A Prayer at the End of a Quarantined Day. After spending far too long cornered by Steve, who preached a gospel of not very good news, I was desperate to silence him, so, I reluctantly agreed to attend a Tuesday night youth service. It is not a lofty mountaintop vision. I confess, I was in denial. Our friend, Dom Crossan makes the point that, it is not that those ancient people told literal stories and we are now smart enough to take them symbolically, but that they told them symbolically and we are now dumb enough to take them literally. I believe that in order to understand the power of this particular story of resurrection we must move beyond simplistic literal explanations and open ourselves to the more-than-literal symbolic dare I say it, spiritual understanding of resurrection. As the train finally pulled into Narvik, I couldnt quite believe my eyes. Offering of Gifts(Ordinarily the Lord's Supper will follow; during the offertory the table xoill be prepared. the Divine thrives in our world. Through his resurrection Life you gave birth to your church, O God, who gifts us moments of amazement, help us to accept the rhythm of the ordinary and the extraordinary that we may retain a steady awareness of your presence both in grey days and in bright. What is sown is a perishable body, what is raised is incorruptible. People: Almighty God, who through your Son overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life, grant that we who celebrate our Lord'sresurrection may arise from the death of our sin through the renewal of your Holy Spirit and may hear and obey your living Wordof truth;through Jesus Christ our Lord, who now lives and reigns with you and theHoly Spirit, one God forever. Christ the Lord is risen today Alleluia! Humans wrote the Bible; God wrote the rocks. It is a lovely liturgical offering. Your resurrection we affirm with joy. Morning . What seemed lifeless now abounds with life, new possibilities and delights. It is a scary proposition for a pastor to venture out on a journey without the familiar trappings of familiar liturgy. Nor were they trying to teach us to live as reckless fools. In the Liturgy of the Hours, the Church fulfills Jesus' command to "pray always" (Luke 18:1; see also 1 Thessalonians 5:17). The sermon is broken up into three short homilies. Longing to experience and share the fullness of Life that you offer, endobj ), try clicking on the name of the season or celebration in the list of "Labels" at the lower right side of the page, or see this . This week, I have compiled resources that can help in creatively planning worship services. We lose our capacity for peace and joy, we struggle to show compassion and to connect with others, and we may find ourselves slipping into toxic and destructive attitudes and habits. Office for Worship, Doctrine and Artistic Matters, Church of Scotland, 2017. By J. Wayne Pratt. . Christ was alive to those early followers. Let us be LOVE. (I have searched for the source of this story, withoutsuccess. These days they are called orcas. The reality of the systems in which we are intimately entangled is being played out on our screens. Thank you, Divine Crafter of the Table, for fashioning us a holy meal unites us with the Body of Christ. You responded with grace, humility, and welcome. United States jQuery(document).ready(function(){ *Leader: Congregation of Jesus Christ, since the Lord has blessed us with his Word (and Holy Supper), let us praise his name with thanksgiving. My childlike faith died that day. Yesterday, I travelled out onto the frozen surface of Lake Simcoe. Entering the synagogue on the Sabbath, as was his habit, Jesus stood up to do the reading. with the Source and Sustainer of all that exists. Gig Harbor, WA 98335 Christ is risen! He . It wasnt until Christianity moved beyond Judaism that it came into direct conflict with the Greek understanding of reality, which insisted upon the dualism of body and soul. The distortion of maps deceived me into believing that it would be a short trip from Bergen to Narvik. According to this story, a bunch of rag-tag Jesus followers were huddled together in fear. The apostle Paul, both a Jew and a Roman citizen, would have known from the perspective of both the conquer and the conquered the Roman motto, vini, vedi, vici I came, I saw, I conquered. My brother didnt stand a chance. I stomped my feet upon the ice in a vain gesture of defiance until my stomping evolved into a dance of freedom, as I gleefully celebrated our liberation from the captivity of a three-tiered universe. My own desire to resist the urge to respond to violence with violence weakens with every report of the injustices perpetrated as innocent lives are lost. LONG LIVE GOD! Social Justice Lectionary, Bruce Sweet, 2014. I suspect that most of us have heard these parables of loss so many times that it is the many and varied of interpretations of these parables, which tend to stick with us, rather than the details and