Moment of Oneness, June 24, 2026- Prepared by Debra Trees

 Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81507551772

Meeting ID: 815 0755 1772
To connect by phone dial: 1-301-715-8592

Liturgy of the Hours - Night Prayer.

Thanksgiving Address. Words Before All Else. Greeting to the World, from the Iroquois, Six Nations People.

The Sign of Blessing: In the name of Peace, and Love and Grace. Amen.

Leader: God, Come to my assistance.

Participants: Holy One, Make haste to help me.

First Reading: from To become a Human Being, The message of Tadodaho Chief Leon Shenandoah. By Steve Wall.

I've heard people pray. They do it at ball games. They start meetings with prayers. There were a lot of prayers said out loud in churches. There are a few “thank yous” in there, but mostly it's a lot of asking. 

They say bless us father, protect us Lord, take care of us and guide us. They ask for even more than that but I can't remember everything because it's so much. 

I don't know why they ask for anything. The Creator’s already done it all. And he's doing it all the time. The Creator just wants us to give our thanks.

These are the wise words from Chief Leon, and we affirm them with AMEN.

Second Reading: Our second reading is the Thanksgiving Address, a prayer of gratitude from the Iroquios. 

From the introduction to this little book, it says, The Thanksgiving Address has ancient roots, dating back over one thousand years to the formation of the Great Law of Peace by a man called the Peacemaker, and perhaps before that. Today these words are still spoken at the opening and closing of all ceremonial and governmental gatherings held by the Six Nations.

 

The Thanksgiving Address. Words Before All Else.

The People.

Today we have gathered and we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So now, we bring our minds together as one as we give greetings and thanks to each other as People.

Now our minds are one.

The Earth Mother

We are all thankful to our Mother, the Earth, for she gives us all that we need for life. She supports our feet as we walk about upon her. It gives us joy that she continues to care for us as she has from the beginning of time. To our Mother, we send greetings and thanks

Now our minds are one.

The Waters

We give thanks to all the Waters of the world for quenching our thirst and providing us with strength. Water is life. We know its power in many forms - waterfalls and rain, mists and streams, rivers and oceans. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to the spirit of Water.

Now our minds are one.

The Fish

We turn our minds to all the Fish life in the water. They were instructed to cleanse and purify the water. They also give themselves to us as food. We are grateful that we can still find pure water. So, we turn now to the Fish and send our greetings and thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Plants

Now we turn toward the vast fields of Plant life. As far as the eye can see, the Plants grow, working many wonders. They sustain many life forms. With our minds gathered together, we give thanks and look forward to seeing Plant life for many generations to come.

Now our minds are one.

The Food Plants

With one mind, we turn to honor and thank all the Food Plants we harvest from the garden. Since the beginning of time, the grains, vegetables, beans and berries have helped the people survive. Many other living things draw strength from them too. We gather all the Plant Foods together as one and we send them a greeting and thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Medicine Herbs

Now we turn to all the Medicine Herbs of the world. From the beginning, they were instructed to take away sickness. They are always waiting and ready to heal us. We are happy there are still among us those special few who remember how to use these plants for healing. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to the Medicines and to the keepers of the Medicines.

Now our minds are one.

The Animals 

We gather our minds together to send greetings and thanks to all the Animal life in the world. They have many things to teach us as people. We see them near our homes and in the deep forests. We are glad they're still here and we hope that it will always be so. 

Now our minds are one.

The Trees

We now turn our thoughts to the Trees. The earth has many families of Trees who have their own instructions and uses. Some provide us with shelter and shade, others with fruit, beauty and other useful things. Many peoples of the world use a Tree as a symbol of peace and strength. With one mind we greet and thank the Tree life.

Now our minds are one.

The Birds

We put our minds together as one and thank all the Birds who move and fly about over our heads. The Creator gave them beautiful songs. Each day they remind us to enjoy and appreciate life. The Eagle was chosen to be their leader. To all the Birds -from the smallest to the largest-we send our joyful greetings and thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Four Winds

We are all thankful to the powers we know as the Four Winds. We hear their voices in the moving air as they refresh us and purify the air we breathe. They help to bring the change of seasons. From the four directions they come, bringing us messages and giving us strength. With one mind we send our greetings and thanks to the Four Winds

Now our minds are one.

The Thunderers

Now we turn to the west where our Grandfathers, the Thunder Beings, live. With lightning and thundering voices, they bring with them the water that renews life. We bring our minds together as one to send greetings and thanks to our Grandfathers, the Thunderers.

Now our minds are one.

The Sun

We now send greetings and thanks to our eldest Brother, the Sun. Each day without fail he travels the sky from East to West bringing the light of a new day. He is the source of all the fires of life. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our Brother, the Sun.

Now our minds are one.

Grandmother Moon

We put our minds together and give thanks to our oldest Grandmother, the Moon, who lights the nighttime sky. She is the leader of women all over the world, and she governs the movement of the ocean. By her changing face we measure time, and it is the Moon who watches over the arrival of children here on earth. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our Grandmother, the Moon.

Now our minds are one.

