So, the thing about stories, really good stories is that they have a life of their own. The followers of Jesus were lifted up from a crouching or cowering position as they boldly proclaimed what they had learned from Jesus. It is not a lofty mountaintop vision. Yet the story of Jesus Way of being in the world continued to be present among those who sought to live as Jesus lived. with the Source and Sustainer of all that exists. Why did they repeat these stories over and over again? Worship Resources by Lisa Frenz, Mt. We know that humans were not created as perfectly formed creatures who fell into sin. They were concerned for my mortal soul. Risk it all for the sake of LOVE. I found out later that dozens, I mean dozens of young people were slain in the Spirit, that is, struck down onto the floor, writhing and shaking, hootin and a hollering. Alas, such a deep breath choked on the frigid air, as if my lungs rejected their own impulse to breathe, lest they themselves freeze as solidly as the lake beneath my feet. we invite your life to fill us; By your Spirit unite us with the living Christ and with all who seek to follow in his life-giving way, It occurred to me the other day, that it is quite peculiar that most of what has been written about Jesus in the New Testament and indeed our liturgies, even the hymns we sing about Jesus they tend to shift our focus to Jesus death. Gig Harbor, WA 98335 We lift up these prayers in the belief that we are bonded in Gods Spirit with everything that exists. 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, The truth has left its footprints in the dust between the stars. Justice without which there can be no peace. In his new book, Unbelievable, our friend, Jack Spong writes: The laws by which the world operates have not changed since the dawn of time, but the way human beings explain and understand those laws has changed dramatically over the centuries of human history. Jack has a way of reminding us of the obvious. The SPIRIT of DIVINITY is BEYOND Creation, BEYOND the Cosmos, even as it is in, and with, and through, all of Creation, all of the Cosmos. But I digress. We remember on the night when Jesus and the disciples Killer whales. Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. According to the story, paralyzed by their fear, hiding behind a locked door, something happened that gave them the strength to burst forth from their own tomb and change the world. As we recall the trusting of impotent rocket ships escaping for mere moments the confines of the empires we thrive in, do we have the courage to see our own hypocrisy? 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. DONATE NOW! Text and image William Livingstone Wallacebut available for free use. If it doesnt is it my heart or is it the worship that is dead? Liturgies. I remember flying out of there in a hot rage. The Easter Peace is shared *Hymn This Is the Day 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. Progressive Christianity USA's Liturgy Project The USA-based Liturgy Project provides hundreds of liturgical posts by authors around the globe. Easter people, come now to the table with Christ! The number crunchers tell us that Bezos hubristic space jaunt cost him 5.5 billion dollars for 4 minutes in space, which kinda makes a ticket on Bransons Virgin Galactic sound like a bargain. Blessings on your Holy Week observance and Easter celebrations! Only a fool Would rather be relentlessly looking for one small, lone coin when nine, known and countable, are all that are really needed. It was quite a beginning to what promises to be an exciting journey. 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). We give thanks for Jesus of Nazareth who inspired us to put our hope and trust in the spirit of Life and Love moving in the depths of our being. Lectionary, study and worship resources from Faith Futures Jesus Then & Now. May the Spirit open our souls in order for us to see humanity, God and creation through the eyes of Jesus. Dying you destroyed our death, 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. Risen as he said! Let us give thanks to our Creator. By stem and root and branch we trace, by feather, fang and fur, Many of the pages are "decorative" but material can simply be cut and pasted into a word-processing program. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. And he took a cup, and when he had given . 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. 