Opening song: Gather Us In
https://youtu.be/ar0BXa82F9M?t=12
Amen (Dennis)
Psalm Response: You Have Anointed Me.
Gospel Acclamation: (Dennis) Celtic Alleluia
Hymn to the Holy Spirit: Veni Sancte Spiritu (Come Holy Spirit)
All: Holy, Holy, Holy
Great Amen Dennis
Peace Song: Blessing Song by Jan Phillips
Communion Song: Room at the Table
Recessional: Canticle of the Turning
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Opening Prayer
Almighty God, source of our life, we acknowledge you as Creator of all people of every race, language, and way of life. Help us to see each other as you see us: your daughters and sons loved into being and sustained by your loving care. Keep watch over our hearts so that the evil of racism will find no home with us. Direct our spirits to work for justice and peace so that all barriers to your grace which oppress our brothers and sisters will be removed. We pray this in your Holy Name. Amen.
Reading
First, understand the difference between being uncomfortable and being threatened. There is no way to tell the truth about race in this country without white people becoming uncomfortable. Because the plain truth is that if it were up to people of color, racism would have been resolved, over and done, a long time ago. The only reason for racism's persistence is that white people continue to benefit from it.
Repeat that last sentence. Make it your mantra. Because until the country accepts that truth, we will never move beyond superficial words and ineffective half-measures.
Excerpt from Bryan N. Massingale, The Assumptions of White Privilege….
Silent Reflection
Petitions
To the Creator of all races and peoples, who loves each of us for our uniqueness, we offer our prayers of petition:
For an end to discrimination in all its forms, we pray ... Bind us together, God of Love.
That each person may be respected and valued as a child of God, we pray ... Bind us together, God of Love.
That the Church may be a witness and a universal sign of unity among all peoples, we pray ... Bind us together, God of Love.
That each of us may acknowledge our part in mistakes and sins of the past pertaining to discrimination and racism, we pray ... Bind us together, God of Love.
For a spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation among peoples who share a history of mutual mistrust, hatred or aggression, we pray ... Bind us together, God of Love.
That the victims of racial prejudice may forgive those who persecute them, and that their persecutors may have a change of heart, we pray ... Bind us together, God of Love.
For those who have struggled in the past and continue to do so today for civil rights, economic justice and the elimination of discrimination based on race, nationality or religion, we pray ... Bind us together, God of Love.
For the conversion of the hearts and minds of those who allow another's race to influence their relationships and limit their openness, we pray ... Bind us together, God of Love.
That we may work to influence the attitudes of others by expressly rejecting racial or ethnic stereotypes, slurs and jokes and be affirming of the cultural contributions of every racial, ethnic and religious group in our world, we pray ... Bind us together, God of Love.
That we may make a personal commitment to abolish social structures which inhibit economic, educational and social advancement of the poor, we pray ... Bind us together, God of Love.
That we may work for decent working conditions, adequate income, housing, education and health care for all people, we pray ... Bind us together, God of Love.
Written by Augustinians of the Midwest
Closing Prayer:
Holy One, evidence of your self-communication in love is all around, everywhere. In the inner depths of my own heart, in the world, in all creatures around me, you live and move and have your being. I am not separate from you and because of your wondrous love I am not separate from all creation. Help me to live with eyes wide open to your self-communication. Help me to be open to your lavish grace, to receive it without fear and with the conviction that you want nothing more than for me to receive it. In turn, may I be gracious to others, an instrument of your lavish grace to all I meet. Amen
From Field of Compassion by Judy Cannato
Closing Song: Room At The Table, Carrie Newcomer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92OM5bdQ4N4
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
Terri: Welcome. Today’s theme is Generous and Compassionate Love. We will hear of an extravagant shift in the meaning of ‘being saved’. We will hear of the powerful shift among Jesus followers from the book of laws to a new kind of law. The law of love is an integral part of our Upper Room community, and one that requires our whole self: our arms, our eyes, our ears and our hearts.
Opening Prayer
Mary Theresa: As we gather around the table of friendship, we come with profound thanksgiving for the countless times we have been welcomed by the Holy One dwelling in another person. In gratitude, and with open minds and loving hearts, we sing:
Opening Song
The One I Love by Jan Phillips
First Reading: Sharon B. - A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles
Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the (Gentile) brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice, you cannot be saved.”
The apostles and elders, in agreement with the whole church,
decided to choose representatives
and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
(And this is the message they delivered:)
“The apostles and the elders, your brothers,
to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia
of Gentile origin: greetings.
