Robin Williams
I posted this prayer which I wrote yesterday while thinking about the impact Robin Williams on the Light For The Journey Facebook page. Its popularity made me think some of you would like to read it too. I know that his death has been devastating for many of us.
God we know the wounds our world can inflict,
And have felt the heartache of its brokenness.
Let us have eyes to see and ears to hear,
That pain can give birth to laughter,
That humour often hides our fears.
Let us look at sorrow and anguish and not blink.
Accepting responsibility let us become pilgrims in the ruins,
Choosing to respond with love and compassion,
To all who are hurting and in pain.
Celtic retreat gathering – photo Andy Wade
This is the third of the litanies that we used for our retreat last weekend. Some of it is adapted from the Book of Common Prayer, some from Iona Worship material. Some of it is original – sorry that I cannot distinguish which parts for you but hope that you enjoy it anyway.
Evening Gathering
Gathering song – Go In the Wilderness
God today we have gazed on the beauty of your world,
And been enthralled by its splendor.
We have eaten of its fruit,
And cherished the gift of its food.
We have drunk in its wonder,
And been filled with the water of life.
Now we pause to give thanks,
And remember your generous hospitality.
We have come into your dwelling place, O God,
And caught a glimpse of your holy mountain,
You have given us a foretaste of your eternal banquet,
A lavish feast, an invitation for all the people of the world.
This morning we placed objects on the altar as symbols of God’s hospitality. But the day has taught us new things about generosity and hospitality. It has given us new companions, stirred within us a new sense of the journey of sharing God calls us to. What are the new things you take with you today as preparation for the journey ahead?
Pause for a time of sharing.
Lord Jesus Christ as we share these gifts and partake of your generous hospitality,
We breathe in the wonder of your love,
And say thank you.
We breathe in the fragrance of your life,
And say thank you.
We breathe in the joy of your presence,
And say thank you.
Thank you for love and life and presence.
Thank you for abundance and generosity and hospitality.
Thank you for blessings that overflow.
We breathe in and are filled with the glory that is you.
Song: Be Thou My Vision
The Eucharist – The Great Thanksgiving
Now as we come to the communion table, let us welcome as Brigid did all the little ones God sends to feast with us. This is the table not of the Church but of Christ. It is for all those who love him and want to love him more. It is for those who have tried to follow and those who have failed. Let us come remembering those whose faces we cannot see, those desperate for God’s generous hospitality, those who live on the edge, the poor and the sick and the abandoned. At this table we all meet together to enjoy this foretaste of God’s eternal banquet feast.
An Affirmation of Faith
We believe in a loving and hospitable God, who made us and all things, who loves us and all the world with a father’s tenderness and a mother’s strength.
We believe in God our maker.
We believe in a saving and generous God who became human and lived among us, who died and rose to set us free.
We believe in Jesus Christ, our redeemer.
We believe in a living and faithful God, breath of life in all life. The gift of God to the people of God.
We believe in the Spirit, our life-giver.
Brigid’s Prayer
Brigid left us with this beautiful prayer which is a glimpse into her generous and hospitable heart. As we read it together may we too be inspired by her spirit of hospitality and generosity.
I should like a great lake of finest ale,
for the King of Kings.
I should like a table of the choicest food,
for the family of heaven.
Let the ale be made from the fruits of faith,
and the food be forgiving love.
I should welcome the poor to my feast,
for they are God’s children.
I should welcome the sick to my feast,
for they are God’s joy.
Let the poor sit with Jesus at the highest place,
and the sick dance with the angels.
God bless the poor,
God bless the sick,
and bless our human race.
God bless our food,
God bless our drink,
all homes, O God, embrace.
Let us gather around the table with God’s gifts of bread and wine and read together these words that Jesus taught his disciples:
Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all. Loving God, in whom is heaven.
The hallowing of your name echoes through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the earth!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, spare us,
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and forever. Amen.
Loving and generous God, through your goodness we have this bread and wine to offer. It is given from the earth, a symbol of your hospitality. It was made by human hands to be shared as Brigid did, with love and generosity. In this we are reminded of and celebrate together the life that Jesus shared among his community throughout the centuries and shares with us today.
