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Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155
Welcome: There are many directions and connections in tonight’s readings. As you listen and reflect, what resonates for you?
Opening Prayer: In the beginning there was the divine word and wisdom. The divine word and wisdom was there with God, and it was what God was. It was there with God from the beginning. Everything came to be by means of it; nothing that exists came to be without its agency. In it was life, and this life was the light of humanity. Light was shining in darkness, and darkness did not master it.
Opening Song All You Works of God – Marty Haugen
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: A Reading from the Engendered Health. By Amy Agarwal, Principal Writer and Editor
The words we choose and the language we use have the power to affect the people and the world around us. Our words represent our beliefs, morals, prejudices, and principles—sometimes in ways we may not mean—and can shape an audience’s perceptions of us as well as the issues about which we speak and write. Our failure or refusal to speak or write certain words—intentional or not—sends similar messages. For instance, when the previous administration (45th’s first term) ostensibly prohibited the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from using such terms as diversity, entitlement, evidence-based, fetus, science-based, transgender, and vulnerable, the intent was obvious to stakeholders across the public health sector and beyond—to minimize the importance and legitimacy of the concepts and individuals associated with those terms.
Let us affirm these words with AMEN!
Second Reading: A reading from the letter to James
The tongue is small but as small as it is, the tongue is a great boaster. Think how a tiny spark may set the largest forest ablaze! The tongue is like a spark. Among the members of our body it proves itself a world of mischief; it contaminates the whole body; it sets the wheels of life on fire. With this tongue we bless our God and with it we curse people who are made in God’s likeness. From the very same mouth come blessings and curses.
Let us affirm these words with AMEN!
Gospel Acclamation: Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker
Gospel: A Reading from the Gospel of Matthew (5:33-37)
Jesus said to his disciples:
"You have heard that it was said to your ancestors,
Do not take a false oath,
but make good to the Lord all that you vow.
But I say to you, do not swear at all;
not by heaven, for it is God's throne;
nor by the earth, for it is his footstool;
nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
Do not swear by your head,
for you cannot make a single hair white or black.
Let your 'Yes' mean 'Yes,' and your 'No' mean 'No.'
Anything more is from the Evil One."
Let us affirm these words with AMEN!
Shared Homily
In the beginning there was the Divine Word and Wisdom. God spoke the word and there was light and darkness, and all manner of creation. The Christian church taught and still teaches that Jesus is this Word. There is so much confusion and misinformation with this teaching. In his book, Heart and Mind, Alexander Shaia tells us that the Word is not Jesus but the Christ. Christ was in the beginning, while Jesus, lived, died and rose centuries later. Christ is the image of the indivisible God. Jesus and the Christ are not interchangeable.
I have and still struggle with the random use of the word Christ; especially when Christ is used as Jesus’ last name. Over the years I have come to love the person of Jesus more deeply but continue to struggle with the word Christ. For now, I have come to believe that the word Christ means Divine Mystery. How we translate, use and understand words “are important to our beliefs, morals and principles”. (Endangered Health)
If we stopped here maybe this might be enough for tonight, but there is so much more to our words.
In the letter to James, he is talking about controlling our words by controlling our tongue. We all know words can hurt, create confusion, and disagreement.
In the Gospel Jesus is also reminding us to be careful with our words. Jesus is said to be speaking to his disciples, but he is literally quoting very well known verses from Deuteronomy and Sirach (Ecclesiastes). No false oaths, no swearing, but let your yes mean yes and your no mean no.
Our words and how we use them are so important. The Word of God is you and me. Let’s strive to use our words to create, build bridges, encourage and shape our world.
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
As we prepare for the sacred meal, we are aware that just as Jesus is anointed, so is each of us. 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 unspoken concerns. Amen.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
adapted from Diarmuid O’Murchu
With open hands let us pray our Eucharistic Prayer together:
Gracious God, source and sustenance of life, redeeming presence to the pain and brokenness of our world, Holy Spirit, who enlivens and inebriates all that exists, we beseech your healing power upon us and all we pray for today.
Down through the ages, you rescue us from darkness. You light up our ways with wise and holy people. You restore our spirits, and you revive our dwindling hope.
May the Spirit of life and wholeness transform us that we may be refreshed in our inner being and be empowered to bring mercy, love, and healing to those whose lives we touch.
For all you bring to our lives, and for all we seek amid pain and suffering, we acclaim your love and greatness, and we join with all creation to sing our hymn of praise:
Holy, Holy, Holy: Here in this Place –by Christopher Grundy
Please extend your hands in blessing.
Source of our health and wholeness, healer of body, mind, and spirit, we bring before you the darkness of our world, and the pain and suffering of your people.
We seek to be healed and made whole; we seek to be reconciled and united; we seek peace in our hearts and in our world.
We ask you to awaken anew in our hearts the empowering grace of your abundant Spirit, who infuses these gifts of bread and wine with the transforming energy of life, to nourish and sustain us in our time of need.
As we gather around this friendship table, we recall God’s
blessing and love from ages past, and we celebrate anew
the gift of life which we share among us at this Eucharistic feast.
The bread we break and the cup we share are symbols of our world of abundance where all are invited to partake of the fullness of life. But that life we often impede by our greed and selfishness and by our exploitation of other people.
On the night before he died, Jesus gathered for supper with the people closest to him. Like the least of household servants, he washed their feet. Once again, he showed us how to love one another.
All lift the plate and pray:
Back at the table, he took the Bread, spoke the grace, broke the bread and offered it to them saying, Take and eat. Go and love one another.
All lift the cup and pray:
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)
We share this bread and cup to proclaim and live the gospel of justice and peace. We choose to live justly, love tenderly, and walk with integrity.
Please receive communion saying: “may my words speak love”
Communion Song: Love Rises – The Many
Post-Communion Prayer
May we strive to create a world where suffering and pain are diminished, where justice and peace are restored, and where all people can live in health and wholeness, united in acclaiming the God of life, whose abundance is offered to each and to all.
This prayer we make in the name of our healing and nurturing God through, with, and in whom we offer these gifts, source of life, love, and goodness, now and forever. Amen.
Reader: Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
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 1: Let us raise our hands and bless each other.
May we continue to be the face of the God to each other. May our companionship make each of us new each day. May we know we are never separated from the love of the Holy One. Amen.
Closing Song: May the Christ Light Shine in You by Kathy Sherman
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