Category: Worship Resources

(Click on titles to view, and hear an audio clip of original songs, on the Music page)

Se all songs with tags for “Cross,” but especially these:

General

Behold the Lamb of God (Original song)

Behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
Come, let us follow, come let us follow
the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.


Kyrie – Six Versions (The traditional words set to six original tunes.)

Kyrie Eleison. Christe Eleison. Kyrie Eleison.
(“Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy.”)


Christ, In Your Pain (Original song)

Christ, in your pain for the word, we are healed.
May our hearts be yours.
Christ, in our pain for the word, we are one.
Grant your love to us.
Christ, in your pain for the word, we are saved.
May your hearts be ours.


God, Be Merciful to Me (Original song)

God, be merciful to me.
With empty hands and open,
I turn to you for mercy.


The Jesus Prayer (Original song)

Jesus, Beloved of God, have mercy on me, for I need you.


O Jesus, Wounded Sovereign (Tune: O Sacred Head Now Wounded)

Dear Jesus, you who suffer and walk among the poor
whose hearts and lives are broken, whose faith is still unsure:
despised, accused and battered, you do not say a word.
So powerless, yet loving!— you are my Sovereign Lord.

You bear no arms but loving, no threats nor flags unfurled.
You wear no kingly robes, but the sorrows of the world.
Yet your forgiveness conquers each worldly rule and reign,
and rises, whole, undaunted, from evil, death and pain.

While emperors abuse you, and people shrug or stare,
and dark injustice troubles the ones for whom you care,
your mighty grace arises, and hidden from our sight,
enfolds all living beings in your triumphant light.

O Jesus, wounded Sovereign, I pray, give me the nerve
without this world’s armor to love and bless and serve.
My master and companion, rule all eternity
with grace and deep compassion, and, Love, begin with me.

Communion

In Your Love (Tune: What Wondrous Love Is This)

Our thanks we give to you, holy God, Loving One.
All earth and heaven shine with your love.
You form us wonderfully, and love us faithfully,
and come and set us free by your love, by your love.
Hosanna, God on high, Loving One!

How blest is Christ, who comes in your name, in your love,
who blessed and taught and healed in your love.
In love your Christ has died, is risen at our side,
and will come to abide in your love, in your love,
and Christ will come again in your love.

Pour out your Spirit, God, on this bread, on this wine:
for they are Christ made real in your love.
Make us the Body, too, of Christ, now sent from you,
that we your will may do in your love, in your love.
We offer you our lives in your love.


This Is the Passover (Original Song)

This is the Passover you have desired to share
as you deliver us out of our slavery and fear.

This is the new living covenant sealed in your blood.
Grant that it may be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.

Stripped in our suffering of all but our need for your grace,
join us to you in your dying and rising, O Christ.

Come, Holy Spirit, and grant us new life in our Lord.
gather us into your Body, made new by your Word.


You Feed Us, Gentle Savior (Tune: O Sacred head Now Wounded)

You feed us, gentle savior, the bread that makes us whole,
the wine of your compassion poured out into our soul.
the food of your own presence, your spirit, strong, within,
the grace that heals us deeply and overcomes our sin.

You bind us, gentle savior, and weave us into one,
one flesh and blood, made holy, the Body of your Son.
We gather here in hunger, one hunger, all the same;
and with one grace you bless us together in his name.

You call us, gentle savior, and send us in your name.
You teach and heal and show us how we can do the same.
So strengthened by your Spirit and nourished by your grace,
we go to be your presence in love, in every place.

Foot-washing

At Your Feet (Original song)

Jesus, at your feet I bow.
I am yours completely now.
By your mercy show me how
to be loving.

Jesus, Master, you who save,
you have served me as a slave.
This, the perfect gift you gave:
to be loving.

In each hurting one I meet
it is you, O Christ, I greet.
Make my faithfulness complete,
to be loving.

The Cross

Oh, Jesus (Original song— an acapella solo)

Oh, Jesus, what have you done?
Carried my burdens, every one,
All of my sorrow, all of my sin,
Like a mother gathering her children in.
Now I’m left with nothin’ at all but love,
Nothin’ but your tender, tender love.

Oh, Jesus, what have I done?
Crucified my precious one.
I didn’t want to bear the pain or loss,
So I left you alone to carry the cross.
Now I’m left with nothin’ at all but love,
Nothin’ but your sufferin’, sufferin’, love.

Oh, Jesus, what will you do?
Forgive me like you always do.
With not a word of wrath or blame,
You died with love gently sayin’ my name.
Now I’m left with nothin’ at all but love,
Nothin’ but your precious, precious love.

Oh, Jesus, what will I do?
Give me the courage to follow you,
To give my love if I live or die,
And never again to crucify.
For I’m left with nothin’ at all but love,
Nothin’ but your dyin’, dyin’ love


Woeful Cross      (Original song)

Woeful cross, saddest wood, death in me of all that’s good,
I confess. Mother/Father, bless. Mercy.

Holy cross, mystery, love from fear of death set free.
Sin’s dark lie. Here I die. Mercy.

Gentle Christ on the cross, for our life your own life’s loss.
You forgive, and we live. Mercy.

Our own cross calling us to your love and gentleness:
may we live, as you give, mercy.



Your Healing Cross (Tune: The River Is Wide)

Dear gentle Christ, in love you died;
for us you wept, were crucified.
and, through your pain, the blood they drew,
we see the love that carried you.

And so for you, we gladly live,
our love, our hearts we freely give.
We neither fear despair nor death,
but trust your grace in every breath.

As one with you who died and rose,
we give our hearts and hands to those
who suffer need, or pain or loss;
in love we bear your healing cross.

A Palm/Passion Liturgy Based on Mark

This service is essentially a dramatic reading of the Palm procession and Passion story as a liturgy . The elements of worship are not in the usual liturgical order, but close. They’re arranged to fit the story line, so that it feels more like storytelling than liturgy.

You’ll see (MUSIC) in several places. They are all optional. They are not crucial to the flow of of the story, but they help, These may be congregational songs, choir anthems, instrumental pieces, vocal solos or other musical items. For many of them you’ll want brief interludes or responses such as a Kyrie. (See music suggestions at the end.)

The abrupt movement from the praise and confidence of the service of the Palms to the confession and stark, reflective mood of the service of the Passion describes the story of Jesus’ last days in Jerusalem as described in Scripture, and reflects the mystery that Jesus’ majesty and power are hidden in suffering and vulnerability. The congregation, and the sanctuary itself, become parts of the drama as we move from the festal procession to the tomb, confronting the awful reality of the cross. Our praise so quickly turns to sin, our confidence to betrayal. (Therefore the tradition is that the palms we wave today will be burned to provide the ashes for our Ash Wednesday worship next year.) Yet as the story of the Passion unfolds through the worship service, we hear the redemptive Word of God’s grace. Even in the darkness of crucifixion, we hear the promise of resurrection.

You’ll see (MUSIC) in several places. They are all optional. They are not crucial to the flow of of the story, but they help, These may be congregational songs, choir anthems, instrumental pieces, vocal solos or other musical items. For many of them you’ll want brief interludes or responses such as a Kyrie. (See music suggestions at the end.)