Since we have heard that some of our number
who went out without any mandate from us
have upset you with their teachings
and disturbed your peace of mind,
we have with one accord decided to choose representatives
and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So we are sending Judas and Silas
who will also convey this same message by word of mouth:
‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us
not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,
namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols,
from blood, from meats of strangled animals,
and from unlawful marriage.
If you keep free of these,
you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’”
(pause)
With open hearts, we affirm these words by saying, Amen.
Psalm Response: Ginny - Psalm 67
The Beloved is gracious to us,
a loving Presence within us;
the Radiant One shines in us.
O, that Love’s way would be lived
throughout the earth,
Love’s abiding power
embraced by all the nations.
May the people ever rejoice in You
singing songs of appreciation
for all that You, O Beloved,
freely give it to us.
Second Reading: Compassion: Dave - The Heart of Jesus Ministry
Adapted from Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity by David M. Felten and Jeff Procter-Murphy, pp 200-202.
Considering the witness of the Gospels, you wouldn’t be thought strange to claim that the essence of Jesus ministry might be distilled down into one word: compassion.
To understand Jesus commitment to the practice of compassion, it helps to know a little about the world into which he was born. With the Roman presence affecting almost every aspect of life, the task of remaining a faithful Jew in Jesus’ time was to commit themselves to the Torah’s holiness code.
Unfortunately, the concept of holiness carried with it the notion of achievable perfection. As a result, this particular group of Jews emphasized the portions of the Law that stressed separateness. Jewish life was polarized into clean and unclean, pure and defiling, sacred and profane.
Jesus stepped into this rigid, legalistic environment, flying in the face of the Pharisees prime directive: separation from anything unclean. Although Jesus identified with the Pharisees who were trying to humanize the law, he still parted company with them and their interpretation of holiness and their strict adherence to separation.
He invited his disciples to look beyond the conventional attitudes of his day and see how the way we treat one another is more important than the way we adhere to a set of rigid rules.
Compassion was at the center of Jesus ministry. So often in the Gospels you get the sense that Jesus looked into people’s eyes, into their hearts, and he saw something. He saw who they were. He saw what they needed. And no matter what law he had to break, if he had to break the law in order to make that person whole or to make their lives better, Jesus did it.
(pause)
With open hearts, we affirm these words by saying, Amen.
Alleluia: Dennis
Gospel: Joan C
Jn 14: 23-29
Jesus said to his disciples:
“You who love me will keep my word,
and my Abba will love you,
and we will come to you and make our dwelling with you.
You who do not love me do not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of my Abba who sent me.
“I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit,
whom my Abba will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me tell you,
‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’
If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to my Abba;
for Abba is greater than I.
And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.”
(pause)
With open hearts, we affirm these words by saying, Amen.
Shared Reflections – Homily Starter: Terri Kersch
Statement of Faith – Upper Room Community
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 for the Community
Terri: 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 prayers for the community. Please feel free to voice your prayers beginning with the words “I bring to the table….”
Prayers for the community are offered.
Terri: We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen.
Eucharistic Prayer
MT: With open hearts and hands let us pray our Eucharistic prayer in one voice:
Adapted from Generous Love found in Prayer Seeds by Joyce Rupp
Extravagant Source of Life, how awesome is the immensity of Your love. We praise You for the endless outpouring of your grace. Blessed are You for boundless beauty and unlimited benevolence that anoints us at every moment of our existence.
Generous Benefactor, you give us all that we need for our journey even if it does not include everything we want or expect. May we be wise enough to recognize our plenitude and be satisfied. In gratitude for what we have received, we sing with joy:
Holy, Holy, Holy: Here in This Place by Christopher Grundy
Terri: Each of us has come forth from you, our Source of Generosity. Although distinct in our differences, we share oneness through you. In spite of this unity, a vast inequity exists among the human community. Aware of injustice and continued indifference to human need, we pray to be generous with others in our acceptance of them and in the sharing of both our spiritual and material resources.
Please extend your hands in blessing
We are ever aware of Your Spirit in us and among us at this Eucharistic table. The bread we break and the cup we share are symbols of a world of abundance where all are invited to partake of the fullness of life.
With grateful hearts we remember our brother Jesus who expressed the fullness of your Love. When we look at how he lived and what he taught, we see the depth and breadth of divine generosity.
On the night before he died, Jesus gathered for supper with the people closest to him. Like the least of household servants, he washed their feet. Once again, he showed us how to love one another.
All lift the plate and pray:
Back at the table, he took the Bread, spoke the grace, broke the bread and offered it to them saying, Take and eat, this is my very self.
