Opening Prayer: Earth Mother, Star Mother by Starhawk
Earth mother, star mother,
you who are called
by a thousand names,
may all remember
we are cells in your body
and dance together.
You are the grain and
the loaf
that sustains us each day,
and as you are patient
with our struggles to learn
so shall we be patient
with ourselves and each other.
We are the radiant light
and sacred dark
- the balance -
you are the embrace that heartens
and the freedom beyond fear.
Within you we are born
we grow, live, and die -
you bring us around the circle
to rebirth
within us you dance
forever.
Reading: “Love Every Leaf” by Margaret Bulitt-Jonas
In times like these, our prayer may need to be expressive and embodied, visceral and vocal. How else can we pray with our immense anger and grief? How else can we pray about ecocide, about the death that humanity is unleashing upon Mother Earth and upon ourselves? How else can we break through our inertia and despair, so that we don’t shut down and go numb? . . . .
I’ve taken to praying outdoors. I go outside, feel the good earth beneath my feet and the wind on my face, and I sing to the trees—to oak and beech, hemlock and pines. Making up the words and music as I go along, I sing my grief to the trees that are going down, and my grief for so much more—for what we have lost and are losing, and for what we are likely to lose. I sing my outrage about these beautiful old trees being cut to the roots, their bodies chipped to bits and hauled away to sell. I sing my fury about the predicament we’re in as a species. I sing my protest of the political and corporate powers-that-be that drive forward relentlessly with business as usual, razing forests, drilling for more oil and fracked gas, digging for more coal, expanding pipeline construction, and opening up public lands and waters to endless exploitation, as if Earth were their private business and they were conducting a liquidation sale. I sing out my shame to the trees, my repentance and apology for the part I have played in Earth’s destruction and for the part my ancestors played when they stole land and chopped down the original forests of the Native peoples who lived here. I sing my praise for the beauty of trees and my resolve not to let a day go by that I don’t celebrate the precious living world of which we are so blessedly a part. I’m not finished until I sing my determination to renew action for trees and for all of God’s Creation. . . .
So our prayer may be noisy and expressive, or it may be very quiet. It may be the kind of prayer that depends on listening in stillness and silence with complete attention: listening to the crickets as they pulse at night, listening to the rain as it falls, listening to our breath as we breathe God in and breathe God out, listening to the inner voice of love that is always sounding in our heart. A discipline of contemplative prayer or meditation can set us free from the frantic churn of thoughts and feelings and enable our spirit to rest and roam in a vaster, wilder space.
Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, “Love Every Leaf,” in Rooted & Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis, eds. Leah D. Schade and Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, (Rowman & Littlefield: 2019), 175, 176–177.
Closing Prayer:
Oh Divine Beloved,
as this part of the earth turns away from the sun, we turn toward you.
We lift up to you our song of thanksgiving for all the gifts and blessings of this day. Among those gifts are the trials and tribulations
that serve as opportunities to strengthen our love for you.
Before we conclude this day, we desire that all things be at peace.
We reflect on our relationships with the earth, with others and with you.
How wondrous is the universe that you have made.
To reach the nearest star would take several lifetimes,
so fast is the distance that separates us.
As we prepare to sleep your act of creation continues.
New stars are born admidst a swirl of dust and gases, exploding in an ecstasy of light. May the work of our re-creation continue as we rest our minds and bodies in sleep. With trust we turn over our world and all we love to you. Amen.
(adapted from Prayers for a Planetary Pilgrim by Edward Hays)
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
Welcome and Theme: We are living signs of the Holy One
Mary Theresa: Our theme today is “We are living signs of the Holy One.” We are challenged in our readings to articulate what that means. Jesus asks a central question of his followers: “Who do you say I am?” As followers of Jesus we are confronted with this central question that goes to the heart of our longing for a life that is a living sign of the Holy One.
Opening Prayer:
Bridget Mary: Beloved, of all people and cultures, we open our hearts and minds to your energizing presence within every human heart and in every living being. We encounter you in Holy Mystery, beyond human comprehension. You are called Mother, Father, Creator, Holy Wisdom, Source of all Being, Birther of Life, Liberating Spirit, and many more names. We trust in the depth of your boundless grace moving through us as we join hands and hearts to be living signs of the Holy One in our world.
Opening Song: Surrender - Heather Houston and Samantha Keller
The first Reading is from a Letter written by James to the Early Christian Community (Margaret)
(Jas 2:14-18 – translation from the Message Bible)
Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, “Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.” Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.
