phone-in for (audio only).Phone Number: (646) 558-865
Season of Creation
Welcome: Welcome! I’m so glad to be here with you today as we begin our celebration of the Season of Creation and mark the unofficial end of summer.
Opening Prayer Let us pray. Holy One, as we celebrate this glorious Season of Creation, we are reminded of what we have inherited here on beautiful planet Earth and what we labor to leave behind for our children and their future. Let us feel your love and support as we care for all your creations. AMEN
Opening Song: Deep Peace, Sara Thomsen, Video by Denise Hackert-Stoner
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading
A Reading from the Book of Ruth 2:2-9
Ruth, a young widow and a Moabite, lived with her mother-inlaw, Naomi. All of Naomi’s children had died, and Naomi also was widowed. Together, they moved to Judah, Naomi’s home country.
In order to sustain themselves, Ruth, said to Naomi, “Let me go glean ears of grain in the field of anyone who will allow me that favor.” Naomi replied, “Yes, go, my daughter.” So, she went and gleaned in a field behind the harvesters. She happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Naomi’s husband, Elimelech (which means God is my Ruler).
Just then, Boaz returned from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “God be with you.”
“God bless you!” they replied.
Boaz asked the head laborer of the harvesters, “Where does this young woman come from? To whom does she belong?” The head laborer replied, “She is the Moabite who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. She asked, ‘Please, let me glean whatever falls from the sheaves behind the reapers.’ Ever since early this morning until now she has been on her feet, with scarcely a moment’s rest.”
Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Don’t glean in anyone else’s field, and don’t leave my field. Stay close to the other women who work for me. Keep your eyes on the field that is being reaped, and follow behind them. I have ordered the young men not to bother you. Whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the pitchers of water they have drawn.”
These are the inspired words of an Ancient Storyteller, and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.
Gospel Acclamation: Celtic Alleluia by Christopher Walker
https://youtu.be/4cs8NDVM3Vk?si=LjKW18DK_ms_MYHw
Gospel
A Reading from the Gospel attributed to Matthew 20:1-16
The kin-dom of heaven is like an owner of a vineyard who went out early in the morning to hire workers. After agreeing with the workers for the usual daily wage, one denarius, the workers went into the vineyard. When the owner went out about nine o’clock and found others standing idle in the marketplace, the wine grower said to them, “You also go to my vineyard, and I will pay you what is just.” So, they went. Then the owner went out again about noon, and then also at about three o’clock, and did the same. And about five o’clock, still others were standing around. So, the owner said, “Why are you standing here idle all day?” They replied, “Because no one has hired us.” The wine grower said, “You also go into my vineyard.”
When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to the manager, “Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last arrivals and ending with the first.” Those who were hired at the end of the day came forward and received the usual daily wage, one denarius. Then, when the first workers came forward, they expected to get more, but they too received one denarius each, a usual day’s wage.
They took it, but grumbled at the wine grower saying, “The workers who came last have put in only one hour, and you have treated them the same as us, even though we have done a heavy day’s labor in the heat.” The landowner answered one of them and said, “My friend, I am not being unjust to you. Did we not agree on one denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to pay the latecomer as much as I pay you. Have I no right to do what I like with my own affairs? Why should you be envious because I am generous?”
It is in this way that the last will be first, and the first, last.
These are the inspired words of the anonymous storyteller we call Matthew, and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.
Shared Homily: Julie: This weekend is the intersection of the waning days of summer; Labor Day on Monday in both the US and Canada; and the beginning of the Season of Creation. Our readings today focus on labor, first with the labors of Ruth as she struggles to survive in a foreign land and then in the gospel vineyard. Ruth’s story feels very contemporary to me in these days of economic insecurity for so many and, sadly, the harsh realities that face many immigrants here in the US.
The lack of welcome, the lack of generosity, I see around me breaks my heart, which is partially why I selected these readings. To quote the Inclusive Lectionary’s commentary for today, our gospel “fits seamlessly with today’s themes of worker justice, the righteous treatment of workers. The gospel story of the laborers in the vineyard is found only in Matthew. In this parable, some argue allegory, the worker who is hired late in the day is paid the same as the one who was hired at the start of the day. The passage concerns notions of economic justice, care for the working poor, and generosity. God's ‘economy’ challenges our sense of justice and ‘fair pay’ for work rendered. In ‘Matthew’s’ time, it might simultaneously respond to questions regarding recent ‘converts’ and early converts who have worked hard for years for the church, possibly suffered persecution, and receive no special recognition from the newest among them.” I think that those of us here today can also see how it relates to immigrants to our countries and those who have been here for generations. How generous is our welcome today?
I would add that the Holy One’s vineyard encompasses all of creation and that we are all tasked with its care and protection, all year long, not just during our Season of Creation.
How do we best do that today so that earth flourishes tomorrow?
What did you hear today? What will you do? What, if anything, will it cost you?
Statement of Faith:
All: 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 and Intentions, Blessings and Concerns
As we prepare for the sacred meal, we are alert to the wonders and dangers within our task of stewardship of Creation. We bring our gratitude, blessings and concerns to the friendship table. Please begin your prayer with “I bring to the table. …”
We pray for these and all the unspoken concerns held in the silence of our hearts. AMEN.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Let us pray the Eucharistic Prayer of Compassion for the Earth with one voice and open hearts,
All: Holy One, we are amazed at the universe and this planet Earth and we respond with gratitude and compassion. We are blessed by the lights of the heavens, the sun and moon, comets and stars; we are blessed by knowing ours is but one galaxy among many.
