrender to fear and complacency let us remind each other to act with courage. If we do this when people remember us our name will be a blessing in their time.
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
Presider: As we prepare for the sacred meal, we voice our intentions beginning with the words, “We bring to the table…..”
Presider: We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Presider 1: Please join in praying the Eucharistic prayer together:
All: 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: Christopher Grundy
https://youtu.be/sgkWXOSGmOQ?si=5WU7QxnPfhqc1e65
ALL: 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.
Presider 2: Please extend your hands in blessing.
All: 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 the Seder 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.
All lift their plate and pray the following:
When he returned to his place at the table, he lifted the Passover bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread and offered it to them saying:
Take and eat; this is my very self.
All lift their cup and pray the following:
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.
Please receive communion with the words: “Your light shines.”
Communion Song: The Beauty of the Dancer by Sara Thomsen
https://youtu.be/pgFqqcPsFp0?si=hTO7r7zwGE7J-4F5
Prayer after Communion
May we ever be aware and alert to the new things Your Spirit makes possible in us, as our world unfolds amid pain and beauty, into the fullness of life to which all are called, participating in the wise and wonderful work of co-creation.
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.
Presider 1: Let us pray the prayer Jesus:
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: Let us pray together our blessing:
May the light you carry
never grow dim-
even when the path is shadowed,
even when the world forgets to see.
May your quiet strength
speak louder than thunder,
and your stillness
be a refuge for weary souls.
May your words,
when they come,
be like water to the thirsty-
clear, gentle, and true.
May the love you offer
return to you folded in peace,
and the seeds you plant
bloom in places you may never go.
Walk on, light-bearer.
Even when no one says so-
you are a blessing.
You are a prayer
answered daily
in the hearts of others.
Closing Song: Joy in the Journey by Michael Card
https://youtu.be/4UqStPHbFIc?si=Ll6Kmlz64UsHVhIt
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