circumstances under which these particular parables were born and raised. We are gradually adding liturgies and liturgy ideas to our site. How dare I flirt with new ways of understanding REALITY, new discoveries about the Cosmos, new theories about the nature of human consciousness? For years I reigned as the champion of our little world! How deep? The precious vase had been handed down from her great-grandmother to her grandmother, to her mother. Bit by bit, hope has begun to build upon hope as we look forward to Spring when we call launch forth into fuller more robust living. Others stretched the wings of their spirituality and flew off into the magic darkness joyfully singing: All will be well and all manner of things shall be well! (Julian of Norwich). Ready: Perhaps some will ask, How are the dead to be raised up? */ Justice is what LOVE looks like when LOVE is unleashed here on Earth. The big challenge of this period in the Church Calendar is that the focus is so very clearly on events that happened to "Someone else" so very long ago. You called forth prophets who dared to speak the truth of Life to worldly powers that promoted death. Thats when I heard the small voice. May this Spirit help us to recognize the Christ-presence in our midst. A Liturgical and Devotional Guide for Lent. When the complete vine suffers, we all suffer together. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of our God. <>/XObject<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 594.96 842.04] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> read more Progressive Christian Lent Course 2015 Progressive Christian prayers Wild God, talking to Jesus - John van de Laar, South Africa Wild God - words to Jesus It seems to us that things would be much easier if you would just do what we ask, Jesus, If you were more compliant and co-operative, more flexible and adaptable, more open to follow agendas other than your own. I knew I was about to drown. Standing beneath a clear blue sky, looking out towards the horizon, I tried to breath in some of the vastness which stretched before me. According to the story humans are in bondage to sin and we cannot free ourselves. What followed was a long, useless argument about the theories of atonement. who was compassionate and stood up for justice. read more More Poetry Week of February 5, 2023 "Less is more." It is time for us to be LOVE in the world. Alleluia! What matters is that LOVE rises. O Little Town of Bethlehem - Spoken Word - Christmas Mini Movie. Just before my blow connected with its victim, I realized that I was doomed. What we refer to as the soul was a foreign concept to first century Jews. Forget about the rude remarks. You sent Jesus, your Son, to walk in the way of Lifethat we might follow. Make them the food and drink of everlasting life, [After the Lords Prayer, the ministers and other worship leaders break the bread and place the pieces in baskets or on plates for distribution. The truth has left its fingerprints on every living thing. The parts of the service preceding the text in UMH are guided by a bulletin or by announcement. Abundant life is the Shalom we long for, for without justice there can be no peace, and without peace there can only be abundance for some and not for all. Does attending worship make my heart dance? When asked what he thought was the solution to the planetary crisis, Cosmologist Brian Swimme said, "It would be to reinvent ourselves, at the . Sure, we know there are still problems in the world. You simply asked the members of the First Nation for permission to pitch your tents on their land. And each and every time we find what has been lost is a time for celebration. You dont want to miss Paul when hes worked himself up to his point. Your email address will not be published. Through this meal, make us the body of Christ, that we may join with you in promoting the well-being of all creation. He suffered and died because of his refusal to participate in the death-dealing violence of the world. We are free to imagine the grace of the MYSTERY capable of exquisite intricacy, unrelenting intimacy, magnanimous generosity, and evolutionary complexity; a MYSTERY which is the very embodiment of LOVE, the LOVE which is eternally becoming. Amen. The writers of our creeds firmly established that God lived in heaven. A small but secure fortune in hand. <> EASTER WORSHIP SERVICES The liturgy, and particularly the liturgies of Holy Week and Easter, are never a re-enactment of the events that happened two thousand years ago. The followers of Jesus were lifted up from a crouching or cowering position as they boldly proclaimed what they had learned from Jesus. Do we have the courage to serve? Today, when each of us is coping with the loss of an hours sleep, perhaps it is easier for us to understand that the way in which we describe reality does indeed change over time. Assurance of Pardon, Call to Confession, Confession, Easter, Easter Sunday, Year