For Christ is risen! This weeping CHRIST plays on an endless loop in my mind unravelling my carefully constructed images of the DIVINE MYSTERY which is the LOVE we have the audacity to call GOD. So, let us repent. Let us be LOVE. Let us be resurrection by practicing resurrection, that is by resisting violence, resisting injustice, so that the Reign of LOVE ushers in the peace we long for the SHALOM which is abundant living. I could feel the temptations to violence rising in me. Grandma sat little Crystal on her knee. Yet Easter is about a God who bursts tombs of the familiar, the ordinary and the mediocre. (I have searched for the source of this story, withoutsuccess. A neighbour suggested Vaseline. For there is no division within the divine. Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body.". window.location.replace('https://progressivechristianity.org/paupress/?rel=pauContent&pau_type='+thisact); This my body, given for you. It does not surprise me that Paul may have framed Jesus death in the context of both Pauls own Jewish sacrificial theologies and Romes violent philosophies. Alleluia! We are kin to beasts; no other answer can we bring. Jesus vision of peace through justice, what he called the BASILEIA ton THEON, the Empire of GOD, is the already but not yet SHALOM we long to find. A Communion Liturgy for the Whole People of God. Welcome to the liturgy of The Namaste Church! 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. It was Jesus who introduced this meal to his followers. Little Crystal was only two and a half years old when she got hopelessly stuck. Liturgies. var thisact = jQuery('#submission-action').val(); Only a fool, would run head-long, open armed to kiss such a wayward fool, extravagantly bestow more household treasures, and expect the faithful to join in the rejoicing.Only a fool, would cajole the self-righteous, indignant child to join the celebration. It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give you our thanks and praise, O God! You can put it Thoughts on Readings, Prayers & Hymn Suggestions. The followers of Jesus stood up and got on with the business which was begun by Jesus. Not all flesh is the same. Evolving beyond the myth that violence can solve our problems, or bring us peace, is vital. Certainly, in the church the Bible is considered to be the supreme authority of the nature of God. But when I became an adult, I put childish ways aside. //jQuery('#submit-action').attr('href','/paupress/?rel=pauContent&pau_type='+thisact); Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountain apart and shattered the rocks by YHWEHs powerbut YHWH was not in the whirlwind. Christmas, Mother's Day, etc. Christ was alive to those early followers. It was written by Gord Waldie. If you have already donated, thank you! 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. Lord, help us to make. The PROMISED ONE has come not to be served, but to serveto give one life in ransom for the many.. When I read the accounts of those early followers of the way who abandoned the tomb of the upper-room to gather together to build communities of compassion it is clear to me who was raised up by images of resurrection. Working, dancing, and church, a blessed trinity designed to secure passage back into my travels abroad. Thanks be to ALL that is HOLY! Instead, I was blessed by two, I dont know if they were my brothers or my sisters or one of each. Let me attempt to be kinder than the Apostle, whose willingness to call his opponents stupid, I do not share. When Grandma finally arrived, both Crystal and her mother were almost hysterical. 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. Evening Prayer Audio the silences are intentional. Prayer of Confession and Pardon for Easter. Whether your interpretation of the resurrection is literal or metaphorical, Easter morning is always welcome. Beautiful! He is risen indeed! } When humankind struggles, we all struggle together. To which Jesus responded, From the cup I drink of, you will drink; the baptism I am immersed in, you will share. ProgressiveChristianity.org : Easter Prayer Easter Prayer Week of April 3, 2022 Christos Aneste! 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. It can all tend to become a nice "show" or a good academic exercise, but with little impact on us as we seek to follow this Jesus. Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. As the train finally pulled into Narvik, I couldnt quite believe my eyes. But for a brief time, our longing for Spring stirred expectations in us which heralded better times ahead. Alleluia! Send us your: ResourceEventNewsIdeasnow petitions prayers for strength a selection of modern petitions asking for God's strength to come, with a prayer for those grieving and a prayer for hope. With humility, with awareness of the existence of life. As far back as the sixteenth century, a Polish monk named Nicolaus Copernicus calculated that the Earth is not the center of a three-tiered universe. Resurrection is not about the physical resuscitation of a corpse. That left my chamber-maiding at a local lodge where the housekeeper was always kind enough to keep my Sunday mornings free so that I could go to church, while hung-over colleagues struggled to clean up. 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. by our unbelief and lack of understanding of Gods presence in us. Welcome to Contemporary Liturgy website. We lift them up to God. Ive told this story before, but then havent we all heard the story of Thomas, every Easter. Lets try to focus on what is actually happening in the story. I confess, that I cant quite see CHRIST in that face yet. The truth has left its living word for anyone to read. Alleluia! 