Welcome to tonight’s Moment of Oneness. We are at the midpoint of a packed week—Monday was the Solstice and Friday is Christmas. With that in mind, I invite you to sit back and let the music and words wash over you tonight. Just rest.
Real and right and true, the sky is blue Everlasting arms up-holding you Sweet secret peace Sweet secret peace
Beautiful are you, your hands on you All you feel is real and right and true Sweet secret peace, secret Sweet secret peace
Real and right and true will turn into Secret peace inside the heart of you Sweet secret peace Sweet secret peace, ooh Sweet secret peace Sweet secret peace
Our intercessions tonight are in the style of a lovingkindness meditation. We invite you to send these wishes to all beings everywhere as you pray with us.
May you be happy as I wish to be happy.
May you know peace as I wish to know peace.
May you be free from suffering as I wish to be free.
May you be safe in all ways as I wish to be safe.
May you be brave as I wish to be brave.
May you be healthy as I wish to be healthy.
May you be fed and warm and I wish to be fed and warm.
May you know love as I wish to know love.
May you experience the holy in every moment as I wish to experience the holy.
May all of your dreams come true as I wish my dreams to come true.
Mary Theresa: Welcome! Our theme today is unconditional Love. During this Advent season, we have celebrated the gifts of hope, peace and joy: hope for a world experiencing fear and division, peace for a world thirsty for peace through justice and joy that provides relief and release from suffering. Today we celebrate the gift of unconditional love for a world longing for tenderness and compassion. Let us begin with our opening prayer.
Opening Prayer:
Terri: Holy one, we gather today to be reminded that you come to us in unexpected ways and often in the most difficult of times. You challenge us to sit with and dig deeply beyond our fears, beyond the tensions and distress in our lives, to discover and celebrate your presence within us.. And then, you challenge us further to lift our vision and unconditionally embrace you, Holy one, in others and in our troubled world. Amen.
Terri: Let us now light our fourth Advent candle.Like our ancestors, we honor the cycles and the seasons that remind us of the ever-changing flow of life. Ritual acts give life meaning—they honor and acknowledge the unseen web of Life that connects us all.
Katie: We light this fourth candle and remember that we are called to create, share and be light in all our ways of relating to all of Creation and commit ourselves to work for peace and justice in our world. And so we respond: Let us kindle the light of love!
Katie: Indeed, let us welcome the light within each other!
Opening Song
Mary Theresa: Our opening meditation is “Say Yes” by Bob Franke.
When the angel arrives there will be terror, but say yes The sound of wings like the breaking of a mirror, but say yes It will arrive where you’re little and you’re scared It will lay claim to the things you’ve never shared But though your heart and your soul are unprepared, say yes
And it may tear you from home and family, but say yes It may demand you become a refugee, but say yes And when you’re tired, and you’re hungry, and you’re poor When you’re in pain in a room without a door And when the angel returns and asks for more, say yes
Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you Worlds without end depend on you Blessed is the one whom you bring forth Whom no one else can bring
And when the legions of angels call you blessed, say yes And were you faithful in each and every test? Say yes And when they ask you in story and in song, Were you upheld and protected all along? And did the power of the spirit keep you strong? Say yes
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: Psalm 29 (Sandi)
Give praise to the Beloved,
O heavenly host,
Sing of Love’s glory and strength.
Exalt the glory of Love’s name;
Adore the Beloved in holy splendor.
The mercy of the Beloved
breaks the bonds of oppression,
shatters the chains of injustice.
Love invites all to the dance of freedom,
to sing the beloved song of truth.
The Beloved lives in our hearts;
Love dwells with us forever.
You who awaken to the light
of universal Oneness
will know the blessed joy
of serving in the great work
of Love.
Alleluia (Dennis)
Second Reading: (Mary Skelly) A Reading from Gospel of Luke
Luke 1:26-45
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a woman engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the woman’s name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her: Good morning! You’re beautiful with God’s beauty, Beautiful inside and out! God be with you.
She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, “Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus. He will be great, be called ‘Son of the Highest.’ The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David; He will rule Jacob’s house forever— no end, ever, to his kingdom.”
Mary said to the angel, “But how? I’ve never slept with a man.”
The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest hover over you; Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God. 36-38 “And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God.” And Mary said, Yes, I see it all now: I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say. Then the angel left her.
