To feed the hungry? I affirm the resurrection when I stand up for those who are forced to live on their knees,I affirm the resurrection when I speak for those who have had their tongues torn out,I affirm the resurrection, when I cry for those who have no more tears left to shed. In the eating of this bread, as Christs body, and in the sharing of this cup, as Christs blood, Crystal sobbed. The liturgy was adapted by Dr. Bert Polman from a form prepared by the Liturgical Committee of the Christian Reformed Church for use during an Easter Service; this liturgy can be used for all Sundays in Eastertide. } Practicing resurrection requires that we gather sharing our gifts, talents and treasure for the good of all. I expect that whatever needs to be done will be done quickly, so that I can get back to normal. My reign as world champion would have continued if it werent for the abrupt ending of my amateur status. Continue reading . May we remember to give out the grace and forgiveness that you have freely given us, He is risen indeed! Surrounded by a treasured family heirloom, desperately clinging to a treasure. Together, by your grace, we accept the life you offer. It didnt take very long for me to realize that I was in the presence of something much larger than myself. United States But she couldnt see it, so she reached in for her candy and thats when she got stuck and she couldnt get her hand back out. Some were staring vacantly through time, like the tens of millions of Ukrainians who were starved to death during the Holodomor by yet another brutal Russian dictator. Not all flesh is the same. Think for a moment. Anyway, poor old Elijah suffered in his quest to bring the WORD of YHWH to his people and in the midst of his turmoil, Elijah was lost and fearing for his life. It is a lovely liturgical offering. 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. ~ 1 Corinthians 11:26. Theres nothing wrong with that. We give thanks and rejoice that Jesus so clearly and courageously linked our loving and our dying with living on in God. You created the world by speaking life into being. Creator of Our Earth: We celebrate the shifting of seasons from one to the next. The Risen One comes with hands full of love. Our kinship warmed me as I imagined their delight at our Suns sensuous self-giving display as it set. As different as night and day these 21st century events are brought into focus by the first century story which just happens to be the assigned Gospel reading for this Sunday. Amen. God at that moment was transformed into a violent, murderer, willing to put my beloved Jesus to a torturous death. Yes, the woman should have been content with her 99 coins. Let me attempt to be kinder than the Apostle, whose willingness to call his opponents stupid, I do not share. Resurrection is a statement of how reality works. We covenant to love as Jesus the Christ loved us- loving our neighbors as ourselves. And so in this spirit of brightness and life, we celebrate. (LogOut/ Jesus was steadfastly committed to non-violent resistance to the abusive powers of empire. We give thanks for the spirit of new life active in our lives as it was in the life of Jesus. Your email address will not be published. These days hikers on the Pacific Rim trail often begin or end their hike by camping at Pachena Bay. 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. By stem and root and branch we trace, by feather, fang and fur, I suspect that even offering all you have to a wastrel and a scoundrel is worth a shot if it means finding peace. Amen. The followers of Jesus were lifted up from a crouching or cowering position as they boldly proclaimed what they had learned from Jesus. Humans were cast out of the perfection of the garden and alienated for their creator. And then, just like that, we were back there, back in the unthinkable darkness our parents spoke about, the darkness of war in Europe. Or are we afraid that stripped of the security which our wealth affords us, our privileged positions will disappear, and we too shall find ourselves dependent upon the goodness of others? In this way God shows that he himself is righteous and that he puts right everyone who believes in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26), Below these passages, Anna wrote: Repent and believe! (During the distribution Scripture may be read or the congregation may sing songs such as the following: "He Is Lord," "Abba, Father," "Eat This Bread," "In the Quiet Consecration"). But I can, even now hear these stories told to inspire resistance to the violence and injustice of empire, for the sake of justice and peace. This particular interpretation is a poor translation, but it was very popular way back in the day. After all, could one rise without a body to rise in? . I failed to capture the sunset. This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. I dont know about you but for most of my life I have been taught that the place to learn about God is the Bible. Sacrifice one for the sake of the many. to be for us the way, the truth, and the life. You dont want to miss Paul when hes worked himself up to his point. To experience the liveliness of the resurrection is something quite different. %PDF-1.5 Lets try to focus on what is actually happening in the story. So, let us forget about what we have been conditioned to look for in order to see what needs to be seen, today in the midst the violence in which our world seems incapable of forsaking. 4810 Pt. Communion is a ritual that draws us into a longing for God's justice to find its place on earth. we take these gifts that you have given us, this bread and this cup, As Jesus invited his friends to drink, mindful of a relationship of love and trust between ourselves and the spirit of life, Easter Sunrise Service April 20, 2014 Central Presbyterian Church Central Presbyterian Church seeks to glorify the Triune God by embracing the gospel, building our community, making disciples, and transforming societies. 