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| MMOJ Meets for Liturgy today in Sun City |
The Election is over, Covid continues:
Hope, Challenges and Transformation
“We are God’s work of art created in Christ Jesus to do the
Good things God created us to do from the beginning”
Eph 2:10
All: Infinite God in whom I live and move and have my being (arms outstretched), Holy Spirit Sophia in every person and all Communities (hands in Namaste position, bowing to person across from you), Inner God, my brother Jesus: I am your light for the world (hands crossed over heart) Amen.
Presider: God lives within and through us touching all whom we meet and through what we do. All: And also, within you.
Opening Prayer:
Reader: Our Brother Jesus Christ taught “Keep asking and you will receive, keep looking and you will find; keep knocking and the door will be opened to you. For whoever asks, receives; whoever seeks, finds; whoever knocks is admitted.” We are gathered today in hope for transformation for ourselves and country. Be with us as we face our challenges with open hearts to receive your Wisdom for our future and the future of America. All:Amen.
Prayer for Transformation
(Prayer of the Christophers)
All: Holy Mystery, grant that I may be a bearer of Christ Jesus, your Son. Allow me to change the world for the better. Make me more energetic in setting right what I find wrong with the world, instead of complaining about it. Nourish in me a practical desire to build up rather than tear down, to reconcile instead of polarize, to go out on a limb rather than crave security. Never let me forget that it is far better to light one candle than to curse the darkness, and to join my light, one day, with yours. Amen
(With hand outstretched in blessing) All: I love you, I am sorry, please forgive me, Thank you.
See Sheet for Readings First, Psalm Response, Second, Third Reading,
Gospel reading
Shared Homily:
Profession of Faith.
ALL: We believe in one God, 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 God's Word, bringer of God's healing, heart of God's compassion, bright star in the firmament of God's prophets, mystics, and saints. We believe that we are called to follow Jesus as a Presence of God's love, a Source of God's wisdom and Truth, and God's peace in the world. We believe that God's kindom is here and now, stretched out all around us for those with eyes to see it, and hearts to receive it. We must be hope and courage and with our minds and hands participate in transformation of what is to Holy Mystery’s dream for our future. Amen.
Prayers of the People of God
Katy: In the Time of Covid and after our election we minister in solidarity with all who are suffering and will suffer. We ask you to inspire our lives and ministry going forward. Response: All: Sophia Spirit of God fall on us anew.
Reader: For our country as we face the present and future and its challenges to create a just and sustainable life for all our citizens. All:
Reader: We pray for our country and our work to establish a living income, health care and address human needs for all citizens and families. All:
Katy: For what else should we pray…
PREPARATION OF THE GIFTS
(lift up the bread and wine)
Reader: Blessed are you, O God, Creator of nations and communities This bread is your MMOJ community living with hope amidst the world’s Covid pandemic. Through your love, we have this bread to offer, may it become for us the Bread of Life. ALL: You are the Author of all Life; we give you thanks.
Reader: Blessed are you O God, this wine is our desire to “Love our neighbors as ourselves” making the necessary sacrifices so that others may live free from want. May this wine become for us Love, Energy for evolutionary change. ALL: You are the Author of all Life; we give you thanks.
All: Blessed are you, God of all life, through your goodness we have this bread and wine and our own lives to offer. Through this sacred meal may we find Your courage and strength to create a sustainable world with equality, justice, peace and free from Covid and any pandemic. Amen.
Eucharistic Prayer. All Sing: We are holy holy holy (x3) We are whole; You are holy holy holy (x3) You are whole; I am holy (x3) I am whole; We are holy holy holy (x3) We are whole.
Katy: Come Holy Spirit and settle on this bread and wine. We are the Body of Christ; nourishment for minds, bodies and souls for all in a suffering world.
Remembering Jesus.
(hand extended in blessing) ALL:
On the night before he died, Jesus came to the table with his family and the women and men he loved. Jesus took bread blessed and broke it, saying, “Take, eat, this is my body. Do this in memory of me.” (pause)
Then Jesus took a cup of wine and shared it with his family and friends, saying, “Take this all of you and drink. This is the cup of my life-blood. Do this in memory of me.”
All (2nd Invocation of Spirit, with hand outstretched) Come Holy Spirit to rest on us. Refreshed from our worship together and joined with Jesus’ may we extend your Love, Faith, Joy, Peace, and Hope to all whom we meet to create a just and sustainable world. Amen
Prayer of Jesus “Our Father and Mother…”
Song of Peace
All: Joy is flowing like a river, flowing out of you and me, flowing out into the desert, setting all the persons free. Peace is flowing...Hope is flowing…Alleluia
Litany for Breaking of Bread.
