As mid-autumn rushes into our region, its companion, frost, settles upon the grass and flowers. The beauty of frost as the morning light reflects upon it brings us momentary joy.
And then we see our plants who have journeyed with us since spring shriveled, hunched over. Their leaves waving a final goodbye.
We remember their tiny days as we would gently bury their roots into the ground and waited for their leaves to grow and flowers to burst forth. Through the summer, their beings would expand in every direction. They greeted us every morning and evening, welcoming us home when the days were rough, and sending us out into the world with a sense of hope.
Today we bid them farewell and give gratitude for the months they brightened our yards and lives. To you, God, we give thanks for the beauty of annuals, even when their lives are short. We reflect upon our own lives. Like the flowers, how will we illuminate the world with our gifts?
May your peace strengthen us in these short days, cold nights, and when our yards lack the bright colors of summer.
Our joints stiffen and swell. Radiating pain shoots across our necks, backs, knees, and hands. What aches will tomorrow bring? we ask ourselves. How do we walk one step at a time or fulfill our callings with the limited use of our bodies?
As we mark World Arthritis Day, may the gifts of treatments better our lives. May inflammation decrease and movement increase. May we figure out how to live fully even when various types of arthritis threaten our futures. May your Spirit guide us in the shadows and lead us into the sunlight again.
Today we remember the beautiful September morning when the sky became filled with soot, when terror robbed the joy of our neighbors.
The ones who relive trauma day after day from those scenes and the ones whose hearts still ache from their loss never live far from our minds.
May beautiful stories open for the children who never knew their parents and may the widows and widowers find the gentle rains of peace.
May the first responders who struggle with ongoing health issues find the healing they need, and may we remember the ones who died since that September day in 2001.
May we work with our neighbors of all faiths, races, perspectives, abilities, orientations, and identities to craft a world where Divine love reigns, where justice heals, and where mercy unites.
May we labor together to build a world where hate lives no more, where words of malice fall away, where actions of brutality dissipate, and where terrorism and genocide and oppression have no home.
May our country and every other nation find blessings, and may we be a blessing to those within our nation and our neighbors across this earth.
Divine Love, in this week of contemplation, may we remember the presentation of your love through the Christ. As we share in the breaking of the bread, may we recall the beautiful unity of Christ’s table. May the mandate of this day, to love our neighbors as ourselves, be etched into our souls. Widen our minds to see our neighbors from a new angle. Widen our hearts to serve as Jesus the Christ once served. Amen.
Communion
The communion liturgy keeps in mind a hybrid approach to worship this year. Some people may be in our presence, and others experiencing worship at home. This was adapted from last year’s “sheltering in place” communion liturgy.
Christ gave us the mandate to love one another. Christ gave us the peace that we will never be left alone. Christ gave us the picture that we are connected as vine and branches. Christ gave us the assurance that no one will take away our joy.
God is with you! God is with us all! Open wide our hearts. We open them to new possibilities. From here tonight to dining room tables, this is the time to give God our thanks and praise.
Jesus the Christ has created a realm of love for each of us- one in which we will be reunited with loved ones, one full of sacred memories, one in which we are assured of God’s comfort.
It was a night filled with teachings and memories. Undoubtedly, tears were shed and laughs raised. This was the night before Jesus died. Jesus took bread. As he blessed it and broke it, he said to his friends Whenever you eat this bread, eat in remembrance of me.
Later, Jesus blessed a cup filled with fruit of the vine. Friends, this is the new covenant. Drink this to remember me. Drink to remember our time together.
Spirit of God, surround the bread. Surround the cup. Surround us – here and elsewhere. Bless us in our eating and drinking. Bless our connection – near and far. No matter if close or distant, our covenant with God will keep us together.
May we spend this time remembering: The ones who can’t be at the table. The ones who are no longer at the table. And the one Christ who created this sacramental table experience. Amen.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Loving God, Great Provider-
After this time together, near and far, we give thanks for the opportunity to commune with the Christ and our neighbor. May the love that was experienced tonight through bread and cup open our hearts to the beauty, pain, and joy across our world. May this sacrament move us to offer our neighbors our love. And may our time at the table remind us of the ones who are forever in our hearts. Amen.
