But for a brief time, our longing for Spring stirred expectations in us which heralded better times ahead. A Prayer for Sad Days of the Pandemic. We are an Easter people! 2014-04-20 liturgy [Easter sunrise] Author: Mike Farley Dying you destroyed our death, Our count was based on the number of spouts that emanated from their blowholes. Prayer of Confession and Pardon for Easter. Let us pray for the intentions within our hearts: We know that when we raise our minds and hearts to the Presence among us, extraordinary things happen. These days they are called orcas. McCourt asks: Who says its an egg?, Of course, its an egg. Thats when I heard the small voice. 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. What can progressive Christians say about the story of Easter? Gracious God, I am tweaking this for this Sunday credit to your site will be given. and celebrate with joy the eternal Life offered to us through Jesus Christ. Alas Paul, if youd been there when the Church was cutting up your letters to be delivered in snippets on Sunday mornings, I can only imagine what you might have said, when they decided to cut you off in mid-stream. Do we have the courage to serve? Surely, the Americans have an agency for this. The week before Easter, known as Holy Week, is very special in the Christian tradition. So, I invite you to see for yourselves. Surely, today, when troops are again amassing in Europe and the world cant seem to sake itself loose from the myth of redemptive violence, surely today, it is time for us to move beyond thinking of DIVINITY as the ultimate purveyor of violence and Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice. I just knew that if God really did come up with such a barbaric bargain, then God must be in league with the Devil himself. Alas, if only. Now, talk of the mid-night sun always took me back to my childhood memories of my Dad reciting the Robert Service poem, the Cremation of Sam McGee. Certainly, in the church the Bible is considered to be the supreme authority of the nature of God. You and I are the wealthiest followers of Jesus who have ever walked the Earth. An agency of The United Methodist Church, Discipleship Ministries helps local church, district, and conference leaders fulfill the shared dream of making world-changing disciples. Starters for Sunday. A SERVICE OF WORD AND TABLE II. Peace be with you. Christianitys utterly loveless atonement theories about substitution and payment, arguing down through the centuries about whether this ransom is paid to God or to the devil insult the very memory of the rabbi himself, whose death saves us not from the wrath of God, but rather from ourselves. Leader: Brothers and sisters in Christ, the gospels tell us that on the first day of the week, the same day on which our Lord rose from the dead, he appeared to his disciples and was made known to them in the breaking of the bread. Strike-slip fault and overthrust and syn and anticline */ //jQuery('#submit-action').attr('href','/paupress/?rel=pauContent&pau_type='+thisact); The BASILEIA ton THEON may not yet be the world we live in, but the BASILEIA ton THEON is already here. Perhaps photographers of old avoided them, maybe people back then were better had holding those tears back. Easter offers meaning and hope to all people. Progressive Christianity USA's Liturgy Project The USA-based Liturgy Project provides hundreds of liturgical posts by authors around the globe. Today, in the midst of colossal violence, it is long past time for us to see beyond our conditioning about what to believe about resurrection so that we can focus our attention on practicing resurrection. Physics teaches us that nothing dies, everything is transformed. 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. Come then to the joyful feast of the Lord! Continue reading . They were never meant to be followed in their entirety. How safe? I had to confess right then and there, in my twentieth year of life, I struggled to believe that any GOD who sent His only Child to die, on a cross, is worth getting up on a Sunday morning for. This story was written by the anonymous gospel-storyteller we know as John some 70 years after Jesus' death, some twenty years after the Jewish war with Rome in which the Empire destroyed the Temple, raised most of Jerusalem to the ground, and sent Jews and the followers of Jesus into exile. You dont want to miss Paul when hes worked himself up to his point. (BL), www.methodist.org.nz/resources/hymns/boundlesslife, http://www.methodist.org.nz/resources/hymns/the_mystery_telling, Singing the Sacred, Vol 1 2011 World Library Publications, Jesus Christ is alive and lives in me. Imagining the horizons of my ancient ancestors, I could see in my minds eye a familiar worldview, a three-tiered universe, complete with an omnipotent god smiling and then frowning down at me. Our kinship warmed me as I imagined their delight at our Suns sensuous