Mary didn’t waste a minute. She got up and traveled to a town in Judah in the hill country, straight to Zachariah’s house, and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit, and sang out exuberantly, You’re so blessed among women, and the babe in your womb, also blessed! And why am I so blessed that the mother of my God visits me? The moment the sound of your greeting entered by ears, the babe in my womb skipped like a lamb for sheer joy.
Blessed woman, who believed what God said, believed every word would come true!
And Mary said, I’m bursting with God-news; I’m dancing the song of my Savior God. God took one good look at me, and look what happened— I’m the most fortunate woman on earth! What God has done for me will never be forgotten, the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others. Mercy flows in wave after wave on those who are in awe before the Holy One.
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months and then went back to her own home.
These are the inspired words of Luke and we affirm them by saying, Amen.
Third Reading (Ann Bayly) A reading from Those Who Dream by Lisle Gwynn Garrity
Did it feel like a dream when the angel approached?
“Greetings, favored one!”
Did her mind spin as she pondered the impossibility of it all?
“You will bear a son . . . and he will be great.”
Did she lose her balance when she realized the gravity of her call?
“The child will be holy . . . the Son of God.”
Did her legs get weak after the words left her lips?
“Here I am . . . let it be.”
In the quiet that followed, did she question everything? Did she realize what this would mean—for her family, for Joseph, for her future? Did she realize she would be perceived as impure, as a threat to patriarchy, power, and proprietary? Did fear cloak her, like a garment pulled too tight?
And so, in a haze, she runs away—seeking refuge in the hill country, retreating to family who would keep her safe and help her make sense of her world turned upside down.
As soon as she falls into Elizabeth’s arms, Elizabeth knows and feels it to be true. Yes, I feel it too. We are pregnant with promise. We carry this together. This is not a dream deferred.
It is a dream confirmed, a dream shared. A dream that will birth joy.
These are this inspired words of Lisle Gwynn Garrity and we affirm them by saying, Amen.
(Pause)
Homily Starter: Katie
In 1992, my sister was about to start her senior year of high school. She had been dating a boy from her school for quite a while and in August of that year, Lisa reluctantly broke the news to my parents that she was pregnant. I don’t remember much, except that my parents were very quiet for a few days. But, shortly thereafter, my parents took charge and our whole family began preparing for the new baby.
My parents transformed a large sunroom of our house into my sister’s new bedroom/nursery. They painted the walls with a fresh coat of paint and put pretty pink, plush carpet down on the floor. They set up a crib and adorned the room with baby clothes and baby toys. At the age of 10 when I was obsessed with dolls, I was elated by the thought of having a real baby to play with!
However, over the years, I have heard about how things were really going behind the scenes in the adult world. My sister, who had been a straight-A student and who had been voted Captain of the Varsity Swim Team, was kicked off of the team and ended up having to attend an alternative schooling program to finish her senior year. Someone at our church asked Lisa how she could even possibly take communion, after committing such a “grave sin.” Lisa’s boyfriend, Erich, broke off their relationship, because his family decided that in order to avoid any embarrassment they would simply move away. Lisa lost all of her friends and told me recently that our mother was the only person she had to talk to through those very difficult years. And that, I do remember. My mother and sister had a very special bond of more than just a mother-daughter relationship. They were very close. So, I thank God for my sister, Lisa, for enduring an immense amount of hardship at a very young age. And, I thank God for my parents, that they were wise enough to be supportive of my sister, instead of judgmental… because on March 31st of 1993, Thaddeus Thomas Wasilewski entered the world, and God turned a seemingly-tragic situation into a triumphant one.
In the Gospel today, we heard about two more unexpected pregnancies. And, after hearing about what it was like to have an unexpected child in 1993, can you imagine what it must have been like over 2000 years ago for a young woman and her family? But we know from my sister’s story and from scripture that these unexpected pregnancies eventually achieve good endings. But sadly, not all unexpected pregnancies do. What was the key ingredient that helped Lisa bring Thad into the world and that helped Mary bring Jesus into the world? A key ingredient that has the power to turn any seemingly-tragic or life-shattering event into something sacred and beautiful.
