Unfolding Light – Page 63 – Daily Reflections and Worship Resources

Emmanuel

           They shall know that I am YHWH their God,
           who brought them out of the land of Egypt
           that I might dwell among them;
           I am the Holy One their God.
                           —Exodus 29.46

           “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
           and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
           which means, “God is with us.”
                           —Matthew 1.23

We like to say Jesus “came down from heaven”
to show us how much God cares.
But Jesus did not “come from away.”
God doesn’t live in heaven.
Ever since the Exodus God has lived among God’s people.
Christ’s advent is not so much an arrival as an emergence,
the divine glory hidden in our midst suddenly visible,
our unity in love exposed by one who is one with us,
God’s compassion secreted away in our hearts
breaking out into the open.
This is the revelation that comes to us so often late,
after the dusty journey, on our way out of the hospital,
on the other side of the treacherous bridge,
at the victory party and yes, the funeral:
that God was with us all along.
This is not news; yet we are just now opening our eyes.
The Beloved is always drawing near
and we are always, always waking up.

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Praying with Mary

           God, you have shown strength with your arm;
                      you have scattered the proud
                      in the thoughts of their hearts.
           You have brought down the powerful from their thrones,
                      and lifted up the lowly.
                                      ——Luke 1.51-52

Oh, Mary, you know perfectly well
how revolutionary this is,
how the power structures fight this,
how the world is opposed to God.
And you know in the fight
you will lose much.
Give me courage, Mother of Love,
to stand against the powers,
that they might be brought down,
to use what I have to lift the lowly,
to find my strength not in my powers
but in your love
that brings us all into one circle,
all your Beloved.
Mary, may your vision be my hope
and my courage.

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Be patient

           Be patient, therefore, friends, until the coming of the Beloved.
          The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth,
          being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.
                           —James 5.7

           I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer,
           believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
                           —Mark 11.24

Remember this: the Israelites celebrated Passover before they left Egypt.
The Psalms praise God for mercy before it is granted.

Faith is the paradox of the future perfect tense:
God’s will shall have been done.
The future is packaged into the present.

Therefore, beloved, be patient with what you long for.
God is with you even when you don’t know,
working even when you can’t see.
Present in a way that is unfolding.

Remember this when night is thick,
when prayer is empty, or faith is dry.
nothing happening, like winter,
its invisible seeds and roots.
God is here.

God is not “coming.”
It is I who am sinking deeper toward God.

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Blossoming desert

The desert shall rejoice and blossom.
—Isaiah 35.1

Earth knows.
We have put her to hard labor,
taking her jewels, stripping her naked,
enslaving her under our callous appetite.
She mourns in drought, swoons with fever,
drops her glaciers like glass fallen and shattered.

She too is on this faltering journey toward the Promise.
She too longs for vision long denied.
Yet she will not withhold. She will provide.
For she too is Word made flesh.
In the joy of her Maker,
exultant in the presence of the Great Love,
she will flourish, as grace does.
Already the pines reach down, strong and confident,
the beetle priests enter their secret sanctuary,
every pilgrim bird, every angel fungus
loves their song of glory and is ready to burst forth.
Even deserts that have never known luxury
wait, debutantes, ready, unafraid.
No one has more hope than earth herself.
She will love us through this.

_______________
Weather Report

A perfect day,
perhaps not today or tomorrow
but in Earth’s time, soon.
Ample sun and rain,
the breeze of Love breathing its joy,
and every species
giving and receiving.

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Soft robes

           What did you go out into the wilderness to look at?
           A reed shaken by the wind?
           Someone dressed in soft robes?
                           —Matthew 11.7, 8

The truth will not likely come to us
dressed in fancy stuff. Beware of the voices
trying to protect the privilege of the privileged.
Beware of the voices easily offended at words
despite the offense of injustice all about them.
Expect truth in a hard shell, a harsh rebuke
to our worship of comfort at the expense of compassion.
“You have scattered the proud, brought down the mighty,
and lifted up the lowly.”

The truth is hard that asks for our hearts and lives.
Where to begin? First, before you go off
to crusade against the powerful, look within.
What are the lowly voices in you that need lifting,
that need protecting from haughty judgments?
What little child in you
would God wrap in God’s own soft robes?
What hierarchies strut in their finery in your head,
the powers that arrogantly measure your worth
in defiance of the perfect love of God,
and of God’s complete blessing?
The harsh words of the prophet strike first
at your own self-denigrating beliefs.
Once you have pulled them down from their thrones
you can help others do the same.