You can download this .zip file which contains:
1. Worship order to be printed or projected for the congregation
2. Complete Script
3. Pulpit script for readers

—————————————— The Palms ———————————————

PRELUDE

The Entry — Mark 11. 1-11
Reader: …. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed shouted:
Hosanna! Hosanna! Save us, we beseech you!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the coming of the kingdom of our ancestor, David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!

THE PROCESSION

(MUSIC)

CHILDREN’S TIME

THE PSALTER — Psalm 118

PRAYER OF THE DAY
We praise you and thank you, O God, for the great acts of love by which you have redeemed us through your son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Grant that we may ever hail him as ruler of our lives, and share in his obedience to your will, in joy and confidence. Blessed is the one who comes in your name! Peace on earth and glory in the highest! Grant us your salvation, we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

(MUSIC)

—————————————— The Passion ———————————————

The Anointing    — Mark 14. 1-9

SERMON
The Preparation — (Mark 14. 12-21)
Narrator— It was the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed. Jesus’ disciples came to him.
Congregation— Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover.
Jesus— Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, “The Teacher asks, ‘Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’” He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.
Congregation— So the disciples set out and went to the city, and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.
Narrator— When it was evening, Jesus came with the twelve. And when they had taken their places and were eating, Jesus spoke to them.
Jesus— Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.
Congregation— Surely, not I? Is it I, Lord? Am I the one?
Jesus— It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the bowl with me.

(MUSIC)

The Meal — Mark 14. 22-25

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER … THE LORD’S PRAYER

SHARING THE PEACE

SHARING THE HOLY MEAL

The Promise — (Mark. 14. 26-31)

Narrator— When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus— You will all become deserters; for it is written, “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.
Congregation— Even though all become deserters, I will not.
Jesus— Truly I tell you, this day, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times
Congregation— Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.

The Prayers Mark 14. 32-41

(MUSIC)

THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

(MUSIC)

The Arrest — Mark 14. 43-52

THE OFFERING

The Trial — Mark 14. 53-65

(MUSIC)

The Denial — Mark 14. 66-72

PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Merciful God, we confess that we have betrayed you. We are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned in thought, word and deed, by what we have done and what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbor as ourselves. By the grace of our gentle Christ Jesus, have mercy upon us, O God. Heal us, forgive us, renew us and lead us so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways by the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.
SILENT PRAYERS OF CONFESSION … THE WORD OF GRACE

(MUSIC)

The Sentence (Mark 15.1- 15; Isaiah 53.4-6; Romans 6. 3-11)

Narrator— As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.
Pilate—Are you the King of the Jews?
Jesus— You say so.
Narrator— Then the chief priests accused him of many things.
Pilate— Have you no answer? See how many charges they bring against you!
Narrator— Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed. Now at the festival he used to release a prisoner for them, anyone for whom they asked.  Now a man called Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection.
Congregation— Release for us a prisoner!
Pilate— Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?
Congregation— No, give us Barabbas!
Pilate— Then what do you wish me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?
Congregation—Crucify him!
Pilate— Why, what evil has he done?
Congregation— CRUCIFY HIM!
Narrator— So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.
Congregation— Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. We thought he was being punished by God, but he suffered because of our sins, and was wounded by the evil we did. We all like sheep have gone astray, each one of us turning to our own way, and he has borne the sin of us all.
Pastor— All of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death and buried with him. Our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. So consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

(MUSIC)

The Mocking — Mark 15.16-20

OLD TESTAMENT — Isaiah 50. 4-9

CANTICLE — Philippians 2. 5-11

The Crucifixion Mark 15. 21-24

(MUSIC)

The King of the Jews — Mark 15. 25-32

A LAMENT from Psalm 31

The Death — Mark 15. 33-39

THE STRIPPING OF THE ALTAR

The Burial — Mark 15. 40-47

[The service is ended. Go in silence.]

______________________________________

March 29, 2024

Lectionary Texts

Isaiah 52.13-53.12. “He was despised…he has borne our infirmities…he poured himself out to death.”

Psalm 22. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Hebrews 10.16-25. “I will put my: law in their hearts and remember their sins no more” Enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus… Provoke one another to love.

John 18.1-19.42. The Passion story

Preaching Thoughts

Isaiah
        The prophet speaks from the perspective of a belief that God is a character who punishes us, uses us, and in general intervenes in our lives more intrusively than I think is true. God is love, and love doesn’t “strike down” anybody. I see it that “we accounted him stricken, struck down by God.” He wasn’t—but we blame it on God. It was us, all right, not God, who treated him badly. This description is not just of Jesus—in fact it’s not about him at all, since it was written 500 years before Jesus came along. It’s about the sorrows of anyone who enters into the suffering of the world, because that’s what God does. Love bears the wounds of others, enters into their suffering, and accepts the lowest place— often despised, abused, blamed and condemned. This description might fit anyone in our society who is oppressed, but the servant of God, by being in solidarity with the oppressed, enters into this suffering willingly. And, significantly, the servant of God accepts suffering not just for piety’s sake, but to bring about justice, and does it nonviolently.

Psalm
        I’ve heard way to many preachers say when Jesus was crucified God looked away because God just couldn’t bear it. Baloney. God is not that fragile. Plenty of people suffer more deeply, for longer, than Jesus did, and God never looks away from us when we suffer. When Jesus cries out “Why have you forsaken me?” he’s not complaining that he’s been abandoned. He (or more likely the gospel writer) is quoting Palm 22, which identifies that awful feeling of absolute aloneness in the depths of our sufferings, but goes on to proclaim God’s loving, faithful presence even there: “God, you did not hide your face from me, but heard when I cried to you.” Jesus’ cry from the cross was not despair, but hope. And when we hear him cry out in this anguish, it tells us even God knows what it feels like to be abandoned by God. And God is with us even in our deepest aloneness.

John
        I don’t preach on Good Friday. I let the story tell itself. Especially if the story is not set up as God’s weird little scheme to get Jesus killed so God would have the magic key to save us (from God’s own punishment). What we see is the plight of someone caught up in a power system that’s threatened. Jesus is no different from every unjustly accused and imprisoned person, every victim of violence, abuse, discrimination, racism, sexism, heterosexism, or condemnation or exclusion of any kind. The victim is blamed. The system goes on. Power is maintained. When we see Jesus as the victim of human injustice, not just a pawn in God’s game, we see the enormity of both our sin and God’s forgiveness. The saving grace—what makes “Good Friday” so good—is not how much Jesus suffers (many people suffer more than that) but how deeply Jesus forgives. He forgives the very people who are torturing him to death! “By a perversion of justice he is taken away”—yet he endures it nonviolently, with love and mercy. We are saved from our fear of death, our fear of The Powers, even our fear of both God and our separation from God—for God will indeed be with us and for us even in the worst of our behavior. The key to a good Good Friday service is to embed this vision of nonviolent mercy in the early part of the service (if you’re going to preach, do it early)—and then let the story tell itself.

