Liturgy
The Spirit is a force of love, wild and creative:
She tears down the walls of our hearts,
and builds up courage from within.
The Spirit is a practice of freedom:
She is daring and audacious.
She nurtures gentle strength.
That our hope may thrive and justice be our aim,
Come, Spirit of Christ, and rise among us.
Holy One, our source of life and love, build up our faith.
May we dare to believe things can be done differently.
May we be willing to take necessary risks for others.
May we persevere through our mistakes and missteps.
With joy as our companion and wisdom as our guide,
we place our trust in the Divine Triune. Amen.
—Enfleshed Liturgy
Scripture
We invite you to hear from the letter of Philippians 2: 5-8.
t5 In your relationships with one another,
have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God
something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
The grass withers and the flower fades,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever. Amen.
Homily and Reflection
Homily and Podcast – A Posture of Non-Hierachy 9.10.2023
What are the strengths and shadows of hierarchy?
How might I practice embracing myself, and others?
Do I tend to overutilize or underutilize my power?
Benediction
Brittle shard of glass, what are you on your own?
Come be bound to another and another.
Do not hold on to the pieces of you that are cut away.
The great Artist is molding you into something
that once did not exist.
Do not fear the heat that forges you.
The fire that burns also binds,
and from it we find our strength.
The beauty and imperfections,
the cracks and colors
that once were separate;
together they create a story
that can only be told once.
May the light of Christ fill into the empty spaces
and pour through the thin veil of our skin.
May the end of us be the beginning
of something more beautiful.
We ask and consider all this in the name
of the One who began a good work in us,
of the One, who humbly assumes human likeness,
and of the Holy Spirit, who partners with us.
amen.
Go in peace and live the church.
May you find community and belonging.
See you throughout the week.
(Naomi Jackson)
[ Photo by Jean Lucas Camilo ]