C. confession, easter, easter sunday, year c, call to confession, prayer of confession, assurance of pardon, resurrection. How double-dog dare I? What can Jesus teach us about God? He was teaching in the Galilean synagogues, and all were loud in their praise. I was about to hit him again, when for no apparent reason Alan released me from his grip. Let it go. Sure enough, the vase slipped off as smooth as silk. endobj 1 Corinthians 15. I fumbled for my phone and hopped out into the frigid air desperate to capture a photograph which has always eluded me. But in my heart of hearts, I know that I must learn to see the face of CHRIST in my enemy. Change). In a world that so often denies or ignores the humanity-robbing effects of pain and suffering, Irrepressible (Personal Spiritual Practice Guide PDF), More Than Words Living What We Pray (PDF), Living in the Promised Land: A Lent Journey (Year B) (PDF). February 19, 2023 - Transfiguration Sunday Majestic Lord, transfigure our simple gifts in a way that will inspire all people to proclaim your everlasting message of love. For he is risen, and nothing separates us from Gods love! I know it is much easier to poke fun at billionaires and lay the blame for suffering at the feet of self-serving fools. The third face of CHRIST belongs to a Ukrainian Mother holding back her tears as she embraces her little family. Today, when science confirms that humans did not rise out of the Earth fully formed, but are continuing to evolve, surely today we can metanoia, think beyond the primitive, childish notions of original sin, and begin to see humanity as an incomplete, ever- evolving species which runs the very real risk of extinction if we dont move beyond the myth of redemptive violence. While greasing her childs wrist like a cake pan, she asked the obvious mother question. How in the world did you do this, child? Crystal carefully explained that she had dropped candy down into the vase to see if she could still see it when it was at the very bottom. If you are looking for an Affirmation of Faith for a specific season or celebration (e.g. Only a foolWould find. The EMPIRE OF DIVINITY is not yet here. Like many professional wrestlers my career began when I was but a child. More Worship Resources. Let it be so among us. Then there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. Our gospel-storyteller wrote his story within a deeply wounded community to provide the much need hope for their own resurrection. Communion is a ritual that draws us into a longing for God's justice to find its place on earth. What can we learn from Jesus life about who, or what the MYSTERY we call God is? I only know that they appeared to follow in my footsteps in the snow as they ventured out to the place where the Cosmos had made itself known to me. Amen. Remember, should you have to choose between them in the strife, Working, dancing, and church, a blessed trinity designed to secure passage back into my travels abroad. There are those who name the stars, who watch the sky by night, Our Hebrew storyteller paints such a vivid picture of the Thin Place in which Elijah stands. <>>> Where truth has left its sketches on the slate below the ground. Most Australian Anglicans use A Prayer Book for Australia (APBA) as the basis for our common prayer. Please feel free to use in your faith communities with attribution. The texts contained in this site are unofficial. And so, with your people on earth and all the company of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, Then one day that perfect relationship was severed when for one reason or another the humans disobeyed the rules established by the creator. Springtime is a season of optimism and hope, and the Christian lives a faith centred on hope. The Apostle Paul wrote his first letter to the followers of Jesus Way in Corinth, about 20 years after Jesus was crucified, died, and was buried. Michael first walks the reader through the theological shifts that are necessitating changes to liturgical, group, and personal prayer and then demonstrates how these major shifts can be incorporated into a new template for meaningful . After the wind there was an earthquakebut YHWH was not in the earthquake. Humans were cast out of the perfection of the garden and alienated for their creator. Today, it doesnt matter how CHRIST rose nearly 2000 years ago. I dont much care about silly arguments about Jesus rising from the dead unless those arguments lead us to a place where we ourselves can claim the power of resurrection to create a hunger for SHALOM, a passion for the justice which creates peace. Ask congregation if they have any resurrections they would like to share. Resist looking for a saviour in these parables who will find us and put everything back together for us. //jQuery('#submit-action').attr('href','/paupress/?rel=pauContent&pau_type='+thisact); O God, help us to let go of those mental pictures of you which prevent us from accepting that we will never