We Are One

For a taste of Joyce Rupp's poetry, here's an exerpt from "We Are One":

with an eye as fresh and delicate as birth,
sneak a peek as each pulsing part of life
comes dancing, whirling, weaving,
secret neurons, veiled photons, hidden electrons,
whirling, skipping, pirouetting,
forming a cirlce of oneness with each other.

if your ear is keen enough, you will hear
their insistent, silent symphony,
moving freely in chasubles of beauty.

receive the music of their secret unity
as they glide within each other's life,
unaware of barriers built by static minds.

slip off the glaucoma of your heart
and revel in this signal beauty
dancing passionately
in the universe, and trembling in each atom.

from The Cosmic Dance:  An Invitation to Experience Our Oneness, by Joyce Rupp and Mary Southard

...with each gift that you share, you may heal and repair...

Here are the readings and prayers used by Dustin Wright for Bread for your journey, this week.

1st Reading: Mark 10: 17-31 (New Living Translation)


17As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

18“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. 19But to answer your question, you know the commandments: You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.”

20“Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”

21Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

23Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” 24This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. 25In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

26The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.

27Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”

28Then Peter began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said.

29“Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, 30will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. 31But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.”



Prayer: contemplation over - Stephen Delopoulos - Another Day http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qivWv0Ij7Yw

2nd Reading: excerpt from A Generous Orthodoxy, by Brian D. McLaren (pgs. 238 – 239)

God sent Jesus into the world with a saving love, and Jesus sends us with a similar saving love- love for the fatherless and widows, the poor and forgotten to be sure, but also for all God’s little creatures who suffer from the same selfish greed and arrogance that oppress vulnerable humans. The same forces that hurt widows and orphans, minorities and women, children and the elderly, also hurt the songbirds and trout, the ferns and old-growth forests: greed, impatience, selfishness, arrogance, hurry, anger, competition, irreverence- plus a theology that cares for souls but neglects bodies, that focuses on eternity in heaven but abandons history on earth.



Prayer: “A Prayer for Vision,” author unknown

Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves; when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little; when we arrived safely because we have sailed to close to shore. Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of the things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the water of life. Stir us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas, where storms will show your mastery; where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars. We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes and to push us into the future in strength, courage, hope and love. Amen.



3rd Reading: lyrics from Messages, by Xavier Rudd

Xavier Rudd - Messages
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3heVPCv3AU


So now come sit down

Will you talk with me now

Let me see through your eyes

Where there is so much light

We are biding our time

For these myths to unwind

For these changes we will confront



So please beware

With every place that you had

Look to your soul

For the things that you know

For the trees that we see

Can not forever breathe

With the changes they will confront



CHORUS:

You know some people they just won't understand

no I just won't understand

These things

Thank you for your message but I don't understand

no I just won't understand

These things



For this sacred land

It has seen many hands

It has wealth and gold

Yet it is fragile and old

And all the greedy souls

Just don't care to know

Of the changes it will confront



So speak out loud

Of the things you are proud

And if you love this coast

Then keep it clean as it hopes

'Cause the way that it shines

May just dwindle with time

With the changes it will confront



CHORUS



So hold nice and close

I want to get to your soul

So that when it is cold

You won't feel so alone

'Cause the roads that you take

May just crack and break

With the changes you will confront



With each gift that you share

You may heal and repair

With each choice you make

You may help someone's day

Well I know you are strong

May your journey be long

And now I wish you the best of luck

Well I know you are strong

May your journey be long

And now I wish you the best of luck.



CHORUS

Re-respecting teh Dissed Readings and Prayers

Readings and prayers selected by Kari Keyl

First Reading: Grounded and Moving by Richard Rohr


Jesus truly was dangerous. He was creating a following with a kind of thinking that was much more on the side of inclusiveness than exclusiveness.... Jesus is always moving the boundaries out while still respecting the center. That's the key to wisdom: being grounded in the center and still, from that deep foundation, knowing how to move out.

Source: Jesus' Plan for a New World

Prayer: Gathering God, as we now get into your words and the creative words of others, help us to reach deep into our center… and find you there. Grounded in your all-inclusive love, we look to Jesus as the one to lead us forward and outward… into dangerous territory, exciting territory… where old walls come down and new challenges enflame our passions. In your name we pray… amen.