Living among us, Jesus loved us. He broke bread and shared hospitality with outcasts and sinners, healed the sick and proclaimed good news to the poor. He yearned to draw all the world to himself yet we were heedless of his call to walk in love and generosity.
On the night before he died Jesus shared a meal with his friends. He took bread, gave thanks to God, broke it and gave it to them saying: Take, eat, this is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.
As supper was ending, Jesus took the cup of wine. Again he gave thanks to God, gave it to them, and said: Drink this, all of you. This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for you and for all for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.
Now gathered at your table, O God of all creation, and remembering Christ crucified and risen, who was and is and is to come, we offer to you our gifts of bread and wine, and ourselves, a living sacrifice.
Pour our your Spirit upon these gifts, that they may be the body and blood of Christ. Breathe your Spirit over the whole earth and make us your new creation, the body of Christ given for the world you have made.
In the fullness of time bring us, with Mary, the mother of Jesus, Brigid and Columba and all your saints, from every tribe and language and people and nation, to feast at the banquet prepared from the foundation of the world.
Through Christ and with Christ and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, to you be honor, glory and praise, for ever and ever. Amen
Alleluia, We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.
We who are many are one body, for we all share in the one bread. Alleluia.
The Invitation
Draw near and receive the body and blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ in remembrance that he died for us. Let us feed on him in our hearts by faith with thanksgiving.
All are welcome at the Lord’s Table to receive holy communion. Children are welcome at parental discretion. Receive the consecrated bread in the open palm of your hand and assist the chalice bearer by guiding the cup to your lips, or if you prefer dip the bread into the cup and then eat it.
Communion Music by Matt & Sundee Frazier: Don’t Be Weary Traveller.
Post Communion Prayer
Gracious God in the bread and the wine
we have been given a foretaste of your eternal banquet.
We have been nourished by faith, hope and love,
And shared in the hospitality of your generosity.
Send us out in the power of your Spirit,
to live and work to your praise and glory.
We ask this in Jesus’ name
Amen
The Blessing
May the blessing of the one
who died for us
be on you.
May the blessing of the one
who is risen
be on you.
May the blessing of the one
who invites us to the banquet feast
be on you.
The blessing of God,
creator, redeemer, sustainer,
be yours this day and evermore.
Amen
Our kickstarter campaign is off to a good start. We have crossed the 20% mark, but still need $4,000 to reach our goal. It is a tense and exciting time and we hope that you will help this happen. The campaign will launch our new venture into e-courses, this first one based on my popular book Return to Our Senses.
Numbers have already told us they are looking forward to sharing this with their churches and small groups. Others are wanting to use the material for personal retreats. Everyone I speak to is excited by this wonderful opportunity to further the work of Mustard Seed Associates and challenge our constituency to become more whole life disciples.
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We have just had such a wonderful weekend at the Celtic retreat and people have been so enthusiastic about the liturgies that I hate to break the flow, but I must.
The downside of the weekend was that we have problems with vandals. This has always been a problem but recently their vandalism has become more destructive. Most heartbreaking of all is that they have shot at our new building, hitting the new windows and shattering the glass sliding panels. I was so upset that I could not even photograph the results. And I confess that my thoughts towards them were not loving and kind.
Then I read the words of our opening liturgy:
God you show us that hospitality opens doorways into your eternal world.
Whether the sun is at its height, or the moon and stars pierce the darkness,
May this place be always open.
May it never be closed to anyone, lest we should close it to Christ himself.
And God transfixed me. And I was not the only one impacted by the words. How do we show hospitality to those who have vandalized our property became quite a discussion point. We talked about everything from putting up signs inviting them to lunch at our next event, to trying to have someone meet and befriend them or even putting up a shooting target with a sign saying “Please shoot this not our building”. We even talked about how to “redeem” the broken glass by creating a mural or other art form with the shards. Perhaps we could even incorporate some of the spent shotgun shells.
Found behind the altar – our new Celtic cross
Just before we left the Mustard Seed Village site on Sunday morning, Andy Wade and I stood in our chapel area, talking about the acts of vandalism which began with the destruction of our Celtic cross – just a tree branch nailed to another tree with vines woven for the circle, but symbolic of who we are and what we want this land to represent. As we talked I walked behind the altar, and there in the grass was a rusty old piece of junk that looked just like a Celtic cross. I felt God was saying:
Garbage into gold, I can restore, redeem and make new all that is created.
