Theme: Be filled with the Spirit
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| Kathryn Shea ARCWP and Anna Davis co-preside at liturgy |
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Welcome and Centering Prayer
Presider: We have all been created by the same Great
Mystery. We have all been shown by the
example of Jesus of Nazareth how to live. We are all supported and strengthened
by the Spirit on our journeys. In many important ways, we are all one. And at
this time, we come together to share stories of Jesus, break bread, and express
gratitude for all that we have and all that we are.
Gathering Hymn: Table of Plenty #310 vs. 1,3,4
Table Of Plenty by Dan Shutte sung by John Michael Talbot
Come to the feast of heaven and earth!
Come to the table of plenty!
God will provide for all that we need,
here at the table of plenty.
O come and sit at my table
where saints and sinners are friends.
I wait to welcome the lost and lonely
to share the cup of my love.
O come and eat without money;
come to drink without price.
My feast of gladness will feed your spirit
with faith and fullness of life.
My bread will ever sustain you
through days of sorrow and woe.
My wine will flow like a sea of gladness
to flood the depths of your soul.
Your fields will flower in fullness;
your homes will flourish in peace.
For I, the giver of home and harvest,
will send my rain on the soil.
Opening Prayer
All: O Lover of all, in our
journeys into the heart of compassion…and that is you -- we celebrate the love that
you continually unfold for us by your being in us -- in each one
of us. Help us to recognize and honor
the “you” that is in the “me” of everyone.
You call us to see goodness and beauty
everywhere and to live in harmony with all of creation. You call us to heal the
wounds of hatred and violence, discrimination and oppression in our world. You
call us to warmly welcome everyone with whom we come in contact as your
presence among us. In communion with Jesus, our brother, and with the power of the
Spirit, we will live your love poured out each day. Amen.
Community Reconciliation, Healing,
and Transformation
Presider: Compassionate God, to you all hearts are
open, no desires unknown, and no secrets hidden. Our desire is to be continually conscious of
this in our own lives and recognize this in all we do with others.
All (with an outstretched arm):
May we reach deep within ourselves to
hear Wisdom’s many messages, to faithfully understand them, and to respond to
them with compassionate actions to our brothers and sisters. May we emulate the virtues of pardon and
peace that Jesus taught us so that we may- in turn - be more forgiving in our care
for ourselves, for one another and for our planet Earth.
May we gather strength through the Divine
Presence within us, to extend your merciful and forgiving presence that is your
gift – through us – to everyone, everywhere - with whom you share your unending
love. Amen.
Gloria
Presider: Let us give glory to our loving Holy One.
All (Sung): Glory to God, glory, O praise God,
Alleluia. Glory to God, glory.
O praise the name of our God. (3X)
Liturgy of the Word
First
Reading: Proverb 9:1-16 All: Thanks be to God.
Psalm 34. Responsorial: O taste and see that our God is good.
Second Reading: Ephesians 5:15-20 All:
Thanks be to God.
Acclamation:
Celtic Alleluia
Gospel: John 6:48-58 All:
Glory to you, O God.
Shared Homily and
Community Reflections
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Homily Starter
Kathryn Shea, ARCWP
Let me start by saying that today is an extra-ordinary day. We will never again, in our lifetime,
experience this date; 8/8/18! Perhaps we
should all buy a lotto ticket after liturgy and give half to MMOJ and
ARCWP.
So, our theme today is “be filled with the Spirit”. I chose this as our theme because, of
everything in the Readings, it just really jumped out at me, and I think it is
so pertinent at this time. I want to
focus briefly on two questions today.
The first is, “What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit?” And the
second is, “How do we stay filled with the Spirit?”
Regarding the first question, I think it starts with being filled with
joy, deep gratitude, and humble love. I
think it also means being filled with a boldness to witness and speak out when
evil is taking place around us, for as we heard, “these are evil days”. Spirit also calls upon us to be mindful of
our own selves; our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It’s impossible to be “filled with the
Spirit” when our hearts are filled with envy, hate, egocentrism, and greed. I want to take just a moment to differentiate
between hate and anger. Hate is an
extreme emotion of hostility usually deriving from fear, anger, or
loathing. I don’t hate anyone.
Anger, on the other hand is a normal emotional response aroused by a
wrong, wrath, or ire. We should be angry
at what’s occurring in our world. It’s
an appropriate response that should move you to action and not let it fester in
you soul. There are several stories of
Jesus getting angry in the Scriptures. He
got angry at hypocrisy and greed. He
overturned tables in the Temples. It’s okay to be angry.
We heard in both the first and second readings that we must not act like
fools, but as wise and thoughtful people so that we may live and walk the path
of understanding. This is to walk the
path of Spirit.
In response to the second question, I think being filled with the Spirit
is a continual process, not a one-time thing, like “Boom” you’re Spirit filled!
First, we must remain open to receiving Spirit and then inviting Spirit,
knowing Spirit will never deny our invitation.
And then…making sure our bodies, hearts, and minds are clean and healthy
for Spirit to enter. I don’t think this
is easy, at least it is not always for me in these very trying times when we
have people in power acting like fools.
