Welcome and
Theme: Welcome. Thank you for joining us as we celebrate Mary of Magdala
whose feast day is tomorrow. Let us honor and learn from her as we come
together as a community.
Opening song: Thank You for
This Day by Karen Drucker
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading from the Gospel of Mary
of Magdala
Then Peter said to him:
Since you have explained everything to
us, tell us one more thing. What is the sin of this world?
The Savior replied:
Sin as such does not exist. You only
bring it into manifestation when you act in ways that are adulterous in nature.
It is for this very reason that the Good has come among you pursuing its own
essence within nature in order to reunite everything to its origin.
These are the inspired
words of the anonymous storyteller we call Mary of Magdala and the community
affirms them by saying: AMEN.
Alleluia
Gospel Reading: Luke 10:38-42
As they traveled, Jesus entered a
village where a woman named Martha welcomed him to her home. She had a sister
named Mary, who seated herself at Jesus’ his feet and listened to his words.
Martha, who was busy with all the
details of hospitality, came to Jesus and said, "Rabbi, don’t you care
that my sister has left me all alone to do the household tasks? Tell her to
help me!"
Jesus replied, "Martha, Martha!
You’re anxious and upset about so many things, but only a few things are
necessary—really only one. Mary has chosen the better part, and she won’t be
deprived of it.”
These are the inspired words of the
anonymous storyteller we call Luke and the community affirms them by saying:
AMEN.
Homily Starter: Lindy Sanford
Our first reading is from the only
gospel written by a contemporary of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, known as His Beloved
Companion. And yet, it can seem harsh the first time we read it. “Acting in
ways that are adulterous”? In context, we see Jesus explaining how the
distractions of everyday living can get in the way of our relationship to the
Holy One unless we stay focused on the “essence” or Divine Spirit.
This reading reminds us that the
Divine mystery is here and now, within us and around us, the Mystery that
created us and loves us. When we neglect that, we can become distracted by
everyday life which affects everything around us. Think of a time when any one
of us lost our temper and how it affected everyone around us and our
relationship with God.
Martha and Mary experienced this when
they had a special dinner guest. Can you imagine what it would be like if Jesus
or the Dalai Lama showed up for dinner? Even brought friends? This visit may
not have happened exactly as we have heard it today, but like all stories in
Sacred Writings, there is a reason for the telling.
Martha must have been annoyed that
Mary wasn’t helping…saying to herself, “Doesn’t Mary get it that Jesus is
important and there’s a lot to do? We need to make him the best dinner he’s
ever had. And Mary is just sitting there!” Even if Martha doesn’t voice these
thoughts, others might see her in a huff.
What do we suppose Mary is thinking?
“Should I be helping Martha? Am I right to stay with Jesus or is Martha
resentful and are things going to be tough between us after Jesus leaves?” Or
maybe, Mary is focused solely on not wanting to miss a thing Jesus is
saying…and she has no idea that Martha is carrying a burden.
The first reading reminds us that the
Divine Mystery is with us always but each time we put something else first, we
can lose sight of it. The gospel shows two ordinary women honoring Jesus, each
in her own way but both maybe feeling torn and distracted. The story seems to
be telling us to listen and communicate with each other about our priorities
and needs. And to try and stay happily focused on pursuing our own inspired
gifts.
What do you hear in these readings?
Are you Martha or Mary? How do you deal with daily challenges that divide us
from the Holy One?
Homily Wrap-Up: Denise
Martha and Mary, the activist and the
mystic. One loved Jesus by doing, the
other by listening. Like two parts of
the same person, they represent each one of us.
Our prayer is that we respond to the Christ presence according to our
own gifts of activism and mysticism.
Thank you all for your inspired thoughts on today’s readings. As always, we are so enriched by your wisdom.
Statement of Faith
All: We believe in the Holy One, a
divine mystery
beyond all definition and rational understanding,
the heart of all that has ever existed,
that exists now, or that ever will exist.
We believe in Jesus, messenger of the Divine Word,
bringer of healing, heart of Divine compassion,
bright star in the firmament of the Holy One's
prophets, mystics, and saints.
We believe that We are called to follow Jesus
as a vehicle of divine love,
a source of wisdom and truth,
and an instrument of peace in the world.
We believe in the Spirit of the Holy One,
the life that is our innermost life,
the breath moving in our being,
the depth living in each of us.
We believe that the Divine 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 make it happen.
beyond all definition and rational understanding,
the heart of all that has ever existed,
that exists now, or that ever will exist.
We believe in Jesus, messenger of the Divine Word,
bringer of healing, heart of Divine compassion,
bright star in the firmament of the Holy One's
prophets, mystics, and saints.
