Liturgy
God of tender compassion, turn our faces to one another.
Though we may not share the same blood,
we are nonetheless woven together into one story,
siblings in your cosmic family.
May we be united in love,
delighting and protecting one another,
carving out spaces for mutual belonging.
Dispel the forces of apathy, busyness, and numbing distraction
which seek to drive a wedge between ourselves and genuine connection.
May we be united in love,
delighting and protecting one another,
carving out spaces for mutual belonging.
Remind us of the blessings that come with Embodiment,
and the wholeness that comes from clasping the hand of our neighbor.
May we be united in love,
delighting and protecting one another,
carving out spaces for mutual belonging.
We pray this in the name of
God the Creator
Christ our Good Shepherd
and Spirit, our nurturing guide.
Amen
(Vox Prayer Team)
Scripture Reading
We invite you to hear from the book of Psalms 133:1-3
1 How very good and pleasant it is
when kindred live together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down over the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the LORD ordained divine blessing,
life forevermore.
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
Podcast: Oil and DewHow might you feel delight in your body this week?
Where is an oppositional identity persistent in how you understand and react to the world?
If in revenge we imitate the one who wronged us, then how might reconciliation be an invitation for you to reflect God?
Resources
- Book: Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road? by Brian McLaren
- Book: The Psalms by Robert Alter
- Poem: Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front by Wendell Berry
Benediction
Spring unfolds before us,
Overflowing with Life.
Rays of sun, waves of wildflowers,
Bees collecting their drops of gold.
And God, sprawled in Her fields,
Woven into every petal,
Sustaining each buzz and breath.
And us,
Gifted with bodies to drink from the table set in our midst,
Gifted with hands to work the soil and encourage new growth.
May the fruit of our labor be nourishment,
May rest be plentiful when our backs grow weary.
May the work of our hands be complete.
Go in the name of
God, our divine gardener
Christ, our nurturing vine
and the Holy Spirit, our breath of life
Amen
(Vox Prayer Team)
[Photo by Annie Spratt]