Call to Worship

1.
Loving One, we who cried “Hosanna”
are now shouting “Crucify!”
God, have mercy.
Christ in love bears the pain of our sin,
and yet forgives us.
Christ, have mercy.
Holy Spirit, be with us
as we behold the mystery of the cross.
God, have mercy.

2.
Gracious God, held in your love,
we come to witness the depth of the human struggle,
the great wound of being human,
the suffering of the world.
Held in your love, we come to the cross.
We come to touch our sorrow,
and that of all who mourn,
the broken heart of humanity.
Held in your love, we come to the cross.
We come to face the depth of our sin,
the reach of our violence,
the terror of our injustice.
Held in your love, we come to the cross.
And we come to behold your infinite love:
for in our evil you forgive;
in our loneliness you embrace us;
in our death you accompany us.
Held in your love, we come to the cross.
God have mercy, as we behold the mystery of your grace.

3.
Christ, our Savior, we come to witness.
Christ, our friend, we come to mourn
Christ, our victim, we come to repent.
Christ, our Savior, we come to worship.
Christ have mercy. God have mercy. Amen.

Opening Prayer

1.
God of love, look with mercy upon your beloved people, for whom Christ was willing to suffer. Delivered into our hands, he bore our sin in his body and our anguish in his soul. In him we behold the fullness of our human weakness and your divine grace, your vulnerability for us, your forgiveness, and your life-giving love. By your grace may we find healing, liberation from our sin, and new life in you, that we may walk in your ways, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to your eternal glory. Amen.

2.
God of grace, hold us in your love as we behold the mystery of the cross. Here in grace you touch our sorrows; you bear our wounds. Here in grace you accept our sin; you suffer our evil. Here in grace you accompany us in our loneliness; you share our death. And here in grace you meet injustice with mercy; you meet evil with healing; you meet fear with love; you meet death with life. God of grace, hold us in your love as we behold the mystery of the cross.

Other Prayers

1.
God of Truth, keep always in our minds your love for us, and our love for you. Deliver us from our fear of speaking out for justice and standing with those who are oppressed. Forgive us for tolerating injustice and wrong. Give us the strength to confront evil and to proclaim your grace, in the spirit of Christ. Amen.

2.
God of mercy, deliver us from our fear in which we judge others. We pray for all who are oppressed, imprisoned, persecuted or rejected. To you who have delivered us from slavery we pray for the faith and courage to work for justice and the freedom of your children, and to proclaim the good news of your grace. Amen.

3.
Jesus, Healer of so many hearts and spirits and bodies, on this day you do not claim your equality with God, but rather you choose to become vulnerable for us, vulnerable even to death, death on a cross. Even in our deepest shame and hurt you are present with us. Even in our death you offer us life. By this mystery set us free from fear and shame; set us free from sin and sorrow; set us free from the powers of evil. We pray for the sake of new life, in the name and the spieit of the crucified Christ. Amen.

4.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world.
Have mercy on us.
O Christ, in your humility, your struggle and your suffering,
give us courage, Beloved, and redeem the suffering of the poor.
In your weakness, rejection and humiliation, your crown of
thorns, your bitter death and your resting in the grave,
you accompany those who suffer, who are in sorrow or who are alone,
who face death or who know injustice.
In your steadfast love and forgiveness,
receive our sins, God, set us free, and grant us peace.
In your kindness in the face of evil,
give us trust in the power of love.
By the mystery of your grace in the face of violence,
show us your way, O Loving One.
Put to death all that is evil in us,
that we may never judge, blame or harm your children;
that we may resist evil, injustice and oppression
in whatever forms they present themselves;
that we may bear your love to the world.
Grant that we may die with Christ; and raise us to new life.
Into your hands we commit our spirit.
We pray for your holy Church, the Body of Christ.
Impart to us the Spirit of gentleness and peace,
the Spirit of compassion and forgiveness,
the Spirit of justice and freedom for all.
By the grace of the crucified Christ, may we learn your way of love.
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

5.
O Christ, give us faith to trust your presence in our struggles.
Give us grace to face our trials with love and courage.
O Christ, in your humility, your struggle and your suffering,
give comfort and healing to all who suffer.
We pray for all who are afflicted in body, mind or spirit.
For the hungry, the homeless, the destitute and the poor.
For the sick, and those who struggle with addiction.
For those in loneliness, fear and anguish.
For those who face temptation, doubt or despair.
For relationships that are strained and spirits that are broken.
For the sorrowful and bereaved, and all who experience loss.
For all who are oppressed, abused, or exploited.
For prisoners, and those who face cruelty, torture or execution.
For refugees, immigrants and all victims of war.
We pray for all who exercise power in the world.
We pray that your Empire of Grace may prevail
over the empires of privilege, exclusion and violence.
In your mercy, God, comfort and heal your Beloved children.
In Christ on the cross you are present with them.
Grant all your beloved people trust in your love,
and stir up in us the grace to minister to their needs.

Listening Prayer

(suitable as a Collect, preparation for hearing scriptures, or invitation to prayer)

Christ,
nailed to the cross of my heart,
I behold your love.

Readings

1. Dramatization of John 18.38 – 19.16

Pilate went out to the people again and told them, “I find no case against him. But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?”
People: Not this man, but Barabbas!
Now Barabbas was a bandit. Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. They kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face. Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”
Crucify him! Crucify him!
Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.”
We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.
Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the people cried out.
If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.
Pilate brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the people, “Here is your King!”
Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!
Shall I crucify your King?
We have no king but the emperor.
Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.

2. Adapted from Psalm 31
In you, O God I seek refuge
Into your hands I commend my spirit, O God.
Into your hands I commit my life.
You are my safety, my freedom. Save me from the traps that ensnare me.
In your mercy rescue me,
for you are my strength and have the power to raise me up!
For all my enemies I am an object of reproach,
a laughingstock to my neighbors, and a dread to my friends.
I have become like a broken vessel.
Into your hands I commend my spirit, O God.
Into your hands I commit my life.
I hear the voices around me whispering of my plight –
fears rise up on every side!
Loneliness surrounds me; I fear it will overwhelm me.
Still I trust in You, O Loving God. I repeat, “You are my Life.”
My life is in your hands; deliver me from the clutches of my enemies.
Let your face shine on me, your servant; deliver me in your kindness.
People, be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in God.
Into your hands I commend my spirit, O God.
Into your hands I commit my life.

Suggested Songs

(Click on titles to view, and hear an audio clip, on the Music page)


Kyrie – Six Versions (The traditional words set to six original tunes.)

Kyrie Eleison. Christe Eleison. Kyrie Eleison.
(“Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord haver mercy.”)


Behold the Lamb of God (Original song)

Behold the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
Come, let us follow, come let us follow
the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.


O Jesus, Wounded Sovereign (Tune: O Sacred Head Now Wounded)

Dear Jesus, you who suffer and walk among the poor
whose hearts and lives are broken, whose faith is still unsure:
despised, accused and battered, you do not say a word.
So powerless, yet loving!— you are my Sovereign Lord.

You bear no arms but loving, no threats nor flags unfurled.
You wear no kingly robes, but the sorrows of the world.
Yet your forgiveness conquers each worldly rule and reign,
and rises, whole, undaunted, from evil, death and pain.

