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| Mary Eileen Collingwood ARCWP, Presides at Christmas Liturgy in Cleveland, Ohio |
A
genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of Miriam, the daughter of Anna:
Sarah was the mother of Isaac,
And Rebekah was the mother of Jacob,
Leah was the mother of Judah,
Tamar was the mother of Perez,
The names of the mothers of Hezron,
Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon and Salmon have been lost.
Rahab was the mother of Boaz,
and Ruth was the mother of Obed.
Obed's wife, whose name is unknown,
bore Jesse.
The wife of Jesse was the mother of
David.
Bathsheba was the mother of Solomon,
Naamah, the Ammonite, was the mother of
Rehoboam.
Maacah was the mother of Abijam and the
grandmother of Asa.
Azubah was the mother of Jehoshaphat.
The name of Jehoram's mother is
unknown.
Athaliah was the mother of Ahaziah,
Zibiah of Beersheba, the mother of
Joash.
Jecoliah of Jerusalem bore Uzziah,
Jerusha bore Jotham; Ahaz' mother is
unknown.
Abi was the mother of Hezekiah,
Hephzibah was the mother of Manasseh,
Meshullemeth was the mother of Amon,
Jedidah was the mother of Josiah.
Zebidah was the mother of Jehoiakim,
Nehushta was the mother of Jehoiachin,
Hamutal was the mother of Zedekiah.
Then the deportation to Babylon took
place.
After the deportation to Babylon
the names of the mothers go unrecorded.
These are their sons:
Jechoniah, Shealtial, Zerubbabel,
Abiud, Eliakim, Azor and Zadok,
Achim, Eliud, Eleazar,
Matthan, Jacob and Joseph, the husband
of Miriam.
Of her was born Jesus who is called
Christ.
The sum of generations is therefore:
fourteen from Sarah to David's mother;
fourteen from Bathsheba to the
Babylonian deportation;
and fourteen from the Babylonian
deportation to Miriam,
the mother of Christ.
Gathering Hymn: #341: O Come, All Ye Faithful – Genia P. Haddon/adapt
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and
triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold this child born of
Mary!
Refrain: O come, let us adore them, O come, let us
adore them,
O come, let us adore them, Mother
and Child!
Sing choirs of angels, sing in
exultation,
Sing, all you messengers of God's holy
word.
Glory to God in-carnate, all glory. R
Christ-child, we greet thee, born this
happy morning,
Born of the Woman Mary, glory given;
Word of creation, now in flesh
appearing. R
P: My sisters and brothers, we gather today
to rejoice in the presence of the
Holy One, who abides as Spirit in each
of you!
ALL: And also with you!
P: Welcome,
Everyone! (optional) For those of you who
are celebrating with
us for the first time,
I am Mary Eileen Collingwood, a bishop with the
Association of Roman
Catholic Women Priests, and your presider here
this happy
morning! On behalf of Ann Klonowski, my
sister priest and
co-presider
here at the CSB, Sue Guzik, our deacon, and all the members of the CSB, we wish
you a very blessed and holy Christmas season.
I also want to thank Jan Snow, our pianist here this morning, for
sharing her talent with us to make this a wonderful uplifting celebration. For those
who are new, and those who have returned after an absence, know that your presence
always enriches us during our time of celebration together. All of you are always welcome at this Table,
and our hearts are glad and honored to be with you. And so, we begin in the name of the
Divine: Source of All Being, Eternal
Word, and Holy Spirit.
ALL: Amen.
Blessing of the Manger (sprinkling of manger
and assembly)
O
Holy Creator of every nation and people, from the beginning of creation you
have manifested your love. When our need
for you was great, you sent Jesus to be born of Mary. Into our lives Jesus brings joy and peace,
justice, compassion, and love. O Holy
One, bless all who look upon this manger.
May it remind us of the humble birth of the Holy Child and raise our
thoughts to the one who is God-with-us and who lives and loves forever. Amen.