The Stars

We give thanks to the Stars who are spread across the sky like jewelry. We see them in the night, helping the Moon to light the darkness and bringing dew to the gardens and growing things. When we travel at night they guide us home. With our minds gathered together as one, we sing greetings and thanks to all the Stars.

Now our minds are one.

The Enlightened Teachers

We gather our minds to greet and thank the Enlightened Teachers who have come to help us throughout the ages. When we forget how to live in harmony, they remind us of the way we were instructed to live as people. With one mind we send greetings and thanks to these caring Teachers.

Now our minds are one.

The Creator

Now we turn our thoughts to the Creator, or Great Spirit, and send greetings and thanks for all the gifts of Creation. Everything we need to live a good life is here on this Mother Earth. For all the love that is still around us, we gather our minds together as one and send our choicest words of greetings and thanks to the Creator.

Now our minds are one.

Closing Words

We have now arrived at the place where we end our words. Of all the things we have named, it was not our intention to leave anything out. If something was forgotten we leave it to each individual to send such greetings and thanks in their own way.

And now our minds are one.

The Glory Be

All: Glory and Joy be to Peace and Love and Grace. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

And let us pray the Prayer of Jesus. 

Prayer of Jesus. (Miriam Therese Winter)

All: Oh 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.

Deb: Let us have a moment of quiet as we remember our intentions and those who need our prayers.

Please share your intentions if you wish…

Conclusion of Night Prayer, Moment of Oneness.

Blessings on all of us as we take the time and intention to calm ourselves and to keep our thoughts happy in service to others. We are grateful for everything in our lives.

May the Creator grant us a restful night and a peaceful sleep. 

Amen.

Upper Room Sunday Liturgy - Father's Day, June 21, 2026 - Presiders: Kim Panaro, Connie Fenton and Mary Theresa Streck

Zoom:   https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82512159155  
phone-in for (audio only).Phone Number: (646) 558-865

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that 

we belong to each other.” ~Mother Teresa

Good morning and welcome to the Upper Room. Happy Father’s Day. We take time today to celebrate the gifts of fatherhood. For many it is a day to reminisce about having had a great dad: wise and loving and supportive. For some it is a chance to be recognized for having been a wonderfully kind, loving and wise dad. Some people struggle on Father’s Day as it brings up regret, loss and wounds. We are so happy to be here together to spend some time celebrating fathers and all men who have been called to navigate the many “ordinary moments” and opportunities found within this sacred call.

Opening prayer/song

This song is a prayer that may be on the lips and heart of every father. At least we hope it is. It is what lies in the heart of the parent who wants to do well for their children and their children’s children.

Opening Song: Let There Be Peace on Earth

https://youtu.be/HPH4LRASWbo?si=7Puwle9BYsYtfR_i

First Reading: Excerpt from The Holy Ordinary by Mark Longhurst

At this point in my short life, I’m carrying a loaded pack of difficult emotions. My relationship with my dad has hit a rocky patch. I have extreme social anxiety about fitting in at school, and I’m simmering with self-hatred about being perpetually bullied. I reach the top and sit down on a rock. My legs are sore, but my heart is overwhelmed by beauty. It’s almost as if I’ve gone beyond myself and tasted unity with something greater. For that brief moment, sun now streaming across white-capped peaks, I experience the truth of the old hymn: “It is well, it is well with my soul.” Life is hard but it will be okay. It’s these moments that keep me going, moments in which I am reminded that I’m dwelling in and connected to a reality much larger and more loving than myself. 

These are the inspired words of Mark Longhurst and the community affirms them by saying: Amen.

Second Reading: Blessing in the Chaos by Jan Richardson

To all that is chaotic in you,
let there come silence.
Let there be a calming
of the clamoring,
a stilling
of the voices that
have laid their claim on you,
that have made their home in you,
that go with you
even to the holy places
but will not
let you rest….

Let there be
an opening
into the quiet
that lies beneath the chaos,
where you find the peace
you did not think possible
and see what shimmers
within the storm. 

These are the inspired words of Jan Richardson and the community affirms them by saying: Amen

Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia Missa Delgado Book 1

https://youtu.be/uilfwfd-U_g?si=fbADZuJy6a5oMSQx

Gospel Reading: A reading from the writer known as Matthew (Mt.10:26-31)

Don’t let people intimidate you. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, and nothing is hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in darkness, speak in the light. What you hear in private, proclaim from the housetops. Don’t fear those who can deprive the body of life but can’t destroy the soul. Rather, fear the one who can destroy both body and soul in Gehenna. Are not the sparrows sold for pennies? Yet not a single sparrow falls to the ground without your Abba God’s knowledge. As for you, every hair of your head has been counted. So don’t be afraid of anything—you are worth more than an entire flock of sparrows.

These are the inspired words of a writer known as Matthew and the community affirms them by saying: Amen.

Homily Starter

I am happy for those whose dads have been kind, loving, wise, helpful and present.  I include among my list of amazing fathers the men of the Upper Room Community. I have been moved and inspired by each of you. We hold in sacred memory those who have passed: Ed Ryan, Jonathan Gradess, Tom Going, Mike O’Brien, Ernie Sanford-Martinez and Dave Burtis.  Each one was a father and is remembered today. 