We are further instructed not to drink wine. I’m not so sure I agree with that one, just
saying. I would agree, we should not get
drunk on wine. And I think today we
might also hear Jesus say, “Don’t get drunk on the Kool-Aide either!”
The instruction of “Do not continue in ignorance, but try to discern the
will of God,” must guide all us all every day.
I am encouraged and hopeful about some recent news. In July the Senate unanimously approved, I
repeat UNANIMOUSLY (98-0), a resolution warning President Trump to not hand
over any American diplomats or any other officials to the Russian government
for questioning. And just this week, the
Senate again unanimously adopted a resolution declaring that the media is not
“an enemy of the people”. These are two
important steps in speaking truth to power.
I will close with some adapted readings in Galatians 5:16-24. “So, I say, walk by the Spirit…If you are led
by the Spirit, you are not under the law…The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control. Against such things there is no law.” So let us focus on “being
filled with the Spirit, meditating on psalms and spiritual songs, singing and
making music to God in our hearts.”
So, I’m wondering what it means to you to be filled by the Spirit and
how do you stay filled with the Spirit?
Profession of Faith
All:
We believe in the Divine Mystery, beyond all description and
understanding, the heart of all that has ever existed, that exists now, or that
ever will exist in the expanding universe.
We believe in Jesus of Nazareth, the
human Jesus, an enlightened soul who carried the message of God’s Word, who
brought the ability to show us how to heal ourselves and others, who is the heart
of God’s compassion. He is the bright
star in the firmament of God’s prophets, mystics, and saints. And it is through
him that we become a new people with One story of salvation. We are here to share his message; that we are all holy, we were born holy, and
we shall be holy forevermore.
We believe in the Spirit, the one
that inspires our innermost life. She
keeps the Anointed One present to all those who are searching for meaning and
wholeness in their lives.
She strengthens our call to follow Jesus
as a vehicle of God’s love. She is the
one who helps us reach within ourselves so that she can heal and energize us
when our spirits may grow weary in our lives.
And 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 take it to share with those around us.
Prayers of the Community
Presider: With heads
and hearts mindful of God’s unconditional love embedded in each one of us, let
us bring our needs and those of our community forward. After each intercession, we respond: We awaken to your
call. (Intentions are mentioned here.)
Presider: That those who suffer abuse, may be healed
and empowered, we pray.
R. All:
We awaken to your call.
Presider: That those bound by hatred, hostility, and
violence will be set free, we pray. R.
Presider: That the sick may be healed, especially (mention names), we pray. R.
Presider: That those who have gone ahead of us and
dwell forever in their heavenly home, we pray. R.
Presider: And for whom else do we pray at this
time? Other Intentions followed by R.
Presider: We
hold these and all our unspoken intentions in our hearts and take them with us when
we will gather around the Banquet Table.
Offertory Song: In This Place. #308 vs. 1,2,4
Presiders: Blessed are You, God of all creation. Through Your goodness we have this bread and wine to offer, gifts from your creation, the earth, together with the work of human hands. They will become for us our spiritual food and drink. All: Blessed be God forever.
Presider: Lift up your hearts.
All: We lift them up in tender love, open to
serve.
Presider: Let us give thanks for all that we have.
All:
It is our joy to be grateful for our many blessings as we gather at our family
table.
Eucharistic Prayer
Presider: Jesus, who has often sat at our tables, now
invites us to be guests at this, his family table. Everyone is welcome around the table of our
God.
Voice 1: Gracious God, you have set the banquet table and have invited all
of us to the feast of unending delight. Here we celebrate your divine love
beyond what words can describe. Your
divine compassion connects us to the young and the old, the least and the last,
to everyone, everywhere, on our journey into the heart of your mercy. And we, your holy people, celebrate our
oneness with you as we sing…
All: We are holy, holy, holy (3x), we are
whole. You are…I am… We are (Karen Drucker)
Voice 2:
We thank you, Holy
Mystery, for the gift of Jesus of Nazareth in history –and the gift of Jesus in
faith. You brought him from among your people to baptize us in your Spirit. His life was moved by his vision of your
presence in himself and in his mission, and he recognized you in everyone he
met. He showed us, through his example,
not only how we should live, but also for what was worth dying.
Voice 3:
And when his time on earth had come, to a close, Jesus – aware of and
accepting his destiny – gave up his life for the values that he deeply
believed, lived and taught…his conviction that love is stronger than
death. And then, in providing an example
of this wisdom for all people in the ages to come, he opened wide his arms…and
died. And the Spirit that lived in Jesus
is resurrected in all of us who decide to live the new story. Jesus is with us today as he will be through
the end of time.
All:
We remember the gift that Jesus gave us on the night before he died. He
gathered with his friends to share a final Passover meal. And it was at that
supper that Jesus took bread, said the blessing and shared it with them
saying: take this all of you and eat
it. This bread is you; this bread is
me. We are one body, the presence of God
in the world. When you do this, remember
me, and all I have taught you. (pause a moment, then continue….)