Second Reading: Mark 10:2-16

1-2 From there he went to the area of Judea across the Jordan. A crowd of people, as was so often the case, went along, and he, as he so often did, taught them. Pharisees came up, intending to give him a hard time. They asked, "Is it legal for a man to divorce his wife?"

3Jesus said, "What did Moses command?" 4They answered, "Moses gave permission to fill out a certificate of dismissal and divorce her."

5-9Jesus said, "Moses wrote this command only as a concession to your hardhearted ways. In the original creation, God made male and female to be together. Because of this, a man leaves father and mother, and in marriage he becomes one flesh with a woman—no longer two individuals, but forming a new unity. Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart."

10-12When they were back home, the disciples brought it up again. Jesus gave it to them straight: "A man who divorces his wife so he can marry someone else commits adultery against her. And a woman who divorces her husband so she can marry someone else commits adultery."

13-16The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus was irate and let them know it: "Don't push these children away. Don't ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in." Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them.

from Eugene Peterson’s The Message

Prayer: O God, these words of Jesus about divorce sound harsh and unyielding. Help us dig beneath the surface to find the gems, the chunks of wisdom that speak not only to our concerns about marriage and divorce, but also to our desire that all your people would be respected and beloved. In your name we pray… amen.

Third Reading: Let love be real by Michael Forster

Let love be real, in giving and receiving,

without the need to manage and to own;

a haven free from posing and pretending,

where every weakness may be safely known.

Give me your hand, along the desert pathway,

give me your love wherever we may go:

as God loves us, so let us love each other,

with no demands, just open hands and space to grow.



Let love be real, not grasping or confining,

that strange embrace that holds yet sets us free;

that helps us face the risk of truly living,

and makes us brave to be what we might be.

Give me your strength when all my words are weakness,

give me your love in spite of all you know:

as God loves us, so let us love each other,

with no demands, just open hands and space to grow.



Let love be real, with no manipulation,

no secret wish to harness or control;

let us accept each other's incompleteness,

and share the joy of learning to be whole.

Give me your hope through dreams and disappointments,

give me your trust when all my failings show:

as God loves us, so let us love each other,

with no demands, just open hands and space to grow.

In memoriam: Reverend Eric Forster, 1911-2000

Prayer: Listening One among us, the words of this poet beckon us to dwell in your kind of love, admitting our weakness and drawing from your strength. As we think about all your people who are difficult to love, people we give labels to, those we don’t take seriously… break down our walls, piece by piece, as we confess our prejudices. And God, as we think about how we ourselves are pre-judged and marginalized, bring healing to our aching souls. Plant in us the ability to forgive and truly love those who hurt us. In your name we pray… amen.

Whirling Out of Control

Readings for Bread for you Journey Thursday September 24, 2009 selected and led by Kari Keyl

First Reading: Mark 9:38-41


38 (After Jesus’ disciples had a “failure” episode, where they could not heal someone, followed by Jesus’ prediction that bigtime suffering and death was coming soon, and they couldn’t begin to wrap their minds around it, here’s what happened next…) John said, "Teacher, we saw a man using your name to force demons out of people. But he wasn't one of us, and we told him to stop." 39Jesus said to his disciples:

Don't stop him! No one who works miracles in my name will soon turn and say something bad about me. 40Anyone who isn't against us is for us. 41And anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name, just because you belong to me, will surely be rewarded.

(Contemporary English Version)

Prayer: O God, we know what it’s like when the pieces of our lives aren’t fitting together quite right, not like we expected at all. And sometimes it seems like we’re the only ones who are messed up, like others are finding the success we so want. Walk beside us, God. Open our eyes to see how we can make sense of the messes. Show us that we do have choices… and the first one is to choose you… even as you have already chosen us. In your name we pray… amen.

Second Reading: Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%2011:4-6,%2010-16,%2024-29&version=MSG

Prayer: God, it’s great to find humor in the antics of your people of old! Of course, we do the same whining all the time, whether it’s out loud or just inside our angry, resentful selves. Listen to us, God, like you listened patiently to Moses. Give us clarity, that we might know how to share our burdens, with you and with others. Help us see the many, many ways that your Spirit is hyper-active all around us! And inside of us, too. In your name we pray… amen.