While emperors abuse you, and people shrug or stare,
and dark injustice troubles the ones for whom you care,
your mighty grace arises, and hidden from our sight,
enfolds all living beings in your triumphant light.

O Jesus, wounded Sovereign, I pray, give me the nerve
without this world’s armor to love and bless and serve.
My master and companion, rule all eternity
with grace and deep compassion, and, Love, begin with me.


Oh, Jesus (Original song— an acapella solo)

Oh, Jesus, what have you done?
Carried my burdens, every one,
All of my sorrow, all of my sin,
Like a mother gathering her children in.
Now I’m left with nothin’ at all but love,
Nothin’ but your tender, tender love.

Oh, Jesus, what have I done?
Crucified my precious one.
I didn’t want to bear the pain or loss,
So I left you alone to carry the cross.
Now I’m left with nothin’ at all but love,
Nothin’ but your sufferin’, sufferin’, love.

Oh, Jesus, what will you do?
Forgive me like you always do.
With not a word of wrath or blame,
You died with love gently sayin’ my name.
Now I’m left with nothin’ at all but love,
Nothin’ but your precious, precious love.

Oh, Jesus, what will I do?
Give me the courage to follow you,
To give my love if I live or die,
And never again to crucify.
For I’m left with nothin’ at all but love,
Nothin’ but your dyin’, dyin’ love


Woeful Cross (Original song)

Woeful cross, saddest wood, death in me of all that’s good,
I confess. Mother/Father, bless. Mercy.

Holy cross, mystery, love from fear of death set free.
Sin’s dark lie. Here I die. Mercy.

Gentle Christ on the cross, for our life your own life’s loss.
You forgive, and we live. Mercy.

Our own cross calling us to your love and gentleness:
may we live, as you give, mercy.

A paraphrase

1.
Holy One, you know me from inside me.
          You know me in my doing
          and in my pure Being.
                     My thoughts are transparent to you.

You are my travels and changes,
          and what in me simply is, unchanging.
                    You have shared every step, every breath.

Before my mouth forms a word,
           before my mind forms the thought,
                     you see it, you feel it, you know it.

You enclose me, my atmosphere, my body;
           you precede me, and I echo in you.
                     I live inside your embrace.

This is too wonderful for me to comprehend.
           There’s no way I can take it all in.

                               •
7.
Where can I go that is not You?
           Where are you not present?

In the place of wonder and glory, there you are.
           In the place of abandonment and despair,
                     there you are.

If I try to be free of you
           and flee far away from you,
even there you accompany me;
           you hold me in your arms.

If I hide inside myself,
           buried in depression, wholly lost,
you see right through, clear as day:
           in you everything is translucent.

                               •
13.
My mother, my womb, my artist,
           you handcrafted my soul and my cells—
                     wonder! awe! Gratitude!
Grandmother, you knitted me so thoughtfully,
           every stitch a prayer.
The way you made me, I am your praise,
           your masterpiece,
                     the work of your genius.

You intended me,
           you created my inner being,
                     intricately wove me in the depths of the earth.

                               •
16.
You see clearly
           what is only yet becoming in me.
Your love already has a hold
           on all that will ever become of me
                     before it unfolds.

I want to be continually mindful
           of your wonderfulness in all things.
Your thoughts are beyond mine:
           rational thought can’t behold you:
                     only wonder.
Beyond all thoughts and words
          you are simply present.

                               •
19
O Love, set me free from what is not love.
          May I love that which sets me free.

Free me from all bitterness,
           my desire to control,
                     my desire to get my own way.
Purify my love, O Love,
           and my courage to stay faithful
                     in the face of resistance.

Examine me, O Truth, and know me from inside.
           Expose my true thoughts.
Confront everything that strangles my love
                     and set me free to live in the Way of Life.

A paraphrase

Creation sings the glory of God;
            the galaxies utter their prayers daily.
Each day is a word of God’s story;
             each night discloses the truth.
Oh, they don’t talk with words,
             their only language is silence.
But their message saturates the world,
             and sings out to the edge of the universe.

God has set the sun at home in this world,
             and every day it comes to marry us,
             comes to dance with vigor and grace.
It comes to our world from another,
             and fills the earth with its light,
no one is left out
             from its divine, life-giving warmth.

God’s love is all that we need;
             it restarts our hearts.
God’s wisdom is as sure as gravity;
             it sustains even the unwise.
God’s ways are pure beauty,
             delighting the soul.
God’s desire allures us,
             enlightens our eyes.

Live in wonder and awe and you become holy;
             you slip into the eternal.
The voice of God is What Is;
             pay attention and you truly live.
Throw away money for this kind of wisdom,
             even what you actually need.
Abandon all your loves for this Love,
             your favorite things, your most precious.

God, your love portrays me better than I;
             when I listen I become myself.
But who can see themselves clearly?
             Save me from my hidden faults.
Cut me loose from my attachment to myself.
             Set me free from my fears.
Help me live as a servant to life,
             not hurting or destroying.

God, may all my thoughts and words and actions
             be in harmony with your delight—
my Lifeboat, my Lover,
             my Life.

Some people want to post the Ten Commandments on courthouse walls because “this is a Christian nation.” But wait— if we were under Old Testament commandments, wouldn’t that make this a Jewish nation? I mean, Christians don’t have Ten Commandments: we have one: to love others as Christ has loved us.

If this were a “Christian nation” one might reasonably expect that some of Jesus’ teachings would have distinctly shaped the founding, history or character of America. What would that be? “Love your enemies?” “Blessed are the meek?” “Do not judge?” “You must become as a child?” “Sell all you have and give to the poor?” “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me?” Hmm. How about Jesus’ practices: feeding the hungry? Healing the sick, practicing extravagant forgiveness, associating with the lowly, or trusting in God’s abundant grace rather than our own effort? I don’t see anything distinctly Jesus-like about America. And hanging the Ten Commandments on the wall won’t change that.

But really, why bother? Of the ten commandments, we actually believe in just two: only murder and stealing are actually illegal; the other eight we don’t even believe in anyway! Idolatry, false witness, taking the Lord’s name in vain, Sabbath, coveting—who are we kidding?—breaking these commandments is part of our social and economic system!

But all this is beside the point. Sacred as they are, the Ten Commandments are not for the purpose of making people change. Listen: we have got to stop expecting other people to live out our faith by obeying our religious principles. We have to do the whole thing ourselves.

The Ten Commandments aren’t meant as a secular legal code like the speed limit that everybody ought to follow, for two reasons. One is that God’s laws aren’t rules or obligations: they’re descriptions of The Way Things Are, like the law of gravity or the laws of nature. God’s law is love. The Ten Commandments are descriptions of life lived in love. Further, they’re not universal obligations; they’re a religious practice, that sets us apart among all peoples, that makes us different. They’re the Jewish equivalent of the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. They do not apply to the whole pluralistic world, but to the people of Israel. The thing is, they are not a legal document; they’re a marriage vow. The context in which they are given is not a legal framework, but a relationship: “I am your God, who brought you out of slavery.” They express how we will be faithful to the One who has given us life and set us free. I don’t post my marriage vows publicly. They’re not for others to obey; they’re for me, in my marriage with Beth. Similarly, the Ten Commandments don’t apply to others. They apply to us who have entered into God’s Covenant, who want to be close to God.

