8^th Sunday Ordinary – March 2, 2025

Theme: Know Yourself

We pray for those individuals in need Mike
Please be brief

Gathering Song Bill

I Won’t Turn Back by Jan Phillips

Bill will Create slides

Take this pain and give me freedom … I won’t turn back …
Take my arms and hold them higher… I won’t turn back…
Take my legs and make them stronger… I won’t turn back…
Take my mind and make it clearer… I won’t turn back…
Take my thoughts and make them sharper I won’t turn back…
Take my heart and make it loving… I won’t turn back…
Let my eyes see your people …..I won’t turn back…
Take this fear and give me courage… I won’t turn back…

Wisdom Bowl Maryann

Opening Prayer Mike

We gather today in the Gracious Mystery. We do so with troubled hearts seeking answers, seeking truth.

We seek wisdom through knowledge and empathy through true understanding.

May we allow ourselves to be honest and humble during this liturgy that we may learn what we do not know and understand what we have not experienced.

May we then truly be able to know ourselves.

We pray this and all prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.

1^st Reading ?????

A reading from the Gospel in the tradition of Luke

Jesus told the disciples a parable: “Can a blind person act as guide to another who is blind? Will they not both fall into a ditch?

“The student is not above the teacher. But all students will, once they are fully trained, be on a par with the teacher.

“How can you look at the splinter in another’s eye when you miss the

plank in your own?

“How can you say to another, ‘Let me remove the splinter from your eye,’ yet fail yourself to see the board lodged in your own?

Hypocrite! remove the board from your own eye first, then you will see clearly enough to remove the speck from the eye of another.

“A good tree does not produce bad fruit any more than a bad tree produces good fruit. Each tree is known by its yield. Figs are not taken from thorn bushes, nor grapes picked from briars. Good people produce goodness from the good they have stored up in their hearts;
evil people produce evil from the evil stored up in their hearts. People speak from the fullness of their hearts.”

—Inspired Words

2^nd Reading ?????

A Reading by Richard Rohr

Jesus’ phrase for the denied shadow is “the log in your own eye,” which you instead notice as the “splinter in your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:3-5). Jesus preceded modern psychology’s shadow work by two thousand years. His advice is absolutely perfect: “Take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly enough to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye” (7:5). Jesus does not deny that we should deal with evil, but we’d better do our own housecleaning first. If you do not recognize and name your own “log,” it is inevitable that you will project and hate it elsewhere. In political campaigns, hateful candidates invariably accuse others of being hateful, and angrily attack others for being angry. People with little self-knowledge usually do not see this clear pattern, but instead join with them in their attacks.

Jesus’ genius is that he wastes no time on repressing or denying the shadow. In that, he is a classic prophet; he does not merely expose the shadow, but attacks the real problem, which is the ego and the arrogance of people misusing power. Once you expose the shadow for what it is, its game is over. Its effectiveness entirely depends on costume and pretense. The true seer knows that “the angels of darkness must disguise themselves as angels of light” (see 2 Corinthians 11:14). As C. S. Lewis taught, if the devil were to succeed in England, he would need to wear a three-piece suit and speak with the Queen’s English, and surely never appear as a red demon with horns and a pitchfork. It is the same today.

Power, perks, prestige symbols, and material possessions are the normal armor of the ego. These are Jesus’ clear moral concerns, rather than merely sexual rules, roles, and supposed purity codes. Jesus shows little interest in phony moral purity, which actually increases repression of shadow issues. Watch out for it, as it takes many disguises.

Immature religion creates a high degree of “cognitively rigid” people, utterly dualistic thinkers, and often very hateful and crusading people, invariably about a single issue where they focus all their anger. “Those who live by the sword will die by the sword” (Matthew 26:52) takes on a whole new meaning here.

—Inspired Words

The Plank in Your Eye

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Gateway to Silence

Help me see as You see.

Reference:

Adapted from Richard Rohr, Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality (Franciscan Media: 2008), 76-77.

Psalm ???

https://youtu.be/YT4S7aNHzQA Woman Spirit by Karen Drucker, video by Mary Theresa Streck and Juanita Cordero

Woman’s Spirit is beauty

Woman’s Spirit runs deep

Woman loves with compassion

our perfection is complete …

Woman’s Spirit is graceful

Woman’s Spirit is wise

Woman’s Spirit is moving

bringing love into our lives …

Woman’s Spirit is passion

Woman’s Spirit is birth

Woman’s power unfolding

to honor life on earth …

3rd Reading ?????

A Reading by Jim Palmer, adapted

“I know that I know nothing” is a quote attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates, which implies that people should question their knowledge, and true wisdom comes from realizing how little we know.

Given the vast and ever-expanding nature of knowledge, it’s widely considered that any individual person possesses only a minuscule fraction of all possible knowledge, often estimated to be a fraction of 1%. That’s humbling – 99.9% of what can be known… I don’t know.

You don’t have to know everything for learning to be a worthy lifelong commitment and investment. Sometimes learning new things involves unlearning old things. Gaining knowledge is central to human growth and development, even though there will always be more to learn. Every aspect of our lives could be improved, every problem or obstacle in our lives could be better addressed, and every self-actualizing possibility and potentiality available to us could be realized… with knowledge.
The dictionary says “knowledge” is “the understanding, awareness, or familiarity gained through experience, education, or learning. It encompasses facts, information, and skills acquired over time.”

People strive for acceptance, validation, affirmation, admiration and worth. The most common way a person hopes to gain these is through the acknowledgement of others and a favorable rating in some system of popular/cultural metrics (status, wealth, fame, influence, appearance, power) in comparison to others.

It’s a losing game. It’s a fragile, capricious, unreliable and flawed system for attaining the validation and worth desire. The most dependable and trustworthy way of gaining acceptance, validation, affirmation, admiration and worth is through self-respect. In other words, you give these to yourself.

Developing self-respect is a powerful way of cultivating a stable sense of personal worth, confidence and positive self-regard. Acquiring knowledge, and it’s benefits, is one significant way for developing greater self-respect.

Knowledge builds self-respect because it empowers you to understand yourself better, make informed decisions, and confidently navigate different situations.

—Inspired Words

From Week in Review (2025: Week 8) 2/22/25 (jimpalmerauthor@substack.com)

4^th Reading

Empathy Is Admitting You Don’t Understand by Rebekah Cempe

As humans, we have an innate desire to see and understand. We want to feign comprehension, in order to avoid the despair of our limited understanding. I’ve noticed this phenomenon recently in what started as a personal experience. I was born with a rare genetic condition that causes my skin to blister much more easily than the average person. It is my normal. There are not many people on the planet who can actually understand. However, this has not stopped countless people from trying to convince me they do.

The story goes something like this: A person sees me limping and gets concerned; I explain that my feet are blistered because … They launch into a story about the time they once burned themselves on a hot pan and blistered, about the time they hiked in Birkenstocks in the rain, about the time when they ran a marathon and had a blistered heel. In those moments, while I am in pain and listening to someone pretend they understand, it takes everything in me to not scream, “THERE IS NO WAY YOU UNDERSTAND!”

There are experiences I don’t, and never will be able to, understand. I don’t know what it’s like to be a black man worried about being pulled over. I don’t know the burden of a refugee at the border. I don’t know what it’s like to be dependent on a wheelchair. I don’t know what it’s like to have depression. I don’t know what it’s like to be gay in a church. I don’t know what it’s like to be homeless. There are a lot of things I don’t know. There are a lot of things you don’t know.

Often, our response to hearing others’ struggles or worries is that we “totally get it.” People find the tiniest sliver of commonality and attempt to make a connection. It’s next to impossible for someone to share their story without someone else swooping in to minimize it.

I watched a conversation unfold online recently that went something like this: A mother shared that she was scared and will not allow her black teenage son to wear his hood on his jacket up in public; a white mother immediately responded that she wouldn’t let her white son do that either, because, well, “it’s just rude.” She failed to mention that she didn’t worry about her son being falsely accused or brutalized for something as meaningless as wearing a hoodie.

Why do we always pretend we “get it?” We watch the stories with the same pattern unfold daily. Someone shares their worry, their struggle, their hurt, while someone else comes in to save the day with a forced connection to their experience.

This is not empathy. It’s certainly not bringing comfort to the person who has made themselves vulnerable. Attempting to see connections and shared experiences when there is not one is offensive. It is a selfish act. We are attempting to minimize another person’s actual experience by telling them we understand. We do this to absolve ourselves of the responsibility of accepting our ignorance. We seek to prove that we have nothing to learn — that we’ve made it.

In order to empathize with others with different life experiences, we have to lay down our pride and accept that we don’t “get it,” but that we believe them. What does this look like?

Men who don’t experience habitual, casual harassment believing the stories of women who do.

People who appreciate law enforcement accepting that the uniform they respect incites fear in others.

Straight people believing LGBTQ people when they share they’ve felt rejected by the church.

Abled-bodied people listening to and making accommodations for disabled people who are frustrated by inaccessibility.

White people listening to the grievances of people of color and taking steps to remedy any hurt they have caused.

The list could go on, but the key to empathy is understanding that we, in fact, don’t understand. Some would say that the term for this is sympathy, rather than empathy, because the word empathy comes with the connotation that we must be able to relate to someone else’s experience. Sympathy is what we offer to another when we acknowledge that a situation or experience is unfortunate and leave it at that. Sympathy lets us claim that we “feel bad,” but absolves us from any further responsibility to learn or change. Empathy, however, calls us to consider another person’s story and reflect on their experience. Empathy calls us to be compassionate and to truly consider how another person feels. It calls us to want to learn, grow, and evolve toward love.

May we learn to truly weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice, even when we aren’t weeping or rejoicing for ourselves.

—Inspired Words

By Rebekah Cempe Mar 26, 2019

https://sojo.net/articles/empathy-admitting-you-dont-understand

Homily Mike

Prayer of the People ???

We pray now for ourselves and for the world. Our response will be May I know myself.

We must identify for ourselves whatever it is that has us and our communities in the grip of evil and confront it together. And in our struggle to become free of the things that bind us, we must not allow any lesser thing to obstruct the process by dividing us. We respond… May I know myself.

Everyone is meant to stand for something sometime in life. Unless we are free of the seductions of public approval, we will never be able to do it. We respond… May I know myself.

The purpose of life is to cultivate the sacred in ourselves so that we can come to know the Divine. We respond… May I know myself.

Life is about community, about being a people together. Our task is to make community wherever we go—to welcome people in, to take care of them when they can’t take care of themselves, to let them know that they are valuable to the group and important to the world. Community is an essential part of the spiritual life because it brings us face-to-face with our need for one another, the limitations in ourselves, and our own special role in the world. We respond… May I know myself.

May we explore why we act a certain way, what we believe and why we have strong opinions. May this introspection assist us in helping our neighbors. We respond… May I know myself.

For our sisters and brothers in Sophia, in our sister parish in Rochester, for all those involved with Pathways to Prosperity and for our sisters and brothers in Voice of the Faithful, FCM, Rainbow Railroad and RAMP, may they know of our love and care for them. May they continue to do good as they follow the Way of Jesus. We respond… May I know myself.

For what else shall we pray this morning?
Allow up to 4 petitions. (Pause after each)

Compassion and peace begins in the minds and hearts of individuals. To be a person of peace is to be a person of compassion, one who unites rather than divides, who seeks to love rather than to vent animosity, one who gives wholeheartedly rather than grasps selfishly, a person at home with oneself, and consequently at home with others. Amen.

Sharing Peace Mike

Prayer over the Bread and Wine ????

We are grateful – for this bread,

Which earth has given and human hands have formed.

This bread nourishes our spirit.

We are grateful – for this wine,

Fruit of the vine and work of human hands.

It is our spiritual drink.

Eucharistic Liturgy Mike & ??????

(Please pray Voice part in your home)

P. We who are alive today are the eyes and ears, the hands and feet of the Invisible Source.	Voice: We are Thought Incarnate, Word made flesh, Spirit embodied, Love materialized.
P: We who are alive today are agents of ongoing creation. We are the consciousness of the earth: the universe knowing itself, seeing itself, singing to itself. We are creation loving itself, hearing itself, healing itself through our actions and compassion.	Voice: We who are alive today are prophets of a new time, makers of a new myth, where our Source dwells not on some heavenly throne but in the very breath of living things: among us and within us.
P: As the Cosmos multiplies and expands forever outward so does it expand forever inward evolving us into beings of higher consciousness.	Voice: We are made of heaven and earth, starlight and clay, minerals and meteor dust.
P: We are the Infinite Wave concentrated into finite particles, spacetime compressed into the speck of a lifetime.	Voice: We are creating tomorrow with our thoughts and words. We are shaping ourselves and families, our communities and cities, our cultures and civilization by what we do and fail to do.
P: We are ascending into our potential, evolving into our Godness, co-creating the Whole that is the sum of our parts.	Voice: They never told us it would be like this: that we ourselves are the shapers of our world, called to be the light and the holiness we seek.
P: We who are alive today: Let us sing for joy that the heaven we sought is within and around us, that wherever we look, there is Holiness looking back.	Voice: Let us not lose heart. No matter what storms batter and buffet us Life holds us firmly in the palm of lts Hand.
P: We come here today and remember Jesus.He taught us how tolove, to live for justice and to become all that we are called to be.	Voice: As part of his Jewish faith, Jesus ate a Passover meal with his family and friends. At that meal, he shared bread and wine, and now we do the same.
P. Jesus took a loaf of bread, broke it like we are often broken in our relationships with one another, and showed us the way to reconciliation by asking us to share our bread with one another in remembrance of his own example.	Voice: We take and bless this bread of life as a sign of our oneness with the Divine with one another and all creation.
P: Jesus took the cup filled with the fruit of the vine, the vine that sustains us and links us to one another, and the fruit that nourishes the spirit of virtue that abides within and between each of us, and asked us to drink of that same spirit of loving-kindness and uniting harmony that was in him.	Voice: We take and bless these cups of wine as a sign of our oneness with the Divine with one another and all creation.
P: This ritual is a sign of our community, where the love we find at this table is reflected in our lives and the power we receive at this table makes us justice seekers and healers.	Voice: We pray, inviting the Spirit of Life, Love and Goodness to move free in our words and actions. To this, we give our Amen!

From There Are Burning Bushes Everywhere by Jan Phillips, p. 42 adapted

and various other Eucharistic rituals

Prayer of Jesus (Please pray along) ???

Our Father, Holy Mother,
Creator of the Cosmos, Source of Life, You are in my mind, in my garden,
in my cup of wine and loaf of bread. Blessed be your names:

Mother, Allah, Goddess, Beloved, Great Spirit, Radiant One, Yahweh, HaShem, Sophia

Your presence has come, your will is done on earth as it is in the cosmos.
May we give each other strength, mercy, tenderness, and joy,
and forgive each other’s failures, silence, pettiness, and forgetfulness,
as we ask to be forgiven by those we’ve hurt.
Lead us home to ourselves and each other, to clarity, to oneness,
and deliver us from the darkness of our ignorance and fear.

So we pray and so we receive. Amen.

Our Father, Our Mother from There Are Burning Bushes Everywhere by Jan Phillips, p. 36.

Prior to the Breaking of the Bread Mike

Breaking of the Bread Alice or Colleen

In the breaking of the bread, we know you, brother Jesus. Alleluia.
In the breaking of the bread, we know you, brother Jesus. Alleluia.
In the breaking of the bread, we know you, brother Jesus. Alleluia.

Presider: “…happy are we to share in this meal”

All: Our sharing in this meal is a sign of our gratitude and commitment to be one with Jesus.

When sharing the bread: “This is, and you are, the bread of life”

Presider: With great joy, we state.

All: We are followers of Jesus.

When sharing the cup: “The cup of the Covenant”

Communion Song Bill

In a Circle of Women (feat. Sydney Salt) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhotwVnLWK8

Bill will create slides

In a circle of women, I am born again
In a circle of women, I am home
Heal me now together, we heal each other
In a circle of women I am whole
In a circle of women, you are born again
In a circle of women, you are home
Healing now together, we heal each other
In a circle of women you are whole
In a circle of women, we are born again
In a circle of women we are home
Healing now together, we heal each other
In a circle of women, we are whole.

Closing Prayer a woman

The song of peace is Woman’s song:

She sings the song of life’s seasons –

rhythms of birth and death, receiving and giving,

times of waiting and fulfillment, suffering and joy.

She sings a gentle song of listening and hope,

of wholeness .and unity,

of harmony with earth

and reverence for earth’s gifts.

Her song is compassion,

her song is love.

If nations would be healed,

woman’s song must be sung.

If there would be peace,

woman’s song must be heard.

By Mary Southard, CSJ

Sisters of St. Joseph, LaGrange, IL

Sending Forth Song ????

Brave Words & music Karen Drucker & Claudia Carawan from the album I Stand for Love

1.
If I just show up, be open to surprise,
there could be miracles right before my eyes.
If I just let go something better might appear,
who knows what will happen when joy replaces fear?

Chorus:
When I dare to be all that I’m meant to be,
like a shooting star across the sky, unstoppable and free.
I shine my light, I turn darkness into light,
when I dare to be …brave.
(when I dare to be brave.)

2.
I’ll trust in who I am, be bold and take a shot.
Who knows what will happen when I give it all I’ve got?
Even when I’m scared, I’ll step into the ring.
I’ve got so much to offer with the gifts that I can bring.

Chorus

Bridge:
I’ve worried for so long, I’ve wasted too much time.
But now I’m ready to take the chance and claim what is mine.

3.
The path is free and clear, there’s nothing in my way.
I listen to my heart and not what other people say.
I’m gonna take that leap, I’ve never felt so strong.
I might not do it perfectly but I’m right where I belong.

Chorus

Announcements

Planning Meeting

4th Sunday Black History; 7^th Sunday Ordinary – February 23, 2025

Theme: Justice Begins When the Vulnerable are Heard. A Chaplain’s Research In S. Africa and the United States.

We pray for those individuals in need Mike
Please be brief

Gathering Song Mike

Tear Down the Walls by The Many
https://youtu.be/5wlDivQhDFY?list=OLAK5uy_maQRPGb9qLjWLiyeWa-xwnMsh8Pr-XD0Y&t=1

Wisdom Bowl Maryann

Opening Prayer Mike

We gather in the Divine Presence. A Presence that has energized and engaged humanity from the beginning of our species. As we continue to celebrate Black History Month we pray that we may always know that Black Lives Matter and that we are constantly called to reflect on the history of black people, we are then called to process what we learn and then act as anti-racists in all our comings and goings. We make this prayer and all prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.

First Reading Kim

The Health Impacts of Racism

We delve into how racism has left a lasting impact on the health and wellness outcomes of the BIPOC community. by Heather Schmidt Apr 24th, 2024

There has been growing evidence in recent years of the impact racism has on the health of racial and ethnic minority groups. From general life expectancy to the prevalence of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes, the wellness gaps and health disparities within the U.S. population are significant — and many of these concerns can be linked back to various forms of racism and discrimination.

Read on to learn more about racism and its connection to prominent health conditions affecting minority populations, along with information on related topics, such as the importance of diversity in the healthcare workforce. We’ve also included a selection of hand-picked resources to help you find the mental or physical healthcare you need.

What is racism?

Different from racial prejudice, racism involves one group having the power to carry out systematic discrimination over another; it is ultimately a form of oppression. This happens through institutional policies, practices, and societal norms and by shaping cultural beliefs and values that support racist policies. The result is the unfair advantage of resources and opportunities for some groups of people at the disadvantage of others.

To better understand the impact of racism and how it affects healthcare, we’ve broken down some key terms below.

Structural racism: This type of racism is the most pervasive form, embedding itself within the social, economic, and political systems that we live within to further perpetuate racial inequity. Structural racism isn’t the prejudiced views of one group of individuals but the history, culture, and current reality of racism across institutions.

Internalized racism: When a person’s worldview incorporates racist ideologies, attitudes, and behaviors.

Interpersonal racism: This type of racism occurs between individuals when a person’s internal beliefs are brought into how they interact with others, whether intentionally or not. This type of racism can range from unconscious bias to violence and hate speech.

Institutional racism: When the policies, practices, and culture of a system work against people of color, whether inadvertently or not.

These and other forms of racism continue to negatively impact the health of people across the globe. Leading organizations such as the American Heart Association, American Medical Association, and Centers for Disease Control have all stepped forward to acknowledge the effect structural racism has had on health disparities in the U.S. healthcare system.

The CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) identify Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), which are nonmedical factors that strongly influence health outcomes, as a particular area of focus. These factors have a profound effect on the physical and mental health of individuals, and the long history of racism in the U.S. has only served to further exacerbate their impact upon communities of color.

Examples of social determinants of health include:

Unemployment

Income

Food insecurity

Housing

Education

Working life conditions

Social inclusion

Access to affordable healthcare

The statistics below give an idea of how current health disparities affect Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in the U.S.

In 2022, 13.1% of Black or African American people did not have health insurance, compared to 10.3% of White Americans.

The mortality rates of Black American infants (10.8 deaths per 1,000 live births) are nearly twice that of the national average.

Pregnancy-related deaths are three times as likely for Black women than White women.

Only 13.6% of White Americans consider their health status “fair or poor,” compared to 18.8% of Black or African Americans.

How does racism affect health?

When viewing racism through the lens of healthcare, several factors ultimately lead to greater racial and ethnic health disparities.

Differences in healthcare access (including health insurance)

Differences in the quality of healthcare received

Differences in health-seeking behavior

Differences due to social determinants of health (SDOH)

Research published in 2020 examined the frequency with which healthcare patients experienced discrimination. Results revealed that 21.4% of survey respondents experienced discrimination in the healthcare system, with racial and ethnic racism being the most common. BIPOC can also face discriminatory educational and employment practices, further driving levels of poverty in their communities. This, in turn, exacerbates issues of food insecurity, lesser access to health insurance and healthcare, financial strain, and mental health ramifications.

Differences in life expectancy

CDC data reports that Black adults (between the ages of 18 and 64) are at a higher risk of early death than White persons.15 In addition, the 2022 National Vital Statistics report states that the average life expectancy of those who are Black (74.8 years) is shorter than that of Asians (85.6 years), Hispanics (81.9 years), and non-Hispanic White people (78.8 years).16 This difference in life expectancy for Black Americans is largely due to the chronic health conditions plaguing this population group. In the following section, we cover some of the most common health issues experienced by BIPOC.

Upon reflection, this unprecedented health crisis exposed elements of structural racism in the U.S.; inequalities resulted in Black Americans having greater exposure to the virus and an increased risk of mortality for those who were infected. For example, a significant portion of the essential workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic included racial and ethnic minority groups, keeping them at a higher risk of infection as they were exposed to the public while working for necessary income.

Inspired Words

PSALM Mike

These Bodies The Many

Second Reading Peter

A reading from the Gospel in the Tradition of Mark

Inspired Words

Homily Guest

Prayer of the People Kathy S

We pray especially for those with hardened hearts. May their hearts be opened to understanding and love.