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. (I have searched for the source of this story, withoutsuccess. Im guessing that in vast majority of the interpretations of these parables, the shepherd, the woman, and the father are usually identified as a symbol for the MYSTERY which we call GOD. Somehow, hed managed to secure me with what we professional wrestlers call an arm bar. With visions of a grand and glorious past they were free from the dangers of the violence being wrought upon their world by the forces of the Roman Empire. Fosdick Dr. NW #80 He is risen indeed! Offering of Gifts(Ordinarily the Lord's Supper will follow; during the offertory the table xoill be prepared. Later, at work, Anna sat down with me in the lunchroom to explain that their pastor had explained to them that he suspected that I didnt believe that God sent Jesus to die for my sins. I had just moved up to Jasper, Alberta, determined to make enough money during that summer, so that I could continue my backing excursions in Europe. It began to seem like the only way to get Crystals hand out was to break the family heirloom. Well, like, this egg falls off the wall and if you study biology or physics, you know you can never put an egg back together again. Amen. Sunday between December 4 and December 10. One: On this day, we celebrate the risen Christ The text is taken in large part from Martin Luther's Small Catechism, with which Zinzendorf . What followed was a long, useless argument about the theories of atonement. If you are watching this on a screen, chances are that your own wealth far exceeds the expectations of billions of people struggling to survive on this planet. He rose again in victory because the powers of death cannot overcome the Divine power of Life. Repent from the Greek word metanoia to think new thoughts. For heavens sake, when you sow a seed into the ground and it bursts forth into new life, that new life doesnt come in the form of a seed, it comes to life as a plant! Sometimes boundaries must be crossed in order to achieve justice.Peace-making requires risk-taking, and the reckless abandonment of some things we hold very dear. A reading from 1st Corinthians chapter 13: When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child. Amen. They all knew the dangers of traveling to Jerusalem. Im not so sure however, that Jesus response to his disciples indignation is all comforting. Well, with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek let me blame it on a dog. The Apostle Paul denies that Jesus resurrection was an actual physical resurrection. We need to reach our year-end fundraising goal that will determine what we can do for 2023. The writers of our creeds firmly established that God lived in heaven. Even though I know full well that by doing so, I will undoubtedly open myself up to the wrath of those who would have me confess and repent the error of my ways. Let us do everything we can possibly do to challenge our own assumptions, to see beyond our own violent tendencies, our own selfish desires, and slowly, painfully slowly learn to love our enemies. Hosanna in the highest. One of the whales rose out of the water and as she came crashing down, I marveled at the magnificence of this beast. (LogOut/ Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. Amen. If the sacrament is not to be celebrated, the service may conclude with PartV.). 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. We are an Easter people! I expect solutions. Let us be LOVE in our lives here and now so that peace can break out again, and again, and again. We must be punished. */ How dare I flirt with new ways of understanding REALITY, new discoveries about the Cosmos, new theories about the nature of human consciousness? I believe that the anonymous gospel-storyteller wrote his story the way that he wrote to address the fears of the people of his community. It is right. February 11th, 2013. Try to hear the word ransom not with ears blocked by centuries of perverse theological atonement theories. But Anna and Steve were always at it. Crystal cried out, Mommy Im stuck. Whether your interpretation of the resurrection is literal or metaphorical, Easter morning is always welcome. It is in Jesus life, not his death that we will find salvation. MASS READINGS. Beautiful liturgy. Jesus reveals CHRIST. To which Jesus responded, From the cup I drink of, you will drink; the baptism I am immersed in, you will share. ELOHIM, the GOD who is the feminine plural of MAJESTY, said to Elijah: Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of YHWEH, for YAHWEH is about to pass by. Imagine the MYSTERY, which is the I AM, the very essence of BEING is about to pass by. 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. 