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Healing

           “Go and tell John what you hear and see:
           the blind receive their sight, the lame walk,
           the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear,
           the dead are raised,
           and the poor have good news brought to them.”
                           —Matthew 11.4-5

We string up lights of joy at your coming.
We light candles for justice. We sing songs of hope.
But today I utter a prayer for healing.
I have been wounded. We all have been wounded,
in our bodies and in our hearts we have been broken
and we are not yet whole.
I am in need of mending, in need of forgiveness.
I am poor in spirit, weary of soul;
sometimes I don’t have what it takes.
My open wound is your empty manger.
With a broken heart I welcome you.
Come, beloved healer, come.

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Invocation

She lives a beckoning.
Her hands beseech
in drawing water, pounding grain.

An invitation dwells within
the practiced grace of tending to the elders,
the invocations and priestly gestures
of washing pots, of cooking soup,
the welcome of a small dirt floor made clean.

She lays her eyes like hands on things
and consecrates them: cups and stones,
and children, and their tears;
her noticing, her calling to the holy.
She knows no saintliness beyond the plain
embrace of all that is, the feel of walking,
the sacredness of how we’re given, pure,
so confidently to each other here.

She does not question the roughness of her life,
but uses it to scrub her wisdom’s tabletop;
and yet with every breath she begs a question.
Her undemanding silence is a bidding,
her simply being, her vocation here:
to make intimate spaces for eternity to dwell.

The great round pot sits, washed and empty.
And there, beside the broom, as yet unseen,
dear Gabriel smiles at her and draws a breath.

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

An Advent prayer

O Holy One, Newborn Love,
pour into my soul the mystery of this night:
the depth of the blackness, the faces of stars,
the moonlight sliding over the snow.
Pour into my heart the pure song of angels,
the music of light that tingles above me.
Pour into my mind the longing of the forsaken,
the hope of the prophets, the confidence of children.

O Dawning One, Rising Love,
pour into me the faith of trees thriving in winter,
the hope of the red sun patiently climbing the horizon.
Pour into me the love of your coming,
the joy of your presence,
the delight that draws you so gently to us.

O Perfect Mystery, Unsayable Love,
pour into me the perfect wisdom
of a mother holding her child,
the heart of a father weeping for his child,
with wonder of a child seeing
pure blue moonlight for the very first time.

O Wondrous One, Unfolding Love,
pour into me this night
your mystery, your darkness, your delight.
Pour into my body your heart.
Pour into my being the life-giving gift of
Yourself.
May it be for me according to your grace.

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Plea

Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!
— Isaiah 64.1

Our longings pulse blood through us.
                They are babies in us we don’t want to have.

Fearing them full grown,
                we knot them down, deep and small.

But fear cannot kill them. Still we yearn.
                Longings rise up through us from the earth.

Our hearts press against our chests.
                We lean toward the light.

Advent is a time to enter the dark
                where your fear is afraid to go.

Ask your soul: what do you long for?
                Be still and wait for the answer.

Take much time, and listen gently.
                Your soul will only whisper.

Your desires tangle down through the dark
                like roots into the heart of God.

Your deep longings are the voice of the Beloved
                longing for the New Creation.

It is desire that drew stars out of darkness,
                green out of soil, life out of the grave.

Deepen your desire. Nourish your longing.
                Let the One yearn within you.

Dare, with the dignity and power of God, to beg.
                Take courage to want, in greatest measure.

Your longing is too large to be checked off a list.
                Let your life be a holy plea.

Let what still comes unfold within you.
                Creation’s deepest desire in you

is the bud already in the wintry branch,
                drawing this world into the next.

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

Maundy Thursday Liturgy # 2

This service is an extended Eucharistic prayer, interspersed with scripture readings. The focus is on Justice, reflecting the feast of Passover.
It may include a homily at any point, and it may include foot-washing.