Blessing of the Gifts and Benediction
As we are not having a “collection” time during our service, our congregants are dropping them in boxes on the way out of the sanctuary, mailing them into church, or giving online. We have combined the two together.
Holy One-Your gifts build a world of love, filled with memories of your presence in our lives. May we use our gifts to continue to create a world of care, living into your mandate to love one another as you love us. Amen.
We walk into the dusk knowing the journey of Jesus. May we remember his steps to the cross. May we embrace his profound love. And may we share this grace each and everyday, leading our world to resurrection.
Amen.
(c) Rev. Michelle L. Torigian 2021. Liturgy may be used with attribution.
As we gaze into your lakes and rivers, we honor the waters you designed on this earth.
Your seashores remind us of your design of this planet and all the gifts to allow us to flourish.
Bless the tides and oceans. Bless the rains that dance upon the dirt. Fill our jars with clean water.
May your stream continue to flow, gifting clean water to all neighbors. May this water be easily attained by people in all cities and countries. Keep all of your children hydrated and refreshed.
As we stop to ponder the past, we recall the ones who placed their lives on pause to risk, to strengthen and nurture the spirit of our country.
With gratitude today, we remember our veterans. For many, the wars aren’t over. For many, trauma is relived day after day. For many the pain in their bodies and their missing limbs remind them of the horrors of war.
Can we thank them enough? Can we create a world in which war is rare? Can we ensure their post-war care is strong and fruitful?
For their risks, for their sacrifices, we honor them. For the veterans who are now our saints, we celebrate their memories with love.
May peace abide in their hearts. May comfort claim their souls. May we see that our lives are connected to their efforts, and their care is essential to the Body of Christ being whole.
May we celebrate the grandparents among us and the ones who have passed on.
With gratitude, we acknowledge the love they shared with us-
From the dinners cooked to the trips taken.
We bless the grandparents who are taking on extra duties-
Sitting with children learning lessons and sharing their homes with children whose parents aren’t around.
We pray for their energy as they work hard imparting wisdom, and we ask for your healing love to sustain them as they continue to grow older.
We thank you also for the bonus grandparents among us: the step-grandparents, the great-aunts and uncles, and the ones who have filled the roles of grandparents for us. May they know what impact they have made on our lives.
God of the autumn harvest, bless the fruits of these relationships, that they may multiply and we keep these memories with us forever.
Creator God, source of all knowledge and wisdom-
In this unique era of our lives,
When laptops on kitchen tables
And masks in public spaces
Have become our norm,
We ask for blessing of our students.
Some of these young scholars will be learning in classrooms.
We pray for health in body, mind, and soul.
Bless their masks as they wear them from first bell to last.
Bless the air in the classrooms. Bless their unusual recesses and lunchtimes.
May wellness be their companion.
Some of our learners are absorbing knowledge from new spaces-
Laptops instead of smartboards
Dining room tables instead of desks.
May their focus be great.
May connections grow between students and teachers
And students with one another.
We pray for health in mind, soul, and body.
Bless the energy in their homes, and the loved ones assisting them.
Bless the students navigating education
As they split their time between home and school-
Parents, grandparents and friends.
We pray for health in soul, mind, and body
We pray for the health of all their connections.
May their unique schooling inspire all of us to think outside of boxes.
Bless the parents wondering how to balance all of this.
The family members who are classmates and teachers in our current world.
Bless the teachers, staff, and administrators leading in this new realm of education.
Bless our communities as we work to stay well and reduce the spread of COVID-19.
May 2020 be the year in which we grow with you, God of wisdom.
God of strength and resilience,
on this Purple Heart Day,
we celebrate the valor of our service member siblings.
We remember the ones who risked their lives-
those who returned to us- some healed, others healing,
and those who sacrificed their lives- now abiding with God on that side of heaven.
God of broken bodies and shattered souls,
we pray for our siblings injured in a time of war or during a time of service.
May their stories be lifted and spirits elevated.
May the light of the Divine be a balm to the injuries marked on their souls and hearts.
May the winds of the Spirit build their resilience.
May we, as your children, Holy One, advocate for their healing.
Allow us to see our place in the well-being of all our neighbors and, especially today, the ones who are the wounded brave.
Michelle L. Torigian 