For all houses of worship, that we may celebrate and welcome the diverse faces of the Divine in our community, our worship, our ministries, and our leaders, we pray,

For world leaders, that they may work to end the violence perpetrated by verbal attacks, deadly weapons, and cold indifference. May our nation and countries around the world become havens of peace, we pray,

For our nation, that we may receive the grace to see every human being as a child of God, regardless of race, language, or culture, we pray,

For parents and educators, that we may teach our children how to resolve differences non-violently and respectfully and have the courage to model it in our own behavior, we pray,

For this faith community, that we may respond to the promptings of the Spirit to act together to end violence and racism, we pray,

For our public officials, that the Spirit of Wisdom may help them strive to work for equal education, suitable housing, and equal employment opportunities for all, we pray,

For solidarity in our global human family, that we may be vigilant in our protection of those who are most vulnerable and most in need, we pray,

May the Spirit of Jesus take hold of us so that a new world may take hold. May our actions and words break down the barriers of racial hatred and syste Prayer of the People Kathy S

We come together today with the fervent desire to end the sin of racism. May our prayers be effective!

Our response will be a prayerful silence.

We pray especially for those with hardened hearts. May their hearts be opened to understanding and love.

For all houses of worship, that we may celebrate and welcome the diverse faces of the Divine in our community, our worship, our ministries, and our leaders, we pray,

For our nation, that we may receive the grace to see every human being as a child of God, regardless of race, language, or culture, we pray,

For parents and educators, that we may teach our children how to resolve differences non-violently and respectfully and have the courage to model it in our own behavior, we pray,

For this faith community, that we may respond to the promptings of the Spirit to act together to end violence and racism, we pray,

For our public officials, that the Spirit of Wisdom may help them strive to work for equal education, suitable housing, and equal employment opportunities for all, we pray,

For solidarity in our global human family, that we may be vigilant in our protection of those who are most vulnerable and most in need, we pray,

For what else shall we pray? (all 4 or 5 responses)

May the Spirit of Jesus take hold of us so that a new world may take hold. May our actions and words break down the barriers of racial hatred and systemic racism, that leads to the disparity of care of our sisters and brothers. We pray this and all prayer in the name of Jesus.

Sharing Peace Mike

Prayer over the Bread and Wine Margie

We are grateful – for this bread,

Which earth has given and human hands have formed.

This bread nourishes our spirit.

We are grateful – for this wine,

Fruit of the vine and work of human hands.

It is our spiritual drink.

Eucharistic Liturgy Mike & Geri

(Please pray Voice part in your home)

P: We gather today mindful of the quest for freedom that cries out in the heart and soul of every woman and man. A quest that is fierce with resolve and will not end until freedom is won for all.	Voice: From the time of Moses, people enslaved others for profit and gain. When Israel was in Egypt’s land, the Israelites were oppressed so hard they could not stand. Let my people go!
P: Four hundred years ago, on the shores of the new-found land which became America, people were once again enslaved for profit and gain. Let my people go!	Voice: On the backs of these women and men this country was built. Let my people go! No consideration, no justice, no mercy for them. Let my people go!
P: A war began that tore a country apart. The Emancipation Proclamation brought a degree of freedom but injustice and greed still persisted. Let my people go!	Voice: New ways of indignities and injustices were invented: Jim Crow, Whites Only, Segregation and Red Lining. Let my people go!
P: And yet, in spite of all this, women and men of color have produced so many beautiful and meaningful creations. We thank Dr. Shirley Jackson for fiber-optic cable, Lewis Latimer for carbon filament (inner light bulb), Marie Van Brittan Brown for closed-circuit television security, Otis Boykin for the pacemaker, Lonnie Johnson for the Super Soaker and thermoelectric energy converters, Charles Drew for the blood bank, Marian Croak for Voice over IP, Lisa Gelobter for animated Gifs on the web, Philip Emeagwali – a drop out, for the world’s fastest computer, Jesse Wilkins, Jr, for the math behind gamma radiation, Garrett Morgan for the gas mask and the traffic signal, and Mary and Mildred Davidson for women’s feminine products and the walker, and Onesimus & Cotton Mather for the method that would eventually become vaccinations against infectious diseases. Appreciating these contributions as just a few among many, we pray recognizing the worth of all, and being grateful to learn what was never deemed important enough to include in our educational experiences.	Voice: We pray, recognizing our true worth, and our understanding of what it means to be human. No longer unworthy exiles, we are people with a glorious cosmic history, with great responsibility, and a noble destiny. Along with everything else in the universe, we are on a journey beyond our imagining.
P: We remember Jesus. He challenged us to confront any influence within us, any social, family, religious or cultural influence, that prevents us from recognizing the power within us and within all people – the power of love; a power that could join all people as one in their common dream of a better humanity.	Voice: So we take this bread, as Jesus took bread, and give thanks for the wonder of the Divine in, and with us, and we eat, committing ourselves to love as Jesus loved, wholeheartedly, generously, and compassionately, so that people will see expressed in us what we have seen expressed in Jesus.
P: We take this wine, and we remember Jesus drinking wine with his friends. We drink, giving our “Yes” to being on earth the heart of the Holy One.	Voice: Our prayer is that Justice Rolls down like water. We have a Dream. That one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all women and men are created equal.”
P: We have a dream that people of color will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.	Voice: We have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight.
P: This is our hope. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood and sisterhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.	Voice: From every mountainside, let freedom ring! To wherever the Spirit of Life and Love may lead us we give our, Amen.

Prayer of Jesus (Please pray along) Linda K

The Lord’s Prayer – from the original Aramaic

O Breathing Life, your Name shines everywhere!

Release a space to plant your Presence here.

Envision your “I Can” now.

Embody your desire in every light and form.

Grow through us this moment’s bread and wisdom.

Untie the knots of failure binding us,

as we release the strands we hold of others’ faults.

Help us not forget our Source,

Yet free us from not being in the Present.

From you arises every Vision, Power and Song

from gathering to gathering.

Amen!

May our future actions grow from here!

Breaking of the Bread Alice or Colleen

Presider: “…happy are we to share in this meal”

All: Our sharing in this meal is a sign of our gratitude and commitment to be one with Jesus.

When sharing the bread: “This is, and you are, the bread of life”

Presider: With great joy, we state.

All: We are followers of Jesus.

When sharing the cup: “The cup of the Covenant”

Communion Song Mike

Mickey Guyton – Black Like Me (Our Voices) (Live From The 63rd GRAMMYs®)

Closing Prayer Mike

As we conclude our celebration of Black History Month, we know that we do not conclude our efforts to be anti-racists throughout the year. May we continue to listen to our black sisters and brothers, may we continue to engage in ways that lead us to new understandings, may we sustain our efforts to make this a better nation where diversity, equity and inclusion are celebrated. May we help to live the truths that all women and men are created equally. We pray this and all things in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Sending Forth Song Mike

Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing – Stanford Talisman Alumni Virtual Choir

Announcements

3^rd Sunday Black History; 6^th Sunday Ordinary – February 16, 2025

Theme: Blessed are the Justice Seekers

We pray for those individuals in need Mike
Please be brief

Gathering Song Maryann

Blessed Are You – Sarah Hart [Official Lyric Video] 4:11 min
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XSViv4a9eQ

Wisdom Bowl Maryann

Opening Prayer Mike

Jesus taught us to pray and to never lose heart.
But frankly there are times that wear us down and we feel fainthearted.
We feel weary and close to giving up.
There are times we lose hope and give up.
It is times like these that we need to hold each other up in prayer.
It is times like these that we need to encourage each other.
It is times like these that we need to be there for one another.
It is times like these that we need to cry out in prayer for those in need.

But it is not just for those in need, it is also for justice that we cry out.
We plea for those who can not speak up for themselves.
We stand up for those who rights have been violated.
We seek peace with justice for those who need both.
We pray for justice for those who are the weakest.

We are grateful for justice at work in this world.
We are grateful for our prayers that are answered.
We are grateful when others show concern and protection.
We are grateful for mercy that is poured out with justice.

In all of this may we be found faithful. Amen

~ written by Rev Abi, and posted on Rev Abi’s Long and Winding Road blog. http://vicarofwadley.blogspot.ca/ (adapted)

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1^st Reading Joan

From This Transforming Word, Scripture passage from The Message: Luke 6:17, 20-26

Coming down off the mountain with them, he stood on a plain surrounded by disciples, and was soon joined by a huge congregation from all over Judea and Jerusalem, even from the seaside towns of Tyre and Sidon. Then he spoke:

You’re blessed when you’ve lost it all.

God’s kingdom is there for the finding.

You’re blessed when you’re ravenously hungry.

Then you’re ready for the Messianic meal.

You’re blessed when the tears flow freely.

Joy comes with the morning.

Count yourself blessed every time someone cuts you down or throws you out, every time someone smears or blackens your name to discredit me.

What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and that that person is uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens−skip like a lamb, if you like! – for even though they don’t like it, I do… and all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company; my preachers and witnesses have always been

treated like this.

But it’s trouble ahead if you think you have it made. What you have is all you’ll ever get.

And it’s trouble ahead if you’re satisfied with yourself. Your self will not satisfy you for long.

And it’s trouble ahead if you think life’s all fun and games. There’s suffering to be met, and you’re going to meet it.

“There’s trouble ahead when you live only for the approval of others, saying what flatters them, doing what indulges them. Popularity contests are not truth contests − look how many scoundrel preachers were approved by your ancestors. Your task is to be true, not popular.”

—Inspired Words

2^nd Reading Grace

A reading from the chapter on Justice from the book Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems and Meditations for Staying Human by Cole Arthur Riley.

Sometimes I wonder if we lack imagination for any form of justice apart from punishment of the perpetrator. I think justice can contain this, but if this is all justice is, is it worth marching at all? Maybe so. But I want a justice that is just as concerned with rectifying the systems that allowed the injustice to take place. I want a death to whatever allowed Chauvin to kneel with a smirk at a half dozen phones recording as a man − a beautiful, dignified man – cried out for his mother. I want officers held accountable, yes, and I want policies changed. I want a total reckoning with the system of policing in a country where Black people have never been protected.

Justice, I think, will never feel enough. But I’m learning not to demean what justice we have access to in the present. I cannot afford to be dismissive of justice. My brothers, who both spent years in prison, cannot afford my hopelessness. My despair will not save them or me.

Zora Neale Hurston said, “If you are silent about your pain, they’ll kill you and say you enjoyed it.” If I can’t have this pain resolved in full, I want to live so that the world cannot tell a different story about the blood that trails me. About the cages that hold the people I love. My protest, however that protest might look, will not resurrect the aunt who was taken from me because the medical system does not care about Black women bodies. But it will remind me of the power of my own Black woman body. It’s more than catharsis, it’s a reclaiming.

You are not foolish for hoping. Don’t let anyone make you feel ashamed for what fight remains in you. And may what has been emptied in you be found in me. I trust that when the time comes, you will hold my hope when I cannot.

Justice alone is not the destination. Becoming human is. This is liberation. We want no need for gavels, no need for sit-ins or philanthropy. No need for food drives or keys clenched between knuckles at night. We want more for ourselves.

But until then, we speak. We organize. We create. We hold hope for one another on the edge of despair, our voices sustained in the collective. Whether they listen or fail to listen, our mouth is ours. There is meaning in that.

—Inspired Words

Psalm Maryann

The Justice Song

We won’t relent, we will fight until the end
We have been sent, to protect and to defend

Let justice flow like a river
Flow from the peaks to the ground
Let justice flow like a river
Till only freedom is found

We count the cost, we will pledge our very lives.
All may seem lost, but the Kingdom will arise

Let justice flow like a river
Flow from the peaks to the ground
Let justice flow like a river
Till only freedom is found

The coastlands will know
The coastlands will know
The coastlands will know
Your Justice
The islands will know
The islands will know
The islands will know
Your Justice
The nations will know
The nations will know
The nations will know
Your Justice

3rd Reading Margie

From a reading by Sherrilyn Ifill titled It Is MLK Day. Do Not Despair. This Year Especially, We Have Work To

Maybe this terrible thing that has befallen this country, this descent into fascism and oligarchy invites us to a more honest confrontation with the truth about the state of our democracy. Dr. King warned us. He feared that Black Americans were seeking to “integrate into a burning house.” Had President Harris been inaugurated, would we have been lulled into believing that the house of our democracy was safe? Would we have imagined that we could fix what ails our country without the painful process of confrontation and repair to which Dr. King called us?

But this is the hand we have been dealt. And perhaps now and only now, this country can confront honestly the nature of its mythologies, and the depth of its pathologies. To love this country and to work to strengthen it requires first a proper diagnosis of the weaknesses that lie at its core. We cannot protect against that which we refuse to diagnose and name.

Perhaps more people in this country will begin to understand what Dr. King knew. That this country’s continued accommodation of white supremacist ideology has allowed a cancer to eat away the foundations of our democracy. The result is this country’s inability to sustain policies that any healthy democracy needs to protect itself.

Democracy is not just dependent on elections and legislation. Healthy democracy requires attention to the needs of the people. All of its people. Representative democracy – a system of give and take in which you cannot guarantee that every battle will be won, requires empathy and compassion, and a set of baseline values that protect the dignity and humanity of its people.

America is not, and perhaps never has been, a healthy democracy. This would have been true even if Vice President Harris had been elected President, just as it was true despite the election of President Obama. America will never be a true, strong, enduring, and healthy democracy until we show the courage needed to confront and address our most painful truths.

Dr. King warned us not to fear the tension of the times. Instead Dr. King explained that those of us pressing for change do not create tension, they simply “bring tension to the surface.” King advised that “[t]his tension… must not be seen as destructive.” Instead King explained, “there is a kind of tension that is both healthy and necessary for growth…. to force [our society’s] citizens to confront the ugliness of their prejudices and the tragedy of their racism.”[3] Trump’s election has surfaced the persistent, ugly, stubborn hold that white supremacist ideology has on our country, and its power to utterly destroy any claim to democracy this country may have.

We must build unity among ourselves if we are to effectively battle the forces arrayed against us. It will be difficult. A big tent under which a diverse coalition of democracy fighters work together will always be more difficult to anchor than a tent under which a lockstep, authoritarian-led army of religious or power-hungry zealots coalesce. And racism and xenophobia are powerful unifiers.

But this is the work we who believe in democracy are called to do.

In the days ahead it will appear that they are winning, and we are losing. But if we use this opportunity to go deeper, to deal with the roots of our problems and national dysfunction, then we will be playing the long game – chess, not checkers.

—Inspired Words

Sherrilyn Ifill from Sherrilyn’s Newsletter <sherrilyn@substack.com>

Date: Sun, Jan 19, 2025

Homily Mike

Prayer of the People Kim

Today’s Prayer of the People is adapted from an except of a 2022 podcast by the activist Michael Moore. Our response is a prayerful silence.

Perhaps the best way for white people to celebrate Black History Month is to discuss with each other our white privilege, income inequality and institutional racism — and how to bring it to an end. We pray…..

There needs to be a large movement amongst white people to go after and disrupt the infrastructure that‘s built and maintained by all of us white people to benefit all of us white people. WE are the problem, and we have to fix it. We pray…..

How about we spend Black History Month ditching our liberal platitudes and MLK half-quotes. Instead, let’s spend the month (and the rest of the year) ending white privilege by changing the rules, the traditions and the laws, and truly committing ourselves to living in a different and better world. We pray…..

Radical empathy is necessary for us to be real changemakers. May we act to integrate each of our neighborhoods, make every school in our districts equally brilliant, make a true living wage the law in all of our cities and states, and demand that those who participate in all-white coups receive the necessary restraints to protect the rest of us. We pray…..

Make a list of what you can do — not for Black people, but what you can do about yourself and where you live, work or go to school. C’mon, we all quietly know how the game is rigged, we know where the keys are kept, we know where the not-so-invisible “Whites Only” signs are placed. We also know where the money is, who has it, where it’s hidden. We pray…..

The only way to stop it is with your brothers and sisters of color. The 40% of us white voters who are progressive, along with the 35%+ of the electorate that is Black, Hispanic, Arab and/or Muslim, Indigenous or Asian. When white billionaires and banks, white CEOs and Supremacists, see us locking arms and sharing a table and a polling place together — well, watch out. We pray…..

For what else shall we pray this morning?
Allow up to 4 petitions. (Pause after each)

We know that love cannot be separated from truth telling and justice. For too long we have known complacency and subjugation masquerading as love. May our community be capable of the real thing. May we be agents of true restoration in a tired world, committing ourselves to dismembering the schemes of injustice, in which love is never complicit. Amen.

(https://www.michaelmoore.com/p/whiteprivliegeii)

Sharing Peace Mike

Prayer over the Bread and Wine Joanne

We are grateful – for this bread,

Which earth has given and human hands have formed.

This bread nourishes our spirit.

We are grateful – for this wine,

Fruit of the vine and work of human hands.

It is our spiritual drink.

Eucharistic Liturgy Mike & Kathy

(Please pray Voice part in your home)

P: We gather today mindful of the quest for freedom that cries out in the heart and soul of every woman and man. A quest that is fierce with resolve and will not end until freedom is won for all.	Voice: From the time of Moses, people enslaved others for profit and gain. When Israel was in Egypt’s land, the Israelites were oppressed so hard they could not stand. Let my people go!
P: Four hundred years ago, on the shores of the new-found land which became America, people were once again enslaved for profit and gain. Let my people go!	Voice: On the backs of these women and men this country was built. Let my people go! No consideration, no justice, no mercy for them. Let my people go!
P: A war began that tore a country apart. The Emancipation Proclamation brought a degree of freedom but injustice and greed still persisted. Let my people go!	Voice: New ways of indignities and injustices were invented: Jim Crow, Whites Only, Segregation and Red Lining. Let my people go!
P: And yet, in spite of all this, women and men of color have produced so many beautiful and meaningful creations. We thank Dr. Patricia Bath, an ophthalmologist, who invented a specialized tool and procedure for the removal of cataracts; Alfred L. Cralle who invented the ice cream scooper; Issac R. Johnson, for the bicycle frame; Dr Betty Harris. who obtained a patent for her invention that identified explosives in a field environment; Leonard C. Bailey who patented a collapsible, folding bed designed for easy storage and portability, an innovation adopted by the U.S. military. Appreciating these contributions as just a few among many, we pray recognizing the worth of all and being grateful to learn what was never deemed important enough to include in our educational experiences.	Voice: We pray, recognizing our true worth, and our understanding of what it means to be human. No longer unworthy exiles, we are people with a glorious cosmic history, with great responsibility, and a noble destiny. Along with everything else in the universe, we are on a journey beyond our imagining.
P: We remember Jesus. He challenged us to confront any influence within us, any social, family, religious or cultural influence, that prevents us from recognizing the power within us and within all people – the power of love; a power that could join all people as one in their common dream of a better humanity.	Voice: So we take this bread, as Jesus took bread, and give thanks for the wonder of the Divine in, and with us, and we eat, committing ourselves to love as Jesus loved, wholeheartedly, generously, and compassionately, so that people will see expressed in us what we have seen expressed in Jesus.
P: We take this wine, and we remember Jesus drinking wine with his friends. We drink, giving our “Yes” to being on earth the heart of the Holy One.	Voice: Our prayer is that Justice Rolls down like water. We have a Dream. That one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all women and men are created equal.”
P: We have a dream that people of color will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.	Voice: We have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight.
P: This is our hope. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood and sisterhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.	Voice: From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
P: To wherever the Spirit of Life and Love may lead us we give our, Amen.

Prayer of Jesus (Please pray along) Peter

Great divine spirit of love that is at the core of everything

and from which all life flows,

We acknowledge this healing and transforming power.

May the spirit of unconditional love and forgiveness flow through each of us and enable the realm of love to spread throughout the world.

Like the flowers in the fields, may we have the basics we need to live

and may we have the love and commitment to ensure that others have what they need too.

May we have the courage to acknowledge when we have done wrong,

to seek forgiveness from those we have hurt

and to forgive those who have hurt us,

so that we may be reconciled.

We acknowledge the power of self-giving love to transform individual hearts and the world.

We recommit ourselves to the unconditional love of others and the work of justice and peace.

Amen A 21st Century Lord’s Prayer by Roger Courtney adapted

Prior to the Breaking of the Bread Mike

Breaking of the Bread Alice or Colleen

Presider: “…happy are we to share in this meal”

All: Our sharing in this meal is a sign of our gratitude and commitment to be one with Jesus.

When sharing the bread: “This is, and you are, the bread of life”

Presider: With great joy, we state.

All: We are followers of Jesus.

When sharing the cup: “The cup of the Covenant”

Communion Song Maryann

Kathy Sherman Tapestry of Justice

We are living and loving, working and dreaming,
hoping, believing that all may be one.
We are threads of all colors gifted and free,
creating for Earth a tapestry of justice.
We are singing and dancing, teaching and healing,
giving, receiving that all may be one.
We are gathered and sent with hearts that can see,
creating for Earth a tapestry of justice.
Send out a song of promise and peace.
Send it on wings of healing.
And make it a song that all want to sing.
We can learn it and sing it together.
We are changing and growing, laughing and weeping, seeking
And searching that all may be one.
We are bridging and building a promise are we, creating for
Earth a tapestry of justice.

Closing Prayer Mike

Prayer Litany

(Adapted from Psalm 72:1-10, & Amos 5:24)

May justice and fairness

flow like a river that never runs dry.

May the rich be honest and fair just like you.

May we who have such abundance

be honest and fair with all people,

especially the poor and marginalized.

Let peace and justice rule every mountain

and fairness flow as a river that never runs dry.

May we defend the poor,

rescue the homeless,

and crush everyone who hurts them.

May we be as helpful as rain that refreshes the ground,

to those who are treated unjustly.

May the wholeness and fairness of the kindom

live forever like the sun and the moon.

Because it is our calling to rescue the homeless and have pity on those who hurt;

May we who are rich stand up for the poor

and let peace abound until the moon fades to nothing.

May the kindom of justice and fairness

reach from sea to sea, across all the earth.

May justice and fairness

flow like a river that never runs dry

Amen.