It was a very heartening note on which to end the retreat though its implications continue to resound in my head, reminding me of the principles of restorative justice rather than punitive justice. In looking for resources on restorative justice I came across this fascinating pdf downloadable book The Little Book Of Restorative Justice which has just jumped to the top of my reading list.
So my question for the day: How do we in all challenging situations work for restoration and transformation rather than punishment and incarceration?
The second litany we used on Saturday incorporated a couple of ancient Celtic prayers and the practice of lectio divina. We adapted this practice so that participants had time alone, time in small groups and then time to share in the whole group. It was a powerful and productive time for all of us. And you might like to check out the first litany from our morning gathering too.
Our altar made from gathered objects
The Celtic Christians believed that hospitality was not only meant to be a custom in their homes, it was a key into the Kingdom of God. To offer hospitality was seen as receiving Christ into their midst and fulfilling the law of love. Brigid, who presided over the monastery at Kildare, was particularly known for her generous hospitality. As a child she often gave away her parents possessions. At Kildare, Brigid often made butter for visitors. Tradition has it that when churning the butter she would make thirteen portions – twelve in honour of the apostles and an extra one in honour of Christ which was reserved for guests and the poor.
Let us sit in silent prayer for a moment to remind ourselves of the incredible hospitality of God who invites us, together with all creation, into the divine presence and into eternal family.
(Silence)
God, we are aliens and sojourners in this world, but you invite us to be your guests.
You lavishly offer us your hospitality and lovingly welcome us into your family.
You invite us to share in the abundance of your eternal world,
And welcome us to your banquet feast.
The King is knocking.
If you desire your share of heaven on earth,
lift the latch and let in the king of Kings.
God you show us that hospitality opens doorways into your eternal world.
Whether the sun is at its height, or the moon and stars pierce the darkness,
May this place be always open.
May it never be closed to anyone, lest we should close it to Christ himself.
Whether our guests are rich and noble or poor and ragged,
No matter how small our larder, may it always be open.
May we never refuse to share our food, lest the Son of Mary should go hungry.
Pause to remind yourself of ways that God has extended hospitality to you.
Song – Brigid’s Feast
God we want to fulfill your law of love and be your hospitality to our world,
We open our hearts to be the hospitality of Christ to all who come to our door.
We open our hearts to Christ in the stranger,
To Christ in the faces of colleague and friend.
We open our hearts to the ones who are wounded,
To Christ in the hungry, the homeless, the lonely
We open our hearts to the ones who have hurt us,
To Christ in the faces of sinner and foe.
We open our hearts to those who are outcast,
To Christ in the broken, the prisoner, the poor.
We open our hearts to all who are searching,
To Christ in the world, God’s generous gift.
Pause to remind yourself of ways that you could extend God’s hospitality to others.
Song – Brigid’s Feast
Generous God, take our ordinary everyday lives as pleasing sacrifices to you.
Hospitable and welcoming God, encourage us to fix our attention on you,
So that we will be changed and renewed from the inside out.
God we want to love you more and become your hospitality to our world.
God transform us into the generous, hospitable people you intend us to be,
Let your welcoming love flow from the center of our being,
Let it reach out in friendship and compassion for the disadvantaged and marginalized.
God we want to love you more and become your hospitality to our world.
Open our eyes to see the beauty hidden in every face,
Assist us to practice hospitality to those we usually overlook or ignore,
Let us share your abundance with joyful and grateful hearts.
God we want to love you more and become your hospitality to our world.
Song – Brigid’s feast
Introduction to Lectio Divina
Open your word, O Lord,
Enable us to listen.
Open our minds, O Lord,
Enable us to hear.
Open your thoughts, O Lord,
Enable us to respond.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
Enable us to enjoy.
Scripture Readings
Isaiah 25: 6-10 The Message
But here on this mountain, God-of-the-Angel-Armies
will throw a feast for all the people of the world,
A feast of the finest foods, a feast with vintage wines,
a feast of seven courses, a feast lavish with gourmet desserts.
And here on this mountain, God will banish
the pall of doom hanging over all peoples,
The shadow of doom darkening all nations.
