Easter 6B

The Sixth Sunday Of Easter  Theme For the Day “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God.”—1 John 4:7 This meditation may be used as A Bead and A Prayer, or in any way that is helpful for you.
		CROSS God of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things, graft in our hearts the love of your name, increase in us true religion, nourish in us all goodness, and of your great mercy, keep us in the same; now and forevermore. INVITATORY God of love, all loves exceling, despite our many errors, because of our brokenness, you bless us with your love day after day. Move our hearts to imitate your love, to love our friends in you, and to love our enemies because of you; for Blessed are You and Blessed is Your Kin-Dom, now and forevermore. O God, you have prepared for those who love you joys beyond understanding. Pour into our hearts such love for you that, loving you above all things, we may obtain your promises, which exceed all we can desire. And, may our love of you in known in our love for one another. Blessed are You and Blessed is Your Kin-Dom forevermore. Creating Spirit, we join with the chorus of all of creation to celebrate your wonderous deeds. Fill us with your joy and train our ears for harmony, so that we may contribute to the world You are already creating. All this we pray as followers of Jesus, who revealed what is possible through love. Faithful God, make our hearts bold with love for one another. Pour out your Spirit upon all people, that we may live your justice and sing in praise the new song of your marvelous victory. To You be all majesty, glory, and praise. CRUCIFORM Acts 10. 34-48 So Peter said to them, “I begin to see how true it is that God shows no partiality—rather, that any person of any nationality who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to God. This is the message God has sent to the people of Israel, the Good News of peace proclaimed through Jesus Christ, who is Savior of all. “You yourselves know what took place throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee with the baptism John proclaimed. You know how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how Jesus went about doing good works and healing all who were in the grip of the Devil, because God was with him. We are eyewitnesses to all that Jesus did in the countryside and in Jerusalem. Finally, Jesus was killed and hung on a tree, only to be raised by God on the third day. God allowed him to be seen, not by everyone, but only by the witnesses who had been chosen beforehand by God—that is, by us, who ate and drank with Christ after the resurrection from the dead. And Christ commissioned us to preach to the people and to bear witness that this is the one set apart by God as judge of the living and the dead. To Christ Jesus all the prophets testify, that everyone who believes has forgiveness of sins through this Name.” Peter had not finished speaking these words when the Holy Spirit descended upon all who were listening to the message. The Jewish believers who had accompanied Peter were surprised that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also, whom they could hear speaking in tongues and glorifying God. Then Peter asked, “What can stop these people who have received the Holy Spirit, even as we have, from being baptized with water?” So he gave orders that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. After this was done, they asked him to stay on with them for a few days. Priests for Equality. The Inclusive Bible. Sheed & Ward. WEEK 1 ♦ Almighty and Ever-Loving God, we are gathered here today as one body, be it in community or in spirit, because you chose to call us your friends. ♦ We come from all walks of life. We have had our share of good days and bad days. ♦ In the world’s eye, we aren't good enough or worthy enough to have this bond; but in your sight, we are exactly who you need. ♦ Despite all the drama, we made it here to worship and praise your name. ♦ May the love we experience today in worship restore us, revive us, refresh us. ♦ God, use our broken selves as tools of hope and love on this day. Lord, we love you. ♦ Thank you for loving us and calling us your friends. It's in your name, we pray. Amen. Stephon Carlisle Void, Easter Liturgical Resources from Africana Writers, edited by Safiya Fosua, 2020. CRUCIFORM Psalm 98 Sing a new song to YHWH, who has worked wonders, whose right hand and holy arm have brought deliverance! YHWH has made salvation known and shown divine justice to the nations, and has remembered in truth and love the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout to the Most High, all the earth, break into joyous songs of praise! Sing praise to YHWH with the harp, with the harp and melodious singing! With trumpets and the blast of the shofar, raise a shout to YHWH, Ruler of All. Let the sea and all within it thunder; the world and all its peoples. Let the rivers clap their hands and the hills ring out their joy before YHWH, who comes to judge the earth, who will rule the world with justice and its peoples with equity. Priests for Equality. The Inclusive Bible. Sheed & Ward. WEEK 2 ♦ Eternal God, we bow today, each of us with different needs. ♦ Some of us have experienced triumph; others have known defeats. ♦ Some have experienced great joy; others have known deep sorrow. ♦ Some have exulted in good health; others have heard bad news or are facing some physical threat. ♦ Some have experienced a meaningful acceptance; others have experienced a profound rejection. ♦ Some have experienced a great gain; others have experienced some losses. Some feel confident of the future; others feel only uncertainty and anxiety. ♦ Whatever our needs be today we ask for your power in our lives. CRUCIFORM 1 John 5. 