know you fully and save us from pointless theological argument which reflects our insecurity rather than your mystery. stream But on this autumn day St. Francis words provide warmth and peace. Then he said to them, Today, in your hearing, this scripture passage is fulfilled., Words 2004 Hope Publishing Company; LiscenSing 1975, When It Comes to Resurrection, We Look For What We Have Been Conditioned to See! Prayer of Thanksgiving Mishandling scripture to avoid traditional interpretations of it. Jesus insisted with all that he is, that justice and not violence is the only way to establish and maintain peace. Salvation is not about saving us for life after death. Share as a whole group some responses: What do you know about the life of Jesus that sheds some light on who and what the MYSTERY that we call God is? I dont know about you but when that giant phallic ship was trusting into the wild blue yonder, I became somewhat indignant. Jesus taught this. One: On this day, we embrace the grace which reaches from the tomb. So, let us repent. Alleluia! Sign up for an account and get your newsletters right away! Invitation All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. I suspect that even offering all you have to a wastrel and a scoundrel is worth a shot if it means finding peace. Im not so sure however, that Jesus response to his disciples indignation is all comforting. When we face pain and suffering, we often feel like we become less than human. Do this in remembrance of me. What and Where to use this ritual: Altar-building. His eyes are too beady. Alison Etter. Living accommodations were not a priority. In a world driven mad with bloodlust, we peddle as pleasurable, fascinating, and entertaining, the kind of violence which can efficiently torture and kill distant populations at the push of a button. You can skip to the end and leave a response. If we fix our gaze upon the surface, we limit the power of these parables to do what parables are designed to do, to turn worlds and lives upside down and inside out. Im a scientific kind of guy and to tell you the truth now we cry to our King immortal, who, triumphant, burst the bars of the tomb'sdark portal; "Alleluia!" But when we begin to see the DIVINE MYSTERY, the CREATOR of the Cosmos, and try to imagine the ONE WHICH IS the GREAT I AM, WHO I AM, I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE, YAHWEHas so much more than a person, well the idea of a shepherd, or a woman, or even the father who loses his son, these mere personifications begin to lose their ability to symbolize the MYSTERY. window.location.replace('https://progressivechristianity.org/paupress/?rel=contact&pau_form=contact_form'); The Bread of Life and the Cup of the Covenant: Gifts to unite the Body of Christ. Only a foolWould risk a reputation as a wise shepherd, a careful guardian of the known and secure, to seek one lone sheep. Beginning with the traditional opening from Charles Wesley, this moves into a progressive Christian expression of resurrection. But lets just leave Humpty Dumpty up there on the wall for a while, and shift our focus to todays story, from the anonymous gospel-storyteller we know as John. I expected that such a thrust would have released my arm from Alans iron grip. It was barely nine oclock and the sun was already beginning to set. It is in Jesus life, not his death that we will find salvation. As a Pharisee, Paul believed in the resurrection of the dead and certainly he believed that Jesus had been raised from the dead. Above the sky were the Heavens. Heaven above the Earth and Hell below, all depending upon a smile or a frown from the omniscient god, Himself confined to sit in judgement in a celestial realm from which He sent His Son, to save creatures of His own creation from their own depravity. Herman Praamsma, pastor of the Fellowship CRC ofRexdale, Ontario. Metanoia is an invitation to think new thoughts. We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. So, when the possibility arose to actually travel up to Narvik in Norway to see the mid-night sun I was off. But like so many athletes, when my status changed from amateur to professional, I lost my championship status and although I still qualify as a professional wrestler, and I like to see myself as a champion, Im no longer what you would call world-class. Christmas, Mother's Day, etc. Lift up your hearts. So that its not just the characters actions which are pointed to as the workings of DIVINITY, but the characters themselves are viewed as stand ins or symbols of GOD Himself or Herself. Thank you for sharing this liturgy for communion. As the earth sheds its snow, it begins to drink in the warm rains and creation comes alive once again. *This liturgy is an adaptation of the traditional Great Thanksgiving liturgy. Center for Liturgy, St Louis University. Vladimir Putin created in the image of the DIVINE. Give us today our daily bread. 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