The commandments—both the ten and the one—are not rules: they’re a way to be faithful. Like marriage vows, they’re not something God imposes upon us, and certainly nothing we can impose on others, but a natural outflowing of our heartfelt commitment to what we care most deeply about. A rich, faithful marriage requires that we at least avoid adultery, murder, coveting, false witness and all that. But following the rules won’t create a loving relationship; it can only describe its outlines. We don’t follow God’s commandments because we “have” to. We do it because we want to stay close to God. We do it out of love.

But of course there are times when our fear threatens to overtake our love and what’s in our heart does not lead us toward God. In those times the rules do give us a starting place. They don’t make us love, but they keep us constrained in a place where we can learn to love. Obedience invites us to grow beyond acquiescence to passion.

This is why the prophets pleaded that instead of inscribing the commandments on our walls, we write them on our hearts. Rather than merely obeying the Ten Commandments, what might it be like for you to really write them on your heart, to live them, to honor the spirit and not just the letter of the law? What if they were the outpouring of your love, or at least your desire to learn to love? What if you didn’t just obey them, but practice them, more deeply every day? It’s something God would love to see.

So her are some variations on the Ten Commandments, some alternative ways of receiving and practicing them.

The Ten Truths of Moses

I All is One. There is only one thing, One Being. Don’t settle for anything less than The One. Have no other gods.

II The Beloved is greater than your knowing. Let go of your understanding of reality and simply behold it. Let go of your image of the Beloved and just love. Have no graven image.

III You can love God, but not use God. God is beyond your controlling or defining. “Don’t use God’s name.”

IV Life is a gift. (Let go. Stop playing God. Even God does not play God. Be nothing, powerless and empty-handed. Let God be God. Take time to stop doing and be. “Honor the Sabbath.”)

V You belong. You receive great gifts from those who have come before you, and who surround you, and all the living beings who provide for you, simply because you are here. Show gratitude. Honor your elders.

VI Life is sacred. Life itself is the presence of the Holy One. Do what gives life. Refrain from all that diminishes life. Do not kill.

VII The heart of life is faithful love. God is faithful. All of life is a Covenant. Be faithful. Don’t commit adultery.

VIII We are all in this together. Possession is an illusion. Resist the temptation to think of yourself as separate from others, or of others as a resource, or yourself as more deserving than they. Seek to bless others rather than to take anything from them. See to it that all have what they need. Don’t steal.

IX Illusion is powerful, but truthfulness is more so. To free yourself from the power of illusion, be truthful in all things. Don’t bear false witness.

X You are a source, not an end point. Relinquish possessiveness. Let go of things. Be giving instead of grasping. Share. Don’t covet.

The Ten Promises

And God spoke all these words:

I am Love, your God, who set you free. I never give you less than freedom.

I exceed your imagining.

I am too great to manipulate or control.

I give you time and space to simply be yourself.

I surround you with unconditional love and faithfulness.

I only give life, not take it.

I am faithful.

I give and do not hold back.

I reveal What Is to you.

I desire only your blessing, not for my sake, but for yours.

The Ten Do’s

Some think of the Ten Commandments
as the “Thou Shalt Nots,”
the Big Ten Don’ts.
“Don’t do this, don’t do that.”
But they’re not so negative;
they’re the way we practice faithfulness.
They’re the Ten Do’s.

1. Give your life to the One who gives life and sets you free.
2. Trust that God is greater than you can imagine.
3. Let God use you, not the other way around.
4. Take time to let yourself be, without having to do.
5. Honor the world you belong to.
6. Practice anti-violence.
7. Be faithful, and help others to do so.
8. Set your heart on sharing.
9. Be truthful.
10. Practice gratitude for all you have.

The Ten Intentions

Be mindful of God in all things; seek God and not something else.
God is mystery; beware of thinking that you understand.
Resist the urge to use God.
Trust God’s grace, not your own deserving.
Be mindful to honor those who have loved you.
Commit to nonviolence.
Honor your friends and your covenants, and especially your marriage.
Shun acquisitiveness. Let go of possessing things; renounce and enjoy.
Be truthful in all things.
Refuse to gain at other’s expense.

Praying the Ten Commandments

I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me.

         Holy One, you who set me free,
         I have no love deeper than you,
         nor is there anything I turn to instead of you.


You shall not make for yourself an idol.

         Knowing that you are mystery,
         I hold all my understandings of you lightly,
         lest they become more real to me than you.

You shall not make wrongful use of the name of Yahweh your God.

         I love you and will not use you:
         I will not attempt to to claim your power
         or use my relationship with you to my advantage.

Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy.

         I practice presence in the moment,
         trusting in your grace alone, not my deserving,
         content in being, not doing, fully mindful of you.

Honor your father and your mother

         Shaped by a community of faith,
         I honor all those who have gone ahead of me
         creating a path of blessing that I may follow.

You shall not murder.

         I extend kindness and compassion to all living beings
         and will do nothing to diminish
         the life or well-being of another.

You shall not commit adultery.

         Grateful for your covenant of steadfast love,
         I will live in faithful relationships with all,
         and honor those who trust in me.

You shall not steal.

         Knowing all I have is yours, I give freely and generously;
         I will not take or keep unjustly from others,
         or satisfy myself at another’s expense.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

         I will speak the truth in love,
         humbly honoring and respecting others,
         and speaking of them only as their belovedness warrants.

You shall not covet.

         I release myself from my desires,
         from the illusion that I want what others have,
         and instead find delight in what is.

February 18, 2024

Lectionary Texts

Genesis 9. 8-17. The covenant of the rainbow after the flood.

Psalm 25. 1-10. Make me to know your ways; teach me your paths….Be mindful of your mercy…

1 Peter 3. 18-22. Christ suffered to bring you to God. Baptism saves you as an appeal to God through the resurrection.

Mark 1. 9-15. Jesus is baptized and is driven by the Spirit into the wilderness where he is tempted. He then begins his ministry.

Preaching Thoughts

Today’s texts invite us into the Lenten journey with Jesus. Rooted in God’s Covenant, seen in the rainbow and in baptism, we confront our temptations so that we can more faithfully walk in God’s ways.

Genesis
       The covenant of the rainbow promises that God will not respond to our sin by destroying us. Note that it’s a covenant with all Creation, not just humans. And it’s manifested to us in Creation, in a rainbow. God tells us to repent but we won’t change. In response, God changes: God says, “I’ve changed my mind. I will no longer do that flood thing.” It”s an inherent admission that we’ll always be sinful, and that we need something other than final punishment to deal with that.

Psalm
     This is the prayer of Lent: we pray for the gift of God’s grace, for trust in that grace, and for discernment of God’s leading in our lives: “show me your ways.”

1 Peter
       We can stand before God without shame—not because of our own faithfulness, but God’s. This good news is for everyone, even people who don’t know Christ. The water of baptism reminds us that we‘ve been saved like Noah and his family. Lent is a baptismal journey of dying (drowning) and rising with Christ.