We believe that We are called to follow Jesus
as a vehicle of divine love,
a source of wisdom and truth,
and an instrument of peace in the world.
We believe in the Spirit of the Holy One,
the life that is our innermost life,
the breath moving in our being,
the depth living in each of us.
We believe that the Divine 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 make it happen.
LITURGY
OF THE EUCHARIST
Julie: As we prepare for
the sacred meal, we lay our stoles upon the table as a sign that just as Jesus
is anointed so is each of us. And, we
bring to this table our blessings, cares, and concerns.(Please feel free to voice your concerns beginning with the words, “I
bring to the table…”)
Julie:
We pray for these and all unspoken
concerns. Amen.
Denise: O Holy One, you have been called
by many names by many people in the centuries of our planet’s life. Yet, no
name truly defines you or describes you.
We celebrate you as the marvelous, loving energy of life who caused us
and our world to be. We celebrate you as the Source of light and life and love,
and we celebrate your presence and all-ways care.
Julie: Please join in praying the Eucharistic prayer together:
WomanSpirit Rising written by Jay Murnane.
O Holy One, You give us life, and we
live and breathe with your Spirit. You create us female and male; You call us
good, and we live as equal partners. You share the earth with us, and we, as
co-creators with you, complement your ongoing activity of creation.
Among all our blessed ancestors, we
celebrate the women who gently and firmly confronted the structures of oppression
in their times with unique vision and compassion: Sarah, Deborah, Judith,
Miriam, Ruth, Esther, Anna, Miriam of Nazareth, Julian, Hildegard, and so many
more.
United with them, with WomenSpirit
rising, with our Mother-Planet and her people everywhere, with one another and
You, O Holy One, our spirits dance and sing this song of praise:
Blessed be our God!
Blessed be our God!
Joy of our hearts, source of all life
and love!
God of Heaven and Earth!
God of Heaven and Earth!
Dwelling within, calling us all by
name!
Alleluia, sing!
Alleluia, sing!
(Alleluia Sing by David Haas)
We give grateful thanks for all your
faithful servants, opening for all of us a path to life. We are thankful for
all the women who risked everything they had so that all of us could live in a
better, brighter world.
We give grateful thanks for our
brother, Jesus who showed us so simply, so tenderly, how the world is in our
hands. He showed us how to be free of
the blindness and paralysis of fear.
He had nothing in this world but your
love, companions on the journey, and his very self. Together, that was more
than enough, and that remains our clarity in the midst of confusion: the
miracle of healing, new hope, nurturance, nourishment, liberation and life.
On the night before he faced his own
death and for the sake of living fully, Jesus sat at the Seder supper with his
companions and friends. He reminded them
of all that he taught them, and to fix that memory clearly within them, he bent
down and washed their feet.
When he returned to his place at the
table, he lifted the Passover bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread and
offered it to them saying:
Take and eat of the Bread of Life
Given to strengthen you
Whenever you remember me like this
I am among you
(pause)
Jesus then raised a cup of blessing,
spoke the grace saying:
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)
Let us share this bread and cup to proclaim and
live the gospel of justice and peace
O Holy One, we have felt deeply the
barrenness of our lives and of our community. Yet, we have always been pregnant
with your creative Word and your life-giving Spirit.
We make new our commitment to the
harmony of the original vision of creation living
justly, loving tenderly, and walking
this earth with integrity. We will bind
and blind and burden no longer and use our gifts only for life.
We will open up wide all that has been
closed about us, and our small circles. Like Jesus, we are filled with your
Spirit and with You, we renew the face of the earth.
for it is through living
as Jesus lived,
That we awaken to your
Spirit within,
Moving us to glorify
you,
O Holy One,
At this time and all
ways.
Amen.
Denise: Let us pray as Jesus
taught us:
All:
O Holy One, who is 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 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 (Miriam Therese Winter)
Denise:
Please join in the prayer for the breaking of the bread:
All:
O Holy One, You call us to live the Gospel of peace and justice. We will live justly. You call us to be Your
presence in the world. We will love
tenderly
You call us to speak truth to power. We will walk with integrity in your presence.
You call us to speak truth to power. We will walk with integrity in your presence.
Julie:
"This is the bread of life. 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.
Denise:
Our Eucharistic celebration is all-inclusive. You are a spark of the Divine and
nothing can separate you from God’s love. All are welcome to receive at this table. Please pass the gluten-free bread and the cup
of non-alcoholic juice with the words The Divine Mystery is within you.
Communion Song:
I and the Mother Are One by Jan Phillips
BLESSING
Denise: Please
raise your hands as we pray the blessing together:
May we continue to be the face of God to each other and
may our name be a blessing in our time!
Amen.
Closing Song: Women’s Spirit by Karen Drucker
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