These are the inspired words of James and we affirm them by saying, Amen.
Psalm Response: Psalm 19 (Denise)
revised by Denise Hackert-Stoner
Response: The Living God is With Us, and with all creation.
The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the cosmos proclaims this glory!
Day to day these heavens speak out,
and night to night they declare wisdom.
There is no sound, nor are there words;
their voice is not heard;
yet it goes out through all the earth,
and is heard throughout the endless universe.
Response: The Living God is With Us, and with all creation.
Second Reading: (Donna) A reading from “We Make the Road by Walking” by Brian McLaren
Before Christianity was a rich and powerful religion, before it was associated with buildings, budgets, crusades, colonialism, or televangelism, it began as a revolutionary nonviolent movement promoting a new kind of aliveness on the margins of society. It dared to honor women, children, and unmarried adults in a world ruled by married men. It dared to elevate slaves to equality with those who gave them orders. It challenged slave masters to free their slaves and see them as peers. It defied religious taboos that divided people into us and them, in and out, good and evil, clean and unclean. It claimed that everyone, not just an elite few, had God-given gifts to use for the common good. It exposed a system based on domination, privilege, and violence and proclaimed in its place a vision of mutual service, mutual responsibility, and peaceable neighborliness. It put people above profit, and made the audacious claim that the Earth belonged not to rich tycoons or powerful politicians, but to the Creator who loves every sparrow in the trees and every wildflower in the field. It was a peace movement, a love movement, a joy movement, a justice movement, an integrity movement, an aliveness movement. It had no bank accounts, but was rich in relationships and joy. It had no elaborate hierarchy and organization, but spread like wildfire through simple practices of empowerment and self-organization. It had no seminaries or colleges, but it was constantly training new waves of courageous and committed leaders through the “each one teach one” strategy of catechesis. It had lots of problems, too, but it grappled with those problems courageously.
These are the inspired words of Brian McLaren and we affirm them by saying, Amen.
Alleluia (Dennis)
Gospel: A Reading from the Gospel of Mark (Ann)
(Mk 8:27-35 translation from The Message Bible)
Jesus and his disciples headed out for the villages around Caesarea Philippi. As they walked, he asked, “Who do the people say I am?”“Some say ‘John the Baptizer,’” they said. “Others say ‘Elijah.’ Still others say ‘one of the prophets.’” He then asked, “And you—what are you saying about me? Who am I?” Peter gave the answer: “You are the Christ, the Messiah.”
Jesus warned them to keep it quiet, not to breathe a word of it to anyone. He then began explaining things to them: “It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the elders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and after three days rise up alive.” He said this simply and clearly so they couldn’t miss it.
But Peter grabbed him in protest. Turning and seeing his disciples wavering, wondering what to believe, Jesus confronted Peter. “Peter, get out of my way! Satan, get lost! You have no idea how God works.”
Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade for your soul?
These are the inspired words of the Gospel writer known as Mark and we affirm them by saying, Amen.
Homily Starter: Mary Theresa
Jesus said to his companions, “Who do you say that I am?” This question was an important one for the early Christian communities who were making sense of the life and teachings of Jesus. He was no longer there, but the memory of his life, and the example of those who walked with him, had a profound impact on their lives. Jesus expressed the essence of the Holy One in the wisdom and patterns of his life, in his teachings. and in the way he treated others. He enfleshed what it meant to be a living sign of the Holy One in human form.
As we heard in our first reading, the early communities began as a revolutionary nonviolent movement promoting a new kind of aliveness on the margins of society. The communities challenged systems of domination, privilege and violence and proclaimed in its place a vision of mutual service and mutual responsibility. Theirs was a peace movement, a love movement, a joy movement, a justice movement, an integrity movement, an aliveness movement. It was a movement that saw no separation between their faith in the Holy One and their good works.
That same question, Who do you say that I am?” is foundational for us as we continue to grow our intentional Christian communities. How we view Jesus is so important. If he is a divine superhuman, then we can worship him. If he is the savior from our sins, then we can thank him, but if he is both human and divine like us, then we can follow him. Jesus recognized the divine at work in his followers when he said, “Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these.” Those words from the Gospel of John affirm our place in creation and our call to aliveness, our call to be agents of change. We, like Jesus, are collaborators with the Holy One in co-creating a world where all flourish and thrive. And, it is through our faith and our acts of loving service to others that we are a living sign of the Holy One.