Reading: A Magnetic Thing

"Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. The friends who listen to us are the ones we move toward. When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand."

by Karl Menninger, as quoted by inward/outward at www.inwardoutward.org/?p=1155

Prayer: Listening One among us, draw us to you. Help us relax, unfold, and expand, in your empowering presence. Teach us to listen to others whose lives seem to be out of control, that we might be for them the friend that you are to us. In your name we pray… amen.

Humility and Service

September 17, 2009
Led by Heidi Jakoby

First Reflection:

Mark 9:30-37 (The Message)

30-32Leaving there, they went through Galilee. He didn't want anyone to know their whereabouts, for he wanted to teach his disciples. He told them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed to some people who want nothing to do with God. They will murder him. Three days after his murder, he will rise, alive." They didn't know what he was talking about, but were afraid to ask him about it.

So You Want First Place?
33They came to Capernaum. When he was safe at home, he asked them, "What were you discussing on the road?"
34The silence was deafening—they had been arguing with one another over who among them was greatest.
35He sat down and summoned the Twelve. "So you want first place? Then take the last place. Be the servant of all."
36-37He put a child in the middle of the room. Then, cradling the little one in his arms, he said, "Whoever embraces one of these children as I do embraces me, and far more than me—God who sent me."

Prayer:
O God, our teacher adn guide, you draw us to yourself and welcome us as beloved children. Help us to lay aside all envy and selfish ambition, that we may walk in your ways of wisdom and understanding as servants of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen (from Bread for the Day 2009)

Second Reflection:
Micah 6:8 (The Message)

8But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do,
what God is looking for in men and women.
It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don't take yourself too seriously—
take God seriously.

Prayer: Let us pray. Patient and loving God, you ask a lot of us in calling us to be servants in the world, but you also give us teh ability to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with you. Thank you for your Spirit that guides us in figuring all of this out, and for your Son, Jesus Christ, who surrounds us with your love and forgiveness.  Amen (Jesus Justice Jazz 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering final 15 prayer)

Third Reflection:
ELCA NEWS SERVICE July 24, 2009New Orleans Mayor Welcomes, Praises ELCA Youth Gathering Effort 09-162-JB

NEW ORLEANS (ELCA) -- Praising the "miracle" of the Youth Gathering of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the mayor of New Orleans, C. Ray Nagin, issued a proclamation declaring July 24 "A Special Day of Honor" on the ELCA and the gathering's volunteers for contributing to the city's recovery.

Nagin hosted a news conference at Joseph Brown Park in New Orleans East, an area of the city devastated by severe flooding following the collapse of levees in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Some 200 volunteers, including the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, worked in summer heat to clear brush and debris in the park.

They are part of some 37,000 Lutheran teenagers, adult leaders and other volunteers who are here July 22-26 for the 2009 Youth Gathering. "Jesus Justice Jazz" is the theme of activities at the convention center and the Louisiana Superdome. Participants are fanning out across the area to nearly 200 community service sites.

'Thank you. Thank you. Thank you," Nagin began in his remarks to the volunteers.

"You're welcome!" the volunteers responded.

Aug. 29 is the fourth anniversary of the hurricane, Nagin said. "Four years of watching miracle after miracle. God is good!" the mayor said.

"All the time!" the volunteers responded. The mayor and the volunteers repeated the phrases in reverse.

"I can tell you so many stories about how this city has overcome so many different challenges. When the devil was the most busy, God stepped in and did miracle after miracle. Today I'm looking at another miracle," the mayor told the volunteers.

Nagin noted the significant presence of the Youth Gathering participants, adult chaperones and volunteers throughout the city this week. "We have had so many volunteers to come from around the country and around the world, but for some reason your presence here is different, special and takes everything to the next level," he noted.

About 80 percent of the city's residents have returned since Katrina, the mayor said, adding there's some $20 billion worth of construction activity currently in the city.

Hanson thanked the mayor for the recognition, but said, "We have not come to call attention to ourselves. We have come to do God's work with our hands. We have come not to shine light on us, but to learn from the people of New Orleans. I want to say on behalf of the people of ELCA, thank you to you, thank you to the people of New Orleans for being our teachers."

