Pentecost 2016 – Liturgy of Commissioning for
Ministry
Welcome
Presider 1: Welcome to our Inclusive Catholic Community. Today
we celebrate feast of Pentecost and our community’s feast day. We celebrate the Holy One of burning bushes,
who enlivens us with a passion for life, for justice, for creativity, for
renewal, for play. In the Hebrew
Scripture, Shekinah, the dwelling place of God, appeared in the symbols of
cloud, light and fire, accompanying the people of God through the wilderness.
She travels with us through our life journey and reveals a glimpse of the
powerful feminine presence that dwells within, around and among us, always and forever.
Opening Prayer
Presider 2: Holy One, Holy Fire, Creative Energy within
us and within all, we open ourselves to Your Spirit. We celebrate with burning
hearts your presence and the warmth of your compassionate love. We rejoice in the outpouring of your gifts
everywhere as we work for justice, equality and peace in our world. Amen.
Please join in singing our
opening song.
Opening Song: Sing a New Church
by Michelle Sherliza and Delores Dufner
by Michelle Sherliza and Delores Dufner
FCM COMMISSIONING
CEREMONY (Led by Daniel Pellegrin)
Introduction
Dan: Good
morning, My name is Daniel Pellegrin…
(Dan introduces himself and tells community about the Federation of
Christian Ministries).
It is
with great joy that the Federation publically commissions Mary Theresa Streck
as she continues her call from the Holy One that has been affirmed by this
community and the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests.
Commissioning
Dan:
Please join me as we commission Mary Theresa.
Dan:
Mary Theresa, are you resolved in mind and spirit to continue faithful service
to those given into your care?
Mary
Theresa: I am.
Dan:
Brothers and Sisters, are you resolved in mind and spirit to faithfully stand
with her in her ministry through prayer, affirmation and support?
All: We
are.
Dan:
Please raise your hands in blessing Mary Theresa. (pause)
All: You bless her service to
others. May it always be guided by the
sacred covenant of Your loving care.
Dan: You give her the graces she needs to bring Your Presence to
those she serves.
All: Use
her as Your instrument as she continues her ministry led by your Spirit.
Use her
eyes to look with compassion on those who are broken in spirit;
Use her
hands to touch with tenderness those who are suffering;
Use her lips
to speak words of comfort to those who are in sadness or fear.
Dan:
Mary Theresa, Your community and the Federation of Christian Ministries blesses
you, anoints you and commissions you to continue your ministry.
Kathie
places a stole on Mary Theresa and anoints her hands with these words: Receive this stole as a symbol of your call to
use your gifts in the service of others.
Anointing:
Like Jesus, you are anointed to live the Gospel.
Dan presents
Mary Theresa with pin and certificate of commissioning.
Presentation of Stoles and Commissioning of
community
Presider 1: On this our feast day, we celebrate the gifts
of the Spirit in our faith community. We use the symbols of stoles and
anointing with chrism as a reminder of our baptismal call to live the fullness
of the gifts of the Spirit in ministry to all.
MT places
stole on and Kathie and anoints her hands and they proceed to place stoles on, Dan,
Jim, Kim, Deb and Dennis and anoint their forehead and hands. They then help to
place stoles on others in the community.
As a stole is placed on each
person the following is prayed: Receive this stole as a symbol of your call
to use your gifts in the service of others.
As each person’s hands are
anointed the following is prayed: Like
Jesus, you are anointed to live the Gospel.
Song during anointing: Anointed by Kathy Sherman
(Please support this artist by downloading her songs from iTunes or purchasing them at:
http://ministryofthearts.org/music)
Do not be afraid, It is I who am sending you.
Do not be afraid, for my Spirit is upon you.
You will work miracles in my name.
You can heal the brokenhearted.
You can feed all those who hunger.
You will touch the eyes of the blind and they
will see.
You will welcome to the table the poor and the unwanted.
You will shine like bright stars in the night.
Be not afraid, I am with you.
Do not be afraid, It is I who believe in you.
I will go with you, you will have all you need.
Do not be afraid, for my courage will uphold
you.
You will work miracles in my name.
You can stand with those who struggle.
Give comfort to the weeping.
You will be a voice for the ones who can’t be
heard.
With Your justice, love, and beauty
Do not be afraid, for my fire burns in your
heart.
You will work miracles in my name.
You will dance away divisions for a time that’s
now.
You can sing a song of blessing
And the song will be remembered
And that song will ring out for all times.
