Category: Worship Resources

July 2, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Genesis 22.1-14. Abraham sets out to sacrifice his son Isaac, but offers a ram instead.

Psalm 13 is a cry for help: “how long must I suffer pain in my soul?”— that soon turns to a song of trust: “I will sing to the Lord, who has dealt bountifully with me.”

Romans 6.12-23 Paul says that we are no longer slaves of sin, but slaves of righteousness.

Matthew 10.40-42. Jesus says, “Whoever receives your receives the One who sent me.”

Preaching Thoughts

Fourth of July
      It’s increasingly important to craft worship around the 4^th of July that evokes gratitude for our nation, which is appropriate, without veering off into American nationalism, which is anti-Christian. God is the God of all nations, not just one. The Kingdom of God is not, nor is it even like, any earthly nation, government, state, system or power. The “God and country” slope is slippery. God is not American, and does not favor one nation over another (even Israel). Nor is America a “Christian” nation. Neither our country nor our policies are shaped by or reflect any of Jesus’ teachings. Would that they did! What would our economic, health care and legal system be like if it were founded on healing, forgiveness, generosity, non-violence, welcome of the stranger and care for the poor? This may not be the Sunday to launch into that… but the best we can do sometimes is to avoid promoting the old nationalist religion. (Bear in mind last week’s Gospel, about trusting God amid controversy and opposition.)
      If you really want to face the idolatry of nationalism head on, consider this: Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac is a pretty good image of our willingness to sacrifice our young people for the god of war. maybe God is suggesting an alternative, no?

Genesis
      God had given Abraham and Sarah a son in their old age; Isaac meant not only love and joy for them, but an heir and the continuation of their family line. So Isaac also meant the means of the fulfillment of God’s promise to give them great descendants. Now God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac! What will Abraham do? What will God do?…
       It’s hard not to see this story through our modern lens of horror at the thought of murdering one’s child. But in the context of the story in Genesis, it’s not about Isaac; it’s about Abraham, and whether he’s willing to give up what is most precious to him to serve God. What do you hold back? What are you more attached to than God?
      Tread carefully here, for a couple of reasons. One, what Abraham is asked to sacrifice isn’t just his: it’s the life of someone else. It’s Issac who’s really making the sacrifice. Abraham thinks of sacrificing Isaac, or a ram, but not himself. But when God asks us to sacrifice something it’s something of ours, not someone else’s. Further, I don’t think God asks us to sacrifice anything just for the sake of proving our faithfulness to God. In fact often what we care most about is a sign of what God wants. But there are things we need to let go of, even sometimes things we think we can’t live without. This is the experience of letting go of something we’re addicted to. It can feel as wrenching as child sacrifice. But it is for life, not death. What do we actually need to let go of to be more faithful tp God?
      A traditional interpretation here is that God is testing Abraham, and plans to stop the sacrifice of Isaac at the last moment. (Another is that God intends it to go forward, but Abraham’s faith converts God at the last minute.) But another is this: maybe Abraham has it wrong from the beginning. God never did want him to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham just thought that’s what he heard. Maybe, more often than we think, we’re wrong in our certainty about what God asks of us, and God has to interrupt us before we do something harmful. What are the Isaacs we set out to sacrifice—and how do we listen for God to re-direct our sacrificing?
      I think it’s likely this is not the story not of an individual event but a narrative of a culture, personified in Abraham, coming to reject the child sacrifice it used to accept, and change its ways of worship. What night this story say about our lives—personal, religious and political: what God is asking us to change?

Psalm
      The psalm gives voice to our feeling of being abandoned by God, yet trusts in God’s grace. As in all lament psalms, our complaint gives way to gratitude before we have even received the blessings we yearn for.

Romans
      Paul speaks of choosing to live as “slaves of righteousness” instead of “slaves of sin.” That might grate against our modern (“woke”) sensibilities: we shouldn’t be slaves to anything, should we?
Well, in fact we are slaves. In our natural, unenlightened state we are pushed and pulled about by all sorts of unconscious fears, desires, attachments, habits, beliefs and emotional reactions. We’re not actually freely choosing our behavior: we’re slaves of our unconscious garbage. And we fool ourselves if we think we can just be free to choose whatever we piously choose. Then we’re slaves to our independence and our illusion of our strength, wisdom and self-governance. It’s our own ego. And we’ll still be controlled by our own inner agendas, and unable to free ourselves. It feels like a huge sacrifice (think of Abraham) to give up our illusion of self-control. But that’s the way out. The 12 steps of AA describe the it: “1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol [or sin]— that our lives had become unmanageable. 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God.”

When we give ourselves over to God we let God’s grace be the determining factor in our choices. We acknowledge we can’t live righteously on our own: we submit our selves to a higher power. A recovering alcoholic chooses to be a slave of sobriety. A Christian chooses to be a slave of grace. That’s actual freedom.

Matthew
      It’s not about you.When people reject you for being loving they’re not actually rejecting you, they’re rejecting love. When people receive you they’re receiving God. It’s still not about you. So “whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones” isn’t just being kind to a neighbor, they’re being kind to God. “Whatever you do to the least of these…”

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Christ says, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me.”
All: God you welcome us into your loving presence and offer us grace.
A cup of cold water.
God, in our need you give gifts to us.
In many hidden ways you bless us.
A cup of cld water given to these, my little ones.
In our thirst for your grace, refresh us once again.
A cup of cold water, given in the name of a disciple.
We drink of your grace; we rest in your presence;
we worship you in humble gratitude.
Make of us your faithful disciples, in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

2.
Leader: God of All Creation, we worship you.
All: God of this day, we thank you.
God, who dwells in all people, we greet you.
God of the present moment, we open our hearts to you.
We worship in your Spirit, in the name and the company of Christ. Alleluia!

3.
Leader: This is the day which God is creating
All: Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Holy One, as this moment unfolds, your hand is in it.
We open our hearts to your presence. We open our souls to your Word.
We listen and wait.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

4.
Leader: God of all the earth, we worship you.
All: God of all peoples, we thank you.
You create all people in your image, and you bless every land.
God of all peoples, we thank you.
You provide for us, and give us all to each other, for our mutual blessing.
God of all peoples, we thank you. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of love, you walk with us each moment. Speak to us now, in scripture, in thoughts, in imagination, in silence. Open our eyes and ears to your wisdom . Amen. 2.Eternal God, you who call us to hear and obey, we still our hearts to listen for your voice, coming to us now, coming to us new, to give us life and set us free. Speak to us, for we are ready. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, Abraham heard your call to sacrifice his son. But then he heard again, and did not. Help us to hear again, to listen continually for your voice. Now help us, as your scripture is read and your good news proclaimed, to hear your Word and change our lives. Help us always, by the grace of your Spirit, to listen. Amen.

4.
God, you called Abraham to sacrifice what was dearest to him to be faithful to you. By your grace help us to let go of everything that holds us back from you. Help us let go, trusting your grace, and cling only to you, in the promise and the presence of Christ. Amen.

5.
God of mercy, you led Abraham and he listened to you. Because he listened, he was bold to do things that took great courage and sacrifice. Because he heard, he acted in harmony with your will, and he was a blessing. By the grace of your Spirit, help us to listen to you now, so that as the scriptures are read and your good news proclaimed, we may gladly hear what you are saying to us today, and follow faithfully. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Tender God,
we stand on the mountain of our solitude,
with the Isaac of our loves and attachments in our hands.
We release them to you. We let go,
so that we may truly worship you
by listening for your new word.
Speak, for even with knives in our hands
we are listening.

Prayer of Confession

1.
Gentle, loving God,
we confess that without knowing,
we have tried to live apart from you,
by our own judgment rather than by your grace.
We are sorry, and we repent of our sin.
By the grace of your Spirit within us,
return us to you, forgive us,
and restore in us the mind of Christ.

2.
Gentle, Life-giving God, we confess our sin:
for although we have had the right in our minds,
we have not done your will; we have not heeded your voice.
Speak to us again. Call us to the truth.
Forgive us, open our hearts to your Word,
and set us in your ways, that we may truly do your will,
for the sake of Christ, who died and has risen
so that we may be free. Amen.

Readings

Psalm 13 —A paraphrase

God, have you forgotten me forever?
         Do I even matter to you?
         Why are you so hard to find?
How long will I argue with myself about you,
         this dark pit in my heart all day long?
How long will this dark adversary
         loom over me?
Give me an answer, God—any answer.
         Let there be light in my eyes,
         not this sleep, this death.
I can hear my adversary now: ” I win.”
         I can see them gloat over my lifeless soul.
But I trust your kindness like the earth itself.
         You rescue me, and I rejoice.
I will sing to you, Beloved,
         because you always so lovingly pick me up.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
        We live in you, God, maker of all things. You continually create the universe moment by moment, and you give us life and breath.
         We follow Christ, your love embodied in humanity. He gathered a community and taught them, telling parables of grace; he performed prophetic acts of justice and healing; in love he gave his life; and in grace you raised him to new life. He lives among us still by the mystery of his Spirit in us, so that we ourselves may be parables of his love.
        We live by the power of the Holy Spirit, your life in us, in which we are one, the Church, the Body of Christ. By your Spirit we trust in the power of forgiveness, the reality of resurrection and the mystery of eternal life. Mindful of your presence and your grace, we devote ourselves to lives of gratitude and trust, love and justice, in the name of Christ, for the sake of the healing of the world. Amen.