Hanson said the ELCA had made a commitment for the 2009 Youth Gathering to be in New Orleans before Katrina. After the storm and destruction, Hanson said it was clear "God was calling us to keep that commitment, and so we are here."

He also offered special thanks to ELCA members in New Orleans and southeastern Louisiana for their tireless work and for "being the presence of the Lutheran Church" here. Hanson said the ELCA is "committed to standing with (ELCA members in Louisiana) and the people of the city for the continued recovery that lies ahead."

Hanson presented the same backpacks the youth received to the mayor and Cynthia Willard-Lewis, a New Orleans city council member who represents New Orleans East.

"This is a remarkable group of people," said Heidi Hagstrom, director, ELCA Youth Gathering to Nagin. "They are remarkable because your citizens are remarkable." Hagstrom noted that 30,000 people had registered for the gathering in the first 24 hours of registration. "That is an expression to you of how important we think your city is to the history of our country, and how much we take seriously our call to stand with you in the midst of all your struggles," she said.

On July 25 the ELCA, with local partners, will host a free health fair in City Park for residents. Free immunizations will be offered to students, and blood pressure and diabetes screening will be offered to adults. The ELCA will also host reading fairs in five locations in the city to promote literacy. Books will given to school-age children. (Information about the 2009 Youth Gathering is at http://www.ELCA.org/gathering on the ELCA Web Site.

ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog)

Prayer: Bring us, O Lord into such relationship with you that our whole lives might honor and serve you. Bless our words and deeds that all may know the love we have found in you. Amen (ELCA 2004 Devotional guide for Congregational Councils and Committees by Stanley Meyer)

Identity, yours, others, and Jesus?

Reflections and Prayers from September 10, 2009
Led by Heidi Jakoby

First Reflection:


Mark 8:27-37 (The Message)

27Jesus and his disciples headed out for the villages around Caesarea Philippi. As they walked, he asked, "Who do the people say I am?"

28"Some say 'John the Baptizer,'" they said. "Others say 'Elijah.' Still others say 'one of the prophets.'"

29He then asked, "And you—what are you saying about me? Who am I?"

Peter gave the answer: "You are the Christ, the Messiah."

30-32Jesus warned them to keep it quiet, not to breathe a word of it to anyone. He then began explaining things to them: "It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the elders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and after three days rise up alive." He said this simply and clearly so they couldn't miss it.

32-33But Peter grabbed him in protest. Turning and seeing his disciples wavering, wondering what to believe, Jesus confronted Peter. "Peter, get out of my way! Satan, get lost! You have no idea how God works."

34-37Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?

Prayer: O God, through suffering and rejection you bring forth our salvation, and by the glory of the cross you transform our lives. Grant that for the sake of the gospel we may rebuke the lure of evil, take up our cross, and follow your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen (Bread for the Day 2009 Augsburg Fortress)

Second Reflection:

Chapter 56: Make a Decision: Tigger or Eeyore

OK. So which one are you? And why? If you’d like to be more of a Tigger, how might you go about that?

From the Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

Check out the full lecture and listen for this reference about one hour in. There are more details in the book. Think about how the entire lecture relates to the reading from Mark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

Prayer: Blessed are you, O Lord, as you provide for your people in surprising ways. When we face difficulties and dangers, or directions and answers that unsettle us, open our eyes to see you making all things new through Jesus Christ. Amen (Bread for the Day 2009 Augsburg Fortress)

Third Reflection:

From The Velveteen Principles by Toni Raiten-D’Antonio
To Be Real in a World of Objects

“As I peeked over my magazine I became strangely jealous. Here she was, at the end of her life, physically debilitated and struggling. But she was not shy or embarrassed. Instead, she exuded a peaceful sense of certainty about who she was and her inherent value. It was clear that her husband adored her and cherished every moment they spent together. I considered his tattoo and thought of the time when he was young and probably quite obsessed with pretty women. And who knows, maybe his wife was once the girl who had fulfilled his fantasy. But in the moment I witnessed, what he loved was the true and essential person inside the body, the invisible beauty he may not have seen in younger years.”

