Liturgy
We come from places of straight lines,
Grids that create small boxes for us to live in.
Some of us have tried to follow all the rules
And some of us have tried to break every last one.
Lord, free us to live the life you have given us.
May we inhabit all the space you provide.
We have been taught to color inside the lines,
To make the sky blue when we have seen with our own eyes
The pink and tan and orange on the horizon
And even the green before the storm.
Lord, empower us to name our own experience.
May we include every color that is ours.
We have looked for a line drawn around your people
To tell us if we are insiders or outsiders.
We have been — and been with — those
Told they did not make the cut.
Lord, claim us as your beloved ones.
May we look towards you and your ways.
In the name of our expansive God,
Our welcoming Christ,
And our rainbow Spirit.
Amen.
(Vox Prayer Team)
Scripture Reading
We invite you to hear from the book of 1 Corinthians 6:12-13
12 “All things are permitted for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All
things are permitted for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 13
“Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food,” and God will
destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for sexual
immorality but for the Lord and the Lord for the body.
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 & Reflection
As you consider the work of being human, can you begin to prayerfully ask God, “Is this beneficial? Or is this destructive in some way?”
How can you lean into community as you discern right actions for your life?
We are members of one another. How is your life helping your communities to thrive
Benediction
May you live an embodied life this week,
Sensing the miracle of existence in this tangible world.
May you find yourself making contact with creation
Even as you are part of the intricate whole.
May you be well in body, mind, and spirit,
Filled up with every good thing that God has given you.
May what you see and hear, taste and smell,
Wake you up to the divine like smelling salts of the soul.
May you have closeness with those you love,
Giving and receiving care and warmth.
May you find the soft eyes of those who see you
And feel the gentle pressure of a loving hand.
May you breathe deeply and move freely,
Knowing that you are created in the image of God.
May you sway in the breeze like a dancing tree,
Inhaling and exhaling rhythmic prayers.
In the name of our heavenly parent, God above you,
Immanuel, God with you,
And the Spirit, God in you.
Amen.
(Vox Prayer Team)
[Photo by chris robert]