Mark
       Mark is always in a hurry, like a 30-minute TV episode. The resurrection takes three days; everything else happens “immediately.” So it may be just Mark’s breathless style—but there’s little that accidental in Mark, so maybe it’s significant that Jesus’ baptism is tied to his wilderness sojourn, as if they’re part of one story. Baptism is a journey of death and resurrection. We let our little isolated self-contained “self” die, and allow God to give us a new life—life in God, as part of God, a member of the Body of Christ. As a baby leaves the water of the womb, passes through the birth canal and enters into life, Israel left Egypt, passed through the Red Sea to freedom and entered into the wilderness wanderings for 40 years. Echoing that, Jesus rises from the baptismal waters greeted as if newborn by God as “my son, the Beloved,” and enters into the wilderness for 40 days. Entering the waters and rising from them changed is a movement that is echoed in our entering into bondage and becoming free, Jesus’ journey into the desert and his return, and the journey (both his and ours) toward the cross and through it to the resurrection. Baptism invites us into the Lenten journey of death-and-resurrection, the journey from the waters (still waters, green pastures?) to the waterless places (the valley of the shadow of death?) and back to a place of life (a table set in the house of God?). We let our old self die and we emerge re-born as new people. Lent is not just the journey toward the cross: that’s the way-station. The journey is actually toward Easter.
       The Holy Spirit may manifest as a gentle nudge; it may also be a mighty force: Mark says the Spirit “drove” Jesus into the wilderness. Jesus doesn’t go off to seminary to study books in preparation for his ministry; instead he goes of to study himself. He examines his own temptations—his desires, his habits, his human nature that automatically considers himself to be separate from God. Mark doesn’t enumerate the temptations like Matthew and Luke do, but my guess is that in real life Jesus had more than three.
      Jesus’ sojourn in the wilderness is a journey of clarifying his purpose and strengthening his will. It’s also a journey of self-awareness. What Jesus is doing is confronting his shadow side. Our shadow is the unlived portion of our psyche, the stuff we ignore or even repress. Unchecked, those unconscious energies have a lot of power. Our inner demons can get control of us, and we do hurtful things. We can get the upper hand only when we face them. Our spiritual life is rooted in our unconscious, beneath our rational awareness and beyond our conscious control. Aspects of our shadow are neither harmful nor healthy, but it’s always unhealthy (unwhole) to repress them instead of engaging them, bringing them into consciousness. Then we can give the healthy ones energy and divert the energy of the destructive ones. I can imagine Jesus’ shadow might include stuff like anger, an urge toward violence and control, and greed. Matthew and Luke’s story suggest Jesus has issues around control (turn stones to bread), security (leap from on high unharmed) possessiveness, and popularity (all the realms of the world!). Jesus doesn’t deny these energies; he diverts them into desire for God alone. This is the heart of repentance: not just to feel bad about our sin but the transformation of our desires, to redirect our hunger toward God. Our shadow side may also include some really good stuff. It may be a talent, energy, or spiritual gift that we’re afraid of, or that others have criticized in us. So men deny their femininity so not to be ridiculed; girls and women learn not to appear too smart or powerful so not to threaten men. Facing our shadow sometimes means claiming something wonderful in us we’ve repressed or maybe even never imagined. A bit that Mark doesn’t tell about but Matthew and Luke do is the suggestion that Jesus works out that it’s OK to be the Son of God.
       So: facing our temptations can be empowering! For some folks the kind of work we do when we fast or “give something up for Lent” has an air of unpleasantness about it. But it’s not like doomscrolling. It’s actually the doorway to delight. We’re getting the junk out of the way so we can really, deeply be who we are created to be, and receive and revel in God’s grace. Confession and repentance isn’t a downer; it’s a gift!
       Temptations are not the work of some “devil” who sneaks around trying to get us to do bad stuff. Nobody needs to do that; we do fine on our own. Our temptations are our desire for life, misdirected. As hunger for life, they’re actually good. But they’re harmful in their misdirection. We seek what we think of as love or life in all the wrong places. It’s not because we’re bad, but because we’re human. We’re self-conscious, which naturally leads us to assume our “self” is separate from God—when in fact we’re part of God, “in Christ,” “in the Spirit,” members of the Body of Christ. Temptations are our natural desire to protect and serve ourselves instead of trusting we belong to God, and seeking love and life in all sorts of places (“false gods”) instead of God. We are created to be in harmony with God. Because of our sin, our self-centeredness and self-preoccupation, we’re out of tune. Temptation is the desire to “do it my way,” to sing our own note regardless of what God is singing. Repentance is the work of tuning up. And any good singer will tell you, you always have to tune up. You have to listen to God, and sing with God, not sing your own note. In the wilderness Jesus is tuning up, listening to God and putting his life and his heart in harmony with God. It’s not because Jesus is pure and sinless, but because he faces his human nature honestly, that he is so close to God.
      Mark has this wonderful detail: “the wild beasts were with him.” The image has multiple dimensions. There’s something scary about it: when we’re in the grip of our temptations, our natural self-centeredness, we can be wild beasts. We can be self-serving and hurtful. I can remember times when my wild beasts were particularly with me. But there’s also something comforting about it: Jesus is in tune with all the Creator and with all Creation; he’s even at peace with the wild animals, who like to hang around him. And it suggests Jesus is with us in our own wildernesses, our wild places, the places in our lives that are untamed, scary, unknown, “uncharted territory.” And there’s something poignant about it. Among the “wild beasts” Jesus is on the outskirts of human culture. He will be an outcast, considered a wild beast by the powers that be—and indeed he will not be tamed by the System. For that independence, despite crowds that want to follow him at times, he will be on the outside of society for much of his ministry. “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Mt. 8.20).
       And there’s this little glorious tidbit: “angels waited upon him.” Even in our deepest plunge into our own darkest sinner secrets we are not on our own. We need not rely on our own strength or wisdom. God attends. When I was little we had some family friends with a swimming pool. To clean the pool Don wold put on an old bronze diving helmet—a big old round thing with windows that sat on this shoulders, just like in the cartoons. It was connected by a garden hose to an air pump operated by a broom handle. Caroline, his wife, would sit in a deck chair reading a book, pumping the broom handle back and forth, and Don would descend down into the depths. Even if the water got all murky as he scrubbed, even if he disappeared in the green and was down there for a long time, he was fine down there, even in the deepest part, as long as she pumped. Sometimes we need someone to pump air for us so we can go down into the murky depths, someone to hold us in their heart as we do the hard inner work. Sometimes we’re called to do that for each other. But even when it seems no one is around, no one pumping air for us, angels wait on us.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: God of our solitude, we worship you.
All: God of our temptations, we cry out to you.
Christ, our companion we look to you.
Holy Spirit, our hope, help us worship.
Help us love. Help us live.

