Today we celebrated my 10th anniversary of priestly ordination with a beautiful liturgy that (big surprise! included bagpipes and a delicious Thanksgiving dinner after liturgy. Members of St. Andrew UCC also attended and our congregation doubled!
Celebrate Our Mystical Oneness in the Cosmic Christ
Celebrate Our Mystical Oneness in the Cosmic Christ
Welcome
Gathering Song: Companions on the Journey #581
Greeting:
Presider: In the name of God our
creator, and of Jesus our brother,
and of the Holy Spirit our wisdom ALL: Amen.
Presider: Holy One, we are one with You..
ALL: And with all.
(Pause briefly and reflect on the need to grow more in love with others and with creation)
General Absolution by Community: (All raise hands extended in prayer
and recite together.)
God, the Father and Mother of mercies, through his living, dying and rising, Jesus has revealed that nothing can separate us from the infinite love of God. May God give us pardon and peace, and may we forgive each other our failures to care for one another and for our earth in the name of God our creator, and of Jesus our brother, and of the Holy Spirit our wisdom. Amen.
ALL:
Glory
to God in the highest, and peace to
God’s people on earth. Creator God, we give you
thanks. We praise you for your glory. O Jesus Christ,
Holy Child of our God, you reveal the love of God that
permeates our universe. You, who are
one in spirit with our God, receive
our prayer. For you are the Cosmic Christ, one forever with the
Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening Prayer:
Presider: Nurturing God, You embrace each person and every living thing with delight.
May we, who are stardust, be filled with awe as we experience
our mystical oneness, with all creation
in the Heart of Love. May we cherish every amazing day, conscious of your presence
and abundance all around us. We ask this through Jesus, our
brother and the Holy Spirit, our
wisdom. ALL: Amen
Liturgy of the
Word:
First Reading: 2 Samuel 5:1-3
Responsorial Psalm: “Jesus,
remember me when you come into your kindom”
(Taize) #410
(Taize) #410
Second Reading: Colossians 1:12,20
Gospel acclamation: Alleluia
Gospel: Luke 23:35-43
Homily Starter: Bridget Mary
Today we celebrate the feast of
Christ of the Cosmos, the God-Presence evolving In us and in the universe, filling
us with a deep caring for creation.
In the letter to the Colossians,
Paul speaks of Christ as the firstborn of all creation, with all things being
created in and through Christ who dwells in and through creation.
“The energy in the universe is not
in the planets or in the protons or neutrons,” Richard Rohr writes, "but in the
relationship between them.”
Christ of the Cosmos encompasses the spiritual energy in us, in all beings, and in God, in whose image we are created. In other words, the Spirit dwells in our deepest selves, embraces us and all creation with infinite love, healing and wisdom. This divine life energizes and empowers us in the cosmic dance of creation. All are interconnected. All are one.
Christ of the Cosmos encompasses the spiritual energy in us, in all beings, and in God, in whose image we are created. In other words, the Spirit dwells in our deepest selves, embraces us and all creation with infinite love, healing and wisdom. This divine life energizes and empowers us in the cosmic dance of creation. All are interconnected. All are one.
In the Gospel the image of the
solders at the cross jeering reminds us that human sinfulness can harden our
hearts and resist the flow of love and compassion that we are called to share.
Like, our holy brother, the condemned man on
the cross, we know that God walks with us in love in the midst of hate and
brings new life out of suffering.
We pray: “Jesus remember me.” Jesus
remember us.
Jesus remember the oppressed ones, help
us to work for justice and equality to “make a way out of no way”
The words of Jesus in the Gospel: “this day
you will be with me in paradise,” assures us that no one is alone in their
sufferings. Like Jesus, we can accompany
others in their pain and work creatively for healing and empowerment, no matter
the challenges we face..
In The Untethered Soul, a New
York Times best-seller, Michael Singer offers an approach to unconditional
happiness that advises us to make a decision that no matter what happens we can
choose to be happy. Stuff will happen to upset us, but we do not need to let it
make us unhappy, we can let it go. “You can still be concerned, aware and
involved in whatever distressing situation comes your way, Singer explains, “but
you can’t let it get in the way of your commitment to being happy. Well, you
can, but it’s not the higher path to well-being.” (“Do you Dare to be Happy”,
by Marilyn Preston, Sarasota Herald Tribune)
“Neuroscience now tells us that fear,
negativity and hatred stick like Velcro to the nerves,” Richard Rohr writes, “while
positivity, gratitude, and appreciation slide away like Teflon from those same
nerves- until we savor them for a minimum of fifteen seconds. Only then do they
imprint. The only difference between people that matters is the difference
between those who allow this space to fill with love- and those who don’t or
won’t allow it. Like Mary, the model for contemplatives, “it is done unto you
and you can only allow. ” (The Divine Dance, p. 116, 113)
The Spirit moves within us to fill
us with love, in our joys and sorrows, our hopes and fears. Here we are united
with the Holy One “who keeps sending out the signal to keep redirecting us
toward enjoyment of our eternal union” (Rohr , p.110)
We don’t need to wait until after
death to experience eternal happiness. We can experience infinite love, heaven
on earth in God’s embrace now if we let go and let God fill our hearts with
love and peace.