~ from Christine Sine’s Godspace website. http://godspace.wordpress.com/2013/08/19/i-have-a-dream-a-prophetic-speech-now-50-years-old/ (adapted)

Sending Forth Song Maryann

We Shall Overcome https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXTTALtF0f4

Announcements

2nd Sunday of Black History Month February 9, 2025

Theme: Everything is harder for people of color/

We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest

We pray for those individuals in need (please mute yourself) Mike

Opening Song Margie

Ella’s Song Sweet Honey in the Rock

We who believe in freedom cannot rest

We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes

Until the killing of black men, black mothers’ sons

Is as important as the killing of white men, white mothers’ sons

That which touches me most is that I had a chance to work with people

Passing on to others that which was passed on to me

To me young people come first, they have the courage where we fail

And if I can but shed some light as they carry us through the gale

The older I get the better I know that the secret of my going on

Is when the reins are in the hands of the young, who dare to run against the storm

Not needing to clutch for power, not needing the light just to shine on me

I need to be one in the number as we stand against tyranny

Struggling myself don’t mean a whole lot, I’ve come to realize

That teaching others to stand up and fight is the only way my struggle survives

I’m a woman who speaks in a voice and I must be heard

At times I can be quite difficult, I’ll bow to no man’s word

We who believe in freedom cannot rest

We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes

Lyrics and music by Bernice Johnson Reagon

Wisdom Bowl Margie

Opening Prayer Sue

Our Opening Prayer this morning is a poem by Maya Angelou:

We, unaccustomed to courage

exiles from delight

live coiled in shells of loneliness

until love leaves its high holy temple

and comes into our sight

to liberate us into life.

Love arrives

and in its train come ecstasies

old memories of pleasure

ancient histories of pain.

Yet if we are bold,

love strikes away the chains of fear

from our souls.

We are weaned from our timidity.

In the flush of love’s light

we dare be brave

And suddenly we see

that love costs all we are

and will ever be.

Yet it is only love

which sets us free.

(Pause) Amen.

Touched by an Angel, by Maya Angelou

Introduction to our “Readings” Margie

Last Sunday, Mike’s started his homily with, “As we begin our celebration of Black History Month we look to our sisters and brothers in the BIPOC community who have fought against injustice and often personal oppression with determination and grit. Relying on their faith, they never gave up but always look forward to a better tomorrow for themselves and their children.” (say end quote)

We acknowledge that life is more difficult for people of color in the US in many ways, due to systemic racism and discrimination that affect many (if not all) aspects of their lives.This morning we are going to highlight just 3 of the many, many persistent and interconnected barriers that people of color encounter due to personal, institutional, systematic or social racism.

We’ll be concentrating on:

Racial Profiling and Police Brutality – with the trailer for the documentary, Driving While Black

Healthcare Access and Outcomes – with a TedMed talk by a Black mother who lost her daughter due to childbirth complications

Economic Inequality, Educational Disparity and Workplace Discrimination, all of which will be further impacted by the current administration’s war on DEI – with … by Sherilynn Ifill

Each of the videos was chosen because it either provides a better understanding of a particular issue or because it shows the toll taken

Reading 1 (2:18) Margie

Driving While Black – documentary trailer

https://www.pbs.org/video/extended-trailer-cokwee

Inspired words

Reading 2 Margie

How the US medical community fails Black mothers

(stop at 7:42) TedMed Talk by Wanda Irving

Inspired words

Reading 3 (8:36 – 15:40) Margie

DEI – excerpt from a conversation between Jen Rubin and Sherrilyn Ifill on the Contrarian

https://contrarian.substack.com/p/sherrilyn-ifill-in-conversation-with?utm_source=podcast-email&publication_id=3719374&post_id=155720825&utm_campaign=email-play-on-substack&utm_content=watch_now_button&r=4ygma&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

Inspired words

Psalm Margie

Still I Rise by Maya Angelou

Still I Rise

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?

Why are you beset with gloom?

’Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells

Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,

With the certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing high,

Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?

Bowed head and lowered eyes?

Shoulders falling down like teardrops,

Weakened by my soulful cries?

Does my haughtiness offend you?

Don’t you take it awful hard

’Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines

Diggin’ in my own backyard.

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?

Does it come as a surprise

That I dance like I’ve got diamonds

At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame

I rise

Up from a past that’s rooted in pain

I rise

I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,

Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear

I rise

Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear

I rise

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,

I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise

I rise.

Homily Rev Ross Upshaw

Prayer of the People ????

An Examen for Racial Justice

(Each question will be followed by a thoughtful silence.)

Have I fully loved the Divine and fully loved my neighbor as myself?

Have I caused pain to others by my actions or my words that offended my brother or my sister?

Have I done enough to inform myself about the evil of racism, its roots, and its historical and contemporary manifestations?

Have I opened my heart to see how unequal access to economic opportunity, jobs, housing, and education on the basis of skin color, race, or ethnicity, has denied and continues to deny the equal dignity of others?

Is there a root of racism within me that blurs my vision of who my neighbor is?

Have I ever witnessed an occasion when someone “fell victim” to personal, institutional, systematic or social racism and I did or said nothing, leaving the victim to address their pain alone?

Have I ever witnessed an occasion when someone “fell victim” to personal, institutional, systematic or social racism with me inflicting the pain, acting opposite of love of God and love of neighbor?

Have I ever lifted up and aided a person who “fell victim” to personal, institutional, systematic or social racism and paid a price for extending mercy to the other? How did I react? Did my faith grow?

Am I willing to grow even more in faith through my actions?

And as we turn to our own community and the whole world…

For our sisters and brothers in Sophia, in our sister parish in Rochester and for all those involved with Pathways to Prosperity, Voice of the Faithful, Rainbow Railroads, RAMP, and FCM… may they allow courage and persistence to power their works of justice, we pray. (Allow prayerful silence)

For what else shall we pray? Allow 4 petitions, followed by prayerful silences.

May we open our hearts and our minds to the difficult truth about racism in our country and ourselves. And may we be willing to grow in our faith, as we take on actions of courage and strength at this difficult time. Amen.

by To Go Forth – a blog from the USCCB, Department of Justice, Peace & Human Development – inspired by Pope Francis.

Sharing Peace Mike

Prayer over the Bread ????

We are grateful – for this bread,

Which earth has given and human hands have formed.

This bread nourishes our spirit.

Prayer over the Wine

We are grateful – for this wine,

Fruit of the vine and work of human hands.

It is our spiritual drink.

Eucharistic Prayer for Black History Month Mike & Voice

Presider: We gather today mindful of the quest for freedom that cries out in the heart and soul of every woman and man. A quest that is fierce with resolve and will not end until freedom is won for all.

Voice: From the time of Moses, people enslaved others for profit and gain.

When Israel was in Egypt’s land, the Israelites were oppressed so hard they could not stand. Let my people go!

P: Four hundred years ago, on the shores of the new-found land which became America, people were once again enslaved for profit and gain. Let my people go!

Voice: On the backs of these women and men this country was built. Let my people go! No consideration, no justice, no mercy for them. Let my people go!

P: A war began that tore a country apart. The Emancipation Proclamation brought a degree of freedom but injustice and greed still persisted. Let my people go!

Voice: New ways of indignities and injustices were invented: Jim Crow, Whites Only, Segregation and Red Lining. Let my people go!

P: And yet, in spite of all this, women and men of color have had so many important accomplishments and produced so many beautiful and meaningful creations. We thank Katherine Johnson, a NASA hero who calculated trajectories for space flights, Edmond Berger who invented the spark plug, Benjamin Banneker who invented America’s first clock, Charles Drew for the blood bank, Matthew Hensen, the co-discoverer of the North Pole, and Gwen Ifill, an American journalist, who became the first African-American woman to host a nationally televised U.S. public affairs program.

Appreciating these contributions as just a few among many, we pray recognizing the worth of all, and being grateful to learn what was never deemed important enough to include in our educational experiences.

Voice: We pray, recognizing our true worth, and our understanding of what it means to be human. No longer unworthy exiles, we are people with a glorious cosmic history, with great responsibility, and a noble destiny. Along with everything else in the universe, we are on a journey beyond our imagining.

P: We remember Jesus. He challenged us to confront any influence within us, any social, family, religious or cultural influence, that prevents us from recognizing the power within us and within all people – the power of love;

a power that could join all people as one in their common dream of a better humanity.

Voice: So we take this bread, as Jesus took bread, and give thanks for the wonder of the Divine in, and with us, and we eat, committing ourselves to love as Jesus loved, wholeheartedly, generously, and compassionately, so that people will see expressed in us what we have seen expressed in Jesus.

P: We take this wine, and we remember Jesus drinking wine with his friends. We drink, giving our “Yes” to being on earth the heart of the Holy One.

Voice: Our prayer is that Justice Rolls down like water. We have a Dream. That one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all women and men are created equal.”

P: We have a dream that people of color will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

Voice: We have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight.

P: This is our hope. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood and sisterhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

Voice: From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

P: To wherever the Spirit of Life and Love may lead us we give our, Amen.

Prayer of Jesus Margie

Our Prayer of Jesus this morning invites us to see the words and dreams of Jesus expressed in the poetry of Langston Hughes:

I dream a world where man

No other man will scorn,

Where love will bless the earth

And peace its paths adorn

I dream a world where all

Will know sweet freedom’s way,

Where greed no longer saps the soul

Nor avarice blights our day.

A world I dream where black or white,

Whatever race you be,

Will share the bounties of the earth

And every man is free,

Where wretchedness will hang its head

And joy, like a pearl,

Attends the needs of all mankind-

Of such I dream, my world!

Amen.

Breaking of the Bread Alice or Colleen

In the breaking of the bread, we know you, brother Jesus, Alleluia.

Communion Mike

Presider: “…happy are we to share in this meal”

All: Our sharing in this meal is a sign of our gratitude and commitment to be one with Jesus.

When sharing the bread: “This is, and you are, the bread of life”

Presider: With great joy, we state.

All: We are followers of Jesus.

When sharing the cup: “The cup of the Covenant”

Communion Song Margie

Lift Every Voice and Sing

Closing Prayer Mike

A SOCIAL ACTIVIST’S VOW FOR THIS COMING DAY

I vow not to let anything that happens this day rob me of my wisdom and inner peace. I will not let any accident of fortune define me, nor deter me from my duty to my human family and to the web of life.

I will not waste this day obsessively wishing I had lived in better times. I will not dwell on my past mistakes. I will not become so obsessed by fighting evil that I forget true justice is love that has grown to include everyone.

I will be a faithful candle in this time of midnight. When there is no light around me, I will be that light. I will strive to treat every ignorant word as an opportunity to teach, every unfortunate event as a chance to learn, and every happy moment as an opportunity to be grateful.

I will remember that rest and self care are essential for giving my best gift to others. I will offer my gift, however small, and do my best not to fret about that which is beyond my control. I will not turn the gift of serving my human family into a dreary burden.

And, should I break any part of my vow, as I inevitably will, I will not give the last word to remorse or shame. Time and time again I will return to my path with wisdom, peace and joy. Amen.

by Jim Rigby

Closing Song Margie

Fight On by The Harlem Gospel Travelers

Announcements

Eucharistic Liturgy –

First Sunday Black History Month – February 2, 2025

Theme: Finding our Resolve

We pray for those individuals in need Mike
Please be brief

Gathering Song Mike

Today’s opening song, Ella Song was composed by Bernice Johnson Reagon who established and led Sweet Honey and the Rock for 30 years, retiring in 2004.

Ella’s Song sung by Sweet Honey and the Rock / 3.43 minutes

Ella’s Song

We who believe in freedom cannot rest

We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes

Until the killing of black men, black mothers’ sons

Is as important as the killing of white men, white mothers’ sons

That which touches me most is that I had a chance to work with people

Passing on to others that which was passed on to me

To me young people come first, they have the courage where we fail

And if I can but shed some light as they carry us through the gale

The older I get the better I know that the secret of my going on

Is when the reins are in the hands of the young, who dare to run against the storm

Not needing to clutch for power, not needing the light just to shine on me

I need to be one in the number as we stand against tyranny

Struggling myself don’t mean a whole lot, I’ve come to realize

That teaching others to stand up and fight is the only way my struggle survives

I’m a woman who speaks in a voice and I must be heard

At times I can be quite difficult, I’ll bow to no man’s word

We who believe in freedom cannot rest

We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes

Lyrics and music by Bernice Johnson Reagon

Wisdom Bowl Margie

Opening Prayer Mike

We gather today in grief and horror. We gather with trembling hearts. And yet we also gather with resolve and resilience. The same resolve and resilience that has been demonstrated down through the ages when there has been injustice and hatred and cruelty.

For we are followers of Jesus and we stand firmly in our faith and state;

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the

kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall

be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit

the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for

righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be

called sons of God.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain

mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall

see God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for

righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom

of heaven.

Alleluia! May it be so!

1^st Reading Mike

Facebook start at 11:21

Attorney General Loretta Lynch delivers final speech

Inspired Words

2^nd Reading Mike

Excerpt from Martin Luther King’s Last Speech: I’ve Been to the Mountaintop

Inspired words

Psalm Mike

Those Who Dream by The Many

3rd Reading Mike

Moral Lens of Justice — Rev. Barber’s most compelling 7 minutes to date

Inspired words

Homily Mike

PRAYER OF THE PEOPLE Colleen and Teri

With Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) coming under attack, we search for meaning, understanding and purpose in this wider world, as we do so, we make these desires known.

After each statement there will be a meditative silence (pause 10 seconds)

Let us pray for an end to systemic racism in all houses of worship….

Let us pray for an end to systemic racism at every level of government…

Let us pray for an end to systemic racism in our healthcare industry…

Let us pray for an end to systemic racism at every level of education…

Let us pray for an end to systemic racism in our judiciary…

Let us pray for an end to systemic racism in our law enforcement agencies…

Let us pray for an end to systemic racism in our prison system…

Let us pray for an end to systemic racism in every branch of our military…

Let us pray for an end to systemic racism at every level of sport…

Let us pray for an end to systemic racism in business…

Let us pray for an end to systemic racism in the wage gap…

Let us pray for an end to systemic racism in the wealth gap…

Let us pray for an end to systemic racism in theater….

Let us pray for an end to systemic racism in the music industry….

Let us pray for an end to systemic racism in the entertainment industry…

Teri

Let us pray for an end to systemic racism in the renting of apartments and houses….

Let us pray for an end to systemic racism in the buying and selling of homes…

Let us pray for an end to systemic racism in our pharmaceutical industry….

Let us pray for an end to systemic racism in the media….

Let us pray for an end to systemic racism in hiring practices….

Let us pray for an end to systemic racism in those area not mentioned here and you may say aloud….

And as we turn to our own community and the whole world…

For our sisters and brothers in Sophia, in our sister parish in Rochester and for all those involved with Pathways to Prosperity, Voice of the Faithful, Rainbow Railroads, RAMP, and FCM… may they continue to allow hope to power their works of justice, we pray. (Allow prayerful silence)

For what else shall we pray? Allow 4 petitions, followed by prayerful silences.

As we search to find who we are in this world and to find our meaning and purpose, we are secure in the knowledge that there are many people like us who share our dreams and goals to form a better humanity to bring peace, harmony and justice. Amen.

Sharing Peace Mike

Prayer over the Bread and Wine Joanne

We are grateful – for this bread,

Which earth has given and human hands have formed.

This bread nourishes our spirit.

We are grateful – for this wine,

Fruit of the vine and work of human hands.

It is our spiritual drink.

Eucharistic Liturgy for Black History Month Mike & Geri

(Please pray Voice part in your home)

P: We gather today mindful of the quest for freedom that cries out in the heart and soul of every woman and man. A quest that is fierce with resolve and will not end until freedom is won for all.	Voice: From the time of Moses, people enslaved others for profit and gain. When Israel was in Egypt’s land, the Israelites were oppressed so hard they could not stand. Let my people go!
P: Four hundred years ago, on the shores of the new-found land which became America, people were once again enslaved for profit and gain. Let my people go!	Voice: On the backs of these women and men this country was built. Let my people go! No consideration, no justice, no mercy for them. Let my people go!
P: A war began that tore a country apart. The Emancipation Proclamation brought a degree of freedom but injustice and greed still persisted. Let my people go!	Voice: New ways of indignities and injustices were invented: Jim Crow, Whites Only, Segregation and Red Lining. Let my people go!
P: And yet, in spite of all this, women and men of color have produced so many beautiful and meaningful creations. We thank the first African American U.S. patent recipient; Thomas L. Jennings working as a tailor and businessman in New York City when he invented a process for dry-cleaning delicate clothing known as “dry-scouring.” Frederick McKinley Jones developed the automatic refrigeration equipment used in long-haul trucks that transport perishables in the late 1940s, to keep food cold en route to delivery destinations. Benjamin Banneker Invented America’s First Clock. Mae C. Jemison. Her eight-day space flight aboard the space shuttle Endeavour in 1992 established Jemison as the United States’ first female African American space traveler. Bessie Blount Griffin invented the portable receptacle support. food receptacle equipped with an electrical motor that propelled food through a protruding tube. Appreciating these contributions as just a few among many, we pray recognizing the worth of all and being grateful to learn what was never deemed important enough to include in our educational experiences.	Voice: We pray, recognizing our true worth, and our understanding of what it means to be human. No longer unworthy exiles, we are people with a glorious cosmic history, with great responsibility, and a noble destiny. Along with everything else in the universe, we are on a journey beyond our imagining.
P: We remember Jesus. He challenged us to confront any influence within us, any social, family, religious or cultural influence, that prevents us from recognizing the power within us and within all people – the power of love; a power that could join all people as one in their common dream of a better humanity.	Voice: So we take this bread, as Jesus took bread, and give thanks for the wonder of the Divine in, and with us, and we eat, committing ourselves to love as Jesus loved, wholeheartedly, generously, and compassionately, so that people will see expressed in us what we have seen expressed in Jesus.
P: We take this wine, and we remember Jesus drinking wine with his friends. We drink, giving our “Yes” to being on earth the heart of the Holy One.	Voice: Our prayer is that Justice Rolls down like water. We have a Dream. That one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all women and men are created equal.”
P: We have a dream that people of color will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.	Voice: We have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight.
P: This is our hope. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood and sisterhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.	Voice: From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
P: To wherever the Spirit of Life and Love may lead us we give our, Amen.

Prayer of Jesus Linda K

The Lord’s Prayer – from the original Aramaic

O Breathing Life, your Name shines everywhere!

Release a space to plant your Presence here.

Envision your “I Can” now.

Embody your desire in every light and form.

Grow through us this moment’s bread and wisdom.

Untie the knots of failure binding us,

as we release the strands we hold of others’ faults.

Help us not forget our Source,

Yet free us from not being in the Present.

From you arises every Vision, Power and Song

from gathering to gathering.

Amen!

May our future actions grow from here!

Breaking of the Bread Alice or Colleen

Presider: “…happy are we to share in this meal”

All: Our sharing in this meal is a sign of our gratitude and commitment to be one with Jesus.

When sharing the bread: “This is, and you are, the bread of life”

Presider: With great joy, we state.

All: We are followers of Jesus.

When sharing the cup: “The cup of the Covenant”

Communion Song Mike

Deep River / 4 minutes

Closing Prayer Mike

In the presence of the Divine, we have been inspired today. We do not hide from the darkness.

We acknowledge the evil in the world.

We look for ways both large and small to overcome it and bring healing and wholeness to our sisters and brothers who are hurting in mind, body and spirit.

For we are indeed followers of Jesus. We seek to share love and mercy; compassion and kindness.

This is our mission to uphold the weak and downtrodden until a new day arises. To sustain and accompany those in fear until a new age has dawned.

We will not give up, we will never give up. This is our time! May it be so!

Sending Forth Song Mike

Let Justice Rain by the Many

Announcements

26th Sunday of Ordinary Time & 5th Sunday of Creation Season

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/54OK9MTxDexPyd52kE80p6PZHTMRfrjlpsvGouf0kfmeAe0uxlIXk5Q8oPUhJWt2.41AfNqv0zdB-tTD8?startTime=1727618362000

September 29, 2024

The Geography of Hope: Saving Half the Earth

We pray for those individuals in need Mike

Gathering Song Mike

All You Works of God Marty Haugen

(In honor of St Francis who wrote All Creatures of Our God and King)

Wisdom Bowl Margie

Opening Prayer Mike

Sometimes we become paralyzed because we try to do too much and try to do things just right. Sometimes we end up not doing anything at all because we believe that if we cannot do things just right, why do them at all?

May we take today’s readings as a time to pause, reflect and wonder. May we decide to take the opportunity to “just do something” that will add up to the betterment of a greater purpose.

May we not be paralyzed by indecision but rather energized to engage and act no matter how small or trivial it may seem to us. Amen.

Part One of the Reading Margie

The geography of hope: saving half the earth

Half Earth is different. It is a goal. People understand and prefer goals.
~ E. O. Wilson ~

On spring mornings thirty years ago I woke to a dawn chorus of birdsong so loud and rambunctious and beautiful that it filled me with joy every day. The birds had a lot to say as they flew by my windows, building nests, feeding young, fending off whatever they took to be threats.

Some simply perched on branches and sang the day into existence. In late May martins, the largest of blue-black swallows, would join the choir. They filled my martin house and spent their days nabbing mosquitos as they swooped over the meadow and the marsh.

When I left in 2011, the thrilling symphony had already vanished. One spring the martins didn’t come back. The number of songbirds dwindled year by year. There were still birds, especially crows and bluejays. I love their cheekiness and brilliance. But their increasing presence was a sign that the songbirds had largely abandoned the area to them.

Nothing about the surrounding area had changed. The same houses flanked mine, the protected land behind remained wide open. There were acres of trees and shrubs for nests and cover. But the birds’ winter homes in Central and South America were dwindling.

Along the Atlantic flyway that supported their migration, more and more wetlands were being filled in. Trees felled for houses. Meadows paved for parking lots and malls. Gardens filled with exotic plants that didn’t provide the food the birds had evolved with.

The same story can be told about many species: wolves, bears, salamanders, owls, frogs, butterflies. The list is long and sad. Biodiversity needs space and lots of it. Animals need room to roam and migrate. All species need large areas of the world still filled with the plants that have nourished them for eons.

They need habitat that provides the shelter they look for. Without room to meet their evolutionary and biological needs, species dwindle in numbers. Isolated, smaller populations court extinction. The disappearance of species destroys ecosystems. Our shared planet, entirely made up of ecosystems, degrades. Voices and visions Earth will never encounter again vanish.

Biologist E.O. Wilson has a radical proposal: save half the planet. That’s what’s needed to stem the drastic rate of current extinctions and to provide enough room to preserve the earth’s biodiversity. His Half-Earth Project, “with science at its core and our transcendent moral obligation to the rest of life at its heart…is working to conserve half the land and sea to safeguard the bulk of biodiversity, including ourselves.”

In one sense, the proposal is wonderfully simple. There are still vast reaches of northern boreal forests, tropical rainforests, oceans, coastal mangroves, coral reefs, and mountain ranges. It seems you could handily find half the earth to save. But, of course, it’s much more complex. In the first place, although every country on the globe has set aside preserves, only 15% of the earth’s land surface and 5% of the ocean is already protected.

Part Two of the Reading Tom S

A third of those preserves are under pressure from human activities, often sanctioned by the same government that supposedly protected them. Some countries contain areas of more biodiversity than others. In asking them to protect a higher percentage of their land for the good of all, other nations would need to consider compensation.