Yes, he’ll banish death forever.
And God will wipe the tears from every face.
He’ll remove every sign of disgrace
From his people, wherever they are.
Yes! God says so!
Also at that time, people will say,
“Look at what’s happened! This is our God!
We waited for him and he showed up and saved us!
This God, the one we waited for!
Let’s celebrate, sing the joys of his salvation.
God’s hand rests on this mountain!”
Regathering Song: A feast of food & finest wine
Luke 14:16-24 The Message
There was once a man who threw a great dinner party and invited many. When it was time for dinner, he sent out his servant to the invited guests, saying, ‘Come on in; the food’s on the table.’ Then they all began to beg off, one after another making excuses. The first said, ‘I bought a piece of property and need to look it over. Send my regrets.’
“Another said, ‘I just bought five teams of oxen, and I really need to check them out. Send my regrets.’ “And yet another said, ‘I just got married and need to get home to my wife.’
The servant went back and told the master what had happened. He was outraged and told the servant, ‘Quickly, get out into the city streets and alleys. Collect all who look like they need a square meal, all the misfits and homeless and wretched you can lay your hands on, and bring them here.’
“The servant reported back, Master, I did what you commanded—and there’s still room.
“The master said, ‘Then go to the country roads. Whoever you find, drag them in. I want my house full! Let me tell you, not one of those originally invited is going to get so much as a bite at my dinner party.’”
Regathering Song:
Lord Jesus Christ, you welcome us to your banquet table.
May we open our arms to embrace you,
May we see you in the faces of strangers,
May we welcome you in the love of friends.
You welcome the abandoned, the misfit, the excluded to your feast.
Forgive us for the times we have allowed our prejudices to overrule,
And rejected you because you are different, ostracized or despised.
We believe that there is beauty hidden in each person.
Forgive us for the times we have failed to see you,
Because you are hidden in the face of the disabled, poor, and homeless.
We believe we are all precious in your sight.
Forgive us for when we have counted you unworthy of our love,
For when we have been indifferent to your cries.
We believe we are called to share life together as members of one family.
Forgive us for when we have been unconcerned for your suffering,
And failed to see your face in the diverse members of your worldwide community.
All humankind is created in God’s image, redeemed by Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit.
We are all invited to feast at God’s banquet table.
We are welcomed into God’s eternal kingdom, with all the peoples of the earth.
The hospitality of Saint Brigid, a giving in and of Christian charity, offered such a powerful example that it set the standard for the hospitality of the Irish people, as is reflected in the Irish Rune of Hospitality:
I saw a stranger yesterday;
I put food in the eating place,
drink in the drinking place,
music in the listening place,
and in the name of the Triune God
he blessed myself and my house,
my cattle and my dear ones, and the lark said in her song
often, often, often,
goes the Christ in the stranger’s guise,
often, often, often,
goes the Christ in the stranger’s guise.
May we follow Saint Brigid’s example and receive Christ in the stranger’s guise.
Pause to pray for people to whom you would like to offer God’s hospitality.
Song – Brigid’s feast
May the blessing of the five loaves and the two fishes,
Which God shared out among the five thousand, be ours.
May the King who did the sharing ,
bless our sharing and our co-sharing.
The blessings of God be upon this place,
With plenty of food and plenty of drink,
With plenty of beds and plenty of ale, with much riches and much cheer
With many kin and length of life ever upon it.
Amen
Many of you have told me how much you would like to be at our Celtic retreat if you were closer so over the next couple of days I will post the various liturgies from the day. This is the first.
The second morning litany is posted here.
The litany from the afternoon gathering.
Morning Gathering
Welcome and introductions
Welcome song – Holy Holy Holy
Welcoming litany
Creator God, loving God,
source of all life,
Compassionate, caring and generous One.
We gather in this place of your amazing generosity,
Surrounded by your rich abundance and lavish hospitality,
Hospitable and welcoming God,
We give you thanks,
for all you are and all you give to us,
through this visit in your creation.
We are blessed by your wild hospitality all around.
Berry-laden vines surround us,
Wild salad greens flourish underfoot.
Rich soil teeming with microscopic life,
Majestic trees nourished by its goodness,
Lush ferns growing in their shade.