Mary was born into a war-torn country being severely oppressed by the Romans. At the age of 14, she faced an arranged marriage with someone much older and suddenly experienced an unexpected pregnancy with someone else. Mary acted quickly and journeyed 80 miles through the dangerous, Roman-occupied land to her cousin Elizabeth’s house, escaping the potentially deadly consequences of being found pregnant out of wedlock.
Upon her arrival, scripture highlights the embrace between Mary and Elizabeth. Imagine Mary, in her first trimester of pregnancy, experiencing nausea and severe fatigue from the journey. Then, there’s Elizabeth who is 6 months pregnant in her mid to late-50s, probably feeling about as run-down as Mary. And, they embrace one another. In that very moment, the two women become saviors for one another. Mary needed shelter and safety, and a "cover"; Elizabeth needed help as she was heading into her third trimester of a difficult pregnancy. It's a story all too familiar to many of us.
And, herein lies the key ingredient of both my sister’s story and Mary’s story: to embrace others with unconditional love. My entire town had rejected my sister, but my parents embraced Lisa with unconditional love turning a seemingly-tragic situation into a triumphant one. An entire society would have rejected Mary, but Elizabeth embraced Mary with unconditional love turning what could have been a deadly situation into the most life-saving story ever told. Furthermore, when Elizabeth embraced Mary, she literally held God in her arms! When we choose to be an “Elizabeth” for someone, when we embrace others with unconditional love, we too are embracing the Divine living within each person.
Take time this week to see where God is needing you to embrace someone with unconditional love. Without judgment, without restraint, we’re called to be Elizabeths for others. And when the time comes when YOU need an Elizabeth, I pray that she comes to your side without judgment, without restraint, to hold you in her arms, to keep you safe, to turn your tragedies into triumphant ones.
At this time, please feel free to share insights you heard today and how you might respond?
Mary Theresa: Thank you for your inspired words. Let us now pray together our statement of faith.
Statement of Faith (Lynn and Bernie)
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.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Terri: As we prepare for this sacred meal we are aware that just as Jesus is anointed, so is each of us. As bearers of LIGHT, HOPE, JOY and LOVE, we bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns.
Dennis: Prayers for the community.
Terri: We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen.
MT: With open hearts and hands let us pray our Eucharistic prayer as one voice:
(written by Jay Murnane)
All: Source of All That Is, we seek you in this season, when the earth is resting and preparing for new life. Like the earth, we long for new life and hopeful beginnings. This is the time of the pregnant woman, filled with life and hope powerful enough to topple structures of oppression. This is the time of her song of fidelity and celebration.
During this gentle season of Advent, we recognize that you have made us capable of bringing forth justice, like a rising sun. One with all who have gone before us, we sing a song of praise:
Katie: Blessed is Isaiah and every visionary who insisted on a better future that would break through the deception, disaster and broken promises of the age in which they lived.
Blessed is John, in the stark desert of careful focus, inviting the people to be born again in your love.
Blessed is Miriam, who believed the words of Isaiah and opened herself up to the unbelievable.
And blessed is her child Jesus, who felt the sorrows of humankind in his soul, and responded with deep and tender compassion.
Please extend your hands in blessing.
Terri: We are grateful for your Spirit at our Eucharistic Table and for this bread and wine which reminds us of our call to be the body of Christ in the world.
On the night before he faced his own death, Jesus sat at 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.
All lift their plates and pray the following:
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.
(pause)
All lift their cups and pray the following:
MT: 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.
(pause)
What we have heard with our ears, we will live with our lives. As we share communion, we become Communion both love’s nourishment and love’s challenge.
You are the Face of the Holy One. Please receive Communion.
Communion Meditation/Song – Remember Mercy by The Many
https://youtu.be/X7-THUalBfk
Prayer after communion:
Katie: Holy One, we are grateful for the gift of Your Spirit, always drawing beauty and balance out of chaos. And like Jesus…
Standing where he stood,
and for what he stood,
and with whom he stood,
we are united in your Spirit,
and worship you with our lives,
All: Amen.
Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
Holy One, you are 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.
Adapted by Miriam Therese Winter
BLESSING
Terri: Please extend your hands and pray our blessing together.
May we embrace the rich gifts of our Advent Season.
May we shine the light of hope to a world experiencing fear and division.
May we become a beacon of peace in a world thirsty for peace and justice.
