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| Photo by James C. Lewis |
Please join us between 9:30 and 9:55 am via Zoom
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
Celebrating Mary Magdalene and Each of Us
Welcome to ALL, as we bring our attention to Mary Magdalene and to women who have served throughout the centuries. Women continue to serve the human condition with unequal status but with more than equal presence all over the world. Even in societies that suppress women in every way, there is always hope. Mary Magdalene, through her witness and love, leads the way.
Opening Prayer: We bring each person forward in our minds and hearts as we remember the work we do as women and men, and the love that is shared. May we find the power, persistence and presence to follow Mary Magdalene and Jesus who both lead the way. We ask for this in Jesus’s name. Amen.
Opening Song: Morning Has Broken by Cat Stevens
https://youtu.be/DmAOBosGlHY?list=RDDmAOBosGlHY
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: A reading from the Gospel of John. (Chapter 20).
On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”
Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping.
And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb
and saw two angels in white sitting there,
one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? “
She said to them, “They have taken my Lord,
and I don’t know where they laid him.”
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?”
She thought it was the gardener and said to him,
“Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,
and I will take him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to him in Hebrew,
“Rabbouni,”; which means Teacher.
Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
But go to my brothers and tell them,
‘I am going to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.’”
Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,
“I have seen the Lord,”
and then reported what he told her.
These are the words from the Gospel of John, and we affirm them by saying, AMEN
Gospel Acclamation: Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker
Gospel: From the Gospel of Mary.
When the Blessed One had said these things, he greeted them all, saying, “Peace be with you! Bear my peace within yourselves! Beware that no one lead you astray saying,
‘Look over here!’ Or ‘Look over there!’
For the Child of Humanity is within you! Follow it!”
“Those who seek it will find it. Go then and proclaim the good news of the realm. Do not lay down any rules beyond what I determined for you, nor give a law like the lawgiver, lest you be confined by it.” When he had said this, he departed.
But they were pained. They wept greatly, saying,
“How shall we go to the nations and proclaim the good news of the Child of Humanity?
If they did not spare him, how will they spare us?”
Then Mary stood up. She greeted them all, and said to her brothers and sisters, “Do not weep and be pained, nor doubt, for all his grace will be with you and shelter you. But rather let us praise his greatness, for he has prepared us and made us Humans.”
When Mary said this, she turned their heart to the Good, and they began to discuss the words of the Savior.
These are words attributed to the Gospel of Mary of Magdalene, in the Hal Taussig translation, and we affirm them by saying, AMEN.
Readings taken from Taussig, Hal. A New New Testament: A Bible for the Twenty-first Century Combining Traditional and Newly Discovered Texts. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition
Shared Homily: Deb Trees
For many years now we have been bringing back the emphasis on Mary Magdalene, celebrating her life and leadership. We bring women’s contributions to our awareness and to the forefront of justice, including women in all levels of church and ministry. Mary Magdalene’s feast day is celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church on July 22nd. Since that is Tuesday and not Sunday, we are celebrating this wonderful disciple and apostle
today.
According to the discussion of Hal Taussig regarding the Gospel of Mary, he states the following: “At the heart of the Gospel of Mary is a throbbing enthusiasm for becoming a true human being. For this ancient gospel, Jesus is the Savior because he teaches people how to welcome true humanity into themselves. None of the preceding
quotations from the Gospel of Mary point to how Jesus saves them, forgives them, or makes them holy. Rather, the focus of these teachings is on being real human beings.”
“The Child of Humanity is Within You…”
This Theology of Blessing is central to our work in that we applaud and enhance the idea that we are not sinners, not imperfect, not needing to be saved by the cross. Instead, we are holy and striving to be more holy. We achieve this by acting in our present lives with love and blessing for all. We are striving to attain Soul awareness.
Mary was given this teaching from Jesus and shared it as a leader with others.
Although the Gospel of Mary is not complete, it is well worth reading to get another flavor of Early Christian thinking and teaching. In the Gospel, Mary Magdalene strives to share her experience of Jesus with the disciples present. Jesus who was her spiritual teacher.
We all continue to work towards inclusive lives today, which is one of the reasons we are here together in the Upper Room. We strive to highlight the role of women now and in the early church. We celebrate Mary today as an example of female presence and leadership in the early church and continue by our lives to help all remember the
importance of women in the world.
May we continue to be true to our callings, each of us, no matter where we are, as we give voice to the Child of Humanity within us.
And so, my friends, what did you hear, and how will you live your vision today? We look forward to sharing our wisdom together.
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…..”
We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Presider: 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: Here in this Place by Christopher Grundy
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 share the bread and wine with the words, You are a Child of Humanity.
Communion Song: Blessings by Hollow Cove
In faith and hope we are sustained; in grace and dignity reclaimed. In praise, we thank you.
In union with all peoples living and dead, we unite our thoughts and prayers, asking wisdom and courage:
- to discern more wisely your call to us in the circumstances of our daily lives;
- to act justly and courageously in confronting the pain and suffering that desecrates the Earth and its peoples;
- to take risks in being creative and proactive on behalf of the poor and marginalized;
- and to love all people with generosity of heart, beyond the labels of race, creed and color.
And 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 we continue to hold the Divine in our lives and to strive for Soul Awareness and Ascent. May we continue our lifelong learning to be all that we can be and to humbly be Children of Humanity. May we be a blessing in our time. AMEN.
Closing Song: My Sweet Lord sung by Billy Preston
https://youtu.be/1EORbL8N-R8?si=fyejcviw7RKzEUJK
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