 I will admit that I used to struggle with Father’s Day because I felt like I was supposed to say glowing things about how my father raised us.  I didn’t know how to say the truth in a way that didn’t sound whiny or unkind. Now as a wiser adult I have come to believe that Father's Day is a day for honoring whatever is true. My father worked very hard as an iron worker.  He was raised in poverty in Harlem by an alcoholic dad and a violent mom with Type 1 bipolar disorder. He was convicted of a crime at 16 and was sent to the military. By 22, already an alcoholic himself, he and mom had 3 kids.  I remember a few small shimmers which I cherish. Growing up in New York City he took us to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade almost every year. I have a picture from when I was 12 when he was painting my toenails for me. When I was eight years old my grandmother, his mother committed suicide. On the day she died he told me it would make her happy if I watched Cinderella on TV that night. I am grateful that I can now understand that my father was a deeply wounded man trying to do a job for which he was woefully unprepared. I embrace the truth of his story and how it shaped who he was as our father. For some dads the legacy is of the wonderful things they did. For some dads their legacy are the shimmers that shown through their dark and heavy loads. 

Our first reading is from the book that many of us are reading now in our book club The Holy Ordinary. Longhurst shares an adolescent memory of having an opportunity, like Moses, to climb to the mountain top with his burdens and pains. There he found the vastness of God in the deep peace that would carry him through his own journey as a father. Like Saul on the road to Damascus, who got knocked off his horse, he saw reality with new eyes. This author realized that no matter how hard life could be, he would never be alone. Isn’t that a wonderful thing to know?  In our second reading, Richardson refers to the reality of life. There is chaos, there is clamoring, there are voices that won’t let us rest.  Our society doesn’t really give men very good models for how to do the work of nurturing, of being in that place of deep calm, in peace through all the challenges of the day. Parenting a child is not so much about the big moments but rather those trips to a sports game, taking them to get sneakers, helping them through a test, answering the tough questions for them when you don’t have them yourself, trying to provide for all their material needs in addition to their social or just growing up challenges. 

In our gospel today, Matthew tells us that God does not focus really on the kings and the warriors. God focuses on the sparrows the tiny birds, the vulnerable things. Nothing is outside God‘s awareness as God is in all of God’s creation.  Research has shown that children benefit from knowing that their parents at least thought about parenting and gave it their best shot. So for those fathers who may lie awake or spend their quiet moments wondering how they are doing, our faith says, “be not afraid”. Every action that comes from your love, your dedication and your willingness to show up teaches your children that they are beloved and have great worth.

Please feel free to share your thoughts.

Statement of Faith

Presider: Let us continue our liturgy by reciting our 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 eucharistic meal, we recognize that just as Jesus is anointed, so is each of us. We pray today, this special litany of blessings and intentions in honor of Father’s Day.

Presider: We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen.  

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

Presider: Please join in praying the Eucharistic Prayer.

God Beyond All Names, who gives life and breath to everyone and everything in our world, let us find life, breath and meaning for ourselves and our world.

We celebrate and give thanks, together, for the men in our communities. That women and men are different invites us into partnership, invites us to share the burdens and the joys of life.

In the gentle care of the Holy one we find our home. And in the living Spirit we are united this day in offering praise as we sing: 

Holy, Holy, Holy: Here in This Place by Christopher Grundy

https://youtu.be/sgkWXOSGmOQ?si=Ckj9HhY9SpXJa4n2

Great Mystery with a father’s heart, you gather us as your children. You comfort and hold us in your warm embrace. Eternal and loving Source of Life, we thank you this day, for being part of your family.

Great Mystery, with a father’s heart, love surrounds and supports us, in good and difficult times, in the midst of joy and pain, always and everywhere. We are never left alone nor abandoned.

When we hurt we are held in love’s embrace. When we are afraid we are surrounded with compassionate care. When we are hungry we are nourished with the bread of life.

Presider: Please extend your hands as we pray the prayers of consecration

We are grateful for the God Beyond All Names at our Friendship Table and for this bread and wine which reminds us of our call to be the body of Christ in the world, standing in solidarity with all.  

All: On the night before he faced his own death, 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 with them, he bent down and washed their feet.  

Lift plate:

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.

  

Lift cup: 

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. 

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: You/I am loved.

Communion Song: His Eye is On The Sparrow by Tennessee Ernie Ford

https://youtu.be/HIMXvMrZz4c?si=hiwXEg2cG_AghzoN

Let us pray 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 your 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 yours is the dwelling place within us,

The empowerment around us.

And the celebration among us. Now and forever. Amen.

(From Miriam Therese Winter)

Presider: Please extend your hands in Blessing.

May you know
the hope
that is not just
for someday
but for this day—
here, now,
in this moment
that opens to us:

Know that

you are worth more than 

an entire flock of sparrows.

(Adapted from Blessing of Hope by Jan Richardson)

Closing Song: Teach Your Children by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

https://youtu.be/jYQbjlMYLXA?si=D7uzMQZtOfGgOhw9