All lift the cup and pray:
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)
We share this bread and cup to proclaim and live the gospel of justice and peace. We choose to live justly, love tenderly, and walk with integrity.
Please receive communion saying: “I am love for the world.”
Communion Song
Follow Your Heart’s Desire by Jan Phillips
Prayer After Communion
MT: Holy One, your transforming energy is within us and we join our hearts with all who are working for a just world. We pray for wise leaders in our religious communities. We pray for courageous and compassionate leaders in our world communities.
We remember those who have gone before us, all those who lived a life of generous love and kindness. We unite with both the canonized and un-canonized saints who gifted us personally and communally with their goodness.
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.
Terri: 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
Final Blessing
Terri: Please raise your hands in blessing:
In times of peace may we be Love. In times of conflict may we be Love. When friends surround us may we be Love. When our enemies berate us may we be Love. When we succeed may we be Love. When failure haunts us may we be Love. May the Love that is the Divine in the world take root in us and grow the Kin-dom. Amen.
Closing Song: Compassion (Change the World) by Andrew Witt
Please join us between 4:30 and 4:55 pm 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
The Gift of Peace
Welcome and Theme: Julie: Welcome! It’s wonderful to have you with us here today as we celebrate the gift that Jesus offers us, the gift of peace, peace in our hearts, peace at home, and peace in the world.
Opening Prayer
Holy One, help us to grow in wisdom and receive your peace. May we be happy. May we know peace. And may we be free from suffering. AMEN.
Opening Song: Loving Kindness
https://youtu.be/uLwm68BlH_4
LITURGY OF THE WORD
FIRST READING
A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles (15:1-2, 22-29)
Certain Christ-followers came from Judea to where Paul and Barnabas had converted many Gentiles. They came teaching all the disciples of Christ: “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them. The church of the Gentiles decided to resolve the matter by sending Paul, Barnabas, and a few others to discuss this question with the apostles and leaders in Jerusalem.
In Jerusalem, all the apostles and leaders were silent as Paul and Barnabas made their case. James was the first to respond among the leaders: “Friends, listen. Simeon has told us the story of how God, at the very outset, made sure that outsiders were included. This is in complete agreement with the prophets."
Everyone agreed: apostles, leaders, all the people. They elected Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas—both were leaders in the church in Jerusalem—and sent them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, and with this letter:
From the apostles and leaders, your friends, to our friends of Gentile origin in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:
Greetings! We heard that some from our number went to you and said things that confused and upset you. They had no authority from us. We did not send them. We have agreed unanimously to choose representatives and send them to you with our good friends Barnabas and Paul who have risked their lives for the sake of Jesus the Christ. Judas and Silas will confirm for you, face-to-face, what we write here.
It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to impose on you no further burden than these essentials: That you abstain from food sacrificed to idols; from blood; from the meat of strangled animals; and from pagan sexual rituals. Keep from these, and you keep our faith. God be with you!
These are the inspired words of the anonymous storyteller we call Luke and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.
PSALM Wisdom 7:21-22a, 26, 22b-30
The psalm response is: Holy Wisdom, teach us.
R: Holy Wisdom, teach us.
Now I understand everything,
both what is hidden and what is manifest.
I was taught by Wisdom,
the fashioner of all things.
She is the radiance that streams from everlasting light,
the untarnished mirror of the works of God,
the image of God’s goodness.
R: Holy Wisdom, teach us.
In Holy Wisdom, there is a spirit that is intelligent, holy, unique; manifold, subtle, and agile;
clear, unpolluted, incisive.
Never harmful, loving the good, keen, Unhampered.
R: Holy Wisdom, teach us.
She is beneficent, kindly, and steadfast, dependable, tranquil
She is all-powerful, all-seeing,
permeating every intelligent, pure and subtle spirit.
Wisdom moves more easily than motion itself, pervading and penetrating all things.
She is a breath of God,
a pure emanation of God's glory.
Nothing can defile her.
R: Holy Wisdom, teach us.
Although She is One, She can do all things. Herself unchanging, She makes all things new. Age after age, She enters holy souls,
and makes them friends of God and prophets. God loves nothing so much
as the one who dwells with Wisdom.
R: Holy Wisdom, teach us.
She is more beautiful than the sun,
and excels every constellation of the stars.
Compared with the lights of this world,
She is found more radiant, altogether of a different light.
For the lights of this world will last only so long, but Wisdom’s illumination will last forever.
R: Holy Wisdom, teach us.