self-giving display as it set. The endless loop projects many faces of CHRIST. Jesus said, I have come that they might have life and may live it abundantly! LIFE and not death. to give our thanks and praise. But sometimes letting go is the only way to preserve the integrity of the heirloom. Alleluia! Or better still, let me cling to the promise of a Saviour who will carry us out of this world and into the next, at no cost, free of charge because Jesus paid the ransom for my soul. It is right to give our thanks and praise. All risings of the human spirit are preceded by brokenness, loss or rejection. Only a foolWould know the joy, the absolute delight of finding what really isnt needed. Risen as he said! My youth and inexperience allowed the more ornery side of my nature to come to the fore. But way back then; the bay was only accessible by the most treacherous of logging roads. Jesus called them together and said, You know how among the Gentiles those who exercise authority are domineering and arrogant; those great ones know how to make their own importance felt. . May we be transfigured by her courage to do our part to turn her mourning into dancing. Only a fool would be such a steward as this. THEME The Connecting Solitude THOUGHTS FOR REFLECTION The spiritual desert is not a foe to be conquered but an emptiness to be affirmed: for when we are full, we perceive nothing, but when we are empty we can receive everything. Mortal tongues and angels say: Alleluia! Let it be so. In the same way he took the cup, saying: All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. This story was written by the anonymous gospel-storyteller we know as John some 70 years after Jesus death, some twenty years after the Jewish war with Rome in which the Empire destroyed the Temple, raised most of Jerusalem to the ground, and sent Jews and the followers of Jesus into exile. SALTs Lectionary Commentary for Epiphany Week 4, Progressive Christian Lectionary Commentary, Revised Common Lectionary Commentary Epiphany 4, Revised Common Lectionary Commentary Epiphany 4B, Revised Common Lectionary Commentary Epiphany 4 Year B, Magnificat: SALT's Lectionary Commentary for Advent Week Three, Revised Common Lectionary Commentary Advent Week 3B, Revised Common Lectionary Commentary Advent Week 3, Revised Common Lectionary Commentary Luke 1:39-56, Understand and Connect: SALT's Lectionary Commentary for Pentecost Sunday, Revised Common Lectionary Pentecost Year A, Revised Common Lectionary Commentary Pentecost Year A, "Ash Wednesday" by Rev. Non-violent resistance is dangerous. Such a strange dualism to entertain on the surface of a frozen lake, beneath a clear blue sky, staring out at a horizon, I have all too often entertained. Amen. with the Son, God the Father praising;"Alleluia!" Get their attention and then, deliver your point! *Easter Peace Beloved in Christ, God's love pours out from the grave of despair. And we who listen to the stars, or walk the dusty grade Working, dancing, and church, a blessed trinity designed to secure passage back into my travels abroad. Believing, as Jesus believed, that beyond pain and darkness and death, Historians tell us that those roads which all lead to Rome, those roads were dotted with thousands of crucifixion sites. } else { Easter offers meaning and hope to all people. Holy Scriptures about Communion. Through this meal which has stood the test of time, we covenant to love you, God. Too many Hollywood movies tempt me to flirt with violence, as I yearn for some secret agents to just take him out! Amen. Bert Polman (bdp5@calvin.edu) is a hymnologist who is a professor and chair of the music department at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Contact Us. Christ is risen! Humans were cast out of the perfection of the garden and alienated for their creator. If there is no resurrection of the dead then not even CHRIST has been raised. 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. Easter Sunrise: Outdoor Worship. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Only a foolWould risk a reputation as a wise shepherd, a careful guardian of the known and secure, to seek one lone sheep. Old and New Testament Canticles at Morning and Evening Prayer. The writers of our creeds firmly established that God lived in heaven. Today! Risk it all for the sake of LOVE. Do you grant permission to use (with credit) for worship? Is that right?, 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. This story provides the raw material for the idol that we have created to serve as our god. One: It is through our neighbors and creation that we see the rising of Christ, O God. Gardens often provide a space for worship in a neutral setting outside the church for people to gather and share a faith experience. I first heard it at a retreat on the West Coast a lifetime ago). We pray to theLord. As we enter this season of Easter, we ask that the warm winds of the Spirit encircle this table and accompany us on our journey. It didnt take very long before the many layers of clothing, with which I had hoped to insulate myself from the dangers of the cold, failed to keep me moving very far into the expanse of white snow drifts which glistened as the Suns glorious rays danced incapable of warming much of anything but my heart. Think about it, Jesus cant have being trying to teach us that the DIVINE MYSTERY was a reckless fool. These tiny, humble, wordless things how shall they tell us lies? Nov 10, 2022 | Christmas, Featured 1, Mini-Movies, Seasonal, Videos. Most Australian Anglicans use A Prayer Book for Australia (APBA) as the basis for our common prayer. Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and his reputation spread throughout the region. While the first century story told by the anonymous gospel-storyteller we call Mark, sees the sons of Zebedee, jockeying for coveted seats at the right and left hand of Jesus, our 21st century story portray the contrasting circumstances of wannabe-astronauts blasting far above our planet with scarcely a thought for the 150 million or so who will slip into the depths of poverty before this year ends. Blessings on your Holy Week observance and Easter celebrations! Crystal sobbed. Take a few moments to walk across the sanctuary and have a word with someone about who Jesus was? Somehow, the flight of the billionaire Bezos phallic Blue Horizon thrusting its five privileged passengers across our screens will capture more attention from those of us who are wealthy enough to own screens, than the roughly one and a half billion men, women, and children who are consigned to live in poverty. Death is vanquished. Yesterday, when the sun was in the same position in the sky as it is now, we insisted that it was an hour later. Letting go isnt as simple as it sounds. Humans wrote the Bible; God wrote the world. Enjoy! The Easter Peace is shared *Hymn This Is the Day My point is Paul was just warming up. All week long, I have been emersed in the anonymous gospel-storyteller we know as Lukes account of Jesus first sermon, in which Jesus declares that he has been anointed to bring Good News, and it wasnt until my own frozen epiphany set me to dancing on ice that I actually noticed that part of the Good News of which Jesus speaks involves the proclamation of liberty to those held captive! Listen to the way the anonymous gospel-storyteller recounts Jesus words: Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and his reputation spread throughout the region. But then I looked at the readings assigned for next Sunday and discovered that, yet another section of 1st Corinthians 15 is included. Galileo recanted, but the Earth is moving still Evolving beyond the myth that violence can solve our problems, or bring us peace, is vital. There are those who name the stars, who watch the sky by night, Beautiful! Thats where youre opponent wrenches your arm behind your back and applies just enough pressure to cause pain, but not enough to break anything. } It was the summer of 1978, when twenty-somethings like myself, we couldnt get enough of the Bee Gees and their Disco tunes. Salvation is about making us whole, ONE with one another and ONE with the ONE who is as Jesus taught with his very life is the LOVE we call GOD. He urged them: Remember me. we invite your life to fill us; Pain and suffering perpetrated by our species vain conviction that violence is the way to peace. All your creatures testify to your mighty deeds! Resist the distractions of all that we have, all our treasures, our land, our homes, all the trappings of the empires in which we are entangled. 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. Close with quote from Michael Morwood: In nature we see superb aspects of transformation in supernovas exploding and in their dying giving birth to new possibilities resurrection producing abundant life. Helping you win loyal friends through your communications, All the stuff I should be writing down for a book someday, Soulful leadership in its many manifestations, A Liturgy for Easter Day (with HolyCommunion), Preaching Thomas on Low Sunday Some PossiblePathways, Reflection and Hymn: The Most DeliciousBread, Encampments: In Situ Poems and Found Devotions, This was the Original Episcopal Cafe site. Where, O death is your sting?. You responded with peace, forgiveness, and new life. What can Jesus teach us about God? But I suspect that justice, the kind of justice which ensures that everyone has enough so that everyone can live in peace, is something worth leaving behind everything you have in order to pursue. 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. 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. The small voice within my very soul said only one word Swim.. 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. 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