1-13 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Anointed One, the Christ, has been born of God. Everyone who loves God loves the One who has come from God. We can be sure that we love God’s children when we love God and do what God has commanded. The love of God consists of this: that we keep God’s commandments. And these commandments are not burdensome. Everyone born of God conquers the world, and the power that has conquered the world is our faith. Who then can overcome the world? The one who believes that Jesus is the Only Begotten of God. Jesus Christ came by water and blood—not by water alone, but with water and blood. It is the Spirit who testifies to this, and she is truth. So there are three witnesses: the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and all three of them are of one accord. We accept the testimony of human witnesses, but God’s testimony is much greater—and this is God’s testimony, given as evidence of the Only Begotten of God. Those who believe in this One have this evidence within their hearts. Those who don’t believe God have made God a liar by refusing to believe in the testimony given on behalf of the Only Begotten of God. The testimony is this: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in the Only Begotten. Whoever has the Only Begotten has life, and whoever does not have the Only Begotten does not have life. I have written all this to you who believe in the Only Begotten of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. Priests for Equality. The Inclusive Bible. Sheed & Ward. WEEK 3 ♦ There is no need which cannot be faced when we present it to you. ♦ So we ask for your power in our weakness. Be also with those for whom life goes smoothly and well. ♦ May they pause in gratitude for your gracious blessings when such is the case. ♦ We pray that you would heighten our sense of community and our responsibility for others. ♦ Give us the ability to walk with our sisters and brothers and to be open to one another; may we be willing to bear one another’s burdens. ♦ May we be willing to set aside our agendas and schedules for another’s needs. ♦ May we too find a way to bond with those whom you set in our path and to be witnesses to the good news. CRUCIFORM John 15:9-17 As my God has loved me, so have I loved you. Live on in my love. And you will live on in my love if you keep my commandments, just as I live on in God’s love and have kept God’s commandments. I tell you all this that my joy may be yours, and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. And you are my friends, if you do what I command you. I no longer speak of you as subordinates, because a subordinate doesn’t know a superior’s business. Instead I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learned from God. It was not you who chose me; it was I who chose you to go forth and bear fruit. Your fruit must endure, so that whatever you ask of God in my name God will give you. This command I give you: that you love one another. Priests for Equality. The Inclusive Bible. Sheed & Ward. WEEK 4 ♦ Eternal God, in these moments of quiet we thank you for your presence in our lives. We thank you for all of the testimonies of your profound love for your children. We especially thank you this day for your Beloved and Begotten One—Jesus. ♦ We thank you for his humility. We thank you that rather than elevating himself above us he instead would lift us up and as with his disciples call us “friends.” We thank you for his many reminders that we are to love one another. But we also, confess that we have great difficulty following his command to love. ♦ We become upset with others and find it easier to reject them than to seek to understand and to love them. We struggle with the almost impossible command to love our enemies. We become driven to meet our own needs and become blind to the needs of others. We are driven to succeed which becomes all-consuming and trumps our command to love. ♦ Forgive us our foolish ways. Help us to keep in our awareness this command to love which Jesus repeated so many times. Help us especially to hear it in those hard times when it is most difficult to love. ♦ Help us to love others when they are power hungry. Help us to love others when they are inconsiderate. Help us to love others when they are angry and lash out blindly. Help us to love others when they are selfish and insensitive. Help us, O God, to love others so that we may abide in your love and act like the friends of Jesus. ♦ We pray that you would bless this needy world. Bring justice. Bring peace. Empower us so that we will not be daunted by the difficulty of working for justice, peace, and equity among all the peoples of the world. ♦ For we long to be faithful followers of Jesus, loving as he has loved, caring for others as he ministered to those he met, speaking a message of hope and joy as he did even when when challenged by suffering and death. To him be praise and thanksgiving. CRUCIFORM Loving Parent, you have chosen us to be members of your Church: help us to obey what you command; help us to love one another as you love us. We lift up our voices to you: Holy Spirit, fall upon us. Loving Parent, you have openly shown your righteousness in the sight of the nations: we pray you judge the people of the world according to your righteousness, not according to our ignorance or folly. We lift up our voices to you: Holy Spirit, fall upon us. Loving Parent, the rivers clap their hands and the hills ring out with joy before you: open our eyes to recognize your gracious hand in all your works. We lift up our voices to you: Holy Spirit, fall upon us. Loving Parent, Jesus taught us that no one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends: bless the first responders who consistently risk their health and lives friends and strangers. We lift up our voices to you: Holy Spirit, fall upon us. Loving Parent, you always remember your mercy and faithfulness to your people: we ask you, in Jesus’ name, to heal and comfort those for whom we pray at this time. We lift up our voices to you: Holy Spirit, fall upon us. Loving Parent, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: may we, with those who have died, abide in your love forever. We lift up our voices to you: Holy Spirit, fall upon us. Williamson, Jeremiah D.. Praying the Scriptures: Litanies for Sunday Worship. Church Publishing Inc. INVITATORY God calls us chosen, chosen to bear fruit that will last. God gives instruction, instruction to love as Christ loved. God calls us to rest, rest in that love and be blessed. God fills hearts with joy, joy that inspires, and builds up faith. God who calls us we give you thanks. Go now, and bear fruit for God, fruit that will last. As Christ has loved you, so love one another, and abide always in God is love, that your joy may be complete. CROSS Go in peace to love and serve God and one another in all you do.