Prayer: O God, you inspire goodness and call us to holy living. In the cross of Christ you show us the perfect and ultimate harmony of faith and good works. Conform our lives to the ways of the cross today. Amen (Bread for the Day 2009 Augsburg Fortress)

wrangling with God when things aren't so good

led by Kari Henkelmann Keyl on Thursday, September 3, 2009

First Reflection: Mark 7:24-37  (Contemporary English Version)
24Jesus left and went to the region near the city of Tyre, where he stayed in someone's home. He did not want people to know he was there, but they found out anyway.
25A woman whose daughter had an evil spirit in her heard where Jesus was. And right away she came and knelt down at his feet. 26The woman was Greek and had been born in the part of Syria known as Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to force the demon out of her daughter. 27But Jesus said, "The children must first be fed! It isn't right to take away their food and feed it to dogs."     28The woman replied, "Lord, even dogs eat the crumbs that children drop from the table." 29Jesus answered, "That's true! You may go now. The demon has left your daughter." 30When the woman got back home, she found her child lying on the bed. The demon had gone.
31Jesus left the region around Tyre and went by way of Sidon toward Lake Galilee. He went through the land near the ten cities known as Decapolis.  32Some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk. They begged Jesus just to touch him. 33After Jesus had taken him aside from the crowd, he stuck his fingers in the man's ears. Then he spit and put it on the man's tongue. 34Jesus looked up toward heaven, and with a groan he said, "Effatha!"  which means "Open up!" 35At once the man could hear, and he had no more trouble talking clearly. 36Jesus told the people not to say anything about what he had done. But the more he told them, the more they talked about it. 37They were completely amazed and said, "Everything he does is good! He even heals people who cannot hear or talk."

We pray...  O God, these stories of healing can remind us of the healing that we ourselves need. Heal our sadness and anger as we deal with loss. Heal our fearfulness as we deal with uncertainty. Heal our physical selves of the stresses and pains we carry.  Get your Spirit swirling with our spirits, that our relationships with you might find healing as well. In your name we pray… amen.


Second Reflection: Blessed by Simon and Garfunkel
listen at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf2kbdbuhiw

Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit.
Blessed is the lamb whose blood flows.
Blessed are the sat upon, spat upon, ratted on,
O lord, why have you forsaken me?
I got no place to go,
Ive walked around soho for the last night or so.
Ah, but it doesnt matter, no.

Blessed is the land and the kingdom.
Blessed is the man whose soul belongs to.
Blessed are the meth drinkers, pot sellers, illusion dwellers.
O lord, why have you forsaken me?
My words trickle down, like a wound
That I have no intention to heal.

Blessed are the stained glass, window pane glass.
Blessed is the church service makes me nervous
Blessed are the penny rookers, cheap hookers, groovy lookers.
O lord, why have you forsaken me?
I have tended my own garden
Much too long.

We pray...  God, thank you for songs like this that speak honestly of pain and feelings of abandonment. There’s so much of that in our world, God, and in our own lives. Help us to see what part you have in all that. Give us the permission we need to wrestle with you, to search with you and with each other. In your name we pray… amen.


Third Reflection: The Authority of Those Who Have Suffered  by Richard Rohr

(Context for the quote below: Richard Rohr has been talking about how true spiritual authority is the power to “author” life in others. And that’s what Jesus does when he feeds us his bread, the bread that not only becomes LIFE in us but becomes GOD in us. Our bodies become places where humanity and divinity coexist, and we then can “author” life in others.)

I cannot give up on Jesus. He puts flesh and Spirit together, which is the essential religious task. Jesus is such an easy one to believe, to follow, and to love. The genius of Jesus’ ministry is that he uses tragedy, suffering, sin, betrayal, and death itself to bring us to God. There are no dead ends for Jesus, which is the ultimate message of hope for humanity. Everything can be transmuted and everything can be used in the economy of grace. EVERYTHING! You could even say that Jesus makes the devil work for him, and for us, which is surely evil’s ultimate defeat.
(Adapted from The Authority of Those Who Have Suffered by Richard Rohr)

God, plant within us your own life. We need your energy, your compassion, your peaceful presence. Help us to see you, not as the one who has given us problems and pains, as if we are your chess pieces… but instead as the one who lives our pain with us, suffers with us, and leads us through our pain to find a deeper relationship with you. In your name we pray… amen