2.
       We trust in God, creator of all things, ruler of al that is and all that is to come. God is transforming the world into the place of God’s justice and mercy.
       We follow Jesus, who taught and healed, who died and rose, revealing God’s abundant grace. He sent disciples out into the world to proclaim the good news of your grace, to heal, and to participate in the Reign of God in all that we do. He reigns in love over all Creation, and holds all accountable to their faithfulness to God’s rule of grace.
       We rely upon the unfailing grace of God, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Therefore we devote ourselves to lives of daily prayer, study, service and reflection, following Jesus as our Master, for the sake of the transformation of the world by the grace of God.

3.
       We believe in God, Creator of all things, heavenly father and mother, of infinite love, wisdom and power, ruler of all that is and all that is to come.
       We follow Christ, God’s chosen one, who loved and served humbly, who chose to die rather than kill for the sake of the healing of all Creation, and who was raised by God to new life. We believe that he calls us to humbly follow him and obediently serve him for the sake of proclaiming God’s grace. We trust that he accompanies us and will help, guide, heal and defend us through all difficulty and suffering.
       We believe the Holy Spirit guides us, empowers us and sustains us as servants of God’s grace. We live as the body of Christ, in the power of forgiveness and the reality of resurrection, and the light of eternal life. Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

[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.]

[…mindful of the 4^th of July…]

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 praise you and thank you, God of all Creation.
You create the earth, one living being, without nations or boundaries.
You create your people, one living family.
This feast comes from the earth, the whole earth giving praise.
This gathering is your people, without division or privilege.
You invite us all, from every people and nation, to gather at your one table.
So with all Creation, with one voice, we praise you and thank you.

[Sanctus]Blessed are all who come in your name, and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He loved and taught, he healed and fed the people,
without distinction: Jew and gentile, slave and free.
He established a new nation: the Kingdom of Grace, the Nation of God,
made not by laws or armies but by love.
The empire of his love threatened the powers of this world;
therefore he was crucified. But you raised him from the dead.
He lives among us, inviting us to this table, establishing again your Realm of Love.
[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]

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,
citizens of a single kingdom, the Realm of your love:
one nation, under your grace, with liberty and justice for all.
[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.) Our ways of worship and service are always imperfect. But you speak to us in our hearts. May we listen, listen always for your word, to lead us, correct us, guide us, and set us free, for loving service, for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, you have saved us from the flood of our own sin. You have brought us through the troubling waters to a broad and generous land. In gratitude we give you our lives, symbolized in these gifts. Receive them with love, bless them with grace, and use them according to your will. Send us into the world to extend to others the same holy hospitality of heart that you offer to us. Send us to reach out to those who suffer, who wander, who are without a home for their spirits. Bless us in the Spirit of Christ, and send us in the name of Christ, to do your will. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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


God of Mystery    (Abraham’s Song)   (Tune: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence)

God of mystery, always calling,
in my heart your love has stirred,
calling me to follow humbly,
and obey the voice I’ve heard,
giving you my all, my treasure,
trusting in your gracious Word.

God of mystery, still creating,
move my spirit as I pray.
Give me faith to change my living,
paths I’ve followed all my days.
Stay my hand from ill, providing
grace to walk in blessed new ways.

God of mystery, now redeeming,
still is Isaac bound in me?—
dear, yet sacrificed to duty?
Speak your Word and set me free.
Give this child your life, your blessing,
freedom for eternity.

July 9, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Genesis 24.34-38, 42-49, 58-67. Abraham’s servant goes back to their home country seeking a wife for Isaac. He finds Rebecca, and with her family’s blessing, the servant takes her back to Isaac, and they are married.

Psalm 45. A royal wedding psalm, blessing the couple.

Romans 7. 14-25. Paul describes the human experience of sin: I do not do the thing I want, but the very thing I hate. It’s as if sin lives in me and makes choices for me.

Matthew 11.16-19, 25-30. Jesus says people criticize him for eating and drinking, yet, criticize John the Baptist for fasting. Sheesh. He says, “Come to me, you who are weary, take my yoke…”

Preaching Thoughts

Romans
       The tricky thing about sin is that we’re trying not to sin. In the battle between good and evil we think we’re on the right side, but it doesn’t seem to help. We can never actually be good enough. We mean to be playing for the right team but we keep accidentally scoring for the opposition. Sin seems to be more than our own choice. It’s as if sin lives in us and makes choices for us. Trying harder does not free us from this battle; only God’s grace does. Rather then help us be good enough God removes us from the battle. There’s no such thing as “good enough!” We’re just loved.
       This matches our experience of addiction. Paul pretty clearly anticipates the Twelve Steps: “1. We admitted we were powerless over [sin]— that our lives had become unmanageable. 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God.”

Matthew
       “We piped and you didn’t dance; we wailed and you didn’t mourn.” Some people won’t answer God’s call no matter how it comes. What are the ways we resist God’s grace, avoid God’s call, refuse God’s gifts?
       This passage is what I think it means to “believe in Jesus.” It’s not about your doctrinal opinion. It’s about being in a trusting, intimate, sharing relationship with Jesus. When we share in his compassion for the world, we are yoked with him—like married partners. But this is not a burden; it is rest for our souls. The paradox is that to come to Jesus is to receive both rest and also work: a yoke. I like to take full advantage of the quirk in English that “my burden is light” can mean both “the load is not heavy” and also “what I bear is pure light.” Light, it turns out, is not heavy. What an easy burden, to bear the light of God!

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Holy One, Heart of Heaven, you create us; you call to us.
All: In love we come. In love we come.
Loving Christ, Hands of Heaven, you hold a place for us.
In love we come. In love we come.
Holy Spirit, Breath of Heaven, you move in us to labor with you.
In love we come. In love we come. In love we are here.

2..
Leader: Loving God, we come to you because you invite us.
All: Gentle God, we come to you weary.
We are carrying heavy burdens— of work and family,
of world news and a struggling planet.
Jesus, give us rest.
You are gentle and humble in heart.
In you we find rest for our souls.
Set your yoke of love upon us, Jesus.
Yoke us to your heart, for your yoke is easy,
and your burden is light. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Holy Mystery, there are empty spaces in our hearts that only you can fill; there is a longing that is only for you. And you long for us. Speak to us and let us hear your voice, the voice of love that speaks our name. Let us hear your call, and come. Amen.

2.
God of love, as you provided Rebecca as a wife for Isaac, so you provide love for us. You include us in the household of your grace. You invite us to come; and you offer rest for our souls. And so we come. Give us your holy rest, that we may go forth yoked with Christ in love. Amen.

3.
God of grace, Jesus calls us to take on his yoke. Bless us that we may find rest for our souls as we worship. Yoke us together in companionship with Christ and each other. Lay upon us the yoke of ministry to all for the sake of your Good News, in the name of Christ. Amen.

4.
God of grace, God of mystery, there is so much of our lives, so much in the world, that we do not know, that is beyond our understanding. We come to you in humility and trust, surrendering our desire to judge and to control. Bless us that now in our worship, and in all our lives, we may devote ourselves to your will and your wisdom alone. We pray in the name and the spirit of Jesus. Amen.

5.
2. [Mt. 11.28-30]
Leader: Jesus says, “Come to me, all you that are weary…”
All: We are tired. We bring our weariness.
“You who are carrying heavy burdens…”
Here, we lay our burdens down, lay them down.
“I will give you rest.”
We rest in you. We are not striving, but simply being here.
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me;.”
We would learn your ways, learn to trust and love and live.
“For I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
For your gentleness we give thanks.
For our rest we give you ourselves.
“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Set your yoke of love upon us, O Christ,
and give us the burden of your light.

Listening Prayer

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

God, we come to you, weary.
We lay down our heavy burdens.
You who are gentle and humble in heart,
give us rest for our souls.
Yoke our hearts to Jesus,
that we may learn the ways of love,
that we may live with courage and peace. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

Most merciful God, we confess
that we have separated ourselves from you,
that we have not been mindful of your presence
or lived in your Spirit;
and in our isolation we have lived hurtfully.
We are sorry, and we repent.
Forgive our sin, heal our hearts,
and restore us in your grace. Amen.

Readings

Romans 7.14-25, a paraphrase

God, you love me purely, but I don’t trust that.
I’ve been brainwashed by self-centered fear.
It’s an instinct, a reflex, an addiction. I can’t stop it.
I act in ways I don’t understand.
I believe the right things, but I don’t live them.
I don’t do the good I mean to; I do the evil I hate.
I’m not even choosing; my fear is.
I’m on the right side in good versus evil,
but I keep scoring for the other team!
In my mind I think I’m faithful to your love,
but in reality I’m being controlled by my sin.
I’ve been kidnapped. My heart has been hijacked.
I can’t get out of this. Trying harder doesn’t work.
I’m trapped. I’m doomed.
What a wretched person I am! Who will rescue me? 