A profound complication is that we don’t know that much about the beings we share the earth with. Wilson points out that we’ve only identified and named about 2 million species. Of those, a handful have been studied in depth. The fungus crowd advises us to expect 5 million fungal species alone. Estimates for the total species on earth — bugs, bacteria, fungus, lichen, plants, animals — range as high as 100 million.

We discover new species all the time. Given the current rate of extinction, we can assume many are blinking out before we ever know them. The International Union of Conservation of Nature has assessed a mere 96,500 species. Of those, over 27,000 are on their Red List of species threatened with extinction.

Knowing our neighbors and where they live will help us decide which areas to save. Yet, despite out growing need for knowledge, on-the-ground biological studies are losing students and funding. Thus, our understanding of ecosystems, a science under a century old, is limited.

We are badly in need of experts in the natural sciences, Wilson says. Their numbers are shrinking in relation to technology and engineering. We are abandoning the wider living environment in favor of the human environment.

Despite political and educational inertia, there are groups and places that are moving forward. Wilson expressed guarded optimism in a 2016 interview on the publication of his book, Half-Earth. We can build, he said, on what is already in good shape. Much of the rainforest in the Amazon, the Congo Basin, and New Guinea. Grasslands in the Serengeti and South America’s El Cerrado.

South Africa is an especially diverse area. Wilson compares the enormous and teeming Lake Baikal in Siberia to the Galapagos. They are both sanctuaries for diversity and cradles of evolution. Every area of the world still has ecosystems, sometimes vast, that are functioning well.

We can also connect land already preserved, a vital step. Preserves separated by roads, industry, or private property prevent animals from migrating to their accustomed places. Or to new areas if climate disruption means their traditional homelands can no longer sustain them. Even cutting a small dirt road through a preserve can mean the introduction of non-native plants. With no natural controls and rapid life spans, they can displace native plants and wreak havoc quickly.

On Wilson’s list of the most important places to protect is such a corridor: the pine and oak forests extending through the US southwest into the Cordilleras of Central America. This ancient ecosystem is home to a quarter of Mexico’s native plants and winter quarters for the monarch butterfly.

The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative is working on a corridor from Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming northward along the Rocky Mountains. It ends in the vast Peel watershed in the Yukon. Along this 2,000-mile stretch, there are many magnificent national parks and wildlands. Connecting them will protect one of the last intact mountain ecosystems in the world.

To indicate what it takes to manage such a feat, Y2Y, starting in 1993, has enlisted over 300 partners. These include Native American groups, conservation organizations, landowners, mining and lumber companies, government agencies in both the US and Canada, and donors.

The organizers recognize that land preservation has to work for as many of the stakeholders as possible. Ways have to be found to work with ranchers so the burgeoning number of grizzlies in a preserve isn’t a growing threat to calves. A major mining company agreed to spend 19 million dollars on land to augment the Y2Y corridor. Land planners are brought into the circle to provide wildlife with ways to cross roads and migrate through settled valleys. Convincing a developer to set aside an extra 300 feet can make or break a usable wildlife corridor.

So, it’s complicated. All that negotiating and planning by one group, operating in one area of the world. But it’s doable. Such groups are on the ground and tireless. California — a state closing in on 40 million inhabitants, with the world’s fifth largest economy — has protected half its land. There are fifteen national parks and recreation areas. The Anza Borrego Desert State Park is the largest state park in the country and one of 300 in the state.

Part Three of the Reading Peter

Towns of every size actively acquire open space for preserves and parks. An hour north of me a cross-state corridor is being created to connect protected land in the Coast Mountain Range. The California Native Plant Society is a political and environmental powerhouse. But it’s a never-ending task to ensure that we actually protect what is preserved.

That’s because setting aside half the earth for our fellow species is half of the solution. Actually protecting that land involves thinking differently about the other half. How do we house and transport people? Grow and provide healthy food? Create a just and meaningful economy? Mitigate climate disruption? Ensure clean air and water? Create ways to live sustainably? Plan cities that regenerate the way forests do?

The world is on track to build the equivalent of Manhattan every 35 days to accommodate the expected 10 billion people in 2100. China pours as much concrete in four years as the US did in the entire twentieth century. The challenges are both staggering and wonderful. There is so much scope for creatively rethinking how we operate.

In his 1984 book, Biophilia, E.O. Wilson posited that humans have evolved an innate love for life and the living process. But we have lost touch with it because we lack contact with nature. In Half-Earth he is calling for a shift in our moral reasoning. I agree, but, echoing Thomas Berry, I would instead say that we need a new story. Our morals arise from our stories.

The Western story, which has seeped into all corners of the earth, is one of ‘heroic’ conquest. Once by rulers and individuals, now largely by corporations and their political enablers. The wild world that we arose from, filled with our close kin, isn’t part of the story, except to celebrate mastery over it.

The cultural shift comes when, for example, we choose the living forest over the board feet of lumber it supplies. But the shift extends beyond loving the forest. It’s also in designing new ways to make everything from buildings to toilet paper to allow forests to live their full lives undisturbed.

That gorgeous birdsong thirty years ago told me that I belong to the larger order of beings. The birds whose voices we hear today have been singing in the dawn for 65 million years. Their passionate daily celebration reminded me I’m part of the continuing creative energies of the universe. Their loss taught me how fragile the fabric of life can be. Birds can disappear. Lots of species are disappearing.

But I find courage in the idea that Nature didn’t form us over eons with exquisite care and creativity so that we could turn around and destroy her. She is rising in us now, calling to each of us. Some can’t hear yet. But the many who can are adding their voices to the chorus, working to safeguard the nest.

Inspired words

Psalm Mike

If Not Now – Carrie Newcomer

If not now, tell me when If not now, tell me when. We may never see this moment Or place in time again If not now, if not now, tell me when.	I see sorrow and trouble in this land I see sorrow and trouble in this land Although there will be struggle we’ll make the change we can. If not now, tell me when.
I may never see the promised land. I may never see the promised land. And yet we’ll take the journey And walk it hand in hand If not now, tell me when.	If not now, tell me when If not now, tell me when. We may never see this moment Or place in time again If not now, if not now, tell me when.
So we’ll work it ’til it’s done Every daughter every son, Every soul that ever longed for something better, Something brighter.	It will take a change of heart for this to mend. It will take a change of heart for this to mend. But miracles do happen every shining now and then If not now, tell me when?
If not now, Tell me when. But miracles do happen every shining now and then. If not now tell me when. If not now tell me when. If not now tell me when.

Homily Mike

Prayers of the People Teri

“Perfect is the enemy of Good.” We pray that our efforts to save the planet may never be paralyzed because we do not have a perfect plan, right moment or optimum opportunity to act.

Our response, May we do something.

For all houses of worship, that they may stress the need to save the planet; for all other social concerns and issues are meaningless if there is no planet to live on, we respond,

For all leaders of government, that they may understand that all the power in the world will be meaningless when there is no planet left to lead, we respond,

For all scientists, that they may continue to seek new ways to save the earth from humankind, we respond,

For all citizens of the earth, that they may be humble enough to listen to the experts in the various sciences and biology and so make the changes that need to be made, we respond,

For the media in all forms, that they may be honest and transparent when in comes to reporting climate change, we respond,

For marginalized people who bear the brunt of the effects of Climate Change, that the G7 nations may seek ways to care for them, we respond,

For what else shall we pray? (up to 4 petitions)

May we walk as one with nature. May we work with nature rather than against nature. May humanity, once a source of destruction, now be a source of healing and recreation. Amen.

Sharing of Peace Mike

Blessing of Bread and Wine Joanne K

We are grateful – for this bread,

Which earth has given and human hands have formed.

This bread nourishes our spirit.

We are grateful – for this wine,

Fruit of the vine and work of human hands.

It is our spiritual drink

Eucharistic Liturgy Mike & Sue B

(Please pray Voice part in your home)

P: We gather today conscious of the gift that is ours: the capacity to give voice to all that is.	Voice: In us, the power and energy that drives the universe has conscious awareness. In us, the universe can express wonder, appreciation and gratitude.
P: We marvel at this privilege that is ours, to give voice to all that is, to all that has been and to all that will be.	Voice: We are one with everything and everyone in the past, in the present, and in the future.
P: We are one with whatever sustains and drives the universe, the Great Mystery beyond all names, incomprehensible to our minds, always and everywhere present and active.	Voice: We are one with billions of galaxies, with exploding stars, with newly forming planets, with life emerging in places and in ways beyond our imagining.
P: We recognize our connection to all life here on earth, to the trees to the mountains, to the rivers, to the flowers, to the desert to the ocean to the children to the dreamers.	Voice: We want our prayer today to be one with men and women throughout the ages who have recognized the interconnectedness of all things, women and men of religious faith women and men of no religious faith men and women who gave clear expression to the Universal Spirit sustaining and energizing everything that exists.
P: We gather around the voice of Jesus, a voice of faith of promise, of hope of dreams and possibility of challenge of urgency a voice of no regrets.	Voice: We give thanks that his voice and so many like his are voices of inclusion calling us to believe in and to be true to our innate connection with every person and with every thing.
P: We are connected with this bread and with this wine with the crops and the vines with every person who worked to produce and prepare these gifts of the earth for us.	Voice: We eat and drink today mindful of this connectedness. May our mindfulness carry over into all we do and say in the days and weeks ahead.
P: May the trees the mountains the seas the rivers the flowers the desert the children and the dreamers be better off because we honor our interconnectedness and walk lightly on the earth.	Voice: To this, we give our Amen!

All Is One. Everything and Everyone is Connected by Michael Morwood, Prayers for Progressive Christians 2018

The Prayer of Jesus Louise M

(Please pray along)

In the Presence of the Divine, we acknowledge the intricate and elegant biodiversity of our world which is the Divine’s hallowed autograph on our lives, on our souls and in our hearts.

We yearn for the understanding of being in harmony with the Divine and with all living things.

Each day we draw on the creative, life-giving energy of the Divine with gratitude and awe as we find nourishment in seed and field, river and forest.

May we be stewards and co-creators in caring for the gifts of 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 Sophia’s unfailing wisdom and the wind of the Spirit, may we be inspired to reach out and love one another and care for the world, our home.

May we be strengthened 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.

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. Amen

from The Upper Room, Lynn Kinlan adapted

Breaking of the Bread Alice or Colleen

In the breaking of the bread, we know you, brother Jesus, Alleluia.

Communion Mike

Presider: “…happy are we to share in this meal”

All: Our sharing in this meal is a sign of our gratitude and commitment to be one with Jesus.

When sharing the bread: “This is, and you are, the bread of life”

Presider: With great joy, we state.

All: We are followers of Jesus.

When sharing the cup: “The cup of the Covenant”

Communion Song Mike

432Hz- Tibetan Zen Sound Heals the Whole Body | Emotional, Physical, Mental and Spiritual Healing

Closing Prayer Mike

We have been challenged this liturgy not to make excuses that lead us to inaction. We have been reminded that any action no matter how small it may be leads to play part in a greater whole.

May we live our lives looking for positive outcomes, engaging in positive discourse and actions, and fulfilling our mission to be stewards and shepherds of the earth. Amen.

Sending Forth Song Mike

Love Song to the Earth – Paul McCartney, Sean Paul, Natasha Bedingfield, & more (Official Video)

[Verse 1:]

This is an open letter

From you and me together

Tomorrow’s in our hands now

Find the words that matter

Say them out loud

And make it better somehow

[Pre-Chorus:]

Looking down from up on the moon

It’s a tiny blue marble

Who would’ve thought the ground we stand on

Could be so fragile

[Chorus:]

This is a love song to the Earth

You’re no ordinary world

A diamond in the universe

Heaven’s poetry to us

Keep it safe, keep it safe, keep it safe

Cause it’s our world, it’s our world

[Verse 2:]

It’s not about possessions

Money, or religion

How many years we might live

When the only real question that matters

Is still a matter of perspective

[Pre-Chorus:]

Looking down from up on the moon

You’re a tiny blue marble

Who would’ve thought the ground we stand on

Could be so fragile

[Chorus:]

This is a love song to the Earth

You’re no ordinary world

A diamond in the universe

Heaven’s poetry to us

Keep it safe, keep it safe, keep it safe

(Keep mother Earth safe)

‘Cause it’s our world, it’s our world

It’s our world, it’s our world, it’s our world

[Chorus:]

This is a love song to the Earth

You’re no ordinary world

A diamond in the universe

Heaven’s poetry to us

Keep it safe, keep it safe, keep it safe

(Special paradise)

Let’s keep it safe

This is a love song to the Earth

You’re no ordinary world

Diamond in the universe

Heaven’s poetry to us

Keep it safe, keep it safe, keep it safe

[Outro:]

It’s our world

‘Cause it’s our world

Announcements

Eucharistic Liturgy –

25th Sunday of Ordinary Time & 4th Sunday of Creation Season

September 22, 2024

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/AeHOS2m6g6FholgAaRaeaWKuXftX6i1A1wS-_1B3zyABn6F8MaA8Og1uDTqA5DR-.reep7JOD3-LEY5Gq?startTime=1727013615000

Theme: To act and hope with Creation:

Boundless Possibility – The Power of Seamlessness

We pray for those individuals in need Mike

Opening Song Margie

Shimmering Presence by Jan Novotka

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1aACmCZ1imLWwLtih8v2rm8uUF2N2hIQo/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=117177442491028453294&rtpof=true&sd=true (for slideshow))

Wisdom Bowl Margie

Opening Prayer Mike

Etel Adnan tells us:

We came to transmit the shimmering

from which we came; to name it

we deal with a permanent voyage,

the becoming of that which itself had become

With these words, we submerge ourselves in Boundless Possibility – The Power of Seamlessness…one of Brian Swimme’s eleven Powers of the Universe. Swimme says, “We are in a moment when we have to find a way to activate these deep cosmological powers so we can enter into a richer and deeper relationship with the universe.”

Along with Betsey Crawford, the author of our first reading, let us explore this power, “to see what our oldest teacher, the Universe, can tell us about moving toward the just, nurturing, and sustainable world we all desire.” Then, sustained and inspired, each of us can move into boundless possibility in our own lives. May it be so.

Reading 1 ????

Boundless Possibility – the Power of Seamlessness

by Betsey Crawford, from her website, The Soul of the Earth https://thesouloftheearth.com/seamlessness-power-boundless-possibility/

Let’s say that you are walking down the street on a lovely spring day, blessedly free of thoughts, enjoying the sun and the new leaves. You meet a neighbor and say hello and then keep going. You chat with a shopkeeper sweeping in front of her store and move on. You are attracted to vivid red tulips outside the florist and stop to buy some before continuing your walk. A friend hails you and suggests lunch so you accompany him to a cafe.

You have just behaved like a subatomic particle, a bundle of possibilities coming in and out of existence by virtue of various interactions along the way. You haven’t completely disappeared between encounters because that doesn’t happen at our scale. But each of our bodies’ trillions of cells is composed of an average of 100 trillion atoms composed of multiple subatomic particles. All of these come directly from the birth of the cosmos. So we, along with everything else, were born with the universe itself.

We are thus composed of possibilities, of which the Big Bang is the first we know of in our cosmos. From its first milliseconds, everything contained in our universe is a result of possibilities coming into existence, directions chosen out of a host of interactions, leading to ever-new opportunities. As eons passed, atoms began to coalesce into stars which then contained the potential for galaxies. The more stars, the more chances for planets to form. The more planets, the more ability for life forms to develop. More life forms mean a vaster scope for evolution. Each new expression of the cosmos brings further possibilities into being. We see their manifestation everywhere we look, including in the mirror.

This constant emergence of form and new realities is what cosmologist Brian Swimme calls seamlessness, one of his eleven powers of the universe that I have been exploring. Though I am doing it last, it was his first because everything arose out of seamlessness, “the ground of being, an empty fullness.” A realm of existence so seething with constant creativity that physicists call it spacetime foam, bubbling everywhere and forever. This, the foundation of the cosmos, is “pure generativity,” Brian says. “Not a thing, or place. It’s a power.” The act of becoming “is the nature of the universe.”

In answering the age-old question, “Where did we come from?” various traditions have intuited these profound mysteries. Buddhists speak of the interconnections among all things. Hindus of universes coming in and out of existence. In Haudenosaunee traditions, Skywoman falls from the boundless sky, carrying a branch to seed a new earth. According to Rabbi Avivah Zornberg, a specialist on Torah, God’s answer to Moses’ “Who are you?” translates as “I will be who I will be,” thus claiming “the very principle of becoming, of allowing the possible to happen.”

Australian Aboriginal Songlines are the essence of possibility arising from encounters. The First Beings — which included humans, animals, and landscape features — created themselves from the primordial mud. A perfect metaphor for what Brian calls “this glue-y, interconnected realm of pure generativety.” They then started their journeys, singing and dancing the world into form, the landscape into rivers, forests, rocks, plants, animals, clouds. Most importantly, they have never stopped. And they expect us to carry on their work with them.

It is our sublime task to continue to sing Earth into creation. Though we create firm creeds to hold onto, our stories show that we have sensed that we live in a continual state of becoming. Our ancestors intuited what we now know: that we are a mode, as Brian says, of “the realm that gave birth to the universe.” Formed by these powers, we embody them, flowing through one possibility as it turns into another.

In my thirties, I moved into a house where I could garden for the first time. I loved it so much that I studied landscape design and started a business so I could create gardens. A chance encounter at a cocktail party launched me as a champion of native plants. At a native plant conference, Miriam McGillis, a colleague of Brian and Thomas Berry, was the keynote speaker. I went up to her afterward and said “I’ve been waiting to hear this all my life.” For a few years, I participated in programs at her life’s work, the ecological and spiritual center Genesis Farm. After decades of this varied Earth apprenticeship, I had my own burning bush moment in the southern California desert. That led to this website and my relationship with all of you.

This sequence of encounters and possibilities parallels others: motherhood, partnership, friendship, family. Every one of us can come up with histories like this. The cosmic flow carries us — creations of possibility — in an ever-moving river of opportunities, prospects, chances, risks. The universe continues to emerge every moment. This is the energetic realm of dreams, visions, regeneration. “Hope,” Brian says, “is a trait that hovers in seamlessness. All the possibilities are there.” Generativity never falters.

At a time when Earth needs us to move to a new phase of evolution as human inhabitants of this planet, this is a profound invitation. In every moment we can make different choices, take promising directions, collapse old possibilities, and open new ones. Wherever we are, whatever we do is “where the universe comes forth.” This is the great promise of all eleven of Brian’s powers: their energies are always available, always moving through us. We don’t need to come up with them, we need to step into them.

Inspired words

Psalm

Invitation by Mary Oliver

Oh do you have time

to linger

for just a little while

out of your busy

and very important day

for the goldfinches

that have gathered

in a field of thistles

for a musical battle,

to see who can sing

the highest note,

or the lowest,

or the most expressive of mirth,

or the most tender?

Their strong, blunt beaks

drink the air

as they strive

melodiously

not for your sake

and not for mine

and not for the sake of winning

but for sheer delight and gratitude –

believe us, they say,

it is a serious thing

just to be alive

on this fresh morning

in the broken world.

I beg of you,

do not walk by

without pausing

to attend to this

rather ridiculous performance.

It could mean something.

It could mean everything.

It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote:

You must change your life.

Reading 2 ????

I Will Be What I Will Be modified from Irmgarde Brown

I Will Be What I Will Be

So many times I have read about the great “I AM,” the God of all Gods, the one God who cannot really be named or explained. When Moses asked who should I tell the Israelites in Egypt sent me to them, God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.”

But in the notes, this I AM phrase has an alternative meaning: I will be what I will be. And decidedly, in English at least, this brings up a whole new array of possibilities.

I am still working on a full engagement with the present. This idea crosses over into a variety of disciplines both Eastern and Western. It is accepting the now, being full in the now, and living it without remorse for what is past, or fear of the future.

But now I am challenged to consider as well this more open-ended Essence who is and will be. Not that I didn’t know that of course, but I find it intriguing to ponder the Infinite One, perhaps as a point within me for the now and then stretching outward my center self in an ever growing, ever widening funnel of “Beloved Self.” The Source is now but also the Source is potential, forever.

The Ground of All Being is telling Moses, “No worries: here now and here tomorrow.” All of time is my ‘now’.

How can we not be grateful for the invitation to be in relationship with this Mystery of today and forever? There are not enough songs to sing, poems to recite, or words to say that can capture the wonder of the Divine in me and in the universe, a personal Beloved and a cosmic One.

Inspired words

Psalm 2 ????

I Want More of That by Chelan Harkin, from Susceptible to Light

I had my first taste of love tonight

for the Essence that made rain-forests

water, trees and time.

I had my first taste of love tonight

for that Essence of unimaginable intelligence

that sang stars and orbits and the immense

tiny perfections

of all the creatures of the sea

into being.

I had by first taste of love tonight

for that Essence that was gracious

and giving and unimaginably tender enough

to have created me,

to have thought me up and said,

“Her. I want to see what her blossom

looks like. I desire her

style of light.”

I had my first taste of love tonight

for that genius of love

that makes flowers ache

toward light

and hearts that do the same.

I had by first taste of that sweet, sweet

love tonight for the Essence

that made all the innumerable tidbits

of majesty

sprouting from every wondrous pocket

of this sacred world.

I had my first taste of Divine love tonight

and let’s just say,

I want more of that.

Reading 3 ????

Think of Yourself (because we need to experience this as often as we can)

by Jan Phillips

Inspired words

Homily Mike

Prayers of the People ????

May we take a moment to be inspired by these words of Teilhard de Chardin:

“I am a sacred being brought forth from Earth, by Earth. I stand on, and in, Earth as a being who owes my existence to all the evolutionary processes and who was brought forth by all the beings who came before me. I and my fellow human beings possess an enormous responsibility to continue the trajectory of Love in the evolving universe.”

Silent moment

May we take a moment to be inspired by these words of Jan Phillips:

“We who are alive today are the eyes and ears,

the hands and feet of the Invisible Source.

We who are alive today are agents of ongoing creation.

We are the consciousness of the earth:

the universe knowing itself, seeing itself, singing to itself.

We are creation loving itself, hearing itself,

healing itself through our actions and compassion.”

Silent moment

May we take a moment to be inspired by these words of Thomas Berry:

“If we do not realize the possibilities within ourselves as individuals, something is lacking in the universe that can never be replaced. There is a failure, so to speak, that is beyond remedy, because no one else will ever be able to do what each individual is called to do. Each individual is expressing the Divine perfection in a unique way, and to carry that uniqueness to its full expression is the obligation of each individual being.”

Silent moment

May we take a moment to be inspired by these words of Jesus:

“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin.”

Silent moment

May we take a moment to be inspired by those radiating possibility all around us:

For our sisters and brothers in Sophia, in our sister parish in Rochester, for all those involved with Pathways to Prosperity and for our sisters and brothers in Voice of the Faithful, FCM, Rainbow Railroad and RAMP, may we all, filled with our gifts of Love, Light and Life, follow in the footsteps of Teilhard de Chardin, Jan Phillips, Thomas Berry and Jesus.