2.
Leader: Creator God, you made us from the dust of the earth.
All: You breathe your Spirit into us, and it gives us life.
Loving Christ, you walk with us on the dusty roads of our human frailty.
You give us courage to face our shadows, and it gives us hope.
Holy Spirit, you drove Jesus into the wilderness.
You draw us into our lives, and it gives us gratitude.
We worship you. We trust you. We follow you into the desert.
Bless us, that we may repent and believe the good news. Amen.

3.
Leader: We gather to worship, God, because we love you.
All: We worship you because we need you.
Come with us into our wildernesses.
Accompany us into the shadowed places,
the unseen, the deserted places.
Walk with us, as we learn to walk with Jesus.
Help us to find the green, growing places.
Lead us to the springs of life. Amen.

4.
Leader: God of the desert, come with us.
All: Good shepherd, lead us from the still waters
through the valley of the shadow of death.
God of life, give us new birth in the waters of your grace.
Guide us through the birth canal and all its challenges
to new life, life in you.
Jesus, walk with us through the desert.
Accompany us to the cross,
and to resurrection as new people, in your Spirit. Amen.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Gentle God, Jesus went into the wilderness to face his shadow side. Accompany us into the darkness of our own souls; come and heal us, shed some light, and lead us to wholeness of life. Amen.

2.
God of grace, your Spirit led Jesus out into the desert to pray, to face his temptations, and to be made new. Lead us by your Spirit, speak to us your Word, and help us to see ourselves honestly, that we may repent and be made new by your grace. Amen.

3.
Loving God, you establish your Covenant with us, and you are gracious and merciful, abounding in steadfast love. But we struggle to be faithful. Lead us with Jesus into the wilderness to confront our demons, to look into our shadows, and to find blessing. In your Word, by your Spirit, in the company of Christ, lead us to life. Amen.

4.
Gentle God, your Spirit led Jesus in the wilderness for forty days, where he wrestled with his temptations and found a deeper way to you. Bless us that we may enter that wilderness where we are alone with you. Grant us the grace to face our temptations, to repent of our sin, and to undergo the transformation of our desires, by the leading of your Spirit. e pray in the name and in the presence of Christ. Amen.

Listening Prayer

(suitable as a Collect, preparation for hearing scriptures, or invitation to prayer)

In the wilderness of silence,
fasting from our busy thoughts,
hungry for your grace,
we listen for your Word,
soft as a desert wind,
the breath of life.

Prayer of Confession

1.
Pastor: The grace of God be with you.
All: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
Most merciful God, we confess that our love is wounded.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
But your love is perfect.
And so we open ourselves to your love:
to receive your forgiveness,
and to be transformed by your grace,
so that our repentance may be love overflowing
to you, to all people, and to the ends of Creation. Amen.
           Silent prayer… The word of grace

2.
Pastor: The grace of God is with you.
All: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
Gracious God, Fountain of Life,
we confess to you the deserts of our lives,
the dry places… barren places… rough places.
Go with us into our wilderness.
Show us the way.
Lead us to living waters.
       Silent prayer…
Dearly Beloved, God turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
The paths of righteousness
lead through the valley of the shadow of death
to the table of God.
Take heart, for in the grace we see in Christ
God forgives all your sin,
heals your fears, and sets you free
to live by the guidance of the Holy Spirit,
now and forever.
Amen.

3.
The grace of God be with you.
And also with you.
As Jesus went into the wilderness to confront his sin and to be transformed by God, so let us confess our sin and open our hearts to the grace of God.
Merciful God, we confess that we have not lived according to your will, but by our own fears and desires. We have not loved you with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, nor have we loved our neighbors as ourselves. By your grace, forgive our sins, heal our fears, and transform our desires. Make us new Creations, in the spirit of Christ. Amen.

4.
God of love, help us to see ourselves with the eyes of love,to see all that is in us that is loving, and all that is not loving.By the grace that we know in Christ, receive us, forgive us, heal us, and perfect your love in us.

Readings

Psalm 25, a paraphrase.         (Ps. 25.1-7, 16-18, 22)

To you, O Holy One, I give myself;
          I pour my soul into yours.
I am as safe as a star
          shining in your sky;
the destroyers of my life
          can never reach me.
Sitting with you in stillness I fill with glory.
          Those who would assault me leap
          and fall into an abyss.

Beloved, you are my truth; lead me.
          You are my path; take me.
Be my mind, my heart, my will;
          for you alone are my life.
You are all I wait for;
          every moment is an opening to you.

Heavenly Lover, your whole heart is mercy;
          your will is steadfast love:
source of the world, it has never failed
          in all of time or before it.

You see me not through my sins,
          but through your steady love.
You are free from my past,
          steadfastly faithful to your goodness.

I am alone in the room of my affliction,
          yet you are present within me;
your grace breathes beneath my troubles
          and bears me out of this narrow place.
You know the corpse in me.
          Bring it to life.

You save us, O God,
          in all our troubles.

Eucharistic Prayer

See Eucharistic Responses for eleven musical versions: the Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation and Amen set to familiar hymn tunes.

[After the introduction, the body of the prayer may be read responsively with the presiding leader(s) and congregation, or by the leader(s) alone.]

God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.
We thank you, God, for you create us as the image of your love.
When we obscure that image, you restore us with love.
You make covenant to be our God.
When we break the covenant, you restore us with grace.
You set us free to live by the guiding and power of your Spirit.
When we are enslaved, you set us free again.
So with all Creation we praise you, singing with one voice.

            [Sanctus, spoken or sung:]
        Holy, holy, holy One, God of power and might,
        heaven and earth are full of your glory.
        Hosanna in the highest.
        Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
        Hosanna in the highest.
               [or alternate]


Blessed are all who come in your name, and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He healed and taught with love. He confronted the powers of injustice.
In the desert he faced his temptations. In his ministry he acknowledged his shadow.
In his love he gave of his life, and you raised him from the dead. [The Blessing and Covenant…]

Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.”
As often as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection until he comes again.
Remembering these, your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving
as a living and holy sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of our faith:

             [Memorial Acclamation, spoken or sung:]
        Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
                     —or—
        Dying, Christ destroyed our death. Rising, Christ restores our life.
        Christ will come again in glory.
             [or alternative]
         Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ.
Set us free from all that binds us and that distorts our love,
so that with Jesus we might bring good news to this world,
in his name, and in the Spirit of your love.

                [Spoken or sung:]
Amen.

____________
* The Blessing and Covenant
[I usually don’t print the words. I want people to be looking at the bread, not their bulletins.]

On the night in which he gave himself for us
Jesus took bread, blessed it,. broke it, and gave it to his disciples,saying,
“Take and eat; this is my body.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup,
blessed it with thanks and gave it to them, saying,
“Drink of this, all of you. This is my blood,
poured out for you and for many, in a new Covenant,
which is the forgiveness of sin.”
As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]
1.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) We have feasted on your love. Transform our hungers, redirect our desires and purify our love for you and for others, for te sake of the healing of the world, in the name and Spirit of Christ. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) Lead us by your Spirit in this Lenten season to repent in hope, to serve you in faith, and to die and rise with Christ. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) Even in our brokenness, you sustain us, and angels wait upon us. Send us into the world, strengthened by your Word and trusting in your love, to do your will, for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

4.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) Bless us that strengthened by this grace we may turn toward life, and serve you always. Send us into the world now, to share the bread of life with those who hunger, in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Suggested Songs

(Click on titles to view, and hear an audio clip, on the Music page)

                                 Brief (repeatable) prayer songs

Kyrie, Six Versions     (All original tunes. Some are part of Eucharistic settings)
     Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison.
          (Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy.)