When you hear the words of Jesus, “Who do you say that I am?” how do you respond? What did you hear in today’s readings? Please share your inspired words.
Statement of Faith (Joan and Dotty)
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 the sacred meal, we bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns.
Dennis reads intentions
Dennis: We bring these and all deeply held blessings, cares, and concerns to the table of friendship and peace.
Bridget Mary: With open hearts and hands let us pray our Eucharistic prayer in one voice:
Blessed are you, Source of All Life,
For out of the silence at the beginning of time you spoke the Word of life.
Blessed are you for your light that dapples through creationon leaves that shimmer in the morning sun and in showers of rain that wash the earth.
Blessed are you for the night and its light, for stars that emerge out of evening skies and the white moon’s radiance.
Blessed are you for the might of your wind on the waters, for the swelling of the open sea and the rushing of crested waves.
Joan: Blessed are you for the earth’s unfolding of color and the bright sheen of creatures from ocean depths.
Blessed are you for the human spirit dappled with eternal light in its longings for love and abundance.
Blessed are you in all things and contained by no thing.You are the Life of all life and we sing your praise.
Mary Theresa: The world is alive with your goodness, Holy One, and we praise you for your embodied love. We open ourselves to your presence that we may love you and care for you in all things.
In the blessed abundance of creation, we gather to celebrate Your nourishing gift of life. May our hearts be open as You invite us to participate in the wise and wonderful work of co-creation.
Please extend your hands in blessing.
We are grateful for Your Spirit whose breath inspired the primal waters, calling into being the variety and abundance we see around us. Your Spirit sustains and animates our every endeavor, inviting us to act in wisdom and in truth.We are ever aware of your Spirit in us and among us at this Eucharistic table and we are grateful for this bread and wine which reminds us of our call to be your living presence in the world.
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.
Bridget Mary: 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.
Community lifts the 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.
Community lifts the 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.
Pause
Joan: This is the bread of life and the cup of blessing. Through it we are nourished and we nourish each other. 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.
Please receive communion with the words: I am a living sign of the Holy One.
Mary Theresa:O Divine Love, your transforming energy is within us and you call us to compassionate care for of all creation.
We pray for wise leaders in our religious communities. We pray for courageous and compassionate leaders in our world communities.
Inspire us to act justly and courageously in confronting the suffering that desecrates the Earth and its peoples.
We pray for all of us gathered here and like Jesus, we open ourselves up to your Spirit, for it is through living as he lived that we awaken to your Spirit within, moving us to glorify you, at this time and all ways.
Amen.
Joan: 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
Bridget Mary: Please raise your hands in blessing:
God’s Spirit inspires awe and wonder in our encounters with the Beloved.
God’s Spirit empowers us to be living signs of the Holy One in our words and actions.
God’s Spirit enlivens us to be part of the world’s healing every day.
Together, we are one in Christ, loving and serving God’s holy people everywhere. Amen.
Closing song: All You Works of God by Marty Haugen
We are grateful that from your communion of love you created our planet to be a home for all. By your Holy Wisdom you made the Earth to bring forth a diversity of living beings that filled the soil, water and air. Each part of creation praises you in their being, and cares for one another from our place in the web of life.
With the Psalmist, we sing your praise. We remember that you call human beings to keep your garden in ways that honor the dignity of each creature and conserve their place in the abundance of life on Earth.
But we know that our will for power pushes the planet beyond her limits. Our consumption is out of harmony and rhythm with Earth’s capacity to heal herself. Habitats are left barren or lost. Species are lost and systems fail. Where reefs and burrows, mountaintops and ocean deeps once teemed with life and relationships, wet and dry deserts lie empty, as if uncreated. Human families are displaced by insecurity and conflict, migrating in search of peace. Animals flee fires, deforestation and famine, wandering in search of a new place to find a home to lay their young and live.
In this Season of Creation, we pray that the breath of your creative Word would move our hearts, as in the waters of our birth and baptism. Give us faith to follow Christ to our just place in the beloved community. Enlighten us with the grace to respond to your covenant and call to care for our common home. In our tilling and keeping, gladden our hearts to know that we participate with your Holy Spirit to renew the face of your Earth, and safeguard a home for all.
We ask this in the name of the One who came to proclaim good news to all creation, Jesus the Christ.
Amen.
Psalm 19: From Psalms for Praying by Nan Merrill
The heavens declare the glory of the creator;
the firmament proclaims
the handiwork of love.
Day to day speech pours forth
and night to night knowledge is revealed.