Click here to download a this service in a .doc format.
__________________

“This is my command: love one another as I have loved you.” — John 15.17

Greeting

John 12.1-8

Prayer
O God, in this Holy Week we proclaim the mystery of our faith as we behold the great love of Christ, and contemplate his call for us to love one another. As Jesus faced his death with humility, compassion and grace, help us now to watch with him in his passion. In his last day with his beloved friends Jesus celebrated the Passover, God’s mighty deliverance of the slaves from Egypt, God’s desire for freedom and justice for all people. Pray that we may inherit Christ’s passion for justice and healing. Even in the face of his death, Jesus renewed God’s covenant of life, God’s promise of blessing and redemption. Pray that we may enter into that covenant with faith, joy and gratitude. Amen.

Exodus 12. 1-5, 11-14

Prayer
God of Creation, God of our liberation, God of salvation, it is your will that all people be freed from hatred, violence, servitude and poverty. We pray that we may be freed from the bondage of all sin. We pray for all those who suffer injustice and oppression. We confess our complicity in injustice, and pray for courage to be set free ourselves. We pray for those of other faiths, that we may honor and learn from one another, and that there be no hatred between us. God of mercy, set us free, and free all your beloved children. Amen.

Psalm 116

Eucharistic Prayer
Holy God, Creator of this world and all that is to come,
we give thanks for your mighty acts of mercy.
For you have brought Creation out of chaos, light out of darkness.
You have formed us in your image
and breathed into us the breath of life.
You have made covenant with us to save us, to set us free,
and to walk with you into new and abundant life.
You yearn for the freedom of all people;
so you brought your people up out of slavery in Egypt.
You condemn the powers of evil and injustice,
set free your beloved people,
and call us and strengthen us to join you
for the sake of the redemption of the whole world.
Throughout history you have stood with the poor,
with the outcast, the powerless, the abused and the forgotten.
You have spoken to us through your prophets,
who call us to justice,
and and you have made us your people, the church.
Even when our love fails, you have remained steadfast;
you have loved us and redeemed us
in the life, death and resurrection of Christ.
And so with all the saints on earth and in heaven, we praise you:

            [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]

Music

Luke 22. 24-27 [One who serves]

Eucharistic Prayer
Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ, who, though he was divine,
did not cling to equality with God,
but in radical self-emptying, took the form of a servant,
becoming humble to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Gentle Christ, we thank for your great love,
for which you suffered the injustice of the cross.
In your suffering you are one with all who suffer.
We pray for all who suffer, that you may be with them.
In your presence may they find hope and consolation,
and come to know the true promise of resurrection.
You make all things new; free us from our fear of suffering,
that in the spirit of Christ’s compassion,
we may offer ourselves for justice and the healing of the world,
according to your will.

Intercessory Prayers

Music

Luke 22. 21-23, 31-34 [You will deny me]

Prayer of Confession
Merciful God, we confess that we do not love you perfectly, nor our neighbors as ourselves. We confess the injustice of our world, the greed and violence at the heart of our society. We confess that we are part of it: we are dominated by fear and selfishness, helplessly entangled in powers of death and injustice. We cannot wash our hands of the suffering we have caused, benefited from, or been party to. By the grace of your Gentle One, Christ Jesus, have mercy upon us. Create in us a clean heart, O God, and put a new and faithful spirit within us. Heal us, forgive us, renew us, and lead us, that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, by the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Silent Confession … The Word of Grace

Music

Luke. 22.14-20 [The bread and cup]

Eucharistic Prayer
Gracious God, in Christ you have renewed your Covenant
to be our God and to be with us in blessing eternally.
In Christ you have endured our sin and violence,
and overcome evil not by conquering it
but by suffering with us.
You have stood with those who are sacrificed for the sake of others,
you have condemned slaughter as an acceptable sacrifice;
you have denied violence as a way to appease you.
You have brought about your new Passover:
for Christ is our Paschal lamb, whose blood proclaims
that death has no power over us.
In your wiling suffering at the hand of our sin,
and your loving forgiveness, all condemnation is destroyed.
In the Covenant of your grace, we receive new life.

[Spoken or sung:]
Dying, Christ destroyed our death.
Rising, Christ restores our life.
Christ shall come again in glory.

Scripture: Isaiah 42.1-4

Eucharistic Prayer
By your grace, as we take into ourselves the Body of Christ,
Grant that we may become the Body of Christ,
that by your Spirit in us, we may proclaim in our lives,
as we do in this meal, the blessing of your Covenant with us.