Silent moment

For what else shall we pray? Silent moments (up to 4 petitions)

May we be the fire of Creation and radiate the Boundless Power of the Universe that works in and through us. Amen.

Sharing of Peace Mike

Blessing of Bread and Wine ????

We are grateful – for this bread,

Which earth has given and human hands have formed.

This bread nourishes our spirit.

We are grateful – for this wine,

Fruit of the vine and work of human hands.

It is our spiritual drink

Eucharistic Liturgy Mike & Voice

(Please pray Voice part in your home)

P: We gather today conscious of the gift that is ours: the capacity to give voice to all that is.	Voice: In us, the power and energy that drives the universe has conscious awareness. In us, the universe can express wonder, appreciation and gratitude.
P: We marvel at this privilege that is ours, to give voice to all that is, to all that has been and to all that will be. To all possibilities powering the Universe.	Voice: We are one with everything and everyone in the past, in the present, and in the future.
P: We are one with whatever sustains and drives the universe, the Great Mystery beyond all names, incomprehensible to our minds, always and everywhere present and active.	Voice: We are one with billions of galaxies, with exploding stars, with newly forming planets, with life emerging in places and in ways beyond our imagining.
P: We pray for life here on earth, a prayer for the mountains, for the rivers, for the forests for the flowers, for the desert for the ocean for the children for the dreamers.	Voice: We want our prayer to be one with men and women throughout the ages who have recognized the possibility in all things, women and men of religious faith women and men of no religious faith men and women who gave clear expression to the Universal Spirit sustaining and energizing everything that exists.
P: We gather around the voice of Jesus, a voice of faith of promise, of hope of dreams and possibility of challenge of urgency a voice of no regrets.	Voice: We give thanks that his voice and so many like his are voices of inclusion calling us to believe in and to be true to our innate connection with every person and with every thing. We are thankful for having been given the sublime task of singing Earth into creation
P: We are connected with this bread and with this wine with the crops and the vines with every person who worked to produce and prepare these gifts of the earth for us.	Voice: We eat and drink today mindful of this connectedness. May our mindfulness carry over into all we do and say in the days and weeks ahead.
P: May the mountains the seas the rivers the woods the flowers the desert the children and the dreamers be better off because we honor our interconnectedness and walk lightly on the earth.	Voice: To this, we give our Amen!

All Is One. Everything and Everyone is Connected by Michael Morwood, Prayers for Progressive Christians 2018

The Prayer of Jesus ????

(Please pray along)

In the Presence of the Divine, we acknowledge the intricate and elegant biodiversity of our world which is the Divine’s hallowed autograph on our lives, on our souls and in our hearts.

We yearn for the understanding of being in harmony with the Divine and with all living things.

Each day we draw on the creative, life-giving energy of the Divine with gratitude and awe as we find nourishment in seed and field, river and forest.

May we be stewards and co-creators in caring for the gifts of 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 Sophia’s unfailing wisdom and the wind of the Spirit, may we be inspired to reach out and love one another and care for the world, our home.

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. Amen

from The Upper Room, Lynn Kinlan adapted

Breaking of the Bread Alice or Colleen

In the breaking of the bread, we know you, brother Jesus, Alleluia.

Communion Mike

Presider: “…happy are we to share in this meal”

All: Our sharing in this meal is a sign of our gratitude and commitment to be one with Jesus.

When sharing the bread: “This is, and you are, the bread of life”

Presider: With great joy, we state.

All: We are followers of Jesus.

When sharing the cup: “The cup of the Covenant”

Communion Song Margie

Could It Be by Jan Novotka

work on slides – add words

Closing Poem ????

It’s Still Possible by David Whyte, from Still Possible

It’s still possible to fully understand

you have always been the place

where the miracle has happened:

that you have been since your birth,

the bread given and the wine lifted,

the change witnessed and the change itself,

that you have secretly been, all along,

a goodness that can continue

to be a goodness to itself.

It’s still possible in the end

to realize why you are here

and why you have endured,

and why you might have suffered

so much, so that in the end,

you could witness love, miraculously

arriving from nowhere, crossing

bravely as it does, out of darkness,

from that great and spacious stillness

inside you, to the simple,

light-filled life of being said.

Closing Prayer Mike

May we know ourselves for the miracles we are and live into that awareness by being open, and seamlessly living our possibilities. May we accept the profound invitation to move into a new phase of evolution as human inhabitants of this planet. May every minute find us making different choices, taking promising directions, collapsing old possibilities and opening new ones. May we bravely step into the Powers of the Universe. Amen.

Adapted from our 1st Reading, by Betsey Crawford

Sending Forth Song Margie

In This One Story by Kathy Sherman

Announcements

Theme: Creation Season Week 3 Hope in Revelation

23rd Sunday Ordinary Time – Cycle B – September 8, 2024

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/54BdnOXQ_8eESzwyT3cUghdP-13J91-NAg127_SOPCJvSsagtjJHrtMyiAEvjd6Q.4rq59Cd2p7DEYydc?startTime=1725804028000

Theme: Creation Season Week 2 to hope and act with Creation

We pray for those individuals in need (Please be brief) Mike

Gathering Song Maryann

Meet Me. By Kirtana

Meet me, where the river meets the sea,
naked now, innocent and free
Beloved, I have been waiting throughout time
to welcome you into these arms of mine

Come without a thought
about what’s been or what’s in store
Leave the world of mind behind you
like sandals by the shore

And trust me; trust the beingness you are
I breathed you here; I’ve carried you this far
And open to whatever is and see,
whatever is, is always only me

Not in imagined futures,
or in remembered pasts,
but only here and only now
will you find a peace that lasts

So meet me, where the river meets the sea,
naked now, innocent and free

Wisdom Bowl Maryann

Opening Prayer Mike

Since time began

The Divine has been communicating to all creation.

From the initial flaring forth to the convergence of galaxies,

from the distant stars to Earth

that was made to be our home.

We have been shaped and fashioned and urged towards life.

We are truly amazed at the work of creation

and for the life of Jesus who continues to teach us

how to receive the Divine radiance.

We are humbly blessed by the gift of self-awareness

that has been given to human beings.

May we be mindful that we are the universe conscious of itself

and that this capacity is not for our benefit alone

but for the good of all creationkind.

We give thanks for ongoing creation

and for the invitation for each one of us

to be co-creators with Radiant Love. Amen

(Judy Cannato: Radical Amazement p 78-79 adapted)

First Reading ???

Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen from My Grandfather’s Blessings

My fourth birthday present was a story my grandfather taught me – the story of the birthday of the world. In the beginning, there was only the holy darkness, the Ein Sof, the source of life. Then, in the course of history, at a moment in time, this world, the world of a thousand things, emerged from the heart of the holy darkness as a great ray of light. And there was an accident. The vessels containing the light of the world, the wholeness of the world, broke. And the wholeness in the world, the light of the world, was scattered into a thousand fragments of light. And they fell into all events and all people, where they remain deeply hidden until this very day.

Now, according to my grandfather, the whole human race is a response to that accident. We are here because we are born with the capacity to find the hidden light in all events and all people; to lift it up and make it visible once again and, thereby, to restore the innate wholeness of the world.

We heal the world one heart at a time. This task is called “tikkun olam” in Hebrew, “restoring the world.” This is a collective task. It involves all people who have ever been born, all people presently alive, all people yet to be born. We are all healers of the world.

This story opens a sense of possibility. It’s not about healing the world by making a huge difference. It’s about healing the world that touches you, that’s around you.

People will say, how can I make a difference, when I am so wounded myself? But it is our very wounds that enable us to make a difference. We are the right people just as we are.

Inspired Words

Second Reading ????

A House Called Tomorrow By Alberto Ríos from Grateful Living Poem a Month – September 2024

https://grateful.activehosted.com/index.php?action=social&chash=00ac8ed3b4327bdd4ebbebcb2ba10a00.629&s=3b1857adea837f470d6de8b87a65ac8a

You are not fifteen, or twelve, or seventeen—
You are a hundred wild centuries

And fifteen, bringing with you
In every breath and in every step

Everyone who has come before you,
All the yous that you have been,

The mothers of your mother,
The fathers of your father.

If someone in your family tree was trouble,
A hundred were not:

The bad do not win—not finally,
No matter how loud they are.

We simply would not be here
If that were so.

You are made, fundamentally, from the good.
With this knowledge, you never march alone.

You are the breaking news of the century.
You are the good who has come forward

Through it all, even if so many days
Feel otherwise. But think:

When you as a child learned to speak,
It’s not that you didn’t know words—

It’s that, from the centuries, you knew so many,
And it’s hard to choose the words that will be your own.

From those centuries we human beings bring with us
The simple solutions and songs,

The river bridges and star charts and song harmonies
All in service to a simple idea:

That we can make a house called tomorrow.
What we bring, finally, into the new day, every day,

Is ourselves. And that’s all we need
To start. That’s everything we require to keep going.

Look back only for as long as you must,
Then go forward into the history you will make.

Be good, then better. Write books. Cure disease.
Make us proud. Make yourself proud.

And those who came before you? When you hear thunder,
Hear it as their applause.

Inspired Words

Psalm ???

Mother Earth Written by Karliene (2019 )

Listen to the animals

Listen to the trees

Listen to the spirits of the Earth

Begging us please

Stop listening to greed

Listen to the rivers

Listen to the sea

Listen to the spirits of the deep

Begging us please

Stop listening to greed

She sent the drought to warn us

She sent the storms to scold us

But we don’t listen

We burn and we break

And we take and we take

And we take

Till it’s too late

Oh where did the beasts go?

Where did the trees go?

Where will man go

When he has lost

The heartbeat

beneath his feet

Oh this is our home

She gives us home

Mother Earth

Can’t you feel

Her heartbeat

Beneath your feet

Heartbeat

Beneath your feet

Heartbeat

Beneath your feet

Listen to the animals

Listen to the trees

Listen to the spirits of the Earth

Begging us please

Stop listening to greed

Listen to the rivers

Listen to the sea

Listen to the spirits of the deep

Begging us please

Stop listening to greed

Listen to the animals

Listen to the trees

Listen to the spirits of the Earth

Begging us please

Stop listening to greed

Listen to the rivers

Listen to the sea

Listen to the spirits of the deep

Begging us please

Stop listening to greed

Third Reading ???

Theologian Howard Thurman (1899–1981) shares the sacred connection to nature he first experienced as a child:

When I was young, I found more companionship in nature than I did among people….

Nightfall was meaningful to my childhood, for the night was more than a companion. It was a presence, an articulate climate. There was something about the night that seemed to cover my spirit like a gentle blanket. The nights in Florida, as I grew up … were not dark, they were black. When there was no moon, the stars hung like lanterns, so close I felt that one could reach up and pluck them from the heavens. The night had its own language…. This comforted me and I found myself wishing that the night would hurry and come, for under its cover, my mind would roam. I felt embraced, enveloped, held secure. In some fantastic way, the night belonged to me. All the little secrets of my life and heart and all of my most intimate and private thoughts would not be violated, I knew, if I spread them out before me in the night. When things went badly during the day, I would sort them out in the dark as I lay in my bed, cradled by the night sky….

The ocean and the river befriended me when I was a child…. Often, when the tide was low … [there was] more than a mile of packed sand…. Here I found, alone, a special benediction. The ocean and the night together surrounded my little life with a reassurance that could not be affronted by the behavior of human beings. The ocean at night gave me a sense of timelessness, of existing beyond the reach of the ebb and flow of circumstances. Death would be a minor thing, I felt, in the sweep of that natural embrace.

Even the storms in Florida where Thurman grew up did not provoke fear:

When the storms blew, the branches of the large oak tree in our backyard would snap and fall. But the topmost branches of the oak tree would sway, giving way just enough to save themselves from snapping loose. I needed the strength of that tree, and, like it, I wanted to hold my ground. Eventually, I discovered that the oak tree and I had a unique relationship. I could sit, my back against its trunk, and feel the same peace that would come to me in my bed at night. I could reach down in the quiet places of my spirit, take out my bruises and my joys, unfold them, and talk about them. I could talk aloud to the oak tree and know that I was understood. It, too, was a part of my reality, like the woods, the night, and the pounding surf, my earliest companions, giving me space.

Inspired Words

Howard Thurman, With Head and Heart: The Autobiography of Howard Thurman

(New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1979), 7–9.

Homily Mike

Prayer of the People ???

For the first time in human history, we can agree on the basic story of our galaxies, the stars, the planets, minerals, life forms, and human cultures. This story does not diminish the spiritual traditions of the classical or tribal periods of human history. Rather, the story provides the proper setting for the teachings of all traditions, showing the true magnitude of central truths. We are a culminating presence of a billion-year process. We have a new story of the universe, one that encompasses all peoples, and within which we can fulfill our fullest destiny.

Our response is: May I become love in human form.

Did we think the Universe went to twenty billion years of work to create you if there was not a particular function that you – and only you – could do? We respond: May I become love in human form

We need to trust that the creative powers residing in us will be evoked in time for the work they were created for. We respond: May I become love in human form.

These creative powers come from the same place that everything else comes from – that same place that the primeval fireball comes: the ultimate source of all things. We respond: May I become love in human form

There was no fireball, then the fireball erupted, the universe erupted, all that has existence erupted out of nothing, all of being erupted into shining existence. We respond: May I become love in human form

Let us pause to remember the needs of our planet earth.

For our sisters and brothers in Sophia, in our sister parish in Rochester, for all those involved with Pathways to Prosperity and for our sisters and brothers in Voice of the Faithful, FCM, Rainbow Railroad and RAMP, may they know of our love and care for them. May they continue their good work as they follow the Way of Jesus. We pray….

For what else shall we pray?

Allow up to 4 petitions.

When we understand our relationship with the cosmos, we can reengage with life. We can connect more deeply with the universe and the earth of which we are a part. The story of the origin and development of the universe, of earth, and of humans is giving us a sense of common evolutionary heritage and shared genetic lineage. This new understanding of the kinship we share with each other and with all life could establish the foundations for rediscovering our past and sustaining the future. May we protect and renew our common home. We pray this and all prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen

Adapted from The Universe is a Green Dragon by Brian Swimme

Sharing of Peace Mike

Prayer over the Bread and Wine ???

We are grateful – for this bread,

Which earth has given and human hands have formed.

This bread nourishes our spirit.

We are grateful – for this wine,

Fruit of the vine and work of human hands.

It is our spiritual drink.

Eucharistic Liturgy Mike and ????

All Is One. Everything and Everyone is Connected by Michael Morwood, Prayers for Progressive Christians 2018

(Please pray Voice part in your home)

P: We gather today conscious of the gift that is ours: the capacity to give voice to all that is.	Voice: In us, the power and energy that drives the universe has conscious awareness. In us, the universe can express wonder, appreciation and gratitude.
P: We marvel at this privilege that is ours, to give voice to all that is, to all that has been and to all that will be.	Voice: We are one with everything and everyone in the past, in the present, and in the future.
P: We are one with whatever sustains and drives the universe, the Great Mystery beyond all names, incomprehensible to our minds, always and everywhere present and active.	Voice: We are one with billions of galaxies, with exploding stars, with newly forming planets, with life emerging in places and in ways beyond our imagining.
P: We recognize our connection to all life here on earth, to the trees to the mountains, to the rivers, to the flowers, to the desert to the ocean to the children to the dreamers.	Voice: We want our prayer today to be one with men and women throughout the ages who have recognized the interconnectedness of all things, women and men of religious faith women and men of no religious faith men and women who gave clear expression to the Universal Spirit sustaining and energizing everything that exists.
P: We gather around the voice of Jesus, a voice of faith of promise, of hope of dreams and possibility of challenge of urgency a voice of no regrets.	Voice: We give thanks that his voice and so many like his are voices of inclusion calling us to believe in and to be true to our innate connection with every person and with every thing.
P: We are connected with this bread and with this wine with the crops and the vines with every person who worked to produce and prepare these gifts of the earth for us.	Voice: We eat and drink today mindful of this connectedness. May our mindfulness carry over into all we do and say in the days and weeks ahead.
P: May the trees the mountains the seas the rivers the flowers the desert the children and the dreamers be better off because we honor our interconnectedness and walk lightly on the earth.	Voice: To this, we give our Amen!

The Prayer of Jesus ????

(Please pray along)

Creator of the Cosmos, Source of Life, Divine Mystery,

You are in nature, all around, you are within me, in my cup of wine and loaf of bread.

Blessed be your names:

Allah, Beloved, Great Spirit, Radiant One, Yahweh, HaShem, Sophia

Your presence has come, your will is done on earth as it is in the cosmos.

May we give each other strength, mercy, tenderness, and joy and forgive each other’s failures, silence, pettiness, and forgetfulness as we ask to be forgiven by those we’ve hurt.

Lead us home to ourselves and each other, to clarity, to oneness and deliver us from the darkness of our ignorance and fear.

So we pray and so we receive. Amen.

Adapted from The Lord’s Prayer in There Are Burning Bushes Everywhere by Jan Phillips

Breaking of the Bread Colleen or Alice

Communion Mike

Presider: “…happy are we to share in this meal”

All: Our sharing in this meal is a sign of our gratitude and commitment to be one with Jesus.

When sharing the bread: “This is, and you are, the bread of life”

Presider: With great joy, we state.

All: We are followers of Jesus.

When sharing the cup: “The cup of the Covenant”

Communion Song Maryann

Closing Prayer Mike

“Rivers do not drink their own water; trees do not eat their own fruit; the Sun does not shine on itself and flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves. Living for others is a rule of nature. We are all born to help each other. No matter how difficult it is…. Life is good when you are happy; but much better when others are happy because of you.” Pope Francis.

Our lives will not be measured by the big things we do but rather by the little steps we take to make a difference. Each day during the Season of Creation take a step to change the world.

Sending Forth Song Maryann

Seeds of hope – Hymn Season of Creation 2024

Seed of hope, spread on earth

Seeds of hope, everywhere is love

everywhere is hope In this time.

Seeds for good, spread everywhere

Seeds of hope everyone suffer

In this time, the right time.

Believe indeed with courage and faith

Overflowing hearts, overcome evil with love.

The creation hopes and suffers

Waiting for God’s children to care

The creation hopes and trembles

disclosing his life.

River of hope overflowing good

Rivers of hopes, determined hearts

in this time, in our time.

Believe indeed with courage and faith

Overflowing hearts, overcome evil with love.

The creation (lives in your heart)

hopes and suffers (believing in your help)

Waiting (we become aware)

his sons (how much love we need)

The creation (can not live)

hopes and trembles (if you don’t change)

disclosing (your commitment ‘s worth)

his life (it won’t give up)

The creation hopes, the Creation

Eucharistic Liturgy

22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time September 1, 2024

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/_zxEgGQWXw-ATEfbENbJOipO-vG1iCQyVD0Y8woQk8Xii51KH0utNu8oHJUvxvGG.GwDIJyB8aJbURnV-?startTime=1725199237000

Theme: To hope and act with creation – Healing in Unity!

We pray for those individuals in need Mike

Introduction Margie

The Season of Creation theme for 2024 is “To hope and act with Creation.” The annual Christian celebration is convened each year to pray and respond to the cry of Creation, between September 1st, the Feast of Creation, and October 4th, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. This morning we are extending the theme to include – Healing in Unity. Hoping and acting with Creation means recognizing our connection, our unity, with all.

Opening Song Margie

One Breath by Jan Novotka

One Breath

There is one breath. There is one life.
There is one Earth. There is one chance.
All is holy, so holy. All is sacred, so sacred. All is one.

Wisdom Bowl Margie

Opening Prayer Mike

Albert Einstein shares this wisdom with us:

“A human being is part of a whole, called by us Universe,

a part limited by space and time.

They experience themselves, their thoughts and feelings,

as something separate from the rest.

The delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires, and our affection for a few persons nearest to us.

Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison

by widening our circle of compassion

to embrace all living creatures

and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

This morning we pray to be freed from our delusions…our prison. We work to move past the idea of being separate. We yearn to recognize our connection with all of Creation. We seek to hope and act with Creation. We acknowledge hope as a spiritual choice and we choose action to make a difference in our world. Amen.

Reading One Janet

From the Introduction to Spiritual Ecology, The Cry of the Earth

edited by Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee

The Earth is in distress and is calling to us, sending us signs of the extremity of its imbalance …and some of us are responding to these signs, hearing this calling, individually and as groups, with ideas and actions – trying to bring our collective attention to our unsustainable lifestyle and the ways it is contributing to ecological devastation, accelerating pollution, species depletion. And yet, sadly, much of this response comes from the same mindset that has caused the imbalance: the belief that we are separate from the world, that it is something “out there”, a problem we need to solve.

The world is not a problem to be solved; it is a living being to which we belong. The world is part of our own self and we are a part of its suffering wholeness. Until we go to the root of our image of separateness, there can be no healing. And the deepest part of our separateness from creation lies in our forgetfulness of its sacred nature, which is also our own sacred nature. When our Western monotheistic culture suppressed the many gods and goddesses of creation, cut down the sacred groves and banished God to heaven, we began a cycle that has left us with a world destitute of the sacred, in a way unthinkable to any indigenous people. The natural world and the people who carry its wisdom know that the created world and all of its many inhabitants are sacred and belong together. Our separation from the natural world may have given us the fruits of technology and science, but it has left us bereft of any instinctual connection of the spiritual dimension of life – the connection between our soul and the soul of the world, the knowing that we are all part of one living, spiritual being.

It is this wholeness that is calling to us now, that needs our response. It needs us to return to our own root and rootedness: in our relationship to the sacred wholeness and reverence for all creation, we begin the work of healing, of bringing the world back into balance.

Inspired Words

Reading Two Linda K

Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) brought the Democratic National Convention crowd to its feet when he offered the Democrats’ underlying moral doctrine

From a speech by Senator Raphael Warnock:

“Our vote is a kind of prayer for the world we desire for ourselves and for our children, and our prayers are stronger when we pray together.” …

“…I’m convinced tonight that we can lift the broken even as we climb. I’m convinced tonight that we can heal sick bodies, we can heal the wounds that divide us. We can heal a planet in peril. We can heal the land.”

“I need my neighbor’s children to be okay so that my children will be okay,” he said. “I need all of my neighbor’s children to be okay, poor inner city children in Atlanta and poor children of Appalachia, I need the poor children of Israel and the poor children of Gaza, I need Israelis and Palestinians, I need those in the Congo, those in Haiti, those in Ukraine, I need American children on both sides of the track to be okay. Because we are all God’s children. And so let’s stand together. Let’s work together. Let’s organize together. Let’s pray together. Let’s stand together. Let’s heal the land.”

