Happy Sunday Beloved Community!

I hope everyone has had a good day spending time in worship, being with family, and taking time for rest and renewal. I can't believe that it has been almost a week since I had surgery. I"m doing well. My body is adjusting to another set of new normals. Our set of lessons for today speak of us being Beloved Children of God also this week's theme in Meeting Jesus in the Gospel of John. I like to think of us being P-R-E-C-I-O-U-S! Yes, precious! Which means we are priceless and beloved by God, Jesus, and Pneuma (The Holy Spirit). We have a shepherd who seeks us out when we are lost. We all are not only beloved but we are all redeemed by Jesus. We are of so much value that we are like the coin in the Parable of the lost coin. God and Jesus Go out of their way to find us in extraordinary ways that when we are lost we need to be on the alert for God in the many guises of the Good Shepherd. What does your Good Shepherd look like to you? Being part of the Beloved Community means we are all included and precious. No one is excluded! Not one! Which also means the many folk who rub us the wrong way. Coming to terms with all of this is never easy and certainly hits us at the gut level when we come up short and acknowledge our failings. Being a Beloved Child of God means we aren't just one of many things that God made. God made us for a purpose! God made us in God's image and likeness! When God made us we were brought into relationship with God, Jesus, and Pneuma. Even when we fall short. God made us awesomely P-R-E-C-I-O-U-S and we all the Family of God and Family of Love! Let us ponder the following lessons. Our opening sentence comes from 1 John 3:1 which is part of a New Testament lesson sometimes used at the Burial of the Dead. It is a good reminder for us all. I placed the passage below it so that we might have it in a better context.

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are.”

I John 3:1

1 John 3:1-2

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.

Gracious God,

the Giver and Sustainer of Life,

help me to abide in you,

and to let you abide in me,

so that your life becomes my life,

and your will my will . Amen.

A Song of True Motherhood

Julian of Norwich

God chose to be our mother in all things *
and so made the foundation of his work,
most humbly and most pure, in the Virgin’s womb.

God, the perfect wisdom of all, * arrayed himself in this humble place.

Christ came in our poor flesh * to share a mother’s care.

Our mothers bear us for pain and for death; *
our true mother, Jesus, bears us for joy and endless life.

Christ carried us within him in love and travail, * until the full time of his passion.

And when all was completed and he had carried us so for joy, * still all this could not satisfy the power of his wonderful love.

All that we owe is redeemed in truly loving God, * for the love of Christ works in us;
Christ is the one whom we love.

Peace be still.

Peace be.

Peace.

Peace be still.

Peace be.

Peace.

Peace be still.

Peace be.

Peace.

IN LAK’ECH

TÚ ERES MI OTRO YO.

YOU ARE MY OTHER ME.

SI TE HAGO DAÑO A TI,

IF I DO HARM TO YOU,

ME HAGO DAÑO A MI MISMO.

I DO HARM TO MYSELF.

SI TE AMO Y RESPETO,

IF I LOVE AND RESPECT YOU,

ME AMO Y RESPETO YO.

I LOVE AND RESPECT MYSELF.

LUIS VALDEZ

A Song of Christ’s Goodness

Anselm of Canterbury

Jesus, as a mother you gather your people to you; *

you are gentle with us as a mother with her children.

Often you weep over our sins and our pride, *

tenderly you draw us from hatred and judgment.

You comfort us in sorrow and bind up our wounds, *

in sickness you nurse us and with pure milk you feed us.

Jesus, by your dying, we are born to new life; *

by your anguish and labor we come forth in joy.

Despair turns to hope through your sweet goodness; *

through your gentleness, we find comfort in fear.

Your warmth gives life to the dead, *

your touch makes sinners righteous.

Lord Jesus, in your mercy, heal us; *

in your love and tenderness, remake us.

In your compassion, bring grace and forgiveness, *

for the beauty of heaven, may your love prepare us.

A Smudging Prayer

Creator,
our Father in heaven,
we come to you as your children.

We confess that we are weak and broken images of you.
We pray for the forgiveness and healing you give in Jesus Christ. May his Spirit clean our spirits, minds, hearts, and bodies.
We pray that your Holy Spirit will help us to worship in spirit and truth.

We pray in the name of Jesus, so that his Spirit will carry our prayers to you. Amen.

Light of the World Phos hilaron

Light of the world, in grace and beauty,
Mirror of God’s eternal face,
Transparent flame of love’s free duty,
You bring salvation to our race.
Now, as we see the lights of evening,
We raise our voice in hymns of praise;
Worthy are you of endless blessing,
Sun of our night, lamp of our days.

Psalm 134 Ecce nunc

Behold now, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, *
you that stand by night in the house of the LORD.
Lift up your hands in the holy place and bless the LORD; *
the LORD who made heaven and earth bless you out of Zion.

Psalm 141:1-3,8ab Domine, clamavi

O LORD, I call to you; come to me quickly; *
hear my voice when I cry to you.
Let my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense, *
the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Set a watch before my mouth, O LORD,
and guard the door of my lips; *
let not my heart incline to any evil thing.
My eyes are turned to you, Lord GOD; *
in you I take refuge.

Let us join together in a circle of love and make vigil as we hold sacred space for one another.Help us we pray and all of us who are in the sheepfold to feel and know that God is surrounding and protecting us with God's holy and abiding presence. Amen.

A Song of Our Adoption

Ephesians 1:3-10

Blessed are you, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, * for you have blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

Before the world was made, you chose us to be yours in Christ, * that we should be holy and blameless before you.

You destined us for adoption as your children through Jesus Christ, *according to the good pleasure of your will,

To the praise of your glorious grace, *that you have freely given us in the Beloved.

In you, we have redemption through the blood of Christ, the forgiveness of our sins,

According to the riches of your grace * which you have lavished upon us.

You have made known to us, in all wisdom and insight, *the mystery of your will,

According to your good pleasure which you set forth in Christ, *as a plan for the fullness of time,

To gather together all things in Christ, *things in heaven and things on earth.

Luke 15:1-10

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Now all the tax-collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him.And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’

So he told them this parable: ‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

‘Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbours, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.” Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.’

The Song of Mary Magnificat

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in you, O God my Savior, *for you have looked with favor on your lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed: * you, the Almighty, have done great things for me, and holy is your name.

You have mercy on those who fear you * from generation to generation.

You have shown strength with your arm * and scattered the proud in their conceit,

Casting down the mighty from their thrones * and lifting up the lowly.

You have filled the hungry with good things * and sent the rich away empty.

You have come to the help of your servant Israel, * for you have remembered your promise of mercy,

The promise made to our forebears, * to Abraham and his children for ever.

John 3:14-21 (NRSV)

Jesus said, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

A Song of God’s Love

1 John 4:7-11

Beloved, let us love one another, * for love is of God.

Whoever does not love does not know God, * for God is Love.

In this the love of God was revealed among us, * that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through Jesus Christ.

In this is love, not that we loved God but that God loved us * and sent his Son that sins might be forgiven.

Beloved, since God loved us so much, * we ought also to love one another.

For if we love one another, God abides in us, * and God’s love will be perfected in us.

John 6:27-40 (NRSV)

Jesus answered the people, “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.”

The Bread Of Life

Suzanne Toolan

I am the Bread of life,
He who comes to Me shall not hunger,
He who believes in Me shall not thirst.
No one can come to Me
Unless the Father draw him.