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! For the journey that life has been, Amen. Jesus insisted with all that he is, that justice and not violence is the only way to establish and maintain peace. Alleluia! Faced with the task of communicating the gospel, the early followers of the risen Christ, began to articulate experiences of the risen Christ in ways that the Greek influenced Roman Empire could understand giving rise (pardon the pun), giving rise to the question of a physical resurrection. Perhaps someone will ask, How are the dead to be raised up? Continue reading . Holy, gracious, God, The congregation is encouraged to move around the sanctuary. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of our God. And then, just like that, we were back there, back in the unthinkable darkness our parents spoke about, the darkness of war in Europe. 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. Whenever the news became more than I thought I could bear, I just switched it off. Psalm 25:1-10. For years I reigned as the champion of our little world! and celebrate with joy the eternal Life offered to us through Jesus Christ. The truth has left its fingerprints on every living thing. Far too many progressives ready to rebuke you for not being progressive enough. How the living things that are descend from things that were. When we say that we believe in the resurrection of the dead, we are proclaiming that no matter how dead someone may appear to be, no matter how dead we may feel, new life is always possible. The seed you sow does not germinate unless it dies. Jesus suffered the worst of his worlds violence. (LogOut/ We can be transfigured by the face of CHRIST which is revealed to us through the tears of all who suffer the ravages of injustice. Your mommy told me that you reached into the vase for candy. 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. 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! In the 17th century, Galileo Galilei a personal friend of the Pope, published a paper demonstrating that the sun could not possible revolve around the earth. If we take off our rose coloured glasses, and pick up a pair of lenses permeated with the desire to resist persecution, violence, and the forces of Empire, these parables have the potential to inspire the kind of passion necessary to recover the one thing which is lost, justice. Believing, as Jesus believed, that beyond pain and darkness and death, if ( thisact == "contact" ) { Unlike our ancestors who succeeded the writers of the bible and went on to develop the theology of the church, we dont believe that the round earth is the center of the universe. I dont know about you but when that giant phallic ship was trusting into the wild blue yonder, I became somewhat indignant. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.. } else { if ( '' != thisact ) { Continue reading . Excuse me if I sound a little too indignant but jockeying for a seat during a global pandemic is more than a little tone deaf, when according to the United Nations, yet another 150 million or so people will be plunged into poverty this year, swelling the ranks of the global poor to over one and a half-billion people, over half of which are children. This bread and drink represents our life and all the giftedness that each of us bring to the table. 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. After the wind there was an earthquakebut YHWH was not in the earthquake. If I could, I would comfort the young woman I was by reassuring her that whatever the MYSTERY which we call God is, it is not a vengeful murderer whose thirst for a blood sacrifice, compelled Him and I do mean him, to come up with a plan which required violence, torture, and a slow, painful death. Let us be LOVE in the world, by fearlessly serving the poor. 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. Theres nothing wrong with that. Im a child of my times. Your email address will not be published. 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. Hosanna in the highest. For after the fire came a BAT KOL. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. Gracious God, Crystal had always been told that one day the magnificent vase would be hers. Today, on this International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, how many of us will satisfy ourselves with righteous indignation rather than sacrifice? We offer ourselves as your people in your service. Jesus life reveals images of God that point far beyond the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, to the Ultimate MYSTERY that lies at the very heart of all reality. For those of you preaching on the text fromGenesis 32:3-31: You may not be able to tell from looking at me. I confess, I was in denial. United States After what seemed like hours but was probably just a few minutes, the whales moved on and I was left to clumsily put words onto the depth of my experiences, in what the ancient Celts would call a Thin Place; a place where the lines between the ordinary and the sacred are thin, and we can see, feel, touch, hear the MYSTERY which lies at the very heart of reality. All tears are part of the river of life. Church that is. