Upper Room Saturday Liturgy, August 20, 2022 - Presider: Julie Carron

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

Julie Good afternoon and welcome! We are so happy to have you join us this afternoon as we celebrate our liturgy together. Today we are inspired anew by Jesus’ example of radical inclusivity and compassionate love.

Opening Prayer: Holy One, you command us to rest and you inspire us to love more fully, more deeply than ever before. Let us feel your presence as we rest and as we feel the strength of compassionate love, today and always. AMEN.

Julie: Please join us in our opening meditation by singing Loving Kindness.

Opening Song: Loving Kindness by Karen Drucker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLwm68BlH_4

Liturgy of the Word

Readings 

A Reading from Deuteronomy (5:12-15) 

Observe the Sabbath day. Keep it holy, as God has commanded you. Six days you will labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath, a day of rest, to your God. You will do no work that day: neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male or female worker, nor your ox, nor your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing among you. Your servants, both male and female, will rest, as you do. Remember, you were slaves in Egypt and God brought you out from there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. This is why God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. 

These are the inspired words of an ancient Israelite lawmaker and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.

Alleluia  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC4nbwmQDVw

Gospel  

A Reading from the Gospel attributed to Luke (13:10-17; 14:1-6) 

One Sabbath, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues. Also there was a woman who, for eighteen years, had an ailment caused by a spirit. She was bent over double, incapable of standing up straight. 

When Jesus saw her, he called her over to him and said, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.” He laid his hands on her, and immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. 

The leader of the synagogue, indignant that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the congregation, “There are six days for working. Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath.” 

Jesus in reply said, “You hypocrites! Does not each one of you untie your ox or your donkey from the manger on the Sabbath to water it? Shouldn't this daughter of Sarah and Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be loosed from her bond on the Sabbath day?” At these words, Jesus’ accusers were humiliated. The people, by contrast, were delighted with all the wonderful things Jesus was doing. 

 

On yet another Sabbath, Jesus went to dine at the home of a leading Pharisee. Those gathered there were observing him carefully. Also there was a man suffering from dropsy. Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and to the Pharisees, asking, “Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath or not?” They kept silent and did not respond. After Jesus healed the man, he sent him away. Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, “Who among you, if your child or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull them out on the Sabbath day?” Again, they were silent. They were unable to answer his question. 

These are the inspired words of the anonymous storyteller we call Luke and the community affirms them by saying AMEN.

Shared Homily 

Julie: Rest. God had to command the Israelites to rest. I guess it’s not just us 21st century Americans who don’t understand the concept. And yes, yes, I’m including myself in that. I overdo it seven days a week too. But in our secular culture, working every day isn’t seen as breaking the law the way it was for Jesus. For Jesus, simply healing on the sabbath prompted criticism from the Pharisees even though the people were happy about what he was doing. 

And what exactly was he doing? In the first story, he cured a woman so that she could stand up straight, in the synagogue, in worship. Could that be a coincidence? I mean he could have just as easily cured her on the street. 

As you may know, I use readings from the Catholic Comprehensive Lectionary from the Women’s Ordination Conference. Their notes for this gospel point out that this reading, the story of the bent over woman, is not part of the canonical lectionary, meaning people don’t ever hear it in church. Could that be because the story of a woman standing up in worship to the delight of the people and the displeasure of the religious leaders could be a little dangerous? You know, give people ideas about women being ordained? I think it’s very telling when the radical inclusivity and the compassionate love of Jesus, Jesus, upon whom our entire religion is founded, are too radical to be read in church. 

What did you hear? What will you do? What will it cost you? Please unmute and share your thoughts and insights 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. 

 

 

Liturgy of the Eucharist

(Written by Jay Murnane)

Julie: 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. 

We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen. 

Please join in praying the Eucharistic prayer together.  

Blessed are you, Holy One, source of all creation. Through your goodness you made this world and called us to be Your co-creators. We give thanks for the diversity and beauty of life around us and within us. 

We open our awareness to the goodness of all of creation and we remember our responsibility to serve. You invite us to build the earth into a community of love rooted in justice. You placed confidence in us, for you made us and you know that we are good.  

In joy and in thanksgiving we join with all the faithful servants who have gone before us and we sing:

Holy Holy Holy by Karen Drucker

https://youtu.be/nTewBnxBy30

We thank you for Jesus, simple servant, lifting up the lowly, revealing you as God-With-Us, and revealing us as one with you and all of creation.