May we experience and radiate the gift of joy that provides relief and release of suffering and
May we come to know and live the unconditional love of the Holy One.
Opening Prayer: We recall the ministry of Jesus focused on bringing justice and equality to those who were oppressed and voiceless. As we join in prayer this evening may we commit to living a life that keeps justice and compassion uppermost in our mind.May we embrace the divine nature with which we are born, leading us to be voices for the voiceless, for the forgotten, for the oppressed in our society.May our efforts be blessed by the Spirit of Life and Love.Amen.
READING
First Coming by Madeleine L’Engle
He did not wait till the world was ready,
till men and nations were at peace.
He came when the Heavens were unsteady,
and prisoners cried out for release.
He did not wait for the perfect time,
He came when the need was deep and great.
He dined with sinners in all their grime,
turned water into wine. He did not wait
till hearts were pure. In joy he came
to a tarnished world of sin and doubt.
To a world like ours, of anguished shame
he came, and the Light would not go out.
He came to a world which did not mesh,
to heal its tangles, shield its scorn.
In the mystery of the Word made Flesh
the Maker of the stars was born.
We cannot wait till the world is sane
to raise our songs with joyful voice,
for to share our grief, to touch our pain,
He came with Love:Rejoice! Rejoice!
Reflection time
Prayers of Petition
Eternal God, you are love, love made clear in the life of Jesus. You come: In the hope kindled that keeps us from despair In the peace shared that encourages comfort In joy that makes hearts sing You are near, very near
You come: In the sudden shock of ‘aha’ moments In the laughter of a child In times of spontaneous affection You are near, very near
Please come: To the ones who have given up hope To the depressed and the despairing To the war-torn places and the conflicted hearts Come near loving God, come very near.
Please come: To people who are worrying To the sick and to the dying To those who are sobbing Come near loving God, come very near.
Please come: To the ones whose faith is strong To the ones who look for you To the many who worship you this day Come near loving God, come very near. Amen Janice Freeston
Closing Prayer: Holy Mystery, as people committed to love for all, we work to bring justice and compassion to all that we do.We serve from the depths of our being, which is the Divine presence born within us.May we, through our actions, bring joy and happiness to you and to those whose lives we touch.Amen.
Today we celebrate Gaudete Sunday, or the Third Sunday of Advent. The initiation of Advent occurred around the 4th Century and originally was a longer time of fasting and preparing for the arrival of Jesus.Gaudete means Rejoice, and this Sunday Celebration was provided mid-way during Advent as a break from the fasting and penitence expected during the rest of Advent.It was a day to rejoice. When Advent was adjusted down to four weeks, the third week was designated for this purpose.
The theme for today is Joy. It is the Joy that is born of the Divine. Our readings provide us insight into how joy exists in the midst of suffering and pain, and indeed provides relief and release by those whose lives are filled with love and joy.So, let us gather together in recognition of the Joy we each bring to this celebration.
Opening Prayer: Dotty
God-With-Us, Sacred Presence, Divine Mysteries, Holy One, Emmanuel....many are your names, legions are your gifts to humanity. We celebrate the gift of joy in this time of contradiction and fear. We are the ones who bring joy to all situations in life. We choose to find joy even in grief and pain. We choose to bring joy to all those whose lives we touch during this time of waiting.
All: So be it!
Advent Candle Lighting Blessing Prayer
Kathie: Like our ancestors, we honor the cycles and the seasons that remind us of the ever-changing flow of life. Ritual acts give life meaning—they honor and acknowledge the unseen web of Life that connects us all.
We light this third candle and remember that in the heart of every person on this earth, and in all of creation there burns the spark of luminous goodness – the presence of the Divine.
And so we respond: Let us kindle the light of joy!
Dotty concludes: Indeed, let us welcome the light within each other!
Katie: First Reading - A reading from Enfleshed by Rev. Anna Blaedel
The Joy of God-With-Us does not come as naïve optimism, or surface level feel-good-ness. Joy cannot be imposed from on high. Joy cannot be commanded. The Joy of God-With-Us is mingled with grief, exists side by side with mourning, knows that pain and death are all too real, but do not have the final word. This joy tends tenderly to beauty, and softness, and the gladness that comes from paying attention to what matters. The Joy of God With-Us is collective, liberating us from deadly despair. Joy is gestating in darkness; it comes unexpectedly. Joy invites our expectation and demands our participation. Prepare the way, for joy with sorrow. May Joy be birthed among, within, and through us, this Advent. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel...
