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| Lee Breyer and Kathryn Shea ARCWP - Presiders |
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| Lee Breyer shares homily starter |
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| Lee Breyer and Kathryn Shea ARCWP |
Theme: No gold, frankincense or
myrrh, but…
Introduction and
Comments
Presider: The Christmas shopping season has ended; the
New Year’s ball has dropped. The twelfth
night will pass away tonight. We can now relish in the wonder that is God
Incarnate in the human person of the infant Jesus who came among us with Mary
and Joseph in a stable in Bethlehem. Luke’s shepherds have already been there;
the angels have sung their songs, and Mathew’s Maji have come and will soon go
after paying their respects to Jesus. It
is their presence that we honor today. We
gather together on this, the feast of the Epiphany – the revelation of Emmanuel
to both the Jews and the Gentiles – to celebrate that God has not only come
among us but has become one in us…in all of us.
And to start this commemoration, let’s start with a Mindy Simmons’ song
“We Gather Here to Celebrate”.
Opening Song: “We
Gather Here to Celebrate”
Gathering/Opening
Prayer
All: God of life, wholeness and holiness, you who
directs all creation to its complete fulfillment in Jesus, the Christ of the
Cosmos, help us to open our hearts to the message of the Gospel so that your
peace may rule in our hearts and your justice guide our lives. Loving God, bless all of us gathered here now
and all those of our community who are not physically with us today.
Presider: This is
the day that our God has made …. All: let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Penitential Expression
and Community Forgiveness
Presider: Creator
God, we come to you with open hearts. To
you, no desires are unknown and no secrets are hidden. Help us to faithfully
understand Wisdom’s messages and receive the compassion to act on them. In doing so, may we live more fully to your
plan, as simply and clearly told to us in the gospels.
All: Through your
grace, strengthen us to recognize that all peoples, wherever they may be on
earth, are all one family. We ask for
your forgiveness for our hurtful actions to people of other beliefs,
nationalities and races … they are all our brothers and sisters. May our actions make us worthy to be called
your blessed people.
(with an outstretched arm We
ask you, Good God, to grant us the graces of pardon and peace that were taught
and shown to us in the life and teachings of Jesus so that we may - in turn –
learn and be able to forgive each other our failures to care for one another
and for our Earth. We ask this in the
name of Jesus, the Emmanuel, our brother - and of the Spirit, the Wisdom, our
Sister.
Glory to God
Presider: Let us
give glory to our Loving God, in song.
All: Glory to God, glory, O praise God, alleluia; glory
to God, glory, O praise the name of our God.
(2x)
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading:
Isaiah 60: 1-6 All: Thanks be to God.
Psalm 147. Create in me a clean heart, O God - A clean
heart, O God, create in me. #779.
Second
Reading: Ephesians 3: 2-3, 5-6 All:
Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia (Celtic version)
Gospel: Matthew 2: 1-12
Homily Starter:
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Homily Starter:
Epiphany January
5, 2019
Lee Breyer
Today’s gospel provides us an interesting story and a challenge to our
meditative skills.
Just as with many stories, a “quick read” of today’s gospel can give us
some satisfaction by its having been entertaining and easy to follow. But as with some stories, the real
understanding of the author’s message is somewhat hidden in the background and
narrative in which it was written. We
just heard a detailed story of the birth of Jesus, written by Matthew in about
the year 85 AD. This content was not in
the gospels of any of the other three authors in the several decades of their
writing about Jesus and cannot be found anywhere else in the NT. Ever wonder why?
Mark’s gospel starts with John the Baptist and his baptism of a grown
Jesus; Luke wrote a little about the shepherds who came to see the infant Jesus
but he was more focused on Jesus’ lineage.
John, in his gospel, started with a re-write of the beginning of the
Genesis story and then moved on to discuss John the Baptist.
Were the followers of Jesus, the communities of the first nine decades
of “Christians,” just not interested in those particular events in early
life of Jesus. Well, you might say that!
.As we can surmise from the other gospel writers, the major interests of
their readers were twofold: who Jesus was and what he did among the
people of his time.
So, what was Matthew’s intention in his writing of the infant Jesus;
where was he getting this information that other gospel writers either did not
have or did not think was important to their missions? Well, many if not
most scripture scholars, think that Matthew “made up” much of his nativity
story in his gospel. But why would he do
that?
On the assumption that Matthew could use the presence of the Maji to
teach his readers some important things, we might look at his teaching
points.
Matthew’s inclusion of:
Bethlehem as Jesus’ birthplace…this is where
David was anointed a king,
making Jesus a part of the Royal lineage.
Maji from the east…………………..they were
Gentiles, not Jews….as were the shepherds.
who brought expensive gifts……...they were
part of a monied class, not a poor one….as were the shepherds.