Music

John 14. 15-20, 26-27

Eucharistic Prayer
Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the Body and Blood of the Beloved, Jesus Christ.
Renew your Holy Spirit within us, O God,
and unite us with all who share in this meal:
grant us communion with all your beloved,
and solidarity with all who suffer,
who know violence or injustice.Having set us free, send us to be servants of justice
for the sake of the world
until we feast together in the Realm that you promise.
May your Word be made flesh by all your holy Church,
in the love of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

[Spoken or sung]
Amen.

The Prayer of Jesus (“The Lord’s Prayer”)

Sharing the Meal

Scripture: John 15.9-17

Prayer
Loving God, we thank you for this mystery in which you have given yourself to us. You have gathered us in a community of love and justice. By your spirit may we go forth and make the world a community of love and justice. Amen.

Blessing

Optional foot-washing:

John 13. 1-17

Prayer
God of steadfast love, we give thanks,
for in Christ you have humbly served us.
You have led us as our teacher, called us as your servants,
and claimed us as your friends.
Grant us Christ’s hope in healing and justice,
and spirit of surrender and servanthood,
that in the name and companionship of Christ
we may live in love and humility,
for the sake of your will. Amen.

Music

Washing of Feet

John 13. 34-35

Music

Prayer
Holy One, Triune God, Lover and Beloved
and the Flowing of Love,
grant by the life of Christ in us
that we may love one another,
not merely as we love ourselves,
but even as you have loved us,
and that we commit our love
for the whole world.
Amen.

Silence

Blessing

________________

Suggested songs

Be the Living Word (Tune: HOLY MANNA or ODE TO JOY)

As you go to serve Creation bear the Word of God with you,
Word that brings forth light now dwelling in your heart and shining through.
Do not merely say the words: become the Word. Embody grace.
Be the living Word and give the love of God a human face.

To the poor in spirit go, and give them bread for which they long.
Nourish them for love and justice. Feed their souls and make them strong.
Be the hearty bread that’s taken, blest and broken day by day.
Be the bread of love made real, bread that Jesus gives away.

Do not try to serve with only your own passion to impart.
Let the love of God flow through you from the Source, from Heaven’s Heart.
Pass along God’s deep forgiveness, flowing freely from the Lord.
Be the wine of God’s great feast, the wine so generously poured.

By the Spirit living in you, be the hope you hope to preach;
be the peace you long to witness; be the truth you want to teach.
Let your living be the Word that words alone cannot convey.
Be the Word of love embodied; be the flesh of Christ today.

Bread of Justice (Tune: HOLY MANNA)
Alt. tunes: BEECHER (“Love Divine all Loves Excelling”)
CONVERSE (“What a Friend We Have in Jesus”)
ODE TO JOY (“Joyful, Joyful”)

God of justice and compassion, you who freed the Hebrew slaves,
you who feed the poor and powerless, you whose great forgiveness saves,
now you feed us, poor in spirit, through the grace of your dear Son;
now you call us, now you send us. May your loving will be done.

Feed us, God, the bread of justice: give us hearts to see and care.
We are one with all who suffer. They are yours; now send us there.
Knowing not if we shall triumph, give us faith to never cease;
give us strength to boldly witness, seeking justice, making peace.

Feed us, God, the wine of courage, faithfully to do your will.
Now we drink of resurrection, facing death but steadfast still.
To this world of heartless plunder, send us in a different vein:
by our fearless, gentle healing, bearing witness to your Reign.

Do Justice (Original Song)

Do justice, love mercy,
walk humbly with your God.
O, help us humbly live your justice,
your love, your mercy.

God of all Gentleness (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

God of all gentleness, God of pure love,
you do not watch us from heights far above,
you are no tyrant, but patient and mild,
present with grace in the poor, in the child.

God of all mercy, may we be the ones
bearing your love to your daughters and sons,
not out of pity but humbly, with grace,
for in the poor we see your human face.

God of all justice, give us hearts to care,
hope to free prisoners of fear and despair,
courage to challenge the ways that oppress,
deep love to reach out to heal and to bless.

God of compassion, your Spirit now pour
into us all, for it’s we who are poor,
hungry for justice, for healing and grace,
and for full life for the whole human race.