Liturgy
Lord, the challenges of this world are very old,
but to us, they feel ever-new, and alarming.
Washed-up, bone-tired,
we are thirsty for
the cool and steady wisdom
you offer from your cup.
You walk up and down the street
calling us to a feast,
your very sacrifice the invitation,
a foreign, tender mercy
for us to mull over.
We enter your home now,
to dwell in the place where
confusion fades and peace lingers.
You chop, grate, stir, sprinkle
with your scarred mother-hands,
wanting above all to feed us.
We have been hardened this week to this kind of love.
Forgive us for forgetting,
slipping back into the small concerns of life
and neglecting the fullness of living.
We arrive here,
as warmly welcomed guests,
to taste a new redemption.
Lord, nourish us again.
We pray in the name
of the God who invites us in,
of Christ, our embodied Host,
and of the Holy Spirit, the joy in our feast.
Amen.
(Vox Prayer Team)
Scripture
We invite you to hear from the letter to the Romans 12:1-2.
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, on the basis of God’s
mercy, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to
God, which is your reasonable act of worship. 2 Do not be conformed to
this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you
may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and
perfect.
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
Podcast: The Wildness of Wisdom
How does the imagery of Wisdom building a house and preparing a feast invite me to live this week?
How do the metaphors of Wisdom resonate with my understanding of spiritual nourishment and growth?
What does the invitation to “Leave your impoverished confusion and live!” (The Message) mean for me?
Resources
- Quote: “We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.” -9th Step Promises, Big Book AA
- Quote on Hospitality: “We make sure we always create space to welcome others” -Lilly Ettinger
Benediction
As we leave this place today
Let us ready ourselves for Divine disruption.
As the earth longs to flourish and the people dream of rest
God has promised to show us the way.
Setting down our egos, taking up our faith
We seek the seeds of transformation.
Wisdom is here, alive and among us.
Let us receive her truth.
Vox Liturgy August 18, 2024
God of rebirth, renewal, and restoration
We acknowledge how easy it is to get stuck in our ways.
While we wish for radical change in the world
We still struggle to discern what change is needed from us.
We turn to you for guidance.
Develop our wisdom,
that we might move together in the directions of freedom.
We pray in the name
of God the Holy Mystery,
Christ, our Holy Example,
and the Spirit, our Holy Laughter.
Amen.
(Vox Prayer Team, Adapted from M Jade Kaiser, Enfleshed Liturgy)
[Photo by Jason An]