Inspired words

Psalm Margie

Amazon – Let This Be a Voice by John Denver

There is a river that runs from the mountains

That one river is all rivers

All rivers are that one

There is a tree that stands in the forest

That one tree is all forests

All trees are that one

There is a flower that blooms in the desert

That one blossom is all flowers

All flowers are that one

There is a bird that sings in the jungle

That one song is all music

All songs are that one

It is the song of life

It is the flower of faith

It is the tree of temptation

It is the river of no regret

There is a child that cries in the ghetto

That one child is all children

All children are that one

There is a vision that shines in the darkness

That one vision is all of our dreams

All of our dreams are that one

It is a vision of heaven

It is a child of promise

It is the song of life

It is the river of no regret

Let this be a voice for the mountains

Let this be a voice for the river

Let this be a voice for the forest

Let this be a voice for the flowers

Let this be a voice for the desert

Let this be a voice for the ocean

Let this be a voice for the children

Let this be a voice for the dreamers

Let this be a voice of no regret

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: John Denver

Amazon lyrics © Reservoir Media Music, Cherry Mountain Music, Bmg Rights Management (ireland) Ltd

Reading Three Joan

An excerpt from To Free the Captives by Tracy K. Smith

What if we are being told, by the violence rippling through the world, that our living must not any longer be solely for ourselves? What if my living is an act that must be used to make it possible for you or for her or for them, whomever and whatever they are, to survive? What if the object each of us is undertaking is no longer an individual life, but a collaborative work massive in scale which finally we must admit has long spanned lives and times? What if our survival, along with every force alive alongside us, requires that we learn to admit we are bound to something outside of ourselves and outside of the time to which we seem or believe ourselves to belong? Not as a retreat or escape from the experience of difficulty, but as a way of moving past the limits of fear, pain, and ego, and into the fullness of our actual selves – the fullness of actual reality. What if these are the terms of the freedom we in this country so desperately seek?

What might we stand to gain if we were to but adjust our gaze to the scale and the stakes of this other larger undertaking, this colossal enterprise to which each is essential? Not in the hereafter. Not on the other side of the divide between death and life. Perhaps not even in Soon. But here, today, where we ache and grieve, and where our best effort is mightily needed. Where we are gathered not merely to enrich ourselves, or to absolve our dead, but for a purpose scaled – what if it might be? – to the soul’s stake in eternity. Can we choose it? Can we cross the bridge from here to there?

I struggle to imagine where such a journey might begin, where the cosmic might be broached or bridged. I am frozen trying to solve such an elaborate equation, until something causes me to understand it as the work of paradox: we approach the large and the far by means of the near and the small.

Inspired words

Homily Mike

Prayers of the People Sue & Colleen

A MOMENT OF AWARENESS

Sue: This morning our Prayer of the People will be a Moment of Awareness. Each reflection on our relationship with and as “One” is followed by the chant of a beautiful Sanskrit mantra. The mantra is a wish and a prayer of caring and unity for all. It means, “May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness, and to that freedom, for all.”

Colleen chant: Lokah Samastah Sukinho Bhavantu

Sue: O eternal moment of awareness, in you the whole creation

is one inter-woven garment, sensuous, seamless, filled with peace and delight.

But beyond that moment, life’s path skirts

between illusory dichotomies and visionless monotony,

between celebratory songs and liquid lamentations.

O God of orbiting imagination, of atomic minuteness and universal immensity,

may the transitory moment become a way of life until wonder’s pulsating womb becomes my permanent abode.

Colleen chant: Lokah Samastah Sukinho Bhavantu

Sue: Breath, love, hope, inspiration — truth that sings forth from within
even as I am enveloped with its challenge,
borne to my heart from the uncharted boundaries of that which transcends me.

May these harmonies speak to us
of the beauty for which we long, the unremembered perfection whence we were born
and call us to offer ourselves as vessels for their hallowed music,
pouring truth into the crevasses of despair in our world.

Colleen chant: Lokah Samastah Sukinho Bhavantu

Sue: May we walk with courage in places of hurt, anger, fear, and isolation,
with love, the standard we bear, holding us to our own truths
and sparing us the tragedy of the petty remark, the regrettable action,
the choices we know we’ll regret.

Colleen chant: Lokah Samastah Sukinho Bhavantu

Sue: And when we cannot hold
to the challenges our love sets for us,
may we find our way back to one another
and in each other’s eyes,
find welcome, healing, and forgiveness.

Colleen chant: Lokah Samastah Sukinho Bhavantu

Sue: For our sisters and brothers in Sophia, in our sister parish in Rochester, for all those involved with Pathways to Prosperity and for our sisters and brothers in Voice of the Faithful, FCM, Rainbow Railroad and RAMP, may they continue to bear their standard of love, following always in the way of Jesus.

Colleen chant: Lokah Samastah Sukinho Bhavantu

Sue: What other intentions do we wish to hold this morning? (allow up to 3)

Each followed by…

Colleen chant: Lokah Samastah Sukinho Bhavantu

Sue: Through the interweaving of our dreams, strengthened as they are
with threads of beauty, goodness, and truth,
the glory we may become is woven into reality.

May we ever offer our hearts
to this essential devotion.
As light into light we pray. Amen.

Sharing of Peace Mike

Blessing of Bread and Wine Joanne

We are grateful – for this bread,

Which earth has given and human hands have formed.

This bread nourishes our spirit.

We are grateful – for this wine,

Fruit of the vine and work of human hands.

It is our spiritual drink

Eucharistic Liturgy Mike & Peter

All Is One. Everything and Everyone is Connected by Michael Morwood, Prayers for Progressive Christians 2018

(Please pray Voice part in your home)

P: We gather today conscious of the gift that is ours: the capacity to give voice to all that is.	Voice: In us, the power and energy that drives the universe has conscious awareness. In us, the universe can express wonder, appreciation and gratitude.
P: We marvel at this privilege that is ours, to give voice to all that is, to all that has been and to all that will be.	Voice: We are one with everything and everyone in the past, in the present, and in the future.
P: We are one with whatever sustains and drives the universe, the Great Mystery beyond all names, incomprehensible to our minds, always and everywhere present and active.	Voice: We are one with billions of galaxies, with exploding stars, with newly forming planets, with life emerging in places and in ways beyond our imagining.
P: We recognize our connection to all life here on earth, to the trees to the mountains, to the rivers, to the flowers, to the desert to the ocean to the children to the dreamers.	Voice: We want our prayer today to be one with men and women throughout the ages who have recognized the interconnectedness of all things, women and men of religious faith women and men of no religious faith men and women who gave clear expression to the Universal Spirit sustaining and energizing everything that exists.
P: We gather around the voice of Jesus, a voice of faith of promise, of hope of dreams and possibility of challenge of urgency a voice of no regrets.	Voice: We give thanks that his voice and so many like his are voices of inclusion calling us to believe in and to be true to our innate connection with every person and with every thing.
P: We are connected with this bread and with this wine with the crops and the vines with every person who worked to produce and prepare these gifts of the earth for us.	Voice: We eat and drink today mindful of this connectedness. May our mindfulness carry over into all we do and say in the days and weeks ahead.
P: May the trees the mountains the seas the rivers the flowers the desert the children and the dreamers be better off because we honor our interconnectedness and walk lightly on the earth.	Voice: To this, we give our Amen!

The Prayer of Jesus Geri

(Please pray along)

Creator of the Cosmos, Source of Life, Divine Mystery,

You are in nature, all around, you are within me, in my cup of wine and loaf of bread.

Blessed be your names:

Allah, Beloved, Great Spirit, Radiant One, Yahweh, HaShem, Sophia

Your presence has come, your will is done on earth as it is in the cosmos.

May we give each other strength, mercy, tenderness, and joy and forgive each other’s failures, silence, pettiness, and forgetfulness as we ask to be forgiven by those we’ve hurt.

Lead us home to ourselves and each other, to clarity, to oneness and deliver us from the darkness of our ignorance and fear.

So we pray and so we receive. Amen.

Adapted from The Lord’s Prayer in There Are Burning Bushes Everywhere by Jan Phillips

Breaking of the Bread Alice or Colleen

In the breaking of the bread, we knew you, brother Jesus, Alleluia.

In the breaking of the bread, we know you, brother Jesus, Alleluia.

Communion Mike

Presider: “…happy are we to share in this meal”

All: Our sharing in this meal is a sign of our gratitude and commitment to be one with Jesus.

When sharing the bread: “This is, and you are, the bread of life”

Presider: With great joy, we state.

All: We are followers of Jesus.

When sharing the cup: “The cup of the Covenant”

Communion Song Margie

Life by Kirtana

Closing Prayer Mike

BLESSING:

The Earth itself is a blessing,

And we are part of Earth.

Let us rejoice in our life

and share it as a blessing with other people,

with the ecosystem and the Cosmos.

For in giving blessing, we receive blessing

and in that blessing we will rest.

Sending Forth Poem Margie

This Sacred Scene start at :17 by Amanda Gorman, Poet Laureate

We gather at this hallowed place because we believe in the American dream.

We face a race that tests if this country we cherish shall perish from the earth

and if our earth shall perish from this country.

It falls to us to ensure that we do not fall for a people that cannot stand together,

cannot stand at all.

We are one family regardless of religion, class, or color

for what defines a patriot is not just our love of liberty, but our love for one another.

This is loud in our country’s call because while we all love freedom, it is love that frees us all.

Empathy emancipates, making us greater than hate or vanity. That is the American promise, powerful and pure.

Divided we cannot endure but united we can endeavor to humanize our democracy and endear democracy to humanity.

And make no mistake, cohering is the hardest task history ever wrote,

but tomorrow is not written by our odds of hardship, but by the audacity of our hope by the vitality of our vote.

Only now, approaching this rare air are we aware that perhaps the American dream is no dream at all, but instead a dare to dream together.

Like a million roots tethered, branching up humbly, making one tree.

This is our country from many, one, from battles won,

our freedoms sung, our kingdom come has just begun.

We redeem this sacred scene ready for our journey from it.

Together we must birth this early republic and achieve an unearthly summit.

Let us not just believe in the American dream. Let us be worthy of it.

Announcements

21st Sunday Ordinary Time – Cycle B – August 25, 2024

Theme: To Whom Would We Go?

We pray for those individuals in need (Please be brief) Mike

Gathering Song Maryann

In the Name of ALL THAT IS (2003) by Jan Novotka

In the name of all that is we come together. In the name of the stars and galaxies;

in the name of the planets, moons and the sun; in the name of all that is we come.

In the name of all that is we come together. In the name of the ocean and the sea;

in the name of the mountain, desert and plain; in the name of all that is we come.

In the name of all that is we come together. In the name of the buffalo and bear;

in the name of the turtle, eagle and whale; in the name of all that is we come.

In the name of all that is we come together. In the name of the cactus and the fern;

in the name of the flower, tree and the herb; in the name of all that is we come.

In the name of all that is we come together. In the name of the elements of life;

in the name of the soil, water and air; in the name of all that is we come.

In the name of all that is we come together. In the name of the children of earth;

in the name of the Spirit breathing in all things; in the name of all that is we come.

Wisdom Bowl Maryann

Opening Prayer Mike

First Reading Peter

A reading from The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic by John Shelby Spong combined with the Gospel reading, John 6: 60-69.

Bishop Spong: The food that Jesus brings is not to be confused with food that satisfies temporary hunger. It is, he says, the food which “endures to eternal life.” When one eats, Jesus says, to satisfy physical hunger, the satisfaction is never permanent. One is always hungry again. Only the bread of God that gives life to the world will ultimately satisfy the deepest human hunger. The disciples listen, but they do not understand. Then Jesus says one of the most provocative things that John ever records him as saying: “You must,” therefore, “eat my flesh” and “drink my blood.” The walls of literalism in their minds rise to block the insight. Eating flesh and drinking blood are not pleasant images. They are, in fact, rather repellent. John is saying to his readers that they must take Jesus’ life into their life. Eating Jesus’ flesh is the way he chooses to communicate that.

Gospel of John: Many of his disciples remarked, “We can’t put up with this kind of talk!

How can anyone take it seriously?”

Jesus was fully aware that the disciples were murmuring in protest at what he had said. “Is this a stumbling block for you?” he asked them. “What, then, if you were to see the Chosen One ascend to where the Chosen One came from? It is the spirit that gives life;

Sheer muscle and willpower don’t make anything happen.

Every word I’ve spoken to you is a Spirit-word, and so it is life-making. But some of you are resisting, refusing to have any part in this.”

He went on to say: “This is why I have told you that no one can come to me

unless it is granted by Abba God.”

From this time on, many of the disciples broke away and wouldn’t remain

in the company of Jesus. Jesus then said to the Twelve,” Are you going to leave me, too?”

Simon Peter answered, “Rabbi, to whom would we go? You have the

words of real, eternal life. We’ve already committed ourselves, confident that you are the Holy One of God.”

Bishop Spong: By the time John wrote, Jesus’ disciples had been cast out of the synagogue. So John was saying to them that Jesus must be to them both a new Moses and a new doorway into the meaning of God. What Jesus was to them was not just another (albeit different) path of religion. They were now out of the synagogue for good, but what Jesus was offering did not require a synagogue or the Torah. They needed to see Jesus ultimately, John tells us, as a part of who God is, “ascending to where he was before.” This is where even the twelve drew back, choosing to be with him no longer. The disciples seemed to prefer the religious security from which they had been expelled to the anxiety of walking to a new place in their own life of the spirit. Jesus was saying, I am the life of God, calling you into something new, something frightening and dangerous. I am the love of God calling you to move beyond your defensive barriers, your security walls and into a new understanding of what it means to be human. Eat my flesh — take my life into yours. Drink my blood — open your spirit to my spirit.

Inspired Words

Second Reading Judy Lorenz

LEAVING HOME by David Keighley

I’m off!

I must leave the political and ethical compromises that have corrupted the

faith of my Jesus.

I must leave the stifling theology, the patriarchal structures.

I must leave the enduring prejudices based on our God-given humanity, the

colour of my skin, my gender or how my sexual orientation is practiced.

I must leave the mentality that encourages anyone to think that our

doctrines are unchangeable.

I must leave the belief of those who insist that our sacred texts are

without error.

I must leave the God of miracle and magic.

I must leave the promises of certainty, the illusion of possessing the true

faith.

I must leave behind the claims of being the recipient of an unchallengeable

revelation.

I must leave the neurotic religious desire to know that I am right, and to

play at being God.

I must leave the claim that every other pathway to God is second-rate, that

fellow Hindu searchers in India,
Buddhists in China and Tibet, Muslims in the Middle East and the

Jews of Israel are inadequate.

I must leave the pathway that tells me that all other directions will get me

lost.

I must leave the certain claim that my Jesus is the only way to God for

everyone.

I must leave the ultimate act of human folly that says it is.

I must leave the Church, my home.

I must leave behind my familiar creeds and faith-symbols.

I can no longer stay in an unliveable place.

I must move to a place where I can once again sing the Lord’s song.

I must move to where my faith-tradition can be revived and live on.

I must move to a place where children don’t tell me what I believe is

unbelievable but tell me they can believe what I believe.

I must move to a place where they are not playing at moving the deck chairs

on the decks of an ecclesiastical Titanic.

I can never leave the God experience.

I can never walk away from the doorway into the divine that I believe I have

found in the one

I call the Christ and acknowledge as “my Lord.”

I must move to dangerous and religiously threatening places.

I must move to where there is no theism, but still God.

I’m off! But to where, God only knows.

Inspired Words

David Keighley, An English Anglican Priest Published On: December 31, 2009

Poem-Leaving Home

Psalm ???

Follow Your Heart’s Desire by Jan Phillips, Video: Mary Theresa Streck, Photos: Dennis McDonald https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qinan3FNZBc

Follow Your Heart’s Desire

tune into what it feels

it leads to love alone

it knows the way to heal

Spread kindness everywhere

give more than what they ask

you’ve come to light the world

your power’s unsurpassed

CHORUS: (2X)

“What you have seen me do,

you, too, can do and more,”

so said the holy one

who lives forevermore.

The power’s in your hands

the light is in your eyes

the love that holds you up

causes the sun to rise

Heaven is where you live

holy is what you are

the fire inside of you

is inside every star

CHORUS:

“What you have seen me do,

you, too, can do and more,”

so said the holy one

who lives forevermore.

You and the Source are one

you needn’t look above

it’s all inside of you

you’re breathing pure love

The new is being born

The light is breaking through

The very one you seek

is in the heart of you.

Third Reading Teri Corso

A reading from GODLESS GOODNESS: THE FOUNDATIONS OF A SECULAR MORALITY by Bart Campolo

I was made to understand that the essence of being a good person had to do with not harming other people on the one hand and doing your best to help them on the other. While some might argue that the Golden Rule itself is a Christian teaching, the ancient Egyptians wrote it down more than five hundred years before Jesus was born, as did Confucius in China and Thales in Greece and Siddhartha in India. Later, but still before Jesus, Rabbi Hillel taught the same precept to his followers in the Holy Land, and versions of it appear in virtually all of the rest of the world’s great religions. Ironically, none of these faith traditions supposes that any kind of supernatural revelation is required for human beings to know how to treat one another. When it comes to morality, it seems, virtually everyone knows all we really need is everyday human empathy.

In fact, nobody decides to trust a moral code at all. We don’t choose our understandings of right and wrong and where they come from. We absorb those things as children, and only rationalize them for ourselves and one another long after the fact. Isn’t morality really about thinking through the potential impact of my actions, weighing the various options against a complex matrix of competing values, and humbly making the best decision possible? For me to blindly follow a divine commandment seems like a way to shirk the hard work of deliberation and evade responsibility for the intentions and consequences of my actions. Simple obedience might keep people of faith from doing bad things, but I’m not sure how it helps them become morally good themselves. Unless, of course, your definition of goodness is to blindly trust and obey, rather than to thoughtfully figure out what fairness, kindness, and consideration look like in any given situation.

Bringing God into the equation also confuses things when it comes to the underlying motivations for our moral decisions. After all, is an act of will really moral if you only undertake it to win God’s favor or avoid God’s wrath? Whose moral character do you admire most—the person who does the right thing in order to gain rewards or avoid punishments, or the person who does it based on their understanding of what’s at stake for everyone, because they find doing right intrinsically fulfilling? It seems to me that goodness not done for goodness’ sake alone might not be truly good at all. Again, when it comes to personal morality, I vastly prefer the no-God simplicity of the Golden Rule.

Inspired Words

Why I Left, Why I Stayed: Conversations on Christianity Between an Evangelical Father and His Humanist Son by Tony Campolo and Bart Campolo

Homily Mike

Prayer of the People Sue Bove

As we consider Peter’s question: Rabbi, to whom shall we go? we pray to understand our commitment to following Jesus. Our response will be a moment of prayer filled silence.

If we are supposed to be following Jesus, the first thing we should do is go where he went. Where did Jesus go? To be Alone, often praying and resting, to be with His closest friends or in community, and to be with those who are sick, sinners, and culturally insignificant people. We pray.

If we are supposed to be following Jesus, we should do what Jesus did. Jesus sat with the sick. Talked to the ignored. Challenged the proud. Helped the poor. Gave purpose to the hopeless. Comforted the distraught. And forgave the masses. In short, He showed love to everyone He came in contact with. We pray….

If we are supposed to be following Jesus, we should feel as Jesus felt. Jesus was motivated by His longing, His desire, to just be with His creation. He was genuinely moved by the people He encountered. He showed His emotions, He empathized. He displayed Compassion, Grief and Anger Over Injustices. We pray….

If we are supposed to be following Jesus, we must reflect on why we are motivated to do the right things. We should be motivated by our heart towards people. People aren’t projects to be won over, they are children of God to be loved. And that’s what we should do. Following Jesus means we embody the love He had for people. We pray….

For our sisters and brothers in Sophia, in our sister parish in Rochester, for all those involved with Pathways to Prosperity and for our sisters and brothers in Voice of the Faithful, FCM, Rainbow Railroad and RAMP, may they know of our love and care for them. May they continue their good work as they follow the Way of Jesus. We pray….

For what else shall we pray?

Allow up to 4 petitions.

Our call is to follow Jesus. To be his hands and feet. We need to go where he went. Do what he did. And feel what he felt. When we do that we are following Jesus. Amen.

Adapted from What Following Jesus REALLY Means (and 3 practical tips)
May 18, 2022 by Jeffery Curtis Poor
https://www.rethinknow.org/following-jesus/

Sharing of Peace Mike

Prayer over the Bread and Wine Linda Schaller

We are grateful – for this bread,

Which earth has given and human hands have formed.

This bread nourishes our spirit.

We are grateful – for this wine,

Fruit of the vine and work of human hands.

It is our spiritual drink.

Eucharistic Liturgy Mike and Kathy S

What Following Jesus Really Means by Michael Morwood, Prayers for Progressive Christians 2018. P. 147-150

P: We gather today mindful of the many times we have professed our readiness to be true disciples of Jesus to be salt of the earth to be light in the world.	Voice: We acknowledge the daunting challenge of this profession in the society in which we live, with its economic systems that impoverish and disempower people, and its political systems that enable the rich to get richer and the earth to become poorer.
P: We remember that Jesus encountered in his day systems as unjust as those we experience in our day, and who surely felt powerless to change anything on his own.	Voice: We turn our hearts and minds to his message to his hopes and dreams to his ardent desire for a better society.
P: We focus on his struggle his reflections his prayer his questions – where to start? how to start? what to say? whom to choose? how to keep going? how to be salt? how to be light?	Voice: We call to mind how Jesus urged his listeners to put their trust in the power of being neighbor in the power of God’s Spirit within them in the power of conversion from religious thinking and practices that made them feel inadequate and worthless.
P: Our prayer today is a prayer of resolve, a prayer of determination that we, each one of us, will do whatever we can however small in whatever way to bring the real dream of Jesus to fruition in our lives and in our world today.	Voice: Today, we focus on Jesus human like us a man with a dream for a better world a man of extraordinary courage a man on a journey to the end of his life a man willing to die for what he believed a man who knew he would never see his dream fulfilled a man who had to trust that those who came after him would keep his dream alive.
P: As we gather once more around bread and wine we recall Jesus sharing bread and wine with his friends shortly before he died. He invited them to eat and drink as a sign of their readiness to keep his memory alive to give their all for what he believed and taught.	Voice: We, too, eat and drink. We stand up as a sign of our readiness to be counted upon. We give our word.
Pause for reflection
P: By our eating and drinking we commit ourselves to follow where Jesus dared to journey.	Voice: We pray, inviting the Spirit of Life, Love and Goodness to move free in our words and actions. To this, we give our Amen!

Prayer of Jesus Tom S

Great divine spirit of love that is at the core of everything

and from which all life flows,

We acknowledge this healing and transforming power.

May the spirit of unconditional love and forgiveness flow through each of us and enable the realm of love to spread throughout the world.

Like the flowers in the fields, may we have the basics we need to live

and may we have the love and commitment to ensure that others have what they need too.

May we have the courage to acknowledge when we have done wrong,

to seek forgiveness from those we have hurt

and to forgive those who have hurt us,

so that we may be reconciled.