He lived among us to show us who we are and challenged us to know you. He taught us the strength of compassionate love.  

Please extend your hands in blessing.

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 died, Jesus gathered for supper with the people closest to him. Like the least of household servants, he washed their feet, so that they would remember him.

(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) 

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 called, consecrated and chosen to serve. 

Please receive Communion with the words: I embrace my call to love.

Communion Meditation/Song: At This Table by Idina Menzel

https://youtu.be/acRAIkV7QDc

Prayer after communion: 

Julie: Holy One, we are willing to do everything Jesus did, to re-create the living presence of a love that does justice, of a compassion that heals and liberates, of a joy that generates hope, of a light that illumines people and confronts the darkness of every injustice and inequity.

We trust you to continue to share with us your own spirit, the spirit that animated Jesus, for it is through his life and teaching, all honor and glory is yours, O Holy One, forever and ever. Amen.

 

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

Julie:  Let us raise our hands in blessing pray together: 

May we continue to be the face of God to each other. May we love compassionately and live fully. May we call each other to extravagant generosity! May we walk with an awareness of our Call as companions on the journey, knowing we are not alone. May we, like Jesus, be a shining light and a blessing in our time! AMEN.

Closing Song: I Will Follow Him

https://youtu.be/ZqN9aS2S3L0

Moment of Oneness, August 16, 2022

 

Reading: Practice for a World at Risk by Joan Halifax

 

As I witness all that is happening today—armed conflict in the heart of Europe,

 global pandemic, rising authoritarianism, impending climate catastrophe, 

and all of life’s other sufferings and injustices—I am acutely aware, 

as you probably are, that our world is at risk.

 

We might ask: How can we meet this reality of suffering and violence? 

What is the task ahead of us to meet confusion, delusion, and violence in our time, in our country, in our lives? 

 

How do we realize peace transformation? (Joan Halifax)

 

Song: The Great Peace March by Holly Near

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RldareONLU

 

Ancient eyes are watching in the night
The stars come out to guide the way
The sun still shines despite the clouds
And the dawn is dusk is dawn is dusk is day

Farmers rise and dream to feed the world
The world awakes to feed the heart
Hearts beat while a thousand flags are waving
And the farmer sees a dream has played a part

[Chorus]
We will have peace, we will because we must
We must because we cherish life
And believe it or not, as daring as it may seem
It is not an empty dream
To walk in a powerful path
Neither the first nor the last great peace march
Life is a great and mighty march
Forever for love and for life on the great peace march.

Are you black like night or red like clay
Are you gold like sun or brown like earth
Grey like mist or white like moon
My love for you is the reason for my birth

Peace can start with just one heart
From a small step to leaps and bounds
A walk becomes a race for time
And a brave child calls out from the crowd

[Chorus]
We will have peace, we will because we must
We must because we cherish life
And believe it or not, as daring as it may seem
It is not an empty dream
To walk in a powerful path
Neither the first nor the last great peace march
Life is a great and mighty march
Forever for love and for life on the great peace march
Forever for love and for life
I'm on the great peace march.

Silent Meditation:  be aware, remember, seek peace

Legacy (1970 at Kent University)

You know the photo: the one of
the young woman with a scarf &
dark hair, crouching over what
used to be a student

screaming why

hands plunging into the low atmosphere
as if she can grab her god’s shoulders &
shake him for letting this happen.
But you don’t know the man in plaid

over her left shoulder. You don’t know
his class had been dismissed early to
participate in democracy. He is too far
away & indistinct for you to see the

thick glasses, the mustache he still
wears fifty years later. You don’t know
that a decade after the National Guard
almost shot him, too, he would become

my father. Daffodils remain silent, but
not complicit: they’re still suffering shock.
Flowers planted in gun barrels, tear gas
tossed back at uniforms. Shoots

of yellow flowers from my baptism
poke through early May soil. (Megan Neville)

Response:  Long for peace, Act for peace

March For Peace by Frank Leto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pINppr3F6w

Silent Meditation: Yearn for Peace, Seek Peace

Upper Room Sunday Liturgy, August 14, 2022 - Presiders: Christina Homer and Lynn Kinlan

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- Lynn: Today, we see Jesus as a catalyst for spiritual and social change and we consider how we treat one another and ourselves in the wake of change. We know the word catalyst from our long ago chem class where it was defined as “a substance that causes a chemical reaction without itself being affected.” We can imagine Jesus as lovingly unchanging toward the heartbroken, those in need of healing and the outcasts of his time. He ministered, never declining to help, never failing to hope while remaining true to himself and the Holy One.

