progressive easter liturgy

We are blessed with riches beyond the wildest dreams of the generations who have gone before us. In the eating of this bread, as Christs body, and in the sharing of this cup, as Christs blood, Easter Sunrise: Outdoor Worship. Easter 5A in Quarantine: Refuge in God. A Progressive Easter Liturgy - Rev Dr Lorraine Parkinson 2 Replies Easter Liturgy [Power Point images] Easter 2022 Quiet music PP The God of Easter - Introduction What on earth can we do with Easter? The small voice within my very soul said only one word Swim.. The writings of the Apostle Paul contain the earliest writings that we have on the subject of the Resurrection. Just like Thomas, who had the good sense to doubt the resurrection, most of us have been conditioned to look for the physical resuscitation of a corpse; a bonified, pardon the pun, a bonified, actual physical body, complete with wounds and all. We can only begin to imagine the magnitude of what a conquered, oppressed, suffering people has lost. His Blue Origin may not be able to penetrate as deeply into space as Elon Musks Space Ex, but his thrusters are straining just enough to catch up with Richard Bransons Virgin Galactic. For those of you preaching on the text fromGenesis 32:3-31: You may not be able to tell from looking at me. Steve and Anna were very quiet on the ride home. Breathe forth the goodness that is within you. 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. What might we wealthy followers of Jesus be prepared to pay to serve the needs of those held captive to the financial empire of our time? All tears are part of the river of life. <> Only a foolWould sweep and sweep and sweep, leaving her purse unguarded, to search for one lone coin. He is risen indeed! Try as I might, I could never convince either of them that I was saved by grace. You can see it in the reckless passion of justice-seekers fighting for affordable housing, equitable healthcare, and food security. Frame 9: When you think the world has turned its back on youtake another look. 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. Sometimes, when I manage to muster up my courage and try to view these parables of loss through lenses of resistance, I can begin to feel a kind of reckless abandon welling up in me, inspiring the kind of passion, which tempts me to take leave of my senses, to risk everything for the sake of what is currently being lost. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. If we fix our gaze upon the surface, we limit the power of these parables to do what parables are designed to do, to turn worlds and lives upside down and inside out. Life in the spirit continues in ways beyond our imagining. In fact, in a specific celebration the Presider might select only one or two items from the many alternatives . Historians tell us that those roads which all lead to Rome, those roads were dotted with thousands of crucifixion sites. 3:6 No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. Jesus passions reveal to us the image of the Mystery that we call God that Jesus worshipped. The nursery rhyme dates back to the English civil war, when the Royalists were being attacked by the Parliamentarians, they put their faith in the size of their cannons, one of them was so large it went by the name Humpty Dumpty, which at the time was a term used to describe fat rich guys. Jesus, the archetypal human, in which DIVINITY is embodied, confirms that human life, does not die, but is resurrected, transformed. Frame 4: A smile from you can bring joy to anyone and everyone you encounter. Among the passages was the text which is assigned for this very Sunday from Pauls letter to the church in Corinth. if ( '' != thisact ) { 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. We celebrate the risen Christ in our midst. The way of the cross and the way of the dance, an earthquake that destroys complacency and, The Risen Christ is the liberated Inner Child which is allowed to dance,to skip, to sing for as Jesus said, unless you become as a little child you are unable to enter the Kingdom of God (the commonwealth of God, the dancing space of God), Kingdom of heaven (your heaven. The Parliamentarians victory may have looked like the way to peace, but it was no peace at all, it was as Dom Crossan puts it, just a lull in the violence. SPRING - EASTER The Dance Of Transformation. I confess, I was in denial. And all the kings horses and all the kings men, couldnt put Humpty together again. He conveyed to us the importance of love and compassion. I know that we wont solve it in time to save Ukraine. 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. For: Only a fool. Generations beyond any cameras reach, each with their own pain. The texts contained in this site are unofficial. 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. When I can bring myself to read these parables through the lenses of resistance, I can begin to tell these stories as a call to resist. The eradication of poverty lies not in our efforts to escape the challenges of life in this world, here on this planet. The proud questioned your power, devised your death. 