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 A Widow Who Kept Coming To Him and Saying, "Grant Me Justice Against My Opponent." ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ October 16, 2022 A Liturgy For Worship and Meditation 
God, Holy and Living: Maker of heaven and earth, Healer of creation, Breath and fire of Life. We pause now to worship You, now as the seasons turn, we still ourselves in reverence, now as days turn short and nights grow long . . . Pausing, still, we wait on You . . . We, who need Your blessing upon our lives, as night gives way to dawn. SONG (Click Here For Music) Author: Marty Haugen Tune: GATHER US IN (Haugen) Now is the darkness vanished away See in this space our fears and our dreamings Brought here to you in the light of this day Gather us in, the lost and forsaken Gather us in, the blind and the lame Call to us now and we shall awaken We shall arise at the sound of our name We are the young, our lives are a mystery We are the old who yearn for your face We have been sung throughout all of history Called to be light to the whole human race Gather us in, the rich and the haughty Gather us in, the proud and the strong Give us a heart so meek and so lowly Give us the courage to enter the song Here we will take the wine and the water Here we will take the bread of new birth Here you shall call your sons and your daughters Call us anew to be salt for the earth Give us to drink the wine of compassion Give us to eat the bread that is you Nourish us well and teach us to fashion Lives that are holy and hearts that are true Not in the dark of buildings confining Not in some heaven light years away But here in this place the new light is shining Now is the kingdom, now is the day Gather us in and hold us forever Gather us in and make us your own Gather us in, all peoples together Fire of love in our flesh and our bones PRAYER OF THE DAY O God, Spirit of righteousness, you temper judgment with mercy. Help us to live the covenant written upon our hearts so that when your day of fyulfillent returns we may be found worthy to be received by grace into your presence. Amen. A READING Jeremiah 31:27-34 31:27 The days are surely coming, says God, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of humans and the seed of animals. 31:28 And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says God. 31:29 In those days they shall no longer say: "The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge." 31:30 But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge. 31:31 The days are surely coming, says God, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 31:32 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their spouse, says God. 31:33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says God: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 31:34 No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know God," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says God; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. A READING Psalm 119:97-104 119:97 Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all day long. 119:98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is always with me. 119:99 I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your decrees are my meditation. 119:100 I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts. 119:101 I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word. 119:102 I do not turn away from your ordinances, for you have taught me. 119:103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 119:104 Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. A READING Luke 18:1-8 18:1 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 18:2 He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 18:3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, 'Grant me justice against my opponent.' 18:4 For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, 'Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 18:5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.'" 18:6 And Jesus said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 18:7 And will not God grant justice to the chosen ones who cry to God day and night? Will God delay long in helping them? 18:8 I tell you, God will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Promised One comes, will faith be found on earth?" PRAYER OF RESPONSE Holy One, we lift our eyes to you in hope and awe. Grant that we may reject all apathy of spirit, all impatience and anxiety, all indifference and certainty of self-esteem, so that, with the persistence of the widow, we may lift our voice again and again to seek your justice, both for we ourselves, and for all. Amen. PRAYER OF BROKENESS God of Steadfast Love, we confess that we are weary and worn down. Our persistence sometimes becomes resistance. The journey for justice is long, winding, and uphill. We strive for basic human decency and rights, and cannot fathom why others hold on to power and privilege in ways that harm others. We are tired, O God. Tired of the journey, tired of the struggle. But You are the God of Steadfast Love, a love that never ceases, a love that renews and restores us. Renew us, O God. Restore us to the path of justice, O God. Grant us strength and courage to keep on. Give us endurance for the journey, that we would not stop seeking justice for all, for only then will we know peace. To You, O God of life, we pray. Amen. God urges us on, calling us to speak truth to power, to work for justice for all. We do not journey alone. God has given us one another. Know that you matter to God. Know that you are loved. Know that your work in this world for justice