Transformation
Rite:
P: The One we awaited
is already among us. Do we have the
courage to see?
1.
Most
Tender Being, as you gift us with your constant presence, it is with Joy that
we have begun to see that the One we have longed for is already with us,
waiting for our acceptance, hoping for our recognition.
ALL: Transform us, O Holy One!
2.
Open
our hearts, as well as our eyes, to see the Wonder that you are as you enter
into our lives with your tender compassion and gentle love
ALL: Transform us, O Holy One!
May we rejoice in your work in us and
in our world, calling us to be your
living and abiding presence for one another and for our
world, becoming
messengers of hope and
love, compassion and peace as we celebrate your living in us and among us.
Gloria: # 347: Angels We Have Heard on High
Refrain: Gloria in excelsis Deo! (x2)
Angels we have heard on high, sweetly
singing o’er the plains;
And the mountains in reply echo back
their joyous strains. R
Shepherds why this jubilee? Why your joyous strains prolong?
Say what may the tidings be, which
inspire your heavenly song. R
Come to Bethlehem and see, Him whose
birth the angels sing;
Come adore on bended knee, Jesus Christ
our newborn kin. R
See him in a manger laid, whom the
choirs of angels praise;
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid, while our
hearts in love we raise. R
Opening
Prayer:
P: O God, you have sent Jesus to earth to
show us how to live life
fully.
He laughed, cried, walked and talked, and by his
example, we learn how to love and be
loved. O Holy One,
there is nothing we could experience
that you do not
understand. We know that your mothering presence is
always
with us. May we, like Mary, rejoice as we give birth
to God
within us, and may we give birth to God
in everything we say
and do.
ALL: Amen
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First
Reading: Isaiah 52: 7-10
Reader: The inspired words of the
prophet, Isaiah.
ALL: Amen.
Responsorial: #95: All
the ends of the earth have seen the power of
God (x2)
Second
Reading: Hebrews 1: 1-6
Reader: The inspired words of the apostle,
Paul.
ALL: Amen.
Gospel
Acclamation: 8
Alleluias
“A holy day has dawned upon us.
Come, you nations, and
adore God. Today a
great light has come upon the earth.”
8 Alleluias
Gospel: Luke 2: 15-20
Reader: The inspired words of the
evangelist, Luke.
ALL: Amen.
HOMILY: Christmas Day 2017
Our Advent journey this year was centered
around “Imaging God Together.” No one
can really accomplish this alone. It
takes a community supporting and encouraging one another in prayer and action
to truly image what our Christian vocation is all about. And as we continue on this path of discovery,
we experience the Creative Spirit working in the darkness of night, the earth,
and the womb.
As the hymn says: The
shepherds kept their watching o’er silent stars by night, and behold,
throughout the heavens there shown a holy light. (Traditional)
And we know that seeds are planted in the
darkness of earth’s soil, and behold,
the flowers bloom toward the light.
The child is formed in the darkness of the
mother’s womb, and behold, is born
into the light of day.
And today, the day we have anticipated these
last four weeks, we gather together to behold,
the rebirth of Christ in our lives. We
celebrate becoming once again, the people who honor Emmanuel, God-with-us.
We honor Mary, the Mother of Jesus, who
carried him in her womb and birthed him.
She was literally, the bearer of Christ.
And we have this manger, a symbol of the first
manger that the Babe was placed in after birth—another bearer of Christ.
And we have been told, and have come to know
through faith, that every time we break bread together and receive from this
Table, we become what we experience, the Body of Christ, and are bearers of
Christ for our world.
In essence, we are asked this Christmas Day to
make a dwelling place within ourselves and within our world for the Christ.
We are celebrating hope born again:
A ray
of hope, flickers in the sky
A
shiny star lights up way up high.
All
across the land, dawns a brand-new morn
This
comes to pass, when a child is born. (music/Ciro
Dammicco, lyrics/Fred Jay)
Ah, but this Christmas Child is born,
and appears as a troublesome child.
