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Responses: Rita Mitchell
Presider Rev. Penny Donovan
Introduction: Rita
A reading from Testing Tradition and Liberation Theology (Finding your own words) by Val Webb
The more laity become theologically aware and theologically involved, the more the concrete life and outreach of the (church) people will benefit.
Dietrich Bonhoffer said the Christian task of the world is to be imitators of Christ. “To be a Christian does not mean to be religious in a particular way, or to cultivate particular forms of rites and rituals, --but to be a human being! Jesus does not call people to a new religion, but to life!”
This is what being a saint is all about!
Opening Song
Saints and Beloved of God
https://youtu.be/8WoW-gLixd4?si=Vudwm4pYCdwG70xy
Greeting
Penny:
We begin in the name of God our Creator, Jesus our brother and the Holy Spirit. R: Amen.
Penny:
The grace and peace of our Gentle God,
and our brother Jesus, the Christ be with you.
R: And also with you.
Expressions of Gratitude:
Juanita: We ask for the grace to continually acknowledge our need to grow in goodness, peace, and caring for ourselves and others.
Penny: God, you created us in your likeness, living among us, naming us as your own.
R: Strengthen us to bring honor and glory to your name.
Juanita: God, you sustain us in our daily lives, offering your love and grace, guiding us as your children.
R: Lead us to transformation and action.
Penny: God, you promise us eternal hope, raising us up, calling us to new life in you. Let there be peace on Earth.
R: Lead us to acts of heartfelt compassion for others.
Opening Prayer Penny
Loving God,
We give thanks for the great communion of saints—
those who have walked before us in faith and love,
and those who journey beside us today.
We remember with gratitude
our parents, our families, our friends,
and all in our women priests’ movement
whose courage and compassion light our way.
May their joy in your boundless love
fill our hearts with hope and peace.
Spirit of the Living God,
bless us to be saints-in-the-making—
people of compassion, courage, and joy.
May we see your face in one another,
and may our lives become radiant prayers of love
for the healing of our Church and world.
R] Amen.
First Reading: Lucia
From The Love of Thousands by Christine Valters Paintner (adapted by Mary Theresa Streck and Denise Stoner)
St. Paul writes that we are all “called to be holy” (1 Cor 1:2). We all know people in our lives who are loving, kind, generous and patient. They are the visible presence of the Holy One in our world. These are the everyday saints we honor. They may be our neighbors, our coworkers, our aunts, or our brothers or sisters, and their lives show us another way of being in the world. They may have passed on or may still be walking this earth. So we honor the saints, we remember saints such as Francis, Hildegard, Augustine and Teresa. But we also want to include those in our lives who have shown us what it means to love generously in a world that is often hard to love. These may also be people we have not met, but they inspire us through their poetry or music, through their commitment to social justice and the poor, or their love of creation. The saints have both love and humility. Saints are able to set aside their own plans and what they think is the best path forward and listen in their heart to the Holy One. They take risks and follow the Divine’s lead into new ways of serving others.
These are the thoughts of writer and mystic Christine Valters Paintner, and we affirm them with: Amen.
A Reading from the letter to the Ephesians Barbara
That is why I kneel before God, from whom every family in heaven and on Earth takes its name. And i pray that God, out of the riches of divine glory, will strengthen you inwardly with power through the working of the spirit. May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith, so that you, being rooted and grounded in love, will be able to grasp fully the breadth, length, height and depth of Christ’s love and, with all God’s holy ones, experience this love that surpasses all understanding, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. To God—whose power now at work in us can do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine— to God be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations, world without end! Amen.
The Word of God R] Thanks be to God.
Alleluia
https://youtu.be/FUHVCvC-7kk?si=ymbGUJUxvcCKvbIV
A reading of the holy Gospel attributed to Matthew
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the mountainside, and after he sat down and the disciples had gathered around, Jesus began to teach them:
“Blessed are those who are poor in spirit: the kindom of heaven is theirs.
Blessed are those who are mourning: they will be consoled.
Blessed are those who are gentle: they will inherit the land.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice:
they will have their fill.
Blessed are those who show mercy to others: they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are those whose hearts are clean: they will see God.
Blessed are those who work for peace: they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of their struggle for justice: the kindom of heaven is theirs.
“You are fortunate when others insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of slander against you because of me. Be glad and rejoice, for your reward in heaven is great.
Homily Rita
Statement of Faith: Jay Cee alternate with Patti
Patti: We believe in God, the creator of the universe whose divinity infuses all that exists, making everything everywhere sacred.
Jay Cee We believe in Jesus, the Christ who leads us to the fullness of humanity. Through him we become a new people, called beyond the consequences of our brokenness.
Patti: We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Wisdom who keeps the Christ-vision present to all who are searching for meaning and wholeness in their lives – and the Sustainer who heals and energizes us when our spirits may grow weary in our journeys.
Jay Cee: We say: Amen to courage, to hope, and to truth. We say: Amen to the partnership and equality of all people of different genders, races, and faiths.
Patti: We believe in a world of justice and peace for everyone, everywhere, with no exceptions. In all of this, we surely believe. Amen.