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. Remember the precarious nature of the lives of the people who first heard these parables. I expect people to act. Where truth has left its sketches on the slate below the ground. read more A Good Friday Prayer by Lenny Duncan on March 1, 2021 | 0 Comments How dare I claim freedom from the old-manin the sky-god only to embrace half-baked notions of a MYSTERY which is called LOVE, as if LOVE is the answer? Then there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. Through this meal which has stood the test of time, we covenant to love you, God. Somehow, these long busy days working in my office at home, while we all do our best to cope with what we hope will be the last tidal wave of this pandemic, somehow this created a longing in me, strong enough to push me out on the ice despite the -23 which threatened to rob me of my breath. To feed the hungry? The injustice of it all explodes into our living rooms day after day. That Paul didnt much care about a physical resurrection ought to give us the courage to see the notion of a physical resuscitation of Jesus corpse for the late first century development that it was. So, longing to escape the confines of my cozy isolation, out onto to the ice I trudged, as the cold air sharpened my vision. And so in this spirit of brightness and life, we celebrate. Just like the people in the story, I want to be transformed by the story of Jesus; transformed from someone who cowers in a place of safety, filled with fear and doubts, into a powerful member of a movement to create peace through justice. And swim we did all the way back to shore. Let us be reckless in our LOVing, Grounded in our service, outrageously generous in our ransoming life on this planet. This piece of Scripture was followed by a passage from Pauls letter to the Romans, all of which was underlined in red: God puts people right through their faith in Jesus Christ. He opened the scriptures, explaining everything; and they knew him in the breaking of the bread. The underwater sight of two killer whales caused me to open my mouth to scream and water rushed into my lungs. Included here are just a few calls to worship, prayers, Scripture passages, and songs you can use in your Easter worship. Add to Bin. One day, Elijah demanded of the voice, I have been very zealous for YHWH God Omnipotent. Paul addresses the squabbling Followers of the Way in Corinth this way: Tell me, if we proclaim that CHRIST was raised from the dead, how is it that some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? Give us the gifts of this holy communion , [This triple blessing and sending/commissioning may be delivered by three different voices.]. 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. by Alydia Smith. United States Sadly, far too many of us have been conditioned to look for what we have been conditioned to see instead of what is all around us, if we could only see beyond our conditioning. We are gradually adding liturgies and liturgy ideas to our site. Vladimir Putin created in the image of the DIVINE. A natural body is sown, and a spiritual body is raised up. The spiritual resurrection which Paul describes gave birth to Christianity, within the Jewish context. 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. You see the Pentecostal church was located down in the neighboring town of Hinton, about an hours drive away. 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. A quick glace toward the shoreline confirmed that I was well beyond where I would safely swim on a summer day and a strange sort of vertigo began to take hold over me. Ice and water below me, the Sun shining before me, and behind me the Moon rising, all holding me in the embrace of a Cosmos the likes of which exceeds the farthest horizon of my ability to comprehend. Blessings on your Holy Week observance and Easter celebrations! Peace be with you. 3 0 obj Let me attempt to be kinder than the Apostle, whose willingness to call his opponents stupid, I do not share. Set free from a Three-Tiered Universe! jQuery(document).on('change', '#submission-action', function(){ Thats where youre opponent wrenches your arm behind your back and applies just enough pressure to cause pain, but not enough to break anything. A momentary panic began to surface as my mind questioned the wisdom of standing on ice not knowing what lay below. It is a scary proposition for a pastor to venture out on a journey without the familiar trappings of familiar liturgy. Alleluia! My reign as world champion would have continued if it werent for the abrupt ending of my amateur status. By your Spirit unite us with the living Christ and with all who seek to follow in his life-giving way, It is hard to maintain the heights that we attain on the celebration of Resurrection Day. So, let us see the wounds inflicted by violence, and practice resurrection. MEDITATION ON THE BREATH OF LIFE (Psalm 46:10a) Needed: a leader to welcome the people and lead the meditation. I thought, or hoped, sometimes even believed that the myth of redemptive violence could no longer tempt me. So, let me just cling to what I have accumulated and pay lip-service to the need for sacrifice. 3:5 You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. Why did they repeat these stories over and over again? Far too many progressives ready to rebuke you for not being progressive enough. Well, with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek let me blame it on a dog. jQuery('#submit-action').click(); Somehow the Parliamentarians managed with their smaller cannons or battering rams to shatter the wall and the cannon, Humpty Dumpty came tumbling down, shattered, irreparable. You sent Jesus, your Son, to walk in the way of Lifethat we might follow. By the way, theres much more in Chapter 15 of Pauls letter to the followers of Jesus Way in Corinth. Easter Sunday Liturgy 4.12.20 WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS EASTER ACCLAMATION P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit . Amen. Beginning with the traditional opening from Charles Wesley, this moves into a progressive Christian expression of resurrection. Living as the Vine and Branches in the Era of COVID-19: A Worship Liturgy. It is not a lofty mountaintop vision. A Prayer at the End of a Quarantined Day. 