There is no speech,
nor are there words;
their voice is not heard;
Yet does their music resound
through all the earth,
and their words echo to
the ends of the world.
Reflection: Our reflection is a short video on creating Earth Altars by Laura Loesher
Closing Prayer: Let us join our hearts and minds together and think of all creation and the Creator’s gifts.
We give our thanks.
For our Mother, the Earth, upon whom we walk and who supports us and nurtures life in all its forms, we pray that we can learn to walk on her with more respect.
We give our thanks.
For all of the animals and plants that call this place home,
We give our thanks.
For the whole human family whose livelihood and well-being depends on the well-being of the Earth,
We give our thanks.
For the sacred waters of the world, and the life that lives in the waters,
We give our thanks.
For the plant life of the world, both below and above ground,
We give our thanks.
For our kindred animals, those that crawl, walk, swim and fly,
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
First Sunday of Season of Creation
Welcome and Theme:
Denise:We welcome each of you to the first Sunday in our Season of Creation, which we will celebrate throughout the month of September.Today we will meditate on hearing and listening; to one another and to the whole of creation.
Opening Prayer:From Appreciating OM:The Sound of the Universe by Roger Gabriel, and from the Prologue of John’s Gospel
Thaeda:Imagine, if you can, a time before the Universe existed.Imagine a field of Pure Consciousness, an eternal silence. Not an empty silence, but one filled with the potential for everything.
Denise:In the beginning
Thaeda:At some point, Pure Consciousness decided it wanted to have an experience but, as nothing else existed, it could only experience itself. Because all experiences are based on contrast, Pure Consciousness had to move within itself to experience itself.Now, movement creates friction, and friction creates noise, so Pure Consciousness experiencing itself created a sound.
Denise:In the beginning was the Word.
Thaeda:So this sound, which was OM, is what we experience as the Universe in which we live.
Denise:In the beginning was the Word.And the Word was with God.
Thaeda:As the initial vibration of OM emerges from the unmanifest, it diversifies into all the different vibrations of the Universe, which manifest as the world we know. OM, therefore, contains within it all the mantras, sounds, and vibrations of the Universe. Everything in the Universe is a manifestation of OM and ultimately a reflection of Pure Consciousness from which it emerged. OM is the collective sound of the Universe, the Primordial Sound.
Denise:In the beginning was the Word.And the Word was with God.And the Word was God.
First Reading:Generous Listening by Marilyn Nelson
A conversation can be a contest, or a game of catch with invisible balloons. They bounce between us, growing and shrinking, sometimes floating like cloud medicine balls, and sometimes bowling at us like round anvils. You toss a phrase and understanding blooms like an anemone of colored lights. My mind fireworks with unasked questions. Who is this miracle speaking to me? And who is this miracle listening? What amazingness are we creating? Out of gray matter a star spark of thought leaps between synapses into the air, and pours through gray matter, into my heart: how can I not listen generously?
These are the inspired words of Marilyn Nelson and the community affirms them by saying, Amen.
Second Reading:Psalm 19: 1-4, adapted
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of God’s hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech; they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
This is the inspired song of the ancient psalmist.And we affirm it by saying:Amen.
Alleluia
Gospel: Mark 7:31-35
Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!”— that is, “Be opened!” — And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.
These are the inspired words of the Gospel writer we know as Mark, and we affirm them by saying, Amen.
Homily Starter and Shared Homily:Denise
Forty years ago, the neighborhood where I live was full of young parents and their children.We were all friends and enjoyed sharing stories about our adventures as we learned the ropes of parenting.I still remember a story my friend told me about the day her daughter Amy, around three at the time, walked into the kitchen from her playroom and told her mom that she was bored.My friend was surprised that Amy was bored, but suggested that she get out a puzzle to play with, which Amy did.A few minutes later, though, Amy again wandered into the kitchen, complaining of being bored.Again and again, my friend suggested different toys, games, and activities that Amy could engage in.But each time, Amy would respond a short time later with “I’m bored.”Finally, my friend, losing patience, reminded Amy of all the nice things she had to play with, and that she had no reason to complain of being bored.Poor Amy simply responded, “I want something to drink!”And my friend realized that her three year old daughter, experimenting with language and new words, was all that time trying to say that she was thirsty!
Oh, to be heard, to be understood!And Oh, to truly listen!
When Jesus reached into the deaf man’s ears, opening them for the first time, not only did the man hear, but he also spoke in a way that others could understand him.He could hear and be heard.He could listen and be listened to.He could understand and be understood.
