Holy One we are all children in your eyes with delight you hold us. May we remember the childlike wonder and awe throughout our life and return to it whenever we need to be reminded of the child in me longing to be seen and loved.
May we always see through the eyes of a child the awe and wonder of the world.
May we find friends who give us joy.
May all lonely people find a someone who will give them comfort and companionship.
May we see beyond our differences to a friend waiting to be called my friend.
May those who are bullied and despised find comfort in another who cares for them.
Silence to add your own intentions.
Closing Prayer
Thank you, Beloved Parent who taught us through Jesus, that the children will lead us through simple openness and wisdom. May we never lose our childlike dreams and hopes and not get caught up in lofty words and pious ways. Let us come together.
Welcome:GoodmorningandwelcometotheUpperRoom.Todayweareconsideringthe theme of Thresholds or changes in life. As followers of Jesus we have guidance and examples of howwe move from “here to there”, from “no longer to not yet”. There has never been a time in human history where people have not been challenged to live as those called to live with bravery and trust
OpeningPrayer
As we gather here today, let us consider the threshold on which we are currently standing and the “yes” that we need to say to move into the new threshold to which we arecalled.WedothisknowingthatweareguidedbytheSpiritwhocomestousthrough periods of quiet reflectionandour path,althoughuncertain,is illuminatedby the light of the divine within each of us.
Not all prophets do as they are told. Not at first, anyway. When the call comes, most of themturnleftandthenright:“Who,me?”theymurmur.Ifthecallisatrueone,thevoice of the Holy Spirit will roar: “Yes, you!”
Even then, the prophet will haggle with the Holy One. “There must be someone better suited to speak for the Divine.” But the God of Love is a patient God. The God of Love callsonce,twice,threetimes.Onlythendoestheprophetsquarehershoulders,girdher loins, open her hands, and say, “Hineni. Here I am.”
The history of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam abounds with accounts of great beings who trembled when they were confronted with the presence of the Divine and given a taskofglobaldimensions.Traditionally,thisreluctanceisimplied,ratherthanstated,yet when we read the scriptures with an open heart, we can feel the anguish behind the submission.
Ourcommunity affirms thesewords by the prophetMirabaiStarr by sayingAmen
SecondReading:Areadingfrom JohnO’Donohue
At any time you can ask yourself:At which threshold am I now standing?At this time in my life, what am I leaving? Where am I about to enter? What is preventing me from crossing my next threshold? What gift would enable me to do it?Athreshold is not a simple boundary; it is a frontier that divides two different territories, rhythms and atmospheres.Indeeditisalovelytestimonytothefullnessandintegrityofanexperience or a stage of life that it intensifies toward the end into a real frontier that cannot be crossed without the heart being passionately engaged and woken up.At this threshold a great complexity of emotion comes alive; confusion, fear, excitement, sadness, hope.
This is one of the reasons such vital crossings were always clothed in ritual. It is wise in your own life to be able to recognize and acknowledge the key thresholds: to take your time;tofeelallthevarietiesofpresencethataccruethere;tolisteninwardwithcomplete attention until you hear the inner voice calling you forward. The time has come to cross.
Ourcommunity affirms these words of the prophet JohnO’Donohue by sayingAMEN!
LandofZebulunandlandofNaphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,onthose dwellingina landovershadowedby death light has arisen.
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent,forthekingdomofheavenisathand.”
As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,SimonwhoiscalledPeter,andhisbrother Andrew, castinganetintothesea;theywerefishermen.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,James,thesonofZebedee,andhisbrotherJohn. Theywereinaboat,withtheirfatherZebedee,mendingtheirnets. Hecalledthem,andimmediatelytheylefttheirboatandtheirfather andfollowedhim.HewentaroundallofGalilee,teachingintheirsynagogues, proclaimingthegospelofthekingdom,andcuringeverydiseaseandillnessamong the people.
SharedHomily
We all experience thresholds in life both individually and communally. They are a symbol of changing from one state to another.An example of thresholds is the current state of our country and the world. Political upheaval has challenged many to take direct actionin order to help bring about the justice and peace for which we yearn. Many have increased efforts to meet the direct needs of those in our community.Many religious, political and philosophical people have written about the new era in which we find ourselves.Oldsystemsarebreakingdownandwedonotyetknowwhatthefutureholds. I would like to suggest though that just for today, we look deeper and more personally to what it means to be a person of faith in light of a broader range of thresholds or changes in life.
When John the Baptist was arrested, Jesus read the moment and fled to Galilee. In this , he fulfilled the scripture of Isaiah. Jesus calls the fishermen. There is no explanation about what he was actually promising them if they would follow him. The call wasenough and they left with him into the unknown future. There is no doubt that Jesus, the fishermen, the Jews living under occupation felt fear, apprehension and uncertainty. The dangers were real and each step or decision carried with it no promises other than that Godwouldbepresentwiththem.NadiaBolzWeberencouragesustorememberthat.The Divineseesallasholyandcapableofgreatthings.Godusesourstrengthsaswellasour weaknesses to take the circumstances of life and find our “yes”. St. Hildegard of Bingen referred to God as the Living Light. This Light is the God who is Love and who lights our footsteps and path with grace. The Light that brings veriditas or the greening of ourworld and our souls.