Be not afraid, I am with you. Be not afraid, I
am with you,
With you, with you
First Reading: A reading from the prophet Joel
(Joel
2:28)
Thus says our God: “I will
pour out my own Spirit on all of humankind. Your sons and daughters will
prophesy; your elder folk shall dream dreams, your children shall see visions
and even upon the lowliest, the poor, the woman, the forgotten man, will I pour
out my spirit. I will work wonders throughout creation.”
This is the inspired word of
the prophet Joel.
Responsorial: Fire of Love by Kathy Sherman
Fire of Love
Burn within us.
Fire of Love
We are your flame.
Second Reading: Take Nothing for the Journey by Joyce Rupp
Heal and proclaim…
were the twelve afraid?
Did they wonder if they could
do those things?
Compare to the quality of
your ministry,
did they feel inadequate and
unworthy?
What persuaded them to go?
Your words?
Your friendship? Their
enthusiasm?
Your deep belief that they
could do it?
And you said:
"take nothing for the journey."
What did you mean?
Trust or more than trust?
Did you perhaps imply that we
can't wait
until we have all the
possible things we need?
That we can't postpone
"doing"
until we are positive of our
talents?
That we can't hold off our
commitment
until we are absolutely sure
we won't make a mistake?
I think of all the excuses
and reasons
we can give for not serving
and giving:
no time, no talent, no
knowledge,
no energy, no assured
results.
You say, "take nothing.
Don't worry about your inadequacies.
I will provide for you.
Go! Just go! Go with my
power.
Risk the road, risk the work.
Go! I will be with you.
What else do you need?"
This is the inspired word of
visionary and mystic, Joyce Rupp
Alleluia
Gospel: A reading from the Gospel of John
Jn 20:19-22
On the evening of that first
day of the week,
the doors were locked in the room,
the doors were locked in the room,
where the disciples were,
for fear of the Temple Authorities,
Jesus came and stood among them
and said, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this,
for fear of the Temple Authorities,
Jesus came and stood among them
and said, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this,
he showed them the marks of
crucifixion.
The disciples were filled with joy when they saw Jesus,
The disciples were filled with joy when they saw Jesus,
who said to them again,
“Peace be with you.
As Abba God sent me, so I am sending you.”
As Abba God sent me, so I am sending you.”
After saying this Jesus
breathed on them and said,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.”
This is the inspired word of
John, disciple of Jesus.
Shared reflections
Statement of Faith
All: We believe in one God, a
divine mystery
beyond all definition and
rational understanding,
the heart of all that has
ever existed,
that exists now, or that ever
will exist.
We believe in Jesus,
messenger of God's Word,
bringer of God's healing,
heart of God's compassion,
bright star in the firmament
of God's
prophets, mystics, and
saints.
We believe that we are called
to follow Jesus
as a vehicle of God's love,
a source of God's wisdom and
truth,
and an instrument of God's
peace in the world.
We believe that God's kin-dom
is here and now,
stretched out all around us
for those
with eyes to see it, hearts
to receive it,
and hands to make it happen.
Presentation of the bread and wine
Presider 1: Blessed are you, God of all life, through
your goodness we have bread, wine, all creation, and our own lives to offer.
Through this sacred meal we become your new creation.
All: O Holy One, You dwell in all of us, and you accept our gifts and
our worship that we offer in service to our faith community. We do this in
memory of our brother, Jesus. Amen.
Eucharistic Prayer
Presider 2: Please join in praying our Eucharistic
prayer:
All: O Divine Flame of Love,
your glowing embers dance in our hearts. Your passionate presence kindles our
souls. You purify us with the searing truth that ignites our spirits. As the
glowing embers of a fire penetrate the cold around us, so your tenderness sets
our hearts aglow. We celebrate your nearness this day as we remember your
Pentecost miracles.
The wind of your life has blown
across our world in the gentle breezes and thunder storms of your vision in
your prophets and visionaries among us. We praise and exalt you forever with
grateful hearts as we sing:
Holy Holy Holy
- Karen Drucker
We are Holy,
Holy, Holy…
You are Holy,
Holy, Holy,…
Spirit divine,
Come to me
Feeling love,
Healing me .
Open my heart,
Allow me to see,
Beauty &
love, Lives in me.
Passionate God, you kindle
your fire of enthusiasm within us. You speak to us with assurance and
excitement and reveal to us the infinite, boundless, depths of your love for
us.
You awaken us to your
promises to be always present in our lives, no matter what the obstacles or
setbacks we experience. You consume us with such a hunger and thirst for
justice that our words and actions inflame others to become signs of your
justice.
You give us eyes to see human
need, hearts to care for our sisters and brothers and hands and feet to lighten
others burdens.