Reader: Loving God, you call us to speak truth to power. All: We will do so!
Reader: Loving God, you call us to live the Gospel of peace and justice. All: We will do so!
Reader: Loving God, you call us to be your presence in the world. All: We will do so!
Katy: Jesus came to liberate, heal and walk with all especially those who suffer. All are invited to partake of this banquet of love. All are invited to live in solidarity as the Heart and Hands of our Cosmic Christ blessing all whom we meet in the Time of Covid. All: In our families and our country we are the Body of Christ, to heal the suffering and to give Your hope and joy to all.
As you receive Communion
You may say, “I am the Body of Christ for the world”
Prayer after Communion
“Family Prayer”
Men: Holy mystery created us the People of God We need one another, we love one another, we forgive one another. We work together for peace, justice and equality. We play together in our communities.
Women: Together we live God’s word, together we grow in Christ our Brother, together we love all women and men, together we serve our God.
All: Together we hope and live for the kin-dom. These are our hope and ideals, help us to attain them, O God through Jesus Christ your Beloved Son. Amen
Prayers of Gratitude from those gathered
Final Blessing. All (hand extended over community):
May Sofia’s vision and joy companion you. May peace and hope fill your being, May Jesus who is Love hold you close as we re-dedicate our lives for justice, peace, and equality for all. May this be so.
Katy: Let us go in the peace, joy, and hope of our Brother Jesus Christ to continue to serve our community and country for transformation to the kin-dom of God. All: Thanks be to God.
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Readings for November 5, 2020
First Reading from “On Hope” by Pope Francis
Abraham (of the Exodus) believed and his faith opened him to a hope that appeared unreasonable; such hope is the ability to go beyond human reasoning, wisdom, and prudence of the world, beyond what is normally considered common sense to believe in the impossible.
Hope opens new horizons, making us capable of dreaming what is not even imaginable. This hope invites us to enter the darkness of an uncertain future and to walk through and into the light. It is beautiful, the virtue of hope; it gives us great strength to walk in life. We affirm these words of wisdom from Pope Francis. All: AMEN
Psalm 118, 19 Response:
All: “You are kind; your steadfast Love endures forever!”
Reader: We give thanks to You, O Beloved, for you are kind; your steadfast Love endures forever!
Response: You are kind…
Reader: Let every nation proclaim, “Your steadfast Love endures forever.”
Let all the people cry, “Your steadfast Love endures forever.” Let those who reverence You sing, “Your steadfast Love endures forever.”
Response: You are kind…
Reader: The law of Love is perfect, reviving souls, the testimony of Love is sure making wise the simple; the precepts of Love are right, rejoicing the heart; the authority of Love is pure, enlightening the eyes; the spirit of Love is glorious, enduring forever; The rites of Love are true, awakening compassion. (psalm 19)
Response: You are kind…
2nd Reading Wanda Russell ARCWP
Oct 17, 2020
I have been asking, what would Jesus do in this election atmosphere? Jesus would call us to do the best we can with the knowledge we have and our spiritual consciences. All my friends of differing opinions are really good people. That is why we are friends. We are to continue to love them just as we have been. Differences of opinions are not meant to separate us from our friends and neighbors any more than our loving Creator loves each of us more or less. Jesus just loves; no matter what. We are called to do the same. Jesus loves Trump and Biden equally. We are called to do the same with our Christian love. We are called to pray and vote. Vote to make our democracy filled with justice and patriotism. Vote to lift up our diplomacy and all the other resources we have to make all people created by God equal in all areas. We affirm these words of wisdom from Rev Wanda Russell All: AMEN
Our Gospel is taken from John 20:19-21
In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors were locked in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Temple Authorities.
Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Having said this, the savior showed them the marks of crucifixion.
The disciples were filled with joy when they saw Jesus, who said to them again, ”Peace be with you. As Abba God sent me, so I’m send you.”
This is the Good News of John and we affirm by saying All: Amen
Shared Homily
(not yet complete)
The story of Jesus is true, not simply for its historical veracity or its religious validity, but beyond that, the story of Jesus is a story of the truth of the world. The truth is that underneath the suffering, underneath the longing, underneath the desperation and despair, therein lies hope. That the testimony of John is true ought to give us hope. Hope enough to imagine a world that is brighter tomorrow than it is today. Hope to create new structures that support the flourishing of all instead of advancing the privilege of some. We must, alongside the audacity to live, have the audacity to hope. To prophetically declare, like John, that the Christ has arrived and is now among us. We must have the audacity to imagine a new world into being.
What tomorrow can you imagine?
What are challenges?
What, where is your hope?
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