Jew and Gentile, rich and poor
Matthew made the
point and demonstrated it in that Jesus, of the highly regarded Royal Line, was
“open” to everyone… irrespective of their home location - or their nationality (Jew
or Gentile) - or the status of their wealth (rich or poor)…
…..everyone
was welcome to his cradle, and always will be
…..and that means us, all of us..
And we, Modern Day Maji, bring our gifts to
Jesus, knowing that whoever we are, whatever we are … we are all welcome.
So according to the assumption of today’s theme: we have no gold,
frankincense or myrrh. But we are still
called to bring our unique gifts to Jesus, through our community members and
others, on this celebration of the Epiphany. And what might those gifts be…what
gifts do each of us bring to share with our brothers and sisters? Let us take a few meditative minutes to
recognize them in our minds and hearts. Afterwards,
we may feel like sharing some of them with the rest of us today. Oftentimes an example helps us to identify
those gifts in ourselves.
And I offer you this afternoon,
as an aide in your thought process, to think of our sister Imogene…and
recognize her “many gifts to Jesus” through the MMOJ community. Those are the kind of gifts, some unique to
ourselves, that we bring to Jesus today at this Epiphany liturgy.
Shared Homily: Community
Reflection and Response
Homily
starter: Gold, frankincense and myrrh we
may not have, but what do we have with which we can gift Jesus, through
our actions with our community members and others, on this celebration of the
Epiphany … and for days to come? (This is a serious sort-of “new year
intentions” piece.)
Profession of Faith
All: We believe
in God, the Creator of the Universe, a divine mystery beyond all
definition and understanding, the fountain of all that exists now or ever will and
whose divinity infuses everything in it.
We believe in Jesus, the cosmic Christ, who reflects the face of
God and leads all of us to the fullness of our humanity. Through the
Incarnation, we have become a new people, recipients of his mercy, so that we
are called beyond the consequences of our brokenness. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Breath
of God who keeps the Christ-vision present to everyone who is searching for
meaning and wholeness in their lives. We believe that God’s kindom, invoked
for in the Prayer of Jesus, is here with us now and will be forever for those
with eyes to recognize it, hearts to receive it, and hands to share it with
everyone. We say “amen” to a
compassionate partnership and equality of all peoples, regardless of their
genders, races, and beliefs. We say
“amen” to a world of peace and justice for everyone, everywhere, with no
exceptions. Amen.
Prayers of the
Community
Presider: We are a
people of faith. We believe in the power
of prayer. We are mindful of God’s unconditional love and care for all God’s
family. And so, in our prayers, we bring
the needs of our brothers and sisters to our merciful and gracious Healing One.
(After each
intercession, we respond: Compassionate
God, we ask you to bless our petitions.)
Presider: We pray for those broken families,
torn apart and suffering in their separations
…unsure of their
futures.
Compassionate God, we ask you
to bless our petitions.
And for what other
concerns do we pray for at this time? (Other petitions….).
Presider: Holy God,
we ask you to strengthen us in our concerns and care for one another, here and
throughout the world. We ask you to
bless our efforts for justice and equality so that, with our sisters and
brother, we may promote cultures of peace and nonviolence in our words and in
our actions everywhere. As we always do,
we make these prayers to you, O God, in the names of Jesus, our Brother, and
the Holy Spirit, our Wisdom. Amen.
Offertory
Procession and Song: “Table of Plenty”
#310 verses 1, 2 and 3
Gathering of the
Gifted
Presider: Blessed
are you, God of Creation. Through your
goodness we have this bread to offer…this grain of your earth that human
hands have prepared for our use.
It will become for us the bread of life.
All: Blessed by God forever.
Presider: Blessed
are you, God of Creation. Through your
goodness we have this wine to
Offer…this fruit of
the vine that human hands have prepared for our use. It will become for
us our spiritual
drink. All: Blessed be God forever.
Presider: Jesus,
who has often sat at our tables, now invites all of us to join him at his.
And all of us, the
family of God, are welcome at this altar.
Please join us now……
Presider: (when everyone is gathered around the table) Blessed
are all of us who have been called to this table of plenty by the God who loves
and lives in us. We are in communion
with everyone who shares God’s gifts of peace and compassion….especially those
who are oppressed and marginalized anywhere in the world.
Presider: Let us show our gratitude to the Creator of
all that exists.
All: With hearts full of love, we give our God thanks
and praise.
Presider: Let us
show our gratitude to Jesus who shares with us his life-vision.
All: Open our hearts to your message through your words
and examples while on the earth that we shared.
Presider: Let us
show our gratitude to the Holy Spirit among us gathered at this family table.
All: Let us lift
up our hearts to the strength and wisdom that directs us to wholeness.
And now let us show
our gratitude to one another for our shared care in this MMOJ community. We will do so as we express our recognition
of the Divine Spirit that dwells in each one of us. All: Namaste (with a nod and 3x)
Eucharistic Prayer
Voice 1: Ever
living and ever-loving God, we do well always and everywhere to give you
thanks. In you we live and move and have our very being. In gratitude for your everlasting presence,
we join with that large community of saints who have gone before us and now
live with you in the eternal now, we sing
with thankful praise….