Thanks be to God: it’s the Beloved, Jesus Christ.

Poetry

           Ox

If I were an ox
and You my driver,
would I mind?

If love were my yoke,
would I balk?
If I walked a path
whose way I could not see,
whose end I could not know,
would I complain?

If I pulled a cart laden
with riches beyond my knowing,
bound for strangers,
would I refuse?

Oh, Driver, Brother, You
who set me free,
crack your whip of light.
Let’s walk this joyful road.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
We love and trust you, God, eternal creator,
present in all times and places.

We come to you, Christ, for you are here beside us.
We are weary and carrying heavy burdens.
Give us your rest.
Place your yoke upon us, that we may learn from you;
for you are humble and gentle,
and you give us rest for our souls.
We follow you, Christ, for your yoke is easy,
and your burden is light.

We rely upon you, holy Spirit of God.
By your presence within us
keep us, guide us and sustain us
in lives of love for the sake of the world. Amen.

2.
Leader: Jesus, we hear you call, and we answer:
All: Christ, we are weary and carrying heavy loads.
we come to you,
We lay down our burdens, and empty our hands.
We take your yoke upon us: your love,
your oneness with all beings, your call to justice.
We learn from you: the grace of God,
the Way of Love, life in your Spirit.
We take your yoke upon us.
You are gentle, and humble in heart, and we find rest and life in you.
We thank you, and we join with you.
Your yoke is easy. Your burden is light.
We accept your yoke. We bear your light into the world.
You will be with us.
Jesus, Living Love, we yoke our hearts to yours. [ Silence….]

3.
God, we admit we are powerless over sin.
Our lives have become unmanageable.
But we believe that you can restore us to wellness.
And so by the grace of your Spirit in us
we turn our will and our lives over to your care.
Set your yoke upon us, give us rest for our souls,
and let us learn from you.
        [Silence…]

Eucharistic Prayer

[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 your grace.
You create us, claim us, and continually set us free.
In our struggles and our weariness you accompany us in Jesus,
saying, “Come to me, you who are weary,
and I will give you rest for your souls.”
We come, and lay down our burdens, and we are renewed.
In humble gratitude we sing your praise with all Creation.

            [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 version]

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ, the Lamb of God.
He taught and healed, he included the outcast,
he fed the hungry and forgave the guilty.
He was gentle and humble in heart, and we learned from him.
We come to him weary, and he lays his yoke of love upon us,
and we find rest for our souls and strength for the labors of love.

     (The Blessing and Covenant)
As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.
Therefore, remembering these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves 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 Spirit on us, that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
yoked with Jesus, bearing the burden of light
for the sake of the healing of the world.
     [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.) In gratitude we give you our lives. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will. Yoke us together with Christ in love and service for the sake of the healing of the world, in the power of your Holy Spirit.
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.) You have given us a sign of your faithfulness and yoked us together as the Body of Christ. Send us into the world to serve others on behalf of Christ, and to give rest to those who are weary with heavy burdens, 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)

Drawing Me         (Original song)

Holy One, Mystery, how will you keep drawing me
nearer to the heart within the heart?
Nearer still falling in, closer to the heart within,
draw me God. I fall into your love.

Holy One, you are calling, you are drawing,
I am falling into you in love.

Deep in me there’s a voice, there’s a hunger, there’s a choice,
seeking something vital that is you.
By your grace drawing me, may I fall eternally,
nearer to my center deep in you.

Holy One, you are calling, you are drawing,
I am falling into you in love.

July 16, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Genesis 25.19-35. The rivalry of Jacob and Esau; Esau sells his birthright.

Psalm 25. A prayer for God’s support, guidance, forgiveness and love.

Romans 8.1-11. Life in the flesh, and life in the Spirit.

Matthew 13.1-9, 18-23. The parable of the sower.

Preaching Thoughts

Genesi
       People who want to get “back to the Biblical ideal of family” need to read the Bible. Most families in the Bible are dysfunctional, and Jacob’s is blatantly so. In this story, and following tales we’ll see conflict, distrust, deception and betrayal. And grace. It seems the biblical idea is that family is where we work out our crap. Or, as Robert Frost says, “Family is where, when you have to go there, they have to take you.”
       Esau doesn’t seem to value his birthright. Well, same with us. In what ways do we deny who we are, repudiate our belovedness, abandon our place of belonging in God’s family? What stresses and anxieties lead us to betray our divine birthright?
       It’s easy to judge Esau, but maybe he wasn’t just hungry one afternoon. Maybe he was actually, as he says, starving. We can imagine the brother’s conflicts were long and deep, to the point that Esau is actually driven into deep poverty. In that state, he’s right: what good is a future legal matter when he’s about to die? I think of how readily we judge the poor for how they spend their money, and how unaware we are of the pressures on poor people for day to day survival.
       But notice who we tend to criticize in this story, and who we let off the hook. The worst travesty is the obvious— that Jacob doesn’t care for his brother, but is willing to cheat him out of his inheritance. And we are heirs of that injustice. We Americans live on stolen land, in a nation built by slaves, with an economy supported by the labor of the poor, fueled by oil that spills on somebody else’s land. It would seem our moral compass isn’t worth a bowl of stew. Boy, do we ever need to pray for God’s guidance. Hence Psalm 25.

Romans
       “There is no condemnation; we are set free from the law of sin and death.” Our attempts to be good people, to live “by the law,” can’t actually heal our relationship with God or others, but God’s grace does. God comes and lives among us as one of us and so overcomes our separation from God—which is our sin. Instead of judging us for our sin God “condemns sin,” that is, does away with our separation from God. God fulfills the law for us!“
       According to the flesh… according to the Spirit.” We’ve interpreted this notion dualistically, as if there’s physical and there’s spiritual, and physical is bad and spiritual is good. That’s not what Paul means. There’s nothing bad or sinful about your body or its needs and desires. But here’s the thing. We have this very strong illusion that we’re separate, unrelated individuals, and our “self” is contained in, limited to and defined by our bodies. Pointing to my body I think this 163-lb sack of flesh and bones is “me,” and everything else is “you, “ or at least not me. But that’s not true. We are actually all fingers of the same hand, members of the Body of Christ, all one in the Spirit of God, all of us cells of one living organism. None of us is “alive” separate from the whole body, any more than one of your cells or tissues could be “alive” separate from your body. We are one in the Spirit, even though we seem to have separate bodies.
        What Paul calls life “in the flesh” is self-centered life, life controlled by our egos, controlled by our our self-serving anxieties and desires. Life “in the Spirit” is life as one with the whole Body of Christ, one in the Spirit, led and sustained by God. Paul is not contrasting flesh and spirit. He’s contrasting individualistic life and connected life. (Notice that when Paul talks about our individualistic ego-defined self he usually calls it “flesh.” When he talks about our oneness in a single life he usually calls it “body.”)
       And the cool thing is that since we are one with Christ, Christ’s resurrection is also ours. We are raised up out of our own death, out of the sinful control of our egos, by being part of the Body of Christ. Paul says “the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” Righteousness doesn’t mean religious correctness, it means relatedness. We’re in relationship with God because (in Christ) God relates to us. Because we participate in Christ’s life we participate in Christ’s resurrection. So all our attempts to fulfill the law are for naught. By being in us, God fulfills the law in us.

Matthew
       Beware of any “explanation” of a parable—even Jesus’. No good comedian explains their jokes. No good storyteller explains their stories. The explanation was likely added, maybe by Matthew, and is unlikely to have come from Jesus. His parables are not allegories, in which each part “equals” some particular thing. They’re way more open to various interpretations. Maybe the seed is the Word planted in us. Maybe it’s us planted in the world. Maybe it’s about our love planted in the lives of others…. This is a story about receptivity and resistance. It’s about patience (failure, failure, failure, success…) It’s about acceptance (Of course so much of the seed is wasted. That’s how you plant a field.) … It’s about the triumph of grace over everything..

Call to Worship

1. (Matthew)
Leader: God of truth, sow the seed of your Word in our hearts.
All: We receive your grace with glad and generous hearts.
Loving Christ, sow the seeds of healing and growth in our bodies and souls.
We receive your grace with glad and generous hearts.
Holy Spirit, sow the seeds of your love in our lives.
We receive your grace with glad and generous hearts. Alleluia!

2. (Genesis)
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
You gather us into a family of grace, a household of love.
You make Covenant to be our God, and call us to be your people.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1. (Matthew)
God of truth, you sow the seed of your Word among us. Soften the soil of our hearts to receive your grace, that it may flourish in us. Amen.

2. (Matthew)
O good and generous God, you have sown the seed of your Word in our hearts. Nourish that Word by our worship today, so that it may grow and flourish in us, and so that in all our lives we may bear the fruit of your love. Amen.