Pope Francis in his encyclical,
Laudato Sí, calls us to contemplate Christ of the Cosmos “The universe unfolds
in God, who fills it completely. Hence, there is a mystical meaning to be found
in a leaf, in a mountain trail, in a dewdrop, in a poor person’s face. The
ideal is not only to pass from the exterior to the interior to discover the
action of God in the soul, but also to discover God in all things. Saint
Bonaventure teaches us that ‘contemplation deepens the more we feel the working
of God’s grace within our hearts, and the better we learn to encounter God in
creatures outside ourselves’.” (233)
Mini-Meditation:
So now, let us take a few minutes to
contemplate the Cosmic Christ as the spiritual energy of the divine- flowing
within us and within all creation. The Cosmic Christ is infinite love at work
everywhere …
Dialogue Homily:
How do you experience the Cosmic
Christ as infinite love at work in you, in our community and in our world?
Profession
of Faith:
ALL: We believe in God, the fountain of life, flowing through every being. We believe in Jesus, the Christ, who reflects the face of God and the fullness of humanity. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the breath of God in the cosmos, who calls us to love and serve without counting the cost. We believe in our global communion with all in the circle of life. Amen to loving actions on behalf of justice, healing, compassion and equality for all in our world!
ALL: We believe in God, the fountain of life, flowing through every being. We believe in Jesus, the Christ, who reflects the face of God and the fullness of humanity. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the breath of God in the cosmos, who calls us to love and serve without counting the cost. We believe in our global communion with all in the circle of life. Amen to loving actions on behalf of justice, healing, compassion and equality for all in our world!
General Intercessions:
Presider: Always
mindful of God’s love and
care for all creation, we bring the needs of the people to our loving God.
Response after each petition: Loving God, hear our prayer
Presider: Healing God, we trust that
you hear our prayers. May we celebrate
our planetary oneness in our works
for justice, equality, and peace. We
make this prayer through Jesus, our
brother, in union with the Holy Spirit.
ALL:
Amen
Collection and procession with gifts:
instrumental music
Preparation of the Gifts:
Presider: Pray that we
become one with all in the Cosmic
Christ. ALL: We are
gathered as a community to celebrate the
gift of life pulsating around us in
the glories of Nature everywhere.
Eucharistic Prayer:
Presider: Our Birthing God, who stirred the waters of creation, dwells on earth,
Presider: Our Birthing God, who stirred the waters of creation, dwells on earth,
ALL: And in every living being.
Presider: Lift up your hearts.
Presider: Lift up your hearts.
ALL:
We lift them up to our Creator in whom all is created.
Presider: Let us give thanks for the Source of life.
ALL: It is right to give the God of Glory present everywhere and in everything, thanks and praise.
ALL: It is right to give the God of Glory present everywhere and in everything, thanks and praise.
ALL sing: We are holy (x3), You are holy (x3),
I am holy (x3)
Karen Drucker
ALL: Holy One, we bring you these
gifts that they may become the
Christ Presence. Fill us with
reverence for creatures great and small.
(All Extend Hands) ALL: On the night before he 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. 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. Do this in memory of me.”
The
Mystery of Faith:
ALL:
This bread is you, this bread is me.
We are one body, a reflection of
God’s treasures, in communion with
all creation.
Voice 1: Christ of the Cosmos,
we thank you that there are 18
galaxies for every person, that our bodies
are made of stardust. You call us,
“beloved” and invite us to join the dance of
creation in a mystical celebration of our oneness with all living things,
Voice
2: Christ of the Cosmos, we rejoice
that You, who are more than we can
imagine or dream of, dwell in love beyond all comprehension. We remember that it was you, who said: “Anything I have done in the name
of the Creator, you can do, too…and even more.”
Voice 3: Christ of the Cosmos, you pray within us
as we remember women and men who are leaders in our church and world especially……
Voice4: Christ of the Cosmos, we remember Mary,
mother of Jesus, faithful disciple
and St. Francis who sang canticles
to brother sun and sister moon. We remember
our sisters and brothers, the great
cloud of witnesses who have cared for earth’s creatures and
have blessed our world with their loving service to God’s people. We praise
you in union with them and give you
glory by working for a more just and
peaceful world.
Great Amen:
ALL: Through Christ, with
Christ, in Christ, in unity with the
Holy Spirit, all glory, honor and
praise to you, loving God forever and ever.
Sing: Amen, Amen, Amen
ALL
sing: Prayer of Jesus (“Our
Father and Mother”)
Sign of Peace: Peace is flowing like a River by Carey
Laundry
Litany for the
Breaking of the Bread:
All: Christ of the
Cosmos, we will live our oneness with you and all creation.
Christ
of the Cosmos, we will work for
healing of the earth.
Christ
of the Cosmos, we will celebrate justice
rising up in a global communion everywhere.
Communion:
Presider: This is the Cosmic Christ
in whom all creation lives and moves
and has its being. All are invited
to partake in this banquet of love and to celebrate our oneness with all living
beings on the planet. ALL: We are the Body of Christ.
Prayer after Communion:
Presider: Lover of the
Universe, we are full of awe at your
extravagant love flowing through all living things. We contemplate
“earth crammed with heaven” each day. You enable, energize and embrace all
things. As it was in the beginning, is now and will forever be. ALL: Amen
Gratitude, Introductions, Announcements
Concluding Rite:
Presider: Christ of the Cosmos fills the space between us with loving kindness. ALL: We belong to each other.
Presider: Christ of the Cosmos fills the space between us with loving kindness. ALL: We belong to each other.
Blessing:
(with
hands extended in prayer):
ALL: The blessing of God is upon
us, and fills us with joy and peace. Thanks be to God.
Presider: Go in the creative
energy of the cosmic Christ, let the service begin! ALL: Thanks be
to God.
Recessional: When
the Saints Go Marching In
Bridget
Mary Meehan