We acknowledge the power of self-giving love to transform individual hearts and the world.

We recommit ourselves to the unconditional love of others and the work of justice and peace.

Amen A 21st Century Lord’s Prayer by Roger Courtney adapted

Breaking of the Bread Colleen or Alice

In the breaking of the bread, we knew you, brother Jesus. Alleluia.
In the breaking of the bread, we know you, brother Jesus. Alleluia.
In the breaking of the bread, we know you, brother Jesus. Alleluia.

Communion Mike

Presider: “…happy are we to share in this meal”

All: Our sharing in this meal is a sign of our gratitude and commitment to be one with Jesus.

When sharing the bread: “This is, and you are, the bread of life”

Presider: With great joy, we state.

All: We are followers of Jesus.

When sharing the cup: “The cup of the Covenant”

Communion Song ???

Meditation music Harp song – come back to me (Hosea)

Hosea

1. Come back to me with all your heart.
Don’t let fear keep us apart.
Trees do bend, though straight and tall;
so must we to others’ call.
Long have I waited for your coming home to me
and living deeply our new life.
2. The wilderness will lead you to your heart where I will speak.
Integrity and justice with tenderness you shall know.
Long have I waited for your coming home to me
and living deeply our new life.
3. You shall sleep secure with peace;
faithfulness will be your joy.
Long have I waited for your coming home to me
and living deeply our new life.

Closing Prayer Mike

To Bless the Space Between Us (O’Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us 2008)

FOR CITIZENSHIP

In these times when anger
Is turned into anxiety
And someone has stolen
The horizons and mountains,

Our small emperors on parade
Never expect our indifference
To disturb their nakedness.

They keep their heads down
And their eyes gleam with reflection
From aluminum economic ground,

The media wraps everything
In a cellophane of sound.
And the ghost surface of the virtual
Overlays the breathing earth.

The industry of distraction
Makes us forget
That we live in a universe.

We have become converts
To the religion of stress
And its deity of progress;

That we may have courage
To turn aside from it all
And come to kneel down before the poor,
To discover what we must do,
How to turn anxiety
Back into anger,
How to find our way home.

Sending Forth Song ????

This is the America I Believe In by Sister Kathy Sherman, CSJ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INf5-GuwNyA no Lyrics

This IS THE AMERICA I BELIEVE IN

Now is the time for all to be fed.

Now is the time that all had a bed to rest from the cold on a long winter’s night This is the America that I love. This is the America I believe in, how about you?

Now is the time for violence to end. Now is the time for us to befriend those who have fallen on times that are hard. This is the America that I love. This is the America I believe in, how about you?

Now is the time to heal what is broken. Now is the time to hear what

is spoken, the longing for work, for food and home. This is the America

that I love. This is the America I believe in, how about you?

Now is the time to set our sight, on the dream once again how all

have the right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness. This is the America

that I love. This is the America I believe in, how about you?

Now is the time to protect all creation. Now is the time for equal

education for children who one day will lead us in peace. This is the

America that I love. This is the America I believe in, how about you?

Now is the time to reach out our hand. Now is the time to join with all

lands in building a world where all can be one. This is the America that

I love. This is the America I believe in, how about you?

Announcements

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus is the Bread of Life

August 18, 2024

Pray for Others Mike

Opening Song Marie

Break Open the Bread of Your Life by Gregory Norbet and the Monks of Weston Priory

Refrain

Break open the bread of your life; give yourself in love

as leaven to those all around you and extending to those far beyond.

Whenever you break bread together, when you drink from the cup of new wine –

do this in memory of me and share in the gift of my life. Refrain

I washed your feet as a sign – an example of service and love.

As I have done unto you, to each other you also should do. Refrain

You are all called to be one body united together in faith – living the Gospel message and building God’s kindom on earth. Refrain

Wisdom Bowl Maryann

Opening Prayer Mike

When missionaries go out to meet new peoples the first thing that they do is to meet the physical needs of each person. This includes food, water and shelter. Only then do they begin to address their spiritual needs.

As we gather today, may we be mindful of this important process. May we meet the needs of the entire person in a wholistic manner in a way that respects and honors that person’s culture, tradition, language and spirituality. In this way, both they and us will truly be fed. We pray this and all pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

First Reading Margie

From the Book of Proverbs

Lady Wisdom has built and furnished her home;

it’s supported by seven hewn timbers.

The banquet meal is ready to be served:

lamb roasted, wine poured out, table set with silver and flowers.

Having dismissed her serving maids,

Lady Wisdom goes to town, stands in a prominent place,

and invites everyone within sound of her voice:

“Are you confused about life, don’t know what’s going on?

Come with me, oh come, have dinner with me!

I’ve prepared a wonderful spread —

fresh baked bread, roast lamb, carefully selected wines.

Leave your impoverished confusion and live!

Walk up the street to a life with meaning!”

Proverbs 9:1-6 from This Transforming Word, Cycle B, by Alice Camille, page 161

Gospel Spot Kathy

In John’s Gospel, Jesus describes himself as the Bread of Life. You’ve heard and read this story probably countless times over the decades. Today, in the Gospel Spot, you will hear Father Dick Rento’s thoughts on what Jesus as the Bread of Life might mean for us in our times.

How do we come to grips with Jesus’ graphic references to himself as the bread from heaven, the food that we are to eat and then never die? What are we to make of this? How much of it, if any, are we meant to take literally? What is the message?

How often have you seen, on TV, coverage of humanitarian efforts to bring life-saving food supplies to the destitute people of war-torn nations? It is not ready-made “meals on wheels” that are delivered; it is most often sacks of wheat flour and cornmeal and rice, the equivalent of bread. To hungry starving people, bread is life. In the poor Hebrew society to which Jesus ministered, you can be sure that bread was synonymous with life and survival. We, who sometimes throw out as much as we consume, can find that difficult to understand. Intellectually, we know it is a fact, but emotionally we may not be able to feel it. We may have to struggle prayerfully to grasp what Jesus is saying: that as necessary as food and drink are to life, so is Jesus necessary, absolutely essential, to our deepest well being.

No matter our state in life, our occupation, our financial situation, or our social standing, we eat and drink of Jesus mostly by absorbing his words and trying to incorporate his values into our lives. We receive him from each other in the course of our ordinary daily encounters. We experience him in our midst when we gather to pray together. Jesus comes to us in sacramental reality in the sacred ritual of Eucharist. The Divine is not distant or remote. The Divine is with us in an endless variety of ways, but in none more intimately or intensely than in the person of Jesus, the nourishing, healing, life-giving bread of our lives.

Richard Rento, It’s Not Necessarily So, pages. 77-78

Homily Mike

Prayer of the People Janet

Grateful for the image of Jesus as the Bread of Life, we pray this morning for a variety of people around the world who today do not have enough bread to sustain their lives.

Our response will be a moment of prayer filled silence.

For all the people in the many war-torn countries in our world, we pray that they will have the food they need not only to survive, but to have the strength to be resilient in very hard times.

For all those humans, animals, and plants adversely affected by climate change, we pray that they will find new ways to sustain life on this earth.

For all United States citizens who are eligible to vote, we pray that they will be nourished with accurate truthful information about the current state of our country, which will motivate them to vote in the upcoming election.

For all involved in the Democratic National Convention this week, we pray that they will be safe and also energized to work diligently for the continuation of democracy and freedom in our country.

For our sisters and brothers in Sophia who are not here with us today, for all in our sister parish in Rochester, for all those involved with Pathways 2 Prosperity and for our sisters and brothers in Voice of the Faithful, FCM, Rainbow Railroad, and RAMP, who spread the gospel by word, deeds, and their support, we pray that they will be nourished daily with spiritual bread to enable them to serve those in need in their various ministries.

For what else shall we pray?

We offer these prayers on behalf of all — confident in endless and transformative love… Amen. Blessed be. May it be so.

Sharing of Peace Mike

Blessing the Bread and the Wine Linda S

We are grateful – for this bread,

which earth has given and human hands have formed.

This bread nourishes our spirit.

We are grateful – for this wine,

fruit of the vine and work of human hands.

It is our spiritual drink.

Eucharistic Prayer Mike and Joanne

Presider: The Divine nurtures and sustains all of creation.

Humanity is abundantly blessed.

Voice: Jesus taught us a message of peace and taught us

to live as sisters and brothers.

His message took form in the hearts of his friends

when, at their best, they created communities of love

where all might live as one.

This message lives on in our midst

as a challenge for all people today

and a promise for tomorrow.

P: With gratitude in our hearts we give thanks for the Divine’s presence

on our journey. We are grateful for all that we have. We know that we are sustained by the loving presence of the Divine.

Voice: In the birthing forth of creation we have been called into being.

We are gifted with health and wholeness;

We are enhanced with ability, wisdom, knowledge and discernment.

P: We are called to work for justice, to share our table with all creation, to feed the needy at our door, to see that nobody is left in need.

For the blessing of your gifts, and the challenge of your call to us,

we are filled with awe and thanksgiving.

Voice: The table we share is adorned with the gifts of creation,

gifts given for all to share in equality and justice, a table where all are welcome, and from which nobody is to be excluded, from the greatest even to the least.

P: As we gather, we celebrate the open table,

proclaimed by Jesus our liberator and our friend,

to be a table of abundant life, inclusive love, and redemptive liberation.

Voice: In the power of the creative Spirit, Jesus lived life to the full.

We, too, are blessed with the power of that same Spirit,

which we now invoke upon all gathered here,

to celebrate the transformative energy

symbolized in our gifts of bread and wine,

given to nourish and sustain us into the fullness of life.

P: While sharing a feast at table, Jesus took bread,

blessed the Divine for all good gifts.

Jesus broke the bread and along with the cup,

gave it to his friends.

Voice: After the meal, Jesus took another cup,

poured out in a spirit of solidarity and empowerment.

Jesus gave thanks and shared the cup with his friends.

P: As we celebrate this Eucharistic feast, we call to mind that we are a people

nourished throughout the ages. We look forward in hope to that day when the justice of our God will guarantee food for all who hunger for the fullness of life.

Voice: With grateful hearts we receive the gifts of this table.

May the creative Spirit, who energizes these gifts,

activate in our hearts, too, a hunger for that justice

that will guarantee sustenance for every human being.

P: In the spirit of this celebration, we rejoice and thank the Divine for all

we have received; but we do so in the painful awareness

of all who are excluded from the table of abundant life.

Voice: May we be awakened to a passion for equality and generosity of spirit, that all may be brought to the table of abundance, from which the Divine wants no one to be excluded.

P: To wherever the Spirit of Life and Love

may lead us we give our, Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer – Meal by Diarmuid O’Murchu

Prayer of Jesus Linda K

Eternal Spirit,
Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Loving Spirit, in whom is heaven:

The hallowing of your names echoes through the universe!
The way of your justice is followed by peoples of the world:
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustains our hope.

With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.

Amen. Blessed be. May it be so.

Breaking of the Bread Alice or Colleen

In the breaking of the bread, we know you, brother Jesus, Alleluia. Alleluia.

Communion Mike

Presider: “…happy are we to share in this meal”

Our sharing in this meal is a sign of our gratitude and commitment to be one with Jesus.

When sharing the bread: “This is, and you are, the bread of life”

Presider: With great joy, we state: We are followers of Jesus.

When sharing the cup: “The cup of the Covenant”

Communion Song Marie

We Partake by Jan Novotka

Closing Prayer Mike

May America have leaders whose hearts are large enough
to match the breadth of their own souls and may we have souls
strong enough to follow leaders of vision and wisdom.

In seeking a leader, let us seek
more than development for ourselves—
though development we hope for—
more than security for our own land—
though security we need—
more than satisfaction for our wants—
though many things we desire.

May we have hearts to choose
A leader for our country who will work with other leaders
to bring safety to the whole world.

May we vote for leaders
who lead this nation to virtue without seeking to impose
our kind of virtue on the virtue of others.

May the United States be a government
that provides for the advancement of this country
without taking resources from others to achieve it.

May we and our fellow Americans have insight enough
to choose as leaders those who can tell
strength from power,
growth from greed,
leadership from dominance,
and real greatness
from the trappings of grandiosity.

May we open our hearts to learn
from those who speak in different tongues
and may we respect the life and words
of those entrusted with advancing
the good of other parts of this globe.

May we be blessed with vision as a people
to know where global leadership truly lies,
to pursue it diligently,
to require it to protect human rights
for everyone everywhere.

We hope for all these things
with open minds and trusting hearts.

Amen, Blessed be. May it be so.

Adapted from A Prayer for Leadership by Joan Chittister, July 2024

Closing Song Marie

God Bless America – Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Announcements

19th Sunday Ordinary Time – Cycle B – August 11, 2024

Theme: Finding Joy in Times of Trouble

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/Jw9uEKjvujtYyznDaF10koXd3eQSSPyD8Fl_gpJWzz_0D694CZ4i2H6nRjBjMpXB.fhnxb-iLB4LHMrNC?startTime=1723384874000

19th Sunday Ordinary Time – Cycle B – August 11, 2024

Theme: Finding Joy in Times of Trouble

We pray for those individuals in need (Please be brief) Mike

Gathering Song Bill

Chris Skinner – We are connected

Lyrics:

CH: We are connected like branches to the tree

We all walk the planet, let’s walk with dignity

No matter our colour, no matter our creed.

All of us are gifted and all of us we need.

We are connected one great family.

Let’s light the fire together and let it shine for all to see.

Shine, everybody standing in the light.

Shine, everybody warmed by the fire.

Shine, no one left in the dark or in the cold.

Shine, come together to embrace and to hold.

Shine, forgive and heal the hurts that divide.

Shine, standing with, along, beside.

Shine, Shine! We are connected, connected!

Breath and life, connected.

Earth, sea and sky, connected.

Hands and hearts, connected

Believe it, believe it!

Wisdom Bowl Maryann

Opening Prayer Mike

Beauty is fleeting. Happiness can be fleeting as well. Often happiness and joy are confused for one another. Today, may we be open to exploring the true meaning of joy. May we seek to understand Jesus and how he lived a life of joy. May we plumb the depths of the richness of joy even in the midst of a life and world that are chaotic and troubled. We pray this and all prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.

First “Reading” Bill

Are You SCARED to Feel Joy? How to Have More Joy in Your Life! | Brené Brown w/OprahWinfrey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uqu23b50G0

This text is here to aid me in composing the Prayer of the People.

If you ask me what’s the most terrifying difficult emotion that we experience as humans, I would say Joy.

I’ll have 5 000 parents or something in an audience and I’ll say raise your hand if you’ve ever stood over your child while he or she was sleeping and thought to yourself I love you like I didn’t know was possible and then in that split second picture something horrific happening.

How many of you’ve ever sat up and said wow work’s going good, good relationship with my partner, parents seem to be doing okay. Holy crap what’s going to happen?

So what is that?

When we lose our tolerance for vulnerability, Joy becomes foreboding.

I’m not going to soften into this moment of joy because I’m scared it’s gonna be taken away, the other shoe’s gonna drop. When we lose our tolerance to be vulnerable Joy becomes foreboding.

So what we do in moments of joyfulness is we try to beat vulnerability to the punch.

Yesterday I’m on the plane I’m getting ready to leave. The plane gets down the runway and has to come back and something’s wrong. I was like I knew it! I called Steve I said let me just tell you something. I know because I’m fixing to meet Oprah. I’m gonna die. At my funeral you better say she was gonna be on Super Soul Sunday

I interviewed a man who told me “my whole life, I never got too excited too joyful about anything. I just kind of stayed right in the middle. That way if things didn’t work out I wasn’t devastated and if they did work out it was a pleasant surprise. In his 60s he was in a car accident and his wife of 40 years was killed. He said the second I realized that she was gone the first thing I thought was I should have leaned harder into those moments of Joy because that did not protect me from what I feel right now.

We’re trying to dress rehearse tragedy so we can beat vulnerability to the punch.

This is what the joyful people do. This is what I learned from them. In those moments they’re looking at their children or their partner or something great they get that shutter too. But you know what they do? They don’t say oh there’s that shutter of Terror about feeling joyful. I’m gonna dress rehearse tragedy. They say I’m going to practice gratitude.

Gratitude is a practice. It is tangible you can see it. It’s not an attitude of gratitude, it is a practice and what I found is that when you actively practice gratitude where you concentrate on not just thinking about it but write things down you go through the day looking for it.

I think we appreciate the little things.

I think one of the things that happens in a culture of scarcity is we’re all chasing the extraordinary and we forget like when I interviewed people who went through horrific things I mean I’m talking about the loss of children, Genocide, violence, trauma, and I talked to them about what’s the hardest loss. They never talked about the extraordinary

Things. They said “I miss the ordinary moments. I miss hearing the screen door slam and knowing my husband’s home from work. I miss hearing my kids fighting in the backyard. I miss the way that my wife’s at the table.”

Those are the moments that are in front of all of us every day that we could stop and say God I’m grateful for this!

________________________________________________________

This is another text I found regarding the same ideas in the video. Only here for my reference.

Though I study scary emotions like anger and shame for a living, I think the most terrifying human experience is joy. It’s as if we believe that by truly feeling happiness, we’re setting ourselves up for a sucker punch. The problem is, worrying about things that haven’t happened doesn’t protect us from pain. Ask anyone who has experienced a tragedy; they’ll tell you there is no way to prepare. Instead, catastrophizing, as I call it, squanders the one thing we all want more of in life. We simply cannot know joy without embracing vulnerability—and the way to do that is to focus on gratitude, not fear.

The good news is that joy, collected over time, fuels resilience—ensuring we’ll have reservoirs of emotional strength when hard things do happen.

The Dare:

Stop the train.

The next time you’re traumatized by “What ifs,” say aloud, “I am feeling vulnerable.” This sentence changed my life. It takes me out of my fear brain—i.e., off the crazy train—and puts me back on the platform, where I can make a conscious choice not to reboard.

Be thankful.

Recently, when a turbulent flight caused me to start planning my own funeral, I remembered something I’d learned in my research: Joyous people are grateful people. So I used the fear alarm in my head as a reminder to feel grateful for my kids, my husband, and my work. Even more effective: Speak your gratitude aloud to others, or write it in your journal.

Start a practice.

I believe joy is a spiritual practice we have to work at. For me, that means appreciating everyday moments: a walk with my husband, fishing with my kids on the Gulf Coast. It means not living in fear of what I could lose, but softening into the moments I have.

Psalm Maryann

Long before the night

(This Ancient Love)

by Carolyn McDade

Long before the night was born from the darkness

Long before the dawn rolled unsteady from fire

Long before she wrapped her scarlet arms around the hills

There was a love, this ancient love was born

Long before the grass spotted green the bare hillside

Long before a wing unfolded to wind

Long before she wrapped her long blue arm around the sea

There was a love, this ancient love was born

Long before a chain was forged from the hillside

Long before a voice uttered freedom’s cry

Long before she wrapped her bleeding arms around a child

There was a love, this ancient love was born

Long before the name of God was spoken

Long before a cross was nailed from a tree

Long before she lay her arm of colors ‘cross the sky

There was a love, this ancient love was born

Wakeful are our nights and slumbers our morning

Stubborn is the grass sowing green wounded hills

as we wrap our healing arms to hold what her arms held

this ancient love this aching love rolls on

Second Reading

https://sojo.net/articles/faith-action/where-joy Aug 13, 2014 adapted

Where Is the Joy? By Lisa Sharon Harper

How do you talk about joy in times like these and not sound like a traveling salesman with a bottle of snake oil up his sleeve?

Iran, Hezbollah and Israel are locked in a cycle of escalation that could consume the region. 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed to date during Russia’s full-scale invasion. More than 31,184 Palestinians have been killed and 72,889 injured, and more than 1,200 people in Israel have been killed. Four key pillars of the global climate (the ice sheets of Greenland and West Antarctica, the Amazon rainforest and the Atlantic currents that warm Europe) are melting in the heat trapped by rising fossil fuel emissions, destroying the relatively stable climate that nurtured human civilization. The United States Supreme Court overthrew the central premise of American democracy: that no one is above the law. The man running for president of the US has attempted a coup, has 34 felony convictions, has been impeached twice, has been found liable for sexually abusing and defaming a woman, been charged with four criminal counts, including conspiracy to defraud the US and conspiracy against the rights of citizens, has called for the execution of people who upset him and who has vowed to exact vengeance on those he now thinks have wronged him.

So … to think of joy right now, reminds me of snake oil.

The spiritual discipline of joy is a challenging call.

When I think of joy, I think of women in sundresses running through fields of daisies, blankets and baskets brimming with great food and wine in tow. I think of babies laughing and little girls playing hopscotch and little boys playing marbles.

But perhaps none of that is joy after all. Perhaps what my youth group leader told me years ago is true. Those are images of happiness. They are fleeting. Joy runs deeper.

Joy is like the deepest leagues of the ocean. Though hurricanes rage above, it stands still. Joy is like the sun and the moon: No matter what happens on earth, they are constant. They rise and rise and rise again.

Joy smiles—period. It is almost sly, smiling in the face of disaster, as if it knows a secret.

Or, does joy smile in the face of disasters as a non-violent weapon wielded against the lie that all is lost?

Joy’s smile states simply, with the only energy it can muster in the face of this fallen world: All is not lost. This is not the end of the story. And though the world rages around me and may threaten my very being, I am whole and complete because God is.

Maybe that’s where Paul’s charge to the Philippians comes from. This man who endured persecution, shipwreck, poverty, and Roman oppression said, unequivocally: Rejoice in the Divine always: again I say Rejoice. Let everyone see your forbearing spirit. The Divine is near. Dismiss all anxiety from your minds; instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers. Before you know it, a sense of wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when the Divine displaces worry at the center of your life. (Philippians 4:4-7)

Perhaps joy brings peace because joy lives in the deep…and God is in the deep. So, on this day when news cycles rage and injustices beg to be engaged, in the middle of hurricanes raging, I feel a smile forming in the deep waters of my soul.

Peace is coming.

Inspired Words

Homily Mike

Prayer of the People ??????

What thoughts come to you when you experience joy? Are you scared to feel joy? For many, joy is the most difficult, terrifying emotion! When we feel joy, it is a place of incredible vulnerability—it’s beauty and fragility and deep gratitude and impermanence all wrapped up in one experience. When we can’t tolerate that level of vulnerability, joy actually becomes foreboding. Our response will be: May we be vulnerable.

“Yes, softening into joy is uncomfortable. Yes, it’s scary. Yes, it’s vulnerable. But every time we allow ourselves to lean into joy and give in to those moments, we build resilience and we cultivate hope. The joy becomes part of who we are, and when bad things happen—and they do happen—we are stronger.” We respond: May we be vulnerable

“In the midst of joy, there’s often a quiver, a shudder of vulnerability. Rather than focusing on fear, the people who lean into joy use the quiver as a reminder to practice gratitude.” We respond: May we be vulnerable.