3. (Genesis)
God of love, we are siblings to Jacob and Esau, caught up in their rivalry, ready to compete. But we are all your children, all of us beloved family. Remind us who and whose we are. Speak to us anew of our inheritance from you, of grace and belovedness. In the spirit of Christ, we are listening. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

O Sower of Love,
we are ready soil.
Plant your word in us;
nourish it in the sun of your grace
and the rain of your love.
May it bear fruit
by the power of your Spirit. Amen.

Prayer of Confession

1.
Most merciful God, we confess
that we have separated ourselves from you,
that we have not been mindful of your presence
or lived in your Spirit;
and in our isolation we have lived hurtfully.
We are sorry, and we repent.
Forgive our sin, heal our hearts,
and restore us in your grace. Amen.

2.
Loving God,we confess
we have lived wrapped up inside ourselves,
not joined with you, led by your Spirit.
Rejoin us to you.
Forgive our sin, heal our fear,
and renew in us your spirit of love. Amen.

Readings

1.
Romans 8.1-11 —a paraphrase
         God has no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the controlling power of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the controlling power of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, in the hands of our weak flesh, could not do: the Only Begotten took on sinful flesh, eliminating our sin, our separation from God. By being in us God fulfilled the just requirement of the law in us. So we walk not as if we are contained and defined by our individual flesh but knowing we are defined by the one Spirit. For those who see themselves as isolated individuals set their minds on self-centered anxieties, but those who know they are part of God’s Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
          To set the mind on the isolated self is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the individual self is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s will—indeed it cannot; and those who are absorbed in self cannot please God. But you are not an isolated individual; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you.
          Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, though your isolated body is dead, being disconnected from God, the Spirit is life because of the gift of God’s presence. If the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, then the One who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through God’s Spirit that dwells in you.

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.) May the seeds of grace you have planted in our hearts bear fruit in love and faith and service, for the sake of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we give you our gifts as symbols of our lives. Receive them with love, bless them with grace, and use them according to your will. Send us into the world to share your love with all people, to extend the kinship of your grace even in conflict, to meet even our enemies as siblings, and above all to hold all in the light of your grace, in the name of Christ. Amen.

3.
Loving and generous God, you have sown your grace in our hearts. We thank you for your blessings, and in gratitude we offer to you our gifts, and our very lives. Bless us that we may be your fruitful wheat planted by your hand, bread for the world in the name and spirit of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Love-Sowing God (Tune: Gift of Love / The Water Is Wide)

Love-sowing God, sow love in me,
your seeds of grace abundantly.
My soul be soil where love may root
and grow and bear your precious fruit.

Where habit’s feet and wheels have tracked,
my anxious work the soil has packed,
soften my soul with bliss or pain,
so love may enter in again.

My angry thorns, my selfish weeds,
God, clear away, and sow your seeds.
Despite the hungry, wanting bird,
Love, plant in me your living Word.

Love-sowing God, your labors done,
help me to trust the rain and sun,
receive your grace and faithfully
bear forth your love that grows in me.


O Faithful God       (Tune: Finlandia)

O faithful God, whose steadfast love is sure,
O Loving Father, Mother kind and strong:
your Covenant forever will endure;
you bind us to your heart our whole life long.
No matter how rebellious is your child,
in you we are brought home and reconciled.

We have been loved and held when we would run.
We are to all a sister or a brother;
though we would flee, you join us all as one.
Our deepest wounds come from our deepest love,
and so our highest hope for life above

So teach us God, to bravely love each other,
for all belong within your house of grace,
to give our enemy, who is our brother,
our steadfast mercy, and a wide embrace;
for in our love, though we be right or wrong,
we know the grace to which we all belong.

July 23, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Genesis 28. 10-19. Jacob dreams of a ladder to heaven. When he awakes he says, “Surely God was in this place and I—I did not know.”

Psalm 139. God is present everywhere and aware of us and participating in our lives, no matter where we are or in what condition.

Romans 8.12-25. It is the Spirit that enables us to connect with God. All creation waits for redemption, longing for our connection as God’s children.

Matthew 13.24-30, 36-43. The parable of weeds among wheat, and an explanation.

Preaching Thoughts

Genesis
 As is typical in the Bible, Jacob’s revelation comes in a dream. I don’t think this is about nighttime dreams alone. Our communication with God is not in a rational state of thought, but a different realm of consciousness, in fact largely what we might think of as the unconscious. As The Could of Unknowing says, God can be loved but not thought. Or Martin Buber: “God can only properly be addressed, but not expressed.” It’s when we stop trying to understand God that we connect with God.
        Interestingly, the angels are “ascending and descending.” One might think that since angels are from heaven they’d be be descending to earth and ascending… but, nope. Hm. Maybe angels’ some base is here, not there. In any case, this world and the unseen one are tightly braided together. There’s more passing back and forth than we think.
        In the dream God promises four things to Jacob. We usually notice the first two, the usual stuff: land and descendants. But God also repeats the promise of blessing made to Abraham: “All the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring.” God’s election isn’t about us being special, nor just about our having a special protected place, or being able to prevail. It’s not about us, really. It’s about us having a calling to share God’s blessing with the whole world. Sort of like being baptized. And fourthly God also promises what God always promises; “I am with you and will keep you wherever you go.” It’s a good promise for Jacob to hear because he always gets himself in a lot of trouble.
        One of the sentences in the Bible that always hangs in the darkness and shines like a neon light for me is “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I—I did not know it!” We always apprehend God right after the moment—like astronomers seeing the light of stars from the past. I think that’s what it means when Moses wants to see God and God says “I’ll cover you and pass by and as I recede I’ll uncover you so you can see.” Not that we never get to see God’s face (everything is God’s face), not exactly that we only get to see God’s backside, but that we see after the fact. We seldom realize in the moment that what we’re seeing is God. Which suggests that our experience of God’s absence is a sign of God’s presence. Our longing is God, and that sense that there’s an emptiness is, metaphorically, God’s hand covering us. Our feeling that God isn’t there might be disappointing, but it’s a reminder that God’s isn’t a feeling, and that what we want is not the feeling of God, but God. Jacob’s awareness of God is not in his sleep, but in his awakening, his trust that God is there when we don’t know it. He’s aware that God is not to be found in warm fuzzy feelings but in trust.
        In Hebrew Jacob repeats the “I”: literally “and-I not I-knew.” As if there are two I’s: there’s the rational, intellectual self—essentially the ego— that can’t sense God’s presence, and the spiritual self, the soul, that knows that, that is aware of his own ignorance, that lets go of his ego. It’s the soul, not the mind, that connects with God. God can be lived but not thought. “God can properly only be addressed, not expressed.”

Romans
           Any sentence in this dense passage is worthy of a sermon.
     • “If you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” The “deeds of the body” are ways we act as if we are contained and defined by our bodies: our pwn private physical survival. This doesn’t mean we should think poorly of our bodies or be cruel to them. It means we are truly alive only when we honor our deep interconnection to all other people and beings in the Spirit.
     • “All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” We aren’t people on trial before a demanding judge; we’re children of a loving parent.
     • “You did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear.” Ours is not a fear-based religion. Fear is precisely what we’re set free from.
     • “We are joint heirs with Christ—if we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.” We don’t earn anything. We inherit it. Faith is a mixed bag, neither all glory and privilege nor all suffering, but accompanying Christ in the fullness of life.
     • “The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed.” This isn’t pie in the sky. The glory is not in the future, but right now; it’s just that we can’t see it yet. We’re one little bit of the great picture of God’s story. Only afterward will we be able to see the whole thing and how we fit in.
     • “Creation has been groaning in labor pains.” God’s work is to bring abundant life and wholeness—including everything, even all Creation. Creation shares our longing for wholeness. (Notice how Paul uses many metaphors for faith, including being born, giving birth, and being adopted.)
     • “We wait for adoption.” I think we’re already adopted. There’s nothing unfinished in God’s claim of us as God’s beloved. But maybe Paul is thinking of a future time “when all things are revealed,” when later on we come to see everything more clearly. Maybe it’s like we’ve already been adopted, but the paperwork hasn’t arrived yet? So we hope. As in:
     • “We hope for what we do not see; we wait for it with patience.” Hope is not wishing about the future but trust in what is already present even though we can’t see it. I hope the sun will rise tomorrow because I know it’s already rising.

Matthew
        Again, be wary of an “explanation” of a parable. A parable isn’t just a rebus with a certain picture standing in for a particular idea. It’s a mystery, open to many ways and angles of interpretation. Maybe this one is about how we shouldn’t judge people but let God sort it out later. Maybe it’s about how we shouldn’t judge our own lives and how mixed they are. Maybe it’s about how God will not destroy us even when there’s evil in our lives. Maybe it’s about how the evil in our lives isn’t solely our own fault—an enemy has done this! After all, we’re subject to the wounds and attitudes we were given as children. Maybe it’s about not judging things in our lives that we don’t like: maybe they’re more mixed, with some valuable aspects, than we realize at the time. It’s definitely about not judging other people. The “weeds” and “wheat” are not necessarily other individuals, but both are the fruitful and unfruitful aspects of my own life. And, who knows? Sometimes what we think of as bad may actually be fruitful in God’s eyes. Notice that what’s thrown in the furnace of fire (v. 41) are the causes of sin.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Creator God, you are in this place.
All: God of light and dark, God of word and Silence, you are in this place.
Saving God, guiding God, you are in this place.
God within us, you are in this place.
We greet you! We thank you.
We worship you. Open our hearts to your presence, now and always.