We are blessed by the darkness which keeps us from being blinded by the light and which eases us into contemplation and rootedness; likewise, we are blessed by light which awakens our souls to the glory of creation.
We are blessed by oceans and the cliffs and shores which envelop them, by streams and rivers, by snow and sleet and rain. The mountains are our blessing of solitude and summit where we can feel the softest wind, see the furthest horizon and expand our imagination and vision.
We are blessed by the children whose easy smiles and open arms teach us enthusiasm and delight at living in the present. We are blessed by friends and strangers, by those who have gone before us and the friends we have yet to meet. These companions are the face of your love and compassion.
Plant and vegetation, whether beauties of the land or harvest for our survival are also our companions, sharing in the sun and wind and rain. The biodiverse wealth of animal and marine life are our blessed companions, deserving also of our protection and care.
In celebration of Creation and all our blessings, we sing with joy:
Holy, Holy, Holy: Here In This Place – Christopher Grundy
In times when the pain in our hearts breaks and the world’s pain seems unreconciled, our appreciation and awareness of Creation can dwindle or lapse. The urgency of addressing climate change is not always recognized; valuing creation and sustaining its life-giving properties is sometimes an afterthought.
May our recognition of Earth as our Eden fill us with gratitude. May the saving grace of the Spirit and of Jesus enhance the dialogue and sacrifice necessary to save ourselves and our world.
We celebrate the truth-tellers and the lovers of the environment, living and dead; Ansel Adams, the landscape photographer, John Audubon, the naturalist, Jane Goodall, the anthropologist, Greta Thunberg, and Erin Brockovich, climate activists and authors Henry David Thoreau and Rachel Carson. Like our brother Jesus, these visionaries were pioneers and prophets who sought to live fully and fearlessly the truth of their calling.
Please extend your hands in blessing.
We are grateful for the bread and wine that remind us that we are called to renew and to be renewed with the love of the Spirit of God who is in everything, every plant, animal and human everywhere. We thank you for Jesus, beacon of love and mercy, forgiveness and healing.
We are grateful for this bread and wine which remind us that we join Jesus in standing with the broken and wounded of the world who are most directly affected by climate change.
On the night before he faced betrayal and death, Jesus shared supper with his 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 the bread
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, go and share my love with one another.
lift the cup
Then he took the cup of the covenant, 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 are transformed by your Spirit and we are transformed when we open ourselves to Your Spirit. Each time we share this bread with one another we choose to love others as you love us.
What we have heard with our ears, we will live in our lives; as we share communion, we will become communion, both Love’s nourishment and Love’s challenge.
Through Jesus we have learned how to live. Through Jesus, we have learned how to love. Through Jesus we have learned how to serve. AMEN
Please receive the bread and wine with the words, I am a spark of the Divine.
Communion Song: Heaven Right Here by Jeb Loy Nichols
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP3LTmG_HAs&list=RDhP3LTmG_HAs&start_radio=1
I got penny change in my pocket
I got heaven on my mind
I got a gravel road, twenty miles
Gonna spend a little time
For the ways of the world seem to frustrate
Always stealing food off of the next plate
Only hate is our fate and it's too late
All we get is a crumb from the big cake
So I'll just take my time
And relax my mind
So I'll stop - slow down
Watch the sun go down
Come on over to my yard
Sit around and let your troubles all disappear
Come on over to my yard
'Cause right now heaven's right here
It was bright and sunny in the morning
Afternoon clouds gave chase
I don't wanna take my place in their rat race
As for love there's no trace on their face
It chills me right down to my back bone
And it's lonesome when you're so far from home
And when the world that they've made starts to fall down
I'll be here so why don't you just come around
Prayer After Communion
We seek to act justly and courageously in confronting the suffering that desecrates the Earth and its peoples; to take risks in being proactive on behalf of the marginalized who suffer the environmental injustices of fouled air, tainted water, and a poverty of parks and public spaces that bring people together to enjoy nature. We pray for inspiration to act with the harmony and unity and synthesis that is modeled for us by the trees of the forest, and the stars of the evening.
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 glorify You, O Holy One, at this time and all ways. AMEN.
Jesus Prayer for the Season of Creation
Let us pray, as Jesus taught us.
Generous Creator, the intricate and elegant biodiversity of our world is your hallowed autograph on our lives, our souls and our hearts.
We yearn for the wholeness of being in harmony with Your will and with all living things. Each day we draw on your creative, life-giving energy with awe as we find nourishment in, seed and field, river and forest.
We acknowledge our shortcomings, especially our feelings of being powerless in the face of climate change and injustice. We seek to be reconciled with those we have hurt and we resolve to do better.
With your unfailing wisdom and the wind of Your Spirit, inspire us that we may reach out and love one another and care for the world, our home.
Strengthen us to work for local and global justice. May we one day reap a harvest of equality and fairness as if they were wildflowers, propagating spontaneously, unerringly and in surprising abundance. AMEN. Lynn Kinlan
Blessing
Please extend your hands as we bless each other
All: May we treat all of Creation as heaven on earth. May our lives show our respect for the earth we share with our sisters and brothers of all species, including the birds and fishes. May we live as if the future depends on it. AMEN.
Closing Song: Gild the Lily by Billy Strings
https://youtu.be/xBkRCd2UCLI?si=QsYPQVw69D0w0r0T
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.