SECOND READING
A Reading from the Book of Revelation (Rev 21:10-12a,13, 25, 22-24)
An angel took me in spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of the cosmic expanse of the heavens, coming from God. It gleamed with the splendor of God. Its radiance was like that of a precious stone, like jasper, clear as crystal.
It had a massive, high wall, with twelve gates: three gates facing east, three north, three south, and three west. During the day, its gates will never be shut, and there will be no night there.
I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is God and the Lamb. The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it. The cosmic glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp was the Lamb. All peoples will walk by its radiance. All treasures of Earth will be honored there.
This is the vision of a Late First Century Writer known as John and the community affirms it by saying AMEN.
Alleluia
GOSPEL
A Reading from the Gospel attributed to John (14:21, 23b, 25-29)
On the night before Jesus died, he said to his disciples:
"Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves. And whoever loves me will be loved by my God. I will love that disciple and reveal myself to that one... We will come to those who love and we will dwell with them.
“I have told you all this while I am still with you; but the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom our Loving God will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
“You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to God, for God is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.”
These are the inspired words of the anonymous storyteller we call John and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.
Shared Homily Julie
Let us pray our Statement of Faith together.
Statement of Faith
All: We believe in one God, 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 God's Word,
bringer of God's healing, heart of God's compassion,
bright star in the firmament of God's
prophets, mystics, and saints.
We believe that We are called to follow Jesus
as a vehicle of God's love,
a source of God's wisdom and truth,
and an instrument of God's peace in the world.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
The life of God that is our innermost life,
the breath of God moving in our being.
The depth of God living in each of us.
We believe that God's 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.
Eucharistic Prayer of Belonging
Julie: As we prepare for the sacred meal we bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns. Please feel free to voice your concerns beginning with the words “I bring to the table….”
Julie: We pray for these and all unspoken concerns. Amen.
Julie: We are a priestly people. We are anointed. With open hands let us pray our Eucharistic prayer as one voice:
All: O Nurturing, Mothering one, You are always with us. We are grateful for Your constant loving and unconditional presence. At times we forget that You are holding us, attending to us. We fall and You pick us up. You send strangers, friends and family to our aid. We are never without Your Light and Spirit.
We experience great joy and we experience great pain and suffering. You are with us in the joy and the pain and suffering. When we experience Your presence we long to sing our hymn of praise:
Holy, Holy, Holy (Words and music by Karen Drucker)
We are holy, holy, holy,
We are holy, holy, holy,
We are whole.
Spirit Divine, Come to Me,
healing Love, healing Me.
Open my heart, allow me to see,
Beauty and love, live in me.
You are holy, holy, holy…
All: Creator and Lover of all beings, we cannot grow in the darkness of this world without Your Light. Our desire to be in Your light is a gift from You. Help us keep our hearts and minds open to You through our love and care for each other and all creation.
Julie: Please extend your hands in blessing
All: This bread and wine is a sign of Your nourishment and a sign of Your great love. Your Spirit is upon us and we belong to You and one another.
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.
On the night before he died, Jesus gathered for the supper with the people closest to him. Like the least of household servants, he washed their feet. Once again he showed us how to love one another.
All lift the bread and pray:
Back at the table, he took the bread, spoke the grace, broke the bread and offered it to them saying, Take and eat, this is my very self.
All lift the cup and pray:
Then he took the cup of blessing, 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. Every time we share this bread and wine we choose to be transformed. We choose to love as You love us.
As we celebrate and recognize You in this bread and wine we love and recognize you in each other. We are filled with gratitude and joy. Glory and Praise to you both now and forever. Amen
All: 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.
All: Loving Source of our being, You call us to live the Gospel of peace and justice. We live justly, we love tenderly, we walk with integrity in Your Presence.
What we have heard with our ears, we will live with our lives: as we share communion, we will become communion, both Love’s nourishment and Love’s challenge.
Please receive communion with the words: I am holy peace.
Communion Song: Everything is Holy Now
https://youtu.be/s_SgAmljIJc
Let us pray together the prayer of Jesus:
O Holy One, who is within, around, and among us, we celebrate your many names. Your wisdom come. Your will be done, unfolding from the depths within us. Each day 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.
The Prayer of Jesus as interpreted by Miriam Therese Winter
BLESSING
Julie: Please extend your hands and pray our blessing together:
May we continue to be the Face of God to each other.
May we be Easter people and beacons of light in our world.
May the certainty of our connectedness to one another and all creation ignite us to love more fully.
May we, like Jesus, be a shining light and a blessing for all.
AMEN!
Closing Song Heaven Right Here by Jeb Loy Nichol