2.
Leader: Loving God, Infinite parent, you birth us and claim us.
All: We are in awe, and we praise you.
Gentle Christ, you love us and walk beside us.
We are made new, and we thank you.
Holy Spirit, you breathe your life into us and re-create us each moment.
We are your children, and we live in your love.
We worship with praise and thanksgiving.

3.
Leader: Gracious God, you are present in this place, in this time.
All: You are present in our lives, in every moment.
Open our eyes to be present to you,
to be mindful in this and every moment
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

4. [Psalm 139. 7-12]
Leader: O God, where could we go from your Spirit?
All: Where could we escape your presence?
If we rise above the earth, there you are!
If we make my bed in the grave, there you are!
If we take the wings of the morning and fly to the farthest sea,
even there your hand will lead us, and in your gentle arms you will hold us.
We could say, “Let the night cover us, and everything about us be total darkness,”
but even the darkness is not dark to you: the night is bright like the day,
and with you even the darkness is light.
In your light, Lord, we turn to you.
In your presence, we worship.

5.
Leader: God of All, your Creation groans in childbirth, the labor pains of life.
All: Life groans in us, yearning for wholeness.
We come to listen to the moans of the world.
We come to give voice to the yearning of your Spirit.
Even now you pray in us, God.
We will hold the silence and the space.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of grace, surely you are in this place. Open the eyes and ears of our hearts. As we breathe in and out, you are around and within us. Open the depths of our souls. May we be present to you, who are so infinitely present for us. Amen.

2.
God of glory, Lord of Mystery, Jacob dreamed of the angelic ladder bridging heaven and earth. We stand upon that ladder now, your Presence ascending and descending as we hear your Word and respond. Bless us, who stand always at the gate of heaven, that we may be mindful, and grateful. Speak to us, God, your living Word. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, in our lives we hear so much chatter, so many voices. Help us to winnow out the good wheat from the weeds, the truth from the noise. Grant us your Spirit, so that as the scriptures are read and your good news proclaimed, we may hear with gladness what you are saying to us today. Amen.

4.
Holy God, Infinite Love, Intimate Lover, Faithful One, we come from you. We rest in you. We listen for you. Open our hearts to your presence. Open our ears to your Word. Open our arms to your children. Open our future to your grace. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Loving God, we are not dreaming.
You are in this place.
Your grace passes between this world
and your heart.
We open ourselves to the mystery of your presence.

Prayer of Confession

1.
God of love, you have been present for us
and we did not know it;
we did not act as if you were there,
as if you loved us, as if we cared.
By the grace we know in Christ,
awaken us, forgive us, heal our fear,
and renew your Spirit in us. Amen.

2.
Pastor: God of love, in our lives there is wheat,
beautiful and blessed, and a gift from you.
We recall those moments when your grace was fruitful
in our lives and we give thanks as we hold them before you.
    [Silence…]
In our lives there are also weeds, ugly and unfruitful,
that choke out the goodness.
Trusting your grace, we recall those moments,
and we hold them before you.
     [Silence…]
God of grace, gather in your harvest,
separate out what is good in us and what is not,
that our lives may bear fruit
for you and for the world.
All: In the grace we know in Christ,
receive us, forgive us, heal us,
and renew your Spirit in us
as your beloved children. Amen.

Readings

Psalm 139 — a paraphrase

O Holy One, you see me from the inside out.
         You know me better than I do.
You take every step with me;
       you have already walked all my journeys.
Even before I speak
         you know my thoughts.
You are around me and within me;
         I feel your hand on my back.
I can’t imagine the greatness of your love;
         I can only trust it.
                                            God, for your love, I pray…
Where could I go from your presence?
         In outer space, at the core of the earth—there you are.
If I ran away to the farthest place,
         you would be with me all the way.
I could try to hide in perfect darkness
         but to you the darkness is light.
                                            God, for your light, I pray…
You formed me before I was born;
         you made me by hand in secret.
I praise you, for you are wonderful!
         For I am wonderfully, awesomely made.
How amazing is your wisdom, O God,
         how infinite your presence.
When I try to comprehend, you are beyond my understanding.
         But when I simply become aware—here you are.
Search through me, O God, and know my heart.
         Root out what is unloving, and lead me in your life-giving way.
                                            God, for your way, I pray…

Response / Creed / Affirmation

        We love you, God, infinite creator of all that is, and we rejoice that we are your children. We come from you; we are born of your love. You create us as living images of you and your grace.
        We follow you, Jesus, Christ of God, Word made flesh, love made real. You healed and taught. You welcomed and blessed all God’s children. You included all people as siblings. You included the outcast, the wounded, the children. For your love and courage you were crucified; but in love God raised you from the dead. You live among us, calling, guiding, blessing.
         Holy Spirit, we live by your grace. Born of God, adopted by God, blessed by God, we live by your life and power in us. You lead us to live lives of love and courage, to bless all our siblings, to live together as children of God in harmony and joy,
        We give thanks to you, O God, and promise to live as children of your love. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

Child of God (Original song)

I’m a child, a child of God,
God’s beloved in whom God is pleased.
I will live in the peace of God.

You’re a child…

August 6, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Genesis 32.22-31. Jacob wrestles with an angel and receives a new name, “Israel,” meaning “One who wrestles with God.”

Psalm 17. God, I call upon you. Guard me as the apple of your eye. Show your wondrous love. Deliver me from my enemies.

Romans 9. 1-5. God has given the Covenant through the Israelites.

Matthew 14. 13-21 Jesus feeds 5000 with a few fish.

Preaching Thoughts

Genesis
       Jacob wrestles with… God? .. his life?…his own shadow self?… Yes, all of these, and maybe also his tendency to wrestle! He faces his urge to compete, to supplant. As his spiritual descendants this is who we are: we are Israel, we are people who wrestle with God, with others and with ourselves and our own ways. Faith does not necessarily come easily. It comes with struggle, questioning, even opposing. It comes with labor pains. Faith comes from the impasse of being unable to either overcome God or flee from God.
     In his encounter Jacob receives a new name, Israel, When we really wrestle with God, when we deeply engage all of ourselves, straining shoulder to shoulder, chest to chest with Love and its mystery and its demands and its paradoxes—it changes who we are. We walk away limping, reminded of our frailty, but blessed.
     “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” This is the cry of faith. Because all of our wrestling is with God, we know there is blessing in it. We just have to hang on till we receive it. What strength there is in facing all our struggles like that, whatever our trouble: “I will not let go until you bless me.” This doesn’t mean staying in a bad situation like an abusive relationship. It means not ignoring our pain, not dismissing or minimizing our struggles, not pretending “everything’s fine;” for our pain has something to teach us, our struggles have blessings hidden in them, even our failures impart wisdom.

Matthew
      Notice the story begins with Jesus seeking solitude. People find him, and so ends his solitude. (Ministry can be like that). Jesus responds with compassion. (Ministry should be like that, too.) But at the end of the day he goes back and gets that solitude time. (May your ministry be like that.)
     The disciples ask Jesus to send the people away, to outsource what is needed. But Jesus says, “No, you feed them.” How often do we look to God for miraculous intervention when the gifts are right here in our hands? How often do we complain about what we don’t have and overlook the miraculous power that is in the gifts that we do have?
     How to “explain” the miracle? Maybe it’s that people shared. Like stone soup: they actually had food with them, they just didn’t want others to see it….. Or maybe everybody had a tiny bit, and that was enough… But maybe Jesus actually produced food for a crowd. Singers know this: when you’re all in tune, you produce another note, a “harmonic,” that no one is actually singing. Maybe Jesus was so in tune with God that his love, in harmony with God’s, produced a new thing that wasn’t there before.
     Notice who Jesus invites to communion. No prerequisites, none, Not believing or understanding. Just hunger. That’s how we come to God—and to the communion table. Jesus surely violated cleanliness laws, and caused everyone there to do so, by eating with sinners and the unclean. What matters is the feeding of the multitude, not the cleanliness of the individual.
     “There were about 5000 men, besides women and children.” Oh, yeah, right, women and children. But we still call it the feeding of the 5000. We still have trouble counting women and children, don’t we?

Call to Worship

1. (Genesis)
Leader: In our solitude, God, you accompany us.
All: In all our struggles, it is you we wrestle with.
Holy Mystery, seize us in your grace.
Bless us, and make us new. Amen.

2. (Matthew)
Leader: God of love, we come to you hungry for your Word.
All: With the loaves and fishes of our worship, feed us.
We come to you weary and in need of renewal.
With the loaves and fishes of your grace, heal us.
We come weary from the work of love and justice.
With the loaves and fishes of your Spirit, give us strength
for the work to come. Feed us, God, for we need you.