Prayers of the Community: Gina
There are many things we are thankful for, and there are many things that make us feel sad or scared. Now is the time to bring these things to this table, so that all of us can pray with one another. We begin our prayers with the words: “I bring to the table.”
Gina: We pray for all these things, and for all the prayers that we hold silently in our hearts. Amen.
SIGN OF PEACE: Cathy W
Christ Jesus, you said to your friends: I leave you peace, my peace I give you. Look not on our failings, but on the faith of your Church, and grant us the peace and unity of your kin-dom where you live for ever and ever.
Amen.
The peace of Christ be always with you.
R: And also, with you.
Let us offer each other a sign of Christ’s peace.
Offering of the Gifts
Nick: Blessed are you, God of all creation, for through your goodness
We have received the bread we offer you: fruit of the Earth and work of human hands, It will become for us the bread of life.
R: Blessed be God forever.
Juanita: Blessed are you God of all creation, through your goodness
We have received this wine we offer you: fruit of the vine and work of human hands, it will become our spiritual drink.
All: Blessed be God forever.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lucia: God, take our hands; take our lives,
Take these simple gifts we bring, that we might share in a common desire to help prepare the feast for all your people. We ask this through Jesus the Christ. R] Amen
Penny Let us give thanks to our God. R: It is good to give God thanks and praise.
Kathy N: Holy One, through your all-inclusive spirit of kinship, you call us into a vision of a Beloved Community.
We gather together to give you thanks and praise
You are the one God, living and true, from the beginning of all time and throughout all eternity.
Cathy P: God, you are the source of life and goodness. You fill your creatures with every blessing. You lead your people throughout the world to the transforming vision of your love. May we be strengthened to build communities of justice, peace, and inclusivity in our church and in our world. For this we are always grateful and we place our hope and trust in you.
Karen: Therefore, with people of all faiths
in every part of the world, we join with all of heaven as we proclaim:
Holy Holy
Holy: Kevin Keil
https://youtu.be/aQ7_z45lw4g?si=X5Hu1c56AYvUV47C
Chrys: As a community, we gather in the power of your Spirit, refreshing wind, luminous wildfire and living breath. We seek to live “rich in God” as Jesus taught us to do. May we ever remain Spirit-filled people, seeking the light, striving to be courageous and prophetic and ever observant of your design for us.
Please extend your hands in blessing.
Penny: We are grateful for the bread and wine and those who carefully tended the grapes and wheat that remind us of our call to be Your Presence in the world.
We are ever aware of your Spirit in us and among us. We invoke your Spirit anew upon these simple gifts of bread and wine, that they that they may become for us the + Body and Blood of Christ.
Juanita: On the night before he faced the betrayal of friends and his death, Jesus sat at supper with companions and friends. He reminded them of all that he taught them over their years together. To fix that memory clearly with them, he bent down and humbly washed their feet.
All lift plates
Penny: When he returned to his place at the table, he lifted the bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread and offered it to them saying:
ALL: Take and eat, This is my Body, go and love one another.
All lift cups
Penny: Then he took the cup of the covenant, spoke the grace, and offered it to them saying:
ALL: Take and drink. This is the covenant of my blood
Whenever you remember me like this,
I am among you.
Juanita: We pray for all who allow the mind and heart and spirit of Jesus to motivate their actions. We pray that Christian leadership may be open and affirming, creative and challenging. We pray that all Christians might better recognize, acknowledge, and acclaim the Creative Spirit's presence in all people, always and in all places.
We rejoice in the giftedness of each person here.
Cathy P: We are grateful for who we are for each other.
We consider ourselves blessed in and by the Creative Spirit.
May we be truly eucharistic in all we do.
To this prayer we give our Amen.
Please share the bread and wine with the words “I am rich in God.”
Communion song: Christ in me Arise
https://youtu.be/f3UMu35iRww?si=XUauvM-SP3FXhiMr
Prayer After Communion
Marita: In union with all peoples living and crossed over into eternal love, we unite our thoughts and prayers, asking for wisdom in the circumstances of our daily lives. We seek to act justly and courageously in alleviating the suffering that desecrates the Earth and its peoples; to take risks in being proactive on behalf of the poor and marginalized; and to love all people with generosity of heart.
Gerry: Holy One, your transforming light works through us. We strive to live compassionate lives; it is through living as Jesus lived, that we awaken to your Spirit within, refreshing us and leading us to dwell in Your house all the days of our lives. Amen.
Cathy P.: Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
Holy One, you are within, around and among us.
We celebrate your many names.
Your wisdom come; your will be done,
unfolding from the depths within us.
Each day you give us all that we need.
You remind us of our limits and we let go.
You support us in our power, and we act with courage.
For you are the dwelling place within us,
the empowerment around us,
and the celebration among us,
now and forever, Amen. - Adapted by Miriam Therese Winter
Blessing: Penny
Please extend your hands and pray our blessing together.
May the Divine bless us with discomfort at easy answers, social media half-truths and superficial relationships.
May our Pilgrim God nudge us toward new places, new adventures and new friends so that we may share the refreshment of our ever-surprising God of love.
R: AMEN
Dismissal: Nick
Closing Song: When the Saints
https://youtu.be/advlnJPEbEw?si=ecDc0HEFY6EpqYsy