2023 ProgressiveChristianity.org, A Joyful Path, Childrens Curriculum Sample Lessons for Years One, Two and Three, Find Faith Communities Using A Joyful Path, The Core Values of Progressive Christianity, Bishop Spong Newsletter Progressing Spirit, Advertising on ProgressiveChristianity.org. LONG LIVE GOD! Grandma took a good look at the vase that used to sit on her mothers kitchen table all those years ago. The profoundest act of worship is to try to understand. "Ground Us and Grow Us in Love," rtf or pdf file of liturgy at Worship Ways. You can also watch the videos of the homilies our videorgrapher is enjoying the Family Day weekend so my head is missing from the first parts but thanks to a volunteers intervention my head is restored in the third video. He offered Divine Life to all people suffering under worldly forces of death. Contact Us. I share these tears with you knowing full well that tears wont put an end to war, nor will they end our constant reliance upon violence to maintain a fragile peace. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); *This liturgy is an adaptation of the traditional. ), The pattern of death and resurrection is the pattern of all our creating and all our loving. It is long past time for us to move beyond arguments about a physical resuscitation of Jesus body. Holy, gracious, God, You are invited to this table of life as we join with each other and seek communion with God. So, let us repent. I know that we wont solve it in time to save Ukraine. Oh, how I miss those Sunday closings! When we face pain and suffering, we often feel like we become less than human. Years ago, a good many years ago in fact, when my life as an adult had only just begun, I was backpacking around Europe, and I began to hear people talk about the land of the mid-night sun. Forget about the rude remarks. 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. Where, O death is your sting?. I was lucky to get myself out of bed on a Sunday morning, while they seemed to be in church almost daily, sometimes several times a day. The flat earth was supported over the waters on pillars. Strip away our biased convictions so that through our selfless giving we can gaze clearly on your vision for our lives. When all the people have received, they rise to give thanks.]. Certainly, in the church the Bible is considered to be the supreme authority of the nature of God. } 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! Justice will exact our tears. Strike-slip fault and overthrust and syn and anticline endobj Faced with the needs of so very many, what can I do? But we must honour the suffering of generations, by doing something now, so that generations from now little families wont have to cry all over again. Thank you, Divine Crafter of the Table, for fashioning us a holy meal unites us with the Body of Christ. For those of you preaching on the text fromGenesis 32:3-31: You may not be able to tell from looking at me. 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). Gone are the vestments, the prescribed lectionary readings, and the familiar words. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. 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. Killer whales. Easter 3A in Quarantine: God Sightings. When humankind struggles, we all struggle together. And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. We believe that death is not the end, but rather a transformation into new possibilities. The trouble is, we all live in the 21st century and we know that the definition of what it means to be human that these stories rely upon no longer rings true. Today, during this season of Easter, our doubts about the possibility of resurrection are not as important as our doubts about the possibility of peace. I can also hear the voice of reason condemning me as a fool. When all the rhetoric is said, and done, I lean in close to the beloved ones who have gathered, and I proclaim the same truth which Paul proclaimed, and the science of REALITY confirms to us: Listen, I will tell you a mystery! He enacted peace in the midst of violence, love in the face of hate, Easter is the sky that encloses the broken egg. 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. So, this morning Id like us to take our focus off Jesus death and all we may have heard, or learned about why Jesus died so that we can see what it was about Jesus life that endeared him to his followers. I deny the resurrection every time I participate in an unjust system. Frame 4: A smile from you can bring joy to anyone and everyone you encounter. Many: On this day we shout, Christ is risen! Beautiful liturgy. Your mommy told me that you reached into the vase for candy. Come, drink together from the Cup of Gladness! Yes! I like the Apostle Paul, do not believe in the resuscitation of a corpse. Resist reading into the parables a too small personal shepherd, woman, or father to act the part of a too small recklessly, foolish god. The Earth, the Heavens, and the seas.Now even though the ancient Greek mathematician Pythagoras proposed that the Earth was round in the 6th century before the common era. Yet, with the unique calling and nature of Jesus, and the unique character of these events, it can be a stretch to find ways to [], admin2023-02-20T10:39:19+02:00Feb 6th, 2023|0 Comments, admin2023-02-13T17:15:16+02:00Feb 6th, 2023|0 Comments, admin2023-02-06T21:15:25+02:00Feb 6th, 2023|0 Comments, Copyright 2012 - 2020 | Sacredise | All Rights Reserved, Sacredise | Liturgical Resources for Progressive Communities. What is sown is a perishable body, what is raised is incorruptible. After the earthquake came a firebut YHWH was not in the fire. It can be deadly. But for a brief time, our longing for Spring stirred expectations in us which heralded better times ahead. Do we have the courage to serve? I dont mind confessing my own fear. I do deny the resurrection and Im guessing that you do too! 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. Lectionary Liturgies, Easter B, 2015, Thom M. Shuman, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). If we look at the stories that have been told about Jesus, the stories that have contributed so much to the creation of the idol that masquerades as the Mystery we call God, we discover a narrative that seems preoccupied with Jesus death. Resurrection requires that we wont solve it in time to save Ukraine the end, but rather transformation... Have received, they rise to give thanks and rejoice that Jesus so clearly and courageously linked our.... Himself up to his point physical resuscitation of a corpse the cup of Gladness to experience the liveliness of perfection! The world by speaking life into being be done will be done quickly, so that i was the. 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