As
troublesome as the Word that stirred the deep waters to let God’s voice be
heard.
This Christmas Child is a
spirited child, who seems to question the law and flouts the face of every
pious convention, who laughs and plays the fool.
This Christmas Child is a
generous child, excessively extravagant,
who spends his life of hope to recreate and bless.
who spends his life of hope to recreate and bless.
This Christmas Child is a
dangerous child, who becomes the prophet,
whose vision takes a thorny path, whose cross may be our own.
whose vision takes a thorny path, whose cross may be our own.
This Christmas Child is a
radiant child, whose peace the angels sing,
whose star no darkness overcomes, and illuminates everything with his very life. (adapted/lyric by Shirley Erena Murray)
whose star no darkness overcomes, and illuminates everything with his very life. (adapted/lyric by Shirley Erena Murray)
Providentially, Pope Francis recently shared a similar message
with the Roman Curia:
“Christmas reminds
us that a faith that does not put itself in crisis, is a faith in crises.
A
faith that does not grow, is a faith that must grow.
A faith
that does not question the church, is a faith that we must question.
A
faith that does not animate the church, is a faith that must be re-animated.
A
faith that does not upset the church, is indeed, a faith that must be upset.”
Sounds very much like what the Christmas Child is all
about, doesn’t it?
We are called to be the earthen vessels that allow this Holy
Child to live once again.
Behold
a treasure, not made of gold, in earthen vessels wealth untold. One Treasure only, Jesus the Christ, in
earthen vessels. (adapted/St. Louis Jesuits)
May we all be blest this Christmas as we become once
again, the earthen vessels that carry the presence and message of Jesus born
anew this very day!
Merry Christmas!
Profession
of Faith:
O
Holy One, Creator of this vast universe:
We
believe that you are not far from us,
and
that your loving care is shown
in
the life, ministry, death, and continued presence
of
Jesus, the Christ whom you sent
to
show us the way to your living presence.
We
believe that each of us is called
to
continue your presence and your work in this world,
by
loving and caring for one another.
We
believe that no one is beyond
the
reach of your love,
and
so no one should be beyond
the
reach of our caring.
We
believe that you call us to be
one
with you and with one another.
We
believe that you will give us
the
grace and inspiration of the Holy Spirit
to
live fully in your love
when
we are open to you.
We
believe that you pardon our weaknesses
And
use them to teach us how to come to you.
We
believe in the resurrection of Jesus in our lives,
and
life everlasting in your Divine Presence.
May
God, the source of all patience and encouragement,
enable
us to live as we believe,
in
harmony with one another
so
that with our hearts and voice and lives,
we
may glorify the God who names us
and
calls us to live in the fullness of being.
Amen.
Prayer
of the Faithful:
P: Always mindful of our Creator’s love and
care for us, we now bring to this
Table our blessings, cares, and concerns.
ALL: Spirit
Sophia, hear our prayer!
P: Compassionate Presence, hear the prayers
of your people. In your
tenderness and love embrace our petitions and hold them
and all our
unspoken desires close
to your heart.
ALL: Amen.
Sign
of Peace:
P: O Life-giving God, we celebrate your
fruitful love as we embrace one
another with joy.
May the peace that our brother, Jesus, offers be
always with us!
ALL: Amen.
P: Before we prepare the Table and join in prayer
with one mind and heart,
let us extend a sign of communion and charity to one
another.
Offertory:
P: Blessed are you, God of all life, through
your goodness we have this
bread, this wine, all creation, and our own lives to
offer. Through this
sacred meal, may we become a new creation.
ALL: Blessed be the Divine Presence forever.
Prayer
Over the Gifts:
P: Let us pray… O Holy One, in this bread and this wine you
give us food
for body and spirit.
May our strength be renewed by your generous
blessings that will
bring us health in mind and body.
ALL: Amen.
P: The Holy One is with you, abounding in
love!
ALL: And also with you!
P: Open your hearts in Christ who lives and
loves, heals and empowers
through you!
ALL: We open them up to the Holy One.