Let us taste the goodness of our Creator,
And drink in the wonder of Christ’s sacrifice.
Let us eat of the fruits of the Spirit,
And partake of God’s overflowing generosity,
Let us join in the banquet feast of God.
In Jesus, you place the gospel at the center.
Together with Brigid, Columba, Patrick and Hilda,
you draw all of life into the sacred circle of your redeeming love,
through which all creation is related.
Jesus, you welcome all creation to your banquet feast.
Let us remember we sit at table with the oppressed and the marginalized,
And learn to share your generous and compassionate ways.
Nourished by faith, hope and love,
Let us welcome all who hunger and thirst,
Let us taste of the fruit of your spirit together.
Instructions for preparing the Altar
Let us gather items that speak of God’s generosity and wild hospitality.
Let us prepare the altar together together.
At this point we go out to collect material from the land to decorate the altar.
Celtic retreat – the altar
Sending prayer
God who created from nothing all that we see around us,
And wove together all plants and animals in intricately connected ecosystems,
Restore us, refresh us, renew us, create a generous spirit within us.
As we gather from your bounty to build your altar,
May we build together in a spirit of caring, unity, and hospitality.
Let us taste the goodness of our Creator,
And drink in the wonder of Christ’s sacrifice.
Let us eat of the fruits of the Spirit,
And partake of God’s overflowing generosity,
Let us join in the banquet feast of God.
Song – Go in the wilderness
Go out to collect items for decorating the altar
Children gather afterwards with Ann & Cory for the children’s program.
Song – Brigid’s Feast (composed by our worship leaders Matt and Sundee Frazier.)
God bless the poor. God bless the sick.
And bless our human race.
God bless our food. God bless our drink.
All homes, oh God, embrace.
Today’s post is another in the series Hospitality Opening Doorways to the Kingdom, which will once again be out them for a while. It is from April Yamasaki. April is a pastor, writer, and blogger. Her most recent books are Sacred Pauses: Spiritual Practices for Personal Renewal (Herald Press, 2013) and Ordinary Time with Jesus (CSS Publishing, 2014). She blogs on faith and writing at aprilyamasaki.com.
As a church, we’ve experimented with nurturing hospitality in a number of different ways:
- from all-church potlucks to youth progressive dinners;
- after-worship coffee times in summer and getting-to-know-you suppers hosted in homes;
- ESL (English-as-a-second-language) garden parties and weekday morning Chai ‘n’ Chat.
One of our latest experiments is a monthly Guess Who’s Coming to Sunday Lunch potluck. There’s a core group of about fifteen of us who take responsibility to invite others, bring food, do set up, clean up, and compost. We’re intentional about being aware of newcomers and inviting them to join us, plus the worship leader for that Sunday offers a general invitation for any guests.
Not everyone in the core group is there every time, but we’re often joined by others in the congregation who bring a dish to share. With our focus on newcomers, our Guess Who Lunch might be anywhere from 20 to 50 people–from babes-in-arms to seniors, both newcomers and hosts. We do it as a true potluck without coordinating who’s bringing what ahead of time, but somehow there’s always enough food, enough people to help clean up, wonderful conversation, the sharing of our lives as we share a meal together.
Since we have after-church coffee during the summer months, our next Guess Who Lunch won’t be until fall, but I’m already looking forward to it!
Below is one of my favourite dishes to share. It works as a main dish or on the side, can be eaten hot or cold, it’s both vegan and gluten-free, quick to put together and cooks up beautifully in the church kitchen while I’m preaching, can be served as is or with the extras listed at the end of the recipe. I pray it will spark some of you own ideas and hospitality.
Southwestern Beans and Corn
Put all the ingredients in a crock pot, stir well, cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours (low 7 to 8 hours).
4 cups cooked red kidney beans
2 cups frozen corn
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 green bell pepper (1-inch pieces)
2 tsp chili powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp garlic powder
Extras:
Additions to crock pot:
– 1 large onion and 1 clove garlic sautéed in 1 tbsp olive oil (instead of the garlic powder)
– For extra kick: 1-2 jalapeno peppers, diced
Serve with:
– black olives
– sour cream or plain yogurt
– tortilla chips or bread
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