3.
Leader: God of love, you meet us in mystery.
All: Help us to bear your grace.
God of abundance, you meet us in our need.
Help us to bear your grace.
God of power, you pour your blessing into us.
Help us to bear your grace.
Help us to worship. Amen.

4.
Leader: Holy One, to you alone we come for wisdom.
All: Eternal God, to you alone we give our hearts.
As you fed the multitudes upon the mountain, feed us now with your Word.
As Christ made a small offering into a great miracle,
make our lives a part of your mighty acts of salvation. Amen.

5.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
Christ, you took the bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to your followers.
Alleluia! Take us, bless us, break us, and give us to the world, in your name.
Come, Giver of Life, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of mystery and grace, Jacob knew you in blessing and in struggle, in daylight and in dreams. Jesus met you in hunger and in feasting, in solitude and in crowds. Our lives are dappled, light and dark, and we seek to know you in every moment. In our worship today, and in all our lives, may we know your presence and trust your grace in mystery as well as in clearness. In the arms of your wrestling angel, in the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

2.
God of love, crowds came to Jesus hungry for your Word. So we come to you. Take the loaves of our prayers and the fishes of our silence, and multiply them by your Spirit to feed us with your grace. Let us hear the voice of Jesus. Amen.

3.
Loving God, the mysteries of life confound us. The challenges of life engulf us. Yet you feed us abundantly with your grace. The angels we wrestle with bless us, and we are made new. We open our hearts to your Spirit as we worship. Feed us your grace, and empower us to bear the bread of life to others in the name of Christ. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

Loving God,
our hearts are the little loaves and fishes
of your presence in us.
By the mystery of your Spirit in us,
multiply them. Feed us with your grace.
We are hungry. We are listening.

Readings

Psalm 17, a paraphrase

God, listen to me when I cry out to you.
         Hear the honest prayer of my heart.
Let me know how blessed I am.
          Show me where you see my beauty.
You know me inside out, even in the dark of night.
         Help me to be good through and through.
         May everything I say to reflect your love.
I could choose to live another way, but I will not.
         I will avoid the ways of violence.
Keep my feet on your path.
          Help me not to slip.
I call to you, God, knowing that you will answer.
         I pray, trusting you to hear.
It is a wonder how you show your love,
         how you protect those who seek safety in you,
         and shield them from hurtful things.
Keep me as the apple of your eye
         and hide me in the shadow of your wings.
Everywhere I look I will see you.
         Everywhere I am you will be with me.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
     God, we love you and we trust you. Holy Mystery, in our loneliness you accompany us. In our struggles you struggle with us. In our hunger you feed us. Limping from our encounter with you, we are blessed and made new. We give you thanks.
     Jesus Christ, we love you and we trust you. In our wondering you teach us. In our hunger you feed us. In our fear you empower us. In our dying you die with us; in your rising you rise with us. We will not let go of you, for you will bless us. We give you our thanks.
     Holy Spirit, in the sunless places in our lives, in the night of unseeing, you are the faithful presence. In our struggles you are our foe and our friend. In our inadequacy you are the miraculous power. Restored by your presence in us, we go forth to love. Alleluia.

2.
     We believe in God, Creator of all things, heavenly father and mother, of infinite love, wisdom and power, ruler of all that is and all that is to come, who is mystery, yet revealed.
     We follow Christ, God’s chosen one, who loved and served humbly, who gave his life for our redemption, and who was raised by God to new life. In his teaching, in his death and resurrection, and in his presence with us in all circumstances, he reveals God to us. He calls us to humbly follow him and obediently serve him for the sake of proclaiming God’s grace. We trust that he accompanies us and will help, guide, heal and defend us through all difficulty and suffering.
     We believe the Holy Spirit guides us, empowers us and sustains us as servants of God’s grace. We live as the body of Christ, in the power of forgiveness and the reality of resurrection, and the light of eternal life. Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

[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.]

——————   #1 ———————
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.

God of love, we sing your praise.
You create us, claim us, and continually set us free.
In all our difficulties you have been with us,
and our only struggle is the struggle to receive your grace.
When we are hungry you feed us,
and when much was demanded of us you empower us.
As Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes,
multiply your grace among us, that we may feast on your love.
In gratitude we sing your praise with all Creation.

            [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 version]

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
who taught and healed,
who fed the hungry and included the outcast.
He showed us miracles of generosity, miracles of abundance,
and called us to do such works of love.
He was crucified and raised, and the leftovers never end.
He gave the loaves and fishes of his own life,
and from them you have multiplied life for all people.

     (The Blessing and Covenant) *

As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.
Therefore, remembering these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves 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 Spirit on us, that we may be for the world the Body of Christ.
In these gifts of food perform again a miracle of generosity;
multiply the loaves and fishes of your presence for us.
Multiply the loaves and fishes of your love in us,
that we may bear your grace to a hungry world,
in the name and the Spirit of Christ, for your joy and glory.

     [Spoken or sung]
Amen.

———— ‹2 ——————

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.

Holy Mystery, Infinite Love, we praise you.
Giver of all gifts, we thank you.
You fashion Creation like the finest bread,
and we feast upon it.
You pour out life like the best wine,
and we drink deeply of it.
You provide for us when we hunger,
and accompany us when we wander.
You confront all that oppresses us
with your grace, setting us free.
You continually work toward the wholeness of Creation,
healing, forgiving, nourishing and guiding us.
You command justice,
and call us to live toward a world of justice and peace.
You have given us the gift of Christ
and the gift of the Church, your community of grace.
Therefore we gather at your table,
with all your beloved, and all Creation, and sing your praise.

            [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 version]

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ.
He fed the hungry, healed the broken, and gathered the outcast.
He has taken what we have offered and multiplied it
into grace, into miracle, into life.
And he calls us to feed our neighbors,
to be life for those who hunger.
He met the forces of oppression with gentleness and healing;
though they killed him his love prevailed.
He was crucified, but you raised him from the dead,
embodying your Covenant to be with us in love always.

… The Blessing and Covenant… *

As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.
Therefore, remembering these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves 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 Spirit on us,
that receiving the Body of Christ,
may we become again the Body of Christ,
taken by your Mystery,
blessed by your love,
broken by your grace,
and given, for the sake of the wholeness of the world.
Send us, God, in your love,
one with Jesus, one with all Creation,
in the name and the spirit and the company of Christ.

     [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.
You have graced our fear and despair with abundance and power. You have fed us with your love. Send us into the world to feed the hungry, trusting in your grace, going in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit. 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.
As Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to his beloved, so take us, bless us, break us, and give us to the world; that by your grace in us you may bless all the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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

All that we hold in our hands (Original song)

What do we hold in our hearts?
The hopes of a hungering people,
longing for you, and for bread,
and to truly be free.
What can we do, who are small?
The power is not ours at all:
God, you have hidden such grace
here in our hands.

What do we hold in our hands?
Nothing we have is unworthy.
An everyday gift you can use
in miraculous ways.
All that we hold in our hands
you’ll use if we give it to you.
Use what we hold in our hands
for what you will do.

What do we hold in our hands?
In it you’ve hidden the wondrous,
fishes and loaves you can use
to feed thousands with love.
All that we hold in our hands
we give in the name of your Son:
more than we ask or imagine,
may your will be done.

What do we hold in our hands?
Grace is abundant, not lacking.
Look now and see what we have
and find power and life.
All that we hold in our hands,
all that we have or can do,
all that we are by your grace
we give now to you.



Five Loaves and Two Fish       (Original song)

Five loaves and two fish are enough
to offer the blessing of God.
Open your hands. See what you have.

The gifts that you have are enough
to shine with the glory of God.
Open your hands. See what you have.

The love that you have is enough
to offer the healing of God.
Open your hands. See what you have.

The courage you have is enough
to work for the justice of God.
Open your hands. See what you have.

Five loaves and two fish are enough
to offer the blessing of God.
Open your hands. See what you have.
See what you have. See what you have.


Story of Grace (Original song)

Chorus:
Though we can’t see at the time,
God is here in this place.
No matter the mountain we climb,
this is a story of grace.

Verses:
Jacob must wrestle his angel,
be brought to the end of his powers,
to know what our suffering teaches us:
the power that saves us is God’s, not ours.

Disciples are weary and overwhelmed
by crowds that need to be fed.
But Jesus welcomes them, trusting God,
who brings forth a miracle: boundless bread!

What are the angels you wrestle with?
Powerless fear, doubt or pain?
There in the struggle it’s God you meet,
blessing you, giving you life again.

We Feast On Your Love (Original Song)

Chorus: We drink from your presence.
We feast on your love.
This is the banquet we’ve been dreaming of. (Repeat.)

You gather us: no one’s unworthy,
and no one is “greatest” or “least.”
You multiply what we offer,
so multitudes may feast. — Chorus

We hunger and thirst for your spirit,
we open ourselves to your grace.
In flows the mercy you offer
in every time and place. — Chorus

We taste the sweet wine made from water,
our bread is your body you give.
“Drink of the water I give you,
so you may truly live.”