P: Let us give thanks to the Source of All
Life.
ALL: It is right to offer thanks and praise.
P: O Sacred Mystery, Maker of all the
universe, you brought forth all
creation from your
Life-giving Womb. O Love of the Ages,
who was born
from Mary’s womb, we
praise you and leap for joy in your presence.
O Holy One of ancient
Israel, you revealed yourself in Mary’s womb, in a
shining star, in
humble shepherds, in a baby wrapped in swaddling
clothes. You embrace us with infinite love in every
situation and
relationship. You dwell in the depths of our hearts.
We invite you this day
to set us free, heal us, transform us and empower
us
as we gather around the Table of your love.
As we celebrate your sacred mystery, in our Creator’s loving embrace, we sing your praise:
ALL: Holy, Holy, Holy One; Spirit of Love and
Peace,
Heaven and earth are full of your
glory. Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed are all who come in your Holy
Name,
Hosanna in the highest. (x2)
- Praise to you, all-giving Child, born of
Mary. You are the body and blood of
woman. We glorify you, our Creator,
for the dawning of the sacred promise of the Anointed One, fulfilled in
Jesus, the Christ.
- We celebrate the birth of Jesus, our
newborn Emmanuel who came to give us fullness of life. During this holy season we share the
bread of freedom and lift the cup, the new wineskin of compassion.
ALL: We
now call the +Spirit of the Living God
upon
the gifts of this Eucharistic Table.
May
the bread of the grain, and vine of the grape,
become
the nourishment we long for,
nurturing
afresh within us
the
discerning gifts of wisdom, light and truth.
P: As Jesus gave birth to the New Covenant,
he took bread, gave thanks,
broke the bread, and shared it with all those present saying:
ALL: Take
and eat, this is my very self. (pause)
P: Jesus then raised the cup of blessing, and
spoke the grace saying:
ALL: Take
and drink of the covenant
made
new again through my life in you.
Whenever
you remember me like this,
I
am among you. (pause)
P: When we share this bread and cup, let us embrace
the gospel of
justice and peace as we proclaim this mystery of faith:
ALL: In every creature that has ever breathed,
Christ has lived;
In every living being that has passed
on before us, Christ has died;
In everything yet to be, Christ will
come again;
In our breaking of the bread of earth,
Christ is with us still!
- As we wait with joyful hearts
for the fulfillment of
your birthing power in our own lives,
we remember the
prophets, martyrs, saints and mystics
who have gone before
us,
and all those we
remember as heroes in our church
who inspire us today,
both living and dead.
- Open us to the in-breaking of your
healing love
in every area of our
lives, creating within us new life.
When we feel sorrow,
give your comfort.
When we are empty,
fill us with your fullness.
When we are confused,
guide us with your wisdom.
When we are lost,
search for us and bring us home.
- Embrace us in our brokenness
and help us celebrate
Christ’s birth in our lives.
Impregnate the people
of God
with the power of a
Spirit-filled community of faith.
- May your Spirit birth a new world of
peace and justice.
May everyone feel
accepted and welcome in our community.
P: May we give birth to the Word Made Flesh
in us every day of our lives.
May we give birth to the church of our dreams and hopes.
May we give birth to a deep reverence for earth, and live
in harmony with
all creatures.
ALL: For it is through learning to live as Jesus
lived,
and why he lived,
and for whom he lived,
that we awaken to your Spirit within,
moving us to worship you truly,
O Holy Life-Giver,
at this time and all time and in all
ways. (sing) Amen!
P: Let us pray together the Prayer of Jesus:
ALL: O Holy One, you are within, around and among
us.
We celebrate your many names.
Your wisdom come, your will be done,
unfolding from the depths within us.
Each day you give us all that we need.
You remind us of our limits, and we let
go.
You support us in our power, and we act
with courage.
For you are the dwelling place within
us,
the empowerment around us,
and the celebration among us,
now and forever. Amen. (Sr. Miriam Therese
Winter)
P: Please join in 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 in your
presence.