The Jesus Prayer         (Original song)
        Jesus, Beloved of God, have mercy on me, for I need you.

God, Be Merciful to Me         (Original song)
        God, be merciful to me.
        With empty hands and open
        I turn to you for mercy.

Eucharistic Responses (Eleven sets of Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation and Amen set to the tunes of familiar hymns appropriate for Lent.
Two of them also include “table songs” of invitation/preparation for communion.)


Table Song: Feed Us Your Grace (Tune: Finlandia)

You call us, Christ, to take our cross and follow,
but first you bring us here to feast with you.
Our gifts we bring, to celebrate your loving.
Our lives we give, to die and rise anew.
Feed us your grace, your spirit of compassion;
make us your body now, your will to do.


                                  Regular Songs

Becoming Whole     (Original song)
We are a broken people becoming whole again.
We are a wounded people being healed again.
We are a hungry people being fed again.
We are a wandering people coming home again.
We are a captive people walking free again.
We are dead and buried, being raised again.
We are a grateful people giving thanks again.


God, I Surrender      (Original song)

God, I surrender myself to you,
all that I have and all I do.
All my desires I give to you.
Take them from me and make me new.

God, I surrender myself to you,
all that I have and all I do.
Trusting you wholly I follow you
Take my life and make me new.


God of Mercy (Original Song)

Refrain: God of mercy, you forgive me,
may I myself forgive.
Now confessing, I ask your blessing.
By your grace I shall live.

God, heal my sin, brokenness deep within.
Too often I bear pain I make others share.
Set me free from what I have been. Refrain

You are gentle with me; gentle I learn to be.
You touch me and heal; deep in my soul I feel
burdens gone, and I am free. Refrain

Note: The last line of the refrain, “By your grace I shall live,” may be repeated ad lib. As a repeated chant it may also be used separately as a Response to confession, prayer, Eucharist, or other moments.



God, we are broken      (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

God, we are broken, for all flesh is weak.
Grant us the healing and peace that we seek.
For all that pains us, beyond our control,
grant us your healing, our bodies made whole.

God, we are broken; our hearts are not one.
Sometimes it seems that our souls come undone.
Bring us renewal and calm in our soul.
Grant us your healing and make our hearts whole.

God, we are broken: for families and friends
suffer when love fails and faithfulness ends.
May your forgiveness and grace play its role.
Grant us your healing; make covenants whole.

God, we are broken, for many are poor,
and we ignore those who lie by our door.
God, may your justice like great rivers roll.
Grant us your healing; make all people whole.

God, we are broken for hate and all war
wound us so we are not free anymore.
Make us one people from pole to pole.
Grant us your healing, and make the world whole.


God, you have searched me (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)
            [ Psalm 139, Psalm 51]

God, you have searched me; you know from within
all of my beauty, my wounds and my sin.
Deep in my heart—I’ve not spoken a word—
you know my soul, and my thoughts you have heard.

You who have made me and always are near,
help me to shed my illusion and fear.
Help me be truthful, and truthfully see,
humbly transparent to your grace in me.

Your loving presence within me each day
go with me, guide me, and show me your way.
Give me the eyes of your mercy and grace,
to walk in love in each moment, each place.


Grant Me Your Vision    (Tune: Be Thou My Vision )

Grant me your vision, O God of pure light.
May your deep wisdom and love give me sight.
Help me to see who I am as you see:
lovely and wounded and worth setting free.

Take my illusions, my fear and my lies;
shedding my veil, Lord, I open my eyes,
seeing my beauty, my wounds and my sin,
past all pretending, in truth deep within.

Give me the eyes of your mercy and grace;
help me to see you in each time and place.
God, you who know me, please guide me, I pray,
following Jesus in his loving way.

Into the Darkness – (Original song)

Only the seed that has died and is buried lives to bear fruit, Jesus said.
Lead me then into the darkness and dying, so you can raise me up from the dead.
Jesus, help me die and rise.

All of my living, my loves and desires, all of the things that I cling to,
now I surrender to die and be buried. Raise me in following, serving you.
Jesus, help me die and rise.

Lead me to truth, and have mercy, and wash me dep in the dark of my being.
A spirit like bread that is taken and broken: this is the death that is freeing.
Jesus, help me die and rise.

Give me a clean heart, a heart poor in spirit, willing and steadfast and made new.
My life I lose; let your cross lift me up now. One joy restore to me: life in you.
Jesus, help me die and rise.


O God, Creator of Each Thing
(Tune: Tallis’ Canon, O Love, How Deep, or The Gift of Love/The Water Is Wide)

O God, Creator of each thing,
in thanks and praise to you we sing.
In hunger sore we come to you:
Creator God, make us anew.

Our wounds you heal, our sins forgive.
You serve this feast that we may live.
You set us free; you make us new.
In us shines love that comes from you.

How blessed is Christ, who loved and healed,
who by your grace, your love revealed.
For Christ has died. And Christ is risen.
And Christ will come in love again.


Out of the Deepest Depths (Original song. Includes version for 4-part choir.)
      [Psalm 130]

Out of the deepest depths I cry to you, O God.
O listen with your heart, and hear my pleading voice.
If you counted sins, then no one could stand with you;
but Love, you forgive.

I wait for you, my God, for in your word I hope.
I wait for you, Love, more than those who wait for dawn,
yes, more than those who watch for the morning light
I wait for you.

O Hope, O Israel, hope in the Holy One.
For with our God is love, God’s steadfast, faithful love,
and power to redeem; for God is the one
who will redeem us from sin.


Return, My Soul       (Tune: Finlandia)

Return, my soul, from all your hungry wandering,
your fearful search for comfort and control.
Let go my grasp of things apart from God,
for God alone can heal and hold my soul.
Return to God, for God alone will love me,
and give me life, and bless and make me whole.

Return, my soul, from all the things that dull me,
that soothe my sense, but leave my sin in place.
My broken heart, return from tricks and bargains;
turn to the One who meets me face to face.
Return to God. Each moment turn again;
receive unending love and life and grace.


Oasis       (Tune: Fill My Cup, Lord)
[ A blessing song to sing to each other at the end of the service.
Can be found in a collection of Blessing Songs
to several familiar hymn tunes.]

Go in peace now, my dear beloved,
in the grace and presence of the Lord.
In the desert, go with love to all who thirst;
be a spring, an oasis of the Word.



Your Will Be Done (Original song)

Father, take my willfulness.
I surrender it to you grace alone.
Mother, be my willingness.
I can only ask: Your will be done.

Jesus, take my brokenness.
I surrender it to you grace alone.
Jesus, heal my brokenness.
I can only ask: Your will be done.

Spirit, take my empty hands.
I surrender them to you grace alone.
Spirit, with my empty hands
I can only ask: Your will be done.