In 1878 an amendment was proposed in Congress for women to have the right to vote.It was a small voice that spoke of this right.It took until 1920, over forty years, for this voice to be heard and acted upon.
One month after the Union army’s victory ended slavery in 1865, Frederick Douglass reminded us that “Slavery is not abolished until the Black man has the ballot.”His voice rang out, but was he heard?It wasn’t until 1965, one hundred years after Douglass’s address, that the Voting Rights Act was finally passed.One hundred years….
Today voices are ringing out all over the world about the danger we are placing ourselves and our planet in by our continued enslavement to fossil fuels.Are we hearing?Are we listening?
Voices all over the world are crying out for environmental justice as the air they breathe is tainted, the water they drink polluted, and their land is in turn burning or flooded.Are these voices being heard?
In all of the voices calling out from every corner of the earth, if there is one underlying message, might it simply be, “hear me?”
Jesus’s command to the man as he placed his fingers in his ears and placed his own spit on the man’s tongue was “Be opened!”Are we open to the cries of the earth and one another?Do we speak so that others can understand? Do we hear one another? Do we listen?
Thaeda and I are listening.We want to hear what you have to say.Please share your thoughts on today’s readings.
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.
Denise: As we prepare for this sacred meal, we are aware of our call to serve, and just as Jesus is anointed, so is each of us. We bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns.
Intentions read
Denise: We bring these and all deeply held blessings, cares, and concerns to the table of friendship and peace.
Denise: With open hearts and hands let us pray our Eucharistic prayer in one voice:
O Holy One, you are always with us. In the blessed abundance of creation, we gather to celebrate Your nourishing gift of life. May our hearts be open as You invite us to participate in the wise and wonderful work of co-creation. May we be ever aware of Your Spirit within and among us as our world unfolds amid pain and beauty into the fullness of life.
We are grateful for Your Spirit whose breath inspired the primal waters, calling into being the variety and abundance we see around us. Your Spirit sustains and animates our every endeavor, inviting us to act in wisdom and in truth.
In gratitude and joy we embrace our calling and we lift our voices to proclaim a song of praise:
Thaeda: As a community, we gather in the power of your Spirit, refreshing wind, purifying fire, and flowing water, for the variety and diversity of Creation. We seek to live as Jesus taught us, wise and holy as Spirit-filled people, courageous and prophetic, ever obedient to your call.
Please extend your hands in blessing.
We invoke Your Spirit upon the gifts of this Eucharistic table, bread of the grain and wine of the grape, that they may become gifts of wisdom, light and truth which remind us of our call to be the body of Christ to the world.
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. When he returned to his place, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and offered it to them saying:
All lift their plate as the community prays the following:
Take this bread and eat it;
This is my very self.
All lift their cup as community prays the following:
Thaeda: Jesus then raised a cup of blessing, spoke the grace and offered the wine 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.
In union with all people living and dead, we unite our thoughts and prayers, asking wisdom to discern more wisely your call to us in the circumstances of our daily lives.
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.
Thaeda: We are called to live the Gospel of Creation in harmony and gratitude with all our sisters and brothers across the Earth. We will live justly, love tenderly, and walk with integrity in Your Presence.Please receive communion with the words, “The voice of the Holy One is within you.”
Denise:Divine Spirit, you call to us in the voice of the wind, the song of the cricket, the thunder of rushing water, and in the voices of our fellow human beings.Open our ears so that we can listen with open hearts as you call us into that loving embrace that is your presence in creation .
Denise: Let us pray as Jesus taught us with an eye toward this Season of Creation:
Generous Creator, the intricate and elegant biodiversity of our world is your hallowed autograph on our lives, on our souls and in 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 gratitude and awe as we find nourishment in, seed and field, river and forest.
May we be stewards and co-creators with you in caring for the gifts of Your Creation.
We acknowledge our shortcomings, especially our neglect of the environment. 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 so that we may one day reap a harvest of equality and fairness as if they were wildflowers, propagating spontaneously, unerringly and in surprising abundance. Amen.
Denise: Let us pray together our closing blessing:
Creator most generous and kind, your gift of Earth and sky reveals your omnipotence and glory. May we go forward boldly to live in the glory.
May we treat all of Creation as sacred.May we listen to its sounds and to the voices of one another as we discern the best path to an equitable distribution of the resources we share with our sisters and brothers across the globe. Let us live as if the future depends on it. Amen.