These are the inspired words of Rev. Anna Blaedel, and we affirm them by saying, Amen.
Jane: Second Reading - A reading from the Gospel bearing the name John
Then came one named John, sent as an envoy from God, who came as a witness to testify about the Light, so that through his testimony everyone might believe. He himself wasn’t the Light; he only came to testify about the Light – the true Light that illumines all humankind.
Now the Temple authorities sent emissaries from Jerusalem—priests and Levites—to talk to John. “Who are you?” they asked.
This is John’s testimony: he didn’t refuse to answer, but freely admitted, “I am not the Messiah.”
“Who are you, then?” they asked. “Elijah?”“No, I am not,” he answered.
“Are you the Prophet?”“No,” he replied.
Finally they said to him, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you have to say for yourself?”
John said, “I am, as Isaiah prophesied, the voice of someone crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight our God’s road!’
The emissaries were members of the Pharisee sect. They questioned him further: “If you’re not the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, then why are you baptizing people?”
John said, “I baptize with water because among you stands someone whom you don’t recognize— the One who is to come after me—the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy even to untie.”
This occurred in Bethany, across the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.
These are the inspired words from the Gospel bearing the name of the Apostle John, and we affirm them by saying, Amen.
Third Reading - A reading from Thich Nhat Hanh
What does nirvana mean? It is absolute happiness. It’s not a place you can go; it’s a fruit that you can have wherever you are. It’s already inside us. The wave doesn’t have to seek out the water. Water is what the wave has to realize as her own foundation of being.
You are not static. You are the life that you are becoming. Because “to be” means to be something: happy, unhappy, light or heavy, sky or earth. We have to learn to see being as becoming. The quality of your being depends on the object of your being. That is why when you hear Rene Descartes’ famous statement “I think, therefore I am,” you have to ask, “You are what?” Of course you are your own thinking—and your happiness or your sorrow depends very much on the quality of your thinking. You are becoming now, you are being reborn now in every second. You don’t need to come to death in order to be reborn. You are reborn in every moment; you have to see your continuation in the here and the now.
I don’t care at all what happens to me when I die. That’s why I have a lot of time to care about what is happening to me in the here and the now. When I walk, I want to enjoy every step I take. I want freedom and peace and joy in every step. So joy and peace and lightness are what I produce in that moment. I have inherited it and I pass it on to other people. If someone sees me walking this way and decides to walk mindfully for him or herself, then I am reborn in him or in her right away—that’s my continuation. That’s what is happening to me in the here and the now. And if I know what is happening to me in the here and the now, I don’t need to ask the question, “What will happen to me after this body disintegrates?” There is no “before” and “after,” just as there is no birth and death. We can be free of these notions in this very moment, filled with the great joyful silence of all that is.
These are the inspired words of Thich Nhat Hanh and we affirm them by saying, Amen.
(Pause)
Homily Starter and Shared Reflections
Dennis: This Sunday in Advent, Gaudete Sunday, celebrates joy, the joy that our first reading says is “mingled with grief, exists side-by-side with mourning, knows that pain and death are too real, but do not have the final word.” Joy “invites our expectations and demands our participation” in making straight the path, preparing the way.
Today’s Gospel has the emissaries of the Jewish leaders questioning John as to who he is.There is an anticipation that perhaps he is Elijah returned, or the prophet, referring most likely to Moses. There is hope in the questions of the emissaries, they want a clear answer to bring back with them. John’s answer is not what they wish for, he shares with them that it is the one in their midst, whom they do not recognize, that is the One whose arrival they await.
Denise shared with us on the 1st Sunday of Advent, the meaning of the word Advent being “arrival”. She stated in her welcome, “The Divine Presence, or as Richard Rohr calls it, the Universal Christ, saturates the universe and everything in it, here and now.We are all pregnant with it.”The idea of being pregnant, the anticipation, the expectation that comes with it, that something new is coming, something that will bring joy and change to hearts, to homes, to the world.This is what John the Baptist was about, preparing the way, creating the anticipation of those who came to him, to call to their attention that the Light had arrived to shine in the darkness, to bring joy where there was sorrow.