Opening Prayer- Christina: We are thankful for the model of Jesus, our brother, who ignites a fire in our hearts toward inner peace, that we better might serve the sacred cause of outward justice. We admit to wrestling with a tension between complacency, resignation and patience which leads us to pray for grace and guidance. Help us to be patient, but not entirely passive; to be disturbed by injustice but not self-righteous; to be tireless in the pursuit of change but not disillusioned when progress is slower than we wish. Guide us Holy One in the steps of Jesus in our relationships both personal and civic. Amen

 

Opening Song:” Visitation” by Carrie Newcomer

https://youtu.be/P9lqUqjyIIg

LITURGY OF THE WORD

 

 

First Reading: “Fighting Injustice without Being Consumed with Anger” by Thich Nhat Hanh

​

Visualize a physician who has to meet many sick people. He or she may say, “How can I enjoy my health if people around me are sick?” And if the doctor himself is sick, there is no hope for anyone. Therefore, the duty of a doctor is to keep herself healthy, so that she can help her patients. Because if you see many – too many – people suffering in the world around you, and if you don’t know how to suffer less, how to nourish yourself with joy and happiness, you will become like them, and not be able to help.

There are many refreshing and healing elements of nature, around us and in us. And if you know how to get in touch with them, you can gain the nourishment and healing that you need. This not only benefits you: if you suffer less, if you can nourish yourself, then you will also be able to help others around you.

The practice of mindful breathing, of mindful walking – allowing yourself to be fully present in the here and now is very important. If we can stop running, looking for things, we can allow ourselves to be fully present in the here and now. Then we can become instruments of peace, of happiness, of joy, to help others suffer less.

If we don’t know how to go home to ourselves, to take care of ourselves, we will be overwhelmed by the collective energy of hate, anger and bitterness. So go home to yourself. There is a safe island within. We realize that one in-breath, or one mindful step, can help to create a little more calm and peace, so that we do not give up. We see that hope is always there. And we don’t feel powerless, helpless

If a group of people can do that, then they can be a refuge for many other people. That is why building a group of practitioners is very, very important.

These are the inspired words of Thich Nhat Hanh and we affirm them. Amen.

 

Second Reading: Excerpt from “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Dr. King

 

We know that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded. For years now I have heard the word "wait." It rings in the ear of every Negro with a piercing familiarity. This "wait" has almost always meant "never." It has been a tranquilizing thalidomide, relieving the emotional stress for a moment, only to give birth to an ill-formed infant of frustration.  We have waited for more than three hundred and forty years for our God-given and constitutional rights. The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jet like speed toward the goal of political independence, and we still creep at horse-and-buggy pace toward the gaining of a cup of coffee at a lunch counter.

I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that our stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the Ku Klux Klanner but the white moderate who is more devoted to order than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says, "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can't agree with your methods "; who paternalistically feels that he can set the timetable for another’s freedom; who lives by the myth of time; and who advises the Negro to wait until a "more convenient season." 

Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection. We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people. Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and persistent work of men and women willing to be coworkers with God, and without this hard work time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation.

These are the inspired words of Martin Luther King and we affirm them. Amen.

 

Alleluia: Dennis 

​

Gospel Reading: Luke 12:49 – 53

 

“I’ve come to light a fire to the earth. How I wish the blaze was ignited already!  

There is a baptism I must still receive, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!​

Do you think I’ve come here to bring peace on earth? I tell you; the opposite is true: I’ve come to bring division. From now on a household of five will be divided — three against two and two against three, father against son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, daughter-in -law against mother-in-law. 

These are the inspired words of the gospel writer known as Luke and we affirm them. Amen

 

Homily and Shared Reflections – Lynn

 

“I’ve come to light a fire to the earth… I’ve come to bring division…” Seems like maybe we’ve caught Jesus on a bad day.  A St. Louis University theologian points out that in Aramaic, the language of Jesus, “earth” was also the word for earth-oven or the community stove in the center of a Mediterranean village. It was made of mud or clay and fueled with salted and dried camel dung patties and a block of salt on the bottom. And it was the heart of community life. So, perhaps Jesus is come to light a fire in the middle of the village for everyone. Like the salt of the earth, he is a catalyst causing action and reaction; bringing an inner peace unlike the tense peace in militarized, Roman-occupied lands. James Kavanaugh, a post Vatican II reform voice said, that when this mindful, prayerful” peace takes hold, it brings an interior freedom that makes us dangerous and divisive” especially if we can’t be bought off or intimidated.”