All: Holy, Holy,
Holy God, God of power, God of Light.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed are all who come in the name of our
God. Hosanna in the highest.
Voice 2: We thank you for the gift of Jesus in history
- and the gift of Jesus in faith.
Through him, you breathe life into us.
His life on earth was deeply moved by his vision of your constant
presence in everyone he met. You raised him
up from among your people to baptize us in your Spirit. He reflected your being in everything he said
and did in his life well lived. And he
showed us, by his many spoken messages and lived examples, not only how we
should live, but also for what we might even be killed, as was he, in the
service of the gospel message.
Voice 3: And when is time on earth had come towards
its end, Jesus - aware of and accepting his destiny - suffered much for the
values that he deeply believed, lived and taught…his conviction that love is
stronger than death. And then, providing an example of this insight for the
understanding of ages to come, he opened wide his arms on a cross and died.
Then the Sprit who raised Jesus from the dead showed us - in his resurrection -
that life is eternal and that love is immortal.
Jesus is with us today as he will be through the end of time.
All: O God, let your Spirit of life, healing and
wholeness come upon these humble gifts that we have brought from our fields and
placed on your table—this simple wheat and wine. May She make them holy so that they will
become for us the Body and Blood of Jesus, our brother.
All: (with an
outstretched arm, we pray that consecration together) 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,
broke the bread and gave it to 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 that I have taught you. This is the new and everlasting
covenant.
[Pause]
In the same way, Jesus took the cup of wine. He 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 that I have taught you. This is the new and everlasting covenant.
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, whom the prophets
spoke of in history, is with us now in this cup. Let us proclaim this mystery of faith.
All: Jesus has
died. Christ is risen. The cosmic Christ
lives today through us.
Voice 4: Ever Present and Caring God, remember all of
us, your Sacred People spread throughout the world, and grace us that we may
continually grow in love and caring, mercy and compassion, and peace and
justice. Bless Francis, our Pope;
Bridget Mary, our Bishop; and the whole of your family wherever they may be –
especially those who live on the margins of church and society. We remember in prayer the entire Communion of
Saints, both those who are with us now on this earth and those who have gone
ahead of us to their everlasting homes. We remember with overflowing gratitude
those blessed people who have touched our lives and left your footprints on our
hearts. We remember especially….(pause as names area mentioned).
Presider: and so we
say… All: through Christ, with Christ,
and in Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours,
Creator God, forever and ever. (singing) Amen.
(X times)
All: (holding hands) Our Father and
Mother, who are in heaven, blessed is your name….
Presider: God, we have just prayed that your kindom “may
come” among us –we believe that is ”with us now” in a widely
unrecognized way. Grant that we may open
our heads to understand and acknowledge its current presence and open our
hearts to make it known to others in its continued evolution. And may we use our hands to serve one another
while awaiting its fulfillment in that blessed time.
The Sharing of
Peace
Presider: Jesus, you said to your disciples…:”My peace
I leave you; my peace I give you.: Look
on the faith of those gathered here today and……All: grant us your peace. And may
that peace be always with us.
Presider: Let us extend that peace now to one another
as we join hands in a circle of love and sing together: “Let There Be Peace on Earth” #532.
Litany for the
Breaking of the Bread
Presider: Loving
God….All: you call us to Spirit-filled
service and to live the Gospel of 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 understanding and compassion, forgiveness and
healing 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, Emmanuel, who liberates, heals and transforms us and our world. All are invited to partake of this sacred
banquet of love. All: We are the Body of Christ.
Pre-Communion
Prayer
Presider: As we come to share the richness of this
sacred banquet……All: O God, we cannot
forget the poverty of so many of our brothers and sisters, our families and
neighbors.
Presider: We cannot eat this bread and forget those who
are hungry….All: O God, your world is one world and we are
stewards of its nourishment for all your people.
Presider: We cannot
drink this wine and forget those who are thirsty…..All: O God, this very earth and its people cry out for environmental
justice.
All: We cannot
listen to your words of peace and not grieve for a world at war’s doors!
Communion Hymn:
Instrumental or Solo
Post-Communion
Meditation
Introductions,
Gratitudes and Announcements
Closing Community
Blessing
All: May our
hearts be glad on our journey as we dream new dreams, see new
visions,
and create a new heaven and earth.
May we live and work for compassion and
peace as well as justice and
non-violence in our
hearts and promote that in the hearts of those we meet.
May we learn to bless and honor and hold in
reverence one another, the earth,
and all creation.
May we make a real difference in our piece
of the world – and help bring forth
and
develop the kindom of God on Earth.
While not bringing gold, frankincense, or
myrrh to the stable in Bethlehem,
may we make our
very self a gift , wrapped in the lessons of the good news of the gospels.
Closing Community
Hymn: “We are Called” #628
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