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
Celebration of Belonging
Welcome: Today was a big day across our country. People came out all over to protest. We each did what we could do today. Tomorrow we will go out again and strive to help those in need, our neighbor, and our family and friends. We gather here each Saturday to pray, share, and provide spiritual nourishment for each other.
Opening Prayer: The Kin-dom of God is here and now. We experience God’s loving presence in creation, and each other. We are always and everywhere grateful! Amen.
Opening Song: More Light by Christopher Gundy
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: A reading from Testing Tradition and Liberation Theology (Finding your own words) by Val Webb
Laity doing Theology
The more laity become theologically aware and theologically involved, the more the concrete life and outreach of the (church) people will benefit.
Dietrich Bonhoffer said the Christian task of the world is to be imitators of Christ. “To be a Christian does not mean to be religious in a particular way, or to cultivate particular forms of rites and rituals, --but to be a human being! Jesus does not call people to a new religion, but to life!”
These are the inspired words of Val Webb and Dietrich Bobhoffer.
Gospel Acclamation: Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker
Gospel: A reading from the Gospel according to Luke (10:1-9)
Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples, men and women,
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
"The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter,
first say, 'Peace to this household.'
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
'The Kin-dom of God is at hand for you.”
These are inspired words from the writer known as Luke, and we affirm them with, Amen.
Shared Homily
Tonight’s gospel is relatively long, and we could spend a lot of time on almost every verse. For a start let’s focus on "The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for the harvest.” As soon as I read “so ask the master of the harvest” I thought be careful what you ask for!
Jesus sent out “72” disciples. Why ‘72’? The number 72 was not just a random number but had great significance to the Jewish people. In Judaism, the number 72 primarily symbolizes the 72 Names of God (or Shem HaMephorash).
Even more amazing they all knew the number 72 in Hebrew represents the word for "lovingkindness". If we hear this through the ears of those listening to Jesus, we might hear go out, for each of you, a laborer is needed to harvest or share all the goodness and loving kindness that our Creator/Abba God has provided abundantly for everyone.
When we go out, we do not have to bring money and belongings, our focus can be the many reminders of God’s love, how God has helped us in the past and continues in the present. We are to offer all these reminders, and blessings, with an attitude of loving kindness, expecting nothing in return!
The first reading tonight reminds us that Jesus did not send out “ordained” people. He sent out 72 unknown and unnamed disciples not “the twelve”. He said to ask for more laborers and never mentioned they had to be ordained. We are all asked to be laborers in the community. Everyone ordained or not, does what each are able to do.
Finally, the last verse of the gospel says, “the kin-dom is at hand.” Jesus again says Abba/God is present, always walking with us on the journey. We have the presence of God, and each other. What more do we need.
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.
Prayer of the Community
As we prepare for the sacred meal 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
We are a priestly people. We are anointed. With open hands let us pray our Eucharistic prayer as one voice:
O Nurturing, Mothering one, You are always with us. We are grateful for Your constant loving and unconditional presence. At times we forget that You are holding us, attending to us. We fall and You pick us up. You send strangers, friends and family to our aid. We are never without Your Light and Spirit.
We experience great joy and we experience great pain and suffering. You are with us in the joy and the pain and suffering. When we experience Your presence, we long to sing our hymn of praise:
Holy, Holy, Holy: Here in this Place by Christopher Grundy
Creator and Lover of all beings, we cannot grow in the darkness of this world without Your Light. Our desire to be in Your light is a gift from You. Help us keep our hearts and minds open to You through our love and care for each other and all creation.
Please extend your hands in blessing
This bread and wine is a sign of Your nourishment and a sign of Your great love. Your Spirit is upon us and we belong to You and one another.
We thank you for Jesus, simple servant, lifting up the lowly, revealing you as God-With-Us, revealing us as one with you, and all creation.
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.
lift bread.
All: Back at the table, he took the bread, spoke the grace, broke the bread and offered it to them saying, Take, eat, share, and love one another.
lift the cup
Then he took the cup of blessing, spoke the grace, and offered it to them saying:
Take and drink of the covenant
Made new again through my life in you.
Whenever you remember me like this,
I am among you.
Bread and wine is transformed by Your Spirit and we are transformed when we open ourselves to Your Spirit. Every time we share this bread and wine we choose to be transformed. We choose to love as You love us.
As we celebrate and recognize You in this bread and wine we love and recognize you in each other. Please receive communion with the words:
Communion Song: The Summons words by John L. Bell & Graham Maule
Post Communion Prayer:
Holy One, your transforming energy is always moving within us and working through us. 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 be one with you, O Holy One, at this time and all ways. Amen.
Let us pray together the prayer of 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 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.
by Miriam Therese Winter
BLESSING
Please extend your hands and pray our blessing together
May we continue to be the Face of God to each other. May the certainty of our connectedness to one another and all creation ignite us to love more fully. May we, like Jesus be a shining light and a blessing for all. Amen.
Closing Song: Anthem by Tom Conry
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