 

Jesus breaks the rules of gender, class, tribe and theology. Think of all the bystanders who wonder at his eating with Zachaeus the tax collector, for example. Of course, the result was some degree of division and discord. First century society was a highly structured era and people were not used to change. There will always be naysayers and only a few mayenjoy an awakening from their fears and cautions. Dr.Kingacknowledges this when he calls the “silence of good people” and folks “more devoted to order than justice”, stumbling blocks to change. 

 

We who have befriended Jesus know that social or spiritual change takes prayer, mindful living and long, hard work— both Thich Nath Hanh and Dr. King admit as much. Maybe, the process of trying to light a fire, is the blessing regardless of the outcome in the short term. Even Moses didn’t get to see the Promised Land but he knew others would. 

 

What did you hear in the readings? Share with us your reaction, your feelings and your view of Jesus as a catalyst in his times

 

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.

 

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

 

Lynn:  As we prepare for the Eucharist, we give voice to our blessings, concerns and intentions. Please feel free to begin with the words, “I bring to the table…..” 

 

Lynn: We pray for these, for the prayers written in our Community Book of intentions and for the unspoken intentions in our hearts. Amen. 

 

Christina: With open hearts and hands let us pray our Eucharistic prayer as one voice: 

 

Christina/All: 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 to You as You invite us to participate in the wise and wonderful work of co-creation. May we be filled with gratitude and a sense of possibility as we work for relationships that are more equal and a society that is more just. 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, from dawn till the radiance of the sun at dusk gives way to the light of the stars. We are grateful for your guiding light which invites us to act in wisdom and in truth, with constancy and persistence until abundance is shared and freedom is ensured.

 

In gratitude and joy we embrace our calling and we lift our voices to sign a song of praise:

 

Holy, Holy, Holy: Here in This Place by Christopher Grundy

https://youtu.be/sgkWXOSGmOQ

Lynn/All:  As a community, we gather in the power of your Spirit, refreshing wind, purifying fire and living breath, for the variety and diversity of life. We seek to live as Jesus taught us, wise and holy as Spirit-filled people, courageous and prophetic, ever observant to your call.

​

Please extend your hands in blessing.

 

All: We are grateful for Jesus, courageous and humble servant, advocate for the lowly and dispossessed who reveals to us that we are one with You and with each other. We are grateful for your Spirit at our Eucharistic Friendship Table and for this sacred bread and wine which remind us of our design and purpose to be the Your Presence in the world. 

 

All: On the night before he faced betrayal and 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 plates (Presiders at UR stand)

 

Christina: 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 cups

 

Lynn: 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) 

 

Christina/All: 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.  Let us share this bread and cup to proclaim and live the gospel of justice and peace. Please receive the bread with the phrase I walk in the steps of Jesus.

Communion Song: “Calling All Angels” by Ma Muse

https://youtu.be/JHJXHUhvuC8

 

Christina/ All: In union with all peoples living and dead, we unite our thoughts and prayers, asking wisdom and courage to discern more wisely your call to us in the circumstances of our daily lives: to act justly and courageously in confronting the pain and suffering of our world; to take risks in being creative and proactive on behalf of the poor and marginalized; and to love all people with generosity of heart, beyond the labels of race, creed and color.

Lynn/All: Holy One, your transforming light is always moving within us and working through us. Like Jesus, we open wide all that has been closed about us, and we live mindful, compassionate lives; for it is through living as Jesus lived, that we awaken to your Spirit within,

moving us to glorify you, at this time and all ways. 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

 

Lynn: Please extend your hands and pray our blessing together.

 

May we continue to be the face of God to each other in our families, both original and chosen. 

May we live in our neighborhoods and towns as though “we are strangers and aliens no longer”.   

May we call each other to extravagant generosity that helps to heal political division.

 ​May our hearts of burning love, conserved by mindfulness, shine for all to see and share. 

All: AMEN 

 

Closing Song: “Send Down the Fire” by Marty Haugen

https://youtu.be/2cSkl0IiioM