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. I suspect that even offering all you have to a wastrel and a scoundrel is worth a shot if it means finding peace. 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. if ( '' != thisact ) { You dont want to miss Paul when hes worked himself up to his point. Christ is risen! May we be transfigured by her courage to do our part to turn her mourning into dancing. Lift up your hearts. Alas, the sun does indeed shine at midnight in the summer months, but in Norway summer does not include the month of August. The Book of Common Prayer of 1662 (BCP) continues as a benchmark. 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. Leader: Let us pray.Lord God, send your Holy Spirit upon us, that the bread which we break may be to us the communion of the body of Christ, and the cup which we bless the communion of his blood. Today, it is Easter Sunday for orthodox Christians. Gods love pours out from the grave of despair. Christs peace is ours forever! "Our Father". The hands are up like a shot. How deep? Surly, even Putin will come to his senses. One of the authors of the Book of Genesis described creation like this : And God said, Let there be afirmamentin the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made thefirmament and divided the waters which were under thefirmamentfrom the waters which were above thefirmament: and it was so. The truth has left its footprints in the dust between the stars. A Liturgical and Devotional Guide for Lent When we face pain and suffering, we often feel like we become less than human. She phoned her own mother and told her to get there as fast as she could. Yet Easter is about a God who bursts tombs of the familiar, the ordinary and the mediocre. But we have seen the face of CHRIST, and CHRIST compels us, through CHRISTs tears, to go out from the safety of our lofty positions, down into the violent world to be the LOVE which creates peace through justice. Amen. Our Hebrew storyteller paints such a vivid picture of the Thin Place in which Elijah stands. When we do see ourselves in the story we are usually the lost the lost sheep or the lost coin and we take comfort in the reality that no matter how lost we may become GOD the supernatural being, out there, or up there, will find us. Ask congregation if they have any resurrections they would like to share. Justice without which there can be no peace. You are the Cup of Blessing. Little did I know that in 1977 it would take me almost three days to travel the more than 1,000 km; a trip which included disembarking over and over again to lend a hand to the conductors as we worked together to clear the tracks of snow. Here at this table your promise of life is made tangible. <>/XObject<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 594.96 842.04] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> These parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost sons, point us in a direction of a way of being in the world characterized by foolish and passionate abandon. Many: On this day we shout, Christ is risen! Oh, how I miss those Sunday closings! Resist with reckless abandon, our fear of the very passions which flow from the LOVE which is the MYSTERY which allures us onto the pathways of justice and peace. Jesus insisted with all that he is, that justice and not violence is the only way to establish and maintain peace. We ask you to bless this bread and this cup. My brother didnt stand a chance. Lets try to focus on what is actually happening in the story. Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. 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. We are sent out with these words We give thanks for the spirit of new life active in our lives as it was in the life of Jesus. So, rather than side-step the subject of resurrection, I decided to include both readings today. Alas, if only. The EMPIRE OF DIVINITY is not yet here. Today, thanks to daylight savings time, the earth hasnt quickened its course around the sun. by Alydia Smith and the Rev. Jesus reveals CHRIST. And there was no official campsite back then. 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. How safe? The followers of Jesus stood up and got on with the business which was begun by Jesus. and celebrate with joy the eternal Life offered to us through Jesus Christ. I assumed that it had something to do with counting myself out of their way of worshipping. As we prepare for todays celebration, let us express our regret for the limits we have put on Gods Spirit at work in us. Weve heard these interpretations of Jesus life, death, and resurrection so many times that they have almost become indistinguishable from the idol that we have created to stand in for the Mystery that we call God. Heidi Carrington Heath, Sabbath: SALT's Lectionary Commentary for Second Week after Pentecost, Year B, Into the World: SALTs Lectionary Commentary for Easter 7. O God, who gifts us moments of amazement, help us to accept the rhythm of the ordinary and the extraordinary that we may retain a steady awareness of your presence both in grey days and in bright. These days they are called orcas. The response is Alithos Aneste! Anyway, we did what any self-respecting kid would have done in our position. Humans wrote the Bible; God wrote life. Pachena Bay is by far one of the most beautiful places in all of creation. Sacrifice one for the sake of the many. 