Good Evening Dear Ones!
We are going back to the grassy hillside and the "Feeding of the 5,000"! Remember in the some of these Gospel readings the 5,000 were only men. In newer translations we find this quote" besides women and children" How does this quote make you feel in light of the many people who live on the margins and are made to feel invisible? During these tumultuous days where do you /we see y/ourselves? Are you in the minority or majority ? What was your upbringing? Where did you live? Where was your neighborhood? Did your parents have one income or two? Did you find yourself being bullied because of your skin color? Ability? Economic status? Gender or sexual orientation? These questions are for your journal time. If there are other questions that come to mind ask them and do the hard work of finding out if you were the men on the hillside or the others!
Today's questions on Feeding the 5000:
How would you react if you needed to find food for a multitude?
What would you do if Jesus asked you to find food?
Does this Gospel reading remind you of having to be prepared for anything and even have your lamps be lit?
Where do you see yourself in this reading!
Journal these items and then reread the Gospel Reading using our usual format from "A Disciples Prayer Book!"
Reflect and Respond to the Gospel of the Day
1. What word(s), idea(s), or sentence(s) stand out for you in the Gospel of the Day?
(Reread the Gospel.)
2. What is Jesus (the Gospel) saying to you ?
(Reread the Gospel.)
3. What is Jesus (the Gospel) calling you to do?
Mark 6:30-44
Feeding the Five Thousand
The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.’ But he answered them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said to him, ‘Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?’ And he said to them, ‘How many loaves have you? Go and see.’ When they had found out, they said, ‘Five, and two fish.’ Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. And all ate and were filled; and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men.
Quotes from the Freedom Movement and many Freedom Riders! We will have MLK quotes tomorrow.
"If you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have a moral obligation to do something about it." ~ John Lewis
"Freedom, by definition, is people realizing that they are their own leaders." ~ Diane Nash
"You cannot be afraid to speak up and speak out for what you believe. You have to have courage, raw courage." ~ John Lewis
"There is a source of power in each of us that we don't realize until we take responsibility." ~ Diane Nash
"Leadership is found in the action to defeat that which would defeat you… You are made by the struggles you choose." ~ C. T. Vivian
"We may not have chosen the time, but the time has chosen us." ~ John Lewis
"I say we must have a movement that brings those troops home and launch a crusade to transform our school buildings, we launch a crusade to see to it that every citizen has adequate and affordable housing, we launch a crusade to make universal health care. We need not soldiers anymore in the world. We've had enough of them in western history." ~ James Lawson
"I believe there is only one race - the human race." ~ Rosa Parks
"The lessons of nonviolence are universal. Not just for America." ~ John Lewis
"You gotsta love all God's children!" ~ Joseph Lowery
"To bring about change, you must not be afraid to take the first step. We will fail when we fail to try." ~ Rosa Parks
"As long as people use tactics to oppress or restrict other people from being free, there is work to be done." ~ Rosa Parks
Come let us worship.
To all to whom I send you you shall go, and whatever I command you you shall speak.Jeremiah 1:7b
Those who want to save their life will lose it; but those who lose their life for the sake of Christ and the gospel will save it.Mark 8:35
Blessed are those who have suffered for the cause of right, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.Matthew 5:1030As he was saying these things, many believed in him.
31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’John 8:30–32
From the rising of the sun to its setting my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure offering; for my name is great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.Malachi 1:11
It is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.2 Corinthians 4:6
Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.Hebrews 12:1, 2
According to the riches of God’s glory, may you be strengthened with the might through the Holy Spirit in your inner being, and may Christ dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge; that you may be filled with the fullness of God.Ephesians 3:16–19
Ephesians 4:32
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Romans 2:4
Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
"But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.
Proverbs 3:3
Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?
Hebrews 13:2
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.
Romans 12:10
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
Today is our annual vigil for our community and the communities in which we live and throughout the world. I invite you to light virtual candles and pray and make a holy and sacred circle of love and healing. Let us take time to remember that we are all Beloved Children of God and that all means all and not some.
Let us light our candles,make vigil, pray, and walk in God's light being kind and CALM (Compassionate, Accepting, Loving, and Merciful).
A PRAYER FOR GOD’S LIGHT
Creator, we give you thanks for all you are and all you bring to us for our visit within your creation. In Jesus, you place the Gospel in the center of this sacred circle through which all of creation is related. You show us the way to live a generous and compassionate life. Give us your strength to live together with respect and commitment as we grow in your spirit, for you are God, now and forever. Amen. (A Disciple's Prayer Book)
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.
In Lak 'Ech by Luis Valdez
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.
72 Deus, judicium
1 Give the King your justice, O God, *
and your righteousness to the King's Son;
2 That he may rule your people righteously *
and the poor with justice.
3 That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people, *
and the little hills bring righteousness.
4 He shall defend the needy among the people; *
he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.
12 For he shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress, *
and the oppressed who has no helper.
13 He shall have pity on the lowly and poor; *
he shall preserve the lives of the needy.
14 He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence, *
and dear shall their blood be in his sight.
Exodus 22:21–27
21 You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. 22You shall not abuse any widow or orphan. 23If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me, I will surely heed their cry; 24my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children orphans.
25 If you lend money to my people, to the poor among you, you shall not deal with them as a creditor; you shall not exact interest from them. 26If you take your neighbour’s cloak in pawn, you shall restore it before the sun goes down; 27for it may be your neighbour’s only clothing to use as cover; in what else shall that person sleep? And if your neighbour cries out to me, I will listen, for I am compassionate.
