Debra
Trees, ARCWP, and Joan Chesterfield, ARCWP, led the Upper Room Liturgy with the
theme: “The Call to Sainthood, Going Out on a Limb.” Deb’s homily starter and
Joan’s homily conclusion are printed below the readings. The community prayed
the Liturgy of the Beatitudes adapted from Beatitudes for Peace by John Dear.
Opening
Song: Dear’s Cry
The
First Reading. Solemnity of Saints, November 1.
When
Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the mountainside. And after he had sat
down, and his disciples gathered around, Jesus began to teach them.
"Blessed
are those who are poor in spirit,
the
kingdom of heaven is theirs.
Blessed
are they who are mourning,
they
will be consoled.
Blessed
are those who are gentle,
they
will inherit the land.
Blessed
are they who hunger and thirst for justice,
they
will have their fill.
Blessed
are those who show mercy to others,
they
will be shown mercy.
Blessed
are those whose hearts are clean,
they
will see God.
Blessed
are those who work for peace,
they
will be called children of God.
Blessed
are those who are persecuted because of their struggle for justice,
the
kingdom of heaven is theirs.
You
are fortunate when others insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of
slander against you because of me. Be glad and rejoice, for your reward in
heaven is great; they persecuted the prophets before you in the very same
way."
These
are the words from the writings of Matthew, and we affirm them by saying AMEN.
The
Gospel Reading for November 3rd LK 19:1-10
Entering
Jericho, Jesus passed through the city.
There
was a wealthy person there named Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector. Zacchaeus
was trying to see who Jesus was, but he couldn’t do so because of the crowd,
since he was short.
In
order to see Jesus, Zacchaeus ran on ahead then climbed a sycamore tree that
was along the route. When Jesus came to the spot, he looked up and said,
"Zacchaeus, hurry up and come on down. I’m going to stay at your house
today."
Zacchaeus
quickly came down and welcomed Jesus with delight.
When
everyone saw this, they began to grumble, saying,
"Jesus
has gone to a sinner’s house as a guest.”
Zacchaeus
stood his ground and said to Jesus,
"Here
and now I give half my possessions to poor people,
If
I’ve defrauded anyone in the least, I’ll pay them back fourfold."
Jesus
said to the tax collector, "Today salvation has come to this house, for
this is what it means to be a descendent of Sarah and Abraham. The Promised One
has come to search and save what was lost."
These
words are from the gospel of Luke, and we affirm them by saying, AMEN.
The
Call to Sainthood, Going Out on a Limb. Homily reflection, Deb Trees
It
is almost a cliché these days, that all of us are saints in our own right. It
is true of course: We are all aspiring saints. Wanna bees. Reaching for heaven
in our human way. For many of us, we’ve been told that we can never really make
it there, without the hand of God, the Spirit, Jesus, and the very saintly
humans who are given the official title and crown of sainthood. But I ask, do you really believe it? Do you really think you can be a saint? Do you really aspire to that call?
In
his “Sermon on the Mount”, Jesus gives us a beginning blueprint for sainthood. That
is why the Beatitudes are used for All Saints Day Liturgy each year. And this
time of the year, with the three days of All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day, and
All Souls Day, we are introduced to the Ancient Celtic practice of recognizing
the “thin veil” between our worlds. Uncomfortable thoughts for some; welcoming
for others. We can reflect on those in our lives who have made an impact. Those
who have followed the beatitudes. Joyce Rupp suggests that we reflect on those
who have touched our lives:
- Whose wisdom significantly marks the path of life you have taken?
- Who stood by you and moved you through troublesome times?
- Whose spirituality or theology has guided and grounded your own?
- Who brought you steadfast love and indelible acceptance?
- Who inspired and encouraged you to believe in your abilities?
These
are the Saints of your individual lives.
In
our other reading, Zacchaeus goes out on a limb, both figuratively and
literally for Jesus. Barbara Reid in her Abiding Word Sunday Reflections notes
that one wonders what Zacchaeus is giving up by changing his entire way of
being in his community, and going out on a limb to follow Jesus. She comments: “Jesus was accustomed to going
out on a limb for people who were poor, sick, possessed by demons or
marginalized.” The life-changing beatitudes.
While
listening to John Dominic Crossan’s video, The Challenge of Paul, I heard the
statement, “Don’t confuse charity with Justice.” That speaks to me. What speaks to you? We really are
saints. And we can each find the
personal ways we act with holiness. We learn from the individual saints in our
lives. And all together we go out on a
limb to stretch ourselves, change our lives, and remain in the holy embrace.
So,
What did you hear dear friends? What will you do about it? How will it change
you?
Homily
Conclusion, Joan Chesterfield.
Who
are you dear friends of the Upper Room Community? You are the saints who are
being called upon to contribute to the evolution of the species says Pastor
Dawn. Saints fit for the task, as the 14th century Christian mystic, Julian of
Norwich insisted “We are not just made by God, we are made of God.