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. If that means violence, well maybe Im not the pacifist I claim to be. When he placed his hand on my forehead, I stiffened my entire being, because there was no way I was going down. //jQuery('#submit-action').attr('href','/paupress/?rel=pauContent&pau_type='+thisact); What kind of body will they have? What a stupid question! It was so good to be there, where they could see in Jesus the face of CHRIST. Easter offers meaning and hope to all people. I am the only one left, and now theyre trying to kill me, too. Elohim (thats an ancient Hebrew word which we translate simply as God or Lord. You covenanted with your people and gave them Law that showed the way of Lifea path of peace, justice, mercy, reverence, love. We must put aside our expectations of a quick and easy fix and settle in for the difficult generational evolution of our species. Even though Jesus knew he would be betrayed and deserted by those at this supper, he still continued to join them at the table, sharing time and space with whom he grew closest. Do we have the courage to serve? For all who are striving to form new governments, for thepeople of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine: that God will enlighten and inspiretheir leaders to build structures that will respect rights, promote life andhealth and establish educational and economic opportunities. Our focus upon preserving the church gets in the way of our rebirth! Perhaps Jesus sensed that even their anger was a type of jockeying for position, when he insisted that, Anyone among you who aspires to greatness must serve the rest; whoever wants to rank first among you must serve the needs of all. As a kid, this Canadian epic always sparked my imagination, as I dreamed of those, strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold. for The Artic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold;The Northern Lights have seen queer sights and on and on it goes spinning a which always fills me with glee as I warm my soul by the heat of the cremation of Sam McGee, wondering about all the other strange things done in the mid-night sun. I like the Apostle Paul, do not believe in the resuscitation of a corpse. Practicing resurrection happens when we gather to build communities of compassion. The EMPIRE OF DIVINITY is not yet here. We will never know what actually happened two thousand years ago, we will always. Repent: Metanoia: to think new thoughts. Not even our fear, even fear expressed in domination, greed, hatred and violence, not even fear of death, can kill the LOVE which lies at the very heart of all that is, and rises again and again, whenever and wherever, arrogance is ransomed by humility, fear is ransomed by courage, hatred is ransomed by kindness, violence is ransomed by justice, war is ransomed by peace, greed is ransomed by generosity, and self-centredness is ransomed by service to others. Forgive us, Merciful One. (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"). It wasnt until that young Dad buried his face in his daughters chest that I recognized the face of CHRIST. "Ground Us and Grow Us in Love," rtf or pdf file of liturgy at Worship Ways. May we be transfigured by her courage to do our part to turn her mourning into dancing. Settle into your seat, close your eyes and imagine a place that brings you comfort and peace. 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. Easter communion liturgy, involving children Ana Gobledale, UK. Pray deeply, reverently, and then fast-forward to the music. But by the free gift of Gods grace all are put right with him through Christ Jesus, who sets them free. It empowers us to hope in the coming resurrection and new life. Christianitys morbid preoccupation with Jesus violent death will not usher in the Kin-dom of DIVINITY which Jesus lived for. Justice will exact our tears. When you sow, you do not sow the full-blown plant but a kernel of wheat or some other grain. Worship Resources by Lisa Frenz, Mt. Gone are the vestments, the prescribed lectionary readings, and the familiar words. I first heard it at a retreat on the West Coast a lifetime ago), In this fast paced world of ours, I often find myself in little Crystals predicament. Beginning with the traditional opening from Charles Wesley, this moves into a progressive Christian expression of resurrection. 3:6 No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. DONATE NOW! It began to seem like the only way to get Crystals hand out was to break the family heirloom. Imagine knowing everything there is to know about that final day in Memphis, about the motel, about the people who were on that balcony when Dr. King was shot, about the shooter, the gun that was used, about the funeral procession, the grieving, and about the people who tried to go on walking in the ways of Dr. King. The writers of our creeds firmly established that God lived in heaven. The hands are up like a shot. 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. A natural body is sown, and a spiritual body is raised up. 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. People: We praise you, Lord, for these gifts of bread and wine. Blessings on your Holy Week observance and Easter celebrations! Like each flourishing branch of the vine, we, too, blossom in our connection to God and neighbor. Salvation is not about saving us for life after death. You are the Cup of Blessing. 'It is always Springtime in the heart that loves God.'. Suddenly, the Cosmos reminded me that freedom from ancient ways of knowing does not mean freedom from REALITY. Here at this table your promise of life is made tangible. Just before my blow connected with its victim, I realized that I was doomed. 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. Revealing your love, radiating your life, Jesus taught those who listened to him, 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. It is in Jesus life, not his death that we will find salvation. Was blessed by two, I dont know if they were my brothers or my sisters or one of.! Instead, I stiffened my entire being, because there was no way I was going.. 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