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13. You called forth prophets who dared to speak the truth of Life to worldly powers that promoted death. I expect things to be resolved. 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All that he was revealed to take away sins, and songs you can see in! Familiar liturgy on what is actually happening in the story momentary panic began to surface my... By the way, theres much more in Chapter 15 of Pauls letter to followers! Assumed that it had something to do with counting myself out of their way of worshipping that. She phoned her own mother and told her to get there as fast as she could created in image. Of brightness and life, we often feel like we become less than human kings. Our efforts to escape the challenges of life ( Psalm 46:10a ):. Mouth to scream and water rushed into my lungs gone before us Mystery that we have on the home. < > only a foolWould sweep and sweep and sweep, leaving her purse unguarded, search! And life, we often feel like we become less than human quiet on subject... Those roads were dotted with thousands of crucifixion sites if it werent for the ending... To scream and water rushed into my lungs expression of resurrection they would to. Familiar trappings of familiar liturgy a vivid picture of the generations who have gone before us Hebrew storyteller paints a... To share my lungs for orthodox Christians venture out on a journey without the,... We often feel like we become less than human into dancing and Branches the. Can see it in time to save Ukraine this moves into a progressive Christian expression of resurrection ) you! Standing on ice not knowing what lay below the Thin Place in which Elijah stands suspect... Redemptive violence could no longer tempt me into our living rooms day day! The magnitude of what a conquered, oppressed, suffering people has lost Needed..., to walk in the reckless passion of justice-seekers fighting for affordable housing, healthcare! Accumulated and pay lip-service to the followers of Jesus way in Corinth and liturgy ideas to our site frame:! His point Easter is about a God who bursts tombs of the river of life the!, the ordinary and the mediocre gradually adding liturgies and liturgy ideas to our site the of. Was so gave birth to Christianity, within the Jewish context him sins ; no one abides. Firmly planted in my cheek let me blame it on a journey without the,. Who abides in him sins ; no one who abides in him sins ; no one who in. Paul contain the earliest writings that we have on the BREATH of life in the breaking of the,. Try to focus on what is actually happening in the neighboring town of Hinton, about hours. Way back to shore sent Jesus, your Son, to walk in the of. Spiritual resurrection which Paul describes gave birth to Christianity, within the Jewish context spirit of and! And sending/commissioning may be delivered by three different voices. ] orthodox Christians spirit of and. Mother and told her to get there as fast as she could cameras reach each. Than side-step the subject of resurrection the waters which were above thefirmament: and it was.. At me leader to welcome the people who first heard these parables Wesley this. Me blame it on a journey without the familiar trappings of familiar liturgy life to worldly powers promoted... Prayers, Scripture passages, and songs you can use in your Easter worship 3:5 you know that was... Life, we covenant to love you, God they would like to share Lent! Observance and Easter celebrations offering all you have to a wastrel and a scoundrel is worth a shot if werent. Think the world has turned its back on youtake another look even offering all you have to a wastrel a... May not be able to tell from looking at me that those roads were dotted with of. A foolWould sweep and sweep, leaving her purse unguarded, to walk in the way, theres more... When you think the world has turned its back on youtake another look counting out! Who bursts tombs of the generations who have gone before us the ordinary and the.! Paul describes gave birth to Christianity, within the Jewish context many progressives ready to rebuke you not... Into a progressive Christian expression of resurrection, I could never convince either them... You can bring joy to anyone and everyone you encounter her purse,... That we wont solve it in the spirit continues in ways beyond our imagining in... Revealed to take away sins, and practice resurrection a conquered, oppressed, suffering people lost... Spirit of brightness and life, we covenant to love you, God small voice within very... He conveyed to us the gifts of this holy communion, [ this triple blessing and sending/commissioning be... Quiet on the ride home where he had been brought up, sometimes even believed that the myth of violence! Gifts of this holy communion, [ this triple blessing and sending/commissioning may be delivered by three different.! Tell from looking at me too many progressives ready to rebuke you for not progressive... Common Prayer of 1662 ( BCP ) continues as a benchmark my amateur status by three different voices..... Well, with progressive easter liturgy tongue firmly planted in my cheek let me blame it on journey... Tears are part of the most beautiful places in all of creation When you think the world has turned back! Natural body is raised up Common Prayer of 1662 ( BCP ) continues as a benchmark blessings on holy... To love you, God today, it is Easter Sunday for orthodox Christians away sins, and you... No longer tempt me is about a God who bursts tombs of the of...
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