Mary Mother of Jesus Inclusive Catholic Community Feast of the Epiphany: Gift Bearers Are We.

“Of this One’s fullness, we’ve all had a share—gift on top of gift” (John1:16)

Jesus our Pastor, Janet Blakeley music minister

Ford Englerth and Katy Zatsick RCWP; co-presiders

Welcome

Gathering Song: All # 103 Once in Royal David’s City V 1,3,5 (please sing God instead of Lord)

Presiders: In the name of God our creator, and of Jesus our brother, and of the Holy Spirit our sanctifier. All: Amen.  Presiders: May God be with you. All: And also with you.

Opening Prayer. All: Evolutionary God, giver of all gifts, you clothe us with love and lead us to truth.  Let us realize the wonder of your call to life.  Give us a hunger to see the beauty and goodness that you see in us. Let us respond by giving all to you and by sharing life creatively with one another.  Let the birth of Jesus be a new birth for us, that we may be children in whom you are well pleased. Grant this through Jesus our brother, who lives and reigns with you, Source of all Being, and with Sophia your Spirit forever and ever. Amen 

First Reading from Paul to the Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6

Response: Psalm 72 #785 All: “O God, every nation on earth will adore you.”

Second Reading “You Come to the Stable”

You are, today, a wise one,

Come by signs to see a late born Babe in manger laid,

A wrapped–up boy who seeks to nurse and pines

For love---to care for wanderers who’ve made

Themselves a journey on a trek to see this future---this, the least of men, a weak,

A homeless person here---the Word of “we”--who is—like all--God’s own child,

Meek beyond compare, perhaps, but look and see:

That celebrating Christmas is

The gift to give to those unworthy, see the need and fill it,

Touch a soul by healing rift and rage

With kind, forgiving, reach-out deed.

Our standing in this distant, mythic stable

Depends on how to share a big-heart table.                 (Christmas 2014 by Joris Heise with author’s permission)

This too is the Word of God.  All: Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia (sung before & after gospel)

Gospel: A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew 2:1-12

Response after Gospel: All: Glory and Praise to you, Jesus our brother.

Shared Homily:

What gift(s) has God given to me especially this year past?

What gift(s) will I give to my community MMOJ in 2015?

Profession of Faith: All: We believe in God, the creator of all whose divinity infuses life with the sacred. We believe in God who creates, sustains and receives us.  We believe in Jesus our brother who is our path to the fullness of humanity. Through Jesus we become new people, called beyond our brokenness, lifted to the fullness of life. We believe in Sophia, the breath of God on earth, who keeps the Christ vision present and infuses energy into weary spirits. Amen to courage, to hope, to the spirit of truth, to wholeness, to the partnership and equality of women and men in God’s plan. We believe in equality, justice and peace for all including earth-home to all life. We surely believe in all this! Amen

Presider: Always mindful of God’s love and care for us, we bring our needs to our loving God.

After each petition, response is: All: God who gifts us, hear our prayer!

Presider: God of Wholeness and unconditional love, you faithfully listen to our prayers. Energize us in our works for justice, equality, and peace. We make this prayer thru Jesus the Christ. All: Amen

Collection and gifts to the table

All: Song #105 “We Three Kings” for. V 1, 5 -replace “King” with Love

Preparation of the Gifts:  Presiders: (raising bread and wine)

Ever gentle God, we offer you the gifts of bread, wine and our lives.  May we love tenderly, do justice and walk humbly with our God.  We ask this through Jesus our Brother and Way. Amen.

Please gather around the table--ALL are welcome!

All: We ask you to awaken anew in our hearts your abundant Spirit Sophia, who infuses these gifts of bread and wine with the transforming energy of life to nourish and sustain us on our journey of bringing our gifts to the world.

All: (Words of Institution/consecration, extend your hand) On the night before Jesus died, while at supper with his friends, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread and gave it to them saying, “Take this, all of you, and eat. This bread is you, this bread is me. We are one body, the presence of God in the world. Do this in memory of me” (Pause)

In the same way, Jesus took the cup of wine. He said the blessing, gave the cup to his friends and said, “Take this all of you and drink. We are of one blood, the presence of God in the world. Do this in memory of me.”

All: Holy Spirit embrace us in our brokenness and help us give our gifts to our family, those in need and our faith community. May your Spirit Sophia birth a new world of peace and justice through our prayers, actions and words. Through your Spirit Sophia, may we create Sacred space where everyone feels accepted, included and welcomed in our Mary Mother of Jesus community, the kindom of God. Amen

All: Prayer of Jesus: Sung

Sign of Peace All: Let there be peace on earth & let it begin with me. Let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be. With God as our Maker, we are family. Let us walk with each other in perfect harmony. Let peace begin with me; let this be the moment now. With every step I take, let this be my solemn vow: To take each moment & live each moment in peace eternally. Let there be peace on earth & let it begin with me!

Presiders: This is Jesus who gifts us with God’s unconditional love, who liberates, heals and transforms us and our world. All are invited to partake of this banquet of Love. 

All: We are the Body of Christ. We are the Blood of Christ.

Before receiving communion; All sing: Holy gifts for holy people; come, you hungry, and believe.  Come an take Christ’s body offered, come and be what your receive. (X2)

During Communion All sing: “We are holy, holy, holy (x3), we are whole; You are holy, holy, holy (x3) you are whole; I am holy (x3) I am whole; We are holy, holy, holy (x3) We are whole.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Voice 1: For the thanksgiving, give thanks this way: First, for the cup: We thank you, our Father, for the sacred vine of David your son, whose meaning you made clear to us through your son Jesus, yours ever be the splendor.

Voice 2: And for the bread fragment: We thank you, our Father, for the life and wisdom whose meaning you made clear to us through your son Jesus, yours ever be the splendor.

Voice 3: As this fragment was scattered high on hills, but by gathering was united into one, so let your people from earth’s ends be united into your single reign, for yours are splendor and might through Jesus Christ down the ages. 

Prayers of Thanksgiving

Announcements

Closing song: All: #104 The First Nowell verses 3, 4, 5 Verse 3 please sing “wise ones” instead of “men” Please sing “God” instead of “King”

Final Blessing: All sing with hands raised in mutual blessing

“You are the Face of God, I hold you in my heart, you are a part of me, you are the face of God.

You are the face of God, I hold you in my heart, you are my family, you are the face of God.

Presiders: Go in the peace of Jesus Christ born anew in our hearts, let our service in 2015 begin!

All: Thanks be to God. Alleluia

“Are you finally ready to accept your gifts and your passions as signs that it’s time to listen to your heart? And as you listen, are you finally ready to step into your life in a deeper more action-oriented way? I hope so; the New Year is here.”