Invocation
of the Holy Spirit (extend your hands in
blessing)
You bless us O Holy One and
you enliven all that exists. You transform these gifts of bread and wine, and
our lives, by boundless grace that nourishes and sustains us on our journey.
On the night before he faced
his own death for the sake of the life of everyone of us, Jesus sat at the
Seder supper with his companions. He reminded them of what he taught them and
bent down and washed their feet.
(Presiders lift bread)
Take and Eat, this is my very self. (pause)
(Presiders lift wine)
Jesus then raised high the cup of blessing, spoke the grace, and offered them the wine with these words:
Take and drink of the covenant made new again
through my life for you and for everyone. Whenever you do this, you remember
me.
Christ of the Cosmos you are the spark of love
in whom we believe; the Wisdom of Sophia in whom we trust; and the desire for
justice that consumes us.
As we celebrate the memory of Jesus, we
remember the communion of saints and all who have inspired and loved us.
May our hearts be joyful as we dream new dreams
and see new visions. May we recognize Christ present in every person
everywhere. May we, like Jesus, become Spirit Fire, as we fan the flames of
love over all of creation.
Presiders hold Bread and wine.
…for it
is through living as Jesus lived,
That we
awaken to your Spirit within,
Moving
us to glorify you,
O Holy
One,
At this
time and all ways.
Amen
Prayer of Jesus
Presider 1: Let us pray together the prayer that Jesus
taught us.
(based
on John Dominic Crossan (2010, The Greatest Prayer)
Oh
Cosmic Householder,
You are
the Source of our wisdom,
protector
and provider,
embracing
all that dwells in the cosmos,
naming
all for holiness and justice,
in the
Companionship of Empowerment,
spread
throughout the entire creation,
as
willed by Holy Wisdom.
In
justice, may all be sustained by daily food,
and
relieved of the burden of crippling debts.
Lead us
not into collusion with any type of violence,
and
deliver us from all forms of violent oppression.
For
yours is the empowering desire to radiate on earth
the
non-violent justice of enduring hope.
Sign
of Peace
Presider
2: The
Holy One’s light shines in you. Please greet each other with a sign of peace.
Song:
May the Christ Light by Kathy Sherman
May the Christ Light shine in
you.
May the Christ Light shine in
me.
Then together we will shine
in God’s love to the world.
Prayer for the Breaking of the Bread
Presider 1: Please join in praying the prayer for the
breaking of the bread:
All: Loving God, You call us to live the Gospel of peace and justice.
We will live justly.
Loving God, You call us to be
Your presence in the world.
We will love tenderly.
Loving God, You call us to
speak truth to power.
We will walk with integrity.
(Presiders hold up bread and
wine)
Presider 2: Let us pray our communion prayer together.
All: What we have heard with our
ears, we will live with our lives; as we share communion, we will become
communion, both Love’s nourishment and Love’s challenge.
Presider 1: Our Eucharistic celebration is all-inclusive.
You are a spark of the Divine and nothing can separate you from God’s love. All
are welcome to receive at this friendship table. As you pass the bread, please say: “The Spirit
of God rests upon you!” and as you pass
the wine, “You are the Face of God.”
Please join in singing our
communion song.
Communion Song: We Go Forth
and Spirit Moves By Jan Novotka
We stand
here together
Hand in
hand, side by side.
We walk
into mystery
For the
sake of all.
We go
forth, as one,
As one,
we stand strong.
Letting
go, letting in,
We
emerge with new wings.
(pause for quiet reflection)
Final Blessing
Presider 2: Please
join in praying the blessing together:
All: May we open our hearts to The Holy One who strengthens us to carry
out our ministry faithfully, calls us to love, heal and reconcile, guides us in
our work for justice and peace for all.
We are called, consecrated,
and sent forth to live the Gospel! Amen.
Presider 1: Please join in
singing our closing song:
Closing Song:
Let your Light Shine in Us – Kathy Sherman
Let your light shine in us. (3x)
and we will be light for the world.
Let your light shine in us. (3x)
and we will be light for the world.
We will be one and the kin-dom will come.
Let your heart beat in us. (3x)
And we will be love for the world.
We will be one and the kin-dom will come.
Let your joy sing in us. (3x)
And we will be hope for the world.
We will be one and the kin-dom will come.
Let your peace live in us. (3x)
And we will be one for the world
We will be one and the kin-dom will come.
Let your light shine in us (3x)
and we will be light for the world.
Let your light shine in us. (3x)
and we will be light for the world.
We will be one and the kin-dom will come.
With gratitude to Helen Blanchette, Joan Chesterfield and Jim Marsh for the beautiful pictures!
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