Saturday, October 25, 2025
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Responder: Lucia
Main Presider: Karla
Pharisee and the Tax Collector
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87935930592?pwd=qZlKA506MIS9okXQQxBkaKsyhsZJDV.1
Cathy W. Good morning, my friends! Our time together is a great gift to all of us! Often, we lose hope that we can improve our climate, as well as the chaos and violence going on right now. Today’s Liturgy is a reminder that there is more we can do than we think.
Opening Song
https://youtu.be/4yQQ6xj4RS4
Karla: Let us begin in the name of God our Creator, Jesus our Brother, and Spirit Sophia.
R: Amen.
Opening Prayer: John
Holy One, may a deep love for all humanity guide our steps. May Jesus’ path of compassion, courage, and welcome inspire us. May your Spirit always move through us and lead us to pursue a more just world where we walk closely with those oppressed and marginalized, where we extend a hand to those rejected, and where our voices join with all voices proclaiming truth and hope. Amen.
Expressions of Gratitude: (Margaret-verses)
We ask for grace to continually acknowledge our need to grow in goodness, peace, justice, and caring for ourselves and others, especially the sick and marginalized.
R: Strengthen us to bring honor and glory to your name.
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.
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.
Loving God, whose glory it is always to be merciful, may your Word take root in us and bring forth an openness of heart in all our words and deeds. Amen
Linda: May the scriptures we read today clothe us in Jesus’ likeness.
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18
A reading from the book of Sirach (Rita)
For the Most High is a judge who does not respect individuals or grant favors at the expense of the poor; YHWH listens to the prayers of those who are exploited. YHWH will never ignore the pleas of the orphan or the widowed, as they pour out their heart. To be accepted, you must give of yourself as YHWH requires —then your prayer will reach the clouds. The prayer of the humble pierces the clouds. Until it is heard, there is no comfort for them. Yet they do not give up until YHWH answers them, giving the just what is theirs and granting them justice.
The Word of God. R. Thanks be to God!
Psalm 34 Kathy N. verses
Response: Our God hears the cry of the poor.
I will always bless our God; / praise will continually be in my mouth.
My soul will rejoice in Our God, / let the humble hear it and be glad.
R: Our God hears the cry of the poor.
The face of Our God is against the evildoers / to root up their memory from the earth.
The righteous cried; the Most High heard / and saved them out of all their troubles.
R: Our God hears the cry of the poor.
Our God is close to the brokenhearted / and rescues those whose spirit is crushed.
Our God redeems those who serve, / all those taking refuge in God will go free.
R: Our God hears the cry of the poor.
Second Reading: 2 Timothy 4:6-8,17-18 Karen
A reading from the second letter of Paul to Timothy.
As for me, my life is already being poured out like a libation. The time of my dissolution is near. I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. Now a laurel wreath awaits me; on that day, Our God, the just Judge, will award it to me —and not only to me, but to all who have longed for Christ’s appearing. Christ stood by my side and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed, and all the nations might hear the Gospel. That is how I was saved from the lion’s jaws. Christ will continue to rescue me from all attempts to do me harm and will bring me safely to the higher realm. To Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever! Amen.
The Word of God. R. Thanks be to God!
Alleluia
Gospel Reading: Luke 18:9-14
Margaret: A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke.
Jesus told this parable to those who believed in their own self-righteousness and looked down on others: “Two people went up to the Temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed like this: ‘I thank you, O God, that I am not like others — greedy, crooked, adulterous — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I pay tithes on everything I earn.’ “The other, however, kept a distance, not even daring to look up to heaven. In true humility, all the tax collector said was, ‘O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.’ Believe me, the tax collector went home from the temple right with God, unlike the Pharisee, for those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
The Good News of Salvation!
R. Glory and praise to our Savior Jesus Christ!
Homily Starter: Karla
Statement of Faith: Christine
We believe in the Holy One, a divine mystery beyond all definition and rational understanding, the heart of all that has ever existed, that exists now, or that ever will exist.
We believe in Jesus, messenger of the Divine Word, bringer of healing, heart of Divine compassion, bright star in the firmament of the Holy One's prophets, mystics, and saints.
We believe that we are called to follow Jesus as a vehicle of divine love, a source of wisdom and truth, and an instrument of peace in the world.
We believe in the Spirit of the Holy One, the life that is our innermost life, the breath moving in our being, the depth living in each of us.
We believe that the Divine kin-dom is here and now, stretched out all around us for those with eyes to see it, hearts to receive it, and hands to make it happen
Prayer Intentions: Pat
As we prepare for the sacred meal, we bring to this table our prayerful intentions. Please feel free to voice your concerns beginning with the words “I bring to the table….”
We pray for these and all unspoken prayers in our hearts. Amen.
Sign of Peace: John
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 forever. 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.
Offertory:
Karla: Our table is set, let us now offer our gifts to God.
Offering of the Gifts:
JayCee: 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.
Patti: 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. R: Blessed be God forever.
Karla: With humble spirit and loving hearts, may you, O God, accept us, and may the offering that we bring to this table be pleasing to you.
Eucharistic Prayer:
Juanita: God is with you. R: And, with you.
Penny: Lift your hearts. R: We lift our hearts to God and to one another.
Karla: Let us give thanks to our God. R: It is good to give God thanks and praise.
Barbara: Holy One, through your all-inclusive spirit of kinship, you call us into a vision of a Beloved Community. We gather to give you thanks and praise, for You are the one God, living and true, from the beginning of all time and throughout all eternity.
Pat: 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.
Linda: Therefore, with people of all faiths in every part of the world, we join with all of heaven as we proclaim:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZIKmNlqpVQ&list=RDhZIKmNlqpVQ&start_radio=1
Patti: Holy One, we see around us the work of your hands, the fruit of your wisdom and love—the unfolding story of creation witnesses your creative power. We, your creatures, often deviate from that wisdom, thus hindering your creative presence in our minds.
Linda: Sending among us Jesus, our brother, you birth afresh in our world the power of Sophia-Wisdom, and in the gift of Your Spirit, your creative goodness blooms anew, amid the variety and wonder of life.
Karla: Place your hands over your bread and wine. Our community invokes your Spirit anew upon these simple gifts of bread and wine, that they may become for us the + Body and Blood of Christ.
Juanita: On the night before he faced his own death and for the sake of living fully, Jesus sat at the Seder supper with his companions and friends. He reminded them of all that he had taught them, and to fix that memory clearly within them, he bent down and washed their feet.
All Lift Your Bread
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 Your Cups
Penny: He then raised high the cup of the covenant, spoke the grace, and offered it to them, saying:
All: Take and drink. Whenever you remember me like this, I am among you.
(pause)
Communion: Karla
Please consume the bread and drink the cup with the words: Open me to the Power of Love.
Communion Song:
Dave: Our Father
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
Closing Blessing: Karla
Let us raise our hands and pray together our blessing:
Let us revel in the love of the Divine Feminine, the One who reveals that Love is the Way. May we live this Way of Love to enrich our world and the lives of all we meet along the way. Amen
Dismissal: Margaret
Closing Song:
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