Mostthingsinlifeareimpermanentandchanging.Wemovefromhealthintoillness,from illness into health. We having changing financial options or resources. We make decisionsaboutrelationships,careers,housing,travel,socialandpoliticalprioritiesand life stages. Images of God, Jesus, Spirit Sophia evolve and deepen through the heartfelt prayer and disciplined mediation and openness of the seeker.
As followers of Jesus, we can look to all the examples of history and in our own lives to see that we have the spirit of God within, around and among us. If we believe and stay faithful to our path, the Light will shine to meet us in the darkness of circumstances of life. We can look within and ask “what is it that God is calling forward in me? What do I need in order to cooperate with the light of grace in order to do whatever I am being calledtodointhismomentorsituation?Wearecalledtofindour“yes”whenitcouldbe easier to say no out of fear or uncertainty.
Again, while all are welcome to share from the heart, I am encouraging us to avoid the temptation to make it about politics or one man. The thresholds were there before this administrationandwillalwaysbeinourlives.Wewelcomethoughtsaboutthereadings or topic.
StatementofFaith
We believe in the Holy One, a divine mystery
beyondalldefinitionandrational understanding,
the heart of all that has ever existed,
thatexistsnow,orthateverwill exist.
WebelieveinJesus,messengeroftheDivineWord, bringer of healing, heart of Divine compassion, bright star in the firmament of the
Holy One’s prophets,mystics,andsaints.
WebelievethatWearecalledtofollowJesus as a vehicle of divine love,
a source of wisdom andtruth,
andaninstrument of peace inthe 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.
WebelievethattheDivinekin-domishereandnow, stretched out all around us for those
witheyestoseeit,heartstoreceiveit, and hands to make it happen.
Prayersof the Community
Asweprepareforthissacredmeal,weareawareofourcalltoserve,andjustasJesusis anointed, so is each of us. We bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns, with “I bring to the table”
Holy One, you have been called by many names by many people in the centuries of our planet’s life. Yet, no name truly defines you or describes you.We celebrate you as the marvelous,lovingenergyoflifewhocausedusandourworldtobe.Wecelebrateyouas the Source of light and life and love, and we celebrate your presence and all-ways care.
Astheworldbecomesincreasinglyinterdependentandfragile,thefutureholdsbothperil and great promise.
Maywerecognizethat,inthemidstofamagnificentdiversityofculturesandlifeforms, we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny.
Unitedwithourvastuniverse,withourMother-Planetandherpeopleeverywhere,with one another and You, Holy One, our spirits dance and sing this song of praise:
Wegivegratefulthanksforthosewhocamebeforeus,forallthosewhogavefromtheir hearts, who gave from their lives, that there might be a better world, a safer world, a kinder world, we pray for peace in their name.
Andforthechildren,thattheymayliveandhavechildrenoftheirownandthatitwillgo on -this great blossoming that is meant to go on and on – we pray for peace, in their name.
Andforallpeoplesofthisearthwhohavenovoiceinthis, For the animals that have no voice in this,
Forthe plants,the trees,the flowersthat have novoice inthis,
For allwhoshare this earthwithus,we pray for peace intheir name.
Wethankyouforourbrother,Jesus.Heshowedussosimply,sotenderly,howtheworld is in our hands. He had nothing in this world but your love, companions on the journey, and his very self. Together, that was more than enough, and that remains our clarity in the midst of confusion: the miracle of healing, new hope, nurturance, nourishment, liberation and life.
Pleaseextendyour hands inblessing.
All:YourSpiritishereinusandinthegiftsofthisEucharistictable.Maywebecomegifts of wisdom, light and truth which remind us of our call to be the body of Christ to the world.
Onthenightbeforehefacedhisowndeathandforthesakeoflivingfully,Jesussatat the 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.
Liftingthe plate:
Whenhereturnedtohisplaceatthetable,heliftedthebread,spoketheblessing,broke the bread and offered it to them saying:
LovingSourceofAll,wehavelookedforotherstosaveusandtosaveourworld.Yet,we are called, and consecrated and sent into the world to establish justice and show the blessedfulfillmentthatcomeswithsimplicityandthegivingofourselvesinlove.Wewill make new our commitment to the harmony of the original vision of creation.
LikeJesus,inallopenness,wewillbefilledwithyourownSpiritandrenewthefaceof the earth.
Foritisthroughlearningtoliveashelived, And why he lived,
Andfor whom he lived,
That we awakentoyour Spirit within,
Movingustoloveandcareforoneanotherandallcreation, At this time and in all ways.
WesayyestoYou!
Let us pray together the prayer of Jesus:
All:OHolyOne,whoiswithin,aroundandamongus, We celebrate your many names.
YourWisdomcomes.
Yourwillbedone,unfoldingfromthedepthswithinus, Each day you give us all we need;
Youremindusofourlimits,andweletgo.
Yousupportusinourpower,andweactwithcourage. For you are the dwelling place within us,
This blessing is for the moment after clarity has come, after inspiration, after you have agreed to what seems impossible.
This blessing is what follows after illumination departs and you realize there is no map for the path you have chosen, no one to serve as guide, nothing to do but gather up your gumption and set out.
This blessing will go with you. It carries no answers, no charts, no plans.
It carries no source of light within itself.
But in its pocket is tucked a mirror that, from time to time, it will hold up to you
to remind you of the radiance that came when you gave your awful and wondrous yes.