P: This is the bread of life and the cup of
blessing. Through it we are
nourished and we nourish each other.
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.
P: Our Eucharistic celebration is
all-inclusive. You are a spark of the
Divine and nothing can separate you from the Holy One’s
love. All are
welcome to receive at
this Table.
Communion
Hymn: #363: sung to the tune of: “O Little Town of Bethlehem” (words by Jann
Aldredge-Clanton, Eakin Press, 2006)
O
Holy Darkness, Loving Womb, who nurtures and creates;
Sustain
us through the longest night with dreams of open gates.
We
move inside to mystery that in our center dwells,
Where
streams of richest beauty flow from sacred living wells.
Creative
Darkness, closest Friend, you whisper in the night;
You
calm our fears as unknown paths surprise us with new sight.
We
marvel at your bounty, your gifts so full and free,
Unfolding
as you waken us to new reality.
O
Holy Night of deepest bless, we celebrate your power;
Infuse
us with your energy that brings our seeds to flower.
The
voice out of the darkness excites our warmest zeal,
To
bring together dark and light, true holiness reveal.
O
come to us, Sophia, your image black and fair,
Stirs
us to end injustice and the wounds of earth repair.
The
treasures of your darkness and riches of your grace
Inspire
us to fulfill our call, our sacredness embrace.
P: Life-giving God,
as we find ourselves wrapped in this season of wonder and
light,
the astonishment that is life ignites our spirits,
and we feel, if merely for a moment,
that we are as we were meant to be.
May we hold fast to this sliver of
mystery,
this truth upon which we understand who
we are.
May we call ourselves back to it time
and again.
May the sacredness of life enfleshed in
a Holy Babe,
fill us with the wonder that is our
life:
its hope, its peace, its joy, its love.
ALL: Amen.
Announcements
While
there will not be a social gathering after our liturgy today, so that everyone
can get home to celebrate with their family and friends, our next liturgy here
at the CSB will be held on Saturday, Dec. 30th at 5pm, when we will
celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family.
All are welcome!
Before
we take leave, I would like to thank our musicians with us today, Ann and Kate
Klonowski for sharing their beautiful voices, and Jan Snow accompanying us on
the piano. Thank You! We are blest by your gifts of talent and
presence!
And,
once again, I thank everyone here today for your courage to worship in a spirit
of equality and justice!
Blessing:
P: Everyone
please extend your hands in mutual blessing:
May our mothering God bring us to birth
in every area of our living.
May Emmanuel, God-with-us, fill us with
radiant joy.
May we be creators of hope in our
world, and
May God bless us always with divine
strength
to walk justly and serve generously all
those we encounter.
And in so doing,
May we be blessed in the name of the Divine: Source of
All Being, Eternal Word, and +Holy
Spirit.
ALL: Amen.
P: Let us birth Christ anew in our world
today, as we
go forth with faith to ponder in our
hearts the mystery and the
wonder of this holy season.
ALL: Thanks be to God!
P: Please join in our Closing Hymn: #362: "Good
Christian Friends,
Rejoice!” – John Mason Neale, 1853, alt., Gretta Vosper, 2007
Good
Christian friends, rejoice,
with
heart and soul and voice!
Give
ye heed to what we say:
All
our dreams are born today.
Love
has come to lead the way
and
will with us forever stay,
Dreams
are born today!
Dreams
are born today!
Good
Christian friends, rejoice,
with
heart and soul and voice!
Now
ye hear of endless bliss:
Every
child was born for this.
Love
has opened heaven’s door
and
we are blest for evermore.
Joy
is born today!
Joy
is born today!
Good
Christian friends, rejoice,
with
heart and soul and voice!
Wondrous
news have we to tell:
Love
with us is born to dwell.
Born
within, it outward grows
and
then to all the world, it flows.
Love
is born today!
Love
is born today!
“We thank You for this holy season which reminds us of your love and gifts always present and active in our lives. Amen.
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