All: In the same way, Jesus took a cup of
wine, said the blessing and gave it to his friends saying: take this all of you
and drink it. This wine is you; this
wine is me. We are one blood, the
presence of God in the world. When you
do this, remember me, and all I have taught you.
Presider: Jesus, who was with God “in the beginning of
the creation of the heavens and the earth,” is with us now in this
bread. The Spirit, of whom the prophets
spoke in history, is with us now in this cup. Let us proclaim this mystery of our faith.
All:
The Anointed One lives in us and through us in the world today.
Voice 4:
God, we know that you bless your church throughout the world. We, your people, desire to grow in our love
and caring for Francis, our Pope, Bridget Mary, our Bishop, and with everyone we
come in contact, especially those who live on the margins of church and
society. We remember also those, living and dead, who
touched our lives and left their footprints on our hearts. We remember especially….(mention names, if you would like to…
All:
We believe that the Spirit of God is at work in and among us and will do
more than we can ever ask or imagine.
Amen. (sung, x times)
The Prayer of Jesus
All (sing): Our Father and Mother, who are in
heaven, blessed is your name…...
The Sign of Peace
Presider: God, we know that you give us peace and unity
beyond what any words can express. You
are here with us as we join hands in a circle of love and sing our prayer: “Let there be peace on earth.” (#532)
Litany at the Breaking
of the Bread
Presider: Loving God…All: you call us to Spirit-filled service and to live the Gospel of
non-violence for peace and justice. We
will live justly.
Presider: Loving God…All: you call us to be your presence in the world and to be bearers of
forgiveness and understanding, healing and compassion everywhere in your
name. We will love tenderly.
Presider: Loving God…All: you call us to speak truth to power. We will walk humbly with you.
Presider: This is Jesus, who calls us to open doors
that are closed and share our bread and wine on the altar of the world. All are
invited to eat and drink at this sacred banquet of love.
All:
When we share in this meal, we, whom you created as worthy, commit to
live your teachings, dear Jesus, and to tell your stories that allow Spirit to
rise up within us and empowers us to bring the kin-dom of God to this world. This is the good news of salvation.
Presider: Let us share and spread this good news! ALL: Amen. (As we share this sacred meal, we say to one another with the passing
of the bread, You are the
love of God in the world.”
When we share the wine we say, “You are the Face of God in the world.”)
Communion Music: Instrumental
Post Communion
Meditation Hymn: Abide-by Carrie
Newcomer
Prayer of Thanksgiving
after Communion
Presider: Holy One, may our
participation in this meal, in which we share Jesus’s healing love, deepen our oneness
with you and with one another. May we
share our bountiful blessings, knowing that God who embraces us always, always gives
us all more than we need. May we be
grateful daily for all of our many blessings.
And may wonder and thanksgiving fill us with knowledge and understanding
as we experience the infusion of your love and compassion in us, your sacred
people. May we always be “filled with the Spirit”.
All:
Amen
Introductions/Gratitudes/Announcements
Closing Prayer
All:
May we give and receive abundant love.
May our belief in love enrich and sustain
us.
May we find wonder and miracle in the
ordinariness of life.
May we experience joy in the Light
burning within us.
May we know true peace in our minds and
in our hearts. (Michael
Morwood; Prayers for Progressive Christians)
Closing Community Blessing
All (extend an arm in mutual blessing): We come together at this special time, moved
by a light within us and within all people.
We believe that this light, this love within is the light of the Great
Mystery. It is the light we name God,
Love, Creator, Infinite Spirit, Yahweh, Breath of God. We, as a sacred community, bless one another,
and all of our sisters and brothers, who are called to this Light and are led
by Spirit. May our Loving God be with us
as we continue on our paths and follow in the footsteps of Jesus-for we are the
face of God to the world. Amen.
Closing Song: We Are One in
The Spirit- Peter Scholte,
F.E.L.
We are One in The Spirit,
We are One in The Lord.
We are One in The Spirit,
We are One in The Lord.
And we pray that all unity may one day be restored.
We are One in The Lord.
We are One in The Spirit,
We are One in The Lord.
And we pray that all unity may one day be restored.
Chorus
And they'll know we are Christians by our love,
By our Love,
Yes they'll know we are Christians by our love.
And they'll know we are Christians by our love,
By our Love,
Yes they'll know we are Christians by our love.
We will work with each other,
We will work side by side.
We will work with each other,
We will work side by side.
And we'll guard each person’s dignity
And save each person’s pride.
Chorus
We will walk with each other,
We will walk hand in hand.
We will walk with each other,
We will walk hand in hand.
And together we'll spread the News
that God is in our land.
We will walk hand in hand.
We will walk with each other,
We will walk hand in hand.
And together we'll spread the News
that God is in our land.
Chorus
Commissioning
Presiders: May we go forth and be filled with the Spirit of
God in our world. May we be compassion to
the world. May we be the light in the
world for others. Let this be our mission…and let our service continue!
All: Thanks be to God; let it be so.
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