“The courage to be vulnerable is not about winning or losing, it’s about the courage to show up when you can’t predict or control the outcome.” We respond: May we be vulnerable.

The beauty of joy is that, like a stained glass window through which light breaks into a myriad of colors, it enables us to see how good life is, even when it seems that it isn’t. We respond: May we be vulnerable

Joy is not an event; it is the attitude a healthy person takes into every situation in life: work, family, social life, and even moments of personal stress. We respond: May we be vulnerable.

For our sisters and brothers in Sophia, in our sister parish in Rochester, for all those involved with Pathways to Prosperity and for our sisters and brothers in Voice of the Faithful, FCM, Rainbow Railroad and RAMP, may they know of our love and care for them. May they experience joy in the good work they do as they follow the Way of Jesus. We respond: May we be vulnerable

For what else shall we pray?

Allow up to 4 petitions.

Joy might lead us to a wild, unpredictable, transgressive, and unboundaried solidarity. Joy gets us to love, love brings us together and it just might help us survive. We pray this and all prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Adapted from quotes by Brené Brown

Sharing of Peace Mike

Prayer over the Bread and Wine ???

We are grateful – for this bread,

Which earth has given and human hands have formed.

This bread nourishes our spirit.

We are grateful – for this wine,

Fruit of the vine and work of human hands.

It is our spiritual drink.

Eucharistic Liturgy Mike and ???

P: The Divine nurtures and sustains all of creation. Humanity is abundantly blessed.	Voice: Jesus taught us a message of peace and taught us to live as sisters and brothers. His message took form in the hearts of his friends when, at their best, they created communities of love where all might live as one. This message lives on in our midst as a challenge for all people today and a promise for tomorrow.
P: With gratitude in our hearts, we give thanks for the Divine’s presence on our journey. We are grateful for all that we have. We know that we are sustained by the loving presence of the Divine.	Voice: In the birthing forth of creation we have been called into being. We are gifted with health and wholeness; We are enhanced with ability, wisdom, knowledge and discernment.
P: We are called to work for justice, to share our table with all creation, to feed the needy at our door, to see nobody is left in need.	Voice: The table we share is adorned with the gifts of creation, gifts given for all to share in equality and justice, a table where all are welcome, and from which nobody is to be excluded, from the greatest even to the least.
P: As we gather, we celebrate the open table, proclaimed by Jesus our liberator and our friend, a table of abundant life, inclusive love, and redemptive liberation.	Voice: In the power of the creative Spirit, Jesus lived life to the full. We, too, are blessed in the power of that same Spirit. We celebrate the transformative energy symbolized in our gifts of bread and wine, given to nourish and sustain us into the fullness of life.
P: While sharing a feast at table, Jesus took bread, blessed the Divine for all good gifts. Jesus broke the bread and along with the cup, gave it to his friends.	Voice: After the meal, Jesus took another cup, poured out in a spirit of solidarity and empowerment. Jesus gave thanks and shared the cup with his friends.
P: As we celebrate this Eucharistic feast, we call to mind that we are a people nourished throughout the ages; and we look forward in hope to that day when justice will guarantee food for all who hunger for the fullness of life.	Voice: With grateful hearts we receive the gifts of this table. May the creative Spirit, who energizes these gifts, activate in our hearts, too, a hunger for that justice that will guarantee sustenance for every human being.
P: In the spirit of this celebration, we rejoice and give thanks for all we have received; but we do so in the painful awareness of all who are excluded from the table abundant life.	Voice: May we be awakened to a passion for equality and generosity of spirit, that all may be brought to the table of abundance, from which the Divine wants no one to be excluded.
P: We pray, inviting the Spirit of Life, Love and Goodness to move free in our words and actions.	Voice: To this, we give our Amen!

Prayer of Jesus ?????

Great divine spirit of love that is at the core of everything

and from which all life flows,

We acknowledge this healing and transforming power.

May the spirit of unconditional love and forgiveness flow through each of us and enable the realm of love to spread throughout the world.

Like the flowers in the fields, may we have the basics we need to live

and may we have the love and commitment to ensure that others have what they need too.

May we have the courage to acknowledge when we have done wrong,

to seek forgiveness from those we have hurt

and to forgive those who have hurt us,

so that we may be reconciled.

We acknowledge the power of self-giving love to transform individual hearts and the world.

We recommit ourselves to the unconditional love of others and the work of justice and peace.

Amen A 21st Century Lord’s Prayer by Roger Courtney adapted

Breaking of the Bread Colleen or Alice

Communion Mike

Presider: “…happy are we to share in this meal”

All: Our sharing in this meal is a sign of our gratitude and commitment to be one with Jesus.

When sharing the bread: “This is, and you are, the bread of life”

Presider: With great joy, we state.

All: We are followers of Jesus.

When sharing the cup: “The cup of the Covenant”

Communion Song Bill

Windsong by John Denver

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXOihxjXqAo (no lyrics but nice pictures)

The wind is the whisper of our mother the earth
The wind is the hand of our Father the sky
The wind watches over our struggles and pleasures
The wind is the goddess who first learned to fly
The wind is the bearer of bad and good tidings
The weaver of darkness, the bringer of dawn
The wind gives the rain, then builds us a rainbow
The wind is the singer who sang the first song
The wind is the twister of anger and warning
The wind brings the fragrance of freshly mown hay
The wind is a racer, and a wild stallion running
and the sweet taste of love on a slow summer’s day
The wind knows the songs of cities and canyons
The thunder of mountains, the roar of the sea
The wind is the taker and giver of mornings
The wind is the symbol of all that is free
So welcome the wind and the wisdom she offers
Follow her summons when she calls again
In your heart and your spirit , let the breezes surround you
Lift up your voice then and sing with the wind

Closing Prayer Mike

As we live our lives let us choose to find ways to be joyful. As we face a world of trouble let us decide to live grateful lives. As we confront the challenges of our day may we engage each one with positive attitudes. May we practice repeatedly intentional and purposeful living. May we train ourselves in mindfulness. Above all may we exercise the gifts of joy and gratitude to be the well-round people we are called to be in this life. We pray this and all prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Sending Forth Song Maryann

Joy in Our Hearts by Karen Drucker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRBSdrI1MBI or slides in library at https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1YMFUZUsvvrs90bevqSzS0qyQ_CvTcCOo9QKTyWOsobU/edit?usp=sharing (needs one slide updated)

By Karen Drucker and J. D. Martin

INTRO CHORUS Peace for the season, love ev’ry moment, Light shines wherever we are. Faith in the darkness, hope in the silence, Joy, sweet joy, in our hearts.

VERSE 1 Ev’ry day is a choice to show some kindness. We’re all a part of one family, So connected our hearts and spirits, I reach out for you, you reach out for me.

CHORUS 1 Peace for the season, love ev’ry moment, Light shines wherever we are. Faith in the darkness, hope in the silence, Joy, joy, in our hearts.

VERSE 2 Now is the time to come together To count our blessings. We are grateful. We lift our voices in one chorus. My brother, my sister, let’s celebrate!

CHORUS 1

BRIDGE Let’s celebrate peace, let’s celebrate love, Let’s celebrate light that shines, shines, shines Let’s celebrate faith celebrate hope Let’s celebrate joy, joy in our hearts.

Peace, oh love, All that light shines, shines, shines, shines, shines. Faith and hope, Talkin’ ’bout joy, joy, in our hearts now!

CHORUS 1

CHORUS 2 We’re talkin’ bout peace for the season love ev’ry moment, Oh that light that shines wherever we are. Faith in the darkness, hope in the silence, Joy joy, joy, joy, in our hearts, Joy joy, joy, joy, in our hearts, Joy joy, joy, joy, in our hearts, in our hearts!

Copyright © 2013 TayToones Music/Gill ‘n’ Goldie Music (ASCAP)

Announcements

18^th Sunday Cycle B August 4th 2024 Theme: Gratitude

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/WX36u_0GpLJdq08DygFcHtSp-Q9k3Ujf0-i16oAuO7TQQfTzo7pd5NwdSMeUoLyf.zSGU-1jbUib20SUm?startTime=1722780017000

We pray for those individuals in need

Gathering Song Mike

With All Good Gifts Weston Priory

iTunes and Slide Show

Wisdom Bowl Maryann

Opening Prayer Mike

We can be the Gracious Mystery’s incarnation

When we live in love and peace;

The Divine’s own kindom is reflected

When all wars and conflicts cease;

With the promise

Of true justice

We may see the Gracious Mystery’s reign increase.

We can be the Divine’s incarnation

When we care for all around;

The Divine Presence’s own kindom is reflected

When in kindness we are bound;

In our living

And our giving

The Gracious Mystery’s own action can be found.

We can be the Divine’s incarnation

When we link with Galilee;

The Divine Presence’s own kindom is reflected

In our life and ministry,

When with Jesus

We find purpose

Bringing love to victory. Amen

George Stuart, adapted

First Reading Collee-Walsh-White

Pastor Dawn Hutchinson October 7, 2020

To Whom Shall We Go to Say Thank-you

After You Move Beyond Personifying God?

Over the course of the past nine years a group of little people have come into my life. Lovely little people who call me Gran. There are seven of them and participating in their little lives is a source of such great joy. Each stage of their development is a wonder to behold. I particularly enjoy watching their parents as they attempt to teach these little darlings the things that they need to know about being human. One of the first things that we teach little humans is the fine art of saying thank-you. It takes a fair amount of repetition to teach a child to say thank-you. Over and over again, after giving them exactly what they want, we ask, “Can you say thank-you?” and the little darlings repeat the words “Thank-you.” Sometimes all we have to do is ask the question: “What do you say?” in order to hear the words “Thank-you” uttered in such a delightful way as to inspire us to praise them as such good little girls and boys.

Expressing gratitude is a skill that all tiny little people must learn in order to develop into well-rounded human beings. Indeed, scientists insist that being grateful is a prerequisite of happiness. Happy humans it seems, are humans who embody gratitude. But there is more to gratitude than simply saying thank-you. I remember learning that gratitude includes more than simply expressing our thanks. It happened when I was about sixteen and actually noticed the beauty of a sunset and for the first time I realized that I was part of something so much bigger than myself. I know I must have seen the sunset before, but this time I actually saw the sun set. We were driving down the road, my friend Valerie and I were riding in a car driven by her mother, Lola. It was a partly over-cast day on the west coast of British Columbia. Just a few clouds. You could see the mountains off in the distance. We were chatting back and forth when all of a sudden, Lola pulled the car over to the far side of the road, switched off the engine and got out. Valerie followed her mother out of the car, so I figured I had better do the same. Val and her mother scampered down from the road and onto the beach. When they reached the water’s edge, they stopped and just looked off into the distance. Apart from a tanker-ship making its way across the horizon, I couldn’t see much of anything. Lola had the most amazing expression on her face. She positively glowed with happiness. Valerie wore a similar expression. I must have looked somewhat puzzled because Val smiled at me and said “Isn’t it the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?” This only confused me more. What were they looking at that had made them stop the car, scamper down the bank and stand there at the water’s edge on a cold autumn evening.

These happy, glowing, smiling people made me nervous. There they stood grinning from ear to ear. What were they on? And then, I saw it. For the first time in my life, I saw it. It had been there before. But I had never really seen it before. The sky was amazing. The colors were overwhelming. It almost didn’t look real. It looked like someone must have painted it that way. It was magnificent. A work of art. The most beautiful thing I have ever seen. If you’ve never seen a late October, Pacific Coast Sunset before, you’ve missed one of the great wonders of the world. Neither Emily Carr’s paintings nor picture perfect post cards do a western sunset justice.

Believe it or not, even though I had been living on the west coast for about four years, at that point I had never before really noticed just how beautiful a sunset could be. No one in my experience had ever taken the time to stop and look at one. No one had ever pointed one out to me before. I would never have dreamed of stopping a car and getting out to watch as the sun put on a show while setting. So, I stood there. Overwhelmed by it all. Amazed at just how beautiful it was. Wondering just who or what could be responsible for such a spectacular thing as this. Before long my thoughts drifted to the Creator. Actually noticing a magnificent sunset was the beginning of a journey beyond myself as the reality that I am part of something so much bigger than myself continues to permeate my being.

Back then, I expressed my gratitude by very much the same way as my grandchildren are being taught to express their gratitude, simply by saying “Thank-you”. The object of the Thank-you being God. At the time, God was an old bloke up there in the sky somewhere. As my images of God changed over the years, my Thank-you’s continued to be expressed to my ever-changing images of God. But I must confess, that it was a whole lot easier to say thank-you to God when God was some big guy up there, out there somewhere? It was so much easier when I thought of God as “Father” or even as “Mother” to express my gratitude by simply mimicking the behaviour that I’d been taught as a child, “Can you say “Thank-you” Oh yes indeed I can say thank-you. “God is great, God is God, let us thank him for our food. By his hand we must be fed, Give us Lord Our Daily Bread.”

It is so much easier to say thank-you to a deity that we have personified than it is to give thanks to a deity that is Beyond the Beyond and Beyond that Also. Our thank-you’s to the One in whom we live and move and have our being, tend to be expressed in words that are so much more awkward than the simply “Thank-you Father” that sufficed when we personified God.

Thanksgiving is certainly easier when you personify God. I have said over and over again that there is absolutely nothing wrong with personifying God. Indeed, it is part of our human nature to personify things. Personification is how we relate to something that is not a person. Personifying God is only a problem when and if we actually begin to believe that God is a person and we then go on to worship the person who we have created. The One in whom we live and move and have our being, lives and moves in, with, through, and beyond us. Which means that each one of us is in God and God is in each one of us, so expressing or gratitude for the many blessings that we enjoy moves our attention beyond ourselves to those around us.

Embodying our thanks, takes on whole new dimensions when we begin to see God in, with, through and beyond all of creation. We all have a lot of learning to do if we are ever going to learn to give thanks to the source of our being, the One who lives and breathes in, with, through, and beyond us. When little children are learning to talk sometimes it is difficult for them to say the words, “Thank-you”. In my family, we used to encourage babies to say “ta” or “ta, ta” as a first step along the way to learning how to express their gratitude. As we learn and grow in our knowledge of the ONE who is the source of our blessings, we use words like, “LORD”, “FATHER”, “MOTHER”, “REDEEMER”, “SAVIOUR”, all perfectly good attempts at expressing the inexpressible. So, if personifying God, helps, then by all means personify God. Just remember that your personifications of God, are not God, for they will always fall short of expressing that which is beyond language.

As we continue to live into our full humanity, we will continue to learn to notice, and name our blessings, and we will learn new ways of expressing and embodying our gratitude as the LOVE that is the source of our blessings continues to flow through all things. The One we seek to offer our thanks and praise, the One who is the source of all our blessings is the one we call God.

The ancient Greek noun for God, is theos; we get our word theology from it…theology means words or ideas about God. The ancient Greek noun theos, was derived from the Greek verb theo, which means to flow. Our ancestors, described God as the Light that flows through all things. Jesus taught us that God is Love. As followers of Jesus, surely we can begin to understand God as the LOVE that flows through all things. Let our Thanksgiving celebrations open us to the realities of our many blessings and let those blessings flow through us.

May our God who is LOVE, flow in, with, through, and beyond us so that everyone may know the One who in whom we live and breathe and have our being, by our love. Let us remember that LOVE flows both ways. Just as surely as our blessings flow through us, so too, the pain of our sisters and brothers flows. Let us remember that we are intimately connected one to another. Even though the LOVE that lies at the very heart of our existence is beyond our ability to imagine, it can be embodied in the love that flows in, with, and through us. Let that LOVE who is the ONE to whom we offer our thanks and praise, flow through us.

We have been richly blessed. Can we say “Thank-you”? Absolutely, we can say thank-you by continuing to learn what it means to be LOVE in the world. Let us enjoy our Thanksgiving celebrations, by pausing from our regular routines to take some time to count our blessings, let the LOVE flow as we embrace family and friends, and then as the knowledge of our many blessings washes over us, let us act out of the abundance we share, so that the LOVE, the ONE who IS, Was, and Evermore shall be the source of our blessings might flow. Let our gratitude take on flesh and live among us, so that all may know the LOVE who is God. Let our gratitude live and breathe in, with, through, and beyond us. Let LOVE flow from each one to each one.

Inspired Words

Psalm Mike

GRATEFUL: A Love Song to the World | Empty Hands Music | nimo feat. daniel nahmod

Gospel Peter Arney

A reading from the gospel in the tradition of John

So when the crowd realized he was gone and wasn’t coming back, they piled into the Tiberias boats and headed for Capernaum, looking for Jesus.

When they found him back across the sea, they said, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

Jesus answered, “You’ve come looking for me not because you saw God in my actions but because I fed you, filled your stomachs – and for free.

“Don’t waste your energy striving for perishable food like that. Work for the food that sticks with you, food that nourishes your lasting life, food the Son of Man provides. He and what he does are guaranteed by God the Father to last.”

To that they said, “Well, what do we do then to get in on God’s works?”

Jesus said, “Throw your lot in with the One that God has sent. That kind of a commitment gets you in on God’s works.”

They waffled: “Why don’t you give us a clue about who you are, just a hint of what’s going on? When we see what’s up, we’ll commit ourselves. Show us what you can do.

Moses fed our ancestors with bread in the desert. It says so in the Scriptures: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

Jesus responded, “The real significance of that Scripture is not that Moses gave you bread from heaven but that my Father is right now offering you bread from heaven, the real bread.

The Bread of God came down out of heaven and is giving life to the world.”

They jumped at that: “Master, give us this bread, now and forever!”

Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life. The person who abides with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever.

Inspired Words

Homily Mike

Prayers of the People Kim Marchand

We wish to abide, reside or dwell with Jesus. We do so by our prayers and by our modelling his behavior.

Our response: May we abide in the Way of Jesus.

For all houses of Worship, that the spirit of gratitude may permeate all that they do so give joyful expression to the Divine Presence and make all people one, we respond,

For all leaders of government, that they may reflect on the power they have been given and respond with thankfulness as they find new ways to improve the lives of those in their charge, we respond,

For public servants, the police, EMTs, ambulance personnel, law enforcement officers and officials, justice workers and all who engage with the public, may they do so in a grateful manner that is respectful, we respond,

For all those working with those in need of any kind, that they may navigate the negativity and frustration they encounter through an attitude of gratitude, we respond.

For our sisters and brothers in Sophia, in our sister parish in Rochester, for all those involved with Pathways2Prosperity and for our sisters and brothers in Voice of the Faithful, FCM and RAMP, may they know of our love and care for them. May they continue to do good as they follow the Way of Jesus… We pray,

For what else shall we pray? Allow 4 petitions.

We pray that we may always be attentive to the Divine’s call. May we live our lives with grateful hearts. May this gratitude overflow and keep us upbeat in the times of challenges and frustration. We pray this and all prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen

Sharing of Peace Mike

Prayer over the Bread and Wine Linda Schaller

We are grateful – for this bread,

Which earth has given and human hands have formed.

This bread nourishes our spirit.

We are grateful – for this wine,

Fruit of the vine and work of human hands.

It is our spiritual drink.

Eucharistic Liturgy Mike & Sue Bove

Presider: Deep within us all lies the dream of a better world; our dream and longing for justice and fairness, harmony and peace, openness and honesty, comfort and warmth, freedom and choice, for light where there is darkness.	Voice: Today, we are mindful of people all around the world and throughout human history, who have shared this longing; a deep longing that is embedded in our DNA, in our very humanity. It is our human dream, our human song, common to all people.
P: Jesus, human like us, gave clear expression to the deep-seated longing and hope experienced not only within Judaism, but within people of all faiths and cultures – the longing and hope for a better world.	Voice: The better world we imagine is ours to accomplish. It is in our hands; the compassion, the honesty, the justice, the peace and non-violence, the determination to be light in the darkness, to be people set free from fear. It is all within our grasp.
P: And yet, we work at recognizing and being okay with our humanness. We rejoice that we can rise above ourselves, yet understand that we sometimes fall down, experiencing the pain of disappointing ourselves and others. We acknowledge that getting up is difficult and involves hard work, and that sometimes we are simply not ready for it. . We accept that sometimes our hands come up empty, our grasp can only hold ourselves together.	Voice: May we also recognize and accept humanness in others, approaching them with a hypothesis of generosity…being open to believing that most people are doing the best they can with the tools they have. May our boundaries be courageous, honest, strong, and loving. In this way, may we open ourselves to being the wholehearted and compassionate followers of Jesus that we want to be.
P: In that spirit, we turn to our gifts of bread and wine. May they be symbols of our readiness to grow and to transform. May they, along with the love of community, nourish and sustain us into the fullness of life…with all of its nuance and complexity.	Voice: May our gifts of bread and wine be symbols of all our gifts. May we have the courage to commit to using those gifts, small and large, in bravery and balance, so that we can join with Jesus and all of those throughout history working to create a better world.
P: We pray, inviting the Spirit of Life, Love and Goodness to move free in our words and actions. To this, we give our Amen!

Reworked from Michael Morwood’s Eucharistic Prayer for humans longing for a just and peaceful world, from Prayers For Progressive Christians, pages 195-197

Prayer of Jesus Louise Murray

(Please pray along)

Divine Birther of all that is – from the smallest particle to the vastness of the cosmos, you are present. Holy are your infinite names chanted, sung or whispered.

Abba, Beloved, Divine Breath, Great Mystery, Sophia

May we walk in peace, speak with tenderness, touch with compassion, and love unconditionally. With gratitude for the abundance we’ve been given, may we always share with any who hunger or are in need. May we be filled with humility and regret for the times we did not reflect your love. May we always offer forgiveness to those whose words or actions have caused us pain. May we understand our individual purpose and seek to fulfill it without distraction.

We pray what we believe and believe what we pray. Amen.

By Colleen Walsh White 2020

Breaking of the Bread Colleen or Alice

Communion Mike

Presider: “…happy are we to share in this meal”

All: Our sharing in this meal is a sign of our gratitude and commitment to be one with Jesus.

When sharing the bread: “This is, and you are, the bread of life”

Presider: With great joy, we state.

All: We are followers of Jesus.

When sharing the cup: “The cup of the Covenant”

Communion Song Mike

With Thanksgiving to God (Instrumental)

iTunes and PowerPoint

Closing Prayer Mike

My fellow servants, we are one.

The bread we share makes us one.

The cup we pour makes us one.

Even as our dearest sisters and brothers

come and go from us, we are one.

Even as we scatter from this place

to so many diverse pursuits

throughout this city, this state, this globe,

we are one.

With gratitude we share the Table.

With gratitude we depart.

With gratitude we release one another,

trusting in the One

Who makes us one.

Go in peace.

~ Benediction for November 25, 2012, written by Paul Randall, and posted on Ecclesia. http://www.ecclesiahouston.org/

Closing Song Mike

Thank you for this day – Karen Drucker

Announcements18^th Sunday Cycle B August 4th 2024 Theme: Gratitude