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| Wise Women- Collection of Lee and Carol Ann Breyer |
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 shortly. So now, we
can 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 Magi have come and will soon leave after paying their respects to
Jesus. It is their presence that we
honor today, as they represent us. We
gather together on this, the feast of the Epiphany – the revelation of Emmanuel
to both the Jews (in the persons of Mary and Joseph) and the Gentiles (in the
astrologers from the East) – to celebrate that God has not only come among
us but has become one in us…in each and every one of us. And to start our blessed commemoration today,
let’s start with Mindy Simmons’ appropriate 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 may 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 be
continually conscious of your presence in each one of us as we live and act with
one another each day. We need your help
to faithfully understand Wisdom’s messages and, then, to receive the compassion
we need to live them. In doing so, may
we live more fully to your plan, as simply and clearly told to us in the
gospels of Jesus.
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 those of other genders, beliefs, nationalities and races … they are all
our brothers and sisters on our shared planet Earth. 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 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: Ephesians 3: 4-6 All: Thanks be to God.
Responsorial: Loving God, you are merciful; bless us and
our year ahead
Second
Reading: Numbers 6: 22-27 All: Thanks be to God.
Gospel
Acclamation: Alleluia (Celtic version)
Gospel:
Matthew 2: 1-12
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 sort-of “new year intentions…”
Profession
of Faith
All:
We believe in God, the Creator of the Universe, a divine mystery
beyond all definition and our 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 everywhere in the universe, and leads all of us to
the fullness of our humanity. Through the Incarnation, we have become a new
people, recipients of God’s 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, especially to those who are 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 world. 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 God, the Creator
of all that exists.
All: With hearts full of love, we give our
God thanks and praise.
Presider: And
we will do so in song…Glory
to God, glory, O praise God, Alleluia.
Glory to God, glory, O praise the name of our God. (2x)
Presider:
Let us show our gratitude to Jesus who shares with us his life-vision.
All: O Jesus, open our hearts to your
message to us through your words and examples while you were on the earth that
we shared.
Presider:
Let us show our gratitude to the Holy Spirit who is with 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, 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 again 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 die, 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, just as he will be
through the end of time.
All: (with
an outstretched arm, we pray the 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 our 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, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, all glory and
honor is yours, Creator God, forever and ever. (singing) Amen. (X
times).
Presider: And joining hands, let us sing the prayer
the Jesus taught us.
All (sung): 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
at 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. Everyone is 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; Music minister’s choice
Post-Communion
Meditation Blest Are They #629
vs. 1,3,4
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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