A Song of Pilgrimage Priusquam errarem
Ecclesiasticus 51:13-16,20b-22
Before I ventured forth,
even while I was very young, *
I sought wisdom openly in my prayer.
In the forecourts of the temple I asked for her, *
and I will seek her to the end.
From first blossom to early fruit, *
she has been the delight of my heart.
My foot has kept firmly to the true path, *
diligently from my youth have I pursued her.
I inclined my ear a little and received her; *
I found for myself much wisdom and became adept in her.
To the one who gives me wisdom will I give glory, *
for I have resolved to live according to her way.
From the beginning I gained courage from her, *
therefore I will not be forsaken.
In my inmost being I have been stirred to seek her, *
therefore have I gained a good possession.
As my reward the Almighty has given me the gift of language,*
and with it will I offer praise to God.
1 John 4:16–21
16So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.
God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. 17Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgement, because as he is, so are we in this world. 18There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. 19We love* because he first loved us. 20Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters,* are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister* whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. 21The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters* also.
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.
Mark 6:45-56 (Today's Good Book Club Reading)
Jesus Walks on the Water
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray.
When evening came, the boat was out on the lake, and he was alone on the land. When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the lake. He intended to pass them by. But when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’ Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
Healing the Sick in Gennesaret
When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the market-places, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.
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.
The Lord’s Prayer or the alternative is said. From A New Zealand Prayer Book
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.
Or
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 echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples
of the world!
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, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, 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 for ever. Amen.
Almighty God, whose prophets taught us righteousness in the care of your poor: By the guidance of your Holy Spirit, grant that we may do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly in your sight; through Jesus Christ, our Judge and Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the same Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
God you have called us into community with each other and made us into a special kind of family that is based on love. Help us as we pray to light candles and pray for our communities and family members who reside in them.
Here are our meditation lessons for this evening with accompanying prayers.
I'm about to give you a plan or suggestions to help us find common ground and connect with one another.
First: make a list of things that we all have in common.
What makes us the same?
Pray.look to see God in the eyes of all, love, and embrace our family members
Second: leave that list on the table for meditation.
Pray, look, to see God in the eyes of all, love, and embrace our family members.
Third: What are the things, concerns, and situations that divide us? Make another list.
Pray, Look, at yourself , do you see God in your own eyes? let go of all negatives and let God heal all of us from these things.
Fourth: Look at that list and take them off the table and place them in our Worry/ Sabbath Box.
Pray, Look, at yourself , do you see God in your own eyes? Let Go, and be free to look with love and be with our family members.
Fifth: Keep repeating all the prior steps until all we do are steps one and two and remember to Love God, Neighbor/ Family Member and ourselves.
Let us meditate on the above.Listen to this from The Call from Ralph Vaughan Williams
The Call
Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life:
Such a Way, as gives us breath:
Such a Truth, as ends all strife:
Such a Life, as killeth death.
Come, My Light, my Feast, my Strength:
Such a Light, as shows a feast:
Such a Feast, as mends in length:
Such a Strength, as makes his guest.
Come, my Joy, my Love, my Heart:
Such a Joy, as none can move:
Such a Love, as none can part:
Such a Heart, as joys in love.
Now let us pray for peace and unity among all people and nations!
God who made us and makes us one we pray for unity among all people and nations
May we be one and love one another.
God who made us and makes us one lead us to put away all hindrances that divide us
May we be one and love one another
God who made us and makes us one give us the courage to see you in the eyes of all who are our enemies and wish us harm.
May we be one and love one another.
God who made us and makes us one we pray for all who are ill in body, mind, and spirit. Heal them and make them whole and may we lovingly respond to their needs.
May we be one and love one another.
God who made us and makes us one we pray for the protection of those who are protesting using peaceful non-violence.
May we be one and love one another.
God who made us and makes us one we pray for the protection of all our most vulnerable family members. Help us to ourselves and you in their eyes and love them as you have taught us and to serve them as you have taught us to serve.
May we be one and love one another.
God who made us and makes us one. we give thanks for all those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries this day.
God who made us and makes us one may we be with those who are pre-grieving and mourning any loss.
God who made us and makes us one we pray for all who are dying and have died may they find loving, joy, and oneness with you in the Thin Places.
God who made us and makes us one we offer these our prayers and thanksgivings in the most Holy Name of your Son Jesus. May we be one and love one another. Amen.
Today's wish: Connect with all that is good and holy in every person you meet. Love boldly and fearlessly! I love you!
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
God be in my eyes, and in my looking;
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my thinking;
God be at my end, and at my departing.
it is night.
Let us be still in the presence of God.
What has been done has been done;
what has not been done has not been done;
let it be.
Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives
rest in you.
Let the quietness of your peace enfold us,
all dear to us,
and all who have no peace.
Let us look expectantly to a new day,
new joys,
new possibilities.
Amen. (ANZPB)
Luke 2:29-32
Lord, you now have set your servant free *
to go in peace as you have promised;
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, *
whom you have prepared for all the world to see:
A Light to enlighten the nations, *
and the glory of your people Israel.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen
Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that the words which
we have heard this day with our outward ears, may, through
thy grace, be so grafted inwardly in our hearts, that they may
bring forth in us the fruit of good living, to the honor and
praise of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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