Thank
you for sharing your inspired words with us today as we remember and rejoice in
all the saints who have been a blessing to us and have revealed the LOVE that
IS God in each of us. May we continue to live fully, love extravagantly, and be
all that we were created to be.
Eucharistic
Prayer – Liturgy of Beatitudes
Presider: With open
hands let us pray our Eucharistic Prayer together:
All: O Holy One, the
first passion of Jesus was his passion for you and for justice so that all may reap the beauty and
bounty of Creation in equal measure. Jesus lived to incarnate your justice for
all the world according to your covenant with Israel. In solidarity with Jesus, and with all the faithful men and women who have gone before us, we
lift up our hearts and sing:
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!
Gift of love and peace!
Gift of love and peace!
Jesus Christ, Jesus our hope and light!
A flame of faith in our hearts!
A flame of faith in our hearts!
Proclaiming the day, shining throughout the night!
Alleluia, sing! Alleluia, sing! Alleluia
Sing by David Haas
All: Holy One, we celebrate the life
of your son and our brother, Jesus. He lived his life and walked forward to his
death knowing that you were leading him. We walk forward in his pathway and
follow his teaching.
We are standing in the right place with Jesus when we let go of money,
possessions, pride and privilege, to become vulnerable and open to you, to
accept poverty of spirit and reliance on you.
We are standing with You when we are compassionate for all human beings,
and when we extend empathy and love to everyone, especially the poor,
oppressed, and mournful. We remember all those who suffer and die each year
from war, poverty and unjust disease. We mourn for them, and for all creatures
we destroy, and for the earth itself.
We are blessed when we are gentle, nonviolent, courageous and humble, like
your saints. We pray to grow in awareness of our unity with all of creation and
co-create with You our earth as a sanctuary of peace.
We
rejoice, O Holy One, as we join the lineage of Your prophets of justice and
peace. We, Your daughters and sons, continue to work with Your grace as we arise
and walk forward in the footsteps of our peace-loving brother, Jesus.
Presiders stand at table
All: On the night before he died,
Jesus did more than ask us to remember him.
He showed us how to live in humility and generosity when he washed the
feet of his friends.
Presider 1 lifts bread
All: At the table, he took the Passover Bread, spoke the grace, 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)
Presider 2 lifts the cup
All: 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.
All:
Let us
share this bread and cup as we proclaim and live the gospel of peace through
justice.
Holy One, we trust You to continue to
share with us Your own Spirit, the Spirit that filled Jesus, for it is through
his life and teaching, his loving and healing that all honor and glory is Yours. Amen.
Presider: Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
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)
Prayer for the Breaking of Bread
Presider: Please join in the prayer for
the breaking of the bread.
Presiders break 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.
(Presiders hold up bread and wine)
Presider: 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.
Presider: 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 bread and the cup with the words: You are a spark of the Divine.
Communion Song: Standing on the Shoulders by Earth Mama
Deb, we Your community bless this shawl for
warming, comforting, enfolding and embracing you with our love.
May this mantle be a safe haven…
warming, comforting, enfolding and embracing you with our love.
May this mantle be a safe haven…
a sacred place of security and well-being…
sustaining and embracing in good times as well as difficult ones.
As you wear this shawl, may you be cradled in hope, kept in joy, graced with peace, and wrapped in love.11
Amen.
sustaining and embracing in good times as well as difficult ones.
As you wear this shawl, may you be cradled in hope, kept in joy, graced with peace, and wrapped in love.11
Amen.
Final Blessing
Presider: Let us raise our hands and bless each other.
All: May we be blessed with a
restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths, and superficial
relationships.
May we seek truth boldly and
love deeply.
May we continue to be the face
of the Holy One, and
May our names be a blessing in
our time.
Closing Song: Go Light Your World by Chris Rice
The Eucharistic Prayer is adapted from John Dear’s
Beatitudes for Peace by Mary Theresa Streck, ARCWP, and Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP.
Beatitudes for the 21st
Century by Jan Phillips
Blessed be the Earth
and those who tend her,
for she is the source
and sustenance of our lives.
Blessed be the
children who hunger for food, learning,
and homes that are
safe, for their future is shaped by our choices today.
Blessed be the
refuges fleeing the violence of war and poverty;
may they find
shelter, peace, and work that sustains them.
Blessed be those who
are calling for freedom, risking their lives, and resisting oppression, for
they are the shapers of a brighter world.
Blessed be the
persecuted and wrongly judged,
for their sorrow is
lessened only by mercy and kindness.
Blessed be the
prophets who speak and write of a world beyond war, for theirs are the words
becoming flesh.
Blessed be the
story-tellers, music-makers, and artists at life,
for they are the true
light of the world.
Blessed be the
tender-hearted who mourn and grieve the wars we’ve fought, the lives we’ve
lost; may peace ride in on the river of their tears.
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