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. HOMILY: Resurrection Springing to New Life. Breathe forth the goodness that is within you. His eyes are too beady. United States If you look into the dust for long enough and contemplate its mystery, you shall find a resurrection. But they will not be tears cried in vain. Thats at least 20 years before the Gospel according to Mark, 30 to 40 years before the gospels according to Matthew and Luke and probably nearly 50 years before the Gospel according to John. Today, we, ourselves and our neighbours, no longer live captive to the contours of the very tiny universe in which our ancestors confined their thoughts. So, I waved and was gifted by their own energetic response. Your support is needed to help ProgressiveChristianityorg. I am tweaking this for this Sunday credit to your site will be given. Your mommy told me that you reached into the vase for candy. It was an epic trip on which my once innocent 20-year-old self learned to swig akvavit like a Viking. For none of us can do this kind of relentless, reckless abandon constantly. Many Christians understand the sacrament of Holy Communion as a means of grace that nourishes and strengthens our faith for life and ministry in the world. that we gather this morning and remember together that . Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.". Mishandling scripture to avoid traditional interpretations of it. It was a very quiet little voice deep down inside of me, at least I think it was inside of me. Reformed Worship 2023 by Worship Ministries of the Christian Reformed Church. Support our mission with a tax-deductible donation! Crystals mother tried to move quickly without panicking. 1 0 obj Through this prayer, the people of God sanctify the day by continual praise of God and prayers of intercession for the needs of the world. The seed you sow does not germinate unless it dies. The season of the church year called Eastertide lasts fifty days and includes Ascension, the day when we rejoice in the reign of Christ at God's right hand. } else { var thisact = jQuery('#submission-action').val(); Easter is the eternal moment that supersedes all time; the vision that puts into perspective all visionless living. I Suspect that You Do Too! Alas, if only. I dont know. Amen. Can we now look beyond what we have been conditioned to see, and see the wounded CHRIST standing in the middle of fearful followers, a vision of the impact of violence, saying, SHALOM, Peace be with you! Can we look beyond what we have been conditioned to see the ONE wounded by violence bidding us peace? SALTs Lectionary Commentary for Lent 3, Cross Purposes: SALTs Lectionary Commentary for Lent 2, Change Your Life: SALTS Lectionary Commentary for Lent 1, What Freedom Is For: SALTs Lectionary Commentary for Epiphany Week 5, Revised Common Lectionary Commentary Mark 1, Revised Common Lectionary Commentary Mark 1:29-39, Revised Common Lectionary Commentary Isaiah 40:21-31, What Is Salvation? For a very long time, the story of Jesus appearance in the upper room where his followers were huddled in fear, conditioned me to focus my attention upon Jesus wounds, Thomas doubts, and back again to Jesus wounds, and then to Thomas belief. Continue reading . There was no room in my wildest imaginings for thoughts of war. (LogOut/ Not all of us are up to the challenges. Limitations which the evolving nature of our understanding of reality compel us to reject. Abundant life, where everyone has enough to live fully, love extravagantly, and be all that they are created to be, this is the basileia ton THEON, the REIGN of DIVINITY, the Empire of the LOVE which is GOD. It is long past time for us to move beyond arguments about a physical resuscitation of Jesus body. Let us pray: May each of us be aware of the Spirit of God within us today and respond to the Good News, we pray. God is with you! *People sing: ("Come, You Faithful, Raise the Strain," stanza 3)"Alleluia!" Others, they looked confused and terrified as they are loaded on board trains. var thisact = jQuery('#submission-action').val(); Click here to listen to a meditative sung liturgy inspired by Julians writings, Crystal was a little breathless from all the crying she had been doing and all she could manage was a whimpered, Mmm hummm. Honey, tell grandma the truth now. When we focus upon the life of Jesus of Nazareth rather than the death of Jesus, we can begin to hear some of the things that Jesus was passionate about. But if this MYSTERY really is BEYOND the BEYOND and BEYOND that also, and we are in GOD and GOD is in us, then every character in every parable you have ever heard is in GOD and GOD is in every character. Let us offer a sacrifice in the form of embodied LOVE. A Communion Liturgy for the Whole People of God. MEDITATION ON THE BREATH OF LIFE (Psalm 46:10a) Needed: a leader to welcome the people and lead the meditation. Turns out I was close. One of the main attractions at Pachena Bay were the pods of whales that are attracted to the bay. I expect things to be resolved. Alleluia, amen. So, let me get to the point, so that those who like nothing better than to use the Bible to bludgeon anyone who dares to stray from their narrow understanding of the text, they can simply hit ALL CAPS in their keyboards, without having to read any further. Today is the 35th annual International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Here's a call to worship and opening prayer for Memorial Day or Remembrance Day. 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