Liturgy
Heavenly God, Lord Above,
Our dynasties must look so small from where you sit.
Peering down from the heavens,
You find us in the midst of bloodshed, of turmoil,
Tiny specs of humans from on high, forgetting just how vast you are.
Forgive our heartache, our misgivings, our doubts.
Help us re envision our lives in the midst of your grand scale.
We come to you today stuck in misinformation
that our status in this life is of our own making.
And that status here on Earth means anything at all.
Help us let go of the fears we’ve given to each other. Show us how to live bejeweled in your Heavenly glory.
Heavenly God, none of our mess must seem significant from above, But you come and make your presence known amongst us anyway. Sit with us now as we face hard things.
Show us the grace we must learn to show each other.
Hold us in your love and don’t let go. We are ready to be close to you.
In the name of our Creator,
Jesus the Redeemer,
And the Holy Spirit, your whispering heart,
Amen.
(Vox Prayer Team)
Scripture Reading
We invite you to hear from the Gospel according to John 2:13-19
23 Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain, but if it dies it bears much fruit. 25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
27 “Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say: ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”
30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
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
- Are there deforming religious ideas of denying your humanity you are invited to name & renounce?
- What might it look like to embody a self-giving love that honors your personhood as well as others?
- How might we become more aware of where our own impulse to cast ‘others’ out drives us?
Benediction
May you live life large,
As big and joyous as you can,
Knowing your name is etched in the bedrock of Heaven.
We will live our lives without fear of the ending. We will live our lives for one another.
May you leave here free
From the misperceptions of those around you. Their pain is our pain. Their joy is our joy.
Our love will be felt by those who we care for.
Our love will be felt by those who we misunderstand.
May you love yourself deeply
So that there is space in your heart to love others.
May you always remember that you are so easy to love.
Our hearts are open and worthy of love Because they belong to the Lord
May God’s Glory find you amidst the untold toil.
May your heart feel guided towards their plan,
And your feet never tire on our shared path together.
In the name of the Lord our God, Jesus, our savior,
And the Holy Spirit, our Sacred Keeper. Amen.
(Vox Prayer Team)
[Photo by Ben Collins]