As we leave worship
Let us remember that we are reflections of the universe
We embody the image of God
May the blessing of God go before you.
May God’s grace and peace abound.
O God who is called I am who I am: As we leave this place grant to us, your children, the grace to speak and act with integrity reflecting who we truly are.
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I am told that God answers prayer.
Always.
But then a few caveats are added,
meant to temper my expectation
for a quick and positive response.
The Manger Square Bethlehem “Peace / Love All” image was a Project Peace On Earth (PPOE) peace initiative which took place on December 24, 2012.
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SAMSARA is a Sanskrit word that means “the ever turning wheel of life” and is the point of departure for the filmmakers as they search for the elusive current of interconnection that runs through our lives. Filmed over a period of almost five years in twenty-five countries, SAMSARA transports us to sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial sites, and natural wonders. By dispensing with dialogue and descriptive text, SAMSARA subverts our expectations of a traditional documentary, instead encouraging our own inner interpretations inspired by images and music that infuses the ancient with the modern.
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First, Tick establishes the traditional context of war in mythology and religion. Then he describes in depth PTSD in terms of identity issues. Finally, drawing on world spiritual traditions, he presents ways to nurture a positive identity based in compassion and forgiveness.
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God of love,
source of mercy and compassion,
weave your dream for the world
into the fabric of our lives.
We are here to praise and enjoy God with body and soul, mind and heart, with song and word, with hands and feet.
We are here to give because of the abundance God has given us, to share with each other, and to receive, because God has created us to depend on each other.
We are here to celebrate the differences that otherwise might divide us: differences of age, of body, of culture, of opinion, of ability, of religious conviction.
We are here to put things in perspective: to celebrate what matters, to laugh about things we take too seriously, to cry about things that truly touch our hearts.
So may it be this morning: Amen!
Presider: God be with you
People: And also with you
Presider: Open your hearts
People: We open our hearts to God
My understanding of the flow of worship is that it is a four act drama beginning with a “gathering” and ending with a “send-out”. The four acts of worship between the gathering and send-out are: 1) CONFESSION; 2) PRAISE; 3) DEDICATION; and 4) COMMITMENT.
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Bonhoeffer believed that in the future a religionless Christianity—stripped of its religious garments—would be limited to two things: prayer and action.3 He believed that through these two acts Christians would learn to see the world from a new perspective, with the eyes of those at the bottom of society—the people that Matthew called “the least of these.” For Bonhoeffer, prayer—especially intercessory prayer—becomes important because it creates a powerful sense of empathy and solidarity with the people one brings before God. This, in turn, motivates one to engage in “righteous” action—the seeking of justice in human society.
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In A Joyful Path, Year Two, we focus on some of the main tenets of Progressive Christianity and Spirituality, giving our children the foundation they need to walk the path of Jesus in today’s world. It has stories and affirmations written to help children clarify their own personal beliefs while staying open to the wisdom of other traditions.
read moreCome to us, God of peace.
Come with your healing and your reconciling power.
Come, that fear may be cast out by love;
Jesus, you set before us the way of wisdom: to care for the poor, feed the hungry, share instead of hoard our possessions, but it is a way that is counter to the ways of the world.
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I see Jesus in every human being.
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