May 28, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Acts 2.1-21. The disciples experience the Spirit so powerfully that Luke describes them as if they were on fire. They go into the streets of Jerusalem and begin talking about God’s love to people from all over the known world, each in those people’s native languages. Peter explains the event by quoting the prophet Joel’s vision of God pouring out the Spirit on all people of every age, gender and social station.

Psalm 104 praises God’s Creation and care for all creatures. “When you send forth your spirit they are created.”

1 Corinthians 12.4-13 speaks of the many ways that the Spirit lives in the members of the Church through varying gifts.

John 7.37-39. Jesus’s Spirit is a life-giving stream that flows to us (“Come to me and drink”); this stream, by the grace of the Spirit, also flows from us to others.

Preaching Thoughts

Speaking in tongues
I’m intrigued that the Pentecost story of “speaking in tongues” is about communication—the disciples speaking in other people’s languages (“tongues”) to communicate the gospel they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to communicate—and yet within twenty years “speaking in tongues” was understood not as speaking in known languages for the purpose of communication but in ecstatic utterances that were meaningless, even to the speaker, with out interpretation. I wonder how that reversal came about? I think the pentecostal challenge is not to experience ecstasy but to communicate the good news in ways people understand—which is not in our religious language, or even in words, but in love and justice.

That involves more listening than talking: paying attention to people and their lives, their context, their needs, and listening to them, to what they experience and need and ask for—a kind of “listening in tongues.” Pentecost invites us to check our tendency to center ourselves, our desire that others “speak our language,” our temptation to impose our own values on them. Sometimes the most pentecostal thing we can do is affirm people as they are, rather than ask them to conform to our standards and expectations. Pentecost invites us to assume God has been with them in their journey, even if it’s very different from ours.

The Holy Spirit
It’s helpful for us to personify the Spirit, to imagine the Holy Spirit as, well, a spirit—a sort of invisible “someone” who comes to us and acts upon us. That’s cool, as long as we remember we’re anthropomorphizing a member of the Holy Trinity, that is, God, who is not a god, but beyond all gods—the Mystery of Love that gives rise to all being, that is Being itself. The Holy Spirit is not some ghost, but God in us. In both Greek and Hebrew the word for wind, spirit and breath (and hence life) is the same: ruach in Hebrew and pneuma in Greek. The Holy Spirit is the living energy of God (which is love) in us. When we love, that’s God doing God’s thing.

Jesus says “I am in God, and you in me, and I in you (Jn. 14.20). Sounds a little spacey, but it’s literally true. God is infinite; we are within God. The Holy Spirit is our inter-penetration, our inter-being. Jesus was both human and divine; so are we.

We speak of the disciples “receiving “ the Spirit at Pentecost, but they already had it. They were born with it. (Joel says the Spirit is poured out on all flesh.) And just to make sure, Jesus has breathed on them in John 20. But Pentecost is the moment when the spark catches fire and they burn with it, overcoming their fear and grief. Acting in the power of the Holy Spirit isn’t some ecstatic experience, but simply being a vessel for love. It’s not our love, our effort, but God’s. We let the Spirit, God’s love in us, do its thing. That’s what enables us to do things that seem beyond our capacity or expectations—like communicating love in languages we haven’t studied.

Baptism
Pentecost is a great day for baptisms, baptismal renewal, Confirmation, and receiving new members. People often conflate baptism and confirmation. Those who believe in “adult baptism” see it as a way to affirm one’s faith. But baptism, like birth, isn’t something you do; it’s something you receive. Baptism is a symbol of God’s unconditional love of the person being baptized—whether or not they like it, or understand it, or even know it. (That’s why we baptize babies.) Confirmation is the act in which we respond—we confirm our baptism; we accept our divine belovedness and vow to live in harmony with it. We can only be baptized once, since our belovedness is permanent, eternal and unchanging, and isn’t dependent on the pastor or church or denomination that pours the water, nor on the person receiving it. But we do need to continually re-affirm our baptism, to re-commit ourselves to the vows that were made at our baptism. Pentecost is a great time for baptismal renewal services. See a service of Baptism/ Baptismal Renewal/ Confirmation here.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Breath of Life, raise us up.
All: Come, Holy Spirit, come.
Wind of Grace, carry us always.
Come, Holy Spirit, come.
Light of God, show us the way.
Come, Holy Spirit, come.
Spirit of God, make us one.
Come, Holy Spirit, come.
Flame of Love, send us forth.
Come, Holy Spirit, come. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: Spirit of Creation, you call us into being.
All: Spirit of life, you breathe your presence into us.
Spirit of love, you fill us with blessings for others.
Spirit of Christ, you breathe us into the world.
Spirit of God, be our life and our power.
Spirit of God, make us your Body, the Body of Christ.

3.
Leader: In the beginning the Spirit brooded over the waters.
All: Come, Holy Spirit, come.
God formed a human from the dust from the earth and breathed into it,
and it became a living person.
Come, Holy Spirit, come.
John said, “I baptize you with water but one is coming
who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”
Come, Holy Spirit, come.
Jesus said, “The water that I will give will become in you a spring of water
gushing up to eternal life.”
Come, Holy Spirit, come.
Jesus said of the Spirit, “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.”
Come, Holy Spirit, come. Alleluia.

4.
Leader: Eternal God, by your Spirit you create us.
All: Risen Christ, you breathe your Spirit into us.
Holy Spirit, with each breath you give us life and love.
What beauty! What power!
You pour out your grace on us, like rain on thirsty land.
Your spirit is a well within us, gushing up to eternal life,
and flowing our of our hearts.
You are our breathing, our loving, our life.
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

5. (Jn. 7.37-38)
Leader: Jesus said, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me.”
All: God, we are thirsty for you.
“Let the one who believes in me drink.”
We come to drink deeply of your Word,
your presence, your grace.
“As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart
shall flow rivers of living water.’”
Flow in us, God, with your love,
and by your grace flow through us
into the world. Amen.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Heavenly Lover, you who are the Spirit of love, breathe in us. Create us. Fill us with your life. Fill us with your love. Fill us with the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

2.
Breath of God, wind that blew over the sea at Creation; breath that brought to life the human form, made of the dust of the earth; Spirit that led Jesus through all his days: breathe life into us now; re-create us, and fill our bodies and souls with your Word of life, your song of blessing. We breathe deeply of your presence. In the secret language of the heart, speak to us. Amen.

3.
Holy One, Light of Love, Sun of Life, Blaze of Heaven, we turn to you like flowers to the sun to receive your light. Draw near to us and set us afire with your love. We are the lamp and you are the flame; we are the lighthouse and you are the light. Shine in us, until we are pure light, pure love, pure life! You are the river and we are your riverbank. Flow in us so that we may bear your grace to all the world in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

4.
Gracious God, you are our breath. Give us life, and ewe will praise you. Light of God, we come to shape ourselves to be vessels of your love. Give us grace, and we will serve you. Holy Spirit, you are our Wisdom and our life. Speak to us, and we will listen. Amen.

Listening Prayer

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

1.
Spirit of God,
you breathe in us.
You make us alive.
In the stillness we breathe
and you enter us.
You come in and out of us
with life-giving love.
We breathe you in and out,
and we give thanks.

2.
You have said to us who thirst
to come to you and drink.
O Love, we drink deeply of your presence.
You said out of our hearts shall flow
rivers of living water.
O Love, flow in us
with life for all Creation.

Prayers

1.
Graceful power, move in me.
May my living give language to your miraculous ways.
May my words express your goodness,
my actions reveal the abundance of your blessing.
Spirit, be the nerve that moves me as your body
to do your will, that all that I do
might clearly embody your grace
and be your living example.
May all whom I meet be given to understand
in the language of their hearts
your loving presence.
Amen.

2. [May be led by two readers.]
Rejoicing in the presence of the Spirit, let us pray for the church, the world, and all of God’s creation.

Come, Holy Spirit, and kindle the flames of our witness to God’s presence.
We pray for the leaders of the church and all the people of God, that together we might live the gospel, and reach out to those with needy hearts. God in your mercy… you hear our prayers.

Come, Holy Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
We pray for oceans and sky, for rivers and deserts, for lakes and forests, for mountains and grasslands. God in your mercy…

Come, Holy Spirit, and pour out your justice on all nations.
We pray for countries wracked with violence, for soldiers and civilians, for peacemakers and relief agencies. God in your mercy…

Come, Holy Spirit, and give hopeful visions to the young and life-giving dreams to the old.
We pray for those whose lives are wracked by fear, for those who feel distanced from your light, and for all those in need in any way, especially…. God in your mercy…

Come, Holy Spirit, and guide us in our work.
We pray for firefighters and scientists, for midwives and custodians, for writers and housekeepers, for parents and students, for all who live out the gifts of the Spirit in their lives. God in your mercy…

Come, Holy Spirit, and bind us to the communion of saints who have gone before us.
We remember with thanksgiving all those who served and witnessed by your power, especially… God in your mercy…

Into your hands, O God, we commend ourselves and all for whom we pray, trusting in your abundant mercy. And now with the confidence that is ours in being sons and daughters of God, we pray to the One we call Abba, Father, the prayer of Jesus: …

Poetry

           A sun within

I’m wondering how to love
such a big tough world,
where to find the strength to bless
the unending mass of the poor,
the problematic, the people who
annoy me. But You say to me,
“You don’t need to find anything.
You only need to breathe deeply
of this fire within; receive
what you have been given. You have
perfected your simple costume,
your blank demeanor.
But something deep within you roars:
not a flame, but a sun,
a wind that sweeps vast cities clear,
a heaving sea. Don’t you feel it?
The light seeps out through your joints.
The great tide swells
with every pulse of your heart.
You weary yourself trying to contain it.
Lie still for a moment in the sun
of God’s passion for you, the single flame,
the only light, that fills all things,
that loves each soul, until you catch fire.
Open your eyes, and let it stream from you.
Your heart is not a cistern. It is a river.
It is the sun. Wake up, for it is rising.