is valued. Lean on one another, and grant each other rest, knowing that your love for one another is inspired by your love for God, and you will see this through. God is with you, now and always. Amen. PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION We pray to a God who not only hears but also responds. The Word that is written in our hearts calls us to pray for all in any and every need. ☩ O God our Judge and our Redeemer, we cry to you day and night. Help us, O God. We thank you for all who have taught us the faith and who teach us still, this faith that is a firm foundation for our lives and our life together. We pray that you will continue to guide and bless the church in yet another time of change and reformation. Help us to trust in you so strongly that we are willing to take risks for the gospel, even if, in risking, we grow uncomfortable or afraid of uncertainty and newness. Keep us moving in concert with the Holy Spirit. Give your church wisdom to discern sound teaching. Never let us be satisfied with easy answers that do not follow your way. ☩ O God our Judge and our Redeemer, we cry to you day and night. Help us, O God. We bring to you the concerns and cares of the world around us. Especially we pray for those who long for justice and freedom, safety and sustenance. We pray for those who work to overturn laws that oppress, and those who work to restrain military might that threatens human dignity. We pray for people caught in unjust systems; those being denied education and health care; victims of human trafficking; exiles who wander, lonely for home. We pray for all who live daily with food insecurity and job insecurity and peace insecurity. We pray fervently for an end to war and violence among us. We pray for an end to hunger and for an increase in generosity as we share the world’s resources. We pray for all who are in harm’s way today, whether the threat is from natural disaster or a disaster of our own contriving. ☩ O God our Judge and our Redeemer, we cry to you day and night. Help us, O God. We bring to you the cares and joys of our lives. We rejoice with those among us who celebrate a time of newness and renewal: for a new addition to the family; for a new relationship bringing a sense of happiness and fun; for meaningful work to do and good colleagues; for new members and visitors among us who bring energy and ideas and faith stories that enrich our life together; for healing and hope after a difficult time. We pray, too, for those in the midst of struggle and pain: those who are contending with illness; ones in need of the comfort and peace that only you, O Lord, can give. We pray for those who are living with the anxiety of loss—of income, of memory, or stability of home or friendship. Heal us of our diseases; strengthen us in our frailties; and empower us for change. ☩ O God our Judge and our Redeemer, we cry to you day and night. Help us, O God. We do not cry out in desperation, but in hope; for you are just in all your ways and you hear us when we call upon you. We pray that in us you may indeed find faith, the faith living in us. ☩ O God our Judge and our Redeemer, we cry to you day and night. Help us, O God. Amen. —adapted from: Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year C, Volume 2. Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. PRAYER OF DEDICATION O God of Persistence, You pursue our hearts in a world where there are so many distractions. You pursue us and are relentless, showing us the ways of justice and mercy, showing us how Your ways lead to peace. You never give us up, not for a moment. When we feel alone, O God, You are present with us. When we fall away, O God, You continue to turn our hearts and heads back to You. When we forget You, O God, You continue to show us that You are at work in our world and in our lives. May we turn back to You, and be persistent in our own pursuit of love, justice, and mercy. Amen. SONG (Click Here For Music) Author: Bianco da Siena; Translator: Richard Frederick Littledale Tune: DOWN AMPNEY seek thou this soul of mine, and visit it with thine own ardor glowing; O Comforter, draw near, within my heart appear, and kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing. O let it freely burn, till earthly passions turn to dust and ashes in its heat consuming; and let thy glorious light shine ever on my sight, and clothe me round, the while my path illuming. And so the yearning strong, with which the soul will long, shall far outpass the power of human telling; for none can guess its grace, till Love create a place wherein the Holy Spirit makes a dwelling. DISMISSAL WITH CHARGE God’s steadfast covenant, the law of love, is written in our hearts. God's concern for the least demands that the cry of justice on our lips. God's encouragement breathes the living word within us. Go forth and live from your hearts that all may see God in you. |
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WORSHIP IN INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE AND PROGRESSIVE THOUGHT
WHY A BLOG?
As a clergyperson with a disability now retired, this is my humble attempt to provide a ministry that some will find helpful. I have always focused on be inclusive and have struggled with the church's tradition of referring to God and humankind with masculine names and pronouns. Since the 1970's, thanks to my dear sister-in-law, I have been aware of the discrimination of women and have worked in the parish and community for equal rights with an equity of access to the resources that add blessing to life. I hope this site is of meaning to those who read it and worship with me and others within it. Peace.