What seemed lifeless now abounds with life, new possibilities and delights. Lectionary Liturgies, Easter B, 2015, Thom M. Shuman, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). But it does have the power to transfigure. But by the free gift of Gods grace all are put right with him through Christ Jesus, who sets them free. And after the fire came a still small voice., A still small voice. Our English translations do not do the HEBREW justice. Humans wrote the Bible; God wrote the rocks. Where, O Death is your victory? I was suspicious of the kind of youth I would meet on a Tuesday at a Pentecostal church, I convinced a fellow chambermaid to come along with me, so that if we had to, Id have company as I hitch-hiked my way back to Jasper. var thisact = jQuery('#submission-action').val(); For after the fire came a BAT KOL. Our focus upon preserving the church gets in the way of our rebirth! (from Heidelberg Catechism Q & A 45). CHRIST was sent to die for you!. DONATE NOW! We pray with faith and confidence. I affirm the resurrection when I stand up for those who are forced to live on their knees,I affirm the resurrection when I speak for those who have had their tongues torn out,I affirm the resurrection, when I cry for those who have no more tears left to shed. Glory be to you, Lord Jesus. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); *This liturgy is an adaptation of the traditional. After the wind there was an earthquakebut YHWH was not in the earthquake. First of all, I hadnt been born again, and then there was the dancing, and as for my serving beer to the crowd at the Legion, well, my roommates were concerned. Support our mission with a tax-deductible donation! But there were no tears to be seen. - Trinity Sunday, Moon-Dancing Bears, Jesus and Nicodemus: a sermon on John 3:1-17. Required fields are marked *. Evolving beyond the myth that violence can solve our problems, or bring us peace, is vital. Or break the very atoms down to see how they are made, Remember the precarious nature of the lives of the people who first heard these parables. We are smart. This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Amen. . Office for Worship, Doctrine and Artistic Matters, Church of Scotland, 2017. . That beautiful, glorious embodiment of CHRIST is singing these words: Ukraine is not yet dead, nor its glory and freedom, She has courageously begun the difficult, painstaking, slow work which lies before her. Working, dancing, and church, a blessed trinity designed to secure passage back into my travels abroad. Anyway, we did what any self-respecting kid would have done in our position. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Let us affirm the resurrection by living as Jesus lived, embodying the LOVE which IS the DIVINE MYSTERY. Are we prepared to make sacrifices in order to ransom those who suffer the indignities of the hell we have created here on Earth for the one and a half billion people held in the captivity of poverty? If you look into the dust for long enough and contemplate its mystery, you shall find a resurrection. We just knew what we knew. You can also find "Affirmations of Faith" by clicking on Affirmation of faith in the list of "Labels" at the lower right side of the page. Jesus said, I have come that they might have life and may live it abundantly! LIFE and not death. We remember that his disciples met him on the road. When all the rhetoric is said, and done, I lean in close to the beloved ones who have gathered, and I proclaim the same truth which Paul proclaimed, and the science of REALITY confirms to us: Listen, I will tell you a mystery! These parables cant just be about a lamb, or a coin, or even a couple of squabbling children. Once again, I struggled to keep a straight face. We must be punished. Amen. There was work to do. 3:5 You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. A quick glace toward the shoreline confirmed that I was well beyond where I would safely swim on a summer day and a strange sort of vertigo began to take hold over me. Humans are incomplete beings. For us, Jesus can be the medium through which the Mystery we call God can be imagined. It occurred to me the other day, that it is quite peculiar that most of what has been written about Jesus in the New Testament and indeed our liturgies, even the hymns we sing about Jesus they tend to shift our focus to Jesus death. When the complete vine suffers, we all suffer together. We know we still have work to do. Change). As individuals, we often find peace, comfort, and a close connection to God in a garden. Unlike our ancestors who succeeded the writers of the bible and went on to develop the theology of the church, we dont believe that the round earth is the center of the universe. So that its not just the characters actions which are pointed to as the workings of DIVINITY, but the characters themselves are viewed as stand ins or symbols of GOD Himself or Herself. Let us pray for the intentions within our hearts: We know that when we raise our minds and hearts to the Presence among us, extraordinary things happen. We proclaim and celebrate this Easter season because it links Jesus with all life, with transformation, and with possibility of life beyond our imagining. Let me attempt to be kinder than the Apostle, whose willingness to call his opponents stupid, I do not share. What a stupid argument. The Royalists placed their biggest cannon on the wall which surrounded the city of Colchester. In the tears of that little Ukrainian family, I began to see yet another face of CHRIST, a face I had refused to see before. reflections upon the Death of God Lent 3, Giving Up GOD for Lent the Journey Begins Lent 1, Commemorating Julian of Norwich (1342-1416), Lent: Letting Go of Our Tightly Held Piety to See Our Need of Confession, METANOIA the First Words Out of Jesus' Mouth - Mark 1:14-15, Like Nicodemus we have blinders on! So, fellow followers of the Way, if Humpty Dumpty wasnt an egg what was she? So, how is it that I deny the resurrection. Im not so sure however, that Jesus response to his disciples indignation is all comforting. Living the Resurrection Second Sunday of Easter, Year B On the Sunday after Easter, there is a general let down. Let it go. Sure enough, the vase slipped off as smooth as silk. Written by Rev. window.location.replace('https://progressivechristianity.org/paupress/?rel=pauContent&pau_type='+thisact); Salvation is not about saving us for life after death. Text and image William Livingstone Wallacebut available for free use. Your email address will not be published. On first inspection Divinity appeared to the seekers to be like a luminous egg, well rounded, self contained, completely clothed in light and amenable to definition. Thats the thing with stories, one story, if it is even remotely engaging, that one story will inevitably lead to many more stories. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. What is sown is ignoble, what is raised is glorious. Anna knew that Jesus was sent by God as a sacrifice for human sin, to pay the price for our evil ways. Remember how many times these parables must have been told before they were written down. Jesus taught this. yet again to the Spirit raising. Progressive Christians are constantly challenged to claim the title of Christian in the sense of being a follower of Jesus' teachings while letting go of most of the dogma that has been developed over the centuries by the human institution that is church. and we bless the earth and all that fills it. The apostle Paul, both a Jew and a Roman citizen, would have known from the perspective of both the conquer and the conquered the Roman motto, vini, vedi, vici I came, I saw, I conquered. As the embodiment of LOVE, LOVE ensures that Jesus never dies. Whilst many were written for specific purposes or occasions, many are adaptable to suit others. give us the new joy and justice of Easter, Responsive Chant Psalm 118: 1-6, 15-18, 24, Anthem, or Creed, Prayers or other Response of Faith here. During the breaking of bread, the Lamb of God or other appropriate song or chant is sung. Christos Aneste! accept our lives as holy offerings to you, Christs peace is ours forever! ProgressiveChristianity.org : Easter Prayer Easter Prayer Week of April 3, 2022 Christos Aneste! Alleluia! Progressive Christianity USA's Liturgy Project The USA-based Liturgy Project provides hundreds of liturgical posts by authors around the globe. People: Almighty God, who through your Son overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life, grant that we who celebrate our Lord'sresurrection may arise from the death of our sin through the renewal of your Holy Spirit and may hear and obey your living Wordof truth;through Jesus Christ our Lord, who now lives and reigns with you and theHoly Spirit, one God forever. Think of ransom as a way out of captivity to Empire. Thousands of rotting corpses were left nailed to crosses in order to terrify the masses into submission. endobj Through a simple meal of grain and grape, we, your children, unite. O God, let us take in the moment of this day of crucifixion, not remembering it in the context of what came after it, but how it left Jesus' disciples and followers in tragic sadness and heart-wrenched disillusionment. Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window). O God, who gifts us moments of amazement, help us to accept the rhythm of the ordinary and the extraordinary that we may retain a steady awareness of your presence both in grey days and in bright. The proud questioned your power, devised your death. I can also hear the voice of reason condemning me as a fool. For the death of what it took me years to learn about, the death of atonement theories has given birth to the resurrection of DIVINITY, a DIVINITY liberated from ancient projections onto the DIVINE of the myth of redemptive violence. Suddenly, in the tears of that little Ukrainian family, I began to see the tears of generations of weepers. Join Us over Zoom, Tuesdays beginning February 21st at 7pm! Hearts to Heaven and Voices Raise," stanza 4) Alleluia, Alleluia! When we focus upon the life of Jesus of Nazareth rather than the death of Jesus, we can begin to hear some of the things that Jesus was passionate about. Lift up your hearts. Frame 1: We are about to enter a world of life-giving beauty. Life finds a way. Father's Day Video "Foster Kid Father's Day". But suddenly, those who had waited in silence saw the egg crack and a phoenix bird emerge and immediately fly away into the mysterious nothingness leaving the seekers sitting in the broken shells of their religious presuppositions and carefully crafted ceremonies. But lately, the news has encouraged us all to begin to emerge from our pandemic protocols. I know that we wont solve it in time to save Ukraine. It was so good to be there, where they could see in Jesus the face of CHRIST. God did this in order to demonstrate that he is righteous. stream Christ is risen! Amen. Leader: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. var thisact = jQuery('#submission-action').val(); In Jesus they saw CHRIST. If you have already donated, thank you! A Liturgical and Devotional Guide for Lent. As frightened as I was, I was determined to get close to these magnificent beasts. And he took a cup, and when he had given . Through this meal which has stood the test of time, we covenant to love you, God. Believe it or not, my wrestling skills actually helped me rise to the level of a world champion wrestler. My words are not up to the task of describing CHRIST weeping in this way. Generations beyond any cameras reach, each with their own pain. Somehow, the flight of the billionaire Bezos phallic Blue Horizon thrusting its five privileged passengers across our screens will capture more attention from those of us who are wealthy enough to own screens, than the roughly one and a half billion men, women, and children who are consigned to live in poverty. Entering the synagogue on the Sabbath, as was his habit, Jesus stood up to do the reading. Do this in remembrance of me." 'It is always Springtime in the heart that loves God.'. On this her Feast Day, let us commemorate Julian of Norwich, who is perhaps one of the greatest English Mystics. The followers of Jesus began to understand themselves in a whole new way. My first conscious memory of hearing the BAT KOL, the Daughter of a Sound, the still small voice of DIVINITY happened on a sojourn into a Thin Place during a summer camping trip when I was just 13. xMk@9JPvvg? 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