             Pentecost Prayer

Fire of God,
be my light.

Heat of God,
be my fuel.

Furnace of God,
purify me.

Blaze of God,
be my upward leaping.

Flame of God,
be my breath.

Wind of God,
be my steady leading.

Spirit of God,
may I burn with your love,

your passion to spread mercy
in this flammable world.


             Pentecost prayer

Holy Spirit,
River of love, divine delight,
flow through me.
Flame of sun, burn in me.
Wind of heaven, breathe in me.
Tongues of strangers, speak in me.
Love of God, sing in me.

Lead me beyond myself,
to return to you in the other,
to love you in my stranger,
my foreigner, my enemy.

Burn with your fire in me,
that it may be mine.
Breathe yourself into my life,
that it may be yours.
I am your song, and your singing.
I am your candle; you are my flame.

Holy Spirit,
love the world
in me.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

1.
[From 1 Corinthians 12, Jn. 3. 5-6]
[Try experimenting with various ways of responsive readings in addition to Leader and Congregation. This merely an example.]
         Left side: No one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.
         Right side: Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
         Men: There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit in all people. To each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
         Women: The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
         All: We are the body of Christ, and each one of us is a part of it.
         Under 50 years old : God says: “Here is my servant community whom I have chosen, the ones I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on them, and they will proclaim justice to the nations.”
         Over 50 years old: The Spirit of the Holy One is upon us, for God has anointed us to preach good news to the poor. God has sent us to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the grace of God.
All: Alleluia! Holy Spirit, be in us the light of God for the world. Alleluia!

2.
[Based on Romans 8. 2, 11-17]
We rejoice, for the power of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the power of sin and death. Since the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in us, then that same Spirit will give life to our mortal bodies also. So we belong not to our separate lives and desires, which are doomed, but to the one life of the Spirit. For all who are led by the Spirit are children of God. The Spirit does not restrict us, or shove us back into fear. The Spirit is our connection with God, as God’s children. When we cry, “Mommy! Daddy!” it is that very spirit in us crying out. So in the Spirit we are siblings with Christ: we suffer with Christ, and we are glorified with Christ.

Eucharistic Prayer

[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 in the beginning
you gathered up dust from the earth and breathed your breath into it,
and it became a living being: us, your people.
When we were lost and enslaved
your pillar of fire led us to freedom through the wilderness.
When we were defeated and lifeless
your wind brought life to our dry bones.
In our need you sent Jesus, conceived by the Holy Spirit.
So we sing praise and thanks to you,
with all Creation breathing together:

            [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 version]

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
who taught and healed, who fed the hungry and included the outcast.
He breathed upon us his Spirit,
renewing your Covenant to be with us always in love,
and empowering us to love as he loved.

     (The Blessing and Covenant)
As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.
Therefore, remembering these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves 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 Spirit on us, that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
one in your grace and aflame with your love,
for the sake of the world, in the name of Christ.

     [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.) In gratitude we give you our lives, symbolized in our gifts. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will. May your Spirit always flow through us, for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name 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.) In this meal you have poured yourself into us, and filled us with your Spirit of love. Send us into the world to convey your love to others, that they also might know your powerful works. We pray in the name of Christ. Amen.

3.
Spirit of Life, flow through us. Flame of Love, burn in us. Holy Presence, shine in us. May our whole lives be a song of praise for you, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

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


Bearers of Light (Tune: Morning Has Broken)

God, how you love us, hold us and bless us,
reign from above us, lead us by hand
Call us to healing, bound by your Promise,
your Word revealing, by your command.

Great holy giver of life and wonder,
deep like a river your blessings flow.
Gladly we give you praise and thanksgiving:
gifts we will give wherever we go.

Baptized, anointed, filled with your Spirit,
we are appointed bearers of light:
for liberation, servants of justice,
bringing the nations joy and delight.


Breath of God (Tune: Londonderry Air – “Oh Danny Boy”)

O Holy One, Creator of the stars of night,
whose dust we are, created with your light,
now breathe your spirit into us and give us life;
give us new hearts that beat with your delight.
Our dust and ashes, Love, we give in faith to you.
Receive our lives, our sin, our wounds, our death;
and raise us up with Christ from death to life by grace.
God, may we be your love and you our living breath.

Breathe into us the breath of your compassion, God,
the breath to sing your praise in all we do,
the breath to run the race of justice, long and far.
Breathe, holy breath: empower and renew.
O be the grace that fills our lungs, reviving us;
O be the wind on which our hearts can soar;
O be our life, our beauty and our living breath.
O Spirit, come breathe in us now and evermore.


Fire of Love (Tune: HOLY MANNA)

Holy Spirit, you have gathered us as on that Pentecost
when you gathered Christ’s disciples and their fears and doubts were lost:
breathing life into their souls, and shining out of every face,
you sent them into the streets to tell of God’s amazing grace.

Each aflame with your compassion, eager that your praise be sung,
fearlessly they filled the streets to tell your news in every tongue.
So we ask you, by your life within us, giving us new birth,
send us out to spread God’s love in Jesus’ name to all the earth.

Holy Spirit, you have granted gifts to each, in our own way,
so that we might serve you as we live and work and share and pray.
By your pow’r we love our neighbors, work for justice, act with peace,
reach the lost and serve the lowly: so your work will never cease.

Holy Spirit, energy of God that links us soul to soul,
by your grace we are the Body of the risen Christ, made whole.
Be the breath that lifts our singing; be the wind that fills our sails;
be the fire of love among us ‘till the Reign of God prevails.

Holy Spirit, Burn Within Us (Tune: BEECHER, Love Divine, All Loves Excelling)

Holy Spirit, Sun of Heaven, source of light and warmth and power,
fill us and transform us like a seed that turns into a flower.
Kindle in your willing people joy’s bright spark, compassion’s flame.
Set us all afire to bear your loving light in Jesus’ name.

Holy Spirit, burn within us, radiant with your healing grace.
Give us brand new ways to meet and love the stranger face to face.
Help us find new ways of caring. Help us set new, daring goals.
Give us brand new languages to speak your love to seeking souls.

Holy Spirit, let your fire consume us, changing us at last.
Let us rise like light emerging from the embers of the past.
May the star of pure compassion shine within and set us free.
Holy Spirit, make us all your flame that burns eternally.


Holy Spirit, Wind of Heaven (Tune: Joyful, Joyful)

Holy Spirit, Wind of Heaven, Breath of Life, our warmth and light,
Power of Creation, bringing hopeful dawn from darkest night:
you have birthed us, you have borne us; you have blessed us all our days,
now you fill our lungs with singing; how you fill our hearts with praise!

Holy Spirit, flame of passion, you who brought your Church to be,
re-create us as your Body, holy in our unity.
Fill us with your fierce compassion, gentle courage, trust and peace.
Lead us all to love each other; make our sad divisions cease.

Holy Spirit, Dove descending, mind of Christ within us all,
speak your wisdom, move among us, help us hear your inner call.
Be the only pow’r that moves us; be our life, O singing Dove!
Holy Spirit, come, revive us! Fill us with your heart of love!


Spirit of God (Original song)

Spirit of God, bright Wind, breath that bids life begin,
blow as you always do; create us anew.
Give us the breath to sing, lifted on soaring wing,
held in your hands, borne on your wings.
Alleluia! Come, Spirit, come.

Spirit of God, bright Dove, grant us your peace and love,
healing upon your wings for all living things.
For when we live your peace captives will find release,
held in your hands, borne on your wings.
Alleluia! Come, Spirit, come.

Spirit of God, bright Hands, even in far-off lands
you hold all the human race in one warm embrace.
No matter where we go you hold us together so,
held in your hands, borne on your wings.
Alleluia! Come, Spirit, come.!…

Spirit of God, bright Flame, send us in your holy name,
with power to heal, to share your love everywhere.
We cannot fail or fall or know defeat at all,
held in your hands, borne on your wings.
Alleluia! Come, Spirit, come.!…

Spirit of God in all, we gladly hear your call,
the life in our hands that sings, the power of your wings.
Born of your grace we rise, love shining in our eyes,
held in your hands, borne on your wings.
Alleluia! Come, Spirit, come.!…