And so we are invited to anticipate what the arrival means in our life, but the demand is also made to participate in and with the Light.How does our arrival to a life of joy in the midst of sorrow, pain, and death happen? Thich Nhat Hanh provides us a road map, one that calls us to focus on becoming, “being born now in every second”, to “see your continuation in the here and the now”, to be constantly participating in bringing joy and change to hearts, to homes, and to the world.
Thomas Aquinas, quoting from Matthew Fox’s book, The Tao of Thomas Aquinas says, “sheer Joy is God’s, and this demands companionship.” Aquinas proposes that the universe exists for the sake of Joy—God’s and that of the rest of us. “All beings are gladly doing their best to express God,” says Meister Eckhart.
Aquinas goes on to say that “joy is the human’s noblest act.” Matthew Fox wonders why not “fighting for justice or dying for a noble cause” be the noblest act. But Fox says that for Aquinas “even justice exists for the sake of joy — a just world is a balanced world and is therefore conducive to joy for the many, not just the few.”
According to Aquinas, “love is the cause of joy, the only person who truly has joy is one who lives in love.”And so the call this Gaudete Sunday is to recognize the arrival of the Light, in the midst of suffering, pain, and sorrow, bringing love and joy to all.Can we recognize our becoming, being born anew in every moment, as Thich Nhat Hanh states, “so joy and peace and lightness are what I produce in that moment?”The call is to pass that on to others, who will then pass it on to another, and so on.It is as he says, our continuation, or as Donna shared last week, in our following the example of Jesus, the Light, we become, like him, Life-Givers.
Have I recognized and accepted the Light that is born in me? What will I do to make straight the path, to bring justice, love and joy to the many?
Statement of Faith read by Linda
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.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Dennis: As we prepare for this sacred meal we are aware that just as Jesus is anointed, so is each of us. As bearers of LIGHT and HOPE, we bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns. Please feel free to voice your intentions beginning with the words, “I bring to the table…..”
Presider 1: We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen.
Dotty: With open hearts and hands let us pray our Eucharistic prayer as one voice:
(written by Jay Murnane)
Source of All That Is, we seek you in this season, when the earth is resting and preparing for new life. Like the earth, we long for new life and hopeful beginnings. This is the time of the pregnant woman, filled with life and hope powerful enough to topple structures of oppression. This is the time of her song of fidelity and celebration.
During this gentle season of Advent, we recognize that you have made us capable of bringing forth justice, like a rising sun. One with all who have gone before us, we sing a song of praise:
Dennis: We thank you for those in times past who believed the good news and lived what they believed.
Blessed is Isaiah and every visionary who insisted on a better future that would break through the deception, disaster and broken promises of the age in which they lived.
Blessed is John, in the stark desert of careful focus, inviting the people to be born again in your love.
Blessed is Miriam, who believed the words of Isaiah and opened herself up to the unbelievable.
And blessed is her child Jesus, who felt the sorrows of humankind in his soul, and responded with deep and tender compassion.
Please extend your hands in blessing.
Dotty:We are grateful for your Spirit at our Eucharistic Table and for this bread and wine which reminds us of our call to be the body of Christ in the world.
On the night before he faced his own death, Jesus sat at 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.
All lift their plates and pray the following:
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.
(pause)
All lift their cups and pray the following:
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.
(pause)
Dennis:Let us share this bread and cup to proclaim and live the gospel of justice and peace.
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.
All consume their bread and wine at this time.
Communion Meditation/Song: Tis a Gift to Be Simple
Dennis: Holy One, we are grateful for the gift of Your Spirit, always drawing beauty and balance out of chaos. And like Jesus…
Standing where he stood,
and for what he stood,
and with whom he stood,
we are united in your Spirit,
and worship you with our lives,
All: Amen.
Dennis: Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
Holy One, you are 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.
Adapted by Miriam Therese Winter
BLESSING
Dotty:Please extend your hands and pray our blessing together.
May the light of your soul guide you.
May the light of your soul bless the work you do with the secret love and warmth of your heart.
May dawn find you awake and alert, approaching your new day with dreams, possibilities, and promises.
May evening find you gracious and fulfilled.
May you go into the night blessed, sheltered, and protected.
